Best wishes from BCCJ ACUMEN to the winners and organisers of the fifth annual British Business Awards (BBA) on 2 November at the Conrad Tokyo. We postponed printing ACUMEN to cover this special event, which is splashed over seven pages of this issue.
It was great to meet some old acquaintances again and to mingle with a good-natured crowd in what has become a major networking and entertainment event. It again broke records for the number of guests and nominations (although the first BBA, in 2008, drew more guests, perhaps because it was a joint BCCJ 60th anniversary event).
Asking journalists to work on Friday nights and wear a tie is pushing my luck, I know, but The Daily Telegraph’s Julian Ryall and freelance photographer Robert Gilhooly have never let me down.
But this year was different: Julian had been nominated (not by me) for Person of the Year, yet had to work there. He could not eat, or even sit at a table, like the other nominees. Graceful in defeat, he then had to endure the ignominy of interviewing the deserving victor for our report and video of the event.
That’s the kind of dedication and professionalism that the BBA is all about.
More than poppies
If you missed the 11 November Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Yokohama, which honours the memory of commonwealth service personnel who died in World War II and other conflicts, there are still a number of other events throughout the year which make it worth joining the Royal British Legion, Tokyo Branch.
To the Editor
I want to congratulate you and all your staff on your first-rate publication, BCCJ ACUMEN. Every month, there are well-written articles that I enjoy reading. Visually, the publication is beautiful as well.
I get all of the publications from the chambers in Japan and ACUMEN is by far the best. Congratulations on a first-rate publication that really makes a contribution to the business community in Japan.
Best regards,
Bob Tobin
Tobin Ohashi Art Gallery