When Food Innovators Holdings (FIH) president and chief executive officer Kubota Yasuaki stood on the stage of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) last year and struck the gong to celebrate the firm’s public listing on the Catalist board, it was one of his proudest moments and signalled a new chapter in the Japanese food and beverage (F&B) group’s journey.  Over the years, the company has expanded from restaurant leasing and subleasing to become a one-stop provider for traditional Japanese and Japanese-inspired European cuisine restaurants, even providing F&B consulting services. With its SGX listing, it plans to ramp up each segment. “For example, we are adding more sublease properties in Japan because they bring in stable and recurring revenue for the group,” Yasuaki explains.  “Building on this experience, we also aim to collaborate with established Japanese restaurant operators to introduce more high-quality Japanese brands to overseas markets, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, to grow...