INDUSTRY TRENDS
Archive 2021
Olympus and HOYA Enter the Disposable Endoscope Business

Demand increased due to the coronavirus disaster, and the market for disposable endoscopes is rapidly expanding

Major Beverage Companies Cultivate New Coffee Demand in Southeast Asia

Suntory enters the market with no sugar and Nestlé collaborates with Starbucks

Japanese companies are ahead of other countries in decarbonization technologies

Data-analysis company Astamuse examined the value of decarbonization technologies and patents held by the world's leading companies and ranked them on the scale of carbon reductions expected in 2050.

Food exports will exceed 1 trillion yen for the first time

Exports of Japan's agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and foodstuffs are growing amid the new Corona Virus

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Recover CO2 from the Air

To be commercialized in 2025 as one step further measures of global warming

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Opens up a New Market in Asia with Health Promotion-Type Insurance

Mitsui will develop health promotion insurance that links health data with insurance premiums

Food Delivery Companies Enter Online Product Delivery

Amid a labor shortage, the number of door-to-door delivery service providers will increase

ENEOS and Mitsubishi Chemical Embark on a Business to Reuse Waste Plastics

Returning plastic waste to a state close to crude oil and reusing it as a raw material

Six Domestic Startups Exceeding ¥100 billion

Companies with strong ability to create new businesses are advancing

Zero Female Directors Account for 51% of Major Listed Companies

In fiscal 2021, 48% of major listed companies in Japan did not appoint either women or foreign people as directors.

Employing Overseas IT Personnel Remotely

Japan is increasingly using digital personnel across national borders

Seven Eleven Expands Into India

Starting the first branch in Mumbai with a local conglomerate

Big Companies Expand Investments in Startups

What fields is Japan’s CVC (Corporate Venture Capital) investing in?

Flotsam Bottles and Kimono are Transformed

Upcycling recycles unwanted items into treasure

Japan on the Offensive in Advanced Materials

Advanced materials are indispensable for raising the performance of AI and EVs

Sony Shoot Movies Without Locations

Next-generation LEDs Bring a Revolution in Movies Images

Toyota Show Their Competitiveness With EV Patents

The Japanese car industry has an edge in electric vehicle (EV) technology

Small and Medium Companies are Promoting Intellectual Property Mixes

Making the most of technical strengths with the combination of patents and trademarks to promote brands

Daiei and NTT Data Develop Fully touchless “No-checkout Stores”

Opening stores where you can buy products with smartphone authentication, without going through checkout

MOS Burger Tests Customer Service Robots

Working towards fully touchless customer service with remotely-operated robots

Numbers of M&As Among Japanese Companies are Accelerating

The number of M&As between January and June set a record, and the level remained high in July

Nippon Shokubai is Working Towards Mass Production of Raw Material for Plant-derived Paper Diapers

A move in response to consumers and investors who demand action for the environment

Moving Away From China in Drug Feedstock Procurement

Shionogi and other Japanese pharmaceutical companies are starting to rethink their reliance on foreign sources

Kameda Seika Aims to Become a Global Food Company

Evolving from a “rice cracker and snack manufacturer” to “the ‘Better for You’ food company”. We interviewed Mr. Ichiro Nishikura and Ms. Eri Udagawa, driving force behind Kameda’s mission to “deliver delicious plant-based protein”, at their office in Tokyo.

Shionogi Moves Away From China in its Drug Feedstock Procurement, to Domestic Production

Japan’s pharmaceutical industry is looking at its drug feedstock production and starting to rethink its reliance on foreign sources...

Euglena Uses Fuel From Euglena Gracilis in a Civilian Aircraft for the First Time

Successful test flight when introduced into a privately-owned jet...

Komatsu, Working to Slash Construction Costs

Recreating construction sites in 3D to optimize worker allocation...

Door Dash, the Major US Home Meal Delivery Company, Moves Into Japan

A stream of foreign and domestic companies is entering the home meal delivery market, which is booming because of Covid-19...

Working to Reduce Plastic Usage

Nissin Foods Scraps the Seals That Hold the Lids of its Main Cup Noodle Products...

Coupang, the Major South Korean Online Shopping Company, Expands Into Japan

It provides the mall-type e-commerce site Coupang, which aims to be the Amazon of South Korea...

Ricoh Enter the Data Business With AI

The first example of a major precision device company moving into analysis of customer companies’ data...

The Ever-growing Pet Food Market

Thai Union, the canned tuna giant, is entering the Japanese pet food market...

UNIQLO Adopts Plant-based Polyester

UNIQLO will launch “UNIQLO+ (Plus)”, an environmentally conscious sports apparel worldwide from June...

Four in Ten Companies in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Have Zero Female Directors

The state of empowerment of women in companies is an essential factor for their growth, and is taken into consideration in investment decisions...

Kao Collaborate with Popular Buyers in China on Social Media

Kao publicize their high-end cosmetics through social media and similar channels, to make cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) sales...

Honda to Switch to EV and FCV for All New Vehicle Sales

By 2040, Honda will stop selling new vehicles which emit CO2 while driving, including hybrids (HV)...

Toray Develop a Biochip Able to Test for Allergies from One Drop of Blood

This testing biochip imposes little physical burden on the subject, and is usable on infants as well as on general subjects...

Half-price Synthetic Diamonds are Within Reach

“Synthetic diamonds”, artificially made from carbon for use in jewelry, are spreading in Japan...

Kewpie Isn’t Just About Mayonnaise: It Also Makes Robots

Kewpie aims to move away from being a company that only sells foodstuffs...

Nissan Introduce Their Self-developed Online Sales Negotiation System

Nissan will provide services that can complete everything from sales negotiations through to car delivery remotely, from a smartphone...

The Domestic Olive Oil Market for Household Use Grows to $400 Million

A $500 Million Market is in Reach With Further Development of Latent Demand and Mining of Gift Demand...

Tokyo Electron Operates With Remote Maintenance

Remote support using tools such as Smartglasses is developing into a center of earnings...

Taisei Corp. Contributes to Decarbonization

Taisei has developed technology to make concrete from CO2...

A New Trend in Antiviral Materials 

Materials companies are launching streams of products with antiviral effects...

Uniqlo Opens Up the Children’s Apparel Market 

In its 2021 spring and summer lineup, Uniqlo announced products jointly developed with leading brands...

Major Japanese Shipbuilders Start Developing New Ships as Climate Change Countermeasures

Mitsubishi Heavy Industry will develop the world’s first CO2 carrier ships for practical use by 2025...

Challenging the "72-hour wall" with drones

The "72-hour wall" refers to the sharp drop in disaster victim survival rates from 72 hours after a disaster, and drone technology is developing in a bid to break it down...

Sony Aim to Dominate in Content

Sony clarifies its transition from an electronic device company to an entertainment-centered conglomerate...

Kubota Aims to Open Up Digital Agriculture

Kubota will develope driverless tractors, and polishing its automatic driving technology with artificial intelligence tech from the US semiconductor company Nvidia...

Uber Eats is Starting Home Deliveries of "Pro Ingredients"

Uber Eats is teaming up with the food wholesaler Eiwa Bussan to enable delivery of the latter's ingredients, starting in Eastern Tokyo...

Shiseido Looks for its Way Forward in High-priced Products

As the COVID-19 pandemic shakes the selling environment, Shiseido is changing direction towards high-end products aligned with its core strengths, such as skin care...

Canon Electronics Starts Selling Satellites

Canon Electronics is starting sales of small satellites, able to image the Earth's surface and space, to meteorological and data analysis companies...

Asahi is Switching to Renewable Energy at All its Factories Around the World

Asahi GHD is taking action first in Europe, where wind power generation is widespread and renewable energy procurement costs are low. It aims to cover all its factories worldwide by 2050...

Ito Yokado is Rolling Out Mobile Supermarkets Nationwide

Ito Yokado, under the umbrella of Seven and i Holdings, is planning to roll out mobile supermarkets, with goods loaded onto vehicles, nationwide by 2022...