An incredible journey

It’s easy to indulge your sweet tooth in Japan, but it can be hard to choose how you do it. The sheer range of confectionary treats on offer — even just at the convenience store — makes it difficult for established brands to stand out, let alone new market entrants. Vidal Candies, however, has made rapid headway into the market by catching eyes as successfully as it satisfies cravings.

The world of the 2002 Steven Spielberg film Minority Report, set in the year 2054, seems to be creeping up on us. When Tom Cruise’s character walks around in public, smart billboards recognise his face and pitch him cars and beer.

An expert in innovation, disruption, and global governance, Manuel Muñiz Villa was appointed to the post of state secretary for global Spain in January 2020.

The aviation industry has been one of the most visible commercial victims of Covid-19, as countries around the world have attempted to keep the spread of the virus in check with a raft of restrictions on international travel.

Since joining the foreign service in 2003, Ambassador of Slovenia to Japan Dr Ana Polak Petrič has served her country in a variety of roles.

The past year has been challenging for many businesses as the Covid-19 pandemic led to a dramatic drop in demand for goods and services — and it has been especially worrying for newer SMEs.

A member of the European Commission since 2014, Valdis Dombrovskis has, since 2019, served the European Union as executive vice president of the European Commission for an Economy that Works for People since 2019 and as EU commissioner for trade since August of last year.

On the front lines of the fight against climate change, veteran campaigners for the environment have an unlikely ally: institutional investors that are choosing to invest in environmentally responsible firms and keeping their cash away from big polluters.

One bright spot during the global pandemic has been the development and approval of multiple vaccines against Covid-19 — all in under a year.

Japan has not hosted an ambassador from the United States of America since July 2019. While it doesn’t indicate a collapse in bilateral ties, the vacancy symbolises changes in the longstanding relationship.