The Rental Storage Association (RSA), an organization representing self-storage owners and operators in Japan, held its annual membership meeting on June 26. The event was hosted at the KKR Hotel in Tokyo and included a cocktail party.

The meeting opened with greetings from RSA Chairman Michinobu Tada, followed by comments from guest speaker Junichi Imamoto from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In addition, Yano Research Institute Ltd., the largest market-research company in Japan, presented a study of the local self-storage industry.

The meeting had 38 attendees, including 26 RSA members and 13 guests and media reporters.

The RSA officially registered with the Japanese government on Oct. 28, 2010. According to its website, it is the only self-storage association endorsed by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. More information is available in English and Japanese at www.rentalspace.org.

This spring the RSA entered a contractual partnership with Inside Self-Storage (ISS), a U.S. provider of industry resources and education for more than 20 years. The partnership includes collaboration on ISS magazine and the annual Inside Self-Storage World Expo, held each spring in Las Vegas. RSA representatives will attend the 2013 conference, April 3-5 at the Paris Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas. The event will also feature an education session discussing the nature of self-storage in Japan.