from recent news in Japan

10日、東京電力は、、福島第一原子力発電所２号機で溶け落ちたデブリ（核燃料）の試験的な取り出しの採取に再び着手した。当初は８月２３日に開始の予定だったが、同日、手順のミスが発見されて中断していたものである。だから、３週間遅れの再開である。成功すれば、２０１１年３月の原発事故以降で最初のデブリの取り出しとなる。東京電力は２週間かけてこの作業を行う。

On Tuesday Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings resumed its experimental work of getting the melted nuclear fuel-debris- out of the No.2 reactor at its Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. On its original schedule the company should have started its work on August 23, but it stopped the job because an unexpected mistake in the procedure was found on the same day. Then the work was resumed three weeks after the first trial. If this trial is successful, it would be the first time for the fuel to be removed from the reactor after the nuclear reactor's accident in March in 2011. TEPCO is going to remove a slight mount of debris from the reactor taking about 2 weeks.

from recent news in Japan

長崎で、「黒い雨」による被爆について　初の認定が下る　地裁判決により　　原告の一部に　被爆者手帳の交付を命じた

As many as 44 people, including 4 people already dead, who experienced the Nagasaki nuclear bombing in 1945 at the place out of the area that the central government defined and later used to determine government support for the victims, had filed the lawsuit against the Nagasaki prefectural and city governments seeking to ask them to issue the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificates, the ruling was handed down at the Nagasaki District Court on Monday. The presiding judge Shinsuke Matsunaga recognized that the black rain containing radioactive substances fell at the eastern part of Nagasaki city, admitted the 15 plaintiffs, including 2 already dead, are the bomb victims, and ordered the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificates should be issued to them. The remaining 29 people were in the area except the eastern part of the city and their complaints were dismissed.

国が定めた地域以外で原爆にあった被爆体験者４４人（うち４人死亡）が長崎県と長崎市に対して被爆者手帳の交付を求めた訴訟で、判決が下りた。長崎地裁でである。裁判長は長崎市の東部で放射性物質を含んだ黒い雨が降ったと認定して、１５人（うち２人死亡）に被爆者手帳の交付を命じた。東部以外の地域にいた残りの２９人については訴えは退けられた。

from a recent news in the world

日本製鉄のＵＳスチール買収計画　不可解な動きである　　安全保障上の問題があるとする　けれども買収策が実現しなければ、工場閉鎖や労働者の雇用打ち切りにもつながりかねない　

どうするアメリカ 　決着は今秋の大統領選挙の後になるのではあるまいか（このパートは私の推測）

It is said that the US president Joe Biden would stop the buy-out plan of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel because of economic security.
This policy is hard to understand, as this business deal is going to be done with a company in Japan, an ally with the USA. Nippon Steel Corporation announced its plan to buy U.S. Steel up for about ￥2 trillion last December.
But, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the screening body in the US, examined the deal, and is reported that it is going to issue the recommendation they would not admit the deal, saying " There is a high possibility that would cause an inevitable national economic security concern." These kinds of recommendation have been issued so far mostly to Chinese companies, not to any Japanese company.
Given such conditions, the Biden administration is likely to ban this deal. But actually, if the deal is not concluded, U.S. Steel has to shut down some plants in the USA and cut down some parts of its workforce.

Final decision might be delayed after the presidential election in November in the US. That is my guess.

from recent news

立憲民主党の代表選挙に4氏の出馬が決定　野田、枝野、泉、吉田の4氏で、23日に選出される

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan officially announced its leader election campaign on Saturday with the four members running the race. They are former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda, 67, former party leader Yukio Edano, 60, current leader Kenta Izumi,50, and the House of Representatives member Harumi Yoshida, 52. The focal points are how to forge out major policies related to economy and energy as well as how to create the joint struggle tactics in cooperation with other opposition parties, with the chance for the change of the government at the next general elections for the lower house of the Diet in their minds. The CDPJ's new leader will be decided on September 23 at the party's extraordinary conference held the same day in Tokyo.

立憲民主党の代表選挙が火ぶたをきり、4人が立候補した。前総理大臣の野田氏、前代表の枝野氏、現代表の泉氏、それに衆議院議員の吉田氏の4人である。争点は、経済、エネルギーにかかわる重要政策をどう考えるか、それに次期の衆議院選挙で政権交代の期待もかかっており、他の野党との共闘をどうするかとなどである。新代表は23日に決まる。

from recent news

小泉氏　出馬を正式に表明　自民党総裁選へ　最多６人目の名乗りとなる　早期の衆議院解散を明言した

Regarding the Liberal Democratic Party president election, which is to officially start on September 12 with the vote held on the 27th of the month, Shinjiro Koizumi, ex-minister for the environment, expressed his candidacy on Friday at the press conference in Tokyo. He is the 6th candidate in the election, whose number has been the most in the party's history. At the press conference, he made clear his intention to dissolve the lower house as soon as possible and have general elections if he is chosen to be the party's president and then the prime minister. He referred to the "three reforms" consisting of political reform, deregulation, and expansion of options for working practices. And he said these reforms would be implemented within a year.

自民党総裁選に関連して、元環境相の小泉進次郎氏が６日東京都内で記者会見を開いて立候補することを表明した。自民党史上最多の６人目の立候補者となった。会見でもし総裁、総理に選ばれたならば、早期に衆議院を解散して総選挙を行いたいと明言した。そして、政治改革と規制緩和、働き方などの選択肢拡大の「三つの改革」を１年以内に実施すると述べた。

From recent news

車大手４社　　EV電池で１兆円投資するとのこと　経済安全保障の一環として　国も３５００億円を補助するとのこと

It is learned that four Japanese major automobile makers, such as Toyota, SUBARU and Mazda, and battery makers plan to add as much as about ￥1 trillion to their investments in their domestic facilities by 2028 in order to mass-produce batteries for EVs, electric vehicles. The issue is regarded one of the nation's economic securities, the government is planning to aid ￥350 billion, the third of the cost, to the project. The aim is to establish the supply chain for materials for the EV market expected to grow globally from now on, not depending overseas.

自働車大手４社と電池メーカが2028年までに、EV用の電池の量産に向けて、新たに国内で１兆円の投資を行う。これは安全保障上の問題であるので政府もその費用の三分の一にあたる3500億円を補助する。目的とするのは、世界的なEV市場の拡大に備えて、海外に依存しないサプライチェーンを確立することである。

Recent News

富士山降灰　広域予報　気象庁　噴火備え　数年内に　予想量を　３段階で明示

Mt.Fuji is now regarded to be a dormant volcano, which doesn't mean it would not erupt again in the future. On the contrary, there have recently been growing concerns that there might be a huge scale eruption from the mountain. Given such conditions, Japan Meteorological Agency decided to make clear its prediction for volcanic ash fall, which is expected to spread to wide areas and last long. Some estimate says there will be the ash would fall to the ground as high as 30 centimeters at the most in some places, causing a tremendous damage like the collapse of houses and disruption of traffic networks. Therefore, the agency's prediction would help start disaster-prevention measures sooner than before in many municipalities. Starting in the next fiscal year, the agency will begin developing the new prediction system and start its new prediction system in several years. The agency says the prediction will be provided with the three stages in accordance with the seriousness.

富士山は現在休火山となっていますが、将来噴火しないというわけではありません。反対に、いつか噴火が起こるのではないかという懸念が増しています。そうした状況下で気象庁では降灰の広域予報を出す方針を固めました。最大３０センチメートルの火山灰の堆積もあり得て、家屋の倒壊や交通の寸断などの甚大な被害が予想されますので、迅速な対応が求められます。来年度がら予測システムの開発に着手して、数年後を目途に開始したいとのことである。

Recent News

地域の足確保　官民組織で　過疎・観光地への適用　公共ライドシェアなども　鉄道・航空・IT連携などで　何とかしよう

At present in Japan there are a lot of so-called "traffic-empty areas" where people could not use the public transportation easily. So, the government is planning to establish an organization consisting of the public and private entities in order to deal with the problem. They will encourage local governments to initiate a go-ahead project in cooperation with a start-up, giving the financial support. The car-ride-share system whose ban was lifted this spring in Japan would be possible one option to be utilized in this scheme. The ultimate goal is to make transportation methods usable even in rural areas across the country. Railroad companies, airlines, IT firms and others from the private sector are expected to participate in this project. I am looking forward to seeing a good result as a sightseeing tour guide.

Recent News

太陽パネルの再利用　義務化　政府方針で　大量廃棄に備え　まおなるほどと思われる
It is learned that the government has decided the used solar power panels should be recycled as an obligation. The solar panels have begun increasing their numbers from the late 2010s and most of them would be in their expiration period of the 2030s. That means a lot of them would otherwise likely be dumped in large quantities without the consideration to the environment. Given such conditions, the government has been thinking of the way of reducing the burden to the environment.

Recent News

iPS膵島　糖尿病治験へ使う　　「１型」に有効　来年にも　京大病院で開始か　　インスリン注射が　不要となる　
According to the sources familiar with the matter, Hospital at Kyoto University is planning to start the new treatment method for type 1 diabetes using iPS cells (induced pluripotent cells). Type 1 diabetes is caused from malfunctions of pancreas. Through this treatment the patients could reduce their burden like there is no need for insulin injection. This new way of treatment also will prevent the patients from dying from low blood sugar. The new treatment will start next year at the earliest. They are planning to get this method in practice in many other medical facilities starting in 2030 after experiments in related firms.

Recent News

万博会場孤立したとき　船を活用する案生まれる　防災計画判明　帰宅困難者が出た場合　輸送はどうするか　大屋根　一時滞在場所になれる
As the world exposition, EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN, is to be held next year in Osaka, its disaster prevention measures Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo has been coming up with have come to be learned. According to those, there is an idea that ships would be utilized for transporting the people who could not come back their homes when the bridge or the tunnel connecting the exposition venue artificial island Yume-shima and the opposite side of the city of Osaka gets stopped for traffic, and the venue of island's isolation would last long. Another idea is that the big roof round-shaped facility would be used as a temporary evacuation site. The measures' contents will officially be released on Monday.

Recent News

防衛費最大８兆５３８９億円の見込み　　概算要求で、　「反撃能力」整備を狙う　で、総額１１７兆円超となるだろう

As the government is now working to compile the fiscal 2025 general account budget, the draft requests from all the ministries have been given to the finance ministry by Friday. According to that, it is estimated that the total amounts of all those requests exceed 117 trillion yen with increased expenses, including the defense expenses which have first exceeded the 8 trillion threshold. That means it will exceed the fiscal 2024' one by 3 trillion yen breaking the record for 2 years in a row. And it also means that the total amounts will be over the 110 trillion level for 4 straight years. Looking those by ministry, the defense ministry's aim is, first of all, to enhance the so-called "counter-attack capabilities" of the country, and its request have come to be its biggest-ever 8,538.9 billion yen.

recent news

パリ　パラリンピック開幕　最多の167の国と地域から参加　８月２８日
The 17th summer Paralympic games opened in Paris on Wednesday. This is the first time that the international sports events disabled athletes could participate in have come to be held in Paris which have hosted the Olympic games three times so far. As many as about 4,400 athletes from the largest ever 167 countries or areas have gathered in the glorious sports events which have the slogan of seeking to realize the society of coexistence.

Today's topic

台風近づき、鹿児島に特別警報発令される　九州３県　１１３万世帯に避難指示が出された
As the typhoon No.10 is approaching the island of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorology Agency issued on Wednesday emergency warnings for violent winds, high waves, and high tides for Kagoshima, excluding the Amami region. There is a possibility the emergency warning for heavy rain would be issued for Kagoshima and Miyazaki, and the agency is calling for the highest caution, saying " This is one of the biggest ever typhoons." In the three prefectures of Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Kumamoto, the evacuation orders were issued to as many as about 2.25 million people from about 1.13 million households in total. As a result, more than 4.2 million people moved to evacuation centers or others.

Recent News

石破さん、自民党総裁選出馬表明　自民　複数候補者も週内に表明か
On Saturday, Shigeru Ishiba, 67, ex-Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Part, officially announced his intention in his home ground Tottori to run for the race for the party's presidency, whose schedule will be announced on the 12th of September, and whose vote is to be held on the 27th of the month. His announcement is the second one in the party following that by Tkayuki Kobayashi, 49, former Economic Security Minister. As there are other members who are expected to express their candidacies for the race within this week, the policy debates or the movement to secure more supporters are going to be intensifying.