JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Klein2's past comments

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  Klein2Apr. 27, 2011 - 02:12PM JST

  "It occurs to me while reading that we are still caught in it."

  And "we" is an editor in Tokyo? Puh... leeze.

  I classify this stuff as DISASTER PORN. People who will enjoy this are people who want to be connected, to say, "What was it like?" It is just as natural for people to scurry to safety as it is for them to have a peek at the danger they "narrowly avoided". Just to tell the parents back home.

  All of the YOUTUBE videos, the special anniversaries and TV programs, the charity events, the hundreds of NGOs who have so crowded disaster zones (all 65 of them!) that they are now being turned away. What is going on?

  It is a spasm of tragedy, concern, and whatever emotion you want to throw in there. Now you can read other people's stories and feel like you too were right here. RIGHT HERE! Bravery, courage, luck, etc. But without the ocean stench, lines for gasoline, and wafting radiation!

  If it is so great, come and live in Sendai. Every waitress, every teller, every cashier, every resident has a story to tell. Not a few people are sick of it. We had good, interesting lives before the quake, and it would be nice to just have that back, thank you very much, without a lot of anxiety about whether the rest of Japan views this all as more than a carnival.

  Buy the book. Have your fun. But if you need to read stories about it to feel something, I would say you missed it. If you are yearning to relive that, you weren't close enough to "appreciate it" the first time.

  Posted in: 2:46 Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake

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  Klein2Apr. 27, 2011 - 01:54PM JST

  "There are no “flyjin” divisions here."

  Oh. I bet there are.

  Posted in: 2:46 Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake

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  Klein2Apr. 27, 2011 - 01:52PM JST

  ""Ultimately, Japan owes over 90% of its debt to itself..."

  And because of that some observers think that Japan will eventually "reset""

  Some observers meaning nobody who holds Japanese debt. They keep issuing it and people keep buying it. The last few issues have been way oversubscribed, and the yen can't stay out of the clouds. I dunno, if my choice is listening to a bunch of pinheads at S and P or listening to the market, then that is no choice. These SandP guys are bond trader wannabes. I cannot imagine any lower aspiration.

  Besides, people have been hemming and hawing about J debt for years. Remember "Japan is Greece"? That has come and gone.

  And another thing, S and P has now invented a "negative rating". What is that? They have AAA, BB, A-1+, and AA-? Seems goofy to me. If they really want to take a stand, why don't they? I suspect it is because they don't want to be wrong.... again.

  Posted in: S&P downgrades Japan's debt rating to negative

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  Klein2Apr. 27, 2011 - 06:48AM JST

  "Another no-hoper will be installed - and will only last 6 months - guaranteed"

  I feel another t-shirt contest coming on. Let me give some advice: betting against Kan, no matter how much you might dislike him, can be very bad for your mental health. He does not have Koizumi staying power, but he has got something going for him. Don't know what it is. I think it is fate... destiny.... or something like that.

  If someone is strong enough to replace him, they will be in the hot-seat awhile.

  Article Unavailable

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  Klein2Apr. 27, 2011 - 06:39AM JST

  "While I am critical of the governments response to the earthquake/tsunami, do not think Kan resigning will be helpful at all"

  Agreed with the last part, but what am I missing in the first part? My biggest criticism is that the national gov. is wringing its hands on Fukushima and ignoring the real disaster, for which it has done very little (short of SDF, that is) at least visibly.

  But certainly nobody will agree with me on that. Nobody cares about Tohoku except the AC people. Even now, all people talk about is the virtually nonexistent radiation levels in Tokyo. The nation is transfixed on a "disaster" where nobody has been killed and no homes have been destroyed.

  So what should Kan have done differently? Not had people evacuated? Not taken phone calls from Tepco? Let the US nuclear people come in and mess things up?

  Considering how messed up the infrastructure was, I don't even fault the national government for the very late attention to fuel supplies. What exactly has Kan blundered since 3.11? If anything, Nagata cho needs to get its rear in gear and worry less about making mistakes. If they wait too long, everthing gets harder.

  Article Unavailable

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  Klein2Apr. 26, 2011 - 06:17PM JST

  Haha. Or is Kan just appearing weak to stall for time? As long as the LDP sits back and waits for the DPJ to implode rather than forcing a vote of no confidence or forcing a coalition government, then the DPJ wins. And the LDP is not going to force anything in the middle of a crisis when there is the hope that the DPJ will just give up. It is risky, after all, to take over and try to manage things. Better to just let the DPJ fail and then come in to clean up.

  Ozawa and Hatoyama make a lot of noise, but Kan beat them before and he can probably beat them again. They don't want to risk it either.

  There are some animals that will pretend to be dead so that they won't be attacked and eaten. Maybe Kan is just playing possum. Everyone will criticize Kan, but we all know that Japanese politicians hate one thing.... leading. So Kan is safe for now.

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  Klein2Apr. 26, 2011 - 06:06PM JST

  "They can in-fight all they want, it doesn't make them any stronger. They're done."

  Yep. They have used this infighting/ distraction stuff over and over. The last time around, I was thinking that Ozawa was sitting back until he could get himself together to lead. I guess this would be the time for him to fulfill his destiny... as tkoind's dark lord. If he does not do it soon, he might never get the chance.

  Unless you are Robert E. Lee, you never divide your forces when faced by an enemy. So either the DPJ has committed a terrible error, or somebody has a plan. That would be Ozawa and his flunky, Hatoyama. Can Ozawa form a strong reliable coalition with enough of the LDP to make an effective government? If anyone can, he can, and now is the time.

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  Klein2Apr. 26, 2011 - 05:54PM JST

  FWIW, I feel as Smith does about Kan. I really don't like him, but when you are in manager mode, as the TEPCO CEO is, you are obligated to see things through, and you should be allowed to do so.

  I would probably disagree with Smith and agree with taj and fadamor (?) that there is nobody better right now. Kan has better information and knows how the problem should be worked. He has a plan, and I don't really see where he has done anything wrong. He needs to lead, and his party should be supporting him as he does that.

  The long and short of it is that everyone is salivating to hand out deliciious reconstruction contracts to their cronies. It is greed. Hatoyama is a rich mama's boy tax cheat who blamed his crimes on his lawyers, Ozawa has been putting off his own prosecution by sheer magic, and the LDP is... well... the LDP. They are hungry to get the corruption gravy train rolling again.

  Kan is better than all of that. If he can't lead because of some contrived "crisis" then he needs to make some coalition and hang on. Anyone forcing him out had better have a better plan. Does anybody have one?

  Article Unavailable

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  Klein2Apr. 26, 2011 - 05:43PM JST

  All great comments. But this is a gem...

  "Japanese politics is so utterly disgusting and see through, and so completely ineffectual. And all the while people in Tohoku are living in gymnasiums separated from other families by cardboard boxing."

  Smith and I just can't mince words and be accurate too. And it is all true, but I have said many a time that bureaucrats in this country are TOPS. I will say it again with some punctuation.

  Sendai announced rent subsidies today. Families will get money from the government to move into existing apartments and homes. It is very likely that this will be extended to all of Miyagi. Other prefectures are likely to follow suit.

  This is huge. Some bureaucrat pinhead pulled the trigger on this, and in one stroke, people with properties will be willing and able to help ANYONE affected by 3.11 to go find a place and live there. The government picks up a lot of the tab and guarantees payments to landlords. But these renters will not have to worry about rent, they can get a start in a new and stable community, and the gov. does not have to worry about finding a place for temp. housing. This is smart smart policy that will save money in the long run and distribute the burden of getting these people back into the community. It also shores up rents and vacancy rates at a time when people are looking at leaving. The likely effect now is that people will be investing and building here instead.

  You can't count on Nagata-cho for much of anything, but underneath that veneer of incompetent beauty contests is an ocean of competent bureaucrats at all levels of government who keep things going extremely well. I would not change it for the world.

  Article Unavailable

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  Klein2Apr. 25, 2011 - 02:49PM JST

  Everyone has missed the obvious.

  What is someone in a shelter going to do with 30000 yen? Go buy some dining room chairs? It is too little to pay deposits on an apartment, so what good is it?

  The worst thing about this is that they can't do anything with it anyway. It is no help at all. There are usually no stores nearby, and if there were, what would they buy? No vending machines, and none will take these bills anyway. NO ATMs, no cash cards. The ONLY thing it does is breed envy.

  I cannot think of a single thing this will buy them that they cannot get for free. This whole thing is much more complicated than money in an envelope.

  At best, it is well intended stupidity or performance art. At worst, it is a malicious prank.

  Posted in: Donors hand envelopes with cash to evacuees in Ishinomaki

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  Klein2Apr. 25, 2011 - 10:08AM JST

  Cleo, I think some people would say that the disaster showed us the best in ourselves. It gave people a chance to atone and aid others. It gave purpose in life to a lot of people. It vindicated the best qualities of human nature.

  Others might say that it is good that it happened now and not a decade earlier or later. The learning that we will do from Fukushima will be that much greater because we have this impending fossil fuel crisis AND economic hardship. Still, the technologies and confidence were available to limit the damage there, and we are fortunate for that. Sensors and satellites and computers were all ready to crunch data from these events, and the damage was great enough that people will be motivated to predict them even better in the future.

  If you know Voltaire, you know Candide. Is it a farce? Is it satire? Or is it a statement of human nature that, to go on, we have to believe that we are in the best of all possible worlds? I am not a religious person, but I see a lot of good coming out of all this that wasn't there before. It's not a fact. Just faith. Faith in humanity.

  Posted in: Japan's Christians celebrate Easter amid disaster

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  Klein2Apr. 25, 2011 - 06:23AM JST

  "Surely this is not as complicated as you make out. The missing relatives could submit a DNA sample and have a search run."

  Surely surely surely... You seem very sure. Well I won't argue, then. I guess Japanese people will never be able to be as smart as us. Too bad. Gosh. I wish they could figure out this technology stuff they keep talking about.

  And you misunderstood my closure comment. I am saying that this will be the last of the publicized search efforts. The government is not expecting to find much after this. It will be the last large organized search, if not the last one. I will say it again, it is time for the survivors to move on unless we are going to make the whole region a cemetery.

  Yuri, you and I agree on many things, but your statement is absurd. They have been finding bodies from Mar. 12. They had an aircraft carrier and about a hundred aircraft and at least as many boats out combing the oceans. Half the nation's SDF has been combing the rubble for six weeks. It is neither little nor late.

  Posted in: Gov't to launch massive 2-day search for quake bodies

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  Klein2Apr. 24, 2011 - 11:26PM JST

  Good point Smith. And I think that they ARE allowed to do so. People choose not to do so for various reasons. Would you believe that there are few students moving around even in Sendai? In many smaller towns, there is only one school, and nobody will split up the family.

  Went to a chonaikai meeting today and heard from some doctors who had spent time in different shelters up north here. Before I get into that, I should say I am surprised at all the donating and "charity" going on throughout Japan. I hope that the money spent on massages was spent AFTER people made sure that those in the most remote areas are having basic needs met. Charity events and boxes are ubiquitous even in Sendai... and we are victims, aren't we?

  The following are comments about Natori, Kessunuma, Ishinomaki and points north. The smell at many of the shelters is described by a physician as "overpowering", and I am thinking he has smelled worse things than I have. People seem to have their basic needs met: water, safety, food, etc. In many places, people are sleeping in shifts and snoring is an important long term problem. Diapers for young and old people will be a continuing problem.

  Shelters have assumed different roles according to local or personal needs.

  At some shelters, hundreds of people are basically living in cars parked nearby. People want to remain close to their wrecked homes, but rely on shelters for food, water, showers, communications, etc. In some places, there are apparently parking lots filled with people living in their cars. They have gathered for security. I have personally seen this in small clusters.

  Other shelters are the sole living space. People will not even venture outside because they want to protect their "han", and they are afraid of aftershocks. Some of these people have homes that can be lived in, but they do not want to leave the certainty of the shelter, which reliably provides all services.

  Then there are people living in their own homes, but who lack services. They go to the shelters for various reasons, obviously. Many areas lack shops, electricity and communications.

  I want to point out a looming problem. It might be very enlightening for people who call themselves either a liberal or a conservative. Once a government evacuates people or sets up assistance, it creates clients. Whether it is Fukushima or Iwate, these people are now relying on bureaucrats to tell them what to do next, and to "assist" or at least "advise" them. If the government cannot follow through, it will be bad. If it does follow through, it might be bad. Local governments here announced that 100 000 prefab homes would be built. Are they eventually going to be dismantled and shipped someplace else, or are we building a Soweto? Are these people going to be independent again? How is that going to happen?

  As I said above, and perhaps MIAMUM and SOUTHSAKAI cannot understand this, many people in shelters do not want to leave... maybe ever. Before 3.11 they were independent. Then they did not die. They are "lucky" to be alive. Now their expectations are extremely low. Many "settle" for security... and dependence.

  Five weeks ago, there were 400 000 people in shelters and this was not a concern. Now there are 100 000 people there and probably another 50 000 or so who rely on them. Apparently there are 50 000 families in Fukushima who were displaced? Keep an eye on what happens to civilized society in the coming months. I think resources and bureaucracies can provide for "needs", but some of these commmunities are shattered... like Humpty Dumpty shattered. People will be afraid to start over until some real building gets going.

  Nagata cho needs to do something bold and ambitious fast. More diapers and cup noodle will be necessary, but these people need higher purposes.

  Posted in: Some comforted, some cramped in evacuee shelters

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  Klein2Apr. 24, 2011 - 10:34PM JST

  Smith. Think that one through. DNA?

  When one suspects that a sample matches a person, it can be helpful, but I guess you are suggesting that every body found could be tested against a sample of what... a close relative?

  So let's say they have what, 1000 unidentified bodies and there are 12,000 missing. I think that is about a jillion tests.

  Or let's say you narrow it down by locale, where a body could be any of 500 people. What if it matches 5 people because of all the intermarriage. Or what if it matches none of them because of some hanky panky in the family tree. Or could it be a visitor? Or did the tides carry them northward? In none of those cases is any family going to be helped.

  I don't know. I don't think even creative DNA use gets you anywhere.

  We all know what this is, don't we? This is it. When this is over, there will be the odd surprise here and there, but we are going to close the book on the deceased and move on when this search effort is over. They are not planning on finding many bodies, but we have to move on.

  This is closure.

  Posted in: Gov't to launch massive 2-day search for quake bodies

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  Klein2Apr. 24, 2011 - 06:12AM JST

  so many reasonable comments here that there is no reason to add too much.

  Japan was not dealt a great hand in the natural resources department, so it does what it can. Whatever course Japanese people reasonably choose to follow is fine for me. Up to now, nuclear power has meant independence for Japan as it has worked to free itself first from coal, and then from oil (it imports about as much oil now as in the 70s). It also fits Japan's "swords into plowshares" politics that it incorporates materials that were used in warheads elsewhere.

  We had a geothermal accident here in Miyagi not too long ago, which killed at least one person. One more person than Fukushima Daiichi radiation, I guess. But there are advantages in geothermal obviously.

  I believe the BloomBox requires natural gas, which Japan lacks. Solar is not efficient for northern areas (two rainy/cloudy days in a row) and older networks. Winds are generally not consistent, making wind systems difficult to finance. Still, Tohoku could probably generate huge surpluses from December through April from Kosa bearing winds, and other times from taifun.

  Smart grids using the huge capacity of all those plugged in Prius batteries along with solar, hydro, wind, nuclear, and geothermal resources would be a great system, backed up by highly efficient small generators using diesel or jet engines might eventually be enough. More local means less loss.

  The problems at Fukushima Daiichi are extremely valuable for the entire world, and I have remarked publicly that they could not have come at a better time in human history. Imagine. An extreme disaster that has been managed very well, but not well enough. At a very small price, it has forced the world to look into the mirror, and for once, the world does not like what it sees. We humans are resource hogs. Along with higher costs and risks of fossil fuels, this event will mark a turning point in energy development.

  Japan has the capital and technology to make the next leap. Now it certainly has the motivation. This is an exciting time to be alive.

  Posted in: What's your stance on countries using nuclear power for their energy needs? Are there realistic alternatives and if so, what is the most efficient way to phase out nuclear power? Or is it here to stay?

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  Klein2Apr. 23, 2011 - 04:22PM JST

  Moral hazard. I don't think TEPCO is negligent, but there are some serious social problems that need to be addressed.

  I very much hope that nuclear... negotiation is examined carefully after all this. I think the technology is ok, but the people taking the highest risks are not getting the greatest benefits. That has to change. That MUST change. And I don't think regulation or insurance is the answer. That makes me the odd man out, I know, but I think there are other ways. Some of them are almost costless.

  High five to Fadamor. Japan can't be as high minded as Germany because it can't leech off of neighboring countries. Well said. By the way, the German left thinks that THIS is the issue that will change everything for them, so they are jumping into the boat with both feet. That is why they are saying such stupid stuff. Ah... who am I kidding... more power to them if they can really find a different way. I don't think they can though. And they certainly should not lie to people.

  Posted in: Nuclear dilemma: adequate insurance too expensive

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  Klein2Apr. 23, 2011 - 03:45PM JST

  "unnamed Maritime Self-Defense Force member tells Shukan Post, “All the U.S. side did was send planes and helicopters into the air. The searching was done by Maritime SDF, Japan Coast Guard and Japanese police divers"

  I have seen videos online of commanders telling their troops NOT to touch a Japanese person, living or dead. They were instructed to call SDF personnel immediately.

  There is no way that I expect enlisted men to understand this directive, but I fully understand it and believe it was generally a wise policy.

  To be quite honest, having swarms of aircraft and vessels up and down the coast made me feel good on many occasions. I can just imagine someone looking up from a campfire in Aomori and seeing the Ronald Reagan steaming by. What a hopeful sign that must have been.

  Posted in: Is U.S. military relief effort Operation Tomodachi really about friendship?

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  Klein2Apr. 23, 2011 - 03:36PM JST

  Look. My understanding is that fully half of the SDF was up here doing relief. They needed to get to people and help them, and they understand Japanese.

  The J government actually ASKED the US, Australia, NZealand, and SKorea for help. I am not aware that they asked anyone else, although help might have been offered.

  I was a little worried about how all this would go down, and I think it was handled superbly. US forces were worried about radiation. People were concerned that they would be too John Wayne-ish. So they stepped back into a support role and let the SDF do touchy feely stuff. It was a great move and it demanded class and maturity. They supplied fuel and supplies. They cleared out Sendai airport in record time.

  This demands its own paragraph. I know pilots flying in and out of Sendai airport who said that it would be AUGUST before flights would be using the facility. The US Marines turned that AUGUST into APRIL. And that was HUGE for this city. Then they used that facility to enhance aid to Natori and Ishinomaki and turned north to help isolated villages.

  Now operation SOUL TRAIN is underway, to clear out train stations along the coast. It is successful and useful.

  The important truth that the article ignores is that MANPOWER is in shortest supply in Japan. Paying US forces should not be a big deal. Having big guys with heavy equipment getting infrastructure together is crucial now. Saving SDF for other missions that are sensitive in different ways is important now.

  Finally, I cannot think of a better way for people to get to know each other. Sounds corny, but the things that happen in Okinawa occur because soldiers and sailors and airmen are bored or stressed or lonely. Getting them out to DO WHAT THEY DO is the best way to improve their lives and let them see humanity. I almost think that helping people should be taught and experienced before anyone is taught to kill another human, but that is too much to hope for.

  80 million? I think Japan is getting its money's worth. I hope politics does not ruin it all, becuase TOMODACHI was a success on a human and operational level.

  Posted in: Is U.S. military relief effort Operation Tomodachi really about friendship?

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  Klein2Apr. 22, 2011 - 06:38PM JST

  Here is an interesting proposal:

  license gamblers. Has anybody ever thought of this?

  Given a certain income, a certain knowledge of gaming, and knowledge of hazards of gambling, it might be ok. Don't let poor, stupid or weak people do it, and you can avoid the social disadvantages.

  The license fees will be the government's cut... right off the top.

  Posted in: Would legalized gambling ease Japan's economic woes?

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  Klein2Apr. 22, 2011 - 11:52AM JST

  I don't really see where Smith called him a criminal. Just saying. Was something deleted?

  should they face charges? is the question. Smith says yes.

  and then he says Japan always protects white collar criminals. I am inclined to agree.

  I have been personally burned by high level white collar crimes in Japan, and yes, the perps do consistently walk. But then, that happens a lot in the US too.

  Just to present my unpopular opinion, I see TEPCO had violations in 2002, 2006 and then another. It is all beside the point. I don't see what they credibly should have done before 3.11 that would have made any difference, and their performance after 3.11 has been stellar. Stupendous. They are even retaining financial responsibility, which is certainly not necessary at a time like this. But they do it. They won't give up until they clean up.

  The question is "Once (it) is brought under control...". My my. Only recently, the question was "IF..." Who brought us from there to here? TEPCO. Just TEPCO.

  The guy will be pilloried and ruined to appease everyone in the shame olympics that is sure to follow all of this, but you know, this was a meteor strike of a situation. Nobody was prepared. You weren't prepared. The SDF wasn't. DMAT teams weren't. Are we going to prosecute everybody?

  And if you think an IAEA warning means something, take a look at a nuclear reactor now operating in Azerbaijan (?). It is on the National Geographic website. Have a look. It will curl your hair. See what reckless disdain for safety really means.

  Posted in: Once the nuclear crisis is brought under control, should TEPCO executives face criminal charges at some point in the future?

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