Enthusiasm over new year cards wanes as online options grow

Abstract: Once a tradition firmly entrenched in the national consciousness, the nengajō (new year cards) is facing extinction. If myriad media reports are to be believed, an increasing number of Japanese are deciding not to send any new year cards to family, friends or acquaintances. Online magazine Easier Tomorrow says many people are being put off sending cards at the end of the year because they are increasingly finding that they don’t get cards in return. It’s also a fairly labor-intensive task, especially if messages and addresses are handwritten, often with a calligraphy pen. Easier Tomorrow says people sent an average of 35 cards per person in 2003, a figure that dropped to 19 cards per person last year. Online women’s magazine Cancam says digital technology is partly responsible for the declining figure. “Writing and sending new year cards can easily take an entire day,” the article said . “Everyone’s busy during this time, so it’s easier to send a greeting out by email or via a message app.” Not all is lost, however. According to a survey conducted by pen manufacturer Pilot, nearly 80 percent of respondents had planned to send new year cards in late 2017. “It seems that new year cards are becoming more personal and private,” a woman in her late 20s told Cancam. “We all know that handwritten new year cards require effort, but it’s nice to go that extra mile for family and friends. For acquaintances and people from work, however, an online greeting is probably sufficient.” A person quoted in Joshi Spa! agrees . “Online new year cards are easy and convenient for business purposes, but if you’re going to send one to family and friends, it’s better to take the handwritten route.” An online article in the Asahi Shimbun on Nov. 15 addressed the issue, arguing that many were trying to give up the tradition, especially the elderly. The ritual can be stressful for elderly folk and the Asahi article suggests that many would rather end the practice altogether. This, however, could cause other issues. “If you are the type of person who has always sent out new year cards and then you suddenly stop one year, others will worry about what had happened,” one person notes. To get around this problem, the Asahi Shimbun encourages people to send a shūkatsu nengajō — a “nengajō to end all nengajō” — explaining why this year’s is to be the last. The article even included samples of such cards, offering reasons such as infirmity, old age and failing eyesight. Still, nengajō do offer a few treats for those looking for a bit of luck in the new year: a lottery ticket. Japan Post (formerly the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications) started including lottery numbers on its new year cards in 1949. A sewing machine was awarded as a special prize in the inaugural draw; in 1984, first prize had been upgraded to a microwave. First prize in this year’s installment is ¥300,000 in cash or its equivalent in appliances. The odds of winning this draw are much greater than ordinary lotteries, with each card having a 1 in a million chance. Fuji Film, which has promoted new year cards featuring a family photo for the past 30 years, says a new year card with a lottery number offers the perfect combination of the warmth of a new year card and the thrill of winning the lottery . For those wanting to stick with the tradition a little longer, the deadline for sending cards this year is Dec. 15.


125 women and girls said to have been raped, whipped and clubbed in South Sudan

Abstract: JUBA - One hundred and twenty-five women and girls have been raped, whipped and clubbed in attacks so shocking that some aid workers in South Sudan say they are left speechless. Doctors Without Borders on Saturday said the “dramatic increase” in sexual violence occurred over 10 days, between Nov. 19 and Thursday, as the women and girls walked to a food distribution site in Bentiu in Unity state. By contrast, the medical charity’s Bentiu clinic treated 104 survivors of sexual assault in the first 10 months of this year. Sexual violence has been widespread in South Sudan’s civil war, and even under a recent peace deal humanitarians have warned of higher rates of sexual assault as growing numbers of desperate people try to reach aid. A midwife with Doctors Without Borders who treated some of the survivors said those targeted include pregnant and elderly women and girls as young as 10. “What is happening since last week is indescribable. I haven’t got words for it,” Ruth Okello said. The women were robbed of clothing and shoes, and even their ration cards for food distribution were seized and destroyed, the aid group said. The United Nations mission chief, David Shearer, said the “abhorrent” attacks were carried out by young men in military uniforms and civilian clothing. The U.N. has increased patrols in the area and launched an investigation while urging local authorities to hold the attackers accountable. South Sudan’s government was not immediately available to comment. The international body charged with monitoring the peace deal’s implementation said Saturday it has opened an investigation into the reports. The U.N.’s World Food Program said that while there was a distribution underway in Bentiu for displaced people, the women and girls weren’t due to receive food assistance until the following week. WFP said it was looking into whether it can move distribution sites closer to communities in the area. A new report by the United Nations panel of experts monitoring sanctions on South Sudan says it remains “extremely concerned” about the continued high level of conflict-related sexual violence, despite the peace deal signed in September.

south sudan
sexual violence
united nations


North Korean soldier defects to South over heavily fortified border

Abstract: SEOUL - A North Korean soldier fled across a heavily fortified border to defect to South Korea early Saturday, the military in Seoul said, just as the rivals began taking steps to reduce military tensions. South Korean soldiers escorted the defector to safety after finding him moving south of the eastern side of the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. “A North Korean soldier was detected crossing the military demarcation line” by South Korean troops using surveillance equipment, the statement said. “The soldier is safely in our custody,” it added. “Related agencies plan to investigate him regarding the details of how he came to the South.” South Korean authorities plan to question the defector over the details of his escape. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had not observed any unusual activity from North Korean troops in the area where the defection happened. It comes as the North and South Korea have pushed to implement a wide-ranging military agreement reached in September to reduce tensions across their border. The North’s official media hasn’t reported about Saturday’s case. Pyongyang has frequently accused Seoul of kidnapping or enticing its citizens to defect. About 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, mostly traveling via China, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Last November, a North Korean soldier was critically wounded in a jointly controlled area after he fled to the South amid a hail of bullets fired by his former comrades. The soldier, Oh Chong Song, survived and told a Japanese newspaper last month that he had been drinking after getting into unspecified trouble with his friends. He said he kept going after breaking through a checkpoint in a military jeep because he became fearful of being executed. South Korea says the military agreement, which also included creating buffer zones along the Koreas’ land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border, is an important trust-building step that would help stabilize peace and advance reconciliation between the rivals. But critics say the South risks conceding some of its conventional military strength before North Korea takes any meaningful steps on denuclearization, as the larger nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang seemingly drift into a stalemate. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Friday that the Korean militaries completed removing 20 front-line guard posts and land mines from a border area where they plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. The Koreas and the U.S.-led U.N. Command recently finished removing firearms and troops from the jointly controlled area at the border village of Panmunjom, and eventually plan to allow tourists to freely move around there.


NHK, other TV stations begin broadcasting 4K, 8K ultra-high-definition programs

Abstract: Public broadcaster NHK and several other TV stations began airing 4K and 8K ultra-high-definition programs on satellite channels Saturday. 4K contents were offered on 17 channels, with NHK initially being the only broadcaster to run 8K programs. The government has been pushing the 4K and 8K services in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, even though a limited amount of content is available in the higher resolution and viewers at least need a 4K-capable TV to watch it. Some 4K-ready TVs are not capable of receiving 4K signals by themselves and owners need to purchase a receiver. To watch 8K and some of the 4K broadcasts, viewers also need a dedicated satellite dish. 4K resolution with 4,000 horizontal pixels has four times as many pixels as a full high-definition image and 8K has 16 times as many, but only a handful of manufacturers currently sell 8K TVs and they are expensive. Sharp Corp. began selling its 8K TVs with embedded receivers in November, with the smallest 60-inch screen model costing ¥750,000 before tax. Some retailers stepped up marketing of 4K and 8K TVs, expecting demand to gradually increase as the Olympics draws closer. A 58-year-old man visiting an electronics store in Tokyo said after watching an 8K TV on display, “I’ve seen it for the first time. The images are sharp and vivid, and different from my TV’s”. “But it doesn’t make sense to buy an expensive TV when there aren’t programs I want to watch (in 8K resolution). I’m in no hurry to get my hands on it,” he added.


Japanese scientists and doctors blast birth of gene-edited babies

Abstract: Japanese scientists and doctors have condemned the birth of gene-edited twin babies, claimed by a Chinese researcher earlier this week. In a statement released Friday, the Japan Society of Gene and Cell Therapy acknowledged that genome editing is a very useful research tool. However, it stressed that the use of genome editing in a human embryo should not be tolerated, with discussions continuing on issues related to the new technology and relevant legal frameworks not yet in place. The group suggested that the technology is still “immature,” and has many issues, including ethical concerns and results that may last generations. The Japan Medical Association and the Japanese Association of Medical Studies issued a joint statement expressing “extremely grave concerns” about the purported birth of gene-edited babies. The two groups said that the research in question ignored human dignity and disrespected life, as well as threatened the physical, mental and social well-being of the babies. They strongly warned everyone engaged in medical service or research against “similar unethical behavior.”


Fewer foreigners than expected coming to Japan to work as caregiver trainees, data shows

Abstract: Japan has seen an unexpectedly small number of foreign workers joining a trainee program for nursing care services a year after the start, official data showed Saturday, casting doubt on estimates in a government plan to welcome more workers from abroad. A total of 247 foreigners have participated in the trainee program in the nursing care industry launched in November last year, after 986 people applied and 472 were accepted, according to the data from the Organization for Technical Intern Training, which administers the program. The number compares with 5,000 foreign workers that the government hopes to have in the caregiving sector in the first year of its plan to hire more non-Japanese people over the five years from April to help make up for a labor shortage in the sector. “It’s less than we had hoped,” a government official said. The numbers are apparently due in part to a requirement that foreigners looking to take part in the program have to learn a relatively high level of Japanese in order to communicate with patients. Participants need to have passed the N4 level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, which indicates “the ability to understand basic Japanese,” before coming to Japan. They must pass the N3, which denotes “the ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree,” in their second year or be sent home. Other fields, such as construction, do not have these requirements. But the stipulations have met some pushback, and Japan is now considering allowing foreigners who fail the N3 to remain in the country. “Vietnam and the Philippines have expressed concern that their people could be sent back, and that has made them reluctant to send anyone in the first place,” the government official said. The Technical Intern Training Program, which was created in 1993 with the aim of transferring skills from Japan to developing countries, has also gained a reputation for subjecting people to long hours for low pay and in some cases, verbal and physical abuse, which may also be discouraging participation. The data come amid Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to create a new visa status that will bring up to about 345,000 foreigners into Japan over the next five years to work in fields that are experiencing a severe labor shortage as the nation’s population rapidly ages. The government is aiming for the nursing care sector to account for 50,000 to 60,000 of those jobs to help make up for a shortage of 340,000 caregivers expected by 2025. But that projection may look overly optimistic, especially in the face of competition from countries including Germany, Singapore and the United States, which also have a shortage of caregivers. A bill on the plan, which Abe hopes will take effect next April, is currently being deliberated in the Upper House of the Diet after the ruling bloc pushed it through the Lower House earlier last week.


23 days later: Getting arrested in Japan

Abstract: Freedom is easy to take for granted — at least until it is taken away from you without warning. Carlos Ghosn, chairman of the alliance between Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., was arrested on Nov. 19 for alleged financial violations. Two days later, the Tokyo District Court ordered Ghosn to be held for a further 10 days as prosecutors investigate allegations the 64-year-old underreported his pay package. On Friday, the same court approved a request from prosecutors to keep Ghosn until Dec. 10 for further investigation. Ghosn’s arrest provides an opportunity to examine issues relating to the legal process that suspects face once they are taken into custody, where prosecutors have up to 23 days to decide whether or not to press formal charges. Foreign suspects are more likely to be held in custody for the full term, with prosecutors often believing them to be a flight risk. Criminal defense attorney Makoto Endo once said that Japan’s criminal courts operate on a presumption of “guilty until proven guilty.” Endo said the goal of the system wasn’t to dispense justice, it was to obtain a conviction. After an arrest, police officers initially have 48 hours to decide what to do with a suspect. In practice, officers will always fingerprint a suspect and take a statement. The police could decide not to pursue the case and let a suspect go. They could also release a suspect but still send the case to the prosecutors. More likely, they will continue to detain a suspect and press charges. The next 24 hours are crucial to any case, with prosecutors using this time to decide whether or not to indict a suspect. Japan’s criminal justice system is famous for its 99 percent conviction rate, although this figure is only correct insofar as it reflects those who have been indicted. Prosecutors routinely drop around 50 percent of the cases they receive. “Japan’s prosecutors tend to only take slam-dunk cases,” says David Johnson, author of “The Japanese Way of Justice.” In that first 24 hours, prosecutors typically ask for a suspect to be held for an additional 10 days to ensure evidence isn’t destroyed or the accused doesn’t flee. The court almost always grants this request. During this time, prosecutors can question suspects up to eight hours a day with no lawyer present. Many suspects are kept in a cell at a police station, although women in Tokyo usually end up at a police station in Harajuku that has heating and air-conditioning. Mobile phones and personal belongings are confiscated after an arrest and suspects are not given any access to a computer while in custody. They have no way to communicate with the outside world other than talking to their lawyer or visitors. Suspects are allowed up to three visitors at once, but only one visit each day. Visits are only granted on weekdays and typically limited to 20 minutes. They are monitored by authorities and conversation during a visit can only be conducted in Japanese. Suspects are generally allowed to shower every other day. The food served in detention has been described as bland and almost inedible. If suspects don’t confess within the first 13 days, prosecutors will typically ask for an additional 10 days. Bail is seldom granted. “A suspect’s lawyer can ask for bail but the request is usually denied unless there’s a confession,” defense attorney Hiroyuki Kawai says. “If a suspect doesn’t confess, prosecutors assume there’s a risk that the suspect will tamper with evidence that would convict them, presuming that they’re guilty in the first place. A confession may get a suspect out earlier, but then they’re certainly going to be prosecuted and convicted.” At the end of the 23 days, prosecutors must decide whether to indict a suspect or release them. And even if a suspect is released, the police can re-arrest them on different charges and the 23-day process starts from the beginning. Such practice is standard in murder cases, where suspects are initially placed in custody on charges of “improperly disposing of a corpse,” interrogated for 23 days, indicted and then re-arrested on homicide charges. This technique is also used in high-profile corporate cases. Mark Karpeles, former CEO of Mt. Gox, was re-arrested at least twice in 2015 after he refused to confess. He maintained his innocence and is still on trial … three years later. On Dec. 10, one wonders which path prosecutors will take in Ghosn’s case. Only time will tell.


Netflix hopes to attract new anime fans with old favorites

Abstract: After launching in Japan in September 2015, Netflix has aggressively gone after the nation’s streaming market with an array of content. Original programming such as “ Aggretsuko ,” “ Terrace House ” and a reboot of “ Ainori ” have helped capture the attention of many cordcutters who want the freedom of being able to watch content in any place and at any time without being saddled with commercials. With decent competition from Hulu and Disney’s upcoming streaming service breathing down its neck, Netflix is doubling down on the Japanese market — and those who love Japanese entertainment — with a slew of anime content that is old, new and something in between. Netflix had anime fans’ heads in a spin last week when the streaming giant announced that it had obtained the rights to the legendary (although difficult to understand) animated series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and will start airing the show next year. The rights to the property have been in limbo for the past few years, with the ’90s show not streaming legally anywhere online and many regions unable to purchase new DVD copies. The news invariably took Twitter by storm. The original announcement received more than 100,000 likes as fans celebrated the show’s return. “My weeb flag is flying after that Evangelion news,” voice actress Cristina Vee tweeted . Many on Twitter showed their excitement by simply posting a clip of an African-American gospel choir singing the “Evangelion” theme song on Japanese television. As fans were still drafting their “Evangelion” memes, Netflix kept dropping more news, including a remake of the ’80s manga and anime series “Saint Seiya.” The fantasy show follows a group of knights who protect the goddess Athena from evil and has maintained a strong fan following since its original debut. “I’m going to cry I’m so excited,” tweeted @KaggyFilms . Netflix kept a firm grip on viewers’ nostalgia by unveiling the latest installment in the “Ultraman” series . This new anime version diverges greatly from the live-action, child-friendly kaijū show with a seemingly more mature storyline and a decent amount of blood. “Step aside kids,” YouTube commenter Johnas wrote. “It’s our time now!” For those who are missing out on shows they can watch with the whole family, Netflix is also producing a program based on the mascot Rilakkuma, Sanrio’s cute and lazy bear that is famous for being silent and adorable. The program, “ Rilakkuma and Kaoru ,” looks to turn kawaii to maximum levels, featuring the iconic brown bear and his friends lazily eating food and spending time with their human companion in a stop-motion design (perhaps think “Coraline” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas”). “This is the best news I’ve gotten all year,” wrote Twitter user @boringtatiana . “Netflix getting Eva is nice, but they also announced a stop-motion Rilakkuma series that looks cute as hell,” wrote @popecorky . The bombshell that really shook the internet, though, was Netflix’s announcement that it was creating a live-action version of the classic ’90s anime “Cowboy Bebop.” The TV show, which follows a group of mercenaries who travel throughout the galaxy, is widely accepted as one of the most-acclaimed animated Japanese shows ever made. Netflix tried to relieve any concern about remaking such a beloved series by stressing that the original Japanese creator would consult on the show, but many anime fans are still bitter about the streaming service’s “Death Note” movie that was panned far and wide. Netflix’s Twitter announcement was met with a lineup of unfavorable replies, including a gif of Ein , the dog from “Cowboy Bebop,” hopping away while the word “nope” flashes on screen. Another top reply was a gif of the show’s main character, Spike Spiegel, smoking a cigarette accompanied by a line of dialogue from the show: “Oh well. Whatever happens, happens.” Forbes seemed to sum up everyone’s hesitation with an article titled “ ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Is Next In Line For The Live-Action Treatment And This Is Definitely Bad News .” Despite the news, it remains to be seen which shows will become binge-worthy, and which will get skipped over countless times on Netflix’s recommendation algorithm.

netflix
neon genesis evangelion
saint seiya
ultraman
rilakkuma
sanrio
japan pulse


Question mark hangs over holiday reshuffles

Abstract: The Diet passed a bill in June that will shift certain national holidays in 2020 to ease traffic congestion during the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Marine Day, which is usually the third Monday of July, will be moved to July 23, the day before the opening ceremony, while Sports Day, normally the second Monday in October, will be shifted to July 24, the day of the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, Mountain Day, which is usually celebrated on Aug. 11, will be moved up a day to Aug. 10, the day after the closing ceremony, which falls on a Sunday. By concentrating these holidays around times when the population of Tokyo is expected to swell, the government hopes to relieve some of the pressure on roads and public transportation, since fewer people are likely to be commuting. According to IT Media Business Online , these changes do not sit well with some sectors of the population. There will be no increase in the number of national holidays, so workers and students who normally look forward to three-day weekends in July and October won’t be able to utilize them in 2020. That means leisure and tourism-related entities will lose business during those periods. Also, people who don’t live in Tokyo wonder why they have to change their schedules just for the convenience of the capital, since these holiday shifts are being made on a national rather than a local basis. The government’s scheme shows how arbitrary the national holiday system is. Moving Sports Day to the day of the opening ceremony makes symbolic sense because its original meaning was to commemorate the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Broadly speaking, Marine Day and Mountain Day were initially implemented to compel the public to take a break from work, the implication being that they needed permission from the government to do so. Consequently, time off in Japan is seen as a matter more of supervisory fiat than personal inclination, which may be why the government’s more recent decision to grant the nation 10 full days of vacation during Golden Week 2019 has been met with mixed reactions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the calendar changes on Oct. 12 as the result of a Cabinet directive. The Golden Week vacation period next year will start on April 27 and end on May 6. The stated reason for the long vacation is to celebrate the ascendance of Crown Prince Naruhito to the throne, even though the enthronement ceremony won’t take place until the following October. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the purpose of the extended holiday is to allow all citizens to enjoy the succession in a unified manner . The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on how these calendar changes will affect the business community. Obviously, the tourist industry is excited because more people will be taking trips. The JTB Corp. has already received twice as many reservations for overseas travel during Golden Week 2019 than they did for Golden Week 2018 in early October last year. All Nippon Airways reports an increase in domestic flight bookings for the period. On the other hand, many companies announce their annual business results in May, so they will have to either move up their plans or push them back, which may be troublesome for investors. And industries already suffering from labor shortages, such as transportation and delivery services, will be particularly inconvenienced. Yamato Transport predicts a huge increase in last-minute demand before the 10-day break kicks off. In a Nov. 14 editorial, the Asahi Shimbun said that while “many will welcome such a long vacation,” wage-earners forced to take days off will lose income. And parents who still need to work during the designated period will have to find someone to watch their children, since schools will be closed. The government seems oblivious to these concerns, says the Asahi Shimbun, especially considering the timing. Why is the succession celebration centered on May 1? Jan. 1 makes more sense, since a new Imperial era will start on that date. Isn’t it more practical to begin the new reign at the start of the calendar year? The government’s reasoning is that the Imperial family already has much to do during the New Year’s interval. In that case, why not schedule the succession for the beginning of the fiscal year on April 1? The government says that there are regional elections on April 7 next year. Another worry is the announcement of the name of the new Imperial era, which won’t be made until at least one month before the planned May succession, a decision that seems to satisfy nobody. Printers and information technology companies have pleaded for the government to announce the new gengō (era name) as soon as possible so that their businesses would not be adversely affected. Meanwhile, traditionalists, many of whom are not crazy about allowing the present Emperor to abdicate before he dies, want to at least follow the protocol of not announcing the new gengō until the Emperor is off the throne. The Asahi Shimbun also argues that the Cabinet decision violates the letter of the Constitution, which says the Emperor represents the will of the people. The Asahi Shimbun thinks the government ignores public opinion by unilaterally selecting the date of succession and dictating when people will celebrate it. In that spirit, the government will likely designate a new holiday to celebrate the new Emperor’s birthday, but because the succession doesn’t happen until May and the new Emperor’s birthday is in February, the holiday wouldn’t go into effect until 2020. The Sankei Shimbun says that the current Emperor’s birthday — Dec. 23 — will not be celebrated after the succession, so that means one less national holiday in 2019. The government will likely make that day a holiday just as they did for the birthdays of the Showa Emperor (Green Day, April 29) and the Meiji Emperor (Culture Day, Nov. 3). For some reason, the Taisho Emperor’s birthday doesn’t get a holiday, but it’s always there in case the government needs another one.

golden week
abdication
2020 tokyo olympics


Magazines explore the inevitability of death and taxes

Abstract: From this week, beneath the glitter of tinsel and glimmer of outdoor seasonal illumination, the bonenkai (year-end party) season begins in earnest. Amidst these distractions, however, one comes away with the impression that the magazines are devoting more pages to health advisories for staying alive — or the financial implications of dying — with less space being devoted to schadenfreude over lapses among the luminaries, such as Nissan’s ousted chairman, Carlos Ghosn. The simplest explanation for this, of course, is that magazines know they must appeal to an aging readership, and feel moved to provide material to aid readers in their shukatsu , a term best rendered in English as “putting one’s affairs in order.” Coincidentally, just as I began writing this contribution I received an email from a Japanese friend of many years who had studied abroad and is quite fluent in English. He apologized for having been out of touch, writing, “The inheritance tax has kept me pretty busy as it involves consulting with banks, legal people, real-estate people, etc., to minimize the tax. This is really a pain in the ass.” It seems that, effective from the start of 2019, a major revision in Japan’s inheritance tax system, the first in 40 years, will go into effect. The changes will touch upon the rights of heirs, distribution of property, freezing of bank accounts, and the management of last wills and testaments, among others. Shukan Bunshun (Nov. 22) produced a to-do list of 30 items before going to a public notary to draw up one’s will. Nos. 1 through 15 involve organizing financial data, including bank accounts, deeds, securities and credit card numbers; considering monetary gifts of ¥ 1.1 million per year to one’s children and grandchildren, which are not taxed; and factoring in outlays for ancestral graves — rather than allowing those costs to be passed on to one’s heirs. Along with putting aside contingency funds for funeral-related expenses, an account should be set up for the automatic payment of electricity, gas, water, telephone and so on. Even if a husband’s bank account is frozen upon death, the tax office will allow a widow to withdraw a reasonable amount of up to ¥1 million to cover those necessities. Shukan Bunshun quotes a Tokyo-based tax accountant named Kenkichiro Murata as saying that attorneys should best be avoided. “There are lots of deductions and special provisions for the inheritance tax, and the fact is, some accountants are more knowledgeable than others,” he says. “A top-notch accountant may charge you a few hundred thousand yen more, but if he reduces your taxes by several million yen, it’ll be worth it.” Shukan Asahi (Dec. 7) ran a six-page list of “arrangements after death,” describing the issue to readers as a hozon-ban (to be retained for future reference). “One doesn’t want to think about ‘ending notes,’ but at some time you will encounter the death of a person close to you,” the article begins. “With almost no time for feelings of sadness, you will be hassled to fulfill arrangements, one after the next. Unable to make decisions in a composed manner, it’s possible you’ll feel regret for the way things turned out. So pay attention to these necessary arrangements.” Among the most expensive of these arrangements will be funerals. Based on 1,999 responses to a nationwide survey, the average outlay for all related expenditures came to ¥1,762,516. On another note, concealing money abroad is about to become more difficult. Starting from 2019, the National Tax Agency is expected to close one more loophole: overseas bank accounts held by Japanese nationals and Japan residents. Shukan Shincho (Nov. 22) reported that, through the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) shared by OECD members, the tax agency has become aware of some 550,000 overseas accounts in 64 countries and territories, including nearby Asian tax shelters such as Hong Kong and Singapore. The system will make it considerably more difficult to hide deposits in secret foreign accounts. A topic we’ll be certain to see more of in the months ahead will relate to stretching one’s pension in order to cope with the increases in living costs anticipated after the consumption tax is boosted from 8 percent to 10 percent, which is expected to take effect from October. Moves are also underway to extend the age at which a worker can start receiving pension payouts to 70 or later. Noting that since the current average of so-called health longevity — the age up to which one enjoys robust health — is 72.14 years for Japanese males, Shukan Gendai (Oct. 13-20) predicted that should people be obliged to work up to age 70, the very notion of rogo (one’s dotage) will effectively disappear. “Our generation is being told that to be free of financial pressures after retirement, we will need to have approximately ¥80 million in assets,” a 58-year-old man employed in the construction industry says. “That figure was based on retiring at age 60, with monthly living costs of ¥300,000 and enough left to cover home renovations and so on. “But if people’s life spans are extended to the age of 100, projected costs come to double that figure. As long as social pension payouts are not reduced my age group should be all right, but it’s going to be very rough on my children’s generation, who will have to work until 70 but with no assurances that the expected pension will materialize.”


Japan Times 1968: Bandit steals ¥294 million in daring daylight robbery

Abstract: 100 YEARS AGO Friday, Dec. 27 1918 Snow snarls Tokyo on Christmas night THE JAPAN TIMES Tokyo and surrounding neighborhoods were visited by another snowfall on Christmas evening. The snow set in at about 5:30 p.m. and continued throughout the night. The snowfall was about 5 inches deep, but with the fine weather yesterday, the snow fast melted, turning the streets into the usual horrible mess. This was the third snowfall of the season, and was comparatively heavy. Extensive damage was done by the storm to telephone and telegraphic communications in Tokyo. Over 3,300 telephone wires were damaged in Tokyo alone and 72 lines between Tokyo and other points. Many telegraph wires were damaged in and outside of Tokyo and communications much interrupted. The direct cause of the interruption was the cutting of electric light wires, which broke under the load of the snow and crossed the telegraph and telephone wires. The central telegraph and telephone offices called out all workmen off duty yesterday and are busily engaged in repairs. The street car system, as usual, suffered the worst from the storm. Over 300 cars were affected and came to a standstill on various sections to the great inconvenience of passengers. The city electric bureau sent snow cars to remove the snow from the tracks. Owing to the increased absence of drivers and conductors, the street car service was greatly dislocated yesterday morning, the number of cars being less than usual. The storm was not general throughout the country. 75 YEARS AGO Friday, Dec. 31, 1943 Rail commuters forget over 1 million items THE JAPAN TIMES An amazing total of 1.2 million forgotten articles have been gathered at the various rail bureaus throughout the country for the year 1943. The Tokyo Railway Bureau occupies first place, claiming as its share of the lost goods one-third of the total, with Osaka, Nagoya, Moji, Hiroshima, Niigata and Sendai following in consecutive order. Let us take a glance at Tokyo, Ueno and Ryogoku stations, with their total of 80 percent of the entire lost articles handled by the Tokyo Railway Bureau. At Tokyo Station, the main entrance to the Imperial capital, the number of lost articles totaled 45,950 from January to November. Out of this number, 2,867 cases concerned monetary losses in cash, amounting to ¥118,396. The number of individual cases reported at Ueno Station was 35,514, with 2,205 cases of cash losses amounting to a total of ¥62,433. Ryogoku Station had only 6,417 cases with 503 cash losses totaling ¥10,590. There has been a gradual increase in the number of lost articles since 1936, recording 404,118 cases for 1942. Another astounding fact is that only 37 percent of the articles are claimed by owners. Cataloging these articles, hats occupy first place, with 20 percent of the total number. Umbrellas follow next on the list. Watches and cameras also come up to a considerable number. It is interesting to note that money for the most part, approximately 70 percent, is found within the station precincts, accounted for by the fact that bills and coins probably slipped out of purses when opened by their owners. 50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1968 ¥294 million stolen in daylight robbery THE JAPAN TIMES A young man posing as a motorcycle policeman robbed a bank car of ¥294 million in cash in a daring broad daylight robbery on a highway in Fuchu in western Tokyo on Tuesday. The Metropolitan Police Department immediately began a massive hunt for the robber, setting up check points on all major highways and roads in Tokyo and its vicinity. But as of early this morning, the culprit was still at large and police had no substantial clues as to his identity. Police believe the crime had been carefully planned by someone who had an intimate knowledge of the Nippon Trust and Banking Co., whose car was attacked, or of the Fuchu plant of Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co. (Toshiba), where the money was being transferred. The burglary was executed according to a plan that apparently had been laid out exact to the second to ensure success, police said. The money was to have been paid as bonuses to about 4,500 of a total of 6,200 employees at the Toshiba plant. 25 YEARS AGO Friday, Dec. 17, 1993 Tanaka, shogun of money politics, dies THE JAPAN TIMES Former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, a rags-to-riches politician who restored ties with China 21 years ago and was later convicted of bribery, died Thursday of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital at the age of 75. Tanaka’s daughter, Makiko, and her husband, Naoki, both Lower House members of the Liberal Democratic Party, were at his bedside when he died at 2:04 p.m., sources said. His body was then taken to his home in Mejiro in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayoshi Takemura, upon hearing of Tanaka’s death, called him one of Japan’s most “colorful” postwar politicians and praised him for restoring diplomatic ties with Beijing in September 1972. Tanaka became prime minister in July 1972. But he was forced to resign in December 1974 because of money scandals that allegedly involved his methods of building wealth and power. He was arrested in July 1976 in connection with the Lockheed payoff scandal, which rocked the nation. Tanaka, who had been paralyzed following a 1985 stroke, was hospitalized in early September for diabetes and was later moved to Keio University Hospital, where he died of pneumonia caused by hyperthyroidism, which he had suffered since his time as a young politician.


Japan may seize South Korean assets amid row over wartime labor

Abstract: The central government may seize South Korean assets in Japan if the holdings of Japanese firms in South Korea are confiscated following recent Supreme Court rulings against them over the issue of wartime labor, sources have said. The possible countermeasure is being discussed as a “last resort” by some in the government, the sources added. The seizure of South Korean assets could be allowed as a measure of “diplomatic protection” under international law but would first need a related domestic law, they said. On Oct. 30, the top South Korean court ordered Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. to pay compensation to South Korean plaintiffs who say they were forced to work for the company’s predecessor before the end of World War II. On Thursday, it issued a similar ruling against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Tokyo believes that the rulings contradict a 1965 bilateral agreement that declared the issue of rights over war-related claims was fully resolved. It may take the case to the International Court of Justice. “We’re looking at every possible option,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference Friday. Foreign Minister Taro Kono, at a separate news conference, urged the South Korean government to promptly take appropriate action in the wake of the rulings.

wartime labor
courts
wwii
history
south korea-japan relations


Google's self-driving spinoff launches ride-hailing service, with human aboard for now

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - Google’s self-driving car spinoff is finally ready to try to profit from its nearly decade-old technology. Waymo is introducing a small-scale ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area that will include a human behind the wheel in case the robotic vehicles malfunction. The service debuting Wednesday marks a significant milestone for Waymo, a company that began as a secretive project within Google in 2009. Since then, its cars have robotically logged more 10 million miles on public roads in 25 cities in California, Arizona, Washington, Michigan and Georgia, while getting into only a few accidents — mostly fender benders. The company is initially operating the new service cautiously, underscoring the challenges still facing its autonomous vehicles as they navigate around other vehicles with human drivers that don’t always follow the same rules as robots. The service, dubbed Waymo One, at first will only be available to a couple of hundred riders, all of whom had already been participating in a free pilot program that began in April 2017. It will be confined to a roughly 100-square-mile area in and around Phoenix, including the neighboring cities of Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert. Although Waymo has been driving passengers without any humans behind the wheel in its free pilot program, it decided to be less daring with the new commercial service. “Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully with the comfort and convenience of our riders in mind,” Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote in Wednesday’s blog post heralding the arrival of the new service. The ride-hailing service is launching in the same area where a car using robotic technology from ride-hailing service Uber hit and killed a pedestrian crossing a darkened street in Tempe, Arizona, seven months ago. That fatal collision attracted worldwide attention that cast a pall over the entire self-driving car industry as more people began to publicly question the safety of the vehicles. “I suspect the Uber fatality has caused Waymo to slow down its pace a bit” and use human safety drivers in its ride-hailing service,” said Navigant Research analyst Sam Abuelsamid. “If people keep dying, there will be a bigger backlash against these vehicles.” The Uber robotic car had a human safety driver behind the wheel, but that wasn’t enough to prevent its lethal accident in March. Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are still susceptible to glitches, as an Associated Press reporter experienced during a mid-October ride in an autonomous minivan alongside Krafcik near the company’s Mountain View, California, headquarters. The minivan performed smoothly, even stopping for a jaywalker, before abruptly pulling to the right side of the road. Ahead was a left-turning FedEx delivery truck. In a digital message to the two human backup drivers, the van said it “detected an issue” and it would connect to a rider support agent. Rider support didn’t respond due to what the company blamed on a dead spot in cellular phone coverage. The human drivers switched to manual mode and returned to Waymo headquarters. At that time, Krafcik conceded to the AP that Waymo’s self-driving vehicles were still encountering occasional problems negotiating left-hand turns at complicated intersections. “I think the things that humans have challenges with, we’re challenged with as well,” Krafcik said. “So sometimes unprotected lefts are super challenging for a human, sometimes they’re super challenging for us.” Waymo eventually plans to open its new ride-hailing app to all comers in the Phoenix area, although it won’t say when. It also wants to expand its service to other cities, but isn’t saying where. When that happens, it could pose a threat to Uber and the second most popular U.S. ride-hailing service, Lyft, especially since it should be able to charge lower prices without the need to share revenue with a human driver in control at all times. General Motors is also gearing up to begin offering a ride-hailing service through its Cruise subsidiary under the management of a new CEO, Dan Ammann, who has been the Detroit automaker’s No. 2 executive. Cruise plans to start its ride-hailing service at some point next year in at least one U.S. city. Another self-driving car company, Drive.ai , has been giving short-distance rides to all comers within Frisco, Texas and Arlington, Texas since the summer.

google
ride-hailing
self-driving car
waymo
uber


Russian tech giant Yandex unveils first smartphone to defend position against Google

Abstract: MOSCOW - Russian internet giant Yandex on Wednesday launched its first ever smartphone in a highly anticipated move into hardware that builds on popular service apps. The company behind the most widely used search engine in Russia and the ex-Soviet region has recently diversified to defend its market share against Google. Like the U.S. rival, it has created a range of popular apps for services from taxi-hailing to ordering takeaway food. The new device, called Yandex.Phone , will go on sale on Thursday in Russia and online for 17,990 rubles ($269) — less than similar phones from competitors Apple and Samsung — and will work with the Android system. While the design was created by Yandex, the phone is made in China. Yandex’s various apps for payment, music, maps, taxi and food are pre-installed on the phone, which will also use a speaker called Alice (Alisa in Russian), which uses artificial intelligence and is similar to Amazon’s Alexa. “We built Yandex.Phone to offer Russian users a smartphone that is equipped with all the localized tools that help users better navigate their daily routines,” Yandex official Fyodor Yezhov said. “Within the smartphone, the Yandex apps are presented in the form of an ecosystem with Alice at its centre.” At Wednesday’s presentation Yezhov told journalists the company wanted “to show all the Russian producers that (Yandex) can make a phone from start to finish, with our user interface and our ecosystem.” The phone signals a new phase in Yandex’s development and is designed to compete in Russia with giants like Apple, Samsung and Huawei. This comes after Google launched its own smartphone with mixed success and Facebook failed in its attempts to do so. Yandex started in the 1990s as a search engine similar to Google and has expanded into every corner of the Russian internet. The launch comes after the company last month disappointed tech enthusiasts by summoning journalists to what turned out to be a presentation not of the smartphone but of its speaker. The Yandex phone is not the first to be developed by a Russian company. In 2013 the YotaPhone, designed in Russia but also made in China, was launched with the gimmick of having screens on both sides. However it failed to set the market alight. This time the company behind the smartphone has much more clout. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and renowned for creative flair. Tom Morrod, research director at IHS Markit, said Yandex will not “be competing with iPhone or top-end models. “Nonhardware companies are often happy to take a midmarket position, not hoping to make money” from phone sales, Morrod said. The phone will allow the company to “collect data on all aspects of a user — what they eat, what they listen to” and target them with ads, he said. Konstantin Gagarin, editor-in-chief of digital technology news site SuperG.ru , told AFP that “in terms of its capabilities, this is an absolutely ordinary smartphone. But if you look at the services offered, it is actually an interesting device to test out. And what’s more the price is absolutely affordable and appropriate for the market.” The Yandex.Phone is priced within the middle range in Russia, where the average cost of a smartphone is 15,000 rubles, according to RIA Novosti news agency. “Yandex isn’t aiming for a colossal success. They mainly just want to sell a certain number of smartphones and get feedback on which direction to move in,” Gagarin said. Yandex and its main Russian rival Mail.ru — which owns the country’s most popular social networking site VKontakte — compete in the booming e-commerce sector as Russia faces pressure from Western sanctions and turns towards China for joint projects. Mail.ru recently announced a joint e-commerce venture with Chinese giant Alibaba while Yandex has linked up with Russia’s biggest consumer bank Sberbank for an e-commerce project valued at $1 billion.

russia yandex smartphone google apple huawei sanctions


Britain's BT pulls plug on Huawei in core 4G cellular network amid security concerns

Abstract: LONDON - Britain’s largest mobile provider revealed on Wednesday it was stripping the equipment of China’s telecoms giant Huawei from its core 4G cellular network after similar moves by the United States and New Zealand. BT’s announcement comes with Washington reportedly pushing its allies to shun Huawei equipment and technology as they roll out next-generation 5G platforms. It also follows a warning from the head of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service about the potential threat Huawei poses to national and corporate security. Huawei — one of the world’s largest mobile equipment and service providers — has long been under scrutiny over its allegedly close ties to China’s state intelligence services. Both Beijing and the company deny the link. BT said it has been in the process of removing Huawei equipment from instrumental parts of its 3G and 4G mobile networks since 2016. It said in a statement that the decision was made “as part of network architecture principles in place since 2006. “We’re applying these same principles to our current RFP (request for proposal) for 5G core infrastructure,” the British group added. “As a result, Huawei have not been included in vendor selection for our 5G core.” The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Washington has asked its allies to cut ties with Huawei because its equipment posed strong cybersecurity risks. The pressure is forcing companies and governments to finely balance their positions because of the enormous political and economic influence of both Washington and Beijing. New Zealand’s government last week insisted that it was not banning Huawei from its 5G network rollout because it was Chinese. BT likewise stressed that “Huawei remains an important equipment provider outside the core network, and a valued innovation partner.” It added that Huawei would still be part of its secondary “5G Radio Access Network. The FT said BT in 2005 became one of the first companies outside China to sign a landmark supply agreement with Huawei. Its decision not to use the Chinese firm for its “core” services came the following year. But it had to resume actively removing Huawei from the 3G and 4G networks used by the EE telecoms company it acquired in 2016. The Wall Street Journal said the U.K. government is currently reviewing the makeup of its entire telecommunications equipment market. Britain’s MI6 head Alex Younger publicly questioned on Monday whether Huawei should be involved in the 5G platform. “We need to decide the extent to which we are going to be comfortable with Chinese ownership of these technologies and these platforms in an environment where some of our allies have taken a very definite position,” he said in a rare public address. He said a report by a security committee of the U.S. Congress has concluded that China could exert sufficient pressure on companies such as Huawei to achieve strategic security goals. Beijing could “force Chinese suppliers or manufacturers to modify products to perform below expectations or fail, facilitate state or corporate espionage, or otherwise compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability,” Younger said. BT used to be known as British Telecom — the government-run provider of fixed line services in the United Kingdom. It changed its name and was privatised between 1991 and 1993. BT reports offering various services in around 180 countries.

bt
huawei
4g
china
new zealand
5g
espionage
u.s .
u.k .


Tokyo stocks dive on reignited U.S.-China trade fears

Abstract: Stocks fell sharply on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday, hurt by rekindled concerns over fierce U.S.-China trade friction. The 225-issue Nikkei average plunged 417.71 points, or 1.91 percent, to end at 21,501.62, the lowest finish since Oct. 30. It shed 116.72 points on Wednesday. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 29.89 points, or 1.82 percent, at 1,610.60, after losing 8.71 points the previous day. Stocks came under heavy selling pressure soon after the opening bell, with investor sentiment battered by news reports that Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., has been arrested in Canada at the request of the United States, market sources said. Concerns grew that the arrest, on suspicion of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, may intensify a U.S.-China trade dispute, according to the sources. The Nikkei briefly lost over 600 points in afternoon trading. An official at an asset management firm said that sharp sell-offs were induced by worries that the arrest of Wanzhou “may have adverse effects on U.S.-China trade negotiations.” Brokers said that high-tech issues suffered massive losses following the new reports on her arrest. Active “buying on dips didn’t easily emerge” due to uncertainty over future developments of an investigation involving the key Huawei official, said Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc. Referring to the closure of the U.S. bond and stock markets on Wednesday, Fujii noted that the Tokyo market was driven down by futures-led selling in the absence of foreign investors. Falling issues far outnumbered rising ones 1,828 to 253 in the TSE’s first section, while 38 issues were unchanged. Volume rose to 1.510 billion shares from 1.463 billion shares on Wednesday. High-tech issues, including semiconductor-related Tokyo Electron, Sumco and Shin-Etsu Chemical, ended sharply lower. Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, industrial robot producer Fanuc and other economically sensitive names met with selling due to U.S.-China trade fears, brokers said. Other major losers included mobile phone carrier SoftBank Group and clothing retailer Fast Retailing. By contrast, convenience store operator FamilyMart Uny attracted buying as a defensive name, brokers said. Also on the plus side were Tokyo Gas and Tokai Carbon. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key December contract on the Nikkei average fell 430 points to 21,450.


Dollar almost unchanged around ¥113.10 later in Tokyo

Abstract: The dollar was almost unchanged around ¥113.10 in Tokyo trading late Thursday after paring early losses due to buybacks. At 5 p.m. the dollar stood at ¥113.10, against ¥113.07 at the same time on Wednesday. The euro was at $1.1322, down from $1.1330, and at ¥128.06, down from ¥128.13. The dollar traded around ¥113.20 in early trading, carrying over its strength from overnight trading overseas, traders said. The greenback weakened later in the morning due to a plunge in the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei stock average following news reports that Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., has been arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the U.S. government, traders said. The U.S. currency fell below ¥112.60 in afternoon trading, but soon rebounded to around ¥112.70 thanks to repurchases, traders said. In late trading, the dollar jumped above ¥113 following a media report that China’s Commerce Ministry had offered a prospect for a trade agreement being reached between Beijing and Washington within 90 days, traders said. “Concerns grew over a deterioration of U.S.-China relations” following the news on the arrest of Wanzhou, a currency broker said. But a sense of relief spread among market participants in the afternoon as China did not protest the arrest of the Huawei executive, an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said. An official at a bank-affiliated securities firm predicted that the dollar-yen rate “is likely to show directionless movements” for the time being, with the dollar’s topside capped by a fall in long-term U.S. interest rates.

currencies
foreign exchange
exchange rates
forex


Nissan may launch recall in Japan after finding new cases of inspection misconduct

Abstract: Nissan Motor Co. has found fresh cases of misconduct in vehicle inspections and may launch a recall, sources close to the matter said Thursday, in the latest setback for the global carmaker mired in quality control issues and the arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn. The latest finding comes after the company pledged to tighten compliance to prevent recurrence of a string of improper practices at its domestic plants. The automaker is also under increased scrutiny after its longtime leader Ghosn was arrested last month for alleged underreporting of remunerations. Nissan said in September last year that it found uncertified employees had checked vehicles for many years, leading it to recall over 1 million vehicles sold in Japan. The automaker then admitted in July this year to fabricating exhaust emission and fuel economy data on vehicles manufactured for the Japanese market. In September, Nissan submitted a report to the government containing measures to prevent any further fabrication of exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency data. “We have hurt the trust of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and our customers,” Nissan President Hiroto Saikawa said that month in handing the report to Tetsuya Okuda, the ministry’s director-general of the Road Transport Bureau. “I offer a deep apology.” Nissan removed Ghosn as chairman last month following his arrest and a months-long internal probe, which was triggered by a whistleblower report that it said had uncovered “significant acts of misconduct.” He was arrested by Tokyo prosecutors on Nov. 19 on suspicion of violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act by reporting only ¥5 billion of a ¥10 billion compensation package during the five years from fiscal 2010. Saikawa, Renault SA’s acting CEO Thierry Bollore and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. CEO Osamu Masuko agreed Nov. 30 to lead the three-way alliance through a consultative process between them, in an apparent departure from the decision-making process that until now has mainly been led by the partnership’s former CEO and Chairman Ghosn, according to Japanese executives. Still, the struggle for leadership is expected to continue. Under the current accord between Nissan and Renault the post of CEO and chairman of the alliance is to be assumed by someone from the French automaker, analysts said.

nissan
carlos ghosn
hiroto saikawa
scandals


SoftBank mobile services disrupted ahead of bumper IPO, sending shares downward

Abstract: SoftBank Group Corp. apologized Thursday for disruption of its mobile phone services, saying they were fully recovered by 6:04 p.m. the same day, the cell phone operator said Thursday in a statement. The problem came less than two weeks before the telecommunication giant’s mobile unit, SoftBank Corp. is scheduled to go public in Japan’s largest ever initial public offering. Users began experiencing problems with phone and data connections around 1:39 p.m., and the issues continued throughout the afternoon until gradually being resolved from around 6:00 p.m., according to SoftBank. An issue had been found at one of its switching facilities, it said. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is also investigating the cause of the problem. The service disruption also caused some delays in parcel delivery services. SoftBank, the country’s third-largest carrier by user base, had more than 40 million contracts as of the end of September including those with its low-cost Y!mobile brand. Users of third-party firms that utilize SoftBank’s network, so-called mobile virtual network operators, were also affected. MVNOs that use the network include Line Mobile and Mineo. SoftBank plans to raise up to ¥2.6 trillion ($23 billion) by listing the mobile unit on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, taking the largest IPO title from the ¥2.2 trillion listing of government-owned Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. in 1987. Strong retail demand saw SoftBank Group last week forgo a price range for the bumper IPO of its domestic telecoms unit, SoftBank Corp., setting a single indicative rate of ¥1,500 ($13.30). SoftBank will set a final offering price on Dec. 10 with shares set to begin trading on Dec. 19. Shares of the group closed down 5 percent on Thursday, in a broader market that skidded to a two-week low after Canada arrested Huawei’s global chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States, threatening a new spike in Sino-U.S. tensions.


Takeda downgrade looms after shareholders approve Shire deal

Abstract: Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. shareholders’ approval of the $62 billion (about ¥7 trillion) acquisition of Shire PLC is good news for its bosses’ ambitions to build a global drug giant — but bad news for its credit ratings. The backing of what will be the largest-ever overseas purchase by a Japanese company paves the way for possible downgrades to the lowest tiers before junk ratings at both S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service. The changes could come within about a month. What happens after that depends on how quickly Takeda can reduce its debt burden, including progress in potential noncore asset sales worth up to $10 billion, analysts at the ratings companies say. Takeda pulled off a mammoth dollar- and euro-note bond sale last month, and NLI Research Institute said investors are interested in how much the acquisition ultimately benefits the Japanese drug maker. “If they can harness synergies to boost profit, then in the medium term they should be able to improve their credit rating again,” said Katsuyuki Tokushima, the chief investment analyst at NLI Research Institute in Tokyo. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have undertaken this acquisition in the first place.” S&P is expected to reduce Takeda’s credit rating to BBB+ from A- when the deal is completed. Moody’s has a higher grade now at A2, but has said it could cut that by as many as three steps. A spokeswoman for Takeda declined to comment on the company’s debt. “The asset sales are quite important to limit the downgrade to one notch,” said Makiko Yoshimura, S&P’s Tokyo-based director of corporate ratings. The jumbo fundraising effort will swell Takeda’s leverage to about five times earnings. The company wants to get net debt down to twice earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or less within three to five years, and has committed to holding off on further acquisitions until then. It proposed ways of doing that with or without up to $10 billion in asset sales, according to a presentation in October. Its European over-the-counter business and a Shire eye disease treatment may be on the auction block, it has been reported. “We will focus on whether the company’s elevated leverage can be restored in a relatively short timeframe,” Moody’s analyst Yukiko Asanuma said by email. “Management’s strong commitment to prioritizing debt reduction over further acquisitions and shareholder returns is most important.”


Dozens of mafia suspects nabbed in Europe and South America in international sting

Abstract: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - Police arrested dozens of suspected mobsters in Europe and South America on Wednesday in a huge international swoop targeting Italy’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia clan, officials said. Nearly 90 people including high-ranking members of the powerful organized crime syndicate accused of drug trafficking and money laundering were arrested in coordinated raids in six countries, EU justice agency Eurojust said. The “unprecedented” crackdown on the group based in Calabria, southern Italy, came just a day after Italian police arrested the new boss of the separate Sicilian mafia. Hundreds of police took part in Wednesday’s operation, seizing four tonnes of cocaine, 120 kilos of ecstasy and €2 million ($2,270,000) in cash across Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Suriname. “Today, we send a clear message to organized crime groups across Europe,” Filippo Spiezia, vice president of the EU’s judicial agency Eurojust, told reporters in The Hague. “They are not the only ones able to operate across borders; so are Europe’s judiciary and law enforcement communities.” He said the “unprecedented and extraordinary result,” the fruit of a two-year operation, targeted “dangerous members of the ‘Ndrangheta family deeply involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.” The ‘Ndrangheta — which derives its meaning from the Greek word for heroism — is made up of numerous village and family-based clans in Calabria, the rural, mountainous and under-developed “toe” of Italy’s boot. Despite intense police attention and frequent arrests, the organization has continued to extend its reach. It has surpassed Sicily’s Cosa Nostra and the Naples-based Camorra in influence thanks to control of the cocaine trade and is the sole mafia organzsation to operate on all continents, according to anti-mafia prosecutors. Officials hailed Wednesday’s operation — dubbed “Operation Pollina” — as a serious blow to the group. In total 41 people were arrested in Italy, 21 in Germany, 14 in Belgium, five in the Netherlands and two in Luxembourg, with operations still underway, Eurojust said. Italian police said the sweep targeted the ‘Ndrangheta and its “projections across South America. Italian anti-mafia prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho said the operations would affect the ‘Ndrangheta’s drug trafficking operations around the world, including Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. But he warned that it was “just a first step,” saying the arrests were “nothing for the ‘Ndrangheta, there are thousands of people who should be arrested and billions that should be seized. In Germany, Wednesday’s operation focused on restaurants, offices and apartments, mainly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria region. Dutch prosecutors said the investigation began after they noticed money laundering at two Italian restaurants in the southern Netherlands that showed criminal links with Germany and Calabria, home of the ‘Ndrangheta. Using an often family-based network spread out around Europe, drugs would come into the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the Belgian port of Antwerp before being moved around the continent. Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said they had also probed ice cream parlors, adding that together with restaurants “the suspicion is that the mafia organization is laundering money through these establishments and they are used as a cover for their criminal organizations. He also confirmed that there had been raids in Suriname, a small South American country that was once a Dutch colony. Dutch NOS television said the ‘Ndrangheta were mainly active in the Netherlands in drug smuggling through the country’s huge flower export market. The Belgian operations were concentrated on the Limburg area, home to many people of Italian descent who moved there after World War II to work in coal mines, Belgian prosecutors said. The European police agency Europol said it was a “decisive hit against one of the most powerful Italian criminal networks in the world.” European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who is Italian, sent “congratulations” to the police forces involved, adding: “Europe fights ‘Ndrangheta criminal groups. On Tuesday, Italian police arrested new Cosa Nostra boss Settimino Mineo and dozens of other suspects in Sicily in a major swoop. Jeweller Mineo, 80, was detained with at least 45 others just before he was due to be appointed official heir to notorious mafia boss Toto Riina, who died in prison last year.

mafia
south america
italy
europol
narcotics
'ndrangheta


Boy overturns Colorado town's ban on snowball fights

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - A 9-year-old boy has thrown his first snowball — legally — after a battle to overturn a century-old ordinance banning snowball fights in the small Colorado town of Severance. Dane Best said he decided to take on local authorities and persuade them to change the law by using simple logic. “Today’s kids need reasons to play outside,” Best said on Monday as he appeared before the town trustees, local media reported. “Research suggests that a lack of exposure to the outdoors can lead to obesity, ADHD, anxiety and depression.” He said the nearly 100-year-old measure, which bans throwing any stone or missile, including snowballs, was outdated and meant any kids throwing snowballs were breaking the law. “The children of Severance want an opportunity to have a snowball fight like the rest of the world,” Dane told the trustees. “Kids want to have snowball fights without breaking the law. Kids want to have a voice in our town.” His arguments won over the board, which unanimously voted to tweak the ordinance to allow snowball fights. After the vote, the town mayor offered Dane his first snowball to throw legally. The boy said his little brother would be his first target and that he would avoid breaking windows.


Satellite images show expansion at key North Korean long-range missile base: CNN

Abstract: WASHINGTON - North Korea has expanded a key long-range missile base in the months since a summit between the country’s leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to satellite images published by CNN on Wednesday. The two men met in Singapore in June and signed a vaguely worded document that pledged to “work toward” the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, though it did not detail specifics on how this would come about. According to CNN, Pyongyang has upgraded the Yeongjeo-dong missile base in North Korea’s mountainous interior and has built up another facility that had not previously been publicly identified. Experts told the U.S. news network that the site’s location made it suitable to host North Korea’s newest long-range missiles, including ones that could carry nuclear warheads. In a statement the Pentagon said: “We watch North Korea very closely but we cannot discuss intelligence.” Trump said on Saturday that he hoped to organize a second summit with Kim in early 2019. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that Trump thinks the North Korean strongman hasn’t met the commitments he made at the Singapore summit. U.S. officials insist on the complete, verified and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula before tough sanctions are lifted. But the North has rejected demands for what it calls “unilateral” disarmament, and has instead sought unspecified reciprocal U.S. measures in a gradual process.

north korea
missiles
cnn
kim jong un
donald trump
yeongjeo-dong
u.s .
nuclear weapons


Police believe Korean resident of Japan with ties to Kim Jong Il's ex-sushi chef is a spy for Pyongyang, sources say

Abstract: Police sent papers to prosecutors earlier this year on a Korean resident of Japan believed to be a North Korean agent for alleged fraud, investigative sources have said. Investigative authorities believe the 65-year-old man, a resident of Saitama Prefecture, could be a key figure in North Korean espionage activities in Japan. After analyzing seized documents and the man’s cellphone records, police found he had ties to a Japanese sushi chef who had worked for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s late father for more than a decade, the sources said Wednesday. In his book, the Japanese chef, who goes by the name Kenji Fujimoto, has described a man believed to be him as bringing a message from Kim in 2012 calling for him to visit North Korea again. Fujimoto served as a special chef for then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from 1989 until he left Pyongyang in 2001. The chef befriended Kim Jong Un during his stint in North Korea. The elder Kim died of a heart attack in December 2011 at age 69. Fujimoto went to Pyongyang again in July 2012 at the invitation of the current leader. He has visited several times since, before opening a restaurant in Pyongyang in January last year. The man allegedly asked a Japanese acquaintance to purchase a large amount of cosmetics at a duty-free store at Narita airport by using a credit card belonging to a different Japanese person in November 2016 and swindled them, according to the sources. Papers on him were sent to prosecutors in June this year. The man is also believed to have exported products such as cosmetics purchased at the airport to North Korea by way of places such as Beijing, the sources said. Japan bans exports to North Korea under sanctions imposed in the wake of Pyongyang’s nuclear tests. Investigators are trying to identify the extent of the man’s alleged wrongdoing with Japanese customs authorities. Police in the prefecture are currently looking into the case as a possible violation of the country’s foreign exchange and foreign trade act, the sources said. For years, Japan has been urging North Korea to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent months, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his willingness to meet with Kim to make a breakthrough. Tokyo’s stance is that the normalization of bilateral ties will not come unless the abduction, nuclear and missile issues are resolved.

kim jong il
north korea
espionage
kim jong un
kenji fujimoto


Huawei gear pulled from $3 billion U.K. police phone network

Abstract: SYDNEY/LONDON - Huawei Technologies Co. gear will be ripped out of the core part of a U.K. communications network for police and other emergency responders by the company delivering the £2.3 billion ($3 billion) project, BT Group PLC. BT has been pulling equipment from the Chinese tech giant out of its own core structure since the 2016 acquisition of mobile carrier EE, which used Huawei gear throughout its systems. That work extends to the Emergency Services Network EE has been building for Britain, though some Huawei parts will remain in the broader access network. While BT says it’s been an ongoing process to remove some Huawei gear and the ESN decision aligns with a long-standing corporate policy to keep the Chinese company out of the core, critics of Huawei will be emboldened by the step to limit its involvement. Huawei has come under fire from governments globally over fears its equipment could enable Chinese spying. The firm, which has always denied connections with the state and any espionage risks, has been dragged into a trade war between the U.S. and China, with American officials trying to persuade allies to block the tech company from rollouts of next-generation mobile networks. Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all followed the U.S. in imposing bans against Huawei in recent months, and concerns have been raised by authorities in European countries including the U.K., Germany and France. Fully replacing Huawei parts in the core part of the network will take up to four years, with BT footing the bill. A government spokesman told the Sunday Telegraph — which first reported the ESN action — that while Huawei parts would be removed, it was content the emergency systems infrastructure does not pose a security concern. “We have ongoing plans to swap to a new core network vendor for Emergency Services Network, in line with BT’s network architecture principles established in 2006,” an EE spokesperson said in emailed comments. “This will be managed with no disruption to the ESN service.” A Huawei spokesman told the Telegraph the company had worked with BT for 15 years and that the British carrier had a longstanding policy to use different vendors for different network layers. BT said Huawei remained an important equipment provider, according to the report.

huawei
police
esn
espionage
china
japan
u.s .
u.k .


At Jesus's birthplace in little town of Bethlehem, an app is born to ease crowds

Abstract: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK - Bethlehem is buzzing, with more tourists expected this Christmas than have visited the biblical city in years, causing the kind of problem that modern technology was almost born to deal with. Such are the crowds at the church built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born that the authorities are planning to introduce an advance reservation system through an app. The app, which will be introduced early next year, is aimed at ensuring a regular flow of tourists at the Church of the Nativity, where at busy times visitors wait hours to see the underground grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born in a manger. Details of the app, which will be in English to start, are still being worked out. One priest said it would only apply to tour groups visiting the site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the Palestinian tourism ministry said it would be for everyone. While there are concerns that visits could become unnecessarily complicated, the three churches that share control of the site — the Catholics, Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Church — say such an app is needed. “There are times when for us there are specific prayers, celebrations, or masses, or with all the sects praying,” Orthodox priest Issa Thaljieh said outside the church. “So of course there is a huge squeeze. With the app, everyone will know what time to enter and which groups are there, so it will become more organized,” the priest said. The first church was built on the site in the fourth century, though it was replaced after a fire in the sixth century. Its mosaics were recently restored in a major project. Palestinian deputy tourism minister Ali Abu Srour said the app would also provide information about the church. “We are going digital with this issue,” he said in his office in Bethlehem. Barbora Salyova, a 29-year-old tourist visiting Israel and Jordan from Slovakia, said the app could be useful for pilgrims like herself. “This is a step we definitely planned to make,” she said. “We also came for religious reasons so this was an automatic stop.” Tourism in Bethlehem is enjoying its best season in years, with hotels reporting especially high occupancy rates for the Christmas period, said Elias Al-Arja, chairman of the Hotels Association Palestine. “We had occupancy rates of 74 or 72 percent in 2018,” he said, adding that it is expected to rise later in December. In total around 2.8 million tourists have visited the Palestinian territories this year, up from 2.5 million last year, according to the tourism ministry. Abu Srour said the primary reason is a decrease in violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank this year. The ministry has reached out to new tourists in locations across the globe, he said. Israel is also enjoying record tourism figures and many visitors take day trips to Bethlehem and other West Bank sites from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere in the Jewish state.

bethlehem
apps
west bank
christmas
church of the nativity
palestinians
religion
smartphones


Myanmar says missing policeman found dead near border with Bangladesh after attack

Abstract: YANGON - The body of a missing Myanmar policeman was found on the country’s troubled border with Bangladesh, state media and officials said on Sunday after a clash with unknown gunmen last week. Pvt. Aung Kyaw Thet had been missing since his patrol was fired on from the Bangladesh side of the border on Dec. 17, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. His body was found on Friday with “gunshot wounds in his face, arm and leg,” the newspaper said, adding that another policeman was wounded in the incident. The newspaper said the clash occurred in a rugged section of the border in Maungdaw township, the epicenter of violence in August 2017 that drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims out of Myanmar and into Bangladesh. Myanmar’s military had responded to attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group with a campaign that U.N.-mandated investigators said involved killings, rape and arson carried out with “genocidal intent” against the wider Rohingya population. Maj. Mohammad Iqbal of the Bangladesh border guards said his men were not involved in the Dec. 17 incident, but they had heard the exchange of gunfire on the border. Bangladeshi guards joined a patrol with their Myanmar counterparts to investigate, he said, adding that Aung Kyaw Thet’s body was found on Friday. Lt. Col. Tin Han Linn, of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police in Maungdaw, said they knew the location of the body several days before it was recovered on Friday, but had to arrange a joint Myanmar-Bangladesh team to retrieve the corpse. The identity of the attackers was unknown and police are still investigating, he told Reuters. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group claiming to represent the Rohingya, launched the August 2017 attacks on more than two dozen security posts, killing 13 members of Myanmar’s security forces. ARSA “continues to have a prominent presence” in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and could launch cross-border raids on Myanmar forces, the International Crisis Group said in a November report on the proposed repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Fighting between the Myanmar army and the Arakan Army — a group that says it fights for the Rakhine Buddhist ethnic group — has flared this month in areas of northern Rakhine state farther from the Bangladesh border, displacing more than 700 people.

myanmar bangladesh rohingya genocide rakhine


Nagoya community effort to recycle food waste wins U.N.-related award

Abstract: A decade-old community effort in Nagoya to recycle food waste from supermarkets and school lunches to make compost for vegetable farming has been awarded the Biodiversity Action Award by the Japan Committee for United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB). One morning earlier this month, a special garbage truck arrived at the parking lot of the Kakuozan Frante supermarket in Chikusa Ward. There, scraps of Chinese cabbage, Japanese white radish and other vegetables generated by the presale cutting process were thrown in. “They are so quick and efficient,” one participant on the waste-recycling tour said. The tours, held a few times a year, are increasing public support for the initiative. The waste scraps are then delivered to Bio Plaza Nagoya, a plant in Minato Ward that turns them into compost to help reduce the use of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals. Veggies grown by farmers who use the compost are sold at supermarkets including Kakuozan Frante. A local hotel also participates in the recycling project by offering a special dish made with vegetables grown with the compost. The Okaeri Yasai (Welcome Back Vegetables) recycling project was launched in 2008 based on a proposal by Tomoko Okayama, an associate professor of environmental studies at Taisho University. During a citizens’ conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the city’s emergency declaration that it had exhausted its waste collection capabilities, Okayama, who was teaching at Nagoya University at the time, called for measures to visualize waste recycling programs to further reduce the city’s kitchen waste. Last year, a song was created to promote the project, and this fall — the 10th anniversary of its launch — the Japan Committee for UNDB selected the project as one of the recipients of its Biodiversity Action Award, which highlights community activities linked to the preservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The UNDB was adopted in 2010 by the U.N. General Assembly and covers from 2011 to 2020, based on a recommendation made by the Japanese government during the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya the same year. “We are happy that our project bore fruit in this milestone year,” Okayama said. “We hope to further strengthen this recycling movement,” she said, pointing to plans to increase the number of farmers and stores participating in the project. An event including a compost-making class and a lunch made with vegetables grown from it is scheduled to be held on Jan. 26 on the Ganmichi shopping street in Mizuho Ward at a cost of ¥2,000 per person. A cooking class using vegetables grown with the compost will be held Feb. 9 at Motoyama Seikyo Seikatsu Bunka Kaikan, a cooperative in Chikusa Ward, for ¥1,000 per person.

nagoya
recycling
food waste
vegetables
biodiversity action award
united nations


Hawaiian activist with Okinawan roots is behind petition against Henoko base that garnered over 160,000 signatures

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - Robert Kajiwara knew he did not have much time to act before construction work began for the controversial relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture. So the 32-year-old turned to the White House’s We the People petition website as a last resort, hoping that the U.S. government would intervene in what he sees as the impending destruction of Oura Bay and its ecosystem for the move of the inland military base to the coastal area of Henoko. “In the days preceding the start of the petition, I was really concerned” about Henoko, Kajiwara said. “I thought, ‘We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to think of some way we can help.'” Within 10 days of creating his petition on Dec. 8, it had garnered the support of Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki and various Japanese celebrities and reached 100,000 signatures, surpassing the requirement for a response by the White House. As of Monday afternoon, the petition titled “Stop the landfill of Henoko/Oura Bay until a referendum can be held in Okinawa” had topped 160,000 signatures. The petition asks U.S. President Donald Trump to order a halt to the reclamation work at Henoko until a referendum is held in February so that residents can use their votes to show whether or not they want the base. On Dec. 14, despite widespread resistance from Okinawa residents, the central government began offshore reclamation work on the facility, which when completed will replace the Futenma air station that’s currently located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan, also in the prefecture. “Even though I’m from Hawaii, I take this issue at Henoko personally,” said Kajiwara, who describes himself as Uchinanchu-Hawaiian. Uchinanchu is the term used by Okinawa residents as well as their descendants in Hawaii to refer to themselves. “It’s very meaningful to me because it’s part of my heritage, part of who I am — the home of my ancestors.” Kajiwara, who splits his time between Okinawa — where his mother’s family lives — and Waipahu, Hawaii, has visited Henoko in past years to join protesters of the base. He has also worked as an activist for native Hawaiians’ rights, he said. On Tuesday, Kajiwara organized a demonstration outside the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu as part of a National Day of Solidarity for Okinawa, which included events in New York, San Francisco and Seattle. “We don’t want that base relocated in Okinawa Prefecture,” said Kajiwara. “It’s disproportional — Okinawa contains just 0.6 percent of Japan’s land mass, but it contains 70 percent of the U.S. military (facilities). That is not fair at all.” Okinawa was occupied by the United States after World War II and returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972. Local residents have been frustrated by noise, crime and accidents related to the presence of the U.S. bases in the prefecture. “I have lost all faith in the central Japanese government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,” he said. “So far the Japanese government and the U.S. government have pretty much ignored the democratic will of the Okinawan people. And that is not right.” But Kajiwara has hope that Trump will “do the right thing” and halt the construction until Okinawa votes on the issue on Feb. 24. “I think (Trump) will respond,” he said. “When he sees our request and when he sees the amount of support we’ve gotten, I think he will see that this is the right thing.” Though the number of names on the petition has increased steadily over the course of two weeks, Kajiwara worries that the White House will not consider the air base construction to be an American issue, given that the majority of those who signed are Japanese citizens. “Americans are a huge factor in this,” he said. “If we are able to get a lot of Americans to sign and support, the U.S. government will realize that this is a serious issue and we had better act on it.” As he waits for a response from Washington, Kajiwara continues to receive messages of support from Okinawa residents and those living elsewhere in Japan. “As an Uchinanchu-Hawaiian and with my multicultural experience, I hope that I can be of service to the Okinawan people and to help bridge the gap between Okinawa and Hawaii and the continental United States,” said Kajiwara.

hawaii
okinawa
henoko
robert kajiwara
u.s. bases
nago


2018 in science in Japan: Climate change, space exploration and water bears

Abstract: In casting an eye back over memorable science and environment stories from Japan in 2018, it is impossible to ignore the extreme weather that hit the country. In late June to July, unusually heavy rainfall caused extensive flooding in southwest parts of the country. Some 8 million people were advised to evacuate, more than 200 people died and the floods caused more than ¥1 trillion in damages. Then, later in July, Japan was baked in a debilitating heatwave. The town of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, racked up the highest temperature on record, reaching 41.1 degrees. Across the country, by the end of the heatwave some 125 people had died and more than 57,000 were taken to hospital. Scientists have been wary for years about attributing specific extreme weather events to climate change. But 2018 was the year when the last doubt evaporated. Climate models show that the increasing global temperature is making extreme events such as freak rainfall and record-breaking heatwaves more likely. The scientific wariness about drawing a line from climate change in general to a specific weather event has pretty much disappeared. The effects of climate change are being felt here and now. While that’s a terrible thing, it is good, at least, that the increasingly horrific and real-world impacts of climate change are being seen for what they are. Some scientists are now saying the effects of climate change should be called global heating and not global warming. If we just talk about global average temperatures and expected outcomes in 2050 or 2100, it’s too easy to for- get about the problem. And “warming” is too benign a word. We can’t and should not forget about it — it’s happening now and is hurting us now. The stress caused by the extreme weather makes me wonder whether there will be a knock-on effect on childbirths. A study published in August this year by Misao Fukuda at M&K Health Institute in Kariya, Hyogo, looked at births in areas hit by events that caused extreme stress. They included Hyogo Prefecture, after the Kobe earthquake of 1995; Tohoku, after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and subsequent nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daichii power plant; and Kumamoto Prefecture, after the 2016 earthquakes. It turns out that nine months after such disasters, the proportion of male babies born in those prefectures dropped by 6 to 14 percent. What’s going on here? Perhaps sperm carrying the Y chromosome are more vulnerable to stress, or the male embryos themselves are more vulnerable. No one knows the answer. We also don’t know why, by the way, that even under normal conditions there is an inequality in the number of babies born of each sex: on average 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. In September, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) celebrated an extraordinary success. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft, in orbit around the asteroid Ryugu, deployed two small rovers to the surface of the asteroid. They sent back amazing footage of the surface of the space rock, which is about 1 kilometer in diameter and classed as “potentially hazardous” as its orbit means it could collide with Earth. Next year the rovers will return rock samples to the orbiting Hayabusa2, which will bring them back to Earth in a special container, for scientific study. Ryugu, by the way, means Dragon Palace, a location in a Japanese folk story. In the story, a fisherman rides to the palace on the back of a turtle, and returns with a magical box. Space missions are always popular, and are followed with great enthusiasm. Hayabusa2 has a Twitter account with almost 50,000 followers. Just imagine when and if normal humans are able to go to space — by “normal” I mean people like me and you, not highly trained fighter-pilots-turned-astronau ts. All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) announced in September that it is partnering with JAXA — not to send people to space, exactly — but to send their virtual avatars. The Avatar X program will allow people on Earth to inhabit humanoid robots in space, see through their eyes and experience space travel as much as possible. Eventually ANA-JAXA plan to send the avatars to the Moon and Mars and help with construction and farming projects. Finally, let’s remember that in 2018 a new species of one of my favourite animals was discovered in Yamagata Prefecture. Tardigrades — the eight-legged micro-animals known as water bears — are renowned among biologists for being the hardiest animals in the world. They can go into suspended animation and put life on hold for decades. They have even survived the intense hardships of space. Give them water and they return to life. It’s always delightful when something of great value is unexpectedly discovered. The new species of tardigrade turned up in a parking lot in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, and while it might not be of great value to most, it shows how biological marvels can turn up in the most unexpected of places. Which is a good sentiment on which to end the year.

space exploration
jaxa
hayabusa2
all nippon airways
2018 in review


Arrangements being made for Abe and Trump to meet in Davos in late January to discuss trade and North Korea

Abstract: Japan and the United States are making arrangements for a leaders’ summit around Jan. 22 on the fringes of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Japanese government sources said Sunday. The talks between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump are expected to focus on bilateral trade negotiations starting around March and North Korean nuclear disarmament, the sources said. It will be their 10th summit. Abe will likely travel from Russia to Switzerland as Tokyo and Moscow are arranging a summit between Abe and President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 21, they said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Friday the United States will “ensure that Japan avoids manipulating exchange rates” and seek the inclusion of trade in services, including the telecommunications and financial sectors, in any agreement. But Japanese officials have said they have no plans to include a currency provision in a Japan-U.S. trade deal, partly because it could affect monetary policy set by the Bank of Japan. Tokyo wants to focus on goods trade.

davos
world economic forum
shinzo abe
donald trump
vladimir putin