by the Copy-Writing Practice（３）－毎日、英語ＴＶニュース聴、コピー(複写)作文、高速音読
March, 2013 Hidemori Shimura
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特選航空写真集 志村英盛撮影Aerial Photos Taken by Hidemori Shimura
0301
South Korean court blocks return of stolen statue to Japan
March 1, 2013
A metal Buddha statue stolen from a temple in Japan and taken
to South Korea will remain there for now.
A local court ordered the South Korean government not to hand
over the statue to Japan because of questions about its origins.
The statue was stolen in October from Kannonji temple on Tsushima,
Nagasaki Prefecture, an island that lies midway between
the Japanese and South Korean mainland.
A South Korean scholar has said records show the statue was cast
at Buseoksa temple in the modern-day Korean city of Yeongju
in the 14th century, during the Goryeo dynasty.
The Japanese government has formally requested that
South Korea return the stolen item immediately.
But on Feb. 25, the Daejeon District Court in the central city of
Daejeon upheld a request by Buseoksa temple for an injunction,
requiring the statue to stay in South Korea.
The statue in question is of the Kanzeon Bosatsu, deity of mercy.
It is listed as an official cultural asset by Nagasaki Prefecture.
"We will request its prompt return, using diplomatic channels,"
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a Feb. 27 news conference.
The matter could become an additional irritant in bilateral ties
already strained over the Takeshima islets, which are controlled
by South Korea but claimed by Japan.
The statue is now in the hands of South Korea's Cultural Heritage
Administration. Officials there said representatives from the court paid
a visit Feb. 26 and ordered the agency not to decide the statue's fate
unilaterally.
The court has declined to comment on its decision, but the South
Korean temple seems satisfied with the ruling.
"I hope that we can settle this peacefully through talks
with the temple on Tsushima," said the chief monk at Buseoksa temple.
He added that the temple has no records showing how the statue
arrived on Tsushima.
The End
0302
Coming months crucial if 'Abenomics' to succeed
from The Asahi Shimbun,March 2, 2013
The coming 12 months will be crucial in determining if the Japanese
economy can expunge its deflationary state, according to Koichi Hamada,
a Yale University economics professor emeritus and special adviser
to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In an interview on March 1 in Tokyo, Hamada was asked about the package
of measures dubbed "Abenomics," which he helped draw up.
"Thorough monetary easing measures should be implemented," Hamada said,
"and efforts should be made to move out of deflation without relying
excessively on fiscal spending."
He said the aggressive monetary easing measures taken until now have
strengthened "trust and expectations" among market insiders that
Japan was moving toward dealing with its deflation problem. That, in turn,
has led to a correction of the strong yen, an increase in stock prices
as well as an improvement in corporate performance.
"What will be important from now are thorough monetary easing
measures actually implemented by the Bank of Japan under Haruhiko Kuroda,"
he added.
Kuroda was officially nominated for the BOJ governor's post
by the Abe administration on Feb. 28.
Regarding greater fiscal outlays, Hamada said, "While it is important
to rebuild after the natural disasters of 2011, it should not be a case
of simply spending large amounts.
"Efforts should also be made toward balancing the fiscal situation
by increasing tax revenues through an improvement in corporate
performance brought about by monetary easing measures and
a correction of the strong yen."
Asked about the danger of stagflation, in which an increase in consumer
prices is not matched by higher wages, Hamada said, "To prevent that
from occurring, efforts should be made to link improved
corporate performance to plant investment and an increase in jobs.
That should be followed by efforts to raise wages."
Hamada also said, "Rather than raise the wages of those now employed,
placing priority on expanding new hires of young people will increase
the overall pie in terms of gross domestic product and would lead
to heightening Japan's latent ability for economic growth."
He indicated that a rush to increase wages could delay an improvement in
corporate performance as well as overall economic recovery.
Hamada was also asked about the 2 percent inflation rate target set
by the BOJ at the insistence of Abe.
"For the general public, inflation in and of itself is not the objective,
so falling short of the target should not be regarded as a failure," he said.
"Actually, what would be most desirable is recovering employment
and production without inflation. The true objective should be
overcoming deflation by eliminating the gap between supply and
demand and improving the economic and job situations."
It is estimated that demand currently falls short of the supply capability
of the Japanese economy by 15 trillion yen ($162 billion) a year.
That gap is considered a major reason for Japan's deflationary state.
Whether that gap can be eliminated over the next six months
to a year will be central to whether Japan can move out of a deflationary
state in Hamada's view.
As for the planned increase in the consumption tax rate in spring 2014
from the current 5 percent to 8 percent, Hamada offered a cautious view.
"Although I once thought such an increase would be impossible,
it might be possible if economic recovery proceeds in a smooth fashion,"
he said.
The End
0303-0304
Partisan divide Prolonging U.S.Fiscal Crisis
by Shumpei Takemori , a professor of economics at Keio University
In the United States, some pundits are seriously debating whether
the U.S. Treasury should mint a platinum coin with a face value
of $1 trillion, sell it to the Federal Reserve Board and use the proceeds
from the coin sale to make up for a revenue shortfall incurred
by the U.S. government. Such a bizarre idea has surfaced as a way of
breaking the superpower's lingering fiscal impasse, a situation stemming
from the refusal of the Republican Party - which controls the House
of Representatives in Congress- to agree to raise a statutory limit
on outstanding federal debt.
In the face of a budget deficit, a government usually issues national
bonds to cover revenue shortfalls so that it can implement its fiscal
spending programs. But the United States has a peculiar law that sets
a legal ceiling on outstanding federal debt and forbids the government
from issuing new bonds once the upper limit is reached.
In the past, the statutory ceiling had been almost automatically raised
whenever necessary until August 2011, when the GOP utilized
the law as a political bargaining tool for its budget brinksmanship,
triggering a major face-off with President Barack Obama's Democratic
Party. In December 2012, the total of outstanding Treasury securities
actually surpassed the legal cap because what the Republicans agreed to
was nothing but a temporary debt-ceiling increase. The ensuing
debt-cap stopgaps were insufficient as well, making the U.S.
government look destined to reach the end of its tether by mid-February
this year, when it would be forced to completely stop spending.
This would include servicing its national debt, meaning failure to meet
the principal and interest payments on the money it owes - and
that would mean sovereign default.
Then the GOP made a new compromise, agreeing to a three-month
suspension of the debt ceiling. As such, a yet another ominous deadline
looms in May.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke coined the phrase "fiscal cliff' to refer
to the early parts of the U.S. fiscal quagmire. He originally used it
in describing a scenario in which gross domestic product in the United
States would shrink about 4 percent if the country was simultaneously
faced with an effective increase in taxes due to the Dec. 31, 2012,
expiration of the so-called Bush tax breaks and the start of automatic
spending cuts on Jan. 1, 2013, as mandated by the Budget Control Act
of August 2011. However, it seems now that the "fiscal cliff "is often
defined to collectively refer to a series of various economic uncertainties
seen from 2012 onward, including the debt-ceiling breach I mentioned above.
Those developments do not necessarily have a direct connection to one another,
but their simultaneous occurrence is more than just an unfortunate coincidence.
Partisan politics in the United States has a lot to do with the fiscal stalemate
- the two main parties, the GOP in particular, deliberately resort to
"linkage politics" to take up with a set of politically contentious agendas
simultaneously in dealing with the other side.
On top of its consistent mantra for "small government" as a key policy goal,
the GOP has been pursuing tax reductions as an equally important political
theme since President Ronald Reagan was in the White House in the 1980s.
Given that no voters shun tax cuts, the party's quest for tax breaks appears
to be an outright voter-wooing election tactic. It isn't, however.
The Republicans justify their tax-reduction approach with the following,
somewhat self-serving theory: When lowered taxes lead to a decrease
in fiscal revenues, fiscal spending will accordingly decline to automatically
realize smaller government. Indeed, the last time they voted for tax increases
was in 1990 - more than 20 years ago.
This time the GOP, objecting any attempt to raise taxes, stood vehemently
against Obama's policy of terminating the Bush tax breaks for upper-income
people alone. Consequently, the Republicans and the administration had
to engage in arduous negotiations over an effective tax increase, the first of
its kind in 13 years, due to the tax-breaks expiration.
In the end, an intricate scheme was floated to defer a deal till Jan. 1, 2013,
as a way of automatically allowing effective tax hikes in the wake of
the tax-breaks expiration. Under the scheme, the Democratic Party then
submitted a proposal for tax cuts for all Americans but the wealthiest and
the Republicans in turn were urged to support the tax-reduction plan -
not a tax increase plan. On Jan. 2, the budget brinksmanship came to an end
for now, almost in line with the maneuvering by Obama and his team.
In the process, the GOP ended up being effectively compelled to vote
for tax hikes. To regain political leadership, the Republican Party then
changed its budget-related strategy to truly aim to realize its principle of
small government. This then is affecting the issues of " mandatory
spending cuts" and "outstanding federal debt."
In August 2011, the Democratic Party and the GOP agreed that they would
aim at reaching a deal to pass a comprehensive budget deficit reduction
package by the end of that year. At the same time, both parties pledged that
in the event of the absence of such a deal, automatic spending cuts - known
in Washington as "sequestration" - amounting to $1.2 trillion over 10 years
from January 2013 would be enacted. Eventually no deal for a comprehensive
package emerged. At the outset of 2013, this sequestration was delayed
for two months. There has been no progress in negotiations between
the White House and the GOP over this matter. If the two-month hold expires
without a new deal, across-the-board budget cuts will take effect on March 1.
The automatic spending reductions, according to a U.S. think tank's projection,
will help stabilize the ratio of outstanding federal debt to U.S. GDP at roughly
73 percent for the next 10 years. However, the sequestration will paralyze
the fundamental function of politics - selective distribution of budgetary outlays
to priority areas. Military spending and discretionary spending, such as
education and research expenditures, will be particularly squeezed because
Congress has exempted Social Security programs.
Considering the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and its planned pullout from
Afghanistan, it may be thought to be easier for Washington to reduce
military spending. In reality, it isn't. Prof. Joseph Stiglitz notes that
the number of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars receiving
government medical care and disability benefits is growing.
Against this particular backdrop, the renowned U.S. economist says,
the U.S. government will have to bear an extra financial cost of
an estimated $1 trillion from now on to provide medical care
and benefits to Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans receiving
government medical care and benefits.
If Washington is subject to mandatory cuts in military spending
while facing such mandatory spending for veterans, U.S. military
strength in the Western Pacific will inevitably be affected.
Following the automatic spending reductions, the issue of the federal
debt ceiling will have to be addressed as the most serious predicament.
It goes without saying that the U.S. dollar is the world's key currency
and that U.S. Treasury securities are the most trustworthy assets
in the world, serving as a benchmark instrument for international
financial transactions.
Should the United States default on its national debt due to failure
to raise its federal debt ceiling, the world economy might plunge
into depression. In this "default option," the United States would suffer
a humiliating blow as it would be deprived of the privilege of purchasing
whatever it wanted from the rest of the world by printing U.S. dollar bills.
If the threat of default on U.S. debt is taken hostage in order to leverage
spending cuts, Obama likely will dare to either have a platinum coin
minted, as mentioned in the beginning of this article, or break the Budget
Control Act by declaring that he will have to go beyond the debt ceiling
to meet his statutory obligation to execute fiscal spending programs.
In the latter case, he will employ a high-handed tactic - seeking
a Supreme Court ruling.
Why have the confrontations between the president and the House and
between the Democratic Party and the GOP become so serious ?
An effort to find the answer clearly reveals deep divisions
in American society. In November last year, the United States held
its quadrennial presidential election in tandem with Senate and House
of Representatives elections. The Democratic camp won both
the presidential and Senate elections, while the Republican Party
continued to control the House. The Congress subsequently remains
twisted. The divisive poll results were caused by the U.S. electoral systems.
Unlike presidential and Senate elections, which are contested in statewide
constituencies, each state is divided into single-seat electoral districts
for House of Representatives elections. The electoral districts for lower
house elections were reallocated in favor of the Republican Party
after the midterm elections in 2010, in which the GOP prevailed.
In the latest presidential election, Obama won his second term thanks
largely to support from the fast-growing Hispanic population.
Demarcating urban areas from rural ones in the House's electoral
district allocation ensures an overwhelming election victory
for the Democratic Party as Hispanics and other supporters of
the party concentrate on urban areas. But this won't help Democrats
at all because one seat is one seat regardless of whether the party
wins big or small in the district.
Thus, the gerrymandering, namely the strategic reallocation of
the electoral districts conducted in 2010, certainly helped
the Republican Party because devoid of any urban electoral influences,
they could snatch from Democrats many rural electoral districts
in which the predominant population is the middle-class white,
the captive clients of the GOP.
Reflecting the structural characteristics of the electoral systems,
the Democratic Party emerged as the winner in the presidential and
Senate elections of November 2012 with the backing of minority
groups, including Hispanic voters, who need government protection
because of income and social status disadvantages.
But at the same time, the House of Representatives elections
were clinched by the Republican Party, which is supported
by conservative middle-class white voters who are not working
for big companies with lucrative social security benefits and thus
have tendency to hate "big government."
The dysfunction of U.S. politics is thus caused by the deep ideological
chasm between the party of "small government" proponents controlling
the House of Representatives and the party of "big government" supporters
in the Senate. The U.S. Congress is highly likely to stay divided
even after the next midterm elections scheduled for 2014,
prolonging the situation in which the government cannot reach major decisions.
The End
0305
China and US 'agree
North Korea nuclear test measures'
March 5, 2013
The US and China have reached a tentative deal on a new sanctions
resolution to punish North Korea for its nuclear test, UN diplomats say.
Unnamed diplomats said a deal was agreed late on Monday and they
hoped a draft resolution would be put to the Security Council on Tuesday.
The details of what has been agreed have not been announced.
North Korea carried out its third and most powerful nuclear test
in February, sparking worldwide condemnation.
It was the first such test under new leader Kim Jong-un, who took over
the leadership after his father Kim Jong-il died in December 2011.
Pyongyang said the nuclear test was a "self-defensive measure" made
necessary by the "continued hostility" of the US.
Nuclear test monitors based in Vienna say the underground explosion
had double the force of the last test, in 2009, despite the use of a device
said by the North to be smaller.
North Korea claimed that a "miniaturised" device had been
tested, increasing fears that Pyongyang had moved closer to building
a warhead small enough to arm a missile.
The test came weeks after Pyongyang successfully used a rocket
to put a satellite into space, a move condemned by the UN
as a banned test of missile technology.
China is North Korea's only ally and its major trading partner. Beijing
has been reluctant to support tougher sanctions in the past, citing
the impact of potential instability inside its secretive neighbour state.
With the recent test, however, its stance appears to have changed somewhat.
A UN diplomat told AFP there had been "tough talks" between China
and the US on the issue and that a vote on the draft would happen
"soon", though it was unlikely to be at Tuesday's session.
Another diplomat told Reuters that whether a draft was circulated
on Tuesday was "up to the Americans".
The UN press office said Russia, which this month holds the presidency
at the Security Council, would hold closed-doors talks on Tuesday morning.
North Korea is already subject to a raft of sanctions affecting individuals
and government bodies, restricting financial activities and barring
any trade or test of ballistics and nuclear technology.
The End
0306
Japan urges China
to open up over Military Spending
from THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, March 06, 2013
The government has called for greater "transparency" by China
over its military amid word that Beijing's budgeted spending
on defense will rise by almost 11 percent this year.
On March 5, Japan's most senior government spokesman,
Yoshihide Suga, warned that continued high growth represents
a serious concern for other nations when they cannot see
what the cash is buying.
"Growth has been in double digits for three years running,"
Suga, who is chief Cabinet secretary, told a news conference in Tokyo.
"China must enhance the transparency of both its defense policy
and regarding its military forces."
Japan proposed the first rise in defense spending in 11 years
in its own budget for fiscal 2013, a draft now awaiting legislative approval.
The Abe administration decided to reverse a long-term trend of
year-on-year military spending cuts that reflected the nation's financial
difficulties.
Privately, some government officials speak of deepening alarm
at China's spending.
"The modernization of fighter jets, an aircraft carrier, destroyers and other
weaponry presents a threat to us," said one senior Defense Ministry official.
Another described Japan's own increased spending as logical, and
"a matter of course, because the spending by China, our neighbor,
is double that of Japan and keeps on growing."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keenly aware of the need to counter China.
In late November, ahead of the election victory that brought his Liberal
Democratic Party to power, Abe said Japan should deploy significant
amounts of resources to end the repeated intrusions by Chinese
government ships into Japanese territorial waters around the disputed
Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
"If I take power, I will boost spending on the Japan Coast Guard and
Defense Ministry," he said.
During a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in late February,
Abe said the proposed increase in Japan's defense budget represented
a commitment by Tokyo to strengthen its alliance with Washington.
"The security climate around Japan is becoming increasingly harsh,"
Abe told a post-summit news conference, apparently referring
to China's maritime adventurism.
"We will fulfill our responsibility in partnership with the United States,"
he said.
Observers say Japan is likely to continue increasing defense
spending in years ahead if the standoff with China over the Senkaku
Islands becomes a drawn-out affair.
The End
0307
You tube: Elvis Presley - My Way
My Way
Written by J.Revauix, C.Francois
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear
I'll state my case
Of whici I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I've travelled each and every highway
Oh,and more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets ! I've had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
Oh,and more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times
I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all
When there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no not me I did it my way
For what is a man
What has he got
If not himself
Then he has not to say the things
He truly feels
And not the words of one-who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
The End
0308
You tube: The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More
Yesterday Once More
Written by R.Carpenter, J.Bettis
When I was young I'd listen to the radio
Waitin' for my favourite songs
When they played I'd sing along
It made me smile
Those were such happy times and not so Long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well
Every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo-wo still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that
They're startin' to sing's so fine
When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
Lookin' back on how it was in years Gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed
It was songs of love that I would sing to Then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies still sound so good To me
As they melt the years away
Every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo-wo still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that
They're startin' to sing's so fine
All my best memories come back clearly To me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
Every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo-wo still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that
They're startin' to sing's so fine
The End
0309
You tube: Pattie Page - Mocking Bird Hill
Mocking Bird Hill
written by Vaughn Horton
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, it gives me a thrill
To wake up in the morning to the Mockin'bird's Hill
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, there's peace and goodwill
You're welcome as the flowers on Mockin'bird Hill
When the sun in the morning peeps over the hill
And kisses the roses 'round my windowsill
Then my heart fills with gladness when I hear the trill
Of those birds in the treetops on Mockin'bird Hill
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, it gives me a thrill
To wake up in the morning to the Mockin'bird's Hill
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, there's peace and goodwill
You're welcome as the flowers on Mockin'bird Hill
When its late in the evening I climb up the hill
And survey all my kirgdom while everythilg's still
Only me and the sky and an old whippoorwill
Singing songs in the twilight on Mockin'bird Hill
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, it gives me a thrill
To wake up in the morning to the Mockin'bird's Hill
Tra-la-la, tweedlee dee dee, there's peace and goodwill
You're welcome as the flowers on Mockin'bird Hill
The End
0310
Beijing urges Senkaku Nationalization Reversal
March 10, 2013
China demanded that Japan reverse its nationalization of the Senkakus
and address the sovereignty dispute through negotiations, urging Tokyo
to "make concrete efforts" to prevent fraught bilateral ties from spiralling
out of control on Saturday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the sharp deterioration
in Sino-Japanese relations was "single-handedly" caused by Japan's purchase
last September of three of the main Senkaku islets, and accused Tokyo of
"illegally" seizing and occupying what he termed Chinese territory.
The islet group in the East China Sea is administered by Japan
but has been claimed by China since the 1970s.
"The Chinese side believes that Japan needs to face up to reality,
take real steps to correct its mistakes and work with us to handle and
resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultations" Yang said
on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing,
"so as to prevent a further escalation of the situation and stop it getting
out of control."
Speaking at a news conference, Yang denounced Japan's Sept 11
purchase of the Senkaku islets of Uotsuri, Kitakojima and
Minamikojima from a Saitama businessman, which effectively
nationalized the entire chain, saying the move has "caused great damage
to China-Japan relations and undermined stability in the region."
Beijing has been pressing Tokyo to acknowledge that the sovereignty
of the Senkakus, known as Diaoyu in China, is in dispute, but Japan
continues to maintain that the uninhabited islet cluster is an integral
part of its territory and to deny the existence of the territorial row.
Yang is expected to be replaced as foreign minister by new Chinese
leader Xi Jinping at the end of the National People's Congress,
which runs through March 17. He will likely be appointed state
councilor in charge of foreign affairs.
The End
0311
Fukushima Nuclear-Plant in Bad Shape
March 11, 2013
Two years after the outbreak of the nuclear crisis following
the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s
Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is still in bad shape.
Although more than 3,000 people are engaged every day
in recovery work at the site, it is said decommissioning
the reactors will take decades.
Reporters from The Yomiuri Shimbun visited the crippled plant
Thursday, accompanied by TEPCO employees.
There were large holes in the wall of the No. 4 reactor building
caused by a hydrogen explosion that blew the roof off four days
after the quake.
Debris was scattered everywhere as workers prepared to take
spent nuclear fuel out of the reactor pools.
The pool on the fifth floor was enclosed by steel frames.
It was being inspected at the time of the quake and contained
1,535 nuclear fuel rods.
Considering the high risk of after-shocks, TEPCO places top priority
on work at the No. 4 reactor.
"The radiation dose is 320 microsieverts per hour!" a Tokyo Electric
Power Co. employee with a dosimeter shouted Thursday
as we arrived on the fifth, and top, floor of the No. 4 reactor building
during our visit to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The building's roof was blown off in a hydrogen explosion March 15, 2011,
four days after the Great East Japan Earthquake. We were standing on what
was called the operating floor, which used to be an area where workers
took nuclear fuel rods in and out. It was still exposed to the elements
on the day we visited.
The measured radiation dose was very high. If someone stayed there
a little more than three hours, they would be exposed to the maximum
acceptable amount for a year.
"That's the reason for the high dose," a TEPCO employee said, pointing
to the No. 3 reactor building about 140 meters north of our position.
There was also a hydrogen explosion at the No. 3 building, and its steel
frames were still exposed.
People are allowed to enter the No. 4 reactor building because its reactor
core did not melt down. But the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 reactors did suffer
meltdowns and are still releasing massive amounts of radiation.
Therefore work on the No. 3 reactor is conducted by remote-operated cranes.
When we passed the No. 3 reactor turbine building by bus, the radiation
readings jumped to 1,250 microsieverts per hour, and our driver stepped
down hard on the accelerator.
At the No. 4 reactor, workers are currently removing debris and erecting
a steel scaffold to remove spent nuclear fuel from a pool. To block radiation
from the No. 3 reactor, the north side of the fifth floor is covered in iron
sheets two centimeters thick.
On the second floor, concrete one to six meters thick was poured around
pillars supporting the bottom of the spent nuclear fuel pool.
The End
0312
Yellow Sand, Chinese Pollutants wreak Havoc
March 12, 2013
Yellow sand from China reduced visibility in many parts of the nation Saturday
and will continue to drift over the archipelago through Sunday afternoon,
the Meteorological Agency said.
Visibility was reduced to 5 km in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, and in the city
of Saga in the morning, and to 6 km in Nagasaki. The cities of Fukuoka,
Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya saw visibility drop to 8 km.
When visibility dips to less than 5 km, it begins to hinder transportation systems.
Meanwhile, Fukuoka warned Saturday that the average amount of PM2.5
particulate matter was likely to exceed environmental safety limits
for a second consecutive day. The average amount of PM2.5, which
measures less than 2.5 microns in diameter, was projected to reach 39.3
micrograms per cubic meter in the city. The government’s maximum limit
is 35 micrograms.
This is the fourth time the daily amount of PM2.5 has been projected
to exceed the standard since Feb. 15, when local governments began issuing
daily projections.
Fukuoka urged those with respiratory diseases to don masks and advised
residents not to hang laundry outside.
The Yamaguchi Prefectural Government issued a similar warning Saturday
after observing 89 micrograms of PM2.5 at an observatory in one hour
before 10 a.m.
The End
0313
China inflation rate hits 10-month high in February
March 13, 2013
China's inflation rate hit a 10-month high in February, as Lunar New Year
festivities drove up food prices.
Consumer prices rose 3.2% from a year earlier, with food prices up by 6%.
Inflation has been a hot political issue in China. There have been concerns
that if consumer prices rise too much, it may prompt Beijing to tighten
monetary policies, which in turn may hurt China's growth.
However, analysts said the latest data was unlikely to prompt any such moves.
They argued that the price growth was driven mainly by the Lunar New Year
celebrations, which are traditionally associated with an increase in consumer
spending.
"We expect limited market and policy impact as investors and officials understand
the Lunar New Year distortions quite well," Bank of America Merrill Lynch
analysts said in a note after the data was released over the weekend.
"Though policymakers should be wary of inflation later this year with economic
growth recovery, it's too early to call for significant monetary tightening at present,"
they said.
'Big inflationary pressures'
After years of experiencing a blistering pace of growth, China has seen
its economic expansion slow in recent times.
In 2012, the country grew at a pace of 7.8%, its weakest performance in 13 years.
Prompted by slowing growth, China has taken various steps over the past months
to spur a fresh wave of economic growth.
It cut interest rates twice last year, to bring down the cost of borrowing
for consumers and businesses. It also lowered the amount of money that
banks need to keep in reserves in an attempt to boost lending in the country.
On the investment front, Beijing approved infrastructure projects worth
more than $150bn (￡94bn).
Some analysts said that if China continues to pursue easy monetary policies,
consumer prices may rise further in the latter half of the year.
"If monetary policy remains at the current loose stance, consumer price index
in 2013 will likely be much higher than the 3.5% target set in the National
People's Congress," said Zhang Zhiwei, an economist with Nomura.
China set a target of 3.5% inflation rate for the current year at the National
People's Congress, its annual parliamentary session, last week.
However, in his final appearance at the congress, outgoing Premier
Wen Jiabao warned that keeping prices in check will remain a key challenge
for the policymakers.
"There are relatively big inflationary pressures this year, mainly
because there are pressures on China's land, labour, agricultural products
and services," he said.
"And major countries are stepping up loose monetary policy,
so we can't overlook imported inflationary pressures."
The End
0314
China pulls nearly 6,000 dead pigs
from Shanghai river
March 14 ,2013
Officials say the number of pig carcasses found in Shanghai's Huangpu
River has risen to nearly 6,000.
In a statement, Shanghai authorities said that 5,916 dead pigs had been
removed from the river by Tuesday.
But they said water from the river was safe, with water quality meeting
government-set standards.
It is believed that the pigs may have come from Jiaxing in the neighbouring
Zhejiang province, although the cause of their deaths is still not clear.
In a statement, the Shanghai municipal government said that the water
in Huangpu River, which is a major source of drinking water for Shanghai,
was safe. It also said that no diseased pork had been detected in markets.
However, the news has been met with scepticism by some users
on weibo, China's Twitter equivalent, where the hashtag "Huangpu River
dead pigs" has emerged.
"Cadres and officials, we are willing to provide for you, but please
don't let us die from poisoning. Otherwise who will serve you ?
Please think twice," said netizen Shi Liqin.
"This river's colour is about the same as excrement, even if there weren't
dead pigs you couldn't drink it," said another, with the username Yuzhou Duelist.
The general mood is of concern, rather than outrage or panic, reports
the BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai, as the Chinese public are well used
to food scandals, such as the use of oil scraped from sewers for cooking,
and plasticiser found in baby formula.
'Timely data'
The government statement said that the number of pigs being salvaged
from the river appeared to be decreasing.
Laboratory tests have identified that some of the pigs had porcine circovirus,
a common disease that affects pigs but does not affect humans.
Reports suggest the dead pigs may have been dumped from pig farms
in Jiaxing, upstream of Shanghai.
"We don't exclude the possibility that the dead pigs found in Shanghai
were from Jiaxing. But we are not absolutely sure," Jiaxing local
government spokesman Wang Dengfeng told a news conference.
Whilst tags on the pigs' ears indicated that they were from Jiaxing,
this only showed the pigs' place of birth.
"It is unclear where the dead pigs were raised," he said
Jiaxing officials have also said that the pigs may have been killed
by cold weather.
In an opinion piece, the state-run Global Times said that the pig
scandal comes amid growing concerns about China's environment,
including recent record smog levels in Beijing, and water and
air pollution affecting villages.
"The country's citizens, including both ordinary people and officials,
should bear in mind the necessity of protecting the environment," it said.
It called on officials to publish "timely data regarding the quality of
drinking water to reassure the public".
The End
0315
North Korea says US 'behind hack attack'
March 15, 2013
North Korea has accused the US and its allies of attacks on its internet
servers, amid tension on the peninsula.
KCNA news agency said the "intensive and persistent" attacks
coincided with US-South Korea military drills.
Official sites such as KCNA, Air Koryo and Rodong Sinmun,
the party newspaper, are reported to have been inaccessible
on some occasions in recent days.
Tension has escalated in the wake of North Korea's third nuclear test
last month.
The test led to fresh UN sanctions being imposed on Pyongyang,
which has responded with strong rhetoric - both to the UN move
and the annual joint drills, which it bitterly opposes.
It says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice and ended
non-aggression pacts with Seoul. It has also cut off a hotline
that connects the two countries.
The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 conflict
ended in an armistice, not a treaty. South Korea says North Korea
cannot unilaterally dissolve the armistice and has called on Pyongyang
to tone down its language.
North Korea called the cyber attack a "cowardly and despicable act".
"It is nobody's secret that the US and South Korean puppet regime
are massively bolstering up cyber forces in a bid to intensify
the subversive activities and sabotages against the DPRK [North Korea],"
KCNA said.
Accusations of cyber attacks on the peninsula usually flow
in the opposite direction, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.
South Korean intelligence sources say North Korea routinely attempts
to access the network here, and Pyongyang is believed to have broken
into Defence Ministry data at least once in the past few years,
our correspondent adds.
The cause of the disruption remains unclear.
Current internet access in North Korea is extremely limited for locals,
with most people only having access to a small number of state-run pages.
The wider internet is available only to the government and the military.
The End
0316
You tube:John Denver -Take Me Home Country Roads
Take Me Home Country Roads
by B.Danoff, T.Nivert, J.Denber
Almost heaven, West Virginia,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains,
Growin' like a breeze.
Country roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain mom-ma,
Take me home, country roads.
All my mem'ries, gather 'round her,
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky,
Misty taste of moonshine,
Teardrop in my eye.
Country roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain mom-ma,
Take me home, country roads.
I hear her voice, in the mornin' hours
She calls me,
The radio reminds me of my home far away.
And driving down the road,
I get a feeling
That I should have been home
Yesterday,
Yesterday.
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain mom-ma,
Take me home, country roads.
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain mom-ma,
Take me home, country roads.
Take me home, country roads.
Take me home, country roads.
The End
0317
You tube:Mary Hopkin－Those were the Days
Those were the Days
Written by G.Raskin
Once upon a time
There was a tavern
Where we used to raise
A glass or two
Remember how we laughed
Away the hours
Think of all the great
Things we would do
Those were the days
My friend
We thought
They'd never end
We'd sing and dance
Forever and aday
We'd live the life
We choose
We'd fight
And never lose
For we were young and
Sure to have our way
La la la, lai lai lai
La la la, lai lai lai
La la Ia la, la la...
Then the busy years
Went rushing by us
We lost our starry
Notions on our way
If, by chance
I'd see you
In the tavern
We'd smile at one
Another and we'd say
Those were the days
My friend
We'd thought
They'd never end
We'd sing and dance
Forever and a day
We'd live the life
We choose
We'd fight
And never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes
Those were the days
La la la, lai lai lai
La la la, lai lai lai
La la la la, Ia la...
Just tonight, I stood
Before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way
It used to be
In the glass I saw
A strange reflection
Was that lonely woman
Really me
Those were the days
My friend
We'd thought
They'd never end
We'd sing and dance
Forever and a day
We'd live the life
We choose
We'd fight
And never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes
Those were the days
La la la, lai lai lai
La la la, lai lai lai
La la la Ia, la Ia...
La la la, lai lai lai
La la Ia, lai lai Iai
La la Ia Ia, Ia Ia...
Through the door
There came
Familiar laughter
I saw your face and
Heard you call my name
Oh, my friend, we're
Older but no wiser
For in our hearts
The dreams are
Still the same
Those were the days
My friend
We'd thought
They'd never end
We'd sing and dance
Forever and a day
We'd live the life
We choose
We'd fight
And never lose
Those were the days
Oh, yes
Those were the days
La la Ia, lai lai lai
La la Ia, Iai lai lai
La Ia Ia la, Ia la...
La Ia Ia, lai lai lai
La Ia la, Iai Iai lai
La Ia la la, la la...
The End
0318
You tube: I could have danced all night
I Could Have Danced All Night
I could have danced all night !
I could have danced all night!
And still have begged for more.
I could have spread my wings
And done a thousand things
I've never done before.
I'll never know What made it so exciting;
Why all at once My heart took flight.
I only know when he
Began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced all night!
I could have danced all night!
I could have danced all night!
And still have begged for more.
I could have spread my wings
And done a thousand things
I've never done before.
I'll never know What made it so exciting.
Why all at once my heart took flight.
I only know when he
Began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced all night!
The End
0319
Medical treatment burden should be shared equitably
by Tadao Kakizoe
from The Yomiuri Shimbun March 19,2013
------------------------------------------------
Kakizoe is the president of the Japan Cancer Society and
a past president of the National Cancer Center.
------------------------------------------------
In 1947, two years after the end of World WarⅡ, the average life expectancy
for a Japanese born that year was 50 years for males and 54 for females.
In 2011, the comparable figures were 80 years for men and 86 for women.
This means that over a span of about 60 years, people are living 30 years longer.
What can and should be done for Japanese to live healthy and prosperous lives
during the latter half of such a long lifetime ?
Today, 23 percent of the Japanese population is 65 years old or over.
The percentage of elderly is projected to rise to 40 percent in the year 2060.
Inevitably, this will incur a cumulative surge in social security expenditures,
such as pensions, medical care costs and welfare benefits.
If an equitable balance between the burden and benefits cannot be worked out,
the country's working population will simply become incapable of continuing
to support the elderly.
Indeed, Japan is fast moving toward a demographic era in which almost two
workers will have to support the social security needs of one senior citizen.
In other words, the country's universal health insurance system - which we
boast of as one of the world's best - will be in danger of eventually imploding.
I wonder if there is any positive solution to this daunting situation.
According to "Ageing in the Twenty-First Century :
A Celebration and a Challenge,"
a report issued in October 2012 by the U.N. Population Fund,
Japan is the only country in which 30 percent of the population is
over 60 years old. However, it goes on to say that by 2050,
64 countries are expected to join Japan in this respect.
As Japan is leading the world in aging population,
the rest of the world will be taking a close look at
how Japan copes with this unprecedented demographic sphere.
Educate youth on aging
Though this might be a detour, the first thing our society should do is
teach middle and high school students to contemplate their futures
by taking into account that their average life expectancy is 80 years or so.
In encouraging them to pursue healthy lifestyles,
they should be correctly taught the importance of a proper diet and
physical exercise, the health hazards of cigarette smoking and
even the necessity of mentally preparing themselves for death
as this happens to everyone.
This approach would be effective in preventing metabolic diseases,
such as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipemia - excess fat or lipids
in the blood.
Furthermore, it would help keep metabolic disorders from causing
a host of related diseases, including myocardial infarction ;
hypertension-caused hemiplegia, paralysis on one side of the body;
renal failure; and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
a progressive respiratory ailment.
Aging people can stay healthy if they remain free from these diseases.
If they can avoid the so-called locomotive syndrome, a condition
in which disabilities hamper movement,
aging people will not suffer from a weakening of bones, joints, muscles,
ligaments and peripheral nerves.
This will allow them to continue to live healthy, active lives, and
they will be able to care for themselves by preparing their own food,
taking baths, doing household chores, shopping and
engaging in social activities.
The progressive decline in muscle strength makes people prone
to bone fractures, particularly when they go up or down stairs.
People suffering from dementia generally degenerate
when they are hospitalized.
Many inpatients in Japan have to undergo a surgical procedure
in which gastronomy tubes are inserted through an opening
in the stomach to ensure food and water do not enter
the respiratory tracts.
After a couple of months of this treatment,
they look like a completely different person.
Keep health insurance regimes
Of course, it is unrealistic to expect that young people who have received
instruction in the aging process to achieve positive results anytime soon.
One practical solution after another should be employed to deal with
the super-aging society. We should bear in mind the reality that
the demographic shrinkage in this country will continue unabated
with its low birthrate and aging population.
However, solutions should be worked out in line with the main goal
of maintaining the country's health insurance system - one of
the world's best and sustaining the nursing care insurance program.
Japan introduced the consumption tax in 1989.
Then, the nursing care insurance program debuted in 2000.
In the first year, 1.49 million people received long-term care
at designated facilities or at home.
In 2025, the number of beneficiaries is projected to rise to 5 million
a year with people in need of both physical care and dementia care
likely to rise sharply.
In 2008, the government introduced the so-called latter-stage elderly
health care system, covering seniors aged 75 years or over,
who had to continue bearing 10 percent, in principle, of the costs of
medical services provided by the health insurance system.
At the time, the government was fearful of an adverse reaction
among voters aged 70 to 74 so it retained the 10 percent level
for this age group, instead of applying a 20 percent burden on patients
set by the Health Insurance Law in fiscal 2008.
As this obliges the state to bear an extra annual budgetary burden of
￥200 billion, I think people who are 70 to 74 years old - including
myself - should pay 20 percent for medical treatment as stipulated by law.
I think those who remain healthy enough to keep working after
the mandatory retirement age deserve a round of applause for making
a great contribution to society, rather than be regarded as merely
slowing a decline in the workforce.
Not only are they living with dignity but also derive their income
from sources other than pension benefits, which by extension increases
consumption as they can enjoy better food and fashion, and benefit
from travel plans tailored to the elderly.
The participation of women in the labor force should be increased
by all means possible. To that end, we need to improve day nursery
services, increase the range of jobs available for full-time and
part-time female workers and improve the working environment
for women.
Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary
Fund, touched on the role of women in this country during a visit
to Tokyo in October. "Women could actually save Japan," she said.
Medical expenses snowballing
The country's overall health care expenditures totaled \37.42 trillion
as of fiscal 2010, and since then, they have been snowballing by
about \1trillion annually.
It is true the aging of the population is partially responsible,
but advances in technology have had a more serious effect.
In the field of cancer treatment, for instance,
patients now receive what amounts to a combination of basic
medical practices covered by public health insurance and treatment
that is not covered.
The latter case the entire cost of which is borne by patients -
includes such advanced yet expensive medical care solutions
as molecular target drugs and heavy-ion radiotherapy.
Such medication is provided under the country's advanced
medical care system.
Britain, for its part, does not authorize the use of expensive
medical procedures merely to prolong the lives of patients
for a month or two irrespective of the publication of an article
that, for example, refers to the statistical significance regarding
the effectiveness of a new molecular target drug for prolonging life.
Japan's health insurance system will collapse if it has to cover
all new medical breakthroughs.
In my view, it is inevitable for the country to expand and flexibly
apply advanced medical care to keep the existing compulsory health
insurance system in place on one hand while satisfying those who
wish to undergo new types of medication.
Meanwhile, we should introduce as early as possible a nationwide
patient identification number system to make medical records of
patients kept independently at each hospital available
for integrated digital data management.
This information technology-based solution will help eliminate
medical care duplication and wasteful treatment.
Early cancer detection
Medical expenses for treating cancer detected at an early stage are
markedly different from the cost of treating advanced cancer.
In this connection, it is advisable to consider offering an incentive
- say a 10 percent reduction in medical fees to cancer patients
in the event of early cancer detection - as a way of increasing
the number of people receiving municipally administered
examinations for early cancer detection and saving money.
Having said this, I want to take the state to task for its myopic health
insurance management in which it refuses to have medical
examinations for early cancer detection and preventive care
for cancer covered by health insurance.
As for examinations for early cancer detection, a health promotion
project undertaken by municipal governments, I propose certain age
eligibility limits.
In the United States, people aged 85 or over and those aged 65 or over
are not eligible for colorectal cancer and cervical cancer examinations,
respectively.
In Japan, I think senior citizens who want to receive cancer examinations
should be able to do so, but only at their own expense.
Death with dignity
A suprapartisan group of Diet members is about to submit a bill aimed
at enacting a Death with Dignity Law.
It envisages granting doctors immunity from prosecution if terminally ill
patients die after expressing in wills that they do not want artificial
respirators or artificial feeding equipment prolong their lives.
I support the bill, as I have witnessed a number of distressed people
dying after being overburdened with medication, some receiving
chemotherapy until the final stage of their lives and comatose patients
being artificially fed via gastrostomy tubes.
It is essential for everyone to recognize we are in an era in which
we are obliged to think of our eventual deaths.
This issue is deeply relevant to in-home therapy and death at home.
I highly appreciate the decision to raise the consumption tax rate.
However, it is obvious the ballooning social security expenditures
cannot be financed by consumption tax revenues alone.
Some people point out that the dire financial situation surrounding
our social security regime is unlikely to be rectified without including
a hike in inheritance and income taxes for the wealthy. Our society
has no choice but to request that everyone in this country
assume a due share of the burden to overcome the crisis.
The End
0320
Cyprus holds crisis talks after bailout rejection
March 20, 2013
Political leaders in Cyprus are meeting for emergency talks after its
parliament overwhelmingly rejected an international bailout deal.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is meeting party leaders
to hammer out a Plan B after a one-off tax on savings failed
to get the support of any MPs.
Germany says banks in Cyprus may never reopen if a bailout is not agreed.
Cyprus' finance minister is in Moscow to seek help from Russia,
which holds multi-billion dollar investments.
Michalis Sarris said after talks with Russian Finance Minister
Anton Siluanov:
"There were no offers, nothing concrete," but he added,
"we're happy with a good beginning."
President Anastasiades is holding the emergency meeting of party leaders
and the central bank governor in Nicosia to "examine alternative plans
to address the situation that may arise following... the parliamentary vote",
his office said.
Mr Anastasiades, who was elected to the presidency on 24 February,
will also hold a cabinet meeting and talks with the European Union,
European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Bank mergers, a bond issue, and more Russian funding are possible options.
Banks in Cyprus have been shut until at least Thursday to prevent mass
withdrawals. The stock exchange remains closed.
The BBC's Mark Lowen, in Nicosia, says Cyprus is a resilient nation
and the banks are still giving out cash through machines -
although with some limits.
Politicians in Cyprus, eurozone leaders and the IMF want to hammer out
a credible Plan B, he says, but until they have, the banks may well remain closed.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she regretted
but respected the Cypriot vote.
She said the eurozone had a duty to find a solution for Cyprus,
but added that the country's current banking system was "not sustainable".
A European Commission spokesman told AFP it was now up to Cyprus
to "offer an alternative scenario... which guarantees debt sustainability".
'Honest discussion'
The controversial levy had been proposed as the condition
for the 10bn-euro($13bn) EU and IMF bailout.
Cyprus was expected to raise 5.8bn euros through the one-off tax
on bank savings.
The plan was altered on Tuesday to exempt savers with less than
20,000 euros, but a 6.75% charge on deposits of 20,000-100,000 euros
and a 9.9% charge for those above 100,000 euros remained.
However, parliament rejected the deal, with 36 MPs voting against it,
19 abstaining and none in favour.
Protesters outside parliament reacted with joy at the decision.
Mr Anastasiades said he "fully respected" the vote.
He said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin,
as Cyprus sought alternative financing.
Mr Sarris met Mr Siluanov to discuss the easing of the terms
on a 2.5bn euro loan Moscow gave Cyprus in 2011 -
and the possibility of further funding - but no deal was reached
on Wednesday.
"We had a very honest discussion, we've underscored how difficult
the situation is," Mr Sarris said.
He later met First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov
but sources said that, again, no agreement had been reached.
Cyprus has attracted money through its lower taxes,
with Russians holding between a third and half of all Cypriot deposits.
Russian private and corporate deposits are believed to total about $30bn.
Mr Putin had called the bailout deal "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous".
Analysts say Russia may provide more funding in return
for interests in Cyprus' offshore energy fields.
One offer of help has come from Cyprus's Orthodox Church,
which is a major shareholder in the third-largest domestic lender,
the Hellenic Bank.
Archbishop Chrysostomos I said on Wednesday the Church was willing
to mortgage its assets to invest in government bonds.
Cyprus' banks were left exposed following the debt crisis in Greece
and there are fears Cyprus could go bankrupt if they fail.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned Cyprus
that its banks might never be able to reopen if it rejected the bailout.
Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday evening
that a plane carrying 1m euros had arrived in Cyprus
as a contingency measure to provide military personnel and
their families with emergency loans.
The money is to be used for British personnel and their families
if cash machines and debit cards stop working.
The UK has more than 3,000 troops stationed on the island,
with two main bases - at Dhekelia and Akrotiri.
The UK also has tens of thousands of expats living on the island.
One, Gary Winwood, told the BBC the situation was "dire" and
there was great anxiety about the possibility of a collapse of the banks.
"Most of our money is kept in deposits in a savings account
so I cannot make withdrawals. The cash machines are supposed
to be restocked but are often found empty. We've got enough money
to last us until the end of the week," he said.
Russian expat, Natalia Kuleshina, who withdrew all her cash
before the banks closed, said people were now afraid about
whether salaries would be paid.
Are you in Cyprus ? What do you think of the parliament's decision ?
Have you been affected by the closure of banks ?
Send us your comments and experiences.
The End
0321
Islands are root of tension
March 21,2013
The Senkaku（Diaoyu）Islands are the root of tension in Sino-Japanese ties,
former State councilor Tang Jiaxuan told visiting business leaders from Japan
on Thursday.
The delegation is the first of leading Japanese business figures
to visit China since the new leadership was unveiled in Beijing last week.
The group is led by Fujio Cho, chairman of the Japan-China Economic
Association, and includes Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Japan
Business Association.
Tang began his talk by telling the guests he was delighted at their arrival,
particularly at a time when China-Japan ties are so strained.
"The two countries are neighbors of great significance to each other,
and the Chinese have not changed their commitment
to the development of China-Japan relations," said Tang,
a veteran diplomat who now chairs the China-Japan Friendship Association.
Sino-Japanese ties were damaged
after the Japanese government illegally "purchased"
parts of China's Diaoyu Islands in September,
a major provocation that prompted huge protests in China.
As for Japan, "the only way out" of the situation lies in Japan's efforts
to "face up to history and reality", Tang said.
An effective way should be found to properly manage and
solve the problems through dialogue and negotiation, Tang added.
LyuYaodong, director of the department of Japanese diplomacy
at the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, said the visit proved that "communication
between the countries in the economic sphere is normal".
"Whether ties can get back on track depends on
the Japanese government's sincerity,
which needs to be tested," Lyu said.
The Japanese guests told Tang
that a healthy, stable development of ties
"matters to the prosperity and stability of Asia and the world".
Gao Hong, Party chief of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the CASS,
said Beijing's reception of the visiting Japanese business delegation
also "sent a positive signal" to everyone in Japan,
especially to entrepreneurs.
"But it is not that easy
to restore China-Japan relations overnight," Gao said.
The End
0322
Govt. applies for reclamation to move US base
March 22, 2013
Japanese government has asked Okinawa Prefecture to approve the reclamation
of land for the controversial relocation of a US base within the prefecture.
The Defense Ministry's bureau in Okinawa on Friday submitted to the prefecture
papers outlining the reclamation project aimed at building an alternative facility
for the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station.
A 2006 Japan-US agreement calls for the air station to be moved
from a densely-populated area in Ginowan City to a coastal area in Nago City.
But the relocation has been stalled due to opposition from local residents and
government leaders.
Also on Friday, a senior Foreign Ministry official said the Nago fishery
cooperative handed the government a letter of consent for the reclamation
after the 2 sides concluded talks on compensation.
Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima has been insisting that the air station
be moved outside the prefecture. All local mayors side with him.
After a series of on-site inspections and hearings, Nakaima will decide
in 6 to 8 months' time whether to approve the application.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said removing the risk posed by the air
station is an urgent task. He also said the ministry will make
every effort to gain the understanding of the people of Okinawa.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told US President Barack Obama last month
that his government will try to implement the relocation swiftly based
on the bilateral agreement.
The End
0323
Tokyo cherry blossoms in full bloom
March 23, 2013
Cherry blossoms exploded in their full glory in central Tokyo on March 22,
the day the Japan Meteorological Agency declared the flowers had reached
full bloom in the city.
It said peak bloom has appeared 12 days earlier than normal and
is the second earliest since comparable records began in 1953.
In eastern Japan, temperatures were on average 2.6 degrees higher
in early March than usual. In mid-March, they were 2.9 degrees higher
than normal.
The very first flowers opened in Tokyo on March 16, tying the earliest date
on record.
Also March 22, a cherry blossom festival got under way at the Chidorigafuchi
moat around the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo, one of the capital's
most popular cherry-viewing spots, a week earlier than scheduled.
The festival runs through April 7. Nocturnal illuminations will light up
the blossom cascades until 10 p.m., and boats will be available until 8 p.m.,
longer than usual.
The End
0324
10 Transportation Cards Mutually Usable
across Japan
Japan's 10 different prepaid smart cards for public
transportation became mutually acceptable in their service areas on March 23,
allowing passengers to use their existing cards for greater numbers of trains
and buses across the country.
People who have contactless integrated circuit cards, such as Suica provided
by East Japan Railway Co. and Pasmo by major Tokyo metropolitan area
private train operators, can now use their cards with 52 train operators and
96 bus operators from Hokkaido in northernmost Japan to the Kyushu southern
Japan region.
The number of cards available for mutual use stood at about 81.98 million
as of Feb. 28.
As mutual use became available, train stations and other spots where such
cards can be used put up a new logo illustrating a train's pantograph and
wheels on the word "IC" to let customers know about the improved service.
However, passengers traveling across different service areas--for instance,
from Nagoya Station in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, to Tokyo Station--
cannot use their cards to pay for cross-regional train fares.
The End
0325
Chinese warship fires at Vietnamese fishing boat
March 25, 2013
Vietnam has accused a Chinese warship of firing on a Vietnamese
fishing boat this month in the South China Sea.
Vietnam's state-run newspaper said on Tuesday that the Chinese warship
approached the fishing boat with 9 Vietnamese on board near the disputed
Paracel Islands last Wednesday.
The Chinese warship reportedly came as close as 20 meters
to the fishing boat and fired 5 shots, causing a fire. But no one was injured.
Chinese media have cited Vietnamese reports that a Chinese warship pursued
the fishing boat for nearly 30 minutes before firing warning shots that
set the boat ablaze.
A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued a statement
describing the encounter as a very serious incident that endangered
the fishermen's lives and violated Vietnam's sovereignty.
He urged China to investigate the act and compensate the fishermen
for their loss.
Vietnam lodged a protest through the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi
on Monday.
Tension has been mounting between the 2 countries as China
continues to boost its presence in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei responded
to Vietnam's protest on Tuesday, saying China has undisputed sovereignty
over the islands. Hong defended the warship's action against the fishing
boat, which he said had been operating illegally.
The spokesperson said the ministry confirmed that the fishing boat incurred
no damage, and urged Vietnam to tighten control over its fishermen
to stop illegal activity.
The End
326-1
North Korea goes 'into combat posture No 1',
says state TV
March 26,2013
North Korea says it has ordered artillery and rocket units
into "combat posture"
to prepare to target US bases in Hawaii, Guam and the US mainland.
The announcement, carried by KCNA news agency,
follows days of strong rhetoric from Pyongyang.
The Pentagon condemned the threats, saying the US was ready
to respond to "any contingency".
South Korea on Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the sinking
of the Cheonan ship, in which 46 sailors died.
It said there was no unusual activity in the North Korea.
Tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula in the wake of North Korea's
third nuclear test on 12 February. The test led to new UN sanctions
which Pyongyang strongly opposes.
Joint US-South Korea annual military drills have further angered
the communist nation. In recent weeks its habitually fiery rhetoric has escalated
- it has threatened the US with "pre-emptive nuclear attacks",
as well as strikes on US military bases in Japan.
"From this moment, the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army
will be putting in combat duty posture No 1 all field artillery units
including long-range artillery units and strategic rocket units
that will target all enemy objects in US invasionary bases
on its mainland, Hawaii and Guam," the KCNA statement said.
North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland
with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile,
but it is capable of targeting US military bases
in the region with its mid-range missiles.
North Korea's announcement comes as the country carries out large-scale
military exercises, reports the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul, and it is
not clear whether the order applies to the army as a whole
or just to specific units.
'Exercise restraint'
In response, the US said that it was concerned by any North Korean threats.
"We take everything they say and everything they do very seriously,"
Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
"They need to stop threatening peace - that doesn't help anyone."
In a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said
that he hoped that "relevant parties exercise restraint so as to ease the tension".
The statement came hours after South Korean President Park Geun-hye
called on North Korea to "change course" by abandoning nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the national cemetery in Daejeon where the sailors who died
when the warship sank are buried, Ms Park said North Korea continued
to threaten the South's national security.
"For the North, the only path to survival lies in stopping provocations and
threats, abandoning its nuclear weaponry and missiles, and
becoming a responsible member of the international community," she said.
The Cheonan warship sank in 2010 near the disputed inter-Korean western
maritime border. South Korea says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship
but Pyongyang denies any involvement.
Months later, North Korea shelled a border island, Yeonpyeong,
in the same area, killing four South Koreans, including two civilians.
It said it was responding to military exercises in the South.
Last week, South Korea and the US signed a new military plan
- conceived after the shelling - pledging joint action to counter limited
attacks from North Korea.
Networks hit
Meanwhile, websites of associations for North Korean defectors said
that their networks crashed earlier on Tuesday. They said that they were
victims of a cyber-attack.
Officials said that South Korean broadcaster YTN's network and
a computer network used by seven local governments were also briefly
paralysed, Yonhap news agency reported.
Daily NK, a news site focused on North Korea, said in a post
on its Facebook page that it had "experienced a cyber-attack
at 13:40" local time (04:40 GMT) on Tuesday.
Free North Korea Radio, an radio broadcaster, also said
that its website "was completely destroyed" after an attack around noon,
Yonhap reported.
The presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said in a statement that
the government was "closely working to confirm if the paralysis cases
were caused by technical problems or hacking attacks".
A cyber-attack on six South Korean banks and broadcasters last week
disrupted 32,000 computers and some banking services.
The origin of the attack is not yet known, although there has been
speculation that North Korea could have been to blame.
North Korea has been blamed for previous cyber-attacks on the South
in 2009 and 2011.
The End
0326-2
Religious Group Wins
Chongryon Head Office Bidding
March 26, 2013
A Japanese religious corporation won bidding Tuesday for the head office
here of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
or Chongryon, which was up for sale in a compulsory auction.
The Saifukuji corporation, which runs the Buddhist temple of the same name
in the southern Japan city of Kagoshima, offered to buy the land and
the building of the Chongryon office in Chiyoda Ward in central Tokyo
for 4,519 million yen, compared with the minimum bid price of 2.13 billion yen.
Saifukuji outbid three rivals in the auction, which was held at Tokyo District
Court based on a request of Resolution and Collection Corp., a government-backed
loan collector that holds financial claims against Chongryon.
The ownership of the Chongryon office, which has been used like a North Korean
embassy, will be transferred to Saifukuji if the religious corporation is officially
approved as the buyer.
Saifukuji chief abbot Ekan Ikeguchi has visited North Korea for several times,
according to Saifukuji's Web site. During his visit to the nation in April 2010
as head of a bilateral friendship and cultural exchange team, he met with Japanese
there who in 1970 hijacked Japan Airlines' <9201> "Yodo" jet.
The End
0327
You tube:Paul McCartney－Hey Jude
Hey Jude
Written by John Lennon
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel the pain,
Hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah
Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
So let it out and let it in,
Hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform
With
And don't you know that it's just you,
Hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah yeah
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you'll begin to make it
Ah
Better better better better better better, oh
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah,
Hey Jude
(fade out)
The End
0329
North Korea warns
enemy targets have been locked on
March 29,2013
North Korean leaders have reiterated their words of warning
against the United States at a massive rally held in central Pyongyang.
The rally on Friday was attended by country's second-in-command,
Supreme People's Assembly President Kim Yong Nam, and military
and paramilitary personnel.
A statement released by the army's supreme command was read out
to announce that its missile units are at their highest level of
combat readiness.
They insist they have capability to target the US and South Korea.
Then a representative from military made a speech to condemn
the United States for the use of radar-evading stealth bombers
in joint military drills with South Korea.
The officer threatened that his military has means which the world
has yet to encounter or even can't think of and that data
on all enemy targets have been input into its high-precision means of attack.
The rally ended with a protest march with participants holding banners
and placards calling for a retaliatory blow.
North Korean leaders apparently aim to fuel anti-American sentiment
to boost national unity, ahead of a key meeting of the ruling party
and a parliamentary session planned to be convened soon.
The End
0331
Abe and Mongolian Chiefs
to cooperate on resource projects, North Korea
March 31,2013
After meeting with Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj and Prime
Minister Norov Altankhuyag in Ulan Bator, Abe told a news conference
the two sides will accelerate ongoing bilateral negotiations toward inking
a free-trade accord. The two sides agreed to hold a third round of trade
liberalization talks in the Mongolian capital from Tuesday.
“As Mongolia is rich in natural resources, Japan’s technological cooperation
will lead to a win-win scenario for both countries,” Abe, the first Japanese
prime minister to visit Mongolia in nearly seven years, said after the talks.
Abe also pushed the participation of Japanese companies in developing one
of the largest coal deposits in the world, at the Tavan Tolgoi site
in the Gobi Desert, during the talks. Japan hopes to secure cheaper supplies
of natural resources abroad while its nuclear power stations remains
stalled in view of the Fukushima disaster.
The suspension of atomic power plants will drive up utilities’fuel costs
for the operation of thermal power stations to a sky-high \3.2 trillion
in fiscal 2012, which ends Sunday, far in excess of levels seen
before the 2011 meltdowns crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
As well as its abundance of coal, Mongolia is also known for rich mineral
resources such as gold, copper and uranium, while rare metals and rare earths
deposits could also possibly be extracted.
Aside from economic issues, Tokyo also considers Mongolia an important
ally from a diplomatic and security perspective since it has diplomatic relations
with North Korea ? unlike Japan, which has no formal ties with
the communist country ? and borders China to the south and Russia to the north.
On North Korea, Abe said the two countries had agreed to deal with its recent
provocations to the international community in line with U.N. Security Council
resolutions. Given Ulan Bator’s ties with Pyongyang, Abe was especially
eager to secure its support in resolving the long-standing issue of the North's
abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and ’80s, government officials said.
Last November, Ulan Bator hosted the first talks between senior Japanese
and North Korean officials since 2008 on the abduction issue.
Meanwhile, Japan, the largest donor to Mongolia, also intends to provide
technical assistance to help the country cope with serious air pollution
in the capital and assist the building of new transport infrastructure
as a way of alleviating heavy traffic in and around it.
Japan was Mongolia’s fourth-largest trading partner last year,
when the fast-growing country’s economy jumped 17.3 percent
from a year earlier. China, Russia and the United States occupied
the top three positions.
The End
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