Fifth CLMV Leadership Program
Atsushi Saneyoshi
Section Chief
International Affairs Division
Industries Department
Shikoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
The Shikoku region was visited on 6-8 December by middle-level leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), who had the opportunity to experience Japan not as the economic superpower usually envisaged by foreigners but rather a place that harmonizes industry and the natural environment.
When these leaders visited the Shikoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, they noted during the discussion that the Japanese do a lot of considering and are slow to make decisions. Growing at a remarkable pace, the countries of Indochina are regarded as strong candidates to become the next world growth center, and this observation from our visitors made it very clear that if Japan wishes to utilize that economic growth to promote its own economic advance, we too will have to learn to make quick decisions and take prompt action.

Kagawa University
Here I would like to provide an introduction to the Shikoku companies and universities which the members of the 5th CLMV Leadership Program visited, as well as to the particular features of the Shikoku region.
The ‘rice power’ project which Yushin Brewer Co. has undertaken to develop and utilize rice extracts has enabled the company to transform itself from a traditional sake brewery into a biotechnology company making cosmetics and other skincare products.

Yamato Manufacturing Co., Ltd
Among the many products manufactured by Les Gants Co.,Ltd. are the gloves beloved by many professional baseball players and famous golfers.
Kagawa University has formed a consortium with local firms to develop human resources from the perspective of Japanese food safety.
Kamada Soy Sauce Inc. makes the tsuyu dipping sauces and soy sauces that support the udon noodles which are a mainstay of Kagawa’s traditional food culture.
The Shikoku region is also home to companies making everything from medical transfusions to blood-sugar level sensors, vaccines against seasonal influenza, precious metal materials for dental purposes dentistry,

Les Gants Co., Ltd
While in terms of figures, Shikoku represents only around three percent of Japan’s population and GDP, Shikoku’s products and services underpin both the Japanese and global economies.
At the same time, Shikoku has been the first region in Japan to face the challenges of population decline and the graying of society. More specifically, the region’s population peaked 20 years earlier than the national population and is currently declining. The ratio of the population 65 years and above is also increasing at a pace 10 years faster than the national average.
Because the same problems will become marked in other places around the world in the years to come, we plan to use them conversely as an opportunity to position ourselves as a forerunner in finding solutions.

Industries Department, Shikoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry
Finally, I must again thank the Institute for International Studies and Training for providing this chance for exchange between the CLMV countries and Shikoku. We are also deeply grateful to Yushin Brewer Co., Ltd., Yamato Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Les Gants Co., Ltd., Kagawa University and Kamada Soy Sauce Inc. for their cooperation in the program over the busy year-end period.
Related Page
• The 5th CLMV Leadership Program in Japan (FY2011)
(original article : Japanese)