Fair Trade is growing fast in the UK – very fast. It’s tempting to think the whole world is changing with us. Unfortunately this isn’t so. We’re at the forefront of a movement which is at different stages of growth in different countries. A visitor from the USA, for instance, commented to me recently that the USA is “about 20 years behind” us in terms of public awareness. And indeed, awareness of Fair Trade issues is far greater in Europe than in the rest of the world.

I’ve just returned from an illuminating trip to Japan, where I saw sumo wrestlers on TV, travelled on the bullet train, admired the cherry blossom, and went to a Karaoke bar – wondering at the smart businessmen who took off their jackets and sang rock songs without any trace of inhibition. My girlfriend Mary, who speaks Japanese fluently, guided me through the complex railway system on a tour of the Fair Trade scene in Tokyo and Yokohama.

One person we spoke to almost exactly echoed our American visitor in York. “Fair Trade is growing fast in Japan,” he said, “but we’re still about 20 years behind you in the UK.”

And indeed, we had to visit about ten supermarket branches before we found just one Fair Trade product, a single packet of coffee. The Fairtrade mark is hardly used at all, and unrecognised by the Japanese public. A wholefood shop we visited was listed as a ‘Fair Trade outlet’ on the basis that it sold a couple of packets of Fair Trade coffee and 3 or 4 chocolate bars.

“The Japanese tradition is to care for one’s immediate family and community,” a local businessman told us. “It’s similar in China too. The Christian and Islamic values of giving to the poor and helping those who suffer, wherever they might be, is simply not a part of our culture. So the values of Fair Trade are more difficult for us to understand.”

This may explain why Fair Trade developed so much earlier in Europe, where many of the Fair Trade ‘pioneers’ were members of the churches.

However, we met some wonderfully dedicated people in Japan. I particularly admired Kanji Tsuchiya and the staff at Nepali Bazaro, one of the two IFAT members in Japan (the other being People Tree). We made an appointment at short notice but could not have been received in a more courteous and hospitable manner. Nepali Bazaro is a wholesaler which buys from over twenty producer groups in Nepal, specialising in clothes. During our visit they had two trainees from Nepal staying with them on three-month contracts, learning the techniques required to produce the clothing.

Kanji has sent all of his 24 staff to Nepal and they even learn to speak the language. “We have a meal together once a week where no Japanese is allowed!” he told us.

The other IFAT member, People Tree, also specialises in clothing. Much of it is made from organic cotton. It became clear why they receive so much attention in the media – they have four full-time staff working exclusively on PR! (most Fair Trade businesses don’t have any). Undoubtedly this has helped put Fair Trade on the map in Japan, but one wonders whether the wage bill has also contributed to People Tree’s financial problems.

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