Known as Oyatoi Gaikokujin (hired foreigners), these outside adviser were well compensated for consulting on matters of engineering, architecture, medical and legal affairs. Breaking with Japanese business tradition Ghosn began to slash thousands of jobs and sold off assets, which made him not so popular in the public’s eye. Relatively low salaries offered by many companies in Japan. In addition, foreigners in Japan should not expect much in compensation when it comes to your educational background and experience.

I recently attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Center and observed a disturbing yet interesting marketing ploy. THQ Games teamed up with “Pyongyang Express” (a mobile Korean/Mexican fusion kitchen that cruises around LA) in order to promote the new game “Homefront,” which envisions a fictitious not so distant future in which a unified Korea controls most of the world. As I made my way to the Convention Hall I began to notice signs that read “check point ahead” and North Korean flags on vehicles in …

Nike’s plan to develop Miyashita park in Shibuya and turn it into a recreational facility has apparently hit a snag. Nike is no stranger to controversy with allegations of abuse, underage workers, low wages and long working hours in its Asian factories.

One may ask is this a new trend? Or is it something that has been going on for years? Are these isolated incidents? Or is there a greater deep seeded problem in Japanese law enforcement and correctional institutions?

(Global Immigration Counsel)
With allegation of abuse and poor living conditions at immigration detention centers in Japan, several detainees have begun a hunger strike in protest. Roughly 60 detainees housed at the East Japan Immigration Control Center located in Ushiku have been on a hunger strike in protest of poor conditions at the facility. The Japan Times online has stated that a spokesman for the detention center says that about 30 detainees, not 60 have refused meals since Monday. Many of the detainees claim to be political refugees and can not …

The Japan Times reports:
A draft obtained Tuesday of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s plan for the Futenma air base specifies the Henoko district in Nago,Okinawa Prefecture, as the relocation site — in line with the existing deal signed by Tokyo and Washington fours years ago.
The draft states that the government will construct a 1,600- to 1,800-meter runway around “Henoko in the city of Nago where the coast of (the U.S. Marines’) Camp Schwab is located” and that experts from both Japan and the U.S. should study the technical feasibility of construction methods …

(Kyodo Photo).
As discussions continue regarding the fate of U.S. bases in Okinawa dominate the headlines in Japan, some may wonder whether or not the presence of the US in Japan hinders or helps the people of this Island nation. Some may debate if Japan’s Prime Minister Hatoyama is handling the situation properly, while other may wonder if the U.S. is simply bulling Japan to continue to allow the U.S. presence in Okinawa. A new documentary may give a bit more incite into the training and day to day life …

Recent incidents such as the Japanese Coast Guard obtaining an arrest warrant for Captain Paul Watson, the cancellation of “The Cove” screening at a U.S. Military base in Japan and the dismissal of charges against a popular sushi restaurant will most likely spark the flame of controversy. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, CA have set in place a motion to dismiss charges against a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, CA that admitted to serving meat of an endangered whale.

By now you know that Japan will open a military base in Djibouti, a small African state strategically located at the southern end of the Red Sea on the Gulf of Aden, to counter rising piracy in the region. You also probably know that the pirates are hijacking ships and demanding loot. Beyond that, what else do you know about the pirates, their homeland and the region? What else is at stake for Japan?
[Via Open Democracy] “Japanese policy-makers are well aware of the productive base of African economies (as suppliers of primary goods) …

The Japanese Government has until the end of May 2010 to decide where to relocate the Marine Corps Air Station Futemma. Under an existing agreement with the United States signed in 2006 the U. S. military air station would be moved from the highly populated area of Ginowan in Okinawa to the northern Okinawan US Marine Camp Schwab in Nago.

The existing agreement is estimated to cost approximately 10.3 billion US dollars and would see 8,000 of the 20,000 US troops currently stationed in Japan’s southernmost prefecture relocated from Okinawa to …