JIN-470 -- Soft Power

How important is it that people over the world recognize and buy into Japanese culture? This week's JIN looks at the potential political and economic dimensions to Japan's cultural exports. Read Now

Terrie's Job Tips -- Space Planning for Employees, Part III: Practical Application

Sometimes life offers us synchronicity, and one such event happened to me a few days ago. I had just finished Part II of this series on calculating just how much space is needed to house your employees, when a client happened to ask me the exact same thing. This client is based overseas, but has a Tokyo office, complete with a local country manager and half a dozen staff. They are planning to ramp up fairly quickly, and want to have an office for 12-15 staff by the end of the year. Currently they are in a serviced office.

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MMW-122 -- Competition Heats Up For Portable Audio Recorders

This month's MMW covers the latest competition for portable audio recorders, SoftBank Mobile's forthcoming release of the 3G iPhone in Japan, Yamaha's offering online piano lessons over Skype and much much more.

TT-473 -- Mubadala Takes the Plunge, ebiz news in Japan

The activities of sovereign wealth funds have attracted a lot of attention recently. One such fund, Mudabala Development has recently partnered with the Kobe International Frontier Medical Center. Terrie questions the motivation behind this investment and raises some serious concerns about the viability of the business model.

JIN-469 -- Violent crime in Japan

After the tragedy that occurred in Akihabara last Sunday, this week's newsletter considers some of the myths and realities surrounding violent criminal acts in Japan. Read Now

Terrie's Job Tips -- Space Planning for Employees, Part II: Hot Desks

The movement of human traffic within Japanese firms having an external customer service and/or sales effort is a study of contrasts. In the morning, after the departmental meetings, the office is a buzz of activity, with sales and service people on the phone to prospective and existing customers. Appointments are being made and customers are happy to get the personal attention.

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TT-472 -- Wal-Mart Persists, ebiz news from Japan

US retail giant Wal-Mart entered the Japanese market after it bought into Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu in 2002. However, the company have a rough ride -- Terrie considers some of the problems with its branding and asks how it might be able to take advantage of the current economic climate. Read Now

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GW-301 -- The Hottest Gizmos and Gadgets from Japan

This week's Gadget Watch takes a look at the new bluetooth adapter headphones, the demise of the Gocco print kits and the BT bluetooth keyboard for mobile phones.

JIN-468 -- Japan and Myanmar

Japan and Myanmar have had a history marked by both friendship and hostility. We take a look at the course of relations and question which way they might be headed. Read Now

Terrie's Job Tips -- Space Planning for Employees, Part I: Rapid Build-up

Today’s column is for employers and managers who are tasked with starting a new operation or rapidly expanding an existing one, and who need to find an office space to cope with the increase in staff. Just how big should the office be? Do you want to load up on extra space while waiting for sales to rise, or try to office-hop to keep up with expansion?

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