Local exporters to join two-week trade mission to Japan
In a bid to further accelerate Philippine exports to Japan, local companies from the fashion wearables and home furnishings sectors will participate in the two-week Philippine Trade Mission with Business Meetings to be held at Tokyo’s ASEAN-Japan Hall in July, reported the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“The vision [here] is to increase awareness on Philippine products in the world’s second biggest market and of Japan as one of the top export destinations of products from the Philippines,” said DTI Trade Secretary Jesli Lapus in a statement.
Sponsored by the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) in collaboration with CITEM, the trade mission will grant exposure to the products of around 15 Filipino companies during a 10-day exhibition period starting 13 July 2010, and will move on to intensive business meetings with interested Japanese buyers that will last for three days.
“Japanese lifestyle incorporates nature, and the change of seasons stimulates the market,” said Ms. Yoko Kawaguchi, speaking for a seminar organized by the AJC and CITEM on maximizing business in Japan, as part of preparations for the outbound trade mission. Kawaguchi, a marketing expert for AJC, is also president of the Asian consultancy firm Y’s Worth Corporation.
Adding that sluggish personal consumption has characterized the Japanese buying pattern since the global financial crisis, she said that the resulting “fast fashion” boom that currently dictates demand for products with “a reasonable balance of price, quality, and design” provides a window for exporters to carve a niche in the fashion conscious Japanese market.
The Japanese fashion goods market includes footwear, bags, gloves, hats, handkerchiefs, scarves, ties, umbrellas, watches, eyewear, and other fashion accessories.
According to industry reports, Japan’s fashion accessories sector is a mix of international brands (Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Gucci, Jill Stuart, Anna Sui, etc.) and local brands (4°C, Kaoru, Kumikyoku, Ahkar, etc.) leaning towards American casual, beads and handicraft styles, and traditional ethnic accessories.
When it comes to the demand for home furniture, kitchen and tableware, the demand for storage items such as cabinets has remained comparatively firm as dictated by the Japanese lifestyle of “storing away and arranging neatly”.
Still a lucrative sector, the Japanese giftware market amounted to 17B yen in 2008, reflecting the age-old Japanese practice of gift-giving as a means of communication. Good packaging, said Kawaguchi, as well as the creative use of eco-friendly materials, are among important aspects to consider for exporters.
The seminar was attended by around 7 participating companies of the recently concluded CITEM-led design trade show Manila F.A.M.E. International, from which were selected the companies to take part in the trade mission. As a significant Philippine market, Japan was chosen as the first-ever partner country for FAME, which incorporated a Japanese-inspired theme for its settings showcased at the World Trade Center Manila. Following the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Agreement (JPEPA), Philippine trade promotion activities to Japan generated around US$38M in 2009. Filipino products have also seen sustained visibility in sectors that include design-driven merchandise like home furnishings and fashion wearables; fine jewelry; processed food; IT and IT enabled services; as well as homebuilding and construction materials.
Established in 1981, the AJC promotes exports to and accelerates the inflow of investment from ASEAN countries to Japan.
Other countries to take part in similar trade missions to Japan for 2010 include Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
For more information on the Philippine trade mission, visit www.citem.com.ph.
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