BRITISH FASHION TRADE MISSION
P. 20
INTERVIEW: ERNFRED OLSEN
THE SECRETS OF WASABI
P. 22
P. 36
HELPING THE ENEMY
P. 44
January 2013 | 짜900
The Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
ART IN THE DARK PAGE 18
PLUS
INDUSTRY & A-LIST: Education & Corporate Training Book reviews | Media | Arts events | Community | Culture And much more
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1
January 2013
22 20 FASHION It’s All in the Detail British fashion mission draws record number of visitors
10 INTERVIEW Ernfred Olsen Country executive for the Royal Bank of Scotland Japan
9 PUBLISHER Happy New Year! Simon Farrell 10 MEDIA UK–Japan News 13 PRESIDENT EMERITUS Enjoyable, Challenging, Devastating Philip T Gibb 15 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Thank You for Your Help Lori Henderson
MEDIA Budget Airline Orders Trent Engines
36 FOOD Unearthing the Secrets of Wasabi
20 FASHION It’s All in the Detail
38 CULTURE Hyper Japan 2012
22 INTERVIEW Ernfred Olsen Country executive for the Royal Bank of Scotland Japan
40 ARTS EVENTS Artist File 2013—The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art; Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Vision 2013; Macbeth; Me and My Girl; The London Symphony Orchestra Japan Tour; Sony Music Foundation Special Concert Series for Children—Magical Adventure
25 ENGINEERING Torque of the Town UKTI helps Banbury tool firm build on its long presence here
16 MEDIA What you missed in the Japanese press
INDUSTRY 27 Building Trust 28 A-LIST of Education & Corporate Training 35 The Vision Thing
18 CREATIVE Art in the Dark Sustainable energy-saving festival creates living, moving art
36 FOOD Unearthing the Secrets of Wasabi Dorset farmer is first in Europe to grow the fickle plant
42 COMMUNITY Embassy, honours, BCCJ, social, charity, launch, music, film, photography, art 44 HISTORY Helping the Enemy 46 BOOK REVIEWS Get a G.R.I.P The Commando Way
COVER PHOTO: AMANO STUDIO
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: Nick Walters Individual Member Vice-president: Alison Jambert Eat Creative K.K. Executive Staff Executive Director: Lori Henderson Operations Manager: Sanae Samata Executive Committee Russell M Anderson | Jaguar Land Rover Japan Ltd. Paul Atkinson | Individual Member
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Graham Davis | The Economist Group Ray Bremner OBE | Unilever Japan Hideya Komori | Individual Member Vishal Sinha | British Airways Richard Thornley CBE | Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Ltd James Weeks | Kreab Gavin Anderson K.K. James Dodds | KPMG Tax Corporation Philip T Gibb | Magellan Financial Planning K.K. Reiko Sakimura | Clifford Chance Law Office Yayoi Sogo | Individual Member 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 www.bccjacumen.com Produced by Custom Media K.K.
Philip T Gibb is BCCJ president emeritus.
Lori Henderson has been BCCJ executive director since February 2011.
Assistant Art Director Paul Leonard Assistant Editor Megan Waters Client Services Manager Sam Bird samuel@custom-media.com Senior Account Executive Leon van Houwelingen leon@custom-media.com Account Executives Mareike Dornhege mareike@custom-media.com Kieran Quigley kieran@custom-media.com
Ian de Stains OBE is a former BBC producer and presenter who has been based in Japan since 1976, when he was seconded to NHK. From 1987 to 2011, he was BCCJ executive director. Aside from writing, Ian now focuses on consulting and coaching and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and convenor of its Japan chapter. dest@attglobal.net
Julian Ryall is Japan correspondent for The Daily Telegraph.
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
Art Director Cliff Cardona
ROB GILHOOLY
President Robert Heldt robert@custom-media.com
JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT
Publisher Simon Farrell simon@custom-media.com
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.
Dr Greg Story is president of Dale Carnegie Training Japan.
Antony Tran is a Tokyobased photographer who specialises in events, commercial, portraits and street photography. www.antonytranphoto.com contact@antonytranphoto.com 090-3545-7461
Megan Waters is assistant editor at Custom Media K.K.
Media Co-ordinator Yoko Yanagimoto Host and Producer–BIJ.tv Mike DeJong To advertise or order BCCJ ACUMEN: inquiries@custom-media.com Tel: (03) 6804-5267 Fax: (03) 6804-5268 Custom Media Publishers of BCCJ ACUMEN for the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Specialists in bilingual brand strategy/visual communications, corporate bespoke solutions. 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.
COMING IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF BCCJ ACUMEN
Booking deadline:
THURSDAY 31 JANUARY As space is limited, we encourage advertisers to book early.
A SPECIAL FOCUS ON
Real Estate and BCP & Risk Consulting Our INDUSTRY A-LIST will feature commercial real estate, residential leasing, serviced residences, mortgage advisory and major firms in business continuity planning, risk management, legal compliance and government relations—providing you with invaluable exposure among industry experts and an exclusive opportunity to showcase your services and solutions. View previous INDUSTRY A-LISTs online at: www.bccjacumen.com/a-list
For more information Email: acumen@custom-media.com
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 7
PUBLISHER
Happy New Year! Royal Honours for BCCJ Stalwarts We at Custom Media are proud to enter our fourth year of publishing BCCJ ACUMEN for the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and wish loyal readers, members, advertisers, the Executive Committee and Secretariat the very best of British for 2013. This issue is even more special as two of ACUMEN’s biggest supporters since the early days—President Emeritus Philip T Gibb and Executive Director Lori Henderson—have been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with an OBE and MBE, respectively. You can read why and all about their reactions on pages 13 and 15.
Making an entrance Another coup for ACUMEN came recently when Waseda University used one of our articles for a question in its notoriously tough entrance exam, held in December. How many magazines can boast a feat such as that?
You may recall “Baptism by Fire”, published in March 2012. It is about a remarkable Peterborough mother who became head priest at a 430-year-old temple in Kyushu. I’m not sure why Waseda chose that particular piece for its exam, but they asked me for permission to post it on their website to show the next applicants what kind of task to expect. We are delighted to be helping challenge and inform the next generation of leaders, and spread the word about successful Britons in Japan.
Books for Smiles If you are looking for a worthy, taxdeductible cause in Japan, the BCCJ Social Responsibility Taskforce’s Books for Smiles project is looking for firms to ask staff to donate titles during week-long book drives. Proceeds will help those leaving care to enter vocational schools, facilitated by Bridge for Smile, an NPO.
Custom Media will kick off the project by donating its entire library of books which publishers, authors and firms have sent us for review or other reasons. The most popular and profitable books are those published in any language in the past three years, and that cover business, finance, law, marketing, IT, medicine, art or design. If you send more than five books at one time, delivery is free. Donations will be sold on Amazon.com by Value Books. More details from Yayoi Sogo: info@bccjapan.com
Simon Farrell Custom Media simon@custom-media.com
LATEST UK–JAPAN REPORTS
Budget Airline Orders Engines Rolls-Royce plc will provide Japan’s Skymark Airlines Inc. with engines, the Daily Telegraph reported on 18 December. The £617mn agreement with the low-cost airline includes the supply of six Airbus A380 aircraft with Trent 900 engines, as well as responsibility for their long-term maintenance. The British manufacturing firm has also signed a letter of intent to provide Skymark with Trent 700 engines for 10 Airbus A330 aeroplanes. Both aircraft will go into operation in 2014.
Rolls-Royce’s Trent 900 engines will be fitted in two Skymark Airlines’ aircraft.
Venture Capital Firm Backs Scheme In a bid to boost their worldwide growth plans, a Japanese venture capital organisation will help fund Bicycle Therapeutics Limited’s drug candidate selection programme, Business Weekly reported on 12 December. The Cambridge-based next-generation biotherapeutics technology firm will use the £3.75mn acquired from Astellas Venture Management LLC—the venture capital arm of Japan-based Astellas Pharma,
which was formed from the 2005 merger of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical—to invest in drug discovery projects in oncology, as well as metabolic and inflammatory diseases using their bicyclic peptide technology platform. In addition, the UK firm is planning to make the platform accessible for collaborative discovery together with pharmaceutical partners.
Carmaker to Invest in North-east Nissan Motor Co., Ltd will invest £250mn The new model marks the first time in its Sunderland plant, the BBC said in a Nissan has made a car in the UK that will 19 December report. be exported to the US. The manufacturer will add about 280 jobs at the UK factory, which was awarded production of a new model of the Infiniti brand because of its reputation for efficiency. Another 700 jobs will be created with suppliers. Initial production of the small luxury car, based on Nissan’s Infiniti Ethera concept, will be completed in 2014 and the vehicle will be the first in the Infiniti range to be offered with a diesel engine. The new small vehicle will be based on Nissan’s Infiniti Ethera concept car.
10 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
Firm Lands Key Contract A UK-based solutions technology specialist has secured a deal with Daifuku Co., Ltd., Business Weekly reported on 11 December. In one of its most significant agreements, Ubisense Group plc’s location solutions will be integrated into the Japanese industrial giant’s material handling and warehouse management system. The new arrangement will provide location solutions to manufacturing and logistics firms needing greater visibility and better control of their processes.
Deal to Help Cut Fuel Bills Greater Manchester has signed an agreement with a Japanese government agency— the Department of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization—that will enable an initial 300 homes to generate electricity using low carbon heat units and a remote smart grid management system, according to a 1 December Manchester Evening News report. The £20mn pilot project is expected to reduce fuel bills for those Greater Manchester residents and, if successful, may be rolled out to thousands of properties across the region. Backed by the UK government, the project is set to be launched in 2014.
The North East Chamber of Commerce has offered 10 firms the chance to join a regional delegation that will visit Osaka in February, according to a 6 December Northern Echo report. The region’s largest business membership organisation is encouraging firms to export goods to Japan. Arranged in conjunction with the British Consulate in Osaka and UK Trade and Investment, the visit will provide firms from the north-east with an opportunity to take part in meetings organised by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce (OCCI); be introduced to potential customers and suppliers in Osaka; attend a consulate reception to meet Japanese contacts and business representatives; as well as take part in an opinion-exchange programme with the OCCI.
New Leader in Mobile Phone Use The UK has replaced Japan as the country in which users of mobile phones and tablet computers consume the most data, according to a 16 December Ofcom report. The UK uses an average of 424MB of data per month—a 60% year-on-year increase— and Japan 392MB. The communications regulator also found that internet users in the UK spend, on average, 728min per week online.
Long-lost Artwork Found An Isle of Man museum has correctly identified a painting by a popular Japanese artist whose works were lost during World War II, the BBC reported on 9 December. Staff identified the painter from a signature on the portrait of a 19th century ship captain’s wife, by the highly acclaimed Jirokichi Kasagi (1870–1923). Recently acquired by the museum, it is believed the painting was produced in Japan from a photograph carried on a vessel during a trading voyage. It is hoped that, after undergoing conservation work, the painting will be displayed in the museum.
Firm to Join Space Project A UK supplier of high-tech space kit has been chosen to work on a Japanese space programme, the London Press Service reported on 27 November. Thomas Keating Ltd, based in southeast England, will observe trace gases in the upper atmosphere from space in the Japanese Experiment Module/ Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder project. The firm, set up in the 1780s to make flea powder, now designs and manufactures scientific instruments used in astronomy, cosmology, atmospheric remote sensing, as well as electron spin resonance that helps engineers develop controlled nuclear fusion. The firm has been recognised for its success and received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2012.
LONDON PRESS SERVICE
Firms Wanted for Trade Mission
Spent Atomic Waste to Be Returned High-level radioactive waste will be sent back to Japan around February following reprocessing in the UK, The Japan Times reported on 5 December. The 28 canisters of waste will contain spent nuclear fuel reprocessed at the request of Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc, Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc and Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
Writer Visits Grantham Over Thatcher Links A Japanese journalist went to the Lincolnshire town to obtain information about its links with former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, according to a 3 December article in This is Lincolnshire. The Asahi Shimbun reporter visited a number of locations, including the Grantham Museum and Grantham Girls’ School, to gather information for a story. The former prime minister is a popular figure in Japan because of the similarities in the way the two countries’ industries grew during the 1980s and 1990s.
This is the third time radioactive waste will be brought from the UK. Japan previously received 104 canisters of such waste from the UK, and expects to receive another 800 in the future. All the containers will be placed in a disposal site located deep underground after being stored for 30 to 50 years for cooling at a facility in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture.
Greeting Card Poll Results People in the UK send the most greetings cards in the world, while individuals in Japan send the second-fewest number of cards, according to Ofcom’s 20 December International Communications Market Report. The communications regulator found that out of the 5,243 survey respondents from around the world, 37% of adults in the UK had sent a greeting card, invitation or postcard during the month of December, while only 23% had done so in Japan. Pollees in France sent the fewest greeting cards (17%).
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 11
Congratulations from these companies to BCCJ President Emeritus Philip T Gibb on being appointed OBE for “Services to British business in Japan” and BCCJ Executive Director Lori Henderson on being appointed MBE for “Services to post-earthquake reconstruction and to the British business community in Japan”.
Custom Media, publishers of BCCJ ACUMEN, offers warm congratulations to Philip T Gibb and Lori Henderson on being honoured with an OBE and MBE, respectively. www.custom-media.com
glaxosmithkline.co.jp
www.dtz.com/Japan
12 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
www.bbr.co.jp
GlaxoSmithKline Japan offer their sincere congratulations to Philip T Gibb and Lori Henderson for receiving recognition by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2013 New Year Honours list, where they were appointed OBE and MBE, respectively.
www.crownrelo.com/japan
www.rbs.com
www.robertwalters.com
www.toyoko-inn.com
www.unigroupworldwide.com
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Enjoyable, Challenging, Devastating Honoured to receive OBE for services to British business in Japan
T
he old adage of “the more you put in, the more you get out” was never truer than during my tenure as BCCJ president, from 2010 until 2012. Taking over the reins of any job is always a daunting task. How do you make a difference? What will be my legacy? But I needn’t have worried on either count, as the two years were some of the most enjoyable and challenging times of my professional life. Keeping the role of the BCCJ relevant was at the forefront of everything I believed in. Serving a growing membership, attracting the very best talent with the first new executive director in almost a quarter of a century, and the re-engineering of our new website to meet the current and future needs of our members. This period also was marked by one of the most devastating disasters of modern times. The way the BCCJ, in close cooperation with the British Embassy Tokyo, responded to the associated
www.virginatlantic.co.jp
events only increased my pride in being a member of the British community in Japan. This pride was topped by being awarded an OBE for services to British business in Japan in the New Year Honours on 29 December 2012. The investiture into the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire will be held at Buckingham Palace later this year. It was one of the proudest moments of my life when I learned of the award, and marked my first conversation with the new ambassador to Japan, Tim Hitchens, who phoned to let me know. The award confirms that the work of the chamber today is as relevant as it was about 65 years ago, when it was established in Japan. The BCCJ, quite simply, is one of the best foreign chambers of commerce in Japan. I was very privileged to have a fantastic and diverse team in the Executive Committee and Secretariat, and this honour belongs to each one of them.
www.walkjapan.com
Philip T Gibb at the British Business Awards 2011
Philip T Gibb BCCJ President Emeritus
www.wedgwood.jp
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 13
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Your Help Gonged for post-quake and business community work
I
mmediately on the heel of the Great East Japan Earthquake, we became a hub of information, disseminating to our extended networks requests from Japanese and foreign non-profit organisations, volunteers and survivors. We co-ordinated donations from individuals and firms here and abroad, with members showing great solidarity to the cause. An initial fundraising event enabled us to fund plumbing in Ishinomaki for Peaceboat’s central kitchen. At its busiest, it provided more than 2,000 meals per day for survivors and volunteers. On 30 March we held the Disaster Relief Forum at the British Embassy Tokyo. Representatives from the private, public and civil sectors discussed how best to mobilise resources. As a result, member firm KVH Co. Ltd. built a bilingual platform to facilitate and support requests for supplies, funding and information. The We Care Japan site continues to offer a portal for responding to those in need. When I first visited Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, I beheld vast swathes of apocalyptic landscape; families were living on the second floors of tsunamiravaged houses, thousands of survivors
were moving to temporary housing, and NPOs were active. We met local leaders and heard community voices, and recognised that the expertise and experiences of those directly affected by the disaster were key to a successful rebuild. From then on, we were supporting a recovery area, not a disaster area. Marking the end of the emergency relief phase in June 2011, we set up the Back to Business (B2B) Initiative to support projects with the potential to demonstrate measurable results, generate economic returns, and/ or produce outcomes with long-term benefits for businesses, communities and families. We moved from giving donations, to spending the ¥8.3mn we had subsequently raised on providing sustainable, enabling resources to help businesses get back on their feet. These included a bread-slicer to increase productivity at an Ishinomaki bakery; a freezer so Funakoshi fishermen could bridge a supply-chain gap; generators to help Izushima fishermen resume night fishing; a multi-cultivator so Minamisanriku farmers could restore fields to commercial productivity; sewing machines for a Wataricho social
enterprise making handicrafts from fabric rescued from the tsunami; supplies for community cafes in Yamamotocho temporary housing complexes; solar panels for a shopping street and equipment for a night school in Onagawa; and resources to kick-start a Green belt project in Wataricho. I believe we truly made a difference. Complementing larger relief and recovery programmes, we ensured real and efficient outcomes by working closely with the people of Tohoku. I’m truly honoured and humbled to have been appointed MBE for services to post-earthquake reconstruction and the British business community in Japan. The award is dedicated to those who perished in the disasters, everyone who supported our B2B Initiative and the wider cleanup and reconstruction of Tohoku, as well as those who are still battling to rebuild their lives and businesses. The rejuvenation of the region continues. Thank you very much for your unwavering support.
Lori Henderson BCCJ Executive Director
MEDIA
WHAT YOU MISSED IN THE JAPANESE PRESS
BY MARK SCHREIBER
Surge of Private Brands
The Shukan Toyo Keizai (22 December) introduced a special report on private brand (PB) goods. Currently some 6,000 items are being offered by retail organisations such as Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., Ito-Yokado Co., Ltd. and Aeon Corporation. Overall sales have been climbing since 2002, when they were just over ¥100bn, and are projected to reach about ¥700bn in 2013. This, the magazine points out, represents a major change in the direction of retailing. While recognised national brands are still strong in the categories of mayonnaise
and confectionery—particularly because older consumers find them to be familiar— PBs have been expanding their base in the categories of precooked condiments packaged in retort pouches, carbonated water and salad dressings. A number of PB products have even attained the top market share in their respective categories, including sweets+gelato (FamilyMart) in the premium frozen dessert segment; Argelan shampoo-rinse (Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstores); Topvalu’s randoseru (leather backpacks) for primary
AEON LTD.
Bio-Fitter shoes secured the top market share in their category.
school pupils (Aeon Co., Ltd.); Bio-Fitter shoes (Chiyoda shoe chain); and aojisou salad dressing and mayonnaise (both Seven Premium brand products). One recent variation on PBs has been the emergence of products with a double brand—goods that bear both the retailer’s and manufacturer’s logos—and are being energetically sold via Seven-Eleven outlets. The convenience store chain reported demand for PB items increased by more than 10% over the previous year. “With the exception of expansion to outlets other than general stores and supermarkets, we are not planning to increase the number of items”, Chozo Nakaya, president of Aeon Topvalu Co, Ltd, told the magazine. “Instead, we are asking how to view products’ life cycles”. It will be necessary to continue the process of adapting, discontinuing, phasing out or relaunching of products. Nakaya said his firm aims to develop products only available from the Topvalu label, or to create new categories of goods to achieve major differentiation from competitors.
TopValu’s leather backpack
In-house Training Preferred Just about any corporate service you can name is available through outsourcing. Needless to say, there are cost advantages and many managers believe that you can’t go wrong by going to a specialist. It makes sense to rely on them or, as they say in Japanese, mochi wa mochiya—for mochi (glutinous rice cakes), go to a mochi shop. A Japan Productivity Center survey of 2,300 member firms found that only 35% conducted training of management and leadership in-house, as opposed to more than 60% who utilise outside programmes. “If done internally, we were concerned that incestuous training would wind up
16 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
producing people with a ‘frog in the well’ mentality”, said one manager, using Chinese philosopher Laotzi’s euphemism for a person with narrowed perspectives. The Nikkan Gendai (7 December) looked at in-house staff training and concluded that it is not something which should be delegated to outsiders. Although the outsourced programmes did seem to boost trainee motivation, the results left something to be desired. “While making possible the reduction of costs, most of the programmes offered are standardised”, said a human resources training consultant. “They are unable to
emulate the client firm’s own distinctive style and beliefs, instead possibly even sweeping away beneficial characteristics. Nor can the knowhow they impart be accumulated in the company”. By contrast, trainers from outside Samsung in South Korea are said to account for just 10%, with the remainder from departments within the organisation. “Employee training is so valued at Samsung that, whenever a scheduling conflict arises between staff training and their jobs, priority is given to the training with no objections raised”, said business journalist Morifumi Mizogami.
MEDIA
Bailing Out of Tokyo As Japanese industry shifts more of its production abroad, increasingly more firms are giving up their Tokyo headquarters for regional cities, as well as foreign locations. Over the past 10 years, the Nikkei Business (17 December) reports, 8,823 firms have transferred their headquarters to other parts of Japan. The moves may merely involve shifting the firm’s headquarters from Tokyo to neighbouring Yokohama, as was the case for Nissan Motor Company Ltd. Or they may include the transfer of entire divisions—such as marketing, procurement, research and development—to be closer to production facilities and consumer markets. Despite the high demand for office space in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district, the 38-storey JP Tower built on the site of the former Central Post Office in front of Tokyo Station—opened for occupancy in May 2012—is still about 40% vacant. In addition, firms in the Mitsubishi Group, which owns a sizable portion of the district’s properties, have been moving out. Nihon Yusen Kaisha moved its container shipping operations to Singapore two years ago and Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited, in a move to cut costs and boost competitiveness, moved across the Sumida River to the Ryogoku City Core Building last July. Firms that have shifted some or all of their headquarters functions to
locations outside Tokyo over the previous five years include YKK (to Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture); Calsonic Kansei Corporation (Saitama City); Komatsu Ltd. (Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture); Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (Osaka City); and Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture). Relocating overseas offers firms some financial advantages. Compared with Singapore and Hong Kong, with corporate tax rates of 17% and 16.5%, respectively, Japan’s rate is 35.64%. In addition, the monthly housing rent for whitecollar staff is comparatively lower in both cities. Nevertheless, Tokyo still has its attractions. Tadahiro Yoshida, chairman of the YKK Group, told the magazine that his firm’s founder used to spend the first The JP Tower is still about 40% vacant. half of each month in Tokyo, and While the YKK Group will be moving the second in Kurobe. Yoshida is to new Tokyo headquarters, the building in favour of continuing this policy. “One will only have a capacity for 800 employees; reason we felt an urgent need to move our the others will be transferred to Toyama. headquarters was the Great East Japan Currently about 80% of YKK’s fastener sales Earthquake”, he said. With the completion of are made overseas, which has led the firm’s the Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015, Tokyo will president, Masayuki Sarumaru, to remark be linked to Toyama Prefecture in about two that “the headquarters can be anywhere”. hours, he pointed out.
IC Cards to Be Accepted Nationwide As of 1 December, an estimated 80.09mn prepaid integrated circuit (IC) cards and other currency substitutes were reportedly in use in Japan. The Sankei Shimbun (19 December) notes that the most popular of these is Suica (Super Urban Intelligent Card), issued by the East Japan Railway Company. It can be used on all the trains, subways and buses in Tokyo—operated by more than 10 firms with different fare structures—and on Japan Railway trains in the Sendai, Niigata, Sapporo, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Nagoya and Shizuoka regions, as well as on trains, tube lines and selected buses in and around Fukuoka. This card accounts for about half the IC cards issued. In a move to boost use of IC cards, some 52 railways, 96 bus firms, in addition to the makers of prepaid PASMO (currently used in the Kanto area) and ICOCA (Kansai area and western Japan), cards will shed their local limitations, allowing them to be accepted nationwide starting on 23 March. With few exceptions—such as the PiTaPa card, used by private railways in the Kansai region—it will also be possible to use most of the cards at some 200,000 shops.
EAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 17
CREATIVE
ART IN THE DARK Sustainable, energy-saving festival creates living, moving art
“NVA’s landscape works have focused on how what you see changes as you move through a particular location”.
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By Julian Ryall Photos: Amano Studio
I
lluminated against the autumn sky, artists in suits jogged, sprinted and cavorted through Yokohama’s streets and parks on 3 and 4 November, as part of the contribution by British artists to the Smart Illumination Yokohama Festival 2012. First performed at the Edinburgh International Festival earlier in 2012, the Speed of Light designers were subsequently invited to attend the festival’s international debut at the annual Yokohama event, with the theme of sustainability and energy-saving technology. The public art performance—brought to Japan by the British art charity NVA and the British Council—involved 50 people, wearing special suits fitted with LEDs, who ran in the dark to create patterned sequences of movement and living, moving art.
The participants started their show after dusk in the city’s Yamashita Park before proceeding to Zonohana Park, the Terrace Ferry Terminal and the Red Brick Warehouse shopping district. “Running in a city allows you to get a perspective on, and find, your place within the surrounding topography”, said Angus Farquhar, creative director of NVA. “Even as a visitor the same can be true; when I travel to any city I haven’t visited before, I often run to an open vantage point to see where I am. “Speed of Light is based on the interaction of intentional movement, light and sound over specific terrain”, Farquhar said. “It changes the way we see, and feel about, our environment— in this case, the visual qualities of Yokohama. It lets us look again at familiar perspectives of a city and appreciate where we live”. Farquhar, who collaborated on the project with Japanese choreographer Makiko Izu, described Japan’s architecture as “a powerful mix of modern and
CREATIVE
historic, created through the necessity of rebuilding after physical disasters”. Although Yokohama is a teeming, often frenetic urban environment, the city still benefits from public space and good design precepts that have helped make life in the city function well. Set up three years ago, NVA takes its name from the Latin term nacionale vitae activa, the 2,000-year-old Roman concept of being an active citizen and helping to construct the world in which we live by participating in how it develops. A key tenet is to be involved in democracy rather than relying on the political class to implement change, Farquhar added. The NVA uses that same principle to make a special form of public art in which the collective actions of those taking part—in this case, runners— complete the work. Previous NVA projects have involved participants using small, handheld light sources powered by hand movement alone. However, Speed of Light was more ambitious.
The light suits worn by the participants contained small battery packs, while remote wireless technology enabled the wearers to independently control the lights’ colours and intensity, as well as the speed at which they flickered, Farquhar explained, enabling the “narrative to change across the length of the run”. “NVA’s landscape works have focused on how what you see changes as you move through a particular location”, he said. “Movement is seen as fundamental to how we order our perception of the world, thus the rhythm of movement becomes a source of creativity in itself. “It demonstrates a way to collectively invest deeper into a sense of where we are and how that extends our understanding of the world”. The British Council was delighted that NVA chose Yokohama for its first overseas performance of Speed of Light, fighting off competition from several other cities around the world. “[The event’s] focus on innovative lighting technology as well as human
movement and mass participation fits well in Japan, where new energy-saving technology and collective action—along with the recognition of the need for a creative response from the arts—are all features of the aftermath of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake”, according to Manami Yuasa, head of arts at the British Council Japan. “At the British Council in Japan, we are fond of saying how creative the UK is and how many opportunities there are for the development of partnerships using Japan’s very special creativity. “Speed of Light is a very exciting example of this”, Yuasa added. “I’m sure that the blending of sport and art in this way will be very appealing for audiences here, and am thrilled that so many people at Smart Illumination Yokohama 2012 will be able to experience this wonderful collaboration between the UK and Japan”. www.smart-illumination.jp/ www.speedoflight2012.org.uk
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 19
FASHION
It’s All in the Detail Hats, cashmere, “upcycled” fabric draw record number of visitors to British fashion mission
Pachacuti-brand Panama hats for men and women are made using traditional skills.
Custom Media • • • •
Japanese are big and prompt payers UK fashion sector dwarfs car industry Sustainability, heritage and quality sell Demand for innovative, unique brands
J
apan has always been a fertile hunting ground for the UK’s fashion designers, but the two-day showcase event of this year’s Great Britain Fashion Mission to Japan attracted the highest-ever number of buyers and media visitors. Staged at the Laforet Museum Harajuku, 24 British fashion firms displayed their products at the “meet-the-buyers” opportunity, with many already reporting positive results. “We met with a number of buyers from large department stores, select shops, distributors and agents”, said Mark Rogers of specialist hat makers Pachacuti Ltd. The name means “world upside-down” in Quechua, an indigenous language of the Andean region. “We can certainly see great potential for Pachacuti in the Japanese market, as there are so many stores stocking hats”, Rogers said. “Many of the larger stores generally place small initial orders and then
20 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
build up their business over the years, as they gain confidence in you as a reliable supplier. So we are hoping sales to current customers will gradually increase, and that we will supply new stores”. Established in 1992 and based in Ashbourne, on the edge of the Peak District, Pachacuti is renowned for its collection of Panama hats. In 2009, it was the first firm in the world to be Fair Trade Certified by the World Fair Trade Organization, the global authority of fair trade. With a staff of seven, Pachacuti supplies 300 retailers worldwide and has created private label collections for clothing brands such as Paul Smith, Monsoon and Cath Kidston.
The firm is now looking to expand in Japan, which already represents 60% of its export sales and where its hats are available at Matsuya Co., Ltd and Isetan Mitsukoshi department stores. “Japan has been our biggest growth market and, unlike Europe, where hatwearing has been in decline, hats are worn frequently here, both for fashion purposes and for sun protection”, said Rogers. “In Japan, a hat is perceived as ‘making an outfit’ and is an important fashion accessory, while in Europe and the US, hats are worn infrequently by the majority of the population. “An additional reason for expanding sales in Japan during these difficult economic times is that the Japanese are very prompt in paying and, generally, pay 50% in advance, which really helps our cash flow”. Scottish knitwear brand Caerlee 1788 Ltd, which has its own cashmere mill in Innerleithen, southern Scotland, has made an initial foray into Japan. The firm’s co-founder, Valerie Voon, has high hopes for the market here.
Valerie Voon’s Scottish knitwear brand has high hopes for the cashmere market in Japan.
FASHION
Media and buyers flocked to the Great Britain Fashion Mission to Japan.
“We have been visited by many Japanese, both media and tourists, who discovered that we are the maker of Ballantyne hand-intarsia cashmere knitwear”, Voon said. “From their interest in our knitwear, we decided that, as a brand, we can offer products made by our cashmere artisans directly for the Japanese market”. While the brand is new, the mill has been operating for about 220 years, making it Scotland’s oldest continually operating cashmere mill. “I love the fashion in Japan and the fact that Japanese understand and appreciate beautiful, well-made products, as well as having a deep understanding of craftsmanship”, she said. “That is important to us, because that is what we are about. “I believe we have great potential in this market and that there will be increasing interest in high-quality craftsmanship and luxury products”, she said. The brand has deep roots in British heritage and, since Caerlee 1788 prefers
using Scottish yarns, the garments are 100% made in Scotland. “I think this resonates well with the Japanese market”, she added. Lost Property of London is another newcomer to the British fashion scene, specialising in incorporating secondhand fabrics into beautiful yet practical totes and travel bags. The studio was founded in 2009 by Katy Bell, a graduate of London-based Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, when she turned a fair trade coffee sack into a prototype bag. Three years later, the firm’s items are stocked in boutiques and department stores from Dubai, the US and Italy, to Hong Kong and Japan. “There were many companies which we were keen to meet again, having had a lot of interest from the Japanese market during the previous trade show in Paris”, Bell told BCCJ ACUMEN. “Buyers seemed very receptive to our ethos, so I feel the Japanese fashion industry is open to the concept of sustainability”, she explained. “They care
The specialist hat makers were the first firm to be Fair Trade Certified by the World Fair Trade Organization.
about detail, and don’t mind spending slightly more to ensure quality. “We believe that our products will work well in the Japanese market, primarily because we have a product with a strong story”, she added. “All of our products are made in London using upcycled materials found within the city. This unique selling point has proved extremely popular in the Japanese market”. Bell hopes to be able to maintain and nurture the relationships that were forged on the brand’s first visit to Tokyo, and added that the initial reaction to the trade mission has given her the strong belief that the firm can do very well here. While many British fashion firms fall into the small and medium-sized enterprise category, their collective contribution to the national economy is nothing short of huge—representing twice as much as that of the UK’s car manufacturing industry, pointed out Kae Miyazawa, one of the organisers of the UK Trade and Investment event. “After the US, Japan has always been the most important export destination for the UK fashion industry. We continue to see fresh opportunities for innovative and unique brands that are determined to succeed here”, Miyazawa said. “Japanese consumers are particularly understanding and appreciative of the quality and originality of UK fashion”, she added. “This year’s UK fashion trade mission once again demonstrated that Japan continues to be one of the most fashionforward countries in Asia, representing a valuable and important partner for the best of British fashion”.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 21
INTERVIEW
Ernfred Olsen Country executive for the Royal Bank of Scotland Japan PHOTOS: ANTONY TRAN
By Julian Ryall
F
ounded in Edinburgh in 1727, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has over 140,000 employees and serves about 30mn customers in 38 countries. In the third quarter of 2012, RBS reported a core operating profit of £1.633bn, up from £980mn the previous year. RBS started its Tokyo operation and introduced its distinctive logo in 2001, after having acquired the National Westminster (NatWest) Bank Group in 2000 and the business of the NatWest Tokyo Branch that had opened in Tokyo in 1971. Ernie Olsen, the country executive for RBS Japan since February 2010, has overseen the institution’s recovery in the Japanese market in the aftermath of the global financial crisis that commenced in 2007.
What services does RBS provide in Japan? We focus on our core strengths— international debt financing,
22 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
transaction services, risk management— where we maintain market-leading positions globally. Throughout our worldwide network, we raise capital for companies; manage risks; and move money through our transaction services—the three key areas for banks and securities companies. We are typically in the top five in the global league tables in all three categories, which is important for what it says about our clients. They choose to bank with RBS, which is what has put us in these leading positions. These scorecards show how well we are serving our clients’ needs.
How have your operations changed in the time you have headed RBS here? Since the onset of the global financial crisis, our primary role has been restructuring. This has meant strengthening our balance sheet, reducing our operating cost base and rationalising our services. What we have achieved has made us a very different proposition now. We are ahead of the targets that were spelt out
in our restructuring plan and I feel very positive that we are going into 2013 in a very good position and will be able to serve our clients better.
How would you characterise the state of the Japanese economy at present? A lot of attention has been focused on Japan’s “lost decades”, but I don’t think most Japanese would agree that this has been the case. People around the country have homes, jobs, health care, education and entertainment. The cost of living is coming down. People have choices when it comes to food, music, art and travel, and corporate R&D expenditures remain substantial.
And for RBS here? People often correlate success with economic growth, but this is a Western concept and is not necessarily shared by the Japanese. We do not expect to see huge economic growth in Japan for a number of reasons, including the demographic situation. Thus, we were cautious in our review
INTERVIEW
“People often correlate success with economic growth, but this is a Western concept and is not necessarily shared by the Japanese”.
of strategic priorities for our wholesale banking business in light of the changing regulatory environment and deterioration in market conditions. We focused on the areas where we are strong and scaled back in business where we do not believe we have a competitive position. We have many clients who are now investing outside Japan. This tells me companies here understand that Japan is not going to grow and they need to go offshore. This is perfect for us as we have a network of operations in 38 countries and can work with Japanese clients in the three core areas. On the securities side, Japan is still the second-wealthiest country in the world, with some $39trn in national wealth. It is vitally important for us to have a strong sales and trading business here and to link that with the other 38 countries where we operate. International banks have to focus on the value proposition of their global network.
How is the RBS restructuring effort progressing? As shown in our recent results, our programme continues to make excellent progress as we take the action needed to make the bank safer and stronger. It’s similar to going on a diet, but we still have a few pounds to shed. The end is in sight and that is reflected in a variety of things, including our share price. Internally we’re seeing positive signs in terms of staff morale. The focus now is on looking ahead, identifying opportunities and how we can take advantage of them. We are creating a safe and sustainable business that serves our clients well, and look forward to making sure we continue to do so.
best serve them by introducing them to a local partner or business opportunity. We can also help when it comes to things like financing acquisitions—which can be very complicated to put together— and are able to do some things that Japanese banks simply can’t do well. What we cannot do is lend less expensively than a Japanese bank, so we do not try to compete in that space. However, when a company is looking for services like financing for imports or foreign exchange services, our systems are better.
happened, it would completely change the complexion of Japan as an international financial centre. Our international corporate banking franchise enables us to establish longterm client partnerships through our ability to clearly understand customer needs and to translate these into smart solutions. We are focusing on our product strengths in the Japanese markets where there are big opportunities for growth.
What changes would you like to see in the banking sector in Japan and how would they benefit clients and the economy?
Over 30 key Japanese clients attended a Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) event, designed to emphasise the importance of innovative thinking, entitled “Japan & Europe: The Future”. At the November occasion held in London, the bank’s economists, cash and trade specialists, and currency strategists delivered a series of presentations devised to provide thought leadership on a wide array of topical subjects. In addition, Timon Screech, a professor of History of Art at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, spoke on “The Birth of Western-style Painting in Japan”. This presentation emphasised one of RBS’ key messages of collaboration and working in partnership across borders.
I’ve been working in financial services in Japan for 26 years, giving me a longterm perspective. If the government implemented changes, it would be able to attract firms back to Tokyo. In recent years, we have lost out to Hong Kong and Singapore, but that could be reversed. There are lots of reasons firms are moving out of Tokyo, but the key one is that banks find it hard to run a profitable business here. This is partly due to competition that drives uneconomic pricing in many areas. I believe that things will improve over time, including the regulatory framework. There would be multiple benefits and, if it
How can you help firms looking to enter the Japanese market? Initially, it’s about trying to understand who our clients are and trying to meet their needs. These firms are typically already on top of their own business, so often we can
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 23
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ENGINEERING
“The voice of torque” makes specialist items for space, land and sea.
Torque of the Town UKTI helps Banbury tool firm build on its long presence here
Owen Hillis: strong communication for good ties.
Custom Media
F
rom the bottom of the world’s deepest oceans to aboard the International Space Station, Norbar Torque Tools Ltd. plays a critical role in ensuring that state-of-the-art equipment performs to its full capacity. The torque equipment manufacturer has been a force in the Japanese market since 1966. The Banbury-based firm is launching a new drive, with the assistance of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) team at the British Embassy Tokyo, to further build on its reputation here. A team of senior executives from Norbar, which prides itself on being “the voice of torque”, visited Japan in October to sign a formal distribution agreement with Shinko Boeki Co. Ltd., its long-term partner for the local market.
“The relationship works well in general because [Shinko Boeki] devotes sufficient resources to managing the business effectively and, most importantly, our communications are strong, in both directions”, Owen Hillis, manager of Norbar’s international division, told BCCJ ACUMEN. “We try to be culturally sensitive, and they are understanding of us. “Japan is very important to us, as you would expect for a market and distributor with which we have worked for so long, and I look forward to it becoming even more important in the future”, he added. Established in 1942 as the North Bar Tool Company, the firm became the first British business to commercially manufacture a torque wrench, the tool used to precisely apply a specific torque to a nut or bolt. Initial demand was driven by the need to accurately tighten the gasketless cylinder heads of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine—which powered a number of wartime aircraft. Since then, Norbar has grown into the world’s largest torque specialist, with one of the most modern facilities devoted exclusively to the design, development and production of torque tightening and measuring equipment. Still managed and wholly owned by the family of the founder, Bill Brodey, the
firm offers services, on four continents, that include instrument calibration and recalibration to the original factory standard. As well as its UK headquarters, Norbar has accredited facilities in Adelaide, South Australia; Willoughby, in the US state of Ohio; Shanghai, China; and since 2004, in Singapore, where it opened a laboratory to meet the needs of the firm’s Asian customers. Raising the firm’s profile in Japan— where end users include Astro Products and World Import Tools, among others—is part of the organisation’s global strategy. “We will be working closely to support Shinko Boeki as they grow our business”, said Hillis. “We have committed that someone from Norbar will visit Japan to support them at least twice per year. “We are a long-term, family company whose directors and managers value business relationships”. The firm is grateful for all the support and guidance that the embassy team has provided, growing out of the firm’s original market research project. In an initial meeting in London with Matthew Matsumoto-Prouten, who led the embassy team that worked with Norbar, Hillis said: “I quickly formed the view that he ‘got it’. “I have nothing but praise for the job they delivered”, he said. “For Norbar Torque Tools, [the collaboration] has proved to be excellent value for money. “We were so satisfied that we commissioned a further project from [UKTI] and I would not be surprised if we requested more help from them again”, he added. “Outside the direct project level, I find [the UKTI team] so helpful that I always try and schedule an informal courtesy visit to UKTI whenever I’m in Tokyo, as this provides me with the chance to discuss the strategic direction we are taking as well as minor—yet important—matters”. Norbar has several ambitions for its Japanese operations, ranging from significantly growing sales revenue and assisting Shinko Boeki, to entering new industrial sectors, finding new applications and launching new products. “Ours is too complex a product range to precisely quantify, but I would hope that, in five years’ time, our sales in Japan will be significantly larger than they are today”, Hillis said. One area in which the firm is hoping to expand its presence is a throwback to its formative years. “Perhaps we can work to grow the aviation sector in Japan, if we work hard and enjoy good luck”, he said.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 25
PUBLICITY
Bridging the Global Achievement Gap New course encourages participation, collaboration and interaction
T
he British School in Tokyo (BST) has enjoyed an enviable reputation for the provision of high-quality education since first opening its doors in Shibuya almost a quarter of a century ago. However, the past year has seen its star rise even higher. One of only 25 British Schools worldwide to have been independently inspected and accredited under the new British Schools Overseas standards, BST celebrated the success of its first cohort of A-level students in 2012 and saw them off to some of the top universities in the UK. Remarkably, 60% of all examinations were awarded an A* or A grade, which compares very favourably with the UK independent school average of 50%. The introduction of A-levels at BST has led to a dramatic increase in enquiries from ambitious students of other nationalities who are keen to win places at prestigious universities overseas. Current students have already been offered places at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
26 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
However, the UK is not the only destination of choice. Young people today see themselves as global citizens and recognise that A-levels offer an academic passport that can take them almost anywhere. Most universities worldwide are very familiar with the UK’s public examination system and are more than happy to accept students with A-levels or their equivalent. The specialist nature of British sixth form courses means that students with better grades can earn significant credit. At Harvard University, for example, at least three A or B grades will earn you a place, but three A grades will merit a full year’s academic credit. The heightened interest in A-levels has led to the development of F1, a challenging and innovative one-year bridging course. It is to be offered to students who are high-achievers, beginning in September 2013, as an introduction to the A-level programme. This path is not for the faint-hearted. The 15 and 16 year-old students who choose this option will frequently find themselves outside their comfort zone. They will need to bring with them the expectation that they will not just sit and listen, but participate, collaborate and interact. They will be expected to shape their curriculum in partnership with teachers and facilitators, and will have to be 21st century learners. Aimed at self-motivated young people currently studying outside the British system, or those arriving in Tokyo too late to start the two-year IGCSE course, the F1 programme will provide an interdisciplinary, project-based and research-driven route to A-levels. In addition to studying an English, Maths, Science and Humanities core, students will develop transferable skills that will enable them to thrive as confident, independent life-long learners.
In line with BST’s ethos, the scope of the course will extend well beyond the classroom and will include physical challenges, opportunities for creativity and artistic appreciation, as well as the requirement to commit to a programme of service to others. Potential for leadership will be the hallmark of successful applicants. The curriculum will not be textbookdriven, or fragmented with subjects taught in isolation; it will be thematic, project-based and integrated. Skills and content will be learned through research and application, while assessment will be rigorous, ongoing and include a very significant element of reflection and self-evaluation. Successful graduation from the F1 programme will lead to a two-year course of A-level study, focused on four subjects of the student’s choice and an externally assessed course in Critical Thinking and, eventually, to the best universities in the world. The challenge that all parents and educators face today is to prepare young people for life in a rapidly changing world beyond our imagining. In The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner identifies seven survival skills that today’s young learners will need in the 21st century: • Critical thinking and problem solving • Collaboration across networks and leading by influence • Agility and adaptability • Initiative and entrepreneurialism • Effective oral and written communication • Accessing and analysing information • Curiosity and imagination These skills are central, not only to the F1 syllabus, but to all that the British School seeks to offer its students from the age of three to 18. Why not visit and learn more?
EDUCATION & CORPORATE TRAINING | INDUSTRY
Building Trust The British Council is helping to improve English language proficiency By Megan Waters
E
stablished in 1934, the British Council operates in more than 100 countries and territories to spread and strengthen Britain’s influence through the development of cultural relations. In addition, it seeks to build trust and international opportunities, support growth and prosperity, as well as provide excellent value for the UK. The Japan branch of the council is involved in three strategic lines of business, namely, the arts, the English language, as well as education and society. Research by Chatham House placed the English language, education and culture—the key areas of work of the British Council—as the top three factors in supporting the UK’s overseas reputation. The fact that the UK was recently ranked number one in the world in terms of soft power by Monocle magazine suggests that these assets really matter. As Jeff Streeter, the Japan director of the British Council, told BCCJ ACUMEN: “Arts, language and education matter in building trust around the world, and trust is worth money. Economic dividends flow through trust, and countries that trust each other, trade more with each other, creating more wealth for everybody. “The reputation of the UK will attract more people to study and do business there”, Streeter explained. The British Council in Japan is concentrating on its work in English education to build the UK’s reputation and hopes the country will be seen as the top English-language source of expertise. Compared with most other nonEnglish speaking developed countries, Japan struggles in terms of Englishlanguage levels, as is demonstrated by its performance in international tests. Streeter believes that one of the reasons for this is inadequate testing. “This makes people believe that, having passed an English test they have achieved a good level of the language. However, the majority are grammar tests and are not internationally benchmarked”, he said.
Jeff Streeter, director Japan, British Council
“Unfortunately, this is what people have bought into and is an unreliable and inefficient standard”. The council is working on improving testing through promoting UK tests, including their co-owned International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Aptis tests—a new global English assessment service. In addition, they work with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and link their testing methods to international structures such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Language. In addition, they are concentrating on looking at language study not as an academic discipline but, instead, as a means of communication. “This is closely related to internationalisation, because the drive to internationalise is often accompanied by a desire for an improved standard of English”, he added. The British Council is active in other aspects of internationalisation and works with universities to train students and administrators in English. Through training programmes and seminars, it helps to build effective links and forge stronger partnerships with the UK. The council believes that thinking globally and having an understanding of international cultures is important, particularly for younger people. Results of employer surveys in the UK and Japan tend to agree. “Research in the UK commissioned by ICM [Research Ltd] in 2011 found that 79% of employers considered knowledge and awareness of the wider world as important, compared with 74% who looked at degree subjects, while 68% looked at A-level results.
“The UK is very attractive to the Japanese, partly because they see affinities between Japanese and UK culture. The way that UK universities teach is very much geared to building the sort of skills that Japanese students are looking for when they go overseas. These skills—communication, teamwork and problem solving—are transferable to almost all professions”. However, the British Council faces particular challenges in English teaching here. Japan favours certain examinations, such as TOEIC, meaning that most people recognise only one option. “Getting people to see that there are other options is difficult”, he added. To this end, the British Council has been working with MEXT and language professionals in a bid to inform them of available options. However, Streeter believes it will take years before there is a fully pluralistic market within English examinations here. Among its other activities, the British Council Japan has a very successful partnership with the Eiken Foundation of Japan—a non-profit foundation set up in Japan in 1963—that administers the EIKEN tests and works with the council on the IELTS examination. Furthermore, the RENKEI partnership, involving 12 universities from the UK and Japan, will enable institutions of higher education in both countries to engage more fully with their respective economies and societies—at the same time strengthening links with industries. Over their 60 years in Japan, the British Council has played a large part in developing the UK–Japan relationship. “The links between higher education institutions have increased enormously and the overall relationship in the area of the arts is much more established”. Streeter hopes the British Council can make an important contribution to a generational change in English language proficiency. “Improved language proficiency would have a transformative effect on peoples’ lives. That’s why we believe in it in an international context. “Japan has so much to offer the world—culturally, politically and in the area of diplomacy—in terms of its values that could be hugely beneficial to the global community”.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 27
THE A-LIST OF EDUCATION
The American School in Japan is a dynamic school with a rigorous academic programme that prepares students for the future. Graduates matriculate to leading universities in the UK, including the University College London, the University of York, the University of Edinburgh, as well as in the US, Canada, Australia and Japan. State-of-the-art facilities on the 14-acre main campus support outstanding performing arts opportunities and an extensive athletics programme. Fifty levels of Japanese, from beginner to native, are offered from grade 1. Spanish and Mandarin are available in the middle and high school, while further language options are available through the Global Online Academy.
Company Name:
The American School in Japan
Address:
1-1-1 Nomizu Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-0031
Contact:
Mary Margaret Mallat, director of admissions
Telephone:
0422-34-5300 (Chofu campus)
Email:
enroll@asij.ac.jp
Website:
www.asij.ac.jp
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM • • • • •
Classes conducted in English, following a curriculum largely drawn from the US Excellent standardised test results at all levels Advanced Placement courses recognised by international universities Over 100 extracurricular activities Most extensive range of facilities of any international school in Japan
Established in 1989, The British School in Tokyo (BST) provides a top quality education in central Tokyo for 750 international pupils aged 3–18. BST is unique in Japan as it follows the English National Curriculum from Nursery to A-levels, preparing pupils for entry to universities worldwide. A recent independent inspection confirmed BST as “excellent”, the highest mark possible. Described as a dynamic, creative environment, the inspectors highlighted that the pupils’ overall achievement is excellent and BST staff show true commitment to ensuring the welfare, health and safety of pupils. With a full range of extracurricular activities and an outstanding sports programme, we pride ourselves on our pupils being well-rounded individuals, fully equipped for the challenges of the future.
Company Name:
The British School in Tokyo
Address:
1-21-18 Shibuya Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002
Contact:
Shoko Unabara (Admissions)
Telephone:
03-6418-5351
Email:
admissions@bst.ac.jp
Website:
www.bst.ac.jp
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM • • • • • •
Co-educational Ages 3–18 750 students of 50 nationalities Central Tokyo location Full programmes for sport, adventurous activities and the creative arts Outstanding academic results
The International School of the Sacred Heart (ISSH) is located in the heart of Tokyo and is surrounded by greenery. Our teachings are based on the Five Goals of the Worldwide Sacred Heart community: faith, intellect, community, awareness and growth. We offer core and elective subjects that provide opportunities for young women to discover their strengths and deal with their limitations positively in an unthreatening, nurturing and stimulating atmosphere, allowing them to acquire leadership skills and build confidence in an all-girls environment. A school with a strong sense of community that lasts a lifetime, ISSH is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of International Schools, and is a member of the worldwide Network of Sacred Heart Schools and the Society of the Sacred Heart.
Company Name:
International School of the Sacred Heart
Address:
4-3-1 Hiroo Shibuya-ku, 150-0012
Contact:
Yvonne Hayes, headmistress
Telephone:
03-3400-3951
Email:
info@issh.ac.jp
Website:
www.issh.ac.jp
28 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM • International Primary Curriculum • Advanced Placement programme (grades 11 and 12) • English as a Second Language programme
bccjacumen.com/a-list
Founded in 1997, K. International School Tokyo aims to provide high-quality education to highly motivated children from diverse cultural and social backgrounds in a safe and nurturing environment, producing competent and moral individuals who make meaningful contributions to the global community. We are the only school in the Kanto area which is fully authorised by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an IB World School to offer the three inquirybased IB programmes: Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme (DP). Our ultimate goal is to enable students to achieve success in the DP. Almost 100% of our graduates go on to attend universities around the world, many with full and partial scholarships. Company Name:
K. International School Tokyo
Address:
1-5-15 Shirakawa Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0021
Contact:
Admissions Office
Telephone:
03-3642-9993 (English) 03-3642-9992 (Japanese)
Email:
info@kist.ed.jp
Website:
www.kist.ed.jp
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM • • • • • •
About 580 students aged 3–18 In-class English language support After-school English and mathematics support Summer academic programmes English intensive class (grades 6–8) All nationalities welcome
Since its beginnings in 1993, The Montessori School of Tokyo (MST) has been offering a high quality, truly child-centred, Montessori curriculum to Tokyo families. Currently serving close to 100 families and representing over 30 countries from around the world, MST is a truly international community and is conveniently located in central Tokyo’s Minami-Azabu. Hosting some of the largest and brightest classrooms in Tokyo, a well-equipped library that boasts over 8,000 books and a spacious garden, MST is proud to offer a nurturing environment that allows all students time to explore, learn at their own pace and make new discoveries daily.
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM Company Name:
The Montessori School of Tokyo
Address:
3-5-13 Minami-Azabu Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047
Contact:
Jun Morita (Admissions)
Telephone:
03-5449-7067
Email:
admit@montessorijapan.com
Website:
www.montessorijapan.com
• • • •
Authentic Montessori curriculum (ages 2–12) Fully qualified faculty and administration Fully accredited by the International Montessori Council Extensive music, performance arts, physical education and extracurricular programmes • Regular field trips, annual camping trip, ski trip, summer programmes and participation in the Montessori Model United Nations
Conveniently located in central Tokyo, Nishimachi International School is a coeducational, nonsectarian, K-9 day school that offers a vibrant education in English and Japanese to children from all over the globe. For over six decades, students have left Nishimachi well equipped to meet the challenges of higher education, careers and a fast-moving world. Nishimachi’s mission is to educate students to be international and independent thinkers. The school is committed to developing in every child strong language and communication skills, an analytical and inquiring mind, cross-cultural sensitivity, creativity, flexibility, and the ability to work well in groups.
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM Company Name:
Nishimachi International School
Address:
2-14-7 Moto Azabu Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0046
Contact:
Kiki Jiang-Yamaguchi, admissions officer
Telephone:
03-3451-5520
Email:
admissions@nishimachi.ac.jp
Website:
www.nishimachi.ac.jp
The school features a unique international curriculum. The main language of instruction is English, although every student has one class of Japanese daily, covering language, culture and history, which deepens and enriches the international experience. The school awards scholarships to select students from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds through the Outreach Scholarship Program for Student Diversity.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 29
THE A-LIST OF EDUCATION
Founded in 1872, Saint Maur International School is the oldest international school in Japan. We offer a quality education, from pre-school to high school, for students of all nationalities and religious beliefs, within a well-maintained modern facility. Our co-educational school continues to implement innovative programmes, such as our elementary French school, robotics curriculum, Toddlers Group for infants and their mothers, and an extensive Adult Enrichment Programme. Saint Maur is accredited by the Council of International Schools & New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is registered as a Gakko Hojin (educational establishment) by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Company Name:
Saint Maur International School
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM
Address:
83 Yamate-cho Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-8654
Contact:
Dick Rucci, director of admissions
Telephone:
045-641-5751
Email:
office@stmaur.ac.jp
Website:
www.stmaur.ac.jp
• Montessori • International Primary Curriculum • International General Certificate of Secondary Education • International Baccalaureate • Advanced Placement • SAT Reasoning Test
• SAT Subject Tests • Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test • Lions-Quest international programme • Trinity International Music Examination
St. Mary’s is a boys’ school founded in 1954 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction. About 850 boys from more than 50 countries, ranging from pre-1st to grade 12, study on a nine-acre site in the green residential area of Setagaya-ku. We offer a challenging array of core curricular and extracurricular programmes to meet the educational and developmental needs of young men. Our programmes are taught at different levels to the changing needs of the students, and focus on their learning characteristics. The new school building, completed in March 2011, includes classroom/ administration, pool/cafeteria, gym/fine arts, and artificial-turf athletic field.
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM Company Name:
St. Mary’s International School
Address:
1-6-19 Seta Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8668
Contact:
Admissions
Telephone:
03-3709-3411
Email:
admissions@smis.ac.jp
Website:
www.smis.ac.jp
• US college-preparatory programme and International Baccalaureate • Core programme plus art, music, PE, swimming Japanese and other languages • English as a Second Language programme • College guidance • Extensive school bus service • Extracurricular activities, clubs and sports • Ski programme, grades 4 to 6
Founded in 1924 as a pioneer in international education, Yokohama International School (YIS) remains committed to providing the highest quality, balanced education to internationally minded students aged three to 18 in an inquiring, supportive and exciting learning environment. Only 35 minutes by train from central Tokyo, YIS is an independent, not-forprofit school fully accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM Company Name:
Yokohama International School
Address:
258 Yamate-cho Naka-ku, Yokohama 231 0862
Contact:
Susan Chen, admissions & student affairs manager
Telephone:
045-622-0084
Email:
admissions@yis.ac.jp
Website:
www.yis.ac.jp
30 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
We pride ourselves on our close sense of community, wide range of extracurricular and outreach activities, and our strong academic programmes, which reflect the best practises in international education. In our Early Learning Center and elementary school, we offer the IB Primary Years Program and Reggio Emilia Approach. The IB Middle Years Program is being phased in across grades 6 to 10, and the academically challenging and balanced IB Diploma Program prepares students in grades 11 to 12 for success at university and life beyond.
THE A-LIST OF CORPORATE TRAINING
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are a world leader in language teaching and learning, and many aspects of our work in English involve assessment. Using our comprehensive experience and knowledge of the industry, and after two years of intensive research, we have developed a new global English assessment tool designed for organisations. Our new testing service, Aptis, is fast, flexible, adaptable, affordable and easy to administer. Are you interested in enhancing your global competitiveness? Contact us to learn more about assessing your staff’s English skills with Aptis.
Company Name:
British Council
Address:
1-2 Kagurazaka Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0825
Contact:
Chie Yasuda
Telephone:
03-3235-8031
Email:
exams@britishcouncil.or.jp
Website:
www.britishcouncil.or.jp
AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • •
Language testing Language teaching Teacher training Cultural relations
Know the Book? You Will Love the Course! Dale Carnegie pioneered corporate training. Businesses in 86 countries benefit from his breakthrough ideas, including 90% of Fortune 500 companies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is 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 from a team, or making the sale, the human dimension is the critical factor. Constant feedback and refinement over 100 years has made us the choice for business solutions and organisational change, and we have been helping firms in Japan, in English and Japanese, for 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, one call to us will do it.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • • •
Team member engagement Customer service Sales effectiveness Persuasion power Human relations effectiveness
• • • • •
Leadership development Process improvement Presentation effectiveness Stress management Global employees
McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management’s unique weekend MBA programme is taught by our professors who fly in from Montreal. This programme allows students to pursue a full MBA from one of the world’s leading universities, while continuing to work. Taught in English, our programme attracts students from all over the world.
Company Name:
McGill MBA Japan
Address:
6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku 6-chome Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023
Contact:
Philip O’Neill
PROGRAMME / CURRICULUM
Telephone:
03-3342-3430
Email:
philip.oneill@mcgillmbajapan.com
Website:
www.mcgill.ca/desautels/programs/mbajapan
• MBA programmes • Executive Education • International Business
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 31
FOR A DIFFERENT...
PERSPECTIVE ON JAPAN
WALKJAPAN Pioneers of tours to the great places of Japan you never knew existed.
www.walkjapan.com
PUBLICITY
McGill University One of world’s top 20 universities offers innovative courses
M
cGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management is at the forefront of management research and education. It aims to foster continued innovation, leverage excellence and develop students into business leaders who have a global outlook and understand the importance of personal responsibility. We approach business education by delivering a comprehensive and leadingedge curriculum based on the theory of Integrative Learning. McGill offers a wide range of educational opportunities through its many innovative programmes, including full-time and evening MBA courses; a specialist MBA in Health Leadership; an International Masters in Practicing Management; and a Joint Executive
MBA programme with HEC Montreal, the independent affiliated business school of the University of Montreal, and the oldest management school in Canada. The McGill MBA Japan programme, offered on weekends in Tokyo, is both the top programme in Japan, and among the leading MBA programmes worldwide. Taught by our own professors who fly in from our home campus in Montreal, the McGill MBA Japan programme is designed to develop future leaders for Japan, the rest of Asia and around the world. The Desautels Faculty of Management MBA programmes were ranked in the top 10 worldwide by Businessweek and in the Financial Times’ Global Top 100. With more than 37,500 students, 215,000 alumni and a reputation for excellence that reaches around the globe, McGill has carved out a spot among the
Philip O’Neill BA, B.Ed, MBA. Director, McGill MBA Japan Programme Desautels Faculty of Management of McGill University Tel: 03-3342-3430
world’s greatest universities, being 18th in the 2012 QS World University Rankings— the standing of the world’s top 700 universities as assessed, since 2004, using a method devised by the firm Quacquarelli Symonds, which specialises in education and study abroad, and operates globally from offices in London. Find out more about our programme at: www.mcgill.ca/desautels/mbajapan
EDUCATION & CORPORATE TRAINING | INDUSTRY
The Vision Thing By Dr Greg Story President Dale Carnegie Training Japan
L
eadership is a constant battered by fashion. The best sellers come and go, and their authors flame out trying to extend the brand. We all seem to have a huge appetite for answers, and want to find that edge or glint of an idea that will secure the required result. However, the antidote to all this trendy activity is often a clear dose of reality. Many years ago in Australia, I read a comment from an American management guru that said: “90% of the books purchased on management sit on shelves unread”. In typical Aussie sceptic mode, I thought: “What a lot of rubbish!” A casual scan along my bookshelves was refreshing—it was a journey of good intentions with many of the books not yet read! Somehow, just having them there made me feel I was going to get smarter—a bit like spinning Buddhist prayer wheels—a lot easier than actually having to read the sutras! I believed osmotic forces would somehow transfer the good bits into my brain (I’m still waiting, by the way). At Dale Carnegie Training, we have developed a Cycle of Performance Improvement and have nominated the “knowledge trap” as one of the key barriers to growth. This refers to providing people with information or knowledge in the form of materials, such as books, or from the contents of training. It is all great stuff, but is not sticky. It doesn’t last and, even worse, it doesn’t get used. Thus, we get trapped in self-delusion about the osmotic process, thinking it will work for us even if we don’t do anything. We all want to believe the activity of absorption (reading) is equal to actually absorbing the learning (doing). Spin that knowledge wheel and pray for the best! We usually only manage to get new ideas or information into our short-term memory and, unfortunately, it soon disappears. The really critical issue becomes behaviour change—how to translate the knowledge into actions that produce results.
The knowledge trap has to be bridged through activities to get the knowledge out of its academic constructs (I know it) and into practical usage (I use it). Unless you actually do something with it, the information only stays in your head briefly and never gets into your body! This is where long-term memory is created because you are influencing behaviour. In sport, this is called neuron grooving—the repetition of the same action until you can do it without thought, and can keep reproducing the best outcome, time after time. So, if fashion isn’t going to do it for us— given we don’t even read most of what fashion has to say anyway—what are some basics we can revisit? “Getting the right people on the right bus and in the right seat” is a favourite, if fashionable, quote. However, what comes next is even more critical—getting them all moving in the same direction. As the leader, how do we get people to push or pull in the same way?
We usually only manage to get new ideas or information into our short-term memory and, unfortunately, it soon disappears. The really critical issue becomes behaviour change—how to translate the knowledge into actions that produce results.
Articulating why we need to move at all is a good starting point (reality check: do you do this)? Explaining what we are moving towards also helps (done this too, have you)? How we should be moving could work wonders for teamwork. We call most of this the “vision thing”. There was a big boom in consultants working firm leaders over on vision creation to the point it has become a cliché and is almost a parody of the original intention. After all that time and money spent, you would think the whole vision thing was a done deal, but surprisingly it isn’t. What is the vision thing anyway? Nothing complicated really; just a view on what success might look like, so we can recognise it and strive more effectively to attain it. Yet, when you read vision statements posted on firms’ walls and often penned by the president, they are usually long and totally forgettable. Try asking employees if they can repeat the vision (always a good party trick). You are in little danger of staff being able to pull that one off. How about if we come down to your shop and try it with your team? It can’t be that hard, can it? The idea makes sense—unite people around a desired outcome by articulating what you want to happen. Why not make it brief and to the point so that everyone, including the newest and most junior person, can not only rattle it off at will, but can also explain what it is about? How about getting the red-hot neuron grooving process firing by having people repeat the vision—from memory! Japan loves a chourei (morning assembly) to start the day, and these typical gatherings make a great platform to review why we are all there in the first place and what we are trying to achieve. Have each work group start the day by asking one person to repeat the vision and talk briefly about what it means to them. You can cover a lot of other stuff for the day in the chourei, but that “vision thing” provides some serious glue. This takes about two minutes, costs nothing, unifies the point for everyone and is fashion-proof. Take another look at the idea and give it a go!
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 35
FOOD
Unearthing the Secrets of Wasabi Dorset farmer is first in Europe to grow the fickle plant Jon Old: increasing interest in wasabi.
By Julian Ryall • • • •
Location of wasabi farm is confidential Crop sold to celebrity chefs, posh shops Expensive, slow and difficult to grow Many fake pastes and powders sold
I
n a tranquil valley in Dorset, southwest England—the exact location is a closely guarded secret—a uniquely Japanese crop is taking hold in beds fed by an artesian spring alongside the River Frome. Wasabi plants are being cultivated for the first time in Europe, and a business that began growing this notoriously fickle plant three years ago has since won plaudits from some of the biggest names in modern cuisine. Customers of aptly named The Wasabi Company include celebrated chefs Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux Jnr; Brett Graham, head chef of London’s The Ledbury; and Willliam Curley, the Belgravia-based pâtissier and chocolatier. And while wasabi is not yet a staple in the UK, the fact that it is increasingly appearing is a positive development, believes Jon Old, the firm’s project manager. The next hurdle is to convince consumers to use the real product instead of imitation powders and pastes. “The first thing [the company] read about wasabi was that it was difficult to grow”, Old explained to BCCJ ACUMEN. “When we tried to find out more, we discovered the world of wasabi growing is very competitive and shrouded in secrecy”. On top of that, the plant requires shade, constant temperatures, clean, flowing water and free-draining gravel beds, which combine to make it a crop that few could consider growing on a commercial basis. It also takes two years to come to harvest, causing problems linked to disease build-up and making it more
The River Frome helps feed the plants.
36 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
FOOD
susceptible to quirks of the weather, unlike faster-growing crops. “However, with fifth-generation watercress farmers in the company, we felt that if anyone could grow it, we could”, he said. Wasabi has been cultivated in Japan since the 16th century and when grated, the stem, or rhizome, is used to make the pale green paste that is a de rigueur accompaniment to sushi. Wasabia japonica is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which also encompasses cabbages, horseradish and mustard, and is primarily cultivated in the prefectures of Shizuoka, Nagano and Iwate. When ground, the root produces vapours that stimulate the nasal passages more than the tongue. And as it is difficult to cultivate, it is expensive. The high price has driven demand for substitute versions, most of which are made from horseradish, mustard, starch and green food colouring. “Because fresh wasabi is so hard to find in the UK, there was not a demand for it that was required to be filled”, Old said. “However, with no competition from any other suppliers in Europe, and the growing popularity of sushi and Japanese food in general, we felt that demand would follow supply.
“Interest in the crop has been very high since we launched the product, and demand is rapidly increasing among chefs”, he added. “Orders placed through our website are also increasing as the product receives more and more publicity”. Each rhizome sells for between £8 and £45, depending on its size, and is a very different product from what most Britons consider to be wasabi. “We always knew a large part of our mission was educating the public, as currently the only wasabi products on the market are imitation powders and pastes that contain very little—and often no— wasabi”, Old said. “They are made up of horseradish and mustard powder, which give the heat of wasabi, but none of the subtle aromas or flavour notes that have the Michelin-starred chefs excited. “Fresh wasabi’s flavour is only released on grating, when compounds come into contact and react to produce the pungent flavour, along with a surprising sweetness that imitation products cannot convey”. The Wasabi Company dispatches the rhizomes in cardboard boxes. Each rhizome is individually wrapped in wet muslin and plastic, while a grater, brush and instructions accompany each order.
It took three years before the plants flowered.
To ensure that the wasabi is enjoyed in tip-top condition, Old recommends that it be grated and consumed within a fortnight of being received. The last time anyone in the UK attempted to grow wasabi commercially was 30 years ago, in Scotland. That project quickly failed. “All the complex factors mean you have to be very brave or a little crazy to try”, Old said. “For us, it was all about the challenge and being the first to make it work”. www.thewasabicompany.co.uk
“Interest in the crop has been very high since we launched the product, and demand is rapidly increasing among chefs”.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 37
CULTURE
Hyper Japan 2012 Londoners enjoy annual exhibit By Megan Waters
H
eld on 23–25 November, Hyper Japan 2012 showcased Japan’s vibrant pop culture, including manga, anime and J-pop; traditional Japanese culture; food and drink; stage performances and workshops. The annual event—supported by the Embassy of Japan in the UK, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and other organisations—was first held in 2010 to help boost the reputation of J-pop, J-culture, Japanese cuisine and traditions throughout the UK. Kazuhiro Marumo, managing director of Cross Media Ltd., the event’s organiser said: “Hyper Japan is not just the UK’s biggest J-culture event; it’s one of the few Japan-themed events in the world actually run by a Japanese team”. The Earls Court event attracted some 46,000 visitors, the highest number yet to attend the festivities. They were able to try authentic Japanese food and drinks, and take part in sushi workshops. William Curley, four-time winner of the Best British Chocolatier award, who
was featured in the February 2012 issue of BCCJ ACUMEN, introduced his fusion chocolates that were created using Japanese ingredients such as Kikkoman soy sauce and wasabi from S&B Foods Inc. The aim of Hyper Japan, according to Marumo, is to provide a snapshot of Japan as it really is today, from its pop culture, traditions and customs, to technology, food and drink.
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2
38 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
CULTURE 1. ITK Co. Ltd’s Handroid is designed for use in hostile or hazardous environments. 2. The Kawaii Style Street Fashion Show 3. Ninjaman Japan’s performances combine action, drama and music. 4. KAMUI is famous for appearing in the Hollywood blockbuster Kill Bill: Volume 1.
3
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JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 39
ARTS EVENTS Compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto | yoko@custom-media.com
23 JANUARY–1 APRIL Artist File 2013—The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art COURTESY OF GALERIE MAX HETZLER, BERLIN / DARREN ALMOND
The fifth exhibition in the series of contemporary art exhibitions features eight artists, including Darren Almond, one of the most prominent artists in the UK. Almond’s video piece, If I Had You (2005), was shortlisted for the Turner Prize and will be shown together with his Fullmoons series of visionary photographs that were shot in numerous locations around the world.
The National Art Center, Tokyo Special Exhibition Gallery 2E 7-22-2 Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
Darren Almond, Fullmoon@Eifel 2, 2002 Type-C print
10am–6pm (8pm on Fridays) 03-5777-8600 Closed on Tuesdays Adults from ¥1,000
www.nact.jp/english/index.html
8–24 FEBRUARY
JEREMY DELLER, EXODUS, 2012 3D DIGITAL VIDEO PROJECTION THE ARTIST AND THE MODERN INSTITUTE/TOBY WEBSTER
Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2013 With the theme “public diary”, this year’s festival will examine how pictures help people recall memories. Exhibits by artists from all over the world, including UK artists Jeremy Deller and Ben Rivers, will feature at the 5th annual event. Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography Yebisu Garden Place 1-13-3 Mita Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0062
10am–8pm Closed on 12 and 18 February Free of charge (events and seminars excluded) 03-3280-0099
www.yebizo.com/
22 FEBRUARY–4 MARCH © JUN ISHIKAWA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE SYMPHONY HALL
Macbeth
Nomura Mansai, artistic director of the Setagaya Public Theatre, will play the lead role in William Shakespeare’s celebrated play. Performed in Japanese and with elements of Noh and Kyougen incorporated into the performance, this is set to be a special and memorable occasion. Setagaya Public Theatre 4-1-1 Taishido Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 154-0004
Adults from ¥5,000 03-5432-1526 http://setagaya-pt.jp/en/
40 | | BCCJ BCCJACUMEN ACUMEN | | JANUARY JANUARY2013 2013 40
27 February, 1, 2 March 2pm 3 March 4pm 23 February 6pm 22, 26, 28 February, 1, 4 March 7pm Closed on 24, 25 February
28 FEBRUARY–3 MARCH Me and My Girl
Written by Douglas Furber, the British lyricist and playwright, this popular musical was first performed in London in 1973. Award-winning producer Roger Castellano will visit Japan for this performance, which will include selected residents of Toyama Prefecture. Aubade Hall 9-28 Ushijima-machi Toyama-shi, Toyama
28 February, 1, 2 March 6:30pm 2, 3 March 1pm Adults from ¥5,000 076-445-5610
www.aubade.or.jp/en/
3 MARCH–10 MARCH 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE SYMPHONY HALL
The London Symphony Orchestra Japan Tour
The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the well-known Dutch conductor and violinist Bernard Johann Herman Haitink, will visit Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Fukui on their first tour of Japan since 2010. The Osaka Symphony Hall is marking its 30th anniversary this year. The Symphony Hall 2-3-3 Oyodo-minami Kita-ku, Osaka 531-8501 06-6453-6000 Suntory Hall 1-13-1 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 03-3505-1001
Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall 2-3-6 Minato Mirai Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-0012 045-682-2020 Adults from ¥8,000
www.kajimotomusic.com/jp/artists/k=158/
8 MARCH 2013 Sony Music Foundation Special Concert Series for Children—Magical Adventure
The London Symphony Orchestra will perform volume nine of the Sony Music Foundation’s series, For the Next Generation. The concert has been organised especially for children, and will feature a screen show to help them easily understand the performance.
© ALBERTO_VENZAGO
Suntory Hall 1-13-1 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm) Adults from ¥4,000; children from ¥1,500 (Only adults accompanying children are permitted. Preschool children will not be admitted). 03-3261-9933
www.smf.or.jp/sp-kids/lso/
JANUARY 2013 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 41 JANUARY
COMMUNITY HONOURS
UK IN JAPAN-FCO
EMBASSY
Tim Hitchens, the new UK ambassador to Japan, presented his credentials to the Emperor in a ceremony held at the Imperial Palace on 21 December.
BCCJ
Ray Bremner, president and CEO of Unilever Japan Customer Marketing K.K., was appointed OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to corporate social responsibility, the community in Japan and support activities in the Tohoku region after the Great East Japan Earthquake, at Buckingham Palace in December.
SOCIAL
Attending the BCCJ’s Innovation: Exploding the Myth event on 12 December at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Robert Rowland Smith, consultant, lecturer and writer, spoke on the subject of innovation and the application of innovative processes.
BCCJ
From left: Ashley Harvey, country manager of VisitBritain; David Hanna, director of ICIS Reed Business Information Limited; and James Yellowlees, head of Global Daigaku.com Inc., attended the BCCJ Annual Joint Chamber Bonenkai at the Embassy of Canada to Japan on 13 December.
42 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JANUARY 2013
Robert Williams and Tomoko Maeda, Miss Earth Japan 2011 and goodwill ambassador for the Save Minamisoma Project (SMP), at the Brits at Lunch annual Christmas fundraising event. Held at the Tokyo American Club, the 14 December monthly lunch for expats in Japan raised ¥245,000 for SMP, which provides fresh food and water to residents of Minamisoma, a town badly affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
COMMUNITY CHARITY
LAUNCH
Refugees International Japan (RIJ) President Jane Best MBE (centre) at the RIJ Golf Championship, Chiba Country Club, Kawama Course, held on 16 December.
Michael Woodford, former chief executive of Olympus Corporation, introduced his new book, Exposure: Inside the Olympus Scandal, to an audience at the Daiwa Anglo Japanese Foundation’s event in London on 29 November.
FILM
2012 PARAMOUNT PICTURES, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
MUSIC
Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon performed during the Dream Power John Lennon Super Live concert held at the Nippon Budoukan in Tokyo on 8 December. The event marked the 32nd anniversary of the death of John Lennon.
Benedict Cumberbatch (left) with director JJ Abrams (centre) and Chris Pine at a press conference for Star Trek Into Darkness at the 109 Cinema in Kiba, Tokyo, on 4 December. British actor Cumberbatch plays the villain in the forthcoming Star Trek film, which is expected to open in Japan in September.
The exhibition at London’s Tate Modern art gallery (10 October 2012–20 January 2013), titled William Klein + Daido Moriyama, is the first to look at the relationship between the work of influential photographer and filmmaker Klein, and that of Moriyama, the most celebrated photographer to emerge from the Japanese Provoke movement of the 1960s.
ART
PHIL SAYER
DAIDO MORIYAMA, ANOTHER COUNTRY IN NEW YORK, 1971 TOKYO POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY © DAIDO MORIYAMA
PHOTOGRAPHY
My Primal Memory, held by Japanese artist Nao Matsunaga at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery (19 October–13 December), reflected the artist’s thoughts on, and experience of, a dual culture and national identity.
JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 43
HISTORY
Helping the Enemy How Japanese soldiers helped the British in 1944 Java conflict By Julian Ryall
A
Captain David Tibbs in 1944
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new book by a World War II veteran has shed light on a little-known postscript to the conflict in the Far East—and one that was officially denied by the UK government of the day. Released last June, Parachute Doctor: The Memoirs of Captain David Tibbs, MC, RAMC features photographs taken by the author. The first chapters cover his early years: growing up close to the Croydon aerodrome in south London; studying medicine at Guy’s Hospital, London; and joining the Royal Army Medical Corps as a 23-year-old doctor. He then volunteered for parachute duty and was assigned to the 5th Parachute Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division. Captain Tibbs was parachuted into the French region of Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and earned a Military Cross (MC) for his “untiring and devoted services to the wounded”. He tended to those of the parachute regiment who were injured as a result of the break out from the Normandy beachhead, and was shot in the shoulder by a German sniper. He recovered and took part in repulsing the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge, and in assisting both the massive airborne drop across the Rhine and the advance to the Baltic Sea to help prevent the Russians from moving into Denmark. When the war in Europe was over, Captain Tibbs and his unit were ordered to the Far East, and were scheduled to take part in the parachute drop to recover Singapore from the Japanese garrison. The plan was cancelled—to the troops’ “great relief”—after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrender. However, Captain Tibbs’ service was far from over. An armed insurrection had broken out on the island of Java, in what had been the Netherlands East Indies prior to Japanese occupation of the colonial state. “The Japanese had occupied Java in a relatively peaceful fashion—very different from Burma and Malaya, where a violent and brutal assault was employed”, Captain Tibbs told BCCJ ACUMEN from
his Oxford home. “They treated the Dutch colonialists in a comparatively benign way because the Netherlands, occupied by Germany, could offer no military opposition. “The 5th Parachute Brigade went to [the north coast city of] Semarang, where the Dutch people said they had not suffered undue hardship.
The attitude throughout the action was one of mutual respect and, at times, almost friendship between the two nations’ soldiers and officers, said Captain Tibbs. “They always behaved with impeccable military correctness”. “The Javanese, however, had a strong armed force under Sukarno, which opposed the Japanese in any way it could, so an active Japanese military force was necessary against them”, he said. “When the Japanese war ended and the emperor ordered the Japanese to cease fighting, the Javanese insurgents turned their attacks towards preventing the return of the Dutch colonial power and commenced slaughtering Dutch people throughout Java”.
HISTORY
Two British officers who had recently arrived on the island were killed in the early stages of the fighting. The Japanese forces took back military control and restored a degree of law and order until the British arrived, after realising that Dutch civilians were about to be massacred by the insurgents. “This required some fierce fighting and caused a number of Japanese casualties, but they undoubtedly saved the lives of thousands of Dutch people”, said Captain Tibbs, now 92, and whose older brother, Lieutenant Ian Tibbs, had earned an MC for fighting the Japanese in Burma. Captain Tibbs’ unit arrived in Semarang and immediately realised that they were not strong enough to repel the insurgents. As a result, the Japanese were brought under British command and ordered to defend a large sector of the city. “This worked out remarkably well”, said Captain Tibbs. “The Japanese were fully armed with their own weapons, and were given extra help by artillery when needed. “A peaceful and happy city was soon restored within a sizeable perimeter, and the Javanese insurgents were not able to cause much harm within this area”. In contrast to the experiences of civilians in many other areas that the Imperial Japanese Army had occupied during the conflict, the Dutch who had lived through the years of Japanese control “were full of praise” for their former overseers.
“The Dutch begged us to treat the Japanese well and there was no difficulty in our doing this because the war with Japan was over and, in a way, the Japanese soldiers [in Java] were under our care and protection from the Javanese insurgents”, said Captain Tibbs. “Moreover, there were no stories of bad behaviour by the Japanese [there] before this”, he said. “This group of soldiers was very different from the Japanese army in Burma and Malaya and, indeed, widely across the many Pacific islands”. The attitude throughout the action was one of mutual respect and, at times,
almost friendship between the two nations’ soldiers and officers, said Captain Tibbs. “They always behaved with impeccable military correctness”, he added. “Inevitably the Japanese being, in essence, defeated troops, cannot have been delighted by our presence but never showed any hostility towards us”. The same could not have been said about British public opinion towards the Japanese. As news filtered home about the way in which Allied prisoners of war had been treated, political expediency required the government to deny in Parliament that British troops were fighting alongside Japanese soldiers. Captain Tibbs said the UK government’s denial was “perhaps understandable, with Japanese atrocities still so fresh in the mind”. However, he has no ill-feelings towards those he encountered in Semarang and prefers to remember the positives of what they were able to achieve together. As an honour and in recognition of their conduct, the Japanese were allowed to return home with their swords. Major Kido, the Japanese senior officer, presented his sword to Brigadier Darling, the British commanding officer, as a token of respect. Captain Tibbs went on to develop a distinguished career as a surgeon. Sabrestorm Publishing £9.99
As news filtered home about the way in which Allied prisoners of war had been treated, political expediency required the government to deny in Parliament that British troops were fighting alongside Japanese soldiers. JANUARY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 45
BCCJ ACUMEN has one copy of each of these books to give away. To apply, please send an email by 31 January to: editor@custom-media.com. Winners will be picked at random.
BOOKS
Reviews by Ian de Stains OBE
Getting Off to the Right Start January is traditionally a time for making new year resolutions and for setting or reviewing goals, whether personal or professional. So it is timely that this month’s books promise to help you thrive and prosper. However, they couldn’t be more different. Andrew W Silberman’s Get a G.R.I.P. will feel immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever subscribed to—or even simply read—Andrew’s Ax, his newsletter with the tagline “The Cutting Edge for Global Thinkers”. The writing is clear, natural and gets right to the point; there is no artifice. Reading a chapter is like being in one of Silberman’s workshops; he speaks to the reader directly with a sense of real purpose that nevertheless manages to be light-hearted. This is what sets the book apart from just about every other handbook on leadership I have read.
Damian McKinney LID Publishing £12.99
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At no point does the author take himself too seriously, which of course makes it much easier for the reader to pay serious attention to what he Andrew W. Silberman has to say. And virtually everything Media Tectonics he says is deserving of that attention, ¥1,747 even if at first reading it seems somewhat obvious. But that, surely, is the point. Page after page I found myself thinking, “I know that,” only at once to catch myself asking, particular song as you complete the “so why am I not applying that in my life exercise, to be taken in steps: one right now?” chapter/exercise per week. The result is The book is broken down into 32 a 32-week programme designed to help chapters, each one of which takes a you create your own Global Readiness™ leadership issue, discusses it and then Improvement Plan. invites the reader to undertake a short To label this as a self-help book is exercise, usually based on completing to demean it. It is, however, a serious sentence stems. practical guide to making progress in your Each chapter is introduced by an own personal development and one that appropriate quote from a song that may I’m resolved to follow for the prescribed be easily found on iTunes or YouTube. 32 weeks. The suggestion is that you play the
Damian McKinney, chief executive officer and founder of McKinney Rogers, takes an altogether different approach to business development. A former commando with the Royal Marines, he brings to bear his extensive military experience on the corporate world in completely uncompromising terms. The title of his book, The Commando Way, says it all. He begins the book with six essential building blocks; six questions a marine commander might ask himself and his team as they prepare for a mission. Applying these to the corporate situation, he sets out to demonstrate in six chapters how the same building blocks can be the foundation of a successful business strategy. His arguments are often compelling but are not ideally served by the way in which they are presented. The language
is, at times, autocratic and at others, unsympathetic. The editors have chosen to render certain chapters—which the author calls “briefings”—in a faux typewriter font that is both gimmicky and difficult to read. The neutral observer may be tempted to ask if a seriously intended business publication really benefits from such pretension. Some interesting case studies are raised but they are sadly not explored in the depth you would expect from a book that claims to point the way to extraordinary business execution. Here again, the discerning reader might wish for more editorial clarity, just as the designers might have thought more carefully about the odd mix of fonts and page layouts. In all, a curious book which has merit despite its shortcomings.
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