‘SDRs’ bring to mind Special Drawing Rights of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international reserve asset that the Fund created to supplement its member countries’ official reserves and whose value is based on a basket of four international currencies. But at the 2012 Tokyo Annual Meetings of the IMF-WB Group, SDRs refer to ‘Special Discount Rights’, which according to the official information kit are “exclusive benefits offered by hundreds of stories and restaurants” to meeting participants. Continue Reading

That the GreatEast Japan Earthquake and the issue of disaster recovery, preparedness and inclusion in countries’ development plans provide the backdrop to the Annual Meetings is clear not only from programme. Included in the participants’ official kits are three ‘Okiagari-koboshi’, stand-up dolls made in the quake-hit Tohoku area. Continue Reading

Famous for vending machines which sell everything from umbrellas to underwear, toilets that wash and dry your buttocks, and game consoles like Nintendo, technologically advanced Japan left us somewhat perplexed as we tried to ensure that our reporting team could easily stay in touch through data capability, including through Whatsapp and others. Continue Reading

Interesting coincidence? The headline in the brochure of the Japan Tourism Agency for the Annual Meetings reads ‘Japan All In’ – which brings to mind the sports brand Adidas’ ad campaign that goes ‘Adidas is all in’.