Joe Hisaishi

Summer- Joe Hisaishi -(Kikujiro No Natsu)

The Sixth Station - Joe Hisaishi

Ryojou - Joe Hisaishi

NAIR-SAN

Pic:orginal Nair-san with his family

AN INDIAN FREEDOM FIGHTER IN JAPAN
A.M.Nair known as NAIRSAN

Youth leader, patriot, colonial Britain’s Bete Noir, technocrat, linguist, advisor to the Indian diplomatic mission in Tokyo and eventually a business entrepreneur, Ayyappanpillai Madhavan Nair.

Following his schooling in his home state of kerala, he graduated as a civil engineer from Kyoto University in Japan. After a short stint as an engineer he was drawn inexorably into Japanese politics in which he functioned sometime as a Ronin, that character of rightwing activists who sought no personal rewards but wielded the highest influence in the country.

Nairsan, as he is commonly known, has lived in Japan for over half a century and also spent several years in Manchuria. Here he was an unofficial advisor to the Manchukuo government and the Kwangtung army and also conducted anti-colonial movements against British imperialism in India and other parts of Asia.

His advisory function was invariably marked by complete objectivity, integrity and independence, quality which earned him deep respect all round. For various purposes of his dealings with them the Japanese government recognized him as a personally equivalent in status initially to a major general and later to a lieutenant general.

Waging a most hazardous one-man crusade against the wool trade from Mongolia and Tibet to England, he successfully stopped the shipment of the goods to Manchester and Lancashire. During his Mongolian adventures which took him to regions some of which no other Indian has ever visited, he assumed many secret identities - a living Buddha, a camel caravan expert and a Muslim priest among them.

With Japan’s entry into the second world, Nairsan joined the Indian independence league in Japan and the south East Asian countries under the leadership of Rash Behari Bose – the legendary revolutionary in exile. Here he served as co-founder of the league and the chief link between the Indian freedom movement and the Japanese government.

In their forthright approach these memoirs constitute a valuable contribution to the history of India’s freedom struggle abroad.

In recognition of his dedicated and sustained contribution to the strengthening of friendly and cordial relations between India and Japan, Mr. Nair was awarded the exalted decoration of the order of merit of the sacred treasure (Kun zuihosho) by emperor Hiorohito in November 1984.

NAIR SAN: The legendary indian patriot in world cinema

1964 Japan Olympics. It was a thrilling moment for India when Indian Hockey Team won the Gold. But when the National anthem was being played at the medal distribution ceremony one among the crowd began shouting at the Japanese Government only because of the fact that instead of India ’s National Anthem the authorities played Pakistani National Anthem. Even though there were many officials and great personalities from India who were witnessing the incident none raised their voice other than this great Indian. That was the Indian legendary hero Ayyapan Pllai Madhavan Nair famous as Nair San in Japan. This is only one of the incidents which show the patriotism of this great man who became the reason for ending the Asian exploitation by the British during the freedom struggle.

For those who know Nair san personally he is special in different ways. Nair San had to leave his native land Kerala at the age of 18 as he campaigned among the students and led protests and marches against the social injustices of the British. He rebelled against the Education tax polled by English rulers. Being settled in Japan he struggled hard to root out the imperialism in Asian Countries. At the same time freedom fighters in India assembled men against English rulers. His efficiency in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish languages lifted him above all other Indian freedom fighters in Japan such as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Rash Behari Bose, Pratap Singh, Barkathullah etc. Thus Nair San became an ever lively presence in the strong and well arming agitation organized by Indian National Army and Indian Independence League.

Many thrilling moments in the life of Nair San are unknown.. His strange experiences and dangerous encounters taking the roles of a trader, a Holy lama and a Soofi during his one man expedition and exploration through the deserts and Plateau of Manchukia , Ala Shaan , Mongolia , Tibet , and China in 1933 paved the way for ending the illicit wool trade of the British which contributed the major source of their income.

When a renowned film Director from Kerala like Albert honored with awards for his debut film decided to take up the story of Nair San for his next film it is a prestigious moment for the whole of India as the film is being designed in such a way so as to attract the aesthetics of the International audience. Albert’s passion and vision on Nair San is complemented by his tremendous urge to discover new eras on the subject and to create a truly international class Asian film spanning different cultures, languages and religions. The adventurous life of Nair San lighted the flame in Albert’s mind to create such a film where the Director’s creative concept is used more than the mere historical approach. The story is based on ‘Memories of Nair San’ the biography of A.M.Nair and the creative concept is developed by Albert himself.

Padmasree Mohanlal acts the lead role in the first Japanese film directed by an Indian. The other two famous actors in the film are selected from Bollywood. The leading Japanese actress is preferred to be the heroine of Mohanlal. As Nair San married a Japanese lady it is the perfect recreation by the director himself to select a Japanese actress as the heroine.

The world action hero Jackie Chan also in this film to play the role of a Cameo”,

Music maestro A.R.Rahman will be doing music for the film. The traditional Mongolian & Japanese songs included in the film will be a different experience for the music lovers. The $7.5 million budget film is said to be a different experience for the film lovers worldwide as it is the result of the hard work and enthusiasm of a handful of talented artists. As Japan is the second largest film market in the world the revenue calculated from the movie will be much more than the budget of the film. The major location of the film is Japan, Mongolia and India . The schedule of the film is planned within 145 days and it is expected to release by the end of 2008. Albert had been in hazardous attempt to secure all the detailed knowledge for the perfection of the film.

Data faked on Hitachi-built atomic plants

Hitachi Ltd. said Monday it has discovered that data were falsified in connection with equipment at two nuclear plants in Shizuoka and Shimane prefectures, but shrugged off any safety concerns

The falsified data relate to the heat-treatment process used by another company responsible for the pipe welds on the moisture-separator heaters, Hitachi and its group company said. The heaters increase thermal efficiency by removing moisture from steam sent to turn the turbines and heating it.

Hitachi admitted that the equipment used at Chubu Electric Power Co.'s No. 5 reactor at the Hamaoka plant in Shizuoka Prefecture and at Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s No. 3 reactor under construction at the Shimane plant in Shimane Prefecture, were not operating as specified. But Hitachi claimed that "there is no problem with its material or safety."

Hitachi is checking for any similar data falsification incidents at its 17 other nuclear reactors.
Hitachi outsourced the heat treatment work, which was intended to make the pipes more resistant to cracking, to Japan Industrial Testing Co.
Although Hitachi was reprimanded by the government over a similar incident involving a subcontractor in 1997, it does not appear that the company is facing harsher punishment.
Instead, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told Hitachi and Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd., to investigate whether other incidents of falsification had occurred and to submit plans to prevent a recurrence. Hitachi-GE Nuclear was formed by the merger of the nuclear businesses of the Hitachi and U.S. giant General Electric Co.

During the work, the pipes' temperatures fell faster than specified because of inappropriate temperature management, but that data was erased from the records using a bleaching agent, according to Hitachi, its group company and other sources.

The incident at the Shimane reactor occurred last December when a person in charge of the work wrongly operated the heat treatment equipment and failed to spot the irregularity quickly enough, they said.
The person in charge was quoted as saying: "If (the mistake had been) found, I would have had to do the heat treatment process again at the yearend when I was supposed to be off. I didn't want to do that."

An official at Japan Industrial Testing apologized and vowed that the company will train its employees appropriately. Hitachi has also apologized and said it will work to prevent a recurrence.

Hitachi started to investigate after Chugoku Electric Power in March found possible data falsification related to the heat treatment work of the Shimane plant's No. 3 reactor.

AR Rahman teams up with Japanese music composer Joe Hisaishi

AR Rahman has added another feather to his cap. The composer has now tied up with Japanese music composer Joe Hisaishi for the music of their forthcoming Indo-Japanese venture. Our source said, “Rahman, Bharat Bala (director) and some people from Disney (who are producing the film) met Joe Hisaishi in Tokyo on April 6 to discuss the film. Apart from Kamal Haasan and Asin, the film also stars Japanese actor Tadanobo Asano (Mongol,Wind Up Type,Last Life In The Universe).The movie will trace the origin of martial art in India.” According to our source, the film deals with Kalaripayattu, the martial art form of Kerala. The source added, “Kamal was very keen to work with a Japanese actor after he met Jackie Chan during the music release of Dasavataram. This is a $ 50 million (250 crores approx) project by Bharat Bala who will also be directing the film. Research work on the martial art form is currently on. The film will show that martial arts originated in India and not in Japan.” Bharat Bala and Rahman remained unavailable for comment.

Samurai Sword

A katana is a type of Japanese sword (,nihontō), and is often called a "samurai sword." The term katana may be applied to the standard size moderately curved Japanese sword with a blade length of greater than 60 cm (23.6 inches)

The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and has become renowned for its sharpness and cutting ability, to the point that its purported cutting capabilities have reached mythical status.

The katana originated in the Muromachi period (1392–1573) as a result of changing battle conditions requiring faster response times. The katana facilitated this by being worn with the blade facing up, which allowed the samurai to draw and cut their enemy in a single motion. Previously, the curved sword of the samurai was worn with the blade facing down. The ability to draw and cut in one motion also became increasingly useful in the daily life of the samurai

The length of the katana's blade varied considerably during the course of its history. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, katana blades tended to be between 70 and 73 cm (27.6 and 28.7 inches) in length. During the early 16th century, average length was much closer to 60 cm (23.6 inches), but late in the 16th century, it was again approximately 73 cm (28.7 in)

The authentic Japanese sword is made from a specialized Japanese steel called "Tamahagane". The katana gets its gentle curve from quenching during forging, as it is straight prior to quenching. A process of differential tempering causes martensite to form predominantly in the edge of the blade rather than the back; as the spine has lower retained lattice strain, it cools and contracts, and the blade takes on a gently curved shape.

A coating of clay mixed with ashes and a small portion of rust is applied to every surface but the edge of the blade during hardening. This provides heat insulation so that only the blade's edge will be hardened with quenching.

The hardening of steel involves altering the molecular structure of that material through quenching it from a heat above 1472 Fahrenheit (800 Celsius) (bright red glow), ideally no higher than yellow hot. If cooled slowly, the material will break back down into iron and carbon and the molecular structure will return to its previous state. However, if cooled quickly, the steel's molecular structure is permanently altered. The reason for the formation of the curve in a properly hardened Japanese blade is that iron carbide, formed during heating and retained through quenching, has a lesser density than its root materials have separately.

After the blade is forged it is then sent to be polished. The polish takes between one and three weeks. The polisher uses finer and finer grains of polishing stones until the blade is like glass. This makes the blade extremely sharp and reduces drag making it easier to cut with.

Japanese sword usually refers to the katana (or nihontō), a traditional Japanese sword.

The term may also refer to:
Chisakatana, a shortened katana
Chokutō, a type of straight and (usually) single-edged Japanese sword that dates back to pre-Heian times
Daikatana, a pseudo-Japanese term meaning "large sword"
Dōtanuki, a very thick, long handled sword resembling a katana
Hachiwara, a type of blunt, knife-shaped weapon resembling a jitte
Kodachi, a Japanese sword that is too short to be considered a long sword but too long to be a dagger
Nagamaki, a Japanese weapon popular between the 12th and 14th centuries
Ninjatō, the most common name for the reputed sword a ninja would have carried
Nodachi, a large two-handed Japanese sword
O-katana, a katana slightly longer than a regular katana
Ōdachi, a type of long Japanese sword
Shin gunto, a style of japanese katana designated as part of the uniform for officers of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1934 until the end of World War II
Shinken, a sharp Japanese style sword uses for high level iaido or tameshigiri (cutting) practice
Tachi, a Japanese sword, often said to be more curved and slightly longer than the katana
Tantō, a common Japanese single or, occasionally, double edged knife or dagger with a blade length between 15 and 30 cm
Tsurugi, a Japanese word used to refer to any type of broadsword, or various Chinese heroes' weapons or Chinese swords
Uchigatana, a Japanese blade and predecessor of the katana
Wakizashi, a traditional Japanese sword with a shōtō blade between 30 and 60 cm
Zanbatō, an especially large type of Japanese sword, the historical use of which is completely fictional

Kwangmyongsong(Bright Star)

Kwangmyŏngsŏng (meaning "Bright Star" in Korean) is a class of experimental satellite developed by North Korea and named after a Chinese-language poemby Kim Il-sung. It is the first class of satellite built by this country and the program started in the 1980s.


PIC:Kim Il-sung

According to North Korea Academy of Science's Academician Kwon Tong-hwa,the SLV was developed in the 1980s when the late leader Kim Il-sung decided to launch a Korean satellite. At the beginning of the 1990s, the capacity to achieve this goal was already reached.

On occasion of Kim Jong-il's 50th birthday, on February 16, 1992, his father Kim Il-sung presented him with a Chinese calligraphed poem he had written.Referring to his son's birth, an event that was reportedly marked by a doublerainbow and a bright star in the sky, the future Korean SLV and satellite wouldbe named after it:

From the eternal snowy summit of our sacred Paektusan Mountain,A Bright Star shall rise.—DPRK President Kim Il-sung

PIC:Kim Jong-il

The decision to send a North Korean satellite was precipitated by the successfullaunch of South Korea's first satellite, Uribyol 1 aka Kitsat 1 aka Oscar 23 aka KO 23, on August 10, 1992[3] and its second satellite, Uribyol 2 aka Kitsat 2 akaOscar 25 aka KO 25, on September 26, 1993[4], both by an European Ariane 4 SLV.In a late-1993 meeting of the Korean Workers' Party Central Committee, Kim Il-sung expressed his desire to quickly place a satellite into orbit, leading to the expansionof North Korea's nascent space program and the requirement for a space launch vehicle

In designing the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1, North Korea received considerable assistance from the China's Academy of Launch Technology. This assistance has continued with the developmentof the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite project. It may also extend to additional satellites,including a crude reconnaissance satellite.

Only five years later, preparations for the first satellite launch began at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility on August 7, 1998. Two weeks later, Korean People's Navy vessels proceeded to their mission area into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). By that time, South Korea had already placed two other satellites into space with Delta-7925 SLVs, Koreasat 1 aka Mugunghwa 1 aka Europe Star B, on August 5, 1995, and Koreasat 2 aka Mugunghwa 2 on January 14, 1996.

The mission was planned with an initial evening launch window that was favorable for observation. After a weather forecast predicted heavy winds and rain on the evening of the first launch window in question, the decision was then taken to delay the launch until 12:07 when the weather had cleared.

Liftoff occurred at 12:07 hours local time on August 31. The first stage was separated from the rocket 95 seconds after the launch. The fairing shroud separated at the 144th second, then the second stage separated itself from the rocket at the 266th second. North Korea claimed that the third stage put the satellite into orbit 27 seconds after the separation of the second stage.

Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 is a planned North Korean satellite. According to the North Korean government,it is scheduled for launch between 4 and 8 April 2009, on an Unha-2 carrier rocket. If it reaches orbit, North Korea will become the tenth country to successfully launch a satellite. South Korea,Japan and the U.S. suspect the launch will be used for tests of the delivery technology for a long-range missile Taepodong-2

The launch was first publicly announced on 24 February 2009, when the Korean Central News Agency reported that they had been informed by the Korean Committee of Space Technology that preparations for a satellite launch were underway, and that the satellite would be launched from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground in Hwadae. At about the same time, Kim Jong-il visited the province where the launch site is located, as he had immediately prior to the previous launch on 4 July 2006.

North Korea designated the waters off Japan's Akita and Iwate prefectures as a risk zone for falling debris. Most of a designated zone in the Sea of Japan lies within Japan's exclusive economic zone and outside its territorial waters.

April 4. 2009 Juche 98--KOREAN NEWS

DPRK(Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to launch Its Satellite Soon
Pyongyang, April 4 (KCNA) -- Preparations for launching "Kwangmyongsong-2," an experimental communications satellite, by carrier rocket "Unha-2" have been completed at the satellite launching ground in the east coastal area of the DPRK, according to the information available from the Korean Committee of Space Technology.

The satellite will be launched soon.There is no change in the technological indexes necessary for the safe navigation of airliners and ships provided to the international organizations and the countries concerned in advance.

Young people see future in farming in Japan

Pic:Masachika Ogihara, who works the land in Nagano Prefecture, is starting up
a magazine to spread the word about young farmers

Enthusiasm growing for a career commonly seen as a dead end
Masachika Ogihara once dreamed of becoming an engineer, but now he's convinced he made the right choice to be a farmer — a career the 29-year-old sees as having a huge potential for growth contrary to the common notions

"Farming is exciting and cool. A lot of money can be made if you are creative enough," said Ogihara, who manages about 65 hectares of paddies and fields in Nagano Prefecture. "But not many people know this."

That may be so, but there are signs of budding interest in farming, especially among young people. And it isn't necessarily because a long economic winter appears to have set in.
Farming has suffered from a negative image over much of the past half century, a period in which the economy grew mainly on the back of a successful manufacturing sector.

Farming has often been portrayed as ailing, unprofitable and wearisome, among other things.
It is nothing out of the ordinary for lawmakers and government officials to lament the aging workforce, noting that about 60 percent of the nation's commercial farmers are over 65.
But what shouldn't be overlooked is that the percentage includes the people who farm as a side business.

When it comes to the 1 million so-called business farmers, who draw more than 50 percent of their income from crops, about 70 percent are under age 65, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.

A ministry study found that nearly 10,000 people 29 and younger started farming careers in 2007, of which about 2,200 were women.

Whether these numbers are large enough or too small remains to be seen, but the future of farming does not appear to be all doom and gloom.

Although the number of commercial farmers has fallen to about 3 million from a peak of about 15 million in 1960, the supply of domestic agricultural and livestock products hasn't changed much. This means per capita productivity is five times better.

It is also becoming more common for people who used to work in different industries to enter agriculture as a career, even before the financial crisis swept the globe last year.

Susumu Tanaka, 37, who used to make a fortune in the financial sector, is one of many who believe farming has good prospects.

After working at a Japanese bank and a foreign insurance company for 10 years, Tanaka turned to farming and set up his own company, Salad Bowl, in Chuo, Yamanashi Prefecture, in 2004.
"Like any other industry, farmers who use their brains and have the ability to supply good products are capable of rapidly expanding their operations," Tanaka said. "It's as simple as that."
Protection in the agriculture sector from stiff market competition means there is room for growth for him and other entrepreneurial-minded farmers, he said.

Salad Bowl's farmland has increased from 0.6 hectare to 9 hectares in the last five years, with eight people between the ages of 19 and 32 currently working there to grow about 30 kinds of vegetables.

Tanaka also formed a nonprofit organization in 2005 to run an agriculture school on the farm.
"Until I started my business, I was not aware so many young people were hoping to engage in agriculture," he said. "A weak point of the sector is a lack of practical training programs for those wishing to be farmers."

The school has been teaching the basics to about 100 students a year.

Nahoko Takahashi, 27, who grows rice and vegetables in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, has been training female university students for two years.Giving them the opportunity to experience the pleasure of farming has reinforced her belief that women can play a big role in changing the industry's image.
This spring, Takahashi will launch a "young women's only farm."

"Women are sensitive to the latest trends. I think we can breathe new life into agriculture," said Takahashi, who will run the new farm with "nice-looking girls" and take advantage of this branding strategy when selling their products in Tokyo.

To start with, she has secured a hectare of land to grow sweet tomatoes in five different colors — orange, yellow, red, green and black — and rice. She plans to use herbal medicines as fertilizer, the latest thing in farming.

As part of efforts to give added impetus to the changing environment, Ogihara, the young farmer in Nagano who also serves as head of the National Liaison Council of Rural Youth Clubs, is getting ready to publish a stylish farming magazine targeting readers under 35.

Japan gives cash to jobless foreigners to go home

Japan is offering $3,000 for a plane ticket home to some foreigners who have lost their jobs, a sign of just how bad the economic slump has gotten.

The program, which began Wednesday, applies only to several hundred thousand South Americans of Japanese descent on special visas for factory work. The government's motivation appears to be three-fold: help the workers get home, ease pressure on the domestic labor market and potentially get thousands of people off the unemployment rolls.

"The program is to respond to a growing social problem," said Hiroshi Yamashita, an official at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, referring to joblessness, which has climbed to a three-year high of 4.4 percent.

But there may not be too many takers for the 300,000 yen ($3,000) handout, plus 200,000 yen ($2,000) for each family member. The money comes with strings attached: The workers cannot return to Japan on the same kind of visa.

Given Japan's strict immigration laws, that means most won't be able to come back to work in Japan, where wages are higher than in Latin America.

"It is not necessarily a totally welcome deal," said Iwao Nishiyama, of the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, a government-backed organization that connects people of Japanese ancestry.
The government's offer -- as well as the backdrop of history that has given birth to a vibrant community of South Americans of Japanese ancestry here -- highlight this nation's complex views on foreigners and cultural identity.

Many Japanese consider their culture homogenous, even though there are sizeable minorities of Koreans and Chinese, as well as Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan.

In the early 1990s, Tokyo relaxed its relatively tight immigration laws to allow special entry permits for foreigners of Japanese ancestry in South America to make up for a labor shortage at this nation's then-booming factories.

They took the so-called "three-K" jobs, standing for "kitsui, kitanai, kiken" -- meaning "hard, dirty, dangerous" -- jobs Japanese had previously shunned.

Before their arrival, many such jobs had gone to Iranians and Chinese. But the government saw their influx -- much of it illegal -- as a problem and was eager to find a labor pool it felt would more easily adapt to Japanese society, said Nishiyama of Japanese Abroad association.
So by virtue of their background, these foreigners of Japanese descent -- called "Nikkei" in Japanese -- were offered special visa status.

"They may speak some Japanese, and have a Japanese way of thinking," Nishiyama said. "They have Japanese blood, and they work hard."

The workers are mainly descendants of Japanese who began emigrating to Latin America around the turn of the last century.

Brazil has the biggest population of ethnic Japanese outside Japan, numbering about 1.5 million. Last year marked the 100th year of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Initially many ventured to toil in coffee plantations and other farms.

Brazilians are the most numerous of such foreigners in Japan, totaling about 310,000 overall in 2007, the latest tally available. Peruvians are next at 59,000. Those from other South American nations were fewer at 6,500 Bolivians, 3,800 Argentineans and 2,800 Colombians.

Nearly all work manufacturing jobs, many through job referral agencies. Major companies, like Toyota Motor Corp., have relied on contract employees to keep a flexible plant work force.
Foreign workers in Japan are entitled to the basic unemployment and other benefits that Japanese workers get. Though rates vary, Japan provides about 7,000 yen ($70) a day in unemployment -- which would equal about $2,100 per month.

Still, Nikkei are sometimes victims of discrimination in Japan, as they are culturally different and aren't always fluent in Japanese. As a result, many have had a hard time blending into Japanese society.Now, as the economy worsens, many find themselves out of jobs.

The government doesn't track the number of jobless foreigners, but the number of foreigners showing up at government-run centers for job referral has climbed in recent months to 11 times the previous year at more than 9,000 people, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Overall, the government estimates that some 192,000 temporary workers who had jobs in October, including Japanese, are expected to be jobless by June. Experts fear such numbers are growing.

In addition to the handout offer the government is also helping Nikkei find jobs in Japan.
"These are like two sides of the same effort to assist people of Japanese ancestry," said Yamashita of the labor ministry.

Tokyo has already allocated 1.08 billion yen ($10.9 million) for training, including Japanese language lessons, for 5,000 foreign workers.

Fausto Kishinami, 32, manager at a Brazilian restaurant in Oizumimachi, a city with a large Japanese-Brazilian population, said none of his friends are applying for the government money because of the no-return condition.

"I don't think people should take that money," he said, adding that he hasn't gone home in eight years, and is focused on his work in Japan.

Some 20 percent to 30 percent of the South American foreigners of Japanese ancestry are estimated to have already returned home, said Nishiyama. They have paid their own way back and may return, once a recovery brings fresh opportunities, he said.

Bushidō-"Way of the Warrior"

Bushidō ,meaning "Way of the Warrior", is a Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honour until death. Born of two main influences, the violent existence of the samurai was tempered by the wisdom and serenity of Confucianism and Buddhism. Bushidō developed between the 9th and 12th centuries and numerous translated documents dating from the 12th to 16th centuries demonstrate its wide influence across the whole of Japan

I. Rectitude or Justice The code teaches that a Samurai knows how one must decide upon an important thing and act appropriately. It is the quality of reasoning.

II. Courage that is put in action for the sake of good is worthy of respect.

III. Benevolence was expected as an integral part of a man of honour.

IV. Politeness was an essential attribute. It is to be a part of every true Samurai of Japan.

V.Honesty and Sincerity Greed for money was considered an immoral and lowly quality. The Samurais lived a Spartan life and abstained from seeking money.

VI. Honor was above everything. A Samurai lived a life of honor and anything that affected his honor affected him personally.

VII. Loyalty The Samurais were extremely loyal to their leaders.VIII. Character and Self-Control The Bushido teaches men to live a life of moral standards. Character is essential for the warrior and equally for the common man.

The rules of the code were those of politeness and respect. It taught to the world, discipline and unfailing morals that will last forever.

Nemawashi

In Japanese culture Nemawashi is an informal process of quietly laying the foundation for some proposed change or project, by talking to the people concerned, gathering support and feedback, and so forth. It is considered an important element in any major change, before any formal steps are taken, and successful nemawashi enables changes to be carried out with the consent of all sides. The word means preparing the soil for transplanting a tree from one area to another, so that it will live. Nemawashi in business is preparing people’s minds to accept an idea. It is consensus building.The Japanese have very different ways of conducting business meeting. Before a formal meeting starts, participants have already drawn conclusions regarding information to be presented at the meeting. This system was developed to avoid discrepancies, and gain agreement from everyone in advance, when making a decision in formal meeting. It is also to keep the relationship harmonious. Nemawashi is best used to let people of differing opinions have time to adjust their opinions. When the principles of nemawashi are put into effect first, people have the time to adjust opinions beforehand without wasting time. The main fear people have of nemawashi is its use in politics. People are worried that decisions are sometimes made behind the scenes, instead of out in the open. It is therefore seen as an undemocratic process.

The Art of Nemawashi

Nemawashi is the building of support for a project through advance communication and consensus. The Japanese term nemawashi (根回し) comes from "to dig around the roots" in order to prepare a plant for transplant. Without proper nemawashi, a bonsai tree transplanted to new soil may die.

Many people first hear of nemawashi in the context of Hoshin Kanri (policy deployment) which is a fact-based approach to planning and tracking breakthrough objectives. As awareness of the Toyota Way and its elements become more mainstream, the mention of nemawashi as a management behavior has increased.

In business how many projects die because ideas were transplanted to minds that were not prepared to nurture them? The only place I can think of in the U.S. where nemawashi is practiced regularly is in Congress, where the passage of laws requires the support of a certain number of votes and lawmakers spend time and effort to gain support for their ideas.

Like much of kaizen, there's nothing mysterious about nemawashi. It's not a science (though you could take a scientific approach) or a 12-step process. If you have a project that requires decision and support, here's how to get started with the art of nemawashi:

Create the project document. What is the current condition? What are the root causes? What is it costing us to do business this way? What are possible countermeasures? Tip: Fit this on one page, even if it's a big piece of paper (A3 size).

Review the project document with people. Do this in person (in many cultures doing this individually will yield better results than review in groups). Ask each person if they understand the current condition, the root causes and the actions proposed. If you are a leader, prepare to listen and teach but resist the tempation to justify or explain.Tip: Send the project description to people in advance so they can review it and prepare for your face to face meeting.

Rewrite the project document. At this stage the document it is no longer a proposal as such but a summary of what has already been agreed by those who influence and make decisions in the organization.Tip: Keep the original document hard copy with your notes to show the various changes and inputs you gained from people throughout the nemawashi process. Until nemawashi becomes second nature this "draft" document will help people visualize how nemawashi works and how their ideas and inputs were valued.

Meet to decide formally to support the project. This should take less than an hour, including time for questions and clarifications.Tip: If at first you fail to gain smooth agreement at this meeting, spin the PDCA cycle and learn why. Did you miss certain people in the nemawashi process? Was the project document unclear? Did the nemawashi process go on too long so that priorities changed?

There are three main benefits to the nemawashi process:

1) You will have a better understanding of the current condition as people challenge the initial assumptions and results of root cause analysis

2) It creates ownership for the project because others have had a chance to influence and shape it. People support what they create.

3) Time waste in meetings is eliminated or replaced with time doing nemawashi.

Nemawashi is best done in the project design phase or Plan phase of PDCA. How long should this process take? Probably as long as you need to make sure the project will be successfully transplanted in the minds of the people who have the ability to nurture or neglect it. The more that people in positions to influence significant change practice nemawashi, the greater the chance of success will be for these changes.

Hibakusha

Japanese man wins recognition for surviving two atom bombs

Tsutomu Yamaguchi, 93, was caught in second world war atom bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki,93-year-old Japanese man has become the first person to be certified as a survivor of both US atomic bombings at the end of the second world war, officials said today.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi had already been a certified "hibakusha," or radiation survivor, of the 9 August 1945 atomic bombing in Nagasaki. Now it has been confirmed that he also survived the attack on Hiroshima three days earlier.

Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He suffered serious burns to his upper body and spent the night in the city. He then returned to his hometown of Nagasaki.

"As far as we know, he is the first one to be officially recognised as a survivor of atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki," said Nagasaki city official Toshiro Miyamoto. "It's such an unfortunate case, but it is possible that there are more people like him."

Certification qualifies survivors for government compensation including monthly allowances, free medical checkups and funeral costs. Miyamoto said Yamaguchi's compensation would not increase.

Japan is the only country to have suffered atomic bomb attacks. About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Yamaguchi is one of about 260,000 people who survived the attacks. Bombing survivors have developed various illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer and liver illnesses. Details of Yamaguchi's health problems were not released.

Thousands of survivors continue to seek official recognition after the government rejected their eligibility for compensation. Last year, it eased the requirements for being certified as a survivor, following criticism the rules were too strict and neglected many who had developed illnesses that doctors have linked to radiation.