May 7, 2026 Reika Takahashi In 2014, Suntory Holdings made one of the most important decisions in its corporate history when it acquired Beam Inc. for about 16 billion dollars. Beam is a major American spirits company. As a result, Suntory became the world's third largest alcoholic beverage manufacturer. Shift to a Global Business Beam Inc. owned many famous products, such as Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark. By buying these brands, Suntory immediately increased its influence in the

May 7, 2026 Nao Makita https://smbiz.asahi.com/article/14617509 delete Suntory is one of the successful family businesses. It is not listed on the stock market and is managed mainly by the Torii family. This is because the family wants to keep the control over the corporate management to secure long-term decisions, not just short-term profits. In family companies, owners often care about the company’s history and its role in society deeply. Image Gap in Family Business In Jap

May 7, 2026 Sayako Tamai Mokable Chocolate In recent years, new businesses created inside Suntory have begun to expand not only in Japan but also overseas. One symbolic example is Mokable, a startup that offers a new way to enjoy coffee by eating it. In 2025, Mokable established a North American subsidiary and started its global expansion. Their product turns finely-ground coffee beans into a chocolate-like form, creating a sustainable and unique consumer experience. The com

May 7, 2026 Amii Agawa Tomi no Oka Winery is located on a vast 150ha hill surrounded by lush nature. For over 100 years, the winery has been producing wine from start to finish, from grape cultivation to sales. The Winery is created and operated by Suntory, a leading Japanese beverage manufacturer, offering a wide range of beverages, including mineral water, tea, coffee, wine, and whiskey. Based on its corporate philosophy of "In Harmony with People and Nature, creating a Ri

July 24, 2025 Saki Wada About three trillion yen. That’s the estimated economic impact of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It sounds like a huge amount of money, and it seems like it will really help Japan’s economy. However, who exactly benefits from this economic effect? Big companies? The tourism industry? Or us, the people living in Japan? It's easy to get excited about big numbers and futuristic ideas. However, when we

November 14, 2024 Saki Wada and Ayaka Tsuchiya ”Build a stone wall with Konnyaku.” This is a Japanese proverb that means doing impossible things. Who could imagine that a stone wall could be built with something as slimy as Konnyaku? Actually, Konnyaku is a Japanese traditional food that is tasteless. Even though there is big potential in Konnyaku. Here is the article about “the possibility of Konnyaku”. What is Konnyaku? Konnyaku is a very famous food in Japan, but it is

July 7, 2021 Misato Sasaki and Miyabi Oyamada “Women are at the top of the list of diversity in Japan, but it feels strange,” says Professor Keiko Takegawa. What should we do to build a diverse society in Japan? Let's hear the voice of the leading person to overcome the big gender gap in Japan. Meaning of "Diversity" in Japan When people talk about “diversity,” each country has a different view of it. In some countires, For example, diversity often means to promote the inclus

June 10, 2021 Arisa Nokuo & Rena Katsumata Do you know what the word “BCP” means? It stands for Business Continuity Plan, meaning to ensure that business processes could be properly continued even at a time of emergency or disaster. Japan often suffers from natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash floods, this is why many companies set BCP as a part of ESG (Environmental, social and governance) administration. Palette randomly asked

During the Meiji era [1968-1912] in Japan, masks were made out of wire mesh as the core and used cloth as the filter. At that time, the Japanese used it to protect themselves against the fine particles of coal or metal. After the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, this mask attracted attention as a preventive product. The use of masks is no longer for additional preventative measures, but an essential preventive measure. Masks as a Daily Necessity In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 h

January 14, 2021 AKARI ODAGIRI In Japan, overcrowding in cities and rural depopulation are serious long term social problems. These problems are compounded by a declining birthrate and an aging population. Many young people in rural areas tend to migrate to cities in pursuit of their dreams or a modern lifestyle. So, the question must be asked, are urban areas more attractive than rural areas? ※Three major metropolitan areas include Kanto (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba), C

Due to the spread of COVID-19, many university students have become dissatisfied with two issues: The prohibition of face-to-face classes and the continued payment of high tuition fees despite the lack of in-person classes. Dissatisfaction with Online Classes Since April, most Japanese universities have conducted classes online in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Initially, while the prospect of attending classes from the comfort of one’s home may seem like a good ide

October , 2020 Nao Kazuma The spread of COVID-19 has had a major impact on the demand for tourism worldwide. On July 22nd, the Japanese government began its “Go To Campaign,” targeting the industries of tourism and transportation, which have been greatly affected as a result of the spread of the coronavirus. The campaign is a public-private integrated demand-boosting effort, available for a limited period. The government has budgeted 1,679.4 billion yen ($15.8 billion) for th

“The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.” Helen Keller wrote it on her book published in 1902. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese agriculture got damaged seriously. If Keller is trueーwhen are Japanese farmers full of overcoming? This Is The Hardest Ever According to Tokyo Meat Market Co., the price of meat fell down by 700 yen from April 2019 (see Figure 1). That was because of the decrease of going-outs and of inbound tourists. “This is the

Naito, an amusement machine company, has begun to manufacture and sell the face guards for newborn babies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections since late April. Naito is located in Aichi prefecture and develops pachinko, a Japanese gambling game of pinball. That is one of the few companies which supports the Japanese entertainment industry. In late April, the pachinko manufacturer began producing and selling face guards to support medical institutions as a social cont

August 1, 2020 Akari Odagiri What do you select as a gift for Mother’s Day? According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Rakuten Insight, approximately half of those respondents who replied they gave a present to their mothers gave flowers to their mother. Especially, young people tend to choose flowers as gifts. In a language of flowers, red carnation means “love for mother” or “true love.” That seems to be a reason why it became a well-known gift of Mother’s Day in Japan.

August 1, 2020 Ayano Hata With the spread of new coronavirus, the Toyota Corp, the biggest automarker, is providing medical support to counter the COVID-19. This support activity is called Kokoro Hakobu Project. In fact, this project is a long-term support activity, originally started to support areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred nine years ago. The name of the project means to carry or deliver one’s heart along with things to people and place i

North Sails Japan helped those who are fighting against the COVID-19 by making new products. This action was realized by their inspiration of sail fabric. The World Today The world today is almost driven by the coronavirus. In Japan, a self-restraint request has been issued. Japan started fighting against the virus in late January. As the days went by, the number of infected people increased. At the beginning, it was said that infections of younger generations tended to be

July 31, 2020 NATSUHA AKIYAMA To counter COVID-19, Fujitsu group, a Japanese information and communication technology giant, has started many supportive services for free including offering it’s intellectual property rights for free. Freeing 40,000 Patents To Counter COVID-19 The medical crisis is becoming a great issue by COVID-19 and the vaccine and yet drugs for the terrible virus are not innovated. Fujitsu has suggested to supply it’s patents under the project of Open COV

July 31, 2020 Nao Kazuma In Japan, due to the aging population and the increase in single-person households, the number of people who feel the inconvenience and difficulties in purchasing is increasing, especially among elderly people. Today, this purchasing problem has become even bigger due to the spread of the coronavirus. Optician Go Shopping on Behalf of Customers Meganesuper Co., the chain of optician's shop that deals contact lenses and hearing aids, as well as glasse

Palette Editorial Team December 23, 2018 Palette editors overview the basic facts and figures about Japanese women in workforce. Following the article to look back the history of female labor, we observe the trends after 1980s. This article is based on the presentations at the University of Colorado and Showa Women’s University Joint Workshop for Students, held in May 2016. Equal Opportunity in the Workplaces In 1986, a new law of Equality Employment Opportunity Law was ena