JAPAN TODAY

 

TOKYO — When it comes to obtaining news and lifestyle information in English, it’s fair to say that Japan is no longer a closed society. The Internet has made it possible for new websites and publications to emerge frequently, meeting various needs of the increasingly growing English speaking population in Japan. But the business front is another story, especially as far as professional and timely content is concerned. The reemergence of Toyo Keizai’s Tokyo Business Today is, therefore, a welcome arrival.

The October 2015 launch of the business news site traces back to the company’s long history of publishing corporate news in Japanese and English. Toyo Keizai was one of the first Japanese media companies to issue an English language publication as early as in 1934 when The Oriental Economist, a monthly magazine modelled after Britain’s The Economist, first reached Japan’s magazine racks, serving as the prime source of business information on Japan at the time. The magazine lasted until the mid-1990s after undergoing several major changes, including its name and publication frequency.

“Folding the magazine was a result of the general trend at the time. As the bubble burst in the mid-‘90s, interest in Japanese business news gradually declined,” says Misa Kurasawa, the editor of Tokyo Business Today. “But currently there is an increasing demand for different types of news about Japan from all over the world. Our news has the power to impact the stock market. That is why we felt it was only natural to relaunch our English news site.”

Faithful to its roots, the new Tokyo Business Today focuses on publishing a good selection of insightful business articles and research online in English, including a dedicated lineup of train-related stories. The majority of its contents are currently translated from the company’s weekly magazine Shukan Toyo Keizai or its online media channel Tokyo Keizai Online, though occasionally, the site also features outsourced lifestyle and cultural articles in anticipation that “no one probably wants to read business stories over the weekend.”

“What makes us different from other publications is that we have hundreds of reporters, each specializing in a specific business field or topic,” Kurasawa, who worked as a technology reporter for Toyo Keizai and Nikkei in New York for five years prior to returning to Japan, says, emphasizing that quality and professionalism are the two pillars the news site stands on. “When selecting business stories for the site, we always think of what is of high interest for non-Japanese English speakers. Stories on big companies such as Sony or Toyota get a lot of interest, for example.”

Six months into the relaunch of the site, Tokyo Business Today is gradually attracting a solid, dedicated readership. When it published a story on why a famous Japanese train buff dislikes being called “train girl” in a feature on sexism in Japan, the Discovery Channel approached the writer, expressing their wish to explore her story through a personal interview. “That was a very happy occasion for us,” Kurasawa recalls.

The site’s summary of Tokyo’s most difficult stations to navigate was also picked up by Reddit, going viral. A regular feature examining the links between Noh, a Japanese traditional performing art, and the Japanese corporate mind by an American journalist and regular contributor, has also attracted high popularity.

Looking ahead, Tokyo Business Today plans on increasing original contents, including adding regular features on Japanese business etiquette and manners. “We want to be a medium that provides a professional insight from a Japanese point of view to a foreign audience who are interested in Japan,” says Kurasawa, who acknowledges that producing such contents can be a challenge for a Japanese company attempting to reach an English-speaking audience.

“Many people say that when producing contents in English, it has to be from a foreigner’s point of view. While we certainly take this into consideration, we also strongly believe that as long as the content is interesting, informative and innovative, it will reach a good audience. We want to focus on producing quality content. We want to have good readers, quality readers, a dedicated community. Quality comes first.”

Tokyo Business Today is also dedicated to attracting new contributors who can assist them in delivering high quality news resources. “Finding good translators and writers, who also have business knowledge is extremely challenging,” Kurasawa admits.
Japan Today