A few months back I attended a round table discussion hosted by the British Embassy on Japan's energy options and communications around its policies. The context of the debate was set up with a screening of the documentary Pandora's Promise, a film which I was lucky enough to be involved with when the Fukushima sections of the film were shot back in 2012, and have been a friend of the director, Robert Stone ever since. There were about 15 of us, and around the table was a diverse mix of high level Japanese civil servants, climate academics, journalists & TV producers, nuclear safety professionals and global energy experts. It was probably just over half Japanese, and Robert even video-conferenced in from the US. This was one of many ways in which I have seen the British … [Read more...]
What the 2020 Olympics means for Japan
I wrote up this article to be published in a marketing journal, and after a lot of editing it was whittled down into something quite different, but much more suited to a marketing journal! I have included the edited down version at the end for comparison! What the 2020 Olympics means for Japan The 1964 Tokyo Olympics put Japan on the map internationally, gave the country the self confidence to become a global economic and cultural force, kickstarting 3 decades of phenomenal growth. By the time 2020 comes around, 56 years will have passed by and Japan will be more or less 3 decades past its economic peak. Where can Japan get to in the next 7 years and what does this mean for businesses and brand in Japan? Much of the international reaction to Tokyo being named as host city for the … [Read more...]
Brasil x Japan: the ideal hybrid?
Although the stereotypes associated with Japanese and Brazilians are poles apart, the two countries in fact share a special relationship based on the very human ties of historical emigration. Now they are starting to explore the potential of combining the mutual strengths of both nations in the future. Japan's is arguably the most "progressed" society on the planet, demographically more mature than any other, and one of the most advanced in terms of technology, infrastructure, healthcare provision and with a massive, capital intensive economy. In contrast Brasil (spelt the Portuguese on purpose!) has a young demographic, labour-intensive economy destined to grow into a superpower, but lacks many of the technological and infrastructural know-how that Japan has at its fingertips. … [Read more...]
A blog about nurturing hybrid culture
Image: A broccoli x cauliflower hybrid sold in Japan Welcome to my new blog! Why now? I have been writing pretty regularly over the years, some of which has been going up on line, but most of it never gets out of my Evernotes. I have been feeling a mounting inner pressure recently to get more of it out in the open to start some dialogues and share ideas with others. One excuse I was using to not get a blog going with regular updates was the fact someone else owned JamesHollow.com, so once I got hold of this domain I had no excuse to not get it together. I have also been piecing together the knowledge required to set up and run a blog like this one from scratch so I can be totally self sufficient. I have been frustrated by not being in control of my own publishing before and so … [Read more...]