Kurashi - News From Japan

I n Japan, over 700 companies publish either "environmental reports" or "social/environmental reports" that cover social issues as well. According to a survey by the Ministry of the Environment, companies publishing such reports account for 40 percent of listed companies and almost 20 percent of unlisted companies with more than 500 employees. Mr. Toru Chikushi, Senior Researcher of Planning and Research Division in General Press Corporation's Sustainability Communication Department, says, "Replacing the term 'sustainability' with 'CSR' helped specify the scope of corporate responsibility..." Mr. Chikushi points out the weakness of environmental reports in Japan, saying, "Japanese companies are not good at expressing their ideas. There are few reports that express the passion of those who are trying to send a message." He adds, "We would like them to elucidate the goals they are working towards, the challenges that they a...

Chonggye Stream restoration in Seoul The Chonggyechon stream, which had been covered by pavement and an overpass road for almost 60 years, flows again in downtown Seoul. The stream’s restoration work is complete and it opens to the public today with a festival. It is a remarkable project that many other cities should also consider and learn from. The Korea Times continues: "The stream along with nearby cultural and historical attractions is expected to delight Seoul citizens and draw people from other regions and countries who have been waiting to visit the area since the restoration project was launched in July 2003." Read more on the official hompage . Coinciding with the opening of the Stream, Seoul has invited mayors from around the world to discuss environmentally-friendly city planning and urban sustainability: "While recent urban development in cities across the world renewed hopes for a more prosperous future, urban problems, such as environmental degradation an...

The Daily Yomiuri reports that a software company in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, has developed "Anti-Japan War Online," an online computer game set in the 1937-45 Sino-Japanese War: "Players assume the role of farmers or workers who overcome hardships to become soldiers of the Chinese Communist Party's Eighth Route Army, one of the party's main military forces during the Chinese Civil War and Japan-China War. Players rescue guerrillas and elderly citizens surrounded by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers. Under the leadership of the China Youth Union, organized by the party's young members, the company will spend 50 million yuan (700 million yen) to develop the game, which is scheduled to be completed by the year's end." Read more here So I became curious to find out a little more about this "China Youth Union". It turns out that it is an official body with an important role in China's communist society. According to this official website...

Koreans eat a lot of kimchi, a delishious cabbage dish, that has become very popular in Japan as well. Even in my supermarket, they sell different types of kimchi, but I prefer to buy homemade stuff from a lady who sells it from her little cart in front of the train station. Now it turns out that imports from China are not as safe as they should be. A Korean politician, Rep. Ko Kyung-hwa has released a report on high lead content in Chinese kimchi. The investigation was carried out by the Korean Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. The Korea Times talks about a "health panic" and explains: The analysis of 10 varieties of Chinese kimchi being sold over the Internet showed an average lead content of 0.302 parts per million (ppm), about three times the average amount found in locally made products. One sample contained 0.57 ppm of lead, as much as five times the acceptable level of the toxic metal, which is known to cause severe developmental problems in childre...

I was in Ryogoku , the place of the main sumo stadium in Tokyo , on Friday, and I was surprised how few souvenirs were for sale there. I would have liked to pick up something nice for friends, but really, the area seriously lacks in development. With the Edo museum next door, you would imagine that savvy business entrepreneurs would flock to try to sell sumo posters (with the cool caligraphy), calenders and so on, but there was almost nothing except strange cakes, tacky beer mugs and a few "wood-block print" style items. Anyway, sumo is really great to watch! Mongolian Asashoryu won again, after a great come-back this weekend, and finally beating Bulgarian Kotooshu, who is 204 cm tall and had a slim (pun obviously intended) chance at becoming the first European champion this time. Please check Mari's blog for details and links to photos of foreign sumo wrestlers, who she claims have made sumo "hot" in Japan right now. Go figure!

Korean wave in Saitama  24,000 Japanese fans of Korean stars came to a big event on Saturday in Saitama Stadium, near where I live. Jang Dong-geon, Lee Byoung-heon, Kim Seung-woo and Kwon Sang-woo are so popular in Japan right now. While politicians argue, ordinary people are just trying to enjoy their lives and find some happiness. That is "people's power" isn't it! More photos at Naver, the Korean news portal .

A better way  Japanese cattle breeder Shunichi Igarashi feeds his cattle at his farm in Higashi Matsuyama, north of Tokyo, on September 13, 2005. Things are a lot harder for the second-generation wrangler and other Japanese cattlemen since mad cow disease struck their business, driving hordes of Japan's famously fickle consumers away from beef. To bring those customers back, Igarashi banded together with other farmers two years ago to sell their beef made from cattle fattened on a diet of non-genetically modified (GMO) corn and soybeans. They call it "Yumeni-gyu", literally beef that tastes like a dream. Photo: Reuters, Text Mainichi.