Tag Archives: japan

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Some Economic Recovery? Toyota will fight rising Yen, by moving Highlander production to the United States

After announcing a 75% drop in profits, due to the rising value of the Japanese Yen, Toyota announced it will move all Highlander production to the United States!

This is because the value of the dollar is so low that it’s now cheaper to make their SUV in the U.S., than in Japan.  Those U.S. made Highlanders will then be sold in the growing Russian and Australian car markets.

Toyota hopes production will begin in their Indiana factory by the middle of 2013.  It will include gasoline engined, and hybrid powered Highlanders.

 

 

International, Technology, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Electronic parts fall out of USN EA-6B Prowler as it flies over Japan

Japanese media reporting that a U.S. Navy electronic warfare aircraft, an EA-6B Prowler, began falling apart as it flew over Kanagawa Prefecture.  A car on a freeway was actually hit by some of the parts.

Video shows some parts lying on the ground.  Japan’s Defense Ministry says railroad workers witnessed the parts falling of the USN aircraft.  At least six parts have been recovered, one is a panel nearly five feet long!

The Prowler landed at the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Station.  It had flown in from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Kit Bashing & What Economic Recovery? United States to help Japan’s economy by dropping illegal tariffs, pay back Japan $26 million in illegal tariffs

“We have finally put these burdensome and potentially damaging trade disputes behind us.”-Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative

For decades the U.S. has imposed high tariffs on imports (so much for free trade), claiming the tariffs were “anti-dumping” fines.   The problem is that some of the foreign products affected by those U.S. tariffs were actually cheaper in the country of origin (like plastic model kits from Japan, and some from Europe).

Even after the U.S. created World Trade Organization ruled against the U.S. (five years ago!), regarding the anti-dumping tariffs, the United States continued the unfair trade policy.

Now, in an effort to help Japan’s, and Europe’s, ailing economy, and because Japan was about to levy a similar tariff on U.S. products, the United States will end those tariffs.  The U.S. has also agreed to pay back $26 million in illegal tariffs collected on Japanese products.

The end of the anti-dumping duties also affects European countries.

Unfortunately for us model kit builders, the ending of the tariff might not help our wallets, as the Yen and Euro have gained in value against the U.S. dollar.  The Euro now worth more than the U.S. dollar, but, the Yen is still far cheaper so lets hope those prices come down on Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasegawa and coveted Fine Molds kits.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Toyota has 72% drop in profits, Japanese Yen to blame

Toyota is reporting a huge drop in profits for the last nine months of 2011.  Profits fell by 72%!

But don’t blame the drop in profit on lack of sales. Sales for the same time fell by 10%.

Toyota says the increasing value of the Yen caused the huge drop in profits, and production halts due to natural disasters, in Japan and Thailand, caused the drop in sales.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Boeing says ‘Ooops’ finds structural flaw in new 787 Dreamliner

Boeing is reporting that they have found a flaw in parts used to make the troubled 787 Dreamliner.  The parts are made in a South Carolina factory.

Boeing insists the flaw will not affect the safe operation of the aircraft, but then says the parts are used to strengthen the carbon fiber structure of the aircraft.  History is wrought with examples of aircraft crashes because of weakened airframes!

All Nippon Airways is the first airline company to get the 787.   They got their jets three years behind schedule!   The reason for the delay was that Boeing kept encountering strength problems in assembling the high tech light weight components (among other things)!

Business/Economics, International, Technology

What Economic Recovery? Mitsubishi to end European production, 1,500 people will lose their jobs, Thailand the winner

Mitsubishi Motors announced on February 6 that they will close their only factory in Europe.

The factory is in Netherlands, and employees 1,500 people.  Mitsubishi says the factory is outdated, and it’s not worth it to upgrade.

Also, Mitsubishi stressed that they must focus on stronger car markets, like South America, and they are giving up on any chances to increase sales in Europe.  However, they will continue to ship cars to Europe from their factory in Thailand.  They also have a new Thai factory that’s scheduled to begin production in March  (mmm, cheaper Thai labor, I wounder if that’s the real reason they’re shutting down their Dutch factory?).

Mitsubishi is now working with the Dutch government to find a buyer for their Dutch factory.

 

International, U.S.

1.7 million Japanese infected with H3N2

February 5, 2012

Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases has revealed that 1.73 million Japanese are infected with H3N2, a subtype of influenza A (aka Swine Flu, not to be confused with H1N1 Swine Flu).  The last time Japan was hit with H3N2 was five years ago!

According to a report from December, 2011, there were only ten cases of H3N2 reported worldwide, now Japan has 1.73 million!  All ten 2011 cases were in the United States.

There is a problem in dealing with H3N2 as there is actually two H3N2 viruses; one that is human to human, the other is pig to pig.  Back in 2011, health officials tracking H3N2 raised a warning because of the ten cases in the U.S. (mostly in Iowa).  They suspected that a new outbreak of human to human H3N2 was looming.

They were right, at least for Japan, as the 1.73 million people with H3N2 seem to have been infected just within the past month!  Japanese officials say schools have seen the most rapid spread of H3N2.  Many young people between the ages of five and 14 are infected.  All of Japan’s 47 prefectures are dealing with the infection.  So far no deaths are being reported.

 

 

 

International, U.S.

What Global Warming? Europe & Asia suffer freezing WX, at least 420 Europeans freeze to death, even North Africa affected

“It’s awful. I had to walk two hours through freezing temperatures just to get to the metro. The area is full of trees that have fallen on cars but no one’s come to help us.”-Federico Maneski, Rome, Italy

While North America is experiencing a warmer than normal winter, Europe and Asia are breaking records.  From record snowfall in Japan and Korea, to record low temps in Europe.

Japan and South Korea had reported record snowfall, and record freezing temps, but not as freezing as the temps in Europe.

As of February 6, at least 420 Europeans, mostly homeless people, have frozen to death!  Finland has hit -40 Celsius (-104 Fahrenheit)!   The deaths of people who do not have access to heat sources range from France, Italy, Poland, Romania to Ukraine.

In Serbia, an area of 70,000 people has been cut off by record snowfall.  Police and military units have to use helicopters to fly in supplies.  In Croatia, a woman gave birth to a daughter with the help of her neighbors in her village, because the road to the hospital was blocked by snow. She named her daughter Snjezana, which means Snow White in Croatian.

The freezing temps have even hit the North African country of Algeria.  16 people were killed when their cars slid off ice covered roads.

 

 

 

 

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Reactor 2 at Fukushima Daiichi heating up, possibly due to a plumbing screw up!

On 27 January 2012, the temperature in reactor 2 was at 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). On 05 February it’s at 73.3 Celsius (163.9 Fahrenheit).

Tokyo Electric (now effectively state owned due to running out of money) reports that the rise in temp could be due to some recent plumbing work.  Hello!

Another problem is that two separate thermometers are giving cooler temp readings, so they’re not sure which ones to believe.  To be safe they’re going with the higher temp readings.

TEPCo is now pumping 10.6 tons of water per hour, trying to keep the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 from overheating.

Fukushima

What Economic Recovery? 130,000 Japanese flee 11 March 2011, disaster areas!

The Tohoku region, which has three of the prefectures hit hardest by the 11 March 2011 disasters, saw 129,385 people leave.

The prefectures affected are of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.  Fukushima had the most people leave; 31,381.

Believe it or not, people did actually move into the region.  88,159 people moved in, making the net loss of population 40,000. According to Japan’s Internal Affairs Ministry, that’s still the biggest decline in population, in that region, since 1970.