I am not sure if it is a trend reversal, or just the fact that there is less of a tax incentive, but I was happy to read an article in the Nikkei Weekly last week about the fact that Japanese beer manufacturers are now turning their attention back to real beer. For the past [...]

The annual earthquake preparedness drill was conducted today – it’s held on the anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Below are Koizumi and Tokyo Governor Ishihara in their special “we-are-ready-for-a-disaster” outfits: I won’t spend any time commenting on Ishihara, but, if you don’t know who he is, you can get a decent overview from [...]