Letter from the Editor

First On-line Forum of It’s Kind

The fax machine labored over the last page it would ever print on July 31, 1992. It was another letter from a subscriber lamenting the close of Business Tokyo magazine, and asking where information for small- and medium-size businesses growing their businesses in Asia could be found.

The page was added to a half-in-thick stack of similar faxes, the plug was pulled and the New York City editorial office was closed.

The bubble economy in Japan had burst, and along with it, the Tokyo-financed publishing plan of the fledgling magazine terminated.

As soon as that plug had been pulled, the hand that pulled it began to miss being in the center of the exciting forum that had been created by the magazine. The exchange of stories and ideas on the trials and tribulations of doing business in Asia had not only been stimulating, but it was especially satisfying to pass along that which was useful and interesting to the readership.

Return from the Field

After nearly another decade of day-to-day dealings as a promoter, facilitator and mediator of business between the East and the West at the consulting firm, JDB Network, the Editor is very happy to host a similar forum. This time, however, the medium will be more interactive and poignant than any paper and ink version.

Welcome to Access Japan and China, which you subscribed to free of charge through the www.jdbnetwork.com website. This newsletter will launch a first-of-its-kind on-line forum on doing business in Japan and China.

The source of the content will initially be provided by the Editor, and will consist mainly of the sharing of brief, practical personal anecdotes as well as the experiences of associates. The goal is, however, for a significant portion of content to be generated by other professionals as well as subscribers that are doing business in these and other countries.

Links and Archives

New links to resources and information believed to be helpful as well as a searchable and continually expanding database of previous issues will be provided with each letter. Some of the automated references included this issue allow you to:

Our first article will be a rendering of an associate's experience giving his first sales presentation in Japan. I hope you enjoy it and will respond to editors@jdbnetwork.com if it conjures it up thoughts, memories, or similar experiences that may be useful to other readers. You are also invited to contact us if you have comments, questions, or other feedback on the format or content of this letter and forum.

I look forward to interacting with you in the coming months.

Sincerely yours,

Michael A. Fowler

Editor

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