The The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 446 Wednesday, December 26, 2007, Tokyo<br><br>------------ Translation/Marketing Service ----------------
<br>The J@pan Inc Translation/Marketing team now offers translation<br>and marketing services for companies to help them enhance their<br>performance internationally. Our services include:<br><br>- Professional translation
<br>- Catchy copy writing<br>- Strategic design<br>- Effective PR<br>- Direct marketing<br><br>Our achievement includes:<br>- Corporate report translation and desktop publishing<br>- In-house magazine translation and desktop publishing
<br>- Annual report translation<br>- Company legal document translation<br>- Government PR brochure copy writing and design<br>- DM service targeting senior executives<br><br>Please contact at <a href="mailto:sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com">
sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com</a> for more details.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>People to watch out for in 2008<br><br>This week's JIN attempts to peer into future and identify who<br>
might be making the Japanese headlines in 2008.<br><br>POLITICS<br>In many ways, 2007 in Japan was a year of 'out with the new and<br>in with the old.' This is hardly surprising in a nation where<br>year on year the population graph paints a picture the younger
<br>generation looking more and more like Atlas, straining to <br>support the world on his shoulders. In November this year the<br>government's Statistics Bureau reported that there were 27.53<br>million aged over 65 years old—that's roughly
21.5% of the total<br>population estimated to be 127.70 million.<br><br>Beyond the statistics one can't help wondering whether<br>demographical structure was lurking behind some of the political<br>events that we saw over the year—would a more youthful populace
<br>have based their vote on issues related to pensions records?<br>Then, in September, Japan's youngest Prime Minister of the<br>postwar era, 52-year-old Shinzo Abe, quit to be replaced by<br>71-year-old Yasuo Fukuda. In the LDP there is no obvious, young
<br>up and comer in the wings although when Fukuda does step aside—<br>which could be sooner rather than later given his recent dismal<br>performance in opinion polls—we will probably see Taro Aso<br>resurface as a potential candidate as might Sadakazu Tanigaki.
<br><br>On the other side of the house, Mr Ozawa has had an eventful <br>year marked with both highs and lows. He will most likely <br>continue to give the LDP a run for its money, but he might also <br>face challenges from within his own party. In particular, Seiji
<br>Maehara who has openly disapproved of the current party<br>leadership might try and jostle his way into the DPJ's top job<br>or, more calamitously, set up a rival camp.<br><br>BUSINESS<br>In business too, the days of youth, personified by Horie and
<br>Livedoor seemed in 2007 to have given way to a return of the old<br>boys with headlines being devoted much more to Toyota and<br>Mistubishi than to any new start-ups. However, SoftBank and<br>Mixi have also both had very successful years and their
<br>respective heads are likely to be even more active in 2008. This<br>year, SoftBank's 49-year-old Masayoshi Son started to see his<br>efforts really come to fruition. The 'White Plan' subscription<br>deal won the business waves of new customers—White Plan
<br>subscribers swelled to over 9 million—and the deal with Disney,<br>not to mention the launch of flashy new Smartphones manufactured<br>by HTC, mean that Son is likely to take on an ever higher profile<br>in 2008. Meanwhile, Mixi's 31-year-old owner, Kenji Kasahara, took
<br>his SNS service firmly into the wireless sector in 2007 with more<br>users accessing the site on their cell phones than on their PCs;<br>it'll be interesting to see how he crowns this in 2008.<br><br>This year also witnessed the end of Nova English schools which
<br>finally closed its doors this autumn leaving thousands of foreign<br>teachers impoverished and unemployed. The Nova story looks set<br>to be equally interesting next year as G Communication, the<br>company that have taken over a large part of the Nova group, is
<br>an innovative player—the owner, Masaki Inayoshi owns an<br>impressive portfolio of businesses, mainly in the retail sector.<br>G Communication was fined by the FSA for insider trading last<br>year and Inayoshi's boldness could see him take on a Horie-esque
<br>role in 2008.<br><br>And, in the wake of Japan's first ever hostile takeover that<br>occurred this month, we can expect to see two or three more of<br>these in 2008, probably thrusting president of the Tokyo Stock
<br>Exchange, Atsushi Saito in to the limelight more and more. Saito<br>may be 67 but his outlook is surprisingly modern and his<br>determination to take the TSE public in style by 2009 should not<br>be underestimated.<br>
<br>POPULAR CULTURE<br>It is not only in business and politics that young upstarts get <br>a kicking in the Japanese media. Early twenty-year-olds Yuuki <br>Goto and his sister Maki, who have both had high profile showbiz
<br>careers, will no doubt continue to hit the press for less<br>glamorous reasons as Yuuki goes on trial for robbery and <br>assault.<br><br>But there is media sycophancy too. The blossoming romance<br>between Sawajiri Erika and Tsuyoshi Takashiro is set to become
<br>a great media bore in 2008—the 21-year-old actress and her<br>43-year-old film director boyfriend have been spotted by<br>paparazzi around Tokyo, normally in a car. It doesn't really get<br>much more exciting than that but if these two decide to get
<br>married it has the potential to clog up the airwaves for quite<br>few weeks. Thankfully coverage is limited to 'Josei Seven' and<br>a few other rags at present.<br><br>As a more general rule, we are expecting 'talentos' (comedians
<br>or TV presenters) to make more of a move into serious <br>professions as celebrity lawyer Toru Hashimoto is doing in his <br>attempt to become governor of Osaka (see the J@pan Inc Blog for <br>more on this: <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/node/2748">
http://www.japaninc.com/node/2748</a>).<br><br>Elsewhere, eatathon queen Garu Sone will most likely become<br>increasingly famous—Japan's thinnest greedy guzzler has started<br>to become a media darling this year because she can eat a lot
<br>and yet remain 'cute.' And, one celebrity who might actually<br>disappear in 2008 is Yoshio Kojima, the Waseda university<br>graduate comedian who became famous this year for prancing <br>around in his underpants and saying silly catchphrases (also see
<br>J@pan Inc blog <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/node/2743">www.japaninc.com/node/2743</a>). He has apparently <br>paid off his Mum's debts and both he and his mother feel the <br>time has come for him to get a real job.
<br><br>SPORT<br>This year Tokyo launched its bid to host the 2016 Olympics but<br>next year the media spotlight will fall on Beijing. Back in<br>October, we reported that Japan's performance in the Olympic<br>games has been steadily improving (
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin437">www.japaninc.com/jin437</a>)<br>but the pressure on Japanese contestants in national sports will<br>be immense. Former champion Hideaki Tomiyama, now head of the<br>national judo side, is likely to come under scrutiny as Japan's
<br>recent perfomance in global contests has been somewhat under <br>par. In women's wrestling Saori Yoshida will be going for a gold<br>while Kosuke Kitajima has the same ambition for his swimming.<br><br>In baseball, Senichi Hoshino, the Japan manager, has a chance to
<br>make a larger name for himself in Beijing this summer and star<br>player Yu Darvish is likely to be the hero for fans. Meanwhile<br>Takeshi Okada will be keen to establish himself as coach of the<br>nation's soccer team, reportedly he's aiming for a top three
<br>placement in the 2010 World Cup: he has his work cut out for <br>him.<br><br>For more predictions about people and trends in Japan, see the<br>forthcoming issue of J@pan Inc magazine, available from 11th<br>January. We wish all our readers a happy, healthy and successful
<br>2008.<br><br>Peter Harris<br>Editor-in-Chief<br><br>++FEEDBACK<br>Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion<br>than ever before! Simply visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin446">www.japaninc.com/jin446
</a> and<br>post a comment below the article. Alternatively, you can email<br>it directly to the author at <a href="mailto:peter.harris@japaninc.com">peter.harris@japaninc.com</a><br><br>++CORRECTIONS<br>Last week reported that there were 5 McDonald's in a 200 square
<br>meter area in Shibuya, this is closer to 400 square meters. And,<br>as one reader pointed out Ronald McDonald is simply known as<br>'Donarudo' or Donald in Japan. For readers comments on these<br>issues please visit
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin445">www.japaninc.com/jin445</a><br><br>++SPECIAL NOTICE - IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES<br>WILL YOU BE LEAVING JAPAN OVER THE HOLIDAYS?<br>If so, you may be interested in finding out how to register for
<br>the new automated gate system at immigration, brought in to<br>facilitate compliance with the new regulations that require<br>foreigners to be finger-printed. Download the information from:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/misc/automated-gate-registration">
http://www.japaninc.com/misc/automated-gate-registration</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Japan's First Family Social Network is here! <a href="http://www.piqniq.jp">www.piqniq.jp
</a><br><br>Are you raising a family in Japan? Do you speak English?<br>Would you like to meet other English speaking families in<br>your area? Piqniq is a Social Network Service tailored<br>specifically for you!<br>Our concept is "Families helping Families" and we invite
<br>anyone that wants to meet other families, help other families,<br>or discuss family-related issues pertinent to life in Japan<br>to come and join the Piqniq today!<br><br>For more information: <a href="http://www.piqniq.jp">
www.piqniq.jp</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>************WHAT DO YOU THINK OF J@PAN INC?************<br>We invite you to take a survey and to win a bottle of<br>premier gin for your troubles. Basically, we're interested to
<br>know what readers think of J@pan Inc magazine, since we<br>significantly boosted readers and content at the start of<br>this year. Tell us what you think:<br><a href="http://tinyurl.com/yof8sd">http://tinyurl.com/yof8sd
</a><br><br>++EVENTS<br>---------------- ICA Event - Jan 16 -----------------------<br><br>Event: New Year Mixer Party-Joint event with<br>the American Chamber (ACCJ)<br><br>Overview: An evening of fun, games, salsa dancers, dancing,
<br>prizes, drinks, and delicious food<br>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>(RSVP Required)<br><br>Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2008<br>Time: 7:30-9:30, includes open bar, finger food.
<br>Open ended nijikai at same location<br>Cost: 6,000 yen (members), 6,500 yen (non-members)<br>Open to all-venue is 57 - Roppongi 4-2-35, Tel. 03-5775-7857<br><br><a href="http://www.fiftyseven.co.jp/">http://www.fiftyseven.co.jp/
</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Marcus Evans Events - Supported by J@pan Inc<br>Date :22nd-23rd January, 2008 Venue: Hilton Tokyo Hotel<br><br>-Clinical Trial and Drug Development Excellence 2008
<br>Date :23rd-24th January, 2008 Venue: Hilton Tokyo Hotel<br><a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/events/CFEventinfo.asp?EventID=13130">http://www.marcusevans.com/events/CFEventinfo.asp?EventID=13130</a><br>The event features case studies and expert presentations by
<br>Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Bayer, AstraZeneca<br>and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.<br><br>'J@pan Inc readers are entitled to a 10% discount upon<br>registration with Ms. Esther Wong.'<br><br>For further details and brochures, please contact:
<br>Ms. Esther Wong<br>Tel No: +603 2723 6736<br>Fax No: +603 2723 6699<br>Email add: <a href="mailto:estherw@marcusevanskl.com">estherw@marcusevanskl.com</a><br><br>--------------------- MIDEMNET FORUM ----------------------
<br><br>MUSIC BUSINESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE<br><br>26/27 January 2008, Cannes, France, at MIDEM, the world's<br>music market. MidemNet Forum brings you an invaluable<br>update on how digital is driving the music business
<br>forward, changing it rapidly and radically. Over 2 days of<br>intense conference sessions and serious networking<br>opportunities. You will debate and engage with more than<br>1,300 key international executives and play an active role
<br>in shaping the future of the industry.<br><br>Speakers: Janus Friis, Co-Founder, Joost, Kazaa and Skype;<br>Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO, Vivendi; Tero Ojanpera, EVP & CTO,<br>Nokia; Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi.
<br>The earlier you register, the less you pay. Hurry, seats<br>are limited! <a href="http://www.midem.com">www.midem.com</a><br><br>------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball-------<br><br>Glitterball is back!<br>
Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on<br>February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day.<br>An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted<br>Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of
<br>Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better<br>than ever.<br><br>Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers<br>for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and<br>who knows what else.
<br>Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make<br>the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social <br>calendar.<br><br>CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME<br><a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball">
www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball</a><br><br>----------------------------------------------------------<p><br></p>