Understanding Japan's Quality Requirements

Economy

Understanding Japan's Quality Requirements

Recently, in a discussion held at the Textile Committee auditorium in Mumbai that was chaired by the Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta, there was a discussion initiated on why Indian textile exports to Japan amounted to only 1.26 percent of total Japanese textile imports. Whereas countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam were exporting a much higher quantum in terms of total Japanese textile import.

The Japanese Overseas Coordination Department Director Toshiki Tasaka disclosed the differences between expectations and constraints of Japanese client vis-à-vis western client for the Indian textile industry. The first observation Tasaka made was that the Japanese clients had to obtain the consent of the stakeholders unlike the western clients who were authorized to take a decision on their own. “This is seen as slow decision making and action on part of the Japanese. However, this procedure has to be gone through,” explained Toshiki Tasaka.

“Unlike in contracts designed by Western buyers, the Japanese buyers do not sign extensive contracts. They cover just the outlines. This is because the Japanese buyers consider that it’s not documents only that develop mutual understanding. They are willing to expend time for cross confirmation to build lasting relationships,” he added.

He further said, “They sometimes go with silent acknowledgement. It is advisable to confirm about anything uncertain to you. If you stay silent, they will consider you understand everything about their quality requirements.”

“Again, in sharp contrast to western buyers, Japanese buyers require the same quality level regardless of the price range. The Japanese buyers do not hesitate to make necessary modifications in production specifications if they find it advantageous to improve the quality. Their primary concern is visible quality such as color fastness and appearance retention,” emphasized Tasaka.

Another feature of the Japanese buyer that was listed was that they request many things in detail, such as methods of folding, attaching hang-tag, and final packaging for each product. These minor operations must be precisely carried out according to the buyer’s request.

“Unlike western buyers who nominate a testing laboratory, the Japanese buyers require a test report which is issued by Japanese testing laboratory such as Quality and Technology Center (QTEC). However, the testing procedures are not documented. They are supposed to follow JIS test methods defined with JIS number. Criteria may vary from customer to customer because each customer maintains their own criteria. This is a very unique point to note when dealing with Japanese customers or buyers,” explained Tasaka.

He said, when it came to restrictions on hazardous substances, they were testing for free formaldehye in certain items. “As recently as April 1, 2016 the Japanese government enforced regulations on certain aromatic amines like Azo dye,” he added.

Tasaka also dwelt on pre-shipment product inspection. “Unlike in the case of western buyers who in most cases conduct sampling inspection according to Acceptable Quality Level (AQL), the Japanese customers insist on 100 percent inspection by a third party company. Japanese buyers request that all products are of A-grade quality. They are unlikely to accept non-qualified products mixed in the shipment,” he said.

Dwelling on needle detection, Tasaka said, “Whereas with western customers, needle detection is not always mandatory, in Japan needle detection is required for all products. “It is often required to detect twice in different directions to make detection complete. This is so because the direction of the object affects the sensitivity of the detector,” he added.

Speaking of unique requirements of Japanese buyers other than in quality issues, he said, “They may require very small lots that have numerous assortments. They grant very short lead time for production and they demand quick response in any operation.”

Tasaka concluded saying, “Japanese buyers maintain high loyalty to the factories which provide well-made products and wish to establish long lasting relationships with those factories. In addition, they rarely cause trouble in the payment. It may not be easy to understand Japanese buyers at the beginning, but it will be proven that they are good partners to work with you, once you satisfy them.”