Bullying in Japan

This article highlights the problem of an increasing number of bullying cases in Japan. Bullying in public and private schools from elementary to high school grades has increased “31 percent” from 2017. Individuals who took their lives due to bullying increased by 82 lives. The article goes on to discuss how not only students are being bullied, but also their teachers are being bullied by other teachers. The real importance of the story is to expose the system in which bullying is dealt with in Japan. If the teachers who are supposed to be protecting students cannot protect themselves from being bullied, then something needs to change. There needs to be more protection of students from bullies. In the digital world today, bullying is increasing in popularity because it’s easier to do. Bullying can take many shapes, sizes, and forms. This is not only prevalent in Japan, but also in the United States and in other countries. In the United States, “the 2017 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying.”

With Japan’s decreasing population, it would be wise to put in some more legislation or make a more protective system for students. It was interesting to read that not only are middle school and high school students getting bullied, but also teachers by other teachers. I feel like in the United States some teachers at schools are also bullied by other co-workers. 

Will WeWork forever, or will WeWork no more?

As a Computer Science major living in Silicon valley, I can't help but notice all the WeWork spaces popping up this decade. This company manages "shared workspaces", where the employees of multiple startups all work in the same large room. It's a shift away from cubicle office work and towards more communal living, which supposedly helps team-building, idea-sharing, and mental health. If it's really so great, then why have we seen WeWork's value drop from $47 billion to $10 billion?

I don't know, but I do feel that the "open workspace" hype has died down a bit lately. I hear more and more friends report that the privacy of one's own office outweighs seeing coworker's faces all the time. Maybe the recent devaluation is just a correction to overexcitement. However, a lot of the factors of SoftBank's purchase of 80% of WeWork have set off small red flags for me. (As a precaution, a lot of my observations are anecdotal and not backed up by evidence/data.)

First off, SoftBank is a Japanese company, while WeWork's business is mostly in the United States. From what I've seen, the two countries have drastically different work ethics. I think WeWork's homegrown, rule-breaking attitude matches Silicon Valley's style of T-shirts and jeans well. But it doesn't match Japan's style of business suits. I'm concerned that Masayoshi Son and others might not know how to navigate Silicon Valley's trendsetter attitude, even though they are very successful in Japanese spheres. (Although, the article states SoftBank doesn't get any voting power... so we shall see.)

Also, founder Adam Neumann's stepping down from his CEO position hints that he's not personally invested in the company anymore. With these "unicorn" startups, the founder's unique passion/spark is what the whole company relies on. (Unicorn = startup worth over $1 billion) Although it's possible to maintain success under a transfer of power, it's not easy. As we've seen with Apple when Steve Jobs left in the 1980s, a CEO leaving can be a sign of future hardship.

Next, we should take a close look at the statement that Son "doesn't sell value -- he sells vision and dreams." In my experience, Silicon Valley is filled with too many starry-eyed creative types with sky-high ambitions: these are called "dreamers". Now, there is nothing wrong with ambition. However, many of these dreamers lack the skills or substance to back up their ambitions. What concerns me is that terms like "visionary" or "selling dreams" are usually a way to hide this deficit. Perhaps Son indeed has the know-how to bring forth what he promises. But I would still take these promises with a grain of salt.

Maybe I've just grown jaded of tech startup culture. It is very possible for WeWork, with SoftBank's help, to reverse the decline they've seen this year. But based on what I've seen, I would call the situation ambitious at best--it's a bit too tumultuous for my tastes.

How this will affect Japan? Well, I think WeWork's open workspace culture has not invaded Japan yet. I haven't entered any professional settings in Japan, but they seem more traditional than America. Were WeWork to see continued growth, Japan might start adopting Silicon Valley's workspace habits! However, seeing WeWork struggle like this gives Japan all the reason to stay how it is now.

A tradition by any other name...

The Japanese enthronement ceremony is often described as “traditional,” but the author of the Japan Times article, “Deeper than tradition: Japan's enthronement illustrates an evolving imperial house” by Kenneth Ruoff, disagrees with the use of this term without clarification. Though the ceremony is old, it has been changed many times as the political tides of Japan have ebbed and flowed and the “imperial house” has survived due to its flexibility.

The most recent emperor has expressed his desire to respond to the needs of an ever-changing Japan with a special focus on two areas. First, he believes that it is important to tolerate and celebrate the (social) diversification of Japan. Second, he wishes to use his influence to focus on global water issues.

Guided by an ever-expanding understanding of the pervasive Japanese motif of ”old and new” I am rather unsurprised by the great flexibility of the imperial house to maintain its history while existing reasonably in a modern world that has largely moved past monarchies. 

However, I was surprised to learn of the emperor’s advice towards embracing diversity. I am not certain what this diversity fully entails from the phrase “lifestyles and value systems,” but a society that considers itself to be largely homogeneous this is certainly intriguing. Whether this diversity includes the increased rates of intermarriage between Japanese and non-Japanese people; Japanese enthnic minorities such as the Buraku people, the Ainu people, the Brazilian Japanese, etc; or members of the homosexual community who may be on the verge of receiving the legal right to marry, only time can tell.

The emperor's views on water (especially that they were supposedly maintained from a young age) was also surprising. Because water is not currently an issue in Japan, this marks “a new departure for the imperial house”: a global one. This is particularly interesting as the Japanese emperor exists largely for the sake of the Japanese people yet is putting attention elsewhere.

In the next five or ten years, it will be interesting to see how the emperor and empress do or do not make a significant impact relative to these goals. 

Softbank takes 80% stake in WeWork with $9.5 billion bailout

A story that has shaken the world of Silicon Valley venture capital is starting to draw to a close, as the co-working space company WeWork accepted a $9.5 billion bailout from the Softbank Group. Until recently, WeWork was considered the biggest “unicorn” ever: while achieving a $1 billion valuation as a startup company is so rare that investors refer to them as “unicorns” or “whales”, WeWork achieved the unprecedented valuation of $47 billion in January of this year. After many months of being courted by bulge-bracket investment banks, the company finally filed for an Initial Public Offering in April, followed by a public S-1 filing in August 2019.

The S-1 revealed enormous cracks in the company’s facade, however, culminating in an 80%+ reduction in valuation. Investors questioned how a company that burned through an astounding $1.6 billion last year could ever turn a profit; pointed out that WeWork was really a real estate company branding itself as a technology company; and began to regard WeWork’s valuation as untenable. Its founder, Adam Neumann had questionable management practices that ranged from leaving a cereal box full of marijuana in a private jet to changing WeWork’s name to the We Company (a name that Neumann had previously trademarked, which he charged the company $9 million for using).

The bailout brings Softbank’s share in the company to 80%; while it continues to have no voting control in the company, Softbank executive Marcelo Claure has been newly appointed as WeWork’s Executive Chairman. While Neumann has negotiated himself a $600+ million exit package, WeWork now faces a difficult road to financial health as it struggles with its enormous liabilities.

Softbank invested in WeWork through Softbank Vision Fund 1, a $100 billion dollar investment vehicle focused on leading growth-stage technology companies. The Vision Fund makes *minimum* investments of $100 million, is backed by exceptionally wealthy limited partners such as the sovereign Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, and has a portfolio that includes Uber, Slack, Doordash, Cruise Automation, 10X Genomics, Guardant Health, NVIDIA, Vir Biotechnology, and Didi.

The Vision Fund’s resources are so unprecedented in scale that they are altering the entire growth equity and venture capital landscape in the Americas and around the world, contributing to the ballooning valuations that indicate bubbles in both the software and biotechnology industry verticals. With this power, however, comes sloppiness - under its pressure to invest such a massive sum of money, its investment team has amassed a reputation within the investment world as being sloppy, ineffective, and too easily influenced by trends in Silicon Valley. While some venture capital investors specifically pride themselves on investing the “right” amount of capital to efficiently help a company and its founders grow, Softbank appears to be so limited by its own size that some investors even consider it a red flag when a company is part of the Softbank portfolio.

Masayoshi Son, the CEO & Chairman of Softbank and a member of the Investment Committee of Softbank Investment Advisers, infamously rests his investment thesis on the idea that Softbank should invest in companies that may grow 300 years in the future. The way things stand now, it doesn’t appear that WeWork will be one of them.

- Arjun Kumar

Supplemental Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2019/09/23/the-wild-over-the-top-story-of-wework-the-once-heralded-unicorn-is-now-under-the-microscope/#233ee7674342

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/masayoshi-son-mulls-cautious-investment-strategy-for-vision-fund-2.html

https://visionfund.com/portfolio

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide: Bullying in Japan

Of all the articles we have read so far, the topic of bullying is something we can more readily interact with. American students are no strangers to bullying, in all its forms. However, it may come as a surprise to Americans regarding how serious of an issue bullying is in Japan. Bullying in Japan cannot be seen as a problem, it is wholly a crisis.

The article begins by recounting that national bullying cases skyrocketed 31% from last year leaving the new total at 543,933 students.  It is hard to interpret this statistic as anything other than dismal, but that is exactly how the Japanese government chose to view it. Stating that it demonstrates, “result of its efforts to get school officials and teachers to actively identity bullying cases.”

The article then goes to state a nebulous term titled, “grave situations”, when a bullying encounter turns more “serious”. While efforts have been placed to making sure these are stopped, it seems to only exacerbate the issue. For context, cases of “grave situations” increased to 602, up 128 from the previous year.

When “grave situations” occur, schools and administrative boards are required by law to serve as a “probe” and report findings to the bullying victims and their family. There seems to be a clear trepidation from authorities to get involved in bullying. The most common reasons include fear of association, a priority to silence the issue rather than solve, or simply, lack of attention. Even in the verbiage of the law, there is clear lack of intervention. The law states that the only requirement is to report any findings, not necessarily tackle said issues.

This fear-driven “hands off” approach can be seen in its extremes through a case cited in the article. A 15-year old boy in Kawaguchi complained of being bullied by several students and tried killing himself three times—the last attempt of which left him temporarily wheelchair-bound. Later, the boy did take his own life. This entire situation happened in the presence of a law-bound “probe”. Through personal anecdote and objective numbers, the probe system clearly is ineffective. And for such a salient issue, it comes as a shock when the climate surrounding bullying has remained generally unchanged.

I currently live in a host family with two children, a teenage boy and adolescent girl. The latter is an absolute firecracker. Filled with joyful energy, undeniable charm, and courageous independence, she is seemingly a parents’ dream. However, when speaking to our mother, she voiced her concerns—the fear of her daughter getting bullied. She explained, that bullying occurs to those who “stand out”. There is comfort in a group, and when someone deviates from that—through looks, personality, and interests—that comfort is disrupted.  We often talk about the value of Japanese homogeneity such as preservation of culture and a strong countrywide ethos. However, this issue points to another side of this group mentality.

For there to be a rising sun, there must also exist a wistful night.   

Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof except it's not actually from Fiddler on the Roof

The enthronement of Emperor Naruhito occured last week, albeit without the accompanying parade due to the typhoon. Although the enthronement ceremony is often heralded as “traditional,” the word “traditional” does not properly show the efforts of current and past emperors to embrace “modern” international approaches to many different things. Aesthetically, the ceremony is an explosion of “tradition”: the traditional wear and the very traditional-looking ceremonial procedures feel and look very “traditionally Japanese,” but using the word “tradition” in this sense only loosely describes the enthronement ceremony and does not accurately represent the imperial system as a whole. 

The enthronement ceremony and any similar ceremonial procedures may look traditional, but the actions of the Emperor fully embrace more “modern” thinking, especially concerning topics of societal diversity and tolerance. When thinking of Japan’s “traditions” as a country, one cannot forget the fact that Japan is “traditionally” culturally homogenous and not as welcoming to anything that does not fit into that “traditional” homogenous society. However, Emperor Naruhito appears to stress tolerance and societal diversity, deviating from this “traditional” and perhaps antiquated perspective. 

One of the interesting but only briefly discussed portions of the article was the fact that Empress Masako does not wish to only be valued as a womb to birth the next heir. This sort of thinking very much fits within the so-called “traditional” thinking, especially concerning the imperial family, but it is also an extremely antiquated way of thinking that Empress Masako wishes to see changed. These more “traditional” ways of thinking may be associated with the visuals of the enthronement ceremony, but that does not mean that they should be associated with the imperial family itself. 

An ever-growing number of school bullying cases

The article opens up with a startling statistic: students from elementary to high school reported 543,933 bullying cases in 2018, an all-time high. The number of “grave situations,” where bullied students experience extreme physical and psychological harm, is also at a record high, at 602 cases. A few students have also committed suicide, and after one notable case in 2011, a law was passed in 2013 to ensure that teachers would not turn a blind eye on bullying. However, many people have complained that the law is ineffective, as a 15-year boy fell to his death in a probable suicide in September 2019. The boy had attempted suicide three times before his death, and only after the third attempt did his teachers and school board make a feeble attempt to stop the bullying. Obviously, it did not work, as the boy ended up dead anyways.

I was most surprised to learn from this article that teachers also reported that they felt bullied by other teachers, and even when teachers were being bullied, the principal ignored the problems.

At first, while reading the article, I thought that maybe so many students were getting bullied because of apathetic teachers. But after hearing that teachers were also being bullied, I think that maybe there is a part of Japanese culture that dissuades people from getting involved in other people’s business. Perhaps Japanese people are a little repressed and are reluctant to share their emotions or help others in emotional turmoil?

In my American high school, every year we had a week called “Speak Up for Change Week,” which was a week focusing on mental health and anti-bullying, etc. We also had designated school counselors/therapists with whom students could make an appointment to talk about mental health. I think it was quite similar to Stanford’s CAPS (although I never went). The national bullying average in 2016 was 20.8% of students, which meant that around 1 out of 5 students reported to being bullied. It’s already 7.2% lower than the average in 2005, when bullying statistics were first collected. I think the average at my high school was probably even less. Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center says, “School-based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25%.” While I was in high school, I thought that “Speak Up for Change” was useless since bullying was pretty much obsolete at my school already, but maybe “Speak Up for Change” was the reason why bullying was obsolete. If Japan starts placing importance on mental health and anti-bullying campaigns, I think Japan can reduce its bullying problem.

Sources:

https://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/stats.asp

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43254.pdf

Deeper than tradition: Japan's enthronement illustrates an evolving imperial house

Deeper than tradition: Japan's enthronement illustrates an evolving imperial house

Written by: Kenneth Ruoff, The Japan Times - October 22, 2019

Nolan Matcovich - October 29, 2019

This Japan Times article discusses the importance and scope of last week's enthronement ceremony, and talks about Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's intention for their upcoming reign. The author, Kenneth Ruoff, notes that "The imperial house,... has long survived not because of its stubborn attachment to traditions but quite the opposite — because it has changed to suit evolving social conditions throughout its history," saying that "Tolerance is likely to be an especially important theme for the Reiwa monarchy." He talks about the fact that some of this stems from the increased diversification of Japan under his father's reign during the Heisei era, and that Emperor Naruhito hopes to continue this in his upcoming era by accepting diversity "'with a spirit of tolerance while seeking to further develop it through the mutual encouragement of each other.'"

In addition to his emphasis on diversity, one thing I found particularly interesting was Emperor Naruhito's interest in more international involvement. He is particularly interested in paying more attention to the global issue of water (made up of sub-issues such as lack of access to clean water and water scarcity), which Ruoff notes is a departure from previous topics of attention for the imperial house, which has traditionally focused more on helping more vulnerable parts of Japanese society, such as natural disaster victims and others. This new role as a leader in bringing about positive change in global water issues and its international-over-domestic implications creates a striking resemblance between the Japanese imperial family and members of the British royal family, who are also very involved in international relief efforts and other international issues, in addition to British domestic issues.

A key difference, however, is the British royal family's position as heads of state throughout the Commonwealth realms, meaning that international relief efforts in parts of the Caribbean and Oceania are actually relevant to their duties as members of the royal family. Due to the UK's role in the Commonwealth, the royal family are also involved in international aid and relief programs and campaigns in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The Japanese imperial family, however, will need to build these sorts of ties in order to make its involvement in improving global issues relating to water more impactful and long-lasting. Additionally, due to Japan's problematic imperial history abroad, the imperial family especially will need to work to redefine its image in Asia in order to work meaningfully with Asian countries in which water problems are prevalent.

Japan cries 'Help wanted,' but few foreigners heed the call

Like the article that I read last week, the one about women moving from rural areas to big cities, the article “Japan cries 'Help wanted,' but few foreigners heed the call” is concerned about demographic changes in Japan. Specifically, it talks about the lack of workers in semi-skilled jobs. The article mentions 2 out of the 14 fields that workers can work in, which are nursing industry and the food service industry. Japan plans to bring in 345,000 semiskilled workers over the next five years, targeting Southeast Asia countries, but so far has only reached 0.1% of that quota in half a year.

The article tries to find reasons why so few people have been accepted into the program. Japanese companies themselves are reluctant to pay foreigners as much as native workers, which they would be required to under the new law. Furthermore, the countries which Japan hopes to take workers from, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, aren’t letting their citizens go. 

The article leaves out a lot of details though. According to an Economist article, “Japan’s plan to let in more low-skilled migrants is half-baked”, the new semi-skilled immigration laws are incomplete and confusing. For example, bosses will have to help their new foreign employees learn Japanese, but the laws don’t specify how. Japan hasn’t set up many of the necessary test centers for assessing workers’ Japanese fluency and skills. The Japantimes article only described one change that Japan made from its old system, which is that companies now have to pay new semi-skilled workers the same amount of money as Japanese workers. However, it  seems that more changes to Japan’s workplace environments need to be made before more foreigners will “heed the call.”

Apparently, according to NPR, this law was passed in response to pressure from the business community and against Prime Minister Abe’s right-wing supporters. I think Japan is making a step in the right direction, but not enough change has been made yet in terms of people’s opinions of foreign workers. The Economist article interviewed a Chinese woman who said that she feels like she got “tricked” into working in Japan and would not work any longer unless the laws changes to be kinder to foreign workers. I think if I were to want to work in Japan, I would only do so once Japanese culture changes to welcome foreigners, not just the laws.

Sources: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000459527.pdf

https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/02/28/japans-plan-to-let-in-more-low-skilled-migrants-is-half-baked

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/07/674548447/facing-critical-labor-shortage-japan-opens-door-wider-to-foreign-workers

Complication at the Immigration Station

As many are aware, Japan's aging population has caused strains many industries, from nursing homes to restaurants. As such, the country is trying to encourage worker immigration through a new visa program that hopes to bring in 400,000 new employees in 5 years. However, they fell short of their yearly goal of 40,000 by 99%: only 376 immigrants were granted visas. What happened?

From the article, there seem to be 3 main issues.

1) Japan requires entrants to pass the visa eligibility exam to enter. Other articles state the exam contains a N4 language requirement, which even some fluent conversational speakers have trouble passing. Some Japanese descendants living in over countries (like Brazil) who have family in Japan find it difficult to reunite long-term because of this restriction. So, if Japanese family members have trouble passing this test, what hope do immigrants with no prior Japanese connection have? It seems that among Asia, the Philippines and Japan are the only countries to hold such a barrier. Ultimately, this exam might encourage workers to switch to easier-to-enter countries instead.

2) New laws require companies to pay immigrants the same amount as native Japanese. Though this seems like a move in the direction of equality, it seems to have hindered foreigners' job prospects in Japan.

To many small businesses in the countryside, this equal-pay rule is annoying and discourages them from hiring foreigners. Perhaps this is due to xenophobia, or perhaps this is due to workers from Southeast Asian countries (like Vietnam) typically being willing to work for much lower wages. Now that there's no financial incentive to hire a potentially "cheaper" immigrant, why not just hire more Japanese? (After all, there will be less training required for someone who already lives in the country.) So, immigrants coming to Japan might find it harder to find work at all.

3) Perhaps a Japanese job is not as desirable as it once was. The wage gap between Singapore and Japan is barely 10% now and shrinking. ($1159 to $1032 a month for restaurant workers) So, while in the past, it would have made economical sense for a Singaporean to emigrate to Japan to enjoy a 50% wage boost, now that other countries have caught up, there is no reason to work here in the first place.

Japan's GDP has not increased much since the 1990's, while Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and China have swelled. This seems to have decreased Japan's influx of foreign workers, which exacerbates Japan's problem of having a low working-age population. Unfortunately, this might cause a positive feedback loop, as fewer workers will lead to even lower GDP. Hopefully, with the right political action, Japan can bolster immigration enough to smooth out its population pyramid once and for all.

Japan to participate in U.S. lunar exploration program

I am going to start out my blog post by mentioning I know NOTHING about traveling into space so that’s why I picked this article! : )

The article I chose this week highlights Japan’s announcement of joining the United State’s program called “Artemis” which has plans to land on and explore the moon by 2024.

The article also mentions how “Japan will provide devices for a life-support system, air-conditioning equipment and batteries” etc. Japan has created a “next-generation cargo transporter, HTV-X” which will send supplies to astronauts and individuals exploring both the moon and Mars. There is a plan to create a base called “Lunar Gateway” which will serve as a base located on the moonand  “will feature living quarters for astronauts, laboratories and docking ports for spacecraft going to and from the Moon” (https://www.engadget.com/2019/10/18/japan-nasa-artemis-lunar-gateway/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACpIwgANj12pR71OLxGK1oZfdP_wNVY95LMLDon4T8QsLULbINobvl9zzx6vpr8N0SfgzXV_xqmQ3VFqmBH73HkpZcSBB6YHuxsj4XOKkBoRMn0RbB-dKkTGpXvARayhhxEIoLzV7MZUnIDHUaEPo4xKpuJhKdoBREUl42_tjt_Z).

However, Yoshiyuki Kasai’s quote within the article mentions that Japan has agreed to participate in this program in order to “strengthen [Japan’s] relationship of trust with the United States” and that Japan “[expects] Japanese astronauts will be able to take part in travel to the moon.” There is no formal agreement that states Japanese astronauts will be going into space, however they have agreed to participate in the program. 

I really hope the United States agrees to let Japanese astronauts go into space and be right there on the moon rather than only behind the scenes producing the technology to allow other astronauts from other nations to do so. Having astronauts on the moon will inspire younger generations to get involved with space exploration and producing technology to do so. I think this is a really exciting opportunity for Japan because they have never sent anyone to the moon before. When the United States first landed on the moon, the whole nation was inspired and it gave the whole country a big boost of moral. 

The United States is a leader in space exploration and I see this is an amazing chance to both strengthen international relationships with our allies and also allow our allies to explore exciting endeavors in their countries. 

Japan to participate in U.S. lunar exploration program

Aircraft development in Japan was banned for seven years after World War II, driving aerospace engineers around the country out of work and seriously hurting the country’s technical abilities. After the Treaty of San Francisco, aircraft development was able to resume, and Japan began experimenting with small rockets primarily for aircraft use - starting with the successful launch of a rocket the size of a large pencil in 1955.

Led by the newly-formed University of Tokyo Aerospace division, Japan became the fourth country (after the USSR, USA, and France) to successfully launch its own artificial satellite into orbit. The launch of Ōsumi in 1970 required technical collaboration with the US space program on high-efficiency batteries, setting precedent for US-Japanese technical collaboration extending beyond civilian and military applications and into space.

Since the end of the Cold War Space Race, space exploration has focused heavily on the development of commercial satellites and military reconnaissance satellites in low earth orbit, as well as unmanned study of the lunar and Martian surfaces and telescope-based observations. The last manned lunar mission was the US’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972, and with President Trump’s interest in positioning the United States as a technologically superior power amid rising concerns of waning US hegemony, the United States has renewed its efforts to return human astronauts to the lunar surface.

NASA’s current Artemis moon program aims to put a space station, known as the Gateway, in lunar orbit to serve as a waypoint, staging area, and safe haven for astronauts conducting missions on the surface of the moon. NASA aims to have the core power and propulsion module and a habitation module in lunar orbit by the year 2024, with an ambitious goal of returning humans to the moon in the same year.

Japan’s Committee on National Space Policy announced that Japan would participate in this international collaboration up until at least 2024. JAXA is expected to provide a life-support system, air-conditioning equipment, and batteries for the Gateway. The status of Japan’s participation from 2025 onwards remains unannounced due to potential budgetary uncertainties.

Japan is the second international partner to commit to participating in the program, after Canada announced its support in February of this year. In addition to its technical and logistical support, Japan is also exploring further involvement in Artemis’s lunar surface exploration, with the eventual hope of landing a Japanese astronaut on the moon for the first time.

- Arjun Kumar

Supplemental sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_space_program

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/10/21/nasas-moon-program-winning-international-support/

LGBT+ life is becoming easier in Japan, but not compared to its competitors

LGBT+ life is becoming easier in Japan, but not compared to its competitors

"Japan's LGBT+ progress outpaces politics"

Written by: Rurika Imahashi, Nikkei Asian Review - October 15, 2019

Nolan Matcovich - October 22, 2019

This article focuses on how, in a number of ways, Japan's progress on LGBT rights issues in recent years has been led much more extensively by municipalities, courts, companies, and ministries, while the national and most prefectural governments have done little to introduce bills or implement laws about LGBT rights issues, such as marriage equality and anti-discrimination measures. After featuring stories from this past year about unofficial recognition of LGBT relationships being used by ministries and local governments as grounds for halting deportation orders and issuing residency permits, among other things, the article can be split into three main parts. First, the author details the increasing trend of recognition of same-sex unions in municipalities (and one prefecture) across Japan, sparked by Shibuya's move to do so four years ago. Second, she discusses the effects of a lack of a national recognition of same-sex marriages or unions on business in Japan, and lastly, she talks about the Abe government's stance on same-sex marriage legislations and tactics, namely those based around the constitution, that many opposition politicians have accused him and his party of using to stall the political discussion on legalizing same-sex marriage.

Most surprisingly for me, however, was the issue of the current state of LGBT rights in Japan's effects on the business community here. One of the main talking points was that due to its shrinking and aging population, Japan needs to compete with countries in Europe, North America, and Oceania to attract foreign skilled workers to its companies. However, with a lack of same-sex marriage recognition and other laws that prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination and would help normalize LGBT culture in Japanese society, Japan does not fare well in this competition when it comes to attracting foreign skilled workers from the LGBT community. Japan is the only member of the G7 and one of a small handful of members of the OECD that does not formally recognize same-sex relationships. The article describes the situation of Moriaki Kida, regional chief operating officer consultancy EY Japan, who "laments that several of his colleagues have left Japan because it does not offer legal protection for their same-sex partners or their children." Kida has had much more personal experiences with that same lack of legal protections for LGBT couples, when he and his husband, a British citizen, moved from the US three years ago. His husband, not eligible for a spouse visa which would have allowed him to work, instead had to forfeit employment and take Japanese language classes to qualify for a long-term student visa.

This is an issue that I had previously thought about from almost all of its angles, but realized while reading this article that I had never actually thought of the issue as a whole in this way, despite its very real applications to my own life. For the past fourteen years, Japanese language and culture have been an immense part of my life, and as someone who loves traveling and spending time abroad, including in Japan, whether or not I am considering moving to Japan has been a question I have gotten quite often. For the past eight years, I have identified as gay. Over the last couple of years, when people has asked me about moving to Japan, my answers have ranged anywhere from an ever-shrinking time period to a flat out "no, not really."

There is a much wider range of reasons as to why I am hesitant to move to Japan long-term, but reading this article, I realized that Kida's and other people's experiences concisely combine many of those reasons. Moving here, I would be less likely to face public discrimination than I would be in most countries in Africa, the Middle East, or Central Asia, but it's still not great, especially compared to my other options of staying in the US or moving to Canada or Europe. And having to worry about whether or not my husband or partner and I would be able to receive the same benefits of government recognition certainly doesn't help that. In many senses, I am one of these "skilled workers" Japan would want to attract but, unless quite a bit changes, almost certainly won't. While it is encouraging to see Japanese society and local governments moving forward on acceptance of the LGBT community, at the end of the day, the national government is what must make considerable changes for people in my position to want to settle here.

気持ちいい？

気持ちいい？

This blog post is in regards to the article "Japan's LGBT+ progress outpaces politics" by Nikkei Asian Review.

The Situation

Japan appears to be on the verge of a civil rights breakthrough related to its LGBT community. This past year (2019) has had multiple instances of legal progress for LGBT peoples at the scale of "local governments, courts and even ministries" while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe remains reticent. One of the barriers to the legalization of gay marriage is related to the Japanese constitution's heteronormative definition of marriage. This constitution has been never been altered since it was authored after the war. However, there are those who say that amendment of the constitution is not necessary to allow gay marriage. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that much of Japan is in favor of legalizing gay marriage and the "business community" has also expressed this sentiment.

The Interesting Stuff

A Focus on Foreigners

This recent progress in the Japanese LGBT community's condition seems to be tied to LGBT foreigners. Most of the cases presented in the article were affordances provided to couples with one member not originally from Japan. This suggests that these legal allowances may have an ulterior motive of contributing to the solutions of Japan's diminishing population issue. Even the support of the "business community" is due to a desire to attract top talent which may be LGBT. It is fascinating to observe how this motif of sacrificing Japanese traditional values to solve its very modern problem of population loss permeates many of the social and political issues it faces. We have seen this is other articles from this class, and I imagine we will see it over and over again as we progress.

Politics Over Pathos

I found the politically abstracted nature of this issue interesting and somewhat disturbing. As a 20-year-old bisexual male, I have never been a part of an LGBT civil rights cause nor have I had the misfortune of experiencing homophobia, especially not at a systemic or governmental level. Without first hand knowledge, I suppose I have always assumed the progression of a civil rights movement to be largely one of emotion and values. However, from this article, it seems that values are far less important than constitutional implications, population and immigrant attraction, and economic benefit.

Expatriation

The article mentions that many gay Japanese people have left Japan in favor of places where they may express their identities more freely and with legal protections. Related to the above motif, Japan may be able to conserve its population better if it follows through with gay marriage legalization. Only the coming years can tell, but this seems likely to be a factor in the decision.

Cries of Silence: Child Poverty in Japan

This opinion piece, compared to past weeks, had a much more personal feel to it. The author, Masanori Mochida (President and Representative Director of Goldman Sachs Japan), details the child poverty crisis in Japan. He explains the current situation; it’s dire repercussions, and deceptive nature.

The most publicized facts about Japan are its booming economy, work ethic, and emphasis on stirring growth of a younger generation. With all of these values directly benefiting children, the natural conclusion is that they are in good hands. This is even true for Japanese people, as Mochida illustrates through his personal anecdote. It took a visit to a Japanese children’s home for Mochida, about 25 years into his career, to realize the severity of the issue. To put into graspable statistics, one in seven Japanese children lives in relative poverty. The number skyrockets to one in two for single-parent households.

Mochida presents many analyses that give perspective into the gravity of the issue: the benefits of attending to it, and the consequences of neglect. For example, tackling the situation would boost domestic consumption and add to the nation’s declining taxpayer base. On the contrary, ignoring them will lead to decreased work force and will eventually break an already overloaded social security system. The most striking statistic follows this same vein: providing training to youngsters that leads to employment would lead to a net societal benefit of 70-100 million yen. The cost of not providing such training is 50-60 million yen. Thus, there is an effective 120-160 million yen, plus economic stability, dependent on the future generation.

Mochida also describes current efforts being made in response to the crisis. This includes many government-backed initiatives, collaborations with nonprofits, and pushes in local government to be more involved.  All of these are proving to be effective, as economic analyses show a promising trend. However, as has been made evidently clear, this is no invitation to ease up and lose intensity.

Mochida concludes by saying that this is not an individual issue, in terms of both the victims and benefactors.  This is a longstanding issue, and one that requires a sustained effort. This all begins with one thing: awareness.

Death toll rises in the wake of Typhoon Hagabis, belying other costs of the typhoon

Reports the first Monday (Oct. 14) after Typhoon Hagibis put the death toll from the season’s 19^th typhoon at 56. A week later, this number rose to 80. At least 100 were injured. Widespread flooding from heavy rains forced about 38,000 people across 17 prefectures to evacuate, and 3,700 homes were flooded throughout the country. Further, heavy rains caused 37 rivers to burst their banks, causing floods and landslides in nearby areas. 138,000 households were without water and 53,000 without power the Monday after the typhoon landed in Japan.

The aftereffects of Typhoon Hagabis also brings into question the capability of the Japanese government to respond to natural disasters, especially with possible effects from Typhoons Neoguri and Bualoi. Schools in areas affected by Hagabis (Oct. 12-13) only reopened on Oct. 21, speaking to the extensive damage caused by flooding. The economic effects of flooding are also staggering, and the cost of damaged farm crops is estimated to be as high as 70 billion yen (64.5 USD). Floodwaters affected 10 bullet trains in a Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train yard in Nagano, and full-scale operations of the Hokuriku line may not resume for some time.

Although Japan may be a country accustomed to the effect of typhoons considering their frequency, the impact caused by typhoons vary, and ones that hit hard, hit hard. This is especially true when considering typhoon damage to hospitals, which may require electricity and water to maintain the health of critical care patients. Additionally, hospitals in affected areas may be unable to care for new cases caused by the typhoon due to the impact of the typhoon on the hospital building itself, e.g. flooding and lack of running water.

Neoguri and Bualoi may bring more rains to areas still recovering from the damage caused by Hagabis. Neoguri is no longer a typhoon and has been deemed low intensity by the Japan Meteorological Agency, and the center of Bualoi is on course to narrowly miss Japan at the time of writing.

Additional sources:
https://japantoday.com/category/national/Meteorological-Agency-warns-of-more-rain-mudslide-risk-in-typhoon-hit-areas
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20191021/p2a/00m/0na/007000c
https://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/1921.html
https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0006098293?fp=6ef63bf6e6482389a06e2ff480496daf