Can Japan Hold on to its recovery?

Just in the time for Japan to celebrate its official exit from deflation, a long painful stagnation of zero-interest rate, zero or even negative growth in the past decade, some experts voice cautions that fast changing global economy, its domestic consumption and income growth can also derail Japan from moving along on the right track.

Wharton school of business at University of Pennsylvania, put out a report titled Can Japan hold on to its recovery? From real estate boom to Anime industry, from energy to world politics, the report details the progress and problems facing Japan.

Check out the report here.

Aids Day: HIV spreads to common people in China

December First is World's Aids day, what the status of Aids in China?

Xinhua reports that Aids has spread from high risking groups such as sex workers, underground blood sellers, drug users and homosexuals to university students, military personnel and laborers.

In a single province of Shanxi, a inland area well-known for coal production, 2/3 of the new HIV cases are affected through sex and drug use. Most of cases involved prisoned criminals.

how to deal ijime?

Recently in Japan, ijime(bullying) receiving a lot of attention. In a society that an individual is merely a part of a group. however strong he/she is, without belonging to a group, there is no end of being bullied for being eccentric.

In Japan, to deal ijime, one has to question how long such intolerance of being different from groups will last?

There are ample examples that helmets of the Japanese society have to retreat into their own world, some of them, Hikikomori, usually stay in a small rooms for more than a decade, in fear of being bullied by counterparts. Some escape to other countries, such as U.S., NYC has become a paradise for many young Japanese young women seek freedom and being different.

There is certainly no simple answer to how to deal ijime, however, there is a certain way that Japan has to think how to respect and tolerate the weak, the different and the foreign.

Tokyo Trail-the movie

Last night, I went to see a Chinese movie-Tokyo Trail, which I found out to be more of a Chinese side of the history event, and filled with a lots of emotions.

Besides almost all the Japanese characters involved in the historical event were played by Chinese actors, one of the main events that were covered extensively in the movie-Chinese Judge Mei's strong protest to be able to sit next to the main American Judge, shows that face is more important than sitting order.

After the movie, one cannot wonder the truth of the old saying, Winner takes it all.

China Japan News Roundup

Just came back from four day Thanksgiving weekend, ready to catch up with the What's going on in China and Japan:

1. Titled as China in Search of Imagination, New York Times explores the inequality in China's education system. Contradictory to common belief that Chinese is paying heavy cost for education, Chinese government only spends 3% of GDP investing in education, lag behind of U.S. and Japan, and only a handful of elite schools get the money from the government.

2. Visionary Vehicles，American auto seller cancels its plan to sell Chinese car Chery in the U.S. According to the plan, a total of 250，000 Chinese made car will be sold in the U.S. However, CEO of Visionary Vehicles, Malcolm Bricklin said, Chevy's car is not up to the company's standard.(Niikei NET)

3. Japan and U.S. delegates meet in Beijing to talk about restart of stalled 6-party talks. (Yomiuri Shimbun)

Parasite Singles, Escaped ladies

Geisha girl, best wife, oriental beauty, these are all traditional descriptions about Japanese women, however, as new generation of Japanese grows up, two kinds of Japanese women emerge: One is called parasite singles, and one has escaped to NY.

Who should blame the Japanese women who seek freedom from either being a OL(office lady) who serves tea and run errands for OB(Old Boys) in big corporations, or being a Kyoichu mama (Education mother), however, facing increasing less child birth and more single women who delay marriage until mid to late 30s, Japan as a society does have a home work to do to stop the worrisome trend.

Wedding in China: 1.2 billion industry

This year, a year of dog is especially doing good for Chinese wedding industry, the reason? After the dog year, next comes the year of Gold Pig, when babies that are born will be Gold Pig Babies.

Today's wedding industry is no longer just a dinning banquet and photo sets with exotic backgrounds such as western style churches or cathedrals, wedding planning companies are taking care of everything, from renting tuxedos to booking honeymoon vocations. With a cost from 30,000 to 60,000 Yen ($4,000 to $5,500), it certainly is not cheap to average Chinese who makes average $200 per month. However, it does reduce hassles and costs less than arranging everything by young couples themselves.

Chinese Idol: Asexual

In the U.S., when a men is referred as Metrosexual, it means he is as fashionable as a women. However, in China, what's trendy is asexual, meaning girls are trying to look like a boy, while a boy dress like a girl.

If backdorm boys still look like boys, today's singers, stars only appear to confuse you.

From super popular superlady Li Yuchun to boy singer Song Xiaobo, from stars to common street walkers in any cities , gender line between girls and boys in China is certainly blurred.

Some praise the trend as increasing women's right, as economy continues to grow and 74% of Chinese women work and earn more income, women will become more equal to their peers, physically or psychologically. At the same time, to appeal to girls, young men will dress like a popular singer, with long hair and a slim body.

What is your take?

History, History

Good news from Hanoi, where Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxin and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso are attending APEC meetings, both Li and Aso agree to study history together and publish the result by 2008.

this joint study history will make history itself, as the study group will cover not only Pre-WWII and after the war history, it also covers Japan's economic contribution(Yen loans, ODA) to China since the two country normalized the ties in 1972.

The hope is certainly high for the study to shed some lights on such topics as Comfort Women, Rape of Nanjing, 731's Germ War, and the study is also free of political agenda and influence from both countries top leaders.

Japan all over the U.S.

Today is a day of Japan in the U.S., if not everyone, at least most of the U.S. will know something about what's going on in Japan.

First, a sad news of small Tsunami hits the Japan's Hokaida, triggered by strong earthquakes occurred in the northern part of the Pacific ocean. （CNN)

Then, Seibu Lions's pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka(松板大辅） got a bid from Boston Red Sox for 51.1 million dollars, and Matsuzaka will be flying to Boston to negotiate a deal with Red Sox.(ESPN)

China Japan News Roundup

A young Chinese student, Masakazu Motoki (端木正和），who came to Japan at age of 17 in 1989, reveals his own business, a Chinese stokes information provide for Japanese business. (Niikei Net)

More Chinese workers are exported to Japan to work as a fruit pickers, chick farm workers, etc, today's news reports that a Japanese clothing marker in Aomori failed to pay 3 Chinese sewers right amount of salary. (Yomiuri)

Why Robert Zoellick, considered to be a China hand, failed to stay, while Nicolas Burns, a mideast hand is making U.S. foreign policy? Xinhua new agency explores this topic.

Potola Palace-New 7 Wonders revealed

America's TV broadcaster ABC news and newspaper US Today jointly starts a process to select new world 7 Wonders, the first on the list is Potola Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

ABC news sent its anchor to Lhasa to explore magnificence of the Palace, the video clips worthy checking out, if you don't want to go by yourself to the "backbone of the world", and endure massive altitudes sickness almost everyone suffers when first coming to Lhasa.

Put Human into Hu

The other day I saw a Advertisement on Washington Post, about how a U.S. chemistry company puts human first.

However, I have another thought, how about put Human into Hu, the Chinese president Hu Jintao, who took power with a promise to be a people's leader, motto to create a harmonious society. However, in today's China, there is never a day goes by without news of riots, social unrest, protests, just to name a few among others.

It's time to put Human into Hu.

Chinese buying power

Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York city, Chinese shoppers are everywhere these days. Thanks to a strong Renminbi, which has been dropped from 8.27 to 1 dollar to 7.9 and keeps going up. Who can you blame when you have the money and want to spend on some real stuff instead of fake brand name products found everywhere in China?

According to a New York Times Article, France is Chinese shoppers' top destination, mostly because EU is on China's list of approved tourist destination in the year of 2004. European countries are willing to trade its influence for more commerce from China, which certainly helps Chinese government encourages its tourists to go there.

How about America, which has the biggest Chinese population outside China? The picture is not that good. Even Chinese gamblers seems to have taken over Las Vegas from time to time, however, Shopping is a priority for Chinese tourists who visit the U.S. Most of such tourists I know are visiting relatives, and their consumption power is way much limited.

One reason is also that to get a American visa is still hard, and having an embassy staff treats everyone seeking a visa as potential immigrants, it certainly doesn't help Chinese wealthy tourists to come here easily.

China Foreign Reserve over 1000 billion Dollars

China's foreign reserve officially exceeds 1000 billion us dollars, draw a broad attention expanding trade deficits with the U.S and japan.(Niikei Net)

Beijing Olympics gets closer, Japan's Public broadcaster,NHK protests to IOC for change in competition times. Requested by America's NBC, which has exclusive broadcasting right to the 2008 Olympics, IOC changes such popular competitions as swimming, Gymnastics into Ｍｉd morning hours, so north American audience will be able to watch at night. However, it also means Japanese audience have to skip work to be able to catch up with their favorite players. (Asahi Shimbun)

Dogs for Olympics

As Beijing Olympics gets closer, dogs get busier.

A special training unit is conducting dogs trainings for possible terror attack during 08 Olympics, the dogs seem to be good fit for circus as they are good at climbing to a high tower, walking over a rope, and jumping through fire circles.

Look out a TBS video clip here

China's African Safari

China is all over the DC again. Ahead of Sino-African Summit to be held in Beijing this week, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank in DC, holds a discussion titled China's African Safari to explore China's evergrowing influence in such African nations as Sudan, Angola, etc.

However, in terms of foreign relations with African countries, United States is not that clean, either. A today's Washington Post article-Security Council Seat Tied to Aid, cited a report conducted by two Howard scholars, who report that U.S. uses foreign aid to influence African countries sitting on UN Security Council in voting for the U.S.

The event video and press release here .

Besides China's African, will a possible class war break out in China? Even under Hu Jintao's carefully scripted goal to establish a Harmonious Society , China is still undergoing more riots and social unrests, with income gap and gap of rich and poor enlarges, a class war seems inevitable. Jamestown Foundation addresses this question in today's event, CHINA AFTER HU JINTAO: THE LOOMING CLASS WAR IN 2010?

check out the event details here.