The 31st International Agricultural Machinery Show was held in Obihiro, Hokkaido, from July 13 to 17. The expo, held once every four years, is the largest agricultural equipment show in Japan. This year, blessed with fine weather for the entire event, even recording the highest temperature in Obihiro thus far this year on one of the days, the expo was visited by a record 245,000 people.

Most companies participating in the show concentrated on displaying the products that they handle. Visitors to the HFT pavilion, though, had the opportunity to learn what we are all about, including HFT’s roots and corporate philosophy. Of course, they were also able to view some of the high-performance equipment and other key machinery that we have to offer. Due in part to the support provided by our domestic and overseas suppliers, the HFT pavilion, which was mainly set up by our own staff members, successfully attracted a large number of visitors.

Mr. Nakagawa, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, briefly visited the expo, including the HFT pavilion. He expressed particular interest in the New Holland TJ375 tractor that we had on display, which is currently the largest tractor ever sold in Japan.