Taipei Times (February 8)
“Tuesday night’s earthquake off the coast of Hualien County has again raised the issue of human fragility in the face of the power of nature and how the geological conditions that exist in Taiwan need to be respected.” Although “nuclear power is a relatively clean source of energy,” any benefits “could be wiped out overnight should a nuclear disaster happen, especially given the proximity of two of the three operational plants to the capital and within the nation’s most-populated area.”
Tags: Clean, Disaster, Earthquake, Energy, Fragility, Hualien, Nature, Nuclear power, Plants, Taiwan
Dallas Morning News (September 21)
There’s “little solace amid the pileup of hurricane and earthquake devastation, not to mention the record-setting wildfires…. But the silver lining in this chaos is that time and time again, nature’s wrath is answered by steely human resolve…. Those of us lucky enough to be spared from this summer of destruction can do more than marvel at the responses of courage and resolve. Let us each lend a hand in whatever way we best can.”
Tags: Chaos, Courage, Destruction, Devastation, Earthquake, Human resolve, Hurricane, Nature, Pileup, Silver lining, Solace, Wildfires, Wrath
Wall Street Journal (November 9)
“Donald J. Trump’s unlikely defeat of Hillary Clinton is a political earthquake of a kind that rarely disturbs American politics.” The President-Elect “will now need to pick smart advisers and show generosity in victory” as he “lacks political experience” and his “convictions on public policy are especially elusive.” He has “a chance to succeed if he follows through on his pledge to prioritize the economic growth that creates jobs and lifts incomes for all Americans.” He will need to “govern differently than he campaigned.” He will need to “discover a more optimistic and inclusive politics. Or so we can hope, if only for comity and the good of the country.”
Tags: Advisers, Clinton, Convictions, Earthquake, Experience, Generosity, Growth, Inclusive, Incomes, Jobs, Optimistic, Policy, Trump, U.S., Victory
Bloomberg (September 2)
“Japan’s lowest auto sales in three years are reviving concerns that manufacturing will hollow out in Asia’s second-largest economy.” This could deliver a blow to Prime Minister Abe’s “efforts to revive the economy, which last quarter contracted the most since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.”
Tags: Abe, Asia, Auto sales, Contraction, Earthquake, Economy, Japan, Manufacturing, Tsunami
Bloomberg (June 26)
“Japan’s consumer prices climbed at the fastest pace in 32 years, boosted by higher utility charges and a sales-tax increase that contributed to the biggest slide in household spending since the March 2011 earthquake.”
Washington Post (March 9, 2012)
Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshito Noda writes, “March 11 is etched in Japan’s collective consciousness. Today, on the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which triggered the starkest crisis our country has faced in a generation, we pause to commemorate all of those who suffered. Our thoughts go out to all of the victims of the tragedy….We will not forget the loved ones, friends and colleagues lost in the disaster. Nor will we forget the outpouring of support and international expressions of solidarity that Japan received. For this, we feel deeply indebted and forever appreciative…. Our goal is not simply to reconstruct the Japan that existed before March 11, 2011, but to build a new Japan. We are determined to overcome this historic challenge.”
Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshito Noda writes, “March 11 is etched in Japan’s collective consciousness. Today, on the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which triggered the starkest crisis our country has faced in a generation, we pause to commemorate all of those who suffered. Our thoughts go out to all of the victims of the tragedy….We will not forget the loved ones, friends and colleagues lost in the disaster. Nor will we forget the outpouring of support and international expressions of solidarity that Japan received. For this, we feel deeply indebted and forever appreciative…. Our goal is not simply to reconstruct the Japan that existed before March 11, 2011, but to build a new Japan. We are determined to overcome this historic challenge.”
Tags: Anniversary, Appreciation, Earthquake, Japan, Reconstruction, Support, Victims
Financial Times (March 6, 2012)
Last year’s massive quake “awakened” Japan. The nation is now doing a comprehensive “rethink on how to mitigate the effects of disasters.” “Longstanding assumptions” are being overturned to envision even greater seismic risk. The newspaper emphasizes, “It would be wrong to dwell on such matters all the time. Despite its vulnerability to natural disaster, orderly Japan remains one of the world’s safest places to live.”
Last year’s massive quake “awakened” Japan. The nation is now doing a comprehensive “rethink on how to mitigate the effects of disasters.” “Longstanding assumptions” are being overturned to envision even greater seismic risk. The newspaper emphasizes, “It would be wrong to dwell on such matters all the time. Despite its vulnerability to natural disaster, orderly Japan remains one of the world’s safest places to live.”
Tags: Earthquake, Japan, Natural disaster, Risk, Safety
Institutional Investor (September 28)
“China is putting the brakes on its economy, Japan is stuck in earthquake recovery mode, and Southeast Asia—where the pace of development varies sharply from country to country—is a grab bag of sweets and lemons…. Still, investors say that some of Japan’s better-established companies remain among Asia’s most attractive.”
Tags: Asia, China, Earthquake, Investors, Japan
Wall Street Journal (May 20)
Japan is back in recession and the problem is bigger than the quake. “The earthquake wrought considerable damage, but Japan was ailing months earlier.” GDP data for the last quarter of 2010 was revised downward from a slight contraction of 0.3% to a pronounced contraction of 0.8%. Politicians should be especially wary of measures, such as hiking the consumption tax, which might further dampen consumer spending. “Japan doesn’t have to suffer another lost decade. But it will unless the effort to rebuild earthquake- and tsunami-ravaged areas is accompanied by an effort to rebuild broken confidence.”
Financial Times (May 17)
Is Japan’s revival dependent on stronger ties with China? The former editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun argues just this point. “While talk of a new industrial revolution may sound optimistic, recall that some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Panasonic, Sharp, and Toyota, laid the foundation of their manufacturing business atop the wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. For a repeat, China may be the key.” Much as relations with the U.S. were central to the post-war recovery, “a more stable and trustworthy relationship between Japan and China is also essential to Japan’s rebuilding. This is the moment of truth as to whether or not Japan will remain a global power.”Is Japan’s revival dependent on stronger ties with China? The former editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun argues just this point. “While talk of a new industrial revolution may sound optimistic, recall that some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Panasonic, Sharp, and Toyota, laid the foundation of their manufacturing business atop the wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. For a repeat, China may be the key.” Much as relations with the U.S. were central to the post-war recovery, “a more stable and trustworthy relationship between Japan and China is also essential to Japan’s rebuilding. This is the moment of truth as to whether or not Japan will remain a global power.”
Tags: China, Earthquake, Japan, Revival, U.S.
