Creating greater value at China's forefront of opening-up

[Video/Wenhui Daily]  

For Tetsuro Homma, representative director of Panasonic Holdings Corporation and president of the Japan Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai is a powerful witness to China's reform and opening-up.

His first encounter with the city dates back to January 1989, when Pudong had not yet been developed and taxis were hard to find. Decades later, he sees a completely transformed city and Panasonic has grown with it.

Today, Panasonic attaches great importance to Shanghai. The company has 17 companies in the city, nearly 6,000 employees, and annual sales of more than 40 billion yuan ($5.9 billion). Shanghai has also become a hub for Panasonic's logistics, finance, IT and international trade functions in China.

Its journey in Shanghai reflects continued confidence: from establishing its Shanghai branch in Hongkou district in 1994, to moving into Jihui Tower in 2016, relocating to Ruihong Tower in 2024, launching Panasonic Group's first Shanghai Co-Creation Center, and opening a flagship home-living space in 2025.

Homma says this progress would not have been possible without Hongkou's responsive yet unobtrusive support. As a regular participant in the China International Import Expo, Panasonic will continue to bring new technologies and create greater value from Shanghai.