Founded in 1984 in Japan, Food & Life Companies Ltd. (F&LC) operated Sushiro, the largest conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain in Japan, and other types of restaurants that offered sushi and fish cuisine. F&LC was committed to offering high-quality sushi at an affordable price. By 2023, F&LC had established 644 Sushiro stores in Japan, of which about 90% were in the suburbs. F&LC was also expanding Sushiro in other Asian countries, replicating domestic stores and offering the same experience and quality of food. In 2023, the company had 87 overseas Sushiro stores and aimed to increase overseas sales to 50% of the total (from 20%) in the next few years.<br/> In June 2023, Koichi Mizutome, president and CEO of F&LC, was thinking about the go-to-market strategy for F&LC's entry into the U.S. market. Mizutome thought going into the U.S. was critical: he saw high growth potential there, and he believed it was unrealistic to expect future growth from the Japanese market alone. Was he correct? Should the company enter the U.S.? How?

Komatsu, Japan's leading construction equipment manufacturer, is considering investing in a digital platform "Smart Construction" that will digitise the entire work process on a construction site, allowing for substantial reductions in cost and time while improving safety. The platform will combine data from drones, automated construction equipment, subcontractors, etc., on a single integrated online website. However, there are many impediments, both internal and external, to the adoption of "Smart Construction" and takeup of the initiative has been slower than hoped even in Japan. The case describes the origins and development of "Smart Construction" within Komatsu as well as the advantages to its usage, and a description of the construction industry in Japan and the possible causes of its slow adoption.