Head tax cheque failed to arrive at Mrs Der's funeral

The "tax refund" cheque that head tax spounse Mrs Der had been hoping for her entire life failed to arrive at her funeral as promised by the federal government.

The cheque did arrive a few hours after the funeral. The family did not blame anyone. Here's a report by GungHaggisFatChoy:

Mrs. Der funeral on Friday - head tax spouse cheque failed to arrive

It was hoped that the head tax spouse ex-gratia cheque would arrive in time, so that a photo copy could be buried with Mrs. Der, so that she could take it to show her husband in the afterlife, as is Chinese custom of "burning paper money" to take with the deceased.

Mrs. Der was the oldest head tax spouse that applied for the ex-gratia payment. She was the feisty 101 year old who climbed 2 flights of stairs to attend a head tax redress meeting in November 2005. She met Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Secretary of State Jason Kenney. They had both promised to get a cheque to her.

Unfortunately the couriered package did not arrive in time for the wake. It has been since discovered that the courier arrived at the house while everybody was attending the wake. The cheque was recieved by the Der family later on Friday evening.

See also:
Headtax payer's spouse dies with regret

Tags: head tax, compensation, canada, chinese canadian, Quon Chung Shee Der, 謝關仲樹

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Harper's vote buying budget gains nothing: latest poll

SHORT LIVED BUDGET BLOOM WILTS FOR HARPER TORIES
Volatile Electoral Landscape Makes Majority Tenuous – Ontario (-8%), BC (-7%) Support Slips, Post-Election Quebec (+1%) Gives No Ground For Conservatives

Ipsos Reid press release –The post-budget bounce in Tory support has proved to be temporary according to the latest poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for Canwest and Global TV.

The survey shows finds that 36% of Canadians would support the Conservatives if a federal election were held today – a 4-point decline from the magical 40% threshold the Conservatives garnered last week in the immediate aftermath of the release of the federal budget. The 36% level of support returns the Conservatives to the same level of support they earned during the election in 2006.

Tory support slipped the most in Ontario (down 8 points) and British Columbia (down 7 points), while the Quebec-election appears to have failed in giving a boost to the Harper Conservatives.

With levels of Conservative and Liberal support very similar to the 2006 election, the question remains whether Harper’s Tories want a rematch this year.

Tory support has declined most in Ontario (35%, down 8 points since last week) and British Columbia (37%, down 7 points). The Conservative take has declined elsewhere, in Atlantic Canada (37%, down 3 points) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (42%, down 2 points).

Only in Quebec (26%, up one point since last week) and Alberta (58%, unchanged) has Tory support held firm.

Support for the Grits has increased by five points in Ontario (38%), by seven points in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (24%) and by 13 points in Atlantic Canada (48%). The Liberal take has dropped by three points in Quebec (23%), by six points in Alberta (18%) and has remained unchanged in British Columbia (31%).

Support for the NDP experienced a boost in Alberta (19%, up nine points since last week), while declining in Atlantic Canada (12%, down 5 points), and remaining fairly consistent elsewhere.

Support for the Green Party improved by 5 points in British Columbia (12%), by four points in Ontario (13%) and by three points in Quebec (7%), while declining in Alberta (3%, down 5 points), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (10%, down 5 points) and Atlantic Canada (3%, down 2 points). The Bloc, meanwhile, declined by 2 points in Quebec (31%).

By gender, men favour the Conservatives (44%) over the Liberals (29%) by a 15-point margin.Women’s support tilts towards the Liberals (34%) over the Conservatives (28%). The NDP draws higher support among women (17%) than among men (12%), as does the Bloc (women: 9%; men, 7%) and Green Party (women: 11%; men: 8%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CanWest News Service/Global News and fielded from March 27-28, 2007. For this survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 843 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within ±3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Tags: tories, budget, politics, stephen harper, conservative, ipsos reid, poll

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Newcomers get a cold shoulder

Tung Chan, Special to the Sun

Vancouver Sun - British Columbia is facing a labour shortage. Our unemployment numbers are at a record low and jobs are looking for people instead of the other way around.

If you think we have a labour crunch now, just think what will happen when the baby boom generation begins to retire. Within the next four years, there will be more people leaving the labour force in B.C. than entering it.

By 2010, according to B.C. government projections, all net labour increase in B.C. will come from immigration. In 24 years, immigration will account for Canada's total population growth.

What is driving this labour shortage is not only our economy but also our demographics. Canadians have not been making enough babies to sustain our population. Our current birth rate is 40 per cent below what is needed to maintain our population in the long run.

While our current government plans to bring in about 265,000 immigrants annually, we actually need to bring in between 350,000 to 450,000 per year to maintain our population, according to a study by one of Canada's major banks.

Aging population and low birth rate is a world wide phenomenon in the industrialized world. Canada will be competing with other countries for immigrants.

Japan is looking at ways to bring in 650,000 guest workers per year to sustain its economy. Australia is providing homeowners' grants to newcomers and is running full-page ads in newspapers in Hong Kong touting Australia's friendliness towards Asian immigrants.

And what have we been doing to make the life of an immigrant easier?

In 1990, a reporter from the South China Morning Post, writing on the plight of the economic immigrants to B.C., likened Canada to a host who invited people to a dance party. When the guests arrived, not only couldn't they find any partner who knew their dance steps, they found the host had not even put on any music or any chairs.

Not much has changed in the intervening years.

In B.C., newcomers have to wait for up to eight months to get basic English language training. Budgets for ESL home liaison officers for schools are constantly under threat. Credentials for foreign trained workers are routinely being denied.

Although 48 per cent of Canada's business immigrants came to B.C. in the past 10 years, there does not appear to be any coherent government or private sector program in place to assist business immigrants to connect with the local business community. Moreover, only 47 per cent of federal transfers for immigrant settlement is actually spent on immigrant settlement specific programs. The balance goes into general revenue.

As a province and as a country, now is the time for us to focus on how to help immigrants to integrate faster into our society socially, culturally and economically.

At present, there are no national guiding principles on what settlement services should be provided to newcomers. There are discrepancies on the level of funded English language training programs between provinces.

There are no coherent strategic plans in place to help new immigrant children and youth to integrate, even though children account for at least 25 per cent of newcomers. There is no apparent co-ordination between the federal government, which controls the level and categories of immigrants, and the provincial governments, which are responsible for the delivery of immigrant settlement services.

We don't, as a country, have a clue on how to construct a set of effective pathways for newcomers to acquire their Canadian identity and achieve social cohesion.

Newcomers are not unlike newborn babies, they need to learn our language and our way of doing things before they can function fully as Canadians. As a society, we accept the need to provide schooling, venues for socialization and vocational training to our children. But we seem to think that newcomers can do most of that on their own. There exists a view that any effort and money spent on immigrant settlement is a waste of resources.

This view is as incorrect as thinking that spending effort and money on our youth and children is a waste of resources because money could be better spent on adults and seniors.

The fact is, there needs to be a continuum of services available for all people at all ages and at all points in life as they strive to become Canadians and live as Canadians.

To better prepare us for the unavoidable economic and cultural predicament brought on by the demographic forces working within and outside our national boundaries, it is not enough to just tweak programs and policies at the bureaucratic level. What we need is political leadership at the highest levels.

What we need now is a first ministers' summit on immigrant settlement and integration. The prime minister and the premiers need to work out a set of national guiding principles for service standards and performance outcome for our newcomers. Such principles could be modelled after the Canada Health Act and enforced via the federal government's fiscal transfer power.

We will all be further ahead if our political leaders can work collectively on this subject, sooner rather than later.

Tung Chan is chief executive officer of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (United Chinese Community Enrichment Social Services) in Vancouver. The views expressed don't necessarily represent those of S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

Tags: canada, BC, immigration, immigrants, labour shortage, Tung Chan, SUCCESS, vancouver, chinese canadian

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'Comfort house' manager who commanded sex slaves is enshrined in Yasukuni

Donga - It has been revealed that the Japanese government and the Yasukuni Shrine have been honoring the manager of a military brothel, where women were enslaved and forced to have sex with Japanese troops.

A book released by the Japanese National Diet Library on March 28 titled, "A New Compilation of Materials on Yasukuni Shrine Problems," unveiled records showing that the former Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) and Yasukuni Shrine had enshrined a Japanese man who operated a brothel in Jakarta, Indonesia during World War II, according to a report by Tokyo Shimbun on March 29.

The disclosed document is the record of a meeting among seven governmental officials from the Bureau of War Victims’ Relief under the MHW and two authorities from the Yasukuni Shrine. In the minutes, a phrase "The deceased (a Japanese national residing overseas) to be enshrined," is followed by a description, "Manager of Sakura Club—died of illness while serving a 10-year sentence for forcing women into prostitution."

Pundits researching Japanese class-B and class-C war criminals were quoted by Tokyo Shimbun as saying that this person had coerced women into sexual slavery between September 1943 and 1945 in the Indonesian city of Jakarta. He was convicted in a trial in the Netherlands and died of disease in 1946, after serving a year of his time.

The Asian Women’s Fund had once made it public that the "Sakura Club," which has appeared in investigation reports on "comfort women," was a brothel for ethnic Japanese living abroad, and that its manager set up the business after being pressured to do so by Japanese government authorities. The Japanese government is practically involved in this matter as a result.

Hirofumi Hayashi, a professor of modern history at Kanto Gakuin University specializing in class B and C war criminals and sexual slavery during World War II, said, "To be enshrined in Yasukuni, one has to be recognized as a person that cooperated in the war effort. We can say that the state has officially recognized a brothel operator as a wartime contributor."

In addition, the materials released by the National Diet Library also support the fact that the former MHW had been frequently engaged in discussions with the shrine to choose those to be enshrined.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said on March 29, "It would have been the shrine that took care of the enshrinement, while the MHW only provided information following requests. I don’t see any problem here."

Tags: japan, war crimes, comfort women, sex slaves, wwii, yasukuni shrine, Japanese National Diet Library

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Vancouver wins 3rd place, again, on world's best quality of life list

Mercer press release - Canadian, European and Australian cities continue to dominate the rankings this year, which saw little significant movement among the top 50 cities.

Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, Vancouver, and Auckland remain the top scoring cities on the Quality of Living index. One of this year's biggest improvements has been in Osaka, rising 8 places to 42 from 51. Improvement was also seen in Oslo, which climbed five places from 31 to 26.

The rankings are based on data collected between September and November 2006 and the data is regularly updated to take account of changing circumstances. Only 215 cities have been considered in the Quality of Living 2007 rankings and any assessment will be revised in the case of any new developments.

You can download PDF files of the top 50 Quality of Living cities and of the top 50 Health and Sanitation cities from the left side of this page. Our 2006 list of the 50 cities with the highest cost of living can also be downloaded.

The top five cities in Asia were:
Auckland (tied for 5th)
Sydney (tied for 9th)
Wellington (12th)
Melbourne (17th)
Perth (21st)
Osaka (tied for 42nd) was the lowest ranking Asian city in the top 50.

The top five cities in Europe were:
Zurich (1st)
Geneva (tied for 2nd)
Vienna (3th)
Dusseldorf (tied for 5th)
Frankfort (7th)
The lowest ranking European city in the top 50 was Milan (tied for 49th).

The top five cities in the Americas were:
Toronto (15th)
Ottawa (tied for 18th)
Montreal (22nd)
Calgary (24th)
Honolulu (27th)
The lowest ranking Americas city in the top 50 was Seattle (tied for 49th).

On the other hand, Calgary ranks the 1st on the Health and Sanitation Ranking.

Mercer Human Resource Consulting Worldwide Quality of Living Survey 2007
Top 50
				Base City: New York, USA (=100)
Rank 2007		Rank 2006		City		Country		Index 2007		Index 2006
1		1		ZURICH		Switzerland		108.1		108.2
2		2		GENEVA		Switzerland		108		108.1
3		3		VANCOUVER		Canada		107.7		107.7
3		4		VIENNA		Austria		107.7		107.5
5		5		AUCKLAND		New Zealand		107.3		107.3
5		6		DUSSELDORF		Germany		107.3		107.2
7		7		FRANKFURT		Germany		107.1		107
8		8		MUNICH		Germany		106.9		106.8
9		9		BERN		Switzerland		106.5		106.5
9		9		SYDNEY		Australia		106.5		106.5
11		11		COPENHAGEN		Denmark		106.2		106.2
12		12		WELLINGTON		New Zealand		105.8		105.8
13		13		AMSTERDAM		The Netherlands		105.7		105.7
14		14		BRUSSELS		Belgium		105.6		105.6
15		15		TORONTO		Canada		105.4		105.4
16		16		BERLIN		Germany		105.2		105.1
17		17		MELBOURNE		Australia		105		105
18		18		LUXEMBOURG		Luxembourg		104.8		104.8
18		18		OTTAWA		Canada		104.8		104.8
20		20		STOCKHOLM		Sweden		104.7		104.7
21		21		PERTH		Australia		104.5		104.5
22		22		MONTREAL		Canada		104.3		104.3
23		23		NURNBERG		Germany		104.2		104.1
24		25		CALGARY		Canada		103.6		103.6
24		26		HAMBURG		Germany		103.6		103.4
26		31		OSLO		Norway		103.5		102.8
27		24		DUBLIN		Ireland		103.3		103.8
27		27		HONOLULU, HI		US		103.3		103.3
29		28		SAN FRANCISCO, CA		US		103.2		103.2
30		29		ADELAIDE		Australia		103.1		103.1
30		29		HELSINKI		Finland		103.1		103.1
32		31		BRISBANE		Australia		102.8		102.8
33		33		PARIS		France		102.7		102.7
34		34		SINGAPORE		Singapore		102.5		102.5
35		35		TOKYO		Japan		102.3		102.3
36		37		LYON		France		101.9		101.6
36		36		BOSTON, MA		US		101.9		101.9
38		37		YOKOHAMA		Japan		101.7		101.6
39		39		LONDON		UK		101.2		101.2
40		40		KOBE		Japan		101		101
41		44		BARCELONA		Spain		100.6		100.2
42		45		MADRID		Spain		100.5		100.1
42		51		OSAKA		Japan		100.5		99.6
44		41		WASHINGTON, DC		US		100.4		100.4
44		41		CHICAGO, IL		US		100.4		100.4
46		43		PORTLAND, OR		US		100.3		100.3
47		53		LISBON		Portugal		100.1		98.9
48		46		NEW YORK CITY, NY		US		100		100
49		51		MILAN		Italy		99.9		99.6
49		47		SEATTLE, WA		US		99.9		99.9

Tags: vancouver, zurich, quality of life, mercer human resources

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Beyond apology, moral clarity

Urging Japan to apologize for war crimes is not enough. The US must confront its own role in ignoring Asians' suffering.

Christian Science Monitor - The House of Representatives is considering a resolution to urge Japan to acknowledge and apologize for the Imperial Army's forced organization of brothels during the war, staffed by so-called comfort women. It is an overdue but encouraging step, and Congress should pass it.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drawing of distinctions about the degree of coercion used to bring Korean, Chinese, and even Japanese women to these brothels is an unfortunate response to the proposed resolution. There are certainly areas of ambiguity in the historical record about this and other Japanese war crimes. But the direct involvement of the Japanese authorities, including the military, in the forcible recruitment of comfort women has been well documented, including by Japanese scholars.

Furthermore, the issue is not the degree of criminality but rather the willingness to take clear moral responsibility for a past that continues to cloud the present. Faced with the international criticism of his remarks, Mr. Abe became more "apologetic" recently, but he still has not clearly confronted the issue. It is vital that the Japanese take seriously the pain that still burdens Chinese, Koreans, and other victims of past Japanese aggression.

The reckoning with the past, however, is not simply a matter of passing judgment on Japan's misdeeds. The United States, too, bears responsibility for the failure to fully account for and confront Japanese war crimes. The US is not an outsider to the problems of history arising out of the wars in Asia, and America must confront its role in mishandling Japanese war-crime issues after 1945.

First, the US played a crucial role, whether intended or not, in shaping the process of historical reconciliation (or lack thereof) after the war. Unlike the Nuremberg trials, the Tokyo war-crimes tribunal focused on the actions that most directly affected the Western allies – the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the mistreatment of Allied prisoners of war.

The proceedings paid only cursory attention to crimes committed against Asians, such as Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the use of forced Korean labor in Japanese mines and factories. The US largely failed to appreciate the massive suffering of Chinese and Koreans at the hands of Japanese invaders and victims' need to dry up the deep well of anger left behind.

Second, and perhaps most significant, was the US decision to preserve the Showa Emperor in the belief that this would facilitate the occupation and reconstruction of Japan. There is still no consensus about the extent of the emperor's responsibility for Japanese militarism and war crimes, although the Japanese people fought in his name. The failure to confront this issue meant, as a recent report by the International Crisis Group put it, "the absolution of the emperor left the country without anyone to blame."

Third, as Japan's importance as a bulwark against communism in the region increased, the US sought to quickly put issues of its historical responsibility aside. The San Francisco treaty of 1951 formally ended the war, settling Japan's obligations to pay reparations for its wartime acts. But China and Korea were not signatories to the treaty, and Japan's responsibility toward those nations was never settled.

The US pushed South Korea to normalize relations with Japan to solidify its cold-war security alliance system. That finally took place in 1965, but historical issues such as disputed territories and Japan's colonial rule were largely swept under the rug.

These unresolved questions now fuel the fires of nationalism in northeast Asia. Anti-Japanese sentiments seem undiminished in China and Korea, particularly among the younger generation. The Japanese suffer from "apology fatigue," questioning why they must continue to repent for events that took place six or seven decades ago.

It is now time for Americans to take issues of historical injustice in northeast Asia seriously. The US has a clear interest in ensuring that the peace and prosperity of a region so vital to its future is not undermined by the past. So it is appropriate that Congress is taking a role in trying to heal the wounds of history. But simply demanding Japan's apology will not be enough. America must also confront its own responsibility in ignoring Asians' suffering. By fully acknowledging what war-crimes victims went through, the US can help bring Japan and its neighbors closer together.

By Gi-Wook Shin, director of Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and professor of sociology. He has written extensively on issues of war responsibility and reconciliation in Asia.

Tags: japan, war, wwii. comfort women, US, congress, history

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Half of all Americans don't believe in evolution: survey

OMG, I didn't know atheists in the US need to be closeted themselves to avoid "negative stigma"! I just read this article with amazement. I've never imagined that half of the population of the world's sole super power, which is sending explorers to Mars, do not believe in evolution. I don't understand why a modern country can be so much blinded by religion. This is really a cultural shock to me (hopefully I won't be damned by those who read this :P scared sometimes when I try to express my dislike towards religion.)

Yes, I'm an atheist. And I'm very proud to be one.

Newsweek - A belief in God and an identification with an organized religion are widespread throughout the country, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll.

Nine in 10 (91%) of American adults say they believe in God and almost as many (87%) say they identify with a specific religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the country, with 82% of the poll's respondents identifying themselves as such. Another 5% say they follow a non-Christian faith, such as Judaism or Islam.

Nearly half (48%) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34%) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. 73% of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39% of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41% of Catholics agree with that view.

Although one in ten (10%) of Americans identify themselves as having "no religion," only 6% said they don't believe in a God at all. Just 3% of the public self-identifies as atheist, suggesting that the term may carry some stigma.

Still, the poll suggests that the public's tolerance of this small minority has increased in recent years. Nearly half (47%) of the respondents felt the country is more accepting of atheists today than it used to be and slightly more (49%) reported personally knowing an atheist.

Those numbers are higher among respondents under 30 years old, 62% of whom report knowing an atheist (compared to just 43% of those 50 and older). 61% of the under-30 cohort view society as more accepting of atheists (compared to 40% of the Americans 50 and older).

Tags: US, religion, evolution, science, creation

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Documents renew call to separate state from religion in Japan

Yomiuri Shimbun - The government reacted calmly to the revelation Wednesday that the former Health and Welfare Ministry and Yasukuni Shrine held discussions over whether war criminals would be enshrined.

Though a government official commented, "It's a thing of the past," the finding may refuel debate over the principle of separation between state and religion and whether the names of Class-A war criminals convicted at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East--better known as the Tokyo Tribunal--should be separated from those of other war dead in the shrine.

The source of the information on governmental involvement in the honoring of war criminals is a book of records released by the National Diet Library. Documents created between 1952, when Japan regained independence, and 1974, make up the main part of the book.

During that period, the nation had exited from years of confusion after the end of World War II, and people's attention had shifted to mourning the war dead and looking for ways to help bereaved families.

The central and local governments cooperated in identifying war dead to be enshrined at Yasukuni.

At the time, the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association was aggressively conducting a campaign to keep the shrine a state-backed religious organization. That led to increasing interest in Yasukuni Shrine again.

Experts on the issue cited the following reasons why the ministry and other government entities cooperated with Yasukuni Shrine to identify war dead to be enshrined:

-- Because a law was enacted in 1952 to provide aid to people who were injured or sickened in the war and to families of the war dead, the government needed cooperation from Yasukuni Shrine to identify potential aid recipients, as the shrine had information about associations of fellow soldiers and bereaved family members.

-- Government officials in charge of the aid plan at the time also wanted to enshrine the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine.

An official of the Social Welfare and War Victims' Relief Bureau of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the successor of the ministry at the time, said, "The ministry won't change its course simply because some documents were found."

However, the government is concerned about the possibility that the documents will refuel domestic and diplomatic disputes over Yasukuni Shrine ahead of a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on April 11.

At a press conference Tuesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated his stance on the Yasukuni issue, saying: "I continue to hold feelings of respect for people who fought in the war for the nation. And as long as the reality exists that worshipping [at Yasukuni Shrine] itself could develop into a diplomatic row, I won't say whether I'll visit the shrine."

Political observers said his remark aimed to prevent the dispute over his worshipping from becoming a serious problem.

However, the findings shed light on the close relations between the government and the shrine that existed, albeit even for a limited period, just after the war.

It is possible that calls will be revived for a separation of state and religion by creating a new state-run facility to commemorate war dead without ties to specific religions.

Tags: japan, war, wwii, history, yasukuni shrine, war shrine, politics

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Japan's ultra nationalism alerts US

An article published on Project Syndicate talks about the doubt Americans have on rearming Japan given its rise of an ultra nationalism. Which is true, given the amount of criticism expressed by the New York Times, Washington Post as well as the US foreign ministry. Some argues that Japan's behaviour is preventing its supporters to move past the history debate. I've never seen US criticism of Japan to such an extent.

Excerpt:

This leaves the US in a difficult position. A number of American strategists are eager to ring China with a NATO-like defensive barrier, building outward from the US-Japan Security Treaty. Since the final days of the Cold War, the US has been pushing Japan to rearm, and has officially supported a proposed revision of Article 9 of the postwar constitution, which bans Japan from having a military or waging war.

But America should be careful about what it wishes for. The legitimacy of the entire American military position in the Far East is built around the US exercising Japan’s sovereign function of self-defense. Japan’s unilateral revision of Article 9, viewed against the backdrop of its new nationalism, would isolate Japan from virtually the whole of Asia.

Revising Article 9 has long been part of Abe’s agenda, but whether he pushes ahead with it will depend in large part on the kind of advice he gets from close friends in the US. President Bush was unwilling to say anything about Japan’s new nationalism to his “good friend Junichiro” out of gratitude for Japanese support in Iraq. Now that Japan has withdrawn its small contingent of troops, perhaps Bush will speak plainly to Abe.

Francis Fukuyama is Dean of the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and Chairman of The American Interest.

Tags: japan, ultra nationalism, militarism, US, history, wwii, war crimes

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CultureSource.ca provides teachers with handy tools

CNW press release - CultureSource.ca has arrived! Curriculum Services Canada, supported by a grant from the Canadian Culture Online Strategy of the Department of Canadian Heritage, has assembled a wide collection of websites in the Arts, Canadian Literature, and Canadian History, ideal for lesson planning and in classroom use. This FREE online access point allows teachers to collect websites and share their collections with colleagues from all across Canada in an attempt to enhance the classroom experience.

Users can:

Search by keyword from a database of over 100 CSC-evaluated resources. Browse through titles with full descriptions and keywords to help pinpoint the best resources for lesson plans. Collect resources and build a CultureSpace. Share a CultureSpace and Collection with the CultureSource.ca user community.

All websites found on CultureSource.ca have been evaluated by Curriculum Services Canada (CSC) for consistency with curriculum, content relevance and balance, current methodologies, bias and inclusiveness, and appropriate format. All websites have been approved, receiving the CSC red Seal of Quality, meaning users can rely on CultureSource.ca for learning resources that are safe to use in the classroom.

Curriculum Services Canada is the Pan-Canadian standards agency for quality assurance in learning products and programs. This not-for-profit organization offers a wide range of standards-driven services that support and complement its core business of learning resource evaluation.

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Canadian housing market 1Q 2007, national, municipal figures

Survey of Canadian Average House Prices in 1Q 2007

	Detached Bungalows			Standard Two Storey			Standard Condominium
Market	Q1 2007 avg	Q1 2006	% +/-	Q1 2007	Q1 2006	% +/-	Q1 2007	Q1 2006	%
		avg		avg	avg		avg	avg	+/-
Halifax	190,000	173,333	9.6%	200,000	197,000	1.5%	144,000	113,000	27.4%
Charlottetown	145,000	142,000	2.1%	175,000	170,000	2.9%	100,000	98,000	2.0%
Moncton	138,000	128,000	7.8%	132,000	125,000	5.6%	-	-	N/A
Fredericton	156,000	156,000	0.0%	187,000	191,000	-2.1%	131,000	130,000	0.8%
Saint John	161,700	142,500	13.5%	210,400	188,700	11.5%	-	-	N/A
St. John's	145,000	143,667	0.9%	200,000	203,333	-1.6%	148,333	146,333	1.4%
Atlantic	155,950	147,583	5.7%	176,750	173,833	1.7%	130,778	119,111	9.8%
Montreal	221,583	210,167	5.4%	338,857	328,214	3.2%	204,929	193,857	5.7%
Ottawa	298,083	281,333	6.0%	294,667	277,500	6.2%	187,333	175,333	6.8%
Toronto	387,744	366,979	5.7%	489,889	467,742	4.7%	269,210	251,150	7.2%
Winnipeg	191,375	171,109	11.8%	220,714	196,264	12.5%	109,250	97,559	12.0%
Regina	158,500	141,125	12.3%	159,500	145,930	9.3%	102,500	94,500	8.5%
Saskatoon	226,250	171,000	32.3%	257,500	189,000	36.2%	155,000	108,500	42.9%
Calgary	402,933	311,878	29.2%	411,456	322,853	27.4%	261,336	188,167	38.9%
Edmonton	350,000	225,500	55.2%	384,750	249,167	54.4%	261,600	151,999	72.1%
Vancouver	758,000	668,500	13.4%	837,500	757,750	10.5%	403,500	353,000	14.3%
Victoria	384,500	352,000	9.2%	418,000	399,900	4.5%	248,000	223,000	11.2%
National	316,993	275,850	14.9%	378,148	338,228	11.8%	230,146	197,954	16.3%

SOURCE: ROYAL LEPAGE



Canadian housing market exceeds expectations in first quarter
– Strong consumer confidence and healthy provincial economies boost demand –

TORONTO, March 29, 2007 – Canada's housing market got off to a surprisingly strong start in 2007 with average house prices rising in all major markets surveyed, according to a first quarter report released today by Royal LePage Real Estate Services. The combination of resilient consumer confidence, moderately low interest rates and improved affordability across most of the country led to greater than expected activity during the typically slower first quarter.

Of the housing types surveyed, the highest average price appreciation occurred in standard condominiums, which rose to $230,146 (+16.3%) year-over-year, followed by detached bungalows, which rose to $316,993 (+14.9%), and standard two-storey properties, which increased to $378,148 (+11.8%).

While national average house prices experienced robust appreciation, significant regional differences continue to characterize the market. Fuelled by the energy sector, Alberta's economy continued to show extremely high price appreciation, while more moderate levels were noted in the central and eastern regions of the country. A notable ripple effect from the booming markets in Alberta was observed in Saskatchewan as Saskatoon reported unprecedented spikes in house prices and activity, driven by in-migration and strong demand as former residents returned from cities like Calgary, escaping skyrocketing housing prices and the rapidly rising cost of living.

"The strength of last year's housing market has carried into the first quarter of 2007, creating a robust market, chock-full of activity with house prices rising in all major cities," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive, Royal LePage Real Estate Services. "The recent months have produced record-breaking sales levels in many markets and unwavering demand – momentum which will undoubtedly be maintained through the always busy spring market."

Sustained growth in the urban centres and surrounding suburbs of most of the country's major cities is expected to characterize the real estate landscape in 2007. Buyers' demands for affordable housing and the desire to be near the city's core continues to fuel expansion in the condominium market, while suburban neighbourhoods continue to develop as they attract a large part of the population growth.

Added Soper: "A number of factors are contributing to the vibrancy of the Canadian market. First-time buyers continue to be active despite expectations that many would be priced-out of the market; employment levels continue to improve, resulting in tight labour markets and increasing salaries; and stable interest rates have led homebuyers to feel confident that the cost of borrowing won't spike anytime soon."

The rapidly expanding Alberta economy has driven employers to place increased focus on recruitment from out of the province, helping position Edmonton and Calgary among the top three cities with the highest house price appreciation across all housing types surveyed. Healthy economies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have also led to significant market activity and rising house prices.

In Toronto, strong demand and a limited number of well-priced, quality listings led to moderately rising, yet steady house price appreciation. Despite increases that are not as steep as in other major cities, Toronto is still anticipated to have another near record year.

Mild winter conditions and healthy local economies boosted consumer confidence in Ottawa and Atlantic Canada provoking buyers to enter the market, driving up both activity and house prices at a steady pace. Similarly, strong consumer confidence and a thriving economy in Montreal drove purchasers to the market resulting in moderate price increases, and record-breaking levels for units sold.

In most regions of the country, slight increases in inventory levels have afforded buyers with more options and the opportunity to take more time in making their purchasing decisions.

REGIONAL SUMMARIES

The strength in Halifax's market is supported by strong consumer confidence and low mortgage rates. Although listing inventory has been on the rise, strong demand has meant that homes on the market have been selling quickly and keeping inventory levels in check. First-time buyers continue to be very active, driving demand for condominiums and moderately priced homes. New condominiums in Clayton Park continue to be popular with buyers and account for much of the average price appreciation seen in the area.

Job growth in the service and construction sectors have maintained strong consumer confidence in Moncton and created a stable and balanced market in the first quarter. Several new projects such as the new Dieppe City Hall complex and the new justice centre have helped attract job seekers to Moncton, sustaining positive in-migration and driving demand for housing. Semi-detached homes offer an attractive price point, making them popular with first-time buyers, who remain a very active purchaser group. On the other side of the spectrum, sales of homes priced above $200,000 have experienced robust growth, as some buyers are increasingly willing to pay more for luxury features.

In Fredericton, average house prices have experienced very moderate appreciation in the first quarter of this year, in comparison to the same period in 2006, due to a surplus of inventory. Recent construction of several condominiums in both the North Side and South Side of the city have provided buyers with an abundance of new properties to choose from. However, Fredericton's healthy economy and strong job market, predominantly in the government and university sectors, has supported buyers entering the real estate market and maintained demand.

In Saint John, strong economic outlook due to major projects in the energy sector have led to robust demand in the housing market, shifting market conditions in the sellers' favour. The major upgrade of the Point Lepreau power generation station, as well as the construction of an oil refinery and a liquefied natural gas terminal, are attracting skilled labour into the area and having a positive impact on the local economy.

In Charlottetown, a mild winter contributed to a higher than usual number of homes trading hands in the first quarter. AIM Trimark's annoucement of the relocation of its Global Enterprise Centre in Charlottetown is expected to boost the city's economy, further strengthening the housing market. Lower interest rates and good housing affordability also contributed to robust market activity in the first quarter.

In St. John's, heavy snowfalls in the first quarter discouraged buyers from entering the marketplace and dampened price growth. However, market conditions should shift from being in the buyers' favour to a more balanced market once the weather improves. The continued loss of workers to Alberta has led to a shortage of skilled tradesmen in St. John's and delays in new construction are common, leading some buyers to turn to resale homes instead.

Montreal's housing market showed its strength in the first quarter, as strong consumer confidence and a thriving local economy drove purchasers into the market, resulting in moderate increases in average house prices. Activity in the condo market was strong, however luxury condominium units tended to attract fewer purchasers and stay on the market slightly longer than more affordable units. Despite predictions that Montreal's housing market is headed for a slowdown, the market got off to a strong start, reporting one of the best first quarters on record in terms of units sold.

Ottawa's housing market experienced record activity in the first quarter as mild weather drew buyers into the market and boosted average house prices. The city's healthy local economy and job market, supported by strong technology and government sectors, have continued to attract new buyers into the market. First-time buyers were the most active purchaser group in the quarter, driving demand for condominiums and starter homes.

Toronto's housing market has once again been characterized by high levels of competition, particularly in the most sought after neighbourhoods of central Toronto. Rising property prices provoked some affluent purchasers, searching for homes priced in the $1-million range, being priced out of traditionally upscale neighbourhoods. Areas such as Riverdale, High Park, Parkdale and the Annex offering high-quality homes at more affordable prices subsequently received additional attention. The condominium market has remained a bright spot in Toronto's housing market, with increases to inventory levels as new construction helps to satiate the demand of purchasers.

The housing market in Winnipeg got off to a strong start in the first quarter of 2007, as average house prices rose by double digits in most neighbourhoods. Manitoba's provincial economy continued to thrive in the first quarter, supported by projects such as the construction of the Manitoba Hydro Building and the Red River floodway, as well as sustained growth in the residential construction sector. Approximately half of all listings sold for over list price, resulting in some purchasers becoming frustrated by the high level of competition in the market.

In Regina, the housing market got off to a brisk start, as in-migration to the city fuelled strong levels of demand. Abundant employment opportunities, an excellent quality of life, and some of the most affordable housing in the country continued to draw people back to the city. Listing inventory remained tight throughout the quarter, pressuring house prices upwards, resulting in a significant number of multiple offer situations.

In Saskatoon, strong in-migration, particularly from the Western provinces led to unprecedented demand for housing in the first quarter. Many former residents of Saskatchewan have been drawn back to the province by the abundance of employment opportunities in a variety of sectors and relatively affordable cost of living. The housing market in Saskatoon has also started to attract out-of-province purchasers, looking to invest in income-generating properties such as multi-unit apartment buildings, duplexes and condominium units.

Calgary's housing market enjoyed significant price appreciation in all housing types examined as a steady influx of in-migration and strong consumer confidence boosted prices upwards by double digits in the first quarter. Calgary's vibrant economy continues to be supported by the province's active energy sector and high employment rates. Housing type popularity is largely dictated by price, with houses under $500,000 being in highest demand. Due to rising house prices, entry-level homes and condominiums have experienced a surge in activity.

The continued strength of Alberta's economy resulted in Edmonton's housing market outperforming expectations in the first quarter. The economy in Edmonton continues to be driven by continued growth in the energy sector in the oil sands north of Edmonton. Demand for skilled labour has remained strong in the first quarter, resulting in continued in-migration to the city. Edmonton continues to act as a large service hub to all of the activity taking place in the North, resulting in unsurpassed demand for housing across the city.

Vancouver's housing market continued to show its strength in the first quarter, supported by sustained in-migration and growth across the city. New inventory was unable to satiate the demand of purchasers. The market remained firmly in the sellers' favour, with multiple offer situations occurring, although less frequently than last year. The condominium market in Vancouver was particularly active in the first quarter, attracting the interest of a variety of purchaser groups such as baby boomers, first-time and move-up buyers and investors.

The first quarter the year saw average house prices in Victoria increase as the city's strong economy, high in-migration levels and affordable mortgage rates maintained buyer demand. Also contributing to the increase in activity of resale homes was the scarce availability, and high costs of rental units. Victoria's market has moved away from the wild pace that characterized the city for the past two years to balanced conditions, with an increase in listing inventory.

See also:
Vancouver house prices jumps over 10% in 1Q 2007; more than expected

Tags: canada, housing, real estate, property market, home prices, house prices, royal lepage

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China asks Ottawa to reject claimant

Globe and Mail - China wants Canada to refuse asylum to a diplomat's wife who fears her adherence to the Falun Gong movement will spell her doom in her country.

"Canada has not a very good reputation," Huang Huikang, the deputy chief of mission of the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, said yesterday. "I think the Canadian government will do what they should do."

Jiyan Zhang applied for refugee status in Ottawa earlier this month, fearing a prison sentence and possibly death should she return to China.

"I sensed it was going to be dangerous for me," she said yesterday at a news conference on Parliament Hill organized by members of the Falun Gong movement.
Her asylum claim has touched a sensitive nerve in an already strained relationship between the two countries. Canada has often berated China for its record on human rights, while Beijing has accused Ottawa of providing haven for fugitives and criminals.

Ms. Zhang and her husband were both posted to Ottawa in 2004, she said. She started drawing suspicions from her colleagues at the embassy when she spoke out in favour of Falun Gong, she said yesterday.

The movement, also known as Falun Dafa, combines traditional Chinese breathing practices with Taoist beliefs. Its practice is outlawed in China, where, according to human-rights critics, Falun Gong practitioners are jailed and tortured.

Ms. Zhang said Chinese embassy officials started following her around Ottawa and monitoring her moves as soon as she disclosed her spiritual beliefs. Then, earlier this year, the couple was recalled to China, she said.

But instead of handing back her diplomatic passport as she was ordered, Ms. Zhang sneaked out of the Chinese embassy, leaving behind her husband, who has since returned to China.

"I am quite afraid that something might happen to my husband," she said.

Mr. Huikong denied Ms. Zhang was placed under surveillance. He also denied she had spoken to her colleagues about Falun Gong, characterizing her as an opportunistic migrant posing as a refugee.

"The purpose is the same as any illegal immigrant," he said. "They wish to be rich but [are] using the ugly means."

While the number of Chinese nationals seeking refugee status has been fluctuating between 1,000 and 2,800 over the past decade, the rate of acceptance of refugees in Canada has doubled since China outlawed Falun Gong in 1999.

Canada accepted 21 per cent of asylum seekers in 1998, compared to 49 per cent in 2006.

Ms. Zhang yesterday alleged China is using its Ottawa embassy to spy on Falun Gong practitioners in Canada. A special unit of about 12 embassy officials is tasked with following and reporting on Chinese Canadians who adhere to the spiritual movement, she said.

See also:
Wife of Chinese diplomat defects, fearing persecution in China

Tags: china, canada, refugee claimant, falun gong, diplomat

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Docudrama on Nanjing Massacre author Iris Chang to be released this year

Xinhua - The makers of a docudrama on Iris Chang, the Chinese American author of the New York Times bestseller "The Rape of Nanking", say the film will be ready for release at the end of the year.

The producers told a press conference in Nanjing, formerly known as "Nanking", capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, that "Iris Chang" had finished shooting in China and would continue in Japan, the U.S., and Canada.

Its screening is scheduled to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.

The massacre occurred in December 1937 when Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, then capital of China. More than 300,000 Chinese were killed, one third of the city's buildings in the city were burned and more than 20,000 women were raped in eight weeks.

Worried that the West was forgetting the atrocity, Iris Chang compiled recollections from sources in China, Japan and North America and recorded them in her book, "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II", which became the first, full-length English-language narrative of the event to reach a wide audience.

Chang committed suicide at the age of 36 in 2004, after a battle with depression.

"Without Chang's outcry, the western world would not hear the victims in the massacre. Her passion shocked me, and shocked the world. I will try my best to play the lead role in the film," said Olivia Cheng, a Chinese Canadian actress who played Chang.

According to Bill Spahic, director of the film, the story is told from Chang's perspective, with no third-person narrative, to give a more striking impression of her personality.

The film is fully funded by Canadian independent production firm Reel Iris Productions, a partnership of Real to Reel Productions and the Canada Association for Learning and Preserving the History of World War II in Asia (ALPHA). Filming began in Nanjing in December 2006.

Tags: japan, china, war, war crimes, asian holocaust, atrocities, wwii, rape of nanking, nanking massacre, nanjing massacre

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Japan’s textbooks reflect revised history: NYT

NYT — In another sign that Japan is pressing ahead in revising its history of World War II, new high school textbooks will no longer acknowledge that the Imperial Army was responsible for a major atrocity in Okinawa, the government announced late Friday.

The Ministry of Education ordered publishers to delete passages stating that the Imperial Army ordered civilians to commit mass suicide during the Battle of Okinawa, as the island was about to fall to American troops in the final months of the war.

The decision was announced as part of the ministry’s annual screening of textbooks used in all public schools. The ministry also ordered changes to other delicate issues to dovetail with government assertions, though the screening is supposed to be free of political interference.

“I believe the screening system has been followed appropriately,” said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has long campaigned to soften the treatment in textbooks of Japan’s wartime conduct.

The decision on the Battle of Okinawa, which came as a surprise because the ministry had never objected to the description in the past, followed recent denials by Abe that the military had coerced women into sexual slavery during the war.

The results of the annual textbook screening are closely watched in China, South Korea and other Asian countries. So the fresh denial of the military’s responsibility in the Battle of Okinawa and in sexual slavery — long accepted as historical facts — is likely to deepen suspicions in Asia that Tokyo is trying to whitewash its militarist past even as it tries to raise the profile of its current forces.

Shortly after assuming office last fall, Abe transformed the Defense Agency into a full ministry. He has said that his most important goal is to revise the American-imposed, pacifist Constitution that forbids Japan from having a full-fledged military with offensive abilities.

Some 200,000 Americans and Japanese died during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the most brutal clashes of the war. It was the only battle on Japanese soil involving civilians, but Okinawa was not just any part of Japan.

It was only in the late 19th century that Japan officially annexed Okinawa, a kingdom that, to this day, has retained some of its own culture. During World War II, when many Okinawans still spoke a different dialect, Japanese troops treated the locals brutally. In its history of the war, the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum presents Okinawa as being caught in the fighting between America and Japan — a starkly different view from the Yasukuni Shrine war museum, which presents Japan as a liberator of Asia from Western powers.

During the 1945 battle, during which one quarter of the civilian population was killed, the Japanese Army showed indifference to Okinawa’s defense and safety. Japanese soldiers used civilians as shields against the Americans, and persuaded locals that victorious American soldiers would go on a rampage of killing and raping. With the impending victory of American troops, civilians committed mass suicide, urged on by fanatical Japanese soldiers.

“There were some people who were forced to commit suicide by the Japanese Army,” one old textbook explained. But in the revision ordered by the ministry, it now reads, “There were some people who were driven to mass suicide.”

Other changes are similar — the change to a passive verb, the disappearance of a subject — and combine to erase the responsibility of the Japanese military. In explaining its policy change, the ministry said that it “is not clear that the Japanese Army coerced or ordered the mass suicides.”

As with Abe’s denial regarding sexual slavery, the ministry’s new position appeared to discount overwhelming evidence of coercion, particularly the testimony of victims and survivors themselves.

“There are many Okinawans who have testified that the Japanese Army directed them to commit suicide,” Ryukyu Shimpo, one of the two major Okinawan newspapers, said in an angry editorial. “There are also people who have testified that they were handed grenades by Japanese soldiers” to blow themselves up.

The editorial described the change as a politically influenced decision that “went along with the government view.”

Abe, after helping to found the Group of Young Parliamentarians Concerned About Japan’s Future and History Education in 1997, long led a campaign to reject what nationalists call a masochistic view of history that has robbed postwar Japanese of their pride.

Yasuhiro Nakasone, a former prime minister who is a staunch ally of Abe, recently denied what he wrote in 1978. In a memoir about his Imperial Navy experiences in Indonesia, titled “Commander of 3,000 Men at Age 23,” he wrote that some of his men “started attacking local women or became addicted to gambling.

“For them, I went to great pains, and had a comfort station built,” Nakasone wrote, using the euphemism for a military brothel.

But in a meeting with foreign journalists a week ago, Nakasone, now 88, issued a flat denial. He said he had actually set up a “recreation center,” where his men played Japanese board games like go and shogi.

In a meeting on Saturday with Foreign Minister Taro Aso of Japan, South Korea’s foreign minister, Song Min-soon, criticized Abe’s recent comments on sexual slaves.

“The problems over perceptions of history are making it difficult to move South Korean-Japanese relations forward,” Song said.

Aso said Japan stuck by a 1993 statement acknowledging responsibility for past sexual slavery, but said nothing about Abe’s denial that the military had coerced women, many of them Korean, into sexual slavery.

Tags: japan, okinawa, wwii, mass suicide, history, history textbooks, denial, war crimes

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In Japan, a historian stands by proof of wartime sex slavery

NYT Saturday Profile - It was about 15 years ago, recalled Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a mild-mannered historian, when he grew fed up with the Japanese government's denials that the military had set up and run brothels throughout Asia during World War II.

Instead of firing off a letter to a newspaper, though, Yoshimi went to the Defense Agency's library and combed through official documents from the 1930s. In just two days, he found a rare trove that uncovered the military's direct role in managing the brothels, including documents that carried the personal seals of high-ranking Imperial Army officers.

Faced with this smoking gun, a red-faced Japanese government immediately dropped its long-standing claim that only private businessmen had operated the brothels. A year later, in 1993, it acknowledged in a statement that the Japanese state itself had been responsible. In time, all government-approved junior high school textbooks carried passages on the history of Japan's military sex slaves, known euphemistically as comfort women.

"Back then, I was optimistic that this would effectively settle the issue," Yoshimi said. "But there was a fierce backlash."

The backlash came from young nationalist politicians led by Shinzo Abe, an obscure lawmaker at the time in the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who lobbied to rescind the 1993 admission of state responsibility. Their goal finally seemed close at hand after Abe became prime minister last September.

Abe said he would adhere to the 1993 statement, but he also undercut it by asserting that there was no evidence showing the military's role in forcing women into sexual slavery. His comments incited outrage in Asia and the United States, where the House of Representatives is considering a nonbinding resolution that would call on Japan to admit unequivocally its history of sexual slavery and to apologize for it.

To Yoshimi, Abe's denial sounded familiar. Until Yoshimi came along 15 years ago, the government had always maintained that there were no official documents to prove the military's role in establishing the brothels. Abe was now saying there were no official documents to prove that the military forcibly procured the women — thereby discounting other evidence, including the testimony of former sex slaves.

"The fact is, if you can't use anything except official documents, history itself is impossible to elucidate," said Yoshimi, a history professor at Chuo University here.

The emphasis on official documents, according to Yoshimi and other historians, has long been part of the government's strategy to control wartime history. In the two weeks between Japan's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, and the arrival of American occupation forces, wartime leaders fearing postwar trials incinerated so many potentially incriminating documents that the Tokyo sky was said to be black with smoke. Even today, Japan refuses to release documents that historians believe have survived and would shed light on Japan's wartime history.

Although Yoshimi found official documents showing the military's role in establishing brothels, he is not optimistic about unearthing documents about the military's abduction of women.

"There are things that are never written in official documents," he said. "That they were forcibly recruited — that's the kind of thing that would have never been written in the first place."

John W. Dower, a historian of Japan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Yoshimi's "extremely impressive" work has "clarified the historical record in ways that people like Prime Minister Abe and those who support him refuse to acknowledge."

YOSHIMI grew up in Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan, in a household with fresh memories of the war. He traces his interest in history to a junior high school lecture on the nation's American-written, pacifist Constitution and its guarantee of human rights. He was impressed that the Constitution "even had something to say about a kid like me in the countryside."

After completing his studies at the University of Tokyo, Yoshimi concentrated on Japan's postwar democratization. It was while searching for documents related to Japan's wartime use of poison gas in the Defense Agency's library that he first stumbled upon proof of the military's role in sexual slavery.

Yoshimi copied the document but did not publicize his finding. At the time, no former sex slave had gone public about her experiences, and awareness of wartime sex crimes against women was low.

But in late 1991, former sex slaves in South Korea became the first to break their silence. When the Japanese government responded with denials, Yoshimi went back to the Defense Agency.

Of the half-dozen documents he discovered, the most damning was a notice written on March 4, 1938, by the adjutant to the chiefs of staff of the North China Area Army and Central China Expeditionary Force. Titled "Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations," the notice said that "armies in the field will control the recruiting of women," and that "this task will be performed in close cooperation with the military police or local police force of the area."

In another document from July 1938, Naosaburo Okabe, chief of staff of the North China Area Army, wrote that rapes of local women by Japanese soldiers had deepened anti-Japanese sentiments and that setting up "facilities for sexual comfort as quickly as possible is of great importance." Yet another, an April 1939 report by the headquarters of the 21st Army in Guangzhou, China, noted that the 21st Army directly supervised 850 women.

Yoshimi went public by telling Asahi Shimbun, a national daily newspaper. The attention led to years of harassment from the right wing, he said, including nightly phone calls.

These documents had survived because they had been moved 25 miles west of central Tokyo before the end of the war, Yoshimi said. The postwar American occupation forces had then confiscated the documents, eventually returning them to Japan in the 1950s.

DESPITE the government's efforts to hide the past, Yoshimi succeeded in painting a detailed picture of Japan's wartime sexual slavery: a system of military-run brothels that emerged in 1932 after Japan's invasion of Manchuria, then grew with full-scale war against China in 1937 and expanded into most of Asia in the 1940s.

Between 50,000 and 200,000 women from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere were tricked or coerced into sexual slavery, Yoshimi said. Thousands from Korea and Taiwan, Japanese colonies at the time, were dispatched aboard naval vessels to serve Japanese soldiers in battlefields elsewhere in Asia. Unlike other militaries that have used wartime brothels, the Japanese military was the "main actor," Yoshimi said.

"The Japanese military itself newly built this system, took the initiative to create this system, maintained it and expanded it, and violated human rights as a result," he said. "That's a critical difference."

Yoshimi said he was unsurprised by the most recent moves to deny the wartime sex slavery. He said they were simply the culmination of a long campaign by nationalist politicians who have succeeded in casting doubt, in Japan, on what is accepted as historical fact elsewhere.

In 1997, all seven government-approved junior high school textbooks contained passages about the former sex slaves. Now, as a result of the nationalists' campaign, only two out of eight do.

"Abe and his allies led that campaign," Yoshimi said, "and now they occupy the center of political power."

Tags: japan, comfort women, sex slave, war crimes, war, wwii, atrocities, history, denial, shinzo abe, Yoshiaki Yoshimi

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Chinese cemetery recalls racist past

Touching story. I found myself getting more interested lately in learning about Chinese Canadian history. I've always been interested in history. In fact, I have always said that I will go back to school one day to study Chinese history. But I've never thought of studying Chinese Canadian history, though I worked as a research assistant during my UBC years for an expert in history of overseas Chinese, Edgar Wickberg. Perhaps it's about time.

(the problem with me is that I always have too many things that I want to study/learn. i will start something and dwell myself completely into it for a while and move on to other stuff. then the subject might be left aside for a long time until my interest to it revives, if it ever will. gee... why am i like that @@)

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	Sharon Tiffin/News Staff Charlayne Thornton Joe with a picture of her grandfather at his grave at Harling Point at the Chinese Cemetary Sunday

Oak Bay News - Oak Bay’s Harling Point is home to spectacular ocean views, as well as a disturbing reminder of our region’s racist past. Victoria Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe leads a public tour of the site’s Chinese Cemetery this Sunday (April 1).

In Victoria’s pioneer days, hundreds of Chinese labourers came to B.C. to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway or seek fortune in the gold fields. As the original Chinese immigrants passed away, many were buried in Ross Bay Cemetery – but prevailing racist attitudes meant people of Asian descent were relegated to an area along the waterfront. “That area was for ‘aboriginals and Mongolians.’

That’s how they listed the Chinese,” says Thornton-Joe, whose Chinese heritage prompted her to learn more about those early immigrants. Because Dallas Road didn’t yet exist, those sections were also frequently flooded by ocean waves. During one violent winter storm, many Chinese and Japanese graves were swept right out to sea.

Members of Victoria’s fledgling Chinese-Canadian community, under the leadership of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, began to search for a burial site where their dead relatives could rest in peace. Their first choice, located near Christmas Hill, was purchased in 1891.

The area was predominantly farmland and nearby residents soon made it clear they didn’t want a cemetery for “foreigners” in their neighbourhood.

“What the Chinese community did was have a mock funeral to see whether there would be any concerns,” explains Thornton-Joe. “Some of the farmers showed up with guns and told them to move on.”

The benevolant association later bought the Harling Point property, which was thought to have good feng shui. Another mock ceremony was held to test the public mood, but this time the police were on hand to keep the peace.

Between 1903 and 1908, the Chinese community exhumed most of their relatives’ remains at Ross Bay and transferred the bones to the Oak Bay location. After the last of about 400 burials took place in the 1950s, the Chinese Cemetery fell into disrepair.

In the early 1990s, local residents began working with the municipality and the benevolent association to restore it. Thornton-Joe was involved in that process, in part because her grandfather is buried there.

“This is my tie not only to the Chinese Cemetery, but also to what brought me to Canada in the first place,” she says.

As a child, Thornton-Joe helped her mother sweep off her grandfather’s grave and learned how to bow properly to show respect for ancestors – an annual tradition known as ching ming. Together, mother and daughter tidied up the plot, cut the grass and made offerings of incense, flowers and food.

“We believe that our ancestors watch over us,” says the Victoria councillor, noting that a sense of continuity between generations is very strong in Asian cultures.

Thornton-Joe still visits her grandfather’s grave regularly to honour his memory and ask him to watch over the family. With the assistance of UVic professor David Lai, members of the Chinese-Canadian community lobbied for the federal government to declare the cemetery a National Historic Site – a feat achieved in 1996.

In the years that followed, broken or sunken gravestones were fixed or realigned, a footpath was laid down, a gate was added and a fence erected along the edges of the cemetery. Interpretive panels, added in 2001, teach visitors about the contributions made by early Chinese settlers.

“The only reason there are Chinese cemeteries, Chinese schools and Chinatowns is because of the racism of the day.” On a more personal level, Thornton-Joe says she only learned to fully appreciate her ancestors’ traditions after she grew up.

“As someone who was born here and encountered racism in my childhood, I rebelled against my culture,” she explains. “Personally, I hope my grandparents – whom I never met – will look down and realize that I’m no longer ashamed.”

Tags: history, chinese canadian, oak bay, victoria, vancouver island, racism, chinese cemetary

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Japanese lawmakers call for alternative to controversial shrine

Hankyoreh - Voices in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party are again calling for alternatives to Yasukuni Shrine in the wake of revelations March 28 that the Japanese government played a leading role in the enshrinement of Japanese war criminals there. The government is denying its involvement, but even the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun is calling for an alternative facility for war criminals’ memorial tablets.

Former LDP deputy chairman Taku Yamazaki said Thursday in a faction caucus that "though many believed the inclusion of Class-A war criminals was an action taken independently by the shrine, it was in fact the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare that was active in making it happen."

"Since the Japanese government has responsibility to bear, if a separate shrine is established the prime minister would be able worship [at Yasukuni] without causing diplomatic problems," he said.

Makoto Koga, formerly an official in an organization of persons who lost family members in the war and who has called for a separate facility for Class-A war criminals, called a press conference on the same day and said he is even more convinced of the need for such a separation of those honored at the shrine.


Legislators not close to prime minister Shinzo Abe are not the only ones calling for alternatives to the current situation.

Komeito Party central secretary Tetsuo Saito said that if a government ministry was involved in furnishing elements who moved the Class-A criminals’ memorial tablets to Yasukuni, "it would be a violation of Article 22 of the Constitution," which stipulates the separation of the state and religion. "The call for a separate non-religious national war dead memorial is more convincing than ever before," he said.

Asked about whether the health ministry provided "intelligence" to Yasukuni before the memorial tablets were moved, Prime Minister Abe admitted that it had, saying "I don’t see any problem in that happening."

Abe continued, "I have no intention of announcing whether I will worship [at Yasukuni] or not since worshipping itself is a diplomatic problem," continuing his vague approach toward the issue.

The conservative Yomiuri Shimbun, however, wrote that if the Yasukuni religious organization cannot be forced by the government to separate the memorial tablets, "it should consider alternatives, such as building an alternate, national memorial facility," noting that the tablets of former prime minister Hideki Dojo and other war criminals are housed at the current site.

The Asahi Shimbun said in an op-ed piece that it has "always said Japan needs a national memorial facility that has no distinct religious coloring."

"We feel the need for such a facility even more," it said.

Controversy continues to swirl around Yasukuni Shrine, which is located near Tokyo and which honors 1,068 soldiers who have been deemed war criminals by an international tribunal. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s multiple visits stirred up anger among other Asian nations, particularly Korea and China.

Tags: japan, LDP, yasukuni shrine, war shrine, war criminals, wwii

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Wife of Chinese diplomat defects, fearing persecution in China

I'm pretty sure that the Harper government will give this woman asylum, given the "high" standard of human rights they hold [against countries Harper doesn't like].

The enemy of your enemy is a friend.

What a good chance this is for Canada to slap China in the face again. Congrats to Jason Kenney and Stephen Harper for having this golden opportunity.

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CP - The wife of a Chinese diplomat in Ottawa says she has defected over fears that she would be sent back to China and persecuted.

Jiyan Zhang says she renounced her citizenship earlier this month, shortly after quietly revealing to friends at the Chinese consulate that she is a Falun Gong practitioner.

And Zhang says she expects others will follow.

At a news conference today in Ottawa, Zhang denounced her former country's Communist leaders for cracking down on the Falun Gong movement.

Foreign Affairs officials have not confirmed Zhang's defection.

The last known defection of a Chinese official in Canada came in August 2005, when a Chinese hairdresser stationed in Ottawa left the embassy, along with his wife and son.

Tags: chinese diplomat, falun gong, canada, china

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'Comfort women' scandal shines international light on wartime rape and abuse

So we have a shrinking, aging cohort of women standing on the cusp of history. It is long past the time for modern Japan to fully apologize and claim responsibility for its past. Maybe there is no final comfort for the comfort women, but there should be justice.

Dallas News opinion - The name is what first grabbed my attention. "Comfort women?" What a moniker for the sexual slaves who were coerced, confined and raped in the Japanese military brothels strung across Asia during World War II.

Now comfort women are back in the news. They're back because California Rep. Mike Honda held hearings on a bill asking Japan to finally "acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Force's coercion of young women into sexual slavery."And they're back because Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, chose instead to deny that the women were coerced or that the imperial government was to blame.

Abe was hardly the only one in his ruling elite to make such a statement. Another lawmaker, Nariaki Nakayama, breezily dismissed the government's procurement of 100,000 to 200,000 young women by describing it as a private enterprise. "Where there's demand," he said, "business crops up."

Honda, himself a Japanese-American who spent childhood years in internment camps in the U.S., said, "Prime Minister Abe is in effect saying that the women are lying." Mindy Kotler of Asia Policy Point puts it more baldly. Abe, she said, called these elderly survivors "lying whores."

Koon Ja Kim, a Korean, remembers to this day what she was wearing – "a black skirt, a green shirt and black shoes" – when as a 16-year-old girl she was taken to a brothel where she "comforted" 20 or more soldiers a day. Jan Ruff O'Herne, a Dutch woman taken at 19, remembers systemic beatings and rape even by the doctor who paid calls to the brothels checking for venereal disease. Lee Yong-soo was left with venereal diseases and shame for over half a century.

Liars all?

This recent denial of history threw Japan's image back 15 years, prior even to the Kono statement, a half-hearted apology to the women composed in 1993 by a Cabinet member. But it's also a reminder of the distance the world has come on these issues.

This is women's history month, when attention is often focused on founding mothers like Susan B. Anthony. But this year, the comfort women are showing the long way we've come from victim to heroine.

For millennia, rape was seen as a side effect, even a perk, of war. As recently as World War II, the Free French gave Moroccan mercenaries license to rape enemy women in Italy. In the 1990s there were rape camps in Bosnia, and sexual assault is a grisly routine in African conflicts.

Nevertheless, wartime rape is becoming less a matter of personal shame and more a matter of international outrage. It's designated as a war crime by the United Nations. And more than one comfort woman, like O'Herne, spoke out after seeing stories about the Bosnian camps.

There are few countries that haven't been complicit in this war crime. But the Japanese military actually planned and managed a vast system of forced brothels complete with scheduled "comfort" appointments for soldiers, visits by doctors, and government-issued condoms named "Attack No. 1."

Abe has backed off his denial inch by inch. On a Japanese television show he even expressed formal, if offhand, sympathy for "the injuries of the heart" of the comfort women.

But as Andrew Horvat, an American professor in Japan, says: "If someone has to provide sexual services for 20 soldiers a day, she comes home with more than just 'injuries of the heart.' She comes home sterile, infected with a stubborn STD and in a state of psychological trauma."

So we have a shrinking, aging cohort of women standing on the cusp of history. It is long past the time for modern Japan to fully apologize and claim responsibility for its past. Maybe there is no final comfort for the comfort women, but there should be justice.

Ellen Goodman writes for The Boston Globe.

Tags: japan, comfort women, war crime, wwii, war, sex slaves, history

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Another denial: Japan changes textbook about mass suicide orders

Japan orders history books to change passages on forced World War II suicides

AP – The government ordered changes Friday to seven history textbooks describing how the Japanese army forced civilians to commit mass suicide at the end of World War II, the country's latest effort to soften brutal accounts of its wartime conduct.

The high school textbooks say the army – faced with an impending U.S. invasion in 1945 – handed out grenades to residents on the southern island of Okinawa and ordered them to kill themselves rather than surrender to the Americans.

The Education Ministry said there was no definitive evidence that the suicides were ordered by the army. The publishers were asked to modify the relevant passages and submit the changes for approval by a government-appointed panel.

"There are divergent views of whether or not the suicides were ordered by the army, and no proof to say either way. So it would be misleading to say the army was responsible," said Education Ministry official Yumiko Tomimori.

Since taking office in September, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promoted national pride and sought to distance Japan from its post-World War II guilt. His conservative government has bolstered Japan's international military role and amended the constitution to require schools to teach patriotism.

On Friday, Tokyo's education board said it had punished 35 teachers for not standing up to honour the national anthem – seen by some as a symbol of Japan's military past – during graduation ceremonies.

Three of the teachers will be suspended for up to six months, 12 received pay cuts and 20 were given warnings. The "Kimigayo" song was adopted as the national anthem in 1999, and four years later, Tokyo's conservative government ordered teachers to honour it during school ceremonies.

The battle in Okinawa raged from late March through June 1945, leaving more than 200,000 civilians and soldiers dead and speeding the collapse of Japan's defenses.

Accounts of forced group suicides on Okinawa have been backed up by historical research and testimony from victims' relatives. Historians say government propaganda led civilians to believe U.S. soldiers would commit atrocities, persuading them to kill themselves and their families to avoid capture.

But in recent years, some academics have questioned whether the suicides were forced, part of the wider push by conservatives to soften criticism of Japan's wartime conduct.

Survivors of the battle criticized the revisions.

"If the (Japanese) soldiers hadn't come, people wouldn't have killed themselves," Fumiko Miyamura, a woman who said she witnessed a group suicide on Okinawa, told public broadcaster NHK. "Are they trying to make us forget about the war?"

Abe set off a storm earlier this month when he claimed there was no evidence that Japan's army forced women to work in military brothels during World War II. Historians estimate up to 200,000 women, mostly Chinese and Korean, were forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers.

Most textbooks approved Friday touched on Japan's wartime brothels but did not discuss whether women were coerced or whether the Japanese military was involved, Kyodo News agency reported.

Abe's comments backtracked from a 1993 government admission that the Japanese military forced women into prostitution. On Monday, he tried to quell the backlash with an apology to the victims, but stopped short of acknowledging that Tokyo forced thousands into sexual slavery.

On Saturday, a private Japanese fund set up in 1995 to help the so-called "comfort women" will expire, wrapping up a mission seen as falling short of expectations.

The Asian Women's Fund, created to heal wounds from Japan's often brutal expansion through the region during the war, provided 285 women in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan with $17,800 each in compensation, helped set up nursing homes for former Indonesian sex slaves and offered medical assistance to some 80 Dutch victims.

But many victims rejected the aid because it neither came directly from the government nor was accompanied by an official apology. The fund will disband Saturday with the dismantling of the nursing home program in Indonesia, its last project.

The head of the fund, Haruki Wada, acknowledged the results of the effort "were rather ambiguous, but it was the best we could do at that time."

"As far as Japan's reconciliation with Asian neighbors is concerned, our achievement was insufficient," he said.

Tags: japan, war, wwii, war crimes, comfort women, okinawa, mass suicide, nationalism

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Kono: Denying the 'comfort women' issue is 'intellectually insincere'

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN - Long before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stirred controversy with his remarks about wartime "comfort women," Yohei Kono had labeled critics of a government apology on the issue as "intellectually not sincere."

Revelations of Kono's reaction are contained in a book to be published this week by the Tokyo-based Asian Women's Fund. The book cites an interview Kono gave last November in which he lashed out at critics of the apology he issued in 1993 when he was chief Cabinet secretary.

In November, Kono, now Lower House speaker, was responding to a question about growing political calls for a review of his official statement.

Earlier this month, Abe stirred a firestorm of global criticism by saying no proof exists in official documents of direct "coercion" by Japanese authorities on "comfort women," a euphemism for women forced to provide sexual services to the Japanese military.

Since Abe's remarks, Kono has declined interviews with overseas journalists and stated only that he has "confidence" in the 1993 statement.

The Asian Women's Fund was set up to extend support to "comfort women." Its work essentially wraps up on Saturday but some of its activities will be continued by two nonprofit organizations.

Kono said that while no documents confirming direct government involvement have been found, that does not mean authorities did not play a part.

"It is not intellectually sincere to discuss this as if there had been no 'comfort women' issue," he said in the interview.

The "comfort women" were brought from the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere and sent to brothels in battlefields.

The Kono statement admitted that "at times, administrative/military personnel directly took part" in their recruitment, and in November Kono said, "There is no question (about that), no matter who may say what."

Kono also said the testimony of 16 women interviewed for the 1993 government report contained details that could not have been given had they not gone through their ordeal.

Kono also said it was possible that relevant documents of the former Imperial Japanese Army were destroyed.

"I have no intention to evade responsibility (for issuing the statement)," he said. "I have absolutely no intention to withdraw it, either."

His interview is included in the book "Oral History: Asian Women's Fund."

The fund, set up in 1995 under a government initiative, offered "atonement money" to the victims, using donations from private citizens.

In an effort to stem criticism, Abe has stopped discussing "coercion." In a Diet panel meeting Monday, Abe said he stands by the Kono statement.

Tags: japan, kono, comfort women, war, war crimes, wwii, sex slaves

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Japan's sex-slave controversy has economic costs

Bloomberg - These should be sweet days indeed for officials in Tokyo.

A case in point: In 2006, Japan had its first gain in nationwide property prices in 16 years. Last week, that announcement was the icing on the cake for an economy that until recently has had little to celebrate. Stocks also posted the biggest weekly advance in more than a year.

And yet something is crashing Japan's party: the past. Absorbing much of the focus that would otherwise be on improvements in Asia's biggest economy is the brouhaha over its role in forcing women into sexual slavery during World War II.

It's a curious issue for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to home in on, considering the huge economic to-do list he faces. Sure, Japan is growing again and it's shaking deflation. Yet to keep things moving Abe needs to reduce a massive public debt, increase productivity, boost entrepreneurship, attract more foreign capital, shore up the pension system, raise the national birthrate and better utilize the female workforce.

Abe, premier since September, also faces a challenge his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, didn't: keeping Japan growing without the crutch of ultra-low borrowing costs. While Koizumi put Japan on a path toward change, he did so amid zero interest rates. Abe is contending with a Bank of Japan set on raising its overnight lending rate well beyond today's 0.50%.

Wrong Focus

Unfortunately, Abe isn't focused on the economic outlook even as China grabs more and more of the spotlight. Instead, he's quibbling with long-accepted historical facts, such as Japan's culpability in setting up wartime brothels. He's also splitting semantic hairs at the expense of Japan's future role in the world's most vibrant region.

The crux of the debate is the word "coercion." Abe is attempting, awkwardly, to argue it means something different to Japan in 2007 than it did in 1993 or 1945. He's playing down Japan's 1993 apology for being directly and indirectly involved in recruiting women against their will. It's raising eyebrows around the globe and causing embarrassment.

On March 26, for example, Abe said he is "apologizing here and now as the prime minister" for the sex-slave controversy. Yet he still refused to bow to international pressure to acknowledge that Japan forced as many as 200,000 women into sexual slavery. Bottom line, Abe's so-called apology isn't likely to defuse things in Asia.

Upsetting Asia

All this is enraging officials in China and South Korea, as have Japan's efforts to have things both ways in the region. Abe claims the abduction of 17 Japanese citizens by North Korea is a totally different issue from the contention that the Japanese military forced women into sexual slavery decades ago. Few outside Japan would agree.

Today's feuds are creating an unfortunate distraction from the cooperation Asia needs if it's going to compete with the West.

Japan, China and Korea should be joining forces to sustain rapid growth with free-trade zones, regional bond markets, linked stock markets and standardized accounting. They should be working to cool tensions with a nuclear-armed North Korea. They should be devising ways to bring home more of their nations' vast savings parked in U.S. Treasuries. Instead, Asia's past is imperiling its future.

Window of Opportunity

The prime minister's focus on the sex-slave issue speaks volumes about his dwindling power to accelerate the economic revival. Only after his disapproval rating trumped his support rate did Abe revisit Japan's World War II exploits. A proposed U.S. Congressional resolution demanding that Japan apologize offered an opportunity to do just that.

Today's growth offers Japan a rare window of opportunity to raise its economic game. At a minimum, Abe's government should be using these good times to trim debt. Sadly for investors -- and Japan's 127 million people -- Abe's attention isn't on making Japan more competitive. Nor is it on shaking Japan's addiction to exports.

Just as the U.S. has championed a strong-dollar policy, officials in Tokyo should be open to a rising yen. It would be a sign of confidence and might attract more foreign capital. The inflows would boost the Nikkei 225 Stock Average and enable bond yields to remain low even as the BOJ boosts rates.

By digging up the past, Abe is really signaling that his leadership is in trouble. Whenever Koizumi's poll numbers fell, he played the nationalism card, shifting attention to his visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which includes memorials to convicted war criminals. Abe now seems to be reading from Koizumi's nationalist playbook.

Wrong Playbook

Abe really should be looking more at Koizumi's economic plays. A reminder of that came last week from Heizo Takenaka, one of Koizumi's key reformers. Kyodo News quoted Takenaka as saying that "the prime minister should demonstrate leadership in driving reforms."

It always was up to Abe to accelerate the changes Koizumi championed in his five years as prime minister. Koizumi got things moving; Abe's mandate was to bring the process of modernizing Japan's rigid economy to the next level. So far, his government has done nothing of the sort.

More than 60 years after World War II and 15 years since Japan's asset bubble imploded, Abe is anxious to restore his nation's power globally. Quibbling over the past won't get Japan there. If Abe can heal old wounds in Asia and upgrade the economy, the clout Japan desires will follow.

Tags: japan, war, war crimes, sex slaves, china, korea, history, comfort women, wwii

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Military record of 'comfort woman' unearthed

This is a 2005 article. But if Abe doesn't know where to find evidence, he can start from here.

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Chosun - The first real-name record of a surviving former "comfort woman" has been discovered. Researcher Kang Jeong-suk of the Korea Chongshindae's Institute said Monday that she discovered the records of a surviving "comfort woman", 79-year-old Kim Bok-dong, while examining military records at the National Archives and Records Service.

The name, place of birth, birthday and personal circumstances recorded in the archive were identical to testimony given by Kim in "True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, Volume 2," published by the Korea Chongshindae's Institute in 1997.

According to the registry of civilians attached to the Japanese military of September 1947, Kim was employed on August 31, 1945 as a military civilian attached to the 10th Army Field Hospital of Japan's Southern Expeditionary Army Group. She was 19 at the time.

In the 1997 book, Kim said she had been abducted at the age of 15 and lived as a "comfort woman" (or Chongshindae in Korean) for the Japanese military in Guangdong province, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

The military registry also records that between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31 of 1945, some 300 Korean women were pressed into service as temporary nurses with the Army's 5th, 9th and 10th field hospitals in places like Singapore.

Kang said the employment of the women as nurses just as the war ended could be interpreted as an attempt by Japan to either cover up its "comfort women" system or to exploit the labor of Korean women right up to the last moment.

She also said that since the names of 299 other Korean women besides Kim were recorded in the registry, there could be significantly more victims than are currently registered with the state.

Korea Chongshindae's Institute director Lee Sung-sook said, "With former 'comfort women' like Kim Sang-hee and Kim Bun-seon passing away as we enter the New Year, the value of material such as this becomes that much greater." Eighty-eight of the 215 women listed with the Korean government as former "comfort women" have died.

With the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan battling for an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government, the record could be an important piece of evidence in refuting right-wing Japanese denials of the country's wartime use of 'comfort women". It could help persuade the Japanese government to take responsibility and compensate the victims.

Tags: japan, war, wwii, war crimes, shinzo abe, history, comfort women, sex slaves

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What Japan needs is a conscience, not more evidence

Chosun editorial - In an inquiry by a lawmaker into the forced mobilization of women by the Japanese military to serve as sex slaves during World War Two, the Japanese government issued a response saying, “In the records discovered by the government, there was no account directly showing forced mobilization by the military or government authorities.” The latest response supported Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s comments early this month that there was “no evidence or testimony proving comfort women were forced.”

If he’s looking for testimony, there are plenty of it from surviving sex slaves who are still alive and breathing. Last month, during a hearing at the U.S. House of Representatives, not only Korean women, but a Dutch woman who lived in Indonesia, testified. The Dutch woman had been imprisoned in a Javanese jail and was dragged out of her cell upon orders that “all women over 17 must get in line outside the prison.”

If Abe and the Japanese government insist on closing their ears, there are plenty of Japanese scholars and military documents to prove them wrong. In 1980, Yoshimi, a professor of history at Tokyo's Chuo University, discovered evidence showing the forced mobilization of sex slaves by the Japanese military. He wrote a book on it and said, “It is clear that comfort women were forcibly mobilized and all of the responsibility lies with the Japanese government.” A scholar named Kurabashi wrote in his 1944 book, “Historical Research on Comfort Women,” that between 1937 to 38, people from Joseon were the majority inside the comfort camps and from 1940, abductions for comfort women to serve as sex slaves became the main focus.”

In a document called “In Reference to the Recruitment of Comfort Women,” prepared by the conscription department of the Japanese Army in 1938, there is a segment that says, “For the establishment of comfort centers, the method of recruiting comfort women from the interior regions is similar to kidnapping.” A report entitled “Investigation on Issues Related to Comfort Women,” prepared in 1993 by a Japanese agency focusing on documents related to World War Two, says, “The Joseon Peninsula was under Japanese rule and the recruitment, transport and supervision of comfort women were by coaxing and force, against their will.”

Tags: japan, korea, comfort women, sex slaves, conscience, war, wwii, war crimes, atrocities, history

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Abe: abductee issue is ongoing, comfort women issue isn't

When asked about inconsistencies in Japan's willingness to admit its own human-rights failures, Abe told reporters, "That is a completely different matter. The issue of the abductees is an ongoing violation of human rights.

"The 'comfort women' issue is not ongoing. As for the abductees issue, the situation is that Japanese people who were kidnapped by North Korea have not been released," he said.

Huh! Great! He finally said it. So Abe thinks there is a time limit for fighting for human rights. How arrogant! Then if N. Korea stands firm on its position of the Japanese abductees for another 50 years and everybody had died, then Japan would have lost its grounds fighting for these 17 Japanese, right?

It's now become clear that Abe definitely believes the Japanese race is superior and the lives of the Japanese are more valuable than those of other races. Isn't that exactly the same line of philosophy of the Japanese Imperial Army and the lunatic militarists during WWII? Perhaps Abe is a timid good grandson who admires the glory of his grandfather, who is a convicted Class A war criminal. Perhaps the Abe family practices Confucianism so much so that Shinzo thinks he should be a filial grandson to complete the work left by his grandfather.

Washington enters 'comfort women' debate

Asia Times - Pressure has been growing in Washington in support of a bipartisan resolution calling on the government of Japan to acknowledge its role in forcing some 200,000 so-called "comfort women" into forced prostitution during World War II.

In a change from his previous stance, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a public apology on Monday, saying that he stood by the 1993 statement issued by then chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono acknowledging that "in many cases [the women] were recruited against their own will, through coaxing, coercion, etc, and that, at times, administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitments".

"I am apologizing here and now as the prime minister, and it is as stated in the Kono Statement," said Abe when questioned by an opposition lawmaker.

Earlier this month, however, Abe had denied there were written records to confirm the sexual slavery of women during World War II.

Abe's political career was largely built on his promises to discover the whereabouts and seek the return of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea, more than two decades ago, to teach Japanese to North Korean spies. Criticism has been aimed at Abe for his failure to address Japan's own human-rights violations while demanding that North Korea acknowledge its injustices to Japan.

When asked about inconsistencies in Japan's willingness to admit its own human-rights failures, Abe told reporters, "That is a completely different matter. The issue of the abductees is an ongoing violation of human rights.

"The 'comfort women' issue is not ongoing. As for the abductees issue, the situation is that Japanese people who were kidnapped by North Korea have not been released," he said.

But Chejin Park, director of constituency services at the Korean-American Voters Council, said, "Look how many people were kidnapped [by North Korea] - only 17. But the Japanese kidnapped 200,000 women and mistreated them far worse.

"Of course the North Korean and comfort-women [issues are] related," he said. "They are both human-rights issues."

Groups calling for an official Japanese apology for human-rights violations against comfort women during the war have not been satisfied by Abe's apologetic statement, made in a parliamentary subcommittee rather than the full House of Representatives.

On January 31, Congressman Michael M Honda, a California Democrat, introduced legislation before the US House of Representatives calling on the Japanese government to apologize unambiguously and acknowledge the tragedy that more than 200,000 comfort women experienced at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army during the occupation of various Asian countries and Pacific islands.

On Tuesday, more than 100 organizations, led by Korean-American groups, called on the US Congress to support Honda's initiative, saying, "We call upon US citizens and the members of Congress to support House Resolution 121. The resolution is a matter of human rights, women's rights, truth and reconciliation."

Japan surprised some analysts at six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear-weapons program when it refused to discuss any improvements in relations until information about 17 kidnapped Japanese citizens is provided.

Abe has used the demand for the return of abducted Japanese citizens by North Korea as a rallying cry to prop up his weakening domestic support. Critics have called his stance hypocritical given that he has simultaneously, over the past month, issued statements pointing to the lack of written evidence that Japanese engaged in forced prostitution while demanding the return of Japanese citizens from North Korea.

The Honda legislation is attempting to leverage the close ties between the US and Japan to bring pressure on the US government to address this issue.

"The House resolution is non-binding, but it will have meaning, since the US is the country most closely aligned to Japan," said Park.

Abe is scheduled to visit the United States next month, but it is highly unlikely Honda's legislation will come up for vote before that visit.

Last June, Republican Congressman Henry Hyde, a World War II veteran, blocked any plan former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi might have had to address a joint session of the US Congress because of his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which is dedicated to the spirits of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the emperor of Japan.
Tags: japan, war, wwii, war crime, war criminal, comfort women, sex slaves, history

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Vancouver house prices jumps over 10% in 1Q 2007; more than expected

Royal LePage press release – The housing market in Vancouver and Victoria started the year off on a strong note as average house prices increased, year-over-year, according to a report released today by Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

In both cities, strong local economies combined with growing populations resulted in price appreciations in all neighbourhoods surveyed in Vancouver and Victoria. While inventory increased slightly from the same period in 2006, strong demand has maintained market activity.

In Vancouver, the highest price appreciation experienced was among condominiums, which increased by 14.3% to $403,500, while the average price of a detached bungalow rose by 13.4% to $758,000, year-over-year. The average price of a standard two-storey property rose by 10.5% to $837,500, compared to the same period in 2006.

CLICK:
"The housing market in Vancouver continued to show its strength in the first quarter, supported by sustained in-migration and growth across the city," said Bill Binnie, president, Royal LePage Northshore, Vancouver. "We are seeing the market operate only slightly off record levels which were recorded last year, with more sustainable, but still significant, rates of price appreciation."

New inventory was unable to satiate the demand of purchasers. The market remained firmly in the sellers’ favour, with multiple offer situations occurring, although less frequently than last year.

Added Binnie: "The condominium market in Vancouver has been particularly active in the first quarter, attracting the interest of a variety of purchaser groups such as baby boomers, first-time and move-up buyers and investors. These purchasers favour condominiums for their relative affordability, maintenance-free lifestyle and excellent investment potential."

The average price of a standard condominium in North Vancouver had the highest appreciation in the area with an increase of 11.1%, year-over-year, to $300,000. The average value of a standard two-storey home rose by 9.8%, year-over-year, to $670,000, while the price of a detached bungalow increased by 8.6% to $630,000.

In West Vancouver, the average price of a standard condominium increased by 12.2% to $415,000, year-over-year, followed by a detached bungalow which increased by 10.6% to $885,000. The average price of a standard two-storey home in the area rose by 12.8% to $880,000.

In Vancouver East, the standard condominium enjoyed the highest price appreciation, year-over-year, increasing by 21.1% to $299,000. The average price of a detached bungalow home rose by 15.6% to $542,000, while the average price of a standard two-storey home increased by 15.1% to $565,000.

In Vancouver West, the average price of a standard condominium increased by 14.3% year-over-year, to $600,000. The average price of a detached bungalow appreciated by 18.2% year-over-year to $975,000, and the average value of a standard two-storey home increased to $1,175,000, an 11.9% rise.

Victoria

The first quarter of 2007 saw average house prices in Victoria increase moderately, year-over-year, as the city’s continued strong economy, high in-migration levels and affordable mortgage rates maintained buyer demand. Also contributing to the increase in activity of resale homes was the limited but growing inventory, and high costs of rental units.

Standard two-storey properties increased by 4.5%, year-over-year, during the first quarter to $418,000. The average price of a standard condominium in the city increased by 11.2% to $248,000, while detached bungalows increased by 9.2% to $384,500, year-over-year.

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"Real estate activity in Victoria has been outstanding during the first three months of the year, and all indicators point to an equally great, if not better, spring market," said Judy Gage, president, Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, Victoria. "Victoria remains a destination of choice for many Canadians as the pleasant weather and strong labour market continue to lure people from the east."

Victoria’s market has moved away from the wild pace that characterized the city for the past two years to balanced conditions, with an increase in listing inventory. The rise in available properties has provided buyers with more choice and more time to make their purchasing decisions.

Multiple offer situations were common on well-priced houses with buyer appeal, but were occurring with less frequency than last year.

Added Gage: "All types of buyers have been active during the first quarter with bungalows, detached homes and condominiums all receiving equal attention. Homes with rentable suites continue to have appeal, as the added income is a huge bonus for homebuyers – especially first-time buyers."

The Royal LePage Survey of Canadian House Prices is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind in Canada, with information on seven types of housing in over 250 neighbourhoods from coast to coast. This release references an abbreviated version of the survey, which highlights house price trends for the three most common types of housing in Canada in 80 communities across the country. A complete database of past and present surveys is available on the Royal LePage Web site at www.royallepage.ca, and current figures will be updated following the end of the first quarter. A printable version of the first quarter 2007 survey will be available online on May 15, 2007.

See also:
Canadian housing market 1Q 2007, national, municipal figures

Tags: vancouver, housing, property, real estate, victoria, home prices, house prices

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Abe denies government link to enshrine war criminals

Oh yes, Abe denies. Japan denies. What else is the Japanese government good at? Denials after denials. Shame.

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Bloomberg - Japan's government didn't force the controversial Yasukuni Shrine to honour war criminals, the country's top officials said.

The government decades ago proposed that the Tokyo shrine honour those convicted of crimes during World War II, documents released by the National Diet Library yesterday suggest. Minutes from a 1969 meeting of health ministry and Yasukuni officials show an agreement that 12 Class-A war criminals should be made eligible for enshrinement, "while avoiding any announcement."

"It was the shrine that decided to honour them," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo today. "I don't think there's any problem."

The shrine includes 14 World War II leaders classified as Class-A war criminals on its honour rolls for the country's war dead. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the memorial damaged ties with China and South Korea, who view it as a symbol of Japanese military aggression last century.

At an evening press conference, Abe said he didn't think the documents would have an effect on a planned visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Japan next month. Wen will visit from April 11 to 13 in the first trip by a Chinese leader since 2000.

Abe, who took over as prime minister in September last year, has repeatedly declined to comment on whether he will visit the shrine in central Tokyo.

Classifying Crimes

The documents released yesterday, entitled "A New Compilation of Materials on the Yasukuni Shrine," show the government was involved in discussions with shrine officials from around 1958. These covered the three classes of war criminals classified by the Allies at the end of the war.

Twenty-five military and political leaders were convicted of Class A war crimes or "crimes against peace." Of those, 14 were added to the honour list at Yasukuni in 1978, including Hideki Tojo, prime minister and war minister during the war.

The documents show that during the 1960s officials from the then Health and Welfare Ministry and the shrine agreed they could be commemorated, according to Kyodo.

Earlier documents indicated the ministry urged Yasukuni to honour Class B and Class C war criminals, Kyodo said, citing one paper from April 1958.

Class B criminals were those charged with "war crimes," while Class C were for "crimes against humanity." More than 300,000 Japanese were charged for these offenses, many having to do with prisoner abuse. About 4,000 were convicted.

"It's not that the government forced the shrine," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters in Tokyo today. "The shrine ultimately decides who is to be honoured."

See also:
Abe denies government link to enshrine war criminals
Documents confirm state's role in enshrining convicted Japanese war criminals
S. Korea demands Japan to clarify gov role in Yasukuni Shrine

Tags: japan, war, war crimes, war shrine, war criminals, yasukuni shrine

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S. Korea demands Japan to clarify gov role in Yasukuni Shrine

Yonhap - South Korea on Thursday asked Japan to clarify an allegation that the Japanese government proposed a Tokyo war shrine to honour convicted war criminals from World War II a half century ago.

On Wednesday, Japan's National Diet Library released a book indicating the Health and Welfare Ministry proposed the Yasukuni Shrine enshrine World War II Class-B and Class-C war criminals in the late 1950s.

The book, titled "A New Compilation of Materials on the Yasukuni Shrine Problems," is a compilation of declassified government documents and minutes of meetings between government officials and representatives of the shrine.

"Now, it has been disclosed the Japanese health and welfare authorities were directly involved in the process of enshrining war criminals at the shrine," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Our government wants Japan to take responsible measures based on the correct historical view without distorting the history any longer."

The Yasukuni Shrine, which honors about 2.5 million war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals, has been accused of glorifying Japan's militarism, sparking diplomatic disputes between Tokyo and its Asian neighbors.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied the reports, saying it was the shrine's decision to honor war criminals. The Japanese government has so far said it is not aware of how the shrine came to honor Class-A war criminals.

Korea was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945, and many Koreans still harbor deep resentment against the Japanese.

See also:
Abe denies government link to enshrine war criminals
Documents confirm state's role in enshrining convicted Japanese war criminals
S. Korea demands Japan to clarify gov role in Yasukuni Shrine

Tags: japan, war, war shrine, war crimes, war criminals, yasukuni shrine, state and religion

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Documents confirm state's role in enshrining convicted Japanese war criminals

AP - The Japanese government secretly led efforts to honor top war criminals at a Tokyo war shrine, according to just- released documents that undermine Tokyo's stance that their enshrinement is a religious matter and unrelated to politics.

Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan's 2.5 million war dead, is a diplomatic flashpoint between Japan and neighbors China and South Korea, which see it as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.

Class-A war criminals executed for their role in World War II were enshrined at Yasukuni in 1978. But the government insisted it had no influence in the matter because the shrine is an independent religious institution.

Some 808 government and shrine documents made public in a A New Edition of Materials on the Yasukuni Shrine Issue indicate, however, that the government played a crucial role.

"Judging from the documents, it was the Health Ministry that made the first move," said Chifuyu Hiyama, an official at the National Diet Library that published the 1,200-page book.

The ministry, which was in charge of the war dead, provided a list containing the names of executed Class-A criminals, including wartime leader Hideki Tojo, according to a January 31, 1969, Yasukuni document.

Class-A criminals can be honored but the process must be carried out secretly, the document said, citing a deal with the ministry. "Announcement should be avoided." The Yomiuri Shimbun pointed to a document that quoted a ministry official as asking: "How about enshrining them in a way that would be hard to discover?"

It took another nine years before the shrine added the 12 Class-A war criminals to the list of honored war dead. The decision was apparently delayed by meetings among shrine officials.

The book "confirmed the government's initiative to enshrine war criminals through active interaction with the shrine," said Koichi Nakano, an associate professor of political science at Tokyo's Sophia University. "It shows the process involved a serious problem of separation of state and religion."

But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Thursday rejected the book's revelations and said the ministry had only provided the information at the request of the shrine. He repeated the government's position that it was shrine authorities who made the final decision and that the process did not violate the separation of religion and state.

Asked if the new finding would have any impact on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit next month, Abe said: "I doubt it." Japan's ties with China had soured under Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who had repeatedly visited the shrine despite China's protests.

Bilateral relations have improved since Abe took office last September and he has not visited the shrine since.

In Seoul, South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee Yong urged Japan to "take responsible steps" over the book's revelations.

The book, currently only available to members of parliament, is expected to be made available for public viewing at parliament, government agencies and offices next month. Hiyama said the library compiled the book following inquiries from lawmakers.

See also:
Abe denies government link to enshrine war criminals
Documents confirm state's role in enshrining convicted Japanese war criminals
S. Korea demands Japan to clarify gov role in Yasukuni Shrine

Tags: japan, yasukuni shrine, war shrine, hideki tojo, war, wwii, war criminals, war crimes, history

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How'd Chinese Canadians vote?

Yesterday a reporter of CBC National called me at my office. He had just spoken with Raymond Chan, who told him that Ming Pao did a poll before the last federal election indicating what issues Chinese voters would vote on.

First of all, let me recap some of the results of the poll. The poll was done in the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto areas, stretching a two week period. A total of 2301 valid responses were collected. Results were published on Jan 17, 2006 and Jan 21, 2006.

Issues of importance to Chinese voters were: the economy (V:25.9%; T:54.1%), health care (V:21.01%; T: 15.02%), government accountability (V:19.34%; T:33.58%), public safety (V:16.76$, T:37.5%), same sex marriage (V:13.47%; T:18.14%) and issues related to Chinese community including head tax (V: 3.45%; T:13.48%).

The poll also reinforces the notion that Chinese immigrants tend to vote for the Liberals, in which 76.29% voted the Grits in Election 2004.

Among the respondents who cared about Chinese community issues, 49.2% said they'd vote Liberal; 16.9% Conservative and 10.8% NDP.

The reporter was surprised to find out that head tax wasn't the top issue of concern to the Chinese voters and he asked me why.

I told him that our sample included mainly Chinese Canadians who were newer immigrants, with 47.91% of the Vancouver sample had been here for 10-20 years; 26.05% over 20 years; 24.44% 5 to 10 years; and 1.61% 5 years or less. The sample didn't indicate local born Chinese Canadians.

The biggest problem faced by newer Chinese immigrants has always been getting a better job. It's understandable that the majority picked "the economy" being the most important issue. If you ask a new immigrant whether he/she is more concerned about getting a better job or redressing history, most of them would pick the former.

I told the reporter that people would say "yeah, it's good to redress the head tax, BUT I need a job." In other words, head tax wasn't their pressing concern and wasn't the determining factor in how they voted.

Local born Chinese Canadians might be more established economically. Also, some have closer ties to the early railroad workers and might have experienced discrimination during their school years. Fighting for justice has become more important.

I especially told the CBC reporter that when they address the Chinese community, they have to make sure they understand that it is a dynamic society and not every one in the community thinks the same. (For instance, whether the Tories would vote for the comfort women motion would be a determining factor for me. But I'm sure many people don't share the same feeling.)

The reporter went on asking if I see the Tories doing better or worse among Chinese voters over the last year.

Honestly, I think Harper has done well in domestic issues. A lot of discussions on online forums frequented by Chinese immigrants support Harper on the economic front.

However, equal amount of discussions have been on Harper's poor handling of the China-Canada relations, too. I told the reporter that this sentiment is especially important to immigrants from China, who have dominated the immigration trend over the last decade. Many people indicate that this will be the sole issue whether they would vote for the Conservatives or not.

So in conclusion, I was being diplomatic, saying "it's still hard to say how the Tories are doing in gaining Chinese Canadian votes." :)

Tags: canada, chinese canadian, head tax, stephen harper, conservatives, liberals, NDP, federal election

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My email to all MPs

I have just written an email to all MPs demanding their support of the comfort women motion.

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Dear MPs,

I'm writing to express my deep concern that our parliament, given the way the Tory and BQ members voted in the human rights subcommittee on Tuesday, might not pass the motion tabled by the NDP asking Canada to demand Japan to have a full and official apology - passed by its parliament - for its war crimes.

I understand that some Tory members say Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has apologized in the parliament on Mar 26. They might think that should be enough and what else can Canada do to ask Japan for. However, it's of utmost importance that our politicians take a closer look at the essence of that so-called apology. ABE REFUSED TO RETRACT HIS STATEMENT DENYING COMFORT WOMEN WERE COERCED AND REFUSED TO ADMIT STATE INVOLVEMENT IN THE RECRUITMENT OF SEX SLAVES.

NYT — Facing increasing criticism for denying that Japan coerced women into sex slavery during World War II, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly refused Monday to acknowledge state responsibility in recruiting the "comfort women," but offered them an apology.

In a debate in Parliament, under intense questioning by an opposition lawmaker, Abe refused to withdraw a recent statement in which he said there was no evidence that the military had forcibly recruited women to work in brothels established throughout Asia.

I urge every Canadian to read the whole issue with their conscience. Imagine someone denying the holocaust. What would you do? Or would you prefer to believe that the atrocities done by the Japanese army to its Asian neighbours during WWII are not at the same scale as the holocaust? Are the lives of Asians less valuable than Europeans and Jews?

I urge especially that our Conservative MPs to ask yourself: Are you really a fighter for human rights? If you dare to stand up against China, North Korea and Iran, which in your opinion have significantly violated the human rights, then why don't you dare to stand up against Japan for its denial of its inhumane past? How could you explain to the voters that your human rights flag is hoisted selectively, only against countries you don't like but not countries you like?

Being a voter I believe I have the right to demand answers from all of you.


Sincerely yours,
Susanna Ng
Richmond, BC

Tags: japan, war, wwii, comfort women, canada, sex slaves, parliament, politics, ottawa

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Japan, China fail to make progress on East China Sea

Bloomberg - Japan and China, Asia's biggest energy users, failed to make progress on joint development of natural gas reserves in a disputed area of the East China Sea.

Delegates from the countries, who met in Tokyo today, agreed to hold a meeting between technical experts in Beijing next week, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The countries couldn't agree on how to jointly develop fields that may contain as much as 200 billion cubic meters of gas during the seventh round of talks today.

China and Japan sought to advance the talks before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Tokyo in April, stressing the countries' improved relations. Ties were strained after Japan's former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 war criminals are among those honoured.

At the meeting between gas-drilling experts next week, the two nations will share information about fields including Chunxiao, part of which lies within Japan's claimed sea border, a trade ministry official said.

China and Japan are sparring over energy rights because they disagree on the border. China claims its territory extends to the end of the continental shelf, while Japan says the border is the median line, or halfway between the two countries.

Chunxiao Field

The Chunxiao field, which extends over about 22,000 square kilometers, can produce as much as 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, according to Cnooc Ltd., a unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp.

The two countries will seek to make progress on joint development in the area during Premier Wen's visit, the foreign ministry official said. Wen will visit Japan from April 11 to 13. The trip is the first by a Chinese leader since former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji's October 2000 trip.

The Chinese delegation was led by Hu Zhengyue, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, while the Japanese side was represented by foreign ministry official Kenichiro Sasae and Harufumi Mochizuki, director of the trade ministry's Natural Resources and Energy Agency.

Mochizuki will lead Japan's delegation next week. Other members include experts from Japan Oil Gas and Metals National Corp., the trade ministry official said.

Tags: japan, china, east china sea, national gas, chunxiao field

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Abe's new clothes

If the history of the world is the world's court of justice, as 18th century historian Friedrich von Schiller suggested, then attempts to bury or deny unpleasant episodes can only fail. Since 1993, Japanese leaders have agreed to the Kono Statement, admitting that its military had forced women to serve as sexual slaves before and during World War II. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, in his post just more than six months, reversed that stance, first suggesting that the women were not coerced and then offering an apology once again. International reaction is more puzzlement than outrage, as analysts attempt to discern the motives, writes author Alexis Dudden. Since 1947, Japan's constitution strictly limits its military to self-defense, with the nation otherwise relying on the US. But the nation has a highly trained force, albeit described as civilian, and ranks in the top five nations for military spending. As the debate over amending the constitution continues, the prime minister's reversal could be an awkward attempt to thwart a formal legal apology and protect the military's dignity. But the stance undoubtedly troubles US lawmakers and powerful neighbors in the region, and could threaten Japan's chance at winning a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. – YaleGlobal

Prime Minister Abe's New Clothes
Halfhearted apologies for past behavior can raise questions about Japan's present and future role, by Alexis Dudden

YaleGlobal - Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo upended his nation's longstanding party line on March 1 when he said that there was no evidence of governmental "coercion" of women and girls as young as 11 into servitude in Japan's notorious wartime system of sexual slavery. Since 1993, Japan's leaders have publicly agreed to the Kono Statement, which asserts that "in many cases (the comfort women) were recruited against their own will, through coaxing coercion, etc., and that, at times, administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitments. They lived in misery at comfort stations under a coercive atmosphere."

At stake are not the facts of coercion but the reasons for Abe's reversals about the meaning of "coercion" and his current decision to avoid discussing the word entirely. Put simply, this is an attempt at whitewashing the record of the Japanese military before reinstalling them as a constitutional force. Abe's determination to revise the 1947 constitution allowing Japan to operate its military had Washington's open encouragement, which no doubt factored into his cavalier statements about the historical role of the military in the coercion of comfort women.


The prime minister's statements about the comfort women system haven't generated anywhere near the kind of outcry in Asia that Japanese leaders' visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine or sovereignty debates over a few islands have in recent years. Leaders throughout the region have issued the standard admonition that Japan "must learn its history," yet only scattered groups of former comfort women and supporters have gathered in front of Japanese embassies, in marked contrast to the tens of thousands on the streets of Beijing and Seoul two years ago, smashing Japanese businesses and burning Japanese leaders in effigy to protest Japan's unrepentant behavior.

Growing economic integration and fading memory is one reason. Reviving unpleasant memories of the surviving comfort women makes their own societies nervous for the obvious reasons of women's place in society and the unease that the category of sex crimes generates.

The current fracas about the comfort women and Abe's remarks is between Japan and the US, stemming directly from a proposed nonbinding House Resolution asking Japan to "formally acknowledge and apologize for the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces' World War II-era coercion of some 200,000 young women into sexual slavery."

Hours before Abe made his now career-defining comment, he attended a study group within his party that has met for years seeking, among other things, ways to counter Tokyo's stated position on the comfort women's history. Subsequent reversals indicate that Abe unwisely allowed the group's exuberance to spill onto the floor. Almost 130 members of parliament are poised to challenge the Kono Statement. Some, such as Nakayama Yasuhide, reveal that youth or international education and experience aren't factors. In a recent interview with the "Tokyo Shimbun," Nakayama expressed the group's sentiment: "People criticize the Japanese government's diplomacy as kowtowing to the US. If there is evidence or facts to substantiate that Japan did not carry out sordid things, we must make every effort to correctly grasp what happened and stake out our position."

Shortly after Abe acknowledged his disagreement with the government's stance, he appeared on Japan's national broadcasting station, NHK, to renew his "apologies" to the women as well as to vow to sustain the Kono Statement. International outrage clearly sensitized Abe's advisors to understand that now is not a good time for the prime minister to question women, 80 to 90 years old, and their horrific stories of abduction, rape, and torture that they tell with painful similarity.

Abe and his friends' continuing remarks indicate, however, that they aren't convinced that he or they are wrong. Party policy chief Nakagawa Shoichi told reporters, "There's currently no evidence that permits us to declare the military, the strongest expression of state authority, took women away and forced them to do things against their will."


Interestingly, the denials and reversals have focused mainstream American discourse on Japan's apologies for the nation's wartime past, which the proposed House Resolution hasn't done. Until now, most American media outlets and Japan pundits viewed the problem as an Asian detail, something that concerned leftists and nitpicky academics. By mid-March, Washington's Heritage Foundation was on board, urging a "sincere apology by Japan's PM – one approved by the Diet – for the nightmares inflicted upon these innocent women." On March 26, US State Department spokesman Tom Casey announced, "We certainly want to see the Japanese continue to address this and to deal with it in a forthright and responsible manner that acknowledges the gravity of the crimes that were committed." Within a heartbeat, the long-elusive goal of surviving comfort women appears as if it should have long ago been a matter of fact.

The Japanese government has regularly apologized to the comfort women since 1992 when historian Yoshimi Yoshiaki first discovered documentary proof linking the military to the system. Despite such statements the nation's parliament has never transformed the sentiment into law, which is what victims want. Japan's apology failure persists because the government and Japanese society are far from making the substance of the nation's 20th century elemental to modern Japanese history. The indefatigable members of Tokyo's Women's Active Museum on War and Peace struggle to support the women within Japan because the nation's multimillion dollar denial industry has so much traction. The majority of Japanese don't believe that the content of their elected politicians' apologies – the human cost and living legacies of Japan's empire and total war embodied by the surviving comfort women – are central to Japanese ethical concern. If they did, the Heritage Foundation's proposal would have come about years ago, and thousands more victims would have heard the results before they died.

Given the stakes involved significant policy implications will arise. All the talk about the importance of shared values in the US-Japan alliance makes it almost impossible for Washington to back Japan's still hoped-for permanent UN Security Council seat if Tokyo cannot legally commit to opposing sexual violence against women in war. American Ambassador Tom Schieffer told Japanese reporters, "Engaging women in trafficking or the sex trade against their will is something that is going to find no constituency in the United States.... It would be a mistake to underestimate the impact of this issue in the United States." He asserted, moreover, that the women were "raped."

Schieffer raised another matter that will become increasingly difficult for Washington by reassuring his Japanese audience that they wouldn't become isolated in the North Korea talks because "they have abductees that they want an accounting for." Yet, as the Koreans routinely point out, this position is untenable if Japan cannot come clean on its own history of abductions.

At first Abe's remark wasn't really news in Tokyo, and the Japanese press remains ambivalent about how to follow the story: Right-wing and right-leaning papers like the "Sankei Shimbun" and the "Yomiuri" daily blast the US for misunderstanding Japan's policies, while the centrist "Asahi" hopes to deliver calm with Abe's promise to fall in line with the government's original position. Only the communist party's "Akahata" enjoys the moment as Abe and his supporters basically write the news for them.

Underlying Japanese ambivalence about what happened to the comfort women more than 60 years ago is the division about how Japan should exercise its future military power in a new Asia with uncertain US influence and rising China.

Alexis Dudden is associate professor of history at Connecticut College and author of "Japan's Colonization of Korea: Discourse and Power," University of Hawaii Press, 2005.

Tags: japan, history, shinzo abe, war crimes, war, wwii, history, atrocities, nationalism, militarism, comfort women, sex slaves

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Japan avoids full apology for war sex slavery

The Guardian - Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, apologised yesterday for Japan's use of wartime sex slaves but stopped short of acknowledging that they had been forced into it by the Japanese military.

Abe said he echoed a 1993 statement of apology to the victims - known as comfort women - issued by the then chief cabinet secretary, Yohei Kono. The statement expressed the government's "sincere apologies and remorse" for its role in forcing an estimated 200,000 mainly Chinese and Korean women to work in military brothels in the 1930s and 40s.

"I am apologising here and now as the prime minister, as it is stated in the Kono statement," Abe said. "I feel sympathy for the people who underwent hardships, and I apologise for the fact that they were placed in this situation at the time."

Campaigners said what was really needed was an official apology by parliament and compensation, and accused him of trying to placate both international opinion and conservatives in the Liberal Democratic party.

Japan is worried about the issue's potential to sour relations with the US ahead of Abe's planned visit to Washington in April. Soon after, the US Congress will vote on a motion calling on Tokyo to "formally acknowledge [and] apologise" for the sex slavery. Abe said the resolution was riddled with errors and said he would offer no new apologies even if it is passed.

Tags: japan, guardian, war crimes, war, wwii, sex slaves, comfort women, history

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Canadian parliamentarians demand Japan's compensation of comfort women

Yonhap - A Canadian parliamentary subcommittee criticized Japan's recent denial of responsibility for sexual enslavement of women during World War II, submitting a motion demanding not only a formal apology by the Japanese Diet but also compensation of the victims.

A motion passed Tuesday, in a vote of four to three, by the Subcommittee on International Human Rights urges Canada's foreign minister to "take all steps possible" to urge Japan to apologize and atone on the issue when he meets his Japanese counterpart.

The Japanese Diet should pass a resolution to formally apologize to the women, and Tokyo should also "provide just and honorable compensation to these victims," said the motion obtained by Yonhap.

Commonly referred to as "comfort women," some 200,000 young women were put in frontline brothels to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during their invasion of Asia in the last century. The majority of the victims were Koreans, whose country was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who depends on conservatives for political support, caused a furor when he said earlier this month that there was no evidence the victims were coerced. On Monday he apologized as prime minister to the comfort women but still maintained there was no coercion. Many of the women have publicly testified that they were kidnapped or lured into the brothels against their will.

Rep. Michael Honda, a U.S. congressman of Japanese descent, submitted a resolution to the U.S. House in January pressing Japan to acknowledge its responsibility for the atrocities suffered by comfort women and to unequivocally apologize.

Canada's motion is the first to demand compensation by Tokyo.

Subcommittee staff told Yonhap the motion may be put to a full vote by the 12-member Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee as early as Thursday. If not, the vote would come after the two-week Easter recess, they said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay last week had called the abuse of comfort women "a deplorable story" and said the wrongs committed "should not be forgotten but should be addressed in a compassionate and progressive way."
He urged legislators to support the motion, saying it was "the only way to stop further denial of the war crimes and to resolve Japan's dark chapter of history once and for all."
Wayne Marston of the New Democratic Party (NDP), sponsor of the motion, said he was pleased at its passage in the subcommittee.

"Prime Minister Abe must be pressured to formally apologize and to institute a program to compensate the 50,000 to 200,000 women who were forced to serve in military brothels during World War II," he said.

Dawn Black, co-sponsor of the motion who is also from the NDP, said crimes against women during war must be treated as crimes against humanity.

"The women who suffered deserve acknowledgement and compensation," she said.

Tags: japan, canada, parliament, war, wwii, war crimes, sex slaves, comfort women, politics, shinzo abe

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There is no free lunch

Ming Pao - Former BC Liberal MLA Patrick Wong, who is seeking Conservative candidacy in Richmond, handed out hundreds of membership application forms at a free lunch event he held for Chinese seniors yesterday.

Wong was holding several "Respect the Seniors" events in Richmond on Mar 27-28, in which he invited about 2000 Chinese seniors for a free dim sum lunch. The events were co-sponsored with a Richmond senior non-profit group.

During the first event, Wong rose to make a speech, saying he has special respect to the seniors because he lost his parents at an early age. "I'm giving my heart to all of you. I hope you would support me."

At the end of the speech, he urged the seniors to sign "a paper of support" for him. He also said they could fill out for any family members who were 14 years old or above, too.

However, he did not clearly state at this point that the "paper" these seniors would be filling were application forms to join the Conservative Party.

The forms were distributed by volunteers. Many seniors who didn't have good English signed the forms right away.

The forms were predominately in English, with Chinese translations only in four places: Names, phone numbers, others who are 14 years or older, and addresses (photo).

When reporters raised the question with Wong, Wong admitted he forgot to mention in his speech that those were membership forms. But he stressed that the seniors should ask the volunteers if they had any questions.

At this time, Alan Lau of the senior society went to the stage and clarified that those were membership forms and the seniors did not need to fill out if they didn't want to become a Tory member. One senior who had filled out the form said he thought he was just showing his support for Wong and wasn't prepared to join the party.

Lau also said he would make this point clear in all the subsequent events.

According to Lau, the costs of the events were fund-raised by Wong's supporters. The total cost is about $20,000.

Kenny Chiu, a Tory member of Richmond, explained that to become a Conservative party member, one must: (1) be a Canadian permanent resident or citizen; (2) actively and openly support the Conservative principles; (3) be at least 14 years of age; (4) submit $10 membership fee at their own will.

Chiu stressed that being "voluntary" joining membership is of utmost importance to the Tories. It's also very critical that people pay their own membership fees at the time of submitting their application. He said membership rules clearly prohibit paying for others' membership fees.

Chiu said that if people who fill out membership forms did not submit the fees concurrently, it would lead to loop holes in the process which might be taken advantage by someone who offer to pay the fees on their behalf.

Tags: politics, richmond, seniors, patrick wong, conservative party, election

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China's real estate market up 69% in 2006: report

WOW!

AFP - Transactions in China's real estate market surged 69% in 2006, funded to a great extent by foreign investment, a leading research firm said Wednesday.

"There is increasingly more investment going into industrial property," Kenny Ho, a Shanghai-based head of research with Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate money management and services firm, told AFP.

Despite government measures to cool the real estate market, China's heady growth in the past and strong potential for the future have made it "a magnet for cross-border investors," said a report by the firm.

The Chinese economy saw its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2006, and the report forecast the country's 2007 growth at 9.5%.

The report focused on the commercial real estate sector, which excludes multi-family residential real estate.

Tags: china, real estate

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Unharmonious Canada-China relation kills Harmony Airways?

Harmony Airways first casualty of Ottawa's anti-China policy?

"The Conservatives are not giving priority to China -- they're turning their backs on it." - Former manager

CP, CBC, FP, CIV - Faced with empty seats and soaring costs, tiny Harmony Airways is headed for a forced landing early next month.

Harmony has had high hope in opening up more routes between Canada and China. However, the indefinite delay of the signing of the ADS (approved destination status) agreement between the two countries has crushed Harmony's hope to stay afloat.

The privately owned boutique carrier announced Tuesday it is ending its scheduled flights to Toronto on Friday and all other scheduled flights by April 9. Peter Buecking, a member of Harmony's advisory team, said the airline was not bankrupt and is restructuring as a going concern.

The four-plane, Vancouver-based carrier served popular U.S. holiday destinations such as Maui, Las Vegas and Palm Springs, Calif., and San Francisco.

But its expansion ambitions, including plans to fly into China, stumbled and billionaire Vancouver businessman David Ho, who founded Harmony in 2002, was unwilling to keep funding the operation.

Former manager: Ottawa's cold relations with China to be blamed

In May, 2005, Harmony received federal permission to fly code-share routes to China just months after Ottawa signed an agreement-in-principle with Beijing on giving Canada approved destination status.

A full agreement with Canada appeared imminent, and it looked like the perfect time for Harmony to begin flights to China -- especially after Australia saw its Chinese traffic explode by 80% almost overnight after it was added to the approved destination list.

But the Asia plans have since stumbled, both for Harmony and Canada, which still has not received approved-destination status.

In a letter to the Hotel Association of Canada this January, Pacific Gateway Minister David Emerson said, "The issues surrounding the negotiations are complex, and there are a number of matters that need to be resolved."

And Harmony has not yet been cleared to fly to China. The airline waited until last September to submit a request to the Canadian Transportation Agency for a required licence to code-share with China Eastern Airlines to Beijing and Shanghai. The agency then asked Harmony to provide additional paperwork proving that it is Canadian-owned, and has the proper insurance, safety clearances and financial resources to fly the route.

The airline missed a January deadline for those documents but, according to a spokesman for the Canadian Transportation Agency, was granted an extension until May 6.

The company has also reached an impasse with Ottawa after nearly two years of trying to secure permission to fly its own planes to Asia, said a Harmony manager who recently quit the company.

The manager blamed the delays on an impasse with Ottawa.

"It's a bit of a Catch-22 situation -- in order to get to China, [Harmony] needs long-range planes, but they don't want to commit to getting these long-range planes until they know they can get there," said the former employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity and said part of the blame lies with the new federal government.

"The Conservatives are not giving priority to China -- they're turning their backs on it."

The uncertainty over China has added to internal fears, said the former manager.

"That got a lot of people wondering. There was a lot of optimism there a year and a half ago, but they're still waiting to hear from Ottawa on [China] and I think until that's resolved there's some questions. The goal was always to go to China, and I think still is. But is that issue ever going to be, when is it going to be resolved, I think is a big question."

Neither Ho nor acting president Kirk Henderson, who replaced previous CEO Gary Collins in December, were at a news conference announcing the shutdown.

It was left to Buecking, an airline industry veteran who joined the company three weeks ago, to explain that Harmony would maintain full service until the last flight and issue full refunds for any bookings past its shutdown dates.

Most of the airline's 350 employees, who are non-union, will be laid off but given generous severance packages and strong recommendation letters, he said.

Rumblings at Harmony surfaced last week when it confirmed it was not renewing the lease on one of its Boeing 757 jets.

In an era of no-frills carriers such as Westjet and a restructured Air Canada, Harmony prided itself on offering passengers full-service flights.

Buecking said it became clear Harmony's business model could not be economically scaled up to an efficient size.

"It was a case of a full-service airline in a marketplace where it's difficult to price at a premium when you don't have the scale," he said. "It's possible to provide full service but you really need a big network, in my view."

Harmony also needed to attract a lot of profitable business travellers but did not fly to popular business destinations or offer frequent-flyer perks, he added.

Harmony had a clientele of about 10,000, said former general manager Brent Statton, who retired two weeks ago.

Its load factors ranged from more than 80% on its popular holiday flights to 20% on the Toronto run. Meanwhile, costs continued to rise, including a doubling of fuel prices since the airline was launched in November 2002, said Buecking.

WestJet vice-president Bob Cummings called Harmony's situation "sobering" and expressed sympathy for its employees.

It also announced it was extending seat sales to Honolulu, Maui and Las Vegas, Harmony destinations, and increasing its Vancouver-to-Vegas service.

Meanwhile, Air Canada CEO Monte Brewer touted its new, fuel-efficient Boeing 777 to shareholders at its annual meeting in Montreal, saying the long-range jet would allow it to expand its international service.

Harmony joins the list of defunct Canadian airlines, including Jetsgo, Canada 3000 and CanJet, which rose from Canada 3000's ashes but stopped scheduled service last fall and is restructuring as a charter carrier.

Airline industry analyst Warren Gill of Simon Fraser University said this announcement underscores the brutal nature of airline competition.

"Airlines are not generally profitable," he said. "You've seen the bloodthirsty competition of the truck carriers for the last 15 or 20 years."

The delay in Canada receiving approved-destination status from the Chinese government also cramped its plan for a partnership with a Chinese carrier to serve Beijing and Shanghai.

"It's an important reason," said Buecking. "I can't say it's the major reason."

Collins, former B.C. finance minister and onetime flying instructor, joined Harmony in December 2004 to oversee the airline's expansion. He quit last December to pursue other opportunities and later joined a private investment firm.

Analysts considered Harmony's plans risky at the outset and Buecking seemed to confirm that.

"This was a niche airline that if the operating costs in the environment were lower and there wasn't as much capacity put in by the competitors, it's possible it could have grown, particularly if it could have exercised its right to China . . ."

Buecking said Harmony will hang on to two of its planes while it considers various options, including resurfacing as a charter carrier or a provider of aircraft - crewed or uncrewed - to other airlines.

He declined to discuss specifics, saying Harmony wants to spent the next two weeks focusing on serving its remaining customers.

Buecking also declined to discuss Harmony's financial situation because it is a private company. He did say it dismissed the idea of seeking court protection from its creditors, mainly because Ho himself is the main creditor.

An heir to the Hong Kong Tobacco Co. fortune, Ho also owns a Vancouver luxury car dealership and a golf course.

He launched Harmony in 2002 as My Airways, named in honour of his mother, then changed it to HMY and finally Harmony.

Tags: harmony airways, david ho, vancouver, china, canada, ottawa, ADS, anti-china policy, airlines

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Japan PM considers China visit

AP - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, under fire for his comments that Japan did not force women to work as sex slaves during World War II, said Tuesday he might visit China and wants more support from Beijing on Tokyo's push to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Abe, speaking at a news conference marking the passage of this year's budget, also said he does not intend to reshuffle his Cabinet ahead of parliamentary elections in July.

The prime minister, who visited Beijing shortly after he assumed office in September, said he is considering returning to China and he believes relations between the two countries have significantly improved in recent months. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to visit Tokyo next month.

Abe noted the two nations jointly pushed for progress in multilateral talks earlier this month aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

"We worked together well to reach an agreement," he said, but added, "We want more support on our effort to become a permanent member of the Security Council."

Abe took office amid a major rift between the two neighbors over territorial disputes and anger over former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo war shrine.

Though Abe had worked to calm emotions, he sparked protests in Asia and in the U.S. earlier this month by saying there was no evidence that Japan's military forced Asian women into sexual slavery.

Historians say as many as 200,000 women, including many from Korea and China, worked in Japanese military brothels across Asia in the 1930s and '40s.

Abe did not discuss that in his news conference Tuesday, which focused primarily on his desire to visit China and on domestic political issues.

On Monday, Abe offered his clearest apology yet to women who suffered in the country's military brothels, but he did not bow to international pressure to acknowledge that Tokyo forced thousands into sexual slavery.

Tokyo for decades refused to acknowledge any role in the wartime prostitution, but changed its official line after a historian caused a stir in the early 1990s with strong evidence of government involvement. That led to an official — though carefully worded — apology in 1993 and the establishment of a non-governmental fund to pay the women limited reparations.

The Japanese government's involvement in providing prostitutes for its troops during World War II is well documented.

Papers declassified soon after the war detail the army's role in running brothels. Brothels were attached to specific units, their customers were limited to military personnel who paid with military vouchers, and the women had access to military doctors.

But Abe, and many conservatives in the ruling party, argue that although the military was involved in running brothels and procuring women to work in them, it did not force them into sexual slavery. They argue the women were paid and that most chose to work as prostitutes.

On the war shrine issue, Abe reiterated his policy that he will not comment on whether he has gone or intends to go to the Yasukuni Shrine. Since becoming prime minister, he has not visited the shrine that many see as a symbol of Japan's pre-1945 militarism.

Tags: japan, china

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Only 10% Canadian companies will further Asian investment: survey

Canadian Companies Bullish on Asian Investment with Focus on Growing Asian Markets Says Annual Investment Intentions Survey from Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

APF press release – Canadian companies continue to buck the trend seen in the United States to shift production of goods and services destined for the domestic market to low-cost economies in Asia. The latest Asian Investment Intentions Survey, undertaken by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, found that the target market of the majority of Canadian companies that are planning additional investment in Asia is the region itself. Only 10% are considering further investment in Asia to maintain their competitiveness in North America, unchanged from the level in last year’s survey.

The focus on growing Asian markets, rather than on outsourcing, is confirmed by the 63% of companies that reported their current activities in Asia are aimed at supplying Asian customers. Only 15% are operating in Asia to supply the Canadian market, up only slightly from last year’s level.

Commenting on the survey results, APF Canada President and Co-CEO Yuen Pau Woo said, "Overall, companies are very bullish on Asian investment. The 85% of respondents expecting to boost their Asian holdings substantially or moderately in the next five years is the highest in the eight years the Foundation has undertaken the survey. Most of these, 69%, expect to add to their investment during the next 12 months, the same level as last year. Not one of the companies surveyed expected that they would reduce their Asian activities over the next five years."

The results of the 2007 Asian Investment Intentions Survey are considered especially reliable as companies participating in the survey already have a physical presence – factories or sales offices – in at least one Asian country and are well-informed on economic prospects in the region.

The importance of China to Canadian companies operating in Asia shows up in the responses to several questions. Just under 21% of all the operations of companies surveyed are in China (31% if Hong Kong is included), and 20% of additional investments are likely to be in that country (27% if Hong Kong is included). All these figures are down a little from last year’s results, but are far ahead of those for any other market or region. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as a region are next most favoured as geographic targets for new investment with 11%, unchanged from the level in the 2006 survey.

One interesting finding is that 58% of the Asia-focused companies surveyed reported that they had a formal strategy for increasing business with China. This is well above the 42% of companies based in Canada, but doing business with China, that reported having a formal China strategy in a survey carried out last year jointly by APF Canada and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.

The largest proportion of likely new investment will go into facilities, either new plant and equipment or expansion of existing facilities. However, the likely takeover of - or merger with - other companies is on the rise again, with 33% of respondents favouring this path to growth, reversing a declining trend that set in after a spurt in Canadian mergers and acquisitions in Asia around the turn of the millennium.

The 2007 Investment Intentions Survey is based on the Foundation’s unique database of Canadian corporations -- Canadian Companies Doing Business in Asia -- that have a physical presence in Asia Pacific. It was carried out in January and February this year with a response rate of 18% from the 524 companies that received the survey. The comparison is with a similar survey carried out a little over a year earlier.

This year’s survey was carried out before last week’s Federal budget which announced the elimination of the tax deductibility of interest on borrowings for overseas investments which could affect the offshore investment plans of some Canadian companies.

Tags: asia, trade, canada, USA, investment, asia pacific foundation of canada

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Hong Kong's Kwok brothers to reshape Richmond's waterfront

Richmond announces sale of Oval Riverfront Lands

Richmond City press release - The City of Richmond announced today that it has reached agreement to sell and lease the 18.6-acre Oval Riverfront Lands to ASPAC Developments Ltd. for a total of $141 million.

The Oval Riverfront lands will become the site of a world class urban waterfront development surrounding the Richmond Oval, home of long track speed skating for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

According to the Vancouver Magazine:

Walter, Raymond and Thomas Kwok (Owners, Aspac Developments Ltd.) The Kwok brothers prefer to keep a low profile, even if their city-changing buildings don’t. A joint-venture partnership in 1993 with Marathon Developments, the real estate arm of CP Rail, is developing the coveted former railway lands in Coal Harbour.

Under this agreement, Aspac co-owns the land and 100 percent of the residential developments. The recently completed five-tower Waterfront Place is the first phase of the project. The second, Harbour Green Place, will consist of three towers, with suites selling from $1 million to $6 million. The skyline-defining buildings will contain more than 1,000 units.

Local accomplishments are dwarfed, however, by the Kwoks’ interests in Asia. Named 42nd on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s richest people, the three brothers have an estimated worth of $6.6 billion.

Their public company, Sun Hung Kai Properties, just completed the tallest building in Hong Kong, an 88-storey office, shopping, entertainment and hotel complex. They’ve recently made ground in mainland China with office and shopping centres and also own an Internet provider, mobile phone services, toll roads, a franchised bus operation, port business and airport-related projects. SHKP was recently named Asia’s best developer by Finance Asia.

The Oval development will include 12 to 14 mid-rise residential towers. It will be the largest master planned neighbourhood in Richmond and will include commercial residential, recreational and open park space along the banks of the Fraser River's Middle Arm.

"This is a momentous day for the City of Richmond," said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. "This agreement will provide untold benefits for countless generations of Richmond residents as it will allow us to reinvest in our community's future. We look forward to working with ASPAC to create a highly livable new neighbourhood. It will be a showcase for outstanding and sustainable design and become a destination of choice for visitors from around the world."

Established in 1993, ASPAC is best known as the developer of Coal Harbour, transforming a former industrial site into an internationally-recognized waterfront neighbourhood popular with both residents and visitors.

"Working with Richmond, we will create a world class legacy that is worthy of this unique riverfront site," said Raymond Li, Senior vice president of ASPAC. "The Oval Riverfront Lands will be a high-quality, sustainable, residential neighbourhood, with diverse commercial amenities, extensive open space, and enhanced public access to the area's most prominent assets, the Fraser River and the recreational facilities created by the Richmond Oval."

The City required $43 million from the Oval lands agreement proceeds to support the completion of the Richmond Oval project. This agreement exceeds that requirement and fulfils Council's commitment that no borrowing or property tax increase would be used to fund the construction of the Oval.

Council is considering options for the investment of the remaining proceeds from the agreement. It is considering a proposal that the bulk of the funds will be invested in a series of Community Legacy Funds, which will preserve the principal and use investment proceeds to fund a variety of initiatives.

"The Oval Riverfront Lands are the last remaining portion of the Brighouse Estates, which was purchased by the City more than 40 years ago," noted Mayor Brodie. "That wise investment provided for many of the civic amenities we enjoy today and helped guide the development of our City Centre.

The legacy of the Brighouse Estates gave us the opportunity we have today and we need to make a new investment in our community that will also pay dividends for future generations."

ASPAC will purchase five of seven parcels contained within the 18.6 acres and sign a 60-year lease on the remaining two parcels. Four of the parcels at the west end of the site are designated for high density residential, while the remaining three, adjoining the Richmond Oval are designated for commercial or mixed use development.

ASPAC was selected through a Request For Proposal process initiated in the spring of 2006. In addition to its financial commitment, ASPAC's proposal met or exceeded the RFP requirements by:

- ensuring no net loss of public open space and extending the waterfront through "green fingers" from the dyke to the new River Road;

- increasing the publicly accessible open space within the privately- owned development area;

- improving and maximizing river views within and through the site;

- creating additional pedestrian friendly commercial activities along the entire west side of the Oval Lands; and - committing to achieve LEED Silver standard for environmentally sustainable building design.

ASPAC will begin work immediately on detailed site planning. ASPAC's design team will be led by acclaimed architect James Cheng. An initial parcel at the northeast corner is expected to be developed by 2009. While marketing and some construction is expected to be launched over the next two years, most site development will occur after 2010.

The City has retained a half acre site adjoining the Oval Riverfront Lands, which has been designated for a future affordable housing development.

Tags: richmond, ASPAC, walter kwok, raymond kwok, thomas kwok, the kwok brothers, hong kong, watefront, development project, oval, olympic, 2010 winter olympic, speed skating venue

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Can't find a job, immigrants turn to business

Vancouver Sun - From his base at Admiralty Centre, "a Chinese mall in Richmond," Samir Shah has seen firsthand a slew of small businesses spring to life, only to vanish quickly.

"There is substantial turnover of these businesses started by immigrants," he said. "Many only last two years at most because there is no volume of sales ... You can't sell 20 leather jackets a year. You just can't survive on that."

Skilled and professional immigrants who arrive in Canada often get stymied by the local job market. Sometimes they are forced to change tack and start their own businesses, only to find a whole new set of frustrations.

There is no shortage of examples. Shah is a well-educated architect from Chennai, India. When his credentials from the respected School of Architecture, Ahmedabad weren't enough to get him beyond entry-level design positions here, he dabbled with part-time paper routes and working as a bank teller.

Then he turned to buying and selling leather jackets. "The easiest business is to sell something tangible," he said. His company, AVC International Trading, now sells some 3,000 corporate promotional items -- bags, T-shirts, watches -- sourced in Asia, to U.S. companies.

James Jung's story is similar. He arrived in North Vancouver four years ago from Seoul, where he was a project manager for Lucent Technologies, a big U.S. company selling multi-million-dollar voice-messaging systems to Korean telcos. The computer analyst did a short stint as a customer-service rep at a call centre here, but "discovered that this kind of promotion was not for me."

He quit and started his own company, exporting a line of cosmetic lotions, creams and gels made from wild Pacific salmon collagen. He sources the products in North Vancouver and markets them in Korea. At the same time, he is planning to import Korean gas masks and sell them to B.C. companies that make emergency kits.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S., the local immigrant aid agency, offers a variety of courses to guide budding entrepreneurs. There are some 30 seminars. Most are free and typically cover introductory topics in an afternoon. Some might discuss the retail industry or talk about providing services.

However, the most popular offering by far is a 24-hour course that focuses on the nitty-gritty of import-export trade, according to Thomas Tam, who has directed these programs for nearly a decade.

"It is taught usually in Mandarin and occasionally in Korean. The contents include stuff from the very beginning, how to identify a market, to logistics knowledge such as letters of credit, shipping and forwarding," said Tam.

Tam estimates that about two-thirds of students who take these import-export courses enrol after winging it first and failing. It means that when they later gather and pool their experiences, there is an instant set of case studies to consider.

"A lot of new immigrants are very naive. They sometimes ship a container of cheap products without knowing the size of the market, so the stuff has to be put into a warehouse," said Tam. "They just see a big price difference and think 'I can buy this for just 10 yuan in China, but sell it here for 10 Canadian dollars.'

"They are very excited about that, but don't know the market here and the cost of doing business. In the end, some barely can cover the cost of renting storage."

Negotiating and talking with long-established local manufacturers and suppliers is another challenge for some of these businesspeople. "In Asia, products are very different. It's very consumer-geared, mostly clothes, shoes, watches, things that are easy to understand. You can master product knowledge quickly," said Tam.

"In Canada, it's more about high-tech products or commodities, like sulphur or wood. It takes time to learn about these. There is a lot of terminology for even something like lumber."

However, "entrepreneurs from Asia (in particular) are used to learning new things every day and (hopping) from product to product. So sometimes manufacturers don't feel comfortable talking to them," said Tam.

Conflicting business cultures also clash when it comes to closing deals. "Asian business is very price sensitive. In Canada, quality and market demand are also considered. So when they two sides come together, they might be talking about two different things and very soon, the 'Canadian' side closes the door," said Tam.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. also offers programs and tailored seminars for some 200 small and medium established companies. "It doesn't do much just to help one side," said Tam. "We work closely with these to educate them about [other] business cultures and companies.

Shah thinks that training like this is helpful. Jung actually took one of the courses. "It gave me information in terms of trading regulations and Canadian customs rules. I met people," he said.

All sorts of clouds loom, however, back in the practical real world of breaking into Canadian business, whether you are buying or selling. Sales can be paltry and the pace molasses-like no matter what the approach.

Said Shah: "American customers will take a $1-million order instantly if they can see it is a superior product and a better price. But in Canada, things move much more slowly. I have contacts that are now friends because I have been regularly visiting them so often over the years. We have even gotten to know each other really well outside of so-called business, but there has actually been no business."

Tags: vancouver, immigrants, immigration, bc, richmond, employment, job

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Majority in BC say 'buy home now', survey finds

RBC homeownership survey — Homebuying intentions in British Columbia are holding steady, according to RBC Royal Bank's 14th Annual Homeownership Survey.

The poll found that 11% of B.C. residents said they are "very likely" to purchase a home in the next two years, on par with last year and two points higher than the national average.

According to the RBC poll, 22% of those looking to purchase a home in the next two years are likely to do so within the next 12 months, and B.C. residents are among the most likely in Canada (59%) to say buy now, rather than wait until next year. Of those who plan to buy in the next two years, 80% said they will likely purchase a resale home and almost half (49%) plan on buying a home larger than their current residence.

"A general expectation of higher housing prices and a concern about interest rate increases may explain why British Columbians are strongly in favour of buying over waiting," said Kevin Lutz, regional manager, Mortgage Specialists, RBC Royal Bank.

"Perhaps due in part to the hot housing market of the past few years, we're also seeing residents of B.C. estimating a higher average market value of their homes than any other region of the country."

The poll found that 65% of B.C. residents expect housing prices will be higher by this time next year and a majority (55%) said they are concerned about interest rate increases in 2007. 45% stated they expect to see mortgage rates higher in a year's time.

On average, B.C. homeowners estimate the value of their homes at $373,489, well above the national average of $227,862. They also estimate that the value of their home has increased by an average of 35% over the last two years. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of British Columbians continue to see great value in homeownership, with 93% saying that buying a house or condominium is a "good" or "very good" investment.

Also according to the poll, British Columbian homeowners are among those most likely in Canada to have a mortgage on their home (65%). On average, B.C. mortgage holders have $153,544 outstanding on their mortgages – the largest average in the country.

These are some of the findings of an RBC poll conducted by Ipsos Reid between January 18 and 22, 2007. The online survey is based on a randomly selected representative sample of 2,404 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within ±2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error for residents of British Columbia is ±5.3% (N=342) and the margin of error for British Columbia homeowners is ±6.7% (N=215).

The margin of error will be larger for other sub-groupings of the population. These
data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

RBC 2007 HOMEOWNERSHIP SURVEY RESPONSES
	Cda	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	AT
Own a home	61%	62%	68%	66%	63%	52%	66%
Percentage of homeowners who have a mortgage	63%	65%	58%	52%	65%	64%	57%
Homeowners who will likely choose a fixed rate when they next renew their mortgage	54%	58%	59%	69%	53%	42%	66%
Are very likely to purchase a home in the next two years	9%	11%	12%	10%	9%	6%	10%
Believe mortgage rates will be higher in one year's time	43%	45%	46%	43%	44%	38%	49%
Believe housing prices will be higher in one year's time	59%	65%	68%	63%	62%	47%	58%
Homeowners who have borrowed against the equity in their homes	39%	40%	46%	46%	42%	28%	33%
Homeowners who have refinanced their home in the last 12 months	28%	29%	29%	30%	27%	25%	29%
Plan to buy a bigger home	48%	49%	43%	51%	47%	59%	37%
Plan to buy resale home	77%	80%	76%	84%	76%	78%	70%

Tags: bc, vancouver, homeownership survey, RBC, canada, real estate, housing market

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BC recreational property market

78% of Canadians, who are likely to purchase or planning to purchase a recreational property in the next three years, are under 49 years old.

From "Recreational Property Market 2006" by Royal LePage

Big White

Big White, located just 45-minutes from Kelowna, continues its shift from resort community to year-round vacation destination. Prices have remained stable year-over year and an influx of supply is expected to satisfy pent-up demand this season.

Mountain base chalets currently sell in the range of $350,000 to $600,000; unchanged from 2005. Mountain base condominiums have also held steady in the $230,000 to $375,000 range. However, standard condominiums 30 minutes from the mountain have risen to $150,000 to $175,000 up from $110,000 to $130,000 in 2005.

“Buyers are purchasing chalets and condos to use themselves as well as rent out when vacant,” said Brian Perry, sales representative, Royal Le Page Kelowna. “However, it is also common to see families sharing properties with siblings or even other families to offset the cost of more expensive properties.”

Snow conditions and the expansion of trails at Big White, as well as a $7-million dollar project to construct Canada's largest six-person chairlift, has helped to attract buyers from Kelowna, Vancouver, Calgary, England and Scotland.

Overall, American investment has diminished slightly due a strengthening dollar, but interest from European residents remains steady.

Granite countertops, slate and hardwood floors, high-end stainless steel appliances and Jacuzzis overlooking the mountain characterize sought-after features in Big White.

Kimberley

In Kimberley, the development of new condominiums has helped to satiate demand and temper price increases for recreational properties. Situated 30 minutes from Cranbrook and four hours from Calgary, this region is popular with buyers who are looking for reasonably priced all-season properties.

Standard chalets within 30 minutes of the mountain range from $150,000 to $200,000 in 2006, a slight increase from $125,000 to $250,000 in 2005. The average price of a standard chalet at the mountain base ranges from $350,000 to $400,000.

The majority of purchasers in the Kimberley region are Albertans, aged 30 to 40. International buyers from the United States and United Kingdom have also been active in this area. A new airport is slated to open with direct flights starting in 2007, which should continue to attract out-of-town purchasers to the area.

Timber frame construction, exposed beams, high vaulted ceilings, open concept floor plans and properties over 2,000 square feet have emerged as popular features. Buyers in the area have shown increased interest in four-season properties with luxury finishes, rather than in the traditional one-season vacation spot.

“Younger buyers are interested in investing in a second property and are taking advantage of being able to use or rent their property year-round,” explained Philip Jones, broker/owner, Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty, Cranbrook. “Kimberley’s offering of four-season recreational activities, beautiful lakes, and ski hills continue to attract buyers to the area.”

Vernon

Vernon is quickly becoming a resort community geared to year-round living, attracting purchasers from Vancouver, as well as from Alberta and foreign buyers from Australia. The average price of an apartment style town home located at the mountain base ranges from $225,000 to $400,000.

“The quality and consistency of winter conditions in Vernon are among the best in Canada, appealing to both visitors and athletes alike,” said Riley Twyford, broker/owner, Royal LePage Downtown Realty. “Best of all, with our mild temperatures, you can often ski Silver Star Mountain in the morning and golf in the afternoon.”

Standard Cottage – Three bedrooms, 1,000 square feet on a 100 foot-lot
Standard Chalet – Detached, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,100 square feet
Standard Condominium – Two bedrooms, one and half bathrooms, 800 square feet

Tags: recreational property, real estate, BC, royal lepage

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Though apologizes, Abe still refuses to accept state involvement in recruiting comfort women

NYT — Facing increasing criticism for denying that Japan coerced women into sex slavery during World War II, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly refused Monday to acknowledge state responsibility in recruiting the "comfort women," but offered them an apology.

In a debate in Parliament, under intense questioning by an opposition lawmaker, Abe refused to withdraw a recent statement in which he said there was no evidence that the military had forcibly recruited women to work in brothels established throughout Asia.

But Abe chose his words carefully on Monday to avoid repeating his earlier denial, saying only, "What I said about coercion during the news conference, all of it became news, so that's the way it was."

When Haruko Yoshikawa, a Communist member of Parliament, asked Abe whether he considered as proof of coercion the testimony given by former sex slaves in the United States House of Representatives recently, Abe said he had no comment on their testimony.

The House of Representatives is considering a nonbinding resolution that would call on Japan to unambiguously acknowledge its wartime slavery and apologize for it.

Prompted by Ms. Yoshikawa to make a statement toward surviving sex slaves, who are now mostly in their 80s, Abe said, "I express my sympathy for the hardships they suffered and offer my apology for the situation they found themselves in."

Abe said he would adhere to a 1993 government spokesman's statement that acknowledged Japan's role in managing the wartime "comfort stations," as well as in forcibly recruiting sex slaves. But his repeated denial of coercion contradicted the 1993 statement, Ms. Yoshikawa said. The State Department urged Japan to take responsibility for its role in the wartime sex slavery, though on Monday it described Abe's apology as a "step forward."

"But I think this is a very difficult issue, and we certainly would want to see the Japanese continue to address this and to deal with it in a forthright and responsible manner that acknowledges the gravity of the crimes that were committed," said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman. That kind of critical language is rarely used against Japan by Washington, which has tried to stay clear of the history-related problems that have roiled East Asia in recent years.

Abe has been under pressure from his right-wing base to revise or reject the 1993 statement. At the same time, his denial of coercion has sparked outrage in Asia and the United States.

Abe's ratings have slid drastically since he became prime minister in September, and his comments about the sex slaves have risked undermining his initial success in improving relations with China and South Korea.

His denial of state coercion has drawn charges of hypocrisy, because Abe won his popularity by championing the cause of 17 Japanese allegedly abducted by North Korea.

But Abe told reporters that the abductions were "a completely different matter" from the sex slavery matter.

Tags: japan, comfort women, sex slaves, history, war, wwii, war crimes, denial, shinzo abe

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Toronto area home prices JAN-FEB 2007

	AVG PRICE	MED PRICE
EAST DISTRICT
ALL	$285,840	$265,000
DETACHED	$363,670	$343,980
CONDO APARTMENT	$191,097	$189,056
CONDO TOWNHOUSE	$220,089	$218,900
WEST DISTRICT
ALL	$338,983	$302,000
DETACHED	$445,292	$413,498
CONDO APARTMENT	$201,748	$189,908
CONDO TOWNHOUSE	$243,335	$236,648
CENTRAL DISTRICT
ALL	$485,968	$329,000
DETACHED	$911,671	$779,689
CONDO APARTMENT	$330,189	$276,286
CONDO TOWNHOUSE	$417,864	$398,237
NORTH DISTRICT
ALL	$386,648	$350,000
DETACHED	$431,666	$397,520
CONDO APARTMENT	$291,065	$276,009
CONDO TOWNHOUSE	$212,482	$211,071

ALL DISTRICT SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING PRICES

2006	NO. OF SALES	AVG PRICE
January	4,587	$332,687
February	6,756	$353,928
March	8,707	$353,134
April	8,361	$366,683
May	9,434	$365,537
June	8,730	$358,035
July	7,082	$342,034
August	6,976	$338,192
September	6,622	$349,142
October	6,876	$356,423
November	6,281	$355,727
December	4,447	$336,217
Total	83,084	$351,941
2007
January	5,173	$353,724
February	6,772	$368,687
Year-to-Date	11,855	$362,003

SOURCE: TORONTO REAL ESTATE BOARD

Tags: toronto, canada, real estate, property, house prices, housing prices

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Intel announces US$2.5b project in China

Xinhua - U.S. computer chip giant Intel Corp. said on Monday it will build a 2.5-billion-U.S.-dollar semiconductor plant in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The plant, to be located in a high-tech zone north of Dalian's city proper, will become part of Intel's network of eight factories worldwide that produce 300-millimetre integrated wafers after it becomes operational in the first half of 2010.

Construction of the plant will start before the end of this year, Intel said in a press release.

The new project will make Intel "one of the largest foreign investors in China" and raise its total investment in the country to nearly US$4b, said Paul Otellini, Intel's president and chief executive officer, at Monday's press conference at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

Code naming the project Fab 68, Otellini says the the number is "auspicious" which he hopes will bring further prosperity.

"Our goal in China is to support a transition from 'manufactured in China' to 'innovated in China'," he said.

The plant will use the "most advanced technology that the U.S. government has licensed for export," said the CEO.

Otellini says Intel chose Dalian over a dozen other sites, including cities in Israel and India, because China is Intel's fastest growing market and the cost of production is lower.

Infrastructure, education, adequate power, water and logistics in Dalian were all factors in securing the deal, said Otellini.

It took Intel and the Dalian government three years of negotiations before the deal was sealed.

Intel required Dalian to answer more than 1,000 questions and the city required the company to meet high environmental standards, said Dai Yulin, Vice Mayor of Dalian.

Dai said that a range of support facilities are to be built for the project. Construction of the export processing zone has already been completed.

Intel has invested US$1.3b over the past two decades in assembly, test and research and development facilities in China.

The company has assembly and test operations in the eastern municipality of Shanghai and Chengdu in the southwest.

As one of the largest China-U.S. cooperation projects in recent years, the new plant will reinforce Intel's leading role in the global semiconductor manufacturing industry while bolstering the growth of China's integrated circuit industry, said Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The new plant will use 90-nanometer technology, an advanced method of computer chip making that measures its work 90 billionths of a meter.

Compared with the 200 mm integrated wafers that are prevalent on the market now, the 300 mm wafers will provide chips with improved performance of semiconductor components and cut costs. The larger-sized wafers also use 40 percent less energy and water during their production, Intel says.

The company has seven other factories producing 12-inch wafers in the United States, Ireland and Israel.

The Dalian plant will help promote economic growth in China's northeast, a former heavy industry base that has suffered a decline following China's state sector reforms over the past decades, said Xia Deren, mayor of Dalian.

The city government estimates the new plant will provide about 1,700 jobs and the plant and the economic spin offs it creates in training, logistics and other services, will be worth $120b yuan (US$15.4b).

Tags: china, intel, chip, computer, investment, dalian

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US ethnic media's reactions to Abe's apology

Japanese PM's Apology For WWII Sex Slaves: What Next?

New America Media - Japanese Prime Minister Abe's reluctant apology for Japan's war crimes against Asian women in the Second World War have many Asian Americans saying more needs to be done to repair the damage. Aruna Lee monitors the Korean press for New America Media.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent apology for his country's involvement in the abduction of thousands of Asian women for use as prostitutes during World War II has drawn a swift response from Asian Americans. The issue has been a point of tension between Japan and its neighbors for decades, and many here question Abe’s sincerity.

Kai Ping Liu, editor at the Chinese-language the World Journal in San Francisco, says the apology is not enough. "Japan's imperial forces killed more than 35 million Chinese over the course of eight years, atrocities that should never be forgotten." He says if Japan is sincere in its regret, it should sponsor the construction of a memorial to the victims of Japanese aggression similar to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Tae Soo Jung, editor at the Korean-language daily Korea Times in Oakland, Calif., questions the timing of Abe's apology. He says it reflects Japan's overwhelming concern with Western opinion and its disregard of the opinion of neighboring Asian countries. "Abe's actions seem to be a gesture towards the West to avoid bad press there more than a sincere apology to Japan's neighbors." Like Liu, Jung says more needs to be done, including the payment of reparations and the revision of Japanese history textbooks that currently omit the country's wartime past. comfort women

Asian media in the United States has followed the issue closely, as many here have relatives who were affected by the war. Chinese and Korean media covered protests in Seoul and Taipei, where former South Korean and Chinese comfort women gathered at the Japanese embassy to denounce Abe's earlier statements. In the United States, more than 70,000 Korean Americans signed a petition in support of a House bill calling for Abe to apologize for Japan's wartime atrocities, according to the Korean-language Korea Daily.comfort women

The non-binding resolution, sponsored by California Congressman Mike Honda, a Japanese American, urges the Japanese government to offer an official apology for the forced sexual enslavement of thousands of Asian women during WWII. In an interview with the Nichi Bei Times, Honda said it was important for Japan to reconcile with her neighbors. "Out of the 200,000 women victimized there are only about 300 left. Every day is a day that we lose an opportunity to get them an apology."comfort women

Harry Bang is a Korean American who has been working in conjunction with community groups in the Bay Area around the issue of comfort women. He says Abe's apology might be a move to stop the resolution sponsored by Congressman Honda from passing. As far as what Japan must do now, Bang says Abe's statements should be made official by the Japanese Parliament, which should then vote to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

Seattle resident Chizu Omori, a columnist for Nichi Bei, said because most of the surviving victims are in their 80s and 90s, Japanese politicians believe time is on their side. "They think the problem will just go away in a few years," she says, "but they are misjudging the temper of the times."

Los Angeles resident Kyu Sang Won, 77, scoffs at Japan's earlier denials. He says he remembers seeing Korean women forced into the sex trade by Japan. "I saw them with my own two eyes, and I remember when they came back after the war. Their lives were ruined." Won says an apology won't be enough and agrees that Japan must offer reparations in the name of its victims.

Won's sentiments are echoed across the Asian American community. Sung Park is a Korean student studying Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in Berkeley, Calif. She calls Abe's previous denials humiliating, saying, "Like the holocaust, the memory of what Japan did cannot be wiped away."

Shinzo Abe, who was born after the war, is Japan's youngest prime minister ever. Masahiro Miyata, 37, a Japanese living in the United States, says Abe's earlier denials are a reflection of his generation’s understanding of WWII. Miyata says he himself did not learn about the sex slave issue until coming to the U.S. "History classes in Japan don't mention things like this." He says that education is key to a better understanding between Japan and her neighbors.

In addition to Chinese and Koreans, victims of Japanese abuses included many Filipino women taken as sex workers for the Japanese military. An editorial in the Philippine News says that while Abe's apology may not be enough, it is a start. Referring to the Philippines' own history under the military dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s and 80s, the author writes that Japan's wartime activities should serve as a reminder to the present generation of the dangers of a militarized state.

"That regime which lasted all of two decades was capable of committing heinous crimes against its own citizens. History should teach us lessons so that the sins of the past may never be repeated."

Hye Rin Seok is a Korean woman who has lived in Tokyo for the past 20 years. She says the issue of sex slaves during WWII tends to be ignored by the Japanese government and the press there, and that people follow suit. Those aware of the issue insist Japan has already apologized, and that no further action is necessary.

Peter Schurmann, a student at the Univ. of California, Berkeley in Asian Studies, says the issue goes beyond Asia and World War II. “As conflicts erupt in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Africa, women are at the front lines of the violence. They are abused by opposing sides, inciting further hatred.” Schurmann says Japan must play a part in advocating for women’s rights today if it wants to show its sincerity.


See also:
U.S. says Japan should be more forthright, responsible on comfort women
ALPHA's reaction to Abe's apology
Japan PM apology on sex slaves
Chan believes comfort women motion would pass
MacKay covers for Japan
Chinese Canadians should target Japan, not my government: Harper
Canada quick to defend Abe's war crimes denial
Japan's uncomfortable history
Communities, MPs demand Ottawa to condemn Japan's war crime denial
Chinese-Canadians ask Ottawa to denounce Abe's comments
Olivia Chow calls on Canada to rebuke Japan PM's sex slave denial
Abe's Violent Denial: Japan's Prime Minister and the 'Comfort Women'
Raymond Chan blasts Abe for denying comfort women
Abe says no apology on comfort women even pressed by US congress
Comfort women denial aims to show independence from U.S.
China demands Japan to face up to wartime sex crimes
Japan's amnesia
Japan PM now says 'comfort women' not coerced

Tags: japan, war, canada, war denial, asian holocaust, comfort women, wwii, atrocities, human rights, history

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