By Sarah Noorbakhsh -- Automated check-in -- While the words ‘business hotel’ in Japan are often synonymous with the image of dark and smoky rooms that would make even a seasoned salary man shudder, Super Hotel has been working since 2000 to change that image into one that feels welcoming not only to business men, but women and families as well. Touting the motto “Japan’s Best Budget Hotel,” this chain offers a number of innovative features that have boosted it into the spotlight. Says President Ryousuke Yamamoto, “We want to be both evolutionary and revolutionary in the budget hotel industry, offering lower prices than possible before while still maintaining high customer satisfaction.”

Fabrizio Lavezzari By Peter Harris -- Fabrizio Lavezzari, Representative Director, Presidio Japan KK -- Please can you tell us about the Armani Exchange (AX) brand? -- The basic concept of the brand is young, urban and sexy—there is a strong association with music and the club scene. Not only do we produce CDs mixed by popular Djs from New York or London, we also put on clubby events inside stores. While there is a healthy overlap between the Armani brands, we have to be careful to avoid brand cannibalization and make sure that our coverage is broad and seamlessly segmented.

By Peter Harris -- A look at the changing fortunes of Schindler Japan -- Global elevator and escalator manufacturing giant, Schindler, came to Japan in the late 1980s, entering the market via the acquisition of Nippon Elevator Industry Co Ltd. Its business here expanded and by the millennium, the company had made real inroads into the market—launching the Japan market specific Schindler 300J in 1997 and winning the elevator system contract for the Millennium Tower in 2000.

By Anna Kitanaka -- J@pan Inc’s column concerning business conditions in an emerging market -- As the opposition to British rule in India mounted at the turn of the 20th century, the populace (second-largest in the world) began to push for self-rule and total independence. The outcome was a closely guarded society, eager to administer the deathblow to colonialism by cutting off inroads for foreign investment in the country. Nevertheless, following WWII, India pursued capitalist economic policies, flanked by some of the oldest financial institutions in Asia, such as the Bombay Stock Exchange, founded in 1875. Becoming one of the hotspots for foreign soul-seeking tourists during the hippy era, India remained firmly on the map as a cheap tourist destination.