Terri MacMillan interviews Dr. Niall P. Murphy, Unit Leader, Riken Brain Science Institute /plus this week's headlines. Business is driven by the decisions we make in that large, mysterious organ in our skulls – but what drives us to make the decisions we do? What drives impulse? What drives impulse taken to extremes – otherwise known as addiction? Dr. Murphy leads Terri through the fascinating ins and outs of our appetites, why we crave pleasurable experiences and what happens when our cravings go out of balance. He explores our dual-brained nature, and gives us a grounding in the evolutionary nature of pleasure. Food for thought, from the Riken Brain Science Institute. And as always, you can read the transcript and learn more about our guest, here: http://blog.eigotown.com/podcast/nikkei/

Peter Barakan interviews Charles Duncan, Managing Director of Continental Airlines Japan / There is something infectious about talking with a person who loves their work. In this informative conversation, Charles tells Peter how Continental Japan became the ‘hometown airline’ in more cities in Japan than any of its rivals – even though it’s a foreign company. He describes their innovative, niche-oriented promotional strategies in each market. We talk about entertainment systems and the differences between airlines, special programs that help to cement long term relationships, and the ins and outs of making their services truly multilingual. Charles shares with us Continental’s can-do, employee-central philosophy, which was hard-won after the airline bottomed out and found it’s way back to a positive balance. And as always, you can read the transcript and learn more about our guest, here: http://blog.eigotown.com/podcast/nikkei/

Russell Willis interviews Terry White, Chief Communications Officer of Amway Japan Ltd.) In a community-driven culture like Japan’s, Amway’s relationship-oriented approach to marketing high quality personal and home care products comes naturally. But that doesn’t make it easy, and Terry White tells us how Amway has created a long-lived, sustainable, and very, very large business in Japan. What’s the secret to Amway’s success? Is it the products, formulated for local tastes? Is it longevity – they’ve been in the Japanese market for 30 years. Terry also talks about the effect of the internet on Amway’s business. “…Currently our digital sales would be in the order of 40% of that $1 billion, higher, edging up towards 50%, which makes us one of the largest internet trading companies in Japan…” And as always, you can read the transcript and learn more about our guest, here: http://blog.eigotown.com/podcast/nikkei/

Peter Barakan interviews David Blume, Managing Director, Jaguar and Land Rover Japan. This conversation was especially fun for Peter, who’s a Jaguar fan and someone who has for many years been fluent in written and spoken Japanese, as has David. Not only did they discuss the state of the automotive industry in Japan, including the challenge of environmentally friendly fuel, but they also talked, in details about the intricacies of communicating with more than words, in a second language. David suggested an apt metaphor for dealing with conversations in Japanese as a foreigner: “skipping stones”. And they talk about the element of trust that’s necessary in bicultural business relationships. For those of you who are studying Japanese, or who are already fluent, we have a special treat for you on our blog, that came out of this stimulating conversation. http://blog.eigotown.com/terri_kayo/ And as always, you can read the transcript and learn more about our guest, here: http://blog.eigotown.com/podcast/nikkei/

Peter Barakan interviews Paul Sands, General Manager of innovative trendsetting airline, Virgin Atlantic Japan. In this candid conversation in the stylish, warm Virgin Atlantic offices, Peter and Paul discuss the intricacies of the Japanese reaction to air travel, the Virgin Atlantic features that please the Japanese traveler the most. They also cover the rise of the independent traveler, who no longer depends on packaged tours where everything is set up for you, but who wants to assert their independence, find their own way to the destinations they seek.

Peter Barakan interviews David Price, Managing Director of global recruiting giant Robert Half Japan. In this candid conversation, David explains the ins and outs of the great opportunities that exist in Japan for foreign and bilingual Japanese who understand high level financial and accounting on a global scale. The exposure and stockholder outrage over corporate scandals in the U.S. was mirrored by scandals and consequences in Japan. As a result, Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Law (nicknamed ‘J-Sox’) was put into place in 2006. It has been dubbed the Japanese version of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Japanese Financial Services Agency gives detailed instructions for Japanese companies on how they must report and what they must report. The necessity for a high level of expertise in this area is more critical now because J-Sox will go into law in 2008 – and Japan does not have the number of qualified people it needs to deal with these requirements. And, as David notes, this is just one example of the need for strong upper-level management recruiting. Creative positions are also becoming contract positions. In short, the world of recruiting is moving fast, and Japan, as the world’s second-largest economy, must ramp up to compete in these areas.

Russell Willis interviews Ken Siegel, Managing Partner of Morrison & Foerster Japan; plus this week's headlines. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) have certainly become big news in the Japanese business scene. There is an unprecedented amount of foreign investment in Japanese companies, and Japanese companies are venturing more frequently outside of the home country. The growing M&A scene, related regulations and their effect, the realignment of top brand name companies – when it comes to doing M&A business in the world’s second largest market, Morrison & Foerster Japan are in the center of the wave. Ken shares with us his views on the nuts and bolts of how MoFo operates, key differences between tcontract law as it’s practised and understood in Japan as opposed to Western countries, and much, much more.

Russell Willis interviews Paul Riley, Managing Director of Oxford University Press Japan; plus this week's headlines. Oxford University Press spells prestige in education, all over the world. As Managing Director Paul Riley tells us, in Japan, however, OUP’s market leadership faces unique challenges: Japan-only standards of everything from marketing to identifying books. And then there’s the decreasing birthrate (Russell promises to help!). In this frank conversation, you’ll get a glimpse into the key educational publishing market in Japan.

Terri MacMillan interviews Belinda Hobbs, President and Representative Director of Harlequin K.K; plus this week's headlines. Fantasy. Escape. Rich, gorgeous men. Strong women who can be conquered by love. Harlequin K.K. has brought all of this, and more to the dreams of women all over the world. We talk with the delightful Ms. Hobbs about the challenges and opportunities of creating succes in this unique business in Japan. We cover digital marketing and distribution, the ubiquitous alpha male, Harlequin’s Japanese romance author contest, what it takes to be successful in the retail book business, and much, much more.