ACCJ Names Leaders, Volunteers of the Year, 2007

2007-12-12: The ACCJ Board of Governors has chosen outstanding committee leaders and members who through their actions during 2007 especially exemplified ACCJ spirit and volunteerism. ACCJ President Charles D. Lake II presented certificates of appreciation commemorating the achievements of the honorees as part of the agenda at the December monthly Leadership Forum of ACCJ committee leaders.

(top to bottom) President Charles D. Lake II with James J. Foster, Jiri Mestecky, Steve Plunkett, Vivian Tokai, Victoria W. Becker, Victoria Muir, and Maurice Rabb.

The ACCJ Leaders and Volunteers of the Year 2007 are:

* James J. Foster, Leader of the Year 2007, for leading the ACCJ through the planning and execution of a successful Diet Doorknock, during which leaders from the Chamber met with more than 70 Diet members and other key policymakers.
* Jiri Mestecky, Leader of the Year 2007, for establishing consistently outstanding programs, including the well-attended and highly-regarded Leadership Series.
* Steve Plunkett, Leader of the Year 2007, for substantially enhancing the effectiveness of the Healthcare Committee by working closely with the leaders of its three subcommittees and leading successful efforts to find common ground through measures such as crafting Committee-wide policies and advocacy documents.
* Vivian Tokai, Leader of the Year 2007, for being an important leader for the Government Relations Committee and leveraging her extensive network to attract high quality and large numbers of speakers in 2007.
* Victoria W. Becker, Volunteer of the Year 2007, for her work as a key member of the Internal Affairs Advisory Council (IAAC) and a Constitutional Reform Champion for nominations and elections and regional chapter issues.
* Victoria Muir, Volunteer of the Year 2007, for her efforts behind one of the most innovative events put on by the ACCJ in recent years: the ACCJ Trivia Night with Special Guests, the 2007 ACCJ Charities.
* Maurice Rabb, Volunteer of the Year 2007, for his work as a Constitutional Reform Champion and helping to take the lead in putting together the many drafts of the revised Constitution and Bylaws, up to and including the final versions approved by the ACCJ's voting members in October 2007.

ACCJ Elects Allan D. Smith President for 2008

2007-12-03: 2008 Board of Governors elected.

Meet & Greet at Happo-en

2007-11-15: The Membership Relations Committee held the last Meet & Greet of the year at Happo-en, with more than 180 ACCJ members and guests in attendance. The event provided participants a chance to network, meet new members, and catch up with old friends in the banquet room as well as the adjacent Japanese garden.

Exciting prizes by Grand Sponsors included H&R Consultants' full-service driver license conversion package and a Shake! portable navigation system; 2 SoftBank X02HT phones offered by HTC Nippon; Kudos' Golf Play Package including a round of golf for 4 players at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Haruna no Mori C.C., round-trip shinkansen tickets, green fees, lunch and cart rental; and a combined prize by Continental Airlines and Outrigger Enterprises Group of 2 round-trip tickets to Guam with a stay at OHANA Bayview Guam.

The next Meet & Greet will be in April 2008!

ACCJ President Charles D. Lake II participates in a debate on "How Japan Should Advance the Financial Market Reform," to air on NHK BS1, November 11 (Sunday) from 13:00 to 15:00, Japan time.

2007-11-02: For further information, visit the NHK website.

ACCJ's 12th "Diet Doorknock"

2007-10-30: Led by ACCJ President Charles Lake, the 12th annual Diet Doorknock was held from October 30 to November 1. During these three days, more than 50 ACCJ members met with over 70 senior Japanese policy makers. In their meetings with Diet members, the ACCJ presented its newly released "Financial Center White Paper" which lays out a strategic roadmap for enhancing the competitiveness of Japan's financial and capital markets.

Read the press release in English and Japanese.

Nomu-nication: Nordic Night

2007-10-18: ACCJ members came together with the members of the Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, and Norwegian chambers of commerce in Japan for the tri-annual Nomu-nication event. Attendees enjoyed fine hospitality provided by the Swedish Embassy, a fabulous spread of traditional Nordic cuisine provided by Cafe´ Daisy, and Carlsberg Beer provided by Suntory. The event included an evening of casual and relaxing networking for attendees, while at the same time, generous opportunities to learn about Nordic culture, food, and lifestyle. Swedish Ambassador Stefan Noreen, Icelandic Ambassador Thorur Aegir Oskarsson, Ambassador Polski of Argentina and Ambassador Bordes of Haiti were among the distinguished attendees. Raffle prizes added to the excitement including cases of Suntory's Carlsberg Beer, Argentinean wine, Peruvian Pisco, and Haitian rum, each donated by the respective embassies of origin.

ACCJ 2007 Symposium on Women in Financial Services Expands to Full-Day Agenda

2007-10-02: The 2007 ACCJ Symposium on Women in Financial Services, organized by the ACCJ Financial Services Committee, marked the ACCJ's first ever full-day symposium, attracting more than 350 participants. This year's followed last year's event and focused on the opportunities and challenges related to the recruitment, development, and promotion of females working in financial services organizations.

Following welcoming remarks by ACCJ Chair Debbie Howard, Diet member Kuniko Inoguchi, distinguished member of the House of Representatives, gave the keynote address at the morning plenary session. Ms. Inoguchi's presentation was followed by two panel discussions that focused on the themes of "Leadership" and "Challenges in the Workplace."

Members of the panel discussions included: Cheryl De Souza, Managing Director for Diversity and Inclusion at Lehman Brothers Asia, Rumiko Hasegawa, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd., Keiko Honda, Director at McKinsey & Co. Inc., Mari Kano, Chief Manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Kumiko Kinjo, Director of Internal Audit at Hartford Life Insurance K.K., Joyce Phillips, President and COO of American Life Insurance Co., Hiroko Tatebe, Founder and Executive Director of GOLD, and Emi Ueji, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., Ltd.

Patricia Bader-Johnston, Director of Communications for IBM Japan, Ltd. and Anna Stephenson, Director of Operational Risk Management for Citibank Japan, moderated the two panel discussions.

Following a sit down lunch, attendees had the opportunity to participate in afternoon workshop sessions. One workshop organized specifically for human resources and diversity officers focused on best practices in diversity and inclusion. Additional workshops for junior- and mid-career professionals included: "Negotiating and Navigating Your Organization;" "Communication Skills to Make Your Career;" "Building Your Individual Brand;" and a Japanese-language workshop on "Career Design to Promote Work-Life Balance."

Diet member Kuniko Inoguchi.

(left to right) Mari Kano, Cheryl De Souza, Anna Stephenson, Hiroko Tatebe, and Kumiko Kinjo.

(left to right) Emi Ueji, Keiko Honda, Joyce Phillips, Rumiko Hasegawa, and Patricia Bader-Johnston.

(left to right) Masako Arakane, Ann Sado, Victoria Bolam, and Dr. Kay Lillig Cotter.

The 2007 ACCJ Symposium on Women in Financial Services attracted more than 350 participants.

A networking reception with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres capped off the successful day-long event.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from numerous ACCJ member companies, the Symposium was available at affordable rates to participants. Symposium sponsors were: (Platinum Level): Citigroup, State Street; (Gold Level): Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Shinsei Bank, UBS; (Bronze Level): Aflac, AIG Companies, Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd., The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (Japan).

Jonathan Schuman, Co-Chair of the ACCJ Financial Services Committee and lead organizer of this event as well as last year's inaugural Symposium, commented that: "ACCJ financial services members have a huge incentive as employers, investors, and service providers to boost the return on human capital in our organizations, particularly by enhancing the recruitment, development, and promotion of talented females in our organizations. This requires recognition of multiple challenges and a strong commitment to addressing those challenges. It is very encouraging to see so many of our member companies actively engage in, and support, the discussions held at this year's Symposium."

European Team Ends North American Winning Streak at 2007 DaimlerChrysler Cup Golf Challenge

2007-09-28: The 5th Annual North America - Europe Golf Challenge in Japan ("The DaimlerChrysler Cup") was held on Friday, September 28, in which 138 players participated. The European team ended the American team's three-year winning streak in a very close and exciting game, with an average score of 75.49 for the best 80% of the players versus the North American average of 76.09.

The North American team did score a number of significant superlatives, however, including best individual net score and gross score, both taken by Robert E. Melson Jr., near-pin winners at No. 5 and No. 7, taken by Bob Grondine and Nick Johnston, respectively, and longest drive, taken by Vijay Deol.

138 Golfers of the 2007 North America - Europe Golf Challenge.

Learn more about the tournament at: http://www.dccgolf-japan.com/index.html.

Take Care of Our People and They'll Take Care of the Business. Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos Tells The Story Behind Aflac's CSR Strategy.

2007-09-04: Dan Amos, Chairman and CEO of Aflac Incorporated, shared with ACCJ members and guests insights on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility to Aflac's business in the United States and Japan. Amos stressed the key role of management in improving the lives of employees, giving back to the community, and, most importantly, increasing value for shareholders. He discussed Aflac's policy of encouraging all employees to be shareholders and explained the company's commitment to "showing policyholders, sales agents, employees, communities, and shareholders the same care, respect, dignity, and fairness that we show our families."

Dan Amos, CEO Aflac Incorporated.

In discussing corporate governance, Amos provided the philosophy behind Aflac's decision to become the first company in the United States to offer shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation: "As the owners of the company, shareholders have the right to know how executive compensation works." He concluded his speech by explaining the significance of management operating an organization in an honest and transparent manner and took a number of questions from an audience of nearly 200 ACCJ members and guests.

ACCJ President In "Chubu Economic Summit" On Tokai TV

2007-08-28: ACCJ President Charles D. Lake II participated as a panelist in the "Chubu Economic Summit," hosted by the Chubu Economic Federation and Tokai TV. Moderated by well-known political journalist Soichiro Tahara, Lake discussed various economic issues with Toyota Chairman Fujio Cho, Seibu Holdings President Takashi Goto and Nihon Keizai Shimbun Deputy Chief Editorial Writer Yoichi Takita.

The summit will air on Tokai TV from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 8.

Post Election Analysis: Impact On Abe Cabinet

2007-08-08: Following lunch at the Tokyo American Club, political commentator, Minoru Morita, spoke to ACCJ members and guests on the recent successes of the Democratic Party of Japan in the Diet elections. Morita, known for his unique insight into the Japanese political system, suggested that these successes had more permanence than the major Japanese media were foreseeing. Morita said that while the LDP were able to overcome previous lapses of power in the past, now there is "a low likelihood that the rural areas would return back to the LDP." The Democratic Party won in all but one of the rural, less populous prefectures. Morita said that this change was encouraging because it supports a two party balance.

Minoru Morita, nationally renowned political commentator and author.

What Makes An Ethical Company? Integrity, Compliance, And Governance As Essential Elements Of Good Corporate Citizenship

2007-08-03: Following lunch at the Tokyo American Club, Brackett B. Denniston III, a Senior Vice President and General Counsel at GE, explored with ACCJ members and guests the benefits of proper corporate governance. Denniston explained that while "governing compliance, ethics, and citizenship in an increasingly dangerous world" can be difficult, doing so builds a reputation that draws both customers and the best employees.

GE strives to maintain such a reputation--Denniston, as head of a compliance team of more than 1,100 lawyers, helped GE to earn recognition as Fortune's "Most Admired Company," Ethisphere's "Most Ethical Company," and Corporate Counsel's "Ethical Citizenship Award." By combining roles of lawyer and businessman, he showed how corporate social citizenship "is connected to the self interest of a company." Denniston reminded listeners that in this "age of increasing regulation and scrutiny, companies can create tremendous social values."

Brackett B. Denniston III, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at GE.

An Evening With Le Corbusier At Mori Museum

2007-07-26: Director of the Mori Art Museum, Dr. Fumio Nanjo gave a detailed, intimate tour of the works of art and architecture of the highly influential Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. ACCJ members and guests delighted in Dr. Nanjo's personal anecdotes of experience in the buildings represented by the museum models and insights into Le Corbusier's equally important paintings and furniture designs. The tour moved from the art exhibit to the Mori Aquarium and Bar, where guests were able to appreciate the influences of Le Corbusier on the Tokyo skyline over cocktails.

Work-Life Balance: Good For Your People, Good For Your Business, Good For The Community In Which You Do Business

2007-07-11: Now widely recognized as an important factor in productivity, "work-life balance" has had an especially important role at British Telecom, which has been recognized for its progress in this area by Dow Jones, Global Reporters, and Queen Elizabeth II. Koshiro Kitazato, Chairman of BT Japan, explained to ACCJ members and guests BT's policies of "compressed time," job sharing, and home-based working, noting that more than ten percent of BT employees work from home and seventy percent divide time between home and the office.

Kitazako predicted that as corporations continue to seek the best employees, they will move toward programs that allow extended periods of time off, encourage working from home, and provide guidance to reduce employee stress. He explained that in the past, work-life balance programs "were perceived as a cost, not a benefit. But now management, leaders, everybody believes they have very positive benefits." These benefits--reduced absenteeism, improved retention and health, and increased productivity--should steer Japanese businesses away from the present "working long hours culture."

Koshiro Kitazato, Chairman of BT Japan.

Women In The Workforce: How Far Has Japan Come?

2007-07-03: Akiko Ide, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Corporate Citizenship, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., and one of the Wall Street Journal's 2006 "Fifty Women to Watch," drew on her experience as the minority in the male-dominated labor force to explain to an overwhelmingly large crowd the shifting Japanese attitudes regarding parental, household, and leadership roles.

When Ide began working at NTT thirty years ago, Japan had just begun discussing women's roles in the workplace. Though women's involvement in the labor force has increased, women still rarely hold positions of authority. Ide, the first female board member of NTT, remains one of the rare examples of a woman in a senior leadership position in Japan.

Ide believes that as the fertility rate continues to fall and baby boomers begin to retire, Japan does not necessarily face a crisis. Instead, Japan has an opportunity to draw upon its largest untapped resource--women.

Akiko Ide of NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

Upper House Election: Issues And Stakes For PM Abe

2007-06-27: As is customary before major Diet elections, the ACCJ sponsored an animated debate, this time featuring DPJ diet member Motohisa Furukawa and LDP diet member Satsuki Katayama. The debate was moderated by the esteemed Yoichi Nishimura, political editor of Asahi Shimbun.

It proved to be an illuminating success. Running more like a friendly discussion rather than a brutal showdown, the two diet members politely sparred for an hour and discussed various polemic issues pertaining to their parties・respective platforms, occasionally choosing to focus on clearing up misunderstandings the public may have.

Among the many topics discussed, social security reforms, future economic goals, education, and environmental issues took the lion's share of the conversation.

Diet members, Motohisa Furukawa from the DPJ and Satsuki Katayama from the LDP.

Nomu-nication: The Premium Malt's Beer Garden At Meiji Kinenkan

2007-06-22: About 140 ACCJ members and guests attended the Membership Relations Committee's "Nomu-nication: The Premium Malt's Beer Garden at Meiji Kinenkan," sponsored by Suntory at Meiji Kinenkan. Throughout the night, guests briefly paused conversations and revelry to refill their glasses with Suntory's award-winning Premium Malt's Beer.

The view from Meiji Kinenkan's Wakatake room, which overlooks a gorgeous garden, was truly breathtaking. Once the rain stopped, guests were treated to a graceful performance of nihon buyo, a traditional Japanese dance, leaving the night one to remember. Thank you to ACCJ member Suntory who provided The Premium Malt's and Meiji Kinenkan for use of the Wakatake Room.

Governor Of State Of Hawai'i Linda Lingle

2007-06-19: Over a Hawaiian lunch, Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii, presented to ACCJ members and guests her views on Hawaii's present and future, and her agenda to broaden the attraction of Hawaii as a global destination well beyond tourism. To be sure, "While many other resort destinations might be cheaper and closer, none do it better," she said, noting a 2.3 billion dollar airport modernization project. But it's not just for tourism, as solid growth and a bright outlook in industries ranging from healthcare and pharmaceuticals, to animation, game development, and music suggest a healthy diversity in the Hawaiian economy; much of which is helped by a long and close relationship to Japan. Hawaii is benefiting from the free flow of capital, talent, and information, all the more emphatically, according to Governor Lingle, as "coming to Hawaii is much more than just a tour. Anyone can come and feel welcome, and that's the aloha spirit - it's a way of life."

Governor Of State Of Hawai'i Linda Lingle.

The Keys to Non-Cash Motivation

2007-06-04: In an exciting session of audience interaction, competitive brainstorming, and even a little guitar playing, Andrew Silberman, President and Chief Enthusiast of AMT group, drove home the point that companies can motivate sales teams to sell more without reducing the reward formula to a mere cash transaction. Silberman focused on "three keys to non-cash motivation...leadership, competence, and rewards," and illustrated motivational opportunities in all three, such as setting clear goals and providing generous feedback; providing skills development, training, and tools; and rewarding through recognition and flexible hours. Silberman amply demonstrated his own talent for motivating people by inspiring the audience to come up with many of the good ideas that made the event an informative session for all.

Andrew Silberman, President & Chief Enthusiast for Advanced Management Training Group (AMT Group, K.K.).

Minister For Financial Services Yuji Yamamoto

2007-05-21: Financial Services Minister Yuji Yamamoto delivered an informative speech about the future of the Japanese financial sector and economy. He spoke to more than two hundred and fifty ACCJ members and guests, plus reporters from major Japanese and foreign media.

Minister Yamamoto said that Japan's efforts to internationalize have lagged behind other countries. He advocates a special financial center zone like Canary Wharf in London, where incentives have effectively generated international commerce through a high concentration of foreign companies and investors.

Minister For Financial Services Yuji Yamamoto.

Minister Yamamoto suggests that the area along the Sumida River from Nihonbashi to Kabuto-cho would be a good candidate to become a special zoning area similar to Canary Wharf.

He spoke at length on the importance of attracting foreign capital to enhance Japan's own financial services capabilities and stay competitive internationally, and concluded by stressing the importance of protecting the Japanese market rather than individual Japanese companies.

Leading Japan's First Successful Shareholder Revolt: with Class

2007-05-17: Scott Callon, CEO of Ichigo Asset Management, presented to ACCJ members and guests his experience leading the first "shareholder revolt" in Japanese business history. Japanese shareholders rarely take the opportunity to exercise their rights. However, when Callon's firm Ichigo believed that the October 26th 2006 planned merger between Tokyo Kohtetsu Steel and Osaka Steel was flawed, it took the unprecedented action of mobilizing shareholders in support of its concerns.

Callon stressed that success was owed in significant part to a fair process that fully maintained respect for management. When one audience member asked, "What happens to the management when shareholder's revolt?" Callon responded that, "positive attitudes and a respectful atmosphere helped to maintain a strong relationship." The results showed in a 3/4 shareholder vote against the merger.

Technology also played a large role. According to Callon, "just eleven minutes" after the Kohtestu/Osaka Steel merger press release came out, there was intense shareholder activity all across Yahoo chat rooms. Callon left everyone with the message that shareholder success in Japan begins with the individual and that a new era in shareholder participation may have begun.

Scott Callon, CEO, Ichigo Asset Management.

FCIJ Business Confidence Survey Shows Foreign Companies in Japan Expect Further Business Expansion in Japanese Market

2007-05-11: The Foreign Chambers in Japan (FCIJ) publishes the results and analysis of its 2007 Spring Business Confidence Survey, reconfirming the optimistic mood among members of foreign chambers that was first indicated in the Fall 2003 survey. (Read the press release.)

ACCJ Leader Nicholas Benes Discusses Global M&A on NHK (in Japanese)

2007-04-26: Nicholas Benes, Chair of the ACCJ Foreign Direct Investment Committee, participates in a debate on "How Japan Should Face the Era of Global M&A," to air on April 29 (Sunday) from 22:10 to 24:00 on NHK BS1. For further information, visit the NHK website.

Accelerating Sales Force Performance: How Sales Forces Can Become More Effective

2007-04-20: Andris A. Zoltners, Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University and Founder and Co-Chairman of ZS Associates presented to more than 150 ACCJ members and guests about how to improve sales force performance.

Professor Zoltners challenged the audience with the question, "How can we tell if we have a good sales force?" And received enough answers to illustrate the point that many variables apply, but offered an organizing principle of five key elements: Definers, Shapers, Enlighteners, Exciters, and Controllers. According to Zoltners, these elements take precedence depending on what part of the business life cycle a company is in. He went on to discuss four sales-force management principles built around frameworks, insight, discipline, and improvement. Professor Zoltners spent ample time taking questions from the audience.

Andris A. Zoltners, Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Meet & Greet at Meguro Gajoen

2007-04-12: ACCJ held its first Meet and Greet of the year, a networking event in the beautiful Japanese "tatami" style banquet room at Meguro Gajoen. More than 190 members and guests networked, established new relationships, and deepened existing ones.

The program included exciting raffle drawings--spectacular prizes offered by Grand Sponsors, including a trip to Guam by Continental Airlines, a Smart Luxury Package by Hilton Tokyo, and theater tickets to Shakespeare's A Midnight's Summer Dream by Ashley Associates. The "Welcome Drink" was sponsored by JAC Japan, one of ACCJ's new Corporate Sustaining Members.

U.S. Individual Taxation For Expatriates

2007-03-22: Marcus Wong, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, explained the new U.S. tax changes impacting the U.S. citizens living abroad to ACCJ members and guests. Since the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 was signed, there have been complex issues for international assignees and their employers. Wong included sample calculations to make concepts tangible. Wong discussed choices between lowering overall federal income tax in the current year and increasing the amount of foreign tax credit carryforward available in the subsequent year. His discussion included foreign tax credit claims, tax relief and the Health Care Act of 2006.

Marcus Wong, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Japanese University Reform: How Big Is The Bang?

2007-03-16: In 2000, Japanese universities were ranked the lowest in the developed world. What can Japan do to improve how Japanese universities are run? Dr. Stronach presented a compelling perspective on worrisome trends in Japanese higher education to ACCJ members and guests, emphasizing what Japan needs to do to change, and what he is doing to help in his unique position as the first non-Japanese president of a Japanese public university, Yokohama City University.

Dr. Bruce Stronach, President of Yokohama City University.

Japanese Universities are facing a range of issues including poor human resources development, lack of motivation towards competition, dearth of communication, fear of flying and failure, and lack of innovation. A significant portion of the discussion was given to challenges in scientific research. Stronach suggested that, "Japan is on the right road, but needs to drive faster."

ACCJ Names Hiroshi Okuda 2006 Person Of The Year

2007-03-14: Under Mr. Okuda's leadership as Chairman of Toyota from 1999-2006 and President from 1995-1999, Toyota invested extensively in the U.S., creating thousands of jobs for U.S. workers and contributing as a good corporate citizen in many local communities.

As a member of the Government of Japan's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, for the past six years Mr. Okuda has been a tireless advocate for market-oriented structural reforms critical to achieving sustained and stable growth in Japan and the global economy.

Read the press release in English and Japanese.

ACCJ 2006 Person Of The Year: Hiroshi Okuda, Senior Advisor and Member of the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota).

India Outlook 2007

2007-03-09: The Indian economy grew 8.3% in the past 3 years, making it the second fastest growing economy. ACCJ members and guests heard from Dr. Subir Gokarn, Ajay Dwivedi and Rupa Devi Singh, a panel of experts at S&P and CRISIL, who analyzed the Indian growth story and highlights of its short and medium-term prospects. According to Dr. Gokarn, the Indian economy upturn is rooted in multiple sources: strong consumption and investment, favorable policy change, bullish exports and rising productivity. India's biggest concerns remain to be inadequate infrastructure, vulnerability to oil, insufficient jobs for the growing labor force, emerging inflation, unsatisfactory social services, and mismatches in human capital. One big bump on the road is the "skills dichotomy": there are many people who have not gotten the necessary education to support or even keep up with India's growth.

Dr. Subir Gokarn, Rupa Devi Singh and Ajay Dwivedi.

Jesper Koll on Japan Outlook 2008 - A Sleeping Giant Awakes

2007-02-16: Jesper Koll's annual ACCJ update on the Japanese economy was held with over 200 ACCJ members and guests. With banks lending, employment growing and land prices rising, Japan is back, Koll says. So what's different about Japan these days?

Japan is a capitalists' dream as a result of labor share of national income rising very slowly, percent of GDP for research and development spending increasing, and a trade surplus with China. Mr. Koll predicts that productivity growth will average 2.5% to 3% over the next five years, as opposed to 1.5% in the 1990s. Mr. Koll warned the attendees of a real productivity challenge within the wholesale industry. According to Mr. Koll, the basic inefficiency in Japan is "the middleman." Mr. Koll sees a "big government comeback," with regulatory risk rises, regional spending rises, and pressure on the Bank of Japan.

Jesper Koll, Merrill Lynch Japan Chief Economist And Managing Director.

U.S. Ambassador To Japan J. Thomas Schieffer Speaks To The ACCJ

2007-02-14: For full transcript, visit the U.S. Embassy website.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan J. Thomas Schieffer.

Nomu-nication: Latin American & Caribbean Fiesta @ Shinsei Bank

2007-02-09: Over 200 ACCJ members and guests attended the Membership Relations Committee's "Nomu-nication: Latin American & Caribbean Fiesta," hosted by Shinsei Bank's Head Office on the 20th floor of its Chiyoda headquarters. The night started out with a warm welcome by Mr. Thierry Porte, the president and CEO of Shinsei Bank, and Mr. Samuel H. Kidder, ACCJ Executive Director. Countries represented, accompanied by several ambassadors, were Argentina, Chile, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico and Peru.

Mr. Thierry Porte, President and CEO of Shinsei Bank, welcomes ACCJ members and guests.

While the attendees enjoyed indigenous performances from the different regions, unique beverages and appetizers were offered at tables specially prepared by the six embassies for all to sample. Along with the regional beverages, Kirin Brewery Company provided cool Budweiser.

Design, Energy-Savings And Safety In Buildings

2007-02-08: Albert Abut, president of architecture firm Atlantis Associates, and Philippe Valery, architectural project director of Saint-Gobain Hanglas, offered a joint ACCJ / European Business Council audience insight into building eco-friendly offices in Tokyo, using the example of the newly built Saint-Gobain Building, located at 3-7 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku.

Saint-Gobain is a French company that manufactures, distributes, and conducts research in flat glass, packaging, and high-performance materials, and contributed its know-how to the design, particularly through advanced techniques in glass.

T-Shirt Travels Far, Tells All

2007-01-31: Pietra Rivoli, a Georgetown economics professor and the author of "The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy" shared with ACCJ members and guests insights on the globalizing economy. Using her book's engaging device, she follows a path of a T-Shirt bought in Florida from its cotton days in Texas to it's threadbare end in Tanzania. Along the way, Rivoli was there to ask "who and why?" at every turn, and in the process build a compelling critique of policies surrounding international trade while illuminating the "neuroeconomic" decision making process of the world's consumers.

Professor Pietra Rivoli.

Why You'll Never Buy Technology Products Again

2007-01-30: Jim Weisser, the President of Weisser Consulting, Managing Director of PBXL and Internet Marketing/E-Commerce, gave a presentation on why you'll never buy technology products again to ACCJ members and guests. He answered the question with real-life examples of how hosted applications have brought changes in the business world today.

Jim Weisser, President of Weisser Consulting, Managing Director of PBXL and Internet Marketing/E-Commerce lecturer at Temple University.

His presentation contained a brief overview of computer technology history, and an in-depth survey of the functions, strengths, and weakness of hosted applications, particularly "SaaS," or "software as a service."

Measure What Matters, Not What's Easy....

2007-01-26: Terry White, Chief Communications Officer of Amway Japan, delivered an informative presentation to ACCJ members and guests on direct marketing communications and the importance of providing the relevant information--and only the relevant information--to company management. He discussed the essential rules to follow when converting data into presentable conversation points and provided answers to the overriding question: "What matters?"

Terry White, Chief Communications Officer, Amway Japan.

His guidelines included elements of design as well as an emphasis on issues like "Is our brand franchise value going up?" and "Are we doing more with less?" Throughout his presentation, White stressed the principle of not simply "showing historical information which may be largely irrelevant, but interpreting the information to predict the future."