JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
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Brunobear
Mr Koll, former "Chief Economist" and "Merrill Lynch". Your article was discredited the moment we read "Economist" and "Merrill Lynch". You might have been better off just solely putting your name to it, "Jesper Koll" or a psuedonym, perhaps "The Jester". The fact that you have to mention your former title and employer means you are saying, I need these to give me creditability.
We all wish Japan a bright and prosperous future. Toyota clearly make the best and most reliable mass production cars in the world and have done so for decades. The other range of manufactured products is average.
Japanese are great savers but their savings are wasted funding their Federal Government's massive public debt, almost twice GDP and propping up a banking system that because it propped up manufacturing in the seventies and eighties, has been insolvent for twenty years.
Too much Saki can take its toll. Cheers to the cheer leader!
Posted in: Why I’m bullish on Japan
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Brunobear
A return air trip from Australia to China cost about US$1,000. Years before Mr Fitzgibbon's party came into Government he was invited to China by a long time family friend who happens to be a successful Chinese business woman. Good for her, I say because she is eminently successful and could afford it far better than he could on a parliamentary back bencher's salary. Maybe it was just kindness on her part. I cannot imagine Mr Fitzgibbon do anything to harm Australia for $2,000 worth of airfares and some accommodation. China is not an expensive country to visit for goodness sake.
Mr Fitzgibbon, since becoming Defence Minister, has been putting the Australian Defence Department staff under close scrutiny, and some don't like the heat or the scrutiny. So one or more "spoof's" secretly enquired into confidential files, looking for something to embarrass him from his past and came up with this. I cannot imagine that there will be one Australian lying in bed tonight worrying about it, let alone thinking about it even.
The fact that Prime-minister Rudd, Treasurer Wayne Swan, and Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon are building stronger ties for Australia with China is a good thing. Just as they will be working hard to build stronger ties with Japan and Australia's other major trading partners such as Asean countries in Sth East Asia.
Australian's seem to like everbody, what is wrong with that? Joe Hockey looks, talks and acts like a typical Sydney buffoon. As they say, if the hat fits, wear it! He is a former lawyer, need any more be said?
Posted in: Rudd's China advocacy distracted by defense minister's China links
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Brunobear
It is interesting that know one seems to know how many Chinese,Americans, Australians, Indonesians, Malayans, Indo-Chinese, Papua New Guineans, New Zealanders or British were killed by the Japanese or how many Britains, Americans, French, Greek, Yugoslavs, Dutch, Belgiums, Polish, Russians and so on were killed by the Nazi's, but everyday, 365 days a year, year after year for fifty four years now the Jews tell us six million Jews died.
My point is that estimates vary between 50 million and 100 million died which includes no doubt many who would have died of natural causes. About 4.5 million Chinese die each year from natural causes so over the period of war that raged for nine years from 1936 to 1945, probably 40 million Chinese died from natural causes.
Some Armies were more brutal than in their person to person treatment of other humans, while all forces exacted heavy tolls by largely indiscriminate bombing and artillery.
Fortunately the World War is 55 years into the past. The world has been able to avoid such a major conflict for all that time and there is no realistic reason that we need to expect it will occur again, possibly ever.
Most movies are made for entertainment and to make money. Few are ever made just to inform people accurately of past events.
Fortunately, I don't know what my ancestors did through time, possibly some horrific things, nor do I know the precise nature of my genealogical background. What I do know is that I am very grateful they procreated whether by mutual agreement, lust or maybe in some instances force, because of that long line of procreation activities I was fortunate to have been conceived, born, and lived, plus in a time, post WW11 and with the best (rock) music ever.
Just be grateful that the war ended the way it did and virtually everyone has forgiven the wrongs of others and just got on with their lives. The world is a much better place today than it has ever been!
Posted in: Chinese movies on Japan's wartime atrocities clear censors
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Brunobear
Interesting comments by all. Lets be realistic! China has about US$600 billion and Japan US$600 billion invested in the US$12 trillion US Federal public debt (Government Bonds. As a simple Australian, and given the way we do arithmetic here, that is 2 plus 2 = 4 still, it means China owns about 5% of the US Treasury bonds and Japan about the same. That means the other 90% are owned mainly by people we call Americans, the US Federal Reserve and the US Social Security Department. Yes, theoretically, the US may be perceived to be bankrupt for the sake of the argument, but in reality whilst the US can continue to service its US$450 billion annual interest on its US$12 trillion public debt, from whatever means, it is not insolvent.
If China and Japan wanted their money back the US could pay both back almost immediately. But China and Japan don't want their money back because the know that the US is the safest place on earth to warehouse such large sums of public money.
The world has become very accustomed to undertaking virtually all international trade in US dollars. Most major trade contracts are expressly written in US dollars because it has been proven to be the best and safest option, compared to other tried alternatives.
The real problem for the US Government and President Obama is the historic dislike by Americans to pay the full required measure of taxation that the Country needs. For several decades they have been robbing their Social Security Department of its US$4 trillion in reserves and borrowing modestly from various others including China and Japan to fund Federal Government expenditure.
The US could get itself out of its predicament fairly promptly if it increased the overall level of income tax on its 140 million workforce and on its corporations as it did in the 1940's to pay for WW11.
The US dollar is going to remain the main international currency for a very long time and the US still the safest haven for large sums of money. They have strong laws to protect property rights and a powerful court system to back it up. Something you cannot say about most countries except for those who law flowed from mother England, such as Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand and of course the good old USA.
For those of you who fantasize that the US is weakened let me just remind you that the US military is head and shoulders above any other military force in the world. The rest look puny except in some cases for numbers in uniform. When push comes to real shove, the US military technology, means that men in enemy uniform would be soon vaporised if the US chose to, whatever the numbers.
The US is resource rich, much richer than any other nation or even the EEU. Not only does it have abundant natural resources but it has the intellectual elite of the world at its call. What natural resources it does not have it can obtain readily from its closest ally on earth, Australia. Or another close ally in Canada. Canada has enough oil in "oil sands" to last the US at least 300 years and it can be extracted with new techniques at little more than what it cost Saudi Arabia to get it out of the ground.
What the US needs at the moment is support from its close allies to sort out the financial problems that have emerged. My country, Australia, will be the first to assist and we have the cerebral skills to ensure the US financial system is as strong as our own. President Obama is the right man, at the right time with the right allies to support him.
I am proud to say the Australians love the US and Americans. We love to travel there and work and holiday in the US. We love Americans coming to our Country. They are the most kind, well mannered, cerebral, industrious and caring people on the planet and have been the greatest force for good of all time. Aussies also have great respect and affection for China, Japan and all the nations in SE Asia as well as elsewhere.
We are all in this together and we must from hereon ensure that we conduct our economic affairs for the greatest world good.
What many people don't realize is that the economy is similar to the four seasons, you get a winter, a spring, a summer and an autumn. You have to learn to handle all seasons. God bless all of you!
Posted in: China calls for new global currency to replace dollar
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Brunobear
I would just like someone to produce a movie that concentrates on the facts and gives up some sort of numbers that can be confirmed as accurate by a recognized authority. It was so long ago now and is history and must be kept in that context. Okay show us candidly how our predecessors behaved, it might cause us to improve our behavior today and in the future. We simply don't want to go back to the debauchery of the primitive recent past. We need to be good to everyone or at least not do any harm.
Posted in: Chinese movies on Japan's wartime atrocities clear censors
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Brunobear
China has had concerns about the size of its sovereign funds in the US for at least ten years. But they just allowed them to keep getting bigger. They know they had no choice on current policies. If the had been smarter they may have spent most of these funds in the US and then Americans would have jobs too, and been able to keep buying Chinese goods. They also might have thought about letting their currency float and not cause the additional distortions to world financial flows and markets that it has, by keeping it artificially low to benefit their exports over others. Their own currency as a result is not regarded by the world as a hard currency like the US dollar is. Yet it should be but they would have to change their practices to achieve it. Maybe they just don't want to. In any case it takes a major crisis like this for the world to learn some lessons. It will be a better and stronger world in ten years - capitalism is still alive and well and although the US has a financial problem, its real wealth in know how, resources, technology and resourcefulness is still there in abundance; as its military power. Someone will step up soon and show them the way out of the financial dilemma - don't write them off. They didn't become number one by an absolute mile by accident. God bless America say this Aussie.
Posted in: China calls for new global currency to replace dollar
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Brunobear
God bless him I say.
Posted in: 93-year-old man 1st person to be certified as survivor of both A-bombings
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Brunobear
When one bank falls over it is manageable. When the whole system falls over that is serious. Japans situation in 1991 was worse than what the US faces today. The Japanese are good savers and were encouraged to place abundant savings in banks and buy public debt at almost zero interest rates. Nothing has improved, the extent of Government debt now is astronomical at almost double GDP. The Japanese banking system retreated into their bunkers way back then and seem shy still to place their heads out. Japan got by because the rest of the world seemed okay and kept trading and expanding and continued to buy Japanese goods. It seems the Japanese Government has secretly been subsidizing its manufacturers via loans hence the massive public debt. The difference for the US in 2009 is both bank and public debt (85% of GDP) are massive, but the US consumer has stopped spending after running out of "other peoples" money. There is no one else!
30061015's comments are probably going to come true under Timothy Geithner's plan. Eccomann seems on the ball too. The elite in the US are taking action to try and save themselves rather than looking at a realistic program that is going to solve the issues. The same people that caused it all are still managing it the same way. They didn't know what they were doing before and nothing has changed. Just because Obama's father is from Kenya, it doesn't mean Obama needs to copy President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
A real banker never celebrates a deal until he gets all his money and interest back. A real banker never lends on an unbankable proposal. These current bankers got bonuses just getting depositors money out the door. Imagine the quality of the expensive sewage they sent down the toilet in they years of largesse.
Western bankers delighted in imitating each others follies, for example the sacking pogroms of all the forty plus male genuine loyal, ethical, highly skilled bankers in the late eighties and early nineties. They thought why pay a guy a genuine bankers salary when you can replace them with a low cost unskilled forty-ish housewives who will happily do as the computer screen instructs. Forget about the service and credit standards, just look how cheap they are. Look how it makes all our cost ratios fall. Hey, and why not sell our customers, Credit Default Swaps, on our terrible loans, they seem happy to enjoy our abuse - they cop anything we serve up. Pity help anyone with "CDS's" on Government debt.
Obama talks of the need to solve 21st century problems with 2ist century techniques. Um, two and two still adds up to four Mr President, not six, eight, ten or twelve as your wet behind the ears MBA bankers and stockbrokers seem to think. There is a way out, I have done it before in 1991 in my country. These turkeys have no hope, and sadly if you have not been prudent you may suffer too. In hard times money returns to its rightful owners!
Posted in: My plan for bad bank assets
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Brunobear
Taniwha: A well presented introduction. But you must consider the world has never been more technically advanced. Just because there is a financial crisis it does not mean anything is lost except paper money All the skills, knowledge and resources are still there - they don't go away.
In hard times money returns to its rightful owners, The millions of people who have been careful with their money and assets, will be suffering little loss or even a gain. Those who were silly enough to listen to the cheer squad of self interested financial planners, super fund managers, stock brokers etc., or borrowed too much against their home will pay a hefty price.
The world has to adjust itself to the new situation. Those who invested heavily in so-called risk free Government Bonds in many countries are going to find their equity disappearing if the world is sensible. Japan has public (Govt Bonds) of 185% of GDP. It's interest rates are zero because the Government cannot afford to pay interest on the ever increasing volume of bonds. The world is going to have to write down the value of its assets to their true market value and clear the decks of the millstones of massive unserviceable debt and start afresh. It is pointless just printing more bonds and trying more stimulus packages. They don't work because no one has confidence in them and they in fact have the adverse impact of causing panic every time the policticians come up with another lame effort.
The death of Capitalism is a myth. It has never been stronger and will deliver higher standards of living for the maximum number of people. The Japanese Yen is so overvalued it is crucifying your country, as is the US$8 trillion of valueless Government debt. Someone is going to have to take the hard decisions. You need a financial Samurai.
Japan helped me in 1990 to find a solution for a similar problem in Australia. I used that information to show the Australian Government to stop believing in the false information and strategies they believed were true, and take a different course. And they did, and it all came good. Australia: No Government debt at all in 2009, and the most prosperous country on earth.We need to help Japan and the US back to greatness. Its a wonderful world, just full of people who pretend to understand money but haven't got a clue. You will understand what I am saying. Cheers
Posted in: What are your worst fears if mass layoffs continue due to the economic recession?
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Brunobear
Two of Australia's four major banks were insolvent in 1991 and all the State banks had already collapsed. Australia was facing becoming an economic basket case. The Government sought help and were given advice that a simple change in monetary policy (interest rates) would turn the economy around. They did it and it worked. Today Australia is the most prosperous country in the World and its four major banks rank in the top ten strongest in the world. Australia has no public (Federal Gov't)debt and an unsubsidised diverse economy. The American debacle goes back to bad monetary and fiscal policy for four decades. It can be turned around quickly but not under the current stewardship in the US. They don't know how to throw their net to the other side of the boat. Turn it around and you won't have to bail companies out. Companies always fail when the financial management of the country has failed first.
Posted in: In view of what's happening with AIG in the U.S., what is the best way to monitor how taxpayers' money is used in bailing out big companies?
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Brunobear
The problems in the Us started decades ago by continually running budget deficits, unfunded stimulus packages and simultaneously delivering tax cuts. Who could run a business like that? The real villain was the average American who for ten years from 1995 refinanced $600 billion a year in home mortgages to pay for holidays, boats, jet skis, mobile homes, consumption and so on. That is why Greenspan had to drop interest rates to 1% to avoid a collapse of the banking system. When he was replaced Bernanke hiked rates to 5% and it all started to unfold. The sub-prime debacle came at the very end when it appeared US interest rates would remain low like they have in Japan since 1991. Behind every financial crisis since the 1970's is a central bank getting it wrong. You put levers in front of them and at some point they always want to try them out. Many people invested through this period by borrowing against their home in fear of being left behind. The only way out of this mess is to start "building on the rock", not the shifting sands that Obama is delivering. Words will not help in this crisis. It will take a strategy from someone who understands money. It seems there is no one left in the US or Europe. On the present course everyone is going to be a loser.
Posted in: Obama asks Americans not to expect too much from gov't; appears on Jay Leno show
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Brunobear
Good comments. Self interest is the strongest motivator in economics so Western democracy and mixed economy capitalism are far from from dead.
Perhaps the "New Deal" style perpetual stimulus packages introduced by Reagan and Thatcher 27 years ago are dead and soon will be the notion of Government debt being "Risk free" - ie., risk free for the Government but not the investor. It is no different to a bank lending unsecured. There is always the chance none of your money will come back irrespective of the good promises at the outset.
The real problem over the past thirty years has been the artificial manipulation of interest rates by various central banks. When rates are too high asset values fall and the economy is slowed. When rates are too low it has the opposite wealth effect and asset values rise too much. That was evident after 2002 when US Fed dropped rates to 1%. The housing market took off and more people rushed out to borrow and spend cheap money secured against artificially hiked house values. When the Fed put the rates back up in 2005/6 to 5%, it all started to unwind. The sub-prime mess was no greater part of it than the ordinary US borrower refinancing his home loan for conspicuous consumption. Americans were refinancing $600 billion a year in home loans from the mid nineties and wasting the increased debt on boats, jet skis, holidays, cars, you name it.
That US debt binge stimulated the world economy, particularly China's. The whole world jumped on the debt bandwagon, fearful if they didn't get into the investment market, they would be left behind. There was always only so many quality assets, but money seems limitless with massive levels of Sovereign funds washing around.Everything went up in value. Then reality arrived with the crash.
The new way out is just start up the presses as the US Treasury is doing, and concurrently sell almost half a Trillion dollars of US bonds to the Fed Reserve (Effectively too itself) and pump it into the economy and see what happens. Its got to devalue the US dollar.
There next crisis will be the race to see how quickly countries can artificially lower their currency for the short term economic advantage it provides.
This is the fun of a capitalist economy. There will be good opportunities created, so the should rejoice. Money returns to its rightful owner in hard times. It gives some the chance to get rich(er).
Posted in: The world is floundering
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Brunobear
You would find it hard to come across anyone in Australia who likes killing Kangaroos for the sake of it. Australia is an enormous land mass with equally enormous numbers of Kangaroos used to surviving in Australia's harsh arid environment. Around close settlement areas where food and water are plentiful populations can soon grow into plague numbers until the natural food supply is exhausted. Kangaroos and cars don't mix well, if your car hits a large kangaroo you could be killed. If a male Kangaroo attacks you with his sharp and powerful paws it can do a lot of damage. Australia harvests Kangaroo meat from large cattle stations where they compete for food with farmed cattle. They are a beautiful animal and sit proudly on our national emblem. Plague numbers in city environments are a real dilemma and cause considerable debate as authorities agonize on how to overcome the problem. They would be a good alternative meat source to Japan's wild whale meat issue. It is a high protein low fat meat and they can be farmed on huge outback cattle stations but not domesticated. Perhaps Japan and Australia should get together on this as they have with the Blue Fin tuna farming as reported in Japan Today. It was a win win. The issues around Kangaroos need a similar practicable solution. The concern by your readers comments is admirable.
Posted in: Kangaroos in the firing line in Australia
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Brunobear
America's contribution to the world has been amazing and we have all benefited in some way. When I travel to the US, as an Australian, I get treated wonderfully by every American I have contact with. Speaking the same language is a big help of course but it also reflects the positive attitude Australians have per se to the US. Australians also have a very positive attitude to Japan and understand the difficulties Japanese have because of the language barrier. Australia has had excellent business relations with Japan for sixty years. It is important for anyone in business today dealing internationally that they have a good grasp of English. It is the Universal business language. No one expects ordinary Japanes citizens to bother to learn English more than any ordinary American, Brit., or Aussie is going to learn Japanese. My dealings with senior Japanese businessmen were excellent. We have "boguns" in Australia which are an embarrassment to us through their displayed ignorant behavior. I would hate anyone to judge Australia on just on its boguns. The world is going to get much closer, the current financial crisis is because of countries taking universal steps to benefit themselves at the expense of others, e,g, artificial low exchange rates, mercantilism and fraud. We have to great care in our relationships.
Posted in: More Japanese shunning the outside world
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Brunobear
Hakujinsensei. Well argued except for the last paragraph. Are you sure your comments in that paragraph will save us?
Posted in: The world is floundering
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Brunobear
In July 1987 when the New York Stock exchange index passed 2500 points, Japans index passed 38,000 points. Property prices in Japan had reached super bubble levels. The Yen had appreciated 300% in seven years. Everyone wanted to copy Japan's business methods that flowed out of the post-war Marshall Plan. Japanese tourists were enjoying the countries new found wealth and seeing the world. Today, Japans stock market index is at miserable 7,000 points, its currency has just had another huge detrimental upwards hike, its Federal Government is buried in public debt at 180% of Japan's US$4.3 trillion GDP. The Government is effectively bankrupt along with the banking system. Unemployment is rising, older Japanese would be worried as to how they will afford to live in the future. They see world stock markets crashing and widespread international fraud. The fact that the many Japanese are being thrifty demonstrates the level of commonsense of the ordinary person. Japan needs strong benign leadership. It is one country where its people are its main resource - it has few natural mineral or energy resources and limited agricultural and fishing capacity. It is a beautiful cerebral country but must learn English to compete with India, China and Asean. English is the international language. Hundreds of thousand of university students from the aforesaid countries studying in Australia, all write and speak good English. I stand to be corrected but understood there is abundant English language courses being undertaken in Japan. Without it Japan will be left behind. I cannot imagine Japan having a pop culture led recovery but good on it if it does.
Posted in: More Japanese shunning the outside world
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Brunobear
The problem for the world is the massive levels of public (Government) debt in the US, Japan, Britain and most of Europe from thirty years of repetitive national stimulus packages. National debt of many countries is essentially another Bernie Madoff "Ponzi" scheme. Countries are borrowing more and more to meet retiring bonds, service budget shortfalls and pay all the bond interest. Secondly, some major exporting manufacturing countries have been indulging in mercantlism to keep their exchanges rates artificially low to disadvantage competitor nations. This just causes massive imbalances in money flows to the point that importing countries eventually go on a forced strike. The worlds financial problem could be solved at one G20 meeting. The way the world is handling this crisis, all copying each others failed strategies, the world will be in a depression for years. Remember most national leaders are former lawyers and they are not used to solving problems. They just spend years documenting and meeting with little experience of just softly softly,putting together a practicable solution and introducing it with minimal publicity. World wealth is disappearing as they huff and puff and strut the world stage. God help us all!
Posted in: The world is floundering
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Brunobear
Smoking is the mother of all holocausts! It is tragic to see family and friends die in their forties. Hundreds of millions have died a slow painful death and it probably runs into billions over the centuries. What's more the pay to do it and deliver enormous excise revenue to our Governments. Maybe we should have a "voluntary holocaust victim" award! Their children and grandchildren will be able to tell friends they are the descendant of one. We can open a museum for them in each major city and have survivors tell their tragic stories. We can send bus loads of school kids to indulge in the melancholy. Don't smoke!
Posted in: Doctor apologizes for saying people should smoke themselves to death
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Brunobear
We get excellent crowds to it in Melbourne for the first race of the year, and they should increase this year with very low cost tickets for kids. The problem with Formula 1 is is it seems to be a big drag on the economy of the cities that hold it. If the operator could do something really clever and find a way of making each Grand Prix host profitable and the prices more affordable, it would be a smart move, in fact cutting edge or world's best practice or something! I went to one once, most of the cars wiped out on the first bend, just in front of me. There was a few big bangs - I reckon it was the start of global warming.
Posted in: F-1 teams meet to set rescue strategy for the sport
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Brunobear
It is bad enough you have to spend your whole day working with most people, but to socialise with them after work means you clearly have a drinking or personality problem. But to fall in love with one of them or actually start bonking the desperate in the back cupboard, that is really the road to misery. If you do, don't tell your spouse, the don't need to have their life ruined too.
Posted in: Romance at the workplace: What's your view?