Companies in Japan which contribute to the national social insurance (Shakai Hoken) program, which is almost all of them, are required once a year to subject their employees to a medical check rendered by a local contractor. For newcomers to Japan these checks are almost quaintly primitive, both in testing technique and as an invasion [...]
Smoking is being linked to miscarriages. This doesn’t bode very well for Japan’s birthrate, given some 30+% of females smoke. I’m sure secondhand smoking is linked in some way too, so even if the woman stopped, the rediculously high smoking male percentage won’t help much either. Unfortunately these reports aren’t circulated enough [...]
Some numbers on interacial marriages. Anyone have a copy of the OECD report?
Time to seriously short Japan Tobacco, that is. Just don’t blame me for any losses if I’m wrong; I’ve got my own to deal with too.
Well, Isao Kubota is optimistic on Japan’s “recovery.” Frankly I think it’s only temporary, if anything. This country is still run by bureaucratic fiat, and as long as nationally recognized liars still “represent” citizens of this country, my pessimism will remain. Still, who doesn’t remember whether they graduated from UCLA? With [...]
So the “arm-pit” of America stinks a little less with its granting of same-sex benefits. (Okay, okay, cheap-shot; hey, I used to live there!) Nice that NJ will be recognizing partnerships granted in other states as well though. The deal isn’t perfect, but these things take time.
Fascinating interview with Johan Norberg by ReasonOnline after recent translations of his book In Defense of Global Capitalism. Norberg articulates well the benefits of globalization amidst the headlining (often violent) protests during global meetings. As is often the case, it’s all about context and experience. It’s a bit lengthy, but well worth [...]
Two articles with little enthusiasm about the U.S. economy in the coming decade. True, it may seem a bit far off, but I’ll be entering the prime of my career so it’s something to think about. Too many variables to assert a claim (and it’s not like I need more to worry about), [...]
Fantastic entry by Kevin Laws titled “The Irony of Outsourcing.” Great lead-in:
Question: Since 1995, two million American manufacturing jobs vanished. How many manufacturing jobs did China add during the same period?
Answer: None. China lost sixteen million manufacturing jobs since 1995, a higher percentage of their manufacturing workforce than the US.
Read on.
Elections for your local representative are coming up in Japan, and apparently the concept of a manifesto is making waves. I find this interesting, because in Japan the written agreement isn’t perceived as having much strength. In fact, when I was packing up in California to move to Tokyo to join my current [...]
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