Realizing the importance of economic exchange among the Asian cities through my business trip to India:
Report by a participant in the 20th International Engineering & Technology
Fair in India
Bustling streets in India
As well as a very large market with the population of 1.22 billion and a high economic growth rate, India is a country with a close relationship to Japan. On the other hand, a lot of Japanese may have an image of India as a "mysterious country."
As part of the economic exchange promotion among the member cities of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), we exhibited the excellent products manufactured by small- and medium-sized companies in Tokyo at the 20th International Engineering & Technology Fair in India. This project arose from the conversation between the former Governor of Tokyo and the Indian Ambassador.
Japan and India have different cultures and ideas how business should be done, which can be said in regard to any other countries. As a secretariat staffer in Tokyo, I have been in charge of correspondence and coordination with my counterpart in Delhi. At first, I was concerned about trivial matters, for instance of, "I might not be able to communicate my ideas well by email"; or "Will India really participate in the next Plenary Meeting?" Sometimes, I also felt discouraged a little, wondering "Is India enthusiastically involved in the activities of ANMC21?"
Meeting of the representatives from Tokyo and Delhi
When I took a preliminary business trip to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi in December, I was anxious about whether I would really be able to see the persons in charge in India until just before I actually met them. Indeed, I was able to meet my counterpart at the director level, who got the persons in charge in each department involved immediately whenever there emerged an issue that should be settled. He also took the trouble of making appointments to other related state agencies in advance. Thanks to his cooperation, I made the best use of the limited time of my business trip by asking for cooperation for this project from the related organizations.
I was also able to deepen my understanding of India through talking face to face with the persons who were actively working for the Japanese companies in India. For instance, I learned that "In India, documents and letters are more common way for business communication than emailing often. (I do not think that it is always applicable to all Indian people, though!)" and "The approval by the national government may be required for the issues, for which the Japanese people do not even think of approval." Understanding the background of the other party's behavior, which was surprising for me at the beginning, helped me to feel at ease. Thanks to this, I could get much more results than I expected my preliminary business trip.
I should not forget the cooperation from within the TMG. As the secretariat of the ANMC21, our department has a network with each city, but the economic exchange programs require cooperation from the department in charge of supporting small- and mid-sized companies. While there were many issues that should be coordinated on the organizational level, the personal network at the staff level was gradually strengthened, which facilitated our business talks. We even found unexpected connection among us. In this way, I could create a new network as a TMG officer. (You may feel strange if you don't know TMG has a staff of over 160 thousand!)
Staff of the exhibitors wearing a happi coat
Helping a child put on the pin, which was designed to promote the initiative to bring the 2020 Olympic Paralympic Games to Tokyo
Brochures of Member cities of ANMC21
They were all handed out very quickly.
Furthermore, I was most grateful that as many as seven companies decided to exhibit their products at the fair in India. When I met the people from these companies for the first time, I felt appreciation for them, and at the same time, gained a strong sense of responsibility that I should make utmost efforts to facilitate their exhibition and make them feel satisfied with their participation in the exhibition.
Finally, the exhibition opened on February 15. It was unusually rainy and chilly in Delhi, but we vigorously welcomed the visitors with a blue happi* on at the Tokyo Pavilion. The pavilion was set up at a favorable location just on the right hand side of the entrance, where "TOKYO COLORS", a DVD for sightseeing in Tokyo, attracted the attention of visitors. But the most fascinating to the visitors were the ingenious and innovative products of each company. Every booth was crowded with many visitors almost all the time. The business negotiations of each company were so thriving that I could not easily find a chance to talk with the staff of the exhibitors. I strongly felt that the enthusiasm and efforts of the participating companies were now in full bloom in far-off India.
*happi is one of the Japanese traditional clothes worn to festivals.
With another aim of promoting the initiative to bring the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Tokyo, we also gave the pins to the visitors asking their support to win a bid. We received replies from them many times, such as "Of course, I will support Tokyo!" and "I believe that Tokyo will win."
The scheme of the ANMC21 allows us not only to promote the bilateral relationship between Tokyo and Delhi, but also to conduct multilateral PR activities encompassing the ANMC21 member cities.. Therefore, we contacted in advance the investment promotion agencies in Japan, etc., of the countries where the member cities are located and requested them to supply their brochures to exhibit at the secretariat booth. Looking at the colorful brochures of various countries, many visitors asked us why the brochures of other countries were displayed at the Tokyo Pavilion. On such occasions, we could introduce them the activities of the ANMC21, and create a synergetic effect.
We are not certain of the concrete results of the exhibition at this time when we are preparing this draft right after closing of the exhibition. Some participating companies received the inquiries from the companies in India as soon as they came back to Japan, sensing a good response from them. It would be delightful great experience for us if our activity through the Network can help small- and mid-sized companies in Tokyo develop a market and serve the ANMC21 member cities in advancing their economy.
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