(1) 10 September …. Japan Environment Ministry said the only option available to dispose of treated radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is to release it into the Pacific Ocean …. The government will continue to have careful discussions on the matter …. Tokyo Electric Power Company is considering how to dispose of ever-increasing water at the meltdown-stricken plant that was processed through equipment to remove radioactive substances …. Even after the treatment, tritium, one such substance, remains inside the water …. The option of releasing the treated water into the sea has sparked concerns in and outside Japan (Jiji Press)

* Comment: A good summary of this issue is at the link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/why-japans-radioactive-water-may-end-up-in-the-ocean/2019/10/16/47f32052-f058-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html

Apparently, Fukushima No. 1 treated water is “safe enough”, and water with similar levels, from other nuclear power plants around the world, is routinely released into the ocean …. However, the local fishermen around the Fukushima plant, are opposed to such an action, as customers will refuse to buy their catches …. Of note, Osaka’s practical/realist Mayor Matsui made a politically courageous offer to accept the release of some of Fukushima water into Osaka bay…

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/17/national/osaka-mayor-offers-take-tainted-fukushima-water-dump-osaka-bay/#.XbyjU5ozaUk

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019091000617/tepco-n-plant-water-release-into-sea-only-option-minister.html

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(2) 27 September …. Labor shortages are affecting business operations at many Japanese companies, with firms in the countryside in particular facing a severe situation …. The 2019 white paper on the labor economy showed the results of a survey carried out for some 20,000 companies with 20 or more workers across Japan …. 4,599 gave responses …. Of the companies that cited problems arising from labor shortages, 43%, the largest group, said that their existing operations have been affected …. Nearly 40% cited difficulties passing down techniques and know-how to younger generations and meeting new customer demand …. Asked about factors behind labor shortages, some 70% said it is becoming difficult to hire new workers …. 51% pct of companies in the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya metropolitan areas said that they have seen no applications to job positions they offered …. The proportion was higher in other regions, at 67.5% (Jiji Press)

* Comment: Initial efforts to bring more foreign workers into Japan have not produced good results (the need is for tens of thousands, but only a few hundred have been admitted so far) …. Various national and local government agencies are struggling to set-up language tests and guest-worker admin support systems, etc.

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019092700531/labor-shortages-affecting-70-pct-of-japan-firms.html

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(3) 24 September …. A team including Okayama University scientists has said it took a major step closer to realizing a “nuclear clock” accurate to within one second in 300 billion years …. Nuclear clocks, which would be far more precise than existing atomic clocks, are expected to be used not just for accurate timekeeping but also for uncovering the secrets of the universe’s accelerated expansion …. A Cesium-based atomic clock, currently used to define a second, is accurate to within one second in tens of millions of years …. In the study, researchers at Okayama University’s Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science at in Okayama, western Japan, succeeded in using Thorium-229 in an experiment aimed towards the same purpose (Jiji Press)

* Comment: When operational, a nuclear clock is expected to be applicable in various fields where today’s atomic clocks are already in operation …. e.g., satellite-based navigation or data transfer …. A potentially new application may arise in the search for topological dark matter …. (time to go back and get a physics refresher)…

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019092400699/japan-team-takes-step-closer-to-ultraprecise-nuclear-clock.html

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(4) 31 July …. A subcommittee of a Japan’s Labor Ministry decided to suggest raising minimum wages across the country in fiscal 2019 by 27 yen from the previous year, to an average of 901 yen per hour (approx $8.60/hour) …. The proposal marks the second consecutive year of record-high increase, eclipsing JFY2018’s hike of 26 yen …. It will also be the first time for the national average to exceed the 900-yen mark …. Based on the recommendation, relevant panels of the country’s 47 prefectures are expected to decide their respective minimum wage levels …. According to the new wage standard set by the subcommittee of the council, Tokyo would see the highest floor wage, at 1,013 yen per hour ($9.60) …. It will be the first time for the minimum hourly wage to exceed 1,000 yen in any prefecture (Jiji Press)

* Comment: By way of comparison, Australia is $14/hour …. Luxembourg is $13, New Zealand is $11, and France is US$11 per hour …. U.S. = $7.30/hour …. Of note, Japan’s increase in minimum wage has come in the wake of raising its consumption tax from 8%~10%

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019073100241/japan’s-average-minimum-hourly-wage-to-rise-to-901-yen.html

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(5) 31 July …. The average life expectancy reached a record high for both male and female Japanese people last year …. It was more than five years longer than in 1989, the year the three-decade Japanese era of Heisei started …. The average lifespan last year was 87.32 years for women and 81.25 years for men …. Both marked a year-on-year increase for the seventh consecutive year …. In global comparison, the average lifespan for Japanese women ranked second behind Hong Kong …. The average lifespan for Japanese men ranked third behind Hong Kong and Switzerland …. Government officials attribute the jump in life expectancy over the past 30 years to medical advances and heightened health awareness …. They plan to work on policies that ensure a comfortable old age, as they expect people to live even longer in the future (NHK News)

* Comment: A secret to Japanese longevity is what & how they eat …. 和食　WASHOKU

https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2017/05/a-guide-to-washoku.html?__ngt__=TT1001a571f001ac1e4ae7739_nhD4XwA7g_BKx1XKmSdr

http://www.newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/125329.php

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(6) 26 August …. Yamato Holdings Co. and Bell Textron Inc. conducted an autonomous test flight of Bell’s vertical takeoff and landing cargo craft at a testing site near Fort Worth, Texas …. They aim to put the drone into practical use by 2025 in Japan, where labor shortages in the transportation sector are expected to be more severe …. The craft is 1.8 meters high and 2.7 meters wide and weighs 140 kilograms …. During the test, it hovered some 50 meters above the ground …. Yutaka Nagao, president of Yamato, a Japanese transportation company, said the test “marked the start of a new logistics business model” …. Yamato engages in developing a cargo pod that can carry payload of up to some 32 kilograms being attached to the VTOL craft (Jiji Press)

* Comment:　In a first for Japan, a Rakuten and Seiyu/Walmart business start-up in Yokosuka City started food deliveries to visitors at Saru-Shima island … here is a video:

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019082700462/yamato-bell-test-autonomous-vtol-cargo-craft.html

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(7) 08 August …. “Pocketalk”, is a device made by Sourcenext Corp. that looks like an oval puck …. The gadget translates phrases to and from 74 languages …. Tourists are flooding into Japan, with 31 million people visiting the archipelago in 2018, triple the number six years earlier …. Businesses are struggling with visitors looking to shop, eat, and move around — a situation that will probably worsen during next year’s Tokyo Olympics …. While smartphone APPs remain a popular — and common — translation tool, Pocketalk has carved out its own niche. Dedicated for just one purpose, the gadget has a sensitive microphone, and accesses machine translation and voice-recognition software from Google, Baidu, and others, improving accuracy …. More than 500,000 Pocketalk units have been sold since it debuted in 2017 (The Japan Times)

* Comment: Step-by-step, language translation software is getting better　& more dependable & user-friendly …. at some point it may be worked into communications systems which could, for example, be used by navies and maritime law enforcement agencies to help maintain freedom and order at-sea…

http://www.newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/125369.php

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< << BONUS >>>

An Introduction to Japanese Aesthetics

(By Donna Canning)

An Introduction to Japanese Aesthetics

The aesthetic qualities of Japan reach beyond philosophical ideas about art and beauty, they form a cultural world view, centered around the concept of living in harmony with nature.

There is an intensely close relationship between Japanese culture and nature, to the point where the two are synonymous. Geographic isolation of the island nation over centuries enabled cultural traditions to guide diverse and fascinating art forms. Art is incorporated and valued as part of everyday life, rather than viewed as something separate or untouchable – this is what makes Japanese culture so uniquely appealing.

As one of the world’s most seismically active islands, the Japanese people are aware of not only the beauty that comes with each distinct season but the great power of nature. Volcanic eruptions, monsoons, earthquakes and tsunamis are a constant threat to Japan yet a sense of acceptance is ingrained in the mind-set of the people. When aware that life can be taken at any moment, one develops a heightened sense of appreciation for the here and now. The traditional arts of Japan, such as Ikebana, haiku poetry and the tea ceremony reflect this feeling, placing emphasis on the present moment.

Beauty is recognised in subtle, often overlooked details and places that encompass vast emptiness. The intention is to evoke awareness through the intricate qualities of the natural world around us. Modest, refined simplicity is regarded as the highest form of beauty. This differs from the western perception where beauty is most often recognised in youth and opulence and success measured in terms of status and material attainment.

Qualities such as simplicity, emptiness and vagueness are often misconstrued in western societies as negative or lacking clarity and ambiance. In Japan however, elimination of excess and unnecessary possessions suggests maturity and spiritual richness. Take the presentation of flowers as an example – in the west, masses of flowers in full bloom are held tightly in a vase with spays of foliage to fill the spaces between. Whereas in Japan, emphasis is placed on accentuating the individual features of a single flower, leaf or branch. The surrounding empty space is as relevant as the flower itself. For space enables room to grow, adapt and change. Empty space is seen to be filled with possibilities. Imperfections, such as angular stems or faded petals are sought after and embraced, they evoke appreciation for the beauty life offers in all stages.

In 19th century Japan, with the arrival of western traders, an immense influence on Japanese culture began. In turn, the unique arts of Japan were shared with the world. We began to see aspects of Japanese design in the great works of world renowned figures including Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Modern day Japan, despite the changes brought about by westernization, has managed to develop and preserve its distinctive traditional values. The contrast between technology and nature, western consumer influence and pure Japanese tradition is clearly visible. At first glance, the high-tech city of Tokyo, filled with flashing billboards and crowds of rushing commuters appears chaotic, but beneath the urban surface, between the sky-scrapers, those tranquil treasures can still be found. Shrines, temples and tea houses with their serene gardens work in harmony with modern day life. Japan is a place where construction and nature complement one another, it doesn’t have to be an either or choice.

Today we live in an overwhelming material culture that often distances us from noticing the raw beauty around and within us. The Japanese aesthetic outlook on life can help remind us to work with and enhance the nature of who we truly are. In a time of falsities and mass production, it offers a key to exploring individuality and meaning, not only in the artistic sense but as a way of life.