January 2012
Japan Decorates Two Brits
Two people from Britain have received decorations from the Japanese government for their contributions to bringing the nations closer together.UK Bribery Act
The first case tried under the UK Bribery Act was relatively minor: last November, an administrative clerk was found guilty of taking a bribe to clear convictions of speeding motorists from an English court database.『BCCJ ACUMEN』Volume 3 / Issue 1のまとめ
News in Brief
Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.
Sushi and Sake Ice Bar Opens in London
This winter, Aqua Kyoto is set to be the coolest venue in London with the launch of its Sake and Sushi Ice Bar, according to a 29 November press release issued by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Kobe and Arsenal Ladies Clash in Charity Match
Women’s league champions INAC Kobe Leonessa drew 1-1 with Arsenal Ladies in a charity match for the 11 March disasters, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 1 December.
Wales Office in Tobacco Row
Cheryl Gillan, the secretary of state for Wales, defended her decision to attend a posh horticultural event as the guest of Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the Daily Post reported on 14 December.
Solar Power Success Story
With more than 25 years of experience in developing solar technology, a leading UK manufacturer of a key component in solar-power systems is developing its traditional markets in Japan and Europe to include China, Taiwan and the US, according to a December London Press Service report.
ACUMEN’s Growing Readership
Custom Media would like to wish BCCJ members, our readers, advertisers and friends a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012, and we hope you enjoy the first issue of the year. With circulation, readership and recognition greater than ever, the editors, writers, designers and other staff at Custom Media believe that our decision to go monthly has been vindicated. We hope you agree.
Communication key to BCCJ in 2012
Our presence has grown organically over the past months, and now includes active Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. A new intern from Temple University Japan will join us at the end of January
New Year, New Challenges
This year started in fine form with the news that Ambassador David Warren was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2012 New Year Honours (see page 16). Sir David said he was “delighted that so many members and former members of the embassy team were also recognised in the list (and in honorary awards) for what they did in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami”.
DISASTER AFTERMATH
Red tape and rigid adherence to regulations stopped a number of foreign firms from providing help and specialist expertise in the immediate aftermath of the 11 March disasters in north-east Japan, while other firms say their efforts to render assistance to the homeless and destitute were frustrated because the markets here are effectively closed to outsiders.
OFF THE MENU
Japan is likely to abandon its whaling operations in the Southern Ocean within three years, due to economic reality and pressure—with Britain playing an important role— by environmental groups and governments around the world. The term Southern Ocean, created in 2000 by the International Hydrographic Organization, is the fifth and newest world ocean comprising the southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans to completely surround Antarctica.
25th Christmas Cracker Raises Record Amount
Over the years, BCCJ members and others in the wider Anglo-Japanese community have come to anticipate with pleasure an annual event that, for many people, marks the start of the winter holiday season.
Corporate Compliance: Protection from the Inside
Legal compliance in the corporate world is, in some ways, similar to earthquake preparedness in the layman’s world. On 11 March 2011, few people had an earthquake kit prepared. On 12 March, most everyone had their earthquake kit and you could see the sidewalks filled with people wearing hardhats. Such is human behaviour. We reach our most heightened state of preparedness after a crisis takes place.
Shingo Kunieda
With a slight squeak of rubber on the surface of the court, Shingo Kunieda changes direction and stretches out his racket to meet the ball. In one fluid motion, it returns over the net and lands unerringly within the white lines.
Howzat? New Home for Noble Game
At a council meeting in Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture, on 6 December, the executive committee discussed an item more commonly associated with Commonwealth nations—promoting the “noble game” of cricket. A curious entry, this may seem, but it’s at the heart of an ambitious plan to make Sano the centre of cricket in Japan. Days later, the city unveiled a cricket supporters’ club with the catchphrase “Sano, Home of Cricket”.
Secrets of the Stars
After 20 years of interviewing the good, bad and ugly from the world of rock and roll, Guy Perryman has plenty of anecdotes to tell about the stars, from those whose laid-back approach to a schedule drives their Japanese handlers berserk to others whose egos have trouble fitting through the door with them.
Wakako Tsuchida
Four years after her last Paralympic dream ended in a six-person crash on the final straight in Beijing—and put Wakako Tsuchida in hospital for two months—the world number-one is determined to take the gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
TV ADDICTS
Ricky Gervais, Terry Pratchett and David Jason are just a fraction of the British entertainment scene’s stars who, in late October, were up for grabs at the trade show that ran in conjunction with the Tokyo International Film Festival, in which the UK was a first-time participant.
UK Stars Support Tokyo Charity
One of Japan’s leading cancer charities has launched a fundraising album featuring British artists Sir Tim Rice, Maxi Priest and Julian Lennon, together with other global stars. The brainchild of Tyler Foundation for Childhood Cancer founders Mark Ferris and Kim Forsythe, “Shine On! Songs Volume One” also stars Alan Menken, Amber Lily, Monday Michiru, Tin Cup Gypsy and Wendy Parr, among others.
Oxfam Opens in Japan
Astaple of high streets the length and breadth of Britain, charity shops are conspicuous by their absence in Japan. But nearly 70 years after the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief was set up, Oxfam Japan has opened its first two shops in Tokyo.
Japan Opens to Investment in Renewable Energy
In July this year, when the Act on Special Measures concerning the Procurement of Renewable Energy by Operators of Electric Utilities (the Renewables Act) goes into force, the Japanese government will introduce a feed-in tariff (FiT) to encourage the use of renewable energy nationwide.
New Year Gongs for UK Envoy and Drivers
Ambassador David Warren receives a KCMG (Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George) for displaying exceptional qualities of leadership and empathy through the immediate aftermath of the massive earthquake in northern Japan which caused a tsunami and a nuclear disaster at Fukushima, during which the British Embassy Tokyo remained open and fully operational.
Nuclear: Old and New
Alack of fundamental understanding and the capacity to accurately measure small amounts of radioactive components are at the heart of people’s fears concerning nuclear energy. This was an observation made by Dr Keith Franklin of the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) during a presentation made to BCCJ members at the ambassador’s residence in the British Embassy Tokyo compound on 22 November.
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD SHOES 1973–2012
The grand dame of avant garde, Vivienne Westwood, is celebrating 40 years in the business with a global exhibition of her iconic footwear. It was featured at Omotesando Hills in December and early January, following stops in London, Moscow, Beirut and Shanghai.
The Classroom Revolution
Recognised as being among the best in the world, British universities specialising in the creative arts are being sought out by Japanese firms that are looking to add to their corporate profiles a new way of thinking and interacting with their clients.
