Through EDISONmama and EDIMOTTO, KJC Communications cheers on every baby and parent “I did it!” moment—designing thoughtful, safe, and clever everyday products that make growing up a little easier.
Let’s start with your work in the Japanese market. Japanese baby products are known for their attention to detail and high quality, characteristics that seem to resonate well overseas as well. How do you think this focus on detail and quality influences the Japanese market? And how is that same “spirit” expressed within your company?
You’re absolutely right. The strengths of Japanese baby products lie in safety, durability, and ergonomic design. Moreover, Japan has succeeded in infusing everyday products with educational value and aesthetic sensibility—something deeply rooted in its culture. We take pride in having helped lead that trend. Looking back, until around the year 2000, long-established brands such as Pigeon, Combi, and Pip—each with over 50 years of history—led the market with comprehensive product lines. Because the baby market naturally renews its customer base as children grow up, manufacturers have always been extremely careful to maintain consistent quality. For example, Pigeon has sold the same three-pack of children’s toothbrushes for decades, a testament to the value placed on product continuity.
On the other hand, a serious focus on design only began in the 2000s. Today, Japanese retail shelves are highly diversified—there can be 10 types of forks, 10 types of spoons, and 10 types of chopsticks, ranging from low-cost to premium, each displayed in dedicated sections. Amid this variety, companies continue to emphasize high quality, durability, sustainability, educational value, and aesthetic appeal—these are the hallmarks of the Japanese market.
Our company made a deliberate shift toward “design × functionality.” The best examples are our Edison Chopsticks and Fork & Spoon products. At the time, children’s chopsticks were typically priced around 200–300 yen, or 500 yen with a character design or case. We introduced a new kind of “functional chopsticks” with three finger rings that naturally teach the correct way to hold them, even for children using chopsticks for the first time. They were priced at 1,260 yen—about three times the going rate—but they gained support because of their clear functional value.
The same approach applied to our forks and spoons. Back then, soft silicone was the norm for safety and comfort reasons, and the idea of using stainless steel for baby utensils was rare. We deliberately chose stainless steel from the start and priced them at around 780 yen—roughly double other products. Rather than competing on price, we focused on differentiation through durability, functionality, and design. Our product philosophy is to “integrate learning into daily life.” Instead of parents teaching explicitly, children learn naturally through using the products themselves. The correct grip becomes instinctive, and they experience a sense of accomplishment—such as when noodles no longer slip from their chopsticks. This allows parents and children to share a moment of “I did it!” together. It’s not about forcing or cramming learning; that value of organic growth and shared joy has been the foundation of our company’s growth and remains at its core today.
Meanwhile, the market and consumer demographics are changing. Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population are affecting both designers and consumers. How is your company addressing these structural challenges, and how do you position your overseas expansion to ensure sustainable demand in the future?
The declining birthrate and aging population are realities we must face. For small and medium-sized enterprises, securing human resources is particularly difficult. As the number of births decreases, government and major corporate positions are filled first, leaving smaller companies at a relative disadvantage in hiring.
We turned that constraint into an opportunity. Around 2010, we began deliberately expanding opportunities for women and established systems to fully support pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, and returning to work. In small companies, even one employee’s absence can be a major blow, so we redesigned our organization to ensure smooth operations. As a result, even when six out of around fifty group employees (forty-three at KJC alone) took maternity leave simultaneously, all of them returned and continued their careers with us. By combining practical systems with a family-friendly work environment, we succeeded in retaining talented employees. The declining birthrate is a structural issue across Asia, but by refusing to give up and continuing to invest in people, we’ve demonstrated that even SMEs can build competitiveness.
Turning to your overseas business, you’re already active in places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam, and I understand you’ve set a target of around 80 million yen in overseas sales. Could you tell us more about your key countries, product categories, and expansion strategies?
We’ve had both successes and failures in our overseas efforts. Outside Hong Kong and Taiwan, there were periods when it was difficult to find distributors willing to commit long-term. But recently, the winds have shifted in our favor. In particular, more partners who share our values are emerging in fields related to Japanese food—such as tableware and dining products. Currently, we operate in about nine countries centered on Hong Kong and Taiwan, while increasing our focus on Southeast Asia—Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Our strategy is to first enter the market through food-related products, then gradually expand into tableware and related categories to strengthen brand presence. Because cultural and dietary habits differ by country, ideally we’d develop localized products, but we’re still in a transitional phase. For now, we’re taking steady steps—like adding English labels and easy-to-understand illustrations to our packaging—to ensure clarity across markets.
We’ve already achieved about 70% of our target, and this fiscal year we expect overseas sales to exceed 100 million yen. That will allow us to expand our international sales team from one to two people next term. Investing in people directly leads to more opportunities for business talks, which in turn drives steady sales growth. That said, our goal isn’t simply scale. Sales fluctuate, but brand trust accumulates. We’re investing with a long-term perspective, aiming to build enduring brands together with our local partners.
You mentioned challenges in finding distributors. What qualities do you look for in an ideal overseas partner going forward?
Over the past decade, we’ve built our overseas business division and exhibited at trade fairs in Hong Kong, China, the U.S., and Vietnam through JETRO. After the pandemic, we shifted from relying solely on exhibitions to strengthening partnerships with Japanese trading companies that already have overseas networks. For example, by collaborating with such partners, we’ve recently shipped full container loads to Mongolia and Vietnam, helping us establish a foothold in those markets.
What we value most is a partner’s commitment to building the brand patiently, including after-sales care—not just selling products and moving on. Passion and persistence matter more than size. We want partners who share our determination to take the time needed to root the brand locally, even when awareness is still low. Of course, we welcome large companies too, as long as they approach the partnership with the same dedication. The key is whether they will stand beside us for the long run, rather than shifting focus based on short-term sales. In Japan, we nurtured our brand from a single seed over twenty years. We aim to do the same abroad. Because it takes time, we want to build long-term relationships with partners who are equally committed for the journey ahead.
Lastly, on a more personal note—if we were to meet again in five years, what achievements would you like to have realized by then?
That’s a wonderful question. In five years, I’ll be turning sixty and likely preparing to pass the baton to the next generation. According to Tokyo Shoko Research, our company already ranks in the top 1.5% of all Japanese companies, but by then I hope we’ll be closer to the top 1%. That said, growth itself isn’t our ultimate goal. What I love most is problem-solving. I grew up in a rural area of Korea, not in an affluent environment, so I naturally developed the mindset of “figuring out how to survive.” I’m sure new challenges will continue to arise, but I see each of them as a gifted opportunity from God—something to solve with patience and persistence.
At the same time, if my own problem-solving spirit can blend even more deeply with the Japanese traits of precision, continuous improvement, and a passion for creating excellence that my employees embody, I believe our products will be found beside even more “first babies” around the world.
Five years from now, whether I’m still on the front line or have passed the baton to trusted colleagues, I want our company to be a diverse and flexible organization that can’t be summed up in a single sentence. We don’t aim to be a “one-line company.” Instead, we want to remain an organic, multifaceted presence full of depth and surprise. In fact, among our subsidiaries, some already generate billions of yen in annual revenue. My ideal vision is for about ten leaders—each with their own strengths—to stand side by side, combining their abilities to strengthen the whole organization.
For more information, visit their website at: https://allkjc.com/
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