JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

CanadianJapan's past comments

• 

  0

  CanadianJapanApr. 02, 2012 - 12:01PM JST

  Japanese workers do not have the skills to add any value to smartphone handsets. Production can be done at low cost in developing countries (iPhones are build by FoxConn) while the software and design is done in advanced countries (read U.S, Canada, Europe, NOT Japan) by highly skilled well-paid engineers. Panasonic's phones use Android, a U.S platform, a little tweaking here and there and you have a Panasonic phone. The U.S (iOS, Android, WebOS, WP7), Canada (BlackBerry OS), Europe (Symbian) can make smartphone software platforms, Japan can't. Advanced software from the U.S with China/Korea/Taiwan manufacturing might leaves not room for 3rd class smartphone makers like Panasonic. Foreign handset makers will conquer the Japanese market, Panasonic leave the handset business within 5 years.

  Posted in: Panasonic to make all mobile handsets overseas

• 

  2

  CanadianJapanFeb. 17, 2012 - 11:04AM JST

  @USNinJapan2 Where I live(Asakusa),you can spot the Chinese coming from a mile away, go to Akihabara and you'll have no problem spotting herds of Chinese shopping around. I believe j4p4nFTW's point is accurate when he says that japanese TV doesn't reflect reality. How can they pick up 2 Frenchmen when there's probably 20 times more Chinese coming to Japan?

  Posted in: What do foreigners find strange about Japan? NTV finds out

• 

  5

  CanadianJapanFeb. 17, 2012 - 10:24AM JST

  One thing I find strange about Japan.

  • The vast majority of foreigners living in Japan are Chinese, the majority of visitors to Japan are Chinese-speaking and to a lesser extend Koreans. Why aren't there any Chinese-speaking or Korean visitors interviewed? Perhaps that would not make good television?

  Posted in: What do foreigners find strange about Japan? NTV finds out

• 

  0

  CanadianJapanFeb. 02, 2012 - 05:18PM JST

  Blaming the strong yen is just an excuse to hide the fact that Sony can't make good products. Operating income for the quarter was -92 billion yen, currency impact was 5.4 billion. They would have lost ONLY 85-86 billion without the yen impact. Sony's last hit product was the PS2 back in 2000. Go to Wallmart in Canada/U.S or in China, 90% of the TVs on display are Korean/Chinese/U.S(Vizio) products. Sony's cellphones/tablets have nothing to distinguish them from the competition. I went to Akihabara to check out Sony's Tablet S, just another (more expensive) Android tablet. Who's going to buy games for the PS Vita at 5000 yen a piece when you can get Angry Birds at 85? There might be a few hardcore gamers out there but Sony is totally out of touch with the mass markets. How can they blame the bad economy when Apple/Samsung and others are racking up record profits? Way to go Sony, 4 years in the red... Bankruptcy within 5 years?

  Posted in: Sony more than doubles full-year net loss forecast to Y220 bil

• 

  0

  CanadianJapanJan. 27, 2012 - 11:23AM JST

  According to their IR presentation their mobile business is not doing well.

  Drastic changes in Japanese market

  -Foreign vendors increasing market share in Japan

  -Significant decrease compared to sales target of smartphones

  Anyone here has ever seen a cool NEC phone? It seems the once unbreakable japanese cell phone market is under attack. Half of my Japanese colleagues have a foreign smartphone, iPhone or some cheap Korean(not Samsung) vendor's phone. A guy running an iPhone/Android app business in Japan once told me that before long Japanese phone makers will be instinct. Looking at NEC's results, that day might be coming sooner than later!

  Posted in: Loss-making NEC to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide

• 

  1

  CanadianJapanJan. 06, 2012 - 04:02PM JST

  Immigration to Japan is next to impossible, everything in the system is against you. I am Canadian, been here 10 years, Japanese speaking, working in IT with an engineer's visa, I cannot get the permanent residency because I have no guarantor! Even though the guarantor has basically nothing other than a moral responsibility, Japanese think all foreigners have criminal ties etc. I doubt even a third (in percentage) of the immigration to Canada will never be allowed here. Influx of foreigners would depress wages, destroy the "employment for life" system etc. Go to a noodle shop run by Japanese, 1000 yen for ramen and chahan, go to another one run by Chinese and you get the same thing for 650 yen. Too many immigrants may not be a good thing but in reasonable numbers they bring healthy competition to the system. Bring in more Chinese and Korean women and Japanese men might be able to find a spouse that does not require them to make 7 million or more per year.

  Posted in: Why are Japanese averse to immigration?

Follow us