平成29年１０月25日 = (25 OCT 2017)

Japan-Gazer Update

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= This week’s poem:

OJT

Folks do things the hard way
Their experience is earned
Same lessons in their history
Books unread and unlearned

https://carllafong.blogspot.jp/
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (23 OCT) congratulated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his ruling camp’s big victory in the general election the previous day. During their 30-minute telephone talks, Trump told Abe it is important for a strong leader to gain firm public support, according to a senior Japanese government official. In response, Abe said he had stressed in all his stump speeches the necessity of “placing as much pressure as possible on North Korea so it will change its policies under the unshakable Japan-U.S. alliance,” in the face of the country’s nuclear and missile provocations, the official said. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito party secured a two-thirds majority in Sunday’s House of Representatives election. Abe and Trump also agreed to deepen their discussions on how to address Pyongyang’s threats during the latter’s planned visit to Japan early next month, the official said. The Japanese prime minister also thanked Trump for his willingness to meet with the kin of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents decades ago. Abe said he is also looking forward to playing golf with Trump on the afternoon of Nov. 5 together with Japanese professional golf player Hideki Matsuyama, according to the official. Matsuyama is currently third in the world rankings. (Mainichi Shimbun)

COMMENT: PM Abe coming off of a huge parilamentary election victory gets an opportunity to further build/deepen his relationship with President Trump — to include the use of golf diplomacy.
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For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Royal Canadian Navy has deployed a submarine to Japan. HMCS Chicoutimi left Esquimalt, B.C., last month for a patrol mission in the Asia-Pacific region. At the time, military officials said the purpose of the mission was to foster relationships with allies, while offering the Canadian government the “tools and flexibility needed to respond quickly when called upon to support Canada’s priorities in the region.” HMCS Chicoutimi crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday evening. Major Travis Smyth confirmed the sub’s arrival. The sub’s presence “underscores the commitment of the Canadian Armed Forces to the Asia-Pacific region,” he said in an emailed statement. This also marks the first time that any of Canada’s four Victoria-class submarines have ever entered the Asia-Pacific region. The overseas mission is scheduled to last until March 2018. (CBC.ca)

COMMENT: Not well-noticed, but historic. Also a reminder that a legacy of the Korean War is that other nations which fought alongside the U.S., still can operate in Northeast Asia and sometimes visit/use Japanese ports and air bases.
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Japan’s transport ministry will speed up work to develop snow removal vehicles using self-driving technologies for trials on expressways starting this winter, officials have said. The ministry plans to test the vehicles on other public roads from fiscal 2018, utilizing data from the Michibiki quasi-zenith satellite network for the Japanese version of the Global Positioning System that will become available in April 2018, when the fiscal year begins. Snow removal vehicles require skilled operators. But concerns are mounting over a shortage of operators due to aging. In fiscal 2015, those aged over 61 accounted for 19 pct of all snow removal vehicle operators, up from 3 pct in 1998. Snow removal vehicles mounted with self-driving technologies will detect obstacles with sensors and warn drivers when the vehicles deviate from lanes and approach guardrails. (Jiji Press)

COMMENT: O.K., I now have this image in my head of giant Roombas wandering around Hokkaido removing and sweeping away the snow …. And interesting to see that no time is being wasted to take advantge of Japan’s new/super-accurate GPS system.
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Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency will deploy at 10 ordinance-designated cities in fiscal 2018 waterproof drones that can survey disaster-hit areas even in bad weather in which helicopters cannot fly, officials have said. The government aims to strengthen its information-gathering capabilities so that it can better deal with natural disasters, in light of lessons from a deluge that hit northern parts of the Kyushu southwestern region in July this year. Unable to fly helicopters for gathering information at the outset of the disaster due to strong rain and wind, the government instead flew all-weather drones that the Cabinet Office was developing. The drones captured images, including those showing the conditions of roads to isolated villages in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. These images were used to provide information to relevant organizations, such as the agency and local governments. The agency hopes to utilize information gathered through drones to determine how many firefighters will be necessary to deal with disasters and how much help should be obtained from prefectures other than those directly hit by the disasters. (Jiji Press)

COMMENT: Got to figure that these types of systems will work their way into JSDF’s inventory of tactical reconnaissance assets. All-weather capable — wow!
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An industry group says the sales of Japanese animation, related services, and products topped 2 trillion yen, or about 17.6 billion dollars, for the first time in 2016. The Association of Japanese Animations conducted an annual survey of about 100 animation production companies in the country. It said their sales exceeded the 2 trillion yen mark for the first time since record-keeping began in 2002. The sales of DVDs, other products, and from box office receipts overseas topped the list at about 6.75 billion dollars, followed by the sales of character goods at 4.95 billion dollars. The group cited a Japanese anime boom abroad and the blockbuster film “Kimi no na wa” or “your name.” as major factors that contributed to the growth. It also said more fans are taking in Japanese anime in various ways, including participating in events featuring voice actors. (NewsOnJapan.com)

COMMENT: Soft power!!

Copyright 2017 Japan-Gazer
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