2012年5月26日(土)
Less population and future of Japan
The number of young people in Japan is getting fewer.
Nowadays young people do not think their future is bright.
Birthrate of Japan has become low.
The increase of divorce rate might affect badly.
Will our pension and medical care system be sustainable?
Young people cannot get the job which they want.
A member held out “90% of youngsters have jobs. It is a good number compared with foreign countries. If they choose medium and small company, they can have jobs.”
Some participants welcomed for immigrant workers and international marriage.
Other participants opposed the idea.
Our education system should be changed if we seek for competitive societies.
Some participants said Japan’s GDP per capital is still high.
Other participants commented the number of population and scale of market is important.
Education system should be reformed in order to nurture good leaders, inventors and entrepreneurs.
Japan has to create new area of industry.
The obstacles for having children are luck of nursery schools and expensive cost of education.
Many youngsters enjoy moratorium period being depended by their rich parents.
A young participant said it is difficult for them to come true their dreams.
作成者
道場管理人
: 2012年5月26日(土) 23:51
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2012年5月20日(日)
French new president and European Crisis
Francois Hollande won presidential election in France by attacking Nicolas Sarkozy’s austere economic policies.
He promised to raise income tax on the rich, to create state-subsidized jobs for youth, to turn pension system, to create public investment bank, to break tax for small companies, to give incentives for companies to retain workers, to deploy EU financial institutions for euro crisis and to accept EU infrastructure projects.
How about national deficit?
His policy seems to be based on populism.
He has no experience in national government.
He is mild-mannered unlike Sarkozy's temperamental character.
Can he save France and EU?
Can he get along with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel?
Will Merkel change her austerity-only policies?
Can Euro and EU be sustainable?
Is it a foretaste of the end of the capitalism or democracy?
In Greece, political parties failed to form a government.
Next month the Greek have to make a decision whether they choose default of their country or austerity by election.
We discussed the difference between Asian economic crisis and European crisis this time.
We have to watch Europe closely some time.
作成者
道場管理人
: 2012年5月20日(日) 00:38
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2012年5月13日(日)
Market-Oriented Economy at Crossroads
Market-Oriented Economy had begun at the dawn of human beings.
Though Market-Oriented Economy seems to be like no other economic systems, it has several problems.
As the globalization of Market-Oriented Economy proceeds, the crisis of one region or country like Lehman shock and Greek debt crisis spread to around the world.
We lack the strong leadership to solve the issue compared with the era used to be.
The difference between the rich and the poor is widening among persons and countries.
Only a few of Market-Oriented Economists make a profit. Is it a suitable system to satisfy the greed of human being?
However Market-Oriented Economy is just an instrument. Each person has to be self-restrained to work it smoothly.
A traditional social welfare system which was introduced to narrow the difference between rich and poor is not workable because it needs huge amount of budgetary expenditure.
The society needs the entrepreneurs who break the stagnant status quo.
A Chinese participant commented, ”Everybody does not always enjoy economically under the Market-Opening Reform policy. Extreme mammonism is spreading. The difference between rich and poor is enlarging. Some people have the nostalgia for Mao Ze-dong’s egalitarianism."
作成者
道場管理人
: 2012年5月13日(日) 12:53
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2012年5月6日(日)
Constitution's 65th anniversary
May 3 marked the 65th anniversary of the implementation of the Japanese Constitution. We had a heated discussion about constitutional revisions.
(Excerpts from the discussion)
1. Basic backgrounds of the establishment of the current Constitution.
The Allied Powers’ occupation policy was based on the 5D- Policy (Demilitarization, Decentralization, Deindustrialization, Defeudalization and Democratization). The policy’s ultimate goal was to prevent Japan’s resurgence as a threat to the rest of the world. Japan’s current supreme law was established as part of the policy. According to historians and constitutional experts, there was a link between Article 1 and Article 9. The war-renouncing article was a quid pro quo for the maintenance of the Emperor system.
2. Why the Constitution needs to be amended? Participants pointed out these 3 reasons. Firstly it is a constitution imposed by the Allied Powers. Secondly it is necessary to bridge the gaps between the new realities and what is written in the Constitution. Thirdly when it was established, Japan’s historical and cultural backgrounds were not taken into account. Some parts of the current Constitution are too idealistic.
3. Should the Emperor’s status be changed? Article 1 defines the status of the Emperor as “the symbol of the state” not as the head of state. According to LDP’s latest draft of its proposed revisions to the Constitution, the status is to be changed to “the head of the state”. Some attendees doubted the necessity of doing so, saying just replacing one word with another one is meaningless. But some of the other attendees argued for the change because the Emperor’s status will become much clearer in Japan’s external relations.
4. Should Article 9 be changed? The article renounces war and the use of force as a means to settle international disputes. Also, in the article, there is no text explaining whether Japan can possess a military for self defense or can fight wars for self defense. It is true that the article has enabled Japan to concentrate on the post-war economic development while spending less money on its national defense. Some argued for changing the article in order to clearly provide for the possession of military power and the nation’s security. DPJ’s constitutional amendment draft stipulates maintaining the Self-Defense Forces as “national defense forces”. One attendee stressed that changing Article 9 will pave the way for Japan to become a full-fledged participant in maintaining international peace and order.
5. Other parts that need be changed or reviewed.
・There should be some kind of constitutional control over vested interests.
・The Emperor’s voluntary abdication should be clearly stated in the Constitution.
・The weight of rights and responsibilities should be well-balanced. In the current Constitution, less weight is attached to responsibilities.
・All the land should be public property.
・The threshold for amending the Constitution is too high. It needs to be changed.
・ We need a system to directly elect the Prime Minister to ensure Japan’s political stability. Mr.Noda is the nation’s 6th prime minister since 2006.
作成者
道場管理人
: 2012年5月10日(木) 20:04
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