Seven Years from Unprecedented Disaster

Seven years will have passed in March 11^th two weeks later. Although construction of public houses for the sufferers who lost their own houses will mostly be finished in next fiscal year, the schedule has been delayed for three years, forcing the residents uneasy ordinary life in temporary houses. In the area damaged by radiation emitted from broken First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, a few of the students of elementary or mid schools have returned to their schools, causing disappointment of the people in their effort for reconstruction of their hometown.

 

Local governments are building “reconstruction public houses” for the sufferers who are unable to reconstruct their own houses. 63 cities, towns or villages in the prefecture of Iwate, Miyagi or Fukushima planned building of about 30 thousands of the houses. In FY 2018, 760 houses will be built in 6 cities or towns. All the construction of reconstruction public houses will then be finished, except 212 houses in Iwate and Fukushima.

 

Local governments in Iwate and Miyagi planned to finish building the houses by FY 2015. But they could not find the land for the houses soon, because a broad area had suffered from great tsunami and been useless. Some area had to accumulate a great amount of soil for creating hills to withstand next tsunami. Price hike of materials for the construction and scarcity of human resource also caused the delay.

 

While the reconstruction in Iwate and Miyagi is at least in progress, Fukushima is still left behind. Evacuation order of national government has been lifted in 9 towns or villages by last April, except towns of Okuma and Futaba where the broken nuclear power plant is located. But families with children hesitate to get back to their hometown, being afraid of negative effect of radiation on their kids. Although three towns and a village decided to resume the public schools in their homeland this April, only 4% of the students will go to the school from their own houses. Rest of them will commute from temporary houses out of the towns or a village.

 

It is crucial for suffered cities, towns or villages to keep young residents who will be responsible for rebuilding the community. High-level radiation from the plant consistently disturbs their effort. As time goes by, ordinary life of students has been rooted in the place where they are in evacuation. Public support for them is endlessly indispensable. It is fair to say that East Japan Great Earthquake has changed Japan forever.

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New Missile Deployment in Okinawa

Shinzo Abe administration has begun to consider deployment of a company for surface-to-ship missiles on the main island of Okinawa. With connected operation to another company already planned to deploy on Miyakojima Island, they will deal with active moves of Chinese Navy going out to Pacific Ocean through the sea area between those two islands, or Strait of Miyako. It may cause further escalation of security situation in East China Sea.

 

It was November 2008 when four vessels with Chinese Navy passed Strait of Miyako, which has the width of 290 kilometers, for the firs time and advanced to Pacific Ocean. Afterward, they frequently commuted between East China Sea and Pacific Ocean and Japanese government reconfirmed that a nuclear-powered Chinese submarine passed the strait last month. While international maritime law guarantees free navigation of vessels in the high seas, frequent passage of Chinese military vessels has become a threat for United States Force in Western Pacific.

 

The government of Japan included possession of SSM companies for defending isolated islands in National Defense Program Guidelines in 2013. In Medium Term Defense Program between 2014 and 2018, it stressed necessity of enhancing defense capability in Southwestern Archipelago. According to the alignment plan of Ground Self-defense Force, 12-type SSM companies would be deployed on the islands of Miyakojima, Ishigakijima and Amami Oshima. In addition, companies of surface-to-air missile would also be deployed on those islands.

 

Asahi Shimbun reported on Tuesday that Abe administration had a plan of deploying a company of GSDF with 12-type SSM, which had the range of 200 kilometers. Because that SSM cannot cover whole Miyako Starit only from Miyakojima, Abe administration decided to have another company on the opposite side. SSM in Miyakojima or the main island of Okinawa will be able to catch all the Chinese ships within its range.

 

It is likely that China will oppose the deployment of SSM in Okinawa. China has been sending not only military vessels or submarines to the area, but aircrafts beyond the strait. Early-warning aircrafts, bombers or fighter jets have passed beyond Miyako Strait these years. Deployment of SSM companies is an apparent countermeasure against China’s advance.

 

People in Okinawa embrace uneasiness on new SSM deployment. Their ordinary life has been threatened with consecutive falls of military helicopters or their parts, generating resentment against US Force and JSDF. There is consistent protest against building new US base in Henoko. SSM plan in the mainland of Okinawa will face certain protest of the local people.

Unimaginable Situation of Crisis

Shinzo Abe administration suffers from a contradiction that it has created in security policy. While it had made new security legislation a few years ago, the administration argued that the legislation was baseless in a lawsuit of a member of Japan Self-defense Force. In the discussion of the Diet, the opposite parties accuse Abe administration of its double standard.

 

One member of Ground Self-defense Force in his duty made a lawsuit in March 2016, in which he demanded a confirmation of no need of obeying the order of defense mobilization in “situation of existential crisis.” Situation of existential crisis was a concept created by Abe administration as possible security crisis of Japan as serious as it would no longer exist, when it explained the reason of making new security legislation.

 

The administration tried to dismiss the plaintiff’s argument by saying that there was no occurrence of situation of existential crisis so far and it was unimaginable for the situation to occur in the future as long as having watched international security environment. It also explained that situation of existential crisis brought by collision between United States and North Korea was an abstract hypothesis.

 

In the discussion at Committee of Budget in House of Representatives earlier this month, President of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yukio Edano, made an argument that Abe administration had raised double standard between in the court and in the Diet. “You hastened the passage of new security legislation as saying that situation of existential crisis might occur immediately,” told Edano, “and you also argued that such a situation would not actually occur in the court.”

 

Prime Minister Abe raised possible cases of situation of existential crisis for new security legislation. They included military attack on a ship that was in an operation for defending Japan or Japanese citizens in the contingency of Korean Peninsula or blockade with floating mines in Hormuz Strait where tankers for Japan would pass. According to the explanation of Abe administration, those kinds of crisis cannot actually happen.

 

The administration appealed in the court that neither occurrence of situation of existential crisis nor issuance of defense mobilization was unimaginable. While the first court dismissed the complaint, the appeal court returned the case to the first court with an opinion that the argument of Abe administration could not be adopted in accordance with past argument in the Diet. The case raised a serious question that Abe administration degraded pacifism in Constitution of Japan with new security legislation for dealing with unimaginable situation.

Will Unilateral Sanctions Work?

Donald Trump administration of United States activated new sanctions against North Korea that had been maintaining its missile and nuclear development. The unilateral sanctions of US, which is the biggest one to despotic North Korean regime, is applied to 56 individual, entities and shipping firms, which were doubted as being involved in illegal export to the North. So, how does it work for Kim Jong-un to refrain from the development, anyway?

 

US Department of Treasury sanctioned one person with passport of Taiwan, 27 companies from North Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Africa or Middle America, and 28 freight ships. They are thought as involved in smuggling North Korean products in a way that exchanging the cargo in high seas. Those activities can be recognized as violating United Nations Security Council’s resolutions to put pressure on North Korea.

 

New sanctions show seriousness of Trump administration on pressuring North Korea. “The President is clearly frustrated and rightly so over the efforts that have failed in the past and also over the uptick in testing and advances we’ve seen bin the North Korean program,” told a senior administration official, according to a report of Reuters. Reuters quoted an analysis of an expert in a think tank in Washington DC that the only thing missing was action against Chinese banks which had been undermining the effort of isolating North Korea.

 

One remarkable thing in new sanctions is US determination to put maximum pressure on Kim regime. “If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go phase two,” said Trump in his press conference with Australian Premier Malcolm Turnbull. “Phase two may be a very rough thing, may be very, very unfortunate for the world. But hopefully the sanctions will work.”

 

As expected, Shinzo Abe administration immediately supported new US sanctions against North Korea. “We firmly support it as enhancement of US pressure on North Korea,” told Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera. He also stressed close communication between Japan and US, referring to exchanging information obtained by Japan Maritime Self-defense Force about reloading cargo in the high seas.

 

Included in the list of illegal activities, China opposed US sanction. “China seriously opposes the US side enacting unilateral sanctions and ‘long-armed jurisdiction’ in accordance with its domestic law against Chinese entities or individuals,” told China’s Foreign Ministry. The comment was nothing but a declaration that China would not refrain from having connection with North Korea. Whether unilateral sanctions will work matters.

Two Years of Negative Interest Rate Policy

Two years have passed, since Bank of Japan introduced negative interest rate policy in February 2016. Although the bank hoped active investment with borrowing money from commercial banks, the policy has not produced such an effect. Rather, negative interest rate caused deterioration of the balance of commercial banks or operation of pension system. While the policy is going to be kept under the leadership of BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, the side effect is kept on accumulated.

 

BoJ introduced two years ago the policy of declining the interest rate of checking account for commercial banks as low as -0.1%. When a commercial bank deposits money in its checking account of BoJ, it has to pay 0.1% of commission. It sounds like penalty of keeping money, not flowing into the market.

 

When BoJ introduced monetary easing policy in different dimension in 2013, BoJ purchased governmental bonds from the commercial banks, expecting them to lend money to various businesses. Contradictory enough, the commercial banks did not deliver their money received from BoJ, but deposit it in BoJ checking account instead. BoJ urged them shifting money from BoJ checking account to lending with introduction of negative interest rate policy.

 

Long-term interest rate declined immediately. The rate of 10-year governmental bond declined as low as -0.3% in July 2016. House owners rushed to the commercial bank requiring change of plan of housing loan in lower rate. There appeared a number of new owners of renting house, who could achieve necessary resource with low interest rate policy.

 

Pension system, which stands on moderate interest rate, severely suffered from BoJ policy. Insurance companies could not manage their business along with decline of interest rate of governmental bond. They raised the price of saving-type insurance or even stopped sales of it. Insurance companies expect BoJ a change of inflation target policy, if the side effects get serious.

 

Commercial banks are frustrated with decline of their income through lending. Major commercial banks are worried about damage of financing system in Japan, if low interest policy would be maintained too long. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe supports Kuroda’s monetary easing policy, because Abe believes in a notion that good condition in economy will support his political agenda including constitutional amendment. He looks like having no exit policy.

For Intervention in Education

Headquarters for Promoting Constitutional Amendment in Liberal Democratic Party approved the draft of amending the provision about education on Wednesday. The draft requires the government active involvement in improving educational environment, which is already determined in Basic Act on Education. Following another draft on electoral districts along with the border of prefectures, LDP keeps on creating the drafts of unnecessary amendment.

 

As the conservative lawmakers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his colleagues have been promoting educational reform, aiming at restoration of pre-war education that generates students’ obedience to the government. Hating their political enemy Japan Teachers’ Union, LDP has been making effort to eliminate liberal education that respects for diversity of each student. Educational reform is one of the most important issues in constitutional amendment.

 

Article 26 of the Constitution tells that “All people shall have the right to receive an equal education correspondent to their ability, as provided by law” and “All people shall be obliged to have all boys and girls under their protection receive ordinary education as provided for by law. Such compulsory education shall be free.” The draft adds a sentence in the first paragraph of the article, which demands no educational discrimination with economic reason.

 

While the draft tried to assure equal education for every student, LDP refrained from making new provision of education for free. Abe administration hoped to achieve cooperation from Japan Restoration Party, which had been appealing necessity for education for free, to collect votes for initiative of constitutional amendment in the Diet. Failing to find budgetary resource for it, however, LDP gave up including the word of “free” in the draft.

 

The draft also adds new paragraph that reads “The government has to make effort to maintain educational environment.” That is to urge the government securing necessary budget for education. But, the opposite parties interpreted the draft as further intervention of the government to the schools. Needless to say, the government is responsible for maintenance of good environment of education, as determined in the Constitution that guarantees people’s right to have education. It is fair to say that the additional provision for further involvement of the government can give the government new chance to intervene. The discussion for constitutional amendment by LDP is always directed to enhance governmental power over ordinary people.

Abdication and Constitution

Government of Japan decided on Tuesday the outline of rituals related to abdication of Emperor Akihito and accession of throne by Crown Prince Naruhito scheduled next year. The ceremonies will be taken place as the acts in matters of state, which is determined in Constitution of Japan. Implementation of the constitution is the biggest issue for the abdication.

 

At the time when Emperor Akihito succeeded the throne from the late Hirohito in 1989, Ceremony of Accession in the State Room was taken place in Imperial Palace. In the ceremony, Akihito accepted the Sword and Jewels of Imperial Regalities. Then, Akihito attended the Ceremony of Levee for the Emperor after Accession, in which he made the first speech as new Emperor. That was a case of succeeding throne after the death of former Emperor.

 

It will be different this time. There has been no case of abdication under Constitution of Japan. The conservative groups demanded other ceremonies of delivering Imperial Regalities, based on their notion that the throne was always with those treasures. But that kind of ceremony may have some meanings of handing out the throne with Emperor’s political intention, which can violate Constitution of Japan that prohibits Emperor’s involvement in politics.

 

The government decided not to have the ceremony of the delivery of Imperial Regalities with consideration of constitutionality. Ceremony of Accession will be renamed as Ceremony of Abdication, which will not include the element of releasing the regalities. While it approves the ceremony to be taken place as abdication, the government denies old custom of releasing the throne as a decision of Emperor.

 

First Ceremonial Offering of Rice by Newly-enthroned Emperor will not be held as an act in matters of state, because it will have religious meaning and violate the principle of separation between politics and religion. At the time of Akihito’s throne, the ceremony was held not as an act in mattes of state, but a private event of Imperial House. The Cabinet led by Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu then decided to appropriate national budget for it, as a compromise to conservative argument.

 

The outline did not make clear decision on whether female royal families would attend the event of succeeding Imperial Regalities. Although some experts on the matters of Imperial House recommended to young families regardless their sexes, the government turned down the discussion on it, being afraid of complicated argument over possibility of female Emperor.

Compensation for Suicide

Fukushima District Court ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company to pay ¥15.2 million to the family of an 102-year-old man who had killed himself with disappointment being forced leaving his house after severe accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. While the defendant argued that the suicide had not been caused by evacuation, the court recognized unbearable mental damage brought by the predictable accident. The first case of compensation for the sufferer’s suicide has realized great responsibility of an owner of nuclear reactors.

 

Fumio Okubo was born in Iitate village, Fukushima, where a certain amount of radioactive materials was brought blown in the wind from exploded First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. A month later, April 11^th in 2011, Okubo realized that he had to evacuate from his house through a news report and told his daughter-in-law that he was unwilling to evacuate and felt like having lived too long. He was found dead next morning. His family wondered why a man who lived for 102 years had to die in a way like that.

 

The court defined Okubo’s life in Iitate as his whole life itself, being engaged agriculture with his parents, married with his wife having eight children and their grandchildren, and involved in close communication with neighbors. Considering long influence of cesium 137, which would take 30 years for halving its radiation, the court assumed that his pain had been unbearable with no hope to get back his home in the rest of his life and caused committing suicide.

 

The significance of the court decision was recognition of responsibility of TEPCO. “It was predictable for TEPCO that once the nuclear accident would occur, the residents around the plant had to evacuate for a long time and some would commit suicide,” the court determined. While Okubo had stress from his second son who had suffered from cancer, the court found that nuclear accident contributed 60% of his death.

 

Fukushima District Court has issued a decision of recognizing 80% of responsibility for a woman who killed herself in her evacuation and 60% for a man with diabetes having committed suicide. Okubo’s case became the first one in which the victim had not been in evacuation yet. It showed insufficiency of TEPCO’s compensation for various damage it gave the region around its broken nuclear power plant. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recognizes 97 suicides related to East Japan Great Earthquake or the accident in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by 2017. The number is still increasing.

Personal Draft on Article 9

Former Minister of Defense Shigeru Ishiba released on Monday his private draft of new Article 9 of Constitution of Japan. Replacing the second paragraph of the article, Ishiba proposed writing “Self-defense Force” down in new second paragraph. Ishiba’s draft fundamentally contradicts the idea that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has upheld and the leaders of Liberal Democratic Party have approved. Ishiba’s challenge against current LDP argument may cause making constitutional amendment a tool for power game in politics.

 

Ishiba’s Paragraph 2 of Article 9 consists of 4 Sentences. The first sentence determines that Japan possesses Self-defense Force to secure independence and peace of the country, safety and freedom of the people, and peace and safety of international society. While he has been supporting for the draft made by LDP in 2012, which proposed creating National Defense Force instead of SDF, Ishiba has also been saying that he would not insist on the name of the force.

 

Ishiba’s second sentence of Paragraph 2 requires SDF obedience to control of the Diet in terms of budget, formation or activity. The third sentence determines that the supreme commander of SDF is Prime Minister. He added new provision for tribunal as the fourth sentence. “To examine the cases in which the member of SDF commits crime related to his/her mission or classified information, the judgment court shall be settled, which final trial court is the Supreme Court,” it determines.

 

Ishiba also proposed new Paragraph 1. While current paragraph 1 pronounces war as means of settling international conflict, the draft removes those words, which has been making a core of pacifism of post-war Japan. “We solemnly declare that we permanently renounce threat or use of force as mean of aggression,” says Ishiba’s draft as replacement of Paragraph 1.

 

LDP Headquarters for Promoting Constitutional Amendment required the party members any suggestion for constitutional amendment until Monday. Ishiba submitted his private draft on the final day. While the Chairman of the Headquarters Hiroyuki Hosoda hopes to wrap up the discussion according to Abe’s idea of maintaining Paragraph 2, Ishiba’s draft will cause delay of the process with possible argument over Abe amendment.

 

On the same day Ishiba submitted his draft, Abe encouraged young LDP lawmakers to positive involvement in the discussion of constitutional amendment. Discussion over constitution for him is nothing but destruction of constitution. He has no idea of respecting Constitution of Japan anyhow.

Ignoring Discretionary Labor System

Performing as a reformer, possibly in order to generate public opinion positive for reforming post-war regime based on Constitution of Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promotes reform of way of working. However, he revealed his own ignorance about the actual situation of the workers in the discussion at the Diet, when he raised his argument that some workers in discretionary labor system worked shorter than ordinary workers. While Abe later took back his argument, it might have proved that Abe had been generating social gap between the rich and poor.

 

In the discussion in Committee of Budget of House of Representatives on January 29^th, Abe was trying to explain the necessity of expanding discretionary labor system in labor market. To the lawmakers basically opposing the system as coercing prolonged labor, Abe argued that there was a data in Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which indicated shorter working time of discretionary labor workers than ordinary workers in average comparison. Abe looked like recognizing a room for the workers more extended working time.

 

The opposite parties have been criticizing labor policy of Abe administration as promoting extended labor with low wage. Deputy President of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Akira Nagatsuma found that the data Abe picked up included 9 offices that introduced 23 hours working a day. A whole day except 1 hour was working time for the worker there. It is obvious that the Ministry introduced in its survey such an extreme example to explain that long-time working would not be abnormal in Japanese labor market.

 

Abe later apologized on his inappropriate quotation on discretionary labor system and took his argument back. The survey was made with a question to the workers with discretionary labor system about how many hours did they work for a day. But, the question to the ordinary workers was what had been the longest working hours a day. Abe drew a conclusion from a survey comparing different things.

 

Discretionary labor system cannot simply be compared with ordinary labor, because the system is mainly introduced in the offices in which accurate working time is hard to be determined. Under the system, the manager can decide the working time of each worker with appropriate estimation. But it can cause arbitrary discount of labor with manipulated calculation of working time. It is undeniable for Abe’s economic policy to have been standing on the side of managers.

Enthusiasm on Olympic Medalists

The Japanese are one of the nations most enthusiastic in winning medals in Olympic, even if they are not obtaining them so much everytime. For that reason probably, newspapers in Sunday morningdecorated their front page with the news of two young Japanese winning gold and silver medal in individual figure skating competition in Pyeongchang Olympic. The gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu made the first example for a Japanese Olympian to achieve two consecutive victories. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a congratulation phone call from Tokyo to Pyeongchang praising Hanyu.

 

After winning a gold medal in Sochi Olympic four years ago, Hanyu had been performed as the top figure skater in the world. It was last November when he disappeared from the public right after he sprained his right ankle. Although he had been making recuperation effort in foreign country, it was a few days before the competition in Pyeongchang when he again appeared to TV footage with bright smile.

 

That hidden three months made his victory further dramatic. In the short program, Hanyu showed perfect performance without a mistake. In his free performance for four and a half minutes, his right ankle withstood three quadruple jumps. “I realized a victory, victory on myself,” told Hanyu. “I want to say to myself in younger days, when I was thinking to win a gold medal, that ‘Stick to yourself, though everything can happen.’”

 

The silver medalist Shoma Uno overtook Javier Fernandez from Spain, who had been in the second position after Hanyu in short program. Although he fell down in his quadruple loop at the beginning, Uno made outstanding performance in the free, whose technical point exceeded Hanyu’s. “While I knew I could take the first prize with perfect performance, a mistake in the first jump made me laugh, releasing me from overwhelming strain,” commented Uno.

 

Two consecutive victories in men’s figure skating was the first achievement in these 66 years. Simultaneous occupation of gold and silver by Japanese athletes was the second example, following gold, silver and bronze winning in normal hill ski jump in Sapporo 1972. TV broadcast people’s voice in Japan who was proud of their country.

 

Prime Minister Abe made a call from his house to Hanyu in Pyeongchang Saturday evening. By congratulating Hanyu in front of TV camera, Abe performed as if he was a political leader supporting gold medalist. As long as he needs enthusiasm for his political agenda, mainly constitutional amendment, Abe is likely to show himself in the middle of delight in Olympic athletes.

Amendment for Electoral District

Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for Promoting Constitutional Amendment approved on Friday a draft of changing Articles 47 and 92 of Constitution of Japan, which would enable each prefecture to elect at least one lawmaker in House of Councillors. Having more supporters in local area of Japan than other parties, LDP had been frustrated with existence of electoral districts that unified two prefectures into one. Although that reform can be achieved through revision of related laws, LDP demands constitutional amendment to accumulate the accomplished facts of eroding the Constitution.

 

Supreme Court has been issuing the decisions that realized the gap of value of one vote in national elections were too large to be constitutional, recommending the legislative branch to consider unified districts in the election of House of Councillors. LDP lawmakers were firmly opposed that idea, asserting the necessity for the House to represent every prefecture with no persuasive reason.

 

Article 47 of the Constitution determines that electoral districts shall be fixed by law. LDP draft adds the article some sentences that setting electoral districts has to be made with general consideration of borders of local governments, local integrity or geographic elements, based on population. “General” means arbitral decision of bureaucrats in Japan. The draft also determines that every greater local entity, which means prefecture, elects at least one Councillor in the election.

 

It is obvious that LDP hopes to introduce some elements other than population into election system. If the Constitution was changed in that way, Supreme Court cannot decide unconstitutionality of great gap of value of one vote, which guarantees equality under the law. It is explicit challenge of conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, against rule of law.

 

The draft also aims at changing Article 92. “Regulations concerning organization and operations of local public entities shall be fixed by law in accordance with the principle of local autonomy,” it says. LDP draft adds the article a sentence that can be read as defining “broad local public entity” as prefecture and “basic local public entity” as city, town or village. It makes no sense for the draft to define the kinds of local public entities. As a matter of fact, there already are two kinds of local public entities, prefectures and cities, that actually work as states and cities in United States. The biggest issue on autonomy in Japan is not about character of local entity, but about distribution of executive power from Tokyo to local governments.

Nuclear Waste Goes Nowhere

In the process of dismantling used nuclear reactor in power plant, the biggest problem is how to find the place for stocking radioactive waste. According to Asahi Shimbun’s survey to major power companies in Japan, no one has secured the place for the processing. High-level nuclear waste needs to be kept safe for a hundred thousand years. Nuclear waste after dismantlement has no way to go.

 

Nuclear waste in Japan is categorized into four kinds. High-level nuclear waste such as used nuclear fuel has to be kept in 300 meters underground for 100,000 years after being transformed into vitrified solid waste. Relatively high-level nuclear waste (L1) represented by control rod needs to be stored in 70 meters or deeper underground for 300 to 400 years. Relatively low-level nuclear waste (L2) such as gloves or wasted liquid must be buried in 50 meters below the surface for 300 to 400 years. Very low-level waste (L3) including concrete or metal needs to be under the surface for 50 years.

 

While low-level radioactive waste produced in the process of nuclear power generation can be accepted by a facility for radioactive waste burying facility in Aomori, nuclear waste in the dismantlement of nuclear power plant has to be processed by each electric power company. To the survey of Asahi, seven companies -- Tokyo, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu and Japan Atomic Power Company – that had the plan of dismantlement, answered that they do not have found place to bury the waste. Two companies – Hokkaido and Tohoku – that have no plan of dismantlement also possess any place for that. Hokuriku Electric Power Company even has no idea of dismantlement.

 

After the severe accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, 17 nuclear reactors have been decided to be dismantled. The waste from nuclear reactor is too radioactive to be temporarily placed in the site of power plant. To select the place for the waste to go needs informed consent from local residents, which can require certain period of time. Those conditions may cause delay of dismantling process.

 

It is likely that power companies will demand involvement of national government as it is doing for nuclear waste in power generation. However, there is no vision that any local government will accept the processing facility in their region, because no one can guarantee the safety of radioactive waste for hundreds of years or a hundred thousand. Processing of low-level radioactive waste proves unprofitability of nuclear power generation.

Promoting Conservative Education

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released a draft of new version of curriculum guidelines for high school on Wednesday. Concerning rapid change of society, the ministry targets the students at their age of 18 as bearers of social responsibility. Social study in high schools will drastically be changed into conservative education for sovereign people. New guidelines will be introduced in 2022.

 

Recognizing highly informed modern society, the government lowered the youngest age of voters from 20 to 18 two years ago. It is likely that the age of adult in Civil Codes will also be 18 within a few years. Accordingly, education in high schools has to be aimed at raising students who can independently set up issues and find correct answers taking advantage of knowledge. The ministry expects future high school students to realize what and how they can achieve through the studying.

 

The draft requires every high school to introduce new class of “public,” which deals with relationship between people and society through studying politics or labor. The curriculum is expected to generate students’ ability of decision from various aspects or discussion from the viewpoint of participation in the society. It hopes high school education to get rid of tendency of simply memorizing what the textbook says.

 

Liberal Democratic Party has a draft of new constitution, which requires the people having “public mind.” While Constitution of Japan set a condition in exercising human rights, which demands the people not to interfere “public welfare,” LDP draft is aimed at further regulation on human rights in the name of “public.” The draft of new guidelines apparently follows the concept of LDP draft of new constitution to plant high school students “public mind.”

 

The guidelines also include new class of “general geography” and “general history.” While general geography deals with international cooperation or disaster prevention, general history requires the students studying modern history from the viewpoints of modernization, popularization or globalization. It hopes the students to have deep love on Japan’s homeland and history. This government coerces the people loving their country.

 

The draft determines that the islands of Northern Territory and Takeshima, which are in the dispute against Russia or South Korea, are inherited territory of Japan. Senkaku Islands, where Chinese governmental ships are sticking around, are regarded as with no territorial dispute. It is likely that South Korea or China will be frustrated with Japan’s view on history.

Informing conspiracy of Treason

Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK, delivered a scoop on the reason of current deterioration of relationship between China and North Korea on Tuesday night. According to the report, Kim Jong-un executed his uncle-in-law and highly ranked officer in Kim Jong-il regime, Jang Song-thaek, after knowing that Jang had tried to raise Jong-un’s elder brother, Kim Jong-nam, to the top leader of North Korea. The information was brought by a Chinese senior leader, Zhou Yongkang, to Jong-un. Pyongyang embraced fundamental doubt on China, not disturbing subversion in North Korea.

 

NHK reported the news based on information from a source in Chinese government. In August 2012, 8 month after the death of former supreme leader Kim Jong-il, Jang told then-Chinese President Hu Jintao his intention to put Jong-nam on the top of North Korea in a meeting in Beijing. Although it is unclear how Hu responded to Jang’s idea, Zhou as one of the members of Chinese Politburo Standing Committee at the time secretly informed Jong-un the story early 2013. Incurring Jong-un’s serious anger, Jang was executed with crime of treason in December 2013.

 

North Korea was frustrated with China’s negligence of the plot of treason. It is possible for North Korea to have realized China’s notion that Jong-nam was easier to handle than Jong-un. With deep suspect on China, North Korea advanced to further nuclear and missile development thereafter. China also lost its credibility on North Korea of execution of Jang, who had been an important liaison between China and North Korea, and escalating intimidation.

 

Chinese source also indicated NHK that the information from Zhou might have caused assassination of Jong-nam in Malaysia last year. It is possible that Jong-un have thought that his status would not be stable as long as Jong-nam was alive. While it is still unclear why Zhou informed the story, which later caused Zhou’s downfall with crime of divulging national secret, Zhou seemed to have tried to curb China’s involvement in North Korean politics.

 

After Kim Jong-un succeeded his father, there has been no top meeting between China and North Korea, that fact which has made an uncomfortable era for both governments. If China was involved in a conspiracy of treason in North Korea, Kim Jong-un must have been focusing on defending himself even exploiting intimidation with consecutive missile launchings or nuclear tests. The North’s recent soft attitude to South Korea can be explained with necessity for getting rid of isolation. It must be China that is responsible for security deterioration in Northeastern Asia these years.

Kuroda the Bazooka Stays

Newspapers reported that Governor of Bank of Japan Haruhiko Kuroda would stay after his five-year term would be expired this April. According to Bank of Japan Act, The Cabinet appoints BoJ Governor. Shinzo Abe administration looks like having decided to send the market a message that Japan is going to maintain current monetary easing policy exercised under the leadership of Kuroda. Abe insists on his economic policy called Abenomics with no sign of exit policy from pouring money or constructive plan for reducing national debt.

The Governor and two Vice-governors of BoJ is appointed by Cabinet headed by Prime Minister, with approval of both Houses of the Diet. While BoJ Act does not prohibit reappointment of Governor, all the Governors have retired when the five-year term was expired, except Masamichi Yamagiwa in 1956 to 1964. It is highly unusual for Kuroda to stay.

The main reason is that Abe administration firmly believes in Kuroda’s unusual policy of “monetary easing in different dimension” as the best way for economic growth. After retired as President of Asian Development Bank, Kuroda took the seat of BoJ in March 2013. Next month, Kuroda declared that the bank would achieve 2% growth of commodity price within two years, which goal has been postponed for six times with no obvious achievement. His sudden announcements were called Kuroda Bazooka.

Even though Kuroda has not reached the goal, Abe supports Kuroda’s handling of monetary policy. To overcome possible crisis expected in consumption tax hike from 8% to 10% in October 2019, Abe relies on Kuroda’s skill in monetary policy for economic growth. Moderate economy may generate necessary support for Abe’s political agenda including constitutional amendment he expects in 2020. Early decision on next BoJ Governor was required for stabilizing Japanese economy currently shaken by steep decline of stock price.

BoJ Act demands that autonomy of the bank regarding currency and monetary control shall be respected. Not only Abe, but Minister of Finance Taro Aso or Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga supports reappointment of Kudora. Kuroda’s governorship is firmly supported by Abe administration. It is fair to say that Kuroda’s monetary policy has been so preferable for Abenomics that Abe Cabinet supports Kuroda’s reappointment.

There are some distortions in bond market and stock market caused by current extraordinary monetary easing policy. Extremely law interest rate brought by Kuroda’s policy affects operation of pension system, which was maintained by the interest of fund, or balance of small and local private banks. Autonomy of BoJ will be proved when it is successful in removing those side effects.

Appeasement and Frustration

A younger sister of the dictator of North Korea Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong, had a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in his Blue House in Seoul on Saturday. As a special envoy of Jong-un, Yo-jong requested Moon to visit Pyongyang soon. Moon expressed his willingness to accept the proposal. Situation in Korean Peninsula is going to the direction that Japan’s Shinzo Abe administration does not hope it to be.

Yo-jong handed a personal letter of Jong-un to Moon, saying “I am a special envoy. This is the will of Chairman Kim Jong-un.” She requested Moon’s visit to Pyongyang with a notion that if Moon would meet with Jong-un and exchange their opinions over various issues, relations between the North and South could be developed soon. She did not refer to actual timing of North-South top meeting in her oral statement of invitation, supposedly with concern of future retreat from current positive diplomatic environment.

Having recognized necessity of early South-North top dialogue, Moon showed his expectation that the meeting would lead to direct communication between North Korea and United States. “For the development of South-North relations, early US-North Korea dialogue is indispensable. I hope the North to positively promote the dialogue with US,” told Moon. He evaluated Yo-jong’s visit to South Korea, taking opportunity of Pyeongchang Olympic, as a momentum for easing tension and improvement of South-North relations. No exchange on nuclear and missile issue between them has been confirmed.

Having exhausted most diplomatic card of nuclear and missile intimidation after declaration of completing development of inter-continental ballistic missiles, or received hard pressure even from China, North Korea has a good reason to promote “smile diplomacy.” “I expect President Moon will be the main actor for opening new stage for unification and pave the way for future generations,” told Yo-jong in the lunch after the meeting.

Suffering from decline of domestic political support for his administration, Moon may take populist policy for a breakthrough in South-North relations by bridging US and North Korea. However, the relationship with US is not so smooth. US Vice-President Mike Pence rejected attendance to opening reception of the Olympic, avoiding encounter with North Korean senior leaders there. There is a speculation that Moon may be visiting Pyongyang with his independent decision.

Abe administration is obviously frustrated with the possibility of South-North top meeting without any guarantee of North’s action for denuclearization. “In the past, Japan or South Korea accepted North Koera’s appeasement policy and the North continued nuclear and missile development as a result,” told Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera. Abe insisted on pressure policy in the meeting with Moon, Moon showed discomfort on Japan’s intervention to South Korean sovereignty by urging maintenance of schedule for US-South Korean military exercise after the Olympic. Japan-South Korea relationship is getting worse.

Discarded Documents Were Discovered

Ministry of Finance, which dealt with national treasury, submitted a bunch of documents over negotiation with an educational corporation in Osaka, Moritomo Gakuen, on Friday. A series of 20 documents consisted of about 300 pages were what the high ranked officer of the Ministry had said as discarded. Discovery of discarded documents encourages the opposite parties in the Diet to accuse Shinzo Abe administration of its deep involvement in Moritomo Scandal.

The documents submitted by MoF were internal reports of Kinki Local Finance Bureau, which had been in charge of negotiation with Moritomo, over the selling off of government-owned land property made in between August 2013 and April 2015. They show how the bureau has answered to the request from Moritomo over legal procedures. The bureau considered making contract of land lease with condition of future selling out. There has been no such kind of contract among similar 1,200 cases in past five years.

KLFB made the contract of land lease in May 2015. “We received a request from the educational corporation that demanded 8 years of land lease and buying it thereafter,” described in a document disclosed. In the internal rule of MoF, a land lease based on future selling off must be expired within three years. The request from Moritomo was highly irregular one from the beginning. The officers in the bureau considered various measures including consecutive renewals of the three-year contract.

The documents also revealed financial problem of Moritomo, which indicated that the corporation would not be able to buy the land 8 years later. There also was a concern that Moritomo would not obtain license from the local government for opening new elementary school on the achieved land with insufficiency of management plan relying on donations. Receiving Moritomo’s hope for starting construction of the school in March 2015, the bureau made a fixed term land lease contract for within 10 years, which made an extremely rare case.

In the Diet discussions from last year, former Chief of MoF Financial Bureau, Mobuhisa Sagawa, has been telling that there had never been a negotiation with Moritomo, based on specific offer on the price of lease. But the discovered documents indicate that the bureau has told Moritomo a rough estimate of the price. Sagawa kept on disclosing the related documents, saying that they had been scrapped.

The existence of the documents and contradiction in them caused fundamental doubt on Sagawa lying about the negotiation. Chairwoman of Diet Affairs Committee of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Kiyomi Tsujimoto, requested leading Liberal Democratic Party summoning witness of Sagawa. LDP is expected to dismiss the request to protect Abe administration. Moritomo Scandal has grown up to be the biggest issue in the first half of current session of the Diet.

Agreement Turns into Disagreement

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe grabbed a hand of South Korean President Moon Jae-in without a smile. In a meeting held in the backdrop of opening ceremony of Pyeongchang Olympic, Abe insisted on irreversibility of Japan-South Korea agreement to finally settle the dispute over comfort woman, only for being rejected by Moon with argument that the issue would not be finalized in a government-to-government manner. Unfortunately enough, Abe’s reluctant visit to South Korea turned the agreement into a disagreement.

As soon as opening press opportunity ended, Abe brought comfort woman issue onto the table. “It is international and comprehensive principle that a promise between countries must be implemented even after administration would be changed,” Abe gave Moon a lecture. As he had decided to participate in the opening ceremony of Pyeongchang Olympic to draw positive cooperation from South Korea for Tokyo Olympic two years later, Abe had at least to reconfirm the viability of the comfort woman agreement.

Moon was definitely sober behind his big smile standing aside Abe. “The conclusion that it cannot be settled by the agreement is based on the fact that the comfort grandmothers did not accept it,” said Moon. Moon argued that both governments had to continue their efforts to heal the wounded heart of the victims to finally settle the comfort woman issue. He stood still against Japan’s attitude that it would not change the agreement even “one millimeter.”

Abe administration drew a compromise from ailing Park Geun-hye administration in 2015, which was to settle the dispute over comfort woman with ¥1 million of financial support. But the agreement was not upgraded to nation-to-nation level. In other words, it had not been ratified yet. Having received a report from his task force, Moon announced new standpoint that the agreement would not make a true resolution. As a lawyer, Moon regards the issue not as a matter of deal between governments, but of human rights.

In that negative circumstance, it was obvious that both leaders would not reach a common notion on North Korean issue. While Abe insisted on that they must not be blinded by smile diplomacy of Kim Jong-un regime and requested maintenance of hard pressure policy of trilateral framework including United States, Moon argued that it was baseless fear for Abe to see the dialogue between the North and South as ignorance of denuclearization of Korean Peninsula or destruction of concerted international efforts. After all, Abe visited Pyeongchang to show his incapability to settle international disputes.