SoftBank Eyes 40% Stake In FirstCry For $400 Mn

SoftBank continues to bet on the Indian startups and may make one of its first commitment for 2019 with Pune-based online baby products retailer FirstCry. It is reportedly set to invest $400 Mn (INR 2,844 Cr) for more than 40% stake in the company, valuing it at around $600 Mn- $700 Mn (INR 4,267.6 Cr- INR 4,978.9 Cr ).

abe's 2019 agemda - particularly as it discusses xi jinping and putin may be world changing - welcome discussion chris.macrae@yahoo.co.uk

also exciting in japan times today

WORLD / SCIENCE & HEALTH

Researchers say breakthrough in plant engineering could boost productivity and feed millions more people

ASIA PACIFIC / SOCIAL ISSUES | FOCUS

With plan to show women more respect, South Korea tries to fix its demographic crisis

also

2019 to test Abe and Japanese diplomats over efforts to secure return ...

The Japan Times-Jan 1, 2019

2019 will be a big year for Japanese diplomats and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with a number of major events that will be attended by ...

Japan's PM Abe vows to step up peace treaty talks with Russia in 2019

 KYODO NEWS - Jan 1, 2019 - 14:00 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday pledged to step up talks with Russia to conclude a postwar peace treaty among other major diplomatic challenges this year.

"As we are at a major turning point, we will aggressively purse the resolution of Japan's postwar diplomatic concerns," Abe said in a new year statement, referring to peace treaty talks with Russia, improving ties with China and an expected meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

(Collage of photos showing Abe, Putin, and the Habomai islets)

"Japan will draw the global spotlight as we will welcome top world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as host of the Group of 20 summit" in Osaka in June.

Tokyo and Moscow have yet to sign a peace treaty to formally end wartime hostilities due to a dispute over four islands off Hokkaido that are controlled by Russia and claimed by Japan. The islands were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

Abe and Putin agreed in November to accelerate talks based on a 1956 joint statement, in which Moscow agreed to hand over the two smaller islands to Tokyo after a peace pact is concluded.

Abe will visit Russia around Jan. 21 for a summit with Putin, according to government sources.

On the domestic front, the prime minister said Japan will see a historic turning point when it begins a new era, as Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the throne on May 1, following his father Emperor Akihito's retirement, the first abdication in Japan in around 200 years.

"I am determined to take a leading role to make (2019) a year to 'open Japan's tomorrow'...beyond the current Heisei" era that started upon the current emperor's reign in 1989, he said.

Abe promised to tackle the country's low birthrate and aging population, with a free public preschool education program set to begin in October for all children aged between 3 and 5.

"We will aggressively invest in children and transform our country's social security system for all generations ranging from children and people of working age to the elderly," the premier said.

rural economics

PROJECT UPDATE Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization Summer is almost over and we are sowing the seeds for "Embrace Rural: Why it Matters" on October 22 at Japan Society. We are excited to bring together two key leaders in rural reinvention to Japan Society: Tsuyoshi Sekihara (founder & former Executive Director, Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club, Niigata, Japan), whose original approach to community organizing addresses the complexities of scale, resilience, and interdependence, and Janet Topolsky (Executive Director, Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute, Washington D.C.), who has helped communities in rural America rediscover the wealth they possess to reposition themselves for the future. They will be joined by Slow Food International's Richard McCarthy, who is collaborating with Mr. Sekihara on a writing project on ideas and actions that can revive rural Japan, and potentially America. The event will be moderated by Kate Cox (Editor, New Food Economy). The event is co-organized by the Japan NPO Center, New Food Economy, Design and Urban Ecologies, Parsons, The New School for Social Research, and Slow Food New York City. Tickets are available through our website and box office: (212) 715-1258. To learn more about the project, please look at our website "Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization."

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What's New with Innovators?

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The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) organized a webinar titled "Resilient Rural Communities in the United States and Japan" last week, featuring Taylor Stuckert, co-founder of Energize Clinton County. The webinar included Maki Hijikata from Toyama City Mayor’s Office, David Leckey from the Orton Family Foundation, and moderator Sheila Smith, Vice Chair of JUSFC. It’s exciting to know that another bilateral organization is focusing on issues facing rural communities. The recording of the webinar will be available on the JUSFC website shortly. It’s been eleven years since we gathered a group of experts in historic preservation from Kyoto and New York to discuss machiya (traditional townhouses) preservation. The gathering resulted in a partnership between Kyoto preservationists and the World Monuments Fund. Through this partnership, three machiya were restored in Kyoto and the latest one, Shijo-cho Ofune-hoko Machiya, last year’s Award of Excellence winner at UNESCO’s annual Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Preservation, will be honored as a 2019 “Project of Influence” by the Best in Heritage in Dubrovnik, Croatia later this month.

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The Innovators Network is made possible, in part, by SUMO STEW, Hiroko Onoyama, and Japan Society's endowment for policy projects. Transportation assistance is provided by United Airlines, the exclusive U.S. airline sponsor of Innovators Network programs, and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. Embrace Rural: Why It Matters, presented as part of Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization is supported by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. Transportation assistance is provided by United Airlines, the exclusive U.S. airline sponsor of Innovators Network programs. Photo credits: Main photo © Japan Society/Fumiko Miyamoto; headshots clockwise from top right--Janet Topolsky, Kate Cox, Richard McCarthy, Tsuyoshi Sekihara; Taylor Stuckert © Japan Society/Fumiko Miyamoto; Machiya Symposium in 2008 © Satoru Ishikawa. Unless otherwise noted all programs are held at Japan Society. 333 East 47th Street (at First Avenue) New York, NY 10017

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from oct 2019

1 japan will offer free education for children age 3 up
other diary celebrations in 2019

-who are the japanese delegates to future of edutech
eg mayor of tikyo onj edu commisiona
xx on digital cooperation at UN
who is thye sherpa leader

2 new emperor will be part of joyful national mood- can prince charles help with 21st c update of what he did in 1964 olympics

3 g20 osaka july 2019 the best chance since hangzhou g20 2016 for citizens groups to put agenda in fromt of 20 nations keades - eg women youth green finance ...

4 prep for 2020 olympics being greatest celebration of youth co-sponsore by jack ma aas forst of seriens kof youth celenrations including beijing 2022. paris 2024- eg can fashion sector upgrade its workers value; can arts renew communities world over - eg singforhiop- whiuch are the other global expos that value youth - eg will jusae2020 do so

5 can japan china ad s korea come together to deonsgtarte regioanl solution to north koreaand if this is agreed by these 3 countries how do they mediate bouth usa and riussia so n korea peoples join rest of 21st c world out of a region whose coastal belt offers many exciting opportunities- south is the gretest world tradie shipping route- north is where innovation around arctgice circ;e ;polar belt6 riads are needed

6 japanese aid has always had a ong term perspective- eg helpoing ghe whole east learn rice p;roductivity- keeping parts of bangaldesh womens netwoeks going when all other nations losyt focus around 2010
7 japan is a nation experimengting with more locally sustainable solutions around food, natural helath solutions, locally green communities tghan any top 5 nation- its a lab worfldwide youth can expereumetially create sustainability solutions with like no other- in othyer words will a new exchnage tourosm be connevted around japan and jow vcan such a model benefiot the untoursim for sustainability network hq'd in spain- this clould also become a model fpor latin ameriuca

there is so much knowhow that a tripartite meeting of people speaking englkish chiense and japanese could advance- how do we maximise eg prince charles trip advisior for community si=olutions in way that china and japan can cooperatively aadapt

Atsufumi Yokoi

Atsufumi Yokoi 

• 1st

Vice President of Okayama University (UNESCO Chair)

2w • Edited

A truly momentous opportunity. Observed by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan, I was thrilled to be invited as a keynote speaker and a main facilitator of the discussion on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together with international youth at the International Youth Conference, held by the Cabinet Office of Japan in Tokyo on 27th September. This conference started in 1994 in commemoration of the royal marriage of H.I.H. the Crown Prince, which identified the SDGs as the theme of this year’s conference. The event was broadcast across the country and Okayama University’s reputation was also raised as the leading university receiving prestigious awards and recognitions from UN and the government to advance the SDGs. Very honorable and memorable. On May 1, 2019, Crown Prince Naruhito will become Japan’s 126th emperor and Crown Princess Masako will become empress of Japan. https://lnkd.in/fbkYX3p (Image from the Cabinet Office of Japan)

from axios news of softbank take over of wework

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PRESENTED BY A TEMPLATE FOR UNDERSTANDING BIG DEBT CRISES

Pro Rata

By Dan Primack ·Oct 10, 2018

Top of the Morning

Source: Giphy The Wall Street Journal last night reported that SoftBank Vision Fund is "in discussions to take a majority stake in WeWork," the co-working space giant in which SoftBank last year acquired a 20% stake for $4.4 billion. Here's what we've learned, per sources familiar: WeWork co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann originally was amenable to a deal whereby he'd lose at least short-term control of the company, but with the ability to regain control were WeWork to hit certain revenue milestones (e.g. some sort of clawback). Now, however, the talks involve Neumann retaining short-term control, although the ultimate structure could be pretty convoluted. But no final agreement is signed or very close to being signed, and there may even be talks with other parties or with SoftBank about alternate structures. SoftBank basically wants to accelerate its "gain market share at all costs" strategy, which has been talked about inside of WeWork since the day SoftBank first invested. This is similar to what the Japanese giant has employed at other Vision Fund portfolio companies, and a hot topic among VCs has become if it can really work beyond the consumer services sector (particularly in enterprise software, where Vision Fund has been taking a hard look). WeWork bonds, which recently hit their lowest mark since early June, are getting a small bump from the report, re-approaching 96 cents on the dollar. I'm still wondering how the Jamal Khashoggi situation — which intensified last night — would play into WeWork's willingness to give Saudi-backed Vision Fund an even bigger stake. In that vein, it's worth noting that Sam Altman (Y Combinator), Marc Andreessen (Andreesssen Horowitz) and Dan Doctoroff (Google's Sidewalk Labs) reportedly joined an advisory board for the Saudi government's $500 billion mega-city project, called Neom. • Dating docket: Match Group yesterday responded to Sean Rad and the other founders of dating app Tinder, who sued Match and parent company IAC two months ago for allegedly undervaluing Tinder last year, thus depriving them of compensation. In short, Match argued in a new court filing that this is just sour grapes from those who sold their shares too soon and is asking a New York court to dismiss the lawsuit. Go deeper. 🎧 Pro Rata Podcast: Our latest episode focuses on Google's latest user data leak, and why it took so long to disclose. Listen here.