politics

Japan to give Y55 bil to Pacific island nations to fight climate change

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The seventh round of Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) came as host Japan attempts to boost its profile in the Pacific, at a time of growing Chinese economic and political influence in the region.

Well, while rivalry between China and Japan is in general a negative thing, at least it produced something good this time. These Pacific Islands need some serious help.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Japan simply cannot afford to give this money.

From the same page as this article;

>. . . . straining Japan’s ability to support debt that is approaching 250 percent of its GDP, the highest level among industrialized countries.

Is Abe's plan to bankrupt the country so that Japan will have to get huge IMF loans and end up an economic desert?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

The taxpayer's money is being given by one group of politicians to another group of politicians. After the usual cronyism, inflated project contracts, substandard materials and construction, kickbacks, graft, bribes, etc, the Japanese taxpayers will be 55 billion yen poorer. The islanders will be no better protected from supposedly rising sea levels, while the politicians with their friends and families will be 55 billion yen richer.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

BurningBush: "What this actual means is that Japan will give 55 billion Yen in aid ON THE CONDITION that the money be spent on green technology provided by Toshiba, Hitachi or Mitsubishi."

Excellent point, and one that many cease to recognize when Japan plays itself up as a benevolent soul here. Essentially, they are just investing in their own companies and claiming it's for development overseas. If the islands accept other 'donations' (ie. other companies than that of Japan), they won't 'get the money'. Clever, but ultimately not 'aid'.

Mitsuyo Matsuyama: "Japan always gave financial help to other nations like these islands, China, Korea, Southest Asia, etc..."

Quick question: how much aid has Japan received for disasters from the nations you mentioned and others? And that money was not on the condition that those countries' industrial firms be used on Japanese soil. Just thought you might want to think about that a little before you go off patting yourself on the back and suggesting Japan is only generous and gets nothing in return. Also, that's something like 200 billion offered by Abe in less than a week while costs for the Olympics skyrocket and WE have to pay in taxes, people in Tohoku are STILL living in shelters, taxes need to be increased in 2017 again because there "is no money", etc. Why not put the money towards them first?

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Wow Japan must be happy! It gets to chase China's tail some more & will get the opportunity to play with LOTS of concrete, don't get much better than that in Japan, h'mmmmmmmmmmmmm concrete!!!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@BertieWooster" "Japan simply cannot afford to give this money." EXACTLY!

and what about the suffering people of Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima?

Abe continues to show his people where his true interest is.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

h'mmmmmmmmmmmmm concrete!!!

Combine the Left's global warming religion with the Right's corporate welfare and you get a Win-Win outcome. There is no doubt in my mind that the Japanese can put up enough concrete to keep these islands hurricane proof for a century.

Come on Japan let's show those Chinese how to nation build!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@Frederic Bastiat

Even warmist scientists are having to acknowledge the 18+ year hiatus /pause:

Did you not read your own source or did you just not understand it? It was about the Pacific ocean not all global warming.

The Pacific ocean may not have warmed as expected, but the Indian ocean and the Atlantic ocean are both warming. This means that ice caps are still melting and sea levels are still rising and island nations are still eroding fast.

I would love to set up a fund to get you a free plane ticket to travel to these nations and inform them that sea levels are not rising and their shores are not eroding and all is well. It would make for some great TV entertainment!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Is Abe's plan to bankrupt the country so that Japan....

Technically it already is, if anyone ran their homes like the government does they would be in jail for fraud at least.

Japan does not give out money to other countries because Japan does not trust politicians of other countries. So, investment using Japan Inc is more likely, Japan does not trust corporations of other country either.

This is got to be one of the best jokes of the year. Japan doesnt trust politicians from other countries? lol!

3 ( +6 / -3 )

"fight climate change"

That's like fighting earthquakes or typhoons. Mother Nature does what Mother Nature does. We have to deal with it.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

When Japan gave that money, they did say we're number 5 on the world's biggest polluters and part of the reason you need this money. Basically, we're giving you money to combat us.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

natural disasters.

For a country deeply in debt, pledging money right, left and centre, putting "on hold" re-building Fukushima, breaking up a perfectly good stadium to spend more money for a new one (that will probably only serve once, for the Olympics) all this obviously to try to make himself look "good" - Way to go Abe-chan ! And I was always taught "Charity starts at home"...

2 ( +4 / -2 )

How about providing them with action plan for reforestation and environmental rehabilitation.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Ah, if I am Prime Minister, i will focused instead to give cash towards fixing the dreadful situation of mental health, education, and decline of birth inside Japan, rather than Abe, who is desperately seek a lot of attention from international community.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Spot on, Burning Bush.

The title of this article is misleading. The money is in all likelihood not going to fight climate change, only its effects, such as for building barriers against rising sea levels. At the same time, the Abe government does not dedicate itself to informing its citizens about the serious risks of climate change and the need to take drastic personal action and does not follow Germany's lead toward creating a renewable energy system for the country.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Would that it were this green technology, Burning Bush, but I suspect it might be more prosaic remedies like tetrapods and concrete coastline. This is Japan's solution and it has decimated the coastlines here.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

This is just Japanese propaganda. Most of these countries that are getting promises of pledges will never see a penny unless they somehow jump through the hoops, pay the loan interests, and on top of that, hire Japanese companies to carry out the projects from A to Z. Smoke and mirror campaign for Japan to look good for the rest of the world. It's called propaganda. Japan has no money, pretty soon they're going to be the ones who will need bailing out.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Easy to throw away money that doesn't belong to you.

http://tinyurl.com/lgqr695 : google of wattsupwiththat.com for "islands"

Pukey2: Do you actually know the meaning of 'hiatus'?

Hiatus in temperature with no hiatus in CO2 increase? Heat must have gone somewhere, we just haven't found it yet?

http://tinyurl.com/kwolh2q : google of wattsupwiththat.com for "hiatus"

http://tinyurl.com/m86gg9y : google of wattsupwiththat.com for "missing heat"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Except that they want $45 Trillion USD to fight AGW"

Exactly. It's a wealth redistribution ruse.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"If I was an environmental activist I would be very depressed." Amitav Ghosh, writer

How much of the coal subsidies going into Mongolian and other energy projects will this money counterbalance?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How about providing them with action plan for reforestation and environmental rehabilitation.

While I think that approach is good, the Japanese have already shown that they don't understand reforestation when planting all those sugi trees, resulting in epidemic hayfever problems of this nation.

I, too concur with Burning Bush's assertion that this is a way for Japan to make themselves look good on the international stage, while certainly taking care of the big corporations. The electronic firms, and the construction industry will benefit from this.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Pay them off, how about fixing the problem?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Giving more money for solving the problem of climate change is not the answer. Due to rising sea level, some Islands are gradually sinking into the sea.

More money means, more infrastructure projects. More infrastructure means more damaging their beaches, eco system, coral reef and wild life.

Inhabited islands will survive longer than heavily developed islands. Law of the nature is sensitive to over development.

As far as US and China are polluting the world, there is not much Japan can do about climate change.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Burningbush

What this actual means is that Japan will give 55 billion Yen in aid ON THE CONDITION that the money be spent on green technology provided by Toshiba, Hitachi or Mitsubishi.

Yep, likely corporate welfare. These corporations all already being helped by the lowered yen. What do you all think?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm not a specialist in economics, but as far as I know, this kind of aid money is from Japan's foreign exchange reserves, ie. in dollars. So, Japan cannot use it easily for domestic affairs in yen including the restoration works of earthquake, etc., because it would affect the exchange rate drastically considering the amount. In other words, this is the only way Japan use that money, or maybe for other investiments aborad?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-exchange_reserves

Someone who is familiar with economics, could you please give us explanation?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Frederic Bastiat >Nevermind the nonsensical global warming fallacy. Even warmist scientists are having to acknowledge the 18+ year hiatus

Every time I read a comment by a climate change head-in-the-sander I simply wonder how it is still possible for such people to exist. In the article quote by Mr Frederic Bastiat which he used as "evidence" for his climate denying - if he read and understood it he would see it is explaining how the complicated tranfer and absorbsion of heat by the oceans is helping to hide some of the accelerating rise in surface temperatures.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Yubaru: Don't you think Japanese Govt know what other govt will do for getting money from their own behaviour?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Like if we here in Japan didn't have anything to spend money on..(what about a small brake with the taxes?? there are a lot of people here having hard time with that for example..)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japanese government likes drunken sailor spending money like no more tomorrow.

When the wild night was over. sailor has to become the stripper for surviving.

Al Gore should say God bless Fukusha homeless and Osaka slum residents instead of God bless Japan. .

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@turbostat, it's unfair to confuse the warmists with facts.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Frederic Bastiat: @turbostat, it's unfair to confuse the warmists with facts.

Except that they want $45 Trillion USD to fight AGW.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Exactly. It's a wealth redistribution ruse.

So you are saying that politicians are being dishonest in order to convince people to do something that is against their own interests but enables them to control the distribution of limited resources for the benefit of themselves? Do they actually believe the general public will fall for such a scheme?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How about giving it to reconstruction of people's homes in Tohoku?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah, I forgot it's true this kind of aid often don't go to the ones who should get them.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

the thing now is japan is focusing in little nations. meanwhile china is developing some of the richest nations in the world from europe all the way to south america. look at china trade. compare with who? not even us can catch up since usa has sanctioned parts of the world. meanwhile japan that cant compete with usa are trying to get china in globallization

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

COP21 in december in paris here we come! Its now or never. Cli-Clops 21 is more like it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Every time I read a comment by a climate change head-in-the-sander I simply wonder how it is still possible for such people to exist.

Whenever I read comments like this I wonder what happened to scientific skepticism and the idea that testing science is necessary to ensure that it holds up to scrutiny. Supporters of man caused global warming must admit that scientists have made many claims that have not held up under scrutiny. The hockey stick is wrong, the increase in mega-hurricanes has not occurred, and the models have failed to predict global temperatures and did not predict the current nearly two decade long pause. No one denies that the Earth's climate changes. They are however skeptical that science has proven that man's actions have made such a large impact on climate as to justify a radical reordering of the world economy.

The fact that Japan is spending precious resources to fight a perceived global calamity that no one is absolutely sure will come to pass and is based on a field of science that even scientists agree is not well understood should provide all responsible people an opportunity to step back from this headlong rush to spend vast amounts of money and the imposition of complex and costly regulations. Prudence demands more scrutiny of the science and more proof of the link between man's CO2 output and climate change.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I suppose this is all a part of the "third" arrow of Abenomics.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

About the only way to help would be to offer permanent residency or citizenship. Many of those islands are going to disappear.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@Burbing Bush: The countries in question will never actually see or get the money, it will go directly from the Japanese government account into Mitsubishi's (or Toshiba, Hitachi etc) account.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Pretty good allegation but are you sure of these three corporations???

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@living memory, idf66,

You both misunderstood the correlation of my comment, this article, and the link I attached. I don't deny the climate is changing. Among the rabid warmists, such as you may be, there has been vitriolic attacks on fellow warmists who even dare to admit to the 18+year hiatus in warming. The link demonstrates that warmists are having to acknowledge the pause, and are now trying to explain what they have largely been denying, even with the heavily fudged warmism data. This is merely one of the 52 or so various excuses which have largely and resoundingly been debunked. The deniers are in fact those who deny that AGW is a fallacy.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This is an excellent point by SmithinJapan.

Essentially, they are just investing in their own companies and claiming it's for development overseas.

Many Japanese like to point out how generously they give foreign aid, but not so fast. Although Japan gives large dollops of money each year, it also collects large debt payments from poor countries. Lenders have a right to be repaid, but this makes its net contribution look far less impressive than that of other rich countries. Japan's definition of 'foreign aid' is a very loosely used word. Nor are Japan's private citizens very generous: government aid aside, they give less than a cent each to poor countries. Only citizens in the southern European trio of Greece, Italy and Portugal are more miserly.

Even Japan Times admits what these "aids" truly are:

The administration also hopes to spur the domestic economy by using ODA to help seed the ground for overseas activities by Japanese firms in regions of vital importance.

American academics who have studied Japanese foreign aid concludes that Japanese foreign aid is very closely tied to Japan's foreign business interests.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/1993-06-01/doing-good-or-doing-well-japans-foreign-aid-program-emergence

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Frederic Bastiat:

Nevermind the nonsensical global warming fallacy.

Even warmist scientists are having to acknowledge the 18+ year hiatus

Do you actually know the meaning of 'hiatus'?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan always gave financial help to other nations like these islands, China, Korea, Southest Asia, etc...

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

I think Burning's allegation is right except the corporation named are not involved at current stage. Japan does not give out money to other countries because Japan does not trust politicians of other countries. So, investment using Japan Inc is more likely, Japan does not trust corporations of other country either.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Japan give money to China who will get most contracts to improve Islands natural disaster infrastructure...

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

BurningBush: So? Do you give 55 bill to people and then tell them "here! Do what you like with it!"? Of course Japan wants some guarantee that it can be part of the profit if it invests that much money.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Nevermind the nonsensical global warming fallacy.

Even warmist scientists are having to acknowledge the 18+ year hiatus /pause: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/05/22/uh-oh-looks-like-lewandowsky-and-oreskes-will-be-going-after-the-agu-now-for-admitting-the-hiatus-exists/

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Waste of money climate change has very little to do with human output of gases. It's a scam invented by Al Gore and the liberal's to steal money. Should use the money in Japan to help people from the earthquake.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

GW: "Wow Japan must be happy! It gets to chase China's tail some more"

China is chasing Japan's tail and recently increasing its presence there.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

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