TB in the Media

Transborders CEO Sakiko Tanaka was interviewed and featured on “Keizai-kai” (Business World) magazine (May 26th edition), due to the increasing public interest in the real estate business for foreign residents in Japan. 　The article features Sakiko’s intent to start up her company to specifically serve international residents, as well as Transborders’ distinct business practices to cater to international customers.
Approximately 80,000 copies of the magazine “Keizai-kai” is published, and is mainly read by business managers and experts of economics and politics.

CEO Sakiko Tanaka's interview and story of her startup of Transborders was featured on the May 2009 edition of "Business Chance," a magazine about entrepreneurship and new business launch.

CEO Sakiko Tanaka lectured at Shibuya University about the market for international residents in Japan and the real estate business opportunities to serve this market.

Sakiko started the lecture with a role play session, where one person acts as Japanese landlord and the other as non-Japanese person trying to lease an apartment, to have participants experience the dilemmas and anxieties felt by international people who seek to find housing in Japan. Sakiko then address the crowd with various issues that involve the market for international residents in Japan, including national policy trends in Japan regarding international students, challenges faced by Japanese universities and educational institutions to become international, and ways to provide real estate agency services that cater to international residents. She also explained ways to fairly evaluate international residents as tenants, and ways to understand documents regarding visa status for evaluation.

Mr. Yasunaga of Waseda University's Center for International Education was also invited as guest speaker for the lecture. He covered topics on Waseda's challenges and strategy to become an international educational institution.

Transborders’ expertise as real estate agency specifically serving international people in Japan seeking apartments was featured on “The Japan Times” (Nov. 18, 2008)

In the article “Prejudice among obstacles facing non-Japanese tenants,” CEO of Transborders Sakiko Tanaka, explains that many of the applications submitted by non-Japanese tenants for moving into apartments are denied even before the contents are considered, because of language barriers between the tenants and the building owners. She also notes that unfortunately, some building owners have negative stereotypes of potential tenants that are based on nationality or ethnicity.

The article also highlights the need for Japan to bring in international people to confront its issues of aging and potential shrink of its economy. Tanaka warns that if Japan is serious about bringing in foreigners, the real estate industry has change a lot, and that Japan has much to work on for attracting highly skilled workers, such as to provide social services in English or other languages for those who do not speak Japanese.

Transborders’ service as liaison between internationals in Japan seeking apartments and apartment owners was featured on the “Weekly Residential Housing Newspaper” (Nov. 3, 2008)

The newspaper highlighted our CEO’s aspiration to launch Transborders, as well as Transborders’ apartment search services for internationals. The newspaper also introduced Transborders’ business expansion into fields of procuring company apartments for international employees, and performing apartment search advisory for international students attending technical colleges.

Sakiko Tanaka, CEO of Transborders, was invited as keynote speaker for the seminar "Business Opportunities in Japan's Apartment Leasing Industry for Market of International Residents and Students," hosted by UR (Urban Renaissance Agency).

Our CEO's address was featured in the Weekly Residential Housing Newspaper (October 13, 2008). With Japan aging, the apartment leasing market for Japan's international residents and students has been drawing much attention. Transborders is one of the industry leaders in this market, and continues to provide desired apartments for internationals in Tokyo.

Sakiko Tanaka, CEO of Transborders, was invited as keynote speaker for the seminar "Business Opportunities in Japan's Apartment Leasing Industry for Market of International Residents and Students," hosted by UR (Urban Renaissance Agency).

For the first portion of her presentation, she used data to explain the markets size of international residents and tourists in Japan, Japan’s policies related to increasing international students, the global market of international students, and issue that the current Japanese education institutions face including hardships faced by private universities due to lack of student applicants and the low world ranking of Japan’s universities. To highlight, she mentioned that there has been much enthusiasm seen in Japanese policies regarding increasing international students and residents in Japan. This includes the government’s goal launched to double the current number of international students to 300,000 by 2020. Yet, from a real estate agency perspective, there is much needed to be improved for the government to successfully accomplish this goal. Issues of communication and misconceptions that landlords and property management companies need to overcome for providing international people with their desired housing still stand tall as high obstacles. She also informed the crowd about the initiatives that Transborders takes to tackle the issues of housing for internationals. We provide our real estate information and agency services in 4 languages (English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese), created together with the University of Tokyo the “Useful Tips to Find Housing Guidebook,” and write information blogs on life support and other topics of interest for internationals students and residents. She also explained to the crowd on how to evaluate applications for housing submitted by foreigners, as well as ways we effectively introduce our customers to landlords and property management companies.

William James Foundation (WJF), headquartered in Washington DC, USA,
is an organization that strives to improve society by developing and supporting
new entrepreneurs committed to establishing socially responsible businesses and policies
that will more equitably benefit all stakeholders of society. (http://www.williamjamesfoundation.org/ )

The "Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition" is held once a year
as one of WJF's key initiative to seek out, encourage,
and counsel promising new entrepreneurs committed to global business social responsibilities.

Transborders has been elected as judge for its expertise in both traditional business plan assessment and
in the specific area of socially responsible businesses.

Sakiko was interviewed by Tokyo Explorer, a media company that provides useful information online for international workers living in Tokyo. Sakiko talks about the current situation and future prospects of the real estate business that specifically caters to foreign workers and residents in Japan.

Tokyo Explorer J-Folk – Sakiko Tanaka - transborders

Transborders President Sakiko Tanaka was invited as lecturer to speak to the Globis Entrepreneur Club of Globis University Graduate School of Management. Sakiko address the crowd about her reasons and passion for launching Transborders, Transborders’ business, and the market for international students and residents in Japan. Participants were highly engaged in the discussion, and showed much enthusiasm and support for Transborders’ mission and business activities.

Graduate School of Management, Globis University
Globis Entrepreneur Club

Transborders, real estate agency specifically serving international residents in Japan, hosted a joint seminar with UR (Urban Renaissance Agency) entitled “Globalization and Business Models of the Future – Understanding the Global Hiring Strategies of Corporations and the Globalization of Universities.” Over 60 participants attended to have an engaging discussion about the challenges and opportunities that exist in the market for internationals in Japan.

Transborders CEO Sakiko Tanaka served as both coordinator and speaker, and addressed in her presentation about issues such the continuing increase of international residents in Japan, the small number of international students and residents in Japan when compared to that of other countries, and Japan’s national policy regarding acceptance of international residents and students. JAS (Japan Active Solutions) President Tatsuya Kodaira (Professional career consultant exclusively for internationals) and Waseda University Center for International Education Program Coordinator Nobuaki Yasunaga were also invited as speakers to discuss issues such as the reasons for universities and companies to promote globalization, the setting and challenges of globalization, and possible solutions for the great momentum.

Participants from various industries including the real estate industry attended the seminar. Participants of the real estate industry asked engaging questions on topics such as the benefits of welcoming internationals as tenants, and the aftercare and life support for the tenants after they move into their housing of choice.,

We will introduce below for reference some of the materials that our CEO used during the seminar. We hope that this information will be useful for viewers.
Our CEO’s seminar presentation material regarding increase of international residents in Japan, and the Japanese market for international students
(This is an excerpt of the presentation used at the seminar jointly hosted with UR)

Partner with Todai to create Housing Guidebook Transborders and The University of Tokyo jointly created in March 2008 a guidebook for international students and residents on ways to find housing in Japan (guidebook available in English and Japanese). The University of Tokyo will distribute this guidebook from end of March to all international researchers and students. The University of Tokyo decided on creating this guidebook as part of its “Measures to Promote the Settlement of Overseas Researchers and Students in Japan” project, and has commissioned Transborders to provide the content and produce this guidebook. We have high expectations that the know-how we provide will alleviate the concerns that internationals students and residents have, and will help in their housing search.

Japanese educational institutions are very active about accepting internationals. Increasing the ratio of internationals at their institutions not only fills in spots of decreasing Japanese students, but also enhances the institutions’ international rankings and its global competitiveness. Increasing international students is also promoted at the national policy level. Even at the national policy level, discussion to increase international students in Japan is actively raised. Prime Minister Fukuda presented at the Diet’s Address this January that Japan will increase the number of international students to 300,000 people, which is 2.5 times that of today.

On the other hand however, housing offered by educational institutions and public service organizations is extremely scarce compared to number of students. Approximately 80% of international students currently live on off-campus housing.

Transborders is an expert on matters concerning international students and researchers, and provides real estate services in 4 languages (Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese). Through real estate, Transborders will strive to bridge the real estate market, educational institutions, international residents, and Japanese society. We aspire to shape Japan into a society that is comfortable and convenient for internationals to live in.

On Sept. 11, 2007, Transborders CEO Sakiko Tanaka was invited as lecturer to speak at the “Waseda Machi-Zukuri (Urban Planning)“ seminar hosted by the Shinjuku Enoki District Assembly.

Enoki District is currently seeking ways to re-energize its community, and Sakiko was invited as lecturer out of the District Assembly members’ growing interests to consider welcoming international students as potential driver to stimulate change.

Approximately 50 of Enoki district’s residents and assembly members gathered for the seminar, and Sakiko explained to them about the government’s current policies to actively recruit international students into Japan, the problems that current international students face regarding housing, and merits for landlords and communities to provide housings for international students. An active Q&A session took place after Sakiko’s presentation, indicating the high level of interest that the participants had for her presentation and for potentially welcoming international students.

Other speakers invited for the seminar include representative from the international affairs division of Waseda University, architects from Urban Design System Co., Ltd., landlord with over 10 years experience in providing housings for international students, and international student from Waseda University. Each speaker, from their different perspectives, presented their thoughts on ways to create a community that would welcome international students as residents.

Our CEO Sakiko Tanaka was invited as guest speaker for Social Venture Tokyo (SVT) Network Meeting.
SVT is a community of socially responsible investors, and also serves as fund that invests and provides managerial support to business ventures that have a socially driven purpose.
The meeting was attended by over 50 participants composes of business practitioners, students, and members of academic institutions. Sakiko spoke to the crowd about Transborders vision, its business model, and its emphasis on juggling both societal and financial impact, and her address was well received.

President Sakiko Tanaka appears on the March 20, 2007 edition of Nikkei Business Associe, one of Japan's most popular business magazines.
She was interviewed for the magazine's special article on "Skill and Career Enhancement."
Nikke Business Associe is published bi-weekly, and approximately 100,000 copies are published per edition.

○article on the web
http://info.nikkeibp.co.jp/nba/skillup/01.html
○NB online
http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/