Keiretsu Comeback | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Keiretsu (corporate conglomerates) have been condemned by European and American auto makers for their opaque business practices and high costs but today keiretsu are being reevaluated as a way to achieve business success.

The Final Frontier | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
The business of space travel and technology has long been in the hands of a small number of large corporations. Yet in recent years, a growing number of small and medium-sized companies have entered the industry.

Try Before You Buy | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
A new kind of business in which trial products are distributed to consumers is booming. Rather than just handing them out indiscriminately, though, the aim is to target specific consumers and get feedback from them about the products.

Middle-Aged Men Get Their Groove on | Lifestyle | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Middle-aged men tend to be stereotyped as wearing dull business suits, but a new breed is on the rise: the stylish middle-aged man. Fueling this trend is a growing number of men's fashion magazines.

The Changing Face of the Japanese Office | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
More and more businesses, particularly in the information technology sector, have been transforming their offices by eliminating fixed seating arrangements and allowing their employees to work from outside the company.

Ultra-Luxury Hotels | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Foreign-owned "ultra-luxury hotels," with rates 20%�50% higher than most of their Japanese competitors, continue to open in downtown Tokyo.

Ever More Convenient | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Convenience stores no longer just sell food and everyday items but offer an amazing variety of goods and services. Many chains have recently launched specialist outlets targeted at specific groups of customers in an effort to stay ahead of the pack.

All Part of the Service | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
A growing number of taxi operators in provincial areas of Japan have introduced innovative services to attract passengers.

Free Photocopying Service Takes Off | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Free photocopying facilities funded by corporate advertising printed on the back of the paper are proving a big hit at universities in the Tokyo area. Known as tadakopi ("free copying"), the scheme was set up by Oceanize, a student start-up venture.

Egg-Vertising | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Eggs are being used as the latest innovative advertising medium. In February 2007 Japan got its first egg-based advertisement, with Nissin Food Products, the company that invented instant noodles, becoming the country's first "ovular advertiser."

A Map For Publishing Success | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Informative maps focusing on themes like world affairs, history, and even earthquakes and other disasters have become popular among Japanese readers. These thematic, informative maps are the product of a new strategy publishing firms have adopted amid adverse market conditions.

Payback Time | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Now that Japan's economy is on the upswing, the nation's major banks are speeding up their repayments of the funds the government provided them to sort out the bad-loan crisis of the 1990s.

Fast-Food Exports | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Yoshinoya, a Japanese chain of fast-food restaurants, is quickly becoming a household name in China's capital city. As of the end of August 2005, the company had 67 restaurants in Beijing. Yoshinoya is one of several Japanese restaurant chains making serious inroads throughout Asia.

Books as Billboards | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
One of the hottest trends in Japan right now is book jackets. Made of high-quality paper and sporting elaborate and colorful designs, many of them bear corporate logos and brand images.

Listen and Learn | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Foreign-language dictionaries, whether paper or electronic, have long been seen and not heard. But that is changing quickly with the growing popularity of a slew of advanced "talking" electronic dictionaries.

Coinless Lockers | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
New types of coin lockers are appearing in train stations around the country. Some can be paid for by a swipe of an electronic money card or cellular phone, and others have enough space to store big suitcases.

Barcode Art | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Up to now, barcodes have been nothing more than a dull collection of black and white stripes of differing thickness, but that is all about to change. A Japanese company making these codes that are printed on almost every product sold in stores nowadays into fun, innovative advertisements.

Reading On The Move | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
A growing number of people are reading novels and other books on their mobile phones and computers. Easy to access and a cinch to carry around, these electronic books are convenient and, thanks to plans offering unlimited data transmissions at a fixed rate, reasonably priced as well.

Haneda Airport Gets a New Terminal | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Haneda Airport's new Terminal 2, which opened on December 1, 2004, was built to ease congestion at Japan's busiest airport.

Japan's Newest International Airport | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Air travel to and from Japan became a lot more convenient on February 17. This day marked the opening of Central Japan International Airport not far from the major city of Nagoya.