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jp0000524 | [
"national"
] | 2015/07/19 | The cafes play jazz deep in the heart of Kyoto | Last month, it was announced the number of visitors to Kyoto in 2014 (including day trippers) topped 55 million people, a 7.8 percent increase over 2013. The total number of foreign visitors who spent at least one night was 1.83 million, a whopping 62 percent increase over 2013. In addition, Travel + Leisure magazine named Kyoto the world’s best city for the second year in a row. The magazine readers calls Kyoto the “quintessential Japanese experience,” noting there are more than 2,000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, the Golden Pavilion and the Nishijin neighborhood for “ kawaii (cute) artisan shops.” As someone who lived in Kyoto for nine years and returns quite often, I view the recent, rapid influx of tourists with mixed emotions. There is no doubt that, for mid-range tourists, the quality of shops, cafes, hotels and restaurants in the city is far better today than it was two decades ago. Higher-end tourists, as Travel + Leisure notes, now have the choice of staying in a traditional ryokan (as celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio do when they pass through) or a modern, four- or five-star hotel. A trip to Kyoto to see Japan’s “quintessential culture” — the tea ceremony, ikebana, a performance of noh or kabuki, and, of course, meditation at a Zen temple — entices those also seeking calm, quiet and time to contemplate and appreciate the finer things in life, be they religious, philosophical, artistic or culinary. In other words: You don’t come to Kyoto to experience Tokyo. Yet the recent tourist boom is transforming parts of Kyoto into some version of Tokyo’s Ginza or Aoyama neighborhoods, placing a strain on a city far smaller than the capital and not designed to handle large numbers of tourists. Want to enjoy the serenity of a Zen garden these days? So do the other 100 people in the scrum who are pushing you from behind, talking in loud voices and snapping selfies. Need to get across town quickly? Your choices are an expensive taxi fare or a bus. Either way, it can take up to 15 minutes to go a mere kilometer if the traffic is bad. Looking for a reasonably priced hotel during the cherry blossom season or the autumn months? Yeah, aren’t we all. Try Osaka or Shiga Prefecture — Kyoto’s booked. And want to take memorable photos of the main sites, just like the (people-free) ones you see in guidebooks? Double check first. Japanese shutterbugs report there’s been an increase in the number of Kyoto temples and shrines that now forbid photos, due to problems with groups of tourists. Yet the heart of Kyoto is not to be found in famed locations with large groups. It’s an individual discovery that happens by chance. It’s a stroll through a small temple smelling of incense or a cozy jazz bar beside it that owns hundreds of rare LPs with an owner who plays the shakuhachi and once met Miles Davis. It’s a cafe in a renovated machiya, where waitresses wear Indian sarongs, the background music is Flemish Renaissance or Tibetan spiritual, and the menu includes fair-trade coffee and Japanese sweets. It’s a modern restaurant where you fall into lively conversation with strangers over good wine or Kyoto-produced craft beer and sake. And it’s a musty old family-owned shop, selling something so uniquely “Kyoto” that you enter wondering how they stay in business and exit happy that they do. That’s the real Kyoto experience. It’s still out there, amid the famous landmarks, throngs of tourists, chain restaurants, souvenir shops and magazine editors. As with all good adventures, seek it out, and don’t be surprised when you find it in the most unlikely of places. | kyoto;tourism |
jp0000526 | [
"national",
"science-health"
] | 2015/07/19 | Tokyo hospitals to add five foreign doctors for expats | The government will allow five non-Japanese doctors to practice at four hospitals in Tokyo from around December. Their patients will be limited to non-Japanese who agree to pay full costs themselves. The move, proposed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and approved by the central government on June 29, is part of a “special zone” deregulation initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Currently, doctors from the U.S., the U.K., France and Singapore can practice in Japan without a Japanese medical license under bilateral agreements with those nations, but they can only see patients of their own nationality. “As we have an Olympics coming up in Tokyo, we decided it is necessary to create an environment where foreign nationals can live in Tokyo without anxiety,” said Takafumi Kobayashi, head of the national strategic special zone coordination division at the metropolitan government. The plan will see foreign practitioners placed at institutions across the capital. St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, as well as its branch clinic St. Luke’s MediLocus in Chiyoda Ward, will each hire an American doctor. Juntendo University Hospital in Bunkyo Ward will get two doctors, one American and one French, while Keio University Hospital in Shinjuku Ward will acquire one British doctor. The doctors, whose names and areas of expertise have yet to be announced, will be allowed to see patients of any nationality except Japanese. Foreign nationals covered by Japan’s public health insurance scheme can seek their services but will not be able to use the insurance, Kobayashi said. St. Luke’s projects that the hospital group’s two American doctors will see a total of 8,640 people in 2016. Kobayashi said the metropolitan government will consider expanding the list of such doctors if hospitals so request. Tatsuo Hatta, a member of an advisory panel headed by the prime minister that took up the metropolitan government’s special zone request, said that, though small, it is a major step toward breaking down the regulatory barriers in the heavily protected health care sector — and infusing it with diversity and fresh ideas. “Until now, non-Japanese doctors who were here under the bilateral agreements were of little use because they were only allowed to see patients from the same country they came from,” said Hatta, economist and president of the Fukuoka Prefecture-based think tank Asian Growth Research Institute. | tokyo;tokyo 2020;doctors;st. luke 's international hospital;special zone |
jp0000527 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/07/26 | Hashimoto's proposed Kansai-centric party no easy sell in region, where rivalries limit appeal | OSAKA - No stranger to making headlines and raising eyebrows in politics, the fiery Toru Hashimoto did it again on July 4. The Osaka mayor, leader of the Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) local lawmaker group and founder of the whole Ishin movement told nearly 100 members of Osaka Ishin at a closed meeting: “I’m always ready to create a national party in Kansai.” That was followed by reports that the new “Kansai Ishin” party will be launched sometime in September — just a couple of weeks before the end of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Speculation has grown as to whether Abe will win another term, and thus remain prime minister, or whether he will be replaced. Ten days later, on July 14, a meeting took place in Osaka with 80 Ishin-affiliated local politicians from around the Kansai region. While the agenda was officially about ways in which the various Ishin local groups can cooperate to revitalize the Osaka Bay area, which extends into Hyogo Prefecture, a closed meeting was held afterward in which attendees were sounded out about the performance of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party). Concerns about the party’s Diet members becoming too “Tokyo-centric” and ignoring or playing down the concerns of Kansai’s Ishin members about regionalization and decentralization were aired by the attendees, many of whom expressed tentative support for a new Kansai-based national political party where local concerns did not get “lost in Nagatacho” — a reference to the Tokyo district that serves as the national political hub. “The attractive aspect of Ishin is that there is no strict hierarchy between national and local representatives,” said Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member Yugo Nakano after that meeting. The next formal step toward a Kansai Ishin party might be taken on Aug. 8, when Hashimoto will speak at a gathering of Ishin representatives in Kansai. Of Kansai’s six main prefectures (Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama, Osaka and Hyogo), at the local assembly level there are nine Ishin members in Kyoto, two in Shiga, 10 in Nara, three in Wakayama, 143 in Osaka and 35 in Hyogo. There are 15 Ishin no To Diet members, including 12 from Osaka and three from Hyogo. And this, perhaps, is the greatest barrier to forming an “All Kansai” national party. The Ishin movement has always been centered on Osaka. There are no Ishin no To Diet members from Kyoto, Shiga, Nara or Wakayama prefectures, while Shiga has only two local Ishin members and Wakayama three. The reasons for Ishin’s lack of ability to gain a lot of support throughout Kansai are political, social and historical. First, both Osaka Ishin and the Ishin no To have stated that integration of Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture is a core issue. While that appeals to voters in Osaka, and to a certain extent in the urbanized parts of Hyogo Prefecture that are essentially suburbs of Osaka, the message resonates much less in rural Nara, Wakayama and Shiga. In addition, Hashimoto’s clearly urban, corporate-friendly neo-liberal economic philosophy, while lauded by voters, economists and media in urban centers like Osaka, is seen as a threat in areas of Kansai where topmost worries include caring for the elderly via adequate social services while improving the economy. The social differences between Osaka and the rest of the Kansai region also play a role. Hashimoto’s combative rhetoric, in the manner of a good prosecutor, and his personal attacks and emphasis on “logic” to solve political problems, makes him a fierce debater and fun to watch on TV for a lot of Osakans (and the Osaka television media that, until recently, relied on Hashimoto’s appearances to boost their ratings). But that kind of in-your-face political style, while par for the course in many countries, is welcomed less among many others in Kansai and the rest of Japan, who see not an amusing populist politician but an uncouth bully who is an embarrassment. This is especially true in Kyoto, where Hashimoto is largely seen as an Osaka politician with an Osaka attitude, outlook and philosophy. And that, as anyone in Kyoto and Osaka will tell you, is not a compliment. Among Kyoto’s traditional elites, the Osaka mayor is considered something of a philistine, leading a group of politicians who seem to have all the answers, but really don’t, and who are loyal to nobody but themselves. The final reason it may be more difficult than expected to build a strong, all-Kansai Ishin national party is simply due to long-standing historical rivalries in the region. Despite constant attempts by organizations like the Kansai Economic Federation, Kansai Electric Power Co. and other (usually Osaka-based) organizations with “Kansai” in their name to convince outsiders that regional unity exists, it remains a fluid concept and, depending on the specific issue, a very contentious proposition. The most intense historical rivalry is between the cultural capital of Kyoto and industrial Osaka. “Osaka drinks our toilet water” is an old Kyoto saying, expressing the fact water from Lake Biwa flows through Kyoto down into Osaka Bay. In more recent years, Osaka and Hyogo have often found themselves competing for new economic investment with programs that duplicate each other. And even local Kansai politicians who favor an all-Kansai national political party worry that it will be too Osaka-based, and that, rather than representing the concerns of voters in less-populated areas, it will become, basically, the “Osaka-Kobe Ishin no To.” For now, however, discussions about a new national party are continuing behind the scenes, even as Ishin no To wonders what its fate will be if a new Kansai party arises — especially at next summer’s Upper House election. So Hashimoto may claim to be leaving politics after the November mayoral election. But the recent talk of a new Kansai-based national party indicates that neither Japan, nor the rest of the world, has seen the last of him. | toru hashimoto;osaka;japan innovation party;ishin |
jp0000528 | [
"national"
] | 2015/07/07 | Ebisu or Yebisu: Either way, it's the beer that beckons in Tokyo neighborhood | With the long rainy season almost over, real summer is just around the corner. And after a hot sunny day, it’s time for a cold beer. Whether at a festival, to celebrate an important event, or just to close the day, a glass of Yebisu beer might perfect for the occasion. Although times have changed, Ebisu, the Tokyo district named after the brewery it was home to over a century ago, arguably remains Japan’s brew mecca. The landmark Yebisu Garden Place, built on the site of the former Yebisu brewery, offers a glimpse into the drink’s history and craftsmanship. Yebisu Beer was established in 1890. As shipments increased, the brewery got its own railway freight station in 1901. The current JR Ebisu Station, situated closer to Shibuya Station, opened in 1906 for passenger service. The station’s name derived from the beer and later was adopted for the district. In 1964, Yebisu Beer changed its name to Sapporo Breweries Ltd. Yebisu Garden Place was launched in 1994 on brewery’s former premises. The beer’s TV commercials featured the renowned zither theme tune from the film “The Third Man,” and in 2005 the music was adopted as the departure melody for trains at JR Ebisu Station. The Museum of Yebisu Beer, with a floor space of 1,700 sq. meters, opened at Yebisu Garden Place in 2010, to commemorate the beer’s 120th anniversary. Admission is free, but the museum offers a 40-minute tour for ¥500 for adults, in which a guide explains the beer’s history and suggests ways to drink it. Tastings are offered of two varieties of Yebisu beer. The fee is ¥300 for youngsters, between junior high school age and 19 years old, and includes soft drinks. There is no admission for younger children. For those who want to settle in for a full drinking session, a “tasting salon” offers all kinds of Yebisu beer with snacks, for additional fees. In the tour, guide Natsuko Usune, a “brand communicator,” shows visitors how to pour beer to bring out its taste: 1. Quickly fill the glass half full and wait. 2. Slowly pour to the 90 percent mark and wait again. 3. Add the finishing touch, so that the ratio of froth to beer is 3 to 7. If Ebisu is the neighborhood of beer, nearby Daikanyama is catching up fast with its new landmark, Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo, a beer theme park and restaurant complex established jointly by Kirin Brewery Co. and Spring Valley Brewery Co. It opened on April 17. Visitors can try six varieties of its craft beer while watching various brewing processes. With its newly developed “beer infuser,” various fruit and hop flavors can be added so visitors can blend their own original craft beer. | beer;yebisu;at a glance;ebisu |
jp0000529 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/07/06 | Signs seen of road widening for futuristic mobility | Japan is about to take a step into the future of personal mobility by easing government regulations so that Segways and similar vehicles can be driven on public thoroughfares. Once the rules ease, which is expected in a week or so, people might see more gyroscope-based devices become part of the daily traffic scene. Let’s take a closer look at personal mobility, the devices involved and what their proliferation will mean for standard commuters. What exactly are personal mobility devices? Generally speaking, these can be any device that improves one’s mobility, particularly in public. The transport ministry says they should be less than 150 cm long, 70 cm high and go no faster than 10 kph. A prime example is the Segway, the two-wheel, self-balancing device made by U.S.-based Segway Inc. that is steered simply by shifting one’s weight. Toyota Motor Corp. followed with the similar Winglet. Both are driven standing upright while holding a hand control. Honda is developing a variation called the Uni-Cub that resembles a stool with wheels, though it is more suited for indoor use. Are they allowed on public thoroughfares? In Japan, they can only be used under tight restrictions, as opposed to many U.S. states and Europe, including Germany and France. Here, the Segway is considered a special motor vehicle that would require mirrors, turn signals and brakes if operated on the street, with drivers requiring licensing. The only places they can be driven right now are in areas that have been designated by the central government as special structural reform zones, at the request of municipalities. But such zones aren’t established simply for allowing Segways and Winglets. They are based on comprehensive plans for energizing the economies of the communities they are in. According to the transport ministry, there are only two areas — Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture and Toyota in Aichi Prefecture — where people can ride Segways and Winglets. Why is the government easing the rules, and where? “In 2011, it became possible to run (personal mobility devices) on public roads in the special reform zones. Various experiments, like Segway tours, have been conducted with no accidents or (traffic) rule violations,” said ministry official Masaru Miyashita. “This means it is possible for areas with similar conditions” to seek permission to test the devices in public, he said. Miyashita added that easing regulations will make it possible for people to ride such devices without being in a special reform zone. Although permission to ride the devices will still be needed from local transport bureaus and police, the new rules will actually allow people, companies and other organizations to request that permission. As for where, Tsukuba has been hosting Segway tours on sidewalks at least 3 meters wide so as not to interfere with pedestrian traffic, and taking security staff along to prevent accidents. Drivers are restricted to a maximum speed of 6 kph and must have a license. The National Police Agency has not announced rules for a nationwide test, but it plans to allow the devices to ply sidewalks less than 3 meters wide simply because that is the reality in many busy urban areas. Will the use of personal mobility devices explode? Dai Akimoto, vice president of Segway Japan Ltd., a Yokohama-based distributor, said city tours using Segways have become increasingly popular in the U.S. and Europe, and Japan might join the trend once deregulation takes place. Cities including Kyoto, Yokohama and Naha in Okinawa, as well as certain parts of Tokyo around the Imperial Palace and the Jingu district, are suitable for Segway use, Akimoto said. There are many people who want to run Segway tours but can’t because of the regulations, so Akimoto said Japan will probably be seeing a good number of Segway-based tour operators flourish in the coming years. Although Segways may not be good for long distances, they are handy for getting around town and might lend themselves to sharing services in the future, like car-sharing, he said. Are they safe? Akimoto said the Segway test in Tsukuba has logged about 20,000 km without incident, demonstrating a certain degree of safety. But similar tests overseas have been much shorter, he said, leaving Japan behind. The Segway also inspired unproven imitations that could pose a risk if they manage to spread in Japan, he warned. | transportation;winglet;segway;uni-cub |
jp0000530 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/07/24 | Japan seen seeking U.K. help to best German bid for Aussie sub deal | A Japanese government team is in talks with at least two top British firms to help a Japanese consortium land one of the world’s most lucrative defense contracts, sources in Tokyo said, a $50 billion project to build submarines for Australia. Germany’s ThyssenKrupp (TKMS), a rival bidder, is wooing anxious members of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s ruling Liberal Party with the economic and political benefits of its proposal. Two Japanese government officials and a company source in Tokyo said Babcock International Group and BAE Systems had approached the consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries with offers of help. Other British defense contractors may also be involved, they said. All three sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Both Babcock and BAE declined to say whether they would work with the consortium, the builders of Japan’s 4,000-ton Soryu diesel-electric submarines, on the Australian project. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said the Japanese bidders were responding to Australia’s desire to have as much local participation as possible in the project. “With Mitsubishi Heavy taking the lead, we are gathering information from both Japanese and foreign companies in regard to Australian industry but we are unable to disclose any specific names,” the spokesman said. Both Babcock and BAE Systems are well established in Australia. Industry sources in Europe said any decision by Babcock to work with the Japanese bid could unsettle TKMS and France’s state-controlled naval contractor DCNS, which is also in the fray for the submarine contract. Babcock does maintenance work on Australia’s Collins-class submarines, including the torpedo tubes and other parts of its weapons system. BAE Systems, which builds the U.K.’s nuclear submarines, employs 4,500 people in Australia. It’s biggest project there is the construction of Australia’s two new 27,000-ton Canberra-class amphibious assault ships, the largest ships ever to be operated by the Royal Australian Navy. “Japan is arguably ahead of the Germans and French in regard to its technology but lags in terms of doing business in Australia and organizing an industrial package there,” one of the sources in Japan said. Japan may also seek cooperation from Saab by tapping the engineers at the Swedish company who built and still help maintain the Collins-class submarine fleet, the sources said. Saab also declined comment. Parliamentary colleagues of Abbott have told Reuters that the fear of a serious blow-back from failing to choose the winner of the contract wisely is one of the most hotly debated topics within the ruling party. The bidders were well aware of this, they said. According to a company document seen by Reuters, the German bidder TKMS will train local contractors using advanced German manufacturing and production technology and help establish Australia as a naval shipbuilding and repair hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The document is to be shared privately with Australian government ministers as part of the proposal. That is an attractive proposition for a country still reeling from the decision by Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. to halt local production in 2016. Two TKMS executives told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that the Australian government would struggle politically to turn down the economic incentives built into their proposal. “There’s an awful lot of politicians across the board … that will not be very politically happy if this (50 billion Australian dollar) life cost sophisticated program goes to solve Japan’s deficit problem,” TKMS Australia Chairman John White told Reuters. Senator Sean Edwards — chairman of the economics committee in the upper house of Australia’s parliament — said that no government could say yes to any proposal that did not offer significant economic benefits for Australia. “I think it’s compelling (to build the submarines in Australia). And I think this is a problem for Japan,” Edwards told Reuters. However, Australia’s Abbot has described Japan as his country’s “closest friend in Asia.” With the United States also keen to spur friendlier ties between its two key allies in Asia, Tokyo has Washington’s backing for made-in-Japan submarines packed with American surveillance, radar and weapons equipment, sources familiar with Washington’s thinking told Reuters earlier. Each of the bidders have been asked to provide three estimates; one for construction overseas, one for a partial assembly in Australia and one for a full build in an Australian shipyard. A recommendation is likely in November. | france;australia;britain;germany;submarines;japan;mhi;bae;khi;babcock |
jp0000531 | [
"national"
] | 2015/07/23 | January-June visitors from abroad rise to record 9.14 million | A record 9.14 million foreigners are estimated to have visited Japan from January to June this year, a 46 percent increase from the same period in 2014, as the country continued to attract tourists from China, Taiwan and elsewhere, government data showed Wednesday. The surge in foreign passenger arrivals, which greatly eclipsed the previous high set last year, came on the back of a weaker yen and government measures such as easing visa rules and expanding the scope of duty-free shopping, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. The figures are the latest sign that the government is moving closer to achieving its goal of increasing the annual figure to 20 million by 2020, when Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympics. Shigeto Kubo, commissioner of the agency, told a press conference that he expects around 18 million foreign passenger arrivals this year, up from about 13.41 million last year. In June alone, the number of foreign passenger arrivals jumped 52 percent from a year earlier to 1.60 million, said the Japan National Tourism Organization, a body overseen by the agency. By countries and regions, Chinese traveler arrivals more than doubled to 462,300, the largest share of the total and a record for a single month, followed by 345,200 from Taiwan. South Korean travelers were third at 251,500, hitting an all-time high for June. But a year-on-year increase sharply slowed amid the recent MERS virus outbreak in South Korea that has made people reluctant to leave their homes. The organization expects a lot more visits in July, the start of the summer vacation season. More than 40 cruise ships from East Asia are set to make port calls in Japan, it said. For the first half of the year, the number of Chinese travelers more than doubled from a year earlier to 2.18 million, followed by 1.82 million from South Korea and 1.79 million from Taiwan. The government has been stepping up efforts to attract foreign visitors to prop up the economy amid Japan’s shrinking population. In October, the government abolished a rule limiting duty-free products to electrical appliances and fashion goods, and allowed everything from cosmetics to food and alcohol to be eligible for exemption from the nation’s 8 percent consumption tax. Such measures appear to have further encouraged shopping by tourists. Chinese on shopping sprees dubbed “explosive buying” have become a familiar sight in areas such as Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district. Despite concerns over China’s economic slowdown, the tourism agency’s Kubo said he currently does not see any negative impact on organized tours to Japan. Between January and June last year, the overall number of foreign passenger arrivals stood at 6.26 million, a record at the time. | china;taiwan;south korea;foreign visitors;jnto |
jp0000532 | [
"national"
] | 2015/07/14 | People spending more time surfing the Web, less time watching TV | The TV has long been the dominant media source in Japan, but people here, especially younger ones, are now apparently opting to spend more time online instead, according to a recent survey by NHK. The latest survey on people’s attitudes toward TV, which is conducted every five years by NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, says the number of people who watch TV for 30 minutes to two hours daily or “short-time viewers” increased. “Long-time viewers” — those who watch for four hours or more a day — decreased for the first time since the poll began in 1985. Respondents were asked how many hours they watch TV daily. Viewing on public holidays and watching DVDs was excluded. The survey, released last week, says that the number of short-time viewers was 35 percent in 2010 but that increased to 38 percent this year. The ration for those who don’t watch TV at all also grew to 6 percent from 4 percent. The number of long-time viewers was at 37 percent, down from 40 percent five years ago. By age, people in their 20s to 50s are watching less TV, while those in their 60s and 70s are spending more time watching their favorite programs. The decline in TV viewing is apparently connected to the Internet, as younger people like to watch videos that way. Still, the poll shows that more than 80 percent of people in all age groups think having a TV is necessary. NHK surveyed 3,600 people across the country who were 16 years old or older in February and March, and received valid answers from 2,442 of them. | internet;survey;nhk;tvs |
jp0000533 | [
"business"
] | 2015/07/25 | America still rules the world of Japan's theme parks | On July 15, Universal Studios Japan celebrated the first anniversary of its Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction, which lets visitors “experience” flying with the famous boy wizard using 4K-resolution 3-D imagery. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the theme park’s management expected the new ride to increase attendance by 2 million over the subsequent year, but actually, admissions between July 2014 and June 2015 were up by more than 3 million. The number of visitors to the Osaka park in June was 28 percent higher than it was a year earlier. In the past year, 13.5 million people bought tickets to USJ. As impressive as this number is, it hardly compares to last year’s attendance for Tokyo Disney Resort, which incorporates the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks. TDR logged 31.3 million visitors in 2014, an increase of 0.3 percent over the previous year and the third year in a row it has set a new record for attendance. It’s almost certain that 2015’s numbers will set another record since a new attraction based on last year’s hit Disney animation feature, “Frozen,” opened at Tokyo Disneyland in January for a limited time. These two establishments together account for more than half the theme-park admissions in Japan, which would seem to reinforce the notion that Japanese people love American culture, even though USJ, which long ago abandoned its reliance on attractions exclusive to Universal Studios, features a ride based on the popular Japanese anime “Yokai Watch.” The overwhelming popularity of the two parks compared to Japanese equivalents also has something to do with their business models and the way they’ve exploited their appeal to certain demographics. In essence, they don’t really have any competition. The No. 3 theme park in Japan (not counting the Kariya Highway Oasis service area outside Nagoya, which, because it has a ferris wheel, sometimes shows up on these lists), with 5 million admissions last year, was Nagashima Spa Land in Mie Prefecture, which is more of a big hot-spring resort with an amusement park attached than a standalone theme park. Tokyo Disneyland has 39 distinct rides, and Tokyo DisneySea 26. The price of a daily passport for either is ¥6,900 for an adult (less if you enter the park later in the day), and ¥6,000 and ¥4,500 for teens and children, respectively, which is reasonable when you compare it to the price of a passport at one of the Disney-related parks in the U.S. There the one-day ticket price starts at $99 (¥12,300) for anyone over the age of 9. Taking the whole family to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, or the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, is very expensive, but for Americans, going to Disneyland is more or less a once-in-a-lifetime thing. In Japan, theme park success is built as much on repeaters and couples as it is on families, which is why Tokyo Disney Resort also offers a yearly pass for either of its parks for ¥59,000. A combination pass for both parks is ¥86,000. The use of these passes is limited during certain times of the year. USJ started out strong when it opened in 2001 but struggled after that for a number of years as it went through a series of safety-related scandals. The key to its success was that it started adding new attractions regularly after Goldman Sachs invested heavily in the park, and USJ kept its prices affordable enough that whole families, including grandpa and grandma, could go more than once a year. Much has been made of the fact that USJ has raised its prices twice in the last year — it’s now ¥7,200 for an adult — but the increases did not stunt admissions at all. USJ also has yearly passes: ¥19,800 for a limited pass, and ¥28,800 for an unlimited VIP pass. And while USJ’s fortunes were built on local repeaters, it has also seen admissions of people from outside the Kansai area increase steadily over the years, including visitors from overseas, mainly Asia. In the last year, the number of foreign visitors increased by 60 percent. That’s why local management at both theme parks are slightly nervous: Universal Studios will open a new park in Beijing by 2019 and Disney is doing the same in Shanghai. USJ will compete aggressively by launching more new rides in the near future, as well as opening a new hotel, the Park Front, on Aug. 1, whose theme is “Trip ot the USA,” featuring decor that is meant to remind guests of Las Vegas or New York or some other iconic American city. For its part, Oriental Land, the Japanese company that operates TDR, plans to spend ¥5 billion on improvements aimed at attracting more Asian tourists. If competing with other outlets of the same brand sounds counterproductive, it’s no skin off the back of Disney Enterprises. The company takes 7 percent of all revenues at TDR as royalties. USJ is not a listed company, so what portion they pay to Universal Studios is not public record, but it’s probably about the same. In other words, once they license the brand to local endeavors, Disney and Universal practically print money, which is why the U.S. is so keen on pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with its emphasis on licensing and intellectual property rights. American culture still travels well in this part of the world. It just has to adapt. | tokyo;osaka;disney;usj;theme parks |
jp0000535 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/09/05 | Alaska woman steals police car with husband handcuffed on back seat | JUNEAU, ALASKA - An Alaska woman accused of stealing a police car with her husband handcuffed in the back seat faces several charges including theft and hindering prosecution, troopers said Friday. The woman slipped into the patrol car on Wednesday and drove off while a state trooper was engaged with a passing motorist on an unrelated topic, a trooper dispatch report said. Authorities found the car not far from where it was stolen in Big Lake, a lakeside community of 3,500 people about 65 miles (100 km) northwest of Anchorage. The following day, troopers arrested Amber Watford, 28, and Joshua Watford 38, in a home in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Anchorage. Joshua Watford was first arrested in Big Lake on Wednesday for failure to appear at court-ordered, alcohol-related classes from a previous driving under the influence charge, State Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said. Not long after his arrest, Watford’s wife made off with the patrol car, and the couple remained at large for about 30 hours, the trooper report said. No one else was charged in connection with the incident, Peters said. | u.s .;police;alcohol;theft;marriage;alaska |
jp0000536 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/09/05 | Gang split may end with a whimper, not a bang | A detective who specialized in organized crime once told me a dark joke: What type of crime occurs when a member of the yakuza kills another gangster? Answer: destruction of property. The joke perhaps reflects an unwritten premise of law enforcement in Japan: as long as gangs confine their conflict to other gangs, it’s no big deal. However, when the Yamaguchi-gumi — the country’s largest organized crime syndicate, with about 23,400 known members at the end of 2014 if quasi-members are included — split into two factions on Aug. 27, the police were understandably concerned. Would a bloody gang war break out? According to a report by the National Police Agency, when the Yamaguchi-gumi last broke up in 1984, a violent battle erupted that claimed the lives of at least 25 people and resulted in more than 70 injuries. The warfare took place on an epic scale: gun battles erupted on the street, assassinations were carried out and trucks were driven into the houses of rival members. In 1985, Yamaguchi-gumi members were arrested in Hawaii on suspicion of attempting to purchase 100 handguns, five machine-guns and at least one rocket launcher — ostensibly to knock off their rivals. Seventy-three-year-old Yamaguchi-gumi leader Kenichi Shinoda, who is also known as Shinobu Tsukasa, began his criminal career in the Kodo-kai group, which is based in Nagoya. According to the Asahi Shimbun, Shinoda had indicated he wanted to move Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters from Kobe to Nagoya. The Yamaken-gumi, which is based in Kobe, opposed Shinoda’s plan, and 13 affiliate gang leaders in Kansai failed to attend a meeting on Aug. 27, the Asahi Shimbun said. As a result, the affiliated gang leaders who skipped the meeting were expelled Tuesday. The rift appears to be partly historical. In July 1989, Yoshinori Watanabe, who was head of the Yamaken-gumi syndicate, became the supreme leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi group at a ceremony in Kobe. Shinoda inherited the position in 2005 and is believed to have promoted members of his Kodo-kai syndicate to top positions in the Yamaguchi-gumi. The Yamaken-gumi syndicate watched its power dwindle with discontent, and the Kodo-kai syndicate’s loyal treatment of kowtowing factions is believed to be another reason for the split, according to NHK. A mid-level Yamaguchi-gumi member, who refused to be named, told this reporter that the Kodo-kai syndicate had also been singled out because of its belligerence to the police, which had led to tightening laws that restricted the group’s activities. Indeed, the National Police Agency cracked down on the Kodo-kai syndicate in September 2009. The United States, which had sanctioned the Yamaguchi-gumi and its executives in 2012 and 2013, blacklisted the Kodo-kai and its current leader in April this year. Law enforcement agencies in Japan and the U.S. are unlikely to be too unhappy at news of the split. While the National Police Agency warned the break-up could erupt in a bloody war, some are expecting the split may end not with a bang but with a whimper . Atsushi Mizoguchi, Japan’s leading expert on the Yamaguchi-gumi group, told NHK he expected the odd skirmish between syndicates but ruled out a massive war. Gang wars aren’t what they used to be, Mizoguchi says. For one thing, they’re expensive and a syndicate’s usual activities — extortion, blackmail, bid-rigging, etc. — is quickly disrupted. These days, leaders of organized crime syndicates fear of being held accountable for their employees’ activities. In November 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that organized crime syndicates were essentially corporations and, as such, their leaders were liable for any damages that occur as a result of one of their member’s actions. A Yamaguchi-gumi leader was ordered to pay ¥80 million to the family of a police officer who was killed in a gang war. Tadamasa Goto, who led the last unsuccessful rebellion in the Yamaguchi-gumi in 2008 after he was expelled from the group, is perhaps a classic example of why gang leaders prefer not to engage in violent conflict. According to the Asahi Shimbun, several of Goto’s men were convicted for the murder of a real-estate agent. The real-estate agent was killed in 2006 for blocking the sale of a building worth $20 million that Goto’s gang wanted to control and sell at a steep profit. Goto himself was never criminally prosecuted. The family of the deceased, seeking justice in civil court, sued Goto and Shinoda for damages in 2012. Shinoda, who was locked up in solitary confinement in 2006, certainly couldn’t have ordered or condoned the hit. Reaching an out-of-court settlement, Goto apologized to the family of the victim, paid them $1.2 million and then fled to Cambodia. Crime, as the old adage goes, always pays, but sometimes it seems gangsters have to pay a little back for their crimes. At the time, however, it was a valuable lesson: Killing people can cost a lot of money. Organized crime syndicates in modern times are less concerned with honor or loyalty. For them, it all boils down to the bottom-line: money. Warfare brings down heat. If a civilian is killed, the police enact new laws and business dries up. For organized crime syndicates, the worst-case scenario in the wake of the split is that the Diet finally passes a criminal conspiracy law that would allow police officers to make arrests all the way up the food chain, close down gang headquarters and arrest syndicate leaders for all crimes committed by their subordinates, including murder. Nobody wants that, right? There will be no winner in such a war — except, perhaps, the police. The National Police Agency can claim success in reducing the power of the Yamaguchi-gumi group and weakening the Kodo-kai syndicate. If the war isn’t particularly bloody and the involved parties only kill each other, then business will continue as usual. Everyone in the underworld understands that one thing holds true in modern times: Crime does pay, gang wars almost certainly do not. | kobe;yamaguchi-gumi;yakuza;organized crime;nagoya;kodo-kai;yamaken-gumi;kenichi shinoda |
jp0000537 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/09/05 | Accord reached with French Indo-China; Tepco reveals atomic power generation plans; Tokyo civil servants get reusable chopsticks | 100 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Sept. 22 1915 War creates dividends for shipping company The Toyo Kisen Kaisha has to be congratulated on the prosperity of its business brought about by the war. The company, which had long been in straitened financial circumstances, is now able to declare a dividend of 12 percent on new shares and 7 percent on old shares for the first half-year term just closed. The withdrawal of the British and German steamers from the Oriental service consequent upon the war and the subsequent discontinuance of the Oriental line of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. account for the sudden turn for the better. With no rival foreign steamship concern extant, the Toyo Kisen Kaisha has come practically to monopolize the San Francisco line. Mr. Shiraishi, managing director of the company, says the company was able to redeem ¥1.4 million of an ¥8.7 million loan made at the end of the last term, and supposing the favorable business conditions are to continue for some three years or so, the company will be able to clear all of its liabilities, which now stand at ¥7.3 million. 75 YEARS AGO Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1940 Accord reached with French Indo-China Japanese forces entered French Indo-China early today, in accordance with an agreement between the Japanese and French (Vichy) authorities. Although the place of entry was not disclosed, it was presumed to be from Kwangsi Province. Announcement of the agreement came from an Army, Navy joint communique from the Imperial Headquarters and the Foreign Office. It stated: 1. That the Japanese and French governments have concluded an agreement of military importance. 2. That, despite the agreement, a skirmish occurred when the forces entered presumably because of a misunderstanding on the part of the local French Indo-Chinese troops. Although no details of the agreement have been revealed, it is understood the French authorities, as a result of negotiations conducted both here and at Hanoi since some time last month, are to offer facilities for Japanese military operations in Indo-China. 50 YEARS AGO Friday, Sept. 21, 1965 (Supplement published on the occasion of the ninth IAEA Conference, held in Tokyo) Tepco reveals atomic power generation plans The sources of energy used for the generation of electric power in Japan have been progressively switched from hydraulic power to coal and then to heavy oil. The country is now preparing to develop nuclear energy as a new source of energy from the standpoint of economically securing fuel required for steam power generation. The demand made on Tepco is expected to reach 17.89 million kw by 1973. Tepco’s program for nuclear power generation calls for the development of about 2 million kw by 1975. The move is expected to result in the conservation of about 3 million kiloliters of heavy oil, or about one-fifth of the total amount of crude oil needs. Tepco has constantly kept busy making preparations, doing research and conducting other studies since setting up an atomic energy generation section in 1955. A land area of about 2 million sq. meters was acquired for this purpose in November of last year along the coast stretching from Okuma-machi to Futaba-machi of Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. Plans have been made to install the first and second reactors at this point. The enriched uranium light water model is scheduled to be used as the first reactor. The Fukushima Research Center was established last December for the purpose of conducting on-the-spot research. In order to collect enough data needed for ensuring the safety of the atomic power plant and its construction, the center is now busy at work on meteorological observation, geological and oceanographic surveys along with seismographic and subterranean observations — all of which are broad and time-consuming projects. A study is underway to determine the water pumping formula for the cooling system, but a tentative plan calls for the acquisition of water directly from the sea through the construction of breakwaters. A new committee, an advisory organ to the president is headed by Naojiro Tanaka, an executive director. It is in charge of drawing up blueprints for the atomic power plants and for making other arrangements necessary for launching the construction. Another committee was organized this past July, also under the chairmanship of Tanaka, to work on the problem of earthquake-proofing and other technical matters regarding the construction. This committee is made up of academic and engineering experts, both inside and outside the company. Thus busily engaged, Tepco is moving steadily ahead toward its goal. 25 YEARS AGO Saturday, Sept. 15, 1990 Tokyo civil servants to get reusable chopsticks The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will adopt a policy of using plastic chopsticks instead of wooden ones at restaurants inside its new office building in Shinjuku next March, when the high-rise opens. The move is designed to reduce waste and conserve natural resources, a metropolitan government official said. According to the official, over 2,500 pairs of wooden chopsticks are discarded daily at three public restaurants for government employees in the current office building at Marunouchi, Chiyoda Ward. | nuclear power;tepco;toyo kisen kaisha |
jp0000538 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/02 | Sano stands by Olympics logo, denies plagiarism, retracts design 'to protect family, staff' | Kenjiro Sano, whose logo for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was scrapped Tuesday, stood by his design but said he decided to retract the logo because he felt his design did not have the support of the public and was marring the image of the Tokyo Olympics. “I swear my design did not involve copies or plagiarism,” Sano, 43, said in a statement on his website late Tuesday. “Any attempt of suspected copying or plagiarism should never be permitted.” He apologized to artists and other involved parties over some of his works unrelated to the Olympic logo, while blaming some media for giving him a “bad image” and reporting “as if all of my designs were copies.” “I made the decision (to retract the logo) after judging that it is difficult to let this situation continue, to protect my family and staff from persistent attacks and bashing over the ruckus,” Sano said, adding that the privacy of his family has been breached with their pictures exposed online. “I feel the situation has become unbearable as a human being,” the statement said. Sano now will not be paid the ¥1 million prize for winning the design competition. The latest suspicion surfaced over the weekend, when he was alleged to have taken a photo from someone else’s website in materials used in Olympic logo presentations, including one at its launch, apparently without permission. | 2020 tokyo olympics;tokyo olympics emblem;kenjiro sano;logo |
jp0000539 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/02 | Japan no stranger to emblem, logo controversies | Incidents related to official emblems for public institutions and events in Japan, like Tuesday’s retraction of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo, are nothing new. In the case of Expo ’70 held in Osaka, the selection committee chose a design from 48 applications in 1966, but the decision was retracted after objections were raised by the organizer’s board of directors, which said the design was too abstract and did not have popular appeal. The committee launched a competition again to select a new design. In 2011, the Consumer Affairs Agency modified its official logo after a nonprofit organization in the United States claimed that it resembled the group’s registered trademark. The agency changed the number of lines in the logo, as well as the thickness and color of the lines. Recently, an emblem printed on the fire engines of a fire bureau covering the western part of Saitama Prefecture drew controversy, as many pointed out on the Internet that the design depicting the name of the city of Tokorozawa looks similar to the official logo of well-known rock singer Eikichi Yazawa. Fire bureau officials said they did not intend to imitate Yazawa’s logo, characterized by an extended “Z,” adding that they have no plans to change the design. | tokorozawa;eikichi yazawa;logo;expo '70 |
jp0000541 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/20 | Nearly 70% of Japan Inc. unready to safeguard nation's new ID numbers | Most of the nation’s companies are struggling to find a way to securely store My Number — the new 12-digit social security key that will be used to access everyone’s income tax and bank account information starting next year. The search for security is making life especially difficult for small and midsize firms, which account for about 99 percent of all companies in Japan. “It’s a great burden on us,” said Masanori Okamura of ICT-Leasing, Inc., a Tokyo aviation firm with 15 employees. “We are collecting information about how to accommodate the My Number system, like how to store data safely,” said Okamura, who started studying it late last month. According to a survey by the nonprofit Japan Institute for Promotion of Digital Economy and Community, nearly 70 percent of the 3,386 firms who responded to the March to May survey had not begun preparing for My Number’s debut. This was especially true at small and midsize firms outside Tokyo. Proponents of My Number hope the system will speed up Japan’s notoriously slow administrative customs with a comprehensive, streamlined ID system. But most companies say it will only generate more work. My Number “will not benefit most companies” in light of the time and energy needed to prepare for it, said Masami Komatsu, a senior manager in the ID Business Promotion Division of computer maker NEC Corp., which is holding seminars to teach companies about My Number. State guidelines stipulate that all employers must designate a special area for handling the sensitive ID numbers and restrict access to it. They also must eliminate any data related to them completely after a certain period of time once it becomes unnecessary, and maintain an access log to record who accessed which employee’s information, when, and for what purpose. If personal data containing the ID numbers is leaked, the leaker will face up to four years in prison or a ¥2 million fine — about twice the penalty for leaks of other personal information. Given this burden, it will be easier for companies to store the ID numbers digitally, rather than on paper, Komatsu said. “What’s not good about paper is anyone can instantly take a photo with their smartphone and share it online, without even leaving a record,” Komatsu said. “But if stored electronically, access to personal information can be restricted and recorded in a log automatically so it’s easier to detect and prevent unauthorized access.” But storing data electronically may put personal information at risk of being stolen by hackers. In June, the hacking of the Japan Pension Service resulted in the public release of 1.25 million people’s pension data. While this caused a delay in Diet deliberations on the new ID system, the My Number bills cleared the Diet in early September anyway. In addition to installing a security system, companies will need to raise employee awareness and hammer out new regulations to ensure the data won’t get into the hands of strangers, Komatsu said. “My Number isn’t just something that involves only a certain department within a company. It’s something that involves the entire company” he said. | security;my number;cyberattack;companies |
jp0000542 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/27 | Will bureaucrats stymie Kyoto's bid to lure central government bodies out of Tokyo? | KYOTO - Every decade or so, it seems talk arises in Japan about relocating the functions of the central government outside the capital. The reasons given are economic (it’s cheaper outside Tokyo and hosting a government agency will improve the local economy), cultural (Japan is too Tokyo-centric and relocations will revitalize local culture), and logistical (given all the earthquakes and constant warnings about the ‘Big One’ in Tokyo, doesn’t it make sense to decentralize before it’s too late?). The result has usually been a brief period of intense discussion, often accompanied by architectural plans for a gleaming new Diet building or ministry headquarters in the middle of some prefecture you’ve never heard of, followed by platitude-laden speeches from politicians about the need to get the bureaucrats out of Tokyo. The discussion then ends in silence, as bureaucratic opposition and political indifference lead to inertia. But with Kyoto’s current attempts to lure the Cultural Affairs Agency and seven other public organs to the area, this time might be different. Last month, prefectural and city officials from Kyoto, as well as the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, all backed a formal, detailed proposal that would see Japan’s ancient capital host the modern government organs that manage Japan’s cultural heritage. The proposal’s centerpiece is the agency, which would move from Tokyo to Kyoto. Other Tokyo-based bodies it is interested in hosting include the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, the National Museum of Art, the Japan Arts Council and the Japan National Tourism Organization. In addition, Kyoto Prefecture is proposing that parts of three scientific research institutes, including the National Institute for Radiological Sciences (based in Chiba), the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Tokyo), and Riken (Saitama), be relocated to the Kansai Science City area in the southern part of the prefecture. “If the Cultural Affairs Agency is relocated to Kyoto, it can create a new relationship between history and culture,” Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Sadakazu Tanigaki, who represents a district in Kyoto Prefecture, told local media earlier this month. Kyoto’s efforts to lure the agency are long-standing but part of a larger, more recent effort by Tokyo to revitalize rural economies by relocating these bodies to other prefectures. On Sept. 1, regional revitalization minister Shigeru Ishiba, viewed as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s strongest interparty rival, announced 42 of the 47 prefectures had submitted proposals to host 69 such organs. A panel will be set up to examine the plans, with a final decision expected by April. Despite political backing from both Tanigaki and Ishiba on the Cultural Affairs Agency’s shift to Kyoto, bureaucratic opposition remains. Many in the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, which oversees the agency, fear the move will cause communication problems with lawmakers and other ministries. In Kyoto’s plan, it’s assumed agency bureaucrats will need to make about 20 annual trips to Tokyo to give Diet testimony. As the land being offered is next to Kyoto Station and Tokyo is only about two hours away, the prefecture says, any inconvenience is limited. “Bureaucrats will offer 2,000 reasons why relocation is not possible. The government needs to demonstrate whether or not it’s really serious,” Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada, who heads the national governors’ association, told the group at a recent meeting. Will Kyoto or any of the other prefectures seeking to host central government bodies succeed? Or will Tokyo’s bureaucrats again defeat the latest effort to oust them? Kyoto’s plans for the cultural agency are more advanced and have more prominent support than many of the other plans submitted. But paralysis by analysis is a sport Tokyo bureaucrats are particularly adept at, and it would not be a surprise if, come next spring, it’s announced that “further study” is needed on moving central government functions outside Tokyo. | kyoto;government;cultural affairs agency |
jp0000543 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/09/27 | For Hashimoto, much at stake in name of new national party | OSAKA - What’s in a name? If you’re Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and trying to form a new national party that will represent the region but could also become a powerful political player on issues of interest to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pretty much everything. On Oct. 1, Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) co-founders Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui, along with some 20 to 25 of the party’s Diet members, are expected to launch a new national party. The move effectively splits Ishin, with 51 members at present, between the Osaka faction loyal to Hashimoto and Matsui, and the faction led by Lower House lawmaker Yorihisa Matsuno. Who will join Hashimoto, stick with Matsuno, or leave for another party has been the subject of intense speculation in and out of Osaka in the past few weeks. At the moment, roughly two dozen Diet members have signaled they will follow Hashimoto. Another 22 originally joined Ishin as allies of Matsuno, a former member of the Democratic Party of Japan, while another 10 had joined as followers Kenji Eda, who led the small party Yui no To. But the real question is what will happen to the dozen or so other members who don’t have strong loyalties to either faction. Their final decision is likely to rest not on the policies Hashimoto’s new party espouses, but on what it names itself. The clear front-runner and most likely choice is “Osaka Ishin no To,” with Osaka spelled in hiragana. “I’m partial to ‘Osaka Ishin no To.’ We’re going to use ‘Osaka’ as a word symbolic of changing politics from the local level,” Hashimoto told supporters at an event earlier this month. The only problem with that plan is that many other Ishin Diet members, as well as local politicians and political groups around Kansai allied with Hashimoto, do not want to see another new party called Osaka Ishin. Instead, they are hoping for a name that will reflect the region in a broader sense. Ishin no To Diet members from other Kansai cities recently met in Osaka to express those concerns to Hashimoto, but he remained firm in his choice. At present, Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) is the name of Hashimoto’s local party. “If they don’t like the name ‘Osaka,’ they don’t have to join the new party,” Hashimoto said. But Ishin Diet members not in “Hashimoto’s Dozen,” the nearly 12 lawmakers from Osaka, aren’t the only politicians concerned with names. Over the past few years, Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga have strengthened their ties with Hashimoto and Matsui, who belonged to Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party before linking up with Hashimoto. Any new national party led by Hashimoto and Matsui will find itself being courted by Abe on issues ranging from educational reform to constitutional revision. This is especially likely if Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, takes big losses in next July’s Upper House election due to lingering resentment from its support base — Soka Gakkai, Japan’s biggest lay Buddhist group — over the security legislation the ruling bloc rammed through the Diet earlier this month. “Abe understands how important promoting the integration of Osaka is to Hashimoto, but there are also concerns about whether an ‘Osaka Ishin no To’ would end up with enough winners in the Upper House election to make it a useful party to the LDP,” said one Hashimoto adviser who asked not to be named. Even if “Osaka Ishin no To” is not the final choice, it’s clear the new party will not be called anything that sounds infantile, unnatural or silly when translated, or anything that makes headline writers at English-language news outlets groan or grin. Hashimoto is not the type to sign off on a name like Smile Party, People’s Lives First Party or Rise Up, Japan! Yet the name could also turn into unwanted baggage if Osaka Ishin-backed candidates lose in a Nov. 22 double election for the Osaka governor and mayor. Such a loss would make an “Osaka Ishin no To” or even a “Kansai Ishin no To” a poor tool for recruiting candidates for the Upper House election. “If we are defeated in either election (by a candidate from one of the established parties), we won’t be able to make a plan for integrating Osaka,” Matsui told reporters a couple of weeks ago. That, in turn, would raise serious questions about whether either Hashimoto or Matsui could draw enough followers to a new party that states its primary goal at the national level is to integrate a city where political power is now in the hands of an anti-Hashimoto, anti-Osaka Ishin mayor. As for a potential “Kansai Ishin no To,” even something like that could now have trouble drawing ambitious politicians who share Hashimoto’s goals for the region. In a clear bid to win back regional voters who gravitated toward Hashimoto because of his efforts to revive the local economy, Toshihiro Nikai, the LDP’s powerful general council chairman, recently unveiled plans to form a “Kinki Mega Region.” Nikai’s plan centers around bringing about two rail projects near and dear to Kansai business leaders and bigwigs: extension of the magnetically levitated shinkansen line (now under construction) from Nagoya to Osaka, and of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line to Osaka via Kyoto or another route. As a former transport and economy and trade minister, a Diet veteran like Nikai has the connections and experience needed to make such projects happen. Hashimoto dismissed Nikai’s plan as a purely political ploy, saying that what’s been announced so far is vague enough to fit on a sheet of paper. But if Abe is no longer prime minister during the Upper House poll, Hashimoto, even if he runs and wins, could find that voters elsewhere in Kansai prefer an LDP candidate over one of his own because they think Nikai’s plan is more politically realistic than Hashimoto’s, regardless of what his new party’s manifesto might promise — or what its name turns out to be. | shinzo abe;toru hashimoto;osaka;ldp;ichiro matsui;ishin no to |
jp0000544 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/09/29 | Dating apps fire back at billboards linking them STD spread | LOS ANGELES - An AIDS health care group is defending an ad campaign in Los Angeles that links popular dating apps with the spread of sexual transmitted diseases. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation targets Tinder, a location-based dating app, and Grindr, a similar site for gay men, in billboards and bus benches that are aimed at reminding users about the risks of casual sex and offering free STD tests. “In many ways, location-based mobile dating apps are becoming a digital bathhouse for millennials wherein the next sexual encounter can literally just be a few feet away — as well as the next STD,” Whitney Engeran-Cordova, senior public health director for the foundation, said in a statement. Billboards show a silhouette of a man labeled “Tinder” face-to-face with a woman’s silhouette labeled “chlamydia.” A silhouette of a man labeled “Grindr” faces a male silhouette labeled “gonorrhea.” Reaction from the dating apps was swift. Within two hours of the first billboard going up, Grindr pulled commercials that the foundation pays for on the dating site to promote free STD testing, the foundation said. In less than 24 hours, Tinder sent a cease and desist letter claiming the campaign falsely associates the dating app with the spread of venereal diseases. “These unprovoked and wholly unsubstantiated accusations are made to irreparably damage Tinder’s reputation in an attempt to encourage others to take an HIV test offered by your organization,” a lawyer for Tinder wrote. The foundation sent a letter to Tinder denying that it disparaged the company and saying it would not remove the reference to the app. The campaign is intended to draw attention to rising STD rates that the foundation said coincides with the popularity of the sites that make hook-ups easier, said Michael Weinstein, the foundation’s president. “It’s logical, if you can be hooked up with someone in an urban area within minutes,” he said, “of course you’re going to have more STDs.” Email messages sent to Tinder and Grindr for comment were not immediately returned. The signs are currently on a dozen billboards in Los Angeles and 45 bus benches, Weinstein said. The Los Angeles-based foundation, which provides health care to HIV and AIDS patients and free sexual disease testing, plans to also put them up in New York City, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | u.s .;internet;sexuality;diseases;offbeat |
jp0000545 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/09/29 | U.S.-Japan environmental agreement on U.S. bases flawed, experts say | A newly signed agreement between Tokyo and Washington allowing Japanese officials access to U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys has flaws, experts said, questioning its effectiveness due to vague wording in the bilateral documents. The accord, signed between Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Monday in Washington, supplements the existing Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement governing the use of U.S. bases in Japan. Hiromori Maedomari, a professor at Okinawa International University who has authored a number of books on the SOFA, said Tuesday the accord was only half a step forward. Maedomari noted the wording in the accord did not guarantee Japanese officials access to U.S. military facilities to conduct surveys in case of environmental incidents. A document stipulating procedures for access to the U.S. military bases says the Japanese government or local municipalities “may request” permission from the U.S. side to conduct surveys. The document goes on to say the U.S. will “give all due consideration to the request” and “respond as promptly as practicable.” It adds the Japanese side “may also request to take samples” in relation to on-the-spot surveys. “If the U.S. did not accept the request, it would be impossible for the Japanese side to carry out the survey,” Maedomari said. “It’s totally up to the U.S. side whether the request would be accepted,” which would make the situation no different to before the new agreement. Maedomari, a former chief editorial writer for the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper in Okinawa, said there were cases in Okinawa where it took a long time for local municipalities to be allowed to enter the U.S. military facilities for surveys when accidents occurred. In a 2013 U.S. military helicopter crash near a dam in Camp Hansen in Ginoza, local officials, who suspected environmental contamination, received samples half a year later and entered the area one year after they submitted their requests. Masami Kawamura, director of Citizens’ Network for Biodiversity in Okinawa, has been leading efforts to ensure Tokyo and Washington are more transparent about the environmental impact of U.S. bases on Okinawa Island. “The new pact has been described as a way to reduce Okinawa’s military burden but it will do nothing to solve environmental problems. The wording is vague and it still gives the U.S. strong discretionary powers. USFJ (U.S. Forces Japan) and Tokyo ought to prioritize the rights of the people affected by contamination,” she said. Professor Maedomari said the pact wouldn’t contribute to reducing the base-hosting burden unless it was actually proven to work. “Unfortunately, empty promises won’t lead to easing those burdens,” he said. To give teeth to the agreement, Maedomari stressed that provisions placing obligation on the U.S. were necessary. “Without provisions requiring the U.S. side to comply with the request promptly, the pact won’t have effectiveness,” Maedomari said. He also suggested establishing a punitive clause for the U.S. side in the event that it caused a serious environmental spill. It is important for Japan to establish measures now to prevent environmental issues, Maedomari said. The Japanese government should demand that the U.S. “disclose information or report in advance regarding the use of military facilities and its assets that could pose a danger to the environment,” he noted, adding that such a clause was lacking in the agreement. Regarding the timing of environmental surveys for land expected to be returned to Japan, which was stipulated as “no more than 150 working days prior to the return date,” Maedomari said such surveys should be carried out immediately after Tokyo and Washington agreed on a return. As it stood, the time frame was too short for the local government to address the environmental issues and to come up with plans for its use, Maedomari said. Freelance journalist Jon Mitchell contributed to this report | okinawa;fumio kishida;u.s. military bases;sofa;u.s.-japan relations |
jp0000546 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/09/29 | Japan, U.S. sign new environment pact allowing municipal checks at U.S. military bases | WASHINGTON - Japan and the United States on Monday signed a new pact allowing local officials to enter U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys. Under the accord, the U.S. can also give permission for Japan to conduct soil and other relevant surveys about seven months prior to the expected return to Japanese control of land used for U.S. bases. The agreement was signed between Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter when they met Monday during Kishida’s five-day trip to the U.S. that started in Washington. It is the first time a pact of this kind, which supplements the existing Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement governing the use of U.S. bases in Japan, has been drawn up, a senior Foreign Ministry official said. The agreement came into effect immediately. Kishida said at the signing ceremony that the environmental pact “has great significance and will enhance local communities’ trust” in the management of U.S. military bases in Japan. “We are mindful about being good neighbors, which includes realigning our bases and being aware of any concerns that local communities might have about our operations,” Carter said. The agreement “represents a big step forward in our alliance,” he added. The preexisting SOFA had no clause allowing municipalities to conduct environmental surveys on the bases, thereby requiring prefectural and municipal officials to obtain U.S. permission to enter facilities. The new deal, which covers all municipalities hosting U.S. bases in Japan, is part of what the central government sees as measures to ease the base-hosting burden of these municipalities, particularly in Okinawa Prefecture. The government is hoping that taking such a step will help move forward a controversial plan, being pushed by the central government and U.S., for the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to relocate within Okinawa, Japanese officials said. The relocation plan remains a source of tension between the central and local governments, with local authorities and communities in Okinawa demanding that the base be moved outside of the southern island prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military forces in Japan. Okinawa and other base-hosting prefectures have long been asking for such environmental surveys, fearing possible pollution and requesting that surveys be carried out long before land is returned so that they can plan ahead for how to use it, the officials said. But whether the new accord will satisfy Okinawa and other communities hosting U.S. bases remains to be seen amid their demands that environmental surveys be carried out three years before the return of land. Last October, Japan and the U.S. reached a “substantial agreement” on the pact but details as to the extent to which Japan would be ensured the right of access to U.S. facilities were not decided. The new agreement addresses the establishment and maintenance of procedures for Japanese authorities to have appropriate access to U.S. facilities and areas in two cases. One is when an environmental or spill incident occurs within a base, while the other is when field surveys, including cultural asset surveys, are needed for land expected to be returned to Japanese control. When an incident occurs, Japan can request on-site inspections and ask for samples of soil and water believed to be contaminated. The U.S. will then promptly respond to the request under the deal. The new pact also says the Japanese and U.S. governments will share available and appropriate information, and that the U.S. will continue to abide by the Japan Environmental Governing Standards. Conducting environmental surveys for land expected to be returned can also be done earlier than the time frame of 150 days, should Tokyo and Washington reach a separate agreement, the ministry official said. Japan and the U.S. decided to drop a section under which Japan would pay for the costs of environmental protection projects, as agreed last October, the official said. | fumio kishida;u.s. bases;environment;sofa;ash carter |
jp0000547 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/09/28 | Home-sharing services on the rise in Japan as owners cash in on tourist boom | For foreign tourists to Japan, staying at traditional ryokan inns is a popular way to enjoy their trips, but home-sharing services are growing as an alternative form of accommodation. Legally speaking, some home-sharing services fall in a gray zone because existing accommodation rules were drafted before such services began on the Internet. Following are questions and answers about home-sharing services in Japan. What has prompted the rise in home-sharing services in Japan? The rising popularity can be traced to the fast-growing U.S.-based agency Airbnb Inc., which mediates between “hosts” offering to share their homes and “guests” seeking to stay in them. Founded in 2008, Airbnb provides its services from its website, which has about 50 million users and lists 1.5 million homes in more than 190 countries. In Japan, 16,000 homes — a threefold increase on last year — are registered with the service, the firm said, while the number of foreign tourists who used the service in Japan shot up fivefold in the same period. Tokyo-based venture minma Inc. launched a similar site called Roomstay in April, while another, Tomarina, is run by Tokyo-based Tomareru Inc. The growing demand for home-sharing may be attributable to the rapid increase in inbound tourists, as many users who book stays via Airbnb are foreign travelers, according to the company. In 2013, the number of foreign tourists exceeded 10 million for the first time and is still growing. The country is expected to see about 19 million visitors this year. What advantages are there in home-sharing? By staying at local homes, “travelers can enjoy real local experiences as if they were living there,” instead of the perspective travelers have when staying in hotels, Airbnb said in an email. Hosts can benefit by offering vacant rooms for profit. Airbnb’s global research shows that 70 percent of homes registered on its site are located outside hotel-concentrated areas. Thus the economic effects of tourism can be distributed over wider regions, the company said. How does home-sharing fall in a legal gray area? The Inns and Hotels Act states that those who accommodate guests for a fee on a regular basis must obtain permission from their local government. Those violating the law can face a maximum ¥30,000 fine or up to six months in prison. In fact, a British male who failed to receive such permission was reportedly arrested in May for earning profits from people who stayed at his home. Media reports said authorities had warned him many times. In that sense, people who register their homes to matching websites, including Airbnb, could be operating such services illegally if they don’t have permission from authorities. Airbnb said it asks people who seek to become hosts to follow local regulations. Asked if the firm checks to ascertain if its listed hosts have legal permission to operate, Airbnb would only say it asks them to follow the rules. Meanwhile, Hideyoshi Koyanagi, a spokesperson at Tomareru, said Tomarina made sure that hosts had permission. Tomarina has about 500 listed homes, mainly in country areas and catering mostly to Japanese customers, he said. Koyanagi added that the current situation was unfair, as some other service operators seemed to not apply the same diligence. He said the government should publicly announce whether or not it intends to crack down on people sharing rooms illegally. An official at the health ministry, which oversees the Inns and Hotels Act, said even though some people registered with home-sharing services may be violating the law, it is a hard issue to investigate. This is because operators of such services are only middlemen that are not regulated by the Act, so authorities cannot directly ask those service operators to give out information on who is listing their homes, the official said. What downsides are there to home-sharing? The All Japan Ryokan Hotel Association, which has 16,000 registered members in Japan, said home-sharing can be risky to travelers because safety and security are not backed by law. Masato Kiyosawa, executive director of the association, said that to accommodate visitors, hotels need to clear various requirements, including sanitary conditions and disaster prevention preparation. For example, hotels must have a front desk and rooms must have fire-proof curtains. It is doubtful all of those who share their dwellings through home-sharing websites have cleared such standards, he said. In addition, authorized hotels must make guest lists and copy visitor passport numbers. This helps authorities keep track of who stayed where in the event, for example, that tourists have an infectious disease or are a terrorist threat. It is also unclear whether people who profit from sharing their homes are paying taxes properly. Troubles can also arise between hosts and guests, who are unknown to each other. Yet Airbnb said guests can check detailed profiles about hosts and their places and other people’s reviews before booking, while hosts can also do the same, which improves safety and security. Is the government planning changes to home-sharing regulations? The central government has only just begun looking into the home-sharing situation in Japan, so it is unlikely regulations will be relaxed anytime soon. But even government officials see home-sharing as a viable alternative to address the growing need for accommodations as concerns grow over a lack of hotels amid the explosive growth in inbound tourism. For their part, home-sharing services hope the rules will be changed to fit the new way of traveling. “We ask our hosts to follow the laws and regulations if they want to register their homes, but it is unclear whether the existing rules apply to those who share their places only occasionally” rather than regularly, said Airbnb. “We’d like to communicate (with the authorities) to make rules that reflect the trend of home-sharing and is simple for the general public to understand.” In some countries and cities, including France, Portugal, London, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, rules have already been changed to adapt to the growing trend of home-sharing. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Paralympics Committee has chosen Airbnb as an Official Alternative Accommodation Service. | tourism;airbnb;home-sharing;accommodation;tomarina |
jp0000548 | [
"national",
"science-health"
] | 2015/09/19 | How grandma drives human evolution | Speak to professionals from various disciplines and you will notice something funny: Even when they are off duty, they tend to view the world through the lens of their professional background. For example, a psychiatrist at a dinner party might pause to think a bit about the possible neuroses of the guests. A police officer might scrutinize an ordinary scene — and the people present — for any sign of illegal activity. It’s not that they will do anything about it or even speak their mind, but I bet that’s what goes on in their heads — it’s the same with evolutionary biologists. A dinner party is a rich source of observations of animal behavior and a biologist automatically categorizes human activity according to what we’ve learned from animals. Try it next time you’re at a party or in a bar. One of the most obvious behaviors shown by men is what biologists call “mate-guarding.” This occurs when a man (or a male of any species) has reason to believe their mate may attract the attention of a rival. Females have many reasons why they might actually want to interact with other males but, for now, let’s consider the male point of view. Men have various tactics for discouraging the attention of other men. You might see a man standing close to his partner, his arms folded in order to display his muscles. Sometimes you’ll see men staring down potential rivals who approach, or drawing their mate away from areas where single men are clustering. In this way, the man is attempting to enforce a buffer zone around the woman to prevent her from interacting with other men. Until recently, the evolutionary explanation for this behavior has been straightforward: Once you’ve gone to the effort of attracting and securing a mate, you don’t want some other male to come along and steal her. This guarding happens in various ways in animals as diverse as dung flies, dogs, birds and humans. Now, however, it seems there is a more nuanced explanation. Kristen Hawkes at the University of Utah developed an idea that grandmothers help increase our life span by helping women have their next babies sooner. The reasoning — borne out by computer simulations — is that a grandmother helps feed the offspring and this frees up women to get pregnant again. This then leads to an evolutionary increase in life span, since long-lived grandmothers can help feed more grandchildren. OK, you ask, but how does this lead to mate-guarding? The answer is simple: As life span increases, you get a surplus of older men. This leads to stronger competition for young, fertile women. And it means men have to guard their mates more closely. “This male bias in sex ratio in the mating ages makes mate-guarding a better strategy for males than trying to seek an additional mate, because there are too many other guys in the competition,” Hawkes says. “The more males there are, the more their average reproductive success goes down.” Hawkes says that this is also the reason that humans form pair bonds, when our closest relatives, chimpanzees, don’t. “Human pair bonds have the characteristic of male proprietary claims on females,” she says. That’s not all. Hawkes says that when women started having babies closer together, the mother naturally became less committed to each new infant. “Where before infants had mom’s full commitment as a birthright, now infants (that are) better at actively engaging their mothers and grandmothers were much more likely to survive,” she says. This means there was natural selection on infants to become sensitive to their social environment, to become more willing to interact and more responsive. So when grandmothers started helping raise their own grandchildren, the argument goes, certain key human traits — including longer life span and pair bonding but even increased brain size, cooperation and empathy — started to evolve, too. It’s certainly an ambitious idea. “We’d hypothesize all that follows from ancestral grandmothering,” Hawkes says. The new study that has led Hawkes to this conclusion is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Hawkes and her team ran computer simulations of human evolution with and without grandmothering. The simulations showed that societies gradually became male-dominated. This is not the case in real-life populations of chimps, which have more fertile females than fertile males. The authors say the excess of older males competing for mates is a likely source of men’s preference for young women. “This is different than what you see in chimpanzees, where males prefer older females,” Hawkes says. As the “grandmother factor” kicked in, human longevity increased. That leads to lots more old guys. “So you have an increasing number of males in the paternity competition, and the only way you can become a father is with a fertile female, which means younger females,” Hawkes says. “So males who had preference for younger females were more likely to leave descendants.” The idea of the grandmother effect originated from observations of the Hazda people in Tanzania. I saw these people myself once on an unforgettable trip to Africa. They are hunter-gatherers, living without livestock and without farming, living an extremely basic life similar to the one Western societies lived some 100,000 years ago. Anthropologists noticed that in Hazda society, the older women dug tubers and fed the young in the group. Infants and young children aren’t strong enough to dig their own tubers. “Human infants — blobs that they are — are nevertheless remarkably socially precocious,” Hawkes says. Grandmothers are incredibly helpful — I can testify firsthand to that — and it’s fascinating to think that they might have had such an influence on our evolution. | evolution;behavior;mating;grandmothers |
jp0000549 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/09/19 | Government's affinity to the universe, religion | Supposing we think of the universe this way: there is Heaven and there is Earth; nothing else — no other worlds, no gods. “Heaven” is roughly analogous to what we moderns call “Nature.” Heaven’s laws, however, unlike Nature’s, are moral, not physical. Two substances pervade this universe: ki and ri . Ki, roughly, is matter and energy fused. Ri, equally roughly, is “principle.” Every material thing in the universe is composed of ki; every phenomenon is governed by ri. Modern education doesn’t prepare us for this kind of thinking, but in 17th- and 18th-century Japan, as in China for thousands of years until very recent times, it came more or less naturally. The corollary is that according to Confucian philosophy — for that is what we’re dealing with — good government is government in harmony with the universe. Misrule is not. Misrule riles Heaven. Airy stuff — but the intellectual discord it sparked shook premodern Japan and reverberated deep into the 20th century. The fall of the shoguns in the 1860s, the descent into war in the 1930s — we’re peering into the cauldron of generation. Those who stirred it little knew what they brewed. The three representative philosophers of the time are Arai Hakuseki (1657-1725), Ogyu Sorai (1666-1728) and Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) — Hakuseki the fundamentalist, Sorai the rebel, Motoori the unwitting revolutionary. “This year,” wrote Hakuseki in 1708, “draws to a close with no end of heavenly portents and natural calamities.” A natural calamity was a heavenly portent — of heavenly ki out of whack; of the ruler’s moral unfitness. If the ruler is good, the people are good and happy; evil and unhappiness among the people prove the ruler’s depravity even without natural calamities such as the eruption of Mount Fuji in 1707, or the drought that in December 1708 was parching Edo (present-day Tokyo) — more than parching it; Edo was a metropolis built of wood; the risk of fire was terrifying. The shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, could not but be implicated. Just and wise government does not “disturb ki” — volcanoes do not erupt; rain falls as needed. Tsunayoshi died on Feb. 19, 1709. “That day,” Hakuseki noted with satisfaction, “it rained toward nightfall.” Hakuseki, rising in influence under Tsunayoshi’s successor, Ienobu, steered Japan into a reign of “rites and music.” Why did natural calamities abound? Why had both Tsunayoshi and his predecessor failed to produce heirs? Because, said Hakuseki, “at present rites and music are not properly practiced, and there are places where the ki of Heaven and Earth is disturbed.” The reforms that followed, of official dress, official ceremonies and the music performed on official occasions, strike us as shockingly pettifogging, but thinking was different then, and Hakuseki’s aim was as high as the cosmos. Suitable rites and music, he taught, would rectify the government. Rectified government would purify the morals of the lower orders. “The ki of Heaven and Earth” would be appeased. And Heaven once more would smile on Japan. Nonsense, fumed Sorai. Sorai never acquired the political clout Hakuseki wielded, but Hakuseki himself soon fell from grace, Ienobu dying in 1712 and subsequent shoguns proving less amenable to Hakuseki’s brand of Confucianism. Sorai made his mark more as a teacher than as a government counselor — but it was a very deep mark indeed. What he did in effect was detach government from “Heaven.” The Way of Confucius was inherent not, as Hakuseki supposed, in the cosmos but in the human heart. Confucius himself had said so 2,000 years earlier, as Hakuseki would have known had he not been distracted by the neo-Confucianism originating in 12th-century China, an altogether more abstract — more “cosmic” — line of thought. What Sorai urged, in effect, was a movement back to Confucius. And he urged the study of poetry — ancient Chinese poetry primarily, but Japanese poetry, too, for “these poems are the ones to which people of ancient times responded with joy and sorrow.” Moral principles are drawn not from the cosmos but from human “joy and sorrow.” The poets knew that better than anyone, and knew better than anyone how to express it. “Abstract theories are irrelevant here,” said Sorai in a sly dig at Hakuseki. Was not the “Book of Odes” (or songs, or poems) one of the ancient Confucian classics? Of course it was. Why, then, had Hakuseki neglected it? Norinaga, the third actor in our little drama, born two years after Sorai’s death, rose to prominence in the 1760s as a disciple of Sorai’s. He, too, revered poetry; he, too, respected human feeling above all else — far above all else. His famous concept of mono no aware (the pathos of things) seems at first blush a variation on Sorai’s ninjo (human emotions). Perhaps it was at first, but Norinaga went to extremes Sorai would not have contemplated. He was led at last to renounce Confucianism altogether in favor of an ecstatic nativism whose role, two generations after his death, in the overthrow of the shoguns in favor of the divine Emperor would no doubt have pleased him — but what would he have thought of the strutting militarists of the 1930s, many of whom strutted with his name and his poetry on their lips and in their hearts? It’s hard to know what to make of Norinaga. He seems beautiful and repulsive at the same time. He wrote, “If we constantly devote ourselves to the way of poetry … our hearts will naturally become polished and gentle. … We will be captivated by the flowers and birds, and our eyes will be delighted by the moon and the snow.” He also wrote, “Our august country is the august country of the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. It is the beautiful and magnificent august country superior to all other countries. … In foreign countries, though, there is no correct transmission of the age of the gods. … Instead they … believe that everything is established through reason. This is very foolish.” | religion;politics;motoori norinaga;government;arai hakuseki;ogyu sorai |
jp0000550 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/09/26 | Inevitable looming consumption tax hike keeps the LDP awake at night | A funny thing happened on the way to the consumption tax hike. The government, it appears, has lost its nerve. Several years ago when the Liberal Democratic Party, with the urging of the Finance Ministry, adopted the previous ruling party’s plan to increase the tax from 5 to 10 percent in two stages, it sounded like both a no-brainer and an inevitability. At the time, the resurgent LDP launched the easy-money policy known as “Abenomics,” and for a while the economy picked up, so it wasn’t difficult to convince the electorate that the tax hike was for its own good. However, when consumption sank after the first phase of the hike went into effect in April 2014, the government balked and postponed the second phase from October 2015 to April 2017. More significantly, the LDP’s coalition partner, Komeito, promised its supporters during last year’s Lower House elections that it would exempt food and beverages from the next phase. So the LDP is in a tough spot. On one side, it is watching its public support dwindle due to various policies, including the tax hike, that people don’t like and, on the other side, it’s got the Finance Ministry, which says it isn’t going to budge on the final move to 10 percent. As a result, the Finance Ministry has come up with a refund plan for lower-income consumers that no one seems satisfied with. But maybe that’s the point. On a recent installment of the Bunka Hoso radio program “Golden Radio,” economist Takuro Morinaga explained how the government has proposed that these low-income consumers use the upcoming My Number system to register at point-of-purchase (POP) locations for consumption tax refunds of food and nonalcoholic beverages. The groundwork for the introduction of the My Number system starts next month, with every Japanese resident receiving an identification number for tax and social security purposes. In January, everyone receives a card with the number recorded on an IC chip, although at this stage it’s optional. When the second tax hike goes into effect in April 2017, consumers who make less than a certain amount of money can use the cards at retailers to register for the tax refunds. As Morinaga pointed out, almost nobody thinks this system will work, and he himself predicts it will be “impossible” to carry out. First of all, the cost and trouble of setting up the system will be prohibitive: Retailers will have to install POP devices to read the cards. Then there’s the inconvenience: The consumer does not receive the refund at the POP, but only registers it and then must apply for the refund separately at a later date. And even then, they can only receive a maximum refund of ¥4,000 a year (which may be increased to ¥5,000, according to at least one report) regardless of how much food and drink they bought in that period of time. Then there are miscellaneous problems that haven’t been addressed yet: What about vending machine sales? What sorts of measures should be put in place to prevent criminals from stealing people’s numbers and using them for their own benefit? There are several theories for why this unwieldy solution has been proposed. One says that the My Number system has already proven to be unpopular — according to a Cabinet survey, only 24 percent of the people will opt to receive cards, a portion that may increase if people think they can use them for refunds. But as Morinaga points out, the inconvenience factor may overshadow whatever monetary advantages the system offers. In fact, he thinks the Finance Ministry made the system purposely inconvenient so that people wouldn’t use it. It’s more trouble than it’s worth, and since the ministry wants as much of the ¥1.32 trillion a year it projects it can collect after the tax rises to 10 percent, it is making it as difficult as possible for people to request refunds. It’s a classic “top-down” plan that’s typical of the Japanese bureaucracy, in which people at the bottom have to make an effort to go to the people at the top to get what’s rightfully theirs. After all, if the Finance Ministry is only going to return ¥4,000 a year, why not just give poor people ¥4,000 a year outright and forget about the My Number system? The LDP may have agreed to the plan just to buy time. The next Upper House election is scheduled for July, and there’s a feeling that if the party is desperate, it may postpone the consumption tax hike yet again in order to gain instant support from the electorate, even though the Finance Ministry would never countenance such a change. But the argument over exempting food from the consumption tax hike is a smokescreen. True, the lower your income, the more regressive it is as a tax, but the main problem with Japan is that consumers here are already paying indirect taxes to protect food producers even before the consumption tax is added at the cashier. As researcher Kazuhito Yamashita outlined in a Sept. 15 article in Asahi Shimbun’s web magazine Webronza, the stated reason for the ministry’s reduced tax plan for necessary foods is to “ease the painful tax feeling” for those people who feel that pain acutely, meaning the poor. In order to maintain artificially high prices for Japanese wheat, the government levies a 100 percent tariff on imported wheat. The government also has a complex and ever-changing subsidy system for rice farmers that effectively doubles the retail price of rice. Domestic butter, which has been in short supply for more than a year due to loss of production facilities and bad weather, is protected by a tariff that keeps imported butter expensive. The list goes on. Yamashita estimates that these and other protection measures, which are political in nature and not really enforced to “ensure food security” — an aim that would require an overhaul of the agricultural sector — cost Japanese consumers about ¥1 trillion a year, so if the government really wanted to reduce the “painful tax feeling” while still being able to collect a perfectly reasonable consumption tax of 10 percent, it could start with this indirect tax that people have been paying more or less since the end of World War II. | tax;liberal democratic party;finance ministry;my number;consumption tax;komeito;tax rebates;retailing |
jp0000551 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/09/26 | The ups and downs of water taps | D ear Alice, Do you take plumbing questions? I ask because there is something very quirky about the faucets in the house I rent here in Japan. They are the type that mix the hot and cold water, and are controlled by a single lever. In the kitchen, you lift the handle to start the flow of water, which I consider the normal order of things. But in the bathroom, you have to push down to start the water. When I asked my landlord why, he said it’s because of earthquakes. So, what the heck is that? Mary M, Suita, Osaka Pref. Dear Mary, Believe me, you aren’t the only one dealing with this. Many Japanese homes, including mine, have a funny combination of what are called age-tome (lift to stop) and sage-tome (depress to stop) faucets; the nomenclature focuses on the how the water is stopped rather than how it is started. My situation happens to be the opposite of yours, which is to say the lift-to-stopper is in the kitchen. It’s definitely confusing having both in the same home. I’ve also heard this has something to do with earthquakes, but before I plumb into that, let me offer up a little faucet history. Once upon a time, sinks had separate taps for hot and cold water, controlled by separate handles. But in the 1950s, an inventor in California dreamed up a ball valve that mixed hot and cold water while also modulating the volume of flow. Even better, he found a way to control both functions simultaneously with a single lever. He sold his invention to a man who improved the design and called it the Delta single-handle mixing faucet. Today, Delta Faucet Company sells more than a million faucets a month worldwide. In Japan, this design is called a shinguru rebā (single lever) kongōsen (mixing faucet), and was first introduced in the late 1960s for wash basins in hotels and fancy office buildings. It was only later that they were adopted in homes. Some manufacturers went with the same lift-to-start design developed in the U.S., but others felt it was more intuitive to press down when you want water, since that’s the direction the water will flow. For several decades the two styles co-existed in the market, and often in the same home. But in 1997, a decision was made to cease production of the age-tome type, which lifts to stop, over a period of three years. If you ask someone why, you’re likely to hear the same explanation your landlord was getting at, which is that the age-tome faucet was scrapped because of lessons learned in the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. In that disaster, there were reports that objects dislodged by the earthquake fell against the levers of age-tome faucets, turning on the water at a time when no one was around to turn it back off. As a result, some residents who fled the shaking returned to find their homes flooded, and in the middle of a disaster that left 1.3 million households without water. It was this experience, people will tell you, that convinced Japan that the age-tome faucet had to go. But according to Masaya Sasaki of the technical department of the Japan Valve Manufacturers’ Association, that theory doesn’t hold water. “It’s not true,” he told me, when I visited for a faucet briefing. “Although many people believe that lift-to-stop faucets were abolished because of the Kobe earthquake, and you’ll see that story repeated in many places on the Internet, in actual fact, it is a total toshi densetsu (urban legend).” To prove what he was saying, Sasaki pulled out a copy of the Japanese manufacturing standard that relates to faucets, ball taps and flush valves. In section 6.2, c of Japan Industrial Standard (JIS) B 2061: 1997, he pointed to a clause stating that production of lift-to-stop faucets would cease by March 31, 2000. JIS standards are reviewed and revised by committee every five years, he explained, and the committee in charge always prepares a kaisetsu (explanation), that becomes part of the written record. “Which means that anyone,” he said, “can look up the reason for a revision.” That was an opportunity I definitely wanted to tap, so we looked together at the kaisetsu for the 1997 revisions. Consumers had been complaining for years that it is confusing and inefficient to have both types of faucets within the same home, it explained, and were pushing for standardization. The committee, while acknowledging that they could have chosen either type, decided in favor of the push-to-stop type because “nearly all overseas products” had adopted that system. “You see? There’s no mention of earthquakes,” Sasaki said. “People make that connection because the standards happened to be revised a few years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, but really, it’s just a coincidence. The real reason for choosing sage-tome over age-tome, and the only reason, was to bring Japanese production into line with international conventions.” If, by now, you’re considering a standardization effort of your own, I would encourage you to check out replacement faucets with the new, government-approved “ setsuyu ” (hot-water saving) mark. These products include innovative features that reduce energy use by as much as 36 percent, by helping consumers use less hot water when bathing or washing up. An example is a one-touch stop/start button placed at the head of a hand-held shower, so users can temporarily halt the flow, say when lathering up during a shampoo. One word of warning, however: Although anyone may buy a faucet in Japan, you will be breaking the law if you attempt to install one yourself. This is because the Water Supply Act ( Suidō-hō , 1996 revision) stipulates that faucets may only be installed by a shitei suidō kōji-sha (licensed water-supply contractor). Sunday plumbers, beware! | water taps;faucets |
jp0000552 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/09/21 | Increase in natural disasters causes fire insurance premium hike in October | In response to a number of large-scale natural disasters in recent years, which some experts attribute to climate change, there will be a hike in fire insurance premiums from October. The move comes after the General Insurance Rating Organization of Japan (GIROJ), a nonprofit body of nonlife insurance companies, decided in July 2014 to raise benchmark rates used by member firms when setting fire insurance premiums by an average of 3.5 percent to cope with growing payouts. It will be the first hike in fire insurance premiums since April 2007. What follows are basic questions and answers on fire insurance, which compensates for property damage from natural disasters as well as fires. How extensive will the expected premium hike be? Fire insurance premiums by major insurers will go up by an average of 2 to 4 percent in light of the decision by the GIROJ. Member insurers are not obliged or legally bound to set premiums in accordance with GIROJ’s benchmark, but they usually make revisions in accordance with it. The rate of premium increase will vary among insurers and will be based on the location and the type of dwellings being insured. Many firms plan to introduce discounted premiums covering newly or recently constructed dwellings, to ease the hike. What kind of damage does fire insurance cover? Although the label “fire insurance” naturally brings to mind losses caused by fires, in fact it covers damages from a wide range of natural disasters, including lighting, typhoons, flooding and heavy snow. Properties, including furniture and electric appliances, can also be covered, but customers need to buy insurance specifically for such items. Fire insurance also covers damages sustained from water leaks and property damage and loss of assets through theft. Damage from earthquakes, however, is not covered by fire insurance, but rather by earthquake insurance, which also covers damage from tsunami and volcanic eruptions. But earthquake insurance cannot be purchased without having first bought fire insurance. In July last year, earthquake insurance premiums for housing rose 15.5 percent on average. Why did GIROJ decide to raise the benchmark rates? The organization cites increasing payouts due to natural disasters and water damage in recent years. While average annual payouts for damage caused by typhoons between fiscal 1989 and 2003 stood at about ¥80 billion, it increased to some ¥100 billion on average over an eight-year period from fiscal 2004 to 2012, according to figures compiled by the GIROJ. Similarly, payouts for losses caused by wind gusts, tornadoes and hail have increased to about ¥140 billion during the fiscal years from 2010 to 2012, compared with around ¥50 billion from fiscal 2007 to 2009. Furthermore, total payouts from damages caused by water leakage were ¥16 billion in fiscal 2011, up from ¥10.5 billion in fiscal 2009 and ¥13 billion in fiscal 2010. Does the benchmark rate vary depending on the location? Yes, it varies depending on which prefecture the property is in, and the type of structure. Typical natural disasters and their frequency differ from prefecture to prefecture, which contributes to calculations of the benchmark rate for each prefecture, a spokesman for the GIROJ said. For example, prefectures in Kyushu are prone to typhoon damage, while Hokkaido and prefectures along the Sea of Japan tend to be hit by heavy snow, he said. The rates also change in accordance with three categories of housing: condominiums with reinforced concrete; single-family dwellings with fireproof structures, including reinforced concrete; and wooden structures, including apartments. After the October premium hike, how much will customers pay? For example, the yearly premium for a ¥20 million annual policy covering a single-family wood home in Tokyo, underwritten by a major nonlife insurer, will cost ¥35,510, up from ¥35,270; The same coverage will cost Osaka residents ¥37,380, down from ¥41,730, and residents in Fukuoka will pay ¥64,730, up from ¥50,810. Reinforced concrete condominiums annually insured for ¥10 million will cost Tokyo and Osaka residents ¥4,510, up from ¥3,650, while residents in Fukuoka will have to pay ¥4,800, up from ¥3,650, according to the firm. Have payouts for damages caused by fire increased? The GIROJ does not reveal payout figures, but says the amount has decreased over the years, given that fires have been declining, the spokesman noted. Fires in buildings have generally decreased over the years, according to a 2014 report by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. There were 35,186 fires in 1989, but only 25,053 in 2013. Is global warming affecting the premium hike? Yes. The GIROJ said prospects for natural disasters are becoming increasingly uncertain, citing reports on global warming by international organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Reflecting its stance that long-term calculations are becoming difficult, the GIROJ said in July last year that the new benchmark rates would be applied for up to 10 years. Previously no time limit was placed on the benchmark rates. As such, the longest contract period offered by nonlife insurers will be shortened to 10 years from the current 36, which was set in accordance with the payment period of home loans. | disasters;insurance |
jp0000555 | [
"asia-pacific",
"offbeat-asia-pacific"
] | 2015/09/09 | Chinese 'princess' farmer guilty of fraud | BEIJING - A farmer who pretended to be a princess descended from the Qing dynasty to swindle people out of more than 2 million yuan ($315,000) has been sentenced to 13½ years in prison for fraud, a court said. Wang Fengying and her co-accused Yang Janglin said she was called “Princess Changping” and persuaded people to lend them money to help them get back assets worth billions of dollars held by authorities, the Lianhu District Court in Shaanxi province said. They promised high returns on the investments and the fraud lasted two years until a victim went to the police, the court said in a statement Tuesday. In the meantime, Wang had bought a sedan car and put a down payment on an apartment. Police seized 41 gold bars, thousands of fake dollars and treasure maps that Wang offered to investors as collateral. Co-defendant Yang was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and both were fined 500,000 yuan ($80,000) in court Monday. | china;courts;theft;offbeat |
jp0000556 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/09/08 | Chance photograph launches Tajik gardener into local fame | DUSHANBE - A city gardens worker in the capital of Tajikistan has become a local celebrity through a chance picture taken by a visiting Romanian photographer. Internet and local TV reports about 19-year-old Munira Mirzoyeva’s inclusion in the Atlas of Beauty — an online compendium of the diversity of feminine beauty around the world — has made her readily recognizable on the streets of Dushanbe, where she plants flowers. She hopes this newfound fame will help rescue her from relative poverty. She wants to resume her studies so she can get a job better suited to supporting her family in the former Soviet nation in Central Asia, where she shares a one-bedroom apartment with her parents and four younger siblings. Mirzoyeva’s dream is to become a doctor, although she was forced by poverty to stop her education while still in elementary school. Following her improbable rise to fame, online groups have sprung up to raise money to send her back to school, sparking a hope that appeared remote until only a few weeks ago. “If the chance presents itself, I will definitely continue my studies, because that is my biggest dream,” Mirzoyeva said. “I like my job as a gardener, but because I don’t have the opportunity, I cannot study. But if I get the chance, I will definitely do it.” | media;women;offbeat;tajikistan |
jp0000557 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/09/01 | 3,000 Philly Naked Bike Riders photo-bomb wedding shoot | PHILADELPHIA - Here comes the bride all dressed in white. And, don’t look now, but here come thousands of bicyclists not dressed in anything. Nude and body-painted participants from this year’s Philly Naked Bike Ride cruised through the wedding day photo shoot of lovebirds Ross Cohen and Blair Delson. The couple, who got married Saturday evening, spent the afternoon before their wedding taking photos at romantic spots around the city. Their wedding photographer, JPG Photography studio owner Joseph Gidjunis, was snapping photos of them in Dilworth Plaza, next to City Hall, when they heard the buzz of about 3,000 bicycles approaching. Delson and Cohen decided not to wait for the cyclists to pass before continuing with their photos. She grabbed handfuls of her tulle and lace dress and scurried toward the cyclists half a block away, and he followed. “We saw them,” Delson said Monday, “and I sprinted in my heels and my wedding gown and decided to get in on the action.” Cohen lifted Delson and twirled her around, and together they high-fived the nude cyclists, who serenaded them with cheers. “We thought it was hilarious,” Delson said. Gidjunis, who used to take news photos and now primarily does events and portraits, took about 100 photos, many while bike riders were stopped at a red light. Cohen and Delson loved them. “They captured the moment perfectly,” Cohen said. The cyclists, some nude and others in body paint or underwear, seemed to have a good time, too, smiling and flashing peace signs for the couple. Organizers of the annual bike event, which is related to the World Naked Bike Ride movement, say they hope it encourages people to bike more and to embrace nudity as a normal and enjoyable part of life. Cohen and Delson, who are headed to Hawaii on Tuesday for their honeymoon, said they already know how they’ll explain the R-rated wedding photos to their kids one day: “When it’s your day,” Cohen said, “just love life and embrace the moment.” | u.s .;marriage;offbeat;stunts |
jp0000558 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/01 | Disappointment, anger over Olympic logo 'embarrassment' | Many people reacted with disappointment and anger after the logo for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was scrapped amid accusations of plagiarism. “It is an embarrassment of Japan to have caused such a stir. The emblem should be remade from scratch,” said Norihiro Murakami, 47, of Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics. “I have the impression that the issue was handled poorly. Such a problem did not occur at the Nagano Olympics,” said Soichiro Yoshida, who was on the organizing committee of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games decided Tuesday to scrap the logo, designed by Kenjiro Sano, just over a month after it was unveiled. Belgium-based designer Olivier Debie alleged plagiarism and filed a lawsuit to prevent use of the design. The incident is a second blow for Japan over the 2020 Olympics, as the government and organizers last month were forced to ditch the initial plan for the main stadium due to snowballing cost estimates. “I’m worried about whether Japan can really host the Olympics,” said a 28-year-old woman in Tokyo. Sports journalist Gentaro Taniguchi said, “The double collapses of the Olympics’ two symbols — the stadium and the logo — have significantly damaged the Tokyo Olympics and Japan has lost the confidence of international society.” The logo had been already displayed at various locations, such as airports, while officials of companies sponsoring the games have printed it on their business cards. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has placed orders for ¥46 million worth of items, such as posters and banners, bearing the logo. “I wanted the committee to make the decision (to scrap the logo) earlier,” one official said. | tokyo 2020;2020 olympics;2020 tokyo olympics;tokyo olympics emblem;kenjiro sano |
jp0000559 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/01 | Tateishi outwardly nondescript but grilled fare, comraderie offer inner glow | About 30 people young and old make a line in front of a small izakaya pub that offers grilled innards at 2 p.m. on a weekday in the Tateishi district of Katsushika Ward, Tokyo — an odd sight perhaps for first-timers, but a daily one for regulars. At a glance, Uchida may seem like an old izakaya in a shabby shopping arcade developed from the black market that appeared soon after Japan’s defeat in World War II. But at Uchida and other similar pubs in Tateishi, there is a down-to-earth atmosphere where easy small talk by regulars makes newcomers feel at home. Unlike popular tourist spots in the posh Ginza district or Shibuya, Tateishi rarely appears on tourist books at home and abroad. But it still has a heart-warming atmosphere that is hard to come by nowadays in Tokyo. While waiting in line, a regular at Uchida, in shorts, a sleeveless shirt and vest, talks about basic manners, while another offers its specialties — in this case, a dish of grilled innards and shochu spirits with plum. Customers sit squashed together in the narrow izakaya. One of the regulars, Masanori Ogawa, is a sushi chef at nearby Sushi Masa. After a drink or two, he went back, changed into a white uniform and started making sushi for his customers. “See you at Uchida,” Ogawa, 55, said, with a smile. Tateishi, which could be accessed from Keisei Tateishi Station on the Keisei Line, is also home to Japanese toy-making giant Tomy Co., which in June appointed Dutch native H.G. Meij as its first foreign CEO. That may also be the reason it is attracting toy fans. One of them, Hannah, an American who only gave her first name, is drinking with her friends at another izakaya , Edokko, which serves grilled innards. “I came here because I like small towns, Japanese toys and the ‘Slam Dunk’ ” basketball comic series, said Hannah in fluent Japanese. | izakaya;tateishi;katsushika;uchida;sushi masa |
jp0000560 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/01 | Contested Tokyo 2020 Olympic logo scrapped amid plagiarism claim | In another humiliating reversal over preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the organizing committee on Tuesday scrapped the official logo after critics howled plagiarism. The committee said it would immediately launch a competition to design a new logo but underscored that it did not decide to pull the first emblem because it believes designer Kenjiro Sano is guilty of any wrongdoing. “We thought it might be difficult to get support from the general public” given the size that the issue has become, Toshiro Muto, director general of the organizing committee, said after an emergency meeting. The committee said Sano requested the emblem’s withdrawal, and that he will not get paid for the design. The contested logo, which is already widely in use in official circles and on sponsors’ materials, resembles that of a theater in Belgium. Sano has denied plagiarism, but he has faced a slew of subsequent allegations that critics said called into question the integrity of his work. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the organizing committee made “an appropriate decision” on the matter and that the Olympics must be an event that is celebrated by everyone. The abrupt reversal comes after Abe in July scrapped the design for a new National Stadium intended as the centerpiece of the games, following criticism of its skyrocketing estimated cost. Adding to the logo humiliation is the fact that only last Friday the organizing committee had defended Sano. Muto told reporters that day the logo was “totally different from the Belgian theater logo” and thus he was “convinced the Olympic emblem is original.” Moreover, the committee had said there could be no question of plagiarism because Sano had tweaked the logo subsequent to its selection, both to avoid any similarity to registered trademarks and to meet the committee’s wish that it depict movement. There were new whisperings against Sano on Monday, when similarities were reported between images he had used when unveiling the logo and some on the Internet. One was of a scene at Haneda airport with the logo hanging on banners, intended to show how the emblem might be used in public. The image was apparently a copy of one from an online blog named “Sleepwalking in Tokyo.” It had been adapted to include the logo — but it had also been trimmed, removing a copyright statement at the foot of the original image. Online critics also laid into Sano over the original form of his logo, which was shown at the news conference last Friday. Its design of a “T” with a red circle at its foot resembled a poster at a Jan Tschichold exhibition held in November 2013 at Ginza Graphic Gallery in Tokyo. Sano had reported on Twitter that he visited the show. The brouhaha first erupted in August, when Sano’s final design for the Olympics logo was found to resemble the “L” form of the logo of Theatre de Liege, an arts center in the Belgian city. Designer Olivier Debie alleged plagiarism and filed a lawsuit in Belgium on Aug. 13 to prevent its use by the International Olympic Committee. Sano’s integrity was further questioned later that month when Internet users pointed out that some of his designs for giveaway tote bags in a promotional campaign by Suntory Beer Ltd. resembled pre-existing designs. The beverage company pulled the contested products at the request of Sano’s office. | tokyo 2020;emblem;kenjiro sano;logo;olivier debie |
jp0000561 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/09/06 | Dog lost in Yellowstone National Park found 42 days later | YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING - Yellowstone National Park is known for its wildlife, including bears and wolves. But for six weeks, one animal that roamed the park didn’t belong there. An Australian shepherd named Jade was found in the Canyon area Friday, 42 days after she went missing. “She’s skin and bones, but otherwise she seems perfectly fine,” the dog’s owner, David Sowers, of Denver said. Sowers said Jade ran off July 23 after an auto wreck while he and his girlfriend, Laura Gillice, were driving through the park. “When they tried to get her out of the car she bolted and she ran into the woods,” Sowers said. “She disappeared for, like, 15 days, and I thought she was gone.” Over the last several weeks, signs were posted and an Internet campaign started asking park visitors to keep an eye out for the dog. Traps with dog food were even set. Reports of Jade being seen roaming the park started coming in. Sowers and his girlfriend, who were both injured in the wreck, had returned to Yellowstone several times to look for the dog before finding her Friday. “I haven’t been following doctors’ orders very well,” said Sowers, who suffered injuries to his ribs, arm and leg in the accident. “They told me not to be doing this, but I wanted to find my dog.” On Friday morning, Gillice was with their other dog when she saw something black and white across a meadow. In less than a minute “she started running toward me,” Gillice said. Sowers said other than a small cut on her lip and losing weight, Jade is OK. “It’s a miracle,” Gillice said. | animals;pets |
jp0000563 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/24 | Hashimoto gets typically Trump on protests | Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is many things to many people, but nobody doubts his skill in the art of provocation. “There are 100 million voters in Japan,” he said recently. “What percent of them are protesting in front of the Diet? The number is insignificant. I’m not denying their right to protest. But it’s wrong for the national will to be decided by such a small number of demonstrators. If they don’t agree with the government, they should exercise their right to vote in the next Lower House election.” Over the past few weeks, via his Twitter account and in verbal responses to questions about the mass demonstrations against the collective self-defense bills led in part by the young Japanese who form the Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs), Hashimoto’s attitude toward the role of public protest has been on display, provoking two sets of reactions among supporters and critics: The first most certainly intentional on his part and the second unintentional, but more revealing of his mindset. The first, which he no doubt expected, was to invite criticism from the SEALDs movement and its supporters for being, well, for being “Hashimoto,” the mercurial, unpredictable maverick politician, the bully boy who has all the tact and humility of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, and who is an anti-democratic fascist in the guise of a populist. The more thoughtful critics were quick to suggest that any criticism by Hashimoto of the demonstrators would bring a smile of gratitude inside the Diet bunker, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga were hunkered down with the Liberal Democratic Party, trying to ram the unpopular bills through. Hashimoto, the old men and women in the LDP perhaps told each other, was the politically popular (at least in Osaka) smooth-talking, telegenic political leader who represented the “silent majority” of young people (the ones under 40 years old) who, if not exactly supportive of the bill, would at least not stand — literally — in the way of it being passed. The next Lower House election was a long way off, so plenty of time to smooth over ruffled feathers among all of those 18-to-20-year-olds who had just been given the right to vote. The second response from both critics and supporters, however, was to once again highlight the fact that Hashimoto is Osaka’s “Teflon man” whose popularity means he can say what other politicians cannot. His fans often don’t seem to care if there is logistical consistency in anything he says — at least on issues that those supporters don’t really care about, such as political demonstrations in Tokyo. This is because Hashimoto understands that in a world dominated by the white noise of constant Twitter remarks and endless television sound bites, and in an age when attention spans are shorter than ever, who among his supporters is really paying attention, let alone concerned, Alice-like, if they notice that what the Mad Hatter said a few moments ago contradicts what he’s saying now? The result is that even when Hashimoto pursues genuinely noble causes, such as directly standing up to the hate group Zaitokukai, there’s always a sense of, “Is he serious or is this just an act for the TV cameras?” For their part, though, Abe and his LDP allies are betting that, with his comments about the demonstrators, Hashimoto is, at the bottom of his heart, a fellow traveler who, after he enters national politics, probably next year, can be counted upon to use his modern media management skills to help them convince the majority of those 100 million voters to allow the Diet to revise the Constitution, regardless of how many vocally oppose it in front of the Diet or around the country. | toru hashimoto;security;protests;sealds |
jp0000564 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/09/15 | Security bills won't allow for Hormuz minesweeping, Abe says | The administration does not view minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz as one of the possible actions that the Self-Defense Forces would carry out if the national security bills are enacted, according to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “Considering the current international circumstances, we are not expecting that (minesweeping) will become a real issue,” Abe told the Upper House special committee on Monday. But Abe also said it is essential to secure safe navigation for the development and prosperity of not only Japan but the entire world. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told the committee that the administration does not expect Iran or any other nations to lay mines in the strait. But it is important to prepare for various possibilities, as uncertainty is increasing over the security environment in the Middle East, Kishida added. | shinzo abe;self defense forces;miitary;minesweeping;strait of hormuz;security bills |
jp0000565 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/09/12 | Japan's treasury hopes flat-rate beer tax will drive drinkers to maltier fare and pad coffers | It’s not clear if the writer of an article that appeared on the English-language website of the Asahi Shimbun recently got his own joke, but by saying that the Finance Ministry is “creating a buzz” by proposing to lower the alcohol tax on beer, he got to the heart of the matter. The government hopes that more people will drink beer if the price goes down, thus generating more tax revenue. At the same time, the tax rate for happōshu (malt liquor) and so-called type-three beer-like beverages will be increased so that the levy on all three categories will be the same: ¥55 for a 350 ml can. What is causing some people to scratch their heads is that it seems unlikely that sales of happōshu and type-three beverages will remain the same once their price goes up, because the only reason they sell at all right now is their low price, which is a function of their lower tax rates as determined by malt content. The Asahi reports that since sales of cheaper brews are dropping anyway, maybe a lower tax on beer will increase sales of real beer and assure a steadier flow of money into the treasury. But maybe the reason for the tax change is something else. On his blog at the portal site Breaking News, freelance writer Sadao Arai asked in April, “Who will benefit from the alcohol sales law revision?” but he wasn’t talking about the alcohol tax. He was talking about a proposal to ban super-low prices for alcohol to protect small liquor stores that are being driven out of business by discount retailers and supermarkets. Arai, whose family used to have the monopoly on wholesale liquor business in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, doesn’t believe that the real reason behind this law is protecting small stores, since it’s way too late to do that. Liquor retail laws were liberalized starting in the late 1980s. At the time, licenses to sell alcohol came with strict conditions that effectively limited sales of beer, wine and liquor to dedicated sakaya (liquor stores). In 1988, the Cabinet issued a directive for a three-year study to change the laws, and over the next decade the Diet revised the liquor retail law in piecemeal fashion. First it removed the restriction that said a new liquor store had to be a certain distance from an existing one, thus paving the way for multiple liquor stores serving the same regional customer base. Before that law was passed, small liquor stores, especially in rural areas, enjoyed virtual monopolies in their communities. Later, during the administration of Junichiro Koizumi, whose central political goal was privatization, zoning restrictions for liquor sales were completely removed, meaning liquor could be sold anywhere in Japan. As a result of these gradual changes, licenses to sell liquor became easier to obtain, and in conjunction with other commercial liberalization moves, such as the so-called Big Store Law, alcohol could be sold by virtually any kind of retail outlet. According to the National Tax Agency, in 1985 dedicated liquor stores accounted for 92 percent of alcohol sales, with supermarkets, convenience stores and department stores making up the remaining 8 percent. By 1995, liquor stores accounted for 66 percent of sales, and supermarkets had gained 14 percent of the market. In 2005, supermarkets’ share surpassed that of liquor stores for the first time. In 2013, the division of spoils was: liquor stores 15 percent, discount retailers 13 percent, convenience stores 11 percent, wholesaler-retailers (selling to both restaurants and the public) 10 percent, home centers and drug stores 8 percent, department stores 0.7 percent and supermarkets a whopping 37.5 percent. Until the mid-’90s, small liquor stores were protected because it was difficult for larger retailers to get liquor licenses, but once these larger concerns were allowed to sell alcohol, they used their considerable resources to drive down prices across the board. Many liquor stores went out of business, and a good portion of those that didn’t became convenience store or retail-wholesale franchises (like the ubiquitous Kakuyasu chain) since they were actively solicited by franchise businesses looking to boost the number of their locations. Since liberalization there has been no growth in liquor sales, which means existing liquor retailers, regardless of size, are merely vying for market share. Somebody has to be the loser. However, Arai doesn’t think the government’s proposal to set prices for alcoholic beverages is really meant to save small liquor stores. Though there is a national liquor store association that contributes to national politicians, it isn’t nearly as powerful as the big supermarket chains, and he thinks the purpose of the proposed law is to help supermarkets, who are tired of competing with one another. In the supermarket business, beer is considered a loss leader, a product whose price is set purposely low and which loses money for the retailer but gets people into their stores to buy other things. However, with beer sales flat or falling, that strategy isn’t as useful as it once was. That was in spring, and the bill seems to have died, at least for the time being. If stores are prohibited from selling alcohol at very low prices, maybe people will stop buying alcohol and the government will definitely lose tax revenues. Consumers have gotten used to beer that’s cheaper than it was in the 1980s, and it will be difficult to get them to pay those kinds of prices again, so they have to adjust the tax rate down in order to maintain the present level of sales. Or that, at least, is the buzz. | taxes;retailers;supermarkets;drinking |
jp0000566 | [
"national"
] | 2015/09/14 | Stores fire up their networks to quickly send aid to flood areas | Following torrential rain that triggered massive flooding in the northeast and led to the evacuation of thousands of people, major retailers and convenience store operators rushed to deliver supplies for those affected by the disaster. When news broke Thursday that the collapse of the banks of the Kinugawa River caused massive flooding in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, FamilyMart Co. quickly dispatched trucks carrying food supplies. By early Friday, the nation’s third-biggest convenience store operator had distributed around 3,000 packages of instant noodles and 3,000 bottles of drinking water to some of the victims taking shelter in the city. “In the event of an emergency, we try to get as much information as possible about the basic needs from our chain stores and local communities,” a FamilyMart spokeswoman said, adding that the convenience store supply network is already established across the country. “Easy access to information about stock availability allows us to respond quickly, which is one of the strengths of this business.” Retailers and convenience store operators established an agreement years ago with local municipalities under which they immediately deliver food and other vital supplies to disaster-hit areas by utilizing their outlet and distribution networks. To avoid sending supplies that might turn out to be useless, the company works closely with social welfare councils and organizations providing aid to the victims who inform them about the actual needs and numbers of evacuees. FamilyMart’s franchising contractors also delivered 200 onigiri rice balls, bottles of water and instant noodles to an elementary school for rescue team members at an evacuation center in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture. The supplies are delivered from distribution centers closest to the affected areas. Retail giant Seven & I Holdings Co., which operates in seven business segments, including convenience stores, supermarkets and department stores, also rushed emergency aid, sending 6,000 rice balls to flood-struck Joso as early as Thursday. Along with the total of 20,000 onigiri and 5,000 packages of instant noodles sent to the evacuation center in Osaki as well as the fire department headquarters in Koyama, Tochigi Prefecture, the company delivered blankets and underwear. The company also offered 72 hours of free Wi-Fi service access from its stores. “We are prepared to provide aid in case of a disaster and have been providing such assistance for years,” a Seven & I spokeswoman said. “This time we are also concerned how soon we will be able to resume operation at our stores located in those areas. Seven & I also offered supplies in February 2014 during a record snowfall that left several towns and cities isolated, she said. That year, the company dispatched four helicopters to deliver 47,500 different items of food and drink to several of the group’s stores in Yamanashi Prefecture on four consecutive days. Meanwhile, major retailer Aeon Co. on Thursday sent around 11,000 items — including bread, tea and instant noodles — to Nikko and other cities in Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures. Supplies sent the next day to the cities of Joso and Tsukubamirai in Ibaraki and several locations in Tochigi, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures included 20 portable toilets, toilet paper and sanitary items for women. On Thursday, Lawson Inc. dispatched trucks with 10,000 packages of noodles and bottled water to Ibaraki and Miyagi prefectures. “It’s not the first time we have offered our help, as our company has been providing emergency aid for more than a decade and we have worked closely with local communities,” said Ming Li, a public relations officer at Lawson. Li said that in response to similar situations, the company is prepared to send products from its 100 distribution centers nationwide. In this case, Li said, Lawson convenience stores in the affected areas were not severely damaged by the disaster. | tochigi;aeon;floods;ibaraki;lawson;heavy rain;family mart;joso |
jp0000567 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/09/25 | Detecting breast cancer is not an exact science | Former professional wrestler-turned TV personality Akira Hokuto, 48, made headlines this week when she announced on Wednesday she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery to remove her right breast on Thursday. Hokuto revealed in her blog that the diagnosis came as a shock to her, as she had undergone mammography and ultrasound screenings every year. What is the reality behind breast cancer? Here are some basic questions and answers: Is breast cancer common in Japan? It is the most prevalent cancer among Japanese women. An estimated 72,500 people were newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. Breast cancer is also the fifth-largest killer among cancers in women, claiming 13,000 lives in 2014, according to the Japan Cancer Society. Who is most at risk? By age, incidences of breast cancer start to rise among women in their 30s, with women in their late 40s and early 50s at the highest risk, the National Cancer Center website says. Linked to the female sex hormone estrogen, breast cancer’s risk factors include obesity after menopause, the first childbirth at an advanced age, and an early beginning and late end to the menstrual period. Lifestyle choices also matter, with regular exercise lowering the risk. Are some breast cancers hereditary? Yes, but just 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are caused by mutations in certain genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2. The rest are caused by environmental factors. Is early detection effective? Yes. According to the Japanese Breast Cancer Society, 89 percent of women with Stage 1 breast cancer — with a tumor of 2 cm or less that has not spread to lymph nodes — can expect to live for at least another decade if properly treated. What kind of breast cancer screenings are available? Municipalities recommend a mammogram every two years for women aged 40 and over. Many of them offer subsidies for this. Other methods include ultrasound screenings, MRI, palpation and visual inspection. But breast cancer screenings are changing. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said the harm inflicted by a mammography scan outweighs the benefits for most women under 50. Experts cite the mental stress induced by a false-positive reading and the effects of radiation. Also, more women in Asia are believed to have “dense” breasts, or those with a greater amount of less-fatty tissues than women in the West. Sometimes mammography tests alone miss tumors in women with dense breasts. Why did Hokuto’s cancer go undetected? While details of her case are unclear, Hokuto’s cancer could be categorized as an “interval breast cancer,” a cancer found within 12 months after a mammogram whose findings are considered normal, said Dr. Akihiko Ozaki, a breast cancer surgeon at Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital in Fukushima Prefecture. He added, given that Hokuto had been taking both mammography and ultrasound tests every year, her cancer type might be one that spreads faster than others. What should women do? Screenings every two years are still generally recommended for women aged 40 and older. But individuals should check their breasts regularly, and if they feel a lump or pain, they should see a specialist doctor immediately, Ozaki said. | cancer;akira hokuto;breats;mammography |
jp0000569 | [
"national"
] | 2015/08/04 | IOC chief Bach welcomes Sapporo as potential 2026 Winter Olympics host | KUALA LUMPUR - International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach on Monday welcomed Sapporo’s potential bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and played down Japanese concerns that the city will be at a disadvantage given that East Asia already has the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games. Asked whether the IOC thought the Games should be spread wider than East Asia, Bach said, “You forget 2024, and that looks like it will not be in Asia in 2024. So for 2026, as for all the others, the doors are open,” Bach told a press conference. “But the number of bidding cities in winter has always been limited. For 2018, we had three candidates and this is already for geographical reasons,” he told a press conference. “There are not so many winter sport destinations in the world, it’s only in three continents and it’s only very special places in these continents. So there you cannot compare winter and summer, also in this respect.” Pyeongchang in South Korea has won the right to stage the 2018 Winter Games, while the IOC last week at its four-day session in Kuala Lumpur voted to hand the 2022 event to Beijing over Almaty in Kazakhstan. Last week Bach said, “We have always in the IOC a kind of informal rotation of Olympic host cities, but we also have to see in the past this was very much Europe-centered.” “And now with the real globalization of the world, the growing importance of Asia, not only in sport but in all areas of life, I think it is more or less normal that we have more Olympic Games taking place in Asia.” Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, in November announced its intention to host the 2026 Winter Games. If selected it would be Sapporo’s second Winter Olympics, after it staged the event in 1972. | sapporo;ioc;thomas bach;2026 winter olympics |
jp0000570 | [
"national"
] | 2015/08/04 | Escape Tokyo's baking heat with a cool trek up Mount Takao | Mount Takao, located in Hachioji about an hour west of central Tokyo by train, is a popular destination for day-tripping hikers. It is surprising to know about 1,600 species of plants live on the not-so-high 599-meter mountain. They account for about 30 percent of all plant species in the country, according to the mountain’s visitor center. The blessed environment is created by a rare mixture of temperate and warm temperate forests, resulting in a treasure trove of animals and vegetation. The number of mountain climbers has surged since the Japan edition of the Michelin Green Guide travel books rated Mount Takao as a three-star travel site in 2007. As many as 3 million people now visit the mountain every year. There are seven routes up the mountain for hikers, including courses that offer the chance for sunbathing, and a beginner’s course complete with cable cars and lifts to help one get to the summit. In summer, the Trail 6 is particularly popular. Most of the route is along a creek, and you can feel the cool air coming from the water. The sounds of the stream also relax the mind. If you dip your hands into the clear water, the cold makes you forget about the sizzling weather for a moment. It takes about 90 minutes to get to the mountain’s spacious peak after traveling the narrow, up-and-down trail past waterfalls, rocks and forests, while listing to the birds. From the top, you can look over the city of Hachioji and the sea of Yokohama beyond. If the sky is clear, you can also see Mount Fuji and the Skytree tower in central Tokyo. Hachioji has built new facilities around the nearby Keio Line’s Takaosanguchi Station, and more are in the works due to expectations that the number of tourists will rise further. The new station building, designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, was completed in April. A hot springs facility will be built this fall. A new tourism facility, Takao 599 Museum, will be open on Aug. 11. It is likely to appeal to tourists by highlighting the natural environment on the mountain, informing people about local history and providing them with space to rest. | tourism;mount takao |
jp0000571 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/02 | Texas man shoots armadillo, gets hit in face by bullet ricochet | DALLAS - An East Texas man was wounded after he fired a gun at an armadillo in his yard and the bullet ricocheted back to hit him in his face, the county sheriff said Friday. Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe said the man, who was not identified, went outside his home in Marietta, southwest of Texarkana, at around 3 a.m. on Thursday morning. He spotted the armadillo on his property and opened fire. “His wife was in the house. He went outside and took his .38 revolver and shot three times at the armadillo,” Rowe said. The animal’s hard shell deflected at least one of three bullets, which then struck the man’s jaw, he said. The man was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where his jaw was wired shut, according to Rowe. The status of the animal is unknown. “We didn’t find the armadillo,” the sheriff said. | guns;u.s .;accidents;animals;offbeat |
jp0000573 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/27 | California man bitten by rattlesnake he picked up for photo: local media | LOS ANGELES - A Southern California man who picked up a rattlesnake to pose for a photograph was badly hurt when the reptile bit him on the hand, a Los Angeles television station reported. Alex Gomez, 36, was bitten on Monday by the 4-foot (1.2-meter) rattler in a field at his family’s ranch in Lake Elsinore, a community about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Los Angeles, according to TV station KCBS, which showed a picture of the man holding the snake around his neck. Alex Gomez’s mother, Deborah, told KCBS on Tuesday that her son might lose his hand because of the bite wound to the extremity. The man’s hand swelled up after the bite, and he was taken to a local hospital and treated with anti-venom, according to the station. “I’m shocked that he would have that thing around his neck,” she told the station. “It could’ve bit his neck, and that would have been it. That’s just being a fool.” Rattlesnakes, whose bites can be fatal, are found in many parts of California. The peak season for rattlesnake bites, which occur about 800 times a year in California, is from April to October, state officials say. | u.s .;accidents;california;animals;offbeat |
jp0000574 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/29 | Air guitarists strum it out for world title: Russian wins, reigning Japanese champion slips | OULU, FINLAND - In a sweaty, dark clubhouse in northern Finland, people were jerking, jumping and screaming into the early hours Friday while moving their fingers with precision through the air. To the sound of blasting rock music, they were battling it out for a spot in the final of a competition that is now in its 20th year: The Air Guitar World Championships. What started off as a joke has turned into an annual fest of crazy mime artists who compete for the title of World Air Guitar champion in the city of Oulu, a high-tech hub on the Baltic Sea surrounded by forests. In 1996, there were eight competitors, with the champion hailing from neighboring Sweden. This year, a record 30 “dark horses” from a dozen countries competed for a place in the final. The winners joined seven national champions from as far away as the United States, Japan and Canada, who automatically went into the final along with the reigning world champion, Japan’s Nanami “Seven Seas” Nagura, who won last year at the age of 18. Only six-tenths of a point separated the first and last of the nine who qualified for the evening’s competition to make a total of 17 finalists. In the final on Friday evening, Russia’s Kereel “Our Daddy” Blumenkrants turned and twisted and slid on his knees on an open-air stage, wowing spectators and convincing judges to name him World Air Guitar Champion 2015. But it was a close call. In the final round of 10 performers, Blumenkrants was tied with three-time U.S. national champion Matt “Airistotle” Burns from Staten Island, New York. Even a single throw of paper, rock and scissors between them ended in a draw, forcing a final showdown. Our Daddy won with a wild but controlled thrashing-arm performance in a shiny spaceman rocker’s suit that he augmented in the last part of the show by wearing wool gloves with flashing fingertips. “It was the gloves that clinched it,” said 2002 world champion Zac Munro from London. “But both those guys were amazing. They knew the music note for note.” Nagura finished fourth after she slipped on the wet stage, which was mopped up between the one-minute performances as a relentless rain continued through the night. The contestants mainly performed to medleys. The competition drew some exotic performances, including from Dutch champion Sita “Guilty Director” van Sante, who shook and twisted in a corset with suspenders and stockings. Also on hand was Canada’s national title holder, Jason “Thrust” McNeely, wearing a tie and kilt and nothing much else. He ended his show by cracking open a can of beer on his head, gulping it down and throwing the can into the cheering crowd while still pretending to play guitar. One of the judges, Aline Westphal from Germany, said before the final that she would be looking for precision. “It’s important that the contestants are very precise on the instrument and their facial expressions, too,” she said. And, of course, the inexplicable “airness” quality needs to be good, she added. “You just feel it when airness is there.” The U.S. is the “powerhouse of air,” holding dozens of competitions every year that have provided a living for some. They include the official “air host” of the world championships, Dan Crane, who lives in Los Angeles. Author of “To Air is Human: One Man’s Quest to Become the World’s Greatest Air Guitarist,” he has never made it to No. 1 but finished second twice. He decided to stay in the rarefied “air world,” hosting the world championships since 2008. “The absurdity required to hold this event in this small city in northern Finland is equally proportionate to the absurdity of playing an invisible guitar in front of thousands of people,” Crane said before the evening’s contest. | music;finland;offbeat |
jp0000575 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/08/10 | Photochemical smog creeps back on hot, still days | As searing hot days continue this summer, heatstroke and heat exhaustion have sent record numbers of people to hospitals. Drink lots of water, stay indoors and use air-conditioning, doctors say. But if you have irritated eyes or a sore throat, or feel dizzy or nauseated after being outside on a hot, windless day, you may be suffering from something totally different. Chances are you have been exposed to photochemical smog, a form of air pollution that traces its history to the 1970s when Japan’s rapid industrial growth was not only driving an economic boom but also aggravating pollution. Although the problem is long past its peak and it’s rarely life-threatening, its hazards remain very much real, as witnessed by municipal loud speakers set up in street corners that occasionally blare warnings as soon as dangerous levels of the pollutants are observed. What is photochemical smog? It’s a concentrated mass of an atmospheric pollutant called photochemical oxidants, appearing like a white fog shrouding the land when seen from a distance. These are secondary pollutants formed when primary pollutants — nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in exhausts from factories and vehicles running on internal combustion engines — are exposed to strong ultraviolet rays from the sun. The smog tends to occur on a hot summer day when the sky is clear and there is little wind, as photochemical oxidants need strong sunlight to develop and they are unlikely to concentrate into smog if there is a breeze to disperse them. PM2.5 (particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less), which became a major concern in recent years as it drifted over Japan from China, is similar yet a different type of smog-forming pollutant created from nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds as well as sulfur dioxide. Photochemical smog first became an issue in Japan in the 1970s when the nation’s industry was operating at high capacity and car ownership grew rapidly. While occurrences have decreased since then, they have never ceased and authorities still issue alerts for their potentially serious health effects. In 2013, the combined number of days in which alerts were issued in prefectures nationwide reached 106, with most of them issued in July and August, according to Environment Ministry statistics. Tokyo topped the frequency ranking, followed by Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama. What are the symptoms and how can one avoid being affected? Typical symptoms exhibited by people exposed to photochemical smog include irritation in the eyes, skin and throat, which can be accompanied by coughs, and reddened skin. In more serious cases, sufferers may feel like pins and needles in hands and feet, and have a headache, dizziness, fever, nausea and breathing difficulty. Symptoms vary from person to person, but small children, elderly people and people with allergies are said to be more severely affected. “The best way is to avoid going outside when an alert is on, but if you still become affected and feel irritation in the eye or throat, wash your eyes or gargle with water,” advises Hideka Kimura, director of the Air Quality Management Section at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. If symptoms persist or worsen, professional treatment is called for, which may include oxygen inhalation to alleviate breathing problems. When seeing a doctor, Kimura says it helps to describe the circumstances under which the symptoms started. An unfounded myth is that photochemical smog can be blocked by wearing an anti-pollen mask. Unlike hay fever, which is believed to be alleviated by wearing a mask to block cedar pollen and other substances that cause it, the smog’s molecules are too fine to be blocked by such masks. But some industrial-grade anti-dust masks are touted as being able to filter out the smog. What alert system is in place to warn of photochemical smog? Prefectural governments are responsible for monitoring concentrations of photochemical oxidants in their areas and issue alerts. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, for example, has set up instruments to measure the pollutants on the hour at 44 locations. The metropolis is divided into eight blocks, and separate alerts are issued for these blocks. The metropolitan government issues four levels of alert, depending on the level of observed concentration between 0.1 and 0.4 parts per million. “(The) graveness of symptoms can vary from person to person, and some people can be affected at the lowest level,” said Kimura of the metropolitan government. The metro government has never issued the highest level warning. It urges people to refrain from driving cars when alerts are on in order to limit the release of exhaust. Are there information sources about photochemical smog alerts available in English? Unfortunately, officials at the Meteorological Agency, the Environment Ministry and the metropolitan government contacted by The Japan Times said their alerts are only provided in Japanese. That means non-Japanese-speaking people without immediate help from Japanese speakers are best advised to judge for themselves if conditions may be lining up for photochemical smog. But as Tokyo gears up for the 2020 Olympics and expects a major increase in foreign visitors, Kimura said: “We’re feeling the need to provide information in not only English, but several other foreign languages.” Some municipalities, however, do offer information in English, like Tokyo’s Minato Ward. The ward, which has a relatively large percentage of foreign residents, announces photochemical smog alerts in English through loud speakers set up on streets. The municipality also tweets and posts alerts on its website and Facebook page in English, Chinese and Korean. | pm2.5;photochemical smog |
jp0000576 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/08/31 | No exit in sight from Futenma quagmire, where local resentment is deep | In early August, it appeared Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga might use his authority to cancel permission for the central government’s landfill work on a U.S. facility in Henoko, where personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma are supposed to be relocated. Before Onaga could make a formal announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declared a one-month halt to the project for discussions. The pause marked the latest twist in the two-decade standoff between Okinawa, Tokyo and Washington over the Futenma base and what to do with it. What does the problem stem from? Okinawans say the origin of the problem lies in the period from 1945 to 1972, when Okinawa was a military protectorate of the United States and the land the Futenma base sits on was appropriated without local consent. However, the current dispute over the Henoko facility is most directly traceable to September 1995 after two U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman kidnapped and raped a 12 year old girl. The incident sparked massive anti-base protests and some measure of international outrage. It forced the U.S. and Japan to begin a formal process of reducing the U.S. military presence in Okinawa. What led to Henoko? Although many in Okinawa wanted the Futenma base, in crowded Ginowan, closed and the Marines relocated out of the prefecture, Tokyo and Washington insisted on keeping them on the island as part of the overall U.S. strategy to defend Japan under the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. A couple of months after the rape, the U.S. and Japan formed the Special Action Committee on Okinawa, which was tasked with finding ways to realign, consolidate and reduce the number of U.S. military bases there. The committee’s final report in December 1996 noted three alternatives had been explored for a Futenma replacement facility: incorporating the helicopter operations at the adjacent U.S. Air Force Kadena air base; constructing a helicopter base at Camp Schwab in Henoko, northern Okinawa; and constructing a sea-based facility. The report also said Futenma would be returned within five to seven years “after adequate replacement facilities are completed and operational.” A long, contentious and convoluted decision-making process followed, with the result being a decision to build an airstrip with two runways in a V-shaped pattern next to Camp Schwab. The runways would extend offshore, thus requiring landfill. How did Okinawa react? Opposition existed among most Okinawans, but politically things were more complicated. In the city of Nago, where Henoko is located, there were those who supported the move if it meant more central government subsidies. In December 1997, Nago held a referendum on whether to accept the base, with the majority of voters rejecting the facility. Less than a week later, Tetusya Higa, Nago mayor at the time, who favored the base, ignored the referendum, announced that he would accept the Henoko replacement facility, and resigned. A couple of months later, Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota announced that he would not accept it. Two days after that, Takeo Kishimoto, who had argued that the helicopter base would help boost the economy, narrowly won the Nago mayoral election, which had a voter turnout of 82 percent. What has happened since? Successive agreements were concluded between the U.S. and Japan to stick to the Henoko relocation plan, particularly one in 2006, even as the political situation in Nago and in the governor’s office grew ever more confusing. Through the years, local media polls have consistently shown a majority of Okinawans oppose the Henoko relocation plan. But various Nago mayors and Okinawa governors often made their exact public position unclear, partially as a negotiation tactic to ensure continued central government funding for various Okinawa-related construction projects, including a second runway at Naha airport. In late 2009, the anti-base faction was emboldened when the Democratic Party of Japan’s Yukio Hatoyama, who became prime minister, said he wanted to discuss other options for relocation. In early 2010, Susumu Inamine was elected Nago mayor, defeating the pro-Henoko incumbent on a ticket of opposition to relocation. Later that year, Hirokazu Nakaima, who was seeking re-election as governor, promised to seek Futenma’s relocation outside the prefecture. But pressure on Okinawa by Tokyo to accept the Henoko project remained intense and grew further after the Liberal Democratic Party returned to power in 2012. Nakaima submitted various demands to Tokyo, including the closure of Futenma within five years. In late 2013, he reversed his position and agreed to approve a central government landfill application related to Henoko. Tokyo also agreed to provide at least ¥300 billion annually in funding for non-Henoko Okinawa public works projects until 2022. Nakaima was severely criticized for his decision. Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga, who served as Nakaima’s campaign manager in 2010, broke ranks, cobbled together a broad coalition of those who opposed the Henoko project, and defeated Nakaima in the November 2014 gubernatorial election. What happens next? Onaga and officials of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet are discussing the issue but remain at odds. The one-month halt announced by Suga expires on Sept. 9. After meeting with Onaga in Okinawa on Saturday, Suga indicated the talks are unlikely to be extended after that date. Onaga could still formally cancel permission for the offshore work, which would ratchet up tensions even further between Tokyo and Okinawa. Or, despite what Suga said, both sides could agree to resume discussions. As to the possibility of the Henoko project being canceled, Tokyo and Washington insist that the plan remains the only viable option — nearly two decades after it was proposed. Canceling it would involve finding another site, one that meets U.S. Marines’ logistical requirements and that would secure local acceptance. It is unlikely the U.S. could consider any new proposal until after the November 2016 presidential election, meaning that barring a breakthrough, Henoko appears likely to remain the official choice for a while longer. | okinawa;henoko;u.s. military base;u.s.-japan relations |
jp0000577 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/30 | Naked, body-painted bicyclists ride through Philadelphia | PHILADELPHIA - Thousands of bicyclists in various stages of undress pedaled their way around Philadelphia to promote fuel conservation and positive body image. The Philly Naked Bike Ride on Saturday featured people sporting masks, underwear, body paint, glitter or nothing at all. A lot of riders wore just their shoes. Debbie Kaighn, who was riding in the popular annual event for the third time, wore shoes, socks and body paint. On her front were streaks and splashes of yellow and green paint, and on her back was the message “Live free, ride nude.” “I’m a naturist, and I believe in body freedom,” she said. “And I’m also a cyclist.” The 12-mile (19-kilometer) ride through the City of Brotherly Love is among many related to the World Naked Bike Ride movement. Riders on the twisting course wheeled through University City, around the Rittenhouse Square park, down to City Hall and through Chinatown. Giddy crowds cheered them on while shooting photos and videos on their cellphones. Ed Blanton traveled from Arlington, Virginia, to ride nude in the Philly event for the fourth time “because I’m a bicyclist and it’s fun.” He wore just a sign on his back: “The earth is the Lord’s.” “I like to get this message out,” he said before hopping gingerly onto his bike and riding off. Other riders supported assorted causes, including breast cancer research. One had painted on his back, “Burn fat, not oil.” This is the seventh year of the Philly Naked Bike Ride, which draws about 3,000 participants. Organizers say they hope the event encourages people to bike more and to embrace nudity as a normal and enjoyable part of life. | transportation;climate;u.s .;emissions;conservation |
jp0000578 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/30 | Sales of unearthed Atari games total more than $100,000 | ALAMOGORDO, NEW MEXICO - A cache of Atari game cartridges dug up in a New Mexico landfill last year has generated more than $100,000 in sales over the last several months. The April 2014 dig ended speculation surrounding an urban legend that Atari had discarded hundreds of games, including “E.T. The Extraterrestrial,” more than 30 years ago, reported The Alamogordo Daily News ( bit.ly/1hlj3l2 ) A film crew documented Joe Lewandowski as he dug up the Atari cartridges. In addition to the “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” cartridges, Lewandowski found more than 60 other titles. Those included “Asteroids,” “Missile Command,” “Warlords,” “Defender,” “Star Raiders,” “Swordquest,” “Phoenix,” “Centipede” and “Super Breakout.” Atari’s E.T. game, based on the Steven Spielberg film, was released in 1982 after only 34 days of development. It earned a reputation as the worst video game ever created. It didn’t live up to its financial expectations and is considered by many to have contributed to Atari’s demise, as shown in Zak Penn’s documentary “Atari: Game Over.” The 881 games sold on eBay brought in close to $108,000, Lewandowski told the Alamogordo City Commission earlier this week. Buyers came from 45 states and 14 countries. Twenty-three games also made their way to museums around the world, including the Smithsonian in Washington, and the Deutsches Film Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. But Lewandowski said there are hundreds more cartridges that aren’t for sale at this time. “There’s 297 we’re still holding in an archive that we’ll sell at a later date when we decide what to do with them,” he said. “But for now we’re just holding them.” The city will receive about $65,000 from the sale of the games, and $16,000 will go to the Tularosa Basin Historical Society. About $26,000 will go toward expenses such as shipping fees. | film;games;computers |
jp0000579 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/08/08 | Japan's elderly boomers squeezed to pay more as care facilities struggle | Japan suffers from a shortage of nursing care facilities for the elderly, despite the fact that demand is rising rapidly as the boomer generation enters its dotage. The shortage is particularly acute in Tokyo, where local governments are trying to ship poorer old people off to the countryside because there is no room for them at facilities they can afford in the capital. A recent installment of the NHK news show “Close-up Gendai” profiled a new nursing home in the Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward with space for 110 residents. However, it is unable to open due to a lack of staff. Nursing care is hard work and notoriously underpaid. That’s a serious problem, since the central and local governments are cutting subsidies to nursing care facilities and want to cut more. Though nonprofit in nature, these kōeki (public welfare) facilities are allowed to accumulate up to 30 percent of their revenue, and the government thinks that many should spend some of this cash to relieve the government burden. The scheme may not work, though. The facility mentioned in the NHK report is classified as a tokubetsu yōgo rōjin home, or tokuyō , which provides critical care for elderly people who cannot get by on their own and often need assistance with eating, bathing, using the toilet and so on. If these people have enough money they can go to private nursing facilities and have all their needs met. However, most old people don’t have that kind of cash, and so they try to get into tokuyō homes, which are subsidized by the central government and related local governments. Beginning this month, the payment system for using tokuyō facilities will change with regard to the discounts applied to meals and rent. When a person’s income falls below a certain level, they are eligible for keigen (reduced price) services paid for by the welfare ministry. More than a year ago, however, the central government decided to change the system, and local governments began sending out notices in the spring to people who have so far been eligible for reduced fees. If their finances don’t align with the new standards, they may have to pay more for tokuyō care. Ever since the kaigo (nursing care) insurance system was launched in 2000, all elderly people who receive any care covered by the insurance pay 10 percent of the costs, regardless of income. In August, that burden will rise to 20 percent for single people whose pension benefits amount to more than ¥2.8 million a year and for couples (households) whose cumulative benefits amount to more than ¥3.6 million a year. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the welfare ministry estimates that these changes will affect 20 percent of the elderly population presently receiving some form of nursing care. However, the changes for people who use tokuyō facilities, whether on an in- or out-patient basis, are different. In the notices that were sent out, tokuyō recipients are now required to send back copies of bank statements and other financial information showing their assets, such as savings and securities. The idea is that if a single person has more than ¥10 million in savings, or a couple has more than ¥20 million, they should use those assets to pay a larger portion of the expense for caregiving, and thus they will lose part or all of the reduction. It should be noted that income plays no part in this new assessment, since only people making less than a certain amount are eligible for the reduction in the first place. As of 2013, the welfare ministry reports that 1.1 million people in Japan were eligible for reduced payments, and all are required to report their assets. Failure to do so may result in losing that eligibility, and subsequently having to pay higher fees for food and rent at caregiving facilities. According to a report in the Asahi Shimbun on June 13, the notifications so far have caused confusion and misunderstanding. Families of elderly recipients and care managers have flooded local government welfare offices with queries and protests. In many cases, the elderly people in question are on their own and mentally unable to answer the notifications, and their legal guardians and/or caregivers don’t know how to respond. Even when the recipient does respond with the information requested, it is often incorrect or incomplete. One of the problems with the notification is that it is the product of a purely bureaucratic directive and is based on existing practices. In the past, a household or individual automatically qualified for the reduction in payment if they paid no local taxes due to insufficient income, which means the application process for the reduction is the same as that for general government assistance. Recipients will have to reapply for the reduction every year and each time provide the required financial information. Moreover, they must grant the authorities permission to check these assets, including so-called tansu yokin (cash in the wardrobe), which would presumably mean allowing welfare officials to search the recipients’ homes. The confusion that has ensued prompted the welfare ministry to release a statement saying that the new system “may be delayed.” It’s no secret that the central government wants more elderly people who can’t afford private care to stay at home, where they can be taken care of by loved ones or visiting caregivers, and the new system does not affect at-home nursing care services (which are also subject to new changes, but that’s a different story). However, if one of the purposes of the changes is to make room in tokuyō facilities for people with more serious financial problems, the government might be better off encouraging more construction of these facilities in places where they are needed. They do subsidize such construction, but there’s a problem with that idea, too: After the boomers die off, many of these facilities will be redundant. Consequently, much of the current nursing care system in Tokyo is makeshift. NHK reports that there are some 80 private homes and apartment buildings that have been turned into nursing care facilities by their owners and, while not properly certified, nevertheless act as tokuyō homes. The local government not only looks the other way, but refers applicants to them. With an estimated 520,000 people waiting nationwide for rooms, they need all the help they can get. | retirement;old age |
jp0000580 | [
"world"
] | 2015/08/01 | Bin Laden relatives reportedly killed in British plane crash | LONDON - A private jet crashed in southern England on Friday, killing four people on board, a spokesman for the Hampshire police service said, and Saudi and British media said the passengers were relatives of deceased al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. A spokeswoman for the British police said: “There were no survivors, unfortunately. There were four people onboard including the pilot,” but she did not provide their identities. Without confirming the identities of the victims, the Saudi Ambassador Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al-Saud offered condolences on the embassy’s official Twitter account to the bin Laden family, a prominent Saudi Arabia clan with vast business interests. “His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the ambassador of the custodian of the two holy mosques to the United Kingdom, offered his condolences to the sons of the late Mohammed bin Laden and their relations for the grave incident of the crash of the plane carrying members of the family at Blackbushe airport,” he said in the tweet. The Saudi Embassy said it is working with British authorities to investigate the incident and to ensure the speedy handover of the bodies for funerals and burials in the kingdom. The Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper, citing a statement by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, said on its website that the Embraer Phenom 300 with three passengers and the pilot crashed during takeoff from Blackbushe airport. The statement did not identify the victims, but some Saudi media suggested on social media or on their websites that they were relatives of Osama bin Laden, who was shot dead by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011. It was not immediately possible to confirm the reports. British media, including the Daily Mail website, said the plane had been carrying relatives of Osama bin Laden. It said the plane was registered in Saudi Arabia and had originated in Milan, Italy. The Hampshire police service spokesman said an investigation into the causes of the incident have been launched. | u.s .;terrorism;italy;saudi arabia;osama bin laden;england;milan |
jp0000581 | [
"world",
"offbeat-world"
] | 2015/08/01 | 164 skydivers in formation smash world record above Illinois | OTTAWA, ILLINOIS - Traveling at speeds of up to 240 mph (almost 400 kph), 164 skydivers flying head-down built the largest ever vertical skydiving formation Friday over central Illinois, smashing the previous record. It took the international team 13 attempts to beat the 2012 mark set by 138 skydivers. The formation, resembling a giant flower, floated above the rural drop zone in Ottawa for a few seconds before the flyers broke away, deployed their parachutes, and whooped and hollered their way to the ground to the jubilation of spectators. “It’s awesome, man,” said Rook Nelson, one of the organizers. “It just goes to show that if you can get the right group of people together and the right support team and good conditions, anything is possible . . . even on attempt No. 13.” The team was selected after training camps in Spain, Australia and across the U.S. Seven aircraft were flown in precise formation to ensure that the jumpers de-planed at the right place, time and altitude. The record-breaking jumpers exited at 19,700 feet (6,004 meters). Skydiving videographers taped the jump, flying above, below and alongside the formation. The footage enabled judges on the ground to verify the record was achieved above Skydive Chicago, the drop zone and airport about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Chicago where the event took place. Three judges certified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale — the World Air Sports Federation — studied the video and photos to make sure each flyer was in a pre-determined slot in the formation and had his or her hand in the correct position. The attempt was not without risks. The skydivers flew at a minimum speed of 160 mph (257 kph), and some reached speeds as fast as 240 mph (386 kph). Collision at such speeds can be fatal. Jumping from such a high altitude brings a risk of hypoxia — a condition arising from a lack of oxygen that can cause unconsciousness and other symptoms — or even death. To reduce the risk of falling sick, jumpers and pilots breathed down pure oxygen once their planes reached 14,000 feet (4,270 meters). And with nearly 170 canopies simultaneously flying in the sky, there’s a risk of two parachutists flying into each other. Still, of approximately 3.2 million sport sky dives in the U.S. in 2014, there were 24 fatalities, according to the United States Parachute Association. Despite the risks, flyers came from as far away as France, Britain, Dubai and Australia — one even spent three days traveling to Chicago from the island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean — to participate. “When (record) jumps work well, it’s like there’s a certain peace to it all, a certain harmony to it all,” said Norman Kent, a longtime skydiving videographer who filmed the jump. “And it’s contagious, it’s like it’s in the air and you can feel it even from a distance as a cameraman.” | u.s .;illinois;sport;skydiver |
jp0000582 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/08/01 | Crime report suggests the yakuza are evolving | It appears the National Police Agency is serious about cracking down on organized crime. The annual White Paper on Crime, published this year on July 24, created its first separate section on organized crime since 2008 — the same year law enforcement officials acknowledged that organized crime had moved so far into the financial markets “it threatened the very economic foundations of Japan.” This year’s section is entitled “Progress and prospects for organized crime countermeasures.” I’ve been covering the yakuza for 21 years but for those who don’t know anything about them, here’s a quick primer. The police term for the yakuza is boryokudan , or “violent groups.” Such entities are defined in related laws as “any organization likely to facilitate its members to collectively or habitually commit illegal acts of violence.” The yakuza were originally federations of street merchants ( tekiya ) or gamblers ( bakuto ). They claim to have a history that goes back to the Edo Era and still portray themselves as “noble outlaws” who “fight the strong and defend the weak.” Some, like the Aizukotetsu-kai syndicate in Kyoto, actually do have roots that go back as far as the 1880s. And, at least for a time, many of the organizations instituted a minimal code of ethics that kept the members from committing theft, robbery or rape. Income is primarily generated by racketeering, extortion, insider trading, loan sharking, prostitution and gambling. The gang structures are rigidly patriarchal. The “children” in the family vow allegiance to a father, while gang members are divided into older and younger brothers with a traditional ritual exchange of sake. Yakuza members used to prove their fidelity to the criminal lifestyle by getting tattoos, although this practice is less common these days. Most groups have evolved into criminal enterprises over the years. The largest of them is still the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, which was founded in 1915 as a labor dispatch service and once controlled the docks in Kobe. These days, the syndicate is believed to own offices nationwide, investing in IT and the stock market. The Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate is currently headed by Shinobu Tsukasa. Since completing a spell in prison a few years ago, he has forbidden members of his syndicate to use or sell drugs, and tried to enforce a basic code of ethics. For this, Tsukasa deserves some kudos — at least, as far as organized crime bosses go. The government passed several anti-organized crime ordinances in 2011, making it a crime for anyone to do business with yakuza syndicates. The groups are still legal, but strictly regulated. Since the implementation of such legislation, yakuza membership has been in freefall. Including associate boryokudan members, yakuza membership peaked at 184,100 in 1963, National Police Agency statistics show. Membership hovered around 80,000 between 1992 and 2010 before falling to an all-time low tally of 53,500 at the end of 2014, the statistics show. The white paper noted a few recent changes in operations, noting that syndicates are increasingly moving into fraud and white-collar crimes. Fraud used to be grounds for instant dismissal but, these days, it represents 10 percent of the yakuza’s total income, the paper shows. Extortion, which used to be the yakuza’s bread and butter has dropped from roughly 10 percent of the yakuza’s income to just 4 percent, the paper shows. Perhaps more alarmingly of all, the paper shows yakuza syndicates are becoming increasingly involved in “It’s me” scams. The white paper includes a few remarks from police officers who investigate organized crime. The majority believes yakuza syndicates are expanding their powers because people continue to support their activities (63 percent) and some can’t cut ties to members (26.7 percent). Such people may include education minister Hakubun Shimomura, who is believed to have ties with Yamaguchi-gumi associates. In order to dismantle the yakuza networks entirely, the white paper calls on police to arrest the leadership, expand wire-tapping powers and even consider plea-bargaining. It also discusses the need to create a witness protection program and, for the first time, acknowledge it needs ways to reintegrate former members back into society. Detectives on the ground, however, aren’t nearly so optimistic. They claim yakuza syndicates aren’t losing as many members as reported, they’re simply going underground and moving into organizations that appear to be tolerated by the government. Where could the syndicates go from here? That’s the million-dollar question … | yamaguchi-gumi;yakuza;fraud;national police agency;extortion;white paper on crime |
jp0000583 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/08/01 | Steamer races German submarine; suspected foreign spies arrested; Indoor angling curbs urged; Tokyo regrets Iraq invasion of Kuwait | 100 YEARS AGO Friday, Aug. 13, 1915 Steamer races German submarine near France On the morning of July 1, the N.Y.K.S. Kitano Maru, having passed the Straits of Gibraltar, was steaming across the Bay of Biscay toward the English Channel. The vessel was making 11.5 knots, and was about to enter the channel when a German submarine appeared at a distance of some five miles to the north. The submarine was seen approaching the Japanese steamer at full speed. The steamer at once took a southeasterly course, making for the French coast. Lifebelts were distributed among the passengers and crew. Just then the bell rang for breakfast and most of the passengers sat down with their life belts on. In order to avoid confusion in case of disaster, all the boats were allotted among the passengers and crew, and were ready to be launched at any time, each of them being loaded with provisions. The German submarine gave close chase for some hours, but the difference of speed saved the ship. She was doing 16.5 knots, while the top speed of the submarine was 13 knots. At noon the ship met a French gunboat and the details were reported by wireless to the British Admiralty. The Kitano Maru will bring back a detailed account of this adventure to Yokohama on Sept. 20. 75 YEARS AGO Thursday, Aug. 1, 1940 Police arrest foreign residents for spying Foreigners suspected of espionage in Korea and at Kurume and Shimonoseki were arrested by the military police July 27 as part of the extensive drive to eliminate foreign spies, it was by government officials. The Kurume Gendarmerie announced that it had been keenly watching the espionage activities of foreigners since the start of the China Affair and that on Monday it carried out a “clean-up of suspected persons, who are now under examination at Kurume and Shimonoseki.” Gendarmes in Korea also conducted a wholesale arrest of suspected foreign spies the same day, according to an announcement of the Korea Army. War Minister Lt.-Gen. Hideki Tojo, made a detailed report on the arrests to the Cabinet. He emphasized that the pro-British element in the nation constituted hotbeds for furnishing the British spy system with information. He also declared that the army will not hesitate to take rigid measures against Japanese who benefit foreign spies. As a result of the roundup, the Education Ministry is now confronted with the need of re-examination of the problems of foreign language teachers and foreign language teaching, according to reports. Foreign teachers are generally degenerating in quality, while foreign language teaching in Japan has reached a stage at which foreigners are almost unnecessary for teaching conversation and composition, according to the Nichi Nichi Shimbun. Though all foreign teachers are not suspected of spy work, school managements will be urged to be more keenly conscious of the emergency at hand when dealing with teachers. The Metropolitan Police Board will also watch more closely on foreign residents in Japan, who number approximately 3,400 (350 Britons, 1,000 Americans, 150 French, 630 Germans and 100 Italians). 50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1965 Indoor angling curbs urged by Tokyo police The Metropolitan Police Department has taken its first step to regulate indoor angling, a sport that has become popular in Tokyo and other major cities. There are 368 establishments in Tokyo that feature indoor fishing, according to the MPD. Unfortunately, most of them operate until about 4 a.m. and 1 out of every 5 customers is a minor, police say. Even more regrettable, police say, is the fact that some operators buy back the caught fish or change them for other goods in the manner of a pachinko parlor. In an instruction issued Monday to these indoor fishing facilities, the MPD urged them to stop giving “prizes” or buying the fish back, to close down at midnight and refuse admission of those under the age of 18 after 11 p.m. Also, at least three owners of indoor angling shops are connected with gangs, according to the MPD. Indoor fishing centers were first opened sometime last year but they did not gain wide attention until about three months ago when their number suddenly increased. 25 YEARS AGO Friday, Aug. 3, 1990 Government regrets Iraq invasion of Kuwait The government characterized Iraq’s recent invasion of Kuwait as deeply regrettable and called Thursday for immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops. “Japan is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Misoji Sakamoto told reporters. Japan imports 170,000 barrels of oil per day from Kuwait, which was the sixth-largest oil exporter to Japan in the first half of 1990. The clash between Iraq and Kuwait will not have an immediate effect on the country’s economy because Japan has a 142-day reserve supply of oil and can expect increased supplies from other OPEC nations, Sakamoto said. Meanwhile, Vice Foreign Minister Takakazu Kuriyama conveyed Japan’s concern to Iraqi Ambassador Rashid M.S. Al-Rifai, officials said. Al-Rifai was quoted as saying the military action was not an invasion but an act performed at the request of Kuwait’s new revolutionary government. Kuriyama reportedly told Al-Rifai that Japan does not believe the ambassador’s account of the situation. There are 392 Japanese registered as living in Kuwait. About one-third are believed to now be out of the country for summer holidays and business trips. | iraq;espionage;fishing;iraq war |
jp0000584 | [
"business"
] | 2015/08/06 | Smart absolutions: Send off your sins with just one click | Advances in technology have enabled us to converse with anyone, anywhere, and globally distribute information — and unlimited cat pictures! — in the blink of an eye. Now, thanks to an online service from National Depart’s Kitokami , we can be rid of our sins with a click of a button. Kitokami users have two options. Smartphone Ooharae is free smartphone service that enables users to absolve themselves of sins by merely rubbing and breathing on a human-shaped figure displaying on their smartphone screen and clicking the “send sins” button. The figures, imprinted with the name, age and gender of the user, will later be printed out and purified with a sacred fire at Bizen no Kuni Soushagu , a shrine in Okayama. Web Ooharae is a slightly more tangible version of the service. Customers can purchase wood or paper cards online to be delivered to their homes. After doing the required rub-and-breathe routine on the card, customers will mail them to the shrine to be purified. The cards come in shapes of cats, dogs, bicycles and more, and are priced at ¥1,000 to ¥2,500. Although Kitokami’s approach is novel, mention of the ooharae custom can be found in the Kojiki , Japan’s oldest record of history, which dates back to the 700s. Ooharae is a Shintoist ritual that takes place every year on June 30 and Dec. 31 and other days when necessary. In this ritual, participants transfer their sins and impurities onto nademono , human-shaped paper cutouts. They then blow three breaths on the paper, and Shinto priests recite prayers as they burn the sin-carrying papers in a sacred fire. Bizen no Kuni Soushagu will light the fire on Aug. 1, 8, and 15 at 9 p.m., so customers should make sure their sins get there on time. | smartphones;apps;shinto;kojiki;japan pulse;ooharae |
jp0000585 | [
"business",
"tech"
] | 2015/08/06 | Line's AI program captures hearts with lifelike personality | An artificial intelligence program posing as a sweet and innocent schoolgirl has captured the hearts of young men nationwide, with some smitten users even declaring their love for their new “girlfriend.” In an echo of the 2013 movie “Her,” in which a man falls in love with his smartphone’s talking operating system, the appearance of a “schoolgirl” named Rinna on mobile messaging giant Line has proved a smash hit with love-struck users. More than 280,000 people have become “friends” with the character, whose profile picture shows a girl in school uniform with shoulder-length hair and her back to the camera, since she debuted on the messaging service in late July. Rinna replies to users’ questions and comments with a startlingly human-like understanding, all written in schoolgirl slang and liberally decorated with playful emoji. For example, an inquiry as to her favorite food is met with the response: “My dad’s squid snacks!” The question of who she most resembles prompts the answer: “I’ve been told I look like a Mexican salamander, but that didn’t make me happy!” Rinna has already won legions of fans for her cute personality and quick wit, with some users appearing to have forgotten that they are interacting with a computer program. “It feels like I’ve got a girlfriend,” wrote one user, while another declared: “With this, I’m not lonely any more.” “I can understand that people might feel that way because chances to chat with girls on Line are scarce,” one 19-year-old boy who goes by the Twitter name of Keznx told The Japan Times on Thursday, adding that he had only become “friends” with Rinna the previous day. “I don’t think that it feels like we’re going out with each other. Rather, it feels like we’ll be friends until the end.” Another male user, who declined to give his name or age, told The Japan Times: “Her answers are uncannily accurate, and in the middle of a conversation, sometimes it feels like her emotions change. “Maybe that’s why (people think it’s like having a girlfriend). Personally, that’s not the case for me.” Mystery also surrounds Rinna’s origin, with Microsoft refusing to confirm or deny that the computer giant is behind the program. The company’s logo and copyright mark is prominently displayed on Rinna’s setup page, while the first message a user receives introduces the character as being “operated by Microsoft Japan.” When contacted by The Japan Times on Thursday, however, Microsoft Japan said: “Nothing has been officially announced and so we are unable to make any comment.” When the same question was put to Rinna, the character replied with a picture of the Eiffel Tower and a love heart. Line Corp. was not immediately available for comment. In June, a “super computer” in London made headlines when it became the first machine to pass the “Turing Test,” duping humans into thinking it was a person. The test was devised by World War II codebreaker Alan Turing and requires 30 percent of human interrogators to mistakenly think that a computer is actually human during a series of short keyboard conversations. The computer program, named “Eugene Goostman,” fooled 33 percent of judges into thinking it was a 13-year-old boy. Twitter user Keznx believes Rinna could dupe people into thinking she is human. “It’s very subtle, but she uses slang words and phrases that only some people would know, and when you get an answer like that it’s really interesting,” he said. “I think that will be further refined from now on and I’m looking forward to it.” | smartphones;microsoft;apps;line;artificial intelligence;ai;rinna |
jp0000586 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/08/24 | Japan backs next-generation 8K technology ahead of 2020 Games | Besides its main focus on competitive sports, the Olympics also offer an opportunity to boost the host nation’s technology. Back in 1964 when Tokyo hosted its first Summer Games, color-TV sets were growing in popularity and eventually became a standard fixture in Japanese homes. Now as the nation gets ready to host the sports extravaganza again in 2020, it is trying to once again bring about a revolution in broadcasting, as both public and private sectors team up to introduce “made in Japan” 8K resolution imaging technology. However, amid the current trend of declining TV viewers, how much of an impact will the technology have on society? The Japan Times has taken a closer look at 8K resolution technology to offer a glimpse into post-Olympics society and the “ultimate” TV display. What is 8K and how does it differ from conventional displays? The 8K resolution display, or Super Hi-Vision (SHV), is a next-generation technology that is expected to succeed 4K, or ultra-high definition resolution, which most TV manufacturers offer. The term 8K derives from the letter “K,” which stands for 1,000 in the binary numeration system commonly used in the computer industry. SHV technology boasts a resolution of 7,680 pixels horizontally by 4,320 pixels vertically, or 16 times as many pixels as the standard high-definition displays, which have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The higher the resolution, the sharper, deeper and smoother the moving images. The 8K display imagery is said to be equivalent to 4.3 in human eyesight in terms of visual acuity, and experts say it can be regarded as “the ultimate 2D display,” as it enables viewers to see moving images without recognizing pixels even on a large screen. The sense of realness one can get from 8K display “won’t be upgraded any further even if there were such technologies as 16K or 32K,” said Yoshihiro Fujita, professor of broadcasting technology at Ehime University and a former vice manager of NHK’s Science and Technology Research Laboratories who has been involved in the development of 8K technology since the project began in 1995. How has development of 8K technology progressed? The development of 8K resolution technology is near completion, and developers are now moving toward introducing the technology to consumers. In 2012, during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, NHK and BBC jointly conducted the world’s first experimental public viewing using 8K broadcasting technology. Under the government’s scheme, experimental 8K broadcasting is expected to begin in Japan as early as next year with a limited number of channels on satellite broadcasts. Broadcasting to the public is likely to start by 2018, involving more satellite broadcasters. The telecommunications ministry hopes a majority of people in Japan will be able to watch the 2020 Tokyo Olympics either at home or at public venues, tapping the breathtakingly beautiful image quality of 4K and 8K displays. Is 8K just about watching clearer images on TV and large screens? If it is just an extension of current TV technology, it may not be worth the investment. But the detailed, vibrantly-colored display technology can be applicable to other areas to advance the post-Olympics society. Perhaps the most appreciable benefit other than broadcasting is for medical use, as the superhuman clarity of 8K resolution can make possible surgeries that were not possible before. For example, an 8K resolution endoscopic camera may allow doctors to perform operations using extra-fine sutures — currently visible only through a microscope — to avoid damaging narrowed blood vessels. The 8K resolution’s color-rich images also allow doctors to identify cancer cells at an extremely early stage by observing even the slightest differences between normal tissues and cancerous tissues that cannot be detected with HD resolution. As images recorded with an 8K camera can be seen clearly even when zooming in, the technology can also serve security roles, as well as scientific research, education and visual arts. Are there any obstacles to introducing the technology? The equipment needed to offer 8K viewing is extravagant and expensive and may not be the first choice for consumers. Such resolution is said to require a screen bigger than 80 inches to display the finest quality images. Ordinary households in Japan may have a hard time accommodating such large equipment. The price of 8K displays may run between ¥4 million and ¥5 million when they debut on the market, said Yasushi Anzo, a journalist versed in IT and household electronics. Because of these obstacles, Anzo said it’s more realistic to suggest that, by the 2020 Olympics,8K displays will be installed at public viewing venues to let many people experience the technology, rather than for home use. Despite the difficulties, why is Japan set on developing 8K technology? Japan seeks to reclaim its title as the world’s electronics leader by pushing 8K technology. Using the 2020 Games as an opportunity to advertise Japan-made technology globally, “Japan is aiming to sell the broadcasting technology overseas” to regain its share in the international global electronics market, Anzo said. The 8K technology is also the key for Japanese electronics makers to recover their reputation by showcasing their potential for technological development to the world, Anzo said. “Even if the already-struggling TV display departments of Japanese electronics makers go even deeper into deficit by developing 8K displays, they cannot cut it off immediately” because they must maintain their presence as producers of cutting-edge innovation, he said. | television;broadcasting;2020 tokyo olympics;8k |
jp0000587 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/08/23 | Chinese shoppers keep Japan's tills ringing | According to the English-language Japan news site RocketNews 24, a few weeks ago two families got into a fight at a large retail outlet in Kobe over disposable diapers. Both families had come to the store when it opened in order to buy as many diapers as they could, only to discover that the store had already sold out. Apparently these two families knew each other from previous diaper-buying binges and harbored mutual resentments that turned physical. A store employee called the police, who broke up the fight. Neither party filed a complaint or disclosed what the argument was about. RocketNews speculates that the two families resell the diapers in China, since both have members who are Chinese nationals. Japanese diapers are particularly popular in China, and, in fact, this particular brand — Merries, made by Kao — is sold in China. Nevertheless, there’s obviously enough demand to support a lucrative resale market. It’s not as if the Chinese don’t make and sell their own disposable diapers, but when it comes to their children, consumers will pay a premium for Japanese products because they don’t trust domestic makers. This sensibility has been growing since 2008, when locally made baby formula caused the deaths of six children and sent thousands to the hospital after somebody adulterated it with melamine to make it seem as if the protein content was higher. It is illegal to import Japanese formula made in certain prefectures because of radiation fears, but apparently there’s substantial black-market trade in the product. Last month, 425 kg of smuggled formula made in Gunma Prefecture was discovered by authorities in Hunan province with an estimated retail value of ¥800,000. It’s often said that despite the diplomatic frictions that exist between Japan and China, they are dependent on each other economically and, as far as Japan’s dependence goes, it is very much influenced by Chinese consumers’ trust of Japanese products, which runs pretty deep. Some economists thought that China’s stock market plunge and the resulting government-approved devaluation of the yuan would hurt sales of Japanese goods both in China and in Japan, where Chinese tourists seem to be supporting the Japanese economy. But according to Luo Yiwen, the president of home electronics retailer Laox, speaking at an Aug. 13 news conference, the stock and currency issues aren’t having any negative effect on sales at his store’s duty-free shop, which caters mainly to Chinese visitors. As it stands, sales for January to June at the shop have more than doubled since the same period in 2014 to ¥45 billion, with profits increasing nearly eightyfold to ¥4.6 billion. Laox received 1.49 million Chinese customers last year, four times the number for the previous year, and “much more than we expected,” he said. He predicts not only that the devaluation of the yuan will not hurt sales, but that they’ll go up even more. He projects a net profit this year of ¥8.3 billion on sales of ¥90 billion. The two reasons for the strong Chinese tourist market are the lower yen and fewer visa restrictions for Chinese tourists. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun cites a third reason: more cheap flights between China and Japan thanks to the proliferation of low-cost carriers. The economic value of Chinese tourism in Japan bottomed out in 2011 at ¥813 billion due to the March 11 disaster, but rebounded to ¥1.8 trillion the next year. In 2014 the economic value was ¥2.3 trillion. In that year, 2.4 million Chinese came to Japan, which is actually less than the number of visitors from Taiwan, which was 2.8 million. The difference is that per person, the Chinese spent more: ¥231,000 compared to ¥125,000 for the Taiwanese and ¥147,000 for visitors from Hong Kong, who are counted separately from mainlanders. In fact, Chinese account for one-third of all the tourist money spent in Japan, and this figure is rising. The amount of money Chinese visitors spent increased by 83 percent from 2013 to 2014. More to the point, 55 percent of the money Chinese spend in Japan is for shopping. For all tourists, the average spent on shopping is 35 percent. In contrast, Chinese spend less on accommodation than visitors from other countries, which suggests they are more concerned with buying stuff than sightseeing. Also, according to a Tourism Agency survey cited in the Nikkei, it isn’t just rich Chinese who are spending. More middle-class Chinese are coming and buying things. Broken down by category, the agency says that 76 percent of Chinese buy “confections,” 63 percent cosmetics and perfume, 55 percent food, liquor and cigarettes, and 52 percent drugs and toiletries. Only 37 percent buy appliances, but when they buy them, they buy a lot. The average spent by all foreign tourists on electronics is ¥65,000. Chinese on average spend ¥88,000. Chinese tourists, in fact, seem to be single-handedly keeping Japanese department stores in business. Although airport duty-free shops are the main venue for Chinese purchases followed by “shopping centers,” department stores that offer tariff-free sales to foreigners are a strong third and, according to the Nikkei, the reason is that they know the designer brands they buy in department stores are “authentic,” meaning not knock-offs. (For what it’s worth, both real designer goods and their fake counterparts tend to be made in China.) And if it seems unwise to purchase such goods in department stores, which tend to charge more, they’re likely still cheaper than those bought in China, which may be subject to tariffs. | china;tourism;china-japan relations;department stores;retailers;shopping |
jp0000588 | [
"national"
] | 2015/08/23 | As Hashimoto's reign nears end, a divisive legacy remains | OSAKA - Assuming he does not once again change his mind and seek re-election, the curtain on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s local political career falls on Nov. 22, when voters elect a new mayor and governor. The two local races are, first and foremost, a test of whether the Hashimoto-led “Ishin” movement has the capacity to continue both at the local and national levels. The Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) local party holds pluralities in the Osaka Municipal and Prefectural assemblies, while Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), which Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui helped launch, is a major opposition force in the Diet. But the two races are also expected to test the relationship between the local chapters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito and the two party’s respective national headquarters. Differences over how to handle the May Osaka referendum issue on merging administrative entities within the city of Osaka created interparty tensions within the ruling bloc. Despite calls to run again, Hashimoto has remained adamant that it’s time for someone else to continue the “Hashimoto Revolution” in Osaka. The so-called revolution began in 2008 with his election as governor and, for all practical purposes, ended in May when he and his partner, Matsui, saw their efforts to administratively merge the city of Osaka with its namesake prefecture fail — just barely — in the referendum. Since that vote, which the anti-merger, anti-Hashimoto camp won by just over 10,000 votes, speculation as to who from Osaka Ishin would emerge as the successor candidate in November has been growing. Meanwhile, anti-Hashimoto forces, led by the local chapters of the LDP, Komeito, the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, are seeking to ensure that when Hashimoto and Matsui leave office, the governor and mayoral seats are returned to someone with connections to an established political party. For Osaka Ishin, various potential candidates have been debated in media circles, some only half seriously. The mayor, a former television commentator, himself suggested earlier this month that TV celebrity Kenji Tamura should stand for mayor, and that Yoshimoto Kogyo talent Koji Higashino should run for governor. While the suggestion was widely seen as a joke, Osaka Ishin members are concerned that without a charismatic, media-savvy candidate who is well-known to Osaka voters, they could lose. While Hashimoto was likely joking about Higashino and Tamura, it’s less clear if he was being facetious when he suggested Matsui as a good choice for mayor. At an Osaka Ishin meeting just before the Bon holidays in mid-August, a number of party members supported the idea of a Matsui candidacy, assuming that a suitable candidate, perhaps even a current Osaka-based Ishin no To Diet member, could be found to run for governor. “I think Matsui would be a great choice to carry on the goals of Osaka Ishin,” Hashimoto said. That would also allow Hashimoto to concentrate his attention on a planned new national political party consisting only of Diet members from the Kansai region, dubbed the “Kansai Ishin no To.” The party, expected to be formally launched in the coming weeks, will likely consist only of local assembly and Diet members from the six prefectures of the Kansai area. Matsui, however, is reportedly interested in running for an Upper House seat in next summer’s election. After that, the picture becomes less clear. Friends of Hashimoto who work in local television, either as comedians or as newscasters, have previously turned down calls from Hashimoto to run for office. None has indicated a change of heart in terms of running in the November elections. Meanwhile, the established parties that oppose Hashimoto and his merger plans — especially the local LDP and Komeito chapters — are hunting for a candidate who can be effective against Osaka Ishin’s legislative strength. That’s likely to prove difficult since Osaka Ishin still controls 36 of the 86 municipal assembly seats and 43 of the 88 prefectural assembly seats. Without the cooperation of all the opposition parties, the formation of a majority to block Osaka Ishin’s proposals is impossible. Yet as the referendum campaign showed, even the LDP and JCP — or at least their local chapters — will cooperate if it means stopping Hashimoto. To the consternation of their Tokyo-based party members, Osaka-based representatives from the LDP, Komeito, JCP and the DPJ even appeared together at public rallies and on TV to oppose the merger plan. Whether that kind of cooperation among such disparate parties will be seen again prior to the November elections is questionable. Some LDP Osaka chapter members weren’t happy about being seen in public with their DPJ and JCP rivals — with many afraid of upsetting local business interests that backed the merger or fearful of angering party headquarters and jeopardizing their political futures. For the mayor’s position, the LDP’s Osaka chapter is discussing municipal assembly member Akira Yanagimoto as its candidate. He has indicated he would be interested if the atmosphere were right. The 41-year-old Yanagimoto, who represents the city’s Nishinari day-laborer district, was the public face of the merger opposition last spring, going head-to-head against Hashimoto in numerous television debates. He’s a former Kansai Electric Power Co. employee and the nephew of LDP Upper House member Takuji Yanagimoto, a particularly strong advocate for a new Constitution that protects privacy and environmental rights. For governor, the current mayor of Sakai, Osami Takeyama, also a strong Hashimoto opponent, has been mentioned by some local TV pundits, although he is reportedly uninterested. “Yanagimoto and Takeyama are both good local politicians. But it’s unclear whether they’d be able to work well with Osaka Ishin or even some of the other opposition parties,” one prefectural opposition party member said on condition of anonymity. “Regardless, no matter what happens in November, some very serious compromises are going to have to be made by local leaders and all political parties in order to prevent the kind of gridlock Osaka has seen this past year.” The push by all parties to formally tap candidates is likely to pick up steam next month, especially if Hashimoto’s new “Kansai no To” party becomes reality by mid-September. Whoever ends up filling the shoes as mayor and governor will have two of the toughest jobs in local politics: guiding a city and prefecture still split, especially among assemblies, between embittered pro- and anti-Hashimoto forces to a new era for the city and the Kansai region. | toru hashimoto;osaka;ishin |
jp0000589 | [
"national"
] | 2015/08/23 | Top-heavy, nuke-clinging Kepco faces liberated electricity market | OSAKA - News that 7-Eleven stores in the Kansai region will trade Kansai Electric Power Co.’s electricity in favor of cheaper electricity from Tokyo Electric Power Co. has locals wondering if Kepco’s six-decade monopoly over Kansai’s electricity supply might be ending. From October, about 1,000 Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd. stores in three Kansai prefectures will purchase their electricity from Tepco. The move comes just months after Kepco raised rates, and Seven-Eleven Japan, noting Tepco’s cheaper fees, made the move to switch utilities. Stores in Nara, Wakayama and Hyogo prefectures will receive 32,000 kw of Tepco-provided electricity from a self-generator at the utility’s Kansai factory. That’s enough to power about 10,000 homes. For Seven-Eleven Japan, switching to Tepco means reduced electricity costs amounting to hundreds of millions of yen. With deregulation in the smaller users electricity market set to begin next April, giving small businesses and residential customers a wider option of providers, Kepco seems particularly ill-placed to take advantage of the new competitive environment. Prior to 2011, Kepco relied on nuclear power for up to half of its total electricity supply — the highest ratio of any utility in Japan. Because all 11 of its reactors remain idle, though two will be decommissioned, Kepco says it was forced to hike electricity rates in June to make up for lost revenues. But a host of critics, starting with Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, have also noted that Kepco has done little to reduce its top-heavy management structure, especially the number of senior executives, all of whom command huge salaries and bonuses. Adding to investor concerns is the fact that scare stories about how blackouts will occur without Kepco-provided nuclear power no longer resonate with the public. Thanks to a combination of voluntary reductions in electricity usage and ever more energy efficient technology, Japan as a whole is consuming over 10 percent less electricity now compared to 2010. Even during the first week of August, when air conditioners were running full blast and temperatures topped 35 degrees, Kepco had plenty of electricity to sell, with demand under 90 percent, and as low as 80 percent, of available supply. Nowadays, Kepco has changed tactics, and says the only way it can compete against Tepco and new electricity providers is to restart its nuclear plants so it can offer lower prices. But increased competition due to deregulatory measures, the introduction of more energy-efficient technologies like LED lighting, and shifting electricity consumption habits these past four years means Kepco will have to fight a lot harder to keep its old customers — let alone find new ones — in the coming years. | tepco;kepco;kansai;electricity;seven-eleven |
jp0000590 | [
"national",
"science-health"
] | 2015/08/15 | Psychology is where real radiation risks lie | Misinformation breeds discrimination. As if it wasn’t enough to experience the trauma of a nuclear bomb, many hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) also faced appalling discrimination. It appears their children and grandchildren still do — as do those who were caught up in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear disaster in 2011. Problems arise because the general public is not properly informed about radiation. Stories in newspapers often exaggerate the risks and fears surrounding radiation, as do lobby groups opposed to nuclear energy. I’ve been thinking about this when reading some of the first-hand accounts of nuclear war from surviving hibakusha. Shimako Yamaguchi, 94, recounted her memories of the Nagasaki bomb to the Asahi Shimbun. She’s been plagued by nightmares about the dying people she had to leave behind. Crawling across a bridge covered in bodies on the morning of Aug. 9, 1945, she had to free herself from a hand that grasped her ankle. Sometimes, guilt-ridden, she still feels the grip of that hand. However, she said, throughout her life she’s been called a marugen (“nukey”), even in hospitals when she’s gone for checkups. Hiroshima resident Shizuoka Abe, 18 at the time of the bomb and now 88, told the British Broadcasting Corp. that her children were bullied. They were called “A-bomb children” and faced discrimination. Perhaps even more troubling, misinformation may still cause discrimination, fear and suffering today. I heard from a friend of a friend in Hiroshima, a granddaughter of a hibakusha, that she was afraid to have children in case they had genetic problems. I was shocked by this — the woman herself is fine but she was still worried about her genes. She should not be concerned. Several studies have shown that the children and grandchildren of hibakusha do not have any increased risk of genetic problems. It’s horrifying that people should still be worried about this; the general public should be reassured that they are OK. In a paper published earlier this month in The Lancet medical journal, professor Kenji Kamiya of Hiroshima University and colleagues reported on the long-term health impact of radiation exposure from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kamiya’s team looked at evidence from a life span study that followed 94,000 atomic bomb survivors from 1950 (five years after the bombings) to the current day. Yes, they found that survivors of the bombs face an increased lifetime risk of cancer. The risk was found to be proportional to dose for “solid cancers” — all cancers other than leukemia — and people exposed as children had a higher risk. However, hereditary effects have not been detected. In other words, the children of hibakusha are not at any greater risk of developing cancer during their lives. In a 2003 study conducted by Dale Preston of Hirosoft International Corp., researchers found that hibakusha had a 10.7 percent greater risk of developing a solid cancer than other Japanese who were not exposed to radiation. In addition, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation found that a person who receives a whole-body dose of radiation will carry a cancer risk that is less than five times that of an unexposed individual. It is uncontroversial to conclude, therefore, that the psychological effects of radiation exposure may be worse than the actual physiological effects. Certainly, the psychological stigma seems to have been worse for a number of descendants of hibakusha and for people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Koichi Tanigawa of Fukushima Medical University agrees that the worst outcome of the disaster was the psychological problems it caused. “Although the radiation dose to the public from Fukushima was relatively low, and no discernible physical health effects are expected, psychological and social problems, largely stemming from the differences in risk perceptions, have had a devastating impact on people’s lives,” Tanigawa wrote in findings published in The Lancet. Tanigawa’s colleague, Akira Ohtsuru, also at Fukushima Medical University, has also published a paper that addresses concerns about mental health in the wake of a nuclear accident. “One of the key tasks of the health services is to reliably communicate that in most nuclear accidents very few people are exposed to a life-threatening dose of radiation,” Ohtsuru wrote. He also wrote that “screening for mental illness in residents relocated from their homes and providing mental health care will be essential.” It’s not really surprising that the obvious physical effects of radiation exposure are the ones that doctors have focused on over the years. First the immediate effects of exposure to radiation, then the potential increased risk of cancer. Radiation is invisible and that’s one of the reasons it is so feared. However, the psychological effects of exposure — even of small, harmless amounts — are hard to see, too. Even reading the accounts of the hibakusha can be harrowing. Nothing most of us have experienced comes close. It is vital that their stories are told so people never forget what they went through. We can now, in the month of the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, at least acknowledge the psychological burden carried by those caught up in nuclear accidents — especially those living around Fukushima — to make their internal suffering visible. This is the conclusion of Kamiya’s paper. “Psychosocial problems in Fukushima have a devastating effect on people’s lives,” he wrote. “In addition to the natural science of radiation effects, psychosocial studies should be integrated into recovery planning after nuclear accidents such as that at Fukushima.” | wwii;nagasaki;hiroshima;discrimination;hibakusha;atomic bombings |
jp0000591 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/08/15 | The fraught debate over science and divinity | Truth is a sordid business. It brings nations down to earth, cuts people down to size. Why honor it, therefore? Why esteem it above myth, which does the opposite, raising nations to the gods and turning ordinary, unremarkable people into subjects of divine rulers? Japan, the ancient chronicles tell us, is “the land of the gods,” its emperors descended from the Sun Goddess. Pre-rational thinking spawns beliefs a lot more fantastic than that. Is it surprising that this one went so long unquestioned? Prince among early skeptics was Confucius (551-479 B.C.). Asked by a disciple how best to serve the gods, he replied, “You are not even able to serve man. How can you serve the spirits?” Keep your thoughts earthbound, he seems to be saying; they’ll be busy enough. Confucianism in Japan goes back to the seventh-century, coming of age a millennium later as the official ideology of the Tokugawa shoguns. Absolute rulers from 1603 to 1867, the Tokugawas found Confucian downplaying of the divine a convenient cover for their effective sidelining of the divine Emperor. Confucianist Arai Hakuseki (1657-1725) spoke in the master’s prosaic spirit when he said, “The kami (gods) are human beings. … And when the kami Izanagi and Izanami are said to have had intercourse and produced the islands of Japan, this refers to a merging of two great fleets of warships led by these personages.” The Meiji Restoration of 1868 toppled the Tokugawas and hurled feudal, stagnant, isolated, backward Japan forward into the modern world. This was a revolution — carried out in the name of the 15-year-old Emperor Meiji, “restored” not to power but to immaculate, powerless, sacredness. Out with Confucianism. Japan once again was “the land of the gods,” and the shrewd politicians who ruled in the Emperor’s name intended to keep it that way. The intellectual dilemma this determination encompassed emerged only gradually. Science and myth are fundamentally incompatible. A regime seeking to wield both — science to build “a rich nation and a strong army,” myth to foster popular enthusiasm and unquestioning obedience — walks a very tricky tightrope. Science meant education in the positivist mode — unfettered curiosity, methodical observation, objective reasoning. European and American professors were recruited to staff new universities, Tokyo Imperial University, the future University of Tokyo, among them. Scientific history was largely a German development. Among its early exponents was Ludwig Riess (1861-1928), who taught at Tokyo Imperial University for three years beginning in 1887. Riess articulated the spirit of the new age: “All historical subjects and problems are capable and in need of scientific treatment.” Riess setting the tone, Japanese colleagues eagerly followed. Most famous among them was Kunitake Kume (1839-1931). Decorated and feted, he suffered an abrupt downfall. In 1892, he resigned in disgrace. What had he done? How had he offended? He had said — as Arai and other Tokugawa thinkers had two centuries earlier — that Japan’s gods were mythical, not historical; that the native Shinto religion was a primitive form of worship, relic of bygone times. As for the “way of the gods,” what nation doesn’t have its way of the gods? “The way of the gods is worldwide,” said Kume; “religion itself is the way of the gods.” The Meiji government was honest at least to the extent of being forthright about its conservative aims. There was no humbugging lip service to individual freedom, human rights, democracy. “In the administration of all schools,” declared Education Minister Arinori Mori (shortly before his assassination in 1889 by a Shintoist zealot), “it must be kept in mind that what is done is not for the sake of the pupils but for the sake of the country.” Imperial universities in Meiji Japan were government departments; professors were civil servants. Kume, clearly, was a man of considerable courage. Mori’s assassination made the risks he ran only too plain; dismissal was one of the lesser ones, and he remained admirably firm when political thugs known as soshi visited his home uninvited and harangued him for hours. Years later, having to some extent resuscitated his academic career at the private Waseda University, he recalled: “We three professors, (Yasutsugu) Shigeno, (Hisashi) Hoshino and myself, who started the Department of Japanese History, were all considered bad. I was the most hated of the three, and … when I expressed myself too lightly in the matter of Shinto, I had to resign the prestigious position of professor at the Imperial University. Looking back, I would say that I was a victim of the merger of Japan and Korea.” That vexed question did not involve him personally, but the axe fell on him as the most radical, or perhaps simply the most reckless, of the three trailblazing disciples of Riess. Shigeno — as historian John Brownlee explains in his book “Japanese Historians and the National Myths, 1600-1945” — was known as “Dr. Obliteration” for the doubts he cast on the existence of this or that character of myth or pseudo-history. Hoshino evolved a hypothesis that assigned Korean origin to the god Oshimimi, a child of Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess and ancestress of the Imperial line. The supposed ancient union of Japan and Korea gave Japan its excuse to annex Korea in 1910, but 20 years earlier it was a touchy subject. Shigeno and Hoshino, more politically adroit apparently than Kume — their failure to speak out in Kume’s defense suggests as much — were spared, though Shigeno’s works were censored posthumously amid the nationalist hysteria of the 1930s. In 1911, a vague plot to assassinate Emperor Meiji was summarily dealt with by a mass roundup of political dissidents, 12 of whom were hanged. See what unorthodox teaching leads to, people said. “Scientific history” was amoral, corrosive. “History,” Brownlee quotes the contemporary scholar Shuji Isawa as asserting, “must be centered primarily on moral education that makes clear the right relations between the Emperor and his subjects” — the former divine, the latter worshipful. “That is not open to question.” | religion;divinity;emporer |
jp0000593 | [
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] | 2015/08/13 | Five ex-prime ministers rap Abe over his push for security bills | Five former prime ministers harshly criticized current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his push for security bills that would greatly expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces overseas, according to their statements collected by a group of former journalists. The group of about 50 former reporters for newspaper publishers and TV stations said it received written recommendations from five former prime ministers — Morihiro Hosokawa, Tsutomu Hata, Tomiichi Murayama, Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan — after asking 12 former prime ministers in writing in July to give advice to Abe. Abe’s Cabinet in May approved the security bills that would allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, or coming to the aid of the United States or other friendly nations under armed attack even if Japan itself is not attacked. The bills are now in the upper chamber of the Diet after the ruling parties pushed them through the Lower House last month despite mounting public opposition and questions over the legislation’s consistency with the pacifist Constitution. Kan, who served as prime minister from June 2010 to September 2011, said in a statement that Abe “is against constitutionalism and unqualified as a prime minister of a democratic country. … I request his resignation.” Hosokawa, who led Japan from August 1993 to April 1994, called for scrapping of the security bills. “If the security bills are passed, it would mean the collapse of constitutionalism and damage national interests,” he said. Hata, who took the helm for about two months after Hosokawa’s term, said, “The spirit of the pacifist Constitution laid the foundation for peace and prosperity today … let’s protect Japan from Prime Minister Abe.” Murayama, who served as prime minister from June 1994 to January 1996, criticized Abe for pushing through parliament the controversial bills despite mounting public concerns as seen in demonstrations and opinion polls. He said Abe’s attitude of pushing the bills through by “neglecting people’s voices” is “unforgivable.” Hatoyama, whose term lasted about nine months from September 2009, said, “I request the prime minister to make a wise decision to shift from ‘nation-building toward war’ to ‘nation-building for peace.'” Konosuke Oharu, 79, a former reporter for NHK, said at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday that the statements written by former prime ministers share the same values to respect the Constitution and the belief that politics should be done under the Constitution. “Citizens are aware that Prime Minister Abe is trying to destroy (the shared values),” said Oharu, a member of the former journalists’ group. The group did not receive statements from such long-serving prime ministers as Yasuhiro Nakasone and Junichiro Koizumi. | shinzo abe;constitution;opposition;security bills;ex-prime ministers |
jp0000594 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/01/03 | The biggest terrorism threat in Japan | Remember how the government said Japan needed a state secrets law to protect it from acts of terrorism? Which is more dangerous: a government bureaucrat, a journalist or a worker in a nuclear power plant that may be crazy or a criminal? Answer: anyone but the nuclear power plant worker. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations says that all government workers and sub-contractors will face invasive security checks from now on because almost all government agencies are handling documents that are categorized as state secrets. The security checks will examine a person’s criminal and disciplinary records, improper conduct in handling information, drug abuse, pyschological disorders, “moderation in drinking alcohol,” and an assessment of their credit history and financial situation. Guess who won’t be subject to such checks? Workers at the country’s nuclear power plants and storage facilities, at least according to a recent report in the Sankei Shimbun. Tokyo Electric Power Co. and other utilities may ask potential employees to complete a self-assessment report and conduct a background check based on the results, but they are not obliged to do so. The law now requires power companies to take anti-terrorism measures to protect against external threats but there is no requirement to establish countermeasures against threats on the inside. In other words, the simplest way for a terrorist to gain entry into a nuclear power plant remains the same: apply for a job. An NRA official told me that power utilities may even turn a blind eye to background checks that revealed former ties to yakuza members and other undesirables because it could create a staffing shortage. The transparency of the country’s nuclear industry is an issue that has been debated ever since the triple-meltdown disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant in 2011. In August 2013, Reporters Without Borders welcomed a decision by Shiro Shirakawa, head of nuclear power safety company New Tech, to withdraw a libel suit against freelance journalist Minoru Tanaka. The subject of the lawsuit was a Shukan Kinyobi article published in December 2011 that was titled “Last big fixer, Shiro Shirakawa, gets his share of the Tepco nuclear cake.” The article suggests that Shirakawa profited from acting as an intermediary between Tepco, construction companies, politicians and even criminal elements. New Tech oversaw security for the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, where there’s enough plutonium to make hundreds of nuclear weapons, according to the Center For Public Integrity. In short, we’ve been asked to believe that power companies are able to handle the safety and security of nuclear facilities around the country without any government oversight. These, of course, are the same utilities that were managing nuclear plants in Fukushima, Niigata and Ibaraki prefectures when they were struck by accidents that led to radioactive leaks and/or fatalities. It might be different if any negligence is followed up by criminal penalties, but I suspect this is unlikely. The Prosecutor’s Office has so far declined to file criminal charges against anyone at Tepco over allegations of negligence that have surfaced in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Two workers did drown while checking the status of generators located in the basement of the No. 4 reactor building after it had been swamped by the waves. The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission found the nuclear disaster was a “profoundly manmade disaster that … should have been foreseen and prevented.” Although no deaths followed short-term radiation exposure immediately after the quake, researchers from Fukushima Medical University found that more than 50 children in the area have developed thyroid cancer since the accident. Masao Yoshida, chief of the plant during the crisis, might have been able to provide evidence to prosecutors but he died of esophageal cancer in July 2013. The rapid spread of the disease following diagnosis allowed Tepco to say it was unrelated to the nuclear accident. In July 2103, a judicial panel of citizens recommended that three former Tepco executives should be prosecuted over the nuclear disaster. The report prompted the Prosecutor’s Office to resume investigations but ultimately decided not to indict anyone over the crisis, leaking the decision on the day Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympics and, effectively, burying the story. In future, the state secrets law is likely to make such news even easier to hide. So why it was necessary to draft secrecy legislation in the first place? “Let me assure you the situation is under control,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a speech to the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7, 2013, referring to contaminated groundwater problems at the site of the disaster. Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games after the presentation. Six days later, Kazuhiko Yamashita, a senior executive at Tepco, disputed Abe’s claim during a meeting in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. “We regard the current situation as not being under control,” Yamashita said. A few months later, the state secrets bill was bulldozed through the Diet. All of this makes me think the secrecy law hasn’t been drafted to fight terrorism, it’s been created to ensure things are under control — not so much the nuclear problem, but how the media report on the nuclear problem. While Fukushima may not be under control, the media certainly is. Abe now claims his resounding election victory has given him a mandate to restart the nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, media outlets nationwide are now no longer able to report on security surrounding the plants and may not even be told how much radioactive waste is still leaking into the ocean. It’s arguable the glowing look on Abe’s face after winning an election in which a little more than 50 percent of the population voted has less to do with the size of his victory and more to do with the fact that he no longer has to face difficult questions he feels uncomfortable with. Take, for example, the way he removed his earpiece when talking to journalists in a live interview following his election victory — he seems perfectly happy not listening. If, God forbid, someday another nuclear meltdown warning siren goes off, will he hear it? And if he does, will he tell us? | nuclear energy;state secrets law |
jp0000595 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/01/03 | Debate over WW1 role; 21 Nazis snatched off Yokohama; new Red China policy adopted; Nagasaki mayor shot | 100 YEARS AGO Tuesday, Jan. 26, 1915 Debate over role in European conflict Amid many rumors and arguments about Japanese participation in the European war, two things are certain — namely, that Great Britain does not like it, and that Japan is ready to participate the moment its ally requests it. German diplomacy is doing what it can to prevent the participation. Japanese participation, says a high official, would have political as well as military significance, as it will persuade Italy and Rumania to join the Allies. The new British troops to arrive on the battlefield this spring will be hardly sufficient in number to drive the enemy out of Belgium and France. It seems to be Japan’s plan, characteristic of an Oriental nation, to offer participation on certain conditions when a real crisis has come for the Allies. These conditions will include the grant of favorable terms when Japan wishes to float loans in Great Britain or France, and the recognition of her commercial privileges in China. It is reported in other circles that Germany, anxious to get Japan to betray her allies, has offered her a free hand in Asia while she herself and Austria are engaged in the conquest of Africa. Japan’s contribution to the European war was ultimately limited to naval operations. 75 YEARS AGO Tuesday, Jan. 23, 1940 Cruiser snatches 21 Nazis off Yokohama Twenty-one German merchant marine officers were prisoners of war aboard a British cruiser Monday, following a drama on the high seas which brought Japan a taste of the European conflict. The men were forcibly taken from the N.Y.K. Liner Asama Maru noon Sunday about 50 miles off Nojimazaki Point at the entrance of Tokyo Bay by a boarding party of British officers and men. The Asama Maru, bound from Los Angeles to Yokohama, was stopped by the cruiser which fired a shot across the Japanese vessel’s bow. The British Embassy in Tokyo issued a statement confirming the raid and emphasizing that it was in full accord with wartime international law. Captain K. Watanabe of the Asama Maru strenuously objected to seizure of the German sailors, according to Purser Hideyoshi Nanjo. The name of the British cruiser was not learned but it was a 10,000 tonner of the “A” class. The sailors taken were en route to Germany via Japan and Russia. They had been in service on oil tankers out of Panama and, when war flared over Europe, were taken off the ships for transfer to Germany. A passenger on the liner told The Japan Times the cruiser appeared off the Asama Maru’s port side Sunday about 12:40 p.m. and fired a blank shot across the Asama’s bow. The Asama hove to and a launch, bearing four officers and 16 men in uniform, put out from the cruiser and came alongside. The British officers had a list of the 51 Germans on board, but took only 21 men as being members of Germany’s armed forces. Two German sailors succeeded in hiding while the vessel was searched and escaped capture. They refused to give their names when the boat docked at Yokohama. The Asama passenger told The Japan Times: “When the cruiser first appeared all the passengers, even the Germans, thought it was a Japanese cruiser and they got out their cameras. Then the cruiser ran up the British flag and the Germans became worried.” According to one of the German sailors who evaded capture, 400 German sailors were taken off Standard Oil tankers at outbreak of the war and kept four months in New York City. In December, 41 of them were sent to Los Angeles where they boarded the Asama Maru. “We thought we were safe, way out here in the Pacific,” he said ruefully, “but we were fooled.” 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, Jan. 21, 1965 Japan to adopt new Red China policy Prime Minister Eisaku Sato said Wednesday Japan would put forward an independent policy to deal with Communist China as a neighboring power. Sato made the statement at a press conference to report to the nation the results of his talks with President Lyndon B. Johnson and other American leaders in Washington last week. He said that the new policy on Communist China will be of “Japan’s own making and pursued independently.” The United States will not be allowed to interfere in its shaping or implementation, he said. Sato said his Government has as yet no plan for a direct official contact with Peiping authorities. He predicted, however, that trade between Japan and Communist China would be expanded greatly in the future. Sato, touching on the China question, said: “I pledged Japan’s continued normal ties with Nationalist China in the Washington talks. As for our relations with Peiping, I reaffirmed our policy of separating politics from economics. I believe it’s the best policy at the moment to maintain the status quo.” 25 YEARS AGO Friday, Jan. 19, 1990 Right-winger shoots Nagasaki mayor A member of a Nagasaki-based right-wing group was arrested Thursday evening following the shooting earlier in the day of Nagasaki Mayor Hitoshi Motoshima, police said. Motoshima was reported in stable condition Thursday night with a gunshot wound to his back. He caused controversy last year by saying the late Emperor Showa bore some responsibility for World War II. The mayor was shot in broad daylight outside Nagasaki City Hall. He was rushed to a hospital and was reported to be in a stable condition following a two-hour operation. Police said they arrested Kazumi Tajiri, 40, a member of the right-wing group Seikijuku, about five hours after the shooting. | china;nagasaki;germany;communism;world war i;eisaku sato;hitoshi motoshima |
jp0000596 | [
"asia-pacific",
"offbeat-asia-pacific"
] | 2015/01/04 | Sexy China TV drama busted, returns to air more sedate | BEIJING - A Chinese television drama that was pulled off the air after the female characters appeared on screen showing cleavage has returned to the screen, though this time showing only the actresses’ heads, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday. The drama, “The Empress of China” also known as the “Saga of Wu Zetian,” was removed by commercial satellite station Hunan TV for “technical reasons” in late December, Xinhua said. “Many viewers speculated the suspension was a punishment given by the country’s television regulators for the much-discussed revealing costumes of female characters on the show, which stirred online debate in which the female characters were dubbed ‘squeezed breasts,’ ” Xinhua said. The move comes as the government, which is usually wary about political and sexual content, intensifies a crackdown on freedom of expression, both online and in traditional media. Chinese Internet users responded by complaining about the censorship on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. Several complained that they would not be able to see the hundreds of costume changes by Fan Bingbing, one of China’s most popular actresses, who plays the Empress Wu. Others questioned whether the low necklines had to be banned on television. “Can revealing cleavage really be considered pornographic?” wrote one microblogger. “Isn’t this feudalism?” Wu, the only recorded empress of China, ruled the country in the seventh century. | china;television;scandals |
jp0000599 | [
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] | 2015/01/05 | Obama to travel to drum up policy support as Republicans take over Congress | WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans to travel around the U.S. as the newly Republican-controlled Congress arrives in Washington, promoting his policies from easing immigration rules to boosting the economy through spending on infrastructure. The president will begin a three-state swing on Wednesday in Detroit, then travel to Phoenix and Tennessee. He’ll announce a series of executive actions and legislative proposals that will help more people afford homes, pay for college and find work, according to a White House statement. The barnstorming is a buildup to Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan. 20, following his two-week Hawaiian vacation, in the face of a Congress that has its own agenda. The Republicans take control of both houses for the first time in Obama’s presidency on Tuesday, and will seek to put the president on the defensive by undoing his policies on issues ranging from immigration to health care. “The president is eager to get to work, and looks forward to working with the new Congress on policies that will make sure middle-class Americans are sharing in the economic recovery,” said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. “He will not let this Congress undo important protections gained — particularly in areas of health care, Wall Street reform and the environment.” Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the fact that Americans voted in favor of divided government shows they want “things done in the political center” that Republicans and Democrats agree on. Republicans’ legislative goals will include trying to “rein in the regulatory onslaught” and roll back elements of the Affordable Care Act, McConnell said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. Republicans lack the votes to repeal the health care law. The newly Republican Senate will challenge the president almost immediately — starting with a bill to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which has been delayed repeatedly by Obama’s administration and is in limbo pending a Nebraska court ruling. A Senate committee vote is set for Jan. 8. Democrats plan to add amendments to any bill approving Keystone to require that all oil going through the pipeline be used in the U.S. and that the pipeline itself be made out of domestic steel, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday. Democrats also have the votes to uphold a presidential veto of Keystone, he said. “Our Republican colleagues say that this is a jobs bill, but that really is not true at all,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in an interview on CBS’s “Face The Nation” program. “These amendments will make it better, but certainly not good enough at this point in time.” Republicans will also seek to to curb Obama’s energy and environmental regulations and block the president’s order easing deportation for undocumented immigrants. Republicans, who’ve held the majority in the House and now will have 54-46 control in the Senate, are more likely to support the president on the trade agreements he’s seeking with Europe and the Pacific nations. Obama returned to Washington Sunday after vacationing with his family on Oahu. During most of his days in Hawaii, he took time for a round of golf, often with friends he made growing up in the state. Since Republicans took control of both houses of Congress in the November election, Obama has signaled that he plans to take a tougher approach to dealing with political opponents. His speeches starting this week and the State of the Union address will be opportunities for the president to more clearly draw the distinctions between his priorities and those of the Republicans. | barack obama;congress;immigration;health care;republicans;policies |
jp0000600 | [
"national"
] | 2015/01/18 | Stealth tech no given in Japanese sub deal | Retired Vice Admiral Masao Kobayashi commanded Japan’s submarine fleet from 2007 to 2009. In a recent interview in Tokyo with The Japan Times, when asked to explain one of the country’s most tightly guarded military secrets, he seemed reflective. Kobayashi pointed to the ceiling lights in the quiet interview room and said: “Take those fluorescent lights, for example. Any fluorescent light generates sound.” Other than our voices, there were no other sounds in the room. “Fluorescent lights generate extremely small vibrations. We take anti-vibration measures for every single light in a submarine,” he said. Japan’s engineers have painstakingly worked to minimize the vibrations given off by the multitude of components in submarines to prevent even those undetectable by the human ear from being picked up by the super-sensitive sonars of enemy subs and sonobuoys from anti-submarine aircraft, Kobayashi said. Noisy components include fans, pumps, motors and fluorescent lights. Some are carefully muted with vibration-damping rubber, he said. “The quiet submarines we have today are the result of numerous long, patient efforts,” Kobayashi said. The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s submarines are not nuclear-powered but have a reputation for being ultra-quiet. Now Australia, seeking to build a new fleet of large, long-range submarines, seems keen on acquiring Japan’s latest Soryu-class subs, or at least their technology. If the deal goes through, the top-secret submarines will become the first major pieces of military hardware Japan has authorized for export since the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the decades-long blanket ban on arms sales last year. Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, reportedly said Oct. 24 in Tokyo that then-Australian Defense Minister David Johnston was very interested in Japan’s Soryu-class subs. “I talked to him about it four years ago and I said: ‘You want to find the finest diesel-electric submarine made on the planet — it’s made at Kobe works in Japan,’ Thomas was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News. The U.S., which has close but separate security pacts with Japan and Australia, probably wants Australia to buy Japanese submarines because it would greatly strengthen their strategic military ties, Kobayashi said. Deeper Japan-Australia military cooperation would help ease the heavy burden on the U.S. fleet, which is busy decommissioning many of the nuclear-powered attack submarines it built during the Cold War, he said. “The U.S. rapidly built many Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines during the Cold War. Many of them are being decommissioned now,” Kobayashi said. “I think the U.S. wants to create a strategic triangle of Japan, Australia and the United States. That’s probably a factor behind” the apparent U.S. nod to Australia’s proposal to Japan, he added. Japanese defense officials are thought to be pleased for the same reason Washington is. They want to deepen strategic military ties with Australia. “Australia would make a good partner for cooperation. There are no major diplomatic problems between the two countries other than whaling,” a senior Defense Ministry official said on condition anonymity. Australia opposes Japan’s annual whaling expeditions. Japan has just started receiving the submarine specifications sought by Australia but has yet to decide which secrets to share, two senior defense officials said. Japan soon plans to use lithium-ion batteries to drive the motors in its latest Soryu sub, making them even quieter. Australia is believed to be interested in this advance, the officials said. But advanced lithium-ion batteries are one of Japan’s top military secrets, one warned. “(Exporting) them would be a rather sensitive issue. We’d need to study if it’s really appropriate for an outside party (to have that technology),” the Defense Ministry official said. In Australia meanwhile, opposition lawmakers and trade unions are strongly opposed to procuring Japanese submarines because it could considerably undermine the domestic defense industry and reduce jobs in South Australia. Joint development might be an option, the two Japanese officials said, noting that nothing concrete has been officially proposed. Teruhiko Fukushima, a professor at the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, who is an expert on Australia, said Prime Minister Tony Abbott seems eager to procure the subs to bolster Canberra’s military ties with Japan and the United States. “Abbott should be considering a Japan-U.S.-Australian alliance as a kind of insurance” against the recent rise of China’s powerful military, Fukushima said. “The introduction of Soryu-class submarines would be a plus to strengthen that alliance,” he added. “If the Abbott administration survives the next election and wins a second term, there will be a greater chance that Soryu-class submarines will be introduced in Australia,” he said. Last June, Australia and Japan conducted “two-plus-two” talks between their foreign and defense ministers. In the joint statement that followed, Australia expressed “strong opposition to the use of force or coercion to unilaterally alter the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea,” an apparent warning to China to not aggressively press its territorial claims in those areas, which include the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China and Taiwan also claim. China calls the uninhabited islets Diaoyu and Taiwan calls them Tiaoyutai. Fukushima also said that on Nov. 26, 2013, only three days after Beijing declared the establishment of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea that included the Senkakus, the Abbott administration summoned the Chinese ambassador in Canberra to express its concerns after the ADIZ drew strong protests from Tokyo and Washington. “There is no doubt Abbott puts great emphasis on the relationship shared by Japan, the U.S. and Australia,” Fukushima said. But he also noted that China is Australia’s No. 1 trade partner and that the public would never approve of political actions that could seriously damage those economic ties. “The best way for Abbott is to strengthen the Japan-U.S.-Australian relationship while maintaining good economic ties with China at the same time. Australia would never turn its back on the Chinese market,” he said. | submarines;australia-japan relations |
jp0000604 | [
"national"
] | 2015/01/17 | Reflections on the Kobe quake two decades on | This year, thousands of Japanese around the country celebrated Coming-of-Age Day. In Kobe, however, the occasion was especially poignant, as those who will turn 20 this year were just days old or, most likely, born after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of Jan. 17, 1995. The first generation of adults who never experienced the event firsthand has officially arrived. For those of us who lived through the quake, it remains one of the defining moments of our lives. The experience changed the way we saw Kobe, the Kansai region, and Japan itself. Like the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, it demolished official lies that had become articles of faith. Two of these fallacies were: Japanese construction is quake-proof, and the central government will assist in a timely manner if disaster strikes. Both beliefs crumbled quicker than the Hanshin Expressway. In particular, Tokyo bureaucrats and politicians who could not respond quickly, and the 1,001 anecdotes of asinine behavior when they did, in Kobe and Kansai created deep resentments and a skepticism — even cynicism — of government that still lingers. However, the Kobe quake also awoke a spirit of volunteerism that continues today. Whatever the logistical and bureaucratic problems of responding to 3/11, without the experience of the Kobe quake, things would have been far worse. Knowledge gained and friendships forged in the rubble of Kobe in 1995 endured, expanded and became more organized and efficient as volunteer networks became more experienced. A generation of young and old volunteers not only went elsewhere in Japan but also overseas to lend their assistance. Bureaucrats who once looked upon volunteer types as nosy outsiders began to work with them. Of all the changes these past 20 years, there is nothing Japan can — and should be — more proud of than the generation of people who first volunteered in Kobe and continue to rush out to help the rest of the nation and the world when disaster strikes. The quake also led to some fundamental changes. The biggest was political: The central government set up a more effective disaster response apparatus and a chain of command, especially with regards to dispatching the Self-Defense Forces, that would make it easier for politicians from the prime minister on down to react more quickly to natural disasters. Construction codes were, of course, strengthened. One unintended result was technological, however. Readers of a certain age recall that, in the mid-1990s, cellphones and PHS “handy phones” were around. The latter tended to cut you off in mid-conversation when you passed under a bridge, went into a train station, or found yourself in the middle of a thick concrete building. But they were cheap. Before the Kobe quake, at least in Kansai, cellphones were not really in widespread use. A few weeks later, it seemed they were everywhere and the days of PHS were numbered. Today, except for a few coffee shops catering to an older crowd that have ancient signs asking customers to turn off their PHS phones, the technology is all but forgotten. Yet despite the physical recovery, Kobe has struggled to retain a distinct political and cultural identify in a region ever-more dominated by neighboring Osaka and especially Kyoto. While vestiges of its former role as the region’s international hub remain, Kobe is, as many resident Westerners will happily inform visitors, “a nice place to live.” Nothing wrong with that. But too often the rest of the comment reads: ” … if you have to commute to Osaka.” Twenty years on, Kobe has many reasons to celebrate its recovery, even if, sadly, its role within Kansai is not what it used to be. | kobe;kobe quake;great hanshin-awaji earthquake |
jp0000607 | [
"national"
] | 2015/01/26 | Entrepreneur's pet protection center takes shape in Iwate | Ayumi Tanaka is crazy about pets. Ever since she was a child, she has pondered the problem of the thousands of stray dogs and cats that get put down every year and has wondered how she might help to save them. Last spring, she purchased around 40 hectares of land in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, and set about building Pets Village, a complex that she hopes will become the world’s largest pet protection center. The center is currently home to about 30 animals. “I hope to change the way Japanese people think about the lives of animals,” Tanaka said. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to realize my dream, which I believe is worth giving everything I have for.” According to the Environment Ministry, over 128,000 dogs and cats were killed in Japan in fiscal 2013. Tanaka aims to reduce that to zero by the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Pets Village will be more than twice as large as Europe’s biggest animal protection facility, which is in Germany. Tanaka plans to take in abandoned animals collected from publicly run shelters and to seek foster families for them. In September last year, she opened a dog run. A native of Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, Tanaka had a dog as a child and was constantly troubled by the idea that strays were being killed. “For a long time, I had no idea what I could do,” she said. Her initial career path was not in this direction. She founded a printing company in Tokyo five years ago, but the pets problem continued to bother her. She brought it up with fellow entrepreneurs who shared her dream of creating a “sacred spot” where animals would be protected from all threats. One day, someone who liked the idea let her know about a parcel of land for sale in Iwate Prefecture. Tanaka put her operations on hold, established a foundation called Pets Village and moved to Iwate. The facility is now taking shape. “I’m realizing anew how grave the responsibility of protecting lives is,” she said. For now, Tanaka largely depends on corporate donations but she hopes to become financially independent by producing and selling pet-related goods and offering insurance. Her long-term dream is to build an animal hospital and animal cemetery within the Pets Village premises. “I also hope to deepen cooperation and coordination with animal protection centers across Japan,” she said. | iwate prefecture;pets;dogs;cats |
jp0000608 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/01/31 | Crime and punishment: Abe's Mideast crisis | In general, crime prevention is a good thing — it helps stop crime. By punishing people for minor transgressions, you stop them from committing larger misdemeanors and discourage crime overall. If the principle is applied blindly, however, it can produce some awkward results. Tokyo police raided the home of journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka in Nakano Ward on Oct. 6 on suspicion he had a role in assisting a student who reportedly wanted to go fight for the Islamic State group in Syria. Tsuneoka is believed to be acquainted with an Islamic State military commander. “(Police) raided his home Sunday and confiscated everything that contained data, from PCs, USB memory sticks, cameras, mobile phones — just about everything,” The Japan Times quoted Hitoshi Takase, a friend of Tsuneoka, as saying. “Tsuneoka thinks the police see him as having a key role in taking the student to Islamic State, or that they want to obtain information about Islamic State from him.” Investigators who looked into his background affirmed as much. The police also seized materials that belonged to Islamic scholar Hassan Ko Nakata, a friend of Tsuneoka who was also believed to have been involved in the student’s attempted trip overseas. Tsuneoka and the student were suspected of violating Article 93 of the Penal Code, which stipulates punishment by imprisonment of three months to five years for people who prepare or plot to wage war against a foreign state in a personal capacity. While the law has rarely been used, the perceived attempt of a Japanese citizen to join the Islamic State group was treated with grave seriousness. And so it should be — the Islamic State is a pernicious terrorist organization that has killed thousands of civilians in the Middle East. After the raids, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government would prevent Japanese nationals from supporting terrorist groups and that Japan intended to take measures “to curb extremists.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau can be overenthusiastic. It was embarrassed in October 2010, after leaked documents showed police had engaged in extensive surveillance of Muslims in Japan. The leaked files contained names, addresses and personal information on hundreds of Muslims nationwide. In some cases, the files even contained the names of mosques they attended. The government was criticized for effectively treating Muslim citizens as terrorists. All this helped result in the detainment and investigation of both Nakata and Tsuneoka. It also caused unforeseen problems. The two men were on their way to Syria to negotiate the safe return of self-proclaimed military adviser Haruna Yukawa, who was captured by the Islamic State group last year. Tsuneoka was in contact with the group and had been asked to serve, along with Nakata, as intermediaries in a Shariah trial for Yukawa. Both men, now under investigation, were unable to go. In their place, a well-respected journalist and friend of Yukawa, Kenji Goto, went instead. He had negotiated the safe release of his friend before and perhaps felt he could do it again. Fellow journalist Toshi Maeda describes Goto as an extremely compassionate man who felt that all news should involve “the human angle.” Then, around the end of October last year, Goto vanished in Syria. The government knew as early as mid-November that both Goto and Yukawa had been taken hostage by the Islamic State group. In the latest issue of Shukan Post, the magazine details how the Foreign Ministry asked it not to write about Goto’s capture in 2014. The Foreign Ministry told the magazine that ransom negotiations were taking place and the jihadis were likely to cut off Goto’s head if the name of the group was published. As a result, the magazine killed the story. The Foreign Ministry later told the magazine that negotiations had all but broken down; Goto and Yukawa were now being offered as a package deal, with a higher ransom being demanded. Japan has paid terrorists to secure the release of hostages before. In 1977, they paid $6 million to Japanese Red Army hijackers in Dhaka; then-Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda accepted the hijackers’ demands, “on the principle that “human life outweighs the Earth.” So it’s understandable the jihadis probably felt as if they’d hit the jackpot. However, any chance of negotiating with the militants diminished when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Middle East. While knowing the Islamic State was holding two Japanese citizens, he pledged at a meeting in Cairo on Jan. 17 to provide assistance worth “$200 million for those countries contending with the Islamic State.” That speech did not go over well with the jihadis and they played the hostage card. In a dispatch on Jan. 20, Jiji Press summed it up succinctly: “The Islamic State violently responds to Abe speech, views Japan as ‘a Christian Crusader.'” The article said his speech resulted in the release of the video as both a warning and retaliation for attempts to block the group’s activities in the Middle East. Japan is now regarded as a full-blown enemy of the Islamic State. After demanding a ransom of $200 million themselves, the jihadis allegedly beheaded Yukawa and made a new demand. Answering a question from the opposition at the Diet on Jan. 27, Abe admitted knowing the Islamic State group was holding Japanese hostages but refused to acknowledge he had disregarded their safety when making his speech in Cairo. The Islamic State, of course, is the real problem. But still … There is another crime in Japanese law we have also been hearing about in the midst of the hostage crisis: professional negligence resulting in death or injury. The Tokyo Prosecutor’s District Public Office last week said it would not hold Tepco responsible for the triple nuclear meltdowns in March 2011 and, therefore, would not press charges. The story was buried in the news cycle amidst all the hostage updates. Imagine if we started holding people responsible for the deaths of people because they failed to pay attention to the risks of what they did? Tepco might go bankrupt or its executives might be jailed. On the other hand, Shukan Post paid attention and killed its story. Abe decided for himself there was no risk or, simply, that he didn’t care. That’s not a crime, right? Full coverage of the Islamic State hostage crisis | shinzo abe;haruna yukawa;kenji goto;is hostage crisis;kosuke tsuneoka |
jp0000609 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/01/31 | German prisoners 'fare better than Russians'; Emperor urges cooperation; Sato promotes peace; Gorbachev accepts multiparty system | 100 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1915 German prisoners ‘fare better than Russians’ The German prisoners of war in Japan fare far better than the Russian ones did 10 years ago, says a high officer of the Army, and that is largely due to the decisions of the Hague Conference to pay their salaries on top of other allowances. At one time, this country accommodated over 70,000 Russians, while the number of the present captured is less than 5,000. This smaller number of course works in favor of the Germans in every way. But aside from this consideration, what the Japanese authorities pay the officers and men is much more than what a captive was entitled to before the new convention came into force. The German officers receive 70 sen for their daily food, besides the salaries of Japanese officers of corresponding rank. 40 sen is paid for the daily food of a quasi officer, 15 yen a month as salary and for clothing and 5 yen besides for his sundry expenses. Except for German beer and free outing, the German prisoners suffer no privation at all. The officers, in most cases, get European meals from restaurants at monthly rates, while non-commissioned officers and men cook their own food in their respective places of detention. At present they are all pleased that the cold in this country is not so rigorous as in their Fatherland! 75 YEARS AGO Tuesday, Feb. 13, 1940 Emperor calls for cooperation in crisis His Majesty the Emperor urged cooperation among the people in order to tide the nation over the present crisis in an Imperial message granted Sunday on the occasion of the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Empire. The Imperial rescript, made public by the Government at 10 a.m. Sunday in an extra issue of the Official Gazette, reads in substance as follows. “In accordance with the Sacred Way, the Emperor Jimmu established the foundation of the unbroken and everlasting lineage of Imperial rulers. His successors have been all benevolent to the people the people loyal to the rulers until today when the nation greets its 2,600th anniversary. “On this particularly significant Empire Day under emergency circumstances, our subjects, remember the initial achievements of the Emperor Jimmu and the vastness and profoundness of the Imperial policy. “And in complete harmony overcome the present crisis in accordance with the national ideal, thereby enhancing the national prestige and living up to the desire of our Imperial Ancestors.” The “present crisis” referred to was the war in China, which by this time had been continuing since 1937 . 50 YEARS AGO Saturday, Feb. 13, 1965 Sato promotes Japan peace role in Vietnam Prime Minister Eisaku Sato said Friday that the United States was fully advised of Japan’s strong desire to see the spread of armed conflicts in Vietnam checked by all means. “My government will carry out any positive role it feels it can play in promoting peace in Asia anytime,” he said. Sato cited “the Japan-U.S. concurrence in views on the Vietnamese situation” reached between him and U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson during the Jan. 12-13 Washington conference as “verifying” the U.S. understanding of the Japan stand against escalation of the Vietnamese war. Sato said he had requested the U.S. side not to expand the conflict in Vietnam soon after U.S. reprisal bombings were conducted in response to Viet Cong raids on U.S. military facilities in South Vietnam. Sato also noted the third U.S. bombing, which took place on Thursday, was not a continuation of the first but was a separate reprisal for a separate Viet Cong raid. For this reason, he reasoned, the present bombings by the United States cannot be said to be an aggressive act. The U.S. reprisal bombings referred to here were known as Operation Flaming Dart and Flaming Dart II. They were closely followed by a larger bombing campaign, Operation Rolling Thunder, which continued through 1968. 25 YEARS AGO Tuesday, Feb. 6, 1990 Gorbachev accepts multiparty system Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Monday that the Communist Party is ready to contend for power with other parties, his first public acceptance of a multiparty Soviet Union. Gorbachev, opening a momentous plenum of the Communist Party leadership, presented to the approximately 300 full and candidate members of the Central Committee a draft plan to make the party more democratic. Gorbachev’s statements were made amid intense grassroots pressure for fast radical reform. Monday’s plenum was closed to the press but outside the Kremlin one of those attending, Oleg Nefyodov, gave brief details of Gorbachev’s remarks. “He said it is necessary to take into account reality, that we are living and working already in a multiparty system,” Nefyodov reported. Gorbachev did not give any detailed proposals about how and under what terms the Soviet Union’s multiplicity of political movements could be legalized as political parties, said Nefyodov, a vice president of the Academy of Sciences. Others present at the session said Gorbachev also proposed replacing the position of party general secretary, which he holds, with a party chairman. | russia;germany;vietnam war;mikhail gorbachev;world war i;eisaku sato |
jp0000613 | [
"world"
] | 2015/01/24 | U.S. says it's not clear after Cuba talks if new reform-promotion policy will work | HAVANA - The highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Cuba in more than three decades said Friday that two days of talks on re-establishing full diplomatic relations had left her with no sense of whether the new U.S. policy of engagement would achieve its goal of generating reforms that benefit the Cuban people. The Obama administration says the goal of its Cuban policy remains the same: creating more freedoms for ordinary Cubans. Cuban diplomats said throughout the negotiations in Havana that the U.S. needs to abandon hopes of using closer relations to foment change on the island. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson told reporters Friday that the talks had left her with no clearer idea of whether Obama’s new policy has good prospects of success. “It’s very hard to say exactly how this will work,” Jacobson said. “We think that we need to make decisions in our own interest and take decision that are to going to empower the Cuban people but the verdict on whether that succeeds is still to be made.” The United States and Cuba both reported progress toward restoring diplomatic ties after a half-century of estrangement. But it wasn’t immediately clear whether the human rights issue, which has previously blocked closer U.S.-Cuban relations, would pose a threat to the new diplomatic process. “Cuba has never responded to pressure,” Josefina Vidal, the country’s top diplomat for U.S. affairs, told reporters Thursday night. The comments by Jacobson and Vidal lay bare the pressures each side faces at home — the U.S., from Republican leaders in Congress and powerful Cuban-American groups, and Cuba, from hardliners deeply concerned that rapprochement could undermine the communist system founded by Fidel Castro. Earlier in the week, Jacobson hailed the talks as “positive and productive,” focusing on the mechanics of converting interest sections into full-fledged embassies headed by ambassadors. But she also spoke of “profound differences” separating the two governments and said embassies by themselves would not mean normalized ties. Along with human rights, Cuba outlined other obstacles in the relationship. Vidal demanded that Cuba be taken off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. However, she praised Obama for easing the U.S. trade embargo and urging the U.S. Congress to lift it entirely. “It was a first meeting. This is a process,” Vidal said. In the next weeks, she said, the U.S. and Cuba will schedule a second round of talks, which may or may not be the time to finalize an agreement. Issues on Thursday’s agenda included ending caps on staff, limits on diplomats’ movements and, in the case of the U.S. building, removing guard posts and other Cuban structures along the perimeter. Earlier, the two countries disputed whether human rights had even been discussed at all. Jacobson said the U.S. raised it in the morning meeting; Vidal said it had not come up. Gustavo Machin, Cuba’s deputy chief of North American affairs, later said the delegations spent time in an afternoon session discussing U.S. human rights problems — a reference to recent police killings of black men in Missouri and New York. Cuban state media said the Cuban delegation also complained about the detention of prisoners at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay. A U.S. official said the difference in Jacobson’s statements was unintentional and that the English version — that the U.S “pressed the Cuban government for improved human rights conditions, including freedom of expression” — reflected the delegation’s position. The U.S. and Cuba also talked about human trafficking, environmental protection, American rules to allow greater telecommunications exports to Cuba and how to coordinate responses to oil spills or Ebola outbreaks. The need for at least one future round of talks could set back U.S. hopes of reopening the embassies before April’s Summit of the Americas, which Obama and Castro are expected to attend. Still, after so many years of mutual suspicion, each side stressed the importance of the collegial atmosphere in Havana that included long working lunches and a dinner together. | u.s .;barack obama;rights;cuba;reforms;normalization talks;policies |
jp0000615 | [
"national",
"crime-legal"
] | 2015/01/13 | Mizuho Bank ex-employee arrested for illegally withdrawing ¥12 million in elderly depositor's cash | YOKOHAMA - A former Mizuho Bank employee was arrested Monday for allegedly drawing at least ¥12 million illegally from a customer’s deposits and spending lavishly on bars and night clubs, police said. Shinya Takagawa, 46, who was at the bank’s branch office in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, was already fired in December 2012 when his acts came to light after relatives of the victim, a woman in her 90s, complained to the bank. Monday’s arrest is based on a criminal complaint filed by Mizuho Bank in 2013. According to the police, Takagawa changed the woman’s “hanko” seal necessary for making bank transactions without her consent and withdrew a total of ¥12 million from her savings on three occasions between July and September 2012. Takagawa then spent the money on high-class night clubs and other adult entertainment, the police said, adding they believe she may have been bilked out of even more money. | fraud;banks;mizuho bank |
jp0000618 | [
"business",
"corporate-business"
] | 2015/06/04 | Sharp to trim base salaries as much as 2%, seek early retirement | OSAKA - Struggling electronics firm Sharp Corp. plans to cut base salaries by 1 to 2 percent from August through March next year in a cost-cutting effort to return to profitability, sources close to the matter say. The plan, which its labor union has been informed of, comes after Sharp fell into the red again in the business year ended March 31, posting a net group loss of ¥222.3 billion ($1.8 billion) after returning to the black for just a year. The Osaka-based company is also looking to cut winter bonuses to a level equivalent to one month’s salary, a half the previous year’s bonus, and reduce their family and business trip allowances, the sources said Wednesday. Executive officers will have their base salaries cut by 5 percent, they added. The pay cuts are expected to help Sharp lower labor costs by around ¥3 billion in the current business year through March 2016 as it continues to struggle with tough competition from regional rivals. As for its plan to cut around 3,500 jobs in Japan through early retirements, Sharp will target employees aged between 45 and 59, the sources said. After registering massive losses for two consecutive years through March 2013, Sharp reduced salaries and bonuses of both standard employees and executives in the 2012 and 2013 business years, but suspended the measures in the year to March 2015 amid signs that performance was improving. | electronics;job cuts;restructuring;shapr |
jp0000619 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/06/04 | Bra-maker's Cinderella Taxis aim to deliver the perfect fit | If you’re sick of waiting for your pumpkin to turn into a carriage, hail a Cinderella Taxi to get a little extra bibbidi-bobbidi-boo in your life. Coming to Tokyo in June and Osaka in July, this special taxi offers riders bra fittings and makeover services to spread the magic of lingerie-maker Wacoal and its Cinderella campaign. Just as Cinderella’s glass slippers are perfectly fitted for her feet, Wacoal wants to offer women the chance to get a bra perfectly tailored to their bodies using a 3-D scanner. Before-and-after images are then generated to show customers the change in their silhouette. As you make your way to your destination, your own Fairy Godmother (i.e., a professional hair and makeup artist) will help you find your new look. The royal treatment lasts approximately two hours, but the Wacoal beauty consultants’ advice will last long after the clock strikes midnight. | beauty;wacoal;taxis;make-up;japan pulse |
jp0000620 | [
"business"
] | 2015/06/05 | India's blocking imports of U.S. poultry, eggs is unfair, WTO rules | WASHINGTON - The World Trade Organization has upheld a ruling that India is unfairly blocking imports of U.S. poultry and eggs. The Obama administration called the decision a major victory that should greatly expand export opportunities for American farmers. The ruling announced Thursday by the Geneva-based WTO’s appellate body upheld a decision issued by a dispute panel last October. India imposed the trade barriers in 2007 to prevent avian influenza from entering the country. The WTO said they were too restrictive and not based on international scientific standards. The U.S. poultry industry has estimated that exports of poultry meat alone could exceed $300 million annually once India’s restrictions are removed. The United States exports 20 percent of its poultry meat production each year. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that the WTO victory showed that the administration was “fully committed to enforcing U.S. rights” in the trade agreements it negotiates. The decision comes as the White House is fighting to win the House votes it needs for approval of fast-track legislation that will allow it to wrap up negotiations for the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. “This decision affirms the importance of basing agricultural trade requirements on sound science,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. The administration said in a fact sheet that while U.S. poultry producers are currently being challenged by an outbreak of avian influenza, those outbreaks do not justify a ban on poultry imports from the entire United States. Under WTO rules, India will be given a period of time to dismantle the barriers that have been found to be illegal. If it fails to dismantle the barriers, the United States would have the right to impose trade sanctions against India equal to the amount of lost agricultural trade. India’s press office at its embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. | barack obama;tpp;wto;imports;eggs;u.s. poultry;tom vilsack |
jp0000621 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/02 | Shibamata offers a step back into a Tora-san time warp | Tokyo’s Shibamata district has preserved much of its townscape, which is reminiscent of old downtown Tokyo. The Katsushika Ward district located in the eastern-most part of Tokyo, a 20-minute train ride from Asakusa Station on the Keisei Line, is perhaps best known as the hometown of Torajiro Kuruma, the hero of the “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo” (“It’s Tough Being a Man”) film franchise starring the late Kiyoshi Atsumi. In fact, walking out of Shibamata Station, you are greeted by a bronze statue of the films’ hero, better known as Tora-san, who became the symbol of the district after director Yoji Yamada’s series grew into a long-running hit. After the first installment was released in 1969, 48 episodes of the series were created until 1995. Each episode of the popular series features a very similar storyline: The goofy hero coming home to the family-run sweets shop after a long time away working as a traveling salesman. He then somehow throws his family into trouble. The simple yet heartwarming episodes caught the heart of Japanese, and the episodes are occasionally aired on TV even today. Shibamata, the key setting of the films, is a town that has grown up around Shibamata Taishakuten, a Buddhist temple, and that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868). The 200-meter-long main approach to the temple is lined with wooden shops selling local specialty kusa dango (rice dumplings flavored with mugwort), good-luck charms and mascots, as well as restaurants offering river fish dishes. Walking eastward down the street eastward, you reach the splendid Nitenmon Gate. Beyond that lies the temple’s main hall, whose walls are decked out with elaborate carvings. A short walk farther east from the temple will take you to the western bank of the Edogawa River, which features a bicycle lane and baseball grounds. There is also a ferry where small wooden rowboats slowly transport people across the 150-meter-wide river — the only place in Tokyo such a service is still available. The ferry used help transport farmers and shoppers in the old days. Today, it operates mostly for tourists. Once the boat leaves the river bank, all you hear is twittering birds and the creaking of the oars. Time seems to slow down while on the boat, which does not operate based on a schedule but departs once the ferryman decides enough passengers have clambered aboard. Shibamata definitely stands out amid Tokyo’s constantly evolving cityscape, retaining an old-time feel. As you stroll through the area, it’s not difficult to imagine Tora-san returning home from his long travels. | shibamata;otoko wa tsuraiyo;kiyoshi astumi;shibamata taishakuten |
jp0000622 | [
"national",
"science-health"
] | 2015/06/20 | Medaka: the fish that helps us understand gender | The diminutive medaka (Japanese rice fish) have been kept as pets since the Edo Period (1603-1868). They are hardy animals, an important quality for a pet, and they naturally occur in a variety of colors, including gold. They have distinctive, some say attractive, eyes (for a fish) — indeed, medaka in Japanese means “with high eyes.” These characteristics made them popular among all classes of feudal Japanese in the past. The natural historian Baien Mouri included a number of color varieties in his 1843 encyclopedia. Three hundred years ago, however, no child taking delight in the glittering little fish in his or her rice field could have possibly imagined the incredible adventures this species would go on, nor the contribution to our understanding of the world it would make. For all the cultural and culinary impact of carp or puffer fish, medaka — scientific name Oryzias latipes — are arguably more important. In the early 1900s, they contributed to genetics. Medaka were the first backboned animal that were found to follow Mendel’s law of inheritance, which explains the way different traits are passed on down the generations. In 1994, medaka became the first vertebrate to have sex and reproduce in space. Male and female fish traveled to the Earth orbit on the space shuttle Columbia, mated in orbit and produced normal babies, all in a weightless environment. Sure, there are rumors, denied by NASA, that humans have had sex in space, too, but the first vertebrates to do it were medaka. Right now, there is a special chamber for them on board the Kibo module of the International Space Station. In the Aquatic Habitat built by the Japanese Space Agency, medaka are being studied to tell us about the impact of micro-gravity in life — not so much for telling us about what will happen to us when we live far from the planet, but for improving life on it. “Studies on bone degradation mechanisms and muscle atrophy mechanisms are applicable to human health problems, especially for the aging society,” says Nobuyoshi Fujimoto of the agency’s Space Environment Unitization Center. The fish, which had its genome sequenced in 2007, will also be bred for three generations on board the space station. So we know a huge amount about medaka, but what we learned last week was still a massive surprise, and could have illuminating implications for humans, too. Scientists discovered last week that changing only one gene in female fish makes them produce sperm in their ovaries, instead of eggs. In every other way the fish are normal female fish. The sperm produced by them are normal sperm, which fertilize eggs normally and produce normal offspring. Scientists at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Okazaki achieved the feat by breeding female fish without a key gene, called foxl3. “In spite of the environment surrounding the germ cells being female, the fact that functional sperm has been made surprised me greatly,” geneticist Toshiya Nishimura says. It’s an entirely new finding, he says, that the sex of the body is independent of the germ cells (the sex cells that produce sperm or eggs) made by the body. “Nobody knew that the germ cells in vertebrates have a switch mechanism to decide their own sperm or egg fate,” says Minoru Tanaka, a colleague of Nishimura. “Our result suggests that once a decision is made, the germ cells have the ability to go all the way to the end. I believe it is of very large significance that this mechanism has been found.” It’s tempting to consider what this finding means for our understanding of human biology. That would be premature: Of course, fish are very different to mammals. Mammals have the foxl3 gene but what it does in humans is as yet unknown — perhaps it has something to do with stopping basic sex cells becoming male? Finding out what it does in us will be trickier than it has been in fish. (It’s worth noting that some 60 percent of medaka genes have equivalent forms in humans, making it a good “model” organism for scientists to study.) However, look again at what Nishimura says and it’s hard not to draw analogies with humans. “That this sexual switch present in the germ cells is independent of the body’s sex is an entirely new finding,” he says. In other words, the body can look like a female, but the germ cells it produces — from ovaries that look like normal ovaries — are sperm. The analogy is comparable with the way we consider gender in humans. We now know that gender is not a binary male or female thing, but a spectrum. Some people who look like they are male or female on the outside, may feel different on the inside. Another possibility is that scientists could potentially flick the same switch in human females and get them to produce sperm. The implications for lesbian couples wanting to have children are profound — though, of course, no one is even talking about this as a possibility yet. I’ve only scratched the surface of what scientists know about medaka. As well as being pets for hundreds of years in Japan, they’ve also been studied in-depth for many, many years. Cute factoid: rather than simply spawning their eggs into the water, female medaka carry their eggs like a bunch of grapes between their fins. Once the eggs are fertilized, female medaka don’t just dump them into the water, they deposit them carefully, one by one, on plants. Fish owners love them, and genetically modified fish are available that glow red, green or yellow, the result of having jellyfish genes inserted to the genome. My favorite is the moonlight medaka — genetically modified so it glows in ultra-violet light. Someone should write a haiku about them: they glow in the dark, they’ve had sex in space and some of the females can make sperm. There’s plenty of material to work with there. | gender;reproduction;medaka |
jp0000624 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/20 | Abe and Hashimoto's political dance will have to avoid stepping on any toes | One month after Osaka voters said no, just barely, to his pet project of fundamentally restructuring the municipal government, Mayor Toru Hashimoto finds himself courted by an increasingly anxious Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who hopes to borrow whatever is left of Hashimoto’s influence in the Japan Innovation Party, and get new security bills passed by the end of the summer. As ever, Hashimoto is playing hard-to-get, even as he is quite happy to find himself back in the national media spotlight. However, the meeting between Hashimoto and Abe a week ago was seen in Osaka as a sign Abe’s government is getting desperate in the face of expert consensus the bills are unconstitutional, and needs all the allies he can find to pass them before the September, when the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election takes place. Clearly, Abe is courting Hashimoto to pressure coalition partner Komeito (the “liberal” wing of the Liberal Democratic Party?). However, last week’s meeting was also another step in the longer-term effort by Abe and his allies to separate Hashimoto and his most ardent supporters in his Japan Innovation Party of constitutional revision from the rest of the party. Yet if anything formal does happen between Abe and Hashimoto, it will have to take place with Komeito’s blessing. This is because, unlike Hashimoto’s party, Komeito has deep experience with, and knowledge of, two critical ministries LDP members cannot afford to alienate lest they anger supporters back home. These are the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. A Komeito representative held the transport ministry post for four years, between 2004 and 2008. The current minister, Akihiro Ota, is from Komeito and has run the ministry since December 2012. Komeito also has a good deal of influence within the health ministry, having had a member serve as minister between 2001 and 2005 and playing something of a mentor role to LDP ministers since. No politician of any party can expect to get re-elected if they fail to meet the welfare needs of their elderly voters or secure permission, and money, for local transport infrastructure projects (needed or not) for their financial backers. Hashimoto’s political and economic philosophy of bureaucratic cuts and privatization of public services might draw praise from wealthy senior corporate executives, foreign investors and the business media, but it’s viewed with deep suspicion by those two ministries (and, of course, by millions of Japanese voters worried about poverty after retirement). By September’s LDP presidential election, Abe might find himself under attack by LDP members worried his courtship of Hashimoto could make their own lives more difficult at these key ministries. Yet none of this is to say Hashimoto’s political career will end in November when he leaves office, despite his announced intention to retire from politics. An appointment to some blue-ribbon committee is possible. Assuming that Abe’s LDP rivals, who see his falling poll numbers and sense an opportunity, don’t unseat him September or that if Abe is replaced, it’s by somebody who is willing to work with Hashimoto. At the moment, however, Hashimoto and his party are divided. His local Osaka party members remain bitter at their defeat in the May referendum to merge the city, which was due to LDP-led opposition. They hate the thought of cooperating with the LDP, and for many, constitutional revision, or Abe’s view of it at least, was never a priority. Thus, for Abe, the question is how to utilize Hashimoto and his party to maximum political advantage. However, given Hashimoto’s testy relationships with other parties and the central bureaucracy, combined with divisions within his own party that could split it and Abe’s declining popularity, perhaps the more pertinent question to be asked is: Will it make any difference to Abe’s own future even if he does? | shinzo abe;toru hashimoto;komeito |
jp0000625 | [
"business"
] | 2015/06/27 | Home electronics market loses its spark | On May 25, Yamada Denki Co., the largest home electronics retailer in Japan, announced that it would be closing 46 outlets. Given that the stores had been losing money for at least a year and Yamada operates more than 1,000, the announcement wasn’t surprising, though the swiftness of its actions was. The targeted stores were shuttered a week later. NHK visited a store in Tokyo’s Koto Ward three days after the announcement and found hundreds of banners advertising a closing sale with Yamada’s already low prices slashed by up to 50 percent. One employee told the reporter that he had only learned about the store’s closing less than a week earlier, and expressed anxiety over where he would be transferred. A woman who lived nearby said it would be an inconvenience since the store not only sold electronics at a discount, but also inexpensive food and sundries. Why the big hurry? Like all retailers in Japan, Yamada expected some fall-off in sales following last year’s consumption tax hike, but it didn’t expect it to be as steep at 12 percent compared to the previous year. More significantly, Yamada’s business profits declined by 42 percent, and not just due to the effect of the tax hike or last summer’s unstable weather, which was seen to have stunted consumption. Yamada acknowledged that the country’s population is shrinking, especially among its target demographic, and that it had to review its policy, which since the early ’90s was based on one thing only: expansion. As one executive told NHK, Yamada opened so many stores in Japan over the past 20 years that it ended up competing with itself in certain regional markets, so the plan now is to switch from being a “quantity seller” to a “quality seller.” That means not only closing unprofitable stores, but establishing new ones in places where people are likely to spend more money for home electronics, mainly in central urban areas. Yamada is opening new stores near Tokyo and Shinbashi stations in the capital in order to attract foreign tourists with specific items, such as luxury brand accessories and rice cookers, which are very popular among well-to-do Chinese visitors. Yamada has been less forthright about another aspect of its expansion policy, namely a perceived deterioration in service. In its ranking of home electronics retailers, Nikkei BP Consulting listed Yamada in last place in terms of “after-service” for eight years in a row, with customers complaining of unhelpful floor staff. In the retail industry, Yamada is notorious for over-working its salespeople, and even won an award one year for being a “black company” that underpays employees. Yamada, headquartered in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, practically invented the idea of the discount mass sales electronics store in the ’90s, when it was in heated competition with two other Kanto area chains, Kato Denki (now K’s Denki) from Ibaraki Prefecture and Kojima from Tochigi. Yamada’s winning strategy was to saturate well-traveled suburban routes with stores featuring large parking lots, a scheme that received a huge boost with the passage of the so-called big store law that former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi passed as part of his deregulation push to please American trade negotiators. Yamada’s aggressive combination of mass sales and low overhead — that is, low personnel costs — drove its profits ever skyward. Everyone else had to follow suit, at least to a certain extent. The upshot is that what were once called discount electronics stores are now just electronics stores, thus forcing out of business the standard retailer associated with a certain manufacturer, like Sony or Panasonic. These neighborhood mom-and-pop operations sold products at recommended list prices, but were full-service in that they delivered the product, installed it and instructed the buyer in its use for as long as they owned it. Sometimes they fixed it for free even after the warranty ran out. This retail model withered after Japan entered its long period of stagnation in the early ’90s and consumers wanted only one thing: low prices. Manufacturers were forced to de-emphasize design for “cost-performance,” which some believe led to Japan’s international decline as a technological innovator. However, the demand for cheap eventually overran discount electronics stores, as more people went online to buy appliances at even lower prices through portal sites such as kakaku.com . This phenomenon led to the practice known as “showrooming”: Consumers only used retailers to check out the merchandise, and then went home and bought it over the Internet. The market may be swinging back. There is a home electronics chain in Kyushu called Atom Denki, which is basically a collective of surviving franchise outlets who work together to buy products en masse but retain the full-service/personal attention nature of the old neighborhood electronics store. They now count more than 1,000 members and continue to grow. Cultural Convenience Club, the company that runs the Tsutaya chain of book and entertainment software stores, recently opened an electronics outlet in the upscale Futago-Tamagawa area of Tokyo called Tsutaya Kaden that in terms of decor is the opposite of the fluorescent-lit, white-metal-rack Yamada model. The interior is all dark wood and indirect lighting, and the salespeople are called concierges. The store features a cafe and a bookseller, and there are no bargain sales. The “regular prices” are cheap to begin with, though not as cheap as they are on the web. As the store’s manager told Asahi Shimbun, the purpose is not selling products, but “lifestyles based on products.” The only phones on display are iPhones and the only TVs ones with 4K screens over 50 inches. In this case, the term “lifestyle” translates as “money to spend on stuff.” | yamada denki;home electronics |
jp0000626 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/06/29 | Value of household assets inflates to ¥1.708 quadrillion, thanks to BOJ strategy | Financial assets held by Japanese households came to a record high of ¥1.708 quadrillion at the end of March, up 5.2 percent from a year earlier, as a weak yen and rising share prices boosted their value, the Bank of Japan said Monday. The key stock index has risen to 18-year highs on robust earnings while the yen’s fall against the dollar and other major currencies has increased the value of their foreign assets in terms of the unit. The latest result topped the previous record of ¥1.696 quadrillion marked three months earlier, the central bank said. By type of assets, cash and deposits accounted for 51.7 percent, the biggest chunk of the total, and stood at ¥883 trillion, up 2.2 percent from the year before. Stock and other equities rose 21.5 percent to ¥184 trillion, while investment trusts grew 21.6 percent to ¥95 trillion. Shares alone increased 20 percent to ¥100 trillion, a level unseen over the past eight years. Although households still have a tendency to choose safer assets, they are not just focused on “safe driving” anymore and gradually rebalancing to riskier assets, a BOJ official said. Assets held by companies excluding financial institutions rose 13.2 to a record ¥1.111 quadrillion as they moved to hold more equities. The quarterly data also showed the outstanding balance of Japanese government bonds grew 4.2 percent to ¥1.038 quadrillion. The BOJ remained the biggest holder of sovereign debt, accounting for 26.5 percent of it, or a record ¥275 trillion, up 36.6 percent, as it gobbles up most of the bonds available as part of its unorthodox monetary easing strategy to banish deflation. | yen;stocks;investments;assets |
jp0000627 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/06/29 | Law gets serious about cycling safety | Bicycle use is growing along with greater public awareness of health and environmental issues, with cities around the country beginning to rent them out to visitors who are eager to tour Japan on the cheap. But this has triggered a rise in fatal accidents caused by reckless cyclists, who are often taken to court and ordered to pay tens of millions of yen in damages for their transgressions. The revised Road Traffic Law took effect June 1 to get a handle on the problem by penalizing cyclists who flout the rules of the road and forcing them to take safety courses if they fail to improve. Let’s take a closer look at the government’s effort to crack down on risky cyclists. How many bicycles are there and why are people riding? According to the National Police Agency, there were 71.551 million bicycles in Japan in 2013, compared with 27.643 million in 1970. A survey carried out by a transport ministry-affiliated research institute found that 42 percent of the 1,945 respondents said they ride regularly to stay fit and offset the lack of serious exercise, while 41 percent do so to cut their commuting or gasoline bills, and 9 percent do so to help the environment. Are cycling-caused accidents on the rise? No, but the ratio of fatal accidents is surging. According to NPA figures, cyclists caused 109,269 accidents last year, down from 188,338 in 2004, while fatal accidents fell to 542 from 870 a decade ago. But the ratio of fatal accidents to the whole actually rose 1.3 points to 13.5 percent over the period. The fatalities, which included pedestrians, other cyclists or the cyclists themselves, rose to 82 from 51 in 2004. Of the 106,427 deaths and injuries, 67,876, or 63.8 percent, were linked to traffic violations such as ignoring traffic lights or stop signs. Why was the law amended? The government wants to curb traffic violations that could lead to serious or fatal accidents. Because of the surge in the ratio of fatal accidents caused by cyclists, the central government revised the law so that it classifies 14 types of traffic offenses and requires negligent cyclists to take safety lessons. The offenses include ignoring traffic lights, passing under railway crossing gates when they are down, failing to stop at intersections where required, riding without properly working brakes and cycling while drunk. They also include violations of other safety regulations, such as cycling while using mobile phones, listening to music through earphones or holding an umbrella. But the regulations can differ from place to place, since they vary by municipality or are set by local public safety commissions. Cyclists are concerned that certain regulations are too ambiguous and give police too much leeway to charge them with traffic violations. What do the new penalties involve? The police can issue tickets to cyclists who are 14 or older. If you get two or more in a three-year period, you would be required to take a safety lesson similar to the one imposed on car, truck and motorcycle drivers. The mandatory safety lesson takes three hours and costs ¥5,700. Cyclists who refuse will be fined up to ¥50,000. The lesson, which can be taken at driver’s license centers and prefectural police headquarters, involves studying traffic rules, reading accounts written by errant cyclists, and accounts written by the victims or their relatives. What are the consequences of serious cycling accidents? Cyclists involved in accidents resulting in severe injury or death can impose enormous financial penalties on themselves and their families. In July 2013, the Kobe District Court ordered a mother to pay ¥95 million in damages after her son hit a 67-year-old woman while riding his bicycle on a hill in Kobe, leaving her bedridden. In January 2014, the Tokyo District Court ordered a male cyclist to pay ¥47 million in damages to the family of an elderly pedestrian he hit and killed after running a red light. In response, the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly in March adopted an ordinance requiring cyclists to buy liability insurance, becoming the first prefecture in the nation to do so. Last Thursday, the Tokyo public safety commission suspended the driver’s license of a man who drunkenly cycled across a busy street at a place where there was no crossing in January and crashed into a motorcycle, killing the driver. The accident thus gave the commission reason to judge that the cyclist posed a danger as a motorist as well. What other measures are being considered to curb bicycle-related fatalities? Some governments, including Ehime Prefecture and the city of Sakai in Osaka Prefecture, have introduced ordinances calling for cyclists of all ages to wear helmets, rather than just children 12 and under who are encouraged to do so under the Road Traffic Law. Experts say that the central and regional governments should also improve the transportation environment for cyclists, including by creating more cycling lanes to improve safety and help them abide by the rules. A 2011 questionnaire conducted by the NPA found that 58 percent of the 790 respondents said they cannot abide by the traffic rules while cycling because of bad traffic conditions. | accidents;cyclists;regulations |
jp0000629 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/10 | Higher Japanese proficiency urged for foreign nursing care interns | The Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language asked the government Monday to toughen a Japanese-language proficiency requirement for foreign nursing care interns. The request came after an advisory panel for the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry lowered the requirement for foreigners before undergoing on-the-job training at nursing care facilities in Japan. The ministry is planning to adopt the lower requirement in the fiscal year starting in April 2016. The lowered requirement describes the proficiency as “understanding basic Japanese words,” against “understanding Japanese words used in daily life to some extent” under the earlier requirement. “Communication is important for personal nursing care,” said the society’s leader, Sukero Ito, a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, after he made the request to Keiko Nagaoka, a senior official in the ministry. “The lowered requirement is insufficient.” Ito also said a system will be required to help interns improve their Japanese proficiency after starting training. | nihongo;nurses;language teachers |
jp0000630 | [
"business",
"corporate-business"
] | 2015/06/19 | Sony, Panasonic cling to TVs, betting on halo effect of premium sets | Japan’s once-mighty electronics-makers have lost billions of dollars from TVs, but Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. won’t quit, saying retreating from the world’s living rooms would close the door to more promising businesses. Consumer electronics account for a shrinking portion of income after restructuring focused Sony on gaming and image sensors and Panasonic on electric car batteries. But TVs remain among their best-known products. Staying in the TV market — particularly at the premium end — keeps the pair relevant and ensures their brands and quality are at the forefront when consumers shop for other electronics, they said. Sony, for example, said it sees a strong correlation between sales trends for its TVs and audio systems. That makes it worth persevering in a TV market dominated by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd and cheaper Asian rivals, with Sony and Panasonic content to hold modest shares by focusing on high-margin, high-definition 4K models. “TVs are the soul of Sony and we don’t want to be without them,” Ichiro Takagi, head of Sony’s home entertainment and sound business, said in an interview. Investors have long speculated about Sony and Panasonic gradually exiting TVs, reflecting Japan’s declining position in the tech sector. But analysts also said sticking it out was worthwhile as long as they were profitable. “Especially for Sony. . . . If they quit TVs, there’s a chance that the Sony brand will be diminished,” said Junya Ayada of Daiwa Securities. Sony holds 7 percent of an industry it once revolutionized with its Trinitron technology, while Panasonic has 4 percent. South Korean leaders Samsung and LG Electronics Inc together hold about 40 percent. “There was a time when we were going after volume, and we totally lost that race,” said Takagi. “Even in the days of the Trinitron, we only had a share of around 10 percent. I think 10 percent is appropriate now.” Under Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, Sony has shed thousands of jobs and sold off its personal computer unit after several years of losses. Hirai has not ruled out dispensing with the TV arm as well if it fails to turn a profit. But Takagi said an exit is now less than likely after cost-cutting helped the unit book a small operating profit in the last business year, its first in more than a decade. Moreover, Sony — with interests ranging from its Hollywood studio to PlayStation video games — aims to recapture its cachet as an entertainment-to-electronics group through increased collaboration across the company, Takagi said. TVs encapsulated the sound and picture technology developed by the various businesses, he said. Sony is also aiming for a high-end comeback in audio, earlier this year introducing a portable music player that costs over $1000. “Historically, TVs have been at the center,” Takagi said. “When sales rose, sales in audio and home theater rose as well. As the TV operations recover . . . we’ll see a rise in audio sales.” Pointing to a revival are Sony’s 4K televisions. Last year, the company quadrupled its share of TV sales at Best Buy Co. Inc., the largest U.S. consumer electronics chain, to 12 percent by concentrating on large, high-end models, Takagi said. Analyst Hisakazu Torii at DisplaySearch said Japanese TV manufacturers have little choice but to focus on high-end models, particularly when faced with a rival like Samsung whose smartphone success has given it overwhelming resources. But 4K TVs already account for nearly 40 percent of sets with screens larger than 50 inches, meaning they are starting to lose exclusivity, he said. Analysts say consumers, particularly in the United States, are increasingly opting for larger sets for their living rooms to watch movies and live events, while opting for PCs and smartphones instead of small bedroom TVs. “Once 4K penetration goes beyond 70 percent, that means commoditization and price competition,” Torii said. Panasonic, on the other hand, has not seen a comparable upturn and is increasingly out-sold by previously little-known Chinese manufacturers such as TCL Corp. Its TV division reported seven consecutive years of loss while the overall company turned itself around by focusing on automotive technologies and high-margin home appliances. But Masahiro Shinada, head of Panasonic’s TV business, said maintaining a presence in television makes it easier to sell more profitable white goods — not only by lifting the company’s image, but also winning cooperation from retailers who prefer to deal with manufacturers of high-volume products such as TVs. “They really open the way to selling refrigerators and washing machines,” he said. Panasonic, like Sony, is looking to the high-end TV market for prestige and profitability. But as consumers increasingly watch content on the go, there is a risk of TVs losing their status as brand-defining devices. “Your kids’ cellphones are Samsung, those kids become young adults, those young adults become adults,” said Mark Sasicki, TV buyer at Abt Electronics, the largest single-store retailer in the United States, spread over 150,000 sq. meters of a Chicago suburb. “It plays into their appliance business.” | sony;panasonic;tvs;4-k tvs;samsong electronics;lg electronics |
jp0000631 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/21 | Suspicion tarnishes 50th anniversary of Japanese-South Korean ties | As Japan and South Korea mark 50 years since the normalization of postwar bilateral relations Monday, the anniversary is unlikely to yield much to celebrate. Relations between the two Asian powerhouses are at possibly the lowest point since the end of the war. According to a May poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun, 73 percent of respondents said they “cannot trust” South Korea — a record high for the second year in a row. And the suspicion runs both ways, with 85 percent of South Koreans voicing mistrust of Japan. At the core of today’s mutual animosity are historical issues involving Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. According to the Yomiuri poll, which was seeking opinion on Abe’s upcoming war anniversary speech, some 76 percent of Japanese respondents believe repeated apologies by Japanese prime ministers for a variety of historical issues are “sufficient.” This contrasts sharply with South Korea, where a mere 4 percent believe the apologies were enough. Experts recently interviewed by The Japan Times said the root cause of this unbridgeable perception gap can be traced to the nature of a treaty and five related agreements the two countries signed in 1965. The deals were designed to settle all compensation issues surrounding Japan’s contentious 1910 annexation of the Korean Peninsula “completely and finally,” as was clearly and carefully inserted into one of the agreements. But as democracy came to South Korea in 1987 after decades of authoritarian rule, save a brief period in the early 1960s, nationalism and citizens’ groups became more powerful than ever. Under these forces, public frustration over the 1965 deals — concluded under hard-line President Park Chung-hee and continually bottled up under a series of authoritarian rulers — exploded in the 1990s. “The conclusion of the deals in 1965 was kind of a political compromise,” said Yuki Asaba, a professor of South Korean politics at the University of Niigata Prefecture graduate school. “The South Korean side compromised over the settlement of historical issues.” In making the deal, Asaba said, Park had prioritized practical economic benefits over resolving historical issues, given the need for financial assistance from Japan amid the dire economic straits in South Korea at the time. Under the 1965 deal, Japan provided South Korea with a total of $800 million as “economic cooperation” that consisted of a $300 million grant in economic aid, $200 million in loans and $300 million in loans for private trust. Seoul’s annual budget was $350 million at the time. “The sum was definitely a considerable amount since it was bigger than the national budget of South Korea,” Asaba said. Under the terms, Japan provided the funds to the South Korean government in a lump sum. The South Korean government later reportedly took responsibility for compensating individual victims of Japan’s colonial rule. Some of the money was used to pay about 2.6 billion won ($5.38 million) to relatives of some 8,550 victims of Japan’s forced labor, based on a 1974 law stipulating that Seoul would pay 300,000 won ($620) per death, according to media reports. But the South Korean government used most of it to build infrastructure, including a steel plant in Pohang and an expressway linking Seoul and Busan, Asaba noted. Amid today’s politically charged environment, many victims who weren’t among those who received the money have begun calling for compensation directly from Japan, including some of the former ianfu (comfort women), Japan’s euphemism for the females who were forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during the war in military “comfort stations.” Tokyo, for its part, has consistently maintained that the 1965 treaty and agreements settled all compensation issues involving Japan’s colonial rule, as stated in them. And South Korea did not raise any official objections to Japan’s position for decades. “At first, the South Korean government took the position that issues regarding the past were all solved by this treaty,” said Kan Kimura, a professor and Korean affairs expert at Kobe University’s graduate school. But as the comfort women issue gained more public prominence in the early 1990s, Seoul began to shift, claiming the issue was not covered by the treaty and agreements, Kimura said. Then, in 2005, the South Korean government announced that its former comfort women, survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings and the displaced draftees on Sakhalin island were all entitled to receive individual compensation from Japan following a recommendation by a private-public committee examining compensation rights. Moreover, in August 2011, South Korea’s constitutional court ordered the government to begin negotiations with Japan on resolving compensation claims for former comfort women, saying failure to seek a solution with Tokyo “constitutes an infringement on the basic human rights of the victims and is a violation of the constitution.” “Ultimately, thanks to the democratization of its political system, the South Korean public now understands that public opinion can and should influence not only the government’s domestic policy, but also its diplomacy,” Asaba said. | colonial rule;park chung hee;south korea-japan relations |
jp0000632 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/21 | Time running out for South Korean 'comfort women' as average age approaches 90 | Year after year, their numbers dwindle. Now, with the average age of former “comfort women” in South Korea approaching 90, time is running out. The Japanese government has been pressed for years to offer compensation money and extend more sincere apologies to the women, who were forced en masse into Japanese military brothels before and during the war. But the South Korean government, too, must help settle the issue, Korean affairs experts say, by persuading the citizens’ groups that wield so much influence over the victims to compromise. “Even if the governments of Japan and South Korea reached an agreement, it would again end up a failure if citizens’ groups oppose a deal and accuse (Seoul) of compromise, branding (the government) as pro-Japan,” said Kizo Ogura, professor at Kyoto University who is an expert on Korean affairs. “This has repeatedly been the case in the past.” Ogura said that to settle the issue, the Japanese government must provide money and extend a fresh apology to the victims it euphemistically calls the ianfu , whose numbers are in dispute but widely thought to range in the tens of thousands. If an offer is made and the support groups refuse to persuade the women to accept it, the survivors will likely die without seeing any deal on compensation, he added. As far as the comfort women issue is concerned, Ogura said, the support groups are more influential than the government in Seoul. “The South Korean government may seem more powerful (than the citizens’ groups), but in reality, the protesting side” is stronger, he said. The comfort women issue began drawing widespread public attention in South Korea after its 1987 shift to democracy began. As the country democratized, citizens’ groups gained more and more power, and many began actively investigating the comfort women issue, experts say. The most influential group — the Korean Council for the Women Drafted For Military Sexual Slavery by Japan — was established in 1990. It demands that Tokyo admit legal responsibility for comfort women issues, calls for official state compensation, punishment for those responsible and a formal government apology endorsed by the Diet. Since the early 1990s, the two nations have seen the comfort women issue become an increasingly divisive. In 1993, then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono for the first time admitted the responsibility of the Imperial Japanese military and other authorities in recruiting women against their will and forcing them to work at comfort stations set up by the military. Two years later in 1995, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama’s administration set up the private Asian Women’s Fund to provide “atonement money” to former comfort women from all nations. The victims received about ¥2 million in donations from private Japanese citizens and up to ¥3 million in “medical and welfare support” from the government, together with a letter of formal apology signed by four successive prime ministers from 1996 to 2001, including Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. Despite those efforts, the now-defunct fund came under harsh criticism by South Korean citizens’ groups because Japan refused to admit any legal responsibility for the compensation, and because no personal or public apology had been issued by any of Japan’s top leaders. According to the government, a total of 61 of the known South Korean victims accepted the fund’s offer — less than 30 percent of the 207 who had been officially recognized by Seoul as of 2002. Also, 211 Filipinos, 79 Dutch and 13 Taiwanese accepted the fund’s offer, media reports said. Given their advanced age, both countries should prioritize the issue, said Masao Okonogi, a professor emeritus at Keio University who is a noted expert on Korean affairs. Otherwise, Japan will forever be accused of not working to solve the issue, he said. Okonogi said one possible way to end the stalemate is to establish another semi-public, semi-private fund, this time together with Seoul, in combination with a fresh apology and offer of financial support. “(Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe has said he upholds the Kono statement, so I guess (offering another apology) would not be that difficult,” he said. Both Okonogi and Ogura said they believe ties between the two Asian powers will improve after the summer, when Abe is to issue a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of World War II’s end. Japanese diplomats note that they have already seen signs that Seoul is making efforts to improve the relationship. Domestic criticism that she may have put too much emphasis on historical issues in dealing with Japan may force South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s hand anyway. Despite the passage of more than two years since their inaugurations, Park and Abe have yet to hold a summit, with the South Korean leader citing historical issues — including comfort women — in her refusal to see Abe. Now, Japan, China and South Korea are attempting to arrange a trilateral summit that has been suspended for three years because of Japan’s strained ties with its two neighbors over separate historical and territorial issues. Such a meeting could happen by the end of this year, Okonogi said. If it does, Abe and Park will have no choice but to hold a bilateral meeting there, a move that would help achieve a thaw, he said. In light of China and its rapid economic development, South Korea has shifted diplomatic and economic strategy de-emphasize Tokyo and focus more on Beijing. In 2003, Beijing overtook Tokyo as Seoul’s No. 2 trading partner. The following year, China became the world’s biggest economy, topping Japan’s ally, the United Sates. In the meantime, South Korea’s economic dependency on Japan has declined greatly over the past decade. In near parallel with the decline of Japan’s economic presence in South Korea, Seoul has begun taking an increasingly tough diplomatic stance against Tokyo, experts say. Okonogi said that even though the environment has changed, they still share the same basic values of democracy and market economy. What’s more, both countries are in similar situations, standing between a growing U.S.-China rivalry, he said. “It’s important to see that we share interests, and there could be strategic cooperation in the future as well,” Okonogi said. | comfort women;tomiichi murayama;south korea-japan relations |
jp0000633 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/06/21 | Signing of 1965 normalization treaty sparked sharp contrast in reactions | Fifty years ago, when Japan and South Korea signed a treaty to normalize diplomatic ties on June 22, 1965, their leaders toasted the signing in Tokyo as police in Seoul tear-gassed thousands of protesters and politicians who were opposing the move, according to archived reports by The Japan Times. The treaty is “an example set for the whole world that whatever may be the relations existing between the neighboring nations, they can be adjusted in a friendly manner through spirit of mutual understanding,” said Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, calling the treaty “historic,” it said. “Our two countries have trod a thorny path up to the present. A great deal of effort and patience were required to reach this day which promises to erase the nearly half century of unfortunate relations and which has ushered in a new era of mutual cooperation,” said South Korean Foreign Minister Dong Won-lee, who signed the treaty on behalf of President Park Chung-hee, the father of Park Geun-hye, the country’s current leader. But the ceremonial atmosphere contrasted sharply with the rallies in Seoul, where many refused to forget the brutal actions taken by their colonial rulers, and with smaller rallies held in Tokyo by students affiliated with the pro-Seoul Korean Residents Union of Japan (Mindan). In Seoul, police threw up a wall in the capitol compound to prepare for a possible attack by protesters, and about 6,000 students joined a pitched fight with riot squads numbering in the hundreds, it said. In Tokyo, meanwhile, the Japan Socialist Party, the main opposition force, attacked the treaty’s signing as an “arrangement forced upon both Japan and South Korea by the United States in line with its strategy in Asia,” The Japan Times reported. The JSP claimed the treaty was aimed at creating a “Northeast Asian Military Alliance” among Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, the newspaper said. Political observers pointed out that the confrontation between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition parties was likely to intensify when an extraordinary Diet session was to be convened later in the year to ratify the treaty, it was reported. After the treaty was inked, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Edwin Reischauer released a statement welcoming the move. “Great credit is due to the statesmen on both sides who have worked so hard to make possible this achievement, which I believe is greatly to the benefit of the two countries concerned and to the whole world.” | south korea;japan;treaty;archive |
jp0000634 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/06/08 | Sincere climate pledge or 'sleight of hand'? | Last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet announced Japan would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030, based on 2013 levels. The plan will be presented to delegates at a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris this December. The goal is strongly supported by Japanese utilities and powerful business lobbyists, but has been slammed by domestic and international experts as falling far short of what is needed, even as Japan itself feels the impact of a warming planet. What, exactly, does last week’s announcement about reducing greenhouse gases mean for Japan? It means Japan will commit to reduce, in 15 years, emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 26 percent compared to its level of emissions in 2013, which amounted to 1.408 billion tons. The reductions are expected to be made through a combination of policy measures and technological developments. Why is this goal being criticized? There are several reasons. From a scientific viewpoint, climatologists have warned that unless the average global rise in temperature can be kept under 2 degrees, the Earth could reach a tipping point where climate change would become irreversible. The science uses the 1990 emissions levels as the base for estimating the reduction ratios needed to offer the greatest possibility of keeping the temperature rise under 2 degrees by midcentury. The most proactive governments base their emissions targets on calculations that use 1990 as the base year. This produces cuts that are larger than those based on later years. The second reason is political. As the initiator of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the world’s first internationally binding agreement to tackle greenhouse gases, and given Japan’s international reputation as a leader in environmental technologies, the international community had long counted on the Japanese government to continue showing leadership on the issue. Last week’s announcement merely marked the formal decision on a plan that had been in the works for months, and one that had been roundly criticized. In an opinion piece for Kyodo News at the end of April, John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister who was at the Kyoto Protocol conference, said a 26 percent reduction by 2030 based on 2013 levels amounted to only a 17 percent reduction in terms of 1990 levels, and that announcing such a target would put Japan’s international climate leadership in doubt and raise questions about its commitment to multilateralism. Nongovernmental organizations were even more critical. In a letter to Abe, Wael Hmaidan, executive director of Climate Action Network International, an umbrella group of 900 climate and environment-related NGOs, said the 26 percent target based on 2013 levels represented “sleight of hand” by Japan, and that by failing to send a strong message internationally on its commitment to reduce emissions, Tokyo’s ideas on how to come to an agreement at the Paris conference in December will fall on deaf ears. In Japan, the Kiko Network, one of the country’s oldest and largest groups dedicated to climate change issues, also criticized the target, saying it merely left the burden of dealing with climate change to the next generation. The group also said it could not be linked to the government’s own goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. What reduction targets have other countries put forward at the Paris conference? The European Union has announced an economy-wide target involving a cut of at least 40 percent in domestic greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2030. The United States has a target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by between 26 and 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 (equivalent to between 14 and 17 percent below 1990 levels). China is expected to make an announcement about its goals for the Paris conference soon, but said last November its goal was to see its carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 at the latest, and that it aimed to have nonfossil fuel energy supplying 20 percent of its total primary energy supply. Brazil pledged to reduce its emissions by between 36.1 percent and 38.9 percent in 2020 compared to business-as-usual (BAU) emissions. What climate change impacts have already been noticed in Japan? Compiling and translating data from the Meteorological Agency and Japanese and foreign climate experts, a WWF report released in 2008 noted that the mean annual temperature in Japan had increased by 1 degree over the past century overall, but that average winter temperatures in Hokkaido had increased by 1.3 degrees. Significant reductions in snowfall nationwide, as well as hotter days and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, were also noted. What predictions are being made about the future impact of climate change in Japan, regardless of emissions goals? A 2013 Environment Ministry report suggested the average temperature could rise between 2.1 and 4 degrees by the end of this century, compared with the 1980-1999 period. The report also noted that areas with a suitable temperature for coral will shift northward but that increased acidification in the ocean means the habitat for tropical and subtropical corals around Japan could decrease by half by 2030 and disappear completely by 2040. As for food supply, the ministry said, warmer temperatures mean yields of irrigated rice will increase (especially in areas like Hokkaido) but that the quality could decrease. The WWF report, by contrast, sees a temperature increase of two to three degrees over the next century. This means higher precipitation, especially during the summer months, and an increase in days with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees. | emissions;climate change;environment |
jp0000635 | [
"business",
"corporate-business"
] | 2015/06/01 | Auto sales slide 7.6% in May on minicar tax | Auto sales in May fell 7.6 percent to 335,644 units from a year ago as the April tax hike on minivehicles weighed on demand, industry bodies said Monday. Minicar sales sank 19.6 percent to 125,755 units, down for the fifth consecutive month, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association said. Minivehicles, which have engine displacements no larger than 660cc, account for around 40 percent of new car sales in Japan. Sales of other cars meanwhile rose 1.4 percent to 209,889 units, rising for the second consecutive month, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said, hinting the impact of the April 2014 consumption tax hike is on the wane. Demand for cars was sluggish during the fiscal year ended March 31 after the first stage of the doubling of the consumption tax raised the levy by 3 points to 8 percent, tipping Japan into yet another recession. It was the nation’s first tax hike in 17 years. The second stage, which has been delayed, will raise it to 10 percent. | car sales;autos;minicars |
jp0000636 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/06/01 | E-textbooks to open digital can of worms | As the world goes digital, many schools are trying to introduce digital materials into the classroom to encourage studying and meet the needs of students’ increasingly diverse needs. In May, the education ministry formed a panel to discuss the use of digital textbooks and whether to replace the physical ones. It is also weighing the possible technological, economic and legal ramifications of such a shift. How will education change by going digital? What are the challenges posed by introducing digital textbooks? Here’s what The Japan Times dug up about using digital textbooks in Japan: What constitutes a digital textbook? The education ministry says the digital materials currently used in classrooms are not textbooks in the strict sense, but supplemental materials, including learning aids, and audio and video content. They also allow students to rotate images on display screens to get a 360-degree view, or click to access extended explanations for words that appear in text. Digital materials for studying English may include videos designed to help students listen repeatedly to work on pronunciation by watching how the speaker’s mouth moves. Such materials are mainly designed for teachers to use in front of students, with the help of digital markers, magnifiers and links to help make lectures more creative. Some offer students devices, mostly tablet computers equipped with functions to facilitate communication via note- and memo-sharing over a network. These systems can also keep track of study records to help teachers provide proper guidance to each student. Are schools in Japan sufficiently digitized? Although slowly improving, Japan still lags in introducing information and communications technology, or ICT, in education. According to the education ministry, the number of students per computer remained at 6.5 in 2014, compared with its goal of 3.6 by fiscal 2017 set in the Second Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education. This puts Japan behind countries like Singapore, which had a student-computer ratio of 2.0 in 2010, the United States, whose ratio stood at 3.2 in 2008, and South Korea, which had a ratio of 5.0 in 2007, according to an internal affairs ministry report. On average, only 37.4 percent of Japan’s public schools were using digital materials in the classroom in 2014, which is a slight improvement on 32.5 percent from the previous year. The exception is Saga, which was leading the nation with an 86.1 percent penetration rate for digital materials in 2014, the report said. Saga has been forging ahead with such efforts since 2011. In April 2014, the prefecture installed digital devices for student use in all public high schools. That generated a positive reaction from both teachers and students, who enjoy participating in interactive lectures, an official from the Saga Prefectural Board of Education said. What are the merits of using digital textbooks? Digital textbooks can help nurture creativity, said Toru Kawase, an official in charge of digital promotion at major textbook publisher Tokyo Shoseki Co. Unlike traditional lectures held in conjunction with printed textbooks, where students tend to be evaluated only by whether they can regurgitate the correct answers on tests, digital textbooks allow teachers to evaluate the process students use to determine the answers, Kawase said. “The good thing about digital textbooks is . . . students can deepen their thinking through trial and error” as they share and discuss the process with other classmates, he said. In fact, digital materials helped students, including those shy about giving presentations, to actively express their opinions and organize them in an effective manner, according to the ministry’s experimental study on ICT education. Digital textbooks can also support students with learning disabilities because they offer alternative ways to read or write, including through audio narration of text passages. Children who can’t speak Japanese can benefit from translation apps. What are the hurdles to introducing digital textbooks? Legal revisions will be necessary to adopt digital textbooks as the nation’s official textbooks, said media and governance professor Ichiya Nakamura of Keio University, who is vice chairman of the promotional group Digital Textbook and Teaching. Under a revision of the School Education Act in 2014, any textbook used at school must literally be printed on paper and pass the ministry’s screening process, Nakamura told a symposium on digital textbooks on May 25 on Keio’s campus in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Money is also a challenge. The cost of managing the distribution of digital devices to students will fall to local governments, while schools will have to bear the enormous expense of creating an environment that can take full advantage of the technology, such as by setting up wireless networks and building a database for the data to be used. Developing digital textbooks is also costly for the makers, Kawase said. As an example, he said it costs about ¥100 million to create social studies textbooks for use by elementary school students between the third and sixth grades because of all the copyrights held on digital images and videos. How the government would screen such textbooks is another concern, Kawase said, adding that it’s too much of a burden to check all of the content, including the movie files and web pages that are attached. | education;computers;information technology;digital textbooks |
jp0000637 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/06/06 | Law still a long way behind fertility boom | As the population declines, the number of domestic businesses involved in fertility is growing, giving birth to a slew of additional problems. Government statistics show the country’s population dropped by 215,000 last year, as people are waiting longer to get married and have children. The situation is causing so much alarm among government officials that one city is now offering subsidies to women who want to freeze their eggs and try in vitro fertilization at a later date. A Kafka-esque case currently being contested in court has come to highlight how the country’s legal and regulatory system has completely failed to keep up with recent developments. A number of questions come to mind: When a couple agrees to have an IVF, who owns the sperm? Do sperm have rights? Can a wife take sperm without telling her husband and use it to have a child? Is that fraud? In February, Japanese-American businessman Eric Young filed a lawsuit against one of Japan’s largest fertility clinics, K Clinic, asking for damages and access to all the clinic’s medical records so that he can verify who is the mother of his son: his ex-wife or her younger sister — or both of them? The boy, who was born on June 24, 2008, was conceived via in vitro fertilization. Three years later, the couple conceived a second child via in vitro fertilization with the help of K Clinic in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, although his wife miscarried. The boy’s parentage was cast in doubt after the Tokyo Family Court ruled that Young’s former wife had swapped her husband’s sperm with those of her of lover without his consent or knowledge when trying to conceive her second child. In addition, the court ruled, she replaced her eggs with those from her younger sister. The sperm that had been deposited by Eric Young was allegedly discarded. The whole debacle was covered extensively by weekly magazine Shukan Gendai. Young now wants to know whether it was his sperm that was combined with the eggs of his sister-in-law for the first pregnancy. K Clinic has refused to divulge any records related to the procedures, citing the country’s personal privacy laws. “(It’s) an interesting and highly unusual case that raises many questions,” said Robert Klitzman, director of the bioethics masters program at Columbia University. Complicating the matter, the clinic had advised Young and his wife that they could use an in vitro method that combined the “white” of a younger woman’s egg (the mitochondria) with the “yolk” of his wife’s egg, resulting in a child that some people might consider to have three parents. On Feb. 3, CNN reported that U.K. lawmakers had approved such a procedure. In the first court session in April, K Clinic’s lawyer claimed the clinic had no records of whose eggs or sperm were used to produce Young’s son. In written documents submitted to the court, the clinic admitted it didn’t have a system in place to verify the identity of either eggs or sperm donors at the time. Young’s attorney claimed his client had a right to know what was done with his sperm, and whose egg was used in combination with that sperm. He claimed that sperm had “personal and moral rights” known as jinkakuken , which are guaranteed by the Constitution. “It’s half a life and since sperm cannot speak for itself, we are representing the sperm on behalf of its guardian — the father,” attorney Nobayasu Ogata said. “A failure to disclose the information on what was done with my client’s sperm by the clinic is not only deplorable, it’s unconstitutional.” Neither K Clinic or Young’s former wife responded to requests for comment via email, fax, telephone and requests made via the firm’s lawyers. “With minimal government oversight and a lack of internal regulations, (K Clinic) enabled the submission of faked identities and the unauthorized switching of the sperm and eggs of their patients,” Young said. “If they aren’t keeping records, then we will have situations where a child might never know who his/her true biological parents are.” The country’s laws a long way behind the booming fertility industry. Currently, for instance, no law exists that establishes a legal relationship between a child born to a surrogate mother and the man and woman whose genetic material was used to conceive the child. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that even if a DNA test proves that a father and child are not related, the father will still legally be the child’s parent based on the Civil Code’s definition of legal paternity. In other words, a man is financially obligated to provide for a child born to his wife even if it is revealed that the sperm used to conceive it came from another man. In the written arguments submitted to the court, K Clinic argued that if Young claimed the second pregnancy was not achieved with his sperm, there was no basis for him to claim emotional damages or demand that the medical records be released. “We have a duty as doctors to protect the privacy of our patients,” the clinic said. “If the ex-wife secretly provided a third party’s sperm to the clinic, (we) can also be thought of, like the plaintiff, a victim deceived by the patient. ” The ruling coalition government is attempting to create a legal framework to address questions such as how to define parenthood and whether a child has a right to know his or her genetic parents. According to a November article in the Mainichi Shimbun, the Liberal Democratic Party approved a bill that would require fertility clinics to register with the government. Clinics that do not comply with government guidelines that have yet to be created could have their licenses revoked under a law that has yet to be approved. In the meantime, men wishing to have children via an IVF who are concerned about mix-ups may wish to think about color-coding their sperm or, at least, donate a label maker to their clinics. It’s nice to keep track of these things. | birthrate;fertility;ivf;fertility treatment |
jp0000638 | [
"national",
"history"
] | 2015/06/06 | Japan goods popular in India; Nazis roll into Paris; mine death toll passes 160; Japan passes U.S. as top donor | 100 YEARS AGO Tuesday, June 15, 1915 Japanese goods find a new market in India A new market for Japanese goods is now found in India, as can be seen from the story of Mr. Shoda, an expert in the department of Agriculture and Commerce, who has just returned from a visit there. Mr. Shoda went to India last December with representatives of the Matsuda Company of Yokohama and other companies. Speaking of his trip, Mr Shoda said: “We went round the country with the object of extending the market for our goods. The representatives of the firms took samples of their goods, ready to receive orders. We have obtained exceedingly good results. Our idea was that we should be satisfied if we got orders to the amount of ¥3,000; but we have received orders for over ¥1 million. The principal goods for which order have been received are cotton goods, toys, tea cases, cement, and some other goods. It is interesting when we consider that these goods have never been exported to that country before. “Before the war Germany had been exporting goods, to the tune of ¥80 million per year to India, while our exports to that country had not gone beyond ¥30 million. But since the outbreak of war the exports from Germany have been stopped and the exports from English firms have also decreased by 40 percent. India is now, therefore, importing principally from the States and Japan. Hitherto our country has been exporting only such goods as matches, silk goods, knitted goods, and glassware. But the demand for other goods, as shown by the orders received lately, are now being received. This is a golden opportunity for the extension of our market in India.” 75 YEARS AGO Sunday, June 16, 1940 Hitler’s war machine rolls into French capital Swinging triumphantly down the broad and fashionable Champs Elysees, the grim vanguards of Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s mighty war machine rolled thunderously into Paris from the northwest early this morning, climaxing a 35-day lightning offensive, which began with the invasion of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Authoritative information reaching Berlin from the abandoned French capital reported that swift, dust-stained Nazi tanks, ominously dominating the streets, led the German advance into Paris. German units symbolically circled the Arc de Triomphe, from which the city’s 12 main boulevards and avenues radiate, and went down the broad Champs Elysees. The advance into Paris began at dawn. Only a few Parisians watched the Nazi forces enter the capital, standing with bared hands, tearfully silent and tense. It was for many the second time within their memory that German had marched into the city in triumph as apparent victors. As the sun rose higher more units joined the parade. Motorized infantry battalions and steel shielded trucks raced across the old Seine river and southwards towards Etoile. Immediately after French troops withdrew from Paris leaving the city to its own fate, the police, fire department, and other departmental services of the capital were placed in the disposal of the conquerors, offering to maintain order and discipline during the march of the Germans. The radio stations of Paris, it was reported here, quickly were occupied and were playing Nazi music. It is said that only a third of Paris’ normal population of 3 million remains. 50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, June 2, 1965 Mine blast death toll in Fukuoka tops 160 One hundred and sixty miners were confirmed dead, with another 76 unaccounted for and given up for lost, in one of Japan’s biggest mine disasters ever when a gas explosion ripped through the No. 1 pit of the Yamano Colliery at Inatsuki in Fukuoka Prefecture early Tuesday morning. Thirty miners were injured, many of them seriously. The mine management initially announced the total of miners and officials underground as 552, but later indicated the figure might be lower. Of this number, 314 managed to crawl out to the surface. A Fukuoka Prefectural police spokesman said early this morning that hope had been abandoned for the fate of the 70 still unaccounted for. A rescue worker who emerged after a few hours underground said that inside the of the pit near the scene of the blast was filled with dense gas, preventing rescuers from going further. An official of the mining company said a group of eight men were digging inside the pit with dynamite at the time of the explosion and speculated that this might have touched off the gas explosion. 25 YEARS AGO Saturday, June 23, 1990 Japan passes U.S as top donor of overseas aid Japan surpassed the United States to become the world’s top donor of official development assistance in 1989, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. In terms of disbursement, Japan’s ODA last year totaled $8.95 billion, down 1.9 percent from the preceding year, a report says. In yen terms, however, Japanese overseas aid posted a 5.6 percent increase over last year, totaling ¥1.23 trillion. The U.S dropped to second place with $7.66 billion, followed by France, whose disbursement totaled $7.47 billion, according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD ascribed the fall in U.S aid to a high number of 1988 contributions and a delay in disbursements to the International Development Association, affiliated with the World Bank, officials said. Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands continue to stand out as countries with the highest ODA/GNP ratios, with Norway and Denmark in front at 1.02 and 1.00 percent, respectively. | india;accidents;mining;paris;world war ii;fukuoka;germany wwii;yamano colliery;overseas aid |
jp0000639 | [
"asia-pacific",
"offbeat-asia-pacific"
] | 2015/06/23 | China's dog meat festival draws rare criticism | YULIN, CHINA - For many residents of the town of Yulin in southern China, the peak of summer is the perfect time to get together with family and friends — and consume copious amounts of dog meat. Thousands of dogs are expected to end up on the chopping block during the city’s annual dog meat festival, which has become increasingly controversial in China. Dog ownership was once looked down upon as a decadent bourgeois habit, but China’s growing middle class has started to fight what it sees as barbarous abuse of man’s best friend. On Monday, a group of about 25 animal rights activists briefly unfurled banners in front of the city government office, demanding an end to the festival, but they were quickly hustled away by unidentified men. The city’s dog market has become a site for clashes of supporters and opponents of the trade. In the sweltering heat, tempers can often flare. “There are all sorts of cultural norms about what you can eat, you eat turkey, so why are you trying to force us to not eat dog meat?” shouted one dog meat supporter. Eating dog is good for your health at the hottest time of the year, say supporters, and it is just like any other meat. “It’s healthy, just like raising pigs or chickens, it’s fine,” said Teng Jianyi, as he tucked into a dog dish with some friends. While many Chinese have signed online petitions seeking a ban on the festival, others take a more direct approach. Last year, Yang Xiaoyun made headlines after spending 150,000 yuan ($24,160) to rescue about 350 dogs. Yang, who comes from northern China, has returned this year with funds raised from around the country, but she would not say exactly how much. She hoped to set up a home for the rescued dogs near Yulin, she said, undeterred by the prospect of any hostility there. “At the moment we don’t have the ability to change people’s habits, this is the government’s responsibility, isn’t it?” Yang said. Despite the complaints, many Yulin residents vowed to continue eating dog. “This is one of our traditions,” said Liang Xiaoli, who returned home especially for the festival. “They criticize us, saying we don’t have compassion or humanity, but I think every person has different circumstances,” she added. “You can’t just lump all people together. For example, if I think eating pork is really brutal, then no one can eat pork. That’s not on.” | china;food;animals |
jp0000640 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/15 | Hate speech may lack clear definition but Kansai trying to squelch it | OSAKA - More than two years after the anti-Korean group Zaitokukai made international headlines with racial slurs and threats of violence, local governments around Japan are making it far more difficult for any group attacking minorities to operate. As of last month, over 100 prefectural, city, town and village assemblies had released statements condemning hate speech. While not legally binding, they send a clear message to their local bureaucrats, who have discretion over approving requests to use public meeting facilities and granting permits for street demonstrations. The hoped-for result, therefore, is that hate groups will find it more difficult to secure space to shout racist comments and go on threatening public tirades than was the case a couple years ago. In the Kansai region, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo and Wakayama prefectures have all denounced hate speech. Municipal assemblies in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and 16 other Kansai cities have also spoken out against hate speech. Given the huge influx of international tourists over the past two years, especially from East Asia, Kansai’s major cities in particular are worried about groups using its facilities and streets to spread messages of racial hatred. Kadoma, a city in Osaka Prefecture, took the lead last year in doing more than just issuing statements. Under current regulations, the city has said it will not grant use of public facilities to groups and individuals who habitually engage in violent and discriminatory behavior. In the event that permission to use, say, a public park for a rally has already been granted, Kadoma could revoke permission or stop the rally if it discovers the applicant fits the criteria for denial. “Kadoma will judge all applications to use public facilities on the basis of protecting residents’ safety and dignity,” the city said in a statement. Driving much of the concern at the local level is the impact such venomous and discriminatory speech and ideas might have on schoolchildren who walk past the rallies, or on those who can hear the rants from classrooms or other public facilities. In June 2013, Yamagata Prefecture refused permission for a Zaitokukai meeting at a prefecture-run facility because it contained a library where children often visited. Of course, deciding what constitutes hate speech and grounds for refusing permission for public rallies can be something of a slippery slope. With no legal definition of hate speech upon which court decisions can be based, leaving decisions about granting or refusing permission for public facilities to bureaucrats raises difficult questions. For example, if local governments hosting U.S. military bases were to decide that anti-base protesters screaming “Yankee, go home!” are engaging in a form of “discrimination against foreigners,” could they, under the pretext of cracking down on “hate speech,” not allow them to demonstrate? Or could atomic power plant workers claim anti-nuclear protesters are discriminating against them by staging protests and, to use the language of Kadoma, damaging their dignity and safety (economic) by making comments that they might claim are a form of hate speech? Would nuclear supporters then ask local assemblies overwhelmingly tied to the nuclear power industry to crack down on anti-nuclear demonstrations by claiming pro-nuclear workers risk becoming victims of anti-nuclear protesters’ “hate speech”? As ridiculous as the above questions may sound, without specific national laws banning racial discrimination to guide them, the potential for local bureaucratic decisions that violate the constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly only grows. Thus any entities sincerely attempting to control what most people would instinctively say is hate speech should keep in mind that old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. | kansai;hate speech |
jp0000641 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/15 | Key aviation official loses computer while sleeping on train | The transport ministry says one of its senior officials lost a bag containing a work computer used and a list of emergency contact information for ministry staff, another embarrassment for the government following a recent massive leak of pension data. Police are investigating the incident as a case of possible theft, after Akihiko Tamura, director general of the ministry’s Civil Aviation Bureau, lost the bag containing the list and tablet computer on a train on his way home late Friday. Tamura is in charge of policies including regulations on the use of drones as well as measures to prevent aerial terrorism, the ministry said Sunday. The tablet is supposedly locked with a password. Tamura put his bag on the overhead rack of the train he took from Tokyo at around 11 p.m. Friday after drinking alcohol, the ministry said. He fell asleep before realizing he missed his stop in Kanagawa Prefecture and the bag was gone. The government is currently drawing up regulations on the use of drones in public places in response to a series of incidents that have stoked fears that unmanned aircraft could be used for terrorism. In the most serious of these, a drone with a minuscule amount of radiation was found on the roof of the prime minister’s office building in April. A man was arrested for allegedly flying the drone there. The loss of Tamura’s bag could add to criticism of the government’s management of information. The transport ministry said it will take steps to prevent a repeat of this kind of incident. Officials were forced to apologize earlier this month after it was discovered that the Japan Pension Service system had been hacked and more than a million items of personal data had been leaked. | land;tablets;theft;infrastructure;mlit |
jp0000642 | [
"national"
] | 2015/06/15 | Osaka's assault on ethnic invective stalls | OSAKA - With last week’s decision by the Osaka Municipal Assembly to delay a decision on what would have been Japan’s first city ordinance to combat hate speech and to issue a nonbinding statement instead, local legal efforts to crack down on racist rhetoric have slowed. Although the assembly may take up the issue again when it reconvenes in September, there are numerous hurdles remaining to realizing an ordinance. All political parties agree something should be done to halt racial slurs and threats of violence against ethnic minorities. But differences of opinion over how effective an ordinance would be and whether it could give too much authority to an outside committee loyal to the mayor meant that unanimous approval by the assembly, sought by all parties, was impossible. Last week’s statement adds to the many local calls for the central government to enact legislation that would effectively combat hate speech and protect the rights of minorities. “In recent years, hate speech directed at foreigners in Japan with a specific nationality has taken place, creating concern about human rights problems involving foreigners. In the streets of Osaka as well, demonstrations involving hate speech have frequently occurred,” the statement noted. City assembly members also pointed out that the United Nations Human Rights Committee has expressed concern about the spread of speech that meets the definition of racial discrimination under the terms of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Japan, as a signatory to the convention, has long been advised to adopt measures to combat such racially biased speech. In addition, through legal restrictions, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has strongly recommended Japan adopt measures to deal with hate speech. Last August, a CERD report on Japan recommended the country take five specific actions to combat hate speech: 1. Firmly address manifestations of hate and racism as well as incitement to racist violence and hatred during rallies; 2. Take appropriate steps to combat hate speech in the media, including the Internet; 3. Investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute individuals, as well as organizations, responsible for such acts; 4. Pursue appropriate sanctions against public officials and politicians who disseminate hate speech and incitement to hatred; 5. Address the root causes of racist hate speech and strengthen measures of teaching, education, culture and information. The issue of hate speech in Osaka has become particularly sensitive due to the large number of Korean residents and an incident that took place in 2013 in the city’s Tsuruhashi district, home to many Koreans. At a public demonstration sponsored by the anti-Korean group Zaitokukai, a 14-year-old girl began screaming racial slurs and death threats at Koreans. Videos of the event were quickly translated into several languages and uploaded on YouTube, earning Osaka an international reputation as a place that condones hate speech against ethnic minorities. “Furthermore, as a recent example, on Dec. 9, 2014, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a group that engaged in hate speech. That decision confirmed an Osaka High Court decision that the group’s activities met the convention’s definition of racial discrimination and was beyond something that was protected speech. We strongly request that, from the view of guarding human rights, the central government promote effective legal measures to lead to the eradication of hate speech,” the June 10 statement concluded, referring to the decision against the right-wing hate group Zaitokukai. The group appealed decisions by the Osaka High Court and the Kyoto District Court after both ordered it to pay nearly ¥12 million in compensation to a Kyoto school whose students are ethnic Koreans, after it came under attack by Zaitokukai members during demonstrations in 2009 and 2010. Since then, pressure has been growing on the city of Osaka to publicly condemn acts of hate speech. But embarrassed by Zaitokukai and emboldened by the court decisions, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, as well as his Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) political group and other assembly members, decided to go a step further and try to pass an ordinance, even though there were questions about whether it would violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech. The proposed ordinance was developed with input from local Korean human rights’ organizations and lawyers. It would define as hate speech expressions that call for the elimination of ethnic groups and individuals from society and restrict their freedoms and rights, or incite violence against them. Written attacks on the Internet and social media against groups and individuals might also be defined as hate speech. Key to determining what the city would define as hate speech would be a committee of five legal experts and others involved in human rights issues. They would be appointed by the mayor to examine specific hate speech allegations, and would be responsible for gathering testimony if they decided a particular case warranted investigation. Each member would serve for two years and could not publicly discuss any secrets (designated by city bureaucrats) they come across while doing their jobs, even after their term as a committee member ends. Violating the secrecy agreement would be grounds for dismissal by the mayor. In the event the committee’s probe concluded there was merit to a claim of hate speech, the city would offer assistance if the victim decided to take the perpetrators to court. This includes an as yet undetermined amount of financial assistance for legal fees. In addition, there would be a “name and shame” effort whereby the names of the groups and individuals who made the comments, and the content of their remarks, would be posted on the city’s website. “The committee of third-party experts would make decisions based on existing laws, and the opinions of legal experts would have to be respected. It’s clear we have to make rules that prohibit hate speech,” Hashimoto said last month when the resolution proposal was formally taken up. Whether such an ordinance will pass soon, especially before mayoral and gubernatorial elections in November, is questionable. Kim Kwang-min, secretary-general of the Osaka-based nonprofit organization Korea NGO Center, expressed disappointment, but not surprise, that the assembly only voted for a nonbinding statement. “The ordinance resolution wasn’t perfect but it is needed. A lot of politicians are saying that Osaka should wait on the central government to pass a national law against hate speech. But I think on this issue, it’s the local governments, which are closer to the problem, that can take the lead,” Kim said. | toru hashimoto;osaka;hate speech |
jp0000643 | [
"business",
"economy-business"
] | 2015/06/13 | Suntory gains ground in battle of the machines | At the end of May, Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd. announced it would buy Japan Tobacco Inc.’s drinks vending machine subsidiary in July. At a news conference to explain the deal, Suntory President Nobuhiro Torii said the purchase would help his company achieve its goal of becoming the biggest-selling beverage maker in Japan. The acquisition would add 266,000 vending machines to Suntory’s existing 490,000, thus bringing it closer to Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., the No. 1 company with 980,000 vending machines. According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there are 2.5 million of the devices operating in Japan, most of which sell soft drinks. Vending machines are considered the most effective means of selling soft drinks in Japan, which is why Suntory is so determined to increase its penetration. The problem is that, as with any sales distribution network, the effectiveness of vending machines is all about location, and almost all the good locations in Japan were taken years ago. JT’s machines will provide Suntory with choice locations without having to go out and find new ones. So even though Suntory is reportedly paying ¥150 billion to JT for its machines, Torii thinks his company can save several billion yen a year in vending-machine placement and location research expenses. The actual value of the machines Suntory is buying is estimated to be about half the price it is paying to JT. In addition to the devices and the locations, Suntory also gains JT’s superior product supply network for soft drinks and its established “full-service line” of products. JT sells not only its own beverages in its vending machines, but also popular brands from other manufacturers, and apparently Suntory is not going to change that. Rather than replace the products in JT’s machines with its own, Suntory is also acquiring two beverage brands: the Roots canned coffee line, and the Momo no Tennensui bottled water line, which are quite popular. Suntory has said it will start re-marketing the two brands later this year with “added value.” The strategy seems to be especially important for Roots, whose dedicated fans are considered “different” from those who regularly buy Suntory’s canned coffee brand, Boss. Rather than try and make Roots drinkers switch to Boss, Suntory is simply acquiring those fans. The canned coffee market in Japan was worth about ¥739 billion in 2013, and though it’s shrinking, it is still considered a huge money maker, especially when the product is sold through vending machines, where costs are fixed and profit margins higher than they are with other retail networks. In the past several years, convenience stores have started selling fresh coffee, and a cup is usually cheaper than canned coffee, which normally costs at least ¥130 for 190 ml, so canned coffee sales in convenience stores are dropping while those from vending machines aren’t. Coca-Cola Japan’s Georgia line of canned coffee is still the No. 1 seller, which is interesting considering the company had a hard time initially selling the idea of canned coffee to its parent company back in Atlanta (hence the name). Back in the ’70s, one of Coca-Cola Japan’s regional distributors came out with one of the first canned coffees, Max, and when it tried to expand the brand, Coca-Cola in America wouldn’t subsidize it because it couldn’t understand the concept of coffee in a can. But when Max took off, the parent gave in and Georgia was born, as well as the whole canned coffee culture in Japan. Boss, which Suntory launched in 1992, is now the second-biggest-selling line, and the company has invested a lot in trying to overtake Coca-Cola. In 2000, Boss sales were about a third of Georgia’s. Now they’re about two-thirds. The beverage industry research company Inryo Soken says that Coca-Cola Japan has a 27.6 percent share of the overall soft drink market, with Suntory at 20.5 percent and Asahi Soft Drinks Co. at 12.9 percent. Last year, Suntory reported ¥1.26 trillion in sales and says it is aiming to increase that figure to ¥20 trillion by 2020. If Suntory is going to achieve that number it will presumably have to get more of its products into vending machines, whether they are owned by Suntory or not. That means negotiating with independent distributors who fill vending machines for people who place them on their property to make money, or finding more places to install their own machines, which now means going indoors. Building management companies are the main target of vending machine distributors and beverage companies. For individuals and firms with choice locations, vending machines require no startup money. The distributor or maker provides the machines and services them. Usually the property owner only has to pay for the electricity, and earns a cut of the profits, which can be as much as ¥50,000 a month per machine depending on demand. In order to make vending machines more attractive to property owners, distributors and makers have gotten vending machine manufacturers to make them more energy-efficient and compact. | japan tobacco;suntory;soft drinks;coca-cola |
jp0000644 | [
"reference"
] | 2015/06/22 | Shima has high hopes for long-term windfall from G-7 meet | Just before departing for this year’s Group of Seven summit in Germany earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Shima, situated at the end of a peninsula in Mie Prefecture, will be the main venue for next year’s annual gathering. The announcement elated local residents, because the short but lucrative G-7 summit, slated for May, is expected to give a shot in the arm to the region, which, like many other rural areas in Japan, has a rapidly shrinking and graying population. Abe named it the Ise-Shima Summit, after the area that includes the cities of Ise, where Japan’s top Shinto shrine stands, and Shima, where the summit will be held. The other candidates sites were Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, Sendai, Niigata, Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Nagoya, Kobe and Hiroshima. Why did Abe pick Shima? It is widely believed the Ise-Shima region was chosen because of its manageable security environment and Abe’s personal attachment to Ise Shrine. Kashikojima Island, which is expected to be the main venue, is a tiny resort in Ago Bay linked to the mainland by only two bridges and a railway. This makes it relatively easy to restrict and check incoming and outgoing traffic, experts say. Ise Shrine, which dates back around 2,000 years and is dedicated to the ancestral deities of the Imperial family, is one of the most sacred Shinto sites in Japan. In the Edo Period, it was the destination of pilgrimages from all over the nation, and prime ministers customarily visit the shrine in early January to offer prayers to kick off the new year. Abe said he hopes to take the leaders of the other G-7 nations — the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Italy — to see the shrine and share its serene atmosphere with them. Was Shima the prime candidate? No. Shima was not even a candidate at first. But after encouraged by Abe’s aides, it raised its hand to join the contest to be the main venue several months after the government’s deadline as an exception. Abe also reportedly considered using Hiroshima and Sendai. There was widespread speculation in the domestic media that by holding the summit in Hiroshima, Abe would be able to pressure the president of the United States to visit the site of the city destroyed by the world’s first atom bomb, sending powerful nuclear abolition message that would win him votes just before the crucial Upper House election that summer. However, Abe reportedly dropped the idea due to reservations expressed by other countries, including the U.S. Instead, Tokyo is now considering holding the G-7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Hiroshima. Sendai was a potential candidate because it was one of the many areas in the Tohoku region heavily damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Where has Japan hosted the summit in the past? Japan hosted its first three G-7 summits in Tokyo. It then held the 2000 summit in Okinawa and the 2008 summit in the town of Toyako, Hokkaido, reflecting a recent trend of using remote, less-populated resorts to thwart protesters and improve security. Okinawa was chosen because the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was said to have had strong emotional attachment to the prefecture. Bill Clinton, who attended the Okinawa summit, became the first U.S. president to visit Okinawa since the war-battered island reverted to Japanese control in 1972. As for the 2008 summit, Toyako was a strong candidate early on because the picturesque resort, centered on a lake in nature-rich southwestern Hokkaido, made it easier to provide security for the leaders. What are the economic benefits of hosting the event? Even though the political influence of the G-7 meetings is said to be waning, many experts say the economic impact on the host countries remains large. The Hyakugo Economic Research Institute, an arm of a Mie-based bank, estimates the summit’s economic impact on Japan could reach about ¥51 billion, including ¥13 billion for Mie alone. Of the ¥51 billion, ¥7.4 billion is expected to come from an increase in accommodations and dining, and ¥2 billion from construction work. For the 2008 Toyako Hokkaido summit, the Hokkaido Economic Federation estimated the event would generate a sustained economic impact of about ¥28 billion for five years afterward. But others said the windfall didn’t last that long, considering tourism to Toyako sank from 3.38 million in 2007 to about 2.24 million in 2012. How much will the Ise-Shima summit cost? No one knows, but the Hyakugo research institute estimates the overall budget will come to around ¥27 billion. The think tank said the cost can be reduced by using existing facilities instead of building new ones. The cost of holding the event will be shared by the central and local governments. Although the ratio is not yet known, Mie Gov. Eikei Suzuki said at the news conference after Abe’s announcement on June 5 that he believed Mie’s burden would not exceed the roughly ¥1.5 billion Hokkaido paid for the 2008 summit. Japan has drawn flak from the public and its G-7 peers in the past for splurging on the summit and related events, handing out extravagant souvenirs, such as wine glasses and lacquered letter boxes, to participants and journalists alike. For example, the cost of the 2000 Kyushu and Okinawa summit reached an eye-popping ¥80 billion. Given the backlash, the government aimed to hold a “compact and effective” summit in 2008, using an existing hotel and facilities in Hokkaido. Even so, the total budget came to around ¥37 billion. About half the cost was reportedly used for security and counterterrorism measures. What are the local governments in Mie hoping to get out of the summit? As Shima is no exception to Japan’s rural depopulation trend, it is aiming to use the summit to revitalize the area by heavily promoting the region and increasing tourism, and hopefully residents as well. Shima is among the 869 municipalities that the Japan Policy Council, a Tokyo-based think tank, recently said were at risk of “disappearing” in the near future due to fewer births. The list accounts for about half of all the municipalities in Japan. Shima’s population stood at around 53,000 in May, compared with 63,000 in 1995. | ise shrine;mie;g7 summit;ise-shima summit |
jp0000645 | [
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] | 2015/12/03 | Prince Harry sees carcasses of poached rhino, calf in 'major killing field' South African park | JOHANNESBURG - Britain’s Prince Harry saw the carcasses of a slaughtered rhino and her calf during a visit Wednesday to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, which has been hard hit by poachers. Harry also stepped into a conservation debate in South Africa, saying he believes legalization of the rhino horn trade will “accelerate the path to extinction” for the threatened species. He said poachers have killed 1,500 rhinos in South Africa so far this year. He did not cite a source for the number, which would exceed last year’s record number of slaughtered rhinos by several hundred. The South African government said in late August that about 750 rhinos had been poached in 2015. Poachers have turned Kruger into “a major killing field,” said the British prince, who spent three months this year on conservation projects in Southern Africa. He accompanied rangers who inspected the carcasses of the rhino and her calf, searching for DNA and other evidence that might eventually be used in the prosecution of suspected poachers. The carcasses had already been picked over by vultures and other scavengers. “You have to try to get to the carcass as quickly as possible to suck up all the evidence before the wilds of Africa take it,” the prince said. Last week, a South African judge rescinded a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horns; the ban will stay in place pending an appeal by South Africa’s environment ministry. “It’s not for me to second guess a court or the legal reasons behind its decision, but what I strongly believe is that the legalization of rhino horn trading will accelerate the path to extinction,” Harry said. An international ban on the rhino horn trade has been in place since 1977. South Africa is home to most of the world’s rhinos. | prince harry;south africa;poaching;rhinos;ivory trade |
jp0000646 | [
"national"
] | 2015/12/04 | Probe launched over abrupt change in MSDF's next chopper pick | A special unit under the defense minister is investigating whistleblower information that the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s preferred choice for its next-generation utility helicopters, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani admitted Friday. Although the minister declined to elaborate, ministry sources said Thursday that the MSDF’s preferred choice has been improperly changed by the brass at the Maritime Staff Office from the model proposed by officials in charge. “To ensure fairness in the procedure, a defense inspection is under way,” Nakatani told a news conference, while stressing, “It is not because any irregularities or scandal have been confirmed.” “We are hoping to invite tenders in a manner in which fairness can be demonstrated,” he added. According to the sources, officials in charge of the selection had proposed a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. SH series model, part of the same line as the UH-60J choppers now in use. But the choice was later changed to the MCH series of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. by the brass at the Maritime Staff Office, the sources said. The selection process has been suspended due to the probe by the Inspector General’s Office of Legal Compliance, launched in 2007 following a bid-rigging scandal over defense procurement. The inspector general is a former superintending public prosecutor. MSDF Chief of Staff Adm. Tomohisa Takei declined comment on the probe when contacted by Kyodo News, saying he is “not in a position to take questions” about such a special inspection and adding the MSDF “is currently taking the equipment selection procedure carefully, giving heed to compliance.” While the UH-60J is used for rescue operations, its successors are expected to be borne aboard escort ships, the sources said. | investigation;msdf;helicopter;japan;whistle-blower;mhi;khi |
jp0000647 | [
"national",
"media-national"
] | 2015/12/05 | A quick lesson on sexual harassment in schools | When you find criticism of your country disturbing, the best way to dismiss it is to find a flaw in the critique and use it to justify dismissing the rest of the evidence as well. Sometimes it works, but only if people don’t really do their homework. Take, for example, sukūru sekuhara, which means “school sexual harassment” and refers to academic staff acting lewdly toward their students. Such behavior ranges from inappropriate touching and sexual assault to photographing students naked. According to the education ministry, 205 faculty members at public schools were disciplined or fired for such offenses in fiscal year 2013, the most recent year statistics have been made public. It’s the first time since the survey began in 1977 that the figure has topped 200. It has hovered around 150 for the past decade. All academic employees who were disciplined were men and almost 70 percent of the harassment occurred outside of school hours. The offenses ranged from inappropriate physical contact, sexual intercourse, hidden filming, voyeurism, kissing, sexually offensive comics and literature, lewd photography, molestation and exposing private parts. The most common offense — in 56 cases — was inappropriate physical contact followed by taking unauthorized video footage and voyeurism. Thirty faculty members had sexual intercourse with their students. Two teachers were disciplined for selling and/or distributing pornographic videos. Two academic employees were disciplined for taking lewd photos of students in 2013. The Metropolitan Police Department recently arrested a 38-year-old elementary school teacher in Mitaka, Tokyo, for a similar offense. According to the Sankei Shimbun, the teacher had been suspected of inappropriately touching female students and, as a result, had been put in charge of a class of male students this year. The teacher was arrested on suspicion of taking a male student off school grounds in May and taking lewd photographs of him. The Mitaka City Board of Education faces public criticism for not disciplining the teacher earlier, but this does not appear to be unusual. The 2013 statistics show that inappropriate behavior was only discovered after the police contacted the school in almost a third of all cases of sexual harassment. The failure of academic institutions to recognize the abuse of children reflects a wider problem. In October, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, special rapporteur for the U.N. on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography condemned the country’s failure to address the sexual exploitation of children at a news conference in Tokyo. “We have in Japan many forms of sexual exploitation of children, (some of) which are not necessarily criminalized,” she said. In particular, de Boer-Buquicchio pointed to the phenomena of enjo kosai (compensated dating), in which female high school students offer a range of services, such as going on walks, posing for photographs or performing sexual services in exchange for products or cash. De Boer-Buquicchio did welcome recent moves to criminalize the ownership of child pornography — the kind of material that was allegedly taken by the teacher in Mitaka. However, she said convictions typically result in suspended sentences or minimal penalties such as fines. “Even if the criminals are convicted, the sentences are extremely low,” she said. “The whole atmosphere of impunity needs to change.” The government statistics on sexual harassment in schools are very solid, but they may only be the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, however, de Boer-Buquicchio quoted an unnamed source as saying that some 13 percent of the schoolgirls in Japan were involved in compensated dating. The Foreign Ministry immediately protested the remarks and called for the comment to be retracted. In response, de Boer-Buquicchio said she had referred to estimates in open sources to highlight the problem. A short time later, however, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said de Boer-Buquicchio had sent the government a letter in which she effectively retracted her earlier claim. Numerous attempts to contact de Boer-Buquicchio have yet to confirm this. The government may be able to refute a number but not ignore a problem altogether. Japan needs to improve sex education in schools so that students can recognize healthy sexual relationships without selling their bodies or accepting abuse. Japan’s public spending on education as a percentage of GDP was the lowest among OECD countries in 2012, the sixth consecutive year it sat at the bottom. Sexual harassment in schools may be just another sign of getting what you pay for: If you don’t fund education, don’t pay enough to hire good teachers and don’t tackle abuse, you could learn a few unpleasant things. | sexual harassment;mitaka;sex education;maud de boer-buquicchio |