A65 Yes. The world's top three food manufacturers are Nestle, Unilever and Kraft Foods Inc. Compared to Ajinomoto's sales, Nestle's sales are about eight times larger, Unilever's some six times larger, and Kraft's some three times larger. These international companies have expanded through mergers and acquisitions (M&As), while Japanese companies, which have focused on their local markets, have neither expanded through M&As nor tried to internationalize their businesses. Since the Japanese domestic market for manufactured food may shrink in line with the country's declining population, there may come a time when Japanese food-manufacturers, riding the wave of interest in Japanese food, have to participate in M&As and pursue tie-ups with companies overseas.