Michael Woodford MBE, the former chief executive officer of Olympus Corporation who blew the whistle on financial irregularities at the firm, has signed a deal to have his story made into a TV programme, The Telegraph reported on 11 November.

Produced by US firm Tenafly Film Company, it will be part of an anthology showing “brave men and women standing up for what is right”.

Woodford had, at one time, been warned by police that his life was in danger due to the connection of some of Olympus’s illegal payments to organised crime.

Doreen Simmons, an English-language sumo commentator for NHK, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government, The Sun reported on 8 November.

Eighty-five-year-old Simmons moved to Japan in 1973. After falling in love with the sport, she would attend tournaments whenever they were held in Tokyo and go to watch matches in Osaka and Nagoya.

She took up her role after NHK began offering English commentaries 25 years ago.

The Nikkei Marketing Journal (10 November) released the results from its 35th survey of the service industry, in which about one out of 10 respondents reported that they had raised prices during fiscal 2016.

Topping the list, at exactly 50%, were cleaning services, the price increases of which ranged from under 5% to 70%. This was followed by parcel delivery services, with 44% of firms reporting price increases. A key factor in this increase was Japan’s ongoing labour shortage, particularly for lorry drivers.

Among marriage arrangement and wedding services, 40% said they had raised their prices, in some cases doubling their fees. In addition to higher charges for home moving services (37.5%) and child care services (33.3%), other types of business reporting increases included occupational training schools, membership resorts, hotels and short-term car parks.

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For the second consecutive year, spending on leisure declined. The White Paper on Leisure 2017, issued by the Japan Productivity Center, said the value of the consumption of leisure-related goods and services during 2016 totalled ¥71tn, a decline of 2% from the previous year and down from ¥73tn in 2014.

The white paper has been issued annually since 1977. The latest, compiled via an Internet survey conducted in January, was based on valid responses from 3,328 individuals nationwide ranging in age from 15 to 79. Consumer outlays peaked at about ¥91tn in 1996, and over the following two decades figures dropped to levels not seen since 1988, the last year of the Showa era.

In terms of popularity, domestic travel, with 53.3mn tourists, replaced motoring trips as the top-rated activity. Second, in the same place as the previous survey, was eating out at restaurants (40.9mn), followed in third place by motoring trips and reading, in each of which 38.8mn people took part.

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The Japanese have a well-deserved reputation for being picky consumers, particularly when it comes to eating. When the weekly “be between” survey in the Asahi Shimbun (18 November) asked its participants, “Are you very concerned about where food products originate?”, out of the 1,699 valid responses, 83% replied that they were, as opposed to 17% who were not.

Among those who scrutinise product labels—or ask vendors—to ascertain where merchandise is produced, the first four entries on the list of items for which they do this were fresh goods, specifically vegetables (1,217 respondents), followed by meat (1,136); fish and other seafood (982); fruit (979); and rice (858). The numbers declined sharply after that: frozen food (547); milk and other dairy products (501); and eggs (429).

The top three reasons stated by the respondents for interest in the source were: “I want to have reassurance over the production process” (891 replies); “sensitive about use of pesticides and additives” (809); and “want to show support for producers in a particular region” (452).

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Toyota Motor Corporation has mimicked the iconic design of London’s black cabs with its new JPN Taxi, AOL reported on 24 October.

The new model’s design features include a tall silhouette, hybrid drive train, spacious interior and wheelchair accessibility. Japan’s taxis are typically saloons and are best known for features such as automatic doors.

Toyota said the JPN Taxi would present “Japan as a more accessible, tourist-oriented country”.

Airwair International. Ltd.’s Dr. Martens footwear brand posted strong results in the financial year ending 31 March 2017. This was, in part, due to a major increase in Japan sales, according to the firm’s press release of 23 October.

Total revenue in the country that year was up 88%, to £22mn. The leap was helped by the opening of five new shops during the period, which took the firm’s total to seven. Meanwhile, e-commerce grew 118% during the same timeframe.

Dr. Martens now derives 23% of its revenue from Asian markets.

Concerns over the safety of Kobe Steel, Ltd.’s products spread to trains exported to the UK by Hitachi Ltd., the BBC reported on 12 October. However, Hitachi said the trains had all passed rigorous testing.

Kobe Steel admitted that product data had been falsified to show better strength and durability than was the case, causing alarm among car, train and aircraft manufacturers.

The firm has seen its shares plunge nearly 40%.

A UK life sciences delegation, representing such organisations as MedCity, the Northern Heath Science Alliance and the Department for International Trade, attended the Asia–Pacific region’s largest biosciences conference, BioJapan, epm magazine reported on 12 October.

Yokohama hosted the 2017 annual event, which aims to facilitate interaction between Japanese and global organisations. The delegation sought to promote the UK as a country open for investment, research and business.

The UK is the fourth-largest market to receive investment from Japan in the life sciences sector.

Derby fashion designer Alana Barker has signed a deal to be the sole UK supplier of the Japanese fashion label Liz Lisa Co., Ltd., BDaily reported on 9 October.

The 25-year-old founded her own label Mission Kawaii Limited, which is inspired by the Tokyo fashion district Harajuku, in March 2017. She has also signed a deal to stock Heads Co., Ltd.’s Listen Flavor brand.

Barker’s 22-piece collection was first featured at Liverpool Fashion Week in October.

The founder of tea firm eteaket Limited, Erica Moore, has been invited to Japan, one of eteaket’s biggest export markets, to attend the Kyoto Infused with Tea Expo in November, The Scotsman reported on 14 October.

Moore will offer advice to Japanese tea brands wanting to export to the UK, as well as introduce eteaket’s two new creations: teas infused with Tomatin whiskey and Isle of Harris gin.

Moore was inspired to start her firm about 20 years ago while backpacking in Japan, where she experienced a tea ceremony.

North Wales Tourism (NWT) unveiled a new tourism route to appeal to Japanese visitors, the BBC reported on 9 October.

The Roads of Castles in Wonderland initiative, starting in Newtown, takes in UNESCO World Heritage sites and other attractions. NWT said it had worked closely with the Japanese Association of Travel Agents to launch the route.

Over the past two years, the number of Japanese tourists in Wales has risen 84% year on year.

Sake made in Fukushima Prefecture was served in Parliament during a reception jointly organised by the Fukushima Prefectural Government and the British–Japanese Parliamentary Group, The Japan Times reported on 19 October.

The reception was designed to show the recovery of the Tohoku region after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011.

In 2017, Fukushima sake brands won the most gold prizes at the Annual Japan Sake Awards for the fifth year in a row.

Aston Martin Japan Limited’s recognition at the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s British Business Awards on 2 November in Tokyo was covered by The Japan News, the English-language version of the world’s largest-circulation daily newspaper, The Yomiuri Shimbun, in an article published on 3 November.

The firm was selected as Company of the Year for a UK–Japan trade deal agreed earlier this year that could be worth £500mn over the next five years.

The article gave details of some of the other winners and the history of the awards ceremony.

On 10 October, The Independent shone the spotlight on Kobe’s northern soul scene, focusing on the Jam Jam club and the monthly Nude Restaurant event it hosts.

Founded in 1994 by Ryo Kitaaki as a sixties club night, Nude Restaurant eventually switched to northern soul—a music and dance movement originating in the north of England—after he had visited London’s 100 Club.

“During the week, I’m a salaryman”, said Izumi Sawamoto, a member of the event. “Collecting, playing and listening to music like this is a huge sense of release for me”.

The 4 November issue of the Weekly Diamond business magazine ran the results of its annual consumer preference survey of hotels and airlines. As a condition for voting, the 10,000 participants were obliged to have used the services at their own expense—as opposed to on the company tab.

The pollees were asked to give points based on evaluations of 15 criteria: reservations, check-in, location, bathroom, view, breakfast, other food and beverage services, quality of staff, atmosphere, newness, brand image, word-of-mouth recommendations, room charges, special offers and restaurants.

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On 29 September, a new branch of the supermarket chain Seijo Ishii Co., Ltd. opened above the underground station at Chofu in Tokyo.

After passing through displays of various processed food items and fresh groceries and meats, one arrives at a separate section of the store furnished with tables—the “groceraunt”—featuring a signboard menu illustrated with larger-than-life, mouth-watering photos of featured meals: beef burgers from native Japanese breeds, pasta with shrimp, combo meals for pizzas and steaks, and other items, at prices ranging from ¥990 to about ¥1,500.

“We want customers to be able to savour our carefully selected food ingredients with all five senses”, Masafumi Hayafuji, executive director of Seijo Ishii, told the Nikkei Marketing Journal (NMJ).

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At long last, ordinary Japanese households will be able to rely on foreign domestic workers to lend a helping hand. As reported in the Nikkei Marketing Journal dated 1 November, in August the cleaning service firm Duskin Co., Ltd. began hiring staff from the Philippines to perform jobs in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities. Rates charged are the same as for the firm’s Japanese workers.

A 38-year-old Osaka woman voiced praise for the service, telling the newspaper, “They take their work very seriously”.
In their spare time, Filipinas study Japanese by reading manga or watching TV dramas.

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Japan was the seventh-largest market for UK music in 2016 and the only Asian country in the top 10, The Guardian reported on 7 September, citing figures from the trade body BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited.

Although overseas sales figures were not provided by the BPI, the success of British artists was attributed to high-selling albums by the likes of Coldplay, Adele and David Bowie.

The total value of British music exports reached a record £365mn, in part boosted by the adoption of legal music streaming services.

The Devon-based firm Fortis Clothing Limited is expecting to double its revenue over the next 13 months after securing three-year deals with three Japanese fashion retailers, DevonLive reported on 12 September.

The firm, which makes coats, trousers, bags and vests for the military, police, farmers and those involved in outdoor activities, currently employs 10 people and has a turnover of £500,000.

The deals were sealed with the help of Lloyds Bank plc’s International Trade Portal and add to growing global demand for its luxury products.

The hit UK children’s TV programme Peppa Pig will be shown on Japanese screens, now that the series’ owner, London-listed Entertainment One Ltd., has secured a distribution deal with TV Tokyo Corporation, the US entertainment trade magazine and website Variety reported on 25 September.

In addition, 2018 will see partners Sega Toys Co., Ltd. launch Peppa Pig products, and Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. distribute the programme’s DVDs, expanding its Asia reach. It is already shown in China and other Asian markets.

Belfast-based marketing and software firm Velocity Worldwide Ltd is entering the Japanese market with its Darius technology, the Belfast Telegraph reported on 12 September.

Darius allows retailers to connect with consumers through their mobile device and personalise the in-store shopping experience using lighting, digital signs and robots. The firm claims that this engagement results in higher sales.

Velocity Worldwide will also look at bringing the technology to stadiums.

Scottish Enterprise and the Nippon Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for a £15mn subsea energy pact at the Offshore Europe 2017 conference and exhibition in Aberdeen, Energy Voice reported on 7 September.

Both organisations will provide equal funding to projects that will see firms from Scotland assist Japanese industry with subsea technology challenges and collaboration between world-leading experts. The Nippon Foundation also signed a letter for collaboration with Robert Gordon University.

Scotland makes up 14% of the global subsea market, with an annual turnover of £7.5bn.

Touchscreen firm Zytronic PLC is expanding its presence in Japan by appointing new staff in the country, industry magazine Installation reported on 5 September.

The firm’s new business development manager, Masami Saito, will work out of the Tokyo offices of Business Link Japan KK, Zytronic’s long-term regional strategic partner.

New distributors KTL Corporation and Takachiho Koheki Co. Ltd have also been appointed.

Anglo-Japanese fusion cuisine is on the rise in London, the Evening Standard reported on 13 September, pointing to the emergence of establishments such as Ichibuns, Gilly’s Fry Bar and Untitled.

Some of the cross-cultural dishes on offer include tempura served in the style of a northern chip shop, an English breakfast udon bowl and Nobu Shoreditch’s take on a roast beef Sunday lunch.

Chefs highlighted the complementary nature of Japanese cooking techniques and seasonal British produce.

A Gloucestershire student has beaten 18,248 entries to win a haiku competition organised by drinks maker Ito En Ltd., the GloucestershireLive website reported on 4 September.

Gracie Starkey, the first non-Japanese person to win the contest, travelled to Tokyo with her mother to attend the awards ceremony at the Imperial Hotel. There she gave a brief speech with the help of her Japanese teacher.

Her winning haiku is to appear in English and Japanese on Ito En green tea bottles.

A London sushi restaurant with just nine seats has become one of a handful of British restaurants to receive three Michelin stars, the Daily Mail reported on 3 October.

Araki, which is located in Mayfair, was established in 2014 by chef Mitsuhiro Araki after he closed his Tokyo restaurant and set himself the challenge of largely using European fish. The establishment serves edomae sushi prepared according to a 200-year-old tradition.

The restaurant’s set menu costs £300 per head.

On 6 September, the fashion website High Snobriety delved into the enduring popularity of traditional Scottish clothing in Japan.

Initially catching on in the 1960s and 1970s, due to appreciation of the preppy style of US Ivy League colleges, where tweeds and tartans were popular, Scottish clothing quickly became the basics of Japanese menswear, something that endures to this day.

“Scottish fabrics for us represent a traditional way of making things that has not changed”, said Hideki Mizobata, director of Beams Co., Ltd.’s Beams Plus label.

One retail business that owes its steady growth to Japan’s ageing population is the chemist. The announcement on 7 August that Sapporo-based Tsuruha Holdings, Inc. would acquire the Shizuoka-based Kyorindo Group Holdings, effective 29 September, is seen as a survival strategy to counter the increasingly intensifying competition between the major chemist chains.

The Shukan Jitsuwa of 5 October reports that Tsuruha’s consolidated annual sales of approximately ¥600bn will exceed the figure recorded by Welcia Holdings Co., Ltd.—part of the Aeon Co., Ltd. retail group—moving it to top place.

An industry analyst stated that, while shops will continue to operate under the Kyorindo name, the firm expects to develop new products under a shared brand, as well as integrate procurement and other business activities.

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Product diversification involving a manufacturer’s entry into a field unrelated to its main lines of business is always newsworthy, and it was on this note that the 18 September edition of Nikkei Business examined recent activities by Teijin Limited, Nihon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Iris Ohyama, Inc. and others into the area of food.

One example is a new chicken and scallop- flavoured porridge from Ajinomoto Co., Inc. named Supa Omugi-gayu, or Barleymax. Introduced to FamilyMart Co., Ltd. convenience stores on 22 August, the product sold more than 1mn packs in the first week. The maker then had to retroactively designate the item a limited edition, and end sales by 18 September.

Ajinomoto’s product, which took two years to develop, came to fruition through a joint venture in Australia between its supplier Teijin and a local firm.

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