Sequels in Jan. 2013

JAN 28, 2013
Fearful terrorism in Algeria
http://shiinaworld.blogspot.jp/2013/01/fearful-terrorism-in-algeria.html

To be ironic, reputation of ruling Liberal Democratic Party was improved after this terrorism. Majority of people thought that Mr. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister dealt with the accident correctly. Actually, I am really sorry for many people being killed.


JAN 15, 2013
Good Old Games
http://shiinaworld.blogspot.jp/2013/01/good-old-games.html

Now I am trapped by Heroes of Might and Magic III. It is a turn-based strategy game based on the world of Might and Magic. I played it several years ago so enthusiastically, and now I am playing extra scenarios of it. What a fun!


JAN 14, 2013
Heavy snow
http://shiinaworld.blogspot.jp/2013/01/heavy-snow.html

Actually, it snowed again in 28th Jan 2013. When I leave home the world was in white! Some of my colleagues were late. I heard a bus was stacked to be unable to move. This winter is extraordinary at all.


JAN 12, 2013
Problem of physical punishment
http://shiinaworld.blogspot.jp/2013/01/recently-discussion-about-suicide-case.html

Mr. Toru Hashimoto, the Mayor of Osaka intervened in administration of the school in which a student committed suicide with suffering from chronic physical punishment. He ordered to stop the entrance examination of department of sports in the school to reform the system of education. Evaluation of his decision was various. I think that, what he has to do is not to reform the school concerned, but reveal the reason why physical punishment occurs so frequently at first. A lot of similar cases may exist, I guess.

Innovation

The word “innovation” we often hear in business context.
Also in Japan a lot of companies claim importance of innovation. Unfortunately, translated word into Japanese of innovation does not exist. So we call it “innovation” as it stands.

What is innovation? Several books explain it.
Mr. Nobuo Ikeda, a Japanese economist says that innovation is reframing of conventional value. He claims that innovation is not same as evolution of technology but it is absolute changing of social directivity.
“i-Phone” by Apple was not a high functional mobile phone, but an internet communicator with function of telephone. So Mr. Steve Jobs, past CEO of Apple said “We reinvented telephone,” not “improved telephone.” Moreover i-Phone is a platform of applications being sold by App Store. We can buy music via i-Phone, and store them in it. i-Phone is both an audio room and music catalog. Apple have reframed mobile phone.

Reframing is also a technique of psychotherapy. I mentioned it in a past entry. A problem hardly to be solved could be reframed. When you look at the problem in another point of view, it can be no more problem. This method is called brief therapy.

Unfortunately it is said that innovation hardly occur in Japan. I do not know whether it is true or not. Japanese legislation is so strict that innovator must take huge legal risk. There is atmosphere around Japanese society which seems to hate rapid change. Venture entrepreneurs and angelic investors are rare in Japan, partially due to huge government and administrative system of Japan, I guess.

In future more innovation will occur and speed of change will increase. We must apply for it. Continuous learning is needed.

The secondary first speech of Mr. Shinzo Abe

Mr. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan did his first major policy speech in Jan. 28th 2013. I read the whole content at a news site later.
My impression is that he kept very cautious.

Mr. Abe at first mentioned the terrorism in Algeria. He expressed sadness for the victims, and blamed terrorists. It is ordinary beginning of speech.

Next, he referred to his health status and past retirement of himself. Indeed he resigned the Prime Minister 6 years ago. So he was stigmatized as a loser by opposed politicians. Mr. Abe accepted the past failure and made an oath to administer Japan again. This part of his speech sounded sincere.

He said that he had ordered all of ministers to deal with economic recovery, recover from disaster, and crisis management with their best effort.

And he commented about economic crisis of Japan. He pointed out that deflation and strong Yen were obstacles for Japan to recover. He said he had dealt with this matter already. It is generally called “Abenomics”. This part is complicated and includes many points of view to be discussed.

Mr. Abe did not mentioned electric power policy nor consumption tax, which were seriously argued in last diet. I guess he did not want to talk about these discordant matters in his first speech. It is sorry about this.

At last he said that he hoped to make Japan as the best country all over the world. In this section he encouraged the people strongly.

Mr. Shinzo Abe is well known as an aggressive politician with conservative policy in Japan. He wants to reform the constitution and educational system in Japan. However he did not refer to these themes.
He had a bitter memory of past work. His past motto “Beautiful country Japan” was criticized as too abstract. Perhaps he suppresses his own opinion for a while to control ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan completely.

I do not support LDP. However I hope that Mr. Shinzo Abe will make success.

(*sequel)

Fearful terrorism in Algeria

I have to say something about terrorism in Algeria. But it is so painful that I hesitate to mention it.

Natural gas plant in In Aménas was attacked and many workers were captured. Finally national army carried out the mission to sweep the terrorists. More than twenty workers including 10 Japanese workers were sacrificed.

This tragedy has a lot of point of view.

Terrorism is one of terror in 21st century. Most people thought that the future would be bright when cold war ended. However, wars continue, getting more severe and asymmetric. Suicide attack in 9.11 brought extreme fear to Americans. We are not bystanders but victims in future.

In Japan terrorism is very rare. Some massacres occurred in 21st century such as Akihabara case and Fuzoku Ikeda elementary school case. But they are crimes by individual. Tokyo Sarin gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo is memorized as the worst terrorism in modern Japan. It is said that up to 30 persons are killed by Aum.

Wikipedia: Aum Shinrikyo: Wikipedia

Nonetheless Japan is far from war.

We are not concern about crime in daily life in Japan. Japan is the safest country in the world, I believe and proud. So, Algeria case is too much fearful for me.

The world is not safe. I tend to forget this fact. It is both dreadful and fortunate.

Gas plant is an essential matter for Japan. Japan has poor energy resource. Atomic power plants are not working since the Fukushima Daiichi Plant was crippled in 3.11 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Industry in Japan ultimately depends on import of natural gas. If resource companies retreat from foreign countries influenced by the case, Japan will starve for energy.

Attitude toward report in mass media about this are also problematic. I think that mass media in Japan has too much emphasis on Japanese victims. Indeed safety of compatriots is very important matter. But it is not all. Background of the case has to be revealed by cooperation of the government and civil reporters.

Pray for the victims. I truly wish for peace.


*sequel

Karaoke in Japan

Today, I enjoyed Karaoke.

Karaoke means a hobby to sing along music without vocal recorded in advance.
In Japan Karaoke culture was born in 1970s. And in 1980s “Karaoke Box”, that is specialized store which equip several rooms with Karaoke machines, were established.
Japan is narrow country. So noise with singing loudly was a big problem. I think soundproofing of Karaoke Box was preferred in Japan.

Singing is a fun. But in other country Karaoke is not so popular. In Europe, dancing may an alternative of Karaoke, I think. In Japan dancing culture is not spread so widely except partial cluster like “Disco” or “Club”.

Recently, Karaoke culture has changed in some points.
With spread of internet connection, variation of songs available in a Karaoke Box was increased massively. Laser disc were replaced by internet downloading from central server for the purpose of playing the background music.
Japanese animation culture also aided spread of Karaoke. Pasela group Karaoke Box store has the largest number of equip songs available. In Akihabara 3 stores of Pasela has opened in Akihabara, a city for geek. Many animation songs tend to occupy the hit chart of songs now.

http://www.pasela.co.jp/main.html
(Website of Pasela Group: in Japanese)

Now there are over 9,000 Karaoke Box store in Japan. But number of Stores is decreasing in last 2 decades. In 1996 there were nearly 15,000 Karaoke Boxes in Japan. I guess a reason of decreasing of Karaoke Box is diversification of hobby.

http://www.japan-karaoke.com/05hakusyo/p1.html
(Current situation of Karaoke Boxes by Karaoke Association in Japan: in Japanese)

Some services are available to play Karaoke at home. Actually, I used one of them in 1990s. But the quality of sound was far from satisfactory. In future, I guess many people will play Karaoke with social networking.

Sudden retirement of teachers for money

Recently, hundreds of teachers of official schools retired before the end of aniversary term in Saitama Prefecture. The reason of early retirement is decreasing of retirement money. Saitama prefecture decided the reduction of payment because of worsening of fiscal status. So teachers ran out before the actual adaptation of cutting of the fee.
The same events occurred also in some other prefectures in similar situation.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T130123004422.htm
(110 Saitama teachers seeking early exit: Daily Yomiuri Online)

Mr. Kiyoshi Ueda, the governor of Saitama prefecture, and Mr. Hakubun Shimomura, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, both blamed the teachers, as they were not responsible for education of students.

Actually, sudden retirement annoys other people in work. I have some tough experiences to take over others. I understand the anger of remained teachers.

However is it evil behavior to run away from severe circumstance?

If they had completed their work in whole term, the total salary they received would have been reduced by more than $1 million. In short, they would have to work for free in the last 2 month. It is obviously ridiculous.
Right from the beginning, system of retirement money is strange. In Japan a full-fledged employee usually receives reduced fee as salary, instead receives vast money at the time of their retirement. This system prevents employees from early retirement. Japanese company can grow the employees for a long time to utilize them as specialized persons. Japanese style management such as this had a great advantage.

However nowadays, market of business persons became mobilized. Few people tend to work at one company all his life. It is common to change one’s job for increased salary also in Japan.

I think that this news is symbolic as corruption of Japanese working style.
I sometimes hear news that many doctors suddenly quit a hospital.
Everybody must choose his work, not his company. Teachers, so called "sacred profession" are not exception.

Hell of Beppu (2)

(1) http://shiinaworld.blogspot.jp/2013/01/hell-of-beppu-1.html

Walking through Hell is continued.

“Yma Jigoku (Hell of Mountain)”

Very hot steam is rising, look like a top of volcano.

“Kamado Jigoku (Hell of Stove)”

This hell differs from other ones. There are several ponds here, of which colors vary one another. Very strange and fantastic.

“Oniyama Jigoku (Hell of Devil Mountain)”

This pond itself is rather normal. But beside the pond a horde of crocodiles live. So this area is also called Hell of Crocodiles.

“Shiraike Jigoku (Hell of White Pond)”

This is also beautiful place. Hot water sometimes changes its color for unknown reason.

Which is your favorite?
I like Kamado the best.

Actually, each hell is possessed by a certain person. Administrators always maintain the hells for guests. When you enter the hells you should buy a ticket.

There are some cages keeping animals in this area.
I saw cute flamingos, a huge elephant, and a shy hippopotamus, and so on. I also saw some tropical fish.

Beppu is a rural area. Other than Jigoku you hardly have to see. Nevertheless it is valuable to see once!