MY SPEECH REPORT
see this article if you have time
もしお時間があれば読んでください
my speech presentation for the Entrepeneur Association at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondance Club
My interview with JAPAN INC.
Miss Universe Japan
In 1998, if you happened to be a pretty Japanese girl walking through Yoyogi park, you might have encountered a frantic French woman on a bike offering you the chance to find fame and fortune as a competitor in the Miss Universe Japan contest. The Miss Japan pageant had existed since 1952 but it wasn’t until 1998 that it became the Miss Universe Japan competition. Having somehow managed to secure a sponsorship deal with direct marketing firm Amway, Ines Ligron, pioneer of Miss Universe Japan had to make sure that she had some viable candidates for the competition. By making up for what she lacked in Japanese ability with a good head for business and designer bagfuls of confidence, Ligron was able to go ahead with the pageant and had secured funding for the next three years.
For the first year she hired by Donald Trump but, of a strong entrepreneurial inclination, after the first year, she obtained the license from the Trump Organization thus making herself founder and president of Miss Universe Japan. This year, she really hit the headlines when Riyo Mori of Shizuoka became the winner of the international contest. This success was what Ligron had been working for since she first came to Japan. She told us that this was ‘the point that I wanted to get to’ and she is unashamed to take part of the credit for the triumph. ‘I have become better at my job. I know how to turn the girls from the condition in which they arrive in my office into Miss Universes.’ The girls often come from the countryside and if they make the cut for the final 15, they stay at Ligron’s house and are dressed in only the best and most expensive clothes.
They receive intensive training, to turn them into confident, beautiful superstars. When asked how the family reacts to having 15 models living with them for a fair chunk of the year, Ligron explains that initially her husband didn’t like it. ‘Most men
would be happy to let a Calvin Klein model use their razor but my husband used to find it annoying. But he is very supportive and has got used to it. I also have two boys aged six and seven living at home and the girls treat them like princes. They are going to have very high standards in the future….’
While the contest and Ligron have attracted media attention as a result of the nature of the pageant and the reader friendly images it can offer, the business and the force behind it are equally worthy of focus. (Although we are unable to include
photos in this newsletter, a visit to /muj_ines_ligron will provide).
Ligron first came to Asia when her husband was moved to Hong Kong. She was, at the time, selling tanning machines in Europe and she explained to her boss that she wanted to move to HK. Reluctant to lose a talented rep, her boss offered the role of selling the machines in all Asia. So, in a country where white skin is a sign of beautiful chic, Ligron found a niche market selling tanning machines to luxury hotels; because of the perception that the Chinese market was not a good place to
sell tanning equipment, there was zero competition and yet a small but significant demand for the machines from visiting celebrities and models who expected tanning salons in the hotels where they stayed.
After doing this for about two years, Ligron’s sales ability got her was recruited by the IMG model agency. Then, in backstage discussions at a Victoria’s Secret’s fashion show, her name came up as the person to head up the operations of Miss Universe in Japan, the trademarks brought by Donald Trump in 1997. After her initial success with Amway, Ligron came up with a unique business model. ‘I had to offer companies something more than just event sponsorship. So with little experience and without knowing how to make a PowerPoint presentation in Japanese, I put together a very attractive package. What I offered was a unique form of product placement.’ When the final shortlist of 15 girls is made, they sign a six-month agreement by which they surrender all control over their image to Ligron’s company. She tells them what make-up to wear, what brand of bag to carry and what bottled water to drink. For cosmetics companies this gives them a stake in the transformation of the girls and, as well as the media exposure, they get rights to use the winner at events and all kinds of opportunities to promote their products. At roughly 20 million yen a package, the business is highly lucrative.
Nowadays, Ligron sees these deals as more than sponsorship, ‘they are promotional partnerships. I choose companies that are good for women and have a synergy with the aims and ideals of the contest. For example, I would never partner with KFC.’ Among the partners for Miss Universe Japan 2008 Ligron is proud to include such names as Samantha Thavasa, Evian, Jaguar and Maybelline.
Ligron admits that she had a fair amount of good luck along the way. For instance, in the early years she never had to pay for office space: her first office was provided by a former distributor she had a connection with. Unfortunately, he ended
up disappearing overnight, probably due to his yakuza activities that led him into trouble with the police. However, she claims that she works 12 hours a day and confided that her determination is partly the result of a feeling of being different that she has had since childhood. ‘My family are all talented performers, my mother was a child-actress and my father was a Chef but I couldn’t sing or dance. But, I do have a skill, and that is to be able to see the potential for beauty in people, particularly women, and I know exactly at first sight how to transform and improve them. I went into business as an entrepreneur when I was 21 and since then I have been very comfortable with who I am.’ I love to teach young girls tools for success and hapiness.
By Peter Harris
Chief Editor
Riyo awarded by VOGUE
Miss Universe thanks ‘my boss, Donald Trump’ for fashion gong
ミス・ユニバース、ドナルド・トランプ氏 (私のボス)に感謝
Miss Universe Riyo Mori said Monday she wanted to tell “my boss, Mr. Donald Trump” about how happy she was to have been selected as one of Vogue Nippon’s 2007 Women of the Year.
11月26日(月）、2007ミス・ユニバースの森 理世が世界的なファッション誌日本版「ＶＯＧＵＥ ＮＩＰＰＯＮ（ヴォーグ ニッポン）」が選ぶ、「Women of The Year 2007」の授賞式に参加しました。
森 理世は、この賞を受賞した喜びを彼女のボスであるドナルド・トランプ氏に伝えたいとコメント。
Mori, who told the awards ceremony held at a Tokyo hotel that she also wanted to thank her departed grandmother and all those who supported her, was one of a glittering group of women the Japanese language version of the famous fashion magazine picked as the outstanding Japanese women in their fields throughout this year.
授賞式は都内のホテルで行われました。 世界的に有名なファッション雑誌の日本版の０７年に圧倒的な活躍をした女性に贈られる賞を受賞した森は、「昨年亡くなった尊敬する祖母とサポートしてくれたすべての人たちに感謝しています。」
Selected along with the winner of the Trump-owned beauty pageant was a who’s who of Japanese women, including actresses Anna Tsuchiya, Rei Dan and Sumiko Fujii, filmmaker Naomi Kawase and comedienne Tomochika.
他に、女優の土屋アンナさん、壇れいさん、富士純子さん、映画作家の河瀬直美さん、女性芸人の友近さんなど。
Mori said her year “has gone by in a blink.”
“I was delighted when I was selected as Miss Universe in Mexico in May. Since then, I’ve been meeting people all over the world and doing all sorts of charity work. I go to places thinking I will be there to help people, but I usually end up being helped myself because of the power of the people I meet. It tells me I’ve still got a long way to go,” she said.
森は「この一年間はあっという間でした。」
「5月にメキシコで行われたミス・ユニバースの世界大会で優勝した時は本当に嬉しかったです。それ以来、たくさんの人たちと出会い、様々なチャリティー活動にも参加してきました。チャリティー活動の場へ行くと、出会った人たちのパワーに圧倒され、助けるより助けられてしまうことの方が多いのです。そんな時、私はこれからまだたくさん学ぶことがあると感じさせられます。」
Tsuchiya, meanwhile, offered her advice on what she thinks makes “an ideal woman.”
“Women are always looking for beauty, they enjoy doing that. But I think it’s more important to have a strong sense of self and be kind to others. I think the best kind of woman is one who is good on the inside.”
土屋アンナさんは授賞式の合間に「何が”理想の女性”を作り上げると思いますか？」と理世に質問。
「女性はいつも”美”というものを追求して、それを楽しんでいます。しかし、もっと重要なのは自分の意志を強く持つこと、そして他人への思いやり。本当に美しい女性というのは内面から美しい人だと思います。」
Vogue Nippon started naming its women of the year in 2005, though this year’s award presentation was only the second in the annual event.
ヴォーグ・ニッポンが初めてこの「ウーマン・オブ・ザ・イヤー」を開催したのは2005年、今年で2回目。
Vogue Nippon said it awarded the women who had provided “overwhelmingly outstanding examples of style, lifestyle or beauty” throughout 2007.
この賞は2007年に様々な分野で活躍し、スタイル、ライフスタイル、「美」に対し、影響を与えた女性に贈られます。
The remaining winners of the award were beauty advisor Yukuko Tanaka and actresses Maki Horikita and Haruka Ayase, who attended the presentation ceremony, as well as figure skater Miki Ando and violinist Mayuko Kamio, who were unable to attend and sent messages in their stead. (By Ryann Connell)
受賞者は他に、ビューティー・アドバイザーの田中宥久子さん、女優の掘北真希さん、綾瀬はるかさん、都合により授賞式に参加できなかった、フィギュアスケートの安藤美姫さん、バイオリン奏者の神尾真由子さん。(英文：ライアン・コネル）
From the Mainichi Daily News report （The Mainichi Daily News Reportより引用）
Riyo wears a flamboyant gown from ETRO [2008 Spring-Summer collection)
理世の華々しいロングドレスは「Etro（エトロ）」の2008年春夏コレクションのものです。
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
To my Sweet Angels
”私のスウィートな天使たちへ”
Thank you all beautifuls for your comments on my blog about my Birthday!!!!
誕生日のブログへの素敵なコメントをありがとう！！
I am going to Hawaii tomorrow to join my babies Luca and Noa in Kona. They left 3 days ago but I had to stay here for work. I will be back on next monday.
私は明日からハワイに行ってきます。
すでに3日前からコナにいる息子のルカとノアと合流し、月曜日には戻ってきます。（私は仕事の関係で後から行きます。)
Riyo arrives this weekend and will go visit her family. I will see her from the airport on the 26th when she receives her award from Vogue.
理世は今週末に帰国し、静岡にいる家族に会いに行きます。私は26日に、会うことになっています。
She will also interview with a newspaper in the morning. She is so busy everytime she comes to Japan. Will post many pictures later.
その日は新聞社のインタビューも受ける予定で、彼女は日本に帰ってきても相変わらずいつも予定がぎっしり詰まっています。後日、たくさんの写真をアップアップしますね。
Kurara today did some shooting for a TV program. Her first cover as an exclusive model for a great magazine is out on the 1st of next month! So many other exciting projects with Kurara coming up soon which I cannot reveal yet.
くららは本日、テレビ番組の撮影でした。
彼女が初めて雑誌の専属モデルとして、表紙を飾る雑誌の発売はいよいよ来月1日発売です。
彼女に関するたくさんのプロジェクトが始まっています。それは…まだ言えません。
See you then for lots of training soon!!!
ではまた、トレーニングで会いましょう！
Tanoshi… Love, ines
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
TRAINING AT THE OFFICE
Mizuho (left) and Chie (right), 2 of the 30 semi-finalists arrive at the office to bring some documents
2名の候補生達が書類提出のため、私たちのオフィスに訪れました。
Training at the office bewtwen Kurara and me.
オフィスにて、私とくららによるとトレーニング。
Kuara working on poise and attitude with Mizuho.
くららが立ち振る舞いや身のこなし方を教えています。
Moe relaxing on the terrasse at the office.
モエ、オフィスのテラスにて。
Photos by Morgan Ommer
撮影：モーガン・オマー
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
MY BIRTHDAY on Friday
Around 5 pm, I thought we had an electric court-circuit when all the lights shut down, but it was my sweet-team entering the room singing Happy Birthday with cakes and nice gifts! I was truly surprised.
午後5時、急にオフィスのライトがすべて消えたので停電かと思っていたら、”Happy Birthday♪”の歌と共に私のチームメンバーたちがケーキと素敵なプレゼントを持って現れたのです！本当に驚きました。
My last meeting finished at 10:00 pm and I went for a romantic dinner at Morimoto in Nishi Azabu, my favorite Japanese restaurant in Tokyo.
この日、最後のミーティングを午後10時に終え、私のお気に入りの日本食レストラン、西麻布「森本」でロマンティックなディナーへ。
I am a happy scorpion….
私はハッピーな蠍座です。
I received a pair of black earrings and a stylish necklace. Thank you Takako, Sanae, Asami, Yuka and Amy. You are very sweet, I am so blessed working with talented and nice girls like you all.
プレゼントは黒のイヤリングと素敵なネックレスでした。タカコ、サナエ、アサミ、ユカ、エイミー、ありがとう！ 私はあなた達のような有能ある人たちと働くことができて、とても恵まれています。
Abracadabra…. Takako is making some kind a magic with the cakes!
アブラカダブラ…ケーキがもっと美味しくなりますように…タカコが魔法の呪文を唱えています！
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
THE VOICE OF AUTISM
To Mothers like me around the world with a child with autism.
Urge Congress to override autism funding veto
This morning, President Bush vetoed the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill. This bipartisan bill had strong support in both the House and the Senate, but the President objected to the overall funding levels of the bill, which includes modest increases for vital programs – most of which have experienced significant cuts, lost purchasing power or both over the past three years.
This legislation includes significant increases for autism programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration and the National Institutes of Health. These increases represent full funding of the Combating Autism Act, and are critical in improving our ability to diagnose, intervene and develop new therapies for autism. We need this crucial investment!
The House could move to override the President’s veto as early as this week. Contact your Member of Congress and urge them to vote YES on the veto override.
「私と同じ、自閉症の子供を持つ母親たちへ」
”自閉症のための援助資金の議会への要請が否認されました”
今朝、ブッシュ大統領が2008年の労働、社会福祉、教育に関する予算案を否認しました。
この超党派の予算案は下院、上院議会の強いサポートがあったにも関わらず、
大統領は全般的な予算案に対して反対しており、重要なプログラムを含む、その予算の殆どが過去3年の間に大幅な予算削減や購買力を失っています。
この予算案は米疾病管理センター、保健資源事業局、国立衛生研究所の自閉症プログラムへの大幅予算アップを含んでいます。
この大幅にアップした予算は自閉症治療のため、診断や新たな治療法開発のために役立てられます。私たちにはその資金が必要なのです！
議会はこの大統領の否認を投票によって無効にすることができます。
議員たちに”無効にする（ＹＥＳ）”に投票するよう訴えましょう。
My angelic son Luca.
私の大切な天使、息子のルカ。
If you know someone with autism just help by voting YES.
CLICK HERE! to take action now.
Thank you!
もしあなたの知り合いに自閉症の人がいるなら、「Yes」に投票することでその人たちを助けることができます。
こちらをクリック してアクションを起こしましょう！！
ありがとう！
下記サイトより抜粋：http://www.democraticunderground.com/
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
MY SPEECH AT TSUKUBA UNIVERSITY
oops… what happened?! I did not make the change on my PowerPoint presentation since my previous speech at FCCJ! I In fact, i should have been:
Tsukuba University, November 9th”
あら…?? どうしたのでしょう!? FCCJ（在日外国特派員協会）でのスピーチ以来、うっかりプレゼン資料の内容を変えていませんでした。するべきなのに！ 11月9日に筑波大学へスピーチをさせて頂く機会がありました。I spoke from 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm! It felt really fast even though I spoke for 2&half hours. I got so many interesting questions during the Q&A session, it was great.
その日は午後6：45から午後9：00までのスピーチでしたが、あっという間に過ぎて行きました。Q&Aセッションではたくさんの興味深い質問が飛び交い、楽しむことができました。My speech was addressed to a class full of smart MBA students, enrolled in a 2 years MBA program and they take evening and weekend classes as most of them have day jobs, amazing…
スピーチはMBA(経営学修士）のクラスで行われました。生徒のほとんどは昼間仕事をしているにも関わらず、2年間のMBAプログラム（平日夜と週末）に参加しているのです…感心します。 Some of them want to start they own business also my speech was about the joys and the difficulties of having your own business.S Students in the room included Venezuelan, Sri Lankan, American and mostly Japanese. 彼らのうち何名かは自分でビジネスを立ち上げたいと考えており、私のスピーチの内容も「起業の楽しみと難しさ」というものでした。参加した生徒の出身国はべネズエラ、スリランカ、アメリカ、そして殆どが日本の生徒さん達でした。I was invited to speak last year as well with 2 other business persons, Konishiki and the President of the American Club. We received a bouquet of flowers!
昨年も筑波大学にて、コニシキさんとアメリカンクラブの会長と共に、スピーチをさせて頂く機会がありました。私たちは最後に花束を受け取りました！
Thank you for reading!
読んでくれてありがとう！！
Translation by Nagahama Ayako
