Pon Chantouch, a 34-year-old Cambodian worker at Kyoto's Seirex, won the nationwide Sealing Grand Prix, becoming Japan's first foreign champion in the event. The victory reflects more than a decade of training know-how built by CEO Kohei Takeda, who shifted the company to direct hiring of foreign talent in 2013 to raise skill levels. Chantouch arrived in Japan in 2018 as a technical intern, moved to Specified Skilled Worker 1 status in 2023, and now aims for Specified Skilled Worker 2 to obtain permanent residence and bring his wife and their seven-year-old son. Seirex currently has 12 employees, eight of whom are technical interns or Specified Skilled workers, with some serving as foremen, illustrating the company's emphasis on training and camaraderie rather than simply labor.