FirstPoint Japan

TV As A Mirror Of Society

8/12/2014

By Mike Rogers, MarketingJapan, Universal Vision Ltd., and Smart Research
& James Santagata, Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge

TV as a Mirror of Society

I met the boss of the biggest international television network in the world the other day. He is a Canadian. He travels all over the world and, because he is in the TV business, he told me that one of his favorite things to do in every country was to judge by TV commercials what things were important to that particular society.

Japan's TV commercials? Insurance for this or that; home sales; automobiles; financial instruments and plans; candy, cosmetics, fast food... Companies like Zurich, Sekisui, Kanebo.... Japanese commercials that soft sell and are emotive commercials.

I think that's right.

He also told me that he was "astounded" by just how many over the counter drug medication commercials there were on US TV all the time. US TV commercials? Drugs, Cholesterol, Machismo ("my ding-a-ling is bigger than yours" commercials); fast food; commercials to make your dick hard, make it soft, put you to sleep, keep you awake, lower blood pressure, lose weight; not to mention commercials galore for people with extreme anxiety and panic attacks.

Oh, and don't forget the side effects disclaimers! Cholesterol, etc.

[read more] tv as society's mirror

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English Doesn't Matter As Japan Ranks 40th of 48 Countries in TOEIC Scores

7/24/2014

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Japan ranked toward the bottom of the list in an internationally recognized test of English for nonnative speakers.

Japanese test-takers ranked 40th of 48 countries in 2013 on their average score on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), organized by Educational Testing Service, a private, nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization.

Japan scored an average of 512 points out of a possible 990, placing it between Mexico with 535, and Thailand with 493.

So does this matter?

The answer is yes and no. Mostly no.

And that is because of the Tip of the Spear or the Tip of the Sword Theory.

Tip Of The Spear Theory

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Does Japan Really Need Nore English-speakers? The Tip of The Sword Strategy Says No

5/9/2014

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By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge

If it seems that we're under a constant barrage of the Western Media Myth (WMM) that (a) Japan is "failing" and that (b) this "failure" is primarily due to Japan's "talent problem" don't fret because we are.

Further, we are told that Japan's supposed "lack of talent" has manifested itself in such as way as to be responsible for Japan's supposed "lack of creativity" and "lack of innovation"".

But not to worry according to the WMM as we're then told that these "problems" that Japan faces can simply solved by (a) increasing the number of English-speaking Japanese and (b) internationalizing "backwards" Japanese-only speaking Japanese and (c) increasing the number of immigrants in Japan, preferably by engaging in a sort of US-Open Bordersfashion.
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The Western Media's argument or framing of the issues, especially in terms of Japan's supposed lack of "English-speaking" talent becomes even more silly when we consider that it ignores what I have deemed the "tip of the spear" or "tip of the sword" strategy.
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[more] Understanding The Tip Of The Sword

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(Expert Interview, audio): Graduate Admission Guru, Adam Markus

10/22/2013

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What does it take to get into a top graduate school program?

What is a graduate admissions consultant, what do they do, how do they work, who do they help and can you benefit from working with one?

Today, Adam Markus a Graduate Admissions Consultant with over 16 years experience in international education as a counselor, blogger, instructor, manager, and marketer in the US and Japan joins us.

Listen as Adam discusses all of these topics and more...

Since 2001, his clients have been consistently admitted to the world’s top MBA programs. Would you like to know how he does it?

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The Blue-Eyed Samurai – Kim Christian Botho Pedersen (Asia Biz)

9/27/2013

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FirstPoint Japan's Advisory Board member, Kim Pedersen, was just interviewed by Asia Biz's Howard Lim. This is a very fascinating interview as Kim is one of the few foreigners to have been educated in the Japanese public school system rather than shipping of to the English-language curriculum's found in the international schools.

Kim Christian Botho Pedersen is an enigma in all good sense of the word. He is Danish by blood, born in Denmark and moved to Japan at an early age. Instead of attending an International school – where most of the instruction is in English – Kim`s parents decided to send him to Japanese school. He is one of only a few foreigners who have attained “Native-level” Japanese in reading, writing, and speaking.

Kim runs his own consulting firm mx2 where he focuses on bringing technical and consumer products from Denmark and Europe to Japan. The company also offers a number of value added services to the Japanese market, including; market-research, Japan Country Manager, and inter-cultural communication consulting to bridge some of the gaps and misunderstandings that may arise from doing business between the East and West.

Can you find Kim? (click to enlarge)

Roukan.com's Work Environment Surveys Solution Is Now An Official Sponsor of FirstPoint Japan

8/24/2013

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A big thanks goes out to Roukan.com as Roukan.com's Work Environment Surveys Solution Is Now An Official Sponsor of FirstPoint Japan.

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LDP Looks To Double JET Program’s Ranks In Three Years (Japan Times)

4/24/2013

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The number of teachers hired for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program would be doubled in three years under a proposal drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to boost Japan’s global competitiveness and nurture international talent.

According to the draft of a midterm report by the LDP’s economic revitalization headquarters obtained Monday, the number of JET teachers would be increased to 10,000 from about 4,360 in 2012. The teachers also would be dispatched to all elementary, junior high and high schools within 10 years.

The JET Program was targeted for wasteful spending by the Democratic Party of Japan’s “shiwake” government revitalization unit before the young party was kicked out of power in the Lower House election in December.

The LDP views the use of native English speakers as vital to improving English-speaking ability at a time when it is moving toward making a passing score on the Test of English as Foreign Language mandatory for entering and graduating from college.

The proposal is in line with the growth strategies Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mapped out last Friday ahead of the July Upper House election. The strategies include globalizing the Japanese workforce and increasing the number of women in it by extending the length of maternity leave to three years from 18 months.

The proposal will be part of Abe’s real basic economic policies, which are being compiled by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy for release in June — just a month before the House of Councilors election in July.

MORE: LDP LOOKS TO DOUBLE JET PROGRAM'S RANKS

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LPD Panel: TOEFL Vital To Communicate In English (Japan Times)

4/7/2013

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To communicate in English, TOEFL is vital: LDP panel
Focus urged on speaking, not the written word

English-language education at public schools should shift in emphasis to verbal communications skills, and for that purpose, universities must adopt the Test of English as a Foreign Language for entrance exams, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party’s education reform panel said.

If the TOEFL is introduced in line with the panel’s proposal, it would drastically change public English-language education at junior high and high schools, Toshiaki Endo, head of the panel and a Lower House member from Yamagata Prefecture, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times.

“Efforts have been made for years to improve (English-language education at public schools), but little has been changed,” Endo said, arguing such schools have failed to teach students practical English and train them to communicate in the language.

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More Than Half Of Japanese Students See Career Success As Unnecessary

3/29/2013

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Only 9 percent of Japanese high school students surveyed last year said they strongly hope for success in their careers, a sign that the country's economic woes may be curbing the ambition of its youth.

The Japan Youth Research Institute sent questionnaires to 6,600 high school students of Japan, the United States, China and South Korea between September and November.

The results, released on March 26, showed Japanese students have a much lower drive to succeed than students of the other three countries.

"(The findings show) that they may think it is enough just to get a job," an institute official said. "The weak economy may have contributed to (the results)."

According to the survey, 37 percent of Chinese students, 30 percent of U.S. students and 19 percent of South Korean students strongly hope they will be professionally successful, while only 9 percent of Japanese students hope for the same.

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Japanese Language: You Don’t Have A Foreign Language Problem, You Have An Adult Literacy Problem

3/17/2013

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By khatzumoto

This article is super long, so here’s a Cliff’s Notes. There’s a total of 3 parts.

Part 1 is a brief history of why people still talk smack about Sinoxenic (kanji-using) languages, leading to

Part 2 where we realize that when dealing with any language, Sinoxenic or otherwise, what we are dealing with is not a foreign language problem, but an adult illiteracy problem; finally, in

Part 3, we find that Pedro will make all your dreams come true, and also solve your adult illiteracy issues…

Pedro?

Part 1: Pens, Swords and Missionaries
Back in the day, the various nations of the western peninsula of the Eurasian landmass had just gotten done recovering from a massive thousand-year hangover after a drunken party in which they had destroyed their only stable nation-state, along with all its accumulated knowledge and human expertise, and proceeded to brutally brawl amongst themselves using weapons inspired by S&M movies.

Finally able to stand on their own feet, they set about sharing their extensive experience in violence with the world, with anyone and everyone they met. Theirs was a three-pronged approach, perhaps the most comprehensive offensive in human history, making use of the pen, the sword, and a cadre of highly trained psychologists called “missionaries”.

TV As A Mirror Of Society

English Doesn't Matter As Japan Ranks 40th of 48 Countries in TOEIC Scores

Does Japan Really Need Nore English-speakers? The Tip of The Sword Strategy Says No

(Expert Interview, audio): Graduate Admission Guru, Adam Markus

The Blue-Eyed Samurai – Kim Christian Botho Pedersen (Asia Biz)

Roukan.com's Work Environment Surveys Solution Is Now An Official Sponsor of FirstPoint Japan

LDP Looks To Double JET Program’s Ranks In Three Years (Japan Times)

LPD Panel: TOEFL Vital To Communicate In English (Japan Times)

More Than Half Of Japanese Students See Career Success As Unnecessary

Japanese Language: You Don’t Have A Foreign Language Problem, You Have An Adult Literacy Problem

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