1. The population of Japan has dropped for six straight years. Just 1.03 million were born last year, the lowest since the end of World War II, while 1.24 million died, the second-highest (2011 was worse because of that Fukushima disaster) in the post war era. Demographers predict that the 128 million current population will drop to 87 million in 2060, when 40% of the population will be 65 or older (it is currently 20%). In 1950, the average mother had 4 children. The birthrate has dropped to 1.39. While Monaco has the highest median age at 48.9, Japan is #2 at 44.6, but Italy is #3 with 44.3 and Germany is #4 with 43.7. The USA is #59 at 36.9. The lowest three are Uganda 15.0, Niger 15.2 and Mali 16.2. It is pretty clear that the growing population of Africa will pose huge problems.
2. There are 1.5 million people of Japanese ancestry in Brazil, most near San Paulo (the above photo was taken in this city), and 1.3 million in the U.S., with California being home to 272,000 (less than 1% of state) and Hawaii with 186,000 (14%).
3. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain (12,388 feet) in Japan, and only took its present form 10,000 years ago. The Hoei eruption of 1707 affected Osaka and Tokyo (lava flow reached this city and the ash was several inches thick). Since 781, Fuji has erupted 16 times, or an average of every 77 years. But that Hoei eruption was the last one, and that was 306 years ago! Japan will long suffer from the Fukushima nuclear cataclysm, and will be decimated by more earthquakes and tsunamis, but a serious eruption of Mount Fujii will be catastrophic. This is one of Hokusai's Mount Fuji prints, but he was born in 1760, more than 50 years after the last eruption.
3. How long will Shinzo Abe remain as prime minister? He was PM in 2006. Seven years and seven prime ministers later, he is back. Abenomics has worked. Around the time he was elected for his second stint, the Nikkei was below 9000. It now flirts with 15,000:
But the Nikkei was once up almost to 40,000:
The differential comparison is actually considerably worse, for the 2013 value of 39,000 is today closer to 75,000, or the Nikkei has a value today when at 15,000 only 20% of what it once was in 1989.
However, PM Abe has:
- pissed off China and South Korea with his nationalistic policies (which is affecting trade),
- lowered the value of the yen, which helps exporter companies but is seriously increasing the price of commodities at home, especially by increasing the consumer tax
- proposed a more aggressive defense budget (where the Constitution will need to be changed) and
- has indicated a strong preference for more nuclear power.
When all these policies begin to take effect, he will become so unpopular that he will by the end of next year be kicked out of office. Guaranteed! But that is the Japanese way of conducting national leadership. Their head of government makes difficult decisions for the good of the country (they absolutely, for example, must reactivate their nuclear reactors, for those 50 currently idle facilities have a value of at least half a trillion dollars if replaced by other options, and the masses are strongly against this).
4. I need some help from you readers out there, especially if you're from Japan. There is a long story to this, but there is a statue in the Jindaiji (Tokyo) Botanical Park that looks exactly like my deceased wife Pearl:
The sculpturer is Yasuo Bussi, and he created this statue in 1961. Interestingly enough, Pearl looked like this in 1961, but it's unimaginable that she was the model. I discussed with the staff of the park about the name of the model, and they said they would contact me if they were successful in their search. However, it has been more than a year since, so my question to you if you live in Japan is, do you have any idea? I Googled Yasuo Bussi and Yasuo Bushi, and found nothing. Thank you for your possible assistance.
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