My opinion this week(129)

All Japan Amateur Sport Tournament

�@ For long time, I have some doubt about the existence of All Japan Amateurs
Sport Tournament. While Olympic Games is held once in every four years, 
this national event is held every year sponsored by a prefecture. Since the
game started after the World War II, some prefectures sponsor the game second
time now. Many kind of sports including track and fields are competed in the 
game. That's fine to that extent. But it is very strange that the prefecture
which sponsored the game for the year have surely won the Emperor Award, the
first prize, in the competition. There is no exception for it, as far as 
I know the history. No body has ever doubted on that fact. I know  the fact, 
but I have never had any special interest on it myself for I specifically have
no interest on the game itself.

�@It has been decided that Kouchi Prefecture will sponsor the game in the
year 2002. In the Home Page of Japan Amateurs Sport Association, I found a
picture showing that the Governor Hashimoto had been granted the certificate
of the sponsorship for the year 2002. There are another two years to prepare
for the game and the prefecture appointed for the sponsorship must make all
efforts to prepare for it. It is true that some big economic effects and 
advantages are expected for sponsoring prefectures. 

  Under such circumstances, however, the Governor Hashimoto of Kouchi 
Prefecture has made a kind of surprising comment last week on this issue.
He said that Kouchi Prefecture would not stick to the past tradition that 
the sponsoring prefectures had been granted the full advantage of winning
the Emperor Award without fail in the past years. Mr. Hashimoto's comment
had caused a great disputes among leaders of All Japan Amateurs Sport 
Association and the related organization of Kouchi Prefecture. Some big 
advantages which have been enjoyed by players and leaders of such groups
will be lost once the word of Mr. Hashimoto comes true. So far as any 
players represent the sponsoring prefectures, they have had a bigger chance
to become a champion in each games. I have no ideas how they arrange the
total games to attain such result, but it is true that the Association have
arranged them so tactfully that the sponsoring prefectures will win the
Award without any exception.

�@ Mr. Hashimoto have just doubted  about such conventional system.
Some people from local sport associations protested  Mr.Hashimoto based
on the notion that his understanding is totally against the past tradition
of the game. Mr. Hashimoto replied to the protest saying that all of games
must be competed fairly without any political and intentional arrangement.
I agree with him 100%. Some newspapers reported the fact about this,  but
none mentioned too much about such irregular and unfair fact that we have 
seen so far for so many years in the past. No unfair and irregular deeds
have ever been involved with each games themselves but a number of 
irregular and unfair arrangements have been made so that the sponsoring 
prefectures are able to win the Emperor Award for sure.

  Whenever a prefecture hold the game, a tremendous amount of money and
works will be necessary. It will provide a great burden on the people who
work for it. And the Emperor Award must have been a big reward to them. 
But it is wrong when they say that such reward is necessary to motive them
to work hard to make it successful. Such kind of sense is not normal from
my point of view, It seems that some of those Japanese malpractice of business
on unfair negotiation among monopolistic groups are also transported to 
the sport world.

  I wonder why some other groups and people of Kouchi Prefecture are not 
supporting what Mr. Hashimoto said. I also wish to see that some of those 
mass-media should start supporting Mr. Hashimoto critisizing that such bad
practice followed by All Japan Amateurs Sport Association should be abolished
in coming 21st century.

1999/8/7
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(130)

A poor infrastructure of Japanese leisure industries

  After a while, I went out for a trip during summer vacation. That is a
very pleasant leisure trip with my wife and two little kids. It sounds nice
but actually the trip is to let those kids enjoy their summer vacation. 
Well, that is a kind of volunteer work provided by our couple. We had almost
exhausted ourselves when we finished it. Of course, we are satisfied with
the time we spent with those kids.

  After leaving Takamatu, we went to Shimizu to stay a night where is famous
for Miho no Matubara, Pine Grove of Miho by picking up those kids at Nagoya.
Then we went to my house in Tokyo staying three nights. We went out to visit
Seibuen Amusement Park  nearby and Amusement Park of famous animation 
character in Tama Center. The highlight of our whole trip was that Amusement
Park  which had been requested by the elder sister of two kids for a long 
time before. The Park was very crowded at this time of the year of summer 
vacation. It rained a cat and a dog on that day when we visited there, but 
the Park was very very crowded even in such bad weather condition.

  Although we expected  some crowds for it was the day when the Bon Festival
started, but we had never imagined such a big crowd at all. We could endure
the crowds as a matter of fact. However, what we could not endure is the 
contents of goods and services provided by the Park. They are all very
expensive for the level of quality of goods and services, according to my
observation.

  It cost 2000 Yen for an adult and 1000 Yen for a child just for an admission.
Any events and shows cost 500 yen and 1000 Yen per each an event and a show. 
No discount for children as far as those events and shows are concerned. If a 
visitor buys a passport at the entrance, he could see all events and shows just
by paying 4000 Yen. That sounds reasonable. But actually that is not so as a
matter of fact.

  In order to see each events and shows, visitors have to make a long line for
them spending long time such as 80 minutes to 60 minutes in average. After such
a long wait by appeasing complaining kids, those events and shows had been 
found out not quite exciting and dramatic lasting  only about 10 minutes or so.
Adult visitors felt relieved to see that kids had been pleased to see them ,
but some demanding visitors like myself had some serious complaints about 
such long wait for such low quality goods and seivices.

  Although visitors buy passports, they are able to see just five or six 
events and shows , the waiting time of which are so long in five or six 
hours during their one day stay there.  Each events and shows cost so high 
at any rate. In addition, any foods and drinks at restaurants and stands are
very expensive. too. Suppose a parents and two children spend a day there,
it cost easily more than 15,000 Yen.

  Those kids went to Disney Land last summer with their parents. According
to their parents, they had to wait 80 to 100 minutes to see any events and 
shows there also. Even under very hot sunshine.

  Well, some one may say: "If you don't like to wait, you should not go there.
That's all."  I know it. But what I want to say is that if there were any
better means to avoid such long wait. We could endure the high cost.  But 
I could not endure such a long wait at ll. There must be some way to improve
it by introducing reservation system or issuing a kind of boarding ticket
or installing  conveyor show presentation system or something. 

  I have seen a poor infrastructure of Japanese leisure industries. Under
such strong seller's markets, they are not quite aggressive and positive
to improve their low quality goods and service, forcing such severe endurance
to their customers. I would like to warn that there would  be no future for
their business, unless they would make more effort to improve the quality of
their goods and services.

1999/8/21
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(131):

A merger of three big banks

  On August 29th, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Fuji Bank and the Industrial Bank 
of Japan  announced that they had decided to form an alliance to create the 
world's largest banking group in terms of assets. They said that the trio 
are going to merge into a single holding company. When executed, the three-way
merger by the leading banks would create the world's largest banking group 
with assets of more than 140 trillion yen. The plan under consideration
envisions the establishment of a joint holding company by autumn 2000 for 
retail banking operations, investment banking and brokerage units. They also
try to reduce about 150 shops all over the country, and to reduce 6,000 
employees to attain 100 billion yen cost reduction in total.

  Compared with the merger of banks and other financial institutions in the
past, this merger has been appreciated by mass media as a new form of merger, 
preparing for increasing hard competition in the market named "Big Bang" of 
financial world. On the other hands, there are several criticism among mass
media presenting doubt about their real capacity to create some new business, 
products and services which will be quite competitive in the international
market. How can those Japanese banks which have been got used to conventional 
Japanese Convoy Ship system change their character just by merger?

  Some mass media made some severe comments saying that it is wrong if they
think that they could be stronger just by becoming bigger in size. The 
quality of management of the new organization is more important than its 
size. In addition, I myself have one other concern about their announcement.
They announced that they would start the new alliance in the fall of next 
year after about one year. Needless to say, I understand the necessity to
prepare for a lot of merging process of three different firms.

  But today is the day of dog years. So many changes happen in a very short
period of time. Frankly speaking, I wonder if they spend so much time 
preparing for it,  Suppose they are American or European firms, they would
do all such process in a half, or one third of the time. They should not 
forget the fact that time or speed are the most important factor to survive
in the competitive market today.

  The lack of sense for speed of Japanese banks is obvious when we see various
services of Japanese banks. If we ask a housing loan to a Japanese bank, it
will take at least two weeks before we get it. In addition. we are asked 
to present so many number of documents to a bank. If it is an American or
European bank, it will take only 30 minutes to get it. 

  Some Japanese banks start Telephone Banking service today. Such serifs
have been very common ones for any foreign banks operating in Japan . 
Consumers can get various banking service through telephone call without 
going to their shops in the town. There are many time saving deposits 
the interest rate of which is rather high such as 5% or more from those
foreign banks. No such high interest deposit are available  among Japanese
banks as a matter of fact.

  Well, as one of a Japanese, we welcome the news that the biggest bank in 
terms of asset will be born in Japan. But from consumer's point of view, we
will just ask : "So what?"  As one of a consumer, we expect that they could
provide a kind of more attractive goods and services than they are providing
today. We will also pay more attention if they could foster many venture 
businesses from now on rather than sticking to firm in conventional heavy 
industries. This is our sincere hope and concern for the new banking firm
coming up in next fall.

1999/8/28
Tadashi HAYASE