April 2013
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UK–Japan: Closer Than You Think?
Shimaguni konjo (island nation mentality) is a term I have often heard applied to the seeming similarities between Japan and the UK.
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How to Retain Your Best Talent
You’ve secured the perfect candidate for a role and they are starting next week. Considering the time and money invested in the new employee’s recruitment, you will want them to remain engaged in a productive career with your firm over the long term.
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Slapping No Sense into Them
The Sakuranomiya senior high school basketball captain chose death rather than experience another demeaning day of face slaps from his coach.
Jobs for the Boyos
David Jones, the secretary of state for Wales, has promised the engineers and executives of Hitachi Ltd. that, on arrival in his homeland, they will receive as warm a welcome as he was given here.
What You Missed in the Japanese Press
Rise of the Herbivorous Spender; More Singles Forgoing the Group to Go It Alone; Poll: Public Cool on Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bid; Demand Grows as Camping Cars Shrink
Coming Out of the Closet
Inspired by an article he had read in The Daily Telegraph in May 2008, a British artist and filmmaker has released a short film that takes the curious case of Tatsuko Horikawa and gives it a dramatic new setting in the mountains of Wales.
Woman’s Touch, Outsider’s Eye
Lady Barbara Judge CBE is instituting a new safety culture at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
Leaving London
Office workers looked down from the towering block as an authentic Yeomen Warder—commonly known as a Beefeater—from the Tower of London posed for photos, while passers-by stopped to listen to a DJ playing tracks by the Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Queen.
Trading Places
When the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Ob River put in to the Kyushu port of Tobata last December, it had completed a journey that will open up vast new opportunities for transport and shipping firms that ply the waters between Europe and the Far East.
Africa: Riches and Risks
The risks of doing business in Africa were graphically underlined in January, when fundamentalists opposed to France’s intervention in Mali took more than 800 workers hostage from the Tigantourine gas production facility near the Algerian town of In Amenas.
UK Among Markets for Frozen Beer
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited is to take its popular frozen beer to the UK, according to a press release issued on 11 March.
Luxury Cygnet Car Heads for Japan
Sports car maker Aston Martin has announced the launch of its Cygnet model in Japan, the Lutterworth Mail reported on 8 March.
Tokyo to Stage UK Rework of Ghibli Anime Classic
The British stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s animated classic Princess Mononoke is to come to Japan, Japan Today reported on 11 March.
A Year to Remember
As we compiled features in this issue about the UK and Japan marking their 400-year relationship and a tourism campaign by VisitBritain and British Airways, I was intrigued to learn about a number of other important anniversaries in 2013.
Honouring Heritage, Embracing the Future
Supported by the BCCJ’s Back to Business Initiative for Tohoku, Megumi Hikichi—a civil servant before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami—has built a community-based enterprise in her hometown of Watari, Miyagi Prefecture.
Happy Birthday to Her Majesty
I am delighted to have been asked to provide a message for BCCJ ACUMEN to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.
Diversity Beyond Gender: People with Disabilities
People with certain disabilities—physical, mental or intellectual—are often an overlooked and under-hired sector of the talent pool.
Foster Talent, Skills, Creativity
Unilever aims to double the size of its business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive impact.
British Isles, Japanese Islands
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the establishment of trade relations between the UK and Japan.
From Novelty to Necessity
In a few short years, live streaming video has gone from being a novelty to a necessity for business.
Japan—Lack of Trust Now Embedded
Last December, a tunnel on one of Japan’s key arterial highways collapsed. Among the grief and sadness that followed this accident, one lady’s comment stood out: “You can’t even trust the tunnels in this country anymore”.
Arts Events
Arts events compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto.
With this Ring ...
British Prime Minister David Cameron has gone out on a limb to promote it; US President Barack Obama has soundly endorsed it; the establishment fumes and rails against it; and the religious of virtually every stripe condemn it.
Truth and Lies
A former British soldier has written what is probably the most authoritative and painstakingly researched book on the 1942 fall of Singapore.
Book Reviews
Strong in the Rain After the Great East Japan Earthquake
