Selling Education Policy as Revolution

Shinzo Abe administration completed a draft of new economic policy package for enhancing support for education. Naming it Human Resource Revolution, set with Productivity Revolution for economic incentives, the government will pour annual ¥2 trillion into education for free, starting April 2020, the year of Tokyo Olympic Games. This can be recognized as a subsidy to back up the movement of constitutional amendment, which the administration has been focusing on as the biggest political agenda in 2020.

One pillar of Human Resource Revolution is subsidy for the children before the age for elementary school. The government will pay all the cost for children in their age of 0 to 2 to go to nursery school where working mothers leave their kids in the daytime. The policy is applied to the families with ¥2.5 million or less annual income, which are categorized in waiver of residence tax.

All the children in their age of 3 to 5 will be included in education for free policy regardless the category of school, nursery or kindergarten, or annual income. But, the school needs to be the ones licensed by the government. For unregistered schools, Abe administration will consider settling experts’ conference to discuss the possibility and conclude as early as next summer. Subsidy for the children in their age of 5 will be introduced in advance in April 2019.

The subsidy for higher education -- college, high school or academy for specific career -- will be separated between public and private. To the residential tax waivered families, the government will pay for entrance fee and whole annual tuition, about ¥540 thousand, of national university. For the annual tuition of private university, which amounts to ¥860 thousand, it will pay the amount with certain addition to national university’s tuition.

In the name of increasing human resource for education, the administration will save ¥340 billion to incubate 320 thousand personnel for nursery schools by FY 2020. For nursery facilities for elder people, it will apply ¥100 billion for raising salary of the workers. One worker in such a facility for ten years or more will receive additional ¥80 thousand in monthly salary.

Although the policy package is recognized as an economic stimulus, actual impact on economic growth can be limited. It is rather a populist policy to attract the people without obvious benefit from Abe’s economic policy, most of them are in a low income level. Abe hopes to have a national referendum for constitutional amendment in 2019. It would be regarded as a driving force to collect political support for the agenda.

Hibakusha Alerts Japan

Leaving Japanese government negative on eliminating nuclear weapons behind, Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee awarded an international NGO, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, to 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. In the ceremony of the winner, one Hiroshima survivor, Setsuko Thurlow, gave a speech to warn the world of devastation of nuclear weapon. Thurlow, now living in Canada, included her home country as one of the accomplices of absolute evil.

As a representative of Japanese nuclear sufferers of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Thurlow revealed her incredible agony she experienced in August 15^th, 1945, at her age of 13. After she saw “a blinding bluish-white flash,” she found herself pinned by the collapsed building filled with the cries of her classmates needing help. As she crawled out the building guided by a man saying “Don’t give up! Keep pushing!” most of her classmates inside were burned to death alive.

The world has to realize that she has been living her life with consistent fear of death with influence of radiation caused by the atomic bomb. “In the weeks, months, and years that followed, many thousands more would die, often in random and mysterious ways, from the delayed effects of radiation. Still to this day, radiation is killing survivors,” Thurlow appealed. Many survivors have actually been suffering from discriminations on hibakusha, which sometimes appeared as refusal of marriage. Japanese government has been reluctant to include all the sufferers in the recipients of governmental compensation.

Introducing a scene of her four-year-old nephew whose body “transformed into an unrecognizable melted chunk of flesh,” Thurlow defined current situation in which nuclear weapons endanger everyone as insanity. “But still some refused to see Hiroshima and Nagasaki as atrocities – as war crimes,” Thurlow accused nuclear possessing countries. “They accepted the propaganda that these were ‘good bombs’ that had ended a ‘just war.’ It was this myth that led to the disastrous nuclear arms race.”

Thurlow warned nine nations threatening the world with nuclear weapons, saying “These weapons are not a necessary evil; they are the ultimate evil.” But she refused excluding other nations that had not supported Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons this summer from axis of evil. “To the officials of nuclear-armed nations – and to their accomplices under the so-called ‘nuclear umbrella’ – I say this: Listen to our testimony. Heed our warning. And know that your actions are consequential. You are each an integral part of a system of violence that is endangering humankind. Let us all be alert to the banality of evil,” she said. Her words were real J-alert for Japan.

Arresting North Korean Fishermen

Hokkaido Regional Police arrested three North Korean fishermen with suspicion of theft on Saturday. They are doubted as stealing electric appliances from a small desert island called Matusumae Kojima, located western offshore of Hokkaido Island, where they arrived onboard a small fishing boat. The government of Japan recognized a possibility that they were the agents of North Korean government with secret operation in Japan.

It was late November when the police and Japan Coast Guard found the boat with ten fishermen in Matsumae Kojima. After the Coast Guard captured the boat, the police realized that most devices installed in a cabin, built in the island by Japanese fishery cooperatives, were disappeared. The devices included television, refrigerator, fishing implements or auto bike, which total value amounted ¥7.9 million. It is suspected that those fishermen have stolen those goods and tried to bring them to their home.

The fishermen include Captain Kan Myonghak, 45, and other two in the age of 59 or 32. Other six fishermen were brought to the immigration office and the rest of one is in a hospital in Sapporo with ill health condition. The police is going to have investigation on the rest of seven men at the immigration office. When the police arrested three fishermen in the boat alongside the pier in Hakodate Port, they firmly protested, yelling loud in Korean language. They appeared from the boat with rope around their body and brought to police office.

The arrested fishermen will be investigated in the legal procedure of Japan. If the police confirms their suspicion, they will be indicted to the court. But, there were some cases in which the police released foreign fishermen arrested in Japan’s territorial sea with insufficient suspicion. When a Chinese fishing boat intensively collided with a ship of Japan Coast Guard around Senkaku Island in 2010, Japanese government released the Chinese captain without indictment. Other seven North Korean fishermen are likely to be coercively repatriated after the investigation in the immigration office.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga insisted that the police and the coast guard were making thorough investigation on the suspects. “There is a doubt that the consecutive arrival of North Korean boats and seamen may be secret operation of North Korean government,” told Suga, indicating a possibility that the owner of those boats could be North Korean People’s Army. Some news reports indicated a possibility of refugees from the starving country. But, no sign of collapse of Kim Jong-un regime has been detected so far.

TV Tax Was Approved

Supreme Court made its first decision on Wednesday that Article 64 of Broadcasting Act, which forced TV viewers to have contract of recipient with Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK, was constitutional. The Court actually approved NHK’s policy that demand all TV viewers paying for watching NHK program, even if they did not watch NHK, or even TV itself, as long as a TV device was in the house. This is the decision that approved de facto taxation on all television owners.

NHK filed a lawsuit to demand a man who installed a television in his house in 2006 making contract for watching NHK and payment for the fee. The man argued that NHK policy for television fee was violating Constitution of Japan that guaranteed freedom of contract. The man thought that the program of NHK had been too biased to be equal as the public broadcaster.

The Grand Bench recognized NHK television fee system as for not being affected by specific interest or governmental organization through broad and equal payment of general watchers. It approved NHK’s interpretation of Article 64 of Broadcasting Act that it coerced the television owners paying TV fee. “The system of television fee is rational to fulfill the right of knowledge under the Constitution that guarantees the people freedom of expression,” the Court concluded.

Another point was when would the contract be activated. NHK argued that the contract would be made when NHK requested a TV watcher to have the contract of watching television. The Grand Bench dismissed the argument and decided that the contract would be completed when NHK would win a court decision for the payment after filing a lawsuit.

However, the Court required the watcher to pay the fee for the period from when he had settled the television in his house, based on a notion that difference between him and other watchers who had paid the fee might cause unfairness. The defendant has to pay about ¥200 thousand as much as the first and second court ordered. The defendant has been arguing that the law has no power of coercing the payment.

The argument in the Court lacked a viewpoint that the law was legislated at the time when public broadcasting was mostly limited to radio. NHK was required to contribute to disseminate good information for the people. Now, the people can access a various kind of information through internet and not so much dependent on NHK. Coercing the payment for all NHK program is obviously obsolete. It is the time for NHK to introduce various payment system based on how long the watcher watched NHK.

Abdication and Enthronement Officially Decided

Shinzo Abe Cabinet on Friday made a decision of a government ordinance that determined the day of retiring of Emperor Akihito to be April 30^th, 2019. Crown Prince Naruhito is going to take throne next day, May 1^st of 2019, marking the start of new era following Heisei. It will be the first case for the Imperial House to have abdication not caused by death of Emperor, since the Emperor System was defined in Constitution at the starting of Meiji Era about one and a half century ago.

Prime Minister Abe announced in the unofficial Cabinet meeting that new Emperor would take the throne on May 1^st of 2019. “I will do everything for smooth abdication and enthronement,” told Abe to the Ministers. The government will establish a conference for discussing details of the rituals for abdication mid-January, which will be presided by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Suga told that new Era would start on the same day of the enthronement.

The abdication will be the first case under the Constitution of Japan, which upholds symbolic Emperor system. The new conference is expected to discuss whether the ceremony of abdication has to be an act in matters of state. With attendance of Cabinet Secretaries, Grand Steward of Imperial Household Agency or Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office, the conference will also discuss simplification of the rituals or cost cutting.

Ceremony of Enthronement will be held in the fall of 2019 and the First Ceremonial Offering of Rice by new Emperor will be scheduled in November 2019. Although Succession of Holy Sword and Privy Seal has religious meaning, which may violate the principle of separation politics and religion, the government considers making it a “ritual” as an act of matters of state, as in the case of enthronement of Emperor Akihito.

The biggest issue for Japanese Emperor System is stable maintenance of Imperial House in the future. The system has been maintained by strict paternalism, which does not approve female Emperor. Possible successors of next Emperor Naruhito are limited to two persons, Naruhito’s younger brother Prince Fumihito of Akishino Family and his son Sakihito. While there is a broad argument for female Emperor, the conservatives in Japan, including Prime Minister Abe, firmly oppose changing the tradition of paternal throne.

Another argument is returning of former families. There are some male families who left Imperial House in 1947. Some conservative expect those male families to get back to Imperial House. However, the life in Imperial House is filled with many restrictions. Former Imperial families are already accustomed to their life as free people. The returning of those families is too late to be achieved.

Insanity of Recognizing the Capital

Against slight hope for decency of United States presidency, President Donald Trump declared that he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would move US Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. It was reported that a number of countries opposed Trump’s decision, being afraid of instability in Middle East. Heavily dependent of its security policy on US, Japan could not express clear opposition to the notorious decision.

The declaration was suddenly delivered. “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Trump said. Arguing that his previous Presidents have failed in delivering the policy, even having made it a major campaign promise, Trump praised himself of the implementation. “My announcement today marks the beginning of a new approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians,” he boasted.

Washington Post warned that the decision “could derail the White House’s peace efforts and spark regional unrest.” WP indicated that Trump decided it with a simple reason that Jerusalem had historically been the capital of Israel, recognizing that most of the nation’s government, including the Prime Minister’s office, Supreme Court and the legislature, was based there. Senior White House officials explained to WP that the decision was the fulfillment of a key campaign promise that had broad bipartisan support in Congress.

One common recognition of the world is that Jerusalem has been the holy place not only for Jewish people, but also for the Christians and the Moslems, much more than that it has been historically been capital of Israel. Even how much Trump administration argues that Trump remains supportive of a two-state solution, it is a decision heavily leaning on the Jewish side. This is what Trump’s America First is about.

Inevitably, the world expressed uneasiness on Trump’s decision. In the telephone talk with Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world. French President Emmanuel Macron regretted Trump’s decision, which was made with dismissal of Macron’s request to changing mind in advance.

Nikkei Average in Tokyo marked the biggest decline of this year by ¥445 on Wednesday after Trump’s decision was reported. Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono commented on Thursday that he had a concern of deterioration of the situation in Middle East, while praising Trump’s firm commitment on promoting permanent peace agreement and supporting two-state solution. If that US President had kept firm commitment on the peace in Middle East, no such decision could not be made.

Introducing Air-to-Surface Missiles

The government of Japan begins to consider introducing long-range cruising missile on fighter jets of Japan Air Self-defense Force. JASDF believes that the missile will enhance its capability for defending isolated islands of Japan, dealing with active maritime advance of China these years. The plan has still not cleared fundamental argument on constitutionality, which is about whether it will violate the provision prohibiting use of force in a foreign country by possessing capability of preemptive strike on enemy’s military bases.

According to the reports based on information from the officers of Shinzo Abe administration, the government is considering necessary budget for obtaining Joint Strike Missile developed mainly by Norway and researching Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range by United States. It is likely that the budget will be included as soon as in FY 2018.

JSM is in development for installing in cutting edge stealth fighter jet, F-35 Lightening II. Japanese government will obtain the missile for testing, expecting its capability of striking the object of military base on the ground or vessel on the sea about 300 kilometers away. If the missile is installed in F-35, 42 of which will be deployed in Misawa Air Base later this fiscal year, JASDF will be able to enhance its deterrence against advancing China or strike military facilities in mid-land of North Korea.

Having its reach of 900 kilometers, JASSM-ER can strike the mid-land of North Korea from the Japan’s territorial air above Japan Sea. JASDF assumes that the missile will be installed in F-15 Eagle, which has already been deployed in the airbases in Japan. Ministry of Defense is going to request the budget for repairing F-15 in FY 2018 and actually purchase the missile in FY 2019 or later.

Japanese government has been taking the position that it would not obtain the capability of striking enemy’s military base, which cannot necessarily be prohibited in Constitution of Japan. But, obtaining that capability may cause revision of role sharing in Japan-US military alliance, which has been defined as that Japan owes the role of “shield” with principle of exclusively defensive security policy and US works as “sword” of striking enemy.

Suffering from North Korea’s consecutive missile test over Japan, MoD is involved in development of military capability of land-striking. It also considers adding land-striking capability on anti-vessel missile in researching stage. That concept called as Japanese version of Tomahawk will be introduced in FY 2018.