Japan is well known as the most advanced and developed market in Asia, with population of over 120 million people, many of them extremely technologically savvy . It is also one of the world leaders in automotive production. The highly advanced automotive market holds great promise for companies which manage to get a secure foothold, but for foreign companies it is a supreme challenge to be accepted in the Japanese automotive world. In 2011, Mobileye engaged the services of Japan21, a Tokyo-based company well known for its ability to help foreign companies from Israel, Germany and the US overcome various obstacles, including business culture differences, while entering the Japanese market. Sensing a huge business opportunity for Mobileye’s Collision Avoidance Systems in Japan, Japan21 decided in 2012 to change its role and became Mobileye’s Master Distributor for Japan, working with such resellers as Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service, Denso, Clarion, Eyetech, Nakane Motors and Heisei Enterprise.
Japan21′s 16 person-strong Mobileye-dedicated sales and support team has done a truly tremendous job in bringing Mobileye’s products to Japanese car owners, company fleets, bus companies and truck companies, and has brought awareness of the need for Mobileye’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to the people of Japan.
Sales of Mobileye’s Aftermarket products in Japan have grown exponentially over the last 3 years, and continue to climb rapidly. Japan21 has become the most successful distributor of Mobileye’s retrofit products worldwide.
We were thrilled to see that Japan21 won the top automotive prize of Nikkan Jidousha magazine in August 2013. This was a testament to Japan21s dedication and success. We salute Japan21 and Mr. Mike Kato, the CEO of Japan21, and look forward to enjoying continuous growth of sales and many similar successes in the near future.