The Yomiuri Shimbun
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi--The family of an American woman who died in the March 11 tsunami has presented students at a primary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, with a collection of 40 of her favorite books.
"I hope you'll read these books, find your dreams and live with courage, like my daughter did," Andy Anderson, 54, said Tuesday to a group of about 60 students during a presentation ceremony at Mangokuura Primary School.
Taylor Anderson, 24, was from the U.S. state of Virginia. She came to Japan in 2008 and worked as an assistant English teacher at several primary and middle schools in Ishinomaki.
On the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake, she made sure her students at Mangokuura were safely evacuated. On her way home, she was killed by the tsunami.
A school Taylor attended in the United States helped establish a fund to buy the book collection, which has been dubbed the "Taylor Library."
"When she was young, once she started reading a book, there was no stopping her. She would read and let her imagination take over," her father said at the ceremony.
Taylor's dream was to become a conduit between Japan and the United States and reading books led to the realization of her dream.
On behalf of all the students, Kaito Hikichi, 12, thanked Taylor's family in English.
"Miss Taylor talked about Harry Potter, and I felt close to her. I'll think of this book as a symbol of her, and take good care of it," Hikichi said.
Taylor's family plans to also present books to the other six schools where Taylor worked.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
Friday, September 9, 2011
09/09 Shares may pay for recovery / Postal reforms key to raising 7 tril. yen for disaster reconstruction
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are considering allocating profits from sales of Japan Post Holdings Co. shares, which are wholly held by the state, to fund reconstruction from the March 11 disaster, according to sources.
The government has estimated profits from selling the shares at about 7 trillion yen, based on the stocks' book value, which would cover a significant amount of the 16.2 trillion yen required over the next five years for disaster reconstruction.
However, the passage of postal reform bills, which have stalled in the Diet due to resistance from opposition parties, must come before selling Japan Post shares. The government intends to request dialogue with the opposition and may revise the bills if necessary, the sources said.
Under the DPJ, a law to freeze sales of Japan Post shares was enacted in 2009 to prevent a Liberal Democratic Party push for full privatization of the postal service.
The postal reform bills currently being promoted by the DPJ would require the government to own more than one-third of Japan Post shares. If legislation is passed into law, the government would be able to sell about 66 percent of those shares.
"If profits from selling Japan Post shares can be used for reconstruction, we can keep tax increases to a minimum. We would likely be able to win the understanding of the opposition bloc," one DPJ senior official said.
Some members of the opposition camp support the idea.
"If Japan Post shares can be sold, a considerable amount of funds would be secured," said Keiichi Ishii, chairman of the New Komeito policy research council.
However, both the LDP and Komeito have opposed the postal reform bills, arguing government ownership of more than one-third of Japan Post shares allows the government to maintain influence over the postal service and weigh on rival private companies.
It remains unknown whether the postal reform bills will be passed in the Diet.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to issue reconstruction bonds of more than 16 trillion yen to finance disaster reconstruction efforts; profits from the sale of Japan Post shares could be used for reimbursement of those bonds.
Apparently, the government would not be required to sell its Japan Post shares immediately, and doing so within a time frame of several years would suffice.
Because state assets would be tapped to fund reconstruction, the plan may face criticism that the financial burden from the move would be passed on to future generations.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are considering allocating profits from sales of Japan Post Holdings Co. shares, which are wholly held by the state, to fund reconstruction from the March 11 disaster, according to sources.
The government has estimated profits from selling the shares at about 7 trillion yen, based on the stocks' book value, which would cover a significant amount of the 16.2 trillion yen required over the next five years for disaster reconstruction.
However, the passage of postal reform bills, which have stalled in the Diet due to resistance from opposition parties, must come before selling Japan Post shares. The government intends to request dialogue with the opposition and may revise the bills if necessary, the sources said.
Under the DPJ, a law to freeze sales of Japan Post shares was enacted in 2009 to prevent a Liberal Democratic Party push for full privatization of the postal service.
The postal reform bills currently being promoted by the DPJ would require the government to own more than one-third of Japan Post shares. If legislation is passed into law, the government would be able to sell about 66 percent of those shares.
"If profits from selling Japan Post shares can be used for reconstruction, we can keep tax increases to a minimum. We would likely be able to win the understanding of the opposition bloc," one DPJ senior official said.
Some members of the opposition camp support the idea.
"If Japan Post shares can be sold, a considerable amount of funds would be secured," said Keiichi Ishii, chairman of the New Komeito policy research council.
However, both the LDP and Komeito have opposed the postal reform bills, arguing government ownership of more than one-third of Japan Post shares allows the government to maintain influence over the postal service and weigh on rival private companies.
It remains unknown whether the postal reform bills will be passed in the Diet.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to issue reconstruction bonds of more than 16 trillion yen to finance disaster reconstruction efforts; profits from the sale of Japan Post shares could be used for reimbursement of those bonds.
Apparently, the government would not be required to sell its Japan Post shares immediately, and doing so within a time frame of several years would suffice.
Because state assets would be tapped to fund reconstruction, the plan may face criticism that the financial burden from the move would be passed on to future generations.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
09/09 Earlier onset of AIDS symptoms in HIV-infected reported
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Cases of early development of AIDS symptoms in people who have contracted the HIV virus have been increasing, a Japanese researcher said Thursday.
According to Shinichi Oka, head of the AIDS Clinical Center of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, a mutation of the human immuno virus is causing the earlier onset of AIDS symptoms.
Drugs are available to greatly delay the onset of AIDS symptoms. However, such treatment will become difficult if cases of early development of AIDS symptoms continue to increase.
Oka's team compared data of 42 people infected with HIV up until 1988 with that of 82 people confirmed to be infected between 1997 and 2007. The team compared numbers of a specific type of white blood cell.
Reductions in the amount of the white cells indicates a person's immunity is declining and they will eventually require treatment.
Among those infected by the end of 1988, 50 percent did not require treatment within three to five years of contracting HIV.
However, among those infected after 1997, 50 percent reached levels requiring treatment after six months.
Nearly 90 percent of those people reached such levels within three years of contracting HIV.
Oka's research team is planning a major initiative to be undertaken at hospitals considered AIDS hubs in Japan and South Korea, investigating the development of symptoms and mechanisms behind the mutation of HIV.
In fiscal 2011, several domestic facilities will be investigated. From fiscal 2012 the number will increase to more than 10, including institutions in South Korea. Oka plans to gather information on more than 2,000 patients.
The research was to be officially endorsed by the national center after discussions at its ethics committee Thursday night.
It has been learned in recent years that the HIV virus has mutated into several strains and standard Japanese white blood cells struggle to cope with the new strains. This may be the cause of the faster onset of AIDS symptoms, medical sources said.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
Cases of early development of AIDS symptoms in people who have contracted the HIV virus have been increasing, a Japanese researcher said Thursday.
According to Shinichi Oka, head of the AIDS Clinical Center of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, a mutation of the human immuno virus is causing the earlier onset of AIDS symptoms.
Drugs are available to greatly delay the onset of AIDS symptoms. However, such treatment will become difficult if cases of early development of AIDS symptoms continue to increase.
Oka's team compared data of 42 people infected with HIV up until 1988 with that of 82 people confirmed to be infected between 1997 and 2007. The team compared numbers of a specific type of white blood cell.
Reductions in the amount of the white cells indicates a person's immunity is declining and they will eventually require treatment.
Among those infected by the end of 1988, 50 percent did not require treatment within three to five years of contracting HIV.
However, among those infected after 1997, 50 percent reached levels requiring treatment after six months.
Nearly 90 percent of those people reached such levels within three years of contracting HIV.
Oka's research team is planning a major initiative to be undertaken at hospitals considered AIDS hubs in Japan and South Korea, investigating the development of symptoms and mechanisms behind the mutation of HIV.
In fiscal 2011, several domestic facilities will be investigated. From fiscal 2012 the number will increase to more than 10, including institutions in South Korea. Oka plans to gather information on more than 2,000 patients.
The research was to be officially endorsed by the national center after discussions at its ethics committee Thursday night.
It has been learned in recent years that the HIV virus has mutated into several strains and standard Japanese white blood cells struggle to cope with the new strains. This may be the cause of the faster onset of AIDS symptoms, medical sources said.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
09/09 Maehara: Review arms export policy / Mentions SDF weapon use in U.S. speech
Yuko Mukai / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
WASHINGTON--Seiji Maehara, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's policy chief, on Wednesday said Japan needs to review its three principles on arms exports and ease restrictions on the Self-Defense Forces' use of weapons during overseas operations.
In a speech at a symposium in Washington, Maehara said doing so could deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance and increase Japan's contributions to international peacekeeping operations.
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said at a press conference Thursday that the government "will consider" conducting a review of the principles.
Observers said Maehara's speech was designed to show that the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda intends to center its foreign policy on the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Maehara's visit to the United States is apparently intended to smooth the way for Noda, who is scheduled to make a speech at a U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York beginning Sept. 21.
Maehara, chairman of the DPJ's Policy Research Committee and a former foreign minister, said in the speech that the extent of SDF participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations is "still not enough."
"We need to solve legal issues," he said in English.
In particular, Maehara called for easing regulations on the use of arms by the SDF, "to enable the SDF to defend other countries' military units operating with the SDF from imminent and unlawful infringement."
He also indicated the government and the DPJ will look into the matter.
Currently, SDF personnel involved in overseas operations, such as U.N. peacekeeping efforts, are allowed to use arms only to defend themselves or other SDF troops.
Reviewing the three principles on arms exports would address the risk of Japan's defense industry being left behind in the international race to develop innovative technology, including weapons technology, Maehara said.
Conducting a review of the principles was raised under the administration of former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, which considered making it a stipulation in the basic national defense policy that was approved last December. But out of consideration for the Social Democratic Party, with which the DPJ was trying to form a coalition, Kan's Cabinet dropped the idea.
Maehara's remarks appear to be aimed at rekindling discussions on the issue within the government and the ruling party.
At a press conference Monday, new Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said, "It would be possible to consider [carrying out a review]."
===
TPP decision coming 'ASAP'
Also on Wednesday, Maehara held talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at the U.S. State Department.
Maehara told Burns the Noda administration will make a final decision as soon as possible regarding whether Japan will join the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement, according to sources.
However, Maehara stopped short of specifying a time by which Tokyo will make the decision, the sources said.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
WASHINGTON--Seiji Maehara, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's policy chief, on Wednesday said Japan needs to review its three principles on arms exports and ease restrictions on the Self-Defense Forces' use of weapons during overseas operations.
In a speech at a symposium in Washington, Maehara said doing so could deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance and increase Japan's contributions to international peacekeeping operations.
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said at a press conference Thursday that the government "will consider" conducting a review of the principles.
Observers said Maehara's speech was designed to show that the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda intends to center its foreign policy on the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Maehara's visit to the United States is apparently intended to smooth the way for Noda, who is scheduled to make a speech at a U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York beginning Sept. 21.
Maehara, chairman of the DPJ's Policy Research Committee and a former foreign minister, said in the speech that the extent of SDF participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations is "still not enough."
"We need to solve legal issues," he said in English.
In particular, Maehara called for easing regulations on the use of arms by the SDF, "to enable the SDF to defend other countries' military units operating with the SDF from imminent and unlawful infringement."
He also indicated the government and the DPJ will look into the matter.
Currently, SDF personnel involved in overseas operations, such as U.N. peacekeeping efforts, are allowed to use arms only to defend themselves or other SDF troops.
Reviewing the three principles on arms exports would address the risk of Japan's defense industry being left behind in the international race to develop innovative technology, including weapons technology, Maehara said.
Conducting a review of the principles was raised under the administration of former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, which considered making it a stipulation in the basic national defense policy that was approved last December. But out of consideration for the Social Democratic Party, with which the DPJ was trying to form a coalition, Kan's Cabinet dropped the idea.
Maehara's remarks appear to be aimed at rekindling discussions on the issue within the government and the ruling party.
At a press conference Monday, new Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said, "It would be possible to consider [carrying out a review]."
===
TPP decision coming 'ASAP'
Also on Wednesday, Maehara held talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at the U.S. State Department.
Maehara told Burns the Noda administration will make a final decision as soon as possible regarding whether Japan will join the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional trade agreement, according to sources.
However, Maehara stopped short of specifying a time by which Tokyo will make the decision, the sources said.
(Sep. 9, 2011)
09/09 余録：人づてに言葉が渡っていくうちに…
人づてに言葉が渡っていくうちにどんどん変わっていくさまを楽しむ伝言ゲームである。同じような遊びは世界中にあって「電話ゲーム」という名がついているところが多い。「壊れた電話」や「コードのない電話」と呼ぶ国もある▲「チャイニーズ・ウイスパーズ」、つまり「中国人のささやき」というのは英国だ。「アラブ人の電話」はフランス。東洋人の言葉は訳が分からないというかつての偏見から生まれた名前であろう。英語の辞書には「ロシア人のスキャンダル」という言い方も見える▲人は伝言ゲームで、自分の関心を強く引きつけた言葉を軸にして伝言内容を無意識のうちに作り替えてしまうのだという。むろん子供の遊びならよいが、国家的危機への対処における情報伝達にはあってはならないことだ▲菅直人前首相が先ごろのインタビューで「伝言ゲーム」と評した福島第１原発事故初動での首相官邸と東京電力本店、現場との意思疎通だ。問題視された事故当初の現場視察や、東電本店に乗り込んでの指示をめぐる釈明でもあるが、感じたもどかしさは事実だろう▲とくに気になるのは東電から経済産業相経由で現場撤退の意向が伝えられ、前首相自ら東電本店で「放置すれば日本が成り立たなくなる」と説いたという局面だ。この時、現場は撤退不要と見ていた。東電は全面撤退要請を否定している。伝言ゲームの真相はどうか▲今後の調査では事故の前と後のあらゆる局面の伝言ゲームのもつれが解きほぐされることになろう。「ジャパニーズ・スキャンダル」のそしりを受けぬ原発災害の全容解明は世界に対する日本人の責務だ。
毎日新聞 2011年9月9日 東京朝刊
Thursday, September 8, 2011
08/09 Số lượng tỷ phú Trung Quốc tăng gấp đôi
Số lượng người 'siêu giàu' ở Trung Quốc đang tăng lên chóng mặt, với số tỷ phú gấp đôi chỉ trong vòng hai năm qua.
Hôm qua, Hurun Report, tập đoàn ở Thượng Hải chuyên xuất bản các ấn phẩm dành cho giới thượng lưu, công bố có 271 tỷ phú ở Trung Quốc năm 2010, tăng đáng kể so với số lượng 130 người năm 2009. Trung Quốc hiện là quốc gia có số lượng tỷ phú đứng thứ hai trên thế giới, chỉ sau Mỹ với hơn 400 người.
08/09 TIP nhận trách nhiệm tấn công Tân Cương - Trung Quốc
Thứ Năm, 08/09/2011 17:18
(NLĐO) - Đảng Hồi giáo Turkistan (TIP) vừa công bố một đoạn băng ghi hình nhận trách nhiệm các vụ cuộc tấn công gần đây tại Tân Cương, miền tây Trung Quốc, làm chết ít nhất 30 người hồi tháng 7.
Trong đoạn băng dài hơn 10 phút công bố vào cuối tháng 8 vừa qua, lãnh đạo TIP Abdul Shakoor Damla, với khuôn mặt bị che kín, nói rằng các cuộc tấn công trên là để trả thù chính phủ Trung Quốc.
An ninh tại Tân Cương được siết chặt sau các vụ tấn công. Ảnh: AP
Đoạn băng còn nêu tiểu sử tóm tắt của Memtieli Tliwaldi, nghi can đứng đằng sau các vụ tấn công hồi tháng 7 với các hình ảnh anh ta đang đấu vật với các chiến binh khác tại một trại huấn luyện của TIP.
Theo nhóm tình báo SITE (Mỹ), Đảng Hồi giáo Turkistan (TIP) đòi độc lập cho khu tự trị Tân Cương của Trung Quốc. Được đánh giá là nhóm hồi giáo cực đoan, TIP thành lập vào năm 1993 và có căn cứ tại Pakistan. Các chuyên gia an ninh còn cho rằng các thành viên chủ chốt của TIP đã được al-Qaeda huấn luyện. Trước đây, TIP từng đe dọa tấn công Olympics Bắc Kinh 2008.
Tân Cương là quê nhà của người Duy Ngô Nhĩ với đa số theo đạo Hồi. Trong vòng 2 năm qua, khu vực này xảy ra nhiều vụ bạo động khiến ít nhất 197 người chết, nguyên nhân do mâu thuẫn giữa người Duy Ngô Nhĩ bản địa và người Hán.
Hải Ngọc (Theo AP)
08/09 Displaced students want a school to call their own
Sachiko Asakuno and Mariko Sakai / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
Nearly six months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, many students in Miyagi Prefecture who attended schools that were severely damaged in the disaster still have to take lessons in school facilities that are not their own.
"We are grateful for being able to use another school building. But having our own facilities is essential to providing adequate education," said the principal of a middle school that has been holding classes at another school in the prefecture. "I hope a makeshift school building for us will be built as soon as possible."
Many educational experts say that learning and teaching at other schools entail many inconveniences.
For instance, displaced students and teachers have fewer opportunities to use school facilities than regular students and teachers.
According to sources, students at a middle school they are temporarily attending are given limited use of the science room, the music room and the gym. This is because the curriculum of the host school is given priority over that of the displaced school.
The displaced students have been told not to enter areas other than those the school allows them to use to prevent trouble.
"I feel sorry for my students, because they must be feeling uncomfortable," the principal of the displaced school said.
Students of some schools have to use facilities of several different schools, forcing teachers and students to travel between them to attend events, such as club activities, student council meetings and teachers' meetings.
Miyagi Prefectural Agriculture High School, which was badly damaged by the tsunami, had used facilities of three high schools in the prefecture before its classes began at its own makeshift school building last Thursday.
Prior to this, about 240 students of the farm machinery course gathered at a meeting spot every morning and took buses to school. Because it took 90 minutes to reach their destination, the first class of the day was given en route. As the bus rides were bumpy, students had to hold their sheets and notebooks against the windows to write.
Eiya Kosai, 16, a second-year student at the school, said: "I had a hard time writing. Every time the bus went over a bump, my handwriting became crooked."
Some students on the buses also experienced motion sickness.
Attending classes at school buildings that are not their own has also negatively affected the students' academic performance.
A third-year student at the school said, "I lacked sleep and couldn't concentrate on classes well."
Before the disaster, teachers at the school had spare time to make handout materials for students and prepare for classes to make them efficient and understandable.
However, after they were displaced by the disaster, the teachers had much less prep time, as they had to travel between the school's three temporary locations.
"I wonder whether our students understood the classes enough," one of the teachers said.
Meanwhile, Watanoha Middle School in Ishinomaki in the prefecture is getting back to some semblance of normalcy after it started the second trimester at its newly built temporary school building last Thursday. Students at the school had been learning at three separate locations, one for each school year. They were finally reunited at the new building built in the playground of a primary school in the city.
Sana Takagi, 12, a first-year student whose house was destroyed in the tsunami and who has since been living at her grandfather's place, said: "I was driven to the temporary school by my grandfather every day. Now, I can go to school by bicycle."
Although the new building has thin walls and less space than the original, the school's principal, Hiroshi Abe, 57, was happy the students once again had a school to call their own.
"We were forced to learn in what was like a training camp before. Now we can finally get back to a real school life," he said.
(Sep. 8, 2011)
Nearly six months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, many students in Miyagi Prefecture who attended schools that were severely damaged in the disaster still have to take lessons in school facilities that are not their own.
"We are grateful for being able to use another school building. But having our own facilities is essential to providing adequate education," said the principal of a middle school that has been holding classes at another school in the prefecture. "I hope a makeshift school building for us will be built as soon as possible."
Many educational experts say that learning and teaching at other schools entail many inconveniences.
For instance, displaced students and teachers have fewer opportunities to use school facilities than regular students and teachers.
According to sources, students at a middle school they are temporarily attending are given limited use of the science room, the music room and the gym. This is because the curriculum of the host school is given priority over that of the displaced school.
The displaced students have been told not to enter areas other than those the school allows them to use to prevent trouble.
"I feel sorry for my students, because they must be feeling uncomfortable," the principal of the displaced school said.
Students of some schools have to use facilities of several different schools, forcing teachers and students to travel between them to attend events, such as club activities, student council meetings and teachers' meetings.
Miyagi Prefectural Agriculture High School, which was badly damaged by the tsunami, had used facilities of three high schools in the prefecture before its classes began at its own makeshift school building last Thursday.
Prior to this, about 240 students of the farm machinery course gathered at a meeting spot every morning and took buses to school. Because it took 90 minutes to reach their destination, the first class of the day was given en route. As the bus rides were bumpy, students had to hold their sheets and notebooks against the windows to write.
Eiya Kosai, 16, a second-year student at the school, said: "I had a hard time writing. Every time the bus went over a bump, my handwriting became crooked."
Some students on the buses also experienced motion sickness.
Attending classes at school buildings that are not their own has also negatively affected the students' academic performance.
A third-year student at the school said, "I lacked sleep and couldn't concentrate on classes well."
Before the disaster, teachers at the school had spare time to make handout materials for students and prepare for classes to make them efficient and understandable.
However, after they were displaced by the disaster, the teachers had much less prep time, as they had to travel between the school's three temporary locations.
"I wonder whether our students understood the classes enough," one of the teachers said.
Meanwhile, Watanoha Middle School in Ishinomaki in the prefecture is getting back to some semblance of normalcy after it started the second trimester at its newly built temporary school building last Thursday. Students at the school had been learning at three separate locations, one for each school year. They were finally reunited at the new building built in the playground of a primary school in the city.
Sana Takagi, 12, a first-year student whose house was destroyed in the tsunami and who has since been living at her grandfather's place, said: "I was driven to the temporary school by my grandfather every day. Now, I can go to school by bicycle."
Although the new building has thin walls and less space than the original, the school's principal, Hiroshi Abe, 57, was happy the students once again had a school to call their own.
"We were forced to learn in what was like a training camp before. Now we can finally get back to a real school life," he said.
(Sep. 8, 2011)
08/09 47 schools unable to rebuild after disaster
Forty-seven schools that have been using other schools' facilities since the March 11 disaster still are undecided on where and how to rebuild their own facilities, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
The survey was conducted on 82 public primary, middle and high schools in 24 cities and towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures that are using buildings of nearby schools after theirs were severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
According to the survey results, 47 schools in 16 municipalities, or about 60 percent of the schools surveyed, had no plans to build temporary facilities or take other steps as of Tuesday. About 4,800 school children attend the 47 schools.
Municipalities that were struck by the March 11 tsunami are, in principle, required to relocate schools to higher ground. But they are not eligible to receive state subsidies for the cost of purchasing and preparing land for schools under the current law. Because of this, they are facing difficulty in securing relocation sites.
Education ministry officials say it is difficult to provide these schools with state subsidies for disaster restoration projects under existing law.
Calls for the prompt establishment of new legislation to address the issue may grow, observers said.
The survey found that only five of the 82 schools have committed to repair their original school facilities or relocate to new facilities as planned since before the disaster.
Another 30 schools said they had started or were planning to build temporary prefabricated facilities on other schools' grounds or athletic parks.
Under the law on government financial contribution to public schools on facility restoration from disaster damage, the government bears two-thirds of restoration costs when school facilities have been destroyed or severely damaged. But the law stipulates this applies to cases in which school facilities would be rebuilt at their original locations. The law provides no stipulation for cases in which school facilities need to be relocated.
Students using other schools' facilities have been facing various inconveniences, but municipal governments are in a quandary as there is very little public land that was not affected by the tsunami in the disaster-hit areas.
"We're giving priority to the construction of temporary housing units," said an Ishinomaki city government official in Miyagi Prefecture.
Some municipalities may consider obtaining privately owned land. But some lots not damaged by the disaster have inflated prices.
"Unless we receive state subsidies, we face enormous financial burdens," a town official of Yamadamachi, Iwate Prefecture, said, adding that the municipality has no chance to obtain private land.
An official of Minami-Sanrikucho, Miyagi Prefecture, stressed the town's dire financial situation, saying, "We absolutely lack the budget [resources] as we must restore facilities other than schools as well."
There is also a government subsidy to assist the relocation of local residents in groups from areas affected by natural disasters. However, this covers the rebuilding of housing facilities and does not cover the expenses of purchasing land or preparing it for the construction for school relocations.
An official of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, which has received requests for state aid from municipal governments, said the ministry has asked the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry to include school relocations in the subsidy program for group relocations under its jurisdiction.
(Sep. 8, 2011)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
07/09 Typhoon No. 12 caused deep-seated landslides
This photo taken Monday shows a mud slide in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture.
Large mud slides in Wakayama and Nara prefectures resulting from Typhoon No. 12 are suspected of being deep-seated landslides, according to a specialist.
Unlike shallow landslides in which topsoil 0.5 meters to 2 meters deep comes loose, the bedrock beneath the topsoil also moves in deep-seated landslides, causing enormous damage.
Typhoon No. 12 brought record rainfall to the Kii Peninsula, where fragile bedrock allowed massive amounts of rainwater to permeate underground. This has sparked concerns that more deep-seated landslides could occur in the region.
Kyoji Sassa, a professor emeritus of Kyoto University, has warned the peninsula will frequently be hit with similar landslides in the future due to its geological features.
Sassa analyzed news photos following Typhoon No. 12 of a mud slide in the Fudono district of Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, and suspects it is a deep-seated landslide. He also believes a mountain collapse in Gojo, Nara Prefecture, could be a deep-seated landslide.
Asahiko Taira, a geologist and executive director of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, said the Kii Peninsula is formed with Shimanto-tai strata, which are highly prone to landslides.
The strata began forming 20 million to 100 million years ago by colliding tectonic plates. In a process of repeated collisions and transformations, land mass was pushed upward and cracks dozens of meters deep were formed, which is where rainwater can accumulate.
"The deep-seated landslides were caused as rainwater infiltrated deep cracks over long periods of time," Sassa said. "Similar large-scale collapses may occur when [the strata] absorb large quantities of water."
According to a map of areas that could be hit by deep-seated landslides drawn up by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry in August last year, about 34 percent of the land in Nara Prefecture is at particularly high risk.
The map also indicates the remaining areas of the prefecture and neighboring Wakayama Prefecture are also at high risk of deep-seated landslides.
(Sep. 7, 2011)
07/09 Kan: Nuclear crisis 'man-made' / Ex-PM says poor flow of info hindered N-plant accident response
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun
The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant should be considered a "man-made disaster," and poor communication with the plant's operator hindered the initial government response, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
In an exclusive interview, Kan also said he felt "very sorry" for residents of Fukushima Prefecture who would not be able to return to their homes for a long time due to the nuclear crisis.
"There in fact were various opinions [regarding the safety of the plant] before the accident, but no well-thought-out preparations were made," he said. "In that sense, the nuclear accident should be considered a man-made disaster."
Referring to the response to the accident by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission, Kan said the two watchdogs had been "unable to foresee the possibility that all power sources could be lost" at the nuclear complex.
As a result, neither the agency nor the commission could deal effectively with the circumstances that arose after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out the plant's cooling systems, he said.
Kan said there also were problems with the flow of information from the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co.
The former prime minister said he ended up calling Masao Yoshida, the head of the plant, in a bid to gauge what was actually happening.
Kan revealed that the off-site emergency response center near the plant, though supposed to serve as a front-line command center in the event of a crisis, was vacated soon after the accident.
"As a result, arrangements that had been assumed in accident simulations hardly worked at all," said Kan, who stepped down late last month.
Kan was frustrated by the lack of details TEPCO provided soon after the disaster.
"Although I instructed the utility to vent [vapor in the nuclear reactor containers], TEPCO failed to do this, and I wasn't told of the reasons for that failure," he said. "Even as I sought an explanation for this situation, I couldn't tell whose decisions I was being given. It was like a game of Chinese whispers."
Kan visited Fukushima Prefecture on Aug. 27, the day after he officially announced he would resign as prime minister. He conveyed to the prefectural governor his view that people in some radiation-affected areas might be unable to return to their homes for a long period. He also called for the Fukushima government's approval to have temporary storage facilities for radiation-tainted materials built in the prefecture.
"I felt very sorry for all the victims of the disaster, but I thought it was my responsibility as prime minister in office at the time of the March 11 disaster to speak about the worst possible scenario," he said.
===
Excerpts from Kan interview
Following are excerpts from former Prime Minister Naoto Kan's interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident, one of the biggest challenges he faced while in office.
Question: What do you think was the biggest factor behind the nuclear crisis?
Kan: All the crisis-management arrangements that had been made prior to the accident failed to function properly.
Q: Do you wish you had responded differently to the crisis?
Kan: Nobody can be 100 percent perfect, but I believe I did what I should have done.
Q: It seemed the government and TEPCO were often one step behind developments during the crisis.
Kan: That accident was beyond our expectations, so there were no preparations to cope with it properly. It had been assumed there was no possibility the plant's power sources would be lost, so it was only natural that we were one step behind as the crisis unfolded.
Q: When did you contact the head of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, Mr. Masao Yoshida?
Kan: Whenever I needed firsthand information about the conditions at the nuclear plant and what decisions were being made there. Mr. Yoshida gave me adequate answers, but it couldn't be helped that information I obtained from TEPCO's head office was incomplete and insufficient.
Q: Was the lack of accurate information the biggest problem?
Kan: Definitely. That I could not get correct information stemmed from shortcomings in the system.
Q: Was it your idea to have Self-Defense Forces helicopters drop water into pools for storing spent nuclear fuel at the plant reactors?
Kan: That was basically done at my request. The temperature of the spent nuclear fuel pool was rising alarmingly, and the United States was also expressing concern. The SDF operation drastically changed the mood of the people involved. Everybody suddenly became very positive about tackling the crisis.
(Sep. 7, 2011)
07/09 South Korean cartoonist to promote Miyagi Prefecture
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Miyagi prefectural government plans to invite a famous cartoonist from South Korea in December to publicize its recovery from the March 11 disaster to South Koreans.
The local government plans to have him visit different areas of the prefecture and convey what he has experienced to people in South Korea through newspaper illustrations and a Web site, it has been learned.
The prefectural government hopes his renderings of actual conditions in the prefecture will lessen South Koreans' concerns about radiation and tsunami in Japan. They plan to have him interview okami (female) innkeepers, sushi cooks and craftspeople.
The cartoonist is Huh Young Man, known for his cartoons about cooking. His representative work "Sik Gaek" became a bestseller, with more than 1 million copies sold in South Korea. Originally a newspaper series, his cartoons inspired a film and a TV series.
The prefectural government plans to invite him in mid- to late December for five days and have him visit a kokeshi (wooden doll) maker in Osaki, a sushi restaurant in Shiogama, an inn in Shiroishi and speak with people there. The government also plans to ask him to visit a rice-farming family and a cattle farmer.
Huh's cartoons are scheduled to appear in Sunday editions of JoongAng Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, and on a major Internet site.
There is also a possibility that his drawings will be utilized in travel agency merchandising.
In South Korea, people are concerned about the current situation in Japan, and Japanese food has been removed from shelves at some supermarkets. The number of South Korean tourists to Miyagi Prefecture drastically decreased after the March 11 disaster.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai visited South Korea at the end of August and promoted Miyagi Prefecture's safety to South Korean municipalities and media.
(Sep. 7, 2011)
The Miyagi prefectural government plans to invite a famous cartoonist from South Korea in December to publicize its recovery from the March 11 disaster to South Koreans.
The local government plans to have him visit different areas of the prefecture and convey what he has experienced to people in South Korea through newspaper illustrations and a Web site, it has been learned.
The prefectural government hopes his renderings of actual conditions in the prefecture will lessen South Koreans' concerns about radiation and tsunami in Japan. They plan to have him interview okami (female) innkeepers, sushi cooks and craftspeople.
The cartoonist is Huh Young Man, known for his cartoons about cooking. His representative work "Sik Gaek" became a bestseller, with more than 1 million copies sold in South Korea. Originally a newspaper series, his cartoons inspired a film and a TV series.
The prefectural government plans to invite him in mid- to late December for five days and have him visit a kokeshi (wooden doll) maker in Osaki, a sushi restaurant in Shiogama, an inn in Shiroishi and speak with people there. The government also plans to ask him to visit a rice-farming family and a cattle farmer.
Huh's cartoons are scheduled to appear in Sunday editions of JoongAng Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, and on a major Internet site.
There is also a possibility that his drawings will be utilized in travel agency merchandising.
In South Korea, people are concerned about the current situation in Japan, and Japanese food has been removed from shelves at some supermarkets. The number of South Korean tourists to Miyagi Prefecture drastically decreased after the March 11 disaster.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai visited South Korea at the end of August and promoted Miyagi Prefecture's safety to South Korean municipalities and media.
(Sep. 7, 2011)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
06/09 How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot
It's all about marketing, not sexism, says Nok Air's colorful CEO
Read more: How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/thai-budget-carrier-young-295067#ixzz1YrF0izYL
“I get older, they stay the same age.”
Read more: How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/thai-budget-carrier-young-295067#ixzz1YrF7YqEh
Read more: How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/thai-budget-carrier-young-295067#ixzz1YrF0izYL
Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin said the airline's flight attendants are both beautiful and nice. (File photo)
That of course is a classic line by Wooderson, Matthew McConaughey’s smooth-talking character in “Dazed and Confused,” referring to high school girls. But it could very well refer to Thailand’s flight attendants too.
A report in today’s Bangkok Post looks at how budget carrier Nok Airlines is among a growing number of regional airlines that are only hiring young flight attendants on short contracts while replacing older cabin crew to rejuvenate brand image and appeal to passengers.
According to the report, Nok Air said applicants should not be over the age of 25, while 24 is the maximum at Taiwan's EVA Air and Thai Smile Air, a regional subsidiary of Thai Airways set to start flying next year.
"This has nothing to do with sexist attitudes, but rather marketing," said Patee Sarasin, Nok Air's chief executive, in the article.
Nok reportedly gives its flight attendeants a three-year employment term, with three-year extensions on a case-by-case basis if they prove able to sustain their work standard and looks.
"Pretty girls who are not very nice due to maybe big egos and ugly ones who may have beautiful characters can become Nok Air cabin attendants," said Patee. "What we do is combine the best of the two -- beautiful girls with nice personalities.”
Pattee is known for his seemingly unfiltered comments. Following the election of Thailand’s first female prime minister in July, he raised eyebrows in Sydney by saying “compared to your prime minister, [Yingluck Shinawatra] is much better looking."
Click here to read the full Bangkok Post article, which also includes figures from Nok Air's recent recruitment drive.
Read more: How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/life/thai-budget-carrier-young-295067#ixzz1YrF7YqEh
06/09 Japan-U.S. alliance must be rebuilt
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet should lead to a halt in the erosion of Japan's diplomatic relations of recent years, which is essential for making the nation's voice better heard in the international community.
At a press conference held shortly after his appointment as prime minister, Noda stressed the need to achieve that goal, saying: "The Japan-U.S. relationship is a central pillar of our country's diplomatic and security policy at a time when the world is becoming more and more multipolar. [Bilateral relations] must be deepened and expanded."
Noda is an unknown quantity as prime minister. However, we hope he will steadfastly adhere to this fundamental principle in fulfilling his duties.
The Japan-U.S. alliance has long functioned as a public good to preserve peace and security in the Asia-Pacific basin. Many Asian countries share this perception. Unstable Japan-U.S. ties would harm relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors.
The nation's diplomatic environment has been increasingly unfavorable in recent years. The Noda administration was preceded by short-lived cabinets formed by five prime ministers. This has been compounded by the rise of China and some other newly emerging nations, a development that has undeniably resulted in a relative decline in Japan's national strength as the mainstay of its foreign relations.
===
Put U.S. ties on track
This is particularly evident in the turmoil and stagnation in the Japan-U.S. relationship due to a change of administration that took place two years ago. This paralysis can be attributed to former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's unskilled diplomacy, followed by an ill-conceived attempt by his successor, Naoto Kan, to put off bilateral issues.
With this in mind, the new prime minister must work to bring the nation's tattered external relations back on track, focusing first on shoring up its alliance with the United States.
Noda is scheduled to attend a number of meetings with the leaders of other nations, including a session of the U.N. General Assembly in late September. His diplomatic itinerary for November and beyond also includes a summit meeting of the Group of 20 nations and territories, the East Asia Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The prime minister must use these diplomatic opportunities to establish trust with U.S. President Barack Obama and other national leaders. Doing so is essential to defend our national interests.
He must also take specific actions to resolve pending issues facing Japan and the United States and not just follow the steps taken by his predecessors, Hatoyama and Kan, who both had only harped on "a deepening" of the bilateral alliance.
Washington has called on Tokyo to make "concrete progress" in settling the dispute over the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture "within one year." Failure to do so could prompt the U.S. administration to drastically reconsider a plan to relocate U.S. marines in the prefecture to Guam.
Noda must do all he can to overcome the gridlock in the Futenma controversy through talks with leaders and residents in Okinawa Prefecture. This task requires the prime minister to join hands with Cabinet members related to the dispute--Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa and Tatsuo Kawabata, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs.
===
Promote talks with China
It is no less important for Noda to promote dialogue with China.
The collisions between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese vessels in waters off the Senkaku Islands in September last year strained bilateral ties. Although summit talks among Japan, China and South Korea have since taken place, Tokyo and Beijing remain caught in a standoff over natural gas field exploration in the East China Sea and other bilateral problems.
The prime minister should step up security talks between Japan and China while also increasing bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Living up to this responsibility is essential to realizing what is called a "strategically reciprocal relationship" between Tokyo and Beijing, instead of leaving the mutually avowed goal an empty slogan.
The Noda administration also must decide, as soon as possible, whether to send Self-Defense Forces personnel to South Sudan for a U.N. peacekeeping mission, another decision his predecessors put off.
We hope the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties will agree to abandon the unreasonable practice established over the years of restricting visits to other countries by prime ministers and foreign ministers.
For years, opposition parties have insisted that attendance at Diet sessions by such political figures must take precedence over overseas travel on official business. The public does not even begin to understand why the country's national interests must be compromised because its prime minister and foreign minister are prevented from visiting other nations under what can only be described as a misguided rule meant to preserve "the authority of the Diet."
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 5, 2011)
(Sep. 6, 2011)
The inauguration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet should lead to a halt in the erosion of Japan's diplomatic relations of recent years, which is essential for making the nation's voice better heard in the international community.
At a press conference held shortly after his appointment as prime minister, Noda stressed the need to achieve that goal, saying: "The Japan-U.S. relationship is a central pillar of our country's diplomatic and security policy at a time when the world is becoming more and more multipolar. [Bilateral relations] must be deepened and expanded."
Noda is an unknown quantity as prime minister. However, we hope he will steadfastly adhere to this fundamental principle in fulfilling his duties.
The Japan-U.S. alliance has long functioned as a public good to preserve peace and security in the Asia-Pacific basin. Many Asian countries share this perception. Unstable Japan-U.S. ties would harm relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors.
The nation's diplomatic environment has been increasingly unfavorable in recent years. The Noda administration was preceded by short-lived cabinets formed by five prime ministers. This has been compounded by the rise of China and some other newly emerging nations, a development that has undeniably resulted in a relative decline in Japan's national strength as the mainstay of its foreign relations.
===
Put U.S. ties on track
This is particularly evident in the turmoil and stagnation in the Japan-U.S. relationship due to a change of administration that took place two years ago. This paralysis can be attributed to former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's unskilled diplomacy, followed by an ill-conceived attempt by his successor, Naoto Kan, to put off bilateral issues.
With this in mind, the new prime minister must work to bring the nation's tattered external relations back on track, focusing first on shoring up its alliance with the United States.
Noda is scheduled to attend a number of meetings with the leaders of other nations, including a session of the U.N. General Assembly in late September. His diplomatic itinerary for November and beyond also includes a summit meeting of the Group of 20 nations and territories, the East Asia Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The prime minister must use these diplomatic opportunities to establish trust with U.S. President Barack Obama and other national leaders. Doing so is essential to defend our national interests.
He must also take specific actions to resolve pending issues facing Japan and the United States and not just follow the steps taken by his predecessors, Hatoyama and Kan, who both had only harped on "a deepening" of the bilateral alliance.
Washington has called on Tokyo to make "concrete progress" in settling the dispute over the transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture "within one year." Failure to do so could prompt the U.S. administration to drastically reconsider a plan to relocate U.S. marines in the prefecture to Guam.
Noda must do all he can to overcome the gridlock in the Futenma controversy through talks with leaders and residents in Okinawa Prefecture. This task requires the prime minister to join hands with Cabinet members related to the dispute--Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa and Tatsuo Kawabata, state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs.
===
Promote talks with China
It is no less important for Noda to promote dialogue with China.
The collisions between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese vessels in waters off the Senkaku Islands in September last year strained bilateral ties. Although summit talks among Japan, China and South Korea have since taken place, Tokyo and Beijing remain caught in a standoff over natural gas field exploration in the East China Sea and other bilateral problems.
The prime minister should step up security talks between Japan and China while also increasing bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Living up to this responsibility is essential to realizing what is called a "strategically reciprocal relationship" between Tokyo and Beijing, instead of leaving the mutually avowed goal an empty slogan.
The Noda administration also must decide, as soon as possible, whether to send Self-Defense Forces personnel to South Sudan for a U.N. peacekeeping mission, another decision his predecessors put off.
We hope the Liberal Democratic Party and other opposition parties will agree to abandon the unreasonable practice established over the years of restricting visits to other countries by prime ministers and foreign ministers.
For years, opposition parties have insisted that attendance at Diet sessions by such political figures must take precedence over overseas travel on official business. The public does not even begin to understand why the country's national interests must be compromised because its prime minister and foreign minister are prevented from visiting other nations under what can only be described as a misguided rule meant to preserve "the authority of the Diet."
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 5, 2011)
(Sep. 6, 2011)
06/09 IN THE NEWS / Soprano to sing at 9/11 peace recital
Maki Mori
Waiting for her turn during a May concert to help support areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, opera singer Maki Mori was circumspect.
"It isn't always positive living in this world. But I feel very strongly [about] and cherish music's role in reaching out to people during difficult times," she said.
Mori experienced the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on United States soil firsthand while she was rehearsing for an opera scheduled to be performed in Washington.
Immediately after the catastrophe, Mori was evacuated to a suburban area of the capital. Ultimately she had to perform in the opera three days later without proper rehearsals.
"I was worried whether it would really be okay to perform under such circumstances," she recalled.
Despite her concern, Mori's performance at the well-attended concert received rapturous applause.
Mori said this experience helped her realize music can help people to recover from distress.
The singer, 41, believes even when faced with a serious disaster, musicians will never be powerless. "Because we can pray for victims and convey the greatness of being alive through our music," she explained.
Mori will sing Mozart's Requiem and other works at her recital to be held at the Tokyo Opera City in Shinjuku, Tokyo, on Sunday.
Sept. 11 will also mark the six-month anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Mori says she will put her soul into the pieces she will sing at the concert.
"I'll be happy if I'm able to convey my thoughts [about the disaster] to the audience, and hope the performance transcends being enjoyable and beautiful," she said.
(Sep. 6, 2011)
Monday, September 5, 2011
05/09 余録：ＳＰＥＥＤＩ問題 - Gov't must learn lessons from nuclear crisis response to avoid repeating mistakes
A radiation expert says what has infuriated him most since crisis broke out at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant is that the government initially withheld data from the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI), which predicted how radioactive substances would spread. His anger is understandable.
Clouds of radioactive substances drifted northwest as well as toward the Kanto area around Tokyo between March 15 and 16, and between March 20 and 22. There are many people who fled to areas that the clouds were drifting towards, and those who allowed their children to play outdoors without knowing how radioactive substances were spreading. It is difficult to imagine how people saying, "If I had only known about the projections ..." are feeling now.
A government map displaying radiation levels in the area around the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.
As if to add insult to injury, it has turned out that projections made on March 11 of nuclear reactor core meltdowns were ignored by the Prime Minister's Office. It is surprising that the government has disclosed this fact at this stage, but its claim that it "never thought of utilizing the data because it is not based on confirmed facts" is also astounding. Exactly because facts cannot be immediately confirmed, the government should have protected residents of affected areas by making predictions. SPEEDI, as well as a system to predict meltdowns, exists for that very purpose.
The government is now paying the price for ignoring the projections of the widespread diffusion of radioactive substances. Numerous beef cows were contaminated with radiation through tainted feed, and so-called hot spots -- sites where radiation levels are far higher than the surrounding area -- have been discovered one after another. The government's acknowledgement, six months after the nuclear crisis began, that residents of highly contaminated areas cannot return home for decades also appears to be an "after-effect" of ignoring the diffusion predictions.
An experiment to decontaminate soil is conducted in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 11. (Mainichi)
University of Tokyo professor Tatsuhiko Kodama has urged that an expert committee comprised of "fresh" members be set up to protect children and expecting mothers from radiation, and promote the decontamination of affected areas in an appropriate manner. Kodama places emphasis on "fresh" members because he fears that experts who have been involved in the past mistakes will only make excuses. His opinion is convincing, considering the government's response to the nuclear crisis.
Unfortunately, all the Diet members were directly or indirectly involved in the mistakes. Therefore, all politicians should confront the mistakes made in the days and weeks after the meltdowns. The new administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda must pay close attention to the crisis to see if any mistake is being made, and eliminate the causes of any potential mistake. ("Yoroku," a front-page column in the Mainichi Shimbun)
Click here for the original Japanese story(Mainichi Japan) September 8, 2011
余録：ＳＰＥＥＤＩ問題
福島第１原発の事故発生以来、一番腹立たしかったことは何か。研究者と話して意見が一致した。事故当初、放射性物質の拡散を予測する「ＳＰＥＥＤＩ」のデータを政府が非公開としたことだ▲放射性物質の雲は３月１５～１６日や２０～２２日ごろに北西方向や関東地方などに流れた。拡散を知らず雲が向かった地域に避難したり、子どもを外で遊ばせた人もいる。「予測さえ知っていれば」。そう思わずにいられない当事者の気持ちはいかばかりか▲追い打ちをかけるように炉心溶融の予測が放置されていたこともわかった。今ごろの公表に驚くが、「事実に基づくデータではないので活用に思い至らなかった」との釈明にもがく然とする。「事実」がわからないからこそ「予測」によって住民を守る。溶融予測も拡散予測もそのためのシステムではなかったのか▲大量の放射性物質の拡散から目を背けたツケは大きい。稲わらによる牛肉の汚染、今も続く新たなホットスポットの発見。半年近くたって「何十年も帰れない」という見通しが飛び出すのも、その「後遺症」と感じる▲「子どもと妊婦を守り、的確な除染を進めるために、清新な有識者による委員会を」。東大の児玉龍彦教授が訴えている。「清新」と断るのは、これまでの「失敗」に関与した人々は言い訳に陥りやすいから。政府の対応を見ると、その指摘にうなずかざるをえない▲残念ながら今の国会にこれまでの失敗に無関係な人はいない。だからこそ、過去の失敗から目を背けずに向き合う。現在進行中の失敗がないか目を光らせ、先手を打つ。そんな真摯（しんし）さと胆力が新政権に問われている。
英訳毎日新聞 2011年9月5日 0時01分
Sunday, September 4, 2011
04/09 Sharing the grief of losing a child / Women find comfort by talking to others with similar experiences
Akihiko Kano / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
In an effort to help provide psychological care to women who have lost their unborn or newborn child, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center in Yokohama offers a place where they can talk about and share the experience of losing a child.
"My mood varies from day to day, but I'm slowly getting over it," a 32-year-old woman from Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, told 17 other women who gathered at Kanagawa Kenmin Center, also in Yokohama, in June. Speaking slowly to the group, Wataboshi-no-kai (group of women who have lost children), she explained she gave birth to her first son in April 2010 at the medical center, but the boy had lung problems. The baby, who could not breathe on his own, died the following day.
The woman said she began to stay at home as much as possible as it was hard to see families with babies outside. If she happened to hear the voice of an infant at a restaurant, she quickly left. "I wondered why I was the only one suffering such sadness," she said.
In October last year, six months after her son's death, the woman joined a meeting of Wataboshi-no-kai. After introducing herself, she told about 20 women and their family members her true feelings.
She also listened to the stories of the other women who had lost children, including one who could not talk but speak for crying. "I realized I'm not the only one to suffer this terrible experience," she said. Since she was able to hold her son in her arms and spend some time with him, even for such a short period, she gradually developed a sense of gratitude. "He came into the world despite his illness. He was there, he had his life," she said.
"Talking about my feelings made me feel better than holding them in. I'll continue to live with my sorrow without trying to defeat it," she said.
According to statistics published by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, a fetus death after the 12th week of pregnancy is considered a stillbirth. The death of a baby in the first week after birth is called early neonatal mortality.
In 2010, more than 1 million babies were born in Japan. In the same year, about 27,000 stillbirths were reported and about 880 babies died in the first week after birth.
Fifteen percent of all pregnant women are believed to experience miscarriages, including stillbirth.
Wataboshi-no-kai was set up in 1997 by volunteers, including a nurse at the center's health and welfare counseling center, to help mothers who have lost a child. Last year, the workshop, held three times a year, was added as an official program of the medical center.
One unique aspect of the group is that no doctors take part in the sessions.
According to an official at the counseling center, this is to allow women to talk freely without having to worry about the feelings of the doctors.
A 35-year-old woman from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, is one of the participants. In May last year, she was told by her doctor that her 16-week-old baby's heart could not be heard by ultrasound. She had a stillbirth the following month.
She said every day since then has been hard, and she could not bear the sound of a baby crying. The turning point came when she joined the group in October last year.
"I usually can't talk about losing the baby. But here I can freely express myself. By listening to others with similar experiences, I feel better," she said.
Michiko Yamanaka, a doctor at St. Luke's International Hospital, is the editor of the book Akachan o Nakushita Josei e no Kango (Nursing for women who have lost their child), said being able to talk openly about their feelings with others who have had similar experiences helps women with their psychological recovery.
But such groups are only available in a few places.
Hiroshi Wada, the director of the Yodogawa Christian Hospital's center for perinatal mothers and children in Osaka, conducted a survey of 203 facilities, including those with comprehensive perinatal programs, last year. The survey, with a response rate of 63 percent, found 24 facilities, or 19 percent, introduced women who had lost a child to local self-help groups, while five facilities, or 4 percent, had their own support groups.
"The programs are effective [in supporting women], but the numbers are limited partly because the programs can place a great burden on medical institutions in terms of human resources, time or financial resources. Government-level assistance is required to lessen the burden on hospitals," Wada said.
(Sep. 4, 2011)
In an effort to help provide psychological care to women who have lost their unborn or newborn child, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center in Yokohama offers a place where they can talk about and share the experience of losing a child.
"My mood varies from day to day, but I'm slowly getting over it," a 32-year-old woman from Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, told 17 other women who gathered at Kanagawa Kenmin Center, also in Yokohama, in June. Speaking slowly to the group, Wataboshi-no-kai (group of women who have lost children), she explained she gave birth to her first son in April 2010 at the medical center, but the boy had lung problems. The baby, who could not breathe on his own, died the following day.
The woman said she began to stay at home as much as possible as it was hard to see families with babies outside. If she happened to hear the voice of an infant at a restaurant, she quickly left. "I wondered why I was the only one suffering such sadness," she said.
In October last year, six months after her son's death, the woman joined a meeting of Wataboshi-no-kai. After introducing herself, she told about 20 women and their family members her true feelings.
She also listened to the stories of the other women who had lost children, including one who could not talk but speak for crying. "I realized I'm not the only one to suffer this terrible experience," she said. Since she was able to hold her son in her arms and spend some time with him, even for such a short period, she gradually developed a sense of gratitude. "He came into the world despite his illness. He was there, he had his life," she said.
"Talking about my feelings made me feel better than holding them in. I'll continue to live with my sorrow without trying to defeat it," she said.
According to statistics published by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, a fetus death after the 12th week of pregnancy is considered a stillbirth. The death of a baby in the first week after birth is called early neonatal mortality.
In 2010, more than 1 million babies were born in Japan. In the same year, about 27,000 stillbirths were reported and about 880 babies died in the first week after birth.
Fifteen percent of all pregnant women are believed to experience miscarriages, including stillbirth.
Wataboshi-no-kai was set up in 1997 by volunteers, including a nurse at the center's health and welfare counseling center, to help mothers who have lost a child. Last year, the workshop, held three times a year, was added as an official program of the medical center.
One unique aspect of the group is that no doctors take part in the sessions.
According to an official at the counseling center, this is to allow women to talk freely without having to worry about the feelings of the doctors.
A 35-year-old woman from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, is one of the participants. In May last year, she was told by her doctor that her 16-week-old baby's heart could not be heard by ultrasound. She had a stillbirth the following month.
She said every day since then has been hard, and she could not bear the sound of a baby crying. The turning point came when she joined the group in October last year.
"I usually can't talk about losing the baby. But here I can freely express myself. By listening to others with similar experiences, I feel better," she said.
Michiko Yamanaka, a doctor at St. Luke's International Hospital, is the editor of the book Akachan o Nakushita Josei e no Kango (Nursing for women who have lost their child), said being able to talk openly about their feelings with others who have had similar experiences helps women with their psychological recovery.
But such groups are only available in a few places.
Hiroshi Wada, the director of the Yodogawa Christian Hospital's center for perinatal mothers and children in Osaka, conducted a survey of 203 facilities, including those with comprehensive perinatal programs, last year. The survey, with a response rate of 63 percent, found 24 facilities, or 19 percent, introduced women who had lost a child to local self-help groups, while five facilities, or 4 percent, had their own support groups.
"The programs are effective [in supporting women], but the numbers are limited partly because the programs can place a great burden on medical institutions in terms of human resources, time or financial resources. Government-level assistance is required to lessen the burden on hospitals," Wada said.
(Sep. 4, 2011)
04/09 PROFILE OF NODA CABINET
The Yomiuri Shimbun
INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER, STATE MINISTER FOR OKINAWA AND NORTHERN TERRITORIES AFFAIRS
TATSUO KAWABATA
Kawabata, a former member of the now-defunct Democratic Socialist Party, entered politics after working as a technical engineer at Toray Industries, Inc. and an executive member of a labor union.
Having served as party secretary general and Diet affairs chief, he is considered adept in dealing with Diet affairs.
As education minister under a previous DPJ administration, he skillfully handled education policies, despite this not being his specialty. The free high school education program, one of the DPJ's pledges in the 2009 House of Representatives election, was put into force through his efforts.
However, some lawmakers describe him as a consensus-oriented politician who lacks individuality and the strength to impose his will on others.
(DPJ, group of former DSP members)
===
JUSTICE MINISTER
HIDEO HIRAOKA
Hiraoka is the second consecutive justice minister to come from the intraparty group led by former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, following his predecessor, Satsuki Eda.
He has served in such posts as counselor of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau and section chief of the former National Tax Administration Agency, now the National Tax Agency.
A lawyer, Hiraoka is considered an expert on legal and fiscal affairs.
An enthusiastic supporter of the current Constitution, Hiraoka is a representative of Liberal no Kai (association of liberal lawmakers), a group of junior and mid-ranking DPJ members.
However, some people regard him as "stubborn and inflexible."
(DPJ, Kan group)
===
FOREIGN MINISTER
KOICHIRO GEMBA
Gemba served concurrently as state minister for national policy and chairman of the DPJ's Policy Research Committee in the Kan administration, and made strenuous efforts in negotiations with the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito in reviewing his party's key policy goals.
However, he sometimes has been seen as vacillating between different opinions when faced with opposition from other party members, putting his decisiveness in question.
He attended the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, and is the son-in-law of former Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato.
Some lawmakers have begun gathering around Gemba, who is regarded as a next-generation leader in the party. This move may lead to the formation of a new group.
(DPJ)
===
FINANCE MINISTER
JUN AZUMI
A close ally of former DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada, Azumi supported him as chairman of the party's Diet Affairs Committee during the Kan administration.
Azumi's high-handed attitude toward bureaucrats is often described as arrogant. But many people were moved at a meeting of DPJ lawmakers immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake when Azumi wept as he called for action to help victims in disaster-stricken areas.
A former NHK reporter, Azumi is known to be highly assertive. However, some express concern about his talkative nature, saying that he tends to blow his own horn.
(DPJ)
===
EDUCATION, CULTURE, SPORTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MINISTER
MASAHARU NAKAGAWA
Nakagawa was formerly a member of the Mie Prefectural Assembly and worked for the Japan Foundation. He has gained the deep trust of former party Secretary General Katsuya Okada, who also was elected from a constituency in Mie Prefecture.
Having served as chairman of the DPJ's Foreign Relations and Security Research Committee, Nakagawa is known for his expertise in diplomatic affairs.
Nakagawa also has a deep knowledge of many other policy issues. He was in charge of education policies as a senior vice minister of the education ministry.
He is considered extremely trustworthy, though some other politicians wish he was more ambitious.
(DPJ)
===
HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE MINISTER
YOKO KOMIYAMA
Komiyama is one of the DPJ members who called for the creation of the child-rearing allowance system, a key pledge in the party's manifesto for the 2009 House of Representatives election.
A former commentator at NHK, Komiyama has made it her life's work to promote women's rights and assistance for child rearing.
A close aide to DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara, Komiyama openly urged then party President Ichiro Ozawa to resign in 2009 over Ozawa's involvement in a politics-and-money scandal.
Komiyama has a good reputation for her clear-cut statements, but this has earned her enemies in the past.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES MINISTER
MICHIHIKO KANO
Elected to the House of Representatives 11 times, Kano has had a long political career. He held a number of cabinet posts as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and was once seen as a promising candidate for prime minister. However, he bolted the LDP when the political world underwent a realignment and he suffered a number of hardships.
Last year, he was appointed agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, the first cabinet post he has held in 18 years. He displayed his political skills in agricultural reforms and has been rewarded by being reappointed to the post. The stability he seemed to offer prompted other party members to field him as a candidate in the latest DPJ presidential election.
He is nicknamed "tinplate underwear," a reference to his discreet statements and behavior from which "nothing leaks."
(DPJ, Kano group)
===
ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTER
YOSHIO HACHIRO
Hachiro was born into a farming family in Hokkaido, worked in an agricultural co-operative and then entered the world of politics as a member of the now-defunct Japan Socialist Party.
Though he claims to be an expert in agricultural policy, Hachiro's skills in economy and energy policies are uncertain.
When the DPJ was an opposition party, he served in such key party posts as chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee and chairman of the election campaign committee, and his skill in coordinating opinions was praised.
In September last year, he again became chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee, but resigned about four months later after failing to achieve anything worthwhile.
(DPJ, group of former JSP members)
===
LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM MINISTER
TAKESHI MAEDA
At 73, Maeda is the oldest Cabinet member. He has experienced many setbacks in his political career, losing three consecutive elections for the House of Representatives, the House of Councillors and the governorship of Nara Prefecture.
Agreeing with the political reforms proposed by former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, Maeda left the Liberal Democratic Party in 1993.
In the DPJ's recent presidential election, Maeda supported Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano. Although he is a member of the Hata group, he also attends meetings of Kano's group.
Maeda used to be a bureaucrat at the former Construction Ministry. He will be tested as to whether he can exert his leadership without depending on his former colleagues.
(DPJ, upper house, Hata group)
===
ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, STATE MINISTER FOR NUCLEAR CRISIS
GOSHI HOSONO
Hosono was appointed in June under the Kan administration as state minister in charge of handling the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. He has played a major role in addressing the crisis in cooperation with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. since its outbreak.
Hosono has frequently visited Fukushima Prefecture to coordinate efforts to deal with the nuclear crisis and earned a reputation within the government as a man of action.
Hosono entered the world of national politics when he was 28, after serving as a researcher at a research organization.
Although he is said to be highly competent in his utilization of bureaucrats, some have found Hosono to be indecisive when his positions come under criticism.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
DEFENSE MINISTER
YASUO ICHIKAWA
As head of the DPJ's policy board in the House of Councillors, Ichikawa has played a role in having the opinions of upper house members reflected in DPJ policies.
He became an expert on agricultural policy when he was a bureaucrat in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
Though he has expressed interest in diplomatic and defense issues, some lawmakers said his experience comes only as a senior member of relevant committees.
He fought many times with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives' Ishikawa Constituency No. 2, before switching parties and winning an upper house seat.
(DPJ, upper house, Ozawa group)
===
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY
OSAMU FUJIMURA
Fujimura was inspired to become a politician during his university days, as a result of volunteering to raise scholarship funds for children who had lost their parents in traffic accidents.
He has served as a senior vice minister for the Foreign Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, but his speciality is education policy.
When he was in the opposition camp, Fujimura was involved in managing Diet affairs and gained a reputation for adept behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
Fujimura is considered to be Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's right-hand man.
He is calm and subdued, but many people have called for him to be more vocal.
(DPJ, Noda group)
===
NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, STATE MINISTER FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND ABDUCTION ISSUE
KENJI YAMAOKA
Yamaoka became chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee immediately after the 2007 House of Councillors election, and his confrontational attitude toward the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at Diet sessions contributed greatly to the advent of DPJ-led government.
He proudly calls himself a strategist, but some have said he has a tendency to get caught in his own strategies. In 2008, when the DPJ was in the opposition bloc, Yamaoka was suspected of being involved in a pyramid scheme and the LDP set up a team to investigate his alleged involvement.
His third son, Tatsumaru, is a member of the House of Representatives, and his wife's father is renowned novelist Sohachi Yamaoka.
(DPJ, Ozawa group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR POSTAL REFORM AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
SHOZABURO JIMI
Jimi has a doctorate in medicine and has taught at Harvard University as a lecturer.
Although he is not a specialist in financial administration, Jimi was reappointed to the post as the sole representative of the DPJ's coalition partner, People's New Party. He played the same role under the Kan administration.
Jimi has been tasked by PNP leader Shizuka Kamei to push postal reform-related bills through the Diet.
As deliberations on the bills are stalled in the House of Representatives, Jimi faces a tough challenge.
(PNP, upper house)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL POLICY, ECONOMIC AND FISCAL POLICY, AND TAX REFORM
MOTOHISA FURUKAWA
Furukawa is a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat known for his administrative abilities. Since he is an expert on the taxation system and fiscal policy, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan and former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku gave him key posts.
Though he is an able policymaker, he has been criticized for lacking communication skills and his inability to work effectively with the Diet as deputy chief cabinet secretary in the Kan administration.
He is also said to micromanage and be more bureaucratic than bureaucrats.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT REVITALIZATION AND CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
RENHO
Renho has been reappointed as state minister for government revitalization two months after leaving the post. She is expected to be tested over her handling of the once highly heralded screenings of government projects and budgets. As the government failed to achieve much in previous screenings, public interest in them has waned.
Renho, who first became famous as a TV personality, outperforms other lawmakers with her arguments and questions in the Diet.
In the wake of the March 11 disaster, Renho led a national power conservation campaign and played a major role in publicizing government measures on many other occasions. While some people enjoy her flashy performance, it leaves other people cold.
(DPJ, upper house, Noda group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
TATSUO HIRANO
Hirano retained his post as disaster recovery minister. He was appointed to the post in July under the Kan Cabinet when he succeeded Ryu Matsumoto, who stepped down following a spate of gaffes.
In playing a key role in working out basic recovery and reconstruction policies, Hirano has been credited with regaining the trust of disaster victims.
Formerly a bureaucrat of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, he has built a reputation for competence in performing administrative tasks.
As Hirano is a midranking legislator among DPJ members, however, some lawmakers have pointed out he still falls short in reconciling conflicting opinions.
(DPJ, upper house)
===
DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY
FOR PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
TSUYOSHI SAITO
Saito, 66, previously served as acting chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee.
He graduated from Kanagawa University and was elected to a proportional representation seat in the House of Representatives from the Minami Kanto bloc.
(DPJ, Kan group)
HIROYUKI NAGAHAMA
Nagahama, 52, was senior vice health, labor and welfare minister and the DPJ's Finance Committee chairman.
A House of Representatives member from Chiba Constituency No. 1, he graduated from Waseda University.
(DPJ, upper house, Noda group)
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS
MAKOTO TAKETOSHI
Taketoshi, 61, was administrative vice minister of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and chief of the ministry's City and Regional Development Bureau.
He graduated from the University of Tokyo and joined the then Construction Ministry in 1972.
(Sep. 4, 2011)
INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER, STATE MINISTER FOR OKINAWA AND NORTHERN TERRITORIES AFFAIRS
TATSUO KAWABATA
Kawabata, a former member of the now-defunct Democratic Socialist Party, entered politics after working as a technical engineer at Toray Industries, Inc. and an executive member of a labor union.
Having served as party secretary general and Diet affairs chief, he is considered adept in dealing with Diet affairs.
As education minister under a previous DPJ administration, he skillfully handled education policies, despite this not being his specialty. The free high school education program, one of the DPJ's pledges in the 2009 House of Representatives election, was put into force through his efforts.
However, some lawmakers describe him as a consensus-oriented politician who lacks individuality and the strength to impose his will on others.
(DPJ, group of former DSP members)
===
JUSTICE MINISTER
HIDEO HIRAOKA
Hiraoka is the second consecutive justice minister to come from the intraparty group led by former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, following his predecessor, Satsuki Eda.
He has served in such posts as counselor of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau and section chief of the former National Tax Administration Agency, now the National Tax Agency.
A lawyer, Hiraoka is considered an expert on legal and fiscal affairs.
An enthusiastic supporter of the current Constitution, Hiraoka is a representative of Liberal no Kai (association of liberal lawmakers), a group of junior and mid-ranking DPJ members.
However, some people regard him as "stubborn and inflexible."
(DPJ, Kan group)
===
FOREIGN MINISTER
KOICHIRO GEMBA
Gemba served concurrently as state minister for national policy and chairman of the DPJ's Policy Research Committee in the Kan administration, and made strenuous efforts in negotiations with the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito in reviewing his party's key policy goals.
However, he sometimes has been seen as vacillating between different opinions when faced with opposition from other party members, putting his decisiveness in question.
He attended the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, and is the son-in-law of former Fukushima Gov. Eisaku Sato.
Some lawmakers have begun gathering around Gemba, who is regarded as a next-generation leader in the party. This move may lead to the formation of a new group.
(DPJ)
===
FINANCE MINISTER
JUN AZUMI
A close ally of former DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada, Azumi supported him as chairman of the party's Diet Affairs Committee during the Kan administration.
Azumi's high-handed attitude toward bureaucrats is often described as arrogant. But many people were moved at a meeting of DPJ lawmakers immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake when Azumi wept as he called for action to help victims in disaster-stricken areas.
A former NHK reporter, Azumi is known to be highly assertive. However, some express concern about his talkative nature, saying that he tends to blow his own horn.
(DPJ)
===
EDUCATION, CULTURE, SPORTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MINISTER
MASAHARU NAKAGAWA
Nakagawa was formerly a member of the Mie Prefectural Assembly and worked for the Japan Foundation. He has gained the deep trust of former party Secretary General Katsuya Okada, who also was elected from a constituency in Mie Prefecture.
Having served as chairman of the DPJ's Foreign Relations and Security Research Committee, Nakagawa is known for his expertise in diplomatic affairs.
Nakagawa also has a deep knowledge of many other policy issues. He was in charge of education policies as a senior vice minister of the education ministry.
He is considered extremely trustworthy, though some other politicians wish he was more ambitious.
(DPJ)
===
HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE MINISTER
YOKO KOMIYAMA
Komiyama is one of the DPJ members who called for the creation of the child-rearing allowance system, a key pledge in the party's manifesto for the 2009 House of Representatives election.
A former commentator at NHK, Komiyama has made it her life's work to promote women's rights and assistance for child rearing.
A close aide to DPJ Policy Research Committee Chairman Seiji Maehara, Komiyama openly urged then party President Ichiro Ozawa to resign in 2009 over Ozawa's involvement in a politics-and-money scandal.
Komiyama has a good reputation for her clear-cut statements, but this has earned her enemies in the past.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES MINISTER
MICHIHIKO KANO
Elected to the House of Representatives 11 times, Kano has had a long political career. He held a number of cabinet posts as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and was once seen as a promising candidate for prime minister. However, he bolted the LDP when the political world underwent a realignment and he suffered a number of hardships.
Last year, he was appointed agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, the first cabinet post he has held in 18 years. He displayed his political skills in agricultural reforms and has been rewarded by being reappointed to the post. The stability he seemed to offer prompted other party members to field him as a candidate in the latest DPJ presidential election.
He is nicknamed "tinplate underwear," a reference to his discreet statements and behavior from which "nothing leaks."
(DPJ, Kano group)
===
ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTER
YOSHIO HACHIRO
Hachiro was born into a farming family in Hokkaido, worked in an agricultural co-operative and then entered the world of politics as a member of the now-defunct Japan Socialist Party.
Though he claims to be an expert in agricultural policy, Hachiro's skills in economy and energy policies are uncertain.
When the DPJ was an opposition party, he served in such key party posts as chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee and chairman of the election campaign committee, and his skill in coordinating opinions was praised.
In September last year, he again became chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee, but resigned about four months later after failing to achieve anything worthwhile.
(DPJ, group of former JSP members)
===
LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM MINISTER
TAKESHI MAEDA
At 73, Maeda is the oldest Cabinet member. He has experienced many setbacks in his political career, losing three consecutive elections for the House of Representatives, the House of Councillors and the governorship of Nara Prefecture.
Agreeing with the political reforms proposed by former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, Maeda left the Liberal Democratic Party in 1993.
In the DPJ's recent presidential election, Maeda supported Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano. Although he is a member of the Hata group, he also attends meetings of Kano's group.
Maeda used to be a bureaucrat at the former Construction Ministry. He will be tested as to whether he can exert his leadership without depending on his former colleagues.
(DPJ, upper house, Hata group)
===
ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, STATE MINISTER FOR NUCLEAR CRISIS
GOSHI HOSONO
Hosono was appointed in June under the Kan administration as state minister in charge of handling the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. He has played a major role in addressing the crisis in cooperation with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. since its outbreak.
Hosono has frequently visited Fukushima Prefecture to coordinate efforts to deal with the nuclear crisis and earned a reputation within the government as a man of action.
Hosono entered the world of national politics when he was 28, after serving as a researcher at a research organization.
Although he is said to be highly competent in his utilization of bureaucrats, some have found Hosono to be indecisive when his positions come under criticism.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
DEFENSE MINISTER
YASUO ICHIKAWA
As head of the DPJ's policy board in the House of Councillors, Ichikawa has played a role in having the opinions of upper house members reflected in DPJ policies.
He became an expert on agricultural policy when he was a bureaucrat in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
Though he has expressed interest in diplomatic and defense issues, some lawmakers said his experience comes only as a senior member of relevant committees.
He fought many times with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives' Ishikawa Constituency No. 2, before switching parties and winning an upper house seat.
(DPJ, upper house, Ozawa group)
===
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY
OSAMU FUJIMURA
Fujimura was inspired to become a politician during his university days, as a result of volunteering to raise scholarship funds for children who had lost their parents in traffic accidents.
He has served as a senior vice minister for the Foreign Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, but his speciality is education policy.
When he was in the opposition camp, Fujimura was involved in managing Diet affairs and gained a reputation for adept behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
Fujimura is considered to be Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's right-hand man.
He is calm and subdued, but many people have called for him to be more vocal.
(DPJ, Noda group)
===
NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, STATE MINISTER FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND ABDUCTION ISSUE
KENJI YAMAOKA
Yamaoka became chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee immediately after the 2007 House of Councillors election, and his confrontational attitude toward the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at Diet sessions contributed greatly to the advent of DPJ-led government.
He proudly calls himself a strategist, but some have said he has a tendency to get caught in his own strategies. In 2008, when the DPJ was in the opposition bloc, Yamaoka was suspected of being involved in a pyramid scheme and the LDP set up a team to investigate his alleged involvement.
His third son, Tatsumaru, is a member of the House of Representatives, and his wife's father is renowned novelist Sohachi Yamaoka.
(DPJ, Ozawa group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR POSTAL REFORM AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
SHOZABURO JIMI
Jimi has a doctorate in medicine and has taught at Harvard University as a lecturer.
Although he is not a specialist in financial administration, Jimi was reappointed to the post as the sole representative of the DPJ's coalition partner, People's New Party. He played the same role under the Kan administration.
Jimi has been tasked by PNP leader Shizuka Kamei to push postal reform-related bills through the Diet.
As deliberations on the bills are stalled in the House of Representatives, Jimi faces a tough challenge.
(PNP, upper house)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL POLICY, ECONOMIC AND FISCAL POLICY, AND TAX REFORM
MOTOHISA FURUKAWA
Furukawa is a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat known for his administrative abilities. Since he is an expert on the taxation system and fiscal policy, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan and former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku gave him key posts.
Though he is an able policymaker, he has been criticized for lacking communication skills and his inability to work effectively with the Diet as deputy chief cabinet secretary in the Kan administration.
He is also said to micromanage and be more bureaucratic than bureaucrats.
(DPJ, Maehara group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT REVITALIZATION AND CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
RENHO
Renho has been reappointed as state minister for government revitalization two months after leaving the post. She is expected to be tested over her handling of the once highly heralded screenings of government projects and budgets. As the government failed to achieve much in previous screenings, public interest in them has waned.
Renho, who first became famous as a TV personality, outperforms other lawmakers with her arguments and questions in the Diet.
In the wake of the March 11 disaster, Renho led a national power conservation campaign and played a major role in publicizing government measures on many other occasions. While some people enjoy her flashy performance, it leaves other people cold.
(DPJ, upper house, Noda group)
===
STATE MINISTER FOR DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
TATSUO HIRANO
Hirano retained his post as disaster recovery minister. He was appointed to the post in July under the Kan Cabinet when he succeeded Ryu Matsumoto, who stepped down following a spate of gaffes.
In playing a key role in working out basic recovery and reconstruction policies, Hirano has been credited with regaining the trust of disaster victims.
Formerly a bureaucrat of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, he has built a reputation for competence in performing administrative tasks.
As Hirano is a midranking legislator among DPJ members, however, some lawmakers have pointed out he still falls short in reconciling conflicting opinions.
(DPJ, upper house)
===
DEPUTY CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY
FOR PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
TSUYOSHI SAITO
Saito, 66, previously served as acting chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee.
He graduated from Kanagawa University and was elected to a proportional representation seat in the House of Representatives from the Minami Kanto bloc.
(DPJ, Kan group)
HIROYUKI NAGAHAMA
Nagahama, 52, was senior vice health, labor and welfare minister and the DPJ's Finance Committee chairman.
A House of Representatives member from Chiba Constituency No. 1, he graduated from Waseda University.
(DPJ, upper house, Noda group)
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS
MAKOTO TAKETOSHI
Taketoshi, 61, was administrative vice minister of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and chief of the ministry's City and Regional Development Bureau.
He graduated from the University of Tokyo and joined the then Construction Ministry in 1972.
(Sep. 4, 2011)
Saturday, September 3, 2011
03/09 N-plants must be restarted despite end to power curbs
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The government has decided to lift earlier than scheduled its requirement that large-lot electricity consumers reduce their usage by 15 percent from last summer's peak levels in areas serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co.
The decision was based on the fact that the probability of a serious electricity shortage has become small. The mandatory restriction will end Sept. 9 in TEPCO's service areas, moved up from the initially planned Sept. 22, and was to be lifted Friday [Sept. 2] in places affected by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The latter areas are serviced by TEPCO and Tohoku Electric.
Waning summer heat, along with efforts by the public and private sectors to save electricity, has apparently served as a spur to end the restriction earlier than scheduled.
Starting July 1, the power usage restriction was imposed on large-lot users such as large factories and buildings, to deal with electricity shortages resulting from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Many companies made various efforts, such as operating plants on weekends instead of weekdays, to balance power saving with production. Electricity-saving movements spread throughout society, including ordinary households, which were asked to reduce their power use voluntarily.
People turned up the temperature settings on their air conditioners and turned off unnecessary lights. The spread of light-emitting diode bulbs and other power-saving devices also gained momentum.
===
Power saving successful
These efforts prevented planned blackouts like those implemented for a while after the March 11 disaster.
Based on this summer's experiences trying to save power, we should establish a lifestyle that does not waste electricity.
However, it is highly likely that power supply shortages will become serious again in winter, when electricity demand is expected to increase for heating and other purposes.
Since outgoing Prime Minister Naoto Kan has caused unnecessary confusion over nuclear power generation, there are no prospects at this moment for operations to resume at nuclear power plants suspended for regular inspections. If nothing is done, operations at all the nuclear power plants in the nation will be suspended by spring next year.
Prime Minister-elect Yoshihiko Noda said he would not carry over Kan's impromptu denuclearization policy, but pledged during the Democratic Party of Japan presidential race to restart operations at idle nuclear power plants if safety checks are completed. We expect Noda to exercise his leadership to bring this about.
===
Economic activities affected
Meanwhile, the latest power usage restriction has proved again that electricity shortages would badly constrain economic activities.
Many plants could not manufacture as many of their products as they wanted due to power-saving efforts, even though their orders had at last returned to pre-disaster levels after declining in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Production in the mining and manufacturing industries was steadily recovering since April but lost steam in July. This may have been caused by the start of power usage restrictions.
Observers said some companies are moving their production sites to other countries out of concern there will not be a stable power supply in Japan. We are concerned that the hollowing out of industries will accelerate and lead to fewer jobs.
TEPCO and other utilities made up for power shortages caused by the suspension of nuclear power plants with additional thermal power generation. But this costs 3 trillion yen a year. The extra costs will eventually lead to an increase in electricity charges.
Restarting idle nuclear power plants is necessary for the Japanese economy to fully recover from the damage caused by the disaster.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 2, 2011)
(Sep. 3, 2011)
The government has decided to lift earlier than scheduled its requirement that large-lot electricity consumers reduce their usage by 15 percent from last summer's peak levels in areas serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co.
The decision was based on the fact that the probability of a serious electricity shortage has become small. The mandatory restriction will end Sept. 9 in TEPCO's service areas, moved up from the initially planned Sept. 22, and was to be lifted Friday [Sept. 2] in places affected by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The latter areas are serviced by TEPCO and Tohoku Electric.
Waning summer heat, along with efforts by the public and private sectors to save electricity, has apparently served as a spur to end the restriction earlier than scheduled.
Starting July 1, the power usage restriction was imposed on large-lot users such as large factories and buildings, to deal with electricity shortages resulting from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Many companies made various efforts, such as operating plants on weekends instead of weekdays, to balance power saving with production. Electricity-saving movements spread throughout society, including ordinary households, which were asked to reduce their power use voluntarily.
People turned up the temperature settings on their air conditioners and turned off unnecessary lights. The spread of light-emitting diode bulbs and other power-saving devices also gained momentum.
===
Power saving successful
These efforts prevented planned blackouts like those implemented for a while after the March 11 disaster.
Based on this summer's experiences trying to save power, we should establish a lifestyle that does not waste electricity.
However, it is highly likely that power supply shortages will become serious again in winter, when electricity demand is expected to increase for heating and other purposes.
Since outgoing Prime Minister Naoto Kan has caused unnecessary confusion over nuclear power generation, there are no prospects at this moment for operations to resume at nuclear power plants suspended for regular inspections. If nothing is done, operations at all the nuclear power plants in the nation will be suspended by spring next year.
Prime Minister-elect Yoshihiko Noda said he would not carry over Kan's impromptu denuclearization policy, but pledged during the Democratic Party of Japan presidential race to restart operations at idle nuclear power plants if safety checks are completed. We expect Noda to exercise his leadership to bring this about.
===
Economic activities affected
Meanwhile, the latest power usage restriction has proved again that electricity shortages would badly constrain economic activities.
Many plants could not manufacture as many of their products as they wanted due to power-saving efforts, even though their orders had at last returned to pre-disaster levels after declining in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Production in the mining and manufacturing industries was steadily recovering since April but lost steam in July. This may have been caused by the start of power usage restrictions.
Observers said some companies are moving their production sites to other countries out of concern there will not be a stable power supply in Japan. We are concerned that the hollowing out of industries will accelerate and lead to fewer jobs.
TEPCO and other utilities made up for power shortages caused by the suspension of nuclear power plants with additional thermal power generation. But this costs 3 trillion yen a year. The extra costs will eventually lead to an increase in electricity charges.
Restarting idle nuclear power plants is necessary for the Japanese economy to fully recover from the damage caused by the disaster.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 2, 2011)
(Sep. 3, 2011)
Friday, September 2, 2011
02/09 Preparedness means not being surprised by disaster of any scale
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Sept. 1 is designated Disaster Prevention Day, because on that date in 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake struck, leaving more than 100,000 people dead.
To coincide with this, disaster-management drills are being conducted in various parts of the country this week. According to data collected by the government, more than 510,000 people, including ordinary citizens, are expected to participate in such drills in Tokyo and 34 other prefectures on Sept. 1 alone.
Soon half a year will have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which left more than 20,000 people dead or missing. Yet the road to post-disaster recovery and reconstruction remains treacherous.
In Fukushima Prefecture, where accidents occurred at a nuclear power plant, the state of disaster persists.
Nowhere in Japan, a country where natural disasters occur frequently, can be kept free of catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunami and floods. We should learn from the latest disaster and bolster our preparedness for such events through disaster-management drills on this and other occasions.
===
Learning from experience
A disaster drill to be held by the central government will be based on a scenario in which a major earthquake occurs directly beneath the capital. Priorities will include confirming the safety of cabinet members and securing the means to transport relief goods to affected municipalities.
These and other points were chosen because in the wake of the March 11 quake and tsunami, emergency communication networks were cut and the transportation of relief goods was greatly delayed.
Meanwhile, local governments, including prefectural governments, plan to conduct their own practical drills.
The Osaka city government, which in past drills has emphasized the response to a major quake occurring directly under the city, will for the first time conduct a drill for evacuating primary and middle school students to the third or higher floors of school buildings in the event of tsunami.
In Kochi Prefecture, a prefecture-wide evacuation drill will be held in preparation for a possible Nankai earthquake. A record 44,000 residents are scheduled to participate.
Disaster-management drills at nuclear power plants are held every year on a particular day--separate from Disaster Prevention Day--in cooperation with the central and local governments.
But on Thursday, Chubu Electric Power Co. is conducting an independent on-site inspection at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant to check the facility's readiness to deal with major tsunami.
===
Utilities must take action
Other electric power companies decided not to conduct independent drills on Thursday, as they did not want their drills to coincide with those of local municipalities. Yet it is only reasonable for utilities to make efforts to boost their preparedness for a major earthquake or tsunami.
In any case, it is important that they not only conduct drills, but also analyze the results and take necessary action in response.
One area needing improvement is escape routes. In the Great East Japan Earthquake, having an escape route that was familiar and accessible made the difference between life and death for many people.
Conducting drills should be a chance to learn a thing or two about lessening the damage caused by natural disasters.
We should also learn from the wisdom of our ancestors. It may not be mere coincidence that old roads and rest towns located along the coast in Miyagi Prefecture escaped major tsunami damage.
It is said that the Japanese archipelago has entered a phase of full-fledged crustal activity. In many parts of the country, earthquakes are occurring constantly. It is feared that the Tonankai, Nankai and Tokai earthquakes may occur simultaneously, or that even larger quakes could strike.
If such an event does occur, there should be no damage that could be considered "beyond the scope of all predictions."
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 1, 2011)
(Sep. 2, 2011)
Sept. 1 is designated Disaster Prevention Day, because on that date in 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake struck, leaving more than 100,000 people dead.
To coincide with this, disaster-management drills are being conducted in various parts of the country this week. According to data collected by the government, more than 510,000 people, including ordinary citizens, are expected to participate in such drills in Tokyo and 34 other prefectures on Sept. 1 alone.
Soon half a year will have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which left more than 20,000 people dead or missing. Yet the road to post-disaster recovery and reconstruction remains treacherous.
In Fukushima Prefecture, where accidents occurred at a nuclear power plant, the state of disaster persists.
Nowhere in Japan, a country where natural disasters occur frequently, can be kept free of catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunami and floods. We should learn from the latest disaster and bolster our preparedness for such events through disaster-management drills on this and other occasions.
===
Learning from experience
A disaster drill to be held by the central government will be based on a scenario in which a major earthquake occurs directly beneath the capital. Priorities will include confirming the safety of cabinet members and securing the means to transport relief goods to affected municipalities.
These and other points were chosen because in the wake of the March 11 quake and tsunami, emergency communication networks were cut and the transportation of relief goods was greatly delayed.
Meanwhile, local governments, including prefectural governments, plan to conduct their own practical drills.
The Osaka city government, which in past drills has emphasized the response to a major quake occurring directly under the city, will for the first time conduct a drill for evacuating primary and middle school students to the third or higher floors of school buildings in the event of tsunami.
In Kochi Prefecture, a prefecture-wide evacuation drill will be held in preparation for a possible Nankai earthquake. A record 44,000 residents are scheduled to participate.
Disaster-management drills at nuclear power plants are held every year on a particular day--separate from Disaster Prevention Day--in cooperation with the central and local governments.
But on Thursday, Chubu Electric Power Co. is conducting an independent on-site inspection at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant to check the facility's readiness to deal with major tsunami.
===
Utilities must take action
Other electric power companies decided not to conduct independent drills on Thursday, as they did not want their drills to coincide with those of local municipalities. Yet it is only reasonable for utilities to make efforts to boost their preparedness for a major earthquake or tsunami.
In any case, it is important that they not only conduct drills, but also analyze the results and take necessary action in response.
One area needing improvement is escape routes. In the Great East Japan Earthquake, having an escape route that was familiar and accessible made the difference between life and death for many people.
Conducting drills should be a chance to learn a thing or two about lessening the damage caused by natural disasters.
We should also learn from the wisdom of our ancestors. It may not be mere coincidence that old roads and rest towns located along the coast in Miyagi Prefecture escaped major tsunami damage.
It is said that the Japanese archipelago has entered a phase of full-fledged crustal activity. In many parts of the country, earthquakes are occurring constantly. It is feared that the Tonankai, Nankai and Tokai earthquakes may occur simultaneously, or that even larger quakes could strike.
If such an event does occur, there should be no damage that could be considered "beyond the scope of all predictions."
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 1, 2011)
(Sep. 2, 2011)
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