The bento box – a metal, plastic or even wooden compartmentalised container carrying cooked meat, vegetables, rice, noodles and condiments neatly separated – is one of Japan’s best-known cultural exports.

A Hong Kong pioneer in providing restaurant-cooked food in vending machines is gearing up for Japan.

Hot vending machine start-up eyes home of bento

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) helped the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) reach a research agreement with AI Medical Service (AIM) – a Japanese medical start-up which develops artificial intelligence (AI) endoscopic diagnostic technology – to accelerate development, promote it in Hong Kong and enhance clinical application in other Asian economies.

CUHK and Japanese AI start-up tackle problem of late-diagnosis for alimentary tumours.

AI takes digestive cancers to task

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a giant trade area extending from the fringes of the Arctic (Hokkaido, Japan, main picture) to the Antarctic (New Zealand) and encompassing the giant economy of Mainland China as well as Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia.

Japanese companies see bright future for city as the extensive RCEP bloc develops.

Hong Kong hub for giant trade region

Hong Kong and Japan have a had long and fruitful business relationship. In addition to their mutual strengths in areas such as electronics and information technology, much of the recent business between the two places has focused on food, beverages and crafts.

The HKTDC’s leaders have made Japan their first port of call as Hong Kong begins to re-engineer itself following the pandemic.

Building a deeper partnership

As an international financial centre, Hong Kong is an ideal development base for many overseas enterprises – and the city’s attraction is enhanced by the comprehensive protection its intellectual property laws provide. Some well-known Japanese chain drugstores have chosen to open stores in Hong Kong, and have applied for trademark registration to enhance consumers' recognition of their brands.

Noting the enthusiasm for Japanese goods in Hong Kong, a drugstore moved to the city to meet demand during the pandemic.

IP protection lures Japanese chain

Monmaya, which at 150 years old is the last wooden cabinetmaker of its kind in Sendai, Japan, opened a physical store in Happy Valley at the end of last year, hoping to use Hong Kong as a springboard to expand its business across Asia and beyond. This video shows the company’s craftsmen at work.

A renowned Japanese cabinetmaker is using Hong Kong as the springboard in its drive to take traditional Sendai craftsmanship into Asia.

Modern twist on traditional craftsmanship

As economies across the globe continue to reel from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong is looking to strengthen economic relations with key trading partners.

Hong Kong strengthens its trade relations with Japan as the HKTDC signs an MoU with the Aomori Prefectural Government.

Japan trade ties strengthened

Japanese cuisine is a firm favourite with diners in both Hong Kong and Mainland China. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan shows that the mainland has, for the first time become the leading market for Japanese food exports.

Strong demand for the country’s cuisine is creating more interest in Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to the region.

Japan’s food exporters target GBA

The outlook among Hong Kong exporters saw a marked improvement in the second quarter of 2022 as a receding COVID-19 pandemic helped to revive freight flows and manufacturing activity.

Hong Kong manufacturers are showing the most optimism for the Japan market and the toy sector.

Export outlook picks up

Tohoku, the northern region of Honshu Island, is a rich source of food, beverages and crafts. Producers in the region are eager to explore overseas markets, and bringing the products to Hong Kong consumers is creating opportunities for the city’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Farmers and craftsmen in northern Honshu offer a bounty of quality produce that presents opportunities for Hong Kong SMEs.

Fertile Japanese region targets HK

As business digitalisation accelerates, data and applications to store and process it grows in importance but can be expensive. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may find outsourcing their data housing to professionally managed data centres is the most cost-effective approach.

Catering to the needs of today’s increasingly digitalised and internationalised businesses, a Hong Kong-based data-centre operator is expanding its Asia-Pacific network with support from the HKTDC.

Boosting network expansion

As consumers became more cautious during the COVID-19 pandemic, a high-end fashion retailer moved forward by diversifying its offerings and expanding abroad with the help of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

A boutique fashion house has found success through social media and expansion into Japan, aided by the HKTDC’s T-box programme.

Diversity rules in marketing

Sales of consumer goods such as watches and clothing serve as a gauge for the economy. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic made consumers cautious, but now, as markets begin to recover, Hong Kong watch brand Glitzy Owl, which initially rolled out in Japan and Taiwan last year, is setting sights on its home market.

Having won its spurs in Japan and Taiwan, a Hong Kong timepiece brand is shifting focus to its home city.

Local brand comes home

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), signed a year ago, is the world’s largest trade bloc and stretches from the fringes of the Arctic in Hokkaido, Japan (main picture) to the periphery of the Antarctic in southern New Zealand.

Hong Kong is the perfect base for Greater Bay Area firms seeking to build their business through the newly launched RCEP trade bloc.

Launch pad for going global

Recipients of the Hong Kong-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme spoke at the film festival

Film-makers discuss co-productions at Tokyo

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Miyuki Nakasone of TV Asahi Corporation talks to the Hong Kong International Film &amp; TV Market (FILMART) 2024 on meeting with global industry players at Asia&rsquo;s leading entertainment content marketplace for business and opportunities. <br /><br />Asia&rsquo;s leading cross-media, cross-industry trading platform, FILMART and EntertainmentPulse, concluded successfully from 11-14 March 2024. The 4-day event housed over 760 exhibitors from 27 countries and regions, attracting over 7,500 participants from 50 countries and regions, reaffirming FILMART&rsquo;s position as the premier platform for global entertainment content. The next edition is scheduled on 17-20 March 2025, stay tuned for more information: <a href="https://www.hktdc.com/hkfilmart">https://www.hktdc.com/hkfilmart</a>&nbsp;

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