My opinion of this week(213):

Traditional personnel management

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,  Oshima expressed 
the resignation from his position due to a scandal by his former 
secretary. Prime Minister Koizumi accepted the resignation and tried
to appoint  K. Hori who belongs to Hashimoto faction to the Minister.
But Hori refused to accept the offer. Koizumi appointed Y.Kamei of
Yamasaki faction to the Minister at the end.

When we read the news of that fact, there is no special surprise or
doubt , but the truth is that it is restoration of a traditional 
personal management often done before by Liberal Democratic Party. 
Since Koizumi was appointed to Prime Minister, he changed that kind of
traditional and unfavorable style and has been doing his own style in 
one way or the other in personal management on cabinet member selection.
But Koizumi lost his political power in these days and he could not 
appoint a new minister as his own political decision.

Since Koizumi Cabinet was born, several ministers were replaced just
like cutting tails of lizards due to various scandals or mistakes. 
That is the same before. But In addition to that, the process of 
appointment of a new minister is just revival of traditional personal
management of new ministers that was followed before by Liberal 
Democratic Party.

How long do they continue this kind of old and poor administration?
I wonder how those politicians could realize political and economic
reform of this country that is main platform of Koizumi Cabinet.

2003/4/2
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(214):

A one-man show of destruction and restoration

　US and UK forces finally went into Baghdad and the Iraq War is
about to end. Hussein Administration has collapsed as a matter of
fact. The world will soon hear the declaration of victory by US
and UK.

  Then the question is now how Iraq is to be restored. Who is going
to take initiative to rebuild this country that has been destroyed
by this war. There already exits some serious division of opinions
on restoration and development policy of this country among 
international communities. 

 The policy even differs between US and UK. While US insist to take
initiative by themselves, UK insists to let UN take leadership 
instead of US.

  Needless to say, other nations except US, such as France, Russia 
and Germany say UN should regain leadership on this issue.

 Up to this moment, any mass destruction weapons have been found
in Iraq. US continues to find them after occupation by their own 
hand. Regardless they find them or not, they wishes to show a
kind of good result of occupation to the people of Iraq and the
world as they did in Japan after the Word War II. 

  There was no cause for the war at this time. US and UK started
it against major intent of UN. But now they listen to the voice of
UN concerning restoration of Iraq. There is no cause again why
US just go on his own way on restoration policy. In the meeting of
Bush and Blair at Ireland, Bush declared UN would also play an
important role in the restoration plan of Iraq. But he insisted
US continues to be the leading player of the play as well.

  International societies now expect US should be more corporative
to UN and to their leadership on total restoration and development
plan of Iraq.

2004/4/9
Tadashi HAYASE

My diary of this week(315):

Every day low price

A newspaper is not necessary anymore, because any news are now available
by TV or by internet. I often propose to stop subscribing a newspaper
to my wife. But she never agrees with it. She says we cannot get some
necessary information on bargain sales for various shops in our city or
nearby. 

We are buying various ads on bargain sales by paying 4 to 5 thousand yen
every months. The question is whether or not we are really saving that
amount of money through such ad handbills.
 
Whenever my wife sees such sale handbills of supermarkets, she asks me to
go there and buy several features in a bargain sale. I really don't
know normal prices of those goods such as tissue paper, sugar, eggs and
so forth, but they are surely very cheap when it comes to discount rate.
One pack of egg usually costs 98 yen but it costs now 88 yen. One pack of
sugar normally costs 200 yen , which cost now only 150 yen. Yes, they are
inexpensive but total saving value is only 10 yen, 50 yen something like 
that.

When I say this to my wife , she answers: "That's big saving indeed!
To pile up such small saving make a big difference in total."

May be so, I will never deny the fact. But whenever I go to shop on 
bargain I see most of parking lots are filled up with cars while
they are mostly open usually. I understand people are very serious
about saving in these days. I never deny that important fact.

But it comes to my buying habits, I keep buying some other foods which 
look good or some new materials which will be used in our cooking 
disregarding their prices.

As a matter of fact, my wife are not so severe to check such buying habits
of my own.

2003/4/16
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(316)

No change of body-build  nature of Japanese banks

At the Report 2001 of Fuji TV last Sunday, S Ishihara, who was 
reelected again to Governor of Tokyo talked about his several new
measures and policies as the Governor from now on. He expressed his 
idea to create a new bank which finances mainly to medium size business. 

The news show host questioned if such measures go against the trend of
times that is to accelerate  the shift from the public to the private
sectors, although he said he understood that need.

Goverernor Ishihara answered that such banks are absolutely necessary
for many important medium size enterprises in Tokyo that are now
in difficult financial position. Those big city banks are not functioning
at all as financial supporters for those venture business which will be
very necessary for future development of Japanese industries and
economy. Those banks are now busy defending themselves,  reluctant to
extend  new funding and withdrawing their credit from those business. 

I agree with the comment by the Governor. Although I admit such move
by city banks under this severe financial situation in the short period
of times, they have not changed at all in terms of their management 
practice in many years. They just lend money to business where bankable
collateral are available. They don't see and evaluate business chance
and possibilities of enterprises to be developed in the future. Will 
Japanese city banks change in the future? Governor Ishihara says no for
it.

When we look Japanese banks from the point of personal users, they do 
not have much of charm as well. I have an account at one of branches of
a city bank nearby. I have general deposit and time deposit. A woman
office clerk called me the other day and recommended to switch to a new
type time deposit from the present one saying interest rate for it is 
higher by 0.1% compared with the present one. 

Whenever I get such offer, I accept them without much argument because
it does not make much difference at any rate. But I was in a kind of
bad mood at that time. I answered: "Well, what will it make any 
difference?  0.1% difference doesn't make sense.  Don't you have some
more attractive new products which meet the needs of consumers?" 

I know I was so mean to her. But I hope that she will understand
what I really want to say. There are no new products at all to buy from
them these days. They have been selling very old and conventional 
products without making any differentiation from many of their competitors
for many years.

They are to be changed in many respect. Why does our  Government tries to
help their poor management by investing public fund, precious taxpayers 
money? Let them face more severe competition to make more efforts to
change their management practice. 
 
2003/4/23
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(317)

Unified local election

The town I live now is very inconvenient as far as rail transportation
is concerned. There is no railway service at all at present. It takes
almost 40 minutes by bus to get to Tachikawa, the nearest major train
terminal. There exists some local resident movement to attract monorail
to this city, but I do not have much interest in it personally. I prefer
quietness to convenience.

The quiet city was fed up with serious noise during last week due to second
round of unified local election. A number of candidates for city assembly
made election campaign from early in the morning till late evening. They
kept making big noise using loud speakers running through all area of the
town. 

There is no appeal of any kind. Candidates just repeat calling their names.
"I am here to ask you to vote me. " "Thank you for everything you have done
for me. Please give me your kindness again." What a nonsense they are!

I personally wonder if city assembly itself is really necessary. Provided
that it is necessary, why are there so many assembly members paid by
public money?  As we see the case in European countries and US, they can
be volunteers . I don't think that so many city assembly members are 
necessary at any rate.

The election campaign end on Saturday. In Sunday evening, I went to voting
place walking through streets which resumed quietness'  I was thinking
to whom I vote, but had no idea at all. I intended to cast a blank vote.

But at the last moment of voting, I wrote down the name of candidate who
was appealing  absurdity of the present city assembly. He insisted the
fact that all major political parties in the assembly are ruling camp
at present. It does not make sense. He appealed so during the election 
campaign. Why do all parties support the present city administration?  
I agree with that basic contradiction. 
 
On my way back to home, I thought that my decision was quite right.

2003/4/30
Tadashi HAYASE