But integrating diverse businesses may not be easy. Nearly a decade of recession seems to have cast a pall upon the scene.
Diners slump over their eggs or miso soup, talking in hushed tones.
But at one table, the mood is celebratory. Three officials of GE Capital, the American financial-services giant, are relaxed and cheerful as they discuss the firm's recent takeover binge in Japan. Call it hubris or call it sheer grit, GE Capital has made it its mission to take on businesses that would have sent others running for cover. That's by far the biggest bet any company has placed on the region since the economic crisis began in mid-1997. It has also snapped up cheap assets from Thailand to the Philippines.