(WSJ) McDonald's Japan Calls Foul on Chinese Chicken

McDonald's Japan Calls Foul on Chinese Chicken
Restaurant Chain Plucks Chinese Product From Menu; Will Use Meat From Thailand

TOKYO― McDonald's MCD -0.08% Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. said Friday it has decided to stop selling all chicken products produced in China after reports earlier this week that a Chinese food supplier may have shipped expired meat.

"We made this decision as worries are growing over McDonald's chicken products made in China due to the reports on Shanghai Husi Food Co.," said Sarah L. Casanova, president and CEO of McDonald's Japan, in a news release.

Read More
The Roots of China's Expired-Meat Scandal
McDonald's Sticks With Chinese Meat Supplier
The issue, which on Monday prompted KFC owner Yum Brands Inc. YUM +0.18% and McDonald's Corp.'s China arm to drop the China-based food supplier, on Tuesday spread to Japan.

Japan's biggest restaurant chain by revenue said earlier this week that its outlets here cut ties with Shanghai Husi Food Co., an arm of OSI Group Inc. of Aurora, Ill. Shanghai Husi has been accused in Chinese media reports of selling meat products beyond their shelf life.

McDonald's Japan had used China-produced chickens on eight items, including its Chicken McNuggets and its Chicken Fillet-O.

The company said that it will use chicken products made in Thailand from now on.

Write to Megumi Fujikawa at megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com
-----------------------------
This article said half true, "a Chinese food supplier may have shipped expired meat."
Truth is "a Chinese food supplier has shipped expired meat, blue mold meat and fallen down on the floor meat."
Anyways, I like eating hamburger, sitting on the bench.
------------------------------
[Expired meat does not kill men.]
http://goo.gl/dTsKLi
[Blue rotten meat pasts 7 months from expired as well.]
http://goo.gl/F38NEl
[Falen down on the floor meat has used.]
(before)
http://goo.gl/iPwYh2
(after)
http://goo.gl/h4lYWi

(WSJ) Brief Pause in Gaza Fighting

Brief Pause in Gaza Fighting
Israel Rejects U.S. Plan for 7-Day Cease-Fire, but Agrees to 12-Hour Truce With Hamas

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian truce in the embattled Gaza Strip to begin on Saturday, but a more ambitious one-week cease-fire eluded American negotiators.

Israel on Friday rejected the longer cease-fire, thwarting the main goal of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during nearly a week of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East and raising the prospect of an expanded conflict after 18 days of fighting that has left more than 900 dead, mostly Palestinians.

Mr. Kerry flew to Paris on Friday to continue his efforts into the weekend, expressing optimism for prospects of an eventual deal.

The 12-hour pause could allow Palestinians trapped in combat zones to seek shelter elsewhere and medical workers to treat the wounded. But a previously arranged pause, which was to last two hours, broke down after less than an hour.

View Slideshow

A Palestinian protester brandished a Palestinian flag as he ran past burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops at the Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday. Reuters

See Related Video on WorldStream
Protesters March in Ramallah in Support of Gaza
Palestinians Wave Hamas Flags in West Bank
More on the Conflict
A Moment of Hope in Gaza, Followed by Disaster
Kerry, U.N. Chief Preparing to Call for Pause in Fighting Between Israel, Hamas
Shelling Kills 16 at U.N. Gaza Shelter
Cease-Fire Brokers Grapple With How to Rebuild Gaza
Germans Protest Gaza Operation
EU Commissioner Criticizes Israel
At least 16 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded after a school in northern Gaza was hit by shelling on Thursday. It was being used as a United Nations-run shelter for Palestinians fleeing their homes. WSJ's Mark Kelly reports.
Israeli officials say their army needs at least another week to achieve the aim of the offensive: to degrade Hamas's rocket arsenal and network of tunnels that the group's fighters are increasingly using to carry out attacks against Israelis. Even during Saturday's pause, the military said it would continue "operational activities to locate and neutralize" the tunnels.

Shortly after Israel's security cabinet rejected the cease-fire proposal, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told a group of soldiers to be prepared for a "significant expansion" of Israel's ground operation in Gaza "very soon."

"Hamas is paying a heavy price and will pay an even heavier price,'' Mr. Ya'alon said.

An expanded Israeli operation carries risks. The army has lost more soldiers in the Gaza operation than any since its monthlong war against Hezbollah militias in Lebanon in 2006.

Enlarge Image

Secretary of State John Kerry in Cairo. Press pool
Israel's economy also is suffering a blow, with a wave of tourist cancellations and the threat of Hamas rockets to airliners, which provoked a brief ban on flights to Israel this week by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Israel also faces a potential uprising in the West Bank, where hundreds of Palestinians protesting Israel's military operations in Gaza held a second day of demonstrations across the territory.

Clashes between demonstrators and Israeli soldiers in two West Bank villages Friday left four Palestinians dead, while a fifth demonstrator was fatally shot by an Israeli settler, Palestinian officials said.

Israel said it hit dozens of targets in Gaza, including what it said was a Hamas military command post.

Islamic Jihad, a small faction in Gaza that is allied with Hamas, said a spokesman for the group's militant wing and three children, ages 9, 12 and 15, were killed in a strike on their home. The Israeli military said the man, Salah Abu Hasanin, was a member of the group's military council.

Enlarge Image

An Israeli watch tower at the Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday after Palestinians protested Israel's military operations in Gaza. European Pressphoto Agency
The number of Israel's dead also rose on Friday. The army said two of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, bringing Israeli combat deaths to 35.

The failure of Mr. Kerry's cease-fire effort leaves Gaza with the likelihood of more bloodshed in the days ahead, with more Hamas rockets lobbed into Israel and more hardships for Gaza's 1.8 million residents.

Nearly 10% of Palestinians have fled their homes to escape Israeli shelling. United Nations officials who manage 83 refugee centers warn of a swelling humanitarian crisis―acute shortages of medicine, clean drinking water and safe places to shelter. The shelling of a U.N. shelter for hundreds of Gazans left 16 of them dead Thursday.

Mr. Kerry, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at a news conference in Cairo on Friday that Israel and Hamas have yet to agree to lay down their arms during the coming week.

"The parties haven't shown a sufficient willingness to stop this," Mr. Shoukry said. "Unfortunately, we need to expend further effort."

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wasn't able to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, but detailed continuing efforts to deescalate the violence. WSJ's Jerry Seib discusses on the News Hub with Lee Hawkins. Photo: AP.

Israeli officials said Mr. Kerry's proposal didn't satisfy their security concerns. Officials had said this week that Israel was insisting that any cease-fire arrangement allow the army to continue neutralizing Hamas's tunnel network in Gaza―a condition unacceptable to Hamas.

An Israeli official familiar with the government's thinking also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides worried that the cease-fire Mr. Kerry proposed would quickly collapse. "We want a real cease-fire, not a temporary cease-fire,'' the official said. "If you give Hamas permission to fire at us after seven days, I'm not sure it's the right thing."

Mr. Kerry, with Egypt and the U.N., has been promoting a one-week pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip as a bridge to a more formal cease-fire and negotiation over the future of Gaza.

Mr. Kerry said he would travel to Paris for meetings on Saturday with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Turkey, France and the U.K., and the European Union's foreign-affairs chief.

Mr. Kerry said he would also remain in constant contact with Mr. Netanyahu.

"Gaps have been significantly narrowed," Mr. Kerry said of his diplomatic efforts, which have taken him to Cairo, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the West Bank over the past week.

The secretary of state has been building on a formal cease-fire proposal made last week by the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, which Hamas quickly rejected.

Hamas has sought immediate signs that the economic blockade will be lifted, particularly the opening of the Rafah crossing that connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt. Mr. Kerry has also sought to develop an international framework―overseen by the U.N., the U.S., the EU and the Arab League―to quickly address Gaza's economic woes.


Palestinians carry the body of a teenage boy during his funeral at Qalandia refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday. European Pressphoto Agency
In addition to the opening of Gaza's trade routes, the U.S. hopes to find ways to pay for the territory's administrative body, open up fishing waters, and convene a reconstruction conference.

Qatar and Turkey have emerged as key players in the Gaza crisis, because of their extensive financial and diplomatic support for Hamas, which the U.S. and European Union designated a terrorist organization. Hamas's political chief, Khaled Meshaal, is based in Doha.

U.S. officials say splits between Washington's main Mideast allies are undermining their efforts to end the fighting in Gaza.

While Qatar and Turkey support Hamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been seeking to weaken the Islamist organization and its parent body, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr. Sisi, when serving as Egypt's military commander last year, overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government of then-President Mohammed Morsi.

Cairo has since banned the organization and arrested hundreds of its members. Egypt has also choked off the funds flowing into Hamas through the Rafah crossing and underground tunnels.

Egyptian officials have accused Qatar and Turkey of pressuring Hamas not to support the cease-fire because they fear it could emerge as a diplomatic victory for Mr. Sisi. Qatari and Turkish officials have denied the charges.

Still, Mr. Kerry's decision to meet with the two countries' foreign ministers underscored their leverage over the Mideast peace process, said U.S. and Arab officials. The gathering could also fuel suspicions among the Saudi, Egyptian and U.A.E. governments.

―Asa Fitch contributed to this article from Ramallah, West Bank.
---------------------------------
I am con-Hamas but not necessarily pro-Israel due to its apart-hate policy. Let me confirm whether Israel has tried to make Palestine mentally lethargic state and death from hunger?
All the Palestine issue must directly involve in British Commonwealth of Nations who should be supposed to pay any efforts in order not to erase accountability. This awareness is the MOST important to settle the issue completely and finally.
Hamas must disarm itself. Warfare never help Palestine. Only diplomatic efforts can save Palestine to be sustainable toward independence. Both Islamic society and International society should make Hamas realize what they must do.
Israel must keep promise to achieve road map on 2003. As world admitted Jewish refugees to go back Jerusalem, Israel must admit Palestine refugees to come back to Palestine.
British Commonwealth of Nations, 53 countries, rather than the U.S. and U.N. has full responsibility to settle the issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH5E9Lh7090
-------------------------------------------
Hamas has used money for warfare rather than for Palestine sustainable governance.　Palestine could follow Luxemburg example. Not only Islamic world would help Palestine develop if Hamas disarmed itself completely and finally and pursued diplomatic efforts.
http://goo.gl/nBjCbj

(WSJ) Japan to Join U.S.-India Military Exercises

Japan to Join U.S.-India Military Exercises
Maritime Cooperation Grows as Region Faces a More-Assertive China

NEW DELHI―Warships from India, Japan and the U.S. will participate in joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean near Japan starting Thursday―a sign of greater maritime cooperation among nations in Asia as they face a more assertive China.

Ties between New Delhi and Tokyo have strengthened as geopolitical tensions in the region have mounted, and Japan was invited in January to join the so-called Malabar exercise, an annual event that has been primarily a bilateral U.S.-Indian operation.

Beijing, fearing a U.S.-led effort to contain China's rise, reacted angrily when Japan, Australia and Singapore joined the maneuvers in 2007. Japan also participated in 2009, after which until this year, no third party was invited again.

India and Japan are both embroiled in territorial disputes with China and share worries about Beijing's military ambitions. Analysts in India say New Delhi's decision to invite Japan this year signals a more confident and forceful maritime policy.

"It is a reflection of the new strategic environment where there is a degree of unease in India and elsewhere over Chinese activities," said Uday Bhaskar, a former Indian naval officer who is now at the New Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies. "To deal with the rise of China, India is now seeking to shape the environment by building collective capability."

Mr. Bhaskar, who had criticized India's decision to back down from multilateral exercises after 2007, said India seeks a multipolar Asia and maritime cooperation is a smart way to achieve its goal.

India and Japan started conducting bilateral exercises in 2012. In January this year, the countries' coast guards staged joint maneuvers in the Arabian Sea. And ties between the Asian democracies are poised to strengthen further under new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has close relations with his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe.

Chinese officials couldn't be reached to comment on Japan's participation in the training this year.

Japan, backed by the U.S., has launched a diplomatic offensive to draw other Asian countries into a more united front against China, which has been butting heads with its neighbors in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

India, likewise, has accused Chinese troops of making repeated incursions into Indian-controlled parts of the Himalayas. The two countries fought a 1962 war over their Himalayan border.

Indian officials have also grown concerned about China's presence in the Indian Ocean, which India sees as within its sphere of influence and which encompasses critical transit routes for shipments of Mideast oil to India as well as to China, Japan and the rest of East Asia. Beijing has bankrolled port construction in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and its navy has been more active in the region.

China, for its part, has sought to improve economic relations with India. Chinese officials have reached out to Mr. Modi and the two countries, along with other Brics nations, recently signed a deal for a new development bank to challenge the Western-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"India is hedging its bets by taking its relations with both China and Japan forward," said K. Raja Menon, a former assistant chief of India's naval staff who is now an analyst at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. "This is smart diplomacy."

A spokesman for the Indian navy said a frigate, a destroyer, a supply vessel and 800 personnel from India will participate in the weeklong joint exercises, which will include antipiracy and antiterrorism drills. Spokesman D.K. Sharma said the exercises will prepare the countries "for situations when their navies have to work together tactically."

As part of the U.S.'s strategic pivot to Asia, the U.S. has announced plans to shift a bulk of its naval assets to the region within the next decade and increase the number of military exercises it conducts. Mr. Bhaskar said India should seek to make China "a stakeholder in the goal of created collective capabilities rather than an adversary."

Despite tensions between China and the U.S., the Chinese navy is participating in monthlong U.S.-led naval drills that are being viewed by officials on both sides as evidence of an improving military relationship. But the U.S. Pacific Fleet says China has sent an uninvited surveillance ship to international waters off Hawaii to monitor the drills, underlining the wariness in the relationship.

Write to Niharika Mandhana at niharika.mandhana@wsj.com
---------------------------------
Wow! Great drill for peace, for prosperity and for the rule of law.
Bless India, Bless U.S., Bless Japan.

(WSJ) Mutual Dislike Soars Between Japan, South Korea

Mutual Dislike Soars Between Japan, South Korea

What a difference a year can make in relations between neighbors.

A new survey conducted in Japan and South Korea showed that public sentiment toward each other deteriorated sharply over the past year as the two countries ― both led by outspoken, nationalistic leaders ― sparred over wartime history and a disputed island.

According to the two research groups that organized the poll ― Genron NPO in Japan and East Asia Institute in South Korea ― the percentage of Japanese respondents who said they had a “negative impression” of South Korea surged to 54.4% from 37.3% in last year’s survey. Those who had a “positive impression” of South Korea fell to 20.56% from 31.1%.

In South Korea, 46.3% of respondents said Japan poses a “military threat” to their country, higher than the 39.6% who saw China as a threat. Over three-quarters of the Koreans said they had a bad impression of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Overall, 70.9% in Korea held a negative views toward Japan, compared with 76.6% in 2013.

Over a half in South Korea described Japan as a “militaristic” nation, while nearly half in Japan labeled Korea a “nationalistic” society.


The stark results jibe with the rocky relations between the two countries over the past few years. Even as Washington prodded its two East Asian allies to get along, Tokyo and Seoul have fought bitterly over so-called “history issues,” including the treatment of wartime sex slaves and visits by Japanese leaders to a contentious Tokyo shrine that honors convicted war criminals. Since they took office over a year and a half ago, Mr. Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye haven’t been able to sit down together for a summit meeting.

The respondents from both countries blamed their diplomats. In Japan, 54.8% said diplomatic ties between the two governments weren’t functioning well, while 38.5% in Korea gave the same assessment. Well over three-quarters in both nations said the two leaders should have a summit meeting, although in Korea, a majority said its government shouldn’t rush into such a meeting.

The survey shed light on a big gap in the ways the two sides view the difficulties between them. Asked why they held negative feelings toward the other nation, 73.9% in Japan pointed to South Korea’s “persistent criticism” over history issues. In Korea, 76.8% felt the Japanese lacked “correct repentance” for its invasion and colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

All is not lost in the relationship, however. Despite the animosities, many respondents from both nations were eager to visit each other’s country, with 60.9% of Koreans and 41.6% of Japanese expressing such desires.

The research groups gathered roughly 1,000 written responses each in Japan and South Korea for the survey, which was conducted in June.


-------------------------------------
Korea implemented anti-Japan ideology and racism education/policy resulting in 70.9% negative, and
Japan implemented mutual love and peace ideology and fair education/policy resulting in 54.4% negative.
Japanese emotion is reflected from Korean attitude for discount Japan campaigning based on fabrication.
Who has supported anti-semitism? Who has supported anti-Japan ideology?
Only racists require such ideology.
Solution must be holding honest and fair recognition of the past which must be clearly accounted based on the facts.

(WSJ) South Korea, Japan Spat Gets Animated

South Korea, Japan Spat Gets Animated

The latest unlikely victims in the spat between Japan and South Korea are a ballroom reception and an anime exhibit.

A five-star downtown Seoul hotel said Friday it canceled a Japanese Embassy event due to fears of protests, while an exhibit of a popular Japanese animated television series was scrapped―both days before the scheduled date.

The moves reflect the ongoing thorny relations between Japan and South Korea, whose leaders have refused to speak to each other one-on-one for more than a year, due to territorial disputes and different interpretations of Japan’s wartime history.

When Tokyo this month approved a revised interpretation of its pacifist constitution, easing restrictions on military activities outside Japanese territory, South Korea was one of the more vocal critics of the decision.

Japan occupied South Korea for 35 years in early 20th century, a period many South Koreans associate with brutal colonization and wartime atrocities.

The news of the Japanese Embassy’s annual function, which celebrates the founding of Japan’s military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, this week drew angry responses and protest threats online.

A spokeswoman for the planned venue, the Lotte Hotel Seoul, said it made the decision due to concerns about the safety and comfort of patrons unrelated to the event. She added the hotel didn’t receive direct threats.

Tokyo’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday called the cancellation “extremely regrettable” and said the embassy lodged a protest with the hotel. The cancellation came the night before the event.

The War Memorial of Korea in Seoul said Thursday it canceled a privately organized exhibit on the popular Japanese children’s anime “One Piece,” which aired on South Korea’s public television network from 2003 to 2007.

Online protesters had complained to the organization, objecting to multiple appearances of the imperial Japanese flag in the feature. The memorial’s director wrote on the website that the content was inappropriate for an organization dedicated to South Korea’s war history. A previous review didn’t find the Rising Sun flag in the exhibition material, he said.

–Toko Sekiguchi contributed to this article.
---------------------------
Sure, this is so called ‘the Korean quality’ in every business scene.
[Just 'A' day before the scheduled date]
Lotte Hotels & Resorts in Seoul, a five-star downtown Seoul hotel said Friday it canceled a Japanese Embassy event due to fears of protests.
The cancellation was noticed on July 10 2014, and the scheduled date was on June 11 2014.
The scheduled date was made a year before and 200 guests would come to the event.

[Just '3' days before the scheduled date]
“One Piece” event scheduled from July 12 to Sept 7 was suddenly canceled on July 9 2014.

[Still wrong recognition and fabrication]
Korea was not colonized but annexed by Imperial Japan. Unique atrocity exhibitions in Korean Wartime Museum origins form Korean unique culture of Yi dynasty but not from Japan. Japan has not such unique way of atrocities in her history.
-------------------------------
Imperial Japan abolished feudalism and conventions in Korea during annexation.
(1)abolished class system and its privileges and discriminations, (2) emancipated slaves consisting 30% of population), (3) abolished privileges of Yangban class, (4) liberated women, recommended women have own name and permitted women second marriage, (5)removed restriction of clothes, of tiled roof, and of two stories house, (6)prohibited human trafficking, (7)prohibited eunuch, (8)prohibited bound [compressed] feet, (9) prohibited making young girl a gi-saenga Korean female entertainer, (10)prohibited witch doctor

Imperial Japan introduced modern economic legal system in Korea during annexation.
(1)guaranteed private land and organized ownership laws, (2) implemented cadastral survey and fixed Cadastral maps (0.05% such as grave were remained undeclared), (3)established modern corporate system and commerce laws, (4)arranged currency system, (5)integrated weights and measures

Imperial Japan introduced modern social system in Korea during annexation.
(1)completely implemented no punishment without law (prohibited lynch), (2)abolished cruel punishment, (3)changed administrative unit from clan unit to family unit, (4)restricted patriarchal right, (5)started election for local governor and representatives

Imperial Japan introduced modern education and medical system in Korea during annexation.
(1)built over 5,000 primary schools and over 1,000 schools such as universities, (2)prepared, organized and outreached Hangul or Korean language ( http://f17.aaacafe.ne.jp/~kasiwa/korea/photo/hg.html ), (3)outreached western medical and hygiene, prevented epidemic plague and isolated careers, equipped medical facilities

Imperial Japan equipped social infrastructures in Korea during annexation.
(1)built roads, bridges, railroads(4,000km), harbors, and electric powers, (2)implemented river works project, enlarged cultivated field, modernized agriculture, (3)implemented large scale tree planting(600million trees)
-------------------------
Imperial Japan achieved in Korea during annexation.
(1)attained 4% average GDP in Korea during 1920-1930 (below 2% in the world, 3-4% in Japan), (2)doubled national income per capita in Korea, (3)developed telecommunication, transportation, metropolis in Korea by $8 billion of Japanese capital, (4)doubled cultivated field, (5)Tripled rice harvest per square in Korea, (6) rapidly increased exports of agricultural and industrial products in Korea, (7)doubled population in Korea, (8)raised literacy rate in Korea from 4% in 1910 to above 61% in 1944.

(Reference)
“The New Korea” by Alleyne Ireland (original in 1926 and newest in 2013)
BTW, Sorry to bother you, but would you tell me
-How much literacy rate did America raise in Philippine?
-How much literacy rate did Britain raise in India and Burma?
-How much literacy rate did China raise in Taiwan and Korea?
-How much literacy rate did Dutch raise in Indonesia?
-How much literacy rate did France raise in Vietnam?
-How much literacy rate did Imperial westerns raise in their colonies?

(WSJ) Amid Pressure, Israel Stands Firm on Options

Amid Pressure, Israel Stands Firm on Options
Palestinian Death Toll Passed 100, Gaza's Health Ministry Said

TEL AVIV―As deaths from airstrikes on the Gaza Strip passed 100 and rockets continued to rain into Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said international pressure wouldn't influence his assault against Hamas and all options were possible, including a ground invasion.

Sirens on Friday wailed through Israel's major cities warning of incoming rockets, and the country's military said it exchanged fire with Lebanon in an area believed to be controlled by the militant group Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Hamas militants, who have been launching hundreds of missiles into Israel from the Gaza Strip, vowed to press on with their fight and said they will attack the Tel Aviv airport, telling airlines not to land their planes there.

Officials in Washington said that with little momentum behind a swift diplomatic deal to end the attacks, chances of an Israeli ground operation appeared to be growing. "It's going to get worse before it gets better," said one senior U.S. military official.

As hostilities between Israel and Gaza continued for a fifth day, the Palestinian death toll passed 100 as Israeli widened its air strike against Hamas. Photo: AP
Asked in a news conference on Friday if Israel planned to invade, Mr. Netanyahu told reporters: "We're preparing for all options."

Mr. Netanyahu said he had spoken recently with his counterparts from the U.S., Germany, France and Russia, among others, to explain Israel's operation against Hamas.

But he added: "No international pressure will prevent us from operating with full force against a terrorist organization that calls for our destruction."

Israel on Friday mobilized some 30,000 reservists who could move into Gaza at a moment's notice, Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman Libby Weiss said.

On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Ya'alon, to express "concern about the risk of further escalation" and urge "all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians and restore calm," according to the Pentagon.

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The Israeli military estimates that Hamas has an arsenal of some 10,000 rockets, including the recent addition of the Syrian-made, long-range M-302. Via The Foreign Bureau, WSJ's global news update.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas stretched into another day Friday. WSJ's Nick Casey joins the News Hub with Simon Constable with the details. Photo: Getty

Jerry Seib: Israeli and Palestinian Tension Grows
Israel Escalates Attacks, Gaza Death Toll Rises
Israel Ramps Up Aerial Assault on Gaza
Mr. Ya'alon told Mr. Hagel that Israel wants to avoid a ground operation in Gaza if possible, said one senior U.S. official familiar with the call, but that history suggests a deeper conflict may be inevitable.

Michael Oren, Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., said pressure may soon be mounting on Israel to take greater action. "The question now is: How long can Israel deal with 70 rockets coming in a day?"

By Friday afternoon the Palestinian death toll stood at 105, with roughly 785 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The majority were women, children and the elderly, the ministry said.

In Israel, a man had his hand blown off after a rocket hit a gas station near the southern city of Ashdod, officials said. So far, there have been no Israeli deaths.

Meanwhile, the IDF said a rocket fired from Lebanon landed near the northern town of Metula on Friday morning and Israel returned fire. It wasn't clear who shot the rocket, the IDF said, but Israel's north has been on edge amid fears that militant groups in Lebanon might join those in Gaza attacking Israel.

The airstrikes by Israel included a house in the border city of Rafah, where five people were killed, and 15 injured, according to the Palestinian media. The reports couldn't be independently confirmed.

One witness described an airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City that destroyed the apartment of a doctor, killing him.

Enlarge Image

Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out after a rocket hit a gas station in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod on Friday. Reuters
"I was shocked how it was hit," Waleed Qattaa, a water pump technician who lives in a building nearby. He says he saw two helicopters approach the building and fire on it after he broke fast for Ramadan.

Hamas's armed wing said on its website it was beginning attacks on Ben Gurion Airport. It said it had already hit the airport, but there was no immediate evidence of that, and Israel denied it.

Mr. Oren, the former Israeli ambassador, said while drawing Israel into Gaza would be a costly undertaking, events could overtake efforts to avoid a dangerous ground war. "There are a number of clocks ticking that will determine what happens next," he said.

The first, said Mr. Oren, was Israel's own tolerance of the rocket assault by Gaza―which has reached more than 100 projectiles on most days. The second clock, he said, was Gaza's tolerance for Israel's reprisal attacks, particularly were Israel to inflict massive casualties in a residential area that would bring a larger retaliation from Hamas.

The third ticking clock, Mr. Oren said, was the time before a possible condemnation of Israel by the international community. While that hasn't come yet, "it could create a check" to a ground war, Mr. Oren said.

Israel has been reluctant to take over the Gaza Strip in the past. During fighting in 2008 and 2009, Israel waged an aerial war with Hamas but only ordered a limited ground invasion, which was later withdrawn. In 2012, there was no ground invasion at all and a cease fire was quickly brokered.

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Shaul Shay, a former deputy head of the Israel National Security Council, said the current conflict differs from past ones.

In 2009, Israel couldn't destroy incoming rockets using its Iron Dome air defense system like it does today, putting more pressure to fight; in 2012 then-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was able to broker a quick cease fire. Mr. Morsi has since been deposed and Egypt considers Hamas a terrorist organization.

"The question must be what Israel wants to achieve: Does it want to gain a little more calm or does it want more?" he said. "If the goal is to find a permanent solution then a limited ground operation isn't enough."

Many Israelis remain haunted by wars that balloon into long-term conflicts.

The 1982 Lebanon War began as a limited operation, expanded into a war and invasion that included Beirut, then stretched into nearly two decades of occupation that lasted until 2000 and resulted in the emergence of Hezbollah.

Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser of Mr. Netanyahu, said a decision to send in troops could be unpopular.

"The price of conquering Gaza, is a price many Israelis, perhaps even a majority, isn't willing to take," Mr. Amidror said.

But he said a successful Hamas attack on civilians could tilt the country to change its mind quickly, a choice he said Mr. Netanyahu could be willing to make.

"We might come to that," Mr. Amidror said. "[Mr. Netanyahu] will only make that decision if he feels it is the last resort, but if it is the last resort, then he will make the decision."

Mr. Amidror warned that an operation to uproot Hamas house-by-house in Gaza wouldn't be quick. He estimates it took two years for Israel to end Hamas' influence in the West Bank after a reinvasion of the territory in the early 2000s. The Palestinian Authority also has limited influence in Gaza, meaning its 1.7 million people could become Israel's responsibility.

Mr. Oren, who wrote a book about Israel's victory in the 1967 war, agreed. "There are no more Six Day War moments anymore," he said.

― Ahmed Abuhamda and Dion Nissenbaum contributed to this article.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hamas is just trying to do anything for their own organization to live on, not for Palestine. Catastrophe of nuke facilities brings disaster of whole Palestine. Who tried to kill whole Palestine? Who made situation escalated according to Hamas attacking nuke facilities. Such should be that it's the end of time to talk with Hamas both for Islamic society and international society.
* In those 3 days 548 rockets (and counting) were fired by Hamas terrorists at Israel.
* 3 rockets were fired at the holy city of Jerusalem
* 40% of the Israeli population (3.5 million people) are under fire
--------------------------------------------
In my understanding, PRC has sold weapons to Hamas, while the U.S. has sold to Israel, right?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsRfqrDCIAAC4sd.jpg:large
-----------------------------------------
I heard some rumor. Israel announces alarm before air-raid, but Hamas threats civilians to stay there. Hamas hides warfare in hospitals, mosque and civilians houses, and shoots missiles from civilians' houses. Hamas just shot civilians unless the civilians cooperate with Hamas. Nightmare would happen without Iron Dome against raining of Hamas missiles.
I hope news-report be fair and no-fabrication.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbdnu_R9G40
Some release fake news.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsU2ZIbCEAAmmXV.jpg:large
I am not necessarily all the positive toward Israel, especially its apart-hate policy.
However I say mass-media shouldn't distort the facts to settle the issue in order not to spread both current and future possible hate emotion.
As the world admitted Jewish refugees go back to Israel, Jewish should admit Palestine refugees to come back to Palestine and to follow road map on 2003.

(WSJ) Kerry Discusses Cybersecurity With Chinese Counterparts

Kerry Discusses Cybersecurity With Chinese Counterparts
U.S. Secretary of State Calls Talks a 'Frank Exchange'

BEIJING―U.S. officials sought to brighten the mood at the end of two days of talks with Chinese counterparts that yielded scant progress on security and trade issues that have driven a wedge between the world's two biggest economies.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the annual talks, known as the Strategic & Economic Dialogue, showed "the U.S. and China are committed to a new model of relations based on practical cooperation, but also constructive management of differences." That was a theme echoed by Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and by Chinese officials.

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The good vibes even included Mr. Kerry picking up a guitar during one lunch and playing the Beatles song "Yesterday," according to China's vice education minister, Hao Ping. Chinese officials also performed during the lunch, he said, which focused on educational issues. At the opening of the talks Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked the American poet Marianne Moore, quoting "Victory won't come / to me unless I go / to it."

Mr. Kerry on Thursday highlighted several areas where the two governments are working together, including fighting wildlife trafficking and promoting energy efficiency.

But there were no agreements on how to resolve maritime border disputes, deal with industrial cyberespionage or what strategy to take to thwart North Korea's nuclear-weapons program or to enhance human rights.

Instead, Mr. Kerry said he had "a frank exchange" about China's cyberespionage with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, urging the government to restart a special working group on the issue that China canceled after U.S. prosecutors indicted five Chinese military officers in May for cybertheft. At a Chinese news conference, the cybersecurity issues weren't raised.

When it came to proliferation of nuclear weapons, Mr. Kerry said the two sides created a new working group on the subject.

The U.S. and China wrap up their annual Strategic & Economic Dialogue in Beijing this Thursday. South China Sea tensions figured high on the agenda. The WSJ's Ramy Inocencio speaks with Beijing reporter Jeremy Page for the details.
On economic issues, Mr. Lew, the Treasury secretary, said the U.S. had convinced China to reduce intervention in its currency markets to "what are really extraordinary circumstances." That would be a big win for the U.S., which has complained that China has intervened regularly since the start of the year to drive down the value of the yuan against the dollar to help its export sector.

U.S. Treasury officials said China's latest commitment, plus other steps toward transparency, marked a significant development.

But a fact sheet issued by the U.S. and China said only that China would "reduce foreign-exchange intervention as conditions permit"―without defining the conditions. China's central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, echoed the points on the fact sheet, without elaborating, in a news briefing.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei was more blunt. "It is very difficult for us to completely refrain from foreign-exchange market intervention," he said.

Cornell University China scholar Eswar Prasad said the two sides had hit upon a foreign-exchange formulation that "leaves enough wiggle room for both countries to claim progress on cooperation while continuing to implement monetary and exchange-rate policies that each side sees as in its own best interest."

In last year's talks, the biggest news was the restart of negotiations on what is called a bilateral investment treaty, which would reduce barriers to investment in both nations. At the time, China agreed to revamp its approach to investment approvals. Rather than requiring each investment to get government approval, investments could proceed unless they occurred in areas specifically deemed off-limits by Beijing―a so-called negative list. This was seen as significant because it would potentially reduce the power of China's bureaucracy to block deals and give market forces greater sway.

But since then, negotiators say, the talks have moved very slowly. On Thursday, China agreed to begin negotiations on the negative list next year. Meanwhile, negotiators are working on the treaty's language. Mr. Lew asked for patience. It is "always difficult and complicated" to complete such deals, he said.

Zhu Guangyao, China's vice minister of finance, said the two sides had made progress on the investment deal "but there will be great difficulties because China and the U.S. have very different national conditions and levels of development." China wants to make sure that it isn't unfairly penalized by the U.S. review of deals on national-security grounds, he said.

As for China, Mr. Zhu said, "the challenges are even bigger. We need a fundamental shift in our investment system."

The American Chamber of Commerce in China said that it "applauds the commitment' to an investment treatywhich could "provide better market access and investment protections to both U.S. and Chinese investors. But Dan DiMicco, a former chief executive of U.S. steel firm Nucor Corp., was unimpressed. "More talk, no action, China wins again," he said.

One area the two sides did see eye-to-eye on is energy efficiency. The two nations agreed to adopt more stringent vehicle fuel-efficiency and greenhouse-gas emissions standards―though the report didn't include any specific numbers. Both nations also said they would improve fuel quality to reduce pollution and would speed development of systems that capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and other energy sources and store the emissions.

The "China-U.S. partnership on [carbon-capture technology] has in many respects now left the theoretical feasibility realm and entered the 'steel in the ground' phase," wrote Sarah Forbes, a senior associate at the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank in Washington.

On other issues, though, there was no meeting of the minds. The U.S. had hoped to convince China to agree to allow more high-tech goods to be imported duty-free, including advanced semiconductor material. China's reluctance to do so has held back global efforts to strengthen a 70-nation trade pact, called the Information Technology Agreement. But China hasn't made the concessions sought by the U.S.

The two sides held "constructive discussions" on the ITA, according to the fact sheet. Mr. Zhu had a different take: "Although ITA expansion is currently at a standstill," he said, "the responsibility is not with the Chinese side."
-----------------------------------------------------------
PRC cyber security is different meaning.
PRC has begun prohibiting sale of any SNS application which can exchange words or pictures with foreign residents.
When Facebook was down on June 19 2014, the U.S. and Hong Kong were cyberattacked by China.
http://www.digitalattackmap.com/#anim=1&color=0&country=ALL&time=16239&view=map

(WSJ) Bank of Korea Board Member Breaks Ranks, Spurring Rate Cut Talk

Bank of Korea Board Member Breaks Ranks, Spurring Rate Cut Talk

All of sudden, economists are speculating about a Bank of Korea rate cut.

The BOK kept its policy rate on hold for a 14th straight month on Thursday, but what set central bank watchers buzzing was news that it was the first non-unanimous vote on the policy board vote over that same period.

Soon after telling the press that one board member had dissented from the majority view, Governor Lee Ju-yeol announced cuts to the BOK’s growth forecasts and warned of “greater downside risk to growth.”

Nomura economist Kwon Young-sun is one of those who now think the central bank’s next move for its base rate might be down, rather than up, as most have assumed for some time. While the identity of the dissenting board member won’t be known until minutes of the meeting are released in two weeks, that person is widely thought to have called for a rate cut.

“This is suggestive of a rate cut at the August policy meeting,” Mr. Kwon said, adding that the BOK has turned “very dovish.” Mr. Kwon previously predicted a rate hike in December or next year.

ANZ analysts said in a note the BOK is facing pressure to ease its monetary policy further as the incoming finance minister Choi Kyung-hwan is seen as supportive of steps to boost growth.

More In Bank of Korea
Economists Pick Through the Bank of Korea’s Toolkit
Bank of Korea Minutes Show Dovish Shift
Bank of Korea Outlook: Rate Cut Delay Expected
South Korea’s FTAs Help Drive Growth Upgrade
Bank of Korea Back in Foreign Exchange Market
HSBC economist Ronald Man also took the split on the board as a surprise that suggests shifting views but has a more cautious stance.

“Upcoming economic data will need to disappoint further to prompt a policy rate cut,” said Mr. Man, who maintained his earlier view that the next move will be a rate hike in the first quarter next year.

The BOK’s divided decision as well as the downgrade to the growth forecasts prompted Barclays to push back its timing for a rate hike by two quarters to the first quarter of 2015.

The BOK lowered its forecast for gross domestic product growth to 3.8% for 2014 and 4% for 2015 from its April projections of 4% and 4.2%, respectively. It blamed a weaker-than-expected recovery after April’s ferry sinking.

Giving more room for a possible rate cut, the BOK said consumer prices are expected to rise 1.9% in 2014 and 2.7% in 2015–slower than its April forecasts of 2.1% and 2.8% and comfortably within the bank’s inflation target of between 2.5% and 3.5%.

Adding to the speculation of a possible rate cut, at his press conference, BOK Gov. Lee backpedaled from earlier comments indicating the next rate move would be a hike.

“In April, three months ago, I meant to say that with 4% growth, the long-term rate move should be up– which was not a signal for raising rates,” he said.
--------------------------------
A picture is worth a thousand words. We have been waiting for Korea’s disclosure of IMF test result

(WSJ) Ryuichi Sakamoto Diagnosed with Throat Cancer

Ryuichi Sakamoto Diagnosed with Throat Cancer

World-renowned Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto says he has throat cancer and has canceled his scheduled shows and activities.

The Oscar-winning composer and anti-nuclear activist said Thursday that he was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer at the end of June.

“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to take time off of work in order to concentrate on treating it,” the 62-year-old said in a statement. “I promise to return after a full recovery.”

According to his management agency Avex Music Creative Inc., Mr. Sakamoto will step down as one of the directors of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014, scheduled to start next week. He will also cancel live shows including a performance at Park Hyatt Tokyo on July 30.

Avex Music Creative said there is no time frame set for Mr. Sakamoto’s return, and that the artist will “dedicate all his time to treatment.” The agency declined to offer details on the current stage of Mr. Sakamoto’s cancer.

The pioneering musician debuted as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978, playing a role in the emergence of electro pop and providing inspiration for a generation of electronic music and hip-hop producers. His creativity and prowess as a keyboard player, producer and composer extends to a large swath of genres and styles from pop rock to bossa nova. He won an Academy Award for composing the score music for Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 film “The Last Emperor,” a movie he also appeared in as an actor.

Among international honors bestowed on Mr. Sakamoto, he was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 2009.

In addition to his work in music, producing and acting, Mr. Sakamoto has been one of the most vocal activists against nuclear power following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

He has also been a leading figure in recent moves to prevent outdated legislation being used to stop people dancing at nightclubs in Japan.

Mr. Sakamoto speaks here about his passion for music during an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2010.
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Objectively speaking, Mr. Sakamoto is well known as his mentality brainwashed by anti-Japan ideology origin from Korea.
-----------------------------
Disguising person (I’m sorry, I don’t know why I just wrote that.)
-------------------------
What a dirty guy! Why are you using my nickname?
I clearly said ‘Objectively speaking’.

(WSJ) Goldman Sachs’ Matsui Challenges ‘Myths’ of Womenomics

Goldman Sachs’ Matsui Challenges ‘Myths’ of Womenomics

Goldman Sachs managing director Kathy Matsui challenged some of the common assumptions about why women are poorly represented in Japanese workplaces compared with those in other developed countries.

At a talk at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan on Wednesday, Ms. Matsui said these “myths” need to be broken down if Prime Minster Shinzo Abe is to improve the situation under his program known as “womenomics”–a term she coined in a 1999 Goldman Sachs report.

Ms. Matsui grew up on a California farm as the daughter of a Japanese immigrant father. She graduated from Harvard College and Johns Hopkins University with a master’s degree in Japanese studies. She joined Goldman Sachs in 1994, and was named top Japanese equity strategist by Institutional Investor magazine for the third time in 2006. She is married with two children.

Myth No. 1: Japanese women quit working due only to “pull” factors.

Japanese women cite “push” factors, such as an unsatisfying or stalled career, more than “pull” factors, like child-care and elder-care responsibilities, as reasons for leaving the workforce, Ms. Matsui said. The “glass ceiling” on career advancement and a general feeling of being stalled were cited as reasons for leaving by 63% and 49% of women, respectively, in a 2011 survey of more than 1,000 respondents by the New York-based nonprofit Center for Talent Innovation. Child care and elder care were cited by 32% and 38%, respectively.

“Japanese women don’t have many role models,” said Ms. Matsui, pointing to the dearth of female politicians. The percentage of women in parliament is just 8%, less than that of Saudi Arabia, she noted.

While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s growth strategy proposes increasing the number of daycare facilities, “we must look within organizations to find out how to stop women from leaving the workforce,” Ms. Matsui said.




Myth No. 2: Most women don’t want to return to work after childbirth.

This was expressed by a senior government official at a 2010 meeting of officials from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries in Gifu Prefecture.

“Japanese women find pleasure in working at home and that has been part of Japanese culture,” said Yoshikatsu Nakayama, vice minister of economy, trade and industry, during the Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit.

Ms. Matsui said the desire of Japanese women to return to work is similar to that of women in the U.S. and Germany. However, according to the Center for Talent Innovation survey, while 77% of women wanted to work after giving birth, only 43% found work. That compared with 73% in the U.S. and 68% in Germany.

Myth No. 3: Diversity doesn’t help corporate profitability or the economy.

Some business owners question whether the benefits of diversity offset the costs of achieving it.

However, citing research by Catalyst, a non-profit organization with offices in six countries including Japan, Ms. Matsui said returns on equity and invested capital “tend to be significantly higher the more diverse your board is.”

Among 765 firms in Japan that disclosed data, those in the highest quartile in terms of female manager ratios had more than 10% return on equity for an average of three years from fiscal year 2010. Those in the lowest quartile had very low or negative average return on equity, regardless of companies’ revenue size.

Myth No. 4: Japan’s fertility rate will decrease if more women work.

Ms. Matsui pointed out that female labor participation and fertility rates are positively correlated, both globally and in Japan. A 2012 Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare survey showed that Japanese prefectures with some of the highest female labor participation rates, such as Fukui, Shizuoka and Nagano, also had high fertility rates. Such prefectures are in rural areas, Ms. Matsui noted, where “presumably grandparents are right there to help out on child care and other support.”

“Before we make assumptions about what will happen if more women work, let’s make sure we have the facts straight,” she said.

Corrections & Amplifications: Catalyst is a non-profit organization with offices in six countries including Japan. An earlier version said it was U.K.-based. The second paragraph under Myth No. 3 has been changed to accurately reflect where Catalyst is located.
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Myth No. 4 must be listed on No.1 if she is confident about her theory.
I would like to bet that boy meets girl or man meets woman opportunities brought by female labor participation increase Japan’s fertility rate.

(WSJ) Abe Says Japan's Military Vow 'Still Fully Alive'

Abe Says Japan's Military Vow 'Still Fully Alive'
Japanese Prime Minister Speaking During Trip to Australia

CANBERRA, Australia―Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country remained wedded to its pacifist traditions, as he kicked off his first overseas mission since reinterpreting the nation's postwar constitution to give the military more flexibility in coming to the aid of allies facing attack.

In an address to Australia's Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Abe said that Japan would never let the horrors of World War II repeat themselves. The speech was aimed at easing the concern of China and other countries in the region over its new defense posture―as well as silencing a rising chorus of criticism from pacifists at home.

The prime minister was later expected to sign off on deals dramatically expanding trade and security ties between the two U.S. allies. But both countries have also been eager to allay concern that Japan's new stance, supported by Australia and the U.S., will herald the start of a new era of Japanese militarism.

More
China Criticizes Japan's Wartime Past
Abe's Constitutional Reform Push Slows
Australia Urges Openness on Japan Defense Shift
Q&A With Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
"This vow that Japan made after the war is still fully alive today," Mr. Abe said, addressing Australian lawmakers in English as he called for both countries to work together to become a linchpin of regional stability. "It will never change going forward," he said of Japan's recent pacifist traditions.

Concern has been mounting in Japan during the past few months over what is perceived as China's growing aggressiveness in regional affairs. Japan remains at loggerheads with China over contested islands in the East China Sea, while Beijing has been involved in several territorial disputes with smaller neighbors, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

On Monday, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Japan needed to communicate more openly about the reasons for the shift in its military posture―dubbed collective self-defense―so as not to alarm other nations in the region, including South Korea, with a recollection of earlier Japanese imperialism.

Also on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang used a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to criticize Japan's wartime past, in an apparent effort to contrast the way the two former Axis powers treat the history of World War II.

Apart from security arrangements, Japan and Australia are looking to expand economic cooperation through a free-trade pact expected to lift the 80 billion Australian dollar ($74.98 billion) two-way trading relationship. But while it breaks new ground in freeing up access to Japan's heavily protected agricultural sectors, security matters have overshadowed the deal.

The countries have agreed to share defense technology in an arrangement that may give Japan a key role in developing a new conventionally powered submarine fleet for the Australian navy costing more than A$30 billion.

Australia is also considering buying Japan's Soryu-class stealth submarine, the largest nonnuclear submarines in the world embedded with technology enabling them to stay submerged for up to two weeks at a time. The Soryu submersibles are a potential deterrent to China's naval expansion, and Tokyo already has similar technology-sharing defense deals with the U.S. and U.K.

"We want to make Japan a country that will work to build an international order that upholds the rule of law," Mr. Abe said in Canberra, as several dozen protesters waving Chinese flags demonstrated outside Australia's hilltop parliament. "Our desire is to make Japan a country that is all the more willing to contribute to peace in the region and beyond."

From adversaries in World War II, Australia and Japan have transformed their relationship based on economic ties. Japan is Australia's largest trade partner after China―accounting for almost two-thirds of Japanese imports of coal and iron ore.

But China's rapid rise and uncertainty about its implications is driving the two nations toward a more complex security alliance that will also see more regular exercises by Japanese troops on Australian soil and deeper integration by both countries with U.S. forces in the region.

The agreement could see all three countries regularly holding exercises in Australia's north, where the U.S. already has plans to rotate up to 2,500 marines each year, while stepping up visits to Australia by U.S. warships, submarines and aircraft.

Ms. Bishop said in an interview on Monday that it was premature to consider a formal trilateral security alliance, although the country's Defense Minister David Johnston told parliament after Mr. Abe's speech that the defence deal would pave the way for "more advanced trilateral exercises."

"This trilateral relationship offers a stabilizing regional presence that builds confidence and promotes freedom of navigation and maritime security in the region's sea lanes," Mr. Johnston said in an unusually blunt remark that may raise concern in Beijing.

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott, joining Mr. Abe in Australia's Parliament, said Japan had proved over decades to be an "exemplary international citizen," and said the ambition of both countries to strengthen their alliance wasn't directed at China, with which Australia hopes to secure a separate free-trade deal before the end of the year.

"Ours is not a partnership against anyone. It is a partnership for peace, for prosperity and for the rule of law," Mr. Abbott said. "Our objective is engagement."
----------------------------------------------------
Cheers for peace, for prosperity and for the rule of law.

(WSJ) Beijing, Seoul Grow Closer, but North Korea Strains Ties

Beijing, Seoul Grow Closer, but North Korea Strains Ties
Korean Warmth Toward Xi Is Counterbalanced by Distrust of Regional Power

If China's ultimate goal is to weaken America's dominance in Asia by disrupting its alliance network, as many foreign policy analysts believe, South Korea is the obvious place for Beijing to go on the offensive.

President Xi Jinping has hit it off remarkably well with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye, perhaps better than with any other regional leader. They've met five times since Mr. Xi took office early last year, most recently in Seoul last week.

The warmth in their personal relationship―Ms. Park chats fluently in Chinese―reflects much broader popular enthusiasm. South Korean historical TV dramas play to huge audiences in China. Among the fans is the country's top anticorruption official, Wang Qishan, who believes the shows promote the kind of social virtues needed in China today. "He thinks Korea has done a much better job than China at integrating its traditional culture into modern society," says one top-ranking Chinese official.

Increasingly, the two countries are joined by common interests. Both governments despise Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and what they see as his efforts to whitewash Japan's World War II aggression.

Their economies are deeply entwined through trade and investment. South Korean students flock to Chinese language colleges. Samsung makes the hottest selling smartphones in China. Yet, when it comes to vital questions of security, particularly how to handle North Korea's nuclear threat, their burgeoning friendship soon hits a buffer.

And this points to a wider challenge that China faces as it seeks, in Mr. Xi's words, "a new architecture of Asia-Pacific security cooperation" to replace the U.S.-led order anchored in America's regional alliances.

Despite the magnetic appeal of its economy, China has very few strategic partners in the region. North Korea is one of them.

That's partly because Beijing's growing military power and intentions trigger widespread distrust, even among South Koreans.

A recent poll conducted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, one of South Korea's leading think-tanks, shows overall public views of China are strongly positive. Mr. Xi ranks second only to U.S. President Barack Obama in popularity among leaders who influence events in Asia. Yet 66.4% of respondents deemed China a significant military threat, not to South Korea directly, but because of the way its rise is deepening territorial disputes and other conflicts around the region.

In stark contrast, the poll showed overwhelming trust in the U.S. to protect South Korea in the event of war.

These conflicting themes were underlined in last week's China-South Korea summit in Seoul, in which the two presidents saw eye-to-eye on a wide range of issues, except the one that matters most to Ms. Park: North Korea.

A joint statement after the meeting declared opposition in general to the development of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, but pointedly didn't mention North Korea by name, reflecting China's long-standing instinct to protect its troublesome neighbor.

Ms. Park is looking for concrete action from North Korea to show it is sincere about ending its nuclear ambitions. Longer term, she's promoting a vision for a Korea reunified under Seoul's umbrella.

Mr. Xi stresses dialogue with Pyongyang instead. He's clearly exasperated by North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, whom he's yet to meet after more than a year as China's president, but neither is he ready to abandon him. Chinese food and energy still keep Mr. Kim's regime afloat.

Nor does Mr. Xi want to see a united Korea led from Seoul, an outcome that for China raises the alarming prospect of U.S. troops up against its border.

In other words, despite Mr. Xi's stated desire to re-engineer the region's security arrangements, he's not interested in fundamentally altering the status quo in one of the most dangerous corners of the globe.

Mr. Xi, apparently, is prioritizing Chinese domestic security interests over cooperation with Seoul.

It's a similar story in Southeast Asia, where China's increasingly aggressive pursuit of its "core interests"―territorial claims to about 90% of the South China Sea―put it at odds with a number of countries with rival claims, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

To be sure, America is wary of deepening ties between China and South Korea, particularly the way they've turned on Mr. Abe together. The U.S. has some 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, and its Seventh Fleet is headquartered in Japan. Washington needs its two allies to get along, but it suspects that China is trying to encourage anti-Abe outrage in South Korea to drive a wedge between them.

Ms. Park, however, remains adamant that South Korea's friendship with China won't come at the expense of its defense ties with the U.S. In that sense, she's reflecting the preferences of many governments around the region who rely on China for their prosperity but who have been driven into America's arms for protection by Chinese assertiveness.

For now, at least, the emerging contest for leadership in Asia is very much in America's favor.
-----------------------------------------------
@Malcolm Tucker
Japanese has begun to like having any relation NO MORE with dishonest Korean.
(1)Japan built a primary school building to Philippine.
The building was painted as 'Philippine-Japan friendship.'
After typhoon, the building was repaired by Korea.
Korea erased the painting and re-paint as 'Philippine-Korea friendship.'
http://news.livedoor.com/article/image_detail/9016014/?img_id=6822954
(2)Japanese enterprise donated a Koban police station and police car to Guam.
Korea rent-a car owner donated ‘Big-Sign written in Korean Language’.
http://goo.gl/tcJjl4
After an hour Japanese residents in Guam reported to a governor, the sign was took off.
http://goo.gl/Kal8hD
(3)Korean built comfort women statues masquerading anti-Japan ideology in the U.S.
Such has ruined long-lasting community efforts to live together. Japanese children in the U.S. have began to be bullied at school.

(WSJ) China Criticizes Japan's Wartime Past During Merkel's Visit

China Criticizes Japan's Wartime Past During Merkel's Visit
Li Keqiang Seems to Contrast How Two Former Axis Powers Treat WWII History

SHANGHAI―Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday used a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to criticize Japan's wartime past, in the latest apparent effort by a Chinese official to contrast the way the two former Axis powers treat the history of World War II.

Standing beside Ms. Merkel at a news conference in Beijing as part of aregular visit to discuss political and economic ties, the premier recalled that Monday marks the 77th anniversary of an attack by Japanese forces against Chinese troops that marked the beginning of a bloody eight-year conflict. "The future can be inaugurated and peace can be maintained only if lessons from history are kept in mind," Mr. Li said, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

Ms. Merkel didn't comment, reports said. A spokesman for Germany's Embassy in Beijing couldn't immediately be reached.

Japan's, chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga, on Monday said Japan has built a record of peace since World War II. "Our government believes that it serves no purpose for regional peace and cooperation when China willfully makes an international issue out of historical issues," Mr. Suga said.

China's government regularly credits Germany for atoning for its wartime past while it accuses Japan of whitewashing a militaristic history. Ms. Merkel's visit coincides with the anniversary of the beginning of what Beijing calls the War Against Japanese Aggression, an important date on the Chinese the political calendar. On Monday China marked it with ceremonies and speeches, including a nationally televised address from President Xi Jinping.

Monday's comments by Mr. Li weren't the first time China tried to draw its biggest European trade partner into its attempts to use history to pressure Tokyo. Earlier this year, Chinese diplomats planning a trip by President Xi to Berlin suggested a possible stop at the Holocaust Memorial but the German side declined, according to a person familiar with the situation. In 2012, Premier Wen Jiabao visited the former Auschwitz concentration camp memorial during a visit to Poland where he also reflected on the need "for bearing history in mind."

The Sino-Japan rivalry has intensified with a dispute over uninhabited islands claimed by both and is taking place against a backdrop of a shift in economic power toward China. It is also producing diplomatic maneuvering by both countries.

Last week, President Xi visited South Korea in what analysts saw as a bid to stand firm against Japan's recent decision to drop its ban on collective self-defense with another critic of Tokyo's shift. While visiting Asian capitals, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has described as provocative China's announcement in November that it would establish an air-defense zone covering the East China Sea islands also claimed by Japan.

During Ms. Merkel's visit in China, trade has dominated. Accompanied by executives of Germany's biggest companies, she began over the weekend in southwestern Sichuan province and talked up areas of cooperation. The countries have complementary economies and are among each other's biggest trade partners, officials from both sides say.

Along with Premier Li, the German chancellor witnessed deals signed, including plans for a new China plant for Volkswagen AG and its local partner, FAW Car Co. Also, Air China Ltd. and Deutsche Lufthansa AG agreed to tighten cooperation and possibly form a joint venture to carry more airline passengers between Europe and China.

Beijing granted German investors an 80 billion yuan ($13 billion) quota to invest in China's restricted stock-and-bond markets, part of a program aimed at internationalizing the yuan called Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor, or QFII.

―Peter Landers in Tokyo contributed to this article.
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@signed off
Can you answer following VERY BASIC questions?
Imperial Japan had occupied Nanjing on Dec.13, 1937.
[Q1]Why did the population increase within a month between the incident from 200,000 (Nov.28 1937, Dec.18 1937, Dec.21 1937) to 250,000 (Jan.14 1938)?
[Q2]Where were the killed 300,000 innocent Chinese dead bodies?
[Q3]Why did many Chinese citizens come back to Nanjing after Imperial Japan occupied the city?
------------------------------------------
@signed off Korean built comfort women statues masquerading anti-Japan ideology in the U.S. Such has ruined long-lasting community efforts to live together. Japanese children in the U.S. have begun to be bullied at school.
Japanese has begun to like having any relation NO MORE with dishonest Korean.
(1)Japan built a primary school building to Philippine.
The building was painted as 'Philippine-Japan friendship.'
After typhoon, the building was repaired by Korea.
Korea erased the painting and re-painted as 'Philippine-Korea friendship.'
http://news.livedoor.com/article/image_detail/9016014/?img_id=6822954
(2)Japanese enterprise donated a Koban police station and police car to Guam.
Korea rent-a car owner donated ‘Big-Sign written in Korean Language’.
http://goo.gl/tcJjl4
After an hour Japanese residents in Guam reported to a governor, the sign was took off.
http://goo.gl/Kal8hD

(WSJ) Why Japan’s Military Shift Is Necessary for South Korea

Why Japan’s Military Shift Is Necessary for South Korea

This week, Japan’s government adopted a collective self-defense policy. Many in South Korea worry that this could be the start of Japanese militarization and wonder why the United States has supported this new policy.

The U.S. supports Japanese collective self-defense because it is critically important to the defense of South Korea and the Northeast Asia region more generally. Here’s why:

The U.S. will defend South Korea against any North Korean attacks. It is particularly concerned about deterring a North Korean invasion of the South, and defeating such an invasion if deterrence fails. If the U.S. is to defend South Korea against invasion, it must deploy its forces to South Korea and carry-out military operations against North Korea.

The U.S. would need to deploy a very large number of its military personnel―easily twice as many as were ever deployed to Iraq at any given time―and a very large volume of equipment. The U.S. plans to use many Japanese airbases and seaports to support such deployments, because of the limited airbases and seaports in South Korea, and also because of the vulnerability of South Korean bases to North Korean attacks. In exchange, U.S. forces would evacuate Japanese civilians from the Korean war-zone.

In the past, the Japanese constitution would technically not have authorized such U.S. military deployments through Japanese bases because these efforts would not be intended to defend Japan. As such, Japanese citizens could have taken the Japanese government to court and sought a restraining order against U.S. use of the Japanese bases.

This would have been especially true if North Korea tried to coerce Japan into not providing support, such as by warning that U.S. use of Japanese bases made Japan a target of the North Korean military.

In addition, U.S. forces would have wanted to use Japanese airbases for launching attacks against North Korea, as airbase capacities in South Korea are inadequate for performing all of the needed air attacks and other air operations. A Japanese declaration of collective self-defense would allow these U.S. actions, critical to the defense of South Korea.

Recognizing the regional histories, neither the U.S. nor Japan would presume to have Japanese military forces deploy to the Korean peninsula in a conflict situation. But Japanese military forces might still help.

For example, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces might become involved in stopping North Korean ships that could be carrying weapons of mass destruction and other contraband, and destroying those weapons.

Weapons not intercepted might be given to North Korean special forces and used against South Korea, or sold to terrorist groups that might use them against the U.S., Japan, China, or other countries. Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces might also intercept ships with “boat people” refugees and provide them with humanitarian assistance.

The South Korean and U.S. navies lack sufficient capacity to handle all North Korean ships, including every fishing ship that could carry weapons or experts in weapons of mass destruction. Japan has a substantial number of ships in its Maritime Self-Defense Forces, and they are mainly located near North Korea; they could begin operating quickly in the aftermath of North Korean aggression.

In short, with its collective self-defense policy, Japan assumes its responsibilities to support the defense of South Korea and regional security in general, an appropriate action given the economic and other independencies of the regional countries.
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S.Korea seems to misunderstand that JSDF will stay in Korea after U.S. military goes back.
That rumor sounds funny, which was widespread by Marxism Korean mass media for anti-Japan campaign.
S.Korea may offer Cheju Island to PLA while CCP and S.Korea have made demos in Okinawa for Okinawa Independence to isolate from Japan.
We must realize that S.Korea is not a western member, that’s all.

(WSJ) Japan's New Defense Posture

(WSJ) Japan's New Defense Posture
The change is necessary given China's threats.
Japan's cabinet reinterpreted the constitution Tuesday to allow the country to exercise its right to "collective self-defense," a momentous and long overdue decision that strengthens the security of Asia's democracies. Perhaps Beijing will now consider how its aggressive behavior in the East China Sea invited this reaction.

Hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushed hard for the move, but changes to Japan's security environment made it inevitable. These include China's rapidly improving military capabilities and its use of force to alter the status quo on the disputed Senkaku Islands. Beijing's foreign ministry reacted with suspicion this week, and the state-run Xinhua news agency published a commentary accusing Japan of "dallying with the specter of war." But China's bellicose rhetoric and unilateral actions have alarmed the entire region.

Opinion Video
American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Michael Auslin on the Abe administration's move to amend its pacifist constitution. Photo: Getty Images

The decision does not mean Japan is returning to its militarist past. The Japanese public remains hesitant about weakening the pacifist constitution imposed on Japan by the U.S. after World War II. Polls this month showed a majority of Japanese oppose the collective self-defense reinterpretation. Because the Abe Administration used a cabinet decision rather than legislation to effect the reinterpretation, it is vulnerable to a public backlash if the changes aren't implemented carefully.

This change also won't remove most curbs on Japan's military. Mr. Abe had to compromise to win the support of his pacifist coalition partner, the New Komeito Party. So Japan's offensive capabilities will still be limited.

The doctrine of collective self-defense will let Tokyo play a more equal role in the U.S.-Japan defense alliance. Japanese Self-Defense Forces are unlikely to be the point of the spear in any conflict beyond the country's coastal waters, but they may take part in force protection. Aegis-equipped ships could be integrated into missile-defense systems to protect Japan and the U.S. against North Korea.

Regionally Japan must also tread carefully, especially toward South Korea. Seoul reacted cautiously Tuesday, emphasizing that Japan would not be allowed to participate in collective defense on the Korean Peninsula without an invitation.

There may be more scope to expand security relationships with other democracies. Japan has committed to supplying coast guard vessels to the Philippines and Vietnam, and it signed a deal with Australia to develop submarines. President Obama's military cuts, along with his unwillingness to follow through when red lines are crossed, has also made Asia question U.S. guarantees and created an opening for Japan to fill some of the gap.

Much has been written about the parallels between Wilhelmine Germany before World War I and the People's Republic of China today. Managing the rise of an authoritarian, non-status quo great power can be accomplished with statesmanship. But the ultimate guarantor of peace is the ability of democracies to unite to protect a rule-based international order against aggression. Japan's recognition that it must play a larger security role is crucial to keeping the peace in Asia.
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P.M. Abe cabinet has sincerely supported and accelerated nationwide discussions regarding the national security issues and so on (e.g. official thread on Facebook and twitter). Criticisms against Japanese government and P.M. Abe cabinet by Mass media, Grassroots Discussion, Demo and Opinions have never punished, never oppressed, and never cracked down.
P.M. Abe cabinet has persuaded not only coalition government party partner but also non-government parties resulting agreed with.

There is no room to doubt that Japan clearly showed her will to defend friends.