Amid a declining population, the Japanese food market is on a downward spiral. In contrast, as emerging countries continue to see rapid economic development and alongside population growth in developing countries the world's food markets continue to grow at a steady rate. In light of this, the retailing and food service industries in Japan have accelerated overseas development, while the manufacturing industry has also strengthened its tendency to place greater emphasis on overseas markets. In response to this environmental change, we will strive to optimize our food distribution business overseas.

We at Kokubu plan to actively implement overseas businesses in the future mainly in East Asia and Southeast Asia. By establishing and fulfilling high-quality Japanese-style wholesaling capabilities, we will support Japanese companies' businesses and contribute to the development of local distribution. We have been implementing logistics and wholesaling businesses centering on China and Vietnam since 2010 and will continue to explore all potential businesses related to food.

Chinese take delight in eating sushi; a long line of people forms in front of a ramen restaurant in Europe. These sights, which we did not anticipate years ago, are now becoming commonplace. Japanese food culture has become widespread and is now part of everyday life in many cities overseas. Through overseas transactions, Kokubu has played a central part in spreading the Japanese food culture worldwide. This history dates back to the tea trade in 1860 and now, more than 100 years later, we export 10,000 Japanese food products and alcoholic beverages to 25 countries worldwide.

Even in overseas transactions, we ensure our business activities are rooted in the "wholesaler" Kokubu spirit, differentiating ourselves from other trading firms. "Kokubu never obtains profits without benefitting customers and business partners" – based on the Kokubu Stance that evolved from the wholesaler stance, we strive to do business that is beneficial to both customers and suppliers. Concerning the trade business, including collaborations with the overseas partners, we plan to further expand our business scale and sales area. By establishing Win-Win-Win relationships with more customers and suppliers, we will contribute to the further development of the food and alcoholic beverages industry in Japan and the Japanese food culture as a whole.