Mark Kennedy on Muck Rack

Mark Kennedy

(He/Him)
Japan
As seen in: Japan Insider, Real Gaijin, Substack, Kiplinger, KOCO-TV (Oklahoma City, OK), WARC, RecentlyHeard, The Northside Sun
Covers:  Commentary and analysis from the perspective of a long-term expat with 30+ years living, studying, and working in Japan.
Unveiling the Real Japan: An American Expat's Inside Look | Hot takes, commentary, and unfiltered insights on life as a foreigner in Japan.

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Mark Kennedy’s Biography

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Based in Japan, Mark Kennedy is the founder of the Real Gaijin Substack (https://realgaijin.substack.com), for which he typically writes about business-related topics, the unique culture of Japan, and travel.

Mark has lived and worked in Japan for more than 30 years and is now a permanent resident. He began his career in sales and spent most of it working for the American medical device manufacturer Hollister Incorporated, in both Japan and the United States. Mark held various management positi…

Mark Kennedy’s Journalist Portfolio

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The Corporate Paddy: Japan's Industrial Giants are Seizing the Rice Bowl

The Corporate Paddy: Japan's Industrial Giants are Seizing the Rice Bowl

As the "Reiwa Rice Crisis" shatters faith in traditional supply chains, industry titans are vertically integr…

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Launch of the Real Gaijin QOL Index

Launch of the Real Gaijin QOL Index

Data-driven insights into the experience of living abroad in Japan, tracked from 1970 to the present day.

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The Death of the "Perfect" Selfie: Why Japan's Workforce Is Accidentally Leaking State Secrets

The Death of the "Perfect" Selfie: Why Japan's Workforce Is Accidentally Leaking State Secrets

Japan's embrace of "raw" social media like BeReal and Instants is creating an unexpected threat: employees ac…

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Time Slip to Takegawara Onsen: The Ultimate Beppu Hot Spring Experience

Time Slip to Takegawara Onsen: The Ultimate Beppu Hot Spring Experience

How to navigate the legendary 150-year-old hot spring where you get "buried alive" in volcanic sand.

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The Entrepreneurial Iron Curtain: Why Japan's New Visa Laws Are Crushing Innovation from Abroad

The Entrepreneurial Iron Curtain: Why Japan's New Visa Laws Are Crushing Innovation from Abroad

Japan says it wants innovation. The numbers tell a different story. New companies founded by foreigners have …

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The "Fairness" Trap: Are Japan's Tourism Subsidies Leaving Locals Behind?

The "Fairness" Trap: Are Japan's Tourism Subsidies Leaving Locals Behind?

Is it really "preferential treatment" to roll out the red carpet for visitors, or are we witnessing the growi…

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Articles

The Corporate Paddy: Japan’s Industrial Giants are Seizing the Rice Bowl

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By Mark Kennedy
| Real Gaijin
Major non-agricultural corporations like Watami and Iris Ohyama are transitioning from selling rice to owning the entire production cycle, from planting to harvesting. This shift transforms Japanese agriculture from a protected, tradition-bound sector into “strategic infrastructure” vital to national food security.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Launch of the Real Gaijin QOL Index

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By Mark Kennedy
| Real Gaijin
Real Gaijin has launched the Real Gaijin QOL (Quality of Life) Index1, which is an attempt to distill the entire experience of living in Japan as a foreigner down to a single number. As of 2026, the normalized composite rating is 6 on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 signifies a perfect score. The overall rating is based on eight equally weighted components. Historical data from publicly available sources has been tracked since the baseline year of 1970.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

The Death of the "Perfect" Selfie: Why Japan’s Workforce Is Accidentally Leaking State Secrets

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By Mark Kennedy
| Real Gaijin
Japan’s Gen Z is embracing “unedited” social platforms like BeReal, a photo-sharing app focused on spontaneity. These platforms are powered by accessories like the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen (Insta360 Snap 自撮りモニター) that make professional-grade rear-camera selfies effortless.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Freelance writer for Gaijin Pot.com (while running my firm's Japanese subsidiary)

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes

How is social media changing news?

SEO seems to be reducing content down to a series of mini headlines. Local stories are often lost among national and international news.
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