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"Apple ranked top in... workplace environment." ROTFL!!! Another useless poll. I assume it was done before…
Posted in: Apple dethrones Google as company with most respected image in eyes of consumers
What took them so long! I think they will be able to compete with Uniqlo, and…
Posted in: Gap to open 1st Old Navy store in Japan
Maybe Ishihara has a plan in mind to employ all the displaced and unemployed of Tohoku…
Posted in: Tokyo officially submits 2020 bid to IOC
Of all of the republican candidates that have run for president in 2012, there have been…
> Rolf SchlumpfFEB. 10, 2012 - 06:39PM JST That one made me laugh: Japanese people don’t…
Posted in: Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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herefornow
Toyota is just a microcosm of Japan and Japan Inc. By that I mean that due to unending nationalistic pressures and policies, it concentrated much too high a percentage of its production in Japan to create jobs. And with the Tohoku disaster and now the yen trading at recent highs, it is finding that a very tough position to compete globally from. Also, it is now facing increased competition from revitalized American car companies, and aggressive ones from Korea like Hyundai and Kia -- which Toyota does not really have to worry about in its protected home market. It was also slow to enter China. The Japan Inc. model is woefully deficient in preparing companies to compete globally long term, and Toyota is just the biggest example of that.
Posted in: Toyota says No. 1 spot not top priority
-1
herefornow
j4p4nFTW -- what parallel universe version of Japan do you live in? Japan just experienced the second worst nuclear disaster in history, which, accoring to its own investigators, was caused in great part by inadequate safety measures, as well as horrible crisis planning. Like a completely inadequate emergency manual and procedures. On top of which, they have been critisized by the IAEA for the too cozy relationship between the nuclear regulatory agency and the industry. Let's try dealing with reality for a change, huh?
Posted in: Japan to let some nuclear plants operate after 40-year limit
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herefornow
CruzControl -- possibly. But implying that success in a two-week tournament will mean success in a 6 month-long MLB season is silly. Besides the obvious wear-and-tear that over 30 starts against MLB talent will pose, there is the fact that MLB hitters -- especially those in his division -- will face Darvish many times over the course of a season. So they will adjust to his style.
Posted in: Rangers sign Darvish to six-year $60 mil deal
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herefornow
Las Vegas has the over-under line at 18 months.
Posted in: Chinatsu Wakatsuki announces she's 5 months pregnant and married
0
herefornow
The fact that the Olympus board is allowing these criminals to resign, and not be fired and thrown in jail, is all anyone needs to know about corporate governanace and fiduciary responsibility in Japan. And, trust me, the outside world/investors are taking note.
Posted in: Olympus president, 5 other execs to resign in April over cover-up
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herefornow
Great, the country and nuclear regulatory agency with the worst record for nuclear safety is now going to figure out how to allow plants to operate past 40 years. Makes me nervous just thinking about it. Good luck with that.
Posted in: Japan to let some nuclear plants operate after 40-year limit
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herefornow
hatsoff -- great point. This whole scenario sounds like fiction, but, we must always remember that we are talking about Japan Inc. here, where ineptitude/mediocrity in mangement and often downright fraud is not seen as a problem.
Posted in: Shareholder sues Olympus board for firing Woodford
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herefornow
Too true. And until this changes, Japan will suffer as it tries to compete for foreign capital/investment. Because no one can really know if the numbers coming from the companies are real or not. Good for this guy. Let's hope it is just the first of many actions to open up Japan. Too bad it is not the authorities leading this charge, however.
Posted in: Shareholder sues Olympus board for firing Woodford
3
herefornow
JapanGal -- Please stick to commenting on a subject you know something about, which is clearly NOT the U.S. or U.S. divorce law. Divorce can be filed in the U.S. in any state/location where either party has a vested interest. In this case, since he is domiciled in California, it makes most sense to file it there. And, IMO, her agency had a big hand in both the divorce and the supposed reasoning behind it. They clearly made her aware of the fact that her living in the U.S. would kill her career in Japan, since out of site truly is out of mind with the J-public, and she would undoubtably miss the trucks rolling through Roppongi and Shibuya with her pictures plastered all over them, and her "music" blaring from the speakers. And she would simply be a B-list celeb, at best, in LA LA land, not a "diva" where every move she makes is news. Love of money and fame triumphed over love -- and old story -- no matter how you try to spin it.
Posted in: Ayumi Hamasaki to divorce husband of 1 year
-1
herefornow
tokyokawasaki -- great post. Agree 100%. The un-holy alliance of big business, politicians and bureaucrats that form the core of Japan Inc., and therefore run Japan, is killing the country. Until some massive changes are made, along the lines of what you mention, Japanese people are simply spinning their wheels -- working hard but for no real gain.
And, j4p4nFTW, your comment that:
is simply absurd. The auditors are criminals just like someone who robs a bank. Or can't you comprehend that they stole money, on the company's behalf, from millions of share-holders, just to protect their own jobs? There is nothing noble in that, no matter how you rationalize it.
Posted in: 2 accounting firms cleared, 5 in-house auditors blamed in Olympus cover-up
0
herefornow
A bunch of boys trying to act like men. As if shouting something and pumping your fist makes you one.
Posted in: Let's fight!
-1
herefornow
wnagler1 -- huh? What do you call the massive debt service costs that Japan must face every year? One of the largest, if not the largest item, in the Japanese budget is repaying the debt which forces it to borrow more money and cut corners on needed social spending, and, now, finally, raise taxes. By what definition is that not pressure? The posters like yourself who think that because most of the current debt is held internally is somehow a silver bullet for Japan are really missing the point. Debt is debt, no matter who holds it. Besides, no foreign investors would buy Japanese debt, due to its low return. Only unsophisticated investors -- the Japanese public willing to put their money into Japan Post for basically zero interest -- are saving Japan in the short term. And with their numbers shrinking, this model is breaking down -- fast.
Posted in: Azumi worried about Japan's debt rating after EU downgrades
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herefornow
gaijinfo -- disagree entirely. A country/government is simply a collection of individual citizens. If Japan does not respect the rights of individual U.S. citizens, then it is hypocratic to say you respect the country as a whole. Seems all they respect is the U.S. military force and money and all the exports they send over. Japan needs to start approaching foreign policy as a true "citizen of the world", where all citizens of all countries are viewed as equals, and get past the notion that "Japan is special" and therefore its citizens' rights trump others.
Posted in: Child abduction issue should be key concern in Japan-U.S. relations
0
herefornow
Time to fish or cut bait for Ryo. The distance and time-change make playing both the Japan tour and the U.S. one impossible. Hope he makes the decision that will make him happy -- and not just his sponsors.
Posted in: Ishikawa considering U.S. PGA Tour membership
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herefornow
Yup, a guy who makes millions of yen based on his "fame" from being able to balance different styles of eye glasses on his forehead.
Posted in: Satomi Ishihara desires image change
0
herefornow
Can someone explain why so many Japanese religious ceremonies seem to involve some form of physical pain like this one? What does enduring a shower of cold water have to do with inner faith?
Posted in: Now that's cold
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herefornow
DS -- what a foolish comment in the context of Japan's current situation. Or did you not read that Japan's debt is already at over 200% of GDP? The horse has left the Japanese barn on your simplistic economic theory. Japan's debt service costs are so high that if it did not issue additional debt each year, the country would collapse. And with a shrinking population and economy, the fact that Japan's debt is mainly held domestically will inevitably change. And then credit ratings and the country's willingness to sacrifice to raise the needed taxes will be critically important to raising funds.
Posted in: Noda says Japan must tackle debt to avoid credit rating cut
4
herefornow
rickyvee -- sheer nonsense. An airplane in mid-flight is NOT a place to tolerate ANY form of violence or unruly behavior. It potentially endangers the safety of many people on board. (For example, what would have happened if her shoulder had been injured, and thereby not allowing her to perform her duties in an emergency situation?) There is no gray area. There is a line, and if you cross it, you get what you deserve. And ANY physical or verbal abuse of an FA is way past that line. (Just ask Alec Baldwin.) This guy was an arrogant, drunk idiot and JAL can have him and his kind that expect their little "trangressions" to be overlooked -- like the international airspace is just a continuation of Japan's "sacred" soil, where even female FA's are there to serve the men.
Posted in: Japanese man fined $2,500 for assaulting Delta flight attendant
3
herefornow
Translation: The IHO managed to wring any spark of life and individuality from her, so she now suffers from severe depression.
Posted in: Crown princess has stomach flu
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herefornow
Says it all. Japan's isolation and inability to develop managers who can think multi-culturally will lead to its continued decline in a 21st century global economy.
Posted in: Most senior foreign exec quits Nomura