Plunge Pontificates

Future of this blog / Guide to Korean Characters

2006-06-22T21:29:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of pulling down all but my 'favorite' posts. There is a lot of just stuff here, but some posts I think were important. So, over the next while, I'm going back through and reading everything I've written and decide what will stay and go.

If there is something here you think should stay, let me know.

Also, many years ago, I helped create an online version of the basic Chinese Characters used by Koreans. Took about 6 months. I did it with Bruce Grant, an amazing American that lived in Korea for a LONG time. His Korean is spectacular, in fact, probably the best Korean I've heard spoken by a non-native. He depth of vocabulary is mind-boggling and his understanding of characters impressive. He wrote, A Guide To Korean Characters, the basis for our online version.

It has long since disappeared off the web, but I still have a version of it. If any are interested, I'm going to see if I can get permission to post it here. I think it could be useful.

Anyway, if any of you have any thoughts about this let me know.

Whoops...

2006-06-19T12:10:00.000-06:00

Looks about a month of posts were lost... I'll see about getting them back, or not, oh well. The important things are I'm retired from blogging except for the occasional comment. The right people know what they need to know.

History Book a Top-Seller in China, Japan and Korea

2006-05-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

Written to counter the anemic history books being used in various schools in Japan, this history book has become a huge seller on the open market as well. Publishers are shocked, considering it is a history book, at the numbers sold.

An academic history book of the Japanese invasion of a number of Asian countries during WWII has become a best seller in China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

More than 110,000 copies have been sold in China, 70,000 copieswere sold in Japan and 50,000 in the ROK.

Rong Weimu, a Chinese editor on the non-governmental trilateraleditorial board, said here Tuesday in an interview with Xinhua, the sales in both Japan and the ROK were quite impressive considering the book is a historical publication.

"Many local education authorities in Japan and the ROK have listed the book as supplementary reading to textbooks," said Rong,who is also a senior researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) .

The book, titled The Contemporary and Modern History of Three East Asian Countries, details the atrocities committed by Japaneseinvaders in China and Korea.

The book is aimed at countering the holocaust-denying textbookspublished by ultra-nationalistic press in Japan.

"In editing the history book," Rong said, "scholars from the three countries shared the same basic historical views although they have some minor differences relating to their cultural backgrounds and research methodologies."

I find this very impressive. Kudos to the historians for being able to set aside minor differences and produce a book covering these difficult subjects. An English version is rumored to be in the works, I'd love to read it.

Koizumi Tries to Avoid Yasukuni Controversy

2006-05-16T16:30:00.000-06:00

So, Henry Hyde rips Koizumi a new one and tells him to stop visiting the shrine. Basically says he wouldn't be welcome speaking in front of congress without his promise that he wouldn't visit anymore. So, how does the PM respond?

"Not only are there no plans for a Congressional speech, we've expressed no desire for one,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said today at a regular press conference. "If there's a misunderstanding over the Prime Minister's Yasukuni visits, we must work to gain understanding.''

What a cop out.

Still, I'm glad to see this gaining more and more attention. Here's hoping this becomes a major issue during his visit, enough so that he is forced to respond. Also, here's hoping the President doesn't try and smooth this over or avoid the issue altogether as he seems want to do when it comes to Japan. As more of the world takes notice the leaders of Japan are going to have to respond or find themselves becoming the pariah of Asia.

Moonbats Run For Office

2006-05-15T14:11:00.000-06:00

GAHHHHHH!!!!! Just when I thought I wouldn't hear much more until the trial, we get this:

Hwang Woo-suk and his team of embryonic stem cell researchers may be internationally disgraced and under indictment for research fraud and embezzlement. However, Hwang's supporters are taking his cause to the ballot box and are fielding candidates for public office.

Hwang backers plan to run candidates in the upcoming local elections in South Korea and the lead agenda item on their platform is a move to press the Asian nation to allow Hwang to resume his controversial cloning and stem cell research.

The Korea Herald reports that, yesterday, they launched the "HwangWoo National Solidarity" to nominate candidates for gubernatorial and mayoral positions throughout the nation.

Elections will be held on May 31 in the nation's 16 provinces and cities across the country.

"Candidates will promote the resumption of his research and the protection of his patent rights (for stem-cell technology)," the new party said in a statement. "They will also repeat our assertion that those with vested interests are responsible for the scandal."

The Herald reports that the group plans to field 101 candidates, a symbolic representation of the 101 human embryos they say Hwang successfully cloned. The candidates will have no party affiliation other than their link to the pro-Hwang group.

What are these morons thinking?!? Hwang is a joke, an embarrassment, a crook, a fiend and on and on. How in the bloody hell could anyone, ANYONE, still support this worthless pile of bones and skin?

Makoto Koga says GET RID OF EM!

2006-05-15T01:45:00.000-06:00

Awesome! Of course, it will never happen but it is nice to dream.

Hoping to sway the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race, an LDP veteran lawmaker is set to suggest that Yasukuni Shrine separate its 14 Class-A war criminals from the rest of the war dead enshrined there.

Makoto Koga, the influential faction leader, former LDP secretary-general and head of Nippon Izokukai, an association for bereaved families of the nation's war dead, will announce the proposal this week, sources said.

It's nice to see someone in a position of power make this kind of suggestion. It seems to be rare given the current mood in Japan, especially among those in government.

A Yasukuni Shrine official said separating the Class-A war dead is out of the question, as it would be incompatible with the shrine's ritual principles.

Ah, the standard reply. *sigh*

What's Going Good in Iraq

2006-05-14T23:13:00.000-06:00

Let's take a break from my normal routine of trying to save Japan from itself and make it the leader of Asia that it should be, and focus a bit on Iraq.

As some of you know, I used to run a website for Chief Wiggles and was one of the founders of Operation Give an ongoing charity. Because of both of these and other things, I've been a huge supporter of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well a believer in the cause. I believe that Iraq will be a great nation one day. There are some incredible people there, working tirelessly to make Iraq and its people free and prosperous. Given support and time, they will win.

With that, let's look at some of the good stuff going on there thanks to Winds of Change.

First, Bill Roggio has some interesting stuff on the Iraq Army.

Nearly one year ago, the media questioned the "readiness" of the Iraqi Army and declared "few Iraqi battalions are operational." This stemmed from Multinational-Forces Iraq's attempts to establish metrics for the readiness of the Iraq military, and the media's lack of understanding of the meaning of these metrics.

The media focused on "Level 1" battalions, units which could operate with complete independence from Coalition forces, and ignored the significance of Level 2 & 3 Iraqi Army units. Level 2 & 3 battalions lack the organic logistical capabilities (Level 2) or required Coalition forces to operate alongside in combat (Level 3). Level 2 units gather their own intelligence, conduct their own planning and are deemed "in the lead" during combat operations. Both Level 2 & 3 units are in the fight against the insurgency.

Late last summer, 36 Iraqi Army combat battalions were rated as Level 2. Less than one year later, 75 battalions are rated as in the lead, according to Major General Rick Lynch. About 30% of the company-sized operations and above are independent Iraqi Army operations, and about 50% are conducted by combined Iraqi and Coalition units. During combined operations, the Iraqi Army conducts the search, while Coalition forces provide the outer security cordon.

Folks, this is some amazing stuff. They are organizing and rebuilding the army at an amazing rate. It's also important because we can't leave until that army is strong and sound. Bill has a lot more to say as well, just keep reading here.

The Army released parts of some documents found showing the terrorists are trying to start a civil war in Iraq. Needless to say, the US Army is doing its best to let every Iraqi know just what scum the terrorists are and what they are trying to do to their country.

The U.S. military on Thursday revealed parts of a memo attributed to Al Qaeda in Iraq that outlines plans to ignite sectarian war by targeting Shiite Muslims and to shift the battle toward the capital and religiously mixed parts of the country.

The memo, which the military said was seized during a raid last month, ordered followers to "make the struggle entirely between Shiites and the mujahedin," as the militants refer to themselves, and lambasted moderate Sunni groups. It included a call for insurgents to "displace the Shiites and displace their shops and businesses from our areas. Expel those black market sellers of gas, bread or meat or anyone that is suspected of spying against us."

The memo, if authentic, provides some of the strongest evidence to date to support an accusation U.S. officials repeatedly have made — that Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, has been deliberately trying to exploit the country's simmering sectarian and ethnic tensions to spark a full-blown civil war.

You know, completely off the topic but still, I'm sick of them being called insurgents. They are terrorists, scum, toejam, etc. But giving them the neutral term of 'insurgent' is just annoying.

USAid is planning on turning over its projects to the Iraqi government in 2007.

USAid, one of the biggest development agencies operating in Iraq, plans to turn over the running of its reconstruction projects, funded to the tune of $5.1bn (€4bn, £2.7bn) since 2003, to the Iraqi government by the end of 2007, Dawn Liberi, the outgoing mission director, told the FT on Monday.

Way to go guys! The Iraqi government is starting to show its competence.

Iraq's oil exports hit a post war high!

Iraq's oil exports hit a postwar high of an average 1.619 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, Oil Minister Hashem Al Hashemi said.

Woooo!!!

Ah, the good news abounds!

I'm worried though. I'm worried at the loss of support the war has in the public. It shows what people around the world have been thinking of Americans. We are wishy washy. We lose our resolve when things get tough. This isn't the time to act like that. This is the time when I support should be growing. It doesn't matter whether you wanted the war or not, we have it, and with our troops there and in harms way, showing any weakness is just wrong. Yes, I know all the arguments from the other side. I've heard them time and time again. To me though, it comes down to what I just mentioned, troops are on the ground in harms way. Do I agree with everything we've done over there? Hell no. In fact, I probably disagree with more than I agree with. But overall, I support the war.

God Bless our Soldiers!

President Al Gore

2006-05-14T21:59:00.000-06:00

Even being the hard core conservative that I am, I nearly busted a gut laughing while watching this.

Well, it was funny until they pulled it for copyright issues.

Taro Aso castigated by former British POWs

2006-05-14T14:58:00.000-06:00

This moron is finally getting his due. He is being ripped up one side and down the other from people and nations around the world. I wonder what it will take for him to come around and realize there is a problem?

This is one of the harshest articles I've read outside of Korea and China towards Aso and Japan in general for their failure to face the past. Hopefully Japan will start to realize that it isn't only China and Korea that are appalled by this lack of contrition.

Japan's embattled Foreign Minister, Taro Aso, has been denounced by British former PoWs for his connection to Allied prisoners forced to work in slave-like conditions in his family's coalmines during the Second World War.

Aso, under harsh criticism from Washington to Beijing for what the New York Times called his 'offensive and inflammatory' attitudes, has never admitted or apologised for his firm's use of slave labour. Nor has the Japanese government paid compensation to the hundreds of thousands of enslaved workers, or to the families of the many who died.

,,,

Arthur Titherington, 84, chairman of the Japanese Labour Camps Survivors' Association, said: 'It's quite disgraceful, but it's absolutely typical of Japanese politicians from the Prime Minister down. Taro Aso is obviously as two-faced as it's possible to get. This is quite normal with the Japanese. They refuse flatly to admit to anything. I've been attempting to get a meaningful apology since 1946. Over the years they've been killing the story with silence.'

Yet, to Japan's surprise and irritation, its silence and indifference over this and other unresolved war crimes have now become its main obstacle to good relations with Asian neighbours. They suffered the most from its atrocities, which began even before the 1931 invasion of northern China, and caused the deaths of millions across the Far East.

Aso's coal mines exploited an estimated 12,000 Korean slave labourers as well as 101 British prisoners at its Yoshikuma pit in the southern island of Kyushu. Enslaved workers there - and in other firms' pits - were kept in appalling and dangerous conditions. They were starved and beaten. Many died.

Authorities in Tokyo ordered records destroyed in 1945, but three amateur historians in Kyushu have documented what happened from local sources. They found the workers were underground for 15 hours a day seven days a week.

...

'The Japanese didn't care because they knew the men were replaceable,' Cairns said. 'They were callous and indifferent and we've always been horrified that these people were able to get away with not just murder, but sadistic murder, and have never had to say sorry.'

Neither Aso nor the Foreign Ministry answered Observer inquiries about the forced labour issue.

And they wonder why people have a problem with how they have dealt with the past?

Oxygen for Sale

2006-05-14T14:43:00.000-06:00

I think this is kind of a cool idea.

Japanese convenience store operator Seven-Eleven Japan has breathed fresh air into its product lineup by announcing it will add cans of oxygen to its shelves.

The firm said it would make an entry into the rapidly expanding oxygen market and begin selling cans of oxygen on May 24.

...

A drop in the amount of oxygen in the body can make people start to yawn and sigh. Normal air contains only about 21 percent oxygen, but the oxygen concentration in the cans is 95 percent, and breathing it in can reportedly bring on a feeling of invigoration.

Each can contains enough oxygen for 35 two-second inhalations, meaning each can lasts for roughly a week if it is used five or six times a day. At first the canned oxygen will be sold in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, then at all 11,000 of Seven-Eleven Japan's nationwide stores from June 14.

I wouldn't mind getting a blast of O2 every now and then when I'm feeling worn out.

Japan Calls Korea's Claim "Illegal"

2006-05-13T12:42:00.000-06:00

Japan has now decided to call Korea's claim on Tokdo and their 'occupation' of the islands illegal. This is just gonna create warm fuzzys.

The Japanese government repeated its claim over the South Korean-controlled islets of Takeshima, saying Seoul has illegally occupied the islets since 1954.
...
The Japanese government has previously claimed that the islets of Takeshima, known as Dokdo in Korean, belong to Japan. However, this is apaprently the first time that it has called the South Korean claim to the area illegal.

Blow to Airbus

2006-05-12T21:47:00.000-06:00

Being a person who has flown his whole life on just about every commercial jet known, I have become a huge fan of Boeing. Boeing's jets are amazingly well thought out. Now, I've never been on a jet that is comfortable in the cattle car section (coach), but every other part of the plane just seems so well done. I can't stand Airbus. I avoid them like the plague and will go out of my way to not fly on a plane built by Airbus. So, I was pleased to read the following.

Japan Airlines wants smaller aircraft and is not interested in the new superjumbo Airbus 380, the carrier's incoming chief said.

Asia's largest airline wants medium-sized planes so it can prioritize shorter-distance flights, particularly to China, chief executive-designate Haruka Nishimatsu said.

He ruled out for now buying the double-decker Airbus 380, the world's largest passenger airliner which debuts later this year with Singapore Airlines.

'As we are in a time where the aviation business has become more volatile due to geo-political factors, it is an iron rule for us to move to smaller aircraft to minimize risk,' he said, referring to the drop in air travel after the September 11, 2001 attacks and Asia's SARS epidemic in 2003.

'Also considering high oil prices, fuel consumption increases dramatically in long-distance flights,' he told reporters. 'If large planes fill up, it would be alright but otherwise the fuel cost becomes a risk.'

Both Japan Airlines (JAL) and domestic rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) buy nearly exclusively from US giant Boeing Co, the main rival of Europe's Airbus.

Now I Can be an Astronaut

2006-05-12T18:43:00.000-06:00

You know, there was only one thing, one teeny little thing that has kept me from becoming an Astronaut. Now, that one little thing has been fixed, so space, HERE I COME!

What is that one little thing you ask?

Read here to find out.

Hwang Going to the Pokey

2006-05-12T13:03:00.000-06:00

Well, it isn't being hung by the testicles while being slowly dipped into boiling rat urine like we had hoped, but it is better than nothing!

Hwang Woo Suk, the disgraced cloning expert, was indicted on fraud and embezzlement charges today, months after an investigative panel determined that he had fabricated evidence to prove that he had cloned human cells.

Prosecutors blamed the scandal, one of the most notorious cases of science fraud in recent years, on a combination of elements: a junior scientist who fabricated lab tests to please his boss, and Mr. Hwang himself, a charismatic head researcher who was blind to the scam but also ordered more fabrications to speed up the publication of his papers....
...
Reconfirming the earlier findings by Hwang's school, Seoul National University, Mr. Lee said that Hwang had never cloned embryonic stem cells from patients. Mr. Hwang's now-discredited claim had raised hopes that doctors one day would grow genetically matching tissues from embryonic stem cells to repair damaged organs or treat diseases like Alzheimer's.

Not bad I guess and they certainly are pulling no punches about what he did.

Of course, you still have those moonbats out there.

Blows me away that this pig still has supporters.

Japan's Regional Strategy Criticized

2006-05-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

Like I've mentioned time and time again. Japan seems to want to be a world player, but has problems just trying to be the big boy on the block in its own region. Japan has got to start focusing more on its regional relations if it ever hopes to gain support on a larger scale.

Most of the Southeast Asian intellectuals and lawmakers I met with recently while visiting the region made remarks critical of Japan's regional strategies. Some said Japan was unenthusiastic about negotiations on economic cooperation with Southeast Asian countries and instead was giving priority to solving domestic agricultural problems and securing foreign labor for nursing. Others said that, diplomatically, Japan was falling far behind China, which, with its deployment of aggressive maneuvers, has emerged as a major international player.

To be sure, Japan's diplomacy in Asia leaves much to be desired. Concern is growing that with China continuing its fast economic expansion, Japan could become a minor international player caught in a niche between the United States and China.

I'll be the first to admit I don't know what the solution is. Japan has never been stingy, so it isn't a monetary issue.

Perhaps Japan's reluctance to liberalize farm trade and introduce foreign labor for domestic reasons gives the impression to negotiating partners that it is unwilling to open its market -- in stark contrast to China, which is pushing a diplomatic offensive in Asia through quick decision-making under the single-party rule of the Communists. A more serious problem is that Japan has not clarified its regional vision.

Whatever the cause, Japan needs to get it fixed and soon. China is too large of a threat/presence to ignore. Its domination of the region all but guaranteed if Japan doesn't step up to the plate soon and hit a homerun with its neighbors.

Japanese Ignorant of Their Sordid Past

2006-05-11T21:11:00.000-06:00

Despite how often we are told that Japanese are very knowledgeable of their past and the crimes that were committed, it makes you wonder how true it is when so many are completely ignorant of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.

Fifty-three percent of the respondents were aware the International Military Tribunal for the Far East took place after World War II, but they did not know any further details. And 17 percent said they didn't even know the Tokyo tribunal was held. Ignorance of the trial was greater among younger respondents.

Among those in their 20s, 90 percent have little or no knowledge of the Tokyo tribunal, which started 60 years ago to punish Class-A war criminals for their roles in the war. Of them, 37 percent did not know the tribunal was held. The rate of total ignorance concerning the trial was 20 percent among respondents in their 30s and 40s. Respondents with scant or no knowledge about the tribunal were more inclined to accept the fact that Yasukuni Shrine honors Class-A war criminals along with the nation's war dead. They also expressed less opposition to visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese prime ministers.

This is extremely disturbing. How can something so important in their past be so looked over? The final sentence is telling as well. Those that are ignorant of the tribunals have little problem with Yasukuni. How nice, a direct correlation of ignorance of the past leads to asinine opinions in the future. Another disturbing factor is the correlation between age and ignorance. The younger generations know less and less of their history. With this, we are seeing a rise in nationalism, a disturbing trend.

Please take the time to read the rest of this disturbing article on your own.

Movie to Help Japanese Accept Their Past?

2006-05-11T17:46:00.000-06:00

I never thought of a movie as being able to help the Japanese accept their wartime past, but actor Ken Watanabe seems to think it might be the case.

The movie is about the bloody World War II battle for Iwo Jima, in which Watanabe plays a main role.

"As we went through this film we realised that, until now, we haven't really looked at Japan's past. We kind of looked away from it," Watanabe said. "But we have to look at it and accept the fact that this is what our fathers and grandfathers have actually done."
(Advertisement)

"Accepting the reality is the first step," he said at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.

In the film Red Sun, Black Sand to be released in the US in December, Watanabe plays the general who loses the battle, causing the deaths of many young Japanese soldiers who followed his orders.

Even without that, it should be an interesting movie. There have been some exceptionally well done war movies lately with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Let's hope this keeps up the string.

email received...

2006-05-11T03:10:00.000-06:00

I got an email that I decided to respond to here. I won't use the author's name. His writing in blue, my responses in red.

You write a small book on the topic of why it was necessary to drop nuclear weapons on civilians and kill hundreds of thousands. At the same time you devote the vast majority of your writing efforts to showing why the Japanese occupation of Korea was a terrible thing.

The Japanese occupation of Korea was a terrible thing. So were the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But in your mind one was a clear example of human brutality and moral depravity while the other was necessary and indeed morally justified.

This doesn't strike you -- in your haze of preconceptions -- as being the slightest bit contradictory, hypocritical, self-serving or in fact, wrong?

Not at all. Beside the fact that they are unrelated in any way, shape or form, I consider one of them evil and the other as salvation for the world.

Your book-length attempt to provide excuses for the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is an exercise in conjecture: how many US troops may have died had there been a land invasion of Japan, how many of the Imperial Japanese Army troops would have actually fought to the death, etc. Your entire book-length work is a just a string of subjunctives: probably would have, were thought to have, it would have been, others thought there would be, etc etc etc.

The bomb was dropped. So, discussing what might have happened is all we can do. Your problem is that you act like what I wrote was a big guess, wishful thinking on my part. That couldn't be further from the truth. What I wrote is based on events that happened prior to the bombing. It was based on writings of Japanese people from all walks of life that lived at that time. It was based on journals, statistics as well as estimates made immediately following the surrender of Japan. Most of what I wrote about isn't even close to be considered controversial except for casualty estimates which I wrote indepth on so people could understand why results were so different from what many have written.

Let us remember that a great deal of writing was done in Japan on the positive effects of the occupation of Korea. Indeed, book length works were produced showing the number and length of roads paved, the number of schools and other buildings built, the education of farmers who previously had none, the protection of the Korean people from Western invasion, etc. Anyone can write a book and choose to employ only those pieces of information that support his or her argument. The Japanese military did it, and so have you. Political debates make strange bedfellows, eh?

Of course what I wrote had an agenda, a bias. I never said that it didn't. ANYTIME someone writes something there is a bias to it. One of the main reasons I wrote about the occupation of Korea was because of the amount of misinformation that exists, especially on the net. I feel my writing is one of the more accurate pieces out there which I think is backed up by subsequent pieces that have been written. When a person writes with an agenda, deliberately leaving out information that would counter his argument, it is pretty easy to counter what he wrote. Unlike that, my writing has brought out others with information that supports what I wrote, not contradicting it.

And here are just two clear examples of mistakes you wrote.

1. "But, at the time, their [atomic bombs] destructive power was truly unknown. They were just a new weapon with no inherent evilness or goodness. It was only later, after their use, after the effects of radiation became known, the massive devastation they can cause became known that the bombs became the demons they are today."

>The so-called "Trinity Test" of the world's first atomic weapon (July 16, 1945) produced a vast amount of data. The destructive power of the new weapon was well known before it was used on civilians in Japan. Many on the team that developed the weapon had deep moral doubts about using the weapon on people and some suggested to the president that it be first used on an uninhabited area to demonstrate its power while giving the Japanese leadership time to decide to surrender without suffering the overwhelming loss of human life they knew would result.
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_test, also see various references listed near the bottom)

Sorry, that is where you are mistaken. It was unknown what would happen when the bombs were dropped. All they had was one test, from a platform, under ideal circumstances. A great amount of time was spent just getting the bomb into position and making sure it would go off, again, something that couldn't be controlled with the actual bomb drop. Next is the radiation. That was a great unknown. Even years after the bombings radiation poisoning and exposure wasn't understood well. This is easy to show when you consider the amount of above ground nuclear testing that continued in the US near populated areas.

Next, you mention a test on an unpopulated area. If you had read my entire piece, you would see where I discussed this and why it was rejected. It was rejected by the scientist themselves as well as others. There were many reasons for rejecting the test option. I suggest you go back and read what I wrote about it.

So, no, this wasn't a mistake. I covered it quite completely.

2. "Albert Einstein said:
It should not be forgotten that the atomic bomb was made in this country as a preventive measure; it was to head off its use by the Germans, if they discovered it. The bombing of civilian centers was initiated by the Germans and adopted by the Japanese. To it the Allies responded in kind—as it turned out, with greater effectiveness—and they were morally justified in doing so."

>Alber Einstein spent most of his post-1945 life talking and working AGAINST atomic and nuclear weapons. He was one of the most zealous opponents of the military use of nuclear technology. Posting a single quote, without a reference no less, that mis-represents the man's overall thinking is clearly self-serving and disingenuous. Or perhaps you didn't know that Einstein was one of the most outspoken "peaceniks" of the 20th century? See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein#Political_views for further information. I could quote Einstein as well:

"I believe Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence for fighting for our cause...."

Ummm... what I posted was Einstein's quote. Yes, I understand that he devoted himself to peace, that makes his quote even more important. He understood to situation the Allies were in at the time. While he was devoted to peace, he understood what was necessary to end the war. What would posting more of his quotes have proven? Nothing. What was important was his thoughts at that time, the time of the bombing and when the decision to bomb was being made as well as what he said about that afterwards. Think about it, if Einstein was that devoted to peace, what does it say about the bombing of Japan to know that he supported it being done?

I've read much on the topics of the Japanese occupation of Korea and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I've given much thought to the topics you write about and I've spoken with people in both Korea and Japan who hold a wide range of beliefs and opinions on these subjects.

That's wonderful, so have I. Although most of my discussions have been with Koreans.

Modern Japanese society has many problems. Some of them are serious, others are blown all out of proportion by observers both in and out of Japan. Reasoned analysis and discussion of events and policies is always a good thing.

Yep, that is important. People need to discuss subjects they feel are important and you are right, some subjects are blown out of proportion.

But the clearly lopsided, self-serving statements you post on your blog and elsewhere are doing more to sustain hatred, mistrust and prurient interest in "catfights" than they are contributing to mutual understanding and respect.

Another who doesn't understand. *sigh* Japan is the one nation in this part of the world that can lead the other nations around it and counter the influence of China. To do so though, Japan needs to atone for its past actions, make true apologies and gain the trust of its neighbors. Again, I've posted about this indepth. Japan also needs to clean up the social problems it is having. It needs to clean up the moral problems which have appeared and work to make a socially sound nation. Covering up these things and not discussing them only adds to the problem. Open, honest discussion leads to solutions. The problems come when insignificant things are blown out of proportion like a few individuals chopping off fingers and hands and the like.

The relationship between Japan and its neighbors isn't a bed of roses. It needs to be discussed. Whitewashing of atrocities and other issues of the past, important to discuss. The social problems in Japan are growing worse. Another situation to be discussed. Moral problems, suicide, generational respect and the lack thereof, all problems to be discussed.

Finger chopping. Stupid. Hand chopping, Stupid. Flag biters. Dumb. Yes, the occasional strange story can be humorous, but most of these are just divisive.

Thanks for reading.

No problem, I just wish you had understood what I had written better.

Japan's Morals Continue to Decay at the Expense of Women

2006-05-10T23:11:00.000-06:00

This disgusts me. Track em all down, the ones that do it, the ones that film it, the ones that sell it, the ones that buy it... all of them. Put them in pit and leave them there.

Large numbers of Japanese women are falling victim to teams of sneaky men who run up behind them, rip down their undies and then send footage of the attack throughout the world via the Internet, according to Shukan Jitsuwa (5/25).

"These movies of guys lifting up women's skirts and even tearing down their panties are spreading everywhere. At first, I thought they were all set-ups, but the footage with the women shocked at what they've just been put through is actually all real," a writer on Japan's underground DVD market tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "They're all underground movies, so the faces and other parts you see are all real. And it's the horrified reaction of these women that's apparently the biggest turn-on for the perverts who are into this kind of thing. They're really popular."

Naturally, the women being targeted for these heinous productions are outraged. And, with about 30 women being targeted for every DVD filled with footage of the attacks on sale, there are many people being victimized.

"There are currently five DVDs on the market that specialize in Panty Dropping. Simple math suggests that at least 150 women have been targeted indiscriminately if each movie has 30 victims," the writer says.

The method the filmmakers are using is simple. Film crews are made up of at least two people -- one who operates the camera, and the other who actually does the shedding. Crews pick a target and follow her until they find what they consider to be the right spot, then one of the men races up behind her, whips up her dress, rips down her underwear and speeds off into the distance, with the whole episode over in a matter of seconds.

There has got to be a way to track these guys down. I mean, they are selling this crap. They are filming it. There has got to be a way!!!

UPDATE: Wow, twice in a week. Japundit and I report on the same thing, except that I get castigated for reporting it and he doesn't....hmmm...

UPDATE II: JP at Japundit has concluded that the article is wrong, that the women are actresses getting paid.

Babe Ruth vs. Barry Bonds

2006-05-10T22:32:00.000-06:00

Picture says it all. Babe was the man.

Paris Isn't the Only Slut in Her Family...

2006-05-10T20:18:00.000-06:00

Her father, or whatever family member is control the Hilton Hotel chain is giving her a run for her money. Those bastards ended a tradition of feeding and offering moral and emotional support to injured soldiers at Bethesda Medical Center. I hope that the bastard responsible for this burns in hell.

Read all about it here.

God bless the soldiers and help those injured heal, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

2nd Term Presidents in the US Suck

2006-05-10T20:05:00.000-06:00

Interesting discussion at Dean Esmay's site, something I had never considered but intriguing enough I wanted to pass it on.

Since Harry Truman, every President who has had two terms of office (including Truman) has had a terrible second term.

I had never thought of that before, but the more I think of it, the more I think Dean's right.

Read his post here and discuss.

Analysis of the Dokdo (Takeshima) Dispute

2006-05-10T15:26:00.000-06:00

This article gives a wonderful review of the situation, but even more, goes into why this dispute is so important to the stability of the region.

The conclusion of this lengthy article gives one reason to pause and think about what is happening in the region.

I would call this a MUST READ for anyone concerned about the region.

The escalation of the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute reveals the erosion of U.S. influence in Northeast Asia. Washington's basic policy in the region is to collaborate with South Korea and Japan to balance China's rising power and to roll back or at least contain North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Faced with deepening tensions between its two allies, both of those aims are in jeopardy.

During the ongoing crisis, Washington has remained neutral, urging both sides to reach an amicable resolution to their dispute. That position is thrust upon Washington because a tilt toward Tokyo would drive Seoul closer to the arms of Beijing and Pyongyang, and a tilt toward Seoul would impel Tokyo to assert its independence more forthrightly.

Washington's impotence results from the simple fact that it is over-extended globally and is no longer perceived as a credible protector. In Northeast Asia, more than in any other region, the fraying of the U.S. "security blanket" heightens instability; the major regional powers have not forged a cooperative combine and there is no institutional structure to mediate conflicts. In similar situations in modern history, economic interdependence has not always been sufficient to prevent violent conflict, in which clashing interests are inflamed by nationalist sentiment.

The danger of hegemony is that when it weakens, suppressed interests are left to confront one another and achieve a balance of power on their own, often through a painful and sometimes violent process. That is not to say that a Northeast Asian war is imminent, but only that the seeds for one have been sown and that there are signs that they are germinating.

Analysts have noted that if Tokyo backs off from Dokdo/Takeshima, it will lose traction in its disputes with Beijing and Moscow, jeopardizing its overall regional position and its military ambitions. At present, with the nationalist genie out of the bottle and caught among the Chinese and Japanese behemoths, Seoul is in no position to compromise. North Korea and China welcome the conflict between Japan and South Korea, which can only work to erode U.S. influence further and to advance their respective regional interests by splitting the (former) allies.

As would-be U.S. hegemony cedes to regionalism and nationalism, underlying conflicts surface and the pattern of interdependent and competitive relations becomes more complex and fraught with instability. "Contingency management" -- as the Japanese call it -- becomes an overriding imperative, but it is ever more difficult to achieve.

North Korea Jamming Messages to Abuductees

2006-05-10T14:04:00.000-06:00

The only thing I have to say is, "Duh!" You really think they would do otherwise?

Shortwave radio broadcasts directed toward North Korea by a private group investigating suspected North Korean abductions of missing Japanese are being jammed by Pyongyang, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.

The Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea began the broadcasts, called Shiokaze, in October in the hope that any missing Japanese in North Korea would hear the messages.

Japan Forms Company to INCREASE Sales of Whale Meat

2006-05-09T17:31:00.000-06:00

Bastards. Why do they keep pushing this? Just let the industry die already.

The body conducting Japan's research whaling said Tuesday it will seek to expand the market for whale meat by consigning sales to a recently established company.

The company, set up on May 1 with investment from a private consultant, will start selling in late June the meat of whales caught for scientific purposes, the Institute of Cetacean Research said. The company aims to sell 1,000 tons of meat over the coming year.

Yep, Japanese consumers don't want it. Schools don't want it. It has caused worldwide criticism. So, what do they do? Well, instead of slowly letting the industry die of its own dead weight, they decide to look for other avenues to sell the meat. GAH!!!

The sales company plans to explore new customers such as hospitals by highlighting the meat's high protein and low calories, institute officials said. The company will also sell the meat on the Internet.

That's sure to help relations!

While the domestic distribution channels for the meat have been shrinking since the moratorium, supply of whale meat is expected to grow.

During whaling between November and March in the Antarctic Ocean, the institute caught 853 minke whales, more than twice the quota in the previous whaling.

Supply of whale meat for the current business year through next March is estimated at 5,500 tons, up from 4,000 tons a year earlier.

Any attempt to sell more whale meat could draw fierce criticism from anti-whaling countries and groups around the world. Possibly reflecting such concerns, the new company's corporate charter says it will exist only for five years.

Let's hope that it dies a quiet death at the end of five years.

Japan Allows South Korea Illegal Immigrant to Return

2006-05-09T17:13:00.000-06:00

A Korean woman who was living illegally in Japan was deported and then allowed to return to raise her children.

A South Korean woman was allowed to reenter Japan on Tuesday, after being deported in April last year, so that she can live together with her two Japanese-born children who stayed behind Osaka.

The Osaka Regional Immigration Bureau designated Ko Un Yol, 40, as "a fixed domicile resident" after she arrived at Kansai airport from South Korea.

Ko initially came to Japan in 1991 with a temporary visitor's visa and gave birth to the children, aged 13 and 9, fathered by a South Korean man who had permanent residency status in Japan. The couple later separated due to opposition from the man's relatives.

While the two children are recognized as fixed domicile residents, Ko left Japan for South Korea last year after she overstayed her visa.

Chalk one up for compassion.

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2006-05-08T17:48:00.000-06:00

These photos are from the dance recital last night. The kids are really good and it was a ton of fun!

My daughter doesn't usually dance in this one.
The girl that is usually in the dance was sick and she stepped in to take her place.

This dance won various competitions throughout the year. Full of twirls, lifts and throws.

That's the daughter in the front.

Strike a pose.

And another.

Here is the dance with the 70s costume.

It was the final dance of the night, the finale.

The dance is coming to an end, the year is over.

Ta da!

The entire company of dancers from Timpview High School!

The Seventies Live Today!

2006-05-08T17:10:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, my daughter is on the high school ballroom team. The season is ending and they had their final recital for the parents and supporters. My daughter is in three different dances, one of which she has to dress 70s. I loved her costume, here are some shots below. As I get it all digitized, I'll have video as well.

Modeling her 70s clothing.

Front view. Looking to the side.

Hey, I wasn't ready for that shot!

Front view, staring vacantly forward.

Side view. The smile slips through.

Front view with smile.

Yeah baby!

고들빼기 kimchi making time!

2006-05-08T16:13:00.000-06:00

Last night it was time to make 고들빼기 kimchi! What is 고들빼기 kimchi you ask? I have no freakin idea. All I know is some Korean lady went to the mountains, picked all these herbs (weeds imho), brought them back and my wife and her friend made kimchi.

This kimchi is a little different. There is a three day preprocess. This includes soaking in salt water, rinsing and other stuff. Supposedly, this removes the bitterness, although some remains as that is important to the taste.

So, have any of you ever had 고들빼기?

Below are some photos of the process.

Yummy looking, eh?

Mixing it all up.

Gotta have plenty of garlic!

First Morals and Now Character

2006-05-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

First, a post on the downfall of the morals of Japan, now the character as theft and crime are on the rise.

Crime and criminal activities in Japan are relatively low compared to most of the industrial societies in the world. Writing in the late 1970s the eminent Harvard sociologist Ezra Vogel in his book Japan as Number One showered praise on Japan for its low crime rates and the orderly society of Japan that the Americans could only envy.

Crime rates in Japan remain low even today and Japan is considered a fairly 'safe' society. It is not unusual for people of all ages and gender even in metropolitan Tokyo to walk home late at night from train stations without the fear of being mugged or physically assaulted.

However, crime and criminal activities are increasing steadily and some kinds of crime that are being committed in Japan today were unthinkable when Ezra Vogel was writing about Japan or even a decade ago. The total number of reported crimes has more than doubled in the last two decades. Homicides, robberies, rapes, internet and computer-related crimes are on the rise.

Another disturbing trend in Japan. Japan has always been unique in the fact that you had a first world country without the underlying crime you have always found in other countries. It is unfortunate to find Japan catching up with the rest of the world in this regard.

Experts are of the opinion that as the number of retired people rises in Japan so will geriatric crime. According to Takeshi Kitashiba, a former psychologist with the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo, "2006 is the first year of the Neo-Geriatric", as many baby boomers retire this year. Talking to the Japanese weekly Shukan Gendai, he commented that "Neo-Geriatrics are those over 65 who are still fit, healthy and want to get more out of their lives. Without work, they'll be filled with anxiety and there's a likelihood they may turn to crime. Make no mistake, there will be a significant rise in crimes committed by Neo-Geriatrics."

Crime because of boredom? Or is it because they are forced out of a job and still need money?

While the motives behind elderly crime are not clearly known as it has barely registered as a social problem with researchers and government policy makers, there are some obvious possible reasons for the rising crime among the retirees in Japan.

First and foremost, Japan's traditional family structure where the elderly people were cared by their offspring has broken down. While they themselves looked after their parents, their children do not look after them, leaving these people with a sense of isolation and dejection.

Furthermore, most of these retirees are from the baby boomer generation who worked hard and tirelessly and spent most of their time at the workplace all of a sudden have enormous 'free time' and they don't know what to do with it. Thus they do something silly perhaps to seek attention of their family members or even government.

Moreover, although Japan is a rich country and one would expect that most of these retirees will have a good income stream through their pension funds, surveys have found that about two-thirds of the retirees in Japan are unable to live on their pensions alone. Some of them even feel that by committing crimes they will go to prison where they can live comfortably and safely. Japan's prisons are relatively safe and offer good living conditions making some criminal psychologists think that for a lonely and struggling person the prison atmosphere could be simply tempting.

As Japanese society is greying faster than any other industrial societies, it is not just the pensions system, the family structure and aged care facilities that are in need of fixing...

Japan really seems to be pulling itself apart at the seems. Traditions are breaking down and the things that held the nation together are being forgotten. These things seem to be happening world wide. The world is pulling itself apart and Japan is caught up in the trend

This ol world could become a pretty scary place in a few years.

Fascinating Take on China's Problem With Yasukuni

2006-05-08T02:25:00.000-06:00

Here is a perspective that I've never heard before, giving reason as to why the Chinese government has reacted so strongly to Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni. If this is true, it just adds to my disgust of Koizumi and my belief that he is the worst thing to happen to relations in that region since normalization of relations.

The Japanese right likes to insist that since Beijing's anti-Yasukuni angst is fairly recent it must be politically inspired. (They also used to say the same thing about recent anti-Japan demonstrations in China, until it became clear that the Beijing authorities were opposed and had even arrested some of the leaders.)

Beijing has its reasons for its recent angst, since it is only recently that Tokyo's more strongly anti-China policies -- the Senkaku Islands question, quasi support for Taiwan independence, promises to cooperate with the U.S. militarily over Taiwan, for example -- have become obvious. Beijing till recently has tried to put all the war blame on the 14 Japanese wartime leaders convicted of A-class war crimes and whose souls are said to be enshrined at Yasukuni. (It tried to argue that the peace-loving Japanese people were led astray by these leaders.) Koizumi's homage to the souls of those 14 leaders in effect pulls the rug out from under Beijing's feet, and rather rudely.

So basically, China tried to maintain good relations with Japan by putting all the war atrocity claims on the heads of the 14 Class "A" criminals. Then Koizumi effectively wipes out that policy by his continued visits to the shrine. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Japan Unreasonable When it Comes to Territorial Disputes

2006-05-08T00:49:00.000-06:00

A rather scathing look at Japan's stands when it comes to territorial disputes.

Tokyo's propensity for getting into territorial and maritime boundary disputes with its neighbors seems large. And if the disputes with China escalate any further, they could make the recent confrontation with South Korea over the Takeshima islets (Dokdo in Korean) look tame.

The article then goes on to show how Japan basically takes whatever position is in its own best interests, even it is completely contradictory to positions it has taken earlier or with other territorial disputes. Here is a small sample:

An even stronger precedent was created by Tokyo itself in its 1974 maritime border agreement with South Korea. Both sides used to have rival equidistance and continental shelf claims for their maritime border south of Cheju island, with Seoul's continental shelf claim extending close to Japanese territory. Then in 1974 both sides agreed to disagree, and to decide the matter some time in the future -- the year 2028 was mentioned. In the meantime they agreed to joint development in the area between the two claimed lines, just as China has sought in the East China Sea.

That 1974 agreement was confirmed as late as August 2002, with an agreement for an oil co-exploration project on the continental shelf between the two nations. This was in accord with the 1982 UNCLOS, which says specifically that in cases of disagreement "the States concerned shall make every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature." Tokyo's hardline approach today toward China would seem to contradict that principle.

Ironically, as late as 1994, Tokyo agreed to joint fisheries exploitation with China and South Korea in the East China Sea pending what it then agreed was the need for final EEZ delimitations. But today it insists that the Japan-China EEZ boundary has indeed been delimited -- not by negotiation but by unilateral fiat.

Tokyo takes an equally hard line in its Senkaku Islands dispute with Beijing -- a dispute in which both Beijing's and Taiwan's claims are not without validity. They would have even more validity under Beijing's continental shelf approach.

In its insistence that it is entitled to a 200 nautical-mile EEZ in every direction from a minuscule and remote Pacific rock it calls Okinotori Island, Tokyo's EEZ preoccupation gets out of control. Apart from anything else, it flies in the face of Article 121 (3) of UNCLOS, which states clearly that small rocks and even uninhabited islands cannot have an EEZ.

Japan's audacity would be humorous if it wasn't for the potential for serious international disputes, even military confrontation.

The next part seems to cover those right-wing-nutcase-japan-is-perfect netizens that we see so often.

As we have seen in the commentary following the Takeshima confrontation, Japanese public opinion seems unable to comprehend that there can be two sides to a dispute, especially when territory is involved. The media and the commentators take it for granted that Japan's claims are totally correct and the other side is being quite unreasonable. Even the supposedly impartial NHK forgets to use the word "claimed" when it reports these disputes. The potential for more ugly confrontations continues.

Japan is perfect. Every claim Japan makes is the truth. How dare anyone disagree with anything Japan does. Yes master...

Why are Japan's morals collapsing?

2006-05-07T18:54:00.000-06:00

"For the Japanese," says Seishin Women's College sociologist Kensuke Sugawara, "the center of moral authority was always the neighborhood. Neighbors got together for the ceremonial occasions of life, supported each other, helped each other out. And people were aware of their neighbors' eyes on them, and of the need to take the judgment of others into consideration.

"But neighborhood society broke down" -- a victim of urbanization and the blind rush to economic superpower status. New moral imperatives arose, mandating impersonal conformity and self-sacrifice to the corporate interest. When the corporate interest itself foundered with the bursting of the economic bubble, the new challenge became to live simultaneously as individuals and as responsible members of society. This challenge, in Shukan Post's view, is not being successfully met.

It gets worse.

"The other day," says gynecologist Tsuneo Akaeda, who offers free weekly nighttime health consultations in Tokyo's Roppongi, "a third-year junior high school girl came to me; she wanted an abortion. 'It's my third one,' she said, bold as brass. Then there was another girl, a senior high school girl. She too wanted an abortion. 'I can't do it,' I told her, 'without your boyfriend's consent.' 'Oh!' she said. 'But . . . I have a lot of boyfriends. I don't know which is the father.' 'Well,' I said, 'you know roughly when you became pregnant. Doesn't that narrow it down?' 'Not really -- around then I was making it with two guys at the same time . . . ' "

It's no surprise any more that kids are shedding their virginity younger and younger, though the actual numbers are rather surprising: According to one survey Shukan Post cites, 35.7 percent of third-year senior high school boys, and 44.3 percent of girls, have already crossed that milestone.

Their parents, meanwhile -- roughly half, say the experts -- are increasingly sexless, either stewing in varying blends of exhaustion and frustration, or else -- the numbers here too are rising -- taking their frustration to the streets and discos in search of extra-marital partners.

I'm a true believer in the importance of morals and the disaster of the lack thereof. Moral decadence will be the downfall of Japan if they don't take this problem seriously. It's not just Japan, it's happening worldwide, Japan just seems to be the poster-child of moral decay.

UPDATE: Reading Japundit today, there is a post and discussion about the latest poster girl, she's 9 years old. Something, something has got to give!

Expectant Mothers in Japan Need Doctors

2006-05-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

An interesting article, disturbing though as birth rates decline in Japan.

If childbirth could be conveniently timed, then Erika Yamauchi, a ruddy 22-year-old housewife eight months pregnant with her second child, would make a note in her planner to go into labor on a Monday. Preferably around 10 a.m.

In a nation where a chronically low fertility rate is causing the bottom to fall out of the baby-birthing business, this fishing community of 17,000 was forced to mothball its only maternity ward last month after losing its last local obstetrician. Now Yamauchi and 57 other expectant mothers here have to make do with temporary obstetricians flown in from another island on Mondays -- when they attend from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. before boarding evening flights back home.

That's got to be scary. They are also told if they go into labor early, before they can reach a regional hospital with a maternity ward, they can expect a 40 minute helicopter ride.

The expectant mothers of Oki Island have joined thousands of others across Japan facing a major complication: a national shortage of obstetricians. In a rapidly aging nation with one of the world's lowest birthrates, the number of doctors entering child-related specialties is plummeting -- stretching those who are left so thin that they can no longer manage existing caseloads.

Analysts attribute the shortage partly to a declining interest in obstetrics among medical students, who are wary of the long hours, high malpractice risk, and relatively average pay. But whatever the cause, the shortage is turning the miracle of birth into a logistical nightmare.

Another place where the government is going to have to step in and give incentives for doctors to become OBs.

Not only are there a lack of doctors, there is a lack of babies.

The obstetrics crisis, health officials say, has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles in the struggle to avoid Japan's date with depopulation. Japan's fertility rate, the average number of children born to a woman over a lifetime, is at a record low of 1.29 -- compared with 2.1 in the United States. As more Japanese die than are born, the population fell by nearly 20,000 to 127,776,000 in 2005 -- the first decline since the census started in 1920. If nothing is done to reverse that trend, the population is projected to fall to about 100 million by 2050, according to government statistics.

With Japan opposed to large-scale immigration that could alleviate the problem, the obstetrics crisis has raised serious questions about how this country can continue to operate the world's second-largest economy and cover the costs of its huge elderly population. One in 5 Japanese are 65 or older.

This is serious. Japan has a major crisis coming with an aging population and nobody to take care of them.

Other Blogs

2006-05-06T11:37:00.000-06:00

Time to look and see what is cooking on other blogs that I read. Most of the do NOT deal with Asia.

I usually hit Captain's Quarters a few times a week.

Top post there right now is about France heading towards collapse, something that wouldn't bring a tear to my eye at all.

Captain Ed says:

It goes beyond credibility, especially with De Villepin. The PM ordered the new youth employment contract that led to the student strikes and caused France to almost shut down a few weeks ago. Earlier, De Villepin's lack of movement on minority employment created some of the force behind the immigrant demonstrations, protests which quickly escalated into riots and terrorist attacks by the burgeoning number of Islamists in France. On both occasions, the French looked towards the PM's political opponent, Nicolas Sarkozy, as the solution to the mess that De Villepin could not resolve.

...

These days, however, the French have become more and more irrelevant. Thanks to their participation in the Oil-For-Food scandal, the US and UK do not trust them on foreign policy any longer, and their own people don't trust them to maintain order and the economy. Their nanny state is headed for collapse now that they have cut off the flow of cheap labor from North Africa and the Middle East. Only their nuclear arsenal and their veto on the Security Council gives them any global relevance at all any more, and the former becomes more of a worry as their economically depressed and socially isolated Muslim population continues to grow.

In the end, the Washington Post is correct: no one will recall who smeared whom. If we acre enough to remember anything, it will be that the French slowly strangled themselves into insignificance, both economically and politically.

Amen! Captain has some good posts. He's a bit fiery, but that is to be expected from a political blogger.

Powerline is next on the list. It is a daily read, always has something good to say.

Up right now:

Ray McGovern is the former CIA employee who heckled Don Rumsfeld in Atlanta last week. This led to his being hailed as a "truth-teller" by the mainstream media. Gateway Pundit was all over the case, pointing out that McGovern has a long record as a far-left nutjob. Now Tom Joscelyn has written us to say:

The media has lionized this guy already, despite a long record of nutty beliefs and statements. I was watching CNN tonight (while at the gym) and they did a thoroughly dishonest segment in which they tried to paint Gateway Pundit and other right-wing blogs as just out to vilify McGovern because he went after Rumsfeld. There was no mention of his nutty comments.

The segment was so completely disingenuous it was ridiculous. But, the same thing is going on all throughout the press.

Anyway, this is the media at its worst...it would take them five seconds to figure out that McGovern is a moonbat.

Tom cites chapter and verse in the post linked to above. McGovern is Cindy Sheehan with a beard, with the same distressing tendency to start babbling about Israel at the wrong moment. He's worse, actually: unlike Sheehan, McGovern has endorsed the idea that the Bush administration knew in advance about the September 11 attacks but "deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen."

These guys seem to be spot on most of the time. A must read if you are in to US politics.

After this, it is VodkaPundit. If you've never read Stephen's site, you are missing something. Stephen is 007 without a gun. Smooth, sophisticated, knows how to cook and mix the perfect drink. On top of this, has a keen insight to everything political. He has the annoying tendency to take a week or month off blogging every now and then.

His latest:

Got a lot on my plate right now, including two essays I can't seem to complete and starting a new business. Yikes. So tonight, just this:

RIYADH, 2 May 2006 — Authorities have opened an investigation into a case of a severed penis belonging to an alleged rapist, the Okaz daily reported. A man arrived at an emergency room in the capital with his severed penis, which was reattached after speedy surgery. According to the report, the man allegedly snuck into his maid’s quarters after his wife had gone to sleep and attempted to rape her. The Filipina managed to escape his advances, rushed into the kitchen and got a knife. Despite her weapon, the man attempted to assault the maid, who, in return, pulled a “Lorena Bobbit” defense and cut off the man’s penis.

Usually, VodkaPundit is your go-to blog for funny severed penis stories. There's nothing funny here, unfortunately. This woman acted in obvious self-defense - a concept which doesn't exist for women in Saudi Arabia. She'll probably go to jail, or even be executed.

Next, it's time to see what the experts at Oxblog are saying. Named Oxblog because the bloggers have all attended or are attending Oxford University on scholarship.

Currently, Immigration is the topic of choice:

A COUNTERINTUITIVE APPROACH TO IMMIGRATION: Picking up on Patrick's post below, I thought I'd post some quotations from a recent article on immigration in TNR [subscription required]:

The universally held--but virtually unquestioned--assumption is that illegal immigrants make up a discrete and problematic group, whereas legal immigrants are a benign or even beneficial presence. But this sharp dichotomy is fundamentally misleading...That's because the problems facing us do not stem exclusively from illegal immigration, but from immigration itself...

Immigration restrictionists learned to reduce their array of objections to immigration generally to the problem of illegals specifically--a tactic that also enabled them to avoid the charge of racism. The legal-illegal dichotomy thus became a relatively safe framework within which to debate a complicated and volatile issue--and it has stayed that way until today.

When Americans denounce illegal immigrants, they complain about lost jobs, overcrowded schools and emergency rooms, and noisy, dirty neighborhoods where nobody speaks English...Yet, whatever their specific merits, not one of these complaints pertains uniquely to illegal immigrants. If Congress were to grant a general amnesty or augment legal immigration tomorrow, the same concerns would be voiced by Americans. This suggests that something else is bothering the public: the transience and disorder that inevitably accompany mass migration...

Americans want to believe that immigrants come here to stay. It is part of the national mythology that the United States is a beacon, attracting foreigners who long to become part of our noble experiment. That's what President Bush is getting at when he says, "It says something about our country that people around the world are willing to leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come to America."

But this is, at best, a half-truth that ignores the fact that immigrants do not typically arrive here intending to settle down..."Left to their own devices, most Mexican immigrants would work in the United States only sporadically and for limited periods of time." [Princeton sociologist Douglas] Massey emphasizes that even those with legal documents don't necessarily intend to stay.

What is bothering Americans most about immigration, legal or illegal, is that it frays--and threatens to rip--the social fabric; it makes them feel that things are out of control...As with old debates over crime, liberal elites condescendingly dismiss such concerns as racist or foolishly reduce them to economic fears. Even sympathetic conservatives are not very responsive, in great part because they, too, have bought into the prevailing legal-illegal dichotomy. Without such elite support, mass discontent remains submerged until it erupts in an angry and inarticulate populist outburst, which of course sends the politicians scurrying for the safety of the entrenched legal-illegal framework.

The editors at TNR love nothing more than an argument that's both counterinuitive and that makes a hash of the usual left-right partisan politics. This article delivers on all front.

Although I don't know much about immigration beyond what I read in the papers, I still wonder whether the article's authors are too quick to erase the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. For example, a police officer in my neighboorhood told me a few months ago that illegal immigrants are often the targets of street crime, since muggers assume that they tend to carry a lot of cash.

That sort of evidence is entirely anecdotal, but it's the kind of thing I'd like to hear more about before accepting that legal-illegal distinction isn't as useful as we think.

I have my own strong opinion on immigration. Maybe I should post about that next.

Finally, let's look at Michelle Malkin. I LOVE Michelle. She pulls no punches, normally gets it right and is just as honest when she gets it wrong.

Here is her top post right now.

I understand the Rangers wanted to do something innocuous to recognize a holiday celebrating historical and cultural pride. But the politically correct selectivity here is telling. While it's considered a celebration of "diversity" to acknowledge the military sacrifices of another nation's heroes, it's considered racist to acknowledge the military sacrifices of one's own.

Case in point: Can you imagine if someone proposed changing the Rangers' jerseys to "Confederate Rangers" to celebrate Confederate Heroes' Day?

Oh, and I'm sure I'll be labeled a racist for pointing out the double standard.

Like that's anything new...

We'll end here. I probably look at 100 blogs a week, most just a glance to see what is there. This is a sample of those that I read religiously. I'll do some more later.

Arrest Warrants Issued for Protestors

2006-05-06T10:50:00.000-06:00

I hope they get serious about this, I'm tired of the demonstrations already.

South Korean prosecutors sought arrest warrants for dozens of anti-U.S. activists Saturday following violent protests against plans to relocate American military bases, as thousands of riot police braced for a potential fresh clash, officials said.

More than 520 demonstrators, mostly student and labor activists, have been detained in two days of bloody clashes with police at a new U.S. military base site in Pyeongtaek, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Seoul. Over 200 protesters and police were injured, some of them seriously.

These protests have become far too violent to allow to continue.

...TV footage showed stick-brandishing demonstrators cutting wire fences and beating unarmed troops guarding the site.

That is just wrong. Time to round them up.

Funny that I found this perusing a Japanese news site.

US Congressman Calls For Japan to Make Amends

2006-05-05T23:12:00.000-06:00

Wow, this is good and encouraging!

U.S. Rep. Lane Evans (D-Illinois) has urged Japan to take responsibility for Korean women it forced into prostitution during World War II and asked others in the U.S. Congress to support a resolution to send this message.

Speaking before the House Tuesday, Evans called Japan's mobilization of comfort women ``one of the most extensive cases of human trafficking in the 20th century.’’

``While the facts of these crimes are incontrovertible, the government of Japan has not officially accepted responsibility for this atrocity,’’ Evans said.

Way to go congressman! Now, if a few more would join in and start putting pressure on them...

Foreigner Has a Bad Day in Japan

2006-05-05T23:04:00.000-06:00

This guy picked the wrong place at the wrong time to play out his sexual fantasies.

A Vietnamese national who thrust his private parts up against a female police officer as they rode a packed commuter train has been arrested, police said.

Kyoto resident Van Linh Tue, 29, a part-time clerk at an architectural office, was arrested for breaking an Osaka Prefectural Government ordinance outlawing public nuisances.

Here's hoping he spends some long nights in a cold cell thinking about his problems.

Is China Playing Dirty When it Comes to North Korean Nukes?

2006-05-05T00:28:00.000-06:00

Fascinating editorial by a UCLA prof.

China is acting in bad faith on the Korean nuclear issue. That's the provocative suggestion now coming from some Western intelligence circles. It's a scary, foul and ultimately upsetting thought. It may also be wrong.

It's true, we are hearing this more and more. China is playing dirty, not being forthright in negotiating this issue. It also doesn't surprise anyone because, well because we all know that China is evil. Still, even evil people have brains.

And so if Hu is some day unveiled as a secret double-dealer on the vital North Korean nuclear question, then the Chinese president would be playing right into the hands of those factions in Japan that would wish his country the most harm.

No one has ever said that Hu is dumb. Therefore, the conspiracy theory by which China is playing Asia and the West for suckers on the Korean question makes no sense at all. It makes more sense to believe that China means what it said and did when it helped formulate the statement of principles last year and then, to great fanfare, put its signature to the document. Any other scenario for China would be just plain dumb.

So, I guess it just goes back to North Korea being duplicitous.

Dokdo (Tokdo), Your Tourist Destination

2006-05-05T00:17:00.000-06:00

South Korea is doing now what it should have done 20 years ago, they are planning to improve the Dokdo Island chain. It's theirs, they own it, they control it and now they are doing something with it. It might not be the tourist destination Jamaica is, but the more they do the quicker this 'issue' will go away.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the budget includes:

* $10.6m to improve facilities on the islands, where a small police detachment of some 30 men is stationed
* $8.3m to research ecological systems on the islands and surrounding waters
* $7.3m to research marine resources, beginning this year, and to start exploring for mineral resources, in 2008.

Not a bad start.

Until them, the police force will stay ever vigilant.

Korea Wave Alive and Well in Japan

2006-05-04T10:44:00.000-06:00

Despite some nationalists efforts to stem the tide, the Korean Wave seems to be going strong.

From the article:

South Korean superstar Lee Byung Hun and a host of special guests enchanted some 42,000 fans during a special fan event at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.

As part of the event, Lee chatted with actress Choi Ji Woo, singer Zero, who sang the theme song of Lee's hit drama, "Utsukushiki Hibi" (Beautiful Days), and a few other guests.

42,000 show up for this guy? Okay, then, good thing they had a play about his life. (picture me rolling my eyes)

I'll never understand 'fans' like this. The guys an actor. You have no idea what he is like in real life. He could be a complete misogynistic ass. He could be a moron that graduated on his looks alone. He could be just one of the guys, a great person to hang with. Who knows? I get tired of this superficial crap that is 'fandom'.

Hangul Gibberish

2006-05-03T21:11:00.000-06:00

Found on Hanzismatter.

Can anyone make out any meaning to this?

Gotta love the mix with the Hangul and the Japanese flag.

Anyway, if you figure out what this is supposed to mean, post it below and on the Hanzismatter site.

I tell you, Tian never fails to entertain.

China vs. Japan in Africa...

2006-05-03T08:12:00.000-06:00

China is winning.

Japan has been there giving aid, hoping to drum up support for their bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. China is there giving aid trying to show itself as the model for under developed nations to follow.Not only are they bringing economic aid, they are bringing military aid, something many of those nations are welcoming with open arms.

In fact, even as Koizumi arrived in Ethiopia on Saturday, Chinese President Hu Jintao had just left.

Hu's three-nation tour of the continent was his second there so far.

In Nigeria, Hu unveiled a plan to invest $4 billion in, among other things, railways and oil refinery facilities, receiving preferential oil development rights in return. In Morocco and Kenya, Hu proposed to help their manufacturing industries and promised that Chinese companies would build factories there.

Beijing's involvement in the continent extends to military aid as well: both to Sudan, which is currently in the midst of an internal struggle over Darfur, and to Zimbabwe, a country that has come under fire from Washington for tyranny.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo told the visiting Chinese president that China would lead the world in this century, and that Nigeria wanted to be right behind.

Nigeria was one of the nations that Tokyo was counting on in last year's bid for the permanent UNSC seat.

China's aid strategy is in sharp contrast to how Koizumi describes Japan's. Japanese aid, he said, should be something "that will be appreciated even if Japan does not spend too much money," such as developing subterranean water resources.

But African nations, which continue to suffer from sluggish economies, see China as a guide for their own economic development.

One political scientist in Kenya said that China will increase its influence in the region because it does not try to shape political systems, and only lends support to top African leaders.

Come on Japan! What are you doing? You seem to be going about this half-assed allowing China to clean your clock. The last thing we need is China's continued expansion around the world. Japan seems to be one of the few nations that has a reason to be in Africa as well as the ability to thwart China's aggressive policies in that part of the world. Time to pony up and open up that check book. I'll even ignore your trying to buy your way on to the Security Council for a bit.

Marine Ripped-Off?

2006-05-03T07:18:00.000-06:00

I only title it like that because, after reading the story, you wonder what a guy has to do to get the Medal of Honor?

Way to go Marine! With men like you serving, we can't lose!

Apple and iTunes users 1 Music Industry 0

2006-05-02T21:54:00.000-06:00

Way to go Apple! Being an iTunes user and music purchaser I'm pleased at Apple's negotiations. The music industry wanted variable pricing with more expensive hits and cheaper older tunes. Apple wanted to keep the basic 99¢ pricing. Apple won! I would have been pissed off if they had increased prices!

In recent months, executives at EMI, Sony, and other companies have been pushing Apple to adopt a variable-price model. Under that plan, new releases from popular artists would be priced at higher levels than older releases.

"Music labels would much rather have variable price, so they can charge more for hits and perhaps less for older tracks," said Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester. "Apple likes the $0.99 price because it is simple, uniform, not too high to discourage buyers, and very easy to administer and merchandise."

The differences of opinion about pricing led Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, to call the music industry "greedy" during a press conference last September. Jobs said that if the record labels want to raise prices, doing so would be motivated by greed rather than any interest in consumer benefit.

Jobs also indicated at the time that pricing needs to be low enough for legitimate music sites to compete with illegal file-sharing networks that allow users to download songs for no cost whatsoever.

Way to go Stevey baby!!!!

Bruce Believes in Nukes

2006-05-02T10:35:00.000-06:00

Found this interesting.

A U.S. expert on inter-Korean relations says there is a high possibility that Pyongyang already has six to seven nuclear bombs. The remarks by Prof. Bruce Cummings of the University of Chicago came in a Seoul-Washington Forum that opened in the U.S. capital on Monday.

New Japanese Spy Satellites to Target Korea

2006-05-02T10:28:00.000-06:00

From the short article, it looks like they are spying on the entire peninsula, not just the North.

The Japanese government announced that it will launch additional data-collecting satellites aimed at watching the Korean peninsula in July. On May 1, the daily Yomiuri reported that the Japanese government will launch an optimal satellite in July and a radar satellite around next January or February.

The data-collecting satellite system consists of an optimal satellite and a radar satellite.

Just waiting on the Korean reaction...

Aso's Family History Coming Back to Bite Him

2006-05-02T10:18:00.000-06:00

The Aso family history is looking to cause problems for the foreign minister. No longer is it isolated to Asia, new reports show the family mines used POWs as slave labor.

The Aso family's mining company used thousands of Koreans as forced laborers during World War II. This legacy of Koreans, Chinese and other Asians being coerced into slave-like working conditions across the region more than six decades ago has become an issue in Tokyo's maintenance of normal diplomatic relations in East Asia. Reports that 300 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) also performed forced labor at an Aso coal mine are now spreading in Western countries. Aso's family background and his personal refusal to engage the issue have led some to suggest that his position as foreign minister is untenable.

With that last sentence, I fully agree. Aso is the embodiment of those that glorify the military past, white-wash history and seemingly enjoy pissing off their neighbors. Now, it goes past the region, it affects western nations that were involved in the war.

It seems that he certainly wouldn't meet the standards necessary to be foreign minister in Germany.

According to one German Embassy official in Tokyo, speaking on the understanding of anonymity, while family lineage on its own would not be held against an individual in his nation, Aso's actions here make him an unsuitable foreign minister by German standards.

"Because Aso's family connection gave him the opportunity to address wrongs in the firm, and he did not do so," as well as comments that "seem to defend criminal policies of the past", Aso would "not be acceptable" for a post such as foreign minister, said the official. "He might get into parliament but not into government."

The article is excellent as well as damning expose on Aso and his family history.

I hope people in Japan realize what kind of person Aso is. The thought of him becoming PM after Koizumi is stomach turning. I'd gladly welcome Koizumi back over Aso; that is saying a lot.

Japan is Headed For War!

2006-05-02T10:02:00.000-06:00

At least that is what 45% of Japanese surveyed think is possible. Interesting survey which shows a definite increase in nationalistic feelings as more and more citizens hold their armed forces in higher esteem.

The survey found that 84.9 percent of the respondents held a positive image of the SDF--the highest figure recorded in such surveys.

In the 1972 survey, 58.9 percent had a positive image of the SDF.

The percentage of respondents with a negative image of the SDF was a record-low 10 percent in the latest survey.

Forty-five percent of the respondents said "there was a danger" of Japan becoming involved in war. In the 2003 survey, 43.2 percent of the respondents gave a similar response.

Most of those thinking they could go to war blame world tensions but more specifically, the problems with Korea. Interestingly, China is way down the list. Ah, Japan it is a changin...

Minamata Disease

2006-05-02T09:48:00.000-06:00

This is a truly disturbing case of corporate negligence. Not just negligence, but pure contempt for human life. Profits mean all.

On May 1, 1956 in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, four people suffering an unusual disease showed up at the hospital run by Chisso Corp., which at the time employed nearly 60 percent of the town's workforce.

The hospital's head, Hajime Hosokawa, had seen similar symptoms in a patient who died in 1954. But as early as 1946, locals were speaking of the "dancing cat" disease, a malady that caused cats to convulse wildly before they died.

Fearing an epidemic, Hosokawa notified local health officials of this strange new illness. It was the first official announcement of what would become known as Minamata disease.

And a horrible disease it was. A Kumamoto University report from summer 1956 described just how quick it could kill.

In one case documented by researchers, a 28-year-old woman began complaining of numbness of fingers and impaired hearing and speech. Three days later, the numbness spread to her mouth. One week later, she was barely able to walk.

Three weeks after her initial complaints, she was hospitalized with muscle spasms and was occasionally howling. Six weeks later, she was semicomatose and could no longer feed herself -- her face and mouth had become paralyzed. Her body temperature rose, her pupils dilated and she howled nonstop.

Seven weeks after her initial complaint of numbness, she was dead.

In January 1957, Kumamoto University researchers announced that effluent containing heavy metals being dumped by Chisso Corp. into Minamata Bay was responsible for the disease. Two years later, they issued a more specific conclusion citing organic mercury in the effluent.

At this point, it might, might have been a mistake. The company could have taken care of the mess, cleaned it all up and compensated the victims. Well, after many more years and court battles, the company did end up compensating those that were injured or killed. End of the story though? No.

Six months after the agreement, Chisso resumed dumping mercury-tainted effluent into the bay.

The matter appeared to have been swept under the rug until 1965, when Niigata Prefecture suffered an outbreak of the disease.

The Niigata victims immediately filed a lawsuit against Showa Denko, the chemical company responsible, and emboldened the Minamata victims to take Chisso to court.

Twenty families in Kumamoto, representing 112 patients, filed suit against Chisso in the Kumamoto District Court. In 1973, the Kumamoto plaintiffs were victorious, and signed a compensation agreement with the polluter that gave each patient between 16 million yen and 18 million yen, plus medical expenses.

Six years later, Chisso's former president and Minamata factory manager were found guilty of negligent homicide and, after the Supreme Court rejected their appeal in 1988, were given suspended two-year sentences.

Can you believe that? Not only do they go back to dumping their toxic waste, they slapped the wrists of those responsible. What a travesty and a miscarriage of justice. 10s of thousands permanently injured or dead and these guys get a suspended sentence.

What a depressing story to return to after my trip. My heart goes out to the victims.

Business travel

2006-04-25T11:50:00.000-06:00

Will be back to blogging next week.

Current Dokdo Situation

2006-04-19T12:29:00.000-06:00

Folks, I'm going to step back on this as other blogs are doing a masterful job of covering the situation.

My opinion, Japan is pushing an issue that it really shouldn't at this time.
Typically, some Koreans are over reacting, some are doing the proper thing.

Let's hope calm heads prevail and no blood is shed. Then go back to the negotiation tables and don't leave until borders are secured by written and signed agreements.

Personally, I think it is time for Japan to finally concede the issue of ownership. For this, Korea should be willing to allow liberal interpretation of current international law and grant fishing rights to Japanese fishermen that more than make up for the concession. Finally, strict rules on movement of military vessels through this area needs to be codified and enforced to stop any accidents.

Those that violate the rules should be dealt with firmly.

Just my thoughts.

UPDATE: As usual, The Marmot is all over there. Read here then here. He has it sliced, diced, sautéed, chopped, smused, mushed and ready to go.

Student's view of Yasukuni

2006-04-19T12:22:00.000-06:00

Fascinating article on two sociology students visit to Yasukuni.

We met at Shinjuku, which is one of the most popular places in Tokyo. By his request, we decided to visit Yasukuni shrine, which is a notorious and hated place among many East Asian people. As most of you probably know, for the past couple of years the Japanese government has been strongly criticized by other Asian countries such as South Korea and China because Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has visited the shrine every year and prayed for those Japanese people who fought and died for their country. Korea and China have criticized these actions because 14 of those `war victims’ are convicted `Class-A war criminals.’

Again, it needs to be clarified that there are far more war criminals honored there, it is just that 14 have the distinction of being Class A, the worst kind of war criminal.

Yaksuni is a huge well-organized place, just a 10-minutes train ride from Shinjuku. It is one of the most overwhelming pieces of architecture I have ever seen in Japan that left me wondering how much money it had cost the government to build.

The museum was, as we expected, horrible. It showed a heavily biased version of Japanese history from its origin through to the present day. Its contents were exactly the same as the Japanese history textbooks, which have been condemned by Korea and China for allegedly distorting history.

We watched a typical propaganda film. It was about the historical process of Japanese modernization since the 19th century. It focused on Japanese wars against China (late 19th and 1930-1945), Russia (early 20th) and America (1941-1945). I call it propaganda because firstly, there was no logic in what they tried to say. One of main characteristics of propaganda is to arouse the audience's emotion and not to let them THINK logically and rationally.

Secondly, it pretended to be objective, but in reality, it was too partial to be called an objective and reliable documentary. It ignored the complications of the real world and concentrated on only small aspects of the truth: a kind of lying through omission.

But, after the film, I noticed some members of the audience had been deeply affected and even moved to tears. Then I thought that by accepting this kind of propaganda without question, people would not hesitate in sacrificing themselves for the state. I think what is important is to consider who will benefit from those people's `sublime nationalism.’

People need to understand this part of it as well. Not only are war criminals honored, but that period of time is honored. The whole focus is to make you proud of what Japan did during that period and make you think that Japan was a hero and a victim, certainly not an instigator and a criminal.

Too many try and trivialize this abomination and excuse it. It's time to build a new place of mourning for those who aren't so convinced of the glory of the past.

Japanese War Vessel Violates Korea's EEZ

2006-04-18T19:55:00.000-06:00

After Japan announced plans to conduct a maritime survey in the East Sea, a Japanese patrol boat appeared near Korea’s Dokdo islets last weekend. Appearances of Japanese naval vessels near Korean waters have been increasing in recent years.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Korean activists captured video footage of a naval vessel approaching a Korean passenger liner in the East Sea.

"The vessel was approaching our ship at full speed. It was a Japanese naval vessel. I could see the word Japan Coast Guard clearly, and also the Japanese flag," a witness said.

The Korea Coast Guard confirmed that a 195-ton Japanese patrol boat passed through Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone on Saturday morning. It added the disputed vessel did not violate Korea's territorial waters, but four Korean patrol ships were standing by in case it did. This is the 18th time this year alone that a Japanese patrol boat has appeared near the Dokdo islets.

Most of the time, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with tensions running high, both sides really do need to show the upmost care and caution.

The Smith & Merritt Institute Part 2

2006-04-18T01:08:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought I would write that little piece and be done with it. Guess not. Why you ask? Because I'm getting email about it. Weird, eh? I blog about subjects that I feel are extremely important, world changing events, I hear bupkis. I write about some personal financial folks, I get inundated with email. I guess I'm the one, the only source of information about them out there on the good ol internet.

Does that make me some kind of informational guru?

Anyway...

In 10 years, after Mr. Daniel Reed Smith and Mrs. Kathryn Merritt become billionaires, I'll be able to point and say, "Its all because of ME, ME I tell you!" "Fall down on your knees and respect me!!!" ha.

Actually though, I thought I would try to answer some of the questions I've been getting.

First, the first article I wrote came from and informal talk with them. I personally have never called or received a call from one of their workers. I don't know what is said on the phone. I have no idea what things cost or don't cost. I have no desire to be able to answer those questions either. I'm far more interested in the two founders, their ideas and what they are thinking now and in the future. I'm interested because they validate some long held beliefs on my part. For example, I've long held the belief that refinancing your home to pay off ANY debt such as credit cards, or to go on a trip is ludicrous, asinine and plain ol STOOPID. (yes, I know the proper spelling of the word, sheesh) They fully agree. I believe strongly in having a cash reserve for emergencies. Bingo! Again, they agree. I believe in paying off your debts before investing. 3 for 3, they feel even more strongly than I do about this.

What I do know is they seem very sincere. They believe in what they teach and try to live by it. I didn't mention it in the last piece, but I do know they are very charity minded. I know they have started a charity helping to pay the expenses for families whose children have cancer. They did this because Kathryn lost her young son to cancer and she feels very strongly about helping, especially the families. Many of you know, actually, any that have read my blog for any period of time knows that I helped start a charity helping Iraqi children. So, I can understand Kathryn's dedication to this and respect it fully.

Also, I did find a press release from them. Interestingly, they have a quote from Denis Waitley about them. With Denis behind them, it gives them some more legitimacy. Of course, nothing like the legitimacy of having ME blog about them...

Here are some excerpts from the press release:

Daniel Smith and Kathryn Merritt have been in the financial sales and marketing industry for nearly 2 decades. During that time, they were instrumental in the launch and management of campaigns for companies such as Charles Givens, Anthony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Peter Lowe, Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, and many others.

...

Best selling author Denis Waitley agrees. "I've been close to Dan and Kathryn for years and impressed by their financial ideas and philosophies. This new institute and release of their new program will allow them to achieve their dream of helping their fellow man as well as giving new hope to those in financial need."

Well, that's about all for now. Still, my curiosity is piqued so don't be surprised if I blog about them again. I mean, I am the one that found them and gave them all this unintentional publicity...and we all know its all about ME! ;-)

UPDATE: Kathryn and Dan have now started their own blog. Please see their blog for information and for comments. Due to my recent health difficulties, I will no longer be maintaining this blog. Any further comments will be automatically deleted.

Korea Determined to Stop Japan

2006-04-17T14:23:00.000-06:00

First you have the situation between Japan and China and now this one between Japan and South Korea. The tension levels are escalating at an alarming rate.

Cabinet ministers on Monday agreed to strengthen the nation's countermoves against Japan's plan to conduct a maritime survey in the South Korean exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Dokdo, saying that the current situation is ``more serious'' than ever.

...

Tokyo is expected to dispatch survey ships to the South Korean economic waters this week. Claiming that the survey area falls within its EEZ, Tokyo notified the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) of its plan to carry out the survey from April 14 to June 30 in waters in the East Sea.

Note, they did NOT inform Korea of their proposed actions. That was sure to infuriate Seoul and cause an incident based on that alone. That doesn't include them actually following through with the survey mind you.

The government also plans to keep strict guard over Dokdo and nearby waters to fend off the Japanese survey ship's trespass on the South Korean EEZ.

Seoul says Japan's proposed survey area includes a part of the South Korean economic waters, making it mandatory for Tokyo, under a U.N. maritime law, to seek Seoul's permission first to carry out a survey there.

A domestic maritime survey law also allows law-enforcement authorities to take action, including stoppage and seizure, against foreign vessels' unauthorized survey within the South Korean economic waters.

In reaction to Seoul's stance, a ranking Japanese official told Yonhap News Agency in Japan that Tokyo will ``likely'' notify Seoul of its survey plan before sending its vessels to the South Korean EEZ.

The Japanese official also warned that seizure by South Korea of a Japanese government ship is a ``grave'' violation of international law. He argued that stoppage and inspection of the government vessel is also illegal.

Again, at this point there is no way Korea is going to back down, it will be interesting to see if Japan does. Given the far more grave situation it has with China, I could see them saving this battle for a later day.

Good Primer on Yasukuni and the Yashukan Museum

2006-04-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Not sure that is what the article wanted to be but it is a pretty good primer on Yasukuni and what is taught at the Yashukan museum.

The place that is the symbolic source of the enduring Chinese-Japanese feud is disarmingly serene, awash in cherry blossom petals while merchants at its approaches peddle sake and pastries.

Carp glide in the pool of a garden near the Yasukuni Shrine shaded by the luminous leaves of Japanese maples.

Visitors must wash their hands with ladled water at this memorial to 2.5 million military dead, but China wishes Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi would wash his hands permanently of this austere shrine honouring among its subjects Class-A war criminals.

For those that have never been, it is a serene, gorgeous setting. Too bad what is taught there isn't in harmony with the setting.

At the adjacent Yashukan war museum, a restored Zero fighter rescued from the war rubble of the south Pacific port of Rabaul shares space with a Kaiten, or Japanese single-man mini-sub/human torpedo.

It's also the venue for daily screenings of a video on modern Japanese military history that would surely leave visitors from Beijing in a hot lather.

The film includes footage of Japanese soldiers marching triumphantly into Nanking in 1937 while dutifully omitting any mention of atrocities recalling the Imperial Army's massacre in the city of 300,000 Chinese civilians and PoWs.

The 50-minute production raises questions over whether the Pacific War initiated by Japan was ever a violation of international law.

Japanese military aggression is showcased as altruism devoted to bettering the lot of Asian neighbours fortunate enough to earn the emperor's attention.

It ends with a discussion between the reporter and a Japanese student.

She admits her high school curriculum didn't raise the odious aspects of her country's war past, another sticking point in relations with China. "It's not in our textbooks -- I had to go to the library," she says.

While that curiosity has raised her awareness of Japan's war crimes, Narita said she's torn over whether Koizumi should end his Yasukuni pilgrimage and insists the divide over that issue among her countrymen is strong.

It's a paradox sure to keep Japan mired in a world where what was then, is still now.

The Line in the Sea has been Drawn

2006-04-17T13:28:00.000-06:00

And China is daring Japan to cross it.

Japan has asked China to clarify reports that Beijing has imposed a ban on shipping near disputed gas fields in the East China Sea.

Both Japan and China have claimed rights to develop the Pinghu gas field which straddles an area both countries say is part of their territory.

News reports say a ban has been imposed while Chinese workers lay pipelines and cables in the area.

Ouch. This can't be good. I'm not sure what Japan is going to do either. It looks as if the gas reservers under this area are extensive enough that China is playing hardball.

Here you can see the areas that each claim, each well inside the others.

Reports over the last few days have suggested the Chinese authorities have now banned all unauthorised shipping traffic around the Pinghu gas field until the end of September.

China is going for the touchdown here. Like all developing and developed nations, China has a huge thirst for fuel and feels that it has found the motherlode. Now we have to see if Japan will allow it to be snatched out of their hands.

Plunge Pontificates Cited by Joongang Daily

2006-04-16T22:26:00.000-06:00

My first time being quoted in a Korean paper. Wow.

ISLAND MENTALITY

"Dokdo" is a word that can send Koreans, and a few bloggers too, into paroxysms of indignation. This week's main Dokdo news concerns Tokyo's plans to conduct a maritime exploration project near the disputed islets. "Plunge" at the blog "Plunge Pontificates," (http://plungepontificates.blogspot.com), whose raison d'etre is to badger Japan into squarely addressing its history, is withering toward calls by the Japanese ambassador for calm by the Korean side. "Oh please," he writes. "You must respond cool-headedly toward our provocation. GAH."

He even seems to understand, at least partly, why I write what I write.

Is China the Next Japan?

2006-04-16T20:49:00.000-06:00

Fascinating article on whether or not China can make the same move that Japan did in the 70s reinventing herself as a technological superstar or if it is a veneer covering a sea of rot, waiting to collapse. Okay, that is a bit overboard but it is an excellent article raising some wonderful, thought provoking questions.

I wish I had the time right now to cover it in depth, I just don't. But, I felt it was important enough that I wanted all to read it so I'm giving it a link.

Please, please go read it!

Tensions Rise Between Tokyo and Seoul

2006-04-16T20:42:00.000-06:00

Excellent editorial on the current, rising tensions over the Dokdo situation.

Japan's plan to survey waterways within Korea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is, in short, a naked and calculated provocation. Tokyo's move presupposes the rocky islets between the two countries, called Dokdo (Tokdo) here and Takeshima in Japan, as its territory despite Seoul's long effective control on them. The Japanese government even went as far as to directly notify the International Hydrographic Organization of its plan, without revealing the information to Seoul. Tokyo's diplomatic impudence seems to know no end.

Basically, knowing that it has lost full control over the situation, Tokyo is trying a backdoor approach. Sneaky and underhanded, but that fits Koizumi to a tee.

It wasn't this bad until about a year ago. When a Japanese prefecture renewed claims over the desolate islets by designating a "Takeshima Day" in March 2005, some right-wing politicians applauded the move, but the Japanese government said it was merely a provincial decision. Last month, however, Tokyo instructed 55 high school textbooks to clearly label the disputed island chain as Japanese territory. Whether this gradualism is a tactic or a reflection of slowly escalating nationalism, it is equally displeasing.

I think it is plain to see that it is the ever growing nationalism that is taking over Japan. It will only get worse.

Tokyo has always tried to make this a territorial dispute and take it to the International Court of Justice. Seoul has rightly snubbed the approach, as seen again on Friday in its omission of comment on the islets. Internally, however, the government needs to develop logic to refute Japanese claims in global stages. It could also pinpoint Tokyo's two-faced diplomacy, which claims sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, citing Japan's effective control and criticizing China's survey nearby its southernmost islet.

Amen on that. Doesn't matter the tactics or ethics, as long as Tokyo gets what Tokyo wants.

What kills me is Tokyo has decided to take on everyone at once. It goes after Korea while fighting China while fighting Russia and on and on.

Japan Raises Tension Levels

2006-04-14T09:31:00.000-06:00

I guess Japan is just determined to piss off their neighbors.

South Korea asked Japan on Friday to cancel a planned maritime survey near South Korean-administered islets called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, the Japanese Embassy in Seoul said.

Tokyo dismissed the request, which South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan delivered to Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Shotaro Oshima at the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry.

The Japanese government posted a public notice earlier Friday about its plan to send a survey vessel from the Japan Coast Guard to conduct maritime surveys in the Sea of Japan, which South Korea calls the East Sea.

Yu told Oshima that South Korea demands an immediate halt to the survey, saying the survey area includes South Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone.

In response, the Japanese envoy told Yun the survey will be conducted within Japan's EEZ without violating international maritime law, and called for a "cool-headed" response to the issue.

Oshima added that Japan cannot accept any South Korean action against an official Japanese vessel.

Oh please. You must respond cool-headedly to our provocation. GAH.

Time for some naval bombardment practice by South Korea. "Oh, we've had this planned for months."

UPDATE: Robert gives this a much more thorough, less sarcastic analysis than I do. Read his now.

Plunge Meets Daniel Reed Smith and Kathryn Merritt of the Smith & Merritt Institute

2006-04-13T19:38:00.000-06:00

Yes folks, I know I'm going off subject a lot lately, first global warming, and now personal finance. These are just some of the things outside of Asia that interest me and so I'm letting you in on it a bit.

This one today is pretty awesome! I was able to actually meet and spend some time with Dan Smith and Kathryn Merritt.

(Found a photo of them when I found their website!)

Now your next question, I know, is who are they and why should I care? I'll tell you why. In Kathryn and Dan I think you have two of the nimblest minds in the financial world. Not only that, they are going to change the world of anyone who listens to them. How? Not with some get rich quick scheme or other scam, but with sound financial advice that when you hear it you just wonder why you have never heard it before.

Just this past January, Dan and Kathryn began a company known as the Smith & Merritt Institute. Yeah, not the most original name in the world, but it fits with what they are teaching, again, simple, direct financial advice. The kind of advice that I wish I had been able to learn from my parents. If not from them, then at least at school. Heck, I would have taken a course in college if it had been offered, but it wasn't. Instead, I was able to sit and have lunch with them. A good friend of mine set it up knowing my interest. Both Dan and Kathryn and have spent their lives in the financial world having worked with some of the largest names in the business. Through that, they gained a wealth of knowledge which, along with their own knowledge and insight, led to this amazing partnership.

So, here I am, at lunch with my buddy, Dan and Kathryn. They were as personable as could be and made me feel like I was the most important thing to them. We quickly began to talk about personal finance and what it takes to be wealthy, something I've got a great interest in. ha!

Kathryn began by talking about attitude. I can tell how important it is to her. She told me that if I want to be rich, it is all about how I act and how I believe. She calls it the "Law of Abundance." You have to understand this before you can move on. You need to understand that money is like energy, flowing. Money needs to be spent! You need to enjoy spending money, something I LOVE to do. Damn, with the way I LOVE to spend money, I should be a Billionaire by now!

Next, and I felt this was very important, you have to believe that being rich is GOOD. It is proper. There is NOTHING wrong with being rich! I loved hearing that! Too many times, people deride the rich. I've always been one of those that felt it was the rich that have the ability to change the world. Look at the amazing things being done by the Bill Gates Foundation! She made the statement that you can never be poor enough to help another poor person, but a wealthy person has a variety of options and ways to help that person. FINALLY!

Dan was in total agreement. It was fun to watch them as they can almost finish each other's sentences. They seemed to feed off of each other intellectually.

As the lunch progressed, we got into the meat of the subject. While discussing how I need to think and be was good, I wanted to hear some specifics. Again, it was refreshing as they espoused an ideal that I have believed for a longtime. They believe in getting COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OUT OF DEBT. You get out of debt before you ever think of investing. Now, here is the best part, they include your home in this. Yes, you get out of debt, including your home, before you do any investing. Wow!

We talked for a while longer, then lunch was over, way too soon. Evidently they are writing a book and I hope to get one of the first copies. The title, I hope it is okay to let it out, fits perfectly.
Abundance - Spending Your Way to Wealth
.

Anyway, this might not be of interest to any of you and again, I know it is way off my normal subjects, but it was important to me and I wanted to share.

To everyone, get out of debt! Live life abundantly!

UPDATE: Found their website and a photo which I posted above.

UPDATE II: Kathryn and Dan have now started their own blog. Please see their blog for information and for comments. Due to my recent health difficulties, I will no longer be maintaining this blog. Any further comments will be automatically deleted.

Shopping for Babies

2006-04-13T16:12:00.000-06:00

The saying used to be shop till you drop, but now that takes on a new meaning in Japan..

Alarmed by its sliding birth rate and rapidly aging population, Japan is hoping the prospect of lower shopping bills will encourage couples to go for bigger families.

The government is considering issuing identity cards to families with children which would give discounts at stores cooperating with the program, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Thursday.

What genius thought this one up?

The Right-Wing Continues its Advance in Japan

2006-04-13T15:57:00.000-06:00

JAPAN'S ruling coalition agreed today to revise education laws to promote patriotism in schools, a taboo since World War II.

The proposal has triggered opposition among liberals including Japan's teachers' association, which say it is reminiscent of the nationalism seen in Japan before and during the war.

What can I say. We continue to watch and be wary.

If approved by Parliament, where Mr Koizumi's coalition holds a strong majority, it would be the first revision since the law was enacted in 1947.

Patriotism would be listed as an educational goal and defined as "an attitude which respects tradition and culture, loves the nation and homeland that have fostered them, and contributes to international peace and development".

The current education law, which was enacted under the US occupation, stipulates the need for compulsory schooling and equal opportunities, carefully avoiding any mention of patriotism.

Another mistake in a long list of them.

Global Warming - Dissenting Scientists Face Losing Everything!

2006-04-12T15:13:00.000-06:00

More on a subject dear to me. This OP/ED piece pulls no punches in taking on the Global Warming Industry. Let's be honest, that's what it is, an industry. They are in it for the money, don't let them fool you into thinking otherwise.

There have been repeated claims that this past year's hurricane activity was another sign of human-induced climate change. Everything from the heat wave in Paris to heavy snows in Buffalo has been blamed on people burning gasoline to fuel their cars, and coal and natural gas to heat, cool and electrify their homes. Yet how can a barely discernible, one-degree increase in the recorded global mean temperature since the late 19th century possibly gain public acceptance as the source of recent weather catastrophes? And how can it translate into unlikely claims about future catastrophes?

The answer has much to do with misunderstanding the science of climate, plus a willingness to debase climate science into a triangle of alarmism. Ambiguous scientific statements about climate are hyped by those with a vested interest in alarm, thus raising the political stakes for policy makers who provide funds for more science research to feed more alarm to increase the political stakes. After all, who puts money into science--whether for AIDS, or space, or climate--where there is nothing really alarming? Indeed, the success of climate alarmism can be counted in the increased federal spending on climate research from a few hundred million dollars pre-1990 to $1.7 billion today. It can also be seen in heightened spending on solar, wind, hydrogen, ethanol and clean coal technologies, as well as on other energy-investment decisions.

But there is a more sinister side to this feeding frenzy. Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis.

Massive increases in funding and hell to pay if you oppose them! Sounds like any other cause be it the AIDS industry, big Tobacco, Oil or other major player.

To understand the misconceptions perpetuated about climate science and the climate of intimidation, one needs to grasp some of the complex underlying scientific issues. First, let's start where there is agreement. The public, press and policy makers have been repeatedly told that three claims have widespread scientific support: Global temperature has risen about a degree since the late 19th century; levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have increased by about 30% over the same period; and CO2 should contribute to future warming. These claims are true. However, what the public fails to grasp is that the claims neither constitute support for alarm nor establish man's responsibility for the small amount of warming that has occurred. In fact, those who make the most outlandish claims of alarm are actually demonstrating skepticism of the very science they say supports them. It isn't just that the alarmists are trumpeting model results that we know must be wrong. It is that they are trumpeting catastrophes that couldn't happen even if the models were right as justifying costly policies to try to prevent global warming.

Damn, this is just too good.

But, it is the rest that gets bad. What is happening to scientists that are trying to get the truth out?

In 1992, he (Al Gore) ran two congressional hearings during which he tried to bully dissenting scientists, including myself, into changing our views and supporting his climate alarmism. Nor did the scientific community complain when Mr. Gore, as vice president, tried to enlist Ted Koppel in a witch hunt to discredit anti-alarmist scientists--a request that Mr. Koppel deemed publicly inappropriate. And they were mum when subsequent articles and books by Ross Gelbspan libelously labeled scientists who differed with Mr. Gore as stooges of the fossil-fuel industry.

Sadly, this is only the tip of a non-melting iceberg. In Europe, Henk Tennekes was dismissed as research director of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Society after questioning the scientific underpinnings of global warming. Aksel Winn-Nielsen, former director of the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization, was tarred by Bert Bolin, first head of the IPCC, as a tool of the coal industry for questioning climate alarmism. Respected Italian professors Alfonso Sutera and Antonio Speranza disappeared from the debate in 1991, apparently losing climate-research funding for raising questions.

This final statement I want to share is truly telling.

In 2003, when the draft of the U.S. National Climate Plan urged a high priority for improving our knowledge of climate sensitivity, the National Research Council instead urged support to look at the impacts of the warming--not whether it would actually happen.

Who wrote this opinion piece? Is he some crackpot from some no-name diploma mill?

M. Lindzen is Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT.

Maybe we should listen, at the very least, listen.

Defining Patriotism in Japan

2006-04-12T10:50:00.000-06:00

It is decisions like this that show just how nuanced a language can be.

The ruling coalition is expected to seek a revision of the Fundamental Law on Education by toning down the wording used to define the notion of patriotism, ruling bloc sources said Tuesday.

Tadamori Oshima, head of the coalition's task force on drafting revisions of the law, plans to propose at a panel meeting Wednesday using the wording that defines patriotism as "a mind which loves the nation and homeland, respects other countries and contributes to international peace and development" in the revised law, the sources said.

To most people, this would seem like a sensible, non-aggressive definition of a word. Right? WRONG!

However, there may be a change to the wording because some members of New Komeito, which is backed by the major lay Buddhist group Soka Gakkai, have opposed using the phrase "loves the nation," they said.

During previous discussions between the two parties over how to express the idea of patriotism, LDP members have called for using "a mind which loves the nation."

But New Komeito members have favored "a mind which treasures the nation," saying "loves the nation" gives the impression of nationalism, like that seen in Japan before and during World War II.

Now we can see how this wording can be offensive to some. It keeps going from there. Language is so important and the proper interpretation of it even more so.

Stop the Presses! Global Warming Stopped in 1998!

2006-04-11T22:30:00.000-06:00

Yeah, not my normal thing to post about, but I'm one of these who gets annoyed at the sky is falling, global warming, left-wing, unbathed, unshaven ninnies. Anytime an article like this comes out I jump for joy, especially considering the fact that the author is an expert in the field of climate and climate change.

For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco. Consider the simple fact, drawn from the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, that for the years 1998-2005 global average temperature did not increase (there was actually a slight decrease, though not at a rate that differs significantly from zero).

How can this be?!? I thought we were burning up! A little aside here, but we are having one of the longest winters ever in my neck of the woods. I woke up to a fresh 6 inches of snow in my yard last week, unheard of this time of year! Anyway...

Yes, you did read that right. And also, yes, this eight-year period of temperature stasis did coincide with society's continued power station and SUV-inspired pumping of yet more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In response to these facts, a global warming devotee will chuckle and say "how silly to judge climate change over such a short period". Yet in the next breath, the same person will assure you that the 28-year-long period of warming which occurred between 1970 and 1998 constitutes a dangerous (and man-made) warming. Tosh. Our devotee will also pass by the curious additional facts that a period of similar warming occurred between 1918 and 1940, well prior to the greatest phase of world industrialisation, and that cooling occurred between 1940 and 1965, at precisely the time that human emissions were increasing at their greatest rate.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Nothing more annoying than they hypocritical global warming nut. Almost as bad as the ultra right-wing, brown-nosing, Koizumi lover.

Since the early 1990s, the columns of many leading newspapers and magazines, worldwide, have carried an increasing stream of alarmist letters and articles on hypothetical, human-caused climate change. Each such alarmist article is larded with words such as "if", "might", "could", "probably", "perhaps", "expected", "projected" or "modelled" - and many involve such deep dreaming, or ignorance of scientific facts and principles, that they are akin to nonsense.

I love this man! He nails all the things that annoy me the most about these global climate change nuts!

The essence of the issue is this. Climate changes naturally all the time, partly in predictable cycles, and partly in unpredictable shorter rhythms and rapid episodic shifts, some of the causes of which remain unknown. We are fortunate that our modern societies have developed during the last 10,000 years of benignly warm, interglacial climate. But for more than 90 per cent of the last two million years, the climate has been colder, and generally much colder, than today. The reality of the climate record is that a sudden natural cooling is far more to be feared, and will do infinitely more social and economic damage, than the late 20th century phase of gentle warming.

Finally, a person of rational thought. I bow to him and to his courage to speak out considering what his peers must think of him. He must already be Wang-ta.

Read the entire article on your own and, if you have a moment, look up the good professor and drop him an email thanking him for bringing some rational discussing to this issue.

Hines Ward Continues to Impress

2006-04-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

Despite the rude press in Korea and cutting his trip short, Hines Ward is going back to Korea next month with his wife and children.

Korean-born American football star Hines Ward said Tuesday that he will return to his native Korea with his family next month to build a foundation to support biracial children.

``It's kind of my way of giving back to the Korean community by helping the biracial kids here in Korea,’’ he said in a press conference at a Seoul hotel.

I am so impressed by this man and his mother. These are two incredible people.

Princess Aiko Starts School

2006-04-11T14:25:00.000-06:00

What a cutie.

She was a queen among her new kindergarten friends yesterday, but there was no royal waiver from the routine of school life for the possible heir to the Chrysanthemum throne.

Four-year-old Princess Aiko's day went like this: arrive 9.30am, change into casual clothes, wash hands, gargle, go outside and play, stop to eat the lunch that Mum has packed, get back into the blue suit and go home at 1.30pm, the timetable posted on the Gakushuin Kindergarten website said. On some days there is no lunch, just some milk and home at 11.30am.

Princess Aiko arrived for her first day of kindergarten with her father, Crown Prince Naruhito and mother, Princess Masako. In dark uniform and long socks, she was carrying a book bag and a satchel for her lunch. The satchel, presumably, also held a glass for gargling. (Japanese gargle frequently for good hygiene).

It saddens me that Korea did not keep their royalty.

It's All Relative, Isn't it?

2006-04-11T13:54:00.000-06:00

I was amazed by this poll.

More than 70 percent of Japanese think their country is a dangerous place, a government ministry white paper has shown.

Japan, dangerous? Are they serious? If I was given a list of all the countries in the world and told to list them by degree of being dangerous to live in, Japan would be near the bottom. Maybe they should reword the survey and try again. If you said say, "Where would you feel safest living? Rwanda, Congo, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Iran, America or Japan?" I wonder how many would say Japan is the safest? 99%?

It's all relative I guess.

The Gulf Between Japan and China Getting Wider

2006-04-11T11:03:00.000-06:00

I find the CSMonitor to be one of the better mass media sources. While not perfect by any means, they seem to follow journalistic standards of impartiality better than other of their brethren. Having said that, this article is quite interesting. I might also like it because of the way it agrees with much of what I think.

A year after rocks and bottles peppered Japanese businesses and diplomatic offices in the most public anti-Japanese outbursts in urban China for decades, relations between the two largest Asian powers have, if anything, frozen further.

In a little-noticed development, Chinese leader Hu Jintao appears for the first time to be setting a clear precondition for dialogue between Japanese and Chinese leaders: the cessation of visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Japanese war criminals are enshrined. Mr. Hu gave that message to Japanese "friendship" delegations who arrived in Beijing 10 days ago, making it difficult in face-saving Asia for Japan to yield on visiting the controversial shrine. Such a policy could drive Asia's two largest nations further apart amid ever-intensifying competition for influence and resources, experts say.

Little noticed by others, but loudly and fiercely discussed in the blogosphere. A little aside here, but it must really upset the Korean government to be left out of these articles. Also, notice the mistake above, it isn't 14 war criminals, there are thousands of those. It is 14 class "A" war criminals. An important distinction.

Yet a year later, both sides have continued a steady stream of provocative rhetoric and acts. At a rare national press conference last month, Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing quoted a German diplomat who called the Yasukuni Shrine visits "stupid and immoral." When Japan officially summoned Chinese ambassador Wang Yi the next day in Tokyo, Mr. Wang refused to go - a serious diplomatic breach.

Shinzo Abe, Japan's cabinet secretary, told Japanese reporters only last week that "China and Japan have nothing in common." Yet while Mr. Abe, the lead candidate to replace Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in September, may have targeted a home audience, his comments were the lead headline in Cankao Xiaoxi, an influential paper among Beijing elites: "Shinzo Abe dares to defame China as damaging Asia's stability."

"We have a problem, and I don't see a way out of it right now, " argues a Chinese government source.

Yep, the rhetoric is hot and heavy on both sides. The final comment above is the one that is particularly concerning. There is a way out, it just takes one side or the other or both swallowing some pride and backing down.

Both have taken an unusually sharp turn toward nationalist rhetoric. The turn has been especially swift in Japan, which until recently was considered a pacifist nation. The current architecture of relations - powerful economic links but deteriorating political and emotional ties - is unique in geopolitics, sources say.

This is what is the most upsetting and which many in Japan try to deny, nationalism is running hot and heavy in both countries. Unfortunately, in Japan, that nationalism also includes the glorification of the past and the whitewashing of atrocities committed.

China's stance since Koizumi quietly visited Yasukuni shortly after his landslide election last fall appears to be to wait to deal with a successor. One professor here says China is prepared to wait "20 years, or as long as it takes," for a leader who will treat China properly.

China has always had patience, far more than we do in the west. In this instance though it is not only patience but allowing a grudge to grow and fester. If it truly took twenty years, it would be ugly to behold.

The Communist Party under Mao was in no small part formed in opposition to the hated Japanese occupation of China in the mid-20th century. James Mulvenon, deputy director of the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis in Washington, says that China has too long relied on Japan's lack of historical veracity as a way to cover its own problems, and its own lack of an affirmative strategy for getting along with Japan.

"If Koizumi suddenly stopped visiting the shrine, what would China do?" he asks. "I'm not sure Beijing knows."

I always find this to be a cop out. It goes back to the "we won't do it because it won't make a difference" crowd. You don't know that! Japan has never been willing to face its past so it is disingenuous to say this. Besides that, it doesn't matter anyway. Anyway you look at it, if Japan would face its past and atone for past crimes, it would win. Period. Japan would win. Either other nations would accept the act(s) of contrition and relations would improve or Japan would gain the moral high ground and the rest of the world would condemn the other nations for not accepting Japans acts of remorse and repentance.

Big Brass Ones

2006-04-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

It takes big brass ones to do this considering what your nation has done in the past.

A Chinese government official says China will decline any request for the return of ancient Japanese treasures given in tribute to past Chinese rulers.

Beijing's Palace Museum has several hundred items dedicated by the Ryukyu Kingdom, now Japan's prefecture of Okinawa, to ancient Chinese emperors.

He was responding to Japanese media reports that officials in Okinawa had asked Japan's new ambassador to China, Yuji Miyamoto, to "return the Ryukyuan treasures to their hometown".

Wow, considering the massive amounts of treasure looted by Japan over the past century, this really is galling. How about we start by returning all the stuff you stole, then feel free to ask for things.

The Sky is Falling!

2006-04-10T17:15:00.000-06:00

CEO's with a paltry raise! Illegal Immigrants, we need you to vote Democrat! Brian Doyle is a pschyo nutjob! The Oath I swore! Disgusting Immigration Rally! numbers are racist! Top Ten Reasons for Coming to America Illegally!

So what in the world is all that? Headlines from other blogs that I read on a pretty regular basis. Thought you might be interested, some of them are really good, others I read for personal reasons. Give them a look see if you have a moment, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Great Britain an Embarrassment!

2006-04-10T16:44:00.000-06:00

Taking some time to read some other blogs, I found this abomination!

British law also prohibits self defense - all forms of self-defense. If violent crime were a boxing match, the criminal would have the right to threaten and/or use lethal force, while the vicitm is restricted to Marquess of Queensbury rules (actually, Robert's Rules of Order).

GAHHHHH!!!!!!

I don't know why this issue pisses me off so much but it does. How dare someone question someone defending himself. I've made damn sure that my daughter is able to defend herself. She is a gorgeous young woman and I want her to know how to take care of herself. I want her to react swiftly and not wait for a situation to 'escalate.' I've drilled this into her and it came in helpful not long ago. A young man decided he could grab her anatomy in an inappropriate manner. This young man got a swift knee to the nuts and a swift kick to the face as he went down. She then walked away and called me on her cellphone. I was at the school immediately and in the principals office making sure her rights were protected. Luckily, we live in the US where, so far, we have the right to keep ourselves safe. The young man, although injured, was given no sympathy by the school. If we lived in England, this would probably be a different story and my daughter might have been the one in trouble.

There have been doubts expressed that a right to self-defense still exists in British law. Following one homicidal home burglary Dr. Ian Stephen, an Honorary Lecturer (Forensic Psychology) at Glasgow Caledonian University, told householders:

"If you attack the burglar, or react in an 'over-the-top' manner... you will inevitably end up on the receiving end of a prison sentence that will far outstrip that imposed on the intruder in your own home.... [W]hen individuals are confronted by intruders there are some actions they should follow. Direct contact should be avoided whenever possible. If unavoidable, the victim should adopt a state of active passivity..."

How thoroughly disgusting. My opinion of Great Britain is plummeting.

Read the rest of the article on your own.

Seoul Turns Yellow

2006-04-10T11:59:00.000-06:00

The annual dust storms are upon them.

Sandstorm are likely to blanket much of the nation between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, three days after the worst-ever seasonal sandstorm hit the nation, weather forecasters say.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Monday strong sandstorms with fine dust concentration level up to 10,000㎍/㎥ that hit Inner Mongolia and the Gobi Desert until Monday afternoon will probably be blown into Korea by northwesterly winds.

That is just nasty. Maybe Korea should demand some sort of compensation from China for the hardship and suffering caused by these storms. :-)

There were on average 3.6 days of spring sandstorms between 1971 and 2000. But the figure could double this year, which has already seen four such storms. Chinese meteorologists say cold air in Siberia and the Mongolian Plateau is more active than in the past and thus increasing the number of sandstorms. KMA data show that there was only one sandstorm in the spring of 1986 and 1987, but 21 days in 1995 and 31 days in 2001, indicating that the uninvited guest is visiting the nation with increasing frequency.

Ugh!

Korean Women = Shallow

2006-04-10T11:50:00.000-06:00

At least when it comes for what they are currently looking for in a man.

Young Korean men who tend to flab or prefer reading books to grunting at the gym are in for an uphill struggle if they want to attract a girl. At least the young women who responded to a straw poll by the Chosun Ilbo say that a man’s body is an important aspect when they pick a date.

The Chosun Ilbo asked 163 twenty-something women living in Seoul, and 123 of them responded that they consider a man's body when they start to date. In a part-for-part breakdown, 71 said the most attractive part of a man are shoulders, back and chest. Next came forearms (21) and bottom (15), with the face a poor fourth with 11. Most described their ideal types as graduates of the modeling world like Daniel Henney with 35 votes, Joo Ji-hoon with 27 and Cho In-sung with 15.

No other comment particularly needed...

Japanese Parents Producing Ill-mannered Brats...

2006-04-10T11:36:00.000-06:00

And the parents aren't much better themselves...

"I work part-time at a family restaurant. The other day, a couple of mothers came into our place, each of them accompanied by two kids. As soon as I gave them all their glasses of water and menus, the kids got up and started dancing on top of the table -- without even taking their shoes off!! The parents didn't even look like stopping them," a waitress tells Josei Jishin. "They kicked over one of the glasses and water spilled in all directions. I raced over with a towel to wipe it up, when one of the mothers started telling me off. 'What the hell are you bringing water out for kids anyway? Are you out of your mind? Let's go,' she said, whisked up her kids and walked out of the restaurant.

Nice... What kills me is the parents attitude. The brats behavior is perfectly understandable considering the actions of the parent.

"When I went to take out some money, a little girl of elementary school age stood beside me and stared at the screen of the ATM I was using. When I gently told her not to peep at what I was doing, a bristling voice suddenly spat out from behind me with a barb: 'If the kid was smart enough to remember numbers that easily, I wouldn't have half the troubles I do,'" the housewife says. "When I turned around, the mother was giving me a really dirty look. I was just thinking that she should be more worried about teaching her kid some proper manners rather than staring daggers at me, when she spoke again: "Hurry up, will ya. I'm waiting around here.'

There's a mother and daughter that both need a bitchslapping.

UN Reports on Severe Racism Problem in Japan

2006-04-10T11:32:00.000-06:00

This was not unexpected, probably wasn't to anyone. Yet, despite the way this report plays to my prejudices, even I found it overly vitriolic. Anyone who knows a Korean who has lived in Japan in the past and now knows that major strides have been made. So, this report has me quite conflicted. I guess one of my biggest problems is the person who wrote the report spent 9 days, yes 9 days in Japan and comes out with this rather scathing report.

How can you spend 9 days in a country and come away with the understanding needed to produce a report on racism and xenophobia? Who did he meet with? What agendas did they have? How balanced was the groups he was meeting with? Sorry, even though there are parts of the report I agree with, all things considered, I would rather distance myself from it.

Another UN failure.

In July 2005, the United Nations special rapporteur on discrimination and racism, Doudou Diene, went on a nine-day tour of Japan and talked to minority groups, anti-discrimination campaigners and government and police officials around the country. After releasing his preliminary findings to the press last year, Diene handed the completed 23-page report based on his research to the UN Commission on Human Rights in January. [Doudou Diene Report]

Japan has been condemned before for its failure to humanely accommodate the descendents of its former colonial subjects in Asia, and for its willful neglect of its own minorities in Hokkaido, Osaka and elsewhere, and for its restrictive policies toward immigrants and refugees. Still the blistering tone of the UN report caught many by surprise. The country was criticized in quite forceful terms for its "deep discrimination" which Diene said the government was not doing enough to combat.

The report was especially harsh in criticizing Japan's treatment of the over one-million people of Korean and Chinese descent in the country, many of whom still feel pushed to the margins of Japanese society even as they move into their third and fourth-generations. But he also called for measures to protect the rights of Japan's indigenous Ainu and Buraku minorities and small but growing number of foreigner immigrants.

The end of the article prints pieces from those supporting and those opposing the report. While it galls me to do so, I think I agree with the following reply more than any other:

William Wetherall: A seriously flawed report

There are serious flaws in the " Mission to Japan" report recently submitted to the United Nations by Doudou Diene. I have written a counter report in which I evaluate, paragraph by paragraph, the credibility of Diene's observations, analyses, and recommendations. The counter report also examines the phrasing Diene has adopted to essentially "minoritize" and "racialize" people in Japan in ways that do not reflect legal and demographic realities.

The counter report concludes that Diene came to Japan, not to objectively study minority issues, but to follow the bidding of the activist organizations that have been lobbying the United Nations human rights committees for the past couple of decades -- mostly participants in the BLL/IMADR-led "minority solidarity" movement in Japan.

Ironically, Diene has done a lot of damage to BLL/IMADR's cause -- which is not entirely without merit. It was a grave mistake to allow someone who apparently knows so little about Japan to write a report under the auspices of an objective UN mission.

Diene's "mission" was basically a ploy to embarrass the Japanese government in the eyes of the world, knowing that the content of his report will be disseminated in global mass media through press conferences and other venues. However, his report spreads all manner of misinformation, and invites all manner of misunderstanding, about Japanese and East Asian history, about Japanese law and society, and most importantly about racial, ethnic, national, and other minorities in Japan.

For a report like this to be meaningful, it needs to be given the time needed for such an in-depth subject. Agendas must be dispensed with and proper research needs to be conducted. Both sides of each issue needs to be thoroughly examined. Having read the report, I would have been embarrassed to be the one that wrote it.

Does racial discrimination exist in Japan? Duh. It is a serious issue causing problems for untold numbers of people. Let's deal with it properly and not with the histrionics and easily seen agenda as the one contained in the Doudou Diene Report.

Koizumi Bends Over for the Right Wing of His Party AGAIN...

2006-04-10T11:09:00.000-06:00

In the face of the opposition saying they would push for the removal of class A war criminals from Yasukuni, Koizumi responded with the following:

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday dismissed the possibility of the government asking Yasukuni Shrine to separate Class-A war criminals from the war dead honored at the shrine, dismissing a suggestion by opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa.

"It is not a matter for the government to say something," Koizumi told reporters at his official residence.

It might not be a matter for the government, but it is something he could personally express his opinion on. Let's remember, he never visted the shrine until he became PM! For him, it is purely political.

UPDATE: Japundit's JP writes about this and links to a much better article than I did.

Angus Hamilton - Korea - Table of Contents

2006-04-09T08:55:00.000-06:00

As promised, here is the table of contents. If you wish to view a certain section of the book, email me (baesen(at)gmail(dot)com) the section and I will work on getting scans of it to you.

Your humble servant,

Plunge

Whales Take Revenge on Japan!

2006-04-09T08:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, maybe not, but it sounds good.

A high-speed passenger ferry hit a suspected whale in south-west Japan, and 49 people were injured, an official said today.

The boat, carrying 109 passengers and crew, hit the suspected whale near the mouth of Kagoshima Bay in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, according to Coast Guard official Tsuyoshi Kariyazono.

Just think if whales were armed...

Does North Korea Have Nuclear Weapons or Not?

2006-04-09T08:26:00.000-06:00

North Korea's official announcement that it has nuclear weapons should not be taken seriously, the head of the World Nuclear Association said.

John Ritch, speaking in an interview after the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2006 conference in Hong Kong, said the situation in North Korea was similar to that in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, when the Iraqi leader exaggerated the country's military capability for political purposes.

You knew this would happen, the inevitable comparisons between the North Korean situation and Iraq. What do you think? Does North Korea have nuclear weapons? Can we afford to discount their claims, especially when we know the countries they have had dealings with?

New DJP Leader "Gets it!"

2006-04-09T02:05:00.000-06:00

Yes! A Japanese politician that finally understands!

The New leader of Japan's largest opposition party suggested on Sunday that the 14 Class-A war criminals be separately enshrined from the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, Kyodo News reported.

"So-called Class-A war criminals should not have been enshrined at Yasukuni, which honors the war dead," Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) said on TV, "If Yasukuni is back on form, I think a prime minister and the emperor could offer prayers there."

Ah... if only he could become PM...

China Intensifies Focus on Japanese Misdeeds

2006-04-09T02:02:00.000-06:00

This can't be good for anyone. While I'm the first to say that Japan needs to acknowledge the past and make amends, what China is planning is just going to inflame feelings even more.

More than 200,000 Chinese filed through the remains of Japan's notorious Unit 731 here last year, visiting the ghosts of World War II. In exhibits mounted throughout the bleak headquarters building, they saw wrenching descriptions of biological warfare experiments carried out on thousands of Chinese prisoners from 1939 to 1945.

The phrase "Do not forget us" has been inscribed on the wall of one room, where visitors can see the names and photos of some of those who received botulism injections, were made to suffer frostbite or had their internal organs removed by Japanese military doctors.

Heeding those words, authorities have drawn up plans for a $62.5 million expansion of the museum, condemning a middle school and an apartment complex to make way for restoring the once top-secret facility, where researchers estimate 3,000 Chinese were killed and 300,000 sickened by the hideous wartime experiments. The aim, said curator Wang Peng, is to make the story of Japan's atrocities at Unit 731 known to an ever-wider audience.

Now, if it was done right, it wouldn't be a bad thing, but I just can't think the Chinese government will "do it right."

UPDATE: Amazingly, Curzon and I agree on something in Asia. Look for my post on the rapture happening soon.

Cornwall Chee -- or, My Doc Rocks!

2006-04-08T08:54:00.000-06:00

It's kind of weird having your family physician also in a rock band. But there you have it, they are damn fine too. Cornwall Chee is their name, give them a look and listen to their music here. My favorites are Anything, Indian Canal and Red Blood.

They just cut a CD, still working on the art work though. I'll enjoy following them.

Just Leave the Guy Alone Already!

2006-04-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

Looks like Hines Ward is cutting his trip and appearances short in Korea because of the obnoxious media.

Ward wanted to cancel all his remaining scheduled visits, but decided to make an exception for his meeting with biracial men and women of Korean nationality hosted by the Pearl S. Buck Foundation at Olympic Park on April 8.

Lim also announced that the Wards might even cancel their planned trip to Jeju Island.

The competitive reporting methods used by Korean media outlets are the cause. Everywhere the Wards go, scores of reporters follow their every move. Any chance of privacy seems out of the question. Ward’s celebrity status among Koreans makes his wish to travel and getting to know his birth country nearly impossible. Reporters flock to Ward’s official appearances and personal outings alike.

Geez, the guy just wanted to visit Korea with his mother and the media has turned it into a circus. Way to go guys! Piss off another person who could have done wonders for Korea's image. Idiots.

And to add insult to injury...

Ward is also angry at the excessive commercialism at his expense. A lawsuit is its way against a Korean publishing company that released a book about Ward without his consent. Ward’s mother Kim was especially angered by the false accounts in the book. “The book states I was beaten up and abandoned by my husband because I couldn’t speak English. These are all lies,” said the outraged mother. Ward plans to publicly warn the publisher and another company that acted as if it were his official representative at a press conference scheduled on April 11, the day of his departure. Ward rested at the hotel of his stay on April 7 and spent some rare private moments with his mother at the Yongin Everland theme park in the afternoon.

Industrial Espionage Major Problem For Japan

2006-04-07T17:12:00.000-06:00

Interesting article showing how Japan is targeted by many countries for industrial espionage. While most of it is not a concern for the average person, missile technology and the like is. Unfortunately, it looks to be a growth industry.

In a 2002 case, a trade representative attempted to buy classified missile technology from a member of Japan's Self-Defence Forces.

According to the police, the man pretended to be an Italian consultant when he first approached the Toshiba employee, who has neither been named nor charged with a crime.

"The man told me he was from a different country and said his job was related to business consulting," the Toshiba employee was quoted as telling police. "I later thought something was strange because he asked for documents that I thought were unnecessary for his job.

"I spent the money on having fun," he said.

The Russian man left Japan in June - before the allegations became public - and the National Police Agency has issued orders that he not be allowed to re-enter the country.

The devices reportedly have applications in advanced fighter aircraft, missile guidance systems and submarines.

The biggest problem seems to be Japan's older workers with no particular plan allowing for a comfortable retirement.

Mike O'Keefe, managing director of risk consultants Kroll Japan, says that Japan's labour force is greying, with a lot of engineers approaching retirement age who do not see much in the way of retirement pay awaiting them.

"Some of them take early retirement and get straight on a plane to China to assist one of Japan's competitors; some don't even wait for retirement but go over for the weekend to share what they know"

Toshiba officials, however, dismissed the capabilities and value of the semiconductors allegedly sought by the Russian spy.

"Discrete semiconductors are simple, functional devices such as transistors and diodes, widely used in colour TVs and other home appliances," company official Keisuke Oomori said in a statement.

"It did not include such advanced technologies, products and services that require export licences under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law," he said.

Said O'Keefe: "Everyone wants high-tech secrets and protecting them is a challenge, especially when security in Japan is not very high."

The hilarious part of the article was the final paragraph which had absolutely nothing to do with anything discussed.

Japan invaded China in 1937 and is blamed for the massacre of as many as 300,000 civilians in the eastern city of Nanjin.

Angus Hamilton - His Thoughts on Japanese in Korea

2006-04-07T11:01:00.000-06:00

Just a couple more pages showing what Angus thought of the Japanese that were living in Korea. It needs to be understood that he credits Japan with pushing Korea to modernize as well as the massive amount of trade that they did with Korea compared to other countries. Much of his history seems to be written to prod England into securing a much greater role in Korea. Outside of Japan, he credits the US with pushing for modernization in Korea.

With this having been said, Angus did not think much of the Japanese that were in Korea.

One more thing, I will be posting the Table of Contents soon. If there is any part of the book that interests you that I haven't posted, I would be more than happy to scan those pages and make them available to you. I'm only posting pages that are relevant to this blog and the things that interest me.

Angus Hamilton's contempt and disdain for the Japanese in Korea certainly shows, which I find interesting considering the way others at this time perceived the Japanese. Maybe it has a lot to do with what Matt at Gusts of Popular Feeling wrote earlier. If so, they had little influence on Angus Hamilton.

There will be more to come from the indomitable Angus Hamilton.

Real Man's Sport

2006-04-07T06:29:00.000-06:00

Saw this via Dean's World.

Now here's a Real Man's Sport.

Karate Neophytes Lost on the Mountain

2006-04-06T10:48:00.000-06:00

Got a chuckle out of this, especially since they all lived.

Three Singaporeans were lost for a day in the freezing mountains of Aomori, Japan on a quest to fulfil the dying wish of a family member by trying to find a karate master.

Nine others also joined them in their quest in Japan.

It was on Thursday that the Japanese media began reporting about the 13 Singaporeans in Aomori prefecture, northern Japan.

Three of them went missing on Wednesday in the mountains, where there was still two metres of snow.

Luckily, they were spotted trying to beat the freezing weather in an abandoned car.

They were dressed lightly, totally unprepared for the snow.

It was not the fact that they got lost that attracted media attention; rather it was their reason for being in Aomori.

They were in search of a karate master in Aomori's Soma village.

It was to fulfil the wish of a karate master in Singapore, who died some years ago, to find a man in Japan who possessed secrets about karate.

According to Ms Asari of Hirosaki City in Aomori, the group did not possess a photo or any concrete materials about the man, except that he was quiet, a widower and had two daughters.

Just makes me think of all the low budget, old karate flicks. "ummm...your master is strong, but not as strong as..."

Pyongyang feels the Squeeze

2006-04-06T10:38:00.000-06:00

Slowly but surely, North Korea is getting squeezed tighter and tighter. They have now basically been kicked out of Macao.

"Macao had to clean up its act," said David L. Asher, a former State Department official who specialized in North Korea and was one of the architects of the action against the Macao bank. "There are $5 billion in annual gaming revenues at stake. They have to work with the United States."

The freezing of the $25 million in the Banco Delta Asia has been a particularly big blow for a government scraping by for lack of hard currency. North Korean banks kept large sums of money in the Macao bank. Now, with those accounts suspended and other banks frightened off by the Treasury Department action, North Korea has been largely cut off from international trade.

"The impact is severe," said Nigel Cowie, a British banker based in Pyongyang who is general manager of the Daedong Credit Bank, serving mostly the tiny foreign community in the North Korean capital.

In a telephone interview from Pyongyang, Cowie said that North Korea, because it had no credit and a weak banking system, dealt almost exclusively in cash, which might have created the appearance that it was laundering money when it was not.

"I can't speak for what everybody was doing, but I can say that in our case, a lot of legitimate business has been hurt," Cowie said.

The North Koreans blame the U.S. for their woes in Macao. A senior North Korean diplomat, Li Gun, visited Washington last month on what appeared to have been a futile attempt to get the Macao freeze lifted. He left angry, declaring that North Korea would boycott negotiations on its nuclear program until the banking situation was resolved.

Just keep squeezing and we'll see what pops our.

Textbook Screening

2006-04-05T11:46:00.000-06:00

You would think, from listening to some people, that this is a recent problem. It actually goes back a long way.

Appearing on a TV program Sunday on Japan's China policy and other issues, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe commented on a 1982 controversy over the rewriting of Japanese history in school textbooks. The gist of Abe's comment was this: In 1982, the then education ministry's textbook screening council put pressure on the author of a social studies textbook to replace the word "shinryaku" (invasion) with "shinshutsu" (advance).

When this was reported by the media, China and South Korea raised an outcry. In response, the government effectively verified the media report in a statement by the then-chief Cabinet secretary and apologized to Beijing and Seoul. But, Abe stressed last Sunday, there was no such rewriting of the textbook, and that the government should have checked the facts more carefully before it issued the apology.

Taken as that, it is understandable. But would it shock anyone to know that Shinzo Abe is conveniently ignoring certain realities?

But the issue we are making here is that the government at the time was anything but tolerant of any textbook author who discussed Japan's "shinryaku" of China. In fact, with the China issue alone, there were four entries in textbooks where "shinryaku" had to be deleted or changed to "shinnyu," or "entry." As for Japan's military activities in Southeast Asia, there were cases where "shinryaku" was replaced with "shinshutsu." In the screening process before 1982, the education ministry council forced a change from "shinryaku" to "shinshutsu" in defining Japan's relations with China. With the results of the 1982 screening, South Korea also demanded corrections in passages that dealt with South Korea's independence movement.

So, while they got the certain instance wrong, the issue was exactly on.

Japan has been whitewashing their history for a long, long time.

Gusts of Popular Feeling Does it Again

2006-04-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

I might just stop writing and read what Matt writes.

The title to his post, Kenkanryu in the Realm of the Revisionists.

Don't miss it.

Angus Hamilton, Korean Historian

2006-04-04T21:02:00.000-06:00

During my recovery period, I thought I would write a little on Angus Hamilton. Angus was a historian who lived in Korea from the late eighteen hundreds until the end of 1903. He was there during a period of great upheaval when Korea was influenced from internal and external entities. Angus took it upon himself to write exclusively about what was happening in Korea. He saw the influences of America, France, England, Russia, China, Japan and other countries as well as the development internally with the intrigue of certain of the Korean ruling class as well as the King and Queen. A fascinating look at Korea, and interesting to read considering his time there being before the colonization by Japan so he doesn't look upon Japan's influence for what it was, a prelude to their invasion.

Let me know if you have any problems with the images.

Below is the cover of the book, part of the intro, and his writing on Seoul. I'll let you read his words.

Book cover

Intro

Notice his intro to the book, those he thanks and especially his reason for writing the book.

He writes about Seoul, his observations fascinating as he tells how quickly the city has changed.

Notice how he talks about the improvements to Seoul, schools, hospitals, banks and shops. Korea is massively changed in only a short period of time.

Jumping ahead, passing up his section on the formation of the postal service, I wanted to show those he feels responsible for the change.

This is just a start. I'll keep adding to this and talking about the interesting Angus Hamilton.

Down...

2006-03-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

Back went out. Thank goodness for muscle relaxers and percocet. BBL.

Japan Continues to Skew History

2006-03-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've been told before that the government of Japan only approves or disapproves textbooks for use. ummmm.... NOT. Not only are they making changes, their changes are likely to anger China and Korea even further. Lord I hate the current regime in Japan.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry

approved all 306 draft textbooks, mostly for first-year high school students, submitted in the latest screening. They will be available for use from next spring, ministry officials said.

In the screening of history, geography and civics textbooks, the ministry sought changes to 26 of the 40 references to the islands disputed with South Korea and China, the officials said.

On the islands disputed with South Korea, called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean, one draft textbook said ownership is being negotiated with South Korea, but it was changed at the ministry's request to say the territory belongs to Shimane Prefecture and that South Korea also claims it.

The original reference in the draft was included in a textbook that was previously approved, but the officials said the ministry asked for revisions this time so that the matter will be presented more "accurately" as there were more references to the territorial rows in textbooks screened this year.

Most of the history, geography and civics textbooks, excluding those on world history and ethics, included passages about the disputed islands.

On another set of islands claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan, the ministry similarly sought clarification in the textbooks that they are Japanese territory because "there is a need to explain that our country possesses them in accordance with the government's view," a ministry official said.

The inhabited archipelago, called the Senkaku Islands in Japan, is administered by the Japanese government as part of Okinawa Prefecture but claimed also by China and Taiwan. They are known the Diaoyu Islands in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan.

On the Nanjing Massacre, the ministry asked that references on the number of victims be made to present all possible views to "make it balanced."

A draft world history textbook said, "The number of victims are said to be 200,000 or more, but China has the figure as 300,000 or more," but it was changed to, "The number of victims is said to be 200,000 or more, but there are other theories as to the figure. China has the figure as 300,000 or more."

On Koizumi's controversial visits to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine, a draft textbook on modern society had a photo of the prime minister paying homage at the Shinto shrine in Tokyo with a caption saying he was making an "official" visit.

But the word "official" was dropped in response to the ministry's request that it be removed as it is not clear whether Koizumi's visits there were official or private and court decisions have been divided on the matter.

UPDATE: ComingAnarchy has what they say are the changes that were ordered by the government, courtesy of Curzon.

And, as predicted, Korea and China are not pleased. Word from Korea:

The South Korean government on Thursday sharply denounced Japan for "whitewashing, distorting and glorifying" its militarist past after Japanese officials ordered a series of controversial new changes to high school textbooks.

The unusually harsh protest centered on the disclosure this week that Japan's Education Ministry requested new revisions to 55 textbooks in an effort to avoid student "misunderstandings." The revised books clearly label disputed territories-- including a small island chain under South Korean control but claimed by Japan -- as Japanese territory. Also, references to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre were changed to indicate the number of people killed by the Japanese may have been less than the 300,000 victims claimed by China.

This goes along with the argument that I've offered before. Japan has been condemned in the past for allowing revisionist textbooks to pass muster. This anger has always been countered by saying the books are only used by less than 1% of schools. The problem though is that allowing these books has signaled and allowed a subtle change in ALL the textbooks. Now I need to go find the study, but it showed how all of Japan's textbooks are becoming more and more nationalistic.

No good can come of this and all it will do is continue to raise tension between neighbors. Japan has screwed up again.

Courts Reject Chinese Slaves Their Due

2006-03-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

The BASTARDS rejected the claim against Japan and Mitsubuishi. Why? Too much time had elapsed supposedly. What a JOKE! Everytime I think Japan gets something right, they go and do this. Japan will become the pariah of Asia if this keeps up.

A court on Wednesday rejected demands for compensation by 45 Chinese men forced to perform slave labor at Japanese coal mines during World War II, saying the current government is not responsible for actions during that era, officials said.

The Fukuoka District Court turned down the suit seeking $9 million from Mitsui Mining Co., Mitsubishi Materials Corp. and the Japanese government, court official Masayuki Morita said.

The court also dismissed the plaintiffs' demand for a published apology, he said, refusing to provide further details of the ruling.

The laborers were brought to Fukuoka, 560 miles southwest of Tokyo, from China and worked without getting paid at Mitsui Miike mine and Mitusbishi Iizuka mine between 1943 and 1945, according to Hajime Matsuoka, one of lawyers representing the group.

The court acknowledged that the government and companies had committed an illegal act by bringing the Chinese to Japan against their will and forcing them to work, said Taizo Morita, another lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

However, the court denied the plaintiffs' claim by saying that the deadline for filing compensation claims - usually 20 years under Japanese law - had expired, he said.

The ruling also said that Tokyo doesn't have to compensate the victims because it isn't responsible for the wrongdoing of its wartime leaders, who were following a prewar constitution, Taizo Morita added.

This makes me want to puke.

More Proof of Nuclear Weapons Program in Japan?

2006-03-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Stratfor offers some interesting insight into this issue.

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL), operator of the $18.6 billion Rokkasho nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, said March 29 that it has reached an agreement with the government of Aomori prefecture to begin extraction of plutonium waste from spent nuclear fuel. This extraction will be the first step of an experimental program allowing JNFL to manufacture plutonium-uranium mixed-oxide fuel (MOX). The firm plans to begin supplying this MOX to a mix of Japanese nuclear reactors, probably numbering 18, beginning in April 2012.

...

The MOX facilities, however, would allow a more stealthy approach to a nuclear weapons program. By establishing a steady supply of plutonium, Japan could likely launch a large-scale plutonium-based weapons program in a matter of days, attracting only minimal scrutiny. Japan is not about to slam broadside into the international community by pursuing such a weapons program, much less cause mushroom clouds to sprout overnight here and there, but the MOX program will allow it to do so should Tokyo's politics change. And with Japan steadily whittling away at the constitutional restrictions requiring its foreign policy to proceed along pacifist lines, this ability is bound to make Japan's Asian neighbors more than a little nervous.

They are creeping closer and closer...