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BizCast Japan #14: The iPhone in Japan, Department Stores, Real Estate, the G8, Nissan, Shinsei and Consumer Sentiment

This is a quick note that BizCast Japan #14 has been released over at Trans-Pacific Radio. In this edition of the show, Albrecht Stahmer and I start with a follow-up on the state of Tokyo’s department store scene, and then move into a host of other topics.

Japanese government considering reforms to temporary employment laws

The Japanese government is currently discussing a bill that would prohibit temporary staff companies from dispatching day laborers, as well as require firms to tell workers about the commissions that are deducted from their wages. Of course, a cap on those commissions is not being considered (and I agree with this), but given what we saw happening at temp firms such as Goodwill, it’s obvious that more transparency is needed in this realm.

The Asahi has done a writeup on this proposed law in English at their website. However, what originally caught my eye was a post entitled simply “Temp workers” by Roy Berman over at the Mutantfrog Travelogue. Roy’s post gives a clear insight to the plight of Japan’s temporary, part-time and contract workers.

Since 1986, the trend has clearly been to relax labor laws in order to allow firms to hire more and more of their workforce as non-salaried workers. In 2004, the trend seemed to have peaked as the government allowed even positions in the manufacturing industry to be filled with temporary workers on contracts up to three years. Reversing this trend will not be easy, but trying to do so might gain some populist support for certain politicians in an forthcoming election cycle that promises to bring social issues to the forefront.

What Japan Thinks on Apple’s iPhone pricing

One of my favorite blogs, What Japan Thinks, has just published an excellent translation/writeup of a recent survey concerning Japanese consumer perceptions of Apple’s iPhone and it’s pricing. What I found most interesting is that just over 50% of respondents to the survey said that they would switch to an iPhone if the monthly cost came to 20,000 yen or less.

Nikkei profiles Sayuki, Japan’s first Western Geisha

Actually, the Nikkei published this on May 12, but I missed it. At any rate, it is one of those rare articles that the Nikkei has made available for free in English, and it’s worth a read. Sayuki is an Australian who has become the first Westerner accepted as a geisha.

Sayuki’s own site is here.

Global Voices Online looks at the butter shortage

Hanako Tokita over at Global Voices has posted an interesting article entitled Where has all the butter gone? As US retail shops grab headlines by rationing rice to customers, there has been a rash of supermarkets in Japan that simply have no butter left on their shelves. To help give a perspective on the issue, Tokita has translated a blog entry from Bebe Kobo, a site run by a small-scale dairy farmer in Japan.

Where has all the butter gone? at Global Voices Online

Blogosphere: Mixi’s new Terms of Use to allow it to sell crowdsourced content?

Mixi, Japan’s largest social networking site, has announced a new Terms of Use that is set to take effect on April 1 of this year, the effects of which could seemingly have serious implications for the website’s users.

Although the terms of use cannot be seen without logging in to Mixi’s site, the changes have been reported over at Slashdot’s Japan site. Blogger Fukumimi proves a good translation:

By agreeing to the ToU (which all users implicitly do by continuing to using the service):

1. Users grant Mixi a no-royalty, non-exclusive rights (of replication, broadcasting, public transmission, display, distribution, translation, alteration, etc) to any content uploaded onto Mixi servers.

2. Users agree not to assert their moral rights against Mixi. [Moral rights include the right of attribution, the right to have a work published anonymously or pseudonymously, and the right to the integrity of the work. source:Wikipedia]

When the new ToU comes into effect, the terms will apply retroactively to content uploaded before the changes to the ToU.

What does this all mean? Essentially, Mixi will be able to use any content on its site - potentially even private messages between users - for any purpose it sees fit, including profit-making ventures.

If Mixi’s plan is to monetize its crowdsourced content, trouble could easily be seen on the horizon. As Matt at AltJapan points out, more than a few famous people currently write on Mixi. Would the firm dare to incite a potential legal challenge by attempting to profit from their work? Read more

BizCast #11 released at Trans-Pacific Radio

The first BizCast Japan of 2008 has been released over at Trans-Pacific Radio. In the program, Albrecht Stahmer and I discuss the battle between Toyota and General Motors, Mizuho’s purchase of $1.2 billion of preferred shares in Merrill Lynch, blogging, inflation, real estate and G.communication. Have a listen over at Trans-Pacific Radio.

Greg Lane’s 2008 Predictions in Japan Inc: The Olympics in China

The new edition of Japan Inc magazine is out, and it contains a nifty set of five predictions by contributor Greg Lane. The one I find the most intriguing concerns China and the Olympics. Here’s Greg’s take:

Don’t expect a wave of ‘Cool China’ in the same way that the ‘02 Football World Cup triggered a wave of interest in all things South Korean. China will however loom ever larger in the Japanese consciousness as the world’s media turns its glare on the slick, shiny showcase taking place in Beijing throughout August. Despite the Games happening in Japan’s backyard and large numbers of enthusiastic supporters making the short trip over, don’t expect too much of the Japanese Olympians. Dismal results in recent athletics and judo world championships as well as fired-up Chinese athletes mean that Japan could take home its lowest medal haul since the paltry three golds won at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

I completely agree on the first part. There will be nothing at all like a “Cool China” wave. No 中流　(churyuu), if you will. There’s bound to be at least one athlete blaming poor performance on bad food. This time, though, they might not even be lying.

I expect to see the media provide a weird Jekyll/Hyde type of coverage on the games in China: When Dr Jekyll gets the camera, food will be featured. There will be close-up shots and oishiis galore. B-list talents will eat Peking Duck, and proclaim it scrumptious. Someone from SMAP will suddenly be an expert on Chinese cuisine, though he’ll probably be missing the ramen back home. Dr Jekyll will also have a few features on ‘cute’ Chinese athletes, and the tall guy who tends to dominate the 110m hurdles (sorry, if an athlete’s not on the Red Sox or Patriots, I have a hard time remembering their names).

Other than that, I expect to hear Mr Hyde in the background, grumbling about pollution, traffic, rudeness, people spitting in the streets, people peeing in the streets, people pooping in (or near) the streets, getting ripped off, double hotel charges, etc, etc. There’s bound to be a negative undercurrent in some media coverage of the games. Then again, one can easily argue that there legitimately should be.

Anyway, go read Greg’s full article.

Disclaimer: This author is also in the same issue.

JEN in the Japan Times

The Japan Times has published a feature on Japan Economy News as part of its ongoing “Blogroll” series. There’s a short interview with me in there as well. Thanks to the Japan Times and its people for helping bring some attention to this site.

BizCast Japan “Top 7 stories of ‘07″ released at Trans-Pacific Radio

The BizCast Japan “Top 7 business stories of 2007″ has been released on Trans-Pacific Radio. Actually, it was released about a week ago, but we neglected to promote it here. In the program, Albrecht Stahmer and I discuss some of the biggest issues and trends that we saw in Japan in 2007, and speculate on how they might play out in the future. Have a listen over at Trans-Pacific Radio.

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