Tokyo Gift Show aims to spur Thai-Japanese joint ventures

Linked to a joint Thai-Japanese project called Daruma, the show will display lifestyle products such as textiles, furniture and decorative items. The aim is to find Japanese partners to help exploit innovative Japanese craftsmanship to create better design, function and quality. Then both sides will together export the products to the world market, which is expected to bring more revenue into both countries.
Tetsuo Shibata, director of the trade cooperation department of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro Bangkok), said the Daruma project was an initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Investment of Japan to assist flood-affected Thai businesses. According to a Jetro survey, 39 per cent of the SMEs joining the initiative needed support in the area of design, 35 per cent in production, and 54 per cent in marketing.
“The products will be manufactured in and exported out of both Thailand and Japan,” Shibata said. “Under this Thailand-Japan business partnership framework, Japan can also seek the possibility to penetrate new markets with Thai businesses as equal partners.
“For example, Thai designers have competitive advantages in the EU market these days, so by this business partnership, both Thailand and Japan will enjoy mutual benefits to advance after the previous natural disasters,” Shibata concluded.
Launched in January, the Daruma project aims to provide support to Thai SMEs in the food, lifestyle-product and hospitality industries. Food products were promoted at the THAIFEX event last May. Lifestyle products are being presented this week at the Tokyo International Gift Show, and will be again next month at the Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair (BIG & BIH) and at international trade shows overseas such as Maison & Objet later.
Hospitality services will be highlighted at the World Spa & Well-being Convention this month and the Thailand Health & Beauty Show next July.
More than a hundred companies from 22 provinces have joined the Daruma programme. The screening criterion is that the businesses should have a potential for success, judging from a feasibility study submitted by the companies and interviews by Japanese specialists.