Government, Politics & Security
Japan yet to grasp significance of an Obama White House
To assess how the next U.S. administration of Barack Obama would cope with the various challenges ahead, it is essential to have an accurate understanding of the significance of his election victory, Japanese experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
As the first black to become U.S. president, much of the Japanese media coverage of the election tended to focus on this fact, but that is only one part of the story, they said.
Four experts took part in the Nov. 20 symposium organized by the Keizai Koho Center to discuss Obama’s economic and diplomatic challenges as well as Japan-U.S. relations.
Given the extremely low popular support for outgoing President George W. Bush and the financial crisis that engulfed the United States since just before the election, Obama’s resounding victory came as no surprise, said Akihiko Tanaka, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Oriental Culture. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era
Michael Auslin’s new report (with Christopher Griffin) is up at the AEI website: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )For nearly five decades, the U.S.-Japanese alliance has underwritten peace and security in the Asia Pacific. The alliance has allowed for the forward basing of tens of thousands of American troops and cooperation between the two countries on a wide range of security issues. The alliance is being tested today by the economic and military rise of China, the continuing crisis in North Korea, and the struggle to maintain the tide of democratic reform in the Asia-Pacific region. (さらに…)
WTF? Simple possession of child porn unpunishable in Japan
Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents: Viewing child porn, manga depicting such to be criminalized; Simple possession of child porn unpunishable in Japan
It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is a problem. I want Japan to seriously consider placing a ban on child porn, including viewing such as well.It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is a problem. I want Japan to seriously consider placing a ban on child porn, including viewing such as well.
The Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil from November 25 through 28. Participants compiled a strict action plan that regulates access to child porn and obtaining such as well as viewing child porn and materials that depict explicit images of sexually abused children, including manga and anime. In Japan, the simple possession of child porn and materials depicting such is not punishable. The delay in Japan’s approach was visible at the congress. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Divorcee sues to register child to real dad
OKAYAMA (Kyodo) A woman in Soja, Okayama Prefecture, who gave birth within 300 days of her divorce will file a lawsuit seeking ¥3.3 million in compensation from the city for refusing to register her baby as born to her and her current husband, the woman’s lawyer said Monday.
The city rejected the registration submitted by her current husband on Nov. 10, citing a provision in the Civil Code — Paragraph 2 of Article 772 — that says a child born within 300 days from the date of the dissolution or cancellation of a marriage is deemed to have been conceived during the time the couple were married. The woman was separated from her former husband for a much longer period, according to the lawyer.
The suit, to be filed with the Okayama District Court, claims the city violated the Constitution. (さらに…)
Getting Green with Trash Redistribution
Terrie Lloyd writes: “Over the last couple of years, and particularly due to improved awareness of the negative health and environmental effects of pollution, global commercial interest in “clean tech” and “green tech” has been increasing. We believe the turning point for environmentally-sensitive technology becoming a viable business field would have been the recent establishment of carbon-trading organizations and emerging government legislation around the world to force companies to acknowledge their pollutin’ ways. We now have the beginnings of a commercial foundation upon which a whole new industry will be formed.
No where is the hope to make millions by creating new ways to extract energy from garbage, reuse resources instead of manufacturing/mining fresh ones, or make dangerous by-products safe again, bigger than in Japan. But the fact is that while there is a burgeoning interest in such technologies, old habits die hard and green/clean businesses usually require a lot of supply infrastructure — either for the sourcing of the trash or alternative inputs needed, and a motivated distribution network that receives and delivers to the consumers the energy/derivative outputs. Thus, in Japan at least, apart from government and big corporate fundings of trial programs, the real opportunities to make money out of such solutions are still premature. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Local Groups Battling the Rise of HIV in Japan
The statistics speak for themselves: 25 million dead, 33 million infected and 2 million new cases each year. The global AIDS epidemic, which first reared its head 27 years ago, continues to spread around the globe. As governments and NPOs work together to lessen the impact, infection rates have slowed and the public’s knowledge throughout the First World has increased — except in Japan.
According to a July 2008 report published by The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization, Japan had the lowest HIV prevalence of the major developed countries. Yet in contrast to other nations, infection rates here have actually grown since 1996. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Japanese and U.S. Students Chat on Politics
A video conference was held yesterday between college students of Japan and the United States. The event clearly exposed the difference between Japanese students, who have few hopes of politics, and their American counterparts, who have strong expectations for change. Some Japanese students reacted enviously to U.S. participants who repeatedly said that with participation, politics can be changed.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo hosted the event. Some 170 Japanese and American students in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Naha, and Washington discussed “youths and politics.”
In reaction to a report that Japanese youths have little interest in politics and that they tend to regard lawmakers as “uncool,” an American student asked, “Why do you feel politicians are not cool?” (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )10,000 HIV Carriers Confirmed in Japan
A total of over 10,000 HIV carriers have been confirmed throughout Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced.
According to the ministry’s AIDS surveillance committee, a record number of 294 HIV-infected individuals were newly confirmed from July to September, which was the largest figure ever on a quarter-on-quarter basis. The total number of HIV-positive patients — excluding HIV-tainted blood product victims — surpassed 10,247 (8,305 men and 1,942 women).
The number of HIV sufferers reached 5,000 in the 17 years since the first infection was discovered in Japan in 1985. In the five years and nine months from January 2003, the figure grew a further 5,107.
“Although the HIV-infection rate is apparently stagnant in other advanced countries, it has been increasing rapidly in Japan,” the ministry says, citing the necessity for raising people’s awareness about the situation.
Click here are other articles on HIV and AIDS in Japan.Here is the Global Health Report in Japan.
MSDF Anti-piracy Missions Off Somalia?
The government is considering special legislative measures to send Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to waters off the coast of Somalia in order to guard commercial freighters against pirates. The MSDF’s antipiracy operations would be limited to offshore areas near the Somalia coast. The MSDF would guard not only Japanese commercial ships but also foreign ships. The government will decide whether to present a bill to the Diet at its next ordinary session after seeing the attitude of the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto). The planned legislation will likely be controversial due to such issues as the rules of engagement (ROE) or guidelines for the MSDF to use weapons.
In addition to special legislation, the government is also looking into the feasibility of creating a general law allowing Japan to engage the MSDF in activities anywhere in international waters. Since coordination will take time, the government will likely present a special measures bill to the ordinary Diet session to fast-track it. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Biracial kids to gain dual citizenship?
The Japan Times reports that Liberal Democratic Party member Taro Kono said Thursday he has submitted a proposal to an LDP panel he heads calling for the Nationality Law to be revised to allow offspring of mixed couples, one of whom being Japanese, to have more than one nationality. The panel will scrutinize the proposal, but there is no time limit to formalize it as “this is not something that needs to be done anytime soon,” he said.
Under the current system, Japan, in principle, requires Japanese nationals who also hold citizenship in another country to choose one or the other before they turn 22.
However, there is no punishment for violators, and the Justice Ministry does not search for or even request people who publicly proclaim possession of multiple citizenship to choose one. (さらに…)
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