ASUKA ALUMINIUM NEWS NO. 668 FEBRUARY 2017
Special contribution
Let us hold a sense of crisis
I wish you a Very Happy New Year.
Last year, so many big happenings surprised us. The first was the severance ofdiplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the New Year, and the next are
a great crush of stock market and economic slowdown in China and a stagnant stock
market in Japan.
Moreover in the U.K., the nation made a choice of withdraw from the E.U. by anational referendum in June, and at last in November, Mr. Trump was elected as thecoming President in the U.S. How do we understand these actualities, unexpected
results?
I think that not only the change of public opinions are led by internet but the voters
have had a big dissatisfaction against conventional political system bit by bit. The U.K.
and the U.S. have traditionally led the globalism in the world, but today both nations
select “isolationism”.
The excessive marketism and globalization have afflicted the citizen life in bothcountries without knowing it. I would like to think this tide is latent in every country
in the world today, and we must take care of these unexpected, unforeseen and sudden
happenings this year,
Meanwhile in Japan, the trading guidance is improved time by time by theMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry and our business bodies. I feel delightful thatthe fair pricing system, the defrayment liability of mold, the safe keeping costs of moldand other pending matters are realizing through our efforts.
Clearly today, our international business competition gets severer year by year, andwe must build up our competitive power through our applying ourselves more closely.
To get stronger competitive power, the grade up of quality, inductivity, engineering andtechnical skill is required acutely.
Besides under recent business conditions, I believe the executive officers always
have to be holding a sense of crisis, and moreover every employee has to aware thesame sense of crisis at the same time.
Last year in order to level up of younger employees, the Middle Japan Diecsters
Cooperative Association performed a short course of study for diecasting technical skill
jointly with the Central Japan Subdivision of Japan Diecat Association, and its result
was so favorable that we would like to hold again with richer contents this year.
Lastly, I hope everyone at diecast business will be in good health and enjoy
excellent business results in 2017.
Tadastugu Kubo
Chairman, Middle Japan Diecasters
Cooperative Association
Chairman, Kotobuki Kinzoku Kogyo Co. Limited

From editor; Thanks to Mr. Tadatsugu Kubo for your special contribution.

The Vietnam
Takashi Amano, President
Vietnam of today
The Nishio Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a study tour to Vietnam as acommemorative event of 60th anniversary on 22 ~27 November 2016. Very fortunately,I could participate in this study tour and had a good opportunity to visit two cities,
Hanoi and Da Nan.
Da Nan is in the central Vietnam and the third largest city, which is very famous
for a beach resort and so many hotels are under construction today. At the same time,
many Japanese companies pay attention as one of the best production bases inVietnam.
Our mission had a luncheon meeting with the Da Nan Japanese Chamber ofcommerce and Industry. The chamber says the lowest wage is ¥15,000, normal wage is¥20,000 and administrative position is ¥100,000 monthly.
Hanoi is the second largest city and the capital of Vietnam. We studied social
condition and economy situation at JETRO, Japan External Trade Organization inVietnam, where Mr. Satoshi Kitashima, Senior Advisor, explained recent economy
situation here kindly.
Next at Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we had a meeting to exchange views with Mr. Pham Quang Thinh, Deputy Director General. Then we visited
Denso Manufacturing Vietnam Co., Ltd. and its affiliated plant, everywhere I was verymuch surprised to see the replete and rich staff training. We thank Mr. Katsushi Iwata,
General Director of Denso, and the all staff for kindest attention
JETRO’s comments:
merits of investment(1) Cheap wage (2) Political stability and social safety (3) Potential of market
Risks of investment(1) Imperfect legal system and unclear application (2)Complicate procedure of authorization and approval (3)High wage growth rate (15% yearly)(The photo on page two is our mission with the members of Vietnam Chamber.)
The 33rd New Year praying Meeting Opens
In the afternoon of January 20, the 80 delegates from scrap suppliers and transporters were invited at the Kira Kanko Hotel. At first President Takashi Amanoaddressed entitled “New Year random talk” as the above photo on page three shows.
Then the attendants visited Kannon Temple on the top of Mt. Sangane by bus, andthe praying meeting was held solemnly for business prosperity and traffic safety in theNew Year. The priests lighted a big sacred fire invocation and chanted a sutra in a loudvoice. They read up each attendant’s name and address with praying to get rid of sevenmisfortunes and to invite seven fortunes this year.
At the summit area, there was a lot of remaining snow, which gave us a gravely atmosphere departed from our mundane world. In the evening at the hotel, a grand NewYear party was held in Japanese fashion as the page three below photo hows.
Tenteko Matsuri - A bizarre festival
It was held on January 3 at Fukuchi Hachiman Shrine in Nisho City a s the pagefour photo．It has a very long history and declared an intangible cultural asset in 1957.