In this edition of BizCast Japan, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley take a look at the top eight business stories from Japan in 2008.

This show follows the same format as last year’s edition, with a group of “honorable mention” stories discussed first, followed by a closer look at the top eight stories. Issues discussed include the growth of foreign labor in the Japanese workforce, the Children’s Investment Fund, successful retailers during the recession, the opening of the Fukutoshin subway line, the re-branding of Matsushita as Panasonic, the debacle over nominating a new governor to the Bank of Japan, the arrival of the iPhone, mass bankruptcies in the construction and real estate sectors, food safety and self-sufficiency rates, inflation and deflation, the workforce during the recession, the establishing of the Tourism Agency, Nomura, McDonald’s setting the all-time record for sales by a restaurant in Japan, Steel Partners, DoCoMo’s drop below 50% of market share, lawsuits over overtime pay and the state of the automotive industry.

Which made the top 8 of ‘08? You’ll have to listen to find out. This special double release clocks in at just over 50 minutes.

Alby and Ken would like to express many thanks to everyone who has listened to the first ten episodes of BizCast Japan this year. We’ll be back again in a few weeks with our look ahead at the Japanese economy in 2009.

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