Archive for September, 2010

Tokyo Governor Denounces China’s Yakuza-like Diplomacy

Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara has never been a fan of the Chinese government, so he is obviously not pleased about Japan’s decision to cave in and release the trawler captain who rammed two Japanese coast guard ships:

In the above clip, Ishihara calls on the Japanese media to get the video tape of the boat collision so it can report the truth about the incident. He also states that China behaved “like Yakuza.”

There are also a couple comments from random people on the street. One man says the Japanese government was too weak, while another says it couldn’t be helped because the Chinese had detained Japanese citizens.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Penguins Die from Heatstroke at Japanese Zoo

The first penguin to die was a 22-year-old female on Aug. 19. Through Sept. 21, four more penguins died — three females and one male, aged from four to 15 years. Dissections of the bodies determined that the penguins had died from dehydration and other symptoms of heatstroke.

Blood tests of the remaining eight penguins showed problems such as impaired kidney and liver function, leading the zoo to close the penguin exhibit from Sept. 22 and begin administering vitamins and taking other measures for the penguins’ health.

Records from the Toyama Local Meteorological Observatory show that on the days when the penguins died, the maximum recorded temperatures in the city were from 29.4 to 33.6 degrees. A zoo representative said that although the zoo had taken measures including setting up running water on the land part of the penguin exhibit and installing mist-blowing machines, these steps appear to have been insufficient for protecting the penguins from dehydration.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

China Demands Japanese Apology & Compensation

Japan caved in to Chinese pressure and released the trawler captain who rammed two Japanese coast guard ships, but they have failed to put an end to Chinese anger. Now the Chinese government is demanding that Japan apologize and pay compensation because it “violated the human rights” of a Chinese citizen:

The Chinese Foreign Ministry declared that “Japan must apologize and pay damages to China over this incident,” the first time that China has made such demands in the standoff over the detention of Zhang, who arrived at Fuzhou in the Chinese province of Fujian early on the morning of Sept. 25.

[...]

A declaration by China’s Foreign Ministry on the captain’s arrest stated that Japan had “flagrantly violated the territorial and sovereign rights of China and the human rights of its citizens.” It continued, “The Chinese government proclaims its strong protest.”

The Japanese government has refused China’s latest demands…for now. China has yet to call off the punitive measures it has taken against Japan, and it may decide to continue punishing Japan until it gets an apology and reparations payments. Hopefully, the Japanese government will have enough spine to resist such disgustingly ridiculous requests.

The Economist and the Diplomat have both argued that China’s bullying behavior in this case will convince its neighbors that China is not their friend, something that will hurt China in the long-run. China has shown itself to be an immature brute that cannot be trusted:

This has also been a test of China, though in a way the country seems not to understand. Its actions have called into question its maturity as a responsible international actor and undermined its pretensions to a “peaceful rise”. Other states observe a host of traditions to help see them work through border disputes and express their displeasure with one another. The melodrama of China’s reaction, entirely disproportionate to the matter at hand, made it impossible for the two sides to find a mutually acceptable outcome. The acute crisis may be over but this resolution is sure to usher in an extended period of chill between the countries.

Which is a terrible outcome. Until recently, both countries had seen their economies flourishing as a result of strengthening trade ties. Since 2009 China has been Japan’s number-one trading partner. And the new Democratic Party of Japan government is the most pro-China administration in recent times. All this goodwill is lost.

However, even if China has build up a lot of ill will in the region, it is still rising and it is still powerful. The kids on the playground may know and distrust the bully, but nobody seems to have enough guts to stand up to him. China forced Japan to bend to its will, and it will probably continue using such tactics to force its neighbors to do the same.

There are a few signs of hope. While China was refusing to meet with Japan at the UN in New York, Prime Minister Kan met with Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold, who has agreed to help supply Japanese companies with rare earth metals:

China’s threat to ban the export of rare earth metals to Japan has been seen as a major sign that foreign companies are relying far too much on the Chinese, who currently supply 90% of the world’s rare earth metal needs. Several companies have already announced an acceleration of plans to develop non-Chinese sources of rare earth metals.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Illegal Dumping Prevention

A news report embeds itself with a police task force in Shizuoka prefecture that goes after people who illegally dump trash:

When they find an illegal dumping site, they send a stakeout team to watch the spot so that anyone who tries to dump again in the same place will be caught in the act. Because the dumping takes place in wooded mountainous areas, the cops wear camouflage and sneak around like commandos.

Sometimes, the illegal dumpers are a clever bunch. When dumping appliances and other junk in the woods, they cover it with dirt so it looks like it is just a harmless soil-dumping area. Other times, they aren’t so clever, such as the employees of a failed recycle shop who are arrested for starting a big bonfire and burning old appliances.

The police stakeout shown in the video drags on for 88 days until they finally arrest one man who is dumping a small load of trash. The man admits his guilt and is generally cooperative. Although he can face up to 5 years in jail and a 10,000,000 yen fine, the Japanese legal system will probably give him a suspended prison sentence if this is his first arrest. One man has been stopped, but there are many other illegal dumpers who have not been caught, including some who used the same spot. Even if this man is given a hefty fine, it might not equal the cost of paying a team of police officers to hold an 88-day stakeout.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japanese Girl Turns into Sloth

A Japanese commercial turns a girl into a sloth (until she discovers how easy it is to apply for car insurance online):

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japan Caves In To Chinese Pressure: Releases Trawler Captain

The Chinese trawler captain who was arrested for ramming two Japanese coast guard patrol ships is going to be released without any charges:

The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office said Friday that it has decided to free a detained Chinese fishing boat captain involved in collisions at sea early this month near a chain of disputed islets.

The Chinese captain was arrested on Sept. 8 by Japanese investigative authorities on suspicion of causing his ship to collide with a Japan Coast Guard vessel near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.

More from the Wall Street Journal:

Japan has been deemed overwhelmingly the loser in the strange game of chicken that’s been escalating between Beijing and Tokyo over the past week — at least judging from a sampling of the immediate vitriolic reaction toward Tokyo in the virtual world.

In the seconds after Japan announced it would release the Chinese ship captain who has been in Japanese custody, Tokyo’s decision was lambasted as weak and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan as unable to govern.

“This nation really does not have foreign policy and has no ability…it’s a shame that [Japan] easily gave up their last cards. They [Chinese] are shaking us up badly,” moaned one person on Twitter. Another said more simply: “How do you say ‘cave’ in Chinese?” Yet another tweeted: “Due to the DPJ, democracy and the notion of a nation’s sovereignty are about to be lost. I’m amazed to see their inability to govern. They’re worse than the LDP which was in power before.”

Ever gentlemanly, an official from the Okinawa prosecutors’ office said at a hastily called press conference Friday afternoon: “We decided it was inappropriate to continue the investigation while keeping the suspect in custody any further, considering the future of the Japan-China relationship,”

Japan had originally insisted that it would not allow foreign political pressure to decide how its prosecutors enforce the law within Japanese territory, but it looks like they weren’t prepared to stick to their principals. It sends a clear message to China: the next time it wants Japan to cave in and do its bidding, it need only throw a big tantrum and detain a few Japanese citizens.

Hopefully, the fact that the prosecutor’s office will no be taking this case to trial will mean that the videotape of the ramming can now be shown to the general public. We might at last be able to put aside the controversy over who rammed who, although it doesn’t much matter anymore because the Japanese government proved to be too cowardly to enforce its own laws within territory it claims is part of Japan.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)