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Tag: Japan

  • Japanese telco taps Redknee for 4G service upgrade

    Japanese telco taps Redknee for 4G service upgrade

    A Tier 1 communication service provider in Japan has awarded Redknee Solutions has won a multi-million dollar.

    The operator is experiencing increasing demand for 4G services while its subscriber base expands rapidly. The solution will upgrade Redknee’s integrated policy and charging solution to support more than 30 million subscribers.

    The solution will also add support for new capabilities such as Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE). The win will see Redknee scale its solutions to meet the needs of a growing Tier 1 CSP while supporting 4G service offerings that require an agile and innovative approach to achieve customer satisfaction and success.
    Consumers are increasingly using data rich services such as HD voice and multimedia services, and this is prompting CSP’s to invest in new technologies that support increasing volumes of data and traffic. VoLTE is quickly being adopted because it can deliver faster onboarding, shorter call setup times, and improved spectral efficiency.

    “Redknee understands the importance of customer success. Redknee’s agile and scalable solutions support new technologies and service offerings, such as VoLTE, which allow our customers to improve quality of service, drive innovation, and deliver successfully to all of their subscribers,” said Danielle Royston, Redknee’s CEO.

  • DHL unveils new outbound cross-border distribution center in Japan

    DHL unveils new outbound cross-border distribution center in Japan

    HL eCommerce, a division of Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group), is set to give an extra boost to Japan’s booming cross-border e-commerce industry which is growing at a CAGR of 16 percent and estimated to exceed EUR1.1 billion in 2018. The company officially launched its new outbound cross-border Distribution Center located in Narita, to enable Japan’s online merchants to sell directly to some of the hottest e-commerce destinations worldwide.

    “In Japan, SMEs and sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are the main cross-border e-commerce players, targeting markets in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. To enable them to grow their business and reach a wider customer base internationally, they need a greater variety of international shipping solutions with high-quality services while keeping their operational costs low. Specific e-commerce services are also needed, such as IT integration from shopping cart to delivery for a seamless logistics process,” said Yoshihiko Sasaki, managing director, DHL eCommerce Japan.

  • Toyota Invests $1.33 Billion To Upgrade Georgetown, Kentucky Plant

    Toyota Invests $1.33 Billion To Upgrade Georgetown, Kentucky Plant

    A $1.33 billion investment will make Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. the first plant in North America to begin producing vehicles using Toyota New Global Architecture.

    Toyota’s Kentucky assembly plant located in Georgetown, 13 miles north of Lexington and 71 miles east of Louisville, is the automaker’s largest in the world employing 8,200 team members. This represents an all-time high after recently adding over 700 people to support the upcoming launch of the 2018 Camry.

    Last year, TMMK produced nearly a quarter of the total number of Toyota vehicles produced in North America, over 500,000. In total, the plant has produced more than one-third, 11 million, of all Toyota vehicles manufactured in North America since 1986.

    Today’s announcement adds to the $530 million investment the plant committed to in 2013, in part to support Lexus production, the carmaker said. This brings Toyota Kentucky’s investment in the last four years to approximately $1.86 billion.

    “This $1.33 billion investment is part of Toyota’s plan to invest $10 billion dollars in the U.S. over the next five years, on top of the nearly $22 billion Toyota has invested in the U.S. over the past 60 years,” said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North America.

    “Toyota New Global Architecture is about exciting, ever-better vehicles for our customers as it will improve performance of all models, including increased fuel efficiency, more responsive handling, and a more stable, comfortable feel while driving,” he added.

    “This is the largest investment in our plant’s history and it speaks directly to the quality of our people and our products, as well as the partnerships we’ve forged in the local community and across the state,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK). “This major overhaul will enable the plant to stay flexible and competitive, further cementing our presence in Kentucky.”

    “Toyota is a global icon. This $1.33 billion investment is further proof of their commitment to producing American-made cars that are among the finest quality found anywhere in the world,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “It also serves as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the plant’s current employees, and reaffirms Toyota’s confidence in the advantages of manufacturing in Kentucky. We are grateful that this significant investment further validates the fact that Kentucky is the engineering and manufacturing hub of excellence in America.”

    “This major investment further solidifies Toyota’s long-term commitment to its Kentucky plant,” said Secretary Terry Gill of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. “Its ripple effects will add to Toyota’s three decades of transformative impact on our communities and for our residents across the Commonwealth. Additionally, this strengthens Kentucky’s status as a top state for auto manufacturing.”

  • Indonesia Promotes Tourism in Japanese Festival

    Indonesia Promotes Tourism in Japanese Festival

    The Indonesian government participated in the “Singen-ko Festival 2017” held in the Yamanshi Prefecture, Japan, to promote the tourism sector and investments in Indonesia.

    Indonesia was represented by state-owned airline PT Garuda Indonesia, assigned to strengthen the Indonesia-Japan diplomatic relationship.

    “The Garuda Indonesia team is led by Garuda Indonesia Commissioner Jusman Syafeii Djamal, accompanied by House of Representatives Commission X member Niko Siahaan, and a number of local celebrities, such as Donna Agnesia, Okky Lukman, Indra Bekti, and Vincent,” Indonesia’s special envoy for investment affairs Rachmat Gobel said on Monday, April 10, 2017.

    According to Gobel, Indonesia’s involvement in such cultural festival is a strategic way to strengthen ties between Indonesia and Japan. In addition, Garuda has served Japanese wine products from Yamanase on its flights. Therefore, Gobel said Indonesia must seize the opportunity to attract more Japanese investors.

    Data from the Investment Coordinating Agency revealed that Japan is the second largest investor with a total investment value of US$5.4 billion after Singapore in 2016. Japan has made investments in almost all sectors, such as manufacturing, infrastructure and automotive.

    In addition, Japan recorded a surplus of USD 25 billion in current trade balance in February 2017, increasing from USD 588.6 million in January. Official data from the Japanese government showed that the surplus increased by 18.2 percent when compared to last year. Bloomberg forecasted that the current account surplus reached USD 22.5 billion.

    Japan has maintained its trade balance surplus for years, thanks to positive trade balance and strong revenues from overseas investments.

  • Japanese-Bruneian fund seizes investment opportunities in Indonesia

    Japanese-Bruneian fund seizes investment opportunities in Indonesia

    SBI Islamic Fund (Brunei) Limited, a joint venture between Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Finance and Japan’s Strategic Business Innovator (SBI) Holdings, is looking for opportunities to invest in Indonesia.

    SBI Islamic Fund (Brunei) Limited CEO Amran Mohammad said the fund would build fish processing factories in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, and in Aceh. The facilities would be used to process tuna to be exported to Japan.

    “The one in Aceh will be much bigger than that in Maumere. We are sealing the agreement for [the project in] Aceh,” he told The Jakarta Post during the 3rd IDB Member Countries Sovereign Investment Forum in Nusa Dua on Tuesday.

    The investment for the development of the two facilities would come from its second sharia fund totaling US$60 million.

    Both Brunei’s Ministry of Finance and SBI Holdings contributed $25 million each to the fund, while the remaining $10 million comes from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

    SBI Islamic Fund (Brunei) Limited’s first sharia fund worth $75 million was created three years ago and invested in Indonesia’s logistics firm Pandu Logistics, among other investments.

    However, Brunei Ministry of Finance deputy permanent secretary for investment Khairuddin Abdul Hamid said the fund was still looking for another $40 million from private investors.

    “We have already talked with some prominent parties during this forum and are still waiting for the reply,” he said.

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  • Japan’s EneCom expanding 100G OTN

    Japan’s EneCom expanding 100G OTN

    Japan’s top utility communications provider, Energia Communications (EneCom), has contracted Nokia to support a 100Gbps optical network rollout in Chugoku.

    The operator will deploy a cutting-edge OTN integrated with 100G/200G coherent technology covering the cities of Okayama and Hiroshima.

    Under the contract, Nokia will supply a photonic service switch to support ultra-wideband wavelength routing and switching to help EneCom meet its unpredictable traffic demands.

    EneCom also plans to use the new network to provide protection during natural disasters, due to the real-time optical fiber supervision technology which is able to monitor and locate fiber breakage.

    “We are committed to continue offering our subscribers reasonable, reliable, and high-quality services,” EneCom CEO Satoshi Kumagai said.

    “To do so, we need to meet the huge increase in traffic driven by cloud-based services, WiFi offloads, rich video content and the future demands of IoT and 5G. The disaster recovery function will provide stable services even during natural disasters.”

    “As Japan is exposed to many earthquakes and typhoons, the region requires infrastructure that can automatically reroute services upon failure and provide geographic redundancy,” Nokia Japan head Jae Won added.

    “Our solution including the 1830 PSS allows for a simple and robust operation model based on integrated fiber monitoring. This, along with a fully flexible optical transport system and end-to-end network management, is the ideal fit for EneCom’s upcoming service deployment.”

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  • Toyoda Gosei to Exhibit at Auto Shanghai 2017

    Toyoda Gosei to Exhibit at Auto Shanghai 2017

    Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. will exhibit a broad range of products and technologies that contribute to improved vehicle environmental performance and comfortable vehicles at Auto Shanghai 2017. The show will be held in Shanghai, China from April 19 to 28. Toyoda Gosei’s exhibition booth is located at 4BA101 on the 2nd Floor in Hall 4.

    Prominently displayed will be a wire mock-up car fitted with Toyoda Gosei products that contribute to improved safety and environmental performance. These include various airbags for full 360° coverage to protect vehicle occupants from impacts on all sides, millimeter wave radar compatible emblems, lightweight plastic fuel filler pipes and automotive LED products. The wire mock-up makes it easy to see and understand the features and location of these products on a vehicle.

    Also on exhibit will be the company’s highly designable radiator grilles that can accommodate diverse user design preferences and multifunction console boxes that provide greater convenience.

    Toyoda Gosei has 13 subsidiary companies in the China region and is actively developing its business there. The company will continue to expand its operations in the region to meet the needs of customers in the growing Chinese market.

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  • Miniso US launching in California

    Miniso US launching in California

    Miniso US opens its first store on April 21, in Pasadena, California.

    Established in 2013, Miniso is a variety store founded by Japanese designer Miyake Junya and Chinese entrepreneur Ye Guofu. The store offers designer-quality products including cosmetics, home furnishings, electronics and accessories.

    More than 80 per cent of the products are designed and developed in China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Singapore. New products are launched every seven days.

    On average, Miniso opens 80 to 100 stores monthly and is anticipated to have 6000 stores by 2020 with global revenues of US$9 billion.

    The company has signed agreements in more than 40 countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore.

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  • Laguarda.Low Architects Designs Grandberry Lifestyle Centre in Machida

    Laguarda.Low Architects Designs Grandberry Lifestyle Centre in Machida

    New York City-based architecture and urban planning firm, LAGUARDA.LOW ARCHITECTS, has unveiled the design for Grandberry Center, a new 750,000-square-foot transit-oriented development in Machida, Tokyo. Set on the city’s Tokyu Denen-tonshi train line, Laguarda.Low designed Grandberry Center to be the center of commerce and activity for Machida – a city in the west section of the Tokyo Metropolis.

    The new Grandberry Center development replaces an existing mall and train station and creates a modern, landscaped shopping village with a direct connection to the newly-designed Tsuruma Park. The new train depot, with its undulating roof, tiered gardens, and waterfall create a dramaticsense of arrival. From the platform, a grand stair leads visitors to the multi-level shopping center experience, inclusive of a local food market, retail stores and a cinema. The retail village is organized as a simple loop, referencing a European town typology, with parking positioned in the center. Throughout the loop, visitors traverse a series of open and covered plazas that provide dynamic spaces for socializing, leisure and entertainment.

    The buildings are composed of a mix of stone, steel, wood, glass and green walls. The form, scale, and materiality of the buildings were designed to create variation within the development and to blend with the surrounding residential neighborhood.

    “Grandberry Center provides a warm and modern ambience with sophisticated design that enlivens the surrounding neighborhood for local residents and visitors,” said Pablo Laguarda, Principal of LAGUARDA.LOW. “Its location as an entertainment and lifestyle destination is unique and we look forward to showcasing this development to the Machida community.”

    Situated amidst Tsuruma Park, Laguarda.Low’s design removes an existing street to unify Grandberry Center with nature.  To combine the two parcels, a new park entrance transforms the natural slope in grade into a dramatic stair, with the ground rising to create a green roof for a new restaurant at the threshold of the park. The firm also designed the main promenade, which features lush Cherry Blossom trees, and a designed new landscape plan with designated spaces for a skate park, urban farm, sculpture garden, children’s playground, expansive lawn and library.

    Construction of Grandberry Center will begin in May 2017, with an estimated completion of September 2019.  Grandberry Center is expected to officially open in November 2019. Granberry is one of seven Laguarda.Low-designed developments in Japan. Most recently, the firm was the silver award winner of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) New Development category for their design of AEON Mall Okinawa Rycom, the largest multi-story commercial facility in Western Japan.

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  • Zoff to open flagship in Orchard Central

    Zoff to open flagship in Orchard Central

    Japanese eyewear chain Zoff is expanding into Southeast Asia with a flagship outlet at Orchard Central in Singapore.

    Zoff, known for consistently introducing two collections every month, has more than 200 stores in Japan and China. Its Singapore flagship store at Orchard Central will open on April 7 with a traditional lion-dance performance plus a performance by dance duo Scrach Marcs.

    Zoff president/CEO/COO Teruhiro Ueno will attend the opening and is expected to speak about the company’s expansion plans.

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  • Harajuku’s Anywhere Door offers Coneshots

    Harajuku’s Anywhere Door offers Coneshots

    Japanese accessories retailer Dot Co has branched into cafes, launching Anywhere Door, taking the name from the fictional transportation device in the Doraemon cartoon series.

    But this is not a transportation portal – it is a concept built around the Coneshot, an ice-cream cone cup with chocolate frosting and containing coffee, tea or orange juice with extras and toppings.

    According to the website, fillings can also include ice cream and whisky.

    Cone Shot shop Tokyo 2

    If comes from the waffle shot – espresso coffee in a chocolate-coated waffle cone – pioneered by such Los Angeles coffee shops as Alfred Coffee & Kitchen and Zia Valentina a few years ago.

    In Tokyo’s Harajuku district, Anywhere Door takes a sweeter approach involving chocolate cream, marshmallows and mascarpone. A creamy tiramisu cone filling is also offered with matcha or roasted tea.

    As well as coffee variations, Coneshot options include matcha and fruit combinations.

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  • Umami Burger Japan launches in Tokyo

    Umami Burger Japan launches in Tokyo

    American-style dining has again crossed the Pacific, with the latest offering, Umami Burger Japan, having a distinct local slant.

    While conceived in the US, the fast-food chain takes its names from the Japanese concept of umami, one of the basic tastes as distinct from sweet, salty, bitter and sour.

    It follows such brands as Carl’s Jr, Shake Shack and Taco Bell to Japan, and on its opening day in Tokyo drew a queue of more than 100 people. It is just a few minutes’ walk from Omotesando Station.

    Umami Burger Japan - Aoyama Tokyo

    Rocket News 24 sent in writer PK to check out the store on opening day. Umami Burger dates back to 2009 has has been included in Time Magazine’s list of 17 “most influential” burgers. While he arrived an hour before the 11am opening time, already more than 50 people were lined up. By the time the doors opened, the queue had doubled in size.

    Umami Burger Japan - Aoyama Tokyo.1

    PK says he was finally seated around noon, and to gain a more rounded perspective, ordered two burgers – the namesake umami burger and the Japan-original teriyaki burger at ¥1380 (US$12.50) each, and a side order of truffle fries for ¥800.

    With its house ketchup, roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms and crispy Parmesan cheese chip, plus a medium-rare beef patty, PK writes that the umami burger tickled his taste buds. “Each flavour complemented the others for an overall perfect combination.”

    The teriyaki burger came topped with red onions, perilla leaves, fried lotus root, cabbage and a wasabi aioli sauce.

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  • Sales slide continues for Japanese retailers

    Sales slide continues for Japanese retailers

    The supermarket and department-store sales slide in Japan continued last month, say industry bodies.

    There was little impact yet from the Premium Friday campaign launched last month by the government and business community to encourage people to spend more with Japanese retailers by letting workers finish work early on the last Friday of every month, reports Japan Today.

    Supermarket sales fell 3.3 per cent from a year earlier, down for the third straight month. This is partly because of weak sales of clothing and household products, says the Japan Chain Stores Association. Overall sales at 9464 supermarkets run by 57 companies totalled ¥961.62 billion (US$872.9 billion).

    While sales of clothing dropped 9 per cent, household products including pharmaceuticals and furniture declined 4 per cent, says the association.

    Department-store sales slid 1.7 per cent, falling for the 12th consecutive month, says the Japan Department Stores Association. Overall sales at 234 stores run by 81 companies totalled ¥433.67 billion.

    Sales of clothing dropped 4.5 per cent, while sales of household items and food fell 8.6 and 0.8 per cent respectively, says the association.

    Both associations say the month’s weak retail sales were also affected by one less trading day in February last year, a leap year.

    While the Premium Friday campaign helped push up sales at department stores in large cities, it had little impact on supermarket sales, the associations say.

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  • Bad record for Bonjour Holdings

    Bad record for Bonjour Holdings

    Tumbling turnover and gross profit margin have flipped an operating profit to a loss for beauty and healthcare retailer Bonjour Holdings.

    Its turnover for last year fell 12.8 per cent to HK$1.995 billion (US$256.8 million), while its gross profit margin dropped from 41.8 to 38.1 per cent. This gave the group a loss of HK$77.9 million compared to a profit of HK$50.7 million in 2015.

    During the year, the group rationalised its retail network from 47 to 42 outlets.

    Hong Kong and Macau retail sales fell for the second straight year, the company’s audited results show.

    Same-store sales fell 10.1 per cent despite the average sales value per transaction for mainland tourists rising by 7 per cent. However, the total number of mainland customers dropped by double digits last year. The company says the drop in its total number of customers contributed about 9 per cent of the overall retail decline during the year.

    Bonjour says an enormous demand continued for Korean beauty and skincare products in Hong Kong’s retail market. Because of this, the group has formed dedicated procurement team to explore this trend.

    During the year, Bonjour continued to introduce a variety of mass Korean beauty products to keep the market competitive and to offset the negative impacts of the falling sales of Western and Japanese premium brands.

    Meanwhile, the group has been increasing awareness of its brand through online platforms. It partnered with Tmall and WeChat during the year to broaden its touch points with target consumers.

    “Additionally, with the rapid rise of live-streaming and photo-sharing apps, video and photo content and key opinion leaders (KOL), partnerships has taken up a significant role in our marketing campaigns,” says Bonjour. “Online image sharing has become a critical element for us to communicate with our target consumers.”

    Delivery service

    The group partnered with Alipay in two one-day events during the year, “2016 Carnival All the Way” and “Double Eleven”. The group also cooperated with China Post Cross-border eCommerce (CPCBE) to launch the cross-border shopping platform www.bonjourO2O.com (BonjourO2O). With its direct delivery service, customers can buy overseas items not available in Bonjour’s mainland stores.

    Online retail sales last year reached HK$40.1 million, up 7.4 per cent from 2015.

    At the end of the year, the group had 42 stores in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou. During the year, sales continued to decline in the face of “sky-high” rents. While rents have been adjusting over the past two years, the reduction has not been fully reflected in the company’s income statements as it is usually locked into leases with a three-year term. The company is able to renew only about a third of its agreements each year.

    “We believe that stabilising sales along with falling rents should help improve our profitability gradually,” says the group.

    Bonjour currently distributes 180 international cosmetic, skincare and healthcare products including Dr Schafter, Suisse Reborn, WowWow and Yumei. During the year the company adjusted the product mix, increasing international parallel-import products and mid-to-lower-priced trendy products while cutting back on higher-priced exclusive products.

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  • Takashimaya Duty Free Shop opening soon

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop opening soon

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop, Tokyo’s latest downtown duty-free store, will open late next month.

    The 2800 sqm retail outlet is a JV between department store company Takashimaya, travel retailer ANA Trading and Hotel Shilla. It will be on the 11th floor of the new Takashimaya Times Square development, in the Shinjuku area.

    Other major downtown duty-free projects scheduled to open in Tokyo include Japan Duty Free Ginza and Lotte Duty Free Tokyo Ginza.

    Takashimaya Duty Free Shop is directly connected to Shinjuku Station and to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, allowing easy access to Tokyo’s airports.

    A spokesperson for The Shilla Duty Free says Japanese cosmetics will be a key focus of the store. There will also be a tax-free zone for Japanese brands including cosmetics, food/confectionery, souvenirs, fashion and electronics.

    Goods bought at downtown duty-free stores must be collected at Narita or Haneda airport, while tax-free Japanese-made items can be collected in the stores.
    Chinese group tours will be a target audience, with Takashimaya Duty Free establishing infrastructure such as bus parking spaces, and developing offers to appeal to such visitors.

    A&S Takashimaya Duty Free Company was established last June, with Takashimaya holding a 60 per cent stake, with ANA Trading and Shilla each holding 20 per cent.

    Takashimaya Times Square includes a Takashimaya department store, brands like Nitori, Tokyo Hands and Uniqlo, as well as restaurants and a spa avenue.

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