My opinion of this week(244)

Revision of small electoral district
　
Only few years have passed since small electoral district system was 
introduced. But some medium electoral system in which two candidates will
be elected are going to be proposed by secretaries of three coalition
parties. The plan is initiated by New Komei Party.

All other opposition parties are against it. Most diet members of 
Liberal Democratic Party also expressed the opposition against the
plan saying that the idea itself is not reasonable. No, that is
not reasonable at all from all points of view. But New Komei Party
insisted that the change of electoral system was one of the agreement
with LDP when they joined the coalition with LDP and Conservative
Party. It is obvious that their proposal at this time is nothing but
seeking interest of their own party.

After the current electoral system was introduced, New Komei Party decreased
number of seat at the diet. Between other major parties such as LDP and
Democratic Party, it became very difficult for such medium size party as
New Komei Party to get a seat in small electoral district where only one
seat is available. 

Introduction of the small electoral district system had been introduced 
after a long dibate at the diet. New Komei Party might be against the
system. However, they have to follow the rule once it became the law.
They should know the proposal to change the system require more
deliberate argument and preparation.

It was reported that Prime Minister Koizumi expressed some concern about
the proposal. That's fine but he should express much stronger disagreement
about it.

LDP has gained majority vote in the Lower House by wining extra seats in
the recent local election. They don't worry about keeping coalition with
New Komei Party any more.

Regardless that fact, however, Prime Minister Koizumi should take stronger
stance to this kind of request from the coalition. It seems necessary for
him to restructure the current coalition itself in order to perform the
structural reform he is talking about.

2001/11/3
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(245)

Irony of the Order of Culture

Chie Nakane, a famous sociologist who wrote the book titled "Human
Relation of Japanese Vertical Society" has been awarded the Order of
Culture this year. She commented that she had never expected to 
be given such award. I felt the same way. It was a kind of surprise. 

I felt the award to her at this time is an irony. Shinjyu, a colum of
Nikkei Newspaper of October 31 commented that Prime Minister Koizumi's
structural reform is a struggle with the vertical structure of 
Japanese society as Chie Nakane described. 

Shinjyu wrote: "This vertical system shows several weak points when
the society is about to change. It is a destiny of Japan the structure
of which is very vertical that the country is now facing a lot of 
difficulty to adjust to a global change." I agree with this message.

In the chapter 16 of "How to live intelligent PC life" the book I 
wrote recently, I explained the meaning of living in a network
society. I meant to say the importance of adjusting to a network
society leaving from the vertical system.

I would like to quote some parts of the chapter 16 by myself.

"Regardless some what a great advancement of information technology,
the structure of Japanese society is also changing due to the
change of communication network and the disclosure and openess of
information. But people in general do not understand and realize the
meaning of such change. As a result, Japanese society remains as
a very vertical system in reality. 

This is the reason why it is very difficult to proceed the structural
reform advocated by Prime Minister Koizumi. The slow and minus 
economy is neither due to the shortage of public works nor due to
the existence of huge bad financial debt of banks.

People are not adjusting to a new way of thinking and of life 
style. One of the reason why the rate of unemployment is so high
today is a miss match of the need and supply. Many people still
want to work for a famous company  rather than for a good job. 

What is the meaning of awarding Chie Nakane the Order of Culture this
year? It is fine and right provided that the authorty intends to say
the change of the Japanese structure is necessary as the sociologist
suggested. But if the award is just for her academic works, there
is no meaning at all. What I mean by an irony is this.

When it comes awards,  there are many other awards system in Japan.
Many criticism are against somewhat vertical and descrimatory award
medals starting from top firt grade to seven to eight grade. The
committee to revise the award system proposed to simplfy them into
six grades. Still six grade! No change at all keeping a complete
vertical way of thinking.

I never expect politicians and bureucrats to be changed. But I wonder 
why people of Japan never have any doubt about this very big issue.

2001/11/10
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week:(246)

PC drawing

I enjoy drawing various kinds of pictures these days. They are not quite
any full-dress pictures at all, but only some simple illustration or
some simple pictured of scenery. I recommend to enjoy drawing pictures
by PC in my book "How to enjoy intelligent PC Life". Honestly speaking,
I am not doing much about it.

Since the book published at the end of August, two new members joined 
tadML which I am taking care of. They are Messrs. Horiuchi and Mihashi.
Both of them draw very good PC pictures. Those pictures were shown at 
the ML and I just wonder how they can draw such good ones. 

After a while, Mr. Mihashi proposed to open some kind of audio visual
bulletin board in which any of such drawings, photos and music can
be exchanged among ML members and other open guests. Since its opening, 
there are already about 130 works done mainly by those two people 
including some by myself. Since I could not draw such pictures myself, 
I enjoy attaching some music to their works. But I made up my mind to 
start drawing some by myself after a while.

Drawing only a simple picture takes time and is very difficult. Since
I tried to make some drawings, I tend to observe any things more
carefully on what I see in daily life, at garden, in TV and so forth
What kind of shape they are? What color do they have ?  Why do some 
of good pictures attract us when we see it? 
 
Even though they are kind of simple ones, all sort of imagination,
and careful expression are necessary to explain what one want to
communicate to other people who see them. 

Drawing picture by PC surely add new enjoyment for my life. One other
good intellectual PC life has been developed. I would like you to
recommend to try some drawing by PC yourself. See some examples at
AV BBS: http://mav.nifty.com/ahp/mav.cgi?place=tadml&no=6415

2001/11/17
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(247):

Soon after the supplementary budget has been approved, many law makers 
start advocating the need for the secondary supplementary budget to
improve deteriorating economic condition. Those lawmakers of ruling
parties insist that the structural reform cannot be done without 
improving economy itself. Many mass media also support this.

That is the typical insistence of lawmakers who have worked for public
works spending a huge amount of money in the past. The structural 
reform must be done regardless the condition of economy. Many reforming
actions are necessary but they are prolonged for measures to improve
economy are considered more important.  

The economic measures to be done by the Government exclusively means
financial spending. Is that right? Without appreciating the outcome of
the first supplementary budget, lawmakers of ruling parties start 
insisting to spend another money. They say that exceeding 30 trillion yen
guideline for national bond set by Prime Minister is allowed to stimulate
economy.  

Prime Minister Koizumi has already broken his primary pledge. He stressed 
the importance of keeping of this 30 trillion yen guide line at the
beginning. He was a kind of deliberate for the need for the secondary 
supplementary  budget when this topic was brought up. But he quickly 
changed his mind again to make the secondary supplementary budget. The
amount was about 2 trillion yen at first, but the amount has been increased
to 4 trillion yen as the result of agreement with policy makers of three
ruling parties.

Nikkei News Paper of November 25th reported Prime Minister's determination
to go ahead for the secondary supplementary budget at the headline. 
Next day , on November 26th, they reported  the analysis of economy of 
Japan by OECD with its comment. OECD report mentioned the seriousness of 
minus growth of Japanese economy. 

At the same time, the report insisted that Japan should try to keep 
improving financial structure by following 30 trillion yen guide line, 
although the minus growth is serious. They mentioned the need to remove
any of such pressure to go ahead for the secondary supplemetantary budget
in which many of traditional public work projects will be included. 

OECD's observation is quite right without any doubt. Nonetheless, most 
lawmakers and even mass media and even Prime Minister Kizumi himself are
going to go  ahead again for a easy way. 

Prime Minister Koizumi once said that economic growth cannot be attained
without structural reform . I thought that he was right. But since then
he has kept changing his mind admitting some of those supplementary 
measures one after another. This is another example of "too slow too 
little" in a way.

I wonder when he will really start the very basic structural reform. 

2001/11/24
Tadashi HAYASE