One-of-a-Kind Companies

A Look at Japan’s Successful SMEs

Japanese manufacturing is often characterized by an insistence on craft and technique that can appear even more important than making a profit. Many companies have developed technologies and products to be found nowhere else. We take a look some of these remarkable companies from different parts of Japan.

Souki Systems

As well as developing robots and IT devices, Souki Systems trains systems engineers, placing its faith in the creativity of the young developers who will usher in a new era.
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Yasuhisa Koki

Yasuhisa Koki makes the prototypes and trial models that provide the basis for new products. This flagship company is located within the small-factory industrial zone in Tokyo’s Ōta Ward. We look at its work in fields of medicine and welfare, where Japan is showing new economic growth.
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Aiya

The city of Nishio in Aichi Prefecture is Japan’s foremost producer of matcha, the finest of all Japanese green teas. We visit the region’s top producer to hear about how quality and safety have helped it bring matcha to a new range of consumers around the world.
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Mitaka KohkiKikuchi Masanori

A small company with just 50 employees, Mitaka Kohki has developed a camera used by NASA and enjoys a 50% share of the market for neurosurgical microscopes. We take a look at the secrets behind the company’s success.
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Hard Lock Industry

Inspired by a traditional gateway at a Shinto shrine in Osaka nearly 40 years ago, the self-locking Hard Lock Nut has become an international success, offering improved safety and reduced costs by producing a nut that never comes loose.
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Mitsuya Co.

In a world that runs on integrated circuits, metal plating has assumed a key role in the manufacturing industries. Armed with state-of-the-art plating technology and a can-do attitude, a little company named Mitsuya has left its imprint on manufactured goods all over the world—and beyond.
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Kitajima Shibori Seisakusho

Japan’s reputation as a “technological superpower” has been largely based on the diligent manual labor and the unyielding spirit of the country’s craftsmen. The first installment in this series introducing urban workshops showcases a small metal-crafter whose products have gone to outer space.
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(More); The Frontiers of ScienceJapan’s cutting-edge technology is the result of healthy competition and cooperation between researchers in the government, industrial, and academic sectors. We visit some of the country’s leading research laboratories to bring you a first glimpse of Japan’s latest technological innovations.
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