17% of Japanese investment is in automobile and auto parts manufacturing, where Japanese investment represents 22% of total foreign investment.

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1 NOTE Visit of the French Ambassador to Japan Regional Agency for Economic Development 26 th June 2015 Japanese Investors in Languedoc-Roussillon N 1 Asian investor in France, The presence of Japanese companies goes back a long way and is diversified Indicators from the 2014 annual assessment of foreign investment and job creation in France, edited by Business France Presence of Japanese companies in France More than 600 Japanese companies employing over 60,000 people in France. Japanese investment in France was particularly dynamic in 2014: 58 new investment projects were detected in 2014 with 1,437 jobs created (35 projects and 993 jobs in 2013) => Japan is the 5 th biggest investor in France (after the USA, Germany, UK and Italy). Significant presence of Japanese companies in fields of high added value. Japan is the 3 rd biggest foreign investor in the R & D sector, which is the source of 10% of all investment. Partnerships centred on technology or research provide new potential for companies to internationalise their activity. Twelve technological partnerships were accompanied by Business France in 2014 and their territorial partners. Investment projects here are principally in research and development, and engineering. The main stakeholders are American, Canadian and Japanese. Partnerships are particularly being developed in fields such as medicine and applied biotechnology, electric, electronic and IT equipment, and energy. In 2013, close to one third (31%) of all Japanese projects concern production activities. Japanese companies are at the source of 12% of total investment in logistics in France. 17% of Japanese investment is in automobile and auto parts manufacturing, where Japanese investment represents 22% of total foreign investment. Île-de-France and Rhône-Alpes host respectively 23% and 20% of Japanese projects in France. AT/VP - ISF Page 1 sur 8

2 Position of France in Europe regarding Japanese investment In 2013, France was in the top three European countries for numbers of jobs created via Japanese investment in Europe (16% of total). Percentage of Japanese investment in Languedoc-Roussillon in % of total Japanese investment in France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Japanese investment concerns 19% of total foreign investment in the region. In 2013, there were three Japanese investment projects in Languedoc-Roussillon : Extension of Horiba Medical in Montpellier: investment of 7 million Euros Acquisition of Arkadin (telecom operators, internet access providers) in Montpellier by the Japanese world leader NTT, at the beginning of 2014 (investment in 2013 accounts): 105 jobs created Acquisition of Aquafadas (expert in the development of digital publication systems) in Montpellier, by Rakuten (specialists in e-commerce): 20 jobs created There were 2 Japanese investment projects in the Languedoc-Roussillon in 2014: Extension of ASICS France (logistics centre for sports clothing and equipment retailer), at Gallargues-le-Montueux (30). 20 jobs created. Parent company: ASICS CORPORATION (HYOGO) Extension of JAPAN AGRO SERVICES (research and development in agronomy and pesticides) at Marguerittes (30). 5 jobs created. Parent company: MITSUI & CO LTD. Agro Science Division (TOKYO) AT/VP - ISF Page 2 sur 8

3 Success story 2013 Japanese company, NTT, acquired French company Arkadin, world number 3 in videoconferencing Details about the company Founded in France in 2001, the Arkadin group is one of the world leaders in distance collaborative services. Arkadin offers a comprehensive range, going from audio, web and video conferencing solutions to Unified Communications. Arkadin was created, and is still run today, by Olivier de Puymorin. Arkadin was acquired at the beginning of 2014 by Japanese world leader NTT. With turnover of 205 million Euros in 2013, the group has enjoyed annual growth of over 30% for the last 5 years. The group employs around 1,100 people in 31 countries and is present on all continents, with over 53 offices throughout the world. Arkadin has more than 37,000 international customers of all sizes, including some big names (Renault, SNCF, La Poste, Areva, Crédit Agricole, Arcelor Mittal, Publicis, Valeo, Carrefour, L Oréal). In France, Arkadin is supplier to the Orange group, for their white label in audio and web conferencing. Arkadin has two sites in France: Paris (head office with 200 employees), and Montpellier (R&D site, products, IT, European backoffice for the group, with 130 employees). Background on implantation in Montpellier The Montpellier site (Hérault), opened in 2002 as a centre solely dedicated to technical operations, and mainly Research and Development. Arkadin was located on several successive sites: Montpellier centre followed by Perols (Montpellier conurbation), with extension onto a 2 nd floor in The Montpellier location was diversified in 2012 with the creation of the group s European back-office (sales administration, invoicing, collection and recovery). At the beginning of 2012, the group launched a process of development and relocation to Montpellier, with the transfer of thirty employees based in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, to Montpellier. The transfer led to twenty local recruitments. The plan was pursued until summer 2012 and extended to include product-innovation and back-office services for the group in Europe, as well as the enlargement of R&D operations, with the creation of 50 more jobs. Development of the Montpellier site continued throughout the first half of 2013, with the creation of a network operation centre (surveillance of world networks). In October 2013, the growth of the company led to a transfer from the Perols site to Montpellier s central district of Antigone. The acquisition of Arkadin at the beginning of 2014 by Japanese NTT, had a positive effect on job creation in Montpellier, with the development of new collaborative projects for the research centre. Activities of the company and added value for the region The company offers a full audio, web, and video conferencing solution, with unified communication, also known as distance collaborative services. The group is world number 3 in this field. Why did Arkadin choose to set up in Montpellier? Montpellier was chosen for reasons of skills and competitiveness-cost, as well as excellent recruitment potential. Recently, the number one criterion was the possibility to recruit talent, particularly multilingual candidates, locally. Moreover, the Montpellier site project received public incentives from the territorial authorities (Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council, Hérault General Council and Montpellier Agglomeration). In Montpellier, we can find the skills we need in technology and software, and there is a high level in telecommunication and services. This is due to the great companies born here in the 1990s (Genesys, Meeting One), and the historical presence of Dell and IBM, believes Olivier de Puymorin, founder of Arkadin. AT/VP - ISF Page 3 sur 8

4 Montpellier is also home to a number of other world leaders in teleconferencing: Genesys Conferencing (created in Montpellier in the 1990s, before being taken over by the American group, InterCall, world leader and main competitor), MeetingOne and Tixeo. The growth of Arkadin reinforces the regional cluster of teleconferencing companies. Impact of the implantation The main impact is job development for the Montpellier site, which is the result of the centralisation of operations mentioned, of new projects, particularly in the area of video and unified communications, as well as commercial opportunities in new countries and organic growth. There were 30 employees at the end of 2009, then 66 at the end of 2012, and over 100 by the end of Arkadin has almost already reached the objective of 130 jobs in The group is planning to reach 190 employees, including some service-provider consultants. Most of the recruitments will be local. Some people will be transferred, but most of the growth in work force will come from recruitment, states HR manager, Marie-Béatrice Bellucci. The Montpellier site has 15 different nationalities, and 22 languages are practised here. To house the growing number of employees, Arkadin has decided to rent over 2,200 m² in Montpellier, and leave their 1000 m² premises in Perols. AT/VP - ISF Page 4 sur 8

5 Some Japanese companies present in Languedoc-Roussillon SAKATA VEGETABLES EUROPE Research, production, sale of vegetable seeds Uchaud (30) accompanied by ISF HORIBA Medical Manufacture and sale of instruments and reagents for haematology and biochemistry, Montpellier (34) accompanied by ISF SNR CEVENNES Production of ball-bearings for the automobile industry, Saint Privat des Vieux (30) accompanied by ISF and the International investment plan, 2012 ASICS France Wholesale of sports footwear and clothing, Mauguio (34) accompanied by ISF ESTEBAN Perfume manufacture- Lavérune (34) Companies accompanied by Invest Sud de France over the past years Sakata Seeds Europe is the European subsidiary of Japanese group, Sakata, world leader in the production of vegetable and flower seeds. Sakata has been in Europe since 1990 and in the Languedoc-Roussillon since The head office for the European holding is located in Montpellier, seed production in the Gard (Uchaud), and flower bulb activity in Denmark. Activity: world leader in seeds for certain vegetables, such as broccoli, and a major player in the cabbage, carrot, tomato, pepper, watermelon and melon sectors. Workforce: including the sales subsidiaries, Sakata Europe employs around 350 people in 15 countries, of which around one hundred in Uchaud Turnover 2011: 32 million Euros for the Gard site In 2012, SAKATA invested 7.5 million Euros in the Gard production site To accompany the growth of markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the company chose to develop the future European R&D centre on the Uchaud site, as well boosting the site s seed production, processing and packaging capacity. Local weather conditions are very well adapted to testing new varieties, and are representative of Sakata s Mediterranean markets - plants are exposed to drought, frost, wind and strong rains and this allows the company to develop new species, which are more resistant and productive, via innovative selection methods. The investment reinforces the regional presence of SAKATA Seeds Europe, and will lead to the creation of around twenty more jobs. AT/VP - ISF Page 5 sur 8

6 The Japanese group HORIBA includes companies from all over the world, and produces a wide range of instruments and systems for R&D applications in the automobile industry, process and environmental monitoring, invitro medical diagnostics, the manufacture of semi-conductors and metrology as well as a wide range of measures for scientific R&D and quality control. Tried and tested quality standards and consistent performance, has made HORIBA an admired and trusted brand. In Montpellier, the HORIBA Medical division designs, develops and distributes automats for in-vitro diagnostics in haematology and Clinical Chemistry, throughout the whole world. These instruments are already contributing to building tomorrow s health system. HORIBA Medical is number 2 on the European market, and number 4 on the world market for haematology. Created in 1983, the French company, ABX became a subsidiary of the HORIBA group in 1996 HORIBA Medical s head office is located in Montpellier, with 560 employees on the site. HORIBA Medical produces 7,500 instruments per year and over 6,500 tons of reagents. A new reagents plant opened in Montpellier in 2008, and production capacity today is over 13,000 tons. In February 2011, HORIBA Medical signed a research collaboration contract with the IRB. The objective was to improve diagnostic techniques for malign haemopathies such as leukaemia or myelomas. Research work will be carried out in a common laboratory, located within the institute, at Saint Eloi hospital. This new entity will serve to reinforce the scientific and industrial excellence of the Languedoc-Roussillon in the field of in-vitro diagnostics. HORIBA Medical Head Office: Montpellier Production centres: France, Japan, Brazil Local teams: Belgium, Brazil, China, Spain, France, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, UK, Thailand, USA Key Figures Over 900 employees (560 in France) 3 production and research centres- Montpellier, Kyoto, Sao Paulo More than 8% of turnover is invested in research In 2013, HORIBA Medical invested 7 million Euros in Montpellier extension of R&D centre 3,500 m² on the Montpellier site AT/VP - ISF Page 6 sur 8

7 The world s third largest manufacturer of ball bearings for the automobile, industry and aeronautics sectors, NTN-SNR (head office in Annecy), employs around 400 people on the Saint-Privat-des-Vieux (Gard) site. Background and activities of the group SNR Cévennes belongs to NTN Corporation, the world s 3 rd largest manufacturer of ball bearings. In 2007, SNR joined the Japanese group NTN, (82% shareholder, the remaining 18% belong to Renault), specialised in bearings and transmission for the automobile industry, with around 18,000 employees on 68 sites throughout the world, and a turnover of 3.8 billion Euros in SNR Cévennes, which manufactures ball bearings for the automobile industry (an ex-subsidiary of Renault), and employs 400 people at Saint Privat des Vieux, is currently ramping up investment projects and planning a new phase of development for During the financial period, NTN-SNR invested 20 million Euros in Ales, and built a new production workshop in the former premises of Richard Ducros (creation of 10 jobs). The project was granted financial support from the French state (Territorial development Grant from the DATAR), and local authorities (Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council, Gard Departmental Council and the Community of the Agglomeration of Greater Alès). NTN-SNR was accompanied by Invest Sud de France for the coordination of financial engineering with the DATAR. NTN continues to invest in Languedoc-Roussillon. Asics (Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, A healthy mind in a healthy body ) Wholesale in sports footwear and clothing Number three in France in this sector, behind Adidas and Nike, turnover 120 million Euros ASICS was created in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka, a cobbler by trade, whose objective was to get Japanese youth off the streets thanks to sport. Today, the sports brand is an international household name, known for technical sports footwear, and specialised specifically in running shoes (world leader). Workforce: 92 employees in France A company with Japanese capital: European head office in Holland, and, since 1995, a French head office in the Hérault, at Mauguio (53 employees). The group s logistics operation is run from a nearby 18,000 m² warehouse, located in Gallargues-le-Montueux, in the Gard. In 2014, Asics France invested 4.5 million Euros to transfer their head office Transfer/extension of head office from Mauguio to Lattes (Hérault) 2000 m² New recruitments planned for 2017 AT/VP - ISF Page 7 sur 8

8 Current growth sectors in Japan Nuclear (including dismantling) ICT: robotics and artificial intelligence Agro/nutrition Renewable energy and Eco-technology On the 10 th of June, 2015, Invest Sud de France welcomed a delegation from Japan as part of the partnership between Languedoc- Roussillon Regional Council and the Kyoto Prefecture Signature of the cooperation agreement between the Kyoto Prefecture and Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council Inauguration of the Dojo, Lycée Jean Mermoz (Montpellier) Agnès Tixier General Manager of Invest Sud de France tixier@investsuddefrance.com AT/VP - ISF Page 8 sur 8