Archive for May, 2011

DVD Piracy in Japan

NTV news reports on shops in Osaka that sell pirated DVD’s, and the measures being taken to stop the piracy:

They visit the Nipponbashi area of Osaka, which is described as a “lawless” area containing over 70 shops that deal in pirated copies of DVD’s. Newly released DVD’s with retail prices of around 3000 yen are being copied and sold for 500 yen. Although the report does not directly say so, the signs on the stores and the censored DVD cases make it pretty clear that it the shops are selling copies of porno movies.

They follow around a group of men in suits. They are not police officers – they are representatives of the companies that hold the copyright to the films in question. They are visiting stores that sell pirated movies and delivering legal threats. Those selling pirated dvd’s are told that they are breaking the law and face huge fines. Shop owners are made to sign statements acknowledging their infractions and promising to halt the sale of illegal copies. If stores to do not cooperate, the police are called in. In the report, the store owners feign ignorance of the illegality of dvd piracy, but they cooperate and sign the papers.

By sending private investigation teams instead of police, the copyright holders can obtain information about the names and signatures of the store’s owners and managers. If a the signed warnings are ignored and the store resumes the sale of pirated dvd’s, copyright holders might have a better chance of going after the people in charge, rather than arresting and convicting a few low level employees.

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

Household Energy Saving Tips

Summer is coming. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has been working to replace some of the capacity that it lost due to the Fukushima nuclear accident, but there is still a chance that Tokyo will suffer electricity shortages when millions of households in Tokyo start to turn on their air conditioners.

TEPCO says it will have a maximum capacity of 52 about gigawatts. That won’t be enough to deal typical summer electricity usage. Last summer’s usage peaked at around 60 gigawatts.

If everyone makes little sacrifices, there will apparently be no major problems. The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, has estimated that 2.5 to 3.1 gigawatts of electricity can be saved if households within the Tokyo region follow through with the following measures:

“Even if individual families can reduce only modest amounts of electricity, the aggregate savings will become substantial,” it said.

Specifically, 640 megawatts can be slashed if households set air conditioners one degree higher.

Unplugging appliances can save 380 megawatts, while 220 to 440 megawatts can be cut by keeping air conditioner filters clean.

Not overloading fridges can lead to savings of 370 megawatts, while 150 to 360 megawatts can be saved by turning off lights frequently.

In addition, if washing, cleaning and cooking are done in the morning or at night, power consumption can fall by 430 megawatts in the afternoon.

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

Japanese Maid Modifies a Furby

Amano Ai (aka Julie Watai) rewires a Furby:

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American Court Orders Japanese Ex-Wife to Pay $6.1 Million to Christopher Savoie

Back in 2009, the American media made a huge deal out of the case of Christopher Savoie, an “American” man whose Japanese wife “kidnapped” their children and brought them to Japan in violation of an American court order. When Savoie went to Japan and tried to reclaim his children by force, he was arrested. The Savoie case was presented as a case of an American trying to rescue his American children from an unjust country that had refused to sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

American media reports often left out important details of the Savoie case, such as the fact that he was a Japanese citizen (who was technically required to renounce his American citizenship when he naturalized). The fact that his children had spent most of their lives in Japan and the fact that he filed for divorce shortly after his Japanese wife and children arrived in the United States were downplayed or simply not reported. Savoie’s new wife, with whom he had an affair before divorcing his Japanese wife, was given free reign to appear on CNN and slander the Savoie’s Japanese ex-wife. It was a very ugly spectacle.

Savoie was released soon after his arrest and allowed to return to America. He continued to campaign for the return of his children, and the American media continued to print stories that were sympathetic to his cause.

Now, there is a new development in his case. It seems that he filed a court case in America, demanding that his Japanese ex-wife pay damages. He won the case:

A judge has awarded a Tennessee man $6.1 million from his ex-wife who took their two children to Japan and never returned.

It remains unclear whether Christopher Savoie will ever actually get the money on behalf of his children, 10-year-old Isaac and 8-year-old Rebecca.

Savoie, who was quite wealthy as the founder CEO of a bio tech firm, had paid $800,000 to his ex-wife as part of their American divorce. Beyond that amount, it’s highly unlikely that she has much money to pay the damages that the court has ordered.

A couple weeks ago, Japan announced that it will be joining the Hague Convention. Since Savoie’s ex-wife had brought her children back to Japan in defiance of an American court order, it seems that Savoie will have the advantage under the Convention, so he might be able to take the children “back” to their “home” in the United States. The settlement of financial damages, however, may be another matter.

Update: I must make a correction. Someone has pointed out to me that the Hague Convention is not retroactive, so it could not apply to the Savoie case.

As the Hague Convention can provide no help to Savoie, he will be using this latest court order as an alternative method. According to a local news source in Tennessee, an American court ruling regarding the “breaching their custody contract and infliction of emotional distress” could have authority in Japan:

“The main purpose is so that we can obtain orders that can be actually enforced in Japan. They will only enforce orders that award money damages for breach of contract, money damages for committing civil wrongs,” said Christopher Savoie’s attorney, Joseph Woodruff.

If that’s true, Savoie might be using this to force his ex-wife to give up custody of the children. If she refuses, she would probably be forced into bankruptcy, since she obviously does not have 6 million dollars. Savoie is sending her a message: “Give back the kids, I don’t bankrupt you.”

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Foreign Pop Stars Jilt Japan (Silly Taiwanese CGI News Video)

Taiwan’s NMA.TV has created an animated news report about foreign musicians cancelling their Japan tours because of radiation fears:

“Some US musical acts are considering canceling their Japanese tours due to lingering fears of radiation and earthquakes following the tsunami. Justin Bieber’s crew refused to go, but he and his manager whipped them into shape. Others like Avril Lavigne have flat out nixed their performances, which is no doubt seen as a grave insult to the proud Japanese people. Even metal band Anthrax has cancelled. With a name like Anthrax, you’d think they wouldn’t be afraid of a little radiation. The musicians should reconsider canceling their shows. Things will get ugly if the Japanese must entertain themselves.”

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Fukushima Radiation Map

A joint survey conducted by the Japanese and U.S. governments has produced a detailed map of ground surface radioactive contamination within an 80-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant:

After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, those living in areas with more than 555,000 becquerels of cesium-137 per square meter were forced to relocate. However, the latest map shows that accumulated radioactivity exceeded this level at some locations outside the official evacuation zones, including the village of Iitate and the town of Namie.

“I am surprised by the extent of the contamination and the vast area it covers,” said Tetsuji Imanaka, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute. “This (map) will be useful in planning evacuation zones as well as the decontamination of roads and public facilities.”

The map confirms in greater detail what was already known: most of the leaked radioactive material went to the northwest, with relatively high amounts reaching areas slightly outside of the 30-kilometer evacuation zone. Iiitate, which is outside the original evacuation zone, yet is covered with a streak of red on the map, is in the process of being evacuated.

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)