February 2013
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Protect Your Health
In 2013, from a feng shui perspective, women will tend to experience complaints affecting the stomach, tummy and womb.
E-bulletin
Sustainable Recovery Taking Root in Tohoku
As the rebuilding of the region’s economic and social infrastructure continues, sustainable entrepreneurship is helping to keep afloat the aspirations of shattered localities.
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Flexible Japan—Stop Dreaming!
Around the world, the service industry is the most obvious area where we come in contact with classic inflexible attitudes on the part of staff.News in Brief
Your monthly digest of UK–Japan newsWatch This Space
The global economy faced serious problems after the 2008 Lehman Shock, causing the Greek debt crisis that created credit insecurity for all countries in the European Union. The US economy weakened, while a slowdown was evident in China and the emerging economies.
Corporate Governance: The Western Way
Simon Chelton is co-founder of Engress Intercultural Senior Leadership (ISL), a UK-based consultancy that provides offsite workshops for Japanese business leaders to enable them to develop Western approaches to working with customers, clients, partners, employees, shareholders and regulators.
Manchester United Soccer Schools Coming to Japan
Building on the success of our programmes in the UK, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, Manchester United Soccer Schools will work with the UK-based Hiroshima firm, GEC World, to deliver football camps in Japan this spring.
Where Rocket Scientists Meet?
The exact date of the first meeting of what would later become The Cambridge and Oxford Society may have been lost in the mists of time, but the aims of the association are not in doubt.
Hugo Swire
Bearing in mind the specialist skills and knowledge that abound at many British firms, Hugo Swire, minister of state for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, was keen to emphasise the opportunities for joint ventures across all business sectors during his mid-January visit to Tokyo.
JFTC 2012 Essay Competition
ccepting his prize at a reception held at the Hotel New Otani on 8 January, Michael Sullivan fought off competition from a record 216 entrants to take the top award in the 2012 Essay Competition on the theme of “Strategies for a Depopulating Japan” conducted by the Japan Foreign Trade Council Inc. (JFTC).
Investing in Tokyo
Foreign investors are, once again, purchasing Tokyo property. According to the 2012 annual report of the global property-consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle, Tokyo was the fourth most popular place in the world for real estate investment.
What You Missed in the Japanese Press
Recession Bites into Lunch, Drink Budgets; Edgy Kanto Consumers Shun Shopping; Net Poll Reveals Buyer Trends; Remote Rules Eased for Domestic Devices
Paint Firm Sign Red Devils
Manchester United has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with a Japanese paint manufacturer, The Guardian reported on 18 January.
Car Facility Wins Special Award
McLaren Automotive’s new £800mn McLaren Production Centre received a special prize at the British Construction Industry Awards, the London Press Service reported on 16 January.
A State of Flux
Relocation firms in Japan have experienced tough challenges since the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which caused the market to shrink and the relocation industry to become even more competitive.
TARGET: Zero Kills
As dawn broke on two of the most important days of the year—Christmas and New Year’s Day—for Gillian Graham, she was about as far away from her home as it was possible to be.
Book Reviews
Made in Japan Shinto Shrines
The Whale Truth
A comprehensive new report commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has thoroughly debunked the explanations used by Japanese authorities to justify the continuation of the nation’s whaling programme.
Tapping Changing Tastes
The dimly lit dance floor of a nightclub in Tokyo’s Shibuya district may not sound like the ideal place for an event promoting the craft of brewing beer.
Arts Events
Arts events compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto.
BCCJ Organisational Plan for 2013
In addition to our monthly executive committee meeting in January, members of the executive committee were invited to the British Embassy Tokyo to participate in the BCCJ Away Day—a forum for exchanging ideas on this year’s organisational strategy.
User-friendly Phone to Be Launched
Fujitsu Limited is planning a UK release of an android phone for older users, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 28 December.
Salary Survey Results
Leading specialist recruiting firms annually compile salary surveys to provide those in the industry, their clients and potential clients, a comprehensive review of global conditions and salary levels in the recruitment market.
Please Help Middle-aged Men in Lycra
I used to presume that Brits at Lunch was just a boozy excuse to shorten Fridays, attended by nostalgic expats getting misty eyed over their green and pleasant land, accompanied by chicken tikka masala and spotted dick with lashings of custard. Sorry, I was wrong.
