It’s interesting to look at some of the less famous Japanese companies that have nevertheless managed to find success around the world, like Salonpas, who exports those pain relieving patches out of Kyushu, or Japanese pen manufacturer Zebra, whose corporate slogan is, “This is a pen.” When I went to Germany for the first time, I was pleased to see an old friend being sold in the supermarkets: Yakult, the probiotic yogurt-esque drink that’s enjoyed millions of times a day in Japan. The company started manufacturing healthy fermented milk drinks in 1955, which can now be found from New Zealand to India to Sweden to Texas. In 1954, the son of math teacher Toru Kumon said he was having problems with his studies, so Mr. Kumon developed a learning program called the Kumon Method, which spread throughout Japan and also to the U.S. and Europe via franchised Kumon Math and Reading Centers. (There’s even one near my house in San Diego.) While my kids never used the Kumon Method in their studies, the program does have a good reputation among those who’ve used it, and it helps young students get serious about keeping up with their studies in a way that’s similar to Japan’s juku evening study schools.
Some famous Japanese companies around the world.
