Let's Japan.org

Things are apparently looking good at G.communication. Its president, Masaki Inayoshi, sat down with the Chunichi Shimbun to talk about the past year.

A translation of Part II of Sasaki's CNET Japan article has been posted. In this installment, Sasaki fleshes out the war between the internet and mass media, describes a meeting with senior management at the Mainichi, and cautions against calling the newspaper's critics trolls

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A few snark-worthy items in the news.

A little bit more on the WaiWai scandal, this time from the inside.

The anniversary of NOVA's collapse has quietly come and gone. The Daily Yomiuri and Sankei Shimbun provide an update on what has been going on over the past year. Their stories are unsurprising, as many issues facing former students and instructors have yet to be resolved.

One year ago today, NOVA collapsed after Nozomu Sahashi was ousted in a coup d'etat by his directors who then filed for protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law. NOVA officially went bankrupt on November 26, with g.communication picking over the carcass of the Pink Bunny for any juicy tidbits.

Remember when the Osaka Labor Bureau sought to have Sahashi charged with non-payment of wages earlier this year? Prosecutors shot that idea down because they couldn't determine if the non-payment was deliberate or due to the company's poor financial state.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against NOVA. This time, 24 former students are suing Sahashi, five of his directors, and accounting firm KPMG AZSA & Co. for ¥16 million.

Reporting on companies that go bankrupt follows a predictable script. First, the shocking news of the bankruptcy is announced followed by a few more details. Next, are the stories about the people who lost their money, which are then followed by the stories of anger from the people who lost their money. The Chugoku Shimbun brings us a story about the anger.

It turns out that the reason for the committee to explore dual citizenship is really about national pride.

The October 26 edition of the Yomiuri Weekly carries an article that illustrates how much of a scam the travel abroad sector is--it's all about money, and the rules to protect consumers from being swindled are few and far between. The YW takes a look at why Gateway21's clients will never see the ¥950 million they paid the company.

A recent article in the Sankei Shimbun notes that a committee has been set up by the LDP to review the constitution with a view to amend Article 11 that states dual citizenship is unlawful.

When Gateway21 announced that it was bankrupt, there was talk of students already studying abroad having to return home due to Gateway stopping payments to overseas schools. Some students appear to have caught a break:

On Wednesday, TBS aired an exclusive interview with Tomomasa Fukui, president of the failed study abroad agency, Gateway21, in which he said the company failed due to poor management. Fukui also denied embezzling any of the ¥950 million in fees paid by students.

Failed study abroad agent Gateway21 held a meeting Sunday to apologize to its clients, telling them that their money had vanished into thin air.

The Chunichi Shimbun writes about how Nagoya and Gifu Prefecture are favoring ALTs from private dispatch companies over the goverment-funded JET Programme when it comes to teaching English.

Another sign that the eikaiwa industry is still in trouble: Gateway21 plans to file for bankruptcy protection with debts totaling 1.29 billion yen.

When the WaiWai scandal exploded on the internet, the Mainichi Daily News quickly pulled the column and its archives to the chagrin of many readers.

A new report by the Yano Research Institute shows that the language study market is still feeling the effects of Nova's collapse.

Osaka-based NPO, Kansai Consumer's Support Organization, has sued English conversation school operator Fortress Japan for "undue solicitations."