<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">J@pan Inc Newsletter</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">in Japan.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Issue No. 445 Wednesday January 30, 2008, Tokyo</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball-------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Glitterball is back!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">than ever.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">who knows what else.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social calendar.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball">www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball</a></p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The Taxi Business</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">In 2001, getting into a Tokyo taxi for the first time, I</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">remember being surprised by a number of things. The door opened</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">before I could get a hand to it, the driver was wearing white</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">gloves, puffing a cigarette, and when I got in, he didn't seem</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to have a clue where the Japanese address that I handed to him</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">was. After a short interchange on the radio, with who I assume</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to have been HQ, he said 'OK' and drove me off to my destination</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">leaving me generally rather impressed with the cleanliness and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">politeness of the experience.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Since that time, taking taxis in Japan has become a part of life</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">that I spend little time dwelling on. However, there are some</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">interesting facets to the business and culture of taking cabs</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">here that have changed significantly in recent years. The most</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">recent change is of course the smoking ban that has been imposed</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">on most cabs in Tokyo this month. The two main taxi associations,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The Tokyo Taxi Association and the Tokyo Kojin Taxi Association</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">have implemented a ban covering 52,000 taxis out of the reported</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">total of 53,619 cabs. The ban has not been extended nationally</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">yet but will most probably be complete by the autumn. A</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">breakthrough for the anti-smoking lobbyists, like all such</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">regulation, the ban will rile smoking drivers and passengers</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">and be met with applause by their non-smoking counterparts.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">One thing is for sure, the trademark cigarette for cab drivers</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">will rapidly become a thing of the past.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">However, while this might be referred to as 'regulation' the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">industry at large has been locked into a trend of deregulation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">for over 10 years. Before then, since the 1970s, the industry</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">had faced major restrictions that in part resulted from the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">sudden surge in demand for cabs during the period of economic</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">consolidation in the 1960s. The government was so concerned by</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">issues such as taxis refusing customers for short distance trips</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">that it brought in the Emergency Measures Law for Optimization</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">of Taxi Services, in 1970. Together with the existing 1951 Road</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Transport Law, this gave the government almost absolute control</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">of fare prices, the number of taxis on the road, licenses</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">granted, operating hours and allocated patches.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">[Continued below...]</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">------------------- Financial Times------------------------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Established in 1888 and published in 23 major cities, the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Financial Times is essential reading for the global business</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">community, providing news in print and online around the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">clock to more than 1.3 million readers worldwide.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">In both its print and online versions, the FT has a reputation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">for authority, balance and depth of coverage.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">With 400 specialist journalists in 70 offices around the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">world, and unrivalled access to global business and government</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">leaders, the FT 's global business intelligence and insight</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">will help you start the day fully briefed on significant</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">events in business, politics and finance.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">FT newspaper and FT.com (one year subscription - 310 issues)</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Normal retail price:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">JPY219,647</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">You pay:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">JPY90,720 ( Saving you 54%.)</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">[...Article continues]</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">During the 1990s however, reformers came into power and started</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to deregulate across a specturm of sectors. A paper from the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Kyoto Institute of Economic Research argues that the first</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">manifestation of deregulation in the taxi industry occurred in</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">July 1993 which allowed for a dual price structure in Osaka</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">allowing most cabs to start from 600 yen but some from 540.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">By the turn of the century, excessive demand had turned to an</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">excess of supply; worried that the restrictions might fuel less</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">than savory modes of competition, and also as Diet reformers</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">initiated a more thorough general program of deregulation, the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Road Transport Law was reformed in 2002 making it much easier</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">for new firms to enter the market.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Taking advantage of the new legislation, many operators set up</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">fleets and the number of taxis on the roads increased</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">dramatically. Firms such as MK Taxi, kept their prices low and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">managed to grow their business substantially. Liberalization</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">thus created more jobs and introduced more competition into the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">industry. However, much to the confusion of economists, the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">government's release of control over supply and demand has not</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">exactly gone as planned. Firstly, although the supply levels</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">have risen, demand has actually gone down. This has led to</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">deteriorating conditions and pay decreases for drivers and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">apparently there has been a downturn in the level of service.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">As a recent paper by Walter Skok and Sakoto Kobayashi (in</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Knowledge and Process Management) observes, the reforms were</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">intended to 'improve service quality as a result of increased</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">competition. However, the resulting situation is the opposite</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to that expected.' They continue: 'Although the number of cabs</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">has steadily increased, the demand has correspondingly</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">decreased. This paradoxical situation may be explained by the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">damaging effects of the recession that had an adverse impact on</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">personal spending power.'</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Others argue that it was also the result of 'excessive</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">competition' in the industry as a consequence of deregulation.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This explanation is possible but ignores the nature of the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">problems that regulation caused in the first place; attempts</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to control supply and demand can be futile in the face of</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">oscillating consumer spending power and discourages sorely</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">needed entrepreneurialism. But it is also arguable that the</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">liberalization has not really gone far enough. In particular,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">prices are still controlled by the government and taxi companies</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">had to fight hard for the right to rise to 710 yen in Tokyo,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">effective from last month. If the government allowed companies</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to control pricing, this would give firms more freedom to carve</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">out budget or luxury niches. On the other hand, when it comes</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to prices, passengers tend to go for the first cab to stop rather</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">than look out for the cheapest one. Companies such as Nihon</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Kotsu, one of the big three companies has got around this by</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">introducing taxi ordering services that respond to one ring of</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">a mobile phone.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The recent fare hike has had a mixed reaction and arguably</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">favors the bigger companies. The Nikkei reported that the fare</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">rise was driving customers away. This can put the squeeze on</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">the smaller operators and it has been the case that the larger</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">companies have been acquiring increased numbers of their</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">smaller competitors in the last few years. Smaller operators are</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">the least likely to be able to keep fares low and even if</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">they do, their fleets are too small to derive major benefit from</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">this. Last July, Nihon Kotsu bought its smaller rival Toyo Kotsu,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">and lower down the food chain, several midsized firms have</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">bought out smaller ones. In terms of labor too, big companies</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">find it easier to get staff and therefore keep expanding-another</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">industry paradox is that despite a falling wage, demand for</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">drivers has gone up with the increasing number of operations.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Perhaps further deregulation would allow for more independent</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">operators and smaller companies who could sustain their business</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">by providing a more tailored, targeted service-once the playing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">field is more level.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Peter Harris</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Editor-in-Chief</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">------------ Translation/Marketing Service ----------------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The J@pan Inc Translation/Marketing team now offers translation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">and marketing services for companies to help them enhance their</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">performance internationally. Our services include:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Professional translation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Catchy copy writing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Strategic design</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Effective PR</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Direct marketing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Our achievement includes:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Corporate report translation and desktop publishing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- In-house magazine translation and desktop publishing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Annual report translation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Company legal document translation</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- Government PR brochure copy writing and design</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">- DM service targeting senior executives</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Please contact at <a href="mailto:sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com">sachie.kuroda@japaninc.com</a> for more details.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">-----------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">++FEEDBACK</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">than ever before! Simply visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin450">www.japaninc.com/jin450</a> and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">post a comment below the article. Alternatively, you can email</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">it directly to the author at <a href="mailto:peter.harris@japaninc.com">peter.harris@japaninc.com</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">---------- NEW OFFICE SETUP OR RELOCATION ---------------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">SETTING UP AN OFFICE EARLY IN 2008?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">PBXL CAN DELIVER!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Don't buy a PBX!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">PBXL is a hosted Cisco end-to-end solution that every office</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">needs for its core business phone infrastructure.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">For Terrie's Take readers, PBXL is offering a new office</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">set-up campaign of up to 10 people for only 98,000 yen,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">up to 20 people for only 198,000 yen, for a discount of up</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to 270,000 yen!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">For complete details on this bundle, click the link below,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">or call us at:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/terriestake">http://www.pbxl.jp/terriestake</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">-----------------</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">03-4550-2557</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:info@pbxl.jp">info@pbxl.jp</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Come see PBXL in action at Cisco Japan HQ:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">(registration is open for our next event on Thurs Jan 24)</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt">http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">--------- PBXL Hosted Business Communications</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">++EVENTS</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">---Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo - Tuesday, February 5th--</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Title:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">'Presentation Zen: How to design and deliver</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">great presentations in today's world'</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Speaker: Garr Reynolds</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Start off the year learning an essential skill for any</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">entrepreneur or business person with presentation designer</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">and internationally acclaimed communications consultant</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Garr Reynolds. He will be sharing his experience in a</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">provocative mix of illumination, education, and guidance</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">that may change the way you think about making presentations</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">with PowerPoint.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Date/Time: Tuesday, February 5, 7:00 pm</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Language: English</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Website: <a href="http://www.ea-tokyo.com">http://www.ea-tokyo.com</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">********** Tokyo Marathon -- Seeking Runners **************</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Were you crazy or brave enough to sign up for the Tokyo</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">marathon which is being run on February 17th? Help is at</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">hand with a last minute training session from two Olympic</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">athletes offering some last minute tips.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">In return all we want is for you to run for Tyler.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Shine on! <a href="http://www.tylershineon.org">www.tylershineon.org</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">********************************************************</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Marcus Evans Events - Supported by J@pan Inc</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Customer Relationship Excellence, 15th - 16th April 2008,</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Hilton Tokyo</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548">http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13548</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Don't miss out distinguish speakers from American Express</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">International - Hideki Yamanaka, JIMOS - Yohey Hosoda, Family</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Mart, - Motoo Takada, Zurich Insurance - Yuji Gondo, Astellas</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Pharma - Masaru Imahori and Nikon - Kazuyuki Kazami. Book early</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">to avoid disappointment!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Compensation and Benefits, 27th – 28th May, Tokyo</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This event provides Japanese firms the understanding and</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">'how-to' of investing in their employees for the purpose of</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">sustaining their businesses. Corporations nowadays need to</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">formulate a business-driven compensation policy that leverages</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">human capital to drive corporate growth.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">3rd Annual LNG World, 15th – 16th July 2008, Tokyo</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="http://www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13569">www.marcusevans.com/html/eventdetail.asp?eventID=13569</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">This event aims to focus on the key operational aspects of LNG</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">business which helps the professionals to understand the nuances</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">of the current market dynamics and to succeed and gain an edge</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">in this highly competitive market.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">"J@pan Inc readers are entitled to a 10% discount upon registration</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">with Ms. Esther Wong."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">For further details and brochures, please contact:</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Ms. Esther Wong</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Tel No: +603 2723 6736</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Fax No: +603 2723 6699</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Email add: <a href="mailto:estherw@marcusevanskl.com">estherw@marcusevanskl.com</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Fax No: +603 2723 6699</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Email add: <a href="mailto:estherw@marcusevanskl.com">estherw@marcusevanskl.com</a></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">++END</p>