2020 Japan Olympics

[Russell]

Just to throw a little more Hammer "yeah" into a predominantly "nay" thread ...

Hosting Olympics to lift Japan’s GDP by 0.5%: estimate

The 3 trillion yen economic effect I mentioned in a previous post was conservative, apparently. According to "a research institute" (whatever and whoever that is) it is now 4.2 trillion.

And remember, the effects start now, not in seven years time.

You couldn't have been more right.

In fact, it started retroactively already...

[Coligny]

Just to throw a little more Hammer "yeah" into a predominantly "nay" thread ...

Hosting Olympics to lift Japan’s GDP by 0.5%: estimate

The 3 trillion yen economic effect I mentioned in a previous post was conservative, apparently. According to "a research institute" (whatever and whoever that is) it is now 4.2 trillion.

And remember, the effects start now, not in seven years time.

You couldn't have been more right.

In fact, it started retroactively already...

This... or the two are totally unrelated...

maybee...

[legion]

Did you guys see the (drunk) gov's interview from Buenos Aires? He said something to the effect of, "We got past the media scare by giving them real data. That's the way to get through to gaijin, give them data!

It must be a real novelty for the Japanese government, dealing in data

[Taro Toporific]

Did you guys see the (drunk) gov's interview from Buenos Aires? He said something to the effect of, "We got past the media scare by giving them real data. That's the way to get through to gaijin, give them data!

It must be a real novelty for the Japanese government, dealing in data

As though the Japanese government's data can be trusted.
(So far, the atmospheric radiation measurements are real, but there's no practical way to check the veracity of the food measurements.)

[matsuki]

Did you guys see the (drunk) gov's interview from Buenos Aires? He said something to the effect of, "We got past the media scare by giving them real data. That's the way to get through to gaijin, give them data!

It must be a real novelty for the Japanese government, dealing in data

As though the Japanese government's data can be trusted.
(So far, the atmospheric radiation measurements are real, but there's no practical way to check the veracity of the food measurements.)

Abe said "All the food in Tokyo is being checked" which is a flat out lie...

[Taro Toporific]

(So far, the atmospheric radiation measurements are real, but there's no practical way to check the veracity of the food measurements.)

Abe said "All the food in Tokyo is being checked" which is a flat out lie...

Damn, I hate to say something nice about the government assholes, but Abe may have only misspoke/mistranslated/misunderstood. In theory, all Tokyo food could be rigorously/scientifically sampled for radiation contamination. If sampling is properly done statistically (I doubt Japanese probity), the food can be considered safe, just as now eggs are sampled to check for salmonella.

[Russell]

Fornicate, Taro, this is a powerful video. Very shocking.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Abe said "All the food in Tokyo is being checked" which is a flat out lie...

I'm no fan of Abe, but he hasn't said that.
He did lie by saying that what happened (is happening) in Fuckushima will not affect Tokyo.

[Marked Trail]

Time For Games
Our Man in Abiko (Patrick Sheriff) 2013/Sept/09
…It’s reasonable to point to the enormous costs and pointless public works that will pour billions into corporations’ hands at the expense of the taxpayers as Tokyo gets another 10 stadiums to squeeze into it’s already asphalted footprint. You could take the reasonable view that the Olympics are largely a waste of time and effort but if anyone can absorb the waste, Tokyo can.
But to Hell with reasonable.
It’s shameful.
It’s been two and half years since the tsunami, and still thousands of people are living in worn out temporary prefab houses in shanty towns. Many children don’t have access to playing fields, let alone neighbourhood schools. And that’s to say nothing of the continuing cock-up in Fukushima that proves day in and day out that 3/11 is not over.
But Tokyo can find an extra five billion bucks to bring the circus to town, get to wallow in the wholly unmerited symbolism of a nation that has overcome adversity, when in fact all it has done is overcome its guilt, happy to consign Tohoku to annual TV specials and to get on with selling Japan Inc. with added Olympic Spirit.
Continues…

[Marked Trail]

Making the rounds in #Japan:
Housing for Tokyo 2020 vs housing for Fukushima refugees

2020-Olympics-vs-Fukushima.jpg

Via Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi)'s twitter September 9, 2013

[Russell]

Making the rounds in #Japan:
Housing for Tokyo 2020 vs housing for Fukushima refugees

Well, after all, we have to keep our priorities straight, not?!?

[Taro Toporific]

Housing for Tokyo 2020 vs housing for Fukushima refugees

Well, after all, we have to keep our priorities straight, not?!?

No Chance Of 2020 Olympics Restarting Japan’s Economy
Forbes | 2013/09/09
. . . . “Tokyo 2020 Olympics could be shot in the arm for struggling Japan.”
. . . .. . . . –NBC News
. . . . “The successful 2020 Olympic bid signals new hope for Japan.”
. . . .. . . . –Time Magazine
So, that’s all it took. Twenty years of economic stagnation and all Japan needed to get back on its feet was that the summer Olympics be hosted in its capital. And after two decades of secular bear market, Japanese stocks are a buy again. Such a shame no one thought of this sooner.
If you believe that, I recommend you close your brokerage account, withdraw the cash balance in a duffel bag, and then douse it in gasoline and set it on fire. Because if you believe Japan is investable, you’re inevitably going to lose your money. We might as well just skip a few steps and go directly to the fiery duffel bag.
But aren’t the Olympic Games good for the economy?
That’s the received wisdom. But the evidence here is sketchy at best.
London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, and by the UK’s own estimates, ticket sales boosted British GDP by a whopping 0.2% in the third quarter of 2012. That’s hardly worth mentioning.
More…

[matsuki]

Abe said "All the food in Tokyo is being checked" which is a flat out lie...

I'm no fan of Abe, but he hasn't said that.
He did lie by saying that what happened (is happening) in Fuckushima will not affect Tokyo.

I could have swore I read it as Abe saying it but apparently it was Inose:

Inose, who said all food was checked for contamination when it was brought in from outside Tokyo and despite the levels being the same as you would find in New York because of the scare stories it was left unsold, said the government could not have taken action any earlier.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/06 ... z2eSPQ3W31

Two flat out lies in the same quote...this gaijin would like the "data" behind both those claims

...and Taro's video pretty much spells out what most of us were worried about. Contaminated Fukushima produce being mixed to reduce the levels of cesium just enough to be sold. How is the JA handling this shit?

[Russell]

China: 2020 Olympic success will depend on how Japan faces its history

Chinese state-run media offered Tokyo heavily qualified congratulations Monday for winning the right to host the 2020 Olympics, saying the event’s success would depend on Japan recognizing its World War II aggression.

“Japan should learn how to behave,” the Global Times said in an editorial that focused mostly on Beijing’s longstanding diplomatic rivalry with Tokyo.

The paper lamented Japan’s “lousy job in reflecting its misdeeds in World War II”, specifically pointing to visits by senior figures to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where the souls of the country’s war dead are enshrined including 14 Class A war criminals.

If visits continued, the editorial said, the world would reconsider whether “a country which has been paying high tribute to brutal war criminals for years is qualified to host such an event that advocates peace and harmony”.

The paper’s news story on the 2020 decision said analysts were urging Japan “to adjust its attitude on history to reflect its appreciation for peace as implied in the Olympic Spirit”.

Beijing and Tokyo are at loggerheads over disputed territory in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo, which calls them the Senkaku islands, but claimed by Beijing, which knows them as the Diaoyus.

In the editorial, which appeared in both the newspaper’s Chinese and English editions, the Global Times added: “The Olympics will produce some pressure for Japan to realize the importance of self-restraint.”

China’s foreign ministry side-stepped questions at a regular press briefing Monday on whether it would congratulate Tokyo on its winning bid.

“We have noted the decision by the International Olympic Committee,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.

Asked specifically whether China had offered congratulations, Hong said such a question should be directed to the Chinese Olympic Committee.

More

[Samurai_Jerk]

This is probably just a coincidence but people some people in Japan (or more specifically at my office) are wondering if it's retaliation for Tokyo winning the Olympic bid

Japanese tourist stabbed to death in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey —
A Japanese female tourist was stabbed to death and her companion seriously wounded in Turkey.

The dead woman was identified as Mai Kurihara, 22. Her companion, 22, whose name has not yet been released, is in a critical condition in hospital, police said. The two women were students from Niigata University, a Japanese embassy official said.

Mehmet Ceylan, the governor for Nevsehir province, said the attack occurred at around 1:45 p.m. Monday in Turkey’s central Cappadocia region, which is famous for its volcanic rock formations and its centuries-old underground cities.

The region is popular with Japanese tourists.

[Russell]

Kansai not overly enthusiastic about Tokyo landing Olympics

As Tokyo continues to celebrate landing the 2020 Summer Olympics, some people in Osaka are making noises about the Kansai region considering a future bid for the games.

While pleased the Olympics are returning to Japan, the level of public and media enthusiasm in Osaka and the rest of Kansai is far less than what has been seen in Tokyo.

Like critics elsewhere, there is much concern in Kansai over the water leaks plaguing the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. There has even been local speculation that the International Olympic Committee might be forced to consider taking the games away from Tokyo if the problems at Fukushima worsen over the next couple of years.

At the same time, Tokyo’s victory has revived the dream among some Osaka officials of someday hosting the Olympics. On Tuesday, Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto hinted he might support that idea.

“Not merging Osaka Prefecture, Osaka city, and Sakai definitely means that we won’t be able to go after the Olympics,” Hashimoto told reporters.

Hashimoto was using the prospect of an Osaka Olympics to entice Sakai voters to cast their ballots for Katsutoshi Nishibayashi, 43, the Nippon Ishin candidate in the Sept. 29 mayoral election, and thus for the merger.

Nishibayashi is trying to unseat Mayor Osami Takeyama, 63, who opposes the merger plan. For his part, Takeyama expressed puzzlement at Hashimoto’s suggestion.

“The Olympics have nothing to do with the Osaka integration plan,” he said, jokingly adding that Osaka will host the Olympics after Kansai governments are united as a regional block, meaning never.

Osaka Gov. and Nippon Ishin Secretary-General Ichiro Matsui also hinted that he would love to see an Osaka Olympics but admitted this is unlikely to happen soon.

“There probably won’t be an Osaka Olympics while I’m alive,” the 49-year-old governor said Monday.

Osaka launched a bid for the 2008 Olympics but was badly beaten by Beijing.

Its plan was criticized by the International Olympic Committee as flawed, and by Diet members in the ruling and opposition camps, as well as many in Tokyo, as a waste of money.

Public support was tepid, but the bid was heavily backed by major Kansai and Osaka-based firms, especially Kansai Electric Power Co. and Osaka Gas, as well as major construction companies.

Many of these firms continue to support the idea of an Osaka Olympics.

More

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics, but now that Tokyo has it, they can shake it for the next three decades at least. Their only "hope" is that Fukushima becomes so bad that Tokyo ceases to be a viable staging place. But if that happens, Kansai is probably neither safe...

[Samurai_Jerk]

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics

You need to qualify that statement.

[wagyl]

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics

You need to qualify that statement.

I think it might be closer to Mt Olympus, marginally.

[Russell]

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics

You need to qualify that statement.

I think it might be closer to Mt Olympus, marginally.

OK, let me explain.

1. Kansai is further away from Fukushima,

2. Olympics have never been held in Kansai,

3. Kansai is indeed closer to Mt Olympus (maybe).

Then again, the headquarters of Olympus is in Tokyo...

[wagyl]

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics

You need to qualify that statement.

I think it might be closer to Mt Olympus, marginally.

OK, let me explain.

1. Kansai is further away from Fukushima,

2. Olympics have never been held in Kansai,

3. Kansai is indeed closer to Mt Olympus (maybe).

Then again, the headquarters of Olympus is in Tokyo...

Sadly, by those arguments, Kansai is trumped by Istanbul. Further from Fukushima, never hosted, most definitely closer to Mt Olympus. They even have a branch office.

[Russell]

To be honest, Kansai would have been a more logical place to stage the Olympics

You need to qualify that statement.

I think it might be closer to Mt Olympus, marginally.

OK, let me explain.

1. Kansai is further away from Fukushima,

2. Olympics have never been held in Kansai,

3. Kansai is indeed closer to Mt Olympus (maybe).

Then again, the headquarters of Olympus is in Tokyo...

Sadly, by those arguments, Kansai is trumped by Istanbul. Further from Fukushima, never hosted, most definitely closer to Mt Olympus. They even have a branch office.

Did I tell you I was actually in favor of Istanbul?

[wuchan]

Le-Canard-Enchaine_2669102b.jpg

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Le-Canard-Enchaine_2669102b.jpg

I love the way the French can be openly racist in their newspapers even well into the 21st century...

[Taro Toporific]

French-Fukushima-cartoon_gr.jpg

French Fukushima cartoon offends Japan
theguardian.com | /2013/sep/12
The cartoon, which appeared on Wednesday in the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine, shows two sumo wrestlers – each with an extra arm or leg – with the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the background.
At the edge of the panel, a TV announcer dressed in a hazardous materials suit says: "Marvellous! Thanks to Fukushima, sumo is now an Olympic sport."
More...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Does this mean an authentic three-legged race for the 2020 Olympics?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Le-Canard-Enchaine_2669102b.jpg

I love the way the French can be openly racist in their newspapers even well into the 21st century...

It might have been funny, if what the announcer was saying made any sense.

[Russell]

I liked one of the comments in the Guardian, in reply to another comment that "Tokyoites are very concerned about radiation levels":

The cartoon could have shown a Japanese competitor winning the 100m final, while running in panic from a bunch of bananas.

[Coligny]

Le-Canard-Enchaine_2669102b.jpg

I love the way the French can be openly racist in their newspapers even well into the 21st century...

Can you describe what you find racist here ?

Because I love the way some play the racism card everytime they cant come up with something meaningfull but still want to shit on the carpet anyway...

[Coligny]

Le-Canard-Enchaine_2669102b.jpg

I love the way the French can be openly racist in their newspapers even well into the 21st century...

It might have been funny, if what the announcer was saying made any sense.

Satire is not always funny to the unwashed masses. That's why you can still watch MTV and some rerun of jackass. Win-win all around...

Cabu (the illustrator) has been around since before I was a kitten. He can put on his resume that he's on the shitlist of 90% of the politicians and CEOs of the country. And the 10% remaining just whish they had done something worthwhile enough to be one of his targets.

[Yokohammer]

I didn't see anything specifically racist in the cartoons either.

But they are in pretty poor taste.