Nuclear Reactor Shutdowns Hitting Local Govt Budgets
At the end of last year, a friend sent me an email saying, “Apparently, all those nuclear power stations are not so vital after all”, after most of them went offline and the sky didn’t fall. Think I should forward this article to my friend? TOKYO (Nikkei)–With no prospect for the resumption of idle reactors, [...]
Triumph of hope over experience
Now that all eyes are on Japan’s new “leader” and his fellow “leaders”, and expecting great things from them, namely the swift cleaning up of all radiation contamination, reconstruction of the tsunami/earthquake devastated areas, putting the Japanese economy back on the path to growth, lowering the strong yen, and generally leading the Japanese into the [...]
Govt to allow industry to power up : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
There are, and have been, many political philosophers who have said that government intervention leads to ever-increasing intervention and eventually to tyranny. Others have pointed to the “pretence of knowledge”, the impossibility of anyone or any group of people, having enough information to be able to make the right decisions about resource allocation, in other [...]
Price of wheat to jump 2% | The Japan Times Online
Despite living in Japan since Commodore Perry and his Black Ships, I didn’t know that the Japanese government set the price of imported wheat. And if they are raising the price because prices rose on the Chicago futures market, then why the need for the government to set the price, anyway? The government will raise [...]
No livestock farmers apply for government help | The Japan Times Online
What the….? SENDAI — No livestock farmers in the four prefectures worst hit by the March disaster have applied for a government aid program to help them resume operating, apparently because the qualification terms make it impossible, local authorities said.Under the support program, the government offers subsidies to livestock farmers to remove tsunami debris and [...]
2011/08/21 01:43 – Govt, BOJ To Fight Strong Yen With Slate Of Measures, Easing
Measures being studied include expanding low-interest loans to small and midsize businesses and providing support to companies that make high-value-added products in Japan, both aimed at preventing a hollowing out of industry and creating new jobs. After the next administration takes the reins once Prime Minister Naoto Kan steps down, the government will develop concrete [...]
Japan city declares nuclear Decontamination Month – Yahoo! News
“We decided that we could not sit by and wait until Tokyo figured out what to do,” said town official Yoshiaki Yokota. “It’s an enormous task, but we have to start somewhere via Japan city declares nuclear Decontamination Month – Yahoo! News. More evidence that the tsunami/earthquake/nuclear disaster is forcing people to act without waiting [...]
The Commentator – London rioters are the pampered children of the welfare state
What is all the rioting in the UK about? The rioters probably have various motives, but here’s one commenter’s point of view. Click the link below to read the article joe is commenting on. joe get Says: 09 August 2011 This is not a protest against government. It’s a protest in favour of government. More [...]
Stop claiming food is safe, ministry told | The Japan Times Online
Progress? Perhaps this is in response to public reactions. Perhaps ministers and bureaucrats are realizing that they are not able to manage people’s perceptions in the way they have been accustomed? Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto has committed an about-face on policy by telling his ministry to refrain from vouching for the safety of Japanese food. [...]
When a Cut is Not a Cut
Will the U.S. Congress agree on a resolution to raise the debt-ceiling, or not? The continued failure to do so was on the Japanese TV news this morning. I don’t know what they were telling the viewers, but it was probably along the lines of “if they don’t raise the debt ceiling, it’s the end [...]
