The people of Japan have shown amazing resilience in the face of devastating disaster. Now the nation wants the world to know it is getting back to business as usual. Janet Tibble reports

A YEN FOR BUSINESS

British Ambassador David Warren is urging UK companies to return to doing business in Japan. He is also inviting newcomers to the country to visit and see for themselves the opportunities the market has to offer. You may imagine that any country

that has gone through the triple blow of an earthquake, tsunami and serious nuclear incident is going to be completely preoccupied and inwardly focused. It is true that rebuilding and rehabilitation are priorities for the Japanese, but business plays a large part in the process of getting back to normal. “The Japanese resilience and determination are awe-inspiring,” says Sue Kinoshita, director of trade and investment at the British Embassy in Tokyo. “On the morning of 12 March, just hours after that terrifying earthquake, when trains in Tokyo were still not operating and millions had walked for hours to get home, our newspapers were on the doorstep by 6am and our bins emptied bang on time at 8.30am. “In the following weeks, Japanese

companies continued to get on with business with the same determination as ever, showing resourcefulness and speed in adapting where necessary. Honda was among many manufacturers to relocate production while repairs were carried out at damaged facilities, for example, while all the major electronics retailers moved quickly to increase the fl oorspace devoted to domestic solar-power systems. By early May, the Nikkei stock average

had returned to its pre-quake levels, and even the beer was fl owing again, with

Asahi Breweries expecting to resume shipments from a facility shut down after the quake by the end of June. The Golden Week holidays in late April and early May proved a particular watershed, with many hotels and tourist attractions experiencing a resurgence in bookings on the back of shrewd marketing and government exhortations to consumers to spend money to help revive the economy.”

POWERING THE RECOVERY With the summer’s seasonal demand for air conditioning, the prospect of interruptions to Japan’s power supply could be a major problem. Everyone is being urged to reduce consumption by at least 15 per cent and power companies are working hard to increase supply. One UK-based fi rm has been able to help. Aggreko is supplying 200MW of power,

enough for 250,000 households, to the Tokyo region via mobile emergency units. The Glasgow-based company is a leader in the rental of power and provided emergency services following the earthquake in Christchurch. As well as working with Tokyo Electric

Power Company (TEPCO) to supply emergency power for the FIFA World Cup in 2002, Aggreko is also the offi cial provider of temporary energy for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, having supplied similar services at the Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Games. Chief executive Rupert Soames says:

“Within a few days of the disaster, we got in touch with our contacts in Japan to make sure they were alright and they

asked us to come and help. TEPCO moved extremely fast and with great professionalism to defi ne an engineering solution that will bring additional generating capacity to Japan and we are pleased to be able to assist at this very diffi cult time.” Aggreko is contracted to supply

100MW of gas-fi red and 100MW of diesel-fi red generation for a minimum of one year, and power plants have been installed at sites in the Tokyo Bay area.

STARTING TO REBUILD The Japanese government has enacted an initial £30bn emergency budget and it is estimated that reconstruction will cost up to £190bn, between three to fi ve per cent of national GDP. This makes it the most expensive natural disaster in history, exceeding the cost of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995. “Without doubt this will be a massive

operation, but the Japanese can be very determined and effective,” says Kinoshita. “In the short term there is a huge demand for raw materials, construction materials and services, and emergency housing, but we expect the bulk of this business to go to Japanese companies. “There will, however, be requirements

in the medium term fl owing from the rebuilding effort that will play to UK strengths such as project management, project fi nancing, PFI consultancy, architecture and town planning. It will take a long time to establish permanent housing and we have been in touch with UK companies that could provide

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