M. Schnitzer & Co. Honored as Outstanding Exporter to Japan
June 29, 08
An event celebrating the continuation of economic ties and trade between Israel and Japan, as well as the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel, was held Thursday evening at the residence of the Japanese ambassador to Israel, Yoshinori Katori.
Several Israeli companies that are leaders in their respective fields according to their level of trade with Japan were honored, including M Schnitzer & Co. The Israeli diamond firm achieved the highest level of diamond exports to Japan out of all other Israeli companies in the diamond industry in 2007.
Shmuel Schnitzer accepted the prize on behalf of his company.
Other companies honored included Applied Materials, ICL, Gan Shmuel Foods and Karat Israel Ltd.
Irit Ben Abba, deputy director of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that while Israel’s export trade with Japan today makes up only a very small amount of the Asian country’s total imports, the Foreign Ministry hopes to raise this to 1 percent of Japan’s imports.
Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ehud Rassabi said that in 2007, trade between Israel and Japan totaled $1.6 billion, which was an increase in terms of imports to Israel but a decrease in exports.