Kyoto's concerns mount over mystery 'minpaku' lodgings

Abstract: KYOTO - Japan’s huge tourism influx is greatly welcomed by politicians and select local service industries that are benefitting from the boom. But it’s also created a shortage of hotel rooms, leading to the rise of online bookings at private residential establishments, known as minpaku , that fall outside the law on public lodging facilities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the traditional cultural capital of Kyoto. Over the past few years, an increasing number of foreign tourists have found it cheaper, and often easier, to simply book a room in Kyoto via online sites like Airbnb, which can put people up in minpaku accommodations at apartments or houses. That, in turn, has created complaints and concerns among neighborhood residents about everything from noise and garbage in the streets to potential communication problems during emergencies. The extent of the problem became clear earlier this month when Kyoto municipal and ward officials announced the results of a survey of 2,702 houses and apartments offering rooms to tourists online. Of this number, though, the specific location of only 1,260 could be confirmed. The survey revealed that only 189 of these, a mere 7 percent, had permission under the Inns and Hotels Law to operate. Because Kyoto authorities were unable to confirm the exact address of over half the places listed online, they were only able to offer a rough estimate that at least 70 percent of all such private residential rental units in Kyoto were operating without authorization. “There are places undergoing procedures to meet the law. On the other hand, there are a lot of places like one-room apartments in residential zones that have no intention of gaining permission,” said Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa last month, just before the survey results were announced. Foreign tourists leaving heaps of trash outside residential buildings and homes is a perennial source of complaints among Kyoto residents, and that was one of the problems identified by the survey. But a greater concern was that residents often have no idea who owns the rooms or houses being rented out. Thus, they have no idea who to contact if there is a problem. This also means they have no one to complain to about , for example, noise coming through the walls late at night, and that they often don’t know who contact in order to confirm that foreign guests know what to do during earthquakes, fires or other events requiring evacuation. Fire and rescue officials have also warned that many places lack adequate fire extinguishers or clearly marked emergency exits. The city has promised to adopt new measures from June to reduce concerns and get as many places as possible to follow the law. But Kyoto is so popular now that complaints about price-gouging are common during peak periods. Thus, foreign tourists on moderate budgets are likely to continue to seek cheaper alternatives in Kyoto’s minpaku scene.


U.S. groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring

Abstract: PUNXSUTAWNEY, PENNSYLVANIA - Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog renowned for his ability to forecast the onset of spring, did not see his shadow after emerging from his burrow on Tuesday morning, predicting an early spring. Phil’s prediction came at about 7:25 a.m. and was met with cheers from a crowd of thousands who participated under a clear sky and 21-degree Fahrenheit (minus 6.1 Celsius) temperatures in the folk tradition that has been embraced by winter-weary Americans for more than a century. According to legend, if Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, the cold weather will not loosen its grip on North America for six weeks. But if the morning is cloudy and no shadow appears, spring-like weather is supposedly around the corner. The event, which typically brings out 30,000 revelers to the small, west-central Pennsylvania town, has become a television staple at the beginning of one of the coldest months of the year in the U.S. Northeast. In addition to the celebrated rodent, the pageant features an entourage of city elders in old-fashioned dress and top hats, presiding over the festivities. The organizer, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, is touting the 2016 event as “Phil’s 130th prognostication,” although technically it is not the same groundhog every year but one picked to represent the character. Club spokeswoman Katie Donald said 1886 was the first year that the club trekked to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney and the groundhog delivered a weather forecast. Media coverage of the event started the following year, she said. “We go by the first trek, 1886,” Donald said. The event’s website, Groundhog.org , notes that “groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma.” This year’s Phil, however, has not whiled away the winter underground like most of his species, also known as woodchucks. Instead, Phil and his handlers from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle made cameo appearances on Jan. 23 at Pittsburgh’s Penn Brewery for the unveiling of its “Punxsutawney Philsner” draft beer and at a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. While he is still the most famous of the weather-forecasting groundhogs, Phil has had to compete a host of imitators in recent years. New York City, for example, has a groundhog of its own that has generated more than its share of controversy. The 2009 groundhog bit the hand of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the annual Feb. 2 ceremony. Five years after that, the groundhog was the injured party, when a groundhog named Charlotte fell hard to the ground after she wriggled out of the grasp of Mayor Bill de Blasio. The animal died of internal injuries a week later. This year de Blasio will skip the event. Instead he is traveling to Iowa to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of the state’s Feb. 1 nominating caucuses. He will not return to New York until Tuesday evening, his office said, long after the groundhog is out of harm’s way.


U.N. expert on freedom of expression to visit Japan in April

Abstract: A U.N. expert in charge of freedom of expression, whose visit was postponed at the Foreign Ministry’s request, will visit Japan in April, the ministry said Wednesday. David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, will visit Japan from April 12 to 19 to conduct research on the situation over freedom of expression through meetings with government officials and nongovernmental organization, the ministry said. His visit was previously scheduled for last December but the ministry made a request in November for rescheduling. The request drew criticism at the time alleging that the government was seeking to hinder him from taking up such issues as the secrecy law for the prevention of leaks of state secrets. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has said his ministry made the request as it cannot fully respond to his visit due to “budget compilation work.” Under the contentious secrecy law that took effect in 2014, civil servants or others who leak designated secrets will face up to 10 years in prison, and those who instigate leaks, including journalists, will be subject to a prison term of up to five years.

secrecy law
freedom of expression
david kaye


Nakano Broadway marks 50 years, now known as a center for Japanese cultural memorabilia

Abstract: Nakano Broadway turns 50 this year. The shopping complex in Tokyo’s busy Nakano district remains popular with enthusiasts of pop culture, boasting dozens of manga, anime and collectors’ shops. The scruffy but vibrant building, housing some 300 shops and restaurants across its five floors, sits at the end of the Nakano Sun Mall shopping street, which is adjacent the north exit of JR Nakano Station. Since the opening of Mandarake Inc. stores at the center in 1980, Nakano Broadway has evolved into a center for enthusiasts of pop subculture, offering everything from cosplay items and old movie posters to figurines, plastic models, toys and used books. There is, of course, a good dosing also of manga publications and anime goods. The Mandarake chain boasts 27 outlets in Nakano Broadway alone. It has a dominant presence in the complex, occupying almost all of the four floor and much of the second and the third floors. As many as 16 non-Japanese staffers are working at Mandarake stores in the complex, offering services in Japanese, English, Chinese and other languages. Zhansaya Baigaziyeva, an employee from Kazakhstan, dresses up in cosplay and offers guided tours of Mandarake stores on Saturdays. These days, however, a surge in the number of foreign tourists has turned the complex into not just a place to go for pop culture goods but also for watches, jewelry and other expensive items sold at duty-free shops. Nakano Broadway’s official website is at www.nbw.jp .

manga
anime
subculture
mandarake
nakano broadway


Thousands marry in mass South Korea wedding ceremony

Abstract: GAPYEONG, SOUTH KOREA - About 3,000 couples from 62 countries tied the knot in South Korea on Saturday, in a mass wedding ceremony conducted by the Unification Church founded by the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon. A further 12,000 couples worldwide participated in the ceremony via the Internet, said Ryu Kyeung-seuk, president of the South Korean headquarters of the church. Moon, who died in 2012 at the age of 92, had presided over mass weddings since the early 1960s. His widow, Hak Ja Han Moon, officiated at Saturday’s ceremony, which was witnessed by about 22,000 church followers and guests gathered at the church’s CheongShim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, about 75 km (50 miles) northeast of Seoul. The couples included 1,000 who were newly wed and about 2,000 who were already married and seeking to re-dedicate their marriages and families to God as they had married before joining the church. “We’ve been engaged for over one year now, mostly been separated, so of course it’s extremely good to be together again,” said Hyo-joo Song, from Britain, who married his Japanese wife on Saturday. “And yes, we’re happy to be married and also share that experience with many other people.” Moon was a lightning rod for controversy and was once jailed in the United States for tax evasion. He also declared in 1992 that he and his wife were messiahs. Critics over the years have called the organization a cult, questioning its finances and how it indoctrinates followers, who are sometimes derogatorily known as “Moonies.”


Stem cells used to replace part of the human brain

Abstract: Sometimes I imagine famous scientists and doctors from the past magically catching a glimpse of our modern world. Sure it’s fun to picture their gawping faces, but the daydream also helps remind me that we take so much for granted these days. And, in fact, it illustrates the incredible pace of discovery, because you don’t even have to go very far back in time before you are in a completely different era. This week’s contribution is about one such discovery. Scientists at Riken’s Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe have grown a vital part of the human brain from scratch. Well, actually, not quite from scratch. The team have coaxed human embryonic stem cells — essential cells in our body that have the capability to grow into any particular cell — into developing the cell type and structure necessary to replicate a working pituitary gland. Or, as they describe it, a functioning three-dimensional pituitary-like structure. They then transplanted the stem-cell gland into mice without pituitary glands. The mice recovered and went on to live normal lives. You don’t have to imagine telling this to an Edo Period doctor to appreciate what the scientists have done: They’ve grown and replaced part of the brain! “This is an exciting step forward toward our ultimate goal, which is to be able to regrow fully functioning organs in the laboratory,” says Takashi Tsuji, leader of the Center for Developmental Biology’s Laboratory for Organ Regeneration. “We will continue to push ahead with experiments to grow other parts of the body.” The pituitary gland is a pea-sized organ hidden deep in the brain. It produces hormones but also controls the activity of other important hormone-making glands, including the adrenal and thyroid glands. When it doesn’t work properly, people can’t make enough of the growth, sex or stress hormones humans need. A few years ago, the same group at Riken produced a pituitary made of stem cells from mice, but now they’ve managed it with human cells. The mouse organ, produced in 2011 by biologist Yoshiki Sasai, was at the time the most complex organ made from stem cells. Back then, scientists said a human pituitary was still many years away. How wrong could they be? It’s sad that Sasai, who committed suicide in 2014 following the STAP stem-cell scandal involving scientist Haruko Obokata, did not live to see the latest breakthrough by the lab he used to head. In a previous breakthrough in 2011, he also grew a retina — the light-sensing sheet of cells at the back of the eye — from stem cells taken from mice. The retina was hailed as an advance that would pave the way for organ development. Who knows what Sasai would have gone on to discover, but at least his former laboratory is forging ahead following the tragedy of his death. The mice that received the human pituitary had been given lesions on their own pituitary glands. Usually these are fatal as the mice are unable to produce enough key hormones, but the transplant worked to provide the mice with the correct balance of hormones. The mice with the transplant lived three times longer than the ones with the lesions on their pituitaries. Also, since the mice were a special strain without strong immune systems, the human pituitaries were not rejected by the body. Hidetaka Suga, one of the authors of the new report, is reluctant to elaborate on when a lab-grown pituitary might be ready for use in human patients. When asked what other organs his group was working on, he replied, “Sorry, it’s a secret.” That’s intriguing, I thought, wondering if they we re working on a hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a part of the brain near the pituitary that plays a key role in the operation of the pituitary. It is a vital component of the brain that links the brain and the rest of the nervous system to the endocrine system — the gland system in the body that produces hormones. If the lab-grown pituitary gland is ever used in human patients, scientists will have to find some way of linking it up to the rest of the brain. To test the pituitary gland, they positioned it next to the kidneys of the mice, because it was too difficult to put it back in the brain. For a while, at least, a kidney-based pituitary can operate adequately. However, a long-term solution is still needed to address how the organ communicates with the rest of the brain. That’s why I wonder if the hypothalamus is the “secret” organ that Riken is working on. They might also be working on other parts of the eye, possibly a human retina. A source of synthetic human retinas would be useful in treating a range of diseases and eye conditions. The field is known as regenerative medicine. For many years, regeneration was something we observed in animals such as lizards, which are able to regrow their tail if it falls off, and animals such as sea cucumbers, which can regenerate entire sets of internal organs. However, for the past 20 years or so it has been a branch of medicine that seeks to grow and replace damaged human organs. The potential rewards for success in the field are huge, which is why there is such pressure on researchers to demonstrate a breakthrough. Little by little, however, we are getting there. The pace of discovery is rapid, but not so rapid that these things will happen overnight. However, I always look forward to seeing what comes out of Kobe’s Laboratory for Organ Regeneration.


Florida fugitive attempts to hide identity in Ohio by chewing off fingertips

Abstract: TALLMADGE, OHIO - Police say a fugitive from Tampa, Florida, who did not want to be identified by his fingerprints during a traffic stop in northeast Ohio chewed off his fingertips. Kirk Kelly has been jailed on felony counts of evidence tampering and obstructing official business and misdemeanor charges of falsification and resisting arrest. A message left for his attorney after business hours Friday has not yet been replied to. Police in Tallmadge, Ohio, say Kelly and several other people were put into a cruiser without handcuffs after their vehicle was stopped last weekend and officers thought they smelled drugs. Police say Kelly gave false names while officers tried to identify him. They say they figured out who he was after photos of his tattoos were provided by police in Florida, where he is wanted on firearms and drug charges.


Seven percent of public housing units for disaster victims unoccupied: survey

Abstract: SENDAI - About 7 percent of public housing units built in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures for people whose homes were destroyed by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami were unoccupied as of late January, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday. A total of 909 units were vacant out of 13,933 apartments or houses provided by 46 municipalities in those three prefectures, and by the prefectural governments of Fukushima and Iwate. The local governments eventually plan to offer 29,105 permanent housing units for rent based on requests from disaster victims. But because of construction delays and other reasons, many have since canceled their applications, finding places to live elsewhere or building their own homes, resulting in the vacancies. The results also underline how difficult it is for local governments to provide services for disaster victims over the long term given it has been nearly five years since the earthquake and tsunami hit. Some applicants have also canceled their application because they need to enter nursing care facilities or they have passed away. Other reasons cited for the vacancies include inconvenient locations and high rent. By prefecture, the vacancy rate stood at 13 percent in Iwate and 5 percent in both Miyagi and Fukushima. By locality, the rate stood at 31 percent in the town of Yamada and 24 percent in the city of Rikuzentakata, both in Iwate Prefecture, and 18 percent in the Miyagi town of Watari. Meanwhile, about 59,000 people still live in temporary housing in the three prefectures, underlining a mismatch between housing supply and demand. Some of those are refusing to move to public housing due to work or family circumstances. In the town of Watari, Miyagi Prefecture, in one 100-unit public housing complex, nearly 40 percent, or 38 apartments, are vacant. It is located where the massive 2011 tsunami swept through the area. “Some people may still be traumatized” from the disaster, according to one resident. “If you take the free bus, you have easy access to a supermarket and the scenery is terrific,” said Tetsuko Ishioka, 75, one of the residents at the public housing. “It’s nice to live here,” she added. Her house was swept away by the tsunami five years ago, but she was determined to stay where she was born and raised. “It’s a waste when (the local government) built such a nice home,” Ishioka sighed. In the Miyagi Prefecture town of Minamisanriku, four of the five public housing units completed in August 2014 remain vacant. Town officials come from time to time to air them out to help maintain them. To fill the vacancies, the Miyagi prefectural government suggested last November that those other than disaster victims should be allowed to rent public housing units. The Miyagi town of Wakuya, where eight units stand vacant, will begin soliciting occupants, possibly in April, becoming the first municipality to do so in the three prefectures. Toshio Otsuki, professor of architectural planning at the University of Tokyo, said change in the willingness of survivors to live in public housing is inevitable and municipalities should come up with ways to make the best use of vacant units.

fukushima
3/11
iwate
miyagi
public housing


Health ministry panel urges allowing foreign caregivers to engage in elderly home care

Abstract: A health ministry panel compiled plans Friday aimed at allowing potential foreign caregivers entering Japan under bilateral free trade agreements to take care of elderly patients at their homes. The move to expand work opportunities for the foreign caregivers — currently limited to working in nursing care homes and other facilities — comes as the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry aims to address the acute labor shortage in Japan’s nursing care sector and its rapidly graying population. The government may implement the proposal in fiscal 2017, sources familiar with the matter said. The panel said in its report that the caregivers should be allowed to engage in home care after passing the national qualification examination. Foreign caregivers should be eligible to provide services for the elderly at their homes as long as they know the Japanese language and have a certain level of practical experience, the panel said, citing the need to avoid incidents that could be triggered by the language barrier. Japan accepts caregivers from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam under bilateral free trade agreements, but they must sit for certification tests to continue working in Japan. Around 2,100 trainees have arrived in Japan from the three Southeast Asian countries since fiscal 2008. Under the bilateral deals, the current length of stay for prospective caregivers, who study for the exams while working at nursing care facilities, is four years. So far, more than 300 have passed the exams. Nursing care facility operators welcomed the move, saying it will give more opportunities for them to work. “If they have the ability to pass the test on nursing care and Japanese language, there should be no problem for them to work here,” said Takeshi Kameo, who heads a care facility in the town of Yoichi, Hokkaido, which has accepted six Filipino nurses since 2009. But of the six, two had returned to their home country due to marriage and other reasons, he said, adding that there aren’t many who stay long term.


Argentine alien festival soars at UFO sighting site hotspot

Abstract: CAPILLA DEL MONTE, ARGENTINA - Thousands of earthlings descended on Capilla del Monte for an annual international alien festival that has made the town a hotspot for UFO sightings. The weekend festival in Cordoba province included a parade of neon lights with “Star Wars” characters, an alien costume contest and shops selling green stuffed aliens with bulging eyes next to hooded ETs from the 1982 film. Some also attended workshops on everything extraterrestrial held near a local hill that is the site of a purported UFO sighting 30 years ago. The incident reputedly left a large burning mark on the hill’s grass. The sighting also left a mark in the economy of the town, which has flourished with its alien tourism. “People come here for the energy, for the UFO sightings,” said Leonardo Fuentes, a visitor from Chile. “So it’s not just tourism but more about all that you can see.” The festival, now in its fourth year, has become popular among alien enthusiasts worldwide, but some locals are concerned about its fast growth. “The festival is fun, but it can also generate a lack of seriousness toward the issue,” said Luz Mary Lopez, who heads the UFO Investigation Center in Capilla del Monte. Her late husband made the investigation of the town’s UFO sightings his life’s work. Lopez has continued this by offering talks on the events of Jan. 9, 1986, when a local boy saw what many believe to be an alien spaceship. She also has been asking authorities to go beyond tourism to develop the town as a scientific and spiritual hub. One of the most visited sites during the weekend festival was the nearby Uritorco hill. Known as Argentina’s “magic mountain,” it is sought after by star-gazers, seekers of its “special source of energy” credited for the UFO sightings, and even those who believe it is a door to other dimensions.


First U.N. chief from Africa Boutros Boutros-Ghali dies at 93

Abstract: CAIRO - Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country’s landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Tuesday. He was 93. Boutros-Ghali, the scion of a prominent Egyptian Christian political family, was the first U.N. chief from the African continent. He stepped into the post in 1992 at a time of dramatic world changes, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a unipolar era dominated by the United States. His five years at the helm remain controversial. He worked to establish the U.N.’s independence, particularly from the United States, at a time when the world body was increasingly called on to step into crises with peacekeeping forces, with limited resources. Some blame him for misjudgments in the failures to prevent genocides in Africa and the Balkans and mismanagement of reform in the world body. After years of frictions with the Bill Clinton administration, the United States blocked his renewal in the post in 1996, making him the only U.N. secretary-general to serve a single term. He was replaced by Ghanaian Kofi Annan. In a U.N. Security Council session Tuesday, the 15 members held a moment of silence upon news of his death Tuesday in a hospital in the Egyptian capital. He had been admitted after suffering a broken pelvis, Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper reported last week. “The mark he has left on the organization is indelible,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. He said Boutros-Ghali “brought formidable experience and intellectual power to the task of piloting the United Nations through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.” Ban pointed to Boutros-Ghali’s landmark 1992 report “An Agenda for Peace,” a proposal for how the U.N. could respond to and prevent conflict. Many of his proposals are still used by the United Nations. In his farewell speech to the U.N., Boutros-Ghali said he had thought when he took the post that the time was right for the United Nations to play an effective role in a world no longer divided into warring Cold War camps. “But the middle years of this half decade were deeply troubled,” he said. “Disillusion set in.” In a 2005 interview with The Associated Press, Boutros-Ghali called the 1994 massacre in Rwanda — in which half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days — “my worst failure at the United Nations.” But he blamed the United States, Britain, France and Belgium for paralyzing action by setting impossible conditions for intervention. Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton and other world leaders were opposed to taking strong action to beef up U.N. peacekeepers in the tiny Central African nation or intervening to stop the massacres. “The concept of peacekeeping was turned on its head and worsened by the serious gap between mandates and resources,” he told AP. The Bosnian War also brought the same contentious mix of issues: U.N. peacekeeping, world powers’ intervention and limits, and the need to protect civilians from atrocities. During a December 1992 visit to Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo, under a brutal Serbian siege, he insisted to angry local journalists that upcoming peace talks were the solution and told them he knew of at least 10 places where conditions were far worse than Sarajevo — the sort of answer that deepened his reputation for arrogance. He and the U.N. came under further fire after Serb forces massacred 8,000 Muslims in July 1995 in Srebrenica under the eyes of a U.N. force that was supposed to be enforcing a safe zone. His legacy was also stained by investigations into corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq, which he played a large role in creating. Three suspects in the probe were linked to him either by family relationship or friendship. Boutros-Ghali frequently took vocal stances that angered the Clinton administration — such as his strong criticism of Israel after the 1996 shelling of U.N. camp in Lebanon that killed some 100 refugees. In writings after leaving the U.N., he accused Washington of using the world body for its own political purposes and said U.S. officials often tried to directly control his actions. He wrote in his 1999 book “Unvanquished” that he “mistakenly assumed that the great powers, especially the United States, also trained their representatives in diplomacy and accepted the value of it. But the Roman Empire had no need for diplomacy. Neither does the United States.” Noted for his dignified bearing and Old World style, Boutros-Ghali was the son of one of Egypt’s most important Coptic Christian families. His grandfather, Boutros Ghali Pasha, was Egypt’s prime minister from 1908 to 1910. Born Nov. 14, 1922, Boutros-Ghali studied in Cairo and Paris and became an academic, specialized in international law. In 1977, then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat named him minister of state without portfolio, shortly before Sadat’s landmark visit to Israel to launch peace negotiations. Sadat’s rapprochement with Israel brought harsh criticism from across Egypt’s political spectrum. His foreign minister, Ismail Fahmi, resigned in protest. So Sadat turned to Boutros-Ghali, naming him acting foreign minister and minister of state for foreign affairs. Boutros-Ghali played a major role in subsequent negotiations that produced the Camp David peace framework agreements in September 1978 and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty in March 1979, the first such between an Arab state and Israel. Israelis considered Boutros-Ghali a hawkish negotiator. But he also staunchly defended Egypt’s peace efforts against Arab opposition. At one African summit, he retorted to Algerian criticism, saying, “Algeria wants to fight Israel to the last Egyptian soldier.” President Hosni Mubarak, who succeeded Sadat in October 1981, kept Boutros-Ghali as minister of state but didn’t promote him to foreign minister. Putting a Christian to the post was considered too controversial. After leaving the United Nations, Boutros-Ghali served from 1998 to 2002 as secretary-general of La Francophonie — a grouping of French-speaking nations. In 2004, he was named the president of Egypt’s new human rights council, a body created by Mubarak amid U.S. pressure to adopt democratic reforms. He was married to Lea, an Egyptian Jew. They have no children.

israel
egypt
u.n .
obituary
cold war
bosnia
rwanda
bill clinton
boutros boutros-ghali


'Grim Sleeper' serial killer trial gets underway in LA with graphic victim photos

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - Their bodies were dumped in alleys and garbage bins in south Los Angeles, some naked, some covered with mattresses and trash. Most had been fatally shot in the chest after some type of sexual contact, others strangled. As prosecutor Beth Silverman showed photo after photo of the 10 victims to a packed courtroom on Tuesday, family members of the dead young women shook as they wept. Some covered their faces, others had to walk out. It was an emotional beginning to the long-awaited “Grim Sleeper” trial, which comes more than 30 years since the first victim’s death. Lonnie Franklin Jr. has pleaded not guilty to killing nine women and a 15-year-old girl between 1985 and 2007 in one of the city’s most notorious serial killer cases. The “Grim Sleeper” nickname was coined because of an apparent 14-year gap in the murders between 1988 and 2002. Franklin, 63, has been awaiting trial behind bars for nearly six years since his arrest in July 2010. The trial is expected to last up to four months. In opening statements to jurors Tuesday, Silverman said Franklin took advantage of the crack cocaine epidemic in south Los Angeles, targeting women “willing to sell their bodies and their souls in order to gratify their dependency on this powerful drug.” Autopsies showed all but one victim had cocaine in their systems when they were killed, and some had turned to prostitution. “This was the perfect opportunity for someone who preyed on women,” Silverman said. “Someone who knew the streets and the dark alleys by heart, someone who lived there and was able to blend in, someone who knew where the drug-addicted women and perhaps prostitutes would congregate and who knew how to lure potential victims into the darkness and the isolation of a vehicle through the promise of crack.” Silverman continued: “It was the perfect place and time for a serial killer to roam the streets of Los Angeles, really without detection.” Franklin’s attorney, Seymour Amster, won’t deliver his opening statements until later in the trial. Last week, Amster told The Associated Press that “it’s not over until it’s over.” “There’s more to it than people want to believe,” Amster said. “It’s up to the prosecution to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.” As many as 30 detectives investigated the Grim Sleeper killings in the 1980s, but they exhausted leads within a few years. A special squad of detectives was assembled after the most recent known Grim Sleeper killing, the June 2007 shooting of Janecia Peters, 25, whose naked body was found in the fetal position inside a trash bag. Police arrested Franklin in July 2010 after his DNA was connected to more than a dozen crime scenes. An officer posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor got DNA samples from dishes and utensils Franklin had been eating with at a birthday party. Family members of the Grim Sleeper victims and a survivor of the attacks have been frustrated by repeated delays in the case and were eager for the opening statements. The Grim Sleeper was among at least three serial killers who stalked Los Angeles-area women during a crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s. The attacks were dubbed the “Southside Slayer” killings before authorities concluded more than one attacker was involved. Chester Turner has been convicted of killing 14 women, including one who was pregnant, and was sentenced to death in 2007. Michael Hughes was sentenced to death in 2012 for strangling a 15-year-old girl and two women. He previously got life for four killings.

serial killer
dna
los angeles
grime sleeper


No documents confirm military coerced 'comfort women,' Japan envoy tells U.N.

Abstract: GENEVA - Japan has found no documents confirming that the “comfort women” were forcefully recruited by military or government authorities, a Japanese envoy told a U.N. panel Tuesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama made that claim during a session in Geneva of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The belief that women were forced into sexual servitude is based on the false accounts of the late Seiji Yoshida, Sugiyama said. Yoshida claimed to have forcibly taken women from the island of Jeju, then under Japanese colonial rule and now part of South Korea, and forced them into sexual labor for the Japanese military before and during World War II. The Asahi Shimbun in 2014 retracted articles that reported Yoshida’s accounts, Sugiyama noted. He also briefed the U.N. committee on the historic Japan-South Korean accord reached in December to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the protracted dispute over Korean women who were procured for Japan’s wartime military brothels. At the outset of his statement at the U.N. panel, Sugiyama said Japan will have a leading role in making the 21st century a time when women’s human rights are not violated. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official on Wednesday rebutted Sugiyama’s claims. “It’s a historical fact and has been recognized by the international community that (the comfort women) were forcefully recruited,” the official said. “We urge Japan to refrain from words and deeds that could impair the spirit of the agreement (between South Korea and Japan on the comfort women) late last year,” the official said. The panel is tasked with monitoring nations’ compliance with the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It is scheduled to issue its findings March 7 regarding Japan and other nations under review.

wwii
u.n .
south korea
comfort women
japan
shinsuke sugiyama


Do you want fries with that? Man charged with throwing alligator into fast food restaurant

Abstract: ROYAL PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - A Florida fast food restaurant got a customer it was not expecting when a live alligator was tossed through a drive-thru window by a patron. Joshua James, 23, of Jupiter, Florida, had wanted to play a practical joke on a friend working at the Wendy’s restaurant in Royal Palm Beach when he decided to hurl the reptile into the building, his parents told local broadcaster WPTV. “It was a stupid prank,” Linda James said. James faces charges of aggravated assault, and unlawful possession and transportation of an alligator, WPTV said. The incident took place in October. James found the 3-foot (nearly 1-meter) alligator on the side of the road and led the reptile into his truck, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission incident report cited by the station. He drove to the Wendy’s restaurant and placed an order, received a drink at the drive-thru window, and then threw the alligator through the opening, it said. The report contains a photo of the alligator sitting on the floor of the restaurant, WPTV reported. The alligator was released back into the wild.


Japanese team finds new way to create, research Parkinson's stem cells

Abstract: Researchers from Juntendo and Keio universities have come up with a quicker and easier way to generate iPS cells from people with Parkinson’s disease, a discovery they claim will go a long way in developing a cure for the neurological disease. In a paper published Friday in the journal Stem Cell Reports, researchers led by Nobutaka Hattori and Hideyuki Okano report they have established a technology to study a large number of patients by using iPS cells derived from their blood. The key lies in their success in turning the cells into neural stem cells more efficiently, which lets them monitor how the disease progresses in test tubes. They can also study how they react to chemicals, bringing a cure closer. “This method will allow us to use iPS cells derived from several thousand Parkinson’s disease patients treated at Juntendo University in order to study the disease mechanism,” the universities said in a statement. “We aim to create a ‘Parkinson’s Disease iPS Cell Bank’ at a scale never seen anywhere else in the world.” Induced pluripotent stem cells are traditionally made from skin cells, requiring patients to go through a biopsy. Taking blood samples is less invasive as it leaves no scars, but blood-derived cells are harder to convert to neurons. The researchers said they overcame this by culturing the iPS cells under certain conditions, such as in a low-oxygen environment, and converting them to neurons more efficiently. While traditional methods require 30 to 50 days for iPS cells to become neurons, the new method can achieve this in a week or two, said Wado Akamatsu, a professor at the Center for the Genomic and Regenerative Medicine of Juntendo University. According to the Japan Intractable Diseases Information Center, 100,000 people in Japan have Parkinson’s, and the number is expected to surge as the population grays. While a tremor is the most typical symptom, the disorder is also known to cause stiffness and slow movement. Although there are many theories about the causes, none has ever been proved and many mysteries remain. Around 10 percent of the disorder is genetic, while the rest is caused by environmental factors, Juntendo’s Hattori said.

medicine
ips
disease
parkinson 's disease
keio university
juntendo university


New treatment keeps liver transplant patients healthy without immunosuppressants: Japanese researchers

Abstract: Seven out of 10 people who were administered specially treated lymphocytes shortly after undergoing living-donor liver transplants at Hokkaido University Hospital have remained in good health without having to rely on immunosuppressive drugs, researchers said Thursday. Currently, patients who undergo organ transplants have to take immunosuppressants for the rest of their life. Such drugs can bring a variety of side effects, including increased risks of infections, cancers and organ failures. In a pilot study covering 10 people in their 30s through their 60s, researchers at Hokkaido University and Juntendo University drew what’s called “regulatory T cells,” which control autoimmunity and influence the response of the immune system, from patients’ blood, cultured them and injected them back into their bodies. These enriched regulatory T cells worked to maintain the necessary immunological functions for seven of the 10 patients. Of the seven, four have survived without immunosuppressive drugs for more than three years, and the remaining three have survived for more than two years, the researchers told a news conference in Sapporo. The other three have had to be given immunosuppressants because reducing their doses worsened their conditions, but the total amount of drugs used has been smaller than normal, they added. The results of the pilot study were published in the online edition of the journal Hepatology on Jan. 16. “This is great news for organ transplant recipients,” said Hiroshi Shimono, director of Osaka-based nonprofit group Japan Transplant Recipients Organization. “This could greatly improve the quality of life for the patients, who often must use several immunosuppressive drugs. The financial burden for those drugs is huge, too. We want to see more patients try the new therapy, so it would be established as a solid method and eventually expanded to transplantation of organs other than livers.” In Japan, around 400 liver transplants from living donors take place annually for end-stage liver failure patients, according to the research team. The team is also considering collaborating with overseas researchers on the method’s use on liver transplants from brain-dead donors.

hokkaido university
liver transplants
juntendo university
regulatory t cells
lymphocytes
immunosuppressants


As residents and reactors age, Fukui's fortunes fade

Abstract: OSAKA - On a gray winter day late last month alternating between rain and sleet, many in the Sea of Japan town of Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, were feeling sunny. For the restart of Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama plant No. 3 reactor means not only a return to nuclear power, but a return of the money stream that flows from it. Since 1970, Fukui has been the home of the largest concentration of nuclear power plants in Japan — and possibly the world — hosting a total of 13 commercial reactors. For the past 4½ decades, the plants, spread across the towns of Tsuruga, Mihama, Takahama and Oi, provided local employment and an array of other benefits. When the reactors were shut down every 13-16 months for routine inspections, it was a bonanza for local businesses. A flood of Kepco employees, safety inspectors and nuclear-power related specialists arrived, filling up local hotels and spending money in area cafes, restaurants and bars. At the same time, the plants provided numerous part-time jobs for local farmers and fishermen who wanted to supplement their incomes. Many of these jobs were hard, dirty and dangerous, but welcomed. Of course, there were also the guaranteed subsidies from the central government that came with hosting the plants — money used to build civil engineering infrastructure and sway public opinion. Elderly Fukui residents recall that, 40 years ago, it was not unheard of for the central government and Kepco to subsidize “nuclear power study tours” for select local leaders and citizens, whisking them away to countries embracing atomic energy such as France. But even with the Takahama No. 3 reactor’s restart after sitting idle for years since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster — and with No. 4 waiting in the wings to be rebooted despite a radioactive water leak announced Saturday — Fukui still faces an uncertain economic future. Earlier this month, Kepco announced decommissioning plans for the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at its Mihama plant and Japan Atomic Power Co. announced plans for scrapping the No. 1 reactor at its Tsuruga plant. By 2024, JAPC intends to have removed all fuel from the Tsuruga reactor, and plans to finish tearing down the reactor itself and its associated facilities by 2039. Kepco also announced plans to begin decommissioning its Mihama reactors in the next fiscal year, and expects the work to take three decades. The Tsuruga reactor’s decommissioning will take place in three stages, and is expected to cost just over ¥36 billion. Decommissioning at Kepco’s Mihama reactors is expected to total ¥68 billion. For local governments, decommissioning presents a dilemma. On the one hand, there is the issue of safety, especially the disposal of high-level radioactive material, where pressure is on the utilities to clean up quickly. “We don’t want JAPC to fixate on a schedule for the spent fuel, but, rather get rid of it as soon as possible,” said Tsuruga Mayor Takanobu Fuchikami, following the announcement. On the other hand, even decommissioning work offers the possibility of local employment. However, like the rest of the country, Fukui’s workforce is aging rapidly, raising questions about who will do the often gruelling and dangerous work. A prefectural survey released in January 2015 showed that two-thirds of the workers in Tsuruga, Mihama, Takahama and Oi were employed in the waterworks, gas and utility, and the service industries. The same survey also revealed that between 23 and 29 percent of workers in each of the four cities were over the age of 65. Alarmed at the aging population and worried they will be abandoned, local leaders in Fukui are trying to convince the central government that it must take care of the local economy, and not just the nuclear plants. “After the reactors have finished operating, what’s necessary is not simply to think about decreasing subsidies, but to pass new laws and create a new framework for local industrial revitalization,” Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa told central government officials. The extent, and speed, of economic assistance will at least partially depend on Fukui’s political power in the halls of the Diet — and Fukui does have powerful friends in Tokyo. Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Tomomi Inada, a right-wing heavyweight and close aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, represents Fukui’s No. 1 district — the one without nuclear power plants, including the city of Fukui. There, the major political concern is not nuclear power subsidies but whether Inada can use her influence to get the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line extended from Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, to the city of Fukui by 2020, cutting travel time to Tokyo via Nagano just in time for the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Abe’s minister for reconstruction in the Tohoku region, and the man in charge of coordinating policy for revival after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, is Tsuyoshi Takagi, who represents Fukui’s No. 2 district, home to all of its power plants. But with Fukui’s reactors aging as fast, if not faster, than its population, the amount of economic assistance required to both care for the elderly and keep the local economy going is likely to increase. Scrapping more reactors will surely be a necessity in the coming years, as the Takahama Nos. 3 and 4 reactors are now over 30 years old. While such work will bring a steady stream of income to the services industries, officials and residents within Fukui are well aware it will not bring back the economic glory days when Fukui was known nationwide as Japan’s Genpatsu (nuclear power) Ginza .

energy
nuclear power
fukui
kansai electric
takahama


Pakistan military blankets area as China port construction underway

Abstract: GWADAR, PAKISTAN - A heavy police presence, guarded convoys, new checkpoints and troop reinforcements have turned parts of the southern port city of Gwadar into a fortress, as Pakistan’s powerful military seeks to protect billions of dollars of Chinese investment. Securing the planned $46 billion economic corridor of roads, railways and pipelines from northwest China to Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast is a huge challenge in a country where Islamist militants and separatist gunmen are a constant menace. The armed forces and interior ministry have sent hundreds of extra soldiers and police to Gwadar, the southern hub of the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and more are on their way. “Soon we’ll start hiring 700-800 police to be part of a separate security unit dedicated to Chinese security, and at a later stage a new security division would be formed,” Jafer Khan, regional police officer in Gwadar told Reuters. A senior security official in the town of around 100,000 people said a further 400-500 soldiers had been recruited as a temporary measure to protect Chinese nationals. On a recent visit, an SUV carrying Chinese visitors was escorted by two police cars and an army vehicle, while police blocked traffic at every crossroad along the route. It was not clear who the passengers were. Keeping foreign workers and executives safe in Gwadar, which has expanded significantly over the last 15 years largely thanks to Chinese investment, is relatively straightforward. The same cannot be said of the corridor as a whole. Its western branch passes north through Baluchistan province, where ethnic Baluch separatist rebels are opposed to the CPEC project and chafing under a military crackdown. It skirts the tribal belt along the Afghan-Pakistan border where Islamist militant groups including the Pakistan Taliban and al-Qaida have long been based, and takes in Peshawar, scene of some of the worst insurgent atrocities of recent years. The main responsibility for securing the corridor, vital to Pakistan’s long-term prosperity, lies with a new army division established in the last few months and numbering an estimated 13,000 troops. Pakistan’s Planning Ministry does not yet have specific estimates on how many jobs the CPEC will create in Pakistan, although officials believe the project could generate hundreds of billions of dollars for the economy over the long term. Some of the police, army and paramilitary reinforcements deployed in the last year have been stopgap measures while the new Special Security Division builds to full strength. Enhanced security goes beyond Gwadar and across Baluchistan, an arid, sparsely populated province bordering Iran and Afghanistan which sits on substantial deposits of untapped natural gas. “We have tightened our security in those areas where the corridor is supposed to pass. We cannot allow Pakistan’s economic backbone to be held hostage,” Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, the provincial home minister, said. The tough approach means anger is growing among separatist rebels and the broader Baluch community, a potential problem for the military as it pursues a two-pronged approach: amnesty for rebels willing to disarm and hunting down those who are not. “We consider the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as . . . an occupation of Baluch territory,” said rebel spokesman Miran Baluch, a member of the Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF), adding its fighters would attack anyone working on the project. “Thousands of Baluch families have been forced to flee the area where the CPEC route is planned. Baluch will not tolerate such projects on their land.” The low-level insurgency has hit development in the province for decades. In recent violence, five soldiers were killed by a remote-controlled bomb some 50km east of Quetta last month. Also in January, two coast guards died in a bomb blast in Gwadar district, although in both cases it was not possible to determine who was behind the attacks. Army chief General Raheel Sharif, who launched a prolonged assault on Islamist militants after Taliban gunmen massacred 134 pupils at a school in Peshawar in late 2014, will hope a sharp fall in violence nationwide will also benefit the CPEC. Militant, insurgent and sectarian groups carried out 625 attacks across Pakistan in 2015, down 48 percent from 2014, said an independent think tank, the Pak Institute for Peace Studies. “Once people find they have a stake in this progress, the need for check posts and barricades will disappear,” he said this month in Quetta, as he and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif officially launched a new highway linking the city with Gwadar. The Pakistan Taliban recently threatened to target important government and military installations that could inflict economic loss on the country, although they did not talk specifically about the CPEC. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said progress so far on the corridor was “generally speaking, quite smooth.” “The Pakistani government has done a great deal of work to protect the security of Chinese organizations and citizens. China is deeply thankful for this,” Lu added.


Glass ceiling yet to be broken in Japan politics

Abstract: Japan will this year mark 70 years since the nation saw women win Lower House seats for the first time in April 1946. Since then, however, the country has failed to make much progress in increasing female ranks in the Diet and lags far behind other industrialized nations when it comes to closing the political gender gap. Despite Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pet policy to create a society “where all women can shine,” male chauvinism dominates Japan’s political arena. Here are questions and answers on the gender balance in Nagata-cho, Japan’s political district, and hurdles female candidates face when running for a national election. What is the female representation in the Diet? As of Feb. 2, women held 45 seats in the powerful Lower House, accounting for a mere 9.5 percent in the 475-seat chamber. The figure is only six seats, or 1.1 points up, from the 39 seats won by women in the 1946 Lower House election. By party, the Japanese Communist Party has the highest ratio of female decision-makers, at 28.6 percent of all JCP Lower House members, followed by the Democratic Party of Japan at 12.7 percent and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito at 8.6 percent. In the 242-seat Upper House, the percentage is slightly better with women holding 38 seats, or 15.7 percent of the total. How does this compare with other countries? Japan has one of the worst levels of political gender equality among developed countries. According to a 2015 survey by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on the percentage of female lower house members, Japan was ranked 119th among 190 countries — lower than China, at 58th, and North Korea, at 88th. As of December, IPU data show about 22.7 percent of lawmakers around the world were women, about 10 percentage points higher than Japan. Mari Miura, a political science professor at Sophia University and a gender equality expert, said many countries that have a much higher percentage of female lawmakers than Japan have implemented gender quota systems to raise the ratio of women. She said it was about time that Japan followed suit. “Female lawmakers won’t increase by waiting for things to turn around naturally,” she said. Explaining that the latest worldwide push is to bring up the percentage of female lawmakers to 50 percent, Miura said Japan will lag even further behind other countries if it does not take concrete measures to seriously reverse the situation. What are the hurdles to increasing female MP ranks? Observers say one of the major reasons behind the wide gap between female and male decision-makers is the traditional conservative “men at work, women at home” mindset many people still carry today. While married men usually get full-fledged support from their wives during election campaigns, many female candidates find themselves without such help from their spouses, they said. Also, due to a lack of understanding, female candidates often face criticism from voters for running for an election when their priority should be homemaking or raising children. “People have this mindset that politics is the prime example of public work, and that is (the) men’s job,” Miura of Sophia University said. Women also tend to lack the financial resources necessary for running for a national election when compared to men, she said. Koji Nakakita, professor of political science at Hitotsubashi University, also pointed out the lack of enthusiasm among Japan’s major political parties, especially the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to increase female ranks in the Diet. What measures should Japan adopt to close the political gender gap? Experts say a quota system is effective. Although some people criticize this method, saying it would give women an unfair advantage and could possibly field poorly qualified female candidates just to fill a required number, experts said that without such decisive legislative reform Japan will never be able to achieve the global standard for gender equality. Miura of Sophia University also pointed out that men have long enjoyed privileges, such as the full support and understanding of their families and voters, and decisive legislative reform is necessary to change the political landscape. “Parliaments should reflect the diversity of society. Otherwise the decision-making process will be distorted,” Miura said. In the past, Japan New Party, headed by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, adopted a gender quota to make the ratio of female party members more than 20 percent. But the party disbanded in December 1994, about two years after its launch. Is anything being done now in the Diet to rectify the situation? A cross-party group of nearly 60 Diet members, headed by DPJ member Masaharu Nakagawa, is planning to submit a bill revising the election law to the current Diet session ending June 1, before the Upper House election. The bill urges efforts be made to field the same number of female and male candidates. Although it is not an obligation, observers said voters can see how serious each party addresses the issue by looking at the ratio of female candidates, and that could pressure the parties to make an effort on the issue. Whether the bill will get enough support to clear the Diet is yet to be seen.

gender women diet politics discrimination


Brazilian pets parade in their own four-footed Carnival

Abstract: RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian canines allowed their people to dress them in masks and costumes Sunday for a four-legged Carnival just days before the humans will hold their own party. A white-haired lap dog was dressed as a court jester for the gathering of dozens of pets in Rio de Janeiro. A medium-sized pooch was the superhero Flash with yellow wings on the side of its head. A tiny black dog wore insect-like antennas. Two beauties with long white hair sported the Olympic rings on their heads. The celebration started with the Banda Vira-lata, which means “Street Dog Band” in Portuguese, announcing the beginning of the festivities. People gathered with their dressed-up dogs at the edge of Copacabana beach for the annual “blocao,” or block party, for pets. While the band played a samba, the four-legged carnival celebrants paraded under Rio’s blazing sun. “Always by their owner’s side, always a loyal friend . . . arf, arf, arf,” a band member sang. “The ‘blocao’ is animal!” the singer added in the song describing how great the party was. People strutted by with dogs costumed as heroes such as Zorro as well as wizards and bees. During the two-hour pet parade, the pooches had the chance to play with their canine friends while the samba band members sang: “It’s carnival and the party is animal!”


U.S. presidential contenders vow status quo in Japan ties

Abstract: With the Iowa caucus Monday, the primary voting process that will select Democratic and Republican candidates to run in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election has begun. Over the next four months, American, and international, attention will be focused on the primary races, and who emerges as their party’s standard-bearer. The election is being closely watched in Japan, as well, for its impact on bilateral relations as well as what a new U.S. president might mean for Japan’s role in East Asia, especially in terms of military security and regional trade. Who are the main candidates? For the Democrats, there are two: former Secretary of State and ex-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. For the Republicans, there are, on any given day, five or six candidates who get a lot of attention in foreign policy circles and/or the media. They include business mogul Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. (and brother of former President George W. Bush) Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and former CEO of Hewlett Packard Carly Fiorina. What are their policies with regard to Japan? Although none has laid out a detailed proposal for how a given candidate’s administration would work with Japan, the rivals’ general statements so far, with the exception of Trump and, to a lesser extent, Sanders, are probably best described as Washington status-quo thinking on military issues, but divided on trade issues, especially the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. Clinton is the most experienced candidate in terms of dealing with Japan, and her philosophy differs little from some Republicans. As Secretary of State, she was a strong advocate of a U.S. “rebalance” (formerly a U.S. “pivot”) to Asia, and has called the U.S.-Japan alliance the “cornerstone” of America’s regional engagement. As president, she would seek to strengthen U.S.-Japanese military cooperation, as well as bilateral cooperation on a host of political, strategic, and economic issues. Her main challenger, Sanders, has said little about foreign policy in general, making him the target of criticism by foreign policy experts who want a strong U.S. military presence abroad and charge that he’s an isolationist. On Asia, however, Sanders has indicated that he sees China as a potential threat and has said that the U.S. must work with the international community to stop it from building up its military. On the Republican side, Jeb Bush said he views Japan and South Korea, as well as Australia, as important allies, and that relations with all will need to be strengthened. His foreign policy advisers include a number of people who served with his brother. He has called for increased defense spending to counter China, especially in the area of cyberwarfare. Perhaps the Republican candidate who has said the most about U.S.-Japan relations so far is Rubio. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed last April, around the time Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the U.S. Congress, Rubio said the U.S.-Japan alliance was at the center of America’s efforts to counter an increasingly belligerent China, to realize the TPP agreement, and to settle “disputes based on the rule of law, not usurpation of land, military expansionism and conflict.” In August, Rubio said the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea belong to Japan. Cruz, on the other hand, has indicated that while he is concerned, along with other countries in Asia, about China’s territorial ambitions, American allies like Japan need to do more. This suggests his view of U.S. military alliances in Asia, and the U.S. role in them, might be more limited than what either Clinton or some of the other Republicans envision. Fiorina has made comments that indicate she’d take a tough stance toward China, and that she has strongly hawkish foreign policy views. She’s said she would engage in a large military buildup and invest more money in supporting allies like Japan, especially in the area of cybersecurity. Carson has said little about Japan. What about Republican front-runner Trump? Trump has made a number of statements that have infuriated foreign policy experts and raised concern in the U.S. and Japan. In December, he told a group of supporters that the U.S.-Japan relationship was unfair because if somebody attacked Japan, the U.S. would “have to immediately go and start World War III. If (the U.S.) gets attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us. Somehow, that doesn’t sound so fair.” Yet despite the criticism from many quarters, that sentiment is widely shared among American politicians and policymakers (and many in Japan) who pushed for Japan to revise its collective self-defense measures last year. How do candidates view the TPP? Trump and Sanders have been the loudest critics, for different reasons, and Fiorina is also opposed. Rubio and Cruz were once supporters, but they began backtracking after the deal was announced in October and the text of the agreement was released, stating concerns about the fine print and indicating they were now taking more of a wait-and-see attitude. Carson has expressed cautious support for TPP, while Bush has expressed strong support for the agreement. Clinton also once indicated she supported the TPP. But after the agreement came out, she said she could not support it “at this time” based on what she’d seen. This earned an angry retort from Japan’s former chief TPP negotiator, Akira Amari, who said she would disgrace the dignity of the American flag if she opposed it as president. There is a widespread belief that Clinton, if president, would find a way to support it. But with a recent report by Tufts University predicating the TPP would mean 448,000 job losses in the U.S. over a decade, and a statement by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, saying that a congressional vote on the TPP should be delayed until after the election, candidates may find themselves under greater pressure over the coming months to take a clearer stance, which will impact both the U.S.-Japan relationship and U.S. allies in the region.

defense
tpp
republicans
democrats
u.s.-japan relations
2016 u.s. presidential election


Exploitative enterprises continue to menace society

Abstract: On Dec. 15, the operator of Japanese-style pubs Watami Co. reached a settlement with the parents of a former employee who killed herself due to overwork. In the settlement, Watami admitted that the female employee’s death was caused by excessive work, said Kazunari Tamaki, a lawyer for the woman’s parents. Mina Mori, 26, committed suicide in June 2008, two months after beginning to work for Watami. She was forced to work long shifts until the early hours and often hung around until the first train of the next morning. According to court documents, her overtime was found to be in excess of 140 hours a month. She had four days off in a two-month period. “My body hurts. I feel exhausted,” she wrote in a note in May. “I feel emotionally numb. I can’t move as fast as I want to. Please help me, somebody help me.” Burakku kigyō (so-called black, or dark, enterprises) are probably the epitome of everything that’s wrong in Japan today. In 2013, it was among the top trending words of the year. Haruki Konno, head of Posse, a group that helps young people with problems in their working environment, says black enterprises typically hire young employees and then force them to work large amounts of overtime without extra pay. While specifics may vary from company to company, conditions are generally poor and workers are subject to verbal abuse, sexual harassment and bullying. “Immigrants typically bear the brunt of such treatment,” Konno told me in an interview. “In Japan, young people in particular suffer. Originally the term was popular among college students looking for jobs. It was shorthand for a company that worked its employees into the ground.” Konno says black enterprises are able to flourish due to existing conditions in the labor market. In 1985, regular employees accounted for 85 percent of the workforce. These days, the number is roughly 60 percent, a shift in job security caused by the easing of labor dispatch laws. “Good jobs are hard to find and people are willing to put up with a lot before quitting,” Konno says. It’s worth noting that black enterprises are not exactly a new phenomenon. In July 2000, advertising giant Dentsu Inc. admitted it was responsible for the 1991 suicide of a 24-year-old employee who had become depressed due to overwork. Dentsu agreed to pay his family about ¥168 million in damages. In March 2000, the Supreme Court heard that Ichiro Oshima typically couldn’t leave work before 6 a.m. When Oshima returned home after these shifts, he basically only had time to change his clothes before returning to the office. Following the ruling, Dentsu vowed to take measures to prevent similar deaths by thoroughly monitoring employees’ working and health conditions. For its staff’s sake, I hope it has. I’ve worked for a black enterprise myself. We kept two sets of books: a book in which real working hours were recorded and another to show labor inspectors. Those assigned to night-shift duty were tasked with logging the hours of everyone in the division. It was certainly surreal to see that I was in the middle of a three-day vacation, according to the manual, when I was actually in the office at 2 a.m. In 2013, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare investigated 5,111 companies that were accused of having atrocious labor conditions. Eighty-two percent of the companies examined were found to be in violation of labor laws and almost half of them — 43.8 percent — expected their employees to work overtime illegally. According to the Sankei Shimbun, labor minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki in May last year ordered his department to release the names of these enterprises. So far, not a single one has been named. One would hope Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recognizes that black enterprises are not good for society or the economy. Low-paid workers who don’t have free time or money to spend on consumer goods also generally don’t have time to get married or have children. But even if the government fails to act, there’s something the general public can do to keep black enterprises in check — spend money on companies that don’t mistreat their workers. Backed by the Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Watami’s founder, Miki Watanabe, was elected to the Diet in 2013. That same year, Watami failed to break even for the first time since it listed in 1996. People voted with their feet, eating at other establishments. It could be argued that Watami’s settlement in December is an attempt to address this and improve conditions in the workplace. One can only hope. Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel after all?

labor law
harassment
abuse
black companies


Sugar rush of sweet sushi, chocolate fossils and more as Valentine's in Japan approaches

Abstract: Japan has an uneven track record when it comes to celebrating Western holidays. While many people have started dressing up for Halloween only recently , the country has wholly embraced Valentine’s Day since the 1950s . Annually, women buy premium chocolate and in bulk , generating half the country’s chocolate business being spent in February . (Yes, that’s mostly women. Men repay the confectionary favor on White Day a month later.) While there are mountains of high-end choco tugging at the heart strings, many vendors are trying to stand out with unique packaging and offbeat designs. Here are a few tasty examples. Sushi chocolate If you want to give your partner a gift with a Japanese twist, why not go fishing for some sushi-shaped candy? Instead of heading to Tsukiji’s fish market, go west to Ikebukuro’s Tobu Department Store where you can buy chocolate that looks like egg, shrimp and sea urchin sushi. The set, which costs ¥2,592, includes a dollop of mousse that represent the ginger gari . Chocolate is a girl’s best friend Takashimaya Osaka Store has morphed two favorite gift options: chocolate and diamonds. The department store’s new cake glitters as it’s decorated with diamonds in addition to frosting. You better be in love because the cake, encrusted with 125 diamonds, will set you back more than ¥14 million . ‘Poisoned’ apples Kuromajutsu has a series of “poisoned” apples — but not any old “Snow White” types of fruits. The company claims it has injected “magic” into these apples using a Buddhist prayer that will, supposedly, make your victim — um, that is future spouse — fall in love with you instantly. Kuromajutsu packages the ominous apple in a black box complete with the company’s black cat logo. True love can be yours for just a bite — and ¥10,000. Canned meat Does your man lack a sweet tooth? Meiji has a savory solution by offering up the perfect canned meat for this Valentine’s Day. The company’s web page recommends which canned meat would go well with the men in your life. For example, your hard-working co-worker who likes sake may prefer corn beef, while your red wine-drinking boss might like grilled chicken. We can’t guarantee your Valentine will enjoy this gift, but it is sure to be memorable. Monster cookies At the event Cookieboy event, people can ice monster-shaped cookies designed by textile artist Takehiro Natsuyama to create adorable and delicious treats. Natsuyama wants guests to use his beastly cookies as a canvas and show them how to turn treats into works of art using only frosting and other toppings. Instead of keeping it a secret, you can make your Valentine’s gift with your boyfriend this year at the Cookieboy workshop . Jurassic Fossil Chocolat Instead of searching for the perfect gift, you can make your boyfriend dig it up himself with an archaeological treat. Welcome to Jurassic chocolate. Jurassic Fossil Chocolat by Maquis is a tasty set where people have to unearth the chocolate fossil hidden behind a layer of . . . more chocolate. The set even comes with a tiny hammer and brush to complete the prehistoric experience. Some of the buried dinosaurs include a T-rex, stegosaurus and brachiosaurus. Yahoo! Japan’s Valentine’s Boy Field Guide If none of these options sound appetizing and you’re still unsure as to what kind of sweets to give your sweetie, Yahoo! Japan has a new site where you can (virtually) ask 25 different boys what their dream date and chocolate is. After you input your lover’s face type (dog, monkey, horse) and personality (herbivore, geeky, manly man), you can ask all of your burning Valentine’s questions. It’s a little unnerving watching this uncanny valley version of your boyfriend reveal his private thoughts, but his reaction is actually based on a scientific survey. As you can see, Valentine’s Day in Japan isn’t just about chocolates and flowers. It’s a big business, and companies will continue to reinterpret the day in new and sometimes terrifying ways.

yahoo
valentine 's day
sushi
takashimaya
rakuten
meiji
tobu
japan pulse
kuromajutsu
cookieboy


Students storm Diet; families flee New York amid tensions; ANA plane crashes; scores volunteer for Mideast mission

Abstract: 100 YEARS AGO Saturday, Feb. 19, 1916 Hundreds of students storm Lower House About 400 students of the four private law colleges in Tokyo, the Meiji, Chuo, Nippon and Hosei University’s, invaded the Lower House on Thursday morning. They were led by a committee and proceeded to the parliamentary building with banners representing the crests of the different schools at the head of the procession. At the House committee they asked to see representative lawmakers of various political parties, in order to hear their opinions on the question of the revision of the system of examination for higher civil service, judicial service and lawyers. The present system of examination provides special treatment for the graduates of government universities, which is regarded as favouritism by the students of private institutions. For several years past, a movement has been carried on by the students of private law colleges aiming at the revision of the regulations so as to remove preferential treatment to the graduates of the government colleges. Several lawmakers’ accepted the request of the committee and made impromptu speeches in the back compound of the parliamentary building. Their utterances were all in favour of the agitation and flattering to the students. Satisfied with the reception, the students dispersed at 3 p.m. 75 YEARS AGO Monday, Feb. 10, 1941 Families flee New York amid war tensions Japanese banks and business establishments in New York have decided to evacuate all members of the families of their employees to Japan shortly in view of the tense and delicate situation in the Far East and in Europe, according to a New York dispatch to Asahi. The directors of the Japanese banks and business establishments in New York have been considering the evacuation of the families of their employees, and recently decided to send back to Japan some 150 women and children. Owing to the tightening of economic measures by America directed against Japan, business between Japan and America has been shrinking markedly of late. The New York agencies of the South Manchuria Railway Co., and the Kanegafuchi Spinning Co. have already decided to close their doors and other Japanese business establishments are leaving for Japan. It is pointed out that when the decree calling for further strengthening of the export license system is enforced by the United States government on Feb. 15, as scheduled, cargoes from America carried by the Japanese ships plying between Yokohama and New York will be cut by 80 percent, as the enforcement of the decree means an embargo on the export of oil from America to Japan in a practical sense. 50 YEARS AGO Saturday, Feb. 5, 1966 Passenger jet crashes in Tokyo Bay; 133 dead An All Nippon Airways (ANA) jetliner carrying 126 passengers and a crew of seven was believed to have crashed in Tokyo Bay Friday night. Authorities concerned in the search and rescue operation held little hope for the plane turning up with the personnel on board safe. The Boeing 727 tri-jet was scheduled to arrive at Tokyo International Airport at 7:05 p.m. from Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. About 40 vessels including fishing boats and patrol boats of the Maritime Safety Agency, Maritime Self-Defense Force and Tokyo Metropolitan Fire Department combed the waters of Tokyo Bay throughout last night. ANA announced last night that the jetliner contacted the airport control tower around 7:01 p.m. for landing permission. The craft was spotted on radar over Kisarazu on Boso Peninsula. The control tower gave the plan clearance to land, but the plane failed to come into sight. A merchant ship, the Kita Maru, cruising off Kisarazu, reported to the Maritime Safety Agency that it had spotted “a fireball falling from the sky.” The same ship radioed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Fire Agency that it had recovered what it believed to be part of an aircraft’s wreckage at around 8:15 p.m. According to ANA, the plane carried fuel enough to fly up to 8:45 p.m. 25 YEARS AGO Friday, Feb. 8, 1991 Scores volunteer for U.N. Mideast mission Nearly 100 Japanese have volunteered at the Tokyo office of the United Nations Development Plan to go to the Persian Gulf region to support people displaced as a result of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. “We would like to dispatch as many Japanese volunteers as possible to the Gulf region to support relief activities for evacuees,” said Makoto Hinei, head of the office. U.N. Volunteer Tokyo has so far received about 600 inquires about how to help relief activities in the region. Of those, nearly 100 people have registered, he said. The ability to comprehend English is a prerequisite for U.N. volunteers, Hinei said, but the Tokyo group does not require volunteers to possess any special skills for relief assistance. The exact number of Japanese volunteers who will go to the Gulf area is not yet finalized, although the Tokyo unit’s budget can cover about 20. Those selected will be assigned to Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Iran — countries where no fighting has taken place, Hinei said. The volunteers will receive transportation and living expenses and daily allowances. The organization pays for medical and life insurance. It will also arrange visas.

wwii
accidents
ana
kuwait
world war ii
iraq
tokyo bay


Amnesty slams Japan's contentious secrecy law, low acceptance of refugees

Abstract: LONDON - Japan has displayed an “intolerance of public criticism” with the introduction of a contentious new secrecy law, Amnesty International said Wednesday in its annual report for 2015. The London-based rights group said the law on official secrets, which came into effect in December 2014, could “excessively restrict” the right to access information held by the authorities. Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s East Asia director, said Japan is showing “growing intolerance toward criticism and dissent.” Critics of the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets claim public authorities could withhold information without giving a clear justification, according to the report. Amnesty also raises concern about the lack of oversight of the new law and the threat to journalists trying to report on issues that are genuinely in the public interest. Jail terms for those leaking designated secrets could be up to ten years. Elsewhere, the group said concerns continue to be raised at the fact that only 11 people out of more than 5,000 applicants in 2014 were granted refugee status in Japan. The assessment also noted the ruling coalition’s opposition to implementing legislation prohibiting racial discrimination despite a recommendation from the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Regarding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Amnesty says he “expressed grief, but only referred to apologies made by former heads of government.” On Japan taking responsibility for forcing Korean women into Japanese military brothels before and during the war, Amnesty said the deal between Seoul and Tokyo in December to end the dispute was criticized for failing to take into account the views and needs of the victims. On a more positive note, the global organization welcomed moves by Shibuya Ward in Tokyo to acknowledge same-sex unions as equivalent to marriage. Registered same-sex partners will be offered legally nonbinding certification, and have visitation rights in hospitals and the ability to co-sign tenancy agreements. Turning to global issues, Amnesty voiced concern that many governments have “brazenly broken” international law and are “deliberately” undermining institutions meant to protect people’s rights. The group is warning of an “insidious and creeping trend” to undermine human rights coming from governments “deliberately attacking, underfunding or neglecting institutions that have been set up to help protect our rights.” Amnesty claims that in 2015 more than 98 states tortured or otherwise ill-treated people, and 30 or more illegally forced refugees to return to countries where they would be in danger. In at least 18 countries, war crimes or other violations of the “laws of war” were committed by governments or armed groups. The report criticizes the United Nations for a “systemic failure” over its handling of the civil war in Syria that has led to “catastrophic human consequences.”

shinzo abe
refugees
amnesty international
secrecy law
japan


Mysterious high-pitched tone keeps Oregon residents up at night

Abstract: PORTLAND, OREGON - An unexplained high-pitched tone has kept residents of a Portland suburb awake at night for at least a week, confounding the best efforts of police and firefighters to pinpoint its source, officials in the community said on Monday. Adding to the mystery is the fact that the noise, a steady, whistle-like note resembling a flute, has only been reported after dark in Forest Grove, a rustic community of 22,500 located about 25 miles (40 km) west of Oregon’s largest city. Former residents say they remember a similar sound echoing through the night air several decades ago, according to reports filed with Forest Grove Fire and Rescue. The tone is unusual for its combination of high pitch and ambiguous point of origin, said audio engineer Tobin Cooley, president of the company Listen Acoustics, who agreed to informally assess the phenomenon for Reuters on Monday. “Higher frequencies like this tone are very directional sounds, versus low-frequency sounds which can seem to come from anywhere or everywhere at once,” Cooley said, cautioning that he had listened to poor-quality recordings but not made a thorough investigation. “What surprises me is that neighbors have not been able to locate where this is coming from,” he said. Cooley speculated that the sound could be coming from a release of compressed air or natural gas, but officials with the local gas company said they had ruled out any of the utility’s equipment or pipelines as a source. “We sent a tech out, and he spent the whole day investigating,” said Melissa Moore, spokeswoman for Northwest Natural Gas. She added that a gas leak would also produce an odor, which has not been reported. Although the Forest Grove fire department is collecting information about the sound, firefighters do not know what to do about it, a spokeswoman for the agency said. She added, “We aren’t waiting for it to make a noise. We are going about our duties.”


Pokémon catches nostalgia fever for its 20th anniversary

Abstract: It’s hard to believe, but Pokémaniacs have been trying to catch ’em all for two decades. Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pokémon with a year full of new products, re-releases and huge doses of nostalgia around the world. Up first is a re-release of the very first Game Boy games (“Red,” “Blue,” “Green” and “Yellow”), which will be available for purchase on “Pokémon Day,” Feb. 27, exactly 20 years since their initial launch. Trainers can download digital copies of the game for their Nintendo 3DS or 2DS, or they can buy a special edition of the Nintendo 2DS . The anniversary bundle comes with a colored, clear-plastic handheld system, a digital copy of the game, stickers, a town map and a code to download the legendary Pokémon Mew. Those wanting something a little more modern should check out the other games coming to the Wii U and smartphones later this year. If the original game’s 8-bit music doesn’t hold up, you can always hear an orchestrated version of the Pokémon soundtrack in person with the Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions concert. The North American show will feature a live orchestra performing many fan favorites from various entries in the series. Currently the website only features a listing for St. Louis of all places, but promises more dates and locations in the future. And when there is a Pokémon celebration, there must be gratuitous amounts of Pokémon swag. U.S. fans can buy a variety of 20th anniversary apparel , featuring a special logo, along with an updated version of “ Pokémon: The First Movie .” There will also be limited edition trading cards , featuring some of the original Pocket Monsters, as well as Kyoto-themed toys to commemorate the newest Pokémon Center in Japan’s ancient capital. For some gamers, this will definitely pull up memories of watching the cartoon after school and demanding that Mom buy new batteries for the Game Boy. If you’re one of them, feel free to join the nostalgia fest with the #Pokemon20 hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. P ost your favorite moments and memories from the Pokémon series, whether it’s Red picking his first Pocket Monster or watching your own kids join the Pokémon fandom . Users are also posting artwork and other DIY projects to the hashtag. So whether you did indeed catch them all or if you were just content with only Pikachu, the 20th anniversary of Pokémon celebration will have something to make you feel like a kid again.

nintendo
social media
twitter
instagram
pokemon
nintendo 3ds
japan pulse


As warm winds blow, temperatures in Japan reach record highs for February

Abstract: Record high temperatures for February were set in parts of central and western Japan on Sunday as warm air from the south moved in over the Japanese archipelago, pushing up temperatures and stoking strong winds across the country. The temperature reached 24.8 C in Tokyo, 23.5 C in Nagoya and 23.3 in Minami, Tokushima Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. In the northeastern prefecture of Iwate, the mercury climbed to 22 C in Kuji and 21.3 C in Iwaizumi, levels more typical of July. The warm air brought strong winds and heavy rain to many parts of the country, causing traffic disruption. All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. canceled over 70 domestic flights altogether Sunday and a bullet train service was temporarily suspended in northeastern Japan. Winds of up to 131 kilometers per hour were recorded in the northeastern prefecture of Aomori. Temperatures are expected to drop back Monday as atmospheric pressure pattern typical of winter returns, the weather agency said.


South Korean firms fear heavy losses from North's seizure of Kaesong

Abstract: Seoul cut water and power supplies to the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea on Friday, a day after the North deported all 280 South Korean managers from the site. North Korea prevented them from taking equipment and finished products, saying it has seized the site and its assets. “I was told not to bring anything but personal goods, so I’ve got nothing but my clothes to take back,” a manager at an apparel company said. Seoul’s unification minister warned the North not to damage South Korean property in Kaesong, but there was a despondent atmosphere as managers gathered for a meeting on Friday, fearing they have lost everything. A suspension at the park for five months in 2013 cost South Korean firms 1.05 trillion won ($8.7 million), the Yonhap news agency said. This time, the loss of property, trade and contracts could exact a much higher toll on the 124 companies in Kaesong, Yonhap quoted factory bosses as saying. On Friday, Seoul said it will help the firms with emergency loans and let them pay taxes and utility bills late. Factories at the industrial park, which opened in 2004, made a range of labor-intensive products, ranging from clothes and watches to utensils. They employed around 54,000 workers last year, paying the salaries to the state — a fact that rankled with South Koreans as the North plows cash into its military. An entrepreneur based in Japan who had planned to travel to Kaesong this month has criticized the decision to close the site. Zainichi business owner Do Sangtae, 74, of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, has been working on improvements to cross-border rail links. “We were searching for ways to contribute to improve relations,” he said Friday by phone. He questioned whether tougher sanctions against North Korea by Japan, announced Wednesday, are the right answer. “I think that first we need to continue to look for ways to improve communications,” Do said.

north korea
south korea
north korean nuclear crisis
kaesong


Denso, NTT Docomo to cooperate on self-driving technology

Abstract: Auto parts maker Denso Corp. and mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc. will work together in developing a vehicle control system for automated driving and advanced driver assistance. They said Monday that the LTE and next-generation 5G mobile standards will be used to develop a system that lets vehicles merge onto expressways and cross intersections with poor visibility. The partnership will pair Denso’s strength in vehicle control systems and Docomo’s expertise in vehicle communication networks, the two companies said. Denso, a group unit of Toyota Motor Corp., has been working on technology that avoids traffic accidents by connecting vehicles wirelessly to traffic lights and other infrastructure. Many Japanese automakers are stepping development of self-driving technology in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.


Socialists vow to fight Constitution revision, urge unity between opposition parties

Abstract: Wrapping up a two-day convention in Tokyo, the Social Democratic Party vowed to fight Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to amend the war-renouncing Constitution. The SDP on Sunday adopted an action plan calling for “bold” cooperation among opposition forces to fight the ruling bloc in this summer’s Upper House election. On Friday, five opposition parties — including the Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and the smaller SDP — submitted to the Diet two bills that would scrap the contentious security laws that were enacted last year. Senior executives of the four other parties attended the first day of the SDP’s convention Saturday as guests, during which they urged unity. Under the security legislation that is to take effect March 29, Japan will be allowed to exercise the right to collective self-defense. The legislation will also expand the range of missions the Self-Defense Forces can be sent on overseas. Meanwhile, in early February Abe called for public debate about amending the Constitution. He has said this will be a central issue in the campaign for the Upper House election. The SDP action plan expresses alarm about an existential showdown the venerable party may face in this election. It currently has two lawmakers in the Lower House and three in the Upper House — of whom, the seats of SDP leader Tadatomo Yoshida and former leader Mizuho Fukushima are up for grabs. The SDP began life in 1955 as the Japan Socialist Party and at one time was the largest opposition force.


Cellphone cease-fire signals change

Abstract: The Japanese mobile phone industry recently came under fire from the government for using ambiguous price-setting schemes and excessive handset discounts that stole customers from rivals but penalized loyalty. This has prompted the three major carriers — NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Corp. — to roll out new monthly plans that are more affordable to infrequent users and rein in their outrageous handset discounts. How is the system changing and how will it affect your cellphone payments? Below are some questions and answers on the new pricing schemes: Why did the government intervene in the private sector on this issue? It started in September when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signaled that mobile phone fees accounted for too much of household spending. After the communications ministry issued a report on the issue in December, minister Sanae Takaichi faced the presidents of the three carriers and told them to come up with cheaper pricing plans. She also asked them to tone down their customer-stealing campaigns, which were based on huge discounts or cash-back programs. “Ideally, it would be best if the price plans fall under free competition. But the competition has focused too much on handset price discounts. I have to say it is unhealthy,” Takaichi said on TV in November. The ministry is also planning to dispatch bogus shoppers to cellphone shops to check on the carriers discount plans. This has led some experts to question the government’s apparent decision to intervene, on the taxpayer tab, in free competition. What are the new monthly plans being offered? Basically, people who don’t spend much time surfing the Internet with their mobile phones will be able to lower their monthly charges by around ¥1,500. SoftBank and KDDI, which runs the au brand, came up with a ¥2,900 data fee that allows smartphone customers to use up to 1 gigabyte per month. If voice calls are included, one’s bill might rise to around ¥4,900. Before, the cheapest rate the two carriers offered was around ¥6,500 for joint data and voice call service, including 2 GB of data. KDDI’s new rate starts in March and SoftBank’s in April. Docomo’s new plan, which starts in March, is slightly different because it caters to families. It charges a family of three ¥13,500 a month, including a ¥6,500 data-sharing plan that allows up to 5 GB to be used by the family in total. Docomo, which has the largest market share in Japan, says this means the monthly fee for a family of three can average out to around ¥4,500 each if voice calls are included. Will those who use more than 1 GB of data a month benefit? The carriers have not announced changes for mid-level and heavy users. But Tomoya Tabata, director of corporate strategy and planning at Docomo, said more changes are on the horizon. “It’s not that we are done with the price rate (revision),” he said. What will happen to the handset discounts? In February, handset prices effectively rose, especially for those who switch carriers. Docomo, KDDI and SoftBank were battling fiercely to steal each others’ customers. This led to major incentives, such as bigger monthly discounts for defectors and even cash back schemes. In some cases, they simply handed out phones for free and offered tens of thousands of yen in cash back, triggering what became known as the “cash-back war.” This led the government to raise the red flag. It argued that such incentives, which only benefit new subscribers, were unfair to those who preferred to stay with one carrier. Reducing cash-back offers and monthly discounts may ease the financial burden on carriers who use such incentives, but it is also expected to dent handset sales and make it harder to steal customers. KDDI President Takashi Tanaka said earlier this month that traffic had dropped considerably at au shops since the discounts were stopped. But Tabata of Docomo said the industry knew the excessive cash-back campaigns had to end sometime. “(The intervention) is an opportunity for the industry to change the focus of competition,” he said. How will competition change? Tabata said cellphone carriers are still expected to offer bargains. For instance, as mobile phone operators start selling electricity in April, when the power market is liberalized, they can be expected to offer discounts to those who opt to buy both their power and cellphone services from the same firm. They have also been offering home fiber-optic Internet connection deals. Tabata said more package deals for home-use services might be in the works. “We were too preoccupied with taking users from rivals by (offering) huge discounts on handset prices in a saturated market,” he said. “But I think that the stage of competition (is set to) change.”


Woman bites into pearl at U.S. restaurant

Abstract: ISSAQUAH, WASHINGTON - A woman bit down on a rare pearl while eating a meal of clams and other seafood at an Italian restaurant in Washington state. Lindsay Hasz and her husband Chris were eating at Montalcino Ristorante Italiano in Issaquah recently when she bit into something hard in her entree. Hasz says she wasn’t sure what it was but put it in her pocket and went home to do research. She took it to a gemologist, who determined it was a Quahog purple pearl worth about $600. Ted Irwin of Northwest Geological Laboratory says the find is rare, with only one in a couple of million being of gem quality. Hasz says she may have the pearl made into a necklace.