Honolulu Star-Advertiser (May 6)
“Since a series of fissures opened up in Leilani Estates on Thursday, spitting lava and toxic sulfur dioxide, it seems that everyone in South Puna has become an amateur geologist and volcanologist, convinced they know which communities are safe and which ones are vulnerable to further outbreaks.” But two weeks ago, no one “predicted that lava from Kilauea would suddenly shoot from the ground in Leilani Estates, along with earthquakes and fears that all the shaking will trigger a tsunami.”
Tags: Earthquakes, Fissures, Hawaii, Kilauea, Lava, Leilani Estates, SO2, Tsunami, Vulnerable
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
New York Times (November 1)
Scientists believe much of the debris carried to sea by Japan’s March 11 tsunami will eventually end up in place known as “the Pacific Garbage Patch.” About 5-10% of the items, however, will wash ashore, some of it in Hawaii. Though transformed by years in the ocean, these items “will be an echo of a tragedy, for many years to come. “
Financial Times (August 29)
How long will Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the sixth in 5 years, last? “To do better, Japan badly needs political stability,” and yet “Japan’s recent crop of leaders has underwhelmed.” Thankfully, the bureaucracy does a competent job of managing the country, but Japan remains “strategically adrift. The big questions of how it rebuilds after the tsunami, how it manages its debt, how it eradicates deflation and how it deals with China have been postponed or fudged.”
New York Times (June 12)New York Times (June 12)
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke stated “growth will recover later in the year as gas prices fall and the effects of the Japanese tsunami fade.” “Too-easy,” the Times says of his answer. “Even if temporary setbacks were to blame, the economy’s inability to take hits without backsliding is a sign of underlying fragility.” Big federal budget cuts should be delayed while measures to stimulate the economy, like job creation and mortgage relief for homeowners, should be undertaken.
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke stated “growth will recover later in the year as gas prices fall and the effects of the Japanese tsunami fade.” “Too-easy,” the Times says of his answer. “Even if temporary setbacks were to blame, the economy’s inability to take hits without backsliding is a sign of underlying fragility.” Big federal budget cuts should be delayed while measures to stimulate the economy, like job creation and mortgage relief for homeowners, should be undertaken.
Time (April 21)
Time will include Dr. Takeshi Kanno in its list of the 100 “most influential people in the world.” When the tsunami alert sounded, the doctor “immediately began moving patients to the highest floor, helping dozens of people in the short window between the 9.0-magnitude quake and the deadly wave.” He remained at his post in Minami Sanriku treating patients until the survivors could be evacuated from the stricken Shizugawa public hospital. After three days he rejoined his wife for the birth of their second child. They named the boy Rei, which means “the wisdom to overcome hardship,” a trait Dr. Kanno exemplified during the disaster.
Washington Post (April 15)
Prime Minister Naoto Kan writes thanking the U.S., other governments, NGOs and private citizens for their acts of kindness as Japan recovers from the Great East Japan Earthquake. With over 28,000 dead or missing, Kan’s current “top priority” is bringing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear situation “under control at the earliest possible date.” Though struck by a staggering earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, Kan believes “this difficult period will provide us with a precious window of opportunity to secure the ‘Rebirth of Japan.’”
The Economist (April 4)
“Japan gets all the bad luck.” On the verge of recovery from Lehman shock, the triple whammy earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis has again placed all in doubt. Responses to the Tankan survey illustrate the blow. Pre- and post-quake responses show a marked drop, with optimism turning to pessimism. Rotating power outages and the jishuku sense of restraint are inflicting further damage on the economy. The Economist urges that this is the “time, then, for the government to get out in front of its own people, and tell them to spend.”“Japan gets all the bad luck.” On the verge of recovery from Lehman shock, the triple whammy earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis has again placed all in doubt. Responses to the Tankan survey illustrate the blow. Pre- and post-quake responses show a marked drop, with optimism turning to pessimism. Rotating power outages and the jishuku sense of restraint are inflicting further damage on the economy. The Economist urges that this is the “time, then, for the government to get out in front of its own people, and tell them to spend.”
Institutional Investor (March 21)
“One of the victims of Japan’s tsunami was somewhat unexpected: The Global IPO market.” A number of companies, many with no connection to Japan, postponed their IPOs. The IPO market began the year in a much healthier state, but jittery investors raised fears of “a sharp post-offering slide,” even for those issuers who successfully complete their offerings.
Economist (March 17)
“Some natural disasters change history. Japan’s tsunami could be one.” After two lost decades, Japan desperately needs change. “This dreadful moment” may eventually prove more than “a time of death, grief and mourning.” It may also be “a time of rebirth.”
Tags: Japan, Lost decades, Natural disaster, Tsunami
