Akihabara shops – Tokyo
GBMC Article published by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation:
.
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
.
2) permanently online, on the “EU Business in Japan” website:
The Japanese Consumer Mindset
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)
More insight from:
Is Japan experiencing a Robot Revolution?
Blood_donor_card_japan (By 四葉亭四迷 CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
“Despite the fact that the Japanese live longer than nearly anyone else, the country’s healthcare system is ailing. Healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP has more than doubled since 1990, and is now greater than the OECD average. Experts say by the year 2030, costs could reach as high as 20% of GDP. The country’s rapidly ageing population and a preference by patients for hospital treatment over home-based care add further pressures to an already overburdened system.
The government of Japan has been examining ways of making the system more cost-effective by studying programmes relating to wellness, disease prevention, treatment and early detection. In this regard, the European Business Council in Japan (EBC) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) have collaborated on the Health Policy White Paper 2015, containing a series of 41 topic areas and covering nearly 200 recommendations for improving the Japanese healthcare system.“ (Source: EUROBIZ Japan)
Read more from: “Kaizen” of the Healthcare system in Japan
OHaNAS (picture: Japan Times)
Tomy Co introduced a conversation robot jointly developed with NTT Docomo Inc. that it claims can hold “natural” conversations with people.
“We want to develop toys that are not only for play, but also for jumping into people’s everyday lives to make them more convenient,” said Tomy COO H.G. Meiji.
Check out the Video:
OHaNas: get a Japanese Robot Friend (友達 )!!
and the article (source: Japan Times)
OHaNas: get a Japanese Robot Friend (友達 )!!
shopping in Japan
At least, in order to increase shopping revenues from foreigners/tourists (outside the big cities), the Japanese government seems to be working at it! Read more from:
Smart Homes
Check out the following Video:
“Toshiba, Honda and Sekisui House Bring the Future to the Present with a Real-World Smart Home”
The three companies created together a newly-built, fully livable, two-household model home that envisions a lifetime of comfort and sustainability, and embodies the goal of a zero carbon emission lifestyle by the year 2020. This model home is being used to test and verify technologies for future lifestyles by putting them into practical use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjO5SkHGYHQ&spfreload=10
(Source: Business Insider, MSN)
The Rise of Machines ???
Check out from:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/14-surprising-jobs-that-robots-are-doing/ss-BBjIbyC
![Par Joy (This week's Boston Organics delivery) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://gbmc-blog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/organic_foods-par-joy-this-weeks-boston-organics-delivery.jpg)
Organic Food –
Par Joy (This week’s Boston Organics delivery) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)
Interesting feedback about organic food in Japan from EUROBIZ Japan.
There will definitely be business opportunities in the long-term!
Read more from: http://eurobiz.jp/2015/05/slow-growth/
Fujisawa green town (© Getty)
Japan is investing in a greener future, and electronics giant Panasonic is leading the way with its ‘smart town’, called Fujisawa.
The environmentally-friendly town was launched at the tail end of last year and, since then, the houses have been occupied with residents who are all keen to do their bit for the environment.
Fujisawa’s price tag is around £320 million. The town will have 1,000 solar-powered homes, along with electric cars and bikes that can be used by the community.
Around 3,000 residents are expected to move in by 2018. Alongside being eco-friendly, the project has also been carefully engineered to protect it against natural disasters.
Read more from:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/gul/japan-to-build-green-town/ar-BBjLLot
Belgium (source: Wikimedia commons)
Japan
Tokyo – On May 12, addressing and presiding over the Seminar on investment opportunities in Belgium, Prime Minister Charles Michel and Deputy Prime Minister Kris Peeters, highlighted the recent measures taken by the Federal Government of Belgium to support the business and investment climate and strengthen Belgium’s attractiveness as a gateway to Europe.
One of the key notes at the seminar was the presentation of BELGIUM AND ITS NEIGHBOURS’ BUSINESS CLIMATES COMPARED 2015 edition, a comparison of business climates in Belgium and other European countries, which was delivered by Mr Masatomo Nomura, Chair of the BJA Investment Committee.
This study of studies looks at the four areas:
As the pages on global attractiveness show, there is a rather big gap between the perception of Belgium and reality. In other words, the recognition of ‘Belgium’ as a brand is low, but in reality the Belgian economy is highly globalised and investors discover pleasant surprises afterwards.
The pages on headquarters and holding companies show that Brussels is one of the leading cities in Europe for business. Not only because of its central location in Europe, but also because of its internationally open business culture and the ease of doing business, reasonable level of office rent and an investor-friendly tax regime, Belgium is a highly regarded location.
When it comes to logistics, Belgium ranks number 1 in Europe because of the strong combination of excellent infrastructure, accessibility and superb cost efficiency for distribution.
Concerning research and development, Belgium is in the top five countries in the world for the quality of scientific research institutions. The quality of mathematics and science education is among the top 3 in the world. University-industry collaboration is very active, which shows potential to bring the results of research to the market.
Download the report from our Blog: Belgium and its neighbours business climates compared 2015 (BJA)
More details from the BJA at: BJA News Flash – 2015 BJA Investment Publication
www.gbmc-blog.biz 