エコノミストの中にはアメリカ議会の保護主義が沸騰することを心配する向きもある。 いずれにせよ、元を巡るドラマが始まったのだ(One way or another, this story has just begun.) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー WaPoに掲載されたものをWSJが改めて取り上げて欧州版の転載。的を得た議論と 思える。
Officials think it's possible it may not be caused by a single bacteria. A spokesman for the U-N agency says other factors could also be causing or contributing to the disease. But he does not think the outbreak is going to spread.
The dialogue is a new height in Sino-US relations,following recent frequent high-level visits and exchanges between the two countries.
During his stopover in Hong Kong on Saturday, Zoellick said he would discuss "strategic issues of common interest" like foreign policy and economics with senior Chinese officials in Beijing.
(大幅に中略) In sum, this is the end of China's monopoly of almost all foreign investment capital. India will soon replace it by attracting more and more foreign investors. Besides other countries such as Vietnam, where the average wage is half that in China, Indonesia, where it is under 40 percent, and Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia, where it is around 30 percent, are all attracting more investment. The Chinese government understands the strategic implications of these developments. It is essential that Taiwan also take note.
But up to 75 villages are affected in Sichuan. These are clustered around 40 townships in different counties, which represent large geographical distances. This suggests the possibility of transmission by migratory birds.
Although it has never been officially seen outside Africa, the intrepid Boxun.com reported last April an Ebola outbreak in Shenzen, next to Hong Kong, which the authorities denied. Now, Boxun sources tell them that the Sichuan outbreak is the rapidly evolving Ebola SZ-77 strain which can infect birds, so it may be tied to bird flu at Qinghai.
"I don't know where we go with this," この問題は何処へ行くのか解らん(ヒル代表)
"In the current situation, we are almost running out of wisdom." (我々は、殆ど知恵を使い尽くしてしまった、韓国代表)
"take more time." もっと時間がかかりそうだ、町村外相 "North Korea continues to deny that it has a uranium enrichment program." (北朝鮮は、相変わらずウラン濃縮を否定し続けている、町村外相)
"We'll stay here as long as we feel we're making progress," Hill said. "If we're not making progress, we're not going to stay." (進歩が期待できるなら北京に滞在して交渉するが、層でなければ滞在しない、ヒル代表
Also Tuesday, Japan's Kyodo News agency said North Korean negotiators have claimed during the talks that the North faces a nuclear threat from U.S. military bases in Japan. The North's diplomats demanded that the United States review its nuclear policy, the agency reported, citing unidentified sources.
But even more disturbing than this obfuscation is the subject of this story itself - the leak of tidbits from an intelligence report which the public, of course, is not trusted to see. Leaving aside the atrocious record of our intelligence agencies over recent decades (something it is hard to do since I suspect the current housecleaning at said agencies is motivating this leak), let's look at the substance of what little of this report we know.
August 2, 2005: China's most dangerous internal enemy is the growing middle class (families with annual incomes of $18,000-$36,000). This is enough money to buy many consumer goods, like cell phones, cars, homes and personal computers. There are currently over 300 million Chinese in the middle class, and by the end of the decade, it's expected to be over 400 million. These are the people who use the Internet (currently over 100 million) and cell phones (currently over 150 million). The middle class has always been the chief threat to totalitarian governments (be they medieval monarchies or contemporary dictatorships). The government is trying to co-opt the middle class by allowing business people (who are most of the Chinese middle class) to join the Communist Party. But the party is corrupt, and resistant to reform. So Plan B is to appeal to nationalism, and the need for the world to respect the newly powerful China (after over a century of being weak and much put upon). So far, many of the newly middle class Chinese are falling for the nationalism angle, but not all. Cell phones and the Internet provide a means for the rapid spread of news and opinion that disagrees with the government. This is the enemy within, and the government has, so far, been unable to construct an effective defense.
<NYT> ttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/opinion/02tue1.html? But the appointment is, of course, terrible news for the United Nations, whose diplomats have heard weeks of Senate testimony about Mr. Bolton's lack of respect for their institution and his deeply undiplomatic, bullying style of doing business. この任命は国連の外交官にとっては耐え難いもので、彼等外交官は 上院外交委員会の聴聞会に対して、ボルトンが国連を尊敬せず、またそのスタイルが 外交的ではないとの非難を続けてきた。
<シカゴ・トリビューン> ttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0508020159aug02,0,5646211.story?coll=chi-newsopinion-hed Bolton's portfolio is to help reform and re-energize a UN that is wallowing in a corruption scandal and courting irrelevance. He's likely to challenge the inertia of diplomats who collegially do as little as possible to end human suffering in the world's hot spots for fear of offending, well, almost anyone. If Bolton emerges as a force for a more accountable and ambitious UN, it is his critics who'll have to eat the crow. ボルトンは国連のスキャンダルや腐敗や機能不全を正す ことに助力となるものであろう。ボルトンは人々が人権侵害などの災難に苦しむことを解 消するに全く力をもたない国連官僚達のやり方に挑戦するだろう。彼らは世界のホットス ポットで起こることに攻撃的に働くことを恐れるのだ。ボルトンがより責任ある、野心的 な国連を作る力となるならば、今ボルトンを避難する人はその発言を後悔するだろう。
ttp://www.vnagency.com.vn/NewsA.asp?LANGUAGE_ID=2&CATEGORY_ID=30&NEWS_ID=161414 Ha Noi, August 2 (VNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked northern provinces bordering China and concerned agencies to stop stringently livestock and poultry products, especially live pigs and pork products, being smuggled from China into Viet Nam in a bid to prevent a deadly mysterious pig-borne disease from entering the country.
"The organism is carried on the pig’s tonsils and is spread pig-to-pig through nose rubbing or coughing. But it’s only found in small concentration on the pigs’ tonsils, so it’s difficult for a human to catch it that way," Jill Thompson from the UK’s Veterinary Investigation Centre in Edinburgh told New Scientist.
Jill Thompson goes on: "It is so rare for humans to become infected; most farm workers develop some immunity from the endemic disease. What might have happened is that the bacteria have acquired virulence factors from another organism - a bacterium or virus that might be harmless - and the combined virulence factors have turned it into a superbug, which could be transmitted human-to-human through coughing."
But officials in Pyongyang say the denuclearization talks must lead to what they call "a satisfactory solution." That solution, North Korea says, must include the acceptance by the United States of "peaceful coexistence."
The top U.S. negotiator to stalled talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis said on Tuesday it was time for the parties to take a breather and mull what progress had been made in more than a week of wrangling.
"I would say it is getting to an end-game text," top US negotiator Christopher Hill said.
"I don't know at this point whether we will get it to an agreed text, but I think it's getting to an end-game text."
"I think it is a very important text because it is truly designed to narrow the differences and maybe even get to the point where we can agree on something," the American envoy said, but added: "I think everyone knows where the red lines are. It should be the final text."
"Whether we have a draft that everyone agrees on, or whether it's decided that there should be a recess of some kind, we don't know yet," Hill said, adding negotiators were "close to the end of this round" after eight days of talks. ttp://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/world/12289271.htm AP 10 minutes ago
“There are five parties that are in pretty close agreement on those principles, and the key question is whether North Korea is willing to make the strategic decision it needs to make to go forward,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said in Beijing, where he was on a visit separate from the nuclear talks. ttp://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=24&ID=235573&r=0
調べてみると、恐らくゼーリック副国務長官の言った↑のことばを参照しているのだろ うけれど、それであれば後半の部分を省略すると意味が違ってくる。このメッセージの 中心は(make the strategic decision)かどうか、ということ。
"I think we're really getting to the end of the negotiating process," Hill said. "I'm not going to predict that's it's over today or tomorrow, I just don't know, but certainly in terms of the negotiating process for this past 10 days, I think we are getting to the end of this," he added.
"Nothing's over around here, but I suspect the Chinese may want further discussions and you know we'd be happy to do whatever the host wants us to do so..." Hill said.
(Removes reference to description of talks as 'bad', adds comments from Japanese envoy)
BEIJING (AFX) - North Korea said no progress has been made in talks over the dismantlement of its nuclear weapons programs but insisted it is still working to find a solution.
Delegates discussing ways to scrap North Korea's nuclear-weapons programme returned to the main talks venue late on Wednesday, fuelling speculation they would meet overnight to try to agree on basic principles for ending the three-year stand-off.
China Central Television said members of the North Korean delegation returned to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse at about 5pm, followed by the Russian, United States and South Korean teams. Japanese negotiators were also seen heading for the venue.
中国のTVは午後5時頃から交渉団が協議会場に集まっていると伝えている。
"The North Koreans are in Diaoyutai. I've got to see the Chinese," Hill told journalists as he left his hotel on Wednesday evening.
BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- After a day of frustration, the chief U.S. envoy to multilateral disarmament talks with North Korea said Wednesday that the communist country should make "a very important decision" on whether it is willing to trade off its nuclear program for a better future.
Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Hill also said China was trying to persuade North Korea to accept its latest mediation proposal to resolve the ongoing tension over the North's nuclear program.
Former ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar is also a player, as is his half- brother, Khalid, Saudi commander in Desert Storm. Both are sons of Prince Sultan. Saud al-Faisal's brother Turki is also significant--he has just been nominated to replace Bandar in the U.S. But King Abdullah's son Mitab now has additional influence and could see himself as an emerging contender. All are rivals.
ついでに大胆な予想もしていて: The next few years in the kingdom are going to be difficult enough anyway because of the declining years of Abdullah and Sultan. Gridlocked palace politics could turn instability into disaster.
Following is the transcript of Hill's remarks to reporters Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill Six Party Talks Evening Transit St. Regis Hotel August 2, 2005
China has apparently played the role of broker and facilitator in the negotiations, circulating draft statements and collecting comments from the different countries. On Tuesday, the Chinese circulated a fourth draft that won approval from every participant but North Korea.
"Everyone has signed on, but as I understand it, the Chinese are still working" to get North Korea to agree, Mr. Hill said. He added that North Korea "still has some fundamental issues regarding some of the principles of the document."
I've been thinking of running for high office on a one-issue platform: I promise, if elected, that within four years America will have cellphone service as good as Ghana's. If re-elected, I promise that in eight years America will have cellphone service as good as Japan's, provided Japan agrees not to forge ahead on wireless technology. My campaign bumper sticker: "Can You Hear Me Now?"
I began thinking about this after watching the Japanese use cellphones and laptops to get on the Internet from speeding bullet trains and subways deep underground.
BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea held out against heavy diplomatic pressure on Thursday at nuclear crisis talks in Beijing, as China battled to persuade its ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー どうやら決裂の模様・・
BEIJING, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- China has taken steps to curb foreign access to its media, defending what officials call "national cultural security."
中国政府は「国の文化の保護のため」に外国メデイアを制限する動きに出ている。
People's Daily, voice of the ruling Communist party, announced rules on "cultural imports," forbidding "in principle" permission for any more foreign television channels.
The "Priz" mini-submarine, used in rescue operations, ran into trouble on Thursday during a military exercise off the Kamchatka peninsula and could not return to the surface.
カムチャッカ半島沖で軍事演習を行っていた"Priz"小型潜水艦が浮上できない。
"The submersible's propeller caught a fragment of fishing net," chief Navy Alexander Dygalo said, speaking on television. "The net has wrapped around the propeller and the vessel has got caught in the net's anchor wire." Dygalo said about 10 Russian rescue ships were in the area and aJapanese ship was also on its way to help. He said the Priz had a five-day supply of air and an adequate amount of food and water on board.
But, in a conflicting report, Interfax news agency quoted the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Dmitriyev, as saying there was only enough air for two days.
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said foreign nationals who encourage terrorism anywhere in the world will be deported, following two waves of bomb attacks in London last month that left 56 people dead.
British law forbids the government from deporting people to countries where they might be tortured. Last month, Jordan agreed not to torture people deported there, and Blair said the U.K. is negotiating with 10 other countries, including Algeria and Lebanon.
Immigration rules can be changed without new laws and, Blair said, he would be ready to recall Parliament from its recess in September if the legislation against glorifying terrorism could be drafted in time.
The Labor Department reported a net gain of 207,000 jobs in July, compared with a revised 166,000 increase in jobs in June. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that there was a 180,000 increase in employment in the most recent month.
Hill and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, met today to try to get an agreement and made little headway, according to Hill.
アメリカと北朝鮮の二国間交渉が持たれたが、ヒル代表に寄れば殆ど進歩が無かった
``We didn't make enough progress,'' Hill told reporters after the meeting. ``Frankly, we need to pick up the pace if we're going to get there.''
「進展は無かった。正直に言って、我々が妥結するのであれば、ペースが不足だ」
Hill had sounded more optimistic earlier today, saying he believed the talks would be finished soon. The U.S. diplomat said then he was ``down to two shirts,'' and told journalists to ``book your flights.''
Hill and Japan's chief delegate to the talks, Kenichiro Sasae, said all parties in the Beijing talks were determined to continue discussions. South Korea's delegate, Song Min Soon, told reporters late today, ``it's not just one party that is being willful.''
Hill said he would meet with the Chinese hosts and North Koreans on Saturday in an attempt to find ways to speed up the process.
ヒル代表は土曜日に中国側、北朝鮮側と会談して、会談のスピードアップについて話し 合う予定という。
“We’ve really, really got to get going on this,” he said. 「我々は、絶対に、絶対に、これをやらないといけない」
Hill said the envoys hadn’t yet considered taking a recess. ヒル代表は、協議を休会にする意思は無いという。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー このAP記事を見ると、ヒル代表はヤル気も粘りも充分なように見える。ヒル代表は いろいろなことをいうので、記者によって受け取り方が異なるような。
Mr. Hill told reporters Friday there have been discussions regarding a possible recess, allowing the delegations to head back to their capitals for consultation.
BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Yonhap) -- China will Saturday propose suspending the fourth round of the six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs after the 12th day of talks failed to produce a tangible result, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.
匿名のソースの拠れば、中国代表は土曜日に、6者協議休止を提案する。
"I understand China will soon suggest the participating countries consider a recess of the ongoing talks," the source said.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has proposed a recess for six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis that are now in their 12th day, Chinese state radio said on Saturday.
土曜日の中国国営ラジオは、6者協議の休止を中国が提案したと報じた。
"It has been reported that the Chinese side has suggested that the delegates return to their countries to report to their governments and then continue the discussions," state radio said.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi could well be thinking these days of his favourite film -- the 1952 Gary Cooper classic "High Noon" in which a heroic sheriff fights evil against tough odds.
ttp://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg1875.cfm Strengthening U.S. Public Diplomacy Requires Organization, Coordination, and Strategy by Stephen Johnson, Helle C. Dale, and Patrick Cronin, Ph.D. Backgrounder #1875 August 5, 2005
*Strengthen State Department public diplo-macy by providing adequate authority and resources; 組織に必要な権威付けと資源の割り当てを確保
*Streamline foreign broadcasting to ensure better coordination with global public diplo-macy and development goals; 海外放送の見直し再編成で、目的の明確化を
*Integrate efforts across the government by appointing a high-level coordinator and establishing an independent foreign polling center; バラバラになっている組織間の行動統合のためハイレベルの調整官の任命 (特に国防総省と国務省のバラバラな行動について述べているもの)
*Create a public diplomacy doctrine and global strategy, developed by lead public diplo-macy actors; and パブリック・ディプロマシーのドクトリンの確立、グローバル戦略の明確化
*Abolish domestic access limits on public diplomacy products contained in legislation dating from the 1940s. 1940年代に作られた国内の規制の解除
In the Middle East, the current regional priority for public diplomacy, the U.S. government should:特に中東地域について考慮すべきことは:
*Promote regional and local media initiatives to counter the growth of militant Islamic extremism; 武装派イスラム過激派の増大に対抗する、ローカル・メディア・イニシアティブ
*Support educational alternatives to help open minds through American schools, adult education and training, and enhanced exchange programs; and 交換留学生、アメリカンスクール、成人教育を通じた教育的なアプローチ
*Engage local opinion leaders to ensure that they have enough facts to counter mispercep-tions, distortions, and disinformation about U.S. desires to encourage peace, prosperity, and partnership in the region. 地域のオピニオン・リーダーとのエンゲージメントを通じて、アメリカへの誤解や 偏見を修正する、平和と繁栄のパートナーシップを奨励するべき (後略) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー これは中東などの特にアンチ・アメリカ二ズムの強い地域を想定して書かれた論文。 もしも日本向けに、こういうものが書かれると、2ちゃんねるへのエンゲージメント 戦略とかが提案されるの鴨。
The Naif vs. Abdullah and the reformers debate postulated by some outside analysts may reflect some real differences over policy, but both Princes have shown they can work closely together in the past, and it seems premature to judge Naif's potential actions or see him as any block to Abdullah's efforts in areas like economic and educational reform.
"Sure, we're willing to be in contact," Hill said. "We will continue to share our views. We won't let issues of protocol ... get in the way. We are going to work aggressively to take care of this problem."
Hill said the talks stalled after North Korea insisted on receiving a light-water nuclear reactor, part of a U.S. aid package offered in 1994. ヒル代表に拠れば、北朝鮮が1994枠組み合意に含まれていた軽水炉の提供を求めたこと で協議が紛糾した。
Providing such a reactor "is simply not on the table," Hill said. But "perhaps people back in Pyongyang need to hear it directly," he added. そうした軽水炉というのは「アメリカ側の想定外」とヒル代表は言う。しかし「多分、 ピョンヤンの人は、直接その返答を(アメリカから)確かめる必要があったのだろう」
"They began to insist on a light-water reactor and wanted it included in the common document," Hill said. "This parted company with the rest of the delegations." 北朝鮮は軽水炉提供を要求し、それを共同合意文書に入れるように求めた。そのために 他国の代表団とも、意見が分裂してしまった」 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ピョンヤンの駄目もと瀬戸際外交もここまで来るとギャグかパロディのように聞こえる 協議が煮詰まっていて、合意が可能であるかのような報道を繰り返したメデイアは烏を 食べるべき;
South Korean officials who reviewed the draft statement all agree that it is not a bad deal for North Korea, and one it would have to accept if it has nothing else up its sleeve. That is why many believe the decision is now with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and he is tipped to take his time.
"The U.S. can’t retreat any further. I think it's also possible North Korea will make a decision,” says Kyungnam University’s Prof. Kim Geun-shik. “The important thing is that the voices of U.S. and North Korean hardliners grow no louder over the next three weeks."
>>165 > Hill said the talks stalled after North Korea insisted on receiving a light-water > nuclear reactor, part of a U.S. aid package offered in 1994. > ヒル代表に拠れば、北朝鮮が1994枠組み合意に含まれていた軽水炉の提供を求めたこと > で協議が紛糾した。
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, said that although the vaccine that had undergone preliminary tests could be used on an emergency basis if a pandemic developed, it would still be several months before that vaccine was tested further and, if licensed, offered to the public.
"It's good news," Dr. Fauci said. "We have a vaccine." 「ワクチンが出来た。これは良いニュース」とファウシ博士が言っている。
But he cautioned: "We don't have all the vaccine we need to meet the possible demand. The critical issue now is, can we make enough vaccine, given the well -known inability of the vaccine industry to make enough vaccine?" 「(流行時に)考えられるすべての需要をみたすことは出来ない。クリティカルな問題 は、ワクチン製造業界の良く知られた製造能力の限界に鑑みて、必要な量のワクチンを 作れるかどうかという事だ」 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー NIAIDのファウシ博士なら、この分野の全米(世界)トップクラスの権威だから このニュースはH5N1の世界的流行の脅威の言われる昨今にあっては、特に小児や 老人をもつ家庭に朗報と思われ。こういう開発力は、アメリカの持つソフトパワーの 一つと思われ。
The glacial pace of Japanese post office reform has hardly been the stuff of riveting political drama. But there is a very real chance that this issue could cause Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- and many in his Liberal Democratic Party -- to lose their jobs and the party itself to lose more of its respectability.
So there is some drama here buried underneath all the ennui of reform at a snail pace. It is remarkable that Mr. Koizumi is taking such a gamble, and there are several possible explanations. The prime minister, who has made post-office reform the centerpiece of his agenda, may have simply concluded that caving in on this issue would completely undermine his image as a reformer. It is also possible that he calculated that when it came down to a choice between defending the status quo and keeping their jobs, otherwise reluctant members of his LDP would eventually fall into line.
While the postal reform issue escalates, Japanese policy makers are distracted from dealing with other pressing matters, such as what to do about shoring up a shaky pension system to better serve an aging population. But if Mr. Koizumi can win his postal savings fight, even in principle, he might be able to set Japan on a new, more promising course toward a more competitive private enterprise system that would better serve the economic interests of the Japanese people. A defeat would signal to the world that the LDP is incapable of adapting to the needs and possibilities of the 21st century.
Friday's neo-McCarthyite hectoring has rattled many moderates who had previously begun to rally in vigorous defence of their families, faith and country of birth or adoption - Britain. 金曜日のブレア首相の(テロ特別対策で、過激派イスラムの国外追放を行うなどとした) 政策方針は、英国に移民した、あるいは英国に生まれた穏健派の外国系国民などを迫害 するもので、ネオ・マカーシズムでしかない。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 英国の寛容な多文化主義、文化相対主義的なアプローチを改め、外国人移民の同化と 移民規制、過激派の排除、国外追放を言ったブレア演説に、英国リベラルが早速悲鳴 をあげて、BBCなど含めて、一斉攻撃を始めたような。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/335250p-286400c.html Stronger rules give us the liberties we fight for
NYディリー・ニュース:強力なテロ規制のルールは、我々自由を守るためのもの
This is how war is fought; not with pledges but with action. There is no doubt that a war is going on and only those who have slept as deeply as Rip Van Winkle are unaware of why Blair is moving to close down the covens of terrorism masquerading as mosques, and taking direct action against anyone who advocates terrorist actions. There are also plans to round up those who should be deported and throw them out of England.
So it is very important to support the fact that Tony Blair was able to wake up and smell the trouble for breakfast. Even the French knew that the British lion was asleep when the rabid terrorist rodent was trying to destroy his home. Still, no matter the purpose, we must always cast a cautionary eye on the methods that have been chosen to defend us. That must never be forgotten.
``Politics is less important than the fundamentals of the economy and corporate earnings, which have been pretty good,'' said Koichi Ogawa, who helps oversee some $28 billion of assets at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. in Tokyo.
``Even if there is a change in power, the positive economic backdrop for the yen will still be in place,'' said Niels Christensen, a currency strategist at Societe Generale SA in Paris. ``The economic picture in Japan is going to continue to improve.''
``Government policies play a crucial role during economic downturns as they are usually designed to create growth, but we're seeing decent economic growth right now,'' said Atsushi Nakajima, chief economist at Mizuho Research Institute. ``It's unlikely that the economy will falter.''
Despite the defeat for Koizumi, the LDP's best short-term bet may be to hang on to him. While many enemies within the LDP would love to see Koizumi ousted, the party arguably stands a better chance of retaining power with him. His sway may be waning within his own party, but he remains popular with the Japanese public, with approval ratings above 40%, which is regarded as high enough to remain in office.
Whatever the implications for Koizumi and the individual political parties, it's not all gloom and doom for Japan. With the economy stronger than at any time in a decade, economists say the political turmoil in unlikely to derail the recovery. The Nikkei 225 stock index closed slightly up on Aug. 8, while bond and currency markets were largely unaffected by the reversal in the Upper House.
In part, that's because reforms already undertaken -- from cleaning up the banking sector to reductions in supplementary budgets -- have weakened the link between political and economic upheaval (for Standard & Poor's view, see "From Japan, a Blow to Global Growth?"). "Whether you have a policy vacuum or not, right now it doesn't matter as far as the economy is concerned," says Jesper Koll, chief Japan analyst at Merrill Lynch in Tokyo. And that's a win for Koizumi, even though it won't help him when it comes to getting further reforms passed.
His bold action will split the LDP, and possibly force both him and it out of power. But that's a price he's willing to pay to wean Japan from its destructive money politics and planned economy. Many other necessary government reforms rely on privatizing Japan Post.
Mr. Koizumi's courage to reshape his country is rare for a Japanese politician. Voters should support him.
小泉首相は、日本を作り変えるという勇気を持つ、日本には稀な政治家である。有 権者は小泉首相を支持すべきだ。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー CSMは小泉首相が選挙で敗退する可能性が、かなりあると見ているのだけれど それは: ttp://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0809/p10s01-woap.html from the August 09, 2005 edition Japan vote could see major shift By Bennett Richardson | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Success may mean Koizumi can accelerate a revival of the world's second-largest economy, said Paul Sheard, chief Asia economist at Lehman Brothers Japan Inc. in Tokyo. Failure probably would lead to the end of Koizumi's policies, said Toru Umemoto, chief currency analyst at Barclays Plc.
Koizumi's decision to call elections for Sept. 11 after parliament rejected his bill to sell the state-run postal service follows through on his statement after taking office in 2001: Nothing would be ``sacred'' in efforts to cut spending, close state-owned companies and revive the economy, he said.
``The defeat of the legislation ultimately could be a victory for reform,'' Sheard said. ``This is an election that's not going to be between the government and the opposition, but between the pro-Koizumi camp and his opposition in the LDP.''
【ロンドン9日時事】9日付の英紙タイムズは、参院での郵政民営化法案否決と衆院解散・ 総選挙を社説で取り上げ、小泉純一郎首相を米映画「真昼の決闘」の保安官になぞらえ て、日本の有権者は小泉首相を支持すべきだと論じた。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://search.thetimes.co.uk/cgi-bin/ezk2srch?-aSTART# August 09, 2005 High noon in Japan Japanese voters should back Koizumi
The LDP rebels would also like to hold up other reforms. The debacle in the Diet puts Japan at a crossroads: the choice between smaller government or the old-style high-spending big government. In fact, it is the LDP, challenged by the increasingly credible Democrats, that faces a moment of truth ? its most serious since losing office temporarily a decade ago. Can it rid itself of the factionalism that puts party above national interest, and of the conservatism that threatens to hold it back?
Mr Koizumi, an unconventional figure and aficionado of western movies such as High Noon, now faces his own showdown. He should step forward with guns blazing ? and the people of Japan should not forsake him.
小泉首相は、それまでの首相とは異なって経済運営の為にケインジアンのような郵貯資金 による公共事業支出に依存し無いという、多くの点で折り紙をつけるに値する政策を打ち 立てた。モルガン・スタンレー東京の主任エコノミスト、ロバート・フェルドマンの言う ように、郵政改革というのは結局のところ「大きな政府蚊、小さな政府かの議論」に落ち 着く。それは日本が「市場主義経済なのか、そうではないのか」という事でもある。 ("fight for the soul of the country. Is this a big-government country or a small -government country? Is it market-oriented or not?")
アナリストの中には選挙で小泉首相が敗退するという人もいるのだが、もしもそういう事 になれば、世界は今までと全く異なった日本を見ることになろう。(If Mr. Koizumi fails to get enough Diet seats to form the next government, as some analysts say could happen, the world could see a very different Japan.)
そういうわけであるのだから、日本の有権者にとっての選択肢は明確だ。一つの選択は日 本が経済的実力に相応しい国際政治の舞台での地位を求め、もう一方の選択は日本の存在 をアジアの中でのものにと格下げする。その選択を行うのは日本の有権者である。 (Thus the choice is clear. One would see Japan increasingly playing a political world role commensurate with its economic might, the other would relegate it to a regional one. It will be up to the Japanese to decide.) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー WSJにも危機感が。日本@岡田=韓国@ノムヒョン、という風に見えるのだと思われ。 まあ、見えるだけでなく、もし実現すればそうなるのだろうけれど;
フィナンシャル・タイムズ紙は1ページを割いて総選挙を特集したほか、コラム欄で 「来月の総選挙では郵政民営化と同じくらい中国、韓国との劣悪な関係が争点になるだ ろう」とのロナルド・ドーア・ロンドン大名誉教授の見方を伝えた。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ttp://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article304631.ece Koizumi forced to call election as MPs reject reform of postal system By David McNeill in Tokyo Published: 09 August 2005
Yet that outcome has been thrown into grave doubt by what has been dubbed a "suicide bomb dissolution". Mr Koizumi's daring gamble over what he considers a personal mission may yet pay off. But next month's election could as well pitch the opposition Democratic Party of Japan into power. Even if it doesn't, the LDP faces the possibility of being weakened by splits and the prime minister of becoming a lame duck or being ejected prematurely from office. In this country, the performance of the post office is undeniably a source of concern. In Japan, its much vaster counterpart could break one of the outstanding post-war prime ministers.
Analysts believe the Democratic party, the main opposition, could inflict a historic defeat on the LDP, which has governed almost uninterrupted for the past 50 years.(アナリストは、日本の過去50年間に渡って、政権を独占した自民党が、 野党の民主党に歴史的な敗退を喫することが出来ると信じている)
と書いているけれど、アナリストの名前も、「信じている」事の根拠も書いていない。 別のところで:
The opposition's chance could lie in persuading smaller parties to form a coalition government. New Komeito, the LDP's current coalition partner, which opposed the dissolution of parliament, has indicated it might be persuaded to switch loyalties.
But the snap election next month is likely to focus as much on the dire state of Japan's relations with China and Korea as on privatisation. (しかしながら、来月の選挙は日本外交の、韓国や中国に対する酷い状態が焦点にな るものと思われる)
Opinion polls show a bare majority think it "wiser" not to go. Mr Koizumi may think bravado and talking tough to the Chinese will win more votes than wisdom. (世論調査は日本国民の多数が靖国参拝をやめることが賢いと思っていることを示して おり、小泉首相のほうは中国にタフに対応することが有権者を獲得すると思っているか もしれない)
Yohei Kono, speaker of the lower house of Japan's Diet and a former foreign minister, got to the heart of it when he said last weekend: "We need an even- handed approach . . . We need to rethink our habit of doffing our caps to America on the one hand and talking down to the Chinese on the other." Perhaps he had in mind the Chinese charge that putting Japan on the UN Security Council would be giving two votes to the US.
ttp://news.ft.com/cms/s/a609261e-08eb-11da-880b-00000e2511c8.html (フィナンシャルタイムズ)Last updated: August 9 2005 17:08 Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Tokyo's Temple university, said the DPJ needed to sharpen up its policy stance quickly if it was to have a chance of forming the next government.
"This is a party that doesn't really have its act together," he said of the DPJ. "The only positive thing for the LDP at the moment is that its major opponent is also in deep disarray."
The Nikkei's advance beyond 12,000 was ``a significant breakthrough,'' said Uwe Parpart, a currency strategist at Bank of America Corp. in Hong Kong. ``Now that political uncertainty is much reduced, the force of positive economic data is coming through in the yen.''
``Money is flowing into Japan from overseas investors and is a yen positive,'' said Junya Tanase, a currency strategist in Tokyo at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
htp://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&cid=greiff&sid=azeQYHUbG2Tg Koizumi's Move to Purge Foes May Save Japan William Pesek Jr. August 9, 2005 18:13 EDT
そういうことなので 日本への投資を行う人は、小泉首相が成功すれば投資が上手くゆく のである。(Japan investors might be better off if he gets his way.) ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 小泉首相のやった、「造反自民党議員の排除」については外国人ジャパン・ウオッチャー が皆注目していて、成り行きを見守っている。おもすろいことに、経済・投資・株式関連 のアナリストはポジティブに、従来型の外交政治アナリストはネガティブに見る傾向があ りようで、後者はWSJにコラムを書いているRICHARD KATZ などがある。
If the LDP does hang on to power -- and it probably will -- Koizumi may succeed in loading his party with lawmakers who understand the importance of privatizing Japan Post.
In summary, there are clues to why there is such a divergence in fertility between Canada and the U.S., but there are no definitive answers. ・・・ Finally, changing values in the U.S. and Canada may be contributing to the fertility divergence. The stronger notional role of men in U.S. families and the greater religiosity of Americans are positively associated with fertility, and the latter is also a strong predictor of negative attitudes toward abortion. Increased total abortion rates per woman in Canada may be the result of changes in values, which are also reflected in the changes in the Canadian legal context
The U.N. clearly needs management reform and closer monitoring to prevent corruption. But neither of these cases sheds much light on what sins, if any, can be attributed to Secretary General Kofi Annan, or on how Saddam Hussein was able to manipulate the program to gain perhaps $2 billion in illicit revenue. For that, we must await next month's report.
What is most worrying about Mr. Sevan's insistence that he is nothing more than a victim of "well-established U.N. bashers" is that others still seem to feel some sympathy with that point of view. On Monday, Mark Malloch Brown, the chief of staff to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, repeated one of his boss's favorite metaphors, chastising the media for focusing "on the little black dots" of corruption rather than the "extraordinary network" of people and companies who made the oil-for-food program such a "success."
As long as any part of the institution or its defenders continues to believe that the oil-for-food disaster was an insignificant affair dreamed up by U.S. lawmakers and their friends in the media, it's hard to see how any reform, however beautifully structured on paper, will achieve much in practice. Reform begins with an end to self-delusion.
About 46% of respondents in a telephone poll by the daily Asahi Shimbun said they supported Mr Koizumi, up from 41% in a poll last month. A Mainichi Shimbun poll put his support at 46%, up from 37% in July.
This would hand victory to the anti-reform rebels and thereby entrench the depressing lesson that a reform-minded programme with a clear-cut ideological stance is an electoral liability in Japanese politics. Japan's democracy, not to mention its economy, would emerge impoverished.
Building on the credit he has won for perking up Japan's economy, Mr Koizumi therefore needs to spare no effort in explaining to voters why the country's ageing population and feeble growth rate require further reforms. In doing so, he can exploit the DPJ's opportunistic decision to oppose postal privatisation, which dented its reformist credentials. Having been brave enough to create this window of opportunity, Mr Koizumi now needs to use it deftly. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー FTも、民主党が郵政改革に反対したことをチクチク批判し、あまりにギャンブラー であるところの小泉手法にあきれながらも、国民に説得を尽くして支持を獲得し、政権 を維持して改革を促進すべきと書く。FTが小泉応援を明確に言うのは珍しいような気 もするけれど、この社説は改革者小泉を応援。
Foreign investors were also pouring money into Japan to buy stocks on the market's rally and on views that the country's long-anaemic economy is finally turning towards sustained expansion.
Koizumi's growing public support in polls since calling the election for Sept. 11 has also reassured foreign investors that Japan's premier is strengthening his standing after losing a parliamentary vote on privatising the postal system.
Three years from this week, the 2008 Olympics will open in Beijing, earning China the world's admiration and respect, or so Communist Party leaders hope. But one thing is missing, a respect for human rights.
No one wants to see a repeat of the Berlin Olympics. But unless the IOC wakes up to the need to put more pressure on Beijing, that risks becoming a more apt analogy than the success of the Seoul games.
The global finance industry will have to wait a little longer to get its hands on that $3,000bn of Japanese savings. ( Financial Times) 国際金融業は、もう少し待てば日本の郵貯の350兆円を 手にする事が出来る。(フィナンシャル・タイムズ) 2005年8月11日 木曜日
>Junichiro Koizumi, Japan’s prime minister, has lost the vote on his grand scheme >to privatise the country’s post office with its vast savings pool and will go to the >polls. For now, the village-pump communitarian face of Japanese conservatism has >won out over anti-bureaucratic, privatising radicalism. The global finance industry >will have to wait a little longer to get its hands on that $3,000bn of Japanese savings.
Hwang, a native of Korea, is completing her PhD dissertation, titled "Globalization, Strategic Culture and Ideas: Explaining Continuity in Korean Foreign Economic Policy," at Georgetown University, where she also lectures on international relations and political economy.
Other best-dressed men include Jake Gyllenhaal, Kanye West, Jude Law, George Clooney, Matt Lauer, Josh Lucas, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Jay-Z, pro quarterback Tom Brady, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan, U.N. Secretary -General Kofi Annan, Southern rock band My Morning Jacket, Luke Wilson, pro running back Curtis Martin, Paul Bettany, former President Clinton, Chris Martin, pro golfer Adam Scott and Donald Trump.
The rally in both shares and the yen was driven by hopes that the Japanese economy is finally moving out of its economic doldrums and and that reform will continue in spite of recent political chaos caused by the row over postal privatisation. The reform expectations were bolstered by polls showing support for Mr Koizumi has grown since dissolving parliament. His public approval rating has risen 4 percentage points to 47 per cent from July, according to a poll by Nikkei English News.
Credit Suisse First Boston raised its rating on Japan to its highest level ever. Shinichi Ichikawa, strategist at CSFB in Tokyo, said: “Today’s (sharemarket) gains are based on the belief that Japan’s economy is not only moving out of its soft patch, but that the end of deflation may also be near.”
People are taking advantage of freedom and technology to create new groups and cultural zones. Old national identities and behavior patterns are proving surprisingly durable. People are moving into self-segregating communities with people like themselves, and building invisible and sometimes visible barriers to keep strangers out.
Meanwhile, transnational dreams like European unification and Arab unity falter, and behavior patterns across nations diverge. For example, fertility rates between countries like the U.S. and Canada are diverging. Work habits between the U.S. and Europe are diverging. Global inequality widens as some nations with certain cultural traits prosper and others with other traits don't.
People like Max Weber, Edward Banfield, Samuel Huntington, Lawrence Harrison and Thomas Sowell have given us an inkling of how to think about this stuff, but for the most part, this is open ground.
It would be highly risky to predict the outcome of the election. According to expert observers, however, it seems fairly certain that the LDP is likely to lose some seats and the DPJ is likely to gain. If the DPJ gains enough, it might be possible for it to form a coalition with a minor party and take control of the government. It might thus be useful to speculate a little about what policies a DPJ government might pursue ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 今回の騒動の外電やシンクタンクの評論を見ていておもすろいのは(前にも書い たけど)従来型の学識豊富の学者が小泉あやうし、という危惧論で、そういうア カデミックには関係ない動物的直感(?)でやっている市場関係のストラテジス トが小泉有利とみて強気論なこと。恐らくは、こういう現象が起こることは、日 本の今の政治状況が何らかの分水嶺、転換点にあるからではないかと思われ。
This could be a good thing, and not just for Yahoo shareholders. The increased presence of Western business in China could, in theory, yield a freer flow of information. Sadly, this has not been the case so far: Western companies are proving to be of little help in combating the repressive methods of the Chinese Communist Party.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's strategy of framing a September election as a fight against anti-reformers could leave opposition party rivals out in the cold, analysts said on Thursday after opinion polls showed support for Koizumi and his party was on the rise
"Everything on TV is about Koizumi versus the 'old LDP'," said Chuo University political science professor Steven Reed. "The original idea was that this would divide the LDP and give the election to the Democrats, but if the question is who supports postal reform or not, the Democrats are irrelevant.
Make no mistake about it; Japan is crucially important to the United States and the West. A Japan that falls in the East like a dying bird could leave the East Asian region with only China to reckon with. By contrast, a healthy and relatively happy Japan is a very good thing not only for the West but for all of Asia as well.
That's why the West (and the rest) needs to appreciate the monumental and historic significance of the upcoming national election in Japan early next month. The vote is symbolically a nationwide referendum on the very future direction of Japan: On whether Japan will, by reforming, be able to grow and remain one of the world's major powers, or whether it will begin a defeatist slide into the category of the second-rates and the hasbeens.
But should the voters of Japan send a loud-and-clear message to the political elite that the prime minister was right to have laid so much on the line for reform, Japan itself will have sent a message to the world. It will be a message of change rather than stagnation, of hope rather than trepidation, of a willingness to meet the challenge of our globalized economic world rather than to shrink from it like some scared animal.
I conducted a quick and extraordinarily unscientific opinion poll of some of my sources and friends. Said one veteran and well-respected East Asian diplomat, "Personally, I wish the PM a resounding success." Commented a well-known British diplomat with long service in Asia: "One hopes he wins in a landslide." My own sentiments must be obvious by now.
If the Koizumi privatization plan does move forward, it will be a boon not only to the Japanese economy, but to its political system in particular and to the very idea of democracy in general. The political establishment is opposed in considerable part because the reform would eat away at its privilege, position and options (though some opponents, to be sure, generally think converting the postal system into a series of private-sector enterprises is a bad idea).
In a democracy, though, the ultimate yea or nay rests with the people. So what will the Japanese people say come Sunday, Sept. 11? Whatever they do say will be heard loud and clear around the world. This showdown vote bodes to become one of the most significant and dramatic political benchmarks of the postwar era . and possibly not just for Japan.
The end of Koizumi in those circumstances would almost certainly mean a prolonged period of political instability in Japan and the LDP's retreat from structural reform.
"This is the most unpredictable Japanese election in living history," says a senior foreign official. "At this stage, I don't think any sensible person will try to tell you they know what the outcome will be."
However, opinion polls by a number of Japanese media outlets indicate that over half of the general public support Koizumi's decision, which they see as honoring his pledges to the public. By risking his political life, Koizumi may see his political fortunes revived from the ashes. But he is taking an enormous risk. (郵政改革法案の否決後の衆議院解散という大胆な手法は多くのベテランの批判を浴びた のだが)それにもかかわらず、解散後の世論調査では国民は小泉首相の手法を評価してい る。自己の政治生命を掛けることによって、首相は法案否決後の灰のなかから蘇った。 しかしこの手法は、途方もないリスクを伴う。
If the legislature needs to be dissolved, then dissolved it should be. The government should be bold and put the issue to the public rather than allow a political stalemate to continue unresolved. This is the lesson we should learn from Koizumi's actions. In future amendments of the Constitution, we should also give serious consideration to granting the government the right to initiate the dissolution of the legislature.
``The yen has some very important structural factors playing in its favor: the current account surplus, foreign investment into local equities, and accelerating economic growth,'' said Michael Woolfolk, a senior currency strategist in New York at the Bank of New York
``Yen sentiment is finally on the mend,'' wrote a team of Lehman Brothers Inc. analysts led by James McCormick in London, the securities firm's head of global currency research, in a weekly note to sent to clients. ``Japanese capital markets are finally stirring,'' and the elections are ``being positioned as a referendum on Mr. Koizumi's structural reform agenda.''
Japan's machinery orders surged 11.1 percent in June as service companies expanded to profit from a rebound in consumer demand, a government report showed on the same day. The seasonally adjusted increase in orders, excluding shipping and utilities, was the biggest in seven months and compared with the 6.5 percent median gain forecast by 31 economists in a Bloomberg survey.
Risk taker/Signs of recovery/Privatisation plans/Wrong-footed/Media savvy
Japan's maverick prime minister knows how to woo the public. He found time amid the crisis to speak by telephone with a real Japanese hero: the astronaut in outer space aboard the space shuttle.
And early opinion polls say his support rate has now gone up. So there is at least a chance that his nation will back him, not sack him, in the elections... despite his un-Japanese way of doing things.
>Yet Japan has still to grasp that stilted though repeated expressions of sorrow and > regret have yet to meet the demand for proper atonement. >It persists in treating the outrage caused by the Government’s approval of a controversially > unapologetic school textbook as a “misunderstanding” of Japan’s education policies. > It is true that schools have a choice; and true that only 1 per cent of Japan’s schools use this textbook. >But the choice should not be available. Germany does not allow the glossing-over of the Nazi past. Japan, in its own interests, should be at least equally stern.
But what if Koizumi's forces win? In the best case, he would find himself reigning over a vastly different LDP?driven more by issues and voter accountability than by the obscure maneuverings of factions and vested interests. For Japan, that would be an epochal political shift. And if the margin of victory were large, Koizumi would get a broader mandate for reform
ttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/8942767/site/newsweek/ Economics as Kabuki Theater By Robert Madsen Newsweek International (Madsen is senior fellow at the Center for International Studies at MIT.)
More critically, a Koizumi defeat would be symbolically demoralizing. Even if the prime minister's reform efforts have been more spectacle than substance, he has nonetheless become the embodiment of the country's commitment to economic liberalization
選挙は9月11日なので、その結果を見なければ評価できないのだけれど、今現れている現象は 小泉首相にとって選挙のために好ましい、良いものである。この傾向が続くのであれば自民党が 過半数を越すかもしれない。(But if present trends hold, Mr. Koizumi will be rewarded at the polls next month with a larger LDP majority.)首相の支持率は議会解散後に10% 近く向上し、不支持率は36%程度に6%ばかり下がった。
とはいえ、まだ選挙は先の話なので、いろいろなことも起こりそうである。自民党に敵対する民主 党は昨日、同じよう日本を変えるのだと声明で述べている。すかす、何事が起ころうとも明らかで あることは、小泉首相がリーダーとして、彼自身の政治生命をかけて大胆に日本の人々をよりよき 道にと導こうとしていることである。(But whatever happens, Mr. Koizumi deserves high marks for being willing to risk his own future on a bold stroke of leadership that could lead to a better future for the people of Japan)
Sixty-eight percent of 60 traders, strategists and investors surveyed by Bloomberg News on Aug. 12 from Sydney to New York advised buying the yen against the dollar, up from 51 percent a week ago and the most since November. A majority also advised purchasing the yen versus the euro.
Traders may buy the yen on speculation Japan's economic expansion will extend into the fourth quarter and as support for Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is rising before Sept. 11 national elections.
Koizumi's Poll Numbers A report last week showed the world's second-biggest economy expanded in the first half at more than double the pace of the past five years. Koizumi called the elections on Aug. 8 after his plan to sell the nation's postal service was defeated. Koizumi had a job-approval rating of 51 percent in a survey taken by the Mainichi newspaper on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, an increase of 14 percentage points from last month. In a separate survey taken by Fuji Television Network, Koizumi had an approval rating of 57.2 percent, the Sankei newspaper said.
``Increases in approval rates are weakening political uncertainty, giving positive effects on the yen,'' said John Horner, a currency strategist at Deutsche Bank AG in Sydney. The prime minister called the elections in response to the defeat of his plan to sell the nation's postal service on Aug. 8. Koizumi, the longest-serving prime minister since 1987, staked his career on a sale that aimed to end government control of Japan Post's 350 trillion yen ($3.1 trillion) of assets.
Support for Koizumi The Washington Post publishes an editorial today supporting Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi, who has called an early election over the issue of postal savings system reform. Painful though it must be for the Post to support a conservative, the paper goes even further and advocates the effectiveness of market mechanisms over political-bureaucratic methods of capital allocation.
Prime Minister Koizumi continues to break the mold of postwar Japanese leaders. He is truly earning a place in history as a bold and visionary leader. Congratulations to the Post for recognizing this fact. Today's editorial is certain to be widely noted in Japan. ttp://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=2869
The new report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which does budget analysis for lawmakers in Washington, gave the latest proof that surging revenues and a steadily growing economy are combining to bring the deficit down from a record $412 billion posted last year. CBO predicts a $314 billion deficit for the budget year starting Oct. 1.
China is considering privatising a state-owned bank for the first time, with plans to auction a 51 per cent stake in Guangdong Development Bank to foreign and domestic investors.
Officials said that although foreign lenders would be limited to the current 25 per cent ownership cap, they might be able to gain control of the medium-sized bank in a joint venture with domestic companies.
All of these forces for change can be thought of as benign. Yet in paradoxical ways, tragedies, too, contributed to Asia's rise. The Korean War was painful and destructive. But it led to a strategic American decision to encourage the rebuilding of Japan's economy and society? although this sadly swept under the carpet the dreadful record of Japan's actions in World War II. Japan's economic success in turn inspired the four tigers. The Vietnam War was equally painful. But the U.S. decision to hold the line in Indochina allowed Southeast Asian countries to become dynamos, rather than dominoes. The historical verdict on U.S. involvement in Vietnam is unfair: despite the ignominious retreat by the U.S. from Saigon, Vietnam ultimately applied to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Japan's record in World War II was disastrous. But if Japan had not succeeded early in the 20th century, Asia's development would have come much later. Japan inspired the rise of Asia. Even South Korea, which suffered from brutal Japanese colonial rule, could not have taken off so fast without having Japan as a role model. Asia needs to send Japan a big thank-you note. The tragedy, of course, is that such words of gratitude will not be delivered while Japan remains ambivalent about its own identity, torn between Asia and the West.
When Asia's growth achieves a certain momentum by the end of the 21st century, Asian minds will inevitably come up with new conundrums. Why did their ancestors take so long to succeed and modernize? Why did Europe and not Asia trigger the Industrial Revolution? How could a few key capitals in Europe and America make decisions that determined Asian destinies? How could London ever have been more important than Bombay, or Paris more important than Beijing? These questions too will come.
The LDP's choice of Mr Horie, in particular, highlights a significant shift in what the party could come to represent.
自民党が堀江氏に声をかけたことは従来の自民党と、際立って路線の異なることを示すもので あろう。
Mr Horie, who antagonised some LDP elders when he tried to buy Fuji TV, represents a new breed of Japanese who does not follow the traditional code of behaviour cherished by the party's old guard.
Mr Koizumi's decision not to endorse or co-operate with those who opposed post office reform, but to sign on pro-privatisation candidates to stand against them, also marks a notable rejection of LDP tradition.
It has outraged the rebels, many of whom are party stalwarts, such as Shizuka Kamei, former LDP policy research head, and Takeo Hiranuma, former trade minister. It has also raised concerns among some party elders, who fear Mr Koizumi's tactics will destroy the party and antagonise the public.
Yoshiro Mori, former prime minister, said in an interview with the Asahi newspaper: “I wonder if what the prime minister is doing [by fielding candidates against the rebels] is something that suits the Japanese sensitivity.”
The rebels face a particularly difficult battle since Japan's system of single constituencies favours big parties. Further more, they will get no campaign funding from the LDP. But Mr Koizumi has said the so-called “assasins” are necessary to ensure voters who support his post office reform plan will have an LDP candidate to vote for.
KOREA: Spies from the United Nations <ストラテジー・ページの北朝鮮情報、8・15>
ttp://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=KOREA.HTM August 15, 2005: Seemingly out of nowhere, North Korea says it welcomes nuclear weapons inspections. Usually, when such offers are pursued, they prove to be worthless. But it is becoming clear that the leadership in the north is split over how to proceed. The country continues to fall apart, with discipline declining and corruption increasing. The military and security agencies fear that the government will lose control if their is any kind of large scale uprising. And this becomes more likely as more people get access to illegal cell phones and radios. ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 上の記述が何処からの情報を基にしているか書いてないので判断が難しい。(国連職員の 情報?)いっている事は:
The top U.S. diplomat on Asia, Christopher Hill, said Washington and Tokyo are "in very good sync" on the task of persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs at talks also involving China, Russia and South Korea. "I know there's an election in Japan, but it doesn't mean there isn't going to be a government in Japan, so I'm sure we'll be able to work closely together and I'm sure there will be real continuity in what we need to get done," Hill said.
But if the six-party talks fail to disarm North Korea and Washington seeks coercive measures such as economic sanctions, a less hawkish leader than Koizumi might balk, Berger said. "The only sanctions that would have any bite at all, given that the South Koreans and the Chinese are not likely to go along, are the ones which Japan can apply," he said. "We may not get a leader who is as cooperative as Koizumi," said Berger, who credited Koizumi with ending taboos born out of World War Two that denied the United States Japan's military help in 1990s crises with Iraq and North Korea.
by Japan which, sixty years after its rendering, is always in search of an autonomous identity on the world scene.
Japanese have to make, on three broad topics: alignment on a liberal capitalism with Anglo-Saxon or social democrat orientation; methods of government - those, brutal, that Mr. Koizumi practises, or others in conformity with a democracy based on the compromise; finally, the place of Japan on the regional scene.
But the absolute priority granted to the bonds with the United States blocks an Asian direction of community which would contribute to reabsorb the risks of confrontation.
小泉首相が8月15日に行った、日本の20世紀前半での行動へのお詫び演説というのは、おな じみの中国や韓国の非難に考慮したもので、つまり日本がその過去の戦争犯罪を謝罪していない というものなのだけれど、それを受けた中国の怒りっぽい(churlish)反応というの見れば、 中国が歴史を(その本来以上に)カードにしていることがわかる。(China's churlish official reaction to the apology shows, on the other hand, that history is less a thorn than a useful card for Beijing to play.)
これから良くわかることは、中国が日本に求める「行動」というのは日本が国際社会での大望を諦 めることである。小泉首相がブッシュ大統領の要請に応じてイラクに自衛隊を出兵させていること は、世界第二の経済大国である日本が、その地位にふさわしい活動をしている。中国が多分、日本 の、より力強い外交政策と付き合うようになるまでは、中国から見て、日本の謝罪は充分ではない のだろう。(Until China can come to terms with the more muscular Japanese foreign policy, then in Beijing's eyes, Tokyo will never be able to apologize enough.) ーーーーーーーーーーー 最後のセンテンスが暗示的。
ttp://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=koizumi&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d Koizumi Japan's fourth-longest-serving PM Science Daily (press release) - 42 minutes ago TOKYO, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday became the fourth-longest-serving Japanese prime minister of the postwar period.
Some market players cited the Sept. 11 snap election as one reason for their buying. "There are high hopes among foreigners, in particular, for reformist Prime Minister (Junichiro) Koizumi. The growing likelihood that Koizumi's coalition will win the election is very much welcomed by foreigners," said Mitsuhiro Nakano, a general manager at Daiwa Securities.
Takafumi Horie, the founder of Internet start-up Livedoor who dresses in a trademark T-shirt, became a celebrity this year for his aggressive bid to take over Japan's most watched network Fuji Television. He has indicated he is ready to join Koizumi's ticket in the September 11 vote,(ry ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー 日本の選挙戦での、ホリエモン騒動を伝える外電、インドにまで噂が流れるとは。
Foreigners were net buyers of Japanese shares for the ninth successive week, making net purchases of Y721.9bn ($6.58bn) last week. Over the nine weeks, net purchases amounted to more than Y3,000bn ($24.37bn).
Jesper Koll, economist at Merrill Lynch, added: “For the first time in almost a decade, all the components of private demand ? domestic consumption and capex as well as exports are on track as steady engines of growth.”
Goldman Sachs on Thursday forecast the Koizumi administration would remain in power and continue on a path of structural reform. It forecast the LDP would win about 241 seats in the lower house, compared with 249 currently. “The LDP is very likely to maintain a majority through its coalition with the Komeito [party] and may even maintain a majority on its own,” it said.
The leaders of four of Iraq's Sunni tribes had rallied their fighters in response to warnings posted in mosques by followers of Zarqawi. The postings ordered Ramadi's roughly 3,000 Shiites to leave the city of more than 200,000 in the area called the Sunni Triangle. The order to leave within 48 hours came in retaliation for alleged expulsions by Shiite militias of Sunnis living in predominantly Shiite southern Iraq.
"We have had enough of his nonsense," said Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Albu Ali clan, referring to Zarqawi. "We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.''
ロイター:日本のインターネット長者、堀江氏は無所属で出馬、事実上の自民候補 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ロイターのホリエモン無所属出馬の記事。ロイターは外国人読者に向けての視線、価値観で 記事を書いているので日本人特派員の書いた記事でも、そうした味付けになっていて堀江氏 にはとても好意的なスタンスの記事になっている。 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー Many young Japanese backed Horie, but the T-shirt clad author of "Earning Money is Everything: From Zero to 10 Billion Yen, My Way" offended others, including members of the LDP's old guard. (堀江氏には多くの支持者があるものの、Tシャツを着た「お金がすべて:ゼロから100億円への 私のやり方」という本を書いた氏には、自民党の長老などを含め、反発する人もいる)
The LDP's celebrity tactic has sparked some criticism but is succeeding in keeping the spotlight off the opposition. "Koizumi is very skilled at how to fight and at setting the agenda," said Yasunori Sone, a Keio University professor.
More than half -- 55.5 percent -- of respondents to a survey by the Sankei newspaper and private broadcaster Fuji TV said they wanted the LDP to lead the next government and 49.3 percent said they wanted Koizumi to stay on as prime minister.
It was cast as a clash between the stodgy business establishment and a maverick entrepreneur, and Mr Horie won widespread support from young people, but offended a lot of the old guard of the governing LDP. The battle ended in compromise, but firmly established Mr Horie as a reformer.
That is why the Japanese prime minister worked hard to try to sign him up to fight for a seat held by a leading opponent of post office reform.
"This is not an election," said Kevin Ochi, a real estate entrepreneur and political commentator. "It is a referendum on Japan's transition to a new future. There is a wave coming and Horie has jumped on it. What he is doing and what I am doing is we're talking about transformation and change, really important change."
"The election is about a new and more adventurous way of doing business," he said.
「この選挙は、新しい、より冒険的なビジネスのやり方についての選挙なのだ」とオチ氏は言う。
Motivating people under 30, of whom 60 per cent do not vote, may end up being a by-product of the recruitment of celebrity election candidates. Although about three-quarters of Japan's population was born after World War II, the political arena is clogged with staid elderly men. Mr Koizumi, who has flair, says he wants to recruit more women candidates to attract voters, but sceptics say this could be just colourful window dressing.
The elections are widely seen here as a referendum on the future course of Japan, both the sorts of measures the country will take to rejuvenate its low-growth $5 trillion economy, and whether it will alter a pacifist foreign policy adopted after defeat in World War II.
The envoy, Jay Lefkowitz, has previously been White House deputy assistant for domestic policy and has also been a member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
Suzanne Scholte, a leader of the North Korean Freedom Coalition, said her umbrella group of religious and rights activists had been eagerly waiting for the appointment "This man I understand is close to President Bush so that means he'll have his ear on North Korean human rights, so we're very excited about the appointment," she said. "It's so critical that we let the North Korean people know that we know that they're suffering," said Scholte, whose coalition will stage protests and prayer meetings in Washington at the weekend to support human rights in North Korea.
Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator in the six-party talks, said this week that he had raised human rights during the recent session in Beijing. He described rights scrutiny as the "cost of admission" to international society. "This should not be thought of as a provocative act, this is not a question of a bilateral issue," he said, noting that human rights are enshrined in the U.N. Charter. "I am sure that this will not be an impediment to reaching an eventual agreement," Hill told a gathering at a Washington think tank on Wednesday.
TOKYO Laying out a new policy agenda ahead of national elections next month, Japan's governing party outlined a vision for the country's future on Friday that called for shrinking the size of government, taking a more assertive stance in Asia and strengthening the Japanese military.