The number of single-member households have exceeded 30 percent of total households in Japan, becoming the largest category for the first time, the government said Wednesday in a preliminary tabulation of last October's population census.
The share of single-member households came to 31.2 percent as of last October as their number increased some 10 percent from the previous census in 2005 to 15,885,000.
The number of couple-and-child households, which had been the most dominant household category until the previous census, fell slightly to 14,588,000, accounting for 28.7 percent of the total.
The total number of households surpassed 50 million for the first time since Japan's population census began in 1920 due to an increase in smaller households. The average number of persons per household declined to a record low of 2.46.
The government also said the population share of persons 65 years old and above rose by 2.9 percentage points from 2005 to 23.1 percent in remaining the highest in the world, followed by 20.4 percent in both Italy and Germany.
The proportion of young people below the age of 15 declined 0.6 point to 13.2 percent.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9O5F0OO1&show_article=1
Friday, July 1, 2011
Fukushima Children Show Caesium in Urine
Small amounts of radioactive cesium were found in the urine of 10 children in the city of Fukushima, confirming their internal exposure to radiation, citizens' groups that carried out a survey said Thursday.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110701a2.html
The groups, including Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation, asked ACRO, a French independent radiation monitoring and sampling laboratory, to conduct tests on its members' own children. ACRO conducted tests in Belarus after the Chernobyl accident.
The groups said they couldn't judge whether the level of contamination was large or small, and urged the government to conduct thorough tests on all Fukushima children to find the precise levels of their internal exposure and take necessary measures to avoid any further contamination.
Cesium-134 and cesium-137 were detected in the urine samples of all 10 children aged between 6 and 16 who participated in the survey. The largest amount of cesium-134, which has a half-life of two years, was 1.13 becquerels per liter, found in the urine of an 8-year-old girl.
As for cesium-137, which has a half-life of 30 years, the largest amount was 1.30 becquerels per liter detected in a 7-year-old boy. No traces of iodine-131 were found in the test.
The government has set a safety limit of 200 becquerels of cesium per liter of water.
The samples were taken in late May in the city of Fukushima, more than 50 km from the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
"All (tested) kids are contaminated. . . . Currently the (government's) policy is mainly on external exposure, but internal exposure should be taken into consideration," ACRO Chairman David Boilley told a news conference in Tokyo.
Boilley said the exact levels of contamination can't be judged by urine tests alone because there is no direct correlation between contamination found in urine and contamination in the entire body. It was difficult to judge the contamination level because the amounts of cesium detected were small, he added.
"If it's mainly due to the plume (from the initial explosions at the Fukushima No. 1 reactors), considering samples were taken two months after the exposure, that means two months before, it was quite a large contamination," Boilley said. "If it's mainly due to the food, then it is minor contamination."
To get a grasp on their contamination levels, continuing urine tests as well as more comprehensive internal tests for radiation known as whole-body counter exams are needed, he said.
Asked to convert the detected becquerel levels to sieverts, Boilley said: "We were not able to do (such a) calculation, because it depends on many parameters. And figures (we would get) may be wrong and we prefer not to give wrong figures," he said.
Masahiro Fukushi, a professor of radiological science at Tokyo Metropolitan University, told The Japan Times it is very difficult to ascertain the dose of internal exposure when radioactivity found in the urine is very small.
"It's very difficult to calculate when the detected amount is very small. Without knowing when and how the detected cesium got into their bodies, there is a huge possibility of making either an overestimation or an underestimation," Fukushi said.
He said that the speed of absorption into and exiting from one's body are different depending on whether the radioactive substances were ingested or inhaled.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110701a2.html
July 1 - Power Restrictions Start - Companies to be fined for failure to cut by 15%
Japan on Friday began restricting electricity consumption in the Tokyo and Tohoku regions, more than three months after a tsunami sent nuclear reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The power-saving drive, which for many began shortly after the huge March 11 quake and tsunami but which became official Friday, will last through the peak summer months to September to cut blackout risks after the loss of capacity.
Large companies that violate the decree to cut useage by 15 percent will face fines of up to one million yen ($12,400). Smaller users and households have also been asked to voluntarily cut power use by 15 percent.
To cope, Japan has taken its annual summer "Cool Biz" campaign -- aimed at limiting air conditioner use and encouraging workers to ditch jackets and ties -- to a new level.
Factories have changed shifts to make use of cooler evenings, early mornings and lower-demand weekends, prompting nursery schools to also open weekends to cater for the needs of working parents.
Companies such as Sony have brought their business days forward by an hour in order to finish earlier.
Railway operators have increased train services in the early morning to coincide with moves by Japanese firms to start the work day earlier.
The power-saving restrictions will be in effect through to September 22 in Tokyo Electric's service area and through September 9 in Tohoku Electric's territory.
Hospitals providing emergency treatment and shelters for evacuees from the March 11 disaster are exempted. The reduction target will be relaxed to up to 10 percent for medical, nursing-care and transportation service providers.
On Wednesday temperatures soared to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in Tokyo and air conditioner use pushed consumption to 93 percent of capacity, raising fears that the capital may yet face blackouts as the summer heats up.
Even utilities not directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami have not restarted nuclear reactors that were undergoing maintenance at the time, due to objections from local governments amid a wave of anti-nuclear sentiment.
Only 19 of Japan's 54 reactors are now operating, with more due to shut down for regular checks. Japan usually generates about 30 percent of its power from nuclear plants.
Ratings agency Moody's on Friday said it had downgraded the ratings of nine Japanese utilities, citing increased regulatory uncertainty following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
There are worries that restrictions on power consumption may slow the country's recovery from recession, after the earthquake and tsunami hammered Japanese production and the economy contracted by an annualised 3.5 percent in January-March.
http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110701/wl_asia_afp/japanaccidentnucleardisasterenergy
The power-saving drive, which for many began shortly after the huge March 11 quake and tsunami but which became official Friday, will last through the peak summer months to September to cut blackout risks after the loss of capacity.
Large companies that violate the decree to cut useage by 15 percent will face fines of up to one million yen ($12,400). Smaller users and households have also been asked to voluntarily cut power use by 15 percent.
To cope, Japan has taken its annual summer "Cool Biz" campaign -- aimed at limiting air conditioner use and encouraging workers to ditch jackets and ties -- to a new level.
Factories have changed shifts to make use of cooler evenings, early mornings and lower-demand weekends, prompting nursery schools to also open weekends to cater for the needs of working parents.
Companies such as Sony have brought their business days forward by an hour in order to finish earlier.
Railway operators have increased train services in the early morning to coincide with moves by Japanese firms to start the work day earlier.
The power-saving restrictions will be in effect through to September 22 in Tokyo Electric's service area and through September 9 in Tohoku Electric's territory.
Hospitals providing emergency treatment and shelters for evacuees from the March 11 disaster are exempted. The reduction target will be relaxed to up to 10 percent for medical, nursing-care and transportation service providers.
On Wednesday temperatures soared to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in Tokyo and air conditioner use pushed consumption to 93 percent of capacity, raising fears that the capital may yet face blackouts as the summer heats up.
Even utilities not directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami have not restarted nuclear reactors that were undergoing maintenance at the time, due to objections from local governments amid a wave of anti-nuclear sentiment.
Only 19 of Japan's 54 reactors are now operating, with more due to shut down for regular checks. Japan usually generates about 30 percent of its power from nuclear plants.
Ratings agency Moody's on Friday said it had downgraded the ratings of nine Japanese utilities, citing increased regulatory uncertainty following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
There are worries that restrictions on power consumption may slow the country's recovery from recession, after the earthquake and tsunami hammered Japanese production and the economy contracted by an annualised 3.5 percent in January-March.
http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110701/wl_asia_afp/japanaccidentnucleardisasterenergy
Monday, June 27, 2011
Japanese Women Cut Salaryman's Allowance to least in 30 years
Japanese men have seen allowances wither to the least in three decades as their wives pare household spending in an economy mired in deflation.
Known in Japan as salarymen, the workers receive 36,500 yen ($452) per month for pocket money, amounting to $15 a day and the smallest amount since 1982, according to a survey by Shinsei Financial Co. released today. Japanese wives typically manage their husbands’ earnings.
Japan’s growth of less than 1 percent per year in the past 10 years has crimped pay, forcing housewives to cut back on pocket money and exacerbating the deflation that has plagued the economy for more than a decade. Wages have been dropping since the March 11 earthquake and household sentiment is near a two- year low, making a consumer-driven economic rebound less likely.
“This makes me a little sad,” said Hiroshi Miyazaki, chief economist at Shinkin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. “It’s a result of a very long period of deflation. Unfortunately, this trend’s going to continue.”
Workers’ allowances peaked in 1990 at the height of the country’s asset and real-estate bubble, with men receiving a monthly 76,000 yen, more than double what they get today, according to the survey. Respondents in today’s report said they spend the greatest proportion of the money on lunch, dispensing an average 490 yen. That matches the price of a double cheeseburger with small fries and a drink at McDonald’s.
“People are becoming increasingly austere in their attitudes toward money,” Shinsei said in the report. It has been conducting the survey since 1979, covering responses from about 1,000 men between their 20s and 50s.
To save money, workers said they bring their own lunch to work and eat out less. Men ate out 2.9 times a month after work and spent an average 3,540 yen each time, according to the survey. That compares with more than 6,000 yen in 2009.
Pub chain Watami Co. is among businesses taking the hit from consumers’ intensifying drive to spend less. The company’s same-store sales dropped 6.4 percent in May from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of declines.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-27/japan-s-men-survive-on-15-a-day-as-wives-tighten-purse-strings.html
Known in Japan as salarymen, the workers receive 36,500 yen ($452) per month for pocket money, amounting to $15 a day and the smallest amount since 1982, according to a survey by Shinsei Financial Co. released today. Japanese wives typically manage their husbands’ earnings.
Japan’s growth of less than 1 percent per year in the past 10 years has crimped pay, forcing housewives to cut back on pocket money and exacerbating the deflation that has plagued the economy for more than a decade. Wages have been dropping since the March 11 earthquake and household sentiment is near a two- year low, making a consumer-driven economic rebound less likely.
“This makes me a little sad,” said Hiroshi Miyazaki, chief economist at Shinkin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. “It’s a result of a very long period of deflation. Unfortunately, this trend’s going to continue.”
Workers’ allowances peaked in 1990 at the height of the country’s asset and real-estate bubble, with men receiving a monthly 76,000 yen, more than double what they get today, according to the survey. Respondents in today’s report said they spend the greatest proportion of the money on lunch, dispensing an average 490 yen. That matches the price of a double cheeseburger with small fries and a drink at McDonald’s.
“People are becoming increasingly austere in their attitudes toward money,” Shinsei said in the report. It has been conducting the survey since 1979, covering responses from about 1,000 men between their 20s and 50s.
To save money, workers said they bring their own lunch to work and eat out less. Men ate out 2.9 times a month after work and spent an average 3,540 yen each time, according to the survey. That compares with more than 6,000 yen in 2009.
Pub chain Watami Co. is among businesses taking the hit from consumers’ intensifying drive to spend less. The company’s same-store sales dropped 6.4 percent in May from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of declines.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-27/japan-s-men-survive-on-15-a-day-as-wives-tighten-purse-strings.html
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Japanese Retail Investors Going for High Yield Real Estate and Foreign Mutual Funds
The aftermath of Japan's earthquake and tsunami has seen a rare flow of money into mutual funds based on domestic equities as a bargain-hunting mood took hold, but retail investors are more focused on foreign and property-linked funds with higher returns.
Japanese retail investors, who hold some $15 trillion in personal assets, are keen to diversify so as to obtain higher returns and are showing interest in currency-select funds and those related to Brazil or offering monthly dividends.
"We've seen flows by Japanese retail investors into foreign funds since the March disaster. I don't think the general trend has changed before and after the disaster," Naohika Baba, chief Japan economist at Goldman Sachs, told the Reuters Rebuilding Japan Summit in Tokyo this week.
"A trend of retail money flowing into such funds as Brazilian funds and REIT funds is continuing," Baba said.
Japanese retail investors have poured about $5 billion into North American real estate mutual funds since March, their biggest net investment in any category of funds tracked by Thomson Reuters Lipper, boosting total assets of such funds to $20.7 billion at the end of May.
North American real estate funds domiciled in Japan produced average returns of 11.56 percent in the first five months of 2011, the data showed.
Property funds have generated strong interest in Japan's $818 billion mutual fund market over the past year, with such funds showing a strong performance as ample liquidity in the global market saw money pouring into oversold property-related funds after the Lehman shock, analysts said.
Inflows have persisted into REIT (real estate investment trust) funds, especially after the Bank of Japan started an asset buying scheme to spark the economy last year, giving a boost to shares in REIT-related companies, distribution sources said.
The asset size of REIT fund reached an all-time high of 5.0 trillion yen ($62 billion) in May, the Investment Trusts Association of Japan said in data released last week.
High-yield U.S. dollar bond funds have been the second most popular category since March, with net inflows of $4.7 billion, followed by global real estate funds, which attracted net inflows worth $4.3 billion, Lipper data showed.
"High-yield foreign corporate bond funds and currency select funds continue to draw strong interest as investors closely focus on places that are performing well," said a distribution source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
FLOWS IN JAPAN EQUITIES FUNDS
In a rare move, mutual funds that invest in Japanese equities saw their first net inflows in two years, with investors pouring money into themed funds such as those investing in firms with products related to clean energy.
Japanese equities funds that donate part of their proceeds to areas hit by the March 11 disaster also drew strong interest.
Asset managers regard retail investors as important to their business, and say they are focused on offering products that meet such demand.
"Retail investors are expected to diversify their investments by seeking opportunities abroad. We want to think how we could meet their interest," said Koichi Miyata, president and chief executive of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group.
"With regard to products, for instance, we may focus on offering foreign funds. For Japanese products, we may offer funds that focus on businesses with growth potential, and our customers also are seeking funds related to the rebuilding of Japan. Our key goal is to broaden our client base."
The $52.8 billion Japanese equity funds category has seen a revival, with investors pouring nearly $2 billion into it since March, data from Thomson Reuters Lipper showed.
The fund category had seen outflows worth about $1.5 billion in the previous nine months. Meanwhile the net asset value of these funds has fallen 9.3 percent since March.
Still, it is premature to say the market will see steady money flows into Japanese equity funds in the coming months as a stronger yen and unclear global economic prospects were expected to limit gains in Tokyo share prices, analysts said.
Uncertainty in the long-term prospects of the Japanese economy were also expected to keep curbing the enthusiasm of retail investors for domestic equity funds, they said.
The asset size of Japan mutual funds stood at 65.8 trillion yen as of May, but that was still 20 percent below the peak of 82 trillion yen set in October 2007.
"As long as the Japanese economy remains this way, the size of Japanese mutual funds is expected to stay near where it is now," Goldman's Baba said.
"But if the Japanese and global economies improve and push up share prices then they will have more room to invest. If share prices rise then investors can be more keen about taking risks and invest more," he said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/24/us-japan-summit-retailinvestors-idUKTRE75N0OA20110624
Kawashima - Iitate and Kawamata - Residents Confirm Internal Radiation Exposure
More than 3 millisieverts of radiation has been measured in the urine of 15 Fukushima residents of the village of Iitate and the town of Kawamata, confirming internal radiation exposure, it was learned Sunday.
Both are about 30 to 40 km from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which has been releasing radioactive material into the environment since the week of March 11, when the quake and tsunami caused core meltdowns.
"This won't be a problem if they don't eat vegetables or other products that are contaminated," said Nanao Kamada, professor emeritus of radiation biology at Hiroshima University. "But it will be difficult for people to continue living in these areas."
Kamada teamed up with doctors including Osamu Saito of Watari Hospital in the city of Fukushima to conduct two rounds of tests on each resident in early and late May, taking urine samples from 15 people between 4 and 77.
Radioactive cesium was found both times in each resident.
Radioactive iodine was logged as high as 3.2 millisieverts in six people in the first survey, but none was found in the second survey.
The data indicate accumulated external exposure was between 4.9 and 13.5 millisieverts, putting the grand total between 4.9 to 14.2 millisieverts over about two months, they said.
"The figures did not exceed the maximum of 20 millisieverts a year, but we want residents to use these results to make decisions (to move)," said Kamada.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110627a2.html
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Cumulative Radiation Exceeds 4x Annual Limit in some area outside Fukushima exclusion zone
Cumulative radiation outside the 20-kilometer radius of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the past three months has reached as high as 82 millisieverts, more than four times the yardstick of 20 millisieverts a year, a science ministry estimate showed Tuesday.
The highest level was detected in a part of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture around 22 kilometers northwest of the nuclear plant crippled since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Namie is among the designated evacuation areas lying outside of the no-entry zone where radiation levels are feared to exceed the annual limit of 20 millisieverts.
Of 160 monitoring sites in the designated areas outside the no-entry zone, 23 registered radiation levels exceeding 20 millisieverts over the three-month period, the ministry said.
Outside the areas subject to evacuation, an area in the city of Minamisoma had an estimated cumulative radiation level of 20.4 millisieverts a year since the start of the crisis.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9O0AP581&show_article=1
The highest level was detected in a part of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture around 22 kilometers northwest of the nuclear plant crippled since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Namie is among the designated evacuation areas lying outside of the no-entry zone where radiation levels are feared to exceed the annual limit of 20 millisieverts.
Of 160 monitoring sites in the designated areas outside the no-entry zone, 23 registered radiation levels exceeding 20 millisieverts over the three-month period, the ministry said.
Outside the areas subject to evacuation, an area in the city of Minamisoma had an estimated cumulative radiation level of 20.4 millisieverts a year since the start of the crisis.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9O0AP581&show_article=1
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