Podcasts about japanese government

In the style of all the ‘big beasts' of social media, I thought ‘Barrier Free Japan' should do a ‘Wrap-up' at the end of 2024. 2024 seemed to be the year of finalizing ‘forced sterilization' cases. In July, the Eugenic Protection Law was deemed unconstitutional by the Japanese Supreme Court, and later in July the then Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida apologized for the Eugenic Protection Law - (I wrongly said the apology might have been given in October or November in the Podcast). The Forced Sterilization Compensation Bill was passed into Law in October 2024. Later in mid-November the ‘last forced sterilization victim', Keiko Onoue received 13 million Yen in compensation and her spouse, Kazutaka received 2 million yen in compensation. In early December, Yumi Suzuki, one of the plaintiffs in forced sterilization lawsuits against the Japanese Government was named an “Influential and inspiring woman” by the BBC. Barrier Free Japan wishes you a ‘Merī Kurisumasu' and a Barrier Free New Year!

In 1948 the Japanese Government, still under firm control by the Allied occupation forces, wrote into law the Eugenic Protection Law. While this law was similar to the myriad of pro-eugenic laws across the world, Japan's eugenics law is notable for having been only repealed in the 90s. Today's guest is Kieran Bennett! You can follow him via his Twitter profile, or check out his portfolio of video editing work at kgbennett.myportfolio.com. Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy! You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app. Sources: Human Rights Watch - Japan: Compelled Sterilization of Transgender People Human Rights Watch - Japan Court Rules Against Mandatory Transgender Sterilization Japan Times - Some duped into sterilization surgery under eugenics law, parliament report says Japan Times - Lawyers set up hotlines for victims of 1948-1996 eugenics law AP - Japan's top court strikes down required sterilization surgery to officially change gender Takashi Tsuchiya of Osaka City University - Eugenic Sterilizations in Japan and Recent Demands for Apology: A Report Asahi Shimbun - Tokyo court rejects bid for compensation over sterilization Asahi Shimbun - Court denies compensation for unconstitutional sterilization Guardian - Japan court awards damages to victims of forced sterilisation for first time Guardian - Anger in Japan as report reveals children were forcibly sterilised Independent - Japan to pay compensation to people sterilised under eugenics law modelled on Nazi programmes Independent - Japanese woman forcibly sterilised as teenager suing government for breach of human rights BBC News - Japan sterilisation law victims included nine-year-olds Huffington Post - Japan Publishes Report Detailing 25,000 Forced Sterilizations On Citizens, Including 9-Year-Olds Time - Japan Apologizes To Victims Of Forced Sterilization And Promises Compensation Wikipedia - Eugenics in Japan

On September 13th, the plaintiffs and the government signed a settlement agreement in a lawsuit over forced sterilization under the old Eugenic Protection Law. Final adjustments were being made on the government's payment of 15 million yen in compensation to any individual who underwent the surgery. Lawsuits currently underway in various regions have been gradually entering settlement procedures, and the settlement will take place about six years and seven months after the first lawsuit was filed in 2018. The agreement covers 19 plaintiffs of pending lawsuits across the country. Episode notes: ‘All forced sterilization lawsuits settled; plaintiffs and Japanese government sign agreement': https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/09/13/all-forced-sterilization-lawsuits-settled-plaintiffs-and-japanese-government-sign-agreement/

On this episode of The Bronc News Flash, Nick Witkowski delivers the news on Donald Trump's thoughts on Florida's controversial abortion law, the Brazilian Government banning the social media platform, X, for over 210 million people, and how the Japanese Government are planning to slowly introduce four day work weeks into their "workaholic" culture on 9/1/2024.

In lawsuits still ongoing across the country over people who were forced to undergo sterilization under the old Eugenic Protection Law, the government has presented the defense team with a basic settlement proposal that includes paying 15 million yen in compensation to each plaintiff. The government and the defense team are making final adjustments and are expected to reach a formal basic agreement soon. Episode Notes: ‘Japanese Government Presents Draft Agreement for Lawsuits over Forced Sterilization': https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/08/22/japanese-government-presents-draft-agreement-for-lawsuits-over-forced-sterilization/

Why does the Japanese government keep intervening trying to prop up the yen, and why does it keep failing? This isn't just about the yen or Japan, nor is it completely a matter of what's unfolding right now. There is a deeper truth that needs to be made more widely which applies universally to monetary systems around the world. And the yen's crash is the clearest example. Eurodollar University's conversation w/Steve Van MetreCHECK OUT OUR ANNIVERSARY SALE PRICES AT:https://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Ralph Nicolai Nasara is Co-founder and CTO of OOYOO, a social impact startup focused on capturing carbon dioxide and cleaning air for a sustainable future. Ralph shares his personal story and how his fascination with energy and batteries at a young age led him to pursue a career in climate tech, including a 10-year deep dive into the field of lithium-ion batteries. He explains the challenges and opportunities of carbon capture, as well as OOYOO's core technology - a passive membrane filtration system capturing CO2 - and shares about the company's future plans and current partnership with the Japanese government. Ralph also openly discusses the significance of mentors, building a team culture where people can be their authentic selves, and the value of humility and open-mindedness in problem-solving. Highlights 00:00 Early Days: Fascination with Batteries to Climate Tech 08:15 Carbon Capture: Challenges and Opportunities 25:41 Collaborating with the Japanese Government and Technology Deployment 36:38 The Power of Mentors and a 'Challenge Network' 45:06 The Importance of Humility and Unlearning Find out more about OOYOO: https://www.ooyoo.co.jp/en/

On redux episode 03 of SOMEWHERE IN THE LIVESTREAM, Ryan breaks down some interesting UFO-related stories, including Japanese lawmakers pressuring their government to open a UAP office, a strange furry, metal UFO discovered in North Carolina, a possible explanation for the ever-enigmatic Baltic Sea UFO on the ocean floor, and a showdown on the congressional floor with Burchett and the DOE!Monster Fest 2 tickers and info: https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/stm-monster-fest-2024New Medium article: https://ryan-sprague51.medium.com/i-am-indrid-cold-the-woodrow-derenberger-ufo-encounter-c5f0c712a63dPatreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskiesPayPal: Sprague51@hotmail.comWebsite: www.somewhereintheskies.comStore: http://tee.pub/lic/ULZAy7IY12UYouTube Channel: CLICK HEREOrder Ryan's new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4Order Ryan's older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYCTwitter: @SomewhereSkiesRead Ryan's Articles by CLICKING HEREOpening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per KiilstofteCopyright © 2024. Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved.Produced by LIONSGATE and part of the eOne Podcast Network.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Japanese government awarded $5 million to the University of Montana to permanently fund a professor of Japanese and Indo-Pacific affairs.

The MEXT Scholarship deadline is quickly approaching (May 24, 2024 for the Nashville Consulate). But what is a MEXT Scholarship Program? The Krewe is digging into this today. We sit down with returning guest Tye Ebel, JET/MEXT Coordinator for the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, & a current MEXT research scholar, William Archambeault. Through both conversations, they share some excellent insight into the application process and the programs as a whole. Don't miss out!------ About the Krewe ------The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, TikTok: @kreweofjapanpodcast, LinkedIn: Krewe of Japan LinkedIn Page, Blue Sky Social: @kreweofjapan.bsky.social, & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!------ Support the Krewe! Offer Links for Affiliates ------Use the referral links below & our promo code from the episode (timestamps [hh:mm:ss] where you can find the code)!Zencastr Offer Link - Use my special link to save 30% off your 1st month of any Zencastr paid plan!  (00:58:20)------ MEXT Scholarship Program-Related Links ------MEXT Scholarship Information Page (Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville's Page)Embassy of Japan's Consulate Guide (What's Your Consulate)William's Japan Times Articles------ Past KOJ Study/Work in Japan Episodes ------2024 JET Program Tips & Updates ft. Tye Ebel & Jonathan Contrades of Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville (S4B)Find Your Japan Dream Job Today! ft. Kasia Lynch of Ikigai Connections (S4E9)Studying Abroad in Japan (S2E6)Applying for the JET Program ft. Tye Ebel (S2E4)Accepted for the JET Program... Now What? ft. Megan DeVille (S1E17)------ JSNO Upcoming Events ------JSNO Event CalendarJapan Club Crawfish Boil (Sunday, May 11 - Registration Required by May 5)"YOJIMBO" Screening at Margaret Place (Thursday, May 16)

We sat down with Martin Turenne, CEO of FPX Nickel (

Dan teaches a Japanese phrase from the 1989 movie Black Rain set in Osaka, answers a Patreon question about picking up J babes, Shohei Ohtani involved in gambling, and blabs about The Japanese Government's Moonshot Project's goal 7, 8, and 9.⁠ Moonshot Project website ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/moonshot/target_en.html⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Become a Patreon member for 5 bucks a months (that's like one tall boy) and Dan will give you a shoutout and read your questions on the podcast. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/DanWilsonUSAJPN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: dan.yahola.wilson@gmail.com Current Sponsors: sarvermovers.com/quote Promo Code- Danielsan for 5% off your move (512-596-9696). brakechimps.com (512-525-8950). The Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Your one-stop podcast for everything Japan and Japanese culture...kind of. Dan Wilson is an American living in Japan working in the entertainment industry as a comedian signed to Watanabe Entertainment. Instagram/TikTok = @danielywilson

Dan teaches a Japanese phrase to say when your dong hangs to the side in your pants, the emergency earthquake notifications, answers Patreon members questions, and talks about The Japanese Government's Moonshot Project's goal 4,5, and 6.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Moonshot Project website ⁠⁠https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/moonshot/target_en.html⁠⁠ Support the Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Become a Patreon member for 5 bucks a months (that's like one tall boy) and Dan will give you a shoutout and read your questions on the podcast. ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/DanWilsonUSAJPN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: dan.yahola.wilson@gmail.com Current Sponsors: sarvermovers.com/quote Promo Code- Danielsan for 5% off your move (512-596-9696). brakechimps.com (512-525-8950). The Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Your one-stop podcast for everything Japan and Japanese culture...kind of. Dan Wilson is an American living in Japan working in the entertainment industry as a comedian signed to Watanabe Entertainment. Instagram/TikTok = @danielywilson

Dan teaches a Japanese phrase to say when that vjayjay tight, answers a Patreon member question, and talks about The Japanese Government's Moonshot Project's goal 2 and 3.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Moonshot Project website https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/moonshot/target_en.html Support the Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Become a Patreon member for 5 bucks a months (that's like one tall boy) and Dan will give you a shoutout and read your questions on the podcast. ⁠patreon.com/DanWilsonUSAJPN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: dan.yahola.wilson@gmail.com Current Sponsors: sarvermovers.com/quote Promo Code- Danielsan for 5% off your move (512-596-9696). brakechimps.com (512-525-8950). The Dan Wilson in Tokyo Podcast Your one-stop podcast for everything Japan and Japanese culture...kind of. Dan Wilson is an American living in Japan working in the entertainment industry as a comedian signed to Watanabe Entertainment. Instagram/TikTok = @danielywilson

veryYABAI episode 19! On this episode of veryYABAI Z we talk about the traditional running of the Otaku at Comiket, the Butler Cafe that lets you rent a butler to assist you on a shopping spree, and the Japanese Government thinks all of those young geeks aren't drinking enough alcohol! Have a topic you'd like us to discuss? Comment down below! Twitter: https://twitter.com/veryYABAI_ Twitch TaneTenshi: https://www.twitch.tv/tanetenshi Twitch Crunchbite_Daimyo: https://www.twitch.tv/crunchbite_daimyo Twitch EmuLapis: https://www.twitch.tv/emulapis Avatars: Chroneco Intro Song: Colorgeist

It's February 8th. This day in 1976, officials for defense and airline manufacturer Lockheed Martin admit to spending millions of dollars to bribe Japanese government officials. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Lockheed bribes were exposed, and how they were part of a larger era of multinational corporate meddling and corruption — as companies began to get more and more entangled in U.S. foreign interests. Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch! Find out more at thisdaypod.com This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia

As the War came to its end it brought about the confirmation that up to that point had been known but not confirmed. That the horrific genocide of a people had gone on throughout Europe. The Deathcamps that were discovered , one by one , by the Allied troops as they moved closer to Germany, from all directions, had practiced such organized, horrific, cruelty, that even these most hardened of war veterans could barely talk about it over 80 years later. Which we will hear when we ask about it. The short answer given by Mr. Hirsch is as powerful a moment as we will hear in these interviews. We will also hear the radio broadcasts marking the deaths of Franklin Roosevelt,  Adolf Hitler, and finally the surrender of Germany itself.  We will then hear the stories of how pilot Bob Hirsch flew the displaced persons to the new places that they were to go to be housed in, having lost everything, from their homes, and businesses, to their entire families. Then, just as Bob Hirsch is sent to Paris, France, to pick up his plane to be flown around the World to the Pacific Theater. His orders are suddenly changed, and he and his fellow troops are left to wonder,  why? Then we will focus in on the Potsdam Conference, the bluff to the Japanese Government, and the decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan, that will finally bring this horrifically, bloody war, to its end. Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/ Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

What? Bonus content, already?! That's right! The Krewe is here with a surprise bonus episode to talk about the 2024 JET Program Application Cycle. Returning guest Tye Ebel, JET Coordinator for the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, is back, this time with his colleague Jonathan Contrades, Culture Coordinator at the same consulate. Together, they share some excellent insight & updates (along with crucial tips & tricks) to tackling and approaching this year's JET Application.. from Statement of Purpose (SOP) tips to handling referral letters. Don't miss out!------ About the Krewe ------The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, TikTok: @kreweofjapanpodcast, LinkedIn: Krewe of Japan LinkedIn Page & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!------ Support the Krewe! Offer Links for Affiliates ------Use the referral links below & our promo code from the episode (timestamps [hh:mm:ss] where you can find the code)!Liquid IV Offer Link  to save 20% Off your Entire Order! (00:01:06)Zencastr Offer Link - Use my special link to save 30% off your 1st month of any Zencastr paid plan!  (00:42:40)------ JET Program-Related Links ------JET Program USA Application PortalJET Program USA WebsiteJET Programme International WebsiteJETAA Mid-South (JET Alumni Chapter for New Orleans area, as well as LA, AR, MS) Facebook GroupJETAA Mid-South SiteMemphis Japan Fest (11/05/2023)------ JSNO Upcoming Events ------JSNO Event Calendar11/5/23 - Kwaidan Book Club: Never Let Me Go11/9/23 - JSNO Annual Meeting 202311/18/23 - Ikebana Workshop11/29/23 - Spirited Away Screening @ Margaret Place (Link TBD)

ON THIS INSTALLMENT…DONATE: PAYPAL.ME/JAPANWUT … We cover Japanese denim made from rose branches, the Japanese Government and WEF collaboration on Data Free Flow With Trust, Chinese robo-waiters in restaurants spying and unrestricted warfare in the real estate sector.Follow Matt: Twitter / Facebook Page / InstagramOfficial Website: matthewpmbigelow.comShow Notes for Ep. 111NEW PRODUCTProject to make denim jeans from pruned rose branches launched in west Japan citySOCIETY 5.0U.N. forum on internet governance begins in Kyoto; focus on AIData Governance (WEF Japan 4th Ind. Rev.)Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT): Paths towards Free and Trusted Data FlowsThe big AI and robotics concept that has attracted both Walmart and SoftbankChinese startup's robo-waiters ready to take orders around the worldJapanShrine-colliding festival provides a smashing time in Matsuyama | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and AnalysisJapan household spending falls 2.5% in August on rising pricesMori Building to open new development project in Tokyo as part of push to revitalize cityBlackRock targets Japan's climate tech in investment push: Larry FinkWARJapan, eight ASEAN nations to bolster cybersecurity collaborationJapanese lawmakers to visit Taiwan for National Day celebrationsChina Is Becoming a No-Go Zone for ExecutivesBig Chinese state-owned enterprises setting up army-linked militiasTaiwan blockade's cost would be felt wider than COVID: U.S. officialRepairing U.S. ships in Japan 'very important': defense chief KiharaChina's economic ills infecting the rest of AsiaSGOTWUS citizen arrested south of Yokohama over theft of unlocked city vehicle

Death Parade is a consistent favorite of mine, and its director, Yuzuru Tachikawa, has had one heck of a career following this show's release. Take a chance and gamble on a good time as I explain how Tachikawa-san was able to produce such a unique property through the Young Animators Training Program, sponsored by the Japanese Government. Musical tracks in order of appearance "Flyers" - BRADIO (Opening credits theme) "Donyu" - Yuki Hayashi

ON THIS INSTALLMENT…DONATE: PAYPAL.ME/JAPANWUT … Matt discusses Final Fantasy Whiskey, Electronic Skin for surveillance, and presents an update on the Japanese Government's initiatives to work with the World Economic Forum on developing a circular economy. They want to change you, and you will like it. Follow Matt: Twitter / Facebook Page / InstagramOfficial Website: matthewpmbigelow.comShow Notes for Show 106NEW PRODUCT/HIGH OR NOT HIGHCanned volcanic ash erupts into huge hit for Kagoshima Pref.Three 'Final Fantasy XIV' whiskeys are on the way, with cool nods to the game's starter citiesFUKUSHIMA WATERJapan to give extra $141 million to fisheries amid China import banSOCIETY 5.0University of Tokyo Researchers Developing Full-body Electronic Skin to Measure Physiological Data and Analyze with AIJapan Launches Circular Economy Collaboration with World Economic Forum A Multifaceted Approach of Decarbonization, Circular Economy, Decentralization and Harmony with NatureThe Circular Economy | World Economic ForumToto develops bidet feature that can be adjusted by smartphoneLawson addresses labor shortage with futuristic avatarsNagoya subway replaces platform timetables with QR codes to cut costsEAT THE BUGSFine Sinter adds chocolate sweets to insect dietBusiness diversification into edible cricket production and electronic parts manufacturing Processing into dried products and powder, business negotiations with confectionery manufacturers progressingAn electronic parts manufacturer in Ogaki that is challenging the food crisis with cricket productionWARJapan's top court orders Okinawa to allow divisive government plan to build U.S. military runwaysJapanJapan cab company under fire for tweet playing up female drivers' looks, ages

In the August 25th episode of The Wright Report, hosted by Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, three major stories are unpacked. The first brief reveals a startling study that indicates middle class Americans are financially worse off than they were 20 years ago, a matter with serious implications for the nation. The second brief examines the release of water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant by the Japanese Government and what it means for the ongoing Battle for the Pacific. Finally, an urgent warning for owners of solar panels and Electric Vehicles regarding potential control by China. The episode closes with a listener's question challenging Wright's authenticity as a former CIA Officer. Learn more at The Wright Report on Substack.

Last time we spoke about the situation after the disastrous losses at Pyongyang and the Yalu River as well as the battle for Port Arthur. Coming off their tremendous success at Pyongyang and the battle of Yalu, the Japanese performed an offensive fording the Yalu and easily defeating the Qing forces at Jiuliancheng. After this the Japanese began to advance into the Liaodong Peninsula. One by one, each town saw Qing forces fleeing while giving little battle. Eventually the Japanese seized Jinzhou and Dalian. With bases of operations in hand they then could attack the formidable fortress of Port Arthur. As the Japanese advanced into the Port Arthur region, they came across mutilated corpses of their comrades driving a fiery need for vengeance into their hearts. The Japanese would take Port Arthur with absolute ease as the Qing yet again fled the scene, but this time the victory was met with a disastrous massacre.   #53 The First Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1895 Part 5: The Battle of Weihaiwei   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The massacre at Port Arthur was disastrous for Japan's public image. Thomas Cowan of the London Times went to Hiroshima on his way home after witnessing the massacre and met with Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu to tell him what he saw personally. Upon hearing the story, Mutsu told him “that an investigation would be made and that he showed no disposition to interfere with the correspondents duty and the reports were telegraphed on December 1st”. On December 16th the Japanese foreign ministry issued a formal statement to the foreign press on the matter  "The Japanese Government desires no concealment of the events at Port Arthur. On the contrary, it is investigating rigidly for the purpose of fixing the exact responsibility and is taking measures essential to the reputation of the empire. Japanese troops transported with rage at the mutilation of their comrades by the enemy, broke through all restraints and exasperated by the wholesale attempts [by Chinese soldiers] at escape disguised at citizens, they inflicted vengeance without discrimination. While the Japanese government "deplores" the excessive violence, it protested "exaggerations" in the press reports and insisted that "the victims, almost without exception, were soldiers wearing the stolen clothes of citizens." Three days later the London Times reported “that most foreign reporters agree that the excesses were committed, but say that they were excusable, and that they have had their parallels in the best European armies. The Japanese military promised they would also launch an inquiry into the matter, but no one ended up being punished. Luckily for Japan the west would later on become obsessed over the peace terms and their attention was less focused on the Port Arthur Massacre.  Meanwhile the Qing government was trying to deny there even was a defeat at Port Arthur, let alone a massacre. The Shanghai China Gazette had this to say "The most strenuous efforts have been made by the Chinese officials to conceal the fact that the great stronghold has passed out of their hands, and is now a de facto Japanese naval yard. Telegraphic notices have been sent...all over the empire by the officials saying that a wicked report has been set on foot by the enemy that they have captured Port Arthur, but it was utterly untrue, the place being garrisoned by 30,000 brave Chinese soldiers who would never give it up to the Japanese. Official telegrams to this effect were published to-day in all the native papers, and thousands of Chinese will thereby be kept in blissful ignorance of the terrible position in which China stands to-day. Ostrich-like, most of the Chinese prefer not to believe the unpleasant truth and rather listen to the barefaced mendacity of their wretched rulers. But the stupidity of the latter gentry, who have brought the country to its present desperate plight, is only emphasized by this false manoeuvre." A month later the same China Gazette asserted this "By many it is not yet known or admitted that Port Arthur has been taken and is held by the Japanese - even of the 'well-informed' officials. The same is said to be true in Peking." Of course the Qing court had good reason to try and conceal the defeat at Port Arthur. The mandate of heaven was under attack, the Japanese were pouring into the Manchu homelands of Manchuria. Internal rebellions could spring up at any moment, everything seemed to be hanging from a thread. After the defeats at Pyongyang and Yalu, Emperor Guangxu demanded to take personal control over the prosecution of war in Korea. He even wanted to leave the throne under Empress Dowager Cixi so he could concentrate on the frontlines, but his advisers pretty much put their foot down on that one. The Manchu leadership needed to maintain their control over national security….and luckily for them and unluckily for Li Hongzhang they had a scapegoat for the disasters.  In October of 1894, just before losing at Port Arthur, Prince Gong had been reinstated. A decade earlier he had been demoted because of the disastrous losses during the Sino-French War, but in reality Cixi just considered him a rival. He was appointed high commissioner of the Peking Field forces, co-president with Prince Qing of the Admiralty, the Zongli Yamen and of War Operations. Yes the age old tradition of tossing a ton of titles on a single person. The Qing government even created for him a small general headquarters. Prince Gong was the 6th song of the Daoguang Emperor, uncle in law of Cixi and alongside Li Hongzhang, one of China's top experts on foreign affairs. The foreign community respected him ever since the second opium war. Prince Qing had been the head of the Zongli Yamen since 1887. Thus two Manchu princes, Gong and Qing were in control of the capital's defense. Gong and Li Hongzhang were sharing responsibilities for the war, but Gong was specifically only responsible for the defense of the capital while Li Hongzhang retained responsibility for prosecuting the war against Japan.  After the fall of Port Arthur, Li Hongzhang went to the Qing court seeking punishment and within 24 hours he was deprived of all his titles, honours and office, ompf. And when all was said and done…he remained at his post. As the New York Times headlines stated at the time "Viceroy Li Hung Chang Has Lost the Rest of His Wardrobe." The foreign press had learnt much about China's practice of degrading and punishing officials, while simultaneously not actually implementing any policy change. Li Hongzhang would retain his post throughout the war, regardless of the titles and honours, he really was a scapegoat. And its not like he was not aware of this, upon receiving his punishments he began to toss mud at the Qing officials, blaming them for resisting railroad construction plans as now they were direly needed to deploy troops. He would also go on the record to complain naval funds had not been so forthcoming. Basically it was a big old Li Hongzhang “I told you so moment”. Colonel Maurice of the British Royal Artillery was very blunt when stating “Li Hongzhang is being treated as a scapegoat. He is the only man in China who has advocated European methods, and he is now being punished on account of the failure of the old Conservatives who refused to follow his advice." Back to the frontlines, upon taking Port Arthur, the Japanese did not rest long to continue their sweep towards Beijing. But the next important target was the naval base at Weihaiwei. There was also suggestions amongst the Japanese military leadership to perform a winter campaign in Manchuria as a diversion. The thought process being, to hit the Manchu homeland to divert many of their land forces away from the shores of Bohai and Shandong. The Qing had divided their forces in Manchuria into three armies forming a line between the coastline at Gaiping all the way to Liaoyang. The northmost army was stationed at Liaoyang. They were to defend the road to Mukden from the east via the Motian Pass and the south via Haicheng. If you pull up a map, you will notice the Motian Pass forms this bottleneck between Fenhuangcheng and Liaoyang. The second army took up a position at the port city of Niuzhuang and walled city of Haicheng. Lastly the third army commanded by General Song Qing was positioned at Gaiping. Now back at the end of October, Marshal Yamagata was pursuing Qing forces and his 5th division seized Fenghuangcheng unopposed. Their next objective was Haicheng, taking this would enable the 1st IJA in eastern Manchuria and 2nd IJA advancing up the Liaodong Peninsula to link up communications. It would also cut off the Qing in 3 directions, leaving them only a westward retreat. After Fenghuangcheng fell, General Song ordered 10,000 of his forces to advance to the Motian Pass threatening the rear lines of the Japanese marching upon Haicheng. This prompted General Nozu Michitsura to move his 10th brigade to Motian pass to prevent the Qing from concentrating there. He was successful at repelling the Qing forces gathering there and by late november the Qing were routing. From there the Japanese were forced to pull back to Fenghuangcheng to resupply, but in that time period the Qing began to reconcentrate at the Motian Pass. Then the Qing launched an offensive at Fenghuangcheng, but were served two terrible defeats on December 9th and 14th. While this was going on the 5th brigade under General Katsura Taro was pursuing a Qing Army led by General Ma, around 6000 men strong who looked like they were going to attack Port Arthur. Katsura pursued Ma's forces to Haicheng where he not only defeated them, he also seized the city by December 13th.  The seizure of Haicheng had ruined General Song's plans, now the Qing line of defense was cut in two by a Japanese army. General Song was forced to re-establish a new defensive line. On the 18th of december he ordered 10,000 of his forces to storm the town of Niuzhuang, but they were intercepted along the way by the IJA 5th brigade. They were forced to withdraw, suffering 500 casualties vs 440 for the Japanese. The next day, the Japanese attacked the retreating Qing forces around Ganwangzhai a town just southwest of Haicheng. The Qing put up a stiff resistance, but were forced to give ground. This prevented General Song's army from reaching the road to Liaoyang to connect with the other Qing armies to the north. The Qing would try four times to retake Haicheng during January and February to no avail. Then on January 10th, the 2nd IJA launched a three-pronged attack upon the walled city of Gaiping. The cities 5000 strong garrison fought for their lives, they had prepared for the attack by causing the water in the nearby streamers next to the city to freeze on an incline, making it difficult for the Japanese to cross. While this tactic would have been high effective centuries ago, with modern artillery it was undercut gravely. The Qing would have 1200 casualties defending Gaiping while inflicting 307 upon the Japanese. 10,000 Qing reinforcements were arriving at the scene from Yingkou whereupon they found the retreating garrison and this tossed everything into a panic. But to the relief of General Song, the Japanese temporarily halted their advance, due to overstretching their logistical lines. Now the Japanese had an enormous supply route going all the way from Jiuliancheng to Haicheng and Gaiping.  General Song Qing would not give up and launched a major counteroffensive to retake Gaiping and Haicheng. 20,000 Qing forces stormed into the region and were beaten back mostly by the 5th Brigade. General Song's men received 300 casualties for their efforts while inflicting only 41 upon the Japanese. Undeterred, General Song tossed two more offensives between January 17th to the 21st of February. The offensives greatly strained his men and just when their logistical supply lines were beginning to suffer, General Nozu prepared his counter offensive. On the 16th of February as 15,000 Qing soldiers attacked Haicheng in 3 columns led by Generals Zhang Xun, I K'o T'ang and Xu, they would also be aided by bandit forces the next day. On the 21st the Qing bombarded Haicheng with artillery, while they received reinforcements in the form of 10,000 men under Governor Wu Dacheng from Shanhaiguan. Meanwhile the Japanese were also reinforced by elements of the 1st division. On the 21st, the 1st division led by General Yamaji assaulted a large hill named Taping-shan being defended by forces led by General Ma Yukun. By the 24th General Yamaji seized the hill forcing the Qing to take up new positions in nearby villages, and soon Yamaji unleashed artillery from the hilltop upon them. The Qing had to withdraw from the area after receiving 800 casualties. The fighting was extremely rough for the hill, not to mention the winter conditions costing the Japanese 250 casualties from combat and another 1500 cases of frostbite.  On the 28th, General Nozu Michitsure unleashed his counterattack aimed at Niuzhuang and Liaoyang. He began with a large artillery bombardment, then sent his forces in a wide front offensive. The Qing defenders were driven into a rout, many retreating north towards Jinzhou, offering only rear guard actions as they did. Lt General Katsura Taro pursued some of the retreating Qing all the way to the walls of Liaoyang, reaching it by March 3rd while the main bulk, the 3rd and 5th divisions under General Nozu advanced upon Niuzhuang and Liaoyang eventually by the 4th of March. During the rout the Qing had taken another 400 casualties, while inflicting 124 upon the Japanese. General Song then tosses 2500 men led by General Xu at Haicheng yet again only to be repelled by the IJA 1st division.  On March 3rd, the 3rd and 5th IJA divisions began their assault of Niuzhuang by first softening the city up with an artillery barrage for 2 hours. The artillery barrage did more than soften up the city, all the Qing defenders abandon their wall positions and move into the interior. The Japanese 5th division enters the city with zero resistance to find 2000 of the 5000 Huai army troops defending Niuzhuang are fleeing. Those who stay fight fiercely against the 6000 men of the 5th IJA division, but in the end they are forced to abandon Niuzhuang after 1900 deaths. 633 Qing defenders are taken prisoner. The Japanese were forced to destroy nearly all the buildings in the city using artillery to smoke out Qing defenders and this goes on well into the night. By 11pm, the Qing have all departed the city. While the battle over Niuzhuang was occurring, the 1st and 3rd divisions began an attack against Yingkou. General Song under threat of encirclement was forced to withdraw from Yingkou over to Tianzhuangtai. By March 7th, the battle for Yingkou becomes nothing more than sporadic resistance, but the port city falls with relative ease. At port in Yingkou the Japanese seized the gunboat Mei Yuan and two transports that were icebound. General Song rallied around 11,000 men at Tianzhuangtai to continue launching counter offensives, but General Nozu kept up the pace to hinder the Qing from recuperating. The 5th Brigade was left to garrison Niuzhuang and Yingkou as the rest of the Japanese advanced upon Tianzhuangtai. The Qing were taken off balance by this and tried to put up a defense, but were utterly defeated resulting in 2000 casualties and lost their entire artillery force which was captured by the Japanese. The Japanese loses were reported to be unbelievably low at 16 deaths and 144 wounded. As a result of this last defeat, General Song's army ceased to exist as a real force. Full scale combat in Manchuria pretty much ended with the seizure of Tianzhuangtai, though minor skirmishes would occur in hill areas with pockets of Qing resistance. The victory over Yingkou gave the Japanese complete control over the southeastern portion of Manchuria, and when April came around, Yingkou's harbor would be ice free allowing for further supply lines via the sea. The Japanese had thus acquired a base of operations to perform offensives within Zhili and thus the road to Beijing was open. The offensive against Beijing would see the 1st and 3rd divisions of the 1st IJA marching towards Shanhaiguan, while the 5th division would garrison parts of Manchuria and the 2nd and 6th divisions would be held in reserve around Dalian. At this point Emperor Guangxu began shuffling officials. Li Hongzhang was relieved of his command in the field, and this was handed over to a 6 man strong committee of defense headed by Prince Chun. Alongside this, Li Hongzhangs viceroyship over Zhili, something he had held for quarter of a century, was handed over to Liu Kunyi. Liu Kunyi tried to pretend he was too ill to take the appointment and would remain in Beijing through January of 1895, continuously trying to weasel out of the new post. Rumors began to emerge that Liu Kunyi was an opium addict, which was not unheard of, Generals like Ye Zhichao and Wei Rugui were known opium addicts. Despite his attempts to thwart it, Liu Kunyi now commanded the Xiang Army, composed of large numbers of Hunanese and Hubei forces. By December 28th, Liu Kunyi was made commander in chief of the imperial armies within and without the Great Wall, including the territories of Zhili, Shandong and Manchuria. The defense committee had organized 50,000 men for the defense of Zhili, stationing them around Shanhaiguan, with another 55,000 around Beijing. This meant Liu Kunyi had a whopping 105,000 men under his commander with 80,000 of the provincial forces within the theater of operations. General Song Qing meanwhile still held command over 35,000 men in Manchuria alongside another General who was commanded 10,000 at Liaoyang.  As all of the shuffling was going on for the Qing, the Japanese did not simply lay idle. Their primary objective remained Weihaiwei and in January of 1895 as their forces were marching through Manchuria slowly towards Beijing, they split up the 2nd IJA. In the third week of January the entire 2nd division and most of the 6th were handed over to Marshal Oyama who redeployed them across the Yellow Sea to Shandong Province in preparation for an assault upon Weihaiwei. Now when the Japanese attacked Port Arthur, they did so intended to take her naval facilities intact so they could use them, but for Weihaiwei the goal would be much different. The Japanese intended to destroy the Beiyang fleet within her port, so that the seaways would no longer be under any threat, thus allowing Japan to move troops at will, though by this point they had basically already achieved this.  The advance upon Weihaiwei began with a diversionary bombardment of the outlying town of Dengzhou on January 18th. Dengzhou was roughly 100 miles west of Weihaiwei and its defense consisted of four 210mm guns and six 150mm guns. The purpose of the diversionary attack was to turn the Qing attention westward, while the Japanese landed forces 30 miles east of Weihaiwei at the easternmost tip of the Shandong Peninsula known as Rongcheng. Japanese forces departed Dalian on January 19th and 22nd, landing between the 20-23rd. Dengzhou was bombarded by the cruisers Naniwa, Akitsushima and Yoshino as the 2nd IJA forces led by General Oyama Iwao landed at Rongcheng. His 2nd IJA consisted of the 6th division under General Kuroki Tamemoto and the 2nd division under Lt General Sakuma Samata. The 2nd IJA divided into two columns marching west towards Weihaiwei, one over a coastal rode, the other around 4 miles further inland. The Japanese ushered in the Chinese New Year by timing the invasion of Weihaiwei on January 29th. It was the most important holiday to the Chinese and perhaps the Japanese chose it specifically to not only surprise the Chinese but also hammer in a message “that the old days were finished: Wake up and Modernize or suffer dire consequences” Once in the vicinity of Weihaiwei the Japanese performed a three-pronged attack upon the landward fortifications south and east of the town. Weihaiwei had three categories of defenses; those on two harbor islands, those on the mainland overlooking the northwestern entrance to the harbor and those on the mainland overlooking the southeastern entrance to the harbor. These fortifications were equipped with the best artillery available: a total of 161 guns, between 7-24cms worth, mostly of Krupp and Armstrong design; the northern forts had 43 guns; Liugongdao island had 61 guns; Ridao island had 8 guns; the southern forts had 49 guns and the harbor itself held 15 Beiyang warships, 13 torpedo boats and 248 sea mines and booms. Nearly 11,000 Qing defended the city, with another 4000 or so on their way from Tianjin, but they would not make it in time. The troops were led by Admiral Ding Ruchang and Commander of the Dingyuan Liu Buchan. The two Beiyang commanders had little faith in the Qing soldiers under their disposal, and only really trusted the sailors of the Beiyang fleet. The IJN combined fleet had dispatched a naval patrol outside Weihaiwei's harbor threatening any ships that tried to escape with torpedo attacks, leaving the entire Beiyang fleet bottled up. The weather conditions hit as low as -6, with severe blizzards, thus terrible for the incoming Japanese, but a typical summer for Canadians, haha. The most outlying forts were hit first by Japanese artillery. This resulted in a 9 hour long fight until the Qing defenders abandoned the forts, leaving them all nearly intact. During the storming of the outlying forts, Major General Odera Yasuzumi leading the 11th infantry regiment, was hit by shrapnel from a shell fired from the Jiyuan. Odera would die from his wounds and became the only Japanese general to die in combat during the war and the highest ranking Japanese death of the war. He would be posthumously promoted to 3rd Court Rank and his son was ennobled with the title of “Danshaku / Baron”. With the outlying forts seized, the Japanese began turning them upon Weihaiwei itself battering it before the men stormed Weihaiwei on February 2nd.  To probably no surprise of any of you listeners by now, the Japanese entered the city to find the garrison had fled the night before. It turned out when the siege began, the Chinese hospital staff were the first to flee, leaving some foreigners to try and take over medical services. Admiral Ding Ruchang only succeeded in having a few of the forts surrounding the harbor destroyed before the Japanese simply grabbed them. Now the very guns that were meant to protect the Beiyang fleet trapped within the harbor were unleashed upon them. To make matters worse on the night of February the 3rd the Japanese tried to remove the booms blocking the entrance to the harbor but were unable to. The following night they tried again and this time were successful allowing two squadrons of torpedo boats to enter the harbor. Two IJN torpedo boats began opened fire to cause a distraction as others snuck in to try and torpedo the Dingyuan. The Dingyuan received crippling damage as 3 other Qing warships were sunk. The following night a squadron of IJN torpedo boats made repeated attacks upon the largest Qing warships at anchor, disabling two and a transport. By February the 7th the IJA and IJN were launching combined bombardment attacks upon the Beiyang Fleet. In response the Qing torpedo boats not already disabled tried to make a break for it, unsuccessfully running into a IJN blockade. Out of 13 ships, 6 were destroyed and 7 were captured intact by the Japanese. As defeat was certain, Admiral Ito Sukeyuki tried to make an appeal to Admiral Ding Ruchang, who happened to be his personal friend. He wrote a letter urging his old friend to come back with him to Japan. He advised ding to prevent any further loss of life by capitulating and to accept political asylum in Japan until the war's end and that he assured him, he would return to his native land and could secure China's future by setting new policies. "It is not the fault of one man that has brought China into the position she now occupies. The blame rests with the errors of the Government that has long administered her affairs. She selects her servants by competitive examination, and literary attainments are the test" In the modern age China owes her preservation and her integrity to-day wholly to the fact that she then [thirty years ago] broke away from the old and attached herself to the new." Now Ding despite being the Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet, in a typical Qing fashion was greatly out of his element. He had formerly been a cavalry officers, he actually held little naval training at all, he was not even very popular amongst the sailors. He was a man of Anhui province, but most naval officers hailed from Fujian. As was typical, the Qing dynasty favored loyalties rather than military experience, thus led Ding to where he was. He resisted capitulation until the very end and had actually tried to die in action multiple times by standing on deck when bombardments were occurring. According to a foreign advisor "Ding declared at first that capitulation was impossible; but later he said he could arrange it by committing suicide, and so save the lives of many." Depending on the sources you read, he chose to kill himself, or his sailors actually proded him with knives to do so. Admiral Ding Ruchang killed himself via opium overdose, followed by Admiral Liu Buchan and Captain Yang Yonglin who shot himself as the Japanese boarded the Dingyuan. Ding had no choice but to kill himself as Emperor Guangxu had already degraded him the prior summer for not preventing the IJN from entering Bohai. After the fall of Port Arthur the emperor degraded him again and tried to bring him to the Board of Punishment where he would have been beheaded, had it not been for Li Hongzhang intervening on his behalf. Before killing himself Ding wrote back to Ito "I am thankful for the admiral's friendship, but I cannot forsake my duties to the state. The only thing now remaining for me to do is to die." Liu Buchan before doing the same had ordered the scuttling of as many of the Beiyang warships as possible with explosives. Command of the Beiyang fleet fell onto the Scottish born Vice Admiral John McClure who wrote a letter of surrender in Admiral Ding's name on the morning of February 12th. Per the terms of the letter; the remaining ships, forts and stores were surrendered to the Japanese at the request all the Qing troops, civilians and foreign advisors would be allowed to depart unmolested.  Dings suicide wiped away the stain of defeat and made him a tragic war hero to both China and Japan. The Japanese admired his final act since it fit within their bushido code. Admiral Ding alongside the other commanders who committed suicide were honored by the Japanese. They accorded them full military honors and granted their men extraordinary leniency. An American professor who taught English in Japan shortly after the war wrote of the event, explaining its significance to western audiences. "What would have been the feelings of the North for Robert E. Lee if, at Appomattox [when the South capitulated to the North at the end of the American Civil War], rather than share the fate of the gallant men he had surrendered, he had committed suicide from a sense of devoted patriotism? Instead of admiring him for the unsullied hero and knightly character that he was, North and South alike would have despised him. And yet nine out often of my Japanese schoolboys wrote of the suicide of Admiral Ting [Ding] as the noblest thing of which they had ever heard." The letter of capitulation would be the first one handed over to the Japanese without the use of the term Woren. Later on when the war was officially over, the Qing soldiers and officers signed promises not to take further part in the war and were set free by the Japanese. The officers were provided safe passage aboard the gunboat Kangji, which carried the bodies of Ding Ruchang and the other dead captains. The IJN went out of their way to fly flags at half mast and the flagship fired a long salute as the boat bearing Ding's body left port. The fall of Port Arthur had been Empress Dowager's birthday present from Japan. Li Hongzhangs had come on Februray 12th, with the fall of Weihaiwei and 3 days short of his 72nd birthday. Back in Beijing, upon hearing the news of Weihaiwei's fall, Emperor Guangxu in a fit of rage authorized the governor of Shandong province to behead all fugitives without requiring to report back to the capital. The New York Times said of the event "Emulating Alice's Wonderland Queen, China's Emperor Says of Wei-Hai-Wei Defenders, 'Off with Their Heads.'" Some of the Qing leadership began advising the court they should hire foreign mercenaries or even engage Chinese fishermen to attack the Japanese home islands. For men like these, the modern era had still not dawned. In reality, China should have offered peace negotiations after losing Port Arthur, but for many members of the Qing elite this was unthinkable. As allegedly murmured by some “Dwarves could not possibly bring China to her knees”.  On the eve of the offensive against Weihaiwei, Governor Wu Dacheng who now held the titles of assistant imperial commissioner of defense; president of the board of war; vice president of the court of congress; governor of Hunan and officer of the premier button made an official proclamation to the Japanese. It was he, who offered surrender. In his own words "I of a charitable state of mind, and so could not bear to see Japanese troops going to destruction before my fresh battalions in this severe cold." Meanwhile the Japanese publicly reported their objectives of war not yet attained and that the diet was prepared to grant whatever amounts were necessary for military expenses required to finish them. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Japanese had defeated countless Qing armies in Manchuria and now had neutralized China's last great naval port of Weihaiwei. Would the Qing court bend the knee to the Japanese, or continue the fight?  

“Does this candidate have a pulse?  Yes? Then we need to hire them”.  Does this sound ridiculous, a fantasy and dystopian snippet from the future?  The Japanese Government says that if we don't see a turnaround in the population decline before 2030, then the country will get tipped over the edge and into a decline from which it cannot easily recover.  Covid wiped out the tourism and hospitality industries and there are still difficulties in hiring people.  A lot of workers decided these industries were too unstable and have quietly moved elsewhere and are not going back. If you need English speakers, then good luck because they are in massive short supply.  The Kishida Cabinet says they are going to encourage 150,000 young Japanese to get degrees overseas.  This is up from the current 62,000 a year and they want to achieve this increased target by 2033.  That is good and we need this programme to work, but what do we do between now and 2033?  Once upon a time, the foreign multi-nationals had this English-speaking market for themselves.  Western educated English speakers were a challenge for Japanese companies, as they had been exposed to foreign concepts and weren't as easy to manage as local staff. Things have changed.  Japanese companies have to search beyond Japan for new and larger markets, as Japan contracts and the domestic growth prospects are meager. The problem with this approach is you need people you can send off shore to run the show or you need people here, who can deal with the enterprise staff located overseas.  Now these domestic but internationalising companies are vying for the few English speakers.  The move toward meritocracy rather than the typical nenko joretsu (年功序列) escalator promotion system has made domestic companies more tolerable.  Mid-career hiring has also become more accepted, so this gradual increase in flexibility makes it easier for domestic companies to jostle for English speakers. We are moving to a free agent system of employ, where the candidates are interviewing the hiring staff, rather than the other way around.  Does this firm provide training, allow working from home, what is the work/life balance philosophy here, etc., are the types of questions popping up in interviews, which we have never had to contemplate before. We know that 80% of the staff account for 20% of the results and in the past we had some freedom of having the worst performers move on.  Given the hot market for candidates this is still a viable option, to have them depart willingly, except what do you about finding a replacement?  I heard a Japanese HR executive working for a foreign multinational making some macho remarks about moving out underperformers the other day and I was quietly thinking, is that really a sustainable policy, given where we are headed?  What fantasy world is this guy living in? The future for leaders is going to be how to lead seriously underperforming staff?  We have all grown up in a buyer's market and we are now in a seller's market.  We were raised on tough love and no excuses for underperformance, but if we apply this regimen, we won't have enough staff to run the organisation.  Suddenly, empathy has become a clear market differentiator for leaders between those who will keep staff and those who will see them tramp out the door to the competitors.  What empathy did we experience on the way up through the ranks?  Not much that I can remember, so how do we tap into this mysterious well of goodness and bonhomie? Our staff are also getting older and it seems to me that there is a definite increase in sick leave requests.  I don't know whether the pressure of modern business is causing more stress than before and therefore sick leave applications are increasing or is it because they are just getting older?  Time off has to be respected for illness and we can't be beating the drum to ramming speed on the oars of the slave galley, just because we can. Bosses need a lot more patience with and empathy for the team and more tolerance for the days of productive work which are increasingly being lost. They are definitely lost but the targets are not coming down to compensate. We are finding ourselves in a vice. We are being crushed by targets and the pressure to produce on the one side and a staffing situation on the other, where if you push too hard, you won't have enough people left to run the ship. Despite our own harsh upbringing in business, we have to strike out in a new direction where communication, people skills, empathy and coming out of your Comfort Zone are the aces in the pack for leaders.  

Tom and Ryan look to the U.S markets this morning where tech stock leads encouraging gains. Meanwhile the Japanese Government has thrown its support behind high demand microchip production. Back home the Australian market has been slow to respond to gains in the U.S. And Ryan looks at the results from graphite producer Syrah Resources as well as the latest commodity prices.  The content in this podcast is prepared, approved and distributed in Australia by Commonwealth Securities Limited ABN 60 067 254 399 AFSL 238814. The information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider the appropriateness of the information before acting and if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Major money has been spent for decades by the Japanese Government, to improve the level of English in Japan and you would have to say with fairly limited success.  Japan faces a declining population and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates Japan's population will decline by 21% to only 100 million by 2049.  At the same time Japanese companies are looking outside to grow their businesses.  This is good for Japan, except that when you become international, you need to deal in English.  Where are these English speakers going to come from? Prior to the Lehman Shock there were over 80,000 Japanese students travelling abroad to study.  After the Lehman shock this number dropped down to 50,000 a year and has crawled back up to around 60,000. Lately, seventy per cent of those studying abroad only stayed for one month, which makes you wonder what they picked up in that short period. Another worrying thing is that young Japanese are not interested in going abroad to study.  Over 60% of High School students said they would rather stay in Japan and over 50% of young people in general, said the same thing.  So where are the needed English speakers going to come from? The answer is from inside our companies.  Larger companies will send their Japanese staff abroad to work and in the process they improve their international understanding and their language skills.  In the past, these returnees have been an alien force for companies, because they come back with a different mindset and the companies haven't been flexible enough about integrating them into the mother ship.  This is getting better and where it hasn't, these valuable employees jump ship to a better environment, that is to say our firms, where their talents, particularly language ability, can be fully utilised. The general acceptance of mid-career hires has improved a lot in Japan too and we can all thank the 1999 collapse of Yamaichi securities for that. A lot of loyal, lifetime employees were thrown out on the street and were picked up by other companies, reducing the stigma attached to mid-career hires.  The Lehman Shock in 2008, the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdown in 2011 and the pandemic since 2020 have all continued this trend of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own. Mid-career hiring has continued to be more accepted as a function of the modern world and this gives all of us better access to English speakers moving companies. English language lessons are often prevalent inside organisations, as they work to help their staff do better in communicating with the outside world and with staff in Japan from overseas.  The problem for some of them though is no amount of English language lessons will convince them to speak up in meetings or to volunteer to present in English.  This is where they need additional help.  When forced to present in English, the reflex action is to put all the text up on the screen, so that they can read it to their audience.  If that isn't possible, then they print it all out and read it, word for word, while diligently looking down at the script, ignoring the audience altogether. “Painful” is the main word to describe this experience for those on the receiving end.  Why are they destroying their presentations in this way?  The simple answer is perfectionism, driven by fear.  This is a country of no defects, no mistakes and no errors.  Making a mistake while speaking in English therefore is not possible, the loss of face unimaginable, so all manner of artifices have to be employed to avoid this inadequacy.  For the foreigners listening to mistakes made in English by Japanese speakers, this is usually nothing to worry about.  We are coming from multi-cultural societies and are used to non-native speakers making pronunciation errors and grammatical mistakes.  We just mentally rearrange what they said into the correct alignment and answer their questions or make our contribution to whatever they said, without missing a beat.  Basically, we are not demanding linguistic purity or perfection – this need is all in the heads of the Japanese when speaking English.  We must help them by giving them the freedom to make mistakes, to free them from the chains of grammar, to overlook the butchering of certain words when spoken out loud.  We need to encourage them to concentrate on communication and not language.    What I mean by that is putting their passion behind what they say.  To speak a little louder than normal, in order to sound more confident, which helps with the credibility of what is being said. To employ pauses to moderate their speaking speed, in case they get nervous and start prattling along.  To use the slide as a prompt and speak to the point with the English they have, rather than losing their audience by reading off the screen or script.  To try and engage their audience by making eye contact for at least six seconds and to try and make eye contact with as many in the audience as possible during the course of their talk.  In this way they can establish the feeling of a personal connection between speaker and listener which is completely independent of language capability.  To employ gestures to strengthen the point they are making and not to feel self-conscious about doing so.   We have limited access to those Japanese who have lived abroad and so have to make the most of those we have managed to attract into our companies.  Whatever level of English they have has to be worked on beyond English language classes, to enable them to present in a professional manner.  If this support is there, then they will become more comfortable dealing with foreign colleagues and speaking in English.  They will become fully functioning members of the team and able to work across borders and language barriers.    

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Frankie and Tennant start the pod by making Luke jealous for missing their serendipitous Sydney airport rendez-vous late on a Monday evening before reflecting on the quality of T Reed's ties and pivoting to the IRApocalyse we find ourselves in? Your intrepid hosts discuss whether, as some are contending, the IRA will eat Australia's renewable hydrogen lunch. With serious subsidies flowing in the US threatening to cannibalise investment in green hydrogen elsewhere (here!), it seems a prudent step for Australia to review our 2019 Hydrogen strategy. Our colourful climate conundrum this week* is ‘Clean' Hydrogen? An analysis of the emissions and costs of fossil fuel based versus renewable electricity based hydrogen, brought to us by Thomas Longden, Fiona J. Beck, Frank Jotzo, Richard Andrews, Mousami Prasad. And whilst this paper didn't lay out the RAINBOW of the bajillion different methods of hydrogen production, friend of the pod Tim Baxter has gotta catch ‘em all like pokemon, read his excellent blog post on all the colours of hydrogen here.*After we recorded the episode, the Japanese Government announced the next stage of the Latrobe Valley CCS hydrogen project was shortlisted for up to AUD2.3 Billion in finance. One to watch! Frankie's One More Thing is her and the fam's fun on the Pride March over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the atmosphere of fabulousness experienced over the last fortnight as Sydney played host to WorldPride for the first time. This year the Mardi Gras banned all use of single plastics - that's right, no glitter! (unless it's the water soluble, biodegradable kind) #loveislove. Tennant's One More Thing is a cracking episode of Volts, ‘How to think about solar radiation management', a conversation with Kelly Wanser of SilverLining, who focus on research and policy efforts on near-term climate risks and interventions such as increasing the reflection of sunlight from clouds and particles in the atmosphere. Give it a whirl peeps!Luke's One More Thing is the peculiar and increasing prevalence of the term ‘Safeguards' in relation to the Safeguard Mechanism. The addition of an errant s has some hot and bothered (Hi Tim Baxter again!) but could Patient Zero of the ‘Safeguards' be our very own Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen? Summeruperers we're counting on you to get to the bottom of this.And that's all from us this week Summerupperers! We shall see you next time and until then, please keep tweeting your thoughts to us at @LukeMenzel, @TennantReed and @FrankieMuskovic and if you would like to weave some golden threads through our back catalogue, give us your feelpinions or suggest papers to read we are always here for that - hit us up at mailbag@letmesumup.net.

For all the evidence, exposed cover ups and acknowledgment by top government officials in countries such as the United States, Japan has been one of the leading nations of skepticism with regards to unidentified flying objects. Despite being the eleventh most populous country in the world and known for the specialism in advanced technology (such as artificial intelligence), the East Asian island's understanding and acceptance of UAP's or extra-terrestrial beings remains minimal…until now that is.So; how can it be that one of the most influential nations here on Earth has taken so long to catch up with the rest of us? What was Japan's initial assessment and proposed response to the study of UFO's and their potential impact here on our planet… and what changed? Can we fully rely on our Japanese neighbors to provide their knowledge and technical know-how to propel our wisdom on such matters to the next level? Join us on this episode as we reach out to our friends across the Pacific to discuss the recent reports that the Japanese government's acknowledgement of UFO's is (in fact) real.Support the show Support us on Patreon Consider leaving us a review on your preferred podcast platform, it really helps! Check our our videos on YouTube Got any questions? email us at: info@top5s.co.uk Thanks for listening and stay spooky!

The continued appearance of giant unidentified lifeforms known as "S-Class Species" has become commonplace in Japan. Conventional weapons have no effect on them. Having exhausted all other options, the Japanese Government issued the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol and formed an enforcement unit, known as the SSSP. The members chosen for the unit are: Leader Fumio Tamura (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), Executive Strategist Shinji Kaminaga (played by Takumi Saitoh), Unparticle Physicist Taki Akihisa (played by Daiki Arioka), and Universal Biologist Yume Funaberi (Akari Hayami) As the threat of S-Class Species worsens, a silver giant appears from beyond Earth's atmosphere. Analyst Hiroko Asami (played by Masami Nagasawa) is newly appointed to the SSSP to deal with this giant and is partnered with Shinji Kaminaga. In Hiroko's report, she writes... "Ultraman (tentative name), identity unknown". Get 10% OFF your CAVITY COLORS order with promo code: MOVIEDUMPSTER at http://cavitycolors.com/moviedumpster! Become an official Dumpster Dweller! www.patreon.com/moviedumpster

A new report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on conditions at Eastwood Park women's prison has been released today. We speak to Sandra Fieldhouse, lead for women's prisons at HMI Prisons about the findings. The TV drama Happy Valley has captured the public's imagination with the final episode of the final series airing this Sunday. Catherine Cawood played by Sarah Lancashire is the policewoman who we see bringing up her grandson Ryan after her daughter took her own life. We hear from one listener who contacted Woman's Hour about how as a kinship carer she has felt “heard” by the drama and Anita also speaks to Dr Lucy Peake the chief executive of Kinship – the UK's largest charity for kinship carers. The Grammy's will be held on Sunday in Los Angeles and Beyoncé leads the pack with nine overall nominations. She has also announced her first tour in seven years, which led to the ticket website crashing. The UK concerts are part of a 43-date world tour in support of her Grammy-nominated Renaissance album. Anita discusses her success with Jacqueline Springer, curator Africa and Diaspora: Performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum and music journalist. China and Japan are seeing a marked reduction in their birth rates which will have a major impact on how their societies function in the next decades. With ageing populations and a birth rate well below the 2.1 replacement level observers are predicting significant problems ahead. By the end of the century China is predicted to drop from more than a billion to around 800 million and Japan's population will drop from 123 million today to around 75 million. Anita Rani discusses the reasons and implications with Dr Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China Asia Pacific Programme at Chatham House; and Yoko Ishikura an independent business consultant, professor emeritus at Hitotsubashi University who is working with the Japanese Government's Digital Agency. Presented by Anita Rani Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

About the Lecture America can escape “forever” wars, but it cannot escape “forever” debates about American foreign policy. The debate today about Ukraine reflects four time-tested ways of thinking about America's role in the world. Nationalists urge America to stay out of Ukraine and conflicts in general outside the western hemisphere. Realists, now called Restrainers, envision a “frozen conflict” or status quo outcome that splits the difference between western and Russian/ Chinese interests in Ukraine and Taiwan. Liberal internationalists appeal to diplomacy and the Minsk process to reach a cease fire, demilitarization and gradual settlement of disputes through peaceful processes and institutions. Finally, conservative internationalists address the conflict in ideological terms, authoritarian versus democratic governments, and insist that freedom “wins” in Ukraine and Taiwan through a Cold War process of balancing power and eventual negotiations that tilt toward freedom. About the Speaker Henry R. Nau is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. He holds a B.S. degree in Economics, Politics and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He taught at Williams College (1971-73) and George Washington University (1973-2019) and as visiting professor at Columbia University, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins SAIS. His books include Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and Reagan (Princeton 2013, paperback with new preface 2015); The Myth of America's Decline (Oxford 1990, paperback with new preface 1991); At Home Abroad (Cornell 2002); and Perspectives on International Relations (Sage 2021, 7th edition 2021). His latest articles include “Why Reagan Matters,” The National Review, July 10, 2022; “Why Nation-Building is Inevitable,” Providence, August 31, 2021; and “What Trump Gets Right about U.S. Foreign Policy,” The National Interest, April 30, 2020. From January 1981 to July 1983, he served on President Reagan's National Security Council as senior staff member and White House sherpa for the Annual G-7 Economic Summits at Ottawa (1981), Versailles (1982), Williamsburg (1983) and a special summit with developing countries at Cancun, Mexico (1982). Dr. Nau also served, in 1975-1977, as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Department of State and, from 1963-65, as Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. From 1989-2016 he directed the U.S.-Japan-South Korea Legislative Exchange Program bringing together semiannually legislators from the U.S. Congress, Japanese Diet and South Korean National Assembly, the only forum for regular off the record political discussions among these three major Asia allies. In recognition of this Program, the Japanese Government awarded Professor Nau The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, presented by the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States, Kenichiro Sasae, at the Japanese Embassy, September 29, 2016. Learn more about IWP graduate programs: www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ Make a gift to IWP: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/Web…31090&id=18

Sign up for a CuriosityStream subscription and also get a FREE Nebula subscription (the streaming platform built by creators): http://CuriosityStream.com/TLDRdailyWelcome to the TLDR News Daily BriefingIn the first Daily Briefing of 2023, we run through who might replace Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House of Representatives. Also; the Japanese Government to give ¥1m to families; Leo Varadkar reflects on Brexit; and the Ukraine strike in Russia.

Fads are a constant in business.  Consultants have a field day. They rush around providing companies with ideas on how to ride the new fashion wave.  They then have to milk it as hard as possible, because they know it will be soon supplanted by the next fad.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is right up there as the latest fad in Japan.  I am not saying that DEI isn't legitimate or important.  What I am saying is that for many companies, this is a patina of legitimacy, a fig leaf, as they seek to show good citizenship rather than a heartfelt belief in the importance of DEI itself.  “If others are doing it, then we should be doing it too”, is more the motivation, in many cases in Japan. The benefits of DEI in the West are numerous.  These include faster problem-solving, better decision-making, increased innovation, employee engagement and better financial performance.  None of these outcomes have been accepted as relevant in Japan as yet.  The scope is also quite different. In the West, we are dealing with generational, gender, ethnic, cultural and religious differences in the melting pots of the world, in particular in the US.  In Japan only generational and gender differences are significant.  There are only 2.89 million foreigners living in Japan, who represent 2.3% of the total population, so that is a very small share and the consequent impact is negligible.  Japanese are so flexible.  They manage to celebrate their children's 5th and 7th birthdays with a Shinto Ceremony, have a Christian style wedding ceremony at a chapel and be cremated as Buddhists, so their religious tolerance and flexibility is pretty high.  Muslims are 0.15% and Christians 1.5% of the population of Japan, so again both religions are basically insignificant.  If you think about it, the vast majority of workers in Japan never encounter a foreigner while working. They do encounter young people joining the workforce and they do encounter women working in larger numbers though.  The female employment rate is around 52%.  In fact, pre-Covid, the average percentage rate of 15 to 64 years old women in the workforce for the OECD was 65%, whereas in Japan it was 73%.  However, 32% of women workers were working 40 hours plus a week and 26% were working between 15-29 hours a week.  Seventy percent of male workers worked for 8 hours or more a day, while the same ratio for women was 40%, because often they are employed as part-time workers.   Men work ten hours a week more than women in Japan, the highest disparity in the Group Of Seven nations. Professor Isamu Yamamoto from Keio University did a study of listed companies from 2010 to 2015 and showed that a rise of 0.1% in the ratio of female managerial positions, resulted in an increase of 0.5% in return on assets and 13% in productivity improvement.  Additionally, he found that there were notable earnings improvements at companies in Japan where 15% or more managerial positions were held by women.  The study concluded, “Productivity improves possibly because the increased chances of promotion (for women) raise their motivation”.  However, only 8.6% of Japanese companies have women in managerial positions, despite the Japanese Government's 30% target, while 45% have no female managers at all.  Only 8% of companies have a female president and roughly half of that number took over from their husband when he passed away. The opportunity is there for Japan to do much more in terms of diversity around embracing the ideas of the younger generation, but company hierarchies are constructed according to age and stage of service in the company. That is, the older you are and the longer you have been there, the more valued is your opinion.  Japanese youth are encouraged to heed to Victorian England's child raising mantra of “seen but not heard”.  Organic change around doing more, to structurally embrace the views of the youth, are probably going to take a thousand years to see any major change in Japan. When we are approached by Japanese companies to do some work in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion area they are invariably asking us to train the women.  The problem with that idea is that women are not impacting the promotion stakes inside companies, as that is the bailiwick of male managers.  The men need the training too. There are few role models for women in the leadership area and few appropriate mentors.  Internally developed company training is often geared up for a man's approach to leading, rather than something more universal and applicable for anyone. The numbers of participants in our public training classes are skewed with around 60% to 70% male, because companies are investing in the men, more than the women.  This almost ensures that the women will be overlooked for promotion opportunities compared to the men. The simple strategy though is to focus on numbers.  How many more women can we get into leadership positions, to make our firm look like a model citizen.  There may be an argument for quotas in the short term, because without them and with only a reliance on organic growth, basically not much has changed in the last few decades.  Ultimately, the environment for women to become leaders and for the young to be heard more is about the environment being created inside the company.  The latter issue may get solved quite simply, because of the shortage of supply will be forcing companies to do more to retain young talent.  Women on the other hand, need a big push from the top, if anything going to change, because the revolution emanating from the bottom will just never happen.

Special guest Matt Cotter, a lecturer from New Zealand who teaches Indigenous studies including Ainu and Maori culture joins Ben and Matt and the show. We talk about Matt's Maori heritage, how he became interested in Ainu culture, learning Ainu language, what the Japanese Government are doing for the Ainu, and much much more.If you want to read about some stories about the Maori of New Zealand, check out Matt Cotter's book, Identity: A Global Issues Narrative.If you haven't already, listen to our previous episode about the Ainu:The Past and Present of Japan's Ainu PeopleSponsors:Bearfoot BarLocated in downtown Sapporo, walking distance from the subway station. There are  variety of Japanese made craft bottled beers. A wide range of regular and unique spirits and basic cocktails also available. Burgers and pub style snacks. With friendly English and Japanese speaking staff.  https://www.facebook.com/bearfootbar The Red House Located in the heart of Rusutsu Ski Resort, just cross the main road and it's behind the Seicomart Convenience store. The restaurant features a mix of Japanese, Asian fusion, and western Style dishes, including shabu-shabu with wagyu beef and Hokkaido wagyu beef steak. Open winter and summer, 12-3pm for lunch, 5-9pm for dinner, with prices ranging from under Yen 1000 to about Yen 5000. https://theredhouse.jp/ Rusutsu LodgesOpen all year round. Located 5 minutes walk to the main Rusutsu Ski Resort Gondola. There are Japanese, Western, and apartment style rooms with breakfast packages available. There's a Japanese sento (public bath), two convenience stores less than a minute walk, ski room and tune up tables, plenty of free parking space, and summer BBQ packages available. Check out the website for more information and availability. http://rusutsulodges.com Hokkaido GuideEstablished over 10 years ago, written by locals for locals and international tourists. The guide contains information on all types of businesses and locations around Hokkaido. There's information regarding all things Hokkaido such as sightseeing, nightlife, events, services, food and restaurants, entertainment, outdoor activities, and more. Currently offered in English and Thai, advertising space available. Check out website for everything you need to know about this beautiful prefecture. https://hokkaidoguide.com Use our Buzzsprout affiliate link to start your podcast today!  Website:https://www.voicesinjapan.com/ Follow us and check out our other content:https://youtube.com/@voicesinjapanpodcasthttps://twitter.com/voicesinjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/voicesinjapan/https://www.instagram.com/voicesinjapan/Get in touch: voicesinjapan@gmail.comHelp support us at:https://www.patreon.com/voicesinjapanhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/voicesinjapanSupport the show

The Major Malfunction has returned, the 2022 NFR is in the books, and we remember Pearl Harbor. Transcript of Franklin D. Roosevelt speech, December 8, 1941 Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack. It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island. Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation. As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/1975productions/message

As a training company, we are the canary in the coal mine about commercial trends and corporate shortfalls.  During a recent Sales Consultants Forum we were discussing client needs and the same theme kept coming up.  Companies are asking about leadership skills around better communication between Middle Managers and subordinates.  What is driving this, more than say sales training or presentation skills needs?  One answer can be Covid-19.  A lot of industries were hammered by Covid and companies had to reduce their team sizes.  With fewer staff fewer managers were needed.  These managers are being replaced now that Covid has been contained or at least the perception is there that it is being contained.  It would seem the Japanese Government would like to move forward and are doing whatever they can to achieve a change in the citizenry's mentality about the pandemic.  The borders have been opened up and that nightly map of the case numbers in every prefecture has mysteriously disappeared from the NHK 7.00pm news broadcasts. Being hired as a new manager or continuing as a manager has been made more difficult by the diaspora to the suburbs, as workers have shunned the office for their own homes as the new workplace.  Every company is struggling with what to do next.  Do we keep everyone working at home or do we force them back into the office?  Do we go for a split shift where some work on certain days of the week and the rest work on the remaining days?  Do we have people in one day a week or two days a week or three days a week?  What do we do about onboarding new hires and that includes newly hired managers? Many clients tell us that sending everyone home was like the tide going out and all the defects of the ocean floor, the rocks and flotsam and jetsam were revealed.  Leaders who could not lead a dispersed workforce were exposed and outed as incompetent.  There is no doubt that leading a remote workforce is considerably more difficult than having everyone under your stern gaze in the office.  Are they really working at home?  Are they goofing off?  How can you tell? The issue of communication has already been flagged as a problem.  Trying to phone anyone at home seems to be very difficult.  You call, but they don't pick up the phone.  You leave a message, but they don't call you back. Why?  What are they doing?  You have to relay the same piece of information numerous times to different people, because you have limited interaction opportunities with everyone at the same time.  In the office, you could just grab people, and hold an impromptu meeting or just yell out to someone across the work floor about what you wanted. Add to this the poor time management skills of most bosses and the problems balloon in proportion.  A disorganised boss is going to have a lot of trouble keeping across what a remote team is up to.  Funnily enough, some people are like ninja at exploiting the bosses lack of ability to manage their own time and they find more escape routes than a sieve.  They don't do what they are supposed to do and rely on the fact the boss cannot get sufficiently well organised to keep close track of them.  These days the boss has fewer arrows in the quiver too, given the population decline has meant there are more opportunities for people to jump ship and go somewhere else if you try and manage them too closely.  The whole discipline of work has been upended and the usually successful supervision techniques are now unworkable. Staff retention is the new gold standard of boss ability.  That means regardless of the many obstacles placed in front of bosses, they have to find ways to keep close communication conduits going with their staff.  This is inspite of how much the staff may try to avoid it or how complex the logistics become.  Bosses have to better organised around their time usage and are now required a higher degree of remote work micro-management than before.  This is a very tricky balance and not easy to get right, but that degree of touch with the staff has to be carefully calculated.  Too close a scrutiny becomes suffocating for some and they leave.  Too loose and the work isn't getting done, results fade and the goofing off erodes the culture, discipline and loyalty to the cause. Boss retraining is definitely a rising topic for us, when talking to clients and we can see why.  The really scary thought is what about those companies who fulfill Einstein's definition of insanity – doing the same old things but expecting a better result?  They keep on keeping on and won't face the new reality. If companies don't recognise things have morphed and they need to change how they manage people, then they will be spending a lot of money recruiting hard to come by replacements and losing a lot of corporate knowledge, as experienced people walk out the door to competitors.  There is always a lot of strife when replacing people, as you have to train the new hires and also take a hit on results and productivity, until they get up to speed.  Stasis is not an option anymore.

Spot Dollar/Yen has consolidated below 145 after the Japanese Government intervened to buy Yen for the first time since 1998, while Yen rate and basis have been little changed. Going forward an extraordinary session of the Diet is scheduled to convene this month, and we expect the Kishida Administration to announce inflation countermeasures, as well as a second supplementary budget. In today's episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido discusses the September BoJ meeting, Tankan survey, and his outlook for Yen assets across markets for the month of October. He also shares his views on spot Dollar/Yen, Yen rate, and Yen basis. Disclaimer: www.mufgresearch.com (PDF)

Depending on your industry, times have been tough in sales.  We see the Japanese Government trying to resuscitate the inbound tourism industry to increase jobs and revenues to gather more tax income.  They are about to open the economy right up to stimulate business.  Domestic tourism is worth about three times as much as foreign tourism contributes to the economy. There is a big kick opportunity there once Covid allows us all to travel more freely within Japan. Capital expenditures have been put on hold, as companies worry about the future of the economy.  The weak currency self-selects winners and losers, so consumer spending may be impinged by inflation concerns.  The kick on effect is felt across a broad range of businesses and so this may be an impediment to them opening up their purses and spending.  Worries about a pending global recession driven by the war in Ukraine, energy shortfalls and supply chain issues, may also have company leaders thinking they shouldn't start spending again and just wait and see.   Very few salespeople have been super busy over the last couple of years and most have been living a hard scrabble to produce results.  This impacts our positivity and mental state about what is possible.  We have also seen the numbers of active clients decrease and the volume of business deteriorate.  Covid has shrunk our world and our mentality – we are mostly living small these days.    How do we adjust to a post-Covid world?  Let's be clear, the future isn't great, as we will be alternating between bouts of the flu and Covid every year.  Just like the flu, Covid will be killing off older people every year and weeks of productive work will be lost as people have to recover.  Our clients will be cautious about any emergence from Covid and will be expecting the worst to happen.  They have been conditioned to live small too.   We can expect that there will be pockets of client spending available to us as salespeople and our key job is going to be to identity these areas and concentrate efforts there.  If a particular firm is emerging from Covid, we can expect that other firms in that same industry are doing the same thing and we need to get busy contacting as many of them as possible.  Some won't be ready but some will be ready to buy.  We won't know until we contact them.  We have to keep in mind that we want to be the one having the conversation with them rather than our competitors.  We will need to keep in close touch with them because at a certain point, a bell will ring and they will be back in the game.  We just won't know when that decision has been made internally, so we have to keep in touch and keep gauging the timing.   Having had no end of trouble getting hold of buyers over Covid, as everyone moved home and being blunted by the gatekeepers to the decision makers, a lot of salespeople are now gun shy about calling firms.  They are sick of rejection and being treated like a nuisance, an irritant.  The point to keep in mind is that this is exactly how your rivals are feeling too.  If you make the effort, gird your loins and pick up the phone and call, you will have a jump on the competition.  That bell will ring and it is key that we are the one to hear it and get the business, when the client is ready to come out of their cave and reengage with the world.   The prospecting muscle has atrophied during Covid and now is the time to get working on strengthening it again.  Better to go early than to go late.   There will be a lot of changes inside firms as well.  No one goes through a global pandemic unscathed.  Whatever was the reality before, there will be changes and we need to understand how the buyer sees the world going forward.  What are the new problems they are facing?  Has there been any changes in how decisions are made?  Have certain key people left the firm, especially our previous champion? Where did they go and can we help them in their new company? What are the firm's immediate priorities? Is there capital to invest in expansion or recovery? Do we have the right solutions for this new world or are we imagining we just go back to how it used to be?   A lot of our assumptions and corporate intelligence may now be irrelevant, so we have to go back to basic questioning of buyers about what they now need, almost like starting over again.  Have we been able to work on strengthening the value line-up of what we provide.  Our workload may have declined during Covid, thereby freeing up time to work on creating added value for when it was time to re-join the battle.  Did you manage that?  Is there still some time to allocate resources now before things heat up again?  Perhaps your early interactions with previously inactive clients have recently yielded up some hints on things you should start working on to add to your line-up of solutions.  Can you take some of the friction out of your processes for your buyers?  Can you increase prices by adding some extras which have perceived value when judged by the clients?   If we approach things with no presumptions, an open mind and reinvigorated flexibility, we will be able to handle whatever the market throws at us. I personally will be very happy to be back in the mud and blood of chaos and battle duking it out with my rivals for the client's business.  Let me at them!

Japan wants to increase tax revenue by encouraging the younger generation to drink more. Under a new national campaign, called “Sake Viva!”, the Japanese Government is accepting ideas on how to best launch a marketing campaign to increase alcohol sales and in effect, tax revenue. Cheers! Then, a visitor to Milwaukee gets caught on a draw bridge opening and falls to his death when he could no longer hold on. Finally, a Florida couple is arrested after having sex on the Ferris Wheel at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio.Apple Podcasts: apple.co/1WwDBrCSpotify: spoti.fi/2pC19B1iHeart Radio: bit.ly/2n0Z7H1Tunein: bit.ly/1SE3NMbStitcher: bit.ly/1N97ZquGoogle Podcasts: bit.ly/1pQTcVWPandora: pdora.co/2pEfctjYouTube: bit.ly/1spAF5aAlso follow Tim and John on:Facebook: www.facebook.com/focusgroupradioTwitter: www.twitter.com/focusgroupradioInstagram: www.instagram.com/focusgroupradio

After watching videos all day I have been seeing hundreds of comments of people expressing their frustrations with the Japanese Government keeping independent tourism closed. I have come to conclusion that perhaps it's time to move on and visit other places --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crumpdiddy/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crumpdiddy/support

WE ARE THE NEWS NOW w/Dan Hennen on EA Truth Radio: Dick Cheney - Fauci - FBI Raid - Vogue Magazine - US Coast GuardThis is Dan's LIVE Show Saturday, August 20, 2022.  Thank you for tuning in & showing your support! Our Hosts' viewpoints don't always reflect what EA TRUTH Media believes as a whole!Please join us chatting on social media about our shows using hashtag #EATruthRadioUse Promo Code: ETERNAL at MyPillow.com/eternal Checkout For The Best Latest Deals Today!!!Dan provides commentary and analysis on the past week's “news” stories.  And strips out the Fake News so you don't have to.Topics this week include:  Election integrity, Lake Mead, Dr. Fauci, Alberta Canada and "unknown causes of death," Vogue magazine, Trump's Defamation Lawsuit, Jenna Ellis, Durham Case, FBI Raid, Ron DeSantis' sister murdered, US Coast Guard, Epoch Times, Jackie Walorski, Dick Cheney, "The View" lawsuit, 87K IRS Agents, and the Japanese Government resigns.*** Visit our Media Site at www.EternalAffairsMedia.com & Please Consider Planting A SEED IN OUR MINISTRY! Sign up and become a Monthly Patron for EXCLUSIVE PERKS ...*** NEW *** TRUTH PREMIUM on EA Truth Media Website ~ Exclusive Premium Content & Less AdsSupport us and receive these amazing benefits for ONLY 1.99 per month ~~ Click Here! You can also send Bitcoin to: 3MrcjvjkVUyP5dDmELDZkqD5JT5TTYyQHnCASH APP$eamediaonlineTHE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL ~ WE ARE THE STORM! Our Independent Media Operation & End Times Ministry has been online for nearly 12 years now since Curtis "Ray Biselliano" Bizelli FOUNDED EternalAffairsMedia.com in 2010 as an alternative to mainstream mockingbird fake news propaganda media! We have since morphed into a partial prophetic end times ministry!!!! We are on the frontlines leading the fight against the Fake News Mockingbird Media! Check out our Online Store and get some COOL GEAR! If there is anything you'd like to see that isn't there, message us! We wish to hear from you! Use Promo Code: ETERNAL at mypillow.com/eternal for up to 66% Off Mike Lindell's MyPillow!  People are waking up! This is THE GREAT AWAKENING! God bless you & your loved ones! GOD BLESS THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA!   Support the show

Today's episode is brought to you by the Museum's Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.   In February 2022, Dr. Jason Dawsey, Research Historian for the museum, talked with Dr. Yoshikuni Igarashi, one of the country's leading authorities on postwar Japan.   On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had agreed to the Allies' terms laid out in the Potsdam Declaration,   This left many questions about the future of Japan and America's role in it.   Jason and Yoshi covered: How did the deep animus between Imperial Japan and the United States during the War transform into a lasting postwar alliance? How did the authoritarian Japanese state transition into a democracy? How did the Japanese respond to the experience of defeat, occupation, and then restoration of independence in the decade after World War II? And much more.   If you would like to view the original conversation, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/238F64SQGvU

Katie Forster, Japan-based news editor for AFP, discusses how the Japanese Government is reacting to China's military response after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

The Japanese ambassador to the U-S was in Seattle to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Seattle's sister city relationship with Kobe. Lori Matsukawa was also awarded one of Japan's highest honors by Japan's ambassador to the United States. Sh

Joe Biden's Straight Talk Express comes to Asia! WaPo Bureau Chief Michelle Ye Hee Lee joins us to talk about what Biden took away from his time in Japan. If he's anything like most Americans, we're betting that list includes a Hello Kitty T-shirt and a fake sword.Ferris Wheel and Kintsugi River boats!Topics discussed on this episode include: How much we POTENTIALLY appreciate Elon Musk Bobby's BBQ shop gets even closer to completion Ollie rails against the propertied class Bobby's kids make relationship milestones Ollie at the Brighton Fringe The highs and lows of performing live comedy Why did that couple excuse themselves from Ollie's show mid-performance? Therapy and catharsis and the overlap between joke writing and self-analysis Metaphors about the wrong kinds of transportation Gratitude for our wonderful listeners Michelle's experience covering Biden's Asian Tour Michelle being super professional in the face of very silly questions IPEF: DON'T CALL IT A COME BACK How does Japan feel about the US walking out of TPP All things politics around Biden's Asia Trip North Korean Covid: What do we know? Japan opened for limited group tours, limited group tours open for Corona-infection Get access to the extras by supporting the podcast. Become a member at http://buymeacoffee.com. Extras this time include conversations about: How the pandemic turned Michelle's long-distance relationship into a long-distance marriage Bobby and Ollie's advice for surviving long-distance What it's like when you, as a journalist, become the focus of a piece of journalism How does Guam see its relationship with the mainland US/feel about mainland current events? US current events

We continue with our series of conversations focusing on conflicts in different parts of the world. In this interview Raphael Edou shares about the history of Benin and conflicts in the West African area. In collaboration with the Deputy Director of the Forest Campaign, Raphael manages the Africa Program at the Environmental Investigation Agency Washington DC , and monitors preparations and implementations of projects in DRC, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroun, and the Republic of Congo to tackle illegal logging. He works closely with the CITES management authorities of West Africa, and on reform strategies with governments, civil society organizations, and drafts policies-related documents, cultivates and maintains relationships with government officials, industries representatives. Before joining EIA, in 2021, he was acting as the Deputy Mayor of the city of Cotonou (Benin), in charge of the Local Climate Action and Partnership, and led the Ministry of Climate Change and Forest as well as the Ministry of the Land Use and Local Governance. He also served as the Executive Director of Bethesda NGO in Benin for 7 years and Director of the Environment Department for 11 years, where he coordinated the national network of 250 civil society organizations in the environment, sanitation, and waste management. Raphael implemented projects supported by the World Bank and the Government of Benin. He has been awarded the Top Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Projects in 2007 in Beijing by the Global Development Network and the Japanese Government. Edou is an alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program (US Department of State). He has a Master's degree in Agriculture in Benin and in Business Administration at the Quantic School of Business and Technology Washington DC.

Japan Scholar Oleg Benesch joins us to to talk about the past, present, and future of Japanese castles,and break down the debates around them, proving that when it comes to historical Japanese strongholds, things aren't always black and shiro.Bobby and Ollie mourn the loss of some of their river cruise sponsors, and play catch up.Topics discussed on this episode include: Our new, hopefully temporary show format Ukraine, Covid, North Korea, #japantravelban and other topics we're really trying to avoid Bobby's move to Karatsu, his girls' preschool graduation, and how being rich requires HAVING money Ollie's comedy career, his time in Barcelona, and the value of performing comedy (and podcasting) in a world that's falling apart ISSUING REFUNDS ALL THINGS CASTLES w/Oleg Benesch. Where did they come from? Why? What happened to them? Why? What's going to happen to them? WHY? Get access to the extras by supporting the podcast for less than $1 an episode. Become a member at http://buymeacoffee.com. Have something you'd like to say? Send us a fax at japanbyrivercruise.comor Tweet to us at @jbrcpodContent Links:Oleg's books:Japan's Castles: Citadels of Modernity in War and PeaceInventing the Way of the Samurai: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Bushido in Modern Japan (The Past and Present Book Series)Social Media Links:Oleg Benesch: Twitter | Homepage Ollie Horn: Twitter | InstagramBobby Judo: Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeOther things to click onSome are affiliate links because we're sell-outs We record remotely using Squadcast and the podcast is hosted on Transistor.  Bobby uses the Samson Go Mic and Ollie uses the AT2005USB mic ★ Support this podcast ★

Featured in this podcast is Hiroshi Ugai and Ayako Fujita. Since Japanese firms' wages have barely increased for 20 years, currently the Japanese government is planning to introduce many measures like a tax incentive, moral suasion, and selective wage increases to accelerate Japanese firms' wage growth. The government expects that these measures will lay the foundation for future economic growth, and that a large rise in wages would also contribute to a sustainable rise in prices. We discuss the impact of these measures, and find that these measures are unlikely to work under the current high labor income shares and firms' still cautious price-setting behavior in the face of the huge increases in energy and commodity prices. We think persistent labor shortages or policies to boost labor productivity such as through promoting digital transformation (DX) would have more impact, though it would take time to reap results. This podcast was recorded on Jan 20, 2022. This communication is provided for information purposes only. Institutional clients can view the related report at https://jpmorganmarkets.com/research/content/GPS-3966542-0 for more information; please visit www.jpmm.com/research/disclosures for important disclosures. © 2022 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.