Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > January, 2006

Prime Minister Observes Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Tokyo Wednesday, January 18, 2006 JAPANESE Click photographs to enlarge Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited two small- and medium-sized enterprises in Tokyo. The first place that Prime Minister Koizumi visited was a small metal processing factory in Sumida Ward, dubbed "manufacturers' refuge temple." At the factory, Prime Minister Koizumi observed the manufacturing process of the painless syringe needle as thin as 0.2 millimeters in diameter at its tip. He also observed the job site for press work. Actually trying the needle on his arm, Prime Minister Koizumi shared his impressions, saying, "I really do not feel any pain. Even kids will not cry." The next stop was a showroom of a ribbon manufacturer located in Taito Ward. Prime Minister Koizumi picked up some of its wide selection of ribbons, which topped 40,000 types. He was briefed that the ribbons produced there are now used by many of the world's top fashion brands, positioning the manufacturer ahead of the manufacturers in France, where ribbons were said to have originated. View Video (Available only in Japanese) Real(Narrowband) / Real(Broadband) Windows Media(Narrowband) / Windows Media(Broadband)