April 2012
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Eccentric Britons Mark Diamond Jubilee
As the UK gears up for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations feting the queen’s amazing 60-year reign, the public—in true eccentric British style—will mark the June occasion in some creative ways, featuring whisky, airplanes, a miniature royal family . . . and, er, toast!
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Delegate or Die!
Managers and leaders already know that you have to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats. They also know that seat allocation and task alignment must be correctly balanced. High-cost resources should be doing high value tasks and vice versa.Why Software Projects Fail
Information technology (IT) project implementations are complex anywhere, but even more so in Japan given its management style and project team structures.
High Tea—at 30,000 Feet
There is nothing more quintessentially English than afternoon tea—and Japanese people flying with Virgin Atlantic Airways are lapping up the new service.
Rugby Sevens Returns to Tokyo
World-class sevens returned to Tokyo on 31 March and 1 April, when the International Rugby Board (IRB) brought Round 7 of the Sevens World Series to Japan.
Donald Keene
An exclusive interview with Japanese literature expert, Donald Keene, since becoming citizen of Japan at age 89.
Arts Events
Arts events compiled by Shoko Nakamura
Wish you were here!
Volunteers tell world Japan is open again for tourism.
A Novel Idea
The only professional British manga writer based in Japan has launched Kickstarter campaign to drum up pledges for a new graphic novel that will tell the tale of US left-wing activist, economist, speaker and writer Michael Albert and have an introduction by Noam Chomsky.
Oldest Rocker in Town
As they stomp noisily into their fifth decade of making punk rock music, the U.K. Subs are also doing their part to assist the people of north-east Japan affected by last year’s disasters with the first date of their nationwide tour being staged in Sendai.
Safety First
For cars coming out of the Asia-Pacific region, the task of ensuring that they meet safety requirements falls to Michael Mulvaney and his team of 10 at the VCA offices in Nagoya.
Bets on for Legal Casinos
At a packed press conference in Miyazaki on 3 April, Hajime Satomi, chairman and president of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., added his considerable weight to a debate that has been bubbling for more than a decade.
Beware the "Burma Rush"
Much has been made in recent weeks of apparent progress in the campaign for democracy and human rights in Burma (Myanmar), but aid organisations warn that international pressure on the regime must not let up.
Iberian Feast of Food and Wine
Restaurant Davis plays host to Berry Bros. & Rudd wine guru for evening of excellence.
A "Young" Nation
In March I visited Goa, in western India, for a biannual global partners’ meeting of Glasford International, a partnership of independent, retained executive search firms with offices in some 40 countries, and represented in Japan by TMT Inc.
N-Power Splits EU
The impact of the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant on the rest of the world’s acceptance of atomic energy will be relatively brief and the issue will be “off the agenda” in as little as eight years, according to Professor David Cope, director of the Houses of Parliament’s Office of Science and Technology.
Spring Is in The Air
The weather is improving, sakura are beginning to blossom and there is, dare I say it, a sense of change in the Japanese economy. The unexpected intervention by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) on St Valentine’s Day surprised the markets, not with a box of chocolates but another slug of quantitative easing that has set the yen on a weakening trend.
Hiroshi Hoketsu
The first time 71-year-old Hiroshi Hoketsu competed in an Olympic Games, most of the other athletes who will be at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games had not even been born.
Taking Care of Stakeholders
When all is said and done, a firm survives and prospers only with the consent of key stakeholders.
Whistleblower Woodford Named Person of the Year
It's been an interesting year for Michael Woodford whose image has fared much better than that of his former employer, Olympus, in the wake of a scandal that laid Japanese business practices bare.
Lady Thatcher Film Launched
Lady Margaret Thatcher to be brought to screen by an American actress formidable in her own right.
Designer's Long Ties with Japan
Four-time British Fashion Awards winner Sir Paul Smith has a love affair with Japan that has lasted three decades.
New Nissan to be Built in North-East
Nissan plans to build 100,000 Invitation cars per annum at its north-east UK plant creating new jobs in the process.
Marking 50 Years of The Rolling Stones
In June, Suntory Liquors Ltd. will release a line of alcoholic beverages commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones.News in Brief
London comes to Ginza, new international university rankings are in, and fresh nuclear protests rise up in Wales in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.
Cover Story
Not everyone will find allure in our striking cover shot of a snarling punk rocker; but then we can hardly be accused of being predictable and staid.
Back to Business: Update
Following the success of our “Special 51 Night—Road to Recovery” event on 8 March, at which BCCJ member firms and friends raised more than ¥3.5mn for our Back to Business (B2B) Initiatives, we are now working to allocate funds to suitable projects in Tohoku, and continue facilitating micro-economic growth there.
Book Reviews
Ian de Stains reviews Nicholas Comfort's "Surrender: How British Industry Gave Up the Ghost 1952-2012" and Tony Banks' "My War and After"
Classic Meets Contemporary
The Tokyo office of advertising agency I&S BBDO recently won a Best of Show Design Lotus Award at Adfest in Pattaya, Thailand, with a creation for food retailer Umino Seaweed.
