Kurashi - News From Japan

NHK and other Japanese media are reporting tonight that 415 people may have gotten sick from the Chinese dumplings imported by JT Foods. Also, an early warning a month ago was ignored by the authorities here, which led to a delay in the product recall until yesterday. List of the so far recalled 67 products from 10 different companies: 商品回収情報 (in Japanese). Update Feb 1 : Food Safety Citizens' Watch, a NGO established by Consumers Union of Japan and other consumer groups, is questioning the responsibility of the government. Read more here (in English). Quote: This kind of problem arises as a result of insufficient import controls and quarantine systems. At the same time, we must seriously question the responsibility of the government, which did not rapidly make all information known to the public. Now, consumers cannot feel assured about the safety of the food we eat. As this case is now under investigation, efforts should also be made to prevent that such incidents reoccur. Unde...

Akahata today publishes a list of planned price increases for foods and other commodities. Many companies are raising prices due to higher crude oil prices. Another reason is that international hedge funds are investing in grains as these may be becoming scarce, and the short-term profits are of course very tempting for financial brokers. Akahata, the Japanese Communist Party's newspaper, notes that incomes remain low, and price increases will have a serious impact on households. Here are some of the announced price hikes listed in the article: Gasoline 1.7 to 2.0 yen/liter increase Beer 3 to 5 % increase Food 5.6 to 20 % increase Cheese, margarin 6-25 % increase Coffee 20-30 yen increase Domestic Pasta 15-20 % increase Soy sauce 11 % increase Milk 4.7 % increase Gasoline, electricity and gas prices are also increasing this spring, and air fare hikes at 9 % have been announced by several Japanese airlines. My gas company just told me to expect a rate increase from February, due in...

Japan Tobacco Foods Co. has announced this evening that some 10 people got sick from eating the company's Chinese dumplings, while a 5 year old girl was in coma, according to news reports. A survey by the Ichikawa public health center in Chiba detected the insecticide methamidophos in frozen dumplings (gyoza) in levels that far exceeded normal standards. While many other Japanese food companies that import from China have strict in-house rules and programs to test the ingredients, the company seems to forget that food is different from other harmful products they sell to the public. Their 2007 Environmental Report claims that JT Foods has traceability systems, "with JT representatives selecting varieties and supervising cultivation. In addition, the soil and water quality are inspected on site [in China] and pesticide residues are regularly checked at both the factory and in Japan to prevent products from being contaminated by illegal pesticides." Methamidophos is made ...

... to stop Rokkasho-Mura. Groups opposed to the nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture handed an 850,000-signature petition to the government Monday, demanding it rethink atomic power strategy. The reprocessing facility in Rokkasho, set to begin operations next month, will gather spent nuclear fuel from power plants nationwide and extract uranium and plutonium for reuse. It has been on its final test run since March 2006. Studies show the plant, after it goes into full operation, may release in a single day a year's worth of a regular nuclear plant's radioactivity. The Japan Times: Fishery, consumer groups say no to nuclear reprocessing in Rokkasho The National Network to Stop Radioactive Pollution from the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and Consumers Union of Japan have issued a call for action to stop the nuclear reprocessing plant at Rokkashomura in Aomori prefecture, Japan. Read more here . 1) We express our views about the actual damage due to radioactive conta...

"Zero emission, zero noise," Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said. "It will be the most environmentally friendly mass-produced car on the market." What is Nissan's charismatic boss talking about? Seems Israel is committed to an ambitious plan to install the world's first electric car network by 2011, with half a million recharging stations to crisscross the tiny nation. AP/MSNBC has more details: Ghosn said the cars, with a range of up to 100 miles per charge, would have a top speed of 68 miles per hour — the top speed limit in Israel. And Aggasi vowed that, in the long run, the electric car would be cheaper to operate than one based on fuel. Israeli leaders said they hoped the country would prove to be a trailblazer in the field of alternative energy. "This initiative will revolutionize cars in Israel and throughout the world," National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said. AP/MSNBC: Israel vows to introduce electric cars...

Activists from some 40 Japanese NGOs held events yesterday on January 26 aimed to "further the cause of proposing sustainable alternatives to the neo-liberal worldview". The World Social Forum was held in the Arakawa district of Tokyo, as part of a global day of action. A series of workshops were held on social justice and greater economic equality. Below is the translated version of their call for action, as well as a list of the workshops. Japanese WSF website here , international WSF website here (English). Our Call for Action - "Why Does It Have to Be in Arakawa?" At multiple venues in the Arakawa district, we will be hosting a forum centered on a series of workshops pertinent to the topic of "neo-liberalism" and its alternatives. In every January since 2001, the "World Social Forum" in which social movements from literally around the world come together to demand globalization of hope and solidarity, and reject the globalization based on w...

Japan ranks 21st among 149 countries, according to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index. Not too bad for the world's second largest economy, but Japan should at least rank among the top 10. Remember Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda just said that "we need to earnestly address the issue of the global environment in order to sustain our future livelihood on a global scale." Hear, hear. Switzerland topped the list, followed by the Scandinavian countries -- Sweden, Norway and Finland. The study was released in Davos where the annual World Economic Forum meeting is under way. Kyodo/AP notes that Japan was behind major Western countries such as France and Britain (14th) but ahead of the United States (39th): To formulate the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, experts at the two U.S. universities evaluated 25 environmental measures -- including climate change, agricultural policies, sanitation, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution -- in the 149 countries. Japan won hig...

While politicians in Tokyo debate the gasoline taxes, which go to building new roads in remote areas of Japan, Kentaro Yamada at Nagoya University worries about aging bridges. He has inspected a number of steel truss bridges around the country. One of them is the Kisogawa Ohashi Bridge in Mie Prefecture, where fractures were found last year. He notes that the government provides generous budgets for constructing new roads, but it neglects to set aside enough funds for road and bridge maintenance and repair. Deterioration is an issue for all highway bridges in Japan, many of which were built during the nation's rapid economic growth period. The rush to expand infrastructure led to cost-cutting by using minimal materials needed for the bridges' expected performance. However, traffic density soon increased drastically. For example, nearly 60,000 vehicles cross the Kisogawa Ohashi Bridge each day, 60 percent of which are heavy vehicles. Many of these vehicles are loaded over the l...

- at burning gasoline... US gasoline consumption in billions of liters per day vs. the 20 next largest gasoline consuming countries along with the relative cost of a fill up by country. Graph from The Economist based on data in this article in Foreign Policy magazine: "Prime Numbers: Pain at the Pump" All of the nations with cheaper gasoline prices subsidize it. The US also has the lowest total fuel taxes as a percentage of state spending.

How does a Swedish young woman become a model for Chinese food propaganda posters? Case study in how to influence a billion people: Use a blonde, Swedish girl. The poster says: For Clean Pure and Safe food ingredients: Clean non-contaminated land and water No rubbish on fields SEED MUST BE NON-GMO Only registered pesticides and fertilizers Apply pesticides safely Written records of chemical applications No raw animal or human manure in fields Harvest into clean, non-contaminated containers Transport in clean, un-contaminated wagons Crops identified at factory by ID of farmer who grew it Swedish local media notes that the photos were taken elsewhere by Emma Rodling, Stavre, Bräcke, a photography student in Sundsvall, then added to the field photos. The young Swedish lady has been touring rural China, flying non-stop to at least 17 locations, to educate farmers on how to grow beans and tomatoes. Cosco is a state-owned Chinese enterprise. Wonderful. Lycka till, Linda Nilsson!

Warabe Mura in Gifu prefecture is a vegetarian food mail order company I really like. I searched their website today, and I wanted to introduce their event this weekend with chef Hirata Yutaka. He combines French cooking with macrobiotic food. His class is in Fukushima pref. at Nana Iro no Ku, a restaurant that looks really worth the trip. There are two classes in 2008: Jan 23-25 (five basic lectures) and Feb. 6-8 (five advanced lectures). Hirata Yutaka studied in France, and is known in Tokyo for his modern approach to macrobiotic foods. Having worked in top hotels, he understood the need for healthy cooking with a focus on deeper values. Talk about Fusion. More about Macrobiotic Foods (UK). If you live in Japan, you might have an Anew Shop nearby, with many delishious macrobiotic foods, and staff that can be helpful with advice about a healthy, Japanese diet. List of Anew Shops here (Updated Dec. 2004) Photos from Tanbo Lodge no Slow na Kurashi , Tara Cafe (in Japanese), and Veg...

From South Korea, I learn that the Seoul education office issued Sunday a complete ban on the sale of soft drinks at schools, libraries and museums as part of its fight against obesity among teenagers: According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the ban will eventually affect places teenagers frequently visit such as amusement parks. The move comes as more than one in 10 students are considered obese. In 2005, 11.2 percent of elementary students, 10.6 middle school students and 15.8 percent of high school students in Seoul were found to be overweight. The World Health Organization has continuously warned that soft drinks might be linked to obesity. In line with the warning and the rise of obesity, students will no longer be able to find these drinks at cafeterias, snack stands and vending machines in schools, amusement parks and museums. The daily intake of soda drinks by teenagers between 13-19 grew 41 percent to 64.1 gram in 2001 on average, from 35 gram in 1998. The mov...

The sky is very clear tonight, and I could see the Moon and Mars. Image, slightly enhanced, from Skywatching .

Agneta Fältskog, who later joined ABBA, had a big hit back in 1969 with a love song which curiously features the Swedish Air Force in her video. SAAB J-35 Draken is the name of the plane that were supposed to defend us from all our enemies abroad. It was replaced by the SAAB JA 37 Viggen from 1971. And then, there was the SAAB JAS 39 Gripen (US Air Force Report) from 1996. I think ABBA did a better job with their message of love. Wow, many more early pre-ABBA era photos from 1970 .

Update: Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's speech has been posted in English on the Kantei website . I like the way he introduces the consumer issues, with the consumer as "the protagonist". This is very different from the current way of thinking, where ordinary people were to be "protected". He notes that in order to give new vitality to the people and enhance their quality of life, Japan must revise the laws, systems, as well as administration policy and politics, all of which have been created from the standpoint of producers and suppliers, and make these truly centered on the public interest. He even admits that there has been a succession of cases where administrative institutions and public organizations, established for the safety and welfare of the people, have rather acted to the detriment of the people. Japan cannot exist without amicable relations, including vigorous trade, with foreign countries. The peace and stability of the world is extremely import...

According to Japan Post, five leading paper mills producing postcards for the recently privatized company used a significantly lower percentage of recycled paper than what they signed up for. Asahi notes that the content of recycled paper should be 40 percent, but the real ratio was 20 percent at most. The ratio for Nippon Paper Industries was 1 percent for its New Year's cards. Nippon Paper Industries produced 54 percent of the 2008 New Year's cards sold by Japan Post. The other companies that fabricated the figures are: Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd.; Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd.; Daio Paper Corp.; and Oji Paper Co. Let's increase the pressure on these companies, and demand a much higher rate than 40%. The goal is 62%, according to Japan Paper Recycling Promotion Center (in English). Asahi: Firms faked recycled-paper ratios in postcards

Japan's government has decided that the country's self defence forces should re-join the US-lead war for oil. Except, that is not what they tell voters here. Instead they are going with the "tero" -smokescreen that noone believes in anymore. テロ (Tero) or terrorism is not something most people worry a whole lot about in this markedly safe nation, while high oil prices certainly catch consumers' attention. Of course the two issues are linked. Especially in rural areas, where it is difficult to get by without a car or a truck - and in northern Japan, where kerosen stoves are used to heat houses, schools and offices. Also, Tokyo is now not able to get its electricity from the world's biggest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake last year. Instead, TEPCO has to use crude oil and gas. Most Japanese know next to nothing about the Arab world, or Afghanistan in particular. Neither do most Americans (Some Swedes may re...

On a cold, sunny day in January, wouldn't you love to go fishing? In Sweden it is called "pimpla" and the image says it all. A lonely, quiet time on a frozen lake. The other photo is from the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Fishing Festival in South Korea. (From here and here ) But, of course, such images are deceptive. Yes, Asian countries can be very crowded, especially if you come from a part of the world with only 9 million people. But, in Sweden, we also have sports events with lots of people. Vasaloppet , the annual ski race between Sälen and Mora i Dalarna, attracts thousands of participants. Living in Asia reminds me that things we take for granted can change very rapidly. The Chinese Vasaloppet has been held in Changchun since 2003, with 6,000 participants in 2004, and more than 10,000 people from 25 countries in 2006. Go figure. Which photo is from Sweden and which is from China? ;) And of course, Japan has had its own Vasaloppet in Asahikawa, Hokkaido since 1990. Eng...

A Chinese official is reported to have "a smile on his face" as he promise that the food will be safe during the Olympics in Beijing this summer, according to China Daily: "We're 100 percent confident about and more than capable of providing safe food for the Games," deputy quality watchdog chief Pu Changcheng told a State Council Information Office press conference. Some foreign media reports have alleged China's food safety and air quality have prompted 20 countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the US, to hold their training camps in Japan instead of China this summer. In response, Pu said such worries were "totally baseless." "Please rest assured. The Chinese government will do everything necessary to ensure safe food for the Games," said Pu, vice-minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). He said all food products supplied for the Olympics will be made by accredited com...

...was the number of calls regarding food labeling problems during 2007. Japan's agriculture ministry says a record number of calls were made to its public hotline for food labeling in 2007, amid a series of mislabeling scandals. NHK World reports that a total of 3,757 cases were reported to 65 stations across Japan last year, about 2.7 times more than a year earlier. Officials say, until June 2007, they used to receive about 100 calls a month. However, the number jumped sharply after it was revealed that Meat Hope had falsely labeled ground beef. Increasingly, it is industry insiders who are calling MAFF's hotline. Officials say whistle-blowers have brought to light many irregularities in recent years. Phone numbers to MAFF and their local "consumer corner" offices around the country are listed here (Japanese only). (Graph from NHK of phone calls to the MAFF hotlines)

Proposals for consumer protection from both the governing party and the opposition are making news lately. It remains to see what will be the actual result in terms of policy change. Mainichi claims that on January 18, Japan's prime minister will announce the creation of a Minister for Consumer Affairs as part of his speech as he opens the regular session of the Parliament. The Democratic Party of Japan has also proposed creating a "consumer ombudsman" to assist consumers with legal issues. Ombudsman (オンブズマン) is a Swedish term that means "representative man". It implies that an appointed person can act on your behalf. I wonder why Japan cannot find a Japanese word for this concept. If the point is to empower ordinary citizens and make Japan more "consumer-friendly", then using a foreign loan word seems rather silly. In Europe, there are two Consumer Commissioners that handles public health issues, food safety, and issues like e-commerce, redress, and...

Photo from what seems like a very long time ago!

(Photos from the Eco Rica blog) The idea of course is to get people to recycle their old toners and printer cartridges, using the Eco Rica Boxes at electronic shops around Japan, since the components can be reused. These posters encourage people to recycle their old printer cartridges, rather than throwing them in the garbage. Most electronics shops will now accept old cartridges in Japan. They can be reused, so it makes sense to bring them back to the shop where you bought them. The Eco Rica website has a list of all shops that participate here . EcoRica is a joint campaign with WWF Japan . Eco Rica was also featured in the December 2007 issue of the magazine Ecoli , explaining step-by-step what happens as you toss your used electronic parts in the green containers.

Japan Post is extremely busy today, as 120 million Japanese people send New Years greeting cards to each other. These post cards are usually promptly delivered and from this year, they offer you the option of using a post card that helps offset climate change. According to Nihon Keisai Shimbun, Japan Post is using CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) to offset its emissions, noting that if you buy the slightly more expensive JP postcards that include this option, the total influence is not small. You pay an extra 5 yen, in addition to the normal cost of 50 yen, to send a serious message to family, friends and coworkers. Japan Post: Carbon Offset Nengajou (in Japanese) Kyoto Mechanisms Information Platform for Japan (in English) Gott nytt år (Happy New Year)! Satoko & Peo Ekberg, who participated in a November 23 event at the United Nations University in Tokyo, bring a fresh perspective from Sweden to Japanese kids. You can see their talk on streaming video on the Japan Post website ...