japanamerica

My Op-Ed in the Christian Science Monitor : Toyota and trust: Was the Akio Toyoda apology lost in translation?

"Japanese presidents are team leaders who coordinate everyone's views and care intensely about peer opinion because confrontation must be avoided, she told The Associated Press. This nation has a special phrase to describe such behind-the-scenes consensus-building, ''nemawashi,'' which translates as ''laying the groundwork.'' Neglecting nemawashi is considered a foolish and sure way to walk into failure. Nemawashi is bureaucratic and time-consuming, but once a decision is made, everyone is on the same page, and action proceeds quickly without infighting. 'A Japanese company president has to seek consensus through patient meetings, gentle and shrewd nemawashi, and all sorts of very subtle backroom dealings and such,' says Roland Kelts, lecturer at the University of Tokyo. 'It's a much greater, more sophisticated and complex balancing act.''' --By Yuri Kageyama LINK

"When Toyoda made that sort of apology in Japan, Roland Kelts, from the University of Tokyo, pointed out to ABC News that the executive had bowed very deeply. 'The deeper the bow,' said Kelts, 'the greater respect you show, and quite literally you are exposing the back of your neck. In samurai days, you were offering your head, which could be cut off.'" LINK

''Perhaps he can walk the tightrope between global and Japanese expectations and demands,'' said Roland Kelts, author of ''Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.'' and a lecturer at the University of Tokyo. ''I say give him time.' LINK

SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS / Anime must eventually transcend Japan 'national' brand Roland Kelts / Special to The Daily Yomiuri The Super Bowl, the biggest American football game of the year, might as well be called the Super Brand in honor of all the advertisers who try to get a piece of its huge U.S. audience. But even as I was being dazzled by the commercial hoopla watching the game in person this month in Miami, I was reminded that the brand getting the most attention in the United States these days is a Japanese one: Toyota. An American television network contacted me for an interview about a sudden, late-night press conference held by Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda, whose brand was taking a beating over massive global recalls. I watched the press conference with some dismay. From an American perspective, Toyoda looked blinkered and fuzzy, bowing halfheartedly and reading from a prepared statement before stumbling through some impromptu English comments, apparently

Here: Japanese Jazz Opera So a colleague sent me a link to a video. It had been forwarded to him by another friend: you know how it goes. The video is titled: “Japanese Jazz Opera”. And here’s how it begins. Yep, that’s ‘Now’s The Time’, by Charlie Parker. Only in the video it’s sung by an old peasant couple, with Japanese lyrics. The setting is a kind of studio version of an olden-days Japanese village. They seem to be actors in some kind of elaborate comedy skit. But before you have a chance to consider what might be going on, they move on to Miles Davis. Superficially the video, which runs to about ten minutes, is just spectacularly odd. But still, what IS it? I turned for help to Roland Kelts. He’s the author of Japanamerica – and splits his time between Tokyo and the US. It didn’t take Kelts long to recognize the actor playing the part of the old peasant woman — a middle-aged man in sunglasses. KELTS: “In Japan, this guy Tamori, the comedian behind this video, this show, is every

My conversation with NPR's Brooke Gladstone of "On the Media" about Schadenfreude and revived 'Japan-bashing' in the wake of Toyota's troubles, airing on NPR stations this weekend in the US. TRANSCRIPT courtesy of NPR: BROOKE GLADSTONE: [LAUGHS] The air is rife with apology. [MUSIC UP AND UNDER] TOYOTA SPOKESMAN: For over 50 years, providing you with safe, reliable, high-quality vehicles has been our first priority. BROOKE GLADSTONE: Toyota is mending fences just as fast as it can. TOYOTA SPOKESMAN: In recent days our company hasn't been living up to the standards that you've come to expect from us or that we expect from ourselves. BROOKE GLADSTONE: And, not a moment too soon. According to a study released this week by Kelley Blue Book, which assesses car values and prices for buyers and sellers, more than 27 percent of those who were considering a Toyota prior to the recall now say they no longer are, and the Toyota brand has dropped to third place,

Here's a slightly different angle with reporting from Tokyo and me in Miami via ABC's "Good Morning America," taking into account shame and suicide at the corporate level.

Just getting my bearings back after a week in Miami at the Super Bowl and a week in NYC talking Toyota with the US media. Here's my interview with ABC's Brian Ross of World News Tonight.

Off to Super Bowl in South Beach w/Saints, Colts and The Who. [pic of me and PT in NYC.]