Five years ago today, this blog published an article analysing the immediate implications of the National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong on 30 June 2020. The central argument at …
In our experience working with Japanese organizations and international professionals operating in and from Japan, a number of recurring misconceptions continue to affect cross-border projects, internal alignment, and long-term performance. …
An increasing number of foreign professionals in Japan encounter difficulties that are often attributed to specific incidents or misunderstandings, but which, at their core, stem from an underestimation of cultural …
For professionals working in communication, management, or international business, living and operating in East Asia—particularly in countries such as Japan or China—offers a level of practical learning that is difficult …
Following the strong response to our previous article on key relational concepts in Japan, we would like to explore another fundamental aspect of Japanese professional culture: hierarchy. This topic remains …
Contrary to common assumptions, censorship is not exclusive to authoritarian systems. Even democratic societies deploy mechanisms that limit or shape public discourse, whether through regulation, media concentration, public relations strategies …
It is often said that an image can say more than a thousand words. A photograph shared a few weeks ago on Twitter by @arai_yusaku illustrates this idea particularly well. …
In every war, regardless of its nature or historical period, one of the most fiercely contested battlefields is information. Aeschylus famously wrote that truth is the first casualty of war, …
Conflicts, much like human nature, tend to be unpredictable. Yet when we know the actors — or the territory — well enough, while we may not be able to predict …
This month has shown how an issue that initially appears to be purely technical — mobile phone batteries overheating and, in some cases, catching fire — can rapidly escalate into …
