Massacre in New Zealand shows how violent videos can evade tech giants' radar

Abstract: SAN, FRANCISCO/BANGALORE INDIA - The Friday massacre at two New Zealand mosques, live-streamed to the world, was not the first internet broadcast of a violent crime, but it showed that stopping gory footage from spreading online persists as a major challenge for tech companies despite years of investment. The massacre in Christchurch was live-streamed by an attacker through his Facebook profile for 17 minutes, according to a copy seen by Reuters. Facebook said it removed the stream after being alerted to it by New Zealand police. But a few hours later, footage from the stream remained on Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, as well as Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp. It also remained available on file-sharing websites such as New Zealand-based Mega.nz . People who wanted to spread the material had raced to action, rapidly repackaging and distributing the video across many apps and websites within minutes. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Mega on Friday said they were taking action to remove the copies. Other violent crimes that have been live-streamed include a father in Thailand in 2017 who broadcast himself killing his daughter on Facebook. After more than a day, and 370,000 views, Facebook removed the video. In the United States, the assault in Chicago of an 18-year-old man with special needs, accompanied by anti-white racial taunts, in 2017, and the fatal shooting of a man in Cleveland, Ohio, that same year, were also live-streamed. Facebook, the world’s largest social media network with about 2.3 billion monthly users around the world, tripled the size of its safety and security team to 30,000 people over the last three years to respond more quickly to reports of offensive content. It has also focused on developing artificial intelligence systems to catch material without the need for users to report it first. But the viral reach of yet another obscene video caused politicians around the globe on Friday to voice the same conclusion: Tech companies are failing. As the massacre video continued to spread, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in televised remarks said companies had been slow to remove hate speech. “What’s going on here?” she said, referring to the shooter’s ability to livestream for 17 minutes. “I think this will add to all the calls around the world for more effective regulation of social media platforms.” At least some expect Facebook to suffer consequences. Facebook “helped provide a platform for today’s horrific attack and will undoubtedly be called into question for facilitating the spread of this,” said Clement Thibault, analyst at financial data website Investing.com . The company’s profit margins fell last year as it spent to address the challenge, and stock analysts are bracing for further short-term hits to its profitability, whether or not regulations materialize and despite relatively few alternatives for advertisers. Shares of Facebook closed down 2.5 percent on Friday. After Facebook stopped the Christchurch livestream, it told moderators to delete any copies or complimentary comments on the attack. “All content praising, supporting and representing the attack and the perpetrator(s) should be removed from our platform,” Facebook instructed content moderators in India, according to an email seen by Reuters. Users intent on sharing the violent video took several approaches. Reviewed copies showed that some users had recorded the video playing on their own phones or computers to create a new version with a digital fingerprint different from the original to evade companies’ detection systems. Others shared shorter sections or screenshots from the gunman’s livestream. The shooting begins about six minutes into a 17-minute video reviewed by Reuters. It starts with the attacker driving to a mosque. On internet discussion forum Reddit, users strategized to avoid the actions of moderators, directing each other to video apps that had yet to take action and sending footage through messaging apps. Besides acting on user complaints about copies, YouTube said on Friday that it was trying to identify copies with an automated tool that finds videos likely to be violent in nature based on a combination of the title and description of the video, the characteristics of the user uploading it and objects in the footage. Exact matches of removed material cannot be uploaded again at YouTube and Facebook. Facebook said it, too, was relying on user complaints and an artificial intelligence system to identify violent footage and send it to moderators. It also was using audio technology to detect Christchurch broadcast footage, in which gunshots as well as music from the attacker’s car could be heard. Researchers and entrepreneurs specializing in detection systems said they were surprised that users in the initial hours after the attack were able to circumvent Facebook’s tools. Joshua Buxbaum, chief executive of the moderation technology company WebPurify, said Facebook and other services could employ image recognition or other types of AI to identify copies in additional ways. “I would certainly think given the budgets they have that they would have the ability to root out these videos,” Buxbaum said. Experts said the companies could set their detection tools and removal processes to be more aggressive, but YouTube and Facebook have said they want to be careful not to remove sensitive videos that either come from news organizations or have news value. Politicians in multiple countries said social media companies need to be more vigilant. “This is a case where you’re giving a platform for hate,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who is running for president, said at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “That’s unacceptable, it should have never happened, and it should have been taken down a lot more swiftly.” Britain’s interior minister, Sajid Javid, said on Twitter, “Enough is enough.”

guns
immigration
australia
new zealand
social media
christchurch
facebook
mass shootings
brenton tarrant


New Zealand massacre puts focus on semi-automatic weapons

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The horrific death toll in the New Zealand mosque massacre has put the spotlight on the lethality of the semi-automatic weapons used by the Christchurch gunman and in numerous attacks in the United States. At least 49 people were killed and dozens wounded when the gunman, identified as a 28-year-old Australian right-wing extremist, opened fire on worshippers in two mosques. A video livestreamed by the assailant on Facebook showed him rapidly firing what appeared to be hundreds of bullets at his defenseless victims, using various weapons. The New Zealand police have not yet identified the exact makes and models of the various guns used by the assailant. At least one was a shotgun, but others appeared to be similar to the semi-automatic rifles that have been used in a number of American mass shootings and are equipped with large-capacity magazines. Such weapons were used in the mass shooting at a movie theater in Colorado that left 12 people dead in 2012 and in the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, the same year, which left 26 people dead including 20 children. The jihadi who attacked the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, killing 49 clubgoers, also used a semi-automatic weapon. The deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history was carried out in Las Vegas in 2017 by a man armed with 10 AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, some with 100-round magazines, and other guns. Fifty-eight people died in that attack. The troubled teenager behind the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in 2017, which left 17 people dead and led to a grassroots gun control movement, was also armed with an AR-15. According to the Violence Policy Center, semi-automatic weapons differ from military versions in that the trigger of a semi-automatic must be pulled individually for each round fired. Machine guns, which are banned in the United States, will fire continuously for as long as the trigger is depressed or until the magazine is exhausted. “The unique design features of semi-automatic assault weapons allow the shooter to efficiently kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time available,” the Violence Policy Center said. “Increased lethality is the exact purpose for which these weapons were designed.” The United States last year banned “bump stocks” — devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns. Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter, had equipped a number of his semi-automatic rifles with bump stocks. Bump stocks allowed him to fire at a rate of nine bullets a second before he turned his weapons on himself, according to U.S. authorities. The United States banned semi-automatic assault weapons in 1994 but the ban expired in 2004 and was not renewed. Democratic lawmakers in Congress have sought several times since then to renew the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines but have not been successful.


When gunman advanced on New Zealand mosque, one man ran at him

Abstract: CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND - When the gunman advanced toward the mosque, killing those in his path, Abdul Aziz didn’t hide. Instead, he picked up the first thing he could find, a credit card machine, and ran outside screaming “Come here!” Aziz, 48, is being hailed as a hero for preventing more deaths during Friday prayers at the Linwood mosque in Christchurch after leading the gunman in a cat-and-mouse chase before scaring him into speeding away in his car. But Aziz, whose four sons and dozens of others remained in the mosque while he faced off with the gunman, said he thinks it’s what anyone would have done. The gunman killed 49 people after attacking two mosques in the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s modern history. The gunman is believed to have killed 41 people at the Al Noor mosque before driving about 5 kilometers (3 miles) across town and attacking the Linwood mosque, where he killed seven more people. One person died later in a hospital. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with one count of murder in the slayings and a judge said Saturday that it was reasonable to assume more charges would follow. Latef Alabi, the Linwood mosque’s acting imam, said the death toll would have been far higher at the Linwood mosque if it wasn’t for Aziz. Alabi said he heard a voice outside the mosque at about 1:55 p.m. and stopped the prayer he was leading and peeked out the window. He saw a man in black military-style gear and a helmet holding a large gun, and assumed it was a police officer. Then he saw two bodies and heard the gunman yelling obscenities. “I realized this is something else. This is a killer,” he said. He yelled at the congregation of more than 80 to get down. They hesitated. A shot rang out, a window shattered and a body fell, and people began to realize it was for real. “Then this brother came over. He went after him, and he managed to overpower him, and that’s how we were saved,” Alabi said, referring to Aziz. “Otherwise, if he managed to come into the mosque, then we would all probably be gone.” Aziz said as he ran outside screaming, he was hoping to distract the attacker. He said the gunman ran back to his car to get another gun, and Aziz hurled the credit card machine at him. He said he could hear his two youngest sons, aged 11 and 5, urging him to come back inside. The gunman returned, firing. Aziz said he ran, weaving through cars parked in the driveway, which prevented the gunman from getting a clean shot. Then Aziz spotted a gun the gunman had abandoned and picked it up, pointed it and squeezed the trigger. It was empty. He said the gunman ran back to the car for a second time, likely to grab yet another weapon. “He gets into his car and I just got the gun and threw it on his window like an arrow and blasted his window,” he said. The windshield shattered: “That’s why he got scared.” He said the gunman was cursing at him, yelling that he was going to kill them all. But he drove away and Aziz said he chased the car down the street to a red light, before it made a U-turn and sped away. Online videos indicate police officers managed to force the car from the road and drag out the suspect soon after. Originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, Aziz said he left as a refugee when he was a boy and lived for more than 25 years in Australia before moving to New Zealand a couple of years ago. “I’ve been to a lot of countries and this is one of the beautiful ones,” he said. And, he always thought, a peaceful one as well. Aziz said he didn’t feel fear or much of anything when facing the gunman. It was like he was on autopilot. And he believes that God, that Allah, didn’t think it was his time to die.

guns
violence
new zealand
christchurch
mass shootings


Many victims of New Zealand mosque massacre hailed from Mideast, South Asia

Abstract: CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND - Several of those killed or wounded in the shooting rampage at two New Zealand mosques on Friday were from the Middle East or South Asia, according to initial reports from several governments. The live-streamed attack by an immigrant-hating white nationalist killed at least 49 people as they gathered for weekly prayers in Christchurch. Another 48 people suffered gunshot wounds in the attacks. Bangladesh’s honorary consul in Auckland, Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, said that “so far” three Bangladeshis were among those killed and four or five others were wounded, including two left in critical condition. “One leg of an injured needed to be amputated while another suffered bullet injuries in his chest,” Rahman Bhuiyan said. He declined to identify the dead or wounded. Two Jordanians were among those killed, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Petra news service. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufian Qudah had earlier said that a Jordanian man was killed and eight others were wounded. Christchurch Hospital chief Greg Robertson said Saturday that seven of the 48 gunshot victims admitted after the shootings had been discharged. Robertson said a 4-year-old girl who had been transferred to an Auckland hospital was in critical condition and 11 patients who remained in Christchurch were also critically wounded. “We have had patients with injuries to most parts of the body that range from relatively superficial soft tissue injuries to more complex injuries involving the chest, the abdomen, the pelvis, the long bones and the head,” he said. Many patients will require multiple operations to deal with their complex series of injuries, Robertson said. He said a 2-year-old boy was in stable condition, as was a 13-year-old boy. Mohammed Elyan, a Jordanian in his 60s who co-founded one of the mosques in 1993, was among those wounded, as was his son, Atta, who is in his 30s. That’s according to Muath Elyan, Mohammed’s brother, who said he spoke to Mohammed’s wife after the shooting. Muath said his brother helped establish the mosque a year after arriving in New Zealand, where he teaches engineering at a university and runs a consultancy. He said his brother last visited Jordan two years ago. “He used to tell us life was good in New Zealand and its people are good and welcoming. He enjoyed freedom there and never complained about anything,” Muath. “I’m sure this bloody crime doesn’t represent the New Zealanders.” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said four Pakistanis were wounded, and Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted that five other Pakistani citizens are missing after Friday’s attacks. Malaysia said two of its citizens were hospitalized, and the Saudi Embassy in Wellington said two Saudis were wounded. India’s high commissioner to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli, tweeted Saturday that nine Indians were missing and called the attack a “huge crime against humanity.” Indian officials have not said whether the nine were believed to be living in Christchurch. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at least three Turkish citizens were wounded in the attacks in New Zealand and that he had spoken to one of them. Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand said two Afghans are missing and a third person of Afghan origin was treated and released from the hospital. Two Indonesians, a father and son, were also among those shot and wounded, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said. Nasir said the father is being treated at an intensive care unit and his son is in another ward at the same hospital. He declined to identify them. The man’s wife, Alta Marie, posted on Facebook that her husband and their son are both alive, but wounded. Marie said that both were shot in the attack Friday at Christchurch’s Linwood Islamic center. “My husband was shot in multiple places and has a drain in his lung,” she wrote on Facebook. She said she was with her son, who is “traumatized” after being shot in his back and leg. List of mass shooting incidents in New Zealand, where violent crime is rare and few police carry guns New Zealand suffered its worst peacetime shooting as at least one gunman, a suspected white supremacist, killed 49 people during Friday prayers at two mosques in Christchurch, the largest city on South Island. Violent crime is rare in New Zealand and police do not usually carry guns, though mass shootings have occurred previously. Here is a list of some previous incidents. 1997 : A lone shooter killed six people, including his father, and wounded four others in the ski-lodge hamlet of Raurimu. He was tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity. 1994 : Seven members of the Bain family were shot dead in Dunedin, South Island’s second-largest city. A surviving son was convicted of their murders in 1995, but later acquitted at a retrial in 2009 and awarded a payout of almost $1 million New Zealand dollars ($680,000). 1992 : At a farm outside Auckland, Brian Schlaepfer shot and stabbed six members of his own family before killing himself with a shotgun. 1990 : A gun-mad loner killed 13 men, women and children in a 24-hour rampage in the tiny seaside village of Aramoana. He was killed by police. It prompted a modest tightening of gun laws. 1943 : Forty-eight prisoners-of-war and a guard died when officers opened fire on rioting inmates at a camp holding Japanese soldiers captured during the Guadalcanal Campaign. A court-martial determined prisoners were responsible, but no charges were pressed.

guns
immigration
australia
new zealand
christchurch
mass shootings


Suspect in Christchurch shootings charged with murder in first court appearance

Abstract: CHRISTCHURCH/WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - The main suspect in mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques was charged with one count of murder a day after an attack that killed 49 people and wounded dozens, prompting the prime minister to vow reform of the country’s gun laws. Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian citizen, appeared in a Christchurch District Court on Saturday and was remanded without a plea until his next scheduled appearance in the South Island city’s High Court on April 5. Handcuffed and wearing a white prison suit, Tarrant did not speak. His court-appointed lawyer made no application for bail or name suppression. He was likely to face further charges, police said. The attack, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern labelled an act of terrorism, was the worst-ever peacetime mass killing in New Zealand and the country raised its security threat level to the highest. Tarrant has been identified as a suspected white supremacist, based on his social media activity. Footage of the attack on one of the mosques was broadcast live on Facebook, and a “manifesto” denouncing immigrants as “invaders” was also posted online via links to related social media accounts. The video footage showed a man driving to the mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside. Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay on the floor, the video showed. Reuters was unable to confirm the footage’s authenticity and police urged people not to view or share it. Police said the alleged shooter was arrested in a car, which was carrying improvised explosive devices, 36 minutes after they were first called. It was still unclear whether any other shooters were involved in the attacks. Two other people were in custody and police said they were working to understand their involvement. Armed police were deployed at several locations in all cities, unusual in a country that has had low levels of gun violence. Ardern said the main suspect was a licensed gun owner who used five weapons during his rampage, including two semi-automatic weapons and two shotguns. Authorities were working to find out how he had obtained the weapons and a license, and how he was able to enter the country to carry out the attack, she said. “I can tell you one thing right now, our gun laws will change,” Ardern told reporters, saying a ban on semi-automatic weapons would be considered. None of those arrested had a criminal history or was on any watch list in New Zealand or Australia. There was a heavy police presence at the hospital where families of the more than 40 wounded had gathered. Eleven people remained in intensive care, hospital authorities said. Funerals were planned on Saturday for some of the victims, several of whom were born overseas. Dozens of people laid flowers at cordons near both mosques in Christchurch, which is still rebuilding after a devastating earthquake in 2011 that killed almost 200 people. Leaders around the world expressed sorrow and disgust at the attacks, with some deploring the demonization of Muslims. U.S. President Donald Trump, who condemned the attack as a “horrible massacre,” was praised by the accused gunman in a manifesto posted online as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” Asked by a reporter in Washington if he thought white nationalism is a rising threat around the world, Trump said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand perhaps that’s a case, I don’t know enough about it yet.” Ardern, who flew to Christchurch on Saturday, said she had spoken to Trump, who had asked how he could help. “My message was sympathy and love for all Muslim communities,” she said she told him. Political and Islamic leaders across Asia and the Middle East voiced concern over the targeting of Muslims. “I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11,” Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan posted on social media. “1.3 billion Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror.” One man who said he was at the Al Noor mosque told media the gunman burst into the mosque as worshippers were kneeling for prayers. “He had a big gun. … He came and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,” said the man, Ahmad Al-Mahmoud. He said he and others escaped by breaking through a glass door. Facebook said, that having been alerted by police, it had deleted the gunman’s accounts “shortly after the livestream commenced.” Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all said they had taken steps to remove copies of the videos. Ardern said she had asked authorities to look into whether there was any activity on social media or elsewhere that could have alerted them ahead of the attack. Forty-one people were killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven at a mosque in the Linwood neighborhood and one died in hospital, police said. Hospital officials said some of the wounded were in a critical condition. The visiting Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at one of the mosques when the shooting started but all members were safe, a team coach said. Muslims account for just over 1 percent of New Zealand’s population, a 2013 census showed, most of whom were born overseas. A website set up for victims had raised more than $1 million New Zealand dollars ($684,000) in less than a day, and social media was flooded with messages of shock, sympathy and solidarity. One image shared widely was of a cartoon kiwi, the country’s national bird, weeping. Another showed a pair of figures, one in a headscarf, embracing. “This is your home and you should have been safe here” the caption read.

guns
immigration
australia
new zealand
christchurch
mass shootings
brenton tarrant


In Osaka, leaders' bid to swap seats could spell trouble as region faces global spotlight

Abstract: OSAKA - When Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and his sidekick, Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura, announced they would resign their positions to run for each other’s seats next month, local reactions ranged from disbelief to exasperation. Osaka politics has always been, to put it politely, different from more predictable local varieties elsewhere. Still, the decision by Matsui and Yoshimura to cut their terms short — originally, elections were set to take place in November — and try to switch chairs as a way to gauge voter support for their municipal merger efforts is a strange move. Matsui justifies it by saying another election would be required in November under the law if he and Yoshimura just resigned and ran again for the same posts. This way, if they run for, and win, each other’s positions, Osaka, Kansai and the rest of the country can enjoy four more years of the “Matsui and Yoshimura Variety Show.” Given talk among some LDP heavyweights of keeping Prime Minister Shinzo Abe around until 2024, why shouldn’t Matsui and Yoshimura also try to extend their time in office? In Osaka, the LDP has been the major “opposition” party, because Komeito, until it broke with Matsui and Yoshimura’s Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) over the merger plan, cooperated with them to form majorities in the municipal and prefectural assemblies. Yet, except for also being against the merger proposal, Osaka Ishin and the LDP are practically soul mates. At the news conference announcing his candidacy for governor, LDP-backed Tadakazu Konishi, failed to clearly articulate how his policies would be different from Osaka Ishin, other than his opposition to the merger. On a personal level, however, his views are said to clash not only with Osaka Ishin but also the LDP on certain issues of local importance. For example, Konishi is reportedly not that keen on integrated casino resorts. As governor, he might try to slow down the rush to open one before or around the time of the 2025 World Expo, though it’s expected he’d go along with one if push comes to shove. For the national LDP, Osaka presents a bit of a conundrum. Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga are close to Matsui, but if the national LDP decides not to back Konishi against Yoshimura, or back an LDP mayoral candidate against Matsui, that could create problems with the Osaka chapter of the party. Such a rift would be especially problematic when it comes time for the central LDP to rally support for Osaka-area LDP candidates in the July Upper House election. If that wasn’t confusing enough, it appears the Japanese Communist Party will support, officially or not, Konishi in an “all anti-Osaka Ishin” effort. Keep an eye out for television footage and social media posts of the nearly unprecedented sight of senior LDP and JCP leaders in Osaka clasping their hands in a show of support for Konishi’s bid. Yoshimura, on the other hand, must convince voters he knows the prefecture, not just the city. Though not a top priority, voters will be looking for him to display a high level of statesmanship during the campaign. As mayor, Yoshimura angrily canceled Osaka’s 60-year-old sister city relationship with San Francisco to protest its “comfort women” statues, but mostly showed little interest in international affairs. But if he becomes governor, Yoshimura would be the area’s top local official and would have to smile, make conversation and shake hands with world leaders, the United Nations secretary-general, and international VIPs, including members of various royal families, when they arrive for the G20 summit in Osaka in June. After that, he would take the international stage as Osaka’s ambassador for the expo. What could possibly go wrong? View from Osaka is a monthly column that examines the latest news from a Kansai perspective.

osaka
elections
ichiro matsui
osaka ishin no kai
hirofumi yoshimura


Thousands rally in Okinawa to urge Tokyo and Washington to scrap base relocation plan

Abstract: NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. - A rally attended by thousands of Okinawa residents on Saturday urged the Japanese and U.S. governments to scrap a plan to relocate a controversial U.S. air base within the prefecture. In the wake of last months local referendum that showed a majority of the island prefecture’s residents oppose the transfer plan, some 10,000 people gathered at a park in the prefectural capital of Naha, according to the organizer of the rally. The protesters adopted a resolution demanding the two governments abolish the plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area of Ginowan to the less densely populated coastal area of Henoko in Nago. Many local residents have long been frustrated with noise pollution, accidents and crimes resulting from the heavy concentration of U.S. military bases in Okinawa and want the Futenma base to be moved outside of the prefecture. In the prefectural referendum on Feb. 24, some 72 percent of the total voters rejected the relocation plan. But as it was nonbinding, the Japanese government has continued to push ahead with work to build a replacement facility for the air base in the prefecture. The resolution blasted the stance of the central government, saying, “Forcing through (the relocation work) by ignoring public opinion is utterly intolerable and shameful in a democratic country.” Many participants in the rally also criticized the Abe administration for ignoring the referendum result. “Despite the will of people shown in the vote, the construction work is continuing,” said Masato Taira, 51, a local government worker from the city of Okinawa. “We’ll never give up and will continue to show our opposition.” “The state never listens to our voices,” said Yukie Uehara, a 41-year-old self-employed worker from the city of Itoman, who condemned the central government for disrespecting democracy. “In order to prevent the base work from progressing further, we want people in other parts of the country to consider the base issue as their own problem,” said Uehara, who participated in the rally together with her two daughters. On Saturday, a crowd of over 1,000 people also rallied in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo to oppose the relocation plan. “It is an issue not just for Okinawa but for Japan as a whole,” said Jinshiro Motoyama, a civic group leader. The central government has said the relocation plan is the “only solution” for eliminating the dangers posed by the Futenma base without undermining the deterrence provided by the Japan-U.S. security alliance.

okinawa
futenma
henoko
u.s. military bases


Japan expanding GSDF's presence on southwestern islands with new bases and missile batteries

Abstract: The government is pushing ahead with plans to build new Ground Self-Defense Force bases on remote islands in the southwest in response to military threats from China. On March 26, GSDF bases are due to be opened in the city of Amami and the town of Setouchi, both on Amami Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture. About 560 troops will be stationed at the bases. Surface-to-air missile systems will be deployed at the Amami base, while land-to-sea missiles and an ammunition depot will be placed at the Setouchi base. Another GSDF base will be opened on the same day on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture. That base will initially host 380 soldiers, but will eventually expand to host some 700 to 800 troops once surface-to-air and land-to-sea missiles are deployed in fiscal 2019. In the meantime, work to lay the groundwork for yet another GSDF base has started on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. The city of Ishigaki includes the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan but also claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu, and Taiwan, which calls them Tiaoyutai. The government plans to situate the base in the Hiraeomata area, around the center of Ishigaki Island, and man it with 500 to 600 troops plus a missile unit. The Ishigaki base project has raised environmental worries among residents, including those concerning the island’s water supply. A civil group that started a petition drive for a referendum on the project collected signatures from about 40 percent of the voters. Last month, however, the Ishigaki Municipal Assembly voted down a bill to hold the referendum. The Defense Ministry then started the foundation work this month. The ministry estimates that the cost of developing the four new bases will reach about ¥170 billion. A chain of islands from Amami Oshima to the main island of Okinawa and the Sakishima Islands, including Miyako, Ishigaki and the Senkakus, almost overlaps the so-called first island chain that is strategically important to China. The Chinese military is increasingly active around the island chain. In January 2018, what appeared to be a Chinese submarine was spotted in waters near Miyako. In 2016, the Defense Ministry opened a GSDF base on the country’s westernmost island, Yonaguni. In the event of an emergency in the region, an amphibious unit whose main mission will be to recapture remote islands is expected to be sent from its base in Nagasaki Prefecture, along with reinforcements from elsewhere. To prepare for such a scenario, the GSDF is proceeding with the reorganization of brigades and divisions across the country to improve maneuverability. Under the initiative, mobile regiments with 800 troops each have been formed at the GSDF’s Kitakumamoto base in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Zentsuji base in Kagawa Prefecture. These regiments are equipped with mobile combat vehicles that have firepower equal to conventional tanks and travel at speeds up to 100 kph. Similar regiments are set to be formed at the Takikawa base in Hokkaido and the Tagajo base in Miyagi Prefecture this month, according to the ministry. The GSDF is also thinking of regularly deploying amphibious troops aboard a transport vessel around remote southwestern islands in the East China Sea, ministry sources said. “We aim to increase deterrence by showing the existence of troops specialized in the defense of islands,” a senior ministry official said.

china
kagoshima prefecture
gsdf
amami oshima


Nagasaki student to deliver flame from the atomic bombings to Pope Francis during meeting at the Vatican

Abstract: KYOTO - A Nagasaki 13-year-old who is the granddaughter of an atomic bomb survivor will present a flame kept alight from the World War II bombing of Hiroshima to Pope Francis during a general audience on Wednesday. The “flame of peace,” as it is called, is maintained at a monument in the city of Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture. The fire is said to have been brought from Hiroshima in September 1945 after the city was flattened by the U.S. atomic bombing a month earlier on Aug. 6 in the closing days of the war. The student, Yusa Okada, in her first year of junior high school, is part a group organized by Earth Caravan, a Kyoto-based nonprofit. The participants on the trip will pray for world peace during the papal audience. She will be joined by Chiyumi Shinkai, 55, whose parent was a hibakusha, and Setsuko Thurlow, 87, who survived the Hiroshima bombing and campaigns for the elimination of nuclear arms in cooperation with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Others in the group include an aboriginal Canadian girl, a Palestinian girl and two others. Three days after the tragedy of Hiroshima, the city of Nagasaki was also devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb. The general audience with the pope, held every Wednesday at St. Peter’s Square, is attended by people from around the world. The Vatican has promised that at least one of the participants from Japan will be allowed to get a front-row seat at the event so that the person can have a chance to meet face-to-face with Pope Francis. The participants aim to show the flame of peace to the pope and explain its history to him. “I hope for a world without war. I’m planning to convey my wish for the elimination of nuclear weapons to Pope Francis and tell him that I want to start by doing what I can,” Okada said. “I expect that by showing the flame to Pope Francis, we can convey the wishes of those who died praying for peace to the world,” Shinkai said. Ryokyu Endo, who heads Earth Caravan, asked the archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki and others to help get a front-row seat for a Japanese participant after learning that Pope Francis has ordered a picture of a boy standing by a crematorium in Nagasaki after the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing of the city to be made into cards for distribution. Endo, the chief priest of a Buddhist temple, said he hopes that the flame of peace will be delivered to Pope Francis as a symbol of the efforts to make sure that the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be repeated. The pope often advocates for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The participants will ask the pope to blow the flame out in a symbolic gesture representing the eradication of weapons of mass destruction, Endo said, according to the daily Mainichi Shimbun. “It’s a fire that should never have been in this world and I was hoping (Pope Francis) will blow it out as a symbol to do away with nuclear arms,” Endo was quoted as saying in the daily. Satoshi Suzuki, a 48-year-old corporate employee who plans to record video of the Japanese party’s participation in the general audience, said, “I want people around the world to watch a 13-year-old girl visit Vatican City and to take action for peace.” Pope Francis plans to make his first trip to Japan in November. He is expected to visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima during his stay.

nagasaki
hiroshima
nuclear weapons
pope francis
atomic bombings


Alarming results in literacy survey stir debate on social media in Japan

Abstract: A Feb. 16 report on the country’s literacy has been causing a stir on social media, prompting a number of users to warn of impending intellectual doom. The report on Bunshun Online discussed a 2013 study compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that showed that around 50 percent of adults from developed countries were unable to read or comprehend simple sentences. The survey was conducted in an attempt to investigate the causes behind increasing unemployment rates in Europe. The survey , conducted by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), measured respondents’ proficiency in information-processing skills such as literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments on around 157,000 adults between the ages of 16 and 65 in 24 OECD countries. Japan generally scored better than most nations worldwide, with approximately one-third of respondents showing an inability to comprehend basic Japanese. Moreover, a third of the respondents in Japan appeared to have a numeracy level that would correspond to that possessed by a third- or fourth-grader and less than 10 percent were capable of completing basic tasks using a computer. The survey also showed that 1 in 3 respondents of working age didn’t know how to use a computer. Cue the alarm bells. Bunshun Online discussed the 2017 findings of Noriko Arai , a mathematician and the author of “ AI vs. Children who can’t Read Textbooks .” Arai conducted a Reading Skill Test on 24,600 middle and high school students to measure their level of basic reading comprehension. The results shocked the public, with 1 in 5 third-year middle school students and 1 in 13 third-year high school students being unable to identify either the subject or object of a sentence. The poor scores were initially believed to be a reflection of the declining standards in domestic education but, comparing these scores to the findings of the PIAAC survey, it could indicate wider social issues. The surprises, however, didn’t end there. Other OECD nations scored worse than Japanese respondents on most measures. On average, 48.8 percent of adults in developed countries lack basic comprehension skills, 52 percent have a numeracy level that is less than third or fourth grade and 5.8 percent know how to complete basic tasks using a computer. The table of scores by country also showed that Japanese high school graduates have literacy skills comparable to those of Italian and Spanish college graduates. When it comes to younger adults between the ages of 16 and 24, South Korea ranks fourth in literacy, fifth in numeracy and first in problem solving. Japan, on the other hand, drops to third place in numeracy (falling behind the Netherlands and Finland) and 14th place (significantly lower than the OECD average) in problem solving in technology-rich environments. The reaction to Bunshun Online’s coverage of this issue was harsh. “When I used to work in HR for a company, I did come across situations where I thought, ‘Seriously, you can’t read that? You’re a college graduate!’” Twitter user @toshi0104 wrote. “So these results might actually be true.” Twitter user @yuki_20211 added that “there are even fewer people who can actually write.” Tweeting under the handle @takapon_jp , entrepreneur Takafumi Horie also took pot shots at users of the social media platform, saying that “this is exactly why people get blamed on Twitter.” In response, @ms_7670b3 said: “I honestly think Japanese is a difficult language. In addition to their lack of comprehension skills, I think there are plenty of people who have a hard time expressing themselves through writing.” On the other hand, some expressed skepticism with the results. “That a third of Japanese people cannot read Japanese is rather hard to believe,” Twitter user @pycl posted. “The literacy rate should be pretty high. The problem is perhaps whether one can read or write, and whether they have the skills to communicate through them.” User @cristinmilites said, “I was surprised when I read this article but if this survey is trustworthy, then maybe it isn’t so weird to come across people who have no idea of what you’re trying to say.” Others, however, refused to dwell on the negative aspects of the report. “The article has a lot of surprising numbers,” Twitter user @sasakitoshinao wrote. “However, we can see that Japanese people still have potential despite the results.” User @aozukinsan agreed. “The increase in the number of people who don’t know how to use computers probably has something to do with the growing number of smartphones on the market, but to find out that less than 10 percent of people know how to complete a basic task on a computer is surprising. That said, apparently we’re in a better situation compared to other developed countries.” If the results sound absurd to you, it may be because you’re probably working with highly skilled people on a daily basis. If that’s the case, you may have actually been the exception all this time. As technology continues to evolve, demand for highly skilled people will also grow in the job market — a serious concern for those who could potentially be left behind.


Does NHK drama credit instant noodles to the right inventor?

Abstract: Each morning at 8 o’clock, millions of homemakers across the country tune into a 15-minute-long segment of a serialized morning drama on NHK. The current story, titled “Manpuku,” relates the saga of the man who invented instant noodles and his devoted wife, played by Hiroki Hasegawa and Sakura Ando, respectively. The program is meant to dramatize the life story of Taiwan-born Momofuku Ando (1910-2007) and his wife, Masako. Ando, founder of Nissin Ramen, is credited, in 1958, with launching Chikin Ramen, the forerunner of the instant noodles we know today, of which tens of billions of servings are consumed annually throughout the world. NHK’s series, reports Flash (March 19), has been enjoying healthy viewer ratings of more than 20 percent. But hold on just a second: Does Ando genuinely deserve credit for inventing instant ramen noodles? “Ando had lived in Taiwan up to around age 20,” journalist Tsuyoshi Nojima tells the magazine, “and from before the Pacific War, there was a culture of consuming deep-fried noodles in southern Taiwan.” According to Nojima, a Taiwanese company called Qingji Bingguo Dian had developed thin deep-fried noodles in chicken broth known phonetically as gui-shi-mi (chicken-thread noodles). Ando would almost certainly have been familiar with such a food from his formative years in Taiwan. What’s more, says Nojima, “These noodles were imported to Japan to alleviate food shortages in the immediate postwar period, as I’ve been told by numerous overseas Chinese residents here. It’s not coincidental that the noodles were sold by Taiwanese.” Enter Zhang Guowen, who first came to Japan to study to become a dental technician. Zhang, like Ando, worked in Osaka where he started a business producing a type of instant noodle named Choju-men (“longevity noodles”), which he began selling in the spring of 1958 — preceding the launch of Nissin’s Chikin Ramen by several months. Choju-men may be all but forgotten today, but they were a staple on the third expedition of Japanese explorers to Antarctica. As proof, Flash ran the reproduction of an advertisement for the noodles in the autumn 1959 edition of Asahi Graph magazine. In December 1958, Zhang applied to the Japanese Patent Agency to register his noodle-making process — one month before Ando did the same. The Flash article runs the image of a document, dated Aug. 16, 1961, by which Zhang signed over his patent rights to Ando for ¥23 million, a figure equivalent to around ¥300 million today. “To suggest that Ando invented instant noodles is a fantasy,” complained the late Zhang’s son, Nobuharu Kiyokawa. “As the saying goes, ‘Winner takes all.’ Or, if you prefer, ‘History is written by the victors.’ However, the Chinese expatriates in Osaka all say to us, ‘You were the first.'” “I suppose my father got the hint to make the noodles from the ones he ate in Taiwan,” says Kiyokawa. “It saddens me to think that the NHK drama has convinced people that Ando was the one who invented instant noodles.” A spokesperson for NHK told Flash’s reporter that it wasn’t just the names in “Manpuku” that had been changed. The drama, the spokesperson says, is not so much about who deserves credit for the noodles as it is a “boldly reconstructed work of fiction” intended to portray “an emotionally moving era” and “love between a husband and wife.” Some other topics have been stirring the pot on the food front. According to the 456-member Japan Frozen Food Association, combined consumption of domestic and imported frozen foods in 2017 set an all-time record, exceeding ¥1 trillion in value. An online survey in the Asahi Shimbun’s Be Between column of March 9 found that 85 percent of respondents say they regularly consume frozen foods, with the largest segment, 29 percent, saying they do so two or three times a week. The most popular items cited by respondents included gyōza (pot-stickers), frozen vegetables, fried rice or pilaf dishes, udon and other types of noodles, and fried food such as croquettes and fish. Meanwhile, reflecting the growth in popularity of Mediterranean-style cuisine from the 1990s, demand for olive oil in Japan has been realizing exponential growth. From Italy alone, Japan imported 60,000 tons of Italian olive oil products in 2017, up from 33,000 in 2007. Total demand is said to have grown threefold. The Nikkei Marketing Journal (Feb. 25) reported plans by the Association of Japanese Olive Oil Processors, working in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, to seek the same certification adopted by the Spain-based International Olive Council Standards. Worldwide olive oil production is projected to fall by around 6 percent in 2018-19 due to poor harvests in Tunisia and Italy. The price of extra virgin oil has climbed to €600 per 100 kilograms — a rise of around 30 percent. Domestic olive growers are no doubt hoping to exploit the shortfall. And if their products meet the same standards as the Europeans, they may eventually find their way to overseas markets.

nhk
instant noodles
momofuku ando
manpuku


Japanese government task force to encourage cities with populations of 200,000 or more to establish child counseling centers

Abstract: The government plans to set up a task force with the aim of encouraging cities with populations of 200,000 or more to establish child counseling centers at a time when the number of consultations related to child abuse is increasing. The planned task force will also include representatives from such cities and prefectural governments, sources said. Prefectures, along with ordinance-designated major cities with populations of 500,000 or more, are already required to have child consultation centers. Among the 54 cities with populations of 200,000 or more, only two — Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture — have set up such centers. The city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture and the city of Nara are slated to open child consultation centers next month and in fiscal 2021, respectively. Cities hoping to open child consultation centers need to foster counselors — for example, through on-site training at existing centers — in cooperation with their prefectural governments. Issues related to such training and other matters will likely be discussed by the envisioned task force, according to the sources. Details will be worked out at a later. During work to draft a bill to revise the child welfare law, some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had called for obliging cities with populations of 200,000 or more to set up child consultation centers, but the proposal was not adopted. The government instead opted to create the task force to encourage such cities to establish the centers. The legal amendment is expected to be adopted by the Cabinet as early as Tuesday.


Most young people in Japan say coming-of-age ceremonies should continue to be held for 20-year-olds

Abstract: Over 70 percent of people aged between 16 and 22 in Japan believe official coming-of-age ceremonies should continue to be held for those aged 20, a Cabinet Office survey has shown, as the government prepares to lower the age of adulthood to 18 in April 2022. While no legal rules exist establishing an age for coming-of-age ceremonies hosted by local governments, they are traditionally held for 20-year-olds. The survey, released Friday, showed that 71.9 percent of the respondents said such ceremonies should be held for those aged 20, while 18.9 percent answered age 18 and 7.5 percent chose 19. The interview-based survey covered 3,500 people aged between 16 and 22 and 1,500 aged between 40 and 59. It was conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 24 last year and drew valid responses from 51.5 percent of the younger group and 63.9 percent of the older cohort. The older respondents also have a strong belief that such ceremonies should be for those aged 20, with 55.0 percent supporting that age, followed by 34.4 percent backing 18 and 6.3 percent favoring 19. Coming-of-age ceremonies for 18-year-olds could have fewer participants because many college entrance examinations are held around the time of such ceremonies in January. Coming of Age Day falls on the second Monday of that month. Asked about when such ceremonies should be held, 63.4 percent of the younger respondents cited January, 24.1 percent answered March — during spring vacation — and 7.2 percent chose April and May, which includes the Golden Week holiday period. Concerns have been expressed about people aged 18 and 19 becoming victims of consumer crime after the age of adulthood is lowered, as the move will allow young people to sign contracts and make transactions once they turn 18, rather than 20. Asked if they are worried about such a possibility, 64.3 percent of the younger respondents said “yes.” On reasons for their concern, with multiple answers allowed, 59.4 percent said they do not know what kind of damage they might face when concluding contracts or making transactions. Meanwhile, 58.9 percent cited a lack of legal and related knowledge regarding contracts and transactions, while 45.3 percent said they do not know what to do if they become a victim of such a crime. “We will work intensively on consumer education in the next three years,” a Consumer Affairs Agency official said.


Meteorological Agency starts development of AI-based system to predict windy events in Japan

Abstract: The Meteorological Agency’s research arm recently began developing an artificial intelligence-based system to predict high-wind events severe enough to impact the safety of land and air transportation, officials said. The system, which the Meteorological Research Institute aims to develop over a period of four years, is also expected to help self-driving cars avoid accidents caused by strong wind, including tornados and downbursts. Major wind systems develop quickly and their random nature has made it difficult to forecast their potential severity or location. East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has been operating its own system to detect possible gusts following a derailment caused by strong winds in 2005, but its application has been limited. By monitoring air current data obtained from weather radar, the Meteorological Research Institute’s prototype system has been able to detect the formation of high wind events with 90 percent accuracy, the officials said. The institute needs to collect more data on how winds are generated in warmer periods of the year, they said. Cumulonimbus clouds — tall, dense, vertical clouds observed mainly in summer — cause unpredictable air currents, making wind prediction more complicated, according to the agency.

weather
meteorological agency
artificial intelligence


China's Huawei sees little impact on sales from U.S. broadside

Abstract: SHENZHEN, CHINA/HONG KONG - The U.S. campaign against China’s Huawei is having little impact on the company’s sales and it is unlikely many countries will follow the United States in banning Huawei from building next-generation mobile networks, its rotating chairman, Eric Xu, said. “Recently we are seeing a large number of countries making their own decisions,” Xu said during an interview at Huawei Technologies’ headquarters in Shenzhen. While Australia has banned Huawei from 5G networks over security concerns, European Union countries such as Germany and France have indicated they are likely to ignore the U.S. call to shut out the telecom giant. “Maybe it’s only Australia,” Xu told Reuters reporters after a tour of the campus. Xu affirmed that Huawei’s revenue jumped 36 percent over the first two months of 2019 and was set for a 15 percent annual spike to $125 billion, underlining strength in its smartphone business and sales of computing and communications networks. Huawei has been facing mounting scrutiny, led by the United States, amid worries its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. The company, however, says the concerns are unfounded. Xu said he does not expect the United States to intensify its attack on the company by barring sales of U.S. components to Huawei, a move that almost put its compatriot ZTE Corp. out of business last year before U.S. President Donald Trump lifted the ban. Huawei is the world’s third-largest buyer of computer chips, many of which come from U.S. companies, and a sales ban would be disruptive to the global tech industry, Xu said. Xu’s comments come at a time when Huawei has sued the U.S. government over a law that restricts its market access. In Canada, lawyers for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, have sued the government over her Dec. 1 arrest at the behest of the United States. She was charged with bank and wire fraud to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran. Huawei, a privately held firm that offers few details about its internal operations, has in recent months offered media interviews and invited journalists to tour its facilities as part of a counter-attack against the allegations of spying. Reuters reporters were invited on Monday to peruse files in Huawei’s “share registry room” where it keeps records on tens of thousands of employee shareholders. Huawei said the records show that the firm is owned by its employees and that its 74-year-old founder Ren owns just over 1 percent of the company. Reuters could not independently verify the ownership structure. Much of the global scrutiny of Huawei stems from Ren’s background with China’s People’s Liberation Army, where he was a civilian engineer for nearly a decade until his departure in 1983 after helping to build its communications network. Reuters also toured Huawei’s new campus in Dongguan, near Shenzhen, that features buildings modeled on European cities, including Paris and Heidelberg, connected by a special train imported from Switzerland. However, there was little activity on the campus, which is designed to house 18,000 workers, save a couple of black swans flitting about a lake. In contrast, another Huawei facility nearby bustled with workers assembling smartphones on automated production lines. Huawei’s growth is mainly being driven by its booming smartphone business and sales of computing and communications networks to government and business customers. Future growth will also come “primarily” from these, Xu said, with sales of equipment to telecom carriers growing at single digit rates. Huawei is the world’s top producer of telecom equipment and third-biggest maker of smartphones. On Huawei’s semiconductor operations, HiSilicon, Xu said the unit produced more than $7.5 billion worth of chips last year. That compares with an estimated $21 billon of chips that Huawei acquired from outside vendors. HiSilicon produces chip designs for Huawei’s equipment mainly, with the manufacturing handled by “foundry” companies such as Taiwan’s TSMC. It does sell chips to others for use in video cameras, television set-top boxes and some low-cost internet-connected devices, Xu said. Huawei will report its 2018 financial results at a press briefing on Friday, which over a hundred journalists are expected to attend, far more than in past years. “The United States should take quite a lot of the credit for making advertisements for Huawei,” Xu quipped.

china
u.s .
australia
smartphones
eu
espionage
huawei
5g
meng wanzhou


Tokyo hotel to serve giant ¥100,000 wagyu burgers in honor of new emperor

Abstract: A restaurant in a high-class Tokyo hotel has unveiled giant wagyu burgers with golden-dusted buns costing ¥100,000 ($908), in honor of the upcoming ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito. Available at the Oak Door steakhouse in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, located in the posh Roppongi district, the 3-kilogram burgers will celebrate the succession and new Imperial era using an array of expensive ingredients, including foie gras and shaved black truffles. It is recommended that six to eight people share the Golden Giant Burger, which is approximately 25 cm wide and 15 cm high and is accompanied by a bottle of wine. It will be available from April 1 through the end of June, according to the restaurant. The government will unveil the name of the new era on April 1 and the country’s 248th Imperial era will start on May 1, when the Crown Prince ascends to the throne following his father Emperor Akihito’s abdication the previous day. The 85-year-old Emperor expressed his wish to retire in a rare video message in 2016, citing his concern that he might not be able to fulfill his official duties due to his advanced age. He will become the first living monarch to step down in about 200 years.


Culture meets convenience as Japan's konbini stores bet that books go down well with a bento

Abstract: With increased competition from online stores and digital alternatives, bookstores in Japan are belatedly following their overseas brethren out of business, so convenience store chains are stepping in to cater to readers who like to peruse a page or two before they buy. Of the three biggest convenience store chains, Lawson Inc. already has books on sale at thousands of locations, Seven-Eleven Japan Co. is offering advanced sales of a popular children’s book, and FamilyMart Co. has integrated a bookstore with one of its outlets. The convenience store chains are aiming to cash in on customers who are willing to pick up a book with their bento. Lawson introduced books to its stores in June 2014 and has witnessed a gradual increase in sales. This has seen books also replacing magazines, which have seen a drop-off in sales in recent years. About 4,000 Lawson outlets have dedicated bookshelf space, and there is a plan to expand the trend to another 1,000 locations over the next year. The bookshelves contain around 100 titles and feature several new publications each week, including all the popular reads of the moment. The headquarters of the companies even provide weekly guidance on how the books should be displayed. Men and women in their 40s and 50s make up almost half of all book buyers, meaning their tastes are catered to. Paperbacks by famous authors, titles linked to movies and television shows, as well as practical guides on a wide selection of themes such as cooking and health are sold. Only new novels and thick volumes have proved to be duds, with customers preferring to buy the former at bookstores and the latter at times when they are easier to carry. Four special editions of books by famous Japanese authors in publisher Kodansha Ltd.’s historical novel anthology were sold exclusively at Lawson outlets in late February. Prices for the coverless, paperback-sized books were purposely kept down as well. According to estimates by Nippon Ryutsu Academy, run by major publishing agent Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc., sales of magazines at convenience stores dropped around 60 percent from 2007 through 2017. Installing bookshelves has helped offset that loss. “People who don’t intend to buy a book tend to do so, and this has helped compensate for the recent slump in magazine sales,” said an official from Lawson’s entertainment group. Advanced sales of a book adaptation of a movie based on the popular children’s book “Oshiri Tantei” (“The Butt Detective”), from Poplar Publishing Co., is one of Seven-Eleven’s hottest titles at one outlet in Tokyo. The book about a walking, talking, butt detective who solves crimes and farts in the faces of criminals, gets a prominent place near the magazine section. The books, targeting elderly customers with grandchildren and parents with kids in tow, are selling briskly. In fact, Seven-Eleven effectively won exclusive rights to sell “Oshiri Tantei” because it will not be available at bookstores until April. In the meantime, FamilyMart opened a two-story integrated convenience and book store in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, at the end of February. Customers can add a book to their basket and buy it at the same cash register. Formerly owned and operated as a subsidiary of Nippon Shuppan, the bookstore’s dwindling sales led to the change of tack. In the meantime, FamilyMart was looking to cash in on the store’s premium location in front of the train station. “It is really tough to solely manage a bookstore, but there are strong calls to have bookstores survive, so we intend to spread (integrated stores),” said a Nippon Shuppan spokesperson. A FamilyMart official cited the synergies created by the integration as a way to strengthen sales. “Until now, the selections for book titles at convenience stores have been unsatisfactory, at best. This is why we want to utilize the expertise offered by bookstore workers.”

books
retailers
convenience stores
shopping
magazines
bookstores


Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa signed off on Carlos Ghosn's retirement deal, panel says

Abstract: Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa signed off on Carlos Ghosn’s retirement package, an outside corporate-governance panel said, which could intensify scrutiny of his role in alleged financial improprieties by the former chairman of Nissan and Renault SA. Tokyo prosecutors have accused Nissan, Ghosn and his deputy, Greg Kelly, of misleading investors and the government about how much the company was paying its top executive. Although they have been charged with under-reporting Ghosn’s compensation, it wasn’t clear how much of that was deferred for retirement. As part of a set of recommendations for a more independent board at Nissan released Wednesday, a special governance committee included a cryptic line about Ghosn’s retirement package: “Regarding the post retirement treatment of Mr. Ghosn, Mr. Ghosn, through Mr. Kelly as the person responsible for Global Human Resources and Legal, obtained documents signed by the current CEO.” The panel didn’t elaborate on the contents of the retirement package. When asked whether there were problems with the documents, a spokesman for Nissan declined comment. The committee for improving the company’s governance was formed late last year. The indictments against Nissan and the former executives not only raised questions about Nissan’s corporate governance, it cast attention on the leadership of Saikawa, Ghosn’s protege and a longtime board member, people familiar with the situation inside the company have said. Saikawa, who replaced Ghosn and publicly accused him of financial misconduct, said he has no intention of resigning anytime soon, despite signaling in January he would step down shortly, according to people familiar with the matter. Nissan has considered providing Ghosn with post-retirement benefits including homes in Rio, Beirut and Paris as chairman emeritus and senior adviser, people familiar with the matter said. According to one document entitled ‘Employment agreement’ seen by Bloomberg, one of the post-retirement schemes proposed a non-compete agreement for Ghosn. Saikawa and Ghosn’s former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, were the officials who typically signed those type of agreements, one of the people said, without confirming details of any signed agreement. According to the document seen by Bloomberg, Ghosn was to receive a $40 million lump sum and an annual salary of $4.4 million with the title of advisor and chairman emeritus. He would also receive title to the three Nissan-owned homes, and a stake in Lebanese supplier Rymco, as well as use of offices including at Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters. The Financial Times earlier reported that Saikawa approved an employment contract for Ghosn as chairman emeritus, citing a 2012 document that it said may not have been a final agreement. Ghosn’s lawyers have said that the accusations against the executive are flawed because he never signed written agreements that he was to receive any deferred payments after retirement.

scandals
nissan
carlos ghosn
corporate governance
hiroto saikawa


Facebook moves to curb white nationalism and separatism, and steer searches to anti-hate sites

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - Facebook announced Wednesday it will ban praise or support for white nationalism and white separatism as part of a stepped-up crackdown on hate speech. The ban will be enforced starting next week at the leading online social network and its image-centric messaging service Instagram. “It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services,” the social network said in a statement. Facebook policies already banned posts endorsing white supremacy as part of its prohibition against spewing hate at people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or religion. The ban had not applied to some postings because it was reasoned they were expressions of broader concepts of nationalism or political independence, according to the social network. Facebook said that conversations with academics and “members of civil society” in recent months led it to view white nationalism and separatism as linked to organized hate groups. “Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism,” Facebook said. People who enter search terms associated with white supremacy will get results referring them to resources such as Life After Hate, which focus on helping people turn their backs on such groups, according to the social network. Amid pressure from governments around the world, Facebook in the past few years has ramped up machine learning and artificial intelligence tools for finding and removing hateful content while remaining open to free expression. “Unfortunately, there will always be people who try to game our systems to spread hate,” Facebook said. “Our challenge is to stay ahead by continuing to improve our technologies, evolve our policies and work with experts who can bolster our own efforts.” Facebook said the new ban would not apply to topics such as American pride and Basque separatism, which “are an important part of people’s identity,” according to the statement.

facebook
hate speech
instagram
white nationalism


Japan's internet giants team up as mobile payments race intensifies

Abstract: Line Corp. and Mercari Inc. are joining forces on mobile payments as the nation’s internet companies race to dominate cashless transactions in the world’s No. 3 economy. The operator of Japan’s most popular messaging platform and the used-goods online marketplace app will let users shop and pay for purchases at stores that accept each other’s systems, they told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday. They also launched an alliance to welcome other mobile payment providers. After years of inactivity, mobile payments competition is heating up in Japan. Line and Mercari are teaming up to take on powerful rivals: E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. runs its own bank, has a credit card with more than 15 million customers and is building a mobile-phone network, while PayPay — backed by SoftBank Group Corp., Yahoo Japan Corp. and India’s Paytm — sparked a shopping frenzy in December by giving users ¥10 billion ($90 million) in rebates on purchases. “Competition has heated up, with SoftBank, Rakuten, and Mercari aggressively promoting their own payment services,” Amir Anvarzadeh, a market strategist at Asymmetric Advisors Pte, said in a note to clients prior to the announcement. While Rakuten and Line had a head start in payments, Mercari is a latecomer, and none of their rivals have managed to secure an insurmountable lead. Two of the country’s biggest convenience store chains — Lawson and Family Mart — already accept most competing payment methods, on top of an assortment of e-money and transit cards. The same is true for fast-food operator Matsuya Foods, electronics store Bic Camera and pharmacy chain Tomod’s. They have also turned to discounts and giveaways to lure users. PayPay is running its second rebate campaign, while Rakuten customers can earn 40 times the points typically awarded on purchases. All three leading players offer users a chance to get back as much 20 percent from purchase values. Line has bet that partnerships with financial institutions will help it get ahead of the competition. The company plans to introduce Line Securities equities trading with the country’s biggest brokerage, Nomura Holdings Inc., this year, provided it receives the necessary permits. And a banking offering in partnership with Mizuho Financial Group Inc. could become available as early as fall 2020. In November, Line announced an alliance with China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. and its WeChat Pay, aimed at Chinese visitors to Japan.

softbank line rakuten mercari cashless paypay


Apple's new services may draw innovative giant into tech turf wars

Abstract: NEW YORK - Apple’s ambitious leap into streaming video illustrates an escalating trend: Tech’s biggest companies, faced with limits to their growth, are starting to encroach on each other’s turf. Apple is taking on Netflix by launching a subscription TV service with its own original shows. Facebook is edging into Amazon’s e-commerce sphere by enabling users to make purchases within Instagram. Google, which has already challenged Amazon and Microsoft in cloud computing, is launching an online game service that could undercut the lucrative game-console businesses of Microsoft and Sony. Apple, which is also launching a gaming service and introducing its own credit card, may be veering the most outside its comfort zone, technology industry analyst Rob Enderle said. “This is an awful lot of breadth really quickly for a company that hasn’t been known for being great at breadth,” Enderle said. “This is much more diversity than Apple’s ever had.” Before, when the company’s product suite grew too varied, “what Steve Jobs did with Apple was, he made the company focus,” Enderle said. These are different times, however, and Apple may have decided that it doesn’t have much choice amid declining sales of its premier product — the iPhone. “They have kind of bled the device market dry,” said Sally Edgar, of U.K.-based technology consultancy Waterstons. “Companies will increasingly be about subscription services. I think they have to do it to survive.” Apple’s financial report for the last three months of 2018 — the crucial holiday season — revealed the magnitude of the iPhone slump: a 15 percent drop in revenue from the previous year. Tech companies have, of course, explored new markets and fought turf battles over them for years. Facebook and Google have long scrapped over digital ads, though both face the prospect of hitting a wall and have angled for alternatives. A memo this month from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg signaled a shift away from an advertising-dependent business to something more focused on private messaging and other services. Meanwhile, Google and Amazon are battling it out over voice assistants in the home. Google and Microsoft have competing search engines. And Apple and Google have waged an epic smartphone battle for roughly a decade. But longtime tech industry analyst Tim Bajarin sees new urgency in the latest push into streaming services and other businesses that bring in continuous flows of money — not just when consumers make big investments in new phones or other hardware. “It’s just becoming clearer today that the only way a company is going to grow is by adding a recurring revenue model,” Bajarin said. “Apple is becoming an aggregator of content. They now have multiple services that will help them grow their bottom line.” Enderle said Apple is still in the “honeymoon phase” after a Monday announcement at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. Apple presented new A-list entertainment partners such as Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg and video game partners such as the creators of “SimCity” and the “Final Fantasy” series. What happens next may be harder for the company to manage. “It always looks great on the front end and then you have to execute,” he said.

google
tech
apple
gaming
netflix
amazon.com
live streaming


Honda and Hino to buy into Monet, SoftBank and Toyota's 'united Japan' mobility tech venture

Abstract: Automakers Honda and Hino are joining a partnership between SoftBank and Toyota to drive innovation in mobility services such as self-driving cars. SoftBank Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., the nation’s top automaker, announced late last year a joint venture for mobility services, in what they called a “united Japan” effort to face global competition. Honda Motor Co., Toyota’s rival, and Hino Motors, Toyota’s truck division, said Thursday that each company will acquire a 9.9 percent stake in the ¥2 billion Toyota-SoftBank venture, Monet Technologies Corp. Each company will invest ¥250 million, according to the companies. “This partnership will allow us to coordinate the vehicle data on passenger and object mobility that Hino collects from its trucks and buses and the data Honda obtains from its mobility services,” said Junichi Miyakawa, president and CEO of Monet, in a statement. Toyota and SoftBank also announced Thursday a new consortium named after the tie-up, which includes partnerships with 88 other companies such as Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan and East Japan Railway Co. to enhance mobility services. Philips Japan, a health technology company, developer Mitsubishi Estate and Yahoo Japan Corp. are among other big names that will also join the new Monet Consortium. Technology experts say advances in artificial intelligence and sensors are opening up potential for autonomous driving and other mobility services, although safety concerns remain a major hurdle. Honda President Takahiro Hachigo said collaborating with Monet will include efforts to implement regulatory changes. “Honda wants to contribute to the revitalization of the mobility service industry in Japan and solve traffic-related problems facing Japanese society,” he said. Hino Motors President Yoshio Shimo said the move was part of the truck-maker’s ongoing efforts to transport goods and people. “Through this partnership, we will strive to achieve our vision of creating a world where people and goods move freely, safely and efficiently,” said Shimo. Under the new arrangement, SoftBank will own 40.2 percent in Monet Technologies while Toyota will own 39.8 percent. In announcing the partnership in October, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said the move reflected the company’s desire to change and keep up with global competition in autonomous vehicles and other technology. Toyota is widely seen as a traditional Japan Inc. company, while SoftBank, led by Masayoshi Son, has a reputation for aggressively investing in less traditional brands — such as car-sharing companies Uber, Didi Chuxing and Grab, as well as Arm, a leader in the “internet of things.”

tech
toyota
softbank
honda
carmakers
investments
hino
self-driving
monet technologies


Boeing rolls out software fix to defend 737 Max franchise as it awaits U.S. regulator's approval

Abstract: SEATTLE/WASHINGTON - Boeing Co. on Wednesday took its most aggressive moves yet to defend its core 737 airliner franchise, saying it had developed software fixes to prevent failures of an automated flight control system that is being scrutinized after two deadly crashes in the past five months. In the midst of one of its worst crises in years, Boeing is under pressure from crash victims’ families, airlines, lawmakers in Washington and regulators around the world to prove that the automated flight control systems aboard its 737 Max aircraft are safe, and that pilots have the training required to override the system in an emergency. A Boeing official in Seattle said Wednesday that the timing of the software upgrade was “100 percent independent of the timing of the Ethiopian accident,” and that the company was taking steps to make the anti-stall system “more robust.” There was no need to overhaul Boeing’s regulatory relationship with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now, the company said. “We are going to do everything that we can do to ensure that accidents like these never happen again,” Mike Sinnett, vice president for product strategy and future airplane development told reporters. A spokesman for the FAA said the agency had not reviewed or certified the software upgrade yet. U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and some lawmakers on Wednesday questioned why Boeing did not require safety features on its top-selling plane that might have prevented the crashes. “It is very questionable if these were safety-oriented additions, why they were not part of the required template of measures that should go into an airplane,” she said, adding that she was not ready to require that all safety options be retrofitted on existing planes. Executives with U.S. airlines welcomed Boeing’s moves, but want U.S. regulators to sign off on the upgrade. Southwest Airlines Co., which on Wednesday became the first major airline to formally cut its financial outlook for the year after being forced to pull its Max fleet of 34 jets out of service, supported Boeing’s decision. “Boeing’s software update appears to add yet another layer of safety to the operation of the Max aircraft,” said Southwest’s Certificate Chief Pilot, Bob Waltz. Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines Group Inc. pilots, said it was pleased with Boeing’s progress but warned that the certification process should not be rushed. The fix should be fully vetted and take into account any further information from an investigation into an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, the association said in a statement. United Airlines Vice President Michael Quiello said the airline was optimistic about the software update, but was counting on the FAA to certify the change. Airline stocks turned positive after Boeing unveiled the software fix. CFRA analyst Jim Corridore, who has a “buy” rating on Boeing, said news from the company and the Washington hearing were positive steps toward getting the Max jets airborne again. The world’s largest plane-maker said the anti-stall system, which is believed to have repeatedly forced the nose lower in at least one of the accidents, in Indonesia last October, would now only do so one time after sensing a problem, giving pilots more control. It will also be disabled if two airflow sensors that measure the “angle of attack,” or angle of the wing to the airflow, a fundamental parameter of flight, offer widely different readings, Boeing said. Reuters reported those details earlier this week. The anti-stall system — known as MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System — has been pinpointed by investigators as a possible cause in a fatal Lion Air crash in Indonesia and the crash in Ethiopia. Existing 737 pilots will also have extra computer-based training following criticism that MCAS was not described in the aircraft manual. Boeing had previously said that existing cockpit procedures would cover any example of runaway controls caused by MCAS. The changes were drawn up in response to the Lion Air crash but are seen as crucial to regaining the trust of pilots, passengers and regulators after the Ethiopia crash prompted a worldwide grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes. Ethiopian officials and some analysts have said the Ethiopian Airlines jet behaved in a similar pattern before crashing shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, but that investigation is still at an early stage. Boeing’s Sinnett said the software had been through extensive testing, including flights with the FAA. However, he said he could provide no time frame for when the 737 Max jets would return to service. Boeing said it would change the design of the system so that it no longer relied on a single sensor. The changes also would make standard visual warnings to pilots if the system stopped working. Previously, those warning messages and displays had been optional. Reuters reported in November after the Lion Air disaster that some aviation experts believed the optional alert could have drawn engineers’ attention to mechanical faults, leading to an industry debate over whether the system should be mandatory. Current 737 Max pilots have criticized Boeing for not disclosing more details about MCAS initially. Sinnett said the company has added details on MCAS to its flight crew operations manual. All pilots will need to complete this training before returning to the skies, he said. John Hamilton, chief engineer for 737 Max flight displays, said in a statement that “all primary flight information required to safely and efficiently operate the 737 Max” was already included without the features that would now be offered.

u.s .
boeing
faa
ethiopian airlines
aircraft accidents
737 max
lion air
mcas


Tokyo stocks sink deeper on heightened global slowdown worries

Abstract: Stocks suffered a broad sell-off on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday, as market sentiment was battered by heightened fears about a worldwide economic slowdown. The 225-issue Nikkei average gave up 344.97 points, or 1.61 percent, to end at 21,033.76, after losing over 400 points to fall below 21,000 again this week. The key market gauge sagged 49.66 points Wednesday. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 26.64 points, or 1.66 percent, at 1,582.85. It fell 8.45 points the previous day. Selling far outpaced buying from the outset of Thursday’s trading, after Wall Street took a downturn Wednesday with investor sentiment chilled by a sharp drop in U.S. long-term interest rates. Concerns over a global slowdown grew further after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi indicated the possibility of the ECB pushing back a rate hike further, brokers said. A major German chipmaker’s profit warning dealt another blow to the market by prompting selling of semiconductor-related issues. In the afternoon, however, the market showed some resilience, thanks to purchases of bargains, brokers also said. Thursday’s tumble, the second one this week, seemed to be led by futures-linked selling by foreign investors, said Ryuta Otsuka, strategist at the investment information department of Toyo Securities Co. Pointing out that trading for fiscal 2019 effectively started Wednesday, an official at a major securities firm offered the view that institutional investors moved to sell shares to secure initial profits for the new fiscal year from Monday. Meanwhile, Otsuka said speculation about the Bank of Japan’s purchases of exchange-traded funds helped stocks pare part of their earlier losses in afternoon trading. Investors refrained from active trading in the afternoon to see the outcome of the resumed round of U.S.-China trade negotiations in Beijing and developments related to the U.K.’s planned exit from the European Union, brokers said. Falling issues far outnumbered rising ones 1,878 to 229 in the TSE’s first section, while 31 issues were unchanged. Volume decreased to 1.224 billion shares from Wednesday’s 1.311 billion shares. In the battered chip industry sector, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. lost 1.72 percent, Tokyo Electron 1.69 percent, and Sumco Corp. 1.04 percent. Gunma Bank plunged 8.15 percent amid growing earnings concerns. Other major losers included factory automation equipment-maker Keyence Corp. and clothing store chain Fast Retailing Co. By contrast, supermarket chain Kobe Bussan Co. jumped 6.12 percent after announcing strong sales for February. Also on the positive side were airlines Japan Airlines Co. and ANA Holdings Inc., and game-maker Nintendo Co. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key June contract on the Nikkei average dropped 320 points to end at 21,060.


JPX and Tokyo Commodity Exchange to merge in October

Abstract: Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX) and Tokyo Commodity Exchange Inc. said Thursday the two institutions have agreed to merge in October to enhance their competitiveness against overseas rivals. The merger is aimed at creating the country’s first all-in-one exchange that can handle both stocks and commodity futures including metals and grain, as Japan has lagged behind a global trend of integrated bourses. Japan Exchange Group, owner of the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges, will turn Tokyo Commodity Exchange into a wholly owned subsidiary after signing a final agreement in late June. Japan Exchange Group said the merger “will be the best for the two companies.” A spokesperson for the Japan Exchange Group said the merger “will be the best for the two companies.” Some commodities handled at the Tokyo Commodity Exchange, such as gold, soybeans and rubber, will be traded at the Osaka Exchange, while energy-related commodities including crude oil will stay at the Tokyo Commodity Exchange for the time being. Japan Exchange Group and the Tokyo Commodity Exchange signed a nondisclosure agreement in October last year and have been discussing terms of the merger since then.

stocks
japan exchange group
tokyo commodity exchange


Dollar falls below ¥110.10 in Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar edged down below ¥110.10 in Tokyo trading Thursday, pressured by a fall in U.S. long-term interest rates and a Japanese stock sell-off. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥110.07-07, down from ¥110.67-67 at the same time Wednesday. The euro was at $1.1238-1239, down from $1.1251-1252, and at ¥123.71-71, down from ¥124.51-52. After moving between ¥110.40 and ¥110.50, the dollar fell below ¥110.20 in midmorning trading, as the Nikkei stock average’s tumble fueled safe-haven buying of the yen vis-a-vis the U.S. currency, a currency broker said. A slide in the key 10-year interest rate in the United States in off-hours trading also put a damper on the dollar, another broker said. But the dollar was supported by “buying on a dip” when it came close to the ¥110 threshold, an official at a major securities firm said.


Lloyd's of London vows action after 18 women say they experienced sexual harassment at the firm

Abstract: LONDON - Lloyd’s of London has promised strong action over sexual harassment, a week after a news report cited damaging allegations by female staff against the centuries-old insurance market. New chief executive John Neal on Wednesday said Lloyd’s was “determined to … tackle all forms of inappropriate behavior with robust actions to create a more inclusive working environment. Neal’s comments, contained in a statement showing that Lloyd’s halved pre-tax losses last year, came one day after it unveiled “a robust plan of action to address reports of sexual harassment in the Lloyd’s market and create a safe and inclusive working environment. Bloomberg Businessweek last week reported on “a deep-seated culture of sexual misconduct” at Lloyd’s after hearing the experiences of 18 women alleging sexual harassment — and as the #MeToo movement against such misconduct continues to reverberate across the world. In response, Lloyd’s has promised a series of measures, including the “provision of an independently managed, confidential and market-wide access point for reporting inappropriate behaviour.” It would also offer “training focused on prevention, as well as reporting and supporting those who have been subjected to inappropriate behaviour.” Neal on Tuesday said it had been distressing to hear about the experiences of women in the Lloyd’s market. “No one should be subjected to this sort of behaviour, and if it does happen, everyone has the right to be heard and for those responsible to be held to account,” he added. Neal’s predecessor, Inga Beale, Lloyd’s first and only female CEO, had “met resistance at every step” in her attempts to turn around the “deeply backward-looking” culture during her five years at the helm, according to Bloomberg. Also Wednesday, Lloyd’s reported a pre-tax loss of £1 billion ($1.3 billion, €1.2 billion) for 2018 as the 333-year-old company paid out heavily on a series of natural disasters. The group had posted a loss before tax of £2 billion in 2017 following a series of devastating hurricanes. In 2018, “several large natural catastrophes, including Hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Jebi in Japan, as well as the Californian wildfires” cost the Lloyd’s market £2.9 billion, it said in a statement. Lloyd’s latest annual loss comes as the company prepares for life after Brexit, with the opening of a Brussels subsidiary. “Lloyd’s is … ready for Brexit through its new Brussels subsidiary, which is fully operational and writing risks,” it said Wednesday. “This provides certainty for our customers in the European Economic Area (EEA) that they can continue to access Lloyd’s insurance products, services and expertise.”

women
sexual harassment
disasters
me too
lloyd 's of london


Nissan-funded panel recommends abolishing chairman post to prevent single leader from holding excessive power

Abstract: YOKOHAMA - To prevent a sole executive from wielding excessive power, Nissan Motor Co. should abolish its chairman position and strengthen an independent monitoring governance system, a panel of experts commissioned by the carmaker said Wednesday. Governance issues surfaced at the firm following the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn for alleged financial misconduct last November. Ghosn is alleged to have underreported billions of yen in income over the course of several years and shifted personal investment losses to the company. The root cause of the alleged misconduct was the “concentration of all authority” in Ghosn, including areas like human resources and compensation, the panel’s report said. The group had been tasked with discussing how the Yokohama-based firm should enhance its corporate governance. According to the report, Ghosn exercised authority in a way that appeared to be for his person gain. The delegation of power to a few individuals — including Greg Kelly, the former Nissan representative director who was also arrested for alleged financial wrongdoing — made it difficult for other administrative sections to detect Ghosn’s activities, the report said. The panel did not interview Ghosn and Kelly, who have both denied wrongdoing. The report concluded that Nissan should eliminate the chairman post and that an independent, outside director should chair meetings by the firm’s board of directors. The proposal also said Nissan’s representative executive officer should not double as an executive officer or director at alliance partners Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. “It’s not just Nissan, but Japanese companies often have a chairman who is the leader of the business execution body and is also the leader of the board of directors, which is a supervisory body,” said Sadayuki Sakakibara, a member of the panel and former chairman of Keidanren, the nation’s biggest business lobby. “The same person was the top of business execution and supervision. … This was a major root cause of the misconduct (at Nissan), so it needs to change. … This is quite a bold proposal,” as there aren’t many examples of such structures in Japan, Sakakibara added. The panel, which interviewed seven Nissan executives, suggested that Nissan change its company framework to set up committees tasked with nominations to the board, compensation and auditing by the end of June. The majority of the members of the nomination committee should be independent, outside directors, while all the members of the compensation committee should be such individuals, the proposal said. The panel also said that a majority of the Nissan board should be independent, outside directors. A spokesperson for Ghosn issued a statement Thursday saying that “those found in this so-called independent ‘report’ will be revealed for what they are: Part of an unsubstantiated smear campaign against Carlos Ghosn to prevent the integration of the alliance and conceal Nissan’s deteriorating performance.” “Mr. Ghosn acted at all times with the full authority of the board and its shareholders, and his paramount goal was achieving value for Nissan’s shareholders.” In a further twist, the corporate governance panel also reported the same day that Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa signed off on Ghosn’s retirement package, which could intensify scrutiny of the CEO’s role in alleged financial improprieties by the former chairman of Nissan and Renault SA. The committee included a cryptic line about Ghosn’s retirement package: “Regarding the post retirement treatment of Mr. Ghosn, Mr. Ghosn, through Mr. Kelly as the person responsible for Global Human Resources and Legal, obtained documents signed by the current CEO.” The panel did not elaborate on the contents of the retirement package. When asked whether there were problems with the documents, a spokesman for Nissan declined comment. Nissan also did not comment on when Saikawa signed the document. The committee for improving the company’s governance was formed late last year.