The Potential of SME Content Seen in "Koma Taisen," Which Forges Bonds Around the World

This series explores the appeal and potential of SMEs as content creators, beyond just selling products.

Following thefirstand second installmentsintroducing initiatives with Nikkei Inc., this third installment features an interview with a business leader who has successfully leveraged the strengths of SMEs as "content" to generate significant response.

Series author Kohei Morimoto has been involved in planning and content development focused on SMEs, interacting with over 1,000 business leaders. Among them, one executive who particularly impressed him was Kenji Midorikawa, CEO of Minaro.

We asked Mr. Midorikawa, who created the killer content "Koma Wars" and sparked a movement that captivated not only small and medium-sized manufacturers nationwide but the world, about the potential SMEs hold as content creators and the significance of disseminating content.

Morimoto: Mr. Midorikawa, I'm always deeply grateful for your support, from serving as a judge for the " NIKKEI National Company Song Contest" to advising me on various projects from their planning stages. I firmly believe SMEs hold immense potential as content creators, and I think the " All-Japan Manufacturing Spinning Top Battle (*1)" perfectly embodies this. Could you tell us again how this Spinning Top Battle came to be?

※1 All-Japan Manufacturing Spinning Top Tournament
A national tournament where spinning tops crafted by small and medium-sized manufacturing companies across Japan, each representing their company's pride, battle on the ring. Since its inaugural event in 2012, numerous companies participate annually. The movement continues to expand across generations and borders, with events like the "High School Spinning Top Tournament" and "World Spinning Top Tournament" also being held.
 

 

Midorikawa: Small and medium-sized manufacturers, who have long supported Japan as subcontractors, often possess excellent technology and equipment but rarely have opportunities to sell their own products to the world. Furthermore, after the Lehman Shock, many manufacturers faced hardship as the economy declined. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake was the final blow. I thought there was no future for small factories if things continued this way. While pondering what kind of hopeful activity we could do, spinning tops just happened to appear before me.

Morimoto: How did you encounter spinning tops?

Midorikawa: A local factory I knew exhibited spinning tops at a trade show in France. The idea was that if their handmade tops spun well, it would demonstrate their technical skill to people overseas, even without a common language.

I was impressed by what a brilliant idea it was, but then I thought, wait a minute. A small top, just about 1 centimeter in size, could easily be made by any small factory, and the material costs wouldn't be that high. I decided to have small factories across Japan make tops and determine the best one in the country. That's how we held the first All Japan Manufacturing Top Battle at Pacifico Yokohama in February 2012, with 22 teams participating.

Morimoto: How was the initial response?

Midorikawa: We were featured on NHK and in the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, and we were flooded with inquiries from small factories nationwide saying, "We want to participate too." The second event had 200 teams. We held preliminary tournaments divided into seven blocks.

Morimoto: It spread through the industry in no time. I believe the goal was to revitalize small and medium-sized manufacturers. What changes did participating companies actually experience?

Midorikawa: The winner of the second tournament was a company called Shion in Gifu. It's a small town factory with about eight employees. After the Spinning Top War, they started making their own branded stationery. Their products ended up being carried by Tsutaya Bookstore and LOFT, and they flew off the shelves. There's even an anecdote about a famous singer purchasing 140 of the replica spinning tops they made.

Morimoto: That's a perfect example of successful content creation by a small-to-medium-sized manufacturer.

Sion's own brand stationery "DRILLOG"

 
The impetus for the world championship came from an email from Che Guevara!?

Morimoto: After that, the Spinning Top War expanded from nationwide to worldwide. Could you tell us about that process?

Midorikawa: This might seem sudden, but let me tell you about Che Guevara. As you know, Guevara led the Cuban Revolution to help the exploited, liberating Cuba from being called "America's farm." I was born in 1967, the year he died, which is a personal connection. I've always been deeply impressed by Guevara's achievements and his way of life.

When planning the Koma Wars World Championship, Bolivia was the first country to volunteer. Bolivia is often called the poorest nation in South America, yet it's a country rich in artisans. Furthermore, Bolivia is the land where Guevara was assassinated. He dedicated himself to Bolivia's development but died before completing his mission.

When I received an email from Bolivia, I just assumed, "This must be a message from Guevara himself!" (laughs). I promptly sent samples of the ring and spinning tops to Bolivia and held a qualifying tournament there. After that, qualifying tournaments were held in other countries, and we hosted the World Championship in Japan, featuring the Bolivian champion.

Morimoto: That passion and momentum are truly incredible. In recent years, the Spinning Top War has also spread among junior high and high school students, right?

Midorikawa: Yes, we hold tournaments at technical high schools, and it's also being adopted for elementary school events and local community events. If spinning tops can increase opportunities for children to encounter and develop an interest in local small factories, I believe it will contribute to the growth of these factories. I'd be delighted if this continues in the future.

Morimoto: The Spinning Top War is also compelling from an "education" perspective. Seeing adults get excited about work, or things extending from work, leaves a lasting impression on children, doesn't it? I think it's incredibly important to show kids that even after becoming adults, there are things you can still get passionate about.

The key points of the project are the "passion of the initiators" and its "entertainment value."

Morimoto: Looking back, what do you think were the key points for the project's success?

Midorikawa: It's the "originator" taking action. Not just during the event itself, but there's a lot of preparation beforehand. You can't pull off the event without involving many people, including finding local leaders. What moves people is the originator's passion. Leading by example and communicating that passion to everyone. Then, the people around you get excited, and the project starts moving forward rapidly.

Morimoto: What struck me about the Spinning Top Tournament was that, while the creator's passion clearly infused the content, the effort to make it enjoyable for the audience was equally crucial.

For example, there's the suspense of a top that looks incredibly strong but fails to spin because the thrower makes a mistake, or a heel-type top that cleverly circumvents the tournament rules to win repeatedly. It's designed to be entertaining even for people unrelated to small and medium-sized manufacturing, right?

Midorikawa: Exactly, entertainment value is a key point we prioritize. No matter how meaningful a project is, if it's not interesting, people outside the immediate circle won't engage with it. How clearly and engagingly we can communicate it is crucial.

Morimoto: Another thing I reference when developing content is the importance of speed in bringing ideas to life. I get the impression that you, Midorikawa, just get things out there and build something big through repeated trial and error.

Midorikawa: True, I might be perpetually stuck in "PDPDPD..." rather than PDCA (laughs).

Morimoto: That's precisely your strength, Midorikawa-san, and why so many people are drawn to Koma Wars. When you're bringing people together to start something new, no matter how much you explain it, it doesn't feel real unless they can see it.

I believe that precisely because you could quickly create something tangible and present the world of Koma Wars, even on a small scale, it generated a huge response from the very first iteration and allowed it to expand rapidly.

What is the "Mr. Midorikawa Framework" that leads content to success?

Morimoto: I feel the importance of content is growing more and more these days. For example, even with TV viewing, fewer people just "watch TV casually." More are watching with a specific content in mind, like "I want to watch that drama."

Furthermore, just like Shion, who succeeded in stationery sales thanks to Koma Wars, using content as a buffer can significantly bridge the gap between stakeholders.

I believe Dentsu Inc.'s fundamental strength lies in its ability to create compelling plans and content that move people's hearts, leveraging both creative and media power. By combining this strength with the content-making capabilities of SMEs, we can indirectly help solve SME challenges. That's why I've devised initiatives like " 15-Second Work TV " and the "Company Song Contest" (now open to large corporations too).

Midorikawa: The Company Song Contest has become a staple now, which is amazing. I think the reason the project has survived and evolved is due to the power of its originator, Mr. Morimoto.

Morimoto: The Company Song Contest evolved because of the brand power of the Nikkei and JOYSOUND. Both the company songs and 15-Second Work TV got their core structure from advice I received from Mr. Midorikawa. Actually, I use what I call the "Midorikawa Framework" (laughs).

Midorikawa: What's that? (laughs)

Morimoto: It breaks down the steps to a project's success into three stages: "Hop, Step, Jump." Hop is "Action breeds persuasiveness," Step is "Persuasiveness attracts followers," and Jump is "Followers deliver results." This framework was distilled from Mr. Midorikawa's work.

Midorikawa: I see (laughs).

Morimoto: I believe any project born from this framework is bound to succeed, so I really want everyone to use it (laugh).

 

At the core members' celebration after the "NIKKEI National Company Song Contest" awards ceremony (December 2019). Mr. Midorikawa is third from the right in the front row; Mr. Morimoto is on the far right in the front row.

Collaboration and solidarity create exciting content

Morimoto: Could you tell us what you'd like to focus on next, Mr. Midorikawa?

Midorikawa: Currently, policies to reduce the number of SMEs and restructure them are being considered. However, I believe consolidation has its limits, and I don't think consolidation alone can fully replace the roles SMEs currently fulfill. Instead, I think it's more important to improve SMEs that should inherently be capable of higher performance, transforming them so they can deliver more attractive products to the world.

To achieve this, we must not only engage with SMEs but also make policy proposals. However, simply conveying opinions unilaterally won't move society. I want to build an organization, together with SMEs, that inspires society to want to cooperate. I believe the key trump card for that will be the power of content.

Morimoto: Thank you. I've been reflecting on why you have so many allies, Midorikawa-san, and I think it's because you always put others first. You constantly think about how to make the other person better, how to make everyone better, how to make the country better. Because you're always thinking about others, people naturally follow you.

Midorikawa: I think you're the same way, Morimoto-kun. It's precisely because you've thought through how to make SME owners happy that so many people have come forward to support projects like the Company Song Contest, 15-Second Work TV, and Voices of the SME Spirit.

Morimoto: That's very kind of you to say. You also emphasize "collaboration and solidarity" as your key words. I see connecting the interesting people I've met – those passionate individuals both inside and outside the company – with small and medium-sized business owners as a role I should fulfill going forward.

Midori: Connecting is so important. A senior once said, "I'm the glue." That kind of glue-like presence is crucial. Even as times change, the value of people meeting each other remains constant. Creating those spaces ultimately leads to exciting content and future work opportunities. I'm looking forward to what you'll do next.

Morimoto: Thank you! Just as the Koma Wars spread globally, I want my own projects to have a global perspective. I aim for a world where content sparks encounters between people from different countries, deepens bonds, and creates new work. I'll continue to consult with you on various things! Thank you for today.