The magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
Visiting Japan
June 2013
Looking to Europe and Beyond
From rail transport systems to thermal and nuclear power generation, construction machinery, enterprise-level data storage solutions and automotive components, Hitachi, Ltd. has become a major part of the British industrial scenery.
Visiting Japan
April 2013
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.
Visiting Japan
March 2013
Getting Back on Track
Scottish-born entrepreneur Thomas Glover brought the first steam train to Japan in 1868, demonstrating the Iron Duke on a 13km track in Nagasaki. According to reports from the time, locals who saw the demonstration were in awe of British technology.
Visiting Japan
February 2013
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.
Visiting Japan
April 2012
High Tea—at 30,000 Feet
There is nothing more quintessentially English than afternoon tea—and Japanese people flying with Virgin Atlantic Airways are lapping up the new service.
Visiting Japan
October 2011
Peter V Handal
The technology that was considered the best and cutting-edge a century ago today is long past its sell-by date. The first jump from a moving aeroplane took place in March 1912, while that marvel of engineering, the RMS Titanic, started—but failed to complete—her maiden voyage across the Atlantic in the same year.
Visiting Japan
September 2011
Sir James Dyson
Japan has a special place in the heart of Sir James Dyson. It was where some of his first vacuum cleaners were sold, providing him with the money to start the firm back in the UK which bears his name. It’s also somewhere he feels his firm’s products are truly appreciated.
Visiting Japan
July 2011
Dr Vince Cable
On a four-day visit to Japan, Business Secretary Vince Cable met Tokyo, Kansai and Chubu government and business leaders who play a vital role in UK-Japan trade. Accompanied by a business delegation, he also launched a campaign to encourage bilateral business.
Visiting Japan
April 2011
Simon Berry
Simon Berry, the chairman of Britain’s oldest wine merchants, laughs at the first question I ask. As we sit down to our early morning breakfast meeting at The Peninsula Tokyo, I enquire what wine he would recommend pairing with the full English breakfast he has just ordered.
Feature Article
February 2011
Simon Fraser
Simon Fraser underlined the strategic importance of the political and economic relationship between the UK and Japan on a recent trip to Japan.
Visiting Japan
December 2010 / January 2011
Bright Future for Crucial Market
In mid-October 2008, “the lights suddenly went out for the industry”, admits Nigel Heap, managing director for the Asia-Pacific region at specialist recruitment experts Hays Asia Pacific. Today, they are burning brightly for a firm that has only been in Japan since February 2007, but has quickly become a market leader in specialist recruitment.
Visiting Japan
October / November 2010
Investing in The Arts
In times of financial strain, the arts are often among the first victims of government funding cuts. But the austerity measures being implemented in Britain and elsewhere should not deter those responsible for promoting culture from reaching out to new audiences, said Lord Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House in London.
Visiting Japan
August / September 2010
Sir Robert Fry KCB, CBE
What will the next strategic shock be? When, and where, will it occur? Those were the unsettling questions posed by Sir Robert Fry, former deputy commander of coalition forces in Iraq and newly appointed executive chairman of the British global business performance advisers, McKinney Rogers.
Visiting Japan
April / May 2010
Jancis Robinson, OBE
Although already renowned for its sake and beer, Japan has yet to share the international recognition for its wines that is enjoyed by other wine-producing nations such as Australia and New Zealand...
