Japanese customers & the companies they frequent in Japan - Get to understand Japanese companies with The Japan Company Handbook

"The JAPAN COMPANY HANDBOOK is a widely-acclaimed quarterly publication on Japan's leading companies, provides critical background information, a performance outlook and recent financial data on each of companies listed on all of Japanese stock exchanges.

The JAPAN COMPANY HANDBOOK covers 2,413 companies listed on the First & Second Sections of the three major stock exchanges of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. This part covers all the blue-chip public companies.

Local & New markets part covers 1,273 companies listed on local exchanges, Jasdaq and new markets. This part covers many young and fast-growing corporations.
Highly accurate to help you in your investment decisions

It is extensively reviewed four times a year. Toyo Keizai's experienced analysts cover companies listed on all exchanges and give the handbook original earnings estimates. Toyo Keizai's earnings estimates are reputed to be highly accurate by many investors through various financial information vendors such as Reuters, Bloomberg, etc.
A must for investors, corporate analysts, and business executives

It is highly regarded, not only by individual investors, but also by brokerage firms, institutional investors, and other professionals, as their most preferred source of information on investment. It is widely used by foreign brokerages and financial institutions as well. It is an indispensable tool for company researchers and those doing business with Japanese corporations."


Sample 1 : here

Sample 2 : here


How to order in English here




Source: Toyo Keizai
August 26th,2010
https://www.toyokeizai.net/shop/magazine/jch/detail/BI/83189cfb56b8bcaf1b71cb8b1940ddab/#mokuji

Japanese developers use iPad as an order taker in restaurants - innovative use of new technology

Video: Using the iPad as an order entry tool for restaurants


Video by Diginfo news

Japanese customers particularly working women flocking to online shopping ,market estimated at 50 billion yen & growing

"Leading supermarket operators...are beefing up their online grocery businesses...
Working women strapped for time and elderly shoppers reluctant to carry heavy items are increasingly frequenting online supermarkets. The market was estimated to be worth at least 50 billion yen last year."




Source: Supermarkets Stepping Up Online Shopping, Delivery Services
The Nikkei
Aug 26,2010
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100825D25JFA10.htm

Government debt may swallow Japanese household savings by 2020 according to academic

".. the 1,400 trillion yen in financial assets held by Japanese households are buying up government bonds, but Kazumasa Oguro, an associate professor of economics at Hitotsubashi University's Institute of Economic Research, said, "By around 2020, government debt will swallow up household savings."


Source: ANALYSIS/ Short-term fixes for Japan's economy won’t work anymore
BY MAKOTO ODA
ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/08/25
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201008240357.html

Renting an apartment in Tokyo a huge financial drain for young Japanese workers in a new job

"To rent an apartment in a relatively safe setting in Tokyo, tenants often have to make an upfront payment of several hundred thousand yen.. The financial concerns often combine with the dreary monotony of life spent commuting between home and work."


Source: Wednesday,Communal housing for women finds niche
Aug. 25, 2010
Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100825f2.html

Japanese parents welcome reduction in class size as 20,000 new teachers proposed over next eight years - aim to have ratio of 30-35 pupils per class

"The education ministry plans to boost the number of teachers at public elementary and junior high schools by 20,000 ..over eight years from next April to reduce the maximum size of a class to 30-35 students from the current 40"



Source: Gov't plans to add 20,000 school teachers to cut size of classes
Tuesday 24th August
Japan Today
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/govt-plans-to-add-20000-school-teachers-to-cut-size-of-classes

Japanese customers believe in "shosho", the day when summer heat begins to drop on August 23rd each year

"According to traditional belief, Aug. 23 is "shosho," the day when summer's heat begins to wane, but conditions across the nation were still scorching on Monday."


Source: Heat defies tradition, rewrites record books
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Aug. 24, 2010
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100823003147.htm

Doubling IT investment in Japan could grow GDP - good news for Japanese customers according to report

"The ministry reckons that doubling IT investment would boost real economic growth by 0.8 percentage point in 2020."



Source:
Japan Slowest In IT Spending Growth: Ministry
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100823D23JFA11.htm

Japanese workers in 30s experience majority of mental health problems according to recent survey

" .. according to a survey by the Japan Productivity Center..survey, conducted in April and May, covered 2,243 listed companies. Among the 251 firms who gave valid responses, 44.6 percent said the number of employees with mental health problems, such as depression, has increased over the past three years...By age bracket, 58.2 percent of employees with mental problems are in their 30s and 22.3 percent are in their 40s...In order to reverse the trend, companies have to strengthen preventive measures, such as improving the office atmosphere."


Source: Mental health still a concern at firms
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/08/23
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201008220157.html

6.4 million Japanese customers visited neigbouring China & Korea in 2009

"Japan's transport ministry says 6.4 million Japanese travelers visited China and South Korea last year, while the opposite flow saw only 2.6 million tourists came to Japan from the 2 nations."




Source:Japan, China, S.Korea aim to attract more tourists
NHK WORLD
2010/08/22
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_16.html

Narita airport is number one for Japanese customers in Japan

"Narita, with a maximum of 220,000 annual arrivals and departures,..Narita had 3.23 million international flight passengers in 2008,..Narita is connected to 97 cities of 39 countries and regions."



Source:SURVIVAL OF JAPAN'S AIRPORTS / Incheon Airport leads way / Narita, Haneda left on tarmac by South Korean hub
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Aug. 23, 2010
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T100822001711.htm?from=rss&ref=dyolwsj

Japanese customers increase use of mail order services linked to Internet, sales up 4.9% in 2009

"Mail-order sales rose 4.1 percent in fiscal 2009 to around ¥4.31 trillion for the 11th consecutive year of expansion due to the rising popularity of Internet-based orders, the Japan Direct Marketing Association said Friday."


Source: Mail-order sales surged 4% in '09
Kyodo News
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20100821a4.html

Japanese customers, wired for the Internet with 72% connected & 87% mobile phone subscribers

Japanese customers position related to Internet technology, population 127 million, mobile phone subscribers(in millions)110.4 and as a percentage of population (87%). Internet users in millions) 90.9, Internet users as a percentage of population (72%)

Source: CIA World Factbook, www.cia.gov,
The TAO of mobile marketing,
Marketing News - AmMerican Marketing Association
April 30, 2010
Page 18

Japanese customers , even though economy slips to 3rd, still have an enviable per capita income

"Japan's people still are among the world's richest, with a per capita income of $37,800 last year, compared with China's $3,600. So are Americans at $42,240, their economy still by far the biggest."


Source: China Overtakes Japan as No. 2 Economy
By AP
Tomoko A. Hosaka
Monday, Aug. 16, 2010
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2010912,00.html

Japanese GDp overtaken by China's growth and slips to 3rd largest economy according to official statistics

" Japan's 2nd-quarter growth slows to 0.4 percent, slips to 3rd-largest economy, behind China"



Watch the video here



Source: Japan's economy slips behind China 1:45 Report
August 16 2010
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=138665285

Perceptions of tattoos in modern Japanese society

"Tattoos have long been relegated to the shadows of society. People often connect them to the yakuza and there is an automatic fear against people sporting body art. Public places, including pools, spas and bathhouses, bar tattooed customers."






Source: Tattoo as art on human canvases
Horiyoshi III's 40-year career spanned swing in social attitudes from taboo to hip and trendy
By MASAMI ITO
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100821f1.html

Over 300 Japanese customers perished in summer heat wave 2010

" intensely hot weather continues across Japan this summer...the nationwide death toll to 305..since July 17th, when the annual rainy season ended...The Tokyo Medical Examiner's office says all of the victims died either in a room without air-conditioning or when such a device was turned off.



Source:300 killed by heatstroke in Japan since late July
NHK WORLD
2010/08/20
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_22.html

Japanese business process outsourcing expanded 8% in 2009

" According to U.S. research firm Gartner Inc., the Japanese market for business process outsourcing expanded by 8% on the year to 15.1 billion dollars, or roughly 1.28 trillion yen, in 2009. The market expansion is expected to continue, reaching 17 billion dollars in 2014."


Source: Japan's Back-Office Service Providers Building Up China Bases
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100821D20JFA07.htm

Japanese customers buying less CD's, number one CD retailer in Japan has seen market contract by 53%

" Tsutaya is the No. 1 music CD retailer. But the market has contracted by 53% over the last decade, so the chain will focus more on new-CD sales and the DVD and CD rental business."



Source:Tsutaya Stores To Nearly Halve CD Sales Space
The Nikkei
Friday, August 20, 2010
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100819D19JFA20.htm

Free toll highways have stimulated demand in Japan & boosted train usage by Japanese customers according to research

"The number of passengers riding shinkansen bullet trains and local trains..during the week of Aug. 11-18 week rose 2% on the year to 9.43 million, marking the first rise in two years...attribute the increase to the government's decision to allow 1,000 yen highway toll discounts only on weekends this year. Last year, the discounts were available every day."



Source:JR Train Users Increase On Highway Toll Change
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100819D19SS971.htm

Innovative new media in Japan displays advertisements on microwave oven screen while you are cooking food

"A prototype of the system, dubbed the Castoven, incorporates a display into the microwave oven's door and can also be connected to the Internet. When the user pushes a button to warm food for 30 seconds, for example, the system finds a 30-second-long video from an Internet video site and displays it while the microwave is running."



Watch the video - in Japanese





Source: New Tech Runs Video Ads On Microwave Ovens
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100817D17JSN02.htm

Japanese customers wondering what it means to be number 3

"Japanese are doing lots of soul-searching this week, wondering why they became No. 3. Here’s why: In China, you have 1.3 billion people working hard to circumvent government regulations so they can make a quick yuan. Japan has 126 million complaining about how the government isn’t fixing their lives."




Source:Goldman’s 2027 Call Means China Has to Get Busy: William Pesek
By William Pesek - Aug 19, 2010
Bloomberg Opinion
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-18/goldman-s-2027-call-means-china-must-get-busy-commentary-by-william-pesek.html

Tokyo Hostess by Clare Campbell - The real world of Tokyo nightclubs - Book

Book: Tokyo Hostess' by Clare Campbell
Published by:Sphere
ISBN: 978 1 84744 206 2

The real world of Tokyo nightclubs



'Tokyo Hostess' by Clare Campbell is published by Sphere, ISBN: 978 1 84744 206 2


Source: Japanese hostesses
11th August 2009
BBC NEWS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/01/2009_32_tue.shtml

Customers in Tokyo, Japan pay more for cell phone charges but less for broadband according to study

"Mobile phone rates in Tokyo averaged 26.5 yen a minute, second to Paris' 33.3 yen, the Communications Ministry's latest fiscal 2009 survey showed. The Tokyo figure was 2.7 times the lowest rate of 9.9 yen in New York."




Source: Tokyoites Pay More For Cell Phone Service, Less For Broadband
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100818D18JFN03.htm

Foreign movies attract more Japanese customers in the first half of 2010, total movie take up 4%

"Foreign movies brought in about 655 million dollars, a jump of 32 percent, while Japanese films earned 540 million dollars, down 17 percent...Yearly box-office revenues from Japanese movies surpassed those of foreign movies in 2008 and 2009."



Source:Foreign box-office revenue surpasses Japanese
2010/08/17
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/16_22.html

Jpaanese home video game software market estimated at 542.6 billion in 2009 according to Enterbrain Inc

"According to video game magazine publisher Enterbrain Inc., the Japanese market for home video game software and hardware shrank 6.9% on the year to 542.6 billion yen in 2009, contracting for the second straight year."




Source: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Capcom To Offer Social Network Games For Facebook
The Nikkei Aug. 17 morning edition
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100816D16JFA13.htm

Shiseido planning to boost online cosmetic sales in Japan

"Shiseido ..will introduce a real-time Internet beauty consultation service.. with the goal of lifting its online cosmetics sales by 25% on the year...The company..currently generates a mere 4% of its revenue from online sales. Within six years, it aims to lift the figure to roughly 20%...



Source: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Shiseido To Glam Up Online Cosmetics Sales
(The Nikkei Aug. 17 morning edition)
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100816D16JFA09.htm

Foreign marketers have to match Japanese lifestyles if they want their products & services to sell in Japan to Japanese customers

"If they don't match Japanese lifestyles,(foreign brands)the products won't sell in big numbers."


Source: AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN, BEYOND THE MAINSTREAM
quotes from editor-in-chief Atsushi Matsubara told
BusinessWeek magazine in February 2009.
Manuel Panagiotopoulos and Andrew Cornell
Page 40
http://ajf.australia.or.jp/docs/20090625_AJF_Manuel_Panagiotopoulos_Business.pdf

Honda's strategy for winning Japanese customers is to make cars higher in quality, more eco friendly and cheaper so as to beat Toyota its main rival

"Honda Motor Co... To keep its lead, the automaker must turn out high-quality, eco-friendly cars more quickly and cheaply than rival Toyota."



Source: Honda Sees Fuel Economy As Key In Battle With Toyota
Monday, August 16, 2010
Nikkei
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100816D16HH587.htm

Culture differences between Japanese & Australians show need to repect each others culture more

"Cultural differences were found, with Japanese students lower than Australian students on decisional self-esteem, higher on decisional stress, and higher on complacency, avoidance, and hypervigilance coping styles. These findings are related to cross-cultural differences between Australia (an individualistic culture) and Japan(a collectivistic or group-oriented culture)"


Source:Differences between Australian and Japanese Students in Decisional Self-Esteem, Decisional Stress, and Coping Styles
Mark H.B. Radford, Leon Mann, Yasuyuki Ohta, Yoshibumi Nakane
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology September 1993 vol. 24 no. 3 284-297
http://spjcc.highwire.org/content/24/3/284.abstract