Seiharinokaze's past comments

  • 1

    Seiharinokaze

    Korean women who are in debt with finance firms are often recruited by Korean brokers and sent to Japan (e.g. around Kinshicho, Tokyo) to work for a "delihel" or fashion-health massage parlor. They have no choice to quit the job until they pay back their debt. It seems not much has changed since pre-war era. Sex slavery still continues.

    Posted in: Restoration Party member ousted over Korean prostitution remarks

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    True there seems to be no "united front" from the beginning. But aside from South Korea's usual garbage, with or without sanctions in unison by the West (the US actually delisted North Korea from terrorist countries several years ago while Japan urged otherwise without relaxing its own sanctions) NK has never given up development of its nukes. Iran and NK don't sink by sanctions. So Abe may think it better to take back remaining Japanese abductees and normalize relations to reduce tension and if possible also explore for any chance to tap the rich natural resources lying dormant in NK. Northern front from Russia to Mongol might be more than he bargains for.

    Posted in: S Korea, U.S., China differ over visit by Abe's envoy to N Korea

  • 4

    Seiharinokaze

    When Qing Dynasty collapsed, Han Chinese became independent from Qing Dynasty. Then why not Tibet and Mongol and Uighur too? China may claim Okinawa perhaps because they feel insecure. Then we better not take in what is presented and get so hot. Remember it's also a virtual marketplace of PAC3 and Ospreys. War economy might be staged by stealth while sovereign crisis still haunts out there.

    Posted in: China should reconsider who owns Okinawa: People's Daily

  • -8

    Seiharinokaze

    Beware of Abe's feigned allegiance, China advises America for old time's sake (they were allies and now they are G2 as one being the greatest financier to the other). Revision of the Constitution and doubt on the jurisdiction/judgment of the Far East Tribunal is not so much for Japan to have the ability to exercise the rights of collective defense (who in the heck cares what would happen to Koreans) as the ability to defend Japan on its own. Don't let Japan get independent as a normal country. That's for the mutual benefit of China and America.

    Posted in: China says U.S. should be concerned about Japanese nationalism

  • 1

    Seiharinokaze

    Everybody knows that they actually locked a radar on a Japanese destroyer. By denying it and criticizing Japan for "false" allegation, Beijing including the Defense Ministry indirectly scolded the Chinese military officers for discrediting China by doing what they did. And now the Chinese military officers disrespect Beijing again by saying the truth. Discordance seems to be ingrained.

    Posted in: Chinese military officials admit ship radar lock on Japanese detroyer

  • -1

    Seiharinokaze

    If Koreans had thought that they incorporated the islets into Ulleungdo by an administrative directive earlier than Japan, they should have just presented it to Japan as an evidence for their territorial rights while maintaining the original name of the islets as described in the directive when they knew that Japan incorporated the islets into Shimane. It's something to be settled with rather matter-of-factly or to be put to mediation for peaceful settlement instead of being an endless source of ill feeling.

    Posted in: Japan stages annual rally over disputed islands with S Korea

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    A poster named Gerry_Bevers wrote before on JT and referred to a Korean historical document of early 18th century in which some islets were described as being visible to the east of Ulleungdo and lying on the border of Japanese territory. 鬱陵之東 島嶼相望 接于倭境 So being visible was not something for them to claim territories but rather in their case to recognize borders. And for our case it's something to cool it and get our heads together.

    Posted in: Japan stages annual rally over disputed islands with S Korea

  • 1

    Seiharinokaze

    Maybe the naval officers of the frigate were provoked by what Asahi had reported on Jan.16 that Japan would fire warning-shots on Chinese incursions, though Japan's Defense Minister didn't use any such specific words as "fire warning shots" in his press conference. And they set their sights on a Japanese frigate to see what would happen. That is perhaps what happened in the East China Sea later in January just at a time when the Komeito leader visited China and handed a personal letter from Prime Minister Abe to the Chinese president. So probably Beijing didn't know anything at the time and the politburo might be even split on whether or not they should admit the frigate's misconduct. Not sure about their power relationship backstage but Beijing might want to have more control of the Navy which seems to be more bellicose with Japan. So Abe had better make out with whom to pull his punches even if he has a hard evidence.

    Posted in: Japan considers disclosing evidence on China radar lock

  • 3

    Seiharinokaze

    It is rather AP or Asahi that wants to fuel worries that the situation could spin out of control. (Asahi had a similar record before and during WW2.) "Japan is prepared to respond infallibly according to the international standard" is what Onodera said as he should as Defense Minister. But he didn't say in his comment that Japan would use a tracer fire against Chinese fighters. That part is what Asahi officiously expatiated on. And a news reporter from a Hong Kong media inquired of the Defense Ministry about it and found out that it was a false report by Asahi and pointed it out in his blog. AP didn't even bother to check it.

    Posted in: Japan talk of warning shots heats up China dispute

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    Public spending has been what lets Japan barely keep its head above water in the last couple of decades. Doomsayers keep predicting a fiscal crisis in Japan but strangely enough she is surviving with its unemployment rate at around 4% and the long term interest rate still at less than 1 % while holding more than 1100 billion dollars worth of USTB. And not even much affected by CDS disaster of 2008 either. Abe may be flattered by Paul Krugman's backhanded compliment. True, Japan pioneered the economics of stagnation. But GDP growth myth seems to have lost its appeal already. Young people these days prefer riding a bicycle as if the road is theirs to driving around a brand new car. Abenomics may be just another dose of such similar prescription which will bring a temporary lull to endure the stagnation. Not something to end it.

    Posted in: Stimulus addict Japan gets huge fix from Abe

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    Before writing on this matter, AP or for that matter NYT reporters should at least learn how Japanese in general think about this matter. http://ianfu.blogspot.jp/2013/01/open-letter-to-editor-of-ny-times.html

    Posted in: U.S. to urge Japan, S Korea to mend ties

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    Global economic slowdown and decrease in shipments to China over the Senkaku issues and the strong yen will offset what might be projected by Abenomics. Nominal GDP won't grow by more than 3 percent by printing money to be spent on repairing/fortifying roads, bridges, tunnels and embankments. And extra money will overflow into US bonds market to finance Americans' dissipation too. It seems deflation will stay in a society where the price level is highest in the world. Besides while the major export companies can have sales tax refunded for what they sell to overseas markets, their parts-supply smaller companies cannot pass on the raised sales tax to the big companies and have to bear it by themselves, which means the economy won't pick up and the planned doubling of the sales tax is unfeasible. Perhaps Abe is half wise on it.

    Posted in: Weak economic data bolsters Abe's hand on stimulus

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    Even though plagued with a huge budget deficit this country cannot dispose of any bit of enormous amount of USTB. Politicians who oppose to the US air base relocation plan and to raising the sales tax are ousted. Ozawa was forcibly indicted for a trumped up suspicion though judged not guilty at the end and expelled from the DPJ. So I think Abe is a relief if not a dummy who as a vassal state politician is going to pursue the national interests in feigned allegiance. The unilateral clause of the Security Treaty which complements the peaceful #9 clause of the Constitution (Japan is not obliged to defend America) makes Japan psychologically indebted to America and unable to have much say in how the US forces use the bases and behave in Japan for security reasons. Japan's acknowledgement of its right to collective self-defense is a sort of process of this country squirming to get independent by dissolving the indebtedness to the U.S.

    Posted in: Abe says he won't consider coalition with DPJ

  • -1

    Seiharinokaze

    Abe says that he will keep the tri-party agreement for the sales tax hike but that he won't raise the sales tax as long as deflation continues. And the outlook on the world economy is still bleak which won't help Japan's nominal GDP grow anytime soon either. Also he says that Japan should not join TPP if it allows no exceptions. Practically speaking, how is he different from Ozawa? When in office five years ago, the first place Abe chose to visit as premier was not Washington but Beijing. He deferred visiting the US for six months even though he was rapped for the delay (being a rare premier who did not visit Washington soon after inauguration). He said it's not as if he was a daimyo who had to attend Edo every other year in Tokugawa period. ("Sankin-kotai ja arumaishi.") And the relation with Beijing during his leadership was somehow calm. The East China Sea will be turbulent anyway but he seems to be in the cold light remembering how his grand father and Chiang Kaishek hugged each other after WW2 feeling vexed with George Marshall for giving away the weapons of the Japanese army to Mao Tsetung.

    Posted in: Nationalism gains ground in election campaign

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    globalwathcer,

    Abe means "unlimited QE until an inflation target is achieved". When the inflation target is achieved, QE will end. In that sense it is not unlimited. And what he means by the revision of the BOJ Act is that the government shares an inflation target with the central bank.

    Posted in: More opinion polls show LDP favored to win election

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    I think Ozawa and his group are the best option for the country but as Ozawa is marginalized by the status quo in collusion with mass media, Abe is a realistic and viable option inasmuch as he is serious about the reform of the civil servant system as he was in office five years ago. Seeing as the stock price goes up and the yen goes down quickly after he mentioned his economic policy (quantitative easing until an inflation target is achieved), he may be someone to be welcome by the market too. As for the concern for his being a nationalist, I don't think he is a blind nationalist. Remember how in 2007 Abe didn't get through the Diet the special anti-terroism law to continue to send SDF to the Indian Ocean even though he could have if he willed. At that time Ozawa opposed to sending SDF over there. Abe managed to elude to get it passed until the then Defense Minister Koike Yuriko lost her patience and forsook Abe and he himself suddenly resigned after which the anti-terrorism law lost its effect. It was as if he secretly sided with Ozawa. Very impressive.

    Posted in: More opinion polls show LDP favored to win election

  • -2

    Seiharinokaze

    The DPJ tried to take back the leadership from bureaucrats and resulted only in the sales tax hike and even let bureaucrats embezzle the post-3.11 restoration budget of 1 trillion yen. Noda a retiring loach will never return unlike Abe anyway. And next premier has to clear the mess caused by what Ishihara and then Noda did about the islands at the instigation of the Heritage Foundation which on the other hand has supported financially the Chinese military as a kind of payback for purchasing military technology. Jingoism somehow rumbles hollow. Well anyway China tries to take Senkaku and even Yaeyama but probably Abe will try to keep his head cool by remembering that Xí Jìnpíng is a friend of Henry Paulson.

    Posted in: Noda warns against jingoism as parties draw election battle lines

  • -2

    Seiharinokaze

    Abe will not dance to Obama's piping for TPP and will not concede to China's increasingly hardline stance over Senkaku either. Also he may dance to another tune athwart MOF over the scheduled sales tax hike. And will gush money as a countermeasure for America's unlimited QE. All the more reasons he is hated. But perhaps he is well aware that your enemy is not necessarily your friend's enemy.

    Posted in: If at first you don't succeed...

  • -3

    Seiharinokaze

    I used to feel Japaneseness when I hear the word "totsugu" (for a woman to get married). It is somehow different from "kekkon-suru". It expresses some sort of resolution and sorrow she may feel at leaving her parents and home. Sada Masashi wrote a beautiful song on the theme. And also I feel Japanese when I am supposed to read "秋桜" as kosumosu.

    Posted in: Survey asks: What makes Japanese citizens feel distinctly Japanese?

  • 0

    Seiharinokaze

    Manchuguo was if anything more like Mongol (Outer Mongolia) which got independent with the help of Russian Empire from Qing Dynasty when it collapsed and later again with the help of the Soviets from Republic of China. (China regarded the Mongolian People's Republic as a puppet country of the Soviets.) Likewise Tibet might as well have become independent at that time with the help of Britain. So now Japan not kowtowing to China over the islands which China also stakes its claim to as its core interests might touch its peripheral nerves in Uighur, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Huizu and even the seaport city Dalian which was ruled by Japan for 50 years like Taiwan. Interestingly all those areas were where the recent anti-Japan riots/protests didn't happen, or more aptly the CCP government controlled anti-Japan protests in those areas because they feared that they would go wild and get out of hand. So the Senkaku issues are double-edged for China. It helps deflect domestic discontent elsewhere but it might backfire on the CCP's despotism.

    Posted in: China slams Dalai Lama for allying with Japanese right-wingers

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