Greater interest for Lankan products in Japan

by Surekha GALAGODA

The Japanese are really interested in natural healthcare and eco friendly products such as organic products. Therefore, I think these products might have the potential for the market in Japan, said the Resident Representative JETRO Colombo, Masahide Sakishige.

He said that if a person wants to export to Japan he should first do research on the Japanese market so that he understands the preference of the consumers and then highlight the positive factors.

Sakishige said that if the products do not meet requirements of the buyer (demand side) they will never buy it. Therefore it is essential to understand the preference of the Japanese and modify or improve to suit their requirements. He said “branding is also important and if a Sri Lankan product can establish its brand in the Japanese market it might become popular”.

Speaking of garments, he said that Japanese are not only quality conscious but also price conscious. However garment exporters should focus on the high end of the market, which has a high value addition and most importantly the items should be unique.

Sakishige said that the number of inquiries from Japan is increasing since July and therefore he feels that the interest will grow gradually as the war has come to an end and there is peace in Sri Lanka.

He said that it is difficult for Japanese investors to obtain adequate information about the investment potential in Sri Lanka and therefore it has to be highlighted including the importance of the North and East. For that purpose PR work and some efforts to make Japanese people understand the real situation and attractiveness of Sri Lanka are important.

Providing a comparison between Sri Lanka and other developing countries to Japanese investors is also important. It is also essential that Sri Lanka looks after the Japanese investors who are already in Sri Lanka so that they in turn will promote Sri Lanka. At present the Japanese investors are facing several problems including issues on outstanding VAT refunds, sudden stoppage of electricity as well as labour related issues.

Therefore Sri Lanka should solve their issues before trying to attract new investments from Japan. Sakishige said “I want to do my best to strengthen the relationship between Japan and Sri Lanka during my stay.” JETRO supports economic activities in Sri Lanka by promoting trade and investment between the two countries through the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB) and Board of Investment (BOI), which are our line organizations.

Especially in the Food & Beverage sector, we support Sri Lankan companies to participate at FOODEX, which is one of the biggest trade fairs in Japan held annually. We constantly explore the possibility of introducing potential new products from Sri Lanka to the Japanese market.

He further said that JETRO supports Sri Lankan companies to invest and set up their own businesses in Japan. Masahide Sakishige, holder of a Masters Degree in Political Science from the University of Waseda, was born in Hiroshima prefecture in Japan on August 21, 1975.

Soon after obtaining MA Degree, he has joined Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in April 2000, and given his service for ODA supported export promotion projects aimed for developing countries at Trade & Economic Cooperation Department in JETRO for three years, and thereafter has been posted to Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) in Japan for two years period.

At the SME Agency in METI he has been involved in sharing Japanese SME policy in other countries through multinational regional cooperation schemes such as APEC. After two years service at METI, he was posted to JETRO HQ again, where he was responsible for Asian Trade Promotion Forum (ATPF) at Asian Cooperation Division.

After that he has been engaged in budget allocation, management and other budget related activities at the Planning Division. After two and half year period at Planning Division of JETRO HQ he has been posted as the Resident Representative of JETRO Colombo with effect from April 2009.