Message from the Editor

Dear Readers,

J@pan Inc started life as an IT magazine, Computing Japan. After a couple of years it broadened focus to become the wider business publication that it is today. This issue sees us return to our IT roots in the IT special feature, while our new lifestyle section, Culture & Context, breaks into new territory for us.

With the Japanese version of Sarbanes-Oxley (J-SOX) only six months away from being a reality that all listed companies in Japan will have to deal with, our cover story focuses on how the right software solution can provide the necessary visibility for top level executives to assess their internal controls. We spoke exclusively to OpenPages’ Derek Titterington about the role of IT in governance, risk and compliance in Japan.

Also, in support of the IT feature, we are privileged to offer Travis Cardwell’s piece on virtual machines, illustrated with his own graphics and even a haiku. Elsewhere in the feature we provide readers with a round up of IT news in Japan and expert James Mok has written the second part of his inside view of the IT industry here. On the center pages you’ll find our indispensable IT services directory.

The new Culture & Context section builds on our coverage of Tokyo Girls Collection in the last issue with an article exploring fashion trends in Japan from an anthropological perspective while Chris Willson’s piece takes us to the southern extreme of Japan: the Yaeyama islands in Okinawa.

With Chris Cleary’s wise words on investment and our focus on new technologies, from spring manufacturing to an innovation in the treatment of cancer, our regular pieces should also make for some interesting reading. Once again we are pleased to have Ken Worsley providing his characteristically urbane take on economic news while we throw out another challenge with our fiendishly difficult prize Classic Crossword.

As always, we are open to the comments and suggestions of readers. Also, please do take the time to visit the website and take our reader survey and get the chance to win a bottle of premium quality gin from our sponsor Tanqueray No. Ten.

Please send letters to the editor to the J@pan Inc offices or directly by email to peter.harris@japaninc.com

Peter Harris MA (Oxon)
Chief Editor

J@pan Inc Magazine, Nov/Dec 2007