BCCJ ACUMEN, April 2013

DIVERSITY BEYOND GENDER

P. 22

AFRICA: RICHES AND RISKS

P. 26

WOMAN’S TOUCH, OUTSIDER’S EYE

P. 31

April 2013 | ¥900

The Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan

FOUR CENTURIES of

“Though separated by ten-thousand leagues of clouds and waves, our territories are, as it were, close to each other.

Send your subjects to any part or port of my dominions. They shall be most welcome”.

—Tokugawa Ieyasu

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Events celebrate 400 years of diplomatic, trading, scientific and cultural relations between the UK and Japan Page 16

PLUS INDUSTRY & A-LIST: Media & Communications and Market Intelligence Energy | Trade | Diversity | Tourism | BCCJ Event | Film Visiting Japan | History | Book reviews | Media | Arts events | Community And much more

JOBS FOR THE BOYOS

P. 32

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4

April 2013

16 FESTIVAL Four Centuries of Friendship Special events mark 400 years of UK–Japan links

20

46

TOURISM Leaving London Campaign promotes tourist sights outside the capital 7 PUBLISHER A Year to Remember Simon Farrell

ARTS EVENTS International Roses & Gardening Show 2013

20 TOURISM Leaving London

8 MEDIA UK–Japan News

22 BCCJ EVENT Diversity Beyond Gender: People with Disabilities

11 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Honouring Heritage, Embracing the Future Lori Henderson MBE

25 DIVERSITY Foster Talent, Skills, Creativity

12 MEDIA What you missed in the Japanese press 14 FOREWORD Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Tim Hitchens 16 FESTIVAL Four Centuries of Friendship Special events mark 400 years of UK–Japan links 19 TRADE Trading Places Global warming makes EU–Asia sea routes quicker and cheaper

26 FDI Africa: Riches and Risks 31 ENERGY Woman’s Touch, Outsider’s Eye TEPCO hires British woman to improve safety and public trust 32 VISITING JAPAN Jobs for the Boyos INDUSTRY Media & Communications and Market Intelligence 34 British Isles, Japanese Islands 36 A-LIST 41 From Novelty to Necessity

48 COMMUNITY Jack the Giant Slayer promotional artwork

44 FILM Coming Out of the Closet Bizarre Fukuoka intruder tale retold in Welsh farmhouse 46 ARTS EVENTS The Opportunity of Efficiency, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Go Crystal Tears, International Roses & Gardening Show 2013, TT3D: Closer To the Edge, Francis Bacon 48 COMMUNITY BCCJ, visit, tourism, olympics, competition, sport, art 50 IF YOU ASK ME With this Ring ...

Will Japan ever legalise gay marriage?

51 HISTORY Truth and Lies Veteran’s heartbreaking account of “worst-ever” British military defeat 52 BOOKS Strong in the Rain After the Great East Japan Earthquake

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 MBE Operations Manager: Sanae Samata Executive Committee Russell M Anderson | Jaguar Land Rover Japan Ltd. Paul Atkinson | Individual Member 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 OBE | 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

President Robert Heldt robert@custom-media.com Art Director Cliff Cardona Lead Designer Paul Leonard Deputy 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 Marketing Assistant Megumi Okazaki

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

Lori Henderson MBE has been BCCJ executive director since February 2011.

JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT

Publisher Simon Farrell simon@custom-media.com

Tim Hitchens was appointed British ambassador to Japan in December 2012 and has previously been posted to Pakistan, Afghanistan and France.

Tim served as assistant private secretary to the queen for four years and was Foreign & Commonwealth Office director for Africa for three years.

Julian Ryall is Japan correspondent for The Daily Telegraph.

JEREMY SUTTON-HIBBERT

www.bccjacumen.com Produced by Custom Media K.K.

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.

Megan Waters is deputy editor at Custom Media K.K.

Ben Byrne is acting managing director of Flamingo Tokyo. An expert in cultural insight and understanding, he has run strategic projects for global brands at the highest level for over a decade.

Fireflies, his debut novel of post-war Japan, will be published in the autumn

by House of Anansi Press.

Richard Kipnis, executive producer of virgin earth, inc., is a TV producer who has been based in Tokyo since 1987.

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. Producers of BIJ TV (businessinjapan.tv), the bilingual online video channel featuring successful business people in Japan.

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.

Seikei Itoh has been head of communications for Unilever Japan Holdings K.K since 2012. He is responsible for the firm’s public relations activities and sustainability, and is in charge of directing the organisation’s aid projects for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Contributions BCCJ Members are welcome to submit ideas for content, which will be decided on merit by the Editor. editor@custom-media.com

© 2013 Custom Media K.K.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 5

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PUBLISHER

A Year to Remember

A

s we compiled features in this issue about the UK and Japan marking their 400year relationship (page 16) and a tourism campaign by VisitBritain and British Airways (page 20), I was intrigued to learn about a number of other important anniversaries in 2013.

It’s 100 years since the first RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which has welcomed many award-winning Japanese exhibitors and visitors.

Another popular draw for Japanese visiting the capital is the Globe Theatre, London, the original of which was built

by Shakespeare’s players 400 years ago, in 1613—exactly 200 years before the Royal Philharmonic Society was created.

This year is also the 100th since the birth of composer Benjamin Britten.

His 1940 piece, Sinfonia da Requiem, was commissioned to celebrate Japan’s 2,600th anniversary, but it was angrily rejected by Tokyo due to its Christian nature; just 12 months later the two nations were at war.

Seventy years on, an envoy accepted the score with grace, while Britten and Japan continue to influence each other in ballets and operas.

The Beatles, who probably helped repair any lingering bilateral damage, recorded their first LP, Please Please Me, 50 years ago, in 1963.

In sport, it’s 150 years since cricket was first played in Japan (see our report next month), a quarter of a century before England’s Football League (the world’s oldest) kicked off in 1888. In March, Shinji Kagawa became the first Asian to score a premiership hat trick, putting Manchester on the map for many Japanese tourists (see page 20).

Meanwhile, in a nod to our diversity report (page 22), as Americans high-five the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech, and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that revolutionised their country, Britons need look back just 40 years to the London Stock Exchange’s first admission of women, in 1973.

Mobility 2nd

One hundred years ago, the first female magistrate was appointed and suffragette Emily Davison fatally hurled herself in front of the king’s horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby.

Go back another century and you can find Jane Austen publishing Pride and Prejudice, in 1813, or just 60 years to Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.

Concorde, meanwhile, broke the Atlantic crossing time record 40 years ago, and it’s a half-century since the Flying Scotsman’s final scheduled run, in 1963.

John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer who invented the first “practical television system”, was born 125 years ago. His compatriot David Livingstone, explorer and missionary, was born in 1813—a century before the first Morris Oxford car was sold, in 1913.

Simon Farrell Custom Media simon@custom-media.com

LATEST UK–JAPAN REPORTS

Agency Issues New Visa Rules for Investors The Immigration Bureau of Japan now requires proof of income and tax payment to extend or renew an Investor/ Business Manager visa, according to a newsletter distributed on 8 March by QCIC Consulting K.K. For the moment, said the firm’s president, Raymond Gasu, the authorities will accept an official commitment letter from the applicant’s representing firm, which must state that the applicant will be paid a certain amount on a monthly basis effective the month of application.

Proof is required if you have other means by which you can financially sustain yourself here. Although the application process might take slightly longer, its success will depend on the adequacy of your proof.

If you hold a working visa, it is quite difficult to renew it without proof of individual income, because your visa status requires you to work full time for your sponsoring organisation and earn a salary. Thus, proof of other sources of selfsustainability in Japan is not valid.

If you own and run a small business, you are required by law to hold an Investor/ Business Manager visa, not a working visa.

Further, as the owner and representative director of your firm, you cannot sponsor yourself.

Change your status while you still have a valid visa to avoid delays in the process.

If you do not have Permanent Residence or Spouse visa status, you and your firm cannot sponsor a Working visa for another foreigner unless you have an Investor/

Business Manager visa as the representative director of your firm.

The need to have ¥5mn in capital for an Investor/Business Manager visa has changed, possibly to get firms to inject more capital into their businesses.

Now, if two or more shareholders together contribute ¥5mn, at least one must have contributed ¥5mn before Immigration will approve Investor/Business Manager visa status for the firm’s representative director.

If you have applied for renewal/extension of your current visa and are awaiting your postcard, you may still travel outside Japan, provided you return within two months from the expiry date of your old visa.

However, you should obtain an application receipt in English from the Immigration Bureau and take it with you.

Tokyo to Stage UK Rework of Ghibli Anime Classic The British stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s animated classic Princess Mononoke is to come to Japan, Japan Today reported on 11 March.

Originally intended only for audiences at London’s Diorama Theatre, the play will be performed in Japan from 29 April–6 May at Tokyo’s Aiia Theater.

The production uses large-scale puppets made from recycled materials to recreate Hayao Miyazaki’s tale of the struggle between nature and the greed of mankind.

The film was first released in 1997 in Japan, where it was a box-office hit.

The UK adaption could be taken to other countries if it is a success here.

Attending a press conference to announce the stage adaption were (from left): Toshio Suzuki, former president of Studio Ghibli; Alexandra Rutter, art director; and Polly Clare Boon, set designer.

Index Reveals Kanto Residents, Women and Young Best at English

Buoys to Help Predict Quakes

Japan ranked 22nd out of 54 countries in the Education First English Proficiency Index (EPI), according to a press release issued by Kreab Gavin Anderson K.K. on 21 February.

Japan received an EPI score of 55.14, below the OECD average of 58.58. Singapore and Malaysia had the highest scores in Asia, being in 12th and 13th positions, respectively.

The second edition of the index tapped data from 1.7mn adults in 54 countries who

A buoy designed and manufactured by a Hampshire-based firm is to be used

by Tohoku University to help predict earthquakes off the Japanese coast, The News reported on 12 March.

ASV’s C-Stat 2 device is the first of its kind and can be controlled by line-of-site or satellite link, while an integral fuel tank allows it to operate for four days.

8 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

had used the firm’s free English tests from 2009 to 2011.

The findings for Japan showed that individuals from Tokyo and the wider Kanto region scored higher than those in other areas of the country.

The index also found that Japanese women scored slightly higher than men, while young people aged between 18 and 25 had the highest scores.

UK Among Markets for Frozen Beer

First Batch of Scottish Sake

Kirin Brewery Company, Limited is to take its popular frozen beer to the UK, according to a press release issued on 11 March.

Ichiban Shibori Frozen Nama—which is covered with an ice-cold head of foam that keeps the drink cold for about 30 minutes—was launched in Japan last year.

The brewer said the beer has been well received in tests in Hawaii, Shanghai and Singapore. A launch overseas, including in the UK, is planned for later this year.

Ichiban Shibori Frozen Nama

Estate Kids Get Look into World of Finance Children from housing estates in the East End area of London have been given a behind-the-scenes look at a Japanese investment bank to show them what it might be like to work in finance, The Docklands & East London Advertiser reported on 20 March.

The 11 youngsters attended a workshop— organised by Tower Hamlets Homes through the East London Business Alliance—at Nomura bank.

The housing body is planning more guidance sessions for youngsters to prepare them for the working world.

Tokyo Firm Orders Midlands-made Wind Turbines

Osaka Welcomes Top Tartan Chippy

A Loughborough manufacturer is to supply wind turbines to Tokyo-based Zephyr Corporation, This is Leicestershire reported on 8 March.

Made by Evance Wind Turbines Ltd., the Zephyr 9000 is the only turbine manufactured outside the UK that has received certification in Japan.

The firm, which exports 20% of its products, said Japan could be a strong market after the government introduced the highest feed-in tariff in the world to encourage renewable energy and reduce the use of nuclear power and fossil fuels.

An award-winning fish and chip shop from Stonehaven is to take part in the annual British fair at Hankyu Hanshin Department Store. The bid to introduce the traditional dish to the Japanese market was reported by the Montrose Review on 12 March.

The Bay Fish and Chips won the No 1 UK Independent Takeaway prize at the National Fish and Chip Awards earlier this year. The Scottish takeaway was chosen following a visit to the shop

by Japanese businessmen keen to introduce the fish and chip culture to their country.

The department store’s British Fair, which has been held since 1970, focuses on a number of things British, including tea, fashion and landscapes.

A Scottish brewery is to start producing sake after its managing director became Scotland’s first certified sake professional, the Metro reported on 14 March.

Arran Brewery’s fermented rice drink, called Arran No 1, will be made from local water and rice imported from Japan and the US. The first bottles of the drink will be produced by the end of the year.

The brewery already produces awardwinning beer brands, including Arran Ale, Blond, Red Squirrel and Milestone.

David Bowie Café Had Two-week Stint in Ginza The David Bowie Café opened in Tokyo for two weeks to promote the English musician’s new album, Japan Today reported on 8 March.

To mark the release of The Next Day— Bowie’s first album in 10 years—part of Ginza’s Sony Building was converted into a café from 9 to 24 March.

The restaurant served a selection of Bowie-inspired food and drinks, and was decorated with photos, portraits, album covers and books celebrating the singer’s career.

Fashion Label to Open Debut Shop in Roppongi Issa London has chosen Tokyo to host its first shop, marking a new stage in the brand’s expansion, according to a press release issued on 22 March.

The label had great success after opening a pop-up shop in Ginza’s Isetan Mitsukoshi department store last year.

Its debut standalone shop will be in the Roppongi Hills shopping centre.

Well-known fans of the brand include the Duchess of Cambridge.

Luxury Cygnet Car Heads for Japan Sports car maker Aston Martin has announced the launch of its Cygnet model in Japan, the Lutterworth Mail reported on 8 March.

Initially available only in European markets since mid-2011, the bespoke luxury city car has ultra-compact packaging and lowemission engine technology.

Aston Martin’s luxury Cygnet city car is to be launched here.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 9

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Honouring Heritage, Embracing the Future Our initiatives are helping to build community-based firms

S

upported by the BCCJ’s Back to Business Initiative for Tohoku, Megumi Hikichi—a civil servant before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami—has built a community-based enterprise in her hometown of Watari, Miyagi Prefecture.

Some 47% of the small castle settlement was devastated in the triple disaster.

WATALIS is a small business that produces bags and other handicrafts using fabric from kimono although, initially, fabric that had been rescued from the tsunami was used. The enterprise is now booming and employs 30 women across four generations.

Through WATALIS, Hikichi has opened up a new job market for the women—many of whom are living in temporary housing complexes—while the unemployment rate in the area is still high.

After attending the BCCJ’s Road to Recovery event in March 2012, Hikichi decided to diversify her product lines by combining kimono fabric with Liberty prints, as testament to the relationship that has been forged between Japan and the UK. WATALIS products are now available for purchase at the Marui Co., Ltd. department store in the Tokyo district of Ginza, as well as in ecute (JR East Station Retailing Co., Ltd.) shops.

The items are also proving popular at trade shows across Japan.

From a big-picture perspective, the enterprise is fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, which can be rare in towns, cities and businesses in Japan.

Younger women are able to bring their babies to work and enjoy flexible working hours. Elderly workers have found a new sense of purpose and can pass on traditional skills and knowledge.

WATALIS employees say that, before the triple disaster, they had always been identified as a wife or mother. Now, for the first time, they are being treated like individual human beings, and are part of a new, sustainable team.

From the chaos of the tsunami, and through WATALIS’ products, the women are deconstructing and reconstructing the fabric of their culture—sharing a part of their identities and history, and telling the stories of their mothers and grandmothers.

In addition, they are honouring their heritage and traditional values while, at the same time, embracing their future.

There is a story to each bag—the furthest thing you could imagine from massproduced Japan.

It has been a real privilege to work with locals such as Hikichi across Tohoku, and provide kick-start funding for projects that are so rich in meaning.

From our work in numerous locations in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, it has not been unusual for female survivors to fill vacant leadership roles and begin reconstructing what was lost.

Hikichi, like so many survivors, has been led to assess the value of what remains of her town and question basic human needs: What is a community?

What does a business look like? What is truly important in life?

With an exceptionally proactive and open approach, Hikichi has been able to support the rejuvenation of economic and social activity in Watari.

Now, however, Hikichi is looking to expand WATALIS’ sales and distribution channels.

If you have the chance to support this business—through your connections and capacity rather than charity—you will be playing a crucial part in helping the women of Watari re-find their pasts and begin the journey to recovery.

Should you be in a position to help WATALIS establish sales and distribution channels, in Japan or globally, please email info@bccjapan.com.

Lori Henderson MBE BCCJ Executive Director

MEDIA

WHAT YOU MISSED IN THE JAPANESE PRESS

BY MARK SCHREIBER

Rise of the Herbivorous Spender Once upon a time, and not really very long ago, the sign of a person having made it financially was when they could afford to upgrade their car from a Toyota Corolla to a Toyota Crown.

But now, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (21 March), the younger generation is no longer impressed with such status symbols.

Satoshi Shinmyo is already a director in his IT firm at the age of 30, however, he hasn’t obtained a driving licence yet.

“Motorcars and trains both get me where I want to go”, Shinmyo explained. “I can’t understand what makes people want to drive around in a luxury car”.

Even in regional cities that don’t have a transport network, the models in greatest demand are mini cars that are treated as a means of transport. Nobody seems to want to flaunt their success through car ownership.

A nationwide consumer survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found that, compared with 63.1% of single male wage earners under 30 who owned a car in 1999, the percentage had dropped to 49.6% in 2009.

Although he can afford them, Shinmyo disdains pricey name-brand items—which he regards as tacky—in favour of inexpensive casual wear.

Males in their twenties and thirties, who in the past have spurred consumption,

Isetan Mitsukoshi’s Shinjuku store

seem to be losing interest. They are referred to derisively as “low fuel consumers” or “herbivorous spenders”.

On 5 March, Dentsu Research Inc. issued a report on how people aged 15–29 are showing preferences for free or inexpensive goods and services, and are disdaining outlays for high-priced items.

As a result, suburban and rural shopping centres appear to be flourishing at the expense of department stores.

To win back customers, some department stores are adopting new strategies. Isetan Mitsukoshi’s main store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district has been refurbished to suggest lifestyles, rather than merely offering merchandise.

Displays will not only comprise objects, but will also provide information concerning activities associated with the objects, the way products are used and enjoyed, and products that are linked to the emotions.

More Singles Forgoing the Group to Go It Alone The image of single Japanese people being gregarious and grouporiented may no longer hold true. In January, Macromill, Inc. conducted a survey of 1,000 single males and females in their twenties, thirties and forties who live in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas.

The results, published in the Nikkei Marketing Journal (13 March), indicate that solitary dining, and participation in leisure and other activities is increasing.

The largest of the three segments comprised those in their twenties who agreed with the statement (39.3%), “Compared with three years ago, I am alone more often when I eat out or go out for leisure activities”.

In addition, the article notes that some karaoke bars are now displaying admission prices for unaccompanied customers.

More evidence of this phenomenon is the term “hitori Dizunii (going to Disneyland alone).

12 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

Further analysis shows that the profusion of social networking sites may be influencing the change. Among subjects in their twenties, 55.4% agreed with the statement, “I won’t feel lonely while eating by myself if I can quickly access a friend via the internet”.

The response to this by people in their forties was about 10% lower.

The type of establishment where males are most likely to dine alone include, in descending order, beef bowl specialty eateries (55.6%), ramen restaurants, self-service coffee shops, Western-style fast food outlets, and soba or udon noodle restaurants.

Females preferred self-service coffee shops (64%), followed by Western-style fast-food restaurants, full-service coffee shops, family restaurants and ramen restaurants.

Analysis of the responses suggests that, when these people get older, their preferences for solitary dining and leisure activities are likely to lead to the creation of more services that are oriented to these types of individuals.

MEDIA

Poll: Public Cool on Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bid Interestingly, in the promotion of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, a discrepancy surfaced between surveys to determine Tokyoites’ support.

The promoting committee claimed support was at 70%, while the International Olympic Committee (IOC) survey found that only 56% supported the Olympics.

For the 2020 event, the IOC’s surveys found a support ratio of about 70% both in Tokyo and nationwide—roughly double the Asahi’s figure.

When asked to indicate their preference for a 2020 site, respondents—other than those living in Tokyo—said they preferred Istanbul (80%) over Madrid.

The IOC plans to announce its choice for the 2020 Games at its September general meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“Do you have hopes for Tokyo hosting the Olympic Games in 2020?” When the Asahi Shimbun’s “be between” internet survey (9 March) asked this question, only 37% of the 3,070 respondents gave a positive reply.

Moreover, 55% said that, even if Tokyo does host the Games, they are not interested in attending any of the events.

The main reasons the pollees were opposed to the event included excessive costs (1,232).

This was closely followed by the desire to give priority to the reconstruction of the Tohoku area (1,139).

However, those in favour said that hosting the Olympics would help people realise their dreams (583) and would contribute to the nation’s economic recovery (548).

Demand Grows as Camping Cars Shrink

The RV Park Yamaga car campsite has electric outlets and waste facilities.

The Nikkei Business (11 March) reports that the latest White Paper on Camping Cars, published by the Japan Recreational Vehicle (RV) Association, indicates that sales of mini camping cars with optional accessories have grown favourably. Honda Motors’ N-BOX Plus minivan, powered by a three-cylinder 660cc engine, has been selling well.

“Until now, buyers were mostly from affluent income segments. But more recently, there has been a conspicuous rise in purchasers from lower income brackets”, an association spokesperson said.

For example, the white paper notes that, among purchasers of camping cars

in Kumamoto Prefecture (population, 54,000) opened RV Park Yamaga. This car campsite is certified by the RV Association and is equipped with electric outlets and waste facilities.

The Yamaga park is one of only three michi no eki (road stations) in the country, but a spokesperson for the association says plans are afoot to open 30 more nationwide by the end of 2013.

An article in the Asahi Shimbun (23 March) about the growing popularity of camping cars noted survey results showing that owners of RVs tend to use them for six to 10 trips per year.

Owners were quoted as saying that, by having such vehicles, longer trips became more practical. In addition, the respondents felt families were able to take along their dogs on trips.

in 2007, the largest segment of first-time purchasers had an average annual income of over ¥10mn. In 2011, however, the largest segment of purchasers had an average annual income of less than ¥4mn.

Mini vehicles, which boast a very low fuel consumption and cost less to operate in terms of taxes, can be purchased for about ¥2mn. Conventional RVs cost twice or three times the price to keep on the road.

Facilities to accommodate RVs have been expanding to meet growing demand.

Mini camping cars, such as modified versions of Honda’s N-Box Plus At the end of 2012, Yamaga minivan, have been selling well.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 13

FOREWORD

Happy Birthday to Her Majesty And let’s celebrate 400 years of UK–Japan ties

I

am delighted to have been asked to provide a message for BCCJ ACUMEN to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.

A message of this kind would not be complete without a look back at a remarkable year for the UK and our Royal Family. Last year saw the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, marking the 60th year of Her Majesty’s reign, which began when she succeeded her father, King George VI, in February 1952.

I remember, in 2002, while serving as one of the queen’s private secretaries, helping to organise her golden jubilee.

It was wonderful to see the nation and the commonwealth rising to the occasion once more (and knowing that this time I could just sit back and enjoy it!).

Many people found the celebrations a fitting tribute to Her Majesty, whose keen sense of duty and absolute commitment to her responsibilities have rightly won her the admiration of millions around the world.

She is, so far, our second longestserving sovereign. When she came to the throne in 1952, her first prime minister (of the 12 who have served during her reign) was Sir Winston Churchill.

She is, of course, also the queen of 15 commonwealth states—all of which marked the anniversary in their own ways.

Japan took part in the celebrations, too.

It was heartwarming to see the UK–Japan links strengthened further when the emperor and empress visited London for their jubilee state visit.

Following on from the visit, and the tremendous work done by a range of Britons in supporting the rebuilding of Tohoku (including distinguished contributions from members of the BCCJ), it was very good to see a plaque from the emperor unveiled last month at Holland Park’s Fukushima Gardens in London.

And then of course, sports fans’ eyes around the world focused on the UK last July, when the triumph and brilliance of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games presented not only a magnificent festival of sport, but also showcased the diversity of modern British life.

The enthusiasm, creativity and celebrations of 2012 are still resonating.

The Games were designed to provide a

14 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

lasting legacy for the Olympic Park’s host community of Stratford, East London— the most diverse in Europe, with over 300 languages spoken.

The park itself, which is the largest of its kind to open in Europe for generations, will this year become the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, providing new homes, parkland and sports facilities to the local communities for generations to come.

With an emphasis on sustainability, I have decided that the Queen’s Birthday Party celebrations at the British Embassy Tokyo later this month will follow the theme of Green is GREAT.

The Queen’s Birthday Party celebrations at the British Embassy Tokyo later this month will follow the theme of Green is GREAT.

It will showcase UK excellence in low carbon growth and sustainability, as part of a wider three-year campaign we are running that invites the world to take a fresh look at everything Britain has to offer. The focus will be on areas of British excellence: technology and innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, knowledge, green, heritage, sport, shopping, music and the countryside.

We want to send a clear message that Britain is one of the very best places in the world to visit, live, work, study, invest and do business.

Whilst in Fukuoka in March, I was struck by the young Japanese entrepreneurs—especially in the digital world—who are keen to learn from Britain’s digital expertise, and who signed a memorandum linking London’s Tech City in Old Street with the city of Fukuoka.

And change continues to amaze. Who would have thought, in the midst of The Troubles (1960s–1998), that the British government would choose to invite the leaders of the world’s top economies to Lough Erne, Northern Ireland. But that is exactly what is happening in June, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and seven other world leaders will once again travel to the UK, to attend the 2013 G8 Summit in Northern Ireland. The rich ironies of history.

Because Japan and Britain’s history goes back so far, and is so deep, there are few years that don’t mark a significant milestone.

However, this year marks the 400th anniversary since the presentation of credentials from King James I to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun of Japan—when our trading relationships first started. The letter is still at the Bodleian Library in Oxford (see page 16).

This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the visit to the UK by the Choshu Five, the young warriors who broke Japanese law by travelling on a British vessel to the UK, and who studied at University College London.

They later returned to Japan to become the first generation of Meiji political and industrial leaders.

Events to celebrate both these anniversaries will be taking place here and in the UK over the summer and autumn.

Hard work and dedication makes anything possible, and Her Majesty embodies these values, which both our countries share.

Tim Hitchens British Ambassador to Japan

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APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 15

FESTIVAL

Four Centuries of Friendship Special events mark 400 years of UK–Japan links

Anjin: The Shogun and the English Samurai tells the true story of William Adams, the first Englishman to arrive in Japan.

By Julian Ryall

F

our centuries after the first diplomatic mission from the UK set foot in Japan, the two nations are marking 400 years of trading, diplomatic, scientific and cultural relations with a series of events that celebrate the mutual regard and friendship between the two societies.

The initiative has been undertaken by a number of professionals—from the worlds of business, media, academe, cultural diplomacy and public life—as well as a remarkable team of young British and Japanese volunteer helpers.

The Media Group, organisers of the festival, is chaired by William Horsley, the former chief correspondent of the BBC in Japan, and now UK chairman of the Association of European Journalists.

The Japan400 festival got under way in London at the end of January with the opening night of Anjin: The Shogun and the English Samurai at Sadler’s Wells Theatre.

The play tells the true story of William Adams, a sailor from Kent who is believed to be the first Englishman to arrive in Japan, and his friendship with Tokugawa

16 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

Ieyasu. Adams was shipwrecked in 1600 off what is today Oita Prefecture, but rose to become one of the shogun’s most trusted advisers. As a minor samurai, he was given the moniker of Anjin (pilot) as well as an estate near Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Thirteen years later, Adams acted as guide and go-between for the first English diplomatic mission when it arrived aboard the Clove, an East India Company ship that had left England in January, 1611.

The Clove reached the island of Hirado on 11 June, 1613, with its commander John Saris, who had official letters and gifts from King James I for the shogun.

The gifts included a telescope—which had only been invented in 1608 and was the first in East Asia—as well as an item described as “a burning glass”, believed to have been a device used to set light to items using a lens, and vast amounts of cloth. The gifts were valued at about £150—a remarkable sum in the day.

In return, the shogun presented Saris with two suits of armour for King James, while his father, the all-powerful former shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, presented the delegation with 10 spectacularly painted gold screens, a personal letter to the king and a shuinjo, an official letter

bearing a vermilion seal, that granted the English permission to live and trade throughout Japan.

The letter from Ieyasu to the king included the words: “Though separated by ten-thousand leagues of clouds and waves, our territories are, as it were, close to each other. Send your subjects to any part or port of my dominions. They shall be most welcome”.

“This is a very interesting story”, said Professor David Cope, former director of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and a member of the Advisory Council for Japan400.

“The Portuguese and Spanish had already come to this part of the world ahead of the English, in part because we had gone for the attractions of more tropical areas and the Americas, in particular”, said Cope, who took up a post at Doshisha University’s Institute for Technology, Enterprise and Competitiveness in February.

England’s other rivals in the region were the Dutch.

“We were also motivated by the hope of finding the North-East Passage to China and Japan without going past Portuguese or Spanish territory”, he said. “Of course, the English did not succeed in that, but they were probing”.

The other aims of the UK government were to promote trade and secure silver from the mines in Shimane Prefecture— one of the most important sources of the precious metal in the world at the time— and to buy spices in Java.

One of the suits of armour presented to James I is still in the Tower of London— the other is in Leeds’ Royal Armouries museum. It is recorded that the king treasured his presents, although he never believed all the tales he heard of the “strange country on the other side of the planet”, fearing they were “the loudest lies”.

Unfortunately, the gifts that were presented to the shogun have gone missing without a trace.

Unofficial acquisitions by the English sailors of 400 years ago included shunga, erotic woodblock prints, most of which were confiscated after the ship returned to London by the then-head of the East India Company. As part of the celebrations, the British Museum

FESTIVAL

is to stage an exhibition on shunga art, starting on 2 October.

The British set up a trading station on Hirado, where profits for the East India Company from Japan were not as expected, thus the money that was to be made in the spice trade seduced trading firms’ executives. As a consequence, the trading station was wound up in 1623, although “there were pledges of eternal friendship”, Cope said.

“Another dimension is that soon after [the withdrawal of the East India Company], Charles I became king, and England started on the path to civil war, meaning that everything became focused inwards, which was a great pity”, he added. “We can speculate as to what might have happened in Japan–British relations, and so much sooner, if [the civil war] had not happened and Britain had been at peace”.

Other events to mark the anniversary have already included a gala launch party at London’s historic Skinners’ Hall, attended by the Lord Mayor of London and Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, with the duke attending in his capacity as patron of the Japan Society.

Noriyuki Shikata, the political minister of the Embassy of Japan in the UK, spoke at the reception and pointed out that the anniversary also marks 150 years since the arrival of the Choshu Five in London.

“In 1863, five young men from Choshu, present-day Yamaguchi [Prefecture], defied Japan’s policy of self-imposed isolation and came to the United Kingdom to study at University College London”, Shikata said.

“On their return, these men played some of the most important roles in the establishment of a newly industrialised, modern Japan.

“I studied abroad in the United States”, he added. “I cannot help thinking now that, in order to climb to the top of the career ladder, I should have made the choice to come to university in this country”.

Appropriately, the opening event was sponsored by the present-day East India Company, which still trades with Japan in fine foods and teas.

The duke and Shikata proposed toasts to the quatercentenary of Japan–British

Sir John Whitehead GCMG CVO attended the festival’s official launch at Skinners’ Hall in London.

relations with the best sake from Hirado, generously sent by the mayor of Hirado and the island’s top two sake breweries.

In a historical briefing, Professor Timon Screech, Japan400’s co-chairman and head of the School of Arts, SOAS, University of London, told the 200 guests many colourful stories about the initiative by the king and the East India Company in 1613.

In another speech, Co-chairman Nicolas Maclean, who is also initiator of the UK model for what is now the JET Programme, thanked the scheme’s

“Through the events of this year, we are celebrating the strength of today’s bilateral relationship in a variety of fields”.

many British and Japanese supporters— including British Airways, the City of London, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Hitachi Europe Ltd., HoriPro Inc, Fujisankei Communications International, Inc. and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation—and volunteers.

As a mark of the enthusiasm for Japan400, he mentioned that the website, launched on 10 January, is receiving more than 1,000 hits per day.

Maclean also mentioned historic commemorations that will take place in Japan in Hirado, Usuki, Yokosuka, Ito and Shizuoka, with more still to be announced. He added that the two sides “are not just remembering the past”.

“Through the events of this year, we are celebrating the strength of today’s bilateral relationship in a variety of fields: [not just] trade, investment and finance, but also science, education and the arts”, he said.

“We are building a firm foundation for future partnerships”.

Screech and Maclean then painted in one eye of a traditional Japanese daruma doll for good luck. The website will highlight many events and initiatives before the second eye is painted in at the end of the year.

Next month: UK–Japan timeline Further information: http://japan400.com/

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 17

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TRADE

Trading Places Global warming makes EU–Asia sea routes quicker and cheaper

By Julian Ryall • Could have major impact on UK–Japan trade • New route would halve time and cut costs • Critics concerned about environment

Tilbury, UK

W

hen the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Ob River put in to the Kyushu port of Tobata last December, it had completed a journey that will open up vast new opportunities for transport and shipping firms that ply the waters between Europe and the Far East.

The Russian vessel took on 134,000m3 of LNG at Snøhvit in Norway before sailing north into the Arctic Sea, and traversing the usually ice-bound coast of Russia, to deliver its load to Japan.

In the past, ships have taken the route between Europe and Asia, so this trial—the first by a very large energy carrier—underlines the true potential of the passage.

Global energy firm and owner Gazprom announced, after the ship had docked, that the tanker had been accompanied by a number of icebreakers. However, warmer weather and reduced amounts of sea ice in the Barents and Kara seas meant they were not required on that leg of the journey. Meanwhile, the route to the Bering Strait was blocked only by young ice a mere 30cm thick.

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, based in the US state of Colorado, the Arctic ice layer on 4 September last year was the thinnest ever recorded. Global warming is cited as the main cause behind the environmental changes, and shipping firms are keen to take advantage of the situation.

“The successful journey of the Ob River allows us to count on the full-blown usage of the Northern Sea Route to deliver Russian liquefied gas both to the Asia–Pacific region and the European market”, Gazprom said in a statement.

While the route is likely to only be open for a maximum of four months per year—and potentially a far shorter period, should the region experience a severe winter—the advantages are clear.

Currently, a ship takes one month to complete the approximately 13,000nm

Yokohama, Japan

Old Route New Route

journey from a port in Japan to a UK destination. By sailing through north Russian waters, the duration of the voyage is cut in half.

For ship operators, this translates into greatly reduced fuel costs—as much as 40% less, by some industry estimates.

Yet another advantage is that ships can avoid the pirate-infested waters of the Arabian Sea, thus reducing insurance costs and eliminating the need for security teams on board.

Russia is one of the prime drivers behind ship operators adopting the new route, with Norway looking to develop new markets in the Far East for its LNG exports.

In addition, South Korea is investing heavily in exploiting the opportunities, with Hyundai Heavy Industries last year unveiling the largest icebreaking transport vessel available in commercial shipping.

The UK’s geographical position in Europe also means that UK ports, shipping firms, as well as exporters and importers would benefit from the shorter Arctic route.

“In addition to the environmental impacts, the decline of Arctic sea ice could open up new trade routes, fishing grounds and hydrocarbon extraction opportunities”, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said in a statement.

However, there is a caveat.

“The UK is concerned about environmental protection and sustainable development. They will

seek to promote and support our business interests in these areas in line with our legal obligations as parties to international agreements relevant to the Arctic”, it added.

“The UK is also very actively involved in the International Maritime Organization’s work on developing a mandatory polar shipping code”.

International freight firms are, nevertheless, closely monitoring developments on the new route.

“If this develops into a reliable trade route between, for example, Japan and Britain, it would have a significant impact, given it is much shorter than the traditional southern route”, Martin Giles, managing director of Phoenix Transport (Japan) Ltd., told BCCJ ACUMEN. “One of the many ways that Phoenix Transport offers quality worldwide moving services is through the use of ‘direct booking’ for transit lanes”, Giles said. “It costs a little more, but we consistently ensure direct port-toport sailings of every container of our customers’ household goods.

“We have a Key Performance Indicator of transit time for customer shipments”, he added. “A quicker transit not only improves the quality of our services through a shorter wait time for [the arrival of] shipments, but it is also an effective form of riskmanagement. As there is a shorter distance travelled, the goods are in the container for less time, thus mitigating the risk of damage”.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 19

TOURISM

Leaving London Campaign promotes tourist sights outside the capital Custom Media • This year marks 200 years of Pride and Prejudice and Chelsea Flower Show’s 100th anniversary • Queen Elizabeth Park opens on Olympic site • The Shard is the EU’s tallest building • Fashion, music, football, shops, gardens, golf, whisky being promoted • Japanese love Manchester, Cotswolds, Lake District • Over half of tourists don’t leave London

F

or two days in early March, a little corner of Roppongi’s Midtown shopping complex was turned into a slice of the UK. Office workers looked down from the towering block as an authentic Yeomen Warder—commonly known as a Beefeater—from the Tower of London posed for photos, while passers-by stopped to listen to a DJ playing tracks

by the Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Queen.

A large crowd gathered to watch models strut their stuff in two fashion shows, one displaying the designs of Alice Temperley—the Duchess of Cambridge is famously a fan—and the second an exhibition of British Airways uniforms from the past 60 years.

The Big British Invite, jointly staged

by VisitBritain and British Airways, was part of a new global marketing campaign to attract even more visitors to the UK by showcasing just some of the things for which we are rightly famous.

The team behind the new push dismissed concerns that the tourism industry might find it tough to follow up on the spectacular successes that the UK enjoyed on the international stage in 2012, including the pageantry of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games that

VisitBritain has set itself an ambitious target of attracting 40mn visitors per year to the UK by 2020 and bringing in £31.5bn annually.

20 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

many have acclaimed as the best in living memory.

“That’s what the common belief might have been, but there has been a huge amount going on post-games”, said Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communications for VisitBritain.

“We have already had the new James Bond film being released and the 50th anniversary of Bond”, she pointed out. “We were allowed to use Bond images for our campaign for free and we have just had the Oscars weekend.

“We think that this year, there are a number of new reasons people will come to the UK, including the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, 100 years of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the recent opening of The Shard, the tallest building in western Europe, and then in July, precisely one year on from the opening of the Games, there is the opening of Queen Elizabeth Park on the site of Olympic Park.

“On top of all that, the core reasons that visitors come to Britain are still there”, she added.

The UK’s tourism authorities learned from the experiences of other Olympic venues in years gone by. Instead of sitting back and assuming the job was done as soon as the Games were over, and that the visitors would continue to

TOURISM

“ There is so much more to Britain than a single city, and the scale of the country means that it is easy to get to, say, Scotland or Wales in just a couple of hours”. arrive, VisitBritain kicked off its new campaign on the very last day of the Paralympic Games.

The immediate result was that visitor spending in December was up 15% on the same month in the previous year.

VisitBritain has set itself an ambitious target of attracting 40mn visitors per year to the UK by 2020 and bringing in £31.5bn annually.

The four-point strategy to achieve that aim involves building on the UK’s image and playing to our strengths, ensuring that the travel trade is aware of the destinations that are on offer, improving the range of products that are available to travellers, and making it easier to get to the UK. For the Japanese market, VisitBritain wants to see a 26% increase in visitors, which would lift the total to 298,000 a year, up from 237,000 in 2011.

“Japan is one of our priority markets, we have a good staff here and this is a long-term project”, Yates told BCCJ ACUMEN. “Japan is an interesting but rather distinctive market, with specific challenges. There are wealthy individuals and a greying population who are interested in the culture and history of Britain. But not enough of them are actually travelling [there]. We want to revitalise their interest”.

History and culture have long been a big draw, along with the UK’s world-class museums and shopping opportunities.

However, one statistic that Yates and her team are aiming to rewrite is that fully 54% of visitors do not go outside London during their visit.

The Japanese actually buck this trend and do tend to travel beyond the capital when they visit. Yet, traditionally, they follow a route that includes the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds and Peter Rabbit country in the Lake District.

“We have to get them to explore and experience more”, she said. “There is so much more to Britain than a single city, and the scale of the country means that it is easy to get to, say, Scotland or Wales in just a couple of hours”.

With 85% of Japan’s long-haul travel organised through travel agencies, VisitBritain is stepping up its engagement with this sector to ensure that knowledge of what the UK has to offer is passed on to the consumer.

“We are not a single-product country, promoting only beaches or sunshine”, she stressed. “We have history and modern culture—fashion, music, football, shopping, gardens, golf and whisky tours. We need to focus on the interests of Japanese travellers and are here to talk about what the Japanese want and how— whatever their interest might be—they can find it in Britain”.

The local office of VisitBritain, headed

by Ashley Harvey, is co-operating with Virgin Atlantic and online travel firm Expedia Inc. on their London Plus campaign to underline just how much more is available to see and do outside the capital.

“We know that people will visit London, because that is usually where they will land, but we are trying to give them something else”, Harvey said. “That could be something such as 72 hours in Brighton or three days in Scotland”.

Manchester is also suddenly on Japanese travellers’ radar, thanks in large part to Shinji Kagawa signing— and shining—for Manchester United.

“It’s a compact city but it has everything that a visitor would want”, said Harvey. “It’s a stone’s throw from Liverpool, north Wales and the Lake District. Beyond that, there is the north east and Scotland, so Manchester is a great gateway to a large part of the UK. “We are launching a video campaign with Kagawa, with him talking about what he likes in the UK and what he has done”, he said. “Football players have a different reach to people who are interested in history, for example.

“Kagawa has significant pull beyond football because he’s articulate, welldressed and is a well-known face here in Japan”.

Yet the VisitBritain team knows there are some perceptions— some deserved, others less so—that need to be reversed.

“There are a few perceptions of Britain that we know we have to work on for the Japanese market”, Yates agreed.

“We are never going to be seen as a cheap destination, but we are a good value-formoney destination.

“Our luxury products are very highly rated, while our pubs and bed-andbreakfasts, for example, are also very highly rated, so there are different price points. For shopping, we range from Burberry to Topshop, and we have to make sure that we get across the message that we offer value, whatever your budget”.

The other misconception that deserves to be righted is about British cuisine.

“I think our food is incredible”, she said.

“We have seen a huge rise in interest in regional and organic produce, in many of our local dishes, food and produce. We have some great chefs who go out and promote British food and Jamie Oliver is one of our brand ambassadors”.

There are, for example, more than 150 restaurants in the UK with at least one Michelin star, putting the UK in the top five in the world for food.

“We have to get this knowledge over to people before they start thinking about travelling [to the UK]”, she added.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 21

BCCJ EVENT

Diversity Beyond Gender: People with Disabilities

From left: Suzanne Price, representative director of Price Global; Hisako Kaneko, chief diversity officer of AXA Life Insurance Co., Ltd.; Toshiyuki Ueki, director of general administration and employee satisfaction at Fast Retailing Co., Ltd; and Yukari Yomo, GlaxoSmithKline K.K.’s vice-president of human resources

“We need to raise awareness and change the preconceptions that people might have about those with disabilities”.

22 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

By Megan Waters

P

eople with certain disabilities— physical, mental or intellectual— are often an overlooked and under-hired sector of the talent pool. In Japan, individuals with disabilities increasingly are being absorbed into mainstream society, education and employment.

The government’s strategies to revitalise Japan include promoting the employment of persons with disabilities.

On 1 April, a Ministry of Health and Welfare law came into force requiring that, at firms in Japan with 50 or more employees, those with disabilities must account for at least 2% of the staff. Firms with 200 employees or more that do not meet this requirement are penalised.

To date, the factors that have motivated firms to employ disabled individuals have included a focus on fulfilling quotas, thus placing employees with disabilities into limiting roles that do not foster their abilities.

Hisako Kaneko, chief diversity officer of AXA Life Insurance Co., Ltd., says her firm is very eager to include people with disabilities in the workforce as it would make the workplace more inclusive for all employees, regardless of whether they have disabilities.

“The concept we are trying to promote is ‘not charity, but chance’”, Kaneko explained.

Her comments were made on the occasion of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s “Diversity Beyond Gender: People with Disabilities” event, at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo on 28 March. Suzanne Price, representative director of Price Global and the winner of the 2012 British Business Award for Entrepreneur of the Year, moderated the session.

At present, there are 7mn registered disabled people in Japan—6% of the country’s total population. But, rather than just focusing on the employment of disabled people, AXA Life Insurance wants stakeholders to know what they are doing in terms of overall diversity, Kaneko explained.

“We want to become a company of choice”, she added.

Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline K.K. (GSK), which has a staff of 3,700 people at its Japan branch, applies a philosophy of respecting others. It tries to include every aspect of diversity in its workforce, according to Yukari Yomo, the healthcare firm’s vice-president of human resources.

Ways are being sought to make the most of diversity in order to strengthen the firm.

“In the past, very few individuals with disabilities went on to further education in Japan. However, this has slowly been changing and more disabled people are now attending university”.

Because those with disabilities generally are not well qualified academically, they find it hard to get employment at larger firms. And there are few, if any, disabled among Japan’s top management elite.

So now, Yomo believes, the benefits of employing people with disabilities need to be promoted to educational organisations.

Putting their heart where their mouth is, GSK has established initiatives to help people with disabilities, such as their Orange Internship programme.

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd, the fourth largest clothing retailer worldwide and holding company for seven fashion brands including Uniqlo Co., Ltd. and G.U. Co., Ltd., has recently expanded to focus not only on consumer satisfaction, but also on employee satisfaction.

According to Toshiyuki Ueki, Fast Retailing’s director of general administration and employee satisfaction, the firm has been pursuing disability diversity since 2001, and 97% of Uniqlo shops nationwide now employ people with disabilities.

“At Uniqlo, those with disabilities represent about 6% of our staff—which means at least one disabled person per regular shop and two for larger stores”, Ueki explained.

The firm has a total of 60,000 employees, of whom 1,041 have a challenge of one form or another: for 70% it is intellectual; for 15% it is physical; while for the remainder it is mental issues.

In Japan, those with disabilities generally struggle to play a role in mainstream society because the school system and other social institutions segregate these individuals from the population. However, Ueki believes that people with disabilities are now beginning to be accepted more readily than in the past.

“At Fast Retailing, we are certainly accustomed to working with those with disabilities. Society needs to focus on people’s talents and how we can include these individuals in the workplace, regardless of disability”, he explained.

The firm’s store managers work closely with disabled employees. This often provides managers with a degree of personal development, thus benefitting both parties, Ueki pointed out.

“Our store staff have hands-on experience working with disabled people.

This is hugely beneficial for them. We have also found that, because of this, store staff are better able to look after customers with disabilities, and are interacting with a more diverse group of people”, he said.

GSK tries to accept people with all disabilities, particularly those living with mental illnesses. The firm, in collaboration with a special school for the disabled, has created roles for such individuals in the firm’s canteen.

“One year of experience at GSK in our internship programme means a lot to disabled people and their education”, said Yomo. GSK also provides mentorship and follow-up sessions for disabled employees.

PHOTOS BY NINA OIKI

BCCJ EVENT

“We need to improve our understanding of their disabilities for the benefit of our other employees”, she added.

AXA Life Insurance is the winner of the 2011 Toyo Keizai Diversity Management Award for the strategic approach the firm’s management took in promoting diversity and inclusion.

In recognition that its customers have different needs, the firm’s marketing department recently created a product brochure that uses a universal font. This makes letters much easier to read for everyone, including those with impaired vision. In acknowledgement of the opinions of the firm’s deaf community, the department also added subtitles to the TV commercials that are displayed on the firm’s intranet and website.

“Inclusion is not easy to achieve. To monitor our inclusiveness, we conduct a firm-wide diversity survey once a year.

In the most recent survey, we asked employees if employment of people with disabilities would bring benefits to AXA. “Almost 80% of respondents indicated that they believe it is beneficial to employ people with disabilities. In addition, we have found that the closer our employees work with people with disabilities, the more they believe in the benefits of inclusion.

“The assumption and preconception that individuals with disabilities can’t do many things is being challenged. We must change our way of thinking if we are to

have a successful diversity inclusion programme”, she said.

GSK took part in a six-month project, which required that they look at the types of jobs people with disabilities are doing in the firm, and consider whether their facilities are really user-friendly.

The results were featured in an in-house newsletter.

“Through this project, our employees have increased their awareness of people with disabilities within the firm. However, this is an ongoing project that we need to continue pursuing”, Yomo said.

“We need to raise awareness and change the preconceptions that people might have about those with disabilities”, she added.

The impact on employees of working with disabled people is great, Ueki pointed out. Some of the employees at Fast Retailing have become motivated to learn new methods of communication.

“There is a hearing impaired colleague in my department, and their presence has positively impacted the way in which my colleagues and I communicate in general. Those with hearing disabilities need to look at the speaker’s face while they are talking, in order to read their lips when sign language is not an option.

The speaker has to enunciate their words to be understood. This certainly helps in communication in general, and my staff and I have started to acquire new skills— transferable skills—through working with people with disabilities”.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 23

DIVERSITY

Foster Talent, Skills, Creativity And disregard gender, nationality, race, creed, disability and sexual preference

By Seikei Itoh Head of communications Unilever Japan Holdings K.K.

U

nilever aims to double the size of its business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive impact.

To deliver our business goals, it is vital that we employ people with the right talent, skills and creativity. A genderbalanced and engaged workforce that reflects our consumer base is a critical element of our long-term growth strategy.

We embrace diversity in our workforce, which means we give full and fair consideration to all applicants, while continuing the development of all employees regardless of gender, nationality, race, creed, disability or sexual preference.

Our diversity and inclusion strategy allows employees to develop to their full potential so they are better and faster when it comes to understanding, and responding to, our consumers’ needs. Moreover, they are able to foster more diverse thinking across all levels and functions.

Diversity is a high priority for our business—our global diversity board comprises senior executives from across the business and is chaired by Paul Polman, our chief executive officer.

As a part of our commitment to diversity, by 2015 we aim to have raised the ratio of female managers in our firm globally to 50%—and to 40% in Japan.

In Japan, we have been creating an inclusive and flexible working environment, beyond local legal requirements. Since 1995, for example, our employees have been able to take child-care leave for up to two years.

In addition, we enhanced personnel rules and programmes, making it easier to devise longer-term career plans—as well as life events, such as marriage, the work-related relocation of a spouse, having children, and caring for elderly family members.

Flexible and stay-at-home work systems are widely used, regardless of gender, by employees to achieve a good work–life balance.

As a result, almost all female employees return to work following maternity leave.

As of the end of March 2013, 31% of Unilever Japan managers were females, far exceeding the 7% average in Japan.

Unilever’s approach and achievements in gender diversity have received various external recognitions, including the European Diversity Awards’ Company of the Year Award (Global, 2012) and the Toyo Keizai Diversity Management Award (Japan, 2012). However, we believe that this is not good enough.

We aim to create an environment in which we are able to improve our gender balance at all levels.

Prior to International Women’s Day (8 March), we ran an internal campaign that asked employees to share their ideas on how Unilever might achieve a better gender balance. This campaign clearly has touched the hearts and minds of our employees; over 2,000 employees from more than 30 countries shared their views.

Respondents from Japan gave an abundance of positive feedback concerning the firm’s policies, fair recruitment and the appointment of high-performance managers regardless of gender, and organisational culture embracing diversity.

We also found that working mothers tend to be kept busy maintaining their work standards, while meeting the social expectations of a good wife and mother.

At our Town Hall Meeting—held on International Women’s Day—Ray Bremner OBE, president and CEO of Unilever Japan

Customer Marketing K.K., pointed out that some of the barriers employees encounter are in their minds.

“Suggestions are to keep driving performance culture that measures output not by hours spent at the desk. You are measured by the output. Take advantage of our policies and be brave [enough] to control your work–life balance”, said Bremner.

Hisae Morii, marketing director of Unilever Japan, leads the highly competitive hair care business here while raising two children. She believes the key to a good work–life balance is the ability to switch modes.

“When I am in the office, I am fully in work mode. And when I get home, I switch completely to mum mode.

I do not accept late-night calls and teleconferences. The important thing is to be tough about yourself—prioritise, and be brave enough to say “no” even to senior managers”, Morii explained.

Based on employee feedback, we plan to hold a diversity and inclusion workshop in May for senior leaders and, in the same month, to invite female employees to the Women’s International Networking conference in Tokyo. In addition, we will promote agile working to a wider group of people, work harder to reduce the complexities, and promote effective decision-making.

For Unilever, diversity is not only an ethical right or moral obligation; it is the key to driving the change to consistent, sustainable growth.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 25

FDI

Africa: Riches and Risks Japan wary as an ascendant—but shaky— continent welcomes Asian investors and the West makes tentative return

Kansai Plascon sells paint for numerous industrial uses across Africa.

By Julian Ryall • • • • • • •

Chinese and South Korean firms lead way Japan slow to exploit market opportunities Model excludes middle man to cut costs Vital to have local presence on the ground Paint, food, electronics, body care success Wanted: infrastructure, technology, luxuries Big Western firms are testing the waters

T

he risks of doing business in Africa were graphically underlined in January, when fundamentalists opposed to France’s intervention in Mali took more than 800 workers hostage from the Tigantourine gas production facility near the Algerian town of In Amenas.

The three-day crisis ended with the death of at least 69 people, of whom 39 were foreigners.

26 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

Of all the foreign nationalities represented at the plant—jointly operated by the UK’s BP p.l.c., the Norwegian firm Statoil, and Algeria’s state-run oil firm Sonatrach—Japan suffered the highest number of casualties. Ten of Yokohamabased engineering firm JGC Corporation’s 17 employees who were taken hostage, died at the hands of their captors or in the ensuing battle that ended the standoff.

In the aftermath of what was the most deadly terrorist incident for Japanese nationals since the September 2011 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Tokyo has announced plans to step up its intelligencegathering capabilities overseas and increase its defence and security personnel at embassies in countries deemed to be at risk. It also is considering revising the Self-Defense Forces Law

to enable the military to intervene in crises overseas.

At the same time, however, the government emphasised that it would maintain its policy of encouraging and assisting Japanese firms to get a foothold in “the promising investment destinations” that make up Africa, which has a growth rate forecast that exceeds Asia’s.

Few doubt the scale of the economic potential that lies in the 54 countries that stretch from South Africa’s Cape Agulhas to the most northerly tip of Tunisia, and from Cape Verde in the west to Ras Hafun in Somalia.

Fuelled by high commodity prices and the mobile telecommunications boom, new markets and innovations have quickly developed.

While governments and firms from other developed and developing economies—notably South Korea and China—have been aggressively increasing their presence in a continent that has traditionally been more of a market for European countries, Japan has been slow to take advantage of the opportunities.

James Kuria, a manager at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting Co., Ltd. who heads Africa Business Development, is looking to rewrite this trend and raise Japanese firms’ profiles across the continent.

“Many Japanese companies have not yet devised the best way to go about setting up their business in Africa and, until now, have simply approached Africa through the big trading firms”, Kuria told BCCJ ACUMEN. While this model has worked for big infrastructure and resources-related projects, it has not succeeded for firms in the consumer goods sector, such as electronics manufacturers.

“For many years, trading firms have acted as bridges for Japanese companies that provide services or manufacture goods to African markets because they were reluctant to set up their own operations in Africa.

“By using trading firms, Japanese manufacturers did not know the market themselves as they were not direct participants in the market place. Thus, they lacked direct interaction with consumers”, he said. “We are moving away from that model now, because it was expensive and firms want to smooth the chain by doing away with the middle man. And that is where we can help”.

Originally from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Kuria first arrived in Japan in

FDI

1997 and studied at Tokyo Metropolitan University. He graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering and went on to complete an MBA at Chuo University in 2011. He specifically joined Deloitte Consulting’s Tokyo office to set up the Africa business development desk and support Japanese firms venturing into the African market or expanding their operations there.

This aim fits neatly with the Japanese government’s push for firms to expand into Africa.

In May 2008, Yokohama hosted the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, with Japan committing to $2.5bn in trade and investment with Africa.

The scale of that commitment was driven by Japanese government interest in the African market, as demonstrated by the successes that other international firms have reported. It was also driven in part by China’s recent “very aggressive” efforts to access local market and Africa resources, Kuria said.

Meanwhile, Samsung has built a regional headquarters in South Africa to oversee its operations in the region, and LG Electronics has opted to set up regional offices throughout the continent.

The tactics have paid off, he admitted.

“Samsung and LG already have 60% of the TV market and Japanese companies will need to invest heavily to catch them up in that sector”, he said. “They have done very well.

“Samsung have teamed up with African laboratories to teach students electrical engineering, and have linked that to their own business”, he pointed out. “In 2015, they want to sell $10bn worth of goods a year. That is on the same scale as their business in China.

“South Korean firms are importing TV products as components and then locally carrying out semi-knockdown assembly, because that means there is a far lower import tax”, he said.

“Samsung is doing that in five countries now, but plans to localise its business in 17 African countries”.

In addition, Samsung has a Built for Africa product line that features refrigerators with a power surge protector that is designed to cope with energy blackouts and keeps the freezer on for three hours after the power has been cut.

The firm was on the ground in 15 countries in 2009 and, by 2010, that number had soared to 42. Similarly, service centres leapt from 18 to 36

over the same period, and the firm is constructing a research and development facility in Nairobi.

“This is a company that is very serious about Africa”, Kuria stressed.

However, there are examples of Japanese firms being proactive about their presence in Africa.

Kansai Paint Co., Ltd. purchased a South African coatings firm in 2011 because it anticipated a surge in demand for paint for the automotive sector, office buildings, new homes’ construction-related coatings and other industrial uses across the continent.

Another is Ajinomoto Co., Ltd., which started selling its seasonings in Nigeria in 1991. By 2012, the firm’s annual sales in the country were worth about ¥100mn— accounting for 3% of its global sales. The food and chemical firm is looking to build on this achievement by expanding into other West African nations where food culture is similar.

Similarly, Unicharm Corporation is building a nappy and sanitary napkin factory in Egypt, while Japanese electronics firms are expanding their businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya.

These relatively recent developments represent a shift from previous investments in the power sector, although Kuria emphasises that there is still a lot of mileage in energy for Japanese firms.

“Nigeria was only able to generate 5,000mW of energy as recently as 2010, giving them only four hours of power a day in Lagos”, he pointed out. “Nigeria needs close to 40,000mW to attain the same economic development as Association of South-east Asian Nations member states.

“This represents a huge business chance for Japanese companies in the power sector”, he said, adding that there has been a shift from hydroelectric power to thermal energy.

“There are many possibilities in the energy sector for Japanese firms in Africa today”, he revealed. “There is huge potential for geothermal power in East Africa, especially in Kenya, and Japanese companies have a huge technological advantage in this area”.

To date, Kenya’s installed capacity is only 300mW of electricity, but the government wants to raise this to 7,000mW by 2030.

Major firms, such as Toshiba Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Hitachi, Ltd.,

James Kuria: time for Japanese firms to invest in Africa.

“Samsung and LG already have 60% of the TV market and Japanese companies will need to invest heavily to catch them up in that sector, they have done very well”.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 27

FDI that are represented in the power sector and other major business areas, will have been watching recent events in North Africa with concern.

Dealing with local business regulations that vary wildly from country to country is another issue facing businesses expanding in Africa.

In South Africa, for example, the government’s Black Economic Empowerment programme requires firms wanting to do business with the government to ensure that the local firm is 26% owned by local black Africans and that they comprise at least 43% of management. Many American, European and South Korean firms such as Samsung have already complied with this regulation.

While a major local presence is needed if Japanese firms are to succeed in Africa, some enterprises have handled Africa business from their Middle East office.

“Africa is a completely different market from the Middle East, and having your feet on the ground provides you with a chance to understand and adapt to the market”, Kuria said. “It’s impossible to get a true feel for the market if you only visit once or twice a year”.

“ There are many possibilities in the energy sector for Japanese firms in Africa today”.

West warming up again Despite being weakened by the global economic crisis, anti-corruption laws and red tape, some Western nations are showing signs of new business confidence in Africa.

Peter Sullivan, head of government relations for Citibank in Africa, told the Financial Times on 16 March there had been a “marked upsurge in Western companies exploring ways of tapping into African growth”. Meanwhile, France, the US and multinational miners are staging a fightback in defence of oil, mineral resources, influence and markets, the FT reported.

A “game changer”, according to reports, was US giant Walmart’s purchase of Massmart, a South African consumer goods retailer, for $2.4bn in 2011. And Bechtel, the US construction and engineering group, returned to oil-rich Gabon in 2011 to work on infrastructure.

Africa will remain small in terms of global trade for many years, most observers agree, and Western companies will be under pressure from emerging nations that have looser scrutiny of corporate governance and less shareholder demand for fast profits.

The UK, meanwhile, has a long history of operating in African markets, with firms such as Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline plc and Cadbury benefitting from being physically closer to nations—many of which are former British colonies.

Kuria of Deloitte Tohmatsu believes that, over the decades, these firms built up very strong brand profiles and name recognition, have localised operations and, thus, are reaping solid profits.

It is the right time for Japanese corporations to do the same, Kuria believes.

ENERGY

Woman’s Touch, Outsider’s Eye TEPCO hires British woman to improve safety and public trust

By Julian Ryall • • • •

Expects bigger role for women in firm Aims to restart N-plants idle since quake Says every nation needs nuclear power UK and US have learned from their mistakes

L

ady Barbara Judge CBE is instituting a new safety culture at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

A former director of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for two terms, Lady Judge was approached to join the embattled firm in October 2012.

She said she was “thrilled and honoured” at the opportunity to help—although she admitted that there is a long way to go to rehabilitate the firm in the eyes of the Japanese public.

“My aim is to instil a new safety culture into the organisation, in particular an internal self-regulatory system so that this culture of safety is disseminated throughout the company.

“By doing that, we can build up standards of safety on a company-wide basis in a way that is proactive and makes everybody in the company more aware”, Lady Judge said.

She attended a meeting of TEPCO’s new Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee in late February, where she was given an update on the firm’s decontamination efforts in areas around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which she had visited during a trip to Japan in late January.

In addition, she was brought up to date on safety improvements carried

out across the firm, including those at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture.

Lady Judge said it was at the Fukushima plant where she had “realised just how brave [the workers] are. They are true heroes. I had an opportunity to talk with many of the staff there, including a number of women”.

She expects that women will play an important role in the firm’s future.

“I believe it took a lot of courage to appoint a woman to my role, and that in itself is a major development”, she stressed.

Ultimately, Lady Judge has set herself the task of helping TEPCO win back sufficient public trust to enable the firm to restart nuclear power plants that have been offline since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

“The Japanese people and economy need to have nuclear power as a part of the nation’s energy mix”, she said, pointing out that, at present, the country is being held over a barrel for expensive imports of gas and oil.

She also believes that the disaster was held up by green movements in other countries as evidence of the danger inherent in nuclear energy, and used to abolish their nuclear industries—although they may already be rueing their decision.

“It was a field day for the anti-nuclear folks, but the bad political decisions made at that time are regretted today”, she said.

Germany, for example, is reliant on heavily polluting fossil fuels—carbon emissions have risen dramatically— and imports of energy generated by nuclear power plants just over the

“We are glad to be a part of the team that is helping to enhance safety or assist in the decommissioning of the Fukushima plant”.

border in France. Meanwhile, Poland is constructing a nuclear plant on its western border to provide energy for the German market.

Lady Judge believes that the German government’s decision flies in the face of all the critical requirements of a nation: energy security, energy independence and the need to halt climate change.

“Nuclear is the only energy that answers all three requirements”.

But Germany’s loss could work to the advantage of the British nuclear industry, according to Lady Judge, who was awarded a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in June 2010 for services to the nuclear and financial services industries.

“Britain has been in the nuclear business for 66 years now and we have some of the best supply chain companies in the world in this sector”, she said.

“We have a long history in nuclear power and have very good design, engineering, construction and manufacturing firms— everything that is needed to build a nuclear power plant. And because we now have no nuclear technology of our own, we can easily work with all other nations’ technology.

“We are glad to be a part of the team that is helping to enhance safety or assist in the decommissioning of the Fukushima plant”, she said.

“I think it was very important that after 11 March, the staff of the British Embassy [Tokyo] did not leave—unlike some others. Instead, we sent people to help out throughout the crisis and provided good advice”, she explained.

Lady Judge, who has dual British and US citizenship, believes that the nuclear industry in other countries has learned from its mistakes: the UK from the fire at the Windscale plant in October 1957, and the US as a result of the partial meltdown of one reactor at the Three Mile Island facility in March 1979.

The result, in both cases, was safety improvements, and the same will happen in Japan, Lady Judge emphasised.

“I would like to see TEPCO put in a selfregulatory organisation and safety culture that makes it the best in the world”, she said. “I want it to have the highest safety standards that will be envied by other nuclear operators around the world”.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 31

VISITING JAPAN

Jobs for the Boyos Wales minister embraces nuclear power and reassures public over safety Custom Media • • • • • •

FDI boost for troubled Anglesey area Help to preserve culture, language One of world’s best N-power spots Wales drawing more Japanese firms Promises firm a warm Welsh welcome Quality Welsh goods selling well here

D David Jones is the secretary of state for Wales.

avid Jones, the secretary of state for Wales, has promised the engineers and executives of Hitachi Ltd. that, on arrival in his homeland, they will receive as warm a welcome as he was given here.

The minister was in Tokyo for three days from 14 March to observe Hitachi’s nuclear energy capabilities. The trip included a tour of the Oma Nuclear Power Plant in Aomori Prefecture and a visit to the firm’s Rinkai production facility, where he was greeted by about 200 engineers and staff waving Welsh flags.

Jones said it was “a most impressive welcome” from the firm that is planning to construct a new nuclear reactor at the

Wylfa Nuclear Power Station on the north coast of Anglesey.

“I have been very impressed by Hitachi”, he said. “They have been very welcoming and have gone to great trouble to show us every stage of the production process at the Rinkai factory”.

In October, Hitachi announced that it would purchase Horizon Nuclear Power for £696mn and subsequently detailed plans to build at least two 1,350MWe advanced boiling water reactors at Wylfa, as well as undertake a project on a similar scale at Oldbury, Gloucestershire.

Approval for the Wylfa reactors is expected to take between two and four years.

“It has been extremely helpful for us to see how the process works and we are confident that the UK will get a significant share of the nuclear supply chain”, he said. “That might be as much as 60% of the first reactor, and we’re hopeful of more than one reactor on Anglesey.

“Potentially, we could have three reactors and that would make a big contribution to meeting energy demand in the UK”, he added.

Jones said that the people of Anglesey are “very familiar and at ease with having

British Ambassador Tim Hitchens (seventh from left); David Jones (fifth from right), secretary of state for Wales; and producers who are promoting the Welsh food and drink industry here.

32 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

VISITING JAPAN a nuclear power station”, and that the Japanese firm “can be assured of a warm welcome”.

He also played down concerns over the safety of nuclear power, despite the problems Japan has experienced at its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

“We have strong reassurances from Hitachi and all the stakeholders in Anglesey have welcomed that”, he said.

Jones added that another developer, who was shortlisted to develop the plant, described the Wylfa location as one of the best in the world thanks, in part, to the very deep water close to the shore.

The project will also bring job opportunities to an area that has experienced some economic difficulties in recent years, he pointed out, including the closure of Anglesey Aluminium Metal Limited in September 2009. “[The Anglesey Aluminium] site was very close to the nuclear plant, so we have a location available for development already”, he said.

“These jobs will be very high quality in an area that has had a lot of challenges.

The local college of further education is extremely pleased and is training apprentices as we speak.

“These jobs will be very high quality in an area that has had a lot of challenges.

The local college of further education is extremely pleased and is training apprentices as we speak”.

“This is very important, not just in economic terms, but also in cultural terms for the region”, he added. “Anglesey is a Welsh-speaking part of the country and if people are forced to emigrate to find work, then cultural identity is eroded and the language is weakened”.

Hitachi’s project in Wales is just the latest in a long line of Japanese corporations that have been attracted to the country, thanks in large part to the efforts of the now defunct Welsh Development Agency, he said. Sharp Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation are just two of the most well-known firms with production facilities in Wales.

“We are very familiar with Japanese industry, work very well with Japanese companies and would very much like to see more investment into Wales”, he said.

Although they may not be on the same scale, Welsh exports are finding a firm following in Japan.

The recent Foodex trade show in Tokyo featured a number of Welsh products, including Ty Nant natural mineral water, in its distinctive blue bottles, sea salt, Welsh beers and Penderyn whisky from a distillery in the Brecon Beacons.

“One Japanese importer told us that all the Welsh products that come here are perceived as being of the very best quality and at the very top end of the market”, he explained.

“My trip highlighted the positive outcomes of engaging not only with Japanese companies, but the positive impact British companies are having within the country”, he added.

INDUSTRY | MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE

British Isles, Japanese Islands Modern UK has products, experiences, values that can connect here

By Ben Byrne Acting managing director Flamingo Tokyo

T

his year marks the 400th anniversary of the establishment of trade relations between the UK and Japan.

In 1613, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun of Japan, wrote to King James I that “though separated by ten thousand leagues, our territories are, as it were, close to each other”.

Four hundred years later, superficial similarities remain: both are island nations mired in private debt; obsolete empires that are suspicious of their mainland neighbours. Yet, for all the occasional bouts of mutual interest, driven primarily by the arts and literature, the UK today seems woefully bad at selling to Japan its modern products—or its values.

Recently, I spoke to a Japanese film producer in a bar in the Tokyo district of Shimokitazawa. “Britain?” he cried, on learning that I was a Londoner. “I love Britain! Hammer horror! Ealing comedy!

These are what inspired me to make movies!”, he said Tentatively, I asked the self-professed Anglophile if there was anything that he found inspirational about the modern UK. Anything more … up to date?

He frowned into his highball for a moment. “The Avengers?” he suggested, hopefully.

While French brands need only shrug at their Gallic identity to open up a whole range of aspirational values in Japan— romance, beauty and sophisticated femininity—the UK’s trade delegation in 2013 appeared reduced and apparently resigned to flogging the dinosaurs of our industrial twilight.

Indeed, the very notion of Britishness today means very little to Japanese people—despite last year’s supposed bonanza of both the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

Perhaps Her Majesty is part of the problem. The sceptre has become

34 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

something of a crutch for traditional British brands that are hoping to ply their wares in Japan. Apparently, they still believe that the royal seal of approval represents, to the rest of the world, a platonic ideal of quality.

The problem—we’re being told—is that nobody cares anymore. What might have been aspirational to newly empowered consumers in Japan’s booming 1960s reconstruction economy, no longer carries any special cache.

What symbolism does exist is more likely to be that of a geriatric country, stumbling in the fog of its own history.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, we’re sensing a slow but profound change in British values: a reimagining of tradition and an embracement of the eclectic; a new politics of consumption that is founded upon the local, sustainable, authentic and personal.

We at Flamingo Tokyo believe it is high time that we started to export these values, alongside the defence equipment favoured by Prime Minister David Cameron.

So what are the contemporary products and categories that best represent this changing culture? What are the values that can truly connect with Japanese consumers today?

Here’s our list of potential contenders.

Modern British craft—while Scottish “punk brewer” BrewDog might shudder to consider themselves British, their idiosyncratic brand is making waves on the burgeoning Japanese craft beer scene.

We believe that other modern British breweries should follow in their wake.

New British craft industries—from beer and gin to bicycles—are reasserting the primacy of product in the UK, and are reinventing artisanship for the modern era by fusing tradition with technology.

These industries represent values that matter profoundly in Japan, where ideals of quality are informed by kodawari (attention to detail) and an authentic story around production and process.

Japan loves British beer, cheese and wool.

In a country where artisans in all areas—from ceramics to denim— continually reinterpret past traditions and translate them to meet present needs, we believe that modern British craft brands, founded on the principle that “product comes first”, will thrive.

Fashion and textiles—it’s been a few years since Japanese youth fell in love with Vivienne Westwood’s alternative take on British fashion.

London style has traditionally been admired here, from the suffragette chic of the Liberty print to the yummy mummy floral motifs of Cath Kidston.

Luxury stalwarts may struggle in today’s post-bubble, otonano (adult) marketplace, which is now characterised not by labels, but by restrained elegance.

However, contemporary tailors such as Patrick Grant—who is currently refashioning a British style that is based on craft and materials, rather than snob value—may well succeed.

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE | INDUSTRY Young Japanese designers, meanwhile, have fallen in love with traditional highquality British fabrics such as Harris Tweed, which they are reinventing for a new generation.

We believe that other regional old– new manufacturers, such as Blodwen of Cardigan Bay, who produce artisan Welsh wool blankets, could prove a hit here, too.

Contemporary food and drink—Japanese perceptions of British cuisine still hover somewhere between the deep-fat fryer and the chain pub.

However, British chefs are in the ascendant globally, and British food has undergone a revolution in recent decades—characterised by an emphasis on simplicity and high-quality, locally sourced produce.

Such tenets, of course, have always been a standard of Japanese cuisine.

Every railway station here is chock-full of local specialities, while “seasonal” refers to particular weeks of the year rather than quarters.

But for all the UK’s Fergus Hendersons and Gordon Ramsays, the number of modern British restaurants in Tokyo still hovers around zero.

We are convinced there’s a role for new, artisanal British foodstuffs to transform

these antiquated clichés. Although, it may be a while before Tokyo’s sommeliers are pouring world-beating Sussex sparkling wines such as Nyetimber.

Yet, speciality English cheese, rare breeds of beef and pork (such as Hereford and Old Spot) all have a strong gourmet story to tell.

After all, the very best Japanese Kurobuta pork is descended from the heirloom Berkshire breed, which was recently brought back from the verge of extinction in the UK to find itself a staple on the table of every self-respecting modern British restaurant.

Natural heritage—Japanese tourists are pretty good at getting off the tourist trail in the UK, but we believe they’d like to go further.

Visit any hiking trail in Japan, and one is delighted to find them full of smiling, retired Japanese for whom every day is Sunday. With decades left to live, they place an emphasis on low-impact health maintenance through activities like rambling and the appreciation of nature.

However, to visit Britain as a tourist is to enter a country bordering on selfparody, where grinning Beefeaters and busbied guards gaze down over the arrivals hall at London Heathrow Airport.

“Welcome to Great Britain!” they seem to proclaim, “Welcome to our heritage theme park, just look at all our funny old costumes!”

Beyond the spires and stately homes, the UK’s wild places are both wilder and more accessible than they have been for decades. There’s a place to talk to visitors about the new outdoors: the West Highland Way, the South-west Coastal Path and the recently established South Downs National Park. Just hold off on the castles and corgis.

While some may decry the forlorn state of our national industries, we are convinced that the modern British Isles can offer products, experiences and values that can truly connect in Japan.

The challenge, however, is to move beyond the obsolete imagery of the past and strip off the stifling costumes that have become a straightjacket on our national identity.

We must abandon the easy comforts of our heritage and, instead, embrace a new vision of the UK as an eclectic, diverse, multi-regional entity that is less focused on being “great” and more on being authentic.

In doing so, we may find that our territories are, indeed, closer than we think.

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www.custom-media.com

AREAS OF EXPERTISE • Print—bilingual magazines, brochures, newsletters, white papers, annual reports, etc.

• Communications—advertising, branding, copywriting, investor relations, PR, editing and proofreading • Digital—company websites, video production (BIJ.TV) and social media consulting

At Edelman Japan, our offering to clients is both simple and compelling.

For foreign clients seeking to build success in the Japanese market, we offer unparalleled experience in taking your messages and translating them into a solid strategy that resonates with Japanese stakeholders to produce measurable results.

For Japanese clients based in Japan, we offer access to the latest global expertise from one of the world’s largest global networks.

And for Japanese clients operating outside Japan, we offer an intrinsic understanding of local companies and the challenges they face outside the country, coupled with the ability to co-ordinate and implement programmes.

Company Name:

Edelman Japan K.K.

Address:

Toranomon Kotohira Tower 7F 1-2-8 Toranomon Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001

Contact:

Ross Rowbury, president

Telephone:

03-6858-7711

Email:

japan@edelman.com

Website:

www.edelman.jp

36 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

AREAS OF EXPERTISE Edelman Japan helps clients win by guiding their understanding of how public relations should be practised in the new stakeholder paradigm. It helps increase trust, change behaviour, engage communities and achieve commercial success. With creative ideas, a passion for the work and enthusiasm for clients, we produce tangible business outcomes.

bccjacumen.com/a-list

The Financial Times, a leading business news organisation, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. As a trusted provider of extensive news, comment, data and analysis to global business, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 601,269 (Deloitte, 3 October 2011 to 1 January 2012)—the FT newspaper’s daily circulation is 319,757 (ABC figures January 2012), with 267,497 paying FT digital subscribers.

The FT has a combined print and online average daily readership of 2.2mn people worldwide (PwC, November 2011).

FT.com has over 4.3mn registered users.

Company Name:

The Financial Times (Japan) Ltd.

Address:

NBF Hibiya Building 21F 1-1-7 Uchisaiwaicho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011

Contact:

Hiroko Hoshino

Telephone:

0120-341-468

Email:

asiaads@ft.com

Website:

www.ft.com

PRODUCTS / SERVICES • • • •

FT newspaper and FT.com FT Weekend and How To Spend It FT Special Reports Financial Publishing provides print and online content targeting global investors • FT Chinese.com • iPad and Android apps; FT Mobile • FT Global Conferences & Events

Flamingo is a global insight and brand consultancy.

Working with both international and Japanese companies, we provide big ideas for growth through the cultural understanding of people.

With sister offices in London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore, we deliver incisive creative thinking and insight into business challenges both in the region and around the world.

Company Name:

Flamingo Tokyo

Address:

Kashiwa 3rd Building 5F 1-40-6 Kitazawa Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0031

Contact:

Kimiko Muro

Telephone:

03-5738-0144

Email:

flamingojp@flamingogroup.com

Website:

http://flamingotokyo.com/

AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • • •

Brand strategy and positioning Communications and creative development Consumer and category exploration Cultural insight Product development and innovation

I&S BBDO is the Japanese arm of the BBDO worldwide network operating in 81 countries and is a top-tier advertising and marketing-services company.

The agency was established in Japan in 1947 and has provided award-winning advertising and brand communications solutions to both global and local clients.

With an extensive portfolio of creative advertising, BBDO focuses on the philosophy of “The Work The Work The Work”, citing: “At BBDO, the Work encompasses every kind of creative content that can touch the consumer and reinforce the brand”.

The Work is where the brand meets the consumer. The Work is what touches their hearts and minds. The Work is what leads to the sale.

Company Name:

I&S BBDO Inc.

Address:

Harumi Triton Square X 1-8-10 Harumi Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-6038

Contact:

Aya Miyashita, director of corporate communications

Telephone:

03-6221-8585

Email:

prdiv@isbbdo.co.jp

Website:

www.isbbdo.co.jp

AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • •

Advertising Direct marketing, CRM, promotion Shopper marketing Core digital

• • • •

E-CRM R&D Public relations Media planning and buying

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 37

THE A-LIST OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE

McCann Worldgroup is one of the world’s leading marketing communications networks with over 300 offices in 125 countries around the world.

McCann Worldgroup is the leader in multinational integrated communications, handling more global accounts across borders than any other network.

McCann Worldgroup’s mission is clear: through creativity, innovation and proven performance, it strives to create marketing solutions that transform its clients’ brands and grow their businesses.

McCann Erickson Japan is a key member of McCann Worldgroup and is the only true international advertising agency represented in Japan’s top 10. In addition, it is the only one that can plan and buy media independently with a media-neutral perspective.

Company Name:

McCann Worldgroup Japan

Address:

Shin Aoyama Building East 1-1-1 Minami-aoyama Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8679

Contact:

Miyoko Ohki, corporate communications

Telephone:

03-3746-8111

Email:

contact@mccannwg.com

Website:

www.mccannwg.co.jp

AREAS OF EXPERTISE • Advertising • Digital marketing/relationship management • Event marketing/promotion/retail • Healthcare professional/direct-toconsumer communications

• Communication planning and media buying • Public relations • Brand consulting/design • Sustainability communications

Public relations (PR) has always been about telling stories on behalf of clients.

TEXT100

Today, we do this in the real world, as well as in the digital world. Although we still shape stories with the media, we also take a through-the-line approach to build conversations and participation online and offline. 

 We are an idea agency, and integrate a digital PR approach into traditional methods. To achieve this, we research rigorously to develop insights that allow us to differentiate the client’s messages and content.

We then develop numerous communication ideas to engage communities both online and offline, and assess them to ensure maximum impact and continual improvement.

These results allow us to continually develop.

Company Name:

Text100 Japan

Address:

Soteira Building 2F 10 Ichibancho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0082

Contact:

Satoshi Nakazaki, managing consultant

Telephone:

03-5210-1981

Email:

satoshi.nakazaki@text100.co.jp

Website:

www.text100.co.jp

Most importantly, we look at what matters to their stakeholders, find the most relevant topics and stories, and the most effective ways to communicate them.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE • • • •

PR Digital media Social media Design services

virgin earth, Inc., with over 30 years experience, directs and produces content for both broadcasters and corporate clients.

From TV shows and concert videos to press conferences, executive interviews, events and now secure web streaming, our multilingual team handles everything from concept to postproduction.

Visit virgin earth’s Aoyama Earth Studio, a fully equipped sound stage for HD multi-camera live or recorded productions. International satellite and fibre connectivity is also available.

Company Name:

virgin earth, inc.

Address:

5-35-8 Jingumae B2F Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001

Contact:

Richard Kipnis

Telephone:

03-5414-7660

Email:

info@virginearthinc.com

Website:

www.virginearthinc.com/

38 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

AREAS OF EXPERTISE EarthStream is our high quality, secure and feature-rich live video streaming service. It is also available for video on-demand solutions.

EarthStream’s interactive interface integrates high-quality video with your presentation materials, along with other options. We make it easy to extend the reach of your next product launch, chief executive officer message or other event.

Business is Social

We can help with content marketing– localised B2B-focused content creation and community management services for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. creative@custom-media.com www.custom-media.com 40 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE | INDUSTRY

From Novelty to Necessity Why more firms are using online video to reach clients and staff

Richard Kipnis: streaming video products are becoming indispensable for business.

By Richard Kipnis Executive producer virgin earth, inc.

I

n a few short years, live streaming video has gone from being a novelty to a necessity for business. Buoyed by the explosion of social media, increased bandwidth and an ever-growing number of web-ready devices, online video has become a preferred way for many firms to communicate and forge ties.

While short videos of dancing cats and pratfalls dominate social media, many firms are turning to online video for internal and external communications.

Late adopters of this technology are now rushing to catch up on this largely consumer-driven trend.

In the post-Lehman era, many firms are looking for cost effective ways to reach clients and streaming video has become a popular choice for conveying a message to large groups and keeping clients informed.

But it wasn’t an easy transition. The pioneers in the field approached it from an IT perspective and setting up a live stream was complicated, confusing and sometimes frustrating. In the end, it didn’t look great either.

It was a situation ripe for innovation.

As a Tokyo-based video-production company with 30 years’ experience of

both broadcast and corporate clients, virgin earth has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and The Amazing Race television programmes, as well as concerts of Beyoncé, Coldplay and Bon Jovi. We also shoot CEO interviews and corporate events for internal and external communications.

Leveraging this experience, virgin earth saw a need for a turnkey, high-quality streaming video service—from project management and video production to the final online product.

Streaming video has become a popular choice for conveying a message to large groups and keeping clients informed.

Most other firms that provide this service don’t have the production background that virgin earth does.

Instead, they approach it from a computer background and don’t look at the quality of the video, audio or lighting.

In mid-2011, we developed and launched EarthStream, a live or ondemand streaming service incorporating high-end video production to produce live video streaming for audiences online.

It’s a complete live experience for the user. EarthStream broadcasts the event with synced slides and records it in highdefinition video. We then upload the video and slides to the web and viewers can see it on demand.

Our clients use this service for various reasons, including secure internal corporate communications or to build a corporate culture. The technology can also be used for events such as stockholder meetings, training and conference calls.

We help clients manage their projects from start to finish and serve as the middle point between audiences online and the technology, to make the most of the video. Imagine, for example, the cost, time and size of venue needed to get 120 people from all over Japan to a sales meeting in Tokyo. For a fraction of the price, EarthStream can stream the event live from the firm’s office. The benefit is that this service is immediate and time saving; people can watch it from anywhere on PCs, iPads and Android devices, and information gets disseminated very quickly.

There are challenges with any new technology and security is often an issue.

We help clients manage this by offering different levels of web streaming: fully public and password protected, with or without registration.

As the popularity of streaming video grows, firms will start finding more ways of using EarthStream to communicate with clients and staff. Live web streaming is unlikely to soon replace face-to-face communications, which is a key part of building relationships. But as bandwidth and technology evolve, streaming video products such as EarthStream are sure to become an indispensable tool for building business.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 41

PUBLICITY

Japan—Lack of Trust Now Embedded Erosion of local premium provides opportunities for Western firms

L

ast December, a tunnel on one of Japan’s key arterial highways collapsed. Among the grief and sadness that followed this accident, one lady’s comment stood out: “You can’t even trust the tunnels in this country anymore”.

Historically, despite a revolving door of governments and political leaders and a trail of corporate scandals, trust has been surprisingly stable here.

So, the huge drops in trust last year seem not to have been a reaction to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Rather, they seem to be the result of frustrations pent up over many years.

The triple disaster was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back and changed the trust profile in Japan.

As illustrated by the woman’s reaction to the tunnel incident, this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer shows how widespread and deep-seated the lack of trust is in institutions.

We believe that trust in institutions has been permanently damaged, and that Japan’s trust profile is now closer to that of Europe than to the profiles of other Asian countries.

While there was a small rebound in trust across the board, trust in the government remained at the lowest recorded level: 32%.* This was almost the same ratio as the low level of trust in non-governmental organisations (NGOs): 37%.

In 2011, trust in NGOs was at 51%, almost equal to the level of trust in business.* Now, trust in NGOs in Japan is about half the global average. That’s due to the perceived failure of NGOs to achieve post-disaster relief and reconstruction objectives, as well as concern regarding what has become of donations.

The ratio of people who trust NGOs a great deal (6%) is well below the global average level (22%). People seem to have lost faith in NGOs’ ability to bring about

real, sustainable change. In addition, transparency remains a huge issue.

The monocultural nature of Japan means local businesses and brands historically have attracted a trust premium over their foreign competitors.

However, during the past year, we have seen well-known Japanese names announce huge financial losses and layoffs. The global criticism maintains that they have lost the edge in innovation.

Events have combined to cause Japanese to lose faith in their own firms. At the informed-public level, this represents a fall of 10 points to 71% over the past two years. *Informed publics now have almost as much trust in German firms (67%) as they do in those from their own country.

But the decreased trust in local firms is providing opportunities for foreign firms.

It is interesting to note that not one of the smartphones that are in the top 10 in terms of sales in Japan is produced by a Japanese manufacturer.

In recent consumer surveys, foreign airlines have ranked above Japanese airlines for service. The local premium is beginning to erode.

The time is right, and the door is wide open, for foreign firms in Japan.

However, the opportunity is not the same for all foreign firms.

The territorial rights issues with China, Russia and South Korea that have occurred over the past year have had a huge impact.

Trust in Chinese firms has plummeted 27 points to a mere 3%, while trust in

South Korean and Russian firms has similarly fallen (25 points) to 16% and 14%, respectively.

Meanwhile, trust in UK-based firms jumped 11 points to 61%, bringing those firms back into the zone of trust.

When we look at the attributes needed to build trust in Japan, we see a picture that may suggest greater opportunities for firms from the developed world.

Integrity-related issues—such as whether a firm takes responsible action in the face of a crisis, and whether it has transparent business practises—are not the only areas in which stakeholders have greatest business expectations.

But they are the areas regarding which people are most convinced that business is not performing.

Some 48% of respondents cited transparency as important, although only 8% said they believe firms are doing well in this area.

Engagement-related issues also featured prominently.

Fully 45% of respondents said they communicated frequently and honestly on the state of a business. Yet only 8% believed that a good job was being done.

This year’s Trust Barometer data suggests that Western firms, who have a long history and experience in the proactive communication of integrity and transparency, probably have a small window of opportunity to leverage that experience in gaining a competitive trust advantage in Japan. * Informed publics aged 25–64.

“JAPANESE PREMIUM” ERODING; COMPANIES FROM DEVELOPED COUNTRIES MORE TRUSTED THAN BEFORE, THOSE FROM EMERGING LESS TRUSTED MOST TRUSTED NATIONAL IDENTITY FOR COMPANIES -­‐ JAPAN

-­‐10 2011

81%

2013

71%

67%

62%

+ 15

63%

63% 56%

48%

+ 11

61% 58%

61%

61% 55% 56%

55% 50%

51%

-­‐15

46%

44%

40% 32%

29%

-­‐13

41%

-­‐25

-­‐13

41%

37% 28%

-­‐25

39%

-­‐27

30% 24% 17%

16%

14% 3%

N/A

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 43

FILM

Coming Out of the Closet Bizarre Fukuoka intruder tale retold in Welsh farmhouse

By Julian Ryall • • • •

Glenn Ibbitson plays the black-clad intruder.

A hooded man arrives at a remote farmhouse, where the owner goes about her daily routine oblivious to the figure that is watching her.

Carole King: artist whose space is invaded.

44 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

Based on homeless woman’s true story Inspired by freedom versus security Film took Leeds man two year to make Success spawns new “contrast” film

I

nspired by an article he had read in The Daily Telegraph in May 2008, a British artist and filmmaker has released a short film that takes the curious case of Tatsuko Horikawa and gives it a dramatic new setting in the mountains of Wales.

Glenn Ibbitson, originally from Leeds but now living near Cardigan in Wales, spent two years making the 44-minute film, Tatsuko. It has been highly acclaimed since having been screened at the artist-run London space, Studio 75.

Late last December, before travelling to Tokyo, Ibbitson, 54, attended an exhibition at Kyoto’s Arton Art Gallery. It featured members of the Fishguard Arts Society, a group founded in Wales in 2011.

“I saw the story of Tatsuko Horikawa in The Telegraph and then Radio 4 picked up on it”, Ibbitson told BCCJ ACUMEN. “I was inspired by the way it illuminated the quandary that we all face over how much individual freedom we are willing to sacrifice for a small bit of security”.

The film—shot largely in black and white—is based on the true story of homeless Tatsuko Horikawa, who was found living undetected in a man’s home in Fukuoka.

FILM

Stills from Tatsuko

The owner of the house became suspicious that he was the victim of repeat burglaries after he noticed that food was disappearing from his refrigerator.

The man, who has not been identified, installed security cameras linked to his mobile phone and caught images of a woman walking around the house when he was out. The man contacted police and, after an exhaustive search of the property, Horikawa was found hiding in the top of a built-in bedding cupboard.

Behind the cupboard’s sliding door, she had laid out a thin futon and had several drink bottles, police said. Horikawa told police she had moved into the cupboard in a room the man rarely used. She said she had done so about a year earlier, after he had gone out without locking his front door.

Horikawa did not steal any money from the homeowner, and so was charged only with trespassing.

Ibbitson, a former BBC backdrop painter—who has worked on programmes ranging from Newsnight and Clive James

to adaptations of Jane Austen novels— took the tale of Horikawa to Wales.

There he used his own home and the surrounding countryside as his set.

His partner, Carole King, was talked into playing the part of an artist living in a house, while Ibbitson plays a black-clad man who invades her space.

In Ibbitson’s rendition, a hooded man arrives at a remote farmhouse, where the owner goes about her daily routine oblivious to the figure that is watching her. Although the stranger avoids full contact, his interaction with her life slowly increases.

The question is whether the intruder is a threat to the woman, or more of a guardian angel.

A review of the film, following the London screening, describes it as “a hauntingly beautiful, dramatically gripping yet enigmatic film that draws the viewer into a world dominated by a strange landscape, where the familiar becomes alien and human relationships are intense yet completely distant”.

“A hauntingly beautiful, dramatically gripping yet enigmatic film that draws the viewer into a world dominated by a strange landscape, where the familiar becomes alien and human relationships are intense yet completely distant”.

Ibbitson covered some of the costs of the film through crowdfunding—the collective effort of individuals who pool their money to support projects initiated by other people or organisations—all of which went on the soundtrack.

The music is by Wyn Lewis Jones, a member of the Welsh punk band Ail Symudiad, and includes the tones of slowed-down wind chimes that “bring [the music] back to Japanese territory”, Ibbitson said.

Yet another link with Japan is director Yasujiro Ozu (1903–1963), whom Ibbitson greatly admires. Moreover, it is the film legend’s refusal to use a roving lens and to have the actors make all the moves that Ibbitson has tried to emulate.

“I would say that the hardest part of the project was convincing my leading lady to take part in it, as she is very reserved”, he said. “I deliberately did not tell her the full story of what we were doing, as I wanted to catch her reactions in order to make it look as natural as possible”.

Ibbitson came close to scrapping the project when, during filming, he dropped his camera. It was broken beyond repair, and the replacement was not only expensive, but it lacked some of the functions of the broken camera.

Finally, however, the film was completed and Ibbitson is now focusing on a new project. The film will capture contrasts: temples, skyscrapers, traditional Japanese beauty and the growing homeless population on the streets of the nation’s cities.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 45

ARTS EVENTS Compiled by Yoko Yanagimoto

To apply for free tickets, please send us an email with your name, address and telephone number by 30 April: yoko@custom-media.com Winners will be picked at random.

| yoko@custom-media.com

9–28 APRIL The Opportunity of Efficiency

WARREN ORCHARD, NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

Inspired by the growth of efficiency as a force for change in society and the influence of big business on national and international affairs, The Opportunity of Efficiency is about small lives that are caught up in a global power struggle. The play is written by Welsh playwright Alan Harris and directed by John E McGrath, the artist director of the National Theatre Wales.

New National Theatre, Tokyo 1-1-1 Hon-machi Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0071 03-5352-9999

John E McGrath

1pm, 2pm and 7pm Closed on 15 and 22 April Adults from ¥3,150

www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/play/e20000603_play.html

23 & 24 APRIL The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

While the idea of the complete works of William Shakespeare was born in the US, the concept that only three actors perform his works has become popular around the world. Since the first performance in Japan 10 years ago, the play has been presented more than 270 times. This special performance will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the three Japanese actors—Shoichiro Akaboshi, Yuriko Ishimaru and Masafumi Chinen—starting to perform their roles.

Base Theater, at the Theater Green 2-20-4 Minami-ikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0022 7pm Adults from ¥3,500 03-3983-0644

FREE TICKETS We are giving away six pairs of free tickets to this event (three pairs for each day).

www.chojugiga.co.jp/tp_recipe2_red/index.html

4, 5, 11, 17 MAY Go Crystal Tears

LEONARDO BRAVO

In celebration of the 450th birthday of John Dowland—a renowned British composer, singer and lutenist of the Renaissance period— soprano Mizue Tomiyama and lutenist Takashi Tsunoda will perform many of Dowland’s works.

Soprano singer Mizue Tomiyama

46 | | BCCJ BCCJACUMEN ACUMEN | | APRIL APRIL2013 2013 46

Karuizawa Cornet 229 Tomigaoka Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture 0267-44-1230 4 May, 7pm; 5 May, 2:30pm

Katsushika Symphony Hills 6-33-1 Tateishi Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 124-0012 03-5670-2222 17 May, 7pm

The Museum of Kyoto Sanjo-takakura Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8183 075-222-0888 11 May, 6:30pm

FREE TICKETS We are giving away three pairs of free tickets to this event.

Tickets are only valid for the concert on 17 May.

11–16 MAY International Roses & Gardening Show 2013

While roses with high-centred buds were popular at the event’s first show, today’s taste has shifted to a more elegant bloom. Part of the Tintinhull Garden—one of the most popular British gardens among Japanese visitors to the UK—will be reproduced at this year’s event, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Seibu Dome 2135 Kamiyamaguchi Tokorozawa Saitama Prefecture, 359-1196

International Roses & Gardening Show 2012

9:30am–5:30pm (entry permitted until 30 minutes before closing) 5pm on 16 May

03-5777-8600 Adults from ¥2,000 FREE TICKETS We are giving away five pairs of free tickets to this event.

http://bara21.jp

13 APRIL–21 JUNE TT3D: Closer To the Edge

This British documentary by first-time director Richard de Aragues is narrated by Jared Leto and charts the world famous Isle of Man TT motorcycle race that has taken place on the island every year since 1907.

The film follows the leading riders of the 2010 race, in particular Guy Martin. The first screening was held at Auditorium Shibuya on 30 March.

© 2011 CINEMANX PRODUCTIONS

Auditorium Shibuya Kinohaus 2F 1-5 Maruyamacho Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0044 03-6809-0538 13–19 April, 11am 20–26 April (please contact the cinema for the starting time)

Cinemart Shinsaibashi Big Step 4F 1-6-14 Nishi-shinsaibashi Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0086 06-6282-0815 From 20 April (for two weeks) Adults from ¥1,800

For information on other venues, please visit: www.laidback.co.jp/tt

UNTIL 26 MAY Francis Bacon

Z0012

The Irish-born British figurative painter is known for his bold, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon’s experience of World War II is strongly reflected in his artworks, of which about 30 are displayed in this exhibition.

© THE ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DACS 2013

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo 3-1 Kitanomaru-koen Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8322 Adults from ¥1,500 03-5777-8600 Francis Bacon in Raincoat, c.1967 Photograph by John Deakin

10am–5pm (entry permitted until 4:30pm) 10am–8pm (Fridays) Closed on Mondays (except 29 April, 6 and 7 May) FREE TICKETS We are giving away five pairs of free tickets to this event.

http://bacon.exhn.jp/

APRIL 2013 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 47 APRIL

COMMUNITY

NINA OIKI

NINA OIKI

BCCJ

Attending the 28 March Diversity Beyond Gender: People with Disabilities event at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo (see page 22) were (from left) Suzanne Price, representative director of Price Global; Hisako Kaneko, chief diversity officer of AXA Life Insurance Co., Ltd.; Toshiyuki Ueki, director of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd; Yukari Yomo, GlaxoSmithKline K.K.’s vice-president of human resources; and BCCJ Executive Director Lori Henderson MBE.

Richard Thornley CBE (left), president of Rolls-Royce Japan Co., Ltd.; Philip Deane, president of Globalinx, Inc.; and Hiro Nakayama, general manager of the Central Japan Railway Company’s international department, attended the BCCJ’s 51 Night at the Hobgoblin Roppongi on 29 March.

TOURISM

UK IN JAPAN-FCO

KIYOSHI SAKASAI

VISIT

UK Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during Life Sciences Week (27 February–3 March). They discussed common healthcare issues facing the UK and Japan, as well as the need for greater co-operation, particularly in dementia research.

Attending the Big British Invite reception on 1 March at The Ritz Carlton, Tokyo were British Ambassador to Japan Tim Hitchens (third from left) and Jeremy Hunt (third from right), the secretary of state for health. Also present were ambassadors from British Airways and VisitBritain—from the Tower of London and Laugharne Castle in Wales.

COMPETITION

JAPAN SOMMELIER ASSOCIATION

OLYMPICS

Women in kimono welcomed Sir Craig Reedie, chairman of the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission, at Tokyo Big Sight on 6 March.

48 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

Briton Eric Zwiebel reached the semifinals of the 14th Association de la Sommelerie Internationale’s Contest of the Best Sommelier of the World on 28 March at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa.

COMMUNITY SPORT

Ernie Olsen (back row, left), the Royal Bank of Scotland Japan country executive, with the Scottish national rugby union sevens squad at the RBS Tokyo office on 29 March. The team took part in the Tokyo Sevens rugby tournament on 30–31 March.

SPORT

ART

The British School in Tokyo’s under-14 rugby team played against King’s College, a touring side from Thailand, at the Kamakura Rugby School on 10 March.

ART

Artist Joe Hill of 3D Joe and Max displayed his artwork in mid-March in the Tokyo district of Shiodome to promote the release of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.’s Jack the Giant Slayer. The fantasy adventure film was released in Tokyo on 22 March.

Toshio Saeki is holding his first UK exhibition at London’s Print House Gallery from 29 March to 1 May. The controversial artist’s works merge influences from Japanese surrealism, shunga (16–19 century Japanese erotic art), and Western comics.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 49

IF YOU ASK ME

With this Ring ...

Will Japan ever legalise gay marriage?

By Ian de Stains OBE

B

ritish Prime Minister David Cameron has gone out on a limb to promote it; US President Barack Obama has soundly endorsed it; the establishment fumes and rails against it; and the religious of virtually every stripe condemn it. These days, it seems, it is talked about everywhere: gay marriage.

As an openly gay man committed in a legally binding civil partnership, I’m often asked where I stand on this contentious issue. The question is usually tied in with whether—or whenever—Japan might consider it.

Perspective helps. At the time I began to understand who I was, UK law would have branded me an offender.

Homosexual activity was punishable by fines and even imprisonment.

The law was not changed in England and Wales until 1967, following the Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution (Wolfenden Report). Meanwhile, Scotland was even tardier—a problem for same-sex couples sharing the night sleeper from London to Inverness.

In my formative youth, there were absolutely no positive role models.

Like many others, I hugely enjoyed the Julian and Sandy sketches that featured in the regular Round the Horne BBC radio programmes that were broadcast on Sundays.

We laughed at the camp-as-pink-tents stereotypes, then perhaps unaware of the heartbreak of countless men and women—and men perhaps more than women, because lesbians seemed always to have an easier time—who had to live a life of lies.

I decided very early on in my career that I could not lie and was lucky in that I had a tolerant employer (although it was said that the BBC headquarters adorned the employees’ files who were suspected of being gay with a Christmas tree symbol!).

I was lucky, too, in having a loving and caring family who did not—as so many others did their sons—reject me.

Indeed when, more than 25 years ago now, I introduced my partner, they

50 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

embraced him warmly and he was at once made to feel a part of the family; to this day our nieces see him as their favourite uncle.

It was an easy decision, when it became legally possible, to register our partnership. As required by law, we posted a notice of our intentions in the British Embassy Tokyo (the equivalent of bans in the local church).

The ensuing ceremony was conducted with goodwill and dignity: a choice of swearing an oath of commitment on the bible or a more secular pledge.

We left with a certificate that gives our union a legal status and certain important protections, in the UK at least. The union carries with it equally important legal responsibilities, too, as with marriage. Japanese law is actually silent on the issue, but it appears the authorities “acknowledge” such unions where one of the parties is from a state where they are legally recognised. It is highly unlikely, however, that a spouse visa would be forthcoming.

This is welcome and positive, but it is a civil partnership and not a marriage. I find myself conflicted in discussions over the issue. In my own mind, marriage is inextricably linked with religion.

Attending the weddings of my siblings, I heard them take their solemn vows according to ancient rites I can no longer relate to. So it is unlikely—especially given that my partner is Japanese—that

I suspect there are countless Japanese men and women, who would, if they could, choose to formalise their same-sex relationships.

I would actually want to walk down the aisle.

But that is not to say that those who have faith should not have the choice to do so.

It is worth noting, however, that among the heterosexual populations of many developed countries, the institution that is marriage is far less popular than ever.

In those same places, religion itself is increasingly being seen as an irrelevance by many, at least where Christianity is concerned.

There remains, of course, the sensitive issue of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. I sometimes read with revulsion, stories of straight couples who neglect or abuse, outright, their children.

Compared with the knowledge I have of same-sex couples who have demonstrated outstanding parenting, I have yet to see any definitive study that suggests there is any real disadvantage to having two parents of the same gender. What seems to matter most—and what makes the most sense—is that the child is loved and cherished.

As for Japan’s attitude, there is barely a blip on the register of concern.

I suspect there are countless Japanese men and women, who would, if they could, choose to formalise their samesex relationships.

However, I am unaware of any concerted movement to bring the issue into the public eye.

There is—as far as I know—no Japanese equivalent of Stonewall, the UK’s lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity. I know of only one Japanese lawmaker who is openly gay, but a recent high-profile victory for gay rights may suggest times are changing. After a Twitter-led outcry in March against Tokyo Disney Resort’s refusal to let a lesbian couple perform a “marriage ceremony” on its premises unless one of them was dressed as a man, the theme park apologised and said all same-sex couples would now be welcome to hold their fairy-tale celebration alongside Micky and his friends.

Meanwhile, the role models put forward in the media tend—as they tended to in 1960s Britain—to be little more than stereotypes, and none of them positive.

HISTORY

Truth and Lies Veteran’s heartbreaking account of “worst-ever” British military defeat

By Julian Ryall

A

former British soldier has written what is probably the most authoritative and painstakingly researched book on the 1942 fall of Singapore. Arthur Lane’s account of arguably the worst defeat in British military history is all the more compelling because he fought in the ill-fated defence of the island and subsequently spent several years as a Japanese prisoner of war (POW).

70 Days to Hell is the 93-year-old’s 31st book about World War II, his experiences and those of men he knew. Despite his advancing years, it is clear that Lane still harbours anger at both his Japanese captors and the British government for what he perceives as the abandonment to their fate of troops in the Far East.

“It has taken me about four years to write the book, largely because of the need to verify information and obtain official documents”, Lane told BCCJ ACUMEN. “But someone needed to tell the truth because there were so many inaccurate stories being written and published and so many lies were being made to appear authentic.

“For example, the one about 50,000 Japanese soldiers riding bicycles who overtook Singapore in seven days”,

he said. “That story was perpetuated by [former British prime minister] Winston Churchill to cover his own inadequacies”.

Born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where he lives today, Lane joined the Manchester Regiment as a drummer and bugler in 1936 and saw service in Egypt and Palestine before arriving in Singapore in late 1938.

In the book’s foreword, Lane describes the preparations for the attacks that, it was clear, the government and senior military officials feared would come.

He is scathing of the defences that had previously been considered sufficient to protect a critically important part of the UK’s presence in the Far East.

“When the war came in December 1941, I was on Singapore island and, from that day, my life completely turned around”, he said. “All the training I had done was to be of no consequence”.

Lane survived air raids from Japanese bombers and, after the ground troops had landed on the island, came under mortar attack. It quickly became apparent to the officers heading the defence of Singapore that their position was untenable.

“I was taken prisoner on the evening of 15 February, 1942, when I received orders from the regiment’s commanding officer to cease firing and destroy all weapons”, he said. “That was indeed a sad day for me, especially later when I went around the island disposing of the victims of the fighting’s remains.

“And in particular, when I recognised a friend or disposed of the remains of young people”.

Lane’s ordeal—and that of tens of thousands of other allied troops and civilians who had been taken prisoner during the campaign—was, however, far from over.

He soon witnessed the execution of five men who were accused of trying to escape, saw a Chinese woman being decapitated and “a boy being tortured by grinning Japanese soldiers”.

To escape the brutality of life in Singapore, Lane volunteered to join a party that was being transferred to Thailand. He did not realise it at the time, but he was being sent to work on the notorious “Death Railway” on the Thai– Burmese border, where he survived even more atrocities against POWs.

Lane joined the Manchester Regiment as a drummer and bugler in 1936.

“After my capture, I witnessed many atrocities—murders, executions, beatings and instances of sadistic torture—and I was on the receiving end myself on a number of occasions”, he revealed.

“I was also one of a handful of buglers in the camps and played my bugle at thousands of burials for the victims of the ‘sons of heaven’”, he added.

“I will never forget what the Japanese put me and my mates through, but that’s another story”.

Lane’s war ended in a makeshift hospital in Rangoon, Burma where he was treated for his years in captivity.

He returned to the UK in late 1945 and left the army in September 1949.

70 Days to Hell, however, focuses on the day-to-day actions that made up the campaign for Singapore, and includes a background to the outbreak of hostilities in Malaya, the order of battle on both sides, the plan of defence for the island and detailed maps showing the progress of the attackers.

The book also draws heavily on official documents from several nations involved in the conflict, including reports from General Sir Archibald Wavell, who was in command of the Singapore garrison.

Most impressively, Lane has managed to reconstruct the events of every single day of the campaign, providing a map of both sides’ movements and an explanation of the day’s activities. Each day concludes with a list of the names, ranks and regiments of the men killed over that period, as well as the site of their graves.

Hundreds of the dead are listed as NKG (No Known Grave).

70 Days to Hell: A day-to-day account of the fall of Malaya and Singapore, December 1941– February 1942, Lane Publishing BCCJ ACUMEN has two copies of this book to give away. To apply, please send an email by 30 April to: editor@custom-media.com. Winners will be picked at random.

APRIL 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 51

BCCJ ACUMEN has one copy of each of these books to give away.

To apply, please send an email by 30 April to: editor@custom-media.com. Winners will be picked at random.

BOOKS

Reviews by Ian de Stains OBE

Strike Three Two years on and, despite enormous rebuilding efforts, the devastation from the Great East Japan Earthquake is still apparent.

Thousands of people are still living in temporary accommodation and it is perfectly possible to believe in the apocalypse in parts of north-eastern Japan. Whole communities have been wiped out and, in many cases, it is unlikely that they will ever be restored.

Some, it is true, were on their last legs anyway, such as those with young people who were moving away into the cities. But other communities—with viable fisheries, farming, and brewing interests—were dealt a lethal blow when, on the afternoon of 11 March, 2011, a massive earthquake struck off Japan’s coast. It triggered a tsunami of biblical proportions and, in turn, set off a chain reaction involving the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

It is not at all surprising that the eyes of news reporters around the world zoomed in on an incident that would take tens of thousands of lives and throw into question the safety of nuclear energy.

Japan-based journalists Lucy Birmingham and David McNeill have collaborated on a book that goes beyond and beneath the sensationalism that was unleashed by the news networks in the immediate aftermath of the triple disaster.

Instead, their book looks at some very personal experiences: six individuals with six very different stories. They are at times heroic, always dramatic and immediately engaging.

Both writers are experienced Lucy Birmingham reporters and have gone to great and David McNeill pains—sometimes disturbingly so— Palgrave Macmillan $27.00 to let us hear their subjects’ voices.

However, they have also spent time researching and reporting on the lessons that Japan should learn from this extraordinary event.

Their research has been meticulous and it is to their enduring credit that However, it is here where I begin to they have avoided the temptation question the writers’ impartiality and to sensationalise. authority. The science is questionable.

In addition to airing the experiences The book is appropriately illustrated, of those caught up in the disaster, the many of the photographs coming from authors speculate on what lessons BCCJ ACUMEN contributor Robert might be learnt and offer some Gilhooly—the others largely provided by rather frightening statistics about the authors themselves. radiation levels.

A Third Opening?

Edited by Dominic Al-Badri and Gijs Berends NIAS Press ¥2,600 (plus tax)

52 | BCCJ ACUMEN | APRIL 2013

In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and disaster, commentators made much of the enormous impact of the triple disaster over and above the obvious physical damage and the devastating human toll.

Some went so far as to suggest it would be the third opening of Japan, following the Meiji Restoration (1868–1912) and the post World War II occupation.

While there is no doubt that the triple disaster prompted a crisis on a scale that no country in our lifetime has experienced outside warfare, two years on we are better able to evaluate the true impact on social and political policy.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake— written by diplomats and policy experts in European embassies in Japan—offers a unique perspective on whether the events of 11 March have had a significant impact besides the obvious trauma.

Perhaps it is too early to really understand the long-term effects, but it is surely time to consider such things as energy policy, agricultural implications and food safety, aside from the economic impact.

Here is a book that does just that. It is academic in its approach but is no less readable because of this. Indeed, the way it looks at the impact that the disaster had on Japanese politics on a broader level is very entertaining.

The book’s contributors were all resident in Tokyo on 11 March and were all working in European diplomatic missions at the time.

One of the writers is Richard Oppenheim of the British Embassy Tokyo.

His contribution, like the endeavours of his associates, highlights important considerations that Japan must address.

But the truth is, there are lessons for us all.

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