Category Archives: Japan

Video: The Earthquake and Urban Illumination of Tokyo

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Richard

This time-lapse video demonstrates the effect of the earthquake upon electricity consumption in Tokyo: A tip of the hat to Pink Tentacle, one of my all-time favorite blogs.

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Szpilman and Saaler on Pan-Asianism — Part 2

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Richard

[Continued from this page.] Yet, for all this cultural tension, the material advantages of the West and of modernity in general became obvious to most Asians, except for a very small number of reactionary obscurantists. Western-style modernity was an indispensible … Continue reading →

Posted in Ideas in Chinese Life, Japan, Korea, Taiwan & China | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Szpilman and Saaler on Pan-Asianism — Part 1

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Richard

[Editor's preface: "Asia" means what, exactly? Think on that. Perhaps one or more of these ring true: A landmass of indeterminate size A cuisine of indeterminate regional origin A people of indeterminate nationality and ethnicity To modern Americans, the term … Continue reading →

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Fiddler on the Roof in Japanese — Really!

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Richard

Performers and date of performance unknown. Looks like a rehearsal(?). ???????? [Thanks to Mother Zion for the onpass.]

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van Etten v. Mitsui — A Few Hackles Raised on First Reading

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Richard

I’ve now had a chance to review the complaint in Van Etten v. Mitsui, 09 CV 1071, a reverse discrimination class-action suit brought by an American executive of Mitsui USA fired in 2006. While I was originally favorable toward the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Legal, U.S. Economy | 1 Comment

For Your Review: Reverse Discrimination Complaint, van Etten v. Mitsui, 09 cv 1071, SDNY

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Richard

To download the van Etten v Mitsui complaint discussed in this post, click this link.

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Japanese Bar Cracks Down on Foreign Attorneys

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Richard

Times are tough and guilds are supposed to protect their own, as the Japanese Bar has done, here requiring all foreign attorneys operating in Japan, even, apparently, employees supervised by gaiben partners, to register as gaiben A requirement that all … Continue reading →

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Reverse Discrimination Alleged — White Executive Terminated by Japanese Company

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Richard

Van Etten v. Mitsui, 09-cv-1071, brought in Federal Court in Manhattan, alleges that the Japanese company practice of installing a “glass ceiling” above which only Japanese may rise constitutes an unlawful practice of discrimination. [Download the complaint..] “Mitsui USA and … Continue reading →

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Japan Critical of American Beef Exporters – And Therein Lies the Lesson

Posted on April 9, 2007 by Richard

Ken Worsley’s excellent Japan Economy News provides this morning’s suggested reading. It is a fact that American exporters in many industries assume a holier-than-thou mentality. “My product is American, and, therefore, it’s great.” That is no longer true. “Made in … Continue reading →

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Reflections on Transitions in Japanese Business Practices from the Bubble Era to Today (Part III)

Posted on August 28, 2006 by Richard

Highly Adaptive Abroad, Japanese Firms Struggle to Integrate Global Best Practices at Home [Editor’s Note: With many thanks to the author for his insight, we conclude Shawn Beifuss’s series on Japanese business management practices. Part I may be found here; … Continue reading →

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