Through 9 weeks

Week 10:Through 9 weeks 

Hello!! How are you? Are you fine? Recently, I am very fine. It is March from today and the temperature in Ibaraki is becoming warm. This season is my favorite. So my feeling is very good, recently. This week is last of my blog about Japanese economy. This time, I will write my opinion through 9 weeks of my blog.

I decided to write this blog with little curiosity about Japanese economy, so I had poor knowledge of it and English skill. It is very hard work and consume much time for me to write blog about difficult contents like my topic at first, but through 9 week’s experience that I wrote blog in English and attended Mario’s class, I can write blog fast in English and I could know something (about English word and knowledge for Japanese economy). This experience thorough 9 weeks is brought me up so I think it was good to do with my best.

Thorough 9 weeks, I was interested in week6’s subtopic (economic profit and territorial dispute) specially. This problem is very hot subject in Japan and I often watch the news related to the problem especially Senkaku islands. Each country insists on the right of territory because each country have original insist. But most of Japanese living in Japan only know Japanese insist and history of Japanese side. I think Chinese is same, too. I knew the insist of Chinese side from other student’s blog and internet webs about Senkaku Islands. Of course, there are many information and insists which I did not know there. I think Japanese should know Japanese side insist and its reason firstly, furthermore, knowing Chinese side ones in addition is better. Most Japanese people cannot affect this problem and change the situation. But we can know and think about it. I think it is better that you have individual opinion about the problem after thinking.

Last week, I introduce about Japanese economic problem especially about the problem of employment. There are many problems other than the problem and in my blog’s questionnaire, Many of people who answer it think the situation of Japanese economy is bad. You may feel sense of crisis and uneasiness but I do not think so. Although the Japanese rank of GDP is falling, it is kept at high rank in the world. Japan has many big companies like TOYOTA that I introduce at week4 and there are many high leveled techniques. This is what Japanese can be proud of in the world. So I do not worry about nothing in the feature of Japan but expect. What kind of development will happen in the feature? And what kind of change will it give in our life? How will Japan contribute to the development and change? I am looking forward to and I expect Japan give good influence to the world.

This time this blog is end. Writing blog is very hard but worthwile. So I want to write new blog when I interested in something other. Thank you for my reading blog through 10 weeks! Goodbye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Problems of Japanese Economy

Week 9：Problems of Japanese Economy

Hello!! Week9’s topic is “present problems of Japanese economy”. Today, in Japanese economy, there are many problems. Do you think of any problems related with Japanese economy? This time, I pick up problem about the situation of Japanese employment.

Increase of the unemployment rate

 For a while after war, the number of unemployed people had been less than one million without in 1955. But in 1975 the number was over a million, in 1995 the number was over two million, and in 1999 the number was about triple than in 1995. As you know to see picture below, the rate of unemployment people became high with the situation. Today’s the rate is over 5%. Judged from Japanese present situation of adopt, we can predict that the rate will rise.

Increase of young poor people

 According to investigation of household type, the rate of young poor people who are 29 years or younger become higher. The rate of unemployment people who are 15-24 years old become higher, too. As we can know from this date, there are many young people who get few incomes. Not few of the people work as irregular worker. These people are represented as job-hopping part-time worker (“フリーター” in Japanese). Average income of these people is about 1,400,000 yen in a year in other word, average income of these people is 120,000 yen per a month. It is difficult for them to live alone with such little income. We can image easily that if these people have family who are fed by them, the situation is more serious.(240)

People who work as job-hopping part-time worker against one’s intention

According to Cabinet Office, about 15% of job-hopping part-time workers expect that they want to be job-hopping part-time worker. But actually, about 72% of job-hopping part-time workers do not wish that they work as job-hopping part-time worker. They want to work as regular stuff. You know form this date, we can guess that many of them work against one’s hope. Those people who are not regular stuff are in difficult labor environment because they cannot widen possibility by raising ability for occupation or accumulating experience. So if they hope to be regular stuff, it is difficult for them to get away from the situation because of their poor ability for occupation.

Increase of the NEET who give up job hunting

It seems that the image of NEET that youth don’t have working will spreads and colonizes widely. But this is slightly wrong. We can distinguish them whether they have working will or not. Actually, the number of NEET who have the will are more than the one who don’t have the will. The number of former is about 426,000 and the number of latter is about 421,000. In addition, the number of former is increasing and the number of latter doesn’t increase. From this date, we can guess that the course of NEET’s condition is not their will but bad employment environment surrounding them. Most of them who have working will are affected disease or injury and they cannot job search. So we should judge present condition of NEET by only consider the number of them or the image.

Do you know about problem about the situation of Japanese employment? A lot of causes are included but many of them don’t relate to individual. So I want to Japanese government or company make an effort to create good employment situation. 

Academic Economies

Week 8：Academic economies.

Hello! February began from last Friday. Tsukuba is colder than my hometown. I was suffered by cold and I came to hate low temperature. But, from this month, temperature will be getting warmer and warmer so I am happy.

This time, I introduce you about Academic economy. There are many kinds of economy treated as scholarly. I explain Some of them simply.

　

 In the first place, what is economics? Economics is the learning for studying how value is produced using limited resources in capitalism and monetary economy. It is academic learning for intending activity of economics in the society. The philosopher Adam Smith who I introduced you in this blog before is the first man who defined economics in his study “The Wealth of Nations” (“国富論” in Japanese). The definition is following.

 “The economics regarded by politicians and member of an assembly show different two things, One is the method which supply abundant profit and production and the profit and necessities give benefit to the people. The other is means which supply such a profit to country or society to make people wealthily.”

 Macroeconomics

Macroeconomics is learning for studying the act in whole economy made from government, company and individual generally from big point of view. Count concepts such as GDP, national income, prices, savings, investment, international trade balance and economy guidance are used to advance the study. The purposes of the leaning are “the prediction to the situation (business fluctuations, deflation, inflation, bubble…) of economy of the future” and “theory construction to carry out effective economic policy (finance of the government and monetary policy)” Macroeconomics premise the economics of the philosopher Keynes. The premise means that the market mechanism (competition principle) based on free nation’s activity of economy is not reliable. Keynes thank that approval market intervention (economic policy) from government was necessary to keep the unemployment rate at a low standard and maintain prosperity. But macroeconomics has the purpose that we should think approval economic policy to economy adjustment.

Microeconomics

 Although, in the macroeconomics, recession from business fluctuation and unemployment are premised in thinking economic policy, microeconomics premise the model (perfect employment, perfect competition and market balance) that all people get an occupation and demands and supplies are always balanced in thinking economy. It does not explain recession or unemployment well and does not deal them. So the insufficient point in microeconomics is made up for by macroeconomics. Microeconomics is learning for studying act of economy. The act of economy is that player (producer, company, consumer and individual) in market cope with a change of price under its influence. So we assume that demands and supplies are always balanced in microeconomics market, it has the characteristic we can study the act of economy without thinking recession and unemployment from business fluctuation. Compering microeconomics with macroeconomics, microeconomics is the learning which does not deviate from the form based on an ideal model.

 In the microeconomics crass of university of Tsukuba, satisfaction of people is expressed by calculating using differential calculus. I was very surprised that “satisfaction of people” are calculated in the crass!! In that time, it was very strange for me to express satisfaction by using mathematics.

This time, I introduce you two big academic economies. But in addition, there are many kinds of them labor economics, environmental economics, basement economics, nerve economics, experiment economics… In other words economics are used many kinds of fields. So I think economics are very interesting and profundity. Thank you for reading my blog!!

Eminent Scholar

Week7:Eminent scholar.

Hello! How are you? I have had cold since last week and I have been suffered by it. It is serious for person in single life to catch a cold so please be careful not to catch a cold. This time I introduce you about eminent scholar in economy. Do you know anyone who is eminent in economy? I introduce three big economic scholars and a famous Japanese one.

First, he is Adam Smith.

 There may be many people who know him because the study of political and economy in high school, he is dealt with. He was born June 5 in 1723 and he died July 17 in 1790. He was from Scotland and he is economist, theologian and philosopher. Most important his work is “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” (“国富論”in easily Japanese) and he was called “the father of economics”. From 2007, he have been used on 20 pounds bill published in bank of England. 

In the past, 50 pound bill published in Clydesdale bank, Scotland use him similarly.

Second, I introduce you John Maynard Keynes.

 He was born June 5 in 1883 U.K. and he died April 21 in 1946. He graduated from university of Cambridge. He is one of most important mans in 20^th century and represent economist. He lead Keynes circus based on the effective demand, and macro-economics were made by him. He was pupil of Alfred Marshall who was economic owner, the opponent “Arthur Cecil Pigou” is his brother and his father “John Neville Keynes” is also economist. His famous theory “The general theory of employment, interest and money ”(“雇用・利子および貨幣の一般理論” in Japanese ) in 1935-1936 proved the course of voluntary unemployment because of lack of effective demand.

 Third, This picture is Karl Heinrich Marx.

He was born May 5 in 1818, Germany and he died March 14 in 1883. He was philosopher and thinker, and is widely known as theoretical leader of communist movement and the labor movement after the 19th century, and an economist, and he was one of the most influential thinkers in 20^th century. With not only his close friend but also his comrade “Friedrich Engels”, they made scientific socialism as comprehensive view of the world and revolutionary ideas and explained the necessity that after advanced development of capitalism, the society of communism will come. Marx’s analysis of capitalism based on criticism of economic became “The capital” (“資本論” in Japanese) which is most important his work and the economic system depending on “The capital” is called the Marx’s economics. 

Last, I introduce you about famous Japanese economist.

 Do you know him?He is Takashi Kadokura. He was born October 30 in 1971, Japan. And He graduated university of Keio and is known as authority of the economics about under the ground. Until 2005, He was the chief in economic research department of economic laboratory from Daiichi-Seimei (一生命経済研究所経済調査部). After the work, he became representative in economic research institute of BRICs. From 2009, He has appeared on TV program “Honmadekka-TV” (ホンマでっかTV). Many people in Japan watch the TV program because it is very popular. So in the TV program, he became popular. His character is so unique that in it, he is made a fool a little but you must not misunderstand, he is also very famous scholar in economics. Thank you for reading my blog!

Economic profits and territorial disputes

Week 6

Economic profits and territorial disputes

 

Hello! From this time, the latter half of my blog “Japanese economy” begins. When I began to write this blog for the first time, this work is so hard and takes very long time, but through five times of the experience, I was used to gradually writing this blog. So, I do my best successively from this week.

 This time, I will write about relations of the economic profit and territorial problems. Japan has some territorial problems. Senkaku Islands, Northern Territories and the island of Takashima are disputed and became political problems between Japan and China, Russia and Korea. Why are their lands so important?

 There are some reasons some countries insist. First, those islands has property value themselves. Second, Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are related. Do you know EEZ? The following is EEZ.

 An exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a seazone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from its coast. In colloquial usage, the term may include the territorial sea and even the continental shelf beyond the 200-mile limit.

 (Reference Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone )

Third, the right of oil resources are related. In particular, this is related to the problem of Senkaku islands between Japan and China. This time, I will introduce you this problem minutely in eyes of Japanese side.

The following picture is Senkaku Islands.

1. 

It is islands located in westernmost end of southwest islands and it is including the north islet (北小島), the south islet (南小島), the Kuba island (久場島), the Taisho island (大正島), the rock of okinokita and okinominami (沖ノ北岩、沖ノ南岩), Hise. (飛瀬). The position of those islands is following.

  

As historic process, after WW2 the territory in Japan were legally decided in San Francisco Peace Treaty, April,1952. The Senkaku Islands was put under U.S.’s administration as a part of southwest island based on the 3rd article of the treaty. The islands were contained in the area that was returned to Japan from U.S. in agreement for the return of Okinawa, May, 1972. So the Senkaku Islands compose part of southwest island that is included Japanese territory. Because of above reasons, Japan has insisted that these islands are Japanese territory. But, 1970’s, Chinese and Taiwan government began to insiste on their opinion about the islands. This is because in 1968, the agency of the United Nations investigated the possibility of oil deposit in the East China Sea and the fact that a lot of oil was deposited was discovered. Japanese government says that the insistence is wrong because the historic, geographic and geologic evidence that Chinese and Taiwan government refer to are not effective to its become effective for international law.

 Above explanation is about problem of Senkaku Islands. But this explanation is in eyes of Japanese side. Of course China have original insistence differ from Japanese ones. So I don’t know which insistence is really true. I live in Japan and I get only effective information for Japan. I hope that this problem to be solved with each countries’s assent. Thank you for reading my blog!

Japan and World Economy

Week 5

Japan and World Economy

 

Hello! I maybe have a cold now. I feel so tired but do our best this time too. This time I introduce you Japan’s trade with many other country. Particularly, this time, I introduce you trade between Japan and America. At first, I tell you surprising information. Economy of Japan and America occupy about 30% of world economic activities. So cooperating between Japan and America closely and develop their economy together is necessary for not only the two countries but also other countries of the world to develop sustainably. Are you surprised? Of course, I was surprised when I know this at first. But there are some problems between the two countries. This time, I will introduce you one of Japan-U.S. problems “Trade friction”. What is trade friction? Trade friction is the problem that arise from extreme deflection of relation of import and export. It is believe that disproportion of economic income and expenditure affect domestic economy badly.

 After world war 2, the higher international competitiveness of Japanese economy the more things are exported from Japan to America. Japanese exportation is so many that it damage American industry. So the issue of trade became political problem and was called “Japan-U.S. trade friction”. This is the beginning.Thereafter, there are things which was dealt as “Japan-U.S. trade friction” (In 1950’s is textiles, 1960’s is steel product, 1970’s are color TV, car and industry of high-technology, 1980’s are semiconductors and VTR .) and some agreements are made. One of agreements regulate Japanese exportation.

 International trade is zero-sum game like mahjong. This means that one country get profit, another country go into the red.  For example, in America 2006, The sum of exportation from Japan was about 17 trillion yen, that of importation from Japan was about 8 trillion yen. So the sum of trade surplus from Japan was about 9 trillion yen. In 2006, the sum of American trade deficit was about 90 trillion yen, so that of exportation from Japan occupy about 10% of American trade deficit.

 Of course Japan has corresponded this problem to make the bad situation better. I write above, Japan regulate exportation. In 1985, strong yen was instructed to decrease the amount of exportation from Japan. And Japan produce and sell car in earnest in America because the sum of Japanese exportation doesn’t increase in trade statistics, in1993 local production number became higher than export number. (400)

 Why has this problem been unsolved yet? This is because the saving rate of Japanese people is high. This is characteristic of Japanese and also this means that the rate of Japanese consumption is low so this causes increase of exportation. But I think there is big cause. Japan have depended on America to security of own country. (in Japanese “安全保障”) So Japan cannot say what Japan want say really to America and America have insisted that Japan have made the cause of trade deficit.

TOYOTA

Week4: About Japanese big company

Hello! A happy new year! Did you have a good time during your winter vacation? I spent very funny time during my winter vacation. I went to Simoda to see the first sunrise of a new year. This is the picture.

Thank you for reading my winter vacation story and picture. But actually this time I have to introduce Japanese big company, so I will write about “TOYOTA”.

TOYOTA

 Of course I think you know TOYOTA. It is one of Japanese big company .

This is one of TOYOTA’s car “PRIUS”. Today, we can see TOYOTA's car not only in Japan but also abroad. Many people around the world use TOYOTA’s car. Why? This is because TOYOTA produces many kinds of car. To produce many kinds of car (low price, SUV, high quality sedan), the company satisfy many customer to meet their needs. And the company have abundant financial resources. Abundant financial resources are person, things, money and know-how, they are very strength of TOYOTA. Because TOYOTA have them, it can advertise itself widely, do high quality research and development and have good sale channels and customer’s services.

 TOYOTA has original production method which is created by excluding waste thoroughly and pursuing rationality of process of production. This is the most one of strength of TOYOTA. This is called “Method of just in time” and known and studied around the world. Also the production method is being affected the idea that when it produce defective articles, the machine which produce things stop promptly and avoid producing defective one. This idea called “Automatic”. Original production method including “Just in time” and “Automatic” made customers satisfied.

By the way, do you know TOYOTA also create robots? In order to create robots that have gentleness and wisdom and support human’s lives various situations (medical, care, welfare, movement, work…).I will introduce some robot of TOYOTA with picture.

This is the robot which support people who have disadvantage with their foot. This robot is put on one legs and support them to rehabilitation. After rehabilitation it support various scene in everyday life in order to make their life activity and freely.

This is Robina. Robina is 120cm high and weigh 60kg. It autonomy movement, manipulation and communication functions, so it can use fingers and hands to have and bring things, use tools and talk with human. In the future, it will support doctor and care elderly people and is expected to be human’s trustful partner. (400)

This is called “humanoid”. This is partner robot which is gotten close easily by human. And it have adaptability to living environment. With flexible physical ability and complicated technique, humanoid can move like real human. Of course it can use tools. In the future it will help house work and support human’s everyday life. Also, it can play trumpet and violin. This is required much delicate movement for lips or fingers so it is very surprised for me. There are some animations about TOYOTA’s robot including these three on the web site of TOYOTA.

http://www.toyota.co.jp/jpn/tech/partner_robot/concept.html

If you interested in these robot, it is better to see the animations.

 In addition, TOYOTA contribute to grovel warming or social activity, and have sport teams (rugby football, basketball… ). Do you know TOYOTA in detail? Because I am from Aichi and the head office of TOYOTA is in Aichi, this time I picked up this company. Thank you for reading.