Post-tsunami, Japan town mulls over whether to rebuild

MINAMISANRIKU (Japan) - THE only thing left of Minamisanriku City Hall are its two front steps.

Nearby, a pink octopus lies dead in a pool of sea water, its tentacles wrapped around a crumpled sheet of corrugated aluminum that may have been a roof, a gate, a wall. Beside it, a broken tarmac road runs as far as the eye can see through fields of demolished houses and debris.

As post-tsunami Japan turns to the enormous task of putting towns like this back together, the sheer extent of the devastation wrought March 11 raises existential questions: Should the dozens of shattered communities along these shores be rebuilt at all?

Can they be, when up to half their inhabitants are gone and survivors know it could happen again? 'The future is not bright,' Jin Sato, the 56-year-old mayor of Minamisanriku, says matter-of-factly.

The statistics for this town alone are grim. Of the 17,666 people who once lived here, at least 322 have been confirmed dead and thousands more have disappeared, still buried in the ruins or sucked out to sea. Another 9,325 lost their homes and live in 45 shelters, mostly schools, spread on hills along the bay.

The tsunami swept away nearly every business, every job. There is no electricity or running water, and very little fuel. Some 70 per cent of Minamisanriku's 5,574 houses were destroyed. Inside a hilltop sports arena that serves as shelter, morgue and makeshift office, Mr Sato sits red-eyed behind a small desk. 'Whatever happens,' he says, 'we're going to need a lot of help.' -- AP

Radiation worries hit Japan's farmers hard

FUKUSHIMA CITY (Japan) - ON HIS farm on the rural outskirts of Fukushima City, 73-year-old Akio Abiko digs up burdock roots and worries about the future.

For now, he is donating the roots to a nearby evacuee centre, to garnish rice and help feed those who have fled from the crippled Daiichi nuclear plant about 70km away.

But Mr Abiko and other local farmers wonder if anyone outside this part of north-east Japan will ever again want to buy produce from Fukushima. Mr Abiko used to sell carrots, potatoes and other vegetables from his 9,900 square metre farm to Tokyo. But the chances of that now look unlikely.

'Grown in Fukushima' has become a warning label for those nervous of radiation which has already been found in some vegetables close to the nuclear plant savaged by last month's earthquake and tsunami.

'There is no way we will be able to sell anything,' he said. 'People in Tokyo are just too sensitive about this kind of thing.' A group of farmers came to Tokyo from Fukushima at the weekend, using Geiger counters to show their produce was safe.

Japan's worst crisis since World War II, with the authorities still trying to bring the damaged reactors under control, has sparked widespread fears about the safety of its food. The radiation worries are likely to put a further squeeze on farmers in north-east Japan, where the economy has been on a steady decline for years, hit by a falling birthrate and a rapidly ageing population. -- REUTERS

BANKER ON HOW TO SOLVE DEBT CRISIS: The Public Needs To Work Harder For Less Money And 50% Fewer Benefits

BUSINESS INSIDER-An investment banker from BarCap recently told the Forum of Economic News that he's got the solution to bring "competitiveness" back to the European Union.

Cut benefits by half, and make everyone work harder.

The comments from Hans-Jörg Rudloff, the head of the Management Board of investment bank Barclays Capital, will obviously infuriate the public, who will remember that BarCap paid out bonuses that were so good this year that bankers gathered at a bar immediately after work for a champagne toast to everyone receiving "at least a £600,000 bonus."

Here's a transcript of what he said:

"Europe is carrying a social rucksack, which makes us uncompetitive in this world. We have provided living standards for our populations which are unheard of, which no one ever thought would be possible, for the last 50 years."

"People do not want to give up these living standards."

"Populations are not ready to voluntarily discipline themselves in more work, less rewards, and less security. And it's only [natural] that the population would react like this and here, its a question of democratic leadership and a question of whether indeed we are able to reinvigorate ourselves and to state public ally in this world that that we want to be competitive."

This is what Rudloff says the EU has to do:

• Half of the social benefits have to go 
• People have to work more, longer hours, longer years.
• Otherwise, it is impossible to continue to fund the present system of today. 
• Promote communication and the free movement of people and the immigration from all European countries will push us to a much strong union.

Watch a video of his speech by clicking here

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Many Filipinos gamble lives in Libya for jobs

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has made a second trip to strife-torn Libya to convince hundreds of Filipino workers there to leave. Most have chosen to stay. -- PHOTO: AP

MANILA - PHILIPPINE Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has made a second trip to strife-torn Libya to convince hundreds of Filipino workers there to leave. Most have chosen to stay.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says Mr del Rosario escorted 31 Filipinos from the Libyan capital of Tripoli to the border in neighbouring Tunisia on Wednesday.

The department says 1,600 of 2,000 Filipino nurses have decided to stay in Libya along with about 100 Filipino professors.

It says many of the workers prefer to stay in Libya, where they have been promised higher wages amid the violence there, than face unemployment at home.

Mr del Rosario led a risky evacuation of 400 Filipinos from Tripoli last month. -- AP

SIA to drop one of its 4 daily flights to Tokyo

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will halt two of its four flights between Changi Airport and Tokyo's Haneda Airport from this Sunday. --ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

SINGAPORE Airlines will drop one of its four daily flights to Tokyo from Sunday, as demand slumps in the wake of an earthquake that has also unleashed a radiation scare in the past week.

The carrier said on its website on Tuesday that it will suspend one of two daily services to Haneda from March 27, but flights to Tokyo's Narita, will operate normally.

SIA did not say when full services are expected to resume.

Industry watchers are expecting other airlines to also cut flights to and from Japan, as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of a massive 9.0 earthquake which hit the north-eastern coast on March 11, triggering a tsunami and a crisis at a nuclear power plant about 250 kms from Tokyo.

Despite assurances by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao), a United Nations body that regulates the global aviation industry; and the International Air Transport Association (Iata) which represents about 230 airlines, that there is no need for precautionary measures at this time, several states including India and South Korea have introduced steps such as radiation screening for travellers returning from Japan.

Iata said recently that the crisis will affect the Japan air travel market significantly in the short-term with recovery expected only in the second half of 2011.

Tokyo stocks down more than 3%

A man looks at a screen displaying stock prices in Tokyo on March 16, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

TOKYO - JAPANESE shares slumped more than three per cent in early trade on Thursday as the yen hit its highest level against the dollar since World War II and workers scrambled to avoid a nuclear catastrophe.

The benchmark Nikkei index fell 3.63 per cent to 329.74 points to 8,763.98 in early trading after rising more than five per cent on Wednesday on bargain hunting.

That rebound followed a major two-day sell-off to start the week in the wake of Friday's massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which has left nearly 13,000 people confirmed dead or missing. -- AFP

Japan's central bank injects new cash into markets

TOKYO - JAPAN'S central bank has injected billions of dollars into financial markets for a third day to ease the impact of last week's quake.

The Bank of Japan injected 3.5 trillion yen (S$55.5 billion) into markets on Wednesday. That came after injections totalling 23 trillion yen over the past two days.

The action is aimed at supporting financial markets that plunged after Friday's magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami that caused crippling problems at nuclear power plants. -- AP

Singaporean workers: Vote to protect your jobs and vote to implement minimum wage!

Brothers and sisters, have you ever seen someone who lose their job, or maybe it has happened to you because of the following reasons:

1) Your company engages an external company to bring in cheap foreigners from other countries
2) You get replaced because they hired a cheaper worker, to do your job
3) You see a foreign hiring manager, hiring his native people for the jobs that Singaporeans can do
4) Fake degrees and fake birth certification
5) A Government that boost the GDP, by allowing foreigners to depress your wages.

Well, I am sure there’s more, but with every single foreign worker that we see in Singapore, a job is taken away from the Singaporean, many will start to wonder why and what happened.

Well you see, if our PAP government opens the flood gates to welcome companies to hire foreigners with no restrictions, then the only victim who will be forced into early retirement would be the Singaporean.

“Restriction” would mean, the job nature or scope of work is so unique that the employer could not find a Singaporean with that skill set, then it’s only fair to hire a foreigner for that job, but if you look around your work place, do you think those jobs cannot be filled by a Singaporean citizen?

The PAP government seems to think so, that’s why they label them as foreign talents, if the PAP government views these as “talents”, than we should ask the government what happened to our educational system, it’s so bad that no employers want to hire Singaporeans ?

To be honest I do not think it has anything to do with our education system, because we were all hired once upon a time, before the cheap import of foreigners flooded Singapore.

The hard truths is that foreigners are hired because they are cheaper, that’s the real truth, the PAP did not have the Singaporean first mindset and no proper controls in place to ensure that most jobs went to Singaporeans first, unless that skill set cannot be found in a Singaporean.

This is the reason why most Singaporeans are either jobless, have their wages depressed, or are on the brink of losing their job, because an external recruitment is going to mass import cheap labor to replace you.

This election Singaporeans have to vote for their job security and minimum wage as it is a priority in life especially if you have a family to care for.

The minimum wage is a safety net that most first world countries and developed countries adopt, the minimum wage is pegged to the standard of living in that country to ensure all workers/Singaporeans are protected and no worker/Singaporean is exploited by the employer.

An example is that any worker/Singaporean working as a janitor or trash collector will get the standard wage and no less and this wage CANNOT fall below the standard of living in Singapore.

With minimum wage, Singaporeans do not have to accept any form of “inflated subsidy” from the PAP government.

Singaporeans its time you think about yourself and your future, don’t fall for the same old trap of getting handouts from the PAP, because when that is done, the cost of living will go up again and again later as we have seen so many times before.

In this election, vote for the opposition to protect your job, and to have the minimum wage implemented.

A vote for the opposition is a vote for you and me!
.
Tommy

Foreigners, wary of nuclear risk, flee Tokyo

As Japan confronts a post-quake nuclear emergency, foreigners have begun a slow exodus from Tokyo, though some are maintaining a stiff upper lip. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN

TOKYO - FEARING the possible risk of contamination as Japan confronts a post-quake nuclear emergency, foreigners have begun a slow exodus from Tokyo, though some are maintaining a stiff upper lip.

Several European nations have advised their citizens to consider leaving the Japanese capital following two blasts at a quake-damaged atomic power plant 250km to the north, sparking fears of a possible meltdown.

France went further, telling citizens to leave the Tokyo area 'for a few days' if they had no specific reason to stay and warning that if a reactor were to explode, radioactive steam could reach the city in a 'matter of hours'.

'A third of our staff has left,' Stefan Huber, the Austrian deputy head of the European Union delegation in Japan, told AFP.

He added that executives at several German companies such as Bosch, Daimler and BMW, as well as law offices, had evacuated their spouses and children, noting that in Tokyo's German community 'it's a veritable exodus'.

Marissa, a dual Australian-Italian national who has lived in Tokyo for the past six years with her husband and two young children, decided Sunday that she was not taking any more chances and the family flew to Hong Kong.

'We just thought it was probably better to leave at this point in time... I don't know about this nuclear issue, they don't seem to have quite got it under control yet,' she told AFP, asking to be identified only by her first name. -- AFP

Chinese farmers go online to sell produce

Farmer Wang Yulan (right) goes online with the help of her neice Liu Hairong (left) to sell the produce she and her husband grow in their home in rural Beijing. -- PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING - FOR years, Wang Yulan and her husband drove their three-wheeled vehicle to an outdoor market near Beijing to sell broccoli, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes grown on their small plot of land.

Now, thanks to the web, they don't even have to leave their living room.

Two years ago the couple bought a computer and joined a growing number of Chinese farmers selling their produce online, giving them access to customers around the country and boosting their meagre income.

'A broad market is opened once you get on the computer,' Ms Wang, 55, told AFP as she logged on to agricultural trading website aptc.cn with the help of her niece.

'The Internet is convenient. The customers first place an order, we prepare the items, and they then send a van to pick them up.' Since Wang and her husband Liu Shujin, 66, started trading their vegetables online, the couple's income has more than doubled to between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan (S$3,814-5,721) a year and life has become easier. -- AFP

N.Korea asks poor Africa nations for food

SEOUL - NORTH KOREA is pleading for food aid even from some of the world's poorest nations such as Zimbabwe, a report said on Tuesday, amid suspicion the aid may be used to boost the regime's political standing.

JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing a Seoul diplomatic source, said the communist North sought food not only from the United States and Europe but also from poor African countries.

'Now they are begging for food even from the world's poorest countries in Africa such as Zimbabwe where annual per-capita income is only around US$200 (S$253),' said the source quoted by JoongAng.

Pyongyang officials stressed to visiting officials a 'dire' and 'urgent' need for aid, but diplomats based in the North were relatively upbeat about the recent food situation, it said.

'Western countries have started to suspect that the North was begging for food because of internal political campaigns... rather than a genuine need for food,' the source was quoted as saying.

Food production in the impoverished country actually increased last year, South Korea's foreign minister said last week, citing a report by UN food agencies. -- AFP

Thousands march in Hong Kong over budget

A police officer falls down with a barricade as they scuffle with protesters at a demonstration against the government's revised Budget proposals at the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong Sunday, March 6, 2011. -- PHOTO: AP

HONG KONG - THERE were minor scuffles between police and protesters as over 10,000 people demonstrated in Hong Kong on Sunday over the government's budget plan, with some calling it a 'Bauhinia revolution'.

At least one protester and one policeman were slightly injured in small confrontations between the two sides, an AFP photographer said.

The demonstration comes days after a U-turn by Financial Secretary John Tsang on the budget, with protesters demanding more public expenditure on retirement protection schemes, public housing and environmental protection.

Chanting slogans and waving placards, political parties and citizens marched to government headquarters, accusing the administration of failing to address problems including runaway property prices and a widening wealth gap. 'Shame on you, John Tsang!", 'Step down now!", 'Say no to a budget without a vision!' they chanted repeatedly, pumping fists into the air, as a heavy police presence looked on.

'This is a Bauhinia revolution,' James To, a Democratic Party lawmaker, told AFP, referring to the floral emblem of the southern Chinese city.

The protest was inspired by anti-government rallies in other parts of the world, organisers said, estimating about 10,000 people had turned out. -- AFP

China's richest man says work key to easing poverty

BEIJING - CHINA'S richest man on Sunday rejected criticism that the rich have done little to help the country's millions of poor and said hard work was the key to lifting themselves out of poverty.

China has struggled to spread its wealth evenly among its 1.3 billion-strong population and the widening wealth gap is at the top of the agenda of the country's annual parliamentary session which opened on Saturday.

'The most important thing we can do is teach them (poor people) how to help themselves and help them get rich through hard work,' Zong Qinghou, the founder of China's largest soft drinks maker Wahaha, told a news conference.

Mr Zong, who leapt 11 places to top the Hurun Rich List in 2010 with a fortune of US$12 billion (S$15.2 billion), is one of nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) meeting in Beijing.

'In the 30 years since reform and opening up, people's living standards have increased greatly but our goal is to make them even better,' the beverage tycoon told reporters.

Over the next five years 'we will attach even more importance to (income) distribution and further reduce the wealth gap.' Wahaha, which is based in the eastern city of Hangzhou, gave its workers a pay rise every year and had built factories in poor regions to 'create job opportunities and help local economic development', Mr Zong said. -- AFP

Singapore’s transit beats Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: Singapore’s traffic congestion was just as bad as Kuala Lumpur’s 40 years ago. However, the city-state’s transit situation has vastly improved, leaving its neighbour far behind.

Clear-cut transport policies helped to transform the island nation into a transit-friendly state, according to Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit chairman, Muhammad Zulkarnain Hamzah.

“Singapore was in the same position as KL 40 years ago. When Singapore split from Malaysia, it was actually suffering from pretty bad congestion,” he said.

Zulkarnain added that land was reserved for transit purposes, especially around Singapore’s HDB (Housing and Development Board) flats.

“They were built around the HDB flats. After that, everything just fell into place.”

“During that time, ample land was available,” Zulkarnain said, adding that the Singaporean government planned ahead.

Not meant for people

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s town planning, he said, was more car-centric than people-oriented.

“There is a considerable increase in private car ownership in Malaysia. As Malaysians become more affluent, they turned to cars,” Zulkarnain said.

“Because of that, the government built more roads, but they didn’t think about improving bus service at the same time.”

“There was no coordination or supporting infrastructure,” he added.

It also did not help that Malaysia lacked a truly central public transport authority, unlike Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA).

FMT previously reported that Malaysia never drafted a public transport masterplan since its Independence.

“Even if we did have a plan, I’m not sure if it would have been followed through 100%,” Zulkarnain said.

Better bus services

Zulkarnain also found it strange that the government was putting Singapore’s MRT on a pedestal, when most of the island’s public transport rested on its buses.

According to Singapore transit operator SBS Transit, the average daily ridership for buses clocked in at 2,499,764 in January 2011. Rail, on the other hand, was at 479,488.

The island nation’s second operator SMRT saw about 1.767 million ridership for rail during the same period. SMRT’s bus ridership came up to more than 921,000.

In sharp contrast, RapidKL’s average bus ridership is only 290,000 a day.

MRT viability

Zulkarnain also questioned the viability of the upcoming RM36 billion Mass Rail Transit (MRT) mega-project.

“If SPAD (Land Public Transport Commission) wants the MRT to be a viable form of public transport, then it needs to look at how MRT stations are developed,” the transit expert said.

“If the government cannot figure out how to integrate transit planning and public transport, then how is it going to get people to be accustomed to public transport?” he asked.

Zulkarnain also asked why the government was so eager to go ahead with the MRT, especially when it failed with the KTM Komuter.

“If the government cannot succeed with KTM Komuter, what makes it think that it can succeed with the MRT?” he asked.

“Why not optimise the KTM or improve on its infrastructure?”

Although pushed by the government as a solution to end KL traffic congestion once and for all, the MRT has come under fire from both the opposition and transit experts alike.

The lack of public consultation and aggressive pushing, and hefty price tag are some of the criticisms the MRT has faced in recent months.

The first phase of the MRT is expected to be completed by 2016. In tandem with this, the government announced its aim to increase transit usage to 25% by 2012.

Less than 20% of the Klang Valley residents use public transport; lower than many Asian countries.

China to revamp growth model in next five years

BEIJING - CHINA, long the bargain workshop to the world, plans in the next five years to boost wages and narrow a worrying wealth gap as it vies to head off social unrest in a new and improved economic model.

After decades of blistering growth that elevated its economy to number two in the world, Beijing wants a more sustainable path via higher domestic consumption and less reliance on exports and investment.

The 2011-2015 blueprint, to be unveiled when parliament convenes for its annual session from Saturday, will focus on ameliorating social welfare, championing innovation and reducing China's world-beating carbon emissions.

'China's 12th Five-Year Plan could represent a watershed in the country's pattern of economic development,' Eswar Prasad, the former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division, told AFP.

'The main objective of the plan is to reorient growth to make it more balanced and sustainable ... this is necessary to ensure greater social stability,' said Mr Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University. The overhaul - if successful - could see a slowdown in China's economy, which grew 10.3 per cent in 2010, and help ease tensions with its key trade partners, analysts say.

While top leaders have long stated the need for retooling the growth model, experts said the global financial crisis had given them a sense of urgency after millions of factory workers lost their jobs and growth slowed sharply. -- AFP

China learns to live with inflation

By Mitch Moxley

BEIJING: At Mr Ma’s fruit and vegetable shop, located in a historic Hutong alleyway a few blocks from the Lama Temple, the impact of China’s growing inflation is evident.

In recent months, the prices of Ma’s products have soared. Eggs have gone from RMB7 (6.5RMB to a dollar) to RMB10 per kilogram. Tomatoes have almost doubled. Cabbage has tripled.

Despite the government’s pledge to rein in food prices, Ma’s not so sure – a sentiment shared by a growing number of ordinary Chinese. “Prices will definitely keep rising,” he tells IPS. “There’s not much we can do.”

Soaring inflation has been the dominant news story coming out of China in recent months. In January, consumer prices in China climbed 4.9% compared to the same month a year ago, according to government figures.

That was lower than expected, but still cause for concern. Critics claimed that the statistics bureau had recalculated the index to give less weight to food costs, meaning inflation might have actually been higher than reported.

Consumer confidence dropped four points to 100 in the fourth quarter of 2010, the lowest level since 2009, indicating concern among Chinese about inflation’s impact on their daily lives and salaries, according to a survey published by the China Economic Monitoring and Analysis Centre and the Nielsen Company, a media research firm.

According to the survey, numbers above 100 indicate degrees of optimism, while numbers below the 100 mark reflect pessimism. In the second quarter of 2010, Chinese consumer confidence was at 109 points.

The cost of food, most notably fruits and vegetables, has been climbing for the past year, and food prices now rank as the country’s third largest concern, behind income stability and health, the study found. January’s food prices soared 10.3% from the month before, and 84% of consumers believe food prices will continue to climb in the next 12 months.

Economists also expect more price increases the months ahead, as demand outstrips food supply and commodity prices remain high.

China analysts have said that inflation is a major concern for the Communist Party, which has based its legitimacy to rule on economic prosperity. In many areas of China, families spend up to half their income on food.

‘You have to eat’

For ordinary Chinese, life goes on. Small business owners interviewed by IPS on a recent morning say that although they were concerned about rising prices, most weren’t expecting a dramatic drop in business.

“Yeah, the prices are going up, but there’s nothing we can do,” says Shao, the owner of a tiny convenience store a few doors down from Ma’s vegetable shop.

She says that the cost of most of the items she sells is on the rise, including milk, sugar, beer, cooking oil and flour. Cases of a popular brand of instant noodle are up from RMB36 last fall to RMB45 today. All major beer labels are hiking prices.

Shao has run this convenience store for eight years, and these are the highest prices she’s seen. But she’s not overly concerned – business is down slightly, but not significantly.

“People seldom complain. They know about inflation. You have to eat.”

On a busy street in the heart of central Beijing, Boss Liu barely has time for questions, his bread stand is so busy. His product has gone up from RMB0.6 (less than a penny) to RMB0.8, and he expects to sell each shao bing – layered flatbread with sesame seeds on top – for RMB1 each soon enough.

He’s not too confident the government will be able to control prices, but his business has been largely unaffected by rising inflation.

“Some old people aren’t buying them anymore, but maybe just one percent of customers. We’ll be OK.”

Subsidies to poor families

The central government in Beijing has promised to rein in inflation by raising bank reserve requirements and interest rates.

The central bank recently raised the reserve requirement ratio for banks by 50 basis points, or 0.5 percentage points, and it has raised interest rates three times since October, with more increases likely.

Beijing has tried to calm public concerns by paying subsidies to poor families, keeping prices low at university cafeterias and ordering local governments to ensure vegetable markets are well stocked.

But the government’s pledges offer little comfort to Tong, the owner of a beef noodle shop near Andingmen subway station.

Rising costs are eating into her profit and she’s having trouble retaining staff. Over her lunch she says she’s thinking about closing shop and heading back to her home province of Shandong.

“Nobody wants to work here. They have to work long hours – it’s hard work,” Tong says.

“The price of materials keeps rising and workers keep asking for raises. I can’t afford to keep this place anymore.”

- IPS