Japan Inc. articles from June 2006

Japan Inc. archives from June 2006

Toyota as number one: continuous improvement key to success.(Company overview)
June 22, 2006... Amidst growing fears that General Motors, the world's largest car manufacturer, will go bust, Toyota Motor Company is rapidly expanding and on course to surpass GM in production this year. Toyota consistently outperforms competitors in quality,...

Permissive tendencies diagnosed by Sigmund: removing the threat of unwanted communications.(Interview)
June 22, 2006... That's Sigmund from Tokyo, not Mr. Freud of Vienna. But you could say that the Tokyo version's purpose is similar: to analyze a threatening trend or unwanted communication with the intent of removing or understanding it. Sigmund is, in...

Not so generic mice: Japanese companies venture into the transgenic mouse trade.
June 22, 2006... The breeding and distribution of transgenic mice, mice with deliberately and artificially altered genetic backgrounds, is a business with a steep learning curve, high entry costs, and high risk. A business opportunity? Absolutely not, say most....

Ion Technology--mobile power in a super-thin package.
June 22, 2006... Imagine a battery so thin and simple to make that it can be printed in unlimited quantities on paper or plastic. The opportunities for creative electronic applications would be limitless. Credit cards could be powered, allowing them to be...

Ryotaro Shiba, in memorium.
June 22, 2006... This year marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of Ryotaro Shiba (1923-1996), novelist, essayist, travel writer. Yet 250 paperback editions of his 350 books still line store shelves. In January NHK began a yearlong broadcast of an...

Japanese hospital guide: tips for choosing physicians and hospitals.
June 22, 2006... John wakes up one morning with an ache in his abdomen. It was almost like a stomachache, except it wasn't concentrated in his stomach area. It was a throbbing pain in his abdomen. He rushes to a clinic near Tokyo Tower. "It might be your...

Day trading in Japan: how to set up a stock trading account as a non-Japanese.
June 22, 2006... The Japanese stock market has risen over 50% in the last five years, and last year was the best-performing major stock market in the world. As a result, trillions of dollars of foreign money has been pouring into the Tokyo Stock Exchange alone...

Inheritance taxation planning--speaking with the oracle of Otemachi.(Interview)
June 22, 2006... When the founder of McDonald's Japan, 78-year-old Den Fujita, passed away on April 21, 2004, he bequeathed a rags-to-riches story worthy of dramatization. Born in Osaka, he was brought up bilingually and worked as a translator to earn pocket...

Is your building green? Environmentally friendly office buildings in Tokyo.
June 22, 2006... Five years ago, a global facilities manager for a major corporation called me to discuss the relocation of their Tokyo office. After describing the criteria for their desired property, he added, "The building must be environmentally friendly in...

Putting a "!" behind the "*": Asterisk systems reach Tokyo.(Interview)
June 22, 2006... One of the most difficult and expensive office equipment procurement decisions a manager can make is that of buying a PBX. When all most of us want is simply a phone that is easy and convenient to use, why is it that these complex and...

Japan: land of the rising target?
June 22, 2006... Japan, steeped in a tradition of honor and commitment, must face an embarrassing truth: it has not made a dent in its Kyoto Protocol target emissions, its 6% target reduction soaring to an 8.3% increase by 2003, which essentially put the target...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 22, 2006... The article "Sonic Boom: Tokyo to New York in Six Hours" (Spring '06) incorrectly stated that JAXA tested the Silent Supersonic Technology Demonstrator. JAXA tested the Scaled Experimental Supersonic Demonstrator. JAXA was formed through the...

Business directory.(Directory)
June 22, 2006... Banks Resona Bank 1-1-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8106 Tel: 03-5223-1156 www.resona-hd.co.jp Shinsei Bank 2-1-6, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028 Tel: 0120-456-860 www.shinseibank.com Battery...