The Year in Review

The kanji for 2010 was "sho"（暑）meaning hot. Looking back on the year, as far as this blog is concerned, the word of the year is probably "GEOS" owing to the closure of its schools in Australia and then its bankruptcy in Japan. On the other hand, if you worked for Nova when it collapsed in 2007, the fact that the trustees have started paying unpaid wages probably came as a pleasant surprise. For what it's worth, here's a recap of the issues covered on Let's Japan.

January

• Fortress Japan continued to rip-off its customers despite promising to end its strong-arm sales tactics.
• GEOS tries to spin bad press. Signs that the company's health was in question?
• GEOS Australia goes into voluntary administration despite the schools being profitable.
• GEOS Japan goes into damage control mode and maintains that the bankruptcy of the schools in Australia will not affect operations in Japan.

February

• Guideline 8, the "rule" stipulating that foreigners have to enroll in a national health insurance scheme when renewing their visa will not be implemented.
• GEOS Japan offers an apology for the closure of its Australian schools.
• Preliminary investigations into the school closures in Australia reveals some unusual transfers of money.
• It becomes clear that the Australian schools were financially sound and nobody really understood why they went under.
• The Consumer Affairs Agency finally shuts down Fortress Japan.
• China gets into the act warning its students about studying with GEOS.

March

• The Ernst & Young report on GEOS Melbourne, a profitable school, reveals that the school was bled dry through loans to a GEOS holding company that had no means to repay them.

April

• Charges of aggravated breach of trust dropped against Sahashi.
• ALT contracts in Chiba are deemed to be illegal.
• Despite its repeated claims that all was well in Japan, GEOS goes bankrupt. G.communication takes over its business.
• GEOS president Tsuneo Kusunoki claims that he was illegally ousted from the company.
• Adamu at MutantFrog take a look at the foreign language market.
• Kusunoki vows to take back GEOS.

May

• GEOS North America releases a statement that its doors are still open and that everything is OK.
• Former Nova president, Nozomu Sahashi, appeals his sentence for embezzlement and maintains that he did nothing wrong.
• Rumors surface that there was a coup at GEOS.

July

• The Consumer Affairs Agency releases report on how Fortress Japan ripped-off its employees.
• The Berlitz lawsuit drags on.

August

• The Nova trustees issue a memo saying that unpaid wages will be paid.

September

• Hiroshima-based David English House files for bankruptcy.
• Japan's budget cutters target the JET Programme on the chopping block.
• GEOS North America signs letter of intent with Florida-based Open Hearts International College for the acquisition of all 12 GEOS schools. As of this writing, it's not clear whether GEOS has been sold.
• Interac bought out by Advantage Partners.

October

• Sahashi back in court to have his appeal heard. He maintains that he is innocent.
• Masaki Inayoshi reclaims control of GEOS and Nova.
• Inayoshi Capital Partners re-brands some of its Geos schools as Nova X Geos and announces the closure of some non-performing schools.
• The process works: Nova teachers start receiving wages owed three years after the collapse of Nova.

November

• Cram school operator Eikoh buys Shane English School.

December

• Nozomu Sahashi is sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling funds from an employee welfare fund.