I was at Telecom Council's seminar about Qualcomm's Snapdragon. I have been quite interested in the collision of Qualcomm, the "mobile" corner, and Intel, the "PC" corner, and am hoping that this "battle" will create a new category in mobile, be it "smart book" (Q-version) or "MID" (I-version).
While I was listening to the presentation, the word "Googlcomm" came up to my mind, as Qualcomm is working closely with Google as the mobile OS platform, not just Android but also Chrome.
Does anybody have the rights to the word "Googlcomm"? If not, I will claim it!!
South Korean Net users were angered last Wednesday when a Japanese user alleged on a 2-channel message board that figure skating star Kim bribed judges to edge out her rival Mao Asada of Japan, Yonhap said.
ONLINE LIVE CAST Online live cast provided via UstreamFEES:FREE for those who rsvp before 3/16/2010 at 5:00p.m. (PDT) Log-in instructions for the live cast will be sent on 3/17/2010 to those who registered
I will speak in Keizai Society event on Mar. 18, on a panel talk with Rochelle Kopp and Kimberly Wiefling. It will be in English, and will be on Ustream. Please come!!
My first book “Paradaisu Sakoku” (Seclusion in Paradise) was
published in Japan in 2008, based on the theme I have developed on my Japanese
blog “Tech Mom from Silicon Valley” since 2005, by interaction with many blog
readers.Many Japanese readers agreed
with my view expressed in the book, while many others reacted “so what?” on
Japanese blogosphere.
5years since the
original term “Paradaisu Sakoku” was born on my blog, I have had some
opportunities to discuss about the same issue with English-speaking friends.They were interested in reading my book, but
I don’t have time or resources to properly translate it into English.I cannot expect to get a contract with any
American publisher, and Japanese- English translation is so hard that I cannot
allocate enough energy in my working mother life.
So as a cheap alternative, I have decided to write a series
of English blog entries on the topic.I
am thinking of taking the same steps again as what I did on my Japanese blog,
and doing so, I can update the contents according to recent changes in
environment and further development in my idea.Blog is more casual and easier to get started.
I hope the series provide you with a viewpoint in
understanding what Japan is up to these days, what we Japanese should do in the
new framework in global society, and maybe even provide a reference case study about
the position in the U.S. as well.
I appreciate your comments, not just about the idea itself,
but also in correcting errors in English. I still need to improve my English writing
quite a bit.
Part I – what it means
“Sakoku” means to close the country against outside
world.In Japan, Tokugawa Shogunate imposed
this seclusion policy for more than 200 years to the people in Japan, until
mid-19th century.During that
time, any trade and travel between Japan and other countries were strictly
banned, with few exceptions.The policy
started as a reaction to the aggressive move by European powers to colonize
every corner of the world in the 17th century.I guess that the original goal was met, but
after so many years, it deterred the technological/social development in Japan
in the long run and we had to come out of the seclusion.
During my summer vacation in Japan with my family in 2005, it
struck me that “nobody is interested in what is going on outside of Japan”.Of course, it is not 100% true.Still lots of Japanese top brands are strong
globally, Coke and McDonald’s are everywhere in Japan, and People love American
TV dramas and movies.Yet, compared to
my younger days, the desire for the anything foreign has diminished.
Back then, U.S. and Europe were definitely at better
standard of living.For a Japanese to
work or study abroad means a big jump up in life.Things that come from these countries - bag,
shoes, appliance, film, music, cars, or anything – are more expensive and
better quality than Japanese counterparts.Back then, “Japanese taste” often was considered “obsolete” and “lame”.In my youth years, 70’s and 80’s, Japan had
already started its rise to the top of global economic power, and I believe
that people were largely driven by this energy of the era, pure envy to the
better life of Euro-Americans.
Now it is gone.Japan
is now cleaner, safer, richer and more efficient country than any other place
on the globe, with better food and abundant pop culture stuff.You really don’t have to feel any twitch of
envy to Americans, French or Germans in everyday life in Japan.Now, you don’t have to study abroad to be top
executive of a big company or top government official.
And as a result, it has become a natural tendency for lots
of Japanese people to lose any interest to anything foreign.They don’t travel internationally as much as
before.Less Japanese students are studying
abroad.Companies decide to focus on
domestic market rather than international.People flock to Japanese animation movies on weekends rather than
Hollywood films.
So what? Yes, I
understand the people who criticize me.It is only natural.This is what
we the older generation strived for.We
wanted to catch up with Europeans and Americans.We have earned lots of money by selling stuff
overseas, fighting through trade frictions, and now using this money to enrich
our life domestically.Japanese standard
of living is now at the same level as Euro-American countries, more advanced in
some aspects and less in others.
So I called it “seclusion in Paradise”.It is not imposed by anybody, but the people
there are perfectly happy with their domestic life and don’t want to go out or
to accept outside influence.They are
voluntarily closing their doors to outside.
The first half of my book was meant to prove this hypothesis
with various statistics and surveys.It
is a bit tiresome for me to reproduce, so I will just say that there are lots
of stats and surveys that back up my point.Living standard in Japan is pretty much at the top of the world, while
young people are reluctant to live or study overseas.
But is it really a good thing?I feel very uncomfortable about this
tendency.So what is wrong and what
should we do about it?
Most of the Tokyo’s one are so-called “key station” which provides programs to local countryside radio stations, and Osaka’s are “sub-key station”. Those 13 had formed a IP simulcast council in last December [J]. This move is also supported by giant ad agent Dentsu. They already cleared copyrights issues with rights holders like JASRAC(Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers), JAAA(Japan Advertising Agencies Association) and talent agencies, as Nikkei Business says.
This is still a small "ant's hall", but can be the beginning of the end of Japan's old media regime. Dentsu changing their stance about net media has a significant meaning, and if they are pushing the "rights clearing house" scheme for music, it can be a pivotal event in Japan's rigid "copyrights" framework. It could spread over to the video/TV as well. I am curiously watching.
I have become a bit of NHK fan lately, because of their continued effort to adjust themselves to the net/web world, and of their recent hit dramas full of my favorite actors. I tried out this iPhone app, and currently the program line up is not necessarily "attractive" for me (e.g. I was hoping to watch "Salaryman Neo", my favorite satire/comedy show), I still want to support their effort to open up their window.
I am sure very few people would enjoy it, but it is an interesting effort to broadcast "English" shows globally via Net.
They can do this because they are independent from TV CM. They have "subscription" based business model, so they don't have this REALLY tangled relationships with Japanese big ad agencies and actor management offices. They can be the "disruptive technology" in Japanese TV circle... I hope.
When Toyota founder's grandson inherited the throne, the company was in the red, for the first time in its history as a public company. But I was a bit cynical, believing that they were playing dead, and thought that they would come out miraculously quickly. My attitude came from the fact that I know through my friends at Toyota how carefully Akio was protected and nurtured. I thought they would NEVER put Akio in the CEO position in such an environment, unless they knew for sure that they would turn around quickly, so Akio would become a super hero.
Just about a year has passed since this announcement, and for sure the company's financial is expected to show a good recovery this fiscal year, but things do not seem too great in Toyota lately.
This morning, I heard a news on TV that Akio finally appeared in public, first time in 2 weeks since the recall problem started to go around. No video image was shown on TV - the press conference was held in Nagoya, Japan, and looks like the image was not widely available for the U.S. press.
It looks strange to me. I worked for Honda in the 80's, and even then, I learned that auto companies were VERY sensitive about such product quality issues, particularly for the U.S. market, where consumer rights are bigger than anywhere else and is the largest auto market in the world. So I have to assume that peole in the quality assurance and P.R. in Toyota must know how IMPORTANT it is, to take a quick damage control in such circumstances. And it is a common sense that the very top person should appear publicly as soon as the danger is found and show the public that he is taking care of it.
There is a conspiracy theory going around on the Japanese Net that the U.S. government (particularly LaHood) and the U.S. press are treating Toyota unfairly, compared to their U.S. counterparts on the similar situation. U.S. auto companies are getting a huge financial help from the U.S. government, the theory goes, and the government/press want to beat up Toyota to help sales of GM and Ford. OK, so what? Japanese auto makers have been dealing with such a situation since 1970's. That is the reality of this world, and they know how to deal with it. Right?
But a doubt has started to creep in to my belief in Toyota's invincibility lately. I wrote a small column on Nikkei Communication Feb.15 issue about IT and US auto makers. I wrote it in early January, right after Ford announced its MyFord Touch. In it, Ford CEO Alan Mulally calls himself "your fellow geek", and stressed that the new Ford IT system is based on Silicon Valley-style open architecture. I was really impressed by that quote, and added a few facts about Tesla, a Silicon Valley-based electric car venture, to write a new trend in the U.S. auto industry.
I was shocked to watch the 2006 documentary movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?", and at that point in the Bush era, I had an impression that the auto companies in the U.S. (including Japanese cars) were getting lots of influence from the oil industry, and the oid-industry-supported government. Now that the administration changed, maybe the whole power balance has shifted. Obama is close to Eric Shmidt, CEO of Google, and the current government may be positioning Silicon Valley as their "strength", rather than "traitors" which destroys the current industry order and the job market in elsewhere in the U.S. So that was my conclusion of my small column.
These days, when I watch Toyota's news, another concern creeps into my mind. I read a 2006 Japanese book on the demise of the Japanese electronic industry, written by Fumiaki Sato, and there, he was comparing the auto industry and electronic industry. Back then, GM was still bigger than toyota, and he says that it is important for Toyota to keep them alive and continue to be positioned as No. 2, rather than becoming the very top and destroying GM. Because then-inefficient GM was putting high prices, backed by their price leadership position, and Toyota could enjoy a fat margin based on that high market price. Sato says that in the electronic industry, such "wind shield" was lost by destroying the U.S. manufacturers altogether, and the unlimited cut-throat competition ultimately brought the success of Korea, Taiwan and China, rather than the high-cost Japan. So, it is quite symbolic that Toyota surpassed GM in terms of the numbers of cars sold and GM went into bankruptcy, when Toyota started to send out yellow signals.
Prof. Satoshi Matsubara at Toyo University was very active on Twitter today, about his negative views of Toyota as well as his support of electric cars. In fact, Toyota was not very enthusiastic about electric cars, and instead, they have built their leadership in hybrid cars. Prof. Matsubara speculates that it is because electric vehicle destroys the whole ecosystem of auto industry, from the parts manufacturers to the gas stations. It is a typical "disruptive technology" described in "Innovator's Dilemma". Toyota has been treated as the "eco" champion with Prius, but it actually may be just an effort to keep the status quo alive.
I have been following Tesla closely for the past 2 years or so. I am aware that there are too many problems with that company, but I have been feeling quite awkward that Japanese press has been totally ignoring it. It can become a part of this disruptive technology which may in the long run threaten the pillar of Japanese economy, Toyota and Japanese industry. I imagine many people would be more interested in what is going on in that front, but looks like nobody has cared, at least so far. I proposed a publisher that I write a book about Tesla early last year, and they were kinda half-hearted. It was good that I didn't, because nobody would have bought my book. Is it just me, or is it yet another example of "paradaisu sakoku (seclusion in paradise)" symptom?
I support the opinion of Prof. Matsubara, that they should consider electric cars more seriously and do away with all the negative myth about it. I also sympathize him on his concerns about Toyota's recent direction.
What is going on in Toyota now? Japan's economy depends on Toyota and auto industry so much. And I have too many friends at Toyota. I hope my concerns are just my imagination, and that they know what they are doing.
This is SO FUNNY!! China’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba.com seems to have a good sense of humour and doing viral marketing there in the secret Chinese web. - from Asiajin
via Sapporo, Japan, as Chinese government is blocking YouTube.
3 days after the severe earthquake hit Haiti, Japanese rescue team has just arrived in Haiti. TV has been showing Obama talking about Haiti every day, and showing the international rescue effort, not only from the neighboring countries, but also from far places such as China and Taiwan, as well as European countries.
I am aware that ports and airports are destroyed and logistics is tough now. I am aware that all these countries have at least *some* amount of diplomatic/political agenda in providing help. But I have been a bit concerned about the total absense of Japan from the scene.
I have been believing that the actual relief planning was under way from Japan, even though it does not appear in US media. US people are not interested in Japan in general, so media often ignores it, so I thought it was the case. Besides, in the recent cases of the tsunami in Indonesia or 9/11 attack, Japan was very quick to respond. Haiti was hit by the earthquake, and Japan is, unfortunately, VERY experienced with it, so there are lots of know-how, experienced people, usuful equipments available over there. So I was almost sure that the government was thinking of something.
But I saw now mention about Japan's actual move even on Japanese media until now. Blogs and Tweets tell me that the government's move was ACTUALLY quite slow.
I don't know too much in detail about why. I understand that Haiti is not diplomatically important to Japan. No past complicated histories exist between Haiti and Japan. But due to its relative importance in the U.S. is appearant to me, and the countries like China and Taiwan are using the case as their PR opportunity. Maybe Japan did not have to do that there, but at least, helping such a miserable country is a "common sense / protocol" among the advanced countries. Japan should have at least declare some official statement in par with European countries.
Japanese media is very quiet about Haiti as well. It signifies how little importance it has to the political/media circle in this country. They are too busy picking on Ozawa's corruption case.
That, I still can live with that. I was working with Latin American market long time ago when I was with Honda, and totally understand how Caribbean nations are SO FAR and unimportant to Japan. Still, there are so many government officials and politicians in this country, and if at least *some* of them take some initiative, the things may have moved a little quicker, as in the case of Indonesia.
In general, the new Hatoyama - Domocratic party government has been less effective in foreign affairs. Is this case signifies another evidence that they don't pay attention to the things outside of Japan? That they are too domestic minded?
Just got a list of "mobile giving" for Haiti earthquake releaf. According to Mobile Giving Foundation, the non-profit org managing the
short-code giving program, mobile giving reached $7mil in the past 2
days.
Text the word “Yele”
to 501501 to donate $5
On behalf of the Yéle Foundation, the
leading contributor to rebuilding Haiti
founded by Wyclef Jean
Text the word “Haiti”
to 20222 to donate $10
On behalf of the Clinton Foundation
Haiti Relief Fund
Text the word “Haiti”
to 85944 to donate $10
On behalf of the
International Medical Corp
Text the word “Haiti”
to 25383 to donate $5
On behalf of the International Rescue Committee
Text the word “Haiti”
to 90999 to donate $10
On behalf of the Red Cross
in the U.S.
Text the word “Haiti”
to 52000 to donate $10
On behalf of the Salvation
Army Upper Wisconsin
Text the word “Haiti”
to 45678 (In Canada Only)
On behalf of the Salvation
Army in Canada
Text the word “Haiti”
to 30333 (In Canada Only)
On behalf of the Plan
Canada
For more info, contact:
Ginny Edwards or Daniel
Rhodes
Global Results Comms,
(GRC)
+1 (949) 608 0276
mgfpr@globalresultspr.com
