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Language school teachers face axe
Hundreds of British teachers in Japan face redundancy and possible eviction after the collapse of the country’s largest private provider of English language lessons. More than 900 Britons are among thousands of tutors who look set to lose their jobs following an announcement that the Nova school chain has filed for bankruptcy. The British embassy…
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Ex-President’s Equity Stake in Nova Falls Sharply
Failed foreign language school Nova Corp. <4655> said Tuesday the equity stake held by its former President Nozomu Sahashi and his family in the company fell sharply in the April-September first half of fiscal 2007 for unknown reasons. As of Sept. 30, Sahashi, founder of Nova, and an Osaka-based firm fully owned by him and…
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School’s closure in Japan exposes tough times for foreign teachers
Nova, the largest language school, declared bankruptcy last week. Twenty years ago, native English speakers in Japan used to joke that they could make $100 an hour as an ESL teacher because they speak “a” language. These days, teachers feel as if the joke is on them. Some 4,000 foreign teachers are without jobs and…
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Rakuten, Aeon rule out trying to help save NOVA
Rakuten Inc. and Aeon Co., both suggested as potential companies to bail out critically endangered English conversation chain NOVA Corp., ruled out stepping in to save it Monday. NOVA’s 40 billion yen in debts and the likelihood any savior would have to taken over them appears to be scaring away saviors. “It’s extremely difficult even…
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Activists blast Japan’s plan to fingerprint foreign visitors
Japan’s plan to fingerprint and photograph all foreigners entering the country ages 16 or over to guard against terrorism is a serious violation of human rights, activists said Monday. Only some permanent residents, diplomatic visitors and children will be exempt from Japan’s new entry controls, which take effect Nov. 20. “The introduction of this system…
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October 28, 2007 Nova Information Session
NHK report on the Tokyo Nambu/Nova Union of Staff and Teachers October 28, 2007 Nova Information Session:
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Shady stock speculator claims link to NOVA’s failed rescue plan
A stock speculator arrested for alleged market manipulation has claimed to have had links with two tax haven-based funds ousted NOVA Corp. President Nozomu Sahashi had been trying to get to prop up the failed English conversation school chain, the Mainichi has learned. Haruo Nishida, 57, the speculator arrested by the Osaka District Public Prosecutors…
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Ex-NOVA president, family sold off majority of stake in failed school
Former NOVA Corp. President Nozomu Sahashi and his family’s stake in the failed language school operator declined from over 70 percent to less than 20 percent over a two-week period in September without a legally required report, it emerged on Monday. Receivers for NOVA are considering filing a criminal complaint with law enforcers against Sahashi…
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Editorial: NOVA teachers, students need government support
NOVA Corp., Japan’s largest English conversation school chain, applied for court protection from creditors late last week under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law. The group simultaneously announced that it would temporarily close all of its 900 schools, affecting approximately 400,000 students. The failure of the largest language school in history will have a huge impact on…
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NOVA receivers ask gov’t regulator to cooperate in supporting students
Court-appointed receivers for NOVA Corp., the failed operator of Japan’s largest English conversation school chain, said they have asked the government regulator to cooperate in supporting students and bailing out the firm. The two lawyers, Toshiaki Higashibatake and Noriaki Takahashi, made the requests in a meeting Monday with high-ranking officials of the Economy, Trade and…