JETRO Releases the Results of Its Survey of Foreign-affiliated Firms in Japan.Tokyo Tokyo (tō`kēō), city (1990 pop. 8,163,573), capital of Japan and of Tokyo prefecture, E central Honshu, at the head of Tokyo Bay. , Japan, Apr 21, 2006 - (JCN JCN Japan Corporate News JCN Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience JCN Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing JCN Journal of Christian Nursing JCN Job Control Number JCN Journal of Child Neurology JCN joint communications network (US DoD) Newswire) - Most foreign-affiliated firms* operating in Japan have a favorable fa·vor·a·ble adj. 1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds. 2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis. 3. view of their business performance, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the results of a survey released today by the Japan External Trade Organization Japan External Trade Organization (日本貿易振興会 (JETRO JETRO Japan External Trade Organization ). A total of 614 firms replied to the survey, or 18.9% of the 3,256 firms sent questionnaires. According to the survey, 83.2% of respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. view their current business performance in Japan as generally favorable - the 83.2% figure is the sum of percentages for respondents who view current performance as "good" (39.4%) and "fair" (43.8%). Firms were also asked to rate their future business prospects: 49.0% expect to improve on current performance, while others expect their performance to remain "good" (10.9%) or "fair" (22.0%). Reflecting this strong business confidence, more than half of respondents (56.4%) have plans to expand operations; 35.0% will maintain their current business scale and 3.4% plan to scale down operations. Among firms planning to expand business in the coming years, some short-term Short-term Any investments with a maturity of one year or less. short-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss on the value of an asset that has been held less than a specified period of time. plans include: "strengthen sales force" (73.1%) and/or "launch new products/services" (64.5%). In the mid to long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. view, companies also plan to "hire more staff" (50.6%) and/or "strengthen ties with Japanese firms" (29.6%). The survey also polled firms about obstacles/barriers to setting up/expanding business in Japan. Comparing results from this survey with those from the 1995 survey, it is clear that firms today find it easier to do business in Japan. Smaller percentages of respondents cited "high business costs" (down 9.6 points over 1995 survey), "closedness/particularilty of the Japan market" (down 11.2 points) and "complicated administrative procedures" (down 10.4 points). A higher percentage of respondents (compared to the 1995 survey), however, cited "difficulty in securing personnel" (up 12.0 points to 59.6%); the percentage citing difficulty finding staff with suitable foreign language skills rose 15.0 points to 39.7%. These figures are in line with Japan's tightening labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience and improved employment situation, which is causing Japanese and foreign firms to compete for qualified personnel. Asked which areas of privatization/reforms carried out by the Japanese government would create the most business opportunities for their firms in the long run, the majority of respondents cited "infrastructure construction/management" (53.0%), followed by "Japan Post" (26.5%) and "public financial institutions" (19.7%). Of the 117 firms responding to this question, 55 were in the services sector (where many of the reforms are being carried out) and 48 in the wholesale/retail sector. * In the survey, a foreign-affiliated firm refers to a company with more than a third of its shares held by a foreign company or companies, as of data for 2005. About JETRO The Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, JETRO's core focus in the 21st century has shifted toward promoting foreign direct investment into Japan and helping small to medium size Japanese firms maximize their global export potential. Source: JETRO Contact: Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Public Relations Division E-mail: webinfo@jetro.go.jp Copyright [c] 2006 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network K.K. |
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