December 2010 – January 2011
Feature Put Your Trust in EscrowLess than a decade ago, trust banks had a stranglehold on a business that is known in other countries as escrow, but was still rarely invoked in Japan. Changing business habits — not least the increase in cross-border M&As — and the government’s decision to ease the rules on firms permitted to provide escrow services have led to both a number of established firms adding the facility to their portfolios, and several specialist firms opening for business. |
Economy 18th FCIJ SurveyCompared with this spring’s Foreign Chambers in Japan (FCIJ) survey, the latest poll indicates uncertainty about the Japanese eco-nomy, especially over the short term. |
Trade and Investment Asia Task Force in Action“Rewards repay investments many times over for British firms in Japan”, was a key message from a major initiative to boost exports to 12 Asian markets, organised by the RBS Group and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). |
Jobs JAC Global Conference 2010For Japanese firms having a tough time with global recruitment, UK-based agency JAC Recruitment held its annual conference in Tokyo on 25 November attended by 55 delegates from 48 firms. |
Arts & Culture Interview with David Bintley CBEIt’s a long way from Huddersfield to Tokyo, but the new artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan, David Bintley CBE, already feels very much at home. |
Market Visit Fashion Mission Hits TokyoUK Trade & Investment (UKTI) organized a Fashion Sector Market Visit to Tokyo on 8-12 November for the British industry to meet local buyers, agents and the media, as well as to make contacts and learn more about the opportunities in Japan. |
Confab/Expo Future of the Digital EraThe first day’s highlights included keynote speaker Marvin Chow, marketing director for the Asia Pacific at Google Inc. Chow said that digital ad spending represents just 15% of the present advertising market capacity of $550 billion. However, he expects the figures to grow to $1,000 billion and above 50%. |
Hospitality BCCJ Members Celebrate Michelin StarsIn its fourth eponymous guide to the world’s finest dining and accommodation (including, for the first time, the cities of Yokohama and Kamakura), Michelin intro-duces gourmands in Japan to 312 establishments: 266 restaurants and 46 hotels — a number of which are BCCJ Members. |
Business Risk Are You Prepared for a Crisis?Anyone who said, in summer 2008, that top financial institutions would soon implode or be bailed out, and predicted the crash of the global economy would have attracted laughter. |
BCCJ Event British Airways-Moving ForwardWith demand for air travel rebounding, Heathrow Terminal 5 over its teething problems, new aircraft ready to join the fleet, and alliances with other airlines enhancing its coverage, British Airways looks to have put behind it the turbulence of recent years, according to CEO Willie Walsh. |
Visiting Japan Bright Future for Crucial MarketIn mid-October 2008, “the lights suddenly went out for the industry”, admits Nigel Heap, managing director for the Asia-Pacific region at specialist recruitment experts Hays Asia Pacific. Today, they are burning brightly for a firm that has only been in Japan since February 2007, but has quickly become a market leader in specialist recruitment. |
CSR It's a Dog's Life for Homeless PetsAlthough Japan is an advanced nation, it is sadly lagging behind others in terms of animal welfare. While pedigree dogs, cats and “exotics” fetch high prices, about 300,000 unwanted, abused or stray pets are put to sleep each year by authorities. |
Entrepreneur Health Food for DogsAs one of Britain’s top police dog handlers, Geoff Bowers was accustomed to putting the 500 animals in his charge through their paces. These days, he is happy to admit that a run with his small number of pet dogs leaves him exhausted. The reason: they are fed a diet comprising completely raw and natural ingredients — a food more than a decade in the making without the additives, grains and cereals found in conventional dog food. |
Books International Fragmentation of Production: The Impact of Outsourcing on the Japanese EconomyThis analysis of the process of outsourcing manufacturing is an unapologetically academic work that grew out of the author’s PhD thesis. |
Books Challenges of Human Resource Management in JapanThe 32nd release in the Routledge Contemporary Japan Series, the book is split into two halves, an “international perspective” written by seven foreign writers, and the domestic view from eight Japanese academics. |
Books Zen and Japanese CultureRegarded as one of the most important works of the last century on the subject, Suzuki’s writing — all the more impressive for having been originally written in English — is easy to read and engaging. |
Books Lyndall Urwick: Management PioneerUrwick probably remains the single most important figure in the history and development of management in Britain, and this 225-page biography sets out to show how the man and his ideas were formed, rather than examine his contribution to the field. |
Books The Grand DesignThis is a book that has the ability to make you feel either quite smart or a bit stupid, and sometimes both within a relatively short space of time. |
British Business Awards, Cover Story 2010 BCCJ BRITISH BUSINESS AWARDSThe very best of business acumen in the challenging Japanese market was on display at the 3rd annual British Business Awards, held at the Conrad Tokyo hotel on 19 November — an event guest speaker Ian de Stains OBE described as demonstrating the “excellence” that has been applied here by firms both large and small. |
Review Lotus EliseFor weekend thrill seekers, here’s a street-legal head turner that is racetrack-orientated, econo-mical to run, fun to drive and wrapped in a beautiful body. |
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Translation 『BCCJ ACUMEN』Volume 2 / Issue 1のまとめ日本語ハイライト |
Work Visa Cap Plan Threatens FDI |
Book Donation Plan Vetoed |
Call for Action on Child Abductions |
New Organic Shop Opens |
London’s Tokyo-Style Food Hall |
Kuma Design for V&A Dundee |
Brand Debuts in London |
Twinings' Tea Day |
Mazars and SCS Global Agree Tie-up |
Sweet Deal Signed |
Estate Saves Monk's Camellias |
Hello Kitty Tartan |
Suntory Wins Awards |
Newspaper Picks Tokyo |
OAP Claims Oldest TV |
Paper to Stop Printing |
New Artificial Skin Marketed |
World Cup Row |
FSA Probes Insider Trading |
RBS-MUFG in £4-billion Talks |
UKTI: Here to Help You |
Big Plans for a Better BCCJ |
Business as Usual |
BBA: Behind the Scenes |
Community |
Business News