Terrie's Job Tips -- Who is Really Unemployed?

Back in November, the government released statistics stating that Japan's unemployment fell a full 9% from 4% to just 3.7%. When I first saw this, I had just finished watching the latest TV news installment about how many more part-timers had just been fired by Japan's leading electronics and automobile makers. Talk about a contrast!

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TT-497 -- Metropolis Buys Kansai Scene Magazine, ebiz news from Japan

Who says print is dead? The future of publishing will lie in free papers and more engagement.

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JIN-492 -- An M&A Christmas

With the yen strong and shareholder confidence lacking, Japanese companies are looking to buy up big in 2009.

Terrie's Job Tips -- Is Taking Redundancy a Good Idea?

The Nikkei reported in November that Nikko Cordial Securities was planning to substantially reduce its 7,000-person work force by offering employees “early retirement” packages, otherwise known as redundancy packages in the West. Apparently employees aged 40 are the main target and given that the company has a strong seniority culture, it is understandable that it would make the offer to the older, more expensive employees first.

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MMW-127 -- Music games continue to be a hit in Japan

Taking up where he left off last month, Steve Myers continues his commentary on recent music game releases in Japan that turn controllers and mobile devices into virtual musical instrument.

TT-496 -- Making the Case for Recycling Monopolies, ebiz news from Japan

With a decrease in demand from China, Japan's waste trade is going downhill.

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JIN-492 -- Two months down... time for a new PM?

Rumblings are already being heard about Taro Aso's leadership.

Terrie's Job Tips -- Forecasting Employment Conditions for 2009

The emerging recession looks like it could be bad. So bad in fact, that some economists are saying it will be the worst in a lifetime - certainly the worst in 50 years anyway. As with all recessions, this one features a spectacular loss of confidence on the stock markets and a number of market corrections before things settle down. But what’s different this time around, from, say, 2002, is not only is there a loss of confidence in Japan, the contagion is global - meaning there is no where safe for international investors to park their money and wait things out.

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TT-495 -- The Recession, What's Ahead? ebiz news from Japan

If this recession develops into a global depression, what are some of the more extreme changes that Japan could face?

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