Nikkei Workshop - Waseda University · Nikkei Workshop December 7th, 2015 1 Report – 1 (Waseda...

Nikkei WorkshopDecember 7th, 2015

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Report – 1 (Waseda Student)

AIMS Nikkei Asian Review Workshop Report

As an avid reader of Nikkei Asian Review, I was thrilled to be given the

opportunity to visit Nikkei`s office to witness first hand the everyday operations and

strategies required to develop NAR. Since English is my first language, I obtain most of

my news from English based news sources. But after moving to Japan, much of the news

that I was interested in regarding Asia was only available in Japanese or not available

at all. Therefore, having stumbled upon Nikkei Asian Review I regard it as one of my

most invaluable sources of information when it comes to current events in Asia.

I had never seen the production and distribution of newspapers before, so I was

extremely impressed by the precision and efficiency by which Nikkei runs their

operations. The automatic dollies added a futuristic feel to the factory, and the giant

rolls of printing paper being shifted around were a sight to behold. Although the world is

quickly shifting to digital press, I myself am still a big fan of tangible newspapers and

was glad to see that (at least in Japan) paper based news seems to be here to stay. The

staffs that guided us were extremely friendly and happy to answer any questions. I was

also very shocked and impressed by their English language skills.

At the Nikkei head office, we were able to witness the work that is put into

organizing and assembling the Nikkei Asian Review magazines. I was amazed to learn

that such a small team was able to produce the entire Nikkei Asian Review. The final

part of the workshop consisted of a presentation by the marketing side of Nikkei Asian

Review. It was interesting to hear about the different types of advertising and events

that were held in order to promote the Nikkei Asian Review and was glad to be able to

contribute some suggestions for improvements regarding NAR. Once again thank you for

the wonderful opportunity and I look forward to the continuous development and growth

of one of my favorite magazines.


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Nikkei Workshop Report

I participated in Nikkei Workshop held Dec. 7th. It was very interesting to see

how our newspapers were made. Although I enjoy reading newspapers, I have never

thought of their background. A few years ago, I saw a TV program showing how

newspapers were made in the past. There were people who look for word stamps and set

them on a special machine. I didn’t know how everything improved today, but I assumed

some of the procedures would be automated. So I was very surprised to see most of the

steps finished by machines. The people working in the printing section were all

engineers. I saw no manual laborers.

The second part of the workshop involved visiting the main office. There were

many staffs working on different kinds of jobs. Nikkei gives out all sorts of business

related articles. So I felt the office was diverse as well. It was quite different from the

image I got from movies though. I expected the office to be more noisy and in a hurry. I

guess they are very skilled so that they don’t need to hurry before deadlines. They might

be doing their work quiet and quick.

In the last part, we had a discussion with staffs from the Nikkei Asian Review.

It was a great chance to know about Nikkei Asian Review and it’s future goals. In

university, there are few opportunities to meet companies and discuss about their

products. So I think this was a very valuable experience. I’m not sure if the AIMS office

will hold this event again, but if they do, I hope more AIMS students will participate and

utilize the chance.


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日本経済新聞ワークショップ参加レポート

1. 東雲工場見学について

新聞紙の仕入れから東京各地への配達まで、日本経済新聞(以下、日経新聞とする)がいかに

して作られるか学ぶことができた。300 万人の読者になんとしてでも日経新聞を届けるため、

社員の方々が日々どのように働いているのか学ぶ良いきっかけとなった。1t の紙がコンベ

アで運ばれる様子や、紙に高速で印刷される様子は圧巻であった。私達が「新聞は配達され

て当たり前」という常識の根底には、社員の皆様の不断の努力があることがわかった。一方

で、1990 年前後のバブル期で東京に土地がない中建設された建物だからか、新聞の印刷か

ら新聞が工場から出荷されるまでの過程に改善の余地があるように感じられた。東京各地に

新聞を届けるための重要拠点であり、改修すること自体にリスクは存在するため難しいかも

しれないが、今後の更なる発展のためには必要なのかもしれないと考える。

2. 大手町本社見学について

Nikkei Asian Review(以下 NAR とする)担当フロアの見学では、国籍を問わず様々な社員の

方々が記事の編纂などに取り組まれている姿を見学させて頂いた。週刊で発行される NAR

に掲載する記事の選定から書き起こしまで、NAR の編集過程の一端を知ることができたの

は大変勉強になった。

その後の日本経済新聞社の発展の歴史とディスカッションのセッションもまた、非常に有意

義なものであった。19 世紀後半に創刊された日本経済新聞が、先日のフィナンシャル・タ

イムズ紙を買収するに至るまでの歴史を通して、今後 NAR がどのようなポジションを目指

し、確立していくべきなのか考えた。プレゼンターの掲げていた「アジア初の情報誌として

世界で高いプレゼンスを発揮し、将来はエコノミスト誌を超える存在となる」目標は、社員

の方のおっしゃる通り決して容易では無いことが伺える。僭越ながら、私自身も更に NAR

を読み込み、そこで得た知識を今後社会人としてアウトプットしていくことで、NAR のプ

レゼンス向上に貢献したいと考える。ディスカッションのセッションでは、電子版の是非な

どの学生の質問に対して真摯に答えてくださり、多くの学びを得ることができた。


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3. 全体の所感

本セミナーでは、東雲工場で働く社員の皆様と NAR 担当の社員の皆様、そして AIMS オフ

ィスの皆様の全面的な助成を受けて行われた。私達学生に親身・真摯にご対応してくださっ

た社員の皆様のご厚意が常に感じられ、私自身がこのワークショップを通して多くの学びを

得たいと感じるだけでなく、ワークショップの場に貢献したいと思うきっかけとなった。一

方で、自らが目標として掲げていた留学生との意見交換や交流が満足にできなかったことは

反省であった。またこのような機会を頂けたならば、自ら意見を発信することだけに満足す

るのではなく、周囲の意見を傾聴して更に自らの考えを磨けるようにしたい。


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日経レポート

日本経済新聞社本社へ伺い、主に当社が新規媒体として創刊した日経アジアンレビューにつ

いて社員に質疑応答を行った。アジアの経済ニュースを英語で伝える新媒体日経アジアンレ

ビューは、日経新聞ひいては日本のマスメディアにおいて画期的な試みである。当媒体は、

成長著しいアジア経済圏の実像を、アジアに拠点を置く日経ならではの視点で発信するもの。

かつてなかったアジアのみにフォーカスをあてた媒体で、中国の信用不安からアウン=サン

=スーチー氏のミャンマー選挙まで、その内容は多岐に及ぶ。中国、韓国、オセアニアはも

ちろん、成長著しいインドネシアやマレーシア、自身の留学先であるブルネイにまで販売さ

れ、ロンドンやニューヨークといった世界の主要都市にも及ぶ。そんな当媒体は、最終的に

なにを目指すのか社員に伺った。英フィナンシャルタイムズ買収などで、いま勢いのある日

経だが、既存の有力経済誌である The Economist には到底及ばない。アジアの新鮮な話題

を使い購読者数で、ぜひ超していきたいとのことである。創刊に際し、現地の記者を新たに

採用するなど、アジアに密着した取材網を構築。今まで以上に地域に根差し、深堀りした独

自記事を充実させるとおっしゃっていた。日本のマスメディアは、国際発信力に大きく欠け

るが故に、日本の国益を大きく損ねているというのが私見である。イギリスの BBC、The

Economist、アメリカの CNN、FOX、タイムズ、NYT、さらには中国の CCTV は世界にネ

ットワークを持ち、大きな影響力を誇る。だが、日本にはそれに順ずるメディアが存在しな

い。日本は島国のため領土問題がある。北方領土や尖閣諸島などでは、国際世論の後押しと

いうものが極めて重要になってくる。中国の CCTV などは自社の国際ネットワークを駆使

して、自国の領土たる所以を強烈に発信している。太平洋覇権をめぐる中国の国益上、これ

は大きな意義がある。そのような国際情勢において今回の日経アジアンレビューは、国際発

信力強化という点において、かつてなかった日系メディアの画期的な試みであるといえる。

他のメディアもこれに追随して日本の国益に資するようにアクションを起こしてほしい。


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Report – 5 (Incoming Student)

Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Nikkei Workshop

December 7th 2015

Workshop Report

The Nikkei Workshop was held on 7th December 2015, in which we went to the printing

department and the publishing department of Nikkei. At the printing department, we

were shown their daily routine on how they print their newspapers and prepare them for

delivery. At the publishing department, we were explained on how the departments are

divided according to different functions, for example there are graphic section as well as

the translator section. There was also a brief presentation about Nikkei Asian Review

and their objectives. Lastly we had several discussions on how to improve Nikkei Asian

Review further where each of the participants shared their perspectives and opinions.

Below are several pictures that were taken during the trip.

This is where they store their paper rolls.

This is where the newspapers are prepare for

delivery.


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After participating the Nikkei Workshop, I have learnt that the processes of making

newspaper are very complex where Nikkei were well organized and the workers were

very efficient in order to ensure all of the processes ran smoothly. Other than that, I

have also learnt that there is no need to rush in expanding a business. Nikkei are very

cautious at expanding its name where every steps taken in developing the business are

very well planned. Now, they had successfully become the voice of Asian businesses.


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NIKKEI WORKSHOP REPORT

MY BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW

My first introduction to Nikkei Asian Review (NAR) first started with the e-mails sent to

me by the AIMS office, recommending me to look over their online services. I had no

prior knowledge of their existence beforehand. Upon my first observation, NAR was

portrayed to me as a mainly business-oriented news agency. Since most of my interest

and field of studies are not centered upon the area of business, I was inclined to dismiss

NAR as one of the sources for my studies. Fortunately, I took the time to look around

their website and see what information is available to me that would be beneficial in my

academic courses. As it turns out, NAR have plenty of news reports beyond businesses,

such as politics, technology and sciences, life & arts and trends in Japan.

GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE NIKKEI TOKYO NEWSPAPER PRINTING

CENTRE

After the short briefing and introduction to Nikkei by some of the staff members and

factory workers, we were ushered further into the building-factory to see what form

machines are employed to create and publish the daily newspapers of Nikkei. It is good

that the Nikkei members gave us the portable wireless headsets; it was the only feasible

way for us to hear what our tour guide is explaining to us regarding the various places

and machines located inside the factory.

One aspect that stood out the most for me during the tour is how rapid and efficient the

machines are in making the newspapers. I also notice how powerful the tiny ‘transport

robots’ are, in that they are able to carry a one ton paper roll from one place to another

within the factory. The only form misgivings that I have are the safety design within the

factory. The exposed characteristics of some of the innards of the machines and reliance

on robots to carry one ton loads could be potential hazards.


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GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE EDITORIAL OFFICES OF NIKKEI TOKYO

HEAD OFFICE

Based on hindsight, I realized that the editorial offices for the NAR staffs are located

high up in their headquarters. I also noticed the sheer amount of computer equipment

and stacks of papers within the office environment. The office itself was fundamentally

open in terms of space. During the tour, we were shown on which part of the floor

belongs to the NAR online editors and which belongs to the graphic designers. The

online editors’ space was smaller than the main portion of the office, and the graphic

designers even more so. The graphic designers were situated in their own room. I cannot

make a conclusion on whether or not the size of each department’s space was an

indication of priority or a requirement for a proper work environment.

Based on my observations, most of the office staffs of NAR were clearly focused in their

work and would only give us a momentary glance from their work.

Q&A WITH NAR STAFF MEMBERS

This part of the workshop is what I would consider as the most beneficial part during

the tour, as we were given plenty of answers to our questions regarding the NAR’s

interests and structure. Although it should not have been much of a surprise to me, I

was still taken aback a little when the staff members involved in the Q&A sessions was

able to talk and express in English fluently. It allows for a much easier and comfortable

experience engage in the Q&A.

One fact that stood out to me was that Nikkei aims to publish news reports from Asia

and publish it to the rest of the world. Their reasoning is that events that happened

within Asia are not generally known to the countries of the west. I am in favor of this

reasoning, as I believe that acknowledgement of events are one of the few steps to

importance and legitimacy in the global setting.

The other interesting fact is that NAR has planned to expand their user base by utilizing

different languages that coincide with the region’s main language. This would allow

them to attract a broader age group of readers. Currently, NAR is using English and

Japanese language as their two main language format. I believe that that current

format is only enough to expand their user base to those who are well educated enough

to learn a foreign language beyond their local language, so the expansion of language

format is a beneficial advantage.

The staff members of NAR gave us some booklets of the latest NAR publishing, which I

gratefully accept and read for my studies. Most of the questions by the students were

about the future of NAR and the merging of Nikkei with the Financial Times. It was


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interesting to know that while NAR is currently shifting their focus to the publishing of

news to an online-subscription format, they would still retain the publishing of print

edition as need be. Although I am indifferent as to whether or not NAR would retain or

drop the publishing of physical newspapers, the choice to maintain this format in

regards to their origin as a newspaper publishing company is commendable.

CONCLUSION

ALL IN ALL, I THINK THAT THE TRIP TO THE NIKKEI WORKSHOP WAS

VERY WORTHWHILE. I AM ABLE TO KNOW A GREAT DEAL OF A

COMPANY WHOSE MAIN FOCUS IS TO BRING NEWS ORIGINATING FROM

ASIA TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. THEY ARE ALSO NOW ONE OF MY

‘GO-TO’ SOURCES WHEN IT COMES OR ACADEMIC STUDY AND

RESEARCH. I AM GRATEFUL OF NIKKEI AND THE AIMS PROGRAMME

FOR PROVIDING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT NAR.


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NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW WORKSHOP

I am very grateful for given the opportunity to join the seminar on one of the prestigious

media company in Japan named Nikkei. I am gaining new beneficial knowledge about

one of the leading media company in Japan. We were brought to the main factory of

making the hard copy products where we are showed the machines of how the products

are being made, how the products are being design, what materials they are using and

how it is being transported to respective shops and organizations. Besides that, we also

went to the main office where we were having a meeting with the Nikkei’s marketing

manager and their staffs. In a nutshell, it was an unforgettable experience to be involved

in the workshop and get to know more about Nikkei.


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“Nikkei Asian Review is one of the most reliable source of information and updates in

Asia that you can put your trust on”

IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE:

1. THE POSITION OF NIKKEI IN THE MARKET AS THE LARGEST MEDIA

COMPANY IN JAPAN.

2. THE EMPLOYEES ARE VARIES IN NATIONALITY BESIDES JAPAN

NATIONALITY AND SKILLS.

3. THE ACQUISITION OF FINANCIAL TIMES MEDIA COMPANY FROM PEARSON

IN ORDER TO EXPAND THEIR SOURCES.

4. I DID ASKED TWO MAIN QUESTIONS:

HOW EFFICIENT IS NIKKEI’S ADVERTISING STRATEGY IN INCREASING THE

SALES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE JAPAN?

HOW DO YOU CONTROL AND SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT MAY ARISE

BETWEEN NIKKEI’S EMPLOYEES AND FINANCIAL TIMES’S EMPLOYEES IN

TERMS OF THEIR WORKING CULTURE AND ETHICS?


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The details of the Nikkei Workshop were as follows:- Date : December 7, 2015 Veneue : Nikkei Tokyo Seisaku Center and Nikkei Head Office Time : 13:00 – 17:30

As a one semester exchange student in Waseda University, my time in Japan isvery limited. Therefore, this workshop was a golden opportunity that must not be missed.It was an opportunity for a Business Major student like me to discover the inner workings,the gears and the cogs, which makes a business successful, especially with a massivenews mogul such as Nikkei Inc.

The workshop was divided into three sections. The first section was a tour ofNikkei’s newspaper printing factory at Nikkei Tokyo Seisaku Center in Shinonome,Koto-ku, Tokyo. One thing that surprises me about the tour was the capital-intensiveapproach to production. Massive, high-tech machineries perform most of the work. As aresult, they are able to minimize the number of workers to only 30 people and even then,most of the workers are technicians and engineers who were in charge of maintenance ofthose machineries.

The second section was a tour of Nikkei Head Office in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo. I felt a very different atmosphere than that of the Seisaku Center. Professionalismfilled the air as we entered the lobby and was greeted by a massive LCD screen whichshows the current news and events. Then, we were brought to the cafeteria floor wherewe were greeted with a breathtaking view of the city. It was truly an amazing place to eatin. Finally, we were brought to the Editorial department of the Nikkei Asian Review. Itwas a surprisingly quiet place for an editorial office except for the occasional chatterbetween co-workers. It was a perfect showcase of Japanese workplace etiquette.Everyone was hard at work to provide the best content for the readers.

The last section of the workshop was a seminar where discussions were made onthe questionnaires answered by us. We discussed on various aspects such as thepossibility of implementing a comment section on each online article and possibility ofimprovements on graphics in their mobile app. I was very impressed with the widecoverage of the Nikkei Asian Review, from domestic news to Asia300 and even theASEAN region. Although I was a bit disappointed when they show the ASEAN region,my birthplace and country, Brunei Darussalam, was nowhere to be found but I don’tblame them. There’s not much news in Brunei anyway. Overall, the workshop was aneye-opener for me as I was able to tour one of Japan’s biggest companies and witness thebeauty of Japanese workplace etiquette with my own eyes.

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