Japan's largest education company, Benesse Corporation, opened its regional office in Hong Kong Monday.

The new office, Benesse Hong Kong Co Ltd, will develop, source and deliver education toys, tools and supplements to Benesse in Japan, and will act as the base for collecting information and explore business opportunities in the Chinese mainland and other parts of Asia, according to the company.

The new office will manage and maintain quality standards, as well as control expenditure of products manufactured in the Pearl River Delta, the company said.

In the opening ceremony, the chief operating officer of Benesse Corporation, Masayoshi Morimoto, said Hong Kong is a natural choice for them.

"We aim to develop our education businesses in this market by sharing our experience and knowledge, and, at the same time, explore opportunities in the mainland and other Asian markets." He said.

With Hong Kong's world-class infrastructure and location in the center of Asia, the company will be able to grow in the region and react to the market and opportunities with flexibility, said Masayoshi Morimoto.

Established in 1955 and publicly listed on Osaka Stock Exchange in 1995 and Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000, Benesse is the largest education corporation in Japan with a registered capital of 1 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$128.2 million).

The company employs over 1,700 staff in offices throughout Japan and overseas in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2004)