Which comes first: economic growth or environmental sustainability?

It's difficult to reach a definitive answer. But in my opinion, economic
growth should be placed in the first priority. There are two reasons why
I think so.
First, Corporations try to play a role to maintain the environment.
Let's take semiconductor chip design for example. A lot of engineers make
strong effort to reduce power consumption leading to durable. Literally,
night and day. Low power consumption is highly evaluated at not
international conference but also marketwise.
This is a good evidence to show how important environmental sustainability
is.
Second, this is not only our generation's problem but also future
generation's problem. For example, Kyoto protocol has been shed light on.
It covers more than 160 countries globally. This is a good agreement for future
generation. The U.S is criticized not to ratify the protocol by the
reason that it would result in serious harm to the economy of the United
States.
But over 200 cities in the U.S ratify on their own. This indicates that
the state-level program
will apply pressure on the federal government.
In conclusion, environmental sustainability should be placed at high
priority.

How should our taxes be spent?

How to spend our taxes is the most important issue in Japan. There is no easy answer to this question. But I have two ideas to efficiently use our taxes. First, health care. By 2015, one in four people will be over 65, which means that Japan will be a gray society. The government should have responsibility to take care the elderly. For example, we are DINKS which stands for double income, no kids. It means that there is no choice but rely on some kind of program the government provide with even if we have deposit money. Tax should be earmarked to support the system in demographic imbalance environment.

Second, financial support. If the couple has children, both of them will not have enough time to take care of them especially in case woman has her own work. Instead, they will have to hire a nanny or enroll the children in a nursery school. Financial burden is one of the obstacles for low birth rate. To remove financial burden, our taxes should be used to support couples. In conclusion, by using our taxes effectively, we can solve two social issues -- health care and low birth rate. As proverb goes, killing two birds with one stone.

A type of business I would like to start.

I'm an engineer of semiconductor. I'm immersed in technology. I'd like to do something which is completely different from technology for a change. That is food business. I'll tell you why I think so. First, business opportunity. When I visited the US and the UK on business trip, I noticed one thing. There are tons of Japanese food restaurants there. But I've never seen Takoyaki(Japanese octopus dumpling) . They serve Sushi or Tempura. However they don't serve Takoyaki. I thought it might become a good bussiness. Renting tenant is a little bit risky. So I thought Yatai(food stall) type would be suitable. I consider it seriously.
Second, I'd like to export Japanese culture through Takoyaki. I belive Takoyaki is one of the greatest traditional fast-food in Japan. I want a lot of people all over the world to enjoy it.
In conclusion, I'd like to challenge lauching food bussiness.

Why is Japanese animation highly valued around the world?

Japanese animation has been having a good reputation and accepted by allover the world. There are two reasons here. First, Japanese animation profiles an actual content with reality. Japanese animationdepicts complicated conflict over real life. For example, "ManagerKousaku Shima" The manager handles touchy issues and conflicts on the job. This kind of reality catches the readers interest at world wide level. Especially, demands of readers in Japan is very high. To attract not only children but also adults, contents should be more sophisticated. Second, artistic taste is brilliant and sophisticated. Japanese animation skill is much higher than Foreign one. Let's take Hayao Miyazaki's work-- "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi". This work vividly depicts just clothes with reality. There is no other foreign film than Japanese one.This kind of a way of depicting attracts a lot of foreigners. Besides, Osamu Tezuka is a pioneer of Japanese animation. A lot of young people followed him. Then competion is harsh. It ends up good quality.

Pros and Cons of fast-food culture

Fast-food culture has been widely accepted in Japan. The more society in Japan is westernized, the more fast-food is also accepted. Now I'll talk about Pros and Cons of fast-food culture. First, pros of fast-food culture is efficiency. Fast-food contributes to reduce time to take. For example, business people work hard as a bee. They don't have enough leeway to enjoy food. McDonald humbugger is a typical case. We need just 5 minutes to eat. As is often the case, fast-food is relatively high calory. Therefore, we can keep energy through eating fast-food. Time and calory efficiency would be pros.
To the contrary, long term effect on health is cons. One American film, "Super size me", took up fast-food. The leading character keeps eating fast-food for a month. The result shows us that only eating fast-food aggravates our health condition. It's very ridiculous.
In my opinion, I love fast-food even if a lot of people criticize it because fast-food is grease and leads to obesity. Humbugger of Burgerking, French fry of McDonald are the best combination.

Expressions I learned today

A dime a dozen.
Piter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
The rabbit ran around the rugged rock.
People who talk loudly on their cell pones on the train really annoy me.
People who cough and sneeze without covering their mouths really annoy me.
We won't go there.

The surveillance network in space will provide the intelligence necessary to keep Japan secure. The security environment surrounding our country has become much more serious since North Korea conducted anuclear test and test-launched several ballistic missiles last year. With these considerations, expectations are high for this orbital surveillance network. The country should not cut corners on the development of technologies for this purpose.

Why do you think it is becoming more common for people to change their job?

The grwoing shift from the lifetime employment system and seniority system to the performance-based pay system has been significant for the last two decade. Under the merit system, workers have no qualms about changing their jobs for better working conditions. The other is declining loyalty to companies. Because of the influence of Western liberalism and individulaism, they don't hesitate to quit their jobs for freewheeling lifestyle.

How to deal with bullying

A demanding curriculum is placing teachers under a lot of strain. Schools need to employ qualified and experienced councilors who can discover and deal with disruptive behavior. Hopefully, councilor like Arnold Schwarzenegger would be preferable. In other words, councilor can support children from mental point of view and show off physical intimidation.
Nuclear families and family breakdown have caused a lack of communication, discipline and affection for children. More contact with different generations helps them to learn about respect and consideration for others. Responsible parents who spend time with their children would be able tonotice obvious distress and suffering. Parents need to take more noticeof what is going on in their children's lives.

Can age restrictions in the workplace be justified?

The issue of forcing workers to retire when they reach a certain age isa difficult one and there is no easy answer. But I think the answer to this question is "NO".I n some fields, age and accumulated knowledge may be an advantage. Researchers, engineers and professors may very well benefit from their many years of experience. It's very difficult to take over their assignment. Without their distinguished skill, we will be at a loss to achieve a challenging goal. It's too short for us to succeed their experience. Furthermore, the merit system has been installed for the last two decades. I believe the system is not a matter of age. As far as people who are willing to work can bear fruit, they should be allowed to continue their career. we might consider raising the age of compulsory retirement so that people who are still working and able to work are not forced to retire.

What type of crime most threatens society?

As far as I'm concerned, the worst crime is fraud. Murder and terrorism are crimes that carry the heaviest penalties. Fraud affects huge numbers of people around the world at all levels of society. Especially, elderly people can be easy pray of fraud. The more the old population increases, the more crimes targetting elderly people will increase. Moreover, crimes utilizing computer technology has also increased and includes producing counterfeit and altered credit cards. Thus, crime has become even more malicious and cunning as ever. To put it in a nutshell, fraud is the most dangerous threat to oursociety.

Is the family becoming obsolete?

The family will never become obsolete, and it shouldn't be allowed to become outmoded no matter how much our lifestyle changes. In today's fast pace environment, many of us easily forget the importance and value of the family. But we always have to keep in mind the impact of our family on each one of us. For the last two decades, women entered the workforce at an unprecedented pace. Companies put more emphasis on merit-based employment systems rather than on the costly traditional lifetime employment system. In such a chaotic environment, the family is united by blood ties and deep affection. It is also something fateful. Personally I'd place greater value on my family than on my company even though work is very important in my life, because your company can replace you but your family will not, and because you can find another company but you cannot find another family. So my answer to this question is that the family is not becoming obsolete at all.

The pros and cons of the double-income family

Speaking of pros, there are two major advantages. The first is financial.　Obviously, the couple has financial leeway. The second is that it allows　both partners to continue their careers and attempt to achieve success　and fulfillment in their chosen field.　To the contrary, some disadvantages come to mind. If the couple has　children, both of them will not have enough time to take care of them.　Instead, they will have to hire a nanny or enroll the children in a　nursery school. Because of job responsibilities, the couple will have little time to enjoy with family. They may also be restricted in the　number of holidays they can take together. Finally, they will most　likely fill up their free time doing household chores, such as cleaning,washing. People visit their families only during special events or　holidays such as the New Year. This trend has been common because young people tend to live away from their parents. Further more, declining birthrate is a antional crisis. The number of taxpayers is not sfficient to support the number of pensioners. This may become a big issue if we don't take any measures on preventing lowering birthrate. We mnight consider raising the age of compulsory retirement so that people who are still willing and able to work are not forced to retire.
But it doesn't always say that the family becomes obsolete.

Praise or punishment -- which is more effective in educating children?

I have clear opinion on this issue. Apparently, it's no doubt that praise is more effective than punishment. To support this idea, there are two reasons. First, successful experience intrigues their own interest. In my case, I'm very delighted to have successful experience when natural English expression or proverb I learned are understood by native English speaker. For example, "You scratch myback, I'll scratch yours", "Grass is always green on the other side ofthe fence" and so on. The more I have such a successful experience, the more I'd like to learn. Second, punishment is not necessary in essence. We have verbal language. We can use it before imposing punishment. When I chide my subordinate staff, I tell just the fact. I try to make them aware of their wrongdoing by themselves. I think we can apply to children. In conclusion, there is no other way to educate children than praising.

Are genetically modified foods safe?

No, GM foods are not safe. Genetic modification involves technology that is still relatively young, and enough testing has not been done to ascertain its effect on potential human health impact. Nobody knows the long term effects of GM foods on humans or the environment. I think more time is needed to verify its effect before we will know the definitive answer with regard to safety. Is there any standard or criteria that is accepted by all over the world. I'm not sure whether it exists or not. If it exists and regulates genetic modification, is it perfect? I'm afraid nothing is ever perfect. In terms of this question, I'd definetly say "NO". However, as my wistful thinking, genetic modification can be a driving force to improve our technology. Through making an effort to secure food, this technology can also eventually contribute to the public good and improve our lives. Not only food but also stem cell technology.
In conclusion, we can receive huge benefit from genetic modification.

Is space exploration worth the cost?

Yes, I believe that space exploration is worth the cost. Many criticiseit wastes of time and money. But I suppose space exploration is good trigger to improve the quality of our life. To support this idea, there is one reason here.We'll make an effort to achieve space exploration. It'd bear good fruit for not only space exploration but also other field. In other word, it has spreading effect. Let's take semiconductor chips as example.Semiconductor chips used in space craft should work under harsh condition -- temperature hot and extremely cold. It's a big challenge to design robust chip which works properly. This kind of effort enhances the quality. It can also eventually contribute to the public good and improve our lives. In conclusion, we can receive huge benefit from space exploration.

Do animals deserve the same rights as humans?No. I suppose animals don't have the same rights as humans. Some criticise that animal is tortured or needlessly mistreated by human. It's no wonder when we see that humankind has used animals for food,clothing and even companionship. However, there is a fact we -- animals and humans are living in a natural hierarchy. Everywhere in nature we see that some animals devour others. Utilization of others are necessarily natural process. In our society, we also see animals used as pets and in zoos. The animals in zoos are valuable teaching tools for us. Humans make strong effort to help endangered species. These are examples of how humans are helping animals. Animal testing is a necessary evil. These activities should not be restricted by something abstract idea.Humans have a moral obligation not to needlessly destroy or hurt animals, but I think utilizing animals is inevitable in natural process.

Why has Prime Minister Abe's popularity dropped? I believe his halfhearted attitude bears scant fruit. He has pledged to built "a beautiful Japan", reformthe education system and revise the Constitution. However, its policy is vague. His idea doesn't reach to our pleasant impression at all. I hope he can bring his effort against reforming Japan on track.

To become a full fledged worker -- "Shakaijin", the keyword isindependent."Shakaijin" -- full fledged worker should be independent economically and technically. First, economic independence. Generally, we live with our parent and take their support until we get the job. Once we join a company, we can earnmoney. But is our contribution worth being paid to us? The contribution would include making sales and profit. At the beginning, it might be difficult to bear fruit. After that period, we might be considered as"Shakaijin" when we can contribute to the company and our society.
Second, technical independence. Let's confine the issue into engineering field.(Because I'm engineer) As you may know, engineering is very difficult to master even supecific technical issue. It takes a lot of time to be full fledged engineer.Three years are not good enough. However, it might be good enough that we learn fundamental theory and basic notion to design. Besides, a way of handling our assignment is also important. What should we deal with chaotic situation when we encounter difficulty on the job or when the progress is not so good.It's very important to think over it and have an idea to tackle with the problem on our own.

I have a lot of things I want to do. I have a lot of things I'm interested in.
Yoga: I believe that Yoga is good for my health to prevent from ageing.
Karate or kung fu: I've been fascinated by martial art. Scene from Matrixintrigues me.
Guitar:I want to be able to perform Rock music.
Piano: I want to be able to perform J.S.Bach.
How should I start? That's the big issue.