General Edition Sunday, September 25, 2005 Issue No. 344
+++ INDEX
- What's new
- Services lineup
- News
- Candidate roundup
- Upcoming events
- Property
- News credits
Wine Offer Largest imported wine collection in Japan only 1 click away from you. The World of Prestigious Wines is now available for you on-line with the relaunch of the Pieroth Japan K.K. web site <http://www.pieroth.jp/> Pieroth Japan (est. 1969) offers over 1,500 spirits and wines (including 750 Bordeaux) from 16 countries. Many of these are exclusive to Pieroth Japan. The importer also offers expert wine advice, personal wine tasting, and home delivery. Its stock is stored in climatically controlled warehouses. Ashley Associates is proud to be providing the creation, maintenance and development of ongoing marketing activities for the Pieroth Japan web site. Please visit <http://www.ashleyassociates.co.jp> for more information about us. |
| +++ WHAT'S NEW |
A new report by the Ministry of Education says that violence in Japanese elementary schools is escalating dramatically. Of the 1,890 acts of violence reported to the Ministry in 2004, about 50% were attacks on other kids, and 15% were attacks on teachers. While your initial reaction might be that this is simply indicative of the continuing breakdown in Japanese social values and child discipline, in fact violence by children in older age groups actually declined over last year, so the rapid increase is something specific to younger kids.
The Ministry's official analysis was, "...more children are quick to become violent because they have difficulties expressing their feelings or lack patience." Hmmm, very insightful, not.
So just what is going on? Is the increasing diet of unbalanced Western fast food to blame? Or, the pressure of learning English in primary schools? Or more violence on TV? While all of these things have been identified as possible causes of increased violence in children, well OK, the English thing is unproven, there is something much more invasive which has appeared in the last five years. And that is the advent of broadband computers and high-end game consoles which feature realistic computer graphics, sound, and in some cases (such as the new Nintendo Gameboy), smart AI-driven touch screens.
We feel that this new generation of technology is much more impactful on the minds of young children because it helps them immerse physically into a make believe world, which in effect becomes a semi-real experience. At least with TV all but the youngest viewers could understand that what they're watching isn't for real. But couple the advances in technology with passive/doting parents who no longer know how to say "no" and you have a case of access to an addictive device with no limits.
Here in the Lloyd household, we have been watching a mini version of what can happen, with our 8- and 5-year olds becoming computer literate recently. We purchased the PCs for homework assignments, but the kids soon found the Internet. They are able to cope with a short-term broadband access, but after being drawn into heavy 3-hour sessions by a downloaded role-playing game they started coming away from the computers irritable, not being able to hold a coherent conversation, and looking dazed -- traumatized.
In short, they are behaving like little addicts going through withdrawal. We have combatted the problem by limiting access to the PCs, and in particular not allowing violent or high-stress games, or sessions exceeding an hour.
But for many kids in Japan, their parents are either ignorant of the problem, or they're just happy that little Taro is being kept quiet by his game unit. The numbers are frightening: 71% of Japanese kids under 10 years old have access to a Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 50.6% have a lower-end Game Boy, and 45.8% have a PlayStation 2. Many of the games on these consoles are aimed at older users, and thus are violent and over-stimulating. They are also clearly addictive, as you can witness on any train when the kids are commuting to-from school/juku.
Checking the Internet, there is a remarkable dearth of formal studies linking high-end gaming with child violence -- mostly researchers have focused on TV, with inconclusive results. For every web site pointing a finger at game content and child psychological problems, there is another saying that the problem is the parents' and they should control their kids' usage better.
There is definitely something to this, and recently the authorities appear to be taking over from where the parents fall short. Japanese content companies were shocked when in June the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, followed by several other local bodies, decided to ban sales and rentals of Capcom/Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III game to customers under 18. In GTA III, which has sold 300,000 copies in Japan, the player joins a gang, steals cars, starts gunfights, and generally kills the opposition. The Kanagawa Government felt that the game was damaging to minors and had to be restricted.
We believe this to be the start of a trend that will escalate as the politicians get hold of it -- turning the "demon game console" into a major excuse for the recent academic failure in Japanese schools as compared with elsewhere in Asia.
If that happens, get ready to dump your Sony shares.
...The Information Janitors/
MAGAZINE INTERNSHIP Japan Inc magazine is offering a journalism internship. The Intern will write and edit articles under the direction of the Editor-in-Chief. The Intern will work in the magazine’s editorial office twice a week and be reimbursed for travel. |
| +++ SERVICES LINE-UP |
Contact [email protected] if you want your company here.
- Personal International Investor -- a convenient source of ideas and information on how to invest profitably as an expat in Japan. Every Thursday, 48 weeks of the year. Completely free.
http://japaninc.typepad.com/personal_intl_investor/
- Advertise with Japan Inc newsletters. JIN and Terrie's Take cost just 2 yen per person to reach 51,000 people. Great for last minute offers and event advertising.
[email protected].
- Get a low-cost office in Tokyo, at the Venture Gas Station incubator. Just JPY80,000/month, in Minami-Aoyama. Spaces closing fast -- enquire now.
[email protected]
- J@pan Inc. magazine has gone quarterly. Subscriptions now just JPY3,600 a year. Sign up at
http://www.japaninc.com/mag/subs.html
- Find new bilingual sales staff -- a specialty for DaiJob.com,
[email protected]
- Anyone can buy a .JP domain...online...real-time...in English! Register now at:
http://www.JapanRegistry.com
JIC Sponsored Interviews You read Terrie's Take and JIN, and so do 54,000 other executives inside and outside Japan. Let them know what your company does, with our new Sponsored Interviews service. We create a lead-in for the interview, and run it within the newsletters, with links back to the page holding the full interview. For a small additional charge, we will also run it in the Japan Inc magazine, the www.japan.com website, and the www.japaninc.com web site for archiving. Cumulatively, your message will be seen by at least 120,000 English-language readers. |
| +++ NEWS |
- Consumer electronics doing well
- Government debt at record high
- Brighter blue LEDs
- Nakamura up for a Nobel?
- Eye glasses display
-> Consumer electronics doing well
The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) says that domestic shipments of plasma screens for TVs and PC monitors hit 27,000 units in August, up 135% over August 2004. Year to date, 211,000 plasma screens have been shipped, for a rise of 112% over the same period last year. DVD players were also up 89% and surprisingly, mini disc players were up 90%. Overall, Japan's consumer electronics sector increased 5.9% YoY, hitting annual sales of JPY177bn. (Source: TT commentary from avinfo.co.uk, Sep 22, 2005)
http://www.avinfo.co.uk/index.php?main=story&itemid=15049497
-> Government debt at record high
The Finance Ministry has just confirmed that the Japanese government debt is still rising. Already the highest in the industrialized world, our debt rose 1.7% to JPY795.8trn ($7.1trn) at the end of June. This is about JPY6.24m ($55,900) for every man, woman, and child in the country and represents 160% of the nation's GDP. (Source: TT commentary from nwsource.com, Sep 23, 2005)
http://tinyurl.com/8hekr
-> Brighter blue LEDs
Japanese LED researcher Shuji Nakamura has found a way to make brighter, more efficient blue LEDs by using GaN thin-film semiconductors. Apparently Nakamura's UC Santa Barbara research team has developed a process to make non-polar and semi-polar GaN crystals, using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). Blue LEDs grown from non-polar GaN feature a low turn-on voltage and therefore can be driven harder and brighter. (Source: TT commentary from compoundsemiconductor.net, Sep 22, 2005)
http://compoundsemiconductor.net/articles/news/9/9/20/1
-> Nakamura up for a Nobel?
Thomson Scientific has announced its 2005 Thomson Scientific Laureates list, individuals that Thomson considers likely candidates for Nobel honors. Thomson says that its recipients typically rank among the top one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of researchers in their fields. The list includes a number of Japanese, including none other than Shuji Nakamura, Professor of the Materials Department of the Center for Solid State Lighting and Displays at UC Santa Barbara. He is listed for "...his invention of the blue laser and blue, green and white light-emitting diodes (LEDs), through the use of gallium nitride based semiconductors -- producing a great leap forward in data storage technology, lighting devices and other realms." (Source: TT commentary from prnewswire.com, Sep 21, 2005)
http://tinyurl.com/7dwyy
-> Eye glasses display
Tokyo-based Scalar Corp. will in October sell an LCD display device that attaches to a pair of eyeglasses, and which allows a user to unobtrusively view video being transmitted (by cable) from an attached 3G cell phone. The new unit, called Teleglass, consists of a small 0.24-inch LCD and a lens which, when placed within the user's field of vision, provides a view that is equivalent to looking at a 14-inch screen at a distance of 1 meter. The Teleglass is priced at JPY4,980, and currently works with DoCoMo FOMA cell phone handsets. Other models are in the pipe. (Source: TT commentary from nikkei.co.jp, Sep 21, 2005)
http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/AC/TNKS/Nni20050921D21HH676.htm
NOTE: Broken links
Many online news sources are now removing their articles after just a few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we apologize for the inconvenience.
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| +++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP |
DaiJob, Inc's executive placement team, AMBITION Consulting
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DaiJob has great candidates. Contact Alex Burr at
[email protected], or Ph: 03-3499-3040 for details.
-> Marketing Manager, Consumer Products
Male, late 30s, Native Japanese, Fluent English
Experience:
- 12yrs brand management, marketing in various categories
- Strength in hypothesis & strategy development
- Customer insight research & implementation
- Solid track record in gaining significant market share, brand equity score, & sales profit
- Positive, open-minded, agressive in strategic planning
* Looking for JPY12M. Available with 1 month notice
--------------------------------------------
-> Financial Planning / General Affairs Manager
Male, late 40s, Native Japanese, Business level English
Experience:
- 24yrs at insurance co.
- Wide experience: investment management to general affairs
- Responsible for portfolio of over JPY400bn yen (asset allocation & performance monitoring).
- Investment-related reporting including to MOF (now FSA)
- Reviewed and revised investment guidelines to comply with new Insurance Law
- Established overseas branches
* Looking for JPY9M+. Available with 1 month notice
--------------------------------------------
-> Marketing
Female, early 30s, Native Japanese, Fluent English & German
Experience:
- 4 yrs of marketing, particularly thru web marketing
- Products incl. electronic parts and software
- Exp. in offline communication such as catalog/newsletter publication and direct mailing
- Planned & created CRM-DB to generate leads, support sales
* Looking for JPY5.5M. Available with 2 weeks notice
| +++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Yen Mortgages for Local Properties A Roundtable Event with Industry Specialists from Shinsei Bank, Plaza Homes, Banner Japan & PLATINUM. |
Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo Jim 'Coach' Hunter, Senior Partner and Representative Director of PM-Global will be giving a presentation entitled, "Global Entrepreneur's Toolkit: Proven Techniques, Tools & Tactics." To register please visit the EA-Tokyo website below. |
IT events announcements are priced at JPY50,000 per week. |
| +++ THIS WEEK'S PROPERTY |
-> Prima on Grand II
"Prima On Grand II" will comprise 43 upmarket 2-bedroom (+ study) and 3-bedroom apartments, suitable for both investors and home buyers seeking a low maintenance, urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle. The apartments are contemporary in design and feature the latest in equipment and amenities. Superb views and indoor-outdoor living areas will impress guests and provide you with the an environment that defines Australian resort living.
Walk to one of the cafés, restaurants, hotel around the corner - all you have to do is decide whether it is going to be one of the many international cuisines, seafood, steak, pub grub, fast food or just fish and chips. Onsite swimming pool and recreational facilities. Walk to recreational lake, parklands and sporting facilities. Only 22 kilometers drive from Brisbane
Prima On Grand is located in Forest Lake, an area of 1,000 hectares and home to Brisbane's largest recreational lake including 120 hectares of parks and waterways. Forest Lake is in an area that encompasses the lakeside address of Forest Lake and Springfield Lakes. As well as being a place of spectacular beauty, the Lakes District boasts quality education, shopping, recreational and sporting facilities.
In addition to being blessed with a sense of serenity, Forest Lake is a vibrant and thriving community. Here residents enjoy - lakeside lifestyle - access to quality education - vibrant shopping, restaurants and cafés - superb recreational and sporting facilities - lifestyles to suit every need.
http://japaninc.typepad.com/australian_properties_e/
E-mail us at [email protected] for more details on any property listed here.
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| +++ ABOUT US |
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Written by: Terrie Lloyd ([email protected])
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