Japan's Prime Minister Aso is Undervalued in Japan

Aso falls victim to media attacks — Kwan Weng Kin

For Aso is clearly a victim of Japan's four privately owned television networks, which seem to treat politics no differently from any other form of programming — namely, the subject must be entertaining, or else.

In Japan, many bloggers have blasted their media for biased reporting against Aso, saying they have played down his strong points while keeping mum about the opposition's weaknesses.

In a piece for the Sankei Shimbun last December, American economist Richard Koo held up Aso as one of the few Japanese prime ministers who understand the problems in the country's economy and whose policies he says are being studied by foreign leaders.

It is therefore “sheer madness” for the Japanese media to want to destroy Aso over such trivial failings as mispronouncing a Chinese character, said Koo, who works for the Nomura Research Institute.

I'm one of the bloggers against the mad Japanese media. Those media do much harm to Japan.

Japan's Cash Handouts Policy

Japan Prime Minister Aso Taro decided to cash handouts, 12,000yen (about $120) for each person.

I'm for this policy. The government isn't good at using money. For instance, the government often builds useless architectures. On the other hand, people can decide how to use their money cleverer than the government does, because people know what they want. So tax refund is better than governent's spending. This is the reason why I'm for the cash handouts.

But many people seem to dislike the policy, according to some newspaper surveys. The major opinion is that there must be a better way to use the money than "stupid" cash handouts.

I don't thinks so, as I told above.

How about you?

[Sources]

*1 The Canadian Press: Government cash handout? Stupid, wasteful idea, Japanese say

But polls show most Japanese oppose the idea - though many confess they'll take the money anyway.

*2 The Associated Press: Japan PM calls for new economic stimulus package

Faced with dismal public approval ratings, he has launched a one-time cash handout of 12,000 yen, or about $120 per person, as the centerpiece of a recent stimulus package to revive the economy.

Survey on Pollen Allergy

GlaxoSmithKline announced that they had learned from their survey, which 500 people with pollen allergy had answered, that people thought hay fever could lower business productivity, especially concentration.

According to the announcement (written in Japanese):
* People sleep on an average of 1.2 hours less during pollen allergy seasons.
* What hay fever causes people to suffer the most is sleep.
* 96.2% people agreed that they lose concentration.

This week, many people started to claim that pollens are in the air. We can't avoid the tough pollen season every year. Our enemies are invisible. They stalk us. They can be anywhere. We have nowhere to escape. We defeated them last year. But it has just come back again. Now is the time for survival. It's our destiny. It's inevitable for us in Japan.

Governator Will Purge 20,000 Gov Workers

California Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger will lay off 20,000 government workers. This lay off is completely opposite to the Stimulus Package by the Federal government.

This is the best policy I have ever seen during this crisis. All we need now is a decrease in govermental spending, not an increase. Tax cuts are better than stimulus plans.

I admit that some unpleasant effects could be caused by government downsizing. It's a Californians' choise.

In my opinion, possible failures caused by government downsizing can be fixed by upsizing, while failures by upsizing aren't. It'll take long time to downsize once it's upsized. That's why I think downsizing is better.

What USB Is Short For

Ubiquitous Square Bestowal

There are many USB gadgets that get only power from USB ports, not data.

Even if you aren't a PC user, some USB gadgets will help you.

For example, aroma diffusers:

Follow Up: 'Rape' Video Game

Rapelay will provide "rape experience", as Belfast Telegraph called the game "rape simulation game". This can be the reason why the United Kingdom politician made an action to prohibit sales of such games.

Here's another point of view. Are Japanese people more torelant of such political correctness matters --- especially violence, sexual crime, and human rights --- than western people?

Most Japanese believe that rape is a serious crime, but it's not prohibited making, selling, playing such games so far in Japan.

The difference, if exists, perhaps comes from a religious difference. Not only the majority of Japanese are not Christian, but also most Japanese are not devout whatever a religion they have.

腹芸: Stomach Art? No, Conspiracy Art

Follow up: N.Korea Affairs

I wrote "Kim Jong-il is preparing to strike Japan, but he wouldn't really do that" yesterday. Here's why I think so.

They will never shot the missile. It's a mind game. In Japanese, 心理戦(shin-ri-sen) or 腹芸(hara-gei). "腹芸" literally means "conspiration art." Every politician need 腹芸 skill to achieve their goals.

腹 is a stomach. So a true literally meaning of 腹芸 is "stomach art." Why 腹(stomach)? Here's the reason. Japanese have believed that our mind exists inside our stomach, not inside our brain.

More examples of 腹(stomach/brain):

"腹黒い" literally means "black stomach" but actually means "of conspiracy." For example, "彼は腹黒い" means "He is a man of conspiracy."

"腹を割って話す" literally means "cut one's stomach and talk" but actually means "talk frankly."

Samurais executed 切腹(ハラキリ) himself to express their loyalty to their masters, without any conspiracy.

Follow up: N.Korea Affairs

I wrote "Kim Jong-il is preparing to strike Japan, but he wouldn't really do that" yesterday. Here's why I think so.

They will never shot the missile. It's a mind game. In Japanese, 心理戦(shin-ri-sen) or 腹芸(hara-gei). "腹芸" literally means "conspiration art." Every politician need 腹芸 skill to achieve their goals.

North Korea has less money, less food, less military forces. They have trump cards for negotiations---missiles, nukes, abducted Japanese. They will draw our financial and food supports.

The only way of their survival is an international mind game. We need tough negotiators.


More about 腹芸: 腹芸: Stomach Art? No, Conspiracy Art

Japan Supports Asia Trade

Japanese government easily spend a lot of money for foreign contries without appealing Japan's international presence. How is "return on investment" counted?

Under the scheme, Japan will lend a combined $1 billion mainly to banks in Asian developing countries to make it easier for them to back import and export settlements.

Tokyo hopes the measure will support trade in Asia, which has taken a beating as weakening global demand hit many of the region's export-reliant economies.

Fears of a rising risk of protectionism was among the focus of debate at the two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the G7 industrial powers plus Russia in Rome.

I'm frustrated with Aso administration. If they spend Japanese money for foreign countries, Japan needs some return. That's not just interest of loan, but also appreciation and good impression of foreign people. Friendly relationships enable free trade. That's not a matter of pride, but practical economic interests.

North Korea Begins Psychological Operations

Kim Jong-il is preparing to strike Japan, but he wouldn't really do that:

Other reports from the US and South Korea indicate that Pyongyang is assembling an intercontinental ballistic missile at a launch site on its east coast. The suggestion is that the Taepodong-2 missile – which could strike a target anywhere in Japan – could be fired before the end of the month and is a show of force to the incoming administration of President Barack Obama.

They will never shot the missile. It's a mind game. Every politician need "mind game" skill to achieve their goals.

North Korea has less money, less food, less military forces. They have trump cards for negotiations---missiles, nukes, abducted Japanese. They will draw our financial and food supports.

The only way of their survival is an international mind game. We need tough negotiations.

See the follow up of this.

Rapelay: 'Rape' Video Game

Amazon has decided to halt sales of a Japanese 'rape' video game. Even the game will harm some people's feelings, Amazon.com will show alerts and confirmation dialogs before users enter into adult category in the website. Users can choose to see it or not. Yes, it's the "free to choose" policy. Why does Amazon want to quit selling them?

FOXNews.com - Amazon Halts Sales of Japanese 'Rape' Video Game - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News

"We determined that we did not want to be selling this particular item," an Amazon spokeswoman said.

Exclusive: Amazon selling rape simulation game - Local & National, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Mr Vaz said: “It is intolerable that anyone would purchase a game that simulates the criminal offence of rape."

What about gun shooting games? Is raping worse than killing?

The Road to Totalitarianism

Economics crash have people united. Well, it has been repeated several times in the 20th century. Fear make people gather to Totalitarianism. I think every policy maker needs to read "The Road to Serfdom", the Nobel Prize economist F.Hayek wrote 6 decades ago.

Hayek’s central thesis is that all forms of collectivism lead logically and inevitably to tyranny, and he used the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany as examples of countries which had gone down “the road to serfdom” and reached tyranny. Hayek argued that within a centrally planned economic system, the distribution and allocation of all resources and goods would devolve onto a small group, which would be incapable of processing all the information pertinent to the appropriate distribution of the resources and goods at the central planners’ disposal.
-The Road to Serfdom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How Repealing the Corporate Tax Work

Companies invest the money out of NOPAT(net operating protit after tax). The corporate tax rate is high(35%). If the corporate tax is repealed, NOPAT is equal to NOPBT(net operating profit before tax).

Suppose company A has $10 bn NOPBT. Its NOPAT is $6.5 bn when the corporate tax rate is 35%. If it is repealed, NOPAT will raise $10 bn; NOPAT=NOPBT. Remember companies invest their money from their FCF(free cash flow). FCF is nearly equal to NOPAT. So the company, and the entire American economy, has 54% much money to invest. (10/6.5=154%)

Economics tells us "the government is less effective than the market." So the company, the case above, using additional $3.5 bn FCF is more effective than the goverment taking it as tax and spending to something, whatever.

If I were an American citizen, I would be disappointed in the President.

I were an American citizen last year, I would be a Republican and vote for McCain. Even though Obama is a strong and attractive leader, his economic policies are pointless.

Libertarian in Tokyo: G.Mankiw on Protectionism

Jeffery Miron proposed "Repeal the Corporate Income Tax" with that idea I'm totally agree.

G.Mankiw on Protectionism

Perhaps Mr. Mankiw thinks the Treasury secretary to be a protectionist, and the Obama administration, too:

So when the Treasury secretary complains about the undervalued yuan, his message to the Chinese boils down to this: Stop lending us money.

...

DIRECTING attention to the China currency issue amid a worldwide recession and growing fears of depression is more than a distraction. It is downright counterproductive. Senators Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, have long proposed dealing with the yuan undervaluation by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports. The Treasury secretary’s comments risk stoking those protectionist embers.

...

Despite having hired many first-rate economists with impeccable free-trade credentials, the president has been only tepid in his public opposition to this creeping protectionism.

He wrote "It is downright counterproductive." It sounds ironically.

Umbrella are plants

After a few rainy days, umbrellas without owners will sprout spontaneously at your umbrella stand. From this point of view, I conclude that the umbrella is a plant.

What Mario Does Before He Takes The Princess Back

Luigi: They kidnapped Princess Peach again!
Mario: What!? Bring me my PC right now!
Luigi: Oh, are you going to trace them by satellite?
Mario: I'm buying Nintendo stock.

Is the Free Newspaper Act a Good Idea?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will give 18 year old people a year-long free subscription to a newspaper.

A French domestic matter is not my business. Let me change the subject a little bit. What if this occurred in Japan? It's a bad policy for three reasons:

First, I have the right to choose whether to read a newspaper or not. Someone might think everyone should read a newspaper, but I don't think so. Don't push reading newspapers onto others. Good fences make good neighbors. Read "On Liberty" by J.S. Mill.

Secondly, young people already have an alternative way of reading news without charge. It's the web. What's the problem with young people leaving printed media? Oh, technophobia? If you have technophobia, I want to ask you: why do you hate information technology even though you love printing technology? It's not technology that technophobians hate, it's change or learning.

Finally, the third reason is that the "free newspaper act" is apparently a bailout for the newspaper industry. It's not fair. Does the goverment give my company their money? If everyone made an effort to take government money, the taxes would increase. Every bit of spending must be redeemed in the future. There's no free lunch.

This is a paternalistic intervention into the free market. It will break the market mechanism. I'm against rationing policies.

Well, I don't know whether French people like it or not. It's not my business. I'm not bothered at all.

Highway Mileage Tax

Wow! I found this interesting:

Greg Mankiw's Blog: A Strange Pigovian Idea in Oregon

Democratic Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski's upcoming budget calls for a highway tax based on mileage, not gasoline purchases.A state task force will look at equipping every new vehicle in Oregon with a Global Positioning System to record every mile driven and where. Motorists would pay at the gas pump based on how much they drove, no matter how fuel-frugal their vehicle.

Prof Mankiw says: "(On the other hand,) as long as politicians and the public are concerned about fuel efficiency and carbon emissions, as they seem to be, it makes more sense to stick to the more standard gasoline tax."

I have to admit that this highway-milage-based tax idea doesn't suit their purpose, which I suppose to be a solution for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. Even so, it reminds me of Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt. Combining technology and microeconomics is a new frontier in effective lawmaking.

Microeconomics is fun!