SDGs in Japan: Japan’s wise investment in people
ARI: Training Local Leaders from Emerging Nations to Create a Peaceful and Sustainable World By Ryoji Shimada, staff writer “In my community, people earn a living through agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding. Some of their biggest obstacles to sustainability include limited knowledge and insufficient time to focus on future plans. I want to receive agricultural […]
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 […]
Disasters in Japan: How to Prepare for Emergency?
Disaster Prevention Park The Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park is a massive area of 13.2 hectacres in the Ariake waterfront region of Tokyo. Completed in 2011, it is an intriguing and unique place. On a daily level, it is a recreational park with facilities for barbequing and picnics and a museum with science workshops for […]
THE TRUTH ABOUT Japanese People’s WELLNESS
By D. McCaughan It’s a very personal subject and yet one that has great social consciousness and public awareness. Maybe it’s not surprising that the discussion of what is “wellness” is definitely a thought-provoking subject. A sticky topic that people find interesting, one on which they want to hear others’ opinions and share ideas about. […]
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 […]
Saving Money in Japan: Japanese Love Saving
What Is Chokinbako? By Ryoji Shimada, staff writer “A man takes aim at a bear and shoots a coin into it.” “A dog with a coin in his mouth jumps through a hoop and tosses it into a barrel.” “A clock stops unless it is fed some money regularly…” All these gimmicks work in coin […]
The Best-selling Book in Japan: Saka no Ue no Kumo (Clouds above the Hill)
Giving a New Angle on Japan: “Blockbuster Historical Novel Depicting Japan’s Rise Now Available in English” By Ryoji Shimada Celebrated Among Business Managers “Many business managers or company presidents list Saka no Ue no Kumo (Clouds above the Hill) as their favorite book,” says Yoshikatsu Morikawa, office manager at Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum. […]
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 […]