Sanpo-yoshi Communication

President's Column] "Where Japan is Now" as Seen from Across the Sea

Recently, I was given the opportunity to fly to Italy and Spain to attend an overseas exhibition of the latest label printing technologies and to inspect a local advanced printing company. What I saw on my way there with great expectations was a reality that made me think deeply about Japan's affluence and position in the world.

A label printing company in Venice that we visited during our visit used digital presses for all printing. What surprised me was their productivity. The company's sales per employee were three times higher than those of the same industry in Japan. The offices and factories are sophisticated, and the workers look relaxed. The high sales prices and efficient production systems generate profits, which are passed on to the employees and lead to affluent lifestyles. Witnessing this "difference in affluence" left me speechless. It is a big difference from our country, which is still in a price war.

The main purpose of the exhibition, the label business, was also very active. The venue was filled with enthusiasm as the latest digital printing presses and related technologies from all over the world gathered. The shift to digital printing is progressing around the world at a speed far beyond our imagination. I wondered if Japan was keeping up with this major trend. Such thoughts crossed my mind.

However, it was not only the bright future of business that I sensed during this business trip. As soon as I arrived there, my tour guide strongly reminded me again and again throughout my stay that "pickpockets, snatch-and-grabbers, and robbers are common, so please do not let your guard down. Why has security deteriorated so much in this once safe, developed EU country? It may be the result of mass immigration, economic disparities, and social distortions that have surfaced. I have never been so relieved to be back in Japan.

And the root of all this, I feel, is the "depreciation of the yen," which I am sure you are experiencing on a daily basis. The price of anything you buy or eat is surprisingly high when converted to Japanese yen. Bottled water is twice as expensive as in Japan, and canned beer is two to three times as expensive. As someone who knows the days when Japan was once known as "Japan as number one," I was honestly shocked to see the reality that Japan's purchasing power has declined so much. I believe that the long-term stagnation of exports is one of the reasons for the yen's depreciation.

The visit was a valuable opportunity not only to learn technologically, but also to become keenly aware of "where Japan is now" in the global economy. The wave of digitization, increased productivity, and the value of safety. The reality is that what we have come to take for granted is by no means the case. With the sense of crisis we gained from this experience as a springboard, we must change ourselves and provide new value to our customers. I left for home with this determination in my heart.