Subaru cuts fiscal 2018 earnings forecast after plant shutdown due to power-steering defect

Abstract: Subaru Corp. said Thursday it had revised downward its full-year group earnings forecast for the current business year, which runs through March, amid declining production and sales, after it temporarily shut down a factory over a power-steering defect on certain models. The automaker expects group net profit for the year to stand at ¥140 billion ($1.27 billion), compared with ¥167 billion from the previous projection. It expects an operating profit of ¥185 billion, down from ¥220 billion projected in November, on sales of ¥3.12 trillion, down from its earlier estimate of ¥3.21 trillion. Subaru suspended operations at its only domestic assembly plant, in Gunma Prefecture, on Jan. 16 after finding a problem with a power-steering component — the latest quality issue to hit the automaker. Subaru has been troubled by quality-control issues since 2017, when it admitted unauthorized staff had conducted vehicle inspections at two domestic plants for more than 30 years. That was followed by the revelation that mileage and emissions data had been systematically rigged at a plant, perhaps since as early as 2002. For the nine months through December, Subaru’s group net profit dropped 22.7 percent to ¥118.22 billion amid spiraling costs for a series of recalls. Its operating profit declined 49.8 percent to ¥153.67 billion, on sales of ¥2.38 trillion, down 2.5 percent from a year before.


Iran attempts second satellite launch despite U.S. criticism, satellite imagery suggests

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch despite U.S. criticism that its space program helps the country develop ballistic missiles, satellite images released Thursday suggest. Iran did not immediately acknowledge conducting such a launch. Images released by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe show a rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran’s Semnan province on Tuesday. Images from Wednesday show the rocket was gone with what appears to be burn marks on its launch pad. It wasn’t immediately clear if the satellite, if launched, made it into orbit. In the images, words written in Farsi in large characters on the launch pad appeared to say in part “40 years” and “Iranian made,” in different sections. That is likely in reference to the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which authorities have been celebrating this month. Iranian state media did not immediately report on the rocket launch, though such delays have happened in previous launches. Iran has said it would launch its Doosti (Friendship) satellite. A launch in January failed to put another satellite, Payam (Message) into orbit after successfully launching it from the same space center. DigitalGlobe analysts said the images from Tuesday suggest Iran used a Safir, or “ambassador,” rocket in the launch. In the January launch, engineers used a Simorgh, or “phoenix,” rocket. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the rocket choice. The Doosti, a remote-sensing satellite developed by engineers at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, was to be launched into a low orbit. The U.S. alleges such launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Tehran also says they don’t violate a United Nations resolution that only “called upon” it not to conduct such tests. Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. Iran usually displays space achievements in February during the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. This year’s 40th anniversary comes amid Iran facing increasing pressure from the U.S. under the administration of President Donald Trump. The likely launch also comes after a Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi reportedly said Sunday that three researchers died “because of a fire in one of the buildings of the Space Research Center,” without elaborating.


Campaign for second Brexit referendum goes down to the wire, but Corbyn's support is crucial

Abstract: LONDON - Only a few months ago, crowds of protesters marched through London to demand a second Brexit referendum. But just weeks before the departure date, the momentum has stalled. Lacking the support of main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the campaign has flagged in recent weeks. A cross-party group of second referendum backers last week declined to put forward a plan for a vote by MPs in the House of Commons, accepting that it would never pass without Corbyn’s support. “We had a little bit of a bad moment, I’ll be honest,” said Paul Butters of the Best for Britain group, which campaigns to keep the country in the European Union. He said that for them to succeed, “Corbyn has to move.” One of the strongest opponents of Brexit, EU leader Donald Tusk, acknowledged the difficulties at a Brussels news conference on Wednesday. Addressing those who want Britain to stay in the EU, he said: “I have always been with you, with all my heart. “But the facts are unmistakable. At the moment, the pro-Brexit stance of the U.K. prime minister, and the leader of the opposition, rules out this question.” However, campaigners insist that theirs has only been a temporary setback and are still biding their time, even as the clock ticks down to Brexit day, March 29. They argue that the closer Britain gets to leaving the EU without a deal, the more likely they will be to get the Commons majority needed to arrange a referendum. “There’s not a majority in parliament at the moment for a People’s Vote but I don’t expect there would be until all options have been exhausted,” said Adrian McMenamin, deputy communications director of the People’s Vote campaign. Talk of a second referendum began almost as soon as the first one delivered its shock result in June 2016, but the formal campaign only launched last year. Backed by some generous donors, including U.S. billionaire George Soros, a number of anti-Brexit groups moved into shared offices near parliament. They have successfully turned a once-marginal idea into something widely debated, which Prime Minister Theresa May frequently addresses — if only to argue that it has little support. As well as the smaller pro-EU opposition parties in the Commons, more than 100 of the 256 opposition Labour MPs are now on board. “Support in the parliamentary Labour Party is very strong,” one MP said on condition of anonymity, saying the number who supported the campaign in private was much higher. However, he admitted there had been some internal discussion about “tactics,” adding: “It’s gone quiet because now is not the right time.” Labour Party policy says it should support all options on Brexit, including campaigning for a public vote. But veteran socialist Corbyn, a lifelong euroskeptic, is personally reluctant to call a new referendum, and an estimated 30-35 Labour MPs are also strongly opposed. Even if Corbyn changes his mind, more MPs from May’s Conservative Party would also need to support a referendum as it would require passing legislation in parliament. Fewer than a dozen currently back the idea in public, and those who do face a torrent of abuse on social media. Professor John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde, an expert on polling, said public backing for a new vote varies widely depending on the question asked. In general, around two-thirds of those who want to stay in the EU support it, compared to between one-eighth and one-quarter of those who want to leave. “The problem that the People’s Vote has is that it’s a ‘remain’ project,” he said, noting that almost everybody who campaigns for it wants to reverse Brexit. “I don’t think there is a single ‘leave’ Tory MP who has come on board.” May is currently trying to change her Brexit deal in the hope that MPs will come to support it. But there is a real risk parliament will never agree — leaving Britain heading for a damaging “no deal” exit. One pro-European Conservative MP told AFP he believed up to 40 or 50 of his colleagues could back a referendum if it was a choice between that or no deal. “But the circumstances would have to be as stark as that,” he admitted.

brexit
referendums
labour
jeremy corbyn
eu
trade
u.k .


Moscow firms up foothold in Afghanistan, Taliban ties as U.S. eyes exit

Abstract: MOSCOW - Decades after the Soviet Union’s disastrous venture into Afghanistan, Russia is emerging as a major player in the region, with ties to the Taliban and Afghan politicians as U.S. troops withdraw from the country. Moscow brought together the Taliban and powerful Afghan politicians for two days of talks Tuesday and Wednesday — the insurgents’ most significant engagement with Afghan leaders in recent memory. Former President Hamid Karzai and other leaders shared prayers and meals with the Taliban while discussing the future of the conflict-riven country at a hotel that belongs to the Kremlin. “This is a turning point,” said Andrei Serenko, an expert at the Russian Center for Contemporary Afghan Studies. “From reacting to other players’ initiatives, Russia has switched to generating its own initiatives in the region.” Washington’s decision to draw down troops from Afghanistan in a bid to extricate itself from the nearly 18-year war could become both a boon and bane for Russia, analysts say. On the one hand, Moscow will burnish its credentials as a major player and mediator in the region; on the other hand, the U.S. withdrawal will increase the risks of instability and violence in Central Asia, which lies in Moscow’s sphere of influence. “Russia is returning to Afghanistan, using it as a platform for confrontation with the United States,” said independent expert Arkady Dubnov. Dubnov added that Russia is vitally interested in seeing stability and security in the impoverished country’s northern provinces. He said Moscow would not send troops to the country, given the Soviet Union’s painful experience in Afghanistan, but could provide other forms of assistance. “If there’s a request from the leadership, money and arms supplies cannot be ruled out,” Dubnov added. The Soviet Union’s 1979-1989 invasion of Afghanistan has deeply scarred the nation. The 10-year conflict, which saw Moscow intervene in support of the Afghan communist government, claimed the lives of more than 14,000 Soviet troops and is seen in Russia as a huge foreign policy blunder. “A more involved role for Moscow has surprised many, mostly due to Russia’s bloody history in Afghanistan,” said The Soufan Center, a nonprofit security analysis group. Despite the presence of U.S. troops and support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, Washington may find itself marginalized in the country as regional powers like Russia come to the center stage, the group said. While Moscow has sought to distance itself from the conference, calling it an initiative of the Afghan diasporas, few doubt the Kremlin’s deep involvement. Representatives of the Kabul government were not present at the conference. Instead, the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan under a ruthless interpretation of Shariah law between 1996 and 2001, sat down for talks with Ghani’s rivals, including Mohammad Haneef Atmar, as the country prepares to hold presidential elections in July. “Moscow does not believe in Ghani’s future,” said Serenko of the Center for Contemporary Afghan Studies, suggesting Russia is backing Atmar ahead of the polls. Serenko also said Moscow used this week’s conference to legitimize its long-held ties with the Taliban, which Russia still designates as a terrorist group. “For the past 10 years, Russia has been romantically involved with the Taliban. Now this romance has been made public,” Serenko said. “Today the Taliban, who only respect force, and Russians speak the same language.” The Moscow meeting came a week after the insurgents held peace talks with American negotiators in Doha, where Ghani was again not invited to the table. Ghani’s allies in Washington insist Afghans should lead the peace process, and ostensibly the push by the U.S. to engage the Taliban has been aimed at convincing them to negotiate with Kabul. The Russian government also held a meeting on Afghanistan in November. Some frown upon Russia’s involvement. “By getting the Afghan opposition to talk to the Taliban, Moscow risks fracturing an already-fragile yet fledgling peace process-and provoking a fresh crisis within an Afghan government already riven by deep divisions,” said Michael Kugelman, an analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington. But organizers of the Moscow conference said Russia’s perceived neutrality during Washington’s war in Afghanistan make the country well-suited for the mediation. “During the past 18 years, Russia has proved that it supported neither side in the conflict,” said Ghulam Mohammad Jalal, one of the conference’s organizers. “That is why it has earned in Afghan society the status of a neutral country with a neutral position.”

taliban
soviet union
russia
u.s .
terrorism
hamid karzai ashraf ghani


British colony or not, people of Gibraltar worried about life after Brexit

Abstract: GIBRALTAR - With London fuming over whether Gibraltar should still be called a “colony,” residents of the British outpost on the southern tip of Spain are more worried about life after Brexit than about which word best explains their status. In the latest Brexit quarrel between Britain and the European Union, the government in London complained last week that the peninsula of 33,000 residents should not have been described as a “colony” in a draft EU text on visa-free travel. Britain itself called Gibraltar a “crown colony” for 268 years — from the time when it won the area in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of Spanish Succession, right up until 1981, when it came up with a new term: “dependent territory.” In 2002, the official term changed again to “British overseas territory.” Until at least the 1980s, Gibraltarians carried passports that said “Colony of Gibraltar” right on the front cover. No matter. “Gibraltar is not a colony, and it is completely inappropriate to describe it in this way,” Britain’s ambassador to the EU thundered. “Gibraltar is a full part of the U.K. family.” Gibraltarians, whose economy depends on an open border with Spain, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in Britain’s 2016 referendum but are due to leave the bloc anyway on March 29 along with the rest of Britain. Their cultural Britishness was in full evidence on Wednesday, when the city on a rock rang out with a 21-gun salute in honor of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession. Teacher Steven Grant did not seem much fussed about the terminology, provided that the border stays open. “We’re still connected to them, maybe as a colony used to be, but we’re not governed by them,” he said of Britain. “We just want to stay as we are, British. We don’t need anything to change. All we hope is that things on the frontier don’t change either.” But others on the central shopping street shared London’s official umbrage at the EU’s choice of vocabulary. “This isn’t the 1700s. … It’s 2019, and we’re a city, we’re Gibraltar — we’re not a colony,” said insurance salesman Jack Johnson.


Vale loses license to operate key Brazil dam after disaster that left hundreds dead or missing

Abstract: RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian mining giant Vale on Wednesday lost its license to operate the Lanjeiras dam, vital to its biggest mine in southeastern Minas Gerais state, the firm said. The decision comes two weeks after another dam storing mining waste collapsed in the village of Brumadinho — 160 kilometers (100 miles) away — leaving at least 150 dead and 182 missing. It was the second such disaster in three years at a mine owned by Vale, the world’s biggest iron ore producer. “The State Secretary for Environment and Sustainable Development … canceled the Provisional Operational Authorization of the Laranjeiras dam,” Vale said in a statement Wednesday, adding the decision was due to an ongoing public civil suit against the company. The Laranjeiras dam has been paralyzed since Monday after a court order suspended the Brucutu iron ore mine — Vale’s biggest in Minas Gerais, with estimated annual production of 30 million tons. Vale insisted the dam was constructed properly and is certified as stable. The Minas Gerais government also canceled Vale’s license to operate the Jangada mine, where work has also been halted in the wake of the Brumadinho disaster. News agency G1 reported Wednesday that Vale had detected problems in data from sensors monitoring the dam’s stability two days before the tragedy, according to company emails discovered by police. Wednesday’s decision saw Vale shares plummet 4.63 percent on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange, and 6.19 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.

vale brazil dams mining environment accidents rivers


Voyage into the unknown explores Indian Ocean's hidden depths, assessing pollution and seeking new life

Abstract: LONDON - A mission to explore uncharted depths in the Indian Ocean was launched on Wednesday, hoping to discover hundreds of new species and find out what impact plastic is having way below the surface. The First Descent expedition, led by British-based ocean research institute Nekton, is set to send submersibles as deep as 3,000 meters off the Seychelles from March to test the health of the ocean. The project was launched at the Commonwealth headquarters in London. “The mission is focusing on 30 meters down to 3,000 meters. This is where you get the peak diversity of species,” said Professor Alex Rogers, part of the scientific team. “In the Indian Ocean, the deeper zones are almost completely uninvestigated. We simply don’t know what’s there.” The Oxford University deep sea biologist said that the mission could find 100 to a thousand new species, including lots of new corals. “The more you zoom in, the more diversity you’re going to find. I’m really confident that we’ll discover many new species,” said Rogers. “The ocean is suffering serious degradation from over-fishing, pollution and climate change. It’s critically important to understand how life is distributed in the oceans now, so we can make decisions better to manage the oceans.” The $5 million collaboration brings together 47 partners from business, philanthropy, sub-sea technology, media and civil society. The Ocean Zephyr mother ship is on its way from Bremerhaven in Germany to the Seychelles. It will be home to 50 scientists, engineers and technicians during the project. Its two submersibles will take 17 different research tools and technology into the deep, along with 18 cameras to create the first three-dimensional maps of deep sea ecosystems. Some of the dives will be broadcast live. Ocean campaigner Emily Penn, a Nekton trustee, said the expedition could shed light on the impact of plastic thousands of meters below the surface. “We really don’t know what’s going on in the deep ocean when it comes to plastic,” she said. “We know 8 million tons of plastic is going into the ocean every year and we’re only finding a fraction of it on the surface. The big question is: where is all the rest of it going? “We expect that it’s mostly sinking — but until we actually go there, we don’t know how much is down there and the impact it might be having.” The Commonwealth, a 53-country grouping that unites nations like Britain, India, Canada and Nigeria with small states like Tonga and the Seychelles, has focused on managing climate change in recent years as many of its members are vulnerable, low-lying island nations. “Our countries are dying, so we have no choice,” said Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland. “We face an existential threat as a result of the changes in climate. “Unless we map and understand better what is in our oceans, we may be doomed to repeat some of the mistakes we made on land. “This is enabling us to get the data to make properly informed choices.” Nekton chiefs said there were better maps of Mars than the seabed, 95 percent of which remains unexplored. It is hoped that the data produced by the mission will enable scientists to model where similar observations are likely to be found in the oceans, and provide data on which to base conservation efforts.

indian ocean
oceans
pollution
plastic
environment
plastic waste


University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests

Abstract: OSAKA - One of the key factors driving Japan’s unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi , which can be roughly translated as “wholeheartedly looking after guests.” Yet perhaps because omotenashi has a long history and can be taken for granted by Japanese innkeepers — there was never a strongly perceived need for professional training programs at the university level. Unlike in North America and Europe, university training to educate would-be managers in the hospitality industry can be hard to find in Japan. The problem is especially acute in the Osaka region. As the Kansai’s region’s largest city prepares for the 2025 World Expo and continues efforts to host one of Japan’s first integrated casino resorts, there is a citywide hotel boom underway that is expected to make at least 83,000 rooms available in about 1,100 hotels and ryokan (traditional inns) by 2020, officials say. That, in turn, has spawned demand for talented hotel workers and future managers. To help meet this demand, Kansai Gaidai University, along with several Osaka-area hotels, has begun one of the nation’s few hotel management programs for undergraduates. The new program is perhaps the first of its kind in Japan, according to Stephen Zurcher, dean of Kansai Gaidai’s Asian Studies program and vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s Kansai chapter. The idea emerged a few years ago after informal meetings between the ACCJ’s external affairs committee and several general managers of luxury hotels in the region. “The managers told us they were unable to hire, or even find, talented Japanese who would be able to move into a management path,” Zurcher said. “They said they needed three things from their managers: English-language ability, cross-cultural living experience, and content, or industry knowledge.” As Kansai Gaidai focuses on English-language education and already has more than 1,800 students studying abroad every year, Zurcher felt it satisfied two of the three requirements. What the school lacked was courses about the hotel business — inspiring Zurcher to establish a two-year hotel management program at the university, one that would work with area hotels to provide internships. “Our program is designed so students begin their study in the second semester of their sophomore year. They take courses in hotel operations, marketing, finance and accounting. It’s not all about hotels, as some classes cover general business topics,” Zurcher said. The first internships began this month. One of the participating hotels is the Ritz-Carlton Osaka, where Kansai Gaidai students will be working for about six weeks. “They’ll partner with senior staff to experience whether they like working in a hotel and get on-the-job training where they can see how employees serve guests of different nationalities,” said Christopher Clark, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Osaka. “That’s key, because they’ll see how expectations of different guests are quite different depending on the nationality.” A couple of other students are at the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel. Masahiko Torii, senior managing director of Kintetsu Miyako Hotels International, Inc., said students will be doing everything from working at the bell desk and helping guests with luggage, to assisting the housekeepers and even helping the sales team. “Usually, internships in Japan are done in one place, such as a restaurant. But our interns will work at six or seven places in the hotel over the time they’ll be with us. If they do a good job, we intend to hire them after they graduate,” Torii said. Zurcher is quick to emphasize that this is a program, not a course one can take to earn a full degree in hospitality like those offered overseas. But with more than 1,000 hotels and lodging facilities in Osaka as of April 2017, according to city statistics, with another 120 expected to open by early next year, the demand for workers and managers who will be able to host international guests is expected to grow just as rapidly. That means demand for educating and training such people at the university level is also likely to grow, and not just in Osaka. Currently, Tamagawa and Meikai universities offer undergraduate studies in tourism, as approved by the education ministry. Kyoto University has a graduate program for tourism manager specialists and Hokkaido University has a center for advanced tourism studies. But these programs focus more on research and vocational training related to the industry, as opposed to the focus on hotel management offered by Kansai Gaidai. If Kansai Gaidai’s program is successful, however, other schools could follow suit, meaning Japan may well end up being known not only as a major tourist destination, but also as a place to formally study how to combine omotenashi with the international hospitality industry.

universities
osaka
hotels
omotenashi
tourism
education
kansai gaidai university


Leopalace21 to ask over 14,000 residents across Japan to vacate apartments after probe finds defects

Abstract: Rental apartment operator Leopalace21 Corp. said Thursday it will ask 14,443 residents to move out as it plans to repair defects found in 1,324 of its apartments. The company said a probe found faulty installation of a fire-resistant material in ceilings and the use of a substandard material for sound insulation in interior walls. The probe also discovered that the way external walls were constructed does not meet fire-protection requirements. Leopalace21 launched an investigation into possible defects in its nearly 40,000 apartments nationwide after 38 cases of defects were found in apartments built between 1996 and 2009 last May. Of the 14,443 affected residents in Tokyo and 32 other prefectures, the company will ask 7,782 to leave as soon as possible. As the company plans to shoulder all the moving expenses and repair the faulty buildings, it will book a special loss of ¥36 billion in the current fiscal year to March. Leopalace21 now expects a group net loss of ¥38 billion to ¥40 billion for this fiscal year, larger than a loss of ¥5 billion to ¥7 billion estimated earlier. The Tokyo-based company decided to cut the monthly salary of CEO Eisei Miyama by 30 percent and that of other executives by 20 percent for the six months from February. As for the possibility of Miyama stepping down, “I will leave the decision to our three outside directors,” he said.


Fingers crossed, Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to finally land on rugged Ryugu asteroid on Feb. 22

Abstract: A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system is expected to land on the rock later this month, officials said Wednesday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the Hayabusa2 probe is expected to touch down on the Ryugu asteroid at 8 a.m. on Feb. 22. “The landing point is decided and how we’re going to land is confirmed, so we want to do our best to achieve this without making mistakes,” JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda told reporters. The announcement comes after the agency delayed the touchdown for several months in October, saying they needed more time to prepare the landing as the latest data showed the asteroid’s surface was more rugged than expected. Scientists are already receiving data from other probes deployed on the surface of the asteroid. In October, JAXA successfully landed a new 10-kilogram observation robot known as Mascot (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout). Loaded with sensors, the robot can take images at multiple wavelengths, investigate minerals with a microscope, gauge surface temperatures and measure magnetic fields. Hayabusa2, about the size of a large fridge and equipped with solar panels, is the successor to JAXA’s first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa, which is Japanese for falcon. The Hayabusa2 mission, which costs around ¥30 billion, was launched in December 2014 and will return to Earth with its samples in 2020. Photos of Ryugu — meaning “Dragon Palace” in Japanese, a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient tale — show an asteroid shaped a bit like a spinning top with a rough surface. By collecting samples from it, scientists hope to answer some fundamental questions about life and the universe, including whether elements from space helped give rise to life on Earth.


Japanese government-backed rally over islands held by Russia adopts muted tone amid talks

Abstract: A government-backed rally held in support of efforts to win back Russian-held islands off Hokkaido issued a restrained statement on Thursday, with organizers cognizant of the possible negative impact it may have on ongoing talks with Moscow. While still demanding the return of the islands, the statement adopted at the protest in Tokyo, organized by the government as well as public and private groups, omitted phrases used in the past that could inflame tensions with the Kremlin. In the statement, it refrained from describing the contested islands off Hokkaido as being “illegally occupied.” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his resolve to advance the post-World War II peace pact negotiations, which have long been stalled over the territorial dispute, saying in his address to the gathering, “It is not easy to settle an issue that has remained unsolved for more than 73 years after the end of the war. But we have to accomplish this.” The prime minister said he intends to proceed with “collaborative work to find a mutually acceptable solution” by building a relationship of trust between the Japanese and Russian people. The annual gathering comes after Abe agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last November to step up talks toward concluding a treaty based on a 1956 joint declaration. The declaration stipulates that the smaller two of the four disputed areas — Shikotan and the Habomai islet group — be transferred to Japan from the then-Soviet Union. The remaining two are Kunashiri and Etorofu. “We will seek to build true peace and friendship between the two countries and engage in campaigns demanding the return of the Northern Territories actively more than ever,” the statement said, using the Japanese term for the islands, which are named the Southern Kurils in Russia. Tokyo has maintained that all of the islands are “inherent territories” of the country that were “illegally occupied” by the Soviet Union following its 1945 surrender in the war, while Moscow insists it legitimately acquired them. In Diet sessions earlier this week, Abe refused to say the islands are Japan’s “inherent territories” and instead repeated they are “islands over which Japan has sovereignty.” But the statement from the rally clarified they are “inherent territories of our country” and vowed to support efforts to proceed with negotiations. Abe is believed to desire a broad agreement be reached in June when Putin is expected to visit Japan for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka. He is now leaning toward accepting a peace pact if Moscow hands over Shikotan and Habomai, recognizing that it is unlikely that Japan will be able to secure the return of all of the islands, government sources have said. They account for only 7 percent of the total landmass of the disputed islands. The ceremony has been held annually on Northern Territories Day, which falls on Feb. 7. On the same day in 1855, Japan and Russia concluded the Treaty of Commerce, Navigation and Delimitation, drawing a national border that put the four islands within Japanese territory.

russia
hokkaido
shinzo abe
vladimir putin
northern territories
disputed islands
russia-japan relations


Japan to tap waterway tours to offshore islands and historic districts in bid to boost cruise ship visits

Abstract: The tourism ministry will support regional efforts to attract cruise ship visitors from abroad by offering waterway tours that visit offshore islands and historical neighborhoods. In the fiscal year starting in April, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry will create a subsidy system for steps taken to operate such tours, including the improvement of boat terminals and the establishment of multilingual signboards. The move reflects the ministry’s hope that offering such unique experiences will draw more visitors. In one example, cruise passengers would take a small boat to an offshore island, where they could take part in water sports or visit historical sites. Another suggestion involves tourists traveling up a river by boat in order to visit historical neighborhoods. Those eligible to apply for the subsidies will be prefectures and municipalities that manage ports, and cruise ship companies. State funds will cover a third of the cost for the introduction of tour reservation forms in foreign languages, the building of walkways on islands and other tour-related projects. Currently, most cruise passengers go to city centers by bus for shopping or sightseeing. With the needs of visitors from abroad diversifying, there are calls for tours that can meet a wider variety of tourists’ demands. The ministry believes that tours utilizing water transport systems will be attractive also in terms of avoiding time lost in heavy traffic.


Police reported record-high 80,104 cases of suspected child abuse across Japan in 2018

Abstract: Police reported the suspected abuse of a record-high 80,104 minors aged below 18 to child welfare authorities in 2018 amid growing public awareness of the problem, government data showed Thursday. The figure rose by 22.4 percent from a year earlier, surpassing 80,000 for the first time since comparable data became available in 2004, according to preliminary figures released by the National Police Agency. The number is up thirteenfold from 2008. Police report suspected abuse cases to child consultation centers, which provide temporary shelter to children or dispatch staff to homes with potentially abused children. “As child abuse incidents tend to go unnoticed, we’ll continue to share information with child consultation centers and other related organizations,” an NPA official said. Concerns over how child abuse cases are handled have been renewed by the case of Mia Kurihara, a 10-year-old girl who died in January at her home in Chiba Prefecture due to alleged abuse by her father. In that case, the investigation uncovered how a child welfare center, her school and other local authorities failed to respond promptly to the girl’s call for help. The tragedy has led the government to consider steps to prevent such incidents. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a Diet session on Thursday that he will hold a meeting of ministers on Friday to strengthen cooperation between related organizations and consider new rules related to the sharing of information on potential victims. “We failed to respond to the SOS calls that the girl had courageously sent (to authorities). We, as the government, take it seriously,” Abe said. In 2018, 57,326 children were suspected of falling victim to psychological abuse, accounting for 70 percent of the total cases. Physical abuse was suspected in the cases of 14,821 children, while 7,699 children were reported to have been neglected. Sexual abuse was reported in the cases of 258 children. All categories saw an increase over 2017. An investigative source said the rise in the figures can be partly attributed to heightened awareness among citizens leading to an increase in people reporting cases of abuse. The investigation into the case in Chiba has revealed that Mia told her school she was being abused by her father, but a child welfare center, which temporarily put her under its protection, let her return home without taking sufficient steps. The father, Yuichiro Kurihara, was arrested on Jan. 25 for allegedly assaulting Mia the previous day, including dousing her with cold water from a shower. The girl’s mother was arrested on Monday for her alleged failure to stop the assault. In March last year, the death of a 5-year-old girl in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward shocked the public after the extent of the alleged physical abuse and food deprivation by her mother and stepfather came to light. She was later found to have written “please forgive me” in a notebook due to her mistreatment. Yua Funato weighed only 12 kg when she died, compared with the average weight of 20 kg for girls her age. Insufficient information sharing among public entities was also seen as one of the factors in that case. Before moving to Tokyo, the girl was taken into protective care twice by a child consultation center in Kagawa Prefecture, but a Tokyo consultation center failed to recognize the urgency of the situation as it did not receive the necessary information from the Kagawa center. In the NPA report, the number of suspected domestic violence cases rose to 77,482 in 2018 from 72,455 in 2017, while the number of reported stalking cases stood at 21,551, above the recent average of around 20,000. The total number of confirmed criminal cases came to 817,445, falling to its lowest level since the end of World War II mainly due to a decrease in theft.

police
child abuse
children
npa
mia kurihara
yua funato
violence


Father in Chiba case deprived girl of sleep leading up to her death, sources cite mother as saying

Abstract: CHIBA - A 10-year-old girl who was found dead at her home in Chiba Prefecture last month had been deprived of sleep by her father in addition to being underfed and confined at home by her parents, investigative sources said. Mia Kurihara’s mother, Nagisa, 31, has told investigators there were times Mia’s father, Yuichiro, 41, woke the girl up to make her stand and that he prevented her from sleeping from around Jan. 22, two days before she was found dead with bruising to her body in the bathroom of their home in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, the sources said. The father was arrested on Jan. 25 for allegedly assaulting Mia the previous day, including dousing her with cold water from a shower. Mia’s mother was arrested Monday for her alleged failure in stopping the assault. An autopsy was unable to determine the cause of Mia’s death, but it revealed she had almost no food in her stomach, indicating she had not been fed sufficiently. Investigators are examining the body further. The mother has told investigators there were times she did not give food to her daughter in the days before her death and she had not allowed Mia to leave home since the beginning of the year at the insistence of her husband. Investigators have been informed that the mother may have also been a victim of domestic violence. Experts say the mother may have been unable to reject the demands from her husband out of fear that the violence could escalate if she refused. “Victims of domestic violence are put in a closed environment where they cannot escape,” said Emi Yano, a professor of gender law at the University of the Ryukyus. “They cannot reject orders because their minds are controlled by violence. Even if the demands escalate, they will face further violence if they refuse,” she said. The girl’s father has told investigators he began making her stand from 10 a.m. on Jan. 24 and that he does not believe his action was wrong because he was just “disciplining” her. He is suspected of assaulting Mia from around 10 a.m. to 11:10 p.m. the same day. The case has highlighted a lack of coordination between authorities and officials have been criticized over a series of missteps that could have prevented Mia’s death. The city of Itoman in Okinawa Prefecture, where the family resided before moving to Chiba, was told by a relative of the mother in July 2017 that Mia was being threatened by her father and that her mother was subjected to domestic violence. The Kuriharas moved out of the city the following month. In November 2017, Mia said in a school questionnaire on bullying that she was being hit and bullied by her father. She was sent to a child welfare center in Kashiwa, near Noda, the next day for protection and remained there for seven weeks before being transferred to the home of a relative. In January last year, the father demanded Mia be returned home when he met with the local education board and her school. The education board handed over a copy of the questionnaire upon his insistence, an action that is thought to have aggravated his abuse of the girl. He later made Mia, then still residing with a relative, write a letter asking to be returned home and stating that she lied when she wrote about the bullying. The father showed the letter to a welfare center, and the center decided to have her return home two days later. After returning home last March, the girl told an official of the welfare center that her father had actually made her write the letter.

chiba
mia kurihara
child abuse
yuichiro kurihara
nagisa kurihara


Japan sushi chain worker uploads video of fish's journey from trash can to cutting board in Osaka

Abstract: OSAKA - The operator of one of Japan’s largest sushi restaurant chains said Wednesday that video footage recently uploaded to the internet showed one of its part-time kitchen workers throwing sliced fish into a trash can and then returning it to a cutting board at an outlet in Osaka Prefecture. Kura Corp., which operates some 400 Kura Sushi restaurants in Japan, said that the fish was disposed of and never served to customers, but that it takes the incident seriously and is considering legal action, without elaborating. In the footage, the male worker picks a slice of fish from a cutting board and throws it into the trash receptacle filled with plastic bags and styrofoam trays, reaches into the garbage to retrieve the fish and places it back on the cutting board. The worker uploaded the video online and it has since gone viral. The company said the video was taken at its outlet in Moriguchi. “We deeply apologize for causing disgust and unease to our customers because of this footage,” Kura said in a statement, adding it will make utmost efforts to train its employees so such behavior is not repeated.


Long a spoiler, Pakistan quietly starts aiding U.S.-Taliban talks

Abstract: WASHINGTON/PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN - Pakistan, long at odds with the United States over the war in Afghanistan, has begun to play a behind-the-scenes but central role in supporting U.S. peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, including by facilitating travel to negotiations, U.S. officials and Taliban sources say. The Pakistani assistance, which has not been reported in such detail before, also includes exerting pressure on Taliban leaders who fail to cooperate, including by detaining members of the militants’ families, the insurgents say. Pakistan’s role in the peace negotiations is a delicate one, with Islamabad seeking to avoid demonstrating the kind of broad influence over the Taliban that Washington has long accused it of having. Sources caution its help could be temporary. The Taliban also do not want to appear beholden to Islamabad, which has long denied U.S. accusations that it provides safe haven and assistance to insurgents as a way to preserve influence in neighboring Afghanistan throughout its more than 17-year-old war. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled his intention to wind down America’s longest conflict, declaring Tuesday in his State of the Union address that “great nations do not fight endless wars.” One senior U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said of Pakistan’s role in the talks: “We know it just wouldn’t be possible without their support.” “They’ve facilitated some movement and travel to the discussions in Doha,” the official said. Trump’s administration has accelerated talks for a political settlement in Afghanistan. U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad held six days of talks — perhaps the most productive to date — with the Taliban in Doha last month and is due to meet Taliban representatives again on Feb. 25. Khalilzad confirmed at a forum in Washington that “there is a positive change in recent times” by Islamabad. “Pakistan has tried to facilitate talks between the Taliban and the United States and also favors inter-Afghan dialogue including between the Taliban and the (Afghan) government,” he said. Taliban sources said Pakistan’s role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table was instrumental. In one instance, Islamabad sent a message to the militants through religious leaders that they had to talk to the United States or risk a cut-off in ties. They detained Taliban members’ families as a way to pressure them, a Taliban leader said. “I haven’t seen Pakistan so serious before,” the senior Taliban leader said. The Taliban leader, who declined to be identified, said Pakistan had kept “unprecedented pressure” on the militants and their close relatives over the past few months. “They made it clear to us that we (Taliban) have to talk to the U.S. and Afghan government,” the Taliban leader said. To be sure, current and former U.S. officials still are highly skeptical of Islamabad and do not see any steps by Pakistan that could not be easily reversed. Washington appears for now to be sticking to a total freeze in U.S. assistance to Islamabad imposed over a year ago over its suspected support to the Taliban. Trump at the time accused Islamabad of rewarding past U.S. aid with “nothing but lies & deceit.” “There’s some self-interest obviously involved here … I would be wary of taking that and extrapolating off that and saying they’re now on board with the peace process,” said Jason Campbell, who was the Pentagon’s Afghanistan country director until last year and is now at the RAND Corporation think tank. Afghanistan’s envoy to Washington, Roya Rahmani, said that any Pakistani shift in behavior was still not apparent from Kabul, which has yet to participate in the talks. “For us, it still remains to be seen,” she told Reuters in an interview. Pakistani sources suggest that the driver behind their country’s support for the talks is not U.S. aid but growing concerns over the regional economic shock waves that could follow an abrupt U.S. pullout from Afghanistan. Those concerns have been strengthened by Trump’s surprise decision in December to withdraw completely from Syria, despite objections from the Pentagon. There are only about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but their presence ensures a continuous flow of U.S. financial assistance to Afghanistan. Islamabad, running short of foreign exchange reserves and in talks with the International Monetary Fund over what would be its 13th bailout since the 1980s, says it cannot afford to see Afghanistan slide into chaos just as Pakistan is trying to attract foreign investors to shore up its own economy. “That is our main worry in all of this,” said a senior official who is closely involved in cross-border relations. “We have enough economic issues of our own to deal with already.” One of the most notable public signs of Pakistan’s willingness to aid the negotiations was the release of Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Now the newly appointed chief negotiator, Baradar is expected to fly from Pakistan to attend the next round of negotiations in Doha on Feb. 25. Dan Feldman, a former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said he believed Washington was still hesitant to become too hopeful about Pakistan’s change in posture. “There is cautious appreciation for the fact that Pakistan has seemingly done more than before to be helpful,” Feldman said, before adding that it did not “suggest a sea change in Pakistan’s position.”


Number of flu patients in Japan falls after outbreak hits peak

Abstract: The number of influenza patients per medical institution in Japan in the week through Feb. 3 dropped from the previous week in all of the nation’s 47 prefectures, the health ministry announced. The average number of flu patients at some 5,000 regularly monitored medical institutions across the country fell to 43.24 from the preceding week’s 57.09, which marked the highest level since the survey started in April 1999, the ministry said Friday. The total number of flu patients in the country in the week is estimated at some 1,669,000, down by some 557,000 from the previous week. The decline signals that the peak of the outbreak has passed. But a ministry official said that the patient number is “still high, so attention is needed.” The average number of patients per institution topped the alarm level of 30 in all 47 prefectures except Gifu, Wakayama and Kumamoto. Saitama saw the highest average, at 65.68, followed by Niigata, at 62.51, Miyagi, at 58.77, Chiba, at 56.89, and Oita, at 52.14. Of flu viruses detected in patients in the past five weeks, type-A Hong Kong strain accounted for the majority for the first time this season, at 53 percent, followed by type A, which spread globally as a new type in 2009, at 46 percent, and type B, at 1 percent.


South Korea fails to answer Japan's request for talks on looming asset seizure linked to wartime labor ruling

Abstract: SEOUL - South Korea failed to respond to Japan’s request to launch talks over the imminent seizure of assets of a major Japanese steel-maker in connection with a Korean court decision regarding the issue of wartime labor, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday. Friday was the 30-day deadline for Seoul to respond regarding whether it will accept Tokyo’s request for bilateral consultations to resolve the asset seizure issue. The move came after Japan warned South Korea it will take “countermeasures” if Seoul moves ahead with selling any assets seized from the Japanese company, which has refused to pay compensation for wartime forced labor. Tokyo maintains the issue of compensation was settled under an agreement attached to the 1965 treaty that normalized ties between Japan and South Korea, and views the ruling as a breach. Options floated within the Japanese government include raising tariffs on South Korean imports and recalling Japan’s ambassador to Seoul, which would worsen bilateral ties already marred by disputes over the wartime labor issue, as well as recent military incidents. The row stems from a ruling by the South Korean Supreme Court in October that ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay compensation for wartime forced labor during Japan’s 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The steel-maker has not followed the compensation order and was notified on Jan. 9 by a South Korean district court of the looming seizure of its assets. The court, however, has stopped short of ordering any sale of the assets as the South Korean plaintiffs are seeking to reach an out-of-court settlement.

wartime labor
wwii
history
south korea-japan relations


LDP heavyweight Akira Amari may call on Abe to hold double election this summer

Abstract: Ruling party heavyweight Akira Amari has indicated that he may call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to decide to hold simultaneous elections of both chambers of the Diet this summer, depending on tactics of opposition parties. “At the moment, the prime minister is not considering double elections at all,” Amari, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Election Strategy Committee, said in an interview. “But I would have to take the stance of proposing any measure to Prime Minister Abe with the aim of having the LDP achieve an election victory if opposition parties join hands only for the sake of election.” A triennial election for the Upper House is set to be held this summer. Double elections would take place if the prime minister, who doubles as LDP president, dissolves the Lower House and sets a subsequent general election timed to coincide with the Upper House vote. Amari said the first goal for the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, in the upcoming Upper House election is not losing their combined majority in the chamber. The ruling coalition also has a majority of the seats in the Lower House. “We intend to win a stable majority in the Upper House,” Amari said, adding that the parties also aim hold chairmanships of key committees. In Upper House elections, half of the seats are up for grabs. Member serve six-year terms.

ldp
akira amari
elections
shinzo abe
upper house
lower house


Japan, No. 2 generator of packaging waste, moves to ban plastic straws and cutlery in government cafeterias

Abstract: The government decided Friday to ban in principle the use of plastic straws and cutlery in its cafeterias and to stop passing out plastic bottles to conference attendees — its latest policy on environmentally friendly procurement. The policy will be applied to all central government institutions, including ministries, courts and regional bureaus, when they start signing new procurement agreements from April. The move comes as Japan seeks to showcase its efforts to reduce plastic waste ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June. Under the revised Basic Policy on Promoting Green Procurement, shops in government buildings will only be permitted to give customers bags made with a certain amount of natural materials. Plastic cutlery, however, will only be given to customers if requested. Shop operators will also be asked to offer economic incentives to encourage customers not to use plastic bags. During conferences, including those that are outsourced, the use of plastic bottles and disposable cups will be forbidden. If meals are offered, the use of disposable plastic containers will be limited as much as possible. Japan is lagging behind other countries in curbing the use of plastics despite growing fears of environmental pollution. While China was the largest worldwide generator of plastic packaging waste in 2015, Japan was responsible for the largest amount per capita after the United States, according to data from the U.N. Environment Program. Packaging waste accounts for around half of the plastic waste generated globally. Japan and the United States have faced criticism for not signing the Ocean Plastics Charter, aimed at reducing the use of disposable plastic, at the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June last year. The charter commits governments to working with industry toward making all plastics recyclable by 2030 and to significantly reducing the unnecessary use of single-use plastics. In an effort to catch up with the global trend, the Environment Ministry has drafted a strategy to cut disposable plastic waste by 25 percent by 2030 and to oblige Japanese shops to charge for plastic bags. The strategy is expected to be officially endorsed by March, but some critics have called into question its effectiveness, saying it lacks concrete measures to curb plastic waste.

plastic
environment
plastic waste
pollution


Loft under fire for its outdated portrayal of women in advertising campaign

Abstract: Retailers typically strive to promote their products by creating ad campaigns that attract consumers’ attention. Loft Co. appears to have achieved this with the recent launch of its 2019 Valentine’s Day campaign, albeit for the wrong reason. The chain, which sells everyday commodities in Japan and Thailand, is under fire for its portrayal of women in the campaign. The ads — released in a variety of formats — feature five women sporting blonde hair and identical dresses who, at first glance, appear normal and happy. Over the course of the ad, the women discuss myriad topics, including boyfriends. It quickly becomes clear that the warm vibes are superficial and the women harbor resentment toward each other. かなり難しい…… ロフトのバレンタイン広告「女の子って楽しい！」にTwitterユーザー困惑 「どういう意味？」「チョコを売る気はあるのか」 https://t.co/0NoJEwwr71 pic.twitter.com/on4jk3doJB — ねとらぼ (@itm_nlab) February 1, 2019 To drive this point home, the ad ends with the women physically hurting each other behind their backs. Huffington Post Japan breaks it all down . The condemnation online was swift. Many Twitter users wondered why Loft would portray women as being secretly resentful of one another, suggesting that friendships between them are only shallow. Some described the presentation as “ grotesque ,” while others wondered why ideas like this persisted in 2019. Critiques also took a more practical look at why the advertising campaign failed so badly. Why, for example, would a travel agency launch an ad for a holiday package that made fun of the main consumer demographic for said holiday? It didn’t take netizens long to connect Loft’s Valentine’s ad with a handful of other recent PR creations that similarly cast women in a bad light. The most obvious comparison came from Loft’s parent company, Seibu and Sogo Co., earlier this year. Seibu And Sogo ran a commercial that featured a woman being hit in the face multiple times by cream pies as part of its New Year’s campaign. Making matters worse was the ad’s opening proclamation: “We don’t need an age of women, do we?” The internet was quick to express its disapproval. Beer giant Kirin Co. has also recently launched an ad campaign that social media users claimed stereotyped several types of women . Objections to the campaign were largely based on generalization, often with negative implications. In every case, the reaction was pretty much the same. As far as Loft was concerned, the outrage that manifested itself on social media was soon mentioned in blogs and general web-based news sites, with most presenting general summaries of how it was received . From there, the story was picked up by mainstream TV news shows and newspapers. Facing pressure from all sides, Loft removed the problematic visuals and issued an apology . Online criticism isn’t anything new to Japan, and there have been plenty of instances over the past three decades of the masses successfully changing and/or removing various TV shows, commercials or video games from the market. That said, such criticism appears to be happening more frequently online these days. The internet certainly isn’t perfect, but it has become a tool for users to air their views and reach a broader audience. It’s far ahead of traditional platforms such as advertising that still have outdated ideas of how people act, as evidenced by the examples above. The criticism against Loft and other problematic campaigns provides an example of the best way to tackle outdated views in advertising: Express displeasure and get it to spread until it’s picked up by mainstream media. It’s a strategy that’s applicable to a wide range of situations, including the recent NGT48 scandal . It helps, of course, that the advertising campaigns outlined above also touch on the place of women in Japanese society, an issue central to discourse that will continue well after Valentine’s Day ends ( although it, too, inspires plenty of debate ). Unfortunately, an invariable backlash against such criticism ultimately begins to arise. Some argue that the criticism against Loft is an example of political correctness run amok, with even relatively fair-handed essays devoting time to the subject. Political correctness, or “ porikore ” in shorthand Japanese, has started popping up in more online conversations, inspired by the same way it often gets deployed in the West. At present, it remains a relatively niche line of counterattack in Japan, but it still comes up often. That’s an inevitably of change, though, and the outrage against Loft’s campaign is a microcosm of how social media in Japan functions in 2019, and how people on all sides can use it to advance their agendas. If brands were smarter, they could definitely learn from these developments. Maybe instead of sparking online flare-ups over sexist attitudes, brands could produce advertising campaigns for chocolate that everyone finds palatable?

loft
social media
valentine 's day
japan pulse


News outlets' coverage of abuse cases can make the situation worse

Abstract: In her 2017 book, “ Thinking About Child Abuse ,” Haru Sugiyama describes her correspondence with Yukihiro Saito, who is serving a lengthy sentence for causing the death of his 5-year-old son, Riku, in the mid-2000s through neglect . In his letters, Saito expresses regret, but also says his memories about the two years he took care of Riku after his wife left him are vague. The boy starved to death and police didn’t discover him until about seven years later, since Saito continued paying rent on the Atsugi property where the body was found. Before Saito’s first trial, the media portrayed him as a monster , but Sugiyama believes that such labels aren’t particularly helpful. News organizations generally didn’t mention Saito’s financial situation or the fact that he had an intellectual disability. What he said in court was also not covered, and the prosecutor exploited the “brutal father” image the media had developed. It was a lay judge trial, meaning citizens who may have read the stories about Saito decided his fate. In her book, Sugiyama argues that the lay judge system’s appeal to emotion has undermined the legal safeguards designed to assure fair trials in criminal cases. In a second trial, Saito’s 19-year sentence was reduced to 12 years. Riku was certainly the victim of neglect, but assigning evil to the motives of a suspect with no attempt to understand what led to the abuse will never help solve the problem, Sugiyama says. If anything, she says, it makes the situation worse. This demonization is a function of history. Child abuse is prevalent everywhere, but, according to a Jan. 26 article by Jissen Women’s University professor Tazuko Hiroi in Gendai Business Online , in the years when Japan was still recovering from World War II, child abuse was seen as a product of social pathologies stemming from poverty and incomplete understanding of human rights. Even parents convicted of killing their children usually received suspended sentences. As Japan became an economic power, the onus shifted to families. The Japanese word for abuse is “ gyakutai ,” which can be interpreted as meaning “cruelty.” Child abuse is now considered a product of family pathologies. Social influences are less prominent. In the recent case of the 10-year-old girl from Noda, Chiba Prefecture, who allegedly died at the hands of her father, news organizations have identified three distinct villains: the father, the social welfare system and the school the girl attended, since she told her teachers in a confidential questionnaire of her father’s abuse. The school, intimidated by the father, passed the questionnaire on to him. In response to the Noda case, the Tokyo Shimbun has attempted to broaden the dialogue surrounding child abuse by presenting examples of how it repeats from one generation to another. An article the paper published on Jan. 27 focuses on a woman in her 50s who admits to being abusive to her own children. “I’ve been a victim half my life,” she says, “and an abuser the other half.” When she was a child, her parents told her that reading manga would make her stupid, and her mother would get drunk and push her down the stairs. She left home early, determined to never have a family herself. Then she met a man and got pregnant. They married and, after the child was born, her husband started beating her. She, in turn, took her frustrations out on her children, understanding now that her anger was compounded by her feelings about her parents. On numerous occasions when she yelled at her kids, she used the same language her parents used with her. Even after her husband left, she continued abusing her three children, who have since grown up and moved away. She is not in touch with them and doesn’t know where they live, although one has contacted her via social media, implying that memories of her abuse linger. She is afraid her children will replicate that abuse with their own children. A second feature, published in two parts , is about a survivor in his 40s named Ryusei Hashimoto who gives lectures on child abuse. He and his younger brother were raised by their father after his mother left when he was 4 years old. One night, after his brother threw away some leftovers he couldn’t finish, the father beat the brother and locked him in the bathroom. The boy was later found in the bathtub, dead. Police ruled it an accident. Several years later, the father remarried and, after having a child, Hashimoto’s stepmother started to physically abuse him and call him names. In turn, Hashimoto bullied classmates. He had few friends, no one to talk to about the violence at home. He fell in with an antisocial crowd and ran away after a fight with his father. When he was picked up by the police, he told them he’d rather kill a stranger and go to a juvenile center than go back home. Hashimoto spent about one year in facilities, and went from one job to another after graduation from high school. When he was 30, he married a woman who accepted him without prejudice despite knowing that he had grown up in a “difficult” household. When they had children, he was afraid of turning into his father, but his family’s dependence on him helped resolve his violent tendencies. He now publicly tells his story in the hope his listeners will confront the violence in their own lives, because understanding where it comes from is the first step in overcoming it. Eventually, Hashimoto talked to his father, who insisted he was just trying to discipline his sons. There is a fine line between discipline and abuse, the reporter says. The father in the Noda case also claims to have been disciplining his daughter. News outlets have shone little light on his background. He may or may not have been a victim of abuse himself and financial insecurity hasn’t been mentioned as a factor. Poverty is no longer a central consideration in sentencing, but it is still a major contributing factor to abuse. Alleviating poverty and removing children from abusive environments is the authorities’ job. It’s the media’s to remind us that, given certain circumstances, anyone is capable of abuse.

child abuse
haru sugiyama
yukihiro saito
ryusei hashimoto


Latest surveillance system to be installed for 2020 Games; Olympic metal recycling drive on track

Abstract: The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will install a state-of-the-art video surveillance system at venues and the athletes’ village during the games in a bid to improve the efficiency of its surveillance measures, several sources have said. According to the sources, the surveillance system, provided by Olympic sponsor Panasonic Corp., combines infrared sensors and cameras. The organizers hope the new system will allow a high level of security despite having venues spread across the country. Organizers are planning to install some 2,500 sets of sensors and 8,000 surveillance cameras at the Olympics, sources said Friday. When sensors detect an irregularity, footage from a camera at that location will appear on monitors at the local security office as well as the main security center that will oversee the Games. The total number of security cameras in 2020 will outstrip that of previous Games because of the number of venues. The organizers hope the sensors will reduce the workload and number of security personnel needed. According to the sources, the organizers are also planning to equip some security guards with wearable cameras to monitor scenes in real time. Regarding other preparations for the Games, meanwhile, the organizing committee expects to achieve its target for collecting the recycled metal needed to make the prize medals for the games by March. Next year’s medals will be made in part from metal recycled from cellphones and small electronic devices. As of the end of October, the project had collected 93.7 percent of the gold and 85.4 percent of the silver required. After the program’s launch in April 2017, the 2,700 kg needed to make the bronze medals was achieved by the end of June 2018. At that juncture, however, the project had collected just around half of the 30.3 kg of gold and 4,100 kg of silver needed. In response, the number of collection boxes for devices was increased. “When we began, I felt anxiety about whether we would achieve 100 percent of our target,” Masaaki Komiya, a vice director-general with the organizing committee, said Friday. “I’m filled with gratitude.” The organizers said they will announce the medal designs for the 2020 Games this summer. The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be held between July 24 and Aug. 9, followed by the Paralympics from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6.

surveillance
2020 tokyo olympics
privacy


Video shows Chiba girl who died following abuse begging for forgiveness, police say

Abstract: CHIBA - Police have found a video believed to show the abuse of Mia Kurihara, the 10-year-old girl who died at her home last month, investigative sources said Saturday. Police have arrested the girl’s father, Yuichiro, and her mother, Nagisa, in relation to the suspected abuse. Police are analyzing the video, suspecting that the girl faced regular abuse. According to the sources, the footage included images of the fourth-grader suffering violence by a person believed to be her father, begging forgiveness and becoming limp. The video, which was stored digitally by the girl’s father, is believed to have been made in January by one of the girl’s parents using a smartphone at their home in the city of Noda. According to the Noda Municipal Government and a child consultation center in Kashiwa, also in the prefecture, Mia had been absent from school since Jan. 7, when school resumed after the winter holidays. The girl’s mother has told the police that she prohibited Mia from going out for about a month because her husband ordered her to keep her at home. The video may have been taken during the period, the sources said. The father has said he only disciplined Mia, denying any intention to hurt her, according to the sources.

chiba
child abuse
yuichiro kurihara
nagisa kurihara


Huawei 'shocked and amused' by espionage accusations, top exec tells EU

Abstract: BRUSSELS - Huawei’s top executive in Europe brushed off Western critics and defended the company’s track record against accusations that it could serve as front for Chinese spying. Huawei has raised suspicions in the west for its close ties to the Chinese government and fears are that the company may be an integral tool of the superpower’s international espionage capabilities. “Recently Huawei has been under constant attack by some countries and politicians,” Huawei’s vice president and representative to the EU, Abraham Liu, said in a speech in Brussels. “We are shocked or sometimes feel amused by those ungrounded and senseless allegations,” he added. Liu said Huawei had an “excellent track record” and had won the solid endorsement of major European telecoms Deutsche Telekom, British Telecom and Orange. The executive also said that Huawei would open a “cyber security center” in Brussels next month that will show that the company is “part of the solution, not part of the problem.” The speech came just days after a team of U.S. officials toured EU capitals — including Brussels — urging European governments to scrap Huawei technology from their telecom infrastructure plans. The U.S. considers the matter urgent as European Union countries prepare to roll out 5G networks that will deliver near-instantaneous connectivity, vast data capacity and futuristic technologies to Europeans. Several other countries, under the pressure of the United States, have banned Huawei’s 5G equipment. But dumping the telecom company comes at a cost as experts say Huawei is between six months and one year ahead of rivals in terms of the quality of 5G equipment. Finland’s Nokia is said to be even further behind. Deutsche Telekom, in an internal document obtained by Bloomberg, warned that Europe could fall behind China and the United States by as much as two years if it forgoes using Huawei’s 5G equipment. Liu said Huawei hired 12,000 people in Europe and in 2018 procured $6.3 billion worth of goods in Europe. US justice officials last month unveiled sweeping charges against Huawei, including against a top executive whose arrest in Canada on a US warrant ratcheted up tensions between the two superpowers. In a case centering on Meng Wanzhou, Huawei is charged with violating U.S. and U.N. prohibitions on trading with Iran.

huawei
eu
abraham liu
5g
nokia
iran
u.s .
sanctions
cyberespionage


Renault probes €50,000 gift from Versailles linked to ex-CEO Carlos Ghosn's lavish wedding at chateau

Abstract: PARIS - Carmaker Renault has alerted French authorities to a €50,000 gift from the Palace of Versailles to its former chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn — reportedly linked to his lavish wedding at the estate. Renault said in a statement Thursday that a company investigation found that Ghosn personally benefited from “an exchange worth €50,000 in the framework of a philanthropic accord” with Versailles. Renault said it was alerting French judicial authorities. Renault started investigating Ghosn’s past activities after he was arrested in November in Tokyo, where he has been charged with falsifying financial reports and breach of trust. Ghosn — long one of the most influential executives in the global auto industry — denies wrongdoing. French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Versailles allowed Ghosn to host his 2016 wedding reception on its grounds in exchange for Renault’s donations to the chateau, the resplendent home to France’s last kings. The chateau said Renault gave it €2.3 million to fund renovations in a 2016 philanthropic deal; in exchange, Renault was entitled to benefits from the chateau worth up to 25 percent of the total donation. As part of that arrangement, Renault asked for permission to rent out space in the Grand Trianon mansion on the Versailles grounds for a “dinner” on Oct. 8, 2016, the chateau said in a statement. It estimated the rental was worth €50,000. Versailles officials would not comment on whether Ghosn himself made the request, or confirm that the dinner was in fact his wedding reception. Officials in various French prosecutor’s offices that could investigate the case said Thursday they had no information yet from Renault about the gift. Meanwhile, a Renault official said that it and Nissan are also conducting a joint investigation into Ghosn’s activities as head of the alliance between them, Netherlands-based Renault-Nissan BV. Ghosn led both Renault and Nissan and championed their alliance as it grew into the world’s biggest-selling automaker. He has faced a stunning downfall since his arrest. Renault initially stood by Ghosn, but last month named a new CEO and chairman to replace him as his Japanese legal case drags on. The Japanese case includes suspicions that Ghosn underreported his income as chairman of Nissan and falsified financial reports. Ghosn has said fellow executives opposed to forging closer ties between Nissan and Renault schemed against him.

renault
versailles
carlos ghosn
france
nissan


Household spending in Japan inched up 0.1% in December, rising for first time in four months

Abstract: Households increased their spending for the first time in four months in December, with more expenditure on electric appliances. An extra national holiday in the reporting month compared with a year earlier also played a role. Spending by households with two or more people rose 0.1 percent from a year earlier to ¥329,271 ($3,000), according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Expenditure increased on so-called white goods such as refrigerators and washing machines, as well as new cars, mobile phones, clothing and footwear, according to the data. Spending on utilities and food decreased, however. Household spending is a key indicator of private consumption, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of gross domestic product. After adjusting for inflation and including the winter bonus, the average income of salaried households with at least two people was ¥1,026,628, an increase of 2.3 percent in real terms compared to the same period the previous year. For the whole of 2018, average monthly spending by households with two or more members declined 0.4 percent from the previous year to ¥287,315, the fifth straight year of decline. Spending decreased 1.5 percent on food such as fish and vegetables, 1.6 percent on clothing and by 2.4 percent on entertainment. “Annual (spending) data basically saw a downward trend as the number of households continues to decline,” as a result of the country’s graying population, said a ministry official who briefed reporters.

household spending
economy
economic indicators


Japan passes ¥3 trillion supplementary budget, much of which will go toward disaster-proofing measures

Abstract: The Diet on Thursday passed a ¥3.04 trillion ($28 billion) supplementary budget for fiscal 2018 to fund measures including the bolstering of defences against natural disasters. The House of Councilors approved the second extra budget for the year through March following its passage at the House of Representatives earlier this week. Of the budget, ¥1.07 trillion will be spent on projects to prevent and manage disasters, including shoring up roads and levees, after catastrophes such as a powerful typhoon and earthquakes devastated parts of the country last summer. A further ¥325.6 billion has been earmarked to improve the competitiveness of farmers in view of the entry into force of free trade deals including the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership. An upswing in tax revenues and leftover funds from the previous fiscal year will cover the bulk of the spending plan, with the government planning to issue just over ¥1 trillion worth of bonds to finance the rest. The budget comes on top of the initial budget, which climbed to a record ¥97.71 trillion amid swelling social security costs, and an earlier supplementary budget worth ¥935.6 billion.


Dollar falls below ¥109.80 in Tokyo ahead of three-day weekend

Abstract: The dollar weakened below ¥109.80 in Tokyo trading Friday as investors refrained from active transactions ahead of a three-day weekend. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥109.74-74, down from ¥109.91-91 at the same time on Thursday. The euro was at $1.1338-1338, down from $1.1353-1354, and at ¥124.45-45, down from ¥124.81-81. The dollar rose above ¥109.80 on real demand-backed buying in the morning. But the greenback later was pressured by a further plunge in the Nikkei stock average and position-adjustment sales before the long weekend, traders said. The Tokyo market will be closed on Monday for a national holiday. Investor sentiment toward the dollar was bearish against a backdrop of global stock sell-offs caused by dashed hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal and lowered eurozone growth estimates, a currency broker said. But the dollar-yen pair was confined to a narrow range as a lack of fresh market-moving factors pressured players to stay calm, an official at a foreign-exchange margin trading firm said.


Nikkei slides 418 points on rekindled fears about global growth

Abstract: Stocks nose-dived on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Friday as worries about a slowdown in global growth re-emerged. The 225-issue Nikkei average slid 418.11 points, or 2.01 percent, to end at 20,333.17. On Thursday, the key market gauge sagged 122.78 points. The Topix index of all first-section issues fell 29.63 points, or 1.89 percent, to end at 1,539.40. It fell 13.10 points the previous day. Both indexes began to dive right after the opening bell and continued to sink deeper into negative territory, following sell-offs in the European and U.S. markets. Concerns about the course of the global economy were rekindled by comments by a White House official and U.S. President Donald Trump that dashed hopes of the U.S. and China ending their trade war anytime soon, brokers said. Trump’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow indicated in a television program that Washington and Beijing are still far apart. And Trump said he would not meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, before the early March dispute settlement deadline. Investor sentiment was also chilled by news that the European Union has slashed its growth outlook for the euro area, brokers added. “Stocks were rising on expectations for progress in the U.S.-China trade negotiations, but such expectations have now diminished,” said Masayuki Otani, chief market analyst at Securities Japan Inc. Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., said European players seemed to be selling Japanese shares in afternoon trading as part of efforts to reduce the weighting of stocks in their portfolios amid a heightened risk-off mood. Moreover, investors refrained from buying in the midst of the earnings season and ahead of the three-day weekend in Japan, Otani said. The market will be closed on Monday for a national holiday. Falling issues far outnumbered rising ones 1,801 to 288 on the TSE’s first section, while 38 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.463 billion shares from Thursday’s 1.250 billion shares. China-linked issues met with heavy selling. Industrial robot producers Yaskawa Electric and Fanuc plunged 6.92 percent and 3.99 percent, respectively, and construction machinery maker Komatsu lost 2.97 percent. Chemical maker Asahi Kasei tumbled 6.94 percent following a dive the previous day. Other major losers included daily goods manufacturer Kao and drugmaker Eisai. On the other hand, Sony surged 4.10 percent after announcing a share buyback plan. Fujifilm Holdings gained 3.02 percent thanks to a hefty rise in operating profit in April-December. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key March contract on the Nikkei average gave up 430 points to end at 20,290.

nikkei
stocks
tokyo stock exchange
topix
china
trade
u.s .


Record $135 billion loss by Japan's pension fund shows shifting from bonds to stocks has a cost

Abstract: A record quarterly loss at the world’s largest pension fund is prompting a debate on whether its shift to stocks from bonds was excessive. Domestic debt held by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund returned 1 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, while the nation’s stocks erased 18 percent of their value, a GPIF statement showed on Feb. 1. The fund lost a record ¥14.8 trillion ($135 billion), or 9.1 percent. While stocks helped the fund boost returns in the previous two fiscal years, the loss may provide ammunition for critics of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who backed a review of GPIF’s strategy that led it to put about half of its assets in equities and cut domestic bonds in 2014. Akira Koike, head of the secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, said via Twitter on Feb. 1 that nobody is taking responsibility for the loss. Pension funds were used to boost stocks and showcase Abenomics, he said. “There’s a possibility that GPIF’s strategy has leaned toward taking too much risk,” said Hiroaki Muto, the chief economist at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. “Opposition parties may use the loss as a good tool to criticize Abenomics.” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said in a news conference on Feb. 1 that the GPIF’s investments should be carried out with a long-term perspective and not focus on short-term fluctuations, adding that the loss won’t impact pension payouts. The Topix index plunged 18 percent in the October-December period, the biggest quarterly decline since 2008, while the S&P 500 Index dropped 14 percent, the most since 2011. Japan’s currency strengthened 3.7 percent against the dollar in the quarter. Losses would have been limited if the GPIF had invested in more domestic bonds, as the Bank of Japan is keeping bond yields low, according to Tokai Tokyo’s Muto. Yet it may be difficult for the GPIF to reduce its general allocation in stocks because such a move would have a negative impact on the equity market, he said. GPIF has a general target to keep 25 percent of its basic portfolio in domestic stocks and 25 percent in overseas shares. The permissible range of deviation is 9 percent for local equities and 8 percent for stocks abroad.


Startup's 'water from air' project aims to turn back Thailand's tide of plastic

Abstract: PHUKET, THAILAND - Staying at a hotel on the Thai island of Koh Samui in 2015, Meghan Kerrigan noticed the four bottles of water she was given every day were clogging her trash can with plastic. Outside her door, Chaweng Beach was smothered in rubbish. It was then that she and two friends, brothers Ryan and Matthew Kohler, had a “light-bulb moment.” “Instead of trying to solve the problem by cleaning the beaches every day, let’s go to what the source of the problem is, and take the plastic bottle away,” said Kerrigan, 31. In 2016, the trio founded the startup Generation Water, based on the Thai resort island of Phuket. They partnered with Marriott, the world’s largest hotel brand, in January 2017 to come up with a sustainable alternative to plastic bottles that would be commercially competitive and meet the needs of resorts and authorities. Two years on, the South African-born entrepreneurs explained the workings of a pilot water plant at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa on Mai Khao Beach. There, in the sweltering heat, two water generators suck in air, whose vapor condenses into water when it hits cold coils. The water drips into tanks, making 4,000 liters a day. It is filtered, minerals are added, and it is put into reusable glass bottles. These are placed into 445 guest rooms at the JW Marriott Phuket and neighboring Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa. The bottled water is also being trialed at two Marriott vacation clubs nearby. The move is part of a wider effort on the holiday island to cut down on plastic bottles, which are rife in the hospitality industry and are a major problem in Asia and its travel hot spots. In many parts of Asia, tap water is unsafe to drink, so hotel guests get complimentary water, mostly in plastic bottles. As much as 60 percent of the plastic found in the ocean comes from five Asian nations, including Thailand, according to the U.S.-based nonprofit group Ocean Conservancy. In 2017, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific organized a forum to encourage sustainable water management on resort islands. On Phuket, which is half the size of Hong Kong, more hotels are being built, and water is already in short supply. Trucks navigate crowded roads as resorts without their own catchment area bring in water from reservoirs. Phuket was the world’s No. 11 city destination in 2017, with 11.6 million international arrivals, according to global research company Euromonitor International. To cope with the environmental impacts of this influx, nearly 70 hotels from the Phuket Hotels Association have pledged to cut plastic bottles and straws by the end of this year. Since Marriott started producing its own water four months ago, it has stopped more than 100,000 plastic bottles from entering landfill or oceans, the chain says. It plans to expand the project to all Marriott resorts in southern Thailand, handing out 4 million glass bottles. Carsten Siebert, Marriott International’s director of operations for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, said the company understands it has “a greater obligation to operate responsibly given our expanding global footprint.” The chain has a goal to reduce water consumption per occupied room by 20 percent between 2007 and 2020. The “water from air” technology uses 78 percent less energy than producing standard bottled water, has a lower carbon footprint and is about a third cheaper, Generation Water says. “The good thing is that it starts to become financially affordable,” said Matthias Sutter, general manager at JW Marriott Phuket. Nor does the system rely on pulling water from the ground, rivers or lakes. “We don’t have to invest in land to secure our own water,” said Kanokwan Homcha-aim, corporate social responsibility manager for the same Marriott hotel. Guests there have reacted positively since the bottled water was introduced in September, happy that “finally a big brand made a move,” she said. They also like the taste. Michael Lawson, a lawyer from Sydney sitting at the Sala Sawasdee lobby bar, said his children are “quite picky” about water. “But it’s very refreshing and they are fighting over it in the room,” he said. Downstairs in the Siam Deli, teenage student Jeremy Frydman from Melbourne said it tasted better than tap water at home. One challenge for Generation Water is explaining the science behind the technology. Many guests ask about air pollution, for example. But the water collected is clean to start with, and the technology works even if the air is polluted because only its water condenses, not the air itself or its contaminants, said Ryan Kohler. And with human activities emitting more greenhouse gases, the atmosphere is warming up, causing more water to evaporate, which further heats the air in “a vicious circle,” he added. The water-from-air system helps reduce this vapor, said Kerrigan, adding that it has no impact on rainfall levels. Thailand’s food and drug administration approved Generation Water last August, and the company is now expanding. It is building a plant in Phuket, which will use solar energy to make “climate-positive” water, producing more than 20,000 liters of water per day by the end of the year. Nine Marriott resorts on Phuket are in the process of signing up, along with 30 other hotels. Generation Water is now eyeing the rest of Thailand, and is talking to hotels in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Maldives, Kohler said. It also sells smaller water production units that can be used in homes, offices, classrooms and on yachts. The company’s goal is to stop 1 billion 500-ml plastic bottles from entering landfill and the oceans every year by the end of 2021 — equal to supplying 3,000 hotels of 250 rooms. As for Marriott staff on Phuket, they have “no excuse now,” said Homcha-aim. Their birthday gift from the company will be a reusable tumbler, which they can fill up with “water from the air.”

water
thailand
plastic
conservation
pollution
tourism
plastic waste


Princess vs. coup leader in Thai poll as king's sister declared PM candidate for Thaksin's party in shock move

Abstract: BANGKOK - Thailand’s royalty made an unprecedented move into politics Friday when the sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn was declared a prime ministerial candidate in a March 24 general election, registration papers showed. The nomination of Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, 67, the elder sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, promises to upend Thailand’s already turbulent politics because it breaks the long-standing tradition of royalty staying out of politics. Ubolratana will run as a candidate for a party loyal to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. One of her leading opponents will be Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the leader of the military junta, who also announced his candidacy Friday. Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 but the royal family has wielded great influence and commanding the devotion of millions. It could not be independently confirmed whether Ubolratana’s nomination had received the approval of the palace. The election has been viewed as a battle between Thaksin’s populists and their allies, and the royalist-military establishment. However, the nomination of a member of the royal family by the pro-Thaksin Thai Raksa Chart party could change that. “This is a profound development that will shape the contours and dynamics of Thai politics before and after election. . . . Thai Raksa Chart is a leading contender now,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Chulalongkorn University said. Ubolratana relinquished her royal titles in 1972 when she married an American, Peter Jensen, who was a fellow student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She lived in the United States for more than 26 years before they divorced in 1998. The simmering conflict between the Bangkok-centered, royalist elites and the more rural-based populists loyal to Thaksin has resulted in street protests, military coups and violent clashes over almost 15 years and it is unclear whether a member of the royal family entering politics will sway loyalties. “Previous assumptions and scenarios have to be reconsidered,” Thitinan said. “If this turns out well, it will be a process of reconciliation and unity. If this does not turn out well, it will pose alarming risk and even greater risk for Thailand’s political future.” Thai Raksa Chart is an offshoot of the main pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party that was ousted from power in 2014 in a coup led by then-army chief Prayuth. Thaksin and his party have at times been accused by enemies of being opposed to the monarchy. Thaksin and his party have always rejected that. Pheu Thai is also fielding candidates in the election, and Thai Raksa Chart was formed by Thaksin loyalists and the core leadership of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (the Red Shirts group) as a strategy to help Pheu Thai win seats or to act as a backup if the main party is disqualified. “The party has nominated the princess as its sole candidate,” Thai Raksa Chart Party leader Preechapol Pongpanich told reporters after registering his party’s candidate at the Election Commission. “She is knowledgeable and is highly suitable. I believe there will be no legal problems in terms of her qualification, but we have to wait for the Election Commission to endorse her candidacy,” he said. The commission is required to endorse all candidates by next Friday. Prayuth accepted his nomination from the Palang Pracharat Party, a new party set up by his loyalists, in an official statement. “I am not aiming to extend my power but I am doing this for the benefit of the country and the people,” he said. There was no mention of the princess’s nomination in Prayuth’s statement. Ubolratana, the eldest daughter of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was born in Lausanne in 1951. She studied mathematics and biochemistry at MIT and earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Los Angeles. She returned permanently to Thailand in 2001, performing royal duties but never regaining her full royal titles. She is referred to as “Tunkramom Ying,” which means “daughter to the queen regent,” and is treated by officials as a member of the royal family. But she would not be covered by Thailand’s strict, lese majeste law, against insulting the monarchy. Ubolratana is known for her “To be No. 1” philanthropy campaign, which aims to help young people stay away from drugs, as well as starring in several soap operas and movies. Her son was killed in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. An avid social media user, she recently posted videos eating street food and another complaining about pollution in Bangkok.

thailand
king maha vajiralongkorn
elections
princess ubolratana
thaksin shinawatra