Featured Articles
Where Will You Be in 2030?
Twenty years from today – what kind of world will we be living in? Japan's population will still be dropping, after the tipping point we reached in 2005, and according to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) statistics it will be about 12 million less than today, namely 115.22 million in 2030. Accelerated graying of the population will mean that people over 65 will be one in three instead of today's one in five, and consequently the working population will be down by about 10.7 million. But because workers are fewer in number, does that mean current worries about unemployment will be resolved?
Working with Japan
Working with Translators
By Patricia Pringle
A Long Audit Checklist
Takayuki Kato and Minoru Okada are in the US for three days of meetings to go over a checklist of audits needed for compliance with Japanese regulations. Two weeks before, they had sent a translated checklist to Frank, the factory manager at their branch company in the US, with instructions to perform the tests described in it. "Why does Frank have so many questions about each test?" Kato wonders. "The list is very clear. We only have three days to get through 85 items. We are halfway through the first day, and we have only covered five items. Why wasn’t Frank prepared? We should just be checking these off one after the other."
Products Of The Month
Loveable and Talented
Takara Tomy's "Micro Pets" series is now up to a dozen different dogs, cats, bears, and rabbits. They might be tiny, but they are clever. Two clicks activate their built-in sensors that permit them to "stroll" while avoiding collision with obstacles in their path. Click one three times, and it will playfully chase a tiny ball. Four times, and it can “sing” two songs, including Leon Jessel’s “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.” And when two meet together they will even form a duet and harmonize.
Contents
2010 January Contents
Contents of the month
Ranking
SAVINGHow do you save on the cost of a meal? Source: INTERWIRED (Conducted among people of all ages)
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