Old Down Town
Near Tokyo Bay
(Click to enlarge)TPP et la pauvreté
Mencius said:
"Words so plain but so profound are good words.
Deeds so simple but so widely effective are good deeds.
A master uses simple words coming out of his heart which however has a deep meaning.
A master simply disciplines himself with an intention to make the world peace, which however has a wider influence in the world."
CHAPTER I: Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership
One of big agendas being focused on in Japan is as to whether or not Japan should join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Strategic_Economic_Partnership
The key condition is that member countries should withdraw application of customs duties on imported agricultural products. As this is very advantageous for the U.S. and Australia, they are expected to join TPP whose members include Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. TPP also aimes to reduce all trade tariffs to zero by the year 2015.
TPP is an international agreement that is better for a country with a huge agricultural land or a kind of city nation. In this context, it is complementary among these types of countries. But, Japan does not fall in these categories. Yet, as no tax will be imposed on exporting industrial products, the Japanese industrial community is willing to join TPP. The U.S. who wants to export more agricultural products to Japan also wants Japan to join TPP. Accordingly, the Kan Cabinet of Japan has raised this agenda with an intention to join TPP. It is because this socialistic regime is highly supported by the major labor union in Japan, called Rengo, that has a policy to cooperate with corporate management who wants duty-free export to the U.S.
But, many Japanese citizens and critics are against TPP. Especially, Japanese farmers array themselves firmly against TPP. "TPP will destroy the Japanese agriculture sector. It will destroy the Japanese culture based on traditional rice farming," claim opponents on both the conservative and liberal sides.
Among incumbent and potential members of TPP, Japan's average customs duty on agricultural products are high:
Singapore: 0.2%
Brunei: 0.1%
New Zealand: 1.4%
Chile: 6.0%
USA: 5.5%*
Australia: 1.3%
Peru: 6.2%
Vietnam: 18.9%
Malaysia: 13.5%
JAPAN: 11.7%*
Yet, in a wider scope, Japan's average customs duty on agricultural products are not high at all:
India: 124.3%
Norway: 123.7%
Bangladesh: 83.8%
Korea: 62.2%
Switzerland: 51.1%
Indonesia: 47.2%
Mexico: 42.9%
Brazil: 35.3%
Argentina: 32.8%
EU: 19.5%
Malaysia: 13.6%
JAPAN: 11.7%
Ranking of countries in terms of an amount of agricultural production:
1. China
2. USA
3. India
4. Brazial
5. JAPAN
6. France
Ranking of countries in terms of an amount of import of agricultural products (in $billion):
1. USA...74.7
2. Germany...70.3
3. UK...53.5
4. JAPAN...46.0
5. France...44.5
Size of the farm lot per farm household
Australia: 3400 ha
USA: 180 ha
JAPAN: 2.2 ha
Rice is the main staple of the Japanese farming sector. For thousands of years, the Japanese people live on rice but not bread made of wheat. The tariff imposed on rice import is 788% in Japan. If this duty rate should be pulled down to 0%, three million Japanese farmers would be wiped out.
The ruling DPJ led by P.M. Mr. Naoto Kan has less supporters in local agricultural areas in Japan than the conservative opposition LDP. So, the DPJ would pursue TPP, but the LDP might eventually turn down TPP, though the U.S. expects Japan to join it. This can be a big agenda in the next general election in Japan.
CHAPTER II: Poverty in the U.S. and the U.K.
If you choose randomly 100 Americans, 16 of them are not rich at all.
Census: Number of poor may be millions higher
1 in 6 Americans — many of them 65 and older — are struggling in poverty
By HOPE YEN
updated 1/5/2011 4:46:10 PM ET
WASHINGTON — The number of poor people in the U.S. is millions higher than previously known, with 1 in 6 Americans — many of them 65 and older — struggling in poverty due to rising medical care and other costs, according to preliminary census figures released Wednesday.
Under a new revised census formula, overall poverty in 2009 stood at 15.7 percent, or 47.8 million people. That's compared to the official 2009 rate of 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million, that was reported by the Census Bureau last September.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40930573/ns/us_news-life/
If you choose randomly 100 Britishers, 18 of them are not rich at all.
Defining the poverty line as those individuals and households with incomes less than 60% of their respective medians:
- 17-18% of the population are found to be in poverty at any one time consistently, from 1994-2004. Source: BBC News [7]
- In 2003 to 2004, 21% of children lived in households below the poverty line. After housing costs are taken into account, this rises to 28%.[8]
- 3.9 million number of single people in the UK living below the poverty line in 2005. Many of these people are divorced women. (Poverty among single people is not as high profile as that suffered by families and pensioners). Source: The Elizabeth Finn Trust/BBC News [9]
- Nearly 60% of those in poverty are homeowners. Source: BBC News[10]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_Kingdom
And, if you choose randomly 100 Japanese, 16 of them are not rich at all.
But, if you choose randomly 100 Chinese, only 3 of them are not rich at all!!
http://www.indexmundi.com/china/population_below_poverty_line.html
*** *** *** ***
To be rich or richer than your neighbor, you will not simply give your money to your neighbor.
The only way to be rich or richer than your neighbor is not to give your money to your neighbor.
There are no rich persons in the world who become rich while giving their money as much as ordered by Christ Jesus to the poor.
So, being rich and richer than your neighbor is a sin before Christ and before the God.
And, such a sinful person will not be admitted into Heaven.
Logically, poor people should not envy the rich.
(http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=vnbZ76BMhvM&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLGxdCwVVULXclHK24EICLz1cTvWIh_x9o)
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.