October 2012 – Page 2 – Shanti Phula's Blog

[Mainichi Shimbun] Kaminoseki Nuclear Power Plant: Yamaguchi Prefectural Government Turns Down Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s Request for Extension of License

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Information from one of our readers posted on our blog – October 7, 2012 –

If the Chugoku Electric Power Company’s license expires, efforts of Iwaiija residents, who have fought to protect the nature and fishing ground of Kaninoseki, will be paid off.

(Kaoru Shirai, Representative of Shanti Phula)

English translation of an excerpt from a Japanese article: Mainichi JP (Mainichi Shimbun) – October 5, 2012 –

Kaminoseki Nuclear Power Plant: Yamaguchi Prefectural Government Turns Down Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s Request for Extension of License

Site where a Kaminoseki nuclear power plant is planned to be built. In the right back is Iwaijima island = Photo taken by Shinji Kako on a helicopter of Mainichi Shibum’s head office, flying over Kaminoseki Town, Yamaguchi Prefecture

On 5^th, Chugoku Electric Power Co. applied to Yamaguchi prefectural government for a three-year extension of license, which is necessary to reclaim land for Kaminoseki nuclear power plant planned to be built in Kaminoseki town, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

On the same day, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said that the Kaminoseki nuclear complex is “subject to the principle of not constructing new reactors” and indicated the government’s intention not to allow the utility company to start construction work. Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s application in spite of the government’s decision showed its aspiration for construction. However, the prefectural government has a stance not to allow license extension for the reason that “national energy policy is indecisive.” The plan for construction of a nuclear power plant may be practically dropped.

The license is due to expire at midnight on 7^th of this month. The prefectural government decides whether to accept the extension within 32 days and during the time the license is effective. On 5^th Governor Shigetaro Yamamoto told reporters, “We cannot approve it at this point. We will not grand license.”

If the license expires, “The reclaimed site has to be restored to its original state.” (Comment by an executive official of Agency for Natural Resources and Energy) It is very difficult to put the plan into action.

On 5^th, with regard to Minister Edano’s remarks, Kaminoseki Town Mayor Shigemi Kashiwabara said in a press conference, “I don’t understand his real intention. He changes his opinions every day. I cannot trust his remarks unless I receive official notification.” He showed mistrust in Minister Edano. There are voices in local communities and neighboring municipalities that “If a change of government takes place, the use of nuclear energy is likely to gain momentum again.”

With regard to Minister Edano’s remarks about non-approval of construction, at first the person in charge of public relations of the utility company emphasized that the company interprets the remarks of Minister Edano as his personal opinion. In the afternoon press conference, reporters asked Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura about the minister’s remarks for confirmation. He refused to give his comment, saying “I cannot answer it. I cannot give a reason for it.”

[China Net] Can you Read “Kuki”? Strange Logic in Japanese Society

It sounds strange convention even to me, native Japanese. Therefore, I think it is difficult for foreigners to understand this.
It is one thing to define oneself and cherish a spirit of harmony, and another to lose one’s identity and go with public opinion. However, the average Japanese who is mentally immature and afraid of solitude seems to find it important to sense this “kuki” (atmosphere). Such average Japanese does not seem to realize that almost unaware act hampers his/her mental development or even if he/she realizes it, he/she seems to prefer to stay the same due to a lack of courage.

Masatoshi Takeshita

English translation of an excerpt from a Japanese article: China Net (Japanese version) – October 5, 2012 –

Can you Read “Kuki”? Strange Logic in Japanese Society

In 2007, the word “KY” (Kuki Yomenai - means "can't(NAI) read(YOME) air(KUKI)" - ) was awarded as the grand prize in “Japan’s Keywords-of-the-Year-Contest for 2007.” I wonder what this word “kuki” means. This writer and many foreigners living in Japan for many years and having no problem in speaking Japanese find it difficult to grasp the meaning of this “kuki.”

In group living, the majority of people tend to sense the “atmosphere” around them, judge the course of collective action, and behave to the rhythm of all.

This ability “to sense atmosphere” is cultivated from elementary school days. Around a third or fourth grader starts to form a closed small group. Once a group, which usually consists of several classmates, is formed, the group members do not allow others to join the group. If there is a good leader within a small group, he gains respect from other members whom he takes care of, and a unified group is organized. On the other hand, if a leader has a bad personality, he shares bullying and abuse with his followers, which creates the “atmosphere” of the group. Also he himself is likely to be bullied. Under such circumstances, children learn to behave, paying attention to the atmosphere around them even in a small group from an early age. In Japan, when a husband is order to get transferred, he is worried that his child, an elementary school kid or a junior high school student, may not make friends with other classmates and may be isolated at a new school. This is why husbands tend to live apart from his family at the new workplace.

It is true that every country has a bullying problem for senior children at elementary school, but in most countries there are “friends who stand for the weak.” As children have a high fluidity of friendship, all a bellied child has to do is to go to other friends.

In Japan, however, there is not so clear distinction between home education and school education and there is a tendency to end safely and peacefully. People who cannot be accepted by a small group are not good mixers, cannot sense the “atmosphere” and cannot be treated properly by the group. Therefore, many children within a small group tolerate bullying and maintain a cautious distance from one another. The only way to get away from such group is to transfer to another school.

In Japanese society under such “atmosphere,” whatever it may be, a small group or a whole society, sophisticated harmony and stability is required. In Japan’s social life, we can hardly see frank discussion or rational debate in public. Although this writer has lived and worked for almost thirty years, I have never seen quarrels in public places. Fistfight is, of course, out of the question. Therefore, a “hero of justice” never appears.

In an organization, it is necessary to first obtain agreement in advance before introducing a new plan. After gaining the support of majority, the new plan is officially proposed. Even if there are different opinions in a meeting, they are not expressed frankly. They are expressed in roundabout ways at the right time and in the appropriate atmosphere. It is because those who sense the atmosphere all know that this plan has already won their agreement behind the scenes.

In Japan, they can speak out over drinks. There are no Japanese words describing “blunder due to alcohol” or “slip of the tongue due to alcohol.” Generally, any act or remark is tolerated while drinking and causes no quarrel except for male-female relations. This is the very reason why Japanese salaried workers don’t go straight home after work and they want to drink alcohol at Japanese-style pubs. Some superiors want to quarrel with their subordinates because they think that listening to candid opinions of their subordinates is useful to incorporate their opinions in the work.

[Record China] Real Enemy is not Japan but U.S. – Conspiracy Having Led Japan into Economic Stagnation of “Lost Decade”

Information from Mr. Masatoshi Takehsita posted on his blog – October 6, 2012 –

English translation of an excerpt of a Japanese article: Monju Bosatsu – October 1, 20121 -

Source: Record China

<Senkaku Islands Issue> Real Enemy is not Japan but U.S. – Conspiracy Having Led Japan into Economic Stagnation of “Lost Decade” – China Media

Posted: September 23, 2012 6:19

On September 20, 2012, China Net posted an article “Worsening Japan-China Relations – U.S. Biggest Winner Having Fished in Troubled Waters.”

“Collapse of Japan-China economic cooperation and bilateral trade war is the very thing U.S. wants,” Mr. Ho Maochun, Chief of Tsing Hua University Economic Deplomatic Research Center and Senior Researcher of China Research Center for Public Policy, points out. The U.S. has continued to respond ambiguously to the Senkaku issue. According to Mr. Maochun, this reflects the U.S. secret intentions to weaken East Asia and maintain its grip on global economic hegemony.

Among anti-Japanese sentiment, some Japanese corporations in China have been forced to shut down operations. This method will certainly impact Japan’s economy. Furthermore, if Japanese corporations withdraw from China and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among Japan, China and South Korea is postponed, it will have a negative impact on economic growth in Asia.

Chief Maochun points out that if so, it is he U.S. that will become happy. In the 1980s, the U.S. tried to take every possible means in exchange rate, finance and trade to stop the rising Japan’s economic power. It resulted in Japan’s “Lost Decade.” And since 2008 the U.S. has started to target on China. Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP) without China is a good example.

“I understand the patriotic fervor of Chinese citizens and I think that the incident has made Japan understood our non-negotiable line. However, we have to make it clear that in the current world, the question is a competition between China and U.S., not one between China and Japan,” Chief Maochun argues.　　(Translating・Editing/KT)

Remark of Kissinger: [Iran Radio] Former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger Says “Extinction of Israel Within a Decade”

Seeing this kind of news, we feel as if Kissinger were alive. However, the expression “recently” used at the beginning of a sentence shown below should be December 2011. He was sure to alive around this time. To put it the other way around, if a person makes such a remark, the person is usually destined to be killed. Don’t you think so?

By the way, as for extinction of Israel within a decade, I think it is highly likely. Do you remember that I have often mentioned that they are going to explode Israel (Jerusalem) with nuclear weapons? We want not to let them do so.

Masatoshi Takeshita

English translation of a Japanese version of IRIB (Iran Radio) - October 3, 2012 -

Former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger Says “Extinction of Israel Within a Decade”

Mr. Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State recently expressed “Nothing will remain in Israel within a decade.”

According to Mr. Kevin Parrett, U.S. critic, whose article was covered by Press TV, a famous international political scientist Mr. Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State says that it is no longer a “taboo” to speak about the disintegration of Israel.

With regard to Mr. Kissinger’s remark, Mr. Parrett explains that “Mr. Kissinger didn’t say that Israel is in the midst of crisis and so if several billion dollars is given to Israel to support the military action against the enemy, Israel will be saved. He just mentions the truth and the truth is that Israel will not exist in 2022 any longer.”

Additionally, Mr. Parrett mentions what the American intelligence community is doing and tells that it is preparing for the Middle East without Israel. What is written in the report prepared by American 16 intelligence agencies corresponds to what Mr. Parrett says.

According to the report, Mr. Kissinger’ is a Jew and an old friend of Israel. And the 16 intelligence agencies are influenced by Zionist lobby. Mr. Parrett says, therefore, that the report and Mr. Kissinger’s remark take on increasing importance.

Mr. Parrett gives the following reasons for an increase in such remarks within the U.S. government. American politicians have gotten exhausted by Israeli fanaticism; Americans have been tired of control by Israeli lobby against public remarks; solidarity in American Jewish community which supports Israel has not been inherited; and Americans know that Israel was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

[Weekly Asahi] Senkaku Islands Issue: “China’s Claim Likely to Gain Global Recognition,” Mr. Magosaki Points Out

Information from twitter posted on Shanti Phula’s blog – October 3, 2012 –

English translation of a Japanese article: Weekly Asahi – October 12 Issue –

Senkaku Islands Issue: “China’s Claim Likely to Gain Global Recognition,” Mr. Magosaki Points Out

The Senkaku Islands issue is far from over. Japan insists “The Senkaku islands are effectively controlled by Japan and there is no territorial sovereignty issue.” However, “It is a big mistake to think that this claim will gain global recognition,” Mr. Ukeru Magosaki, former Chief of Intelligence and Analysis Bureau, Foreign Ministry, 69, gives candid advice.

“After World War II, the territories including these islands Japan occupied were returned to China in accordance with the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration.”

On September 27, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi addressed the General Debate of U.N. General Assembly to make an appeal to the international community as follows:

The Cairo Declaration in 1943 stipulates that the territory Japan stole from the Qing Dynasty should be returned to China. Japan accepted the Potsdam Proclamation calling for implementation of the Cairo Declaration. Incorporation of the Senkaku islands into Japan’s territory in 1895 is likely to be interpreted as “the islands had been stolen from the Qing Dynasty.” Based on so-called treaty agreement, I wonder how many Japanese know that it is likely that China’s claim will gain much recognition. Japan has studied too little about history.

I think that Prime Minister Noda does not know the Cairo Declaration or the Potsdam Declaration. If he reads them once, he should be too ashamed to say “No territorial sovereignty issue exists” in the U.N. General Assembly.

Most importantly of all, Japan should recognize that the Senkaku islands are debatable ground. If Japan regards the island as the debatable ground at first, the next problem is how Japan should continue the effective control. Then naturally comes up the theory of “putting the issue on the shelf.” When China’s Premier Zhou Enlai met with Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to talk about the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1972, the Premier said “We ignore minor differences for the sake of greater common interests.” When the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty was signed in 1978, Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping said, “The problem which our generation has no wisdom to solve with will be left up to next generations.” Thus the Senkaku islands issue has been practically “shelved.” China has admitted the effective control of the islands by Japan. “Being shelved” has put Japan in an advantageous position. It is important to think again this advantage.

*Weekly Asahi October 12 issue

[Ryusaku Tanaka] Repeated Lies Concerning Ohma Nuclear Power Plant Procedures for Resumption of Construction To Be Taken Today

Information from Mr. Masatoshi Takeshita posted on his blog – October 1, 2012 –

English translation of a Japanese article: Ryusaku Tanaka Journal – October 1, 2012 –

Repeated Lies Concerning Ohma Nuclear Power Plant Procedures for Resumption of Construction To Be Taken Today

Females protesting against the construction of Ohma nuclear power plant, in front of the head office of Electric Power Development Co.

= October 1 noon at Ginza in Tokyo Photo: Tanaka =

Use of the word “childish shallow trick” will make children angry. Nuclear policy of the Noda administration is a lie known to everybody. In spite of the assurance that “construction of new nuclear power plants is not allowed”, the administration is going to give permission of the construction of three nuclear power plants including Ohma and Shimane.

As the operating life of a nuclear power plant is said to be 40 years, a newly constructed nuclear power plant will be operated for 40 years until the middle of the 2050s. The word “to phase out nuclear power generation by the 2030s” is an utter lie.

Upon the “lifting of the ban” by the government, the Ohma nuclear power plant run by Japan Electric Power Development Co. (located in the Shimokita Peninsular, Aomiri Prefecture) quickly expressed the resumption of construction work. President Masayoshi Kitamura visited the local communities and expressed that the company will start taking procedures to resume construction work. Construction of the Ohma nuclear plant started in 2008, but it has been suspended since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011.

Environmental groups and citizens called for “opposition of construction” in front of the head office of Japan Electric Power Development Co., Ltd (located at Ginza in Tokyo) at lunch hour today.

“We have sufficient electricity. We don’t need dangerous electricity made from MOX fuel,” they made an appeal toward a gigantic building of the company.

It is planned that plutonium-uranium oxide fuel, MOX fuel will be produced in nearby “Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant.” However, the plant has not been operated due to repeated occurrence of troubles. Even an executive of the company is said to have told to a Diet member “It will not be operated for a while.”

Unless the utility company ensures that it will “operate the reprocessing plant,” used fuel will be returned to it by Aomori prefectural government. To avoid such situation, the company tries to construct the Ohma nuclear plan to generate electricity with MOX fuel produced in the reprocessing plant.

To cover up the first lie, they lie anew. It is a story symbolizing irresponsible, makeshift nuclear policy. It is grand fiction.

Under the facilities of the Ohma nuclear plant lie an active fault. Once a big earthquake occurs, it is likely that a nightmare of Fukushima will be repeated.

Finally, I want to say “what ordinary people dislike most.” Once a radiation leakage accident should occur, we cannot eat well-known Ohma tuna any longer.

[Mr. Kazumoto Iguchi] Four Thousand Year-Old Chinese “World Map” Discovered!?

Information from Mr. Masatoshi Takeshita posted on his blog – September 30, 2012 –

English translation of an excerpt from a Japanese article: Kazumoto Iguchi’s blog – September 28, 2012 –

Four Thousand Year-Old Chinese “World Map” Discovered!? As expected, Japan Was Small!

Hello, everybody.

I have found a true story though it sounds false. It seems that the talked-about world map was made in China 4000 years ago, 2500 years before discovery of the American continent by European Caucasians during the Age of Exploration. The ancient map is shown below.

The current world map is shown for comparison. You can tell how precise the ancient map was.

Incidentally, the discoverer of the map is Ms. Charlotte Harris Rees.

The map seems to have been found out by accident among a lot of materials collected by her late father, a native of China, who had made a research of ancient China.

[Ankoku Yakou] Dying “Terminal Patient” America About to Collapse – It’s Time to Review Japan-U.S. Relations

Information from Mr. Masatoshi Takesita posted on his blog – September 28, 2012 –

English translation of a Japanese article: Ankoku Yakou – September 28, 2012 –

Dying “Terminal Patient” America About to Collapse – It’s Time to Review Japan-U.S. Relations

U.S. economy has increasingly gotten out of control and the country is just like a dying patient and barely survives with the help of monetary policy, quantitative easing round 3 (QE3) as “emergency transfusion” FRB forced to adopt.

Strangely enough, the mass media has fueled concerns over crisis of EU so much, but while it reports the sluggish and stagnant American economy, which is supposed to be on the verge of the greatest crisis, but never mentions its crisis equal to national collapse.

FRB repeatedly adopted the monetary policy quantitative easing round 1 (QE1) and round 2 (QE2) to put off the inevitable and this time it has adopted QE3; it has issued a significant amount of greenbacks by further running rotary presses. Naturally, U.S. will be challenged by “collapse of the dollar.”

If FRB issues an astronomical amount of greenbacks, which lack supportive evidence by gold kept in Fort Knox, the dollar will apparently be devalued.

With less coverage by media, Japanese are unfamiliar with the reality that actually as global trend, a move to change settlement currency from U.S. dollar to Chinese yuan or euro has been accelerated.

In other words, the move is “separation from dollar.”

A decade ago, if a country had tried to shift its settlement currency to euro, the U.S. would have imposed “strict economic embargo” or “economic occupation” on the country as in the case of Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussein. However, the “terminal patient” U.S. with complete lack of money has actually no financial power or national power to wage wars of aggression.

In the U.S. under such circumstances, however, a small handful of the rich occupy a limited amount of wealth and low-income earners as well as moderate-income earners have started becoming bankrupt.

The number of the poor is steadily increasing and many households which lose not only jobs or income but also houses have appeared one after another.

Furthermore, the number of people without medical insurance has reached approximately 50 million (an increase of 0.9 million people over last year). You can imagine how they are miserable.

I think that there are quite a lot of people who still believe the “declining country” U.S. to be a “mighty nation” which will stand by Japan and underestimate the tensions between Japan and China. They expect too much of nothing but a phony word “Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.”

However, my opinion is that “Japan-U.S. Security Treaty” is already “fantasy” and will have no effect on Japan’s relations to China and Korea when it comes to the crunch.

It is not too much to say that “Japan-U.S. Security Treaty” after the end of the cold war between USA and USSR is nothing but a “stuff” which is utilized to have Japan donate “sympathy budget allocations” amply and purchase U.S. military aircraft in bulk by “purposely” creating state of tension; sometimes war on terrorism and other times making North Korea as an imaginary enemy.

And now in the midst of increasing tensions between Japan and a new imaginary enemy China, the U.S. arms industry plans to make massive profits through “heavy trading” with Japan.

“Japan-U.S. Security Treaty”, of course, can be discussed from a different aspect. However, I’d like you to think of the meaning of the treaty in the light of the question: “Is the U.S. really in a position to do something for Japan?”