IS THE BCCJ DOING ENOUGH?
P. 17
PEOPLE OVER PROFIT
P. 24
NEW TAKE ON INTERVIEWS
P. 37
September 2013 | 짜900
The Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
MOTORS Without
BORDERS Caterham and Suzuki go back to roots to make eco sports car. e xclusi v e
PLUS INDUSTRY & A-LIST: HR & Recruitment and Corporate Training & Business Education Language | Trade | Anniversary | Media Interview | Music | Arts | Community | Health And much more
EUROPE: IN OR OUT?
P. 54
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9
September 2013
23 11 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A Meaningful Contribution
LANGUAGE Mind Your Manners
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47
MUSIC Quality Key to Guitars of Note York craftsman creates custom-made instruments in Osaka
ANNIVERSARY Japan400: Sex, History, Art, Music, Festival, Confab
7 PUBLISHER BBA: You Judge the Judges Simon Farrell 8 MEDIA UK-Japan News
24 EMBASSY People over Profit Kyocera founder explains his strategy to revive JAL
44 MUSIC Quality Key to Guitars of Note York craftsman creates custom-made instruments in Osaka
25 TRADE A Model for B2B Cooperation
47 ANNIVERSARY Japan400: Sex, History, Art, Music, Festival, Confab
11 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A Meaningful Contribution Lori Henderson MBE
29 INTERVIEW Vishal Sinha
12 MEDIA What you missed in the Japanese press
31 INTERVIEW Philippe Fauchet
15 PRESIDENT Food, Glorious Food Alison Jambert
33 RECRUITMENT Basil Le Roux
18 LEAD STORY Motors Without Borders Caterham and Suzuki go back to roots to make mini eco sports car
INDUSTRY HR & Recruitment 35 Employee Mobility and Talent Management 37 End of Brainteaser Interviews 38 A-LIST 41 View from Within
23 LANGUAGE Mind Your Manners Global confab highlights politeness in different societies
Corporate Training & Business Education 42 A-LIST 43 Killing the Ums and Ahs
17 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Are We at the BCCJ Doing Enough?
48 ARTS UK Events in Japan Jeanne, Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master, Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards, Edward II, Barakura Harvest Festival 2013, Diana 50 COMMUNITY Memorial, embassy, expo, charity, science, dinner, celebration, festival, music, culture, art 52 HEALTH Should I Be Worried about My Cholesterol? 53 BOOKS Sexy Little Numbers The Tomb in the Kyoto Hills 54 IF YOU ASK ME Europe: In or Out?
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
BCCJ Mission To strengthen business ties between Britain and Japan, promote and support the business interests of all our Members, and actively encourage new business entrants into the Japanese market as well as Japanese investment into the UK. Leaders President: Alison Jambert Eat Creative K.K. Vice-president: Suzanne Price Price Global Executive Staff Executive Director: Lori Henderson MBE Operations Manager: Sanae Samata Executive Committee Paul Atkinson | Individual Member David Bickle | Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ray Bremner OBE | Unilever Japan Graham Davis | The Economist Group James Dodds | KPMG Simon Farrell | Custom Media K.K. Philip T Gibb OBE | Individual Member Anna Pinsky | Canning Professional K.K. Suzanne Price | Price Global Reiko Sakimura | Clifford Chance Law Office Vishal Sinha | British Airways Yayoi Sogo | Individual Member Richard Thornley CBE | Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Ltd. James Weeks | Kreab Gavin Anderson Ex Officio Sue Kinoshita British Embassy Tokyo Jeff Streeter British Council Japan BCCJ ACUMEN Editor in Chief Simon Farrell British Chamber of Commerce in Japan 12F Ark Mori Bldg. 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-6012 Tel: (03) 4360-8361 Fax: (03) 4360-8454 info@bccjapan.com www.bccjapan.com BCCJ ACUMEN is the magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
CONTRIBUTORS
President Robert Heldt Creative Director Cliff Cardona Art Director Paul Leonard Editor Brandi Goode
Alison Jambert, a founding director of Tokyo-based branding agency Eat Creative K.K., became BCCJ president in April. Alison has over 20 years’ experience in marketing for premium brands and manages key accounts as well as business development.
Lori Henderson MBE has been BCCJ executive director since February 2011.
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
Publisher Simon Farrell
VICTORIACAZZOLIPHOTOGRAPHY
www.bccjacumen.com Produced by Custom Media K.K.
Graham Davis is a member of the BCCJ Executive Committee.
Ian de Stains OBE, a former BBC producer and presenter, has been based in Japan since 1976. From 1987 to 2011, he was BCCJ executive director. Ian now focuses on writing, consulting and coaching and is the executive director of TELL. dest@attglobal.net
Julian Ryall is Japan correspondent for The Daily Telegraph.
Mark Schreiber is an author and translator who has been based in Tokyo since 1966. He was employed as a media analyst in market research before turning to freelance writing.
Peter Bacon has been selling to Japan for 33 years. He was awarded an MBE in 1998 for services to export through his work at firms such as the former Philips Semiconductors. Peter now advises firms about trade with Japan.
Dr Greg Story is president of Dale Carnegie Training Japan.
Jonathan Sampson is the regional director for Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan K.K. He has worked in numerous areas of recruitment for over a decade and in Japan for the past 18 months.
Adam Johnston is the director for Japan of Robert Half, the world’s first and largest professional-level recruitment firm specialising in accounting, finance, banking and technology.
Dennis Muldowney is general manager of Crown Japan. He has worked with Crown since 2002, taking on various leadership roles within the group in Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea and is now based in Tokyo.
Dr Thomas Lomax is a general practitioner at the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic. After training in the UK, he obtained a Japanese medical licence in 2008.
Client Services Manager Sam Bird Account Managers Leon van Houwelingen Kieran Quigley
Client Services Executives Megumi Okazaki Gamma Siregar Media Co-ordinator Rui Sarashina To advertise or order BCCJ ACUMEN: inquiries@custom-media.com Custom Media Publishers of BCCJ ACUMEN for the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Specialists in bilingual brand strategy/visual communications, corporate bespoke solutions. Producers of Business in Japan TV.
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
Account Executives Tyrone Lara Jody Pang
Akasaka Palace Bldg. 1F 1-4-21 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0051 www.custom-media.com Warning/Disclaimer Custom Media and the BCCJ will not accept liability for any damages caused by the contents of BCCJ ACUMEN, including, but not limited to, any omissions, errors, facts or false statements. Opinions or advice expressed in BCCJ ACUMEN are not necessarily those of the BCCJ or Custom Media. © 2013 Custom Media K.K.
BCCJ ACUMEN is printed on paper certified by the US Forest Stewardship Council with vegetable oil ink certified by The Japan Printing Ink Makers Association.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 5
PUBLISHER 1. David Bintley CBE is renowned as one of the UK’s most innovative choreographers. This Huddersfield native is the artistic director (ballet and dance) for the New National Theatre, Tokyo and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. 2. Danny Choo is producer of the TV show and brand Culture Japan. Tokyo-based and UK-born Choo is also a member of the Japanese government’s Creative Industries Internationalization Committee. 2
4. Nikki King OBE, chief executive officer of Isuzu Truck (UK) Limited and chairman of Auto 22, a social-enterprise firm, is the only woman in the world to run a truck manufacturer.
1
5. Ernfred Olsen has been country executive for the Royal Bank of Scotland Japan since February 2010 and has overseen the institution’s recovery here since the global financial crisis. He has worked in financial services in Japan for 27 years.
4
6. Michael Woodford MBE, a brave and ethical but straight-talking Scouser, is the world’s most famous corporate whistleblower and a former president of Olympus Corporation.
3
ANTONY TRAN
3. Jon Harding OBE is chief operating officer of UK Trade & Investment and a non-executive director of the management board at UK Export Finance. He was previously a general manager at Virgin Atlantic.
5
6
BBA: You Judge the Judges
J
ust before we sent this issue of BCCJ ACUMEN to print, we were pleased to be able to confirm the names of those who will judge our 2013 British Business Awards (BBA), on 1 November at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo. Last month, I revealed that Michael Woodford, the whistle-blower, had agreed to adjudicate. In case you needed more reasons to nominate a candidate for one of the six awards, or attend
one of the foreign community’s most prestigious events of the year, above is a list (in alphabetical order) of the diverse and expert luminaries who will serve as judges. For balance, we’ve tried to cover as many angles as possible, including the arts, finance, industry, culture, trade and … whistle-blowing. Both genders and those based in Japan and the UK are represented. And don’t forget that, for the first time, all BCCJ members can vote for
Person of the Year, once nominations close on 18 October. In the next issue, BCCJ ACUMEN puts the judges on the spot.
Simon Farrell Custom Media simon@custom-media.com
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 7
LATEST UK–JAPAN REPORTS
Automaker to Extend Sunderland Plant Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has sought permission to expand its plant in the north-east of England, The Journal reported on 21 August. The UK’s largest vehicle manufacturing base produced its first vehicle there in 1986, and now employs some 6,000 staff in an area that spans 2km2. The latest extension would give the automaker an additional 2,300m2 of space, primarily for its paint and body shops. Nissan plans to start producing cars for its premium Infiniti brand at Sunderland in 2015. Currently, Infiniti vehicles are made in Japan but, due to the strong yen, the firm has decided to move production out of the country.
Nissan’s Sunderland facility produces some 500,000 vehicles annually.
BOE Hopes to Learn from Japan
Tax Tools Used for Sustainability
Firm Faces Fraud Charges
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has sworn he will learn from Japan’s long economic stagnation, The Independent reported on 9 August. Carney said the central bank would commit to keeping policy rates unchanged until unemployment falls to 7%. He said that, despite the recent positive economic data, it was too early to conclude the economy was growing at a self-sustaining pace and vowed he would not yet withdraw stimulus currently in place. He believes Japan made two mistakes after having been hit by recession in the 1990s: not implementing sufficient banking reforms, and pulling back its stimulus too early. Carney swore not to make the same errors.
Japan and the UK are among the top six countries using tax programmes to achieve environmental goals, according to a report by KPMG International Cooperative issued on 14 August. Japan came second in the KPMG Green Tax Index, which covers 21 major economies’ use of tax incentives and penalties in the second quarter of 2013. Tokyo led the rankings for tax measures designed to promote the manufacture and sale of green vehicles. The UK ranked third in the report. The nation received high scores for using tax to encourage firms to pursue activities in the areas of carbon-related issues and climate change.
Britain’s Serious Fraud Office will prosecute Olympus Corporation and its UK subsidiary Gyrus Group for allegedly providing “misleading, false or deceptive” material in accounts, media reported on 7 September. Olympus’s purchase of Gyrus had been questioned as part of a probe into a £1.1bn accounting fraud in 2011. Three former Olympus executives got suspended prison terms in July, in one of Japan’s biggest financial frauds. The camera maker and medical devices firm has also confirmed it is still being investigated by the US Department of Justice.
Kids Clothing Range Hits Stores Uniqlo has launched its children’s clothing collection in the brand’s 10 stores across the UK, Vogue reported on 19 August. The collection includes 300 items for newborns to 12-year-olds, such as down jackets and brightly coloured jeans. The designs include features such as hook loops sewn on the interior of clothing and name labels for coats, and are intended to cater to children’s active lifestyles. The head of the brand in Europe said Uniqlo had gained better insight into the UK market through its trial at a shop in London’s Bluewater shopping centre last year. The collection features “mini-me” Uniqlo classics.
8 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
Memo Sent on EU Referendum In a recent memorandum to the UK government, Tokyo says it hopes Britain will remain in the European Union, The Japan Times reported on 4 August (see page 54). The communiqué came in response to the UK’s request for views from interested parties on its EU referendum. Japan’s correspondence highlights the UK as “a champion of free trade” and “a reliable partner for Japan”. It also says Tokyo expects London will “continue to strive for the completion of the single market”. Further, the memorandum notes that more than 1,300 Japanese firms have invested in the UK and stresses that Japan views the country as a gateway to the European market.
Particle Physics Inspires Exhibition
Polio Jabs Funded The UK and Japanese governments have contributed funds to support vaccination campaigns against a polio outbreak in eastern Africa, the Sabahi website reported on 7 August. London has committed $15.4mn to the World Health Organization to cover the cost of vaccines in Somalia, northern Kenya and other countries in the region, according to the UK’s Department for International Development. Japan, meanwhile, has donated $1.3mn to the United Nations Children’s Fund for the purchase of oral polio vaccines. The funding provided by both nations will reach more than 8.8mn people.
Superposition engages viewers with modern physics.
Trading Firm Forms Alliance Marubeni Corporation has announced it will make a €100mn equity investment in Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd., The Scotsman reported on 6 August. The trading firm will assume a 25% stake in Mainstream and receive a seat on the Dublin firm’s board. The funds will be used to help finance major upcoming projects, such as a planned 450MW wind farm to be built off the coast of Fife, in Scotland. Marubeni has existing interests in the renewable energy sector, including the UK’s electricity supply industry.
Young Scientists of the Future
Tohoku students had to present their projects to a panel of special guests from scientific fields.
A Renoir painting that was stolen from Tokyo 13 years ago has been auctioned in London, Japan Today reported on 6 August. The National Police Agency confirmed that the artwork, Madame Valtat, had been sold for some £1.05mn in February. The Japanese owner contacted police after hearing about the sale of his oil painting, which had been taken with five other works of art from his private residence in August 2000.
Football App Launched RICHARD DAVIES
The Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory in Gifu Prefecture has inspired an art installation on particle physics in a historic London ice well, the BBC reported on 23 August. The Superposition exhibition is the result of a collaboration between artist Lyndall Phelps and physicist Dr Ben Still. Phelps was fascinated by subterranean spaces such as Super-Kamiokande, which is built under Mount Kamioka. At the observatory, light is used to detect particles. Glass domes inside are hand-blown by men living near the mountain who are not allowed to smoke or drink to ensure their breath is free of toxins. Brick-lined ice wells were built in the 19th century below the London Canal Museum, before the invention of artificial refrigeration.
Stolen Renoir Fetches £1mn
Students and teachers from the Tohoku area visited the UK this summer for the Young Scientist Workshop Programme, the British Embassy Tokyo reported on 19 August. The programme, sponsored by Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Ltd, has been in place since 2001. It was created to foster learning in the fields of science and engineering for promising Japanese students. Thirty Japanese attended this year’s event, in which participants were given a challenge to solve as a team. Past projects have dealt with scientific issues specific to Tohoku, such as the effects of radiation.
News Corporation has launched a new mobile and online service in East Asia, the Wall Street Journal reported on 16 August. BallBall, launched in Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, will offer video clips from Europe’s major football leagues. Up-to-date footage will be available via a mobile app or at BallBall.com, where users can watch clips from England’s Barclays Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga, among others. Player and game statistics, as well as coverage from News Corp.’s British newspapers—The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun—will also be available online in local languages.
Culture Event System to be Analysed Cross Media has vowed to review its ticketing and queuing processes after complaints were received following its Hyper Japan 2013, Exhibition News reported on 1 August. This year’s J-culture event was the biggest ever, with a record 62,000 visitors in attendance on 26–28 July. Many attendees took to flaming on social media websites and accused the organiser of overselling the advance tickets.
Concert Marks Anniversary The Toyota City Youth Choir was invited to perform at a church in South Derbyshire, England, The Burton Mail reported on 1 August. The concert on 3 August was held to celebrate 15 years of cooperative ties between the county and Toyota Motor Corporation. The automaker built a large plant in the nearby village of Burnaston in 1992.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 9
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Meaningful Contribution Success of Books For Smiles programme drives new goals
W
e are delighted to report that, after a summer of book drives organised by BCCJ member firms, our Books For Smiles (BFS) social responsibility initiative has now raised a total of ¥1,611,942! Launched in late 2012, BFS set out with an annual fundraising target of ¥600,000, to give a Japanese careleaver access to higher education for one year. Our running tally was given a boost on the evening of 27 June, when Ray Bremner OBE, chief executive of Unilever Japan and BCCJ Executive Committee member (currently serving on our Community Taskforce) held a BFS drinks evening at his family residence. The event was attended by one of the care-leavers supported by the BFS programme, Tsukasa, who delivered a touching speech in English. “I am trying very hard to keep up my education by working part-time during the day and taking classes at night. Your support means the world to me”, Tsukasa said. As over 51 organisations—including the British Embassy Tokyo—have completed a book drive, or are about to begin mobilising the project, we are well on our way to being able to cover tuition fees for multiple care-leavers throughout the Tokyo area. In addition, the project is expanding to include care-leavers living in welfare facilities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Tsukasa (third from right) gave a moving speech to BCCJ members at a BFS drinks evening on 27 June.
In November, member firm Walk Japan will lead a daytrip around Tokyo, Walk for Smiles, with all proceeds going to BFS. In addition, the Grand Hyatt Tokyo has agreed to hire one of the careleavers supported by the programme as an intern, beginning in September. BCCJ Executive Committee member Yayoi Sogo has been instrumental in coordinating this landmark achievement.
Reminder: What is BFS? The BFS programme invites firms of all sizes and across all industry sectors to support the professional development of Japan’s disadvantaged youth by donating books. All proceeds from the sale of second-hand books are used to provide
Community Contribution Award Has your firm or one you know implemented an exceptionally effective community initiative over the past 12 months? Why not submit a nomination for the 2013 British Business Awards (BBA) Community Contribution trophy? The deadline is 18 October at 5pm. Criteria for nominations 1. How has the firm identified projects that have the potential for future development, growth and sustainability? 2. How has the firm’s community engagement had a positive impact on society, the community or individuals? 3. How has the firm generated participation and engagement in the programme among its employees, suppliers and other stakeholders?
4. Explain how the firm plans to ensure the sustainability and long-term benefits of the programme. The winner of this award, as well as the winners in five other categories will be announced on the evening of 1 November at this year’s BBA event. www.bccjapan.com/events
tuition fees for young people leaving welfare facilities in Japan. Our project partners are the NPO Bridge For Smile and Value Books. More than 30,000 children and young adults reside in approximately 600 social welfare facilities across Japan. It is estimated that 60–90% are in care due to abuse by a parent or adult. Only a few of these young people are enrolled in tertiary education—some 20–30%, compared with the national average of 70–80%. Many facilities have never produced a college graduate. The low rate of higher education leads to a vicious cycle of poverty and social disadvantage. Over the past eight months, BFS has become a multi-stakeholder project that had a genuine impact for care-leavers such as Tsukasa. As always, our success springs from the generosity of BCCJ member firms, committed to backing the local community in Japan. Thank you very much for your ongoing support. With an additional ¥188,058, we could secure one year’s tuition for three careleavers by the end of 2013. Can you or your firm donate books to help Japan’s care-leavers transition into vocational training and jobs? www.bccjapan.com/csr
Lori Henderson MBE BCCJ Executive Director
MEDIA
WHAT YOU MISSED IN THE JAPANESE PRESS
BY MARK SCHREIBER
Brand Loyalty: The Best Products and Services Nikkei Business (5 August) issued its annual review of firms that offer the best post-purchase experience for users of their products and services, based on user satisfaction ratings. The survey weighs both the number of respondents for each brand against a satisfaction index, as well as whether respondents are disposed to making repeat purchases of the same brand. For personal computers, Panasonic Corporation received the top ranking with a satisfaction score of 56.1 points, up from the firm’s fourth-place ranking in 2012. Next are Apple Inc. (52.7), Epson Direct Corp. (48.0), Toshiba Corporation (47.9), Fujitsu Limited (36.7), NEC Corporation (30.6), Sony Corporation (26.2) and the Hewlett-Packard Company (22.4). Sharp Corporation is rated first in three product categories: smartphones/tablet computers (with an overall satisfaction ranking of 35.6), air conditioners (73.9) and flat-screen TV sets (65.3). The score for TV sets is nearly 20 points higher than the figure scored by Panasonic, in second place. The top digital cameras are made by the Ricoh Company, Ltd. (54.3), the Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.’s Pentax (46.5), Canon Inc. (46.4), Nikon Corporation (45.2) and Olympus Corporation (33.2). Among passenger cars, Toyota Motor Corporation’s Lexus is in top place (70.1 points), followed by vehicles from Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd.’s Subaru (57.9), Toyota and AB Volvo (both with 55.7), Mazda Motor Corporation (55.6), Audi AG (55.4), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (55.0), Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (54.8), Suzuki Motor Corporation (54.5), Volkswagen (53.9), Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (51.7), Mercedes-Benz (51.4), Mitsubishi
Ricoh was ranked first for digital cameras.
12 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
Toyota’s Lexus earned top marks in the rankings for passenger cars.
Motors Corporation (50.4) and BMW AG (43.4). Audi rose to sixth place from 11th in 2012, while Mercedes fell from second place to 12th. The top three auto insurance firms are Sony Assurance Inc. (71.3 points), MitsuiSumitomo Fire & Marine (59.6) and Nippon Koa Insurance Co. Ltd. (59.3). Consumer satisfaction is also reflected in brand loyalty. While the consumer brands that attracted the highest numbers of repeat purchasers did not necessarily match the best annual performers financially, the achievements of such firms with a strong consumer following are also worth noting. The leading firms are: Toshiba for flat-screen TV sets, Canon for digital cameras, Apple for personal computers, Daikin Industries Ltd. for air conditioners, Yodobashi Camera Co., Ltd. for mass retail stores, NTT DoCoMo, Inc. for mobile communications providers, Amazon.com, Inc. for mail-order firms, and Toyota for passenger cars. When one of Ito Yokado’s online customers asked Nao Iida, manager of the firm’s store in Omori, why the website no longer carries a type of yoghurt he likes, Iida took action. He determined that the product was still being stocked in the firm’s bricks-and-mortar stores and offered to include it with the customer’s delivery order. It’s this kind of personalised service that has helped give Ito Yokado’s internet supermarket the top ranking for service among four retailers The Nikkei Business article also emphasised the winning influence of the firm’s policy
of inspecting food products before they are delivered. Ito Yokado does this to ensure products’ appearance does not vary significantly from the image of them shown on the store’s website. In a related development, Sagawa Express Co., Ltd. announced that it will launch a round-the-clock appliance repair service this month, with operations conducted from a depot in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. The same issue of Nikkei Business also reported that the firm experimented with personal computer repairs back in May. Pickups made within some areas of Tokyo can sometimes be returned the same day. The firm is planning to expand the service to rice cookers, microwave ovens and other appliances. The target customers are not individual users, but appliance retailers that typically offer extended product warranties (usually for a fee) beyond that of the manufacturer. By relieving these retailers of the responsibility of operating their own repair facilities, Sagawa can help them reduce costs by 20–30%. In 2009, Sagawa’s main competitor, Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., began a similar repair service called Yamato Multi Maintenance Solutions (YMMS). The service caters to a slightly different customer base—mainly the importers or sales agents of foreign-made appliances, or venture businesses that have limited afterservice support. These value-added services are helping transport firms such as Sagawa supplement their revenues, which have declined from their peak in 2008.
MEDIA
Discount Drugstores Target Thrifty Shoppers The newest retail incarnation has drugstores evolving into convenience stores, and their low prices are likely to win over a growing number of cost-conscious shoppers, reports Nikkei Business (29 July). On 13 July, the first branch of the Sun Drug convenience store opened on the north side of East Japan Railway’s Koiwa Station. An experiment by Sundrug Co. Ltd., Japan’s second-largest pharmacy chain, the new shop’s operating hours are 7am to 11pm. With a total floor area of 220m2, the shop is about double the size of an ordinary convenience store. As drugstores earn most of their profits from the sale of pharmaceutical products, they typically use low-priced food items and sundry goods to lure customers. A new law that went into effect in 2009 permits convenience stores to sell over-the-counter medication and, more recently, it has become possible to buy pharmaceuticals via the internet. Mass-market retail chains such as BIC Camera Inc. have also begun offering pharmaceutical items, which has further cut into drugstores’ revenue base. But now drugstores are adopting strategies to take back business. Both the Aoki chain, based in the Hokuriku region, and the Cosmos chain, based in Kyushu, have started expanding their merchandise selection by offering food items. With this move, they are challenging convenience stores and supermarkets.
Sun Drug opened the first of its convenience stores near East Japan Railway’s Koiwa Station.
If the new business model appeals to consumers, the article predicts that SevenEleven Japan Co., Ltd. and the other convenience store chains might feel obliged to slash the prices of goods they sell. With more mini-supermarkets in large urban areas also being added to the mix, it is becoming increasingly difficult to label retail stores according to their traditional business type. An accompanying comparison table in the article shows that the Sun Drug convenience
store considerably undercuts the cost of items at Lawson 100 and Family Mart convenience stores. Sun Drug’s prices are closer to those of Ito Yokado supermarkets. For example, a typical beverage in a 500ml PET bottle costs ¥88 at Ito Yokado, ¥147 at Family Mart, and ¥98 at the Sun Drug convenience store. For certain items, such as cooking oil, cling film and toilet tissue, Sun Drug’s prices even beat those of the supermarket by a considerable margin.
“Photo Antics Harmful, but Not Illegal” A growing trend this year is for part-time workers to photograph themselves in some outrageous pose on their workplaces’ premises. Once the pictures are taken, the workers post them on the web, where they soon go viral. One incident occurred on 5 August, when an employee of the Bronco Billy steak restaurant in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward lay face down on some frozen slabs of beef and posed for a photo. He posted the picture with a cheerful caption that read, “Here I am, on the job!” As reported in Nikkan Gendai (10 August), the employee apologised to the restaurant after the photo went viral, but he was dismissed anyhow. The firm’s headquarters in Nagoya was said to be mulling filing a claim for compensation, because the restaurant was permanently closed and remaining staff had to undergo retraining. It demanded compensation for the revenue and wages of its workers that had been lost. According to attorney Kazuhiro Shinohara, however, the worker’s offence was much milder than it would have been had he inserted foreign objects into the food or broken the freezer. “He only crawled on top of the food and posed with it”, Shinohara said. Therefore, according to the law, at most he can be charged with contaminating the food with which he made bodily contact. “What’s more”, Shinohara said, “it’s not as if a customer had run amok and made it impossible to do business; it was the firm’s decision to close the restaurant”.
The Sankei Shimbun reported that, around 9 May, a part-time worker at a Pizza Hut outlet had posted a picture on Facebook that showed his face covered in pizza dough. No store closures resulted, but the employer’s loss of face cost the worker his job. On 18 June, a similar incident occurred at a Lawson convenience store in Kochi Prefecture. The owner’s son took a photo of himself lying on top of the shop’s selection of ice creams in a freezer. The web posting of the photo evoked multiple expressions of disgust, and the outlet was summarily informed that its franchise contract would be terminated. In that case the offender was a family member, but had it been a part-time worker, would the miscreant have been liable for monetary damages? Only, Shinohara believes, if the employment contract stipulated that the worker would be liable for actions deemed “injurious to the trust” of the relationship between the franchise and the firm’s headquarters. However, such problems are not anticipated among part-time workers and, thus, their contracts rarely have such clauses. In a follow-up piece in Nikkan Gendai (14 August), Starbucks Corporation was praised for its efforts to train newly hired parttimers. Rather than deliver a scolding for poor job performance, store managers work to instil motivation. Part-timers also receive raises in their hourly pay upon completion of their two-month probationary period.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 13
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PRESIDENT
Food, Glorious Food GREAT campaign aims to improve reputation of British cuisine
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nyone who has spent any time in the UK over the last 20 years will acknowledge a revolution in British food. An amazing diversity of cuisines is available and some very talented chefs have set up shop in the country. VisitBritain notes that the UK now hosts over 150 Michelin-starred restaurants. While this may not seem significant to those of us living in Japan, the country with the highest number of Michelin stars, nevertheless it clearly indicates how the UK food scene has undergone a transformation. Chefs are using more local produce and families are not relying on the supermarkets as much as they once did. Farmers’ markets are now a common occurrence, and the public as well as chefs are turning to artisan producers. Much of this is thanks to a famous British export—Jamie Oliver. So why are we still being teased about the bad food in the UK? It is no joking matter, as this image has a huge impact on tourism. As one of the UK’s major industries, tourism generated some £115bn annually and provided over 2.6mn jobs as of 2010. Japanese often cite poor food as a reason for not wanting to visit the UK.
This perception is something the government has taken aim at through its global GREAT campaign. The official launch of “Food is GREAT: A Taste of Britain” was hosted on 28 August at British Ambassador Tim Hitchens’ residence in Tokyo. Targeting the Japanese media, the event provided a networking opportunity for participants. The goal was to promote new initiatives that would allow the Japanese public to experience a truer representation of the UK food and beverage scene. TV presenter and talent Harry Sugiyama was appointed the Food is GREAT goodwill ambassador in Japan that evening. A number of events are scheduled across Japan, including a Food is GREAT special lunch week at the Marunouchi Café from late October and The Great British Beer Festival as part of Tokyo Designers Week in early November. Many of these events feature BCCJ members; please visit the website for the full listing. You can support their efforts by attending and spreading the word about these happenings. For our part at the BCCJ, guests at the British Business Awards (BBA) will be treated to a GREAT British menu accompanied by a fabulous selection
of wines from celebrated British wine merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd. The event will open with a London Bar featuring gin and vodka from Sipsmith, a handmade spirits producer, and cocktails will be served with Fever-Tree mixers. Both brands will be provided courtesy of longterm BCCJ member Whisk-e. So, what can you do to help change the negative perception of British food and drink in Japan? First, you can invite your colleagues and clients to the BBA so they can experience British hospitality at its best. Second, you can share the calendar of upcoming Taste of Britain events. Last, if you have any ideas for initiatives that can help change the perception of British cuisine, I’m sure the Creative & Lifestyle team at the British Embassy Tokyo would love to hear from you. Bon Appetit! http://taste-of-britain.com www.facebook.com/oishii.igirisu
Alison Jambert BCCJ President @BCCJ_President VICTORIACAZZOLIPHOTOGRAPHY
Our latest reports: • 400 Years of UK-Japan Ties • Abenomics—A Work in Progress Upcoming interview: Andrew Wylegala Senior Commercial Officer U.S. Commercial Service Japan Contact Sam Bird for details on arranging interviews, event coverage and sponsorship opportunities: samuel@custom-media.com
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Are We at the BCCJ Doing Enough? Goals: satisfying members and providing inspiring events By Graham Davis Member of the BCCJ Executive Committee
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s a student, I used to be faced with the nightmare scenario of a blank sheet of paper and too little knowledge or inspiration to write anything sensible. Later in life, the nightmare would become not having enough ideas, themes, speakers or concepts to host BCCJ events. In student days, it was fear of humiliation in front of a tutor that would finally force at least something onto the page. Now, the audience is just as demanding. So, BCCJ members, how are we doing? Priority in organising events is given to the interests of the audience—which means you. We believe BCCJ events should cover a range of topics, feature some business links (even those of a social nature) and offer good value in terms of cost and time for attendees, speakers and organisers alike. So far this year, we’ve hosted a wide variety of speakers on several topics. Abenomics has not just stimulated the economy; it has completely changed the political and economic environment. We covered Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s politics and the economic implications thereof in separate breakfast events. Then, to provide a perspective on the UK political scene, we hosted a
former—and very indiscreet—member of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Cabinet. And keeping to broad themes, we heard from distinguished UK journalist Will Hutton on what ails the world and UK economies, and what needs to be done. We’ve also hosted panels to discuss the music industry in Japan. It really was a pleasure to put faces to the wellknown voices of Peter Barakan and Guy Perryman. At another panel discussion we looked at the reason Japan does poorly at international communication, branding and advertising. Following this event, members were invited to visit Nissan Motor Co’s fascinating Global Media Center at the firm’s headquarters in Yokohama. Nissan is a leader in terms of the way its media team produces its marketing content. BCCJ members asked for opportunities to hear from leading Japanese business figures, so to our great pleasure we hosted the chairman of JR Central, Yoshiyuki Kasai. You didn’t need to love railways to have found his speech and views compelling. Our Small Is Great forum, comprising members who are entrepreneurs or who work for small or medium-sized enterprises, has tackled the topic of marketing. And we continue to look at serious HR issues, most recently those involving disabled workers.
Then there’s the annual general meeting, our BCCJ 51 Night events, and the fun, hugely successful party in July to celebrate the 400th anniversary of diplomatic, trade and cultural relations between Britain and Japan. And finally, together with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, we’ve participated in two events to support Tokyo’s bid for hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. London 2012 gave us a great story to tell, and the reaction of the bid committee and corporate Japan to our message of support was really good to hear. But are we doing enough? Have we got the right speakers and topic mix? What do you think of the formats we are using: is lunch your preference, or would you like to see more events over breakfast or in the evening? And are you keen to speak or contribute? Please let us know what you think and what you want. A lot of good ideas and suggestions come our way and, as long as we believe our audience will find them interesting, we do our best to turn them into enjoyable events. The BCCJ welcomes your comments, criticism and concept ideas for our events programme. info@bccjapan.com
LEAD STORY
MOTORS Without
BORDERS Caterham and Suzuki go back to roots to make eco sports car.
LEAD STORY
Caterhams are no strangers to Japanese circuits.
By Julian Ryall • • • •
Size qualifies car for lower tax rates Ideal for mountain driving Developed secretly over two years Exempt from London’s congestion charge
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aterham Cars was set to unveil a new addition to its line-up at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 10 September. The latest vehicle, being built together with one of Japan’s largest car manufacturers, is certain to provoke new Japanese interest in the marque and to be equally at home on the roads of Europe. The concept behind the new Caterham Seven is the result of constant prodding over the past two decades by Justin Gardiner, brand director of Caterham Cars Japan. “When Caterham first offered me this job back in 2006, I said that we should make a kei car [a light car which is a Japanese category of small vehicles] because it would be perfect for the Japanese market”, Gardiner said. “And that is something that I have been saying firms like Rover, MG and Lotus should be doing for 20 years now”. A kei car is defined by the Japanese government as having a maximum engine displacement of less than 660cc and being within strict size dimensions, in return for which the vehicle excise tax, the automobile weight tax, and the
annual road tax are levied at lower rates. Additionally, there is no need to ensure parking in much of Japan, and insurance premiums are significantly reduced. This makes them so popular with Japanese consumers that more than 40% of vehicles sold in the country carry the familiar yellow plates marking them as kei cars. Similar tax breaks are available in other countries, too. The UK provides tax breaks on vehicles that emit less than 100g of CO2 per kilometer, which puts the low-emission kei car in the same bracket as an eco car. Another benefit is that the vehicle’s clean engine makes the car
exempt from central London’s notorious congestion charge. All these factors support Gardiner’s belief that the new working relationship with Suzuki Motor Corporation—which has experience and know-how with kei cars and builds the bestselling Wagon-R series—has so much potential. “For Caterham, this is very much a case of us going back to our roots, when we made the car as light as possible and put a small engine in it”, he said. “And I am certain that it will sell in this market”. Founded by Graham Nearn in 1973, the Caterham Seven is a direct evolution
Brand Director Justin Gardiner salvaged parts from Suzuki kei cars for the first prototype.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 19
LEAD STORY
The Caterham Seven was made for mountain driving.
of the Series 3 Lotus Seven that was designed by Colin Chapman. The car earned a reputation among enthusiasts as one of the most iconic sports cars of the 20th century and was one of the pioneers of kit cars that allowed drivers to construct their own vehicles. In April 2011, Tony Fernandes, the owner of AirAsia and Queens Park Rangers Football Club, added the auto firm to his portfolio. With the support of both Caterham and Suzuki, Gardiner worked on developing the car with renowned engineer Aki Musashino, who learned his skills in garages in the East End of London and now restores Formula 1 racing cars.
The new Caterham is fitted with a smaller, 660cc engine.
While the instantly recognisable body of the Caterham Seven remains, the new car has been fitted with a Suzuki 660cc engine, out of which Gardiner has been able to coax 154kph. Similarly, the gearbox, axles, differential and rear brakes are all from a Suzuki van. They are being shipped from Hamamatsu Port, near the firm’s Shizuoka headquarters, to Caterham’s factory in Dartford, Kent. The new car was developed under the strictest secrecy over two years, although a Japanese magazine came close to spilling the beans after one of its journalists spotted Gardiner putting a prototype car through its paces at the Fuji Speedway race track.
Fortunately, the magazine leapt to the wrong conclusions and reported that the Caterham–Suzuki alliance was to build a new version of the Suzuki Cappuccino, a two-door roadster that was hugely popular with owners but only in production for seven years from 1991. “From the outside, the car looks the same as any Caterham”, said Gardiner, who purchased several Suzuki kei cars on Yahoo Auctions from which he salvaged engines, gearboxes and axles for the first prototype. “The difference is that the regular version weighs 550kg, but this one is down to 400kg”, he said. That power-to-weight ratio enabled the prototype to sail past Porsches on the bends at Fuji Speedway, although Gardiner admits the German cars’ power enabled them to catch him up again on the straight stretches, with the braking and handling both “marvellous”, he added. “The size of the vehicle is completely appropriate for Japan, and its speed enables it to dart through the traffic here”, he said. “The Germans and Italians do love to drive fast on the motorways of Europe, but the dedicated Japanese driver prefers to test himself on the tight roads of the mountains”, he said. “That is the mark of a driver in Japan—because any fool can go fast in a straight line—and that means this Caterham is perfectly designed for Japan”. The kei Caterham will be available for order from October, and will be priced at around ¥3mn. Gardiner anticipates he will be able to double his present monthly sales figure of five cars.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 21
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LANGUAGE
Mind Your Manners
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON’S SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES
Global confab highlights politeness in different societies
Dr Barbara Pizziconi spoke about expressing social relations through language.
Custom Media • Event attracted over 80 attendees • Japan a hotbed for politeness studies • Etiquette research began in 1978
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he use of honorifics in Japanese, the firm grasp among native speakers of what is being conveyed with the slightest inflection, the respectful bow, and a myriad of other signs, both spoken and unspoken, make this country arguably the most polite in the world. And that makes it a fertile hunting ground for researchers who specialise in politeness in different societies. Sponsored by the UK branch of the Sasakawa Foundation, the eighth International Conference on Politeness was held over four days at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. No fewer than onequarter of the 51 research presentations referred to the Japanese language. “Research on politeness is actually a rather wealthy area of linguistic enquiry”, Dr Barbara Pizziconi, senior lecturer in Applied Japanese Linguistics at SOAS, told BCCJ ACUMEN. “Although of course it has a long tradition in Japanese scholarship, it is probably fair to say that it was brought to universal attention by the 1978 seminal work by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson, and has been booming ever since”, Pizziconi said.
A journal dedicated to research into politeness was founded in 2005, and the field is constantly expanding as the notion of politeness—which must also take into account impoliteness—is understood in broader terms, she said. There is also growing recognition that the study of the language of social relations should not be a purview of honorific-rich languages like Japanese, she said. This year’s conference attracted more than 80 participants. It focused on teaching and learning politeness and exercising social relations through language. “This aspect of the phenomenon of politeness has not received sufficient attention so far. [This is] in spite of the fact that the social transmission of politeness norms is a fairly tricky business, both in a first language—children’s education and socialisation to the norms of a community—and of course in a second language, such as the instructions to language learners in language classrooms, textbooks and so on”, she said. For researchers in this area, in which Pizziconi is recognised as a world leader, Japanese is prominent not only in terms of the theoretical challenges it poses to conventional wisdom, but also in quantitative terms. This is due to the amount and scope of research available on the subject. And while newcomers to Japan are inevitably impressed at how polite and considerate Japanese people are towards
those around them, Pizziconi said it is not possible to quantify politeness in a language. “Although some languages, such as Japanese, may have dedicated linguistic devices specifically devoted to the expression of politeness-related meanings, polite attitudes and polite behaviour can and are expressed in any language—even in the honorific-poor English”, she said. To illustrate, Pizziconi highlighted the different intonations that can be used for a request and indirect forms such as “would you mind doing this” rather than “do this”. “Moreover, when we think about politeness, we should not confine it to verbalised behaviour”, she said. “Language is not a separate, independent mode of communication, and polite signals can be expressed in many forms, such as body posture, clothing, and various other norms of behaviour. Pizziconi has focused on this topic for 20 years and said she felt, from the start of her research, that much more emphasis needs to be placed on other mechanisms and strategies that are available in Japanese to express polite meanings. “We must study the whole gamut of signs available to speakers to express their evaluation of status or rank, affective stances such as respect, social distance, disdain or aggressiveness, or even to project specific social personae”, she said. “The manipulation of honorific systems plays only a partial role in this semiotic behaviour”. As well as a theoretical significance, such as the linguistic mechanisms available to verbalise polite meanings, the study of politeness has many real-world implications, she said. This would include the analysis of misunderstandings in communication. “Second-language users, for example, often find themselves in confusing, stressful, or even conflictual situations, due to the fact that their notion of what constitutes polite or impolite behaviour is at odds with that of native speakers”, she said. “Explicit instruction—which politeness research can inform—can help them cope with this incongruence”.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 23
EMBASSY
People over Profit Kyocera founder explains his strategy to revive JAL
Dr Kazuo Inamori is an iconic business leader.
By Julian Ryall • Career high point: JAL turnaround • Five key factors supported airline’s reform • Inspired sense of mission in staff
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onventional wisdom has it that whether a firm prospers or fails depends on its financial and creative capabilities, as well as its corporate strategy. And while Dr Kazuo Inamori agrees these are certainly key factors, he believes intangible elements are far more critical to a firm’s well-being. Addressing an audience drawn from the spectrum of UK firms in Japan at a British Embassy Tokyo event in April, Inamori stressed the importance of the mentality of a firm’s employees and its corporate culture. Inamori is the founder of several firms, including Kyocera Corp., a Kyoto-based outfit that has grown into a world leader in advanced technology. The business icon also set up the Kyoto Prize in 1985, and was ordained as a Buddhist priest in 1997. But of all the challenges he took on, it is rescuing and rebuilding Japan Airlines (JAL) that is likely to go down as his most remarkable achievement. The methods he used to turn around the firm—which was the nation’s largest non-financial enterprise to file for bankruptcy protection since World War II—drew heavily on both his experience and personal beliefs. This approach can be applied to any firm that is willing
24 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
to change the way it does business, Inamori said. “It all depends upon employees’ mentality, whether they have pride in the company, a strong desire to develop it, and a willingness to exert sincere efforts to achieve success”, Inamori told the symposium, which was sponsored by Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Ltd. As the nation’s flagship carrier, JAL was at the forefront of Japan’s internationalisation throughout the 1980s, and grew as rapidly as the domestic economy. That aggressive expansion strategy left little room for turning a profit, however, and the firm’s performance began to stagnate when the economic bubble burst in the early 1990s. The decisive blow came with the Lehman shock. In January 2010, with debts of almost ¥2.3trn, JAL applied for protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.
Inamori emphasised the “material and intellectual growth of all employees” as a main objective. Inamori, who is in his 80s, resisted several requests from the government to help the ailing firm, saying he was too old and had no experience in the airline industry. He finally capitulated, but severe restructuring measures had already been imposed on the airline, including the elimination of 16,000 jobs, salary cuts of up to 30% and a dramatic reduction in the number of routes. Morale, he said, was at rock bottom. But five things turned that around. • “I think the fact that I assumed the chairmanship without pay affected JAL employees in tangible and intangible ways”, he said, highlighting the first reason for his success.
• The second factor was identifying what Inamori terms noble causes, namely, three reasons that motivated staff to work harder. These were the effect on the national economy should JAL go under, the need to safeguard remaining employees’ jobs, and provision of stable air travel for the public. • The third element of Inamori’s plan was emphasising the objective of the rebuilt company, the “material and intellectual growth of all our employees”. Putting people over profit will improve their performance and benefit the firm in the long run, he said. • In tandem with this and despite their reservations, he required senior staff to undergo leadership training. He instilled in them lessons such as humility and the pursuit of what is right. Such concepts were eventually embraced and trickled down throughout the firm. • The final change was the introduction of the Amoeba Management System, which required every division to give details of their expenditures and earnings. Inamori had also implemented the system at Kyocera. Previously, he said, financial reports had been outdated and inaccurate. Now, everyone in JAL knows just how much they are contributing to the firm’s bottom line and takes responsibility for their section. “By implementing these five factors while receiving encouragement from the people supporting us, all employees started to have a sense of mission that, ‘This is our company. We must rebuild it by ourselves’”, he said. “At the same time, a sense of unity was created as all employees saw they were in the same boat”. As a result of Inamori’s efforts, JAL generated an operating profit of ¥188.4bn in the first year of its reconstruction, followed by ¥204.9bn for the year ended in March 2012. “I believe that any company facing tremendous difficulties can not only overcome them, but also grow their business significantly, as long as all employees are united under their leaders and exert sincere efforts with an indomitable spirit”, he said.
TRADE
Electronics Mission a Model for B2B Cooperation By Peter Bacon • • • •
Osaka chamber, UKTI key players Bilateral project drew 12 UK firms Inspired reverse trade mission Contracts signed, funding secured
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t all began in July 2011. An invitation was extended by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry asking that four or five firms visit in January 2012 to showcase advanced UK technology. We at Electronics Link Asia responded by partnering with the National Microelectronics Institute (NMI), a trade association representing the British electronics systems, microelectronics and semiconductor communities. NMI helped promote the project and recruit other British firms. Meanwhile, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) supported the mission in both countries, greatly helping by securing the ambassador’s residence as a location for the event. We then began reaching out to our own contacts and leads from UKTI. Our goal was to recruit a major firm that would capture the attention of the Japanese and communicate the importance of the project. Reaching the right contacts in Japanese firms was key, since it would be the primary reason that people would join the mission. Our plan was successful, in part due to the support of ARM Holdings, a leading semiconductor intellectual property supplier. Lance Howarth, executive vice-president, was dispatched to help promote the mission. ARM gave the keynote speech at the event.
The spirit of cooperation among the mission’s members greatly contributed to its success. As members introduced the project to other firms, they spawned the development of a representative UK technology team. The mission took place in Osaka and Tokyo during the week from 31 January 2012 and comprised 12 firms, namely, ARM, Neul Ltd., Nexeon Limited, Software Imaging, XMOS Ltd, XJTAG Ltd., Test and Verification Solutions, SDL Plc, DigIN Corp, Nallatech, Oxford Digital and Scottish Development International. Together with UKTI, we came up with the theme “UK Technology for the Next Generation”, which was well suited, given the participants. One of the firms recommended by ARM was Cambridge-based Neul. The organisation offers next-generation networks using TV white space, the ultra high frequency radio spectrum that has become available since the demise of analog TV. The white space will be a major enabler for the Internet of Things and for providing emerging economies with online access. Corporate Vice-President Business Development Tracy Hopkins was keen to participate in the mission to raise key Japanese market players’ awareness of Neul. The mission helped facilitate a major coup for the firm, which secured equity funding and attracted the interest of Mitsui & Co. Global Investment Ltd. “We are very pleased to have the honour of a Japanese investor and cannot express enough how we appreciated the support of the embassy and, of course, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and
Keisuke Matsumoto (bottom left) led Japanese executives on a visit to the ARM Holdings headquarters in Cambridge.
Industry in facilitating out first contact with Mitsui & Co. in Osaka. The mission really took us to the next level in Japan”, Hopkins said. Chief Executive Officer Scott Brown represented Nexeon, which is a leader in the technology market in the area of silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Nexeon used the embassy’s Overseas Market Introduction Service to meet new suppliers. “We have successfully completed phase two of our joint development agreement with the automotive firm and just signed [an agreement] with a tier-one battery firm. Both are Japanese but cannot be named”, Brown said. We also felt the need to involve some key firms from Bristol in the mission, as many semiconductor-related enterprises have originated there. NMI arranged a meeting with Professor David May FRS, founder of Bristol’s XMOS, a parallel processor firm. The firm agreed to send its executive vice-president, a step that emphasised the British firm’s influence in the field of next-generation processors. Another firm making headway in Japan was Oxford-based Software Imaging. With 25 years’ experience in printing, this enterprise offers print anywhere software. The mission soon bore fruit for the firm. In June an announcement was made that NEC Corporation would start shipping its Android tablets equipped with Software Imaging’s DirectOffice™ Mobile Print solution. “We had the technology needed, and the embassy brought the firms that we needed”, said Software Imaging’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Lismer, adding, “It was a great success. There are other [potential deals] we are also working on from that mission that have not matured yet, so we expect still more [business]”. As a follow-up to the mission, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry visited the UK on 19 September last year. The business-to-business mission, involving industry organisations from both countries, was a major success, and was magnificently supported by the British Embassy Tokyo and the British Consulate-General in Osaka. www.electronicslinkasia.com
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 25
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INTERVIEW
Vishal Sinha Regional general manager for Korea and Japan British Airways Custom Media
What services, solutions and/or products does your firm provide here? British Airways [BA] has a long-standing history in Japan; in fact, 2013 marks our 65th anniversary of flights to Tokyo. We currently operate 12 weekly services between Tokyo and Heathrow—daily flights from Narita and five weekly flights from Haneda—and are proud to be the only European carrier flying direct from both Tokyo airports to London. We offer a choice of four distinct cabins to suit the varying needs of business travellers and holidaymakers. Flights from Japan arrive in our state-of-the-art, award-winning home at Heathrow, Terminal 5, which is exclusive to passengers of British Airways and our sister airline, Iberia. Passengers arriving at Terminal 5 can take advantage of fast and convenient transfers to the largest choice of UK and European cities from London. We also have a joint business agreement with Japan Airlines [JAL]. We can, therefore, provide customers with a greater choice of flights and better links between Japan and Europe: flights from 32 cities in Japan to 65 cities in Europe. Our code-sharing agreement offers customers 19 weekly flights between Tokyo and London Heathrow. Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we are continually investing in new services that meet their needs, from onboard amenities, to new technology and convenient flights and connections. We are currently implementing a £5bn (¥768bn) investment in products and services to enhance the travel experience, including the acquisition of revolutionary new aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
How do you differentiate British Airways from the competition? We offer an unbeatable network across the UK and mainland Europe, all conveniently and smoothly accessible through Terminal 5. In fact, the terminal was recently recognised by Skytrax as the world’s best airport terminal for the second year running.
British Airways is also proud to be a pioneer in the airline industry. We have a history of introducing many industry firsts, such as flat beds in business class and four-cabin aircraft with a dedicated premium economy class section. We are also one of the first airlines to provide our customer service teams with iPads to effectively monitor customer preferences and address any customer service issues. Travellers can look forward to more initiatives in the coming months. Currently, for example, we are testing automatic check-in services and electronic baggage tags to save our customers more time before flights. The combination of groundbreaking products and services best differentiates us from others in the industry.
Why did your firm invest in Japan? Japan is a very important market for us. Even though we have been flying here for over 65 years, we still see opportunities. The country continues to be a leading international business and holiday destination. Furthermore, Tokyo is a regional hub and one of the most well-connected cities in the world. We have no doubt Japan will continue to be a major market for our industry.
What have been your greatest challenges here? Meeting and exceeding the high expectations of Japanese customers has been the biggest challenge, and it is one we are always striving to meet. I am proud to say we have been successful, given the consistently high load factors on our routes. Customer satisfaction is the top priority at British Airways. We must always offer new services that meet customers’ needs, whether it is through onboard amenities, more intuitive service, new technology or convenient flights and connections.
How have BA’s operations evolved? Over the years, our products and services have evolved to adapt to customers’ needs for more comfortable seating, enhanced services such as arrival lounges, and
Sinha sees Japan as an important market for airlines.
special menus with premium wines, and heightened convenience. Some of our initiatives include launching flights from Haneda and establishing our agreement with JAL. We continue to look for ways to build on our successes and further refine our product offering for our customers in Japan. Our motto is “To Fly. To Serve” and we aim to provide a memorable and pleasant experience for our customers.
What business changes do you foresee? We expect growth. We see many opportunities as Japanese businesses and consumers internationalise further and trade between Japan, European countries and other areas grow.
What is the top asset UK firms offer Japan? The sense of trust Japan has in the UK and its excellent legal and other infrastructure are important for firms here, in addition to the open attitude to trade and investment displayed by the British. UK entities can also help Japanese firms globalise and reach new customers and markets.
How can foreign and Japanese firms gain mutual benefits in the current economy? Since both economies are growing, there are big opportunities for two-way investment and trade.
What are the main areas of opportunities for foreign firms in Japan? I believe there are big opportunities here in all areas of the service and manufacturing industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace and some high-tech sectors.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 29
INTERVIEW
Philippe Fauchet President and representative director GlaxoSmithKline K.K. Rather, our objective is to concentrate on unmet medical needs and provide innovative solutions for patients. Our raison d’être is research and development, and innovation for healthcare.
Why did your firm decide to invest in Japan?
Fauchet: Regulatory hurdles still exist in Japan.
GSK’s legacy firms have been doing business here for 50 years. As Japan is the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world, it is natural for global pharma firms to invest in the country. In addition, Japan has a stable, innovation-driven market, due to its universal healthcare system and costefficient, first-class medical services.
Custom Media
What challenges are you facing here?
What services or products does your firm provide here? Throughout our long history, GlaxoSmithKline K.K. (GSK Japan) has contributed to the health and quality of life of the Japanese people with an extensive list of products and services. We are active in prescription pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. We are among the top 10 pharmaceuticals firms domestically, and have also acquired numerous pharmaceutical product approvals. At GSK Japan we take pride in being a key player in the Japanese healthcare market.
Who are your main competitors? Over the last 10 years, we have been one of the fastest-growing companies in the pharma industry in Japan, which shows that we are quite competitive. But, as each pharmaceutical company has different products in individual therapeutic areas, we are not in the habit of comparing ourselves with other makers.
One of the biggest challenges in recent years has been obtaining Japanese approval for our vaccines. Traditionally, the local market for vaccines has been quite closed to imports. Many regulatory challenges needed to be cleared during the development process. The culture [of prevention] is not yet deeply rooted in this country, as various reports attest.
How have your firm’s operations changed since being in Japan? We are more sophisticated and much larger than we were half a century ago. We now deal in many areas and offer a wide range of products, which allows us to deliver innovative health solutions to the Japanese population.
What do you believe is the greatest asset British firms have to offer the Japanese? Projects conducted on an international scale can be utilised to best fit the market conditions of each country. For example, GSK has one of the most fruitful development pipelines in the world, so we can select and develop the
projects that will most contribute to the people of Japan. A recent industry trend is conducting international clinical trials to realise simultaneous global development. Such programmes may give Japanese patients access to the newest cures without delay.
What is the greatest benefit to Japanese firms of working with British entities? Global firms such as ours have ample experience working in various markets, including those outside the US and Europe. Thus Japanese firms that collaborate with such global entities can acquire invaluable information and knowhow regarding other markets. This should also apply to other industries. Japanese firms can learn from the experiences of British firms that conduct business in Commonwealth countries and deal with many different cultures. The UK often serves as a reference for other nations in the fields of academic, healthcare and science and discovery. We at GSK are a good partner for those wishing to interact with our home country.
How do you think foreign and Japanese firms can benefit from each other? If Japan focuses on its role as a major economic power, this will contribute to creating more business cooperation opportunities for both sides.
What are the biggest opportunities now for foreign firms in Japan? The perspective offered by market dynamism, influenced by new measures recently implemented by authorities, should create space for innovation. Areas for development might include robotics, scientific fields, or services and products for the ageing population.
What changes would you like to see in your sector to improve UK–Japan ties?
As Japan is the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world, it is natural for global pharma firms to invest in the country.
Most important are the unification of regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical product and vaccine approvals globally, and successful progress of the EU–Japan negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement. These changes would benefit both nations.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 31
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HR & RECRUITMENT | INTERVIEW
Basil Le Roux Managing director Michael Page Japan What factors have contributed to your own success here and that of your firm?
What is the main impediment to including women in the workforce?
For me, I had to understand how things are done locally. Likewise, each time the company enters a new market, we have to be careful we don’t come in claiming to know best. We have to learn about the local culture, as well as challenge the status quo where appropriate. We are an international business with offices in 34 countries. Localising what we do while maintaining our values and culture is particularly important.
In Japan, it’s cultural legacy: the perception of women in society, the expectations of women themselves, and the lack of suitable role models all play a part. For example, only three or four Japanese were included in a recent Forbes article on the 100 most powerful females in Asia. If this changed and women’s participation in the labour force was at the same level as men, then—based on a recent International Monetary Fund analysis—Japan’s GDP would rise 8%.
Are there any hiring practises in the UK that could benefit Japan? As it stands, it is very difficult to make people redundant in Japan, due to the employment laws. There is a need for greater flexibility, as this would help firms become less risk-adverse regarding hiring decisions. Productivity is another issue. Not only firms in Japan, but businesses everywhere need to look at employees’ output, not just desk time.
What effects have you seen from Abenomics and the call for wage hikes? Politicians can ask for wage increases, but whether businesses choose to implement them is driven by commercial fundamentals. There has also been talk about relaxing visa rules, but if foreigners don’t speak Japanese, I’m not sure companies will want to hire them. Foreign multinationals account for 70% of our clients, and we have not yet seen more foreign firms investing in Japan due to Abenomics. The biggest determinant will be the structural reforms of Abe’s policy, including employment legislation revisions. Unless he is able to affect real change through his third arrow, growth is likely to be limited.
What skills are most in-demand at present? Given that only 4% of the population speaks English, language is an issue for every sector. Add in the effects of Japan’s job-for-life culture and age requirements, and there is a short supply of candidates in all discipline areas. This is reflected in the fact that we’re seeing four to five offers per candidate, whereas in the UK it is normally one or two.
Le Roux: Staff should be evaluated based on productivity.
We have to learn about the local culture, as well as challenge the status quo where appropriate.
How can firms attract and retain staff? Partnering with a high-quality recruiter such as Michael Page will help attract the right candidates. Not only can we advise on the best approach to generate a suitable candidate pool, but we are able to sell the organisation and opportunity to the applicant. Just as importantly, we help manage the offer process, which starts from very early on. This is where using a good recruiter really pays dividends, as successful offer management takes considerable skill and effort. The greatest retention tools are the presence of a strong relationship between an employee and their line manager, and instilling the feeling in staff that they are achieving and developing. A sincere “well done” is not offered nearly often enough by management.
How can firms improve their ratio of female workers? At Michael Page, we aim to create a flexible environment to retain experienced workers; otherwise I wouldn’t be upholding my duty to shareholders. This goes back to assessing results based on productivity rather than hours worked. Some of my best-performing employees are mothers on a fourday workweek. I believe sponsorship is also a great way of encouraging the promotion of female staff. Mentoring only goes so far, and where is the accountability for the mentor? Sponsorship involves a senior employee taking you under their wing and promoting your cause.
How has demand for recruiters evolved? Japanese companies typically don’t have the resources required for mid-career hiring, and opt to outsource instead. Some of our foreign clients have tried to do it themselves, but have found it just doesn’t work. People underestimate how challenging recruiting can be in Japan, where models used in other countries don’t work. For us, revenues are up 30% from last year, which is indicative of an acrossthe-board demand for professionals, the quality of my team and their focus on delivering exceptional service. Japan represents a tremendous opportunity for us; currently, we have 85 fee-earning consultants and plan to double that in the next two years.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 33
HR & RECRUITMENT | INDUSTRY
Employee Mobility and Talent Management By Dennis Muldowney General Manager Crown Japan
T
he management of talent and mobility have been popular topics of discussion in the relocation industry for almost a decade. Employee mobility is on the rise, with an estimated 214mn people now living outside their country of citizenship. Mercer, a leading global consultant, recently conducted a poll of 750 multinational firms. The results showed that in 2013, while 70% of firms surveyed expect to see a rise in short-term assignments, 55% expect further longterm assignments. Similar trends were seen in 2010 and 2011, when more than half the firms surveyed reported an increase in long-term (52%) and short-term (53%) assignments. International assignments have grown out of a necessity to meet evolving business and international workforce needs. Firms are facing increased pressure to attract and retain talent, which is why many have embraced a wider range of global mobility strategies to provide incentives for highperforming employees. Many firms expect that there will be an increase in talent-development assignments, in not a few of which the leadership model will require internal mobility for high-potential and highperforming employees. Moreover, to ensure the availability of a ready pool of talent to fill senior
Talent management is ranked second among the top five reasons for international assignments, as shown below: 1. Specific technical skills not available locally (47%) 2. Career management/leadership development (43%) 3. Knowledge transfer (41%) 4. Particular project needs (39%) 5. Specific managerial skills not available locally (38%)
leadership positions, the need has been recognised for managers to be groomed over time. Procter & Gamble is often cited as a firm that is extremely good at developing talent this way. When it comes to tapping the potential offered by global markets, many Japanese firms lag behind their peers in developed countries. Yet, due to Japan’s shrinking domestic market, as well as its ageing population and workforce, many Japanese firms are looking to internationalise. To this end, some domestic firms are seeking to leverage external markets. In general, however, firms have been comparatively slow to make this shift. As their main hindrances, firms that are reluctant to globalise cite lack of access to information about overseas markets, lack of capable management resources in Japan, and difficulty securing financing. However, we are seeing renewed optimism about the Japanese economy thanks to Abenomics, a bullish stock market and a sense that Japan is finally regaining a sense of normality. Thus, one well-known multinational Japanese electronics firm has developed a mobility programme to attract and retain talent globally, not just at their headquarters in Tokyo. We expect other Japanese firms to follow suit. Though simple in theory, in practise mobility, as a talent-development strategy, can go wrong in many ways. Adapting to, and embracing, cultural change can prove challenging, since there’s a big difference between working in another country and making your life work there. Firms that help support employees’ immersion into another culture can reduce dramatically the stress caused by an international assignment and reduce the risk that success might be marred by culture shock. Intercultural training helps employees develop broad skills: the ability to manage across cultures, resolve conflict and lead at a global level while thinking inclusively. It is also very important—critical in fact—to consider support for the family. Today’s families typically include two working professionals, and the oftforgotten partner can greatly influence an assignment’s outcome.
In 2008, the Permits Foundation interviewed more than 3,000 spouses and partners of expats. Eighty-nine percent of the accompanying spouses had been working prior to the assignment, but just 35% worked during the assignment period. Around 75% of those not working said they would like to work and that their inability to do so led to feelings of frustration. Eight out of 10 working spouses said they had adapted well to their new country, but of those not working, just 32% reported that they had adjusted to their new surroundings. The majority of expat partners said they would have welcomed advice on searching for work, and only 11% felt they had received adequate support. The difficulties involved in interrupting one family member’s career to accommodate that of another can make an employee who is otherwise a prime candidate reluctant to move. Families accustomed to dual income may face financial hardship if one partner is unable to work. An employee whose family isn’t settled will be unable to fully focus on their role. A family’s negative experience can jeopardise the whole assignment. As employee mobility continues to rise, firms must develop a mobility programme that supports employees and their families. This will, in turn, help ensure a successful return on a firm’s investment. In addition, a mobility programme should enable an assignee to incorporate the international assignment into their larger career path. This will help the organisation position the assignee in a role that capitalises and builds on their international experience. Whether a firm is just beginning to consider strategic mobility and talent management, or already has a substantial supporting infrastructure, there are always ways to improve and enhance such efforts. About Crown: With offices in over 265 locations around the world, Crown helps you manage a globally mobile workforce, and take care of people who are relocating.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 35
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HR & RECRUITMENT | INDUSTRY
End of Brainteaser Interviews Behavioural questions more effective to assess job candidates By Jonathan Sampson Regional Director Hays Japan
G
oogle Inc. recently announced it would stop using the firm’s famous brainteaser interview questions as part of the interview process. According to Google, the questions were “a waste of time”, and I tend to agree. Brainteaser interview questions offer no real insight into a job applicant. What can you learn about someone’s ability to perform a particular job function by asking, “How many golf balls can you fit into an airplane?” In the past, employers have used such brainteaser questions to make their company stand out, rather than test the suitability of a candidate. Interviews should be as objective as possible, and these brainteaser questions introduce too much scope for subjectivity. Instead, we suggest employers use competency or behavioural interviews. Such interviews are the tried and tested format, particularly if you don’t interview candidates every day. Employers in Japan are shifting back to this style of interviewing. A behavioural interview attempts to predict future conduct based on what a candidate has done in a similar, past situation. The questions often begin with, “Tell me about a time when …”, or “Describe an occasion when …”. Questions are asked to establish various core competencies relevant to a role, such as teamwork, creativity and innovation, decision-making ability, business awareness or conflict resolution. The interviewer is looking for examples of past behaviour that demonstrate these core competencies. This style of interview offers many benefits. It is fairer and more transparent than standard approaches to interviewing and can help organisations reduce the chance of making costly hiring mistakes. To get ready for a competency interview, we advise jobseekers to prepare answers to behavioural questions using one detailed and specific example that demonstrates the applicant’s
proven skills and ability to successfully perform a particular competency. This means candidates need to organise their evidence in advance. To do this, we suggest jobseekers first gather as much information about the role as possible to determine the competencies required for success in the job. Then they should review their past experiences and select examples that demonstrate these competencies. We advise them to consider past results, situations they handled well and ways they contributed to the success of the business. Armed with this evidence, applicants can use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action and Result) to answer questions. This entails first describing a situation on the job. Then the jobseeker
should tell the interviewer what they decided to do. Next, interviewees should describe what they actually did and, finally, explain what happened as a result of their actions. For example, the applicant could explain, “A colleague of mine was struggling with performance, so I sat down with the person to find out how I could help. I showed my colleague how I’d improved my own performance. As a result, my co-worker’s performance improved 35%”. Whenever possible, a jobseeker should use an anecdote with a positive outcome. However, if this isn’t possible, a candidate should explain what they learned from the situation and how they would do it differently in the future.
Questions common in behavioural interviews • Give me an example of when attention to detail was vital and how you completed the task accurately. • Talk me through a time when you have had to work towards a challenging, ambitious objective. • Tell me about a time you had too many things to do and you needed to prioritise your tasks. How did you manage your time and objectives? • What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example of when you have had to use this approach with a difficult customer. • Tell me about a situation where you have been part of a group working towards a specific goal. What was your role in the group? • Describe how you led a team through a difficult project. How did you improve their work? • On time-pressured assignments, how have you ensured the job was done within budget?
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 37
THE A-LIST OF HR & RECRUITMENT
We are Japan’s definitive source for international recruitment. Established in 1998, Daijob.com is a job search website that specializes in multilingual talent and is utilized in 27 countries. We contribute to society by promoting an internationalized business environment with globally minded professionals. During our 15 years in service, Daijob has earned high praise from over 2,500 businesses around the world for delivering consistent results and reliable bilingual recruiting. To meet your hiring needs, our multilingual website provides you with recruitment tools in Japanese, English, and Chinese. Company Name:
Daijob Global Recruiting Co., Ltd.
Address:
Nishi-Shinjuku Kimuraya Bld. 7-5-25 Nishi-Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023
Contact:
Tomoki Yokokawa
Telephone:
03-5925-6541
Email:
info@daijob.com
Website:
www.daijob.com
AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • • • •
Recruitment for multilingual business professionals 3,000 new users each month Total user base of 390,000 registered global professionals Used by over 250 firms across the world Over 12,000 job postings at any given time Searchable CV database; high response rate to scout mail
We are the experts in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people across a wide range of specialised industries and professions. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. At Hays, we believe the right job can transform a person’s life and the right person can transform a business. We’re passionate about connecting our candidates with the right job for them. We operate in 48 locations in the Asia–Pacific region and our worldwide operations span 33 countries. We find permanent jobs for more than 15,000 people a year and temporary and contract assignments for more than 25,000 people annually, of which we employ more than 10,000 at any one time. Company Name:
Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan K.K.
Address:
Akasaka Twin Tower 7F 2-17-22 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Contact:
Jonathan Sampson
Telephone:
03-3560-1188
Email:
jobs@hays.co.jp
Website:
www.hays.co.jp
AREAS OF EXPERTISE Our areas of expertise in Japan include: • Accountancy & finance • Information technology • Banking • Insurance • Finance technology • Legal • Human resources • Life sciences
• Office professionals • Property • Sales & marketing • Supply chain
We are in the business of helping organisations increase their profitability and competitive advantage through talent acquisition, development, and continuous learning.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Company Name:
HR Central K.K.
Address:
Shinagawa Intercity FRONT Building Desk@ MB28 2-14-14 Kounan Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075
Contact:
Jun Kabigting, MBA/MS/HRMP Managing director
Telephone:
080-3434-8665
Email:
inquiry@hrcentral.co.jp
Website:
www.hrcentral.co.jp
38 38 || BCCJ BCCJ ACUMEN ACUMEN || SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 2013 2013
Talent Acquisition: We partner with organisations to find the right people for their HR and mission-critical positions in less than 90 days—guaranteed! At the same time, we coach our clients on how to use the HireRight recruiting methodology to find, attract and retain top talent. Training & HR Consulting: We help businesses increase their organisational capabilities through a combination of training and HR consulting interventions designed to increase employee competencies, motivation and engagement. HR Learning & Publishing: We provide continuing education and learning opportunities to HR professionals through our HR publications, events, knowledge base, network and resources geared to help advance the practice of the HR profession in Japan.
THE A-LIST OF bccjacumen.com/a-list HR & RECRUITMENT
Interac started in 1972. Over the years it has grown as a provider of educational services to commercial organisations. In the mid-nineties, demand for such services grew, and Interac started to provide ALTs and other education services to public boards of education and schools across Japan. Interac teachers enrich the lives of hundreds of thousands of school children every year by delivering interactive and exciting English lessons and providing insights into other cultures. With growing demand for a more global workforce in Japan, we launched a strong recruiting business under the new Interac Global Solutions (IGS) brand in 2013. IGS combines the well-established brand of Interac and its recruiting power to recruit and place foreign nationals into many sectors outside the Interac Group. Company Name:
Interac
Address:
Fujimi West 3F 2-14-36 Fujimi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0071
Contact:
E. Darrin McNeal, global solutions director
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Telephone:
050-5804-1154
Email:
igs-mcneal@interac.co.jp
Website:
www.interac.co.jp
• Educational Services • Recruitment and Placement • Corporate Training
Robert Half is the world’s leading specialised recruitment firm and a pioneer in global placement services for accounting, finance, banking and technology professionals. Founded in 1948, the company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: RHI). In 2013, Robert Half once again was listed in Fortune magazine’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” (published 18 March 2013).
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Company Name:
Robert Half Japan Ltd.
Address:
Ote Center Building 22F 1-1-3 Otemachi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004
Contact:
Adam Johnston, director
Telephone:
03-5219-6633
Email:
tokyo@roberthalf.jp
Website:
www.roberthalf.jp
In partnership with our clients and candidates in Japan, Robert Half provides a full range of recruitment services and solutions through: • Robert Half Finance & Accounting for temporary and permanent personnel • Robert Half Financial Services for positions within the financial services and banking sector • Robert Half Management Resources for senior-level finance, accounting and business systems professionals on a project and interim basis • Robert Half Technology for temporary and permanent IT professionals • Our Business Transformation division for skilled professionals who support businesses with transformation and change management
Robert Walters is one of the world’s leading specialist professional recruitment consultancies for permanent and contract recruitment. Robert Walters Japan possesses the distinct advantages of size and a proven track record, allowing you to tap into an unparalleled global network that enables clients and candidates to come together in the most efficient and productive way possible. Our Tokyo and Osaka-based offices have been active in building integrated partnerships with clients and bilingual professionals—consistently delivering the most relevant match of skills and culture. This remains our ultimate goal as recruitment and sourcing specialists.
Company Name:
Robert Walters Japan K.K.
Address:
Shibuya Minami Tokyu Building 14F 3-12-18 Shibuya Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002
Contact:
David Swan, managing director
Telephone:
03-4570-1500
Email:
info@robertwalters.co.jp
Website:
www.robertwalters.co.jp
AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • • • • • •
Advertising & media Asset management Banking & securities Chemicals Consulting & related services Entertainment Healthcare Hospitality
• • • • • • •
Insurance IT & telecom Logistics Luxury & consumer goods Manufacturing & components Real estate Retail
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 39
GVA Law Office Our six lawyers provide a range of highquality professional legal and advisory services. In addition, we have more than 60 advisor companies. Please contact us if you would like to come to Japan to expand your business or if you have any problems concerning a particular legal matter here.
Email: info@gvalaw.jp Tel: 03-6908-7301 Fax: 03-6908-7302
gvalaw.jp
HR & RECRUITMENT | INDUSTRY
View from Within Finance teams are prioritising internal reform By Adam Johnston Director Robert Half Japan
G
iven the current economic environment, finance leaders and their teams are playing a vital role in business. The financial health and, increasingly, the reputation of their firms depend on these individuals. A recent Robert Half survey of chief financial officers in Japan demonstrates the range of issues that finance leaders are currently facing. According to the survey, the top three challenges are: a shortage of permanent employees to complete work and projects; inadequate commercial skills among staff; and insufficient time to complete work and projects. While these weighty issues are not new, they have been exacerbated by ongoing economic and regulatory changes. It is encouraging to find that, according to the survey, finance leaders are targeting improvement at a micro level— determining how their firms can compete and gain market share—instead of focusing on the macroeconomic climate. Finance leaders indicated that they are eyeing development and growth, and have outlined their top business priorities for the next 12 months. They are:
Measures Taken by Finance Leaders to Optimise Efficiency
1
3
6
Improving communication between internal departments
Focusing on internal customers to determine where to value-add
Business process improvement
2
4
Financial systems improvement
5
7
Upskilling / cross training team members
8
Technology improvements
Ensuring KPIs are in line with strategic direction
Engaging interim / temporary professionals to manage headcount
• Business process improvement (40% of respondents) • Technology improvements (36%) • Improving communication among internal departments (35%) Finance leaders and their teams are rightly more concerned with business process improvement, given the overwhelming pressure on them to do more with less. Improvements in technology are considered likely to allow firms to augment their financial management controls and satisfy increasingly stringent regulatory obligations. This would lead to enhanced productivity. Improving internal communication with other business units would allow members of the finance team to find
both areas in which processes might be developed, and strategies for implementation. This, in turn, would help finance leaders create a roadmap to identify where efficiencies could be attained through centralisation, and what should be left to individual business units. Today’s finance leaders clearly recognise that their role encompasses
a strong mix of financial and broader commercial skills. In addition, they realise they must be able to manage day-to-day tasks and projectbased work. Fuelling and sustaining growth is a formidable challenge, but one for which today’s resourceful and battle-tested finance leaders are a good match.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 41
THE A-LIST OF CORPORATE TRAINING & BUSINESS EDUCATION
Know the Book? You Will Love the Course! Dale Carnegie pioneered corporate training. Businesses in 91 countries benefit from his breakthrough ideas, including 90% of Fortune 500 companies. How to Win Friends and Influence People has become a timeless classic and consistent worldwide bestseller. The reason is simple—people’s interactions are make or break points in business. Whether it’s getting a team behind the leader’s goals, gaining cooperation within a team or making the sale, the human dimension is the critical factor. Constant client feedback and refinement for 101 years has made us the choice for business solutions and organisational change. We have been assisting firms in Japan, in English and Japanese, for the last 50 years. Company Name:
Dale Carnegie Training Japan
Address:
Akasaka 2-chome Annex #501, 2-19-8 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Contact:
Dr Greg Story
Telephone:
03-4520-5470
Email:
Greg.Story@dalecarnegie.com
Website:
www.dale-carnegie.co.jp
If you seek real and measurable people results, call us today.
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM • • • • •
Team member engagement Customer service Sales effectiveness Persuasion power Human relations effectiveness
• • • • •
Leadership development Process improvement Presentation effectiveness Stress management Global employees
Eureka! offers a comprehensive range of executive, career and life coaching services. Why Eureka? Because this is the word clients often exclaim when all of a sudden everything falls into place during the coaching process. Clients go through a process of self-discovery—understanding their personality profile and how this impacts everything they do. They go on to develop an action plan with specific, measurable and realistic goals and then work to execute the plan in real time. So, depending on your focus, you can concentrate your efforts on achieving your executive, career or life goals.
Company Name:
Eureka!
Address:
Roppongi
Contact:
Anne Good
Telephone:
080-3416-3248
Email:
anne@eurekamoments.net
Website:
www.eurekamoments.net
AREAS OF EXPERTISE • Executive Coaching • Career Coaching • Life Coaching
The McGill MBA Japan programme is a weekend MBA offered by McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. The McGill programme leads to the same MBA degree that is awarded at the home campus in Montreal, and is taught by professors who fly in from the home campus. The entire programme is taught in English at the Hilton Tokyo in Nishi-Shinjuku. The McGill MBA Japan programme attracts outstanding students from Japan and around the world, and is the leading MBA in Japan. McGill University is Canada’s leading university and one of the world’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning. The Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University is EQUIS-accredited, which places it among an elite group of management schools worldwide. Find out more by attending an OPEN HOUSE SESSION. Company Name:
McGill MBA Japan
Address:
Hilton Tokyo, Room 2001 6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023
Contact:
Philip O’Neill, director
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM
Telephone:
03-3342-3430
Email:
openhouse@mcgillmbajapan.com
Website:
www.mcgill.ca/desautels/mbajapan
• MBA programmes • Executive Education • International Business
42 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
CORPORATE TRAINING & BUSINESS EDUCATION | INDUSTRY
Killing the Ums and Ahs By Dr Greg Story President Dale Carnegie Training Japan
M
y former colleague was a notorious “ummer” and “ahher”. “Um, I, um, would, um, like to um, say um, thank you, um, for um, this um, opportunity”. Listening to him was seriously painful. Time seemed to freeze, as it took forever for him to get to the point, which was mostly lost due to dreadful syntax. The ability to stand before others and express oneself clearly is a basic skill that is sadly still lacking in many people. Rambling, mumbling, zero focus on the audience, no power of persuasion, and “I Am the Brand” suicide continue to stunt careers. Sprinkle in some ums and ahs for good measure and we have a recipe for disaster. I will now share with you a guaranteed formula to end this reign of terror you potentially have been inflicting on audiences your entire life. Experience tells us that off-the-cuff remarks are more likely to produce hesitancy in speech than a prepared presentation. For those hard-core ummers, however, it seems to make little difference. Reading a prepared speech is another form of torture for an audience
Reading from notes saps a presenter’s credibility.
that should be avoided at all cost if possible. However, following this advice forces speakers to think on their feet, which triggers the dreaded filler words. No wonder people rate public speaking higher than death in surveys about their worst fears. These filler words give us time to think, but why do we need them? If we know what we want to say, we should just be able to get right into it.
The PowerPoint trap Usually, preparing for a presentation means working on PowerPoint for 99.9% of us. Herein lies the first mistake. Slaves to PowerPoint will never become effective communicators, because the focus is on the data rather than the message. We know that how we say something is more important than what we say. Please read that sentence again, as I am sure for many people that sounds outrageous. You may think, “Surely content is king and people will pay more attention to the message than smoke and mirrors used for presentation”. But this is not the case. When a presentation’s content and delivery are incongruent, only 7% of the message is heard and 93% is lost due to distraction caused by how we look and sound. No wonder presenters who devote 99.9% of their time to PowerPoint content at the expense of rehearsing their delivery
are dull. If listeners are only getting 7% of what we are saying, that does not constitute very effective communication. PowerPoint is not a substitute for good communication—it is merely an aid. The president of a firm who immediately launches into a corporate video joins the ranks of “presentation scoundrels”. This happens more often than it should. Videos should never take the place of strong communication for key messages. Like PowerPoint, they are just for support, so use them sparingly and make your face the key communication tool, followed by your voice, gestures, pauses and posture. Using notes, either on paper or through the order of slides, is perfectly acceptable. Reading those notes is not. Recently, I attended a presentation where the speaker was well dressed, well groomed, the whole package—until she proceeded to read entirely from her notes. You could hear the air of her credibility being sucked out of the room the moment she started reading. Don’t be relegated to the dustbin of totally forgettable speakers like her! We should allow our notes to spark the messages we wish to convey. Prior to delivery, practise, practise, practise! No one expects perfection, so incorrect pronunciation or pauses to consider subsequent remarks are natural. The use of filler words is permissible a few times in a presentation, but the higher the frequency, the tighter the hangman’s noose is tied around the speaker’s own reputation and personal brand. Here is the Dr Story rule on avoiding filler words: Decide the first word of each sentence and hit that word hard. Allow no other noise to escape your mouth before continuing with the sentence. Once you get to the end of that sentence, SHUT UP! Then it is very, very important to purse you lips together so no sound can escape. Keep repeating this process and there is no possibility of filler words ever being uttered. I guarantee you this works. I wasn’t quite in the league of the colleague I referred to above, but I did give him a run for his money occasionally. Like me, everyone I have taught this method to has eliminated filler words almost entirely. They followed this simple technique until it became habit—a positive habit. Good luck!
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 43
MUSIC By Tim Maughan
Quality Key to Guitars of Note York craftsman creates custom-made instruments in Osaka
44 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
• • • •
Custom and standard designs on sale 65% of revenue from sales of parts Established shop in five months 30 hours’ work goes into each guitar
J
osh Parkin Guitars (JPG) is a good example of what you can do if you have a honed skill—and the wherewithal to get on an aeroplane, leave your native country, and set up a small, but highly specialised business in a distant land. The Josh Parkin shop and workshop are situated a few minutes from Umeda, Osaka’s teeming business district. The operation is run by 25-year-old Josh Parkin, who is originally from York. After gaining a degree in musical instrument technology, he crafted guitars as a freelancer in London’s Denmark Street—the epicentre of the city’s guitar world. “I worked at different places, but I made the decision not to start a retail guitar business in London. The economy had collapsed, and I would have been in direct competition with my friends”, Parkin said. So he left London. “I came here in 2009. I had travelled in Asia, but I knew that I would not make any money [in continental Asia]. Japan is very Westernised and it has a good guitar market”, he said. He taught English for just under two years to earn money and to see the lay of the land. After searching for suitable retail space and finding it, JPG was in business. “It was five months from quitting teaching to opening the business”, he said. Today, there are two JPG guitar lines: the F-line, and the more expensive custom models that are made to order. The F-lines are semi-made in the US, then brought to Japan and assembled at the shop. “They are imported from Washington State. We then build them up with high-quality boutique parts; they sell for between ¥170,000 and ¥220,000”, he said. The F-lines, as well as some custom models, are displayed near the shop entrance, to allow customers to try out the goods. Substantial capital investment was necessary before the guitars could be made. Parkin spent ¥200,000 on a used surface planer and another ¥350,000 on a thickness planer. “But they will last me
MUSIC for as long as I have the shop, with a bit of maintenance”, he said. An array of hand tools and other machinery, as well as a paint shop had to be bought. Blocks of wood are run over the surface planer first. “Once this is done, they go through the thickness planer, where the flat surface you have just planed sits down on a steel bed. You use it to take the wood down to the right thickness”, he said. These are the rudiments, before the extras are added. And, to a guitar layman, there are more parts than expected. Parkin spoke of the pick guards—the plastic shields that protect the surface from the plectrum used by players—that are fashioned
A typical JPG guitar takes two months to make, but that, of course, is not time devoted to a specific instrument. There are other daily jobs to take care of; in total, from start to finish, Parkin can expect to work around 30 hours on any one guitar. The custom-made JPG guitars cost from ¥250,000 to ¥500,000 but, he pointed out, the upper price rises when people request exotica, such as special types of wood. This year, he expects to make 10 (20 would be ideal) custom guitars, and between 15 and 20 stock models. In addition, the firm undertakes repairs and modifications. To demonstrate, Parkin clutched an absurd-looking object: a guitar with a portion sliced off and a banjo stuck beside it. A customer had asked for
Parkin imports British-made Bare Knuckle Pickups that are used by such guitarists as the Stone Roses’ John Squire, and ex-Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr. in his workshop, where they are cut from large plastic sheets. He imports a lot of high-end pickups, the electronic devices that pick up the vibration from the strings. Parkin imports British-made Bare Knuckle Pickups that are used by such guitarists as the Stone Roses’ John Squire, and ex-Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr. Japanese customers, Parkin said, are willing to pay for quality. “The average guitar player in Japan will spend a lot more money on his equipment than he would back in the UK. Everyone here wants something really nice, even if they don’t play that much”, he said.
the two instruments to be joined together, as a sort of hybrid string instrument. The firm also makes effects pedals and sells parts and accessories. Some 65% of turnover is generated by parts sales: vital revenue, bearing in mind the time needed to make the guitars. “This keeps the money flowing”, he said. For a small, cottage industry like this, the focus has to be on quality. There are no lengthy production lines, no anonymous manufacturing personnel. Each one of Parkin’s guitars carries the JPG logo and he alone is accountable. “It is my name at stake if the quality is not good”, he said.
This JPG handcrafted guitar is the ultimate blues machine.
Parkin accommodates requests for unusual instruments such as this guitar-banjo hybrid.
Josh Parkin Guitars: Turnover and Guitar Types
Parkin hopes guitar-making will bring in more business.
Some 65% of JPG’s turnover is generated through the sale of parts, while 20% is earned through guitar sales, and the remainder from repairs and modifications. As time goes on, it is hoped more orders will be received and guitar-making will account for a larger proportion of business, he said. He currently employs two staff. Guitars are divided into two main categories: bass and lead guitar. The latter is known simply as the guitar. In addition, there are different instrument configurations. “There is the through neck; then the set neck, for example the Gibson; and the Fender, which is made using the bolt-on style. “The centre of gravity is important; it has to be in the right place. Weight is also an issue. We can make a lighter guitar for players with back problems, but that means less tonal quality”, he said.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 45
The following companies join BCCJ ACUMEN in celebrating four centuries of Japan–UK ties.
www.bbr.co.jp
ba.com
www.britishcouncil.or.jp
www.custom-media.com
www.devere-group.com
glaxosmithkline.co.jp
www.hays.co.jp
www.kreabgavinanderson.com
www.robertwalters.co.jp
www.wedgwood.jp
ANNIVERSARY
Japan400: Sex, History, Art, Music Sixth in our series on four centuries of UK–Japan ties
Perry Scroll Until 13 October Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries, the British Museum, London
The Japan Matsuri 2013 will celebrate Japanese culture in London.
Japan Matsuri 2013 5 October Trafalgar Square, London
This remarkable scroll is a vibrant depiction of the visit by US Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan in 1854, a turning point in Japan’s relations with the rest of the world.
Torii Kiyonaga, detail taken from Sode no maki (Handscroll for the Sleeve), c.1785
Marco Polo and the Silk Road Heritage Sites: The Birth of Oriental Studies in the Occident Until 26 December Toyo Bunko art museum, Honkomagome, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Known as shunga, or spring pictures, thousands of sexually explicit paintings, ukiyo-e woodblock prints and books were produced in Japan from 1600 to 1900. The exhibition features some 170 works from collections in three countries.
The main attraction in this exhibition is the diary of John Saris, captain of the Clove and commander of London’s first diplomatic mission to Japan. Most of the exhibits are from the museum’s collections and are used to detail the history of oriental studies in the West.
UK–Japan Security Conference 2013 30 September–1 October Tokyo The Royal United Services Institute, the world’s oldest defence and security think tank, is staging this discussion in Tokyo on bilateral security concerns. The institute’s delegation, headed by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, will include a number of former members of the British Cabinet. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend the conference, along with senior politicians and defence experts from the UK, Japan and the US.
An annual event that is open to all, it will be more special this year since it comes on the 400th anniversary of bilateral ties. The matsuri will feature food, music, dance, singing, martial arts displays and family events. It is the largest celebration of Japanese culture in Britain.
British Day at the Toyo Bunko Museum 5 December The Toyo Bunko Art Museum, Honkomagome, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art, 1600–1900 3 October–5 January The British Museum, London
This commemorative event will be held to mark the day, four centuries ago, on which John Saris’ ship left Japan after the first diplomatic mission to the country. The one-day celebration will include a symposium and performances of British chamber music.
Kabuki: Japanese Theatre Prints 4 October–2 February The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh This event will highlight the collection of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints— specifically images of the kabuki form of theatre—held by the National Museum of Scotland. This is the first time that the prints have been presented together in a special exhibition.
The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards Japan Tour (see page 48) 5 October–14 October Various locations The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards will be paying its 11th visit to Japan, where they have always received a warm welcome from audiences.
© THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Further details on all events can be found at: http://japan400.com/events/ The closing ceremony for Japan400 is scheduled for 20 December.
© THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
E
vents to commemorate 400 years of strong diplomatic, trade and cultural ties between Japan and Britain are continuing in the latter half of the year with exhibits, educational workshops, cultural days and symposiums at venues in both nations.
MASAAKI MORIBAYASHI
By Julian Ryall
The Mission of Commodore Perry to Japan, 1854. Silk. Calligrapher Onuma Chinzan (大沼沈山), Painted by Hibata Ōsuke (樋畑翁輔)
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 47
ARTS
UK EVENTS in JAPAN
To apply for free tickets, please send Rui Sarashina an email with your name, address and telephone number by 30 September: rui@custom-media.com. Winners will be picked at random.
Compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto
UNTIL 24 SEPTEMBER Jeanne
Written by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, a Nobel Prize winner and founder of the London School of Economics, the story describes the life of Joan of Arc, folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). The play will be performed by Japanese actors, including Rena Sasamoto, Tomohiko Imai and Kanata Irei.
Toru Baba, Tomohiko Imai, Rena Sasamoto, Kanata Irei and Kunio Murai
Setagaya Public Theatre 4-1-1 Taishido Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0004
03-5432-1515 Adults from ¥3,800
http://setagaya-pt.jp/en/
5–14 OCTOBER Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards One of the oldest and best-known bands of the British Army, the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was officially formed on 16 May 1785. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and the 400th anniversary of Japan–UK relations, the band will tour several Japanese cities and hold a parade in Japan. Tokyo area highlights 8 October Sumida Triphony Hall, 7pm 13 October Yokohama parade, Nihondai Dori 12:30pm
03-5766-0114 Adults from ¥6,500 Free tickets We are giving away five pairs of free tickets to this event.
www.belcantojapan.com/
FROM 8 OCTOBER
©TATE, 2013-2014
Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master Joseph Mallord William Turner was a British Romantic landscape painter, water-colourist and printmaker. Born in London in 1775, he became a member of the Royal Academy of Arts at the age of 26. About 110 of his works from the Tate Britain gallery will be on display at the exhibition.
Venice, the Bridge of Sighs 1840 Oil on canvas 68.6 x 91.4 cm Collection: Tate
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Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum 8-36 Ueno Koen Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007
Closed on Mondays, (some exceptions; see website) 03-5777-8600 Adults from ¥1,600
9:30am–5:30pm (8pm on Fridays and 31 October–3 November) Entry permitted until 30 minutes before closing.
Free Tickets We are giving away five pairs of free tickets to this event.
www.turner2013-14.jp/
8–27 OCTOBER Edward II This Renaissance or Early Modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe is one of the earliest English history plays. Directed by Japanese director Shintaro Mori, it will be performed by Japanese actors including Tasuku Emoto and Ataru Nakamura. New National Theatre, Tokyo 1-1-1 Honmachi Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0071
03-5352-9999 Adults from ¥3,150
Tasuku Emoto/Ataru Nakamura
www.atre.jp/13edward/
9–14 OCTOBER Barakura Harvest Festival 2013 The Royal Marines Band Service, the musical wing of the Royal Navy, consists of six bands and is headquartered in Portsmouth’s Royal Marines School of Music. On their 12th visit to the Barakura English Garden, the band will play a selection of music, including jazz and classical compositions. Barakura English Garden 5047 Kuridaira Kitayama Chino-shi, Nagano 391-0301
9am–6pm (open until 5pm on the last day) 0266-77-2019 Adults from ¥1,400 Free Tickets We are giving away five pairs of free tickets to this event.
http://barakura.co.jp/
© 2013 CAUGHT IN FLIGHT FILMS LIMITED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
FROM 18 OCTOBER Diana Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Stephen Jeffreys, the film focuses on the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It also looks at her relationships with heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan and Egyptian millionaire Dodi Fayed. Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae produced the film, while Australian actress Naomi Watts plays the role of Diana. TOHO Cinemas Yurakuza New Tokyo Building 3F 2-2-3 Yuraku-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006
03-3571-1946 Adults from ¥1,800 Free gift We are giving away three rosescented air fresheners with a Diana original case.
diana.gaga.ne.jp
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 49
COMMUNITY MEMORIAL
British Ambassador Tim Hitchens attended a memorial on 9 August in Nagasaki to mark the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city.
Attending the Books For Smiles project launch at the British Embassy Tokyo on 21 August were embassy personnel (from left) Masamoto Shimizu of the investment team; British Ambassador Tim Hitchens; Sue Kinoshita, director of trade and investment; Naomi Takegoshi, UKTI commercial and inward investment officer; and Rebecca Wells, PA to the defence attache & events manager.
CHARITY
SDI JAPAN OFFICE
EXPO
EMBASSY
Scottish Development International Japan Office staff participated in the Japan International Seafood and Technology Expo on 21–23 August at Tokyo Big Sight. Invitees included (back row from left): Garry Price of Summer Isles Foods, Malcolm Large of Sea Fish Industry Authority, Alan Inglis of Loch Duart and Christopher West of the Hebridean Smokehouse.
SCIENCE
The Orbi Yokohama museum, a collaboration between BBC Earth and Sega Corporation, opened on 19 August in the Mark Is Minatomirai shopping centre. The museum features a special-effects theatre with a 40-metre wide, 8-metre high screen.
50 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
Aid For Japan held its first event in Tokyo at the Parabola wine bar on 3 August. In attendance were (from left): Yuzuru Yanagidate of the Tokyo Pipe Band; Zach Benjamin Thomas, PR and fundraising officer of Aid For Japan; and Akemi Tanaka, chairwoman of Aid For Japan.
DINNER
Anne Konishi from Canning Professional, K.K. (left) and Alex Dixon from Toshiba Corporation attended the Brits@Lunch sake tasting dinner at Inataya on 28 August.
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Charles Bentley (left) and society piper Frank Hunter, at the St Andrew Society BBQ on 20 July at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club.
MUSIC
FESTIVAL
British rock band The Cure played the last set on the closing night of the Fuji Rock Festival on 28 July. The festival drew 11,000 visitors over three days.
CULTURE
Mumford & Sons held a concert at Shinkiba Studio Coast in Tokyo on 30 July. The show was the band’s first headline event in Japan.
ART
Noguchidust (2007) is one of the works featured in Saya Irie’s first solo exhibition in the UK, Every popular thing is beautiful, which ran from 25 July to 10 August at the ICN gallery in London.
The Ryuku Classic, a traditional Okinawan dance-drama from the Ryukyu Kingdom, was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 21–26 August.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 51
HEALTH
Should I Be Worried about My Cholesterol? By Dr Thomas Lomax
F
or decades, doctors have believed that high cholesterol is a major cause of the artery blockages that lead to heart disease and stroke. Moreover, worries about high cholesterol levels have worked their way into popular consciousness. A survey carried out in the US in 2002 estimates that over 3mn Americans were using some kind of alternative medical treatment to lower their cholesterol. Drugs that claim to achieve this have been one of the largest revenue streams for pharmaceutical firms over the past two decades. It’s hard to avoid the barrage of conflicting information about cholesterol as it pertains to life in Japan. If and when we find out our cholesterol is high during a company physical, most of us have three questions: “Is it really that high?”, “Why is it high?” and—as the character Pete in the comedy This is 40 might ask—“Does this mean my heart is going to explode?”
Reports can be misleading To answer the first question, I should note that there is no clear definition of so-called high results. In most blood tests, the top and bottom 2.5% of the results for any population are classified as high and low, respectively; the remaining 95% of the results are deemed normal. Cholesterol results, however, are treated completely differently. When there is some medical evidence that the patient will benefit from lowering either their overall or their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, a result is reported as high.
In many countries this leads to more than half the population being classified as having high cholesterol. Therefore, if your cholesterol is just over the reference range quoted on a set of blood test results, it is likely to be more or less the same as that of most of the people around you.
Not just a lifestyle disease As to why cholesterol levels are high, the popular perception has become that this is entirely a lifestyle disease, that it is the direct result of inactivity, being overweight, and/or eating poorly. While there is some truth to this, cholesterol levels also have a strong genetic component. Cholesterol is an essential building block used to make, for example, many of the sex hormones in our body, and thus we can’t live without it. Because of this, our bodies continuously produce cholesterol in the liver. While much of the cholesterol in our systems does come from food, reducing or even eliminating our cholesterol intake will usually cause our bodies to compensate by making even more cholesterol. Each person has a genetically predetermined level of cholesterol production; some people have livers that are programmed to make quite a lot. As a result, they may have high cholesterol despite leading very healthy lives. While lifestyle changes can reduce cholesterol levels, the extent to which they actually fall can be quite disappointing. My experience has shown that most people have a hard time reducing their cholesterol by more than 15–20% without making very extreme changes to their diet and exercise patterns.
While lifestyle changes can reduce cholesterol levels, the extent to which they actually fall can be quite disappointing. 52 | BCCJ ACUMEN | SEPTEMBER 2013
Risk is relative Finally, to answer the third question, how dangerous is high cholesterol? For some people, it’s hardly dangerous at all, while for others it can be life-threatening. Cholesterol is just one of several factors that work together to determine a person’s risk of heart disease. A young, healthy female who does not smoke would have a very low risk of heart disease even with high cholesterol. At the other end of the spectrum, an overweight man in his late 50s who is diabetic, smokes, and has high blood pressure and cholesterol levels would be at risk of developing heart disease. Reducing his cholesterol would be a priority. With this in mind, let’s give a risk score to Pete from This is 40. He’s a male non-smoker, is not overweight and is, of course, 40 years old. His father, who appears in the film, does not seem to have suffered from heart disease, so let’s assume there is no family history of heart problems. Let’s also say Pete’s blood pressure is fine and he isn’t diabetic. All this information can be entered into in a risk stratification tool— available online or through a smartphone application—to determine Pete’s risk of having a heart attack before his 50th birthday. We know Pete’s total cholesterol level is 300. I’ve assumed his LDL cholesterol is high, perhaps a little under 200, and that he has an HDL (good) cholesterol reading of about 45, which is average. Given all these factors, his risk of a heart attack in the next decade comes out at 5%, which is moderate. At this rate most doctors would not automatically recommend he take cholesterollowering drugs. However, if he were a smoker (cardiac risk increases to 16% over 10 years), medication would be an option. The take-home message for all of us is to know not only how high our cholesterol is, but how much risk that level implies. I recommend that people concerned about their cholesterol discuss the issue with their doctor. They might be able to avoid being put on medication for life, simply because a single blood test came back high.
BCCJ ACUMEN has one copy of each of these books to give away. To apply, please send an email by 30 September to: editor@custom-media.com. The winner will be picked at random.
BOOKS
Reviews by Ian de Stains OBE
Powerful Marketing Dimitri Maex has been recognised by Forrester Research, Inc. as a leading figure in his industry. As managing director of OgilvyOne New York and head of Ogilvy and Mather’s Global Data Practice, Maex is credited with helping numerous blue-chip firms find radical new uses for their data that lead to hugely profitable results. Today, more than ever, everything we do produces data. Whether we go online to search for information or shop, or use smartphone applications to plan daily matters such as a meeting point for coffee, we are all consistently adding to the growing multibillion-gigabyte stash of internet data. All of this information helps marketers better understand consumer behaviour. Customers of Amazon.com, Inc. are accustomed to receiving emails suggesting specific books or music based on their purchase history: since you bought “x” we thought you’d be interested in “y”. When Amazon first took this approach it was seen as a clever, interactive form
of marketing. Now, it is considered virtually Neanderthal. It still works, but there are much more powerful ways for firms to use the data they have gathered about their customers, including their buying habits and preferences. These methods allow them to strategically allocate marketing resources to generate the highest possible return. As Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive officer of WPP Group, said, “What you do with your data is vastly more important than acquiring still more of it”. In fewer than 300 pages, this relatively short textbook explores the meaning of that statement in great detail. More importantly, it explains how you can begin putting the idea into practise. You do not need to be a number cruncher to understand the concepts discussed. But for anyone who gets excited about new marketing ideas and possibilities, this is a powerful book. It belongs on the shelves of everyone hoping to expand their business.
Dimitri Maex with Paul B Brown Crown Business $27.50
Engaging Tales
Hans Brinckmann Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency $12.95
It is a sad truth that it has become nearly impossible to find publishers willing to champion authors of short fiction. Even writers who are established in other genres find it difficult to break into this field. For most of us, we consider ourselves lucky if we find a magazine that will carry a short story. Payment is rare; a few free copies of the publication are often the best reward. Self-publishing has increasingly become an alternative. There was a time when so-called vanity publishing was frowned on, and in most cases rightly so. Little if any thought was given to quality in terms of editing and production. The final products were often an embarrassment to all but the proud author, whose work would, more often than not, otherwise never have seen the light of day. While such vanity publishers are still around, panning for their literary gold, a new breed of more respectable boutiques has surfaced. These publishers will print
books for authors who either pay for them directly or through a variety of risk- or profit-sharing formulae. The best establishments work with clients to ensure their books are appropriately edited and—equally important—marketed, thus enabling authors to reach a broad readership. Often, print-on-demand is a key part of the scheme. Hans Brinckmann’s collection of stories appears to be the result of such an arrangement (a key giveaway is the extremely narrow bottom margin on most pages). But we should be grateful that the author, having sufficient confidence in himself and the stories he wanted to tell, proceeded with publication. The five tales are engaging, and each demonstrates the author’s love for Japan, especially the Kansai area. They also reveal his sensitivity to many of the values still held dear by Japanese, especially those of an older generation.
SEPTEMBER 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 53
IF YOU ASK ME
Europe: In or Out? An exit from the EU could spur Japanese disinvestment By Ian de Stains OBE
A
nyone who has followed the history of Anglo-Japanese relations over the past three decades should be aware of the importance of Japan’s investments in the UK. These ventures began in the 1970s with electronics makers creating numerous jobs in areas with high unemployment. Sony Corporation and Toshiba Corporation were significant early investors, with Wales benefitting hugely. This was in no small part due to the sterling efforts of the Welsh Development Agency’s Japan office working in close cooperation with the British Embassy Tokyo. Both had the unstinting support of the UK government. It did not take long for Sony to become synonymous with Wales. Arguably the most significant Japanese investments of all, at least initially, were from automobile manufacturers such as Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corporation and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, together, they rescued British manufacturing. Specifically, they brought muchneeded employment to locations such as Sunderland. Jobs were created not just in manufacturing, but also—and perhaps more importantly—for the provision of parts that were compliant with the most exacting of standards. NSK Ltd. was another major player that believed in the British workforce. The firm implemented just-in-time management techniques and quality controls that had previously not been heard of in the UK. These investments made important contributions to the British economy, just as Japan-bound UK exports of automotive parts now play a huge role, second only to that of speciality chemicals. Auto parts are exported elsewhere, too, thereby enhancing the overall image of British industry, which is now seen to be at the leading edge in certain areas where once it was given up for dead. Indeed, Japan’s confidence in the UK as a place for investment has encouraged others, including the US and Germany, to follow.
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To date, it is believed that over 1,300 Japanese firms have invested in the UK. This is much higher than the volume of Japanese investments in other EU countries. Together, those firms have created some 150,000 jobs. The late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who many people accused of destroying British industry, was quick to recognise the benefits of Japanese inward investment. She was deeply and personally committed to promoting Nissan’s investment in Sunderland.
Japanese firms investing in the UK see their presence there as the most convenient way to access the highly lucrative European market.
In many cases, those early investments have morphed; some manufacturing has closed down, while in other cases the emphasis has shifted to either research and development or other areas of business. Nissan, for example, has its global design centre in the UK, and pharmaceuticals giant Eisai Co., Ltd. chose to locate its latest research facility in the UK. So Japanese investment in the UK remains vital and Britain still enjoys the lion’s share of Japan’s investments in Europe. But, for how much longer? That’s a question the administration of Prime Minister David Cameron must look at very carefully.
The British government recently conducted an audit of how membership in the EU affects the UK. As part of that exercise, Britain’s overseas partners were also polled. Unsurprisingly, as a major inward investor, Japan’s views were paid serious attention. What emerged was a clear concern on the part of the Japanese government (no doubt reflecting that of Japanese industry) that the UK might choose to exit the EU and the explicit expectation that Britain would “continue to strive for the completion of the single market”. There are many reasons Japanese investors feel comfortable in Britain. The much-touted fact that they are both island nations plays a part, as does the long history of bilateral relations, the 400th anniversary of which is being celebrated this year. And we must not underestimate the importance of the English language. There is also a significant Japanese population in Britain—some 50,000 people according to recent statistics— and with that have come institutions such as Japanese schools, culture centres, supermarkets and restaurants. Japanese firms investing in the UK see their presence there as the most convenient way to access the highly lucrative European market, one that is extremely important across a broad field of products and services. Anything interfering with that access would immediately trigger serious discussion in the boardrooms of Japan’s largest corporations. Any Japanese disinvestment in the UK would have a negative effect on the nations’ bilateral ties, while the impact on employment would be particularly damaging. That is something Westminster must bear in mind as it contemplates a referendum on EU membership. It is vital that this fact be made clear to the voting public should there be any prereferendum publicity campaigns. Every man on the street should understand the importance of Japanese investment in Britain, and the possible consequences of an exit from Europe. Contrary to what some people claim, it is not a matter of Japanese interference in the UK’s affairs as much as a reflection of how interwoven our global affairs have become.
Small actions, big difference Unilever’s history started in 1884, when our founder William Lever launched “Sunlight” soap. Lever’s soap helped to make cleanliness and hygiene commonplace in Victorian England. Even a small product like a bar of soap can make a difference to people’s lives. Driven by the values inherited from our founders, we have set the ambitious target of doubling the size of our business, whilst reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact. We work to create a better future every day, inspiring people to take small actions that will add up to a big difference.
Unilever Sustainable Living Plan Key targets by 2020
Halve
Help more than
1 billion people improve their health & well-being.
the environmental footprint of our products.
Source
100%
of our agricultural raw materials sustainably.