Well-known contemporary Japanese author and likely Nobel Prize candidate Haruki Murakami, will release a new book this April, according to his publisher. It will be his first book in three years since his mammoth 1Q84, which was originally released as a trilogy in Japan.

Details are scarce about the plot, but considering Murakami reuses the same themes in all his books, (to the point where the New York Times Book Review put together a “Haruki Murakami Bingo”) basic plot points can be pieced together. The main character will most likely be middle aged, enjoy drinking beer, feel alienated and lonely, and have an interest in old records. Cats will also make an appearance, as will teenage girls. Despite recycling similar themes and plots, Murakami has a large fanbase–1Q84 sold millions of copies worldwide.

It has been suggested that Murakami’s new work could be an expansion of the 1Q84 series. Murakami has said, “A fourth volume featuring an older ‘Tengo’ may come out…who knows.” Tengo starred as the male lead in the book. “What I can say now is there are stories before (volume 1) and after (volume 3).”

It is unclear if Murakami aims to write a new book or simply a few short stories, something he has done before. The title story in his collection Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow focuses on the protagonist of his novel, Norwegian Wood, several years after the events of that book.

It is highly likely that this upcoming book will be much shorter than 1Q84, given that the trilogy took him five years to pen.

Murakami’s varied influences may help explain his popularity with western readers compared to other Japanese authors. He spends his time reading writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, Philip K. Dick, and Truman Capote, and also translated their works into Japanese. Most recently, during the composition of this current work, he translated Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. 

Although no translation has been commissioned yet, Murakami’s popularity makes it almost certain that one will appear eventually. However, fans who cannot read Japanese will probably have to wait two or three years to read it, the average time it takes translators to bring his works into English. In the meantime, bored readers can read through Murakami’s long list of other books: ten novels, three short story collections, two non-fiction works, and two out-of-print novellas (the first two stories he ever wrote). His most well-known works include Norwegian Wood, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

Image Courtesy : Haruki Murakami

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Tokyo, Japan — On August 27, for about two hours from 18:30, Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting and a dinner at Iikura House with H.E. Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassole, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Burkina Faso, who is visiting Japan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations, cooperation in international arena, and other issues. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

Minister Gemba stated in the opening that he would like to use the opportunity of Minister Bassolé’s visit to Japan to further strengthen bilateral relations. In response, Minister Bassolé paid his respect to Japan’s effort to keep implementing its international commitment even after the Great East Japan Earthquake which had hit Japan last year, expressed his gratitude to Japan’s assistance for Burkina Faso, and stated his appreciation for TICAD process led by Japan.

In reply, Minister Gemba expressed his gratitude to the Senior Officials Preparatory Meeting for TICAD V which will be held in Burkina Faso in November at Minister Bassolé’s suggestion, and showed its expectation for President Compaoré’s participation for TICAD V which will be held next June in Japan. Furthermore, both ministers exchanged their opinions on Japan’s economic cooperation with Burkina Faso, and potentiality of facilitating private investment from Japan to Burkina Faso.

Also, Minister Bassolé, who has been working for mediation for the stability of situation in Mali, explained the situation in Mali. Minister Bassolé further shared the manners to resolve the border conflicts and the vision for regional integration in West Africa where Burkina Faso is located. In response, Minister Gemba expressed his recognition for Burkina Faso’s effort for the stabilization of the situation in Mali, and expressed Japan’s intention to support Africa’s own efforts for peace and stability and for regional integration.

In this respect, Minister Bassolé, who had served as Joint African Union – United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur, expressed his appreciation for Japan’s support for Darfur. With respect to situation in Sudan and South Sudan, Minister Gemba explained that Japan has provided assistance for both Sudan and South Sudan in a balanced manner, and appealed to ministers of Sudan and South Sudan for the importance of peaceful coexistence of both countries.

Furthermore, two ministers exchanged their views on issues in international arena, including the early realization of the United Nations Security Council reform and the Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Image Courtesy of   U.S.-Japan Council

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On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, leaving 15,372 people confirmed dead and 7,762 reported still missing. In the wake of the largest earthquake in the country’s history, some people drew the courage to revive and rebuild from cherry-blossom season, which began within weeks of the tragedy.

Oscar-nominated this year for Best Documentary Short Subject, ‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ shows how nature can be a rejuvenating – as well as a destructive – force when it debuts Monday, July 16 (10:00-10:40 PM ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Directed by Lucy Walker (the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “Waste Land”), this poignant film debuts immediately after the debut of the SXSW Film Festival hit “Birders: The Central Park Effect,” which offers a different look at how nature touches people.

The documentary will also show on HBO on July 18 (12:15 PM), July 24 (4:15 PM) and July 28 (6:00 AM, 3:15 PM).

The film will also be shown on HBO2 on July 18 (9:00 PM).

HBO Documentary Films presents another weekly series this summer, debuting provocative new specials every Monday through July 30. Other July films include: “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (July 9); “Birders: The Central Park Effect” (July 16); “Vito” (July 23); and “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” (July 30).

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ is a stunning visual poem about the ephemeral nature of life, and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower. The nation is transfixed by cherry blossom season, which runs from late March through April, with many people tracking the blossoms’ short life-cycle and attending “hanami,” or viewing parties, with family and friends.

Walker had originally planned to visit Japan to make a film about the cherry-blossom season, but on March 11, 2011, while she was making final preparations for her trip, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck, triggering tsunami waves of up to 133 feet on Japan’s northeastern coast. Initially unsure whether to continue, she flew to Tokyo with a small film crew and headed north to the Tohuku region, where she captured both the utter devastation and stoic resolve of survivors, many of whom had lost family members and friends.

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ opens with harrowing home-video footage, shot from a hill, of a huge wave destroying the town below. A month later, a young woman stands on the same hill, remembering how she “watch[ed] people being consumed by the tsunami.” An older man tells how he tried and failed to save his oldest friend, proclaiming, “I don’t want a house. I don’t want clothes. I don’t want anything. I just want his life back.”

Others tell their stories of survival, escaping in their slippers and seeing whole houses rush toward them on a wave of black water. One couple living at a community center returns to the ruins of their house, hoping to rebuild. Their town is within the 30km exclusion zone around the Fukushima power plant, and many people wear cotton masks as protection from radiation.

Amidst the despair in the days following the tsunami comes a glimmer of hope in “sakura” (cherry blossom), a harbinger of spring in Japan and a national symbol of renewal. One man explains how the cherry blossom reflects the Japanese character, saying, “Each flower is tiny, and you can’t see one individually. But it’s beautiful when you see lots of flowers together. Japanese people see themselves that way too.”

Out of respect for the victims, many viewing parties were canceled this year, but people still visit the blossoms and take pictures. A man who lost his house shows where new plant shoots have sprouted on the beach, commenting that if plants can hang in there, humans can too. A young woman looking at the cleanup and construction adds, “Every year that the trees bloom, they’ll give us the courage to keep going.”

In addition to its Oscar nomination, ‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ received the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and BFI London.

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ was directed by Lucy Walker with executive producers Tim Case and Charles V. Salice and producers Kira Carstensen and Lucy Walker. The director of photography was Aaron Phillips, the editor was Aki Mizutani, and the music was produced by Moby.

Image Courtesy of   Kasper Nybo

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According to a government report by Japan, the Japanese population will by 2060 only be 87 million, down one third from the current level of 128 million people. It means that within 1000 years, the Japanese could be faced with extinction, according to researchers at Tohoku University Graduate School of Economics in Sendai. Therefore, if the number of children born keeps declining, Japan may celebrate “Kids Day 5/5/3011 with only one child,”  said Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor at Tohoku University. But what is the fundamental cause behind this decline?

Across developed countries, there is a general trend among women that they keep working more and marrying later. There are generally three possible reasons why the desire to have children is diminishing: financial worries, employment problems, and lack of family support. Meanwhile, financial worries seem to affect Japan the most as many Japanese men prefer to stay single because of economic difficulties. French newspaper La Croix mentioned that due to economic difficulties, many Japanese men are afraid of the prospect of getting married. This situation leads to increased rates of singles and a decline in birth rate in Japan. The phenomenon of an aging population is now accelerating with people over 65 years of age amounting to 22.9% of the Japanese population. A new Japanese government survey which was conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (NIPSSR) showed that about 61% of single men aged 18 to 34 have no girlfriend and 45% of women are unmarried.

Notably, many people cannot marry even if they want to because of the weak financial situation. According to La Croix, this situation is a consequence of the speculative bubble in Japan of the 1990s and the prolonged economic crisis after that. One expert said, “Many young employees lost their long-term labor contract. Therefore, many people believe that marriage is too risky”. Another reason is that the Japanese society is still emphasizing a lot on the importance of the men earning the household income and the role of okusan, meaning “person in the back of the house,” which reflects the image of the Japanese wives staying at home.

In addition, many women want to find a husband that has a stable job and good income to ensure the material life of a family. However, it is not easy to find such a man with national economic conditions like this. At the same time, having a child out of wedlock is considered a taboo in Japanese society, so the number of these children accounts for is only 2%. In contrast to reproductive problems, the average life expectancy of Japanese people is up to 83 years, leaving Japan with the world’s oldest population. It also takes a lot of money to raise a child and many women are afraid of losing their job during pregnancy. According to Dr Kuniko Inoguchi, former minister of Social Affairs and Gender Balance, about 70% of pregnant women in small and medium enterprises quit their job and if they return to work, so things can be very difficult to balance.

The next hurdle is raising children. “Families used to live with all the generations together,” said one Tokyo pensioner. “That was good for everybody, as there were more people around to provide support.” In rural areas, this is common; birth rates are higher than the national average. But many couples who live in a city far from their relatives lack the family support they often need when a baby is born. They are also too busy with their work to perform the responsibilities of parents to child. So, many Japanese couples decide to have only one child.

In recent years, the Japanese government has worked hard to introduce family-friendly policies to help young families. There are now more day care places available for children of working mothers. Primary schools are running after-school programs for children who have busy parents. There is a desire to stifle the current development, but it may take a generation or two to match tradition with modern needs. Therefore, it is encouraged of the Japanese Government to introduce more policies to improve the birth rate.

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Japan has announced that Naoko Kikuchi has been arrested. Kikuchi, a forty year old woman, was wanted for being involved in the 1995 cult attack on a Tokyo subway. The attack killed thirteen and injured more than six thousand. Kikuchi was a senior member of the doomsday cult and was wanted for her role in the production of the sarin nerve gas used in the attack. She has admitted that she helped in the production of the gas but at the time did not know what it was or for what it was being used. When approached by police she did not try to hide her identity.

Kikuchi has been hiding for years using aliases. According to police Kikuchi stated, “I had to hide my identity and used an alias all these years while I was on the run. Now I’m arrested and I don’t have to do that anymore. I feel relieved.”

Hiroto Takahashi, 41, was also arrested in relation to Kikuchi. He started living with Kikuchi six years ago and moved into a new apartment in the city of Sagamihara with her in 2010. He turned himself in the next day when police issued the warrant for his arrest.

Kikuchi was one of two remaining cult members to be caught by authorities. The other missing member is Katsuya Takahashi, 54. Katsuya Takahashi is not related  to Kikuchi’s partner, Hiroto Takahashi.

The cult, then known as Aum Shinrikyo, created a stock pile of chemical, biological, and conventional weapons in 1995 for the apocalyptic battle they believed would begin against the government. In 1995, the group had at least ten thousand members in Japan and another thirty thousand members in Russia.The cult is still in existence but is now known as Aleph and has since disavowed the former leader and planner of the attack Shoko Asahara. There are still hundreds of members involved in the cult but it is under constant surveillance by the police.

Almost two hundred members of the cult have been convicted with connections to the gas attack and several other crimes. At least thirteen members, including Asahara, are on death row for the Tokyo subway attack.

Makoto Hirata, another cult member and suspect in an unrelated kidnapping-murder, turned himself in New Year’s Eve of 2011, surprising all of Japan. Ten days later, Akemi Saito, a woman who was living with Hirata, turned herself in as well. She was wanted for her connection to crimes perpetrated by the cult.

Image Courtesy of  SeanPavonePhoto / Shutterstock.com

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This past Memorial Day weekend, anime fans from all over came to the International Palms Resort & Conference Center in Orlando, Florida to attend the second annual Florida Anime Experience.

For a convention in its second year, there were many things to do and see. The convention on its second day passed last year’s total attendance and proves that though it’s a small convention its popularity is growing steadfast. Toonari Post had the opportunity to attend the convention on Friday and Saturday.

Day One

As is usual for a convention, the first and last day are slow. Needless to say, there were many convention goers on Friday of all colors, ethnicities, and ages. Some were dressed in their cosplay outfits, others wore wigs of varying colors, while some fans wore geek t-shirts.

The convention had four mainstay rooms that fans could enjoy. For video game enthusiasts, there was the Japanese Game Room where attendees could play old games that were only released in Japan and not released in the U.S. such as Transformers, Sailor Moon and Card Captors.

The convention also featured the Magna Library and Tea Room where fans could sit and read magna or play board games while sitting down on mats Japanese style at a small table as they waited for their order of tea and snacks to be delivered to them. The artist alley room featured local and out-of-town artists who showcased their work for fans to purchase.

The Anime viewing room hosted by the Anime Addict Anonymous Podcast showed anime shows and movies all three days of the convention. Finally, the Vendor room hosted anime merchants and their wares for attendees to buy.

There were many panels for attendees to choose from. We attended the AMV Hour of Power!, which was hosted by fandom guest Daric “Jingoro” Jackson. This panel showcased AMV (Anime Music Videos) created by anime fans. Next up was the Anime Retro: Sailor Moon. From the magna to the anime, to the video games and live action show in Japan, this panel discussed everything Sailor Moon. The Girl’s Guide to Con-Going panel hosted by the women of the A.A.A.

Podcast put their collective 20+ con experiences together in an informative and amusing way to tell con stories from the girl’s perspective. The room was almost full for this panel and there were men in attendance as well. Another interesting event was the Otaku Speed Dating. This was fun, enjoyable and a bit socially awkward for some.

Day Two

Saturday is usually the busiest day for a three day convention and indeed that was the case for Florida Anime. The first panel of the day was the “Traveling to Japan” which was hosted by Chiaki of the Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast. This panel was funny as well as informative. Chiaki gave out great information to would-be travelers to the land of the rising sun. She had a Power Point presentation with important information which is available on the Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast site for fans to download.

Later in the day, the convention hosted the Robotech panel with special guests Dan Woren (the voice of Roy Fokker from Robotech ) and Fuzzy. They showed video from the series as well as interviews with the voice actors of the series.

After that, we attended the Voice Actor’s Panel which featured Dan Worren (the voice of Roy Fokker from Robotech), Terri Hawkes (the voice of Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon) and Darrel Guilbeau (the voice of Mikado from Durarara). Panelists answered questions from the audience that were about their experience in the voice acting industry, how to get into voice acting, as well as taking character voice requests from the audience.

Another great panel was the Wasabi Anime Goes to Japan which was a humorous photo slideshow of their visit to Japan and finally, the Crossplay Contest opened. Crossplay is where ladies cosplay as male anime characters and men cosplay as female characters.

Other panels of interest included the Adult Swim Anime Retrospective that was about fans favorite anime shows that aired on the cartoon block; Animusical Idol 2012, Gundam Panel Year 2, The Great Cosplay Dating Game and Otaku Insomnia Dance.

The Florida Anime Experience is a great convention to attend especially if you’re new to the convention scene. The staff is friendly and ready and able to help you and the attendee goers are pretty cool as well. We definitely will attend next year and I hope you will too.

Image Courtesy of   The Florida Anime Experience

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California, U.S.A. – Lionsgate a leading diversified global entertainment company, announced that The Hunger Games, which has already grossed nearly $620 million at the worldwide box office, has been approved for release in China in the first half of June.

The film will be released nationwide in China with both dubbed and subtitled prints by The China Film Group in conjunction with Lionsgate’s promotional partner, Talent International.  The Hunger Games will be one of the first Hollywood studio films to be released in China under the new blockbuster revenue sharing agreement announced in February that allows Western distributors to collect up to 25% of a film’s receipts in China.

“The Hunger Games juggernaut continues to gain momentum around the world, and we’re thrilled that we can now share the exciting first installment of THE HUNGER GAMES franchise with Chinese moviegoers in June,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman.  “China is already one of the leading territories at the international box office, and the launch of The Hunger Games in this key market is another sign of the franchise’s continuing emergence as a truly global phenomenon.”

The Hunger Games has already grossed more than $380 million at the North American box office where it ranks 13th among the highest-grossing films of all time.  It has grossed nearly $620 million worldwide with upcoming launches in China and Japan.

“We view China as an increasingly important market for our content in Asia,” said Wendy Reeds, Executive Vice President of Content Sales & Distribution for Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), Lionsgate’s venture with Saban Capital Group and Astro’s Celestial Pictures in Asia.  “The Chinese box office grew by more than 30% last year to over $2 billion, and The Hunger Games’ approval for nationwide release in China is a major step in translating the enormous commercial potential of this huge market into reality.”

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The U.S., Japan and Australia are expected to escape recession over the next 12 months, with the U.S. economy now expected to expand by 2.9 percent over the period, according to the Spring Outlook report from Mellon Capital Management Corporation, part of BNY Mellon Asset Management.

Excluding the U.S., Japan and Australia, most developed countries are expected to experience a mild recession over the next year, with European countries at the highest risk, the report said.

“The U.S. economy is continuing to strengthen and we now put the probability of anemic U.S. growth at less than five percent,” said Lex Huberts, president of Mellon Capital. ”This is a significant improvement from September, when the probability was closer to 20 percent that the U.S. economy would grow at less than two percent over the next year.”

Mellon Capital generates its own proprietary measure of leading economic indicators (LEI), with an LEI level of slightly less than 100 indicating, in Mellon Capital’s view, a significant probability of a mild economic contraction.  All major developed countries except the U.S., Japan and Australia currently have readings below 100.  Southern peripheral countries in Europe have the lowest LEI, but France, Great Britain and Germany also appear weak, all below 99, signaling the likelihood of at least a mild recession, according to the report.

“Looking at our forward estimates of economic fundamentals, we are cautiously optimistic on stocks given the signs of economic recovery in the U.S., positive steps toward resolving the euro area debt crisis and the general stabilization of earnings forecasts in Europe,” said Huberts.  “However, tensions with Iran are a concern.”

The report also notes that Mellon Capital is moderately positive on commodities, favors emerging markets equities and favors the Australian dollar and Canadian dollar among developed market currencies at this time.

Gabriela Parcella, chief executive officer of Mellon Capital, said, “We are seeing growing interest in our global asset allocation and alternatives strategies as institutions increasingly recognize the opportunities for investing in the current economic environment.”

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It is hard to ignore if you are a fan of anime. Each season, you can expect the same type of shows with the same types of characters to come out, and it seems like they are not even trying to differentiate themselves. Ano Natsu de Matteru bears a striking resemblance in name, character design, and setting to Ano Hana from the summer season. Even tropes as specific as “shy, well-endowed, red-haired girl” show up over and over again. Why is this?

It may have something to do with a fundamental aspect of Japanese culture. Anime is created for and aimed towards the Japanese themselves. Remember, we westerners do not hold much sway over what goes into making an anime and what does not. For the Japanese, and indeed throughout many Asian cultures, copying, imitation, and repetition is highly valued.

Katana are forged by a student imitating the exact process that their master uses.  Also, Chinese characters have one correct way to be written and must be written over and over again to perfect the flow and the form.

This obsession with perfection through repetition bears itself out in many visible ways in Asia. Think of the notorious Chinese copies–fake iPads, fake Louis Vuitton, fake Starbucks, fake Mercedes-Benz, fake everything. The Japanese themselves have rarely invented anything themselves in the course of history, but they have adopted the inventions of other countries and vastly improved upon them.

Whereas in the west, we put a high value on original concepts and are quick to yell plagiarism or copyright infringement. The Japanese seem comfortable with the truth that we all must stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. We must learn from the best, and the best way to learn is to copy. The endless parade of slightly tweaked anime, then, is a culturally instinctual pursuit of perfection, even if to us westerners, it can feel exasperating and boring.

Perhaps it is instinctual, rather than intellectual, judging from a poll done by BigGlobe.jp, which asked readers to rank the most important aspects of anime when deciding whether they would watch a show or not.

The top three were story, character, and seiyuu. The next highest ranked were design, music, and cinematography. Considering the popularity of anime based on four-panel comic strips, moe characters, and high school settings, it is curious that story and character are ranked so high.

It is possible that the anime fans responding wanted to appear to have deeper tastes than they do in reality. At any rate, it seems ratings speak louder than polls, as there is no sign of a lull in shallow, moe-driven, and trope-heavy anime for the next season or those to come. Still, if you enjoy that sort of thing, there is plenty to look forward to. For the rest of us, a new season of Kore ha Zombie Desu ka? is also on the horizon, a show that takes all those ubiquitous tropes and turns them into hilarious self-parody.

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Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW), on February 07, 2012 issued a positive but cautious reaction to the signing of understandings reached by the U.S. with the European Union, and separately with Japan, in long running trade disputes over antidumping methodology called ‘zeroing.’

“USW members have been a petitioner or supporter of more than a third of the antidumping cases brought against imports during the last twenty years,” Gerard said.  “Strong trade remedy laws are important for stopping the destructive practices of many of our trading partners who dump products in our market that harm our union members and domestic producers.”

Historically, U.S. law has captured 100 percent of dumping found with no reduction based on non-dumped sales. The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body, in a series of decisions in the last decade, viewed the WTO Antidumping Agreement as requiring WTO members to give ‘credit’ for non-dumped sales. The U.S. under two Administrations has viewed the WTO Appellate Body decisions as overreaching and contrary to what the U.S. had negotiated.

The agreements made by the USTR with the European Union and Japan were the result of U.S. efforts to settle long standing disputes with two major trading partners.

The USW has long urged a clarification of U.S. rights within the WTO in the ongoing Doha negotiations to specifically permit capture of 100 percent of dumping found, while also seeking to clarify the intended limits on the power of the WTO Appellate Body. The announcement from U.S. Ambassador Ron Kirk is a positive development on two counts – and raises cautions on a third.

“One count of our core objectives has been met with these announced agreements – a prospective application of any change – meaning no retroactivity – while avoiding retaliation is certainly a very positive outcome,” Gerard said.

“Also positive is Ambassador Kirk’s confirmation that the U.S. will continue to pursue clarification of our rights within the WTO to apply zeroing, which is important to all companies and their workers who rely on conditions of fair trade in the U.S.  We will be working with the Administration to see that the clarification happens as quickly as possible,” he added.

The USW President acknowledged there was no question that the modification will significantly undermine the historic ability of our antidumping duty law to address all injurious dumping. ”U.S. manufacturers and their workers will be disadvantaged, which now makes clarification of such rights extremely important.”

Gerard said the USW will be monitoring how the changes are implemented and trusts that the Administration will rebalance the operation of U.S. law so jobs are not needlessly lost to international price discrimination. “This is a highly technical area of the law but, it has a huge impact on the jobs of our members,” he explained.

“The Administration has the opportunity to review and alter existing U.S. practices by reviewing our rights under international law and determining how we can alter our approach to address the predatory pricing of our competitors to implement our rights and fight for our producers and workers.”

Gerard emphasized: “Rebalancing must be a priority of the Obama Administration and of the Congress.  No group has a greater interest in the vigorous enforcement of our antidumping law than the men and women who are employed in American manufacturing facilities.”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/unitedsteelworkers/

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Sapporo Breweries announced on January 5 that it is webcasting a special commercial-message featuring narrations scripted by writer Haruki Murakami and footage produced by movie director Hirokazu Koreeda in a special advertising campaign to encourage the people of Japan to move forward despite difficulties caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The web commercial is based on a series of four TV commercials aired during the Hakone Ekiden (long-distance college relay road race) on January 2-3, 2012, a nationally popular New Year event broadcast live across Japan. The race is a round trip between Tokyo and the resort town of Hakone.

Author Murakami, who found the intention of the campaign personally agreeable, wrote narrations for the TV commercials (*) featuring acts of running. A runner himself, Murakami agreed for the first time to take on writing commercial narrations. He intends to donate all of his writing fees to disaster-stricken areas through the Japanese Red Cross Society. Moreover, director Koreeda, who also agreed to the intention of the advertisement, planned and directed the commercials. The narrations were voiced by actress Yukie Nakama.

Koreeda also combined the four commercials into a 3-minute, 32-second special movie, made available on the company’s website from January 5, 2012. Visitors to the site can read Murakami’s narrations in their entirety. The webcast will be available until the end of January.

The company wishes that the special corporate ad would serve as encouragement for the future of the Japanese people, or as “tasuki” — a sash of cloth worn by ekiden runners — carrying the desire to revitalize Japan and to be passed on from the company to the people of Japan.

(*) Murakami personally wrote the narrations for the TV commercials based on his book “What I Talk about When Talking about Running: A Memoir” (available as a paperback book in the Bunshun Bunko series).

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Since Japan saw March’s devastating earthquake hit, the island nation has been focusing on securing its energy supply with a focus on electric vehicles. With the Fukushima nuclear plant knocked out and many other plants affected by what has been called the worst earthquake in 300 years, widespread blackouts became common throughout the country. In response, off-the-grid electricity sources have become increasingly favored to prevent future failures.

According to the National Police Agency of Japan, the 8.9 Richter scale earthquake and tsunami that hit the Pacific coast of Tohoku severely affected five of the country’s top companies. Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp., Honda Motor Co.,  Nissan Motor Co. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. were the top five which suffered setbacks.

Nissan, the creator of the all-electric Leaf, has taken action by developing a solar charging system which stores its power in the Leaf’s lithium-ion battery. The automaker has installed 488 solar panels so far at its Japan headquarters which will provide enough power for 1,800 Leafs for a year.

Nissan suspended its operations at six plants immediately following the earthquake. Due to damages and small fires which broke out at the Tochigi and Iwaki Plant, restorations took place lasting longer only at the Iwaki engine plant which was in the quake zone. Production restarted March 24 with almost 1,300 Infiniti models lost due to damages during the quake.

While the company’s shares lost 10.1% following the wake of the earthquake, it has regained strength in shares as well as in the development. In a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp, Nissan plans to reconstruct its electric car batteries when they are traded then resold as power storage units. Plans to implement this project are estimated to begin in 2016.

“These batteries can be useful as back-up power for homes when there’s an outage,” said Takashi Sakagami, head of the joint venture, 4R Energy Corp.

In addition to helping household energy security, a second life for old car batteries is also made possible. The batteries are high capacity and composed of various heavy, precious and rare metals which would be problematic to dispose.

Increasing technology of electric cars provides an advantage that is not only beneficial to the environment but also to Japan’s energy security. With electric vehicles, each household could potentially have its own mobile power source in the event of another disaster which disables access to mass produced power.

Big power consumers on the eastern side of the island are now required to cut power use by 15 percent and households have been directed to do the same.

Other automakers in Japan are developing their own methods of bringing energy security from the car to the home. Mitsubishi Motors is developing a portable converter which will allow electric vehicles to power household electronics. Toyota is developing batteries for direct home use to power a project known as the “Toyota Home.”

These model homes will manage power usage, tap into solar power and store excess power in the batteries for night-time use. It is estimated by Toyota’s project manager, Hiroshi Okajima, to be available by the end of 2013.

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After such a great tournament in which we witnessed such brilliant play and dramatic conclusions, I find myself thinking about the future of Women’s soccer; specifically, soccer in the U.S.  If we want to be honest about what we saw, we must admit that the American players choked.  Most people have a hard time using that word to describe our female athletes, especially after what was accomplished against Brazil- but history doesn’t exclude any athlete, no matter who it is, from the scrutiny or criticism other athletes face in every other sport.

For Soccer to elevate to the heights which we see in other countries, it is imperative that we continue to want to see this sport succeed and invest the money and time necessary.  Sadly though, I don’t see that happening anytime soon in America outside of the national team.

As mentioned before, Americans love to win and seem to disregard the sports in which they don’t do as well as other countries; we can afford to do that mainly because of the many options we have at our disposal when it comes to sports.   We have had the advantage in women’s soccer up until this point but still managed to lose.  I wrote in a previous article that the world is catching up- it’s not a bad thing unless you’re an American sports fan I guess and don’t like competitive games.  We shouldn’t be surprised though if you place sports in the same world as everyday life.  The world is progressively coming closer in terms of exchange and interdependence; the world of soccer or sports in general is no different, the sad part is Americans aren’t realizing this until it is too late.

The American arrogance involved in sports is of course misguided, but the world’s vision on improving themselves in the sports arena is becoming more apparent and focused.  U.S soccer in terms of the women, will continue to improve on the national level and gain popularity throughout the world because of the financial backing involved and because of the talent on the field; but so will the rest of the countries which they will have to compete with- something they must accept and deal with.

You may be wondering how a team who hasn’t beaten the U.S team in 25 games managed to do what they did this weekend; my answer to that is, the same way every miracle happens in the sports world-a little bit of luck mixed with incredible skill and preparation.  I enjoyed watching this game simply because I love watching great skill and because I love to see how different countries interact with one another in the realm of sports.  The way a team represents its country tells you a lot about the country itself over a long stretch, not within one game or two.

And of course, how can you not be happy for a team like Japan after the long road to get to this point.  This is being described as the coming out party for great soccer, (of course an American idea) but that is far from the truth.  This type of soccer is as easy as breathing for the rest of the world.  Maybe they mean for Women’s soccer and not Soccer as a whole; that’s a better way to put it I guess.  That still seems like a shot to the rest of the world.  In a sense saying, it’s about time they catch up to us not realizing again that we don’t always win.  Not surprising because America is all about dominance, real or not, as long as the perception is there.

Japan needed this more than the U.S did and it’s interesting how sports always seem to reflect a sense of good will and timely victories; only in sports is everything possible.

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After an incredible game that went into 30 minutes extra time and then a nail-biting round of penalty kicks, the Japanese soccer team is now world champions!

The game was characterized by high intensity play from both teams but it wasn’t until 70 minutes into the play that Alex Morgan blew past the goalkeeper and scored to 1-0 United States. However, only 12 minutes later, Aya Miyama snuck the ball right in front of the net and reduced the score to 1-1.

The American team felt obviously threatened and started playing more aggressively but failed to regain their advantage before the whistle. An extra 30 minutes was added and not long after, Aya Miyama got a yellow card for dissent. It didn’t take long after that for Abby Wambach to score a beautiful, perfect placed header into the Japanese goal – but the response came quick and Japan tied once again. Only 3 minutes went by before Japan’s Azusa Iwashimizu was handed the first red card ever in the Women’s World Cup Final and handed the USA a free kick. The attempt though, was blocked and the game went into penalty kicks that lasted 9 minutes with amazing saves by Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori – and despite Abby Wambach hopeful goal, Japan took the last shot of the match and won.

Viewers around the world were treated to an amazing final of the Championship 2011. The excitement accelerated drastically in those 20 final minutes of the regular game time – the USA team were the strongest but Japan managed to both times outsmart their defense with skillful technique. Both goalkeepers did an excellent job and the play was admittedly a close call.

Japan’s final goal sent the team in ecstatic celebration while the American’s seemed shocked by the result. Especially Hope Solo were visibly upset and throughout the award ceremony, she kept a stone face. Abby Wambach seemed to handle the second place a little better as she went to congratulate the Japanese team.

Among the crowds were the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who was very pleased to see Japan take the title as world champions. The Women’s World Cup final also happens to collide with Mrs. Merkel’s birthday and she told interviewers after the game how happy she was to have attended the final.

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After the devastation in Japan, it is somewhat surprising that this team has reached this stage and have done as well as they have.  Maybe we shouldn’t be surprise though, they have use this devastation as a rallying point; in fact this team is incredible to watch and we will see if they can continue their good play as of late.

Today, they play Sweden for a chance to face the U.S team, who dispatched the ineffective French team earlier this afternoon.  The match is on the verge of starting in what should be a great game…you wouldn’t think the Japanese team would match up well against the bigger Swedish players-but speed is on their side and they can play freely as they did last weekend playing against the expected winners; the Germans.  They should not have won that game and if they make it, they probably shouldn’t beat the U.S either; but that is why they play the games.

The pressure is on and they will have to play a great defensive game against an attacking team like the Swedes.  Watching the smaller Japanese players is quite interesting, their game is possession oriented and crisp precision passing reminiscent of the men’s Brazilian team.

10 minutes in: Sweden strikes due to a breakdown near the box from the Japanese defender, the Swedish player intercepted the wayward pass and her speed carried her close enough to unleash on the goalkeeper with an excellent left footed shot on goal; the goalkeeper had little to no chance and the Swedes have taken the early lead, now the game officially begins.

This is turning into an incredible game…A great goal by Japan in the 18^th minute… although, it may have been an own goal;  A long run by the Japan’s midfielder who seemed to be alone roaming, until the ball was centered into the box where the crowdedness and confusion took care of the rest.  Own goal or not, this opportunity was all manufactured by the small Japanese player, their speed and perseverance.

Half way through the first half, the great play continues with an incredibly wide open game on both sides with good ball control.  Myama has had several opportunities up until this point and Japan plays keep away in the midfield but their lack of pure scoring has limited their overall effectiveness.  On the other side of things, the Swedish team has somewhat disappeared after their accidental goal.

We go to half time with the Japanese team seemingly in control and we should look to see the same thing in the second half of this match if the Swedes don’t make adjustments.

Play starts again with the Swedes looking to start the action, actually gaining momentum throughout this half.  In an incredible sequence in the 59^th minute, Japan strikes with a beautiful header by Sawa into the empty net left vacant by the Swedish goalkeeper who gambled at the worst possible moment.  The goal was made possible with contributions with several players who seem to be getting better throughout the tournament.  This is Sawa’s 79^th goal after starting her career at 15 years old.

Minutes later in the 64^th minute, Japan strikes again with an improbable goal with another situation in which the net was unguarded when the eager goalkeeper decided to charge once again; the results would suggest she should remain in goal but her instincts would suggest otherwise.

Great goal and might be goal of the tournament up to this point.  Now up 3-1, there can be no major breakdowns like we saw in the beginning of the match, if they are to hold on to this lead.  The Swedish team seems to have no clue on what to do defensively or offensively against this tactical brilliance by the brave Japanese team.  The U.S should take notice and start preparing for this skillful onslaught.

Kawasumi comes off the field followed by Ono, two players who left their mark on this game; the focus is defense at this point, but the offensive pressure remains and the attack remains relentless.

The match is over and anyone who witnessed this game saw two teams who played at different levels after the first 10 to 15 minutes.  Looking forward to the finals, Japan should have a shot at beating the American team; they are on an emotional journey that would inspire a whole nation.  America looks to continue its dominance against this team which they have beaten 22 out of 23 matches…but maybe were in line for another miracle.

I know I’ll be watching and so will everyone in Japan.

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Watching Japan face Germany yesterday showed me once again why soccer or Football as it is called around the world is such a great sport.  No, it was not the greatest soccer match I’ve seen nor was it the most anticipated, it didn’t include the biggest names of the sport; what we got to see was the same thing we see on the men’s side.  There is such skill involved in the sport, that the seamless transition from  watching the men play to watching the women is remarkable…you’re either good or you’re not , and the women are good.

There was such excitement and the underdog won-the underdog being the Japanese team 1-0 playing with heavy hearts against a stacked home team in Germany.

The most anticipated match of the knockout round or quarter finals is between Brazil and USA, two teams who are very familiar with one another.  Brazil beat the U.S team 4 years ago but has not had much success against the U.S with an overall record of 4-22.  Brazil shows up of course confident in what they do and the loose style in which they play…in fact they got off their bus singing  and playing Brazilian instruments that sort off resemble dancing on the field.  Indeed, a match worthy of a final.

For the U.S, Heather O’reilly is back after not being available and for Hope Solo this is a chance to let her play speak for her after the debacle 4 years ago in which she felt she belonged on the field.

At 11:30, the match was officially on the way and it didn’t take long for someone to strike…Yes an own goal, but a minute into the match the U.S goes up 1-0 in an unexpected eventful beginning.  The Brazilian defenders look very jittery early on and it cost them, the frustration starts early for the Brazil side but it has been an unorganized game for both sides during the first half of the match.  No one has been able to hold on to the ball and Marta continues to show frustration which eventually led to a yellow card for mouthing off.  The first half was played poorly by the Brazilians who didn’t get many shots on goal and their opponent didn’t seem to want to capitalize on the poor play.

The defense was good on the American side considering the talent level of the opponent but how long they will keep a zero on the Brazilian score sheet.

The second half starts and we see the play pick up and the Brazilians have made an effort to apply pressure which has led to many more opportunities already within the first few minutes of the half.

After the 60^th minute, things took a turn from bad to worse for the Americans…After a beautiful move by Marta reminiscent of Ronaldinho, another famous Brazilian player in which she was being guarded by two back defenders in the box; she was awarded a penalty kick.  A controversial red card was given to Rachel Buehler which left the American side with 10 players against a resurgent Brazil team.

The penalty kick taken was blocked but in another controversial twist, the referees determined that the kick would be taken again because a player encroached prior to the kick being taken.  Marta now was given the opportunity to finish the play she started, which she did with nice placement of the ball at the bottom right corner tying the game in the 68^th minute.

The U.S played very well given their lack of a full squad on the field but playing with 10 players in this humidity will be challenging.

A touch of brilliance again from the Brazilians which resulted in a goal from Marta in the 93rd minute, putting them up 2-1 early in over time…She being the best player in the world, placed the ball where Solo could not reach it.

With 2 minutes left in extended time, Abby Wambach saves the U.S for the time being and ties the game in the 120^th minute with a tremendous header.  After being quiet for the first 119 minutes, the lone striker came alive tying the game…and play continues.

So now we watch penalty kicks, the second in as many games in this tournament in what has turned out to be a great and exciting game.

This is by far the tensest situation in sports aside from bottom of the ninth, man on second with 2 outs in the World Series in Yankee stadium…yes it’s that tense.  But after the Brazilians missed their 3^rd penalty kick, it started to look bleak.  Then Wambach came and calmly placed the ball in the back of the net, it was pretty much over.

After playing 55 plus minutes with 10 men, now they must face France in a game that will have a hard time living up to this epic and classic game.

You just couldn’t write this any better for the U.S…we will see if there is a story book ending, after this game in the words of Wamback “we must win.”

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I spoke with Julie Rafn Abildgaard a month ago about her research on the sophisticated Japanese/Danish humanoid Geminoid-DK. The impressive robot, designed to be an exact copy of a living human being, will Monday be presented at Aalborg University in Denmark by Professor Henrik Scharfe, who is also the face and body behind the first Caucasian geminoid. But who is Julie? And what can she tell us about her experience?

Julie Rafn Abildgaard (JRA): I study persuasive design at the centre for computer mediated epistemology at Aalborg University (EPD), an elite master program. Studying at EPD means that you’re studying persuasion but angles differ a lot. Some focus on the theoretical things, some on applied aspect of persuasive design and some want to explore the boundaries between persuasive design and emotions design or robotics – which I am doing.

We were five new students at persuasive design and any one of us should join one of the running projects in the department. [I expressed an] interest in the difference between western and eastern culture and Henrik Scharfe asked me to join the Geminoid project.

My role is to make research based on experiments and I also have to come up with ideas to make the experiments with the Geminoid and take part in the cooperation with ATR in Japan. Actually I have a lot of roles [that include] taking part in experiments, analysis and write papers about it and help build the Geminoid lab for when the Geminoid arrives to Denmark. And that’s just some of the stuff!

Tell us about your experiences in Japan

JRA: We were in Japan for eight days to do business and it was very exciting. The people at Kokoro, the manufacturing company and the people at ATR, the robot research centre were very hard working and very kind. Henrik Scharfe and the people at Kokoro worked on getting the Geminoid to look even more like Henrik and I was the first one to ‘teleop’ (teleoperation of a multi-agent reactive robotic system) with the Geminoid and that was a very good experience.

I waited for half a year to see this robot and I saw it for the first time in Tokyo on February 14. Kokoro also built the HI-1 and Geminoid-F. Geminoid-F is the female geminoid which is made from a Japanese woman and HI-1 is the one Hiroshi Ishiguro, the inventor of the Geminoid, made to look like himself.

It was very weird, I was almost shaking but I think it was because I’d waited that long to see it. At first sight, the robot was very humanlike although it was easy to see that it was a robot because it didn’t have a wig on. But it was still humanlike in a strange way so it actually took me a few seconds to feel comfortable looking at the robot and I guess what I felt was the feeling called ‘uncanny valley’. [The theory of] ‘uncanny valley’ describes the unpleasant feeling you get when something scares you when it’s not what you expected it would be. But I would underline that I only had that feeling once and after I had no problem looking at the robot. Many people think that the robot will keep scaring people but I think that my experiment with the robot shows that you get used to being around the robot after spending a short time with it.

How will you use the robot?

JRA: Well, the robot as it is now is basically meant for research. The very good mimics makes the robot usable for research regarding human nature. We want to make research in issue like – What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to have a relation to another human or a robot?  What does identity mean and what does the presence really mean. We want to look at areas such as emotional affordances in human robot interaction, ‘Blended Presence’ and study culture difference in perception of the robot and right now, I’m studying culture difference in the perception. The main purpose is of course to make research about human-robot interaction.

Part of the reason why the robot looks almost exactly like a human is that we want to find out to what extend it is appropriate to make robots look like people surrounding them and you can make very exciting and amazing studies with robots who look like humans and humanoids.

What are your expectations?

JRA: The development of the technology is expanding and therefore I think that it is very important to find out how we can differ each technology device so that it can fit into either Danish culture, Japanese culture or others.

In the research, I expect that we find out that Japanese test persons will be much more respective to the robots than Danish test persons. In Japanese religion and [society] you consider that both material things and living creatures have a soul but in western culture we don’t believe this so that, of course, makes a difference.

We’ve gotten a lot of emails from other people who are interested [in the project], also from other countries but they’re not working with Geminoid yet. Maybe in the future.

How would you feel about a robot of you?

JRA: Henrik Scharfe has joked a lot about making a geminoid that looked like me and I actually don’t know if I would feel comfortable having a copy of myself but it is a funny idea – I don’t know yet.

Is your future in the field?

JRA: I hope to get employed as a ph.d. student to continue making research in human robot interaction, but you never know. I hope to get a ph.d.

For more information, please visit the project website or the website for today’s event.

Image provided by Julie – many thanks!

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The Japanese government has become dumping tonnes of radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The government has issued statements saying the level of radiation in the water is low and will not pose a threat to humans.

The Plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, began released the water yesterday and said that a total of 11,500 tonnes would be dumped in the ocean.

The government has expressed support of this measure with Prime minister Naoto Kan’s top spokesman, Yukio Edano, saying in a television press conference: “We have no choice but to release water tainted with radioactive materials into the ocean as a safety measure.”

According to the ABC emergency crews are still attempting to stop a crack near Fukishima’s number two reactor.

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Unusually intense radioactivity has been measured in the ocean outside of the nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi. The test was made 330 m from the plant and found the level of radioactive iodine to be 3.355 times over the normal level.

However, a range of experts as well as the Japanese government are expecting that the ocean currents will spread out the particles, diluting the concentration so much that it will not present a risk to fish and other maritime life. Still, the numbers have been the cause of some concern to people who have bought or consumed fish from the area. In Hong Kong, restaurants check the sea food for radioactivity before serving it while some consumers in Denmark have invested in Geiger counters to make sure their food is clean. However, despite reports that European countries have introduced testing of Japanese food products, experts have said that Europe should generally not be concerned.

In the meantime, while the level of radioactivity in the area around Fukushima is still on the rise, intensive work is done to isolate the source. Previous measurements have suggested that the activity can be traced to the second reactor. The fear is that the fuel source at the core of the reactor is partly destroyed.

The last few days had otherwise shown a decrease in nuclear exposure in the rest of Japan – in the period between March 25-29, no residue of radioactive iodine was found in for example broccoli, spinach and milk. There had also previously been a ban against letting infants drink tap water which was effective in 21 places across four prefectures. Now the ban is only effective in four places – all limited to the Fukushima-prefecture.

The situation at Fukushima Daiichi is still delicate. A few weeks back, the owner of the plant, Tepco, told a press conference that four of the reactors at the plant are so damaged that they need to be taken out and disposed off. The fourth and fifth reactor can still be used but it is unclear if Tepco is planning to actually do so. The owner also promised at the press meeting to improve the conditions of the around 580 workers still working at the plant. A security inspection had revealed that the workers have been sleeping on lead mats in stairways, conference rooms and corridors to protect them against the massive radioactivity in the area. It was also made public that the men only received two meals per day – sometimes consisting of a pack of crackers and a juice box for breakfast.

The company representative also explained that the president of Tepco, which has been highly unpopular and harshly criticized since the earthquake, was recently hospitalized with symptoms of stress and heightened blood pressure. The 71-year-old Masataka Shimuzu has not shown himself in public since March 13.

Soon after the press conference, the government of Japan asked of all the remaining nuclear power plants to adopt new security procedures immediately. As an example, new rules for the emergency supply of cooling systems have now been put into force while it has become a requirement that measures for catastrophe management has to be available at all plants.

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Prior to the earthquake that rocked Japan, sending tsunamis of destruction and killing thousands of residents, something else strange was happening.  There was a dramatic increase in UFO activity.

It began about three weeks before the massive quake hit, the fifth largest ever since human kind began recording the intensity of earthquakes. A UFO fleet was spotted by witnesses while it moved over Japan’s Mount Fuji before the individual crafts spread out across the area.  The event, although easy to dismiss by skeptics, was reported in all seriousness by China’s main government news agency, Xinhua.  But, western media ignored the event.  There is video of the UFOs.  It is difficult to really see much.  There are certainly bright white objects in the day sky that appear to be floating around, unlike a plane.  But, the image never becomes very clear.  There are numerous witnesses to the event, though, that all describe similar objects in the sky.

Shortly after that sighting, there were further UFO sightings around Japan.  Footage of a single UFO was captured days later.  The mysterious object is shaped like an orb and seems to be metallic.  It appears to travel slowly, going in and out of the clouds.  Another UFO fleet was filmed just days before the massive earthquake.  The video captured of the fleet appears very similar to the earlier footage.

Some speculate that they can see UFOs even on news coverage of the earthquake and tsunami.  Two videos seen here and here purport that a UFO is flying past the cameras, although I was unable to see much.

Throughout the region covering Asiatic Russia, China and Japan, mysterious objects have been seen over the skies in the last few months at an alarming frequency. Japanese UFO researchers have suggested in the past that a wormhole exists in the vicinity of Mount Fuji and UFOs are entering Earth’s atmosphere through it.  Some researchers have suggested a possible connection between UFOs and earthquakes.

Whatever is going on, it is startling to realize that our natural disasters are becoming bigger and more extreme.   Whether it is because of climate change, alien invasions, or end times—it certainly seems to suggest something bigger is on its way.

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Japanese scientists have finally solved a decades-old mystery about Japan’s most famous dog.   The death of Hachiko has finally been determined.

The legendary dog, an Akita, was adopted by a professor at the University of Tokyo in 1924.  Hachiko used to wait at a train station for his master every day.  In 1925, the professor died suddenly and never returned to the train station.  Every day for the next nine years, Hachiko would wait at the station for his lost owner.  He was given away after the professor’s death but would routinely escape—going back to his old home he shared with his owner.  Hachiko eventually figured out that his owner no longer lived at the home, so the dog would wait at the train station.

The story of Hachiko moved Tokyo residents to build a statue immortalizing the faithful companion.   Hollywood made a movie about the dog in 2009 with Richard Gere, a remake of a Japanese film that was released in 1987.  The dog was such a model of loyalty that his organs were preserved when he died in 1935.

Japanese scientists were able to use these preserved organs to settle the mystery of Hachiko’s death.  They discovered that he died of cancer and worms and not because he swallowed a chicken skewer.  Legend in Japan has maintained that Hachiko died after consuming a skewer of grilled chicken – Japanese barbecue called yakitori – that ruptured his stomach.  University of Tokyo veterinarians, by examining Hachiko’s innards, found that the dog had terminal cancer and also a filaria infection – worms.  Four yakitori sticks remained in Hachiko’s stomach, but they did not damage his stomach or cause death, said Kazuyuki Uchida, one of veterinarians.  “Hachiko certainly had yakitori given by a street vendor at Shibuya,” he said. “But the sticks were unrelated to his death, and the rumor is groundless.”

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An international watchdog group warned federal governments to increase their efforts to crack down on so-called designer drugs.  The International Narcotics Control Board released its annual report in March and stated that governments need to monitor abuse trends and make new substances illegal as soon as possible.

“Given the health risks posed by the abuse of designer drugs, we urge governments to adopt national control measures to prevent the manufacture, trafficking in and abuse of these substances,” said Hamid Ghodse, the board’s president.

Designer drugs are easily made by changing the molecular structure of illegal substances to create a new product with a similar effect.   One such designer drug is the party drug mephedrone, sometimes also known as “meow meow,” whose results are reported to be comparable to cocaine, amphetamine and ecstasy.  Europe is currently monitoring 16 new drugs for abuse potential.  Japan recently placed 51 drugs under national control, according to the report.

“They can be easily manufactured, as instructions on their manufacture and a description of their pharmacological effects are often found on the Internet,” the report said, adding governments should consider making groups of substances illegal at a time to slow the process of finding replacements for them.

The United States is still a prime destination for shipments of illegal drugs, according to the report.  The U.S. saw an increase in the abuse of all drugs except for cocaine in 2009 and an increase in the illegal distribution of prescription medications.  According to government data, so-called pain clinics in some states dispense or prescribe large amounts of prescription opioids to people with no need for them.   The large profits produced by the illegal drug trade allow criminal groups to engage in large-scale corruption that includes paying off police to let them operate more freely, the report found.  This can influence the credibility and competence of a country’s criminal justice system and weaken the rule of law. It also can undermine international cooperation to crack down on drugs. A prime example of this is seen in Mexico where corruption continues to block efforts to fight drug trafficking.  Africa has seen an increase in all types of drug abuse, meanwhile east and Southeast Asia saw an increase in trafficking, production and abuse of synthetic drugs.

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March 31 ends the fiscal year for Japan and the pressure is building on Prime Minster Naoto Kan and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) as they prepare to press their budget plan for the next year through the Diet – the Japanese parliament.

Japan is facing multiple economic challenges that each threatens to hamper the countries national economy as well as trade. Politically, the situation is equally unsettling as the government is up against a phenomenon known as a ‘twisted Diet’ – a term describing the situation where the Upper and Lower houses are controlled by opposing sides. The ruling coalition headed by PM Kan lost its Upper House majority in July’s election and since the Upper House cannot be dissolved, Mr. Kan will have a difficult time passing bills for the upcoming budgetary plan.

Among the financial concerns of the nation is trade. After a surprisingly stable trading market during the last two years, the Japanese Ministry of Finance revealed a gloomy trade deficit this February. Paradoxically, large cooperations such as Toyota, Honda and Nintendo were actually recovering quickly on top of the global financial crises but what threatens to derail the process is now the unusually strong yen. Toyota reported a drop of 39% in profits from the last quarter, Honda had an equal drop of 40% while Nintendo, which generates up to 80% of its revenue abroad, claim to have a 75% decrease in profits between April and December 2010. Much of the blame is directed at the record high exchange rate for the Yen, currently at its highest in fifteen years.

This has put a damper on the country’s export as the expensive yen on one hand stifle the price-competitiveness of Japanese product and on the other, eats up the profit in the process of converting from foreign currency into Japan’s national monetary standard. Larger cooperations are responding to the situation by moving capital and production out of Japan – Toyota has already started to produce their popular hybrid car Prius in Thailand.

Another grave concern is the public debt burden which is estimated to be about twice the size of gross domestic product. Mr. Kan is planning to reduce the debt by reorganizing the national finances, raise taxes and scrap the DPJ’s pledge of doubling childcare handouts to household. But the Kan administration’s budget is being met with strong opposition by economists. “The government barely scraped by getting revenue to match spending” said Hiroshi Miyazaki, chief economist at Tokyo-based Shinkin Asset Management, to Bloomberg. The budget “doesn’t work to improve the state of public finances but it doesn’t do anything to spur the economy either.” A strategist at Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. also said to Bloomberg “What’s most problematic is that there is almost no visible clue to how Japan will consolidate its finances”.

Several commentators predict that the biggest focus in the coming time will be not on the content of the budget, but how the DPJ expect to get it through the Diet. PM Kan has seen his popularity dwindle in the last six months but is resisting claims that he will join his four predecessors of the last four years in what is called the ‘revolving door’ of Japanese politics. He wants to bring reform but it is uncertain if his goals will be fulfilled – and if so, if it will be on the expense of Mr. Kan’s position. The end of the fiscal year will show if this is the beginning of the end for the DPJ or the start of a fundamental restructuring of the Japanese market and political climate.

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Recently the most powerful earthquake to hit the nation in recorded history struck Japan. It did not only end there but instead set free to a tsunami. The 8.9- magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Japan killing hundreds of people.

According to CNN, Andy Clark a witness outside Tokyo mentioned how “the earth shook with such ferocity”. He himself had started to get used to earthquakes during his 20 years in Japan. Clark terrified “thought things were coming to an end”.

The damage caused by this earthquake collapsed building and ignited fires, killing and misplacing tens of thousands of people. The approximate number of people missing has not yet been revealed. Kyodo a news agency reported how the death told would pass 1,000. Around 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated.

CNN mentioned how the “quake toppled cars of bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boars, houses and trailers in their path”. This was not it the quake also affected air travel. Kyodo the news agency in Tokyo mentioned how 13,00 people were stranded at the Narita airport and 10,000 at the Haneda airport.

But is this the end of it? Is Japan ready for a similar disaster?

The “Great Tokai Earthquake” is a predicted disaster southwest of Tokyo. Japan indicates how it has spent trillions of yen preparing for this disaster. The country has warned its citizens since 1976, about a 8.0 quake, which would be off the coast of Shizuoka prefecture, which is located about 100 miles southeast of Tokyo.

The cause of this earthquake is a build up from over 150 years. Since there has not been a major earthquake along the plates that collide off the Shizuoka’s coastline, the building up of the energy for a really long time will eventually release in an earthquake. This warning has already been mentioned to the citizens of Japan. Instead they have been handed a 14 PG guidebook by the Japanese government on the Tokai earthquake theory. Earthquakes have not been a surprise to them, but this one was. Scientists cannot particularly predict when an earthquake will occur in Japan, but they can be very certain about where it will occur.

Geophysicist Morgan Moschetti with the National Earthquake Information Center mentions how “generally we can give ideas where this will happen based on history… but… we can’t predict the times of earthquakes”. He also mentions how they can predict how every earthquake has a potential of releasing many after shocks. The one that just took place on Friday still has a potential of releasing many other after shocks.

Japan’s tendency of earthquakes is a cause of its location. Which is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. Japan-guide mentions how “if earthquakes occur below or close to the ocean, they may trigger tidal waves, tsunami”.

Is Japan prepared for another one?  Is Japan a safe island to live on?

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