F E AT U RE LAND OF THE RISING SUN Sitting on the ring of fire in the Pacific Ocean, Japan has suffered its fair share of natural disasters. But that doesnt stop the worlds largest companies settling along its shores. As FIDI looks ahead to its conference there in 2020, Andrew Mourant delves into the opportunities and the challenges J apan has long been one of the worlds great economies, yet its resilience is constantly tested by the forces of nature. Sitting on the ring of fire, with earthquakes never far away, it faces challenges that would test the endurance of any society. But few populations are more industrious or inventive than the Japanese. The countrys corners may have been shaken to destruction and engulfed by tsunamis, yet it remains a hotspot for the worlds biggest companies. The world is always keen to do business in Japan. Asian Tigers Mobility has operated there for more than 20 years, less than some of the countrys other principal movers but long enough to have ridden the switchback of extremes. Weve seen cyclical changes, says Japan country manager Nick Masee. Since 2008 in particular, we underwent dramatic downsizing in the Japanese market due to international banking. Just as things began to stabilise in early 2011, Japan was impacted by the triple disaster of a massive earthquake, a tsunami created by the earthquake that hit a large nuclear plant at Fukushima. It resulted in a surge of families wanting to leave Japan, putting pressure on the industry here to cope with 70 FF291JunJul19 pp70-79 Regional Focus Japan.indd 70 WWW. F I D I . OR G 10/05/2019 16:52