Message from the Editor

Dear Readers,

As the fiscal year draws to a close and the market is plagued by credit worries, and more general commercial anxiety, we are pleased to keep our eyes firmly focused on new business and innovation. This is manifest in Greg Lane’s new regular column—a round up of the latest significant business developments. Greg’s piece is complimented by our other new regular ‘Measure for Measure,’ a compilation of statistics and corporate data marking our commitment to provide useful Japanese market information.

Innovation is also the keynote of our cover story this time. Junichi Fujimoto was the first president and representative director of ‘livedoor’ and now, ten years on, he is starting to deliver his original vision, free easy-access Internet for all.

Meanwhile, for those more interested in the woes of the economy, Chris Cleary’s piece challenges conventional thinking on the right time for investment as well as linking to an online market history quiz on our website which I urge readers to challenge themselves with. To try, visit: www.japaninc.com/market_quiz

Additionally, this issue includes our recruitment services special feature. For an overview of the current industry Alan Malcolm’s insider view is a thought-provoking piece about which recruitment companies stand the best chance of success and survival in Japan. Elsewhere we explore the job-hunting game from three different perspectives and expose five sneaky tricks that some recruiters employ. As usual, our feature-specific directory is on the center pages and provides a comprehensive list of English-language capable recruitment services in Japan.

Peter Harris
MA (Oxon)
Editor-in-Chief

From business to pleasure, our lifestyle section in this edition explores some exciting possibilities for high-end leisure in Japan. Matthew Heath tells us about his experiences of skydiving while Tim Coghlan gives the low-down on the best champagne brunches in Tokyo.

J@pan Inc is already looking forward to our May/June issue, the real estate special.

Please send letters to the editor to peter.harris@japaninc.com