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The Japan Business Insider Newsletter    Issue#113

All You Need To Succeed in Japan ... For Free!

Published by Richard Posner Website http://www.successinjapan.com  Contact Us newsletter@successinjapan.com  Subscribe To Our Newsletter  Your Name: Your E-Mail:

Thoughts From Above And Below The Recurring Nightmare "Money is plentiful for those who understand the simple laws which govern its acquisition." ~ George Clason~ During the bubble keizai (economic boom) in Japan, I was fortunate enough to have won a government lottery enabling me to buy NTT stock when it was privatized.  That deal yielded me a cool one million yen in profits before I unloaded it three days after the purchase. I wasn't skillful in stocks, just plain lucky to have been in the right place at the right time with some cash to invest.  Since that windfall, I have stayed clear of investment brokers and stocks.  They don't give a damn about you or me. A fool and his money are soon parted, said a wise farmer some 500 years ago before stock markets, sub-primes, and derivatives were even on the horizon.  Through no fault of my own, I knew less about financial markets and the science of getting rich when I graduated from college than a slum resident in Bombay. How could one know?  Nobody ever teaches fundamental finances.  Most of us grow up believing that getting rich or becoming financially secure is the result of working your way up the corporate ladder or flipping real estate or winning a lottery.  While others of us get brainwashed into believing that being financially secure is unholy or sinful or a surefire path to Hell. There has always been a conspiracy among the rich to make the struggling middle class and the poorest of societies dependent upon the educated gentry to control our money in return for a modest return. Ignorance is the nightmare of most people rushing to the workplace at 9am sharp for umpteen years and others who trust governments and financial institutions to act in the consumer's best interest.  What we didn't learn in school or from our parents and loved ones about finance has left us in the dark about how money works and how it could and should work for us, even in recession or depression. My go-to mentor, Jim Rohn, summed up what differentiates the rich from the strugglers and stragglers:  "The philosophy of the rich versus the poor is this: The rich invest their money and spend what is left; the poor spend their money and invest what is left."  A slight nuance is the difference between millions in the bank and bankruptcy in the courts.   Earl Nightingale discusses this same dilemma in his phenomenal audio series The Strangest Secret. He came from a poor family in Chicago during the Great Depression.  Being naively confused about why people were so poor at that time, he asked many relatives and neighbors an innocent question:  Why are we so poor and how can we become rich?  These poor people hadn't a clue, of course.  So he went to the librarian and asked her:  Are there any good books on how to get rich?   The librarian shrugged her shoulders and said she hadn't heard of such a book.  So adolescent Earl combed the library for weeks before he found the bible of getting rich called Think and Grow Rich. It is never too late for us to learn how money works, so that we can be at the controls.  Making more of it seldom makes one independently wealthy.  Money management has little to do with how much you make.  Moreover, knowing how and why to invest can allow us to breathe easier in these uncertain times.  Our newfangled knowledge will also make it possible to teach our children how to be financially independent, even without a regular job.  And subsequently our children can proudly pass on this legacy to future generations everywhere. Success in Japan is about empowerment, not just money grubbing.  Let's help each other out of the dark ages and into the age of enlightenment. Japan Niche Opportunity of the Week The Stage In this week's issue I listed the most prestigious Japanese universities (see below) and some other links about the university system itself and the recruitment of college students.  The sad truth is that most university curriculums are premised on Twentieth Century principles:  education spouse>education mama/papa>best kindergarten>pricey prep school (juku) lessons coming out of the yin-yang>"good" secondary schools>entrance to a prestigious university>second mortgage or borrowing/gift from parents to finance this fiasco>graduation and recruitment by an outstanding company (kaisha)>40 years of indentured slavery or housewifery>silver years>passing>rinse and repeat. Whatever westernized/developed country you may live in, the formula is more or less identical, regardless of whether it works according to plan.  This is wasteful and perhaps shameful in our ultra-modern, connected world. The corporate culture is a dinosaur awaiting burial.  New education and lifestyle paradigms need to be consciously embraced and enhanced.  Life-long learning and entrepreneurial skills must be taught and embraced from early childhood.  The principles now clung to will absolutely lead to a subsistence style of life, at best, in the near future. Business, like government, should be the servant of people.  Its purpose should not be to employ and indenture, but rather to re-employ where needs and opportunities exist.  It should be a vehicle to self-expression and self-sufficiency.  When uncontrolled or uncontrollable downturns occur in nations or communities, the lessons taught in the kaisha and the schools should enable us to cope -even thrive - while economies cremate dead paradigms and design new ones. The Opportunity The growing market for online training sets the stage for this week's niche.  People still want to learn and get ahead in life, but they don't want to have pay outrageous tuition fees and non-refundable deposits just for the right to sit for examinations.  The bottom line is that people want and should demand of their education systems courses which foster independence and independent thinking. I would hazard a guess that more than half of today's billionaires never finished college or, if they did it was without fanfare or distinction.  The reason why is that many of these hidden geniuses knew that schools were not teaching what they wanted...success! My proposal is that the best educators of all countries be approached with the following principle:  We would like to form a universal university which 1) teaches people how to think and why. 2) Offers translation/interpretation into dozens of languages of one or two of your best lectures each year and one short book which explains how to put your principles and theories into practice for profit and peaceful coexistence. 3) Each course and book will be priced according to a sliding scale based on the prevailing income level in the region/country.  The funds thus collected will be distributed as follows:  20 percent to the author/lecturer; 20 percent to a scholarship fund for the neediest of the world; 20 percent for funding projects eliminating poverty, disease, exploitation and green issues; 4o percent for administrative costs and promoting Independence University. 4) Regional in-person workshops will be held twice a year with leading lecturers making useful presentations about how to build profitable businesses using all available tools online and offline.  These lectures workshops will include hands-on training about e-commerce, finance, business systems, advertising and marketing, free graphic designs and templates for online and offline efforts, and a chance to network and create ventures. This is just the tip of the iceberg with this plan.  I would appreciate feedback and active participation in this bold initiative.  Education should allow us to be free from living in the shadows of our true worth.  Let's find ways to build a sustainable planet based on peace and equality of opportunity.  Feedback and desire to cooperate should be addressed to IndependentUniversityInitiative@successinjapan.com Want to Introduce Your Product or Service to Japan?  Looking for partners?  CLICK HERE.　 　 Empowering Japan Resources The Best Universities, Getting Into Them & Recruiting Alumni According to the fifteenth national survey on family planning, the average number of children Japanese couples are having, which is below 2, is likely to decline still further. For the first time in the history of the survey, women who declared the 2-child family ideal outnumber those who chose 3, by 43.8% to 39.5%. Nearly 3% (2.9%) said they wanted no children. 2.6% thought 1 child was enough. Those who said they would choose abortion for a pregnancy resulting from contraceptive failure outnumbers, for the first time, those who would choose childbirth. The rising cost of education, followed by poor housing and stagnant income were the reasons given for the small family size desired. But the money parents will spend on education of their smaller families remains high.  Many high school children sit for entrance exams to five or six universities, and this requires a non-refundable deposit of on average 30,000 yen per school!  The point:  Japanese indulge their children and will take out a second mortgage, if necessary, to insure their Hirokos and Hiroshis get into that steppingstone higher institution.  It's a good market even in bad times.  Japanese Higher Education Institutions in the 21st Century The Japan Association of National Universities Wikipedia List of Japanese Universities Kyushu University Waseda University The University of Tokyo SIJ Education Directory Osaka University Kyoto University Japanese Government Monbusho College Scholarships for Foreign Students Kobe University Keio University Nagoya University Tohoku University Academic Society Home Village Hokkaido University University of Tsukuba Japan HR & Recruiting Issues Online Recruiting Japanese Education:  By Wisdom Peace, by Peace Plenty Chiba University Hiroshima University Nagoya City University Kanazawa University Tokyo Medical and Dental University Japan's Colleges Facing Meltdown The Importance of Rank in Japanese Life and Education Japan's Schools:  Exam Ordeal Rules Each Student's Destiny Tokyo Institute of Technology Study in Japan Comprehensive Guide Scholarships for Studying in Japan National Federation of University Cooperative Associations of Japan Tokyo Academic Park Japan Student Services Association The Database Society of Japan International University of Japan Tokyo International University Kyoto International University The International University of Kagoshima United Nations University International Christian University Yokohama National University Meiji University Ritsumeikin University Ritsumeikin Asia Pacific University Rikkyo University Recruiting & HR Japan Association of College English Teachers JapanesJapan's Colleges Facing Meltdowne University Education Osaka City University Niigata University Tokyo Metropolitan University Tokyo University of Science Top Ranking Universities in JapanJapan Education Facts Japanese Universities Accept the International Baacalaureate Japan Education Facts Divided Japanese and Education Divided   PAY IT FORWARD  I'm sure that there is at least one person you know who might benefit from these little tid-bits. So, spread the love. Forward this newsletter to all your friends and encourage them to de-stress, too, and sign up for our newsletter! **********  Coming Up Tokyo International Anime Fair 2009 on 3/18/09~3/21/09   The Tokyo International Anime Fair, held annually at Odaiba's Big Sight convention center, is the Japanese animation industry trade fair and one of the largest animation related events in the world. It is attended by over 250 Japanese and foreign tv and film production companies, as well as toy, game and software developers. The 8th Tokyo International Anime Fair is open to the general public on March 20 and 21, 2009. March 18 and 19 are business days, during which the fair is open only to registered members of the industry and media. .For details, CLICK HERE ********** ******************** Japan is Cheap It's not often you read or hear those words, but in a recent issue of the online journal, The Motley Fool, a contributing writer says:   "In my opinion, at these levels, the majority of bad news has been discounted by the Japanese market. Stocks have declined precipitously in the past year, and it makes sense to do some fishing at present levels."  Roll the dice? ******************** The  Japanese Stiff Upper Lip The famous song Free Falling should probably be playing on every street corner of Japan, but most people have a stiff upper lip about the free-falling economy.  Data published recently by the Japanese government shows that exports plunged a stunning 45.7% in January versus a year ago. It was confirmation, if needed, that Japan's export oriented manufacturing engine is stuttering once again. Japan's trade deficit hit 952.6bn yen (close to USD10bn) in January, the largest since records began.  With a surplus of un-exportable goods hidden in warehouses nationwide, with proper connections you can probably buy certain lots at fire sale prices.  A good starting point to begin investigating can be found HERE. ******************** Aeon Launches Company Brand Japan supermarket giant, Aeon, has developed its store brand in reaction to the tough economic times here.  The second-largest retailer in Japan announced it would introduce more private brands and dramatically cut the prices of existing private brands.  There was a time when Japanese prices for food and dry goods were out of this world high.  Since the sluggish 90s and somewhat more upbeat financial times thereafter, prices for goods and services have dropped significantly and increased competition in the retail field has kept prices at deflated levels.  Many stores which bought brand name goods and sold them at exorbitant prices in years' past have shucked the designer labels for store-branded ones.  The hunger for cheap goods that look like designer-branded ones is on the rise across the board.  With the bloated value of the yen, exporting to Japan of anything and everything is ripe for the picking.  To find importers, CLICK HERE. ********************** Multilingual Living Information Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)  has on its website a multilingual guide to living in Japan.  A great resource for newcomers and an occasional gem for veterans.  To read/download your language's version, CLICK HERE. ********************** The Pulse of Japan In this push-button world of ours, more and more gadgets have been miniaturized.  Pedometers it was, and now it is blood pressure monitors manufactured by Panasonic.  With the availability of the personal blood pressure monitor above, everybody should has better habit and they should know their blood pressure every time they need.  For more information, CLICK HERE. ********************** Gold from Raw Sewage Who would have ever thought that excrement at a sewage plant would contain many nuggets of gold?  A sewage treatment facility in Nagano, Japan, recently recorded 1,890g of gold per ton of ash from the sludge it burns up. Not bad, compared to the 20-40g of gold per ton of ore found in Japan’s largest mine.  The sewage plant’s location, close to factories that deal with precious metals, may explain why they are finding so much gold in among the human waste.  It used to cost too much to try to extract the gold from the molten ash.  But today, they can turn a good profit. Because of the current economic volatility, gold prices have shot up as traders buy up the one commodity that will always be valuable. Crap is worth its weight in gold. ********************** If you find this newsletter to be a useful and inspiring resource, please introduce a friend to it and to the website.   Help keep this resource FREE.　   This Week's Challenge Meet John Doe Speech ~from 1941 movie starring Gary Cooper (Watch it.)~ Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the man you all know as John Doe. I took that name because it seems to describe -- because it seems to describe the average man, and that's me -- and that's me. Well, it was me -- before I said I was gonna jump off the City Hall roof at midnight on Christmas Eve. Now, I guess I'm not average any more. Now, I'm getting all sorts of attention, from big shots, too -- the mayor and governor, for instance. They don't like those articles I've been writing. Well, people like the Governor -- people like the Governor -- and that fella there can -- can stop worrying. I'm not gonna talk about them. I'm gonna talk about us, the average guys, the John Does. If anybody should ask you what the average John Doe is like, you couldn't tell him because he's a million and one things. He's Mr. Big and Mr. Small. He's simple and he's wise. He's inherently honest, but he's got a streak of larceny in his heart. He seldom walks up to a public telephone without shoving his finger into the slot to see if somebody left a nickel there. He's the man the ads are written for. He's the fella everybody sells things to. He's Joe Doakes, the world's greatest stooge and the world's greatest strength. Yes, sir -- Yes, sir, we're a great family, the John Does. We are the meek who are -- who are supposed to inherit the earth. You'll find us everywhere. We raise the crops; we dig the mines, work the factories, keep the books, fly the planes and drive the busses. And when a cop yells: "Stand back there, you!" He means us, the John Does! We have existed since time began. We built the pyramids. We saw Christ crucified, pulled the oars for Roman emperors, sailed the boats for Columbus, retreated from Moscow with Napoleon and froze with Washington at Valley Forge. Yes, sir. We've been in there dodging left hooks since before history began to walk. In our struggle for freedom we've hit the canvas many a time, but we always bounced back! Because we're the people -- and we're tough. They've started a lot of talk about free people going soft -- that we can't take it. That's a lot of hooeyl A free people can beat the world at anything, from war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all pull in the same direction. I know a lot of you are saying "What can I do? I'm just a little punk. I don't count." Well, you're dead wrong! The little punks have always counted because in the long run the character of a country is the sum total of the character of its little punks. But, we've all got to get in there and pitch. We can't win the old ballgame unless we have teamwork. And that's where every John Doe comes in. It's up to him to get together with his teammates. And your teammate, my friend, is the guy next door to you. Your neighbor -- he's a terribly important guy that guy next door. You're gonna need him and he's gonna need you, so look him up. If he's sick, call on him. If he's hungry, feed him. If he's out of a job, find him one. To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a barkin' dog and high fence around him. Now, you can't be a stranger to any guy that's on your own team. So teach down the fence that separates you. Tear down the fence and you'll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices. Tear down all the fences in the country and you'll really have teamwork. I know a lot of you are saying to yourselves, "He's askin' for a miracle to happen. He's expectin' people to change all of a sudden. Well, you're wrong. It's no miracle. It's no miracle because I see it happen once every year. And and so do you -- at Christmas time. There's somethin' swell about the spirit of Christmas, to see what it does to people, all kinds of people. Now, why can't that spirit, that same, warm Christmas spirit last the whole year around? Gosh, if it ever did, if each and every John Doe would make that spirit last 365 days out of the year, we'd develop such strength, we'd create such a tidal wave of good will that no human force could stand against it. Yes sir, my friends, the meek can only inherit the earth when the John Doe's start lovin' their neighbors. You better start right now. Don't wait till the game is called on account of darkness. Wake up, John Doe. You're the hope of the world. © Richard Posner . All rights Reserved Worldwide.