News Stories

[Fireminer]

Georgia school to hold first racially intergrated prom

Another small step on the big road ahead.

[SeijiSensei]

The Ukraine Raises Jitters in Tokyo

The American response to the Russian takeover of Crimea, which President Obama has condemned while at the same time ruling out American military action, has caused deep concern among already skittish Japanese officials.

“The Crimea is a game-changer,” said Kunihiko Miyake, a former adviser to Mr. Abe who is now research director at the Canon Institute for Global Studies in Tokyo. “This is not fire on a distant shore for us. What is happening is another attempt by a rising power to change the status quo.” He pointed as an example to China’s challenge to Japanese control of the Senkaku Islands, the uninhabited rocks in the East China Sea that Beijing claims under the name Diaoyu Islands.

I'm a bit surprised that the Kurils haven't come up in conversation yet.

As if on cue, the US "gave a strong warning to China not to escalate territorial tensions in the Asia-Pacific region if it doesn’t want to face American retaliation. In his statement, a US official used sanctions on Russia over Crimea’s accession as an example." Somehow I suspect the Japanese were hoping for a more response that included a military component as well as economic sanctions.

The Times article makes the point that the American defense pact with Japan is far stronger and more binding than the Budapest Declaration on Ukraine. That agreement "simply refers to security assurances for Ukraine that are not defined, and have been widely interpreted as less than a military guarantee of intervention."

Also, this:
Small Area Open Near Fukushima

Officials said the lifting of the evacuation order would allow 357 residents to reoccupy their homes in a small part of Tamura, which lies southwest of the plant, an area that received relatively little radioactive fallout from the March 2011 triple meltdown.

About 83,000 residents were evacuated from their homes in a 12-mile radius around the plant and in a larger area to the northwest that fell under a radioactive plume created by the accident.

357 out of 83,000? I guess it's a start. Is either TEPCO or the Japanese government paying these people anything to cover their costs of resettlement? I'd have required TEPCO to help finance housing for those 83,000 people.

[MrTerrorist]

Malaysia missing plane search China ship 'picks up signal'

If this is blackbox of the missing plane, i don't think they will be able to get it before the battery runs out. Had the Malaysian Government been honest at the first place and not stalled things, we could have found the blackbox (Or even survivors) earlier.

Fort Hood gunman had 'leave dispute' before shooting

The New York Times, quoting an unnamed official, said Spc Lopez was agitated and disrespectful when his request for leave was denied.

He had reportedly sought time off to deal with family matters relating to the recent death of his mother.

Officials have previously confirmed that Spc Lopez was being treated for depression and anxiety.

He was also undergoing evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder following service in Iraq.

So he snapped because he was denied leave to deal with his mother's death.

[AnimeFan188]

Leftward Shift by Conservative Cleric Leaves Saudis Perplexed:

"When this country’s ultraconservative clerics make news, it is often for
embarrassing reasons: unleashing fatwas against soap operas, for instance, or
declaring Mickey Mouse to be a “soldier of Satan.”

Lately, however, one of the kingdom’s best-known religious figures, Salman
al-Awda, has been making a very different kind of trouble.

Mr. Awda had something akin to a conversion moment during the Arab uprisings
of 2011, and since then has become a passionate promoter of democracy and
civic tolerance. He has more than 4.5 million followers on Twitter and several
million on his regular YouTube broadcasts, making him a significant thorn in the
side of the Saudi monarchy. He can be dangerously blunt, at least by Saudi
standards, and the government has made its displeasure clear, barring him from
print media, television and foreign travel.

“The gulf governments are fighting Arab democracy, because they fear it will
come here,” said Mr. Awda, a 57-year-old cleric with a reddish henna-dyed beard
and an air of slow-moving serenity. “Look what they have done in Egypt —
sending billions of dollars right after the coup last summer. This is a gulf project,
not an Egyptian project. And the Saudi government is losing its friends. If it
continues on this path, it will lose its own people and invite disaster.”"

See:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/wo...=67232673&_r=0

[AnimeFan188]

Putin's Rejection of the West, in Writing:

"Russia's non-European path should be marked by "the rejection of such principles
as multiculturalism and tolerance," according to the draft. "No references to 'creative
freedom' and 'national originality' can justify behavior considered unacceptable from
the point of view of Russia's traditional value system." That, the document stresses,
is not an infringement on basic freedoms but merely the withdrawal of government
support from "projects imposing alien values on society."

The draft goes on to explain that certain forms of modern art and liberal Western
values in general are unacceptable and harmful to society's moral health."

See:

http://www.bloombergview.com/article...ing?cmpid=yhoo

[konart]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

Putin's Rejection of the West, in Writing:

"Russia's non-European path should be marked by "the rejection of such principles
as multiculturalism and tolerance," according to the draft. "No references to 'creative
freedom' and 'national originality' can justify behavior considered unacceptable from
the point of view of Russia's traditional value system." That, the document stresses,
is not an infringement on basic freedoms but merely the withdrawal of government
support from "projects imposing alien values on society."

The draft goes on to explain that certain forms of modern art and liberal Western
values in general are unacceptable and harmful to society's moral health."

See:

http://www.bloombergview.com/article...ing?cmpid=yhoo

Well, while it is true that tolerance is not really liked in russia (at least when talking about some things like gays etc.) - it's funny to also mention rejection of multiculturalism when talking about a country with 185 nationalities living in peacefully (almost all of them)

[SeijiSensei]

US to Send Two Destroyers to Japan

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that two Navy destroyers equipped with missile defense systems would be deployed to Japan by 2017. It was a response, he said, to provocations from [North Korea], which has also threatened to carry out a "new form" of nuclear test.

The announcement followed other steps taken by the Pentagon to bolster its military posture in Japan, including an October decision to position a second X-band missile defense radar there. That radar is expected to be operational this year.

I guess the Americans were listening.

Kim makes such a convenient rationale for this move. Sure the DPRK poses a threat to Japan, but my sense is the Japanese are much more concerned about China. So the US can blame the DPRK and avoid having to suggest this move was made to deter further Chinese action in the China Sea.

Still, 2017? That sounds like an "assurance" from the US without much immediate effect on the strategic situation in the western Pacific.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Still, 2017? That sounds like an "assurance" from the US without much immediate effect on the strategic situation in the western Pacific.

That's what I don't like about this. Why not just put the bloody thing into effect when it matters now rather than in some random future of which we don't know how things will get by then?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

That's what I don't like about this. Why not just put the bloody thing into effect when it matters now rather than in some random future of which we don't know how things will get by then?

Especially since they would have a new US president by then, and who knows what the House and Senate would look like. Commitment that is meant to take place in 2017 might as well be set in the infinite far future.

[SeijiSensei]

It is so totally high school!

Comment by an American official concerning China's decision to exclude Japan from this year's fleet review at "the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biannual meeting of countries that border the Pacific Ocean." The Symposium is meeting in China for the first time. It usually includes a fleet review where the members countries strut their warships for the world to see. This year, China chose not to invite Japan to participate in the review. The US has chosen not to appear either in solidarity with Japan.

Japan’s occupation of China during World War II is part of the reason Beijing does not like the idea of Japanese ships’ taking part in the fleet review, Asia experts said. But they also expressed alarm over China’s recent public relations campaign to increase criticism of Japan around the world. Dozens of Chinese ambassadors have criticized Japan in letters written to global newspapers; in one, the Chinese ambassador in London compared Japan to the evil Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter fame. The shunning of Japan’s fleet, analysts said, is just the latest in the anti-Japan campaign underway in China.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

It is so totally high school!

Comment by an American official concerning China's decision to exclude Japan from this year's fleet review at "the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biannual meeting of countries that border the Pacific Ocean." The Symposium is meeting in China for the first time. It usually includes a fleet review where the members countries strut their warships for the world to see. This year, China chose not to invite Japan to participate in the review. The US has chosen not to appear either in solidarity with Japan.

Shouldn't this be in the silly news thread?

China's behaviour reminded me of kids with rich parents who think they are the king or queen of the school and view their rivals with contempt.

[KiraYamatoFan]

We all know what Chinese ambassadors are when it comes to talking a load of crap:

Spoiler for NSFW lyrics:

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

China's behaviour reminded me of kids with rich parents who think they are the king or queen of the school and view their rivals with contempt.

Exactly as Roy "Chubby" Brown says in the song.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by KiraYamatoFan

We all know what Chinese ambassadors are when it comes to talking a load of crap:

Spoiler for NSFW lyrics:

Exactly as Roy "Chubby" Brown says in the song.

I don't exactly know what is going on in the CCP. It looks like a power struggle from the outside; with one side saying "beat the crap out of the west and retake our rightful place in the East" and the other going "don't fight when there is much money to be made together".

Maybe it is just their nerves talking. People blurt out stuff when they are scared.

Breakingviews: Lafarge-Holcim share jump's gone far enough (5:04)

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

It is so totally high school!

Comment by an American official concerning China's decision to exclude Japan from this year's fleet review at "the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biannual meeting of countries that border the Pacific Ocean." The Symposium is meeting in China for the first time. It usually includes a fleet review where the members countries strut their warships for the world to see. This year, China chose not to invite Japan to participate in the review. The US has chosen not to appear either in solidarity with Japan.

The China-Japan relation is not going to get better any time soon as long as Abe is in power. Take that as a fact. Acting surprised shows more ignorance than anything else.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

The China-Japan relation is not going to get better any time soon as long as Abe is in power. Take that as a fact. Acting surprised shows more ignorance than anything else.

So you mean China is free to throw a tantrum in front of the rest of the world in an international event, simply because it is not happy with the way it sees Japan?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

The China-Japan relation is not going to get better any time soon as long as Abe is in power. Take that as a fact. Acting surprised shows more ignorance than anything else.

If there is anything we are sure of, it's that the Japanese PM is not important enough to matter for Japan. Consider how many PMs they went through in the last decade.

Which Japanese leader would China be "happy" with, for that matter? Because if you are going to make a claim like that, you had to be able to offer an alternative.

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

Which Japanese leader would China be "happy" with, for that matter? Because if you are going to make a claim like that, you had to be able to offer an alternative.

The ones that do not visit Yasukuni Shrine, for starters. There is a very clear line there, and he crossed it.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

If there is anything we are sure of, it's that the Japanese PM is not important enough to matter for Japan. Consider how many PMs they went through in the last decade.

Which Japanese leader would China be "happy" with, for that matter? Because if you are going to make a claim like that, you had to be able to offer an alternative.

One that sucks up to it or is heavily reliant on it. Like SEA - almost every sector is trade-dependent on China.

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

The ones that do not visit Yasukuni Shrine, for starters. There is a very clear line there, and he crossed it.

What is wrong paying respects to the war dead? It is an overblown political issue used to score points at home - like how the flak-ridden government in Singapore condemned the Indonesian subs to rally nationalist sentiments, and their Indonesian counterparts chose to name it that way to rally the right-wing to their cause.

True to the fact that war criminals are enshrined along with ordinary soldiers, a hero of a country will definitely be viewed as a terrorist in another - some politicians would dig up the hatchet and wave it around to score votes. It happens all across the world, not a good reason to hurt bilateral relations.

World politics is no different from that of your local cosplay scene. It is somewhat like competitive archaeology where you dig for relics to demean your opponent; and hoping you don't get buried in the hole you just dug out. In this case it is more like both of them dug in the same spot and are now trying to bury each other in it.

Japan, Australia clinch trade deal as U.S.-Tokyo talks heat up

(Reuters) - Japan and Australia clinched a basic trade deal on Monday to cut import tariffs, as U.S. and Japanese officials stepped up efforts to reach a parallel agreement that would re-energize stalled talks on a broader regional pact.

The agreement between Japan and Australia comes as the United States and Japan push for their own two-way trade deal - a key component of a broader U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact - before a visit this month by President Barack Obama.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed a basic agreement on the deal at talks in Tokyo, and agreed to work towards signing it as soon as possible, the two sides said in a statement.

"The Japan-Australia EPA (economic partnership agreement) is an extremely important framework that promotes bilateral trade and investments," Abe later told a news conference with Abbott.

"This basic agreement has historical significance for getting the two countries closer together."

The bilateral deal, expected to be finalized when Abe travels to Australia in July, features cuts to Japanese tariffs on Australian beef - including a halving of the levy on frozen beef to 19.5 percent with deep cuts in the first year - and an end to an Australian duty on cars.

A deal with Australia that lets Japan keep even reduced tariffs on politically sensitive agricultural products such as beef gives Japan ammunition against U.S. demands to scrap tariffs in the TPP deal, which aims to remove import levies, experts said.

Such a deal means "Australia gets preferential treatment over the U.S., and America will be under pressure to strike a TPP deal short-term that puts it on a level playing-field with Australia," said Aurelia George Mulgan, a professor of Japanese politics at the University of New South Wales.

Australia had a lower hurdle on tariffs for Japanese cars after Australia's three remaining carmakers - Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co - decided to quit Australian domestic production by 2017 due to high costs and a strong Australian currency.

U.S.-JAPAN "GAME OF CHICKEN"

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman leaves on Monday for Tokyo, his office said. He will meet Economy Minister Akira Amari on Wednesday, Japanese media said, in a bid to break a bilateral stalemate bogging down the 12-nation TPP talks.

Washington and Tokyo are each urging the other to be more flexible on the sticking points of access to Japan's farm and car markets and U.S. tariffs on imported cars and trucks.

The TPP is a centerpiece of Obama's push to expand the U.S. presence in Asia. The talks have entered their fifth year. The Japanese and U.S. economies dominate the grouping, which encompasses one-third of global imports and exports.

"What is going on is a game of chicken," Mulgan said. The U.S. and Japan "want an agreement but they are not prepared to pay a high price. Japan knows that America wants it on board because TPP without Japan is not worth all that much. Japan is playing hardball."

The United States wants Japan to open its rice, beef and pork, dairy and sugar sectors - areas Abe has vowed to defend. Japan wants a timetable on U.S. promises to drop tariffs of 2.5 percent on imports of passenger cars and 25 percent on light trucks.

Advocates say the TPP could accelerate global economic growth, boost U.S. exports and level the playing-field between emerging and rich nations in. The TPP talks, including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Malaysia and others, missed a deadline for an agreement by the end of last year.

Abe and Abbott also stressed close security ties as Japan seeks tighter relations with regional partners to cope with a rising China. They agreed to start talks on cooperation in defense technology and equipment, following Japan's recent overhaul of a decades-old ban on arms exports

"The relationship between Australia and Japan is about much more than economics and trade and growing wealthy together," Abbott said at the news conference. "It's about respect, it's about values and that's why this is such a very strong partnership."

In a symbolic gesture, Abbott became the first foreign leader to attend a special session of Japan's National Security Council, set up last year to coordinate policies.

"I think this fact that we are having this session with you signifies the fact that there is a strong bond of trust between Japan and Australia," Abe told Abbott at the beginning of the session.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Tom Bombadil

The ones that do not visit Yasukuni Shrine, for starters. There is a very clear line there, and he crossed it.

A Japanese free man can go where he likes in Japan. I said this before, but if that offends you so much, you can always tell China to pull a Putin and just invade. You have no right to demand the Japanese to do what you want them to do. And if obedience is what you demand for proper relations with Japan, then Japan is right to ignore it.

[Ithekro]

By now, 2014, the Yasukuni Shrine issue should be a non-issue. It is symbolic at best. It doesn't do anything to China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, or the Philippines. It barely does anything in Japan. It doesn't seem like it should stir up trouble anymore since the Emperor isn't going to go there, and Prime Ministers seem to be a yen a dozen this last decade.