PUBLISHER
BCCJ ACUMEN Without Borders
We don ’ t take sides at BCCJ ACUMEN , whether political , geographical or other . We avoid , of course , favouring England over her close neighbours north and west , as the Scots , Welsh and Northern Irish traditionally accuse the media and others of doing .
So , following the visit of Secretary of State for Wales David Jones , whom we interviewed last month , we welcome John Swinney , the cabinet secretary for finance , employment and sustainable growth for the Scottish government ( page 24 ).
While Jones vigorously defended nuclear energy , Swinney advocates wave / tidal power as a safe , sustainable power source . Centre stage , naturally , are politics , jobs and money so we leave you to pick the winner .
It ’ s not as easy to find suitable stories from north of the Irish border , though . So if you know of any business , lifestyle or culture-related themes that are from this part of the UK and have a strong Japan link , please let me know .
Expect more Alba – Cymru focus this year , as we welcome the Wales national rugby union team — who clash with Japan in a test match on 15 June — accompanied by a Welsh ministerial group scheduled to meet potential investors . Swinney , meanwhile , will bring Scotland ’ s Offshore Marine Energy Mission here in October .
Go on , ask him Sorry for not introducing Ian de Stains ’ new column in the last issue . If you think his gay marriage curtain raiser featured in “ If You Ask Me ” would be a tough act to follow , do turn to page 49 for another of his anecdotes — an ironic encounter with Lady Thatcher and her handbag , no less .
Speaking of new columns , Dr Tom Lomax joins us this month ( page 48 ) for a series of occasional pieces on healthcare-related issues , such as holiday vaccinations , cholesterol and , this month , the good and bad of the annual company check-up from an expat ’ s point of view .
Stronger than ever at 65 A plea , especially to senior members : do you have any memories , photos or other items to help ACUMEN mark the BCCJ ’ s 65th anniversary later this year ? Perhaps your firm has held a special event , hosted a VIP or reached a milestone in Japan during this period ?
Sadly , much of the BCCJ archives apparently vanished under mysterious circumstances nearly 30 years ago , so we are short on materials to mark the traditional — but no longer default — British retirement age of 65 , which is said to be the new 55 or 45 , or something .
Thanks ! And a quick thank you to those who voted me onto the BCCJ Executive Committee ( Excom ) at the annual general meeting in April .
Simon Farrell Custom Media simon @ custom-media . com
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