* * * * * * * * * 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, November 20, 2011, Issue No. 639<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- 10,000 Tickets, a Good Idea or Not?<br>- News -- Interesting data about high net worth individuals<br>- Candidate Roundup/Vacancies<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback <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>
<a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br><br>----------- PBXL TOTAL TELEPHONY SOLUTION (TTS) -----------<br><br>PAYING TOO MUCH FOR MONTHLY CALLING CHARGES? PBXL’s Total <br>
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e-mail us at <a href="mailto:info@pbxl.jp">info@pbxl.jp</a> or call us at 03-4550-2557<br><br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>When we first heard about the ten thousand free flights <br>
being offered to bloggers by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA)<br>to come to Japan, we were a bit incredulous. This has been <br>an agency that until now has had to work with minimal <br>budgets and manpower. So for them to lay out JPY1.1bn for <br>
tickets and to provide the manpower and logistics required <br>to execute this campaign was quite a surprise. Actually, <br>though, the announcement is still just a trial balloon, <br>because the JTA has yet to get budget allocation from the <br>
Diet, and we won't know until March 2012 whether it will <br>pass muster or not. <br><br>However, we presume that it will -- because everyone knows <br>that Japan's tourism industry is in the pits at present<br>and needs urgent CPR.<br>
<br>It didn't take long for the news to get out on the wires <br>and the blogosphere, and for people to get quite excited <br>about the opportunity to win a free round trip to Japan. <br>Indeed, since the announcement there have been over 100 <br>
million searches on Google for terms relating to free <br>tickets to Japan. Hundreds of news agencies and <br>publications have picked up the story, and as a trial <br>balloon we'd have to say that it has been a huge success. <br>
Even if the budget approval doesn't happen next March, the <br>attention that the JTA has won for Japan with this story <br>will be invaluable.<br><br>Obviously many "entrepreneurial" types have sensed an <br>
opportunity in the promotion. We don't know the details, <br>but the JNTO had to run an announcement on their website <br>last month, warning visitors that "There have been reports <br>in some countries about acts of fraud related to this <br>
media report. The Japanese government has not committed to <br>provide free flight tickets to Japan to anybody. Please be <br>careful not to get caught up in this kind of fraud."<br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>-- NAGAMINE & MISHIMA - Securing Your Success in Japan ---<br>
<br>Starting a new company in Japan? Looking to streamline <br>your current operations?<br><br>The team of bilingual experts at Nagamine & Mishima is able<br>to provide high quality accounting, payroll and tax <br>services that both exceed expectations and fit your budget.<br>
Our services help customers improve their operations and <br>bottom line results. <br><br>To find out more about our services and how we can help <br>your business in Japan succeed, please visit our website <br><a href="http://www.nagamine-mishima.com">www.nagamine-mishima.com</a> or reach us directly by telephone<br>
at 03-3581-1975 or by email at <a href="mailto:info@nagamine-mishima.com">info@nagamine-mishima.com</a>.<br><br>---------- YOUR BOTTOM LINE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>That brings up the question of just how the JTA is going to<br>
conduct this campaign because dealing with potentially <br>millions of applicants will present some real challenges.<br>They haven't disclosed much about the program yet, other<br>than that there will be a special site set up for <br>
applications, and that they are interested in bloggers who <br>are influential. Our first question is how they are going<br>to qualify applicants? We understand that the basic idea <br>is to focus on Facebook and Twitter users. If that's the<br>
case, we wonder if they have heard of "Klout" scoring? <br>This will at least let them take a semi-scientific approach<br>to evaluating each applicant.<br><br>We ask this because high rankings on Twitter or Facebook <br>
are not necessarily desirable. As a simple example, think <br>of the scantily clad hopeful models on Facebook who are <br>each maxed out at 4,800 Friends in their efforts to gain <br>attention. Are they there because of their persuasion skills?<br>
Hardly. Something more basic got them there. Well, OK, <br>maybe if they are wearing a skimpy beach outfit while down<br>in Okinawa, we suppose they might draw some relevant <br>interest...<br><br>How the JTA chooses people is also important because doing <br>
a poor job at an early stage will discourage interest from <br>millions of hopeful applicants, or worse, it could cause a <br>negative backlash against perceived unfairness. Instead of <br>just relying on Facebook and Twitter numbers or even Klout <br>
scores, the JTA would be much better served by creating a<br>website that lets produce material on a pre-trip basis and<br>have others vote/"like" entries -- thus creating a level <br>playing field. <br><br>Another question is: how does one get 10,000 people to <br>
blog/post/tweet nicely? With a number that big, there are <br>bound to be some influential bloggers having bad <br>experiences when they come through -- especially if they <br>get to thinking they are celebrities, when in fact local <br>
hospitality workers won't be aware of this nor care less <br>about it. You WILL eat fish every morning for breakfast... <br><br>Actually, when you get down to it, how does one enforce <br>the ticket winners to blog at all? After all, the JTA can't<br>
threaten "no postings, no flight back home". Will<br>they put them in jail or fine them? Related to this is <br>just what is sufficient volume for a post, tweet, or blog?<br>Are a few sentences and photos sufficient work to earn a <br>
JPY100,000 airfare? Who adjudicates this? Who counts and <br>evaluates each contribution? This sounds like a huge job <br>unless the JTA is going to automate the process.<br><br>We hope the JTA comes up with some good answers to these<br>
and other concerns, so that the campaign is seen as <br>accessible to everyone and not for just an elite few. No one <br>denies that inbound tourism needs a huge kick start. Common <br>wisdom has it that tourism is down by the 40% or so because<br>
of three factors: the high yen, language issues, and <br>Fukushima. There can be no doubt that Fukushima has been a <br>major disruptor of normal tourism patterns, and the main <br>beneficiary of the disaster has been South Korea, which at <br>
one point last week indirectly attributed 14% of its <br>increased tourist numbers to the Fukushima situation. We<br>all hope Fukushima will be largely resolved by year-end<br>and that tourists will start responding to the media <br>
messages about cold shut-down.<br><br>What about the high yen and language issues? <br><br>Actually, the South Korean tourism industry is a good <br>reference point for Japan's performance, and shows that <br>neither the yen appreciation nor language have been <br>
particularly strong tourism deterrents over the last three <br>years. Since 2008, we should have seen tourism numbers<br>drop as the yen appreciated. Instead, there was no <br>noticeable drop and inbound numbers stayed flat. Over the <br>
same period, and yes, admittedly the Won is cheaper, <br>Korea's tourist numbers have climbed substantially.<br>Why is it that pre-March/11, when Japan has far more <br>historic places of interest, places to go, and pop culture <br>
assets, that South Korea, also a non-English speaking <br>country, had more tourists?<br><br>We think the main reason is much more simple: Japan has <br>insufficient marketing and a tourism industry that hasn't <br>embraced foreign tourists. We suppose this is <br>
understandable, when domestic tourists outnumber foreign <br>ones 10 to 1, but it needs to change. Discount airlines are<br>creating the channels through which hordes of foreign <br>tourists are supposed to come in through, so it's time for<br>
a coordinated high-level effort to lift the quality of <br>Japan's tourism infrastructure. In particular, it would be<br>good if the local hotels could put something else out for<br>breakfast besides cornflakes and fish... :-)<br>
<br>So in this context, we wholly support the 10,000 free <br>flights to Japan by the JTA. We think the promotion is a <br>bit risky if it is not managed properly, but at least it<br>will kick off a much higher awareness within Japan<br>
itself of the value of foreign tourists.<br><br>Lastly, readers will have noticed in our newsletter last <br>week that sister company Metropolis has launched a new <br>nationwide travel portal called <a href="http://www.japantourist.jp">www.japantourist.jp</a>. Given <br>
the 10,000 free tickets campaign, our launch was good <br>timing. Can you please show your support by going to <br>JapanTourist.jp and checking it out? Specifically, if you <br>approve of our efforts, please click the Facebook "Like" <br>
button at the top right of the top page -- we want our <br>Klout score to get up there as well!<br><br>...The information janitors/<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>------ Delta Air Lines - YOUR CONNECTION TO PARADISE ------<br>
<br>Introducing our new service from Fukuoka to Honolulu <br>starting from December 28, 2011. Plan your next dream <br>getaway and be rewarded. Earn 5,000 bonus miles when you <br>fly round-trip on BusinessElite, or 2,500 bonus miles for <br>
round-trip Economy Class tickets.<br><br>Register and travel before April 4, 2012 and be one of <br>the first in Japan to enjoy our direct connection to this <br>paradise island. This nonstop service is an addition to our<br>
expanding network in Japan to 9 U.S. gateways and onwards <br>to over 250 U.S. cities.<br><br>To qualify for this exclusive offer, visit <a href="http://delta.com">delta.com</a>, <br>register today and travel through April 4, 2012.<br>
<br>Please Note: All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles <br>program membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile <br>redemption and travel benefits. Offers, rules and benefits <br>subject to change without notice. To review the rules, <br>
please visit Membership Guide & Program Rules.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br><br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- Over 40's feel most burden of medical expenses<br>- Farmed fish to make up 50% of fish sold next year<br>
- International tax collaboration nets extra JPY85bn<br>- India-based Lupin snaps up J pharma company<br>- Interesting data about high net worth individuals<br><br><br><br>-> Over 40's feel most burden of medical expenses<br>
<br>A July survey conducted by the National Federation of <br>Health Insurance Societies has found that 61% of workers <br>in their 40's find their health insurance premiums too <br>high, followed by 39.4% and 39% for people in their 60's <br>
and 50's respectively. This is perhaps surprising, given <br>that workers still receive government subsidization of 70% <br>of their medical bills (the subsidy rises to 90% for <br>people in their 70's). ***Ed: Japan's working population <br>
should know that they have a pretty good deal compared to <br>other countries, in terms of health care costs -- a 30% <br>contribution is not a lot to pay if the costs for <br>operations and other procedures are already lower than most<br>
other first-world countries.** (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Nov 19, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111119D1811A10.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111119D1811A10.htm</a><br>
<br>-> Farmed fish to make up 50% of fish sold next year<br><br>The Food and Agriculture Organization in the United <br>Nations has said that more than 50% of fish sold <br>globally will come from acquaculture farms from next year. <br>
Apparently farmed product came to 57.2m tones in 2010, <br>accounting for 48% of total seafood production. The 50% <br>mark is expected to be passed in 2012. China is the top <br>acquaculture producer, supplying the market with around <br>
32.74m tons. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, <br>Nov 19, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111118D1811A02.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111118D1811A02.htm</a><br>
<br>-> International tax collaboration nets extra JPY85bn<br><br>Gone are the days when the Japanese Tax Office let <br>retired Yakuza and others off the hook if they managed to <br>get their ill-gotten gains parked abroad, due to language <br>
and staffing limitations. The National Tax Agency has just <br>declared that with recent bilateral tax treaties in place, <br>it has been able to recover some JPY85bn in undeclared <br>income in the last 10 years. The Tax Agency reckons that <br>
about 6% of that number (US$5.7bn) was specific tax <br>evasion. Japan now has tax treaties with 64 countries and <br>regions, including the Cayman Islands and other low-tax,<br>no-tax jurisdictions. (Source: TT commentary from <br>
<a href="http://japantimes.co.jp">japantimes.co.jp</a>, Nov 19, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111119a6.html">http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111119a6.html</a><br><br>-> India-based Lupin snaps up J pharma company<br>
<br>Indian generic pharmaceuticals firm Lupin has purchased <br>Tokyo-based injectables firm I'rom Pharma, its second <br>M&A in Japan. The purchase price was undisclosed. I'rom <br>does about JPY5.3bn in sales to 1,400 Government-set <br>
fixed-price (DPC) clinics and hospitals, which make up <br>about 35% of all the hospital beds in Japan. ***Ed: We find<br>it interesting that at this stage there is no hue and cry <br>by the Japan Medical Association (JMA) about encroachment <br>
on the national health system by foreign drug companies. <br>We suppose it's because although generics reduce income to <br>doctors, who get paid according to how much they prescribe,<br>some foreign encroachment is better than a broken health <br>
system, which would otherwise be the alternative as the <br>government has to start cutting back on health spending.** <br>(Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://reuters.com">reuters.com</a>, Nov 17, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://reut.rs/tAYaKQ">http://reut.rs/tAYaKQ</a><br>
<br>-> Interesting data about high net worth individuals<br><br>Interesting article from Bloomberg this last week, about <br>high net worth individuals in Japan. The article quotes <br>sources as saying that the high net worth pool in Japan <br>
owns about US$4.63trn in assets (2010 figure), up 6.97% <br>from 2009. It reckons that the share of asset managers is <br>50% between Mitsubishi-UFJ, Mizuho, and Sumitomo-Mitsui, <br>20% to Japanese brokerages, 20% to foreign brokerages, and <br>
10% to boutiques. The article goes on to discuss the <br>conservative nature of Japanese high net worth individuals,<br>and that typically they are invested in: 19% equities <br>(global average is 33%), fixed income 25%, and cash and <br>
deposits 29% (16% elsewhere in Asia). (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://bloomberg.com">bloomberg.com</a>, Nov 16, 2011)<br><br><a href="http://bloom.bg/ucneo9">http://bloom.bg/ucneo9</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>
<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 Business Analyst (SAP) with <br>experience managing huge amounts of corporate confidential <br>data under SAP, at our client’s office in the Meguro-ku <br>
area. The candidate will be responsible for overseeing the <br>inputting, updating, and management of the company’s data (<br>many departments such as; sales, marketing, finance, <br>logistics, etc.) under SAP, as well as integrating existing<br>
data from current databases (mainly Excel) to SAP.<br><br>You will also be responsible for representing the <br>company’s Japan engineering team for reporting and <br>coordination with other branches located worldwide (some <br>
overseas business travel may be required).<br><br>Due to the technical nature and demanding work environment,<br>this position is suitable for someone with solid experience<br>managing huge amounts of data under SAP. In addition, since<br>
this role requires direct communications with both Japanese<br>and overseas employees, fluent English and Japanese will be<br>required. Remuneration is JPY4m – JPY6m depending on your <br>experience and skill level.<br><br>
** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- Helpdesk Engineer, global telco, JPY3.5M – JPY4M<br>- Data Center Server/Nw Engr, Japanese IT co, JPY4M – JPY6M<br>- Senior Support Engineer, BiOS, JPY4.5M – JPY5.5M<br>- Service Delivery Manager, global IT co, JPY 8M – JPY11M<br>
- Bilingual Desktop Engrs global law firm, JPY4M – JPY4.5M<br><br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:tomohiro.kimura@biosjp.com">tomohiro.kimura@biosjp.com</a><br><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>
better, the BiOS Job Mail newsletter is an easy and<br>convenient way for you to stay informed. If you would like<br>to register for the BiOS Job Mail, or to find out more,<br>please email <a href="mailto:kenji.sakota@biosjp.com">kenji.sakota@biosjp.com</a>.<br>
<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>--------- BIOS - Bilingual IT Systems and Support ---------<br>
<br>BiOS full-service IT solutions has a new service.<br><br>Now the largest independently owned bilingual IT support<br>company in Tokyo, BiOS offers some of the most competitive<br>services available to multinationals whether large or<br>
small.<br><br>Data Center staff and managed services, Help Desk, desktop,<br>and network support. Server virtualization, cloud computing<br>hosting and solutions, general software development. <br><br>For more information on these 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>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br><br><br>---------------- Start a Company in Japan -----------------<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 3rd of December, 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 and A on starting <br>
up a 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.<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>----------------- Director Training Course ----------------<br>
<br>In early December, the nonprofit Board Director Training <br>Institute of Japan will offer its first two-day “director <br>training” course, covering not only legal and corporate <br>governance topics but also the leading edge of management <br>
subjects that responsible directors need to understand: <br>risk management, interpreting financial statements, <br>strategy, M&A etc. The course will be in Japanese, and has <br>a first-rate lineup of lecturers from leading business/law <br>
schools and institutions such as Deloitte, Monitor Group, <br>White & Case, and GCA. Let your friends - or companies you <br>invest in - know that they can apply to this <br>"first-of-its-kind" course at: <a href="mailto:info@bdti.or.jp">info@bdti.or.jp</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>*** No comments this week.<br><br>***********************************************************<br>
END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,328 members as of Nov 20, 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>
the world's second largest economy.<br><br>Visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com">www.japaninc.com</a> for the best business insight on<br>Japan available.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
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