Stepping into Tomorrow
The past 12 months have brought enormous change, and the next 12 promise the same. When I interviewed American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) President Jenifer Rogers for our January issue, she called 2021 “a year of trans- formation.” It’s the perfect description.
One thing being transformed is this very magazine. You may have noticed the new look, starting with the cover. This is the first issue in a new phase of The ACCJ Journal’s existence. Over its 58-year history, this important part of the chamber’s communications has been put together by a number of companies and many talented people. Now, we have brought the publication in house, and I am honored to continue as editor-in-chief—a job that I have held since the May 2016 issue—and to also take on the role of publisher.
Long Road to Here
As I was putting together this issue, I thought back to the very first magazine on which I worked. It was December 1995, I was living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and I was hired as a designer to do layout for a publication focused on the transportation industry. I didn’t imagine that it would turn into a career. At the time, I was primarily focused on music and was the bass trombonist in the city’s symphony orchestra. But it did, and I have worked on many magazines over the years. The most rewarding, though, has been The ACCJ Journal.
“We are all charting new territory in 2021—whether it’s your business continuity, the evolving nature of chamber communications, or changes to this magazine."
During my five years as editor-in-chief, I have come to know so many of the wonderful, talented, and generous members of the chamber and have experienced what makes the ACCJ special: networking, information, advocacy, and community. As a writer and editor, I’ve seen firsthand all these things we want to share with the community at large through the pages of this magazine.
Evolving Content
To that end, I would like to point out some new sections that you will find in this issue that help us share those things. We are pleased to add a regular healthcare column which will be written by a variety of experts to bring you diverse and relevant perspectives on this important industry. This month’s installment was penned by Healthcare Committee Co-Chairs John Carlson and Mark Kawai, who share with you some of the changes the committee has undergone to make it stronger and more engaged as a pillar of Japan’s business community.
We’ve also added a bimonthly tech column written by Tim Romero, who is head of Google Startups Japan. You may also know Tim from his long-running business-related podcast Disrupting Japan. In this issue, he talks about telemedicine, the National Health Insurance system, and the need for changes that will unleash innovation in healthcare.
Health is, in fact, the theme of this issue, and I sat down virtually for a long and fascinating chat with Daniel Maggs and Wojciech Bula, the co-founders of Bisu, which won the Best Innovation Award and the audience-selected Moonshot Prize at the ACCJ’s inaugural Healthcare x Digital competition in December. When transcribed, our interview about their innovative home health lab topped 12,000 words. That’s a wee bit more than we can fit into The ACCJ Journal, but I hope you’ll find the 3,500 or so that we did squeeze in to be interesting.
Step Forward
I titled this column “Stepping into Tomorrow” because we are all charting new territory in 2021—whether it’s your business continuity, the evolving nature of chamber communications, or changes to this magazine.
C Bryan Jones Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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THE JOURNAL
Vol. 58 Issue 2
A flagship publication of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), The ACCJ Journal is a business magazine with a 58-year history.
Christopher Bryan Jones, Publisher & Editor
