Category: News from Japan

Please enjoy fresh & hot news from Japan with comments by Europe-Japan Dynamics.

24 Jun. Prime Minister Abe instructed Ministers to take prompt actions in response to the UK secession from the EU

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with the cabinet Ministers concerned to discuss actions in response to the European Union (EU) secession of the U.K. in the evening of 24th. He said, “I am concerned about a risk of the world economy and a currency market. We must ensure of stabilization of the money market as a matter of priority”. He further pointed out the need for the Government to cope with possible influences on Japanese companies operating in the U.K. and Japanese economy, and instructed the Cabinet Ministers concerned to take actions needed.

Comments: We are all diving into an unknown zone, after being shocked by the result of the UK referendum.

27 Jun. Rearrested a 17 years old for the alleged outflow of information of 6 high schools including the grades injustice by illegal connection

The Metropolitan Police Department and the Saga Prefectural Police rearrested an unemployed boy (17 years old, living in Saga-shi) on the ground of alleged violation of Unauthorized Computer Access Law for an illegal access to the computer network of prefectural high schools in Saga prefecture. He is likely to have broken into the networks of at least 6 high schools, and, according to the Saga Board of Education, performance records and the personal information of 9,589 students and teachers were taken away. The police said that the boy admitted most of the case for his charge.

Comments: Both protection of electronic data and education to grow computer moral are important.

28 Jun. Japanese businesses concerned about Brexit, Prime Minister instructed to include measures to reduce the reactions in the supplementary budget 

Following the U.K. secession from European Union (EU), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed Nobuteru Ishihara, Minister in charge of economic revitalization, to include the measures to reduce anticipated impacts on businesses in the second supplementary budget this year to be submitted to an extraordinary session of the Diet in the autumn.

Comments: Japanese reactions to Brexit is centered on economic consequences.

29 Jun. Testing forklift powered by hydrogen generated by the sun light, Toyota Kyushu

Toyota Motor Corporation Kyushu and Fukuoka Prefecture have announced that they are starting from the next Spring a demonstration test to move a forklift equipped with a fuel cell powered by the hydrogen generated by photovoltaic power. By the experiment, it is aimed to clarify technical issues and to find ways to cut costs during the FY 2017 in view of market introduction of the hydrogen-powered forklift.

Comments: Two-thirds of the cost of the project is subsidized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The Government is pushing forward the energy development leveraging the private sector.

30 Jun. Covering Mt. Fuji by WiFi, a base station to be built in all the mountain hut Mount

KDDI (a major Japanese telecommunications carrier) has announced that he company will enable the free use of WiFi in all the mountain huts in Mount Fuji regardless of a telecommunications carrier with which users have contracts. The WiFi network is expected to be useful at the emergency including the eruption. KDDI plan to put base stations in 49 premises, including all the mountain huts and public facilities.

 Comments: It is a very good idea!

1 Jul. Student volunteers for cyber crime prevention, in cooperation with police 

“The cyber crime prevention volunteers” are playing active roles in cooperation with the police, when the crimes that abuse the Internet are occurring here and there. Nearly 10,000 people, many of whom are University students, have registered in the past four and a half years since the launch of this initiative by the police. The volunteers have become an indispensable force, searching harmful information in Cyberspace, teaching children and the aged people risks of careless use of the Internet and how to use smartphones.

Comments: While it’s a good idea, schools, not police, should take initiative to teach children etiquette and proper use of the Internet services. 

• All the news items are picked up from “Asahi Digital”, and summarized and translated by Europe-Japan Dynamics. The articles are not an official translation by the Asahi Newspaper.

Please enjoy fresh & hot news from Japan with comments by Europe-Japan Dynamics.

16 Jun. Pokemon in Chinese, from its release in Nov. to support 8 languages 

“Pocket Monster”, nicknamed as Pokemon, will include a Chinese version for the first time from its new world-wide release planned on 18 November. In addition to English, French, etc., Pokemon will be available in 8 languages. Nintendo, vendor of Pokemon, thus plans to develop the overseas markets that may keep growing.

Comments: Language is a key to easy access for a growing number of international lovers of comic and games.

17 Jun. Mitsubishi Motors to pay 100,000 yen per car as compensation of fuel consumption camouflage

Mitsubishi Motors plans to pay compensation of flat 100,000 yen to those customers who own the four models of light cars for which the company camouflaged the fuel consumption (including those cars sold to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. as OEM) . The compensation is to cover costs of gasoline paid more than needed due to the fact that the fuel consumption was not as stated in a catalogue.

Comments: It is a trivial solution. The compensation may not rebuild the trust by consumers lost due to the false reporting of the fuel consumption.

20 Jun. Two nuclear power generators of over 40 years old to obtain authorization to extend operation for 20 years, two units of Takahama nuclear plant

Two nuclear power generators of Takahama Nuclear Power Plant owned by Kansai Electric Power Co., which are more than 40 years old, is likely to obtain authorization of driving extension for 20 years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission consults with an ordinary assembly about a result of examination in the afternoon of 20th. This case will be the first extension authorization under the new regulation established after an accident of Fukushima first Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Co. that limits the life of the nuclear power generators in principle to be 40 years.

Comments: What is the new regulation for if an extension is granted without hurdles? Die the Japanese take lessons from the disaster of Fukushima Nuclear Plant?

21 Jun. “Robots for home use will come true in 15 years”, said the chief of Toyota subsidiary of AI research

Mr. Gill Pratt, the top person of Toyota research institute (TRI), an AI (artificial intelligence) subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, said, “We wish to apply technologies to manufacture automobiles to other areas. I trust that the home robots will be used caring of the aged, etc. will be realized in 15 years”.

Comments: Let’s see what will be possible and what will be human roles which robots can’t take.

22 Jun. 11,000 personal information outflown from an e-commerce site of a women’s journal, “ViVi”

Kodansha, a major publishing company in Japan, announced that the personal information of approximately 11,000 members were flown outside the its e-commerce system  of its monthly women’s journal, “ViVi”, due to an unjust access.   Kodansha said that the credit card information was not included in the stolen date, and that the company had sent an email of the apology to those whose data had been stolen. The publishing company has not received any report of damage from its e-commerce members.

Comments: This incident is the second one after JTB in the past one month, who had the customer information stolen. One may doubt there could be other cases that are not publicly announced yet.

23 Jun. No conversation between Prime Minister and Mr. Onaga, Governonr of Okinawa, deepening discord observed on the day of the Okinawa memorial service

The Okinawa “day of the memorial service” was held while the shock of the killing of a women by an ex-soldier of  U.S. army was continued. The Governor of Okinawa-ken, Mr. Takeshi Onaga clarified again in his speech in the memorial service his position against the relocation of Futenma Air Station of the UA Army (currently located in Ginowan-shi, Okinawa) to Henoko. In contrast, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was also present in the memorial service, does not change the relocation plan. The discord of the two only deepens further.

Comments: Okinawa issue is rooted in Japanese history since the WWII. 

• All the news items are picked up from “Asahi Digital”, and summarized and translated by Europe-Japan Dynamics. The articles are not an official translation by the Asahi Newspaper.