The article seems just a bit too spiced-up for my liking, though. The book in question is:
http://www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000031977736
I think, but looking at the Amazon rankings it's hardly flying off the shelves as the article suggests.
Who Soc'd It?
[url]http://www.japanisdoomed.com/2009/01/04/how-to-skive-if-youre-japanese/[/url]
Hope it's interesting
The Times article is really odd to me, while it was clearly trying to be amusing I think it came across as patronizing toward the Japanese. It suggests that
a) Silly Japanese bosses would fall for these lines. IF a Japanese person used these lines and got away with it it wouldn't be because they fooled anyone but just because of the Japanese tradition of not rocking the boat (which outright accusing someone of lying would be doing) but just nodding and smiling while filing it away that this person cannot be trusted.
b) and this is the most patronizing of all - that the Japanese could not possibly be buying the book because they, too, found it amusing.
Besides, the Japanese have plenty of experience at skiving, do they not? Staying at work till 10pm (or whenever the boss leaves) playing solitaire or shuffling papers while getting paid for it is as much skiving as not turning up, in my book anyway.