Meanwhile, in the busy IT and entertainment hub of Shibuya, you can relax after winning a Japanese contract at the stand-alone Two Dogs Tavern, emblazoned with the familiar signage of the Australian alcoholic lemonade. A recent study by the Australia-Japan Business Forum emphasised the opportunity for unique products and services, from Australia and elsewhere, in the rapidly changing Japanese retail environment. Australia and Japan have now embarked on a broad study of economic relations, the aim of which is to identify areas where it could be strengthened. It's easy to be cynical about such big-picture projects sponsored by politicians, but they are valuable in one key sense according to the Australian side in Tokyo. Japan, in policy as much as consumer habits, is brand-obsessed.
Brand building is important.
With a new, government-backed IT strategy, Japan automatically looks to Silicon Valley and, after a prime ministerial visit last year, India. But as Spike and other companies like Linc Media show, Australian companies have much to offer for this initiative. As new opportunities emerge in Japan with deregulation, restructuring, large-scale fragmentation and, eventually, economic recovery, Australia has to compete very actively in a marketing sense to stay near front of mind. The joint study will at least keep Australia in the heads of officials and policy makers in Japan and at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Initially showing more specific promise is another mission, this time in IT, which has the backing of the Australian Information Industry Association, the Collaborative Health Informatics Centre and industry heavy hitters like Telstra.