2013 Award Winners

Company of the Year—7 nominees

Winner:
Custom Media K.K.

Grown from a two-person start-up in 2008 to a diverse, innovative, 15-strong media agency creating solutions for UK- and Japan-based firms, in a time of bankruptcies, deflation, disinvestment and natural disasters
Values: empathy, ethics, entrepreneurship
Established with an investment of ¥1mn
Started BCCJ ACUMEN in 2009
Launched Business in Japan TV this year
Staff of seven nationalities; 40% women

UK–Japan Partnership—8 nominees

Winner:
AgustaWestland and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Penetrated Japan’s US-dominated defence market when its advanced AW101 airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) helicopter was chosen to collaborate with the Japanese aerospace industry, led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Engineering excellence and design, local market knowledge and industrial presence have earned the firms £375mn
Won £100mn in aircraft orders in 2013
Trust and understanding of Japanese customers allowed a rapid response to Japan’s fiscal 2012 supplementary budget, with the sale of three MCH/CH101 aircraft
Promoted the UK–Japan defence collaboration initiative, signed this year, using the MCH/CH101 partnership as a model for future UK–Japan aerospace collaboration

Entrepreneur of the Year—11 nominees

Winner:
Steve Crane

Launched Business Link Japan in April 2011 with £50,000 investment from family members and friends
Significant growth in revenue, profits, customer base and team members
Big ROI for clients in Japan
High customer retention and long-term vision
Serves 67 client firms
Partner of UK Trade & Investment’s Export to Japan online portal
Strong digital media presence
Developed a low-risk, low-cost business model, enabling customers to advance more quickly and easily in this challenging market
Crane was the 2011 BBA Person of the Year

Global Talent—7 nominees

Winner:
The British School in Tokyo

Opened by Margaret Thatcher in 1989; has a reputation for developing talents vital to a globalised world
This year’s initiatives moved the school forward, leading to this award
Student enrolments in 2013 grew 10% YoY
First seven A-level students graduated in 2012; this year there were 21. Students have enrolled in the London School of Economics, University College London, Imperial College London, and a number of other first-class universities, including Waseda
Over the past 12 months, 37 of the school’s teachers and support staff have attended professional development courses in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand, the US and the UK
Bursaries of up to 50% of school fees introduced in 2013, to support families whose children might benefit from a British-based international education, but who lack the financial means to access it

Community Contribution—12 nominees

Winner:
Lush Japan Co., Ltd.

Operates 151 shops and a factory in Japan; has more than 1,600 employees and an online shopping site
Has funded 240 community projects in Japan
Works with local farming families; uses fair trade approach
Buys direct from the local community to make products
Partners with Lumine in shopping centres and railway stations
Works with and learns from communities to create social change, which it sees as a business cornerstone that can make the world a better place
Some products support recovery in regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake
Uses rice sourced from Kesennuma to stimulate its economic recovery

Person of the Year—6 nominees

Winner:
Guy Perryman

His radio programmes have served as a platform for British musicians. The Brits music awards have been held in collaboration with British brands, and have given these firms a platform to promote themselves in the Japanese market
Broadcast Virgin Atlantic’s first DJ in the Sky live programme earlier this year
Regular contributor to The Brits, Fuji Rock, Whisky Live, Tokyo International Bar Show

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