Nichikolohe comments

Posted in: Toshiba's third-party accounting probe comes under fire from lawyers' group See in context

Toshiba is only one additional example to add to the list along with Olympus. There are so many other smaller listed (publicly held) companies that have been doing the same things and other infractions (like executive perks). I'm glad to see outside auditors waking up and no longer rubber-stamp attesting to doctored annual reports and year-end statements that conceal the chairman's (and complicit officers) egregious disasters, personal expenses and "consultancy fees" to obscure and questionable entities/individuals at shareholder and employee expense..

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan inflation tepid, spending falls in June See in context

Maybe I'm stupid and economics just aren't my cup of tea. What's wrong with less stimulus, a stronger yen, stronger consumer purchasing power (like the Chines renminbi or Korean won so Japanese can afford to travel again), and buy cheaper imports, go to restaurants, and enjoy life again? We can't do any of that even with a raise and it only makes Japan more expensive for other currencies ( I.e. Tourists) too!

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Posted in: How the U.S. is training China's military - while inching toward conflict See in context

War is a business. May as well "teach" both sides what's available in equipment and how to use them for best effect, consumption, sales, and distribution. These "exercises" are like product shows and test drives...

How did Sun Tzu put it? "The art (business) of war is of vital importance to the State."

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Posted in: Architect Ando defends selection of Olympic stadium design as anger grows See in context

Why not place the blame squarely on FOREX - Abegeddon-nomics and Kuroda's myopic banker's vision?

The yen has weakened by 45 % since Ando's team picked the plan. This is not Hadid's manipulation. This is clearly, short-sightedness and shifting the blame by the very people who engineered the price inflation!

Let a real and natural economy "fix" this stupidity...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Holidaymakers stranded as volcano closes Bali airport See in context

Hah! Purely economics!

If they can't get a new planeload of tourists to visit and drop more "new" dollars, close the airport to keep those they already have on the island for as long as possible to preserve balance and prime the engines of commerce by continuing to squeeze the wallets of those "birds-in-the-hand.".

Can't have too much of a good thing, huh?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: BOJ not considering emergency fund injection over Greece yet See in context

Actually Kuroda is hoping the the yen will temporarily strengthen to around 130 or so to the euro so that Taisei, Takenaka, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Heavy and others can lock in FOREX reserves through 2020 at favorable rates to complete construction of both the stadium and the maglev trains with indecent profits from inflated spot exchange proposals...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Olympic stadium to cost Y252 bil, sports minister says See in context

Pure Abenomics at work here... That's all! Figure it out; when the Olympics were awarded the yen was 80 to a dollar.

When the design was awarded it was 100 to the euro.

Today, it is at 140 to the euro and 123 to the dollar.

It doesn't take a genius to calculate that the raw material, energy and all other imported items for construction and fitting out are being paid for by deflated Japanese yen.

Thank you Mssrs. Kuroda and Abe! The consolation is that at these exchange rates, foreign tourists may still come to offer alms to us beggars here...

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Posted in: New Olympics minister faces host of thorny issues See in context

I still think in aggregate that if they let the "normal" economy resume (and ease up on Abenomics, the yen will appreciate by around 15% bringing down the costs of construction proportionately - materials, fuel, energy, and even labor if they allow contract workers from abroad... The yen has appreciated nearly 40% since Abenomics started. Last October, Kuroda weakened it even more! No wonder the tab keeps rising...

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Posted in: Japan to keep Olympic stadium design as cost soars to Y250 bil See in context

Do the arithmetic! This is Kuroda's Abenomics at work for you! At the time the deal was done, the yen was dominating the dollar (and/or euro). Now, 35 to 40% weaker, it makes sense for the costs to be proportionately higher!

We import all that construction material, transportation fuel, electricity and energy costs... Only the laborer's paychecks don't move!

Abenomics is Abegeddon!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: University of Tokyo baseball team ends 5-year losing streak See in context

Brains over brawn? Normalization?

Or, "dumbing down" (sports athleticism) in the rest of Academia?

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Posted in: China to keep track of its tourists' unruly behavior abroad See in context

Actually, I'm experiencing "Groundhog Day" symptoms... This article could have been written about Japanese tourists fifty years ago when they too began traveling overseas... I remember an incident even as recently as 1993 at the Four Seasons New York when Japanese tourists inspired by an article by Hayashi Mariko written during her stay overlooking Central Park, showered outside the tub (prior to soaking inside) and flooded the room downstairs... That too was deja vu from the 60's and 70's in Hawaii - the spitting, urinating in public, pushing/shoving, etc...

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Five things expats wish Japan had See in context

I'm surprised the most obvious isn't anywhere on the list or in anyone's suggestion...

A SECOND / GUEST BATHROOM

...The number of times with house parties and guests when I wished there was a park nearby...

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Posted in: China calls the shots in Asia's currency war See in context

Even if the article doesn't say a word about it, the real precipitant is the Japanese yen. Its "weakness" is pissing off American car manufacturers and Chinese electronics/white appliances alike. Just where is the "happy medium?"

Sure, you could argue that Japan is just recouping a decade of patience and tolerance as the Chinese economy grew and then outpaced it. But, is the risk of a regional all-out currency devaluation war favorable to anyone? Someone has to take the high road... Yet, waiting for the first country to blink is like Russian Roulette - losers die...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Hawaiian-inspired loco moco and kalua pork burgers coming to McDonald’s Japan See in context

Just give me the Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, and Rice breakfast plate. loco moco's also need to be in a rice bowl, NOT a burger! It's a desecration of Hawaiian food culture! All this "haole-fied" stuffs is giving Hawaiian grinds a bad name!

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Posted in: Lawmakers set to resubmit casino legalization bill See in context

"said failure to pass the bill in this session would be a “total loss of face” for Abe’s cabinet..."

Who really cares about Abe's "face?" Macao's had their worst year. Las Vegas is diversifying away from casinos. Isn't Abe and his pro-casino "vice-squad" a little bit late for the party?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Aso says wage hikes key to 'Abenomics' success See in context

As an employer of over 150 employees and an importer of goods from abroad, I'm one of the 83% in Japan's economy that is not benefiting from Abenomics or goKuro(da)-sama Frankenmonetary policies. Abe's only talking to the 17% or importers that are reporting record profits through weak-yen induced FOREX repatriation. Basically, he's punishing domestic and import companies that achieved real profits during the strong yen years by wiping out our margins and giving it to his crony exporters instead of forcing them to earn it.

Even if that 17% were to increase wages, over 80% of the working populations of Japan won't benefit from it. It's just plain bad arithmetic. Those guys still think Japan is an export economy; something that changed decades ago...

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Posted in: Ryoko Yonekura's 'Doctor X' garners highest rating this year See in context

Actually, she's also performed in New York reprising the role of "Roxy" in the play Chicago which she starred in here in Japan for two seasons.

I enjoy "Doctor X" - its entertaining, a bit of a spoof on hospitals, highlights more important values like friendship, humanity, society, and culture; and at 39 demonstrates that a woman can continue to hold center court/stage even here in Japan.

Now with The Avengers in her portfolio, she's bigger than Koyuki without Tom Cruise for perfume.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Abe urges business leaders to increase wages See in context

Simple Mssrs. Kuroda and Abe! Just let the real economy decide on a meaningful exchange rate! Earlier this morning I read in the MJ that private sector economists all refer to you as a "government-associated entity" artificially interfering with market dynamics. In the article, they say the current 120:1 USD is equivalent to the 1973 exchange rate of 310 (post-360 de-link after Nixon approved abandoning the gold standard). If so, let the market decide on the rate. If the yen strengthens, then by all means! Let's give the market a raise! They deserve it! Not Blackpatch-Kuroda or Abegeddonomics!

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Posted in: Honda expanding airbag recall; could help Takata See in context

Here's a wild, out-of-the-box, "conspiracy theory" thought... What if this is a major collusion by all the Japanese automakers to claim huge write-downs/losses on their repatriated "Kuroda-beggared" FOREX earnings to nix any claims of "recovery" and at the same time, avoid taxes here in Japan?

Crazy, hair-brained, illogical, pie-in-the-sky doofus thinking, huh?

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Posted in: Cost of making 'Hobbit' movies up to $745 million See in context

What would a side-by-side comparison of production costs and revenues for the Lord of the Rings trilogy look like next to that of The Hobbit? Inflation being what it is, I'm sure it would be a moot point of no real worth.

Still, knowing the latter was based on one book whereas the Trilogy really was three tomes - each measurably larger than the original Hobbit ever was then having subsequently bought all of them; viewing each over and over again; the shift from faithful cinematographic interpretation to simple commercial "noise" is annoyingly distracting.

I hate to say it but it's like watching Jackson "sell out" to the Lords of Avarice, like watching Saruman becoming corrupt under the guiles of Sauron.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: Lawmakers open to limits on casinos in push for bill's passage See in context

Casino's are nothing more than packaged vice! They create more problems than they solve. They blur the line between good and bad by claiming benefits that simply do not outweigh the sacrifices and negatives their mere existence impose. Nevada and Macau have embraced gambling completely and from top-to-bottom their economies are built and structured on income from such activities - that's the only way it can succeed.

Japan, New Jersey, Mississippi, California, New York, Seoul, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and now even Singapore don't need it. There are better and more beneficial means of strengthening the economy and boosting tourism (if that is the objective) - especially through honest, productive, and hard work than casinos. Affording visitors (or natives, for that matter) another outlet to indulge in vice, waste time, corrupt youth, cannibalize the local economy and create animosity, addiction, and delusion is Machiavellian and rot in Government and civic leadership. It is a failure of Good People's Better Judgeement against the constant "creep" of insidious decay.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Tokyo’s Haneda Airport becomes fourth airport in the world to be awarded coveted 5-Star rating See in context

Yahoo!!!

Haneda is far and away the very best domestic AND international airport in the world!

Through the past four decades (at least since 1974) I've now seen airports from Amsterdam's Schiphol, Singapore's Changi, Korea's Inchon, Hong Kong, Madrid (beautiful), O'hare (impressive), Heathrow, Dallas, Dulles, Denver, Atlanta, you name it. In fact, maybe the only one's I cannot lay claim to are Dubai, Africa, and South America.

But hands down, Haneda beats them all! Convenience, shopping, food, banking, access, hours of operations, with the sole exception that you can't get a shower there... But with the new Royal Park about to open, that problem ought to be solved very soon, too! I hated schlepping to Narita and felt exiled during the years Haneda was closed Internationally. Reopening international routes and carriers was the smartest thing the Japanese FAA (i.e. government) has done in modern times! Now, if only they would upgrade Itami in Osaka to be a "junior" Haneda...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Tokyo restaurant offering all-you-can-drink Asahi beer for 12 months See in context

Ah-h-h,... if only Sapporo, Suntory, or Kirin would do the same... Anything but Asahi;... (yuck!)

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: Japanese whisky makers in high spirits as accolades pour in See in context

Folks, the timing of this article is good! NHK is starting a new asadora (morning drama series) called "Massan."

It's about Masataka Taketsuru (Masa-san), Japan's pioneer whisky-maker and his wife, Jessie Roberta Cowan. Perfect timing to hear the romanticist's version of whisky (not whiskey, American-style) history here in Japan!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan women world's longest-lived as male lifespan tops 80 See in context

Longevity is more than just living long... by government measures. It means infant mortality has gone down - whoever gets born is healthier, avoiding sickness, accidents, or other life-threatening maladies... It also reflects the fact that we don't fight in wars (nor do Hong Kong, Iceland, or Switzerland). So despite the diabetes and stroke survivor improvements, the vast majority of senior citizens here really do enjoy life after work - and deserve to, too!

Wish more of them would work longer and not retire (or be forced to retire) when they turn 60, though...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Airbus says no room for more talks in cancelled Japan jet deal See in context

Skymark must not have been listening when Kuroda said he would Quantitatively Ease Japan to a 2% "inflation" target.

This was "Abenomics-speak" for "Folks, fasten your seatbelt and stick your head between your knees!" "The yen will go into a freefall and prices for airplanes and stuff like that will sky-rocket!"

I guess Skymark's parent H.I.S. forgot to book FOREX reserves the way Toyota did to ride this out at 92 yen for the dollar. At current exchange rates, who can afford an Airbus 380 anymore?

Oh, and @Michael Net Work, China is still "a nut" - or, as you say, a tree that produces more Nuts!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Asia must prepare for an oil shock See in context

Turn on the nuclear plants and start exporting high-value nuclear energy technology and know-how like the French do in Europe. Japan can kill two birds with the same stone that way... lessen their dependence on oil even as they further develop solar etc. while fixing the balance of trade with high-value NIMBY product!

You know, "One's man's poison is another man's cure..."

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: Jim Beam buyout last chance for Suntory: president See in context

Hmmm,... I've always believed the perspective of the demographers who say, "Once the Boomers die off, the effects of responsible birthrate management will finally begin to show itself. The burden will be on the social programs established decades ago that may have miscalculated the lifespan and needs costs of current Boomers (who incidentally put those number together - selfishly I'm sure, after all, I'm a boomer, too!).

So, this "rapidly aging population" will lose the boomers in twenty years or so. And, the Generations X, Y, and up to the Millennials don't have the critical mass to tip demographics disproportionately (at least not as much as the Boomers).

The issue will of course, still be the "hangover" from the costs of health and geriatric care. But, the 30's and 40's here in Japan will see dramatic easing in the need/demand for such services (once I too, am gone)... 'Course, if by then Japan eases up on immigration, there'll be more younger folk and newly-born also balancing out the economics... Or, World War III...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Lawmakers say delays possible to casino bill See in context

Typical comments by casino developers... Nothing new... After all, it's just a bunch of "gamblers" "gambling" on whether or not the casino bill will pass. 50:50? Those sound like great odds to a gambler gambling on gambling!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe says he achieved 'historic' success with Obama See in context

Are you all blind? I witnessed "Abenomics" at work!!!

I went to Tsukiji yesterday morning, the day after that "historic" dinner at Sukiyabashi Jiro's and there were sushi chefs running about buying as much product as they could in anticipation of payday (today) AND the tailwind from the promotional efforts by POTUS and Abe leading into the weekend (and Golden Week)!

I even interviewed a couple of chefs and shop-keepers! You could clearly hear their enthusiasm -

>Um! Eh? Wakemowakaranai!

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