Gazanias, native to South Africa, are resilient members of the Asteraceae family, well-suited to heat and drought. However, they typically require winter protection. Recently, word has come from Izu that Gazanias are blooming in gardens. These flowers, resembling distinct medallions, bloom vividly from spring to autumn, earning them the alternative name ‘Kunshou-giku (Medal Chrysanthemum). They exhibit a characteristic of opening in sunlight and closing in cloudy or rainy weather or during the evening. The fact that Gazanias bloom during this season raises concerns about global warming. While Izu originally boasts a subtropical climate, noticeable changes, such as Bougainvillea blooming year-round, suggest a significant shift toward a more tropical climate zone.
In the backdoor funds scandal surrounding political fundraising parties of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), it has been revealed that the practice of not contributing the amount exceeding the quota to the faction, known as ‘nakanuki’ or ‘skimming off the top,’ existed among cabinet ministers with ties to the Abe faction, including former Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture Shimomura Hakubun and former Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympics Marukawa Tamayo. It’s quite concerning when these individuals hold positions like the Minister of Education or the Minister in charge of the Olympics. The ministers themselves have shown a decline in dignity. What is the difference between ‘uragane’ (secret funds) and ‘nakanuki’? ‘Uragane’ refers to funds that exceed the quota of the faction’s political fundraising party, and a portion of it is kicked back from the faction to the legislators. On the other hand, ‘nakanuki’ is when individual legislators do not contribute the excess over the quota to the faction and use it for their personal funds. Both are essentially secret funds, but ‘nakanuki’ can be considered a more malicious form of secret funds. This kind of under-the-table fund creation has been carried out within the LDP for many years, and now it has come to light, causing a major uproar. The background to such recurring political issues in Japan lies in the unique political culture of the country. About 30% of LDP members of the Diet are generally hereditary politicians, which stands out globally. In the United States, for instance, it’s around 5%, and in the UK, it’s almost non-existent. The reason for such a high number of hereditary politicians in Japan is that the remuneration for legislators, including various allowances, is the highest in the world. In the UK, which also follows the parliamentary cabinet system, members of the upper house are unpaid. While each country has its own circumstances, it can be said that Japanese lawmakers are generously compensated. In light of the LDP’s recent secret funds scandal, which resembles a fraudulent organization, there seems to be a greater responsibility for the public to consider this matter more seriously.
The ‘National Center Test for University Admissions’ will be conducted today and tomorrow. In the midst of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and various disasters, we extend our encouragement to the young individuals of today who have faced numerous adversities. The university entrance examination system has undergone significant changes over approximately 45 years. It began with the ‘Common First-stage Academic Proficiency Test’ targeted at national public universities from the academic year 1979 to 1989. From the academic year 1990, it expanded to include national, public, and private universities, continuing as the ‘University Entrance Examination Center Test’ until the academic year 2020. Since the academic year 2021, the ‘National Center Test for University Admissions’ has replaced the previous system. This transition, though rapid and dynamic, reflects adaptability to the evolving times. The current test places greater emphasis on cognitive skills, judgment, expressive abilities, shifting away from the previous focus on knowledge. The number of applicants has been decreasing, and this year it fell below 500,000.
When I was a child, rice cakes were something we only ate around New Year’s. Now, you can have them anytime you want. Even so, we still decorate Kagami-mochi (round mirror-shaped rice cakes) and eat Ozōni (New Year’s soup) during the New Year. This brings back memories of noshi-mochi. In the Kansai region, Ozōni usually features round rice cakes. At the end of the year, we pound mochi, but we only make round mochi for the first three days of the New Year, and the rest are made into noshi mochi. Even though it’s called noshi mochi, I think there are some young people today who don’t understand it. A wooden box called Morobuta is about 60 cm long, 35 cm wide, and 8 cm deep, and fresh mochi is spread out to fill the box. That is Noshi-mochi. Perhaps it lasts longer than round mochi, which is why they did it that way. The cutting of noshi-mochi into angular pieces usually takes place around these 10 days. As time passes, the mochi becomes firmer, so now is the right time when it still retains some softness. I recall my father spending hours cutting noshi-mochi with a large knife. It’s quite a task to turn five or six boxes of noshi-mochi into cut pieces. I remembered that Noshi-mochi, so I looked into whether such a thing existed now, and it turned out that it did. You can find many for sale on Amazon and Rakuten. Even though cut mochi is readily available now, I never imagined there would still be a demand for noshi-mochi that requires cutting. Perhaps people buy it out of nostalgia, or maybe there’s some other reason.
In Japan, there are two events dedicated to wishing for prosperous business: the Ebisu Festival in Kansai and the Tori-no-Ichi Market in Kanto. Both events involve the worship of Ebisu, one of the Seven Lucky Gods. The Seven Lucky Gods include deities from various backgrounds such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, and Ebisu is the only god born in Japan. The faith in the Seven Lucky Gods became prominent during the Muromachi period, but it was during the Edo period when commercial activities thrived. Particularly in Osaka, known as the ‘Kitchen of the Nation,’ Ebisu, considered the god of business prosperity, became a focal point of worship. This is the origin of the Ebisu Festival. In the Kansai region, there are three major Ebisu shrines known as the Japan’s Three Great Ebisu Shrines: Nishinomiya Shrine (Hyogo Prefecture), Imamiya Ebisu Shrine (Osaka Prefecture), and Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (Kyoto Prefecture). Nishinomiya Shrine is the head shrine, and the belief in Ebisu spread throughout the Kansai region. On the other hand, east of Nagoya, especially in the Kanto region, the Tori-no-Ichi Market originated from the bird worship centered around Osaka’s Otori Shrine. It is an annual ritual held on the Tori (Rooster) day in November to pray for business prosperity. Both the Tenjin Festival and Tori-no-Ichi Market share the commonality of wishing for business prosperity, and items like bamboo branches and rakes are sold as auspicious symbols. However, people in Kanto are indifferent to the Tenjin Festival, while those in Kansai are unfamiliar with the Tori-no-Ichi Market.
When it comes to Coming of Age Day, January 15th is ingrained in my mind, so I didn’t realize today was the day until I checked the calendar. This change was brought about by the ‘Act to Amend Some Laws Concerning National Holidays’ enacted in 1998, known as the Happy Monday System. Under the Happy Monday System, holidays were moved to Mondays for an extended weekend. The affected holidays are as follows: ・Coming of Age Day: January 15th → 2nd Monday of January ・Marine Day: July 20th → 3rd Monday of July ・Respect for the Aged Day: September 15th → 3rd Monday of September ・Health and Sports : October 10th → 2nd Monday of October The significance of the Happy Monday System is to make it easier for people to take consecutive days off, combining weekends with holidays, to allow the citizens to spend meaningful and leisurely time, realizing a rich and fulfilling life. However, there is an issue with ‘Coming of Age Day.’ Due to the amendment to the Civil Code in April 2022, the age of adulthood was lowered from 20 to 18. Nevertheless, many municipalities continue to hold coming-of-age ceremonies for 20-year-olds, and some are even considering reverting to the age of 20 for those affected by the change. The reason behind this is that there is no legal provision governing coming-of-age ceremonies; each municipality decides on the age and whether to hold the ceremony. Many municipalities continue to celebrate coming of age at 20, not just to mark the ‘beginning of adult life’ and encourage a sense of adulthood but also as an opportunity for ‘reunions.’ However, a concerning aspect is that the number of individuals turning 18 on New Year’s Day in 2024 was 1.06 million (550,000 males and 520,000 females), a 40% decrease from the peak in 1970, setting a new record low.
Today is the Day of Seven Herbs in spring. It is said to be a day to pray for a year of good health, and to give rest to the weakened stomach from New Year’s celebratory meals and drinks by consuming seven herb porridge. However, what remains a concern is the Noto Earthquake. Prime Minister Kishida has announced a policy to allocate 47.4 billion yen from this fiscal year’s reserve fund, and on the evening of the 5th, explained the plan to gradually use the remaining 460 billion yen in this fiscal year’s reserve fund for earthquake response. This means exhausting the reserve fund for the fiscal year 2023. The estimated total damage from the Noto earthquake at this point is approximately 800 billion yen, but the reconstruction cost is expected to exceed 1 trillion yen. The national budget for the new fiscal year 2024 is 112 trillion 71.7 billion yen, which is lower than the original budget for fiscal 2023, which was the largest ever, but exceeds 110 trillion yen for the second consecutive year, with more than 30% of the financial resources coming from national bonds (debt). The difficult financial situation continues. The rigidity of national finances continues to progress. This year has only just begun, and we do not know what disasters may occur during this year. At a time like this, is it okay to hold an extremely slipshod “Osaka Expo”? The Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 initially had a budget of 734 billion yen, but eventually swelled to 1,698.9 billion yen, and when including related expenses such as road construction, the total amount soared to 3,684.5 billion yen. The Osaka Expo is trying to follow this bad precedent. “In the first place, Yumeshima, which will be the site of the Expo, does not have electricity, water, or sewage systems, and the construction is yet to be done.” It is said that the total cost of the Osaka Expo is likely to easily exceed 1 trillion yen. If we want to avoid a repeat of the Tokyo Olympics, I think we should cancel the Osaka Expo and use the 1 trillion yen for reconstruction costs for the Noto earthquake.
On the 5th, Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the representative secretary-general of the Keizai Doyukai, spoke at a joint press conference of three economic organizations, addressing the serious labor shortage in the construction of the Osaka-Kansai Expo venue amidst the aftermath of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. He stated, “The damage from the earthquake is in a very difficult situation. The world should understand the prioritization of human lives,” and mentioned the possibility of postponing the Expo. Among the three economic organizations, Masakazu Tokura, Chairman of Keidanren, and Ken Kobayashi, Vice Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, argue that the Expo should proceed as planned. Five years ago, on November 23, 2018, in a General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held in Paris, Japan (Osaka) was chosen as the host country for the 2025 Expo. At that time, the “Tower of the Sun” in the photo was brightly lit in red. On December 3, 2020, two years later, the illuminated “Tower of the Sun” no longer displayed the message ‘Celebration 2025 Expo Decision’ as it had disappeared. This was due to the declaration of a state of emergency following the rapid increase in severe COVID-19 patients. With the occurrence of the “Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” today, it is indeed an “emergency.” The Tower of the Sun continues to shine in red. The situation is critical, with the budget already exceeding twice the initial estimate, participating countries hesitating, and the construction industry showing 80% indifference. Is there truly significance in proceeding with the Osaka Expo, ignoring this “emergency,” when the majority of the population and the construction industry remain indifferent?
The Noto earthquake that occurred at 16:10 on January 1, 2024, now five days past, reveals the extent of the damage more clearly as the full picture emerges. This earthquake, named the ‘Reiwa 6 Noto Peninsula Earthquake,’ had a magnitude of 7.6 and a maximum seismic intensity of 7. However, it has been revealed that the ‘maximum acceleration,’ an indicator of the strength of the tremors, reached 2828 gal (gal is the unit of acceleration), comparable to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Over 1000 gal, a benchmark for a ‘major earthquake,’ was confirmed at seven locations throughout the Noto Peninsula. The Great East Japan Earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0, a maximum seismic intensity of 7 on the surface, and a maximum acceleration of 2933 gal, highlighting the significant scale of the Noto earthquake. For reference, magnitude (commonly denoted as M) indicates the scale of an earthquake, while seismic intensity reflects the strength of the tremors at various locations during the earthquake. Comparatively, the Great East Japan Earthquake’s magnitude of 9.0 ranks fourth globally, emphasizing its extraordinary size. The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3, making the Noto earthquake surpass it and become the second-largest earthquake after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Earthquake intensity is rated on a scale of 7 as the maximum, with six occurrences recorded since the establishment of the intensity scale in 1949, including the recent Noto earthquake.
The Kawazu cherry blossoms, known for their early flowering, are already in full bloom. Kawazu cherry blossoms typically begin to bloom in late January to early February each year. The Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival, held annually from February 10th to March 10th since 2015, has adjusted its schedule due to the trend of earlier blooming in recent years. Starting from 2022, the festival has been rescheduled to begin on February 1st. However, in recent years, irregular blooming of the Kawazu cherry blossoms has been reported from various areas, with some instances of blooming as early as October the previous year. It seems that, based on this trend, the festival may need to be rescheduled even earlier than February 1st. Professor Kunitoku Ito, a distinguished professor emeritus at Kyushu University, has conducted computer simulations to predict the cherry blossoms’ blooming patterns until the year 2100. According to the simulation results, with an average temperature increase of about 2-3 degrees Celsius around Japan, the estimated “blooming forecast” for the 19-year average from 2082 to 2100 is expected to be 2-3 weeks earlier in the Tohoku region compared to the 19-year average from 1982 to 2000. Conversely, some warmer areas, such as parts of Kyushu, are projected to be 1-2 weeks later. Furthermore, the simulation results indicate that not only will the blooming date of cherry blossoms fluctuate, but there will also be regions where cherry blossoms may not bloom at all or where even when flowers bloom, they bloom lazily and never reach full bloom.
