平成29年12月28日 = (29TH YEAR OF HESEI ERA, 12TH MONTH, 28TH DAY)

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= This week’s poem:

大晦日の焚き火 (O-Misoka No Taki-Bi/New Year’s Eve Fire)

Votives and charms, last year’s luck,
Are burned at the shrine
In an old metal drum…
Fortune’s smoke wafts and curls
Up into what will become…

{ From my Blog: https://carllafong.blogspot.jp }
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= 5 Things Going On Lately:

The two-day talks on maritime cooperation between Taiwanese and Japanese officials culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on maritime emergency and rescue cooperation on 20 DEC at Taipei’s Grand Hotel. Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), president of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA), said at the opening ceremony on Tuesday that due to geographical proximity, there were likely to be collaboration as well as disputes between the two countries regarding fisheries, maritime rescue and policing, and even scientific research. Mitsuo Ohashi, chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA), said the Japan-Taiwan relations had seen a big step forward in terms of trade, investment, and cultural exchanges in the past year with the foundation of mutual friendship and trust. Neither the heads of the two associations made any mention of the controversial Okinotori incident in 2016, in which a Taiwanese fishing vessel was detained by the Japanese authorities for operating near Okinotori (or Parece Vela). The Japanese government claimed the Taiwanese fishing vessel had operated in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), while the Taiwanese authorities argued that Okinotori was merely an atoll rather than an island and hence Japan did not own the EEZ of the surrounding area. Both the TJRA and JTEA are unofficial organizations established respectively by the Taiwanese and Japanese government. Formed after Japan severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China, the two associations are considered quasi-embassies and their officials may enjoy some forms of diplomatic privileges. (TaiwanNews.com)

* COMMENT: Post-colonial relations between Japan and Taiwan seem less testy than those between Japan and South Korea. I’ve always wondered how that came to be.
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The central government is expected to slash support funds for Okinawa Prefecture in the fiscal 2018 budget draft, the second such cut in as many years and pushing the subsidies to their lowest level since fiscal 2014. This fiscal year, the support and promotion fund for Japan’s southernmost prefecture stood at 315 billion yen (about $2.8 billion). The government indicated it will keep the fund at or above 300 billion yen annually from fiscal 2014 to 2021 in relation to the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the prefecture city of Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago, also on Okinawa’s main island. While the central government has honored the 300-billion-yen commitment, it has also been unable to disguise its increasing distrust of current Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, who has attempted to thwart the Futenma relocation. The sinking Okinawa support fund amount can be seen as an attempt to check Onaga ahead of two crucial local elections in 2018: the Nago mayoral race in February, and the gubernatorial election in the autumn. In summer this year, the Cabinet Office requested a budget appropriation of 319 billion yen for the Okinawa fund in fiscal 2018 — the third year in a row the office has reduced its budget request for the fund — but that amount was subsequently revised downward. (Mainichi Shimbun)

* COMMENT: Cutting funds is a pretty clear/meaningful way of “sending a signal” — as for the ultimate effect, will have to wait-and-see…
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The Japanese government is considering the possibility of upgrading the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Izumo destroyer to an aircraft carrier enabling the takeoffs and landings of fighter jets, informed sources said Tuesday (25 DEC). It would be the first time for the Self-Defense Forces to possess an aircraft carrier. The government is apparently considering using the envisaged aircraft carrier for the operations of the U.S. military’s cutting-edge F-35B stealth fighters, which are capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, the sources said. Tokyo is believed to be aiming to strengthen its cooperation with the United States in a bid to better counter threats from North Korea, which is repeating provocations, and China’s increasing maritime activities. According to the government’s view, Japan is not allowed to possess attack aircraft carriers, intercontinental ballistic missiles or long-range strategic bombers under the country’s constitution, in light of the country’s exclusively defense-oriented policy. (Jiji Press)

* COMMENT: Technically, JMSDF already has aircraft carriers, which can support sustained & distant-deployed flight operations by rotary-wing and tilt-rotor aircraft. JMSDF ships being able to serve as “lily-pads” for USMC F-35B missions, would be a nice boost to bilateral fleet interoperability.
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Japan successfully launched on Saturday (23 DEC) an H-2A rocket carrying the Shikisai climate change observation satellite and the Tsubame super low altitude test satellite. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the H-2A Launch Vehicle No. 37 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 10:26 a.m. (1:26 a.m. GMT). The Shikisai was separated from the rocket and put into orbit about 16 minutes later, and the Tsubame about an hour and 48 minutes later. This was the first time for an H-2A rocket to place two satellites into different orbits in a single launch. The rocket carried the two satellites in its second stage. (Jiji Press)

* COMMENT: The H-2A rocket is turning into a pretty reliable system. Japan’s space technology keeps advancing, and the two-for-one satellite mission was another step forward.
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The Imperial Household Agency said Friday that a total of 3,560 million yen (approx $32.3M) has been earmarked in the government’s fiscal 2018 draft budget to prepare for Emperor Akihito’s planned abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito’s succession to the throne in 2019. The agency said that 1,653 million yen of the total spending has been set aside for a series of accession events, including 1,042 million yen for the “sokui no rei” enthronement ceremony. According to the agency, some 500 million yen is needed for the transportation and repair of the thrones to be used by the new Emperor and the new Empress in the enthronement ceremony, called “takamikura” and “michodai”, respectively. The thrones will be transferred from the old Imperial Palace in Kyoto, western Japan, to Tokyo during fiscal 2018, which starts in April. Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019, and his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will succeed him the following day, in the first succession from a living Emperor in 200 years. Other budget allocations include 1,730 million yen for construction and repair projects related to residences for Imperial Family members and 178 million yen for organizations to support the Imperial succession. (Jiji Press)

* COMMENT: Obviously, changing Emperors is no small matter. In addition to the costs and complexities of correctly executing the various ceremonies and events, there will be large “ripple-effect” expenses for companies and organizations which print calendars and/or administrative forms — all of which will have to include the (as yet undecided) kanji name for the new Imperial Era.

Poetry and commentary copyright 2017 carl LaFong
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