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While some employers are unsympathetic to the circumstances of single parents, others see them as a solution rather than a problem.

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Single mothers courted to plug Japan's local labor gaps

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Owing to various social, cultural and legal factors, single-parent households, in particular those headed by women, remain one of the poorest demographics in Japan. In recent years, the domestic media has been paying more attention to single mothers in light of the government’s pledge to make women “shine,” especially in the workplace. The labor ministry is set to release the latest results of its five-year survey of families, but in 2011, the last time they released results, there were 1.238 million single mothers in Japan whose average income was ¥2.23 million, and that includes government benefits and child support if the woman happens to be divorced. That amount represents about half the median income in Japan. What’s important to remember is that more than 80 percent of these women are employed, but the average income for single mothers is just ¥1.8 million a year. According to a Cabinet survey, 51 percent of single-mother households fall below the poverty line. The problem appears to be obvious: These women have to raise families and make a living all by themselves, and some employers are not sympathetic to their special circumstances. However, with regional areas losing population and certain employment sectors seeing huge deficits in personnel, some groups are trying to attract single mothers with offers that take their special circumstances into consideration. A recent article in the Tokyo edition of the Asahi Shimbun described a “social welfare corporation” in Machida, western Tokyo, that is specifically looking for single mothers as caregivers at the corporation’s nursing homes. The corporation, Gashoen, receives money from government programs to help run their facilities but has a problem with high turnover. Gashoen recently completed construction of a two-story, 200-square-meter employee dormitory where single-parent families can live. The dorm is in the style of a “share house,” with a common kitchen and living-dining area and isolated 20-sq.-meter bedrooms for the employees and their children. The dormitory is located three minutes on foot from the nursing home where the women would work. An elementary school is nearby as well as child day care centers. Up to five single-mother families can live in the dormitory. Rent is fixed at ¥45,000 a month, including utilities. Gashoen’s president told the Asahi that single mothers usually don’t like caregiving jobs because shifts tend to be irregular and they can’t take time off when a child-related emergency happens. Consequently, shifts at Gashoen’s nursing homes are fixed. Also, the nursing homes have play areas where employees can bring their children while they work if they have no other place to leave them and, in the case of an emergency, Gashoen staffers are dispatched to assist with employees’ children. They are also on hand to take care of kids right after an employee’s shift in order to allow single-mothers some time to themselves. “We’ve created an environment where single mothers can live independently,” the president said. “We want to provide them with an alternative to just receiving welfare.” Some local governments in rural areas are also soliciting single-parent households. In line with the central government’s scheme to “revitalize” regional towns and cities, local governments need to attract people from places like Tokyo. Single-parent households are especially appealing since they automatically come with children. Officials of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, for instance, provide subsidies to single-parent families who profess a willingness to settle down in their city. The main condition is that the family comes from outside the prefecture. On top of that, children must be high school age or younger. Single mothers are offered work at nursing care facilities in the city, and will receive training, meaning that women with no experience are welcome. During the training period, the applicant receives a stipend of ¥150,000 a month. The city also will pay half her rent up to a maximum of ¥20,000 a month, as well as a “preparation allowance” that covers incidental expenses such as moving fees and deposits for housing. Niigata has a similar program that is prefecture-wide. For single-parent families who pledge to move to Niigata, the prefecture will provide up to ¥150,000 in moving expenses, education subsidies of up to ¥30,000 a month for children of high school age and even government-backed loans for children of college age. The single parent, in fact, is not required to start paying back the loan until her income rises above ¥3 million a year. If the single parent takes a job in a caregiving facility, she will also be eligible for other grants. Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, is supporting single-parent migration for a different reason. Ueda is famous for its Kakeyu hot spring, but due to a serious lack of manpower, various businesses cannot stay solvent. Some inns have gone out of business. Last week, Mainichi Shimbun profiled a local restaurant owner, Chizuko Iketa, who has been traveling to Tokyo to solicit single mothers to move to Kakeyu and settle down with their children. Using their own revitalization funds from the government, Iketa and her group, called Bambiyu, have so far paid for four single mothers to come to Ueda and reside there temporarily “to see what it’s like.” If they do like it, they will get jobs at local businesses. Kakeyu’s main appeal to these women is its “culture of mutual support.” Neighbors watch one another’s children, share food and information, and organically cultivate a community-based support system. “We cannot provide a lot in the way of money,” Iketa told the Mainichi, “but we think single mothers can raise their children here much more easily than in a big city.” They have limited their solicitations to single mothers with children of elementary school age or younger, since another reason for inviting single-mother families is to bring more young people to town who have a chance of staying there permanently. Bambiyu works to match recruits with employers, which range from tourist industry businesses to care providers, and looks for rental properties that accept single-parent families. With a level playing field and proper consideration given to the special needs of their families, single mothers should be able to make enough of a living to support themselves and their children, but as it stands many have to work multiple jobs just to get by. The aforementioned schemes are, of course, designed to be beneficial to employers, though Gashoen has won several business awards for its single-mother employment program. The point is to make it work for everyone. Yen for Living covers issues related to making, spending and saving money in Japan on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/27/business/single-mothers-courted-plug-japans-local-labor-gaps/

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Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday condemned North Korea for test-firing a submarine-launched balli

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Japan, U.S. blast North Korea's submarine missile launch

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Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday condemned North Korea for test-firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile in defiance of U.N. resolutions. In 30-minute telephone talks, Kishida and Kerry also reaffirmed that their countries will closely cooperate with South Korea in dealing with the North, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. They welcomed a statement released Friday by the U.N. Security Council slamming North Korea for defying U.N. resolutions with a series of test-firings of submarine-launched and other ballistic missiles beginning in July, it said. Kishida is in Nairobi to accompany Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is participating in a two-day summit of Japanese and African leaders that began on Saturday. The North Korean missile launched Wednesday flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) toward Japan, a distance markedly farther than similar launches in the past. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised the country’s missile program for having “perfectly acquired” SLBM technology in a short span of time. Kishida argued that the latest launch added to security threats in the Asia-Pacific region. Kerry reiterated the U.S. commitment to defending its allies in a resolute manner.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/28/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-u-s-blast-north-koreas-submarine-missile-launch/

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Jinbocho is one of the last remaining districts in Tokyo that retains a neighborhood feel. Dedicated to books, it has a large cluster of second-hand booksh

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Revisit the Showa Era at Jinbocho Theater

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Jinbocho is one of the last remaining districts in Tokyo that retains a neighborhood feel. Dedicated to books, it has a large cluster of second-hand bookshops and is dotted with ancient coffee shops, including Saboru and Milonga. It’s also known for showing wildly difficult movies at venues such as Iwanami Hall. In fact, Jinbocho has always sported an intellectual ambience, making it the favored stomping grounds of many authors, theater people, art collectors and film buffs. One more reason to stroll over to the area is the intriguing arthouse Jinbocho Theater. Showcasing works from the Showa Era (1926-1989), the space is a magnet for fans of the period as well as for those nostalgic for that time when both Japan and its movies were darker and naughtier. Interestingly, millennials also seem drawn to Jinbocho Theater and its monthly themed lineups, showing up on weekends to join the 60- and 70-year-olds waiting to buy tickets. As of this moment, Jinbocho Theater is wrapping up a “Train and Railways” theme. From Aug. 27, and lasting throughout the month of September, it will be hosting a Setsuko Hara retrospective to commemorate the first anniversary of the actress’ death. Hara is a Showa symbol best known for her role in Yasujiro Ozu’s classic “Tokyo Story.” In 1963 she quit acting at the age of 43 and was never seen in public again. How’s that for “Showa Cool”? All films shown at Jinbocho Theater are in Japanese only. For more information, visit bit.ly/jinbochotheater.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/24/films/revisit-showa-era-jinbocho-theater/

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Being afraid of the dark is a familiar childhood anxiety that has exploited in terrifying proportions in the horror genre. "Lights Out" knows how to cash i

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'Lights Out': A cliched glow in the dark

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Being afraid of the dark is a familiar childhood anxiety that has exploited in terrifying proportions in the horror genre. “Lights Out” knows how to cash in on the panic that can assail the mind when the lights go out. Bad things happen in darkness and “Lights Out” lays it on thick, even though the story is set in Southern California, which is drenched in megawatts of sunshine. This is a debut feature by David F. Sandberg who based “Lights Out” on his own, identically titled (and themed) three-minute short from 2013. A much splashier name on the credits, though, is James Wan as producer. According to the production notes, Wan — the man who wrote and directed the first “Saw,” and went on to give horror fans such notables as “Insidious,” “Dead Silence” and “The Conjuring” — supervised much of the proceedings for “Lights Out.” For all that, “Lights Out” is a strangely understated affair. Fans of the genre may go in ready to scream their heads off, but will likely come out relatively serene. What happened? A desired PG-13 rating, that’s what. In a bid to reach a wider audience, we end up with a really compelling storyline but with huge chunks of plot detail and scare factor taken out so as to accommodate the preteen audience. Having gotten that gripe off my chest, on to the movie. Funnily enough, understated actually works for about 70 percent of the film’s 81-minute run. It kicks off with an office scene in a mannequin factory (always a sign that you’re about to be terrorized). The owner of the company is Paul (Billy Burke), who is taking a break from working late and having an online chat with his young son Martin (Gabriel Bateman). Lights Out ( Lights Off ) Rating 3 out of 5 Run Time 81 mins Language English Opens AUG 27 From their conversation, we glean that mom Sophie (Maria Bello) is having mental health problems and has shut herself in the bedroom, talking to herself. Paul promises to be home soon , but as he’s leaving, he sees a shadow of someone or something crouching on the floor of the parking lot. When he turns the lights on, the shadow disappears. Lights off, it’s there again. He grabs a baseball bat to defend himself and runs back inside the office. Martin never gets to see his dad again. The perpetrator in “Lights Out” has a fear of light. It’s at its most menacing after sundown, or when it’s lurking in the darkest corner of a room. It seems to reside in Sophie’s closet, and comes out at night to rattle the doorknob to Martin’s room, crawl along the rug and get under his bed. Martin is too scared to sleep and so he seeks help from his estranged half-sister, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), who lives in town and is initially wary of returning to the family circle. Upon hearing her kid brother’s story, however, she changes her mind and confronts their mother, whom she suspects is being victimized by her own demon and spinning out of control — a situation Rebecca experienced as a child when she lived with her. “Lights Out” is masterful at building ambience and the contrasting light and dark visuals would have delighted Junichiro Tanizaki (author of “In Praise of Shadows”). But when it comes to developing characters and making sense of their actions, it falters. As with most horror movies, characters make the most egregious decisions, which include drawing all the curtains in the house in the daytime when everyone knows the creature feeds on darkness, and wandering into darkened hallways and Martin’s room, which are only lit by a feeble vintage lamp or two. Most disturbing of all is Sophie, who really should have gotten a gym membership, started gardening or something that would have gotten her out of that house. When she suggests to Martin that they spend some “personal time together” with popcorn and a movie, she puts on something from old Hollywood instead of Disney, and starts to talk about her dark past. Apologies for the pun, but this begs to be said: Someone should have told Sophie long ago to “lighten up.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/24/films/film-reviews/lights-cliched-glow-dark/

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Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said it is sticking to the schedule of handing over its first plane in 2018 after issues with the jet's air conditioning ventilat

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Mitsubishi Aircraft says MRJ delivery still on track

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Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said it is sticking to the schedule of handing over its first plane in 2018 after issues with the jet’s air conditioning ventilator this weekend grounded the plane from further test flights. The company is working with United Technologies Corp., the maker of the air conditioning system for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), to fix the problem, company spokesman Yuji Sawamura said by phone from Nagoya. After two aborted test flights in as many days following the faulty air conditioning system, the nation’s first locally built passenger jet was sent back to the hangar for checks and fixes, the latest blow to a key aircraft-building program that has been plagued by delays in its delivery schedule. Japan’s first passenger plane in nearly half a century aims to compete with the dominance of Brazil’s Embraer SA and Canada’s Bombardier Inc. in the market for planes with fewer than 100 seats. “There is a delay in the U.S. test flight, but we are sure that we can still deliver the plane on time in 2018,” Sawamura said. Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., is trying to break the regional-jet duopoly of Embraer and Bombardier. Mitsubishi had 407 orders for its new aircraft, including options and purchase rights, as of the end of last year. Its two biggest customers were based in the U.S.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/30/business/corporate-business/mitsubishi-heavy-says-mrj-delivery-still-on-track/

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The U.K. government reveals that two Royal Marines have been deployed to U.S. bases in the island prefecture.

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Training of British troops on Okinawa bases may violate Japan-U.S. Security Treaty

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The U.K. Ministry of Defence has revealed that British troops are training on U.S. military bases in Okinawa. The disclosure, made in response to a request under the U.K. Freedom of Information Act, is the first documentary proof that the U.S. military is using its bases in Japan to train third-country forces, a move that may breach the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. According to the Royal Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth, England, since January 2015 two Royal Marine lieutenants have been embedded with the U.S. Marines and deployed to U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab, in the northern city of Nago, and USMC Camp Hansen, in the central Okinawan town of Kin. While in Okinawa, they have “conducted jungle and range training” in a program approved by the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Commandant General Royal Marines. The 56-year-old Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, under which Pentagon troops are stationed in Japan, does not provide for the training of foreign forces at U.S. bases here. The only exceptions are seven U.S. bases categorized as United Nations Forces installations, but neither Camp Schwab nor Camp Hansen is designated as such. Okinawa officials reacted angrily to the revelations that the U.S. is training third-country troops in the prefecture. On July 18 a prefecture spokesperson said: “If everybody starts freely using (U.S. bases in Okinawa), there’ll be no stopping it. Whether the Japanese government tacitly gave permission (for this training) or did not know about it, it’s a big problem.” The following day, Ministry of Defense Press Secretary Hirofumi Takeda appeared to confirm that the deployment violates the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. “The (treaty) does not allow third-country nationals to use U.S. bases in Japan for training,” he said. Takeda added that members of foreign militaries are permitted to visit U.S. bases in Japan in an observer capacity provided they follow correct immigration procedures. However, on Monday, in response to further questioning from Okinawan elected officials Keiko Itokazu and Kantoku Teruya, Cabinet officials appeared to backtrack on Takeda’s statement. They explained that training third-nation forces on Okinawa was not prohibited under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and would be decided depending on the circumstances. The spokesperson added that the Japanese government was currently trying to confirm the circumstances of the Royal Marines’ deployment with the British government. U.S. Forces Japan had not responded to a request for comment in time for publication. The training of non-U.S. foreign troops in Japan poses potential legal problems. Although U.S. service personnel in Japan are covered by the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which exempts them from standard immigration procedures and gives the military primary right of jurisdiction if they break the law while on duty, the agreement does not apply to third-nation forces. Manabu Sato, a professor of political science at Okinawa International University, said: “It seems U.K. troops in Japan are operating here without legal status. There could be serious ramifications if they were involved in an accident or incident.” SOFA has recently been under close scrutiny following a spate of crimes involving Americans affiliated with the U.S. military in Okinawa, including the murder of a local resident in April by a former marine. In an attempt to quell public anger, Washington and Tokyo agreed to slightly redefine SOFA to narrow the scope of which civilians would be covered. However, many Okinawan residents continue to demand broader changes that would make U.S. forces fully accountable under Japanese law for crimes committed in the country. Camp Schwab, where the British troops have been training, is one of the most politically sensitive installations in Japan. As the proposed site for the relocation of the marines’ Futenma air station in Ginowan, it has witnessed mass demonstrations against the plan, and the construction project is currently the focus of an acrimonious court battle between the central government and Okinawa Prefecture. The training of foreign forces in Okinawa was common between 1945 and 1972, when Okinawa was under U.S. control and the military had free rein in terms of the use of its bases. During the Vietnam War, for example, troops from South Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand were trained in the USMC Northern Training Area (also known as Camp Gonsalves) in the Yanbaru jungle. In 1971, the Japanese government stated that such training would not be allowed after Okinawa’s reversion to Japanese control. The prefecture was returned to Japan the following year. However, since then, it has long been suspected that the U.S. military was training third-nation troops on the island. Last year, following the crash of a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter off the coast of Okinawa, then U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno let slip that the mission had involved “training of special operations forces with several different nations.” In that instance, the Japanese government declined to confirm the statement. Jon Mitchell received the inaugural Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan Freedom of the Press Award for Lifetime Achievement for his investigations into U.S. military contamination on Okinawa and other base-related problems. Your comments and story ideas: community@japantimes.co.jp

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/08/10/issues/training-british-troops-okinawa-bases-may-violate-japan-u-s-security-treaty/

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Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is becoming an increasingly popular destination as tourism numbers continue to break records. The 3,776-meter vo

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More foreign tourists flocking to Fuji to soak in the sunrise

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Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is becoming an increasingly popular destination as tourism numbers continue to break records. The 3,776-meter volcano, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures west of Tokyo, was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2013 as an “object of worship” and “wellspring of art.” Some 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji each year via the Yoshida Trail, which leads to the summit from the volcano’s north side in Yamanashi. Foreigners account for some 30 percent of the trekkers on weekdays and 20 percent on weekends, according to an Environment Ministry survey conducted last August. Willer Travel Inc., based in Osaka, recently arranged a group tour to Mount Fuji consisting of 23 tourists from the United States and eight European, Asian and other countries. Mike Powell of the U.S. said he and his wife wanted to climb the most famous mountain in Japan. Powell, 31, suggested that tourists often view Mount Fuji as a sightseeing spot rather than a peak to conquer. On the bus, tour guide Eri Kodama, 23, used illustrations to encourage the participants to climb slowly to avoid altitude sickness. “It’s important to give instructions together with their reasons,” Kodama said. “As many foreign tourists have no experience of mountain climbing, I take more care in guiding foreign visitors than Japanese.” Members of the tour group spent ample time on warm-up exercises and formed a huddle to get psyched up before the climb. At the seventh station, where the trail gets steeper, the climbers were awed as a sea of clouds spread out below them. “Beautiful,” said Toh Xiao Yu, 26, noting that her native Singapore has no place providing such a scene. The group took 6½ hours to reach the mountain lodge for their overnight stay. Foreigners account for 40 percent of the overnight guests, the lodge’s manager Akira Kajihara, 71, said. “I thank them for coming here, as the number of Japanese guests is declining,” he said. In last year’s Environment Ministry survey, more than 70 percent of the lodge operators on Mount Fuji said they had received more foreign guests than in the previous year. The tour’s members woke up at 1 a.m. the following day and began their ascent to the summit wearing head lamps, reaching the summit in about two hours. “It’s like heaven,” one said as the sun’s rays peeped through the clouds. Some 75 percent of the foreign trekkers who responded to the survey said they saw the sunrise and nearly 80 percent said they were “very satisfied” with the experience. After the descent, the tourists took a soak in a hot spring and felt closer to each other than when they began. “The biggest attraction of climbing Mount Fuji is allowing people of different cultural backgrounds to go hand-in-hand toward a common goal while understanding each other,” Kodama said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/26/national/foreign-tourists-flocking-fuji-soak-sunrise/

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Globe-trotting son of Zambian envoy thought he'd seen it all until he arrived on these shores.

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After 30 years in Japan, teacher from Zambia is still learning

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If you get around Tokyo and Yokohama any, you’re likely to run into people of African descent from time to time. The vast majority of these people — if they’re not members of the U.S. military — will hail from either Nigeria or Ghana. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting the occasional Kenyan, Somalian, Ethiopian, Senegalese and Sudanese, but those have been far and few between. So running into a Zambian in Roppongi was a rare treat for me, and after spending a few hours listening to him hold forth, I urged him to bless Black Eye with his story. Thankfully, he agreed to. Axson Chalikulima Jr., 51, the son of a Zambian freedom fighter, has been an English teacher in Japan for over 30 years. So far, so fairly typical for non-Asian residents. But his journey here was anything but typical. He was born in 1964, and has been collecting cultures, languages and wisdom ever since. 1964 is a revered year for Zambians. And, as Axson informed me, even many seniors here in Japan remember the year fondly and know why it is so important to his countrymen. “When I speak with older Japanese people and tell them I’m Zambian, they often make the connection between Zambia and the ’64 Olympic Games.” It was during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics that Zambia ceased to be a European colony and gained its independence. On the final day of the games, Oct. 24, Zambia became the first nation to enter the Olympics as one country (the British colony of Northern Rhodesia) and exit as another, flying the flag of a free nation. In 1967, his father, Axson Chalikulima Sr., in recognition of his contributions during Zambia’s push for independence, was appointed the first Zambian commandant of the Zambia National Service armed force. His diplomatic acumen and commitment to the burgeoning nation’s economic prosperity later garnered him several ambassadorships in neighboring countries, as well as in India and eventually in Japan. The first, from 1969 to 1974, was to what was then Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). It was there that young Axson’s formal education began, at a British school. “Wait a minute!” I shouted out as we spoke, as the place and date clicked in my mind. There’s one extraordinary event every African-American — hell, every person of a certain age — knows about Zaire: The legendary “Rumble in the Jungle” fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. “You were living in Zaire in 1974?” “Yes,” says Axson. “And I was in Kinshasa. I went to the Zaire 74 music festival at Stade du 20 Mai (20 May Stadium), and saw James Brown and them. I didn’t get to attend the fight, but I watched it in real time!” Though he was being educated by the British, he lived among the people and even learned to speak one of the country’s languages, Lingala. And with an ambassador for a patriarch, he began to understand the root of many of the issues between Zambia and Zaire — the issues his father had been sent there to try to resolve by diplomatic means. “Zaire and Zambia have always been neighbors,” he explains. “We’d had our differences, but when the borders were separated by the Belgians and the British, we got into a few, er, skirmishes because of the mining industry. If you look at a map of Zambia and Zaire, there’s a portion that’s between our two countries. So you have to cross the border between Zambia and Zaire in order to get to another part of Zambia.” That year the family moved back to Zambia because his father had been named as minister responsible for Zambia’s northern Copperbelt region. Copper was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian government during colonial rule and is the primary natural resource that has made Zambia one of the fastest-growing African economies. Soon afterward, his father was appointed as ambassador to India, so the family relocated once again. There Axson attended the American Embassy School in New Delhi. Again he lived amid the common people of India and absorbed the culture and language. So, in addition to English and Bemba (languages spoken in Zambia) and Lingala, Axson added Hindi to his linguistic arsenal. He graduated in 1982 with a burning desire to go West. “It was my dream to go to America,” he says. “I was surrounded by a lot of American friends and I’m sure that influenced me. So that was my mind-set. “I believed that America was where it all happens, where everything starts from. It was very difficult because my mother and father had different plans for me. “Diplomacy is in my blood, but I’ve been running from it all my life, even now. Fortunately I’m the second son (among six brothers and four sisters) and my older brother went into diplomacy, so I had a little bit of leeway. I had my heart set on America.” In 1983, young Axson made his way to the States, where he majored in communications at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, while the rest of the family followed the senior Axson to his next diplomatic mission, an ambassadorship here in Japan. In 1984, on summer vacation following his freshman year, Axson made his first trip to this country. “I had no interest in Japan, mind you,” Axson says. “I didn’t know anything about Japan, so I came here with an open mind and an open heart. And Japan blew my mind! When I’d gone to America, I thought I had seen ‘The World,’ as far as advancement and technology are concerned, but Japan? My first thought was ‘What is going on here?’ ” Axson ran off a list of observations that awed him, like highways that were actually above the streets, and unchained, unguarded vending machines that offered alcoholic beverages. By the time he returned to Connecticut, he was so taken with his summer in Japan that America had lost its appeal. So he decided to alter the trajectory of his life once again. “I was intrigued by Japan, and I became really inquisitive. I wanted to know more, and decided I needed to be at ground zero,” he says. “I’ve lived around the world, and when you live in another country or another culture, you have to become a child again, because only then can you learn without judging.” This approach allowed him to see things about Japan that he feels some people who live here miss. He puts it this way: “People are basically the same, but how we see things is different, based on how we understand them. And how we understand them is interpreted through language. There are certain similarities among people that all humanity has. But if you can’t see them from another point of view, it’s very difficult to understand where they’re coming from. So I knew before I could judge how the Japanese look at things I had to learn to see things the Japanese way, to see things through their eyes. I don’t know if this is right or wrong, or if you can manage to do this completely, but it was worth a try. “Japanese language is very complicated but (it) isn’t that difficult once you learn how to use (it),” he explains. “The way we communicate in English and Japanese is completely different. Japanese people don’t actually say what they’re saying. You have to use your brain to interpret what the person is actually saying, and Japanese expect you to understand what they’re trying to say, or trying not to say. It’s like a chess game. This is not simply about language. These are human skills.” Axson shared an experience he’d had in America that had helped prepare him for the challenges that lay ahead: “Now, while I was growing up, in international schools, most of my friends were white. But nobody cared where you were from or what you were because we were all from someplace different. So I never really thought about who I really was. “While I was at university in America I had a Jewish friend, and one weekend he invited me to his home in New Jersey for dinner. I don’t know if he told his family I was coming or not. But I was still thinking in the way I grew up and not in the reality of where I was. “So I went to his house, and when his mother saw me she freaked out! She almost panicked. But the icing on the cake was this: You know what my friend told his mother? He said, ‘No, he’s not black. He’s from Africa.’ My diplomatic roots kept me from reacting, but I stood there trying to process what’s the difference between an African-American and an African.” Axson walked away from that encounter having learned a valuable lesson that he applies here in Japan. “My friend had never experienced the ideas and feelings he was experiencing that night, and neither had I. So I think we cannot fault people who don’t have the same experience, or expect them to understand something they’ve never experienced,” he says. “You can’t know something if you don’t know it. It comes down to this: Am I going to make his problem my problem? He has issues. I’m not gonna let him make his issues my issues.” That personal philosophy, plus his native-level fluency in yet another language, Japanese, has helped him overcome most of the obstacles he’s encountered since moving to Japan, he tells me. “Japan has became my home away from home,” says the Zambian, who has spent the vast majority of his life here. “Japan is always changing and refreshing. It’s a never-ending learning process and there is always room to grow. It’s safe, comfortable and remains a very exciting place to live.” His father left Japan in 1987, headed to his final diplomatic mission in Angola, where he served until he retired in April 1992. Though his father is no longer here to nudge him into following in his footsteps, Axson Jr. can’t escape the diplomatic DNA coursing through him, nor his African homeland. Both still call to him. Black Eye usually appears in print on the third Monday Community Page of every month. Baye McNeil is the author of two books on life in Japan. See www.bayemcneil.com. Send comments and ideas to community@japantimes.co.jp.

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Taro Okamoto's "Men Aflame" (1955) is a swirling fusion of figuration, surrealism and abstraction. The content addresses the irradiation of Japanese sailor

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The 'informel' whirlwind that swept across Japan

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Taro Okamoto’s “Men Aflame” (1955) is a swirling fusion of figuration, surrealism and abstraction. The content addresses the irradiation of Japanese sailors onboard the Dai-go Fukuryu-maru by fallout from American nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll. The painting is part of the 1950s Japanese art movement known as “reportage.” It was serious art — politically engaged, socially conscious and outraged. “Art informel” (unformed art) of the later 1950s swept aside reportage and everything else with such apparent force that it was refered to as a whirlwind or typhoon. It was, however, largely a generational development in abstract painting. Before the end of World War II, the mostly 19th-century-born generation who instigated abstraction had died — Paul Klee in 1940, Robert Delaunay in 1941, Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian in 1944. Postwar Paris rehabilitated those “cool” geometrical abstractions, though an oppositional trend focusing on an abstraction with figurative and expressive elements also arose. These were lyrical, organic and expressed inner sentiment. The trend gained traction in a 1945 loosely affiliated Salon de Mai exhibition by the postwar School of Paris artists. And it was this show, which was introduced to Japan in 1950-51, that segued into informel. The French theorist and promoter Michel Tapie assembled an international cast of works, including Jean Fautrier’s dynamic swishes of paint, and Jean Debuffet’s plaster-like paint surfaces, scratched with graffiti as in “Woman’s Body” (1950). He christened their non-geometrical abstractions “an other art” in 1952 with the term “informel” for its theorized form. The thrust of the movement was abstraction through painterly action, emotive expression, spontaneity, impulse and improvisation. The splattered surfaces of Japanese painter Toshimitsu Imai and the more controlled applications of pigment by Hisao Domoto were integral to Tapie’s informel vision. It was these two Japanese artists, then based in France, who introduced the movement to Japan in 1953. Later, examples assembled by Imai and Taro Okamoto were shown in Tokyo in 1955 and 1956. But it was in 1957, when Imai brought Tapie and the painters Georges Mathieu and Sam Francis to Japan to give public painting performances, that the whirlwind struck. The Ashiya-based Gutai Art Association that formed in 1954 was proclaimed a kindred spirit by Tapie and he included a special section for his newfound Japanese contingent in the 1957 exhibition “Contemporary World Art” at the Bridgestone Museum of Art. It included Kazuo Shiraga who painted with his feet, as in “Ten’ansei Seimenju” (1960); the Gutai founder Jiro Yoshihara; and Shozo Shimamoto, who typically donned boxing gloves dipped in ink and punched canvases tacked to the walls for works such as “Boxing Painting” (1991). Gutai was subsequently promoted internationally by Tapie. The informel explosion was enthusiastically embraced by Japan’s traditional arts. In calligraphy, Shiryu Morita produced bold abstractions that nonetheless retained traces of the lexical foundation of written scripts. The nihonga (Japanese-style painting) avant-garde, the Pan Real Art Association (though active from a decade before informel arrived), were roused to create heavily sculptural paintings that left informel looking flat, such as bulbous folded sackings by Hidetaka Ohno. The Kera Art Association, officially formed in 1960 with the aim of bridging the historical division between Western and Japanese painting, also pursued low-relief sculptural painting through collaging pipes and wooden planks onto painting surfaces. There was also the ikebana sculpture of Sofu Teshigahara, the lyrical lacquer panels of Banura Shogo’s “Evening Tides” (1963) and the splashed glazes on the ceramics of Kanjiro Kawai. Even high school art exhibitions were said to evidence the informel aesthetic. The 1957 intensification of the informel whirlwind was received positively in Japan; though by 1958, critics began raising a familiar prewar objection: Japan had again superficially transplanted a Western art movement that ultimately obscured the pre-existing local situation. Gutai was a case in point. The early postwar Japanese art world had craved international attention and got it with Tapie’s embrace, but it was on his terms. Gutai essentially became a group of painters in line with Tapie’s aims, whereas earlier the group had developed strategies such as outdoor art festivals, mail art and performances that predated Allen Kaprow’s conceptual “happenings.” Artists and historians have been trying to recover the significance of Japan’s events ever since. The French critic Pierre Restany called Gutai “victims,” ones who had “lost their souls” in assimilating with international informel to the detriment of their innovative locally developed practices. By 1959, the realization dawned that the postwar art center was New York and not Paris and that informel was in competition with American abstract-expressionism. The latter won out, and informel today is something of an extensive footnote in comparison. But even by the late ’50s, the anti-art and junk-art movement stars were ascending, as in Tetsumi Kudo’s “Proliferating Chain Reaction” (1956-57), made from a tree root and nails, peaking in 1963-64. And with that, the informel storm abated. “A Feverish Era: Art Informel and the Expansion of Japanese Artistic Expression in the 1950s and ’60s” at The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, runs until Sept. 11; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (Fri. until 8 p.m.). ¥900. Closed Mon. www.momak.go.jp

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At a time when six of the world's 10 largest armies are located in the Pacific theater of operations, and 22 of the region's 27 countries have army officers as their defense chiefs, the need to invest in the U.S. Army's mission in the region is clear.

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Building the foundations of Pacific stability

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This month, I completed a two-week, six-stop tour of the Pacific, beginning with a visit to the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. It was a fitting way to start the trip, a reminder that the U.S. Army is critical to forming the foundation for security in the Pacific. The 25th Infantry Division, which in its early years earned the nickname “Tropic Lightning,” marks its 75th anniversary this autumn. The men and women stationed there — and, indeed, all U.S. soldiers in the Asia-Pacific region — have been working to secure regional stability for much of the last century. Since President Barack Obama’s strategic rebalance to Asia, they have been doing even more. Today, the U.S. Army has a lot on its plate outside the region. It is at the forefront of the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State militant group, as well as efforts to support the people of Afghanistan. Yet we also continue to play a critical role in maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Though security in the Pacific is often associated with the efforts of the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the army is assuming an increasingly important role in strengthening regional partnerships. At a time when six of the world’s 10 largest armies are located in the Pacific theater of operations, and 22 of the region’s 27 countries have army officers as their defense chiefs, the need to invest in the U.S. Army’s mission in the region is clear. A key component of that mission is the Pacific Pathways program, which involves “joining multinational partners to conduct a series of military exercises intended to increase army readiness through additional training and strengthened partner-force relationships.” Engaging with U.S. soldiers participating in Pacific Pathways exercises in Hawaii, Malaysia and Alaska, I saw firsthand how these efforts advance regional security. In Hawaii, American and Singaporean soldiers participated in their 36th year of joint exercises. From the newest privates to the most experienced generals, U.S. soldiers have developed strong ties with their counterparts and deep pride in their shared security mission. In this sense, these soldiers are also serving as important ambassadors in the region. The U.S. Army’s partnership with Malaysia is more recent. But during an annual joint exercise, I witnessed our forces improving familiarity and interoperability, and noted growing satisfaction with the strengthening of ties. In the event of, say, a natural disaster in the Pacific, the bonds that the U.S. and Malaysia have fostered could help save thousands of lives during a combined crisis response. We know that we must continue working to sustain and strengthen our engagement in the Pacific, even as U.S. soldiers continue to carry out diverse and demanding missions in other parts of the world. One way we can help to meet this need is through the use of rotational brigades. At Camp Casey in South Korea, I had lunch with soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division, who had trained for nine months at Fort Hood, Texas, before embarking on a nine-month rotation to the peninsula. Over the course of the deployment, the readiness of these forces actually increases, because of the quality and rigor of the training they undertake with partners from South Korea’s army. Another way the U.S. Army is maintaining flexibility, resiliency and depth in the Asia-Pacific region is by placing pre-positioned stocks — strategic stockpiles of critical combat equipment — in allies’ territory. In Japan, for example, the U.S. Army stores more than 100 watercraft that can be used to deliver supplies quickly in the event of a natural disaster or other contingency. Beyond storing the equipment, we train with our partners to use it, and we develop our logistical capabilities to distribute it effectively. In effect, the U.S. Army provides rapid response capabilities to the U.S. Joint Force (the army, navy, air force and marines acting in tandem) and our allies and partners. The U.S. Army is also pursuing tactical innovation in the Pacific. While our budget for modernization is below that of the other U.S. armed services, we must continue to develop capabilities rapidly and equip our people with the latest technology. That is why, for example, soldiers have been learning to fight in formation with robots in Hawaii, and we have engaged in bilateral training with unmanned aerial systems in Malaysia. A final element of our involvement in the Asia-Pacific region is the effort to improve our capabilities in difficult tactical environments. We engage in exercises in Alaska that develop our capabilities in extreme climates — capabilities that will help us to ensure that the Arctic does not become a contested region. And, through our training in Hawaii and Malaysia, we have strengthened our capacity to fight in a jungle environment. The U.S. Army has a broad array of missions and responsibilities. From Hawaii through Guam, to Northeast Asia and the Alaskan frontier, it is pursuing a crucial one: providing a foundation for security in a dynamic region — and for America’s future there. Eric K. Fanning is U.S. secretary of the army. © Project Syndicate, 2016

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/25/commentary/world-commentary/building-foundations-pacific-stability/

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Laws restrict government workers' constitutional rights to organize, bargain and take collective action.

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The flip side of coveted public-sector jobs in Japan: fewer rights

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I research labor law and teach it to university students. In the first class, I break up the two groups of labor laws — those related to individual and collective labor relations — for my students. Individual labor relations law begins and ends with the 1947 Labor Standards Act (rōdō kijun hō); its collective counterpart is surely the 1950 Trade Union Act (rōdō kumiai hō). About 99.9 percent of my 18-20-year-olds look blank the first time they hear the word “rōdō kumiai,” or labor union. Some of them have arubaito (part-time jobs) and thus already have become rōdōsha (workers) protected by labor laws, but they have not heard of labor unions and have no idea what such a creature looks like. I have my work cut out trying to explain to them the concepts of labor unions, collective bargaining and striking. A popular professional aspiration among university students today is to join the ranks of kōmuin, or government employees. Civil servants have stable employment, meaning they don’t have to worry about the possibility of being laid off. Their work hours and days off are usually quite favorable compared with those at private-sector firms. (At least that is what is said — that is the reputation. The reality is not so straightforward.) Once, the hot jobs were high-income positions with finance firms or trading houses, but today’s youth are more sober, preferring a steady, grounded career path. A 2015 poll by Adecco Group asked children between 6 and 15 years old in seven Asian countries and regions what they wanted to be when they grow up. Children in Japan answered in the following order of popularity: 1) company worker; 2) soccer player; 3) civil servant; 4) baseball player. Note the perhaps unexpected answers ranking 1) and 3). “Government employee” made the top 10 only in Japan. I don’t know what small children envision as a typical day in the life of a civil servant. First, it’s important to make clear that there are several different types of government employee. There are those who work in city, ward and tax offices, legal affairs bureaus, the Immigration Bureau; there are police officers, firefighters, public school teachers, judges, prosecutors, labor standards inspectors — the list goes on. Saying “My dream is to become a civil servant” covers a range so broad that the expression begins to lose any meaning. Amazingly, each type of civil servant has different labor rights in Japan. I ordinarily teach labor law that protects private-sector employees, so when I tell my students that the labor laws for civil servants differ by type of job, they express shock, particularly when they find out that civil servants have fewer rights than other workers. Ordinary workers in Japan are protected by Article 28 of the 1947 Constitution, specifically the rōdō sanken. This term refers to the three bedrock rights (ken) — the right to solidarity (danketsu ken — more on that later); the right to collective bargaining (dantai kōshō ken); and the right to collective action (dantai kōdō ken), including strikes. Whenever studying the Japanese Constitution, be sure to note the subject of the sentence, because therein lies a treasure trove of controversy. Whether it’s kokumin (the people, which came to mean the Japanese people) or nanbito (all people, including foreigners) or no subject, which also means the article applies universally. Article 28 takes kinrōsha, or workers, as its subject. Ordinarily, one would think — and I do think — that this word applies to all workers, whether public- or private-sector, government functionary or factory worker. Two laws were enacted, however, that kick civil servants out of this group. They were the National Civil Servants Act and the Local Civil Servants Act. Let’s see how. 1) Right to solidarity Civil servants have a civil-servant version of a labor union. Rather than a rōdō kumiai, it’s called a shokuin dantai, or “staff group,” as stipulated in Article 108.2 of the National Civil Servants Act and Article 52 of the Local Civil Servants Act. This group also serves to maintain or raise the working conditions of its members. So far, so good. It looks like civil servants here have roughly the same rights as private-sector workers. Unfortunately, not all civil servants can join these groups. That is to say, not all government employees have the right to solidarity. Those excluded include police officers, prison employees, firefighters and members of the Coast Guard and Self-Defense Forces. 2) Right to collective bargaining Staff groups that meet certain conditions and register with the National Personnel Authority can hold collective bargaining with the NPA, which decides the working conditions for all national government employees. The catch is that they cannot negotiate over working conditions or the content of their work. They can discuss social and welfare issues, including staff parties, all of which raises the question of whether these discussions can realistically be called collective bargaining. Anyway, that’s what they are called. These staff groups also cannot sign collective agreements or labor-management agreements. 3) Right to collective action (strike) Strikes and even certain “sabotage” operations are covered under the right to collective action. This right is to be exercised only as a last resort after talks between management and a union have broken down. Neither national nor local civil servants enjoy the right to strike. Some legal scholars, however, believe that these civil-servant laws violate the Constitution and that government employees in fact do have the right to strike. As the law stands now, though, it seems clear that the three basic labor rights of civil servants are heavily restricted. So why are civil servants’ rights so restricted in the first place? That takes us back to the Occupation years just after World War II. The U.S. administration in Japan saw a growing tide of unionism just after the war and feared the people would increasingly come under the influence of communism. In July 1948, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Gen. Douglas MacArthur issued the so-called MacArthur Document. It ordered the Japanese government to prohibit civil servants from engaging in collective bargaining or dispute action. The government responded with Government Order No. 201, depriving its own employees of collective action rights. As for the constitutionality of these laws? On Oct. 26, 1966, the Grand Bench of the Supreme Court found such restrictions legitimate. This was the Zentei Tokyo Chuyu Case. The verdict read: Restricting basic labor rights protected under Article 28 of the Constitution must take the following into consideration: 1) Restrictions must be minimized to the greatest possible extent, ensuring rationality in comparison to the need to secure respect for basic labor rights versus the need to maintain and increase benefits for the populace as a whole; 2) Restrictions should be limited to jobs and industries that are highly public in nature and whose stoppage would or could cause serious hindrance to the lives of the citizenry, and even then, only when the restrictions are necessary to avoid such stoppages; 3) Any disadvantageous treatment to those who oppose these restrictions should not be more than necessary … criminal penalty should be limited to only when necessary; and 4) When it is unavoidable to restrict basic labor rights, substitute measures must be implemented. This wasn’t the end of it. Two more cases came out of the courts, both on April 2, 1969, and they both seemed to be pushing toward the end of the restrictions. However, on April 25, 1973, in the famous Zennorin Keishokuho case, the Supreme Court stepped up and put its foot firmly down, saying once and for all that restrictions on the basic labor rights of civil servants were — that key word that is always sought in Japanese courts — gōriteki, or reasonable and rational. So as it stands now, the government permits all employees to strike except its own. It will be up to some future civil servants to again challenge the constitutionality of laws restricting their basic right to strike. Hifumi Okunuki teaches at Sagami Women’s University and serves as executive president of Tozen Union. She can be reached at tozen.okunuki@gmail.com. Labor Pains appears in print on the fourth Monday Community Page of the month. Your comments and story ideas: community@japantimes.co.jp

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Apple on Friday urged iPhone owners to install a security update after a sophisticated attack on an Emirati dissident exposed vulnerabilities targeted by m

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Apple urges iPhone users to update after powerful cyberweapon is found

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Apple on Friday urged iPhone owners to install a security update after a sophisticated attack on an Emirati dissident exposed vulnerabilities targeted by malware dealers. Researchers at the Lookout mobile security firm and Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they had uncovered a three-pronged attack targeting the dissident’s phone “that subverts even Apple’s strong security environment.” Lookout and Citizen Lab worked with Apple on an iOS patch to defend against the attack, called Trident because of its triad of methods, the researchers said in a joint blog post. “We were made aware of this vulnerability and immediately fixed it with iOS 9.3.5,” Apple said in a released statement. Trident is used in spyware referred to as Pegasus, which a Citizen Lab investigation showed was made by an Israel-based organization called NSO Group. NSO was acquired by the U.S. firm Francisco Partners Management six years ago. Lookout referred to Pegasus as the most sophisticated attack it has seen, accessing calls, cameras, email, passwords, apps and more. The spyware was detected when used against Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist who has been repeatedly targeted using spyware. After receiving a suspicious text with a link, he reported the matter to Citizen Lab, which worked in conjunction with San Francisco-based Lookout to research the affair. “The attack sequence, boiled down, is a classic phishing scheme: send text message, open web browser, load page, exploit vulnerabilities, install persistent software to gather information,” the joint blog post said. “This, however, happens invisibly and silently, such that victims do not know they’ve been compromised.” Mansoor received text messages on Aug. 10 and 11 promising that secrets about detainees being tortured in United Arab Emirates jails could be accessed by clicking on an enclosed link, researchers said. Had he fallen for the ruse, the Trident chain of heretofore unknown “zero-day exploits” would have broken into his iPhone and installed snooping software. Once infected, Mansoor’s iPhone would have been turned into a “spy in his pocket” capable of tracking his whereabouts and conversations, Citizen Lab said. Mansoor was targeted five years ago with FinFisher spyware and again the following year with Hacking Team spyware, according to Citizen Lab research. “The use of such expensive tools against Mansoor shows the lengths that governments are willing to go to target activists,” the researchers said. Although the cyberattack on Mansoor was not linked to a specific government, Citizen Lab said indicators pointed to the UAE. UAE authorities did not comment on the matter. Lookout and Citizen believe the spyware has been “in the wild for a significant amount of time.” “It is also being used to attack high-value targets for multiple purposes, including high-level corporate espionage on iOS, Android and Blackberry.” Citizen Lab has also found evidence that “state-sponsored actors” used NSO weapons against a Mexican journalist who reported on high-level corruption in that country and on an unknown target in Kenya. The NSO tactics included impersonating sites such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the British government’s visa application processing website and a wide range of news organizations and major technology companies, the researchers said. Mansoor’s decision to enlist Citizen Lab instead of falling into the trap gave researchers a rare chance to expose the work of “shady cyber arms dealers” who command high prices for morally questionable services, said Lookout’s vice president of security research, Mike Murray. Invoices posted online have shown that hackers can charge tens of thousands of dollars per target hit with their software. “The smartphone is a valuable target, and breaking into it is a valuable skill set,” Murray said. “People who can do this, and with wiggle room in their moral code, have realized the business opportunity.” NSO Group has been around since 2010, and the capture of one of its weapons was billed as a first. Studying Trident has helped cyberdefenders find ways to spot spyware that had been operating unseen, and they are “actively catching it in the wild now,” Murray said. He declined to reveal anything about other targets, saying that they were people likely to be under surveillance in other ways by local authorities. Citizen Lab saw the attack on Mansoor as further evidence that “lawful intercept” spyware has significant abuse potential, and that some governments can’t resist the temptation to use such tools against political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders.

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A delirious sold-out crowd and countless Canadians on live TV watched the final concert by rock band The Tragically Hip, whose lead singer and songwriter G

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Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip holds final show

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A delirious sold-out crowd and countless Canadians on live TV watched the final concert by rock band The Tragically Hip, whose lead singer and songwriter Gord Downie has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The band, an indelible part of Canada’s national identity with songs about hockey, small towns and Canadian literature, ended its 15-show “Man Machine Poem” tour Saturday night in its hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Thousands of fans — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — watched The Hip’s final show at the Rogers K-Rock Centre, the city where the band began in the early 1980s. The concert was also broadcast live on national TV. Trudeau’s official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert. “Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Nations. He’s got everybody. He’s going to take us where we need to go,” Downie said from the stage. “He’s going to be looking good for about at least 12 more years, I don’t know if they let you go beyond that. But he’ll do it,” Downie told concertgoers between songs. Trudeau could be seen in the audience nodding and mouthing “thank you.” In a brief interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Trudeau reminisced about how he used to enjoy the band’s music during his high school and university years. He said the band remains anchored in Canada in so many ways through their lyrics and music. While The Hip became one of Canada’s most beloved rock bands, lasting success in the U.S. was elusive — outside of border cities like Buffalo, N.Y., where viewing parties of the concert’s Canadian broadcast were held. Despite being diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive cancerous brain tumor, in December, an energetic Downie was in fine form as he and his bandmates played an epic 30-song set loaded with hits and punctuated by three encores. Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a “Jaws” T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage to open with “50 Mission Cap,” followed by “Courage (for Hugh MacLennan),” “Wheat Kings” and “At the Hundredth Meridian,” all off the 1992 breakthrough album “Fully Completely.” The Hip then segued into songs from their latest album, “Man Machine Poem,” before running through tracks from “Music @ Work,” “Road Apples,” “Phantom Power,” “Up To Here,” “Day For Night” and “Trouble at the Henhouse.” The show was closed out by fan favorite “Ahead By A Century.” Downie gestured as if he was sketching a portrait of the teary audience as the band — rounded out by guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay — played the final notes of the song. They then embraced, stood arm-in-arm as the crowd roared, and then walked off stage for good. Before performing one song, Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis. “Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing,” he said, which prompted a “Gordie!” chant from the audience.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/21/entertainment-news/canadian-rock-band-tragically-hip-holds-final-show/

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Donald Trump isn't making it easy for top supporters and advisers, from his running mate on down, to defend him or explain some campaign positions. Across

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Stand-ins struggle to answer for loose-talking, flip-flopping Trump

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Donald Trump isn’t making it easy for top supporters and advisers, from his running mate on down, to defend him or explain some campaign positions. Across the Sunday news shows, a parade of Trump stand-ins, led by vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, couldn’t say whether Trump was sticking with or changing a central promise to boot the roughly 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally, with the help of a “deportation force.” And they didn’t bother defending his initial response Saturday to the killing of a mother as she walked her baby on a Chicago street. Questioned on whether it’s a problem that the GOP presidential nominee has left key details on immigration policy unclear so late in the election, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus demurred: “I just don’t speak for Donald Trump.” It was a striking look at Trump’s leadership of a team he had said would help drive him to victory in the Nov. 8 election. The very purpose of surrogates is to speak for and back up their presidential nominee. But Trump’s struggled to do so even as they stayed tightly together on the details they know: Trump will issue more details on the immigration plan soon, the policy will be humane, and despite his clear wavering, he’s been “consistent” on the issue. Any discussion of inconsistencies or potentially unpresidential tweeting, Pence and others suggested, reflected media focus on the wrong issue. Asked whether the “deportation force” proposal Trump laid out in November is still in place, Pence replied: “Well, what you heard him describe there, in his usual plainspoken, American way, was a mechanism, not a policy.” Added Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway: “The softening is more approach than policy,” adding that on immigration, Trump “wants to find a fair and humane way.” The Indiana governor, Conway and other surrogates said the main tenets of Trump’s immigration plan still will include building a wall along the southern U.S. border and making Mexico pay for it, no path to legalization or citizenship for people here illegally and stronger border enforcement. Pence also did not answer whether the campaign believes, as Trump has said, that children born to people who are in the U.S. illegally are not U.S. citizens. That, he said, “is a subject for the future.” Native-born children of immigrants, even those living illegally in the U.S., have been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1868. Trump has focused lately on deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally and who have committed crimes. But who Trump considers a criminal remained unclear Sunday. “Those are the things that Donald Trump is going to answer. And this is not a simple question,” said Priebus, who’s had a difficult relationship with Trump. Conway said the candidate has said that people who want to be in the U.S. legally must apply through legal means. “He is not talking about a deportation force,” she said. “But he is talking about being fair and humane, but also being fair to the American workers competing for jobs.” Other Trump stand-ins, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, spoke similarly. Recent polls indicate Clinton is ahead in some of the most competitive and pivotal states. The first presidential debate is set for Sept. 26. Trump in recent days has suggested he might be “softening” on the deportation force and that he might be open to allowing at least some immigrants in the country illegally to stay, as long as they pay taxes. But by Thursday, he was ruling out any kind of legal status — “unless they leave the country and come back,” he told CNN. His surrogates on Sunday refused to comment on Trump’s reaction to the fatal shooting of NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin Friday, as she pushed her baby in a stroller in Chicago. Trump’s first tweet about the shooting ended this way: “Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!” A few hours later, he followed up with a tweet offering condolences to Wade and his family. Asked whether the initial tweet was presidential or appropriate, GOP officials and campaign advisers instead talked about reducing crime or said they were pleased Trump followed up with a tweet of condolence and empathy. Christie said the media “focus on process … instead of the message.” He said the killing of someone pushing a stroller “is unacceptable in an American city” and that “the level of violence in Chicago is unacceptable.” Pence appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Priebus was on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Christie was interviewed on ABC’s “This Week” and Conway was on Fox and CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/29/world/politics-diplomacy-world/stand-ins-struggle-answer-loose-talking-flip-flopping-trump/

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Seiji Maehara officially jumps into the race that will determine who will be the next leader of the Democratic Party, the nation’s biggest opposition party.

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Hawkish ex-foreign minister Maehara enters DP leadership race with dig at rival Renho

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With the Democratic Party’s presidential election just weeks away, one of its best-known conservatives officially threw his hat into the ring Friday in a race that will determine the next leader to steer the nation’s biggest opposition party. The bid by veteran politician Seiji Maehara, 54, will pit him against 48-year-old Renho, who earlier this month pledged to become the party’s first female leader. While Renho, who only goes by one name, trumpets her communication skills and ability to shake up the party’s staid image, Maehara said “freshness” and “generational change” are secondary concerns. “The trend is now increasingly toward supporting female leadership,” Maehara said, citing British Prime Minister Theresa May, Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. “I was afraid me throwing my hat into the ring may put a damper on the trend. … But I’ve come to conclude freshness alone isn’t enough,” said Maehara, who served as president of the Democratic Party of Japan, the DP’s predecessor, from 2005 to 2006. Maehara, well-known for his hawkish views, ranks among the most conservative of the ideologically diverse DP. On Friday, Maehara sought to differentiate himself from Renho by emphasizing what he called an awareness of how the DPJ botched its three years in power from 2009 to 2012. “I’m among the ‘criminals’ who failed to live up to public expectations back then,” Maehara said, reflecting that the DPJ descended into “childish” infighting and sectionalism, while having no coherent idea of what kind of society Japan must transform itself into. If chosen, Maehara said he would make efforts to turn Japan into a society with Scandinavian-style welfare policies. Japan, he said, should become a society where a heavier tax is levied in exchange for free access to preschool and higher education. The former foreign minister repeated his assertions that revisions to the pacifist Constitution, a longtime goal of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, are necessary, but said a constitutional amendment won’t be his top priority for the time being. He also suggested a tie-up with the Japan Communist Party, pushed by current party leader Katsuya Okada in the run-up to the Upper House election in July, won’t happen again if the Lower House is to be dissolved for a snap election. By announcing his bid, Maehara apparently seeks to address pent-up calls within the party for an overhaul of current DP executives, many of whom are considered to be close to Okada. While Renho is backed by Okada and like-minded liberals, along with intraparty groups such as one consisting of former Social Democratic Party members, Maehara aims to amass support from a group headed by former land minister Akihiro Ohata and others, media reports have said. “Aside from the current executives, there are many other talented people in the party,” Maehara said. “I’d like to put them to good use.” Renho, meanwhile, is now grappling with increasing antipathy inside the party after an apparently friendly dig at Okada turned ugly. During a Tuesday appearance at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, she elicited a burst of laughter by calling Okada “a very boring man” in reference to his somber personality, a remark that was later apparently perceived by some party members as rude.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/26/national/politics-diplomacy/hawkish-ex-foreign-minister-maehara-enters-dp-leadership-race-dig-rival-renho/

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After a year and a half of shadow boxing, national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic finally gets to taste some meaningful action when Japan begins the final

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Little margin for error as Japan aims for 2018 World Cup spot

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After a year and a half of shadow boxing, national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic finally gets to taste some meaningful action when Japan begins the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup against the United Arab Emirates on Thursday night. With a host of dangerous teams looking to deny them a place at a sixth-straight World Cup, however, the Samurai Blue cannot afford to let their guard down for a second. Japan takes on the UAE at Saitama Stadium to kick off a final-round Group B that also includes Asian champion Australia, Iraq, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, with two automatic qualification places plus one playoff spot for Russia 2018 to play for. A quarterfinal penalty-shootout defeat to the UAE at last year’s Asian Cup under Javier Aguirre was the best Japan could muster the last time it came up against the continent’s best sides, and Halilhodzic is taking for nothing for granted 18 months after succeeding the Mexican. “Three of the four teams who got to the Asian Cup semifinals are in our group,” Halilhodzic said after naming his squad last week. “We lost to the UAE, and they’ve been in a training camp for the last month and a half. You have to take some risks. If we want to get through the final round of qualifiers, we all have to be brave and attack. It’s difficult, but we are trying to win games.” Japan has hardly been tested throughout Halilhodzic’s tenure so far, topping its initial World Cup qualifying group without conceding a single goal in eight games. That achievement comes with the caveat that the opposition included Afghanistan and Cambodia — currently ranked Nos. 150 and 180 in the world, respectively — although that did not stop Japan from starting with a feeble 0-0 home draw against Singapore. A repeat performance against the UAE would not augur well for the road ahead, and Halilhodzic will be hoping to pick up early momentum with an away trip to Thailand next to come on Sept. 6. Injuries to defenders Yuto Nagatomo and Tomoaki Makino have not helped the manager’s cause, but the return to fitness of forward Yoshinori Muto is a welcome development. One player who will not be involved is Kashima Antlers forward Mu Kanazaki, who found himself unceremoniously dropped after throwing a tantrum in reaction to being substituted in a J. League game on Aug. 20. The omission is said to have shocked the player into contrition, and Halilhodzic has, in one shrewd stroke, reasserted his authority without leaving the squad seriously short-handed. “A national team player cannot have an attitude like that,” said Halilhodzic. “That is the reason why I left him out. The team has certain standards. I want to say to all the players that if you act like this, you will not play for the Japan national team.” Halilhodzic’s authority on such matters has been aided by the team’s strong recent results, but a poor start to the final qualifying round would see his stock plummet in the blink of an eye. Japan has become so accustomed to appearing at World Cups that a failure to reach Russia 2018 would shake Japanese soccer to its core, and the rest of Asia would need no second invitation to form a new continental order. “It’s a bitter memory,” striker Shinji Okazaki said earlier this week of Japan’s Asian Cup defeat to the UAE. “If we don’t wipe away that memory, we can’t move forward. In big games, you can’t underestimate the value of just one goal. Scoring means so much to me- I’m ravenous for goals.” No matter how small the margin, Japan will need to get the job done on Thursday night.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/31/soccer/little-margin-for-error-as-japan-aims-for-2018-world-cup-spot/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/6fd6d89ca4f389fb6e2ab523854e215d5c6f699474fa299688fe3ab72b21014c.json

Swimming star Lilly King is holding her ground on doping. She wants cheaters out of the pool — and out of international sports. On Friday, a little m

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King stands firm on doping

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Swimming star Lilly King is holding her ground on doping. She wants cheaters out of the pool — and out of international sports. On Friday, a little more than two weeks after the 19-year-old won the first of two Olympic gold medals, King embraced her new role as the unofficial spokeswoman for clean athletes everywhere. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing,” she said during a news conference at Indiana University. “If you’re going to be the poster child for anything, I think that’s a good thing. But I think if I feel the need to have the final word on something that’s doping-related, then I guess I’m fine with speaking out about that. “I know I’m right on every single thing about this,” she added later. King arrived in Rio de Janeiro as a first-time Olympian and one of America’s rising young swimmers. While she wound up claiming gold in the 100-meter breaststroke and on the 400 medley relay team, it was what took place on the pool deck that turned her into a polarizing figure. After a television camera captured King wagging her finger at Russia’s Yulia Efimova in the 100 breast semifinals, King won her heat, climbed out of the pool and in a television interview explained she was no fan of athletes caught “drug cheating.” The comments were directed at Efimova, who took the silver in the 100 breast and then beat King in the 200 breast. Before returning home, Efimova called King “immature” and criticized her rival for creating a “war” on the Olympic stage. King didn’t back down then and refused to do so again Friday. “Actually, I had no intention of planning to speak out. . . . That was really just me being myself,” she said. “I didn’t really think I was saying anything horrible, I was just kind of speaking my mind.” Other American swimmers and Indiana coach Ray Looze, who was on the coaching staff in Rio, immediately backed King. Their position hasn’t changed, either. “She was speaking her mind, saying what everyone else was thinking,” said Cody Miller, who attended Indiana and also brought home two medals. “There are people who were missing out on swimming in the Olympics because of people who didn’t deserve to be there.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/27/more-sports/swimming/king-stands-firm-doping/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/be9eae87ea7082167f507a5d2c70c1fd078d31da65d12c345fb509676c3fbdb0.json

A man died and three others were injured in a shooting at a construction company's offices in the city of Wakayama on Monday. The shooter, a man in his 40s

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Man dead, three injured in shooting at Wakayama construction firm; shooter on run

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A man died and three others were injured in a shooting at a construction company’s offices in the city of Wakayama on Monday. The shooter, a man in his 40s or 50s, is on the run. Police said there is no indication that the attack on employees of construction firm Wadai Kogyo was a yakuza hit. The victims were shot in the stomach and legs. Local residents expressed shock. Shootings are rare in Japan, where there are strict firearm control laws. Gun crime usually involves rivalries between yakuza groups. Police identified the casualties as men in their 40s. The dead victim was named as Junsuke Ishiyama, 45. Residents in the city expressed unease as the suspected shooter remains at large. “I saw a lot of ambulances and fire trucks this morning. I thought there was a fire or an accident. I never imagined it might be a shooting,” said a 52-year-old man who runs a local shop that sells industrial clothing. “It’s a normal construction company. The people there are good people,” the man said, adding that the firm’s staff have been clients of his for gloves and other work garments. “I can’t believe something like this happened,” he said. A 79-year-old man who runs a factory nearby said he had never heard of trouble at the company. “I was so surprised to see all the police cars,” he said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/29/national/crime-legal/man-dead-three-injured-shooting-wakayama-construction-firm-shooter-run/

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Vera Caslavska, a multiple Olympic gymnastics gold medalist who stood up against the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, has died. She was 74. The

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Gymnastics great Caslavska dies at 74

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Vera Caslavska, a multiple Olympic gymnastics gold medalist who stood up against the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, has died. She was 74. The Czech Olympic Committee on Wednesday said Caslavska died in Prague late Tuesday. Caslavska had cancer of the pancreas and underwent surgery on May 15 last year, the committee previously said. She later had chemotherapy treatment. Born on May 3, 1942 in Prague, Caslavska claimed her first Olympic medal — a silver — at the 1960 Rome Games. Her golden era began four years later. She won three Olympic golds in Tokyo in 1964 — in the vault, the individual all-round and the balance beam — to establish herself as a major force in her sport. Four years later, Caslavska became an outspoken supporter of Alexander Dubcek’s liberal reforms meant to lead toward democratization of communist Czechoslovakia, an era known as the Prague Spring. She signed the Two Thousand Words manifesto published in June 1968 that called for deeper pro-democratic changes. That document angered the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, who ordered the Warsaw Pact’s troops to invade Czechoslovakia to crush the reforms in August. Facing a possible persecution, Caslavska went into hiding and was allowed only just before the Mexico Olympics to join the national gymnastics team. She triumphed in four disciplines, winning the Olympic gold in the vault, the individual all-round, the floor exercises and the uneven bars. With another two silver medals at the 1968 Games, she became the top medalist and was later named the world’s best female athlete of the year. For many, she will be remembered for her silent protest against the Soviet invasion. Standing on the top of the medal stands alongside Soviet gymnast Larisa Petrik, with whom she shared the gold in the floor exercise, Caslavska turned her head down and to the right when the Soviet national anthem was played. Combined with her gymnastic performances, the gesture made her the star of the games. At home, Caslavska faced persecution from the post-invasion hardline Communist regime. It wasn’t until 1974 that she was allowed to work as coach in her country and later, in 1979-81, in Mexico. After the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution led by Vaclav Havel ended more than 40 years of communism, Caslavska became Havel’s adviser and was elected the president of the Czechoslovak and later of the Czech Olympic Committee. In 1995-2001, she was a member of the International Olympic Committee. She received the U.N.’s Pierre de Coubertin Prize for promoting fair play in 1989 and was also awarded the Olympic Order. In a personal setback, her marriage with Josef Odlozil, an athlete whom she married during the Mexico Games, ended in the 1980s. Her son, Martin, was found guilty of assault that led to his father’s death in 1993 and was sentenced to four years in prison. Although he was soon pardoned by Havel, Caslavska had to undergo treatment for depression and withdrew temporarily from the public life.

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Has Colonel Sanders' nephew inadvertently revealed to the world the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices behind KFC's fried chicken empire? The company says

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The colonel's secret recipe revealed? Not so fast, says KFC

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Has Colonel Sanders’ nephew inadvertently revealed to the world the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices behind KFC’s fried chicken empire? The company says a recipe published in the Chicago Tribune is not authentic. But that hasn’t stopped rampant online speculation that one of the most legendary and closely guarded secrets in the history of fast food has been exposed. It all started when a reporter visited with Joe Ledington, a nephew of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland David Sanders. The reporter was working on a story for the Tribune’s travel section about Corbin, Kentucky, where the colonel served his first fried chicken. At one point, Ledington pulled out a family scrapbook containing the last will and testament of Sanders’ second wife, Claudia Ledington. On the back of the document is a handwritten list for a blend of 11 herbs and spices to be mixed with 2 cups (550 cc) of white flour. While Joe Ledington initially told the reporter that it was the original recipe, he later said that he didn’t know for sure. KFC — a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc. — calls its recipe “one of the biggest trade secrets in the world.” It says the recipe the reporter saw is not the real thing. “Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate — this one isn’t either,” KFC said in a statement. The company, based in Louisville, Kentucky, says the original recipe from 1940 handwritten by Sanders is locked up in a digital safe that is encased in 2 feet (60 cm) of concrete and monitored 24 hours a day by a video and motion detection surveillance system. Ledington could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

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The Philippines' drug problem may well constitute a national crisis, but that cannot excuse Rodrigo Duterte's shredding of the rule of law and extrajudicial killings.

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Duterte's threat to democracy

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Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines two months ago, the country has waged a vicious war against the drug trade. The number of victims will soon reach 2,000, a horrific number. The mounting death toll should come as no surprise. Duterte campaigned on a law and order platform, his reputation was built on this image and there was no reason to think that he would moderate his behavior if he moved to Malacanang Palace. The drug problem may well constitute a national crisis, but that cannot excuse the shredding of the rule of law and extrajudicial killings. Human rights extend to the guilty and the innocent alike. Duterte made his reputation as mayor of Davao City as a man of action. He waged a war on criminals on all fronts: Police and vigilantes — sometimes called death squads — were encouraged to take the law into their own hands. Extrajudicial killings were widespread, but crime rates in Davao City plummeted during his tenure, which lasted seven terms from 1988 to June this year. The key pledge of Duterte’s presidential campaign was to replicate this success on the national scale. He sought the return of capital punishment (abolished in 2006) for “heinous” crimes, such as the drug trade. He warned that this strategy to deal with drugs and corruption would be simple: “kill them all,” promising that the fish of Manila Bay would grow fat feasting on the bodies of drug dealers. After he was elected, he warned all police and related personnel to leave the drug trade or quit their jobs; he has also publicly named mayors, government and police officials he alleged were involved in drug trafficking. During the first two weeks of the Duterte presidency, more than 100 suspected drug dealers were killed, 1,844 arrested and 660,000 users and dealers surrendered. By mid-August, the numbers had risen to 1,800 killed, 5,400 arrested and 565,805 surrendered. According to the director general of the Philippine National Police, crime rates have fallen 49 percent. Criticism has been quick to follow. While acknowledging that the drug trade is a serious problem, many Philippine politicians, journalists and commentators rightly demand adherence to the rule of law and the protections embodied in the country’s constitution. Other governments have expressed concern about extrajudicial killings and urged the Manila government to respect the human rights outlined in the national charter and international law. Over 300 international nongovernment organizations have signed a letter that denounces Duterte’s policies and demands that international drug control agencies state unequivocally that such killings “do not constitute acceptable drug control measures.” Among the critics is Agnes Callamard, the new U.N. Special Rapporteur on summary executions. In a statement she called on “the Philippines authorities to adopt with immediate effect the necessary measures to protect all persons from targeted killings and extrajudicial executions.” The statement noted that “claims to fight illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings.” Duterte responded with anger, threatening to leave the United Nations and to join with other like-minded nations to form a new global organization to tackle these issues. Those comments were rolled back by his foreign minister the next day, who explained that the president was speaking out of “profound disappointment and frustration,” adding that the Philippines remains “committed to the U.N.” Frustration is understandable. According to the U.N., the Philippines in 2012 had the highest rate of methamphetamine use in East Asia. The Philippine police chief estimates that there are 3.7 million drug users in his country. The drug trade in 2013 was reckoned to be worth $8.4 billion. Between 2010 and 2015, 623 government officials and employees were arrested for drug-related offenses, or about one person every two days. More than 6,000 anti-drug operations have been conducted nationwide. But while the image of Duterte as “the enforcer” is popular — he still enjoys stratospheric support ratings — and gratifying, those policies are not effective. The “take no prisoners” policy was tried in Thailand under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but nearly 3,000 innocent people were killed and the program made no dent in the amount of drug trafficking or use. The loss of innocent lives or the settling of scores under the guise of cleaning up the drug trade is one problem. Even more worrying over the long run is the erosion of the rule of law in a country with a long history of abuse of power. Filipinos have struggled to reclaim their democracy and it has been a long and frustrating process. Duterte is only the most recent in a long line of autocrats who have been irritated by the inefficiencies of a democratically elected government. Corruption has been and continues to be a real problem in the Philippines. But the solution to that problem is rigid and neutral application of the law — not its disregard.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/28/editorials/dutertes-threat-democracy/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/32cea06f2a35a5ca52208ebcf7653489439865a1a3631accef986e6f09803f3f.json

Line Corp. plans to use part of the ¥130 billion it garnered from last month's initial public offering to bankroll acquisitions of content and technology,

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With ¥130 billion war chest, Line hunts for acquisitions to jazz up content, technology

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Line Corp. plans to use part of the ¥130 billion it garnered from last month’s initial public offering to bankroll acquisitions of content and technology, transforming its messaging service into a one-stop shop for Asian social media users. Japan’s most popular messaging service is gunning for companies in areas ranging from artificial intelligence chatbots and advertising to video streaming and games, including those with augmented reality features, Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Idezawa said in an interview. The Tokyo-based company has assembled a dedicated team to scope out and review possible targets across the globe. The idea is to build Line into a “smart portal,” supplementing its mainstay features of chatting, stickers and games with commercial services such as food delivery, job searches and travel reservations in main markets. “We are very open-minded about the size and geography” of potential acquisitions, Idezawa said. “What’s important is that they are the right fit.” Both the business and the talent that comes with it are important criteria, he said. Messaging services globally have become prime mobile destinations as they incorporate functions beyond simple chatting, such as media streaming and online shopping. Apps like Line and Facebook Inc.’s Messenger will evolve into “virtual agents” that provide services well beyond communication in three to seven years, said Julie Ask, an analyst with Forrester Research. She said one example of such technology is Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo, which deciphers and acts on spoken commands. The popular portable speaker can hail taxis or buy more shampoo, by analyzing a user’s shopping preferences and history. Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat is increasingly woven into the fabric of its Chinese users’ daily lives, letting them book hotels and buy products from a single app. Line has the potential to offer the same and possibly more. Its users in Japan spend at least five times as much time on the app as they do on Amazon, and their activities range from chatting to reading news and ordering food. That creates data the company can use to better understand its customers. Line in April announced the launch of an AI research lab, and funds from the IPO could allow it to buy startups that speed up development. Beefing up the platform with more commercial services requires close ties with local partners like retail shops, taxi companies or banks, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. That is where the IPO cash war chest comes in, which may allow Line to invest in joint ventures with local firms or swallow them whole. “Integrating payments and commerce services — something we’ve already seen very successfully through WeChat in China — is a big opportunity for messaging apps,” said Jack Kent, an analyst with IHS Markit Ltd. “But it’s not the same as launching a game or content service, which scales easily. When you’re integrating payments, taxi hailing or other forms of retail and commerce services, those are done at a local level.” As part of ongoing efforts to be more than just a messaging app, Line has teamed up with local partners in Southeast Asia such as motorbike taxi on-demand service Go-Jek in Indonesia. In April, it also entered a joint venture with a Thai firm that enables users in the country to pay for subway rides, restaurant meals and online shopping through its app. Last year, it partnered with a Visa Inc. subsidiary to bolster payment security, and bought a Japanese startup that provides payments software. And in January, it acquired another Japanese startup to strengthen its advertising on mobile devices. While Line is the most popular chatting app in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, it is runner-up to BlackBerry Ltd.’s messaging service in Indonesia, a country with a population larger than the other three combined. Idezawa said he will continue to focus on those four countries, where the number of Line’s monthly active users has risen in recent months, with a focus on winning the top spot in Indonesia. In Indonesia, Line is installed on 71 percent of Android devices, behind BlackBerry Messenger’s 86 percent, according to researcher SimilarWeb. Besides beefing up marketing, analysts say Line’s options in the country include striking partnerships to add more local content like news or music, and growing its commerce services. Doing so also works toward its long-term goal of completing the “smart portal.” “What these platforms need besides audience is context, or data about the users. These platforms need to go wide to accomplish that: payments, calendar, maps, etc.,” said Forrester’s Ask. “Messaging platforms are not the end game.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/26/business/corporate-business/%C2%A5130-billion-war-chest-line-hunts-acquisitions-jazz-content-technology/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/f7531b42d02c69f4978d31bc987e1d35bde6749c7ec754bf03affc2d54a77024.json

While Beijing invites ridicule for making weak or baseless territorial claims, the rest of the world should not it is deadly serious in defending them.

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Beware Beijing's self-serving interpretations of history

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Beijing has irredentist claims on all its borders and over all the waters that wash onto its shores. Indeed, it claims about 80 percent of the South China Sea, including the Spratlys and Paracels, which are on a broad plateau up to 1,600 km from China’s eastern coastline. For its part, China insists on a “sacred duty” to recover and reunify what it perceives as “lost” territories. Besides Taiwan, China claims India’s state of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls South Tibet, or Zangnan. In 2006, China’s ambassador to India declared the “whole state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory … we are claiming all of that. That is our position.” In a challenge to its most powerful neighbor, Japan, Beijing claims the Senkaku Islands, which it calls the Diaoyu. These consist of eight small, uninhabited volcanic islets in the East China Sea within 120 nautical miles of Taiwan and 200 nm of Okinawa. An insistence on sovereignty over the South and East China Seas incited disputing parties to apply treaties that China has approved in order to resolve jurisdictional conflicts. To this end, The Hague Arbitral panel declared that China’s excessive claims to resource jurisdiction of the South China Sea has no basis in the Law of the Sea Treaty. Driven by an obsessive desire to fulfill a singular sense of geographical destiny, Beijing ignored the panel’s findings that its historic rights arguments were legally unsound. Meanwhile, on its border with India, China has moved to take a mile while appearing to give back an inch on its claim to all of Arunachal Pradesh. This was backed up by probing moves into Sikkim while improving infrastructure near disputed areas that have military as well as commercial uses. For its part, New Delhi deployed two additional army divisions and two air force squadrons to positions near its border with China. Despite its own actions, Beijing denounced India’s recent troop movements and insisted there will be no “compromises in its border disputes with India.” Concerning its maritime claims, since China is not an archipelago country it has no legal basis to extend its continental shelf to claim natural resources in stretches of open water. As it is, Beijing’s assertions overlap the continental shelves of the Philippines and Vietnam. By claiming sovereignty over the Spratlys, it can apply the 200-nm economic zone, and it will do so regardless of recognized limits of other littoral countries. Another ruse to consolidate claims over its border with the Koreas involves an egregious distortion of the past. Beijing published books and articles known as the “Northeastern Project” asserting that much of Korea’s ancient history began in China. This attempt to rewrite history met with official objections from Seoul and Korean learned societies, which demanded Beijing put the kingdom of Koguryo in proper historical perspective. The claim is that the geographic overlapping of two Korean kingdoms with northeastern China implies they belong to China’s ancient history. It is likely that the incident is part of a well-orchestrated and purposeful attempt to increase China’s political influence in Northeast Asia. It also reflects concern over large numbers of ethnic Koreans living in the northeastern Chinese provinces of Laoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang that were granted considerable autonomy during the early 1950s. On the face of it, fudging an historical moment might seem small potatoes. But territorial claims based on history have enormous strategic political and diplomatic importance. If Beijing successfully creates fake history to extend its borders, it can then rigorously apply its doctrine of “absolute sovereign rights,” which is a central tenet of its foreign policy. Under this dogma, it rejects outside criticisms about events or policies within its declared borders and refuses to compromise on this point regardless of the consequences. As it is, Beijing insists that other countries exercise the highest standards of historical probity. For example, Chinese media and diplomatic channels have been used to criticize the content of Japanese history textbooks. Beijing is blatantly hypocritical in insisting on others engage in correct renderings of past deeds and misdeeds. Significantly, Beijing rejects interpretations of the Law of the Sea Treaty that contradict its aims, yet applies the logic of the treaty to support its own territorial claims. But hypocrisy, duplicity and deception are recognized skills and among the most valuable tools of international diplomacy. Ignoring Chinese intent and ability to wield these dark arts to promote the interests of the Middle Kingdom comes with great peril. To extend its reach across maritime Asia, China developed a “string of pearls” consisting of naval bases, commercial ports and listening posts. These include port facilities in Bangladesh, radar and refueling stations in Myanmar, a deepwater port in Gwadar, Pakistan, and access to the port of Hambontota in Sri Lanka. More recently, it has gone further afield by constructing a naval facility in Djibouti, within a few miles of America’s largest military base in Africa. Given these steps, it remains to be seen whether China’s insistence on being engaged in a “peaceful rise” will be contradicted by its future actions. While Beijing invites ridicule for making weak or baseless territorial claims, the rest of the world should note it is deadly serious in defending them. Christopher Lingle is a research scholar at the Center for Civil Society in New Delhi and a visiting professor of economics at Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/23/commentary/japan-commentary/beware-beijings-self-serving-interpretations-history/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/37b44ef5bc5941bc7e5f0dadc3a7323e17a3442b92565dcb02bde86cf266e871.json

Few bands can draw a massive round of applause for 15 minutes of ambient music, but that's just what Radiohead received at the start of its Sunday night he

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Radiohead triumphs at Summer Sonic

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Few bands can draw a massive round of applause for 15 minutes of ambient music, but that’s just what Radiohead received at the start of its Sunday night headlining set at this year’s Tokyo leg of Summer Sonic. The crowd at the main Marine Stage in QVC Marine Field was losing it well before the British band played a single note, though, whooping every time the stage lights dimmed. Summer Sonic estimates a majority of the 65,000 Sunday attendees watched the Radiohead set, a victory for festival founder Naoki Shimizu who told The Japan Times earlier this month that this year’s event — held concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka on Aug. 20 and 21 — purposely recruited more rock acts after last year’s EDM-and-pop-anchored installment failed to sell out. Mission accomplished: The ballpark was so full for Radiohead that fans had to sit in the aisles. And Radiohead delivered. Although the set started somewhat sluggishly with a stretch of songs from this year’s “A Moon Shaped Pool” — an album of introspective tracks better suited for headphones than stadium speakers — the five-piece soon launched into a performance touching on material from across its decades-long career, including the twinkling melancholy of “No Surprises” and the stomping “The National Anthem.” The crowd went wild for every familiar opening — then again, they erupted when lead singer Thom Yorke made caveman-like grunts between songs — and went especially bonkers as the opening notes of rarely performed breakthrough “Creep” began to play. It was a triumphant conclusion to the two-day festival, but it underlined a problem for many festivals: Where is the next generation of headline acts? In the same way Red Hot Chili Peppers guided Fuji Rock to its largest crowds since (cough) Radiohead played there in 2012, anticipation for a single legacy act propped up the event as a whole. Great for short term business, but not so hot for the long haul. Shimizu expressed similar concerns to The Japan Times two weeks ago, that only older groups can get fans out to festivals. Summer Sonic featured many established names, but with mixed results. British electronic duo Underworld headlined Saturday (which saw 55,000 in attendance) with a set of booming dance tunes presented like a rock set. It was designed for listeners to get lost in, explaining why the stage’s smoke machines worked overtime. Yet there was plenty of space both in the main pit and in the upper deck by the time Karl Hyde and Rick Smith concluded with megahit “Born Slippy.” Their presence, though, allowed the festival to make shirts featuring the Union Jack, adorned with the groaner “Keep Calm and Summer Sonic.” Veteran rockers proved more successful. Domestic outfit The Yellow Monkey attracted a far bigger crowd with its relatively mellow late Sunday afternoon set, while America’s Weezer delighted the day before with an uptempo performance that featured a cameo from lead singer Rivers Cuomo’s daughter on keyboards for two songs. Inside the Makuhari Messe convention center, drama kids Panic! At The Disco shined with a high-energy show that saw vocalist Brendon Urie going shirtless and pulling off some impressive backflips. Similarly, the Hostess Club All-Nighter event late Saturday was stocked with familiar rock outfits, highlighted by the fuzzed-out riffing of Dinosaur Jr. and singer-songwriter John Grant. One of Summer Sonic’s biggest hits came from a Japanese supergroup, the electro-pop unit Metafive. Featuring Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Yukihiro Takahashi, Towa Tei, Keigo Oyamada (aka Cornelius), Yoshinori Sunahara, Leo Imai and Tomohiko Gondo, its Sunday afternoon set at the Sonic Stage resulted in the rare instance where staff closed off the entire area. Bankable festival-ready rock certainly had a heavy presence, but Summer Sonic still paid heed to the all-styles-served mantra that has defined it since its inception. The pounding sounds of EDM were pushed to the Beach Stage Saturday night, save for Swedish DJ Alesso’s Marine Stage set ahead of Underworld. Top 40 pop, meanwhile, flourished on the Mountain Stage, particularly Sunday evening when Mark Ronson and Flo Rida closed out the night. Black Eyed Peas singer and solo performer Fergie achieved the highest pop spot in the stadium Saturday afternoon. “I want to thank SMAP×SMAP, and Koda Kumi, who is somewhere here, I think,” she said. Later, social media revealed she did, indeed, find the J-pop singer for a photo. Despite a set that recalled how big Fergie was in the mid-to-late-2000s, the crowd wasn’t as huge. Pop, after all, is all about who is hot now, and perhaps her newest track “M.I.L.F.$” hasn’t translated well in Japan. Other popsters fared better. Danish performer MØ attracted one of the largest — and youngest — crowds at the Mountain Stage on Sunday. She delivered her set with a forceful voice and movements to match, including running into the crowd for closer “Lean On.” Equally popular on Saturday night was Pentatonix, an a cappella quartet performing covers of popular songs. Still, it’s tough imagining either one of them earning a spot at the top of a future festival — we may see a Michael Jackson hologram up there before seeing an a cappella group that traffics in medleys. However, the many Japanese acts that dotted the outer edges of the festival’s time table put on shows that looked like long-term attempts at creating new headliners. Three domestic acts appeared on the Marine Stage each day — a higher number than last year’s one a day. Genre-blender Suiyoubi No Campanella ended up surfing the crowd inside a giant plastic ball, while Enon Kawatani smiled like the scandal that defined his first half of this year never happened during his band Gesu No Kiwami Otome’s. Packed Saturday set. Gen Hoshino’s quirky pop attracted an even larger crowd, while Osaka was blessed with the Babymetal spectacle. Most intriguing was the band going on right before Radiohead: Sakanaction. A Sapporo-born five-piece that melds rock with electronic elements, their penultimate set benefitted from plenty of folks who showed up early for the British powerhouse, but the bulk of fans present bopped along excitedly for anthemic thumpers such as “Music” and “Aoi.” Sakanaction was a fitting addition to main stage, with traces of Radiohead’s heady atmospherics and Underworld’s electronic edge — it was huge music that you could also cry in your room to. What made Sakanaction feel like a fit was how it embraced all the elements that make for an act capable of ending a festival — lead singer Ichiro Yamaguchi got the crowd clapping and waving, and midway through the band brought out a mini-orchestra of taiko drummers, kimono-clad dancers and more for an extended jam that felt like a Tokyo 2020 tryout. On a weekend defined by older acts, it was a moment where the future still seemed pretty bright.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/26/music/radiohead-triumphs-summer-sonic/

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Sept. 3-Nov. 13 For the opening exhibition of the rebranded Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (formerly the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography), acclaime

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'Hiroshi Sugimoto: Lost Human Genetic Archive'

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Sept. 3-Nov. 13 For the opening exhibition of the rebranded Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (formerly the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography), acclaimed Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto asks us to reflect on our way of life and how it affects the environment. The New York-based photographer’s thought-provoking show, which deals with the “demise of mankind and civilization,” will occupy two floors and comprises three bodies of work: the world premier of his latest series, “Abandoned Theater,” which evolved from his earlier “Theaters” series; the first Japan showing of “Lost Human Genetic Archive”; and a new installation titled “Sea of Buddhas.” Together, these works present Sugimoto’s often bleak — yet sometimes humorous — view of history and the world. Tokyo Photographic Art Museum; 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Ebisu Stn. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Thurs. and Fri. till 8 p.m.). ¥1,000. Closed Mon. 03-3280-0099; www.topmuseum.jp

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/30/arts/openings-in-tokyo/hiroshi-sugimoto-lost-human-genetic-archive/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/ac1bcb282573e4388ce159f22b78eeee8b35841c8bd297a995a25fb983bfb392.json

The Solar Impulse 2 plane lands in Abu Dhabi, completing the first round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun's energy.

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Solar plane circles Earth in historic flight

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Sample newspaper article 「ソーラー・インパルス２」飛行機は、最初の離陸から１年以上経て アラブ首長国連邦の首都アブダビに着陸し、太陽エネルギーによる 発電だけでの初の世界一周を完了した。パイロットのベルトラン・ ピカール氏は７月26日の夜明け前に着陸し、2015年3月5日に始まった壮大な４万キロの旅は終わりを迎えた。飛行機はインド、中国、日本、米国、イタリア、エジプトを含む16カ国に立ち寄った。スイスで開発 された１人乗りの飛行機は、17,248個の太陽電池で発電され、夜間はバッテリー電力で飛行する。平均飛行速度は時速75キロで、１日のうちで最も明るい時間帯にはさらに速い速度で飛行した。 (July 27) Words and phrases 飛行機 (hikōki) plane; 最初の (saisho-) initial; 離陸 (ririku) takeoff; １年以上 (ichinen-ijō) more than one year; アラブ首長国連邦 (Arabu Shuchōkoku Renpō) United Arab Emirates; 首都 (shuto) capital; アブダビ (Abudabi) Abu Dhabi; 着陸し (chakuriku-) landed; 太陽エネルギー (taiyō enerugii) the sun’s energy; 発電だけで (hatsuden-) powered solely by; 世界一周 (sekai isshū) round-the-world; 完了した (kanryō-) completing; パイロット (pairotto) pilot; 夜明け前 (yoa-mae) predawn; 始まった (hajimat-) began; 壮大な (sōdai-) epic; 旅 (tabi) journey; 終わりを迎えた (o-muka-) marks the end; インド (Indo) India; 中国 (Chūgoku) China; 日本 (Nihon) Japan; 米国 (Beikoku) the U.S.; イタリア (Itaria) Italy; エジプト (Ejiputo) Egypt; スイス (Suisu) Swiss; 開発された (kaihatsu-) engineered; 1人乗りの飛行機 (hitorino-hikōki) single-seater; 太陽電池 (taiyō denchi) solar cells ; 夜間 (yakan) night; バッテリー電力 (batterii denryoku) battery power; 飛行する (hikō-) runs; 平均 (heikin) average; 速度 (sokudo) airspeed; 時速〜キロ (jisoku-kiro) kph; 最も明るい時間帯 (motto-aka-jikantai) brightest part of the day Sample radio or television report Sōrā Inparusu Tsū hikōki-wa, saisho-no ririku-kara ichinen ijō hete Arabu Shuchōkoku Renpō-no shuto Abudabi-ni chakuriku-shi, taiyō-enerugii-ni-yoru hatsuden-dake-de-no sekai isshū-o kanryō-shimashita. Pairotto-no Berutoran Pikāru-shi-wa 7-gatsu 26-nichi-no yoake-mae-ni chakuriku-shi, 2015-nen 3-gatsu itsuka-ni hajimatta sōdai-na yon-man-kiro-no tabi-wa owari-o mukaemashita. Hikōki-wa, Indo, Chūgoku, Nihon, Beikoku, Itaria, Ejiputo-o fukumu jūrokkakoku-ni tachiyorimashita. Suisu-de kaihatsu-sareta hitori-nori-no hikōki-wa, ichiman nanasen nihyaku yonjū hakko-no taiyō denchi-de hatsuden-sare, yakan-wa batterii-denryoku-de hikō-shimasu. Heikin hikō sokudo-wa jisoku nanajū-go-kiro-deshita-ga, ichinichi-no-uchi-de mottomo akarui jikantai-wa sara-ni hayai sokudo-de hikō-shimashita. Translation The Solar Impulse 2 plane has landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, more than a year after its initial takeoff, completing the first round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun’s energy. The predawn landing on July 26 by pilot Bertrand Piccard marks the end of an epic 40,000-kilometer journey that began on March 5, 2015. The plane made 16 stops, including in India, China, Japan, the U.S., Italy and Egypt. The Swiss-engineered single-seater aircraft is powered by 17,248 solar cells and runs on battery power at night. Its average airspeed was 75 kph, though it flew faster in the brightest part of the day. Conversation between acquaintances A: Sōrā Inparusu Tsū-ga, saisho-no ririku-kara ichinen ijō hete Abudabi-ni chakuriku-shita-sō-desu-ne. (I heard that the Solar Impulse 2 plane landed in Abu Dhabi more than a year after its initial takeoff.) B: Taiyō-enerugii-ni-yoru hatsuden-dake-de-no sekai isshū-hikō-da-sō-desu-yo. (Apparently it was the first-ever round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun’s energy.) Conversation between husband and wife H: Sōrā Inparusu Tsū-wa Nihon-ni-mo tachiyotta-ne. (The Solar Impulse 2 stopped in Japan, didn’t it?) W: Akutenkō-no tame-ni Nagoya-ni chakuriku-o shinakereba naranakatta-no-yo. (Due to poor weather conditions, it had to land in Nagoya.) (No. 1320)

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/08/22/language/solar-plane-circles-earth-historic-flight/

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www.japantimes.co.jp/d823f4563c5af9e686245092d95bcb1bcd8eeca12d147581de413af8ecc42b7e.json

"There's no fool like an old fool." Yasuo Tsuruhashi's comedy "Black Widow Business" is a feature-length illustration of this venerable saying, though it a

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'Black Widow Business': Never too old for the marriage con

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“There’s no fool like an old fool.” Yasuo Tsuruhashi’s comedy “Black Widow Business” is a feature-length illustration of this venerable saying, though it also reflects present-day trends in an aging Japan. The “fools” in question are the graying Lotharios who fall for the middle-aged charms of Sayoko (Shinobu Otake), a scam artist working in cahoots with Kashiwagi (Etsushi Toyokawa), the louche president of a shady match-matching service targeting elderly, well-off men. Based on a novel by Naoki-Prize-winning author Hiroyuki Kurokawa, “Black Widow Business” is directed and scripted by TV veteran Tsuruhashi, and shares some of the all-too-common faults of TV dramas here — from over-plotting to a final descent into dotabata (slapstick) wackiness. At the same, it is above the general TV drama in its casting, especially in the inspired pairing of Otake and Toyokawa. These two have played a wide range of roles of various moral shades over the years, so their performances as fellow scammers are nothing particularly new, but here they are also layered, distinctive — and funny. Sayoko may go through eight husbands in the course of the story (with all but two seen only in flashbacks), but she is nothing like the scheming temptress of cliche. Black Widow Business ( Gosaigyo no Onna ) Rating 3 out of 5 Run Time 127 mins Language Japanese Opens AUG 27 As we see in the matchmaking party where she meets No. 8, a doddering retired college professor (Masahiko Tsugawa), Sayoko still enjoys kicking up her heels and, at age 63, still exudes a sexual heat that has long since cooled in many of her contemporaries (including her competition at the party). But once she is “off duty” and in the presence of co-conspirator Kashiwagi, she deflates into her blowsy, wily real self. As Kashiwagi, Toyokawa plays closer to slithery stereotype as a scoundrel who is well-pleased with himself, if not entirely self-deluded, somewhat like the middle-aged roue who’s still convinced that, despite his paunch, he is catnip to women — and somehow makes them believe it. Whoever did Toyokawa’s make-up, with its rather horrifying combination of congealed spray tan and pre-cancerous freckles, deserves a prize, as does Toyokawa for living up (or down) to it so thoroughly. The story moves into high gear two years after Sayoko meets and weds the aforementioned educator, who dies in suspicious circumstances and leaves his entire estate to his bride, cutting out his two adult daughters. One, Tomomi (Machiko Ono), already hates Sayoko for manipulating her octogenarian dad into matrimony. Convinced she and her sister have been played, she hires a dodgy private detective (Masatoshi Nagase) to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Sayoko and Kashiwagi move on to another victim, a wealthy real estate developer (Tsurube Shofukutei). But he is a sharp-eyed hustler himself, as well as still a sexual force (if a comically portly one in his undershorts). Have our scheming pair finally met their match? From here, plot twists multiply, as does dialog that may have you reaching for your legal dictionary. But as in all films about con artists or crooks plotting the big score, the story finally comes down to one question: Will they get away with it? Since “Black Widow Business” is bound for the small screen, as indicated by its TV broadcaster backers, the answer would seem to be clear. But to the credit of Tsuruhashi, a hit-making giant in the TV drama genre, the characters’ various fates are hardly inscribed on their foreheads. Not to say they are always convincing, especially once Sayoko’s whiny no-good son (Shunsuke Kazama) bursts irritatingly into the frame. The smart, character-driven comedy devolves into a high-volume, knockabout thriller. But Sayoko remains Sayoko, unsinkable and unstoppable. Somehow I couldn’t help rooting for her. Or am I just Fool No. 10?

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/24/films/film-reviews/black-widow-business-never-old-marriage-con/

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After just two drives, Aaron Rodgers is ready to begin the season for the Green Bay Packers. San Francisco coach Chip Kelly still needs a bit more time to

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Packers get past 49ers 21-10

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After just two drives, Aaron Rodgers is ready to begin the season for the Green Bay Packers. San Francisco coach Chip Kelly still needs a bit more time to figure out who his starting quarterback will be once the games count next month. Rodgers made the most of his only appearance of the preseason, throwing a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb in the Green Bay Packers’ 21-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night. “I feel good about the work we put in tonight,” he said. “We had two good, sustained drives. We ran a bunch of plays in those two drives and it was up-tempo and that’s important.” Colin Kaepernick did not fare as well as he looked extremely rusty in his first game action since last November. He completed 2 of 6 passes and generated one first down on three drives. “I wish we had done a little bit more but it was good to get out there and get my feet wet,” Kaepernick said. Even though Kaepernick struggled after sitting out the past two weeks with a tired shoulder and Blaine Gabbert led the Niners to a touchdown on one of his two drives, Kelly said he’s not ready to pick a starter for the season opener against the Rams on Sept. 12. “You’re never going to make any decisions walking off the field,” Kelly said. “We’ll sit down as a staff and see where we are.” After a three-and-out on the opening drive, Gabbert led San Francisco to a score on his final series. He had a nice run and two short completions before Carlos Hyde busted a 27-yard run. Quinton Patton then took a lateral from Gabbert and scampered into the end zone on a 3-yard run. Kaepernick entered to applause on the next series, but did little to show he deserves the starting job. He was quick to leave the pocket when his first option was covered, and three of his passes were broken up by defenders. He finished 2-for-6 for 14 yards and added 18 yards on four runs. Patriots 19, Panthers 17 In Charlotte, North Carolina, Tom Brady looked sharp in his preseason debut, throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan in helping New England to a win over Carolina. Redskins 21, Bills 16 In Landover, Maryland, Kirk Cousins found a groove and undrafted rookie running back Robert Kelley made the most of his chance and Washington beat Buffalo. Cousins overcame a rough start to finish 12 of 23 for 188 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Steelers 27, Saints 14 In New Orleans, Ben Roethlisberger torched the Saints for 148 yards and two touchdown passes on his first two series of this preseason, then got the rest of the game off as Pittsburgh rolled. Buccaneers 30, Browns 13 In Tampa, Cleveland’s Josh Gordon scored on a 43-yard reception and also hauled in another pass from Robert Griffin III for a 44-yard gain in a loss to the Bucs.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently battling it out with several other ball clubs for a wild card slot in the National League playoffs. If the Bucs do lan

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Core of homegrown talent gives Pirates hope for future

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently battling it out with several other ball clubs for a wild card slot in the National League playoffs. If the Bucs do land one of the two WC berths, it will mark their fourth straight postseason appearance. Yep, things are going swimmingly for their organization. Or, to put it another way, the Pirates are livin’ high on the hog. For now, anyway. Y’see, over the last 70 years, it’s been feast or famine for the Pittsburgh Pirates. With no snacking in between. Since the post-World War II period, the Bucs have endured prolonged periods of futility followed by extended runs of success that have included three World Series titles. MAS is not talking mere ups and downs here. He means deepest ocean depths alternating with Mt. Everest peaks. It all began back in the last half of the 1940s when the perenially bottom-dwelling Pirates were the team that clubhouse lawyers (locker room troublemakers) on the seven other National League ballclubs were banished to as punishment for their cancerous effect on team unity. Remember the flick “42” on Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier? Several Brooklyn Dodgers were traded, in almost comical fashion, to the Pirates as a form of spanking for their outspoken opposition to Jackie’s presence on the Dodgers. Thereafter, nothing kept a bigot in line like the threat of a trip from the NL penthouse to its outhouse. From 1946-57, the Pirates finished last or next-to-last 10 times, including four straight as eighth place cellar-dwellers between ’52-’55. Other than Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner, the only exciting thing about those Pirates ball clubs was their ownership. The top U.S. comedian of the era, Bob Hope, and America’s most-admired crooner, Bing Crosby, each had a piece of the Bucs. Heck, even Li’l MAS always thought “sweep” whenever his lowly Fightin’ Phils and the Pirates met in a series. But then in the late 1950s, the Pirates trotted out a young Puerto Rican in rightfield named Roberto Clemente. Flashy and quirky, not to mention supremely talented, Clemente would key a Pittsburgh resurgence that culminated in a Bill Mazeroski sayonara World Series-winning home run in 1960. That historic shot propelled the Pirates to an unprecedented 20-year stretch of success. The Pirates continued as contenders throughout the ’60s and won another MLB title in ’71. The Bucs would excel yearly in the 1970s as well, winning several NL East titles before Willie Stargell and the “We Are Family” Bucs captured yet another World Series crown in 1979. However, a lull set in for much of the 1980s. For seven straight seasons, the Pirates mostly finished at or near the bottom of the standings. But then in the mid-’80s a guy named Barry Bonds came along and so too did three straight NL East titles from 1990-92. But after Bonds left for San Francisco, the Pirates would sink into an unprecedented MLB funk. Beginning in 1993, the Bucs suffered 20 consecutive losing seasons, a big league record for such futility. It wasn’t until the second decade of the new millennium, in 2013, that Pittsburgh would finally finish with a winning log, and a playoff spot to boot. Which is where we pick up the presently feasting Bucs. Call them the result of Pittsburgh doing things, shall we say, “The New Pirate Way.” “I think it’s just a testament to our organization as a whole,” Bucs shortstop Jordy Mercer told MAS. “Doing well in the draft, getting the right guys for the right situation.” Pittsburgh is a mid-sized market, so the Pirates, thrifty by necessity, HAVE done a nice job of building from within. “We have 10 or 12 guys who all came in together and stayed together all the way up to the big leagues,” Mercer proudly stated. “I think that’s kind of cool; you don’t see that happen very often.” The present-day Pirates have learned to win together. “Having success at the lower levels helps create that winning mindset and winning culture,” Jordy maintains. “We’ve carried it right on up here.” A prime example of the Bucs’ eye for locating and then developing talent is their terrific outfield: former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco, all products of the Pirates’ farm system. McCutchen didn’t disagree when MAS suggested they might be MLB’s best all-around trio of pasture patrollers. “Yeah, we have guys that can do a lot of things,” McCutchen acknowledged, without referring directly to himself. “They can hit, run, throw; anything we need, they can bring. “And there’s not much you need to tell them,” the man known as “Clutch Cutch” added. “They just go out and do their job.” And then there are the more, um, esoteric machinations of the present Pirates organization. All in the name of gaining and maintaining a competitive edge. Example: Quality sleep and a lot of it (nine hours nightly is recommended). The Pirates bring in a sleep consultant to meet with the team once a month. And on the road the team takes along the players’ preferred mattresses and pillows. And beets, beets, and more beets at any team food spread. The reason? A closely guarded organizational secret. Also, something folks in Japan can relate to: a penchant for meetings, sometimes about why and when to hold meetings. Jon Niese, after coming over in a trade from the New York Mets, reportedly said he attended more meetings in one Pirates spring training than he had in his entire career to that point. Don’t know how happy the late Willie Stargell would be with beets in the clubhouse, though. After all, Willie once owned a fried chicken joint in the Steel City’s “Hill” section. It is said patrons would jam his shop during Stargell at-bats because if Willie hit one out, legendary Pirates announcer Bob Prince might proclaim: “Chicken on the Hill with Will!” And lucky fans inside feasted free of charge. But Stargell would no doubt be happy to count these current Bucs as new age relatives. And were Bing Crosby still with us, he would surely be willing to croon a tune for all those successful Pirate ball clubs, past and present. “We Are Extended Family” has a nice ring. Contact Man About Sports at: davwigg@gmail.com

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/25/baseball/mlb/core-homegrown-talent-gives-pirates-hope-future/

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The word "seishun" ("youth") comprises the kanji characters for the words "blue" and "spring," which connotes the freshness and innocence of those earlier

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Japan's team spirit remains youthful in anime

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The word “seishun” (“youth”) comprises the kanji characters for the words “blue” and “spring,” which connotes the freshness and innocence of those earlier years in life. It’s also the name of a genre of anime and manga. Even as the population ages, seishun manga and anime seem to lock themselves to the Japanese psyche — where as long as your favorite seishun series exist, so does the illusion that youth is always within reach, no matter how old you are. It should be noted, though, that even if seishun characters never grow up, this doesn’t mean their manga and anime series continue forever. The unspoken agreement among most creators and their audiences is that seishun stories will end once the central characters turn 18 or graduate from high school. This formula is especially applicable when sports come into play. Seishun drama and sports is an unbeatable pairing — every character is gorgeous to look at and brilliant at whatever bukatsu (exra-curricular activity) they choose to do. The blood, sweat and tears of it all is enhanced further by the energy that comes with being agile teenagers, able to do amazing things on the field, in the gym, on the court and in the pool. Once these characters hit 18, however, the glory days almost always come to a close. “Kuroko’s Basketball” (“Kuroko no Basuke”), a series of three anime starting with “Winter Cup Highlights — Shadow and Light,” opens this weekend. Together, the three films make a long-awaited cinema version of Tadatoshi Fujimaki’s mega-hit seishun sports manga, which ran in weekly installments in the magazine Shonen Jump from 2009 to 2014. Tetsuya Kuroko’s basketball skills mainly consist of lurking in the shadows of the court and springing into play just when everyone least expects it, often to assist his teammates score a winning point. In English, his name, Kuroko, literally translates to “black child,” but in Japanese it means someone who is a background supporter. It is also the name for the performers of ningyo-joruri (traditional Japanese puppetry, also known as bunraku). Ningyo-joruri dress head-to-toe in black to detract attention from themselves as they manipulate puppets. Similar to the hero, Tetsuya, the kuroko puppeteers operate on the general assumption that they are unnoticed, and they are required to suppress their own emotions and individuality. Their sole purpose on stage is to bring the puppets to life and narrate the tale through the dolls’ actions. The more skilled the puppeteer, the more invisible he or she becomes. Tetsuya Kuroko plays the game like his name suggests. Short, soft-spoken and unathletic, the high school freshman is treated as a non-entity everywhere he goes. He is not your typical basketball player and is generally ignored by his team’s opposition. His fellow team members, however, know better. Without Tetsuya, their “sixth man” (a basketball player who doesn’t start in the game, but is usually the first reserve to be substituted in), they’re well aware they wouldn’t be able to turn a game around when things get tough. They also know that Tetsuya is hiding a dark past from his junior high school basketball days, and that this history is why he chooses to remain in the shadows on the court. “Kuroko’s Basketball” is being touted as an anime event, rather than a straightforward cinema release. Divided into three parts, all directed by Shunsuke Tada, the first round, “Winter Cup Highlights — Shadow and Light,” will run nationwide from Sept. 3 to 16. Part two runs from Oct. 8 to 21, followed by the final chapter from Dec. 3 to 16. Each release will be accompanied by pop-up merchandise shops and DVD/Blue-ray sales, starting with “Winter Cup Highlights — Shadow and Light” on Sept. 27. According to media analyst Yusuke Deguchi, this sort of event is becoming common in the Japanese film industry, particularly with anime. “Anime movies such as ‘Kuroko no Basuke’ target a very specific audience. It’s not a mainstream vehicle, just as basketball is not really a mainstream sport yet,” Deguchi said in a telephone interview. “But there is a sizable market in existence, and the distributors want to make sure they reach every single fan in that market.” A straight cinema release, Deguchi explained, isn’t enough for fans: “The movie will play for about five weeks and then fade away. But by dividing the story up, and introducing new characters with each installment, fans can spend three whole months with their favorite basketball players. It’s almost like going back to the time when the manga was running weekly in Shonen Jump. Audiences can savor that sense of anticipation all over again.” “Kuroko no Basuke” has often been described as second in line to the throne occupied by “Slam Dunk,” the undisputed king of basketball manga, penned by Takehiko Inoue and adapted to the screen four times (between 1994 and 1995), also in separate installments. Unlike Tetsuya, Hanamichi Sakuragi, the hero of “Slam Dunk,” towered over his teammates and had an NBA-sized ego to match his frame. It was “Slam Dunk” that pushed basketball into the mainstream of seishun sports. Before that, baseball had been the national favorite and most popular choice of bukatsu among Japan’s school kids. But if “Slam Dunk” was the forceful confident game changer, “Kuroko’s Basketball” deserves just as much credit for offering an equally winning message to today’s youth: It is okay to be shy, reserved and even small. You don’t have to be an impossibly tall super-teen to play basketball or possess talent. And you don’t have to be the center player to be an important member of a team. “Kuroko’s Basketball: Winter Cup Highlights — Shadow and Light” is released nationwide on Sept. 3. For more information on all three installments of the “Kuroko’s Basketball” series, visit www.kurobas.com.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/31/films/japans-team-spirit-remains-youthful-anime/

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Owner of the world's best restaurant on the influence of culture in cuisine

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Italian chef Massimo Bottura: 'Never forget where you came from'

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Name: Massimo Bottura Age: 53 Nationality: Italian Occupation: Chef Likes: Contemporary art, jazz, slow food, fast cars Dislikes: Nostalgia, food waste 1. How would you describe your cuisine? It’s deeply Italian — you see my passion transformed into edible bites. In every dish you can see the music and art I love, filtered through a contemporary mind, but sitting on centuries of tradition. 2. What’s the most important ingredient in your cuisine? Culture. If you don’t have culture, you just create good food. 3. Describe your restaurant, Osteria Francescana. It is a laboratory of ideas, in which we create culture. Culture brings knowledge. Knowledge leads to the opening up consciousness — and consciousness to a sense of responsibility. That step is very short. 4. Is cuisine an art, a craft or a science? There’s an Italian word “artiere” — it’s in between artisan and artist. We (chefs) may create food that sometimes comes very close to art. But, in fact, we are “artiere” — artisans obsessed with quality. 5. Your food is very visual. What is your connection with the world of art? Art is my motivational force and it has always been my passion. Art, music, reading — I absorb from everything I do. 6. Any artists in particular that have inspired you? My favorite artist of the past century is Josef Beuys. He’s the one who really inspired me, and opened my consciousness and sense of responsibility. 7. How about Japanese esthetics? I still remember (legendary Tokyo sushi chef) Jiro Ono looking at me as I ate and telling me, “In another life, you were Japanese.” I think it’s true: I feel that with few simple gestures, or a single line, I can express everything. 8. You have Japanese souschefs. Has that been important? Essential! For the past 15 years I’ve had Japanese chefs working with me. 9. Is there a long tradition of food in your city (Modena)? The writer Bocaccio describes seeing beautiful, strong ladies making pasta 24 hours a day. That was in the 13th century. 10. Modena is also famous for fast cars. Is there a connection? It’s inexplicable: Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ducatti and more … all those companies are there. Many artists and artisans moved to Modena in the late 16th century. They’re still there. 11. You’ve just been voted top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. How do you feel about it? I feel serene. I feel very good for my team. We knew we were ready for it, as we are doing amazing things. But for me personally, it didn’t change a lot. 12. What comes next? I never stop thinking about the future. As soon as we came back to Modena (after the award), I was already thinking of my Refettorio (soup kitchen) project in Rio de Janeiro. 13. You opened the first Refettorio during last year’s Milan World Expo. What was the aim? The theme of the Expo was “Feed the Planet.” To me the answer was by fighting food waste — not just serving warm food to people who don’t have anything, but rebuilding their dignity. It’s not a charity, it’s a cultural project. 14. What has been the reaction? One year later, everyone understands what it’s doing. And since we began, the two countries with the most important cuisines, Italy and France, have both passed laws against food waste. 15. What are you doing in Brazil? The mayor of Rio de Janeiro gave a space to us and our local partner, Gastromotiva. It opened Aug. 8, during the Olympics, near the Lapa favela. 16. You were recently in Kyoto. What were your impressions? I was walking by the river at night. The only light was the full moon reflecting in the water. I felt very secure. I could feel the sound of the river — it was unbelievable. 17. How about the city itself? I’m blown away by the respect people show — walking, crossing the street — all the time. It reminds me of what my mom used to teach me. Maybe in Italy we are losing this kind of respect. 18. What for you is comfort food? Perfect buffalo mozzarella, perfect Parmesan cheese or balsamic vinegar, a pear or cherries. I love simple ingredients. They reset my palate. 19. What is your favorite phrase in any language? “The secret of success: waking up in the morning, going to bed at night, and in the meantime doing what you choose to do.” (Musician) Bob Dylan said that. 20. Do you have any words of advice for young people? Travel with your ears and your eyes open. Absorb the cultures of other countries. But never forget where you came from. For more information on Osteria Francescana, visit www.osteriafrancescana.it. Bottura will be cooking at Bulgari il Ristorante in Tokyo from Sept. 25 to 27. For more details, visit bit.ly/2bf2UOd.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/08/27/people/italian-chef-massimo-bottura-never-forget-came/

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Japanese students would benefit greatly from the total immersion approach to learning English.

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Bring English immersion to Japanese classrooms

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A decision by three Japanese companies to band together to launch a new test in March to measure English listening and speaking skills in five business sectors comes as no surprise. For too long, schools in Japan have done a poor job of preparing English-language learners for the real world. That’s why Obunsha Co., Casio Computer Co., and Mainichi Newspapers Co. have taken matters into their own hands. Although Japanese students learn English for six years starting in junior high school, too many still can’t speak the language. A closer look at instruction reveals the reasons. Almost all lessons are designed to help students pass the written university entrance exams. These measure only writing and grammar, rather than conversation. There’s nothing at all wrong with learning the former, but it’s highly unlikely that they will transfer to the latter. That’s because they violate what in athletics is known as “specificity of training.” The closer what happens in the gymnasium mimics what happens on the playing field, the higher the likelihood of transfer. Therefore, if the goal is for students to speak English, students should be given appropriate practice in the classroom speaking English. Proficiency in speaking any foreign language is directly dependent on the number of hours spent speaking the language in question. The hours devoted to learning grammar have little carryover to speaking. Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Outliers,” is famous for his 10,000-hour rule. That’s the number of hours spent practicing he maintains it takes to master any skill. But those hours need to be focused on the precise behavior. It was altogether predictable, therefore, that the education ministry’s targets for reading, listening, writing, and speaking English by junior high and high school students were not reached. A survey of 90,000 students at 500 public high schools and 60,000 public junior high schools chosen at random confirmed the importance of appropriate practice. By mixing together four English skills, the ministry assured the disappointing outcomes. The United States has learned that lesson. There are close to five million students who are learning English in public schools. Nearly 80 percent come from Spanish-speaking homes. But the rest may speak any one of hundreds of other languages. Unlike public schools in Japan, however, those in the U.S. rely heavily on teaching conversation, rather than grammar. As a result, students quickly learn “social” or “playground” English. Purists will decry their failure to first learn how to read and write English. But given the importance of conversation as the final objective, they are better prepared than their counterparts in Japan. Their relative success is due to a popular revolt in favor of total immersion that began in 1998 with the passage of Proposition 227 in California by a 61 percent majority. Total immersion force students to first learn to listen and speak only in English. Arizona voters passed a similar measure in 2000, and Massachusetts followed in 2002. Opposition soon faded when students began to progress far faster than in old-style bilingual programs. There’s no reason that Japanese students can’t profit from the same approach to learning English. If total immersion is too big a pill to swallow, dual immersion may be more palatable. Students study in two languages, gaining fluency in both. The hard part is convincing teachers to rethink their instruction. Walt Gardner, who taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 28 years, writes the Reality Check blog for Education Week.

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Italian naval ships and vessels from nongovernment groups rescued thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast on Monday, the latest surge in desperate attem

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Thousands of migrants rescued in day off Libya by European vessels

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Italian naval ships and vessels from nongovernment groups rescued thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast on Monday, the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty, and human traffickers. The dramatic operation took place just 21 km (13 miles) north of the town of Sabratha in Libya. Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on some 3,000 people who had been traveling in some 20 small wooden boats. In images and video by The Associated Press, migrants from Eritrea and Somalia cheered as the rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies onto the rescue ships. Tens of thousands of Africans take the dangerous Mediterranean Sea route as a gateway to a better life in Europe, alongside those fleeing wars from Syria to Afghanistan. Libya’s chaos and lack of border controls have made it into a transit route. Since the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, the country has sunk into lawlessness, facing a myriad of militias vying for influence and an emerging Islamic State affiliate. In June, the European Union expanded its anti-smuggling operation in the central Mediterranean to include training Libyan coastal and naval forces, which are intercepting boats and returning migrants to Libya, where some are being held in abusive conditions. Rights groups and experts estimate that there are about 3,500 migrants held in roughly 20 official detention facilities across Libya. Others are held in informal detention centers controlled by criminal gangs or armed groups.

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The public cost of dealing with the aftermath of the March 2011 nuclear accident at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 plant topped ¥4.2 trillion by the end of fiscal 2015.

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Public cost of Fukushima nuclear accident cleanup topped ¥4.2 trillion as of end of March

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The public cost of dealing with the aftermath of the March 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s stricken Fukushima No. 1 plant topped ¥4.2 trillion by the end of fiscal 2015, it was learned Sunday. The cumulative total at the end of last March, including costs for radioactive decontamination, reactor decommissioning and compensation payments to affected people and organizations, translate into about ¥33,000 per capita. The public financial burden is expected to increase, with Tepco seeking further government assistance. Jiji Press scrutinized the government’s special-account budgets through fiscal 2015 for the reconstruction of areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It summed up the amounts of executed budgets related to the nuclear disaster and additional electricity rates consumers and businesses were charged by Tepco and seven other regional power utilities to help finance compensation payments, among other costs. According to the study, a total of ¥2.34 trillion was disbursed for decontamination of affected areas, disposal of contaminated waste and an interim storage facility for tainted soil. The expense was shouldered by the government, mainly through affiliated Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corp. The costs for decontamination and tainted waste disposal will eventually be financed by the proceeds from the sale of Tepco shares held by the government-backed organization. The government guaranteed the loans provided by banks for the acquisition of Tepco shares, and if the lending becomes irrecoverable due to weakness of the Tepco stock price, tax revenue will be used to repay the loans. The government estimates the proceeds from Tepco share sale at ¥2.5 trillion, but to generate the estimated gain, the Tepco stock price needs to trade at around ¥1,050, up sharply from current market levels of some ¥360. In addition, the Environment Ministry expects that the cumulative total of decontamination and related costs could surpass the estimated share proceeds by the March 2017 end of the current fiscal year. A total of ¥1.1 trillion will be used from the energy special account to finance the costs related to the interim storage facility for contaminated soil. The account mostly consists of revenue of the tax for the promotion of power resources development, which is included in electricity bills. Elsewhere, the government spent ¥1.38 trillion on projects including the decommissioning of reactors at the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant, checks on food for radioactive contamination and building a research and development facility. Tepco and six other power utilities charged their customers at least ¥327 billion in electricity rate hikes after Japan’s worst-ever nuclear accident. Moreover, consumers paid ¥219.3 billion or more for Tepco, chiefly to finance the maintenance of equipment to clean up radioactive water at the plant and the operation of call centers to deal with inquiries about compensation payments.

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Defenders Yuto Nagatomo and Tomoaki Makino have both pulled out of Japan's squad for two upcoming World Cup qualifying games due to injury. Coach Vahid Hal

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Japan replaces injured Nagatomo, Makino for qualifiers

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Defenders Yuto Nagatomo and Tomoaki Makino have both pulled out of Japan’s squad for two upcoming World Cup qualifying games due to injury. Coach Vahid Halilhodzic replaced the pair on Sunday, with Urawa Reds’ Wataru Endo and FC Tokyo’s Yuichi Maruyama, for Japan’s first two games of the final round of Asian qualifying. The two joined Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund) and Takashi Usami (Augsburg) at training camp, where 17 of the 24 called-up players have already assembled. Japan faces the United Arab Emirates in Group B on Thursday in Saitama, before an away tie against Thailand on Sept. 6. Nagatomo’s Inter Milan announced on its Twitter feed Saturday that the fullback won’t be available for the club’s home game against Palermo on Sunday due to a right hamstring injury, although the injury shouldn’t be too serious. Urawa’s Makino was called up by Halilhodzic on Thursday as his unspecified injury only came to light moments before the squad announcement.

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The Chiba Lotte Marines belted out five runs off three Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks relievers in the eighth inning and snapped their five-game losing streak on S

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Marines beat Hawks to end five-game skid

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The Chiba Lotte Marines belted out five runs off three Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks relievers in the eighth inning and snapped their five-game losing streak on Sunday with a 7-5 win over the Pacific League leaders. SoftBank’s Robert Suarez (1-5) took the loss after facing just four batters in the eighth at Yafuoku Dome. With runners on first and second, one out in a 4-2 game, Alfredo Despaigne grounded deep to short for a single and bowled over Hawks first baseman Seiichi Uchikawa, who spilled the ball, allowing a run to score. Side-arm lefty Masahiko Morifuku came in to face Daichi Suzuki, who hammered a single to tie it. Ryota Igarashi, the Hawks third pitcher of the inning, surrendered a sacrifice fly to fellow former big leaguer, Tadahito Iguchi, that gave Lotte the lead. After a walk, Tatsuhiro Tamura tripled in two insurance runs for the Marines, who had been hammered in the first two games of the three-game series. “The team had been losing and I hadn’t hit when chances came my way, so I wanted to plate as many runs as I could,” Tamura said. “I felt relieved. We couldn’t go back home with three losses and I wanted to repay the fans who cheered us on.” SoftBank starter Sho Iwasaki allowed two runs, on a first-inning Katsuya Kakunaka homer, over six innings, scattering seven hits and one walk, while fanning four. Lotte starter Hideaki Wakui surrendered four runs in six innings with the Hawks scoring three in the third. Tomoaki Egawa led off with a home run, his third homer in five games, before RBI singles from Akira Nakamura and Yuki Yanagita completed the rally. Yanagita, who had nine RBIs over the previous two games, hit a solo homer in the ninth for SoftBank, which saw closer Dennis Sarfate take the mound for the first time in five games after a right ankle injury. Buffaloes 13, Eagles 4 At Kobo Stadium Miyagi, Orix snapped its four-game losing streak after scoring five runs off Tohoku Rakuten starter Wataru Karashima (1-5) in 3⅔ innings. The Buffaloes’ Ryoichi Adachi went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fifth. Lions 4, Fighters 3 At Seibu Prince Dome, Ernesto Mejia turned the game around with a three-run shot in the sixth off Hokkaido Nippon Ham’s Takayuki Kato (5-2). Mejia’s 30th homer tied him for the most in the PL. Former Fighter Brian Wolfe (1-0) allowed two runs over six innings to earn the win. The loss prevented Nippon Ham from taking over the league lead. CENTRAL LEAGUE Dragons 7 Carp 5 At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi scored seven runs in the sixth to snap a four-game losing skid as Masahiko Morino hit a two-run single off Bradin Hagens (6-3) to put the hosts in front, and Naomichi Donoue slugged a grand slam as the Dragons snapped Hiroshima’s four-game winning run. Swallows 3, Tigers 1 At Koshien Stadium, Hirofumi Yamanaka (6-9) steered Tokyo Yakult to its fifth straight win, holding Hanshin to a run in a complete-game effort, allowing seven hits. Naomichi Nishiura hit a two-run single in the fifth off Yuta Iwasada (5-9) after Wladimir Balentien tied it 1-1 with a single. Giants at BayStars — late

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Japanese multimillionaires are the object of intense study by members of the country's middle class, especially those who entertain probably unrealistic hopes of emulating them.

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Japan's super-rich: fun to envy, difficult to emulate

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The various means of acquiring wealth have changed a great deal since the fifth century B.C., when Chinese philosopher Confucius told his disciples: “Riches and honors are what men desire. If these cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be kept.” That said, in the 21st century such moralistic views are not necessarily outdated. Indeed, much of the controversial coverage surrounding this year’s campaign for the presidency of the United States has been focused on one candidate’s great wealth — and in particular, whether his fortune was acquired “in the proper way.” While few Japanese multimillionaires can claim the flamboyance, or political ambitions, of Donald Trump, their examples are the object of intense study by members of the middle class, especially those who entertain probably unrealistic hopes of emulating them. How is a person considered “rich” by Japanese standards anyway? In “New Rich World” (2006), author Hirofumi Usui cited a general yardstick of annual earnings of above ¥50 million and investments (not including fixed assets such as one’s home) of ¥100 million or more. Usui further breaks the wealthy down into six groups: professional rich, meaning people in professions with high remuneration, such as stockbrokers, athletes, TV and cinema performers and so on; winner rich, referring to successful entrepreneurs; stock rich, i.e., ordinary people who made shrewd investments; retirement rich, mostly made up of people in top management with “golden parachutes”; luxury rich — those who are actually at the top of the middle class but who spend lavishly; and what he calls “guts rich,” who obtain their wealth through sheer determination and persistence. In a nine-page article, Shukan Gendai (Sept. 3) produced a list of 50 first-generation company founders who had built up their businesses without relying on credit, with annual revenues estimated at over ¥50 billion. Many had earned degrees from prestigious universities — Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, Inc., attended Harvard Business School — but a surprising number appear to be self-made men (no females were on the list) whose education went no further than junior high school. One junior high graduate was Seiji Hirota, 43, CEO of Nagoya-based Nextage Co., Ltd., a thriving national chain of used car outlets, which he founded in 1998. “I enjoy making money maybe twice as much as the average person, but I don’t have much interest in spending it,” he told the magazine. “I’d rather pour it back into the business, which gives me much more satisfaction than shopping for stuff.” Hirota also expressed an interest in doing “something that benefits society” in the future. “Impoverished single-parent families have become a problem, and I’d like to develop some way to be useful to them,” he remarked. Spa! (Aug. 16-23) focused on how clever people are coming up with new and unique ways to make money. Yoshifumi Inoue, for example, developed a system for recruiting bright Vietnamese, arranging for them to study the Japanese language and then placing them with employers in Japan. All perfectly legal, of course, and his efforts earn his business an income of ¥500 million per year. Those willing to take a risk are also doing well. A man Spa! calls Mr. T. has been getting 15.1 percent per annum interest from the Khan Bank in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. (Check out this link and see for yourself, on the left: www.khanbank.com). Financial institutions in other developing countries are also paying far more than banks in Japan. One can earn 8.4 percent per annum in Azerbaijan, 6.13 percent in Laos and 6 percent in Cambodia. Meanwhile, 38-year-old former club hostess Ms. K. clears ¥1 million a month just by scalping tickets to popular events at a 20-30 percent markup. Such activities, however, could put her behind bars. Shukan Economist (Aug. 30) reported that based on a survey of 25,000 people conducted by the Central Council for Financial Services Information, a Bank of Japan affiliate, a majority of Japanese are in the dark when it comes to the purchase of securities, foreign exchange or other instruments that involve risk, with 61 percent replying they had no such experience. Instead, the prevailing attitude toward money appears to be one of risk aversion. Compared with their American counterparts, considerably higher percentages of Japanese at three different income levels said they had savings on hand for contingencies. Fewer than 10 percent of Japanese admitted their credit was overextended, compared to over 40 percent of Americans in 2 out of 3 income brackets. This cautious attitude may be due simply to a lack of confidence: Only 7 percent of Japanese said they’d received instruction in school concerning savings and investment — well below the 19 percent of Americans responding to a similar survey. The growing gap between rich and poor has numerous implications, not only in life but for aging and death as well. Shukan Post (Sept. 2) devotes 12 pages to the subject. Not only is there a huge shortfall in the availability of nursing home facilities for the elderly, but the minimal cost of moving into one — from ¥180,000 to ¥200,000 per month — is far beyond the means of most middle-class pensioners. For some of the less affluent, the costs of death and interment have already become unbearable. A survey conducted in Hitoyoshi (population 33,472) in Kumamoto Prefecture found that 40 percent of the graves at local temples are left unattended. “Families should be given the option of allowing the crematories to arrange for disposal of the ashes,” suggested religious scholar Hiromi Shimada. “That would also reduce the costs of maintaining graves and ease the burden on families. Isn’t that what one’s ancestors would desire for their descendants?”

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The miniature dachshund Ilio, first featured here in February, has found a home with the Furutas.

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Home, sweet home: Dachshund Ilio finds a family

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The miniature dachshund Ilio, first featured here in February, has found a home with Megumi and Takashi Furuta. The couple were initially foster parents to Ilio, but decided to adopt. Megumi remembers the day she decided it was time to make Ilio a permanent family member. “One day I saw Ilio and my husband having a nap on the sofa and I made up my mind: He had to be our dog. I switched from trying to think of reasons we couldn’t keep him to ways we would need to adjust our lifestyle,” Megumi says, but admits, “Actually, Ilio is just so darn adorable!” Ilio knew something was up. “When we packed up his things to give them back to ARK, he looked really worried. I think he thought he was going to be moved again,” Megumi explains. “But when his new supplies arrived, he seemed to know instantly that they were his.” Megumi says Ilio was never particularly nervous, but he now bursts with confidence when he goes out on walks. Ilio knows, he’s here to stay! Sure enough, there’s no place like home. Many more dogs and cats are available for adoption. Please email ARK at Tokyoark@arkbark.net or call 050-1557-2763 Monday to Saturday (bilingual) for more info. Tokyo ARK is an NPO founded by Briton Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and re-homing abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. Prospective owners are requested to undergo a screening process.

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Central banker poised to pull trigger when needed; comments seen as bid to talk down yen

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Kuroda says Bank of Japan prepared for fiscal easing if necessary

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Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said Saturday that he won’t hesitate to boost monetary stimulus if needed, reiterating a pledge during an annual policy retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at which central bankers stressed their need for backup from fiscal policy. “There is no doubt that there is ample space for additional easing in each of the three dimensions,” Kuroda said, referring to the BOJ’s package of asset buying, monetary-base guidance and negative interest rates. “The bank will carefully consider how to make the best use of the policy scheme in order to achieve the price stability target,” he told the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s symposium. Central bankers, struggling to spur persistently disappointing growth, gathered in Grand Teton National Park to debate how best to tackle low inflation despite having already cut interest rates to near zero or, in some cases, below zero. They heard Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Friday describe future potential options to jump-start the economy while saying that the case for a U.S. rate hike had strengthened. Even though the Bank of Japan is currently engaged in a review of its monetary-policy settings, due for completion in September, Kuroda’s comments underline his stance that the exercise won’t mean any reduction in stimulus despite growing doubts about its effectiveness. “One of the key elements of our policy is to push up inflation expectations to our price stability target and anchor them there,” Kuroda said. “The Bank of Japan will continue to carefully examine risks to activity and prices at each monetary policy meeting and take additional monetary policy measures without hesitation.” The BOJ’s next policy meeting is Sept. 20 and 21. Benoit Coeure, European Central Bank executive board member, said during the same panel that his institution may also have to take further monetary measures if governments don’t act to boost long-term growth. “We will fulfill the price stability mandate given to us,” Coeure said. “But if other actors do not take the necessary measures in their policy domains, we may need to dive deeper into our operational framework and strategy to do so.” While slowing growth and inflation present difficulties for central banks around the industrialized world, the Frankfurt-based ECB has particular cause to urge pro-expansion measures by the 19 nations that use the euro. High unemployment, political spats and banking systems loaded with soured loans are hampering the region’s recovery from a debt crisis that started six years ago.

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Escorted by armed troops, dozens of insurgents and their families left this war-wrecked suburb of the Syrian capital on Friday as part of a forced evacuati

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Syrian rebels, civilians leave key suburb of Damascus after four-year siege

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Escorted by armed troops, dozens of insurgents and their families left this war-wrecked suburb of the Syrian capital on Friday as part of a forced evacuation deal struck with the government to end a four-year siege and aerial campaign that has left the area in ruins. The capitulation by rebel forces in Daraya, an early bastion of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, provides another boost for his forces amid a stalemate in the fight for Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. It also improves security around Assad’s seat of power, pacifying an entire region southwest of Damascus that was once a backbone of the rebellion. Daraya was the last remaining rebel holdout in the region known as western Ghouta — and the closest to the capital. The mass relocation of the suburb’s residents reflects the government’s ongoing military strategy to break up Sunni population areas, weakening the rebellion against it. It also highlights concerns over the forced displacement of members of the Sunni majority, seen by some as a government policy to strengthen its base and create a corridor made up of its minority supporters. Following the deal struck late Thursday, Daraya’s rebels began evacuating in government buses on Friday, a process expected to take several days. Around 700 gunmen are to be allowed safe passage to the opposition-held northern province of Idlib, while some 4,000 civilians will be taken to temporary shelter in government-controlled Kisweh, south of Daraya. The U.N., which said it was not consulted over the plan, expressed concern over the evacuation, saying it was imperative that those participating do so voluntarily. As the first white government bus carrying evacuees emerged from Daraya carrying mostly women and children, Syrian Army soldiers swarmed the vehicle, shouting pro-Assad slogans. Inside, armed troops guarded the doors as the women tried to hide their faces. Nine buses left Daraya on Friday. One of Daraya’s fighters, Tamam Abouel Kheir, posted a video message saying, “We are forced to leave. But we will return, our nation.” The post included pictures of his loved ones and a photo of a group of young men visiting the Daraya cemetery to pay their respects to the hundreds who died in the fighting. “If only we could take the tombs of our martyrs with us,” he wrote. Dr. Mohamad Diaa, a 27-year-old general practitioner in Daraya, said he would likely leave Saturday with the rebels heading to Idlib. “Today married civilians and families. Tomorrow, the rest of the shabab leave,” he said, using Arabic slang for young men. His family left Syria long before, but he chose to stay behind, Diaa said, giving only his first and middle names because he feared for his safety. He said he hoped the presence of the Red Crescent would be enough to prevent the government from arresting the evacuating rebels. Daraya-based opposition activist Hussam Ayash said residents were “trying to absorb the shock” of suddenly having to leave. “It’s difficult, but we have no choice,” he said. Daraya is part of “Rural Damascus,” a province that includes the capital’s suburbs and farmland. It saw some of the first demonstrations against Assad after the 2011 uprising against his family’s rule in which residents took to the streets, sometimes carrying red and white roses to reflect the peaceful nature of their protests. After the uprising turned into insurgency, the suburb became a persistent threat to the government’s nearby Mezzeh air base. It was pummeled by government airstrikes, barrel bombs and fighting over the years. In August 2012, around 400 residents were killed by pro-government militiamen who stormed the suburb following heavy fighting and days of shelling, according to opposition activists. Once known for its workshops that produced handmade wooden furniture, Daraya has been besieged and blockaded by government forces since November 2012, with only one food delivery by the United Nations allowed to reach it during that time. It has been held by a coalition of ultraconservative Islamic militias, including the Martyrs of Islam Brigade. An Associated Press journalist who entered the suburb Friday saw a landscape of severely damaged and deserted buildings, some of them charred. Black smoke rose on the horizon — caused by the rebels burning their belongings before evacuating, according to Syrian army soldiers. In a statement, the U.N. said it was neither involved nor consulted about the evacuation plan, adding, “the world is watching.” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a small team of U.N. and Red Cross aid workers would travel to Daraya “to meet with all parties and identify the key issues for the civilians.” “We are using this lull in the fighting to get in and see what we can do and obviously see for ourselves what the situation is inside the city,” Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. Daraya is the latest rebel-held area to surrender to government troops following years of siege. Opposition activists and human rights groups accuse the government of using siege and starvation tactics to force surrender by the opposition. Last December, Syrian rebels evacuated the last district they controlled in the central city of Homs, a major symbol of the uprising, after a nearly three-year siege. Rebels there also headed to Idlib, handing the government a significant victory in central Syria. Daraya provided a stark example of the price of rebuffing truce overtures. For years, government helicopters conducted a brutal aerial campaign, pounding the suburb with barrel bombs — large containers packed with fuel, explosives and scraps of metal. The Syrian government denies using barrel bombs. Diaa said for the last eight months Daraya has been pounded with hundreds of barrel bombs, as the government attempted to storm it. It was left choked off, with no supply lines and no roads in or out. The U.N.’s humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, told the U.N. Security Council earlier this year that severe food shortages were forcing some people in Daraya to eat grass. Residents said the situation became unbearable after the town’s remaining field hospital was bombed and destroyed last week. The government had in recent months also encroached on the town’s farmlands — the only source of food for the local population. Diaa said Daraya’s residents were let down by the international community and by rebel factions in Daraa and eastern Ghouta who did not come to their rescue. “We had hoped someone would stand by us and put some pressure on the regime. But it didn’t happen,” he said. Meanwhile, in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, had “achieved clarity” on a path toward restoring a truce in Syria, but details remained to be worked out. Kerry said the “vast majority” of technical discussions on steps to reinstate the cease-fire and improve humanitarian access had been completed during talks on Friday, and experts would try to finalize the unresolved steps in the coming days.

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After losing his no-hit bid with one out to go, Matt Moore just smiled. The San Francisco lefty gave up a soft, clean single to Corey Seager with two outs

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Moore comes up one out short in bid for no-hitter

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After losing his no-hit bid with one out to go, Matt Moore just smiled. The San Francisco lefty gave up a soft, clean single to Corey Seager with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 Thursday night. “Giving up a base hit right there is a part of the game,” Moore said. “It was a fun ride all the way up until that point … there’s not a lot to be angry about. I think the smile just kind of came out.” Moore’s try ended on his 133rd pitch. It was Seager Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium, and a sellout crowd cheered Moore after the ball plopped onto the grass in shallow right field. Moore was pulled immediately. San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy had been pacing in the dugout for a couple of innings as Moore’s pitch count climbed — he missed most of the last two seasons after Tommy John surgery. “He was excited to have a chance at it. He was very grateful and said, ‘thanks, I appreciate you giving me a chance,’ ” Bochy said. “He didn’t show any signs of frustration or disappointing end to give up a hit there. He pitched his heart out.” Giants center fielder Denard Span sprinted for two outstanding catches, including a leadoff grab in the ninth, to give Moore a chance. Moore earned his first win for San Francisco since it got him in a trade with Tampa Bay on Aug. 1. The victory moved the Giants within two games of the NL West-leading Dodgers. He almost became the first Giants pitcher to no-hit the archrival Dodgers since 1915, when New York’s Rube Marquard stopped Brooklyn. Moore struck out seven and walked three. Reliever Santiago Casilla needed just one pitch to get the final out. Mets 10, Cardinals 6 In St. Louis, Alejandro De Aza homered and drove in five runs for New York. Braves 3, Diamondbacks 1 In Phoenix, Matt Wisler, called up from Triple-A in time to start for Atlanta, didn’t allow Arizona a hit for six innings. Pirates 3, Brewers 2 (10) In Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and a pair of RBI singles, including the tiebreaker in the 10th. INTERLEAGUE Nationals 4, Orioles 0 In Washington, Max Scherzer allowed two hits over eight innings and Bryce Harper had a two-run double to spark the hosts. Royals 5, Marlins 2 In Miami, Alcides Escobar homered and drove in two runs for Kansas City. The Marlins’ Ichiro Suzuki was 0-for-4 in the loss. AMERICAN LEAGUE Angels 6, Blue Jays 3 In Toronto, Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark for the 13th time, the fifth player in history to achieve the feat, Mike Trout had three hits and drove in four runs, and Los Angeles beat the Blue Jays. Pujols joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth as the only players with 100 or more RBIs in 13 seasons. Rangers 9, Indians 0 In Arlington, Texas, Cole Hamels allowed only two singles over eight innings for his 14th victory. Rays 2, Red Sox 1 In St. Petersburg, Florida, Enny Romero earned his first major league save, relieving with two outs in the ninth and fanning Boston’s David Ortiz. White Sox 7, Mariners 6 In Chicago, Todd Frazier tied it with an RBI single in the seventh and lifted the White Sox past Seattle with a line drive down the left-field line in the ninth. The Mariners’ Norichika Aoki went 0-for-4. Tigers 8, Twins 5 In Minneapolis, James McCann had a three-run homer and finished with four hits, helping Detroit complete a series sweep.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/26/baseball/mlb/moore-comes-one-short-bid-no-hitter/

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Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Wednesday suspended the relocation of Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market, saying she may order a root-and-branch review of the mo

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Smelling something fishy, Koike puts Tsukiji move on ice

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Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike on Wednesday suspended the relocation of Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market, saying she may order a root-and-branch review of the move. The famously messy but colorful market was due to close a few weeks from now and reopen in spanking new surroundings at a custom-built facility in Toyosu in Koto Ward on Nov. 7. At a news conference, Koike said three worries forced her into the decision: noxious chemicals in the ground at the new site, ballooning construction costs and a general failure to keep the city’s residents in the loop. She said halting the move “puts the interests of Tokyo residents first.” “I won’t accept earlier decisions without questioning them merely because they have already been established,” she said. “My policy is based on the interest of Tokyo residents.” Koike was elected governor on July 31 after running as an outside candidate not endorsed by a major party. She said construction costs for the fish market have ballooned to ¥588.4 billion from the 2011 estimate of ¥392.6 billion and wants to know why. She also announced the launch of a team of experts to look into the issues of pollution, cost and information-sharing. She said the construction costs work out to ¥2.2 million per tsubo (about 3.31 sq. meters), whereas the regular market price for work of this kind is ¥0.5 million to ¥0.6 million per tsubo. Asked if she might cancel the move outright, Koike implied that she is taking no options off the table. “I will just wait for a report from the project team,” she said. A 2001 survey by Tokyo Gas Co., which used to operate a plant at the site, found high levels of toxins in the soil. The metropolitan government has spent over ¥50 billion cleaning it up and now maintains the pollution is either reduced or contained in such a way that makes it unlikely to pose health problems for market workers or consumers. The metropolitan government has sampled ground water seven times over the past two years. In each test, toxins were found to be lower than the legal limit. A final survey is to be conducted in November, with the results released in January. Koike said she will make the final decision after she sees those results. Meanwhile, the demolition of the current facilities at Tsukiji has been suspended. At Tsukiji, about 1,676 tons of seafood worth ¥1.61 billion and more than 1,000 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables are handled daily, according to a 2014 estimate. The governor said wholesalers and workers will be consulted if the plan is revised. “Opinions are split over the relocation and reopening of the market on Nov. 7,” she said. Koike said she would also monitor the condition of the current location, where sanitary issues and aging facilities present impediments to trade.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/31/national/smelling-something-fishy-koike-puts-tsukiji-move-ice/

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Republican voters in Arizona and Florida are expected to pick Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio as their respective U.S. Senate nominees when they go to th

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Trump hovers over McCain, Rubio in U.S. Senate re-election contests

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Republican voters in Arizona and Florida are expected to pick Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio as their respective U.S. Senate nominees when they go to the polls on Tuesday, but one name not on either ballot, Donald Trump, looms large. The Republican presidential nominee has endorsed both McCain and Rubio in their re-election bids even though he has rocky relations with both senators. Trump offended McCain and many other Republicans last year by suggesting that the maverick senator and party’s 2008 presidential nominee was anything but a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War after his airplane was shot down during a bombing mission. In March, Trump ended Rubio’s presidential bid by trouncing him in the Florida primary to cap a race in which the New York businessman taunted the first-term senator as “little Marco,” and Rubio insulted Trump on everything from his hair color and the size of his hands to misspelled words in tweets. During their re-election efforts, both McCain and Rubio have offered support for Trump as the party’s White House nominee. But they have tiptoed around him, mainly out of concern that his provocative comments on illegal immigration, Muslims and U.S. support for NATO could alienate moderate and independent voters in their states. At the same time, they have steered clear of attacks on Trump that might antagonize his core supporters. Adding to the intrigue is that the fates of the two senators will likely play a big role in whether Republicans can upset expectations and maintain majority control of the Senate after the Nov. 8 election. But first, McCain will have to win Tuesday’s Republican primary in Arizona and Rubio will have to prevail in Florida. McCain, who is trying to extend a 30-year Senate career, faces a challenge from physician and former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who is aligned with the conservative tea party movement. McCain leads Ward by 55 percent to 29 percent, according to a CNN opinion poll released last week. But Ward is ratcheting up her attacks, arguing, “It’s time to defeat the establishment and retire McCain.” In an interview last week with Politico, Ward called McCain, 80, “a pretty sour old guy.” Citing her medical background, she questioned whether he will even live long enough to complete another six-year Senate term. Ward has aligned herself with Trump, who will face Democrat Hillary Clinton in November’s presidential election. Echoing Trump’s call for the building of a wall on the southern border with Mexico, Ward has boasted, “It’s time to mix the mortar to fix the border.” Trying to neutralize Ward’s appeal with conservatives, McCain has touted his support for gun rights, his vow to cut government waste and endorsements from anti-abortion leaders. If McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, wins Tuesday, he will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. While McCain has said he is in the toughest re-election fight of his career, the CNN poll has him opening a 13-point lead over Kirkpatrick. Rubio, who decided last year not to seek re-election to the Senate in order to pursue the Republican presidential nomination, jumped into the race in June after his failed White House bid. His late decision to seek a second Senate term came at the urging of Republican Party leaders, who viewed him as their best hope for preventing Democrats from taking the seat. That prompted the major Republican Senate candidates to quit, leaving Carlos Beruff, 58, a millionaire home builder and newcomer to politics, as Rubio’s main primary challenger. Like Ward, Beruff has embraced Trump and has accused Rubio of “tap dancing” around the presidential nominee and only offering him lukewarm support. Rubio is polling well ahead of Beruff. A win on Tuesday means Rubio will likely face U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who leads the Democratic field.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/30/world/politics-diplomacy-world/trump-hovers-mccain-rubio-u-s-senate-re-election-contests/

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In 2009, anime fans were delighted when a life-size statue of a Gundam robot was unveiled in Tokyo's Odaiba district. The statue has now become a landmark

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Tokyo VR attraction puts you in the heart of a Gundam battle

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In 2009, anime fans were delighted when a life-size statue of a Gundam robot was unveiled in Tokyo’s Odaiba district. The statue has now become a landmark attraction in the shopping and entertainment area. And this year, there’s finally some action as Gundam fights with another robot, something you get to see from a premium seat — Gundam’s gigantic hand. All this excitement comes thanks to virtual reality, launched last week by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. at VR Zone Project i Can in Odaiba. “When you see Gundam’s statue, I think many people begin to imagine what would happen if that thing actually started moving,” said Yukiharu Tamiya, the facility’s manager. “We’ve brought that to life.” The arcade-like VR Zone is in the Divercity Tokyo Plaza shopping complex located just in front of Gundam’s statue. A user dons a headset with a monitor that offers a 360-degree virtual view. Complemented by stereo headphones, it offers a totally immersive experience in the virtual world. The 8-minute Gundam VR program begins with a scene just outside the Divercity Tokyo Plaza building, where the user appears to stand beneath the statue. Shots ring out, and Zaku, a robot from the popular anime, attacks from behind. The Gundam statue then starts to move and the player is offered a chance to sit in its palm and be protected. Gundam starts battling Zaku while the user watches the battle play out from the safety of Gundam’s hands. The robot’s hand is in reality a kind of couch, which the user sits on. Players describe the content as immersive. For instance, when they sit in Gundam’s hand and the robot raises it, they describe the feeling that they really are ascending — even though the chair is static. And as players look down at the ground from the raised hand, they get a distinct sense of height. At the same time, the sound of the earth rumbling and vibrations add additional reality. Tamiya noted that Bandai Namco already provides an arcade game enabling players to control a Gundam robot from a cockpit. He said the designers thought it would be more thrilling for players to get to sit in Gundam’s hand rather than in a cockpit — something that many players have probably already experienced. “We’ve seen that people react with surprise when they are put in dangerous situations in virtual reality,” he said. Fans need to apply online for a slot to visit the VR Zone facility, where eight attractions are on offer in all. The others include a virtual stage performance, from the point of view of a band member, and having to escape from a creepy abandoned building. Visitors pay ¥700 to ¥1,000 per VR experience. The facility opened in April but will close on Oct. 10, as Bandai Namco is running it only as a trial to test the viability of commercial VR entertainment. It may use the know-how gained to create business models in the future. “This is the first time for us to provide VR content to the general public at a facility like this … everything has been an experiment, including whether we can establish a business model and whether people accept this kind of content,” Tamiya said. Bandai Namco said so far the VR Zone has been well received. The facility accepts visitors only through online reservations and opens slots 30 days in advance. A check of the bookings system on Tuesday showed that only a few remain available in the next 30 days. Reservations: https://project-ican.com

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/30/business/tech/tokyo-vr-attraction-puts-heart-gundam-battle/

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Human rights, the rule of law and the United Nations are getting short shrift in the war on drugs launched by "Duterte Harry."

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Only the Philippines has to worry about Duterte

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Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, gives good copy. Here’s a quote from his final election rally: “Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because I’d kill you. I’ll dump all of you into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there.” And here’s another, from last Sunday, after United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime condemned Duterte’s “apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings.” “I do not want to insult you,” Duterte said. (He only called them “stupid.”) “But maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that rude, we might just as well leave. So take us out of your organization. You have done nothing. Never. Except to criticize.” What upset Ban and the UNDOC is the fact that Duterte is having people murdered. Since he took office three months ago, some 900 “suspected drug-dealers” have been shot dead by police and civilian vigilantes acting in his name. None was found guilty by a court, and some, of course, were completely innocent. Duterte is not denying it or apologizing. Before he leaves office, he says, he’ll just give himself an amnesty: “Pardon given to Rodrigo Duterte for the crime of multiple murder, signed Rodrigo Duterte.” “The Punisher,” as he was known when he was mayor of Davao, is very serious about his “war on drugs.” He recently said he would kill his own children if they took drugs. But crime is not the Philippines’ biggest problem, and it’s not clear what else he is serious about. He talks vaguely about making the Philippines a federal country, but no details of his policies and plans have emerged. In fact, he has spent most of the time since his election down south in his Davao stronghold, not in Manila. But he does have a plan of sorts for what to do after he walks out of the U.N. He says he may ask China and African countries to walk out too and form a rival organization. He doesn’t know much about China or Africa, so maybe he thinks they would like to get together and defy the parts of the world where governments believe that killing people is wrong. “Duterte Harry” (another nickname) is very popular in the Philippines, but he is not really a threat to global order. The hundred million Filpinos will have to live with him for the next six years, but the U.N. is not doomed. In fact, it is doing better than most people give it credit for. One proof of this is the fact that the secretary general now has the right to criticize a member government merely for killing its own citizens. That’s not what it was designed for. When it was created in 1945, as the catastrophe of World War II was ending, its main goal was to prevent any more wars like that. The founders tried to give it the appearance of a broader moral force by signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, but that was mainly window-dressing. The U.N. was created by the great powers to prevent any government from launching another war of international aggression, not to make governments treat their own citizens better. In fact, each major power was effectively guaranteed the right to do whatever it wanted to its own citizens, so long as it did not attack the neighbors. In this, the new U.N. was just recognizing reality, for every great power was determined to preserve its own “sovereignty.” Even for smaller powers, the great powers could rarely agree on what kind of intervention was desirable, and who should do it. The U.N. has done well in its original task: It shares the credit with nuclear weapons for the fact that no great power has fought any other for the past 71 years. It has gradually moved into other areas like peacekeeping and promoting the rule of law in the world, but it never interferes inside the territory of the great powers. Even in smaller countries it almost never intervenes without the invitation of the local government. So when Duterte called the U.N. useless because “if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killings,” he was talking through his hat. Besides, he would never accept U.N. intervention in his own country to deal with an alleged crime wave. He’s just talking tough because he hates being criticized. It’s very unlikely that he will carry out his threat. The U.N. is the keystone in the structure of international law that, among many other things, deters China from settling its territorial dispute with the Philippines by force. Duterte is just a problem for the Philippines, not for the U.N. or the world. Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist and military historian whose articles are published in 45 countries.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/23/commentary/world-commentary/philippines-worry-duterte/

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For all the talk of a radical shift in central banking policy, from the permanent use of negative rates to printing "helicopter money," Federal Reserve Cha

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Yellen rejects radical overhaul of Fed's policy tools

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For all the talk of a radical shift in central banking policy, from the permanent use of negative rates to printing “helicopter money,” Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen appears to believe she can tackle any downturn using the tools currently at her disposal. Speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday after a Fed policymaker and other economists proposed a radical overhaul of central banking, Yellen argued that bond purchases, the ability to pay interest on excess reserves and forward guidance would be enough to combat any downturn. “Our current toolkit proved effective last December” when the Fed raised rates, Yellen said in a speech in which she firmed up expectations of a second rate rise from the Fed, possibly as soon as September. “In an environment of superabundant reserves, the FOMC raised the effective federal funds rate … by the desired amount, and we have since maintained the federal funds rate in its target range.” So much for radical change of the type proposed by John Williams of the San Francisco Fed this month. He made the case for an eventual move to nominal growth targeting — an upward shift in the inflation rate to give central banks the tools to fight the next downturn. “Helicopters, negative rates or a higher inflation target remain confined to other central banks or academic circles,” Commerzbank economist Bernd Weidensteiner wrote after Yellen’s speech. Yellen’s seeming reliance on more quantitative easing was challenged at Jackson Hole by Marvin Goodfriend, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University and a former policy adviser at the Richmond Federal Reserve bank, who said he believed negative rates would be a far more effective policy tool. “Interest rate policy is by far the most flexible, the least intrusive to markets, and has proven capable of targeting low inflation,” he said in a presentation after Yellen spoke. While Fed policy has been credited with helping unemployment fall to levels seen prior to the downturn, trillions of dollars of quantitative easing and eight years or zero or near-zero rates have failed to spark a rebound in economic growth. Data released just before Yellen spoke on Friday showed the U.S. economy expanded by just 1.1 percent in the second quarter, held back in part by stubbornly weak business spending. Business investment as a share of gross domestic product since 2008 has averaged nearly a full percentage point below the previous decade’s average, according to government data. The Fed has also been charged with increasing inequality with its bond buying program and negative rates, and with being overoptimistic in its forecasts of economic recovery and the pace of interest rate hikes. In 2010, the year after the U.S. economy emerged from recession, the midpoint of Fed policymakers’ predictions was for 3.3 percent growth in 2011. The economy actually grew at less than half that pace, and forecasts since then have generally proved rosier than reality. For 2016, the Fed is forecasting growth of 2.0 percent, which would require the economy to perk up after a sluggish performance in the first half. Yellen on Friday defended the models used by the Federal Reserve. She said that barring an “unusually severe and persistent” recession, its policy tools were sufficient and rates did not need to go negative, as even at the lower bound for interest rates asset purchases and forward guidance could push long-term rates even lower on average than when nominal rates fell below zero. Given the forecasting errors of recent years, some economists were less than impressed, saying Yellen’s speech showed past policy errors are being repeated. “Yellen seems to have developed into the ultimate status quo chair,” said Lars Christensen, founder and owner of Markets and Money Advisory, an independent firm focused on monetary policy issues. “It is clear that she fundamentally does not want to see any change to the Fed’s policy framework despite the fact that inflation expectations have become de-anchored and markets have lost trust in the Fed really fundamentally wanting to deliver on its 2 percent inflation target.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/27/business/economy-business/yellen-rejects-radical-overhaul-feds-policy-tools/

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Introduce some meanings and usages of the verbs 掛ける and 掛かる (both "to hang").

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'Kakeru' and 'kakaru': two very useful Japanese verbs worth hanging on to

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Kono e, doko-ni kakeyō-ka. (Where shall I hang this picture?) Situation 1: Yuri is moving out of her parents’ house and into an apartment to live alone. Her boyfriend, Mr. Sere, helps her arrange her things. セレ： この絵、どこにかけようか。 ゆり： 帽子がかかっているフックがあるでしょ。その隣のフックにかけてくれる？。 Sere: Kono e, doko-ni kakeyō-ka. Yuri: Bōshi-ga kakatte-iru fukku-ga aru-desho. Sono tonari-no fukku-ni kakete-kureru? Sere: Where shall I hang this picture? Yuri: You see the hook where my hat is hanging? Please hang it on the hook next to that. Today we will introduce some meanings and usages of the verbs 掛(か)ける and 掛かる (both “to hang”). 掛ける is a transitive verb and is used as here: 壁(かべ)に絵(え)を掛けた (I hung a picture on the wall). 掛かる is intransitive and is used as in: 壁に絵が掛かっている (A picture is hanging on the wall). These verbs express “to hang something somewhere” and that “something is hanging somewhere,” respectively. They can be used for abstract ideas, too, as in Nを気に掛ける (literally, “to hang N on your mind”) and as in Nが気に掛かる (N is weighing (lit., hanging) on your mind). Examples: 母(はは)はいつも私のことを気に掛けている (Mom is always anxious about me/lit., “Mom always hangs me on her mind”); 彼(かれ)のことが、どうも気(き)に掛かる (I can’t help being anxious about him./lit., “He is hanging on my mind”). 気に掛ける/掛かる sometimes has the connotation of feelings of love. Situation 2: Mr. and Mrs. Shiba are about to go for a drive. 妻： ねえ、どうしてエンジンを掛けないの？ 夫： さっきから何度もやっているんだけど、掛からないん だよ。どうしたのかなあ。 Tsuma: Nē, dōshite enjin-o kakenai-no? Otto: Sakki-kara nando-mo yatte-iru-n-da-kedo, kakaranai-n-da-yo. Dōshita-no-ka-nā. Wife: Darling, why haven’t you started the engine? Husband: I’ve tried over and over but it doesn’t work. What’s up? Lots of nouns that are used with these verbs that have a range of meanings. Examples: エンジンを掛ける/が掛かる in Situation 2; Nにお金(かね, money)/時間(じかん, time)を掛ける (to spend money or time on N)/が掛かる (N costs a lot, or N requires a lot of time); Nに手(て, hand)を掛ける (to take good care of N)/が掛かる (N requires a lot of care); 電話(でんわ, phone)を掛ける(to call)/が 掛かる(the phone is connected); 声(こえ, voice)を掛ける (to talk to someone)/が掛かる(to be called), etc. Example: 道(みち)で知(し)らない人(ひと)に声を掛けられた (A stranger talked to me in the street). Bonus Dialogue: Mr. Mita and his colleague Mr. Sere are at a bar. 三田： 彼女(かのじょ)にいくら電話(でんわ)をかけても、出(で)てくれないんだ。 セレ： けんかでもしたの？ 三田： うん…。じつは、昨日(きのう)プロポーズしたんだけど、結婚(けっこん)したら、すぐ家庭(かてい)に入(はい)って、家事(かじ)や育児(いくじ)にしっかり手(て)をかけてほしいって言(い)ったんだ。 セレ： 三田(みた)くんは、そういうところは意外(いがい)と保守的(ほしゅてき)だなあ。彼女は何(なん)て？ 三田： 課長(かちょう)が目(め)をかけてくれているから、今(いま)会社(かいしゃ)をやめるわけにはいかないって。 セレ： うん、彼女は一番(いちばん)の成長(せいちょう)株(かぶ)だから、そう言うだろうね。 三田： それで、「課長とぼくとどっちが大事(だいじ)なんだ！」って怒鳴(どな)ったら、「もちろん課長よ」と言って、すぐ帰(かえ)っちゃった。 セレ： こういうことは、もっと時間(じかん)をかけないといけないよ。〔ひとりごと〕三田くんは、ふだんはおおらかなのに、どうして女性(じょせい)とのつきあい方(かた)がこんなに下手(へた)なのかなあ…。 Mita: However much I call my girlfriend, she never answers. Sere: Did you have a fight or something? Mita: Yeah … To tell the truth, I proposed last night, and asked her to settle down soon after marriage and devote herself to housework and bringing up our kids. Sere: You’re so unusually conservative about that stuff! What did she say? Mita: She said that she can’t quit her job because her boss treats her so well. Sere: Yeah, she would say that, since she’s the most promising of all the young staff. Mita: So, I shouted, “Which is more important for you, your boss or me?!” She answered, “Of course, my boss,” and quickly left. Sere: You have to take some time with these kinds of things. [To himself] Mita is usually a generous guy, but why is he so clumsy when it comes to dealing with women?

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Sept. 3-Oct. 23 "Genre painting," the depiction of ordinary people in domestic situations and everyday activities, is ambiguous in nature. This exhibition

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‘Modern Genre Painting’

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Sept. 3-Oct. 23 “Genre painting,” the depiction of ordinary people in domestic situations and everyday activities, is ambiguous in nature. This exhibition sheds light on the varied topics and content of modern genre painting by featuring five different themes that cover landscapes, cities, artists’ ateliers and more. Ninety works will be on display, including Pablo Picasso’s “The Frugal Meal,” Tamotsu Arai’s “Neko” and Ben Shahn’s “Beatitudes.” One of the reasons that genre painting has maintained widespread popularity over the centuries is its sense of familiarity. The question is, as our lifestyles evolve, will it continue to stand the test of time? Himeji City Museum of Art; 68-25, Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo. Himeji Stn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥800. Closed Mon. 079-222-2288; www.city.himeji.lg.jp/art

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A government-backed bill is slated to go before the Diet in September, potentially revising the definition of who can be arrested for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism.

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Controversial conspiracy bill that critics say could be used to stifle dissent to go before Diet next month

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A government-backed bill is slated to go before the Diet next month, potentially revising the definition of who can be arrested for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism as security concerns mount ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, government sources revealed Friday. While a similar bill has been submitted to the Diet three times in the past only to be rejected due to public fears over the sweeping powers it could grant police, the new legislation would narrow the targets of authorities to “organized crime groups” — including terrorist groups — the sources said. Earlier versions of the bill had not specified the law’s targets, instead referring merely to “groups,” something that had stoked fears that the law could be used to quell dissent. In addition to conspiring to commit terrorist acts, those who “prepare” for such acts, including the soliciting of funds, will also be subjected to the law, the sources added. Critics, however, argue a revision to the current law is unnecessary. “There are already other laws, including a clause that penalizes those who plot or prepare to murder in the Penal Code,” said Hirofumi Uchida, professor of criminal law at Kobe Gakuin University. “A conspiracy law is not necessary.” If the government claims that isn’t enough, it should present actual cases that aren’t subjected to the current law, he said. “Otherwise, it could target civic groups as well, just like the public security preservation laws” before and during World War II that were aimed at silencing political dissent, he said. Opposition lawmakers have also argued that the definitions of “plotting” and “conspiracy” remain vague and unclear. They are concerned the legislation could lead to abuses such as the targeting and arrest of ordinary citizens. At a news conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga defended the planned revision when asked about the legislation. “It is an important responsibility for the government to ensure the safety and security of its people,” he said. In December 2000, Japan signed a United Nations treaty aimed at fighting global organized crime. More than 180 nations have ratified the pact so far, but Tokyo has balked at doing so due in part to the lack of similar domestic statutes. But the Japan Federation of Bar Associations has criticized this stance, saying that the U.N. treaty can be ratified without the conspiracy clause. In January 2015, Abe’s Cabinet was considering submitting the conspiracy crime legislation to the Diet but eventually gave up on the idea in order to prioritize the more controversial security-related bills, which were later passed on Sept. 19. The Justice Ministry has long been pushing for codification of the conspiracy clause, though it has been short on details. On its website, the ministry said the revised law will allow police to protect “people from heinous crimes committed by organized criminal groups,” including terrorist organizations. Momentum for the change has grown following the November terrorist attacks in Paris, with senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers urging the government to add a revision to the organized crime punishment law. “Japan has yet to ratify the treaty because a domestic law is not in place,” LDP Vice President Masahiko Komura said after the Paris attacks. “We need to deal with such matters now.”

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If there was any thought the Hiroshima Carp might take their foot off the gas a little after gaining a magic number, the Central League leaders squashed it

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Kikuchi, Maru ignite pennant-chasing Carp in comeback victory over Giants

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If there was any thought the Hiroshima Carp might take their foot off the gas a little after gaining a magic number, the Central League leaders squashed it the first chance they got. Ryosuke Kikuchi drove in a game-tying run with a two-out infield single in the ninth and Yoshihiro Maru pushed across the go-ahead tally later in the inning as the Carp beat the Yomiuri Giants 6-4 in front of a crowd of 45,026 on Thursday night at Tokyo Dome. “As they say, the game isn’t over until the final out,” Maru said. Hiroshima extended its lead in the Central League standings to nine games over the second-place Giants as their magic number to win the pennant dropped to 18. The Carp trailed 4-0 early but began chipping away at the lead during the latter half of the game. Hiroshima scored runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to enter the ninth down by one. The Carp put a runner on third against closer Hirokazu Sawamura, but were down to their final out when Kikuchi stepped to the plate. The Hiroshima infielder hit a sharp grounder to third and slid head-first into first base as pinch runner Masato Akamatsu scored the tying run. The boistrous red-clad fans in the Carp’s sizeable cheering section exploded as their team pulled even and didn’t even get a chance to settle down before Maru laced a triple into right field that brought Kikuchi around as the tiebreaking run. “I thought I would get a strike and I got the green light so I was ready to swing,” said Maru, who got his hit on a 3-0 pitch. “I got around on it really well.” Takahiro Arai added an RBI single up the middle for good measure later in the inning. Closer Shota Nakazaki retired the Giants in order in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory. “The previous batter, Kikuchi, got the hit to tie the game and gave me a chance to bat,” Maru said. “So I wanted to make the best of it and give us a lead.” Reliver Ryuji Ichioka (1-1) picked up the win in relief and Nakazaki earned his 26th save of the season. Sawamura (4-3) was charged with the loss. The Carp are trying to capture their first CL pennant since 1991, the final year of the franchise’s golden era. The second-place Giants gained a little ground in the race when the Carp got off to a slow start this month. But after losing four straight from Aug. 3-6, Hiroshima has taken firm control of the pennant chase. The Carp are 12-3 since Aug. 7, and beginning to close in on the seventh pennant in franchise history. “We’ll keep trying to lower the magic number until it gets to zero,” Maru said. “It’s been a long time since the Carp won a pennant, so we’ll keep fighting until the end.” Hiroshima outhit Yomiuri 14-8 with Kosuke Tanaka leading the way with two singles and a double. Kikuchi finished 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and Maru was 2-for-4. Seiya Suzuki, who drove in two runs, also had a pair of hits, including his 19th home run of the season. Arai was 1-for-5. The Giants got all their runs in the third inning on an RBI double by CL batting leader Hayato Sakamoto and a three-run homer by Shuichi Murata, his 17th of the season. The Carp began to dig out of the four-run hole in the sixth. Arai hit into a force play during the inning but later scored the 1,000th run of his career on an RBI single from Suzuki, making the score 4-1. Tanaka picked up his third hit of the night with a two-out double in the seventh and scored on a single by Kikuchi that made the score 4-2. Suzuki pulled the Carp within one with his home run in the eighth, setting up the heroics in the top of the ninth. The Carp will try to take another step toward the pennant on Friday, when they begin a three-game road series against the last-place Chunichi Dragons. Hiroshima is 10-5-1 against Chunichi this year. Yusuke Nomura (12-3) gets the ball for the Carp, while the Dragons will counter with Tomoya Yagi, who will be making his season debut. Hanshin routs BayStars Yokohama KYODO Randy Messenger (11-8) allowed a run in six innings, and Shun Takayama drove in six runs with a grand slam and a two-run double as the Hanshin Tigers whipped the Yokohama BayStars 9-3 on Thursday in the Central League. Hanshin moved within a half-game of the third-place BayStars. Swallows 10, Dragons 9 (11) At Tokyo’s Jingu Stadium, Wladimir Balentien homered twice and drove in seven runs as Tokyo Yakult overturned a five-run deficit. Chunichi tied it in the ninth only to see the Swallows win it in the 11th on a walk, a sacrifice, a groundout and a wild pitch. Pacific League Fighters 4, Marines 1 At Chiba’s QVC Marine Field, Hirotoshi Masui (5-3), who began the season as Hokkaido Nippon Ham’s closer, threw a five-hitter for his first career complete game to complete a three-game sweep of Chiba Lotte that pushed the Fighters into first place. Eagles 7, Hawks 5 At Fukuoka’s Yafuoku Dome, Golden Glove center fielder Yuki Yanagita failed to make a shoe-string, run-saving catch on sinking liner to short center in the ninth inning, and Hiromi Mogi was generously credited with a three-run, inside-the-park home run as Tohoku Rakuten came from behind to win. Fukuoka SoftBank fell out of first place for the first time since April 18.

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Four more teenage boys were arrested Friday in connection with the slaying of a boy whose body was found on a riverbank in Saitama Prefecture on Tuesday. A

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Four more teens arrested over Saitama boy's drowning

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Four more teenage boys were arrested Friday in connection with the slaying of a boy whose body was found on a riverbank in Saitama Prefecture on Tuesday. A fifth teen was arrested Thursday after allegedly bragging on an online messaging system that he had killed someone. The latest suspects to be arrested are a 17-year-old boy, a 14-year-old junior high school student and a 15-year-old junior high school student from Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, and a 15-year-old junior high school boy from Kawagoe, Saitama. Investigative sources say the teens are believed to have known the victim, 16-year-old Tsubasa Inoue. All are suspected of playing a role in his killing. Police say three of the latest detainees have admitted to the allegations, but the 15-year-old from Higashimatsuyama said he was merely present at the time and did not play a role. Inoue’s naked body was found half-buried beside the Toki River in Higashimatsuyama on Tuesday morning. He is thought to have drowned when the river flooded, but his body also bore bruiselike marks. It is unclear how these were inflicted, but the sources said the victim may have been physically assaulted before his death. Details have been emerging of the boys’ relationship with the victim. Inoue accompanied them on a trip to a hot spring from Aug. 17 to 20, an acquaintance of Inoue’s said, noting that he seemed to have enjoyed the outing. One of Inoue’s friends told police that the group had been forcing him to provide money to pay for gasoline for their motorbikes. Inoue had recently asked others if he could borrow cash, the friend said. Investigative sources said the 16-year-old boy arrested Thursday has admitted playing a part in the death, saying he killed Inoue because he had lied and ignored phone calls and text messages. Some of those arrested belonged to a group that was known for bullying others in the past. A boy who was friends with Inoue went to police when the group beat him up. Officers did nothing, he said, dismissing the incident as typical teenager behavior. “If police had done something back then, this might never have happened,” the boy said. Despite the altercation, he said he had remained in contact with the group. One of the boys arrested had even called him the day before Inoue died, asking him if he wanted to hang out. “I didn’t go because I didn’t want to,” he said. “But if I had gone, I might have been able to save him.”

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One Canadian patient's kidney transplant after waiting just three days during a recent visit to China raised a red flag among surgeons at the Montreal-base

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Doctors divided on whether China still harvests organs from executed criminals

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One Canadian patient’s kidney transplant after waiting just three days during a recent visit to China raised a red flag among surgeons at the Montreal-based Transplantation Society. A turnaround that quick indicates the organ likely came from the body of an executed prisoner. The case adds to doubts among many doctors internationally about whether China has met its pledge to stop harvesting the organs of executed inmates. The practice is widely condemned by the World Health Organization and others because of concerns over coercive practices and fears it could encourage executions. China officially claims it ended the harvesting of executed inmates’ organs in January 2015. Some foreign doctors who have worked in China say authorities are behaving more responsibly, but other observers say China hasn’t done enough to prove that it has fulfilled that pledge. China sought to use the Transplantation Society’s decision to hold its annual meeting in Hong Kong earlier this month as validation of its transplant program. But Dr. Philip O’Connell, the society’s president, rejected that interpretation, even if it appeared some reforms had been successful. “We realize that this isn’t going to change in a day,” O’Connell said. “It’s not going to go from a system that was using organs from executed prisoners, that was driven by corruption and where organs were being paid for … to a system that’s completely open, transparent and ethical.” In a country that routinely suppresses discussions of human rights issues and cracks down on lawyers and independent groups, government officials and state media have been relatively open about China’s problems with organ donation. Dr. Huang Jiefu, head of the system that supervises transplants in Chinese hospitals, has been the public face of the country’s attempts to change its transplant practices. Huang publicly admitted in 2005 that doctors used executed prisoners’ organs. In 2011, Huang and other officials estimated that 65 percent of transplanted organs from the deceased came from executed prisoners. In an interview that was conducted Friday with The Associated Press, Huang said he was confident that hospitals under his purview are moving to donated organs, but black-market surgeries still persist. “We still have a long way to go,” Huang said. A former deputy health minister, Huang said he speaks to top government officials about reforms they need to make to win the world’s confidence. Among the reforms, Huang said, is a crackdown on organ trafficking and more regulations on how organs are procured. China also needs to train far more doctors and hospitals to perform surgeries, he said. “Our organ transplantation must be 100 percent reliant on civilian, voluntary organ donation,” Huang said. “Otherwise, we cannot stand on the world stage.” China is believed to execute more people than any other country, though the total number is kept secret. Amnesty International estimates the annual number is in thousands. A donor registry was piloted in 2010 and has been expanded into a national system. Newspapers in China often publish positive stories of families that have given the organs of a loved one, an apparent attempt to shift long-standing cultural attitudes about donation. One such story published by the Shanghai Daily newspaper this month detailed the “selfless” donation of a 34-year-old doctor’s organs to help six people. In what appeared to be a reference to traditional beliefs about keeping a body whole, the article quoted the doctor’s wife as warning their daughter against “tying her hopes to an uncertain heavenly place.” According to the government, Chinese doctors performed 10,057 organ transplants in 2015. Health officials have said they expect to increase the number of hospitals that can perform transplants. By its own estimates, China has about 300,000 patients a year in need of organs, a challenge that will only get bigger as the world’s largest population ages. Its leads Japan and most other Asian countries in its donor rate but is far behind the United States and most nations in Western Europe. Chinese government statistics often engender deep skepticism, and critics of China’s organ donation practices say they are not convinced. Some critics, citing China’s history and the prevalence of black-market surgeries, contend the true number of transplants is much higher than the official numbers, and that executed prisoners remain the source for many of those organs. Dr. Torsten Trey, executive director of the advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, said international visitors are not seeing enough of the system to truly judge the accuracy of China’s statistics or claims of progress. “The change was not successful, because there is no change,” Trey said in an email. For more than a decade, doctors from outside China have worked with Huang and other officials. Huang said he has invited transplant surgeons to tour hospitals and meet doctors. Dr. Michael Millis, a transplant surgeon at the University of Chicago, said he has visited “several dozen” transplant centers in China as part of his volunteer work in the country. One sign of a shift, Millis said, was that doctors at those centers used to have routinely scheduled surgeries. Now they talk of having multiple surgeries in one day or days without any surgeries at all. That indicates they are operating on the up-and-down schedule of a system fueled by voluntary donations rather than executions, Millis said. “These are the stories that I can say that my personal experience is changing, and it’s changing to the system that the rest of the world sees,” Millis said. Millis says reports like the recent case in Canada suggest black-market surgeries still occur in China, though not at the scale alleged by others. “There is no evidence it is an extensive black-market parallel system that would generate a large number of organs from executed prisoners,” Millis said, adding that unsanctioned transplants occur in other parts of the world as well. Millis and other doctors hope to improve China’s system by engaging with health officials whom they see as receptive and willing to consider reforms. In the Canadian case, the Transplantation Society was alerted soon after the patient returned to Canada and told his doctors he had purchased a kidney and required follow-up care. The society sent a letter to Huang calling for an investigation just ahead of its annual global meeting in Hong Kong. What happened next could be considered a positive sign by those working with China. Huang said Chinese officials revoked the licenses of the surgeon and the hospital, and a criminal investigation into the surgery was launched. O’Connell said the group told Chinese officials, “This is a detriment to what you’re trying to achieve, and you need to act.” “The only people who can make change or reform in China are the Chinese themselves,” O’Connell said. “What we’re trying to do is identify people who we believe are for reform in China and trying to encourage them.”

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Former Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe has returned ¥65,029 to the metropolitan government for his inappropriate use of an official car while he was in offi

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Masuzoe pays up for abusing official metro car while Tokyo governor

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Former Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe has returned ¥65,029 to the metropolitan government for his inappropriate use of an official car while he was in office. Masuzoe paid the amount Aug. 19 at the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government two days earlier, it was learned Tuesday. The metropolitan government requested payments for his use of an official car to watch baseball games at Tokyo Dome on Aug. 18 and 29 last year and to attend a classical concert at NHK Hall in Shibuya Ward on Dec. 23. Audit and inspection commissioners in the metropolitan government had asked the Tokyo Finance Bureau to have Masuzoe repay the related expenses by the end of August. The figure includes the cost of the drivers and gasoline needed to shuttle him between his home and the destinations.

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Washington and the Pentagon sidestep issues of injuries to protesters and censorship as police blanket the village of Takae.

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U.S. washes hands of rights violations at Okinawa helipad site

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The U.S. State Department, the federal body tasked with promoting human rights overseas, is refusing to censure Tokyo over its aggressive tactics to force construction of new helipads for the U.S. Marine Corps in northern Okinawa. Since July, the Japanese government has been conducting a massive police campaign in the Takae district of Higashi village that has left at least five demonstrators hospitalized, infringed upon press freedoms and been condemned by Gov. Takeshi Onaga, media unions and local residents. Asked for comment on the injuries and blocking of reporters, the State Department referred The Japan Times to the Japanese government and U.S. Department of Defense. Anna Richey-Allen, spokesperson for the department’s East Asia and Pacific Bureau spokesperson, then issued a stock statement unrelated to the inquiries. Likewise, USMC Public Affairs Officer George McArthur declined to comment on the alleged rights’ violations. The U.S. Marines in Okinawa also rejected an interview request from The Japan Times to discuss the helipad construction. Despite the request being made 10 days in advance, McArthur dismissed it on the grounds of it being “short-fuse” (sic). On Aug. 25, Onaga blasted the Japanese government’s dispatch of hundreds of mainland riot police to Takae as “excessive.” Meanwhile, the Japan Federation of Newspaper Workers’ Unions called police obstruction of journalists reporting from the site “a serious violation of the free press by the state.” The district of Takae abuts the USMC Northern Training Area, also known as Camp Gonsalves. The sprawling 7,800-hectare (19,000-acre) jungle warfare center opened in 1957; once commanded by Oliver North, veterans have alleged that it also served as a test site for the toxic defoliant Agent Orange. In the near future, Washington plans to return half of the base’s land, but only on condition that six new helipads be built near Takae. Despite opposition from villagers, two of the 75-meter-wide pads have been completed and are now in use for round-the-clock USMC training flights of helicopters and Osprey aircraft. In June, the Okinawa Defense Bureau catalogued Takae residents’ exposure to aircraft noise at more than a dozen times a night. The construction of the helipads at Takae is just one part of an island-wide program by Tokyo to consolidate the USMC presence on Okinawa. Plans to build twin runways and a deep sea port at Camp Schwab in the city of Nago are currently the focus of a bitter court dispute between the national and prefectural governments. Washington plans to relocate marines from aging Air Station Futenma in Ginowan upon completion of the new base near Camp Schwab. But in a sign that the Japanese government expects the legal dispute to drag on, Tokyo has just suggested it may spend billions of yen to repair facilities at Futenma. Also on Okinawa, the Japanese government has started work on infrastructure to support the deployment of Ospreys and F-35s to USMC Iejima Auxiliary Airfield, located on a small island near Okinawa’s northern coast. “The Japanese government keeps saying it is reducing Okinawa’s military burden but the reality is the total opposite,” says Yutaka Ohata, an Iejima resident and member of a local peace museum. Ohata cites ongoing military construction on the island and recent usage of the civilian port by the USMC. “Iejima assembly and local communities voted to protest against the new military infrastructure,” says Ohata, “but the government doesn’t listen to our voices whatever we say.” Washington and Tokyo assert the construction projects at Takae, Nago, Futenma and Iejima will ultimately enable the return of land elsewhere on the island. However, many Okinawans suspect that USMC usage of the island will expand in the years to come. Such concerns were exacerbated by recent revelations that the U.S. Marines were training two U.K. Royal Marine lieutenants at Camp Schwab and Camp Hansen, central Okinawa. The program, which is currently the focus of a Japanese government inquiry, is a violation of the long-standing interpretation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which does not allow for the training of third-nation forces on U.S. bases in Japan. Okinawan fury at the USMC remains at boiling point following the April murder of a local woman, allegedly by a former U.S. Marine, and revelations that orientation lectures for new arrivals denigrated island residents and political leaders. On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine sergeant was arrested on suspicion of attempting to break into a woman’s apartment in the village of Yomitan. In May the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly passed an unprecedented resolution demanding the removal of all USMC bases from the island. In June, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, experienced local anger toward the USMC firsthand. During her official visit to the island to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, Kennedy attended a community relations event at Camp Schwab. As she was leaving, her motorcade was blocked by demonstrators who had to be forcibly removed by police before her car was able to move. In a request for comment on the incident, the public affairs office at Naha’s U.S. Consulate General told The Japan Times, “While we steadfastly support individual freedom of speech and peaceful public assembly, we look to the Government of Japan law enforcement officials to take necessary measures should anyone interfere with installation access or violate the laws of Japan.” The decision for Kennedy to visit Camp Schwab appears to have been designed to send a signal that the U.S. was standing by Tokyo’s decision to landfill the neighboring bay for the relocation of the Futenma air base. However both the location and the timing of the visit struck many Okinawans as insensitive at best and, at worst, a provocation. Three months prior to Kennedy’s visit, Justin Castellanos, a sailor stationed at Camp Schwab, had been arrested for the rape of a woman in a Naha hotel. Moreover, Kennedy’s visit to the base rubbed salt into the wounds of many Battle of Okinawa survivors. Camp Schwab is located upon the former site of the Ourasaki Internment Camp where Okinawans were imprisoned following the war, and the remains of approximately 300 civilians still lie within the grounds of the installation, inaccessible to family members or recovery teams. In response to the surge in public anger against the USMC on Okinawa, the U.S. military has recently embarked upon an online public-relations charm offensive. In June, U.S. Forces Japan launched a “Fact for the Week” campaign on social media. Its first post apparently set out to contradict Japanese government data that says three-quarters of U.S. installations are located on Okinawa. Instead, the USFJ post claimed, the true number was 39 percent. The USFJ claim — based upon the number of installations rather than the area of land they occupy — was met with consternation by Gov. Onaga, who called it “an attempt to manipulate the facts.” Online commentators were more harsh, likening the USFJ’s post to false rumors commonly spread by so-called Netto uyoku, or anonymous extreme right-wing internet users. Jon Mitchell received the inaugural Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan Freedom of the Press Award for Lifetime Achievement for his investigations into U.S. military contamination on Okinawa and other base-related problems. Your comments and story ideas: community@japantimes.co.jp.

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The suspended president of Athletics Kenya, Isaiah Kiplagat, has died after a long illness. He was 72. Track and field's world governing body, the IAAF, sa

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Longtime Athletics Kenya boss Kiplagat dies at 72

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The suspended president of Athletics Kenya, Isaiah Kiplagat, has died after a long illness. He was 72. Track and field’s world governing body, the IAAF, said that Kiplagat’s death on Wednesday was confirmed by Kenya’s athletics association, which he led for more than 20 years. Kiplagat was a divisive figure who dominated the most successful sport in his country in a manner that is unlikely to be repeated. He was a longtime IAAF Council member during the presidency of Lamine Diack of Senegal which ended last year. The IAAF ethics commission suspended Kiplagat and two other Athletics Kenya officials last November during an ongoing investigation of alleged embezzlement and extortion. All three men were accused of diverting more than $700,000 of sponsorship money from Nike for personal gain, and asking athletes to pay to conceal positive doping tests. Diack is under investigation in France for alleged corruption. Kiplagat took charge of his national athletics body in 1992, a time when the sport was struggling in Kenya. “Back then we neither had offices, money nor equipment to operate the association activities yet we had already gained recognition across the globe and quick action needed to be taken urgently,” he said in an interview after serving his 20th year at the helm. Kiplagat was involved in sports administration for 50 years, spending more than two decades as chairman and then president of his national association. He won admirers and critics alike for his grip on power, as he guided the sport in Kenya from an amateur venture to being a multi-million dollar business. He was first elected to the national office of the forerunner to AK, the defunct Kenya Amateur Athletics Association in 1975 as its vice-chairman, a position he held until 1987 when he was elected the secretary general. Kiplagat served in the post for two years until he was again elected as the vice-chair, a position he held until 1992, when he succeeded the late Paul Boit at the helm. Among the first things he did was to rename the KAAA as AK. His interest in sports administration was inspired by the Olympic Games. “I was the chef-de-mission for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico where I watched Kipchoge Keino win gold. That was when I decided I would go for an elective post,” he once said. As AK’s leader, his notable milestones include the successful hosting of the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the winning of the bid to stage the 2017 World Under-17 Championships in Nairobi and the 2010 CAA Africa Athletics Championships in the Kenyan capital. Under his watch, Kenya topped the charts at the biennial track and field world championships for the first time in 2015 in Beijing. He had been treated for colon cancer since an initial diagnosis in 2010.

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Often disparaged as little more than the gateway to Tokyo's northwestern suburbs, the area of Ikebukuro is still shaking off a reputation for delinquency t

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Ikebukuro's side streets offer up some craft beer gems

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Often disparaged as little more than the gateway to Tokyo’s northwestern suburbs, the area of Ikebukuro is still shaking off a reputation for delinquency that it got 16 years ago from the TBS drama “Ikebukuro West Gate Park.” With tourists flooding Shibuya and Shinjuku, however, Ikebukuro is starting to look more attractive to the locals. Between the sprawling department stores, local theaters and ramen shops the area is also known for, trendy new bars and eateries have been quietly opening their doors. If you look in the right place, this neglected corner of the capital offers some top-notch craft beer bars that can easily be strung together for an evening of light fare and cold brews. Most of these gems are found on the east side of Ikebukuro Station. Tucked away between the curves of the Yamanote Line and a highway (Autobahn?) overpass, Kraft Work Dining is truly a diamond in the rough. I arrive just as the bar is opening, the only time I could get a reservation on such sort notice. Despite its far-flung location, Kraft Work draws a crowd. As soon as I’m seated at the counter, a cup of warm and smoky chawanmushi is placed in front of me for the ¥300 seating charge. Wanting to cool down, I order a collaboration brew between Onidensetsu from Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, and Y.Market from Nagoya. The session IPA is light and grassy with a hint of lemon, perfect at the end of a summer day. The distinctly Japanese, seasonal and seafood-focused menu may seem more geared toward the 33 kinds of sake on offer, but my choice of beer pairs nicely with seared white corn from Hokkaido and grilled ayu (sweetfish), a house specialty. While the beer prices here are comparatively high, the quality of food makes Kraft Work well worth the journey. The sun has set by the time I leave Kraft Work and head south toward the center of Higashi-Ikebukuro. Most people walk by the nondescript entrance to Vivo! without a second glance, much less a first one. This hidden treasure of a bar is unusually empty for the hour of day, but the number of staff on hand tells me a crowd is in the forecast. I order the Belgian frites, perfectly warm and golden, and an Ikebukuro Sunshine St. Pale Ale, made just for Vivo! by Baird Brewing. Vivo! offers four glass sizes, ideal for sampling your way across the well-curated tap list of 20 beers, which are mostly Japanese and American. The bar begins to fill as I contemplate my next selection, and soon the din of conversation and clatter of dishes from the open kitchen conjure up the convivial atmosphere that has always made Vivo! stick in my mind. Ikebukuro is pulsing with energy when I step back outside. I weave through the crowds as I cross Sunshine Street and make my way to tiny Gotsubo, a new and charming entry to Ikebukuro’s craft beer scene. During the day Gotsubo is a modest lunch counter serving gyūkatsu (fried beef cutlet) curry, but after nightfall it transforms into a stylish standing bar with a modest selection of beer and sake from Nagano, owner Hirofumi Mibu’s home prefecture. Those non-Japanese residents who lament the local predilection for foamy-headed beer should make a beeline to Gotsubo, where ¥1,000 pints of Shiga Kogen IPA are poured to the brim without any white collar. Like the pints it pours, the bar is nearly overflowing when I arrive. The other patrons squeeze against the bar to let me by, but when my glass arrives we all kanpai (cheers). Most of the half-dozen or so other customers are snacking on fried soba, cucumber with miso and other spot-hitting small plates. Gotsubo’s evening menu consists solely of otsumami (snacks) such as these, all priced between ¥100 and ¥350. Gotsubo’s simple charm keeps me there longer than I’d planned, but I break free for the long stroll south to get to Pump before its kitchen closes at 10:30 p.m. I’ve got a hankering for nachos, and in this neighborhood only Pump can deliver. An absolute pearl, this greatly underappreciated bar serves American pub fare with beer from both here and there in an open, vaguely industrial space. Their 10 taps rotate regularly, and when I arrive a little after 10 p.m., I see that one of my favorite Japanese beers is on draught. I order without a second thought and settle in with satisfaction. The beer arrives and I take a long, lip-smacking pull. The Iwate Kura Oyster Stout, which is indeed a beer made with oysters, won the World Beer Award in 2015 for Asia’s Best Experimental Specialty Beer. It’s smooth and buttery with definite umami undertones. The Iwate Kura Oyster Stout is a fitting way to end my night. Just as with Ikebukuro, it might not look so good at first glance, but its depth and complexity keep me coming back for more. Beer walk: Cruising for brews in Ikebukuro

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The U.S. Navy will replace the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft in Japan with a newer variant, possibly starting in 2021, according to a U.S. mili

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U.S. to deploy new naval Osprey variant in Japan possibly from 2021

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The U.S. Navy will replace the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft in Japan with a newer variant, possibly starting in 2021, according to a U.S. military official. CMV-22Bs will replace the two aging C-2 Greyhounds attached to the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan based at the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture starting in 2021, or as late as 2026, the official said Monday. The navy does not have a specific timeline to replace the C-2 aircraft, but it expects the last one to retire in 2026, the official said. At present, the two C-2 Greyhounds are based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi outside Tokyo. But the CMV-22Bs are likely to be stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps’ air base in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Japanese and U.S. governments have agreed to transfer the C-2 Greyhounds and other carrier-based aircraft to Iwakuni as part of efforts to reduce noise for residents near the Atsugi base. In the event the nuclear-powered Ronald Reagan operates in the East and South China seas, the CMV-22Bs are likely to move to the carrier from the Iwakuni base to perform such roles as transporting personnel, goods and materials. The U.S. military has deployed MV-22 Osprey aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. It plans to locate the CV-22, the air force variant of the MV-22, at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in 2017. The U.S. military maintains that the Ospreys are safe, but a series of crashes have sparked concern in Japan about their reliability.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a giant celebration of the country's main youth league on Sunday night, capping the organization's first gathering

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Kim Jong Un attends massive North Korean youth league extravaganza

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a giant celebration of the country’s main youth league on Sunday night, capping the organization’s first gathering in more than 23 years. The Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League plays a major part in North Korea’s social system. Young people from the ages of 14 to 30 are expected to join and take part in activities ranging from study sessions to helping out in major construction projects. North Korea says the youth league has 5 million members. Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium, which has a capacity of 150,000, was almost full Sunday night, and the crowd stood and cheered as Kim Jong Un walked in. The event lasted just over an hour, with thousands of torch-carrying youths rushing around the stadium in formation, making patterns, symbols and slogans. Fireworks burst above the stadium at the show’s climax. North Korean state media did not immediately report on what took place at the 9th Congress of the youth league, which ran Friday through Sunday. Foreign media were not allowed in. The 8th Congress was held in February 1993.

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In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a

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Trump to make quick trip to meet Mexican leader before immigration speech

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In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration. Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say he looks “very much forward” to meeting with the Mexican leader. Pena Nieto’s office confirmed the meeting with its own tweet, saying the two men would meet privately. The unexpected trip comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centerpiece of his Republican presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people currently living in the U.S. illegally and building a wall along the country’s border with Mexico. But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hard-line approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump’s stance on deportations was “to be determined.” In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to “softening” his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be “hardening.” Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump’s original immigration policy, particularly the Republican’s insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said that “there is no scenario” under which Mexico would do so. In the same interview, Pena Nieto compared Trump’s language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. Former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have also alluded to Hitler in describing Trump. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip to Mexico, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss them publicly. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014 and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president. Pena Nieto extended invitations to visit Mexico to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton last week. The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that Trump was considering making the trip to Mexico. The New Yorker didn’t mention the trip and didn’t spend much time discussing illegal immigration during an evening rally outside Seattle, although he teased his scheduled speech on immigration that’s set for Wednesday evening in Phoenix. “We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country,” he said. “And I’ll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona. Big speech on immigration. We’ll be talking about that in Arizona tomorrow night.” Trump’s short stop in Mexico would mark his second visit to a foreign country during his campaign. Earlier this summer, Trump traveled to Scotland to attend the re-opening of one of his golf resorts, but notably didn’t meet with any U.K. political leaders while there. The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage. Several Republican foreign policy experts have also warned that Trump is unprepared for the numerous international issues that land on a president’s desk. Clinton’s campaign has urged voters to not “be fooled” by what it calls Trump’s attempts to disguise his immigration policies. “Donald Trump will be who he has always been: Donald Trump,” the campaign said in an email Tuesday night.

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The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to kick off discussions as soon as next month over whether to revise internal rules to allow Prime Minister

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LDP weighs leader's term limits as Abe angles to stay in power

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The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to kick off discussions as soon as next month over whether to revise internal rules to allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to run for a third term in the next LDP presidential race to be held by September 2018. Given the LDP’s solid majority in the Diet, the winner of the race is all but certain to be elected by the legislature as the prime minister as well. But why have party executives started pushing the idea of extending Abe’s term? What are the procedures for revising the rules and are they likely to be amended? Following are questions and answers on revising the LDP rules to extend Abe’s term: Why has revising the rules become a hot topic? On Aug. 3, Abe appointed veteran lawmaker Toshihiro Nikai as LDP secretary-general, the party’s No. 2 position. The move prompted speculation that Abe is seeking a third term as Nikai has openly argued that party rules should be revised to allow Abe to continue on as president. Currently, LDP rules ban a party president from running for a third two-year term. This means Abe, who is now serving his second term as LDP president, cannot run in the next LDP presidential race, which must be held no later than September 2018. During a news conference on Aug. 3, Nikai said the party should soon start discussions on whether Abe can seek a third term after revising party rules. Nikai said the LDP will make a decision on this by the end of the year. Abe has two more years before his term ends. Why hold discussions now? Observers believe the hawkish nationalist wants to serve a third term so he can accomplish his long-held goal of revising the postwar Constitution. As a result of the Upper House election in July, parties willing to revise the Constitution occupy more than two-thirds of both the lower and upper chambers of the Diet for the first time ever. Backing by two-thirds of the lawmakers in both houses is a prerequisite for the Diet to initiate a national referendum on a constitutional revision. But those parties, including the LDP and its ruling coalition partner, Komeito, are split over which articles of the Constitution should be revised first. Political insiders say it would probably take more than two years for the Diet to form any consensus and then arrange a referendum to revise any article of the Constitution. Komeito has opposed revising the war-renouncing Article 9, while it is willing to add an article to guarantee the people’s right to a better living environment. Meanwhile, polls have shown a majority of voters have consistently opposed any revision to Article 9, the most contentious provision in the Constitution. Publicly, Abe has said he is not considering running for a third term. But close aides have long privately believed that the rules should be revised. Many conservatives believe the chance of a constitutional revision would become slim if Abe is no longer LDP president. What are the procedures for revising the party rules? The party rules can be revised at a party convention attended by LDP Diet members and four representatives from each of the 47 LDP prefectural chapters. Each member has one ballot, and support of half of those in attendance is required to revise a party rule. Party conventions are usually held in the spring, but can be convened any time if such a demand is issued at a general meeting of LDP lawmakers, or more than a third of the prefectural branches. The general meeting of the LDP Diet members, meanwhile, can also replace a party convention in dealing with “particularly urgent” issues, according to party rules. How likely will the party rules be revised? No one is sure, but Abe has few political rivals powerful enough to challenge him after the LDP won a landslide victory in the July Upper House election, boosting his chances of remaining at the LDP helm. However, veteran LDP members, including Shigeru Ishiba, who are considered potential rivals to Abe, have recently urged caution about revising the party rules to allow Abe to stay in power. Whether they can garner support from other LDP members will likely be a key factor in the party power game. On a radio program Sunday, Ishiba, a former minister in charge of the revitalization of rural areas, said he “doesn’t understand why it’s a top priority issue” for the LDP to revise the party rules in what was seen as a dig at Abe’s bid for a third term as LDP president. Ishiba, who heads a small intraparty faction, refused to join Abe’s new Cabinet formed on Aug. 3 and is now seen as a potential rival. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who is regarded as another potential successor to Abe, has also said it is “still too early” to discuss revising the rules, since Abe was only re-elected LDP president last September. Has any LDP president succeeded in extending their run as president by revising party rules? Yes. In 1986, a meeting of LDP lawmakers was convened to revise the rules to extend the presidential term of then LDP President and Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. The revision followed the LDP’s landslide victory in dual national elections earlier the same year under Nakasone as the LDP president and prime minister. Then a provision was added to the rules so that an LDP president could extend a term by one year if more than two-thirds of the party’s Diet members supported it. This article was dropped in 2002.

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Some tourists look around them but Hidetoshi Ishii prefers to look down. The 65-year-old is a manhole cover hunter. He has spent the past two decades touri

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Lifting the lid on Japan's growing crowd of manhole cover spotters

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Some tourists look around them but Hidetoshi Ishii prefers to look down. The 65-year-old is a manhole cover hunter. He has spent the past two decades touring with a folding bike and map, on the lookout for treasures. “It’s like finding a gem. When I spot one, I can’t help smiling,” Ishii beamed. A retired Tokyo Metropolitan Government official, Ishii was drawn to the world of manhole covers in his 40s, when his eye was caught by a particularly colorful design in Ise, Mie Prefecture. It depicted a group of people on a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine in the Edo Period (1603-1868). “It was pretty,” Ishii recalls. “After seeing that, I thought it would be interesting to look for different designs across Japan.” Since then, his hunt for manhole covers has become a driving force in his travels. A typical day sees him cycling long distances, sometimes more than 100 km. Over the course of his travels he has clocked up 1,700 municipalities and 4,500 photos. Ishii’s is among a growing legion of hobbyists enchanted by what he sees as the beauty manhole cover design. Enthusiasts are taking to social networking services such as Twitter and Instagram to share their joy, and the photos fly back and forth. “They are works of art. The designs embody details and subtlety of the Japanese aesthetic,” said Hideto Yamada, a leader with Gesuido Koho Purattofomu (Sewerage Campaigning Platform), a group of professionals and enthusiasts that includes officials from local governments and the infrastructure ministry’s sewage management department. “Japan’s manhole covers are cultural properties we can be proud of,” Yamada said. According to GKP, there are roughly 12,000 different manhole cover designs in Japan. Each depicts a local attraction or theme, such as Mount Fuji and the Yokohama Bay Bridge. Municipalities began making decorative manhole covers in the 1980s after being told by a high-ranking official from the former infrastructure ministry that they could be used to promote and improve the image of Japan’s sewerage system, according to the Japan Ground Manhole Association. Those behind the art are the manhole cover manufacturers themselves. They submit designs to a municipality, which then chooses a winner and commissions pieces. As manhole cover designs usually embody something related to the area, fans say guessing the reasons behind the pictures is something of a game. “Other countries also have beautiful manhole covers,” Yamada said. “But I believe none have designs that differ from one municipality to another.” The growing legion of fans enjoy the thousands of different designs in different ways. While Ishii is among those who simply take photos, others get down and dirty to make ink impressions of the covers. There are also those who hunt down rare antiquarian pieces from the prewar era rather than the typically colorful modern covers. The growing fan base supports an increasing number of events that celebrate the manhole. These include the annual Manhole Summit, which began in 2014, and the so-called manhole night in Tokyo, where enthusiasts get together and share their knowledge, Ishii said. In a bid to lure more people into the world of manhole covers, GKP in April launched collectible picture cards. The cards can be obtained for free at municipal facilities such as local sewage plants. GKP issued the first batch of 30 designs in April. They were so popular that the group reprinted an additional 30,000 cards the following month, Yamada said. This month, 44 new cards were introduced. Now in his mid-60s, Ishii admits he is no longer able to bicycle huge distances as he is not as strong as he once was. But whenever he hears of a manhole cover design he has not seen before, especially one in Kanto, he cannot resist bagging a photo of it. “I can’t contain my excitement,” Ishii said. “In March I heard that (the Tokyo city of) Chofu made six different types of manhole covers sporting ‘GeGeGe no Kitaro’ anime characters. So I went, and it was thrilling to finally spot the last of the six designs.”

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told African leaders Saturday his country will commit $30 billion in public and private support for infrastructure development on the continent.

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Abe pledges $30 billion for Africa over next three years

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told African leaders Saturday that his country will commit $30 billion in public and private support for infrastructure development on the continent. Resource-poor Japan has long been interested in tapping Africa’s vast natural resources, even more so since dependence on oil and natural gas imports jumped after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to all of Japan’s nuclear reactors being taken offline. Abe, in Nairobi to attend the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), said the package will be spread over three years from this year and include $10 billion for infrastructure projects on the continent, to be executed through cooperation with the African Development Bank. “When combined with investment from the private sector, I expect that the total will amount to $30 billion. This is an investment that has faith in Africa’s future, an investment for Japan and Africa to grow together,” he told a gathering of at least 34 heads of state and government from across Africa. The $30 billion announced Saturday is in addition to $32 billion that Japan pledged to Africa over a five-year period at the last TICAD meeting in 2013. Abe said 67 percent of that has already been put to use in various projects. “Today’s new pledges will enhance and further expand upon those launched three years ago. The motive is quality and enhancement,” he said. Japan’s overall direct investment in Africa totaled $1.24 billion in 2015, down from about $1.5 billion a year earlier, according to the Japan External Trade Organization, which does not provide a breakdown of sectors. In comparison, rival China made a single investment of $2 billion in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea in the month of April 2015 alone. Abe said the new pledge will also go toward improving labor productivity and health care.

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Eateries across Fukui have been serving fish dishes using seafood products that otherwise would be discarded as part of an initiative to promote the prefec

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Fukui restaurants try serving up tasty fish that usually end up in discard bin

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Eateries across Fukui have been serving fish dishes using seafood products that otherwise would be discarded as part of an initiative to promote the prefecture through its regional delicacies. Under the project initiated by representatives of four fisheries cooperatives from Fukui, local eateries can benefit from a free but irregular supply of fish of uneven size, and attract customers through a rare menu addition. The fish dishes, ranging from typical seafood to deep-fried croquettes to cater to the palates of people who like Western, Japanese or Chinese cuisine, are called otomashii don in the local dialect, a nickname that roughly means a bowl that could have been or shouldn’t be wasted. The species include aji (horse mackerel), sardines and flying fish, which is uncommon in Fukui waters or menus in the area. Since the launch of the project on Marine Day on July 18, 31 eateries from seven cities and towns in the prefecture have joined the movement. The eateries will receive their share of the fish with financial support from the Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Nippon Foundation through the end of September. Given that the catches are hard to sustain, meaning delivery volumes can vary greatly, the eateries serving bowls of fish that would otherwise be discarded display identical banners to inform customers of their availability. At his restaurant in the city of Fukui, 69-year-old Toshikazu Watanabe serves up bowls of gyoza (dumplings) with fish that normally wouldn’t be destined for consumption, covered in a thick brown demiglace sauce. Many customers who come for lunch order bowls with pieces of juicy fish cooked in red wine, which helps reduce strong, fishy smells and pushes out the moisture, just as with tender meat. “Under the project, we mainly get small fish, which are hard to prepare and cook, but I prefer to help see them consumed than have them thrown away,” Watanabe said. According to the Fukui Prefectural Government’s fisheries section, more than half of fishermen’s catches of species deemed unusable are disposed of or end up in fertilizers. The prefecture’s 2011 data thus suggest that this is what happened to about 10 percent of the 7,610 tons of fish that were captured using fixed nets in Fukui’s waters. “I hope more people will learn that fish not destined for markets can also be served and enjoyed if cooked the proper way,” said the project’s initiator, Takumi Asai, 47. Asai and other members of the project are seeking ways to stabilize supplies of the fish.

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Luxury cars, apartments, even a racehorse — being an Olympic medalist in Russia can come with great material rewards but also controversy. Under Pres

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Russia's gifts for Olympic medalists spark dispute

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Luxury cars, apartments, even a racehorse — being an Olympic medalist in Russia can come with great material rewards but also controversy. Under President Vladimir Putin, it’s become a tradition for Russia’s Olympic heroes to be showered with large cash sums and sometimes unwanted gifts. On Friday, less than 24 hours after dozens of medalists were presented with BMW cars at the Kremlin by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, an advertisement appeared online offering one of them for sale, with photographs showing the car still covered in stickers celebrating Russia’s medal haul in Rio. The advertisement offering the BMW X6 for 4.67 million rubles ($72,000) was anonymous and quickly withdrawn. It couldn’t be independently verified by AP, though Russian agency R-Sport claimed the seller was a Russian medalist who thought the car was too big and unwieldy. Figure skater Maxim Trankov, who received a Mercedes-Benz SUV for his team gold medal in 2014, said few Olympians could afford to own such cars. “Has no one thought that these gift cars are not only liable for the tax on luxury items, but also aren’t cheap to run and earnings can’t cover it?” he wrote on Twitter. “I would sell mine too if it came to it . . . Or does everyone think all sports pay as well as soccer, hockey or tennis?” Gymnast Seda Tutkhalyan said she wouldn’t be able to drive her new BMW because at 17 years of age she was too young to have a license. While online commenters mostly supported an athlete’s right to sell expensive Olympic gifts, many were critical of the government for a display of conspicuous consumption at the Kremlin at a time when Russia’s pension and health care systems are under financial strain. It’s not fully clear how much the prizes have cost the Russian government. State TV channel Rossiya 24 reported that the fleet of BMWs was provided by the Olympians’ Support Fund, which is backed by a group of Russia’s richest men, but that the accompanying cash prizes of tens of thousands of dollars per medalist came in part from the federal budget. More awards are on offer from regional governments, many of which made public displays of generosity despite financial troubles of their own. The Caucasus region of North Ossetia last month promised a free apartment for any medalists from the area, though it isn’t clear if this has happened yet. In another grand gesture, the head of the restive Dagestan region gave Olympic wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev 6 million rubles ($93,000) in cash and a racehorse at a lavish welcoming ceremony featured on local TV. Still, all may not be well for Sadulaev, who’s nicknamed the “Russian Tank” for his habit of crushing opponents on the wrestling mat. He’s already facing an allegation from a Moscow radio presenter of reckless driving in his eye-catching BMW.

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Shoddy, price-cutting renovations, in breach of local building regulations, could be partly to blame for he high death toll from Wednesday's devastating ea

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Shoddy home renovations may have contributed to Italy quake toll

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Shoddy, price-cutting renovations, in breach of local building regulations, could be partly to blame for he high death toll from Wednesday’s devastating earthquake in central Italy, according to a prosecutor investigating the disaster. As questions mount over the deaths of nearly 300 people, prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva indicated that property owners who commissioned suspected substandard work could be held responsible for contributing to the quake’s deadly impact. Saieva, who works in the Rieti region between Rome and the quake’s epicenter, said the tragedy could not simply be filed away as an unavoidable natural disaster. “If the buildings had been constructed as they are in Japan, they wouldn’t have collapsed,” he told La Repubblica. Within hours of the quake hitting on Wednesday, Saieva was in Amatrice, the small mountain town hit hardest by the quake. He inspecting the damage there before opening a preliminary investigation for possible culpable homicide and causing a disaster. The crushed partition walls of a collapsed three-story villa were among the sights that caught his eye. “I can only think it was built on the cheap with more sand than cement,” he said. A number of engineering and architectural experts have highlighted the widespread use of relatively cheap cement beams for house extensions and renovations as a possible factor explaining why so many buildings collapsed. Heavy and inflexible, the cement beams become deadly if released by shaking because they will crush older walls beneath them with deadly implications. “If it emerges that individuals cut corners, they will be pursued and those that have made mistakes will pay a price,” the prosecutor said. The issue of whether some of the deaths could have been avoided is particularly acute in the Amatrice area because it is just 50 kilometers from L’Aquila, which was hit by a 2009 earthquake where over 300 people perished. An outcry over the shoddy, corrupt building practices that led to so many buildings in the university city being inadequately prepared for a quake led to the national Civil Protection agency making almost €1 billion ($1.2 billion) available for upgrading buildings in quake-vulnerable areas. But the take-up of grants has been low. Critics blame bureaucracy but others maintain that independent-minded villagers will always find the cheapest way of getting their renovations done, whatever the risks. Some 40 percent of the Italian population, 24 million people, live in zones vulnerable to earthquakes and the risk that entails has been a subject for the country’s finest minds for centuries. As early as the first century, an adviser to the Emperor Vespasian, Pliny the elder, was making recommendations on how buildings could be designed to withstand tremors. And the thicker walls and stone piers that are features of many modern-day quake-proof buildings, were also included in plans drawn up by Renaissance architect Pirro Ligorio in the late 16th century, after southern Italy was devastated by an earthquake that caused 2,000 deaths. Experts however say protecting Italy’s unrivaled artistic and architectural heritage is far from straightforward. “If we start from the idea of upgrading every old building to comparable safety levels of a modern building built to anti-seismic norms, we have to accept that we will never get there,” said Paolo Bazzurro, a professor in construction techniques at the University of Pavia. The trend away from traditional wooden roofs and beams is not the only problem: widening window openings and the removal of reinforcing chains embedded in walls have also contributed. “These things make buildings more vulnerable,” said Bazzurro. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to rebuild the hilltop villages devastated by the quake. There will be no repeat of a failed attempt to replace the old communities with new towns elsewhere, which happened after L’Aquila. “There are lots of technically feasible things that can be done and do not require huge interventions,” said Culture Ministry expert Paolo Iannelli. “Given that towns in the seismic areas have acquired a knowledge of what works over the centuries and generally used the most appropriate materials, it is a question of correcting renovations that have been done over time and have impacted on the resistance of the buildings,” he said. Better and more regular checks on the impact of rain on foundations would be one area where the state could improve its controls, he added. For houses built before anti-seismic measures became the norm in 1970, it is relatively easy to install shock absorbers, experts say. But a comprehensive solution will not come cheap. Infrastructure Minister Graziano Delrio was asked last week how much it would cost to bring every building in Italy up to modern anti-quake standards. His answer: €360 billion.

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Criticisms of France's strict assimilation policy ignore the equally apparent failures of politically correct approaches intended to create a society in which "everyone feels they have a stake."

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Silly burkini ban's serious reason

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French beaches have never been a place for modesty, at least not since Brigitte Bardot scandalized the film world in 1952’s “Manina, the Girl in the Bikini.” But this summer, at an increasing number of resort towns, Muslim women are finding out just how serious the French are about bare skin on the sand. Last week, Nice became the latest of more than a dozen vacation destinations to ban the wearing of a full-body-covering swimsuit — known cheekily as the burkini. The city, still reeling from the Bastille Day attack that killed 86, will fine women €38 for failing to wear “an outfit respecting good morals and secularism.” National figures have joined the cause, like Manuel Valls, the tough-talking prime minister, and National Front leader Marine Le Pen, never one to let a controversy go unexploited. Although on Friday France’s highest administrative court overturned one resort town’s burkini ban, mayors in many other resort towns are refusing to lift their bans. Yet most of the reaction to the ban has been negative. “I do not see the disturbance in public order from a woman who goes swimming dressed,” said Marwan Muhammad, director of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France. “This government is too busy chasing innocent Muslim women to fight against terrorism.” Amia Ghali, a Muslim member of the French Senate, added that the entire debate is “an unnecessary controversy which maintains the confusion on the real issues of our struggles. Intolerance must not change camps.” Others hold that the ban helps the Islamic State, and that secularism is “being invoked as the reason for policing Muslims’ day-to-day lives and suppressing their ability to express their faith.” In truth, however, the issue is both more and less significant than the controversy might indicate. For starters, the full-body covering has never been very popular on the French coast. Most pious Muslim women on the beach simply wear headscarves and light clothing to maintain their piety. In truth, the importance of the burkini debate, like the banning of veils and other face coverings — enacted for schools in 2004 and then in all public spaces in 2010 — isn’t about stopping what are in fact very infrequent practices (only an estimated 2,000 women covered their faces before that ban). Rather, it is a reflection of France’s stumbling efforts to assimilate the vast Muslim population it inherited from its former colonies. So the conflict is not new. The political and cultural debates over Muslim immigrants long predated the global struggle against Islamic terrorism and the 9/11 attacks. Concerns over wearing of the hijab in school were a political issue in France as far back as the 1980s. More broadly, while for decades after World War II France was dependent on foreign workers to do unskilled jobs, by the early 1990s attitudes shifted. The conservative government set a goal of “zero immigration” and enacted the so-called Pasqua laws that, among other things, denied residence to foreign spouses of legal residents, made it difficult for students from other countries to get jobs after graduation, enhanced the state’s power to deport illegal aliens and made it harder to claim asylum. In the last quarter-decade, what began with concern over keeping French jobs for the French-born became a culture war. Today about 7.5 percent of France’s population of 60 million are from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, although they make up a vastly larger proportion of the under-25 population. This mass immigration inevitably challenges a society that, since the revolution of 1790s, has been adamantly secular. In the eyes of many of their European neighbors, what the French call “laicite” is simply bigotry. In 1994, the Dutch enacted an immigration policy known as the Contourennota, with a stated goal to “improve the socio-economic position of disadvantaged ethnic minorities” through a system in which “the government is obligated to offer opportunities and immigrants and their children are obligated to grasp them.” The government funds Islamic schools, headscarves are allowed everywhere after a government committee found that the hijab was not a threat and that Dutch laws required “tolerant” attitudes in public education. Sweden, long the world’s leader in accepting refugees seeking asylum, has been similarly accommodating with Islam. And yet … let’s look at the results. A Pew Global Research survey conducted this spring, months after the terrorist attacks that killed 130 in Paris, found that 29 percent of French respondents had a negative view of Islam. Yet in both the Netherlands and Sweden, which haven’t experienced terrorism on a mass scale, 35 percent of respondents said they had an unfavorable view of Muslims in their own country. And a more or less equal percentage in all three nations said that Muslims wanted to be “distinct” rather than “adopt our country’s way of life.” The Muslim populations themselves continue to lag behind in all those countries on most social and economic indicators: employment, wealth, education, rates of incarceration, etc. For example, while Muslims make up 5 percent of the Dutch population, they make up 20 percent of prisoners. In any case, the burkini ban will bring out the usual charges of hypocrisy and the awkward alliances we see in all such contretemps: It’s apparently hard, for example, for a supporter of free expression or even a feminist to know which side to support. But for the most part we will see easy moralizing on the supposed inhumanity of the French approach, like this from a Newsweek column by Elizabeth Oldfield: “The instinct to deal with our differences by enforcing homogeneity looks, at least superficially, more appealing than allowing public space to descend into a competition between fractious and visible tribal identities. “The problem with this ‘muscular liberal’ approach is a pragmatic one — it doesn’t work. … “Is our desired end state achieved by enforcing a worldview, or by building a society where despite some pretty fundamental disagreements everyone feels they have a stake, are welcome and want to participate as good citizens?” But as the facts illuminate, such criticisms ignore the equally apparent failures of politically correct approaches intended to create a society in which “everyone feels they have a stake.” Hence the real tragedy of the burkini distraction: Such contretemps obscure the fact that neither the laicite of the French nor the laxity of their neighbors has succeeded in making Muslim immigrants part of the national fabric. Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, education and food for Bloomberg View.

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From the 17th to the 19th century, Japan's only official window on the West was the Dutch factory in Nagasaki. The trickle of scientific and geopolitical i

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Network of Knowledge: Western Science and the Tokugawa Information Revolution

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From the 17th to the 19th century, Japan’s only official window on the West was the Dutch factory in Nagasaki. The trickle of scientific and geopolitical information that came through with the merchant ships was gradually curated by enthusiasts into rangaku or “Dutch learning,” arguably laying the foundation for Japan’s rapid Westernization following Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival in 1853. Network of Knowledge: Western Science and the Tokugawa Information Revolution, by Terence Jackson 232 pages University of Hawai’i, Nonfiction. Terence Jackson’s “Network of Knowledge” uses the ideas of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) as a lens to examine the networks through which rangaku propagated and thrived. The book is loosely arranged around the career of Otsuki Gentaku (1757-1827), an influential figure during the key decades of rangaku’s expansion, which allows Jackson to cover everything from private academies to the role of travel in Dutch learning scholarship. Although the account of rangaku as a social enterprise is clear and well argued in “Network of Knowledge,” it feels drier than it needed to be. We learn about Gentaku’s travel diaries and correspondence, for example, but are given only a couple of direct quotations from either. This is a shame, because when Jackson does linger on human detail — such as the oath of diligence Gentaku had new students at his academy swear, or the decor at his New Year’s Banquet in 1795 (also seen on the book’s cover) — the results are both fascinating and effective illustrations of his more theoretical observations on the role of social capital.

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The treatment of people committed to mental hospitals is under scrutiny in the wake of the Sagamihara mass slaying.

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Trying to make sense of Sagamihara

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More than a month after the mass slaying at a care home for people with disabilities in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, we are still struggling to understand what prompted the alleged killer to commit such a horrific act, while authorities explore why the crime was allowed to happen — despite all the signs that the 26-year-old suspect himself had provided about his intentions — and what can be done to stop a similar lapse from happening again. Satoshi Uematsu, who surrendered to police in the early hours of July 26 after allegedly killing 19 residents and injuring 27 others at the facility where he had previously worked, has been quoted as telling investigators that he thought people with disabilities “had better disappear.” In a letter he delivered to the official residence of the speaker of the Lower House in Tokyo in February, he wrote of his plan to “massacre 470 disabled people” and to “create a world where people with multiple disabilities can die in peace.” He had also reportedly suggested that he had been influenced by the ideology of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. These reported remarks have led to speculation that Uematsu was driven to the stabbing spree out of a belief in eugenics. But such theorizing should not lead us to see the crime as an isolated case of someone with a peculiar way of thinking. The effort to prevent such hate crimes must explore the background to how the suspect, who was in daily contact with people with disabilities while he worked at the care home for more than three years until this spring, came to harbor such views. Since his arrest, Uematsu is reported to have reiterated the argument that his massacre of the residents with severe disabilities was intended to “save” the victims, whose presence was making both their families and care facility workers unhappy and doing no good for the country. According to media reports quoting investigators, he continues to justify his acts and insist that there must be many people who support his views. Unfortunately, his remarks seem to mirror the concerns expressed by people with disabilities, their families and supporters that Uematsu may not be alone in holding such views. If that is the case, we must get to the bottom of what lies behind such twisted ways of thinking. While Uematsu is not believed to have acted violently against residents of the care home when he was working there, violent and sometimes deadly abuse by care workers of elderly residents in nursing homes has been widely reported across the country in recent years. This problem is often blamed on severe working conditions and chronic manpower shortages at care facilities, which leave many care workers exhausted and frustrated. Although the situations and consequences seem to widely differ between the Sagamihara case and abuses at care facilities for the elderly, it may be worth investigating whether they share a root cause. While the criminal investigation of the killings continues, including the interrogation of the suspect, authorities are looking into whether there were problems in the way relevant parties acted after Uematsu revealed his plan to kill people with disabilities — even naming the Sagamihara care home as one of his targets and mentioning specific plans that he actually carried out during the crime — in the letter he brought to the Lower House speaker’s official residence. Particularly under scrutiny is the period when he was admitted to a mental hospital in February — and his discharge shortly after. The information about the letter was communicated to the police and then relayed to the Sagamihara facility, Uematsu’s employer at the time, which proceeded to interview him. When Uematsu repeated his remarks about his intention to kill people with disabilities, officials of the care home alerted the city of Sagamihara via the local police, and the municipal government used its power to commit him to the mental hospital on the grounds that in his state of mind he could harm others. He was diagnosed as having a marijuana-induced mental illness and a delusional disorder, but was released within 12 days after the doctors concluded his condition had improved and he no longer posed a danger. His release — along with the fact that he tested positive for marijuana during his hospitalization — was not made known to the police. He visited the mental hospital twice for additional treatment, then both the municipal government and the police lost contact with him. Under the current system, people committed to a mental hospital under such conditions cannot be forced to receive additional treatment once they are released. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has set up a team of experts on mental treatment and others to review the sequence of events. Its discussions are expected to include whether the decision to release Uematsu had been appropriate, whether sufficient follow-up treatment had been provided or whether there was enough communication among relevant authorities to keep tabs on the situation. Behind the panel’s creation are fears that the system for committing people under the power of municipal authorities may not ensure that those people get sufficient treatment and follow-up care. The system should be reformed if its shortcoming are exposed as a result of the review. The government must tread carefully, however, so that it doesn’t deviate from the purpose of this system as a medical step, not as a deterrence against potential crimes. It needs to heed the concern raised by certain groups that the review could result in tightening surveillance or invite discrimination or prejudice against people with mental problems. Reaction to this horrific crime should not be an excuse for distorting the purpose of the system.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/29/editorials/trying-make-sense-sagamihara/

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August honors the dead in Japan, so it's fitting that Kazufumi Shiraishi's raw discourse on mortality makes its English debut this month. Originally publis

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Shiraishi isn't afraid to ask the tough questions about life

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August honors the dead in Japan, so it’s fitting that Kazufumi Shiraishi’s raw discourse on mortality makes its English debut this month. Originally published in 2008, “Me Against the World” breaks from Shiraishi’s fictional works, offering the author’s undiluted musings on life. As told The Japan Times in a recent interview: “I had tried to include the ideas of this work in all of my previous novels, but I was at a point where I wanted to thoroughly sort out my thoughts and record them in one book, so I wrote the whole thing in one go. It took about a week, like writing an extended memo to myself.” Me Against the World, by Kazufumi Shiraishi 120 pages Dalkey Archive Press, Nonfiction. Using his background in fiction, Shiraishi created a loose narrative form. In a constructed “Publisher’s Forward,” a fictional journalist provides a brief explanation of a Mr. K and their friendship to introduce the manuscript he has inherited after Mr. K’s sudden death. The rest of the book is the manuscript itself, a series of entwining, metaphorical reflections on the biggest questions in life. For Shiraishi, these questions have preoccupied him since childhood. As he explains: “Why are we here? What is the reason for us to be on this earth? It’s no joking matter. This is something I’ve been thinking about from the time I was young. As a child, I really wanted to know.” As an adult, Shiraishi’s unblunted examination spins into heady, addictive mind candy. The English translation, by Raj Mahtani, captures Shiraishi’s contemplations with profound simplicity. The brilliance of “Me Against the World” is found in its contradictions, its pragmatic nihilism somehow morphing into compassionate biocentrism, its metaphorical imaginings mired in a reality that lays bare the ironic absurdity of existence. The opening of the “manuscript” jars in its harsh appraisal of love and humanity, drawing the reader into a seeming rabbit hole of negativity. As Mr. K soon explains: “Humans too lead meaningless lives, having no reason to be born. What’s more, humans have broken away from Earth — their life-support system, their mother — and are destroying her as they please before indiscriminately propagating themselves. To Earth, humans are without a doubt nothing more than cancer cells.” Discussing everything from psychic beliefs to religion; romantic love to reincarnation; and comparing human life to an oscillating thread, an ink spot, a “paper pattern tailors use,” the spiraling, philosophical meanderings gradually converge on a simple pinpoint of truth: Compassion is the only answer in the face of such epic farce. Catching up with the author, it comes as no surprise that the young Mr. K, as in Kazufumi, the son of acclaimed novelist Ichiro Shiraishi, read voraciously and questioned incessantly as a child. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gide, Sartre, Camus — as a teen and young adult, Shiraishi looked toward the intellectuals of Western literature for answers. For a long time, however, he never considered following in his late father’s footsteps. “I never dreamed I would become a writer. To be a writer, you have to come up with something only you can write. It took me a long time to find this,” he says. “I wasn’t convinced I could write something only I could write.” First finding work as a journalist and editor, Shiraishi was encouraged to write by the efforts of his twin brother, Fumio, also a published novelist. Nearly 20 years since his 2000 debut novel “A Ray of Light,” Shiraishi has enjoyed both commercial and critical success. Awarded the Naoki prize for “To an Incomparable Other” in 2009, (he and his father are the only father-son pair to have each won the prize), he also won the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize in the same year for “Remove this Arrow from Deep in my Heart.” “The Part of Me That Isn’t Broken Inside,” published in 2002, became a national best-seller and is upcoming in translation from Dalkey Archive Press. Shiraishi calls “Me Against the World” “a fitting debut” to Western readers, grappling as it does with the existential questions more commonly addressed in classic Western literature. “Japanese tend to be more concerned if a person’s life or death is beautiful, or aesthetically pleasing,” he points out. “People in the West seriously debate philosophical issues like the meaning of life and death.” For Shiraishi, a discussion on death naturally begins with love: “If you trace its origins all the way back, like going upstream a river, you find that the root of love, it’s fundamental cause, is death. And that’s what I wanted to say in this novel. “In other words, if there is no death, there is no love. Human beings perish, without fail, within a brief passage of time, far briefer than, say, a tree. Human existence involves consciousness, which fades away along with the body, before we disappear, in the end. And love is something that compensates for this ephemerality. “If we don’t die, there is no love, no nothing; no family, no marriage, nada. In other words, if you think about what’s truly everlasting — well, everyone thinks that love is eternal, but what’s truly everlasting as an absolute truth. What forms the foundation of love — it’s our mortality, isn’t it? The act of dying itself? And that’s what I wanted to say. That’s also why Mr. K, when he thinks about love, is left with no choice but to think about death.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/27/books/shiraishi-isnt-afraid-ask-tough-questions-life/

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The transport ministry says it has found that mileage figures for eight Mitsubishi Motors Corp. models affected by a fuel-efficiency scandal was up to 8.8 percent poorer than their catalog data.

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Fuel data was 8.8% worse than Mitsubishi Motors claimed for eight models

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The transport ministry said Tuesday it has found that mileage figures for eight Mitsubishi Motors Corp. models affected by a fuel-efficiency scandal was up to 8.8 percent poorer than their catalog data. The ministry said it has called on the automaker to report the correct data to the government and suspend sales of the eight models, which include the RVR and Pajero sport utility vehicles and the Mirage subcompact, until it states the proper figures in its catalog. The ministry’s order comes four months after Japan’s sixth-biggest automaker by volume admitted it manipulated data to make four of its minicar models, including two supplied to Nissan Motor Co., look more efficient than they actually were. Since then, the scandal has widened to include other vehicles amid revelations the company used testing methods that did not comply with Japanese regulations to obtain data needed to calculate fuel economy. Mitsubishi Motors said it plans to suspend sales of the eight models for around two weeks and pay up to ¥100,000 to each owner, targeting 76,474 units. The struggling carmaker already incurred a loss in the April-June quarter as it booked hefty costs to deal with the fuel economy scandal, logging a group net loss of ¥129.72 billion, compared with a net profit of ¥23.99 billion a year earlier. With Mitsubishi Motors having admitted it falsified testing data in the nine models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted an independent investigation to gauge the gap between actual figures and those in the catalog. According to the ministry, Mitsubishi Motors used data from road tests in a manner that allowed it to make the nine vehicles appear more fuel efficient. Apologizing for the latest finding, Mitsubishi Motors Chairman Osamu Masuko said at a news conference Tuesday that the company “should have used neutral data.” The automaker’s falsification could affect tax cuts for eco-friendly cars, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has carried out to prop up the economy. Mitsubishi Motors plans to compensate users of the affected vehicles if they receive less in tax benefits than they expected, company officials said. The transport ministry, meanwhile, said the fuel economy in 26 vehicle models being sold by Suzuki Motor Corp., which was also calculated based on improper data, was better than their catalog figures.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/30/business/corporate-business/ministry-confirms-discrepancy-mitsubishi-car-fuel-figures/

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Apple Inc. is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will let people pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment ca

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IPhone ready to play catch-up in Japan with swipe-to-pay chips

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Apple Inc. is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will let people pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment cards. A future iPhone will include technology called FeliCa, a mobile tap-to-pay standard in Japan developed by Sony Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The FeliCa chip will let customers in Japan store their public bus and train passes on their iPhones. Users would then be able to tap their phones against the gate scanners instead of using physical cards. While the FeliCa chip is the standard technology underlying the service, there are several different providers of transit payment cards based on the type of transit and areas within Japan. The Near Field Communication technology powering Apple’s mobile-payments service, Apple Pay, is prevalent in North America, Europe and Australia, but the FeliCa standard dominates Japan with a penetration of 1.9 million payment terminals, according to the Bank of Japan. The terminals handled ¥4.6 trillion in transactions in 2015. Last year, there were 1.3 million NFC terminals in the U.S. and 320,000 in the U.K., according to research from Let’s Talk Payments and the U.K. Cards Association. Apple intends to work with multiple transit card providers, one person said. The major players there include the Suica and Pasmo networks. Theoretically, virtual representations of the transit passes would be stored in the iPhone’s Wallet application, said the person, who asked not be identified because the planning is private. The card companies sell access to transit services both as needed and via monthly packages. Apple’s opportunity in Japan is significant, with the country alone representing 8 percent of the company’s total revenue and almost 11 percent of operating profit in the most recent quarter. Apple has planned to launch these new features with the next iPhone models, which the company is set to unveil in September, according to people familiar with the matter. However, the company could hold back the transit card feature to next year’s model if discussions with the Japan-based payment networks fall apart, one person said. Apple is already at work on a major redesign of the iPhone for 2017 that focuses more heavily on the display by removing the Home button, according to a person familiar with the matter. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. The FeliCa chip is able to process a transaction in 0.1 seconds, according to Sony. Super-swift transaction speeds are critical for adoption in the fast-paced environment of Japan’s transit network, the person said. Each sale over Apple Pay currently goes through a server and requires bank approval — which can slow the process. In addition to supporting the transit-pass network, the FeliCa chip can also store e-money, an electric form of currency now widely accepted at vending machines, convenience stores and cafes in Japan. Apple is in discussions with at least one major financial institution to support e-money transactions, according to one of the people. Apple Pay first launched in October 2014 in the U.S. with the iPhone 6 and has since expanded to Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, France, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.K. Apple Pay contributes to its rapidly growing services business, which grew 19 percent year-over-year to about $6 billion in the fiscal third quarter. Earlier this month, Apple struck a deal with KDDI to allow customers to bill iTunes purchases to their phone service bill instead of directly to their credit card. Apple’s deal with the carrier is indicative of Apple’s payment-related talks with firms in Japan and follows up its work on activating carrier-based iTunes billing in Germany, the U.K., Russia, Switzerland, and Taiwan. In tandem with the mobile payments launch, Apple is preparing to ship mass-transit navigation support for Japan in its iPhone Maps application, it said on its website in July. This feature, coming in iOS 10 later this year, lets users find departure and arrival times for transportation across the region.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/26/business/corporate-business/apple-plans-iphone-tap-pay-system-japans-trains-buses/

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Japan's Olympic delegation held a wrap-up ceremony at a Tokyo hotel on Thursday following a highly successful campaign at the Rio Games. Decathlete and Jap

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Japan Olympic delegation reflects on Rio success

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Japan’s Olympic delegation held a wrap-up ceremony at a Tokyo hotel on Thursday following a highly successful campaign at the Rio Games. Decathlete and Japan’s flagbearer at the Games, Keisuke Ushiro, handed back the flag to Japanese Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda before chef de mission Seiko Hashimoto made a speech in which she hailed the athletes’ efforts. Japan reached double-figure gold medals (12) for the first time since the Athens Games. The country also won eight silver and 21 bronze. “This is the result of the show of unity that Team Japan showed in the competitions,” said Hashimoto. “I want to offer my gratitude for the efforts that will lead to (the Tokyo Olympics in) 2020.” Takeda said, “The Japanese athletes’ good showing and the sportsmanship with which they faced competition showed dynamism to the world and provided inspiration and courage.” A total of 385 athletes and officials including delegation captain Saori Yoshida, who suffered a shock defeat in the women’s freestyle 53-kg final and settled for the silver medal, attended the ceremony. Tamayo Marukawa, minister in charge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, was also in attendance.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/25/olympics/summer-olympics/japan-olympic-delegation-reflects-rio-success/

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Platform-edge doors are appearing at many of Japan's busier railway stations to keep passengers from falling onto the tracks, but installation is taking ti

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Hurdles abound as Japan's railway stations install platform-edge barriers

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Platform-edge doors are appearing at many of Japan’s busier railway stations to keep passengers from falling onto the tracks, but installation is taking time. Problems range from the cost — up to ¥1 billion per station — to lack of space on platforms that need heavy structural remodeling. The transport ministry aims to have platform barriers set up at 800 stations by the end of fiscal 2020. But installation can only take place at night when trains are not running, and some stations simply do not have the space for teams to work. The doors were seen as a solution after a blind man fell from a platform and was killed by a train at Tokyo’s Mejiro Station on the Yamanote Line of East Japan Railway Co. in January 2011. There were 3,673 accidental platform falls nationwide in 2014, up some 50 percent from 2,442 in 2009. Around 80 incidents every year involve visually impaired people. Following the 2011 death, the ministry drew up guidelines for doors to be installed, placing priority on stations that handle more than 100,000 passengers per day. By April this year, the barriers had been set up at 665 stations. But of the 251 stations with more than 100,000 daily passengers, only 77 had them. Installation costs are split equally by railways, the central government and the governments of local communities where stations are located. There was a fatal fall on Japan’s oldest subway line, Tokyo Metro Co.’s Ginza Line, on Aug. 15. Barriers cannot be fitted quickly on the line as other work is needed, such as reinforcing the platform foundations and removing pillars from platforms. The line went into service in 1927. In the incident, a 55-year-old blind man accompanied by a guide dog fell from the platform of the subway line’s Aoyama-Itchome Station after apparently trying to skirt a pillar that interrupted a studded guide track for the visually impaired. He was hit and killed by an incoming train. JR East is erecting platform barriers at all 29 stations on the Yamanote Line at a cost of some ¥55 billion. The work has been completed at 24 stations. For the remaining five stations, including Tokyo, Shinjuku and Shibuya, a decision has not been made on when to install the barriers, due partly to large-scale station renovation projects. Another hurdle is the structure of train carriages themselves. West Japan Railway Co. uses train cars with three doors for passengers on either side and some with four doors, which makes it difficult to design barriers to suit all model designs. In 2014, JR West introduced a new wire fence-type platform barrier that drops into place from above, at Kobe’s Rokkomichi Station on the JR Kobe Line. JR West is installing the barrier at other stations. The barrier moves up when a train arrives so passengers can get on and off, and moves down when the train departs. It works regardless of the number of doors on the railway carriages. “Railways are trying to accelerate the installation of equipment to prevent accidental falls onto tracks, but it is difficult to substantially move up the schedules because there are physical limits, such as work periods,” a transport ministry official said. For now, the only way staff can try to prevent falls is to remind passengers verbally, the official said. Following the Ginza Line tragedy this month, the ministry set up a task force comprising officials from 16 railways and other entities. It held its first meeting Friday to discuss ways to prevent similar accidents. The task force aims to produce an interim report by the end of this year.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/30/national/hurdles-abound-japans-railway-stations-install-platform-edge-barriers/

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Instead of selling rosy high-growth scenarios, the Abe adminstration should present a concrete and credible road map for fiscal rehabilitation.

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Japan's shaky fiscal consolidation

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s priorities in his economic policies are clear and consistent — no fiscal rehabilitation without economic revival. In prioritizing economic growth and busting deflation over fiscal reconstruction, Abe has twice postponed the consumption tax hike to 10 percent through October 2019 but remains confident of achieving the government’s goal of eliminating the primary balance deficit by fiscal 2020. The problem is, his own government’s estimate shows that Japan, even after growing at a robust pace never seen in the past two decades and finally raising the consumption tax in 2019, would still be short of the deficit target by ¥5.5 trillion. Under a scenario of slower growth that’s closer to the nation’s growth potential, the deficit of national and local governments combined would top ¥9 trillion, according to the latest Cabinet Office estimate. With the nation’s fiscal health already the worst among major industrialized economies — and public debt at roughly double gross domestic product, the internationally proclaimed goal of a primary balance surplus by 2020 — which means the government will be able to finance its annual budget (excluding debt-servicing costs) without incurring new debt — will be of crucial importance for the credibility of Japan’s commitment to putting its fiscal house in order. Instead of just selling rosy high-growth scenarios, the Abe administration should present a concrete and credible road map for fiscal rehabilitation, which might entail politically tough cuts to expenditures, including some social welfare benefits, as well as increases in the public burden in terms of tax and social security premiums. One source of Abe’s confidence in his priorities is the government’s rising tax revenue under his watch — which appears to support his argument that increased tax revenue from economic growth (the “fruits of Abenomics”) will rebuild the nation’s fiscal health. The tax income of the national government indeed rose from ¥43.9 trillion in fiscal 2012 to ¥47 trillion in 2013, ¥54 trillion in 2014 and ¥56.3 trillion in 2015 — the highest in 24 years. His administration estimates that tax revenue will rise to ¥57.6 trillion in fiscal 2016, while the government will still rely on debt to pay for 36 percent of the annual expenses. Part of the revenue increase comes from higher income and corporate taxes due to wage gains, shareholder dividends and improved corporate earnings. It is also attributable to the 2014 consumption tax hike from 5 percent to 8 percent — without which it’s calculated that the fiscal 2015 tax revenue would have fallen to around ¥50 trillion. The question is whether the upward trajectory will continue. Tax revenue in fiscal 2015 fell short of the government’s forecast — by ¥140 billion — for the first time in seven years. Due to slowdowns in business earnings attributed to the yen’s rise, corporate tax revenue fell ¥200 billion from the previous year for the first year-on-year decline in six years — and fell short of the government’s forecast by ¥900 billion. With the prospect of corporate earnings clouded by the yen’s strength, there’s no guarantee fiscal 2016 revenue will match the government’s estimate. The Cabinet Office’s biannual forecast released last month estimates the primary balance deficit in fiscal 2018 at ¥10.5 trillion, or about 1.9 percent of GDP. The deficit estimate increased by ¥1.3 trillion from the previous forecast in January — reflecting Abe’s decision in June to delay the consumption tax hike to 10 percent from April 2017 to October 2019. The 2020 estimate of a ¥5.5 trillion deficit improved by ¥1 trillion from the January forecast by counting on the effects of planned spending cuts. But that assumes Japan’s economy will grow by at least 2 percent in real terms and 3 percent in nominal terms annually. Since Abe returned to the helm of the government, the nation’s GDP grew 2.0 percent in real terms in fiscal 2013, shrank 0.9 percent in 2014 and grew 0.8 percent in 2015. The GDP’s nominal growth has never reached 3 percent in the past 20 years. This suggests that the government will need to achieve more than faster growth to eliminate the deficit by 2020. In its annual review of Japan’s economy released this month, the International Monetary Fund said the target of a primary budget balance by 2020 — along with the Abe administration’s economic growth and inflation targets — “remain out of reach under current policies” and called for a “significant policy upgrade” of Abenomics. The IMF’s forecast of 0.3 percent real-term growth in Japan’s GDP in 2016 and 0.1 percent growth in 2017 — to be followed by sluggish growth close to its growth potential, believed to be roughly 0.5 percent, over the medium and longer term, highlights the optimistic tone of the administration’s 2 percent real-term growth scenario. The administration should not need the prodding by the IMF to reassess the credibility of its fiscal consolidation road map.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/25/editorials/japans-shaky-fiscal-consolidation/

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The obvious route to allowing Emperor Akihito's abdication would involve amending the Imperial Household Law, not constitutional change.

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Japan fumbles for the legal path to an 'Emprexit'

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Things got interesting earlier this month when Emperor Akihito addressed the nation to explain his desire to abdicate, without actually expressing a desire to abdicate. Not only that, but his intent was previously telegraphed to the nation through a scoop by NHK, the ultimate establishment broadcast media, which is usually being excoriated by more heroic journalists for meekly hewing to the government line. Also interesting was the Imperial Household Agency’s initial refutation of the scoop and declarations by anonymous sources elsewhere in the government that abdication was “impossible.” There was also grumbling — excruciatingly polite, of course — from conservative quarters. For example, in a July 16 Sankei Shimbun commentary, University of Tokyo Professor Emeritus and Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi) Vice-Chairman Keiichiro Kobori opined in exquisitely polite, obtuse terms that the Emperor should not — could not? — retire, as doing so would potentially destroy the Japanese kokutai (national polity). For the historically inclined, to even see the term “kokutai” make an appearance in this context is unnerving, as it is closely associated with the age of prewar fascism, when one could be jailed for even questioning the political order. The postwar Constitution is silent on the subject of abdication. Article 2 simply says, “the Imperial Throne shall be dynastic and succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial Household Law passed by the Diet.” What seems innocuous in English was revolutionary when written. In Japanese, the Imperial Household Law is not a “law” (hōritsu) but a tenpan (“canon”). Its predecessor, the “old IHL,” was not passed as a law through the Diet legislative process but promulgated in 1889 by the Emperor Meiji together with the nation’s first modern charter, the so-called Meiji Constitution. That constitution was bestowed by the Emperor upon his subjects and was very different in a number of important respects. For starters, the Emperor was an extra-constitutional figure, “sacred and inviolable,” and reserving the power to make law “with the consent of the Diet” — unless there was a national emergency, in which case the Emperor could rule by decree. (Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is currently seeking similar powers for the Cabinet through constitutional change.) The old IHL was more substantial than the current one, which like the Constitution is a product of the Occupation period. Those aspects of the Emperor’s role as the centerpiece of State Shinto — references to specific religious ceremonies and sacred regalia — were excised from the current IHL, reflecting the separation of government and religion mandated by the current Constitution. The old law even contained special rules for civil litigation among kōzoku (members of the Imperial family excluding the Emperor) and suits against kōzoku brought by commoners. Royals could only participate in the latter cases through representatives, being forbidden from dirtying themselves by appearing in court personally. Leave of the Emperor was also required in order to detain or summon any kōzoku to a court of law. The current law is silent on how royals factor into the judicial process. The few quirky cases that have touched on the issue provide little guidance. Whereas the old law addressed the finances of the Imperial household, these are today covered by a separate statute, the Imperial Household Finance Act. The American occupiers also sought to subjugate the Imperial family financially, stripping it of much of its wealth and making it dependent on the Diet for succor. (To prohibit the Imperial household from re-accumulating the vast wealth it had before the war, the Constitution also prohibits gifts or transfer of property to royals without Diet approval.) A practical difference between the old and new IHL regimes may simply be that the Imperial family used to be much larger. This was because in the past, kōzoku status transmitted down the male lineage indefinitely, even to those far removed from the throne. Moreover, under the old IHL, male Imperial children born out of wedlock could even inherit the throne. Both the Meiji and Taisho emperors were born to concubines. The current IHL limits succession to legitimate male heirs. The problem of possible kōzoku overpopulation was partially addressed in 1907 through a supplement to the IHL permitting lesser princes to descend to the realm of mere aristocrats. Misbehaving royals could also be stripped of their status as punishment. Princesses who married commoners also lost their royal status (as is still the case today). The real size reduction came during the Occupation, which saw 11 branches of the Imperial tree chopped off and 51 kōzoku reduced to commoners. Perhaps the Americans under Gen. Douglas MacArthur went too far; absent radical (=impossible) change, the Japanese monarchy may be reduced to a single nuclear family within a generation or two. This would be problematic. Despite his symbolic status, the Constitution actually requires rather a lot of the Emperor, as he indicated in his speech. The Emperor promulgates laws, hands out honors, receives ambassadors and so forth. If he is temporarily incapacitated or unavailable, by law the next member of the family in line may perform these duties as a temporary proxy. In the future there may not be enough adult royals to perform all of these roles and duties. The IHL thus started out as constitutional in its own right, a relationship illustrated Article 74 of the Meiji Constitution stating that Diet deliberations were not required to amend the IHL, but that the IHL could also not be used to amend the constitution. The two documents were essentially coequal charters for different spheres of the Japanese polity: the Imperial household and everyone else. This is why Article 2 of the Constitution was revolutionary: It unequivocally subjects the Emperor to the Diet. Although notionally subordinate to the Diet, the Emperor is also supposed to be pristinely apolitical. Whereas the old IHL could be changed without Diet involvement, under the current constitutional system, for the Emperor to even hint about his views on the subject means he is advocating a particular course of legislative action, an inherently political act. While the majority of Japanese are reportedly sympathetic to the Emperor’s predicament, some constitutional scholars have already expressed concern about setting a precedent for the use of Tennō no o-kimochi (the feelings of the Emperor) for political goals. But his may already be happening. On Aug. 7 the Sankei Shimbun and Fuji TV conducted a public opinion poll in which 84.7 percent of respondents said they favored amending the Constitution to allow the Emperor to abdicate. Given that amendment of the Constitution (as opposed to the IHL) may not actually be necessary to enable the Emperor to do so, this was more than a little misleading and suggests a pro-amendment agenda that lies elsewhere — in the tweaks that conservatives will doubtless wish to slip in “while we’re at it.” More recently, the Cabinet Legislation Bureau has reportedly expressed the view that constitutional amendment is necessary for abdication. Based on a seemingly strained reading of Article 1, which says the Emperor derives his position from the “will of the people,” this view comes a bit late, weeks after others have opined that no amendment is necessary, and reeks of “task-based” constitutional interpretation. This becomes more apparent when you look back at the CLB’s willingness to dramatically amend its views on the far more specific wording of Article 9. Commentators like professor Kobori have suggested a regency is the solution. A regency can be declared if the Emperor is incapacitated or a minor, in which case the constitutional duties are performed by the regent. Emperor Hirohito acted as regent during the last five years of the reign of his sickly father, the Taisho Emperor. Under the IHL the regent or proxy would typically be the next adult male in line to the throne. If no princes are available, empresses, empress-dowagers or princesses would be tapped to perform the role. This is about as close as a women can get to being an emperor under current Japanese law. Clearly a tremendous amount of thought went into drafting the IHL yet both the old and new versions are silent on the subject of abdication. The law does permit princesses and lesser princes above the age of 15 to abandon their kōzoku status. No such provisions are made for the Emperor, Crown Prince or other senior princes. This was not a careless oversight; after all, there are historical precedents for abdication. When the original IHL was drafted, there was reportedly rigorous debate about whether it should permit the order of Imperial succession to be changed if the person in line to inherit the throne was physically or mentally incompetent to do so. However, this would have opened the door to politicized dynastic struggles. The same logic presumably applies to abdication: It could potentially politicize emperors, both by enabling them to use the threat of abdication for political reasons, but also by making it possible to coerce them into retirement. Another objection to abdication seems to be that it would involve essentially acknowledging the status of Emperor to be that of a mere yakushoku, a job or role that can be cast off. Some conservatives seem still wedded to the Emperor being an indelible status with deeper significance, inextricably tied to the nation’s historical roots and religious traditions. Until Emperor Hirohito came out as a mere human in his Jan. 1, 1946 radio announcement, the polite fiction was that emperors were awarebito-gami — gods in human form. Now there’s some kokutai for you! For his own part, Emperor Akihito made his own views on the subject clear in his address by repeatedly describing what he does by using some variation of the term tsutome, a term generally used to refer to a role or function, not an embodiment. More recent reports indicate that the government is considering enacting a special law that would allow just Emperor Akihito to retire, rather than amending the IHL to permit abdication. Given that the Constitution mandates the IHL as the locus for the rules of succession, this would be an interesting compromise indeed. Such an approach would certainly have the merits of allowing the government to avoid dealing with other issues of the Imperial household, such as the fact that there is but a single male child in its youngest generation, and that even allowing Imperial princesses to keep their status after marriage won’t resolve this problem either, unless their children are also made eligible to carry on the lineage — something for which there is no historical precedent. Anyway, I personally am hoping the government opts for a regency as the solution. This is only because the Meiji Constitution prohibited constitutional amendments during a regency while the current Constitution contains no such impediments. Some of the conservatives plugging for constitutional amendment do so in part out of reverence for the Meiji charter and distaste for the current, supposedly defective one. So it would be fun seeing how they deal with that little conundrum. Colin P.A. Jones is a professor at Doshisha Law School in Kyoto. The views expressed are those of the author alone. Law of the Land usually appears on the second Monday Community Page of the month, but there will be no newspaper on Sept. 12. Comments: community@japantimes.co.jp

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Rickie Fowler is playing so well that he can't stop looking behind instead of considering the opportunity that lies ahead at The Barclays. His wedge to 5 f

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Fowler eyes victory, Ryder Cup spot

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Rickie Fowler is playing so well that he can’t stop looking behind instead of considering the opportunity that lies ahead at The Barclays. His wedge to 5 feet for a birdie on the 18th hole Saturday not only gave him a 3-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed, it was his 45th consecutive hole without a bogey at Bethpage Black, one of the strongest golf courses of the year. In three rounds, he has made only one bogey. That was on the ninth hole Thursday, a 4-foot putt that spun hard around the cup back at him. And yes, it still gnaws at him. “Unfortunately, that one bogey . . . it was more than a 180-degree lipout,” he said with a smile. “So it was basically like going 54 holes, no bogeys. Around this place, I’m happy about that. It’s been very close to having the game be where it is right now.” The timing could not be better for Fowler. He is in solid position to win for the first time on the PGA Tour in a year, and to play his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team. This is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots for the Ryder Cup matches at Hazeltine at the end of next month. Fowler was at No. 12 going into the opening FedEx Cup event and needed at least a third-place finish to earn a spot. “It’s nice to finally see some putts go in,” Fowler said. “With a few putts going in, it frees up the rest of your game. I’ve been swinging well for a long time, and I’ve been waiting for the putter to catch up.” Along with three birdies, he made a pair of 10-foot par putts and a 25-foot par putt in the third round. Fowler was at 9-under 204, and his work was not done. Not even close. Reed overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and was tied for the lead on the back nine until the final two holes. Reed missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th, and his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole almost missed weakly to the right. He still managed a 71. Right behind was Adam Scott, who also saw his share of putts go in, especially a 45-foot birdie on the 15th hole. Scott started out his round by holing a lob wedge from 98 yards for an eagle, and his 65 was the lowest score of the tournament. Scott, who hasn’t seriously contended since his back-to-back victories in Florida five months ago, was two shots behind at 7-under 206. Martin Laird (69) and Emiliano Grillo (71) were three shots back, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Justin Thomas (66) were in the group four shots back. Fowler won against a strong field in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, and he lost a two-shot lead with two holes to play in the Phoenix Open. Since then, he hasn’t been much of a factor as his ranking — in the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup — began to plunge. Not wanting to take a chance on being among the four captain’s picks, he has a chance Sunday to secure his spot for Hazeltine. “It’s pretty simple,” Fowler said. “I’ve got to take care of business tomorrow. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in this position. It’s going to be tough tomorrow. We’re on one of the — if not the — toughest golf courses we play all year. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s going to be fun.” Reed, dressed all in black on another scorching afternoon on Long Island, managed to escape with a bogey from a horrible lie right of the third green. He muffed a chip on the fifth hole and made bogey, then drove well right into a bunker and made another bogey on the sixth hole. He bounced back with a pair of birdies, and made all pars on the back nine. Considering the difficulty of the Black’s back nine, that was more than enough to stay in the game. Scott can relate to how Fowler is feeling with the putter. He had no complaints with how he played tee-to-green, but he was getting aggravated with his putting. One good round, finally, changed his outlook. “The front nine is the gettable nine, and to turn in 4 under set up my round,” Scott said. “I knew anything under par on the back, I would have a great round, and that was kind of my goal. I rolled a couple long ones in, and that felt good and kept the momentum going. Hopefully, something to build on for tomorrow and beyond.” Jordan Spieth scrambled his way out of the rough and the sand. Spieth didn’t hit a fairway from the second hole until the 15th, yet he still played even par. But on the par-3 17th, he flubbed a chip and took double bogey, and a birdie on the final hole gave him a 72. He was six shots behind.

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SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its members' banks as it pressured them to comply with security p

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SWIFT discloses more cyberthefts, pressures banks on security

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SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its members’ banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February’s high-profile $81 million heist at Bangladesh Bank. In a private letter to clients, SWIFT said new cybertheft attempts — some of them successful — have surfaced since June, when it last updated customers on a string of attacks discovered after the attack on the Bangladesh central bank. “Customers’ environments have been compromised, and subsequent attempts made to send fraudulent payment instructions,” according to a copy of the letter. “The threat is persistent, adaptive and sophisticated — and it is here to stay.” The disclosure suggests that cyberthieves may have ramped up their efforts following the Bangladesh Bank heist, and that they specifically targeted banks with lax security procedures for SWIFT-enabled transfers. The Brussels-based firm, a member-owned cooperative, indicated in Tuesday’s letter that some victims in the new attacks lost money but did not say how much was taken or how many of the attempted hacks succeeded. It did not identify specific victims but said the banks varied in size and geography and used different methods for accessing SWIFT. All the victims had one thing in common: security weaknesses that attackers exploited to compromise local networks and send fraudulent messages requesting money transfers. Accounts of the attack on Bangladesh Bank suggest that weak security procedures there made it easier to hack into computers used to send SWIFT messages requesting large money transfers. The bank lacked a firewall and used second-hand, $10 electronic switches to network those computers, according to the Bangladesh police. SWIFT has repeatedly pushed banks to implement new security measures that were rolled out after the Bangladesh heist, including stronger systems for authenticating users and updates to its software for sending and receiving messages. But it has been difficult for SWIFT to force banks to comply because the nonprofit cooperative lacks regulatory authority over members. SWIFT told banks Tuesday that it might report them to regulators and banking partners if they fail to meet a Nov. 19 deadline for installing the latest version of its software, which includes new security features designed to thwart the type of attacks described in its letter. The security features include technology for verifying credentials of people accessing a bank’s SWIFT system, stronger rules for password management and better tools for identifying attempts to hack the software. SWIFT is trying coerce members into prioritizing cybersecurity by threatening to share confidential information about security lapses that banks want to keep private, said Shane Shook, an independent security consultant who advises central banks. “That type of information-sharing is something that no bank likes to see happen without their direct approval and involvement, because it can affect market confidence,” Shook said. SWIFT disclosed the new hacks after reports of previous incidents prompted regulators in Europe and the United States to urge banks to bolster cybersecurity. Other cases involving fraudulent transfer requests include the theft of more than $12 million from Ecuador’s Banco del Austro and a failed attempt later in 2015 to steal money from Vietnam’s Tien Phong Bank. The attacks have prompted regulators globally to press banks to bolster defenses. The Bank of England in April ordered U.K. firms to detail actions to secure computers connected to the SWIFT system, while the European Banking Authority in May said domestic authorities should stress test banks for cyberrisks. The Federal Reserve and other U.S. agencies told banks in June to review protections against fraudulent money transfers. Six U.S. senators on Monday urged the G-20 nations to agree when they meet at a summit this weekend on a “coordinated strategy to combat cybercrime at critical financial institutions.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/31/business/tech/swift-discloses-cyberthefts-pressures-banks-security/

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In terms of zoos per capita, Japan is No. 1 in the world, despite the fact that attendance has been dropping for more than two decades.

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Japan zoos could be an endangered species

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Hanako, a female elephant at the Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo, died in May at the age of 69. The news was widely reported because Hanako was a famous fixture of the zoo, where, according to then-Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe, she “gave dreams and hopes to children,” a strange observation if you review Hanako’s long life. A friendship gift from Thailand to Japanese children in 1949, the elephant did not adapt readily to her new home at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo. In fact, she killed two men, one a zookeeper, the other a drunk trespasser. Difficult to control, she was chained up and lost weight. Eventually the zoo transferred Hanako to Inokashira, where the head zookeeper took special care of her. But while she gained back her weight and “started to show some affection,” the Tokyo Shimbun reported that her unpredictable nature reemerged, requiring she be fed “at a distance.” Last October, an English-language blogger named Ulara Nakagawa started writing posts about Hanako’s atrociously cramped living conditions. She contacted experts in other countries and a petition was circulated to send Hanako back to Thailand, where she could spend the rest of her days in more natural surroundings and be with other elephants, which live in herds. The petition collected 300,000 signatures. Visitors to the zoo who heard of this plan told the Mainichi Shimbun that Hanako should stay because she brought joy to local residents. Her zookeepers admitted that her living situation was not ideal due to budget constraints, but in any case she was too old to be moved. When Hanako died, Nakagawa wrote that maybe it was for the best, since now the animal was freed from her misery. Local residents wanted the zoo to replace her, even if it seemed obvious that a new elephant would simply inherit Hanako’s unhappy circumstances. Coincidentally or not, Yahoo News Japan posted a long article on Aug. 17 about the plight of Japanese zoos. Last year, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) made headlines when, at the urging of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), it told members they could no longer buy dolphins captured in the wild, specifically those caught during the infamous “Taiji drive hunts,” thus putting some in a difficult position. The problem was profitability. Most of the facilities affected by the ban were privately owned and operated. Dolphins were their main money-makers. Yahoo’s story is about public zoos, like Inokashira, so profits are not an issue. Eighty percent of the 89 JAZA member zoos are run by local governments. In terms of number of zoos, Japan is third in the world, after the U.S. and China, but in terms of zoos per capita, Japan is No. 1, despite the fact that attendance has been dropping for more than two decades. It peaked in 1991 at 65 million and is now about 40 million. The main reason is the changing makeup of leisure. From 1960 to 1990, zoos were one of the few reasonably priced recreation activities for families. They were deemed places of entertainment, mainly for children. Now kids have plenty of low-cost things to do. Municipal zoos operate under the Urban Parks Law, which means their animals are treated the same as other public park property, like benches and playground equipment. A former zookeeper told Yahoo that admission fees for city zoos are purposely kept low in Japan to encourage attendance, and those fees haven’t gone up in line with other consumer prices. Zoos now derive one-third of their budgets from admissions and the rest from tax money, and local assemblies don’t see much point in appropriating more funds for zoos if they’re not attracting people. As a result, many zoos in Japan are falling apart. Yahoo described one in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture — the fifth oldest zoo in Japan — as having small, dark enclosures with crumbling concrete floors. The zoo doesn’t even have enough money to repair what’s broken. Some zoos have repurposed their missions. Omuta Zoo in Fukuoka Prefecture has taken the edification route, and allows visitors to observe everything involved in the care of the animals, including health checkups, but attendance has only increased slightly. Larger zoos have used what extra budgets they can scrape together to improve the “environments” of their animals, following the trend in America, where animals live not in cages but rather in “habitats.” A zoo in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has done this, but it seems to be an exception. For most municipal zoos, space is greatly limited. Meanwhile, the animals age and die, and as with the dolphin ban, it’s becoming next to impossible for municipal zoos to replace them. According to a July 6 article in the Mainichi, Asian elephants like Hanako cost ¥13 million 20 years ago. Now, the price is ¥35 million. Polar bears went from ¥4 million to ¥60 million; gorillas from ¥3 million to ¥100 million. JAZA’s policy for replacement, reflecting WAZA’s, is to encourage domestic reproduction, which usually requires inter-zoo sharing of animals, and that can be quite expensive too. As University of Tokyo professor Naoyuki Kinoshita told the newspaper, the “postwar model of the public zoo” as an entertainment venue is no longer tenable when species are becoming endangered. Zoos should “convey the relationship between humans, history and wildlife in a given region,” meaning they should limit themselves to indigenous animals. He recommends all zoos be nationalized. One thing no one in Japan recommends is that zoos be phased out altogether. Internationally, zoo proponents argue that they are necessary for species preservation and education, but as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” so someday we will have to decide if it’s morally justifiable to confine wild animals for any reason. Certainly they should not be kept in spaces like the one Hanako endured, but it’s hard to make some people see that. Ulara Nakagawa reacted with pity and horror. Others, secure in their human entitlement and primed to be entertained, were too charmed to acknowledge the tragedy.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/27/national/media-national/japan-zoos-endangered-species/

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Joe Sakic had to rush his coaching search after the abrupt resignation of Patrick Roy. He doesn't believe the Colorado Avalanche rushed their hire. After i

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Avs hire minor league vet Bednar to replace Roy as coach

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Joe Sakic had to rush his coaching search after the abrupt resignation of Patrick Roy. He doesn’t believe the Colorado Avalanche rushed their hire. After interviewing candidates with varying degrees of NHL coaching experience, Sakic ultimately chose Jared Bednar as the team’s new coach. Bednar spent the past 14 seasons as a minor league coach, most recently winning the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters, and the previous nine as a minor league player,. “We knew we were in a rush situation, but I wanted to do what I thought was the best thing for the franchise,” Sakic said on a conference call Thursday. “I look at the track record and I place a lot of value in winning championships. I know Jared’s won in the (ECHL) and he just won a Calder Cup. It’s tough to win in any league and to able to win you’ve got to be doing something right.” While Roy, who resigned as coach and vice president of hockey operations on Aug. 11, is a Hall of Fame goaltender with a firebrand personality, the 44-year-old Bednar is a “demanding” coach whom Sakic said players respect and play for. He paid his dues as a journeyman minor league defenseman in his playing days and did the same in coaching before Roy’s departure made for a surprise NHL opening. Bednar coached five different minor league teams, including the South Carolina Stingrays, who won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in 2009. He doesn’t see his lack of NHL head coaching experience as a weakness, nor his process of getting there. “It hasn’t been an overnight thing. It’s taken some time and I think that all my stops along the way have helped prepare me for this,” said Bednar, who signed a three-year contract. “I’ve never been trying to get on a fast track to get to the NHL. I feel like the goal is to do a good job where you are and be consistent and hone your craft and that’s what I’ve been working on over the years.” Bednar got the nod from Sakic over Washington Capitals assistant Lane Lambert, Chicago Blackhawks assistant and former Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen and others. Sakic’s playing experience winning two Stanley Cups under Marc Crawford and Bob Hartley helped him decide that NHL head coaching experience wasn’t a must. Based on the Avalanche’s talent up front with centers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog, Sakic wanted someone who could coach in the fast, modern NHL and work with young players. Bednar showed that in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, impressing John Tortorella early in his tenure with the big club. Tortorella told me “I don’t know who (Bednar) is, but every time he sends me a guy, he’s ready to play,” Blue Jackets assistant GM Bill Zito said in a phone interview. “I remembered it when he said it and I never forgot it.” Sakic and Bednar thanked the Blue Jackets for being open to the hiring process in August, long after most vacancies are filled. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen said he’s happy for Bednar and while the timing may not be ideal the team is always supportive of people in the organization moving forward in their careers.

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The U.S. Marine Corps' new commander for the Pacific said Friday he aims to advance his predecessor's work helping allies and partners develop their skills

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New Pacific U.S. Marine leader vows to keep up work with allies amid assertive moves by China

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The U.S. Marine Corps’ new commander for the Pacific said Friday he aims to advance his predecessor’s work helping allies and partners develop their skills storming beaches and moving forces ashore. Lt. Gen. David Berger made the comments after assuming command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific from Lt. Gen. John Toolan. Berger said he will make sure his new command understands what capabilities its allies want and need and how the U.S. Marines can help them. Toolan told reporters there’s growing interest in amphibious capabilities in the Pacific because of China’s land-reclamation efforts in the South China Sea, where several nations have contested territorial claims. “The Vietnamese, the Filipinos, all those guys have a vested interest in the Spratlys, the Paracels. So they want to protect their sovereign territory,” Toolan said. “And amphibious is the way to handle islands.” Marine Forces Pacific includes units in California, Hawaii, Japan and South Korea. Some are in Australia on a six-month rotation. Berger most recently served as the commander of a marine expeditionary force at Camp Pendleton in California. Toolan was retiring after 40 years in the Marine Corps. “The momentum that he’s generated — I need to make sure that that doesn’t stall,” Berger said. Toolan told reporters that helping Japan, Australia and South Korea develop their amphibious operations had been one of his top accomplishments. Toolan also pointed to the work the marines have done to help the Philippines military build its army so it can defend its territory and address internal security challenges. He cited the growth of what he called a “community of interest” in amphibious operations. The U.S. has been working with two dozen nations interested in developing amphibious skills, bringing them together for conferences and exercises. “It is paying huge benefits for us. And in the long run it will help us give them areas to focus on while we focus on the high end,” he said. Brad Glosserman, executive director of the think tank Pacific Forum CSIS, said Berger will have to ensure his new command’s warfighting capabilities remain sharp amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. “The tip of the spear, which the marines tend to be, needs of course to be sharp,” Glosserman said. “That’s the immediate concern that he’s got. You’re always concerned about your warfighting capability.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/27/asia-pacific/new-pacific-u-s-marine-leader-vows-keep-work-allies-amid-assertive-moves-china/

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Sept. 7-Oct. 30 This upcoming exhibition celebrating Japan's Meiji Era (1868-1912) aims to live up to its name by setting out to amaze even the most erudit

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'Meiji Kogei: Amazing Japanese Art'

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Sept. 7-Oct. 30 This upcoming exhibition celebrating Japan’s Meiji Era (1868-1912) aims to live up to its name by setting out to amaze even the most erudite of art and culture fans. More than 100 works of traditional crafts from Meiji Japan — including netsuke, lacquerware, sculpture and other artisanal objects — will find a temporary home at Tokyo’s University Art Museum. All of the pieces on display are on loan from the private Taiwanese Peian Sung Collection and are being shown in Japan for first time. One highly anticipated highlight is the jizai okimono display — a selection of 24 remarkably detailed and articulated small metal figures in the form of mythical creatures, insects and crustaceans. The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts; 12-8 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo. Nezu Stn. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥1,300. Closed Mon. 03-5777-8600; www.geidai.ac.jp museum

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The maturation of Julio Urias is coming along quickly for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 20-year-old rookie from Mexico allowed one run over six innings, Cor

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Urias puts growth on display against Cubs

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The maturation of Julio Urias is coming along quickly for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 20-year-old rookie from Mexico allowed one run over six innings, Corey Seager set a Dodgers franchise record for a shortstop with his 23rd home run and Los Angeles defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Saturday to even the series between NL division leaders. Urias (5-2) pitched better at home than the last time he faced the Cubs. The left-hander made his second career start in Chicago on June 2 and gave up six runs — five earned — and eight hits in five innings while serving up three homers. This time, he allowed six hits and tied a career high with eight strikeouts and two walks. He is 4-0 in six games (four starts) since the All-Star break. “He kept getting stronger and executing better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s a quiet confidence. He’s being more aggressive. Early on, he was trying to understand the major league strike zone. He can trust his stuff and be more aggressive in the strike zone.” The defense backed Urias with two double plays. “It gives me a lot of confidence,” he said through a translator. “A couple starts ago I started picking up my confidence. In the beginning I felt strange. Now I feel like I belong here and that’s the biggest difference.” Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 38th save a day after allowing a run on a wild pitch in the ninth in a 6-4, 10-inning loss. “I didn’t have a lot of hours of sleep last night, letting my teammates down,” Jansen said. “I got to figure out how to be aggressive all the time out there.” The Cubs’ four-game winning streak ended behind the shortest outing of the season from Jason Hammel (13-7). He gave up three runs and five hits in 2⅓ innings. “Jason wasn’t happy when I took him out. He didn’t want to go, but I didn’t see things straightening out,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I’m not concerned about him and it’s not a lack of confidence in him.” Hammel was coming off a poor performance against Colorado, allowing a season-high 10 runs (six earned) in 3⅓ innings of an 11-4 loss. He remained winless in nine career games (six starts) at Dodger Stadium. “Joe and I talked after the game about it but it’s not a topic for discussion in the newspapers,” Hammel said. “There’s nothing wrong with me mechanically. I’m fine.” Braves 3, Giants 1 In San Francisco, Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer and Mike Foltynewicz pitched 7⅔ strong innings. Rockies 9, Nationals 4 (11) In Washington, Charlie Blackmon hit two home runs, including the go-ahead shot in the 11th inning, and Colorado beat the Nationals to snap a four-game losing streak. Mets 12, Phillies 1 In New York, Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run homer, Kelly Johnson had a pinch-hit grand slam and Noah Syndergaard pitched two-hit ball over seven innings. Reds 13, Diamondbacks 0 In Phoenix, Anthony DeSclafani threw a four-hitter and Scott Schebler homered twice. Padres 1, Marlins 0 In Miami, Ryan Schimpf homered, Clayton Richard pitched seven innings and San Diego beat the Marlins to snap a four-game losing streak. Pirates 9, Brewers 6 In Milwaukee, pinch hitter Gregory Polanco had a tiebreaking three-run double and Pittsburgh overcame a four-run deficit. INTERLEAGUE Athletics 3, Cardinals 2 In St. Louis, Khris Davis hustled home on an infield grounder in the eighth inning and Oakland rallied for two runs to beat the Cardinals. Yankees 13, Orioles 5 In New York, rookie Gary Sanchez kept up a most remarkable run, homering for the third straight game to help the Yankees rout Baltimore. Red Sox 8, Royals 3 In Boston, Dustin Pedroia had four hits to extend his streak to 11 at-bats before bouncing into a double play with a chance to tie the major league record in the Red Sox’s win over Kansas City. Angels 3, Tigers 2 In Detroit, Kaleb Cowart hit his second career home run and C.J. Cron added an RBI single for the Angels. Tigers stars Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez were ejected, along with manager Brad Ausmus and hitting coach Wally Joyner in a series of balls-and-strikes disputes. Rangers 7, Indians 0 In Arlington, Texas, Mitch Moreland’s grand slam capped a five-run first inning for the Rangers and A.J. Griffin pitched six strong frames. Blue Jays 8, Twins 7 In Toronto, Melvin Upton Jr. hit an RBI triple and continued home on a misplay in the eighth inning, completing AL East-leading Toronto’s rally from a five-run deficit. Astros 6, Rays 2 In Houston, rookie Alex Bregman homered and had three RBIs, and Dallas Keuchel threw seven solid innings. White Sox 9, Mariners 3 In Chicago, Jose Abreu hit the first of the White Sox’s four runs, and Jose Quintana threw 7⅔ solid innings.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will tour the Great Wall, shoot hoops with retired basketball star Yao Ming and meet with female entrepreneurs when

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Canada's Trudeau prepares to mount charm offensive in China

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will tour the Great Wall, shoot hoops with retired basketball star Yao Ming and meet with female entrepreneurs when he travels to China in the coming week to bolster trade and diplomatic ties, his office said Friday. There will also be meetings with President Xi Jinping and senior government officials during the trip from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6, which will include stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Trudeau will also travel to Hangzhou for a summit meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers on Sept. 4 and 5. Ordinary Chinese citizens can expect to see the playful leader pose for selfies with locals and reach out to them through social media, as he has done everywhere he has gone since being elected to Canada’s highest office late last year. “The prime minister has a WeChat and Weibo account, and we will be using these during the trip,” a senior government official said, referring to two popular social-media platforms in China. But the trip, made at the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang, comes as a handful of trade irritants and other stresses weigh on the relationship. These include Chinese plans to impose new rules on canola imports to protect against crop disease, potentially affecting oilseed sales to China worth 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.5 billion) annually. Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, who will be accompanying Trudeau, said this past week that the bilateral relationship cannot improve until the matter is resolved. The detention of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt in 2014 on espionage charges also looms over the visit. He had run a Christian-themed coffee shop near the North Korean border. China, meanwhile, is seeking a lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership of Canadian oil-sands leases. “What we need with China is to reset the relationship a little bit,” Trudeau told reporters. “The previous government went from hot to cold and didn’t have the robust engagement to allow for covering of a broad range of topics in strong and meaningful ways. “We look forward to engaging with China on the economic files and allowing greater access to the growing Chinese middle-class market for Canadian products and goods and services. But also, we’ll be engaging in a strong and robust way how China can improve human rights, governance and democracy issues in a way that’s consistent with its desire to improve its reputation on the world stage.” A senior government official underscored the importance of the visit. “Canada’s future prosperity is increasingly tied to China,” the official told reporters. “To grow its economy … it’s imperative that Canada renew its relationship with China.” Trudeau will also seek cooperation with China on climate change and other global issues, press for increased tourism from China and urge Chinese business leaders to boost their investments in Canada. He will meet privately with managers of the Chinese conglomerate Fosun, which purchased a minority stake in Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil last year.

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A day after his fielding error cost his team the Pacific League lead, Yuki Yanagita helped power them back on top as the Fukuokoa SoftBank Hawks clobbered

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Hawks' Yanagita atones for Thursday miscue in series-opening triumph over Marines

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A day after his fielding error cost his team the Pacific League lead, Yuki Yanagita helped power them back on top as the Fukuokoa SoftBank Hawks clobbered the Chiba Lotte Marines 11-3 on Friday night. With two outs and none on in the first inning, Yanagita homered to start a four-run outburst that was all Hawks starter Tsuyoshi Wada would need. On Thursday against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Yanagita’s attempt to make a sliding catch in shallow center during the ninth inning turned a single into a three-run, inside-the-park homer that had cost the Hawks the game in a 7-5 loss. “I blew it yesterday,” said Yanagita, who went 2-for-5 with four RBIs in the series opener against the Marines. “My goal today was to put that behind me and come out ready to compete. I’m glad that led to good results.” Wada surrendered four hits and hit a batter over eight innings, while striking out eight. The two runs he allowed came on solo homers by Alfredo Despaigne. Wada improved to 14-4 to lead both leagues in wins, but despite his team being in second place for the first time in over four months, he said this start was no different. “I just took the mound the same as always,” Wada said. “Today my form was not that good, but I was encouraged by Gita’s home run. I did give up home runs to Despaigne, but I did well overall.” After Yanagita homered, a Seiichi Uchikawa double and a walk rebooted the SoftBank offense against Lotte right-hander Ayumu Ishikawa (12-5). Back-to-back doubles by Nobuhiro Matsuda and Tomoaki Egawa completed the four-run inning. Ishikawa allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks over three innings. Lions 7, Fighters 1 At Omiya Stadium, Yusei Kikuchi (10-5) allowed a run in five-plus innings — when he left the game with a blister on his foot — and Takeya Nakamura homered twice as Seibu beat Hokkaido Nippon Ham to knock the Fighters out of first place. Eagles 4, Buffaloes 3 At Sendai’s Kobo Stadium, Tohoku Rakuten’s bullpen threw 2-2/3 scoreless innings and Carlos Peguero broke a 3-3, eighth-inning tie with his second homer of the season as the Eagles came from behind to beat Orix. CENTRAL LEAGUE BayStars 11, Giants 5 At Yokohama Stadium, Yomiuri ace Tetsuya Utsumi (8-4) had a night to forget — allowing eight hits and six runs in the first inning — in a one-sided loss to Yokohama, which had six-straight, two-out RBI singles in the opening frame. Swallows 5, Tigers 3 At Koshien Stadium, Atsushi Ugumori hit his first career grand slam, singled in another run and Tokyo Yakult held on to beat Hanshin, which failed in its bid to win five straight games for the first time this season. Carp 3, Dragons 2 At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi had a runner thrown out at the plate in the eighth, allowing Hiroshima reliever Jay Jackson (5-4) to work around a leadoff single, a double and a walk. Ryosuke Kikuchi singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth as the league-leading Carp came from behind for the second straight night.

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A health ministry panel on Wednesday called for a ban on smoking indoors in public spaces, including restaurants. In a report, the Health, Labor and Welfar

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Health ministry urges smoking ban for restaurants, other indoor spaces

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A health ministry panel on Wednesday called for a ban on smoking indoors in public spaces, including restaurants. In a report, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry linked passive smoking to a range of deadly diseases, saying designated smoking spaces only harbor the problem rather than eliminate it. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government wants to combat passive smoking ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Tobacco White Paper revises a document that has remained untouched for 15 years. In the report, the ministry for the first time correlates secondhand smoke with disease at four risk levels and cites data for its analysis. At Level 1, the highest risk level, it links passive smoking to diseases such as lung cancer, heart attack, cerebral embolism and childhood asthma. Until now, the ministry has said it prefers a blanket ban in public places, but the report said having designated smoking rooms does not prevent the leakage of cigarette smoke and inflicts passive smoking on cleaning staff. Japan should “aim at a 100 percent ban on smoking indoors” instead of setting up smoking rooms, the report said. The report cites a World Health Organization estimate showing secondhand smoking causes around 15,000 deaths annually in Japan, making it one of the worst for inaction on passive smoking.

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At an international meeting in Nairobi on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to support a call for giving a permanent seat on the U.N. Securi

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Abe to call for permanent U.N. Security Council seat for an African country

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At an international meeting in Nairobi on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to support a call for giving a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council to an African country. In the speech at the start of the two-day summit of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), Abe was to pledge joint efforts by Japan’s public and private sectors to assist stable regional development. Abe was to say that holding the first TICAD meeting in Africa marks the beginning of a new page. The TICAD meeting is being jointly sponsored by Japan, the United Nations and other organizations. Abe was to say that Japan bears responsibility for making Africa a place respecting freedom, the rule of law and the market economy as well as keeping it free from force and threats, apparently highlighting Japan’s differences from China, which is also promoting African development. He also was to stress that Japan wants to work with Africa to make the sea between Asia and Africa a peaceful ocean governed by rules, warning against China’s growing maritime assertiveness. Abe was to unveil concrete steps to help African countries address a series of problems, including slumping commodities prices, a spread of infectious diseases such as Ebola and terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. He also was to pledge support for Japanese companies expanding into Africa. He is being accompanied by a large delegation of officials from some 80 Japanese companies and organizations. He also was to unveil a plan to set up a public-private forum to promote economic cooperation with Africa.

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It's one hot night near the end of summer somewhere in leafy suburban America, and a bunch of high school kids — from baby-faced freshmen to confident seni

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'The Myth of the American Sleepover': Missing some identifying teen spirit

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It’s one hot night near the end of summer somewhere in leafy suburban America, and a bunch of high school kids — from baby-faced freshmen to confident seniors — ride bikes out to their favorite swimming holes, cruise around in cars blaring tunes, wander from house to house thinking that the next party will be better and, with the help of alcohol, try to get sloppy enough to make out with someone. They’re all restless, not realizing that years from now, they’re going to look back at this aimless freedom as “the best days of their lives.” This bittersweet combination of nostalgia and loss has fueled any number of classic coming-of-age flicks, from “American Graffiti” to “Dazed & Confused,” and director David Robert Mitchell aims for similar territory with his 2010 debut, “The Myth of the American Sleepover,” which is only now getting released at the Tollywood theater in Shimokitazawa, Aug. 27-Sept. 9, presumably thanks to the success of his sophomore film, “It Follows.” “Sleepover” benefits from having been made while Mitchell’s memories were still fresh; he wrote the movie right after finishing grad school and shot it on a lean $30,000 budget with a cast of unknowns. Like Richard Linklater did in “Dazed & Confused,” Mitchell prioritizes capturing what it really felt like to be a teen — that sense of wanting something more but not knowing exactly what — and rejects the usual stereotypes of high school movies and TV dramas. The Myth of the American Sleepover ( Amerikan Suripuoba ) Rating 3 out of 5 Run Time 96 mins Language English Opens AUG 27 Mitchell is great at capturing the awkwardness of the teen years: One perfect scene has a boy and a girl pushing carts down a supermarket aisle; he’s clearly checking her out, and she knows it, but he waits till the last second as they pass to make eye contact and flash a flirty smile. You realize they’re both trying to act cool, like it isn’t their moms who are sifting through the shelves a little farther down the aisle. “The Myth of the American Sleepover” features plenty of what it promises: sleepovers, those parent-free rituals of teenage bonding. An Altman-size cast of kids — who really do look young — head off to slumber parties with pajamas and sleeping bags in tow; the girls gossip and break out some coke and a ouija board, while the boys watch a slasher movie and listlessly leaf through dirty magazines. More than one kid suggests that sleepovers are lame. But, as Scott (Brett Jacobsen), a college senior who feels like his life ended in high school, puts it, a sleepover is “the kind of thing you miss when you’re too old to do it anymore.” Scott is hardly a wise elder: Feeling blue from a bad breakup with his girlfriend since high school, he drives off in search of a pair of cute twins whom he hasn’t spoken to since his senior prom. He seems convinced that only another teenage daydream will make things right. Similarly, Rob (Marlon Morton), a blank-faced 14-year-old in cargo shorts, spends the entire night trying to track down his supermarket sweetheart, plodding morosely through backyards and darkened streets. The director sees both Scott and Rob as romantics, but more than a few viewers will find their fixations a bit creepy and borderline stalker. Claire Sloma’s trouble-seeking freshman Maggie and Amanda Bauer’s “new girl in town” Claudia wind up in more recognizable mishaps, getting too drunk and fighting with friends over boys. “Sleepover” is evocative but a little underwhelming. With “Dazed & Confused”, “American Graffiti” or even “16 Candles,” the music, fashion and behavior is iconic, immediately placing you in a specific point in time. With “Sleepover”, it’s all fuzzy: a girl’s facial piercing and the generic-yet-obscure “alt-rock” on the car stereos hint that it’s sometime past the mid-’90s, but the total lack of cellphone, pager or online interaction feels strange. This lack of a unifying generational identity may well be the defining aspect of millennials, but it sure doesn’t make for much of a movie.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/24/films/film-reviews/myth-american-sleepover-missing-identifying-teen-spirit/

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Kris Johnson took over the Central League lead in wins, allowing two runs in six innings before the Hiroshima Carp battered the Yokohama BayStars bullpen i

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Carp clobber BayStars to clinch postseason berth

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Kris Johnson took over the Central League lead in wins, allowing two runs in six innings before the Hiroshima Carp battered the Yokohama BayStars bullpen in an 8-2 win on Tuesday night. The Carp, who are chasing their first CL pennant since 1991, remain 11 games ahead of the second-place Yomiuri Giants and clinched a berth in the postseason. Before 31,689 at Mazda Stadium and wearing their red-chili makkageki uniforms, the Carp opened the scoring in the second on a two-run Ryuhei Matsuyama homer off Shoichi Ino (6-10). Yoshihiro Maru tripled in another run in the fifth on a two-out drive that was nearly caught in dead center. “I was just trying to advance the runner as usual, and I got jammed a bit,” said Matsuyama of his eighth home run. “But I swung so hard that it carried out for me.” Johnson (13-6) scattered nine hits and a walk, while striking out three. A leadoff walk in the fourth led to one run, and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo hit his 37th homer of the year to lead off the sixth to make it a 3-2 game. The BayStars then threatened to tie it with a double and a one-out single, but couldn’t score against Johnson, who had been tied with teammate Yusuke Nomura for the league lead in wins. Zach Petrick, who kept Hiroshima off the board in the sixth, surrendered three straight singles to open what became a five-run seventh. Tomohiro Abe provided the big blow in the inning with a two-out, two-run homer. Giants 5, Swallows 2 At Fukui Stadium, Shuichi Murata’s second RBI single broke a 2-2, third-inning tie and Tomoyuki Sugano (8-6) allowed two runs in seven innings as Yomiuri snapped a five-game losing skid and Tokyo Yakult lost to end a five-game winning streak. Dragons 9, Tigers 3 At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi catcher Shota Sugiyama hit a first-inning grand slam off Hanshin’s Shintaro Fujinami (6-10), and Raul Valdes (6-5) allowed three runs — two earned — in five innings to earn the victory. PACIFIC LEAGUE Hawks 6, Lions 3 At Tokorozawa’s Seibu Prince Dome, Fukuoka SoftBank’s Shota Takeda (12-6) worked seven innings and Yuya Hasegawa capped a tie-breaking three-run seventh inning with a two-run homer off Seibu ace Takayuki Kishi (7-7). Buffaloes 6, Marines 4 At Chiba’s QVC Marine Field, Masataka Yoshida’s solo homer off Jason Standridge (6-8) broke a 3-3 tie and sparked a three-run sixth as last-place Orix beat Chiba Lotte. Eagles 9, Fighters 2 At Tokyo Dome, Tohoku Rakuten knocked Hokkaido Nippon Ham starter Anthony Bass (6-8) around for eight runs in four-plus innings. Eagles starter Yasunori Kikuchi (1-0) allowed eight hits, including two homers, and four walks but just two runs in six innings.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/30/baseball/japanese-baseball/carp-clobber-baystars-clinch-postseason-berth/

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His policies resulted in the deaths of an estimated 45 million Chinese, yet Mao Zedong remains the symbol of both the party and the state 40 years after his passing.

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Recalling the staggering cost of Mao's misrule

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Friday, Sept. 9, marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Mao Zedong, who led the communist revolution to victory in 1949 and, after that, created turmoil in the country through one political movement after another, leading to widespread starvation. Despite causing the deaths of tens of millions of Chinese, he was worshiped as the “Great Teacher, Great Leader, Great Supreme Commander, and Great Helmsman.” Mao’s embalmed body still lies in Tiananmen Square and his portrait still adorns the wall there. He remains the symbol of both the party and the state. That, no doubt, explains why there are people planning to hold concerts in his honor in Sydney and Melbourne in September. The anniversary provides an opportunity to evaluate his role in history. Five years after Mao’s death in 1976, the Communist Party of China adopted a resolution on “certain questions” within the Communist Party since it gained power in 1949. In its appraisal of its 32 years in power, the party concluded that it had “very successfully led the whole people in carrying out socialist revolution and socialist construction.” But then, when you read the small print, a somewhat different story emerges. The resolution dealt with the struggles within the party, while not dwelling on the impact on ordinary people. Thus, while acknowledging that there had been “errors” in the Great Leap Forward campaign and the introduction of communes in the late 1950s, it did not disclose the scale of the disaster. Only in recent years, largely because of the work of scholars such as Yang Jisheng and Frank Dikotter, do we know that there were “at least” 45 million deaths. The party knew, of course, but it said nothing. Deaths of people were irrelevant compared to inner-party struggles. As far as the party was concerned, the issue was one between Mao and a so-called anti-party group headed by Peng Dehuai and Huang Kecheng. As a result, “our economy encountered serious difficulties between 1959 and 1961.” But no deaths were mentioned. At the time, while Chinese people were starving, Beijing was exporting food to Africa to gain political goodwill. The party’s post-Mao leadership concluded that Mao had confused right and wrong in the Cultural Revolution, “confusing the people with the enemy.” But despite the enormity of his mistakes and the toll taken in terms of human lives, the party concluded that the grave error of the Cultural Revolution “was the error of a great proletarian revolutionary.” That is to say, even Mao’s errors showed that he was a great man. Future Chinese leaders need have no fear. The bigger their mistakes, the greater their glory as revolutionary leaders! Given Mao’s record, one wonders how history would have assessed him differently if he departed the scene before 1976. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, while I was based in Beijing, there were already people who felt that history would have been kinder to him if he had not lived to the ripe old age of 82. Indeed, it was said that if Mao had died before 1966, that is, before the Cultural Revolution, he would have been comparable to Stalin. If he had died before 1957, before the Great Leap Forward, he would have been the equivalent of Lenin, an even greater man. And if he had died before 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established, he would have been seen as the equivalent of Marx. But he lived to be 82 and during his years in power caused so much death and destruction that he was viewed by many as Mao the monster. But what if Mao had lost the civil war and the Nationalist Party of Chiang Kai-shek had emerged triumphant? What would China be like today? We can’t be sure how things would have developed, but there certainly would not have been the mass political campaigns, with tens of millions of deaths, that characterized Mao’s rule. Sun Yat-sen, Chiang’s mentor, believed in democracy, after a period of tutelage. The Communist Party denounced Chiang for being a dictator and promised democracy. But, once in power, the Communists perpetuated one-party rule. They haven’t loosened their grip since. For example, in 1944, the Communist Party paper Xinhua Ribao published an editorial on genuine universal suffrage,” arguing that “not only must the right to vote be ‘universal’ and ‘equal,’ but the right to be elected must also be ‘universal’ and ‘equal.’ ” Today, after 72 years in power, it insists on vetting candidates for chief executive in Hong Kong. History is the great revealer of truth. Frank Ching is a journalist and political commentator based in Hong Kong.

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A new passenger jet being developed by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. left Nagoya for the United States on Saturday for flight tests but soon returned to the ai

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Mitsubishi Regional Jet leaves for test flights in U.S. but soon returns due to defect

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A new passenger jet being developed by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. left Nagoya for the United States on Saturday for flight tests but soon returned to the airport due to defects in the air-conditioning system, the company said. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet, which has been mired in a series of development delays, left Nagoya at around 11:50 a.m. for its first stop in Hokkaido but returned an hour later. The aircraft had been expected to arrive at Grant County International Airport in Washington state on Monday following refueling stops in Russia and Alaska, according to Mitsubishi Aircraft, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. A total of 2,500 hours of flight tests are required for the MRJ to obtain safety certification. The company plans to conduct most of the flights in the United States, as Grant County is known for sunny days throughout the year. The development of the MRJ, Japan’s first domestically produced jet, has suffered delays due to changes in the design, manufacturing process and parts. The jetliner for short- to medium-haul flights made its maiden flight last November in Japan. But the first delivery to ANA Holdings Inc. has been pushed back by around a year until mid-2018.

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The Kremlin on Tuesday announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Japan that was news to Tokyo. "Putin's long-delayed visit to Japan will take place

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Kremlin blindsides Tokyo with premature announcement of Putin visit

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The Kremlin on Tuesday announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Japan that was news to Tokyo. “Putin’s long-delayed visit to Japan will take place in December,” presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters in Moscow. “The dates of the visit have already been agreed.” Japanese officials scrambled to make sense of it. Officially, they said, the schedule remains undetermined. Asked if Moscow is trying to force Tokyo’s hand, one senior official said he could not speculate. One Russia-based international relations analyst said it may have been a mistake, as Moscow has no reason to pressure Tokyo or to offend it. The announcement came a day after Tokyo hinted at a shift of focus from resolving a bilateral territorial standoff to investing in Russia, particularly its neglected Far East. This would push the right buttons in Moscow, said Victoria Panova, director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Panova said making Russia’s far-flung regions self-sufficient is now a policy priority for the Russian government, and there are few barriers to entry. “Russia doesn’t bear negative feelings towards Japan, as could be the case with other Asia neighbors,” she said. “This should be exploited as a good opportunity.” Japanese government sources on Tuesday said the investment may include the energy sector and equipping a medical center. Also Tuesday, a Russian newspaper reported that the Kremlin has spent the past several months preparing a list of projects in which it wants Japanese investment.The Kommersant daily said the list will be presented to the Japanese side when leaders meet this week at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Last week, a former Russian ambassador to Japan told Kommersant that Japan’s expansion of engagement with Russia marks a de facto exit from sanctions, prioritizing Tokyo’s geopolitical interests over solidarity with Washington. “For Tokyo, the key task now is not to allow Russia and China to unite on an anti-Japanese basis,” the diplomat, Alexander Panov, was quoted as saying. The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said Tokyo and Moscow are free to define their own relationship but underscored continued concerns about Russia’s actions in Ukraine. “It’s still not time for, quote unquote, business as usual with Russia across a wide variety of sectors,” department spokesman John Kirby said. Some analysts in Russia say Japan regards China’s economic inroads in Russia, Central Asia and elsewhere with envy and wants access before the most profitable projects are snapped up. “Japan sees its vital national interest to provide an alternative to Chinese dominance in this relationship and give Putin another option,” said Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Moscow Center. Moscow may also realize the limits of its reach. A government initiative offering free land to settlers moving to the Far East was derided as involving plots too small to farm, and that the best ones seemed snapped up by insiders. There is also some social discontent. In one example, a petition last month urged Putin to do something about the high cost of air travel to Moscow, according to the Russian Vladnews news agency. Japan’s chief government spokesman said Putin’s visit will be a topic of discussion when leaders meet in the next few days. “I think (the two countries) will finalize the date through such opportunities as summit meetings,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to meet Putin on Friday in Vladivostok. They will also attend the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China, next week. The Vladivostok talks will touch on both Putin’s proposed visit and progress toward a post-World War II peace treaty, Suga said. Tokyo and Moscow have yet to conclude a peace treaty after Japan’s surrender in 1945. The main stumbling block has been the territorial dispute over three islands and a group of islets off Hokkaido that were taken from Japan by the Soviet Union after it declared war on Japan on Aug. 9, 1945, in violation of a pact of neutrality. “We expect (Abe and Putin) will have frank, forward-looking discussions” over the territorial dispute in Vladivostok, Suga said. A cursory reading of Russian sentiment suggests the dispute will fester for a while yet. A survey in August showed that only 38 percent of Russians consider it important to strike a peace treaty with Japan, and a hefty 78 percent oppose any return of land from the disputed area. But the survey, by Moscow pollster the Levada Center, found attitudes had softened since a similar question was asked in 2011. Back then, a full 90 percent of Russians opposed returning isles.

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Ayako Uehara became the fourth golfer in U.S. LPGA tour history to score two holes in one in a single tournament when she aced the par-3 No. 8 at the final

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Uehara sinks two holes in one at Canadian Women's Open

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Ayako Uehara became the fourth golfer in U.S. LPGA tour history to score two holes in one in a single tournament when she aced the par-3 No. 8 at the final round of the Canadian Women’s Open on Sunday. Uehara, who had her first ace a day earlier on No. 11, continued to hit precise shots, when her 5-under 67 saw her finish at 12-under 276 for a season-high 10th at the par-72 Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club. Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn won her fifth tournament of the year. Her 23-under 265 left her four strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard. Uehara had a bogey on No.2, but her 150-yard second shot with a utility iron on the par-4 No. 4 found the cup for an eagle. She followed it up with two birdies before the ace in an impressive round that brought out the smiles. “It turned out to be a really memorable tournament,” Uehara said. “I managed to shoot just as I pictured (on No. 8) and said ‘go in,’ before the cheers from the gallery told me it had.” “I realized the second shot in the fourth went in also because of the cheers. I was ecstatic, and played on with a desire to feel even more of that.” Uehara could only manage pars on the back nine holes, preventing her from finishing in the top nine for the first time in two seasons. But she is showing signs of a recovery. Since failing to make the cut at June’s Women’s PGA Championship, Uehara has done better each time out, finishing 36th, 25th, 19th and 11th in her four events preceding this one. Jutanugarn made a 12-birdie putt on the final hole for a 6-under 66 and a four-stroke victory over South Korea’s Kim Sei-young. The 20-year-old Thai player won nine days after withdrawing from the Rio Olympics because of a left knee injury, a problem that almost forced her to skip the event. “I feel like I’m going to withdraw this week because my knee hurt so bad last week,” Jutanugarn said. “But when I got here on Monday and Tuesday, it’s getting a lot better, and first round it’s fine.” Bundled up in a winter jacket between shots on an overcast afternoon, the second-ranked Jutanugarn broke a tie with top-ranked Lydia Ko for the LPGA Tour victory lead. Jutanugarn focused on having fun — and did. Blasting 2-iron and 3-wood off the driving holes on the tree-lined course, she birdied the par-5 seventh and par-3 eighth to get to 19 under, then pulled away with birdies on the par-5 12th, par-4 14th, par-3 15th and par-5 18th. “I felt like I wanted to have fun and be happy,” Jutanugarn said. “No matter what’s going to happen, I can handle it.” Reed wins twice over Farmingdale New York AP Patrick Reed had a crystal trophy, a clear shot at the richest payoff in golf and a spot on the Ryder Cup team. All he could offer Rickie Fowler was best wishes to join him at Hazeltine. Reed picked up two victories Sunday at The Barclays. He rallied from an early two-shot deficit to win the FedEx Cup playoff opener and assure himself a clear shot at the $10 million bonus. And he secured a spot on the U.S. team at Hazeltine that will try to win back the Ryder Cup. “Everyone’s been talking about the Ryder Cup, been talking about, ‘Oh, you’re in the eighth spot and you’re on the bubble,’ and all that,” Reed said after his one-shot victory. “If you go and win, it takes care of everything else. . . . It takes care of everything.”

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The Japan Tourism Agency is asking for ¥31.6 billion in the fiscal 2017 budget, a 58.0 percent increase over last year, as it tries to boost the numbe

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Japan Tourism Agency seeking 58% budget increase to build on boom in visitors

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The Japan Tourism Agency is asking for ¥31.6 billion in the fiscal 2017 budget, a 58.0 percent increase over last year, as it tries to boost the number of foreign visitors. The request includes ¥15.5 billion for measures to make the country more tourist-friendly, such as the establishment of new visitor information centers. In addition, ¥11.5 billion will be earmarked primarily for promotions targeted at wealthy individuals in various countries in Europe as well as the United States and Australia. The goal is to achieve the government’s target of drawing 40 million foreign visitors by 2020 when the Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, and 60 million by 2030. The agency plans to provide subsidies to help municipalities open new tourist centers in sightseeing spots to disseminate information and promote local cultural attractions. Also planned is assistance in setting up multilingual signposts at stations, airports, seaports and other transportation facilities. At present, tourists from East Asia, such as China and South Korea, account for more than 70 percent of all visitors to Japan. The agency hopes to attract wealthy European, U.S. and Australian visitors because they tend to stay longer and enjoy culturally oriented attractions. The agency intends to launch tourism promotion campaigns through major overseas advertising agencies and television networks such as CNN and the BBC. Other planned measures include an increase in accommodations and the establishment of an agency division specializing in business hotel support.

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Ozeki Kisenosato will be hoping the fourth time will be the charm that lands him promotion to yokozuna. The 30-year-old ozeki enters the 15-day Autumn Gran

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Kisenosato limbers up for fourth yokozuna bid

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Ozeki Kisenosato will be hoping the fourth time will be the charm that lands him promotion to yokozuna. The 30-year-old ozeki enters the 15-day Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament knowing his first career title will mean promotion to sumo’s most exalted rank. This will be the fourth promotion chance for Kisenosato, who fell short in July 2013 and January 2014. His 12-3 record in July in his third attempt saw him get another chance at Ryogoku Kokugikan starting Sept. 11. If he does win a championship, Kisenosato will become the first Japanese-born wrestler to take the big step up from ozeki since Wakanohana became a yokozuna in 1998. While Kisenosato continues his quest for history, two of his fellow ozeki, Kotoshogiku and Goeido, will be fighting to avoid relegation. Kotoshogiku suffered ligament damage to his left knee that caused him to drop out of the July tourney, while Goeido finished with a losing 7-8 record. Both will need at least eight wins in Tokyo to avoid demotion. Two others keen to prove they belong are Takayasu and Takarafuji, who will be in the sekiwake hotseat for the first time in Tokyo. The 26-year-old Takayasu, who does not have to fight his Tagonoura stablemate Kisenosato, went 11-4 as a komusubi in July. Takarafuji, 29, went 10-5 in July as a No. 2 maegashira, and also has the advantage of having no bouts against his Isegahama stablemates, including July’s champion, yokozuna Harumafuji and ozeki Terunofuji. Harumafuji will be looking to win two tournaments in a row for the first time since he went 15-0 in July and September 2012 to earn promotion to yokozuna. To do that, Harumafuji will have to get past the other Mongolian yokozuna, Hakuho and Kakuryu. Hakuho, who is seeking to extend his record for the most grand tournament titles in history to 38, is coming off a dismal 10-5 mark in Nagoya, while Kakuryu went 2-2 and sat out 11 matches after withdrawing due to lower-back trouble. Making their first appearances in the elite makuuchi division are 25-year-olds Amakaze and Chiyoshoma. Amakaze will fight as a No. 13 maegashira after winning the second-tier juryo division in July, while Chiyoshoma, from Mongolia, is the first new makuuchi wrestler to enter since his former stablemaster Kokonoe, legendary yokozuna Chiyonofuji, passed away on July 31.

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Until Pakistan decides whether it wishes to operate as a Muslim theocracy or as the liberal and progressive state that its founder intended, it will remain gripped in a battle between competing forces.

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How Pakistan betrayed its founding father's vision

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On Aug. 14, Pakistan marked its 69th year of independence. Though there was much to celebrate of historical significance, the years since independence have brought Pakistanis little to celebrate. Instead there has been much soul-searching, with a feeling of lost focus and purpose. The country finds itself gripped by a militant insurgency that has claimed the lives of thousands, with politicians too scared to speak against blasphemy laws that persecute minorities for fear of their lives and widespread sectarian killings, to name just a few of the issues with which Pakistan has to contend. Rewind the clock 69 years and you find that Pakistan has become the polar opposite of the country envisaged by its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Where did it all go so wrong? On Aug. 11, 1947, in unequivocal terms, Jinnah set out the foundations of Pakistan, which was to be a secular and liberal democracy guaranteeing freedom of religion: “You are free. You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques, or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan.” This speech provided the clearest indication of what shape Jinnah wanted his country to take. In the same speech he went further and claimed that “you may belong to any religion, caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” Yet Jinnah’s death, only a year after the birth of Pakistan, meant that he had no time to implement his vision for the new country. After Jinnah’s death, with no national leader holding the country together, and with a threadbare state, a void opened up in Pakistan. This void has been filled by both civilian and military rulers who, in the absence of a national identity, have advanced their own competing visions of the state ever since. Religious groups along with civilian and military governments have sought to repackage Jinnah as an Islamic leader in order to increase support and legitimacy amongst Pakistani society and to match their anti-India rhetoric. Not only has there been an attempt to create a new identity, but there has been a concerted effort to downplay and distort Pakistan’s history and Jinnah’s vision. As The New York Times reported from Islamabad in the 1970s, Islamization and appeals to Islam are “a form of therapy to resolve a long-standing national crisis of identity.” This “therapy” received its fullest expression during the 1970s under the military rule of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. Zia, who had come to power after overthrowing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of the Pakistan People’s Party in a military coup, settled Pakistan’s ideological direction firmly in favor of Islamization, the consequences of which are still being felt today. Take the murders in 2011 of Shahbaz Bhatti, first federal minister for minority affairs, and Salmaan Taseer, governor of Punjab. Both were fierce opponents of the country’s blasphemy laws, which are a source of discrimination against minorities; these laws were enacted under the rule of Zia during the 1980s. Yet it was not simply the passing of laws that would define Pakistan’s identity along religious lines. Zia recognized that to undercut opposition to his rule by the mainstream political parties in Pakistan he needed the support of the religious far right. He thus embarked on a wholesale program of Islamization, telling a BBC reporter in an interview in April 1978 that he had a mission to “purify and cleanse Pakistan.” The late 1970s saw a concerted push toward Islamization with the Hudood Ordinances, which replaced the Pakistani penal code with new offenses of adultery and fornication along with the establishment of Shariat Appellate Benches. Legal cases were now to be judged using interpretations of the Quran and Sunnah, and bought into line with religious Shariah law. Islamization was so entrenched that any incoming government that wished to reverse such a process not only had an enormous task on its hands but would also have to contend with the newfound strength of the religious right. For long after Zia’s death, his Islamist agenda lived on through religious groups in Pakistan. Any subsequent confrontation carried with it the charge of going against the new distorted identity of Pakistan. Any assessment of why liberal democracy has not taken root in Pakistan cannot go without mention of the overall role played by the powerful military in Pakistan. Pakistan has been ruled by its powerful military for half of its 69 years. The seeds of democracy in this fragile state never really had the chance to grow. Unlike its neighbor India, where the army has confined itself to a strictly military role, the Pakistani generals have been far too eager to depose elected governments at will, imposing martial law and shoring up their own position. Part of the reason for the dominance of the military lies in the fractured nature of the country. Pakistan’s regions are ethnically and linguistically diverse; from its inception the country has had to deal with regional pulls. In Balochistan, which has on occasion been dubbed the site of Pakistan’s secret war, successive governments have had to contend with a separatist insurgency. The government’s writ has barely ever extended to the tribal areas, where at present a militant insurgency rages and Karachi, a city the size of Cairo, finds itself under the clutches of Altaf Hussain’s MQM, with sectarian killings commonplace. Historically, given the ethnic diversity in Pakistan, where provinces asserted their own authority and political identities against what they perceived as an encroaching center following the death of Jinnah, the army, as the strongest and most organized institution following independence, was able to step in and fill the void. Not only has it sought to stamp its own authority over the different regions of Pakistan, it has also sought more broadly to define Pakistan’s identity through the prism of security. To shore up its position, the military has sought to overplay the threat from India, to ensure the government continues to provide it support both politically and financially. This has further contributed to a Pakistan that has disowned its previous identity in favor of one that is anti-India and stresses the Islamic identity of Pakistan to the detriment of its liberal principles. Civilian governments in Pakistan have not fared much better. Their failure to fulfill basic state functions, such as providing decent education and law and order to its citizens, has allowed hard-line religious groups to step in with madrassas (religious schools) providing a free education to Pakistan’s poor. Politics in Pakistan is very much like a family business with parties revolving around an iconic leader and their offspring. In more recent decades rule has alternated between Nawaz Sharif’s family and his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), and the Bhutto family’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), interrupted by frequent bouts of military rule. The irony of the name PPP is all too clear, with the leadership of the party being passed on like some hereditary mantelpiece. The party has long been mired in corruption. Although the Bhuttos were never convicted of corruption, many Pakistanis looked upon Bhutto administrations with disdain. The family increased its own personal wealth, holding millions in foreign bank accounts, while millions struggled under rising inflation and 24-hour power cuts and poverty. The Sharif family hasn’t fared any better since Nawaz Sharif’s first stint in office in 1990. When Sharif was removed from power in 1999, many Pakistanis expressed great relief, describing him as corrupt and incompetent. He subverted the judiciary and undermined the press. Many Pakistanis simply do not trust the democratically elected governments, which are tainted with corruption. All of these factors have contributed to a move away from Jinnah’s original vision for Pakistan. Yet Pakistan as a country is still deciding its fate. Until it decides whether it wishes to operate as a Muslim theocracy or as a liberal and progressive state, it will remain gripped in a battle between various forces that seek to advance their own competing visions of what Pakistan should become. There is, however, cause for optimism. We can draw comfort from the fact that no hard-line religious party has ever come close to winning an election in Pakistan. The government and military are united, for the time being at least, on the need to confront the militant insurgency across the country. Democracy is beginning to take root, as one civilian government replaced another for the first time in Pakistan’s history; however, the army must remain in the barracks. It should be welcomed that the current army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, intends to step down as planned in November. We can only hope his successor follows his footsteps in not playing an active part in politics. Yet if we are to fully realize the vision of Jinnah’s Pakistan, then the country’s elites must fully embrace the vision that Jinnah set out as opposed to forging new identities to fulfill political agendas and distorting the country’s history. I hope Pakistan’s leaders take heed of Jinnah’s advice: “With faith, discipline, and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.” Basit Mahmood works in public policy research in the U.K. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a specialization in South Asian politics and has written on a range of issues for the Pakistani newspaper Ausaf. © 2016, The Diplomat; distributed by Tribune Content Agency

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The mystery is how this beauty, who came to ARK a full six months ago, can still be sitting in the shelter without a home of her own.

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Into the mystic: a cat named Miko

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Miko, though she looks more mature, is only about 1 year old. How this beauty, who came to ARK a full six months ago, can still be sitting in the shelter without a home of her own, is a mystery. The only explanation is that she holds back when other cats rush forward to greet prospective adopters. Miko is overlooked, and lucky indeed will be that someone who can see beyond the rabble to real class. Miko in Japanese means “shrine maiden” and refers to priestesses who once were considered to be shamans. The name fits, as in this girl’s eyes, look and demeanor, there is something both mystical and magical. The day you make her yours will be auspicious indeed. If you are interested in adopting Miko, email ARK at Tokyoark@arkbark.net or call 050-1557-2763 Monday to Saturday (bilingual) for more information. Tokyo ARK is an NPO founded by Briton Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and re-homing abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. Prospective owners are requested to undergo a screening process.

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Three plays were all it took for Dallas to get yet another injury scare surrounding Tony Romo. The quarterback lasted just 90 seconds into the Cowboys' 27-

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Romo gives Cowboys scare in loss to Seattle

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Three plays were all it took for Dallas to get yet another injury scare surrounding Tony Romo. The quarterback lasted just 90 seconds into the Cowboys’ 27-17 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night before leaving with what appeared at first to be a potentially significant injury, but ended up being minor. Romo was tackled from behind by Seattle’s Cliff Avril on the third play from scrimmage as Romo scrambled from the pocket. He immediately grabbed at his back, crumpled on the field while trainers sprinted from the Dallas sideline and images of Romo’s injury problems from last year immediately flashed to mind. Turned out it was all just a scare. Romo walked off the field without assistance, threw passes on the sideline and lobbied for a return to the game. Dallas coach Jason Garrett opted to play it safe and Romo donned a baseball hat as a spectator the rest of the night. “I was just in shock and had my mind on just, ‘C’mon, Tony. Get up,’ ” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the team’s TV broadcast. “Said a few prayers right there in the middle on the spot. Really just couldn’t imagine getting that hand dealt to us. We’re pleased that it’s in good shape. We obviously don’t need to see what Tony can do out there.” What Romo saw was an impressive initial flash from rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and a solid performance by backup QB Dak Prescott against one of the top defenses in the NFL. Elliott rushed for 48 yards on seven carries, including a 13-yard run where he knocked Seattle safety Kam Chancellor backward. Prescott was solid playing against most of Seattle’s starting defense, finishing 17 of 23 for 116 yards, including a 17-yard TD pass that Jason Witten snatched away from K.J. Wright. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ No. 1 offense played into the second half, scoring on four of its final five possessions including a pair of TD tosses by Wilson. He found Paul Richardson on a perfectly placed 9-yard crossing route in the second quarter, then improvised, spun, scrambled and hit Tyler Lockett on a 9-yard strike midway through the third quarter on his final play. Wilson finished 16 of 21 for 192 yards. Dolphins 17, Falcons 6: In Orlando, Florida, running back Arian Foster had a 2-yard touchdown run in Miami’s win over Atlanta. Foster, who joined the Dolphins during the offseason and is coming off an Achilles injury, had his most extensive playing time with his new team in the third preseason game that was played at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. The four-time Pro Bowl running back played in just one series in the first half, but he made the most of the limited opportunities by sparking the Dolphins to their lone touchdown drive of the half with five carries for 10 yards, capped by his 2-yard scoring run early in the second quarter. Miami QB Ryan Tannehill, didn’t put his team in many scoring positions, but he did move the ball effectively. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 155 yards while leading the Dolphins to a score in one of two red zone opportunities.

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Lotte Group said Friday its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group. L

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Lotte Group vice chairman found dead before corruption probe

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Lotte Group said Friday its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea’s fifth-largest business group. Lee In-won, 69, the company’s highest-ranking executive outside the founding family and the top aide to its chairman, was found dead hours before a scheduled appearance at a prosecutors’ office Friday morning. “It is difficult to believe,” Lotte Group said in a text message to reporters. Lee has been a Lotte man for more than 40 years since he joined the company’s hotel business in 1973. The death sends Lotte into a fresh crisis. South Korean prosecutors are investigating allegations of embezzlement, slush funds and tax evasions at Lotte Group. The investigation forced the group in June to withdraw its initial public offering plan for Hotel Lotte Co. that could have raised as much as 5.7 trillion won ($5.1 billion). Local media reported that Lee took his own life. Yonhap quoted a note he left as saying that there was no slush fund, in an apparent response to prosecutors’ allegations. Its report said a resident found his body lying on a mountain in the east of Seoul early Friday morning. Lotte could not confirm the report. Police did not answer calls. The ongoing investigation and the death of its long-time executive is the latest challenge for Lotte Group, with two sons of Lotte’s 93-year-old founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, already embroiled in a bitter battle over control of the group. In a rare public display of a family feud among South Korean business elites, the younger son, Shin Dong-bin, 61, last year demoted his father to honorary chairman from general chairman overseeing Lotte’s businesses in Japan and South Korea. His older brother, Shin Dong-joo, 62, was removed from executive positions at various Lotte companies and then launched several failed attempts to take back the group from his younger brother. The younger Shin, now chairman at Lotte Group, apologized publicly in June, days after prosecutors raided Lotte’s headquarters. The investigation was a setback for Shin Dong-bin who had vowed to make his group and its governance transparent as public criticism mounted because of the fight with his brother. Lee In-won was a top aide to Shin Dong-bin. Lotte started as a chewing gum company in Japan in 1948. It now operates businesses in chemicals, food, shopping and hotels, including South Korea’s largest discount and department store chains. Its brands are well recognized not only in Japan and South Korea but around Southeast Asia.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/26/business/lotte-group-vice-chairman-found-dead-corruption-probe/

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The junta's effort to blame recent terrorist attacks on its political opponents leaves the country more vulnerable to terrorism.

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Thai military junta playing a dangerous blame game

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Four days after the referendum on the military-initiated constitution, Thailand’s major tourist destinations in the south fell prey to coordinated bombings and arson attacks. On Aug. 11 and 12, seven southern provinces, including well-known holiday havens like Phuket and Phang-nga, became targets of terrorism. On Aug. 23, twin blasts took place in front of a hotel in the southern town of Pattani. The deadly blasts were caused by car bombs. The latest acts of terrorism killed five people and injured 77 others, becoming ones of the most serious terrorist attacks since the eruption of a separatist insurgency 12 years ago. The proximate timing between the referendum and the attacks conveniently allowed the military government of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha to exploit the tragedy to undermine political opponents. Immediately after the incidents, apologists for the junta condemned both former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters in the Red Shirt camp for masterminding the terrorist attacks. They claimed that the public approval of the constitution through the referendum immensely upset the Thaksin faction. To retaliate, Thaksin, allegedly, instigated coordinated attacks to discredit the junta. Denying the allegation, Thaksin filed defamatory charges against those accusing him of being behind the unlawful incidents. The condemnation against Thaksin unveiled the junta’s strategy to explain away the devastating attacks by portraying them as a domestic political crisis. The strategy served several purposes for the junta in terms of assigning culpability to internal political enemies to evade responsibility while dismissing any links between local insurgents and international terrorist networks. In 2004, Thailand witnessed the resurgence of a century-old separatist problem in the south. Under the Thaksin administration, the authorities adopted tough measures in dealing with Muslim separatists, intensifying a sense of discontentment against the Thai state. Since then, almost 6,000 people have been executed and 10,000 injured in the seemingly never-ending attacks that included drive-by shootings, bombings and beheadings. The Patani-Malay National Revolutionary Front, also known as BRN, is a major separatist group operating in the Muslims-majority southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The causes of grievances range from economic deprivation, social alienation and a lack of access to political resources. Although successive Thai governments have in recent years adjusted their attitudes and implemented new policies to create more economic and social opportunities for the Muslim population, the conflict has never subsided. It is true that insurgent attacks are normally limited to the three provinces. It is also true that the BRN has never claimed responsibility for the violence. But the preliminary investigations of the police into the current cases seem to suggest the direct involvement of the BRN in the attacks. Matt Wheeler from the International Crisis Group argued that the latest bombings bore the hallmarks of operations by the BRN. The attackers deployed two or more improvised explosive devices timed to detonate in sequence. The devices were small, and although lethal, were not designed or deployed to cause mass casualties. Despite the pattern of attacks being consistent with BRN operations, the Thai junta continues to divert public attention away from the southern insurgents. The blame placed on the Thaksin faction might have fulfilled a short-term goal of the junta in preventing proxies of Thaksin from returning to power in the post-election period. But the lack of evidence has in turn damaged the credibility of the junta itself. For too long, Thai governments have been preoccupied with politics in Bangkok. Since the military took power in a coup in May 2014, some hoped that the army would seriously strive to find a breakthrough in the southern conflict. But the blame game and the politicization of the attacks are testament to the junta’s insincerity in seeking solutions to the separatist movement. For one thing, the military government became overwhelmingly concerned about the impact of the terrorist attacks on the tourism industry. It has already been blamed for the economic downturn. The attacks in tourist destinations are likely to deal a major blow to the economy and explains the junta’s desire to minimize their impact. Accordingly, the government chose to use certain discourses to clarify the attacks. It used terms such as “individual figures” or “influential personalities” to describe the culprits, again to limit any connection with international terrorist groups. In fact, the media has been warned not to call the attacks “terrorist acts.” Instead, journalists were advised to report the attacks as sabotage, not terrorism. However, explicating the attacks purely in a domestic political context will leave Thailand more vulnerable to future terrorist strikes. In August last year, a bomb exploded at a busy Hindu shrine in Bangkok, killing 20 people. Although initially Thaksin was again impugned for the attack, it has become more obvious that Muslim Uighurs might have been responsible. Earlier the Prayuth government made a controversial decision to deport 109 Uighur asylum seekers to China despite the likelihood that they will be prosecuted by the Chinese government. The Thai government is still unable to resolve the case because it has ignored the international elements behind the bombing. There is a danger in intentionally misinterpreting the recent attacks. It may permit insurgent networks to grow and continue to solicit Bangkok’s attention through deadly attacks. In so doing, not only is the military government deepening the wounds in the domestic conflict, it is amplifying the rebellion in the south, consciously or otherwise. Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/31/commentary/world-commentary/thai-military-junta-playing-dangerous-blame-game/

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The year 1968 saw a wide range of actions directed against the Japanese government: Universities were occupied, protesters demonstrated en masse against Ja

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Does ‘Provoke’ still push back today?

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The year 1968 saw a wide range of actions directed against the Japanese government: Universities were occupied, protesters demonstrated en masse against Japan’s complicity in the Vietnam War and students mobilized to stop the transportation of Vietnam-bound jet fuel through Shinjuku Station. A quieter, though equally radical, event could be added to this list: the publication of a slim, independent magazine of photography and essays called Provoke. Streetlights burn white holes into one of the images inside; the unlit pavement in the foreground is a nearly even tone of black. This photograph, by Takuma Nakahira, of a city at night stands out among the collection. It is a study in harsh contrast. Nondescript men in suits linger to the right of the frame, and a couple of cars are visible on the left. There is practically nothing else in the image — except for a placard above the cars that spells out a single word: “Empire.” Provoke: Between Protest and Performance, Edited by Diane Dufour and Matthew Witkovsky STEIDL, Magazines. Provoke is now the subject of a major exhibition, “Provoke: Between Protest and Performance,” that will travel through Europe and the United States over the next two years. Although only three issues of Provoke were ever published (between 1968-69), it has influenced both the development of photography within Japan and the reception of this work outside of the country. Thanks to the magazine, the rough look of photographs by Nakahira (and fellow contributor Daido Moriyama) have practically become a visual shorthand for “Japanese photography.” The intensity of these images, combined with the rarity of the magazine itself, have granted Provoke mythic status as an obscure source of aesthetic innovation. These blurry, high-contrast images are arresting — but don’t let that distract you from Provoke’s critical project. It’s no coincidence that the word lingering in the background of Nakahira’s photograph is “Empire.” At this time, Japan was involved in the Vietnam War by proxy, through the American occupation of Okinawa. Provoke struck a blow against this union of military power and of capital — which means that to view the magazine in aesthetic terms only is to erase its critical position. Now comes “Provoke: Between Protest and Performance,” a catalog edited by the Western curators of the exhibition for an English-speaking audience. The book weighs in at nearly 700 pages, and its sheer abundance of material alone — including full reproductions of the magazine’s three issues, and many previously untranslated texts — makes it an invaluable reference for anyone with even a passing interest in the relationship between art and politics, to say nothing of Japanese photography. But does the catalog continue to push the myth of Provoke as aesthetic, or does it make a case for the magazine’s relevance to contemporary political struggles — in Japan or otherwise? Much to their credit, the curators know the danger of aestheticizing the images inside Provoke; they make it clear from the start that they will not treat these works as “artistic achievements for which political strife was only a colorful, circumstantial setting.” They have made a serious attempt to account for the broader context of political activism in which the magazine was produced. As a result, a third of the book is devoted to Japanese protest photo books, a diverse category that includes tomes published by activist groups, student organizations and individuals alike. These images report directly from sites of struggle, such as the major Shinjuku anti-war protests of October 1968, or the movement (from roughly 1966 on) against the construction of Narita airport. This material helpfully situates Provoke within the political climate of its time, while another third of the book explores performance-based photography in Japan from the 1960s and ’70s. While this catalog does not reduce Provoke to a style, it has missed an opportunity to connect the magazine to contemporary times. To take just one example, the ongoing protest against the construction of helipads in Takae, Okinawa, makes clear that the urgent political questions of the late ’60s and early ’70s in Japan are still relevant. (Needless to say, these questions are not specific to Japan, either.) On this point, though, the catalog essays largely come up short: it is clear that they are the fruits of meticulous research, but they do not offer enough opportunities to think of Provoke in terms of the present. Why Provoke, and why now? The very first sentence of the catalog offers a wry answer: “Western interest in Japanese photography has been running high in recent years.” Although the book certainly makes a powerful argument for why its English-speaking audience should not take Provoke as a mere aesthetic, more work remains to be done to show just why the magazine deserves our attention today.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/08/20/books/provoke-between-protest-and-performance/

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