Hashimoto's vision for Osaka

Toru Hashimoto

took the option to merge the prefectural and municipal government of Osaka. Incurred should a city modeled after the Tokyo prefecture. This should save money and reduce inefficiencies, such as the politician says.

Osaka has been suffering for years under a budget deficit of 6.9 percent in the second-highest unemployment rate in the country. Even as a governor has developed a reputation as a budget Hashimoto Shorter. The bureaucracy and the seasoned party liked it never happens, the people of Osaka all the more. Hashimoto enjoys an approval rating of nearly 70 percent.

casinos and red light

Hashimoto's appearance is energetic and his recipes simple. Such as Hashimoto's economic recovery plans, he told BBC formulated as follows: “No other city is so vulgar and obscene as Osaka. We should maintain this image and promote the development of casinos and red light districts. “

Hashimoto also supports the idea of ​​Osaka build infrastructure so that they could be at a loss to the replacement capital of Tokyo. The idea dates back to 2005. After 11 March she suddenly became a realistic scenario.

criticism of Hashimoto

Hashimoto counterparty Kunio Hiramatsu looks at the new mayor a political danger. The path of the Political Stars is a one-way destination unknown and unfamiliar interim maintenance, he summed up the populist nature together Hashimoto. He leads a policy of dictatorship and plunder.

Hashimoto bounces off such criticism. For it should not be final in Osaka. Because his plans for a new city prefecture, he needs the consent of the House in Tokyo. But he threatens ever precaution when the next national elections, fielding candidates in his own, should the former MPs from the Osaka Prefecture not support his plans.

Tokyo next target?

Toru Hashimoto

secretly toying with the leap onto national stage. The time for politicians of his blank look good in Japan, which has enough of the past government policies. He or the established parties was, because Hashimoto's motto during the election campaign.

Celebrity support has already Hashimoto. The equally populist governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, praised Hashimoto already in the highest terms: “. Hashimoto I would like to entrust the future of not only Osaka but from all over Japan” Hashimoto would not contradict him

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“We have immediate export restrictions enacted and hope for early findings,” said Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, adding: “. As far as I understand it is, this is a special case in which no greater area will be affected” The affected rice did not come into the trade.

Inaccurate sample

The government in Tokyo tried the elevated levels as localized hot spot to explain, but seems not so easy thing to do. For the rice from the district Onami was in earlier, double measurement samples of the local authorities still felt safe. In early October, finally, the entire rice crop of Fukushima prefecture released for sale, there were found no excessive limits.

Affected county Onami were controlled at that time 86 of the 154 rice farms in the prefecture government. Of these four farms still have around 1 tonne of rice sold to local wholesalers, such as the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. According to NHK news, this amount could be intercepted, but in time. The purchased rice would have still been in the warehouses of wholesalers. Again, a follow-up will be necessary.

criticism of the media

The Mainichi Shimbun

criticized in this respect the system of duplicate samples of government everywhere to be too porous and too little. “Had the YES Group been no samples of the contaminated rice would probably come on the market,” the paper concludes in its editorial today.

Appeasement attempts by the government seem so little credibility. “In October, the government had not declared the rice safe – and now the increased cesium values,” says a disappointed rice farmer from Onami against the Yomiuri Shimbun. “No matter how many tests are still carried out, consumer confidence is lost.”

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It is the first time since the disaster in Fukushima, that switched off the reactor was started up again. Because 43 of 54 reactors are currently not in operation in Japan. Most of them were shut down routinely – in Japan must be tested for safety by law, the reactors every 13 months. Because Fukushima refuse but local governments and residents for months, this boot up again.

In order to calm the minds

, the government had ordered extensive stress tests for all reactors interrupted due to maintenance work in order to provide final confirmation of their security status. The result is yet to come.

time being no stress test for reactor 4

Many experts concluded that even at the reactor 4, which has obvious safety problems, a stress test would be arranged. Industry Minister Yukio Edano sees this very differently. The reactor 4 at the Genkai nuclear power plant had been shut off due to human error. It would only run through reactors, the routine maintenance work, a stress test.

These actions of the Government is even more absurd when one considers the fact that the reactor started up again from the 4 17 December anyway, the statutory routine inspection and thus go through the stress test must. It is therefore only a brief comeback of the fourth reactor In little more than a month he will be out of service.

lights in Genkai Delete

Way also stands for the reactor 1 in the Genkai nuclear power plant in December to a routine check. The reactors 2 and 3 are currently going through the stress test and have been waiting for months for the green light. In the Genkai nuclear power plant could therefore soon to go no more.

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The two

during the earthquake were due to maintenance shut down reactors in nuclear power plants survived the disaster Fukushima best one yet. The cooling of the reactors was about all the time, when are guaranteed even with difficulties.

But in the turbine building in the basement of the two reactors had been accumulated by the tsunami contaminated seawater and groundwater. The nuclear power plant operator Tepco initially led this water into the sea, it was later pumped into makeshift tanks.

water for fire protection

Tepco

let the contaminated water, according to information easily cleaned desalinate in the consequence, and sterilize. According to the operator, it is therefore managed its radioactive content below the international limits to press. No trace of cesium-134 and 137, as Tepco said.

Since 7

October is injected some of this water as a fire-protection and dust on the cleared timber while the rescue work around the NPP. Because push the capacity of water tanks gradually to its limits, into the sea, the water must not be allowed. This method, however, came in for criticism from security concerns, which eventually led to his Sonoda public drinking action, met with the two-part response.

A popular government action

He wanted

it make any performance, but it was the only way to prove the safety of the water quality, according to the Sankei Shimbun said Sonoda. “I wanted to show only that it is water that is drinkable on a level.”

It is not the first time that a Japanese politician advertises public events for the trust. Hearty consumed by the then government spokesman Yukio Edano shortly after the nuclear disaster food from the Fukushima prefecture. But to drink water from the nuclear power plant, even went so far none.

Sonoda has thus undoubtedly causing a lot of attention, whether he could persuade the public that too? The government said at least later that Sonoda had made this decision alone. You would not judge whether this action was a good or bad thing.

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But what to do with this earth? The self knows the government in Tokyo has not and she seems very much want to have time to delicate is the issue of a repository. By March 2013, at least a temporary centralized be created to dispose of between 15 and 28 million cubic meters in the Fukushima prefecture. Up to 5 square kilometers of land will be needed for it.

Then the government will find within 30 years, a repository for the disposal of contaminated soil. It says so in the current plan of the Ministry of Environment. For the affected population, these are not really reassuring prospect. “If this should really take 30 years, I fear that this will not be temporary, but will be a final deposit,” turned up a council of Fukushima prefecture, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

distributed in intermediate camp ground

Currently, the worn

strata are kept in interim storage site, which are sometimes only a few hundred meters away from houses. Not infrequently, the decontamination can take place not because we can simply find no intermediate storage. As long as the temporary centralized disposal facility does not get up, decontamination would do little to calm, says Keiichi Miho, Mayor of the City Nihonmatsu in Fukushima prefecture.

The search for a suitable location will form the government, however, many problems. The resistance of local residents and governments vorporgrammiert. Because nobody wants to live next to a temporary disposal site, which could have up to 30 years in existence.

a Herculean task

According to recommendation from the Japanese Ministry of Environment to designate all of the radiation gotten over 1 millisievert per year, receive state aid in the decontamination. The Asahi Shimbun calculated that alone in the prefecture of Fukushima, about 8,000 square meters of land exceeds this value. This represents about 60 percent of the total area of ​​the prefecture.

Prime Minister Noda wants to reserve for this complex work the equivalent of 9 billion euros. Finding a suitable site for the contaminated soil could prove even more difficult task.

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Nuclear disaster in Fukushima, however, led to a conversation stop. For about two months, but the wires running hot again. The government in Hanoi wants to do next. Tomorrow the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is expected in Tokyo. The nuclear deal will be an major issue.

Vietnam's appetite for nuclear power

In an exclusive interview with the Mainichi Shimbun suggested the Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc already that it'll go here to an agreement to build a nuclear power plant in the province of Ninh Tuan. It seems the emerging country to have no security concerns despite Fukushima. They have emphasized absolute confidence in Japan's nuclear technology, Vietnam's ambassador to Tokyo in September.

The Japanese government under the new prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda wants to bring the nuclear deal with Vietnam to a conclusion, even if a majority of the population has to Fukushima lost their faith in nuclear energy once and the resistance to such transactions is correspondingly great. ' / p> money and resources

It goes

a lot of money. Japanese nuclear technology manufacturers such as Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi need for new markets. Not only Vietnam but also Turkey, Jordan and Lithuania will be taken as future customers in the eye.

For Japan it is

when approaching Vietnam but also to protecting resources. The government in Tokyo with hopes of a strategic partnership approach to rare earth, believed to be in the province of Lai Chau in the north west of Vietnam. A corresponding framework agreement was also signed in October 2010.

trading houses are ready

The essential raw materials for the electronics industry today is almost exclusively produced in China. Beijing restricts the export of an increasingly diverse reasons.

The trading companies Toyota

and Sojitz have told Bloomberg Japan already put their hope to commence with the extraction of rare earth in Vietnam from 2013. 20 percent of Japan's needs should therefore be covered once.

nuclear power plant construction with cheap loans

In return, Vietnam calls

Japanese nuclear power plants. And not only that, Tokyo, Hanoi will provide for the construction of nuclear power plants with low interest loans available. At the end of the Japanese Parliament will have to give the commitment. With little resistance is expected, however.

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Controversial expression

But even

Tatsuo Hirano seems his problems with the proper word choice to have. At a meeting with party colleagues in Nihonmatsu in Fukushima prefecture, he expressed himself on the behavior of the residents on the tsunami warning on 11 March.

“There were people who had been brought to safety before the tsunami. Then there were some idiots, like my friend from school who do not flee. Now he is dead, “said the minister of reconstruction, standing on the podium microphone.

Reactions

As usual, the opposition responded immediately. “Deceased to call those people idiots, listen to a minister of something like this is inexcusable,” said Tadamori Oshima, Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats.

Tatsuo Hirano stated in the order in the House of Commons Commission for the Reconstruction. “I have again asked why my friend from school had not fled. In this sense, my personal thoughts slipped out of him. “He wanted to apologize to all those who felt themselves raised by his statements, he said.

government considers to Hirano

Meanwhile, Premier

Noda seems to want to hold on to Hirano. “It's really unfortunate that personal feelings were expressed here,” said Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura and stressed that they would adhere to Hirano.

Certain way, the government should it not be. The Minister Yoshio Hachiro, they had already lost after 8 days because of a clumsy remark.

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For each

since 1984, all in-and outgoing members of the government in Japan to disclose their private financial circumstances, “to win public confidence,” as they say. Noda and his wife have owned just 17.7 million yen.

No shares, no golfer

As the published government report shows, belongs to the taxable property of Premier Noda a 2-storey detached house with a value of 10.56 million yen.

Plus additional 3 private cars – a Nissan, a Honda and a Toyota. The former finance minister has no shares and is not a member of a golf club. A rarity in the political and economic power circles of Japan.

“arms” Cabinet members

But his cabinet members have comparatively modest private finances. The average wealth of the entire government is 50 million yen. That's still a lot more than Nodas possession.

The richest among them

Kenji Yamaoka, Minister of Public Security has a capacity of 254 million yen. Yamaoka is also the only Cabinet member who has 100 million yen.

The poorest of the way, is the 40-year Environment Minister Goshi Hosono, with 7.42 million yen. That does not bother him at all, Hosono said so. As long as he could live on it, he was satisfied.

Rich predecessor

Noda comes from a modest background. He inherited was the youngest of six siblings, he has nothing. That was with his predecessors, who came from a political dynasty often quite different.

For example,

was party colleague and former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Bridgestone founder Ishibashi Shojioro – and thus filthy rich

.As with the Loach had

, Premier Noda also for this case the correct answer. He had not realized that he was equal to the Premier with the lowest value since 1984, he said at a news conference, adding with a side-swipe at his predecessor: “It happens to the money that I'm the sole earner. You can not do anything. “

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a military parade, skydivers and a birthday cake celebrating Taiwan on 10 October 100 years Republic of China – that republic, which involved at its inception over China, and is now confined to the island of Taiwan, in terms of area is still slightly smaller than Switzerland. In Taiwan you write officially the year 100, namely the year 100 of the Republic of China. After the rebellion of 10 October 1911, led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China on 1 January 1912 was officially established.

After the Second World War belonged to Taiwan, this had to cede the island to Japan after China. In 1949, the Government of the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-Shek against Mao Zedong's Communists won, Chiang fled with the remaining troops on the island of Taiwan, where he continued to rule his republic by military law.

Taiwan's sovereignty

From the former dictatorship has now become an Asian model of democracy – but until now, Taiwan is internationally recognized and hardly even a member of the United Nations. Only 23 countries have maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China – most of them poor, countries in Central America, Africa and the Pacific. The diplomatic allies of Taiwan in return for development aid.

Most countries recognize the other hand, the People's Republic of China, and thus the “one China” principle – namely that Taiwan is a part of China. For Beijing, there is no officially Republic of China since 1949 more. Taiwan sees it as a renegade province that it will also force by force if necessary to a union. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Defense, China has sent over 1,000 missiles at Taiwan.

In his address to the National Taiwan said President Ma Ying-jeou, that China should respect the sovereignty of Taiwan. Beijing must recognize that the Republic of China exists, cites the Taiwanese news agency CNA President Ma.

China calls for reunification on

Also for the People's Republic of China, the 10th October a special significance, since the uprisings against imperial China for 100 years, the fall brought. Chinese President Hu Jintao praised in a speech transmitted by CCTV in the Great Hall of the People, Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China and the first President of the Republic of China. At the same time Taiwan Hu called for more dialogue and a peaceful reunification with the mainland.

Taiwan's President Ma said in his speech, however, that the Chinese government to the ideals of Sun Yat-sen should remember, that a free, democratic state is distributed equally in the prosperity.

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The Mainichi Shimbun has

spotted him on the famous 1,200-kilometer pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku. Equipped with a pilgrim's staff, apparel and hat and accompanied by security police, he was on 3 October a prayer stop at Nankobo Temple. It is the 55th of the 88 temples, a pilgrimage in honor of the monk Kukai, the founder of the Buddhist Shingon school visits.

Under different circumstances

Naoto Kan is not the first time on the road. Already in July 2004 when he failed to resign after a scandal involving payments into the pension system as the chairman of the Democratic Party had, he was remorseful and with a shaved head in the popular pilgrimage attack. For the entire 1200 km, there was not enough, however. In July 2008 he took the route to the Enmyoji Temple, the 53th Station, continued.

Now, three years later, he has opened a new stage. This time, the signs are quite different. As a former prime minister, who had to cope with a disaster of the century, he has only one wish: the reconstruction after the massive destruction caused by the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear power plant accident. His prayers were with the victims of the disaster, as he told the Japanese media on his walk.

white instead of blue

About politics, he did not really speak. His successor, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, that he wished all the best. Through its manifestation as a prime minister that Japan must withdraw from the nuclear policy, he said only: “At the end of the population will have to decide about it.”

Naoto Kan's prayer

response seems to be effective. “He makes a lot more refreshing impression than on television,” the Asahi Shimbun quoted a 63-year-old passerby. “He has a hard time behind him.” Until the 9th October, the former prime minister to move from temple to temple. The blue uniforms crisis has given the white pilgrim dress. The problems in Japan, now have to solve another. Naoto Kan, it may be pretty.

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