On April 3, the Record Industry Association of Japan officially
released the 'RIAJ Yearbook 2008,' its annual roundup of sales
figures, statistics and trends from the previous year.

One of the unique rituals of working for a Japanese company, especially a smaller founder/owner company, is that of the company trip. Often when a company has been doing well, and if the owner is in good spirits, he/she will spring for a trip for a division or the whole firm to go to an onsen (hot spring), or sometimes further afield (Hawaii and Hong Kong are also popular foreign destinations). Typically the company will pay all travel, accommodation, meals, drink, and scheduled entertainment – including any rounds of golf or visits to local attractions.

This week's Gadget Watch fires up the world's smallest consumer HD vidcam, lends an ear to a mobile phone with voice enhancements, looks into a mini telephoto lens for keitai cams, and uncovers new ways to hide secrets.

I had an interesting question from a reader worried about whether she would be too old to start applying for jobs after spending many years acquiring three languages and an advanced professional qualification. While it is true that companies in Japan prefer younger employees if they are going to take on someone with limited work experience, the attraction of fluent, multiple regional language skills is so great at present (remembering that unemployment is still very low) that employers will make concessions when they see someone who has really tried to improve themselves.