The October issue of Japan CLOSE-UP has been published!
Japan CLOSE-UP is an English-language monthly magazine bringing you the latest news on Japanese business, products, culture, society, trends, and people.
One of featured articles on the issue is "Konkatsu".
The term konkatsu (marriage/partner hunting) recently sprung up from shu-katsu (job hunting) to describe modern strategies in Japan on the ageold search for a good marriage partner.
Konkatsu was also born of a popular Japanese romantic comedy featuring Kuniyuki Amamiya, in his mid- 30's and son of a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant owner, who finds a job he wants but with one catch—he must be married—and so his search for the right partner begins while keeping his job prospects open by pretending to be engaged to a part-timer in his father's restaurant.
What is konkatsu all about?
Read more http://www.export-japan.com/jcu/sample/index.php
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Silver Week
From September 19 (Saturday) to 23 (Wednesday), we have had consecutive holidays in Japan due to the Happy Monday System (HMS). By revising a law, some of national public holidays have been moved to Monday. That is the HMS.
People in Japan, in general, have a five-day workweek. They have a day off on both Saturday and Sunday.
21st is Respect-for-the-Aged Day. 23rd is Autumnal Equinox Day. Then, the Japanese government has decided to make Tuesday, 22nd, “Holiday for the People” that is placed between them.
Japanese mass media called the holidays “Silver Week”.
But, the new Hatoyama administration did business without ceasing during Silver Week.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
People in Japan, in general, have a five-day workweek. They have a day off on both Saturday and Sunday.
21st is Respect-for-the-Aged Day. 23rd is Autumnal Equinox Day. Then, the Japanese government has decided to make Tuesday, 22nd, “Holiday for the People” that is placed between them.
Japanese mass media called the holidays “Silver Week”.
But, the new Hatoyama administration did business without ceasing during Silver Week.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Mr. Maehara Joined the New Cabinet
Mr. Yukio Hatoyama has become the Prime Minster yesterday, and two Matsushita Institute of Government and Management (MIGM) or Matsushita Seikei Juku graduates have joined his Cabinet.
Matsushita Seikei Juku was established in 1979 by Konosuke Matsushita, founder of PHP Research Institute, for training leadership.
One is Mr. Kazuhiro Haraguchi. He has become Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications were merged into the organization in 2001.
Another is Mr. Seiji Maehara. He has become Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction were merged into the organization also in 2001.
Mr. Maehara gave us his comments on the PHP Global e-Forum July issue: “How Can We Realize a World Free of Nuclear Weapons? Also, Can the Complete Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Guarantee World Security?”
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/expert.jsp?mId=4&yId=26
He is very well known in Japan as an expert on security and defense policies.
The MIGM graduates will lead the huge public organizations.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
Matsushita Seikei Juku was established in 1979 by Konosuke Matsushita, founder of PHP Research Institute, for training leadership.
One is Mr. Kazuhiro Haraguchi. He has become Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications were merged into the organization in 2001.
Another is Mr. Seiji Maehara. He has become Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction were merged into the organization also in 2001.
Mr. Maehara gave us his comments on the PHP Global e-Forum July issue: “How Can We Realize a World Free of Nuclear Weapons? Also, Can the Complete Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Guarantee World Security?”
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/expert.jsp?mId=4&yId=26
He is very well known in Japan as an expert on security and defense policies.
The MIGM graduates will lead the huge public organizations.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What Will the Shift in Power Mean for Japan?
“Extra! Extra! Government shift in power!” People swarmed around the train station, practically fighting for copies of the newspaper extra edition. The August 30 House of Representatives election marked the first shift of power in Japan in 16 years as the reins of government passed to the Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan). It was another moment in which a people seeking “Change” chose to support a complete remodeling of their government.
During the forty-odd years that led up the last power shift, in 1993, Japan was able to achieve high economic growth based on so-called alignments of mutual economic interest, but with the economic downturn that followed the bursting of the bubble, people became frustrated with government corruption and ended up bringing a reform-based alliance of opposition parties to power. But that coalition government made up of eight different parties succumbed to internal dissension within a year. The LDP revived itself instantly with the next election, and continued on the path of “protect vested interests, reject change.”
When Koizumi came to power in 2001, he managed to force the conservative factions in the LDP into submission and hammer through reform measures. But no sooner did Koizumi step down in 2006 than the conservative factions that had been lying dormant resuscitate themselves and government for the vested interests began to raise its head again. However, the internal LDP power structure that had been dismantled by Koizumi never returned to its original position. LDP members were like sheep without a shepherd, and their position of political power just melted away. Instead Minshuto made its carefully thought-out bailout policies the key issue of the election. The LPD went down without a fight.
So what will this shift in power mean for Japan? Instead of making the overall economic pie bigger, Minshuto policy would redistribute larger slices of the pie to the vested interests of the organizations that are its main constituency, namely agricultural coops, medical associations, and labor unions, as well as to the economically disadvantaged population. These policies are ironically close to what the LDP did from 1955 through 1993. In that sense, although the media called Minshuto the “Revolution Party,” the reality is actually the opposite.
Aren’t the Japanese people a little too carried away right now with the idea of redistributing wealth? Even though the overall amount of wealth has declined? Is this the way to survive and thrive in a world where state capitalism is at the forefront? At least I would hope we are not choosing a path that will make all our people poorer, instead of joining in the global competition.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
During the forty-odd years that led up the last power shift, in 1993, Japan was able to achieve high economic growth based on so-called alignments of mutual economic interest, but with the economic downturn that followed the bursting of the bubble, people became frustrated with government corruption and ended up bringing a reform-based alliance of opposition parties to power. But that coalition government made up of eight different parties succumbed to internal dissension within a year. The LDP revived itself instantly with the next election, and continued on the path of “protect vested interests, reject change.”
When Koizumi came to power in 2001, he managed to force the conservative factions in the LDP into submission and hammer through reform measures. But no sooner did Koizumi step down in 2006 than the conservative factions that had been lying dormant resuscitate themselves and government for the vested interests began to raise its head again. However, the internal LDP power structure that had been dismantled by Koizumi never returned to its original position. LDP members were like sheep without a shepherd, and their position of political power just melted away. Instead Minshuto made its carefully thought-out bailout policies the key issue of the election. The LPD went down without a fight.
So what will this shift in power mean for Japan? Instead of making the overall economic pie bigger, Minshuto policy would redistribute larger slices of the pie to the vested interests of the organizations that are its main constituency, namely agricultural coops, medical associations, and labor unions, as well as to the economically disadvantaged population. These policies are ironically close to what the LDP did from 1955 through 1993. In that sense, although the media called Minshuto the “Revolution Party,” the reality is actually the opposite.
Aren’t the Japanese people a little too carried away right now with the idea of redistributing wealth? Even though the overall amount of wealth has declined? Is this the way to survive and thrive in a world where state capitalism is at the forefront? At least I would hope we are not choosing a path that will make all our people poorer, instead of joining in the global competition.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
PHP Research Institute
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
Friday, September 4, 2009
Next Issue Is about "State Capitalism"
Next issue is "Will State Capitalism Bring Peace, Happiness, and Prosperity to Humanity?"
Experts who comments on the issue are as of today:
Experts who comments on the issue are as of today:
- Mr. Vladimir Dovgan (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Edelstar Limited)
- Dr. Jayati Ghosh (Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University)
- Dr. Aldo Musacchio (Associate Professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy Unit, Harvard Business School)
- Dr. Jeffrey D. Straussman (Dean of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York)
- Mr. Masaharu Takenaka (Professor, Faculty of Economics, Ryukoku University)
- Mr. Toru Watanabe (Executive Director, Shin-Nihon Public Affairs)
The issue and comments will be posted on September 7, next Monday Japan time.
[PHP Global e-Forum Editorial Office]
http://www.globaleforum.com/en/
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