In this edition of BizCast Japan, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley begin by taking a look at two of Japan’s hardest-hit export industries: automotives and electronics. With Japan’s automakers looking as if they are going to lose about 415 billion yen in fiscal 2008 and electronic firms looking at a staggering 1.95 trillion yen loss, this part of the discussion focuses on Toyota and Sony, but reaches out to comment on the state of affairs at other firms in their respective sectors.

The second half of the program examines businesses that have been doing well despite (or perhaps due to) the recession. Rakuten, Usen, Internet banks and brokerages, Uniqlo, Nintendo, Tsutaya, purveyors of second hand items and pawn shops. The final firm discussed is Tokyo Disneyland, which has reported all-time high visitors over the April-September period. However, both hosts express their belief that these figures are due to 2008 being Tokyo Disneyland’s 25th anniversary, and actually find Disney’s reported numbers to be lower than expected.

As always, thanks for listening.

Listen Now:

 BizCast Japan #17: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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.

Listen Now:

 BizCast #16: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to the 15th edition of BizCast Japan. In this edition of the show, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley begin by taking a look at the role Japanese firms are playing in the global financial crisis. Nomura has taken a stake of Lehman Brothers’ operations, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is taking a huge equity stake in Morgan Stanley. Our hosts looks at what these moves mean, and how they might play out.

After that, the discussion moves on to Japan’s retail industry, where supermarkets and department stores continue to struggle as convenience stores still see more new shops opening and a growth in sales. Strategies for supermarket and department store growth are considered, and talk then turns to the battle between imported and domestic food products in the marketplace.

Then, Alby and Ken discuss Sapporo Brewery’s decision to label its products with the grams of carbon emitted during production. Although this is something the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is planning to make mandatory for businesses in Japan, “green” marketing techniques form the core of the discussion.

Finally, the real estate situation is examined. As credit lines from banks become more and more difficult to open or keep open, real estate developers are declaring bankruptcy in Japan on an almost daily basis. What might be the implications for the market?

As always, thank you for listening.

Listen Now:

 BizCast #15: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to the 14th edition of BizCast Japan. In this edition of the show, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley begin with a follow-up from the previous show. The new Fukutoshin subway line has opened in Tokyo, and Shinjuku department stores appear to have been the early winners, with strong jumps in sales reported over the first weekend.

After that, the discussion turns to the release of the iPhone in Japan, which happened the day before this show was recorded. The iPhone sold out on its first day, and although neither Apple nor Softbank are giving exact numbers, it seems as though the iPhone is off to a running start in Japan. Will the iPhone evolve into a must have product or will its lack of certain features ultimately hurt it’s potential to penetrate the Japanese market?

After talking about the iPhone, our hosts turn to a discussion of real estate in Tokyo, including the newly announced plans by Mori Building for a 46 story tower in Roppongi. Then, talk moves on to look at last week’s G8 summit, which was a complete disappointment. After that, Nissan’s sales strategy is considered and Shinsei’s decision to acquire GE’s consumer finance business in Japan is looked at. Finally, our hosts consider recent data showing deteriorating consumer sentiment in Japan, and speculate on whether consumer confidence has bottomed out or whether we might be a new all-time low next month.

As always, thank you for listening.

Listen Now:

 BizCast Japan #14: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After a much longer break than expected, BizCast Japan has finally returned with its 13th release. This edition of the show begins by discussing the massive investment in facility upgrades that we have seen at department stores in Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Shibuya over the past few years. What is behind the billions of yen being poured into renovating these shops? In part, the opening of the new Fukutoshin subway line is expected to bring an influx of new customers who will be able to more easily access those areas. Which area and company might come out ahead?

After that, the discussion turns to Seven-Eleven and it’s planned move into the mainland China market, and then the factors behind the recent business alliance between the New Otani and Royal hotel operators. Is more consolidation to come in the Japanese hospitality industry? Will operators such as the New Otani be able to compete in the overseas markets that they plan to move into over the next decade?

The import of whale meat from Iceland and Norway is also discussed, as Japan recently imported whale meat for the first time since 1990. After that, the Tokyo real estate market is considered. As rents at new Class A office locations shot up over the past few years, vacancies have finally started to rise as the rent level seems less tolerable as no new “Midtown” or “Roppongi Hills” has opened in the past months.

Finally, our hosts consider the launch of the iPhone into the Japanese market. With the iPhone set to debut in Japan on July 11, many eyes are on Apple and how many units they can move.

As always, thank you for listening.

Listen Now:

 BizCast Japan #13: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome to the twelfth edition of BizCast Japan. In this edition of the program, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley start off by discussing tourism to Japan. In 2007, Japan saw a record 8.3 million international tourists. This figure has been increasing each year, and the discussion focuses on what Japan is doing to attract more tourists, as well as the reasons why Japan still draws fewer tourists per year than regional rivals such as Singapore.

From there, the discussion moves to a new plan that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has proposed that would provide subsidies to companies that switch part-time workers to full-time workers. The government is working towards having more workers enrolled in the national pension system, and the reasons why this particular plan will not work are discussed.

After that, Panasonic, Sony, and Blu-Ray are discussed. With Wal-Mart announcing plans to stock Blu-Ray and not rival HD DVD players, the battle between Blu-Ray and HD DVD effectively seems to be over. In fact, just hours after this show was recorded, Toshiba announced that it would give up on HD DVD development.

The next part of the show focuses on capital injections. Wal-Mart, Seiyu and JAL are discussed, and Wal-Mart’s plans for Seiyu are put under the spotlight. Finally, the show ends with a discussion on increasing wheat prices. The Ministry of Agriculture is set to raise prices on imported wheat by 30%, and the consequences of this decisions are examined.

As always, thank you for listening. We hope to be back with our next release very soon!

Listen Now:

 BizCast Japan #12: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

BizCast Japan is back with its first release of 2008. For the new year, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley have developed a new format for the show, which will now focus on industries rather than specific new items. This should mean that it’s impossible for the show to get off topic!

This edition of the show begins with a short discussion on news in the automotive industry, especially concerning the battle between Toyota and General Motors for global domination. From there, the discussion turns to the services sector and recent developments concerning G.communications, who have taken over part of the former Nova language school business. Is G.communications heading down a path toward disaster?

After that, the finance sector is discussed, and our co-hosts consider the question, “Are Japanese banks back?” This is discussed in the context of recent news that Mizuho has taken a $1.2 billion stake in US investment bank Merrill Lynch. Given that this is the first such big move by a Japanese bank since the bursting of the bubble, what might this mean for the future?

That leads to a brief discussion of internet trends, blogging in Japan and online advertising. From there, energy and agriculture are discussed, and the effects of inflation are considered.

Real estate remains a favorite topic of the show, and data from both the commercial and residential sectors are considered in the next part of the program. Finally, in the Focus Issue, consumer electronics is discussed. Some of the names that come up are NTT DoCoMo, Google, Disney, Sony, Apple, Nintendo and Panasonic.

Listen Now:

 BizCast #11: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s the end of the year, and nothing could sum up Japan’s biggest business stories of 2007 better than sorting them into a top ten list - except for sorting them into a top seven list and discussing them here on BizCast.

Along with a few honorable mentions, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley discuss Krispy Kreme, Nintendo’s domination of the video game market, Burger King, Fast Retailing’s failed bid for Barney’s, the collapse in housing starts, WiMax, Toyota outselling General Motors in the first quarter of 2007, Japan’s demographic crunch, bad fiscal policy, Nova’s bankruptcy, corporate governance, scandals in the food industry, Steel Partners, J-SOX, the widening gap between income in urban and rural Japan, the Mega Mac, Triangular Mergers, the increase in land prices, Sony’s new war chest, and Scott Callon’s shareholder revolt.

Which made the top 7 of ‘07? You’ll have to listen to find out. This special double release clocks in just under 70 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 January, and we’re sure the business news will stay just as exciting to follow, analyze and discuss.

Listen Now:

 BizCast #10: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

BizCast Japan is back with its ninth release. In this edition of the program, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley start off by taking a look at the new marketing campaign launched in North America by Toto, Japan’s (and the world’s) largest manufacturer of toilets. After that, the discussion moves to a look at Muji and Uniqlo, two Japanese brands that are continuing their attempts to move into markets outside Japan. What can these two brands to to build synergy and market share in the US?

The third headline takes a look at mobile carriers DoCoMo and AU, who were recently warned by the Fair Trade Commission over misleading advertising practices. This leads into a discussion of the government’s role in regulation, and the problems caused by recent changes in construction regulations that have led to a huge drop in housing and condo construction.

In the Quick Picks, Albrecht elects to discuss the IPO of Sony Financial last month and speculates on what strategic direction Sony might take in the video game, television and personal music player markets.

For his Quick Pick, Ken brings up the issue of fingerprinting and photographing foreigners coming into Japan from this week. What sort of effects might this have on the business world? has the Japanese government contributed to making Hong Kong and Singapore even more attractive places to do business?

The Focus Issue, and final twenty minutes of this edition of BizCast Japan, are devoted to the English language teaching industry in Japan, which has been all over the news over the past few months. With industry leader Nova finally declaring bankruptcy on October 26, what will come of this market? Albrecht and Ken look at the direction of the industry and analyze the structural factors that led to the seeding and growth of the industry, and the reasons why those structural factors are now gone.

As always, thank you for listening.

Listen Now:

 BizCast #9: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After a longer time off that expected, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley are back with the eighth edition of BizCast Japan. This edition of the show covers the following topics:

The Headlines section begins with a discussion of the situation with Wal-Mart and Seiyu. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has announced that it will make Seiyu a wholly owned subsidiary. At the same time, Seiyu has been showing losses for the past six years, is downsizing its staff, and holds about 325 billion yen of interest-bearing liabilities on its balance sheet.

After that, Albrecht gives his take on Wi-Max, and the discussion turns to whether or not Japan will become more friendly for those folks who want wireless internet access in public places. After that, Morgan Stanley’s announcement that it will form a holding company in Japan leads to a short discussion on land prices in Japan, which have been rising quickly in many urban centers.

Finally, the situation surrounding embattled English language school operator Nova is briefly discussed. This is one issue that promises to come up again, and so the discussion here is kept brief.

In the Quick Picks, Albrecht chooses to discuss December’s impending taxi rate hikes. Ken elects to return to the issue of corprate governance, whistleblowers, and another breakout of food scandals.

Finally, the Focus Issue begins with a discussion of Jim Press, who just a few months ago became the first non-Japanese to be named to the board of directors at Toyota. Just a few short months later, Press has left and joined Chrysler, which is now under the control of US Private Equity fund Cerberus Capital Management. What does this all mean for the Japanese auto market, now that we are on the eve of the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show?

Listen Now:

 BizCast #8: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download