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| net_income = −2,495 million JPY (2007)〔 | key_people = Nozomu Sahashi (founder, former CEO) Masaki Inayoshi (former owner) | homepage = }} Nova (formerly Nova Group) is a large eikaiwa school (private English teaching company) in Japan. It was by far the largest〔 〕 company of this type until its widely publicized collapse in October 2007. Before its bankruptcy, Nova employed approximately 15,000 people across a group of companies that supported the operations of and extended out from the "Intercultural Network" of its language schools. The scope of its business operations reached its peak in February 2007 following a rapid expansion of its chain to 924 Nova branches plus a Multimedia Center located in Osaka. Nova, known for high-priced lesson packages,〔 〕 and later plagued by lawsuits and negative publicity, began to decline in earnest almost immediately after the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry placed a six-month ban against soliciting new long-term contracts from students on the company on 13 June 2007.〔 〕 The impending financial crisis facing Nova related to a rapid increase in refund claims, significant drops in sales figures, and deterioration of its reputation, came to the fore in September 2007 when Nova began to delay payment of wages and bonuses to staff. The NAMBU Foreign Workers Caucus in Tokyo estimated that up to 3,000 staff had not received their salaries on time. A solution for Nova's failure to pay wages was promised by 19 October in a fax sent to branch schools. On 23 October the Osaka Labor Standards office accepted a demand by unionized Nova instructors to investigate criminal charges against Nova President and founder, Nozomu Sahashi, over delayed and unpaid wages, but Sahashi was ultimately not charged. It took roughly eight months for the company to reach the point where it filed for bankruptcy protection on 26 October 2007 whereupon the trading of its stock was suspended and was delisted on 27 November 2007. On 6 November 2007 court-appointed receivers announced that Nagoya-based G.Communication would sponsor Nova. Initial plans by G.com were to start with reopening up to 30 schools in various locations including Tokyo and Osaka by the end of November 2007. G.com later sold off its 490 Nova and 167 Geos English schools on 1 October 2010 to Inayoshi Holdings, with 50 of the Geos schools slated to join the Nova group under the name "Nova x Geos"〔Retooled English school chains set to launch Nova x Geos brand http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T101014003658.htm Retrieved October 16, 2010〕 on 1 November 2010. As of 1 February 2012 Nova is owned by Jibun Mirai Associe Co. Ltd.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.jibunmirai.co.jp/ )〕 On September 2, 2013 Jibun Mirai established a wholly owned subsidiary called Nova and fully reinstated the name Nova.〔Japan Times (Nova reinstated as name of English-language school chain September 4, 2013 )〕 As of January 2014 Nova operates 310 branches,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.nova.co.jp/schools/ )〕 with 66,000 students.〔Japan Times (Six years following bankruptcy, Nova boosts the brand November 3, 2013 )〕 ==History== The Nova Group was founded in August 1981 and was led by CEO Nozomu Sahashi.〔 〕 Nova's corporate headquarters were in Osaka. The company was the largest employer of foreign nationals in Japan,〔 〕 employing 7,000 foreign workers,〔 5,000 of whom were employed as language instructors.〔 〕 Each year, Nova hired between 2,500 and 2,600 foreign teachers to replace those who had left.〔 〕 Although instructors were not required to have actual educational training, the company provided a salary bonus for teachers with an accredited TEFL certificate, any master's degree, or a degree in education. Teachers were admitted directly after university graduation with any degree that allowed them to obtain a work visa. Instructors from participating countries〔 (【引用サイトリンク】title= Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan ) 〕 who can obtain a Working Holiday Visa were admitted without a degree. They worked fewer hours and earned less pay than full-time instructors. Sahashi originally established the company with two high school graduates from Sweden and Canada whom he met via a friend who was studying abroad in Paris. They opened the first classroom in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The name ''Nova'' (an astronomical term for a stellar explosion) was chosen by Sahashi as he felt it would appeal to prospective students.〔 〕 In November 1996, Nova's initial public offering〔 was met with several demonstrations in front of Nomura Securities and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. A complaint filed by The Nova Union stated that the company was violating Japanese exchange laws by falsely stating that there were no unions at Nova, nor pending litigation, and that labor relations between the company and its employees were amicable and untroubled.〔(Media Critical of Nova in Wake of Public Stock Offering )〕〔("Union, management speak two tongues" ) The Japan Times (31 January 1997)〕〔("Nova is accused of lying in stock-listing prospectus" ) The Japan Times, 19 December 1996〕 Since 1997, Nova steadily expanded the number of its schools as its business grew, going from 239 schools to 623 in 2004.〔 By 2002, Nova had captured 50% of total market share by revenue (61.5 billion yen) and in 2003, Nova had gained a 66% market share by number of students, some 410,000 students in total. However 2005 saw Nova lose ground in total sales revenue.〔 〕 The company was in the red in the business year ending in March for the second consecutive year,〔 〕 posting net losses of 3 billion yen in fiscal 2005 and 2.4 billion yen in fiscal 2006 after a failed expansion attempt. The number of students fell to 418,000 by the end of March: down 12.1 percent from a year earlier.〔 〕 On 20 September 2007, NOVA announced it was considering a large-scale closure of up to 200 branches.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nova (eikaiwa)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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