Akio Toyoda: Thinking about cars whether awake or asleep
Interview with Akio Toyoda Now is the time we should go back to the basics of “wanting driving to be more fun!”: “Akio Toyoda” and “Morizo” are car-loving kindred spirits. Although a lot of top business managers have appeared in this magazine to date, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a top manager […]
The Globalization of Japanese Business: What Is the Challenge?
By P. Pringle Recent Interest in Globalization Not too long ago, globalization and Japanese responses to it were the province of Japanese government think tanks and large multinational companies, but recently it has become a hot topic in Japanese media and at the dinner table. Why now? Gradually the Japanese public has become aware that […]
The Truth About “Locomo Syndrome” in Japan
Boom in Zero Drink By D. McCaughan Mets Cola is a product of its time. Every now and then you come across a new product that seems to succeed because it in some ways sums up the current trend in people’s lives. In the last decade, we saw the boom in zero drinks led by […]
Japan-Malaysia Relationships: What Comes After the Look East Policy? Japan and Malaysia from Vertical Relations to an Equal Partnership
Look East Policy Still Alive By Ryoji Shimada Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, began to espouse his country’s “Look East Policy” 30 years ago. That policy called for learning from countries in the East, especially Japan. Since then, however, the region and the world at large have undergone numerous changes, particularly in the […]
Tessei, The Shinkansen Omotenashi: The Seven-minute Short Play with Winning Applause
Invigorating Employees for Business Success In the 1980s, when Japan's economic development was remarkable, there was a trend to learn Japanese management techniques from the world. Today, Japan's population is aging, its economy has been overtaken by China and it has fallen to third place in the world, and in the age of IT and […]
Business Target in Japan: Japanese Company’s Sales Target and Setting Goals
Japanese Company’s Sales Target Can be Perfunctory By R. Kopp At a Japanese firm’s U.S. operation, the company’s yearly plan included the very challenging goals of 7% net margin and an increase in sales of 15%. Everyone in the company worked very hard, but despite their best efforts they were not able to achieve those goals. […]
Japanese-style Debate
Japanese-style Debate and Discussion By P. Pringle An All-too-common Situation in a Japanese Company Have you been in a meeting like this? The Japanese and Americans working at a Japanese multinational company are having a meeting to discuss an issue. Both sides agree to brainstorm the topic. The Japanese start asking questions. The Americans start […]
Guest House Business in Japan
A Place for Gathering, Beyond All Borders By Ryoji Shimada “The guesthouse is just a means of attaining our objective,” Takuya Kirimura admits. “Traveling makes people feel ‘flat.’ With no precondition or prejudice, people can meet new people just as one human being to another, with no barriers between them.” Kirimura is CFO of Backpackers’ […]
Bicqlo Store Combines Clothes and Electronics to Boost Consumption
Bicqlo Store Combines Clothes and Electronics By Ryoji Shimada “It’s a wonderful hodgepodge!” raves one sign. “Home appliances evolve, and so do clothes!” says another. With such claims at the store front and eye-catching electronic bulletin boards displaying constantly updated information on products, one’s curiosity would naturally be piqued, and certainly expect to find something […]
Hierarchy in Japanese Companies
Hierarchy in a Japanese company One aspect of Japanese corporate culture that often is difficult for non-Japanese to understand is the importance of hierarchy. The status relationships among various different members of the organization is a key determining factor in how they interact with each other, and how they expect others to interact with them. […]