Japan Economy Forum

[RISING SUN]

New turbine can harness electricity from ocean currents
Scientists have developed a new turbine that can harness energy from ocean currents to produce low-cost and sustainable electricity.

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) in Japan began a project titled "Sea Horse," which aims to harness energy from the Kuroshio ocean current that flows from the eastern coast of Taiwan and around the southern parts of Japan.

It uses submerged turbines anchored to the sea floor through mooring cables that convert the kinetic energy of sustained natural currents in the Kuroshio into usable electricity, which is then delivered by cables to the land.
The initial phase of the project was successful. However, the OIST researchers also desired an ocean energy source that was cheaper and easier to maintain.

Tetrapods concrete structures shaped somewhat like pyramids that are often placed along a coastline to weaken the force of incoming waves and protect the shore from erosion - "Thirty per cent of the seashore in mainland Japan is covered with tetrapods and wave breakers," said Tsumoru Shintake from OIST.

Replacing these with "intelligent" tetrapods and wave breakers with turbines attached to or near them, would both generate energy as well as help to protect the coasts, researchers said.

"Using just one per cent of the seashore of mainland Japan can generate about 10 gigawats of energy, which is equivalent to 10 nuclear power plants," Shintake said.

In order to tackle this idea, the OIST researchers launched The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) project in 2013.

It involves placing turbines at key locations near the shoreline, such as nearby tetrapods or among coral reefs, to generate energy.

Each location allows the turbines to be exposed to ideal wave conditions that allow them not only to generate clean and renewable energy, but also to help protect the coasts from erosion while being affordable for those with limited funding and infrastructure.

The turbines themselves are built to withstand the forces thrust upon them during harsh wave conditions as well as extreme weather, such as a typhoon.

The blade design and materials are inspired by dolphin fins - they are flexible, and thus able to release stress rather than remain rigid and risk breakage.

The supporting structure is also flexible, "like a flower. The stem of a flower bends back against the wind," Shintake said.

The turbines too bend along their anchoring axes. They are also built to be safe for surrounding marine life – the blades rotate at a carefully calculated speed that allows creatures caught among them to escape.

Researchers have completed the first steps of this project and are preparing to install the turbines for their first commercial experiment. The project includes installing two WEC turbines that will power LEDs for a demonstration.
http://www.timesnownews.com/technol...harness-electricity-from-ocean-currents/95313

 

[lcloo]

Steel Firm Faked Data for Metal Used in Planes and Cars
By Masumi Suga and Chikako Mogi
‎10‎ ‎October‎, ‎2017‎ ‎8‎:‎19‎ ‎AM ‎10‎ ‎October‎, ‎2017‎ ‎6‎:‎33‎ ‎PM

The industrial scandal engulfing Kobe Steel Ltd. began to reverberate overseas as Japan’s third-biggest steelmaker said its staff falsified data about the strength and durability of some aluminum and copper products used in planes, trains and potentially a space rocket.

Shares plunged 22 percent and the cost to insure Kobe Steel debt against default soared as customers including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Subaru Corp. said they had used materials that were subject to falsification while Hitachi Ltd. said trains exported to the U.K. were affected. One outside estimate put the potential cost of replacing the parts at about 15 billion yen ($133 million), but the damage to the company -- in the form of both reputational harm or possible legal challenges-- could be much greater.

“At the moment, the impact is unclear but if this leads to recalls, the cost would be huge,” said Takeshi Irisawa, an analyst at Tachibana Securities Co. “There’s a possibility that the company would have to shoulder the cost of a recall in addition to the cost for replacement.”

View of Kobe Steel Ltd. in Hyogo prefecture.

Photographer: JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Image
Kobe Steel’s admission raises fresh concern about the integrity of Japanese manufacturers. Nissan Motor Co. last week said it would recall more than 1 million cars after regulators discovered unauthorized inspectors approved vehicle quality, while Takata Corp. pleaded guilty this year of misleading automakers about the safety of its air bags. Kobe Steel said the products were delivered to more than 200 unidentified companies, with the falsification intended to make the metals look as if they met client quality standards.


Four Plants
Chief Executive Officer Hiroya Kawasaki is now leading a committee to probe quality issues. The fabrication of figures was found at all four of Kobe Steel’s local aluminum plants in conduct that was systematic, and for some items the practice dated back some 10 years, Executive Vice President Naoto Umehara said on Sunday. The comments were confirmed by a company spokesman.

Kobe Steel, one of Japan’s oldest industrial companies, was founded more than a century ago. Headquartered in the western port city, it made about 7 million metric tons of crude steel in the year to March, as well as aluminum and copper. Its units include Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., which produces diggers.

Toyota said it has found Kobe Steel materials, for which the supplier falsified data, in hoods, doors and peripheral areas. “We are rapidly working to identify which vehicle models might be subject to this situation and what components were used,” Toyota spokesman Takashi Ogawa said. “We recognize that this breach of compliance principles on the part of a supplier is a grave issue.”

Kobe Steel said it discovered the falsification in inspections on products shipped from September 2016 to August 2017, adding there haven’t been any reports of safety issues. The products account for 4 percent of shipments of aluminum and copper parts as well as castings and forgings.

15 Billion Yen
Based on the assumption that 5 percent of the company’s annual sales of aluminum products are nonconforming, JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. estimated it would cost from 10 billion to 15 billion yen for Kobe Steel to replace the entire volume with conforming products, according to a report by analyst Kazuhisa Mori.

To see the responses from some of Kobe Steel’s clients, click here

Kobe Steel materials were used in Hitachi trains exported to the U.K.’s Agility Trains, according to Hitachi spokesman Masataka Morita. The trains haven’t started operation yet. Materials were also used in East Japan Railway Co., Central Japan Railway Co. bullet trains in Japan, he said, adding that the trains were inspected after completion and there was no problems with their strength.

Subaru has produced training planes for Japan Self-Defense Forces and wings for Boeing Co. jets such as the Boeing Dreamliner, according to a spokesman, who added the company was checking which planes and parts used affected aluminum. “Nothing in our review to date leads us to conclude that this issue presents a safety concern, and we will continue to work diligently with our suppliers to complete our investigation,” Boeing said in a separate statement.

Honda said it used falsified material from Kobe Steel in car doors and hoods while Mazda Motor Corp. confirmed it uses aluminum from the company. Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. all said they are checking whether their vehicles are affected.

Rocket, Jet
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. spokesman Genki Ono said Kobe Steel aluminum was used in the MRJ regional jet as well as the H-IIA rocket, which was launched by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Tuesday for a satellite. “We perceive that there was no problem as the rocket launch was a success,” he said. “Checks are under way, but at this point no large effects have been found in the manufacture of the rocket or MRJ.”

spending $500 million to boost output of the lightweight metal, including buying a half-stake in a plant in South Korea. Kobe Steel’s aluminum and copper operations account for about 20 percent of total sales, according to data for the quarter ended June 30.

“Aluminum is a strategic business for Kobe Steel,” said Irisawa at Tachibana Securities. “If the aluminum business doesn’t work out well, I question where the company can make money,” given the mainstay steel business remains one of low profitability, he said.

Another Scandal
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Tuesday it was tracking the case. “We recognize this as an improper act that will shake fair trading," Yasuji Komiyama, director at the metal industries division, told reporters in Tokyo. “We urge the company to make efforts to recover the trust of society as a whole, not just its customers.”

This latest scandal threatens to further undermine confidence in the quality of Japanese manufacturing. Shinko Wire Co., a Kobe Steel affiliate, in 2016 said a unit had misstated data on the strength of stainless wires for springs and that it had supplied customers with alloy that failed to meet industrial standards.

In other product-related cases, Takata pleaded guilty in the U.S. in February to one count of wire fraud for misleading automakers about the safety of its air bags. Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. officials were referred to prosecutors in March after the company’s 2015 admission it falsified data on rubber for earthquake-proofing buildings.

“With a string of negative surprises at Kobe Steel lately, we believe investors are likely to distrust management even more due to this latest incident, despite emerging signs of earnings improvement in the steel and construction machinery segments,” JPMorgan’s Mori wrote.

— With assistance by Kevin Buckland, Nao Sano, Kiyotaka Matsuda, Stephen Stapczynski, and Sungwoo Park

 

[neolithic]

Japan’s Robot Strategy
Vision, Strategy, Action Plan

 

[RISING SUN]

How an Indian, married into Japan's first family, is changing the India, Japan and the US trilateral
It’s a famous last name in Japan and by extension in India. Kalpana Abe wears it lightly as she does her formidable list of accomplishments. From being a cardiovascular surgeon to travelling the world introducing mosquito-resistant paint to poor communities to prevent malaria, to being a Formula One racer to promoting sustainable development — the lady doth wear many hats comfortably.

Kalpana is getting ready to help take the India-Japan Global Partnership (IJGP) to Africa and present an alternative model of development that doesn’t “exploit but empowers” the people. Her connections, her access and, above all, her savvy will come in handy as India and Japan get down to real work in the coming years to strengthen their partnership and spread in and out of Asia.

She is married to Isao Abe, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cousin. She is not comfortable talking about her last name or boasting of her proximity to Japan’s first family. If anything, she actively downplays it — perhaps a Japanese trait she has picked up because it isn’t Indian for sure. With great difficulty she admits Shinzo Abe sometimes picks up the phone to call her to get insights into what the young people are thinking because she has three kids. He calls her Pana — short for Kalpana.

Looking at Africa
India and Japan have some big ideas for Africa, which if thought through and supported by the two governments could establish a counter to China’s model, which is primarily based on squeezing the continent dry of resources. But awareness is rising among Africans about how the Chinese create no jobs for the locals while they bribe generations of leaders into submission.

Several Indian, US and Japanese stakeholders came together recently for a reception on Capitol Hill to highlight the IJGP’s upcoming summit in New Delhi next month which will focus on the “power of the collective” for a more responsible development model. Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, the organiser and a key player in building the India-Japan relationship, says it all started with Tokyo’s interest in the massive Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. China’s dominance in Asia and beyond is pushing the India-Japan-US trilateral to come up with alternatives.

“China’s model is exploitative. It will crash automatically. We want to empower the people and we have managed to put the idea across to many African heads of government,” says Upadhyay, while describing the plan to do more joint projects in Africa.

He is trying to deepen the American involvement by seeking support from the US Congress and invite senators and congressmen to attend the December 11-14 summit. Kalpana Abe, currently vice president at Kansai Paint, Japan’s largest paint company, has worked Washington before and was present at the Congressional reception.

It’s helpful that India’s history with Japan is less complicated than with most other important countries, barring the post-1998 phase when Tokyo became India’s worst critic for conducting nuclear tests. Relations froze for a while. A semblance of normalcy was achieved in 2000 with the launch of IJGP, followed by a visit of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Japan in December 2001. In 2005, Shinzo Abe, in his first stint as prime minister, expanded the partnership to include security, defence and maritime cooperation. Meanwhile, the IT boom was sending a good number of Indians to Japan.

“India has a great reputation in Japan. Both Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe wanted to build the relationship because they saw India as the answer both in terms of security and economics,” says Kalpana. A common thread or threat has been China. Now Abe is back with a thumping majority and he could very well go on to become Japan’s longest serving prime minister.

More importantly, he has plans to change Japan’s pacifist constitution, which allows only “self-defence forces” and forbids offensive operations, to develop a more robust posture. “He can’t do it overnight but changes will come,” says Kalpana.

“The United States is Japan’s most important ally and India is seen as the second most important. Our cultures are also similar.” Kalpana is a trailblazer in Japan at many levels. As an Indian — a foreigner in other words — married to a Japanese, she has successfully navigated the deeply traditional society and managed an impressive career and family. It’s not easy when you come from a relatively informal culture to a forbiddingly formal one.

“My husband has been my spine,” she says. “He is not typical. Without him I wouldn’t have a career.” Kalpana, a Tamil born in Singapore in an upper class industrial family, and Isao fell in love while both were studying in the US. Although the families knew each other well, their children getting married wasn’t part of the plan. Opposition came from both sides — the Indian parampara against the Japanese dento or tradition. “Isao told me he would always take care of me no matter what. I was also like, ‘do or die’,” says Kalpana, who was 18 at the time.

They got married though it was tough getting assimilated in Japanese society. But it’s been 32 years of happiness, she says. They have a son and two daughters — Hyunsu Narayan, Hitomi Vidya and Hiromi Baghya — and three dogs, two of whom were adopted from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site.

“I feel very Japanese today, but my samskara hasn’t changed — respect for elders, religious tolerance, no religious evangelism,” Kalpana says. She is fluent in Japanese and says her knowledge of Tamil helped her master the sentence structure.

If all goes according to plan, Kalpana Abe is set to play an important role in another complex project — strengthening the India-Japan partnership and giving teeth to a more holistic model of development.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...gylBgORSGl_UJ6lInckw.0&utm_referrer=&from=mdr

 

[neolithic]

Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia

 

[neolithic]

Mount Fuji at morning viewed from Asagiri Plateau :


4000 × 2667 pixels


Related link(s).

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

Japan's economy shrank 2.5% in the third quarter, the biggest decline in four years
Interface news 2018-12-10 20:24:57
http://finance.ifeng.com/a/20181210/16612329_0.shtml
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1619447654498245549&wfr=spider&for=pc
http://forex.cnfol.com/jingjishuju/20181210/27087688.shtml
The third quarter GDP revision announced by the Japanese government on December 10 showed that the country’s economic contraction was much more serious than expected: real GDP quarter-on-quarter value of -0.6%, annualized quarter-on-quarter value of -2.5% The latter was significantly lower than the initial value of -1.2%. The investment in enterprise equipment that led the economic recovery has fallen sharply from the initial value, and the impact of natural disasters has become more apparent.

This is another negative growth in Japan's GDP after a quarter, which is the biggest drop since the increase in consumption tax to 8% in 2014. As the world's third largest economy, Japan's downturn is also an important symbol of a series of economic slowdowns in Asia and Europe. The German and Italian economies also contracted in the third quarter.

Some people believe that under the stimulus of reconstruction demand, Japan's economic performance will improve in the fourth quarter of this year, but it will also be affected by external factors such as trade friction.

The initial value of enterprise equipment investment was lowered from -0.2% in the initial value to -2.8%, the largest decline since the third quarter of 2009. In addition, natural disasters such as the Hokkaido earthquake, the western rainstorm, and the No. 21 typhoon “Feiyan” occurred in Japan. The factory shutdown and the Kansai Airport once caused the production and transportation of products to stagnate. In terms of industry, the performance of wholesale and retail industries and information and communication-related manufacturing industries is sluggish.

At the same time, personal consumption was reduced from -0.1% to -0.2%. Exports and imports remained unchanged at the initial value of -1.8% and -1.4%, respectively. The nominal GDP is -0.7%, and the annual rate is -2.7%, which is also significantly lower than the initial annual rate of -1.1%.

Affected by economic performance and other overseas instability factors, the Nikkei index fell sharply on December 10. The decline once exceeded 500 points, a low value of about one and a half months. The final closing price fell 459.18 points, a decrease of 2.12%.

Nan Wuzhi, chief economist at the Japan National Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Gold, said: "Capital expenditures in the fields of general machinery, production equipment and cycling are slowing down. According to the global economic slowdown and trade friction, companies may postpone their bullishness. The spending plan may even begin to adjust from the second half of the fiscal year."

A Reuters survey of Japanese companies shows that only 14% of respondents believe that the Japanese economy will grow next year, and most people predict that the economy will stop or shrink. More than half of the respondents said that the global economy is unlikely to achieve the 3.7% annual growth rate of the IMF forecast.
http://finance.ifeng.com/a/20181210/16612329_0.shtml
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1619447654498245549&wfr=spider&for=pc
http://forex.cnfol.com/jingjishuju/20181210/27087688.shtml

 

[Brainsucker]

I'm confused. Doesn't Japan gain 2nd highest trade revenue this year? Number 1 : Germany, Number 2 : Japan, Number 3 : China.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

Give you an explanation that is easy to understand:
1) The Japanese population has experienced negative growth for nine consecutive years, reducing by several hundred thousand per year.
(In 2017, Japan’s total population decreased by 394,000, the highest in history)

2) Due to the closure of Japanese culture, large-scale acceptance of immigrants is refused.

3) The three provinces in Northeast China also experienced a net reduction in the total population, and severe economic problems have also occurred in the three northeastern provinces of China.(In the three provinces of Northeast China, the population of Liaoning Province decreased by 46,000 in 2017, the population of Heilongjiang Province decreased by 121,800 in 2017, and the population of Jilin Province decreased by 209,900 in 2017. The total of the three provinces in Northeast China appeared net reduction by 370,700 people.)

Most of the outflows of the three northeastern provinces have migrated to developed areas such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

 

[Suika]

Japan's economy shrank 2.5% in the third quarter, the biggest decline in four years
Interface news 2018-12-10 20:24:57
The third quarter GDP revision announced by the Japanese government on December 10 showed that the country’s economic contraction was much more serious than expected: real GDP quarter-on-quarter value of -0.6%, annualized quarter-on-quarter value of -2.5% The latter was significantly lower than the initial value of -1.2%. The investment in enterprise equipment that led the economic recovery has fallen sharply from the initial value, and the impact of natural disasters has become more apparent.

This is another negative growth in Japan's GDP after a quarter, which is the biggest drop since the increase in consumption tax to 8% in 2014. As the world's third largest economy, Japan's downturn is also an important symbol of a series of economic slowdowns in Asia and Europe. The German and Italian economies also contracted in the third quarter.

Some people believe that under the stimulus of reconstruction demand, Japan's economic performance will improve in the fourth quarter of this year, but it will also be affected by external factors such as trade friction.

The initial value of enterprise equipment investment was lowered from -0.2% in the initial value to -2.8%, the largest decline since the third quarter of 2009. In addition, natural disasters such as the Hokkaido earthquake, the western rainstorm, and the No. 21 typhoon “Feiyan” occurred in Japan. The factory shutdown and the Kansai Airport once caused the production and transportation of products to stagnate. In terms of industry, the performance of wholesale and retail industries and information and communication-related manufacturing industries is sluggish.

At the same time, personal consumption was reduced from -0.1% to -0.2%. Exports and imports remained unchanged at the initial value of -1.8% and -1.4%, respectively. The nominal GDP is -0.7%, and the annual rate is -2.7%, which is also significantly lower than the initial annual rate of -1.1%.

Affected by economic performance and other overseas instability factors, the Nikkei index fell sharply on December 10. The decline once exceeded 500 points, a low value of about one and a half months. The final closing price fell 459.18 points, a decrease of 2.12%.

Nan Wuzhi, chief economist at the Japan National Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Gold, said: "Capital expenditures in the fields of general machinery, production equipment and cycling are slowing down. According to the global economic slowdown and trade friction, companies may postpone their bullishness. The spending plan may even begin to adjust from the second half of the fiscal year."

A Reuters survey of Japanese companies shows that only 14% of respondents believe that the Japanese economy will grow next year, and most people predict that the economy will stop or shrink. More than half of the respondents said that the global economy is unlikely to achieve the 3.7% annual growth rate of the IMF forecast.

Reported. No link



Main cause of contraction is lower than normal production and work ouput due to the summer heavy rain and earthquake in Hokkaido. The other factors like the trade tensions are of course another possible factor but the natural disasters resulted in the temporary drop.

 

[Suika]

So this (In 2017, Japan’s total population decreased by 394,000, the highest in history) has no influence on Jap economy at all?

Before the Q3 contraction, Japan has had eight straight quarters of gdp growth. Factors that make up for population size decrease is more women working, more nursery schools caring for children as women go to work, and foreign workers and students from many countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, even China, etc.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

We China do admit we has those problems:
The three provinces in Northeast China also experienced a net reduction in the total population, and severe economic problems have also occurred in the three northeastern provinces of China.(In the three provinces of Northeast China, the population of Liaoning Province decreased by 46,000 in 2017, the population of Heilongjiang Province decreased by 121,800 in 2017, and the population of Jilin Province decreased by 209,900 in 2017. The total of the three provinces in Northeast China appeared net reduction by 370,700 people.)

Most of the outflows of the three northeastern provinces have migrated to developed areas such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

Before the Q3 contraction, Japan has had eight straight quarters of gdp growth. Factors that make up for population size decrease is more women working, more nursery schools caring for children as women go to work, and foreign workers and students from many countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, even China, etc.

The closed culture of the Japanese refuses to accept large-scale immigration, so the role of foreign labor is not as big as you think.
Moreover, foreign workers are engaged in low-wage, dirty and tired work, and they have not contributed much to the Japanese economy.

 

[Suika]

We China do admit we has those problems:
The three provinces in Northeast China also experienced a net reduction in the total population, and severe economic problems have also occurred in the three northeastern provinces of China.(In the three provinces of Northeast China, the population of Liaoning Province decreased by 46,000 in 2017, the population of Heilongjiang Province decreased by 121,800 in 2017, and the population of Jilin Province decreased by 209,900 in 2017. The total of the three provinces in Northeast China appeared net reduction by 370,700 people.)

Most of the outflows of the three northeastern provinces have migrated to developed areas such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.


The closed culture of the Japanese refuses to accept large-scale immigration, so the role of foreign labor is not as big as you think.
Moreover, foreign workers are engaged in low-wage, dirty and tired work, and they have not contributed much to the Japanese economy.

Well that's naturally the full spectrum view from a propagandist.

 

[Adam WANG SHANGHAI MEGA]

In 2016, China's Liaoning Province experienced a negative growth of 2.5% of GDP. In the same period, Liaoning Province experienced a negative population growth (the young and middle-aged labor did not grow, but there was an outflow,well to Beijing and to Shanghai).

 

[Suika]

So this (In 2017, Japan’s total population decreased by 394,000, the highest in history) has no influence on Jap economy at all?

Reported.