My opinion of this week(537):
Change to power saving electric appliance
Electric Lamp Manufacutureres Association has started a campaign for
consumers to use fluorescent light bulb in stead of incandescent bulb.
This seems to be a a very good trial, I understand, from engergy saving
point of view. By using fluorescent bulb, households can save electricity
by 1/5 of total energy so far consumed in the case if incandescent bulb.
If this is done at all households all over the country, a huge energy
saving can be attained which contribute to deduction of CO2 as well.
Such eneregy saving effect is not only concerned with electric lamp.
This is true with all electric appliances such as TVs, refrigerators,
air conditioners and so on which are now modified to energy saving type
to a great extent. A tremendous amount of electricity can be saved
if many of those conventional electric alliances which are now in use
were replaced by the most recent power saving type appliances.
Quality of any of those Japanese electric appleances are very good in
general and any households keep using them for long years. They will not
change them so easily and cannot change them from economic reason. But
now is the time to reconsider the total economy when they consider to
replace some of those appliance in use.
Niigata Cyuetu Earthquake happened in July provided a sesrious concern
for atomic power generaration. Kashiwazaki Power Plant stopped all atomic
power generation for another one year and half that caused a big shortage
of electricity in peak power consumption time in this summer. They asked
consumers to save electricity. But they are not showing any concrete
measures how to save electricity at each households.
In addition to ordinal power saving efforts, they should show, for example,
to replace some of conventional electric appliances at each households to
energy saving type alliances as much as possible, including fluorescent lamps
as stated above. In some cases, it involves no additional cost. In many cases,
however, it involves some additional cost to do so. But they should explain
that action is necessary and good for each households and total country from
total energy saving point of view and the deduction of CO2 which is key
concern for the whole world in the long run.
It is requested that government should support such long range plans by
introducing some special sales tax reduction measures for those energy
saving and environmentally-friendly products.
2007/8/4
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(538):
Importance of bilateral Japan-U.S. relations
Opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa told U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer on
Wednesday that he has no intention of helping the ruling coalition extend an
anti-terrorism special measures law that expires Nov. 1.
The leader of DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) made clear he would use his
party's new-found strength in the Upper House to try to block the
legislation.
The anti-terrorism special measures law has been under the spotlight because
of Ozawa's stated opposition to it and the fact his party mauled the ruling
coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito in the July 29
Upper House election. Ozawa has made clear that any attempt by the coalition
to extend the law will meet strong opposition in the diet.
Ozawa reminded Schieffer that peacekeeping activities undertaken by Japan
shouldalways be in the context of United Nations-led activities.
Some members of the Democratic Party of Japan have expressed concerns over DPJ
leader Ozawa's rejection of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer's
request for the DPJ to support the extension of the law to dispatch the
Maritime Self-Defense Force to support antiterrorism activities being
conducted by the United States and other countries, as they are worried the
move might hinder bilateral Japan-U.S. relations.
What more, some government sources said Ozawa's opposition to the extension
was politically motivated and unrelated to legal interpretation, so he was
unlikely to be persuaded to support it.
Ozawa's opposition has caused concern among his party colleagues, especially
conservatives in DPJ. Seiji Maehara, former President of DPJ said people
would question the DPJ's capability to run the government if this bilateral
relationship deteriorated.
Under this circumstances, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Secretary of Abe Cabinet,
mentioned this fact in his press interview saying there seems to be several
oppositions against Ozawa's disagreement on the extension of the law. He tried
to make a feint against DPJ's opposition on the law. Yuriko Koike, Minister of
Self-Defense visited Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of the State and others and
explained the situation that it is possible that the law will not be extended
to continue SDF's oil supply service to US military forces at Indian Ocean as
a result of recent political change in Japan. Some other US high officials
expressed the concern for it in accordance with Koike's explanation.
I think all of those move is very strange. If Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of
Japan think it necessary to get corporation from DPJ to extend the law, he
should meet Icirou Ozawa first and talk with him to get some kind of
corporation including some necessary amendment involved with the law.
Without doing any of those efforts first, it seems that Prime Minister try to
let US Ambassador and other American Officials to provide some pressures
against Ichirou Ozawa on the extension of the law. That's not the way it is.
Why do those American officials tell first on the necessity of the law before
any of Abe Cabinet members approach to Ozawa? It does not make sense.
Ozawa's strong and somewhat political stance on this issue should be
understood on this context. Ozawa used to say the importance of bilateral
Japan-US relation. But he says the present relationship is not necessary
equal in many respect. Somewhat more equal relationship should be established
to make the bilateral relationship more meaningful. I fully agree with this
message.
The matter at this time is not only limited to whether the law is to be
extended or not. The issue is concerned with how Japan can establish more
equal bilateral relationship with US in the long run.
I support Ozawa's strong stance at this time from this point of view. Prime
Minister Abe should talk to Ozawa first rather than creating some pressure
from US against his domestic opposition front.
2007/8/11
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(539):
The nation's security is in danger
The government has decided to select Kouhei Masuda, Director of Personal
Education of Ministry of Defence as next Vice Minister of Defense
replacing Takemasa Moriya who finally agreed to this decision. He has
strongly registed to Defense Minister Yuriko Koike's suggestion to let
him leave the position and expressed the strong opposion on the appointment
of Tetuya Nishikawa from Police Agency to the Vice Minister.
The behavior of the top two officials of the ministry responsible for the
nation's security is simply scandalous. But even more serious is Prime
Minister Abe's inability to impose discipline on them. He just suggested
that the final decision would be postponed untill the end of August when
overall reorganization of LDP and cabinet are scheduled.
It seems that Prime Minister Abe must have avoided severe criticism against
the lack of his political leadership on this issue.
This is not just the issue of personnal dispute between Minister and
Vice Minister. The total security of the nation is in danger if there
exist such dispute between two top officials of Defense Ministry.
I learned business administration at the Graduate School of Business,
University of California, Berkeley in 1963-1965. Principle of organization
is one major topics among a number of theme to be learned. There exists
a number of organizational systems involved when it comes to business
organization, but the most basic and fundamental organization is that of
military. Why is it so?
The chain of command is the absolute principle to be followed at any
military organization. Once a certain order is placed, it goes to
penetorate to all over devisions from top to bottom of the organization
without any delay. This is how any military force can react quickly
to the suddent attack from enemies.
What would happen if any misiles are now flying to attack to this country?
What would happen if there rise some difference in opinion between Minister
of Defense and Vice Minister as to a countermeasure for the attack? Do they
bring up the matter to Prime Minister Abe , or Secretary General Ysuhisa
Shiozaki for their coordination or instruction as they do this time on
personal affairs?
Never!
All of those top management people in Abe Cabinet don't know even very basic
principle of organization and lacks the most important common sense of
chain of command in their organizational behavior.
Security of our nation is really in danger.
2007/8/18
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(540)
Risk Management
We happen to see a word "risk management" at various occasions these days.
Liberal Democratic Party was defeated very badly at the recent House of
Council election and the election summary committee of LDP provided the
report concluding that the lack of risk management capacity of Prime Minister
Abe is main reason for the defeat in the election. It sounds very likely
but it is not quite reasonable as a matter of fact as far as I see it.
It seems that the report tries to say Prime Minister's decision to replace
Akagi Norihiko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was too
slow to get understanding of people. The action on pension recording problem
was also too late to ease people's angry about it. There are several more
examples how Prime Minister did not act properly against many of those
important issues due to lack of his risk management capacity.
I think the analysis shown in this report is too shortsighted and misguided.
I don't believe that those law makers who wrote this report really understand
the meaning of risk and risk management they are talking about. What Prime
Minister Abe lacks is just general management capacity as a top leader which
has nothing to do with the capacity referred to as risk management.
Risk and risk management involves more fundamental and important issues
from my point of views. What is the risk involved with this world in this
country and for Japanese people today? The risk is seriously concerned with
the danger against the life and property of people.
Firstly, they are various kind of natural disaster such as typhoon, earth
quake and so on. Secondly, they are possibly military attacks from foreign
countries and terrorists. Thirdly, they may be some serious economic panics
such as serious shortage of food supply and financial crisis and collapse
of stock exchange market.
Risk management is not just the matter for the government authorities but
the matter for all people of this country. In other word, whether risk
management goes well or not depend on the level of awareness of crisis
of people.
It seems that Japanese people have very high risk awareness against natural
disaster. That's fine. But they seriously seem to lack risk awareness against
possible military attacks from other countries. I believe that people should
pay more attention on the issue of article 9 of constitution as Prime Minister
Abe suggests.
I am not trying to analyze the meaning of the word right now. All I want to
say is that we should the know that there are more important and basic issues
involved with this word in connection with our life and politics going on at
the moment.
2007/8/25
Tadashi HAYASE
English Home Page
Japanese Home Page