For the fourth consecutive year, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, in collaboration with the faculty’s MBA programs, organized a symposium focused on business development strategies of Japanese companies, with Prof. Hiroo Takahashi as a leading speaker. This year, the event marked 50 years of the “Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt” brand on the Japanese market (since December 1973) and showcased the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration’s vision to be a leader in Bulgaria's international economic diplomacy.

The symposium was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. He outlined the faculty’s journey towards the "triple crown" in economic and business education and its role as a partner in the strategic business development of Bulgarian and international companies presented in Bulgaria. Collaboration with business has been embedded in the faculty's DNA since its re-establishment. In the 1990s, these collaborations were predominantly with German companies. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgiev also highlighted the special partnership with Soka University, Japan, which is also celebrating a milestone – 40 years.

Greetings were extended to the participants by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, Mr. Nikolay Pavlov. Mr. Pavlov was part of the Bulgarian delegation in Tokyo in December for the celebrations of "Meiji".

Earlier, the Head of the "Meiji" delegation, Mr. Keiji Seki, met with the Minister of Economy and Industry, Dr. Petko Nikolov, the CEO of the State Consolidation Company, Mr. Konstantin Stoychev, and the new CEO of "LB Bulgaricum" EAD, Mr. Zhivko Zhivkov. The symposium and the high-level meetings will support the finalization of a new strategic cooperation agreement in scientific research between "Meiji" and "LB Bulgaricum" which has been under discussion for the past two years but has been delayed due to political instability in Bulgaria.

Ambassador Hisashi Michigami, who delivered a lecture in the Aula of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" for the second time since his arrival in 2023, reaffirmed his commitment to the development of Japanese studies and a key partnership with Sofia University. A special priority for Ambassador Michigami's mandate will be the revitalization and intensification of economic relations between the two countries and attracting more Japanese investments to Bulgaria. The audience included former Bulgarian ambassadors to Japan, Rumen Serbezov (1974 – 1979) and Lyubomir Todorov (2009 – 2012), diplomats from the Directorate for Asia, Australia, and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as diplomats from Middle Eastern countries studying in the MBA programs of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.

Mr. Keiji Seki, Marketing Director for Dairy Products at "Meiji" presented interesting facts about the consumption of Bulgarian yogurt (1.5 million cups daily), the strength of the "Bulgaria" brand (90% recognition), and key moments from "Meiji's" collaboration with Bulgaria from Expo '70 in Osaka to the present. Mr. Seki's lecture was in Japanese as a gesture to Japanologists and students from several schools in Sofia learning Japanese, who were present in the Aula. The lecture was translated by Dr. Eleonora Koleva.

Mr. Seki gave a special interview to Mrs. Mara Georgieva from the newspaper "Capital" which includes many additional details that would be interesting even to those who attended the forum.

A special guest at the forum was Prof. Maria Yotova from Ritsumeikan University in Japan. Dr. Yotova is a leading researcher - a cultural anthropologist with in-depth knowledge of dairy production technologies. She presented a little-known aspect of the history of the introduction of Bulgarian yogurt – namely the role of Mrs. Tenkoko Sonoda before Osaka '70. Mrs. Sonoda managed to create interest and demand for homemade yogurt among the elite in Tokyo and, through radio and television appearances in the late 1960s, created a mystique around Bulgarian yogurt.

During the discussion, Professor Dr. Svetla Danova, co-author with Professor Yotova, revealed an interesting experiment involving yogurt in the diet of astronauts in Utah simulating Mars conditions, published in the Journal of Ethnic Foods in December 2023.

The traditional (fourth) lecture by Professor Hiroo Takahashi at the end of the academic year addressed the question "What is the globalization of food?". Professor Takahashi links the globalization of food with several important characteristics: it sublimates our history and traditions, associates us with the journeys we have made or wish to make, influences our health and well-being, and is part of the business strategies for the growth of certain global companies. The MBA community and those who attended Professor Takahashi's second concluding lecture on Kikkoman on June 10, 2022, already had the opportunity to learn that Kikkoman strives to innovate local food with the help of sauces, rather than simply being an addition to Japanese food.

Professor Takahashi teaches "Organizational Theory" in the MBA program with a focus on the Japanese style of organization and management.

The Students, the faculty members, and the entire Faculty of Economics and Business Administration appreciate the role of food for soft diplomacy and intercultural cooperation through visits to various "ethnic" restaurants or organizing events with different cuisines. Different countries have different negotiation cultures "at the table" different toasts, and so on.

The discussion, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Todor Yalamov, Vice-Dean of Research, Innovation, and Projects at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and a professor at Soka University, included diplomats, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and students. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yalamov was the main curator of the symposium, which was integrated with numerous other events during the week of June 3 – 10, 2024.

On June 3, Prof. Maria Yotova was a guest in Assoc. Prof. Yalamov’s E-business class. On June 4, Professors Kuriyama and Takahashi participated in an alumni meeting of Soka University, organized by Prof. Dr. Gergana Petkova, Dean of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology. Numerous visits of Japanese professors to bio-farms and dairies were organized, such as the Radeli Buffalo Farm, Rozino Biofarm, Brukov Dairy and Goat Farm, and Farmer Dairy.

In the discussion, Ambassador Rumen Serbezov, Associate Professor Dr. Evgeni Kandilarov from the Department of Japanese Studies at the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, Associate Professor Dr. Boyan Zhekov, Chairman of the Club "Friends of Japan in Bulgaria" and coordinator for Bulgaria of Horizon Europe, Daniel Kiryakov from the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, Mr. Nikolay Chernozemski, Director of the International Research Foundation Hasumi-Bulgaria, Mr. Dimitar Marinov, a graduate from the John Atanasoff Vocational School of Electronics, participated.

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and all co-organizers of the forum value the importance of institutional memory and the need to recognize the contributions of individuals in interstate and inter-company relations. Therefore, it was important for us that: Svetla Minkova, daughter of Todor Minkov, Director of SEO Dairy Industry, under whose direction the contract with "Meiji" was signed; Alexander Kondratenko, son of Maria Stefanova-Kondratenko, who founded the Central Laboratory for Pure Cultures at the Dairy Industry (1963); Associate Professor Dr. Bozhanka Gyosheva, Director of the Center for Science, Development, Production, and Functional (Healthy) Foods at "LB Bulgaricum" from 1988 to 2003, were present at the celebration. Assoc. Prof. Gyosheva was a member of the team that created the patent for the seven starters for Bulgarian yogurt in 1974, which are still used in "Meiji Bulgaria yogurt" today.

Illustrating some of the theses related to the globalization of food with local innovations, the cocktail that followed the lecture-discussion was organized by Mrs. Rin Yamamura and Jazu. Chef Tsvetan Valkov presented the philosophy of a fusion menu with yogurt.

The symposium was not only a wonderful celebration but also an investment in future collaborations between countries, universities, businesses, and media. The best is yet to come!