My opinion this week(160)

Why don't you start writing net diary?

  On March 2, I opened a new free Home Page. Since it's opening, I have
enjoyed it very much in along with my original Home Page. One other
enjoyment has been added to my day-to-day networking hobbies. Although
it is free, the function and contents are very good. By putting only some
minimum data, anybody can open their own Home Page in five minutes as
the sponsor described. That is no exaggeration at all. It's true. The main 
menu can be customized in anyway to some great extent according to your
needs. 

 You cannot put any illustration, picture, or sound data directly into this
site. They are to be linked with another site. But this limitation is 
understandable for the reaction time of the page will be deteriorated
very much if the sponsors allow it. Once they allow this, a huge amount of
disk space will be necessary in this site which will be very costly for the
sponsor. 

  What I like about this free page are their BBS and diary system. When
it comes to BBS system, any Home Page holders can set up BBS system by 
themselves or the one provided free by some sponsors. The problem with 
that kind of BBS is that only few people come to write to BBS although 
Home Page holders open them. In this free home pages, each member exchanges
messages in BBS. Number of messages in my BBS already exceeded 200 as of 
April 1. There are many uploads from new people mainly free page members
as well as from my ML members.

  The motives or hints to write to BBS are messages written in diary of
members. In the menu of this free page, there is a board titled "diary".
Any page holders can write diary in free style. People can write rather
lengthy ones or very short ones consisting only of a few lines. Not many
good diaries can be found in the member diary boards. But writers can use
some HTML tags in diary although they are limited in numbers. Link tag is 
especially useful to introduce some sites concerned for diaries.

  Diary itself is very private one in nature. Some say that, such a private
document as diary should not be written in such open space. But the fact
is that those diaries written in the net are quite different from many
other ordinal diaries. Different from ordinal diaries in which some records
of personal behaviors and thought are written, those net diaries mainly
handle what writers want to express as their own opinions and ideas in
their life. I changed the title of "diary" to the title described as "My
message today". The nature of this column is something like that. Since its
start on March 2, writing this corner became one of my another enjoyment
of my network life.

  The nature of this column is somewhat different from that of ordinal diary 
to some extent. However, this is the first time in my life that I started to 
write a diary everyday. I am not quite sure how long this will last. But 
I have already declared in the net that I would continue to write this diary
so far as my life lasts.

  Why don't you start writing this net diary, too? 

2000/4/1
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(161):

Dissolution of three parties' coalition

  The coalition by Liberal Democratic Party, Liberal Party and New Komeito
has finally been dissolved. Mr. Ozawa, the President of Liberal Party, 
requested Prime Minister Obuchi to realize some of important policies
agreed between LDP and Liberal Party when they started coalition. But
Prime Minister Obuchi and Mr. Kanzaki of New Komeito answered to Mr. Ozawa
that early realization of those policies is not possible.

  Mr. Ozawa finally decided to leave from the coalition after several 
negotiation talk with other coalition partners in the past. It seems that
it is a kind of very natural result at any rate. Accidentally, Prime minister
Obuchi was hospitalized and a big change of political world occurred at
once soon after this conference.

  Many mass media and critics criticized Mr. Ozawa for his repetitive
requests to the coalition by showing possibility to leave the coalition if
his demand is not fulfilled. Against this criticism, Mr. Ozawa said that he
had just asked to realize some of those important policies that were agreed
between LDP and Liberal Party at the time of coalition. I quite understand
what Mr. Ozawa explained? It is Mr.Obuchi who betrayed his coalition partner
by discarding some of the agreement on basic policies.  I am sorry for 
saying that at the time when Mr. Obuchi was hospitalized for an overwork. But
it must be a kind of fact to be clarified.

  I won't write any details about the policies on which two conservative
parties agreed each other's. However, just for an example, two parties could
have reduced 50 seats of the Lower House members rather just 20 as the
three partier's coalition attained, if one other ,i.e. New Komei Party
did not join to the coalition later on. Due to the disagreement by New Komeito
on the reduction of seats from proportional rate electorates, the number of
seats to be reduced from the Lower House became only 20 rather than 50.

  Mr. Ozawa himself mentioned that the seats reduction is not any critical
issue at all but there exists many other policies which are still pending and
left untouched. It is understood that Mr. Ozawa finally decided to leave
the coalition because of this.

  It is strange and not fair that many mass media and critics are blaming
Mr. Ozawa's decision at this time by saying that he has used this bluff card
too often. That is on the contrary. What politicians should do is that
they practice many of those policies one by one so that they would be able
to contribute the welfare and happiness of people. In this respect, I cannot
agree with the political style of Mr. Obuchi that he just tries to get many
number of majority votes of the diet to pass various legislatures in question
by coordination and compromises among coalitions parties rather than 
establishing agreement on some basic principles and philosophy about politics.
  The popular rate for Obuchi Cabinet has been declining these days and I
understand that people of this country begin to have some doubt on  Mr.Obuchi's
political approach and stance. It is regret to see that Liberal Party will be
divided into two groups because of the decision by Mr. Ozawa. There are more
than 20 members out of 50 that are against to Mr. Ozawa's decision to leave the
coalition. Each two groups has the reason and speculation as to why they will
remain in the party and leave to create a new party to maintain coalition 
with LDP.

  I appreciate the stance and the attitude of Mr. Ozawa at this time in view
of the fact that he would stick to his basic principle as a statesman, although
he has been blamed for his stances what he had taken so far, and he might 
loose many of his party member's because of such decision.

  As a result of this happening, general election is near at hand soon after
the birth of new cabinet. Now is the time for all of people to make better
selection among so many political parties considering which one will be the
best to start revolutionalizing a stagnant society.

2000/4/8
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this ｗeek(162):

Transfer of Power

  Tensei Jingo (Column) of Asahi News Paper of April 7 started the whole
article this way:" There are rumors that Mr. Obuchi is now under confinement.
To tell the truth, the former Primemisniter is not ill. He has taken away by
his enemy and put under the control of his political enemies." The readers 
were astonished with the expression of the column and read through the
whole article at a stretch.

  The intention of the article is obvious. The writer if the article just
tried to explain the process of the transfer of the power very ironically 
as to the fact that the decision on the appointment of Mr. Mori for the
successor of Mr. Obuchi had been made by only several leaders of LDP in a
closed room. 

  It is a kind of very bloodless process. After 24 hours of hospitalization
of Mr. Obuchi, those leaders of LDP started selecting a candidate of next
Prime minister. Several days later, Mr. Mori, who was the Secretary General 
of the party was elected to Prime minister, was making an imaginative 
address at the Congress. It is understandable that there is no room to put
any personal emotion on the process. It is very strange. However , that
such important selection process has been done as described above led by
very limited leaders of factions in LDP.

  There is no room at all that some will of people who has the sovereign
power in the country is to be reflected on the decision. For examples,
some candidates for Prime minister are to be selected by vote at the 
General Meeting of the Party and the candidate elected become the Prime-
minister by the affirmative vote at the diet. The case at this time is
very emergent and there was no such time for such process. In a closed
room, several limited parties leaders got together and selected Mr. Mori
based on some benefits for each major factions in the Party rather
than for the sake of benefit of the people. 

  Mnay opposition parties leaders criticized that such selection process
is just like the process done in Kremlin of Soviet Union in the past. 
It is understood that mass media inside and outside of the country are
also generally very critical above the selection process.

  But on the other hand, it is good to see that the power transition has
been done so smoothly without any any confusion. Regardless the fact that
process itself was not quite democratic in the real term, such smooth
transition of power is another good barometer of democracy itself. 

  Many critics of politics pointed out the necessity of preparing a
series of legislature and rules that clarify the order of high officials
to be appointed to Prime minister in such case of emergency. 

  Under such circumstances where there are so many ambiguous factors
the smooth transition of power at this time should be evaluated in a way.
People would admit it.

  But at the same time, it is clear that Mori Cabinet has been created just
to supervise the general election of Lower House which will be dissolved 
soon without waiting for the request by the opposition parties. 

 The new cabinet will also run the Summit Meeting in this summer
which get confidence vote through general election. The leaders of Summit
Meeting also prefer to it. It is a kind of low grade thinking that faster
general election is now favorable for ruling LDP because they can gain
some sympathetic votes from people for the sudden tragedy occurred to the
former Prime minister. 

  There is no doubt about the fact that Mori Cabinet has just been 
given the power to supervise the general election to reflect the will
of people on the contemporary politics in this country.

2000/4/15
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(163):

Pitcher Hoshino

 In the afternoon of last week, I went to a barber to have my hair
cut. The master of the shop is a fan of Hanshin Tigers. Whenever
I visit there, he starts talking about a Tigers game soon after I
sit on a seat. On that afternoon, I talked that Hanshin Tigers won 
over Cyunichi Dragons by 7-1 last night thanks to a very tactful 
pitching of Pitcher Hoshino. The master was so happy and kept talking
how good Hoshino was in that game.
 
 Well, I agreed with him. I did not see any parts of that game by
TV, but I have been a fan of Seibu Lions for many years and I have 
seen many good pitches of Hoshino who belonged to Olix Bluewaves and
defeated Lions so many times in the past. He won over 200 games in his
career. 

 When Hoshino had been moved to Hanshin Tigers by a FA system from Olix 
in the beginning of this season, the master of the barbershop did not 
appreciate so much of his capacity. I knew that he could contribute to
Hanshin to some extent for his own capacity together with for the 
philosophy of Manager Nomura about baseball. 

 I don't intend to talk so much on skills and specialty about Hoshino's
capacity. But it is very interesting to see the fact that he throws only
120 kilo speed ball and slow carve of 90 kilo while other first class 
professional baseball pitchers throw over 150 speedball. Hoshino's 
specially is a mix of such a few kind of balls, each of which are not any
first class at all by themselves. 

  This is not only specific to baseball. I would like to say that such 
techniques and skills are good for any other fields such as in business 
and in our way of life. When we evaluate capacity of people, we tend to
judge them just by superficial elements of their skills and capacity.
Their real total power is a total mix of the integrated capacity. They
are not just a simple sum of each skills and techniques.

 Although I am not a fan of Tigers, I wish Hoshino could continue to
make a good pitch in this season and could defeat such arrogant team
as Yomiuri Giants that just try to collect so many FA players every
years.

2000/4/22
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(164):

Scenery of Mt.Yashima
  
 It is a green season. There are many kinds of green
trees. Deep green, bright green, yellow green, and so
forth. It's fine indeed to see many of those different
green trees in a garden at this time of the year.

 From my mansion where I live now, we can see 
Mt.Yashima the symbol of Sanuki Country. (Sanuki is
an old name of this city, Takamatu) Mt.Yashima is also
now the season of green. I often watch it from time to
time. But whenever I watch it, I have one thing in my
chest. The mountain　is covered with green trees, of
course. But when I keep my eyes cocked at the top of
the left side of the mountain, I can see something
different. 

 By using telescope, you can see it clearly even from
a kind of distant place. When you come closer to the
mountain, you can see it by your own naked eye. That
is a ferroconcrete-building hotel. I don't know when
and who had built such hotel at such place. Further
more, the hotel is not opened any more. The building
is just left deserted.

 I just wonder how the owner could build it in such
place. In Japan, we see many of disharmonies between 
newly built buildings and scenery around it in city
area and in any scenery spots. In Western countries,
there are severe restraints to build any buildings
to match the total view in the surroundings. Japan
is the country that has various restrictions in many
field, but it seems that there is only little 
regulation in this respect.

 If the hotel on the top of the mountain is not running
any more, the building should be removed as soon as
possible to improve total view. If the owner could not
do it, why don't the nation or the prefecture do it?

 There are many important and historic inheritances all
over the country. We Japanese should have more interest
to protect good scenery and their value together with
their natural environment.

2000/4/29
Tadashi HAYASE