中國(guó)游客推動(dòng)岡本股價(jià)逆市上漲
Okamoto Industries’ headquarters are in a disheveledgrey building on a Tokyo backstreet. A poster froma long-forgotten public health campaign hangs in the front window. Display cases show-off aselection of shoes, a fake frozen fish and a roll of clingfilm. A bronze bust of the founder loomsnear an unstaffed reception desk.
岡本株式會(huì)社(Okamoto Industries)總部大樓位于東京一條僻靜街道，灰色的大樓看上去臟兮兮的。總部前窗玻璃上貼著一張很久以前某場(chǎng)公共健康運(yùn)動(dòng)的海報(bào)。展示柜里擺了幾雙鞋子、一條仿真凍魚和一卷保鮮膜。在無(wú)人值守的前臺(tái)旁，立著創(chuàng)始人的半身銅像。
In short, there is little to suggest Okamoto is the heart of a $1bn company by marketcapitalisation with world-class materials technology, shares at a 22-year high, a transformationalmarketing push in the works, and a brand name synonymous throughout Asia with bettersex.
總之，上述景象很難讓人想到這里是一家市值10億美元的公司的總部所在地。岡本的股價(jià)已創(chuàng)下22年來(lái)新高，該公司擁有世界一流的材料技術(shù)，且正在進(jìn)行一場(chǎng)革命性的營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)，而且在整個(gè)亞洲，岡本這個(gè)名字已成為“性福生活的代名詞。
But over the past eight weeks, and in defiance of the ructions on global markets, Okamotohas become one of the hottest names for investors.
過(guò)去8周，岡本在全球市場(chǎng)動(dòng)蕩中逆市上揚(yáng)，成為最受投資者追捧的名字之一。
Shares in the Tokyo-based company, Japan’s market-dominant producer of condoms, havebroken out of a trading band they occupied for more than a decade and risen by more than120 per cent. Few companies have benefited so spectacularly, it acknowledges, from having‘Made in Japan’ stamped on products.
總部位于東京的安全套生產(chǎn)商岡本是日本的安全套市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)者，公司股價(jià)已突破了十多年來(lái)的交易區(qū)間，上漲超過(guò)120%。岡本承認(rèn)很少有公司能像它這樣，從產(chǎn)品上印著的“日本制造幾個(gè)字中獲得如此驚人的益處。
“It was totally unexpected, says Yoshiyuki Okamoto, president of the company and son of theindustrialist commemorated in bronze. “The best I can say is that we are looking at the situationcalmly.
岡本株式會(huì)社社長(zhǎng)岡本良幸(Yoshiyuki Okamoto)說(shuō)：“這完全出乎我們意料。我能說(shuō)的就是我們正從容面對(duì)這一局面。他是那尊銅像所紀(jì)念的那位實(shí)業(yè)家的兒子。
The Okamoto share price spike has been driven by China: specifically the 2.8m Chinese thathave visited Japan so far in 2023 and overtaken South Koreans and Taiwanese as the biggestcontingent of inbound tourists. Chinese trust in domestic condom brands is low, and foreignbrands, of which Okamoto is among the most famous, are faked on an immense scale. Buyingthe famous Okamoto 0.03 condoms (named for their thickness in millimetres) in Japan, say theChinese shoppers who throng Tokyo’s drug stores, guarantees they are getting the real thing.
岡本股價(jià)上漲背后的推動(dòng)力來(lái)自中國(guó)，尤其是中國(guó)游客。截至目前為止，2023年赴日中國(guó)游客已達(dá)280萬(wàn)人，超過(guò)了韓國(guó)和臺(tái)灣，成為日本入境游客最大來(lái)源地。中國(guó)人對(duì)本土避孕套品牌信任度很低，而國(guó)外品牌(岡本也是其中知名度極高的一個(gè))假貨橫行。東京的藥妝店里擠滿了中國(guó)消費(fèi)者，他們表示在日本買到的岡本003極薄安全套(以0.03毫米的厚度命名)肯定是正品。
Chinese spending in Japan has been so lavish that a new term — bakugai or “buyingexplosion — has emerged to describe the way Chinese tour groups des挀攀渀攙 onparticular retailers and buy in bulk. Many, says Mr Okamoto, are basing their choices on widelycirculated online lists of ideal items to buy in Japan, of which Okamoto condoms are at or nearthe top.
中國(guó)人在日本出手之闊綽已經(jīng)讓日本人創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)新名詞“爆買い(bakugai)，意思是“狂熱購(gòu)買，用于形容中國(guó)旅游團(tuán)涌向特定的零售商大量購(gòu)買商品。岡本良幸說(shuō)，許多中國(guó)游客選購(gòu)商品是根據(jù)互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上廣泛流傳的日本值得購(gòu)買的商品清單，岡本安全套在所有清單上均居于或接近榜首。
Until July, Okamoto’s stock was lumped in with hundreds of other Japanese companies battlingfor sustainability in a shrinking domestic market. In the case of condoms, the headwindsseemed especially fierce. The Japanese population is the fastest ageing in the world and,according to some surveys, among the least sexually active.
就在7月時(shí)，岡本的股票還與數(shù)百家其他日本企業(yè)一樣，在不斷萎縮的國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)取生存空間。就安全套產(chǎn)業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)，形勢(shì)尤為不利。據(jù)一些調(diào)查顯示，日本人口老齡化速度居全球之首，是性生活最不活躍的國(guó)家之一。
Okamoto has spent decades making its name by challenging domestic and global rivals withever thinner condoms. Now, however, it is contemplating whether a technological wall has beenreached and whether the costs of seeking condom perfection at the molecular level are simplytoo high. Plans outlined by the president to follow the lead of Durex and attempt to “capturethe senior market for sex have yet to materialise as a practical strategy for Okamoto. For adecade, drug stores across Japan have been reducing the shelf-space devoted to condoms ata rate of 5 per cent every year.
幾十年來(lái)，岡本不斷推出更薄的安全套，向國(guó)內(nèi)外競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)，打響了名聲。但現(xiàn)在岡本正在思考兩個(gè)問(wèn)題：安全套厚度是否已達(dá)到技術(shù)極限?追求讓安全套在分子水平上達(dá)到完美的成本是否太高?岡本社長(zhǎng)效仿杜蕾斯(Durex)、試圖“占領(lǐng)性用品高級(jí)市場(chǎng)的計(jì)劃綱要，尚未落實(shí)為切實(shí)可行的策略。過(guò)去十年，日本全國(guó)各地藥店的安全套貨架空間以每年5%的速度在減少。
Effecting any kind of turnround will be tough. Through its single-minded pursuit of technicalimprovement Okamoto has at various times held the world record for producing the world’sthinnest condom. But social conservatism and strict television broadcasting rules in Japanmean it cannot be remote氀礀 suggestive about any benefits that thinness might confer onthe user.
尋找任何形式的轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)都將是困難的。通過(guò)一門心思追求技術(shù)突破，岡本的產(chǎn)品多次創(chuàng)下世界最薄安全套紀(jì)錄。但由于日本社會(huì)風(fēng)氣保守，且電視播放規(guī)則嚴(yán)格，意味著岡本無(wú)法以哪怕最隱晦的方式宣傳“薄可能會(huì)讓用戶感受到的任何好處。
“Marketing has always been very difficult here. The Japanese people are simply not used to sexycampaigns for condoms, says Mr Okamoto. “That is something we may be able to change aswe start to use social media and it could be something that makes a big difference to thismarket. Online sales are another area that we expect to expand because people are notembarrassed buying over the internet.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“在日本做營(yíng)銷一向很困難，日本人不習(xí)慣性感的安全套廣告宣傳。隨著我們開始使用社交媒體，或許可以在這方面做出改變，這可能會(huì)為安全套市場(chǎng)帶來(lái)巨大不同。網(wǎng)上銷售是我們希望擴(kuò)大的另一領(lǐng)域，因?yàn)槿藗冊(cè)诨ヂ?lián)網(wǎng)上購(gòu)買安全套時(shí)不會(huì)感到尷尬。
Most see the sales effect of such campaigns as some way off; meanwhile, it seems as thoughMr Okamoto almost cannot believe his luck in Chinese visitors putting his brand on theirshopping lists.
大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為，這類廣告宣傳的效果暫時(shí)還不會(huì)體現(xiàn)到銷售業(yè)績(jī)上。與此同時(shí)，岡本良幸似乎不太敢相信自己會(huì)有如此好運(yùn)——他的品牌居然被中國(guó)游客放到了購(gòu)物清單里。
Until now, China has brought him a string of headaches. As well as the huge, brand-damagingfakes market, Okamoto has been engaged for more than a decade in a legal dispute with aChinese company that registered the Okamoto name in China before the Japanese companycould do so: “It’s just a continuous battle. A constant game of cat-and-mouse that has beengoing on for 10 years and we just cannot seem to win. Other companies in this situationeventually just gave up and agreed to buy the Chinese brand or make the company anaffiliate. We have absolutely no plans to do that.
直到不久以前，中國(guó)帶給他的一直是一連串麻煩。中國(guó)龐大的假貨市場(chǎng)對(duì)岡本品牌造成了傷害。除此以外，岡本與一家中國(guó)公司已經(jīng)打了十多年的官司。岡本的商標(biāo)在中國(guó)被這家公司搶注。“這是一場(chǎng)沒完沒了的訴訟戰(zhàn)，是一場(chǎng)已經(jīng)持續(xù)了10年的貓捉老鼠的固定游戲，而我們根本看不到取勝的希望。其他公司遇到這種事最終只能認(rèn)栽，同意購(gòu)買那個(gè)同名中國(guó)品牌，或同意該公司變成子公司。我們絕不打算這么做。
China has also produced a high-profile challenge to Okamoto’s supremacy as a producer ofcondoms of “record-breaking thinness. Last year, it faced a legal challenge from Guang稀梔漀甀 Daming United Rubber Products in a battle over the right to make that claim on packets ofcondoms sold in China.
中國(guó)還高調(diào)地對(duì)岡本作為“世界最薄安全套生產(chǎn)商的霸主地位發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)。去年岡本被廣州大明聯(lián)合橡膠制品有限公司起訴，后者稱岡本無(wú)權(quán)在中國(guó)銷售的安全套包裝上印制“世界最薄字樣。
“The argument started over whose condom was thinner and they said they neededcompensation from us. Do you know how much compensation they wanted? One yuan. It’ssuch a primitive type of battle you can’t even laugh about it. It was just a way of promotingtheir name. Eventually the matter was dropped, says Mr Okamoto.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)論的開端是誰(shuí)的安全套更薄，他們說(shuō)我們需要賠償他們。你知道他們想要多少賠償嗎?1元。這種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)手段之原始，讓人甚至無(wú)法付之一笑。這不過(guò)是他們炒作自己品牌的一種方式。整件事最終不了了之。
On the strategic front too, China presents Mr Okamoto with challenges. Whatever hisambitions for a revival within Japan, it is clear that growth will come from Asia generally andChina in particular. Some 15 years ago, Okamoto bought a Thai condom maker to use as ahub for regional sales. It has now completed a factory in China’s Guangdong province that willstart producing Okamoto branded condoms next year.
在戰(zhàn)略方面，中國(guó)也讓岡本良幸面臨挑戰(zhàn)。無(wú)論岡本良幸對(duì)在日本國(guó)內(nèi)復(fù)興寄予了多大厚望，顯而易見的是，岡本的增長(zhǎng)將主要來(lái)自亞洲，特別是中國(guó)。大約15年前，岡本收購(gòu)了一家泰國(guó)安全套制造商，用作區(qū)域銷售中心。岡本在中國(guó)廣東省設(shè)立的工廠也已建成，明年就將開始生產(chǎn)岡本牌安全套。
The intention, says Mr Okamoto, is to meet the rising demand from the Chinese market with ahigh quality product that is competitive on price because it is produced in China. The big,unknowable problem, he says, is whether the “Made in China stamp on condoms leaving thefactory will kill their appeal.
岡本良幸說(shuō)，此舉是為了以高質(zhì)量、價(jià)格上又有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力(因?yàn)樵谥袊?guó)生產(chǎn))的產(chǎn)品滿足中國(guó)市場(chǎng)不斷增長(zhǎng)的需求。他說(shuō)，有一個(gè)不可知的大問(wèn)題，就是這間工廠所產(chǎn)安全套上“中國(guó)制造的字樣是否會(huì)抹殺它們的吸引力。
“I am quite worried about that, says Mr Okamoto. “But I’m also not sure how long this Chinesetourism spending boom is going to last.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“我很擔(dān)心這一點(diǎn)。但我也不知道這股中國(guó)游客消費(fèi)熱潮還能持續(xù)多久。
Succession: A question of continuity
繼承：事關(guān)企業(yè)存續(xù)的問(wèn)題
In common with hundreds of other second-generation leaders across Japan, Yoshiyuki Okamotois agonising over whether his successor should come from the founding family.
與全日本其他幾百名家族企業(yè)的第二代領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人一樣，岡本良幸也在為繼承者問(wèn)題發(fā)愁，不知道是否該從家族中挑選繼承人。
The problem is not new, but has become infinitely more complicated since July when Japanadopted its new corporate governance code, a set of guidelines introduced as part of the“third arrow of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to revitalise the economy.
這一問(wèn)題并不新鮮，但從今年7月起變得愈發(fā)復(fù)雜。日本在7月通過(guò)了新的公司治理法，出臺(tái)了一組指導(dǎo)方針，這是日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)振興經(jīng)濟(jì)的“第三支箭計(jì)劃的一部分。
The code imposes huge financial and other pressures on companies such as Okamoto, says itspresident. In particular, companies that want to install the third or fourth generation at thetop will have to fight harder to convince investors in an environment where shareholderactivism is no longer a dirty term.
岡本良幸表示，該法對(duì)岡本這類公司造成了巨大的財(cái)務(wù)壓力和其他壓力。特別是那些想要安排第三代或第四代家族成員擔(dān)當(dāng)掌門人的企業(yè)，現(xiàn)在股東維權(quán)主義已不再背負(fù)污名，這些企業(yè)將不得不更加努力地去說(shuō)服投資者接受這種安排。
“We have to make a choice between the best way of ensuring continuity [of the business] orfamily succession, he says. “Of course, continuity must be the priority.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“我們必須作出選擇，是選擇確保(企業(yè))存續(xù)的最好方式，還是選擇家族繼承。當(dāng)然，擺在第一位的肯定是企業(yè)的存續(xù)。
Mr Okamoto’s son and daughter do not work for the company but sitting alongside him as hemakes these comments is Masaru Okamoto, his nephew and a former lawyer who recentlybecame manager of Okamoto’s business administration department.
岡本良幸的子女不在岡本公司工作，不過(guò)在他發(fā)表上述評(píng)論時(shí)，坐在他身邊的是他的侄子MasaruOkamoto。Masaru Okamoto原先是一名律師，最近剛成為岡本經(jīng)營(yíng)管理部門的經(jīng)理。
Okamoto Industries’ headquarters are in a disheveledgrey building on a Tokyo backstreet. A poster froma long-forgotten public health campaign hangs in the front window. Display cases show-off aselection of shoes, a fake frozen fish and a roll of clingfilm. A bronze bust of the founder loomsnear an unstaffed reception desk.
岡本株式會(huì)社(Okamoto Industries)總部大樓位于東京一條僻靜街道，灰色的大樓看上去臟兮兮的。總部前窗玻璃上貼著一張很久以前某場(chǎng)公共健康運(yùn)動(dòng)的海報(bào)。展示柜里擺了幾雙鞋子、一條仿真凍魚和一卷保鮮膜。在無(wú)人值守的前臺(tái)旁，立著創(chuàng)始人的半身銅像。
In short, there is little to suggest Okamoto is the heart of a $1bn company by marketcapitalisation with world-class materials technology, shares at a 22-year high, a transformationalmarketing push in the works, and a brand name synonymous throughout Asia with bettersex.
總之，上述景象很難讓人想到這里是一家市值10億美元的公司的總部所在地。岡本的股價(jià)已創(chuàng)下22年來(lái)新高，該公司擁有世界一流的材料技術(shù)，且正在進(jìn)行一場(chǎng)革命性的營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)，而且在整個(gè)亞洲，岡本這個(gè)名字已成為“性福生活的代名詞。
But over the past eight weeks, and in defiance of the ructions on global markets, Okamotohas become one of the hottest names for investors.
過(guò)去8周，岡本在全球市場(chǎng)動(dòng)蕩中逆市上揚(yáng)，成為最受投資者追捧的名字之一。
Shares in the Tokyo-based company, Japan’s market-dominant producer of condoms, havebroken out of a trading band they occupied for more than a decade and risen by more than120 per cent. Few companies have benefited so spectacularly, it acknowledges, from having‘Made in Japan’ stamped on products.
總部位于東京的安全套生產(chǎn)商岡本是日本的安全套市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)者，公司股價(jià)已突破了十多年來(lái)的交易區(qū)間，上漲超過(guò)120%。岡本承認(rèn)很少有公司能像它這樣，從產(chǎn)品上印著的“日本制造幾個(gè)字中獲得如此驚人的益處。
“It was totally unexpected, says Yoshiyuki Okamoto, president of the company and son of theindustrialist commemorated in bronze. “The best I can say is that we are looking at the situationcalmly.
岡本株式會(huì)社社長(zhǎng)岡本良幸(Yoshiyuki Okamoto)說(shuō)：“這完全出乎我們意料。我能說(shuō)的就是我們正從容面對(duì)這一局面。他是那尊銅像所紀(jì)念的那位實(shí)業(yè)家的兒子。
The Okamoto share price spike has been driven by China: specifically the 2.8m Chinese thathave visited Japan so far in 2023 and overtaken South Koreans and Taiwanese as the biggestcontingent of inbound tourists. Chinese trust in domestic condom brands is low, and foreignbrands, of which Okamoto is among the most famous, are faked on an immense scale. Buyingthe famous Okamoto 0.03 condoms (named for their thickness in millimetres) in Japan, say theChinese shoppers who throng Tokyo’s drug stores, guarantees they are getting the real thing.
岡本股價(jià)上漲背后的推動(dòng)力來(lái)自中國(guó)，尤其是中國(guó)游客。截至目前為止，2023年赴日中國(guó)游客已達(dá)280萬(wàn)人，超過(guò)了韓國(guó)和臺(tái)灣，成為日本入境游客最大來(lái)源地。中國(guó)人對(duì)本土避孕套品牌信任度很低，而國(guó)外品牌(岡本也是其中知名度極高的一個(gè))假貨橫行。東京的藥妝店里擠滿了中國(guó)消費(fèi)者，他們表示在日本買到的岡本003極薄安全套(以0.03毫米的厚度命名)肯定是正品。
Chinese spending in Japan has been so lavish that a new term — bakugai or “buyingexplosion — has emerged to describe the way Chinese tour groups des挀攀渀攙 onparticular retailers and buy in bulk. Many, says Mr Okamoto, are basing their choices on widelycirculated online lists of ideal items to buy in Japan, of which Okamoto condoms are at or nearthe top.
中國(guó)人在日本出手之闊綽已經(jīng)讓日本人創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)新名詞“爆買い(bakugai)，意思是“狂熱購(gòu)買，用于形容中國(guó)旅游團(tuán)涌向特定的零售商大量購(gòu)買商品。岡本良幸說(shuō)，許多中國(guó)游客選購(gòu)商品是根據(jù)互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上廣泛流傳的日本值得購(gòu)買的商品清單，岡本安全套在所有清單上均居于或接近榜首。
Until July, Okamoto’s stock was lumped in with hundreds of other Japanese companies battlingfor sustainability in a shrinking domestic market. In the case of condoms, the headwindsseemed especially fierce. The Japanese population is the fastest ageing in the world and,according to some surveys, among the least sexually active.
就在7月時(shí)，岡本的股票還與數(shù)百家其他日本企業(yè)一樣，在不斷萎縮的國(guó)內(nèi)市場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)取生存空間。就安全套產(chǎn)業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)，形勢(shì)尤為不利。據(jù)一些調(diào)查顯示，日本人口老齡化速度居全球之首，是性生活最不活躍的國(guó)家之一。
Okamoto has spent decades making its name by challenging domestic and global rivals withever thinner condoms. Now, however, it is contemplating whether a technological wall has beenreached and whether the costs of seeking condom perfection at the molecular level are simplytoo high. Plans outlined by the president to follow the lead of Durex and attempt to “capturethe senior market for sex have yet to materialise as a practical strategy for Okamoto. For adecade, drug stores across Japan have been reducing the shelf-space devoted to condoms ata rate of 5 per cent every year.
幾十年來(lái)，岡本不斷推出更薄的安全套，向國(guó)內(nèi)外競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)，打響了名聲。但現(xiàn)在岡本正在思考兩個(gè)問(wèn)題：安全套厚度是否已達(dá)到技術(shù)極限?追求讓安全套在分子水平上達(dá)到完美的成本是否太高?岡本社長(zhǎng)效仿杜蕾斯(Durex)、試圖“占領(lǐng)性用品高級(jí)市場(chǎng)的計(jì)劃綱要，尚未落實(shí)為切實(shí)可行的策略。過(guò)去十年，日本全國(guó)各地藥店的安全套貨架空間以每年5%的速度在減少。
Effecting any kind of turnround will be tough. Through its single-minded pursuit of technicalimprovement Okamoto has at various times held the world record for producing the world’sthinnest condom. But social conservatism and strict television broadcasting rules in Japanmean it cannot be remote氀礀 suggestive about any benefits that thinness might confer onthe user.
尋找任何形式的轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)都將是困難的。通過(guò)一門心思追求技術(shù)突破，岡本的產(chǎn)品多次創(chuàng)下世界最薄安全套紀(jì)錄。但由于日本社會(huì)風(fēng)氣保守，且電視播放規(guī)則嚴(yán)格，意味著岡本無(wú)法以哪怕最隱晦的方式宣傳“薄可能會(huì)讓用戶感受到的任何好處。
“Marketing has always been very difficult here. The Japanese people are simply not used to sexycampaigns for condoms, says Mr Okamoto. “That is something we may be able to change aswe start to use social media and it could be something that makes a big difference to thismarket. Online sales are another area that we expect to expand because people are notembarrassed buying over the internet.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“在日本做營(yíng)銷一向很困難，日本人不習(xí)慣性感的安全套廣告宣傳。隨著我們開始使用社交媒體，或許可以在這方面做出改變，這可能會(huì)為安全套市場(chǎng)帶來(lái)巨大不同。網(wǎng)上銷售是我們希望擴(kuò)大的另一領(lǐng)域，因?yàn)槿藗冊(cè)诨ヂ?lián)網(wǎng)上購(gòu)買安全套時(shí)不會(huì)感到尷尬。
Most see the sales effect of such campaigns as some way off; meanwhile, it seems as thoughMr Okamoto almost cannot believe his luck in Chinese visitors putting his brand on theirshopping lists.
大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為，這類廣告宣傳的效果暫時(shí)還不會(huì)體現(xiàn)到銷售業(yè)績(jī)上。與此同時(shí)，岡本良幸似乎不太敢相信自己會(huì)有如此好運(yùn)——他的品牌居然被中國(guó)游客放到了購(gòu)物清單里。
Until now, China has brought him a string of headaches. As well as the huge, brand-damagingfakes market, Okamoto has been engaged for more than a decade in a legal dispute with aChinese company that registered the Okamoto name in China before the Japanese companycould do so: “It’s just a continuous battle. A constant game of cat-and-mouse that has beengoing on for 10 years and we just cannot seem to win. Other companies in this situationeventually just gave up and agreed to buy the Chinese brand or make the company anaffiliate. We have absolutely no plans to do that.
直到不久以前，中國(guó)帶給他的一直是一連串麻煩。中國(guó)龐大的假貨市場(chǎng)對(duì)岡本品牌造成了傷害。除此以外，岡本與一家中國(guó)公司已經(jīng)打了十多年的官司。岡本的商標(biāo)在中國(guó)被這家公司搶注。“這是一場(chǎng)沒完沒了的訴訟戰(zhàn)，是一場(chǎng)已經(jīng)持續(xù)了10年的貓捉老鼠的固定游戲，而我們根本看不到取勝的希望。其他公司遇到這種事最終只能認(rèn)栽，同意購(gòu)買那個(gè)同名中國(guó)品牌，或同意該公司變成子公司。我們絕不打算這么做。
China has also produced a high-profile challenge to Okamoto’s supremacy as a producer ofcondoms of “record-breaking thinness. Last year, it faced a legal challenge from Guang稀梔漀甀 Daming United Rubber Products in a battle over the right to make that claim on packets ofcondoms sold in China.
中國(guó)還高調(diào)地對(duì)岡本作為“世界最薄安全套生產(chǎn)商的霸主地位發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn)。去年岡本被廣州大明聯(lián)合橡膠制品有限公司起訴，后者稱岡本無(wú)權(quán)在中國(guó)銷售的安全套包裝上印制“世界最薄字樣。
“The argument started over whose condom was thinner and they said they neededcompensation from us. Do you know how much compensation they wanted? One yuan. It’ssuch a primitive type of battle you can’t even laugh about it. It was just a way of promotingtheir name. Eventually the matter was dropped, says Mr Okamoto.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)論的開端是誰(shuí)的安全套更薄，他們說(shuō)我們需要賠償他們。你知道他們想要多少賠償嗎?1元。這種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)手段之原始，讓人甚至無(wú)法付之一笑。這不過(guò)是他們炒作自己品牌的一種方式。整件事最終不了了之。
On the strategic front too, China presents Mr Okamoto with challenges. Whatever hisambitions for a revival within Japan, it is clear that growth will come from Asia generally andChina in particular. Some 15 years ago, Okamoto bought a Thai condom maker to use as ahub for regional sales. It has now completed a factory in China’s Guangdong province that willstart producing Okamoto branded condoms next year.
在戰(zhàn)略方面，中國(guó)也讓岡本良幸面臨挑戰(zhàn)。無(wú)論岡本良幸對(duì)在日本國(guó)內(nèi)復(fù)興寄予了多大厚望，顯而易見的是，岡本的增長(zhǎng)將主要來(lái)自亞洲，特別是中國(guó)。大約15年前，岡本收購(gòu)了一家泰國(guó)安全套制造商，用作區(qū)域銷售中心。岡本在中國(guó)廣東省設(shè)立的工廠也已建成，明年就將開始生產(chǎn)岡本牌安全套。
The intention, says Mr Okamoto, is to meet the rising demand from the Chinese market with ahigh quality product that is competitive on price because it is produced in China. The big,unknowable problem, he says, is whether the “Made in China stamp on condoms leaving thefactory will kill their appeal.
岡本良幸說(shuō)，此舉是為了以高質(zhì)量、價(jià)格上又有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力(因?yàn)樵谥袊?guó)生產(chǎn))的產(chǎn)品滿足中國(guó)市場(chǎng)不斷增長(zhǎng)的需求。他說(shuō)，有一個(gè)不可知的大問(wèn)題，就是這間工廠所產(chǎn)安全套上“中國(guó)制造的字樣是否會(huì)抹殺它們的吸引力。
“I am quite worried about that, says Mr Okamoto. “But I’m also not sure how long this Chinesetourism spending boom is going to last.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“我很擔(dān)心這一點(diǎn)。但我也不知道這股中國(guó)游客消費(fèi)熱潮還能持續(xù)多久。
Succession: A question of continuity
繼承：事關(guān)企業(yè)存續(xù)的問(wèn)題
In common with hundreds of other second-generation leaders across Japan, Yoshiyuki Okamotois agonising over whether his successor should come from the founding family.
與全日本其他幾百名家族企業(yè)的第二代領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人一樣，岡本良幸也在為繼承者問(wèn)題發(fā)愁，不知道是否該從家族中挑選繼承人。
The problem is not new, but has become infinitely more complicated since July when Japanadopted its new corporate governance code, a set of guidelines introduced as part of the“third arrow of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to revitalise the economy.
這一問(wèn)題并不新鮮，但從今年7月起變得愈發(fā)復(fù)雜。日本在7月通過(guò)了新的公司治理法，出臺(tái)了一組指導(dǎo)方針，這是日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)振興經(jīng)濟(jì)的“第三支箭計(jì)劃的一部分。
The code imposes huge financial and other pressures on companies such as Okamoto, says itspresident. In particular, companies that want to install the third or fourth generation at thetop will have to fight harder to convince investors in an environment where shareholderactivism is no longer a dirty term.
岡本良幸表示，該法對(duì)岡本這類公司造成了巨大的財(cái)務(wù)壓力和其他壓力。特別是那些想要安排第三代或第四代家族成員擔(dān)當(dāng)掌門人的企業(yè)，現(xiàn)在股東維權(quán)主義已不再背負(fù)污名，這些企業(yè)將不得不更加努力地去說(shuō)服投資者接受這種安排。
“We have to make a choice between the best way of ensuring continuity [of the business] orfamily succession, he says. “Of course, continuity must be the priority.
岡本良幸說(shuō)：“我們必須作出選擇，是選擇確保(企業(yè))存續(xù)的最好方式，還是選擇家族繼承。當(dāng)然，擺在第一位的肯定是企業(yè)的存續(xù)。
Mr Okamoto’s son and daughter do not work for the company but sitting alongside him as hemakes these comments is Masaru Okamoto, his nephew and a former lawyer who recentlybecame manager of Okamoto’s business administration department.
岡本良幸的子女不在岡本公司工作，不過(guò)在他發(fā)表上述評(píng)論時(shí)，坐在他身邊的是他的侄子MasaruOkamoto。Masaru Okamoto原先是一名律師，最近剛成為岡本經(jīng)營(yíng)管理部門的經(jīng)理。
