Yuki's Web

Category: Japanese Politics 日本の政治

  • Changes of the world from COVID-19 / アフターコロナでどう変わる？

    Changes of the world from COVID-19 / アフターコロナでどう変わる？

    日本文が後ろに続きます。

    COVID-19 is dreadfully spreading throughout the world, hospitalizing more than 3,100,000 people and taking the lives of more than 200,000 patients as of April 29, according to Johns Hopkins University. It is no exceptions here in Tokyo.

    The virus is forcing all people in the world to change their lifestyles. Many have been grounded for months. Essential workers, such as doctors, healthcare workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, supermarket clerks, garbage collectors, delivery servicepersons, and staff involved in public transportation, work outside facing the fear of infection.

    I’ve been staying at my house in Tokyo for almost two months. Although the confirmed cases and the death toll in Japan are lower than those in the United States, there are hundreds of cases tested positive and dozens of casualties every day. People are requested to refrain from non-essential journeys and maintain proper social distancing like the US and other countries to avoid causing overshooting of patients. These days I work from home, watch TV, surf the internet, read e-books, have meals delivered at the door, eat them, and sleep in the bed.

    Nobody knows when this inconvenience ends. Some say that it will take 18 months for everything to get back to normal. Others say that it will never return to what it was before the outbreak. Since public health specialists say that the situation in Tokyo is three weeks behind that in New York City, the Metropolitan Government will probably lift the de facto lockdown no sooner than three weeks after NYC. As of today, no countries reopened business yet.

    I’m at home all day long, unless I buy foods at the grocery store or wash my laundry at the laundromat. I have much more time to think about what the world will become in forthcoming years. Here’s what I think the world will change:

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  • Prelude to WWIII / 第三次世界大戦の序章

    Prelude to WWIII / 第三次世界大戦の序章

    日本文が後ろに続きます。

    The second year of the Reiwa period began with a nightmare. More precisely, at the beginning of the year, nobody could predict what would be going on just two months later. I am talking about what the entire world is fighting against—COVID-19.

    The coronavirus outbreak has been an urgent global issue. It was just the case of people in a limited area of a particular country, or poor, rich travelers within a trapped gorgeous cruise ship in February. Only a few weeks later, however, it became the case relevant in most parts of the world. Now the situation is changing day by day. For days, thousands of people around the world have been newly hospitalized due to this disease. More than 10,000 patients have died from it in China, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the United States, and more.

    The World Health Organization declared a pandemic. Lockdown is underway in many cities and even nationwide in some countries. Going out for non-essential reasons is banned or discouraged. People are forced to stay home and keep six feet away from others so as not to be six feet under.

    The lockdown has had a massive impact on the world economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by around 1,000 points this month with circuit breakers taking effect many times. The share price of Boeing has become less than a third for weeks. This financial crisis is even worse than those in the great depression in 1929.

    That is true with Japan. Here in Tokyo, the governor stated that lockdown in Tokyo is likely because patients tested positive are increasing every day by more than the number of cases a day before. She requested Tokyoites for being home this weekend except for essential business.

    People in Japan look afraid of a state of emergency being declared and lockdown being issued. I hate to say that, but I’m sure that these will be near. I think lockdown orders will be released in weeks or even in days because we see other civilized countries being already like this.

    Lockdown being inevitable, how should we do? Most people will be forced to stay away from their workplaces, such as offices, farms, fishing grounds, milk plants, and factories. Then it is likely to run short of various things needed for daily life. As a result, the production of foods and groceries will be severely restricted.

    Once supply cease, panic buying is likely to take place. This action must be blamed as antisocial behavior since not all households have enough money or means to get what they need. It will be difficult to supply daily necessities if panic buying occurs, because the distribution system will be burdened more than usual, and the distribution of domestic inventory will be unfair. Participating in such panic buying is nothing but not only exposing your low awareness of social solidarity, that is, lack of knowledge that society will not be established if we do our own things, but also proving that you have neglected to be prepared and save in case of an emergency.

    We have no choice but to secure the needed supplies for the time being before lockdown takes effect. It would help us a lot to find out what people in countries where lockdown is already in place are doing.

    This experience gives us the following important suggestions and lessons: the fact that even the most rights-sensitive liberal nations can easily and quickly control individual’s rights and freedom before the impending crisis. It means that, once an emergency happens, the rights of individuals are insignificant and vulnerable.

    What is happening in front of us now seems like a dry run exercise for the third world war. I think it is likely to occur in the coming decades because it is a very similar situation where a big earthquake occurred in 1923, the world financial crisis in 1929, and WWII 12 years later. Likewise, the big earthquake and tsunami happened in 2011, and the economic crisis derived from the coronavirus epidemic eight years later. Now the world is divided. Each country is isolated and closing its borders. How many years is left for us to see those countries to collide?

    The time is right to be prepared for in the future. Divide your assets into some pieces and save them in different countries. If possible, have multiple places to live and jobs in two or more countries. Having as many life options as possible will save you in this volatile future with many uncertainties.

    令和二年は悪夢で始まったようです。正確に言うと年のはじめには、２ヶ月後にこうなってるなどと誰も予測し得なかったのです。言うまでもなく、いま世界全体が戦っているもの、つまりコロナウイルスの話です。

    ２月の時点では、特定の国の限られた地域だけの話、あるいはとどめ置かれた豪華客船の中の、気の毒な富裕層の旅行者に限られた話だったのですが、数週間すると、世界のほとんどの場所で関係する話になってしまいました。今や事態は日に日に変わっていきます。ここ数日で、世界中で何千人もの人がこの病気であらたに入院しています。そして中国、日本、イラン、イタリア、スペイン、ドイツ、フランス、アメリカ、その他で、一万人以上の患者が亡くなりました。

    ＷＨＯはパンデミックを宣言しました。ロックダウンが多くの都市で、ある国では国全体で進行中です。不要不急の外出は禁止されたり、推奨されなくなったりしています。人々は死なないために、家にとどまって、他人と２メートル離れることを強いられています。

    このロックダウンで世界経済に大きな打撃を与えています。ダウ平均株価は今月だけで何度もサーキットブレーカーが発動し、１０００ポイント以上下落しました。ボーイングの株価はここ数週間で３分の１になりました。この経済危機は１９２９年の世界恐慌より悪くなっています。

    この状況は日本にもあてはまっています。ここ東京では、陽性患者が毎日、前日より多く発生している中、ロックダウンの可能性もあると都知事が発言しました。今週末は不要不急の外出を控えるようによびかけています。

    日本人は、緊急事態宣言やロックダウンの発令を恐れているようにみえますが、言いたくないですが私は、ロックダウンの命令はここ数週間以内、あるいは数日以内に発令されるとみています。他の文明国がすでにそうなっているからです。

    ロックダウンが避けられないとすれば、どうすればいいのか。ほとんどの人が職場に行けなくなる、ということは、田畑、漁場、搾乳場、工場などに行けなくなるということなので、食糧生産や日用品生産が厳しく制限されるということになります。

    ひとたび供給がやめば、パニック買いが起こりやすくなります。すべての家庭が必要なものを得るだけの資金や手段があるわけではないので、この買いあさりの行動は反社会的なものとして非難しなければなりません。パニック買いが起これば、流通機構に平常以上の負担がかかるので、国内の在庫品の流通が不公平になります。このようなパニック買いに加わることは、社会連帯意識の欠如、つまり自分勝手なことをしたのでは社会が成り立たないという意識が欠けていることを暴露するだけでなく、自分が有事の際の備え、貯えを怠っていたことを証明するにほかなりません。

    われわれとしては、さしあたり必要な物資を、ロックダウンが発令されるまでに確保するほかありません。すでにロックダウンが実施中の国の人が何をしているのかを知ることが助けになるでしょう。

    この経験は、次の重要な示唆と教訓を与えています。つまり、最も権利意識に敏感な自由主義諸国でさえ、さしせまった危機の前では、個人の権利や自由をいとも簡単に、そして迅速にコントロールすることができる、という事実です。それはとりもなおさず、ひとたび緊急事態が発生すれば、個人の権利などとるにたりない脆弱なものということです。

    今わたしたちの目の前で起こっていることは、第三次世界大戦の予行演習のようにも思えます。第三次世界大戦は今後数十年のうちに起こるのではないかと思います。１９２３年の大震災、１９２９年の世界恐慌、そして12年後に起きた第二次世界大戦のときと状況が似ているからです。同じように、２０１１に東日本大震災が起こり、今回のコロナウイルスに起因する世界恐慌が８年後に起こりました。今や世界は分断されています。それぞれの国は孤立し、国境を閉ざしています。これらの国が衝突するまであと何年残されているでしょうか。

    将来に向けて準備をすべき時だと思います。資産を分割し、別々の国に置いておきましょう。できるなら、複数の生活場所を確保し複数の国で仕事を持つのがよいでしょう。人生の選択肢をできるだけ多く持つことが、今後の不安定で不確定要素の多い将来においては救われるのではないかと思います。

  • Some requests on Japanese mobile phones / 総務省のＳＩＭロック解除要請に寄せて

    日本文が後ろに続きます。

    I heard the news that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan started discussing a policy to require mobile phone carriers to release SIM-lock-free handsets from the next generation. As is often written in some other entries of this blog, I have been dissatisfied with the current cellular phones in Japan because they are far from the global standards.

    Today mobile phones are widely spread worldwide, ranging from smartphones like iPhone or Nokia N900 communicator to cheap simple cell phones only for calling and text messaging. They are handy, convenient and easy to use even in developing countries where electric supply is not sufficient. Thanks to their size, you can carry them everywhere in the world. In spite of their mobility, there are two major countries where you can’t use them as conveniently as in the rest of the world — Japan and Korea. Especially in Japan, the mobile systems and services have been so unique that they are often compared to the ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands, where endemic species are seen.

    The history of popularised mobile phones in Japan began with Personal Digital Cellular, or PDC, which was standardised in 1991 by the Research and Development Center for Radio Systems (later became the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses). NTT DoCoMo, one of Japanese mobile phone operators, launched its mobile phone service called “mova” in 1993, and the other mobile phone operatoes followed NTT DoCoMo and began their own mobile phone services based on PDC. PDC is technically superior to other standards like GSM as it allows smaller phones with lighter batteries because of its weaker broadcast strength, but it is closed to Japan only, because NTT DoCoMo could neither do business with PDC cellular service in foreign countries nor apply for any patents related to PDC to patent offices of foreign countries due to legal restriction at that time banning NTT DoCoMo from going into business outside Japan. Under such circumstances, Japan’s mobile phones could be used within Japan only.

    In addition to the technical exclusiveness of Japan’s cellular phones, mobile phone services in Japan were also original. The i-mode service, launched in 1999 by NTT DoCoMo, is the world’s first web service using cell phones and rapidly spread nationwide because users can have access to the internet and special contents authorised by NTT DoCoMo with a portable handset instead of a PC. In spite of the convenience of the i-mode service, it was the service exclusive to Japan because the handset was available only in Japan.

    Handsets are exclusive not only to foreign countries but to other carriers. In Japan, unlike other countries, they have been designed by mobile phone operators instead of handset manufacturers. They are designed so as to meet the specifications of a certain operator. Handsets for NTT DoCoMo cannot be used for au or Softbank Mobile, because the specifications required by such operators on voice communications and content services are a bit different from each other. If you are changing an operator into another one, you have to throw away the handset you used for the old operator and buy a new one for the new operator.

    Minds on cell phone was not changed even after the so-called “third-generation” mobile phones appeared and international roaming service began in around 2002. Some operators designed the same type of phones as the rest of the world, which can be used by activating a SIM card stored in it, but the way is a bit different: an operator issues a user both a SIM-card and a handset, which is SIM-locked to the operator. If you pull the SIM card out of the handset and put it in one designed by another operator, you can’t use it. Even if another operator’s handset accepted the SIM card, you couldn’t use any content services of the different operator but only simple functions like voice communications and short message service, or SMS. As for SMS service, it is also exclusive to other operators unlike the rest of the world. You can’t send SMS from a phone for one operator in Japan to that of another Japanese operator (you can send SMS to a phone in another country, though).

    Such operator-oriented development of Japan’s mobile systems have helped Japan’s mobile phones keep world’s leading position. People can use the cutting-edge communicators on a daily basis. In spite of all the advantages, the exclusiveness of Japan’s mobile infrastructure does more harm than good these days.

    Forcing handset manufacturers to follow each operator’s own specifications increases the burden on them. They have to develop different types of handsets to meet the each specifications. Development costs of them will increase and definitely be imposed to consumers, tangibly or intangibly. Costly development for Japan’s specific handsets discourages the manufacturers to develop handsets for foreign countries.

    At the same time, such specifications are also trade barriers for manufacturers outside Japan. They have to meet Japanese standards as well as global ones, and will probably give up making good handsets for Japan. Japanese people will lose chance to have good handsets made by Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, or Sony Ericsson.

    Another problem with such exclusiveness is that Japanese phone manufacturers are being less competitive in the mobile phone market of the world. According to Global Handset Market Share for 2009, all Japanese mobile phone manufacturers have less than 16% of total market shares altogether, while Nokia solely has more than 40% of the market share. People using Japanese handsets are rarely seen outside Japan.

    The MIAC seems to be trying to change such a situation. As much as I think highly of MIAC’s efforts as the first step for the globalisation of Japanese mobile markets, I would like to propose some different requests.

    At first, I demand Japan’s mobile operators to open SMS gateways so that SMS can reach even other operators. In Japan, a handset of NTT DoCoMo can send SMS to another headset for NTT DoCoMo only, not to any headset for au or Softbank or Willcom. Texting using SMS is basic to the 3G mobile phone system and even a cheap phone in a developing country can do it. I strongly require this.

    Furthermore, I would like to require government authority to revise Radio Law to allow imported handsets as long as they pass one of the certifications for terminals like FCC or CE. Under current Radio Law, any handset used in Japan is required to pass the special examination by the Telecom Engineering Center, or TELEC. As mobile phones can be easily carried to and from any other country, it is not feasible to exclude all phones which are not passed TELEC certifications before hand.

    Secondly, Japan’s mobile operators should allow users to use any handsets, domestic or imported, as long as they are based on the basic specifications for 3G. For this, operators should disclose access point name (APN) to users so that users can use MMS and web service with any handsets in the same condition as those using carrier-designed handsets. Operators should stop any discriminatory charging policy to non-operator-designed terminals, like NTT DoCoMo which charges higher rates for packet communications by non-DoCoMo handsets.

    Compulsory SIM-unlocking as is discussed in the MIAC is, in fact, unnecessary. It is more important to give users more options to choose a cheaper SIM-locked handset or a unlocked phone which is expensive but free to change operators at any time.

    Providing cutting-edge, second-to-none services in Japan which no other countries can offer is greatly welcomed. Such services would be competitive when provided on the globally equal platform and infrastructure. For the benefit of Japanese users and manufacturers, operators should open the door to the world.

    最近、総務省が携帯キャリア各社に対しＳＩＭロック解除を要請しているようで、ガラパゴス返上のためにいろいろ政策を打っているようでさすが内藤正光副大臣ＧＪ！と言いたいところですが、ここはさらにもう一歩踏み込んで携帯キャリア各社に要望したいところとして

    1. ＳＭＳゲートウェイの開放。異キャリアへもＳＭＳが送れるようにしてほしい。
    2. ＡＰＮの公開。３Ｇに準拠している端末はキャリア端末か否かを問わず平等な条件でサービスが受けられるようにしてほしい。特にパケット料金の差別的な取り扱いはやめてほしい（例：ドコモ）。
    3. これは国への要望ですが、海外端末について技術基準適合証明を取らずともＦＣＣかＣＥ認証があればこれに代わるものとして日本での使用を認めてほしい。携帯は国をまたいで運べるものなので、技適がないと日本で使えないなんて時代錯誤も甚だしい。

    これらが実現されれば、実はＳＩＭロック解除なんて必要ないんです。海外からノキアでもサムソンでもソニエリでも買って持ってきて自由に使えるようになるんですから。むしろＳＩＭロックつきの安い携帯とＳＩＭロックフリーの高いけど自由度も高い携帯を選べる選択肢を増やしてほしいところです。
    世界であたりまえにやってることを、日本でもできるようにしてほしいだけなんですが・・・。コンテンツサービスは日本独自の進んだ機能があってもいいし、むしろそのほうが大歓迎なんですが、インフラ部分はせっかく世界共通の３Ｇなんだから中身も世界と合わせてほしいところです。

  • 定額給付金

    16032009092.jpg今日、郵便受けに届いてました。

    人口多いのに、江東区、仕事早いな（笑）。

    独り暮らしなので給付額は12000円だけど、ないよりはマシ。

    さっそく給付申請することにします。

    ま、ギガビットルータでも買って、うちのLAN環境を見直しますか。

    ＃こないだうちのラップトップがHDDが起動しなくなって使えなくなったし、デスクトップPCのほうも動作が怪しいので、そのうちPCまわりの環境も整え直さないとな……。

    で、江東区内の10%プレミアム付のクーポンが同封されていて、区内の取扱店で買い物をすると11000円の商品券が10000円で買えるというもの。

    どうせなら区内でギガビットルータ買えば得できますね、ってそんな取扱店あるんだろか……。

  • 紀元節に靖國神社を参拝

    Patriot group members worshipping Yasukuni deities

    東京に住んで10年以上になるにもかかわらず未だ一度も靖國神社に参ったことがなかったので、紀元節の今日、思い切って行ってきました。

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  • A really sick country / 病んだ国ニッポン

    日本文が後ろに続きます。

    Japan is turning into a really sick country. According to media, a 25-year-old man this afternoon hit the people walking on the streets at Akihabara with his truck, jumped out of it and stabbed the people there at random with his survival knife, causing death to as many as seven people until now. The killer was arrested on the spot, saying he was “sick of life” and wanted to kill whomever he saw.
    CNN.com: At least 7 dead in Tokyo stabbing spree
    Japan Probe: Stabbing rampage in Akihabara: 7 people killed

    Similar attacks have happened increasingly for years. On the same day of 2001, Mamoru Takuma broke into elementary school classrooms and stabbed eight students to death in Osaka. Two months ago a young man suddenly attacked the people walking around the railroad station, killing one and injuring many. Wherever you are, you can be a victim of such kind of crimes here, because this country has plenty of such kind of “sick-of-life” young people with no hope for the future, and such people may cause such kind of stabbing sprees to strangers or kill themselves with hydrogen sulfide.

    I wonder if it is the best choice or not for me to keep living in this sick country. If I were more skilled in English and business skills and I had more money, I could move to the U.S. or another better country and settle there, rather than being scared of crimes happening every day.

    秋葉原で25歳の男がトラックで通行人に突っ込み、飛び降りて無差別にサバイバルナイフで襲い、7人を死亡させたという事件が起こったそうです。犯人はその場で逮捕され、「生活に疲れた」とかのたまっているそうです。

    ここ数年、似たような事件が起こってます。7年前のちょうど同じ日は、宅間守元死刑囚が大阪の小学校に押し入り、クラスにいた児童8人を刺し殺しました。2週間前には荒川沖駅前で、若い男が突然通行人を襲い、1人死亡多数負傷という事件が起こっています。こういう「人生に疲れた」系の若者がいっぱいいるので、これからどこにいてもこういう事件は起こりうるでしょう。

    このまま日本に住み続けていいものかと思案しているところ。もうちょっと英語と仕事のスキルがあって、お金があれば、アメリカかどっかましな場所に移住したいものです。

  • Election of Osaka Prefecture’s governor / 大阪府知事選

    日本文が後ろに続きます。

    Today people of Osaka Prefecture are voting a candidate of the governor of Osaka Prefecture. The candidates include Toru Hashimoto, an attorney, Sadatoshi Kumagai, an ex-professor of Osaka University, and Shoji Umeda, an attorney.

    Hashimoto seems to be of great advantage to others because he often appears on TV and is the most well-known to people. But, in my personal feelings, I want Kumagai to win the election, because I had his “circuit theory” seminar when I was a university student 15 years ago and I’m familiar with him very much.

    Actually anybody is ok as I’m not an Osaka resident and I don’t have the right to vote.

    今日は、大阪府知事選の投票日です。弁護士の橋下徹氏、元大学院教授の熊谷貞俊氏、共産党の梅田章二氏が立候補しています。

    ワタシ的には、昔、大学で「回路理論」の講義を受けたことのある熊谷先生が馴染みがあるので応援したいところですが、やっぱり橋下氏が知名度的には有利なようですね。個人的にはどうも橋下氏は胡散臭く見えて仕方ないんですが、与党推薦・支持の上に同和対策予算削減を公約に掲げているということで世論もおおかた橋下氏マンセーのようですし……。

    ま、都民としてはよそのことなんでどうでもいいけど。

    【同日21:20追記】

    やっぱりというか、橋下氏が当選しちゃいましたね・・・。
    ま、橋下氏には大阪のためにがんばってほしいものです。

  • CATVをデジタル化

    うちのCATV（JCOM）をアナログからデジタルにアップグレードした。

    特にこれといって動機があったわけではなかったのだが、地デジブームでもあるし、2011年にはアナログ放送が全廃されてすべてデジタル化されるということもあるので、時代を先取りという意味で、デジタル化してみた。

    切り替え工事自体は特段難しいわけでもなく、業者の人が来てセットトップボックスを交換し、配線し直して初期設定するというだけで、ものの1時間で済む程度の作業。これで、チャンネル数もアナログ時代より格段に増え、海外の映画やニュース番組、そしてペイ・パー・ビューの番組なども見られるようになり、またCATV局～ユーザ間でのインタラクティブな操作も可能となって、非常に充実したテレビライフが送れるようになった。気に入った番組をどんどんDVDに落とし込んで、コレクションを充実させられる、と期待していたのだが、甘かった。

    HDDレコーダーに録画した番組は、一世代しかコピーできないのである。

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  • 防災訓練

    Disaster prevention training

    家の近所の小学校で、近隣住民を対象として"都市直下型地震発生"を想定した防災訓練があった。都会の町で地域住民を集めて催しをするのも珍しいのだが、近所の3つぐらいの町会が合同で主催して開いたらしい。区役所の職員や警察・消防を呼んで、防災に関する話を聞いたり、消火活動や救急のデモンストレーションを見たりするという趣旨だった。

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