My opinion of this week(507):
Points in dispute
Both ruling parties and opposition parties are now preparing eagerly
for coming election of House of Councils in summer. That's fine. But
every parties are just trying to camouflage some very important issues
and just pick up some very shortsighted policy issues rather than some
critical issues in dispute.
This is especially true with ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe said at recent press interviews that the biggest issue
in dispute in coming election of House of Councils is the revision of
Constitution. Ichirou Ozawa, Representative of Democratic Party of Japan
criticized to say that the most critical issue for coming election is
revision of pension system which have several problems in it. He said
the issue of pension plan is more important than the issue of constitution
for the life of people. There is no question about it as far as his
assertion is concerned.
Abe Cabinet has just revised the Fundamental Education Law at the end of
last year. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's next top priority is the revision of
Constitution which will be the biggest issue in dispute in coming election.
Do you agree with this? I don't think so, although I never deny the fact
that constitution is another critical issues in election.
I think that the biggest issue at present is pension system as Ichirou
Ozawa insisted. There is no question about it according to any public
opinion researches conducted recently.
The situation was true with the general election conducted in last September.
Regardless the existence of many more important policies, the point in
dispute was focused into the issue of privatization of the postal system
led by clever maneuver of Junichirou Koizumi, the then Prime Minister.
I wish to say that people should not be cheated again. Prime Minister Abe
said intentionally that ruling parties and his administration would
start discussing the possible rise of consumer tax in this fall or later. It
is very obvious that he tries to avoid this critical issue in coming election
for it would work as very big disadvantages for his party.
I believe there are now two critical issues to be discussed in coming summer
election by all political parties. One is the revision of present pension
system. Another is the revision of tax system including the rise of consumer
tax which is closely connected with the pension system.
These two are most critical points without any doubt. Coming summer election
will be the last chance for Ichirou Ozawa and Democratic Party of Japan for
Abe administration starts now showing various terminal symptoms as political
power.
2007/1/6
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(508)
Life bank gimmick and security exchange gimmick
Takara Tomy Co., a famous toy company in Japan has started selling
savings box recently. The box installs some gimmick which show the
change of living condition of the owner of the box by using
liquid crystal display in accordance with the level of saved
money at each stages. The owner can save up to \100,000 by putting \500
at a time.
This toy saving box has become very popular among adults people rather
than children. The news said that a number of adult people bought this box
and enjoy saving money.
I grinned myself when I read this news. The gimmick looks interesting but
not quite exciting at all for me. I will not buy it. I don't intend to put
\500 coin every day or every time I have some extra coins. It will not
work for me as the specification of the box explains. No enough time is
left for me at any rate.
I just imagined that only Japanese adult would buy this kind of gimmick box.
No other foreign adult especially American would accept such gimmicks. The
gimmick surely fits to the basic characteristic of Japanese which are
diligent and saving oriented. But I wonder which adult age buy them. Age of
forty, fifty, or higher?
I never intend to blame diligence and saving mind of Japanese adults.
But high propensity to save of Japanese people seems to be a kind of
problem for further growth of Japanese economy from macroeconomic point
of view. Japanese economy must continue to grow to solve a number of
problems including very serious financial deficits.
It is obvious that more consumption and investment rather than saving
at household are required as total economy.
Saving gimmick box is a good idea. But I expect the toy company will
develop and sell securities investment gimmick box next time. A lot more
younger people are now doing securities investment by using PC but
some of simplified and high-tech gimmick box for investment will become
more popular among young people in those days.
2007/1/13
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(509):
Revision of Constitution and a referendum bill
Abe Cabinet is going to make the revision of constitution the one most
important political issue in coming the election of House of Councils
in this summer. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday vowed to pass a
referendum bill in the upcoming regular Diet session as a step toward
revising the pacifist Constitution.
Different from any other bills, the specific procedure is necessary to
revise the constitution. The article 96 of constitution defines it.
Firstly agreement of over two third members of two Houses of the diet
is necessary. Then the bill must be agreed by the majority vote by
referendum vote of national electorates.
Two third agreement at diet may possibly acquired at the present
circumstance for Democratic Party of Japan will agree with the revision
depending upon the contents of the revision. But the problem is with
the process of referendum.
Regardless the existence of article 96, there exists no specific law
which specifies how the referendum should be conducted. So Abe
Cabinet must present and pass the credendum bill first at the diet to
revise the constitution.
The bill will possibly pass at next diet session by the majority vote
of ruling parties and Democratic Party of Japan which may become a
cosponsor of the bill. Two other opposition parties such as Communist
Party and Democratic Socialist Party are against the bill for they
are against the revision of the constitution itself. I don't believe
it reasonable from my point of view.
According to my idea, the referendum bill is very important not because
that is necessary for the revision of constitution, but because that
define the procedure for the direct participation of people to vote any
bills. This will possibly open the way for direct participatory democracy
rather than indirect representative parliamentary democracy at the moment.
The reason why Democratic Party of Japan may agree the credendum bill is
from this point of view as far as my understanding is concerned. I would
like to support that stance. The bill may be amended so that this national
referendum may be conducted from time to time on any other very important
bills in the future regardless it has some mandatory power or not like
the case of revision of the constitution.
A number of referendum at the local level are being conducted these days
and I believe they are very meaningful in many ways for local government
to make some right decision. The refer bill at this time contains the
same meaning of national level from my point of view.
Most of lawmakers at diet may not be so positive to expand the character
of the credendum bill for that may be against the reason for their existence
itself. But some of those lawmakers or political parties should pick up
this issues more positively and aggressively for the further development of
the democracy in this country.
2007/1/20
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(510)
Launching of Windows Vista
Micro Soft Corporation is going to launch new Windows Vista on Tuesday
January 30th. Most PC users seems to be very unenthusiastic about it,
though. They are now more acquainted with operating system of PC
and will never make lines to buy the software as in the past or as they
buy new game machines of Sony or Nintendo.
We have learned a lot about this OS in our PC club since last October.
Some members worried about the announcement of MS saying that the
company will guarantee technical support of Xp for only about two years
after Vista have been released. But my optimistic prediction is that
MS will prolong the supporting period a lot longer as they did for
Windows 98 when they launched Xp. Contrary to their original schedule,
they prolonged the support period until last July.
I guessed that MS would take the same measure as far as supporting
period of Xp is concerned. Compared with Windows 98, Windows Xp is much
better and stable in performance and users in general have no much
complains about their performance. There is no reason why they have to
introduce Vista just right now.
This is especially true with users like our PC club members who are
not quite maniac about PC although they enjoy many fundamental
application software. I personally have stated there is no reason
why we have to introduce Vista when MS start selling in the market.
Many of our PC club members must have been felt relieved when they heard
MS's announcement about the extension of support period.
My another assumption relating to introduction of new OS, there will
be more atmosphere to use Linux open source OS which is basically free
of charge. Close-up Today, NHK documentary news show of Wednesday
evening picked up this topic. They showed several public mininicipal or
central Government offices are now trying to introduce Linux and
free office software such as Open Office in order to keep up with
the performance and the cost to use PC at their offices. Every public
sectors are now facing financial difficulty and they must save operating
expenses at their office.
Close-up Today explained what's going on at office at public sectors. They
try to change operating system and application software. They will use
Linux instead of Windows. They will use Open Office instead of MS's office
software such as Word and Excel. Close-up Today explained many public
office sectors are facing to some difficulties to overcome compatibility
between such open office software and MS's traditional software which
they have been used many years.
I don't agree with that explanation of Close-up Today. I don't think there
exists so much difference and compatibility problems as far as those
office software are concerned.
I strongly agree with the motives for public sector start using free OS
like Linux and free office software such as Open Office at any rate. This
move will become a good brake for MS's monopolistic position in PC market
although I do not deny any of good advantages of MS's contribution to
PC world.
2007/1/27
Tadashi HAYASE
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