“Transforming Japanese Business: Rising to the Digital Challenge”
PRE-ANNOUNCEMENT – a NEW JAPAN BUSINESS BOOK is arriving soon:
(from Springer Asia).
Japan Huysveld GBMC Japanesebusiness
More info from:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transforming-japanese-business-rising-digital-challenge-khare/
EU – GDPR
“The upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is making the biggest change to data privacy law since many years. All organisations which hold or process personal information need to comply from 25 May 2018.
Data protection laws have always been designed to protect people’s privacy while deriving the benefits for business and public bodies of a data-rich society. However, with the amounts of data flowing in the digital age, the current regime is no longer fit for purpose.
Increased connectivity and the growth of digital services and social media mean people are widely sharing their personal information with multiple organisations and companies.
High-profile data breaches across the corporate world have shown the need to tighten data security. Increased individual concerns over what businesses are doing with private information have also grown.
On 25 May 2018, a new European-wide regulation – known as GDPR – will come into force. This will see the law get stricter on the collection and handling of personal data.” (Entreprise Europe Network/EU Commission)
Read more details from:
https://een.ec.europa.eu/news/data-protection-one-month-gdpr
Google-Self-Driving-Car (Picture – Digital Trends)
“The first guidelines on public road tests of self-driving vehicles, released by the National Police Agency (NPA), exclude fully automated cars without a steering wheel or driver.
The NPA’s recommendations say tests should be conducted with cars that have a driver behind the wheel to ensure safety and compliance with the road traffic law.
The government sees promoting the technology used in self-driving cars as a key to economic growth.
The police agency’s guidelines call for using “black boxes” on test cars to record all data and, in case of an accident, ascertaining the cause and taking corrective measures before test drives are resumed.
The NPA is expected to set up a panel of experts this summer to examine issues surrounding possible legislative reforms for this new technology, such as who would be legally responsible in case of an accident, the need to adapt the driver’s license system for self-driving cars and how to take measures against hacking cars.
The government has developed a classification system under which full self-driving automation is designated as level 4, in which the car is designed to perform all safety-critical driving functions.” (The Japan Times)
Should driverless cars be one day on the road? Will such cars be reliable enough for that? Should we rely so much on Machines and Technology? What do you think?
Read more from: Fully automated vehicles excluded from tests on Japan’s public roads
AI (Picture – micronobal.com)
“Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced on September 4, 2015 that it would invest approximately $50 million over the next 5 years to establish joint research centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University to broaden its focus on computer science and human-machine interaction with an immediate goal of reducing highway injuries and fatalities.
As we age, mobility becomes more challenging; and larger segments of society are unable to drive or move freely. Also, the demands on healthcare systems and those who support the physically infirm continue to increase. Toyota believes the opportunities to improve every-day living through artificial intelligence supported technologies are boundless, with significant breakthrough potential for the development of life-saving intelligent vehicles and life-improving robots.” (Toyota Newsroom)
Is Artificial Intelligence Research the key to our future challenges? What is your take on this?
More details from:
http://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/detail/9233109/
https://livestream.com/Toyota/PressConference
The future of robotics
“A committee of experts to discuss an international robot competition that the Japanese government wants to hold in 2020 met for the first time on Feb. 2, and suggested that the competition cover three categories: product-making, services, and public interest projects.
“Product-making” would cover fields like factory work and agriculture. “Services” events would include areas like customer service and providing care for the infirm. “Public interest” would cover fields like checks on public infrastructure and disaster rescue operations.” (The Mainichi Shimbun)
Japan(2020) = (Olympics + Robots) x C2 !
Great but to which extend should humans push for robot development?
More details from: Japan is planning an “International Robot Competition” in 2020!!!
“Europe Japan Industrial Relations 2015 – working together for a better future”
Hello everyone,
GBMC has just released a new publication, which we would like to submit to your attention. (Constructive) comments are welcome!
Please do not consider this as “spam”, as you do not have to buy anything (but, of course, you are welcome to) and as there is a free sample available (13 Interviews) for your reading!!!
More info from our website at:
“Europe Japan Industrial Relations 2015 – working together for a better future”
Music streaming service in Japan
“Google has launched a music streaming service in Japan, becoming the latest tech giant to push into the world’s No. 2 music market, despite mixed results among earlier arrivals.
The U.S. company said that its Japanese edition of Google Play Music features more than 35 million tunes available at a cost of ¥980 ($8) a month.
The launch came after similar services debuted in Japan this year by Apple, popular messaging app Line, and a joint venture by IT firm CyberAgent and Japanese music giant Avex Group.
Japan is the world’s second-largest music market, estimated to be worth $2.6 billion in 2014, after the $4.8 billion U.S. market, according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
But packaged media such as CDs account for about 80 percent of Japanese music sales, contrasting sharply with the U.S. market where digital downloads are soaring.”
(Global) Key players in Music Streaming seem to be late in entering the huge Japanese Music Market. Packaged Media (CDs) are still predominant and far more popular than digital downloads in the “country of the walkman”, where the latest electronics gadgets and mobile phones have always been welcomed! Is Japan’s huge Music Market behind? And for how long? What do you think?
Read more from:
Is Japan’s huge Music Market behind?
A prepaid SIM card vending machine at Narita International Airport in Narita in Chiba Prefecture (Shoichi Otsu, Asahi Shimbun)
“NTT Communications Corp. has installed vending machines for prepaid SIM cards at Narita International Airport, offering an easy option for users to activate their mobile phones and other devices on arrival.
Users simply scan their passports to register identification information.
The machines operate around the clock. One is in the arrival lobby of Terminal 1 and the other is in the arrival lobby of Terminal 2.
NTT Communications installed the machines because of the continuing rise in foreign visitor arrivals.
Previously, SIM cards were only available at stores in the airport.” (The Asahi Shimbun)
In the country of convenience stores (“conbini” in Japanese) and of all kinds of vending machines, SIM cards can be bought now from vending machines: how more convenient can Japan be? What do you think?
Read more from:
SIM card vending machines: how more convenient can Japan be?
Robots for farming and fishing (from The Yomiuri Shimbun)
“Research institutes and universities in Japan are developing robots to play an active part in the primary industries of agriculture and fisheries, which are suffering from aging workers and a lack of manpower. The robots are intended to alleviate the farmers’ workload and improve the quality of crops.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry actively supports the move with the idea of “making good use of Japan’s robotics technology, which has long been utilized mainly in factories, now in the field of agriculture.”
The central government set a goal in January to quadruple the size of the robot market to ¥2.4 trillion by 2020, and the primary industries are positioned as a crucial field in which to utilize the robots.
The average age of farmers in Japan was 66.7 in 2014, with 64 percent of them 65 or older. Under the circumstances, there is great interest in using robots to make up for a shortfall in agricultural manpower.” (The Yomiuri Shimbun)
These are all great applications for Robotics Technology whose future seems bright. The next challenge is commercialisation! What do you think?
Read more from:
Japan: Robots helping to reduce farmers’ and fishers’ workload!
E-commerce in Japan
“A growing number of convenience stores are offering a service that allows online shoppers to pick up their purchases at the stores at their convenience.
The service allows customers to conveniently shop online whenever they like without having to wonder when they will be at home to take delivery of the item, which appeals to those who are frequently away from home, as well as those who prefer to not be bothered with accepting deliveries in person.
By offering the service, major convenience store chains have successfully attracted people who tend to frequently be away from home, such as those who live alone or married couples who both work, according to the three biggest convenience store chains in Japan: Seven-Eleven Japan Co., FamilyMart Co. and Lawson Inc. They add that the service appeals to women who are uncomfortable speaking with deliverymen at their front door …..
The benefits of in-store pickup services are not limited to the customers who use them — both convenience stores and couriers also benefit. For instance, by expanding their in-store pickup services, convenience stores can expect to see an increase in their customer base.
And couriers and transporters can increase distribution efficiency if they curtail their redeliveries by focusing on delivering to convenience store locations.
Redelivery due to absent recipients was necessary in 20 percent of about 4.1 million items surveyed in 2014 by Yamato Transport Co., Sagawa Express, and Japan Post Network Co.” (The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Read more from:
Japan E-commerce: More convenience stores offer pickup services for e-shoppers
