Starting
this April, the Japanese government plans to accelerate the use of
environmentally friendly electric vehicles, through a series of
incentive measures.
Electric cars are considered beneficial
because they emit no carbon dioxide. However, their main drawback has
been their limited range of about 150 kilometers. Their price is also
higher than gasoline-powered cars.
As a model project, the
Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry says it will begin a campaign to
promote the wider use of electric cars in 8 prefectures, including
Tokyo and Kyoto.
Through the campaign, the ministry will
subsidize about half of the price difference between an electric car
and a gas-powered car.
It will also facilitate the establishment
of electric car-charging outlets by covering part of the construction
cost, which runs on average around 4 million yen, or 40,000 dollars.
The ministry also plans to discount parking fees for electric cars, in cooperation with local governments.
Over
the next 5 years, the government plans to improve the efficiency of
lithium-ion batteries by up to 50 percent, in order to extend the
traveling range of vehicles.
By 2020, the ministry aims to increase the market share of next-generation cars to 50 % of total new car sales.
Japan's
government announced that North Korea launched a space projectile
before noon on Sunday which passed over Japan to the Pacific Ocean.
Chief
Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said at a hastily arranged news
conference that there has been no report of falling objects in Japan
and surrounding areas, and no damage was reported in Japan.
Kawamura
called the launch very regrettable, making it clear that Japan will
lodge a strong protest with North Korea over the matter.
The
government said the North Korean projectile was launched at about 11:30
AM and is believed to have flown over high above the Tohoku region,
northeastern Japan, about 7 minutes after the launch.
It says Japan's anti-ballistic missile system did not attempt to intercept the projectile.
Kawamura
said it has not been confirmed yet whether the projectile is a
satellite or a ballistic missile and that Japan has been trying to
gather information in cooperation with the United States and other
nations.
He said even if the projectile is a satellite, the
launch is a violation of a UN Security Council resolution and is a very
regrettable matter. He said Japan will strongly protest it.
The
government set up an office to deal with the North Koran rocket launch.
Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters that he instructed officials to
first confirm safety, then collect information and promptly provide the
public with intelligence.
Japan's Crown Prince celebrates his 49th birthday on Monday.
Prior
to his birthday, the Crown Prince spoke to reporters about the
Emperor's recent illness brought on by mental and physical stress.
The
Crown Prince said he is wishing from the bottom of his heart that the
source of the Emperor's stress will be reduced, and that he will do all
he can to that end.
The Agency's Grand Steward, Shingo Haketa,
had revealed his private view that uncertainty over future imperial
succession is a source of stress for the Emperor.
The Crown
Prince said although imperial succession is an important issue, he
thinks it's a matter on which he should refrain from commenting.
He
also referred to his earlier suggestions on new ways of looking at
Imperial duties. He said he was not denying current official duties at
all, but was simply suggesting that needs for official duties and
people's views of them would naturally change as time passes. He gave
an example of attempts to address issues related to water.
He also commented on his wife, Crown Princess Masako, who is making efforts to recover from health problems.
He
said he and his wife are happy she has resumed performing some duties
that she could not do before. He said his wife tends to take on too
many tasks when she is in good condition, and that her doctors have
warned her to take a cautious approach, so that her health will not
decline again. He said he and his wife will not rush for a full
resumption of her official duties. He said they will continue to make
decisions on each case based on her health condition, in consultation
with her doctors.
Profits
of major Japanese companies are projected to show a decline of more
than 40 percent in the current fiscal year ending in March.
The Daiwa Institute of Research says pretax profits of 300 listed companies will drop 42.8 percent from a year earlier.
The manufacturing sector will likely suffer the most. The
private think-tank says electronics companies will suffer losses.
Profits will decline 91.6 percent for car manufacturers, and 45.8
percent for precision machinery makers.
The Daiwa Institute of
Research normally releases its quarterly projection in November, but it
conducted an additional research and analysis on January 20th to see
the effect of the financial crisis. The institute says earnings
projections of Japanese companies, especially of manufacturers,
deteriorated significantly, due to the rapid economic downturn and the
appreciation of yen against other major currencies over the past 2
months.
An
annual winter lighting event in a village of traditional thatched-roof
houses, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan,
has begun.
40 thatched-roof houses in Shirakawa village were lit
up on Saturday, including a property designated as an important
national cultural asset.
More than 4,500 tourists showed up on Saturday to see the fantastic view of snow-covered houses lit up at night.
A man from Osaka said he was very impressed by the lighting of the old houses.
This year, 6 more lighting events are scheduled to be held by the end of next month.
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the
trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our
ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as
well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this
transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the
presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of
prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath
is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.
At these
moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or
vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained
faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our foundingdocuments.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That
we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at
war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy
is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the
part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and
prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost; jobs
shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools
fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we
use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
shed：･･･を落す shuttere：閉まっている adversary：敵、敵対者、敵の
These
are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less
measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our
land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that
the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to
you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are
many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know
this, America - they will be met.
met：meetの過去 ⇒ ･･･を経験する、･･･に直面する
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
unity：単一、結束性、調和 discord：不一致、不調和、･･･と一致しない
On
this day, we come to proclaim an end to the pettygrievances and false
promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long
have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.
The
time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better
history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed
on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are
equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full
measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our
nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be
earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for
less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who
prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
faint-hearted：臆病な leisure：余暇 fame：名声、有名（なこと）
Rather,
it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some
celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who
have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and
freedom.
doer：実行家、やりて obscure：不明瞭な、不鮮明な rugged：でこぼこの在る、険しい
For us, they packed up their few worldly
possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us,
they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the
whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and
died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked
till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw
America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater
than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
Concord：1775年のBattle of Lexington-Concord（アメリカ入植者とイギリス軍の戦い）から Gettysburg：1863年にリンカーンが演説した場所 Normandy：フランスの地名、ノルマンディー上陸作戦から？ KheSahn：ベトナムの地名、ベトナム戦争より
This
is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous,
powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when
this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and
services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last
year.
inventive：発明の、創意に富む
Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of
standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant
decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick
ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking
America.
undiminished：減少していない、弱められていない pat：軽くたたく
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will
act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for
growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and
digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We
will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's
wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will
harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our
factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and
universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And
all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the
scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate
too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten
what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve
when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has
shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have
consumed us for so long no longer apply.
The question we ask
today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but
whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent
wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the
answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no,
programmes will end.
And those of us who manage the public's
dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits,
and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we
restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor
is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or
ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but
this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can
spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it
favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has
always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but
on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to
every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest
route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we
reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our
Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a
charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter
expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the
world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And
so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from
the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born:
know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and
child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to
lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and
communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances
and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power
alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.
Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our
security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our
example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We
are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more,
we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even
greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to
responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in
Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we will work
tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a
warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we
waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by
inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our
spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we
will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of
this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war
and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more
united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday
pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world
grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that
America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interester and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame
their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you
on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those who
cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of
dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we
will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To
the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make
your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved
bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy
relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to
suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources
without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change
with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us,
we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this
very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have
something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in
Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honour them not only
because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the
spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater
than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a
generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For
as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith
and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the
selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a
friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is
the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but
also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides
our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with
which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success
depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and
curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things
are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our
history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.
What
is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition,
on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our
nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but
rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so
satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our
all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This
is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and
children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across
this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years
ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand
before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this
day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In
the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of
patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The
capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained
with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in
doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the
people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the
depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that
the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to
meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers,
in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.
With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and
endure what storms may come.
Let it be said by our
children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this
journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes
fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that
great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
The
government plans to hire more people as aid workers and dispatch them
to developing countries as part of efforts to address Japan's worsening
job market.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA,
sends about 2,000 young and senior aid workers to developing countries
every year under the official development aid program. But candidates
have been in short supply in technical areas such as automobile repair,
agriculture and medical services.
The government decided to expand the number of such aid workers by about 200 starting from this spring.
It
hopes the move will help people who are skilled in certain fields but
lost their jobs amid the recent economic crisis securelivelihoods as
well as a new chance to make use of their skills.
Those who pass
government screening will be offered lessons in the language spoken in
their destination country for about 3 months before their departure.
Memorial ceremonies on the 14th anniversary of the devastating Hanshin Earthquake are being held on Saturday.
More
than 6,400 people in the Hanshin area of western Japan, which includes
Kobe and Osaka, died when the earthquake hit early in the morning of
January 17, 1995.
In Kobe, many family members and friends who
lost their loved ones gathered at a park and lit candles to mourn the
dead. They made a silent prayer at 5:46 AM, the exact moment the
earthquake occurred.
An official ceremony by the city government began later.
At
a courtyard of the reconstructed Catholic Takatori Church in Nagata
Ward in Kobe, religious ceremonies to mourn the dead were held.
The
church burned down after the quake and a temporary office was used as
headquarters for the volunteers who gathered from around Japan for the
rebuilding effort.
A Catholic Mass was held first and people prayed silently for the dead at 5:46 AM.
Buddhist priests then recitedsutras and incense was burned for the deceased.
67 events commemorating the quake, including a drill for evacuation, are being held in Hyogo Prefecture on Saturday.
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