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Serpiente, lo de las terrazas, pues no sé que decirte. Dependiendo del sitio pues puede estar petado o medio vacio, hay muchas modas.

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Lo de los sin techo es muy triste, parece gente que ha tenido mala suerte en su vida, o ha caido en una depresión profunda, ha cogido una enfermedad que le impedía trabajar, alcoholismo... no sé, realmente. Lo que si es cierto es que haberlos haylos, y la sociedad hace lo posible por ignorar su existencia.

Recuerdo un parque con mucho homeless, que estaba en una "prime location"... ahora recuerdo, era en Toranomon (la puerta del tigre). Es una zona muy centrica llena de oficinas. Por la tarde se mueve poco por ahí. El parque estaba atiborrado de homeless.
Lo que también me impresionó siempre mucho fue ver casas de madera desvencijadas en "prime location". Siempre me pregunté que historia habría detras. Viejo loco que no quiere irse ni con agua caliente? Casa abandonada y pelea entre herederos que no llegan a un acuerdo? No se encuentra al heredero?

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La prostitución... de todo, suelen ser coreanas, chinas, filipinas... las japonesas suelen ser más en plan "yamamba" que se van a con un "ojisan" o directamente "enjo kosai" (Enjo k?sai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
La prostitución está prohibida, lo cual significa, que si no pagas a la poli, tienes problemas. Si pagas (la yakuza lo hace) pues pasa lo que pasa, delante de la garita de policia, tranquilamente prostituyendose.
Otra cosa curiosa son los "cazatalentos" que hay en las estaciones. Japoneses jóvenes (con pintas) que intentan convencer a jóvenes japonesas a meterse a hacer videos porno. Son muy pesados.

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El punto 4 fue lo que acabo conmigo a la larga. Todos los putos dias ver esa masa de pelo negro silenciosa, entrando, saliendo, esperando.

El Banco de Japón extiende las medidas de flexibilización y mantiene los tipos interés

@ - 30/08/2010 07:32h
El Banco de Japón (BOJ) decidió hoy en una reunión de emergencia mantener los tipos en el 0,1% y extender otros seis meses un programa de préstamos a bajo interés que podría ayudar a frenar las subidas del yen.

Además, la entidad emisora aumentó la cuantía disponible en ese programa de créditos para bancos e instituciones financieras, al interés del 0,1%, desde los actuales 20 billones de yenes (183.043 millones de euros) hasta 30 billones de yenes (274.583 millones de euros).

"Con esta medida el Banco Central animará a una bajada de los tipos de interés en el mercado y una nueva mejora en las condiciones de flexibilización monetaria", indicó hoy el BOJ en un comunicado. El texto también subraya que estas medidas, junto con los esfuerzos gubernamentales, serán efectivos para asegurar la recuperación de Japón.

La reunión de la entidad emisora nipona se celebra una semana antes del encuentro ordinario que tenía previsto su comité monetario para los días seis y siete, debido a las presiones para que el BOJ actúe ante las constantes subidas del yen.

La moneda nipona se apreció la semana pasada a sus mayores niveles en una década frente al dólar y el euro, lo que perjudica a los exportadores nipones y pone en riesgo la frágil recuperación económica de Japón, afectado por la deflación desde hace meses.

El programa prolongado hoy por el BOJ haría más baratos los préstamos y por consiguiente puede debilitar al yen, e iría acompañado de un posible nuevo paquete de estímulo económico que el Gobierno de Japón puede hacer público esta semana, según Kyodo.

El BOJ reconoció hoy que la economía japonesa se enfrenta a un crítico desafío de superar la deflación y regresar al crecimiento sostenido con estabilidad de precios, aunque muestra "nuevos signos de moderada recuperación".

Japan stokes death penalty debate

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Friday, August 27, 2010, 14:08


The trap door marked with a red square where an inmate stands before being hanged is seen at an execution chamber at the Tokyo Detention Centre. Photograph: Japanese Justice MinistryThe trap door marked with a red square where an inmate stands before being hanged is seen at an execution chamber at the Tokyo Detention Centre. Photograph: Japanese Justice Ministry

Japan opened up the secretive world of its capital punishment system to the public today, offering journalists a rare tour of Tokyo’s main gallows.

The move is being seen as an effort to stoke debate about a practice widely supported there.

All executions in Japan are carried out by hanging, and no media coverage of executions is permitted. Inmates on death row do not know when they will be executed until the last minute, while family members and lawyers are only told afterwards.

Despite persistent criticism by rights groups such as Amnesty International and the main Japanese bar association, there is little public outcry against capital punishment in Japan, where recent government surveys showed more than 80 per cent support ratings.

But the media tour at the Tokyo Detention Centre - broadcast on major TV stations - appears to be driven by justice minister Keiko Chiba, who opposes the death penalty. “This reporting opportunity was provided as part of the national debate about the death penalty system, and I think it will become one of the elements in this debate,” Ms Chiba said.

In July, Ms Chiba approved - and witnessed - the hangings of two inmates convicted of murder, saying she was carrying out her duties as justice minister.

Afterwards, she said she still supported abolishing capital punishment, and as a way to spur public debate, ordered journalists be given a tour of the facilities, which Japanese press said was the first since at least the end of the second World War. She also promised to create a ministry panel to discuss the death penalty, including whether it should be stopped.

Of the more than 30 people who have been hanged since January 2006, five were in their 70s. It is not unheard of for some inmates to be ferried to the gallows in wheelchairs.

Japanese TV news channels today showed footage from the tour, including the execution room, where a red square marked the trapdoor where the condemned stands. Foreign press were barred from the visit despite repeated requests for access.

Even the exact location of the execution site is a secret. According to media accounts, the reporters were taken on a bus with curtains closed so the location couldn’t be identified.

The tour was led to a room decorated with a Buddha statue before reaching the death chamber, separated by a curtain. The hanging rope was removed from the ceiling-mounted pulley and the trapdoor was closed.

TV footage showed a small room next to the chamber where three executioners simultaneously push a button so none knows who activated the trapdoor.

Japan has a 99 per cent conviction rate - a number that hasn’t changed even after the country introduced a jury system for serious cases tried at district courts.

So far none of the jury trials have involved death penalty cases, but some people, including those who served as jurors, have expressed concerns about serving on such cases.

Anti-execution lawyer Yoshihiro Yasuda has accused Ms Chiba of trading two lives for the opportunity to stir public debate. “Execution is murder. It’s wrong to use the execution to promote review of the death penalty,” he said. “I’m afraid that a public viewing could instead justify the cause, depending on its presentation.”

A series of false convictions that surfaced in recent months have also raised concerns. Recently, a 63-year-old man sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a four-year-old girl was released after DNA tests showed he was innocent.

AP

Watching China whizz by


Japan as number three
Japan is now the world’s third-largest economy. Can its firms cope?

Aug 19th 2010 | TOKYO

FIVE years ago China’s economy was half as big as Japan’s. This year it will probably be bigger (see chart 1). Quarterly figures announced this week showed that China had overtaken its ancient rival. It had previously done so only in the quarter before Christmas, when Chinese GDP is always seasonally high.



Since China’s population is ten times greater than Japan’s, this moment always seemed destined to arrive. But it is surprising how quickly it came. For Japan, which only two decades ago aspired to be number one, the slip to third place is a gloomy milestone. Yet worse may follow.

Many of the features of Japanese capitalism that contributed to its long malaise still persist: the country is lucky if its economy grows by 1% a year. Although Japan has made substantial reforms in corporate governance, financial openness and deregulation, they are far from enough. Unless dramatic changes take place, Japan may suffer a third lost decade.

Of course, Japan still boasts some of the world’s most innovative firms. Carmakers such as Toyota and electronics firms such as Toshiba are in a class of their own. Japanese firms hold more than a 70% market share in 30 industries worth more than $1 billion in annual sales, from digital cameras to car-navigation devices, according to 2008 data. Whatever the brand on a digital gadget’s case, Japanese wares are stuffed inside or are essential for producing it.

Yet the success of Japan’s best firms masks wider weaknesses. Yoko Ishikura, a business professor at Hitotsubashi University, believes that Japanese bosses are complacent. “They are either too afraid to face the reality of the power shift,” she says, “or [they] want to stick to old, familiar models.” Yet the core problem is that Japan suffers from a gross misallocation of resources, both financial and human.

Japan has long kept the cost of capital low, to boost investment or help stragglers. Since the financial crisis began, bureaucratic organs such as the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation have been handed $25 billion to revitalise ailing companies. Among the latter agency’s first acts was to assist a dying wireless operator that bet on archaic technology.


Food for zombies

The system almost guarantees that fresh capital goes to the losers of yesteryear. Because struggling companies rarely die, new ones do not form. Japan’s bankruptcy rate is half of America’s; the rate at which it creates new firms is only a third as high. Japanese venture capitalists are few and far between. Japan’s bureaucratic allocation of credit seldom spurs animal spirits. Rather, it nourishes zombies.

Japan has also lost its knack for getting the best out of its human capital. Its people are superbly literate and numerate, but certain cultural traits are holding businesses back. Respect for seniority means that promotions go to the older, not the most able. Young executives with good ideas refrain from speaking up. Retiring presidents are kept on as chairmen or advisers, making it awkward for the new guy to undo his predecessor’s mistakes. A rising executive at a big trading house says he was counselled by his seniors to keep his views hidden if he wanted to get on.

Japanese salarymen, who were once regarded as modern-day samurai, are today known as soshoku-danshi (wussy, unambitious “grass-eating men”). Since 2003, the proportion of young Japanese entering the labour force who want to be entrepreneurs has halved, to 14%, while those who seek lifetime employment has nearly doubled, to 57% (see chart 2). Bosses grouse that the young eschew overseas posts; even a foreign-ministry official confides that Japanese diplomats prefer to stay at home.



The herbivores are markedly less “globalised” than their elders. Since 2000 the number of Chinese and Indians studying in America has doubled, whereas the number of Japanese has dropped by a third, to a fraction of the other Asian countries’ total. And despite years of mandatory English-language classes in secondary school, the Japanese score lowest among rich countries on English tests. This needn’t be a problem, except that as an export-dependent economy, Japan’s lifeblood is its relations with other countries, frets Takatoshi Ito, an economist at the University of Tokyo.

Half the nation’s talent is squandered. Only 8% of managers are female, compared with around 40% in America and about 20% in China. There are more women on corporate boards in Kuwait than Tokyo. Women are paid 60-70% as much as their male counterparts. A manager at one of Japan’s biggest conglomerates says that 70% of qualified job applicants are women, but fewer than 10% of new hires are, since the work may entail visits to factories or mines, where they might perspire in an unladylike way. Kirin, a brewer, seeks to double the number of its female managers by 2015—to a mere 6% of the total.

To get the economy moving, Japan Inc took a page from its industrial-policy playbook of yore. In June the trade ministry released a sweeping new “growth strategy” that identifies a score of vibrant sectors meriting government assistance, from overseas construction to attracting medical tourists. The project calls for hundreds of reforms, big and small. But the bureaucrats most intimately involved were shunted to other jobs in July, so who knows whether any will be implemented. Once again, the practices of old Japan scuttle the new. Richard Katz, editor of the Oriental Economist (no relation to us), believes Japan has trouble tackling its problems because they are all inter-related. “It is hard to fix one without fixing the others,” he says.

The local news media have played down Japan’s slip to third place. Alarmists fear that South Korea—which has a much smaller population—may overtake Japan, too. Is Japan willing to fight to keep its bronze medal for as long as possible?

Supporters say that the country always seems to shuffle its feet but then snaps into action when faced with a crisis. It did so in the 19th century, adopting modern ways to avoid being colonised, and again after the second world war. Japan was the world’s second-largest economy for 40 years. But the traits that made it an economic powerhouse in the 20th century—easy capital, big companies, rote learning, management by mandarins and stable jobs for male breadwinners—are ill-suited to the 21st. Today, Japan’s biggest obstacle is itself. Without dramatic reform, it will slip swiftly to number four, number five and beyond.

Japan renews QE as recovery falters
Japan has launched a fresh monetary and fiscal boost to shore up its faltering recovery and stem the slide into deflation, becoming the first major country to inject further stimulus since the Great Recession ended.

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor
Published: 20PM BST 30 Aug 2010


Masaaki Shirakawa - Japan renews QE as recovery falters
Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa speaks to the press Photo: EPA

The Bank of Japan agreed at an emergency meeting to boost its special loan facility by ¥10 trillion to ¥30 trillion (£220.7bn). "We need to watch out more carefully for downside risks to Japan's economy," said Governor Masaaki Shirakawa, who cut off his trip to the Jackson Hole forum in the US.

"Several weak US figures came out, while the yen rose and stock prices fell. When we saw this, we decided that we need to take more precautions."

Premier Naoto Kan said Tokyo would tap into its reserve fund for a ¥920bn spending package on jobs and investment. "We want to take swift measures as the second pillar of stimulus to support easing by the bank," he said.

The sums are tiny, a sign of Mr Kan's limited room for manoeuvre as public debt reaches 225pc of GDP. Rating agencies are already circling ominously.

The economy stalled in the second quarter, growing just 0.1pc. Prices have fallen for the past 17 months. Core deflation is running at -1.1pc.

The Bank of Japan's move was too timid to stabilise exchange markets. The yen appreciated sharply to ¥84.6 against the dollar. It is once again closing in on a 15-year high.

Julian Jessop, from Capital Economics, said the bank was responding "without enthusiasm" to political pressure to do something about the over-mighty yen.

Mr Kan has been calling for "decisive action" to stem the yen's rise, now causing heartburn for exporters such as Toyota and Sony.

While the yen has at times been stronger against the dollar in real terms, it is the rate against China's yuan that worries Tokyo. This cross-rate is wildly out of kilter.

Japan's curse is that the yen strengthens in times of crisis as investors repatriate money for safety. Life insurers and pension funds rotate from US bonds back into Japanese bonds as the yield gap narrows, which compounds Japan's deflation woes.

BNP Paribas said Japan may have more luck than Switzerland in driving down the currency if it chooses to intervene, since both monetary and fiscal policy are aligned in the same direction. Japan's authorities launched a huge purchase of US Treasuries during the deflation scare from 2003 to 2004 in order to weaken the yen.

Mr Kan would like to see a repeat of such "shock and awe" action but has failed to convince Mr Shirakawa that the risks are worth it. Bank officials fear that a monetary blast might disturb a fragile equilibrium, bringing unwelcome attention on Japan's debts. Haunted by memories of Japan's hyperinflation, the bank is moving gingerly.

Even so, it is the first central bank to start loosening again.

While the Bank of England has hinted at more quantitative easing, and the Fed is taking steps to avoid "passive tightening", neither has yet launched fresh QE.

How Election Outcomes Could Affect AUD and JPY
Date September 3, 2010

If you have read the international papers, you may know that there are two political developments that is worth paying attention to.

On August 21st, Australia held general elections for Prime Minister and if you recall, the votes were so tight that nearly 2 weeks later, there is still no clear winning. The country is in a political deadlock but thankfully this matter could be resolved in the coming week as Julia Gillard secures the support of a key independent Member of Parliament. Given how long the process has been drawn out for, the Aussie may rally as long as there is winner.

Meanwhile Japan has a leadership election within the Democratic Party on September 14th. This is not an open election but a secret ballot. The former secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, Ichiro Ozawa, has already begun his campaign against Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Ozawa pledged direct government intervention in the currency market in his policy platform stating “as for any sharp rises in the Yen from now on, I will decisively take all possible measures including market intervention to protect Japan’s economy.” Elections for the top DPJ post are slated for later this month and if Kan loses, Ozawa would become Japan’s sixth Prime Minister in 4 years.

Based upon his comments, the Yen has become one of the key political platforms that Ozawa is running on.

This may pressure Kan to act on the Yen before the election if only to keep his job. Ozawa also promised 2 Trillion Yen or $23.7 Billion in economic stimulus, a measure double the size of that planned by Prime Minister Kan. To Kan’s credit, however, he intensified his tone of Yen comments by telling reporters today “excessive movement in the currency market is bad for the economy and financial markets,” and “I have the utmost recognition of this. We will take decisive action when necessary.”

A win by Ozawa would probably be positive for USD/JPY and negative for the Japanese Yen in particular because of his criticism against a strong currency.

Ozawa Pledges New U.S. Base Pact, More Spending
* SEPTEMBER 1, 2010, 4:50 P.M. ET

By YUKA HAYASHI

TOKYO—The two candidates for Japanese prime minister laid out sharply contrasting visions for the country's future, with the challenger vowing to rip up a hard-fought agreement with the U.S. over a military base, taking a more aggressive stance than the incumbent on boosting spending to lift growth, and playing down the need for a concrete plan to curb the government's mammoth borrowing.


Ichiro Ozawa, center, raises his fist with his supporting lawmakers as he speaks about running in the Sept. 14 DPJ presidential election in Tokyo on Sept. 1, 2010.

* Ozawa on Yen: A Case of Deja Vu?

A day after efforts to avert a party showdown fell apart, Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his rival, Ichiro Ozawa, faced each other at a one-hour news conference as they unveiled their policy platforms ahead of an internal party election on Sep. 14. Mr. Ozawa is trying to unseat Mr. Kan as party chief and prime minister, the job that has eluded him repeatedly despite the huge influence he has had in Japanese politics for more than two decades.
Analysts say the race is too close to call. Many fear the fight will lead to an eventual breakup of the ruling party,

While Mr. Kan played up his current role as a responsible national leader pursuing realistic solutions to difficult economic problems, Mr. Ozawa emphasized several of his trademark populist policies, such as boosting a monthly allowance to families with children and to farmers. But he didn't explain in detail how he planned to pay for such costly steps at a time when Japan grapples with government debts nearly twice the size of its economy. Mr. Ozawa said shifting policy priorities and eliminating waste by shrinking bureaucracy will free up huge amounts of funds.

Mr. Ozawa surprised the market with a pledge to "boldly implement steps, including intervention in the market, to protect Japan's economy" in case of a dramatic rise in the yen. The statement came amid criticism the ruling party's infighting is hurting the government's ability to cope with the current market turmoil, which sent the yen to a 15-year high against the dollar last week. Mr. Ozawa's plan would mark a sharp break from recent Japanese practices, as the government hasn't intervened in currency markets in six years.



Mr. Ozawa also suggested more complications in the Okinawa base debate that has strained the bilateral relationship since the DPJ took power last September. He said Tokyo should hold fresh discussions with Washington and the local government of Okinawa to find a solution more acceptable to both parties. "Under the current framework, no matter how hard we try, the plan will not move forward because of the opposition from Okinawa," Mr. Ozawa said.

In contrast, Mr. Kan repeated his intention to stick with an existing bilateral agreement reaffirmed in May for the construction of a new facility. "Starting over the discussion would only create a new chaos in this problem that has already lingered for nearly a year," the prime minister said.

In his policy statement, Mr. Ozawa emphasized the alliance with the U.S. is "the most important bilateral relationship" for Japan, but also suggested Japan should be more independent from the U.S.

"The alliance isn't a relationship of subordination , but it's an equal partnership," his platform says. "So Japan should pursue a bigger role and more responsibility as it plays a part in the international community alongside the U.S."

The policy debate shed light on an ironic reversal in the roles of the two iconic politicians. Mr. Kan, a former leftist civil activist who made his name going after powerful bureaucrats, is now playing the part of a practical leader, a fiscal hawk and a good steward of the U.S.-Japan military alliance. Mr. Ozawa, who started as a conservative politician deft at behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, is appealing to the public with generous handout policies and an outspoken stance challenging Washington.

A major point of contention in their debate was how closely they should stand by the campaign promises the DPJ made last year before rising to power, particularly costly steps such as the child allowance and a pledge to maintain the unpopular national sales tax at the current level for 5%.

Mr. Ozawa vowed to do his "utmost to diligently implement" those promises. Mr. Kan, meanwhile, said he would "honestly explain" to the public and seek their understanding if some plans had to be abandoned due to a shortage of funds.

Analysts say the race, open only to DPJ lawmakers and registered supporters, is a toss-up at this point. With his strong following among party lawmakers, Mr. Ozawa seems to enjoy an edge. But Mr. Ozawa, embroiled in a campaign scandal at his fund-raising organization, is unpopular with the general public. Opinion polls show 70% or so of respondents favoring Mr. Kan over Mr. Ozawa. While only party members vote, the polls could influence those who haven't made up their minds.

Indeed, during the televised news conference Wednesday, Mr. Kan repeatedly alluded to Mr. Ozawa's scandal, by emphasizing the need to crate a "clean and open" party. "I feel strongly we need to rid ourselves of old-fashioned politics where money is the driving factor," he said.

Asked whether he will explain his role in the campaign-funds scandal during the election campaign, Mr. Ozawa said he already had been proven innocent when prosecutors decided not to indict him after a year-long investigation. Mr. Ozawa could still be indicted if a court-appointed citizen's panel currently debating his case decides to do so. The panel's ruling is expected within the next several weeks.

Most Young Japanese Workers Need Help From Their Parents to Pay The Bills
By Kazuyo Sawa -

More than half of young Japanese workers need to rely on support from their parents or other sources to survive, according to a government report.

Fifty-six percent of workers aged between 15 and 34 need to supplement their salaries to cover living expenses, the Labor Ministry said in a report yesterday.

The figure underscores how Japan’s young workers have been among the hardest hit by falling wages and two decades of sluggish economic growth. The unemployment rate for youths aged 15 to 24 soared to 11.1 percent in June, the highest in at least 40 years and double the national average.

“Many of Japan’s youth have become part of a lost generation that can’t find full-time work or get paid the amount they deserve,” said Toshihiro Nagahama, chief economist at Dai- Ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo. “This means more workers are missing out on the chance to gain the skills they need.”

About 94 percent of young workers earn less than 350,000 yen ($4,153) a month, the report said. That’s less than the overall average wage of 367,815 yen recorded in July.

Forty-seven percent of young workers said they wanted to change jobs in search of higher pay, according to the ministry survey of 15,124 taken in October and November.

Low salaries were delaying people from getting married and having children, Nagahama said.

The average age for Japanese men to marry increased to 30.4 years in 2009, up from 28.4 in 1990, according to the health ministry. For women, the average age rose to 28.6 years from 25.9 years.

Dólar yen Serenity markets 15:02:45 h.

Toca 83,54 nuevo mínimo de 15 años. Quedan pocas dudas que si el Banco de Japón no da señales de vida los hedge, que están muy agresivos cortos no pararán hasta mandarlo a 80

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Análisis de Cárpatos y su equipo en Serenity Markets




Edito y añado el EUR/ JPY: 106.71, ahora mismo...