Category: Japan

  • Why it’s not crazy to root for Sony

    I ought to be feeling a little schadenfreude at the struggles of Sony, the legendary electronics firm that just projected its biggest ever loss of more than $6 billion.

    sony walkman, courtesy conceivablytech.com
    My first job out of college was at Panasonic (formally called Matsushita Electric) which is a bigger, older company that always had arguably better technology but lacked the marketing pizzaz of the upstart. I was taught that Sony wasn't much more than a few trendy products.

    But over the years I've been secretly hoping that Sony management would somehow find a way to integrate hardware, software and content to create a serious competitor to Apple, Microsoft and the others. That sure didn't happen. After years of drift, Sony just named a new CEO, who announced some restructuring and recalibrated direction.

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  • Why conventional wisdom on Japan is wrong

    The anniversary of the Fukushima tsunami and nuclear disaster is just the latest unpleasant news from Japan. There's also the recent failure of a huge electronics company, Japan's widening trade deficit and ongoing political paralysis.

    courtesy of popwuping.comSince I spent my 20s living and working in Japan, people often ask me whether the country can rebound amid news like this.

    That premise is wrong. There's plenty of positive change in Japan and reasons to expect better ahead. In many cases we would be lucky to follow their lead.

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