February 12/Tokyo/Asia Pacific Food and Drinks Insights -- Japanese seasonings giant Ajinomoto has confirmed it will be proactively seeking mergers and acquisitions (M&A) opportunities to facilitate expansion in fiscal 2010. With international expansion a core objective, this strategy sees Ajinomoto follow in the footsteps of its compatriots in looking overseas in a bid to combat domestic market maturity.
Business Monitor International (BMI) has been closely monitoring the activities of Japanese food and drink firms as they begin to acknowledge the growing importance of becoming multinationals. Due to the vast size and high spending levels of the Japanese market, domestic companies have been slow off the mark in terms of pursuing international growth. However, with Japan's greying population placing limits on the use of high-end innovation as a growth tool, the emphasis placed on overseas expansion has grown, BMI believes.