Report: Hiroshima Press Tour

Date : February 7 - 8, 2023

post date : 2023.03.20

In May 2023, the G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima. Now, there are many companies in the prefecture with unique technology or large market shares in Japan or worldwide, and tradition, innovation, and Hiroshima’s desire for peace can be found in them.In the tour, journalists visited Hiroshima Prefecture, and covered the craftsmanship of “Made in Hiroshima” brands while passing on traditional techniques to the future.

Ten journalists participated in this tour, from media based out of Germany, France, Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

*This tour was sponsored by Citizens Council for the Hiroshima Summit and run by the FPCJ.
*For more details on the tour steps, see the press tour notice here.

[Day 1]

<Spingle Company>

Spingle Company is a shoe manufacturer popular for its high-quality sneakers that use a vulcanization process, and also sells sneakers made from yarn recycled from a thousand paper cranes donated to Hiroshima. After a tour of the shoe manufacturing site, the journalists interviewed Mr. Naoki Kunihara of the Product Marketing Division about the company's history and innovation, as well as its environmental and peace initiatives. Reporters asked questions about the company's sales in Europe, the background behind the planning of the origami crane upcycled sneakers, and the durability of the shoes made by vulcanization process. After that, journalists had chance to try on the sneakers and experienced the ideal fit created by the hands of craftsmen.

<Kaihara Corporation>
Kaihara supplies denim fabrics to international brands around the world, including Edwin, Levi's, and Uniqlo. After a guided tour of the head office’s factory by company president Mr. Mamoru Kaihara and an observation of the dyeing process using rope-dyeing machines, the participants heard about the history of Kaihara's growth into a global denim manufacturer and the characteristics of the denim fabrics it currently produces. Each company then conducted individual interviews with President Kaihara. Reporters asked questions about the training of young generation of craftsmen, the ratio of foreign employees, and Kaihara's domestic market share.

<Castem Co., Ltd.>
Castem, a manufacturer of precision metal parts, is known for its unique manufacturing that respects the creativity of engineers and importance of ideas, and is inundated with applicants as the domestic manufacturing industry struggles to secure workers. Mr. Akihiro Tamura, sales section assistant manager of the Business Project Dept. Iron Factory, explained the company's business and products, including the metal reproduction of the last origami crane Sadako folded in her life. Then, President Mr. Takuo Toda spoke about the company's history since its founding, the challenge of manufacturing driven by ideas, and the promotion of women empowerment. Journalists asked him questions concerning the reasons for attracting talented people and how he transformed the company.

[Day 2]

<R&D and Demonstration Base for Carbon Recycling>
Carbon recycling is a dream technology that captures CO₂, which is considered a cause of global warming, and reuses it in various products and fuels. Journalists visited a cutting-edge research center in Osakikamijima. At the beginning of the visit, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Japan Coal Frontier Organization (JCOAL) explained Japan's energy policy and the outline of the carbon recycling demonstration facility. After that, journalists visited each demonstration facility, learned about Hiroshima University working on developing technology to produce high value-added lipids which can be used as ingredients in cosmetics and health foods, the Institute of Microalgal Technology, Japan (IMAT) developing a process to cultivate microalgae on a large scale using CO2, then make aviation biofuel from lipids extracted from the microalgae, and the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, researching using atmospheric-pressure plasma to decompose CO2 and create materials for use in fuels and medicines.

<Imada Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.>
Journalists heard about traditional and innovative sake brewing from Ms. Miho Imada, president and master brewer of Imada Sake Brewing, toured the brewery, and tasted both the Fukucho Hattanso Satake Series Genkei and Henpei, a new-age brew incorporating Satake's new technology. Journalists asked questions about how to distinguish good sake from bad sake, declining consumption among younger generation, and the characteristics of sake in Hiroshima.

<Satake Corporation>
Satake is the world's leading manufacturer of rice milling machines, exporting them to 150 countries around the world. Journalists visited the next-generation rice-milling concept plant Milsta and the Sorting & Processing Integrated Center, which carries out tests with the sorting and processing equipment for materials including grains and food, and were briefed on Satake's Henpei milling technology “Shingin”, which was developed in 2018. Journalists asked questions about the automation of Milsta, protein, which is the source of miscellaneous flavors in sake, and home-use rice milling machines.