Bloody gaijin everywhere

Back in Japan again, hence lack of postings.

I'm struck by how many more 'foreigners' there are both in Tokyo and Kariya, just outside Nagoya, particularly in the client workplace I have been doing my training in.  Partly this is explained by it being Chinese New Year, so a lot of tourists from China and Korea, but also an increase in the numbers of foreigners working in Japan - a deliberate policy on the part of my client. 

The latter is clearly leading to some questioning of what conditions should be set for long term residence in Japan, including education of immigrant children.

And tonight on the news a newscaster said, "interesting that it takes a foreigner to point this out", not in a hostile, more in an off-the-cuff way, about Scott Mallon, ex-Morgan Stanley, 18 years in Japan, heading up an investment fund called Ichigo Asset Management Limited, who has led the first successful shareholder revolt in Japan against a proposed acquisition.  I just saw him on the news and he played it well, perfect polite Japanese, saying he was doing it on behalf of the 40 million shareholders in Japan.