Remnant of Samurai Era
Traced Back Here for 400 Years
Acts by Mean People
Chinese today cannot read so easily the Analects of Confucius and other Chinese classics written 2100 to 2500 years ago.
But, some Japanese can do. It is because in Japanese high school the ancient Chinese writing is taught. Japanese students learn a special skill (not translation, since kanji letters familiar to Japanese are used in those works) to read those classic books.
But, Chinese today use somehow different grammar and different expressions from those having been used in the era of Confucius. So, they have to be also taught how to read the Analects of Confucius and other Chinese classics. But, most of Chinese are not taught how to read their classics.
It is said that Japanese knowledge in general about the Analects of Confucius and other Chinese classics is deeper and wider than Chinese of today who have been educated by the totalitarian regime. Most of Japanese are familiar with maxims stated in the Analects of Confucius and other Chinese classics; at least a few of them would soon surface in their mind.
Mencius said:
"Once there was a mean man who found that he could make profits by watching a whole situation of a market. To observe the market better, he mounted to a hill. As he could easily see who wanted what goods, he could buy and sell goods cunningly to get big fortune. But, till this man appeared, a market is a place to sell surplus materials and buy something needed in daily life. But, this one made the market a place to make fortune. So, a king started to tax his activities in the market, since everybody thought that the man was so mean. This is the beginning of taxation on commercial activities."
So, even in China in ancient days, commerce was regraded as an act by a mean man; accordingly, well-educated Japanese of today think that commerce should be regraded as an act by mean men, unlike Chinese (and most of Americans) of today. Especially in the samurai era, merchants were officially ranked the fourth in society, following the samurai class, the farmer class, and the artisan class.
In addition, the hill where the mean man climbed is called "Roudan" in Japanese. So, "Roudan-suru" means to engross profits in Japanese even today.
PART I: Praising China, Letting Down Japan?
Japanese people have not so widely practiced social habits of individual donation for public good.
So, anti-Japanese Americans have found a good target.
But, surprisingly they put China on Japan, while no such data, including GDP, from China can be trusted.
DECEMBER 13, 2010
Spreading the Wealth
By TARA LOADER WILKINSON
Charitable giving in the U.S. as a proportion of gross domestic product, for example, is around 1.7%. In Europe, it is around 0.7% and in Japan it is just 0.04%, according to U.S. wealth manager Northern Trust. So why the discrepancy between the giving habits of developed countries and what is it that motivates giving around the world? "In many countries, like Russia or China, getting involved with social change may still be seen as politically taboo," says Marguerite Griffin, head of philanthropic services at Northern Trust. "The U.S. has become the global vanguard for philanthropy partly through generous tax laws. Aside from the U.K., philanthropy around the rest of the world is remarkably underdeveloped."
U.S.
Official Development Assistance: $26.84 billion [0.19% of gross national income]
Notable givers: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Eli and Edythe Broad
Tax Breaks: Yes
By far the world's most generous nation in terms of individual donations, the U.S. has the highest proportion of giving as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product. The country also has the most appealing tax breaks. An individual donor can deduct tax relief of up to 50% of their income on a gift, through their tax return. A private foundation can deduct 30% of income.
Largesse: U.S. citizens gave $307.6 billion (€224.7 billion) in 2008, according to consultant Giving USA 2009.
China
ODA: $1.49 billion [0.016% of GNI]
Notable givers: Yu Pengnian, Jet Li , Huang Rulun
Tax Breaks: No
Large-scale philanthropy is relatively new. The advent of high-profile donors like Jet Li means this has begun to change.
Largesse: China's 50 most generous donated $1.2 billion in 2009, according to the 2010 Huran Philanthropy list. The Ministry of Civil Affairs announced recently that a total of $5 billion was donated in 2009 to registered charities in China.
Japan
ODA: $9.58 billion [0.19% of GNI]
Notable givers: Yoshiharu Fukuhara
Tax Breaks: No
With only 0.04% of GDP given every year, according to U.S. wealth manager Northern Trust, Japan's philanthropic infrastructure is still in its infancy.
A culture of private philanthropy has been limited by a range of factors. These include the robust role of the state in public service provision.
There are also few tax incentives for charitable giving in Japan. In 2005, the twenty largest grant-giving foundations in Japan spent only one thirtieth of what their counterparts in the U.S. did.
Largesse: No available data.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704243904575630340322011652.html
In the country, namely China, where anti-Government or anti-autocratic-one-party rule demonstrations are so harshly suppressed, no individual donation can be assured of fulfillment of an intended purpose. Chinese people in general are well known for their lack in contribution to public interest. Especially, corruption among bureaucrats and business leaders or rich people is a big concern in China.
Who would praise Mr. Mubarak and Mr. Gaddafi as they did some donations to their people?
As for authenticity of statistics about China, the following should be first checked: "The report also says that according to statistics published by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in early 2009, there were more than 100 million mental patients in China." http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44558/
Even in America, everybody knows that big personal donation currently practiced by billionaires cannot shorten the gap between the rich and the poor. Every American knows that the 2008 Lehman shock did not make any rich men, very rich men, and super-rich men poor or homeless. Donation by rich people in America is superficial tactics for super-rich men to secure their safety in society. What is needed is sound taxation on rich Americans but not donation. It is duty that rich Americans must fulfill. What Mr. Warren Buffett and Mr. Bill Gates should do is to pay $61 billion tax to the federal government but not a billion dollar donnation.
In Japan, however, rich people should make more individual contribution, though they do 10 times more in terms of a ratio of donation over GNI than China.
(One big factor for less individual donation in Japan is a lack of Christian tradition.)
Anyway, this sort of discussion seems to be intended to defend and praise American billionaires and Chinese corrupt rich men while harming Japan's reputation in helping poor and developing countries in the world, including China.
Remember that Japan still provides ODA to China!!
(Germany and France are rather increasing their ODA to China. Their ODA amount to China seems to have surpassed Japan's in 2010.)
PART II: Historical Trend of ODA
In 1990's, Japan's ODA amount surpassed America's.
However, it is true that as deflation has continued in Japan in 2000's, its ODA shrank.
(Click to enlarge.)In 1990's, Japan's ODA amount surpassed America's. The biggest beneficiary from Japan's aid in these decades is China.
That is why Japanese people cannot accept such anti-Japanese American behaviors praising corruption-prevailing China.
PART III: 'Egypt' and 'jasmine' in China
China is going to enter a new era for a struggle to gain freedom and democracy.
Several arrested at Shanghai 'jasmine' protest site
China National News
Sunday 27th February, 2011
At least 100 uniformed police and scores of plain clothes officers were deployed in Shanghai, he said.
Police nationwide detained scores of well-known rights activists before and since the first calls for protests in mid-February, charging at least four people with subversion, according to rights groups.
The police raided hostels used by legal rights petitioners near Beijing South railway station Friday night, taking away scores of people, according to unconfirmed reports by rights activists.
The government has also censored searches on news and micro-blogging websites for terms including 'Egypt' and 'jasmine'.
http://story.chinanationalnews.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/9366300fc9319e9b/id/749411/cs/1/
By IBTimes Staff Reporter | February 21, 2011 3:58 PM AEST
The wave of anti-government protests in the Middle East and North Africa inspired by Tunisia's 'Jasmine' revolution has now reached Asia. Supporters of democracy in China planned protests similar to those rocking the Arab World, but only to be squashed.
China also blocked phone messages and websites to thwart any similar campaigns. Bulk text messages were jammed and searches for the word 'jasmine' were blocked on Chinese micro-blogging websites.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/114408/20110221/china-jasmine-revolution-tunisia-protests-internet-social-media-tweets-shanghai-beijing-police-pro-d.htm
Libya: China’s New Middle East Conundrum
Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2011
At the same time, some pro-democracy activists in China have started calling for a series of peaceful protests to be held every Sunday across a number of Chinese cities—a jasmine revolution. The first Sunday of protests fizzled out, but the reaction from the Chinese government was instructive—thousands of armed police massed at the identified protest locations, university students were urged to stay on campus, and known political dissidents were detained.
Thus far, Beijing has surprised no one by its moves to block public mention of Qaddafi’s statements. However, it has surprised many with its agreement to sign on to a UN Security Council statement that discusses the necessity of Libya respecting “freedom of peaceful assembly and of expression, including freedom of the press.” The irony is striking, of course, but no more striking than the writing of Mr. Mei, who notes: “Under pressure from domestic audiences disgusted at the tales of corruption and repression emerging from the aftermath of the regime, the Western powers were forced to abandon their complacent pro-dictatorship stance.” Did he intend the irony?
Praising China of today is tantamount to praising Egypt and Libya under 30-year or 40-year long dictatorship.
China should pay costs of domestic democracy and international obligations like Japan has done. It should stop asking aid money from Japan so as to invest the received funds into overseas business chances, while China is reportedly now world No.5 in terms of foreign investment, following the U.S., France, Japan, and Germany.
*** *** *** ***
A miracle happened in the Dalian Airport, China.
A Japanese young woman lost her passport case in which her passport, some cash, and some insurance cards were put. Yet, at a service counter in the airport, she was told that her case was found and an acquisition report was made. A staff member of the airport administration happened to find it. As she had studied in China before, this episode looked like all the more a miracle to her.
Japanese who do not have a friendly feeling toward China account for 80%, according to a recent survey.
Yet, more and more Chinese youths are coming to Japan; more and more Japanese businesses have moved its business to China (now 20,000 Japanese companies are operating in China). Hence, more and more miracles are needed in China.
[Recent News on Japan: NEC to hand China partner LCD panel unit
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20110226a4.html]
Mar 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.