Haruno Yoshida (photo by Alfie Goodrich)
“Earlier this year, BT Japan president and representative director Haruno Yoshida made history, when she was appointed to the Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation. In accepting the nomination, Yoshida became the first woman ever named to the influential and conservative business lobby group.” (EUROBIZ Japan)
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Historic (female) appointment at the “Keidanren” board !
Japan: two-tiered labour market
“The problem is that women, though they are going to work, are mostly getting dead-end jobs. More than two-thirds of female labor force entrants, in fact, are climbing onto this slow track, meaning that they are destined to be second-class economic citizens for the rest of their working lives. Meanwhile, male entrants are given fast-track jobs at a much higher rate.
So the labor system is a sort of caste system, with a mostly female lower level and a mostly male upper strata. In some sense, this is progress, because women are no longer confined to the home, and now that they are in the workforce, women will undoubtedly demand better jobs.
But the sclerotic nature of this two-tiered labor market is a huge and continuing drag and it should be next on Abe’s hit list. Gender equality demands it, but so does the economic health of the nation, since the impossibility of advancing from the lower track to the upper track amounts to an enormous misallocation of talent and skill.” (Noath Smith, Bloomberg/Japan Times)
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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)
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Japan E-commerce: More convenience stores offer pickup services for e-shoppers
Kyushu picture (source – istartedsomething.com)
これぞ日本最高峰の絶景地！九州地方の人気おすすめ観光スポット17選
Go to the RETRIP website: Tourism in Kyushu (Japan)
JR Kyushu-luxury train (Picture: JR Kyushu)
Luxury ‘dream train’ designed over 100 years ago goes into service in Kyushu!
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“Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyu-shu) has just launched the commercial operation of a luxury passenger train, a revival of a dream train created more than a century ago. The train, Aru Ressha, features a gold and black exterior with an arabesque design and a gorgeous interior comparable to that of a luxury hotel. Passengers are served a first-class sweets course that uses seasonal food from the region. The train was originally built by a U.S. company in 1908 following an order from the then predecessor of JR Kyushu, but did not go into service at the time as the Japanese company was nationalized.” (Japan Times)
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Kyushu (south of Japan): the “train of dreams” is alive !!
Nikkei/FT: towards a EU-Japan FNA (Free News Agreement) ?
“Thursday’s surprise announcement by Nikkei Inc. that it’s buying the London-based FT Group, one of the world’s most respected and influential media groups, immediately raised questions about whether the Japanese company can successfully manage such a highly regarded news company. The Nikkei group, Japan’s most powerful financial media group, said it will buy the Financial Times publisher from Pearson PLC for about ¥160 billion ($1.3 billion) by procuring all outstanding stocks.” (Japan Times)
Yes, independance of the Press and, in particular, of the FT Editorial Team is a key concern.
However, on the bright side, in the context of the EU-Japan FTA negotiations, we hope that this high profile acquisition will enhance collaboration in the EU-Japan news/media sector and boost sharing of Industrial and Financial News/Information on both sides (EU and Japan). Business News sharing would definitely support Free Trade!!
The GBMC team
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Nikkei/FT: towards a EU-Japan FNA (Free News Agreement) ?
Mitsubishi floating concept
” The government said Friday that Japan will slash greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030 from 2013 levels and will submit the plan to the United Nations as its contribution to a global summit on climate change in Paris in November. METI on Thursday said the government will plan to make nuclear energy account for 20 to 22 percent of Japan’s electricity mix in 2030, versus 30 percent before Fukushima. It set the target for renewable energy at 22 to 24 percent of the mix, liquefied natural gas at 27 percent and coal at 26 percent.” (Japan Times)
Read more from: Japan sets 26 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions as 2030 target
Akihabara shops – Tokyo
GBMC Article published by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation:
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1) in EU-JAPAN NEWS, in the June 2015 edition of the Centre’s Newsletter.
Article to be found page 34 of the Newsletter:
The Japanese Consumer Mindset
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2) permanently online, on the “EU Business in Japan” website:
The Japanese Consumer Mindset
Train in Kyushu (image source: JR Kyushu)
The Japanese government has recently decided to put Kyushu Railway Co. under full private ownership in fiscal 2016. It has decided to pursue full privatization because JR Kyushu has achieved good business results in the fields of real estate and hotels, according to officials. JR Kyushu is one of seven railway operators established after the breakup of Japanese National Railways, or JNR, in April 1987.
Time to invest maybe?
Japanese robot on the moon
“Japan is one of the few countries in the world likely to experience something that popular movies have predicted for years: a robot revolution. With PM Abe’s release of his plans for economic structural reform, the topic of creating a Robot Revolution Realization Council came to fruition. The premise of this council is to examine the possibility of introducing more robots into sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and even nursing care to help foster growth in Japan.” (Riley Walters, The Daily Signal)
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Is Japan experiencing a Robot Revolution?
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