April-May 2010
Changing of the GuardsApril is always a time of change in the Chamber. With 31 March marking the end of one fiscal year and 1 April the start of the next, there are fiscal matters requiring attention… |
Community |
Change For the BetterFrom aerospace to toiletries and asset management to organic products, many industries with a foreign presence here would like to level the playing field when it comes to market access and regulations… |
End of an EraAt the April annual general meeting, I stepped down as president of the Chamber and chairman of its Executive Committee. After three years in that capacity, I did so with mixed feelings… |
Sony Buys Game MakerSony Computer Entertainment Inc. has bought innovative UK video game developer Media Molecule for an undisclosed amount, the INSIDE game website reported in March… |
Sony Buys Game Maker |
Main Feature ADVOCACY AT WORK“Women are also more likely than men to speak English, which is useful if they work for foreign firms or Japanese firms with foreign clients or overseas offices staffed by foreigners” |
Embassy Parental Child Abduction and The Hague ConventionThe high number of cases of international parental child abduction has recently started to come under the spotlight in Japan… |
Industry Cut your office costs without cutting corners…The economic outlook for 2010 and beyond is looking increasingly bright. However, current conditions are challenging and most businesses are focused on cutting costs, including overheads… |
Industry Make Moving EasierWhat is the complication in “Helping People Move” these days? Why is there so much involved in finding that house under budget for someone moving to Japan? |
Business Risk Overview of AsiaManaging and growing a sustainable business in Asia can present unique challenges to foreign multinational corporations and overseas investors… |
Visiting Japan Jancis Robinson, OBEAlthough already renowned for its sake and beer, Japan has yet to share the international recognition for its wines that is enjoyed by other wine-producing nations such as Australia and New Zealand… |
Hospitality More Than LocationServiced apartments have weathered the recession well, partly due to the nature of the industry, said Martin Fluck, Japan country manager of Oakwood Asia Pacific… |
Arts TalkJude Kelly, OBE, chair of the 2012 London Olympics’ arts, education and culture committee, addressed the Beppu Art Project in Kitahama, the Nishi Nippori Shimbun reported in March… |
Books Extract Value from Consultants How to hire, control and fire themOutsourcing is on everyone’s lips these days, as firms look to cut costs and add value without compromising quality… |
Industry Expatriate Cross-Cultural TrainingWhat is cross-cultural training and what will I learn from it? This is often the first question newly arrived expatriates and their spouses ask me… |
Her Majesty The Queen's BirthdayOn the occasion of the celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday, it is a great pleasure to be invited to write a message to the readers of BCCJ ACUMEN magazine… |
Investor FDI Tax ChangesIn recent years, there have been a number of changes to the Japanese tax system that have had an impact on foreign investment in Japan and Japanese investment overseas… |
Industry Blended DevelopmentSome managers believe the best solution to employee development is “Let’s buy a training course”. Perhaps that means implementing traditional classroom training or even an online training programme. |
Politics Keeping the “D” in the DPJThe curious case of Yukio Ubukata highlights tension in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) over its internal consultation processes. |
BA-JAL Expand CodeshareJAL and BA have reached an agreement to expand their oneworld® code-sharing partnership, the Nikkei reported in March… |
Electric Car Investment For SunderlandNissan Motor Co., Ltd. will invest £420 million to manufacture its electric Leaf car in Sunderland, northeast England, in early 2013… |
Cancer SpeechLaura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, was invited to speak at Kanazawa University, the Mainichi Shimbun reported in February… |
Round-the-World Record AttemptA Belfast cancer victim who began a round-the-world fund-raising trip by gyroplane on 22 March will visit 26 countries in four months, including Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in March… |
Flu Drug OKJapan became the first country to approve the anti-viral influenza drug Rapiacta (peramivir) that is licensed by Shionogi & Co., Ltd. from UK-based BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported in January… |
GSK Denture Adhesive RecalledGlaxoSmithKline plc withdrew from sale their denture adhesive New Poligrip EX, the Nikkei reported in March… |
Top Award for Game DesignerNintendo Entertainment’s Analysis & Development General Manager Shigeru Miyamoto received the coveted fellowship at the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards in London, the Gpara.com website reported in March… |
Cornish Cream Teas ExportedA Cornish tea plantation will export cream teas to Japan, the BBC and UK newspapers reported in March… |
Island Sells ¥3,000 Spuds to LondonKagoshima Prefecture’s rich and creamy annou sweet potato is in demand from posh London restaurants that offer up to ¥3,000 per spud, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in March… |
Scots Expo PlanBritish Council Japan Director Jason James visited Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Tagami to request the prefecture’s help in organising a Scotland exhibition, the Nagasaki Journal reported in February… |
Top Twitcher Visits HokkaidoA senior official from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was delighted to see a rare red-crested white crane in Hokkaido, the Kushiro Shimbun reported in February… |
Relocation Manage Your Money When Living AbroadOne thing you don’t want to be worrying about when you’re organising a new job, accommodation, schools and a whole new life abroad is the financial aspects of your future life… |
Feature Article Exporting Innovative DesignDuring the post-war reconstruction period and the 1980s Bubble era, international architects transformed Japan’s traditional building aesthetic with modernist designs… |
BCCJ Event Ultimate TeamworkGenerations of executives have attempted to adapt the mindset of the battlefield to the business world, from developing a strategy to defeat corporate rivals to building camaraderie in an inhospitable environment… |
Sake Targets Foreign MarketsAn award-winning brand has released a DVD in English and brochures in six languages to exploit the trend for sake in the UK and other markets, it was reported in March… |
Feature Article DysonThere are some ideas so revolutionary, so simple, and so blindingly clever that they deserve all the acclaim they receive. As millions of house-proud people around the world would tell you, the bag-free vacuum cleaner launched in 1993 by Dyson is right up there with sliced bread. |
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