Updated: 22:50, Sunday January 17, 2010
Japan Airlines CEO Haruka Nishimatsu cut his pay, ate in the company cafeteria and even took the bus to work to help cut costs, but he couldn't stop the once-venerable carrier's financial tailspin.
His anointed successor Kazuo Inamori, a respected entrepreneur and ordained Buddhist monk, is expected to oversee much more radical cutbacks at the debt-ridden airline, which is widely expected to file for bankruptcy this week.
Inamori, the honorary chairman of Japanese high-tech maker Kyocera Corp, is being parachuted into JAL's cockpit by the government to replace Nishimatsu, who is set to step down despite being hailed for his humble management style.
Inamori admitted this week he was a novice in the airline industry.
But he is one of Japan's most well respected business executives and management gurus, having founded both Kyocera and a company that later became part of KDDI Corp, now Japan's number two telecommunication company.
'He's a great entrepreneur, and perhaps entrepreneurship is what JAL badly needs,' said Geoffrey Tudor, a principal analyst at Japan Aviation Management Research and former JAL employee.
Inamori is 'a very successful man in his own right. He didn't have any personal connections with important or influential people. He worked hard. He has a great personal ability,' said Tudor.
Inamori, who turns 78 years old on January 30, is a champion of deregulation and a philanthropist who entered the Buddhist priesthood at a temple in Kyoto in 1997 after retirement.
The Kyocera founder created his own 'amoeba management' theory whereby each unit of a company makes its own plans under the guidance of an 'amoeba leader'.
Members of the unit pool their knowledge and effort to achieve business targets, giving all employees an active role.
In one of his books, Respect the Divine and Love People, Inamori says his management philosophy is based on the many obstacles he has overcome.
'In both my professional and personal life, I have struggled with many dead-end situations which caused me endless agony,' he wrote, according to excerpts on his website.
'In those difficult circumstances, I would always go back to the fundamentals and ask myself, 'What is the right thing to do as a human being?' Everything I do in my work is based upon this fundamental principle.'
After contracting tuberculosis at age 13, when his home was also destroyed in an air raid, Inamori went on to study engineering and started a small ceramics company that he would transform into a leading high-tech maker.
Now he is Japan's 28th richest person with an estimated wealth of $US920 million ($A988.18 million), according to Forbes Rich List.
He faces a daunting task turning around JAL, which is expected to file for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday to make it easier to overhaul its debts and implement other measures likely to include about 15,000 job cuts.
While the airline -- deep in the red -- is expected to keep flying during its restructuring, equity investors are expected to lose most or all of their money.
Many shareholders have already bailed out and JAL's market value now stands at just $US210 million ($A225.56 million), having plummeted by $US1.8 billion ($A1.93 billion) in a week.
Source: http://www.skynews.com.au/business/article.aspx?id=418363
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Khmer Riche
The following article was published by Andrew Marshall of the Good Weekend Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia.
It is about luxurious lives of children of the powerful and elite Cambodians ruling Cambodia.
It is about luxurious lives of children of the powerful and elite Cambodians ruling Cambodia.
Tokyo library reaching out to foreign community
Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
The Japan Times
By MARIKO KATO
Staff writer
Whether to read a Pulitzer Prize-winning author in English, flick through global editions of Vogue magazine or delve into foreign encyclopedias, the Tokyo Metropolitan Library wants more foreigners to visit and take advantage of its free multilingual resources.
Wealth of information: Staff at the Tokyo Metropolitan Library try out the expanded online database last April. Foreign resources available on the library's terminals include Nature and Science magazines and the Encyclopedia Britannica. TOKYO METROPOLITAN LIBRARY
The library, whose central branch is in Minato Ward, is running a campaign to make non-Japanese residents aware of its wide range of resources in foreign languages, both online and in print.
"We have a lot of foreign-language materials, but not many foreigners know that," said Akiko Yoshida, who oversees the library's foreign-language resources.
Even though the library doesn't keep a record of who enters its building, staff at the central branch have observed that given the large foreign community in the surrounding area of Hiroo, not many foreigners drop by, she said.
The library has around 230,000 foreign-language books, probably the largest stock among Japan's public libraries. New materials arriving on the shelves this fiscal year include 4,000 Western books and 2,300 books in Chinese and Korean, the library said. Its Chinese and Korean collection, located in a special section, is among Japan's biggest, Yoshida said.
The branch in Tachikawa, called the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Library, has 250 magazines from overseas and more than 20,000 children's books in foreign languages.
According to Yoshida, the role of libraries for people searching for foreign-language materials has been sidelined over the years.
"It used to be that people had to phone up to locate something, and we used to get a lot of calls. But now they can search online for materials themselves, and they just buy books from places like Amazon," she said.
The library does not lend out materials, but its card catalog is searchable in English, Chinese and Korean on its official Web site. The library's digital resources can be viewed for free on computer terminals located in the two branches, according to Yumi Sakamoto, head of the resources management division.
"You can look at many types of resources at the same time, and while resources found through Internet searches aren't guaranteed to be of good quality, you can get proper materials in the library," she said.
Among the online resources available at the library are Nature and Science magazines, Biography Resource Center and the Encyclopedia Britannica in French and Spanish as well as English, Chinese and Korean.
Sakamoto is particularly proud of the library's subscription to Nature magazine, which, due to the high cost, even the National Diet Library does not have, she said.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Library also has online the EIU Country Report and EIU City Data, which collect political and economic data from 40 countries and 140 cities worldwide. Those interested in the arts can access Oxford Art Online and the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
One area of service toward foreign visitors not so well-established is the number of staff who speak foreign languages.
"Unfortunately, we only have a few people who speak foreign languages, or at least own up to it. We have a handful who speak English, but not many who speak Chinese or Korean," Sakamoto said.
But if a foreigner asks for assistance over the phone or in person, a staff member who can speak the language will be assigned to help, she added.
According to the metro government, more than 419,000 foreigners were living in Tokyo as of last month.
The Japan Times
By MARIKO KATO
Staff writer
Whether to read a Pulitzer Prize-winning author in English, flick through global editions of Vogue magazine or delve into foreign encyclopedias, the Tokyo Metropolitan Library wants more foreigners to visit and take advantage of its free multilingual resources.
Wealth of information: Staff at the Tokyo Metropolitan Library try out the expanded online database last April. Foreign resources available on the library's terminals include Nature and Science magazines and the Encyclopedia Britannica. TOKYO METROPOLITAN LIBRARYThe library, whose central branch is in Minato Ward, is running a campaign to make non-Japanese residents aware of its wide range of resources in foreign languages, both online and in print.
"We have a lot of foreign-language materials, but not many foreigners know that," said Akiko Yoshida, who oversees the library's foreign-language resources.
Even though the library doesn't keep a record of who enters its building, staff at the central branch have observed that given the large foreign community in the surrounding area of Hiroo, not many foreigners drop by, she said.
The library has around 230,000 foreign-language books, probably the largest stock among Japan's public libraries. New materials arriving on the shelves this fiscal year include 4,000 Western books and 2,300 books in Chinese and Korean, the library said. Its Chinese and Korean collection, located in a special section, is among Japan's biggest, Yoshida said.
The branch in Tachikawa, called the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Library, has 250 magazines from overseas and more than 20,000 children's books in foreign languages.
According to Yoshida, the role of libraries for people searching for foreign-language materials has been sidelined over the years.
"It used to be that people had to phone up to locate something, and we used to get a lot of calls. But now they can search online for materials themselves, and they just buy books from places like Amazon," she said.
The library does not lend out materials, but its card catalog is searchable in English, Chinese and Korean on its official Web site. The library's digital resources can be viewed for free on computer terminals located in the two branches, according to Yumi Sakamoto, head of the resources management division.
"You can look at many types of resources at the same time, and while resources found through Internet searches aren't guaranteed to be of good quality, you can get proper materials in the library," she said.
Among the online resources available at the library are Nature and Science magazines, Biography Resource Center and the Encyclopedia Britannica in French and Spanish as well as English, Chinese and Korean.
Sakamoto is particularly proud of the library's subscription to Nature magazine, which, due to the high cost, even the National Diet Library does not have, she said.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Library also has online the EIU Country Report and EIU City Data, which collect political and economic data from 40 countries and 140 cities worldwide. Those interested in the arts can access Oxford Art Online and the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
One area of service toward foreign visitors not so well-established is the number of staff who speak foreign languages.
"Unfortunately, we only have a few people who speak foreign languages, or at least own up to it. We have a handful who speak English, but not many who speak Chinese or Korean," Sakamoto said.
But if a foreigner asks for assistance over the phone or in person, a staff member who can speak the language will be assigned to help, she added.
According to the metro government, more than 419,000 foreigners were living in Tokyo as of last month.
Metro job fair grads' last chance?
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010
The Japan Times
By NATSUKO FUKUE
Staff writer
Many prospective college graduates are facing a cold, grim winter in their job hunt.
A survey by the labor and education ministries found that only 73.1 percent of university students graduating this year had received job offers as of Dec. 1, down from 80.5 percent a year earlier. That is the lowest figure since the survey was begun in 1996.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Labor Bureau are trying to help by sponsoring a job fair next month.
The metro government expects to draw about 150 small and medium-size companies and 2,500 job seekers graduating in March to the event, which will be held Feb. 16 in Shinjuku Ward.
At a similar fair held last November, about 2,500 students showed up, three times more than the government expected, said Masayo Maruyama, head of the youth employment division at the metro government.
"We organized (the fair) in November for students who did not receive an informal promise of employment by October. Then we decided to hold the fair again in February because it would be a last opportunity to get a job for those who wish to start working in April," she said, adding that job fairs for students graduating in 2011 are already about to start.
Takuya Kurita, editor-in-chief of Mainichi Communications Mainabi, a recruiting Web site, said university students typically begin their job hunting in October of their junior year. The early birds finish their search the following April or May at the beginning of their senior year, and if they're lucky they get an informal promise of employment in October.
Kurita said job fairs are mostly held in February and March, and are aimed at students graduating the following year.
On the other hand, small and medium-size companies tend to look for candidates throughout the year, according to Maruyama.
"Our job fair provides a good opportunity for students to get to know many companies in one day," she said.
An added benefit for recruiting companies is that registration at the government job fair is free, while it can cost hundreds of thousands of yen to set up a booth at a private-sector seminar.
"Since the 'Lehman shock' some companies have been canceling their employment promises, and the employment rate of university graduates was low last year. So we assumed it would be worse" this year.
The latest figures from the labor ministry show the unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent in November, down from 5.7 percent in July, which was the worst reading since 1953. However, the jobless rate is much higher for the young, reaching 8.5 percent for people between 15 and 24 years old and 6.3 percent for those from 25 to 34.
The employment picture is likely to remain murky through spring 2011.
The Japan Times
By NATSUKO FUKUE
Staff writer
Many prospective college graduates are facing a cold, grim winter in their job hunt.
A survey by the labor and education ministries found that only 73.1 percent of university students graduating this year had received job offers as of Dec. 1, down from 80.5 percent a year earlier. That is the lowest figure since the survey was begun in 1996.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Labor Bureau are trying to help by sponsoring a job fair next month.
The metro government expects to draw about 150 small and medium-size companies and 2,500 job seekers graduating in March to the event, which will be held Feb. 16 in Shinjuku Ward.
At a similar fair held last November, about 2,500 students showed up, three times more than the government expected, said Masayo Maruyama, head of the youth employment division at the metro government.
"We organized (the fair) in November for students who did not receive an informal promise of employment by October. Then we decided to hold the fair again in February because it would be a last opportunity to get a job for those who wish to start working in April," she said, adding that job fairs for students graduating in 2011 are already about to start.
Takuya Kurita, editor-in-chief of Mainichi Communications Mainabi, a recruiting Web site, said university students typically begin their job hunting in October of their junior year. The early birds finish their search the following April or May at the beginning of their senior year, and if they're lucky they get an informal promise of employment in October.
Kurita said job fairs are mostly held in February and March, and are aimed at students graduating the following year.
On the other hand, small and medium-size companies tend to look for candidates throughout the year, according to Maruyama.
"Our job fair provides a good opportunity for students to get to know many companies in one day," she said.
An added benefit for recruiting companies is that registration at the government job fair is free, while it can cost hundreds of thousands of yen to set up a booth at a private-sector seminar.
"Since the 'Lehman shock' some companies have been canceling their employment promises, and the employment rate of university graduates was low last year. So we assumed it would be worse" this year.
The latest figures from the labor ministry show the unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent in November, down from 5.7 percent in July, which was the worst reading since 1953. However, the jobless rate is much higher for the young, reaching 8.5 percent for people between 15 and 24 years old and 6.3 percent for those from 25 to 34.
The employment picture is likely to remain murky through spring 2011.
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