February、 2011、My Opinion of this week

My opinion of this week(711):

Will Face Book become more popular in Japan?

Since last fall, world famous SNS Facebook has been increasing their users 
very much. It is said that Face Book keeps now total 600 million users 
worldwide. Number of members of Face Book reached to 2.1 million now. When
it comes to SNS, however, Mixi is No.1 in terms of users accounts keeping 
20 million members in 2010. 

The question is how soon will Face Book will catch up to Mixi by increasing
their membership. Many critics on net world and mass media questioned how Face
Book would increase their membership in Japan as other countries in the world.
Many present some negatives views on it. 

This is because of the policy that Face Book applies when applicants register
their names for membership. While many other SNS and net services such as
Twitter and BLOG accept nicknames and some other sorts of handle names, Face
Book request all applicants  to use real name rather than nick name in 
registration. They even promote to present some photograph at top page of
all members. Many critics on net world and mass media said such policy of 
Face Book will not be well accepted by Japanese users. Mixi and other SNS
services in Japan are not concerned with the use of real name at all at the
time of registration.

While I keep writing some article almost everyday to Yahoo BLOG and enjoy
exchanging comments on several themes with many Yahoo bloggers, I spend only
little time on SNS although I am a member of Mixi myself. So I really had no
much interest on Facebook although it became more and more famous those days.

But I decided to register to become members of Face Book at the end of last
November just to learn contents of their services. I was very curious about
their system and the reason why they have been so successful so far.

At the time of registration, I have no hesitation at all to use of real name.
I have almost 20 years of experience to exchange messages and various
opinions on various matters including political and social issues with people
in net communities. I enjoyed such net communication even before the 
development internet today. They are, for example, many sort of forums in
Nifty PC communication network. I continued to enjoy such net communications 
since internet service become more popular and convenient including BLOG, 
Twitters and so on. 

In any of those services, the use of nickname is all right. I write all of my
articles signed by my nickname, tad. But I use my real name when I put any of
those opinions at my home page. It is because I think it is necessary and 
established social rule to say something to open world. I think it even a kind
of responsibility in net world. 

Many critics and mass media writers point out the danger to use real name in
net world. Some even mentioned the importance to protect privacy especially
in such open space of net communities. I don't agree with any of those views.

The use of real name in any of net world including SNS and some other net 
services is the minimum requirement in any means. I understand the policy of
Face Book in this respect. 

I am sure that time will come when more and more people will participate
in such opened SNS such as Face Book even in Japan. I am looking forward to
increasing more activities in new net society of Face Book in next days to
come.

2011/2/12
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(712)

How can LDP,the originator of pork-barrel politics criticize DPJ?

"LDP (Democratic Party of Japan)  decided to present their alternative budget
plan to replace budget plan provided by Kan Cabinet. The budget plan for 2011
is now being discussed at the diet but it seems to be very difficult for 
Kan Cabinet to pass the diet under the present political situation. During 
three top leader debate session at the diet on Wednesday, Prime Minister 
Naoto Kan said to Sadakazu Tanigaki, President of LDP that LDP should present
a certain reasonable budget plan so that Kan Cabinet can accept the plan 
without any condition provided that LDP would never agree with the budget
plan of the ruling party." Yomiuri Newspaper, February 25.

To response to that argument at the debate session, LDP decided to present 
their alternative budget plan to replace budget plan of ruling party on 
Thursday. In this proposal, LDP demanded DPJ to withdraw four "pork-barrel 
spending policies" as they call them such as allowance for children, income
subsidy for agriculture families, tuition subsidy for high school, and free
highway fees. Those four were major manifesto of DPJ by which the change 
of power was realized in August 31, 2009 general election. LDP insisted DPJ
to discard those four major manifesto to reduce total necessary spending  to
89.3 trillion yen so that the government can avoid further deterioration of
financial deficit.

How can Kan Cabinet agree to accept such proposal at first glance regardless
the fact that Prime Minister Kan has already shown a significant setback
without  protecting  those key manifesto of DPJ since he became Prime Minister
last summer. It is obvious that such proposal by LDP will never be accepted by
ruling party by any means. That should never happen.

I just wonder how can opposition LDP make such kind of arrogant proposal at 
this time. Those four are major important manifest for DPJ at any rate. The
change of power had been made  by DPJ adovocating those manifesto. It is fine
for DPJ  to make some revision or amendment under the difficult financial 
situations. But why do they show such stance to withdraw some of those basic 
part of their manifest? Needless to say, they should never show such stance
at all.

When it comes to the word of pork-barrel policies, LDP has no right to use that
word for any policies of DPJ. LDP is  really an originator of that word. They 
had wasted a lot of money under the name of public works by constructing a lot
of useless dams, airports and roads while LDP and Komei Party coalition in 
power.  What's more it was LDP and Komei Party coalition that had built up so
much of financial financial deficit debt as a result of so many pork-barrel 
spending under the name of public works  in the national budget in the past
years.   

I wonder why Prime Minister Kan does not say more strongly about those facts 
in the past. I am very suspicious about his weak stance to protect any of those key 
manifesto of DPJ that they insisted to gain power two years ago. I was 
surprised to hear his words during during diet session yesterday. He was 
questioned by a lawmaker of opposition party if he believs 26,000 yen  monthly 
subsidy for children is appropriate. He answered that he was a kind of 
surprised to hear the amount which was decided by the party executive board
headed by Ichiro Ozawa , the then Representative of DPJ. It sounded like he try
to excuse himself he is not responsible for that policy itself. What a man he
really is!

I am very disappointed to see some of those poor recent performance of Prime 
Minister Kan. It is very possible that DPJ will loose power in coming general
election which is to be held in next  three or four months or so and arrogant
LDP and Komei Party coalition will come back to power  without enough 
reflection about their past mismanagement in this country.

That should never happen. I don't like to see it.

2011/2/26
Tadashi HAYASE

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