Sakamoto Tomomi - An Eye for Growth

Japanese electronics maker Panasonic was one of the first companies to make inroads into the Chinese market.

It operates 70 entities there that generate more than a tenth of its revenue.

The firm now aims to launch a hydrogen fuel cell business in China.

It wants to make the most of Beijing's plan for the country to be carbon neutral by 2060, and the investment that comes with it.

Panasonic says China's deep pockets and swift policy decisions can be good for business.

"China can do a project in one year that Europe needs 4 years or more just to examine.

I believe the operating environment there can help us to create a globally competitive product."

But not all Japanese firms agree, with some production shifting away from China, like at this auto parts company that manufactures antennas there.

When trade tensions between Washington and Beijing led to higher tariffs, the company saw its profits slashed.

It ultimately had to halt exports from China to the US.

Beijing's zero-Covid policy has also hurt business, with factory closures reducing output.

The risks became too much for the firm to bear, so executives decided to diversify manufacturing.

They've since opened a new facility in the Philippines.

"Political ties between the US and China have become unstable.

So, we believe we need to spread manufacturing across different countries instead of just having almost all of it in one place."

Rising costs in China are also making it less attractive to Japanese businesses.

This apparel maker used to manufacture most of its clothing in China, but over the past decade the amount has shrunk to about 10 percent of its production.

Executives say rising worker salaries have become burdensome for the firm, with the average wage increasing over the past 20 years by about 8 times in yen terms.

"This is where we sew clothing."

The company is now shifting production to Vietnam where labor costs remain low.

"Our job requires a lot of work done by hand.

Businesses like ours have to go where labor is cheaper."

Ties between Japan and China may again be reaching an inflection point.

There are growing risks including geopolitical tensions as Beijing pressures Taiwan.

But with China's massive market still offering opportunity, Japanese firms will have to carefully evaluate their connections to the country.

"BeReal" is a trending social media app that's gaining an influx of users with a unique proposition.

As the name implies, the point of it is to "be yourself."

This is Lucas Gelfond, a university student who's using the app.

He says it's much less stressful to use than other social media services.

BeReal's key feature is that users can't edit their photos.

That means no tweaking the colors or brightness of images.

Posts are also only allowed once a day.

What's more, the app decides when people upload.

It sends a notification that could come at any moment, and the user must take and post an image within 2 minutes, leaving almost no time to plan the perfect shot.

The photo is uploaded along with a selfie.

It's meant to prove that the user really took it.

"I am certainly pretty annoyed with the whole, I have to, like, pick out the best photos and, pick a caption."

BeReal was launched in France in 2020.

It has steadily gained popularity among the young crowd in Europe and the US.

In August, it surpassed Facebook and What's App to become the top download among Apple's free social media apps.

I decided to give it a try.

One notification came while doing on-the-street interviews near the beach in Santa Monica.

"I have to post within 2 minutes, there's only 34 seconds left, so I'm going to take a photo now."

There was a beautiful beach nearby, but I barely had time to photograph what was right in front of me.

This was the pattern that continued during my two-week trial.

One notification came... when I was out on the balcony to dry the shoes I'd just washed.

Also when I was in a rideshare car.

And even when I was in the bathroom, just after getting out of a bath.

My uploads were full of not-so-Instagrammable moments.

"You have to keep your phone on hand to notice the app's notifications.

But one benefit of the system is that it frees you from the pressure of trying to take and post the ultimate photos."

One professor says young people are growing tired of the perfection pushed by social media.

In reality, life has its ups and downs. Some of the members
of Gen Z really are looking for a place where they can just say, 'Hey, here's what I'm experiencing at this moment right now.'

BeReal really has kind of opened that door into being an authentic platform.

BeReal directly challenges the values built by the major social media companies.

But it remains to be seen whether it's the beginning of a lasting trend, or just a small dose of reality.

Yamada Nana, NHK World.

This Month, Biz Stream presents a special series on business women making their mark in Japan.

Today, we feature Sakamoto Tomomi.

Her passion for flower arranging inspired her to create a hit product.

"Our company is driven by a wonderful team of employees working together to create something they care about."

Join us as we learn how Sakamoto was able to turn around her family's struggling business by relying on the knowledge and creativity of her close-knit staff.

Made from bendable aluminum, this flower vase allows users to create almost limitless flower arrangements.

It was invented by Sakamoto Tomomi; the third generation owner of a small aluminum fabricator.

Since going into business over 70 years ago, it has been producing a wide variety of aluminum products ranging from kettles to air conditioning ducts.

The second of 4 sisters, Sakamoto worked in Tokyo for several years after graduating from university, but found herself returning home to help with the family business in 1996.

"None of my sisters were interested in taking over the business, so it all fell on me."

With cheaper foreign competition forcing the company to cease production of aluminum kettles, it found itself with only one viable product remaining - ducts for air conditioning.

Monthly sales figures that reached nearly $300,000 a decade prior fell to just $7,000.

Having to face such troubling times by herself made Sakamoto question her decision to take on the family business.

"I realized I'd been dealt a bad hand, but I wasn't willing to let that stop me from succeeding."

That's when Sakamoto decided that her company needed a new hit product to help revive it.

She found herself using any spare time she had thinking about what her company could make that could help set it apart.

"I thought, 'what can this particular material be used for,' and 'what exactly can our metalworkers do with it?'" Ironically, the "seed" for her best idea came from her love of flower arranging.

She thought the flexibility of aluminum might be great for creating a new type of flower vase.

However, making her idea a reality wouldn't be easy.

The company didn't have the money to outsource the making of a prototype, and when she asked her company's metalworkers for help, they quickly dismissed her.

"They said they didn't have time to help me with a hobby and told me I should get back to work."

Despite repeatedly being turned away, Sakamoto didn't give up and continued to ask them for help whenever she had the chance.

"I said, 'we have no choice but to come up with something new if we want to survive.

Without actually making it and giving people a chance to try it out, there's no way to know if it will sell or not.'" Just 6 months after coming up with the idea, Sakamoto had a prototype in hand,

and immediately began looking for new sales channels for her vase.

She first set her eyes on Tokyo's fanciest department stores.

"Here in Japan, department stores are known for only offering the highest quality products, and for displaying them beautifully, in a setting that only further increases their value."

A few months later, she managed to secure an agreement with one of Japan's most famous department stores.

Soon after, other department stores also began offering her aluminum vase, and in its first year, it brought in nearly $30,000 in sales.

24 years later, the vase remains one of the company's best sellers.

Last year, it brought in over $450,000, making up 1/3 of total sales.

Several years of success have helped the vases to move far beyond department store shelves.

They can even be found in classrooms, where students of all ages, including young children are now using them to discover the joys of flower arrangement.

"I think liking or enjoying something can soon turn into a strong passion.

I think we have that happening here and that's what makes our staff so valuable to our company."

This new product became available for sale in February of this year.

This time, a different team member came up with the idea.

Each month, staff gather together to participate in a brainstorming and idea-sharing meeting.

No matter their rank or job description, all 26 employees are asked to join and contribute.

"When pitching new product ideas, we never cast judgement right away and label something good or bad.

Instead, we just say, 'If it's something you'd like to make, please tell us about it.'" The idea for the collectible doll stand came from Iwata Kiriko.

A few years ago, she began collecting unique dolls from an anime she was a fan of.

Wanting a way to easily pose them for pictures, she suggested making a custom stand.

"Without a stand, they just face straight down, but now it's much easier to pose them for the camera."

After pitching her idea at the monthly meeting, Sakamoto gave it the greenlight.

Since the company is capable of producing its products entirely in-house, it didn't take long for the idea to become a reality.

Iwata quickly made a rough model of the stand from paper, and passed it on to one of the factory's metal workers.

Sakamoto Yuuki then had to decide which of 100 different types of aluminum to use for the stand.

The goal was to create a durable product with a high-end feel to it.

"I wanted something that wasn't just light and sturdy, but that could hold a nice color."

After making his selection, he then used a laser cutter.

Next, a press to bend it into its proper shape.

Less than an hour later, the first prototype was sitting on Iwata's desk.

"It's so fun and exciting to be able to turn a concept or idea into a physical product so quickly and easily!"

The stand instantly caught on with many passionate fans who like to upload photos of their favorite dolls posed with delicious foods or at scenic locations.

In just 6 months, the company has sold over 2,000 units.

"Outsourcing to an overseas manufacturer would be difficult because most require a minimum order of 10,000 units.

But since we do everything in-house, we can make a much smaller number, take them to a trade show or an exhibition and see how they sell."

Recently released in August, these stylish plates were also the result of employees' suggestion.

Aluminum is one of the few metals that can be dyed different colors.

However, since the plates were to be used with food, they decided to use only plant-based dyes.

Creating natural dyes that were both pleasing to the eye and held their color took the company over 3 years to develop.

Sakamoto says that a saying her grandfather and company founder often repeated, still rings true with her - "A good business should first focus on what it can do for others.

If it can do that, the profits will soon follow."

"To me, 'others' doesn't just mean consumers or society in general, it also includes my company's staff.

Rather than just being focused on driving sales and increasing profits, I think it's important to create a company where each and every employee can work with a sense of pride and vitality."