Japan - US Business News

A New Take on Japan-U.S. Relations

2010-03-08T16:38:36-05:00

Last Thursday, I attended an event at the University of Connecticut (UConn) –Stamford Campus, with the Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in NY, Shinichi Nishimiya. The event was co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Fairfield County, Inc. and the UConn Center for Globalization and Commerce. The Ambassador mentioned what he calls “Grassroots Diplomacy”--- his goal to bring Japan to the people so to speak. He mentioned when I questioned him that it is his goal when he speaks at campuses to make Japan ‘accessible' to everyone. As more and more young people in the U.S. are interested in Japanese...

Toyota's Challenging Steps

2010-02-26T08:28:00-05:00

Believe it or not, Toyota is at a great place in its history. They are at a momentous turning point that is presenting them with the opportunity to a.) Create a new and modern face for their business, b.) Challenge the rest of Japan, Inc. to do the same and c.) Make themselves into a truly global company, not just a Japanese company that happens to do business successfully internationally. Toyota is truly at the cross roads. A place where you are usually in a devil of a fix and must make the choice or choices of a lifetime. Toyota...

Comment on Toyota

2010-02-25T16:38:23-05:00

The following comment on the Toyota situation was sent in by reader and guest contributor, Robert Imrie. " When the first of the recalls were announced I thought Toyota was handling things perfectly. Like Tylenol back in 1982 (when they recalled every bottle after someone laced a few with cyanide), Toyota was open, honest (or so we all thought), and quick to announce that they had a plan for fixing their mechanical issues. Sales would take a short term hit but recover in no time. With the second recall, my thoughts were still upbeat. "No problem. Get them all out...

2010-02-23T14:16:25-05:00

Akio Toyoda of Toyota has the opportunity to change the way Japanese companies do business and handle crisis for the better--will he take this chance? I hope so.

In Toyota's fall, will Japan learn its lesson?

2010-02-18T14:54:17-05:00

There is earthquake activity in Japan. Not the ground shaking and destructive kind but it will still be earth shattering in its own way. In Japanese business, there is seismic activity that can no longer be contained beneath the surface or within country. Japan is being forced to open up due to major corporate scandal and inefficiencies that have placed a long overdue spotlight on the way some things are done. Japanese companies from now on will find that they can no longer hide behind the “we the Japanese” curtain that has veiled corporate ineffectiveness and given a mythical view...

The Accidental Ambassador

2010-02-16T11:44:50-05:00

Guest Contributor, Donna George Storey, Ph.D, is the author of Amorous Woman, a modern reinterpretation of Ihara Saikaku’s The Life of an Amorous Woman. She is also the author of Child of Darkness: Yoko and other Stories by Furui Yoshikichi (Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies) and holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Literature from Stanford University. She is currently hard at work on her new novel. _________________________________________________________________________________________ When I set out to write a modern remake of Ihara Saikaku’s The Life of an Amorous Woman--with an American English conversation teacher recast in the starring role--I hoped to create a story...