My opinion of this week(269):

Reimbursement for delayed train

I like to ride blue trains (sleeping cars) and use them very often for
business. Presently I use Sunrise Seto, a sleeping car between Takamatu
and Tokyo from time to time. The train leaves starting points at
and around 9 PM and arrives at destination at and  around 7 AM next 
morning. It is very convenient for business purpose in many ways.

I used them twice in this year. Firstly at the beginning of this new year, 
and secondly last week. How unlucky I was! I faced a big delay of trains
in both cases. The first case was delay of two and half hours because of
snow. The second one was delay of an hour due to personal injury accident
happened at precedent train.

Any sleeping cars arrive at destination in early in the morning just before
commuting hours. Once they delay for an hour or so, train traffic is involved
with troubles. In the former case, passengers are led to take Shinkansen
from Maibara to Okayama and to take Seto Ohhashi line to Takamatu because
they canceled the operation of the train. 

In the latter case, passengers were requested to take Shinkansen from Atami
to Tokyo. No additional fare was necessary in both cases. Although I had
some complain, I was quite impressed with convenience and mobility of JR.

The question lies how JR handled reimbursement for the delay for the train.
I was not satisfied with it. They reimbursed the charge for the limited
express service but did not pay back the charge for the sleeping car 
service in the first case. They made no reimbursement at all for the second
case because the delay was only an hour.

I know their basic rule for the reimbursement in the case of delay. Not only
any train services but also air line services are not in a position to 
refund fares for any small delay which would occur due to change of weather
and other unpredictable troubles. But as far as business trip is concerned, 
even an hour delay is very fatal. I checked at the exit of the station whether
or not they refund the fare for an hour delay of limited express service to
make sure. They made blunt refusal. The face of man at information desk say:
"Why not! It's a rule established for many years."

As a matter of reality, the fare of JR is rather high. It's an established 
common sense of the world. But we often use them because they are convenient
and very accurate. But the age is changing now. It's a day of speed. They 
should change the sense that the delay of one hour and two is inevitable 
once accidents have happened. 

They should change the rule so that passengers can get some reimbursement
of fares for a half hour delay of express service at least. This is especially 
true with any long distance service which compete with air lines.

2002/5/4
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(270):

Sense of value for democracy

>French people were loyal to the value standard of their country
> tad

>Our people were loyal to lawmakers whom they elected to send to
>diet 

It's quite appropriate that local inhabitants are loyal to their
political representatives whom they elected. The question is what
kind of awareness they have for political issues about the nation
and local communities ? 

The ultrarightist Le Pen  got only 18% of total vote in final election.
Chirac got 82%, landslide victory over Lupen. The reason for it is
very clear.
 
All groups that were against the radical rightist including ordinal 
political enemy against Chirac and many mass media worked together to
support Chirac in order to protect traditional value of France, i.e.
Freedom, Equality, and Humanity. All those had sense of crisis against
Le Pen's ultranationalism. For example, Le Pen insisted to eject immigrants
from France. He asserted to withdraw from EU.

After the final election, many citizens who voted for Chirac commented that
they satisfied with the result because democracy of France had been
protected. I was quite impressed with it.

On the other hand, what are happening in Japanese politics? Many politicians
caused scandals to induce a local interest concerning public works. They 
are, for example, Muneo Suzuki, a lawmaker of House of Representatives and
Inoue, former chairman of House of Councils. They have conducted politics
of influence peddling rather than total national interest.

But it is inhabitants themselves who elected such incompetent politicians. 
What is their sense of value against politics and democracy? 

It seems that the sense of value of French men for democracy, that is Freedom,
Equality and Humanism, is just real one different from that of Japanese.
Japanese democracy was imported from America when Japan lost world war II.
They learned democracy to some extent for sure. But it seems that the real
sense of value of democracy have not taken root in general yet in this country. The democracy was given to this country contrary to France and America in
which democracy was achieved as a result of a revolution or a domestic war.

I know now the reason why political turmoil still lasts so long in this 
country.

2002/5/11
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(271）：

Early solution to the problem

Japan on Monday officially denied China's claim that staff at the Japanese
Consulate General in Shenyang authorized Chinese police to enter the 
consulate and capture five North Korean asylum seekers. China took the
entirely different view on that. But as far as the attitude of staffs of
Japanese Consulate General as shown in the video, it is possible that the
assertion of China side is right. 

It does not mean much now both just continue such barren controversy. Both
now start seeking ways to settle the row without dwelling too much on
the conflicting accounts. The only realistic solution is to urge China to
release the five asylum seekers to a third country. That will save the 
face of two countries to some extent.

Provided that that happens, it is not end of the whole game as far as 
Japanese side is concerned. It is true that there were serious mistakes
on how staffs of Consult General and leaders of Foreign Ministry reacted
to what happened in Shenyang. From both ruling and opposition parties,
there are voices that a strong punishment should be made on people
related at Consult General and Foreign Ministry, including Foreign 
Mister Kawaguchi. Little does Prime Minister dream that change of 
Foreign Minister is really necessary. But the point is the issue is so
important.

Foreign Minister Kawaguchi mentioned repeatedly the necessity of 
self-examination and preventive ways against the accidents, but only
a word is not good enough. As we have observed in the past scandals
happened in Foreign Ministry, officers and staffs of the Ministry
just stayed at the Ministry although they were shifted to some other
positions. They were not punished in real sense regardless their serious
mistakes and misconduct as public servants. 

Some more strong disciplinary actions should be made at this time. The
issue is not just the matter of laws and rules inside of the Ministry.
The issue is whether or not they have a very basic norm as public 
servants and as human beings.
 
2002/5/18
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(272):

Is criticism masochistic?

 Democratic Party sent their own investigation team to China on the
asylum accident happened at Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang.
They reported their view saying some possibility of collusive relation
between Chinese police men and Japanese Consulate General staffs
based on the fact that a Japanese Deputy Consulate General shook hand
with police men. I personally do not agree with that kind of approach
itself.

But I felt much larger disagreement with the fact that Prime Minister
Koizumi criticized the research report of Democratic Party by saying
it was quite masochistic one. Deputy Secretary General Abe also 
criticized Democratic Party with the comment that that kind of
report is something like a speaker for the side of China. Both 
two Government officials  would like to say that kind of critic on
foreign affairs are not good for the interest of Japan. The criticm
by domestic people and parties do something good for enemies rather
than their own country.

It is natural that all opposition parties reacted sharply against
what Prime Minister Koizumi mentioned. Why is the report is 
masochistic?

Japan is the country of freedom, different from China. Freedom of
speech is the basic right guaranteed by the Constitution. China is
a country dictated by one party. It is possible that they talk 
black into white without any  different views. In democratic 
countries,  even for any diplomatic issues, it is quite right to
present any different views against the Government. Any criticism
will be allowed at any time and on any issues. Any criticism are not
to be called masochistic.

The reason why Democratic Party sent their own research team for
China is obvious. There were many confusion on the report and 
explanation made by Foreign Ministry on this issue. They sent the
research team based on the right of investigation in relation to
government declared in the Constitution.

Any of such action should never be condemned as masochistic.

2002/5/25
Tadashi HAYASE