Tata Cars and "Tatas" (Porn) - Hooters! Comes to Japan

What do Tata automobiles have to do with "tatas" (women's breasts)? They are related to the economic decline of Japan. Read on....

Well, one of my good friends, Neil Bevin of Springboard KK. had told me the other day that my blog was really beginning to be depressing because of all the bad news... Well, sorry, Neil, my friend, but I have to call them as I see them.

I love Japan and want to live no where else, but things sure seem to be going to hell in a hand basket really quick recently when it comes to the economy and I don't see where things are getting better. One of my other good friends, Ira Hata of Bali Energy, strongly agrees with many Japan pundits who wrote to me about my blog complaining how upper Japanese management has sold their company future down the river in order to save their own retirement pensions saying,

"You can blame this mentality on the US who's ideals have been poisoning Japanese business values for years, Mike. Heck, the concept of life-time employment (a famous symbol of Japanese business practice) went down the toilet in the early 90's. Japan has lost it's ideals, values, and identity. She should give up and become the 51st State of the US..."

It might come as some surprise to many but there are a lot of Japanese people who agree with this kind of thinking and I am not so sure that they are wrong.

What's the point? Look at this first quick article across my desk this morning made me throw my hands in the air. It talks about how India is about to surpass Japan as the largest small car maker in the world.

From Business Standard:

India aims to become the small car hub of the world by dethroning Japan, the biggest maker of compact cars, a majority of which is consumed domestically. Last year, it had pipped Brazil to become the second-largest producer of such cars. While Japan produced 3.4 million small cars between January and December in 2009, India manufactured 1.48 million units in the same period. According to a top official from Tata Motors, the country's biggest vehicle maker, India would certainly become the biggest manufacturer of compact, fuel-efficient cars, as there is a growing demand for such versatile cars worldwide.


It might seem like a stretch for me to use this as a comparison of Japan versus the USA when it comes to a loss of competitiveness (which is actually the key to all of Japan's economic problems - besides having a government that spends and spends like there's no tomorrow). But this next article really made me wonder "What the heck?"


From the Independent UK:


HOOTERS COMES TO JAPAN

The first Japanese outlet of the risque Hooters chain will arrive in Tokyo on October 25, with more than 20 of the restaurant's trademark scantily clad waiting staff to welcome American franchise owner Coby Brooks and a long list of Japanese celebrities on opening night. Tokyo is a crowded market for restaurants, with overseas franchises such as the Hard Rock Cafe and TGI Friday's already well-established here, but manager Mark Imacho believes Hooters has a very different sort of night out.

In Japan, we already have one of the most racy and wildest sex industries in the entire world.... We don't need an American "Denny's" type of restaurant bringing porn to the masses... Trust that we already have tons of this sort of thing in Japan without having a chain restaurant bringing the same sort of low-brow "entertainment" in - especially a low-class American operation like Hooters!


Or is this just another part of bringing so-called "American Culture" to the world. Call me a prude, but, this sort of decadence is not needed.

We need solid industry... We don't need more sex industry, gambling, or this sort of thing.