Home > Highlighting JAPAN > Highlighting JAPAN December 2013
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-An insightful conversation about the development of manufacturing in Japan-
To learn about how these enterprises have supported Japan's growth, we spoke to Dr. Hisayoshi Hashimoto, former director of the technology division at the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, now doing research focusing on the activities of small and medium enterprises at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
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'Made in Higashiosaka' products, assembly parts, and technical manufacturing capabilities play important roles not only in Japan but all over the world. In addition to manufactured products made nowhere else in Japan, locally-made machine parts hold a significant stake in global markets. Indeed, Higashiosaka's know-how can be found applied to aircraft, satellites, shinkansen bullet trains, and even Tokyo's Skytree, the tallest free-standing tower in the world.
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The Nerima Ward of Tokyo is often said to be the birthplace of anime. Fittingly, it is also the location of Nicker, the paint brand used by many leading manga and anime artists, including Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind such beloved films as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
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Hidden away on a small side-street in the town of Yatsushiro, in Kyushu's Kumamoto Prefecture, three bladesmiths hand-forge what they claim to be the sharpest, most durable knives in all of Japan.
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It is hard to imagine that a simple hammer can shape the complex curves of this high-tech train's nose. What is even more remarkable is that only one company in Japan, with a mere 40 employees, has employed this technique to produce many of the Shinkansen's distinctive shapes.
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Founded in 1966 on the outskirts of the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory - now the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan - Mitaka Kohki Co., Ltd. has grown from telescopes and rocket-mounted observation equipment to encompass precision three-dimensional measuring instruments, medical microscopes and solar-thermal energy systems.
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Catch an express train out of Tokyo Station and 90 minutes later you will find yourself in Kanuma, a quiet town surrounded by the beautiful foothills and flowing rivers of Tochigi Prefecture. While this may seem to be the spot for an idyllic hot spring resort or some natural marvel, it is in fact a hotbed for high-precision machining and manufacturing.
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In the last four years, the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, has implemented annual Caravan projects in an effort to support small and medium Japanese enterprises in expanding trade overseas.
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Do you have any end-of-year special traditions? In Japan, there are a few different ways to say goodbye to the old year.
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Seawater reverse osmosis may provide drinking water for the world
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He is declared 'Sommelier of the Year' by Le Guide de l'Espresso in 2010, and again by the Italian Sommelier Association (AIS) in 2012 in Italy.
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Islands and mountains embrace the arts
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© 2009 Cabinet Office, Government of Japan