◆Coordinator  Ota Hiroshi, Professor, Center for Global Education, Hitotsubashi University
◆Master of Ceremonies Yashio Keiko, Freelance Broadcater / Special Visiting Professor at Gakushuin University

◆Panelists - Ota Kazuhide, Professor and AQ Program Leader at Kyushu University
                  - Ryuzoji Kensuke, Presidents & CEO, Honda Kiko, CO., Ltd.
                  - Fujimi Tetsuo, Executive Concierge, Startup Cafe
                  - Sakurai Takafumi, Manager, Graduate Agent Service Department, Graduate Recruitment,
                                                                                                                          Recruit Career Co., Ltd.
                  - Takashima Soichiro, Mayor of Fukuoka City

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 Ⅲ. Our Global Business Strategy and Use of Global Talent at Honda Kiko

1. Introduction

    My name is Ryuzoji Kensuke. I'm from Honda Kiko Co., Ltd. I'd like to introduce our global business strategy and use of global talent at Honda Kiko.

2. Honda Kiko Co., Ltd.

    Honda Kiko is a manufacturer based in Kyushu that produces pumps, which are considered the heart of a factory. Aiming to be selected as a “Global Niche Top Company,” we set a goal of becoming a 100-year company under a thorough hands-on management policy.
    Other than the main plant located in Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, we currently have several business bases in Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo and other cities. We are collaborating with overseas pump manufacturers. We have 26 overseas partner companies.
    Since its establishment in 1949, Honda Kiko has produced various made-to-order pumps for major manufacturing companies in response to various liquids used by their factories. When such large companies expand their business overseas, our pumps are used as the heart of their overseas factories. Our pumps are now used in more than 60 countries in the world.

3. Global Business Focusing on Asia

    Honda Kiko decided to launch overseas operations about 10 years ago. While the Japanese market is declining, the Asian market is growing. Western companies are looking for partner companies in Asia for their Asian strategy, and we have received offers to form a partnership from such companies. In the growing Asian market, the water business is expanding. Due to this, we decided to launch overseas operations.
    We believe that Japanese manufacturing technology is still world class. While the huge Asian market is expanding, by making use of our home-court advantage of Kyushu and Fukuoka, where many international students come to study, we decided to launch overseas operations.

4. Active Use of Highly Capable Global Talent

    Honda Kiko is actively involved in recruiting highly capable global talent, which has greatly energized the company. I believe that an environment where you work with various people and your colleague at the neighboring desk is a person from overseas may trigger various chemical reactions and lead to the creation of a new company culture that is befitting of the new age.
    Highly capable global talent we have hired so far includes international students from various countries, such as Tunisia, Canada, China, Germany, Spain, Sri Lanka, the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, and France.
    Riyadh-kun from Tunisia is a graduate of the Kyushu Institute of Technology. He was promoted to manager in his fourth year at the company, and he is now independent and serves as the president of our agency in the Middle East. Cho-kun is a graduate of Fukuoka University and he also established an agency handling the products of Honda Kiko and now serves as its president.
    Many other international students who graduated from Japanese universities, such as Kyushu University, Doshisha University and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, have joined our company.
    We’ve been accepting interns actively. There is a student who participated in our internship program and decided to join the company in 2016.
    They join the company, work with their colleagues and know about our fine manufacturing technology. They learn what our specialty is and what makes it special, together with Japanese employees, and work on hands-on activities. We are considering training our global talent with the hope that they will be able to not only interpret/translate but also communicate the attractions of our specially manufactured products to the world.   

5. Conclusion

    Though our global talent, we have 26 overseas partner companies, including the United State, Germany and Denmark, and our global partnership network is expanding. We have been expanding our business and network of global talent with our partner companies. By using global talent and working together with overseas partner companies, we have grown into a company that can provide our customers with total solutions and that can obtain various kinds of information from abroad. Thank you for your attention.

 Ⅳ. Some efforts at Startup Cafe

 1. Introduction

　My name is Fujimi Tetsuro. I’m from Startup Cafe. I’d like to introduce some efforts at Startup Cafe.

 2. Startup Cafe

　Startup Cafe was established in October last year (in 2014). It is located on the third floor of the TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE TENJIN building in front of the Apple Store in Tenjin, Fukuoka, and easily accessible by public transportation.
　Startup Cafe provides people wishing to create a startup with necessary service as a start. Specifically, we provide appropriate information at each stage, such as establishing business designs and clarifying funding plans for the business, making products and services, and marketing and monetizing, as well as provide support for communication and networking among entrepreneurs and paperwork for administrative procedures with support from specialists, such as an administrative scrivener or judicial scrivener. We provide one-stop services for starting a new business. Moreover, in creating a startup, recruitment is important. We provide support for securing talent, including interns.

 3. Human Resources Matching Services

　Startup Cafe provides human resources matching services. Creating a team is very important in creating a startup. We work on matching professionals, such as CTOs (Chief Technology Officers), CFOs (Chief Financial Officers), CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) and CCOs (Chief Operations Officers), with the startup as well as involving interns and international students who have passion and energy. In this way, we will create a stronger team to increase the chance of success for the startup.

 4. Inqruiry from a Japanese in Thailand

　We received an inquiry from a Japanese person in Thailand who could stay in Fukuoka only for three days. I’d like to introduce this case.
　A part-time concierge who is familiar with grants and subsidies provided him with advice on funding. We arranged a meeting with a tax accountant. An administrative scrivener provided him advice on registration procedures. We introduced an overseas cloud services company as a partner in system development and a local branding company for the branding of a media franchise. We also arranged a meeting with a “hometown ambassador” of Hagi City for tourism inbound promotion. We managed to provide matching services within three days and support for completing the registration procedures in one month. The company is conducting business activities in Thailand and Japan.

 5. Inquiries about Startup Business

　There are events relating to creating startups held at Startup Cafe almost every day. We receive 1,304 inquiries about startups per year. As far as we know, in over 36 cases out of the 1,304 cases, people moved forward with registration procedures or started a business as a sole proprietor.
　When Startup Cafe was established, the number of inquiries we received was less than 100 per month. As of September 2015, it has increased by half to 148 per month. The age of those who come to Startup Cafe to seek advice ranges mainly from the 30s to 40s, but in one case, a woman in her 80s came to receive consultation. We receive inquiries from various age groups.

 6. Top Ranked in Japan

　In Fukuoka City, spaces for coworking are increasing. A Startup Cafe partner, the Fukuoka Nishi Branch of the Japan Finance Corporation, overtook the Shinjuku Branch in Tokyo and became top ranked in Japan in terms of performance of financing activities for startups. Fukuoka City’s efforts for creating startups are reflected in these figures. Statistics show that the number of people who wish to create a startup even if they have debt is increasing. I believe that these figures reflect the real situation. Because of the various unique efforts we’ve made, many people from all over Japan come to Startup Cafe.

 7. Conclusion

　Startup Cafe works on enhancing support, at the very beginning of starting a new company, to increase the number of people interested in creating startups. We started Startup Cafe with a few supporters, but we have now reinforced our support system and are dealing with and providing support to non-Japanese customers. We will continue to work on further improving our support system to increase the number of startups and their success rate. Thank you for your attention.

 Ⅴ.  The current situation of recruiting international students in Japan

 1. Introduction

My name is Sakurai Takafumi. I’m from Recruit Career Co., Ltd. I’d like to introduce the current situation of recruiting international students in Japan.

 2. What is an Employment Agency?

In an employment agency, career advisers introduce to students companies and provide support in receiving job offers and recruiting advisers introduce to companies students and provide support for recruitment activities. In other words, the goal of an employment agency is to “eliminate mismatches” between students and companies.

 3. Mismatches in Job Categories

By comparing the job categories that international students are seeking and those that international students are actually assigned to, we can identify mismatched. In the ranking of job categories that international students are seeking, “sales and marketing” ranks 8th, while in the ranking of those that international students are actually assigned to, “sales and marketing” ranks first.
However, when we listen to international students, they do not necessarily understand and know well about “sales and marketing.” They may have an incorrect image of it. Even if they are assigned to international affairs, they may be in a sales position in their work. An employment agency tries to explain these aspects to international students and provides support to eliminate mismatches between companies and international students.

 4. Challenges in Recruiting International Students

When asked about challenges companies face in recruiting international students, most of them say that they cannot communicate with international students well in explaining internal career paths and role models. For this, we will look at the internal career paths and role models in detail and replace something with other things international students may be interested in. They also say that they do not receive enough applications. We will also try to eliminate mismatches in this challenge.

 5. Current Situation of Recruiting Newly Graduated Global Talent

For recruitment of new graduates by companies engaged in global business, there is a growing need for Japanese students who have studied overseas. Moreover, since more and more companies are expanding their business to ASEAN countries, there is also a growing need for international students who have studied in Japan. Furthermore, for some particular specialties, such as leading engineering and consultants, companies are increasingly going to overseas universities to recruit non-Japanese students.

 6. Conclusion

An increasing number of companies are recruiting international students year after year. This increase can be seen all over the country. If companies and international students better understand each other and eliminate mismatches between them, I believe that this would expedite recruitment by Japanese companies of international students. Accordingly, here today, I’d like to share and discuss various challenges with you all. Thank you for your attention.