* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br><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, February 19, 2012, Issue No. 650<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- Venting About AT&T in Japan<br>- News -- Wendy's Foie Gras sandwiches<br>- Candidate Roundup/Vacancies<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback -- Long-term radiation concerns<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?<br>
PBXL’s Total Telephony Solution is the answer for unlimited<br>domestic and international calling. With PBXL cloud <br>telephony and TTS, enjoy a fully managed solution with zero<br>variable costs. No office is too big or too small to save <br>
money.<br><br>- Unlimited calling within Japan and 23 countries<br>- Flat-rate calling charges based on number of phones<br>- PBXL will review your current bills and save you money<br><br>Check out our website today at <a href="http://en.pbxl.jp">http://en.pbxl.jp</a><br>
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>How many of us have email accounts that we've held for <br>
years? We received our GOL (Global Online) account back in <br>the early 1990's, shortly after Roger Boisvert <br>commercialized the Internet in Japan in competition to IIJ.<br>We only just closed the account down a few weeks ago due to<br>
lack of usage. We worried initially about long-lost friends<br>not being able to find us if the account stopped working, <br>but then realized that 800MM people use FaceBook, and if <br>they can't find us there, there's always Google.<br>
<br>We've also had an AT&T Global account since the network was<br>owned and run by IBM, also in the 1990's. We got that <br>particular service in order to get access to stable <br>Internet connections in China, India, and Sri Lanka during <br>
business trips to those countries. These days all three <br>destinations have much better connections and we forget the<br>last time we had to access a local POP with ATT's dialer...<br>Probably more than 5 years ago.<br>
<br>So really we've been hanging on to the ATT account all this<br>time because we used it to register with countless online <br>services and as contact information for paid downloads over<br>the years. Yes, we could simply change the registered email<br>
address for these services -- if only we could remember <br>what they all are. For that reason alone, we have been <br>faithfully paying ATT Global JPY2,500/month, year after <br>year. While not cheap, the extra cost was worth the <br>
convenience -- that is, until recently when we discovered <br>that ATT's Global Networks Division practices dinosaur <br>economics -- squeezing the customer and giving nothing back<br>until they (the customer) dies off. We're not sure what <br>
kind of business model this is, but once the customers are <br>gone, this ATT division will be sure to follow.<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>The saying "you don't know what you've got until it's <br>
gone," was never truer than with an email account. In our <br>case, our ATT account, which we use like a mobile <br>repository after mail is first forwarded through several <br>other accounts, several weeks ago suddenly started <br>
rejecting email and sending disconcerting messages to <br>senders about being unreachable. Considering we get about <br>200 emails a day, a few hours like this is enough to affect<br>several dozen business relationships, so we quickly got on <br>
to the ATT web site to see where to get help. <br><br>The first thing we found out is that if your email account <br>gets disabled by ATT, you can't get help online because you<br>need to log-in. "How stupid is that?" was our reaction --<br>
especially given that locking you out of your account <br>appears to be ATT's answer to technical problems. Searching<br>through ATT's non-intuitive website, we finally found a <br>support phone number for Japan. We called it around 22:00, <br>
only to be told by a recorded message that the Help Desk <br>hours are 09:00 through 17:00. What?! A Help Desk that<br>isn't available for the hours that most people do mobile<br>email isn't a Help Desk. Further, considering Gmail is free<br>
and has had perhaps just 3 outages in the last 6 years that <br>we can remember, we couldn't help thinking "What have we <br>been paying ATT for all this time?"<br><br>We then tried the US number and were told, "You're a <br>
Japanese customer, you have to use the Japanese Help Desk."<br><br>"What do you care where we are?" We asked. "We're speaking <br>to you in fluent English and it's fine if you reset the <br>account from New York, or Los Angeles, or Calcutta, or <br>
wherever it is that you are located." <br><br>"Sorry sir, we can't do that," was the answer. ATT calls it<br>the Japan Premium Dial Plan, we can easily say there is <br>nothing Premium about it. <br><br>
Fast-forward to the following morning. We made 3 attempts to<br>get through to the local support number, one of which <br>involved us holding for 25 minutes listening to the message<br>"All operators are busy" at one minute intervals, and we <br>
started thinking that perhaps ATT didn't want us as a <br>customer anymore. Having meetings that afternoon, we had to<br>wait until the following day to finally get a human being. <br>After venting to the customer support person, we were told <br>
that the account was re-enabled and sure enough it started <br>working again. <br><br>Then, barely a week later, the same thing happened again! <br>Locked out, middle of the night, again nothing could be <br>done until the following day. This time the response on the<br>
Help Desk line was quicker, and after some probing the <br>support person admitted that they were having similar <br>problems with other accounts. It seems that ATT's clunker <br>system from the 1990's is still being used, and they never <br>
considered the idea that a customer might want to use two <br>devices to access it at the same time. As a result, when we<br>got an iPhone recently and tried to access the ATT account <br>with it, while leaving the original PC session open, the <br>
ATT system decided something bad was going on and shut the <br>account down completely, until a password reset was done.<br><br>Now, iPhone access to one's email is not a new phenomenon, <br>and having two devices open at the same time is certainly <br>
not an unimaginable event. So one has to ask why if ATT has<br>had 2+ years to fix the problem, it hasn't done so yet? <br>Then there is the Help Desk with banking hours and a worse <br>response time than a neighborhood beauty parlor. What's up <br>
with that? ATT seriously needs to ask itself if it really <br>wants to be in the customer service business at all. We <br>just had one of the worst experiences we have had for years<br>and this is one loyal and profitable customer that they're <br>
losing for good. <br><br>ATT spent US$5bn in 1998 to buy the network off IBM. <br>Perhaps they should sell it off again to someone who really<br>values its customers. Oh, and while they're at it, they <br>might want to get the <a href="https://www.wireless.att.com/business">https://www.wireless.att.com/business</a><br>
website fixed*. It's been down for a few hours now. The <br>message, "We're improving our site to make it better for <br>you. Please try again later. Thank you for your patience." <br>is just infuriating to a customer that has had the same <br>
level of nothing service over the phone...<br><br>* Note: The website just mentioned was fixed this morning.<br><br><br>...The information janitors/<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>
-------------------- Delta Air Lines ----------------------<br><br>MAKE ROOM FOR ECONOMY COMFORT<br><br>Delta has brought new meaning to comfort, with the<br>introduction of Economy Comfort.<br><br>Traveling in Economy has come a long way, with 4 inches<br>
more legroom, 50% more recline on select routes, culinary<br>dining experiences, and other premiums. So get settled<br>earlier with priority boarding, sit back, relax, and enjoy<br>complimentary beer, spirits and wine on us.<br>
<br>Please visit <a href="http://delta.com">delta.com</a> for more details.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- Energy consumption down in January<br>- Wendy's Foie Gras sandwiches<br>
- 7 people arrested over Olympus so far<br>- Haier creates Asian HQ in Japan<br>- More foreign firms flee Japan<br><br><br><br>-> Energy consumption down in January<br><br>Ask the Japanese public to do something for the good of the<br>
country and they will rise to the occasion, as is being <br>seen with the nation's electricity consumption. It's still <br>darned cold out there, perhaps the coldest winter for <br>several years, and yet electricity demand at the nation's <br>
ten power suppliers fell by 3.7% to 80.77Twh last month. <br>The power demand drops were most noticeable in the Kansai, <br>which recorded a 6.2% reduction in January. (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://japantimes.co.jp">japantimes.co.jp</a>, Feb 18, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120218a3.html">http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120218a3.html</a><br><br>-> Wendy's Foie Gras sandwiches<br><br>You've got to hand it to Ernest Higa, the new majority <br>
owner of Wendy's in Japan -- he really knows how to create <br>marketing buzz. Thus, his new hamburger chain's <br>announcement of Foie Gras pate and truffles sandwiches <br>has been picked up by media all over the world. The tasty<br>
new sandwich costs JPY1,280 and is available from Wendy's <br>in Omotesando. The company plans to develop more than 100 <br>stores over the next five years. (Source: TT commentary <br>from <a href="http://bloomberg.com">bloomberg.com</a>, Feb 18, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://bloom.bg/zIP4Fy">http://bloom.bg/zIP4Fy</a> <br><br>-> 7 people arrested over Olympus so far<br><br>Michael Woodford must feel somewhat vindicated by the fact <br>that the former Chairman of Olympus Corp., Tsuyoshi <br>
Kikukawa, and several of his colleagues, have been arrested<br>along with securities company bankers, by the police. No <br>word yet on the Florida-based Japanese ex-Nomura banker <br>Hajime "Jimmy" Sagawa who ran the Cayman Is. company that <br>
received a huge pay-off from Olympus, although apparently <br>US authorities are investigating. ***Ed: Unfortunately, <br>while the main perpetrators have been taken into custody, <br>it looks like the authorities may have decided to bury the <br>
alleged Yakuza connections within Olympus. Too difficult <br>and perhaps some political connections that shouldn't see <br>the light of day?** (Source: TT commentary, Feb 16, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://reut.rs/yuhtqD">http://reut.rs/yuhtqD</a> <br>
<br>-> Haier creates Asian HQ in Japan<br><br>Going against the trend of foreign firms leaving Japan's <br>shores, leading Chinese whitegoods company Haier has made <br>the bold move of setting up its Asian Headquarters in <br>
Osaka. The company says that it wants to be tempered by the<br>demanding Japanese market, in order to raise its <br>competitiveness overall. The company last year bought out <br>Sanyo's washing machine and refrigerator business and is <br>
branding it as Aqua. As a result of the Sanyo purchase, <br>Haier reckons its sales in Japan will hit JPY50bn in 2012. <br>(Source: TT commentary from Haier press announcement, Feb <br>15, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://www.haier.com">http://www.haier.com</a><br>
<br>-> More foreign firms flee Japan<br><br>Data from the Ministry of Finance shows that a near-record <br>number of foreign firms left Japan, versus those setting up<br>here. In fact excluding the year that Vodafone left Japan, <br>
in 2006, 2011 was the worst year for foreign investment <br>into Japan since 1985. The Ministry says that outflows of <br>foreign direct investment soared from JPY109.9bn in 2010 to<br>JPY183.2bn last year. They also say that the trend is <br>
likely to continue this year as well, mainly due to the <br>high yen. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Feb 18,<br>2012)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120217D1702A15.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120217D1702A15.htm</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>------------ Earn Points Writing About Travel -------------<br><br>If you can write 350 words and take 3-5 correctly exposed<br>photos, then you should try your hand as a writer for Japan<br>Tourist, Metropolis' fast-growing Japan travel megasite.<br>
<br><a href="http://www.japantourist.jp">www.japantourist.jp</a> is in fact the fastest growing English-<br>language travel site in Japan, and it's getting that way<br>because more than 200 people have signed up to contribute.<br>
<br>Japantourist.jp is offering 10 Delta airline tickets, <br>800+ Solare hotel rooms all across the country, Adidas<br>apparel, and many other redeemable goods and services to<br>anyone writing for the site. So long as it is in Japan,<br>
anywhere, past or present, is welcome.<br><br><a href="http://www.japantourist.jp">www.japantourist.jp</a> for more information.<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 Helpdesk Technician with <br>experience supporting end-users for daily IT and <br>infrastructure at our client’s office in the Chiyoda-ku <br>area. The candidate will be responsible for identifying <br>
and resolving level-one issues for end-users related to <br>PCs, the network, printers, servers, smart phones, etc. You<br>will also be responsible for administering mobile devices <br>using a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Mobile Iron, and/or <br>
Exchange ActiveSync technology.<br><br>Due to the technical nature and demanding work environment,<br>this position is suitable for someone with solid experience<br>of at least two years as a user support or desktop support <br>
engineer, preferably in a multinational environment. In <br>addition, since this role requires coordination with end <br>users and the internal IT team in both English and <br>Japanese, fluent English and Japanese will be required.<br>
<br>Remuneration is JPY4.5m – JPY5.5m depending on your <br>experience and skill level.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- Windows Server Engineer, Japanese IT co, JPY5M – JPY6M<br>- Exchange System Specialist, global telco, JPY5M – JPY6M<br>
- Data Center Sales Exec, Japanese IT co, JPY6M – JPY8M<br>- Senior Sw Engr (Embedded), global IT co, JPY6M – JPY8M<br>- Sales/Recruitment Assistant, BiOS, JPY3M – JPY3.5M<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>----------------- Start a Company in Japan ----------------<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 17th of March, 2012<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.<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>---- Katerva Conference on Innovation in Sustainability ---<br><br>March 7, 2012, 8:30-16:00 (including networking lunch)<br>United Nations University, Tokyo<br>
<br>Katerva (<a href="http://www.katerva.org">www.katerva.org</a>) is identifying and helping to <br>diffuse sustainable technologies and practices that are <br>more efficient, less costly, and more profitable. Join us <br>
for a full day conference with Japanese and global leaders <br>all of whom share a common interest in ensuring a <br>sustainable future for the Planet through innovative <br>business development.<br><br>Admission: JPY6,500<br>
Register: <a href="http://katerva.doorkeeper.jp/events">http://katerva.doorkeeper.jp/events</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>------------- Tokyo Teacher Training Academy --------------<br>
<br>Starting from February. For each program, workshops are <br>held once a month on Sundays in central Tokyo.<br>Programs offered: TESOL Certificate, TESOL Certificate <br>(Young Learners)<br>Trainers include: David Paul, Rob Waring, Alastair <br>
Graham-Marr, Robert S. Murphy<br><br>Information: <a href="http://ltprofessionals.com/en/tta.html">http://ltprofessionals.com/en/tta.html</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 TT649 we discussed the changes that would be wrought<br>on Japanese tourism by the arrival of foreign Low-cost <br>Carriers who can fly domestic legs. One reader feels that<br>there is more to the situation than just cheap flights.<br>
<br>=> Reader comment: <br>Pertaining specifically to the passage below, the prospect<br>of savvy, internationalized foreigners seeking Japan as a <br>place of residence sounds somewhat optimistic, unless you <br>are counting on them to not give much credence to the <br>
points I make below. I say this because there remains now <br>-- not to mention far into the future -- an as-yet <br>uncertain duration and intensity of environmental and <br>health risks due to the ongoing radionuclide emissions from<br>
the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. <br><br>Every day, we see more tidbits in the news on this subject, <br>among the latest being the discovery that noodles served in<br>Okinawa Pref. were found loaded with high concentrations of<br>
cesium, due to the use of wood-fired ash (sourced from <br>Fukushima Pref. and surrounding environs), commonly used in<br>the food service industry to remove bitter taste from <br>vegetables and other food products.<br><br>
That's just one of many instances since 3/11 of food chain <br>contamination (let me also draw attention to the widely <br>disseminated stories of beef and milk contamination) -- and<br>I'm just speaking of those that HAVE been publicly <br>
acknowledged; as a Japan resident you have to wonder, <br>though, what HASN'T been revealed...and *that* prospect is <br>infinitely more worrisome. There's also the problem of how<br>and where to dispose of the vast stores of contaminated <br>
soil and waste debris from the affected areas, and that <br>also runs untold risks, especially if plans to ship them to<br>other areas of the country come to fruition.<br><br>This all isn't doomsday talk: Governments and their <br>
nuclear power industry partners worldwide bank on a <br>complacent public, and until Fukushima, they'd done a good <br>job over time of neutralizing spurts of opposition and <br>people's consciousness about the issue in general. In our <br>
direct experience in Japan over the past year, however, <br>when they say there's no problem is *exactly* when you have<br>to worry. <br><br>Live by nuclear power, die by it; Germany's the only <br>country with the commonsense and courage to recognize this <br>
and modify their nuclear policy in reaction to the <br>post-Fukushima *realities* (Germany *will* phase out ALL <br>its nuclear plants; this, from one of the world's most <br>technologically advanced nations). <br><br>
In any case, believe me when I say that hopefully this <br>particular situation in Japan is nothing to worry about, <br>and it certainly seems safe enough for short-term inbound <br>tourism, but I remain skeptical of the medium- and <br>
long-term safety of Japan's food supply and environment -- <br>for children especially, but also everyone who has made it <br>their life choice to be resident in the country on a <br>long-term basis.<br><br>***********************************************************<br>
END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,194 members as of Feb 19, 2012<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 2012 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>
<br><br><br><br><br>