2011年3月27日 星期日

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira?) 酷斯拉

Original movie poster for Godzilla.



Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira?) is a popular series of giant monster films starring Godzilla, a Japanese creation usually portrayed by a man in a latex rubber suit. Starting in 1954, the Godzilla series has become one of the longest running film series in movie history.

The first film, Godzilla, was first released in the United States in 1955 in Japanese-American communities only. In 1956, it was adapted by an American company into Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, edited and with added principal scenes featuring Raymond Burr, and this version became an international success.

The original Godzilla was greatly inspired by the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of King Kong, and the 1953 success of The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Godzilla would go on to inspire Gorgo, Gamera, Cloverfield, and many others.

The name "Godzilla" is a romanization, by the film production company Toho Company Ltd., of the original Japanese name "Gojira" — which is a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (ゴリラ) 'gorilla' and kujira (鯨, くじら) 'whale'. The word alludes to the size, power and aquatic origin of Godzilla.

Contents

Series history

The Godzilla series is generally broken into three eras reflecting a characteristic style and corresponding to the same eras used to classify all 'daikaiju eiga' (monster movies) in Japan. The first two eras refer to the Japanese emperor during production: the Shōwa era, and the Heisei era. The third is called the Millennium era as the emperor (Heisei) is the same but these films are considered to have a different style and storyline than the prior era.

Shōwa series (1954–1975)

The initial series of movies is named for the Shōwa period in Japan (as all of these films were produced before Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989). This Shōwa timeline spanned from 1954, with Gojira, to 1975, with Terror of Mechagodzilla. With the exceptions to the sequels Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, and Mothra vs. Godzilla, much of this series is relatively light-hearted. Starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla began evolving into a more human and playful antihero (this transition was complete by Son of Godzilla, where he is shown as a good character), and as years went by, he evolved into an anthropomorphic superhero. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster was also significant for introducing Godzilla's archenemy and the main antagonist of the series, King Ghidorah. The films Son of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack were aimed at youthful audiences, featuring the appearance of Godzilla's son, Minilla. While Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was notable for introducing Godzilla's robotic arch foe and secondary villain of the movie series Mechagodzilla. The Shōwa period saw the addition of many monsters into the Godzilla continuity, two of which (Mothra and Rodan) had their own solo movies. This period featured a well documented continuity, although the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters takes place in 1999 (chronologically making it the final original Godzilla movie).

Heisei series (1984–1995)

The timeline was revamped in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla; this movie was created as a direct sequel to the 1954 film, and ignores the continuity of the Shōwa series. Because of this, the original Godzilla movie is considered part of the Heisei series instead of being a part of the Showa series. The continuity ended in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah after a run of seven films. The "new" Godzilla was portrayed as much more of an animal than the latter Shōwa films, or as a destructive force as he began. The biological nature and science behind Godzilla became a much more discussed issue in the films, showing the increased focus of the moral focus on genetics. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah gave the first concrete birth story for Godzilla, featuring a Godzillasaurus that got mutated by radiation into Godzilla.

Millennium series (1999–2004)

The Millennium Series is the official term for the series of Godzilla movies, unofficially called the "Shinsei Series" (or even the "Alternate Reality Series") by American fans, made after the Heisei series ended with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. The common theme to this era is that all movies use Godzilla (1954) as the jumping-off point. Since the films are different, the sizes are different in some cases. Godzilla's most prominent size in this series is 55 meters (180 feet). In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack he was 60 meters (about 196 feet), and in Godzilla: Final Wars he was 100 meters tall (about 328 feet). Godzilla was originally supposed to be 50 meters (about 164 feet) in Final Wars, but budgetary cutbacks in miniature sets forced this size change.

American films

The first talk of an American version of Godzilla was when director Steve Miner pitched his own take to Toho in the 1980s. "The idea was to do a Godzilla film as if it was the first one ever done, a big-budget American special FX movie." Miner said. "Our Godzilla would have been a combination of everything - man-in-suit, stop-motion and other stuff." Fred Dekker had written the screenplay. "We had a big Godzilla trying to find its baby. It's a bit of a Gorgo storyline. The big ending has Godzilla destroying San Francisco. The final Godzilla death scene was to be on Alcatraz Island." Toho and Warner Bros. were said to be very interested in Miner's take but it eventually became too expensive.[1]

Godzilla (1998)

In October 1992, Toho allowed Sony Pictures to make a trilogy of English-language Godzilla films, with the first film to be released in 1994. In May 1993 Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were brought on to write a script, and in July 1994 Jan de Bont, director of Speed and Twister, signed on to direct. DeBont quit due to budget disputes, and director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin signed on before the release of the highly successful Independence Day. They rejected the previous script and Patrick Tatopoulos radically redesigned the titular monster. The film was finally scheduled for release on May 19, 1998.[2]

Godzilla was met with mostly negative reviews and negative reaction from the fan base. Having grossed $375 million worldwide though, the studio moved ahead with a spin-off animated series. Tab Murphy wrote a treatment, but Emmerich and Devlin left the production in March 1999 due to budget disputes. The original deal was to make a sequel within five years of release of a film, but after sitting on their property, considering a reboot, Sony's rights to make a Godzilla 2 expired in May 2003.[2]

American reboot

Legendary's concept art of Godzilla

After the release of 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars, marking the 50th anniversary of the Godzilla film franchise, Toho announced that it would not produce any films featuring the Godzilla character for ten years. Toho demolished the water stage on its lot used in numerous Godzilla films to stage water scenes.[3] Director Yoshimitsu Banno, who had directed 1971's Godzilla vs. Hedorah, secured the rights from Toho to make an IMAX 3D short film production, based on a remake of the Godzilla vs. Hedorah story. Banno was unable to find backers to produce the film. Banno met American producer Brian Rogers, and the two planned to work together on the project. Rogers approached Legendary Pictures in 2009, and the project became a plan to produce a feature film instead.[4]

In March 2010, Legendary Pictures formally announced the project after it had acquired Godzilla franchise rights from Toho, with a tentative release date of 2012. The project is to be co-produced with Warner Bros., who will co-finance the project.[5] TriStar Pictures will not be co-producing or co-financing because their rights expired in 2003. Legendary plans to make a film that would be an homage to the original 1954 Japanese film Godzilla instead of a sequel to the 1998 American remake also titled Godzilla.[5] The planned film's producers are Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Brian Rogers, who will work with Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni.[6]

Legendary first promoted the planned new film at the San Diego Comic-Con International fan convention in July 2010. Legendary commissioned a new conceptual artwork of Godzilla. The conceptual artwork was consistent with the Japanese design of the Godzilla film monster, rather than Patrick Tatopoulos's design of Godzilla dubbed Zilla seen in the 1998 film and Godzilla: Final Wars.[7] The artwork was used in an augmented reality display produced by Talking Dog Studios. Every visitor to the convention was given a T-shirt illustrated with the concept art. When viewed by webcam at the Legendary Pictures booth, the image on-screen would spout Godzilla's radioactive breath and the distinctive roar of Godzilla could be heard.[8]

Gareth Edwards, who directed Monsters, was attached in January 2011 to direct the new Godzilla film. The first draft screenplay of the film by David Callaham will be rewritten by Edwards.[9][10] Edwards said of his plans, "This will definitely have a very different feel than the most recent US film, and our biggest concern is making sure we get it right for the fans because we know their concerns. It must be brilliant in every category because I’m a fan as well."[11]

Series development

Godzilla was originally an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the consequences that such weapons might have on earth. The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Daigo Fukuryū Maru through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954 lead to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954. The Heisei and Millennium series have largely continued this concept. Some have pointed out the parallels, conscious or unconscious, between Godzilla's relationship to Japan and that of the United States; first a terrible enemy who causes enormous destruction to the cities of Japan such as Tokyo (Godzilla, The Return of Godzilla), Osaka (Godzilla Raids Again, Godzilla vs. Biollante), and Yokohama (Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack) in different films, but then becoming a good friend and defender in times of peril.

Films have been made over the last five decades, each reflecting the social and political climate in Japan. All but one of the 28 films were produced by Toho.

【聯合報╱李清志/文】

有樂町街頭的酷斯拉銅像已成為東京城市象徵物之一。 李清志/攝影
多 災多難的日本遭受了有史以來最大的地震侵襲,加上海嘯、火災等伴隨而來的天災,讓日本人民陷入悲慘的困境之中。這些災難令人聯想到日本怪獸電影中的酷斯 拉,那隻巨大恐怖的怪獸每次入侵日本島國,總是為日本城市帶來極大的破壞與損失。卑微的人類面對這隻巨獸,雖然用盡方法,卻絲毫無法阻止牠的破壞暴行,只 能無奈地祈求牠的離去。

日本這次的複合式災難中,核電廠爆炸事件才是真正的酷斯拉!因為地震、海嘯終會過去,人們堅強的意志,終會克服災後的困境,但是核能輻射汙染卻幾乎無法消除,其所帶來的災禍將遺害萬年,並且在人們心中留下永難抹滅的恐懼陰影。

《酷斯拉》原本是一部關於反核的電影,描述南太平洋的核彈試爆,造成大型蜥蜴基因突變,成為巨大的異型恐龍,這隻大恐龍每次都順著洋流前往日本,然後登陸 東京,摧毀城市建築。酷斯拉電影基本上反映出日本民眾對核能的集體恐懼,因為日本人是全世界唯一遭受過核彈攻擊的民族,他們對於核能抱持著又愛又恨的矛盾 心態,酷斯拉的威力正如核能一般,巨大卻又令人無法控制。

大恐龍酷斯拉(GODZILLA)是日本東寶株式會社出品最具代表性的怪獸電影,從1954年推出第一部電影以來,至今已有五十多年的歷史,2004年酷 斯拉五十周年慶,好萊塢還為牠辦了慶生會,甚至在大學也舉行關於酷斯拉的學術研討會。這幾年人們甚至在東京有樂町街頭,為大恐龍酷斯拉豎立了一座銅像,酷 斯拉儼然成為了東京城市象徵物之一。

酷斯拉電影的一再拍攝,提醒著日本人核能的恐怖,也讓日本人時時警惕,了解到生活在日本島國的集體危險性。面對這隻巨大怪獸,我們不得不省思人類自己的自 大與愚蠢,核能這隻怪獸原本就是人類無法掌控的巨大力量,我們卻自大地認為「人定勝天」,試圖去製造並控制這隻怪獸,一旦核能災變,卻只能束手無策,悔恨 當初。

因此環保意識強烈的德國,這幾年努力消除對於核電力量的迷戀與依賴,除了停止已經存在的核能電廠之外,也積極開發風力及太陽能發電技術,希望能真正去除核 災酷斯拉的危害;反觀與日本同樣身居島國的我們,連核廢料都不知道如何處理,當局卻仍舊在努力宣傳核能的「乾淨」與「安全」?令台灣民眾每天都生活在核災 的恐懼之中,不知如何是好。

《酷斯拉》電影中,曾經描述大恐龍酷斯拉,在南太平洋深海因地震甦醒,順流北上,往日本原鄉前進,途中竟然還經過台灣海峽,只是沒有登陸台灣。如果我們仍舊瘋狂地、不知節制地使用核能、發展核能,難保會有一天,酷斯拉不在東京登陸,直接就在台灣登陸肆虐了!

3/27 Google Alert: Japan


Radiation Surges at Japan Reactor as Tests for Plutonium Ordered
BusinessWeek
By Yasumasa Song and Yee Kai Pin March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Radiation in water at Japan's earthquake-damaged nuclear plant reached potentially lethal levels, hampering work to cool reactors. As the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl entered its third ...
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Burials In Quake-Hit Towns Deepen Japan's Tragedy
NPR
by AP AP Relatives of a victim react in front of a coffin before burial in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami-destroyed city of Kesennuma northern Japan Friday, March 25, 2011. The funeral for Chieko Mori's daughter and granddaughter was an affront to ...
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Japan corporate funding demand soars after disaster
Reuters
By Taiga Uranaka TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - Japanese companies' demand for funding has soared since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, with the country's top three banks seeing a surge in new loan requests, lenders said on Sunday. ...
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U.S. forces aid Japan's recovery
Detroit Free Press
US Marine Alex Lay, 23, center, leads US troops as they unload hardware Saturday to install hot showers at a makeshift shelter in Japan. / WALLY SANTANA/Associated Press BY ERIC TALMADGE ASSOCIATED PRESS Shelter residents watch the Marines install the ...
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Cherry Blossom Festival keeps Japan on mind
Washington Post
By Robert Samuels, Saturday, March 26, 9:24 PM The art of Japanese paper-folding beguiles — yet a simple paper crane can't be constructed without complicated twists and tugs, strong creases and subtle folds. The challenge of origami has been a ...
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The Buzz: Horse wins one for Japan
Kansas City Star
Victoire Pisa, delivered some good news for Japan by winning the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, the world's richest horse race. The winner edged another Japanese horse, Transcend, by a half length. Fans of Victoire Pisa were ...
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Tiny amounts of radiation from Japan reach Vegas
Nevada Appeal
By MARTIN GRIFFITH AP RENO (AP) — Minuscule amounts of radiation from Japan's damaged nuclear plant have reached Las Vegas, but scientists say it poses no health risk. Extremely small amounts of the radioactive isotopes iodine-131 and xenon-133 ...
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Gaps in US radiation monitoring system revealed
San Jose Mercury News
AP SAN FRANCISCO -- Parts of America's radiation alert network have been out of order during Japan's nuclear crisis, raising concerns among some lawmakers about whether the system could safeguard the country in a future disaster. ...
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Pets stranded in Japan await their own rescue
NewsOK.com
By AP Leave a comment FUKUSHIMA, Japan — Their fur caked with mud, pet dogs trot forlornly in rubble-filled streets along Japan's devastated coastline, foraging for scraps and searching for owners. Luna, a beagle, sits in her makeshift home at an ...
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To rebuild or not? Japan's tsunami coast wonders
MiamiHerald.com
By TIM SULLIVAN AP KESENNUMA, Japan -- When he was younger, the carpenter picked a spot just off the Shikaori River and built his house. Toshio Onodera chiseled the joints for the wooden roof beams and cemented the tiles onto the front porch. ...
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2011年3月24日 星期四

Tight Web Saves Cut-Off Villagers

Tight Web Saves Cut-Off Villagers

Severed From the World, Villagers Survive on Tight Bonds and To-Do Lists

Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

A woman came to a refugee center in Hadenya to find information about her parents' whereabouts.


HADENYA, Japan — The colossal wave that swept away this tiny fishing hamlet also washed out nearby bridges, phone lines and cellphone service, leaving survivors shivering and dazed and completely cut off at a hilltop community center.

Multimedia

1 of 7
The Destruction and Aftermath

Photos of the unfolding disaster in Japan.

Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Almost as soon as the waters receded, villagers divided tasks along gender lines, and men went scavenging for firewood and gas.

Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Boxes of supplies were stacked in orderly rows in a school gymnasium in Hadenya, exhibiting Japan's tidy perfectionism.

Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Kokona, who is 8 months old, received medical care at a clinic set up by leaders at a refugee center in Hadenya on Wednesday.

With no time to mourn for their missing loved ones, they were immediately thrust into the struggle to stay alive in the frigid winter cold, amid a hushed, apocalyptic landscape of wrecked homes, crushed vehicles and stranded boats. They had scant food and fuel and no news from the outside world — not even the scope of the devastation.

On Wednesday, after the Japanese military finally reached them for the first time since the tsunami struck 12 days ago, by erecting makeshift bridges and cutting roads through the debris, they told a remarkable tale of survival that drew uniquely on the tight bonds of their once-tidy village, having quickly reorganized themselves roughly along the lines of their original community: choosing leaders, assigning tasks and helping the young and the weak.

The ability of the people of Hadenya to survive by banding together in a way so exemplary of Japan’s communal spirit and organizing abilities is a story being repeated day to day across the ravaged northern coastline, where the deadly earthquake and tsunami left survivors fending for themselves in isolated pockets. Some are still awaiting relief.

Almost as soon as the waters receded, those rescued here said, they began dividing tasks along gender lines, with women boiling water and preparing food, while men went scavenging for firewood and gasoline. Within days, they said, they had re-established a complex community, with a hierarchy and division of labor, in which members were assigned daily tasks.

They had even created a committee that served as an impromptu governing body for this and five other nearby refugee centers, until the real government could return.

“We knew help would come eventually,” said Osamu Abe, 43, one of the leaders who emerged to organize the 270 survivors. “Until then, we had to rely on each other to survive.”

Refugee centers like this one in Hadenya exhibit a proud cooperative spirit, and also a keen desire to maintain Japan’s tidy perfectionism. Along the hallways, boxes of supplies lie stacked in orderly rows. The toilets are immaculate, with cups and soap neatly lined up. At the entrance, sheets of paper list names and assigned tasks for the day, like chopping firewood, carrying supplies and cooking.

Many of those here say that local villages like this one had to be self-reliant because of geography: they lie in remote inlets along a mountainous coastline.

“We have shown that we can take care of ourselves by ourselves,” said Hideko Miura, 50. She said she survived the tsunami by climbing up a hillside, and then screamed as she watched the wave drag her home out to sea.

Residents credited the close proximity of high hills, and years of annual tsunami drills, with keeping the number of missing and presumed dead down to about two dozen.

Mr. Abe said he naturally assumed a leadership role over the frightened survivors because he had had a prominent job in the village, as head of the local nature center. He said the first thing he did after the tsunami was get the older schoolchildren to erect tents in the community center’s parking lot, since aftershocks made survivors afraid to sleep inside.

Later, he sent a group down to a marsh to get water, and others to gather firewood — mostly the wooden debris from broken houses — in order to boil it. When one woman turned out to be a nurse, he asked her to set up a makeshift clinic, behind a sheet in one corner of the center, which was now filled with survivors sleeping on the floor.

“People needed a sense of direction,” Mr. Abe said. “They were stunned from having lost everything.”

The next day, groups were sent to scour the wreckage for supplies. One found a truck washed up by the waves that was filled with food, which barely kept them fed until the first helicopters reached them four days later.

Another group searched for fuel. Shohei Miura, a 17-year-old high school junior, said he helped drain gasoline from the tanks of the dozens of smashed cars left behind by the tsunami. He also found kerosene in beached fishing boats.

“I never imagined we would get so desperate, but everybody had to do such jobs in order to survive,” Mr. Miura said.

He said he survived the tsunami itself by climbing to his roof, and then leaping from rooftop to rooftop of floating homes before swimming through the wave’s currents to a hillside.

Mr. Abe said most survivors from Hadenya found it easy to cooperate because they had organized themselves to hold the village’s religious festivals. He said that a small number initially declined to cooperate, but that he overcame this by offering them positions of responsibility, which had the effect of motivating them.

Although they were cut off from the rest of Japan, they made contact with five other nearby refugee centers, with another 700 survivors. Representatives from the centers met daily to swap supplies and assign tasks. Mr. Abe’s center was designated as the clinic and helipad, because it had a sports field.

It was not until the first helicopter arrived that the isolated group learned from a newspaper onboard of the extent of the devastation across northern Japan.

“We spent days wondering whether it was just us who got hit, or other parts of Japan, too,” said Sachiko Miura, 59, an employee in the village’s fishing co-op who now serves as the refugee center’s quartermaster. “We never imagined it was this bad.”

The helicopters finally came because the group assigned messengers to make the arduous hike across mountainsides to reach the main town of Minamisanriku, of which Hadenya is a part. Kazuma Goto, 63, a farmer, was one of three who made the five-hour journey, carrying a list of survivors at the six refugee centers.

“Until I arrived, the town thought we were lost,” Mr. Goto said.

Almost half of Minamisanriku’s 17,000 residents remain missing. Officials admit that chances of survival are slim. As of Wednesday, the town’s 9,369 survivors lived in 45 refugee shelters like the one in Hadenya.

The mayor, Jin Sato, said that most shelters had spontaneously organized in much the same way as Hadenya’s had. Now, as the town government began to plan for the eventual relocation of evacuees from the shelters into temporary housing, possibly to locations miles away, he said officials were beginning to realize that these spontaneous groupings might have a use.

He said the town had originally planned to put people into housing as quickly as possible. Now, he thought it best to keep these organizations intact, to help people adapt to new and different living environments.

“They are like extended families,” Mr. Sato said. “They provide support and comfort.”

Makiko Inoue contributed reporting.

2011年3月23日 星期三

Google Alert - japan 3/23/2011

Japan's TEPCO debt insurance costs rise-Markit
Reuters
T) debt against default rose on Wednesday, after several days of falls, as concern grew about radiation levels following Japan's nuclear crisis. Japanese authorities advised against allowing infants to drink tap water in Tokyo due to raised radiation ...
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Japan's TEPCO seeking large loan from banks-Jiji
Reuters
Japan's largest banks are in talks to provide up to $25 billion in emergency loans to Tokyo Electric to shore up its finances and rebuild its power network following a disaster at one of its nuclear plants, sources told Reuters. ...
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Japan radiation scare spreads to tap water
Financial Times
By Michiyo Nakamoto, Demetri Sevastopulo and Gwen Robinson in Tokyo Fears over the impact of radiation poisoning on Japanese food supplies spread to Tokyo's tap water on Wednesday after the US banned milk products, fruit and vegetables from areas near ...
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Factbox: Japan quake impact on auto, electronics makers
Reuters
(Reuters) - Following is a roundup of the impact of this month's earthquake and tsunami on Japanese manufacturers of cars and electronics. Plant shutdowns in Japan threaten supplies to manufacturers across the globe of items from semiconductors to car ...
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Japan Issues Damage Estimates
Wall Street Journal
By TATSUO ITO TOKYO—The Japanese government said Wednesday that damage from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeast region on March 11 would be more than double the cost of the 1995 Kobe earthquake, raising the possibility ...
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Earthquake, tsunami hit Japan
USA Today
Students react to a guest speaker's message Tuesday at their graduation ceremony in the destroyed town of Yamada in northern Japan. Locals walk among the destroyed houses and debris in Rikuzentakata. Japan Coast Guard divers search Tuesday for missing ...
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US Natural Gas Output May Get Boost From Japan Nuclear Crisis
Bloomberg
(CHK), is prepared for a surge in demand as Japan's nuclear crisis shakes confidence in atomic energy, executives said. Natural gas futures have risen 11 percent since the March 11 record earthquake and tsunami in Japan spurred a round-the- clock ...
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PRECIOUS-Gold steady on Middle East crisis; Japan fear eases
Reuters
By Rujun Shen SINGAPORE, March 23 (Reuters) - Gold prices steadied on Wednesday, as escalating unrest in the Middle East and North Africa underpinned safe-haven demand, but a modest rebound in the dollar could weigh on the sentiment as fears on Japan's ...
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Hannover Re Estimates Japan Quake Claims at EU250 Million
Bloomberg
By Oliver Suess - Wed Mar 23 08:25:45 GMT 2011 Hannover Re, the world's third- biggest reinsurer, estimated its claims from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan at about 250 million euros ($354 million). Any assessment of the loss is still subject to ...
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Uneasy tourists shun Japan amid radiation fears
Seattle Post Intelligencer
By JOE MCDONALD AP BUSINESS WRITER TOKYO -- Images broadcast worldwide of Japan's crippled nuclear complex and reports of food and water contaminated by radiation have battered its reputation as a safe destination, triggering an avalanche of ...
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在災情如此慘重之下舉行畢業典禮是要堅強意志力的

Diplomas, and Anxiety, for Japanese Pupils

For parents and teachers, . holding graduation celebrations under the circumstances was an act of will

在災情如此慘重之下舉行畢業典禮是要堅強意志力的

Art as a salve for suffering

salve the wounds brusque ending



Art as a salve for suffering

BY YUSUKE TAKATSU STAFF WRITER

2011/03/23


photoTakehiko Inoue: A boy pledges support to one of the affected areas with his T-shirt. ((c) I.T. Planning, Inc.)photoInoue's three boys exchange grins. ((c) I.T. Planning, Inc.)photoInoue's elderly man ((c) I.T. Planning, Inc.)photoA sprout gives Moyoco Anno's trio hope. ((c) Moyoco Anno)photoAnno's trio with the message, "Let's do our best!" ((c) Moyoco Anno)photoTakashi Murakami screams: "Let's bring in a new day!!" (Provided by Takashi Murakami)photoA tearful Murakami comforts himself with the message, "The day of hope will come!!" (Provided by Takashi Murakami)

Japanese artists sprang into action this month, creating a series of works online to comfort those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Even though art may not be able to keep the cold out, or stave off hunger, it can be a source of emotional support and encouragement. Some of Japan's top artists asked themselves what they could do to make a difference, and wisely decided to play to their strengths.

Manga artist Takehiko Inoue, best known for "Slam Dunk" and "Vagabond," had been posting a series of illustrations under the title "Smile," on Twitter for some time.

But on March 12, a day after the mega-quake struck, Inoue posted an illustration of a boy, titled "Smile 34," on the site, along with a tweet that read, "I pray." It was followed by a series of light-hearted drawings featuring smiling boys, an elderly man and a dog. He also drew boys wearing T-shirts printed with the names of the stricken areas, such as "Miyagi" and "Fukushima."

Inoue has been prolific, uploading 50 drawings in just five days. He also decided to produce an exclusive set of 16 postcards and to donate the profits to relief efforts.

"It's important to carry on working as normal, and what I am doing is nothing more than that," Inoue wrote on Twitter.

Moyoco Anno, whose "Ochibisan" manga strip has been running in The Asahi Shimbun's lifestyle section, started posting her illustrations for quake victims on her blog from March 13. The newspaper has put her strip on hold due to its extended coverage of the disaster.

Anno wanted to encourage and spur on those affected by the quake, and her cheerful drawings reflect that. In one drawing, the Ochibisan characters wave pompoms. In another a character runs across the frame holding a flag with the message: "Let's do our best!"

"People in the disaster-stricken areas probably can't see (the illustrations) now," Anno said. "But I'm drawing these in hope that they may somehow reach the eyes of people who have been looking forward to reading my 'Ochibisan' every week."

Internationally acclaimed pop artist Takashi Murakami took to Twitter to encourage artists to post their illustrations to support relief efforts for survivors.

Murakami sponsors the art fair "Geisai," which was supposed to begin on March 13, but has now been postponed due to the massive earthquake. He asked artists who were preparing to submit their works to the fair to instead submit to his "newday" project, based around the theme of: "There will always be tomorrow. The sun will rise again."

One of the illustrations shows friends gathered together in a scrum. Murakami also uploaded two self-portraits, one of which shows him screaming, and the other in tears.

"In a sense, art can be seen as impotent and meaningless from society's view of what is valuable," Murakami commented. "But I think that we may be able to communicate something, like hope, through the power of art," he added.

2011年3月20日 星期日

日本災後何去何從Reeling From Crises, Japan Approaches Familiar Crossroads

News Analysis

Reeling From Crises, Japan Approaches Familiar Crossroads


TOKYO — Such was the power of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11 that it bent the tip of Tokyo Tower, the 1,093-foot Eiffel-like structure that has stood as the symbol of Japan’s postwar rebirth for half a century. For the first time since it was erected in 1958, the tower no longer points directly upward, the direction that Japan followed for much of its history after World War II.

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

2011 Kesennuma and much of northeastern Japan were struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami that it set off.

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The Destruction and Aftermath

Photos of the unfolding disaster in Japan.

Associated Press

1923 An estimated 140,000 people were killed in an earthquake that devastated Tokyo, a city then largely built of wood.

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

1995 The quake that hit Kobe, Japan, killed more than 6,400 people and wreaked havoc, toppling an elevated expressway.

The earthquake, whose epicenter was more than 200 miles north of here, and the resulting nuclear crisis, will change this nation. The open question is how, and how much. Will it, along with the bent Tokyo Tower, be a final marker of an irreversible decline? Or will it be an opportunity to draw on the resilience of a people repeatedly tested by calamity to reshape Japan — in the mold of either the left or the right? This disaster, like the 1923 Tokyo earthquake and the 1995 Kobe earthquake, could well signal a new era.

Among the concerns raising questions are the shrinking, starting in 2005, of Japan’s population, the country’s loss to China last year of its vaunted status as the world’s second-largest economy and the aggressive pursuit of nuclear power.

Japan’s economy is likely to suffer, at least in the short term, as power disruptions hobble its industries. If the reactors do melt down, in the worst case, or even if there is a steady release of radioactive vapor, there are implications for public health; on Saturday, the Japanese government announced that some foodstuffs from farms near the nuclear plant contained elevated levels of radiation. Japan’s reputation — and its self-image — as an efficient, prosperous and smoothly functioning society has been dealt a blow.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that we will think of Japan in terms of pre-earthquake and post-earthquake because it has already fundamentally changed Japanese society,” said Yasuyuki Shimizu, a 39-year-old who has drawn attention in Japan for the work of his organization, Life Link, in preventing suicides. “The values of postwar Japan, and the postwar feeling of security, also now lie in ruins. Whether Japan will change in a positive or negative way, we don’t know yet.”

But others argue that the long-term impact on Japan will be more limited — so long as the troubled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, about 170 miles north of here, do not suffer a complete meltdown and affect Tokyo, the nation’s heart. Despite the psychological shock to the nation, the earthquake and tsunami devastated a thinly populated region far from Tokyo and the nation’s other center of gravity, Osaka in western Japan.

“If the nuclear problem doesn’t get bigger, and there’s no panic in the Tokyo area, and no curfew that’s imposed, I don’t think this disaster will be remembered as that significant an incident,” said Eiji Oguma, 49, a professor of policy management at Keio University, adding that he thought it would be compared instead with the 1995 Kobe earthquake, which, rather than spurring lasting change, came to be seen as a symbol of the end of Japan’s bubble era.

Still others saw the disaster as a moment for change, including Takafumi Horie, 38, an entrepreneur who lost his Internet company, Livedoor, in 2006 on minor charges of securities fraud after brashly challenging the business establishment.

“It’s possible that this calamity will rid Japan of its old order,” Mr. Horie, now one of Japan’s most popular authors and bloggers, wrote in an e-mail, adding, “It’s an opportunity to build a new Japan.”

But first is the rebuilding. There are many factors working against Japan’s ability to carry it out as successfully as it has in the past: the absence of strong national leadership, the country’s declining economic strength and the simple lack of young people in the northern region.

When Japan resurrected itself after even bigger disasters, like the 1923 earthquake that destroyed Tokyo or the war that ended with the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was a vigorous, young and growing country, said Kazutoshi Hando, 80, a historian of the period between the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when Japan began its drive to modernize, and World War II. Today, the population is expected to keep shrinking.

“Just as we were thinking this was a problem we had to tackle now, this catastrophe occurred,” Mr. Hando said of the declining population. “This has slowed us down. That’s the biggest problem. We’ll simply run out of workers.”

Still, Mr. Hando, who survived the American wartime firebombings that destroyed much of Tokyo, said that Japan had defied everyone’s expectations by rising quickly from the ashes.

“Based on my experience of the war and its aftermath, I think Japan will be all right,” he said.

Mr. Hando talked of tapping the Japanese people’s “hidden strength” — an expression that has appeared repeatedly in the Japanese news media in the past week, one that politicians have also seized. Implicit in the praise of Japanese traits of endurance, perseverance and grace — strengths evident in the orderly response to the unfathomable destruction up north — is a criticism of the perceived values that led to the nuclear accidents: the postwar blind pursuit of material wealth and comfort that put 55 nuclear reactors on some of the world’s most unstable land, despite Japan’s singular history as the target of atomic bombs.

“Japan stood at the top once before, so it’s all right if it becomes second class,” said Mitsuru Nakamura, 62, who was chatting with a friend in front of an apartment building near Tokyo Tower on Friday morning. He added: “It should become a country where the elderly and children can live safely. The improvement of people’s lives should become important.”

Being No. 20 in the world was enough, his friend added.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, nationalist politicians — who have long said that postwar Japanese have become selfish and unwilling to sacrifice for the nation’s good — are already trying to harness those sentiments in a different direction.

Shintaro Ishihara, the governor of Tokyo, said the quake and tsunami were “divine punishment” that “should be used” to “sweep away” the Japanese people’s “selfishness,” “materialism” and “worship of money.”

Sitting inside her small tobacco shop in the Toranomon neighborhood, Mitsuko Watanabe, 80, also pointed to selfishness and untrustworthy leaders as factors undermining Japanese society.

“When a country’s leaders are bad, natural disasters occur,” she said and, unprompted, referred to the governor. “I’m not Shintaro, but I think divine punishment isn’t wrong.”

Ms. Watanabe and her husband have owned the tobacco shop, which faces Tokyo Tower, for close to six decades. She said she had watched construction workers raise the tower, which instantly became a symbol of Japan’s rise after World War II. The nation hailed its soaring height, the claim that it was the world’s tallest self-supported steel structure and its use to transmit a new technology, television.

Yoshihiro Watanabe, a spokesman for Nippon Television City, said that it was the first time that an earthquake had bent Tokyo Tower. The company has yet to decide when to straighten it.

In Toranomon shop owners facing the tower said they were confident that Japan would pull itself up.

“Rebuilding after World War II was much more difficult,” said Hayato Kikukawa, 32, the owner of a small cafe, adding that straightening Tokyo Tower should not be a priority.

But at a nearby udon restaurant, where he was getting ready for the lunchtime crowd, Keiichi Shimoda, 48, said, “If they fix Tokyo Tower, then I’ll think, now things are all right.”

Fuhito Shimoyama contributed reporting.

2011年3月19日 星期六

Radiation Fears Aggravate Nation’s Woes By ANDREW POLLACK Published: March 18, 2011



Add fears of radiation to the long list of troubles threatening Japan’s export-led economy.

Rungroj Yongrit/European Pressphoto Agency

Officials from Thailand's food safety agency take samples of frozen fishes and food products imported from Japan at the Bangkok airport.

Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters

Food testing in Bangkok. No significant contamination has yet been found in Japanese products.

As Japan struggles to contain radiation leaking from crippled nuclear reactors, many countries, including China, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand have already started to test food imported from Japan for radiation, and the European Union has recommended that member countries do so. Manufacturers have also begun sweeping cars waiting for oversea shipment. No reports of significant product contamination have surfaced.

Some sushi restaurants in Asia are reportedly dropping fish from Japan from their menus. In Hong Kong there was a run on baby formula from Japan because mothers feared future supplies would be contaminated or unavailable.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it was considering increasing the monitoring of imported food and raw ingredients made in Japan, or that had traveled through the country. However, the agency said, “based on current information, there is no risk to the U.S. food supply.”

Despite the excellent reputation of Japan’s Kobe beef, premium tuna belly sushi or toro and fine sake, food is only a minor part of Japanese exports. The country imports far more food than it exports.

Far greater damage could occur if Japanese automobiles or electronics get contaminated with radiation, or if fear spreads among consumers that they could be exposed to radiation by sitting in a Prius or playing a DVD.

Among the steps that Japanese manufacturers are starting to take to reassure customers are trips to ports in Japan. For example, workers at Nissan, armed with radiation detectors, are testing some of the company’s cars waiting to be shipped overseas. On Friday, Carlos Tavares, chairman of Nissan Americas, confirmed the scanning of autos: “It’s clear that we have found nothing, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. We are just doing it to make sure nothing is there.”

Radiation experts said there was virtually no chance of major contamination of industrial products, even if the leakage were to worsen. Particles like the ones containing radioactive iodine or cesium escaping from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant can be deposited on products. But given the nature of the manufacturing industries in Japan, there is little danger of contamination reaching harmful levels, the experts said. For one, most manufacturing in Japan happens far from the nuclear plant (and many of the cars and electronics from Japanese companies are actually made outside Japan).

Moreover, manufacturing is usually done indoors. A product would most likely not be contaminated “unless it sits outside for long periods and gets a significant amount of deposits on it,” said William F. Morgan, director of radiation biology and biophysics at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Also he noted, most products were in packages, and the radioactive particles would not damage the product inside. If a product is known to have deposited particles, they can be washed off, or a contaminated box could be opened by someone wearing gloves and thrown away.

Manufacturing is likely to be halted in areas with high levels of radiation. “If the levels are high enough, that there would be a concern for a product being shipped, there would be a much greater concern for the people working there,” said Jerrold T. Bushberg, director of health physics programs at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine.

So if the nuclear accident hurts Japan’s exports, some experts say, it is more likely to be attributable to disruptions in operations and logistics there, much as the earthquake and tsunami have done, not because the reactor damage is contaminating products. A huge plume of radiation heading toward Tokyo could bring commerce and manufacturing in that area to a halt. A nuclear meltdown at Fukushima could cause Japan to shut other nuclear plants as a precaution, adding to power outages.

Food is a much more pertinent issue for radioactive contamination because crops and animals are often raised outdoors and because they are ingested. Still, some experts say the risk is low to Americans because Japan accounts for only 4 percent of American food imports. And even less of that is food with the highest risk of contamination.

“We are not worried about imports from Japan, and we are not recommending that consumers be concerned,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group.

She said that in the five years after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, which was far worse than Japan’s radiation problem so far, only 1.4 percent of the food products entering the United States from Eastern Europe exceeded standards for radiation. Much of that was meat and poultry.

Imports of raw beef from Japan, including premium Kobe beef, have been suspended since last April, because of concerns about foot and mouth disease, according to a spokesman for the United States Department of Agriculture. Poultry and egg imports are barred because the Agriculture Department has not determined that Japan has a sufficient inspection system for those products. Dairy products can be contaminated if cows eat grass that radioactive isotopes have fallen on; this was a major source of radiation after the Chernobyl accident. But dairy accounts for only 0.1 percent of food imported from Japan, according to the F.D.A. There is also relatively little fresh produce.

Some seafood does come from Japan. However, much of the fish served in sushi restaurants here does not, and even fish caught by Japanese fleets might not be from waters near Japan.

The F.D.A. said it was taking steps to measure contamination in fish, but added, “The great quantity of water in the Pacific Ocean rapidly and effectively dilutes radioactive material, so fish and seafood are likely to be unaffected.”

The United States Customs and Border Protection already monitors incoming cargo for radiation, part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks. It said in a statement this week that it had instructed its field officers to specifically monitor maritime and air traffic from Japan.

“We don’t have any dirty bombs or nukes coming through here because of these processes,” said Ron Boyd, the chief of police at the Port of Los Angeles. He said he was confident that the procedures would also be able to detect radioactive cargo from Japan.

There are already reports of passengers arriving from Japan setting off radiation detectors at Chicago’s O’Hare and at Dallas-Fort Worth airports, but those levels were reported to be very low. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that no aircraft entering the United States “has tested positive for radiation at harmful levels.”