January 2009 Archives
Oita Godo Newspaper (evening edition on January 17th, 2009)
Hanshin Earthquake disaster, which as many as 6,434 lives lost, reached the 14th anniversary on January 17th. Mourning ceremonies were held at many localities in Hyogo prefecture while requiems for victims were widely prayed. Participants also swore to take the memory of damage as the significant lesson for the next generation forever.
Today, approximately 5,500 people participated in the mourning ceremony at the central Kobe amusement park. Candles put inside bamboos were aligned in rows seen as "1・17" (January 17) and lighted up. Participants had a moment of silence at the same time the earthquake occurred, 5:46 am.
Tanaka Chiharu (53), who has lost his mother due to the earthquake, gave an interview that "I can never forget the days when I could do nothing but sorry. However, by that time, I could also see people's kindness and helpfulness to one another." Thus, he mentioned that his dream was to be another person who peacefully link people together.
Comment: I am very sorry for victims' relatives. I almost forgot that it happened. Wish all the spirits rest in peace ever after.
PUNTHUCHAT Siripun
Thailand
APS3, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Oita Godo Newspaper (morning edition on January 5th, 2009)
Students who are going to graduate from their university and high school, most of them have decided to do job hunting in a company, authority, or organization. But the place to do job hunting it depends on the interview and examination which would be finished before the graduation around the end of fall. We have known it as 'Unofficial Decision'. Recently, the number of students who got unofficially cancellation from the company has been increased as a crucial issue. From the company to the livelihood, the important things are money, buildings, facilities and human resources. When there are both of the time to enlarge work and when many people quit from the company, they look for employing new ones.
This, a few years ago, within most of Japanese companies after the world war 2 there are lots of people who were born at the from and the rear at the age of 60 years old, and as the retirement age has becoming closer to them, therefore, the tendency of employment has increased as the same of the officially cancellation rate. The company that the condition become worse, the employment is turned to be officially cancellation and the costs per person has decreased.
At one point, the students do not need to graduate from their place and to cut off some useless expenses from the company even that company is facing with bad condition this is convenience for them also. Although, to make a cancellation is not going to happen to one person, indeed lots of people. So, there should be more guidance to give an explanation to students this is unavoidable thing. From the conversation with many students who passed the cancellation experiences of 6 companies which gave this student the unofficially decision, and the result almost all of them postpone the decision and cancelled the jobs, this is to let those students wait in expectation. 'To got the betrayal is the sadness of job hunting' said by one of the students. This also mean they will have less opportunity or chances to get the job again because it's already finished the period of job hunting, ' the big burden from the company'.
Comment: I think it is such urgent issue for not only Japan but around the world, since the financial crisis has occurred and continuing until now. To get ourselves ready for the job hunting, the big burden for us and maybe for our family if we can not find a good job and good salary...in my university also has been many unofficially cancellations from the big companies so it effects on some students. Anyways, there are the precautionary from the university to deal with this kind of really bad situation... hope that those students they will have a job which they love very soon.
PUNTHUCHAT Siripun
Thailand
