Redcliff comments

"First of all there is no US template being impost on any country said the US trade representative Michael Froman"

Well just read the pharmaceutical and finance segmenst of the propose TPP. It is all there.

Never ending problem.

Jimizo, A soccer world cup is a world cup. There is no specific rule that it has to be played in winter or summer. I suppose for the European countries and England it will suit them better to play in a country with milder temperature in this case it would not be suitable for players that come from warmer weather. So please do not classified the games as a winter game only. This is a world game.

To enable Abe to fulfill his personal mandate of ensuring a Japan with a strong military force he has to continue to search for potential area of conflict to justify his amendment to Article 9, increase in the Military force and the defense budget. All these continue disputes with China and Russian served his purpose well together with maintaining a tempo with those countries that also have disputes with China. This is the strategy he had formulated and currently implementing it .

@ jefflee

It is true that currently Japan enjoys the world lowest borrowing cost this is because most of the borrowings are from domestically. Japan being in deflation for a long time now and its interest rate is so low that allows it to tread along in this manner. The population is aging and sometime down the path their savings need to be drawn down and at that point Japan needs to place it's JGB oversea and that's when investors would required a higher interest rate. Secondly if Abe wants to increase its inflation rate to 2% investors will be looking at a real rate of 1% instead of currently 0.5% which means the Treasury Bond yield rate has to rise to 3%. All the talk of Japan has the world lowest borrowing cost will start to unwind. Further to this if Abe is not fast to increase tax receipt its aim of 2% inflation rate will blow the Government payment of interest payment sky high debt will start to accumulate at a faster rate and extreme stress will be placed on many of the government intended projects and infrastructures and the restructure of economic policies as well..

This article had left out the Municipal debt of another 200 trillion Yen, if added to the total One Quadrillion yen this would take the total debt to 250% of Japan's economy produces per year. This is a staggering high level of debt.

In the past I including others suggested that those considered official war criminals could be reburied in others shrines that their descendants wished for. During that time there were comments that this was not possible due to some guidelines or rules set up previously by the Shrines. After all rules are set up by people for the good of its citizens and in this case the living descendants of the dead therefore they can also be removed or rectified by people also. Lets not be imprisoned by our own rules and lets us look at the bigger picture in front of us.

It's time Abe should rein in his lieutenant

This guy is a loose canon.

"No one at TEPCO or the regulator NRA could be reached for comment"

Not surprise at all they don't even have an answer for themselves.

Where are the increase in Jobs went to if the industrial output fell sharply.

" In somecases, those allies could ultimately wind up buying defense equipment from non US suppliers. but they want an increased US presence as a counterweight to China he said" AND

" Washington is also stepping up its support of foreign military sale, which the US weapon Industry is counting as to offset weaker demand in the United State and Europe"

General Herbert Carlisle, Sound like you are drumming up tension to increase US weapon sale to countries in the Asian Region

" With President Park Geun-Hye I had a telephone conversation, we belong to the same generation, so I do sincerely hope that we'll be able to hold a summit meeting. he told reporter."

So if they are not of the same generation a summit may be difficult to eventuate. Is that what you are trying to hint at Abe?

Holding Summit is good for Japan and China but what concessions are they going to bring to the summit.

@ Pizzatime, JeanValJean, gregory.california, CrazedinJapan, Shankun, OssanAmerican, Serano.

There is a book written by Murata Tadayoshi, Professor at the Yokohama National University. I suggest all of you read it as to who is the rightful owner to these disputed Islands.

" No matter what Abe does or say the ahters wilol always hate on him, instead of looking for the positives they look to talk the BS just like that brat China"

It is not what he does or says but where and what to say that 's the issue. I would have thought if Abe is sincere about engaging high level talk of such significance with China you would have not expect this to be publicly announced in a foreign country, Singapore. This has the reversed intention that he is engaging in a point scoring exercise

@ OssanAmerica

War criminals should not be buried with those that gave their lives to protect the country in the same shrine. Full stop.

Why so jittery when it is only flying through international air space.

@ zichi

Interesting hypothesis, if it did happen I am sure we will be the last to know.

Will Britain Foreign Policy be dictated by Japan demand?

Like any other nations both Japan and China have the right to build up their defense force. Japan should not expect a non vocal reaction from China if it specifically single out China by name as the reason in its Defense White Paper.

smithinjapan, what the US had done was pots calling the kettle black.

@ CH3CHO

I am not sure of your disagreement with my recent comment of the ILO Convention. I merely stated that the Convention terms on safe guard to Labour interest in terms of payment and Japan was participant to it and I don't think I have touch on any Treaty of relevance between Korea and Japan.

Secondly I did not refute of any cheap loan and grants offer by the Japanese government but to only state that unless funds were legally made and specifically made in the name of compensation to comfort women then one should not consider that as compensation for comfort women already made.

@ sfjp330

At recent Strategic and Economic Dialogue between China and the USA it was reported that China had commenced the restructure and freeing up of its Financial Sector. This will have a great impact on limiting the expansion of a shadow banking industry.

You do not need to offer several apologies, all you need is one sincere apology without amendment.

It might be in Furusawa interest to fix up his backyard and clear up concern with IMF before indulged himself in others business. Shadow banking is a big issue not only in China but globally.

@ CH3CHO

In 1932 Japan and other nations had executed the International Labour Organization Convention. Japan had taken the narrow view in this aspect arguing that Korea was its colony and as such it had right to used the service of comfort women in Korea. (Philiuppines was not). Under the IOL Convention it stipulated that even forced labour are to be paid to the equivalent of any volunteer and other workers which Japan did not. Many claimed that Comfort Women were compensated but two question needed to be asked. How much was this amount and was this amount sufficient. Chamkun mentioned that paymenst been made and I agreed with him to an extent but this amount is only $10 millions as a fund and it is questionable whether comfort women from Korea were included. Initially there were promises made by Japanese Government of a $1 billion dollars paid over 10 years but this had not eventual instead a $10million fund was set up for this purpose. Other posters commented that grants and loans were made to relevant countries including Korea but unless money were stated as compensation for Comfort Women legally these were not compensation.

That is the reason this issue had continued to surface, unless this issue is cleared up once and for all bad blood will continuing to flow and hinder proper development of friendship between countries.

@ Chamkun

The article merely stated that The Treaty which I assumed was the 1965 Treaty was the official bilateral treaty that addressed issue of conscripted employees.It went further to state that for 35 years of Japan occupation some 780,000 conscripted labour were involved and this number excluded comfort women. One only can comment based on what was printed on the article, you might be correct that other compensations were paid but as it stood no mentioned of these were given.

The article stated that a package of $800 million were given and in this amount included cheap loan and grants for the 780,000 conscripted Korean Labour but exclude Comforting women.

If the amount of cheap loan was removed from the $800 million it seems that each Korean was only receiving a few hundred dollars for their forced labour work. This does not seem much for fully compensating the work done by forced labour during Japan occupation of Korea for 35 years.

Communication and discussions are good it helps to clear things up.