HiJapan opens today at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre, with organisers CMP Information expecting around 43,000 visitors to the show.

Considered a pioneer of functional foods and now one of the most developed functional foods markets, Japan still offers significant opportunities for suppliers of innovative and unique ingredients. The market is also less developed in some areas where ingredient companies have seen large growth in Europe and the US.

One of the region's leading health shows, Hi Japan, taking place until 9 October, gives food manufacturers a chance to assess opportunities in the market, thought to be currently worth Y984 billion, excluding the Y420 billion market for Foods For Specified Health Use (FOSHU). Last year's outbreak of SARS in Asia sparked a new interest in immune-boosting health foods and several suppliers of different ingredients have seen growth in this region.

There have also been new launches from many Japanese companies in recent months, with several of the players in the international market, such as Kaneka, Fuji Chemical and Kyowa Hakko, making the news at SupplySide West in the US last week.

A high profile conference will investigate the functional food market, considering among other topics, international trends, estimation for efficacy of food supplements and FOSHU, as well as the latest science behind the industry.

Launched in 1998 as part of the International Food Design Show, HiJapan runs alongside the Safety and Technology exhibition S-tec.