120TH YEAR NO. 41,886* ISSN 0289-1956 ©THE JAPAN TIMES, LTD., 2016

G7 Ise-Shima Summit Special
May 25 — May 27, 2016

Leaders expected to focus
on economy, refugee crisis
Ayako Mie
STAFF WRITER

When the Group of Seven leaders meetin Ise-Shima, Mie Prefecture, on Thursday for the two-day summit meeting,the global leaders will spend much of
their time discussing wide-ranging
issues from terrorism and the refugee
crisis to China, which has been asserting
its military power in the South China
and East China seas. Additionally, agreat deal of time and focus will likely becentered on how to prop up the decelerating global economy, which was triggered by slowdowns in emerging
economies and plunging oil prices.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whochairs the meetings, will be tested for his
leadership in bringing together theother six countries, as each member
state has slightly different views on how
to address the global economy andwhen China, the world’s second-largest
economy, is not a member of the G7.
“There is an increasing risk of economic slowdown and growing economic volatility,” noted Abe during apress conference in London earlier thismonth. “The biggest challenge for the
Ise-Shima summit would be how thegroup of seven countries can coordinate
to counter against it.”First proposed by former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing in 1975,
the Group of Seven summits have provided a rare opportunity for global leaders to sit and talk about pressing global
issues. Historically, the economy dominated the conference, especiallybecause there was no mechanism tocoordinate economic policies among
the global powers.

Japan has been the member since theinception and so far hosted five summits, with the last meeting in Japan taking place eight years ago in Toyako,
Hokkaido.
As this year’s chairperson, Abe has
been spending much political capital tohelp ensure he hosts a successful summit meeting, earlier this month travelingto Europe, where he met with ItalianPrime Minister Matteo Renzi, French
President Francois Hollande, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as
British Prime Minister David Cameron,to lay the groundwork for the meeting.
He also met with European Council
President Donald Tusk and European
Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker earlier this month during his
European tour.
At the summit Abe hopes to pitch
economic measures that mimic his
three arrows of economic policies —fiscal and monetary policies and structural reform — with an emphasis on abold public spending measure to shore
up the global economy. The prime minister secured clear support for fiscal
stimulus from France and Italy during
his European trip. Yet a rift over increasing government spending remains
among Japan, the U.K. and Germany.
During talks with Merkel, Abe suggested that each country should boost
their stimulus spending. Yet the German
chancellor, who is known for fiscal discipline, hinted that Germany is alreadydoing enough and said domestic consumption has been whetted by the massive inflow of refugees. She wasnoncommittal in prioritizing aggressive
fiscal spending, while emphasizing theimportance of simultaneous implementation of fiscal stimulus, structuralreforms and monetary policy.
Cameron also echoed Merkel andemphasized the importance of structural reform. While noting the need forG7 countries to coordinate for global
economic growth, Cameron said a balanced approach to implement three
arrows by reflecting the situations ofeach country.
Despite these differences, during a
Diet session last week, Abe said that theG7 countries agree on the need for fiscal
stimulus and noted that the G7 does notdecide things by majority vote.
Japanese government officials also
expressed optimism. Masatsugu
Asakawa, vice minister of finance forinternational affairs at the Finance Ministry, told the Nikkei Shimbun last weekthat coordination among the major
powers means each country can mix
policies depending on its situation.
The global leaders are also likely to
discuss issues involving corruption, following the release of the Panama
Papers, which showed that the rich,famous and powerful have been hiding
their assets in tax havens. During therecent anti-corruption summit in London this month, Cameron called for
global efforts to fight corruption andDowning Street said it plans to expose
the names of foreign property owners.
Yet G7 leaders are also tasked to differentiate themselves from the Group of
20, an international meeting for theleaders and central bank governors from
20 economies, including China, India
Continued on B2

Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic (top) and Shima Kanko Hotel The Bay Suites (above right) are the venues for the G7 Ise-Shima
Summit. The Sun Arena (above left) is the venue of the International Media Center. shima kanko hotel/scolture-mie

Flags of the Group of Seven countries istock

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To read more articles on the G7Ise-Shima Summit, see http://
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/
national/ise-shima-summit/

B2

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

diplomacy

Summit agenda laden withdifficult international issues
Kiichi Fujiwara
special to the japan times

The G7 Ise-Shima
Summit in Mie
Prefecture is
expected to be amajor opportunity
to present Japan
under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
as a key memberof the international community.
Abe has been consistent in expressing
his desire to end decades of Japan’s economic and political decline, and to put
Japan back on the map, or to have Japan
recognized as a major economic, military and political power. Therefore, thesummit provides an opportunity toadvance Japan’s global reputation, a sortof effort at public relations at the international level. The summit is expected
to work as public relations at the domestic level as well, an event that shows Abe
as a global leader to the Japanese public
in an election year, with the forthcoming
Upper House elections.
This will be the last summit with U.S.
President Barack Obama, and it is quite
appropriate that Obama chose to visit
Hiroshima on this occasion. We must
not, however, forget that this summit
takes place in our global winter of discontent. The eurozone has suffered from
economic setbacks, a refugee crisis, therevival of strict border regulations andthe menace of “Brexit,” the possible exitof Britain from the European Union,
hangs over the future of Europe, causing
alarms extending over other regions as
well. The collapse of governance in the
Middle East and northern Africa, withthe crisis in Syria and Libya as the mostsalient cases of state failure and civil
war, are no longer regional issues, buthave become global concerns, withextremist violence linked with radical
Islam breaking out in Paris, Brussels andother cities.
The agenda for the summit meeting,then, will most certainly include international responses to the gradualdecline of the global market, with economic contraction in China and thecontinuing instability crisis in the Eurozone; what is to be done in face of thestate failure and civil war in Syria, where
the international community failed toprotect human lives; and what opportunities recent changes in Iranian foreign
policy may provide.
Rare is a G7 summit that carries somuch on its agenda. However, there lies
an even more important task that relates
to the two big players that are absent in
the summit: Russia and China.
Russia, of course, is not attending thesummit because of the rift that has
emerged between the East and the Westover Russian annexation of Crimea andmilitary advances in Eastern Ukraine. In
spite of the many international
denouncements over Russia’s advances,
the administration of President Vladimir

It remains to be seen how the G7 countries will move forward on matters involving
Russia and China. ap/reuters

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe serves thechair of the summit, where manypressing issues facing the world are
expected to be discussed. afp-jiji

Putin has remained adamant in its pursuit, raising concerns that Russia may
not be a member of the international
community that shares common ideason the normative basis of the international community. As of today, few
major powers are eager to invite Russia
back to the summit table.
The Abe administration’s approach to
Russia, however, has been more accommodating than others. Right before theG7 summit, Abe visited Russia, meeting
Putin and agreeing that the territorial
disputes between Japan and Russia
should be settled before the end of theirterms. Here, Japan seems eager to convince the G7 member states to invite
Russia back to the table.
Why should this be? For Abe, settling
the territorial debate on the Kuril
Islands, which have been under Russian
control since the end of World War II,
was one of the two key points that had
been neglected by previous administrations, along with the revision of the Constitution. It is Abe’s determination toconfront the unresolved dispute that ispushing Japan to a more accommodating policy toward Russia than Japan’s
partners in the West. Strengthening ties
with Moscow might also increase
Japan’s leverage in foreign relations,especially because, aside from the U.S.,
Japan lacks partners to face a rising

Leaders pose for a photo during last year’s G7 summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany.

China. Approaching Russia, therefore, isa rational choice for Abe both in termsof domestic politics and foreign policy.
Whether G7 members will share Abe’s
conciliatory approach to Russia isunclear at this moment. On the one
hand, Russia’s relationship with theWest has further deteriorated after Russian airstrikes in Syria. The U.S. and EU,
however, have also sought Russia’s participation in the cease-fire talks in Syria.
At the moment, the balance seems tohave shifted from accelerating tension
to a search for reconciliation; it will be amajor achievement for Abe if he canconvince the U.S. and EU to invite Russia to future summits.
Regarding China, all Western nations
are divided in their approach. China’s
maritime adventures, what with theconstruction of artificial islands in theSouth China Sea and the Chinese navy
increasing activity in waters proclaimed
to be Filipino, Vietnamese or Japanese
territories, has caused much alarm
among the East and Southeast Asian
nations, casting doubt on previous
engagement policy. On the other hand,
China’s economy, which has provided
economic opportunities for the West,has been declining in recent years, causing anxiety that a crash in the Chinese

Kyodo

market may lead the global economy
into further decline, if not a financial
crisis.
The dilemma here is that geopolitics
tells us to be cautious about engagement policy, while economics tells usthat further engagement and cooperation with China is crucial in the prevention of a global crisis. Generally
speaking, EU nations have tended totake China more as an opportunity thanas a military threat, while Japan has
taken the military challenge from China
more seriously, mainly because of geographical proximity, with the U.S. placedin an uncomfortable middle role.
Abe has been known to be skeptical
about engaging China, paying more
attention to the military aspect of China’s rise. Although it would be unfair to
illustrate Abe’s policy as an attempt toisolate China from the world, there is noquestion that Japan consistently took
the lead in addressing China’s challenges to maritime security. After meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in late2014, however, bilateral relations
between Beijing and Tokyo are morestable than before. This G7 summit isbeing held precisely at the moment
when Japan’s policy toward China may
or may not become more accommodat-

ing. Will Japan continue its effort toaddress the danger of China’s military
expansion as a threat to maritime security? Will Japan soften its approach andtry to show common ground that both
China and the rest of the world share? If
Japan turns to the second alternative,
there is even a possibility that Japanmight suggest inviting China to the summit table. It is ironic that the Abe administration, known for an alarmist policy
toward China, may call for engagement.
All this shows that Abe’s administration is not a mere supporter of the U.S.
Of course Japan is a member of theWestern alliance, with Abe showing no
inclination to leave, but Abe belongs to a
relatively small number of Japaneseprime ministers who have worked toshow initiative and leadership outside of
the U.S.-Japan alliance. The big questionthat remains to be answered is whether
Abe’s initiative will further strengthen
Japan’s position in the G7, or invite
reluctance to accept Japan’s active
diplomacy.
Kiichi Fujiwara is director of Security
Studies at the Policy Alternative ResearchInstitute and professor of International
Politics at the University of Tokyo.

Syrian refugees eat outside their classroom at a makeshift school, where only Syrian students are enrolled, built by NGO Kayany
Foundation in Saadnayel, Lebanon, on May 12. The leaders of the Group of Seven are likely to discuss, among other subjects,
providing sufficient education to refugee children. ap

Asian security, terrorism high on summit agenda
Continued from B1111111111111page 1

and Brazil. China will be the chair of
this year’s G20 meeting, and the grouphas similar positions on addressing the
global economy.
At a February meeting in Shanghai,
the G20 finance ministers and central
bankers said that they would use “allpolicy tools” — monetary, fiscal andstructural policies — to shore up the
global economy. They also warned
against countries that do not comply
with the OECD standards on tax transparency at a meeting in Washington
D.C. in April.
On the diplomatic and security front,
the G7 will work on an action plan
against terrorism, which was promised
during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last month in Hiroshima, following
heinous terror attacks in France andBelgium. Japanese media reported thatthe plan is likely to call on sharing information from Interpol, using airline res-

PAGE: B2

ervation information, as well as
cracking down on terrorism financing.
The leaders are also expected to talkabout Syria and the refugee crisis.
Ahead of the summit meeting, Japanannounced that it would receive 150
Syrian exchange students over the next
five years starting in 2017. Tokyo apparently made that pledge to dodge criticism that Japan accepts too few
refugees and asylum seekers as its standards are too high. The group of seveneducational ministers last week also
adopted the “Kurashiki Declaration,” inwhich the countries pledged to step up
their efforts in providing education forrefugee children and those who are indire poverty.
Additionally, Abe also hopes toaddress the issues of North Korea andChina as this is the first time in eight
years that the summit will be hosted in
Asia. In the years since the last summit,
China has been beefing up its militaryarsenal and has been conducting reclamation projects in the South China Sea.
North Korea also has escalated tensions
by conducting more nuclear tests andlaunching missiles despite continuousinternational calls against them.
However, the European G7 members
would appear to prefer to not provoke
China as they have strong economic ties
with the world’s second-largest economy. Also, Beijing does not directly
pose a threat to them at this time. The
communique is likely to follow lastyear’s by mentioning the maritime
security issue in the East and South
China seas without naming China.
Japan is also expected to bring up
maritime security at the outreach meeting during the summit. Tokyo invited
non-G7 countries to participate in theoutreach meeting, including Asian
countries such as Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, as well as
Oceana’s Papua New Guinea.

THE JAPAN TIMES MAY 25  MAY 27, 2016

summit messages and leaders’ profiles
G7 leads the way instable, sustainableeconomic growth

United front neededin fight against global
infectious diseases

Sadayuki Sakakibara

Yasuhisa Shiozaki

CHAIRMAN, KEIDANREN

MINISTER OF HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE

On behalf of Keidanren, I wish to extend
my warmest welcome to the G7 leadersparticipating in the Ise-Shima summit.
This summit is to be held at a time
when the state of the world economy is far
from reassuring in light of the slowdownof emerging economies and the instabilityof financial and capital markets.
Keidanren hosted the “B7 Tokyo Summit” on April 20 and 21, to facilitate an
in-depth discussion on the world economy, trade and investment, the digital
revolution and other global agenda
among the heads of major business federations in G7 countries. The outcome ofthe discussion was submitted, in theform of the B7 Joint Recommendations
representing the consensus of the G7
business communities, to Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe.
The essence of our message is that it isincumbent on the G7 nations, sharing fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, rule of law, basic human rights and

The international community trembled in fear over the recent Ebola virus
disease epidemic, which taught us
many lessons. Public health is now a
global issue.
In order to fight against the global
risks of infectious diseases, it is indispensable to strengthen the emergency
response capacities of the World HealthOrganization, and formulate an international cooperation arrangement forsignificant crisis. At the same time, it isnecessary to secure lifelong publichealth services in preparation for theprevention of noninfectious diseases.
The achievement of universal healthcoverage will be the foundation of all
those things. Japan, possessing the necessary experience and capacities,
wishes to make positive contributions
to the global society.
Additionally, the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become auniversal threat to the entire humanthe market economy, to play a leading rolein achieving, through close policy coordination, the stable and sustainable development of the world economy.
As chair of the B7 Tokyo Summit, I
would like to once again call on the G7
leaders to collectively implement flexible
fiscal policies and carry out bold structural reforms while avoiding exclusive
reliance on monetary policy.

Ise-Shima Summit Agenda
AGENDA
Global economy & trade
Foreign policy
Climate change & energy
Development
Quality infrastructure investment
HealthWomenrace and animal kingdom. In April
Japan hosted the Tokyo Health Ministers’ Meeting on AMR and launched
the Asia-Pacific One Health Initiative.
Japan, taking a leading role in theworld’s public health, plans to initiate
global discussion on these issues at
the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, as well asat the G7 Kobe Health Ministers’Meeting in September.

Profile of leaders to participate in the G7 summit
KYODO

The following are profiles of Group of
Seven leaders who will gather in the central Japan prefecture of Mie for the IseShima summit on May 26-27.

BritainPrime Minister David Cameron

Cameron will attend his seventh summit after hosting the anti-corruption

ing of 15 women and 15 men, besides
Trudeau himself, is notable for its
diverse makeup, including a former
refugee and an aboriginal.
In contrast to his predecessor Stephen Harper, Trudeau accepted over
25,000 refugees from Syria, halted airstrikes against Islamic State militants,
and shows desire to pursue nuclear
disarmament.
During his visit to Japan for the IseShima summit, he hopes to promotebilateral trade and investment throughmeetings with Japanese business leaders.
In his meeting with Abe in Washington in late March, Trudeau said his
country will make efforts to meet
Japan's expectations for an early startof Canadian natural gas exports.
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slowing global economy at the summit.
He was responsible as the prime minister for the decision to host the 2008
Group of Eight summit in the Lake Toya-

FrancePresident Francois HollandeThis year's summit could be the61-year-old's last, as the president,
whose term ends next May, is struggling with low public support ratings.
Hollande is set to call on his G7 peers

An advocate of fiscal discipline,
Merkel takes a cautious stance overtaking fiscal stimulus steps to support
the flagging global economy despite
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's hope forG7 states to take a united action inboosting public outlays.
She was a physicist living in East
Germany before turning to politics in1989.
-summit in London on May 12, where
he sought to take the lead in cracking
down on tax evasion in the wake of themassive Panama Papers document
leak. Cameron himself has been criticized for profiting from selling sharesin a fund set up in Panama by his
father.
The 49-year-old faces a historic referendum June 23 on whether Britain
should leave the European Union.
Cameron urges the British people tovote in favor of the country remaining
in the bloc, though the public appears
split over the decision.
The British leader hopes to win backing from other G7 leaders for Britain
remaining in the European Union.
During the meeting with JapanesePrime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier inthe month at his country house retreatof Chequers, Cameron said Japan is
Britain's closest security partner in
Asia.
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CanadaPrime Minister Justin Trudeau

This year's summit will be the first for

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Italy
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

The 41-year-old Renzi, who became theyoungest Italian prime minister in

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The U.S.
President Barack Obama

to take united action against terrorism,
after his country suffered deadly
attacks in Paris last November. IslamicState militants have claimed responsibility for the acts that killed 130 people.
In the wake of the Paris attacks, hedispatched the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to theMiddle East and called on the international community for cooperation incracking down on Islamic State extremist groups.
He also pushed for the agreement on
the landmark Paris climate framework
last December, a long-sought deal
committing nearly all countries to reinin greenhouse gas emissions.
In his meeting with Abe in Paris earlier in the month, Hollande said thesummit should put emphasis on economic growth, agreeing with Abe that
the G7 needs to employ flexible fiscal
policy in light of the slowing global
economy.
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Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel

the 44-year-old Trudeau, who came to
power following his Liberal Party's
landslide victory over the ruling Conservative Party last October.
The newly launched Cabinet consist--

resort area in Hokkaido, but could notattend as he stepped down due to healthproblems.
Abe plans to guide his G7 peers to Ise
Jingu shrine, Japan's most revered
Shinto shrine, on the sidelines of thesummit.
He will also accompany U.S. President
Barack Obama during a historic visit toHiroshima after the conclusion of thetwo-day summit. He sees the event as anopportunity to strengthen the JapanU.S. alliance.

Praised as Europe's top powerbroker,
Merkel has played a role as a mediatorin the Ukrainian crisis and also took
the lead in sealing the agreement
between European Union and Turkey
on how to stem the flow of refugees
into the bloc.
Assuming the post since November
2005 as the first female chancellor, sheis the third-longest serving chancellor
following Helmut Kohl and Konrad
Adenauer. The 61-year-old will makeher 11th appearance at the summit, themost among G7 participants.

Obama will attend his eighth and final
summit after becoming the first AfricanAmerican president in 2009. He will use
it as another opportunity for consolidating his legacy, which includes a nuclear
deal with Iran and the restoration of U.S.
diplomatic ties with Cuba.
Obama seeks to lead summit discussions to address the rise of Islamic State
militants and the issue of the South
China Sea, where China's alleged milita-

2014, will attend the summit for thethird time. Italy will assume the presidency of the G7 next year.
Renzi, a former mayor of Florence
and known to be a reform-minded politician, faces the challenging task ofreviving the Italian economy, beset byhigh youth unemployment.
The Italian leader is expected to pitch
to accelerate structural reforms andimplement fiscal stimulus steps torevamp the flagging global economy at
the Ise-Shima summit.
He is known for taking a balanced
approach to dealing with diplomatic
issues and may explore the possibilityof cooperating with Russia, although
Moscow is condemned by Westerncountries for its annexation of the
Crimean region of Ukraine.
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Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Abe will chair the Ise-Shima gatheringin his fifth summit appearance, including when he served his first stint as
prime minister in 2006-2007. He seeks
to take a leadership role in compilingfiscal stimulus, monetary policy andstructural reform policies to address the-rization of the contested waters is stoking concerns in the region.
He also hopes to open a new chapter
in Japan-U.S. relations through his visit
to Hiroshima following the summit. It
will be the first time that a sitting U.S.
president has visited the city.
At home, he sees his public support
ratings at above 50 percent, in a recovery from the Democratic Party's hugeloss in the 2014 midterm elections. His
attacks on Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee,
are also drawing attention.

PAGE: B3

G8/G7 Summit meetings since 2000
2015 Schloss Elmau Summit
Host: Germany
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: April 13, 14
Summit Meeting: June 7, 8
2014 Brussels Summit
Summit Meeting: June 4, 5
The Hague Nuclear Security Summit, 2014
Summit Meeting: March 24, 25
2013 Lough Erne Summit
Host: Britain
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: April 10, 11
Summit Meeting: June 17, 18
2012 Camp David Summit
Host: United States
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: April 11, 12
Summit Meeting: May 18, 19
2011 Deauville Summit
Host: France
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: March 14, 15
Summit Meeting: May 26, 27
2010 Muskoka Summit
Host: Canada
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: March 29, 30
Summit Meeting: June 25, 26
2009 L’Aquila Summit
Host: Italy
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: June 25 to 27
Summit Meeting: July 8 to 10
2008 Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Host: Japan
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: June 26, 27
Summit Meeting: July 7 to 9
2007 Heiligendamm Summit
Host: Germany
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: May 30
Summit Meeting: June 6 to 8
2006 St. Petersburg Summit
Host: Russia
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: June 29
Summit Meeting: July 15 to 17
2005 Gleneagles Summit
Host: Britain
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: June 23
Summit Meeting: July 6 to 8
2004 Sea Island Summit
Host country: United States
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: May 14
Summit Meeting: June 8 to 10
2003 Evian Summit
Host: France
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: May 22, 23
Summit Meeting: June 1 to 3
2002 Kananaskis Summit
Host: Canada
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: June 12, 13
Summit Meeting: June 26, 27
2001 Genoa Summit
Host: Italy
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: July 18, 19
Summit Meeting: July 20 to 22
2000 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit
Host: Japan
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: July 12, 13
Summit Meeting: July 21 to 23

B3

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The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

economyThe benefits and trials of Abenomics
Mitsumaru Kumagai
special to the japan times

It has been almost
three and a halfyears since theadministration ofPrime Minister
Shinzo Abe
launched its economic policy
known as Abenomics. What I would
like to suggest hereis that Abenomics
is moving in the right direction and that
real successes have been achieved.
Ever since 2009 when the Democratic
Party of Japan came to power, the question of whether government policy should
focus on economic growth or redistribution of income has been debated repeatedly. But the reality is that during its entire
three years in office, the DPJ never managed to get Japan’s economy back on trackwith its income redistribution policy. Thisis because they were putting the cart
before the horse.
The order in which economic policies
are implemented is extremely important.
When corporations are forced to carry out
an income redistribution program without an appropriate growth strategy inplace, their financial conditions can only
worsen, and the result is ultimately adecline in household income.

The problem was that Japan’s corporations suffered from the effects of a strong
yen, lagging in free trade practices, toughenvironmental regulations, labor regulations and a high corporate tax rate, leading production operations to relocate
overseas. The result was the hollowing out
of Japan’s industry. In addition, there was
the problem of insufficient electric power
and rising energy costs, as well as a deteriorating relationship with China. In short,Japan’s economy suffered.
Abenomics has taken the rightapproach to the above-mentioned problems. First of all, it represents an aboutface from the former anti-business policy.
The current pro-business economic policy
focuses on the creation of wealth, providing for redistribution of income.
Japan’s economy continues to movesteadily toward recovery with a strong
labor market, even as foreign affairs, suchas relations with China, may bring a noteof uncertainty. Thanks to Abenomics, corporate earnings have achieved recordhigh levels, and employment has grownby over two million jobs. Meanwhile, theactive job openings-to-application ratio,
which indicates the extent to which theemployment market is strong, has risen to
the highest level seen in the past twentyfour years. Moreover, growth in employment is centered on women. The numberof women employed has grown by over
1.6 million since Abe took office. And to
top it off, the stock market has recorded

major growth during the same time.
The next challenge for Abenomics is to
move beyond the classic growth versus
income redistribution argument; both ofwhich need to be pursued, but in the rightorder.
One problem is that in focusing on
growth, the original “three arrows” of Abenomics (monetary policy, fiscal policy
and growth strategy) overemphasizedmonetary policy.
Rather than boldness in monetary policy, what is needed is a flexible fiscal policy. This is the second arrow. There’s
nothing wrong with implementing aggressive fiscal policy, but ultimately, what is
important is to maintain fiscal discipline in
the long-term through the implementation of drastic reform of the social security
system.
As for the third arrow, growth strategy,
the Abe administration has made steadyprogress in deregulation of areas that havelong been considered taboo in Japan. For
instance, reforms have taken place for the
first time in over 60 years in agriculture
and energy. The Abe administration has
also laid the foundations for growth byimplementing reforms in the areas of corporate governance, measures for dealing
with the decreasing birthrate and aging
population, encouraging a more activerole in society for women and labor market reforms.
However, further reforms are stillneeded in the areas of agriculture, medi-cine and nursing care and labor. These are
all areas with entrenched interests having
what are known as bedrock regulations,requiring even more drastic reforms. The
biggest challenge for the Abe administration is finding a means of resolving thepolarization of the labor market caused by
Japan’s lifetime employment system that
divides the labor market into privileged
regular employment and insecure nonregular employment.
The second challenge for Abenomics isstrengthening policy oriented towardredistribution of income.
The sectors that have gained the mostbenefit under the original three arrows
are major manufacturers, high-income
urban dwellers and the elderly. The
Daiwa Institute of Research estimatesthat the weak yen brought on by Abenomics resulted in growth of recurring
profits for Japanese corporations overall
totaling ¥4.3 trillion. However, looking at
the breakdown of this figure by industry
we see that growth in manufacturing
was ¥3.1 trillion, while for non-manufacturing it was only ¥1.2 trillion. Meanwhile, when we look at the breakdownof this figure by the scale of the business,
we see that major corporations havegained ¥3.5 trillion, while small businesshas improved only by ¥0.8 trillion.
Just under three and a half years havepassed since the start of Abenomics, andthe time has now come to move from theoriginal focus on growth and place more

‘Womenomics’ continues as a work in progress
Kathy Matsui
special to the japan times

In 1999, we proposed that part ofthe solution to
Japan’s demographic crisis ishigher female
labor participation, which — at 57
percent at the time
— was among thelowest in thedeveloped world.
Japan stood out from its developed country peers with its pronounced “M-curve”
of female employment, reflecting the factthat over 60 percent of Japanese womenquit working after giving birth to theirfirst child and typically stayed out of theworkforce until their children weregrown. Despite this, however, few paid
any attention to this issue, and the term
“diversity” was not part of the Japanesevernacular. The prevailing view was thatlow female employment was simply afact of Japanese life, and for a variety ofreasons — most of them cultural — thesystem would be impossible to change.
In our 2014 report, “Womenomics
4.0: The Time is Now,” we argued thatclosing the gender employment gap
could lift Japanese GDP by nearly 13
percentage points. When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe first highlighted “womenomics” — getting more women into
leadership roles to boost the economy— as a core pillar of the nation’s growthstrategy in early 2013, many weredeeply skeptical that top-down politicalpressure would lead to any meaningfulchange. Remarkably, however, in lessthan three years, Japanese female labor
participation has risen sharply to arecord high of 66 percent, surpassingthat of the U.S. (64 percent). What factors have driven this progress and whatmore needs to be done?

Labor shortages

Part of the recent spike in female
employment is the result of acute labor
shortages. Japan’s unemployment rate has
fallen to a historical low of 3.3 percent, andthe job openings-to-applicants ratio stands
at a 23-year high of 1.28X, meaning there
are 28 percent more jobs available thanJapanese seeking work. The situation isparticularly harsh in service industries suchas healthcare, construction, retail andtransportation. While the government ispermitting more foreigners to work in someof these areas, supply remains scarce andemployers have been forced to tap into thefemale talent pool. However, the majority ofwomen have been taking on part-timerather than full-time jobs. In order to copewith a prolonged period of deflation,companies shrank their cost bases byshifting employees from full-time to parttime contracts. As a result, part-timers now
account for over 40 percent of total workers,
with women accounting for around 57
percent of all temporary staff.

Child care, parental leave benefits
Another factor driving higher female
employment has been increased childcare capacity and child care benefits. In
2013, the government set a target of
expanding day care capacity to eliminate

the 400,000 children on nationwide day
care waiting lists by 2019. During FY
2013-14, day care capacity was increased
by 219,000 spots, or roughly halfway
toward the goal, and according to the
updated plan, the 2019 goal has beenraised to 500,000. While still insufficient,
the government will likely target
increased day care services in its
upcoming fiscal spending package. In
addition, the government augmented theratio of replacement pay during parental
leave from 50 percent to 67 percent for
the first six months and extendedentitlement to non-regular workers.
Surprisingly, Japanese child care leave
benefits now rank among the mostgenerous in the developed world.

Diversity disclosures and targets

While there are more Japanese women
working than ever before, there is still adearth of females in leadership positions. To
this end, on April 1, a new law, called the“Female Employment Promotion
Legislation,” went into effect. It requires
large-scale private and public sector entities(>300 employees) to disclose gender
diversity targets, accompanied by specificaction plans. While critics argue that targets
are not as effective as quotas since there is
no retribution for non-compliance, we still
regard this as a meaningful step forward
since gender-related disclosures have been
virtually absent, and this new legislation
should improve transparency. (After all, it’s
hard to move the needle if you don’t know
where the needle is). We also believe that —similar to corporate governance reforms —target-setting and peer pressure will force
many firms to start thinking about diversity

more seriously, since management will now
be held accountable for meeting theirdiversity goals.

What more should be done?

Even with the progress seen since 2013,
the fierce demographic headwinds
mean that the government, private
sector and society must work together totake even bolder steps to accelerate
female labor participation. Japan iscertainly not alone with its demographic
challenges, so when the G7 leaders meetin Ise-Shima, Abe should underscore hiscommitment to womenomics with more
concrete action such as the following
recommendations:• Neutralize the tax and social security
codes: The current system of spousal tax
and social security deductions need to beamended so they stop discouraging married women from working full-time outside the home.
• Legislate equal-pay-for-equal-workand introduce more flexible labor contracts: Due to the unequal treatment ofpart-time versus full-time employees, thegovernment should look to the “Dutch
model” of “equal-pay-for-equal-work” inorder to raise the incomes and status ofpart-time workers. Moreover, the government should consider the American
Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s proposal to create a new type of “regular
employee” labor contract that encourages women to return to the workforce as
regular employees and retain pay andpromotion opportunities.
• Expand caregiving capacity: Increase
the capacity and affordability of day careand nursing care via greater deregula-

PAGE: B4

A man checks stock prices displayed at a Tokyo securities firm on April 22. AP

attention on redistribution of income. The
challenge is to strengthen the redistribution of income to non-manufacturing,small business and low-income populations in the regional areas of Japan, including young people and families with young
children.
The reorientation of the Abe administration’s focus is reflected in the new “three
arrows,” which provide a foundation forthe correct understanding of current problems: strengthening the economy, supporting child rearing and social security.
As Japan hosts the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, I would like to emphasize the importance of international policy coordinationin this context. The key to halting thedecline in the global economy and financial markets is proactive, coordinated fiscal
policy on the part of the advanced nations
and China. With the economies of theemerging nations and the resource-richnations in decline, the world economy canno longer depend on the emerging nations

to act as engines for growth. The advanced
nations must become the driving force inimproving the world economy. But since
the advanced nations have limited marginleft for implementing monetary policy, it isessential that they implement major fiscal
policy. As the host country of this year’s G7
summit, Japan must take the lead in promoting such policy.
In addition to developing countermeasures to world economic decline, international coordination is also needed to fightterrorism. Meanwhile, the emergence of
the Panama Papers underlines the needfor a method of preventing tax evasion on
an international scale. The international
community faces a host of difficult problems, and under Abe’s leadership, the G7Ise-Shima Summit should be a meaningfulone.
Mitsumaru Kumagai is the chief economist
at the Daiwa Institute of Research.

Japanese female labor participation surpasses that in the U.S.
% of women between ages 15-64 employed in part/full-time work, as of Feb. 2016
70
68

US

Japan

66
64
62
60
58
56
54
52
50

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

94

96

98

00

02

04

06

08

10

12

14

16

SOURCE: OECDtion. One domestic solution would be toleverage retirees and stay-at-home parents to provide child care and afterschool care within local communities.
Immigration rules should also be liberalized to make it easier to hire foreign
domestic workers and caregivers.
• Reform working hours and create
more flexible work environments: Japanranks second in the OECD for the longest
number of hours worked annually. Muchof this is caused by traditional senioritybased evaluation systems. Employers
should adopt objective and performance-based evaluation plans and promote more flexible work arrangements(including job-sharing and telecommuting).
• Eliminate unconscious biases: Society needs to eliminate unconscious
biases about gender diversity at work,schools and homes. Common myths
about womenomics such as those thatsuggest that higher female labor participation will further depress Japan’s birthrate (when empirical evidence proves the

opposite is true) need to be overturned.
Gender-based stereotypes need to bechallenged, and men need to be encouraged to be more active in the home. It isalso critical to engage male leaders
through initiatives such as “male champions of change” and similar actions.
Since Japan is leading the G7 andother developed countries in terms of
the pace of its aging and shrinking population, it has a unique opportunity to
become a positive template for othernations facing similar challenges.
Japan’s single-most valuable resource is
its people, but with its demographic
clock rapidly ticking, more aggressive
steps must be taken to promote gender
diversity so that everyone has the
chance to maximize their full potential.
Diversity is no longer an option, but an
economic imperative and the benefits ofgreater diversity will be enjoyed by all.
Kathy Matsui is vice chair and chief Japan
strategist at Goldman Sachs Japan.

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

B5

public healthJapan plays leading role inglobal public health issues
Andy Crump
special to the japan times

Satoshi Omura haslong been regarded
as preeminent in
identifying antibiotics and other usefulcompounds originating from nature’s
microorganisms.
His innovative andpioneering research
has resulted in the
discovery of many
new microbes and over 500 novel chemicals, several of which have been developed
into widely used medicines in human andveterinary health, as well as in agriculture.
These include several leading antibiotics,
plus the groundbreaking staurosporine, theforerunner of many of today’s widely usedand highly effective anti-cancer compounds, such as Gleevec and ivermectin, atruly extraordinary, exceptionally safe, multipurpose compound; the world’s first“endectocide,” capable of killing a wide
variety of organisms inside and outside thebody.
The trailblazing nature of his work has
recently been recognized through his
receipt of the 2014 Gairdner Global HealthAward, rapidly followed by sharing the2015 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. It is remarkably uncommon that abiorganic chemist should receive two of
the world’s most prestigious prizes in
global public health, the accolades being
primarily due to the unheralded andunmatched discovery, development, distribution and global impact of the truly
astonishing ivermectin. They were also

A Nigerian farmer afflicted with river
blindness holds his grandson, who will
never be in danger from the disease
thanks to ivermectin. Andy Crump

testament to Omura’s pragmatic insight
into the need to set up international public-private partnerships (with Merck & Co.)and his unwavering belief that nature’s
microorganisms hold the answers to all
our health and many other needs. His
career-long association with the renowned
Kitasato Institute also instilled in him theprimary philosophy of the institute’s eponymous founder, namely that the fruits ofscientific research should be exploited forthe benefit of communities everywhere as
quickly as possible.
As Omura constantly searches for novel
antimicrobials, ivermectin has now beenshown to be effective against, among others, insect disease vectors, bacteria, various parasites, viruses and cancer cells. Yet
despite donated ivermectin being used byover 250 million people annually in campaigns to eliminate two of the world’s mostdevastating and disfiguring tropical diseases, river blindness and elephantiasis,
Omura continues to investigate new ivermectin analogues and drug combinations,just in case drug resistance should
develop, which could cause the disease
elimination efforts to fail. One of ivermectin’s many extraordinary qualities is that,
despite decades of monotherapy in people, no ivermectin resistance in humans
has been observed, even though such
resistance appears swiftly in other animals.
Today, antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
is a fast-developing global crisis, recognized as one of the greatest threats tohuman health. It threatens the effective
prevention and treatment of a burgeoning
range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. It is a cross-border phenomenon, increasing everywhere,with so-called superbugs flourishing in
hospitals and health care centers worldwide. With few new products in development, we are speeding toward a
post-antimicrobial era in which “minor”
infections will again become fatal. If current trends continue, commonplace interventions, such as organ transplantation,
joint replacements and anti-infective chemotherapy will become impossible. Thissituation heralds the end of modern medicine as we know it. And we need immediate, concerted, universal action to avoid
that dire end.
As health and poverty alleviation are
fundamental components of sustainablesocioeconomic development, improving
global health is a major challenge. Accordingly, infectious diseases have been receiving increasing international attention overthe past three decades.
AMR was a major agenda item at the G7
summit in Germany (2015), and it will beat this year’s G7 summit in Japan, alongside infectious diseases, dementia, universal health insurance and pandemic
preparedness. An Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, adopted by World
Health Organization (WHO) Member
States in 2015, aims to ensure that prevention and treatment of infectious diseases
with safe and effective medicines becomessustainable in the long term. The plan has
five strategic objectives, including improving awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance; strengthening
surveillance and research; and reducing

the incidence of infection. The plan also
calls for the optimization of the use of antimicrobial medicines; and ensuring adequate investment in countering
antimicrobial resistance.
But can the international community be
relied on to follow through on new initiatives? The signs are not encouraging, with
the WHO’s 2001 Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistancebeing virtually ignored as the international
community immediately shifted its attention to bioterrorism following that year’s
terrorist attacks.
The world would do well to look toJapan for direction, a nation with an enviable track record of being at the forefrontof novel and effective health interventions.
Omura’s successes at the Kitasato Institutewith ivermectin and other compounds
reflects the accomplishments of past
alumni, Shibasaburo Kitasato (originatorof serotherapy) and Sahachiro Hata, who
discovered salvarsan for syphilis, the compound becoming the world’s first true chemotherapeutic agent. During the 1950’s
and ’60’s, Japan implemented successful
health-improvement and disease control
programs, involving mass screening andtreatment that quickly allowed the population to attain one of the healthiest lifestyles
in the world. In a mere 20 years, nationwide, interdisciplinary, mostly community-driven campaigns against parasitic
diseases led to the control of ascariasis,trichuriasis, hookworm and other soiltransmitted parasitoses, plus eradicationof other major diseases such as malaria,
schistosomiasis and elephantiasis.
Japan’s unique overseas development
aid philosophy, founded on the basic concept of self help and human security, has
exported the unparalleled achievements
in disease control and provided support
for disease research and control activities
internationally. Japan has been a proactive
and innovative leader in global health,notably at G7 summits, from the 1998
Hashimoto Initiative, through the Okinawa
Infectious Disease Initiative and the subsequent Health & Development Initiative.
Japan’s initial proposal in 2000 led to creation of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/
AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (GFATM).
The nation is also continually promoting
capacity building and improved national
health infrastructure, as exemplified by the2008 Health Systems Strengthening initiative.
International commitment has also
been substantial for over 20 years, culminating in leaders from governments,
industry and global health organizations
issuing the London Declaration on
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in
2012, a turning point in international
action to control and eliminate NTDs.
Commitment from the international pharmaceutical industry has also beenstaunch, Merck’s unprecedented drug
donation of ivermectin (Mectizan) totackle river blindness in 1987 being followed by subsequent drug donation programs from several major pharmaceuticalmanufacturers. Japan’s pharmaceuticalcompanies have also been creative, Sumitomo Chemical Co. not only producing thebest anti-malarial, long-lasting insecticidal

A Ugandan drug distributor inventories
ivermectin and albendazole tablets
being used to combat river blindness
and elephantiasis. Andy Crump

bednets, but having the foresight to establish a production factory in Tanzania,
meaning that local community members
gain employment, as well as better health.
The new paradigm of international,
multifaceted mobilization for global health
was further galvanized by the appearanceof the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation(BMGF) in 2000. The BMGF represented
new leadership, creating and expanding
multidisciplinary partnerships with NGOs,
countries, academia and industry, including the 2013 launch of the Japan-driven
Global Health Innovative Technology(GHIT) Fund, based in Tokyo. Inaugurated
in 2015, Japan’s Agency for Medical
Research and Development (AMED) was
created with the goal of facilitating and
expediting translation of basic research

Professor Satoshi Omura collects a soil sample at the Kawana Hotel Golf Course in
Shizuoka Prefecture, where the microorganism that produces avermectin was
discovered. Andy Crump

into practical applications, following thelead of the GHIT Fund.
Integrated measures against HIV/AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis have been highly
successful since the GFATM launch, proving that concerted, multi-stakeholder
health interventions can conquer intractable diseases. But global health problems
are dynamic, forever evolving, so constantvigilance from world leaders, innovative

thinkers and visionary scientists will be
required to find the much-needed new
wonder drugs such as penicillin and ivermectin, safeguard their use, and so protect
the long-term health of all global citizens
and future generations.
Andy Crump is a visiting professor at
Kitasato University and Keio University.

Lixil, Saraya working to address hygiene issues
Masaaki Kameda
staff writer

In a bid to save lives and improve thequality of life for millions of people in theworld, Japanese companies have worked
over the years to improve poor sanitationin developing countries.
A recent report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF estimated that 2.4
billion people are still without sanitation
facilities in 2015, including 946 million —about one in eight of the world’s population — who defecate in the open. In
particular, the report warned that the lackof progress on sanitation threatens to severely undermine the survival of children.
According to UNICEF, children underfive years old suffer 1.7 billion cases of diarrhea every year and about 300,000 of
those — more than 800 per day — diefrom diarrheal diseases linked to inadequate sanitation, hygiene and water.
In addressing such a pressing issue,
Lixil Group Corp. (www.lixil.com), Japan’slargest housing fixture maker, has committed to providing improved access totoilets in developing communities.
The firm believes such efforts could reduce the threat of illness and advance hygienic living, saving children’s lives, aswell as offering safe access for womenand girls, who could be at risk when theyleave their homes to use the toilet.
A strategy announced by Lixil in Marchaddresses the issue of global hygiene andsanitation, with the company stating it
hopes to, “Promote and enable access tosafe and hygienic sanitation practices, especially for women and girls, while preventing the harmful transmission of
diseases among children.”

PAGE: B5

“As a global citizen, we are more engaged in global social issues today thanever before, and recognize the need toembrace our role as a problem solver
where our global network, expertise andexperience can make a difference,” Kinya
Seto, Lixil’s COO said when announcing
the firm’s strategy.
To that end, Lixil has set out a lofty
goal, with plans to provide improved access to sanitation and better hygiene for
100 million people by 2020. The effort utilizes the SaTo (Safe Toilet) pan invented
by American Standard in 2013, a U.S. subsidiary of the firm.
The SaTo was created to contribute in
reducing disease transmission and improving sanitation facilities in Bangladesh.
Featuring water seals with a trapdoor
mechanism to shut off pit latrines fromthe open air, the simply designed SaToworks to ward off flying insects from scattering pathogens through contact withhuman excrement.
More than 810,000 SaTo are already in
use across the globe, greatly improving
the quality of life for over four million people, according to Lixil.
For inventing the hygienic SaTo pan
technology, American Standard received
the Patents for Humanity award last year
from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Launched in 2012, the Patents for Humanity program recognizes those who
use innovative technology to address
global humanitarian challenges.
Another Japanese company is working
to improve the hygienic environment of
hospitals in Africa to prevent health careassociated infections or hospital-acquired
infections that can lead to death. In addition to the human cost, these infections

Co-inventor Jim McHale (right) fieldtests a new model of the SaTo pan in
Rwanda. lixil
could place serious financial burdens on
health systems.
WHO statistics showed 10 percent of
hospitalized patients at any given time indeveloping countries will acquire at least
one health care associated infection.
Saraya Co., a maker of hygiene products such as soap and detergent, started a program dubbed the Wash a
Million Hands Project in Uganda in 2010,
aiming to save lives lost due to poor hygiene by boosting hand-washing accessand education for children and mothers.
Through the project, the firm said theyrealized medical facilities also need support to create more hygienic environments. It prompted them to establish the
100% Hospital Hand Hygiene Project in2013 in the eastern African country thatencourages the use of alcohol hand sanitizers at Uganda’s hospitals and clinics.
In 2014, Saraya started producing alcohol hand disinfectant at a factory in Uganda operated by its subsidiary Saraya East
Africa Co., aiming to supply the product ataffordable prices for local medical facilities while maintaining Japanese quality
and know-how, the firm said.
Saraya hopes to spread the prevention
effort to medical institutions in othercountries in East Africa.

B6

THE JAPAN TIMES MAY 25  MAY 27, 2016

Mie Prefecture(Publicity)

Lush nature envelops sacred spirit
Mie Prefecture, home to the Ise-Shimaregion that is set to host the G7 summit, is full of unique cultural sites thatare must-sees for Japanese and nonJapanese alike.
Ise Jingu (Ise Grand Shrine)
enshrines the progenitor of the Imperial family and is the nation’s mostrevered Shinto shrine. Ama, or female
divers, carry on a tradition that dates
back several thousand years to divedeep into the Pacific Ocean off the prefecture’s coast to catch abalone, clams,
seaweed and other seafood. The Igaarea of the prefecture is famous as thebirthplace of one of the country’s two
famous ninja clans.
Of the many tourist highlights in theprefecture, Ise Jingu sits as the crownjewel of them all.
Ise Jingu is most famous as being thespiritual center of Japan, enshrining
the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami,
the predecessor of the Imperial family
and supreme deity of Shinto, for about
2,000 years.
Ise Jingu, where more than 1,500 rituals take place each year, is visited bymillions of visitors every year who pray
for the prosperity of the Imperial family, world peace and bountiful harvests. It is customary for the prime
minister and the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to visit Ise
Jingu on the first working day of theyear, typically Jan. 4, unless it happens
to fall on a weekend.
Amaterasu Omikami was originallyworshipped in the Imperial Palace by
successive emperors of Japan. However, during the reign of the 10th
Emperor, Sujin, the sacred mirror (thesymbol of Amaterasu Omikami) wasremoved from the Imperial Palace.
Later, during the reign of the 11th
Emperor, Suinin, the emperor ordered
Princess Yamato-hime, to seek themost appropriate place to permanently
enshrine and worship Amaterasu Omikami. After searching across many
regions about 2,000 years ago, the princess finally received a revelation that
Amaterasu Omikami should beenshrined and worshipped eternally in
Ise.

Tokyo
Osaka
NagoyaOsaka

Kansai
AirportEikei Suzuki
MIE GOVERNOR

I would like to express my heartfelt
gratitude to Ise-Shima in Mie Prefecture for hosting the 2016 G7 summit,
while welcoming the leaders andother people from all over the world.
It is a great honor for Mie residents
that world leaders come to our prefecture.
While visitors can experience traditions and culture such as the
2,000-year-old Ise Jingu, or ancientama (female divers), the Ise-Shimaregion is an area where people canadmire the beautiful nature such as
Ago Bay, considered to be a vista that
perfectly represents Japan.
Particularly Ise Jingu, where Japanese people have offered thanks andprayers for peace since ancient times,
provides people with a special feeling toward the world. Such feelings
surrounding Mie Prefecture are a wayof thinking that we shall flexibly accept diversity and move on, transcending differences of race, religion,
sex or age. There is a clear message
here to realize global peace in today’s
world.
As for the G7 leaders’ discussions,

Ise Jingu is the most revered Shinto shrine in Japan.

Ise Jingu, whose area is roughly thesame size as Paris, contains 125
shrines, with the two main sanctuaries
being the Kotaijingu Inner Shrine, orNaiku, which is dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami, and the Toyouke Daijingu Outer Shrine, or Geku, dedicatedto Toyouke, an agricultural goddess
who was summoned from the north of
Kyoto Prefecture and enshrined at Ise
about 1,500 years ago.

Narita Airport

Mie 150 min
Mie 90 min
Mie 50 min

Kyoto

A place for transcending cultural differences

Tokyo

NagoyaCentrairHanedaAirportMie

Chubu Centrair International Airport
Mie 45 min
Kansai Airport
Mie 120 min

I hope clear ideas will be proposed
aimed at resolving various issues ourworld faces today. I also hope a message will be delivered from the landof Ise-Shima, one of the symbolic
places of peace in Japan, to the restof the world to realize peace.

MIE PREFECTURE

Since then, Ise Jingu has been considered the nation’s most revered
Shinto site. During the Edo Period,
millions of people have visited Ise
Jingu in a single year as part of masspilgrimages, known as Okage Mairi,that occurred about three times over aroughly 60-year cycle. The number ofvisitors was remarkable, consideringthat the nation’s population was only
about 30 million at the time.
The pilgrimages came to be as
priests encouraged people to visit theshrine, which had been devastated bymany years of chaos in the Sengoku(Warring States) Period, which preceded the Edo Period.
In Okage Mairi, people would sneak
away without telling their parents or
employers and spend weeks walking to
Ise Jingu. It was considered a special
occasion when disloyalty to superiors
was to be pardoned in the name ofpaying respect to the sacred Shinto siteand even the poor should have theopportunity to receive blessings.
Of the rituals taking place at Ise
Jingu, Shikinen Sengu is the biggest
event. Shikinen Sengu refers to theperiodic rebuilding of the shrine.
Every twenty years, an identical
divine palace with the same dimensions as the current one is constructed
at a site adjacent to the main sanctuary. The sacred costumes, furnishingsand divine treasures to be placed
inside the sacred palace are also
remade. Once they are prepared,
priests move the Holy Mirror to the

new sanctuary. This whole process iscalled Shikinen Sengu. All in all, it
takes about eight years to conduct all
the rituals and events needed for Shikinen Sengu.
Shikinen Sengu comes from the Japanese traditional concept of tokowaka,or eternally young. It is a custom of
keeping things clean and fresh in an
idea of revival of spirit and new energy,
eternity of mankind and universality of
the universe.
The first Shikinen Sengu of Naiku
was conducted in 690, under the reignof the 41st Emperor Jito. The last Shikinen Sengu, which was conducted in2013, was the 62nd.
To commemorate the 62nd Shikinen
Sengu, Ise Jingu established the Sengukan Museum, located on the Geku
premises.
The museum, which features a mixture of modern and traditional architecture, has exhibits demonstrating thecraftsmanship and spirit passed down
to generations via Shikinen Sengu. It
also houses the Sengu Theater andeducational materials for visitors tolearn about Ise Jingu, Shikinen Sengu
and Shintoism, and holds workshops
and other events. Additionally, it has
some areas where visitors can rest
while enjoying the beautiful natural
surroundings.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. and is closed on the fourth
Monday every month. When the fourth
Monday falls on a national holiday, themuseum is closed the following day.

More than 1,500 rituals take place at Ise Jingu, which is visited by more than 8 million
people each year. MIE PREFECTURE

Welcome to the spiritual heart of Japan.

Something special for everyone
Mie Travel Guide

http://www.travel.pref.mie.lg.jp/

Ujibashi Bridge, Ise Jingu

PAGE: B6

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

B7

Ise-Shima culture, gourmet‘Ama’ divers preserve fishingtradition in Mie Prefecture
Ama, or female divers, make their living diving to the bottom of the sea insearch of seaweed and shellfish such as
abalone and clams. They now exist only
in limited areas; Mie, Iwate andIshikawa and other prefectures. The
cities of Shima and Toba in Mie Prefecture have the largest number of ama inthe country. Approximately 1,000 ama
are active in those cities, and it is estimated that they represent about half of
all ama in Japan.
There are a few men doing the same
work, but the number of women
engaged in it is far larger, so in general,
it is recognized as a profession for
women. The reason for this wide gender gap is because women can retain
body heat better in the cold sea due tohaving more subcutaneous fat thanmen. It is said that because they only
wore a loincloth in the past, even during the winter, maintaining body heat
was a matter of life and death. Ama firstswim to the spot where they hope tofind their catch, then dive deep to thesea bottom to look for it. They spend
about a minute underwater on eachdive, and dive between 50 and 100
times. Their safety is heavily influenced
by the weather and sea conditions,meaning they have to work hand inhand with nature and making the worka rather dangerous profession.
Traditional ama fishing in the citiesof Shima and Toba was designated asan Intangible Folk Cultural Property of
Mie Prefecture in 2014 — the first time
for ama to receive such designation. In
a report of the Council for the Protection of Cultural Properties, passing theskills to identify the sea bottom terrain
and fishing grounds down throughout
the history of ama fishing without substantial change and voluntarily playing
a role in resource management by limiting catches, were noted as being
highly evaluated points.
There is a movement that aims toregister ama fishing on the UNESCO
Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This
movement began on the private levelfrom around 2007. In order to build
momentum for the registration, the cities of Shima and Toba have hosted an

In recent years, amagoya (ama hut),a place for ama to warm up and recoverafter diving have opened to visitors.
People can enjoy the fresh seafoodcaught by ama, while having a friendly
conversation with them, enriching
their understanding of this unique culture.

Food, nature and so much more

Ama female divers spend about a minute
underwater on each dive, and divebetween 50 and 100 times. mie
prefecture“ama summit” five of the six times it
has been held since 2009. The 6th summit was held in Toba on Nov. 7 and 8,
and ama from Japan and South Korea,
the only two countries active in thisarea, agreed to disseminate ama culture for the G7 Ise-Shima Summit. The
effort to register ama fishing on the
UNESCO list was also discussed.
Being designated a cultural property
of a country is one of the requirementsfor UNESCO’s registration. The nine
prefectures — Iwate, Miyagi, Ishikawa,
Fukui, Shizuoka, Mie, Tottori, Yamaguchi and Tokushima — that participatedin the Ama Cultural Preservation andPromotion Conference agreed to survey and promote ama culture on anational scale.

Ninja tours are popular with people visiting Mie Prefecture.

Mike tsu kuni is one of the historicalphrases to describe the Shima area. In
old Japanese, the words mean “thenation dedicated to providing food forthe emperor.” In the seafood-rich Mie
Prefecture, Shima is especially known
for the wide diversity of the catch. In“Manyoshu,” supposedly the oldest
surviving anthology of Japanese poetry,
there is a poem by Ootomono Yakamochi using the term mike tsu kuni as a
poetic epithet, describing a small boatwith ama divers.
In “Kojiki,” Japan’s oldest historical
record, there are a few sections thatmake a strong case that Shima was thesource of seafood for the Imperial
Court well before the Asuka and Nara
Periods of Japanese history. Wooden
signs with the names of seafood suchas abalone, giant clams and sea
cucumbers have been excavated fromthe ruins of Heijo-kyo, the onetime
capital of Japan. These facts indicatethat seafood was provided to the Imperial Court from Shima throughout Japanese history.
To enjoy the natural beauty of thearea, a visit to Ise-Shima National Parkis highly recommended. It boasts
graceful vistas formed by islets and aline of deep coves stretching from Toba
Bay to Matoya, Ago and Gokasho bays.
Ise Jingu is the collective name given to
125 different shrines, including the
Kotaijingu Inner Shrine in Ujitachi,
Toyouke Daijingu Outer Shrine in
Toyokawa and other sanctuaries. Mostof these shrines lie within Ise-Shima
National Park. Another highlight of thepark is the Mount Asama Observatory;
the highest point in Ise-Shima National
Park (555 m above sea level), wherevisitors can appreciate a panoramicview of the Shima, the Atsumi and

Mie Prefecture is home to the largest number of ama female divers in Japan. There is a movement to register ama fishing on the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. mie prefecture

Chita peninsulas, as well as the iconic
Mount Fuji in winter. The famous
Meoto Iwa (married couple rocks) havebeen a popular place to worship thesunrise since ancient times. The sun
rising between the two rocks is especially beautiful on clear days from May
through July.
For visitors who feel like staying few
days in the area to enjoy the beauty ofnature and the local hospitality, there
are quite a few hotels in the area. From
campsites to top-tier Japanese andWestern resort hotels, there is something for everyone. Many of them haveonsen hot spring facilities, and offer
activities such as marine sports, hiking,cycling or golf on or near their properties.
In addition to having much to offer
in terms of sightseeing and food, Shimaboasts a long history of cultivating arich culture through to the modern age.

Barbecued Ise-ebi Japanese spiny lobster, abalone and clams

mie prefecture

Discover the clandestine world of the ninja
If sushi, sakura cherry blossoms and
Mt. Fuji are representative icons ofJapan, ninja should probably be in thesame category, as movies and anime
inspired by the athletically gifted Japanese spies have garnered quite a bit of
popularity around the world, serving as
the basis for such characters as Naruto
and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Iga, in western Mie Prefecture, is thebirthplace of the Igaryu (Iga clan) Ninja,
one of the two main ninja clans; theother being the Kogaryu from Shiga
Prefecture.
The image that comes into most people’s minds when thinking of ninja isoften inaccurate. In movies and anime,
ninja are portrayed as flying throughthe sky, or camouflaging themselves astrees to escape their many enemies.
Often, they are shown sneaking behind
enemy lines to assassinate senior military leaders. However, these portrayals
are far from the reality.
The roles of ninja were divided into
the two main areas of performing espionage and strategy under a methodology
known as ninjutsu.
When engaging in espionage, ninja
carefully gathered intelligence about
their enemies and analyzed their military strengths.
Strategic activities are those that
reduced the enemy’s military power.
Ninja did not fight strong enemies
directly at their strongest, but waited tobattle them after reducing their military
power.
The ninjutsu of Igaryu and Kogaryu
stem from the same source, and are said

The Iga area is the birthplace of Igaryu
Ninjas. mie prefecture

to be the highest level of the ninja art.
The exact origins of ninja are unclear.
In one theory, a man named Otomono
Sahito, who served ruler Shotoku Taishi(574 to 622), is said to be the father ofninja, but a lack of concrete evidence
makes the theory nothing more than afolktale.
In Iga, the origins of ninja are said todate to the Kamakura Period (1185 to1333) when area residents fought
against land-owning aristocrats. The
residents learned shugendo, a practice
involving mountain training and adapting to extremely hilly, difficult-tomaneuver-in terrain. Their fighting

methods later evolved to ninjutsu. Ninja
were deployed in many wars as spies
and warriors especially in the Sengoku(Warring States) Period, from the late
15th to the late 16th century.
Igaryu Ninja are known for their skills
in gathering information and the use of
fire.
They also used smoke bombs, flaming arrows, signal fires and guns. It is
fortunate that the area had an abundance of the ingredients needed tomake gunpowder, as well as many people who were familiar with it. The art of
mixing explosives was the most closely
guarded secrets held by ninja.
Visitors to Iga are able to experience
life as ninja themselves. For example, at
the Igaryu Ninja Museum kunoichi (female ninja) and ninja guide visitors
through the Ninja House, showing anddemonstrating tricks, including trapdoors and places for hiding swords. In
thrilling performances, ninja demonstrate their skills with various weapons
such as Japanese swords, shuriken
throwing stars and kusarigama (chainsickles.)The museum also has various exhibits showing ninja tools and weapons,
old documents on ninja, photos andbooks and manga featuring ninja.
Ninja no Mori, or ninja forest, is anathletic field where visitors can try on
ninja attire and have a firsthand chance
to use some ninja tools and train inninja skills such as climbing, jumping,hiding and walking on water. Visitors
can also earn certificates of full ninja
mastership.

PAGE: B7

mie prefectureB8

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

agriculture and Japanese cuisine

Increased efforts made to expand Japanese food exports
Michiru Mekata
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMESVegetable and fish tempura fried crisp
and crunchy, paper-thin slices of
wagyu changing color as they aredipped in a steaming hot shabu-shabu
pot and delicate wagashi (Japanese
confectionery) borrowing seasonal
motifs from nature and classic Japanese literature are only a few examples of Japanese food that has come towin worldwide acclaim.
Japanese cuisine is prepared fromchoice seasonal ingredients, withcareful attention paid to appealing to
the five senses. “It’s not merely about
flavor and aroma. Japanese care about
how the sizzle and sound excite theears, while at the same time foodneeds to tempt the eyes with a finepresentation on elegant ceramic
plates and lacquerware. Also respectful of seasonality, I think all those elements combined have allowed
washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) to be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013,”
said Makoto Kondo, deputy director of
the Export Promotion Division at the
Food Industry Affairs Bureau of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries (MAFF).
“Taking advantage of such global
recognition, MAFF is starting to collaborate with other ministries and theJapan External Trade Organization(JETRO). Altogether, we are trying topromote further exports of Japan’sfarm, forest and marine products,”

continued Kondo. Specifically, theministry aims to raise the export valueof such items as sake, wagashi, beef,dairy products, rice, vegetables, fruit,flowers, green tea, fish and processedmarine products to a total of ¥1 trillion before 2020.
“Concurrently, Japan has taken
strict and stringent control measures
to assure product safety and quality
after the Fukushima nuclear power
plant accident. Such action was crucial for eliminating the anxiety ofother countries over the Japan’s postaccident produce,” noted Kondo. As aresult, many countries and people are
now beginning to again accept things
made in Japan. “Taking such a
moment as an opportunity, the government, related ministries and theprivate sector are uniting in theirefforts to propagate and diffuse theJapan brand in a single voice,” he said.
Specific actions taken include theestablishment of Japan pavilions atoverseas food trade shows, public-private seminars and cooking schools forJapanese cuisine, arrangement ofbusiness meetings among tradersfrom various countries and Japan,
establishment of in-store Japan shops
at commercial facilities overseas andothers.
At the G7 summit, the Japanese
government will host the reception forthe delegations, preparing dishes
solely using Japanese ingredients,
while there will be other opportunities for the media and the generalpublic to try out cuisine made withJapanese ingredients.
“It’s a great opportunity for Japan tolet the world know about great vegetables, wagyu and seafood in this country,” said Kazuhiro Shimane, deputy
director at the ministry’s Food Cultures and Market Development Division.
Additionally, the government isencouraging the expansion of export
destinations that have so far been relatively limited to neighboring countries and regions such as Taiwan,
China, Hong Kong and South Korea.
“To this end, related ministries haverecently come together to conductand compile a research paper on the
trade trends of countries around theworld. Based on such study findings,
we’re starting to take more effective
measures and actions that respond to
the specific needs of each nation andregion. For example, we are now promoting the export of halal meat toIslamic countries,” explained Kondo.
In terms of the health benefits provided by Japanese food, various studies and research, including the 2015
OECD Statistics on the Non-medical
Determinants of Health, indicates the
exceptionally low figures of those thatare overweight or obese in Japan, as
compared to the figures for otheradvanced nations such as Germany
and the U.S.
Furthermore, Japanese food isassumed to be the main factor in contributing to the longevity of Japanese,
which currently is the longest in theworld at 84 years of age (male/female

Wagyu sukiyaki is one of the most popular dishes in Japanese cuisine. The government is working to expand exports of wagyu all
around the world. koji chikada

average, 2015 WHO statistics).
Something else that should not be
overlooked is that many Japanesedishes contain no gluten, meaning
those suffering from such illnesses as
celiac disease can eat it.
In recent years, there has been an
ongoing global fad for Japanese foodand many people actually say they
prefer it to other cuisines such as Chinese or Italian. The main reasons fortheir preference, they say, is due tothe deliciousness of Japanese dishes,
while also being healthy, fashionable
and safe (2014 JETRO survey on Japanese food conducted in Moscow, Ho
Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Bangkok, Sao
Paulo and Dubai).
However, 40 percent of those surveyed in the study believe Japanesefood is expensive.
“Saying that Japanese food is expen-

sive is inaccurate. There are many
tasty Japanese dishes that are surprisingly cheap. I therefore look forward
to increased exports of Japanese foodcontributing to further washoku diffusion. Through such expansion, I envision the status of Japanese cuisine
moving from being something posh to
tasty and healthy casual fare that canbe eaten every day,” concluded
Kondo.

Gibier dishes served at the G7 Niigata
Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting reception
on April 23 (from top): wild boar andJapanese leek on simmered daikon
cooked in the salty-sweet sukiyaki style;roast deer meat with red wine sauce;
venison potato salad MINIStry of

Clockwise from top right: An abundance of colorful seasonal fruit can be picked allover Japan; Japanese seafood is well-deserving of global promotion; Healthy andtasty sashimi is one of Japan’s signature dishes. ministry of agriculture, forestry

agriculture, forestry and fisheries

and fisheries

Government working to promote wild gameas a delicious and healthy cuisine option
Mami Maruko
STAFF WRITER

While wild game dishes made withdeer and wild boar meat have traditionally been popular among the European aristocracy, gibier, as it is known
in Japan after the French word for
game, has never been the norm here —at least until recently.
In recent years, there has been an
increase in the number of wild animals
damaging produce due to them eating
and ravaging the rice paddies andfields. At the same time, there has been
an increase in hunting as well as trapping the harmful animals.
The damage caused by animals
exceeds ¥20 billion a year, with about
60 percent of it caused by deer and wildboars, according to the Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
On the other hand, game has long
been highly valued by chefs and theWestern idea of making full use of animals killed is gaining more recognitionin Japan.
Headed by Norihiko Fujiki, a Frenchchef who prepares wild game at his inn
in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, the Japan
Gibier Promotion Council, a nonprofit
organization was founded in 2014 topromote wild game cuisine that contributes to regional revitalization.
Together with regional governments
and the private sector, including restaurants and distributors, game is gaining
more popularity nationwide — especially with the increasing constructionof new hygienic disposal and treatment
facilities where animals are processed
quickly and hygienically before they arecooked.
The council organizes seminars,
cooking classes and the Japan Gibier
Summit, which promotes advanced

fisheries

game initiatives introduced by different
localities in Japan.
According to Kazuhiko Akiba, director of the Rural Development Bureau at
the Wild Animals Damage Prevention
Office at the Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries Ministry, game meats arehighly nutritional compared to typicalmeats, as they eat “natural things thatgrow in the fields and mountains andget more exercise in a natural setting.
They are said to be high in protein andlow in fat and calories, which is goodfor people’s health.”
Akiba added that today, there arequite a wide variety of ways to preparethem — be it Western or Japanese. He
said that recently, new dishes that better suit the tastes of Japanese customers have entered the market, such as
the venison burger at the Becker’s hamburger chain — often located inside JR
stations — and boar sukiyaki served atsoba noodle restaurants.

“More and more restaurants are taking interest in healthy and tasty gibier
cuisine. The more supply there is, themore widespread gibier becomes to thegeneral public,” stressed Akiba.
A booth dedicated to gibier cuisine
was among 10 booths at the venue of
the G7 Niigata Agriculture Ministers’Meeting’s welcome reception on April
23. Other booths offered sake, sushi,
tempura, grilled Kobe beef, gluten-freepasta, roast beef, onigiri rice balls andwagashi Japanese confectionery.
The participating G7 agriculture ministers enjoyed Japanese gibier dishes
made from ingredients from
Kagoshima Pref.
“It’s not quite right to hunt animals
and just throw them away. We should
be grateful for the natural blessings ofwild animals and eat them thankfully.
We also wish to continue to spread therecognition of delicious gibier dishes,”said Akiba.

We deliver food that Japan takes pride in to the world.

JapaneseJapaneseJapanese
Artisanal
Artisanal
ArtisanalSake
Sake
Sake

JA Group supports
the Ise-Shima summit.

More information about JA Groupcan be found via QR code
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GenshuGenshuGenshuGenshuFrom top: Japanese tea; Rice
paddies are common in rural
areas. japan tea export

JA Group

council/MINISTRY of
agriculture, forestry andfisheries

Japan Agricultural Co-operatives

PAGE: B8

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

B9

Ise-Shima cuisine

Ise area is known for a wide variety of delicious cuisine
Makiko Itoh
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES

According to the Nihon Shoki, the second-oldest book of Japanese history,around 2,000 years ago Princess Yamatohime was ordered by her father, Emperor
Suinin, to find a new, permanent shrine
for the most important deity in the land,
the great sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. The princess, taking her task toheart, wandered the land for 20 years insearch of a suitable home for the great
goddess. Once she arrived in Ise, however, the goddess spoke to her andexpressed a desire to establish herearthly abode in this bountiful area inbetween the mountains and the sea.
Ever since then, Ise Jingu shrine has
been the home of Amaterasu Omikami,
making it one of the most sacred places
in Japan. The sun goddess resides in the
Naiku, Inner Shrine — the most sacredshrine in Japan. Additionally, there’s also
the Geku or Outer Shrine where Toyouke, the goddess of food and the harvest is enshrined. Today, the region on
the eastern coast of the Shima Peninsulain Mie Prefecture is commonly called
Ise-Shima, home to the historic town of
Ise and the spectacular natural beauty of
Ise-Shima National Park.
The most striking feature of this region
with its mild, warm climate and fertile
soil is its coastline. Called a ria coast, its
many bays and small islands make themarine life very diverse and abundant,
and harvesting its bounties has been away of life here for thousands of years.
This is the area where ama, or female
divers, who can stay under water for long
periods, originate. While ama are best
known as pearl divers, they also dive forother treasures of the sea. One of these is
the Ise-ebi (always called by that nameregardless of where they’re caught) or
Japanese spiny lobster. The Ise-ebi’s longantennae were traditionally regarded assigns of longevity, making them a mustas centerpieces on the most festive occasions such as the New Year’s holidays.

Fed by the nutrient-rich Kuroshio Current which flows from south to northalong the Shima coast, the Ise-ebi caught
here are especially prized for their sweet,
firm meat that is enjoyed as sashimi,
grilled, or simmered in dashi stock.
The peak season for Ise-ebi from Ise is
the wintertime, but in late spring to summer another highly prized treasure fromthe sea comes into its own, awabi (abalone). The supply of abalone along the
Shima coast is carefully sustained by limiting its season, as well as the length oftime it can be harvested. An ama typically works for two hours per day hunting for abalone and then stops, so there
is always some left for the next time. Not
only does this prevent the supply of natural abalone from being depleted, it also
allows them to grow to large sizes. Someof the best abalone are reserved as offerings for the gods who are enshrined at
Ise Jingu, but there is still plenty left for
us mortals though, and freshly caught
abalone is something to be experienced
when visiting the area. One of the best
ways to do this is to visit an amagoya or
diver’s hut near the coast, where the ama
will grill freshly caught abalone on acharcoal grill right in front of diners’eyes. The umami-rich juices of that flood
the taste buds are simply heavenly.
Ise-ebi and abalone are the undeniable stars of Ise-Shima seafood, butthere’s plenty more to enjoy too. The area
is also where cultured pearls were firstdeveloped and while the local pearl
industry is not what it used to be, the edible cousins of pearl oysters are abundantand delicious. Oysters are usually only inseason in the cold months, but here
there is a variety called iwagaki (rockoyster) that is available in late spring toearly summer. Firm and plump, rock oysters are delicious eaten on the half shellwith just a squeeze of lemon. And forfans of fugu (pufferfish), a variety that’scaught around the port of Anori called
Anori fugu has a slight cherry-blossom
pink hue and a subtle sweetness.
Madai (Japanese snapper), a must-have at wedding feasts and May 5 Children’s Day celebrations, is also popular.
Seaweed varieties such as hijiki andaosa-nori are also harvested along thecoastline.
While the bounty of the sea is what
Ise-Shima is best known for, the land also
yields delicious food, starting with rice.
Great rice means that sake is madelocally, too, and, like the local cuisine,
the sake of Mie Prefecture is usually
made in small batches, under the highest
quality standards.
Just up the road from Ise-Shima is thecity of Matsuzaka, which is world famousfor having some of the best wagyu in the
country. Although Kobe beef is wellknown around the world, in Japan Matsusaka beef is arguably better known
than its Kobe counterpart. While the seafood of Ise-Shima is a product of nature,
Matsusaka beef is a product of humaninnovation, pushing the limits of what
tender, juicy and marbled beef can be.
In the early days, access to Ise Jingu
was restricted to the Imperial family andlater aristocrats and the upper samurai
classes. Around the late 16th century,with the establishment of better roads,
making a pilgrimage to Ise very popular,much like the pilgrimages to Santiago deCompostela or Canterbury in Europe
around that time. During the mid to late
Edo Period (around the 17th to mid-19th
centuries), it’s estimated that one in six
Japanese people made an Ise pilgrimage
at least once in their lifetimes; amongst
the citizens of Edo (current Tokyo), it waspractically a craze. With so many regularfolk making the trip to Ise, many ofwhom could not afford to dine on expensive delicacies, several down-to-earth
dishes appeared to cater to their needs,
as well as those of the regular folk who
lived and worked there.
Many of these dishes are still popular
today, such as tekone-zushi, marinatedfresh katsuo (bonito or skipjack tuna)mixed with sushi rice that was originallyenjoyed by fishermen on their boats; Iseudon, thick wheat noodles that are

Ise-ebi Japanese spiny lobster and abalone from the Shima coast. The peak season for Ise-ebi is winter, while the peak for abalone
is late spring through summer. Ise press center

cooked in a dark broth until they are soft
rather than chewy; and sanma-zushi,
salt-cured Pacific saury pressed onto
sushi rice. There are also some hidden
gems to be found in area eateries that are
popular with local residents, as well as
tourists, such as spectacularly large fried
shrimp, freshly made tempura and somuch more. Whether exploring local

dives or enjoy elegant meals at a ryokan(traditional inn), there’s something toplease everyone’s appetite.
Legend has it that soon after the abodeof the great sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami was established in Ise, she became
lonely and asked for one of her fellow
deities to come and join her there and be
her companion — the aforementioned

Toyouke, the goddess of food and theharvest. If one is allowed to indulge in aflight of fancy, it’s nice to imagine thetwo goddesses, partaking of the delicacies of the area as they enjoy the mild
weather, chatting away and smilingbenignly at the people of Ise-Shima,
doing the same, as they have done formillennia.

Clockwise from above: Ise udon, thick wheat noodles cooked ina dark broth; A French dish made from Ise-ebi Japanese spiny
lobster; The Summit Beer 2016 from Ise Kadoya Microbrewery inIse, Mie Prefecture; Tai sea bream with rice and Ise tea iseshima

Tekone-zushi, marinated fresh katsuo mixed with sushi rice, a popular dish from Ise iseshima tourism & convention organization

tourism & convention organization/ise press center

Dashi soup stock is made from freshly shaved “high-grade bonito flakes.”
We hope you will fully enjoy the world of dashi that
we have cultivated over more than 300 years.

Ninben Co., Ltd.’s Nihonbashi flagship shop

Coredo Muromachi 1·1F, 2-2-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022

French dishes made with seafood from Ise, Mie
Prefecture. iseshima tourism & convention organization

PAGE: B9

B10The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

The Future
Runs onHydrogen

The Toyota Mirai runs on hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe.
We’ll never run out of hydrogen — it’s easily made from water by electrolysis,using solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and other renewables. Mirai’s fast
fill-up time and long cruising range are comparable to a conventional car’s. And it’s
as fun to drive as it is friendly to the environment. The only exhaust is pure water.
Mirai shows how hydrogen can deliver convenience and performance withoutcompromise. That’s why hydrogen will power the sustainable society of tomorrow.
No wonder Mirai means “future” in Japanese.

Meet the Future

toyo t a - g l o b a l . co m

PAGE: B10

THE JAPAN TIMES MAY 25  MAY 27, 2016 B11G7 ministerial meetings

KYODO
KYODO

G7 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting
KYODO

G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting
Date: May 15-16
Venue: Toyama
Chair: Tamayo Marukawa, minister of the environment

The G7 environment ministers adopted a joint communique that stipulates that
the G7 nations commit to formulate long-term strategies to cut down greenhousegas emissions to meet the goals stipulated in the Paris Agreement last year, assoon as possible and well within schedule. The ministers shared the view in the
joint statement that the strategies, to be presented to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, are essential to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement. The ministers also agreed on the “Toyama Framework on Material Cycles,”a framework that lays out specific actions for efficient and maximized use ofresources, promoting the ideas of reduce, reuse and recycle.

G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’

Date: April 23-24
Venue: Niigata
Chair: Hiroshi Moriyama, minister of agriculture, forestry and ﬁsheries

The agriculture ministers of the G7 nations adopted the “Niigata Declaration” aiming at strengthening global food security and stable food supply
worldwide at a time when the world population is growing and some nations are experiencing aging societies. In the meeting, the ministers recognized the significant need to encourage new and motivated entrants tothe farming and agri-food industries, as well as the need to support worldwide research on climate change. The meeting also decided to hold a G7Forum on Investment in the Agri-Food Sector to benchmark best practices, exchange policy experience on access to credit and facilitate responsible investment in agriculture and its related businesses, particularly indeveloping nations.

Meeting
Date: May 20-21
Venue: Sendai, Miyagi Pref.
Chair: Taro Aso, minister of ﬁnance, deputy prime minister

The G7 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed that extreme fluctuations and erratic movements in the foreign exchange markets negatively impact the global economy and thestability of worldwide financial markets. The yen increased to ¥106.27 to the dollar from ¥111.89
in just two days following the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy meeting on April 28, in which
it was decided not to take somewhat expected monetary easing action. The G7 nations reaffirmedthat they will avoid resorting to measures to lower the currency to boost the economy. Instead,each of the member countries should use their own discretion on the balance between financial
and fiscal policies, as well as structural reform, to boost the economy, they said. The G7 nations
also committed to take the initiative on efforts to crack down on tax avoidance activities worldwide, and adopted the “G7 Action Plan on Combatting the Financing of Terrorism.”

G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting
Date: Sept. 11-12
Venue: Kobe, Hyogo Pref.
Chair: Minister of health, labor and welfare

Japan wants to take the initiative in discussions at the health ministers meeting on global issues such the as formation of universal health coverage programs, as well as combating high-mortality infectious diseases. The Kobe
meeting will be held at a time when the global risks of infectious diseases
were highlighted following the recent epidemics of the Zika virus in Brazil
and the Ebola virus in Africa last year. The spread of Ebola in particular resulted in criticism on the response of the World Health Organization following the outbreak, with some health industry officials even calling for thecreation of an international organization to respond quickly to major healthcrises. The ministers are also expected to discuss the needs for lifelong healthprograms in aging societies, especially in Asia as the number of chronic disease sufferers is likely to increase in the near future.

KYODO

G7 Science and Technology
Ministers’ Meeting
Date: May 15-17
Venue: Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref.
Chair: Aiko Shimajiri, state minister of science and technology
policyNiigata

SendaiToyamaTsukuba
KYODO

Kurashiki

G7 Education Ministers’ Meeting
Date: May 14-15
Venue: Kurashiki, Okayama Pref.
Chair: Hiroshi Hase, minister of education, culture, sports, scienceand technology

The ministers discussed the significance of education and its potential role to settle threats — such as poverty and terrorism — toglobal societies. They also adopted the “Kurashiki Declaration”
stipulating that the G7 nations will promote coordination aimed
at solving those issues through education. The Kurashiki meeting
followed the November 2015 Paris attacks and the movement of
Syrian refugees into Europe. The declaration cited the need for
educational programs to nurture the concepts of liberty, democracy and respect for life, in expectation that education will help
solve those issues, as well as wealth discrepancies and unemployment problems facing younger generations.

Kobe

Karuizawa

Hiroshima
Kitakyushu

The G7 science and technology ministers reached an agreement that health sciences could play a significant role in solving problems related to aging societies, and this agreement wasreflected in the joint “Tsukuba Communique.” The joint statement stipulated that the G7 nations will cooperate in promoting research and international collaboration on brain research
to help treat brain disorders such as dementia. The ministers
agreed in the joint statement to promote open science and sharing of the outcomes of publicly financed research on the brain.
At the Tsukuba meeting, the ministers also agreed to support
global networking of female scientists, researchers and students. They recognized the need for monitoring, and, if necessary, taking action against gender stereotyping that is quite
often seen in the academic and corporate worlds of science,technology, engineering and mathematics.

G7 Transport Ministers’ Meeting
Date: Sept. 24-25
Venue: Karuizawa, Nagano Pref.
Chair: Minister of health, labor and welfare

Takamatsu

The G7 transport ministers held a meeting in Frankfurt in September, discussing a wide variety of topics related to the advanced driving assist systems, or so-called self-driving technologies. This year, the ministers will
deepen discussions on the topic at the Karuizawa meeting. Driverless technology and cars with greater energy-efficiency are the hottest issue in theauto industry, not only for existing carmakers that are developing self-driving cars, but also for technology companies such as Google and Apple, who
are conducting tests of cars running on their technology. Driverless technology is expected to reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by humanerror and ease traffic jams.

AFP-JIJI

G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Date: April 10-11
Venue: Hiroshima
Chair: Fumio Kishida, minister of foreign affairs

The G7 foreign ministers issued the “Hiroshima Declaration on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” to reaffirm their commitment
to creating a world without nuclear weapons, also naming Syria, Ukraine
and North Korea as countries that may endanger that goal. In a separately adopted joint communique, the G7 nations condemn North Korea
in particular for its repeated provocations. The Hiroshima meeting washeld after the country conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6 and launchedballistic missiles on Feb. 7. The joint statement condemned those activities “in the strongest terms.” The ministers also shared concerns overthe situation in the East and South China Seas, strongly opposing, in a
separately issued joint statement, coercive or provocative actions to alter
the present status quo.

KYODO

KYODO

G7 Energy Ministerial Meeting
Date: May 1-2
Venue: Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Pref.
Chair: Motoo Hayashi, minister of economy, trade and industry

The energy ministers adopted a joint statement, the “Kitakyushu Initiative on Energy Security for Global Growth,” endorsing the G7 nations’ leading role in investment to develop oil and natural gas fields to secure sustainable global economic
growth. The investment in particular will focus on upstream investment to securestable energy prices, on technology development for clean energy, and for highquality infrastructure investment. In the joint statement, the ministers shared theview that “current energy price levels and volatility hamper investment and add
uncertainty to energy markets and the global economy.” Additionally, Japan announced a plan to form a framework to introduce an LNG trading market in Japansometime in the first half of the 2020’s.

G7 ICT Ministers’ Meeting
Date: April 29-30
Venue: Takamatsu, Kagawa Pref.
Chair: Sanae Takaichi, minister of internal affairs and communications

The G7 ministers responsible for information and communications technology discussed
promoting economic growth and establishing communications security in a society where
the “Internet of Things” and the artificial intelligence are becoming more popular in use.
It was the first ICT ministers’ meeting of the G7 countries in about 20 years. The meeting
adopted the “Charter for the Digitally Connected World,” reaffirming member nations’fundamental principles to promote and protect the free flow of information. The meeting
also adopted the “Joint Declaration by G7 ICT Ministers,” which stipulates that G7 nations promote Internet openness and cross-border information flow, while opposing applicable policies that require access to, or transfer of, source code of mass-market software.

PAGE: B11

B12

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

Nagano Prefecture(Publicity)

Leading-edge technology in the heart of the country
A G7 Transport Ministers’ Meeting will beheld in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on
Sept. 24 and 25. Located in the center ofthe country and boasting a variety oftransportation networks, Nagano is easily
accessible from anywhere in Japan. The
prefecture is also known as a unique area
where state-of-the-art technologies coexist alongside delicious cuisine, beautiful
nature and a variety of cultures.
Nittoh Kogaku is one of the companies
that Nagano proudly holds up as an example of its high-technology pedigree.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
the Suwa area, in the center of Nagano
Prefecture, was a major silk-processing
center and Nittoh Kogaku’s predecessor
was involved in this business. As the silk
industry declined, the company decided
to switch to manufacturing camera lenses
in 1943. Leading camera companies,
including Nikon and Konica, had moved
to Suwa during the war. After researchinglens manufacturing, the company briefly
produced its original brand of camera
lenses, Kominar, in the 1950s, but it
switched to supplying lenses to major Japanese and overseas companies.
Nittoh Kogaku’s strength is its integrated system running from R&D to the
manufacturing of complete products. It isa process beginning with optical design,
followed by the creation of high-precisionlenses via elaborate molds, the development of the optimum customized mechanism and electronic control systems forthe particular piece of equipment,
through to the final coating and surface
treatment. In addition to this integrated
production system, they are well known
for a diversity of core technologies coupled with the extremely high skill andexpertise of their engineers.
They have many breakthrough prod-ucts, including projector lenses and monitor lenses for videoconference systems.
Among these, their “Theia Lens” for CCTV
(closed-circuit television) cameras, aninnovative ultra-wide-angle lens without
distortion that Nittoh Kogaku jointly
developed with an American company,
was the one that caught the attention of
the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA). In 2008, Nittoh
Kogaku’s lens was used in the environmental monitoring camera of the RQ-4
Global Hawk; an unmanned surveillance
aircraft used for high-altitude, long-range
Earth science missions. In 2014, two kindsof their lenses were used for MINERVA 2,
a space probe carried on Hayabusa 2, aJapanese Asteroid probe developed by theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The
lenses for space probes are very different
from lenses used in other environments.
They need to not only be very wide angle
with high resolution, but also able to withstand the strong ultraviolet light andradioactivity in the environment. These
requirements could be met with their patented optical design technology.
The lens developed for MINERVA 2
weighed only 15 g was one-third the sizeof previous models. Manufacturing suchsmall products may seems challenging,but manufacturing larger lenses is actuallymore difficult, since the demand for highaccuracy increases as the size of lens getslarger. Nittoh Kogaku manufactures large
lenses up to 600 mm in diameter, as wellas processing glass materials into virtually
any shape. These products are regarded asamong the highest quality in the world,
and are the result of both highly experienced craftsman and the most sophisticated equipment at each stage of
production. The perfect balance of those
two assets is the key to Nittoh Kogaku’s

Left: Nittoh Kogaku’s strength is the integrated system from R&D through the manufacturing of complete products. Right: Tamagawa Seiki Co.’s Singlsyn is standard on
virtually all hybrid cars of global automakers. rieko suzuki

success.
Another cutting-edge company,
Tamagawa Seiki Co., is the leader of Nagano’s efforts in the “Special Zone to create
Asia’s No. 1 Aerospace Industrial Cluster.”Established in 1938 in Tokyo,
Tamagawa Seiki began as a manufacturerof oil-level indicators for aircraft. Improving their products over time, they
expanded their business from the manufacturing of instrument motors and tapping machines to the development oftechnologies in a variety of areas. In 1994,
they moved their headquarters to the cityof Iida, southern Nagano, where they
already had several plants.
Today, Tamagawa Seiki has an 80 percent share of the global variable reluctance(VR) resolver market. In fact, the company’s Singlsyn VR resolver can be found on
virtually all hybrid cars around the world.
Singlsyn also received the Ministry of

Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award.”
The path to their success in hybrid carsbegan in 1993, when Toyota Motors
started developing hybrids. Being a supplier for such a huge company in a new
industry posed risks, but they decided try.
Toyota’s first generation Prius hybrid,
which was rather futuristic at the time, did
not sell well, but it did put Tamagawa Seikion the map. Their name and reputationfor Singlsyn steadily penetrated the industry because Toyota embarked on a rigorous campaign to expand the hybrid
market, recommending Singlsyn to competitors. The time it took for the Prius tobecome popular allowed Tamagawa Seiki
to invest in equipment and hire and train
staff to create a stable supply line of VR
resolvers for hybrids. The original Singlsyn
developed in 1990, had 20 parts andweighed 800 g, but continuous improve-

ment over 25 years saw a reduction to justfive parts and 180 g.
Iida was designated the “Special Zone
to create Asia’s No. 1 Aerospace Industrial
Cluster” by the government in 2014. Moving from a business making aircraft parts,and being a supplier for multinational
corporations that design, manufactureand sell airplanes, Tamagawa Seiki has
been focusing their attention on the aviation and aerospace industry. In the 10
years prior to being named the aerospacezone, they were calling on the city to be
the hub of Japan’s aerospace industry,under a prediction for increased demand
for aircraft in the near future. In 2006, they
started the “Iida Aerospace Project” with37 companies to promote and speed aviation and aerospace growth in the area. As
a part of the project, “Aerospace IIDA” (AI)
was born through collaboration of
Tamagawa Seiki and two other compa-

nies. One of the biggest problems facing
the industry in Japan is that many companies are tier 2 or 3 in the manufacturing
process; they can supply parts for bodies
or engines, but are unable to make essential components or systems. Because 40
percent of aircraft manufacturing consistsof components and systems, being able to
make those are necessary to expand theindustry in Japan. Tamagawa Seiki, alongwith other AI members, are coordinating
resources with the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry to achieve tier 1 status.
The spirit to never stop pursuing changing needs has been the core of growth for
Tamagawa Seiki. Their main fields of business evolved from aviation to cars, robots
and semiconductors, but today, they findthemselves once again putting theirenergy into the aviation and aerospace
fields. They are contributing to both Iida
and the aviation and aerospace industry.

Area boasts culture, unique cuisine and beautiful nature

Watching wild monkeys bathing in hot springs is a popular activity for visitors fromall over the world. snow monkey park

Nagano Prefecture is home to many tourist destinations and places of interest.
Below are just few examples.
Snow Monkey Park is located in northern Nagano. It is about a 30-minute walkfrom Kambayashi Onsen and the mountain path provides some good exercise.
The park opened in 1964 alongside aski resort. The idea behind the park is toshow the natural habitat of wild Japanesemacaques, the northernmost living monkeys. The natural habitat means that there
are no artificial facilities to attract or contain the monkeys, simply their natural
surroundings for them and visitors toenjoy.
The most well-known images of snowmonkeys are likely those of them bathing
in onsen hot springs. In 1970, a snowmonkey appeared on the cover of Lifemagazine, and the bathing monkey sporting what appears to be a philosophicalexpression on the cover garnered them
popularity abroad. Their habit of bathing
in onsen is believed to have come about
after a curious young macaque carefully
dipped his toe in the warm water. Finding
the sensation agreeable, the monkey
eventually immersed his whole body.
Other monkeys soon followed suit,
mainly females and young monkeys.
The sight of them grooming each otheris a tourist favorite, while the sight ofthem intimidating others to save their

Tomikura soba offers a unique texture andthe aroma of buckwheat. rieko suzuki

favorite spot in the hot spring is reminiscent of human behavior in certain situations. Visitors can stand quite close to themonkeys as they relax in the hot springs,
but should not get too close to avoid scaring or angering them. Although bathing is
the most popular behavior of monkeys
seen by visitors from all over the world,
merely sitting by the river and watchingmonkeys pass by is also interesting.
Over 190,000 visitors from all over theworld visited Snow Monkey Park in 2015.
The park manager works very hard toallow the monkeys to maintain their natural behavior patterns without feelingstressed or threatened and all visitors are
asked to follow park regulations, includ-ing not feeding the monkeys and not trying to touch or startle them. Using
underwater or aerial photographic equipment, or approaching the monkeys withany type of special equipment is strictly
prohibited. If the environment were to
become too stressful for the monkeys,
they may stop coming to the area, so following park rules is critical to maintainthe unique opportunities for people tosee wild macaques.
Being the fourth-largest prefecture in
Japan, Nagano is known for a wide varietyof traditional regional dishes. Althoughmany of them are widely recognized andavailable in souvenir shops or restaurants
in Nagano and major cities, some remainclose to home. Tomikura soba and Kenshin sushi (a type of sasazushi, which issushi wrapped in bamboo leaves) are two
traditional dishes in the city of Iiyama,northern Nagano, that are hard to find inother areas.
There are many kinds of soba noodles
in Japan, and although they are supposed
to be different from each other, it is often
difficult to detect the differences. But
Tomikura soba certainly occupies its own
unique place. It is made with oyamabokuchi, a thistle plant in the daisy family,
which give the dough incredible strengthand elasticity. The dough can be rolled sothin a newspaper can be read through it.
The soba is semi-translucent and isserved al dente. In the past, it was difficult
to get flour in the area, and thus people
used oyamabokuchi instead. As a result,
Tomikura soba offers a chewiness andinteresting texture while maintaining the
sweet aroma of buckwheat.
Kenshin sushi is the local name forsasazushi. The legend is that residents inthe area created this style of sasazushi tohonor Kenshin Uesugi, a general during
the age of provincial wars, passing Tomikura on the way to battle. Kenshin sushi’s
ingredients are sushi rice, mountain vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, walnuts andradish miso on top of bamboo leaves. The
ingredients are more or less the same as
most sasazushi. However, the twist of
Kenshin sushi is in the presentation.
Instead of wrapping the rice and toppings
with the leaves, Kenshin sushi is served
like an open sandwich using bamboo
leaves as plates. When eaten, the sushi isplaced on the palm and the leaf is pulled
until the rice separates from it. Once there
is enough rice sticking out over the side ofthe leaf, the entire piece is eaten at once
without the leaf. It is a fast food version of
sushi that can be eaten without chopsticks. It is also less perishable due to theproperties of bamboo leaves and vinegar.
Kenshin sushi is served at ceremonial
occasions in the area and is certified as an
Intangible Folk Cultural Property by
Iiyama.

G7 Transport Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Karuizawa, Nagano on Sept. 24-25
Date September 24-25, 2016 Venue Karuizawa, Nagano
Participants : Japan (Host country), Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the European Commission
Outline: Based on discussion in the G7 Transport Ministers' Meeting held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in September 2015, Japan would like todiscuss the following topics and issues toward the G7 joint declaration.
[1] Development and widespread utilization of advanced technology for automobiles and roads[2] Basic strategy for developing new transport infrastructure and renovating aging and deteriorated transport infrastructure

Welcome to NAGANOFor Business

For Sightseeing

For more information

http://g7nagano2016.jp/en/

For MICE

By Train
From Tokyo Station by Hokuriku
Shinkansen Super Express train
To Nagano Station (90 min.)
To Karuizawa Station (70 min.)

NaganoKaruizawa

Nagano Pref.

Tokyo
Nagano Pref.
Tokyo

Nagano Prefecture is located in the center of Japan about 200 km
from Tokyo and Nagoya. Convenient transportation makes theprefecture easy to access.

Snow monkeys, Zenkoji Temple and Matsumoto Castle aremust-see spots for tourists. Recently, towns with ryokan traditionalinns, such as the Tsumagojuku area, are also popular.

The prefecture is home to many processing and assembling
manufacturers that employ highly skilled engineers. There are active
collaborative research programs between academia and industry,including Shinshu University, which is known for carbon nanotube
research.

With many mountains of 3,000 meters and higher, Nagano
Prefecture is a major ski and snowboard resort close to Tokyo. The
prefecture also offers many summer activities such as golf, hiking
and boating.

The prefecture has an abundant amount of water and is the origin ofeight water sources. There is no risk of tsunami and a low chance ofearthquakes. The prefecture boasts a high ratio of sunny days and theclimate is ideal for companies and factories.

Nagano’ s soba is quite well known among Japanese traditional
foods. The prefecture is one of the largest producers of grapes,
apples, peaches and other fruit, offering visitors a range of tastes.

Karuizawa, the host of the G7 transport ministers’ meeting, is an
ideal resort town to host international conferences.
The area is suitable for retreat-type conferences, away from urban
areas. In addition to meetings, attendees can also enjoy golf, tennis
and other activities.
It is conveniently only 70 minutes from Tokyo Station byshinkansen.
Karuizawa is one of the most popular resort areas in Japan, withlarge-scale luxury hotels, traditional Japanese inns and many otheraccommodation options. They not only host international
conventions, but also parties and weddings.

For more information http://g7kotsu.nagano.jp/en

PAGE: B12

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016 B13

Kobe City(Publicity)

Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster

World-class medical hub
sees bright global future
As the area with the largest concentration of medical research facilities in the
country, there is good reason Kobe waschosen to host the G7 health ministers’
meeting on Sept. 11 and 12.
The Kobe Biomedical Innovation
Cluster (KBIC) is a science park that ishome to some of the world’s mostadvanced research and development
facilities, where the first clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem (iPS)
cells are being conducted.
The city of Kobe embarked on the initiative to set up KBIC, which was designated by the state as a National StrategicSpecial Zone in 2014, in 1998, three

years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake devastated the city and surrounding areas.
KBIC, which provides incentives to
medical and pharmaceutical companies
to encourage them to locate theirresearch and development facilities
there, has since grown to be a leading
medical industry hub. It is home to theresearch centers and other facilities of
316 companies and organizations,
including medical equipment makers,
drug makers and universities as ofMarch 2016, and the figure has steadily
increased from 100 companies andorganizations in 2006 and 200 in 2011.

Kobe continues to take on challenges
in pursuit of an exceptional tomorrow
Kizo Hisamoto
kobe mayor

Sixteen years
have passed
since the conceptof creating theKobe Biomedical
Innovation Cluster (KBIC) firstcame about in
1998. It has sincegrown into aleading medical
industry hub inJapan, with over 300 facilities, universities and hospitals located there, andhas also been chosen as the location to
set up the successor to the K computer.
With a meeting of health ministers fromthe Group of Seven member countries
taking place in Kobe this September, we
are aiming to continue making strides

forward.
Kobe also offers an environment inwhich foreigners can live at ease, ensconced in a rich natural setting surrounded by mountains and the sea thatoffer abundant farming and marine
products. We have a solid educational
environment comprising eight foreignschools in the city, and a medical environment in which patients can speakwith doctors in English and other foreign languages at nearly 100 hospitals.
By effectively using the ground workof the KBIC and proactively engaging invarious projects to conduct state-ofthe-art research and create innovative
medical technologies, we hope to generate plenty of excellent results, aim tobecome a world hub of medical-relatedindustries and continue to take on challenges in pursuit of a better future.
We look forward to welcoming you in
Kobe.

Participating companies and organizations include Daiichi Sankyo Co.’s
wholly owned subsidiary Asubio
Pharma Co., Boehringer Ingelheim,
Toray Industries Inc., Panasonic Corp.,
Kyocera Corp., Fujifilm Corp., Shiseido
Co. and Kobe University.
The Japanese unit of global pharmaceutical conglomerate Boehringer Ingelheim relocated its research base to KBIC
in November 2008 to take advantage ofthe concentration of medical-relatedcompanies and facilities there. Shiseido
opened a research facility in 2014 towork on hair regeneration. Medical
equipment makers are also able toenhance their development efficiency
there.
The direct and indirect economic
effects of KBIC were estimated at ¥161.6
billion with 7,100 jobs created as ofDecember 2015.
The city aims to increase the numberof companies and organizations in KBIC
to 520 by 2025, with an expected economic impact of about ¥307 billion.
In the breakdown of sectors, medical
equipment accounts for 31.6 percent,research and development support services make up 19.7 percent and drug
and biomedical businesses account for15.8 percent. Non-Japanese companies
make up roughly 8 percent of tenants.
KBIC is composed of three areas, withthe first being the Biotech R&D Area,
which bridges fundamental researchand clinical application of cutting-edge
medical treatment and regenerative
medicine. The second is the Medical
Area, a concentration of medical facilities that altogether offer about 1,300
beds, while the third is the Simulation
Area, which consists of research institutes and universities in the field ofcomputational science.
Some of the unique institutions in
those areas include the Institute of Bio-

New eye center to provide
treatment using iPS cells
The city of Kobe is planning to begin construction of the Kobe Eye Center (provisional name), a research and medical
facility that will use induced pluripotent
stem (iPS) cells, this summer, aiming toopen it in the fall of 2017.
It will be a facility where cutting-edge
medical treatments in the field of ophthalmology, including retinal regeneration, will be put to practical use.
The Foundation for Biomedical
Research and Innovation (FBRI), which
operates the Institute of Biomedical
Research and Innovation (IBRI), the
RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) and the Kobe City Medical
Center General Hospital in September
2014 conducted the world’s first transplant operation using iPS cells on apatient suffering from age-related macu-

lar degeneration, an intractable retinal
disease. One of the purposes of establishing the Kobe Eye Center is to accelerate
this kind of research and treatment.
RIKEN CDB will handle the center’s
research while the foundation will be incharge of medical care. The center’s
operating structure has also been taking
shape, as seen in the establishment of apublic-interest organization providing
rehabilitation for those recovering frommajor operations and intractable diseases in December 2014 under the initiative of Masayo Takahashi, project leader
at RIKEN CDB, who is being involved in
the world’s first iPS clinical research.
In addition to rehabilitation, the center
aims to train and increase the number ofpeople who are able to work even with
impaired vision.

Bird’s eye view of the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster

medical Research and Innovation (IBRI)
which carries out translational researchbringing the results of life science studies into clinical application. It researchesbone marrow transplants, chemotherapy and other innovative therapies.
There is also the RIKEN Center for
Developmental Biology (CDB), which
conducts fundamental and pilot studies
in the field of developmental and regenerative biology. Its research fields
include the mechanism of the birth ofcloned mice and development of iPS cell
technology.
The Kobe Minimally Invasive Cancer
Center provides non-surgical cancer
treatment, especially through the combined use of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
The RIKEN Advanced Institute for
Computational Science (AICS) maintains and operates the K computer,which possesses one of the world’s top
computing speeds, processing 10 quadrillion operations per second. The next
generation supercomputer is alsoplanned in the Simulation Area and is
expected to begin full operations in
2020.
Straddling the three areas, KBIC has
rental laboratories to provide opportuni-

Number of companies and employees in KBIC
(employees)(companies)

7,000(Dec. 2015)

6,000

300

316

(April 2016)

5,000
4,000

350

7,100

250
200

Number of companies

3,000

150

2,000

100

Number of employees

1,000
0

2001

’03

’05

’07

ties for companies, especially small venture companies, to establish research
centers.
Also, a number of universities, such as
Kobe University, the Hyogo University of
Health Science, Kobe Gakuin University
and Konan University have also estab-

’09

’11

’13

50
’15

0

lished their presence in KBIC.
KBIC, with an exceptional density ofhigh technology and highly advanced
medicine where each party can takesynergetic advantage of each other’s
technology, is expected to thrive as a
global cutting-edge medical hub.

Computers accelerate drug development

Exterior rendering of the Kobe Eye Center

The city of Kobe is becoming a center
for in silico drug discovery, a processof identifying potential new medicines
through the use of computers, as the
Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster(KBIC) is home to the K computer.
Drug development is an exhaustive
process, typically taking as much as adecade or more and costing hundredsof billions of yen, with a success ratioof just 20,000-to-1. Supercomputers
are a valuable asset in speeding up
drug discovery. Using them will
shorten drug development, which isthe process of bringing a new drug tothe market once a lead compound has
been identified through the process ofdrug discovery.
Using the K computer cuts ¥20 billion in costs and reduces development
time by two to three years.
To turn Kobe into a global center forin silico drug discovery, the Foundation for Biomedical Research and

PAGE: B13

K computer

Innovation (FBRI) launched a promotion group in fiscal 2015 that began acomputing platform project for drug
discovery using the K computer andother computers.

B14

THE JAPAN TIMES MAY 25  MAY 27, 2016

cuisine and attractions

TOYAMAISHIKAWA

Ramen Jigen

Kaikaro in Kanazawa Higashi Chayagai District

Perfecting the taste of ‘Toyama Black’ noodles

Enjoying traditional Japanese teahouse entertainment“Toyama Black” is the nickname for the city of Toyama’s ramen delicacy that was created around 1955. As the name implies, Toyama Black is a very dark soup with soy
sauce and lots of ground pepper. Because of its strong flavors and unique saltiness,it has both diehard fans and detractors.
Ramen Jigen’s “kuro shoyu ramen,” orblack soy ramen, is their version of Toyama
Black. It is the result of three year’s worth oftrial and error to find a recipe that suits a wide
spectrum of palates, while maintaining thecharacteristics of the local dish. Jigen’s soup is neither too rich nor too light, allowing everyone
to enjoy every last drop, while the mildly thick and curly noodles hold the soup very well.
Menma bamboo shoots, fresh leeks and succulent chashu pork — that is simmered for morethan five hours — are the toppings perfectly blended to bring■ URL: http://jigen-toyama.com/
customers back again and again. The restaurant is filled all day■ ADDRESS: Wing Wing
with customers eager to enjoy the steamy bowls of noodles
Takaoka 1F 1-8 Suehirocho,
made with the owner-chef’s passion and devotion.
Takaoka-shi, Toyama Pref.
Other recommended items include Jigen’s “garlic yamitsuki■ TEL: 0766-25-2598
ramen” and the “local delicacy gourmet set,” which includes the■ OPEN: Tues.-Sat., 11:30
a.m.-10 p.m. (L.O. 9:30 p.m.),
popular kuro shoyu ramen, a Takaoka croquette and a tororo
Sun., 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.;
kombu onigiri (thinly sliced seaweed rice ball). Sticky pan-fried
Closed Mondays (irregular)
gyoza dumplings filled with delicious soup are a must-try side
■ ACCESS: One minute from
Takaoka Station (Ainokaze
dish. One order comes with six gyoza, and they are especiallyToyama Railway)
popular among women because they use Japanese cabbage
and herbs that do not leave diners with gyoza breath.

On a street in Higashi Chayagai, visitors may hear the sounds of shamisen or taiko Japanese drums
in the late afternoon while strolling the area of merchant houses in an atmosphere reminiscent of the
Edo Period.
Chaya, or teahouses, were social meeting places
where the upper class enjoyed eating, drinking andwatching performing arts. Kaikaro is the largest teahousein Kanazawa, located in the Higashi Chayagai district.
The building, which exudes Japanese taste and beauty,
has a history dating back nearly 200 years.
Built in 1820, Kaikaro has been designated as a
Kanazawa City Preservation Architecture site and hasreceived two stars in the Michelin Green Guide.
In the evenings, Kaikaro entertains numerous VIP
guests from all over the world as a teahouse practicing ikkyaku ittei, or
accepting only one group of customers a night. Guests areinvited to experience genuine Japanese tradition through dinner, dance and taiko performances by geisha. Kaikaro makes
the night unforgettable with a great atmosphere, fine food, andclassic decor providing a taste of authentic Japan.
Dinners with geisha entertainment can be tailored to suit the
numbers and preferences of guests. Kaikaro is open to the
public during the day. The admission fee is ¥750 and a historical cafe is also on site.

PAGE: B14

■ URL: http://www.kaikaro.jp/

eng■ “Geisha Evenings in

Kanazawa:’’ http://geisha.
artexinc.com/■ ADDRESS: 1-14-8
Higashiyama, Kanazawa,
Ishikawa Pref.
■ TEL: 076-253-0591■ OPEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily■ ACCESS: Four minutes from
Hashiba-cho bus stopTHE JAPAN TIMES MAY 25  MAY 27, 2016 B15

cuisine and attractions

GIFU

GIFU

Nagase Suppon Turtle Farm

Shinhotaka Ropeway

Supplements from ‘suppon’ soft-shelled turtles aid in improving health and beauty

Trip boasts breathtaking, panoramic mountain views

Located approximately in the center of the Japanese archipelago, the “Oku
Hida Onsengo” hot spring area, already one of the most famous places forhot springs in Japan, has recently been gaining recognition around the world.
There are a number of tourist attractions near the hot springs that are famous
for their “old, refined Japanese townscapes,” including the villages of Hida
Takayama, Norikura, Kamikochi and Shirakawago.
“Hirayu Onsen” is the oldest hot spring in Oku Hida and has water coming from about 40 sources. It is said that the hot spring’s history goes backto when injured samurai were led to the hot spring by white monkeys to havetheir battle wounds healed by its waters. The hot spring still heals travelers
today with balneotherapy, which is said to be effective for neurosis and skindiseases.
Nagase Suppon Yoshokujo (Nagase Suppon Turtle Farm), in“Hirayu Onsen” of Oku Hida Onsen hot spring area, raises suppon softshelled turtles. The hot spring water of Hirayu Onsen is rich with minerals
and natural elements, so suppon that are raised in this water are healthy.
Additionally, the quiet environment of the Oku Hida Onsengo is ideal for the noisesensitive animal.
Hirayu suppon have recently been featured on Japanese TV programs such as popular food shows and suppon is now considered the new specialty of Oku Hida Onsengo’s Hirayu. The Japan Food Research Laboratories has stated that suppon arehighly nutritious, containing highquality collagen, and 18 out of 20
amino acids beneficial to people.
The suppon are also consideredgood for beauty and help people
maintain good health in today’s
stressful society. The Chinese havelong touted the nutritional benefitsof suppon, which have been eaten in China for more than 4,000 years, while in Japan suppon
has been treated as rare nutritious food that people are unable to eat frequently. In the hopeof letting more people benefit from suppon, Nagase Suppon Turtle Farm started manufacturing and sellling suppon dietary supplements 30 years ago. The company’s products have seen
strong customer support over the years.
Nagase Suppon Turtle Farm is raising approximately 40,000 suppon, and in addition to the farm’s retail store, they operate a suppon processing facility and a filling facility for suppon nutritional supplements. They are producing specialty products in an integrated system covering farming to processing. Today, it supports the beauty and health of people in modern society hand-in-hand with Hirayu Onsen hot spring.
A beautiful natural setting and quality hot springs make “Suppon no Sato (home of suppon) — Hirayu Onsen hot spring” along with “Hirayu suppon,” an ideal place for both internal and externalbeauty and health.
For those interested in pursuing a healthier life, a trip to the “Oku Hida Onsengo Hirayu Onsen”
hot springs is well worth it
and we look forward to yourvisit.

The Shinhotaka Ropeway, located in the heart of Gifu’s Oku Hida onsen (hot spring)village, is known as one of the most scenic ropeways in Japan. Traveling from thestarting point at Shinhotaka Onsen Station to Nishihotakaguchi Station at 2,156 meters above sea level takes about 25 minutes. Visitors must transit from the first ropeway to a second to complete the trip. The first ropeway is completely glass-paneled,
and the second is Japan’s only double-deck, large-sized gondola, which offers a greatchance to “walk in the sky.”From the observation deck, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Hotaka Mountain Range, which boasts mountains such as Kasagatake(2,897 m above sea level), Yarigatake (3,180 m above sea level), Nishi Hotakadake (2,909m above
sea level) and others that include some of the “100 famous mountains in Japan.” The range is an
ideal picture-taking spot, garnering two stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japon.
The Shinhotaka Ropeway offers year-around service, allowing
for the beauty of each season to be enjoyed. In the area around■ URL: http://shinhotakaropeway.jp/
Nishihotakaguchi Station, the main attractions are herbs, flowers,■ ADDRESS: Shinhotaka,
and alpine plants in the
Okuhida onsengo,
spring and summer, followed by colorful autumn leaves in the fall, andTakayama-shi, Gifu Pref.
a pathway with three-meter-high walls of snow in winter where tour■ TEL: 0578-89-2252■ OPEN: all year
ists can take a stroll.
■ ACCESS: A short walk from“Yamabiko (echoing) Post,” the highest-above-sea-level mailbox
Shinhotaka Ropeway (final
in Japan is also a popular draw. Visitors can purchase pens, poststop) on the Nohi Bus departing
cards — including ones made from wood — at the gift shop. The
from JR Takayama Station
mailbox allows visitors to send messages to loved ones from above
the clouds.

■ URL: http://suppon.co.jp/■ ADDRESS: 362-1 Hirayu,Okuhida Onsengo,
Takayama, Gifu Pref.
■ TEL: 0578-89-2272■ OPEN: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
daily
■ ACCESS: One hour by carfrom “Takayama Interchange” on the Tokai
Hokuriku and Chubu Jukan
expressways

GIFU

Takayama
City offers excellent festival, open-air hot springs
Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, a city that concluded an Environmental and Economic Agreementwith Colmar, France, in 2014, is a three Michelin-starred city along with Kyoto and Nara.
It is a very popular tourist destination with many attractions, and according to statistics,
about 400,000 guests stayed in the city of 92,000 in 2014.
The Takayama Matsuri festival is designated as one of Japan’s three most beautiful festivals, Hida beef is Japan’s leading
brand of Japanese black beef and the government officially designated Takayama’s traditional Japanese townscape as an important preservation district of historic buildings.
Other attractions include the Hida Takayama hot spring village and the Ichii Itto Carvings, which
received special designation as traditional crafts from the Japanese government.
Working under the guiding principle that “a town easy to live in is
Hida-Takayama Tourism andone easy to visit” since 1996, Takayama is striving to offer a multilingual
Convention Bureau
website and renovate public restrooms and hotels to make them barrier-free. Providing Wi-Fi in the central part of the■ URL: www.hida.jp
city and offering multilingual maps and guides are also part of the city’s eaHIDABITO.jp
gerness to make it a town where every visitor, including those from overseas,■ ADDRESS: 1-2 Honmachi,
can comfortably enjoy their stay.
Takayama-shi, Gifu Pref.
Oku Hida hot spring village, an hour drive from Takayama, is formed from■ TEL: 0577-36-1011
five hot spring areas. The village, which sits 800 meters above sea level, iswell-known as an area with the largest number of open-air baths in Japan.
Visitors can also enjoy a panoramic view of the Hida Mountain Range — that
includes a series of mountains over 3,000 meters high — by driving about
an hour toward Nagano Prefecture from central Takayama.

AICHI

Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho
Bincho charcoal critical element to cooking perfect hitsumabushi“Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho” is a popular Japanese restaurant,
known for hitsumabushi (grilled eel on rice) with branches acrossJapan. In addition to the main shop in Aichi Prefecture, there are
four more locations in the Nagoya area; the “Esca” shop near
Nagoya Station (shinkansen); the “Lachic” branch in the Sakae
area; a new branch that opened on March 9; and the “Dai Nagoya
Building” shop. There are also outlets in Tokyo, including the Ginza
branch and the “Tokyo Sky Tree Town Soramachi” shop, as wellas other branches in Osaka and Hakata.
The restaurant prides itself on serving the best quality fatty, softskinned eel carefully selected from around Japan. The eel iscooked on premium Bincho charcoal, as the charcoal burns slower than other fuels. The fat and sauce dripping on the burning charcoal during grilling enhances the aroma and flavor.
To make the best tasting hitsumabushi, the chefs use the freshest eel, cooked to perfection over Bincho charcoal
fires. There are no compromises when it comes to blending the highest-quality soy sauce, select sugar and mirin
rice wine into a sauce using an in-house recipe. With all this careful
preparation and cooking, the meat is succulent and tender meat beneath the crispy skin. Serving guests such genuine and delicious hitsumabushi is a point of pride for the restaurant.
Hitsumabushi is a dish that can be enjoyed three times: The firstserving should be eaten as is; wasabi, leeks and seaweed should beplaced on top for the second; and dashi can be poured over the topof the third serving. Please enjoy each delicious bowl of this Nagoya
delicacy in the nationally well-known stores.

URL: http://hitsumabushi.co.jp/
NAGOYA■ Esca - 052-451-5557

Esca underground shopping
center, 6-9 Tsubaki-cho,Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Pref.
■ Dai Nagoya Building- 052-564-5756
Dai Nagoya Building 3F,
3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku,
Nagoya, Aichi Pref.
■ Lachic - 052-259-6703
Lachic 7F, 3-6-1 Sakae,
Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Pref.
■ Main branch - 0587-96-0141
5-176-1 Shimooguchi, Oguchicho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Pref.
TOKYO■ Ginza - 03-5159-0231

Marronnier Gate 12F, 2- 2-14
Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo■ Ikebukuro Parco- 03-5956-5756
Ikebukuro Parco Main Building 8F,
1-28-2 Minami-Ikebukuro,
Toshima-ku, Tokyo■ Tokyo Sky Tree Town
Soramachi - 03-5619-5757
Tokyo Sky Tree Town Soramachi 6F,
1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
OSAKA■ Grand Front Osaka- 06-6371-5759
Grand Front Osaka South Building
7F, 4-20 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka Pref.

FUKUOKA■ Nakasukawabata- 092-409-6522
Hakata-za Nishigin Building 1F,
2-1 Shimokawabata, Hakata-ku,
Fukuoka, Fukuoka Pref.

PAGE: B15

B16

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

GALLERY TOTO

Narita International Airport Terminal 2
GALLERY TOTO is a digital gallery of toilets presented by TOTO Ltd.
and Narita International Airport. This delightful and engaging
space is free and open to everyone.
Please come by the NARITA SKY LOUNGE “WA,”which connects Terminal 2 and the Satellite (annex).
©DAICI ANO

For more information, visit

su.toto.com/wtj1
PAGE: B16

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

NagoyaB17(Publicity)

Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru Palace set to reopen June 1
Nagoya Castle is undoubtedly the pinnacle of pride for the citizens of thecity of Nagoya.
The castle was originally built on theorders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first
Tokugawa shogun, in the early 17th
century. It was to be a critical stronghold for invading Osaka Castle, theopposing Toyotomi clan’s final place ofresistance.
The actual construction work took
place under the rule of Hidetada, thesecond shogun, who cleverly made the
20 daimyo feudal lords in the region
compete against each other in quickly
constructing the fine castle.
Consequently, the construction
work on the castle tower was completed in 1612, just two years after
Hidetada’s issuance of the build order,
followed by the completion of the
Honmaru Palace in 1615.

Architectural significanceThe Nagoya Castle tower, built within
the central Honmaru compound, wasthe largest of all castle towers in Japan,
even exceeding those of Edo or Osaka
castles. Constructed from fine timberlogged from the Owari fiefdom,
Nagoya Castle’s multilayered tower
was renowned for its distinctive beautyand sturdiness, adopting a new building style that was quite different fromthose of the previous Momoyama
Period.
The most eye-catching exterior
ornament of the tower was its pair ofgold shachihoko (mythical fish-likeanimals believed to protect buildings
from fire) perched on the two sides of
its rooftop. The shachihoko were said
to have been made from 270 kilogramsof solid gold. The castle was also
known for other detailed and intricate
design details such as gable fittingsand pendants, as well as the Shogun
Crest of Hollyhock made from gold leaf
affixed to black lacquer.
The Honmaru Palace, the residenceof the lord, came after the constructionof the Castle Tower. Together with the
Ninomaru Palace of Kyoto’s Nijo Castle, this palace was recognized as amasterpiece of samurai-style Shoinzukuri architecture, and was designatedas a National Treasure in 1930.
It was comprised of a centrally
located reception and ceremonial hallwith a decorated alcove section displaying imported Chinese ceramics
and hanging scrolls, a secondary display area featuring split-level shelves
for ornamental items, a recessed writing stall for the record-keepers, andthe dignified Jodan-no-ma raised
room for the exclusive use of the lord.
The Honmaru Palace walls and sliding fusuma doors were decorated withthe dynamic motifs of tigers, leopards,
flowers, birds and landscapes awash ina flood of colors.
Those bold paintings were bornfrom the paintbrushes of Kano Sadanobu, Kano Tanyu, as well as other
Kano school master painters. The
fusuma door fittings also incorporated
intricate decorative designs, while thedelicately carved out wooden transoms above adopted motifs of flowers
and reeds.

Restoration

Unfortunately, major parts of the castle were burned during the World War
II bombings, though some of theremovable partitions and panels were
saved. Today, 1,047 such paintings
have been designated as Important
Cultural Assets.
Since the 1950s, experts in various
fields have come together to restore
Nagoya Castle to its original beautyand form. Early Showa Period architectural research, measurements anddrawings, as well as pre-war photographic evidence has allowed the restoration to take place.
Thanks to such diligent efforts, theNagoya Castle Tower was reconstructed by 1959. A three-stage restoration project for Honmaru Palace began
in 2009. Of special note is that the
Honmaru Palace project employs thesame materials and techniques usedby the original builders centuries ago.
Hence, modern painters involved in
the project are trying to replicate theKano masterpiece paintings down to
the tiniest details by using microscopes and computers, as well as referencing historical materials.
As a result of such tireless efforts,
the genkan entrance hall and the
Omote Shoin main hall of the palace
were restored by 2013, ready to beopened to the public. This was followed this year by the completion of
the Taimenjo reception hall, which isscheduled to be open to the publicfrom June 1.
Nagoya Castle is open daily from 9:00
a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (entrance admitted
until 4:00 p.m.). Admission is ¥500 for
adults, ¥100 for those aged 65 and overand free for children through juniorhigh school.

Nagoya Castle is a point of pride for Nagoya residents. The Honmaru Palace area of the castle will be open to the public from
June 1 after undergoing restoration. city of nagoya

Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace Taimenjo reception hall opens to
the public on June 1 following a second-stage restoration.

Clockwise from top right: The castle and the outer moat; Paintings with black lacquered edges and gold foil depicting seasonsand landscapes on the walls of the Taimenjo reception hall; A carpenter works on the restoration of Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru
Palace. nagoya convention & visitors bureau/city of nagoya

Taimenjo is a reception hallwhere the feudal lords had private
banquets with families and servants.
Paintings depicting the seasons
adorn the walls, while the uniqueceilings with black lacquered edges
and gold leaf enthrall visitors. The
profound, magnificent design is not
to be missed.

1-1, Hommaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: 052-231-1700 Fax: 052-201-3646
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Days closed: Dec. 29 to Jan. 1
Admission: Adults ¥500; Free for junior high students and underCity of Nagoya

Centrally located with easy access to all transportation, entertainment and business hubs, Hilton Nagoya has 460 newly renovatedrooms with the interiors featuring natural, relaxing colors inspired by Nagoya’s historical castles. Our newly renovated Executive
Rooms and Lounge offer our guests a luxurious home away from home experience. Complete with an extensive world-classbanquet facility, an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a tennis court and a 24/7 gym, our hotel has something for everyone. Choose
from four distinctive restaurants and a recently renewed bar serving an exclusive selection of international cuisine. Just afive-minute taxi ride from Nagoya Station and also with convenient access to Ise-Shima, Hilton Nagoya is only the international
hotel brand in Nagoya.

PAGE: B17

B18

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

Nagoya(Publicity)

City’s attractions lure recreational and business travelers
Nagoya is home to many attractions, including the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens and many parks. With
Legoland set to open next year and theLinear Central Shinkansen planned for
operation in fiscal 2027, Nagoya is expected to grow further as a hub for both tourists and businesspeople.

Higashiyama Zoo

Covering a vast area of approximately
60 hectares, the Higashiyama Zoo andBotanical Gardens is holding various
events and exhibitions to commemorate its 80th anniversary. Some highlights include areas offering a close lookat such rare animals as the Sumatran
Tiger and snow leopards, as well as
chances for visitors to explore and learn
about the ecology and lives of various
plants and animals. There will also be
panel displays outlining the history ofthis well-kept facility that has been
undergoing renovations over the past
decade.
Living inside this verdant zoo areabout 500 different animals, including
such popular creatures ranging fromkoala bears to giraffes, and from large

animals such as elephants down tosmall fish such as the killifish.
Inside the botanical gardens areabout 7,000 different plants, the mostwell known of which is the cherry tree
corridor, which boasts 1,000 cherrytrees of 100 different breeds. Also worth
noting is the elegant classical greenhouse that was designated as an important cultural asset in 2006. The gardens
are carefully landscaped to show theplants in a natural forest environment,
allowing visitors to enjoy a stroll along
the Path of Manyou-shu (Anthology of
10,000 leaves), the Passage of Medicinal
Herbs and so on.
Open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
(gates close at 4:50 p.m.), the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens is
closed on Mondays (closed the following day if Monday is a national holiday).
Admission is ¥500 for adults, and free ofcharge for children through junior highschool.

Legoland Japan

After beginning construction in 2015,
Legoland Japan will open in spring next
year on Kinjo Pier in the city of Nagoya.

Hisaya Odori Park runs through Nagoya’s Naka Ward.

Being the second Legoland in Asia, thisfacility is being built and will be operated by Merlin Entertainments, a global
amusement company that boasts theworld’s second-highest attendance figures at its attractions. Legoland Japan
will feature the best attractions from thesix Legoland parks already successfully
operated by Merlin around the world.
Specifically, this fun-filled theme
park will have over 40 rides and unique
attractions for families with children
from two to 12 years old. Exciting photoopportunities are available at this facility as there are reproductions of several
iconic buildings and vistas of Japan andNagoya, made with a staggering 25 million LEGO blocks.

globally renowned super terminal.
To become a highly functional city
capable of attracting many people fromaround the world, the administration iscurrently promoting the rebuilding of
Nagoya under four basic guidelines.
These include becoming a broad, inter-national foothold for businesses andcultural exchange that is also attractive
and eco-friendly; transforming Nagoya
Station into a convenient, international,
easy-to-use station for all, including
foreign visitors; creating a city environment with a variety of attractive fea-tures that are a fusion of a castle town,
as well as an ultra-modern business,tourist and living environment; andunifying the efforts of the administration and the private sector in time forthe start of Linear Central Shinkansen
operations.

Linear Central Shinkansen

The start of operations of the Linear
Central Shinkansen in fiscal 2027 will
greatly reduce the travel time between
Nagoya and Tokyo, from the current 100
minutes down to a mere 40 minutes.
Taking such conditions into account,the city of Nagoya is renovating theentire station and surrounding area,with the goal of transforming it into acity of nagoya

A relaxing space formed by history and tradition
Situated in the heart ofNagoya in Fushimi, theNagoya Kanko Hotel was
founded in 1936. The hotel iseasily accessible by bullet
train from across Japan aswell as from Central Japan
International Airport.
On the Comfort floors,
wood accents offer a relaxing
atmosphere and cozy beds
help guests get sound sleep.
The tranquil atmosphereprovides a peaceful,high-quality stay.

Clockwise from top right: Aerial view of Nagoya Station and surrounding area; Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens; a poster
for the zoo city of nagoya

19-30, Nishiki 1-chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya 460-8608, Japan
Tel: 052-231-7711 Fax: 052-231-7719
http://www.nagoyakankohotel.co.jp/

A selection of “Nagoya-meshi” (Nagoya cuisine) that delights both the eyes and the palate includes, clockwise from top right:
tenmusu small rice balls with a piece of shrimp tempura; adzuki bean toast, a popular cafe item; miso katsu deep-fried pork cutlet
with a thick, sweet miso sauce; hitsumabushi, grilled eel on rice nagoya convention & visitors bureau

PAGE: B18

The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016 B19

Hari-kyu, the art of acupuncture and moxibustion(Publicity)

Modern take on traditional medicine“The practice of medicine is an art,
based on science.”
William Osler, considered “the father
of modern medicine,” proclaimed thesefamous words. His philosophy serves asa standard of excellence and a modelfor the evolution of all practitioners,
not simply those of Western medicine.
Indeed, the ancient art of acupuncture
and moxibustion (burning of driedmugwort) in Japan, called hari-kyu,
dates back more than 1,500 years andcontinues to be practiced today bylicensed practitioners whose skills
involve a balance of logic, deductive
reasoning, perception and intuition.
This November, Japan will be hosting, for the first time in 23 years, theInternational Conference of the World
Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), whose theme isthe art of acupuncture and moxibustion. The conference aims to address
issues such as standardization in thepractice, its strength as a sustainable
form of treatment and developments ininnovation.
“Medicine should target a humanbeing not only as a science but also as
an art. True medicine should target theoverall health of each individual,” said
Shuji Goto, president of this year’s
WFAS conference. A prominent figure
who has made great strides in the practice, Goto also serves as president of
The Japan Society of Acupuncture andMoxibustion (JSAM) and chairman of
the Goto College of Medical Arts andSciences in Tokyo.
Hari-kyu provides a holistic
approach to treating disease and illness, the body, mind and spirit. The
practice focuses on all of the patient’s
bodily systems as a whole, to restore
homeostasis, or the body’s natural balance. It thus emphasizes the body’s

Left: Modern moxibustion (burning dried mugwort); Right: An early 19th-century
ukiyo-e shows a woman holding her son’s hand to perform moxibustion on
him. simone chen/harikyu museum-museum of traditional medicine

natural healing. Knowing that the bodyis capable of regaining its own naturalbalance with consistent, appropriate
stimulation is a pillar of hari-kyu philosophy.
Derived from ancient China some
1,500 years ago, traditional Japanese
medicine evolved throughout history
into a uniquely distinct form. Insiders
will note the uniqueness of Japanesepractice lies in palpation, a touch technique essential to diagnosis and treatment. While examining a patient, thepractitioner touches the skin, connective tissues, muscles and organs togather sensory information used for
diagnosis. Palpation continues
throughout the session to ascertainchanges and responses in the body,allowing for the practitioner to adjust
the treatment and making theapproach highly individualized.
As much as palpation is necessary
for the practitioner, the act of gentle
touching by itself soothes the patient,aiding in healing.
Another characteristic of Japanese

acupuncture is the shallow insertion ofvery fine needles using a guide tube to
reduce pain. The importance of detecting excess and deficiency in the skinand connective tissue is essential totreatment, thus the development ofvarious techniques to stimulate thesurface of the body. The subtle, fineneedling approach tends to be favoredin Western cultures by patients wary oflong and thick needles.
Hari-kyu is as much unique as it iseffective in treating a wide array of ailments. From musculoskeletal complaints — lower back pain and shoulder
stiffness being the most common — toheadaches and fertility issues, the practice has gained a foothold in less oftused areas such as sports medicine,mental health and in terminal illnesses
such as cancer.
Even the world of professional sports
has begun to recognize the benefit of aholistic approach to athletes’ health.
Just take a look at Haro Ogawa, theteam trainer and acupuncturist to the
San Francisco Giants. It is no coinci-

dence that since he joined the team in
2008, the team has won the World
Series a record three times. Ogawa
keeps the players at the top of their
game throughout the year and as hewas educated in Japan first, he stresses
the importance of palpation. “You haveto feel imbalances with your hands andfingers to get a good diagnosis” he saidin an interview. Needless to say, both
acupuncture and moxibustion are
drug-free treatments, and thus ideal for
professional athletes who are subject todoping tests.
Some skeptics may doubt traditional
medicine, with the recent trend in
medicine focusing on efficacy in clinical trials first, followed by debate overthe scientific mechanisms to endorse
its effectiveness.
But researchers across the world arecollecting scientific backing on the efficacy of traditional medicine. They use
randomized controlled trials and metaanalysis results to assess the effectiveness of hari-kyu. Studies to clarify theefficacy of hari-kyu are being conducted on chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea, migraines,
fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, alleviating
labor pain, correcting fetal breech
among others.
Following the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake, medicine, doctors, waterand power were limited. Many afflictedby the disaster were forced to sleep on
hard gymnasium floors or in their cars,
suffering from insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder, turned to harikyu treatments at evacuation shelters
throughout the Tohoku region.
A recent pilot study conducted in
sub-Saharan Africa investigated theefficacy of treating drug-resistantstrains of tuberculosis (TB) with Japanese direct moxibustion. Rooted in the

There are 361 basic acupuncture points to memorize. Shonishin, Japanese noninvasive acupuncture for newborns and children is effective for various issues such as
bed-wetting. ido no nippon/etsuko inoue/yoshiaki miura

work of Shimetaro Hara who usedmoxa (dried mugwort) to treat TB in
1930’s Japan, the African study reported
reduction of pain, improvement inenergy and overall immunity inpatients, as well as a reduced rate of
infection. Importantly, patients learned
to perform treatment on themselves
and others in the community, providing a sustainable and affordable caremodel.

History is evident. The healing art ofhari-kyu has worked for more than
1,500 years and continues to evolve toshow its potential as a sustainable formof health care. Understanding that the
only constant is change, Japanese modern practitioners continue to adapt tochanges in medicine and social development, drawing on the value of harikyu in positive ways without letting goof traditional theories.

Acupuncture treatment dates back centuries
Amid Ise-Shima’s ancient groves ofcypress giants lies the most revered
Shinto shrine in Japan, the Ise Jingu
shrine. With over 2,000 years of history,
it is dedicated to a goddess considered
the predecessor of the Imperial family
and the supreme deity among thecountless deities of the Shinto faith.
About 450 kilometers away, on aquiet street in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, thelesser-known Ejima Sugiyama Shrine
sits, dedicated to a man known as the
god of acupuncture. In Shintoism, gods
are believed to reside in objects of thenatural world — rivers, mountains, andanimals — even in ordinary humanbeings, whose spirits are enshrined insome of the 80,000 shrines in Japan.
One such ordinary man, Waichi Sugiyama, made extraordinary contributions to the field of acupuncture. Bornin 1610, he went blind at an early age
after contracting smallpox. For theblind in Japan at the time, the primaryjobs available were acupuncturist or
traditional massage therapist. At 18, he
traveled to Edo (now Tokyo) to apprentice for a famed blind acupuncturist.
As the story goes, while out, Sugiyama tripped on a rock and fell to theground. What happened next gave way
to an idea that would change the practice of acupuncture. As he fell, a pineneedle, sheathed in a bamboo reed,pierced the skin of his leg. Literally
struck by inspiration he realized thebamboo had helped guide the pine needle deep into the skin.
He later devised a needle insertion
technique using a small pipe to help
guide the acupuncture needle verticallyinto patient’s skin. Guide tubes enabledacupuncturists, blind and sighted both,to insert needles with stability and ease.
Sugiyama’s guide tube invention revolutionized the practice and continues tobe used today. It was as much a benefit
for practitioners as it was for patients, as
guide tubes lessened the pain of needle

insertion.
After Sugiyama successfully treated
Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa for achronic illness, he served as court physician until his death. Today, the Ejima
Sugiyama Shrine honors its namesake,whom locals consider the god of acupuncture, and whom the rest of theworld considers the father of Japanese
acupuncture. He is attributed withestablishing the first acupuncture, moxibustion (burning of dried mugwort)and massage school for the visually
impaired.
Sugiyama’s contributions paved theway for the practice of blind acupuncture to present day. Currently, 19 percent of the roughly 90,000 licensed
acupuncturists in Japan are visually
impaired. They are subject to the same
licensure and rights and regulations assighted practitioners.
Japanese clinicians use more palpation during treatment than thosetrained outside Japan. Feeling toughness, tenderness, warmth, moisture andso on is important before, during andafter treatment to assess patients’
health and efficacy of treatment. This
Japanese style developed thanks to thehistorical background that the occupation was equivalent to social security forthe visually impaired to be financiallyindependent.
The long history of visually impaired
acupuncturists brought emphasis toJapanese acupuncture. Their successcan be attributed to the development ofcertain senses — touch and smell — inways that sighted people rarely appreciate. In a hands-on profession like acupuncture, fingers are deemed thesecond eyes. With a heightened sense of
touch, blind acupuncturists pick up on
minute sensory stimuli that sighted
practitioners may overlook, including
sensations of firmness and softness, hotand cold, thickness, sharpness andresistance of a patient’s body.

Moxa dried mugwort comes in a variety of grades.
traditional medicine

harikyu museum-museum ofPassing on the art

Every twenty years, the Ise Grand
Shrine is ceremonially dismantled andentirely rebuilt. The practice, representative of Shintoism core ideals, is a symbol of renewal and continuity.
Rebuilding every twenty years allows
the time-honored skills in carpentry,
and metalwork to be passed on fromone generation to the next. Similarly,
practitioners of acupuncture and moxibustion, called hari-kyu, pass on theirskills to young practitioners to keep thisancient art form alive.
At a college in central Tokyo, a groupof about 30 students, dressed in identical white lab coats, partner up andpractice with acupuncture needles oneach other. Another group in the corner
practices moxibustion by timing theburning of fine cones of moxa (driedmugwort) on a paper grid. It’s the afternoon, and having completed a day inclasses, the students remain voluntarily
to practice on each other even though it
is not counted as academic credit. Their
instructor attentively watches over thegroup, showing proper needle insertion, stance and posture.
Like other certified hari-kyu institutes across Japan, the school prepares
its students for the national acupuncturist and moxibustionist exams. Examinees are required to not only memorize
361 basic acupuncture points, but also
have a firm grasp on both Eastern andWestern medicine, anatomy and physiology, sanitation, and clinical and rehabilitation practice.
Currently in Japan, there are about
4,000 students learning acupuncture atcollege, of whom 300 are visually handicapped. They are in three-to-four-year
programs in preparation for thenational exams. In the past decadealone, huge steps have been made to
develop educational guidelines, revise
textbooks and curriculum, and increase
the level of clinical training at these
institutions. The continuous renewal isneeded to match the needs of 21st century medicine for sustainable social andhealth care structure. Meetings to revise
curricula are held at the Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare every few
months.
As with any field of medicine, professionals learn invaluable skills throughclinical practice that a textbook cannot
teach. Students are trained to have a
profound understanding of the art ofhari-kyu. This is evidenced as students’fingers deftly glide over each others’
skin, determining point location with
anatomical landmarks and measuringwith their hands. For these young practitioners, this is just the beginning ofmastering the age-old art of hari-kyu
and its rich diversity of methodology.

Left: Home-use moxibustion (burning dried mugwort) plasters are available at the Sennenkyu showroom in Ginza, Tokyo; Right:
Different sizes of needles with guide tubes made by Seirin Corp. are identified by color. simone chen/seirin corp.

Today’s treatment methods easier, less painful
As anyone versed in acupuncture knows,
the most effective tools are humanhands. Throughout the 1,500 years history of the practice in Japan, the therapist’s hands have served as a sentient
bridge connecting patient to therapist.
Since the post-war era, major advancesin treatment techniques have evolved.
Today, what tools are available to themodern practitioner?
In 1980, the Japanese needle manufacturer Seirin Corp. developed sterilized
disposable acupuncture needles, amajor innovation, as well as a necessity
in the face of the HIV epidemic. Seirin
was also the first to introduce the guidetube kit at the time, which has since
become a global standard. Guide tubes
not only make inserting the fine needles
used in Japanese acupuncture easier, forboth sighted and visually impaired practitioners, they also reduce the patient’s
pain from needle insertion. Currently,
disposable needles with guide tubes are
the preferred choice, used in schools fortraining and at clinics and hospitals
around the world.
Until the 1990’s, the angle of conventional needles was relatively wider,which easily caused pain upon penetrating the skin. Seirin developed new grinding technology to make the tip’s angle
more acute, producing a more streamlined tip that eliminated pain and discomfort, even for thick needles. Recently
Seirin has developed rounder-edged,
acute-angle needles to further minimize
pain.
In current practice, needle size can be
distinguished by sight, but more easily
by a color-coded grip, also developed by
Seirin.
Even though the main choice of needles today are disposable stainless steel,some practitioners use precious metals
such as gold and silver. Many schools
use silver needles for students as they
are more soft and flexible, thus requiring
more skill to insert.

A round-edged needle (right) allows for painless acupuncture.

Moxibustion (or okyu), a form of heattherapy in which moxa (dried mugwort)
is burned near the skin surface, is often
used in conjunction with acupuncture tostimulate the flow of energy in the body.
Various forms of moxa therapy are practiced. Commonly, the Japanese practitioner burns a cone-shaped moxa as
small as half a grain of rice applied on an
acupuncture point without letting itburn the skin.
Gentle yet effective forms of moxibustion are gaining traction with the mainstream consumer nowadays. At thestylish Sennenkyu showroom in Ginza,
customers can get a demonstration froma licensed practitioner on how to apply
small moxa plasters to the skin, whilebrowsing through the shop’s extensive
selection of plasters for home use. Sweet
smelling scents — apple with citrus togreen tea — and even smoke-free versions are available to try.
A plaster, about the diameter of a yen
coin, includes an inner chamber filledwith moxa, offset from the skin. After themoxa is lit, heat radiates through an aeration pore contacting the skin, warming
the desired point, with no risk of burning
the skin. A sticky film helps the plasterstay on the skin through the five to ten
minutes of heat, reaching about 40 to 50
Celsius.
“The combination of heat and fragrance is comforting and healing. It gives
people the feeling they are doing some-thing good for their body,” said the store
manager. On a recent visit to Sennenkyu’s showroom and clinic, where
patients can be treated with moxa, I wasable to experience okyu firsthand.
After palpating my back, forearms andcalves with a light touch, the practitioner
applied a couple of plasters to my legs
and feet to help release lower back tension. Indeed, within minutes, I felt apleasant heat radiating from these spots,
while the room filled with an intoxicating aroma, similar to burning incense.
These portable, disposable plasters, soldin packs of 50 to 80 units, are perfect forhome use, and have become especially
popular with office workers sufferingfrom chronic back and shoulder pain.
Sennenkyu is as much about making
moxa treatments more simple to use andaccessible as it is about changing theimage of moxibustion. Once regarded as
simply a folk remedy, moxibustion has
made a breakthrough as a safe and effective form of holistic therapy. The company believes in transparency inshowing and teaching customers moxibustion’s effectiveness and benefits. Inline with this principle, the bright andmodern shop features large wraparoundwindows that showcase the demonstrations and products within, truly a oneof-a-kind store.
All text by Simone Chen
ブランドロゴ

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The Japan Times May 25 — May 27, 2016

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