Hu wants no more Yasukuni

Today, when meeting Japanese delegates who visit China in attempt to improve ties with China, Mr. Hu Jintao promised that if Mr. Koizumi plans no more Yasukuni Visit, China is ready for a talk.

It seems that China also realizes how badly it hurt for the current bilateral relations, and desperately hopes for a better one, sooner than after September, when Mr. Koizumi is set to retire, and a possibly more hawkish Abe Shinzo takes power.

china has lowers the bar, how Mr. Koizumi reacts? Send some cheery trees to Beijing?

Japan's largest opposition party leader resigns

Mr. Maehara is elected last September, his foreign policy best described at a speech given to think tank, CSIS in Washington DC, where he voiced stronger voice regarding China than LDP, Japan’s incumbent party. Mr. Maehara said, China is “a real concern”.

Regarding to Koizumi’s Yasukuni visit, he echoed what Koizumi has been saying, that “All nations must honor their war dead and we don’t want to be told what to do”.

Tuantuan Yuanyuan at Play

Find us a home, a panda saga

Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, as shown here, are two pandas that are scheduled to be sent to Taiwan, as a gift, were officially rejected entry today.

Back in January 28^th, at a televised show in which Chinese celebrate the coming of New Year, over 100 million viewers cast their votes for a name for the couple. When the final result came out, it is not surprised that Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, which means Union, together were chosen by a majority, beat such names as Qinqin Qingqing(love, friendship)

Right after the names selection manifest, Tuantuan, Yuanyuan mania quickly spread all over China. Website names, new born names, enterprise names, and special edition of gold coins were issued in honor of the two pandas. All in a sudden, they are national heroes, carrying the mission of uniting the runaway state, Taiwan with mainland.

Obviously, China is upset by the Taiwan’s decision. The Sad thing to me, however is, whatever their names are, they are cute. And I don’t want they end up being homeless.

Murakami Haruki

Have you seen a book by Haruki Murakami? whose work has been described by the Virginia Quarterly Review as "easily accessible, yet profoundly complex".

Some of Murakami’s books include Norwegian woods, Cliff’s Kafka, etc. And last year, a movie, Tony Taketani, based on a short story written by him was released in the United States.

I got to know Haruki from an arcicle at New York Times, I was impressed by how he was so passionate about Hanshin Earthquake and Tokyo Sarin Gas indident. And how he keeps a strickt daily routine, go to bed at 9pm and get up at 4am.

Chongqing bombing

Today, a group of 40 Chinese who say they were wounded or lost relatives as a result of Japanese bombing of the city of Chongqing before and during World War Two filed a suit against the Japanese government

The plaintiffs, mostly in their 70s and 80s, want an apology and 10 million yen ($84,920) each in compensation. They also alleged that 20,000 people died in the bombing.

Zheng Youyu, who lost father in the bombing, said, “in Japan, everyone knows about in Hiroshima nuclear disaster and Tokyo bombing, through this lawsuit, I want Japanese people know about Chongqing bombing as well”.

78% of Japanese want a better relations with China

A recent survey find 78% of Japanese want to see Sino-Japan relations to improve. This survery is conducted by Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA), as many as 67% of surveyed 2,000 people think the current China-Japan bilateral relations is bad.

Accroding to TBS news, Japanese High School textbooks will correct writing on islands that are claimed by Japan and China, Japan and South Korea. Starting school year of 2008, regarding Takeshima and Senkaku (both in Japanese), in stead of “In negotiations with South Korea” and “In negotiations with China”, “the islands are belong to Japan” will be used.

Popular Japan Omiyage

After visiting Japan, what kind of Omiyage you should take home? According to a competition judged by foreigners living in Japan, your best three bets are,

• Small barrel of Japanese Sake
• Sushi Shaped Candle set
• Bamboo bookmark

Putin’s energy card plays China and Japan

Energy issue is not an energy issue; it is more like a national security issue. In terms of big consumers like China and Japan, the stakes of not having a stable supply is too high to ignore. However, the one they turn to is not eager to meet their needs as they wanted.

Russia’s Putin increasingly plays energy card between China and Japan, to squeeze both countries to give more to satisfy the bear in order to get oils they desperately need. The recent example, the pipelines issue.

While Putin signaled a renewed seriousness toward a crude oil pipeline that China wants to offset a growing dependence on Middle East imports, he stopped short of the firm promise that an increasingly frustrated Beijing may have wanted.

China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) would provide credit of up to $400 million to build the pipeline to China, the president of Russia's Transneft said on Wednesday.

Moscow says it cannot make any promises until it completes a study into the route, which is in competition with Japan, also desperate for a more secure source of oil.

Sino Japan News Roundup

1. In Beijing, a woman was sentenced to one year in prison for soliciting sex knowing she is HIV positive.
   
2. Education board in Japan proposes that from 5^th grade, it is mandatory for elementary students to study English for a hour a week.
   
3. 0.3 Billion people, about one fourth of Chinese population are learning English, according to a conference on foreign language learning in China. Experts urge to introduce learning methods and tools from western countries, as most of Chinese learners are at the level of learning for examinations, not for communications.
4. China's growing military strength and its tense relationship with Taiwan are major destabilizing factors in East Asia, according to a Rueters story quoted a stragety report issued on Monday by a think tank affiliated with Japan's Defense Ministry.

China's Organ Trade

China is a population giant, do you know that China is also No. 1 in human organs trade for transplant. Only next to the US, China is a paradise for patients who are desperate for a transplant but can’t wait for, or they can’t afford a sky high cost for such a surgery at their own countries.

Now, a new law that bans organ trafficking will go into effect at July 1^st. For bargain hunting Laowai patients, the effect will be obvious, they may have to pay a premium and wait longer to get a transplant.

However, it is unknown how China’s public secrete underground organ market will be affected, as the law fails to disclose that a proportion of the organs are from death roll inmates.

Cherry diplomacy?

This time of the year in DC, national cherry blossom is ready to kick off and cherry trees start to blossom, so does Japan Taiwan ties.

Taiwanese seniors play Taichi to welcome planting of 450 cherry trees, the first of more than 10,000 that Japanese and Taiwanese groups intend to plant across Taiwan. They are seen as emblems of the newly blooming relationship between Japan and Taiwan. While Sakura (cheery trees) is purposely played down in China, Japan reach out to strengthen ties with the US and Taiwan among others by planting cheery trees and celebrating the blossoms.

Like Ping Pong or Pandas, cheery trees became diplomatic tools.

Shanghai: quips of the day

just can't get enough of Shanghai? here is how they announce stops in a Shanghai bus,(for the safety of your pc screen, don't watch while eating or drinking)

“Hello, Fellow passengers, welcome to ride No. 926 high quality service bus... ... please ride with civilization, do not urine or shit in the car."

"Everybody needs to walk toward inside, the senior, the weak, the sick, the pregnant, please squats under the quoin and the hull, In order to avoid crowds and thus get hurt...

"The next station, the Ruijin road, the passenger who do not have the ticket please buy the ticket, the physical challenged passengers, please get off... ... "

"In order to support Shanghai’s Olympics bidding, our vehicle crew has carried out English competition service, we ask everybody to show your English language certificate, the passenger with below four levels please transfer in the Chengdu north road, get to a No. 926 small bus service... ... "

"Next station, Sinan road. The front door, center door and the back door have been broken, please open each windows and ready to exit…"

"Next station, south Shaanxi road. Fellow passengers, “one that is crammed to death equals one reduction in our population" is our national policy, the passenger who have difficulty in breathing please prepare ahead of time, nearby funeral and burial hall telephone is 65.949494, you also may dial the service hot line 16,999 to cancel your registered permanent address... ... "

"Next station, Changshu road. In order to make the ongoing convention in my city a success, we start to inspect your three cards, everybody, prepare the ID card, permanent resident card and the work permit card. Passengers with less than three cards, we suggested you do not jump off, if you still want to be a Shanghai comrade, please prepare the ransom money."

"Now it is 8:55Am, terminal Wan Tiguan arrives, fellow comrades, please reorganize your own clothing, let us all have a full enthusiasm, to meet the new day-long challenge!"

What’s trendy now in Shanghai?

Learning how to behave appropriate, i.e. etiquette education. In a recent effort to promote mass awareness to public rudeness, city government stir up a wave of “million families learning etiquette”.

It may sound long over due to urban Chinese, as in a recent bus ride in Beijing, a senior citizen, also a lung cancer patient, begged a crowd of fellow riders, mostly university students for a seat. With the repetitive requires from a ticket attendant and the senior’s begging, finally he got a seat so he could have an easy trip home after a medical checkup.

Even for every one, either a laowai or Chinese, who has been in China for a day or two, will tell you how rude people are, the push for the etiquette education in Shanghai didn’t meet no obstacles.

The recent “million families learning etiquette” is specially promoted around March 8th, international women’s day. And a recent survey said, 44% women showed strong desire to learn it as a way to improve public appearance. I wonder where is the other half sky? Who should blame for the bad reputation?

Don't want to be a Chicken

Towards the end of 2005, When Americans doved into theaters to watch disney hit Chicken Little, In China the animal of the year had a tough year. Here is a pop song telling a chicken little's unwillingness to be a one chicken.

The lyrics (I translated with help of Babelfish)


I do not want to say I am very clean, I do not want to say I am very safe,
but I cannot accept people's misunderstanding,
Take a look at the number the egg,
Waite for the danger to be killed.

Eats my meat I have no objection, takes my egg I will be happy to,
but I cannot tolerate being treated as the polluter,
with tears in my eyes I thought the destiny with the pain,
human's mood I can understand.

The same chicken, the same egg, how come we become the infection source,
Bird flu is very dangerous, who to blame as we are the birds ancestor.

My kids'dad has already been executed, the elder brother sent to the experiment, this year a chicken's life is worse than a human being’s,
Even I have a today and tomorrow,
I've probably got to bye-bye the day after tomorrow.

The same chicken, the same egg, we could not survive the zodiacal year,
The same meat, the same meal, People cannot have a world without our chicken.

Not your cup of Japanese Woman

If you are in DC, also check out an exhibit on Japanese Sumi-e artist, Wako Kido at Japan Information and Cultural Center. If timing is right, you even can talk to her in person as Ms. Kido is doing a project on the spot.

Ms. Kido is not your typical kind of Japanese women, her style is bold, the thyme is simple, always girls surrounded with nature. Her use of color is so not Japanese, with bright yellow, pink and green to go with black ink, which all make the painting seems to be beauty soaked with undercurrent of violence, rather the peaceful faces are supposed to indicate to you.

I attended Ms. Kido’s opening night performance, in which she painted on two white kimonos. She said, she enjoyed painting at a theatre stage with a canvas as big as a curtain, she prefers running and painting to walking.

Art Tuesday: Hokusai Exhibit in DC

Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC is having the biggest ever Hokusai exhibit outside Japan through May 14, 2006. Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), whose iconic woodblock print "The Great Wave" is one of the most recognized images in the art world. And Please be sure to check out the cool online Exhibitions.

Tired of facing the computer screen all day, how about a work out with Marina, world first workout podcasting, even just the rhythm can fresh you up.

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Wal-mart effect in Car Mart

Can you image yourself driving this Chinese made cars sometime next year? At least it is one man’s dream.

Malcolm Bricklin, described in Washington Post article as a visionary and an impractical dreamer, but also credited with helping Subaru and Yogoslavia made Yugo to American market. While you see Subaru everywhere, but certainly not Yugo, a failed flop for Mr. Bricklin.

The plan is by 2007 to have 250 dealers to sell 25,000 Chery (奇瑞) cars, a compact car made in Wuhu, Anhui, China. While price may not be as big as a problem as servicing, Mr. Bricklin, not surprisingly, also plans to have Wal-marts as the auto parts centers for the Chevry cars.

Size matters in traveling far

A Japanese friend, who has been in the US for almost 3 years, told me in flying colors that he and his family have traveled to 13 states in the US. And soon they will go to San Diego to have a spring break. It is one difference living in the US and compared to Japan, where congested traffic and high tolls for roads everywhere discourage people from going far. Besides, the size of the country also limits how far you can go.

In terms of size, China is comparable to the US, and more and more Japanese people come to study, work or live in China. If China has more traffic convince like in the States, I believe, will attract more Japanese to explore china just they do in the US.

(Thanks, Carol, for the comments on my personal account of kidsnapping in China. I will post more personal stories, thoughts as we go along)

Comments of the Week

Here is the comments of the week, regarding to this story

I sounds like he deserved to be bit. I would bite someone too if they broke into my house and tried to pet me. Score one for the panda. Panda's are an endangered species. Hopefully the jumper had to pay a fine.
Panda 1 : Stupid Human 0

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Funny Friday-Panda II

Last Funny Friday’s Panda story got a lot of attention. Since you like Panda, we will put more for you. Enjoy some moments with a panda baby.

For a six year old, Hai or Hi?

This year, 93% of all public elementary schools in Japan have English education, and 75% of schools start English classes from first grade. English classes in most schools are conducted by singing English songs or playing games.

But the trend of more and earlier English education also met strong oppositions, some argue that for young students focus should be on their native language (Japanese) education, making English into a mandatory course or not is still under intense scrutiny of the national education board.

Mr. Roh hopes to visit Yasukuni?

South Korean President Roh hopes to visit Yasukuni? Actually, it is the museum part of the Yasukuni, in which WWII Asia Pacific battles related items are permanently on display. I have been there before, as far as I can remember, such items include Kamikaze suicidal planes, soldier's dairies, letters to beloved ones, and lots of photos, newspapers notes.

Mr. Roh's visit will be considered as a count action to Mr. Koizumi's visit, and he wants to show that the even today the war is still lingering in people's memory.

Sleepy driving or tailgating?

Tired, sleepy when you drive? Get too close to the car in front without noticing? Want to do something to stop tailgating?

Nissan has an answer for you, a system to slow gas petal automatically, and alarm the driver to pay attention when two cars driving too close to each other.

Suicide club in operation again

Today, three males and one females were found dead inside a car, parked at a parking lot in Shizioka. Just like most other group suicides, members are mixed with both man and woman, with an artificial coal burner inside the car.

Old Car, New Concept

In china, you buy a house but you don’t own it, you lease it from government for 70 years. Besides the reason that all land in China is state-owned, a house in china is probably only going to last for 70 years. And it is not applied to construction industry only, from clothes to toys and televisions, chasing new is wide spreading.

However, In Shanghai, circulation of the used car has become active thanks to Japanese style sale methods.

The reason? Change in urban area emission regulation. Stricter policy in downtown area forces old cars out of the streets, however, for suburban and rural areas, such policy does not apply.

In China, it was normal to buy or sell a car with soiling and the scars were attached, but now, Japanese sales methods is to check efficiency first and the cleaning the cars.

A Japanese expatriate who is in charge of the training Chinese staff cannot hide his feeling, "Because there was no concept of appraisal for a used car, it is difficult to have them to understand evaluation method,"

To own a car for many Chinese is not a dream anymore, but to adopt a new concept is more complex.

You say Hao, I hear Horn

No wonder you find it is so hard to speak like a Chinese, Perry Link, professor of Chinese at Princeton University finds it is hard too. Not only you have to lean at least 3,000 Chinese characters to get somewhere, and many of these characters are not as simple as water-“three vertical strokes, waterflow like”, but need willpower, patience and time to memorize.

For westerners to learn Chinese, more evil thing would be the tones, we Chinese have such problems too-you ask about my mom, I think the question is about my horse.

According to Professor Link, while “Chinese toddlers absorb tones without noticing that they are doing so”, for “western learners ….only after two or three years do the habits begin to become natural”.

American Adoptions Encourage Chinese Kidnappings?

Just I wonder that day, how come there are so many Chinese orphans available for largest and still growing adoptions each year in this country, this article from Washington Post reveals shocking secret-some of the cute, sweat Chinese babies are stolen just for this country’s adoption.

C-section Mistake?

A patient died of blooding during a C-section operation, should the doctor be arrested and sued for it? This case has stirred up quite a controversial in Japan, and both OBGYN doctors and malpractice lawyers protest the arrest and lawsuit.

According to colleges of the arrested doctor, it is a very difficult operation and the doctor tried his best, he shouldn’t be held accountable for the death.
The lawyers also agued for the doctor, they say, before a medical mistake is proved, a doctor shouldn’t have been arrested.

Why she wants to kill her husband?

More details come into light since Chinese immigrant Shiori Suzuki was arrested last week, on suspect of attempt to kill her husband.

According to a report of TBS, about half year ago, Shiori has disclosed to a women friend on how to kill her husband. The reason is said that she wanted to have money (about $100,000 insurance policy at his death).

It is not unusual for a Japanese housewife to dislike her husband, but few dare to do something harmful.

Spring's in DC

It's 3:25pm, Friday, March 10th. From a roof view of Sky, and it is 78F degree. Happy Friday, Everyone!

Japanese DV reaches record high

Police in Japan received more than 17,000 domestic violence related complaints in 2005, an increase of 2478 cases compared to last year’s number of 16,888.

Both of issuance of “No approach” to a victim and violations of “No approach” increase dramatically.

On the other hand, stalker and stalking related cases in 2005 falls 9% compared to last year.

One more Chinese women arrested in Japan

Today, a lawsuit was officially put forth against Zheng yongshan, also known as Taniguchi Mie, who is a suspect of killing two kindergarten kids in Japan.

While, another Chinese woman, Suzuki Shiori, 33 years old, was arrested for overdosing insulin to her 54 years old Japanese husband, Shigeri. Shiori is also suspected of several incidents inside the Suzuki Household, including dumping hot water and putting Shigeri into hospitalized for five months in 2003, and a fire that both her parents-in-law died with marks of being beaten and strangled.

Originally from Heilongjiang province, northeast of China, Shiori met her Japanese husband during his traveling date trip to China.

According to news report, Shiori has denied the charges

Ginny Bites people

Ginny, a female panda in exercise facility specially designed for pandas in Chongqing, southwest part of China, obviously is not an easy pet.

On Feb 2, 2004, A twenty-two year old college student from Beijing, Yang Fangning, who was visiting the facility spoted Ginny's taking a nap. In hope of petting Ginny, Yang jumped into the Panda ring. However, right before he is about to approach Ginny, Ginny woke up. As a witness said, without hesitating, Ginny bite into Yang's feet. All surrounding visitors screamed out and a handler came to separate Yang from Ginny.

Yang was rushed into ER of a nearby hospital, and Ginny was confined into a space all by herself. According to a person in charge, it is the first ever panda biting people accident since the facility was set up in 1990, and it is not the first time that visitors have been entered the ring in attempt to pet pandas.

War of Words(Sino-Japan Media)

Here are some Today's top stories from major media outlets:

Xinhua critizes Aso Taro, the Japanese Foreign Minister for refers Taiwan as a country. the xinhua report emphase that's the 2nd time in a month that Aso has referred Taiwan as a country.

Yomiuri Shimbun's top news reports that Japanese diplomats, who protested Chinese Foreign Minister Li's statement about Koizumi's Yasukuni visits, tried to summon Chinese ambassador Wang Yi to Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang refuesd.

Asahi Shimbu, which lean towards left than the Yomiuri, said in this story that Chinese government counter forcefully a human rights report put out by the U.S. state department.

War of Words

Harsh words exchange between two countries, again.

Regarind Yasukuni visit, at a press briefing Chinese Foreign Minster Li quoted a German, said that even for a German it is hard to understand that Japanese leaders are doing such a “stupid” and “immoral” thing. Japanese counted immediately, cabinet spokesman Abe Shinzo said, as a foreign minister, Li is “lack of good taste”.

Li's original words are

"这是一个非常严肃的问题。不仅中国人民不能接受日本现任领导人至今还参拜甲级战犯亡灵，其他许多国家的人民也不能接受。一位德国官员告诉我，德国人也不能理解，日本的领导人怎么能干这种事，这种傻事，这种不道德的事。"

Abe's words are
"現職の外交当局トップの地位にある人物が、他国の指導者に対し『おろか』とか『不道徳』といった品格に欠ける表現を用いるのは外交儀礼上、不適切だ"

On a happy note, in Shanghai, Chinese and Japanese students are working together to put out a musical, “our road”. Even the theme of the play has been changed dramatically, for fear of stirring up a battle in already fragile bilateral relations. The original theme, the World War II, changed to a Chinese student who died in an earthquake in Japan; it is still a step forward towards a right direction.

Sushi is bad for your health?

A Reuters report, cited a group called campaigning against mercury in fish said today that, eating sushi "has become the new Russian roulette" in terms of safety.

The California-based group--Sea Turtle Restoration Project, tested mercury levels in the fish served by 6 top LA restaurants.

"The level of mercury in tuna these restaurants serve is so high they should be keeping this food off their lists," Saddler, the director of the project said. "Eating sushi has become the new Russian roulette."

Fed Up? Japanese youth and Rising Nationalism

at a discussin held by the Woodrow Silson Center with the same title, scholars conclude that Japanse youth is no more nationalism than their counterparts in China and South Korea. However, "what is new today is that Japanese politicians are much less constrained by the bureaucracy, and they also feel the need to cater to a wider audience and adopt a more populist approach". That combines with a rising nationalism in Japan's two neighbors, China and South Korea. Thus, "there is always the danger of some small event triggering an overreaction, which would escalate into a “nightmare” scenario that no one would want".

Where is Angelina?

At last night's Academy award ceremony, there is nowhere to find Angelina Jolie. Is she busy adpoting kids somewhere in the world?

Art Friday in Beijing

In Beijing's east surburb, there is a art factory that has been named by New York Times as "Art SOHO".

A human face with a snake's heart

Happy Thursday! Here are some Chinese expressions, the translations are kind of rough. Can you guess what does each one talk about?

1. Ahuman face with a snake’s heart
2. Something with a Donkey’s lips and a house mouth
3. Prefer to be the head of a chicken than a tail of a phoenix
4. A Fox say happy New Year to hens
5. A golden phoenix borned out of a hen’s house
6. Frogs want to eat a swan's meat
7. A fresh flower planted on a bullshits
8. Something with a Tiger's head and a snake's tail
9. A fox walks behind a tiger
10. A fallen phoenix feels worse than a chicken
11. A desperate rabbit will bite humans
12. Free the eagle only when seeing a rabbit
13. Once can't obtain a tiger's son without going into the tiger's den
14. Don’t touch a tiger’s butts
15. Monkeys try to get the moon out of water

Where are the friendly people gone?

Xinhua News Agency article asks gingerly where are the pro-china politicians in Japan?

Yomiuri reports, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign affairs recognize that they need to they need to review handling the suicidal incident of its employee in Shanghai.

Chinese ambassador Wang Yi in Tokyo calls for a better relations relays on country's youth. Does understand how tough the job is by reading the survey?

Both Japan and China are caring more on bilateral relations, the situation has been so rotten, that only thing that is not being done is for both President Hu and PM Koizumi to meet each. And that is the thing that should be done sooner than later.

next generation of mistrust?

It is surprising to learn that Japanese youth has lower expectation for a life than their counterparts in the US, China. In a Japanese survey conducted by Institute of Youth study in Tokyo, Japan, the member of young people who want nothing other than “having a salary to be able to make a living, and having own space to stretch/living alone” surpass the American, Chinese of same age group.

It is also sad to find out that both Chinese and Japanese youth have a poor images of each other, while Chinese young people describe Japanese as “group mentality, fiery temper, cold, patriotic, rule following, patriotic”, Japanese ones describe Chinese as “patriotic, fiery temper, hard working, group mentality, individualism, cold”.

Thus, it is not surprising to find out that compared to 39.6% of Japanese youth who like US, only 10.2% like China. It is not doing any better in Chinese part, 24.5% of Chinese youth surveyed say they like Japan.

Koizumi on Bush's Gift

Today every media is talking Mr. Bush's surprise visit to Afghanistan. While last November, when Mr. Bush was on a trip to Japan and China, he showed Mr. Koizumi with a gift that is very America, guess what? Segway!

Mr. Koizumi obviously like the Segway so much, one day, he decided to put it into a good use. He drove (ride, maybe) it to work. I suppose he, like Mr. Bush, lives inside his office complex, thus his commute will be much shorter than most of us.

However, that way short commute was complicated by riding a Segway instead of a sedan, even with a motorcade of body guards, aids, reporters, Mr. Koizumi seems to fall out of it at one time. As a strong leader as he is, he put out his best face smiling, he just couldn’t help watching his steps at the same time.

Enjoy your Wednesday!