Japan, the most industrialized country in Asia

Japan is one of the largest economies in the world. It is also the most developed and industrialized country in Asia. Japan is technologically ahead of the rest of the world in a variety of domains such as robotics.

As an industrialized country, Japan is a big importer. Lots of products are in high demand and cannot be supplied by local production. Selling products in Japan is a very lucrative market for many companies.

Be Local

Japan is a country where it is absolutely necessary to present products in the local language. All products, whether local or imported, are labeled in Japanese. Few Japanese speak English well enough, and they all expect to be spoken to in Japanese. It is simply not possible to sell English versions of your products.

Giving a local flavor to your products requires a lot of efforts. You must start by labeling your products in Japanese. This necessitates a good knowledge of local regulations concerning labeling (what must appear on the product package or on the product itself for example).

Looking beyond the language barrier, it is also essential to understand the Japanese culture. Japanese buyers do not look for the same qualities and advantages of a product as other countries. For example it is essential to have perfect packaging, and the product itself must be of utmost quality. Japanese people are very stringent regarding these two aspects.

As a consequence, most companies choose to sell Japanese versions of their products, which can be fairly different from other versions.

A sales agent is indispensable

It is unconceivable to go after the Japanese market by yourself. A sales representative seems indispensable. You will not regret it, a sales agent will greatly accelerate your market penetration.

First of all, a local sales representative knows both the language and culture. He knows how to sell your products on his market. He knows the customers, he knows their needs, and he knows how to appeal to their needs.

Secondly, the sales representative can do the translation for you. He can translate your labels as well as the presentations and advertising that you are using for other markets. If you give them the English version, most representative will take it upon themselves to develop a Japanese translation. This also lowers the cost to access the market.

Japan has a lot of representation companies. These are specialized companies that sell foreign products in Japan. These companies can be of relatively large size (50 people or more).

You must also know that some Japanese companies subcontract part or all of their purchasing. Therefore it is necessary to know the buyers. Without a sales representative it is often difficult to understand who to contact.

RepGlobal gives you a unique chance to find sales representatives in Japan. Place a free ad on the RepGlobal website to advertise your need for sales representatives.