Aiming to coexist in a disaster and energy conscious society

            After attracting large amounts of criticism for wasting electricity following the disaster in Eastern Japan, makers of beverage vending machines are eager to clear the name of their machines once and for all. They point out that their machines can act as a lifeline in times of crisis, providing information and hydration. Vending machine manufactures have been quick to implement energy saving measures on their products and they are aiming to become accepted as a part of a disaster and energy conscious society.

Investing in energy saving models

            In the part of Sendai city hit hard by the earthquake, "town communication" vending machines were installed near seven temporary housing facilities. These machines are equipped with a 12 X 16 cm digital display that provides the citizens with up-to-date information for their area, such as news, public announcements, and disaster reports.

            The machines are an experimental product that was developed by Suntory and Toppan Printing working together with Sendai City. Suntory, who is currently looking into the feasibility of a broader commercialization of the product, explained that, "In times of crisis, we are hoping that these machines will become a kind of central base for sending out information."

            Coca Cola Japan is working with NTT Docomo to use remote operation technology to develop "a vending machine that would make positive contributions to the local area." During a disaster, evacuation information will be shown in real time on an LED display. All the drinks inside the machine will also become free of charge. Equipped with solar panels, the vending machine uses the power it generates during the day to light up at night.

            Fuji Electric, one of the largest makers of vending machines, is also working on a disaster compatible model of its own. At the flip of a switch it also can be made to dispense drinks free of charge; the standard model can hold over 500 bottles. "In 2012 we are set to ship about 10 000 disaster compatible models, about four times the number of last year," said a confident representative.

            With the focus shifting towards conservation in the heavy electricity use of the winter season, makers are touting new models that use up to 40% less energy than previous machines. In terms of electricity consumption, they are the lowest in the industry.

The "saturation point"

            In the 1990s vending machines became the topic of frequent public criticism because of the way they jutted out into the street. The recent string of bashing stems from comments made last spring by Tokyo governor Shintarou Ishihara. Singling out wasted energy, he stated, "I can't believe our country is so stupid as to allow our streets to be clogged by an endless row of vending machines."

            The beverage industry is currently putting a plan into action that would periodically halt refrigeration on drinks in vending machines during the summer months. No matter how much these achievements are emphasized however, "this regulation alone is unlikely to quiet the voices of those saying that vending machines are entirely unnecessary."

            Following the disaster, as part of their investigation into a new type of vending machine, Coca Cola Japan began holding public dialogs with local citizens. Coca Cola managers took the initiate to give guest lectures at junior high schools about the future of the vending machine. The students provided a variety of ideas of their own as well, including: "special discounts for the elderly", "vending machines stocked with locally produced products", and "touch panel selection".

            With over 5 Million units around Japan, there is often talk of vending machines having reached their saturation point. For the sake of the survival of their industry, vending machine makers will continue to experiment.

Comment:

            The capitalist system has come under considerable criticism in recent years; some of it is justified, others less so. The recent protests against the "1%" (the small population at the top of the wealth pyramid who own a hugely disproportioned share of wealth) are an expression of the resentment that has arisen due to the inequalities that are seemingly endemic to capitalism. On the other hand, much of the recent backlash against capitalism and consumerism, I feel, is predicated on a nostalgic longing for times past.

            Thinking about it, vending machines are a surprisingly apt symbol for capitalism. Devoid of human interaction, the selling process has been streamlined to near perfection. As they are portrayed in this article, however, vending machines can also show us a positive example of how corporations can do good for society if properly led by government regulation.

             Let us not mince words: vending machine manufactures do not love us. The reason that are trying to save electricity and find new ways to stay relevant is purely reactionary. They realized that if the current public opinion continued, their energy-guzzling, eyesore machines would be among the first to go. Sure the government could pay to install its own emergency information kiosks. But Coca Cola and friends will probably do so more efficiently. Corporations are not inherently good or evil; they simple strive for profit. We must, both as consumers and citizens, hold companies accountable for their actions and pressure them to act in ways we think are right. 

Abebe Tinari

Medical culture meets Buddhist culture

I once asked a man about 60 who took very good care of his health: "You sure take care of yourself. You have lived a long life and seem to have many years ahead of you. What is it you want to achieve?" To which he responded, "I don't have the answer to that yet. I am still continuing my search."

            The usual way we go about thinking about life goes something like this: we do not consider a fixed goal of living, after we are born we just continue living, not wanting to die, or not having the courage to face death. Remember the famous saying: "As long as there is life, there is hope." We live, and while we are alive we convince ourselves that if we just continue living, something good will be waiting in our future.

            When we think like this, it is not "now," but in fact some abstract future that we are pursuing. In other words, the present becomes nothing more than a step in preparation for some imagined future.

            This way of thinking might be okay while we are young, but when you get up past 60 or 70 and you are still hoping for some future satisfaction or gratification, I would say that is a problem. By thinking like this, we are essential saying, "I am living for a bright future." But by doing this, aren't we losing the goal of  "living" for itself? Isn't the most important thing to make "now" or "today" an aim in itself?

            By making your focus tomorrow, and constantly setting your sights on the future, you begin to live in an empty, hollowed out way that Buddhism refers to as a "vacant life of futile vicissitudes (空過流転の虚しい生き方.) 

            Asking ourselves question such as "why was I born?" or "why am I alive?" we deeply feel what it means to be alive and the truth of Buddhist saying, "life is suffering."

            The principal of rational scientific thought that forms the basis of our current practice of medicine is not designed to measure our satisfaction or test the meaning of our life; this is outside its jurisdiction. I have come to believe that satisfaction is something that depends solely on the subjective feeling of the patient, and is not a concern of the person treating them. This is all the more true when it comes to cold, objective, purely scientific evaluations of the cost / benefits of extending or saving a life.

Comment:

            As human beings we bear the simultaneous gift and curse of the ability to contemplate our own existence. I see a lot of apathy when I look around the world, and I feel that, as identified in the article, much of this is due to people feeling like they have no purpose in life. When I say purpose, I do not mean some grandiose mission or calling, only a daily role that has meaning to them personally. Lottery tickets, fortune telling, reality TV shows...they all pray on our tendency to reflect on what our current life offers us, and wish for something more.

            As life spans increase, we will have more time on this planet. To some this will be a boon; more time to create, to accomplish, and to learn. To others, it will just mean a longer gradual decline and more unfulfilled yearning. I recently heard a story of a woman in her 90s who went back to university. Her goal was to graduate before she died. To me, this is an amazing pursuit. Realizing that nothing is permanent, let's try to make our subjective outlook on each day positive. 

Sumire Hirotsuru becomes determined to study abroad after visiting Harvard for a musical performance

Sumire Hirotsuru, a third year student at Uenogao high school in Oita city, was recently accepted to the prestigious Harvard Collage in America. "I'm looking forward to learning about a much broader variety of subjects that I have not had to the chance to experience yet," said Hirotsuru as she looks ahead to the start of her first semester at Harvard next September.

            Hirotsuru began playing the violin at age 3 and is still an active violinist, performing both in and out of the prefecture at venues such as the Argerich music festival. She excelled at the international music contest held in Italy in 2009. As an extra benefit of winning that contest, she was invited to a performance in Carnegie Hall in New York last year. "I became interested in the culture and soul of America, and starting thinking about going there to study."

            The entrance examination was held in Japan last May. She also went to Fukuoka each month to take an American university aptitude test. Her application also involved multiple short-essays and a video-interview over the Internet. She has never studied at a cram school, instead learning English from her mother and assistant language teachers (ALT). As for her other subjects, her success comes from simply working hard after school and listening to her teachers. According to Hirotsuru, "The most difficult part was memorizing the requisite 15 000 words of English vocabulary."

            Word of her acceptance came by E-mail the morning of December 16^th. When asked about her thoughts at that moment, "Right after we read the message, it was much quieter than I would have expected. I just thought, 'I've got to tell all the people who helped me out over the years.'"

            "I want to become someone who can contribute to international society, so I plan to study Sociology. Of course I will continue to play my beloved violin. By going abroad, I hope to further appreciate Japan and Oita," Said Hirotsuru of her future aspirations.

Comment:

            I recently read a book called "Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future that Works." The book was divided into groups of essays structured around a common theme. In the part of the book dedicated to a discussion of how Japan should reconnect with the rest of the world, nearly every essayist mentioned the declining number of Japanese students at prestigious American universities. I am sure that Miss Hirotsuru worked hard to earn her acceptance. However, there are two points I would like to make on this topic.

            First, a point is made about the method she uses to study English. Private tutors are not cheap, nor are professional violin teachers, nor Harvard's school fees. My girlfriend went to the same school as the girl mentioned in this article, and apparently her family's wealth was infamous. This is nothing to be ashamed of, but it does say something about the way that our world is structured. It is one thing for an essayist to proclaim that more Japanese students should make it abroad, the question remains, however, of how to pay for the lessons required.

            This brings me to my second point. The author of this article points out that Hirotsuru never went to cram school to study. I feel very sorry for the parents who read this, considering that many of them must work hard to send their kids to after-school lessons in the hopes of giving them opportunities in the future. It is true though, that the inflation of education continues. Cram schools, once the mark of an extra-dedicated student, have become the norm. Schools now expect that students will be going. In return, students pay less attention in class, because they know that they will cover the same material in their cram school. The race to give your child a leg up in life continues.

Abebe Tinari

17 January Morning Edition P11

The Dean of the International College of Management in Ritsumeikan APU, Professor Yokoyama Kenji has brought out a book on improving English language skills based on his own experiences. The book is titled 'Eigo wa totsuzen umaku naru (English can be Mastered Suddenly)', is published by President Publications on a B6 format with 158 pages, and costs 1365 JPY. The book can be purchased in bookshops in Oita and the university Co-Op in APU.

Professor Yokoyama tells that he was neither good at nor fond of English in his student days. Nor does he have any experience of traveling to foreign countries for education. Yet he takes classes in English on a regular basis in the university today.

Professor Yokoyama took notice of the key to mastering English about 10 years back, when APU was just being opened. After practicing to repeat words spoken at a fast pace in an English language program on the radio, he found that during lectures, he could speak English with ease. "We all learn English at school. It is about stimulating your brain by moving the muscles in your mouth, then the latent English language skill can surface easily" he says. He contends that the way to master English is to repeat short phrases at a fast pace, he calls this method as the 'rehabilitation method.' He says if one repeats this practice everyday, his or her speaking will definitely improve, and listening skills will be benefited as well.

Professor Yokoyama has explained in detail about the rehabilitation method in his book. He also points out that before mastering English, one needs to develop the ability to understand expressions and intentions in speech, which remain keys to smooth communication. He also offers advices on the ways to master English grammar. Professor Yokoyama says: "It is very important that you enjoy English when you use it. I think for the people who have many opportunities to use English in daily life, the efficacy of this method will be readily apparent. I hope they will try it out."

Enquiries about Professor Yokoyama's work can be made at APU at: 0977781114.

Comment

Professor Yokoyama is one of the most popular professors at APU, a charming, easygoing personality who is not only interested in his own subject, but also about a variety of issues. His book is definitely a refreshing approach to mastering English, as it is written with both a personal flavor as well as familiarity with most of the troubles faced by the young people when communicating in English in this country. Apart from the book's obvious usefulness from this point, I also particularly like the comment of his where he mentions that enjoying is the key to mastering something. This lies at the core of any type of education. Professor Yokoyama has shown us that he is a teacher in the true sense of the word.

Abhik Chakraborty

PhD Candidate (GSAD 3^rd Year)

India 

The popular bags sell out only moments after the shops open

Translator note: Fukubukuro are sealed bags that contain an assortment of last season's goods at a heavily marked down price. You cannot see the contents before you buy and the contents are random, but if you are lucky you can get incredible deals.

            At the prefecture's large shopping centers, it has become a common sight to see customers flooding into the shops on the 1^st or 2^nd day of the new year to get a quick start on the beginning of the new shopping season.

            At shopping mall Parkplace Oita, 2800 people (a 30% increase over last year) were waiting outside the doors before the shops opened at 9:00am to secure their place in line. Many shops sold out of their Fukubukuro in a matter of minutes.

            At Youme Town in Beppu City, due to the effect of the high value of the Yen, demand was high for imported clothing and accessory Fukubukuro. Most of the bags that shops had prepared had sold out by the 2^nd. Outside Tokiwa department store, 3500 people lined up with their eyes on women's and children's clothing.

            "It was really cold lining up, but it was all worth it to buy what I came for," said Yuuko Yoshida with a smile. Yuuko lined up at 7:00 outside a shop in Bungo-Ohno city to claim her spoils: six bargain items. The shop she went to was also very popular, with many customers bringing their whole family along for the bargain. Sales promotion department representative Hideo Masuhara explained that, "The earthquake really strengthened the family bond between people. I'm sure the people coming home to Oita to be with their family also had an effect on sales."

Comment:

 It is not a coincidence that this article comes directly after one about the environmental destruction caused by consumer products. We have only to look as far as the hysteria caused by fukubukuro to see how misguided our societies value system has become. I am not singling out Japan, either. Black Friday in America, Boxing Day in Canada, I am sure that the list could be expanded to include a frantic sales event from every mature market on the planet.

            The modern day corporation is simple not designed to put environmental needs at the forefront. From a marketing perspective, fukubukuro are pure genius. I know someone who bought a jacket fukubukuro only to find that the one he got was pink and three sizes too small. As evident in the ending quote of this article, consumerism has become ingrained so deeply in our culture that a day out just shopping has somehow become a family affair. Fukubukoro represent shopping entirely detached from need: we do not even know what we are buying, only that whatever it is, it is cheap. 

Abebe Tinari

Palm Oil is one of the types of oil that can be obtained by harvesting the fruit of the oil palm plant. Often used in cooking, and found in everything from snack food, instant food, coffee cream, margarine, and ice cream to soap and cosmetics; palm oil is a staple of Japanese life.

            According to the U.S. Ministry of Agriculture, worldwide production in 2010 reached 48 million tons, almost a two-fold increase since 2000. In 2004 it surpassed soybean oil to become the most widely used vegetable oil on the planet. The combined production from Malaysia and Indonesia makes up 85% global production.

            In the past 5 years, rapidly increasing demand in China has lead to it become the world's largest palm oil consumer with 6 million tons. Consumption in Europe, America, and India is also large. Japan imports 570 000 tons each year, of which close to 490 000 tons are used in food.

            The oil palm plant is grown tightly packed into vast expanses of cleared land known as plantations. Stretching over 80 000 square meters, the area of the oil palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia is larger than the size of Hokkaido. It is becoming one of the causes of deforestation.

            According to various studies, including one by America's Princeton University, 55-60% of the land used for the production of palm oil between 1990 and 2005 came from cutting down natural forests.

            Russell Mittermeier of the environmental production group Conservation International identified rising oil palm cultivation as "the single largest cause of deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia."

            These tropical rainforests are home to endangered species with few remaining habitats such as Orangutans and African Elephants, and the oil palm plantations slowly destroy their home by breaking up the forest into many different sections. This is another way in which humans are failing to live in harmony with our natural environment.

            "We should limit palm oil plantations to land that is already free of vegetation. We need to make a system that recognizes palm oil certified as produced with environmental concerns in mind," explained Mittermeir.

Comment:

I remember my grandfather once complaining about universities, saying that after going to one, students all start complaining about the environment. He was right: I am much more worried about the environment now than I was before coming to university, and I put that down to one very simple factor: I am less ignorant. It is very difficult not to be concerned about our planet when we look at the havocs the human race is inflicting on Earth.

            I am happy to hear about local efforts to educate kids about nature and to clean up local beaches and parks; in fact I believe I have translated some of those articles in the past. While these are helpful and good, they are not enough. Moreover, if we are satisfied with the good feeling we get by participating in these events, we risk missing the fundamental lack of sustainability in our current lifestyle. Look again at that list of products that use palm oil. These products are not just a staple of Japanese life; they are on daily shopping lists of middle class families around the globe. As the global middle class swells, demand is only going to go up. Facing a sobering article like this is difficult. It is about more than separating our garbage and recycling. To even begin to solve this problem we will need to give up items we have taken for granted since childhood. Even as someone who has studied and cares about the environment, I do not know if I have the resolve to do this, let alone the billions of people still ignorant or annoyed at the whole environmental movement.

Abebe Tinari

According to the results of the emergency telephone survey carried throughout Japan on 13 and 14 January by the Kyodo News Agency in the wake of the latest restructuring in the Noda Cabinet, the approval rating for the cabinet stood at 35.8%. The figure remains almost unchanged, rising by a minuscule amount of 0.1% compared to the survey done on 7 and 8 January. Though the disapproval rate dropped by 2.7%, it remained at a strong 47.8%. By refraining from the scheduled Kokkai session on 24 January, Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko was seen as aiming at recovering approval ratings for his government by appointing fresh faces in the cabinet, but the results appear to indicate that the strategy brought no result whatsoever. On the other hand, the cynosure of the restructured cabinet, the newly inducted Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Reforms and Restructuring Okada Katsuya appeared to have lived up to the publicity, with 59.4% of those polled saying they 'expected' him to do something. 67.1 of the respondents 'praised' the decision to retire Ichikawa Yasuo and Yamaoka Kenji, politicians who were censured in the Sangiin, while 21.8% said they did not approve this decision. There was prominent disagreement on the Prime Minister's decision to raise consumption taxes, with 79.5% opining that 'it is improper to raise consumption tax' in the event of no cut in the numbers of parliamentary representatives and incomes national government bureaucrats. Asked which tasks were most important for the reformed cabinet (respondent could choose up to two answers), 43.7% responded by saying that needless spending of tax money should immediately be stopped, 30.8% replied that business outlook and employment scenario needs be addressed, the issue of pensions and social security got 27% votes while 24.1% responses indicated that the number of parliamentary representatives should be cut.

              When it came to the policy of Prime Minister Noda towards the recovery of the disaster affected Northeast Japan, two responses of 'Cannot praise much' and 'Cannot be praised in any way' polled 62% in combination, while the two positive responses of 'Approve totally' and 'approve somewhat' could only poll a total of 36.2% of responses.

Regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) issue which promises to abolish across border tariffs, there was a virtual tie, with 41.2% saying 'Japan should join TPP' while 40.6% saying 'Japan should not enter TPP.'

Regarding the support to different political parties, the DPJ polled 19.3%, the LDP 19.6%, the Komeito 2.7%---all these parties suffered losses from 1 to 3 percentage points.

Among other parties, the Communist Party of Japan polled 3%, Shinto Kizuna 0.1%, Shaminto 0.7%, Minnano to 6.3%, Kokumin Shin to 0.2%, Shinto Daichi, Shin Minshu 0.2%, Tachiagare Nippon 0.8%Shin to Kaikaku 0.1% and Shin to Nippon had no result. 43.6% replied that they did not support any particular party.

Comment

This is a very interesting result of the survey done by the Kyodo. Assuming that the survey gives a more or less correct picture, it can probably be seen as a strong disapproval of the 'ivory tower' nature of parliamentary politics in the country. While the poor approval rate of Noda's cabinet is expected, numerous other figures provide more insight into the public perception of national politics. First, it seems that Noda has not managed to keep his position as an able leader of the country in people's eyes, and that people are expecting more from the Deputy PM now. Secondly, it appears that the public is increasingly becoming unconvinced about the national level political debates, such as the initiative to raise consumption tax or the TPP initiative. The 'Min' has given a strong message to the 'Kan' through the disapproval of hiking of the consumption tax when top bureaucrats and politicians sacrifice little. PM Noda's high profile declarations on the TPP have not worked either. Though it is a novel approach to boost regional trade and will provide stimulus to ailing economies, the TPP is also an America agenda to counter China in the Asia Pacific, and the Japanese policy of steadfastly playing the role of a US satellite in the region has not been universally accepted at home, besides, there are issues involving the farming sector under the TPP regime.

Finally, the dismal support ratings of the main political parties, and the 43.6% response of 'not supporting any political party' indicate that the public sees through the posturing and understands that politicians today are not going to deliver when it comes to critical issues. But will the leaders listen to this message?

Abhik Chakraborty

PhD Candidate 3^rd Year

India