* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br>A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.<br>(<a href="http://www.terrie.com">http://www.terrie.com</a>)<br><br>General Edition Sunday, June 26, 2011, Issue No. 619<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- Teaching scientists how to communicate<br>- News -- Boiling milliwatts as you make tea<br>- Candidate Roundup/Vacancies<br>- Upcoming Events -- Next Entrepreneur seminar<br>- Corrections/Feedback -- How not to find shareholders<br>
- News Credits<br><br>SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a>, or,<br>
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<br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>Last week the academic world in Japan was in an uproar <br>after it came out that Tohoku University's president, also a <br>
leading metallurgy scientist, Akihisa Inoue, had his 2001<br>contribution to a US academic publication called Applied <br>Physics Letters (APL) retracted because a member of his <br>research team had recycled part of a previous paper in the<br>
submission to APL. As reported in the Japan Times, the <br>problem with this is that double publication causes the <br>research group and in particular the lead scientist named <br>at the top of the paper to be suspected of trying to get <br>
republished without doing any new research. <br><br>Whether Inoue's team intended to subvert the principle of <br>original research or not, it/he have almost certainly <br>committed a serious breach of ethics which now has muddied <br>
both his personal international credibility and also his <br>and the team's ability to get published again in the <br>future. That could be quite serious for him, since academia<br>in Japan is now moving more and more to tying funding to <br>
researchers' rate of being published.<br><br>It will no doubt be argued that since the team member who <br>wrote up the APL submission was not aware of a similar <br>submission to another magazine, this was an innocent <br>
mistake and one that should not be punished further than<br>the ignomy already caused. However, unfortunately for Inoue, <br>and perhaps indicative of the state of affairs in Japanese <br>academia at present, this is actually the second time for <br>
him to have a paper pulled, and so he is now connected with<br>a pattern of behavior that will have consequences. This is <br>a shame, because Inoue is apparently an innovative and <br>dedicated scientist who in the 1990's was acknowledged as <br>
the most-cited materials scientist of that period.<br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>-------- Remaining Partners for Tourist Web Project -------<br><br>Our many thanks to the 30+ partner candidates who have <br>contacted us so far. The project is moving forward with<br>
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Powerpoint presentation.<br><br>Initial project manager: <a href="mailto:terrie@metropolis.co.jp">terrie@metropolis.co.jp</a><br>------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br>
<br>But this hullabaloo may have an unintended good <br>consequence, in that it could provoke a major shakeup of <br>the attitudes and language capabilities of the Japanese <br>scientific establishment as they are forced to come out of <br>
the domestic rabbit holes (the Galapagos syndrome) and <br>compete on the world stage for coverage in leading <br>publications. This pressure is being provided Chinese, <br>South Korean, and Taiwanese scientists, who are much more <br>
comfortable working in English and interacting with the <br>international science community.<br><br>For much too long Japanese scientists have believed that <br>their research is sufficiently unique and advanced that a <br>
simple translation of their paper or script is sufficient <br>to address an international audience. However, this is <br>clearly a wrong assumption since the way a Japanese <br>presentation makes its points -- often half way through a <br>
paper and with abject modesty, is unlikely to earn any <br>lasting recognition from a very bored or puzzled foreign <br>audience. Indeed, the word "embarrassing" comes to mind. <br>Consequently, despite the quality of the research, work <br>
done by Japanese scientists often gets overlooked <br>internationally.<br><br>As an example of how severe the problem of poor <br>communication is, Japan leads in number of patents in solid<br>waste management and is number two after the United States <br>
in air pollution control, water pollution control, medical <br>technology, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Yet despite<br>these impressive accomplishments, the country lags in cited<br>research or core articles in the same fields, not even <br>
making the top ten.<br><br>So what's the solution? The best would be for the Education<br>Ministry (MEXT) to pressure universities to start formal <br>programs in scientific writing, presentation, ethics, and <br>other communications and behavioral skills needed to <br>
survive and thrive in an international environment. <br>Unfortunately this is not likely to happen in a hurry <br>because the whole system is so inbred, and so scientists <br>who are serious about their international standing and <br>
careers are having to take matters into their own hands by <br>hiring private companies to tutor them.<br><br>One such company is Think Science, a Tokyo-based company <br>offering live training courses in scientific writing and <br>
coaching in making presentations. The company <br>(<a href="http://www.thinkscience.co.jp">www.thinkscience.co.jp</a>) seems to be doing well, and counts<br>many of the nation's major academic institutions as its <br>
clients. There are other players as well, but we are told <br>that Think Science is the first to make major inroads on <br>the side of live coaching of scientists on how to present <br>and behave, rather than just provide rewriting/editing <br>
services.<br><br>Back to the scandal. Inoue's case is probably just the tip <br>of the iceberg -- certainly there is scope for lots of <br>similar mistakes to be made because Japan's academic body <br>is so large. According to the latest available data from <br>
the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and <br>Communications there are approximately 827,300 scientists <br>in Japan and this number has been rising 7 years in a row. <br>In 2008 alone Japan spent JPY18.9trn (US$228bn approx.) on <br>
academic R&D, the eighth straight year of increase, so it <br>is clearly time for the local scientific community to get <br>serious about international best practice and standards -- <br>and educating its leading thinkers that they have to <br>
change.<br><br>Indeed, on the New Year's Day 2011 Eiichi Negishi who had <br>received a Nobel Prize in chemistry, appeared on NHK's <br>special series entitled "The Road to Japan's Survival <br>2011" and emphasized the need for Japanese scientists to <br>
become internationally viable. In his recently published <br>best-selling biography Negishi (2010) proclaimed <br>"Regardless of your field, your playground should be the <br>world and your language should be English." <br>
<br>[Ed: Our thanks go to Rinko Kawakami, associated with <br>Kyushu University, who provided us with many of the key <br>facts and issues in this Terrie's Take.]<br><br>Lastly, if you want to know what the power usage is in the <br>
Tokyo area -- like maybe you need to use a dialysis machine<br>or cook a chiffon cake or something and don't want an <br>unexpected interruption, then you can check how close we <br>are to power cuts by going here:<br>
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<br>This innovative service is available for companies needing<br>to hire staff for Japanese customers, but who are unable<br>to commit to the expense and infrastructure of maintaining<br>an office in Japan. We take care of all aspects of the<br>
employment, contracting, and dispatch -- including<br>management of the employee.<br><br>Also, if you're thinking of Cloud office solutions, take a<br>look at Microsoft's new Business Productivity Online<br>Standard Suite. Terrie mentions Exchange Online in TT602,<br>
and we can do the same implementations for you.<br><br>For more information on this and other SI and IT services,<br>in English or Japanese:<br><br>Phone: (03) 4588-2220, Email: <a href="mailto:solutions@biosjp.com">solutions@biosjp.com</a><br>
Web: <a href="http://www.biosjp.com">www.biosjp.com</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- M&As up significantly in 2011<br>- Cloud apps company wins Microsoft partnership<br>
- Swedish truck maker to get better presence in Japan<br>- Softbank and Orix to build digital signage exports<br>- Boiling milliwatts as you make tea<br><br><br><br>-> M&As up significantly in 2011<br><br>It looks like 2011 will the biggest year for M&As since <br>
2005, and is approximately 80% ahead of the pace set last <br>year. Of the total JPY7.56trn spent on M&A, about a half, <br>JPY3.1trn, has been spent on foreign acquisitions. Experts <br>are saying that the rate of acquisitions has notably <br>
increased since the March 11 earthquake and point to the <br>fact that many firms believe things will get tougher in <br>Japan. At the same time, there are apparently many private <br>equity funds abroad sitting on assets acquired before the <br>
Lehman Shock, who are now looking to unload those <br>investments. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Jun <br>25, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110624D24JFF05.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110624D24JFF05.htm</a><br>
<br>-> Cloud apps company wins Microsoft partnership<br><br>Cybozu may not be a company you've heard much about, but <br>this firm was one of the pioneers in the SaaS space, <br>providing cloud-based productivity and groupware <br>
functionality long before Google and others. The company <br>has however been extremely poor in marketing its solutions,<br>and has also stayed in corporate groupware space rather <br>than the higher profile B2C markets. Nonetheless, their <br>
dedication to making a good product even better appears to <br>be vindicated as Microsoft has agreed to make them an <br>option for the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 product <br>line up from next week. Needless to say, Cybozu's share price <br>
went limit-up on the announcement. (Source: TT commentary <br>from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Jun 23, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110622D22JFA12.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110622D22JFA12.htm</a><br>
<br>-> Swedish truck maker to get better presence in Japan<br><br>Swedish truck maker Scania has announced that it is going <br>partially independent of partner Hino, and setting up its <br>own sales and service operation in Japan. Scania is <br>
apparently looking at niche markets within Japan for its <br>heavy-duty trucks and power generation equipment. The <br>company seems to think that there are opportunities for it <br>in the post-recovery efforts up in Sendai and Tohoku. <br>
***Ed: Gutsy move by Scania to separate with a heavy hitter<br>like Hino. Will be interesting to see how this effort goes. If<br>successful, it will no doubt become a textbook case <br>study for MBA students.** (Source: TT commentary from <br>
<a href="http://scandasia.com">scandasia.com</a>, Jun 26, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=9065">http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=9065</a><br>
<br>-> Softbank and Orix to build digital signage exports<br><br>Softbank and leasing company Orix have announced that they <br>will work together to build an intelligent digital signage <br>business around East Asia over the coming years. The basic <br>
idea is that Softbank will make the digital signs and Orix <br>will providing funding to operators to rent the sign <br>displays. According to the Fuji Chimera Research Institute,<br>sales of the digital signs market in Japan was about <br>
JPY75bn, and should be double that in 2015. ***Ed: Hmmm, <br>we'd heard that Softbank's digital signage business was not<br>doing well at all, so this East Asia push seems a bit like <br>wishful thinking to us. Also, it's particularly hard to <br>
imagine that Japan's digital signage market is worth <br>JPY75bn -- especially if it's only going to double in the <br>following 5 years -- not exactly a high-growth market.** <br>(Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Jun 21, 2011)<br>
<br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110621D21JFF04.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110621D21JFF04.htm</a><br><br>-> Boiling milliwatts as you make tea<br><br>A cool new product recently launched by an Osaka firm <br>
produces electricity to recharge your iphone by boiling <br>water in a cook pot that also includes a thermocouple to <br>turn heat into power. The developer of the device is TES <br>NewEnergy, and apparently the owner got the idea from <br>
watching tsunami survivors warming themselves over open <br>fires in the days after the disaster. He thought a device <br>that could power up their cell phones at the same time, <br>especially in a disaster, would be popular. ***Ed: <br>
Certainly we think this is a great idea!** (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://independent.co.jp">independent.co.jp</a>, Jun 25, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://ind.pn/jyTOSP">http://ind.pn/jyTOSP</a><br><br><br>
NOTE: Broken links<br>Many online news sources remove their articles after just a<br>few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we<br>apologize for the inconvenience.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
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-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES<br><br>=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively<br>
marketing the following positions for customers setting up<br>or expanding in Japan, as well as other employers of<br>bilinguals.<br><br>** HIGHLIGHTED POSITION<br><br>BiOS is urgently looking for a Vendor Management Contract <br>
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contract execution and renewal processes.<br><br>You will also be responsible for working with client legal <br>offices to ensure that the legal review/approval process is<br>followed and deviations are approved where necessary.<br>
<br>Due to the technical nature and demanding work environment,<br>this position is suitable for someone with solid experience<br>with administering technology-related contracts. In <br>addition, since this role requires coordination with many <br>
of both internal and external teams/departments, including <br>a legal department, business-level communication skills in <br>English and native-level communication skills in Japanese <br>will be required.<br><br>Remuneration is JPY5m – JPY6.5m depending on your <br>
experience and skill level.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- MS Dynamics Specialist, BiOS, JPY6M – JPY8M<br>- Snr Account Exec., global media co., JPY4M – JPY5M<br>- iPhone Developer, IT services provider, JPY4M – JPY5M<br>
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<br>** BiOS Job Mail<br><br>Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its<br>job seeking candidates, called BiOS Job Mail. Every edition<br>carries a list of BiOS's current and most up-to-date<br>vacancies, with each entry featuring a short job<br>
description and a direct link to the main entry on the BiOS<br>home page. Regardless of whether you are unemployed and<br>searching, thinking about a career change, or just curious<br>to know if there is something out there that might suit you<br>
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<br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:tomohiro.kimura@biosjp.com">tomohiro.kimura@biosjp.com</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br><br>--------------- Start a Company in Japan ------------------<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 16th of July, 2011<br><br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>
find out what it takes to make it successful. Terrie Lloyd,<br>founder of over 17 start-up companies in Japan, will be <br>giving an English-language seminar and Q&A on starting up a<br>company in Japan.<br><br>This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved,<br>
and to ask specific questions that are not normally <br>answered in business books. All materials are in English <br>and are Japan-focused. Over 450 people have taken this<br>seminar in the last 8 years, and approximately 20% have<br>
gone on to form companies.<br><br>For more details:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar">http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK<br><br>In this section we run comments and corrections submitted<br>by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and<br>
amplify our points, by email, to <a href="mailto:editors@terrie.com">editors@terrie.com</a>.<br><br>*** In TT617 we mentioned that we solicited investors <br>through the Terrie's Take newsletter. One of our readers <br>
pointed out that there are strict rules in place about <br>private solicitation of investors, and we agree that this <br>is correct. We simply abbreviated the description of the <br>process. For those thinking about engaging in similar <br>
marketing, if you want to speak to a body of potential <br>investors at once, then you should look at the following <br>guidelines. As always, this is not legal advice since we're<br>not lawyers, and you should always get confirmation from a <br>
qualified lawyer before trying this at home.<br><br>[A] Providing no information<br>Have your company announce its plan to raise finance, and <br>that it wishes to survey whether there is any market <br>interest in such a program. In the survey, you would <br>
provide no specific information about the shares, and some <br>information about the company. In your marketing, make a <br>note that the ad is not solicitation to sell shares. People<br>wishing to participate in the survey should contact an <br>
email address they can reach you at.<br><br>[B] Providing info to small number of people<br>Again, announce that your company plans to raise finance, <br>and offer that only the first 50 respondents will receive <br>details on the offer. This meets the up-to-50-people rule <br>
for private share offerings. Make a note that the ad is not<br>solicitation to sell shares. people wishing to participate <br>in the survey should contact an email address they can <br>reach you at.<br><br>***********************************************************<br>
END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,862 members as of June 26, 2011<br>(We purge our list regularly.)<br><br>+++ ABOUT US<br><br>STAFF<br>Written by: Terrie Lloyd (<a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>)<br>
<br>HELP: E-mail <a href="mailto:Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com">Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com</a><br>with the word 'help' in the subject or body (don't include<br>the quotes), and you will get back a message with<br>
instructions.<br><br>FEEDBACK<br>Send letters (Feedback, Inquiries & Information) to the<br>editor to <a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>.<br><br>ADVERTISING INFORMATION<br>For more information on advertising in this newsletter,<br>
Contact <a href="mailto:ads@japaninc.com">ads@japaninc.com</a>.<br><br>SUBSCRIBE<br>Get Terrie's Take by giving your name and email address at<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up">http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up</a>, or go<br>
straight to Mailman at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a><br>
or, <a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br>Copyright 2011 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.<br><br>----------------- Japan Inc opens up Japan ----------------<br>
<br>J@pan Inc is Japan's only independently published English-<br>language business website. Authoritatively chronicling<br>online the business trends in Japan, each posting brings<br>you in-depth analysis of business, people and technology in<br>
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