Shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. is taking the export drive called Cool Japan literally by helping to build a $15 million refrigerated storage facility in Vietnam.
Japan's third-largest shipping line and Japan Logistic System Corp. are teaming up with government-backed Cool Japan Fund Inc. to build the warehouse near Ho Chi Minh City amid a shortage of refrigerated facilities, the company said last month. The unit will serve restaurants and convenience store operators such as FamilyMart Co., as they sell rice balls and Japanese boxed lunches to Vietnam's growing middle class.
It is part of an effort by Japan to promote everything from pop music and manga to television shows and the country's "washoku" (traditional cuisine) to build new overseas markets.