Since our first exports in 1951, just after the establishment of the company, BANDAI has always conducted business with an eye on the global market. This approach has led to a number of successes including the global popularity of the Power Rangers, the first business expansion of a U.S.-developed character, BEN 10, into other international markets, and the evolution of an original character developed in Japan, Tamagotchi, into an international hit. However, in order to take the next step and newly develop BANDAI as a company for the future, it is vital that we achieve further growth in the global market.

In doing so, we will promote globalization of the Toys and Hobby SBU as prescribed by the BANDAI Mid-term Plan that started from April 2012. Concretely, we will strive to become “the most powerful and unique company” in the character business by broadening our strength globally. Our strategic approach is to use the “strengths” of the character business that we have built up in the global market and adapt them to specific regional and market characteristics. In this way, BANDAI aims to become the world's leading company in both the character business and the entertainment business domains.

North America and Europe share a host of market similarities. Accordingly, from 2012 we will shift to a business management structure centered on BANDAI AMERICA INCORPORATED (California, U.S.A.) that integrates efforts targeting these markets. The decision to integrate the formerly separate planning, marketing, and other functions for North America and Europe will maximize our content development capabilities. In the merchandise category, toys will be the main focus. Characters developed for boys will be focused around the U.S. version of the Japanese Super Sentai (Power Rangers) series as well as the U.S.-developed BEN 10 and ThunderCats characters. For girls, we will develop the Harumika line of hobby goods, in addition to the character POCOYO for pre-school children. In terms of sales areas, plans call for using development efforts in North America and Europe as a model for the steady expansion of business in Central and South America and the Middle and Near East.

BANDAI (H.K.) CO., LTD. (Hong Kong) oversees activities in Asia. In this region, as in Japan, the characters in the Gundam, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series enjoy high popularity, with the result that BANDAI has secured stable sales in this market. In recent years, we have started developing the Pretty Cure series of characters for girls, which has begun to build a strong following in South Korea.

In the plastic models and collectors toy businesses, the department in Japan is leading a push for greater business expansion, and is accelerating a strategy to establish itself as the market leader in Japan and the rest of Asia. We intend to further reinforce this strategy in Asia, which has seen steady expansion in the plastic models and collectors toy businesses through close ties with operations in Japan.