Time flies and it will be September next week. This week, a large typhoon number 10 has hit, and there have been a series of candidate declarations toward the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election held on September 27. And regarding the intention behind the violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese aircraft, suspicion arose on the Japan side.
By the way, visitors to Japan (inbound tourists) in July was 3.29 million, the highest number ever in a single month. By countries and regions, China that had been late was 0.77 million (23%), Korea 0.75 million and Taiwan 0.57 million. It is the first time China has been at the top since October 2022, but the recovery rate remains 74% compared to July 2019 before corona.

■Japan is prone to disasters and an awareness of disaster prevention is indispensable:
I think that everyone is the same and this week, I have been swayed by the movement of a typhoon number 10 and my schedule has been greatly disrupted. It was the strongest class of power in the past and at first, it was predicted to approach the Tokai region, but continued northward and landed in the Kyushu region and caused significant damage due to heavy rainfall. From now on, it will cross Honshu in the route of Chugoku, Kansai, Tokai and Kanto, and there are concerns about the spread of damage nationwide. Tokai and Kanto that are far away from the position of the typhoon have been affected by heavy rain damage and planned suspension of Shinkansen and flight has been implemented.
By the way, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred on January 1 this year, and it caused 299 deaths (among them, 70 were disaster-related deaths), 3 missing and great material losses.
There are a lot of victims that can’t return to their normal daily life. And a big earthquake occurred in Miyazaki prefecture on August 8, and one week after that, special attention by “Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information” ‘(Megathrust earthquake attention) had been issued. In Japan, earthquakes occur somewhere almost every day.
And in addition, there are eruptions of volcanoes as a big natural disaster in Japan. There are 111 active volcanoes in Japan that account for nearly 10 % of active volcanoes in the world. Mt. Fuji that usually looks beautiful is, in fact, one of the biggest active volcanoes in Japan. Looking back at the data, it is revealed that it has erupted at least 180 times in 5,600 years. The last eruption is “the Hoei Eruption” in 1707. From this point of view, it is said that Mt. Fuji could erupt at any time.
Like this, as long as we live in Japan, we are constantly exposed to the risk of natural disasters.
Therefore, it is necessary to have an awareness of disaster prevention on a daily basis. By the way, when it comes to disaster prevention, “creating a manual” is often emphasized. Of course, a manual is important, but “having that doesn’t necessarily bring peace of mind”. What we should not forget is that “disasters don’t come according to the manual”. Among them, in case of earthquake and eruption, it is impossible to predict “when, where, or what scale”. And transport and correspondence will be shredded and the communication system is also not as per the manual. Therefore, what is important is “quick decision-making in disaster situations”. Depending on the situation, there may be situations where we have no choice but to act against the manual.
I used to visit the disaster sight of Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi where 74 children were dead in the Tsunami by Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. As I heard and saw the situation at that time, I was reminded that the decisions made on the spot can make the difference between life and fate. It is important to have an awareness of disaster prevention on a daily basis and to be prepared to “protect your own life” assuming a variety of cases.

■Looking back three years after the establishment of “Tsuji Business Support Office”:
Three full years have passed since I retired and left Konoike Transport Co., Ltd. at the end of June 2021 and established “Tsuji Business Support Office” as my new challenge. In the blink of an eye, it feels like I am here today. Looking back, the last three years were turbulent times both domestically and internationally.
In Japan, coronavirus infection starting in January 2020 has spread, and three years later in May last year restrictions on movement have been finally relaxed. During that period, Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in principle, without spectators were held from August to September 2021. And from July 26 to August 11 this year, Paris Olympics with spectators was held and the performance of Japanese athletes stood out. At present, Paralympics is being held in Paris from August 28 to September 8. It will give us a new impression.
By the way, in domestic politics, former Prime Minister Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, and that is how the issue of the Unification Church and political funding scandal surfaced, and Prime Minister Kishida has decided to step down, because the government’s approval ratings have been sluggish. A succession dispute is unfolding now, but the people are in a wet blanket mood.
And unfortunately, Japan’s international standing is on a continuous decline. Can it regain its former glory? For Japan that doesn’t have any natural resources to survive, it needs the wisdom to create “something” from “nothing”, in other words, “added value”. In order to do that, the “diligence” that has been considered a virtue among Japanese people is essential. By the way, “the statue of Ninomiya Kinjiro” that used to be a symbol of “diligence” disappeared from the schoolyard, and instead, what stands out conspicuously around me is walking with a smartphone in hand. Anyway, what Japan needs is not short-term policies, but the formation of a long-term vision based on “a long-range plan for the nation”, world-class “human resource development” and reform of “political, economic, social and educational system” suffering from institutional fatigue.
On the other hand, in the international situations, Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred on February 24, 2022 was not what Mr. Putin thought it would be. It was drawn into a quagmire, and there is still no sign of a breakthrough in peace negotiations. “Starting a war is easy, but ending it is extremely difficult”. On top of that, the Hamas-led attack on Israel occurred on October 7, 2023, and in retaliation, a tragedy that is a murder of more than 40,000 innocent Palestinian citizens is underway. Both Ukraine and the Middle East are in dangerous situations where it is uncertain when a large-scale war might break out. Western countries’ vigilance against hegemonism centered on wolf warrior diplomacy in China is increasing.
And presidential election in the United States symbolizing this year that is considered an election year will be held on November 5 in local time, and a fierce election battle between Vice-President Harris and former President Trump is unfolding towards the election day. The outcome is unpredictable, but whoever wins will have a significant impact on global politics and economy. I want to believe that the American people’s sense of balance regarding democracy will prevail in the end. By the way, if Mr. Trump loses by a narrow margin instead of a large margin, there are concerns that his supporters will riot in the United States.

■About the future:
I will be 82 years old in October this year. It is just like “time flies like an arrow”. In terms of health, I am doing well and my health check-up results are “nothing worthy of record”.
By the way, motivation for opening my current office is that I wanted to share with young people the rise and fall of the Japanese economy that I have witnessed over nearly 60 years in the workforce and my experience working on projects in various countries such as the United States, China, Vietnam, India and so on. In addition to this, I have a belief that “people without disabilities should strive to support those in weaker positions”. This feeling has not changed. I continue to intend to keep a wise saying “people don’t grow old by living a number of years; they grow old by losing their passion” in a poem “Youth” written by Samuel Ullman in my heart and strive forward. I hope to continue receiving your support, guidance, and, when necessary, your scoldings.
By the way, my blog that I have streamed every Friday as a general rule since the opening of my office has reached its 150 th edition this time. Therefore, taking this opportunity, I want to change the blog streaming schedule to every other Friday as a general rule from now on. Incidentally, the next will be September 13. The reasons are that I would like to dedicate more time to my primary consulting work and I want to go out more domestically and internationally while I can.
I would like to ask for your understanding and I hope to receive your continued patronage in the future.