* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br>A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.<br>(<a href="http://www.terrie.com">http://www.terrie.com</a>)<br><br>General Edition Sunday, April 15, 2012, Issue No. 658<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- One Year On, Radiation Update<br>- News -- Hague convention may not get signed<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback<br>- Travel Destinations Picks -- Aomori and Kyoto<br>
- News Credits<br><br>SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a>, or,<br>
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e-mail us at <a href="mailto:info@pbxl.jp">info@pbxl.jp</a> or call us at 03-4550-2557<br><br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>Over the last few weeks there has been a show down going on<br>
between local and town authorities around the country and <br>the central government, over the restarting of the nation's<br>53 nuclear reactors. It has been "tradition" that a reactor<br>taken off-line for maintenance should require the utility <br>
operator to receive local civic approval before being put <br>back in service. Traditionally and prior to the Tohoku <br>earthquake, getting local government authority was a <br>non-issue with the noticeable exception of the world's <br>
largest reactor (in terms of generation capability) at <br>Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, run by TEPCO. In that case, it came to <br>light that there were cover-ups, and the local communities <br>were not happy.<br><br>However, since the Tohoku earthquake everything has <br>
changed, and local communities all over the country have <br>come to realize that they could potentially have a <br>Fukushima-type disaster on their own back door. No longer <br>is the lure of jobs and easy cash a blinder for the obvious<br>
-- that in an earthquake-prone country like Japan, nuclear <br>is always going to be risky.<br><br>This was never truer than for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, where the<br>2007 Chuetsu earthquake revealed a fault line just 20km <br>
away from the power plant, and where the accelerative <br>forces in the ground exceeded the plant's design criteria <br>and shut it down for 18 months. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa was <br>eventually brought back online in 2010, but after the <br>
Fukushima disaster last year it was again closed, this time<br>indefinitely by order of the governor of Niigata. <br><br>The governor has made it clear that Niigata wants answers, <br>specifically what assurances there will be that Fukushima <br>
won't be repeated at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, an area that has <br>had two major quakes in the last 8 years. It's becoming <br>pretty clear that there can be no such assurances, and that<br>the government will have to ram through any reactor <br>
restarts around the country or else start preparing for a <br>very difficult summer of power cuts. The mayor of Osaka, <br>Toru Hashimoto, is making hay out of this situation with <br>his new anti-nuclear, Osaka-focused political party.<br>
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<br>---------- YOUR BOTTOM LINE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>All this political action about nuclear power plants is not<br>lost on the regular man in the street, and while everyone <br>
would prefer to have air conditioning and regular working <br>hours this August and September, we rather suspect that at <br>least for this year and probably next, people would be <br>willing to do without these luxuries if it means staying <br>
safe. <br><br>There are not a few people asking why the government <br>doesn't go all out to build alternative energy projects, as<br>a sign of leadership. Even if they did restart some <br>reactors, they could point to the new projects as an <br>
alternative future and ask the populace to be patient while<br>these were being built. Instead, the two solar mega-projects<br>announced so far, one in Hokkaido and one in Kyushu, are by<br>private companies, with little sign of government <br>
involvement. <br><br>The only conclusion that the public can come to is that the<br>politicians and bureaucracy are so wedded to nuclear that <br>they have no intention of creating alternatives. We don't <br>understand why the DPJ leadership start engaging in some <br>
big-picture thinking, and try to win back the trust of the <br>populace. They should take a leaf from Toru Hashimoto's <br>book, invoke memories of the old LDP and set a direction <br>that says they care about people and not just vested <br>
interests. Perception is everything.<br><br>When it comes to nuclear and distrust, there is probably no<br>group with greater concerns than the parents of young <br>families, and what they are most concerned about is the <br>
low-dose exposure of their kids to radiation, both directly<br>and through food and water. We covered radiation in food in<br>some detail back in TT-620 "Is Our Food Radiation Safe?" <br>and again in TT-622 "Where to Find Safe Food". <br>
<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/tt620_is-our-food-supply-radiation-safe">http://www.japaninc.com/tt620_is-our-food-supply-radiation-safe</a><br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/tt622_where-to-find-safe-food">http://www.japaninc.com/tt622_where-to-find-safe-food</a><br>
<br>Since we wrote those columns back in July 2011, there have <br>been various scares in the press, mainly over Fukushima <br>rice showing up in school lunches around the country and <br>water safety, but basically no one has been able to point <br>
to any particular immediate poisoning of the population -- <br>despite a lot more radiation detection equipment in the <br>hands of the public. So in the absence of major bad news, <br>this is a good thing.<br><br>But the problem with kids and radiation is that most of the<br>
government-mandated measures are set for a hypothetical <br>fully-grown male. It has been well established by research <br>that pre-teens and particularly unborn fetuses and kids <br>under the age of 7-9 years are much more sensitive to <br>
low-dose radiation than are adults. A 1983 paper in the <br>Pediatrics Journal, called "Special Susceptibility of <br>Children to Radiation", found from studies of Japanese kids<br>after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs that there were <br>
notable increases in disease and fatalities for people <br>later in life after exposure as unborn and pre-teens. In <br>particular leukemia, breast cancer in females, and thyroid <br>cancer, were all noticeably higher. Birth defects such as <br>
small head size and spontaneous abortions were also <br>common.<br><br>In the absence of a forthright government policy of testing<br>and assistance for young families, many in Fukushima-ken <br>have voted with their feet, while those in Tokyo are voting<br>
with their pocketbooks (and their feet: we know of a number<br>of families who have left Tokyo because of radiation <br>concerns). No one is broadcasting the number of people who<br>have evacuated Fukushima-ken (we're not including the <br>
80,000 who were forced to evacuate from the exclusion zone <br>by the government), but speculation is somewhere between<br>60,000 and 100,000 people. So totally, about 7%-8% of the <br>prefecture's entire population has left, at least<br>
temporarily.<br><br>Most young families still in Tokyo (and we presume those<br>in Fukushima) are taking their own precautions, even a year<br>later. People are still avoiding produce from Fukushima, <br>not drinking milk that doesn't come from Hokkaido or <br>
southwest Japan, and are ordering rice, water, and soy <br>products from Kyushu. Many store chains and vegetable <br>suppliers have taken to doing internal radiation checks on<br>produce, and the government recently passed very strict <br>
new radiation-in-food limits.<br><br>Our take is that the food supply to those of us in Tokyo is<br>relatively safe, and by taking some simple precautions over<br>meat (eat imported), milk (drink Hokkaido-sourced), and <br>
rice (order from Kyushu) in 2012, your family can otherwise<br>eat normally. One persistent worry we have had has been <br>about fish and their contamination from leaking cesium and <br>other radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.<br>
It was therefore with some relief that we read a report <br>from researchers of the respected Woods Hole Oceanographic <br>Institute, an entity well outside the reach of influence by<br>the Japanese bureaucracy, which gives fish from a zone of <br>
600km to 30km around Fukushima a relatively clean bill of <br>health.<br><br>What they found after taking dozens of samples of plankton <br>and small fish is that certainly radiation levels are <br>elevated (in some locations up to 1,000 times) compared to <br>
tests done before the accident, but that these levels were <br>still only 1/6 that of naturally occurring radionuclides <br>such as Potassium-40. They found that any samples <br>containing cesium-134 and -137 were well below levels <br>
considered safe for human consumption.<br><br>What they did find, however, is that the level of <br>cesium-134 appears to still be high and is being refreshed,<br>indicating that the ground water around the Fukushima <br>
Daiichi plant is leaking the isotope. This might correlate <br>with fears that there has been a melt-through in Reactor 2 <br>and that the ground water is being actively contaminated. <br>If this is the case, it will cause long-term problems for <br>
water drawn from Fukushima wells and probably for food <br>grown in the area. For this reason, we think it's prudent <br>to continue avoiding long-term consumption of products from<br>the area.<br><br>Find the report here: <br>
<a href="http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=50242&tid=3622&cid=133509">http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=50242&tid=3622&cid=133509</a><br><br>Despite our concerns over long-term low-dosage radiation <br>and its possible effect on children, we don't see anything <br>
scary enough to put off travel to the area. What radiation <br>is still on the surface of areas outside the restricted <br>zone appears to be so low that you would need to be in the <br>area for an extensive period, even children. If you want to<br>
see ongoing updates on radiation in the area, then you <br>should follow the postings of <a href="http://www.safecast.org">www.safecast.org</a>.<br><br>*****************<br><br>Just a reminder that <a href="http://www.JapanTourist.jp">www.JapanTourist.jp</a> is running a <br>
special rewards program for writers, for April only. They<br>are giving away an extra 70 Solare hotel room nights, for <br>stays in any one of 68 hotels around Japan. Writing for <br>JapanTourist.jp is easy, just 4 paragraphs, and every <br>
article you submit has approximately a 1:3 chance of <br>winning. Register at: <a href="http://japantourist.jp/register/">http://japantourist.jp/register/</a>.<br><br><br>...The information janitors/<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
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-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- Tokyo office real estate market in trouble<br>- DV complaints up 7% over 2010<br>- 2 years jail for illegal downloads<br>- Hague Convention may not get signed<br>
- Online travel firm Ikyu doing well<br><br><br><br>-> Tokyo office real estate market in trouble<br><br>The Nikkei has a good report on the oversupply of office <br>space in Tokyo this year, with the expectation that <br>
1.81m sq. m. of new office buildings will come on the <br>market, the highest level for 30 years. In the report, the <br>Nikkei reckons that developers hit by the Lehman Shock are <br>having to continue putting up new buildings so as retain <br>
tenants in the face of falling rental income. It further says <br>that unlike 2003 when a similar situation developed, there <br>is no confidence in a market recovery any time soon. We'd <br>agree with that sentiment, especially since the nation is <br>
looking at massive tax increases and more political turmoil<br>in the next two years. (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Apr 12, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120412D12HH757.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120412D12HH757.htm</a><br>
<br>-> DV complaints up 7% over 2010<br><br>The National Police Agency has said that it received 33,745<br>complaints, 6.9% more than last year, domestic violence <br>complaints in 2011. This is a national high and is <br>
indicative of increasing awareness by the population that <br>DV doesn't have to be tolerated. Child abuse complaints <br>also reached a record high, of 3,694 incidents. Separately,<br>stalking cases were down slightly to 18,524 complaints, and<br>
harassment by phone calls or in person came in at 201,106 <br>complaints. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Apr <br>12, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120412D12JF767.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120412D12JF767.htm</a><br>
<br>-> 2 years jail for illegal downloads<br><br>The Chunichi Shimbun has reported that the government is <br>likely to pass legislation that makes downloading pirated <br>software and content illegal, and which will likely carry <br>
penalties of two years in prison or a JPY2m fine. Japan <br>already has laws on pirate uploads, so this provides the <br>other side of the coin. ***Ed: While pirating software and <br>content isn't right, we think two years in prison is <br>
draconian. Driving without a licence, which is roughly <br>equivalent to downloading without a licence in our opinion,<br>carries a 1-year prison sentence...** (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://animenewsnetwork.com">animenewsnetwork.com</a>, Apr 13, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://bit.ly/IRUiVw">http://bit.ly/IRUiVw</a><br><br>-> Hague Convention may not get signed<br><br>Although the Hague Convention on international child <br>abduction is just a starting point (the Japanese family law<br>
also needs to be changed), nonetheless left-behind-parents <br>caught up in Japan's kidnapping legal loopholes were hoping<br>that the government's commitment to sign this year would be<br>the first step to bringing the nation in line with other <br>
countries. But it's not to be. It appears that the <br>legislation has been submitted too late for it to be heard <br>in the Diet this year, and therefore will be pushed back to<br>next year -- which is an election year... ***Ed: What's the<br>
guess that this signing will get buried for another couple <br>of years? The problem for everyone isn't the signing of the<br>Convention, it's the follow-up law changes, which go to the<br>very heart of Japan's family court values -- i.e., having <br>
the concept of children as "belongings" to one house rather<br>than giving them equal access to both parents. Japanese <br>judges strongly believe in "emotional cauterization" in a <br>marriage breakup and no amount of psychological studies <br>
will convince them otherwise. Basically we're not talking <br>science but religion when this subject comes up.** (Source:<br>TT commentary from <a href="http://japantimes.co.jp">japantimes.co.jp</a>, Apr 13, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120413f2.html">http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120413f2.html</a><br><br>-> Online travel firm Ikyu doing well<br><br>Despite fierce competition from Recruit's JALAN and Rakuten<br>
Travel, online travel booking site Ikyu says that it will <br>book a pre-tax profit of JPY1.3bn, JPY250m more than last <br>year, for FY2011. The company credits the extra income to <br>robust sales as the domestic travel market recovers, as <br>
well as a 2% increase in commissions charged to hotels, to <br>10%. Overall sales were JPY4.2bn. ***Ed: At 10% they are on<br>a par with <a href="http://booking.com">booking.com</a> and some other major foreign sites <br>
-- thank the foreigners for setting the benchmark.** <br>(Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Apr 12, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120411D1104A04.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120411D1104A04.htm</a><br>
<br><br><br>NOTE: Broken links<br>Many online news sources remove their articles after just a<br>few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we<br>apologize for the inconvenience.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>--------- 70 Extra Solare Hotel Rooms for April -----------<br><br>If you can write 350 words and take 3-5 correctly exposed<br>photos, then you should try your hand as a writer for Japan<br>Tourist, Metropolis' fast-growing Japan travel megasite.<br>
<br><a href="http://www.japantourist.jp">www.japantourist.jp</a> is in fact the fastest growing English-<br>language travel site in Japan, and it's getting that way<br>because more than 200 people have signed up to contribute.<br>
<br>Japantourist.jp is offering 10 Delta airline tickets, <br>800+ Solare hotel rooms all across the country, Adidas<br>apparel, and many other redeemable goods and services to<br>anyone writing for the site. So long as it is in Japan,<br>
anywhere, past or present, is welcome.<br><br>Oh, and we're offering a bonus 70 hotel rooms (offered as<br>a sweepstakes) for articles written during the month of <br>April. This means a 1:3 chance per article of receiving a<br>
hotel room anywhere in the Solare network in Japan.<br><br><a href="http://www.japantourist.jp">www.japantourist.jp</a> for more information.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES<br><br>=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively<br>marketing the following positions for customers setting up<br>or expanding in Japan, as well as other employers of<br>
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monitoring, as well as data backup (tape changing), <br>inventory management, and assisting in designing and <br>setting up networks. You will also be responsible for <br>consulting with the sales team to provide technical advice.<br>
<br>Due to the technical nature and demanding work environment,<br>this position is suitable for someone with experience of 3+<br>years of system administration experience and 4+ years of <br>user/desktop support, with a preference for those with some<br>
experience in network design and site audits. In addition,<br>since this role requires direct negotiations with both <br>Japanese and international clients, so business-level <br>communication skills in English and fluent Japanese will be<br>
required.<br><br>Remuneration is JPY5m – JPY6m depending on your experience <br>and skill level.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- PC Support Engr, global bank, JPY4M – 4.5M<br>- Project Manager, global bank, JPY6M – JPY10M<br>
- Asset Management Admin, global bank, JPY3.5M – JPY4M<br>- Web Designer, global hotel franchise, JPY4.5M – JPY6M<br>- Field Engr (DC), global DC provider, JPY3.5M – JPY4.5M<br><br>** BiOS Job Mail<br><br>Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its<br>
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Web: <a href="http://www.biosjp.com">www.biosjp.com</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br>
<br>---------------- Start a Company in Japan -----------------<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 2nd of June, 2012<br><br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>find out what it takes to make it successful. Terrie Lloyd,<br>
founder of over 17 start-up companies in Japan, will be <br>giving an English-language seminar and Q and A on starting <br>up a company in Japan.<br><br>This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved,<br>and to ask specific questions that are not normally <br>
answered in business books. All materials are in English <br>and are Japan-focused.<br><br>For more details:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar">http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar</a><br>
<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>--------- Visit The Japanese Diet (Parliament) ------------<br><br>A unique opportunity to visit the Japanese Diet, tour the<br>actual Diet Chambers, meet a Diet Member and have lunch in<br>
the Diet Cafeteria. Get a glimpse into how Japan works!<br>Wednesday, April 18, sponsored by the Tokyo American Club<br>Culture Committee, open to TAC Members and their guests.<br><br>For information contact 03 4588 0670 or <a href="mailto:team@jhelp.com">team@jhelp.com</a><br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK<br><br>In this section we run comments and corrections submitted<br>
by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and<br>amplify our points, by email, to <a href="mailto:editors@terrie.com">editors@terrie.com</a>.<br><br>*** No feedback this week.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>----------- Experienced Biz Dev/Interpreter --------------<br><br>Ex-investment banker, venture capitalist and current biz<br>dev expert seeks part-time work as interpreter and market<br>development consultant. Knowledgeable in finance, web,<br>
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presentation skills.<br><br>Based in Tokyo, available for immediate assignment, OK <br>with short-term projects. Contacting me for a preliminary<br>meeting and quotation for services is free.<br><br>For more information, contact: <a href="mailto:bigred461696@gmail.com">bigred461696@gmail.com</a><br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ TRAVEL DESTINATIONS PICKS<br><br>=> Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori<br><br>The Nebuta Matsuri, held yearly August 2 to August 7, is an<br>
old festival whose origins, not unlike most old festivals, <br>are murky. It appears to have at least two possible <br>antecedents: lantern offerings of the Tanabata Festival, or<br>a large lantern built for the Lantern Festival. The size of<br>
that possible first "large" lantern? 360cm on each side - <br>quite a far cry from the current <br>9m-wide-by-7m-long-by-5m-high floats. Size isn't the only <br>thing that's changed, though. Candles have been replaced by <br>
lightbulbs, while bamboo frames have been abandoned in <br>favour of wire. What's stayed the same is the paper used to<br>cover the wire - thousands of sheets of housho (mulberry <br>wood) paper, painted in brilliant colours.<br>
<br><a href="http://japantourist.jp/view/nebuta-matsuri">http://japantourist.jp/view/nebuta-matsuri</a><br><br>=> Flowers and Mochi in Sannenzaka, Kyoto<br><br>Where would a Kansai girl go when she wants to experience <br>
Kyoto? Eri, a Japanese student from Osaka, shares her <br>story from her time in Kyoto. Here are her words:<br><br>"My favorite route in Kyoto was to get off Kawaramachi <br>station of Hankyu train and walk to Kiyomizu temple. I <br>
didn’t realize it took at least half an hour to reach the <br>temple. However, there were a lot of souvenir shops on<br>either side of the street so I didn’t feel it was a long <br>way and I could enjoy strolling."<br>
<br><a href="http://japantourist.jp/view/flowers-and-mochi-in-sannenzaka-kyoto">http://japantourist.jp/view/flowers-and-mochi-in-sannenzaka-kyoto</a><br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>
***********************************************************<br>END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,142 members as of Apr 15, 2012<br>(We purge our list regularly.)<br><br>+++ ABOUT US<br><br>STAFF<br>Written by: Terrie Lloyd (<a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>)<br>
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