South China Morning Post (December 1)
Moody’s downgraded Japan’s credit rating by one notch from Aa3 for to A1. “Despite the rating cut, Moody’s noted that Japan was not in a disastrous situation.” The Post explains that “Japan, which once led the world in innovation, is facing stiff competition from emerging nations including China, while a falling number of working-age people is shrinking its tax base even as soaring ranks of seniors strain the public purse.”
Tags: China, Competition, Credit rating, Downgrade, Emerging nations, Innovation, Japan, Moody's, Seniors, Tax base
New York Times (November 30)
Japan canceled its 2014 whale hunt in the wake of a critical ruling from the International Court of Justice, but now stands poised to resume whaling in 2015. The new plan will reduce catches and raise the profile of scientists, but remains “a variation on the same evasion of treaty obligations, just as Japan’s insistence on ‘science’ as its prime motive rings hollow in a field where experts say nonlethal research already suffices.” The decision to resume the hunt is “a diplomatic embarrassment for Japan.”
Tags: Diplomatic, Embarrassment, Evasion, Experts, Hunt, Japan, Motive, Research, Scientists, Treaty obligations, Whales
