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jp0001167
|
[
"business"
] |
2017/06/29
|
Shareholders urge utilities to end nuclear power generation, are snubbed by management
|
Anti-nuclear shareholders in major Japanese utilities called for an end to nuclear power generation at general shareholders’ meetings on Wednesday, citing safety concerns and a lack of support in local communities. Among the proposals at the meetings of eight power producers were withdrawal from the nuclear power business and decommissioning of plants, but the utilities rejected the calls, citing nuclear power’s contribution to stable supply of electricity and lower energy prices. At the meeting of Kansai Electric Power Co. attended by around 680 shareholders, Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said the utility should move away from nuclear dependency amid continuing repercussions from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. But Kansai Electric President Shigeki Iwane said the utility in western Japan will cut electricity rates from August along with the restart of reactors 3 and 4 at its Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. One shareholder pointed out that “massive damage will be caused if a ballistic missile launched by North Korea falls onto the nuclear plant.” Hayato Saeki, president of Shikoku Electric Power Co., told the shareholders’ meeting that the company has seen “the stabilization of power supply and demand and the improvement of profitability” due to the stable operation of reactor 3 at the Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan. Some shareholders of Kyushu Electric Power Co. questioned whether the utility has gained the support of local residents for the planned restart of reactors 3 and 4 at the Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, which Saga Gov. Yoshinori Yamaguchi consented to in late April. Meanhwile, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., which held its general shareholders’ meeting last Friday, dismissed all 11 antinuclear proposals, including the decommissioning of its idled Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture. As of Wednesday, five of Japan’s 42 commercial reactors nationwide are operating, according to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. They are reactors 3 and 4 at the Takahama plant, reactors 1 and 2 at Kyushu Electric’s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, and reactor 3 at the Ikata plant. Kyushu Electric Power has also sought to resume reactors 3 and 4 at the Genkai nuclear power plant this summer or thereafter.
|
nuclear energy;utilities;shareholders
|
jp0001168
|
[
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] |
2017/06/29
|
Niagara Falls daredevil riding inside inflatable ball with a boa constrictor dies; snake missing
|
Niagara Falls, NEW YORK - A daredevil who died after plunging over Niagara Falls in an apparent stunt with an inflatable ball might have brought a boa constrictor along for the ride. After Kirk Jones’ death, New York State Park Police found a website with a photo of him and the 7-foot (210-cm) snake named Misty previewing his plans and selling T-shirts and photos, the Niagara Gazette reported Wednesday. “Believe in the Impossible Kirk Jones + Misty Conquer Niagara Falls NY 2017,” read the site, which has since been taken down. Jones’ body was recovered from the water below the falls on June 2. Investigators believe he died April 19, the same day tourists spotted an 8-foot (240-cm) plastic ball, its zippered hatch clearly open, spinning in the Niagara River rapids before it went over the brink. The snake hasn’t been found, though an empty snake cage was found in Jones’ parked van. Exotic-pet experts told police it wouldn’t have survived the cold water. Footage from a crashed drone belonging to Jones, found by a parks employee April 20, shows only rushing water. Police began looking for Jones after the discovery of the ball and drone and after a call from Jones’ wife telling them she feared her husband had gone over the falls. That led to the discovery of the website: www.kirkjonesniagarafallsdaredevil.com . “We were looking for him and a 7-foot boa constrictor,” Park Police Detective Sgt. Brian Nisbet said. Police don’t know whether Jones fell or climbed out of the ball before reaching the brink. Jones, 53, became the first person known to survive the plunge over Niagara Falls without a safety device in October 2003, when he climbed over a rail and into the water in an apparent suicide attempt. The feat brought fleeting fame for the then-unemployed salesman from Canton, Michigan, and a brief stint in the circus, but he had been out of the public eye in recent years. Police listed his most recent address as Spring Hill, Florida. Although such stunts are illegal, several daredevils have survived trips over Niagara Falls in various contraptions, beginning with Annie Edison Taylor, who rode over in an oak barrel in 1901. At least two other men have survived unprotected plunges since Jones did it.
|
u.s .;new york;animals;stunts
|
jp0001169
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2017/06/29
|
Ex-education minister Shimomura denies media report claiming undeclared Kake donations
|
Former education minister Hakubun Shimomura denied a report Thursday alleging that he received ¥2 million in undeclared donations from scandal-tainted school operator Kake Gakuen, claiming that the donations were made separately by 11 individuals and corporations and were entirely legal. Shimomura held a news conference Thursday after the latest issue of the weekly Shukan Bunshun exposed alleged donations from the school operator, basing the report on what the weekly claims are digital copies of internal documents from Shimomura’s office. The Shukan Bunshun said the documents showed Kake Gakuen had given ¥2 million in donations which were not reported in Shimomura’s official financial reports in an apparent violation of the Political Funds Control Law. The report could seriously damage Shimomura’s public image and adversely affect his Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday’s Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election. Shimomura, a longtime aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, serves as the head of the LDP’s Tokyo chapter. He is also a deputy secretary general of the party. “We are now consulting with my lawyer to file charges with police or prosecutors” against an unidentified person who allegedly leaked the files to Shukan Bunshun, Shimomura said at the news conference. Shimomura also said he is preparing to file a libel lawsuit against Shukan Bunshun. Shimomura admitted that records from his office included Kake Gakuen on lists of donors who bought tickets for Shimomura’s fundraising parties in 2013 and 2014, as alleged by Shukan Bunshun. But the school operator happened to be recorded as the donor on the private list because the head of the corporate secretariat of Kake Gakuen had collected the donations on behalf of 11 other parties and delivered the money to Shimomura’s office, he claimed. According to Shimomura, the donations from the 11 parties were each ¥200,000 or less. Under the Political Funds Control Law, a donation of ¥200,000 or less does not need to be noted in official reports. However, Shimomura did not identify the 11 donors during the news conference, saying his office doesn’t have records of their names. Shimomura also said he doesn’t know if the 11 include any executive or board members of Kake Gakuen. He said he would try to “confirm” the names. Shukan Bunshun’s report is particularly damaging to Shimomura and the LDP because the Okayama-based school operator has recently made headlines over alleged government favoritism in a special deregulation project. Opposition lawmakers have alleged that Kake Gakuen, whose official English name is Kake Educational Institution, was allowed to start a new veterinary department — the first such opening in the nation in 52 years — at one of its universities because of the school operator’s close ties with the prime minister. Kake Gakuen is chaired by Kotaro Kake, one of Abe’s closest friends. The scandal has remained in the headlines in recent weeks as a number of internal documents have been leaked from the education ministry, all of which suggest that the Cabinet Office repeatedly pressured the ministry to favor Kake Gakuen, citing “the intent of the prime minister.” Shukan Bunshun also reported that it discovered more than ¥10 million in ticket sales for fundraising events were undeclared on Shimomura’s official reports over three years, even though internal documents show that his office received them. Shimomura said only that his office is still investigating that allegation and that the tickets may have been sold in a way similar to that of the ¥2 million from the 11 parties. Concluding the news conference, Shimomura said he would take more questions from the media only after the election so he can concentrate on campaigning. “Now only three days are left before the metropolitan assembly election, including today,” he said. “I will carefully answer questions after the election is over,” he said.
|
scandals;hakubun shimomura;political donations;kake gakuen
|
jp0001170
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2017/06/16
|
Diet makes historic revision to century-old sex-crime laws
|
Japan revised its sex crime laws for the first time in more than a century on Friday — a historic move that broadens the definition of rape, lengthens prison terms and makes prosecution possible even if those who claim they are victims don’t press charges. A package of amendments unanimously approved by the Upper House in the final hours of this session of the Diet represents the first shake-up of Japan’s sex crime laws, which have remained effectively untouched since their inception in 1907. “Japan’s current legal system doesn’t protect people who went through the most unbearable experience human beings could possibly imagine,” Jun Yamamoto, a survivor of childhood molestation, told the Upper House Committee on Judicial Affairs prior to the revised laws’ passage. For the most part of her adolescence, Yamamoto said she was sexually abused by her own father, who would periodically creep into her bed and fumble her breasts and buttocks. The Diet also passed a supplementary provision stipulating that the revision will be revisited three years after taking effect. With Friday’s update, the definition of rape — which has traditionally been limited to vaginal penetration by a penis — will be expanded to include forced anal and oral sex, thereby recognizing that males can be rape victims. The minimum sentences will be raised to five years from three, while rape resulting in death or injury will from now on entail a minimum six years in prison, up from the current five. Offenses such as rape and indecent assault will become prosecutable even if those who claim they are victims do not file formal complaints. Adults who have taken advantage of “guardianship” roles to sexually abuse children under 18 will face rape and indecent assault charges even if they don’t resort to “violence and intimidation” — currently a prerequisite for convicting sex offenders — in assaulting their victims. The revision will also cover the robbery-rape law, which has applied only to offenders who commit robbery first and rape second. The law will no longer hinge on robbery preceding rape, and will put offenders behind bars for a minimum of seven years. Although a major step forward, Friday’s revision still leaves many issues unresolved. Critics such as Yamamoto want the “violence and intimidation” prerequisite deleted because they say it is out of touch with reality. Rapists, they say, can easily overpower their targets without using force because they are often too scared to put up a fight. Moreover, some critical changes proposed by a panel of outside experts in 2015 went excluded from the amendments submitted by the Justice Ministry during this Diet session. Among the unresolved issues is the question of whether the statute of limitations for rape, currently 10 years, should be scrapped or at least lengthened if victims are juveniles. Some people say that it is often the case that by the time minors come to grips with abuse and are prepared to seek justice, they have already run out of time. Calls for creating a new law banning spousal rape were also unheeded. The age of consent for sex in Japan will remain notoriously low at 13, too, meaning that sex with people that young won’t be considered a crime if it can be established that the sex was consensual. “If you’re sexually abused, you’re not treated as human. You just become a belonging of your offender,” Yamamoto, who herself was first molested when she was 13, told the Diet committee. The nightmare, she said, lasted seven years. “That’s when our souls are killed.” The revision of the sex crime laws caps months of tumultuous debate in the Diet dominated by conflict of interest scandals linked to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife, as well as the contentious conspiracy bill that skipped usual Diet procedures to be rammed through the legislature by his ruling coalition. The session is set to wrap up on Sunday. Furor over the allegation that Abe helped finance an ultra-nationalist kindergarten run by Osaka school operator Moritomo Gakuen dominated Diet deliberation before April, denting his Cabinet’s support rate. A separate, ongoing allegation over Abe’s alleged involvement in the opening of a new veterinary department at a university run by his close confidant, Kotaro Kake, led to the prime minister being forced to explain his false denials at the Diet on Friday. On Thursday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito coalition steamrolled through the Diet a bill to revise the anti-organized crime law, with a view to cracking down on the planning of as many as 277 crimes. Although ostensibly an attempt to better counter terrorism, the revised law, critics say, could be abused by the law enforcement to impinge on various civil liberties, such as the right to privacy. The Diet also enacted one-off legislation that will permit Emperor Akihito to abdicate the Chrysanthemum throne, making him the first monarch to do so in 200 years. The legislation designed to outlaw smoking in pubic institutions such as hospitals, schools and municipal offices, however, ended up not being submitted to this Diet session after the health ministry failed to win approval of the LDP.
|
rape;diet;sex crimes;sex-crime law
|
jp0001171
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/17
|
Kansai takes measured view on missile drills
|
Over the past two months, hardly a week has passed without news of another North Korean missile launch. It’s become routine: An early morning South Korean media report, based on government sources, says that “an object has been launched,” forcing politicians, bureaucrats, and journalists in Tokyo out of bed. Groggy and red-eyed, they head to their ministries, agencies, offices and press clubs to man their stations and wait for developments. They return home only after confirming the missile has landed somewhere in the Sea of Japan. Inevitably, what follows is a stream of warnings and angry denunciations by the prime minister, the chief Cabinet secretary and the defense minister. A parade of commentary on North Korea, East Asia or the U.S. military also fills the airwaves and newspapers with speculation on what happens next, some of it informed, much of it not. Whatever the odds are of people in Japan actually being injured or killed by an incoming missile, journalists and politicians get the chance to sound serious and concerned and issue dire warnings. But the recent rush by small towns in parts of the country to hold evacuation drills for an incoming missile has been greeted in Kansai with skepticism about their purpose and effectiveness. Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada has questioned such drills, given it could take as little as seven minutes between the time official news of a missile launch is confirmed and the time it strikes Japan. Others, such as Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa, have spoken about the need for the central government to do more in terms of rapid communication with local governments when news of a missile launch is confirmed. But Fukui towns have yet to hold their own evacuation drills. These reactions are interesting because Fukui Prefecture is home to the nation’s, and one of the world’s, largest concentration of nuclear power plants. Maizuru, on the northern edge of Kyoto Prefecture, is the only major Sea of Japan base for the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Kyogamisaki, located north of Maizuru, is a sub-base of the Air Self-Defense Force and the location of a X-band radar facility that was set up specifically to track inbound ballistic missiles. One would assume both locations, especially Maizuru, would be fairly high on North Korea’s list of possible missile targets. Then there is neighboring Fukui Prefecture. An attack on Fukui’s 14 nuclear reactors by North Korea has been the stuff of social media speculation, fiction writing, local assembly discussions and, since the attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2011, some concern on the part of U.S. and Japanese officials. But Fukui’s cities and towns hosting the reactors have not aggressively pushed to hold local evacuation drills based on scenarios of a North Korean missile attack. Various explanations have been offered in the Kansai media for local governments outside the region deciding to hold evacuation drills. Some say the Tohoku area prefectures feel they are closer to the dangers emanating from North Korea than western Japan. Others have suggested the small towns conducting the drills aren’t really that scared of being in the path of an incoming missile. The towns also know very well they would have little time to effectively prepare. But the drills offer an excuse for residents to participate in a community event, a kind of local festival involving old friends, family and neighbors. They also note that because such towns are small, it takes authorities less time and effort to organize such drills. Whatever the reasons, Kansai area governments, starting with Kyoto and Fukui, are keeping calm and carrying on compared to local governments elsewhere. So far, most Kansai leaders appear unconvinced that holding missile evacuation drills are practical, necessary, or anything other than a waste of time and local finances.
|
fukui prefecture;missile;nuclear power plants;north korea-japan relations
|
jp0001177
|
[
"reference"
] |
2017/06/19
|
Sinister world of the dark web is just a few clicks away
|
The internet has long been an essential fixture of people’s lives. But the candy-colored cupcake photos on Instagram and hilarious animal videos on YouTube are just the sugar-coated, cat-tastic surface of the internet. There’s also the web’s seamy underbelly — an anonymous hidden marketplace that serves as a hotbed of drug and arms trafficking, fraud, hacking and other cybercrimes. The following are questions and answers on the so-called dark web, accessible just a few clicks away on any computer. What is the dark web? The dark web is digital space with hidden content intended in particular for malicious activities. It exists within the so-called deep web, a part of the World Wide Web that is unreachable through regular search engines like Google, but can be accessed using specific software, most commonly Tor, that provides a cloak of anonymity for the user. Anyone who has the free software can gain entry to the dark web without revealing who and where they are, making it difficult for authorities to crack down on illicit activities. It is difficult to gauge how many hidden websites actually exist today. But the size of the hidden web in 2001 was approximately 400 to 500 times larger than the surface web, the regular sites visible through standard search engines, according to a white paper by BrightPlanet. The U.S.-based web research firm estimates that the deep web could be even larger today, as the number of regular web pages has grown significantly since 2001. Neither using Tor nor accessing the dark web is by itself illegal. In fact, people such as whistleblowers and journalists will often use Tor to protect their identities from online surveillance. But, what is illicit is most of the content on the dark web, such as information on drug trafficking and child pornography. Why do people use the dark web? The dark web has flourished as a major marketplace for shady businesses, said Katsuyuki Okamoto, a security expert at Tokyo-based cybersecurity firm Trend Micro Inc. One of the largest e-commerce markets on the dark web today boasts more than 170,000 registered users and sells about 360,000 items, including illegal drugs, guns and how-to instruction manuals on anything imaginable ranging from hacking to making bombs. Personal data obtained by hackers, such as login IDs and passwords for Twitter and Facebook, as well as credit card security information, are openly traded on the dark web. These credentials are then exploited by thieves for account hacking and online shopping, Okamoto said. Most transactions are conducted by using virtual cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, he said. Some sellers say they can send items such as illegal drugs and guns to Japan, although shipments are likely to be seized at customs before they can reach buyers, he added. In one case, apparently hacked health care insurance data on 9.3 million people in the U.S., including names, addresses, phone numbers, email and Social Security numbers, were being sold on the dark web for 200 bitcoin (about ¥14 million at the going exchange rate in July 2016), according to Trend Micro. Some users sell ransomware — malicious software that holds computer files hostage in exchange for a ransom — as a ready-made service, enabling people without programming skills to spread the malware easily via email. Hackers try to make money by selling their ransomware on the dark web as there is no guarantee victims will really pay ransom, Okamoto said. Since it is virtually impossible to identify who is accessing the dark web and from where, it is thus unsurprising that underworld groups and terrorists are exploiting the space, Okamoto said. “We can’t keep track of the flow of money on the dark web. But it is possible the market is being exploited by malicious people,” he said. Is browsing the dark web dangerous? Accessing the dark web poses no risk if it’s only for browsing, Okamoto said. But using Tor may raise flags for the police and draw suspicion about potential wrongdoing, because there are not many legitimate reasons to conduct business through an encrypted network in Japan, he said. People might find trouble once they purchase goods sold on the dark web. “Some items might never be shipped after you pay money,” Okamoto said. However, he pointed out that even if network traffic is encrypted, the police can arrest buyers using other evidence, such as when illegal items are actually shipped by a courier. The dark web has become “a gateway for cyberattacks” and contributed to its unprecedented rise in recent years, said Okamoto. Trend Micro statistics showed it detected 65,400 ransomware attacks in Japan in 2016, about 10 times the year before. Trend Micro spokesman Junsuke Sawarame said the dark web has also motivated hackers to steal personal information, as it has served as a main platform to monetize activities. “Many people are not aware of how hackers treat the personal information they steal after cyberattacks. But I think it’s important to know the information is exchanged for cash,” he said. Is the dark web growing? The dark web has lost some momentum after the crackdown of an online black market in 2013, Okamoto said. In October 2013, U.S. authorities arrested and convicted Ross William Ulbricht — who operated Silk Road, a now-defunct online black market dubbed the “eBay of drugs” — for narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering. Ulbricht was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in May 2015. Okamoto warns that the dark web has been gaining a foothold in Japan, especially attracting youths and offering easy access to information that could be used for cybercrimes. In 2015, police arrested a 17-year-old for hacking a publisher’s website. The same year, a 14-year-old in Sapporo was arrested on suspicion of possessing and selling computer virus software designed to steal personal data of online banking users. He told the police that he obtained the software online . National Police Agency statistics show 31 percent of 200 people arrested for illegal computer access, including hacking and phishing fraud, in 2016 were aged between 14 and 19 — more than any other age groups. The trend has continued since 2011.
|
internet;computers;cybercrimes;dark web
|
jp0001178
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/06/26
|
Diary offers rare glimpse into Japan's early 20th century battles in Russia
|
A diary kept by a member of the Imperial Japanese Navy, recounting fierce battles in Siberia when Japan dispatched troops there in the early 20th century, was recently unearthed by Kyodo News. There are few detailed accounts of the war by Japanese troops, with historians relying mainly on official war records. “A plume of black smoke filled the sky and corpses were washed ashore one after another onto the riverbank,” according to the diary, which also depicts how the Japanese forces set fire to a village and gunned down locals. A year after the Bolsheviks took power in Russia in the October Revolution, Japan fought the battles in Siberia claiming it was seeking to rescue Czech prisoners. The Japanese forces withdrew from Siberia in October 1922 but remained in northern Sakhalin until May 1925 with the aim of securing oil and coal resources. More than 70,000 troops were dispatched over the almost seven-year period, with the Japanese death toll topping 3,000. The diary was kept by Waichi Tanabe, a native of the former village of Sakauchi, which is now part of the town of Ibigawa in Gifu Prefecture. Tanabe died in 1976 at the age of 84. Mainly focusing on a navy mission to Siberia between 1918 and 1920, Tanabe recorded his nearly 11-year military career in the diary and later compiled it into 36 handmade booklets entitled “North, South, East and West.” The booklets were kept by Tanabe’s family, including his 60-year-old grandson Kazumasa. Tanabe, who was a crew member aboard the battleship Mikasa, arrived at a port in Vladivostok in October 1918 before moving to inner Khabarovsk and subsequently being deployed in Blagoveshchensk on the Amur River, where he served as an artilleryman supporting ground troops. A number of railway and communications facilities were destroyed by partisans and some Japanese units were even annihilated. “An incident could occur at any time,” Tanabe wrote, recounting how he had heard that 31 local people were shot dead by Japanese forces searching for saboteurs and enemy sympathizers. With Russian forces poised to advance, Tanabe later wrote, “I have only three hours left.” In Ivanovka, a suburb of Blagoveshchensk, a telegram station was captured by partisans, prompting a ferocious attack by Japanese forces in March 1919 in which around 300 residents were killed. Recounting the attack, Tanabe wrote the commander ordered “those aiding the radical group to be set on fire and the plan was executed.” Tanabe’s gunboat sailed up the Zeya and Shilka rivers, the Amur River’s tributary and headstream, seizing control of areas on the riverbanks. Describing “an extremely accurate attack” by the enemy that nearly hit his vessel, Tanabe noted, “I opened fire again and again as I was ordered.” After retreating to Khabarovsk between April and May 1920, he experienced urban warfare as communication and supply lines were cut, returning fire from his anchored gunboat. “With 30 bomb blasts that fell just meters away, the area was filled with smoke,” he wrote. “The artillery fire from each side came out of the dark of the night. Its fierceness was beyond description,” he said. Masafumi Asada, an associate professor at Iwate University, said the diary provides “valuable historical material” that offers rare insight into a soldier’s daily life, from the beginning of a campaign to his return home. “I hope that this discovery will lead to more materials being found that move research forward,” said Asada, whose historical research focuses on Northeast Asia.
|
wwii;world war ii;sakhalin;siberia;waichi tanabe
|
jp0001179
|
[
"reference"
] |
2017/06/26
|
Osaka sets sights on 2025 World Expo, but formidable challenges remain
|
OSAKA - Earlier this month, Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui led a delegation of local politicians and business leaders to Paris, where they formally announced at a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions that the prefecture was bidding to host the 2025 World Expo. Speaking to the assembled delegates, who will decide the winner in November 2018 after conducting site visits over the next year or so, Matsui introduced the Osaka bid, but did not delve into specifics. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also delivered a video message of support. Paris, home to the bureau, is also bidding for the event, along with Ekaterinburg, Russia and Baku, Azerbaijan. Why was the name, originally the Osaka Expo 2025 bid, changed to the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 bid? The central government, especially the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, along with local business leaders, were worried that Osaka alone did not have enough international recognition, at least outside of East Asia, to successfully beat Paris, which Japan sees as its main rival. By changing the name to “Osaka Kansai,” Abe’s government hopes the added international appeal will be the chance to visit a number of cities, including Osaka. The decision to change the name was somewhat last minute. At late as April, Osaka officials and Japanese media were talking about the “Osaka Expo 2025” bid. Who is behind the bid? The Osaka Expo bid was formally proposed in 2014 by Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), the political group based in the city that has a plurality in the Osaka prefectural and municipal assemblies and is part of Nippon Ishin no Kai. One key figure backing the proposal is 82-year-old former Economic Planning Agency head Taichi Sakaiya, who has been a major supporter of Osaka Ishin and wields behind-the-scenes influence on the Abe administration. Many in Osaka also credit Sakaiya for helping make the 1970 World Expo there one of the most successful events ever. In addition to Sakaiya and Osaka Ishin, other supporters of the bid include trade minister Hiroshige Seko, who hails from the Kansai region, as well as Kansai Electric Power Co., Osaka Gas and major Osaka-based construction companies. What’s the theme of the proposed Expo? When and where would it take place? Under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the Expo would run between May 3 and Nov. 3, 2025. The original proposed theme had actually focused on “health and longevity,” but this was rejected by the central government since the topic would hold little appeal to delegates from nations that, unlike Japan, are less concerned about a rapidly aging society. The location would be Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay. So how was the bid presented in Paris? In his address, Matsui emphasized history and technology. He talked about famous temples and World Heritage sites like the Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion while also promoting Osaka as a base for life-science research and a center for food and sports industries. While Matsui spoke of Osaka’s highly developed transportation structure for domestic and international travelers, he also mentioned “world-leading public safety.” Supporters in Osaka have said one way Osaka could conceivably beat Paris is if the Bureau is convinced that hosting the Expo in Japan greatly reduces the chance a terrorist attack, although debate over what kind of a beefed-up police presence would be needed — and who would pay for it — has yet to take place. What are the projected attendance figures and costs for an Osaka Kansai Expo? Assuming basic operating hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. over the six months of operation, official estimates predict between 28 million and 30 million visitors, including about 3.5 million from abroad. That’s less than half the 64 million who attended the 1970 Expo, but more than the 22 million who visited the 2005 Expo in Nagoya. Construction costs are projected at ¥125 billion, and the cumulative economic effect for Japan as a whole will be about ¥1.1 trillion, according to the trade ministry’s estimates. What are the major challenges the Expo faces? There are three: local and national political support, financing a necessary rail link to Yumeshima, and a strong bid by Paris. Unlike the 1970 Expo, Osakans have mixed emotions about hosting another expo. French media polls show Parisians demonstrating more public enthusiasm for their bid than do Osakans. While Seko and Abe are strong backers, there is also concern in Osaka about what happens when Abe finally either steps down or is forced from office, especially if these political shifts were to occur before the expo’s November 2018 vote. It’s unclear whether there would be the same level of support under a new prime minister, even one from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, given that Matsui is close to Abe but less popular with other LDP leaders. Finally, while Matsui regaled the Bureau with details of Osaka’s excellent public transportation system, he neglected to mention that a new rail link to Yumeshima would have to be built. There are concerns in the local business community about who will pay for this. With 2025 a mere eight years away and Bureau officials expected to visit Osaka in the coming months, the issue of the rail link could play an important role in Osaka’s chances in beating out its rivals, especially Paris.
|
osaka;ichiro matsui;osaka kansai expo 2025
|
jp0001180
|
[
"business"
] |
2017/06/21
|
Delivery firms team up with convenience stores as labor shortage bites
|
Faced with a severe labor shortage and grappling with heavy workloads amid a surge in online shopping, courier companies are teaming up with convenience stores to distribute parcels and relieve some of the burden on drivers. In April, Yamato Transport Co., which runs the country’s largest door-to-door delivery service, began installing lockers at 30 Seven-Eleven convenience stores in Tokyo. Busy recipients can register online to have packages delivered to the lockers, then pick them up at their leisure. The aim is to reduce the need for delivery workers to make repeated visits until they find the recipient at home. Government data show that nearly 20 percent of packages were not delivered on the first attempt, a huge burden on delivery services that have seen workloads skyrocket as online retail sites such as Amazon.com gain popularity. The number of packages Yamato handled in fiscal 2016 reached a record 1.87 billion, up 7.9 percent from the previous year. The figure has soared 59 percent over the past 10 years. The issue came into sharp focus last year when Yamato took heat for failing to pay delivery workers for overtime hours. The company said it will hire 9,200 more workers this fiscal year and raise fees, and that it is considering doing away with same-day deliveries for clients including Amazon. Facing a similar labor shortage, Japan Post Co. started a trial program in April incentivizing people to retrieve packages at post offices and convenience stores by handing out points usable as store credit. The former state-run postal service said the program will run through September, but may continue past that if it helps cut down workloads. Government data released Tuesday confirmed a labor shortage in the industry, with new job offers in transport and postal services increasing 8.3 percent in April compared to a year earlier, up for the sixth straight month. Meanwhile, convenience stores are also looking for help from couriers in reaching more consumers. Seven-Eleven Japan Co. said in April it is partnering with trucking firm Seino Holdings Co. to deliver lunch boxes and other products to homes, a service gaining in popularity as Japan’s population ages and becomes less willing or less able to visit stores. Rival convenience store chain Lawson Inc. has worked with SG Holdings Co., parent of parcel delivery firm Sagawa Express Co., since 2015 to deliver products such as ready-to-eat dishes. “We’re entering an age where companies won’t be able to survive without partners in other industries,” said Hisashi Yamada, chief economist at the Japan Research Institute. “With the current labor shortage, this trend will only gain momentum.” However, some worry that such collaborations between delivery service providers and convenience stores could lead to problems of their own. Being a convenience store clerk used to mostly entail ringing up purchases and managing inventory, but the job has become more demanding as chains now handle various services including serving food products that are cooked in-store, issuing tickets for concerts and sporting events, and processing utilities payments. Adding parcel pick-ups to the list would increase the workload. “(Our staff) may not be able to handle it,” said an official at a major convenience store chain. Couriers say they are not worried about deliveries of convenience store products becoming an extra burden on workers because they are hiring additional staff. But hiring could become more difficult as demand increases and more competitors enter the fray by joining up with convenience stores.
|
convenience stores;labor shortage;yamato transport;parceldelivery
|
jp0001182
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2017/06/09
|
Seven-Eleven to open 250 stores in Okinawa around fiscal 2019
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NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. - Seven-Eleven Japan Co., the nation’s largest convenience store operator, will start opening outlets in Okinawa around fiscal 2019, extending its presence to the only area in Japan without Seven-Eleven stores, the president of the chain said Friday. President Kazuki Furuya told Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga at the prefectural government office that the company is aiming to set up about 250 stores over the period of five years. “We are finally ready to open our shops in Okinawa. We hope to create good stores and contribute to Okinawa’s economy,” Furuya told Onaga. The governor welcomes the offer, saying, “I feel very happy about it.” The convenience store operator said it plans to open stores mainly in the prefecture’s capital Naha, and establish a subsidiary in Okinawa to ensure smooth operation of the new outlets. “We hope to open up stores that make the lives of Okinawan people rich and convenient,” Furuya said at a news conference. Seven-Eleven Japan opened outlets in Aomori and Tottori prefectures in 2015, leaving Okinawa last among the country’s 47 prefectures without its stores. Rival convenience store operators Lawson Inc. and FamilyMart Co. have already launched outlets in Okinawa.
|
okinawa;convenience stores;seven-eleven japan
|
jp0001183
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/06/09
|
Declassified papers reveal U.S. held debate on Japan's nuclear ambitions in 1970s
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OSAKA - Japan’s push to establish a nuclear fuel recycling program and use the plutonium created in the process was the center of an intense debate in the U.S. government four decades ago, pitting those who wanted smooth relations with Tokyo against those who worried the plan might lead to the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technology and plutonium stockpiles. Formerly classified U.S. State Department and National Security Council memos and cables posted Thursday show that Tokyo began pressing Washington in the late 1970s to let it reprocess spent nuclear fuel from U.S. reactors so the extracted plutonium could be used in the so-called fast breeder reactors Japan wanted to build. The documents were made available by the nongovernmental Washington-based National Security Archive at George Washington University and the Nuclear Nonproliferation International History project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In a cable marked “Secret” and dated May 29, 1980, Jerry Oplinger, a staff member at the National Security Council, warned his colleagues that if Japan as well as Britain and France went through with plans to build fuel reprocessing plants, it would create new proliferation risks. “Any one of these three projected projects would more than swamp the projected plutonium needs of all the breeder R&D programs in the world. Three of them will produce a vast surplus of pure, weapons-grade plutonium amounting to several hundred tons by the year 2000. Not only would that stockpile of separated plutonium constitute a danger in itself, it would eventually drive these nations, and those watching their example, into the recycle of plutonium in today’s reactors for economic reasons,” Oplinger wrote. Others in the U.S. government at the time supported Japan’s desire to experiment with plutonium. In an Aug. 29, 1979, U.S. State Department confidential memo, it was noted that Japan’s then-minister of science technology Iwazo Kaneko had pressed Washington on the issue. “He stressed that it was essential for Japan to make maximum use of plutonium, particularly fast-breeder reactors,” the memo says. Other officials, including Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, argued in a memorandum dated June 4, 1980, that U.S. reluctance on Japan’s reprocessing program would hurt bilateral trust. Ultimately, the U.S. would drop its opposition to the plans, but with some apprehension. The debates occurred in the final stage of preparations for Japan’s first reprocessing plant in the village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, which become operational in 1981, and reprocessed over 1,000 tons of used fuel for research purposes until 2006, when it no longer had any contracts for reprocessing. In 2014, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency decided to shut down the plant. Last month, the agency said scrapping the facility over a 70-year period will cost an estimated ¥800 billion. The nation still has about 48 tons of plutonium stockpiled with about 11 tons held domestically and the remainder in Britain and France. Next year, the U.S. and Japan are expected to renegotiate an agreement, originally signed in 1988, to cooperate on nuclear power.
|
national security council;plutonium;u.s. state department;nuclear reprocessing plant;jerry oplinger
|
jp0001184
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/09
|
Crowdfunding project kicks off to create manga promoting Okinawa history, culture
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An Okinawa resident, originally from the U.S., is calling for donations to publish a manga book and an animated film through crowdfunding to promote the unique history and culture in the prefecture, which historically had been the independent Ryukyu Kingdom until the late 1800s. The driving force behind the project to create the anime “Tedashiro no Kuniuta” (“The Song of the Sun Goddess”) is Julia Aimi Olivares, 30, from Minnesota, whose mother, Kazumi Mechler, hails from Naha, Okinawa. Olivares, who had lived in Okinawa for about 10 years from when she was age 8, is well-versed in the regional culture and has won a top prize in a Ryukyu buyo dance competition, which was organized by The Okinawa Times. Olivares returned to Okinawa from the United States in 2015 and set up a content production company, Ten Tun Ten Inc., in the town of Nishihara in the prefecture the following year. In establishing the company, she drew from her experience working at a California publishing firm specializing in the gaming and anime business. In a fantasy story written by Olivares, Maka Arakaki, an female college art student who learns to perform Ryukyu traditional dance, meets Ba Kensai, an official from the Ryukyu Kingdom who time-travels to the modern world. The duo defend Ryukyu, struggling against a bid by the central Japanese government to integrate the kingdom as a prefecture under the control of the Meiji Era government. Olivares will try to collect ¥1 million by Aug. 1 to fund the project, aiming to publish a manga e-book based on the story in February 2018 and create an anime film in 2019. “I will promote Okinawa through the anime utilizing a lot of materials and human resources,” Olivares said. “I will let people all over the world know about Okinawa and love it.” The crowdfunding campaign, continuing through Aug. 1, can be found at: https://a-port.asahi.com/okinawatimes/projects/tedautaproject .
|
okinawa;anime;crowdfunding;ryukyu;julia aimi olivares
|
jp0001185
|
[
"national",
"crime-legal"
] |
2017/06/09
|
Actor Keisuke Koide suspended by talent agency over underage sex
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Keisuke Koide, a popular actor with a clean-cut image, has been suspended by his talent agency after admitting to having sex with a minor, forcing major broadcasters to cancel a program starring him and remove him from the cast of an upcoming TV program. “It happened because I, as an adult and public figure, failed to have a sense of responsibility and fully control myself. My deed was inexcusable,” Koide, 33, said in a statement Thursday ahead of the publication Friday of a gossip magazine covering the scandal. The magazine’s report says Koide drank alcohol last month with a 17-year-old girl and had sex with her. Koide’s agency, Amuse Inc., said it is suspending the actor from all agency-related activities “for an indefinite period.” The scandal also prompted NHK to cancel a drama starring Koide that was set to debut on Saturday, while Nippon Television Network Corp. removed him from the cast of a drama set to air next month. Koide was cast in the role of Sanma Akashiya, one of the most popular comedians in Japan, for a drama that Netflix Inc. plans to distribute in 190 countries from July 7. Netflix said it is considering how to respond to the scandal. Koide has acted in many films, including “Surely Someday,” “Boku no Kanojo wa Cyborg” (“Cyborg She”)” and “Nodame Cantabile.”
|
scandal;nhk;keisuke koide
|
jp0001186
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2017/06/30
|
Defector alleges wage skimming at Koreas' joint industrial zone funding Kim Jong Un's arms quest
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WASHINGTON - North Korea’s party organization funding the leadership siphoned nearly all dollars paid in cash by South Korean companies as salaries for the laborers over an economic cooperative project in the border city of Kaesong, a defector told Kyodo News. Office 39 takes away the salaries of North Korean workers and earns up to $100 million in cash annually, 59-year-old Ri Jong Ho, a former senior official of the secretive office, said in a recent interview in the U.S. capital. The cash is likely to have been used for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development. “The laborers are strictly supervised and do not get the pay. Senior officials (of the North Korean authority) there say that the workers are like slaves, exploited by South Korean companies,” Ri said. Ri has long been involved in the operation of Office 39, which is said to have been established by the late leader Kim Jong Il in May 1974. It is subject to international sanctions as the United States and other Western countries believe it is engaged in illicit economic activities and the management of slush funds for the leadership. The operation of the joint industrial zone at Kaesong is currently halted as South Korea’s previous administration of Park Geun-hye decided on its suspension in February last year in response to Pyongyang’s long-range rocket launch and a nuclear test. New South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who indicated during his election campaign that he favors a softer approach toward North Korea than his conservative predecessors, said he will consider restarting the operation of the industrial park on condition that North Korea agrees to engage in talks to give up its nuclear ambitions. But the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is certain to object to such moves as it seeks to cut off the influx of foreign currency into North Korea to counter its nuclear and missile threats. According to Ri, South Korean companies have handed over the salaries of North Korean laborers at a division under the United Front Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which is in charge of the industrial park from the North Korean side. The department has then passed the money to the treasurer of Office 39. Pak Nam Gi, a senior ruling party official in charge of financial planning, had said before being executed in 2010 that he was ordered to transfer such money under the instruction of Kim Jong Il, according to Ri. The South Korean government said the average wage of the laborers was about $140 per month in 2014. But Ri said North Korean authorities did not give them the money but instead supplied them with daily necessities. South Korea said in February last year that a total of about $560 million in cash went to North Korea through the industrial zone project and was partly used for nuclear development. The announcement may have been based on the information provided by Ri, who defected to South Korea with his family in October 2014. Ri also said current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un established “Office 16” inside the ruling party around the latter half of 2012 to proceed with economic reforms. He tried to learn from examples of other countries but the attempt ended as a failure.
|
north korea;kim jong un;missiles;south korea;nuclear arms;kaesong;ri jong ho
|
jp0001187
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/30
|
Nursing care attracts fewer candidates despite growing need in graying Japan
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Prospective nursing care workers and specialist care managers has been dwindling in number, even as the country continues to gray and the need for their services grows. The decline is primarily attributed to the longer time it now takes to train as a care worker or care manager, but industry observers said that a combination of demanding responsibilities and relatively low pay are to blame. Kiyomi Takano, 45, quit her job after working as a home-based care manager for five years, saying the job had kept her extremely busy. Her tasks involved visiting elderly clients at home once a month, meetings, and working as a coordinator for doctors, nurses, families and private nursing care firms. “I didn’t know whether I was working for people receiving nursing care services, or was just there for the paperwork,” she said. “Medical knowledge and communication skills are also required, and I came to a point where I thought I just couldn’t do it any longer.” The position of expert care manager, whose job is to design care plans for the elderly, was created when Japan introduced a nursing care insurance system in 2000. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average monthly wage for care managers in 2016 stood at ¥255,000 excluding overtime pay, compared with an average of ¥304,000 across all industries. The number of people applying for care manager certification dropped to 124,000 in the fiscal year that ended in March, down from its peak of over 200,000 and about 10,000 less than the year before. In the same year, only 16,000 — a record-low 13.1 percent — passed the exam. Moriyasu Nomoto, a senior official at the Japan Care Manager Association, said one of the main reasons for the decrease is that the required period of practical training has almost doubled to 87 hours from 44 previously. “It is difficult for those who want to be a care manager to take the training at their own expense,” he said, adding that finding the time to do also affects their existing work. The number of people applying to take the national exam to qualify as a care worker has also decreased substantially as candidates are required to complete 450 hours of practical training ahead of time. “The exam is now targeting those who really want to become care workers, so we should use this opportunity to boost their skills,” said Junya Ishimoto, chairman at the Japan Association of Certified Care Workers. But Kazuyo Sakurai, who used to be a care worker and has authored books on the topic, said the current situation reflects the fact that society does not value people who work in the industry. “If getting a qualification doesn’t lead to an improvement in working conditions, it’s natural that no one wants to take the exam,” he said. “The lack of care managers will result in a lower quality of care and eventually the burden will be placed on the elderly and their families. Without improving working conditions, we will face a further shortfall in human resources.”
|
elderly;caregivers;nursing
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jp0001188
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/01
|
Graffiti vandals deface 11 shrines in Awaji
|
KOBE - Eleven shrines in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, were hit by graffiti vandals from Tuesday to Wednesday and police suspect the same party was behind each case. The Awaji Police Department said the graffiti were first discovered at Izanagi Jingu Shrine on Tuesday afternoon. The daily Asahi Shimbun reported that a shinto priest noticed two kanji scribbles in red ink on a wall of a shrine structure. On Wednesday, graffiti were also found at 10 other shrines in the island city, according the police. Izanagi Jingu Shrine is believed to enshrine Izanagi and Izanami, a divine couple that appear in Japanese mythology. In Sumoto, which is also on Awajishima Island, graffiti were found in a shrine in April and the police are trying to confirm whether the vandalism was connected with that found in the city of Awaji.
|
graffiti;shrines;awajishima island
|
jp0001189
|
[
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] |
2017/06/06
|
Unique reef fish 'kisses' take sting out of coral diet
|
WASHINGTON - Featuring slime and suction, a kiss from a tubelip wrasse — a colorful reef fish — is no one’s idea of romance. But it is perfectly suited for eating a hazardous diet using one of the animal kingdom’s most unique feeding strategies. Scientists on Monday described for the first time how the fish thrives in the Indian Ocean and central-western Pacific as one of the few creatures capable of dining on corals, one of the planet’s most formidable menu items. Corals are marine organisms boasting thin, mucus-covered flesh that contains venomous, stinging cells spread over a razor-sharp skeleton. Of the more than 6,000 fish species that live on reefs, only about 128 eat corals. Scientists knew that the yellow-and-purple tubelip wrasse was one of them, but how it did it was a mystery. The researchers used a scanning electron microscope to determine the structure of its fleshy, pouty-looking lips, and high-speed video to learn what it does while feeding. “Kissing the mucus and flesh of corals with self-lubricating lips was not what we were expecting,” said marine biologist Victor Huertas of James Cook University in Australia. The thick lips of the fish, which reaches about 7 inches (18 cm) long, were found to be made of a tightly packed series of thin folds of tissue, like the underside of a mushroom top, covered in slime from mucus-secreting cells. “To our knowledge, this type of lip has never been recorded before,” James Cook University marine biologist David Bellwood said. They discovered that the fish approaches the coral slowly and inspects its surface, protrudes its jaws, then produces powerful suction as its lips make contact with the coral for two-100ths of a second. In that scant time, it ingests the flesh and coral mucus off the coral skeleton. “It looks exactly like a quick kiss with a distinctive ‘tuk’ sound,” Huertas said, “often leaving a coral ‘hickey,’ which is actually a patch of flesh sucked off the skeleton.” “It would be a good basis for a horror movie,” Bellwood added. The mucous coat may protect the lips from the stinging cells, help to seal them against the coral surface to enhance suction force and serve as a conveyor belt that captures the coral mucus and the stinging cells being ingested, the researchers said. The research was published in the journal Current Biology.
|
nature;evolution;oceans;animals
|
jp0001192
|
[
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] |
2017/06/23
|
New York man balances lawn mower on chin to set fresh world record
|
NEW YORK - Pushing a running electric lawn mower for 71 meters (233 feet) is not a difficult thing to do, but try doing that distance not pushing it, but balancing it on your chin. New Yorker Ashrita Furman broke, by more than 50 meters, his existing Guinness World Record for “the farthest distance walked balancing a powered lawn mower on the chin.” When he finally lowered the grass-cutter to the pavement, Furman had traveled 71.53 meters, easily besting his previous and still-existing record of 20 meters. “I pushed beyond what I had done before by a lot and I’m very, very happy,” Furman said on Thursday. Although he made it look easy, Furman said he was constantly battling the elements. “Wind is really your enemy in this kind of balancing, and I had a couple of gusts of wind where the lawn mower felt (like) it was going to spin off,” he said. In another attempt to set a record, 40 friends began a nonstop hockey game on Thursday night in Buffalo, New York. The men, mostly in their 40s, aim to play one continuous game spanning 11 days — or 251 hours, to be exact. Their goal is to raise $1 million for cancer research and break the Guinness World Record mark of 250 hours, 3 minutes, 20 seconds set during an outdoor game in Alberta in 2015. Teams will be split into groups of about seven players (five skaters, a goalie and a spare), with each playing four-hour shifts. They will get 10-minute breaks each hour while the ice is being cleaned. The key is pacing themselves and understanding their limits, goalie Les Kuntar said. For him, that means not diving for every puck. “I was very competitive,” said Kuntar, who played professionally, including a six-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993-94. “But I think now, at 47 years old, I know what my body can and can’t do.” Organizer Mike Lesakowski drew upon friends and fellow adult league players to fill about half the slots. The rest of the roster was filled through an application process. So many applied that players had to be turned away. In selecting an older group of players, Lesakowski wanted to assemble a team of not merely hockey enthusiasts, but those able to commit to the mental and physical challenges as well as generate at least $10,000 in pledges each.
|
u.s .;new york;records;stunts;hockey
|
jp0001193
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/12
|
Social entrepreneur taps corporate millennials to engage in developing world
|
When Daichi Konuma was a Hitotsubashi University student, he and his friends used to talk passionately about a future of building a better world. Whether at an investment bank or at a trading company, they had resolved to help small businesses or to focus on projects to reduce poverty. So when Konuma graduated from college, he went to Syria, enlisting in a program by the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to help local farmers. After about two years in the Middle East, Konuma returned to Japan, eager to make a difference in his home country by using his new experience. But when he had drinks together with the same college friends who had previously shared his idealistic outlook, Konuma observed that they had been molded into corporate workers whose passion had been snuffed out. “You’re enthusiastic like you used to be. But that’s not going to sell well at work,” one of Konuma’s friends pulled him aside to impart some advice. “You need to grow up.” Konuma was shocked and dismayed by this shift in attitude. Is it because entry-level workers aren’t able to participate in corporate decision-making or is it because companies expect its workers to conform to the corporate culture? But it kindled within him the fire to found a nonprofit organization, Cross Fields, four years later in 2011 whose mission is to find bright young people in the corporate space who are looking to reignite their motivation and send them overseas to help eradicate social woes. “I believe there is a correlation between personal growth and people’s engagement in tackling social issues on the spot and those who exert most efforts,” Konuma, 34, said in a recent interview. He believes that through active participation in the society, people can restore their ambition and develop leadership skills applicable in all areas of business. To date Cross Fields has matched about 120 workers from over 30 leading companies — such as Benesse Holdings, Inc. and NTT Data Corp. — to around 70 nongovernmental organizations across Asia. Participants are assigned projects in Japan and nine other countries, including Myanmar, Cambodia, India and Laos, that involve technologies and knowledge they have acquired at their companies. They work as a team with local groups or enterprises, and assist in fields such as health care, agriculture or other improvements in livelihood. Established in May 2011, Cross Fields provides participating firms with consultancy services that include mentoring throughout the project. Its revenue relies on coordination fees and donations. But convincing employers to sign up for the program had been the biggest hurdle. At first, Konuma was turned down by around 100 firms that doubted the benefits to the company. Many employers were concerned that “such a fun experience would encourage workers (participating in the program) to leave the company.” An estimated 5 percent of participants have so far left their companies, Konuma said. But clients gradually increased as more companies began to realize they need to give young people a chance to play an active role and that Cross Fields’ programs may actually spark innovation in the long term. A Panasonic employee in his 30s spent a month in the city of Da Nang in central Vietnam in 2012 helping a solar-cooker maker reduce the costs of production and delivery. The project prompted him to reflect upon his own work at Panasonic. He thought about the way technology has made people lose touch with nature and developed a package of services, from ingredients to recipes, that would enable users to ferment their own food at home using Panasonic’s incubator. Hitachi Ltd. dispatched about 40 workers for up to 10 years overseas for Cross Fields’ programs. “It’s an opportunity to gain leadership skills, cultural competence and diversity responsiveness, and a chance to contribute to solving social problems,” said Hitachi spokesman Toru Nishino. Nishino said Hitachi hopes it would benefit and help push forward efforts to use the firm’s know-how and IT technology from its social innovation business to come up with solutions for society’s challenges. Konuma’s work as a social entrepreneur has been recognized at home and abroad. In 2011, he was invited to become a member of the Global Shapers Community, a network of socially engaged and entrepreneurial leaders between the age of 20 and 30 backed by the World Economic Forum. The leaders engage in local-level projects aimed at addressing social issues. Konuma also participated in the World Economic Forum on East Asia held in Myanmar in 2013 as a Global Shaper. Cross Fields received the Nikkei Social Initiative Award in 2015. And last year, Harvard Business Review selected Konuma as one of Japan’s top 20 innovative leaders under 40. Looking back, his passion has always been about contributing back to the global community. When he returned from Syria, Konuma established Compass Point, a network of young people aimed at addressing issues such as disparity in food distribution between developed and developing countries, through cooperation with social support groups. The group now has 1,500 members. Konuma entered the consultancy McKinsey & Co. in 2008 to develop his own business skills, which later spurred him to design the corporate volunteer program. When Konuma founded Cross Fields six years ago, he thought that through the younger and future generation of corporate workers would come a big societal change. But he was wrong. “The original goal was to help young people change their mindset,” Konuma said. “But now, we tell employers that management, too, needs to change its practices” to retain its talent. In 2015, Cross Fields introduced a new program targeting management, enabling visits to developing countries such as Vietnam or the Philippines to learn about local needs and required assistance. “We realized it’s not enough” to give a chance to young employees, Konuma said. “A change in the attitude of young people will only bring about a major change in the organization or a society as long as they get enough support from management.”
|
daichi konuma;cross fields
|
jp0001194
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/13
|
Japanese high schools saw record number of foreign students in 2015
|
A record-high 2,147 students from overseas studied at Japanese high schools for a period of three months or longer in fiscal 2015, rebounding from a sharp drop in 2011, the education ministry said Tuesday. The roughly biennial survey on high schools nationwide showed the number of overseas students was up 482 from fiscal 2013 to hit the highest level since the ministry began collecting comparable data in fiscal 1992. The number of Japanese students who studied abroad for three months or longer also rose to 4,197, up 300 from the previous survey, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The figure of students from abroad has recovered following the decline in fiscal 2011, after a major earthquake and tsunami hit eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering nuclear meltdowns at a Fukushima power plant. The ministry said it believes the state’s promotion of educational trips to Japan and local international exchange programs have helped increase the number of foreign students. By country and region, students from China accounted for the largest group of 873, followed by the United States at 173, Thailand at 134, Germany at 131, Australia at 106 and South Korea at 81. Among the students going abroad, the U.S. was the most popular destination with 1,245 students studying there, followed by New Zealand with 833, Canada with 791, Australia with 515 and Britain with 131. The number of Japanese students who studied for periods shorter than three months significantly decreased to 31,645, down 6,507 from fiscal 2013, reflecting suspensions of study-abroad programs by schools and education boards following terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere, the ministry said.
|
education;foreign students;schools;high schools;mext;surveys
|
jp0001195
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/13
|
Japan, rights expert trade barbs over Tokyo's record on freedom of expression
|
GENEVA - A senior Japanese diplomat and a U.N. rights expert traded barbs Monday at the U.N. Human Rights Council over a report released in May that criticized Tokyo’s record on freedom of opinion and expression. David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, cited “significant worrying signals” in his report, including government pressure on media and restrictions on information access justified on national security grounds. “It is regrettable that some parts of the report are written without accurate understanding of the government’s explanation and its positions,” Japanese Ambassador to Geneva Junichi Ihara said in his statement to the Council. Regarding Japan’s broadcasting law, in which Article 4 theoretically provides the government with the basis to suspend broadcasting licenses if TV stations are not considered “politically fair,” Ihara said that “the act does not give rise to any pressure on the media.” “There were no cases in which the operation suspension order was applied by the Broadcast Act,” he said. In his statement, Kaye argued that “the authority of the government to suspend broadcast licenses on grounds of fairness, even if the government has never taken advantage of that authority, presents a certain measure of risk for any broadcaster, one that the government would do well to remove.” Ihara also responded to Kaye’s concern about a contentious secrecy law aimed at preventing leaks and state secrets that took effect in 2014, under which civil servants or others who leak designated secrets could face up to 10 years in prison. Those who instigate leaks, including journalists, could be subject to prison terms of up to five years. In his report, Kaye said the law involved the risk of arbitrariness because specific subcategories under which information may be designated as secret remained “overly broad.” “Information designed as specially designated secrets is limited under strict conditions,” Ihara said, adding that “information gathering activities performed by journalists are not punishable under the act.” Kaye’s report, presented on Monday to the Human Rights Council, is the result of the first-ever research on freedom of expression in Japan conducted by a U.N. special rapporteur.
|
journalists;secrecy law;japan;junichi ihara;freedom of expression;david kaye;u.n. rights council
|
jp0001196
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/06/25
|
Wakayama seeks to lift itself out of obscurity with fruit and gambling
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OSAKA - In the Kansai region, known mostly for the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kobe, Wakayama Prefecture rarely tops the destination list of most tourists. It’s little known overseas and it’s name doesn’t have the cachet that universally conjures up an iconic Japanese food like, say, Kobe beef. Wakayama wants to change that. Late last month, Wakayama Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka lobbied Tokyo to help fund or support 58 different proposals to raise the prefecture’s profile — if not to the level of its Kansai neighbors, then at least to the point where it’s better known abroad than it is today. Among the ideas were promoting exports of fruit like Wakayama peaches, persimmons and especially plums. Wakayama plum wine that’s been aged three to five years is rapidly becoming a highly sought summer drink among local gourmands. The prefecture hopes to sell to Vietnam and China in particular, and the governor called on the central government to work with both nations to raise exports of its fruit. Exports of Wakayama fruit and fruit-based products were worth around ¥430 million in 2015. By 2026, the prefecture is hoping to raise that figure 16-fold to around ¥7 billion, viewing Asian markets as particularly ripe for sales. In addition, Wakayama is interested in hosting an integrated resort with casinos. The Diet is slated to pass a legislation by the end of the year establishing guidelines for operating casinos. Potential locations for the first site include the Marina City theme park sitting on an artificial island in the bay south of the city of Wakayama. It takes less than an hour to reach the city on the fastest trains from Kansai airport. But Wakayama faces stiff competition from neighboring Osaka, and there are questions about whether a Wakayama gambling resort could draw enough foreign visitors to turn a profit. Only a few initial projects for casino gambling are expected to be approved. In the end, if it fails to get a casino, Wakayama may find that its fruit may turn out to be the better bet in raising its profile overseas.
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tourism;wakayama;plum
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jp0001198
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"science-health-asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/04
|
Chinese think tank calls for 'democratic' internet governance system
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WUZHEN, CHINA - China ranks fifth among 38 nations globally in standards of cybergovernance, a top state-backed internet think tank said Monday, calling for a “democratic” internet governance system to eradicate inequalities it said marginalizes developing nations. China has pushed strongly for a unified cybergovernance regime, but other countries, business groups and firms have criticized its strict stance. Officials have sought a greater role for China in strengthening global internet governance. China ranks after the United States, Japan, France and Estonia, the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies said in a report released at China’s World Internet Conference in the eastern town of Wuzhen. “We should promote the establishment of a multinational, democratic and transparent global internet governance system,” it said. For the third straight year, independent U.S. rights watchdog Freedom House ranked China last in internet freedom this year, however. China’s internet governance initiatives include strict new censorship and surveillance curbs introduced this year that target news outlets, social media and individuals on the net. The Cyberspace Administration of China says the new measures, which include the monitoring of private chat apps and censoring tools to block viewing of overseas websites, are designed to maintain social order and protect socialist values. “(All countries) should give full play to the internet to spread positive things like justice, kindness, liveliness and goodness in cyberspace,” the report said, without elaborating. China adopted a new cybersecurity measure this year requiring foreign firms to store data in the country and submit to surveillance checks. Business groups say the law is harsher than comparable policies in Europe and the United States. The report also ranks China as second in global internet development and innovation behind the United States and 23rd in cybersecurity, and gives insight into how China sees its internet development.
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china;internet;rights
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jp0001199
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/04
|
Brazilian cartoonist's manga helps his young compatriots adjust to school life in Japan
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Famous Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa has created a manga introducing Japanese school life to Brazilian children who have migrated to Japan. Well-known for his “Monica’s Gang” series, the 82-year-old resident of Sao Paulo uses his new comic book to depict unique Japanese school culture, including students taking turns serving lunch and going on school trips, through illustrations and Portuguese captions. In the book, Monica — the main character from de Sousa’s popular series — and her friends come to Japan and attend school. They encourage other Brazilian-born children to overcome cultural barriers and become accustomed to school life in Japan. The manga covers Japanese school life in detail, showing scenes of students going to school in groups, changing to indoor shoes while in the school building and saying in unison “ itadakimasu ” before meals. It introduces the shitajiki (pencil board), which is not used in Brazil, as well as school excursions and Sports Day, fixtures at Japanese schools. There is also a scene reminding parents and guardians that they must contact the school when their child is absent. De Sousa often visits Japan and holds lectures for Brazilian immigrants. He decided to publish the special manga after learning that Brazilian children have had difficulties getting used to school life here. Based on stories he heard from teachers, he finished the book at the start of October, covering all the necessary expenses himself. So far, approximately 2,000 copies have been given out to children in Shiga, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka and Gunma prefectures, where there are many Japanese-Brazilians, with plans to publish more if necessary. Chiebao Nicoly, 8, a third-grader at an elementary school in Konan, Shiga Prefecture, was happy to receive the book. “It will help me learn about the Japanese school system,” she said. “I think it will also help my friends who come to Japan.” There are also many children from other countries attending school in Japan, so de Sousa is thinking of publishing versions of his book in Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Tagalog. “Studying in two languages (their mother tongue and Japanese) will become an invaluable experience for them in the future,” he said. “I hope I can support them through this picture book so that they can utilize this opportunity.” For inquiries, contact Aya Sasaki from Mauricio de Sousa Productions at 090-2598-0613.
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children;brazil;schools;students
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jp0001200
|
[
"reference"
] |
2017/12/04
|
20 years after Kyoto Protocol, where does world stand on climate?
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On Dec. 11, 1997, representatives from over 150 nations gathered in Kyoto to hammer out what would become the world’s first international agreement to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. In a marathon nearly two-week negotiating session that ran into the early morning hours of the day after the conference was supposed to end, and following a quick fly-in visit by U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who urged all sides and especially the United States to compromise, a deal was struck. The Kyoto Protocol would become one of the most inspirational and controversial treaties ever signed. What was the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol? The agreement came out of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3), a process that has its origins in the 1992 U.N. Rio Earth Summit held in Brazil. There, a treaty was proposed that would stabilize emissions “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” Simply put, this treaty was supposed to keep greenhouse gas emissions from human activity at a level scientists believed would offer the best chance of preventing catastrophic climate change. What was the actual agreement that came out of Kyoto? A treaty that committed 37 industrialized nations plus the European Community to cut their emissions of six greenhouse gases by an average of 5 percent by 2012, compared with 1990 levels. The six gases targeted for reduction included carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (used in air conditioning), perfluorocarbons (often produced by aluminum production) and sulfur hexafluoride (used in the electrical industry). Carbon dioxide was the gas that policymakers were most concerned about. Within the average of 5 percent, different countries had different targets. The 15 countries in the European Union at the time, as well as some eastern European countries and Switzerland, had targets of 8 percent below 1990 levels. The United States committed to a 7 percent reduction and Japan, along with Canada, Hungary, and Poland, agreed to a 6 percent cut. But because the premise of the agreement was that industrially developed countries were historically responsible for the rise in global greenhouse gas emissions since the 1800s, and produced the majority of the world’s emissions in 1997, these binding targets covered only developed countries. Emerging economies like China and India were exempted from setting numerical targets and promised only to do their best to reduce emissions. What was the result? Before the meeting in Kyoto, the U.S. Congress warned that unless a deal was struck that forced obligations on developing nations like China and India, America would not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Barely had the agreement been reached when U.S. congressional representatives in Kyoto who had opposed it said it would never fly. Pressure from the U.S. gas and oil lobbies to scuttle the deal had been strong prior to the deal, and after George W. Bush became president in 2001 he announced that America was pulling out. For the other nations, the Kyoto Protocol took effect in February 2005. Attempts to work out another deal that would include developing nations continued to create tensions, especially between the U.S. and a rapidly growing China. When the Kyoto Protocol’s first stage came to an end in 2012, it was agreed in Doha to extend the period to 2020. However, as of last month, only 88 of the original Kyoto Protocol signatories had accepted the Doha Amendment, which would have kept their reduction goals under the Kyoto Protocol in place until 2020. At least 144 Kyoto Protocol countries are needed for the amendment to go into force. What’s the connection between the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the Kyoto Protocol? After years of failure to reach an international consensus on a plan of action to replace the Kyoto pact, U.N. negotiators agreed in Paris two years ago that all nations would work to keep the global temperature rise this century “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to make serious efforts to keep the rise at just 1.5 degrees. More financing was promised for developing countries in particular to reduce emissions, and new structures for reporting national greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation policies were agreed upon. However, President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the Paris agreement, which has since been ratified by 170 countries, including all of the major developed and emerging economies, leaving the U.S. as the sole major polluter to opt out. What is the legacy of the Kyoto Protocol? Politically, opinion is divided. The United Nations calculates that even without U.S. participation, total emissions by advanced countries had dropped 22.6 percent compared with 1990 levels by 2012, the end of the first pact’s period. U.N. Climate Secretary Patricia Espinosa credits the Kyoto Protocol for inspiring innovation and increased use of renewable energy, and energy efficiency in particular, over the past two decades. Others note the general rise in public awareness of the environmental problems caused by climate change, and efforts to live more environment-friendly lifestyles, following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. On the other hand, critics of the climate pact say its failure to include countries like China and India means that attaining the temperature goal set in Paris for this century is all the more harder to reach. In a message to the U.N.’s annual climate change conference in Bonn last month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world was not yet on track to meet this goal. Where does Japan itself stand? Under the Paris agreement, Japan pledged to reduce its emissions 26 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, a goal that has been criticized by climate experts as insufficient to aid in keeping the global temperature rise under 2 degrees. Much of the reduction is predicted to come from greater use of renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear power, as well as more energy-efficiency measures and technological advances. Figures from the Environment Ministry show that Japan’s total greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal 2015 fell 2.9 percent from fiscal 2014 levels and 6 percent in respect to the base year for Paris of 2013, but were still about 4 percent higher than the Kyoto Protocol’s base year of 1990.
|
kyoto protocol;environment;greenhouse gas;cop3
|
jp0001201
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/05
|
MacArthur-requested memoir by Emperor Hirohito expected to fetch up to $150,000 at New York auction
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NEW YORK - A memoir by the late Emperor Hirohito that offers his recollections of World War II is predicted to fetch between $100,000 (about ¥11.2 million) and $150,000 at an auction in New York. The 173-page document was dictated by the leader — who is posthumously called Emperor Showa — to several of his aides soon after the end of the war. It was created at the request of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, whose administration controlled Japan at the time. The memoir, also known as the Imperial monologue, covers events from the Japanese assassination of Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin in 1928 to the Emperor’s surrender broadcast recorded on Aug. 14, 1945. The document’s contents caused a sensation when they were first published in Japan in 1990, just after the Emperor’s death. It’s scheduled to be auctioned at Bonhams on Dec. 6.
|
wwii;douglas macarthur;auctions;occupation;emperor hirohito;memoirs;manchuria;japan
|
jp0001202
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/02
|
Women in Japan too tired to care about dating or searching for a partner
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While Japanese society and the media continue to exhort — nay plead — with women to find marriage partners, 60 percent of eligible women say they cannot feel relaxed enough to get interested in renai (love relationships) , according to a Yomeishu survey picked up by cocolini jp. As sad as it sounds, the nation’s women appear to have joined the ranks of men as overworked employees, too drained from the daily grind. Specifically, women appear to be fatigued by the alternative — shokubano ningenkankei (workplace relationships) — and avoid going out on random dates, as they have now become synonymous with stress. And when women can muster the energy to go out, 1 in 4 have confessed to having fallen asleep during a date. The overall feeling among these women is that the whole renai thing is overrated, strenuous and, ultimately, unsatisfying. Why waste time dating strangers when you can watch “Terrace House” in your pajamas or use a “love app” to hear the velvety voices of actors Takumi Saito or Sota Fukushi telling you to relax after a hard day’s work? Have Japanese women given up on love? A cautious “yes, sort of” seems to be the answer. While that may indeed be the case, they have not given up on marriage. Although few women have the time or inclination for the rollercoaster ride of love relationships, a whopping 80 percent told cocoloni.jp they wanted to find a husband and settle down. They’re seeking antei (stability), preceded by a sumptuous wedding that would wow multitudes on Instagram. Lovely Media, another online dating site, says that a growing number of women are reluctant to “waste time” on “dating that leads nowhere .” These women are eyeing childbirth — the longer they play the field, the higher the risks when it comes to pregnancy. This is why an increasing number of women are taking the konkatsu (matchmaking) route, pooling their resources into what they see as a serious life project. Interestingly, the numbers are reversed when it comes to men. Sixty percent of those surveyed say they are not interested in marriage but close to 80 percent claim to want girlfriends. These men view marriage warily, aware that tying the knot will involve complications and baggage they aren’t ready to take on. Marriage would also cramp their style and eat into precious disposable income. It seems, therefore, that the concepts of love and marriage have become two separate entities in the minds of young men and women in Japan. The bubble era of the late 1980s saw the rise of a phenomenon known as renaishijyōshugi (the principle of “only love matters”). Author Haruki Murakami captured this in his best-selling novel “Norwegian Wood,” calling on Japanese youths to throw themselves into love, come hell or high water. Back in those days, 60-70 percent of young people in their 20s were in relationships , according to data compiled by the National Population Institute. These days, people in their 20s with partners are in the minority. It’s arguably best to change workplace attitudes before women nationwide throw themselves into matchmaking. Shorter working hours, guaranteed maternity and paternity leaves, and a less forbidding atmosphere will go a long way in getting women to think about love. Until then, however, the combination of pajamas and a couch remains irresistible.
|
relationships;marriage;dating;japan pulse
|
jp0001203
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/02
|
Life as a gangster in Japan just isn't as fun as it used to be
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A number of theories have been put forward on the reasons behind the 2015 split of the country’s largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi. Some say the factions that left the organization and formed a group called the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi were egged on by the police, who had deliberately encouraged suspicions to grow among rival syndicates. It’s worth noting that police officers stood guard outside the new group’s headquarters when it announced its existence to the public. Others believe the split was supported by several former Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate bosses who had been expelled with Tadamasa Goto in 2008. Those involved in organized crime call the cull the “Goto Shock,” a nod to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the same year. Indeed, Goto allegedly bankrolled the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, allowing the new organization to get up and running. And then there’s Morimasa Ohta, a syndicate leader who had been banished with Goto before eventually joining the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi as a boss. Ohta’s tell-all memoir, “Ketsubetsu” (“ Blood Parting “) which was published in July 2015, weeks before the split, is now believed to have been a call to revolt. The book sales have since become problematic because Ohta had retired from organized crime when it was published. Now that he’s joined the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, however, Ohta’s royalty payments could contradict legislation on organized crime. The law prohibits payments to anyone involved in a crime syndicate. Yet, none of these theories completely explain why the veteran Yamaguchi-gumi members decided to leave the powerful crime syndicate when they were nearing the end of their careers. Ryo Fujiwara, author of “The Three Yamaguchi-gumi,” believes he has an answer. “It simply wasn’t fun to be in the Yamaguchi-gumi anymore,” Fujiwara says.”It was like working for Toyota. What was once a criminal family was becoming a corporation.” Fujiwara, who interviewed myriad gang members when researching material for his book, describes the conditions at the Yamaguchi-gumi under the Kodo-kai faction as being stifling. Fujiwara says the Yamaguchi-gumi is made up of many factions, but the Kodo-kai syndicate is believed to be the most high-handed. Life in the gang became regimented and oppressive after Shinobu Tsukasa assumed leadership of the syndicate with his trusted lieutenant Kiyoshi Takayama, he says. “If you were an underboss, you had to be at the syndicate’s headquarters every day before 7:30 a.m. because Takayama would arrive at 8 a.m.,” Fujiwara says. “Gang members had to wear a white dress shirt at regular scheduled meetings. There was no clowning around, everything was deadly serious. That’s not fun at all.” The syndicate’s leadership also demanded unconditional obedience, he says, adding that when gang members speak to their superiors, they were not allowed to make eye contact but only look at their mouths. Fujiwara says every gang had to show their books and ledgers to the boss. All income had to be accounted for, he says, and if you drove a Mercedes, you had to prove you could afford it. The Yamaguchi-gumi collects association dues called jonokin but it was always a flexible system, Fujiwara says. However, that wasn’t the Kodo-kai way. “Bosses who missed a payment were told, ‘Do whatever it takes. Take a mortgage out on your house. Pay up,'” he says. “There was no mercy.” The Kodo-kai leaders kept the lucrative jobs for themselves, but anyone else outside of the elite circle, life was tough and tedious, he says. Fujiwara recalls an incident at at Shin-Kobe Station in September 2016 in which members of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi approached Shinobu and his entourage as they exited the ticket gates and loudly asked their former boss to sign an autograph. Police officers held the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi members back as they begged for a signature and at least one news outlet later screened footage of the incident. Sometimes the pen is mightier than the sword. “This kind of attack — with a joke — probably did more damage than a grenade,” Fujiwara says. “It was a classic Osaka gag. That sort of comic sensibility has been missing from the gang for years. It was like the good old days.” One doesn’t typically think that life in a gang is all fun and games. On this occasion, however, the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi put one up on their rivals. When asked whether the Yamaguchi-gumi might ever reconcile their differences with their rivals and reunite, Fujisawa answers fairly emphatically. “That’s about as likely as all gang members living by the chivalrous code they are supposed to uphold,” he says. Dark Side of the Rising Sun is a monthly column that takes a behind-the-scenes look at news in Japan.
|
yamaguchi-gumi;yakuza;organized crime;kobe yamaguchi-gumi;ryo fujiwara
|
jp0001205
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/02
|
Pachinko parlors are losing their balls while Japan considers a cashless economy
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With the Diet’s passing of a law last December that will legalize casino gambling, many are wondering how this development will affect the few forms of tightly controlled gambling and gaming that have been permitted up to now — like pachinko (a type of pinball machine). “Customers at casinos and those at pachinko parlors are different, so I think they can co-exist and co-prosper,” the manager of a large pachinko emporium remarked to Asahi Geino (Nov. 30). “That’s because part of pachinko’s appeal is that you can walk into a shop by a train station while wearing your sandals.” Pachinko’s popularity, however, has declined considerably over the past two decades. Compared to some 30 million customers who paid out an estimated ¥30 trillion in revenue in 1995, the figure last year was down to fewer than 10 million players at approximately 10,000 parlors that generated revenue of ¥22 trillion. Along with demographic factors such as the aging of the population have been tightened regulations on the industry. In July of this year, a new regulation reducing the maximum payoff by machines by around one-third was announced, to take effect from Feb. 1 of next year. As a result, the maximum value of balls paid off to a player over a period of four hours will be less than ¥50,000. The justification for the new regulation is supposedly to safeguard those susceptible to gambling dependency. Actually, the ¥50,000 mentioned above only represents equivalent value, as pachinko parlors pay off in keihin (prizes), not cash. What typically happens is that via the nearly universal “three-shop system,” the keihin — usually items like ball-point pens or cigarette lighters — are carried to a nearby window and exchanged for cash. The items are then transferred to a wholesale broker who sells it back to the pachinko parlor. To add insult to injury, it’s now rumored that the authorities intend to abolish this system. “By prohibiting this kankin (literally, “conversion to gold”), the government intends to drive the pachinko industry out of business,” a political insider tells the magazine. The pachinko industry is closely overseen by an organization made up of retired police officials — who have been accused of treating it as a cozy post-career perk. As the body that will provide oversight of the new casinos has yet to be designated, the crackdown on pachinko, Asahi Geino suggests, may be a strategic move by the National Police Agency to grab a share of the action. Peripheral to this story, or perhaps not, is the fact that many Korean residents of Japan, or naturalized Japanese with Korean backgrounds, operate pachinko parlors. This topic was covered last August by America’s MSNBC network, which noted that remittances by Koreans in Japan to family members in North Korea have helped to prop up that country’s staggering economy, some 25 percent of which is said to be channeled into military expenditures. Yet strangely, and considering the timing of the latest move — coming as it does amid heightened tensions between Japan and North Korea — Asahi Geino does not raise this topic at all. While the rest of the world has been engaged in genkin-banare (abandoning cash), Japanese have tenaciously stuck with conducting a majority of their commerce using the coin of the realm. Some Japanese have looked on in envy at Chinese, who are now use their smartphones to conduct speedy electronic transactions in their own national currency in thousands of shops in Japan, even at convenience stores. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun recently reviewed a bestselling book on this topic by Kei Nakajima titled “Why don’t Chinese carry wallets?”) Japan is running fast to catch up. In a cover story titled “The termination of cash: Your job will vanish as well,” Nikkei Business (Nov. 20) introduces the coming changes and how they are likely to affect our lives. “The progression in digitalization of currency will overturn the nature of money as it has existed up to now,” the magazine predicts. “And the effects won’t stop there. The ‘termination of cash’ is no more than the beginning.” To understand what’s going on, one needs to read up on “blockchain technology.” Information held on a blockchain exists as a shared — and continually reconciled — database, which supposedly makes it incorruptible. As an example of how it would work, consider the sale of property, conducted directly between buyer and seller without use of a licensed broker. Once the terms of the sale are agreed upon, the transaction can be performed virtually instantaneously via computer, with the data registered in the blockchain serving as proof of the completed transaction. And thus greatly reducing the need for attorneys or legal scriveners to hammer out contracts and verify their contents. Online retailers such as Amazon or Rakuten will also be affected. A consumer will be able to enter the details of the merchandise he or she seeks, and would be automatically linked to the seller. If both parties agree on the terms, the merchandise will be shipped and payment processed automatically. Recording of digital transactions can also be expected to discourage illegal activities such as money laundering and tax evasion. Nikkei Business predicts the spread of direct transactions will eventually reduce the demand for employment in such sectors as civil service, banking, e-commerce, sharing services and what the magazine refers to as “antisocial elements,” meaning yakuza. Another impact will be on freelancing. If Japan follows the employment trends in the U.S., the percentage of freelance workers is likely to increase appreciably. (In the U.S., the ratio of freelancers to the total working population rose from 17 percent in 1989 to 36 percent in 2015, and is predicted to rise further to 43 percent by 2020.) Japan became the first country to assign a position to virtual currency in its financial system; what the magazine wants to know is, can blockchain technology be tweaked to ensure the whole thing works seamlessly?
|
national police agency;gambling;pachinko;msnbc;nikkei business;blockchain;asahi geino;nihon keizai;kei nakajima
|
jp0001206
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/02
|
Japan Times 1942: 'Public to be trained to stab enemies with bamboo spears'
|
100 YEARS AGO Saturday, Dec. 1 1917 Rice to be sold by weight not measure Soon rice will be sold in Japan by weight and not measure. The Department of Agriculture and Commerce has been long investigating the question, and requested the Commercial and Industrial Investigation Committee of Tokyo to submit a report upon the plan of selling rice by weight. After thorough study, the committee decided that the new method would be more practical and beneficial to the public, and submitted its report to that effect to the Department of Agriculture and Commerce. It is not known whether the department will at once issue an order to prohibit the sale of rice by measure, but as the report of the committee supported the change of system, it is believed that in due time sale by measure will be stopped. If rice is sold by weight, the practice of using illegal measures will cease, and the public, especially the poor, will benefit much from the change. 75 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1942 Public trained to stab enemies with spears The simplest form of suicide for any enemy parachutist would be to attempt a landing on Japan, for the Dai Nippon Martial Arts Association and the Dai Nippon Physical Training Association will train every Japanese in the manly art of stabbing enemy paratroops with bamboo spears. Furthermore, the two agencies, both under the control of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, have jointly decided to train all Japanese behind the guns in kendo, judo, bayonet exercise and other forms of physical training so that each will be a formidable warrior on the home front. “Annihilation of America and Britain Even With Bamboo Spears” will be the slogan for the movement to arm the people with effective defensive training, which is one of the undertakings of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association decided by the Cabinet last May. Simultaneously, impracticable adaptations of various sports and martial arts will be abolished so that greatest stress can be laid on the question of national defense. Meanwhile, another enterprise, sea defense training, is also expected to be launched shortly. 50 YEARS AGO Saturday, Dec. 2, 1967 Free treatment given to people with disabilities Forty-two persons stricken with progressive muscular dystrophy, a fatal disease that slowly weakens the muscle, and cerebral palsy visited a free roving clinic at Senju Public Health Center, Adachi Ward, Sunday to receive treatment. The clinic, sponsored by the Japanese Association for Muscular Dystrophy Children, was manned voluntarily by six doctors, all members of the Department of Internal Medicine of Tokyo University, headed by Dr. Kiku Nakao. Most of the victims learned of the clinic through newspapers and many of them received a diagnosis for the first time by progressive muscular dystrophy specialists. A few of them found out for the first time that they did not have progressive muscular dystrophy but cerebral palsy, a crippling but not fatal disease. The association paid the transportation expenses of not only the patients but for relatives who accompanied the patients. One mother came all the way from Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, to have her 6-year-old son diagnosed by the doctors. An association member said that some of the patients told them that they were encouraged to know that there were many others who were stricken with the same crippling disease and were bravely fighting it. The association estimates there are about 30,000 people stricken with progressive muscular dystrophy across the nation and many of them are not getting necessary advice from doctors who know the disease well. Futao Kawabata, president of the association, said he planned to continue the clinic for the next four months in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures. He said that many families who have obese dystrophy patients are hoping to acquire wheelchairs so that the victims could get some exercise outside of their homes by themselves. A Tokyo University doctor who served at the clinic said: “Certainly a wheelchair will be a great psychological help to progressive muscular dystrophy patients.” 25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1992 Madonna book sold: ‘sex’ photos left intact The Japanese-language edition of rock singer Madonna’s photo collection went on sale Tuesday with some of its controversial pictures left intact. The publisher, Dohosha Publishing Co., said some of the photos showing pubic hair were not retouched at all. The Tokyo Customs House originally impounded imported copies of the book, only permitting them to enter the country on condition that some of the photos be retouched. The publisher said some of the photos in Madonna’s book were not retouched in the Japanese-language edition because such photos are now socially accepted. However, before sending the plates to Japan, the American publisher retouched some pictures with the Japanese version in mind. The Japanese-language edition, titled “Sex by Madonna,” is expected to rekindle the controversy over whether pubic hair should be allowed in publications. The publisher printed a first run of 150,000 copies of the book, but is prepared to make more issues available by year end to fill the more than 150,000 orders that have been placed for the book. Other recent photo collections of actresses Kanako Higuchi and Yoko Shimada also contain photos showing pubic hair and are selling well.
|
wwii;defense;censorship;world war ii;rice;madonna;muscular dystrophy
|
jp0001207
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/20
|
Israel's Peres sent 'secret envoy' to sound out Japan in 1985 on playing Mideast peace role
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An Israeli-American political cartoonist secretly passed a request from Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres to Japanese counterpart Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1985 to get more involved in the Middle East peace process, according to Japanese diplomatic records declassified Wednesday. But Nakasone decided to turn down the request, deeming it too risky to center Japanese foreign policy on personal ties with Peres. Japan feared protests from the surrounding Arab countries, with which it had built deep ties through the purchase of oil. Tokyo’s eagerness at that time to maintain a sense of balance between different parties in the Middle East was echoed earlier this month in its conservative response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Peres’ “secret envoy” was political cartoonist and journalist Ranan Lurie, according to the files. He was sent to Japan in order to deliver Peres’ message without having to go through the foreign minister of the time, Yitzhak Shamir, who took a hard line on relations with the Arab world. The meeting between Nakasone and Lurie on Jan. 23, 1985, was originally explained as having been a discussion about cartoons. But a declassified file dating from the same day says Lurie told the prime minister of Peres’ wish to achieve peace in the Middle East in a way that would not allow Israeli hard-liners to say he had folded to Arab interests. Touching on potential areas for compromise, including the release of the West Bank from Israeli control, Lurie urged Nakasone to lend Japan’s influence as a major neutral country and hold a summit with Peres. But judging that Arab countries would be up in arms over the idea, Nakasone answered that “talks with Peres would be difficult in the current circumstances,” according to the file. Subsequently serving as foreign minister, Peres was part of the 1993 Oslo Accords between the Israelis and Palestinians and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year along with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
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israel;middle east;diplomacy;shimon peres;yasuhiro nakasone;ranan lurie
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jp0001208
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/20
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Nakasone pitched trade with North Korea as part of 1980s appeal to China: declassified records
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In 1986, then-Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone told Chinese government heavyweight Hu Yaobang that Japan was prepared to trade with North Korea, according to Japanese diplomatic records declassified Wednesday. Despite a lack of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang, Nakasone told Hu that Japan was prepared for bilateral trade, according to the records. Nakasone also aimed to help improve relations between China and South Korea at the same time, the document states, showing how Nakasone tried to leverage his friendly relationship with Hu to work with China in pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula. On a November 1986 visit to China, Nakasone told Hu of South Korea’s desire to formally establish relations with China. While trying to serve as a bridge between Beijing and Seoul, Nakasone proposed at the same time improving ties between Japan and North Korea. Hu, who was general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party for much of the 1980s under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, was known for his support of reforms and warmth toward Japan. But Hu said he could not fulfill either request. The effort was covered to some extent by Japanese media at the time, with Kyodo News describing a “failure to work as a bridge between China and South Korea.” China and South Korea ended up establishing relations in 1992, while Japan and North Korea remain isolated from each other to the present day. Nakasone and Hu met in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Nov. 8, 1986. According to a declassified cable dated the following day, Nakasone told Hu he was asked to pass on a message from South Korean leaders that “even if we cannot attain diplomatic relations with China, we want to expand (bilateral) exchange.” He also communicated Seoul’s wish for bilateral trade with China and the mutual appointment of trade representatives. Nakasone made clear that if Beijing and Seoul set up a trade framework, his administration was “prepared to carry out something similar between Japan and North Korea.” Hu replied that it would be hard to make such a thing happen between Japan and North Korea but vowed to convey the idea to Pyongyang and test its response, according to the file. While Hu said South Korea’s desire to improve relations with China was “a good thing,” he effectively turned down the request by saying China would “need it to be accepted by North Korea and the other socialist countries.” According to the records, Nakasone also told Hu of South Korea’s wish to hold four-party talks with China, the United States and North Korea. Hu responded that the North and South would need to loosely form a union in order for that to happen. They said Hu indicated China was having a hard time dealing with North Korea, prompting anger from Pyongyang by suggesting the North could hold talks with South Korea and the United States. The declassified records also show that Hu told Nakasone about internal affairs in China, revealing his plan to refresh the Communist Party leadership at its 1987 congress by “making the old-timers quit.” Hu also criticized the Soviet Union in front of Nakasone for “lacking common vocabulary” with China on foreign policy, and revealed that East German leader Erich Honecker had told senior Chinese officials that the Soviet Union “should give back” a chain of islands seized from Japan after World War II. Nakasone held talks with Honecker in East Germany in January 1987. The row over the sovereignty of the islands off Hokkaido continues to the present day. Other declassified diplomatic records showed that an Israeli-American political cartoonist secretly passed a request from then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres to Nakasone in 1985 to get more involved in the Middle East peace process. But Nakasone decided to turn down the request, deeming it too risky to center Japanese foreign policy on personal ties with Peres. Japan feared protests from the surrounding Arab countries with which it had built deep ties through the purchase of oil. Tokyo’s eagerness at that time to maintain a sense of balance between different parties in the Middle East was echoed earlier this month in its conservative response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Peres’ “secret envoy” was political cartoonist and journalist Ranan Lurie, according to the files. He was sent to Japan in order to deliver Peres’ message without having to go through the foreign minister of the time, Yitzhak Shamir, who took a hard line on relations with the Arab world. The meeting between Nakasone and Lurie on Jan. 23, 1985, was originally explained as having been a discussion about cartoons. But a declassified file dating from the same day says Lurie told the prime minister of Peres’ wish to achieve peace in the Middle East in a way that would not allow Israeli hard-liners to say he had folded to Arab interests. Touching on potential areas for compromise, including the release of the West Bank from Israeli control, Lurie urged Nakasone to lend Japan’s influence as a major neutral country and hold a summit with Peres. But judging that Arab countries would be up in arms over the idea, Nakasone answered that “talks with Peres would be difficult in the current circumstances,” according to the file. Subsequently serving as foreign minister, Peres was part of the 1993 Oslo I Accord between the Israelis and Palestinians and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year along with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
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china;north korea;history;south korea;yasuhiro nakasone
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jp0001209
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/20
|
Japan downplayed Chernobyl concerns at G-7 for energy policy's sake: declassified documents
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Eager to maintain its energy policy in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Japan made sure concerns about nuclear technology were downplayed at the 12th Group of Seven summit it chaired in Tokyo days after the disaster, according to Japanese diplomatic records declassified Wednesday. References to “radiation” and “concerns” about the nuclear accident that took place in what is now present-day Ukraine were deleted from a draft of the G-7 statement. The final statement instead dubbed nuclear power as “an energy source that will be ever more widely used in the future.” The declassified records show that Japan worked to build an international consensus on retaining nuclear power even while little was known about the cause of the Chernobyl accident or the scale of the damage. Missing a chance to thoroughly debate strengthening safety regulations, Japan went ahead with its nuclear power strategy until the March 2011 Fukushima accident, triggered by a huge earthquake and tsunami, exposed what government-appointed investigators and others have dubbed a “safety myth.” According to a Foreign Ministry official who was involved in the G-7 summit at the time, “There was no awareness in the government or the nuclear industry that Japan’s nuclear plants might be dangerous too, or that we could learn a lesson from (Chernobyl).” After the nuclear crisis on April 26, 1986, the Soviet Union first publicly acknowledged it on April 29 JST, but released very few details as part of its tight control of information in the midst of the Cold War. Among the declassified records is a Japanese government “plan to respond to the Soviet nuclear accident,” dated May 1 and marked secret. The plan centered on “reaffirming the necessity” of nuclear power, while also aiming to set up an international information-sharing system for nuclear accidents. This plan guided the Japanese delegation at the G-7 summit in Tokyo, which began on May 4, and served as a springboard for the statement adopted there the following day. According to a document dated May 3, then-Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone had told senior Foreign Ministry officials that “there is great interest in Japan in the ‘ashes of death (radioactive fallout).’ ” The issue was a particularly sensitive one for the public due to the exposure of fishing boat Fukuryu Maru No. 5, also known as the Lucky Dragon, to radioactive fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test in the Marshall Islands in 1954, as well as the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. The ministry later described Nakasone as having “shown initiative” at the summit. Once the G-7 adopted its statement, Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy then wrote a memorandum to power companies and local authorities involved with nuclear plants on May 6, explaining that the government would “continue to promote (nuclear power) with a safety-first mindset.” A note in the margin warned the recipients not to release the contents of the memo to the press. Earlier, the Foreign Ministry had ordered Japanese embassies across Europe to gather information on the Chernobyl accident, according to a ministry cable dated April 29 in which it was described as something that “could have a grave impact on Japan’s nuclear energy policy.” The cable also indicates Tokyo was mindful of the accident’s potential to stir up opposition to nuclear power within Japan, including in communities near power plants. It noted that “no marked protest activities have been observed.” The G-7 then comprised of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.
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fukushima no . 1;chernobyl;nuclear energy;nuclear crisis
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jp0001211
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/18
|
Researchers prevent kidney stones on long-term space missions with medication to manage bone loss
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Research conducted by Atsushi Okada from the nephro-urology department at Nagoya City University Graduate School and others has revealed that the risk of kidney stone disease increases for astronauts who remain in space for a long period of time because diminishing bone mass triggers a rise in calcium levels in urine. However, the researchers also discovered that the malady, which causes severe pain in the upper and lower back, can be prevented by ingesting a therapeutic agent used to treat osteoporosis before taking flight. The professor hopes their latest finding will improve the health of astronauts and ensure their safety. According to Okada, astronauts who stay in space — where they are less subject to the forces of gravity — are in a similar state to those who are bedridden. Their bones weaken easily due to reduced stress, leading to bone loss and calcium oxalate crystals in urine that develop slowly to form urinary stones. This risk was first identified in the 1960s when the U.S., Russia and other countries received reports of its occurrence during space flight or after the astronauts returned to Earth. If even one member develops kidney stones during a mission the astronaut will have difficulty completing required tasks, and this could jeopardize the lives of all astronauts on board. When the human exploration of Mars and similar activities are conducted in the future people will remain in space for much longer periods of time, so the issue of renal stone formation needs to be addressed. The research on prevention measures was conducted jointly by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). They collected data on bone changes for 17 astronauts from different countries who stayed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for six months between 2009 and 2016, and compared their condition before and after flight. They gave bisphosphonate, a medicine to treat osteoporosis, to seven astronauts once a week prior to their flight and discovered their urine calcium levels was reduced. “The medicine suppressed the loss of bone mass,” explained Okada, a lecturer at the school. Meanwhile, the calcium level increased for the remaining 10, who experienced bone loss. Other reasons for higher calcium levels can be attributed to weaker blood flow to the kidneys in space, and low amounts of urine due to insufficient water intake. The study was the first research that established preventive effects for the risk of renal stone formation for long-term stays in space, and its findings were announced in a conference held in the U.S. in September. Up until now countermeasures mostly involved doing squats and other exercises to build up bone and muscle, but there had been no prevention through medication. “We explained the effects of taking the medicine, including side effects, and more astronauts are taking it . . . I hope this will contribute to the treatment of kidney stones for the general public as well,” said Okada. Calcium, oxalic acid, phosphorus and other minerals in the urine may crystallize to form kidney stones. When they move in the urinary tract, they can cause severe pain and blood in the urine. The number of patients suffering from the disease has increased threefold since 1965, from 43 people per 100,000 at that time to 134 in 2005. Stones with a diameter of approximately 0.5 cm can be discharged naturally, but if they grow to be 1 cm or larger, the patient needs to be treated by breaking the stone using shock waves.
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disease;astronauts;kidney stone
|
jp0001212
|
[
"reference"
] |
2017/12/18
|
Japan set to bank ¥40 billion per year for tourism sector with new departure tax
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From January 2019 Japan is set to impose a ¥1,000 tax on everyone departing the country, to secure funding for tourism infrastructure and promotion amid record-breaking arrivals of international travelers. The inbound tourism industry is one of the few growth sectors in the rapidly graying and shrinking country. The government aims to increase the annual number of international visitors to 40 million by 2020, and 60 million by 2030. To reach the targets, it claims, the nation needs extra funds to upgrade tourism facilities. Although the amount may not be substantial on an individual level some officials in the travel industry have voiced concerns over the levy’s possible impact on their business, saying it could put off inbound visitors — especially those who fly on budget carriers. Here are some questions and answers about the new tax, which is expected to be introduced on Jan. 7, 2019: Where did the idea come from? The idea of taxing travelers as they depart the country surfaced in the summer, when it was reported that the government was considering the policy. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who has been eager to boost tourism, is said to be the one who proposed the idea. Following the reports, the Japan Tourism Agency convened a panel of experts in September to discuss ways to fund upgrades to tourism infrastructure. After only two months of discussions and hearings involving related industries, the panel compiled a proposal in November advising the government to create a departure tax. The amount should “not be more than ¥1,000” per person and it should be introduced before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the panel said. Without much opposition, the plan secured approval from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s tax commission and was included in a fiscal 2018 tax reform plan released on Thursday. Such speedy decision-making has prompted questions from experts about whether there was really enough discussion about the necessity for the new tax. Questions have also been asked about whether the government had sought ways to implement tourism measures under the existing budget. In 2016, around 40 million people departed Japan, meaning the new tax could generate about ¥40 billion a year — nearly double the agency’s initial budget for fiscal 2017. Who has to pay? Both Japanese and non-Japanese departing the country will face the ¥1,000 levy, which is expected to be included in ticket prices for flights and sailings. Children under 2 years old and transit passengers who depart Japan within 24 hours of their arrival will be exempt. How will the revenue be spent? Authorities say it will be used to fund tourism-related measures to create an environment more agreeable to international visitors. Although nothing specific has been set out, some of the ideas proposed by the panel included bolstering security checks using the latest technologies, speeding up immigration procedures, installing more free Wi-Fi hot spots and increasing multilingual signs — especially in rural areas. Referring to a survey of foreign visitors conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency conducted in 2016, which found that many struggled with communication at restaurants or other facilities, agency chief Akihiko Tamura said more high-tech solutions should be used. Another idea for making use of the revenue is aimed at helping Japanese who travel abroad. Jiji Press reported that the tourism agency is considering creating a system to quickly confirm the safety of Japanese travelers during emergencies. According to the agency the number of inbound visitors hit a record 24.04 million last year, up 21.8 percent from the year before. This year the number is expected to top 28 million, it said. Along with the surge, spending by inbound tourists grew to ¥3.75 trillion — compared to ¥1.08 trillion in 2012. Do other countries have a similar tax? Many countries have similar systems under different names. Australia charges a AU$60 (¥5,200) departure levy called the Passenger Movement Charge, according to the government. The U.S. collects $14 (¥1,570) from international travelers from countries in its visa waiver program under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Britain’s Air Passenger Duty (APD) imposes between £13 (¥1,860) and £450 (¥62,600) to departing travelers. The rates differ based on flight distance and cabin class — a system meant to collect more from wealthy travelers. In 2015, the APD brought in some £3.1 billion (¥443 billion). South Korea also imposes a 10,000 won (¥960) departure fee on air travelers, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. Are there other travel-related taxes? The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Osaka Prefectural Government impose a lodging tax, charging between ¥100 to ¥300 per person per day, to finance tourism promotion and related measures. Kyoto, which has seen a surge in the number of international travelers, plans to follow suit starting next October. In fiscal 2016, Tokyo earned a total of ¥2.5 billion from the levy. Osaka, which introduced the accommodation tax last year, is expected to earn ¥1.1 billion per year according to data provided by the Japan Tourism Agency. Some municipal governments also charge a so-called bathing tax of around ¥150 per person.
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taxes;tourism;departure tax
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jp0001213
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2017/12/27
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Five years of Abenomics: The good, the bad and the sluggish
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Five years since Shinzo Abe came to power, the economy is much stronger, but still falls short of the revolution he pledged to deliver. Aggressive monetary policy has beaten back the deflationary malaise of previous decades and the weak yen is boosting exports, corporate profits and the stock market. Yet much of the promise of the prime minister’s Abenomics program remains unfulfilled. Domestic consumption is tepid, companies are reluctant to raise pay for workers, and businesses and households worry about the future as the population ages and declines. And the nation’s huge debt still casts a shadow over the future. Here is an assessment of progress on some key economic indicators: Bigger economy While the growth trajectory may look modest, and needs to speed up to meet Abe’s target, the economy is ¥56 trillion ($494 billion) larger than when he took office in December 2012. This increase alone is bigger than Belgium’s gross domestic product. Encouragingly, capital expenditure is picking up — pointing to more growth. G-7 laggard The trouble is, Japan could be doing better. While the economy is in its longest growth run since the mid 1990s, many of its peers look stronger and the expansion isn’t surprising in the current global climate. Structural reforms have slowed, and Japan owes a lot to overseas demand for the nation’s products. This comes up month after month in export gains, which aren’t matched in domestic figures for household consumption. Debt trap The national debt has stabilized at around 240 percent of gross domestic product under Abe, according to IMF estimates. That in itself is an achievement, but the burden is still significantly heavier than in many other major economies and the prospects for cutting it seem dim for now. More worryingly, as the population declines, debt measured per capita is still increasing. Back to work A notable success of the last five years has been the rising number of people working, which has jumped by 2.7 million while the ranks of the unemployed have shrunk by 1.1 million. Much of the increase has been from women re-entering the workforce, with more child care playing a big part. But Abe’s early goal of having women take 30 percent of management positions in all fields by 2020 has fallen by the wayside. The percentage of women in the Diet has actually declined slightly, to 10.1 percent, and just two of his 20 cabinet members are women. Wages Conundrum Wages are inching higher but remain a stumbling block for Abenomics. As in many other countries, Japan’s extremely tight labor market isn’t translating into big pay hikes for workers. A Bloomberg survey of economists shows that Japanese employees may see a 1 percent increase in their total earnings next year. Yet much more is needed for household spending to rise and for companies to feel confident about increasing prices. Without either of these, the Bank of Japan will continue to struggle to get inflation to its 2 percent target, though it has ended deflation for now. Productivity and reform Stalling growth in labor productivity is a key failure of Abenomics, according to Bloomberg Economics’ Yuki Masujima. He notes that productivity is up in manufacturing. But in the services sector, which employs 70 percent of the workforce, it fell by more than 10 percent from 2003 to 2016. While the productivity slowdown is a global trend, Abe’s “third arrow” of structural reforms were intended to address this problem in Japan. Masujima’s scorecard highlights some of the areas of achievement, like corporate governance and the ramp-up of inbound tourism, and the pockets of persistent weakness, such as agriculture and innovation. Lowering barriers Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade plan was a blow to Japan, but Abe has been tenacious in keeping talks alive for a pact without the U.S. He also sealed a trade deal with Australia and finalized negotiations with the European Union in December on an economic partnership agreement. While he’s closed the door to mass immigration to arrest Japan’s economic decline, Abe has presided over a leap in the number of foreign workers in the country who now number more than a million. With Abe having a good chance of staying in office to 2021, which would make him the longest-serving Japanese prime minister in history, his program still has a long way to run. “This is a rare chance for a Japanese leader to actually get something done — to put the economy back on its feet,” said Masujima. “Abe’s record so far on globalization shows his best effort, but it’s on reform that he’s got to up his game. Ultimately, Abe will probably be judged on whether he increases Japan’s capacity to grow — which would go a long way in helping it cope with its debt and aging population.”
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yen;abenomics;wages;consumption;exports
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jp0001214
|
[
"national",
"science-health"
] |
2017/12/27
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'The doctor would not listen': Japan faces off against over-prescription of drugs for seniors
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There’s no denying that, as you grow older, you are likely to visit doctors more often and have more medicine prescribed. According to 2014 data from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the amount of prescription drugs patients are given goes up as they age, especially after they turn 60. As they get older, many people develop chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis, for which they can be on medication for years. In fact, it’s not uncommon for seniors to make rounds of two or three doctors regularly, causing a situation where local clinics turn into chanomi saron (tea salons), a venue for social gatherings rather than a provider of health care. A 2015 ministry survey covering some 1,800 people with at least two conditions from a set list — high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood fat and dementia — showed that they were prescribed 5.8 medications on average. But nearly 30 percent of respondents were given seven medications or more. Among people with dementia and another chronic condition, 12.9 percent were prescribed 10 medications or more. And that doesn’t include the number of over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements people might be additionally taking. But the problem with medicine is that more is not always better. Concerns are mounting that some seniors are over-drugged, making them more vulnerable to a range of drug-induced health problems, including depression, memory lapses, falls, constipation and loss of appetite. Older people are also known to be more sensitive to certain drugs due to their slower metabolism, so doctors are being urged to start from smaller doses and monitor drug effects more carefully. It is against this backdrop that a panel of experts under the health ministry is working to create comprehensive guidelines on how to prescribe to the elderly, and how to systematically cut back on “polypharmacy,” where the concurrent use of multiple medications causes adverse drug interactions. The panel met last Friday, discussing a working draft for the guidelines set to be finalized next March. The guidelines, targeted for use by doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses, aim to facilitate coordination among medical professionals so patients undergoing care at different hospitals are evaluated based on their total medication intake and can receive guidance on how to stop polypharmacy. At the meeting, panel member Keiko Higuchi presented results of a survey of 5,145 mostly healthy people over 65 that her nonprofit group conducted in September and October. The survey, in which 69 percent of the respondents were female, showed that 25 percent wanted more explanation about the side effects of their drugs, while another 20 percent wanted the volume of their medications reduced. One respondent wrote, “After I received surgery for a forefoot deformity at a university hospital, I was given nine medications. I said I didn’t need sleeping pills, stomach medicine and painkillers, but the doctor would not listen.” The group’s survey also showed that many of the drugs end up not being taken. Nearly half of the respondents said they sometimes forget to take their medications, deliberately skip them for fear of side effects or save them for future use. Higuchi, 85, who is a well-known social critic, said elderly people themselves are worried about polypharmacy, though they also depend on medications to maintain their health. “For elderly people, medicine is something they cannot do away with; it’s almost like a traveling companion for their aging journey,” she said at a separate event in Tokyo held earlier this month. “Yet little has been known about the relationship between them. Do we really need handfuls of pills? Many are worried about side effects.”
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medicine;drugs;health care;aging
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jp0001215
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/27
|
Number of foreign students studying in Japan reaches record high
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The number of foreign students enrolled in Japanese schools totaled a record 267,042 as of May, with most coming from Asian countries, a government affiliate said Wednesday. The number of students registered at universities or language schools in Japan rose 11.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Japan Student Services Organization, an independent administrative body affiliated with the education ministry. “With more Japanese companies operating in Asia, it seems that people in the region feel familiar with (the idea of) studying or working in Japan,” said an official of the organization. The number of students studying at universities or higher educational institutions stood at 188,384, up 10.1 percent from a year before, while those studying at language schools came to 78,658, up 15.4 percent. By country and region, the largest number of students came from China at 107,260, followed by Vietnam at 61,671, Nepal at 21,500, and South Korea at 15,740. Separate data released by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology showed that in 2015 Japanese students studying at foreign universities or attending regular programs totaled 54,676, down 236 from the previous year. The United States was the most popular destination, with 19,060 students. China came second with 14,085, followed by Taiwan with 6,319.
|
education;asia;foreign students
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jp0001217
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/11
|
Women in Nagoya form group to promote and communicate in sign language
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Women with children in Nagoya have new opportunities to converse using sign language, after the creation of a new social group. Called Defu Mama Saakuru mimi (Deaf Mothers Club ears), the group was established by two mothers, one of whom has a hearing disability. The women discuss topics such as giving birth and actions to take in the event of a natural disaster. The club welcomes mothers with or without hearing problems, and currently has 22 members from Nagoya, Toyota, Komaki, Inazawa, Nisshin, Obu, and Togo, all in Aichi Prefecture. The group meets about once a month, usually at Midori Sports Center in Nagoya. One of the group’s founders is 34-year-old Yukako Kiichi, a mother of two with a hearing disability. She had previously joined a parenting group in Midori Ward, where she lives, but she could not follow their conversations, so she joined a group called Tete to learn sign language three years ago. After discussing the idea of creating “a group to use the sign language that they have learned” with the group’s leader, 36-year-old Satsuki Miyama, the two decided to establish mimi in March 2017. Both groups allow mothers to bring their children with them. The theme for last month’s gathering, on Nov. 16, was giving birth. The women were surprised when a mother with a hearing disability revealed that she was not able to wear her hearing aid during her cesarean section, so she could not hear her baby cry. She explained that doctors were afraid that the electromagnetic waves from an electronic knife used in the surgery would damage the hearing aid. “You cannot tell that someone has a hearing disability just by looking at the person. This group allows me to put myself in their shoes and learn the difficulties they face, which will also be useful when I go back to work,” said Erika Takagi, 33, an elementary school teacher from Obu who is on maternity leave. When the group was discussing disaster prevention, another mother, who was living in Tokyo during the Great East Japan Earthquake, shared her story. When the train she was on finally started moving, she could not hear the announcement, so she asked a passenger nearby to communicate with her in writing. Some of the women in the group pointed out that it is necessary to bring spare batteries for their hearing aids when they evacuate. Mayumi Hattori, 57, who taught Kiichi when she was attending Aichi Prefectural Chikusa School for the Deaf, explained that “most people do not realize that hearing difficulties change depending on the location and number of people involved.” “When talking one on one, they can follow the conversation by reading the other person’s lips, but it is hard to do so in a group, like the parenting club,” Hattori said. “I think it is important for people to understand what (those with hearing disability) go through by spending time with them and communicating in sign language.”
|
nagoya;women;disability;parenthood
|
jp0001219
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2017/12/29
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Bitcoin bubble and bond boom shaped 2017, which brought mixed results for stocks
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NEW YORK/HONG KONG - It was a great year to hold bitcoin, but a bad time to have been invested in the Uzbek som. As 2017 winds to a close, a look at the winners and losers around the globe shows that, broadly speaking, the riskiest assets performed well, with bullish sentiment on display in stocks, emerging-market sovereigns and corporate debt. Securities generally seen as the safest and least volatile bets — think Japanese government bonds — trailed behind. There was perhaps no investing idea that attracted more attention in 2017 than cryptocurrencies, from Jamie Dimon’s dismissal to Katy Perry quizzing Warren Buffett about the subject. Bitcoin soared almost 1,500 percent while smaller counterparts such as ethereum and litecoin gained at least 6,000 percent. Of course, the surges were accompanied by no shortage of pessimists calling a bubble. Here’s our wrapup of the best and worst performers in various asset classes over the past year: Equities Bulls in Ukraine had a good year after the International Monetary Fund said in May that it sees “welcome signs of recovery” for the economy and “a promising basis for further growth.” It was part of a broader rally in emerging markets as investors flocked to developing nations in hopes of higher returns. It wasn’t a good year, however, to have bet on stocks in Qatar. The Persian Gulf country was thrown into chaos midyear when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties. In Pakistan, the index was coming from a high base, but also suffered from foreigners pulling money out of the market. Note that we excluded the Venezuelan stock exchanges 3,865 percent gain this year because it’s almost entirely due to the effect of a rapidly devaluing currency. Bonds The three-decade bull run for fixed income rolled on in 2017, defying yet again predictions that faster inflation and tighter monetary policy would bring it to an end. The bond world’s best performers were yesteryear’s losers, with Greece and Argentina among the standouts. It took effort to lose money on bonds this year — the Japanese central bank’s stitch-up of its government-debt market, and Venezuela’s economic collapse made those two the worst performers in the developed and emerging categories, respectively. Tiny Belize earned top marks in the emerging government-debt category after an upgrade from Moody’s Investors Service in April. Turning to the corporate-debt world, U.S. high-yield securities saw a wide dispersion of results, from high-flying food-and-beverage, retail and transport companies to trauma for holders of bonds sold by commercial printer Cenveo Corp. In the emerging-market corporate debt category an Indonesian energy company topped the list, while securities tied to Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht SA — which is embroiled in a corruption scandal that stretches across South America — proved to be ones to avoid. Commodities Palladium, which is typically used in pollution-control devices for gasoline vehicles, led gains in precious metals this year by climbing more than 50 percent as investors bet on increased usage in vehicles. Copper and aluminum bulls also had a great year. Those gains were largely tied to better economic prospects across the globe, which would mean higher usage of industrial metals. On the down side, sugar and natural gas had a bad year. The sweetener has been falling on concerns of a global surplus, while natural gas recently hit a 10-month low following two warm winters that left stockpiles at high levels. Currencies The biggest gainer in the currency space is a bit on the obscure side: the Mozambique new metical. The East African country has struggled to control inflation following a debt crisis, but the central bank has said it wants to achieve a lower and more stable rate. On the down side, the Uzbek som tumbled after the gold-rich republic removed the currency’s peg to the dollar.
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investment;bitcoin;assets
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jp0001220
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/16
|
20 years on, the Kyoto Protocol initiated awareness
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OSAKA - In the midst of serious news about North Korean missiles and constitutional revision, as well as a steady diet of BLT (bright, light and trite) stories and corporate propaganda that clog our intellectual arteries, it’s easy to lose track of what developments are critical to life itself. No, it’s not the statements of Kim Jong Un or the tweets of U.S. President Donald Trump. Rather, as a seminar in Kyoto last week reminded everyone, it’s global climate change due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions and how human populations deal with it. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, that much-praised, much-maligned document that forced developed nations (but not China or India) to cut their greenhouse gases by a fixed amount. Whatever arguments there are (and there are plenty) about whether the Kyoto Protocol did any good, it forced people to think seriously about environmental issues and act. Including those in the home of the Kyoto Protocol itself. Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa told attendees the city had been doing well in reducing its greenhouse emissions until the 2011 Tohoku quake, which forced Japan’s nuclear power stations offline and the restart of thermal plants. By 2015, emissions were 3.2 percent below 1990 levels, although Kyoto still held onto its goal of a 25 percent cut in emissions by 2020, compared to 1990. Pro-nuclear advocates, naturally, argue that existing and yet-to-be-built nuclear power plants are needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in cities like Kyoto. Their logic looks convincing on PowerPoint. The reality is that Japan’s regional governments are pursuing environmental goals that rely little, or not at all, on that power source. Last week’s decision by the Hiroshima High Court barring the restart of a nuclear reactor due to volcano risks is likely to strengthen their belief nuclear is the past not the future, which makes the government’s stated nuclear power share nationally of 20-22 percent by 2030 look too high. Local green measures include promoting renewable energy sources, reducing electricity consumption, and policies to increase efficient energy use. In Kyoto, Kadokawa noted, total energy consumption declined 26 percent over the past two decades partially due to such efforts. Of course, it wasn’t all good news. While the percentage of people in Kyoto using cars since 2000 had declined from 28 percent to about 22 percent as of 2016, the percentage of those using trains and buses jumped from 22 percent to nearly 28 percent. That’s led to some of the worst traffic jams in the country, although residents are no doubt grateful that taxis, cars and buses idling at red lights belch far less smoke into the air than two decades ago. Other regional governments throughout Japan have also been pursuing ambitious environmental plans designed to reduce local emissions. The Environment Ministry’s most recent statistics show some prefectures appear to be doing better than others. In 2014, reported emissions of carbon dioxide and five greenhouse gases from major enterprises amounted to over 582 million tons for all 47 prefectures. Yet just nine prefectures accounted for half of that, and Chiba Prefecture alone emitted 9.3 percent of the total. Nara Prefecture, with just 0.1 percent, was the “greenest,” with an emissions level less than even prefectures with a clean and green image such as Hokkaido (3.9 percent), Mie (2.6 percent) and Nagano (0.5 percent). National action remains critical to mitigate the impacts of climate change. But cities worldwide, including in the U.S., have been far ahead of their central governments in terms of a green policies despite, or perhaps because of, the political clout of the fossil fuel and nuclear power lobbies in the halls of central governments. Getting local governments to go green may yet be the Kyoto Protocol’s enduring historical legacy.
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osaka;global warming;kyoto protocol;cop3
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jp0001221
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/16
|
Why do some old men age disgracefully?
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It’s a universal belief that life is unfair, though there are many ways in which people manifest this belief. Some withdraw from the world, while others engage with it in an attempt to correct imbalances. Sometimes this engagement takes the form of anger. The grumpy old man is a cliche that requires no explanation. In the Nov. 24 issue of the weekly magazine Shukan Asahi , a neurologist says the layer of the brain that moderates rational thought deteriorates as we age, and thus the filters we use to maintain decorum fail. It’s why older people get angry more easily than younger people do, especially in public and with strangers. The article submits another, less physiological factor: Once a person retires they are less beholden to behavioral restrictions dictated by social norms. The article tries to come to grips with a phenomenon called “ buchigire rōjin ,” or “old people who fly off the handle,” which seems to be a problem right now, judging by the amount of media attention it has received. Asahi gives several examples of the phenomenon, including an old man who loudly scolded a young woman on a train because he thought her daughters were “laughing too loud”; and older people waiting at a hospital pharmacy for their medical bill screaming at the clerk because they are being made to wait. The clerk, who, according to the terms of the social contract, is “lower” than the elderly people yelling at her, responds to the abuse with increasingly desperate apologies, which provokes their anger even more. The comic potential of such a scenario is ripe, but the psychological toll this behavior takes on that part of the workforce charged with being the public interface for organizations has become a serious matter, apparently. An essay on the subject in the Dec. 3 issue of the Asahi Shimbun references a story by novelist Keishi Nagi about minds infected with “poison,” and how these poisons are ejected in words and actions “so that the person can remain alive.” By definition, someone or something must be the receptacle of these poisons. Often, they are loved ones, but increasingly, claims the editorial, it is strangers whose job is to be on the receiving end of toxic exchanges. The essay cites a survey, conducted by the UA Zensen labor union, of 50,000 people working in retail. More than 70 percent of the respondents said they had been the target of “malicious complaints” often couched in “abusive language.” Many were threatened, and some were even forced to bow and scrape ( dogeza ) before their interlocutor. The examples provided are chilling. A customer calls a store about returning defective merchandise and keeps the operator on the phone for nearly an hour, continually calling the person “stupid.” A long line at a cash register is not moving as quickly as one customer would like, so he starts yelling at the cashier and doesn’t stop, even after concluding his transaction. Fifty percent of the people surveyed believe that such extreme behavior is on the rise, and, according to Asahi Shimbun the main source of this “poison” is older men. An article in the Nov. 28 Tokyo Shimbun advanced the theory that “society is becoming more intolerant” with even scarier examples. A customer asks a store clerk to check the price of a particular item, and when the clerk leaves his station to do that, the customer starts ranting, “Don’t make me wait.” He continues the tantrum for three hours, prohibiting the clerk, and other employees in the vicinity, from leaving until he’s done. Mentioning the same UA Zensen survey, Tokyo Shimbun enumerates the forms of such abuse — threats, condescending lectures, sexual harassment, even extortion. According to UA Zensen, the abusers tend to be educated men with fairly good incomes but who are somehow “dissatisfied with society.” Under normal circumstances, customer complaints are valuable to companies because they are used to improve products and services, but in these abuse cases there is no intention of making a bad situation better, only the raw expression of an entitled grievance. “The perpetrators pick on weaker people in order to release their frustrations produced by everyday existence,” says Tokyo Shimbun. These people, who have been dubbed “monster customers,” were also covered in depth by NHK with a panel discussion on a Dec. 2 news show. One pundit quoted the old Japanese saying, “The customer is God.” Abusers understand that service people will meekly absorb their scolding. One university communications instructor said that social media has fed the phenomenon by “encouraging frankness,” and an NHK reporter blamed the incivility on a perverted sense of omotenashi , Japan’s seemingly unique brand of hospitality, which, he says, requires service employees to humor bullies. The panelists agreed that these men act abusively because they no longer wield authority now that they’re retired. Most appear to have held management positions, and when they see something amiss their impulse is to immediately set it right. One woman in the studio said her retired father spends all his waking hours dialing toll-free customer hotlines to complain about anything that strikes his fancy. “We used to direct our anger at the TV,” said the instructor, adding that such vehemence was safe because TVs are inanimate. Now there are innumerable outlets for our displeasure that respond, and those who can’t countenance feedback seek out interlocutors who do not have the power or permission to talk back. The panel made it sound as if this latter aspect were uniquely Japanese. One participant commented that Japanese complain about the insufficient courtesy of service people overseas, but as long as they are doing their jobs, he said, why do we demand they be so solicitous of our feelings? The neurologist in the Shukan Asahi article recommends that grumpy old people get more sleep, which sounds like common sense. Another possible piece of advice, but to the victims of monster customers: Ignore them.
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nhk;shukan asahi;omotenashi;silver generation;tokyo shimbun;dogeza;buchigire rojin;ua zensen
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jp0001222
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/16
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Getting to the bottom of a slippery game show gone viral
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No aspect of Japanese pop culture titillates the world more than the country’s game shows. From references on “ The Simpson’s ” to inspiring Western riffs on subjects such as “ Banzai ” and “ I Survived A Japanese Game Show ,” the idea of wacky creations bordering on torture have played a central place in foreign perceptions of Japan. One of my first exposures to Japanese TV came from a clip of a program where contestants were socked in the testicles . A reminder of this fascination popped up in November. The YouTube channel Just Wow Me uploaded a clip titled “ Funny Japanese Game Show Slippery Stairs — Just Hilarious ,” featuring footage from the 2016 edition of TBS’ “All-Star Kanshasai” variety show, wherein six celebrities try to climb up a staircase covered in lubricant. Two days later, tech writer Juan Buis tweeted a clip of the show that went viral , spreading across the platform and then being aggregated by web sites across the internet. However people shared the segment online, the language used to describe the clip had a familiar ring to it, with adjectives such as “ insane ” and “ diabolical ” being applied liberally. In the tradition of bagel heads and used underwear vending machines, the segment allowed folks online to indulge in “weird” Japan. And yet, it was the first time “wacky Japanese game show” footage (alongside tweets about a “game show” in which participants in an apartment try to figure out with their teeth what’s chocolate and what’s not ) went viral in the context-allergic atmosphere of the internet in 2017, showing just how much misinformation can spread. The event, though, does deserve the accolades. It’s a funny contest and often tips into ridiculous territory (though, c’mon, Human Tetris still beats this). TBS clearly knows this, too. Nuru nuru (slimy) events have been part of the “All-Star” show since 2006, initially via sumo wrestling but transforming into “Nuru Nuru Treasure Hunter” — “Slippery Stairs” as it was incorrectly called in English — in 2016 (with the same general idea appearing on other shows previously ). They brought the segment back in 2017 . Does TBS have a dedicated budget for lubricant? But here’s where things get murky — the viral clip comes from 2016 and it’s not clear why this particular version ended up on Just Wow Me’s YouTube channel. Yet the moment it started gaining online traction, it became something seemingly every blog felt compelled to comment on. This is how internet media operates today: Everything is a reaction and it needs to be fast, even at the expense of details or facts and preferably full of hyperbole. The situation gets even more slippery when you factor in the topic of conversation playing out in a different language. English posts about the segment form a sort of broken puzzle of information that, when put together, reveals about 30 percent of what’s going on. Most call it an independent game show, when it’s really a mini-game on a variety program that’s primarily a quiz. Many carry an only-in-Japan tone, save for Vice TV hosts Desus and Mero, who correctly call it “the most adult version of (U.S. kids game show) ‘Double Dare’ I’ve ever seen.” They still call it “Japan’s weirdest game show,” which is still less eye-rolling than GQ labeling it “ humanity’s greatest creation .” All of this is mostly harmless airballing. But certain recurring elements — which have long accompanied Japanese TV footage — present it in a more exoticizing light. Numerous sites such as Deadspin reference Sisyphus, a Greek story involving eternal punishment, promoting the misleading idea that Japanese programs punish regular contestants and hide a sadistic side (in reality, everyone taking part is a willing celebrity). There’s also a mocking attitude to a lot of it, summed up best by Just Wow Me’s own video description — “Japanese people never fail to make us laugh.” Many Japanese have expressed surprise at the overseas perceptions of the show. Maybe that’s because this kind of programming — a blend of goofy game and prank — pops up as part of variety shows somewhat regularly? Or maybe they wish TV here was as consistently entertaining as the stairs game? Many of the variety shows in Japan feature people eating food, so the idea that Japanese TV is steps above the rest of the world might be the most misleading element of all.
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youtube;tbs;japan pulse;game shows;variety shows
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jp0001226
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/28
|
South Korean panel says there's no proof cash from Kaesong industrial park was diverted to North's arms program
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SEOUL - There was no evidence North Korea diverted wages paid to its workers by South Korean firms in a now-closed border industrial park to bankroll its weapons programs, an expert panel appointed by Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Thursday. The investigation by the panel reversed the contention by the previous South Korean government that most of the cash that flowed into the jointly run Kaesong complex was diverted to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. South Korea laid the claim when it pulled out of the joint venture in response to the North’s launch of a long-range missile last year. But in July, two months after liberal President Moon Jae-in was elected, a South Korean government official said there was no hard evidence to back up the assertion. About 120 South Korean companies paid about double the $70 a month minimum wage in North Korea for each of the 55,000 workers hired in Kaesong. The project resulted from the first inter-Korean summit meeting in 2000, when leaders of the two Koreas vowed reconciliation and cooperation. Until its closure last year, it was the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement amid frosty cross-border ties. The decision to suspend the Kaesong project was “unilaterally and verbally” made by Moon’s predecessor one day after the missile test, without any formal discussions within the administration, the panel said. “The presidential office inserted the wage-diversion argument as major grounds, yet without concrete information, sufficient evidence and consultations with related agencies, mainly citing defector testimonies that lack objectivity and credibility,” Kim Jong-soo, a priest who heads the panel, told a news conference. “This impairs the decision’s legitimacy and could constrain our ground over a future restart of the complex, while hampering the companies’ rights to protect their assets due to the hasty pullout process.” Moon has pledged to reopen the industrial park if there is progress on the North’s denuclearization, but political tensions and Pyongyang’s aloofness have tied the president’s hands.
|
north korea;nuclear weapons;south korea;north korea nuclear crisis;kaesong
|
jp0001227
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2017/12/28
|
Japan and Oman seek to ensure maritime order as China's assertiveness grows in the Asia-Pacific region
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MUSCAT - The Japanese and Omani foreign ministers agreed Wednesday that the two countries will work together to maintain maritime order amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese officials said. The agreement was reached as Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah met in the Omani capital of Muscat, about 500 kilometers southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes for crude oil. Japan significantly depends on the region for oil imports. During the talks, Kono explained Japan’s policy to pursue a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region — encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa — which has been advocated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to realize maritime order based on the rule of law. Kono said after the talks that the Omani minister sought Japan’s involvement in Oman’s port and harbor development. He said the two were able to share an understanding over the strategic importance of port facilities. Kono is on a six-day trip to the Middle East, in which he also visited Jerusalem following U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital. Local media reported Monday that Kono invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a four-way meeting in Tokyo with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, in an effort to restart peace efforts. Netanyahu has reportedly conditioned his participation on approval from the Trump administration, the Jerusalem Post said. It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration gave approval for Kono’s move to make the proposal. An Israeli government source said authorities are waiting to hear from the United States on the issue. Israel has long claimed Jerusalem is its “eternal and undivided capital,” while the Palestinians hope East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, will be the capital of their future state. Japan supports a two-state solution to the conflict and takes the position that the final status of Jerusalem should be resolved through negotiations between the parties.
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china;security;oman;taro kono
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jp0001228
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2017/12/28
|
LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai invites Xi to visit Tokyo next year amid warming ties with Beijing
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BEIJING - A ruling party heavyweight has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Tokyo next year, as the two countries show promising signs of strengthening their sometimes strained relations. The invitation was made on Thursday by Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, during his meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, according to a Japanese lawmaker traveling with him. Xi smiled but did not give any reply, according to the lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It is true that there were cold days in Japan-China relations but we overcame them,” Nikai told reporters after the meeting. “Today, we can feel spring-like warmth.” China’s official media quoted Xi as calling for more party-to-party exchanges and cooperation between the two countries when he met with a delegation led by Nikai. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the two countries’ treaty of friendship and peace, and Japanese government officials are hoping to arrange reciprocal visits by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Xi. Since becoming head of the Communist Party in November 2012, Xi has never visited Japan. For years Sino-Japanese relations were unsettled by a territorial dispute and disagreements over wartime history. But they have greatly stabilized since Xi further consolidated power in October’s twice-a-decade congress of the party and began his second five-year term as leader. Nikai, known for his close ties with China, last met with Xi in May. This time, he is on a six-day visit through Friday with other lawmakers from Japan’s ruling coalition to discuss bilateral issues with a number of senior Chinese officials, including Song Tao, head of the Communist Party’s external affairs department. Just before meeting with Xi, the delegation and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, held discussions on the North Korean nuclear issue and Beijing’s ambitious initiative of building a network of trade routes along and beyond the ancient Silk Road. Earlier in the day, in a rare speech given by a Japanese lawmaker at the Chinese party’s school to train future elites, Nikai called for future-oriented cooperative relations with China. Nikai said it is “now or never” for the two countries to open a new type of relationship as both sides have “strong leaders.” He said China and Japan, the world’s second- and third-largest economies, have great responsibilities for shaping the future together, and that the two countries under a “new era” should move on from a “mutually beneficial relationship” to one that can substantially contribute to peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond. The LDP grandee said there is plenty of room for the two countries to cooperate on infrastructure projects in other parts of Asia, with an eye to Xi’s flagship One Belt, One Road initiative. Speaking at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, he also cited intellectual property and the environment as other possible areas of cooperation that could be increased.
|
ldp;china-japan relations;xi jinping;toshihiro nikai
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jp0001229
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/28
|
Ailing Ome museum dedicated to samurai novelist Eiji Yoshikawa on the brink
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A museum dedicated to Eiji Yoshikawa — famed author of the samurai epic novel “Miyamoto Musashi” — in Ome, Tokyo, is facing closure due to low attendance, it says. The museum is so far in the red that the Yoshikawa Eiji Cultural Foundation, which runs the Yoshikawa Eiji House and Museum, decided in March to propose donating it to the Ome Municipal Government as a last resort. A spokesman for the city says it has been carefully scrutinizing the offer, including the financial burden it would have to bear. The foundation has not decided what it will do if Ome declines its offer, but it seemingly has no choice but to close. “To cut the annual operating costs of around ¥20 million, I have been agonizing over whether to either close the museum or end a number of prizes bearing his name, which the foundation is also in charge of,” said Eimei Yoshikawa, the novelist’s eldest son and director of the museum. He said that it was impossible to end the historical prizes, some of which are over 50 years old, so he thought it would be better to give up on the museum. The museum, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has over 20,000 items on show, including manuscripts of “Miyamoto Musashi” and rare paintings by the author. Situated next to his old house, where he spent the longest portion of his life, the museum used to receive over 170,000 fans each year in the late 1970s. Although his books are still widely known, attendance fell below 10,000 this year. Yoshikawa said the drop is also attributable to the decline in tourism at Ome, which used to be famed for its plum blossoms. According to the Ome Municipal Government, around 2.45 million people visited the city in 1995, but that plunged to 1.95 million in 2013 and has been falling ever since. “Around the time when the museum opened, the city was occupied with making as many parking lots as possible for dozens of buses packed with tourists from all over Japan. Now, I hardly see any buses coming into the city,” Yoshikawa said. His father, a historical novelist who lived from 1892 to 1962, rose to fame with the publication of “Miyamoto Musashi” in 1935 — a highly fictionalized account of Japan’s legendary 17th century swordsman. The abridged English version, titled “Musashi,” was published in the United States in 1981 and soon became a best-seller, which at the time was unusual for a foreign work of over 1,000 pages. But many Americans were already familiar with Musashi’s book “Go Rin No Sho” (“The Book of Five Rings”), which had been published seven years before and also became a big hit. “The Vendetta of Ako,” the English version of Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel “Shin Chushingura” — a story about several samurai on a mission to avenge the death of their master — appeared in serial form in The Japan Times from 1942 to 1943, a time when it was under severe censorship. The intention behind the story’s publication remains unclear. Eiji Yoshikawa stopped writing after Japan lost the war, and led a quiet retirement at his house in Ome. But he later resumed writing and published another historical novel, “Shin Heike Monogatari” (“The Heike Story”), which cemented his fame. “The house was special not only to my father, but also to my mother, who devoted her life to being the director of the museum until she passed away,” said Eimei Yoshikawa. “I feel guilty for giving away the museum as it is against my mother’s will. But it cannot be helped.” The Yoshikawa Eiji House and Museum is temporarily closed for the winter and the director has not decided whether it will reopen, pending the Ome Municipal Government’s final decision, which is likely to be made by March.
|
tokyo;museums;ome;eiji yoshikawa
|
jp0001230
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/10
|
Ex-Toshiba President Nishida, who played key role in success of Dynabook notebook computers, dies at age 73
|
Former Toshiba Corp. President and Chairman Atsutoshi Nishida died of acute cardiac infarction at Toshiba General Hospital in Tokyo on Friday afternoon. He was 73. Nishida joined Toshiba in 1975 and held executive posts at European and U.S. units, before becoming head of the parent company’s personal computer business in 1995. Nishida played a key role in making Toshiba’s Dynabook notebook PCs the world’s top brand. He also maintained friendly ties with Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates. In June 2005, he became president of Toshiba. He took proactive steps to expand the electronics and heavy machinery giant, including the acquisition of U.S. nuclear plant giant Westinghouse Electric Co. and massive investment in semiconductor operations. He resigned after Toshiba incurred heavy losses in the year ended in March 2009 due to the global economic downturn triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Nishida, also former vice chair of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, was among the former presidents now blamed for large-scale accounting fraud that came to light in 2015. In the scandal, Toshiba was found to have padded profits by hundreds of billions of yen. He gave up the post of adviser following criticism that he had pressured junior officials to achieve profit targets. The development was followed by the collapse of Westinghouse in March this year. Some critics say Toshiba’s current crisis, which has led to the sale of flash memory, television and other major operations, has its roots in Nishida’s strong management style.
|
scandals;electronics;toshiba corp .;atsutoshi nishida
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jp0001231
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"social-issues-asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/19
|
UN rights chief says Myanmar 'planned' Rohingya attacks, possibly 'genocide'
|
GENEVA - The U.N. rights chief said Monday that Myanmar clearly “planned” violent attacks on its Rohingya minority, causing a mass-exodus, and warned the crackdown could possibly amount to “genocide. “For us, it was clear … that these operations were organized and planned,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in an interview. “You couldn’t exclude the possibility of acts of genocide. … You cannot rule it out as having taken place or taking place.” Doctors Without Borders said Thursday that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the first month of a Myanmar army crackdown on rebels in Rakhine state that began in August. And more than 655,000 of the Muslim minority have fled across the border into the Cox’s Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh since the army campaign began. Myanmar has consistently denied committing atrocities in Rakhine, saying the crackdown was a proportionate response to the Rohingya militants who attacked police posts on Aug. 25, killing around a dozen officials. But Zeid said the evidence did not seem to support that, pointing to an upsurge in violence last year that had already prompted some 300,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. His office, which has not been granted numerous requests to access northern Rakhine, published a report last February after speaking to refugees in Cox’s Bazar who spoke of “horrific, horrific crimes, the hunting down of children and cutting their throats,” Zeid said. “My suspicion was that the first (smaller) operation was a dry run for the second,” he said. If the crackdown on the Rohingya was “organized and planned, it wasn’t incidental violence that resulted from a counterinsurgency operation,” he said, also pointing out that civilians were clearly targeted. “Why go after a little child if your actual target is an insurgent?” he asked. The U.N. rights chief stressed that it would be up to a court to determine whether or not genocide had occurred, but “we don’t believe you can exclude it and write it off as a possibility.” He voiced hope that perpetrators of the violence would eventually be held accountable. “Those who are committing crimes now and believe they have security, they have the support of great powers, well times will change,” Zeid said, warning that the perpetrators “shouldn’t feel so self-assured about this.” Asked about what level of responsibility for the violence should be attributed to Myanmar’s civilian leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, he said that too would be up to the courts to determine. “To what extent could she have said the right thing or prevented this? You also have the crime of omission: if you’re fully aware that these developments were taking place and did nothing to end them you could be held responsible,” he said. “A court will have to determine to what extent she had power over the military. She had power to recuse herself, to resign and not to be associated in any way with these developments, and the evidence will point eventually to who’s culpable and who isn’t.”
|
myanmar;u.n .;bangladesh;genocide;rohingya;rakhine
|
jp0001232
|
[
"business"
] |
2017/12/21
|
U.S. aims to slap steep duties of nearly 300% on Bombardier jets after Boeing beef
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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday finalized steep anti-subsidy duties on Bombardier Inc.’s CSeries jets, setting up the next round of a fierce international trade dispute between the United States and Canada. The move announced by the department to impose duties of nearly 300 percent stems from a complaint by rival Boeing Co. that Bombardier had been unfairly and illegally subsidized by the Canadian government, allowing the plane maker to dump its newest jetliner in the U.S. market below cost. “Today’s decision validates Boeing’s complaints regarding Bombardier’s pricing in the United States, pricing that has harmed our workforce and U.S. industry,” Boeing said in a statement after the department decision. Delta Air Lines, the second largest U.S. carrier by passenger traffic, has an order for 75 of the 100-to-150 seat CSeries jets. The aircraft starts at $79.5 million, according to list prices, or some $5.9 billion for the total order, but carriers typically receive steep discounts. If imposed, the duties would more than triple the cost of a CSeries aircraft sold in the United States, based on Boeing’s assertion that Delta received the planes for $20 million each, well below an estimated cost of $33 million and what Bombardier charges in Canada. The Commerce Department’s penalty against Bombardier will only take effect if the lesser-known U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in Boeing’s favor, as it so far has, in its final decision expected in early 2018. In its two-part complaint, Boeing called for countervailing duties of 79.41 percent to offset what it described as harmful Canadian subsidies to Bombardier. It also identified a “dumping margin” of 80.5 percent, based on the unpublished prices at which it claims Bombardier sold the CSeries planes to Delta. The department decision follows Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ pledge to aggressively police unfairly traded imports to help shrink U.S. trade deficits. The move comes as the United States, Canada and Mexico are involved in a three-way negotiation to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The rift between the two plane makers could, however, move to a larger stage as Canada weighs a complaint to the World Trade Organization or through NAFTA regarding the dispute. At a contentious Monday hearing of the ITC, Canada warned that a positive finding of material harm to Boeing by the group could represent a possible violation of international trade agreements and prompt a formal objection. Canada earlier this month scrapped plans to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets, underlining Ottawa’s anger over the trade challenge. Boeing has said it considered all potential risks before deciding to launch its trade case. U.S.-Canadian trade relations have also chilled recently over disputes over Canadian softwood lumber and U.S. milk protein products.
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u.s .;boeing;canada;delta;nafta;wilbur ross;bombardier;cseries
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jp0001233
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"social-issues-asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/07
|
Australian lawmakers approve same-sex marriage
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SYDNEY - Gay couples will be able to legally marry in Australia after a same-sex marriage bill sailed through Parliament on Thursday, ending decades of political wrangling. There were loud cheers, hugs and sustained clapping in the 150-seat lower House of Representatives when all but four MPs voted in support of marriage equality, after the upper house Senate passed the bill 43-12 last week. “What a day for love, for equality, for respect! Australia has done it,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the House. “Every Australian had their say and they said it is fair, get on with it!” The historic reforms will commence on Saturday, when same-sex couples can a lodge a notice to marry. They will then have to wait a month before tying the knot. Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten hailed the passing of the bill as a uniting moment for Australia, adding: “Now is the time for healing. “A time to build, a time to love, and is now at last a time for marriage equality,” he said. Same-sex marriage campaigners converged outside Parliament in the nation’s capital Canberra to celebrate the historic occasion, which sees Australia join more than 20 other countries in recognizing such unions. “We came, we saw, and love finally conquered,” co-chair of the Equality Campaign Alex Greenwich told reporters. “We thank all Australians for their support for saying yes, we thank all those who have campaigned for many years, for over 10 years, for fairness and equality.” The bill was introduced in Parliament by the conservative government after Australians last month endorsed the reforms in a controversial voluntary postal vote. Nearly 80 percent of eligible voters took part in the poll, and almost 62 percent of the 12.7 million people who participated chose “yes” on their ballots. The vote had been called by Turnbull, a moderate who backed gay marriage, in the face of opposition from hardliners who refused to back a national plebiscite on the issue. It was opposed by proponents of same-sex marriage, who wanted direct legislative action and argued a poll would expose gay people and their families to hate speech. Just under 5 million people voted “no,” with conservative politicians using their rejection as a catalyst to push for religious exemptions to be included in the bill. But after lengthy debate, both houses of Parliament knocked back any religious freedom amendments. Leading “no” campaigner Lyle Shelton said it was “deeply disappointing” day. “The Australian people were promised that their freedom of speech, freedom of religion and parental rights would be protected in any same-sex marriage legislation, and this has not happened,” he said. The House vote took place on the last sitting day of Parliament for the year, with more than 100 MPs speaking on the bill this week. Queues of people lined up to watch the debate from the public gallery, with some dancing and cheering. In moving scenes, the entire Parliament burst into song after the bill passed, belting out the lyrics to the “I Am Australian” song: “We are one, but we are many; And from all the lands on earth we come; We’ll share a dream and sing with one voice; ‘I am, you are, we are Australian.'” Several parliamentarians who supported the changes wore rainbow-colored socks or ties, including Warren Entsch, described in local media as a “fiercely heterosexual … crocodile-farming, bull-catching Liberal.” MPs have paid tribute to Entsch over the pass few weeks for his efforts, with the veteran Liberal MP speaking passionately about his “very lonely” journey in support of equal rights on the conservative side of politics. “This bill will take from no-one; it simply makes our nation a kinder and a fairer place,” Entsch told Parliament this week. One highly anticipated wedding will be the Liberal Party’s Tim Wilson, who proposed to his partner Ryan Bolger while speaking on gay marriage on the floor of the House earlier this week. Same-sex marriage is now recognized in more than 20 countries, of which 16 are in Europe. It was most recently authorized on Tuesday by Austria’s top court by 2019 at the latest.
|
australia;lgbt;sexuality;same-sex marriage
|
jp0001234
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/07
|
Cosmetic surgeon Katsuya Takasu pays $275,000 for Emperor Hirohito memoir at NY auction
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High-profile Japanese cosmetic surgeon Katsuya Takasu won an auction for the only-known World War II memoirs of Emperor Hirohito, besting the competition with a bid of $275,000 (¥30 million) in New York on Wednesday. The price was nearly double the higher end of pre-auction estimates, which ranged from $100,000 to $150,000, according to auction house Bonhams. Takasu is widely known in Japan because he has sponsored a number of TV programs for years and is featured in commercials aired almost every day. The 173-page, two-volume document he bought is widely known in Japan as “Showa Tenno Dokuhakuroku” (“Emperor Showa’s Monologue”) . When the transcript was first published by monthly magazine Bungei Shunju in 1990, it caused a national sensation because Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, frankly discussed in the record various political events and war in the 1930s and 1940s. The document auctioned this week was the only known copy of the memoir, which covers World War II and the era leading up to the conflict. “I really wanted to see the original because the published text could have been edited. On top that, I slightly felt something like indignation because it was sold in an overseas auction,” Dr. Takasu said in a phone interview with The Japan Times on Thursday. “I believe what belongs to Japan should be kept in Japan,” said Takasu, adding that he is now considering donating the documents to the Imperial Family. An Imperial Household Agency spokesman told The Japan Times that the agency has not yet been contacted by Takasu. The spokesperson said that in general, under the Imperial Household Finance Act, the Emperor is not allowed to receive gifts beyond a total value of ¥6 million a year. Takasu runs Takasu Clinic in Tokyo and four other group cosmetic hospitals in Japan. He drew public attention earlier this year when the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group, claimed that Takasu praised Adolf Hitler and denied the Holocaust and the 1937 Nanking Massacre in social media messages. On Twitter, Takasu wrote on Oct. 18, 2015: “I believe both Nanking (Massacre) and Auschwitz are fabrications.” Takasu told The Japan Times on Thursday that he just believes the number of victims in the Nanking Massacre has been exaggerated. He added that while he accepts that people were killed and abused by the Nazis, he believes “toxic gas” was not used to kill victims at Auschwitz. “I’m not a sympathizer of Nazism and don’t agree with their ideology, either,” Takasu said Thursday. Emperor Showa’s Monologue was prepared in apparent preparation for the postwar International Military Tribunal for the Far East, better known as the Tokyo Trial. The record was dictated by the Emperor to several of his aides soon after the war and transcribed by senior diplomat Hidenari Terasaki. The document in question was originally discovered in Terasaki’s belongings when they were being held by his daughter, Mariko Terasaki Miller. The Emperor discussed topics such as Japanese politics at the time, Japan’s assassination of Manchuria warlord Zhang Zuolin in 1928, and the nation’s surrender at the end World War II in August 1945. The Emperor’s frank discussion about the history of the war has fueled heated debate among historians, including the extent to which the leader himself was responsible for key political decisions during Japan’s wars and conflicts in the 1930s and 1940s.
|
wwii;douglas macarthur;ny;emperor hirohito;manchuria;bonhams
|
jp0001235
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/09
|
Japanese high school girl quiz and, er, 'florida'
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A quiz on words that high school girls in Japan use in conversation or when texting attracted plenty of attention online earlier this week, with the hashtag #JK用語クイズ (JK yōgo quizu, or JK words quiz) topping Twitter’s trending list for much of Tuesday. “JK” is short for joshi kosei , the Japanese term for high school girls. The quiz, which was compiled by Yoza Hikaru at Japan Buzzfeed, attempts to determine if you’re able to hang out with high school girls or not. In the quiz, respondents are asked to choose identify the meaning of a word from three options that are provided. For example, one question asks respondents whether “テンアゲ” (“ tenage “) is short for “天ぷら” (“ tempura “), “テンションあげる” (“ tension ageru ,” or “getting excited”) or “１０回つぶやく” (“ jyukkai tsubuyaku ,” or “tweeting 10 times”). The answer? Tension ageru . Another question asks respondents whether “スタ爆” (“ sutabaku “) means “スタート失敗” (“ sutato shippai ,” or “failing to start”), “スタートダッシュ” (“ stato dashu ,” or “dashing start”) or “スタンプ爆撃” (“ sutanpu bakugeki ,” or “sending lots of stickers on LINE”). The answer? Sutanpu bakugeki . One of the toughest questions involved “フロリダ” (“ florida “). Is this southern U.S. state short for “お風呂に入るから離脱する” (“ ofuro ni hairu kara ridatsu suru ,” or “leaving a LINE group conversation to take a shower”), “ブロックして離脱する” (“ burokku shite ridatsu suru ,” or “blocking a person or group on LINE”) or “お風呂でダンス動画をとる” (“ ofuro de dansu dōga wo toru ,” or “taking a dancing video in the bathroom”)? And the answer? Ofuro ni hairu kara ridatsu suru . The responses on Twitter came thick and fast. Some thought the quiz was too easy. “ Got 10 out of 10, even though I’m not a JK ,” @Xvoice_of_redX posted, while @Rethinking_Man found it amusing that the quiz suggested that he was actually as young as a high school girl . Many, however, were completely baffled by the quiz. “I just took the JK words quiz and didn’t understand most of them,” posted @_aoto_himazin. “ I can’t keep up with JK these days .” If you’re interested in finding out where you stand, visit bit.ly/JK-quiz to take the quiz.
|
line;joshi kosei;jk;japan pulse
|
jp0001236
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/09
|
Without an official father, kids can be stateless
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On Nov. 29, the Kobe District Court dismissed a suit against the state filed by a woman in her 60s who claimed that the law that allows only men to deny paternity of a child is unconstitutional, since it discriminates against women. She said the law meant she was unable to register her daughter as the child of her second partner, because the law presumed her estranged husband was the father. The judge explained his decision by saying the law in question “represents a compromise between the need to match biological and legal fathers, and ensuring stable paternal relations by determining them promptly.” In other words, it makes the government’s job easier, and the government has the final say in deciding who the father of a child is. It also implies that women can’t be trusted. In an interview that appeared in the Nov. 15 Mainichi Shimbun , Masataka Endo, one of the leading experts on Japan’s koseki (family register) system, which is what was at issue in the Kobe case, pointed out that the koseki’s main function is “moralistic” in that it designates the Emperor’s subjects, sets the parameters of an individual’s family and defines who is Japanese. It has no practical purpose — it cannot be used for census-taking or identification — but rather positions a person in a “virtuous line of descent,” thus unifying the nation. This concept of “pure blood” Japanese is a “legal fiction” that is “out of step with current realities,” Endo says. And yet the koseki is deemed irreplaceable, and so by extension poses a serious problem for the minority of Japanese who don’t have them. Masae Ido has made a career out of figuring out ways for people without koseki to get them. As a former reporter and Diet lawmaker, the controversial Ido, who has written two books on the subject of mukoseki-sha (people without koseki), understands that the media needs to publicize her work if it is to make any sort of difference, but the press tends to find koseki an arcane topic, unless it involves high-profile individuals, such as former Democratic Party President Renho, whose nationality was questioned last year . Moreover, mukoseki-sha exist at the margins of society, so the general public doesn’t care about them. This apathy, born of prejudice since most mukoseki-sha are seen as being the products of broken homes, makes them even more reluctant to come out into the open and solve their problems, which, as Ido points out, are bureaucratic in nature, even if many believe it has something to do with character. The greatest myth the media has perpetrated with regard to mukoseki-sha is that they cannot participate in society. They are told that without a koseki they cannot access to social services or gain employment or get married. In her writing and interviews Ido has tried to disabuse the media and the public of these notions. After all, foreign residents don’t have koseki, and they belong to national health insurance and pension plans, hold jobs and attend public schools. As long as you have a jūminhyō (certificate of residence), you can receive social services, and you don’t need a koseki to get a jūminhyō, though some local governments may say you can’t. There are drawbacks to not having a koseki. The government won’t issue you a passport, for one. But Ido has successfully helped mukoseki-sha legally gain koseki, and in many of these cases the reason they didn’t have koseki is the issue of paternity. The main instrument of the government’s control over paternity is Article 772 of the Civil Code , which states that a child born to a woman within 300 days of the finalization of her divorce is deemed to be the issue of her ex-husband, since it is possible they could have had sex on the eve of their divorce. Ido understood this situation firsthand. She had been separated from her husband for a long time before finally getting a divorce and then marrying a different man. She got pregnant by her new husband and the baby was born prematurely, before the 300-day cutoff point. When she brought the birth report to her local city hall to get her child a koseki, the clerk rejected the report because it had the name of her new husband in the “father” space. In order for the real father to be confirmed as such by the authorities, she would have had to ask her previous husband to disavow his own paternity, but she had no desire to communicate with him, so she sued her present husband to “acknowledge paternity” ( ninchi chōtei ) of the child. This legal recourse is usually taken by women who want the fathers of children born out of wedlock to confirm their responsibility. She even went to the justice ministry and presented her scheme to them. At first they seemed puzzled but eventually agreed that it was legal and, in fact, encouraged her to file the suit. During the first court session, the judge expressed doubt about the suit since “paternity is determined by the state,” and in this case he was being asked to take her word that her husband was the father. (The husband, for obvious reasons, did not put up a defense.) Eventually, the judge ruled in her favor, creating a precedent that the justice ministry has promoted. Unfortunately, the media hasn’t. Since then, Ido has helped more than 1,000 people gain koseki using similar kinds of legal schemes. As she told the business magazine, Toyo Keizai , in March 2016, “There are many reasons why a child does not have a koseki. In some cases, the parents’ financial situation or environment prevented them from submitting a birth report, but that’s not a justification for depriving a person of a koseki. These children are being neglected and abandoned by society and the state.” The fact that Ido has to jump through legal hoops in order to secure justice for those who seek her help proves how unfair Japanese family law is, and while she continues to assist people who don’t have koseki get them, she knows that it would be better to change the laws so that women have as much right as men to determine the paternity of their children, even if that means getting rid of the koseki altogether.
|
civil code;paternity;mainichi shimbun;renho;koseki;masanori endo;masae ido;mukoseki-sha;article 772;toyo keizai
|
jp0001238
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/09
|
Women unimpressed with advice on how to spend time alone
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Women’s magazine Ginger Web created a stir in late November by publishing an article that offered single women advice on how to spend time alone. In a Nov. 26 article titled “ Techniques for watching a movie alone without seeming sad ,” author Mariko Okura lamented the fact that women often needed courage to go to a movie theater by themselves, offering up a few tips on ways to survive a solo outing. The tips included such tactics as entering the theater after the movie had started, bringing an absorbent handkerchief to mop up tears (presumably sparked by the film on the screen in front of them and not loneliness) and making a speedy exit during the final credits before the other viewers started to discuss the movie with their partners. Internet users didn’t appreciate the advice, with many insisting that the recommendations would only create more of a disturbance to fellow movie-goers. Others went so far as to argue that the tactics are redundant because there’s no shame in being alone in public. A term used in the article — “ dokujo jikan ,” loosely translated to “single-woman time” — became a trending hashtag on Twitter. “ I can’t get used to the term dokujo jikan ,” wrote @buribuli. “I guess people think it’s sad to see a woman by herself. I’ve been going to the horse-racing track and mahjong parlors on my own since my 20s. I also go to live shows by myself. When I go to Blue Note on my own, I can sometimes get a front-row seat at the last minute.” Twitter user @oguri_sakura, a TV personality with a special interest in history, was more proactive in her criticism. “ Dokujo jikan is starting to trend (online), but I get the feeling women who are history lovers tend to spend a lot of time being independent ,” she wrote. “I don’t find it lonely at all. I love going to historic sites, the movies, shopping and karaoke on my own. At movies, I’m the type to stay until after the credits, expecting to see bonus scenes.” Twitter user @yuka, meanwhile, found the notion disturbing. “ A woman’s magazine that makes women cower by shamelessly posting articles on the assumption that it’s depressing for women to engage in solo activities ,” she wrote. “I want to call it the ouroboros phenomenon, where the snake eats its own tail. I thought Ginger was supposed to be a magazine that mature readers can enjoy without having to hang out with other people.” In response to the backlash, online women’s magazine Joshi Spa! conducted a survey of 200 women, aged 25 to 39, to find out what kind of activities women do alone . The web magazine also asked them to identify the occasions they might feel self-conscious about being by themselves. According to the magazine, 42.5 percent of respondents said they had gone to a movie by themselves. What’s more, just 12 percent of respondents said they might feel awkward about doing this. Reports show nearly 1 in 4 men and 1 in 7 women in Japan are still unmarried at the age of 50. And as contributor Kaori Shoji reported last week, a number of women have recently complained that they are too tired to date . Okura writes that it is becoming more common for single women in their 30s to spend time on their own and, judging from the backlash spurred by the advice, it appears women are perfectly fine being alone in public and enjoying ordinary activities without the social security of a partner or friend.
|
friendship;dating;singles;japan pulse
|
jp0001241
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/30
|
Bustling Haneda shines as a New Year's traveler hub
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Every New Year’s, the nation’s airports are jammed with travelers heading to their hometowns or overseas to spend the holidays — and Tokyo’s Haneda is the busiest one. As a global gateway, Haneda handled around 1,220 flight slots a day, and more than 80 million passengers in 2016, according to the transport ministry. The figures are exceptionally high compared with other airports in Japan. During peak hours, aircraft land and take off in tight time slots just like rush-hour trains. From the airport’s huge observation deck, visitors can see planes landing and waiting for takeoff. Haneda, which has four runways and three terminals, is just 15 km from central Tokyo. Also known as Tokyo International Airport, Haneda has been awarded the 5-Star Airport rating by Skytrax, a British-based air transport research company, for four years in a row, gaining the highest rating for its service, comfort and cleanliness. Its international terminal, opened in 2010, is easy to navigate and incorporates the latest universal designs and environmentally friendly features. The terminal also has unique facilities. The departure lobby has a shopping arcade resembling an Edo Period (1603-1868) street. There are also restaurants and shops selling merchandise from popular anime that even nonpassengers can purchase. To celebrate the new year, the airport will hold its Haneda Edo Festival from Jan. 1 to 3, offering a rice cake-making ritual called mochitsuki (rice-pounding) and food and entertainment stalls. There will also be an oiran gyoretsu (high-class courtesan parade) and traditional street performances. The re-created wooden Nihonbashi Bridge from the Edo Period is among the features at Haneda’s international terminal. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Haneda handled about 1,220 flights a day in 2016, according to the transport ministry. | SATOKO KAWASAKI A shopping arcade resembling an Edo Period street is seen on Dec. 15 at Haneda. | SATOKO KAWASAKI People can watch aircraft take off and land at Haneda airport from neighboring Jonanjima Seaside Park in Ota Ward. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Aircraft are seen parked at Haneda airport near the heart of Tokyo on Dec. 15. | SATOKO KAWASAKI Thousands of travelers flow through the international departure lobby at Haneda every day. | SATOKO KAWASAKI
|
haneda airport;airport
|
jp0001244
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/30
|
Debate grows over the plight of foreign staff at convenience stores in Japan
|
Launched in 1993, Japan’s Technical Internship Training Program for foreign nationals hasn’t had the best reputation. The program was created to help visitors from developing nations live and work in Japan for as long as three years under the protective umbrella of Japan’s labor laws. Two decades on, however, it’s become something of a metaphor for the country’s labor woes. Since 2015, there have been disturbing reports of abuse and scams aimed at foreign workers, triggering a move last month to modify the program and protect their rights. In some instances, however, these modifications have actually made the lives of foreign employees worse, according to a recent report in the Asahi Shimbun . The companies hiring the workers failed to meet the new standards or even fill out the necessary paperwork, which led to foreign nationals being unable to renew their visas. Many have had no choice but to leave the country. In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun, Lawson President Sadanobu Takemasu suggested broadening the program by adding convenience store work to its list of “technical” skills . “That way, when foreign interns return to their home country and decide to go into retail, they’ll already know how to do it,” Takemasu said. The convenience store industry is plagued by its own acute labor shortage but Takemasu denied that understaffing at his own company had anything to do with it. In the same Asahi article, the Japan Franchise Association echoed Takemasu’s suggestion, and expressed an intention to file a request with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor in January. A step in the right direction? Not quite. Online comments exploded, with many calling the Technical Internship Training Program, to quote one commenter, “ nothing but an incubator of slave labor. ” The word “ dorei ” (“slave”) featured in close to 100 comments and it’s clear few Japanese are fooled about working conditions for foreign staff in convenience stores in Japan. More than one commenter pointed out that foreign workers are sometimes offered as little as ¥400 per hour, while Japanese employees were paid twice that amount. Convenience stores once formed the bastion of part-time jobs for Japanese students, but are now avoided by young Japanese as the ultimate “ black” part-time job, with grueling graveyard shifts and countless detailed tasks that are a struggle to keep up with . Worse still, as mentioned in a Big in Japan contribution recently, is having to deal with often unreasonable complaints from Japan’s rapidly graying, increasingly cantankerous clientele . “I would never work in a convenience store again,” one commenter wrote. “Having to deal with the dotty elderly took everything out of me. I guess it’s easier for the staff if they don’t speak much Japanese, because then they won’t have to listen to all that nonsense from the elderly.” The unanimous opinion was that convenience stores totally sucked as a place to work, or even to operate as a manager (another can or worms entirely). “Only the very desperate Japanese would go there to make a living,” one person wrote. “It’s impossible to subsist on convenience store wages and most of them turn into hikikomori (recluses) anyway.” Language appears to be another bone of contention. While some online commenters said they prefer going to a convenience store manned by an all-Japanese staff (good luck finding one), others expressed guilt at being served by foreign workers, knowing that the language barrier probably affected their pay and that they were likely living in “the most miserable conditions.” There were a plenty of comments about how terrible things had become recently. “I can’t imagine anyone with a shred of ambition or self-respect wanting to live and work in Japan, one commenter wrote. “Don’t waste your time learning Japanese, use your resources to learn English and move to the United States!” Others wrote that the 24-hour convenience store was on its last legs anyway. “It’s a hotbed of misery and crime,” one commenter wrote. “The number of convenience stores should be cut by 50 percent or at least replaced by something like Amazon Go.”
|
convenience stores;foreign workers;lawson;technical intership training program
|
jp0001246
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/08
|
Wrecks of Japanese and U.S. warships — including first American vessel to fire shot in WWII — found off Philippines
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SURIGAO, PHILIPPINES - The sunken remains of five Japanese and two U.S. warships — including the vessel that fired the first American shot of World War II — have been found off the Philippines, a team of deep sea explorers funded by billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen have announced. Released earlier this week, ahead of the anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, underwater footage shows one of the ships is the USS Ward, the destroyer that fired the first American shot in the war on the morning of the surprise attack, just outside Pearl Harbor. Its second shot sank a Japanese midget submarine. Briefing reporters Thursday aboard the research vessel Petrel, docked in the port city of Surigao on the northernmost tip of Mindanao island, the team also presented images of what are believed to be wrecks of the Japanese warships Yamashiro, Fuso, Yamagumo, Asagumo and Michishio, which were found between Nov. 22 and 29 on the Surigao Strait seabed. The five were among seven Imperial Japanese Navy vessels that took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait from late Oct. 24 until before sunrise on Oct. 25, 1944. After discovering the Japanese vessels, the survey mission proceeded to nearby Ormoc Bay, where it found the wreckages of the USS Ward and USS Cooper in waters some 250 meters deep. On Dec. 7, 1944, the Ward, a Wickes-class destroyer, was patrolling Ormoc Bay and acting as a high-speed troop transport when it was struck by a kamikaze attack, and the crew was told to abandon ship, the team said. “The USS Ward found herself in the crucible of American history — at the intersection of a peacetime Navy and war footing,” Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was quoted by the team’s press release as saying. “She took decisive, effective and unflinching action despite the uncertain waters,” Swift added. “Now 76 years on, her example informs our naval posture.” Referring to the Surigao Strait expedition, team leader Robert Kraft said the shipwrecks “are where the historical records place them generally.” “The Surigao Strait is a very confined area, so the historical records and the actual reports of that battle are fairly accurate,” he added. Although greatly outnumbered, the Japanese vessels engaged in a ship-to-ship battle with U.S. and Australian naval forces seeking to wrest control of the Philippines from Japan. “The liberation of the Philippines (in 1945) could not have occurred without the Battle of Leyte in October 1944. The Battle of Surigao Strait was one of the main actions of the overall Battle of Leyte Gulf,” said Jeremy Barns, director of the National Museum of the Philippines, which granted the permit for the survey. According to Jake Miranda, a local historian who founded the Battle of Surigao Strait Museum in Surigao, some 4,000 Japanese combatants perished in the fight. Kraft and lead researcher Paul Mayer told reporters that the Fuso-class dreadnought battleships Yamashiro and Fuso were found upside down, with the former mostly intact and the latter broken. The Asashio-class destroyers Asagumo and what was believed to be the Michishio were found intact, while what was suspected to be the Yamagumo, a destroyer of the same class, was broken into two pieces as it underwent a violent explosion before sinking. Mayer said the two wrecks believed to be the Yamagumo and Michishio, which were 2 km apart at the same latitude, were found in shallower areas of just above 100 meters deep. The research team explained they could not ascertain positive identification of the Yamagumo and Michishio due to their identical features. The three other vessels were submerged at a depth of some 200 meters. “The ships are in very poor condition, obviously, because of what happened to them. And the overgrowth is very prolific. They now provide a fantastic marine habitat,” Kraft said, adding that rust was visible. Other images captured included shots of one of the vessels’ 127-mm guns, one of three boilers from a steam turbine propulsion unit and a Japanese sake cup that had a unique plum blossom design. Since the exploration was only external, no interior images of the ships were generated and no remains were found. Mayer said they are willing to provide their data to the National Institute of Defense Studies in Tokyo, and to the Kure Maritime Museum, also known as the Yamato Museum, in Hiroshima Prefecture. Kraft said the team did not remove anything from the sites, noting that “these ships are war graves, so they need to be treated with due respect to these brave men that served on these ships and perished there.” Barns, of the National Museum of the Philippines, whose agency is mandated to serve as the custodian and protector of such relics, said the discovery of the warships’ location will provide “a greater sense of closure” to the relatives of those who died in the sinkings. “We hope that the work that we have done is appreciated and that it brings closure so they can finally identify where their loved ones have been lost — that it helps them in some way or comforts them,” Kraft said. Annette Villaces of the Surigao municipal government said although the exact locations of the wrecks will not be publicly released, the confirmation of their existence is expected to boost local tourism. In March 2015, Allen’s team discovered the wreck of the legendary Japanese battleship Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea off the central Philippine province of Romblon. The 263 meter-long, 73,000-ton Musashi, said to be one of the largest and most technologically advanced battleships, was sunk by U.S. forces on Oct. 24, 1944, as it was about to participate in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. More than 1,000 sailors died in the sinking. “These projects that we undertake are done with the intent of educating and inspiring,” Kraft said. “Paul Allen does these projects because of his passion for preserving history, honoring the memory of his father, and his deep love for the ocean and archaeology.” The 250-foot Petrel is manned by some 35 personnel and is equipped with advanced technology, mainly a remotely operated vehicle, to explore the sea to depths of as much as 6,000 meters.
|
wwii;microsoft;shipwreck;paul allen
|
jp0001247
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/08
|
Japan to publicize testimony denying that Koreans were forced to work 'under harsh conditions' at UNESCO-listed 'Battleship Island'
|
Japan plans to make public some testimony denying that Koreans were forced to work under harsh conditions during World War II at what is now a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, government sources have said. The controversial move could draw an angry rebuke from Seoul, which maintains that Korean workers were forced to toil in the Hashima Coal Mine off Nagasaki, on what is now known as Gunkanjima (“Battleship Island”), when the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule between 1910 and 1945. When the island was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2015, Tokyo promised Seoul it would exhibit the history of Koreans forced to work there. Japan may continue to collect more testimony, potentially including acknowledgements of forced labor. The sources said the testimony will be exhibited at an information center for Japan’s World Cultural Heritage Site that the government plans to open in Tokyo by 2019. The move comes as the two Asian neighbors seek to bolster cooperation in addressing North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and as Japan hammers out the details of hosting a trilateral summit also involving Beijing in the near future. The testimonies denying forced labor are part of 200 hours of video recordings of around 60 former islanders, including Korean residents in Japan. One says “I believe Korean people were not forced to do dangerous work,” while another says “Japanese and Koreans were treated the same way in the coal mine.” It was unclear if those two statements were made by Japanese or Korean residents in Japan. All of the witnesses live in Japan, though the government is considering compiling testimony from former mine workers now living in South Korea, the sources added. Tokyo has told UNESCO that it will collect former islanders’ testimonies and other materials to exhibit, the sources said. South Korea had initially opposed adding the island to the World Cultural Heritage list under “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution,” saying Koreans were forced to work at some sites. It later dropped its opposition on the condition that Japan publicly acknowledge that Koreans were coerced to work at some of the sites. Despite that deal, Tokyo and Seoul have remained at odds over the definition of forced labor.
|
nagasaki;south korea;unesco;forced labor;japan;battleship island
|
jp0001248
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2017/12/08
|
Pearl Harbor survivors remember comrades killed in Japanese attack 76 years ago
|
HONOLULU - Survivors gathered Thursday at the site of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to remember fellow servicemen killed in the early morning raid 76 years ago, paying homage to the thousands who died with a solemn ceremony marking the surprise bombing raid that plunged the U.S. into World War II. About 20 survivors attended the event at a grassy spot overlooking the harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. They were joined by about 2,000 navy sailors, officials and members of the public. Several U.S. veterans said they were pleased to see growing friendship and deepening ties between the United States and what has now become one of its closest allies. It was the first such ceremony since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then-U.S. President Barack Obama late December last year laid a wreath at the memorial built above the sunken battleship USS Arizona in a show of reconciliation between the World War II foes. Gilbert Meyer, who lived through the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing, said he returned to pay his respects to his shipmates from the USS Utah — and say a prayer for them. The 94-year-old who lives near Lytle, Texas, was an 18-year-old fireman first class when a torpedo hit the port side of the Utah. He said he’s still alive because he happened to be on the ship’s starboard side. “I think about my shipmates and how they were killed. It reminds me that we’re lucky we got off and we’ve made a good country for them,” Meyer said. Meyer later served in the battles at Attu, Kiska, Iwojima and Okinawa. He witnessed Japan’s surrender in 1945 from the deck of the USS Detroit in Tokyo Bay. Herbert Elfring remembered hearing bombs explode and first thought the explosions were U.S. training exercises. Then a fighter plane with Japan’s World War II Rising Sun insignia strafed Camp Makaole base where Elfring, 19 at the time, was serving. The bullets missed him by about 15 feet (5 meters). “When I looked up and saw the red ball on the fuselage I knew it wasn’t our plane,” he said. “I knew it was a Japanese plane.” The Jackson, Michigan, man is now 95 and said returning to Pearl Harbor for the anniversary of the attack makes him feel special because he’s one of the few remaining survivors. “I have one of those caps that says ‘Pearl Harbor Survivor’ on it,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people come up and thank me for my service.” Elfring was in the military for the entire war, serving in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines. When it ended, he went to the University of Michigan on the GI Bill, worked for a gas and electric company and raised a family of five. The ceremony began with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m. in honor of those who lost their lives — the same time the attack began. Four Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 fighter jets broke the silence, with one plane peeling off from the group to symbolize servicemen still missing. “The heroes with us today ensured Pearl Harbor would not be the end of the story,” said Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift. “Instead of retreating from the fight, America’s Pacific Fleet dug in its heels. Along the way, they forged a cultural heritage of resilience that sailors continue to draw upon today.” The navy and National Park Service host the ceremony each year. Usually, a Pacific Fleet vessel with sailors manning the rails passes by the USS Arizona Memorial during the event. This year, no ship participated because of naval operational commitments, said Bill Doughty, a spokesman for Navy Region Hawaii. More than 2,300 servicemen were killed in the assault by Japanese airplanes. Nearly half were on the Arizona, which exploded and sank after it was hit by two bombs. Most of the Arizona’s fallen are entombed in the battleship, which lies at the bottom of the harbor.
|
wwii;pearl harbor;hawaii;u.s. navy;japan
|
jp0001249
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/08
|
Trump invites WWII vets to White House and signs proclamation marking Pearl Harbor Day
|
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump mingled with World War II veterans at the White House on Thursday as he signed a proclamation marking the annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Congress designated Dec. 7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in August 1994 . Half a dozen veterans of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, wearing medals and military hats, attended the ceremony and bantered with the president as he commemorated their service. “All American hearts are filled with gratitude for their service, their sacrifice and their presence here today,” Trump said. Among those attending was 98-year-old Mickey Ganitch, who was on the USS Pennsylvania’s football team and getting ready for a championship game against the crew of the USS Arizona when Japan attacked. “You never got that game, huh?” asked the president. “We had a war to fight,” Ganitch responded before kneeling to mimic his best football move — and repeating the move at Trump’s request. Ganitch later broke out into song, delivering a rendition of “Remember Pearl Harbor.” “You really made this very exciting,” Trump remarked, thanking him for the “free entertainment.” Trump said he hopes the vets will join him every year to mark the occasion for the next — presuming he runs and wins re-election — seven years. “Today our entire nation pauses to remember Pearl Harbor and the brave warriors who on that day stood tall and fought for America,” he said. The president invited the men to see the Oval Office after the signing, promising them pens and autographs. During a visit to Hawaii last month Trump went to Pearl Harbor and spent time at the USS Arizona memorial before departing for his first trip to Asia. The surprise attack killed more than 2,400 Americans and plunged the U.S. into World War II.
|
wwii;history;pearl harbor;japan;donald trump
|
jp0001250
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2017/12/01
|
Japan's biggest IPO of the year may deliver almost 30% gain within a year
|
Shares in SG Holdings — operator of Japan’s second-largest parcel delivery company by volume, Sagawa Express — could rise in value by as much as 27 percent within a year after its debut this month, as investors bet on solid earnings helped by logistics services at home and abroad. With the indicative price range set at ¥1,540 to ¥1,620, book-building is under way for what could be Japan’s biggest initial public offering this year when SG lists its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 13. The IPO comes as optimism over global growth and Japanese corporate earnings helped boost the Topix index to levels unseen in a quarter century early last month. The shares of the firm’s biggest rival, Yamato Holdings Co., which gets its revenue mostly from domestic operations, have declined 3.9 percent this year, and Yamato booked an operating loss in the April-September half on higher labor costs needed to secure workers. In contrast, Nippon Express Co., which gets more than 20 percent of its revenue from operations overseas, has gained 12 percent this year, while the Topix has risen 18 percent. SG has said it will develop a global logistics network through the strengthening and integration of domestic and overseas businesses. The company doesn’t disclose the geographic breakdown of its revenue. “SG Holdings shares look attractive,” said Naoki Fujiwara, chief fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo, who oversees more than ¥30 billion ($267 million) in Japanese equity funds. “Both the international and domestic logistics services have the potential to grow further, given expansion in e-commerce. There will be more room for business-to-business services to expand as the company may continue labor-saving investments.” The stock could reach about ¥1,900 from the median indicative price of ¥1,580 by the end of the next year if the company maintains its growth trend in profits through the next fiscal year, according to Fujiwara. It could rise to about ¥2,000 by the end of 2018, as investors may look at SG’s logistics services for corporate customers and its development into services overseas as a strong point compared with Yamato, said Mitsuo Shimizu, deputy general manager at Japan Asia Securities Co. SG in October maintained its guidance that operating profit for the year ending March 2018 will rise 17 percent from a year earlier to ¥58 billion. In October last year SG, which holds a 29 percent stake in Hitachi Transport System Ltd., started a delivery service in cooperation with Hitachi that delivers clothing made in Chinese factories to Japanese retailers. The company also bought Vietnamese delivery and logistics company Phat Loc Express in December last year. “SG Holdings has put some effort into its overseas businesses, so its shares will tend to outperform when the global economy expands,” said Mitsushige Akino, an executive officer with Ichiyoshi Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. “I’m interested in the shares as there may be plenty of room for them to rise in the short term.” The stock could climb by about 30 percent from the indicative price in about a month from its debut, according to Akino. That would be around ¥2,050. Shares may reach about ¥1,800 within six months of the listing, said Makoto Kikuchi, chief executive officer of Myojo Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. Shinkin’s Fujiwara said the shares don’t look overvalued relative to their peers. The estimated price-earnings ratio for the fiscal year ending March 2018 may be about 15 times for SG based on the indicative price, Fujiwara said. That compares with 15.7 times for Nippon Express and 50 times for Yamato, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The estimated dividend yield may be around 2 percent for SG, Fujiwara said. That’s higher than 1.7 percent for Nippon Express and 1.2 percent for Yamato. Wage pressures and the prospect of higher fuel costs mean not everyone is bullish on the logistics industry. Yamato announced its first price increases for retail customers in 27 years in April amid fierce competition, and announced plans to hire 9,200 new full and part-time workers this year. “The labor shortage is putting a great strain on the sector,” said Masakuni Fujiwara, chief executive officer at VistaMax Fund Advisors Ltd. in Tokyo. “Even if online trades expand and it gives more work to logistics companies, they haven’t fully solved a problem of higher costs due to the labor shortage. Also, gasoline prices will likely rise in the coming months, leading to higher costs.” Based on the highest indicative price, SG’s IPO could raise as much as ¥127.6 billion, making it the biggest in Japan this year, according to Bloomberg calculations. The offer price will be finalized on Dec. 4. That would beat the share offering of conveyor-belt sushi restaurant operator Sushiro Global Holdings Ltd. in March that raised ¥69.5 billion.
|
ipo;parcel delivery;yamato transport;sagawa express co .
|
jp0001251
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"science-health-asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/01
|
Volcanic science labs offer climate clues
|
OSLO - Climate scientists are tracking an erupting volcano on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali for clues about a possible shortcut to curb global warming by injecting sun-dimming chemicals high above the Earth. Volcanoes are emerging as natural geoengineering labs, adding a veil of sulfur dioxide high above the planet and creating artificial sunshade to curb man-made global warming. Ash and smoke ejected by Mount Agung, which has been erupting in recent days, has not been plentiful enough in the atmosphere to cool world temperatures. But scientists are studying what would happen if the volcano has a repeat of a far bigger eruption in 1963. Jim Haywood, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Exeter, said he has been simulating Bali eruption scenarios. He estimated that Agung spewed 8 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in 1963, which is about 10-15 kilometers above the Earth’s surface and enough to trim world temperatures for months. The eruption killed more than 1,000 people in Bali. “Many scientists are keeping an eye on the Agung eruption in Bali,” said Alan Robock, a professor of climate science at Rutgers University. “Volcanic eruptions serve as an analog for the idea of humans creating such a cloud.” Satellite measurements of eruptions have only recently become precise enough to exploit volcanoes as models for geoengineering. That was impossible in the Philippines, for instance, when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and blew about 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, the second biggest eruption of the 20th century after a 1912 eruption in Alaska. Mount Pinatubo had a cooling effect on the Earth because sun-dimming sulfur spread worldwide. “Since Pinatubo we’ve got a lot better” at measuring the effects of big eruptions, said Matthew Watson of the University of Bristol. “We’re waiting for something to happen on a scale where we can start thinking about what it means for geoengineering.” He estimated that the Agung volcano has probably ejected only about 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide in the latest eruption, and not as high as the stratosphere. Governments agree they should focus most on cutting greenhouse gas emissions according to the 2015 Paris agreement rather than on science-fiction-like shortcuts to limit the rising temperatures, which is blamed for causing more heat waves, floods and rising sea levels. But current policies put the world on track to overshoot the Paris goal of limiting rising temperatures to “well below” two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. U.S. President Donald Trump, who doubts man-made emissions are the prime cause of warming, also plans to pull out of the Paris deal and promote the U.S. fossil fuel industry, further weakening the Paris plan.
|
climate;emissions;volcanoes;climate change;environment
|
jp0001252
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/01
|
Japan's top 2017 buzzwords powered by politics and Instagram
|
Japan’s most popular buzzwords of the year reflect the scandals that rocked the political arena and the trend of people eager to shoot photogenic items for social media. One of the winners — announced Friday — for the 2017 U-Can Shingo Ryukogo Taisho (2017 U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards) is “ sontaku. ” Its meaning is the proactive anticipation of a person’s wish before an explicit order is given. It saw a revival following the Moritomo Gakuen cronyism scandal, in which bureaucrats in charge of approving a new school were suspected of acting in line with the intentions of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe without being actually ordered to do so. Kang Sang-jung, committee member and political science professor at the University of Tokyo, said it was quite a year for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, in addition to the country’s general elections being held this year. “Hence, many buzzwords are related to politics,” he said. “Sontaku” shared the top honors with “ Insuta-bae ,” referring to scenes or products that look picture-perfect for the photo-sharing service Instagram, reflecting the power of social media. The trend of sharing snapshots of daily life and observations on Instagram sparked many businesses to come up with Instagram-suited campaigns and photogenic products. Jiyukokuminsha publishing house also announced eight other top buzzwords, including other political terms like the government’s satellite-based warning system “J-Alert.” The emergency system activated several times when North Korea fired several missiles around or over Japan. The committee also highlighted “Premium Friday,” an example of a slogan that made waves even if the campaign it aimed to promote failed to catch on. Premium Friday is a nationwide public-private campaign designed to encourage people to leave work early on the last Friday of every month to increase spending and curtail the nation’s long working hours. It gained little traction. The committee also said that over half of this year’s top 10 buzzwords contained numbers. The winners were chosen from a short list of 30 words and phrases based on readers’ answers to a questionnaire. The survey is included with an annually published book explaining news events. The awards committee also gave “9.98” and “Fujii fever” special prizes, recognizing the popularity and achievements of two astounding prodigies — students sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu, the first Japanese to break the 100-meter race 10-second barrier at 9.98 seconds, and professional shogi player Sota Fujii, 14, who made history by winning 29 consecutive games.
|
buzzwords;sontaku
|
jp0001253
|
[
"world"
] |
2017/12/24
|
Virtual gold may glitter, but mining bitcoin contributes to global warming
|
PARIS - As the poster child for the growing ranks of computer-generated currencies, bitcoin’s recent stratospheric price rises have propelled it from the chat forum-hosted depths of nerddom into the global consciousness. As it rose from under $1,000 to over $19,500 at one point this year, hordes of tech-savvy punters have rushed in to buy, while any investors can now do the same on the U.S. futures markets. Bitcoin has been called virtual gold, in part because it is created in a process that insiders call mining. And like real mining, it can be dirty. That’s because joining the online gold rush to mine the coins that are streams of computer code requires high-powered rigs that consume considerable amounts of electricity to do the virtual equivalent of blasting through rock by solving a string of highly complex computer algorithms. Depending on how the electricity used for mining is generated, the virtual currency can have a very real impact by adding pollutants into the air and contributing to global warming. What barely five years ago was a hobby for “bedroom miners” has mushroomed into a massive, but unregulated, industry that some observers fear is a bubble waiting to explode, potentially causing damage similar to the sub-prime mortgages fiasco that caused the global economic crisis a decade ago. Mining involves “adding value by dedicating computational resources to verify transactions in a huge public ledger called a ‘blockchain,’ ” explained Julian Oliver, a New Zealander who uses wind power to mine ZCash — a bitcoin cousin. The miners are thus providing the computer resources for their currency’s trading system to operate. But the number-crunching to pocket coins requires ever more powerful hardware and the means to keep them running, Oliver said. “At current bitcoin prices things are looking good for miners,” he said. “But it’s a huge use of energy, whatever the profit margins (and is) not remotely sustainable.” Specialist studies estimate the total annual energy output of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated mining machines worldwide at 35 terawatt hours, according to the Digiconomist website — some 25 percent up on last year. That puts it on the level of energy consumption of Denmark. Each transaction consumes roughly 100 kWh — the equivalent of running a lightbulb for three months. By contrast, a credit card transaction uses about 0.2 kWh. But focusing on the electricity consumption of cryptocurrency mining “ought not to overshadow pre-existing environmental costs of the traditional financial system,” said Oliver, as “cash needs to be printed and transported and banks run off the back of data centers.” Nadine Damblon, chief executive of HydroMiner, which uses hydroelectric power to mine in the Austrian Alps, said there is a need for greater use of renewables in the industry as Asian miners often rely on coal-generated electricity. Hydroelectric can play a leading role as “one of the most environmentally friendly ways to generate power,” she said. Damblon believes the market will help solve the problem. “I think in the case of bitcoin mining the capital will flow into more efficient hardware that will need less energy,” said Damblon. The scale of the long-term environmental threat that mining poses is unclear, as is the degree to which it could act as a catalyst for greater take-up of renewables. In its Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study, the Cambridge Centre of Alternative Finance found that nearly three-quarters of all major mining zones are in China and the United States. But the likes of Iceland and Austria are gaining ground. Not only do they offer clean hydroelectric power, but also cold temperatures that help save on cooling computer equipment, which can account for up to a third of energy needs. What is undeniable, said the report, is that “the mining sector has evolved in a short time from a hobby activity performed on personal computers into a professional and capital-intensive industry with its own value chain.” As for how many bitcoin mines or miners there are now, nobody really knows. In terms of large-scale mines “there are perhaps about a hundred,” said French information technology specialist Marc Bevand. “Maybe (there are) a few thousand smaller ones” using “one or two racks” of machines rather than the tens of thousands in the largest Asian mines, San Francisco-based Bevand said. The push for scale to save on energy costs and go green also risks pushing bitcoin against its libertarian, or even anarchist, founding philosophy. Bitcoin was created to not only allow secure and anonymous transactions, but for the system to be controlled by users and not by a government or corporation. The push for scale “would concentrate number-crunching power in the hands of the richest or throw into question bitcoin’s (decentralized) philosophy,” said Teunis Brosens, a senior economist with ING bank. He forecasts that eventually “banks will create private blockchains which will not face the problems of scale or regulation” which bitcoin is coming up against.
|
mining;money;bitcoin;finances;cryptocurrencies;blockchains
|
jp0001254
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/24
|
Kyoto to mark 150th anniversary of Meiji Restoration with series of events
|
KYOTO - Kyoto’s long history is one of great prosperity (the Heian Period of a millennium ago, when the arts flourished) and great tragedy (the 1467-1477 Onin War devastated the city). But in more modern times, 1868 was something of an annus horribilis. The year that kicked off the Meiji Restoration was the beginning of an exodus from Kyoto to Edo (modern-day Tokyo) that would see Emperor Meiji, his retainers and the multitude of artists and craftsmen who served the Imperial court say goodbye to the old capital. Just a few years after 1868, Kyoto had lost a third of its population as well as its over 1,000-year position as the cultural and spiritual center of the country. But next year, Kyoto will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration with a series of events that accent the positive, all with an eye on keeping tourists happy. A full program of seminars, exhibitions and public events is planned. Events will include, from January, an exhibition of photos of Kyoto taken in the Meiji Period (1868-1912), an exhibition and cooking classes in February on what people in Kyoto filled their stomachs with during the period, and limited tours of what Kyoto says was Japan’s first commercial hydropower station, dating from 1891. From April, the Biwa Canal that connects Lake Biwa to Kyoto will be reopened. The city plans to increase the number of canal trips, which take between 35 minutes and 50 minutes, depending on whether you’re going upstream or down. Kyoto ran the boats on a trial basis this year but will put them into full operation next year. “For Kyoto, the Meiji Period was a difficult time, as the population shrank from around 340,000 to about 230,000. The socioeconomic damage was great. But the people of that time faced the difficulties and the city adapted to the outside world, bringing in much knowledge from overseas during this time,” Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said in announcing the celebrations. The Biwa Canal and the hydropower station were built using know-how transferred from Holland and the United States. Many visitors may also check out the tomb of Emperor Meiji himself. Though he resided in Tokyo until his death, his tomb is in Kyoto’s Fushimi district, a reminder that, although the Meiji Restoration represented a fundamental shift to Tokyo, it also affected Kyoto’s political and ancient cultural history. A calendar, in Japanese, listing events in Kyoto next year related to the 150th anniversary celebrations can be found at meiji150.kyoto/event-calendar/
|
kyoto;meiji restoration
|
jp0001256
|
[
"national",
"science-health"
] |
2017/12/23
|
A year of discoveries gives scientists something to aim for in 2018
|
In my round up of this year’s science stories I’m going to choose some big ones as well as some stories that made less of an impact but still resonated with me. Let’s start with one of these smaller stories. The poet Fujiwara no Teika, who died in Kyoto in 1241, is well-known for compiling and editing such classics as the “Tale of Genji,” and for his influence on Japanese poetry for hundreds of years. This year, however, Ryuho Kataoka of the National Institute of Polar Research in Tachikawa found that Fujiwara also recorded astronomical events. In “Meigetsuki” (“The Record of the Clear Moon”), Fujiwara noted the phenomenon of prolonged auroras — that is, auroras that persist for two or more nights. In 1204, Fujiwara wrote about an aurora that took place from Feb. 21 to 23. By cross-checking with a Chinese text from the same time, Kataoka has shown that the account relates to a large sunspot, indicating a period of intense solar magnetic activity. Fujiwara’s observations of the sky were regarded in the context of his fiction, says Tsuneyo Terashima of the National Institute of Japanese Literature, and not really valued for their scientific specificity. “We now realize that “Meigetsuki” in fact provides a lucid and accurate account of celestial conditions of the period.” I like that, in the past, educated people were not pigeon-holed into either the arts or the sciences. Both realms of endeavor can benefit from cross-fertilization. And now for something a bit more startling. In April, scientists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania revealed that they had developed an artificial uterus. They had kept fetal lambs alive in the uterus, which is essentially a sealed, high-tech plastic bag, for four weeks, feeding them and supplying oxygen through tubes mimicking a placenta. Some of the lambs were “born” — the bags were cut open — and the lambs weaned and grew as normal. The pictures of the fetal lambs sealed in their transparent plastic wombs has stayed with me. The Philadelphia team plan to try gestating human babies artificially in three to five years. That time frame might be ambitious, and the device used for humans won’t be as graphic or as startling but, still, the idea that we can grow human babies outside of a woman is genuinely the stuff of the future. As is the discovery of some intriguing new exoplanets. For a long time when astronomers reported discovering planets in distant solar systems, I couldn’t get excited. They were just too far away. But following 2016’s discovery of exoplanets only four light-years away, this year we found several more exoplanets in orbit around stars that might be more favorable to harboring life. In particular, planets around the stars Tau Ceti and Ross 128 — 11 and 12 light-years away, respectively — look very promising. Of course, it will still take a huge effort to get there, but we have something to aim for. Closer to home, another discovery: this time of a new lifeform. In the forests of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Kenji Suetsugu of Kobe University Graduate School of Science and his team discovered a new species of parasitic plant. Some plants have abandoned photosynthesis and instead tap into the resources held in fungal growths underground. The plants live most of their lives underground — they don’t need to see the sun to grow, after all — and only emerge to flower. This is when Suetsugu’s team found it. What I like about this discovery — apart from the fact that the new species is beautiful and purple — is that it shows that even in the extensively studied ecosystems of Japan, there are still new things to find. It also reinforces that there is an entire, vital ecosystem underground, supported and enabled by fungal threads that extend across huge areas and connect with many thousands of plants. On this environmental note, a warning. In 2017, there was a Group of 20 summit on climate change, which ended with 19 of the attending world leaders signing a declaration (the United States, under President Donald Trump, did not sign). The dangers of climate change are many, but one that is of particular concern to Japan is sea-level rise. It needn’t be said how vital the coasts are to Japan, with its mountainous and unfarmable inlands. However, a paper published this year by Keiko Udo and Yuriko Takeda at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University took data on future projected sea-level rise and showed how it would affect the coast of Japan. The paper, published in “Coastal Engineering Journal,” predicted the loss of beaches in 77 coastal zones throughout Japan, which the authors warn would impact coastal protection and the beach environment, as well as beach utilization. There are many things to develop and discover, but much that needs protecting. It’s a fitting note on which to end our review of the year.
|
global warming;astronomy;climate change;fujiwara no teika
|
jp0001257
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2017/12/23
|
Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama to succeed Kenichiro Sasae as ambassador to United States
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Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama will succeed Kenichiro Sasae as Japan’s ambassador to the United States, government sources said Saturday. Sugiyama, 64, is well-versed in international law, having held such posts as chief of the Treaties Division and head of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau before assuming his current post in June 2016. The Prime Minister’s Office and the ministry have been looking for a successor to Sasae, 66, because he has held the post for over five years, the sources said. Sasae became Japan’s ambassador to the United States in September 2012 after serving as vice foreign minister. Sugiyama is expected to maintain good communications with key personnel in the administration of President Donald Trump, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe places importance on strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance, the sources said. Sasae is said to have built solid relations with Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, bolstering ties between the two leaders. Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba is a strong candidate to succeed Sugiyama as the ministry’s top bureaucrat, the sources said.
|
foreign ministry;ambassadors;shinsuke sugiyama;u.s.-japan relations
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jp0001258
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/23
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A picture of food is worth 1,000 words for businesses on Instagram
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With end-of-year parties now in full swing, social media users are curating their profiles with “Insuta-bae” photographs that capture them enjoying enviable times. Businesses have taken note of the interest in the service and the most tech savvy are seeking to attract online users craving social media eye candy. Insuta-bae, a term referring to picture-perfect locations or products for the photo-sharing service Instagram, shared top spot in the 2017 U-Can New Words and Buzzword Awards . Its English equivalent would probably be something along the lines of “Insta-worthy.” The term has become so widespread that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used it in a speech to encourage the revitalization of local regions through social media engagement . The phenomenon of taking visually appealing pictures in order to attract as many “likes” as possible has become an important factor in how people are choosing to spend their time, money and social media space. The Insuta-bae hashtag in Japanese has been used in more than 790,000 Instagram posts. According to market research agency Intage, Japanese households have changed the meals they prepare on Christmas Eve in recent years . Cake and chicken — either fried or roast — continue to dominate the top spots during the festive season, but Intage notes that paella doubled in popularity between 2015 and 2016. The agency suspects the dish’s colorful and bright appearance has something to do with the uptick. As far as Christmas food goes, cake appears to reign supreme. Matsuya Ginza conducted an online survey on holiday cakes , targeting women aged 20 to 70 years old and asking them whether they would post pictures of seasonal cakes on their Instagram accounts. Of the 847 women who responded to the survey, 40.9 percent answered that they would post pictures of their Christmas desserts. Almost a third of the respondents answered “no.” The remainder didn’t use social media. The survey also asked whether the respondents who actively used social media had already posted cake photos on their profiles. The survey found that 84.8 percent of women in their 20s, 53.5 percent of women in their 30s and 63 percent of women in their 40s had uploaded photos, figures that suggested that desserts are popular Insuta-bae images and “regardless of age, consumers strongly value whether their choice will be enjoyed by many people.” Restaurants, hotels, department stores and patisseries have been especially enthusiastic about getting in on the Insuta-bae action. The Grand Hyatt Tokyo released an online list of its most “photogenic” menu offers catering to the holiday season . “We have carefully selected Christmas sweets, cocktails, and special afternoon tea and new year menu items that will make you want to take pictures,” the hotel says on its website. The list includes spiced hot chocolate that features floating marshmallow snowmen and cinnamon sugar donuts, drawing comments such as “This is a super lovely photo (heart emoji)” from Instagram user @minat.__. Yoyogi Park is holding an event titled Photogenic Xmas Gourmet Corner on Dec. 23 and 24, enticing Instagrammers to peruse decorative holiday-themed foods from 20 different stores, including the Colorful Pop Burger from Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku and the Christmas quiche from Sakura Bar in Meguro Ward’s Jiyugaoka . The event tries to capitalize on its “fashionable and cute” factor, promoting the festival as “a little different from previous gourmet food festivals” and encouraging people to snap photos with their smartphones in one hand as they devour various culinary delights with the other. There’s little doubt the popularity of Insuta-bae reflects the significance of social media on daily life and, as a result, businesses are highly likely to be motivated to develop attractive products and services targeting their photo-savvy consumers.
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instagram;insuta-bae
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jp0001259
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2017/12/23
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Fuji TV's home-improvement wrecking ball
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A popular sub-genre of reality TV is the home-improvement show , and as with many things having to do with television, Japan did it first. On TV Asahi’s “The Before and After ,” which launched as a weekly series in 2002, superannuated, usually cramped properties are magically transformed into marvels of modern design. The producers hit on a foolproof hook for the show that they exploited successfully for years (the show continues to this day, though reduced to semiannual specials) without getting redundant. People with houses they want to fix up contact the producers, who then sift through candidates looking for the most broken-down or unusual cases. The best installments highlight homes that would seem impossible to renovate due to their environment or state of disrepair. A surefire hit would be a hovel located in a warren-like urban residential area dating from just after the war, when neighborhoods were developed on the fly. These require not just inventive construction skills, but also superhuman feats of planning, since narrow alleys or streets leaves little room to get heavy machinery to the property. The architects are lone wolves who waive their design fees and charge only for materials and labor. The recipients of their largesse come up with a maximum amount they will pay, thus adding another layer of challenge to the architects’ task. The family is sequestered somewhere while the work is done and documented by a film crew. They are not allowed to view the property until the “reform” is complete. Then the family enters the sparkling new house with tears streaming down their faces and the anodyne voice of the female narrator describing the miraculous makeover. But while “The Before and After” sparked a boom in home improvement and home-building TV shows that are still extant in Japan, it didn’t spark a boom in actual home improvement. Most homeowners in Japan have come to understand that improving their houses will not necessarily make them better investments or easier to sell, so they don’t bother. Government policy only encourages people to buy new homes, and any tax breaks or subsidies it offers for home improvements are limited and mainly implemented to achieve specific aims such as “barrier-free” or “eco-friendly.” In any case, very few can afford the kind of work featured on “The Before and After.” Its aims are aspirational, not practical. A special housing-related program that aired two weeks ago on the Fuji TV network is much more to the point, even while its implications throw considerable shade on Japan’s housing market, past and present. The special, titled “Please Tear Down My House” (“Watashi no Ie o Kowashite Kudasai”) , literally documents the reverse process of what dictates most current housing-related reality TV: The home on display is destroyed. Though the show is billed as entertainment, the producers don’t avoid didacticism. Right away, the announcer trots out the well-reported statistic that there are 8.19 million akiya (empty and abandoned homes) throughout Japan and many are fire hazards and eyesores. But whereas the media usually pushes “constructive” solutions to this problem — including local governments using properties to rent or sell, and using them to attract young people to depopulated areas — Fuji TV takes the opposite tack: Just get rid of them. In fact, they continually say that while it’s a seemingly extreme option, demolition is really the most responsible way to go. The difficulty in this approach is that it is the owners of the houses who have to decide to tear their properties down and, more significantly, pay for it. It’s a complete reversal of the normal housing-related reality show motivation and yet no less compelling. But how do you make it dramatic enough to appeal to viewers? The hour-long special covered three “cases,” all houses in Saitama Prefecture. One was presented as an introductory example, a very old house that has been abandoned for 13 years. A family of four used to live there, but when the parents died the two surviving offspring had already moved out and the narrator implied that they wanted nothing to do with the house. However, they were also averse to tearing it down because they wanted to “preserve the memories” contained within. Neither heir appears on screen, so we have to take the producers’ word for it, but it’s this idea of a legacy being razed that the show uses to tug at heartstrings. The other two cases involved homeowners who wanted to leave their houses because they are getting old and want to move on. One, a widow, decided to tear down her 50-year-old single-story bungalow because it would be more difficult to sell the land with a structure on it. The other was a couple whose abode is a book store with living quarters on the second floor. In both cases, the owners are visited by celebrity “reporters” who harp on the sentimental value of the buildings — which otherwise look pretty cheap — in order to provoke indecision in the subjects before they finally put their seal on the demolition contract. In both cases, the contract was with the same company. Then the machinery moved in and the dismantling commenced, a thrilling mix of melancholy (there goes the door jamb with my kids heights marked on it!), suspense (how will they remove that 1.2-ton boulder from the garden?) and structural violence. In terms of didacticism, it’s the most potent part of the show, since it explains in plain and useful detail how a house is demolished. The home page for the special does not mention whether Fuji TV plans to turn the special into a regular series, but there are other shows, usually on TV Tokyo , that indicate the demolition genre is the next natural stage in the evolution of housing-related reality TV. Personally, I found it not only more honest about Japanese housing than “The Before and After,” but also aesthetically more pleasing, especially when the job is finished and the ground has been cleared and leveled. There’s nothing more beautiful than a bare, clean vacant lot.
|
housing;real estate;fuji tv;tv asahi;reality tv;tv tokyo;home improvment
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jp0001261
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/12
|
Japanese workers feel guilty taking time off and use fewer holidays than their international peers: survey
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Japanese workers ranked the lowest in using paid vacation days and had the highest ratio of those who felt guilty doing so, according to an annual survey of workers from around the world. A survey released Monday by the Japan arm of the online travel agent Expedia.com showed that Japanese only used 50 percent of their vacation days owed, placing them at the bottom of the list for the second consecutive year. It also showed that 63 percent of Japanese felt guilty for taking paid leave, ranking first among the 15,081 respondents aged 18 and older. Workers from 30 countries responded to the survey, conducted from Sept. 4 to 15. The results are a somber reminder of how efforts by the government and the corporate sector to re-examine Japan’s notoriously rigid working culture may have some way to go. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for reforming the nation’s employment practices, targeting long working hours and the wage gap between regular and nonregular workers. The issue of long working hours has been dragged back into the national spotlight after a series of karōshi (death by overwork) cases at high-profile companies made headlines. In October, public broadcaster NHK admitted that the death of a 31-year-old reporter in 2013 was linked to her working conditions. The reporter, who died of heart failure, logged 159 hours of overtime and took only two days off in the month leading up to her death. The survey cited “a lack of staff” and “colleagues not taking days off” as some of the reasons for not taking holidays, suggesting workers worry about delays in meeting their responsibilities and inconveniencing peers. At 49 percent, Japan ranked highest in the ratio of workers who said they spend paid holidays on short-term vacation. The poll also showed that Japanese had a difficult time switching off — 22 percent checked their work email during holidays, the highest among the nations surveyed. It also suggested a lack of communication may be behind the phenomenon: 33 percent, which also ranked at the top of the poll, said they “did not know” whether their bosses were supportive of employees taking paid vacations. But the results are by no means evidence that Japanese didn’t want to take vacation days. To the contrary, the No. 1 criteria Japanese cited when considering a career change was “getting more vacation days.”
|
holidays;surveys;expedia
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jp0001263
|
[
"national",
"crime-legal"
] |
2017/12/12
|
Tokyo prosecutors suspect JR Tokai official leaked maglev bid information to Obayashi
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A Central Japan Railway Co. official is suspected of leaking information to construction firm Obayashi Corp. during the tender process for maglev train-related construction work, sources said Tuesday. The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office has been looking into the case, questioning the official and an Obayashi executive among others. Investigators suspect Obayashi gained an advantage over its competitors by obtaining inside information from the railway operator, which is also known as JR Tokai. JR Tokai said it will conduct an in-house probe. Obayashi, one of Japan’s four biggest construction firms, won a contract jointly with Toda Corp. and JR Tokai Construction Co. in April 2016 to build an evacuation exit on the under-construction Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka maglev train line for about ¥9 billion ($79 million). The work is part of the ¥9 trillion next-generation high-speed train project — the world’s first using superconducting magnetic levitation technology — that will see passengers transported at a top speed of 500 kph, much faster than the current shinkansen. Maglev services on a 286-km stretch between Tokyo and Nagoya are slated to begin in 2027, with the aim of extending the line to Osaka by 2045. The JR Tokai official is suspected of having passed information to Obayashi related to the estimated cost of construction and on which other companies had expressed an intention to bid, according to the sources. Initially, four bidders showed interest in the 2015 tender. Obayashi, acting as the representative of its joint venture with Toda and JR Tokai Construction, is believed to have encouraged other major construction firms to submit higher bids, leading them to be ruled out, the sources said. Only bids from Obayashi and Kajima Corp. proceeded to the second phase of the tender process. In addition to the 66-year-old vice president who presides over Obayashi’s civil engineering unit, executives of major construction firms such as Kajima have been questioned by prosecutors on a voluntary basis. Contracts for various parts of the maglev construction project are awarded separately. Obayashi has also won three other related contracts from JR Tokai for work with its joint venture partners. The industry has been trying to put an end to corrupt bidding over the past 10 years. Prior to the introduction of a tougher, revised antimonopoly law, which came into force in January 2006, Japan’s four biggest general contractors — Obayashi, Kajima Corp., Taisei Corp. and Shimizu Corp. — decided in late 2005 to part with the long-established custom of rigging bids for public works projects. Employees in charge of the process were reassigned, and bid-rigging groups nationwide were effectively suspended. Obayashi, at the center of the fraud investigation, introduced a compliance division. But the fraud didn’t end there. In 2007, a former adviser to Obayashi was arrested and indicted for his role in the bid-rigging process involving a Nagoya subway project. That same year, another Obayashi adviser was prosecuted for rigging bids in 2005 to build an incineration plant in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture. The incident eventually pushed Obayashi’s then-president to resign. The four contractors continue to see record profits due to a rise in construction demand in disaster areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Demand is likely to remain strong with redevelopment plans in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Obayashi reported record sales of ¥917.4 billion ($8.09 billion), up 6.8 percent from a year earlier, in the six months through September. While the construction boom is predicted to level off after the Olympics, maglev train-linked construction will continue to be a key business for general contractors. But depending on how the investigation unfolds, the latest scandal could hit Obayashi’s bottom line. The firm plans to set up an independent panel to look into the alleged fraud, but it is unclear whether the move will be effective enough to prevent a recurrence. A source, who was once tasked with stamping out bid-rigging at a major general contractor, said management should go out of its way to send a clear message about shunning the misconduct. “Unless top company officials themselves go on the ground and tell them not to resort to rigging bids just to win contracts, (the practice) will not end,” he said.
|
corruption;scandals;jr tokai;construction industry;obayashi
|
jp0001264
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"social-issues-asia-pacific"
] |
2017/12/13
|
Number of abortions in India are 20 times higher than estimated: study
|
NEW DELHI - Some 15.6 million abortions take place in India each year, with the majority of women taking pills at home without adequate counseling, a study said on Tuesday, calling for more trained doctors in public hospitals. The New York-based Guttmacher Institute’s research found that abortions are more than 22 times more common than the government’s estimate of less than 700,000 terminations, produced by focusing on state-run hospitals and clinics. Just over 80 percent of abortions took place at home using drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol, 14 percent were performed surgically in clinics and hospitals, and 5 percent were conducted using other, typically unsafe, methods. “Women in India face considerable challenges trying to obtain abortion care, including the limited availability of abortion services in public health facilities,” the Guttmacher Institute’s investigator Susheela Singh, said in a statement. “Our findings suggest that a shortage of trained staff and inadequate supplies and equipment are the primary reasons many public facilities don’t provide abortion care,” she said of the study, published in the Lancet Global Health journal. It is India’s first national study of the incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy, researchers said. Half of India’s more than 48 million pregnancies were unintended, and a third resulted in abortions, the study said, using 2015 abortion pill sales and distribution data and surveys of six highly populated states. Researchers said that close to three in four abortions were achieved using drugs from chemists and informal vendors, rather than from health facilities where proper counseling and health checks should be provided. In addition, the public sector — the main source of health care for rural and poor women — accounted for only a quarter of abortions, partly because many state-run hospitals and clinics do not offer abortion services. “Although abortion has been legal under a broad range of criteria in India since 1971, we have never had a reliable estimate of the number occurring until now,” said Chander Shekhar from the Mumbai-based International Institute for Population Sciences, which collaborated on the study. “This new evidence provides policymakers with information that is essential for designing and implementing effective reproductive health care programs,” he added in a statement.
|
india;family planning;abortion;women;birth control
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jp0001265
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2017/12/14
|
Rakuten announces foray into saturated Japanese cellphone market
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E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. on Thursday said it aims to become Japan’s fourth mobile carrier in a move that threatens to disrupt the cellular phone market oligopoly. In a statement, the company headed by billionaire entrepreneur Hiroshi Mikitani said it will be applying to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry for an allocation of wireless spectrum in January at the earliest. If accepted, it plans to procure as much as ¥600 billion to invest in base stations and will aim to acquire at least 15 million subscribers. Rakuten, which has already entered the domestic market as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)— which rents space from mobile networks to offer discount rates — said a successful launch will give it a new growth engine and allow it to become “one of the few companies in the world that can provide a comprehensive package of services in e-commerce, fintech (financial technology), digital content, and mobile communications.” The move is bound to create waves in a wireless carrier market that has been dominated by three telecommunications giants — NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and technology mogul Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Group Corp. Analysts, however, voiced skepticism over whether Rakuten will be able to penetrate such a highly competitive and saturated market, and said the key would be finding a way to differentiate itself from the existing providers. Plans offered by the three companies have become identical after years of fierce price wars. “The share of subscriptions among the big three hasn’t changed much over the years. Look at SoftBank — it used to be the challenger, being the latest to enter the market, but even a maverick like Mr. Son hasn’t been able to beat the existing two players,” said Hitoshi Sato, senior analyst at InfoCom Research. According to the Telecommunications Carriers Association, as of September, NTT Docomo had 75.11 million subscribers, followed by KDDI’s 49.1 million and SoftBank’s 38.9 million. With the population graying and shrinking, Rakuten will likely have to pry subscribers from existing players to reach its target of 15 million, a process that could require substantial financial resources. Sato, however, said Rakuten’s edge may be its strong brand recognition and a business model that revolves around a point-based membership program that encourages people to use its myriad services, which range from travel booking and food delivery to credit cards. “Rakuten is a household name in Japan, and in that sense the move could have its merits,” he said. Rakuten, founded by Mikitani in 1997, has been expanding its global business through acquisitions of e-commerce sites like Ebates Inc. and messaging app Viber, and by investing in ride-hailing service Lyft. In Japan this year, it announced a plan to enter Airbnb-like home-rental services and has been teaming up with major players including Booking.com. It’s domestic MVNO service, called Rakuten Mobile, has 1.4 million subscribers. Rakuten plans to apply for frequencies used by the fourth-generation communications system known as 4G (the 1.7 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands), part of which is expected to be opened to private-sector businesses in the near future. “In Japan, the proportion of household spending taken up by telecommunications expenses is rising each year, and reducing the financial burden on consumers of mobile phones and other communications expenses is often cited as a major social issue,” Rakuten said in its statement released also on Thursday. The Rakuten group “will be ideally positioned to provide affordable and easy-to-use mobile communications services, as well as maximize the benefits to consumers and society as a whole,” the company claimed.
|
smartphones;docomo;softbank;phones;rakuten;masayoshi son;au;telecoms
|
jp0001266
|
[
"business"
] |
2017/12/22
|
Boeing in tie-up talks with Brazil's Embraer
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SAO PAULO/BRASILIA - Plane makers Boeing Co. and Embraer SA are discussing a “potential combination of their businesses,” the companies said on Thursday, in a move that could consolidate a global passenger jet duopoly. Embraer’s shares soared around 30 percent in Sao Paulo on the joint statement released in Brazil, which did not give details of how a potential tie-up would be structured. Boeing shares were down 0.7 percent. The news, first reported in the Wall Street Journal, comes just two months after Boeing rival Airbus SE agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier Inc.’s CSeries jetliner program, a direct rival of Embraer’s biggest E-Jets. Reuters reported then that the CSeries deal could push Boeing and Embraer closer together. For decades, Canada’s Bombardier and Embraer have faced off in the 70- to 100-seat regional jet segment below the radar of Airbus and Boeing’s larger commercial jet lineups, but the Airbus-Bombardier alliance may have tipped that delicate balance. Any tie-up involving Embraer would require approval by the Brazilian government, which holds a “golden share” in Embraer, a formerly state-run company fully privatized in 2006. Asked about a potential takeover, a senior official in Brasilia said the government had not been involved in the reported talks. Part of Brazilian President Michel Temer’s market-friendly agenda has focused on privatizing state utilities and reducing the government’s role in national champions such as oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA. In September, Brazil’s Finance Ministry asked an audit court to study how the government could exit the golden shares it holds in former state monopolies that have been partially or fully privatized in recent years. A closer partnership between Boeing and Embraer has long been contemplated in private, according to industry sources. The two already work on projects including runway safety and alternative jet fuels. Their partnership intensified in recent years to include Boeing’s commitment to joint sales and support of Embraer’s KC-390 military airlifter. “Although Boeing would look like a good fit with Embraer’s Regional Jet business, this is not the case for the company’s Executive Jet and Defense divisions,” said Rob Stallard, aerospace analyst at Vertical Research Partners in a note. The WSJ reported that talks were on hold as the companies waited to see if Brazil’s government would approve the deal. Boeing is willing to take steps to protect Embraer’s brand, management and jobs to help entice the government and is also willing to structure a deal to protect the government’s interest in Embraer’s defense business, the WSJ reported.
|
boeing;brazil;airbus;bombardier;embraer
|
jp0001268
|
[
"national"
] |
2017/12/25
|
GHQ photographer's color shots offer rare insights on postwar Japan
|
The National Diet Library in Tokyo caught attention this autumn when it published color photos taken immediately after the end of World War II by a staffer at the General Headquarters (GHQ). The images, taken by the staffer at the central secretariat of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers who was stationed in Japan after the war, are among very few color photos of Japan that remain from that period. Experts believe the photographs are “important materials that show how (Japan) began rebuilding itself after the war.” Scenes they depict include food shortages, with one photo showing the inner moat of Nagoya Castle being used for farming. In another photo, a row of movie posters shows the type of entertainment available to the public after the end of the war. According to the National Diet Library the vivid photos were taken by Robert V. Mosier, who was stationed in Japan between 1946 and 1947. He took 304 photos of the people and scenery in Aichi Prefecture, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and other places, according to the library. Boards advertising movies are seen in Nagoya a year or two after World War II ended. | NATIONAL DIET LIBRARY After Mosier passed away his niece contacted a local library in the United States to see how much the photos were worth, and was advised that the photos should be preserved in Japan. In 2008, she brought the photos to the National Diet Library. The library then digitized the photos before publishing them online in September. There are at least 60 taken in Aichi, including images of the streets around Nagoya Station and a tram running on Otsu-dori in the snow. There is also a photo of Tonan Sumi Yagura, which is one of three structures located in the corners of Nagoya Castle that were used as watchtowers and warehouses for emergency food. The inner moat in front of the watchtower, which escaped the airstrikes that hit the city in 1945, is seen being farmed in the photos. Mosier also took photos of the Aichi Prefectural Government Office and other buildings not damaged by the airstrikes. Photos taken outside of Aichi include those of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, which bears scars from the atomic bomb, and the National Diet Building in Tokyo. “I’ve never seen these kinds of photos before,” said Hideaki Sugiura, 67, a researcher from Nagoya City Museum who is familiar with documentary photography. “It is a chance for us to learn how the people rebuilt the burnt ruins after the airstrikes, which seemed hopeless at the time.” To view the full collection of photos, go to the website of the National Diet Library and search using the keywords “Robert V. Mosier.” The National Diet Library website can be found at www.ndl.go.jp/en/ . A picture taken in 1946 or 1947 shows the inner moat of Nagoya Castle being used for farming, one sign of acute food shortages in the immediate postwar years. | NATIONAL DIET LIBRARY
|
wwii;nagoya;photography;national diet library;robert v. mosier
|
jp0001269
|
[
"national"
] |
2010/06/23
|
Ex-temp worker runs down 11 at Mazda plant in Hiroshima
|
HIROSHIMA - A former temporary worker at Mazda Motor Corp. hit 11 Mazda employees with a car Tuesday morning at the automaker’s plant in the city of Hiroshima, killing one and injuring the others, police said. Toshiaki Hikiji, 42, of Hiroshima, was driving a Mazda Familia at around 7:35 a.m. as workers were beginning to arrive at the Ujina plant. He fled the scene after hitting the workers but called the police, who found him on a mountain in the nearby town of Fuchu and arrested him. Hikiji said he was fired by Mazda in April and held a “grudge” against the firm, the police said. He was carrying a knife at the time of his arrest. Of the 11 workers, all of whom were male, Hiroshi Hamada, 39, died and two others were seriously hurt. The other eight sustained minor injuries. Mazda confirmed that Hikiji had worked for the company, starting March 25. He was assigned to the plastics division April 1 but left the company April 14 for personal reasons, according to the automaker. He actually worked a total of eight days, it said. “As far as we know, there have been no particular events involving him, such as getting into trouble with someone,” a Mazda official said in a hastily arranged news conference. Hikiji was quoted by the police as saying, “I hit humans because I was feeling irritated. I meant to kill them.” He also allegedly said he intended to get out of his car at the plant and attack workers with the knife. The Hiroshima Prefectural Police said Hikiji first hit two workers after driving through the plant’s east gate, then proceeded to hit the nine others. Mazda, hit by declining sales amid the global recession, reduced output by more than 148,000 vehicles in fiscal 2008 through the end of March 2009 and terminated contracts with around 2,000 temporary workers starting in fall 2008, some of whom have sued the automaker.
|
murder;hiroshima;mazda;toshiaki hikiji
|
jp0001270
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Japan's current account surplus is due to investments overseas, senior official says
|
Japan’s top currency official said the current account surplus is the result of investments abroad rather than the exchange of goods, and it should not become a trade issue. It is not uncommon for Japan’s savings to grow because of its aging population, Masatsugu Asakawa, vice finance minister of international affairs, said at a conference in Tokyo on Sunday. His remarks came after trade negotiator Toshimitsu Motegi urged bilateral talks with the U.S. as soon as possible, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s complaining about years of “unfair” trade. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said last week that talks with Japan are urgent, and that he plans to visit this month. Asakawa said a multilateral approach is needed to improve global imbalances and that Japan, as this year’s chair of the Group of 20, wants to promote discussions on this issue at the G20 meeting in June.
|
trade;finance ministry;current account surplus;masatsugu asakawa
|
jp0001271
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Saudi Cabinet gives green light for electronic tourism visas for foreign travelers
|
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet has approved electronic visas for foreign visitors to attend sporting events and concerts, local media reported, as the world’s top oil exporter tries to diversify its economy and open up its society. The conservative Muslim country has previously restricted visas to resident workers, business travelers and Muslim pilgrims who are given special visas to travel to holy sites. Economic reforms pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aim to lift total tourism spending in the kingdom — by local citizens as well as foreigners — to $46.6 billion in 2020 from $27.9 billion in 2015, the government has said. Plans to admit significant numbers of tourists from abroad have been discussed for years, only to be blocked by conservative opinion and bureaucracy. “Embassies and consulates will be able to issue the visas within 24 hours of receiving a request,” the daily Arab News reported Saturday, citing a Cabinet decision last week. It did not specify when the visas will become available. As part of the crown prince’s agenda, the kingdom has ended a nearly 40-year ban on cinemas, allowed music concerts, including performances by Western pop stars, and organized international sporting events. However, dozens of activists, intellectuals and clerics have been arrested in an apparent bid to stamp out opposition to the crown prince, who has consolidated power including with a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Despite an international outcry over the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last October and the Saudi-led war in Yemen, some Westerners seized a unique opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia in December when the new visa system was implemented on a trial basis.
|
yemen;saudi arabia;tourism;mohammed bin salman
|
jp0001272
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Moving at over 27,000 kph, SpaceX's Dragon capsule successfully docks with ISS
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WASHINGTON - SpaceX’s new Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a live broadcast of the mission. “We can confirm hard capture is complete,” NASA said. The announcement was met with applause at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The docking began at 1051 GMT, more than 248 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface, north of New Zealand — and 27 hours after the capsule’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Although the contact appeared slow, the ISS and the capsule were moving at a speed of over 27,000 kph (over 17,000 mph) in orbit around the Earth. On board the ISS, the crew — American Anne McClain, Russian Oleg Kononenko, and Canadian David Saint-Jacques — were scheduled to open the air lock at 1330 GMT. The mission this time is a test launch with only a dummy on board the capsule ahead of a manned flight scheduled for later this year. The Dragon capsule will remain on the ISS until Friday before detaching to splash down in the Atlantic. It will be slowed by four parachutes in what is the one of the mission’s riskiest stages. The launch is a key step toward resuming manned space flights from U.S. soil after an eight-year break. SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has made the trip to the ISS a dozen times before since 2012, but only to refuel the station. Transporting people is a more complex task, requiring seats, a pressurized cabin with breathable air, temperature regulation and emergency infrastructure. After its shuttle program was shut down in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions. It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million per head for a round trip. In 2014, the U.S. space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task. In SpaceX’s case, NASA has agreed to pay $2.6 billion for six round trips to the ISS. The switch from NASA owning spacecraft to paying private firms for a service was initiated under former President Barack Obama — but due to development delays, has come to fruition under President Donald Trump. “We’ve got NASA “rocking” again. Great activity and success. Congrats to SPACEX and all!” Trump tweeted Saturday evening. Since 2017, NASA’s official mission has been to return to the moon — a project awarded $21.5 billion by Congress in the 2019 budget. Jim Bridenstine, head of the U.S. space agency, has explained NASA wants to reduce costs in low orbit to devote resources to getting back to the moon and constructing a small space station in lunar orbit in the 2020s. “As a country, we’re looking forward to being one customer of many customers, in a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit, so that we can drive down costs and increase access in ways that historically have not been possible,” he said Saturday following Dragon’s launch. But Musk has admitted that marketing travel in the Dragon capsule is not a priority — and he is more interested in distant exploration of the solar system. At the post-launch press conference Saturday, he reiterated his dream for a permanent moon base — and sending people to Mars. Musk has already locked in his first private customer to fly to the moon: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. But it won’t happen before 2023 — with the rocket, far more powerful than that used for the Dragon mission, still in development.
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iss;nasa;space;russia;kennedy space center;space-x
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jp0001273
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/03
|
U.S. wants to know if Pakistan used U.S.-built F-16 jets to down Indian warplane
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ISLAMABAD - The United States is “seeking information” on whether Pakistan used U.S.-built F-16 jets to down an Indian warplane, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said Sunday, which may violate the F-16 sale agreements between Washington and Pakistan. Pakistan says it did not use F-16s in shooting down an Indian warplane when it crossed the Line of Control that acts as a de facto border in Kashmir. Islamabad says this was an act of self-defense. “We are aware of these reports and are seeking more information,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said. “We take all allegations of misuse of defense articles very seriously.” The U.S. often inserts restrictions on how its exported military hardware can be used through so-called end-user agreements.
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india;kashmir;pakistan
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jp0001274
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Fishing boat crew returns home to Tottori Prefecture after being released by Russia
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MATSUE, SHIMANE PREFECTURE - A Japanese crab-fishing boat detained by Russian authorities in late January over alleged illegal fishing returned to its home port Sunday. “I’m sorry for my family. I’m relieved that we’ve been able to come back,” Hideji Kagami, the 52-year-old captain of the Nishino Maru No. 68, said after arriving at a port in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, along with nine other crew members. Russian authorities said the boat’s fishing in its exclusive economic zone caused economic damage estimated to be worth at least 39 million rubles (¥66 million). The boat’s operator paid a bond equivalent to that amount — including a fine — but a lawyer for the company told reporters the crew members were “not aware that the Nishino Maru was operating illegally.” According to the lawyer, the boat’s operator — of which Kagami is president — did not admit to committing any offense, and that it still disputes the allegations made by Russia. After leaving the port in western Japan on Jan. 26, the boat was seized in the Sea of Japan on Jan. 30. Russian border security authorities have said they found 7.5 tons of crab on the boat even though the crew members did not have the correct documents for fishing.
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russia;tottori;fishing boat;sakaiminato;nishino maru no . 68
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jp0001275
|
[
"national",
"social-issues"
] |
2019/03/03
|
In wake of tragic cases, Japan set to ban corporal punishment of children by parents
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The government and the ruling coalition plan to include a ban on corporal punishment of children by parents in law revisions following a series of recent child maltreatment cases in the name of discipline, sources have said. The planned law revisions are also aimed at strengthening the authority of child welfare centers to ensure prompt separation of children from abusive parents, the sources said Saturday. Foster parents and welfare workers would also be banned from physically punishing children as a means of discipline. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to approve the revisions in mid-March and enact the legislation during the current Diet session as it looks to strengthen the prevention of child abuse after the recent tragic death of children due to alleged parental mistreatment. The father of Yua Funato was arrested last year for allegedly assaulting the 5-year-old girl, who died on March 2 last year at their Tokyo home after she had left desperate pleas for her parents to “forgive” her and stop mistreating her. The January death of Mia Kurihara in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, also came under the spotlight after the 10-year-old girl’s father allegedly made her stand for long periods of time in the name of “discipline,” according to investigative sources. In that case, a lack of communication between a local welfare center and her school, and their slow response to her repeated calls for help, were highlighted. While the current law on prevention of child abuse says that assault and committing lewd acts constitute abuse, it does not clearly stipulate what types of parental discipline are considered physical punishment, saying only that those exercising parental authority “shall give due consideration to appropriate exercise of such authority in disciplining” his or her child. The government aims to clarify in a guideline what kinds of disciplinary acts constitute physical punishment. As the guideline may contradict the right to discipline guaranteed under the civil law to those with parental authority, the government will discuss whether the civil law will need to be revised. As a measure to strengthen the role of child welfare centers, certain officials will be responsible exclusively for separating children from parents while other officials will be responsible for consulting with and giving advice to parents, the sources said. Consultation work experience will be required for those in charge of working with parents and all consultation centers will have lawyers and doctors. There are about 210 such centers nationwide and they dealt with over 130,000 cases of consultation and child abuse reports in the fiscal year through March 2018.
|
children;corporal punishment;child abuse
|
jp0001276
|
[
"national",
"science-health"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Private clinics get Japan medical body's OK to do prenatal tests for chromosome irregularities
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The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s (JSOG) executive board has decided to allow obstetrician-gynecologists who run private practices to conduct blood tests on pregnant women to detect possible chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome in their fetuses. Currently, 92 hospitals, mostly large ones, have been authorized to do the so-called new type of prenatal diagnosis, introduced in Japan in 2013, under strict conditions amid criticism that the tests could lead to a situation in which the fetus is allowed to fully develop or be aborted in the case of any abnormalities. The conditions, set chiefly by JSOG and the Japan Society of Human Genetics, include providing sufficient counseling before and after testing. But the JSOG board decided to ease the rules substantially given the fact that many pregnant women have been taking the tests at unauthorized clinics without receiving enough counseling. According to a draft of the revised rules, the existing authorized hospitals will become “core” institutions, and other hospitals and town clinics with permanent obstetrics and gynecology specialists who have completed JSOG-designated training courses will newly be approved as “partner facilities” to do the tests. Initially, approval may be given to around 100 facilities, people familiar with the matter said. The partner hospitals and clinics will be allowed to carry out the tests after providing simple explanations about test procedures and relevant information to examinees and obtaining their consent. If the results of tests at partner facilities suggest any possibility of chromosome abnormalities, detailed counseling will be offered by doctors at the core hospitals. In addition, the partner facilities will not be required to have permanent pediatricians with deep knowledge about the lives of people with chromosome abnormalities and systems to support them if such doctors are made available for discussions with pregnant women when it becomes necessary. JSOG, which has discussed revision of the conditions in panels attended by representatives from patient groups and pediatricians since last year, hopes to implement the simplified rules in June after soliciting comments from the public as well as related academic societies. But many academic groups oppose easing the conditions, claiming that the quality of counseling may deteriorate, people familiar with the matter said. According to data provided by a group of authorized hospitals, more than 65,000 pregnant women took the tests, and 90 percent of women whose fetuses were diagnosed with chromosome abnormalities chose abortion.
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pregnancy;disease;down syndrome;hospitals;jsog
|
jp0001277
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Prime minister to show Crown Prince Naruhito options for new Japanese era name
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later this month plans to show Crown Prince Naruhito multiple names, one of which might be chosen and used when a new Imperial era begins on May 1, government sources said Saturday. However, Abe will not seek any comment from the Crown Prince, who will become the new emperor on May 1 after Emperor Akihito’s abdication the previous day, to make it clear that the government alone is responsible for selecting the new era name, the sources said. Abe fears that the Crown Prince’s expression of his opinions about the name of his own era may be taken as unconstitutional, as Article 4 of the Constitution bans an emperor’s involvement in governmental affairs, they said. Whether the Crown Prince will be informed of the candidate names in advance will not be disclosed, according to the sources. Conservatives, Abe’s main backers, are said to be critical of the fact that the current Emperor, but not his successor, will take part in state events, such as its promulgation, related to the new era name. In a related move, Abe plans to tell the Crown Prince, as well as Emperor Akihito, about the final decision on the name right before its announcement, the sources said. The new era name is scheduled to be announced on April 1 after the current Emperor signs a relevant Cabinet ordinance the same day.
|
shinzo abe;royalty;emperor akihito;imperial family;abdication;reiwa;emperor naruhito
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jp0001278
|
[
"national",
"crime-legal"
] |
2019/03/03
|
Tokushima farmer probed by police for selling wagyu cattle sperm and eggs to smuggler
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The Osaka Prefectural Police have been investigating a farmer in Tokushima Prefecture for selling the sperm and fertilized eggs of wagyu beef cattle to a Japanese man who attempted to smuggle them to China, sources have said. The livestock farmer told police in February he sold the sperm and eggs for several million yen to a man he had never met, the sources said Sunday. The investigation came after Chinese authorities found a Japanese man carrying the sperm and eggs, stashed in straw-like containers, in July last year and did not allow him to enter the country. The man, from Osaka, who did not go through the required procedure for exporting livestock, told police he was asked by an acquaintance to carry the sperm and eggs to China. The police believe the man who attempted to bring the items into China and the buyer in Tokushima are different people. The farmer did not follow necessary procedures to sell cattle sperm and eggs, telling the police he was asked to sell them over the phone and did not know they would be taken out of the country, the sources said. Japan has already seen other genetic resources smuggled to other countries. The agriculture ministry has said some plant varieties newly developed by Japanese farmers have been illegally taken out of the country, including certain strawberries and muscat grapes.
|
china;smuggling;tokushima;wagyu
|
jp0001279
|
[
"reference"
] |
2019/03/03
|
The week ahead for March 4 to March 10
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Monday New lawyers representing former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who has been detained in Japan for more than 100 days for alleged financial misconduct, will hold a news conference. The new defense team, formed in early February, includes Junichiro Hironaka, who is known for winning acquittals in high-profile cases. They filed a bail request for Ghosn with the Tokyo District Court on Thursday after two previous requests in January made under a different team of lawyers were rejected by the court. The Budget Committee of the House of Councilors will hold a question-and-answer session on the fiscal 2019 draft budget. The House of Representatives has approved a record ¥101.46 trillion budget, ensuring its enactment before the fiscal year starts on April 1. Tuesday No major events. Wednesday Japan Automobile Dealers Association to release new motor vehicle sales data by brand for February. Osaka District Court to hold first hearing in trial of Yasunori Kagoike, former head of school operator Moritomo Gakuen at heart of cronyism scandal linked to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and his wife and former deputy school head Junko Kagoike, accused of illegally receiving subsidies for school construction. Both defendants are expected to plead not guilty to most of the charges. The trial is set to conclude on Oct. 30, and the date on which the ruling will be handed down will be decided later. Thursday Cabinet Office to release preliminary composite indexes of economic indicators for January. Friday Finance Ministry to release preliminary balance of payments statistics for January. Japan has been running a surplus in the current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, from July 2014 helped by solid income from foreign investments, but the margin of black ink has been shrinking in recent months. Cabinet Office to release second preliminary gross domestic product statistics for the October-December quarter of 2018. In the preliminary results, the government said Japan’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.4 percent, following a revised 2.6 percent contraction in the July-September quarter. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to release average household spending data for January. Cabinet Office to release monthly “economy watchers” survey for February. Nagoya District Court to hand down ruling on a man accused of killing a couple in their 80s in 2017. World Short Track Speed Skating Championships to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, through March 10. Saturday No major events. Sunday Spring Grand Sumo Tournament to be held in Osaka through March 24 without a Japan-born grand champion following the retirement of Kisenosato in January. Hakuho and fellow yokozuna compatriot Kakuryu are expected to stave off the advances of sumo’s young guns, led by komusubi Mitakeumi and sekiwake Takakeisho. Nagoya Women’s Marathon.
|
weekly events;the week ahead;schedule
|
jp0001280
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Mitsubishi jet starts test flights in U.S. to gain safety certification
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NAGOYA - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said Monday its small regional plane, Japan’s first homegrown commercial passenger jet, has started test flights in the United States. The tests, the final regulatory challenge ahead of the company’s targeted delivery of the first Mitsubishi Regional Jet in mid-2020, are expected to take about a year. They involve pilots from the Japanese transport ministry. Mitsubishi has delayed delivery of the MRJ five times since 2013 due to design modifications. On Sunday, engine functions of the narrow-body, twin-engine jetliner were confirmed following a flight from the base of Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., in Washington state, company officials said. The test flights were originally scheduled to start in late January but were put off due to bad weather and a delay in preparations. Two new MRJ models currently under production at the company’s base in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, will also be tested in the United States later this year, the officials said.
|
aviation;mrj
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jp0001281
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Carlos Ghosn's Japan legal team optimistic that Tokyo court will grant ex-Nissan chief bail this time
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One of the lawyers representing Carlos Ghosn said Monday he is optimistic the Tokyo District Court will soon grant bail to the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman. Speculation is running high that the court will issue a decision in the next few days on whether to let Ghosn out of the Tokyo Detention House. “I believe that his potential time of release could be in the near future,” attorney Junichiro Hironaka said during a news conference in Tokyo. He added that he plans to file an appeal if the request is rejected. Hironaka held the news conference only days after his legal team submitted Ghosn’s third request for bail. The request, submitted Thursday, was the first since Hironaka joined the defense team and the latest bid to secure the conditional release of the ousted 64-year-old Brazilian-born French auto executive. The court rejected the previous two applications after prosecutors filed fresh charges against him. Hironaka revealed that the legal team is examining part of the evidence shared by prosecutors last week, and that they cited in the bail proposal Ghosn’s limited ability to communicate with people on the outside. “If he were to be released on bail, we have suggested further measures that will ensure his activities can be closely monitored while he is free,” he said. Hironaka revealed little more than he did in his previous news conference on Feb. 20, going only as far as to speculate — without offering any concrete evidence — that much higher authorities, such as the Japanese and French governments, are entangled in the case. His primary tasks, Hironaka said, are to respond to the prosecutors’ arguments and to focus on the allegations facing Ghosn. Ghosn reshuffled his legal team in mid-February, which is when Hironaka came onboard. Hironaka is well-known for defending high-profile figures, including Diet member Ichiro Ozawa, who was accused of misusing political funds. Ghosn was arrested Nov. 19 on suspicion of underreporting his income. He was taken into custody by officers from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office after he arrived aboard a private jet at Haneda airport. He was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with two additional counts of financial misconduct, including aggravated breach of trust, when he allegedly transferred private investment losses to Nissan during the 2008 global financial crisis. Hironaka said if the alleged financial misconduct took place 10 years ago, Nissan would have been aware of it then. “I feel it’s peculiar for what purpose did the company report those allegations to the prosecutors as criminal acts at this moment,” he said. In his first news conference as Ghosn’s attorney on Feb. 20, Hironaka insisted the former Nissan chairman was innocent based on his “gut feeling” as an experienced attorney and warned his arrest could send a chilling message to foreign business executives and deter them from working with Japanese companies. On Sunday, Ghosn’s children indirectly rebutted a claim by Nissan President and CEO Hiroto Saikawa, who questioned Ghosn’s loyalty and respect for Japan and Japanese society in a magazine interview. “Our father has always loved Japan and Nissan, where he devoted nearly 20 years of his life,” Caroline, Nadine, Maya and Anthony Ghosn said in their joint statement. “It is extremely disappointing that a long-trusted co-worker of my father’s would slander him by claiming falsely that my father does not love and respect Japan.” Hironaka, who earned the nickname “Razor” for successes in winning not-guilty verdicts in high-profile cases, jokingly said he is looking forward to defending Ghosn. “I am now 73 years old; however I want to test how sharp my razor is,” he said.
|
france;courts;corruption;scandals;nissan;renault;carlos ghosn;france-japan relations;junichiro hironaka
|
jp0001282
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
French 3% tax on internet giants could yield €500 million yearly, says finance minister Le Maire
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PARIS - A 3 percent tax on the French revenue of large internet companies could yield €500 million per year, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. Le Maire told Le Parisien newspaper the tax is aimed at companies with worldwide digital revenue of at least €750 million and French revenue of more than €25 million. He said the tax would target some 30 companies, mostly American, but also Chinese, German, Spanish and British, as well as one French firm and several firms with French origins that have been bought by foreign companies. The paper listed Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple (the four so-called “GAFA” companies) but also Uber, Airbnb, Booking and French online advertising specialist Criteo as targets. “A taxation system for the 21st century has to built on what has value today, and that is data,” Le Maire said. He added it is also a matter of fiscal justice, as the digital giants pay some 14 percentage points less tax than European small and medium-sized companies. Fairer taxes are a key demand of the “yellow vest” protests seen across France in the past three months. Le Maire said the tax would target platform companies that earn a commission on putting companies in touch with customers. Companies selling their products on their own websites would not be targeted, such as French retailer Darty which sells TVs and washing machines via its website. But companies such as Amazon earning money as a digital intermediary between a producer and a client would have to pay. The tax would also target the sales of personal data for advertising purposes. In order to avoid penalizing companies that already pay taxes in France, the amount paid will be deductible from pretax income, Le Maire said. He will present a draft law to the cabinet on Wednesday before it is presented to parliament. France has led a push for firms with significant digital revenue in the European Union to pay more tax at source, but has made little headway as Germany is cool to the idea, while member states with low corporate tax rates such as Luxembourg and Ireland firmly oppose the proposal. In an interview with weekly Journal du Dimanche, Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard said it is high time to end the fiscal imbalance between brick-and-mortar firms like his and the U.S. and Chinese internet platform companies. “They pour their products onto markets without even paying value-added tax, and hardly any other tax at all, it is intolerable. On the same turnover they should pay the same tax,” he said.
|
france;taxes;tech;apple;facebook;amazon.com;uber;airbnb;bruno le maire
|
jp0001283
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
China legislature eyes legal changes on technology transfers to placate U.S.
|
BEIJING - In an unusual step, China’s ceremonial legislature is due to endorse a law meant to help end a bruising tariff war with Washington by discouraging officials from pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. The battle with China’s biggest trading partner is overshadowing the National People’s Congress, the country’s highest-profile event of the year. It brings 3,000-plus delegates to the ornate Great Hall of the People in Beijing for two weeks of speeches, meetings with senior leaders and political ritual to endorse the ruling Communist Party’s economic and social welfare plans. A gathering of non-Communist groups held at the same time brightens Beijing’s drab winter, drawing tech billionaires, movie stars and ethnic minorities in distinctive traditional dress. That gives President Xi Jinping’s government a platform for advertising changes aimed at ending the fight with President Donald Trump that has disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment. The technology measure is part of a proposed law on foreign investment that aims to address complaints by Washington, Europe and other trading partners that China’s system is rigged against foreign companies. Trump cited complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology when he slapped punitive tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports in July. Europe, Japan and other trading partners disapprove of the tariff hikes but echo U.S. complaints. China has balked at changing its strategy for nurturing technologies that American officials worry might challenge U.S. industrial dominance. But government leaders face pressure to reach a settlement after economic growth sagged to a three-decade low of 6.6 percent last year. On the domestic front, companies and investors are hoping officials announce details of how Beijing will carry out promises to curb the dominance of state industry and support entrepreneurs who generate much of China’s new jobs and wealth. They are looking for details of a promised cut of up to 1.3 trillion yuan ($200 billion) in value-added and other taxes. The congress opens Tuesday with an annual “work report” on government plans by Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 ruling party leader behind Xi, and China’s top economic official. State media have cited other potential topics, including revising China’s patent law — another source of foreign complaints — and measures to encourage foreign investment in agriculture and technology, and developing free trade zones. Chinese officials deny Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over trade secrets and technology. But they are trying to mollify Trump and other governments by promising better legal protections. “I think the (American and European) complaints have been reflected in the revision of the law,” said Citigroup economist Li-Gang Liu. Under the proposed law, officials would be barred from using “administrative methods to force technology transfers.” The chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, Tim Stratford, called the measure a “step forward.” But business groups say they need to see how it will be enforced. It was unclear whether the vaguely worded measure would appease Trump. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said it had no comment. Companies have been disappointed in the past after “hearing positive words,” said Stratford, a former deputy U.S. Trade Representative. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said the law’s “vague language” gives regulators too much discretion. The focus on “administrative methods” would leave officials free to use other pressure tactics, it said. The state press has cited other potential topics, including revising China’s patent law — another source of foreign complaints — and measures to encourage foreign investment in agriculture and technology and developing free trade zones.
|
china;u.s .;tech;cybersecurity;xi jinping;tariffs;donald trump;trade war
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jp0001284
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Manafort family business defends name as namesake cousin sits in jail
|
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - What do you do if you share a name with one of the most prominent defendants in the special counsel’s investigation into Russia? Paul Manafort’s daughter decided to change her name. Leaders of New Britain, Connecticut, considered renaming Paul Manafort Drive, a street named after his father. At Manafort Brothers Inc., a family-owned New England construction firm, they are defending the Manafort name and legacy while distancing themselves from their cousin, Trump’s former campaign chairman who was recently blasted by prosecutors for years of lies and lawbreaking. The Manafort name has been a familiar one in New England politics and business for decades, creating a predicament for the family as the 69-year-old former attorney is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. Manafort Brothers is one of New England’s best known construction companies. Its name pops up alongside highways, at hotel construction sites and on heavy equipment used to dig holes or tear down buildings. After 9/11, Manafort Brothers helped remove what was left of the World Trade Center buildings. A recent press release touting Manafort Brothers’ 100th anniversary boasts that the company “is still led by the strong moral and business ethics of the Manafort family,” a line that raises eyebrows among some who have followed the family history. The company says Paul Manafort’s criminal issues have nothing to do with the firm and that business has not been affected by the prosecution. Paul Manafort has never worked at the company and has no ownership in it, according to President Jim Manafort Jr. “I could almost count on one hand how many times somebody has asked me what the relationship is,” he said. Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud charges in Virginia, where he’ll be sentenced Thursday. He’s set to be sentenced again March 13 in Washington after pleading guilty to illegally lobbying on behalf of Ukrainian political interests. In a sentencing memo in the Washington case, prosecutors accused Manafort of brazen violations of the law, including witness tampering and perjury even after being indicted. Manafort, 69, asked for leniency but faces decades in prison. Paul’s grandfather, James, founded the construction business as a demolition firm — New Britain House Wrecking Company — after coming to the U.S. from Italy in the early 1900s. The family says its original name in Italy was Manaforte, which translates to strong hand. Paul Manafort’s father, Paul Sr., later took over the company with three of his brothers. Paul Sr. was a Republican mayor of the old mill town of New Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, then appointed to jobs in state and federal government. Articles from the New Britain Herald and The Hartford Courant between the 1960s and 1980s detail a complicated legacy for Paul Sr., who was linked to numerous scandals, some involving the family business. After his name emerged in the investigation of a job-fixing scheme, he acknowledged to the Courant that he had a colorful political career. “I’m good copy,” Paul Sr. told the paper in 1980, the same year his son founded the Washington lobbying firm Black, Manafort and Stone. Paul Sr. was eventually charged with two counts of perjury, which he denied and which were ultimately dropped. He died in 2013. These days, Manafort Brothers employs 700 people, Jim Manafort said. It is based in Plainville, Connecticut, with offices in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. When a fight emerged last year in New Britain over an effort to rename Paul Manafort Drive, eight Manaforts wrote a letter on Manafort Brothers letterhead opposing the change. They called Paul Sr. a family patriarch and said he had helped build the company and its “sterling reputation.” They distanced Paul Jr.’s actions from the legacy of his father, calling them “wholly unrelated.” The Republican mayor, Erin Stewart, ultimately vetoed a resolution by the Common Council to change the street name to Ebenezer D.C. Bassett Way, after the first African-American to graduate from what is now Central Connecticut State University. The company has had some more recent trouble with the law. In 2014, it agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine and implement internal reforms to settle federal criminal and civil investigations into allegations that it lied about using a minority subcontractor on a $40 million highway project in Connecticut. Jim Manafort said the company doesn’t believe it intentionally did anything wrong. “There were some policies that were questionable. In the end, we had to settle it because it didn’t make sense to keep arguing over it,” he said. He highlighted the family’s good works through a foundation that distributes more than $100,000 annually to the community, and said they are proud of the name and their accomplishments. Pat Karwoski, 77, a New Britain native and retired nurse who fought to change the street name, said when she sees the Manafort Brothers name, it embarrasses her. She said it seems to her that some family members have done good philanthropic work, but its assertion that it’s known for morals and ethics is not true. “They may all be good people, but they cannot deny what their history is,” she said. Customers appeared unfazed by the connection. The developers of a hotel in downtown Providence where Manafort Brothers recently worked as a subcontractor said they were happy with their work. “As long as their price came in good and they give you quality,” said developer Joe Paolino, a former Democratic mayor of Providence and ambassador to Malta under President Bill Clinton. “That’s what I care about in business.” Manafort’s daughter, Jessica, wants nothing to do with the family name. A Hollywood director, she changed her name to Jess Bond last year, telling the New York Post she sought the change “to separate myself and my work from a public perception that has nothing to do with the person that I am.” The credits for her most recent project, a romantic thriller called “Rosy,” make no mention of the name Manafort.
|
robert mueller;new england;donald trump;paul manafort;russia probe;manafort brothers
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jp0001285
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Autoworker upheaval: Families split, children left behind after GM moves to shutter four plants
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TOLEDO, OHIO - Hundreds of workers at four General Motors plants slated to close by January are facing a painful choice: Take the company’s offer to work at another factory — possibly hundreds of kilometers away — even if that means leaving behind their families, their homes and everything they’ve built. Or stay and risk losing their high-paying jobs. The automaker says nearly all of its blue-collar U.S. workers with jobs in jeopardy have work waiting for them. Many from the targeted factories in Michigan, Ohio and Maryland already have voluntarily transferred to plants in the Midwest and South, not wanting to take a chance. Others are still agonizing over the decision, unsure whether to sell their homes or hang onto hopes that their plants might reopen. The automaker says the changes announced in November are needed to cut costs and put money into new vehicles. The plant closings still must be negotiated with the union, giving workers a sliver of hope. A chess match Anthony Sarigianopoulos has put in 25 years at GM’s plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where the last Chevrolet Cruze will roll off the assembly line sometime later this month. He has two sons in elementary school and an ex-wife he gets along with, and his parents are just down the street in the Youngstown suburb where he grew up. Sarigianopoulos, who checks and fixes cars at the end of the line, knows he is fortunate to have a shot at a job even if it’s somewhere else — unlike most of the 8,000 white-collar employees GM is laying off and those who are losing jobs at the automaker’s nearby parts suppliers. But he also doesn’t want to move and miss out on ballgames and school concerts, knowing that his boys will be almost out of high school by the time he retires. Volunteering to leave now for another plant would also mean he couldn’t come back if Lordstown reopened. But if he is forced to transfer once the plant closes, the option to return would still be open under his union contract. “That’s part of the chess match,” he said. So Sarigianopoulos, 48, filled a notebook with charts and graphs outlining the pros and cons of transferring. What he has decided for now — unless he’s forced to transfer — is to stay and hope the plant will get a new vehicle to build. A car ride away Andrea Repasky didn’t have much of a choice. Even if it meant saying goodbye to her elderly parents, a niece she loves dearly, her favorite pizza place and her mom’s wedding soup. She had to keep her job because she is a breast cancer survivor and runs the risk of the disease coming back. “I couldn’t afford to let my health benefits run out,” she said. So the 42-year-old team leader at the plant volunteered to leave the Youngstown area for a new job in Indiana, allowing her to stay closer to home instead of being shipped to a plant in Tennessee or Texas. “That was my goal, to be a car ride away if something, God forbid, happened to my family,” she said. Repasky has been working for just over a month at GM’s truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she shares an apartment with a friend who also transferred there. While she desperately misses her family and everything about her hometown, she said her decision was easier because she isn’t married and has no children. Some coworkers moved without their children so that the youngsters could stay behind and finish the school year. “I cry when I think about it,” Repasky said. “How do they explain to their kids that Mommy or Daddy is leaving and they’ll see you on the weekends?” Somber students Tiffany Davis feels the stress of it all both at home and at the lone elementary school in Lordstown where she teaches fifth grade. The students know they will be saying goodbye to some of their classmates in a few months. That includes three out of the 18 in her class. “They aren’t the spunky, lighthearted crew they were at the beginning of the year,” said Davis, 35. She and her husband, who has worked on the GM assembly line 17 years, talk almost every night about what to do next. “It has taken over our lives, but how couldn’t it?” Davis said. “It’s draining, it’s exhausting. No matter what decision we make, we’re worried it will be the wrong thing.” The couple decided not to take a transfer for now. But they are selling their house and moving with their two children into her mother-in-law’s attic so they won’t be paying for two homes if they are forced to go. They also canceled a summer vacation and cut out cable TV and pizza nights on Friday. “We’re uprooting our entire lives right now because we don’t have any answers,” she said. “We know that no matter happens we will have to follow GM.” The right decision Nearly two decades after founding the New Beginnings Outreach Ministries in Youngstown, Ohio, Melvin Trent stood before about 150 members of his church in early February and told them he was leaving. His wife, an engineer with GM, was being sent to its SUV plant in Arlington, Texas. “You could hear people crying throughout the congregation. One person said, ‘It feels like when my mother died,'” he said. “For some, I’ve been the only pastor they’ve known.” His wife already has moved, and he will join her after their son graduates from high school in May. “We’ve never been apart like this,” he said. Trent, 55, who retired after 35 years with the automaker, said it was a “no-brainer” to accept the relocation but not an easy decision. “The first thing I did was go to the church, and I cried like a baby because I was leaving something I birthed and something I loved,” he said. “But it was the right decision for our family.” He added: “I’m leaving not my natural family but my church family.”
|
jobs;gm;union;ohio;auto factories
|
jp0001286
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
In apparent renewed criticism of his Fed chief pick, Trump says dollar is too strong
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WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said the dollar is too strong and took a swipe at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as someone who “likes raising interest rates.” The dollar was quoted lower against the euro and the yen in early Asia-Pacific trading hours on Monday after Trump’s comments over the weekend. The U.S. economy is doing well despite the actions of the central bank, Trump said during a wide-ranging speech Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. “I want a strong dollar, but I want a dollar that does great for our country, not a dollar that’s so strong that it makes it prohibitive for us to do business with other nations and take their business,” Trump said. He didn’t mention Powell by name, but referenced “a gentleman that likes raising interest rates in the Fed, we have a gentleman that loves quantitative tightening in the Fed, we have a gentleman that likes a very strong dollar in the Fed.” “Essentially there’s no inflation,” Trump said. “Can you imagine if we left interest rates where they were, if we didn’t do quantitative tightening. Taking money out of the market if we didn’t do quantitative talk, and this would lead to a little bit lower dollar,” he said. Trump said the U.S. “is booming like never before,” while other countries are “doing very poorly, and that makes it even harder for us to be successful.” Fed officials kept their target range for the federal funds rate on hold, at 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent, when they met in late January. They’ll gather again in Washington on March 19 and 20, when most economists and investors expect they’ll again leave rates unchanged. Powell last week repeated the Fed’s recent mantra of being “patient” on future rate moves. Trump in late 2018 repeatedly castigated Powell and the central bank for the series of rate increases made from record low levels achieved during the severe recession a decade ago. “The only problem our economy has is the Fed,” Trump tweeted on Dec. 24. A few days before that, Bloomberg reported that Trump had discussed firing Powell, his pick to lead the Fed, out of frustration with the string of rate increases. Since then, though, Trump and Powell discussed the economy over a steak dinner in early February, and Trump’s criticism subsided — especially after the Fed emphasized a more patient approach. The Federal Open Market Committee in January termed inflation pressures “muted,” a key reason to go slow on future rate increases. The Trump-Powell dinner was characterized at the time as casual and productive by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was also present, and monetary policy wasn’t discussed. Mnuchin said another get-together may happen. Saturday’s return to the topic of the Fed by Trump came during a more than two-hour speech in which the president touched on an array of long-standing grievances.
|
yen;interest rates;dollar;u.s. federal reserve;donald trump;steve mnuchin;jerome powell
|
jp0001288
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Japan inflation barometer points to zero price growth by summer, weighed down by oil and phones
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The inflation outlook is looking dismal for the Bank of Japan as cheaper oil and falling mobile phone fees threaten to push price growth toward zero by mid-summer. The Bloomberg Inflation Barometer, which draws on eight drivers of prices, points to a sharp slowing in the months ahead as lower oil costs feed their way into electricity bills. Over the past eight years the barometer has shown a 0.84 correlation with consumer prices six months into the future. Mobile phone carriers could complicate the BOJ’s quest to revive inflation as they come under political pressure to lower charges further. Making matters worse, free education measures planned by the government are already projected by the BOJ to shave another 0.3 percentage point from inflation later in the year. Flat-lining of prices would heap pressure on the central bank to take action or justify its decision not to. Any softening in the yen, further wage gains or jump in oil prices could still help the BOJ stick to its view that temporary factors don’t warrant an immediate response. The BOJ is trying to generate 2 percent inflation and has pledged to continue its stimulus program until its goal is achieved. The bank has already slashed its inflation forecasts for the fiscal year starting in April to 0.9 percent from 1.4 percent. But even this forecast looks overly optimistic. While Japan’s three biggest mobile phone carriers say they have already lowered prices by at least 30 percent in the last year, the government has called for reductions of 40 percent, an outcome that could shave 0.9 percentage point off overall price growth.
|
boj;inflation;oil;telecoms;bloomberg inflation barometer
|
jp0001289
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Nikkei hits three-month high on U.S.-China trade hopes
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The Nikkei 225 average hit a three-month closing high Monday, driven by hopes for an end to the trade dispute between the United States and China. The key market gauge gained 219.35 points, or 1.02 percent, to end at 21,822.04, its best finish since Dec. 5. On Friday, it advanced 217.53 points. The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, finished 11.87 points, or 0.73 percent, higher at 1,627.59 after adding 8.06 points Friday. Sentiment improved after The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet, probably around March 27, to ink a formal trade agreement. Higher U.S. equities on Friday and the dollar’s advance against the yen also lifted sentiment, brokers said. Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., attributed some of Monday’s gains to a rise of over 100 points in U.S. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures in off-hours trading as well as the strength of Chinese stocks following the report about a potential trade deal between the world’s two largest economies. But Miura said that “investors may be too optimistic” about the course of U.S.-China trade talks, citing the failure to reach an agreement at last week’s summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A brokerage official said a pickup in trading value will be needed for the Nikkei to maintain its strength and test 22,000 this week. The index last traded above the psychologically important threshold on Dec. 4. Trading volume totaled 1.127 billion shares in the first section, down from 1.148 billion Friday. Rising issues outnumbered falling ones 1,481 to 579, while 72 issues were unchanged. China-linked issues attracted purchases following the report on trade talks between Washington and Beijing. Construction machinery company Komatsu gained 3.15 percent, industrial robot producer Fanuc 3.48 percent and Yaskawa Electric 5.08 percent. Beverage producer Ito En added 3.79 percent on improved earnings. Other major winners included Takeda Pharmaceutical and SoftBank Group. Automakers were downbeat. Suzuki fell 3.88 percent, Honda 1.30 percent and Toyota 0.90 percent. Japan Tobacco dropped 1.19 percent, extending its losing streak to a fourth session.
|
stocks;nikkei;tokyo stock exchange;topix
|
jp0001290
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Dollar firms to around ¥111.90 in late Tokyo trading
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The dollar was firmer around ¥111.90 in late Tokyo trading Monday, supported by hopes for progress in U.S.-China trade talks. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥111.90-91, up from ¥111.81-81 at the same time Friday. The euro was at $1.1357-1357, down from $1.1371-1371, and at ¥127.09-10, down from ¥127.15-16. The dollar briefly topped ¥112 for the first time in over two months before being pushed back. The currency was “supported by renewed hopes for progress in U.S.-China trade talks,” an official of a major securities firm said. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet, probably around March 27, to sign a formal trade agreement. The dollar was also aided by a rise in the Nikkei 225 stock average and buying by Japanese importers, traders said. But the dollar was “susceptible to selling on a rally after it reached ¥112 for the first time in months,” an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said. A currency broker said that “dollar-buying to chase higher ground was limited” due to weak U.S. economic data released Friday. Active dollar buying was also held in check before China’s annual National People’s Congress kicked off Tuesday, traders said. “Attention will focus on remarks on U.S.-China trade talks and economic measures,” the securities firm official said.
|
forex;currencies
|
jp0001291
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Head of Japanese furniture chain Otsuka Kagu says she wants to end feud with father and cooperate
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Otsuka Kagu Ltd. President Kumiko Otsuka said she wants to seek a reconciliation with her father after their feud hurt the furniture retailer’s brand image. “Although our opinions regarding how to manage a listed company differed, I think I share with my father the same value of providing quality furniture that can be loved and used for a long time,” Otsuka said Monday. “I believe one day he will also understand that we do share this.” Her comments at a news conference in Tokyo came as Otsuka Kagu, a well-known furniture store operator, is trying to revive its troubled business by forming alliances with other companies at home and abroad. The family dispute over control of the furniture chain has dragged its sales down. Otsuka, who took the helm in 2015 after winning a proxy fight against her father and company founder, Katsuhisa Otsuka, indicated she is now willing to restore her relationship with him. One of the proposals she mentioned was creating an organization of furniture makers and retailers with his participation. Chen Haibo, president of Tokyo-based cross-border e-commerce operator High-Lines Co. and who attended the news conference with Kumiko Otsuka at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, also called on her to heal her relationship with her father. The e-commerce operator, which does business with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd., is one of the new capital partners for the retailer. Otsuka Kagu saw a net loss of ¥3.2 billion for the year through December, mired in the red for the third consecutive year. The retailer said in mid-February it will receive a ¥3.8 billion capital injection from High-Lines and other investors. Kumiko Otsuka said the company will tap into the Chinese market by stepping up cooperation with High-Lines and Beijing Easyhome Yundi Huixin Retail Chain Co. “Otsuka Kagu is now prepared to make the move from being on defense to instead move forward on offense,” she said.
|
furniture;otsuka kagu;kumiko otsuka
|
jp0001292
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
U.S. investigators say they've found second black box from doomed cargo jet
|
WASHINGTON - Searchers combing a shallow Texas bay have recovered the second of two flight recorders from a cargo plane hauling Amazon packages that crashed last week, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday, two days after finding the first. The NTSB said in a tweet it had recovered the second crash-proof cockpit voice recorder. The Boeing Co. 767-300 dove abruptly and went down on Feb. 23, killing two Atlas Air pilots and a third pilot who was riding in the jump seat. The recording of cockpit sounds could help investigators determine why the plane went down as it was approaching Houston. Both flight data recorders are being transported back to the NTSB’s labs in Washington for evaluation. The Atlas plane was one of 50 aircraft under contract to Amazon.com Inc. to haul packages for the online retailer. Atlas is a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc. After what had been a routine descent while preparing to land at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Atlas Flight 3591 abruptly dove thousands of feet into Trinity Bay. There was no emergency radio call by pilots and nothing has emerged to explain whether it was a mechanical failure, actions by pilots or some other problem that led to the plunge. The cockpit recorder would have captured pilot conversations as well as ambient noise from the flight deck. Search teams are continuing to try to find a second device, known as a flight data recorder, that stores data on a plane’s systems, actions by the pilots and a detailed flight path.
|
ntsb;amazon.com;houston;air accidents;atlas air
|
jp0001293
|
[
"world",
"social-issues-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Britain-bound migrants scramble atop Calais ferry, sparking police sweep
|
Dozens of migrants hoping to reach Britain scrambled aboard a cross-Channel ferry in northern France, sparking a 12-hour manhunt as police combed the ship to find them, officials said Sunday. Around 100 migrants broke into the dock area of the port of Calais late Saturday, and dozens managed to get onboard the ferry that had just arrived from the English port of Dover. A total of 63 migrants were detained, many of whom had tried to hide aboard the Danish-operated DFDS Calais Seaways, regional authorities said. On Sunday morning, firemen talked down the last group of about a dozen migrants who had climbed high above the deck to a catwalk attached to the ship’s funnel. Prosecutors at nearby Boulogne said these people were still in custody. Twelve people were due to appear in court. Others were released with a warning because they were minors or for lack of evidence. The migrants managed to get aboard the ferry by using a maintenance ladder at high tide, senior regional official Jean-Philippe Vennin told AFP. “Two of the migrants fell into the sea and were quickly rescued by firemen,” he added. Police offloaded vehicles arriving from Britain on the ferry before making a top-to-bottom search of the ship. Those detained were taken to Calais police headquarters, Vennin said. Cross-Channel ferry traffic was delayed overnight with at least two forced to remain at sea before being allowed into port. The Calais Seaways was itself moved overnight so the harbor could resume operations. To reach the port area, “the migrants crossed a pedestrian gangway normally used by employees and I am convinced the place had been cased and that last night’s operation was orchestrated by people smugglers,” harbor master Jean-Marc Puissesseau told reporters after the police search ended. “It’s not normal to have 100 migrants break into a secure area such as a harbor. There must be a failure somewhere,” local Mayor Natacha Bouchart said, before blaming police force cutbacks. “We must reinforce our police forces on the eve of Brexit, which people smugglers exploit in a bid to promote their trafficking,” regional president Xavier Bertrand said on Twitter. Herve Krych, a lawyer for four of the migrants in custody, said his clients were alright overall. “I’m delighted that this ended with so few injuries and human damage given the exceptional and dangerous circumstances that we saw that night. For the moment, it was not clear to what extent it had been organized or just a spontaneous action, he added. Sunday’s incident was unusual by its scale, and this despite introduction of costly security features around the port including barb wire, grill-fencing and additional surveillance cameras. Despite the best efforts of the authorities migrants, many from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, and smugglers have diversified ways of trying to cross the Channel. Many still hide in trucks headed to the ports, but more recently others have attempted to cross the Channel aboard small vessels and lifeboats stolen from local harbors or acquired by traffickers. On Friday, a French court jailed two Iraqis and an Iranian for organizing illegal migrant boat trips to Britain. A 30-year-old Iranian, considered the group leader, received an 18-month sentence, while his two accomplices, aged 39 and 32, were each jailed for a year. Some 500 people attempted to cross the Channel last year — most of them in November and December, compared with just 13 such known attempts in 2017. French interior ministry figures showed that 276 people successfully reached British waters. In December, London dispatched a Royal Navy cutter to help coastguard vessels survey the 21 miles (33 km) of sea that separates France and Britain at its narrowest point.
|
france;u.k .;english channel;migrants;calais
|
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