FOCUS JAPAN

“There is no need to participate in WBC” - Japanese media tycoon

2011-09-30T04:22:00.002+09:00

Yomiuri group's top executive Tsuneo Watanabe

Japanese biggest newspaper company Yomiuri’s president Tsuneo Watanabe hinted at defaulting 2013 World Baseball Classic.

While the negotiation on the amount of the earnings shared between Japanese baseball association and the MLB and other US promoters remains at a deadlock, the Japanese media tycoon criticized the US baseball circle as “imperialistic”.

Watanabe called for a get-tough approach and said: “there is no need to deal with the counterpart if they have any compromise. We should not make an offer to split the difference right from the beginning.”

The MLB and US promoters refuse firmly a request from Japan to offer part of sponsorship deals and distributorship of items for the event.

Korean soccer club made an apology for the larky banner issue

2011-09-30T03:38:00.001+09:00

Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club apologized to Japanese citizens on a statement released on its website one day after the troubled banner reading; “We celebrate Japanese earthquake hit” was displayed during the match with Japan’s Cerezo Osaka in South Korea.

   The statement said: “'We extend our sincere apology to Japanese people and football fans”. And it also revealed the team is now identifying who exactly conducted the act through CCTV footage
   Japan’s major broadcaster Fuji TV reported the team staff said they were considering a request for police investigation and a criminal complaint against people who were responsible for the act.
   South Korean media also criticized this act as “disgraced the whole nation”.

Korean supporters: Happy with quake and tsunami hit in Japan

2011-09-28T19:48:00.003+09:00

Japanese soccer player Ryuji Bando said with his regretful look: “felt very pathetic rather than regrettable” when he answered a question from media reporters having waited at the airport for the Cerezo Osaka team members, which played yesterday for AFC Champions league in South Korea.

The Cerezo Osaka’s striker did not comment on the match result but on Korean supporters’ harsh message for Japanese citizens and people worldwide sympathized with massive earthquakes and its aftermath of tsunamis hit on March.

The supporters showed up the banner written in Japanese: “congratulate on the major earthquake”.

FujiTV captured the banner - "we celebrate Japan's quake damage"

The message – they are very happy with the unmitigated earthquake and tsunami attack being hit in the northeastern Japan and killed more than 15,000 people – was seen during the soccer match.

South Korean government and major media have given no response to this event so far.

Japanese celebrity's brave acts facing the reality

2011-05-27T04:20:00.001+09:00

Japanese actor Taro Yamamoto is now facing the reality just after he protested against the government's optimistic reaction to radioactive exposure to children.

He revealed he was forced to pay a price for his brave acts as his management staffer gave him an email message that he lost his offered TV drama appearance.

Mr Yamamoto has ever joined demonstrations against anti-nuclear power generation and the authority's decision to set the yearly safety standard for children's radioactive exposure at 20 millisieverts.

"In Chernobyl accident, the peripheral residents were forced to evacuate if they were assumed to receive 5-millisievert radiation a year. But, the question is, the Education Ministry considers it as 'no problem' to expose children to 20-millisievert radioactivity. I can say it's murder. The answer is the government tries to sacrifice those children to save compensation for their evacuation", he remarked earlier.

Japanese entertainment news provider Cinema Today interviewed with Mr Yamamoto and he told the reporter that he knew power companies were one of the biggest media sponsors and took circumstances into account.

His supporters reacted to the revelation with strong anger at the sudden cancellation from the TV station and drama producer and sympathized with Yamamoto's hardships.

Despite his request to the supporters to refrain from radical action for the TV producers, Mr Yamamoto replies to their encouragement, saying, "Let's stop the destruction of Japan and break with nuclear power generation. Your strong sense of justice certainly allows us to realize the children's evacuation from radiation threat and removal from the 20-millisievert safety standard."

Voluntary Restraint Election Battle

2011-04-10T08:40:00.002+09:00

While attention is still drawn to the terrible natural disasters and radiation threats, Japanese citizens go to the poll on Sunday to choose the local government leaders and representatives in the non-affected areas, including Tokyo gubernatorial election and other megalopolitan mayoral elections, several days after candidates' fierce battle with hesitant or inconspicuous campaign blitz in wake of a “voluntary restraint mood”.

The devastating earthquakes and tsunamis representing "divine punishment" for egoistic Japanese people and current society, incumbent Tokyo metropolitan Governor Shintaro Ishihara said just after the natural disasters were found to occur. But　reportedly, he keeps the edge on the Tokyo governor's race ahead of other candidates so far. He gained strong supports from most of the swing voters in each past election. But this time his earlier remark tainted more or less his popularity.

The Fukushima crisis has major impacts on the debate among election runners. In Hokkaido, Fukui, and other areas that have nuclear power plants, a clear decision and compromising attitude towards a desirable future of nuclear power plants will be certain to lead the election results.

Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has a nuclear power plant operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co. During the local competition for governor, both incumbent and rival candidates were pledging the stronger safety measures and drastic overhaul of the nuclear power plant, the local newspaper Saga Shinbun reports.

The election results will live broadcast on special TV and radio programming on Sunday evening.

Decommissioning of reactors

2011-03-30T18:21:00.007+09:00

TEPCO executive chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata (left) and the vice-president Sakae Mutoh (right)

Tokyo Electric executive chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata revealed it was supposed to decommission the crippled first – fourth reactors in its Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is still plagued by a disaterous level of nuclear radiation despite the successive efforts to cool them down and resuscitate function of and power supply to their operation rooms.
“There still remains a serious challenge of draining the highly radiated water swamped in the reactor buildings”, Katsumata said, showing their difficulties to break the deadlock. “The government offers us several possible suggestions to the solution, including the possibility of carry the water by tanker. I think it’s a difficult option to take, but I will take any possible solutions into consideration.”
During the two-hour press conference Wednesday afternoon, the electric firm managers have been bearing the brunt of a storm of harsh questions by reporters and journalists.
Mr Katsumata stressed there was no procrastination about countermeasures against the incidents, adding there occurred malfunction of the communication system that cut the connection to the Cabinet Office, when a journalist asked the chairman whether the initial reaction for the nuclear power plants found inoperative was delayed.
However, a little tumultuous moment came just after the chairman revealed he traveled in China with the top brass in the national media companies, whose travel expenses were partly treated by TEPCO’s account, while the headquarters was dealing with the accidents from the crippled reactors hit hard by the tsunamis.
Just after the news released that TEPCO’s president Masataka Shimizu, who had ever led its operation team, was hospitalized because he suddenly complained of dizziness and high blood pressure disease, the chairman Katsumata represented the press conference with other Tokyo Electric executives.

2011-03-30T05:35:00.000+09:00

ATTENTION

The daily rolling blackout schedule for each TOKYO and TOHOKU electric power company's service area is offered at Google Crisis Response website.

The First Group

2011-03-30T05:34:00.000+09:00

GROUP A

TOCHIGI
Sakura Ohdawara NasuKarasuyama NasuShiobara
(Nasu-gun)Nakagawa (Nasu-gun)Nasu Yaita Oyama
(Haga-gun)Masuko (Haga-gun)Ichigai (Haga-gun)Haga
(Haga-gun)Mogi Utsunomiya Mo'oka Tochigi
Shimotsuke (Shioya-gun)Takanesawa
(Kawachi-gun)Kamimikawa

GROUP B

GUNMA
Midori Isesaki Kiryu (Sawa-gun)Tamamura Maebashi
Shibukawa (Tone-gun)Showa

GROUP C

SAITAMA
Saitama-Nishi-ku Fujimino Syama Shigi Tokorozawa
Niiza Kawagoe Asaka (Iruma-gun)Miyoshi Iruma Fujimi
Wakoh (Chihibu-gun)Minano (Chichibu-gun)Ogano
Chichibu (Ohsato-gun)Yorii (Chichibu-gun)HigashiChichibu
(Chichibu-gun)Yokose (Hiki-gun)Ogawa (Hiki-gun)Tokigawa

TOKYO
Tama-area HigashiMurayama Mitaka Kodaira Kiyose
NishiTokyo HigashiKurume Musashino

GROUP D

CHIBA
(Awa-gun)Kyonan Kamogawa Tateyama Kimitsu Ichihara
Yuzugaura (Chohsei-gun)Chohnan Chohsei-gun)Nagara
MinamiBohsoh Futtsu Mohara Kiasarazu Yotsukaido
Isumi Sakura (Sanbu-gun)Oh'amiShirasato Chiba-Inage-ku
Chiba-Midori-ku Chiba-Hanamikawa-ku Chiba-Wadaba-ku
Chiba-Chuoh-ku Chiba-Mihamaku Funabashi
(Chohsei-gun)Ichimiya (Chohsei-gun)Chohsei (Chohsei-gun)Chirako
(Chohsei-gun)Mutsusawa Tohgane Yachimata Yachiyo
Kamagaya Shirai

GROUP E

KANAGAWA
Yokosuka Yokohama-Isogo-ku Yokohama-Sakae-ku
Yokohama-Kanazawa-ku Yokohama-Minatominami-ku
Kamakura Zushi Fujisawa Kawasaki-Kawasaki-ku
(Aikoh-gun)Aikawa (Aikoh-gun)Kiyoyaka Ayase
Isehara Ebina Chigasaki Atsugi (Kohza-gun)Samukawa
Zama Sagamihara-Chuoh-ku Sagamihara-Minami-ku
Yamato Hiratsuka Yokohama-Totsuka-ku Yokohama-Izumi-ku

SHIZUOKA
Gotenba (Sunto-gun)Oyama

The Second Group

2011-03-30T05:33:00.001+09:00

GROUP A

TOCHIGI
(Shimotsuga-gun)Iwafune (Shimotsuga-gun)Nogi
Kanuma Oyama Tochigi

GROUP B

SAITAMA
Sayama Sakato Kawagoe Tsurugashima Hidaka
(Iruma-gun)Ogose (Iruma-gun)Moroyama Iruma Hannoh
(Hiki-gun)Tokigawa Ha'nyu Okegawa Kazoh kuki
Kumagaya Satte Gyoda Koh'nosu Ageo Kitamoto
Saitama-Urawa-ku Saitama-Iwatsuki-ku Saitama-Minami-ku
Saitama-Midori-ku Koshigaya Kasukabe Kagaguchi
(MinamiSaitama-gun)Miyashiro (MinamiSaitama-gun)Shiraoka
(KitaKatsushika-Gun)Sugito Saitama-Ohmiya-ku
Saitama-Chuoh-ku Yoshikawa Misatao Sohka
(KitaKatushika-gun)Matsubushi Warabi

GROUP C

CHIBA
Sakura Narashino Yachiyo Ichiakwa Matsudo Funabashi
Chiba-Hanamigawa-ku Chiba-Wakaba-ku Chiba-Mihama-ku

GROUP D

TOKYO
Tama-area Inagi Komae Mitaka Koganei Tama Chohfu
Fuchu Musashino Hino Hachiohji Akishima Tachikawa Machida

KANAGAWA
Sagamihara-Chuoh-ku Sagamihara-Midori-ku
Kawasaki-Asao-ku Chigasaki (Kohza-gun)Samukara
Hiratsuka Yokohama-Asahi-ku Yokohama-Seya-ku
Yokohama-Izumi-ku Yokohama-Tsuzuki-ku
Yokohama-Midori-ku Ebina Yamato

GROUP E

YAMANASHI
Kohfu (NishiYashiro-gun)IchikawaMisato Chuoh
Suita MinamiAlps (MinamKoma-gun)Fujikawa

SHIZUOKA
Mishima Gotenba Susono Sunto-gunChosen
Numazu Atami (Tagata-gun)Kannami
(Sunto-gun)Shimizu

The Third Group

2011-03-30T05:32:00.001+09:00

GROUP A

TOCHIGI
Utsunomiya (Shioya-gun)Shioya (ShimoTsuga-gun)Mibu
Shimotsuke Kanuma (KamiTsuga-gun)Saiho Tochigi Nikko
(ShimoTsuga-gun)Iwafune (Kawachi-gun)KamiMikawa Sano
Oyama Maoka Ashikaga

GROUP B

SAITAMA
Shigi Niiza Asaka Wakoh Saitama-Urawa-ku
Saitama-Iwatsuki-ku Saitama-Minuma-ku
Saitama-Ohmiya-ku Saitama-Chuo-ku Saitama-Kita-ku
Saitama-Midori-ku Kasukabe (KitaKatsushika-gun)Sugito
Saitama-Sakura-ku Saitama-Nishi-ku Hanyu Okegawa
Gyoda Kohnosu Ageo (KitaAdachi-gun)Ina Kitamoto
Kumagaya (Kodama-gun)Kamisato (Kodama-gun)Kamikawa
(Kodama-gun)Misato Fukaya (Ohsato-gun)Yorii
HigashiMatuyama (Hiki-gun)Namekawa (Hiki-gun)Yoshimi
(Hiki-gun)Ogawa (Hiki-gun)Arashiyama Honjyo Iruma
Hannoh Tokorozawa

GUNMA
Isesaki Ohta (Oura-gun)Oh'izumi

TOKYO
Tama Akiruno Hamura Akishima (NishiTama-gun)Okutama
(Nishitama-gun)Mizuho (Nishitama-gun)Hinode (Nishitama-gun)Hinohara
Oume Hachiohji MusashiMurayama Fussa Kokubunji Kunitachi
Mitaka Koganei Kodaira NishiTokyo Chofu HigashiMurayama
HigashiYamato Fuchu Musashino Tachikawa Kiyose HigashiKurume

YAMANASHI
(KitaTsuru-gun)Kosuge (KitaTsuru-gun)Tanabayama

GROUP C

CHIBA
Inzai (Inba-gun)Shisui Sakura (Sanbu-gun)Shibayama Narita
Yachimata Tomisato

GROUP D

KANAGAWA
Kawasaki-Saiwai-ku Kawasaki-Nakahara-ku
Yokohama-MinatoKita-ku Yokohama-Tsurumi
Odawara Hatano (AshigaraShimo-gun)Yugawara
(AshigaraKami-gun)Matsuda MinamiAshigara Yokosuka
Kamakura (Miura-gun)Hayama Miura Zushi
Yokohama-Sakae-ku Yokohama-Totsuka-ku
Yokohama-MinatoMinami-ku

SHIZUOKA
Atami

GROUP E

YAMANASHI
Nirasaki Hokuto

SHIZUOKA
Numazu Mishima (Sunto-gun)Shimizu (Sunto-gun)Chohsen

The Fourth Group

2011-03-30T05:31:00.000+09:00

GROUP A

TOCHIGI
(ShimoTsuga-gun)Iwafune Sano Ashikaga Tochigi

GUNMA
Tatebayashi (Oura-gun)Chiyoda (Oura-gun)Itakura (Oura-gun)Meiwa
(Oura-gun)Oura (Oura-gun)Oh'izumi Midori Isesaki Kiryu Ohta

GROUP B

SAITAMA
Kawaguchi Souka Yashio Saitama-Urawa-ku Saitama-Sakura-ku
Saitama-Nishi-ku Toda Saitama-Iwatsuki Okegawa Kazoh Kuki
Satte Ageo (MinamiSaitama-gun)Miyashiro (MinamiSaitama-gun)Shiraoka
(KitaAdachi-gun)Ina Hasuda Warabi Saitama-Midori-ku Hatogaya
Fujimino Kumagaya Kohnosu Sakado Fukaya Kawagoe
(Ohsato-gun)Yorii (Chichibu-gun)Minano (Chichibu-gun)Chohsei
Tsurugashima HigashiMatsuyama Hidaka (Iruma-gun)Ogose
(Iruma-gun)Moroyama (Hiki-gun)Tokigawa (Hiki-gun)Namekawa
(Hiki-gun)Yoshimi (Hiki-gun)Ogawa (Hiki-gun)Kawashima
(Hiki-gun)Hatoyama (Hiki-gun)Arashiyama Fujimi

GROUP C

TOKYO
Tama-area Kunitachi Akishima Hino Hachiohji Tachikawa

GROUP D

KANAGAWA
Aikoh-gunKiyokawa Isehara Ebina Atsugi Zama
Sagamihara-Chuoh-ku Sagamihara-Minami-ku
Sagamihara-Midori-ku (Aikoh-gun)Aikawa
Yokohama-Tsurumi-ku Kawasaki-Saiwai-ku
Kawasaki-Kawasaki-ku Kawasaki-Nakahara-ku
Kawasaki-Takatsu-ku Odawara Hatano
(AshigaraShimo-gun)Hakone (AshigaraKami-gun)Kaisei
(AshigaraKami-gun)Yamakita (AshigaraKami-gun)Matsuda
(AshigaraKami-gun)Oh'i (AshigaraKami-gun)Nakai
MinamiAshigara

TOKYO
Tama-area Machida Inagi

SHIZUOKA
(Sunto-gun)Oyama

GROUP E

YAMANASHI
Kohshu Kai Kohfu Yamanashi (NishiYashiro-gun)IchikawaMisato Chuo
(NakaKoma-gun)Showa Suita MinamiAlps

The Fifth Group

2011-03-30T05:30:00.001+09:00

GROUP A

TOCHIGIUtsunomiya Nikko Yaita (Shioya-gun)Shioya Sakura NasuKarasuyama Ohdawara
(Nasu-gun)Nakagawa (Haga-gun)Ichigai (Haga-gun)Mogi (Kawachi-gun)KamiMikawa
(Shioya-gun)Takanezawa Kanuma

GROUP B

GUNMAIsesaki (Agatuma-gun)Kusatsu (Agatsuma-gun)Nakanojyo
(Agatsuma-gun)Naganohara (Agatsuma-gun)Tsuagoi Takasaki
(Sawa-gun)Tamamura Shibukawa Maebashi Annnaka
(Kanra-gun)Shimonita (Kanra-gun)Kanra (Kanra-gun)MinamiMakimura
(Tano-gun)Kanna Fujioka Tomioka

SAITAMA(Kodama-gun)Kamisato (Kodama-gun)Kamikawa Fukaya
Chichibu Honjyo Misato Souka Hashio Kumagaya Gyoda
Koshigaya Kawaguchi (Kodama-gun)Misato

TOKYOArakawa-ku Adachi-ku

GROUP C

CHIBAAbiko Kamagaya Matsudo Kashiwa Noda Nagareyama
Funabashi Urayasu Ichikawa

GROUP D

KANAGAWAHiratsuka (Naka-gun)Oh'iso (Naka-gun)Ninomiya Isehara
Chigasaki Atsugi Hatano Ebina (Kohza-gun)Samukawa
Yokohama-Aoba-ku Yokohama-Tsuzuki-ku Kawasaki-Miyamae-ku
Kawasaki-Takatsu-ku (Aiko-gun)Aikawa Sagamihara-Chuo-ku
Sagamihara-Minami-ku Sagamihara-Midori-ku Yokohama-Isogo-ku
Yokohama-Sakae-ku Yokohama-Totsuka-ku
Yokohama-MinatoMinami-ku Yokohama-Izumi-ku
Yokohama-Minami-ku Kamakura Fujisawa
(Aiko-gun)Kiyokawa Zama

TOKYOTama-area Machida

YAMANASHIUenohara (MinamiTsuru-gun)Dohshi

GROUP E

YAMANASHIKohshu Yamanashi Ohtsuki Tsuru (MinamiTsuru-gun)Yamanakako
(MinamiTsuru-gun)Nishikatsura (MinamiTsuru-gun)Oshino
(MinamiTsuru-gun)FujiKawaguchiko (MinamiTsuru-gun)Narusawa
FujiYoshida (KitaTsuru-gun)Kosuge (NishiYashiro-gun)IchikawaMisato
(MinamiKoma-gun)Minobe (MinamiKoma-gun)Nanbu
(MinamiKoma-gun)Fujikawa Uenhara

SHIZUOKAItoh Izunokuni Izu Shimoda (Kamo-gun)Kawazu (Kamo-gun)Matsuzaki
(Kamo-gun)NishiIzu (Kamo-gun)HigashiIzu (Kamo-gun)MinamiIzu
Mishima Numazu (Tagata-gun)Kannami Atami Fujinomiya Fuji

Carefully watch the media coverage, even despite their unwillingness to follow "Yellow Journalism"

2011-03-23T15:10:00.002+09:00

After the revelation of radiation leakage from the nuclear reactors, crippled by the tsunami hits, at Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electronic Power Co., the more attention of media and people were shifting to radioactive contamination of agricultural products produced and harvested in the peripheral areas from the troubled plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Northeastern Japan, as well as ones to human health.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on March 21st the government had confirmed the fact spinach and milk found to have been contaminated with radiation, stressing the intake will do very little damage to the human body. The World Health Organization on the same day also announced the radiated food was safe enough to eat and drink at that moment.

However, the two news media reported the story with precisely opposite interpretation. AFP wrote as the WTO’s earlier statement put it.

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110321/hl_afp/japanquakeaccidentnuclearfoodwho_20110321154307)

Meanwhile, Reuters’ reported it from extremely negative perspectives, quoting the WTO’s spokesman Peter Cordingley’s comments in a phone interview.

(http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/21/us-japan-quake-idUSTRE72K4B520110321)

I asked the organization which was right or wrong by email. The reply said the WTO considered the radiation contaminated food had no influence on the human body in the short-term future in reference with reference to the current information, attaching a URL at CNN’s website.

(http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/21/us-japan-quake-idUSTRE72K4B520110321)

This teaches you the fact there is no exception as many say: we need to double-check the media coverage. The more complex, confused and shocking situation was caused by the biggest earthquakes and tsunamis in history that hit as hard across Japan as led to the 20,000 or above missing or dead and paralyzed its capital function and business center in the metropolitan Tokyo business district, the more cautious you have to become about how the media cover stories on these events.

To be a savior of Japan - Three Hyper Rescue members speak out their hardship in the water spray operation

2011-03-20T10:52:00.001+09:00

Members of Hyper Rescue squad held a press conference earlier to explain how hard it was to fight "an invisible enemy".
40 members of the Hyper Rescue squad of Tokyo Fire Department early on Saturday joined the successive water spray mission to weaken radiation level of the crippled 3rd reactor at Fukushima No1 nuclear power plant.
Their efforts were they came closer to the reactor and injected water into the temporary storage pool for spent nuclear fuel at a distance of 50km.
There were so much rubble scattered around the site that their vehecles couldn't run through and they had to extend seven 50-meter hoses manually at great cost of intensified radiation exposure, they revealed.
General Captain Yukio Takayama said, "The strong support from our teammates could lead to success in the mission".
The mission was an extremely tough duty. But they were confident they could achieve the goal to a certain degree with a fulfilling sense of relief, they said .
Division Chief Yasuo Sato revealed when he emailed to his wife the message "I leave for the site", she replied to him with one passage, "I hope you will be the savior of the nation".
Captain Toyohiko Tomioka told reporters on the verge of tears that all the rescue team members did their best, maintaining high morale.
And "I'd like to deeply apologize for exposing the team to such a danger and extend my appreciation to their family", he added.

TEPCO's Fukushima office released the photo of the reactors, NHK broadcast

2011-03-16T11:53:00.003+09:00

The 3rd reactor building (on the left) and the 4th (on the right) of Fukushima
No1 nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. released Courtesy: NHK

The picture taken on 15th presents the devastating building of the 3rd reactor with the frames exposed after the explosion by inner saturated hydrogen. And the hole of the 4th reactor building (the center of the right building) can been found. The white smoke on the left of the pic is now drawing international attentions.

HISTORY PROVES IT!

2011-03-15T05:26:00.001+09:00

Aftershocks still afflicting evacuees near the epicenter throughout the day, many of them are still fighting hunger, thirst, chill and fear and facing the reality that they lost their loved ones.
Facing inconvenience due to electric power outage and poorer access to fuel and food, citizens in and around the Tokyo metropolitan district are sharing difficulties with other quake casualties and struggling to regain their normal life.
Praying for the victims and thinking over what they can for them, people unaffected by the disruptive event are inspiring themselves and aspiring to join forces with rescue efforts for the victims and restruction efforts for their mother country.
All the Japanese are all now battling.
And they are confident their never-give-up attitude and never-say-die spirits will lead them to winning the battle, because their history has proved it to be absolutely right!