October、 2010、My Opinion of this week
My opinion of this week(695):
The decentralization of power reform begins at Nagoya
The number of signatures for recall movement started at Nogoya City a couple
months ago reached to about 430 thousands by the end of September. It is a
count made by Mayor Kawamura side. The necessary number of signature to
start recall balloting to dissolve city assembly is more than 360,500. The
sheet of signature gained so far include some deficient description and double
registration. They will be checked throughly by city authority and the
final account will be settled whether or not recall vote by citizens is to
be made.
Regardless the recall voting is to be made or not, it is very amazing and
meaningful that so many number of signatures have been collected in line with
intention of Mayor Kawamura. While Mayor Kawamura must have a great confidence
on his action which he started at this time, it is a big shock for all members
of city assembly. It is really a big supporting vote for the mayor rather than
for city parliement.
Mayor Kawamura is the first mayor who showed the fact that top leaders of local
government can make 10% inhabitant tax reduction by their own decision. Such
kind of decision has been believed to be possible only by central govenment.
Mayor Kawamura did it by his own leadership.
But city assembly stopped Kawamura's trial. The assembly approved 10% cut of
imhabitant tax for only one year while Kawamura insisted permanent cut. In
addition to this dispute, there occured another disputes. Kawamura proposed
to reduce number of member of city assembly by half from 75 to 35. He also
proposed to reduce annual remuneration of assembly members by half in amount
from 16 million yen to 8 million yen. The assembly side can never accept such
proposal and it was a start of Kawamura's action for assembly recall as stated
above.
There exists a basic problem behind this dispute. It is a question of dual
rule of administrative power. In local prefectures and cities, both mayors
and assembly members are elected directly by imhabitants. Both governors,
mayors and assemblies in prefectures and cities have equal power to govern
local prefectures or cities. It is natural that there occurs a number of
disputes between administration side and assembly side as to many issues
concerned.
There must have been a numbers of such disputes all over the country so
far in the past. But they have not just appeared like the case in Nagoya
City, Osaka Prefeture, and Akune City as we have observed in the past
one year or so. Both admistrative sides and assembly sides must have
encountered situation in very vague and conciliatory manner so far. Both
are obliged to neutralize their actions and must make a lot of compromise
any ways in any situation. While administrative side overlook many improper
misconducts of assembly side, assembly side overlook some improper
misconducts of administrative side in turn.
It was Governors Hashimoto of Osaka Prefecture, Mayor Kawamura of Nagoya
City, Mayor Takahara of Akune City who try to break such long established
cozy relationship between admistrative side and assembly side in local
governments.
Mayor Kawamura is the first mayor in Japan who proposed the basic reform of
city assembly. Mayor Takehara of Akune City followed it. Mayor Kawamura
insists that members of city assembly are like more of volunteers rather
that such high emunerated professional politicians as far as local assembly
are concerned. He says many of local assembly members in US and European
countries are something like volumteers in one way or the other. I agree
with what Kawamura insisted.
In the last election of representative of Democratic Party of Japan, one
cenral issue was decenralization of power to local governments.
Decentralizaion is one major point to attain overall administrative reform
in this country. The country is still under bureaucratic control of central
governmnet since the start of Meiji era.
Japan must be rebuilt as decentralized independent country. It is necessary
for local government to make administrative reform including their assembly
so that they can be more independent and strong local administrative states
financially and politically in the long run.
City of Nagoya is now the first model as such in this country. I am anxious
to watch what will happen next.
2010/10/2
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(696):
The lesson of the rescue drama
The rescue drama of Chile copper mine accident finished with the best happy
end. All 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months were saved
safely. People all over the world watched this drama with tears. That was
the most impressive thing above all.
The rescue was a miracle. Once the fact of their survival was found, all
rescue works conducted by work force were the result of technologies of
human world. It was a great work but it was not a miracle or anything like
that all. Since the accident happened, it took 17 days to find the fact
that 33 miners were still alive in the deep underground. The miracle was
there for the first 17 days as a matter of fact. 33 people bear to live with
only a little food in such a desperate situation for 17 days before the fact
was noticed by rescue team on top of the earth.
The miracle start with the hand written memo connected to the top of digging
drill to search if some miners were still alive somewhere in the mine. The
memo was to notify the fact of their survival written by one of 33 miners
trapped underground. It was the start of all rescue works supplying relief
supplies which last two months and driving rescue capsule look like space
shuttle which went up and down to bring all 33 miners back safely to
top of the mine.
The capsule shuttle was a really splendid work by itself. But the greatest work
and the source of miracle was that hand written memo and existence of
Luis Urzua, a leader foreman of this mining group. It was a leadership of
Luis Urzua who could make all miracle happen. He led 33 miners to work
together as a team. He pulled out the power of humanity more that
technological advances. The rescue could not have occurred without such
strong corporation of 33 trapped miners.
This rescue drama gave various lessons all over the world. Let's learn the
most important part of all. Needless to say , the success of rescue works
depend on a lot of technological works conducted by rescue team.
But more importantly, there should exist a strong feeling for the value of
human life in any nations. Whenever some dangers happen , a state or local
governments must stand up to save people at stake. But more importantly
it is each local comunities which should stand up by themselves to save
poeple in it. They are in a common destiny. They must face their danger and
solve any problmes by themselves. The key of success whether or not the
community can do it depends on the existence of a good leader in a community
and the degree of cooperation the community can attain under such good
leader.
The success of the case at this time is a typical example of existence of
a good leader and a good corporation in a community by any means.
We can see a thousands of pictures for this Chile coper mine accident in
internet . I would like to show URL for you to watch them. You may find
them very instructive to observe the whole process of the rescue work at
this time. However we could see almost no records of such basic community
works in the first 17 days of their trapped situation.
That is the most important part of record of the community which are implicit
in nature shown by god rather than any manuals or rules written by management
of any orginization.
2010/10/16
Tadash HAYASE
My opinion of this week(697):
The country to which soft power is never applied with
Diplomatic relation with China fell into crisis one after another since the
outcome of the case of Senkaku Islands. Japanese weak-kneed diplomacy was
disclosed since the happening of intentional clash of Chinese fishery boat to
Japanese Coast Guard vessel at Senkaku Island.
Yoshito Senkaku, Secretary General of Kan Cabinet denied the criticism of
opposition parties for weak-kneed diplomacy by saying it's not 'Yowagoshi',
weak-kneed diplomacy, but 'Yanagigoshi' snake-hipped girl diplomacy. That
kind of foolish argument were done at the diet that did not really make
sense at all. Japan is really a peace-addicted country where such foolish
argument is being done at diet.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan happened to meet Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at
the lobby of a hotel where international meeting was being done in Europe
two weeks ago and a brief top meeting was realized by chance. We are not
sure about whether or not it is the result of the meeting but the one last
employee of Fujita Construction firm who was taken into custody was released
safe soon after this top meeting. The dark cloud was removed a little bit and it
seemed to be a beginning of good mood for improvement of Japan-China diplomatic
relation from now on.
After all of such move, there was an opinion in Asahi Newspaper Voice Colum
several days ago that evaluated the success of soft approach of Japanese
diplomacy done by Kan Cabinet at this time. The further improvement of
relation of two country will be realized by top leaders at coming APEC meeting
in early November. It seemed to be a good start for fundamental improvement
of diplomatic relation of two countries at any rate.
Both politicians and Japanese citizens in general seem to think China is the
country which is not really reliable for any reasons at the bottom of their
heart. But in spite of such feeling , they think they cannot help keeping
company with China in one way or the other. Most Americans must have same kind
of feeling, too.
Americans are more logical in any approach than Japanese. Many politicians as
well as political critics and experts started insisting to use more of soft
power rather than hard power which means armament of army, navy and air force
to keep good diplomatic relation with China. But the basic stance of Japan and
US concerning the approach to China looks similar each other.
However, as far as we observe what is happening in China these days, we are
obliged to reconfirm the fact that China is not such an easy country.
Regardless all of such soft approach of Japanese government, several anti-
Japan demonstrations occurred in various local cities in China. The demonstration
to protest to Japan on ownership of Senkaku Islands is just a seeming reason.
That is not all reason at all. Many critics say it is an expression of
dissatisfaction against politics of one party regime of Communist Party in
China.
We Japanese can never accept the approach of Chinese Government against such
anti-Japan demonstration which attack a number of Japanese firms operating
in China. The comment made by one high official of Chinese government is really
hard to understand for us Japanese.
He said: "We understand demonstrators feeling but we cannot agree with such
such violence." The comment is hard to understand and never to be allowed as
comment by high official of the nation. How can they justify the violence
against Japanese business firms that operate in the country with which formal
diplomatic relation exists. I do not understand the reason why Kan Cabinet
make some stronger protest against such illegal demonstration which occurred
in China. It is really another sample of weak-kneed Japanese diplomacy.
All opposition parties including Liberal Democratic Party blame weak stance of
Kan Cabinet on China issues. I think LDP has no qualifications to denounce
Kan administration on that basis for it is LDP itself who have created such
weak-kneed diplomatic relation with China in many years.
But I agree with the idea of LDP to make a diet resolution to protest China
on such illegal approach of allowing such violent demonstration in many
cities of China and to reconfirm the definite fact that Senkaku Island is
the territory of Japan.
There is no reason why Kan Cabinet and Democratic Party of Japan reject this
important proposal at the diet by LDP. All ruling and opposition parties are
united to make this resolution at the soonest possible time.
It is the best approach that Japan can take at the moment in the advancement
of diplomatic relation with this difficult country from now on.
2010/10/23
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(698):
Participation to Pacific FTA
The issue of participation to TPP negotiations is the one most serious
crossroads which concerned with the future of the Japanese economy. The Prime
Minister Kan should make political decision to participate in TPP at this
time. " Nikkei Shimbun, October 23
I dare say something extreme. The revised budget deliberation which is going
on at the diet is just a kind of economic policy measure for short term. It
is not really a big matter at all in this sense, But whether or not to
participate in TPP is really a bit matter to decide growth potential of
Japanese economy in next ten to twenty years.
About this matter, each mass communication paper demands participation
to Pacific FTA negotiations from morning sun, Nikkei, Yomiuri, Mainichi all
together, and it is a right direction to express expectation for the leadership
display of the Prime Minister Kan. It is ministries and government offices
about agriculture, an agriculture group mainly to advocate objection in this,
but it is an obvious thing not to mention the objection reason. Thus it is how
you do it if agriculture to receive Japanese appetite is destroyed.
All major mass media such as Asahi, Nikkei, Yomiuri and Mainichi newspaper
insisted in their recent editorial that Prime Minister Naoto Kan should
take a strong political leadership for Japan to participate in TPP at
this time. I think it very right direction.
Those that oppose to participation to this Pacific FTA are ministries and
groups related with agriculture business in Japan. Their assertion is very
obvious. They said Japanese agriculture would be destroyed once Japan
start removing protective measures against Japanese agriculture. I understand
those concerns, of course.
We should come back to the original manifesto of DPJ (The Democratic Party of
Japan) on this matter. In the first place, DPJ suggested an agriculture
income compensation system in their manifesto in the former general election
together with their basic idea to proceed FTA to promote total export and
import of economy for long range economic growth.
During the election campaign at last summer, DPJ seemed to draw back their
FTA principle facing to opposition from domestic agricultural pressure groups.
But they started providing subsidy to agriculture after the change of power
was realized last summer. Although those subsidy is called pork-barrel
measures by oppositions parties, they are given to help farmers who face
severe competition from imported goods.
Why does Kan Cabinet not explain more aggressively on the meaning of such
income compensation measures to farmers which relate with promotion of
Pacific FTA at this time?
Japanese agriculture is weak. Is this the reason why we should avoid
free trade movement at this time without participating to FTA? That's
wrong. Japan must take more aggressive action to strengthen our agriculture.
Participation to FTA is now necessary in this respect by taking some
necessary protection measure to agriculture such as income compensation
measure for farmers.
Kan plans to announce whether Japan will participate in the TPP at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held on Nov. 13 and 14 in
Yokohama.
The DPJ has repeatedly called for politics to be led by politicians since
it took the helm of the government last year. Can Kan come up with a
political decision on TPP participation by settling the internecine
conflict within his government?
2010/10/31
Tadashi HAYASE
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