Thursday, August 1, 2013
Got up at six forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The increase in the reliance on water power generation is appropriate for developing countries where many rivers are springing from mountainous regions. For the developed countries, however, the total cost of construction by their builder of a hydroelectric dam as it was before isn't reasonable anymore, as well known. The reduction in the total cost by virtue of the progress of technology is desirable but it isn't easy. What's necessary here isn't the reduction of the cost per dam but that per unit of electricity generated, needless to say.
It's rainy in the morning and fine later in the day. Today's maximum temperature is 87.1 degrees F (30.6 degrees C).
Friday, August 2, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 84.2 degrees F (29.0 degrees C).
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Got up at eight forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at grocery stores this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 82.4 degrees F (28.0 degrees C).
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Got up at eight forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 85.3 degrees F (29.6 degrees C).
Monday, August 5, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a rainy day. Today's maximum temperature is 80.2 degrees F (26.8 degrees C).
According to the news topics today, a portion for one person of the hamburger meat that is produced by culturing the stem cells of a beef cow in a beaker in a research center in the Netherlands costs about $300,000. This idea in itself didn't surprise me but its price actually did. It seems that there's a large room for cost reduction of it potentially when its demand increases in the future. In this stage, a hamburger with it looks unsavory.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner.
It's a rainy day. It's a tropical day in many cities of southwestern Japan.
Today is the 68th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The atomic bombing claiming the lives of a large number of civilians must be a wrong use of nuclear energy.
I am in favor of the principle of cosmopolitanism. I believe in the future accomplishment of the world state. As written several times in my diary, it will take hundreds of years from now. The establishment of the world state should enable people to lower the thresholds of the current national borders in terms of many aspects while resolving many existing international problems, including the risks of nuclear war and nuclear terror breaking out, territorial issues, and so on.
International problems regarding energy resources are going to become more serious. If the trend continues, there is a high probability that the degree of reliance on nuclear power generation that uses fissionable nuclear materials as fuel will need to start to expand 30 years from now or earlier. It isn't necessary for people to wait for the time when the world-state is established far in the future. As written previously, the management and administration of all fissionable nuclear materials could be entrusted to an international organization under the umbrella of the United Nations. Only an authorized international organization should take responsibility for the enriching and reprocessing processes of nuclear materials. Ideally, all the atomic bombs may be scraped, and then only an international organization under the United Nations will maintain very strict control over all highly enriched nuclear materials. Some highly enriched nuclear materials can be made full for the purpose of the generation of electricity after diluting them, and others can be preserved for the purpose of safety measures against possible asteroid strikes.
Therefore, the reason to prepare for the possible collisions of the asteroids with the earth in the future can't justify any nation keeping arming with nuclear weapons. The risks of nuclear war and nuclear terror breaking out can be significantly reduced when the above-mentioned international organization is established under the umbrella of the United Nations. In order to do that, the neutralization of the United Nations in terms of the social system, culture, race, and religion and the intensification of its leadership have to be advanced. Considering the recent situations, however, prospects for the success of this political plan are quite slim.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 85.8 degrees F (29.9 degrees C).
Cosmopolitanism is quite in the natural order of things for the future world. The constructive and peaceful ways of living, thinking, discussing, negotiating, decision-making, and collaborating at the international stages for a long period of time should lead the world to a world state successfully, as a natural consequence. The movement toward cosmopolitanism should gather momentum. Its momentum has to be kept without haste.
Understanding the usual measures to block the way for cosmopolitanism may be more beneficial in order for the leading figures of cosmopolitanism to handle dexterous blockings. For the purpose of advancing cosmopolitanism, mutual concessions among all countries, especially in terms of social systems, are essential. It's understandable that both extreme nationalists and extreme socialists/communists tend to dislike the idea of cosmopolitanism because both of them don't like to compromise at all. Nowadays both extremists conflicting with each other sometimes present a united for the common purposes. Either of these extremists may lead their fellow figures to express their support for it in the first place. Then, their fellows start stirring up a great number of the old guards to interfere by claiming some extreme outcomes with it. A voice from the inside sounds louder than that from the outside. For instance, their fellows may say that the world-state has to be founded, so that "all the national borders should be removed", or it has to be done "as soon as possible". The extremists can guide the old guards to draw the world backward, as a result of their design. Their fellows may also threaten the general public by telling the exaggerated nonsense story that the conquest of all the countries by exercising military powers will be vital to its success. It's a brutal story. There's no need for warfare. The other nonsense story may be that all religions should be lost or unified. It's damnable. There's only a need to soften the doctrines exclusive to other religions. The story that all the people have to give up the languages of their native countries should also give a strongly negative impression. Only a world language that can be recognized as a second language is necessary.
Anything in the terrible stories above isn't necessary to advance the principle of cosmopolitanism, needless to say. Both mutual concessions of social systems among all the countries and the integration of the defense and police machinery under the world state are essential for its success.
BTW, it's quite reasonable for people who live in the US and Japan to consider that nationalism and communism contain mutually incompatible elements. When taking the existence of North Korea into consideration, however, the inference is unsettled. An extreme nationalist can be a friend of an extreme socialist/communist under a certain condition.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 88.9 degrees F (31.6 degrees C).
The excellences in any of the qualities of intelligence, health, and beauty are desirable. Some parts of one's intelligence, health, and beauty are attributed to its native inborn traits, and the rest parts can also be developed thereafter. One's excellent inborn talents may never bear fruit under unpropitious circumstances. Propitious circumstances may develop the abilities of an ordinary to some degree, as often seen. In the long run, however, the superior qualities of intelligence, health, and beauty can be acquired only when one is blessed with both. A person who is granted two superior talents out of the three qualities above is rare, and that who is granted all three is very rare. It's just a matter of the theory of probability.
At the present time, the rumor is that there are a lot of simplistic ways to acquire the derangement of mental activities, the power of physical activities, and the beauty of external appearances instantly. For example, the first can be gained by taking illegal drugs, the other can be gained by using performance-enhancement drugs and the rest can be gained by undergoing plastic surgery. In comparison to Japan about two decades ago, the cases related to dealing with illegal drugs hit the press in a much bigger way in Japan now. In Asian countries including Japan, the news topics about plastic surgery are very often carried on the TV and the Internet, without any guilty conscience. Recently I keenly realized the changes wrought by time.
Needless to say, I have never taken any illegal drug, never taken any performance enhancement drugs, and never had any plastic surgery in my life, though these simplistic ways prevail wider in the US where I lived for the last sixteen years.
BTW, unlike the US's sporting world, Japan's mass media has never given any prominent coverage of the doping scandals involving Japanese athletes, so far, to my knowledge.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
Today is the 68th anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature is 92.3 degrees F (33.5 degrees C).
Some kinds of genetic manipulation may have the future potential to be used to enhance one's intelligence, health, and beauty but it's currently against the ethical codes. Whether it's a right path or a wrong path, there's still much to study in this area though its developments have to be continuously monitored based on moral justice.
It's true that both taking appropriate nutrition and receiving a good education since childhood should help develop one's intelligence to some degree. However, I have never heard of such a medicine that improves one's intelligence effectively and instantly. It's well known that the use of some sort of illegal drugs causes the derangement of mental activities. It goes without saying that it doesn't improve one's intelligence. It just causes the mental derangement. By way of caution, let me add that I have never taken any illegal drug in my life. My wife and I don't smoke tobacco. On weekends, holidays, and anniversaries we just enjoy alcoholic drinks at dinner.
Both taking appropriate nutrition and receiving good instructions since childhood should also help develop one's health to some degree. Unlike an inexistent medicine for mental activities, medicines that enhance physical activities exist. Although the so-called performance enhancement drugs help people build up strong muscles, add some stamina, or raise somewhat cardiopulmonary function, most of them make people unhealthy at this point in time because of dangerous side effects. Although I take some sorts of supplements such as vitamins, zinc, protein, etc., I have never taken any performance-enhancement drugs in my life because of lack of necessity. The supplements that I take should be categorized into food products. I still make a daily habit of 100 sit-ups and moderate stretching.
Both taking appropriate nutrition and having regular habits since childhood should also help improve one's beauty to some degree. Because of a lack of necessity, I have never had any plastic surgery in my life. I believe that neither dental implant surgery nor LASIK corrective surgery for myopia is placed under the category of plastic surgery. By a manner of trying to get out of the habit of a frowning face, it's desired that the deep wrinkles that are carved into my forehead may become inconspicuous gradually. I have no intention of dying to conceal my gray hair.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at grocery stores this morning. Ate a dish of Japanese noodles for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Today's maximum temperatures in several cities of Japan rise above 104 degrees F (40 degrees C). Today's maximum temperature here is 93.9 degrees F (34.4 degrees C). In Japan, this summer's temperatures are higher than those two decades ago by about 5.4 to 9 degrees F (3 to 5 degrees C). In most countries of Europe and Asia, scorching weather continues.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Got up at eight-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Tasted Japanese spirits distilled from sweet potatoes with dinner. It contains about 20% of alcohol and has a sweet aroma and a smooth flavor. These spirits can be recommended for a wide range of people including women.
Today's maximum temperatures in some cities of Japan rise above 104 degrees F (40 degrees C) again. Today's maximum temperature here is 92.8 degrees F (33.8 degrees C).
Monday, August 12, 2013
Got up at seven-thirty in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 91.9 degrees F (33.3 degrees C).
A gradual shift toward a furious climate with large changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind all over the world throughout the year can't be denied. The following summarizes my thoughts on energy-related issues at this point. For the next three decades, the thermal power generation that burns fossil fuels will continue to play a key role. During this period of time, the necessity to advance the ideas for saving energy should be indisputable. The individual should be encouraged to contribute to the use of solar panels.
The neutralization of the United Nations in terms of the social system, culture, race, and religion and the intensification of its leadership have to be advanced in order to entrust both the management and the administrations of all the fissionable nuclear materials only to an international organization under the United Nations so that the degree of reliance on the nuclear power generation that uses as fuel the nuclear materials can start to expand without entailing the risks of nuclear war and nuclear terror breaking out when fossil fuels are in short supply some decades from now. This is a political and diplomatic method of resolving the energy issue.
The realization of the advanced technologies of renewable energy resources should be necessary. The most interesting renewable energy technology for me is the Enhanced Geothermal System, because of its potentially long lifespan and its continual power generation. The realization of the generation of electricity either by using a new renewable energy method that satisfies people's energy needs sufficiently, safely, and enduringly, or by using nuclear fusion power generation should be a technological method of solving the problem.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 87.8 degrees F (31 degrees C).
Watched the movie masterpiece entitled "The Gladiator" on TV last evening. A creative screenplay based on the imperial throne at the close of Marcus Aurelius' reign, the aesthetic screen images and actors' magnificent performances of this movie are praiseworthy.
According to some dictionaries, Marcus Aurelius is the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors and his famous book Meditations describes his philosophy belonging to Stoicism. Although the other four former emperors of the Five Good Emperors appointed a person of ability from the Senate to be a successor, without relying on the tradition of the hereditary system, Marcus made his son Commodus co-emperor after a German invasion was repelled in 177 A.D., and he died in 180. Commodus who became a Roman emperor was infamous for his brutality, dissipation, and ignorance. Commodus' sister and some Senators made an attempt on to his life in 182. This movie is modeled mostly on this episode as its main plot.
In the dramatic setting of this movie, the character of Commodus seems to be divided into two individuals. One is a villain Commodus, who murdered his father Marcus, and the other is an imaginary hero general, Maximus, whom Marcus appointed as his successor just before his death. Maximus is a man of brave, stoic, and sincere character whom Marcus should like, split from the real Commodus. The moviemakers may have put their unattained wish that Marcus didn't have to cede the throne to his foolish son into this drama setting, by creating Maximus. Two characters had been embroiled until their mutual failure together at the Colosseum. Unlike Commodus in the movie, his mistress and her conspirators assassinated him in a bathroom in 192, as described in the books about Roman history.
It's known to be a historical fact that Commodus frequently fought as a gladiator at the Colosseums. It seems that his behaviors at the Colosseum were taboo for an emperor. In this movie, other taboo factors are added in order to characterize Commodus as an extreme villain because of his immorality. One of the taboos fabricated is a patricide and the other is an attempted incest. Unlike the Greek tragedies in which the characters unconsciously drift into immoral ways with divine guidance, Commodus in the movie intentionally violates these taboos. Whether what professor Sigmund Freud advocated is right or not, the complexes in his theory may be identified only in babyhood. In an upright person aged five years and above, such tendencies can't be seen usually.
BTW, in an upright adult, the tendencies opposite to the above can be found as a general rule. For the sake of a happy conjugal relationship, a wife should try to be a rather mysterious existence for her husband. A wise wife should refrain from behaving like a mother to a husband in order to suppress his inconstancy.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner. Went out shopping at a grocery store tonight.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 89.2 degrees F (31.8 degrees C).
For a leader of an organization larger than a certain size, such as an international organization, a nation, a state, a city, an agency, or a corporation, his or her excellence in intelligence and leadership should always be the necessary requirements. One of the reasons why it should be so is that majorities of people belonging to it simply expect a leader of better abilities and the fulfillment of his or her responsibilities to an organization. People in a very large organization may attach more importance to fairness than to leadership ability, as seen in modern days. The larger an organization is, the more importance on the fairness people place. Although the democratic system that has been generally used to decide a leader in large organizations may not be a way to find the best leader, it allows people to elect a respectable leader by voting for him or her at least.
The hereditary system may still be a usual way to decide a leader for some sorts of small groups of people, such as an old family and a small company, even now. The smaller a group is, the more important the traditions may be.
Although the hereditary system isn't appropriate for a large organization and isn't favored by people at the present time, it isn't necessary for modern people to refuse a second, a third, or a later generation under democratic rule if he or she is elected and better than other candidates. As long as a reasonable leader is elected, whether he or she comes from a good family or not, or whether he or she is a second generation or not doesn't matter. Which should be supported more, a leader who comes from a good family or a leader who has worked his way up is just a matter of personal preference. The moviemakers of the Gladiator probably give their backing to the latter.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Today is the anniversary of the end of WW II. It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 92.7 degrees F (33.7 degrees C). A severe thunderstorm broke over this afternoon. It brought heavy rainfalls with thunders, the claps of which drowned out the explosions of fireworks. According to a news program, a large firework festival on the lakeshore around here was canceled halfway.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 90.7 degrees F (32.6 degrees C).
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at a grocery store. Ate pieces of pizza for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 88.5 degrees F (31.4 degrees C).
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 89.1 degrees F (31.7 degrees C).
Monday, August 19, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 90.9 degrees F (32.7 degrees C).
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 86.2 degrees F (30.1 degrees C).
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Got up at eight o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Italian pasta for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 86.0 degrees F (30.0 degrees C).
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a tropical day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 91.2 degrees F (32.9 degrees C).
It seems that today's news reports from the US and China imply that humankind needs religion. Probably, some of the political factions in the US that have faith in Christianity or Judaism, devote themselves to the problem of human rights, and have a preference for a multi-party system rather than a two-party system gave that inkling through the mass media. In essence, their opinion on the necessity of religion is agreeable, though some of their opinions biased on the basis of their conveniences are unreasonable.
In the history of religions all over the world, there have been a number of undesirable precedents of wrong uses of religions as a tool for the purposes of moneymaking, tax saving, subjugation, and politics. However, those problems didn't stem from their essences but were just their wrong uses. As long as their wrong uses are controlled, religions should be salutary beliefs. Therefore, in order to repress some of their wrong uses further, the separation of religion and politics has to be advanced steadily. I believe that all the religious factors should be taken away from the United Nations.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
It's a rainy day in many cities of Japan today. Today's maximum temperature here is 77.7 degrees F (25.4 degrees C).
It seems that some of today's news reports from the US and Japan suggested the advantages of a multi-party system. Simply speaking, it allows a change speedily by forming a de facto one-party rule. Some sorts of hasty Japanese in the areas of the mass media, non-official, government officials, and politics, who may be friends of the above-stated strategic Americans, let some reporters speak of such topics on the news programs, as a countermeasure against the recent political activities supportive toward a two-party system. Indeed, a wrecker in one of the small parties out of power has been active in ruining the potential of a coalition of non-government parties. In this stage, their acts may be OK, regardless of whether their ways of doping are likable or not.
Currently, the government party is working on several important issues including the negotiations with the partner countries within TPP and the increase of the consumption tax rate. How is the amendments to the constitution, it has longed for, likely to develop has also to be ascertained to some degree. It seems that non-government parties should anticipate some fresh development for a while. Half a year from now or later may be an appropriate time for the resumption of the coalition of non-government parties.
BTW, as written previously several times, I prefer a two-party system and a right-of-center stance. Although the Constitution of Japan should be kept rigid, I agree with the amendments of some articles.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at grocery stores this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a cloudy day. Today's maximum temperature here is 82.0 degrees F (27.8 degrees C).
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Got up at eight forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a dish of Japanese pasta following an aperitif for dinner.
It's a cloudy day. Today's maximum temperature here is 71.2 degrees F (21.8 degrees C).
Monday, August 26, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
For the last decade or longer when pro-left-wing politicians and pro-labor politicians were somewhat energetic in Japan, the US's diplomatic policies toward Japan had a tendency to resort to the measures of intimidation. It may be called the manner of M. Perry.
Since early this year, the US's diplomatic policy toward Japan has changed into a more strategic manner. A way to obstruct an opponent from the inside is one of their usual measures. One of the recent examples of this way can be found in the latest US presidential election, and the other can be found in the politics in Japan recently. It means that Japan's governing party may be a good friend of theirs now.
Now, let me cite an example of the usual measures that the old guards have often used at every turn. A way to obstruct an opponent by pushing encouragingly in the back at the beginning, followed by making an opponent fall into a snare trap, has often been used. This is an effective measure against the expanding growth of a newcomer. The economic circles in Japan were severely buffeted by that trick from the latter half of the1980s through the early of the1990s. Currently, the Chinese government is trying to cope with it. Probably, they learned from a past mistake of Japanese business community. The fact above tells that this way has become a rather hackneyed measure. The interesting question is, what the next thing is. It's hard to predict, as you know.
BTW, I also had a bitter experience of being a target in such a way in the US about ten years ago, as written previously. Although I was informed of a trick upon me before some malicious traps were set, I was, unfortunately, unable to deflect it because I underestimated the traps that really bordered up insanity. In my case, senior Americans and Asians including Japanese who aligned themselves not only with the old guards but also with the human rights groups plotted evil after the competition among the factions was fiercely instigated. They also circulated a large number of groundless rumors about me in order to incite the perpetrators to participate in setting the traps those days.
Today's maximum temperature here is 79.7 degrees F (26.5 degrees C).
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The elimination of the wasteful uses of taxes is the most proper path to manage the expanding national debt of Japan. If necessary, the increases in the rates of both the corporate tax and the income tax may be appropriate for the purpose of gaining a source of revenue that may offset it. It seems that the increase in the rate of the consumption tax, which is considered non-progressive, isn't the best idea to gain a source of revenue that may be used for dealing with the aging of the Japanese population. Last night, my wife and I talked about some ideas that enable us to make the consumption/sales tax progressive, without causing significant troublesomeness.
The following explains the first plan. For the purpose of simplification, the tax may be assessed only on retail selling, like the US sales tax. Instead of just increasing the tax rate, progressiveness will be added to the sales tax. The sales tax rate increases progressively with raising the price of an item if it costs ten thousand yen or higher. For example, the rate of the progressive sales tax for low-priced goods and services standing at ten thousand yen or lower is kept at a current constant value of 5%. The rate of the progressive sales tax for an item at a million yen may be a value between 5 and 15%, and that for an item at a hundred million yen may be above 15%, depending upon the simple equation and its coefficients. The introduction of the progressive sales tax should require rather complications in the tax calculations by the cashiers. In modern times when the modernized cash registers come into general use, however, such complication in the tax calculations should be a trivial matter. The concept of keeping the sales tax rate for low-priced goods and services a constant should allow a cashier at a small shop equipped with only an old-fashioned pocket calculator to minimize its bothersome. The preparation of a tax table, which can be printed on paper or stored in a gadget, may be a good tentative solution.
It goes without saying that the above-mentioned threshold price of ten thousand yen is just based on my rough estimation. At the present time, the optimal threshold price may be one thousand yen, five thousand yen, twenty thousand yen, or other. To be honest, I dislike adding such a threshold value. Although it should be zero ideally, it's necessary for convenience' sake. It seems that the practicability of this progressive sales tax depends upon the penetration rate of the cash registers that are capable of calculating the progressive tax rate for each item. If a large majority of the cash registers at the retail shops in Japan have already been well-modernized, only a small modification of software installed in them may allow shifting to this new tax system easily. If not, the progressive sales tax may not be ready to go. It may be too early.
The progressive sales tax is a reasonable idea for dealing with the aging of the population. However, this plan is rather complicated. It isn't beneficial to the industries that manufacture and sell high-priced products, such as the auto industry, the building industry, and so on. Next, the other plan will be briefly explained. The second plan is simpler than the first one. This is a plan to increase the rates of both the consumption tax and the income tax for the same purpose. The consumption tax rate may be the constant value of 5, 8, or 10%. Because the progressive income tax rate is also increased, the progressiveness should be enhanced on the whole. Although it doesn't inflict a loss upon a particular industry, this plan shifts the burden onto the people in the lower saving bracket who have to prepare for their own retirements. Therefore, for the purpose of dealing with the aging of the population, the first plan is better than the second one. Taking Japan's values into consideration, however, Japan's ruling party probably prefers the latter plan. The ruling party may have a more liking for a plan to increase only the consumption tax rate considerably, than for the second plan, though it's non-progressive. It would be the reverse of its goal.
Today's maximum temperature here is 79.2 degrees F (26.2 degrees C).
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Got up at five forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The situation isn't looking good in the world, especially in the Middle East, recently. For a country that is unable to achieve energy independence and is heavily dependent upon the import of oil from the Middle East, it's rather risky to increase the rate of the consumption tax for a while. Without either maintaining the other imported energy sources like shale oil or gas to some degree or restarting most of the existing nuclear plants after the assessment of the degree of safety, the decision that will influence its business activities should require caution during this period of time.
Today's maximum temperature here is 81.1 degrees F (27.3 degrees C). Because the altitude of the city where my wife and I currently live is about 760 m, temperatures for the last few days are normal.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a bowl of Japanese noodle soup for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
According to BBC News Today, a scientific group recently reported a new hypothesis about the origin of life on the earth, at a conference in Italy. It tells that life may have come from or via Mars. A hypothesis might provide a clue for understanding the reason why wars occupy the greater part of the human history of the world.
Today's maximum temperature here is 84.2 degrees F (29.0 degrees C).
Friday, August 30, 2013
Got up at seven o'clock in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast, a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal for dinner.
The following describes my view of why the use and sale of marijuana should be kept illegal. To put it briefly, marijuana is addictive, the use of marijuana influences the user's mental and physical conditions, the regular marijuana smokers are still in the minority and the marijuana industry for non-medical use hasn't come into being except in the black markets.
In order to make the issue easy to realize, let us assume in the first place that any use and sale of substances that are addictive and influence the user's mental and physical conditions should be illegalized for non-medical use. For the purpose of medical uses, these substances can be allowed to be sold as prescription drugs, if really necessary. This is just an ideal view, but it helps understand what's necessary. As written above, the use and sale of marijuana should be kept illegal because at this stage regular marijuana smokers are still in the minority and the marijuana industry for non-medical use hasn't come into being yet.
Now, let us compare between an ideal view and the real world. Unlike an ideal, in the real world at the present time, the use and sale of some sorts of beverages and dried leaves containing substances that are addictive and influence the user's mental and physical conditions, such as tobacco and alcohol, are legal in most countries currently. Both the alcohol and tobacco industries are very large and have a long history. Indeed, a large number of people are carrying on the trades in these industries. The existence of large industries is one of the most important factors that have to be taken into consideration.
Because tobacco smoke is thought productive of cancer, its sidestream smoke also bothers somebody else, and the use of tobacco may lead to that of marijuana followed by more dangerous drugs, the restriction on tobacco use has been getting stricter and stricter in the advanced countries. On the other hand, its market shares are still expanding in the developing countries. In the future, however, the worldwide decline in tobacco sales may happen little by little. As long as its speed is slow enough, however, the future society may accept its decline without trouble.
Excessive use of alcohol should be bad for the user's health. When the amount of alcohol is moderate, it's generally believed that its influence on health isn't injurious. It goes without saying that the crackdowns by the police on alcohol-related criminals e.g. DUI should always be important. Although it's uncertain whether people will still drink alcoholic beverages one thousand years from now, people continue enjoying them for quite a long period of time. On the other hand, looking back to the past in the US, the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages had been prohibited from 1920 through 1933, as well known. One of the major reasons for the failure of the so-called Prohibition Act was that a large majority of Americans had the alcohol habit in those days too, as they are today. To put it another way, there was a great demand for it. Unfortunately, the effectuation of Prohibition just created a big business chance in the black markets for the gangs to fill such great demand.
For the last decade, the number of illegal drug-related crimes has been increasing in the US. The drive to legalize marijuana is now making much headway recently. A suggestion by its supporters that the legalization of marijuana may improve public order, taking up the case of the Prohibition Act, seems to be nonsense. At least, it should be a nonsense opinion while only a minority number of people take marijuana regularly. It's pretty certain that the widespread of marijuana following its legalization should worsen public order as of now. However, once it spreads as much as alcohol, the situation becomes turned around. It has truly become more difficult to control marijuana by carrying a law into effect again, for the same reason as the failure of Prohibition. The wider it spreads, the more difficult the cracking down of it becomes.
Today's maximum temperature here is 83.3 degrees F (28.5 degrees C).
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Got up at seven forty-five in the morning. Ate a piece of bread for breakfast. Went out shopping at grocery stores this morning. Ate a Japanese meal for lunch, and a Japanese meal following an aperitif for dinner.
Today's maximum temperature here is 87.4 degrees F (30.8 degrees C).
