Several weeks ago, one of our readers made the comment that while we have been commenting on firms doing IPO's, it would be nice to hear about a firm that is still on the way. We thought it would be a good idea to interview some Japanese CEOs of promising companies, and try to understand some of the thinking and opportunities that lie before them in their rush to an IPO.

For those of us still struggling to use our cell phones and PCs, there is a whole new world of Internet activity and interaction going on that we will have to stay up with if we want to sell online to anyone under the age of 30. One of these hot new business sectors is that of Social Network Services (SNS), which lets millions of people find new friends and relationships online by matching profiles and forming groups.

Back at the end of June (Terrie's Take 380), we carried a news item about a Dell laptop that exploded into flames at a conference here in Japan and which was caught on video.

When I turned on the news Tuesday morning, I was surprised
to see a live telecast of a motorcade.
The broadcaster's helicopter hovered over the black
limousines as they traveled through streets empty because of
hour and season, this being O-Bon, when Tokyoites return to
hometowns...