Comment by Shawn

June 13, 2007 @ 2:50 pm

Ken,

It’s not one “part” of NOVA being shut down so much as operations are being partially suspended. The Japanese newspapers have been specific: NOVA is not allowed to solicit, accept, or conclude any new contracts exceeding one year for the next 6 months.

Comment by DeOrio

June 13, 2007 @ 2:55 pm

Interestingly, Nova is still recruiting in the US.

Pingback by Liberal Japan » Blog Archive » METI to Nova: No more long term contracts!

June 13, 2007 @ 2:57 pm

[…] TPR is reporting that Nova will be ordered to suspend part of it’s operations for six months. TPR quotes Kyodo news and Nikkei Net. […]

Pingback by NOVA English Teaching Corporation Faces Suspension! » Japan Probe

June 13, 2007 @ 3:02 pm

[…] What does this mean for the future of NOVA? Ken Worsley of Trans-Pacific Radio suggests that they are horribly screwed: If METI shuts down their sales division, I can’t see NOVA surviving for over 30 days without suddenly selling off a huge amount of their assets (which might make for a dirty, nasty bankruptcy settlement when some of that cash starts walking). If NOVA’s owners had an ace up their sleeve, they would have pulled it out over the last week. They didn’t pull it because they don’t have one. […]

Comment by Ken Y-N

June 13, 2007 @ 3:05 pm

Looks like a dose of myxomatosis for the NOVA bunny. These yen figures always look horrendous with so many 000s at the end, but it’s worth repeating that your visa does NOT tie you to NOVA; you are free to change jobs until it expires.

I’ve seen Terry of Daijob mention earlier this year that one school was in trouble - guess it must have been NOVA that he meant!

Comment by DeOrio

June 13, 2007 @ 4:28 pm

Ken Y-N, at this point, I think the question might not be which school is in trouble, but which one is not. All of the Big 4 have now spent some time in financial straits and none have really returned to form. Nova was the one that was supposed to be immune - their contracts with school boards were supposed to be part of the reason other schools were having a hard time. Now that Nova’s been busted again, and this time slapped with a real penalty, I wonder if it’ll help some of their erstwhile competitors.

I suspect this apparently industry-wide malaise may have something to do with increasing consumer wisdom. Anecdotally, it seems that more and more English students realize that face time with a native speaker, in and of itself, means squat.

This is definitely the time to quit and get that new teaching job if you are in the unqualified or slightly qualified bracket of the English-teaching spectrum. In a few months, it’ll be a buyer’s market.

I think it’s safe to say that a further decline in teaching salaries for the unqualified, possibly even the somewhat-qualified, is on the horizon.

Comment by ken

June 13, 2007 @ 4:47 pm

their contracts with school boards

Which the Ministry of Education hates.

it seems that more and more English students realize that face time with a native speaker, in and of itself, means squat.

Not at all agreed. I think face time with a ‘fluent speaker’ matters. But I think that people are realizing that they don’t have to pay a company like NOVA for that time. NOVA’s nothing more than a middleman between Japanese people and foreigners. Go to a bar, meet people, cut the middle man. And if you really want to study, they’re obviously not the place.

Shawn: Thanks for the comment. I’m going on the headlines/stories I’ve seen so far, but I have my eyes and ears open. Let’s see what METI says when they make the full announcement, or if some sort of last minute ‘resolution’ is found.

Comment by DeOrio

June 13, 2007 @ 10:59 pm

Face time with a fluent speaker, in and of itself, is nice as a method of practice, not as a method of study. Nova and others sell immersion alone as a way for adults to learn a new language, which simply does not work. Having a fluent speaker who can teach and has a good curriculum is different.

Comment by John S

June 14, 2007 @ 1:16 am

I’m not sure it’s a good idea to just never show up to work again, but certainly people who are worried abotu job security should be looking to get out of there as soon as possible, before there’s a flood of people looking for the same job.

Comment by DeOrio

June 14, 2007 @ 9:18 am

Indeed. Never showing up is a bad idea - give at least 24 hours notice (the legal minimum), so you can’t be accused of job abandonment.

When Nova fails, it’s probably going to be fairly sudden - the writing is on the wall now, but there won’t be a notice, as in “We’re going out of business in a week.” Anyone who works for them is going to want to have everything in order to be able to claim unpaid wages and/or collect unemployment, if that even applies to Nova teachers, who may still not be paying unemployment insurance or any of the other stuff Nova got into trouble for not requiring a couple of years ago.

If you work for Nova and, for whatever reason, can’t leave just yet, demand to be enrolled in the pensions scheme and national health insurance at once unless you plan to just leave Japan when Nova fails.

There will be a glut of English teachers on the market when Nova fails, but a lot of them will probably just leave instead of deal with the hassle, especially those who have only been in Japan for a short time or only planned to stay for a limited time anyway.

That said, it would be foolish to be a Nova employee and not be taking a serious look at your future options, whether you’re a teacher, a staff member, or an executive.

Comment by Mark

June 14, 2007 @ 12:54 pm

I’m going on the headlines/stories I’ve seen so far, but I have my eyes and ears open. Let’s see what METI says when they make the full announcement, or if some sort of last minute ‘resolution’ is found.

METI made the announcement yesterday afternoon. Shawn’s comment is correct.

If you work for them: Quit now. Do not go to work tomorrow. Never show up again.

I’ve no truck with Nova at all, but isn’t that just a wee bit irresponsible to be advising people to break their contracts like that?

Comment by DeOrio

June 14, 2007 @ 1:42 pm

Mark, to the first point: Yes, Shawn is correct. Ken wrote this quickly and put it up, it seems, before much was revealed in the first reports. That said, there still seems to be a lack of clarity surrounding what’s being imposed, but I look forward to having this particular comment of mine be belied by better information.

To the second point: Breaking their contracts won’t hurt them, provided they give at least 24 hours notice. They’re entitled to their wages in full if they do that. I agree, though, that just not showing up would be a bad idea. In most cases, employees will be able to give a more substantial notice anyway. It would be very wise to get off a sinking ship at the earliest opportunity.

Comment by Ken

June 14, 2007 @ 3:01 pm

isn’t that just a wee bit irresponsible to be advising people to break their contracts like that?

Not in the least. You do what’s best for you. The contract is for working conditions over a period of time. It is not binding or inescapabe.

Mark: Isn’t it irresponsible to lie to and scam your customers?

Comment by DeOrio

June 14, 2007 @ 3:57 pm

On the quitting front: Failing eikaiwa-gakko tend to follow a pattern. If you are a teacher or a foreigner working for Nova in any capacity, keep your ears open. As soon as the Japanese staff get paid late, less than normal, or not at all, get the hell out as fast as you can. The company will not recover and you will not ultimately get everything coming to you. The company will tell you everything will be OK. It won’t; they’re lying.

Comment by Mark

June 14, 2007 @ 3:58 pm

Deorio: Actually, the first reports included the relevant information. And there is no lack of clarity at this point as to what is included. This article was posted on the Asahi website at 12:49 and has not been updated.
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0613/TKY200706130158.htmlhttp://www.asahi.com/national/update/0613/TKY200706130158.html

If you’re still unclear as to the details, go to the source:
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/20070613004/20070613004.html

Ken: A labor contract is not binding? That’s an interesting position. And because Nova has been implicated in wrongdoing, your position is that it’s acceptable for its employees to do whatever they want?

Your original article was short on facts that were already out there at the time it was written, and the tone of it was completely over the top. (Honestly, it reads as though you were hyperventilating while you wrote it.)

If I worked for Nova right now, which I do not, I would get my resume ready and start looking for a job. However, the company is almost certainly not going to go under in the next few days as you so breathlessly imply, so giving the terms of notice specified in the contract and by labor law does not pose any undue burden. The only time that I would just stop coming to work would be if the firm missed payroll . . .

Comment by DeOrio

June 14, 2007 @ 5:18 pm

I stand corrected, Mark. What I am unclear about is whether or not this prohibition could be extended, what, if anything, Nova has to do to be sure the prohibition will be lifted, and how this will effect re-signs.

I’ll let Ken speak for himself, but, in his defense, he whipped up a quick update to get some basic info out. Whether or not he included as much detail as would have been possible is immaterial. And since when is a bias or a bit of speculation not the prerogative of a blogger?

A labor contract is binding, as Ken pointed out, in terms of setting working conditions and responsibilities. It in no way means an employee can’t quit whenever he feels like it, for any reason. Nova asks for 30 days, but that is not a legal requirement. As I read it, Ken’s point was that normal ethical obligations on the part of employees may not apply to unethical companies. Short notice is not nice, but by no means bad form in this case.

Ken said “if” the sales division were closed the company would have 30 days. As it stands, we’re not looking at days, but it does seem to be only a matter of time. If this decision leads to a spike in cancellations, which Nova will have to refund at the actual rate now, they’ll be in big trouble.

Comment by Ken Worsley

June 14, 2007 @ 5:43 pm

it’s acceptable for its employees to do whatever they want?

Of course. I believe adults are free to make their own decisions regarding their employment situations; they should do what’s best for their futures. It is not illegal to break an employment contract in Japan.

Comment by Mark Beckley

June 14, 2007 @ 8:09 pm

Deorio,

My understanding is that Nova is required over the six months to demonstrate “improvement” to METI. If Nova actually starts following the law and does what it’s supposed to do, I strongly suspect that will be the end of it (assuming that Nova is still in business, which I would put at about 50-50 odds). If, however, Nova tries to “creatively” bend the rules and look for loopholes, METI will likely sanction them again, and it would be much worse in that event, such as compelling them to completely cease all sales operations for a month.

The prohibition does not apply to existing students, although NHK reported on its 7:00 pm news that many cancelled their contracts today.

As far as bias goes, it sounds to me like Ken is more interested in whipping up hysteria than providing advice for the people who work there. If those teachers were to just not go in ever again, I don’t see how that would possibly be in their interest. They would be fired, for starters, and when they go looking for that new job to pay the bills, no one is going to hire someone who just stopped showing up for work at their last employer. These teachers who have Nova sponsor their visas will also need a letter of release.

I agree that Nova employees would be best advised to start planning for the day that Nova goes tits up and get out before that happens, but I don’t see that spreading unwarranted panic helps matters. There’s plenty of time to turn in proper notice and get out, but I guess that’s not as sexy.

You guys at least get points for not deleting comments. Cheers for that.

Comment by DeOrio

June 14, 2007 @ 8:44 pm

I’ll start with the last part first: As a general rule, we only delete comments if they contain direct ad hominem attacks or are bilious and absolutely irrelevant.

I’m flattered that you think we might have enough influence to whip hysteria among Nova teachers. Who knows? Maybe the majority chunk of our traffic that comes from within Japan contains the entire teaching staff of Nova. I doubt it, though.

I still don’t think Nova teachers have anything to worry about if they quit on short notice. As we agree, walking out or just not showing up would be a bad idea, but they need only give 24 hours notice. Even after getting in trouble for not signing foreign employees up for national health insurance and unemployment, as they are required to do by law, Nova responded by instituting a system of ridiculous off-the-clock breaks between classes, although anyone who has worked there (as I did many a moon ago) knows that a teacher is not going to be left alone in those few minutes and is, presumably, still expected to the same amount of work as before. I’ve heard that Nova still does not inform teachers that they even have the right, much less the obligation, to enroll in a shakai-houken-type program and discourages this in various ways.

Most of Nova’s foreign employees have been in Japan a relatively short time, know little about the systems of Japan, and are relatively young. They are usually not aware of how Nova is fucking them by keeping them out of the various protection systems that exist in the country.

Any employer that would take such a stance - working to the detriment of its employees, in violation of the spirit and, often, the letter of the law - is undeserving of the gesture of respect that complying with their 30 day notice request would constitute.

There’s a good chance that Nova is going to fail or at least find itself in even more dire financial straits. Before that happens, the company will look for any means, legal or not, to refuse contract renewal to instructors. Delayed payment or nonpayment of wages is something that normally comes without warning. To wait for that eventuality would be folly. I’ve been there. It can take up to six months to get paid if all of the necessary papers are in order and the company cooperates with bankruptcy arbitrator, at which point employees may receive as little as 64% of what they are owed. (This is maddening. I was supposed to get 80% of what I was owed and, instead, got 80% of 80% of the original.)

Once the writing on the wall starts to glow, there will be a glut of unqualified and slightly qualified English teachers with little to moderate experience, most of whom will be competing for the same jobs in the same markets. The earlier any given Nova instructor finds new work, the more secure his English-teaching future in Japan.

Were I working for Nova now, I would refuse to do any overtime and try to rearrange or reduce my shcedule to allow for as much free time as possible on weekdays. I would then use that time to job hunt as though I were unemployed. I would try to line up a steady full-time job and a decent part-time job as soon as possible. I would also view it as the competition it’s going to be and keep what I was doing largely to myself. Anything less would be taking an unnecessary gamble.

The early birds will be less likely to get ripped off, too. While Nova’s failure would create a buyer’s market for reputable and/or honest schools, it would create a buyer’s market for the numerous dishonest schools that will underpay or not pay or make unreasonable, non-contractual requests of employees. A number of Nova instructors who wait to the bitter end will get hit with a double whammy.

Comment by ken

June 14, 2007 @ 9:07 pm

Hey Mark, thanks for your comment! To tell the truth, I’m not really interested in whipping up hysteria, but I’m willing to be a bit bold to draw in readers and comments…it’s a good way to hear what others are thinking.

I understand your points fully, but I do believe that they can be qualified to some degree. For one, you should know that a visa sponsor (or employer) is legally obligated to provide a letter of release no matter what the conditions under which an employee left are. This is spelled out in Japan’s labour laws. In fact, the letter of release should not say whether the employee broke his or her contract or was fired.

In my case, if someone left a company like Nova due to the current situation, I would think more of them as a potential candidate and be more likely to hire them.

NHK reported on its 7:00 pm news that many cancelled their contracts today.

I just got in from a meeting and haven’t seen that yet, but will soon. That is going to be what’s very dangerous for them.

Ok, I’m being yelled at to go eat dinner…

Comment by ken

June 15, 2007 @ 2:16 am

Nova’s President, Nozomu Saruhashi, has said that the effects of the METI order will not be so severe, given that many of the student contracts are for under one year. I don’t have exact numbers on that, and I’m not sure whether he was playing around to try to instill some confidence in their ability to survive.

Signups during February and March were 1/4 of what they usually are, although Nova claims that three times as many existing students renewed their contracts. With such a severe fall even before this announcement, there’s bound to be a massive dent coming up in earnings.

Looking at Nova’s financials, I see that about 50% of fees collected from prepaid orders are booked as sales. This is a bit dangerous because it is listed on their balance sheet as a ‘current asset’ when in fact, those students could cancel and get that money back.

Here are some interesting differences in their 2005 and 2006 consolidated financial statements:

Current Assets

Cash and Savings:
2005: 13.9 billion yen
2006: 4.1 billion yen

Sales pending:
2005: 6.5 billion yen
2006: 8.6 billion yen

Marketable Securities, Stocks and Bonds:
2005: 40,978,000 yen
2006: 15,205,000 yen

Inventory:
2005: 3.8 billion yen
2006: 3.1 billion yen

Deferred Tax Assets:
2005: 1.1 billion yen
2006: 1.2 billion yen

Other:
2005: 2.7 billion yen
2006: 2.0 billion yen

Reserves:
2005: 216 million yen
2006: 186 million yen

Total Current Assets:
2005: 27.9 billion yen
2006: 18.7 billion yen

Total Assets:
2005: 68.8 billion yen
2006: 55.3 billion yen

Current Liabilities/Costs:
2005: 37.8 billion yen
2006: 35.0 billion yen

Fixed Liabilities/Costs:
2005: 25.2 billion yen
2006: 17.5 billion yen

Total Liabilities:
2005: 63.0 billion yen
2006: 52.5 billion yen

I’m not sure how they have over 3 billion yen (over $30 million) in inventory, or how that might be valued, but that line looks a bit suspicious.

The big thing I see here is the reduction in fixed liabilities, which is a step in the right direction, in terms of fiscal control.

At the same time, the reduction in assets has to be cause for alarm. Total sales (not just what has been booked as current assets) actually fell a bunch from FY2004 to FY2006:

2004: 75,275,000,000 yen
2005: 69,812,000,000 yen
2006: 66,949,000,000 yen

They have software listed as a 938,000,000 yen asset on their (non-consolidated) balance sheet for FY2006.

Comment by John S

June 15, 2007 @ 4:26 am

This is a bit dangerous because it is listed on their balance sheet as a ‘current asset’ when in fact, those students could cancel and get that money back.

Is there such a thing as a “If we had goodwill asset”?

Comment by Shawn

June 15, 2007 @ 8:47 am

Ken,

One quick point. You mention that the METI punishment isn’t that severe. I think NOVA’s problem now is not the punishment per say, but the beating they are taking in the media. The media is spinning the story as NOVA betrayed the public.

Sahashi is being an idiot by acting defiant. He was asked at the press conference he gave the other day if he was considering stepping down and he said no. He should be on his knees begging for forgiveness. Public perception matters and I think the public is now very wary of handing over hundreds of thousands of yen to a questionable company.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 10:15 am

Anyone know how quickly Nova’s share price is dropping? I would expect a rather big sell-off.

Comment by ken

June 15, 2007 @ 10:38 am

Shawn,

I agree with you completely…

You mention that the METI punishment isn’t that severe.

I said that he said that; I don’t agree. I agree with you that they are taking a beating and I was surprised that he didn’t at least say he was considering stepping down.

The idea that the METI punishment is not so severe is Sahashi’s, not mine. Sorry if that was confusing.

Comment by ken

June 15, 2007 @ 10:44 am

DeOrio: They opened at 88 this morning and have moved up to 90.

Anything worth less than 100 yen a share isn’t really going to move in predictable ways. There’s been a spike in volume this morning as well, and with the price going up it looks like someone’s trying to buy up shares.

John: Ha. How about making “Goodwill Gap” a derivative you can package up and sell to unsuspecting pension funds, to help fund the gaps? I’m sure your employer can find a way to make that work.

Comment by Jazzy

June 15, 2007 @ 10:47 am

Stock ticker from Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=4655:JP

Comment by Shawn

June 15, 2007 @ 10:52 am

OK, that’s my sloppy reading at work. Sahashi said it.

Another place to watch the stock is here: http://company.nikkei.co.jp/index.cfm?scode=4655

I’m partial to the face analysis. The guy looks pretty stunned right now.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 10:56 am

I wonder if someone’s looking to short Nova stock. I don’t know that that would be wise, but someone might think of it.

Thanks for the links, Jazzy & Shawn. It’s been a busy couple of days - haven’t even picked up a paper yet.

Comment by ken

June 15, 2007 @ 11:06 am

Go short when it’s already at heavily discounted all-time lows? That would take some sweet inside info. Then again, I don’t see much hope on the upside. It would be interesting to see someone come out at the end of the day and say they were able to pick up somewhere around 5% of the company this morning, but the volume seems to have dropped off.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 1:17 pm

I was thinking that it was a safe bet the stock would drop before it climbed, but, as you said, stocks under 100 yen don’t behave predictably. The rise would indicate that someone was buying the stock, but I can’t figure who would do that.

Comment by Ken Worsley

June 15, 2007 @ 2:30 pm

It’s a rumor, but two sources have it that at least some nova employees have not yet been paid today.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 3:12 pm

What kind of sources? Japanese staff or foreign? Could it be that our dommsaying exceeds our expectations?

Comment by Ken Worsley

June 15, 2007 @ 4:43 pm

2 foreign, a third says he was paid.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 5:00 pm

That should have said “doomsaying” above.

So two Nova instructors report that they have not yet been paid any of their salary? Today was Nova’s pay day, right?

That’s a very bad sign, of course. Have those two ever gone unpaid before? Is there any possibility of a bank error? Odd that Nova would pay some of its instructors as usual and pay others nothing.

If you can get in touch with those three again, find out how long they’ve worked there relative to each other, whether they’re full-time or part-time, whether or not the one was on an older contract, etc. I’m curious to see what the pattern could be.

If you are reading this and work for Nova, were you paid?
What’s the management telling you guys?

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 8:29 pm

Just read an e-mail from another Nova instructor that he hadn’t been paid. Nova told those instructors that there was “a mistake” and that they would be paid between 2:00 and 3:00 this afternoon. I haven’t yet heard whether or not that happened.

Comment by Jeremy

June 15, 2007 @ 9:57 pm

The f-ed up thing about Nova is that it took so long for the sh#t to hit the fan. I worked there from 94′-94′and same stuff was going on.

Comment by DeOrio

June 15, 2007 @ 11:05 pm

Cute. You don’t have to censor yourself unless you fucking want to, Jeremy.

You’ve hit the nail on the head, though - the shit Nova’s been doing they’ve been doing for a long time, it’s only now that it’s catching up with them.

Comment by Jazzy

June 16, 2007 @ 3:48 am

Well, what they were doing, at least part of it, was legal until 1997. They just didn’t change their business plan. They went for price instead of quality. They went for lying and bullying instead of trust and honesty. There’s only one end to that path.

Comment by Matt Dioguardi

June 16, 2007 @ 9:03 am

There’s some new info on this. As I read it, the government is cutting off some kind of student assistance program. Not sure if I am reading that right or not. I’ve posted the info at my blog.

Comment by DeOrio

June 16, 2007 @ 9:20 am

Is this the plan under which students can be reimbursed for studying at Nova if they attend 80% of their scheduled classes?

Comment by ken

June 16, 2007 @ 9:26 am

DeOrio: It looks like this is that, the kyufukin plan 「教育訓練給付金」. This is actually pretty big, since a lot of students choose a school based on that. I’ve only looked at the article for about 10 seconds myself and have to run out the door, but I’ll get more on it later…

Comment by DeOrio

June 16, 2007 @ 9:49 am

Just took a look. Thanks, Matt. Given the numbers, it looks like this is the successor to what Nova used to something-about-”B” six years ago or so (back when I worked there.)

This is certainly going to hurt Nova’s ability to attract new customers, probably hastening the end.

Comment by Matt Dioguardi

June 16, 2007 @ 1:44 pm

Japan Today has an English article on-line now giving the details. I’ve updated my blog. It also looks like there might be a stock issuance to increase confidence in the company.

Any takers? Good investiment or what?

Comment by DeOrio

June 16, 2007 @ 5:36 pm

Oo-ooh! Me! Me! That’s right where I want to put my money.

Stock issuance to increase confidence? More like stock issuance to keep the company from bleeding to death.

Pingback by NOVA Deathwatch. « One Fat Penguin

June 20, 2007 @ 10:21 am

[…] NOVA, the English school in Japan, looks to be on it’s last legs.  TPR and others have some insights. […]

Pingback by Liberal Japan » Blog Archive » NOVA made fixed bids — for shame

June 22, 2007 @ 3:42 pm

[…] 2007/06/13 METI to order Nova to suspend part of its business: The beginning of the end, Trans-Pacific Radio; “Yes, that headline is true. No, they’re not yet telling us the full story behind which part of the business NOVA will have to suspend (For further details that have come to light since this was written, please see below -Ed.). Here’s what we do know: After having threatened to do so earlier this week, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is set to order NOVA to shut down part of its business for six months in retaliation for lying to their students when making sales pitches and violating industry laws.” I think this was the first article in the English press to break the news. […]

Pingback by Global Voices Online » Japan: Reactions to the Nova Suspension

June 23, 2007 @ 11:14 am

[…] Nova, the largest English-language school operator in Japan and well-known for its fuzzy pink mascot, is in dire straights, having been ordered last week to suspend part of its operations for six months after it was found to have deceived its students and violated consumer protection laws. While selling its courses as an opportunity to overcome differences in social status, actual students complained of various illegal tactics: the distribution of pamphlets claiming students can schedule classes for whenever they want (when in fact there was a shortage of teachers at peak hours), for example, and claims leading students to believe that the “cool-off period” (period during which a contract can be canceled) is shorter than the law actually specifies. A total of 18 different types of violations are reported to have been committed by Nova, affecting not only students [Ja] but teachers as well [Ja]. With Nova being repeatedly slammed by the media over these recent events, some have predicted this may be the beginning of the end for the English-school operator. […]

Pingback by English Roulette « I, Shingen

August 16, 2007 @ 9:54 pm

[…] At the end of another article by TPR, Ken suggested: If you work for them: Quit now. Do not go to work tomorrow. Never show up again. Get a new job now, before the deluge of former NOVA employees hit the streets. You do not owe them anything. If you’re a foreigner on a visa, that does not mean you have to work for NOVA. When a company is so awful, so horribly managed that the government of Japan needs to suspend part of its operations, I seriously don’t think you want anything to do with them. […]