Feature

Turning crisis into chance

The exhausted small and medium-sized textile manufacturers and sewing plants have exposed domestic production areas to distressed conditions. However, many industries relating in some way or another to the foundation of the fashion industry continue to sustain Japan's fashion collections. Like the textile industry, the leather industry in the past few years has been attracting attention for its competition with overseas productions areas.

Leather is constantly being altered to respond to the increasing needs for bags and shoes, as well as variations of outerwear. Within the market we see that, while the west seeks to bring out the particular flavor of the material itself, in Japan the trend is the focus on unified beauty. In other words, the idea of accepting minor scratches and uneven colors as properties of leather is not established here in Japan.

It is unfortunate that, when dealing with the international world, Japan's leather goods are considered as "uninteresting." Japan will likely suffer more severe conditions if the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s policy on lowering tariffs and ban on the limitations on the volume of import products were implemented in Japan. With a large influx of cheap foreign leather goods to Japan, the domestic manufacturers who have been producing uniform leather goods will be left behind. These domestic manufacturers are costlier than overseas competitors. Already, many such manufacturers in the industry are being dumped, leaving manufacturers in a harsh situation

On the other hand, the Japan Leather and Leather Goods Industries Association (JLIA) believes that "Japan's technical abilities (in leather goods) are at the top level even by international standards, and that high-level craftsmanship is the advantage of Japan." Although the industry is facing a crisis, it is hoped that Japan will harness its technical abilities as a weapon in creating a new leather market.