Voices from Awardees for Trip to Japan    Lao-Japan Center had interviewed business course participants who got awards to Japan after return.   Mr. Khamsen Sisavong    Managing Director, Sengsavanh College   - Interviewer: How was the trip to Japan? - Awadee: It was a very good experience for me. All lectures were very interesting, especially lectures on human resource development. Dr Ohgi explained about Japanese economic recovery after the World War II. He said that the Japanese government placed the years 1950 – 1960 as the learning stage to develop human resources first before developing the economy, and paid full attention to enrich the education.    Also, we heard it at Matsushita Electric Industry Co.,Ltd. The recorded voice of the late founder, saying "put people before products", and "good thinking makes good products", "customer first before company's profit". - Interviewer: What was interesting to you in Japan? - Awadee: The Shoe factory in Kobe and the Daikin Co.,Ltd were very interesting. Their efforts to produce high quality products at a low price with best services are good examples for Lao business. - Interviewer: Were there any experiences that you can apply for your business? - Awadee: Yes, it is cooperation and discipline among Japanese people. The Japanese people, not only work hard but also they are punctual and always concentrate on their job and cooperate with each other. So, I am talking to my teachers to have disciplines in their duties to help develop human resources in this country.   Mr Chanthadara Inthavong    Director, Inter-Export Co.,Ltd.   - Interviewer: What was the most impressive thing about your trip? - Awadee: It was the Daikin Co.,Ltd. They produce air-conditioning equipment in automation, many different types of products on different production lines. What was very impressive to me was that there are quality controllers at two or three places in each of the production line before the final products are examined at the end, so that they can save time and cost without processing the inferior quality to the last process of the production. This is definitely a way to increase productivity, so I am thinking to apply the same system at my sewing factory. - Interviewer: What else impressed you? - Awadee: It was people’s attitude toward the guests. The Daikin Co., Ltd. greeted us with a warm and polite attitude and showed us all the works in the factory. The same was in Shin-Kansen, the bullet　train the conductor took a deep bow and asked for the ticket. This is something that we should learn from Japan especially when we greet our customers.   Ms Amphaynguen Sounthala    Office Manager of Lao-German program Rural Development in mountain area   - Interviewer: How was your trip to Japan? - Awadee: It was the first trip to Japan for me. People were very kind and nice wherever we went. Even in the bus, people smiled to us in a way that you cannot find in other countries. All the public transportation departs exactly on schedule and people in Japan work very hard. - Interviewer: Which companies were impressive to you? - Awadee: The most impressive was the Daikin Co., Ltd. in terms of quality control, time management and marketing strategy. The factory was very clean and I was amazed to see people working very hard.    The second was Suntory. We observed the beer factory. It was a very big and clean factory that I have never seen in Laos. The factory was fully automated and there was no smell at all when we walked through the factory. - Interviewer: What did you learn in this trip? - Awadee: It is to organize the work. Not only the companies we visited, but also people in JICA were very organized. They gave me clear responses to any kind of questions, and if they had question that they could not answer, especially Ms. Omote of JICA contacted the right sources, and came back to us with the proper information in less than one hour. I consider myself pretty organized but not at her level, so I think I have a lot to do to improve myself.