As finance companies and huge multinationals reconsider their positions in Japan, a ground-breaking British design firm is seizing the opportunity to consolidate in a market that is "very, very important" to its strategy.

Native Design, based in London's Soho district, provides industrial designs for products, specializing in consumer electronics. At present, the company is working on designs for dozens of firms around the globe, including Compaq Computers, Fujitsu, Marantz, Rotel and Panasonic here in Japan.

And Japan's decade-long recession is an opportunity, not a damper on business, according to Thomas Keen, project director at Native.