Taniguchi: There is strong potential for 
manufacturers whose quality clearly 
separates them from competitors. 
Overseas customers are actively looking 
for reliable partners in the same way that 
Japanese exporters seek dependable 
international partners.
Takada: The global fastener market 
is expected to continue expanding. 
Japanese companies can benefit by 
promoting not only product quality but 
also the service, responsiveness and 
reliability surrounding it.
Hashimoto: Industry associations and 
public organisations can help individual 
companies overcome limited budgets and 
resources. Coordinated participation in 
overseas exhibitions, similar to Taiwan’s 
association-led approach, could raise 
Japan’s profile more effectively.
Kariya: Mature product categories require 
clearer added value. One route is to 
position products within regulatory or 
standards-based frameworks so that 
their performance and importance are 
formally recognised. QP Fastening Works 
also sees potential in distinctive and 
longer-length bi-metal products, where 
consistent quality remains a challenge.
Shiba: Products considered ordinary in 
Japan may be unusual elsewhere. Kishu 
Fastener discovered that its nut and 
conical spring washer assembly, although 
familiar domestically, is relatively rare in 
the United States. New products such as 
contamination-preventive rolled nuts may 
open additional markets.
Murakami: Nippon Fastener has 
historically entered the US market 
in roughly 40-year cycles and 
believes another turning point may 
be approaching. Changing products, 
technologies and customer needs 
make the United States a market worth 
renewed attention.
Hiraoka: Sunco is receiving increasing 
enquiries from the United States, 
but intends to remain flexible rather 
than concentrating on one country. 
Each incoming order can reveal 
a new market, customer 
need or opportunity for 
wider research. 
Can you share lessons from 
successful overseas expansion?
What are your priorities for the 
next stage?
Exclusive Feature
Hashimoto: Participation in 
standardisation can create a lasting 
advantage. When Unytite opened its 
US factory, there were no established 
standards for tension control bolts. The 
company helped shape requirements that 
later became ASTM F1852 and F2280, 
strengthening its position in the market.
Taniguchi: Nakaumi plans to open a 
new plating factory in Vietnam in April 
2027. Its experience suggests that 
volume-dependent projects may require 
a decisive commitment rather than an 
overly cautious start. Ambitious projects 
can succeed when a company builds 
slightly beyond its current capacity and 
grows into the structure.
Where will future opportunities  
come from for Japanese companies?
Hashimoto: Unytite will continue 
developing both Japanese and local 
overseas staff. Long-term investment 
in people has already produced major 
results, including monthly orders of 
70,000 sewing-machine components 
secured by an employee who 
helped establish the company’s 
Chinese operation.
Kariya: QP Fastening Works intends to 
reinforce its position as a bi-metal pioneer 
by expanding beyond standard products 
and helping raise quality expectations 
in growing segments such as long-
length fasteners.
Taniguchi: Nakaumi will continue pursuing 
challenging ideas from its ten-year plan, 
including the planned launch of Nakaumi 
EU in 2027. The company sees timing, 
opportunity and a willingness to act as 
central to its progress.
Shiba: Steel tariffs, geopolitical change 
and the prolonged weakness of the yen 
are reshaping the market. Rather than 
seeing disruption only as a risk, Kishu 
Fastener believes it can create openings 
and plans to visit the United States and 
other markets.
Murakami: As Nippon Fastener enters its 
second century, traditional quality, cost 
and delivery expectations will become 
harder to maintain. Practices considered 
normal in Japan can themselves become 
powerful selling points if supported by 
investment in people, equipment, IT and 
factory efficiency.
Takada and Hiraoka: Sunco will continue 
promoting Japanese suppliers, 
expanding sales channels and raising its 
international profile. It aims to become a 
trusted overseas partner while improving 
online visibility, increasing customer 
acquisition and ensuring that suppliers’ 
products and information contribute 
consistently to long-term sales growth.
Sunco logistics centre in Osaka, Japan
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