(Yicai Global) Nov. 5 -- Many Japanese companies consider the China International Import Expo as the best opportunity to expand their market and create brand awareness, said Takayama Hiroshi, deputy director of the Japan External Trade Organization.

About 300 Japanese firms, including large businesses such as Hitachi, Honda, Panasonic, and Fuji, are taking part in the annual CIIE, which kicked off in Shanghai yesterday. The JETRO has also organized 128 small and medium-sized companies to participate in this year’s expo, and 40 percent of them are attending for the first time.

Learning from experience over the past three years, group participation is better for Japanese SMEs, so they are taking the same approach again this year, Takayama said.

The markets for elderly bathtubs, fresh seafood from Kyushu and Nagasaki, and rice from Hokkaido have all been expanded through the CIIE, he added.

China is an important market for Japanese companies, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, Takayama said. “China has recovered faster than any other country, so its market is quite eye-catching. Businesses count on it to improve their performance.”

In the beginning, it was difficult to adapt to China’s cross-border e-commerce, but it was possible to enter platforms including Tmall Global’s self-operated stores through reliable and professional partners, Takayama noted.

Editor: Futura Costaglione