Japan, Is the unsinkable Titanic sinking?

By, Uwe Paschen.
Since the triple disaster that hit Japan on March the eleventh 2011, the country has been thrown into limbo. No longer knowing which way to go.
Even though this state of paralysis especially in our political affairs is nothing new, it has reached its extreme now in manner of speaking.
Since WWII and especially since the recession that hit Japan in the 1980th the countries sociology has been  one of resignation even self defeat. In part maybe because Japan has not yet digested the shock of the foreign invasion in 1945 which was the first time in over a millennia that any one managed to invade the Japanese main Islands. Still this can not explain today's mind set that causes the countries politics, businesses and people alike to be unable to break free from this down ward spiral in which all seem to be engaged.
It is almost as if an entire nation has put its heads into the sand becoming paralysed of sorts and unable physically has well as sociologically to face reality and adjust allowing them to the facts at hand.
Subsequently making the decisions needed to readjust the course of this massive ship called Japan. Many hopped that after this catastrophic disaster that cost so many lives and caused such great damages, the countries institutions, politicians and businesses would finally wake up and allow the country to cease those devastating events and turn them into opportunities for a rebirth of this nation through a massive change of course all the way embracing a green revolution of sorts.
Wile many people took to the streets over the past three month and demanded such changes, which in it self is some thing rather remarkable for this country since people in general are rather quiet when it comes to politics and other such matter. Yet, we saw great demonstration and many stood up demanding radical changes.
However, nothing happened still. In stead politicians are still turning in circles causing a downward spiral of sorts. It is pathetic, frustrating and even infuriating to witness. Nevertheless, Japanese remain mostly quiet and take their fate with resignation almost.
The hopes are now fading and the people are going back to bury their heads into the sand. Hoping for a rebirth in another life time perhaps.
The real victims here are the upcoming generations that will inherit their parents and grandparents mismanagement of the country as well as that of the environment. Now is the time to make the needed changes and failing to do so will cause a much greater disaster down the road whose price tag and impact could not possibly be handled nor absorbed by any one.
"It is far better to have an end with great suffering than a great suffering with out end." Japan needs to suffer now and change course or it wont be able to live even less survive down the road. We need to exit nuclear power and all other fossil fuels now, and we need to implement renewable energy sources along with fair social policies and a restructuring of the work force to move that one from an outdate mind set to an innovative one.
Japan is well positioned to successfully achieve this transition, since it has the technology, the know how, the skilled labour force, the resources and nature it self at its disposition. From volcanoes to hot springs and to the sea, this country is field with untapped energy sources, allowing it to not only become energy self sufficient. Moreover, Japan has the potential to export energy produced from renewable sources to China, Russia and others has well, in form of electricity or Hydrogen fuel.
Will we do it though? We may need a green revolution to achieve it. For the mighty Oil and nuclear industries do not want to give up their monopolies readily. It will have to be pried away from them. In part because the main industries are scared of nothing more then the decentralisation of energy, since who ever holds the control over that energy, also has the power over the big players such as Monsanto, Toyota and others. They would have to deal with the masses now rather then with some monopolies in wish they have friends and relative. The people producing and selling renewable clean energy would also gain control over the big corporations that need the power to produce and sale their goods.
The people need to wake up and take control over their future and that of there descendants.  The time to change is now, for this may very well be our last chance to do so.

Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake strikes Japan

As the earthquake struck, I was working in our school, at first it seemed like just another earthquake. However, we all realised very quickly that this was going to be a major earthquake, one that will cause some serious damage and claim many lives.

As we left the building after all the students had been evacuated to the sports area, I saw just how powerful this quake was, as it managed to create great waves in the JH schools pool spreading its water ten meters or further away for that swimming pool.

Some of the students where terrified and so where some of the adults as well, even though all are well familiar with earthquakes, this earthquake was generating fear and panic in many.

I am a pragmatist at heard and believe that we should not fear death and I do not fear death it self, especially not if it was to strike me personally. However, I do fear to see others suffer and lose loved one’s or be severely injured.

Once the students where on their way home and the school was closed up, I tried my cell phone and e-mail as well text messaging system to contact loved one's and friends, expecting the worth and still hoping for the best. Nothing worked though; I just managed to get one twit out. Therefore, I decided to drive back home already fearing that I may not like what I will find. As I took the 51 all seemed normal at first other then a traffic jam, that one was going the other direction though since all tried to move away from the sea shore fearing a tsunami wile I was driving towards that shore since that is where our farm is and where I may find my wife as well.

As I drove suddenly traffic came to halt and those that could left the road and took a detour, soon I fund out why, one of the bridged had been raised by the earthquake creating a road block of sorts. As I looked around I saw fire engines and damaged buildings, that is when I realised that our area was hit much worth then the North of Chiba Kent, the further I drove South the worth it got. What normally takes me less then an hour drive took me well over two hours after the earthquake.

While I drove, I felt the after shocks every now and then and those where strong enough by them self but nothing compared to that initial earthquake.

As I kept on driving, the sun light gave way to the night and I saw no lights on, nor any stores open. The trains where still not moving either. Once I came atop of a hill all was dark as far as I could see, a very unusual sight for the prefecture of Chiba

That was when I realised that we lost power through out a waste area. On the radio finally a broadcast, a tsunami warning or rather that several areas had been hit by a tsunami some with four metre high waves and other with waves much higher, up to ten meters according to the radio station. Now I understood why every one was driving in the opposite direction then I was. Still, I had to get home and find my wife; at least I hoped I would find her there. However, for a moment a thought crossed my mind that I should be prepared not find her or that she may be hurt or even worth. I kept on driving and listening to the radio. It is some what ironic that all our great technology, satellites and gadgets cease to function in such a disaster and that all that remains in operation are some good old fashion FM radio waves and laud speakers. Some more news came through of two nuclear power stations leaking radioactive water and one that is at risk of melt down. As I heard this, I remembered the Chernobyl disaster in the former USSR, I was a chemical student in Germany back then and far away from it, still the radioactive fallout reached us as well, even though it was minimal compared to what the Russian had endured, it was still not something one could shrug off easily either.

Japan is a small country with and very densely populated, another Chernobyl would have far more causalities here then it did in the USSR back in the eighties.

Why in heavens name does any one put nuclear power stations in a country known to be prone for major earthquakes is something I never understood nor will I ever understand it either, there are far safer ways to produce electricity and far more environmentally friendly as well.

Finally I reached our Farm and jumped out the car calling my wife’s name, She was there, alive and well, but in shock and some how traumatised. She wondered how her parent where and then told me that the house was a mess, things all over the place and every thing broken as well. I quickly looked around and assessed the damage as best as I could with a flashlight.

What a mess it was in deed, but the main building was still safe and seemed to be structurally sound as well. 

Therefore, we set out to clean up some of all the broken things to be able to sit down and have some supper.

Fortunately the madjes salad I made the day before was still around since it was in the fridge even though the fridge was no longer where it was suppose to be, its contend was still there and some what okay.

As we had some of that herring and a glass of tea made from the water left in an emergency container, I suddenly remembered the Tsunami.

We have a GPS monitor for the navigation system, however, it can also be used for radio and TV, I asked my wife to find out what was what, since I do not understand every thing that is said especially on a bad reception and she does. The tsunami had already hit land by the time we listen to the latest newscast, fortunately our area was still high enough, but other areas where not so fortunate and many lives where lost. The tsunami claimed far more lives then the initial earthquake did.

A day has passed now; our neighbourhood head and leaders went to every farm to see if all where alive and well. Fortunately, in our community at least, no one was killed, we only lost some buildings and hard ware to the earthquake and that, even if it may not all be replaceable nor will we be able to afford to fix or replace most of it, but at least all where alive.

My wife finally received word from her parents that they where fine, just material losses.

I then set of to the city trying to find a place where I could send a message to my family letting them know that we were okay. I managed to get one message out and hoped that every one else will be notified form that person as well.

Then I had to find some more water since we where still out of electricity and our solar system was down as well. 
Once I got back home more bad news came over the news channel, A major explosion was reported at the Fukushima nuclear plant "number one." The experts did not know what would happen next though. However, the radio active levels reported by NHK where to be at 1051 micro-sieverts, knowing that an X-ray emits between 50 to 100 micro-sieverts, this was not good news at all.
I send a letter to our mayor, that we should organise a relocation program for all those that lost everything, so that they may at least have shelter again and wont have to live in tents or gymnasiums, especially the elders and youngest segment of the victims being the most vulnerable, and knowing that time is of essence to prevent further victims we need to be solidarian and work together now. There are still many empty building standing even in the the areas hit by the earthquake that need to be re-a-located by decree if necessary and many families whose homes have not been destroyed have enough room to welcome one or more people for a year or more until things get rebuild. The men that are in good health and strong need to volunteer a month or more to rebuild Japan and employers have to make accommodations to make this possible. 
This earthquake has devastated this area of Japan far be on what any single country, even a country as  highly advanced as Japan can possibly handle. The magnitude of devastation this earthquake has caused on its own. Even with out side help, it will take over a decade to recover from this last earthquake and to rebuild all the infrastructures. 
However, it will be impossible to recover from all the lives lost, for those are not replaceable.

More news will follow, for now that is what has happened here and I hope that the nuclear power plant will be safely powered down. 

"The Fukushima nuclear power plant. The evacuation radius has been raised to twenty kilometres. All safety futures have failed. Only the shell of the plant seems to remain.
Government agency are on high alert and NHK reported that the expert do not know what will happen at this point. The radiation is now at 1051 micro-sieverts"

The Japanese Farm ministry will raise the wheat price by 18% in April of this year

The Japanese government will raise the price for five major brands of imported wheat to be resold to flour milling companies by an average of 18 percent, starting in April due to rising wheat prices on the international market, so it announced last Wednesday. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said the planned action will bring the average price to 56,710 Yen ($620.00)per ton, which could translate into higher retail prices for bread and other wheat products. The average prices for basic food items in Japan are already one of the highest as is, making this latest price increase challenging for consumers through out the country.

In the U.S. for instance a loaf of bread cost around 130 Yen($1.60), where as in Japan that same loaf of bread does cost 360 Yen($4.10). The price difference between Japan and other Industrialized countries can vary to an even greater amount depending on the product. Apples for instance will cost per unit an average of 130 Yen ($1.40) Where as the same apple will cost only 32 Yen ($0.45) in the U.S.. Japan is overall one of the most expensive countries, even Japanese made products are far cheaper to purchase in North America or Europe then they are here in Japan. Still the difference in the price of food items can be dramatic at times.

Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio is the lowest of all advanced nations.
Australia is 237%, Canada 145%, USA 128%, France 122%, Germany 84%, England 70%, Italy 62%, Switzerland 49%, South Korea 47%, Japan 39%.
With one exception, being rice, for which Japan’s self-sufficiency is 100% and yet, even this segment of the Japanese agricultural sector is on  the brink of collapse, in large part due to an ageing rural population with an average of 65 years of age for farmers and with no one to take over those farms. Japan depends on imports for the majority of its food intake. This certainly not because of its climate nor its rich top soils, since Japan's climate and soils are most favorable for agricultural production that could easily make Japan a food exporting country and feed all it own people at the same time.

The trouble is that the Japanese policy makers have not only neglected the agricultural sector but more over they have sabotaged it in order to force the rural population to work in factories such as Toyota, this mainly to avoid having to allow massive immigration in of a foreign labor force to maintain and expand the export boom of the 1960^th and 70^th that Japan witnessed. Even today the driving force for reforms and changes such as allowing free trade as well as immigration into the country after opposing such so fiercely for decades is changing in part due to an aging population and an almost extinct rural population caused earlier by an exodus in favor of Japans heavy industry.

Rather then reviving its agriculture and insuring that Japan will be able to feed its own people and maybe even be able to export food through out the world, the government is neglecting the agricultural sector even further, promoting instead the revival of its industry and building factories in India and the US to insure its marked shares there. All the wile creating not only more unemployment at home and increasing the national deficit but also putting into jeopardy an aging population that needs to be taken care of.

The most important sector in this day an age of global unrest, food insecurity and climate changes is certainly not the profit margin of Toyota nor that of some stock holders, but rather insuring and securing the very basics of life, being food, shelter and peoples health.

It is crucial to revive and invest heavily into the agricultural sector again now, since it takes a very long time to get this sector going again as well as  train a new generation of Farmers to produce food efficiently and this with new environmentally sound methods. Certainly Japan is not the  only country to find it self in an agricultural crisis. Germany, Italy and many other countries find them self in a similar dilemma. However, Japan is by far in the worth of positions when it comes to its Agricultural sector. 
We can not afford to take any further risks here, since far to much is at stake as is.