Pacific Coast Business Times
April 28, 2000
Japan Trade Sparks Tri-Counties Business
By Laura Polland Staff Writer
It’s a good time to look into trade with Japan, according to Bill Irion, whose Santa Paula-based consulting business specializes in Japanese language services and Asian exporting.
Japan’s economy is changing as the country comes out of a ten-year recession, Irion said. While Japan’s economy has traditionally consisted of firmly interlocked companies with little room for newcomers, entrepreneurs are beginning to come to the fore and lifetime employment is starting to fade.
“Information technology and Web-related business are about to explode in Asia,” Irion said. Until recently the national telephone and telegraph company charged Internet users for the service and per-minute fees. The number of Internet users in Japan, although representing only 20 percent to 30 percent of the population, already ranks second globally.
Irion warns that establishing business relations in Asia takes time. “People think that there are one billion Chinese – ‘Iif I can sell just one of my things to each of them, I’ll be rich.’ It’s a 200-year-old concept that hasn’t panned out yet. It’s hard to make money there, but not impossible.” What he recommends is starting to nurture relationships now, which will eventually mean profits.
Irion first visited Asia in 1972, and graduated with a degree in Asian studies. This gives him a slightly different perspective on business with Asia. For instance, American business often criticizes China’s lax copyright rules, without understanding the history of the matter. “When you look at the historical perspective, there is 2000 years of traditional education behind it. Students were required to pass rigorous exams, and those who could best copy the master’s work, did best on the exams,” he explained.
Irion’s consulting business, Irion Enterprises Inc., has offered various services, including facilities management and Web site construction. The home-based business now combines his business experience, including three years in Taiwan, with his wife’s Japanese language expertise. Kumiko Irion, a native of Japan, has taught Japanese at colleges and other venues in Japan and the United States. Irion Enterprises offers Japanese language instruction, interpretation and translations, exporting services and cultural diversity awareness training.
Small touches, like a business card printed in Japanese and English, delivered with both hands and the Japanese side displayed, are important for smooth international relations.
While many resources for businesses interested in international trade are located in Los Angeles, Irion recommends consulting the California Central Coast World Trade Center in Oxnard, Ventura County Economic Development Center, and the Pacific Agri-Business Alliance. Other resources include the Center for International Trade Development at Oxnard College, Export Small Business Development Center in Ventura, and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Los Angeles office. Many of the local colleges and universities have overseas programs and connections, and interpreters and export services are available through the yellow pages.
In 1997, Japan was California’s top export market at $17.4 billion, or 16 percent of the state’s total export market, according to a Ventura County Star article. Much of California’s Asian exporting travels through Ventura County’s Port Hueneme, the only deep water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Irion said.
A number of tri-county businesses have trade relations with Japan and other parts of Asia. A 1998 report in the Ventura Star listed 26 Ventura-county based businesses with operations in or trade relations with Japan. The list included high-technology companies such as Interlink Electronics, ACT Networks and G & H Technologies, and food firms like Sunkist Growers Inc. and Dole Food Co. Inc, the largest exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables to Japan.
Dawn Legg of Export Planning Services in Cambria said there are a number of businesses in the San Luis Obispo area involved in Asian trade. “There are a ton,” she said. “The wineries do a lot of international business, and so do software companies. And there are funky specialty companies who do business with Asia.”
Some SLO County companies who export to Japan are Strasbaugh, which produces high-tech polishing and grinding systems, and Ziatech, a computing and telecommunications company with distribution in 68 countries. There are also more specialized industries, such as Ernie Ball Inc., a retailer of guitar-related items.
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