…never mind, Hatoyama’s plan is a complete and utter farce, a sick joke with no punchline delivered to a nation of people who need real leadership. Here’s the first paragraph of the Kyodo article:

The government unveiled Wednesday a basic policy for its growth strategy through 2020, aiming to achieve an average economic growth of 3% in nominal terms by boosting demand in the environmental, health and tourism fields and creating a total of 4.76 million jobs in related industries.

The rest of the article is there, but the first paragraph already tells you how stupid, short-sighted and disconnected from reality this government is, and there’s not much need to read the rest. But if you’re in a masochistic mood, here you go: Bumbling fools reveal idiotic policies Gov’t seeks nominal 3% growth through 2020 by demand in key areas.

While the previous plan could potentially pump billions of yen into the economy, the next plan should cost much more. To do this, Japan simply has to switch driving from the left to the right side of the road. Of course, other countries have pulled this off without spending huge sums of money, such as Sweden, but Japan can avoid falling into this trap by ensuring that the process be as expensive and wasteful as possible. Here’s how it works: (more…)

Let’s take a look at what they mean by “earnings growth.”

It’s helpful to look into the factors behind the Nikkei’s numbers. The Nikkei appears to be cheerleading for future sales to Asia by stating, “With Japan, the U.S. and Europe mired in a prolonged economic downturn, companies are likely to grow even more reliant on Asian markets for earnings growth.”
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From a report in today’s Nikkei:

Under the program, homeowners taking out 35-year loans from an affiliated lender will have the mortgage rate reduced by 1 percentage point for the first 10 years.

The offer will be available only for homeowners taking out such loans next year. Also, homes purchased with the loan must be one of the following: energy-efficient, handicapped-accessible or quake-resistant.

The government intends to put 260 billion yen into the lending program, which will use the Japan Housing Finance Agency to issue mortgages. Currently, rates on mortgages taken out from the Japan Housing Finance Agency stand at 2.6%, which means those taking out new mortgages under the plan in 2010 will pay 1.6% interest for the first ten years of the loan.

The majority of these blogs were new to me, though of course I recognized Claus Vistesen’s Alpha Sources and Edward Hugh’s Bonobo Land. And, yes, this blog made the list as well. It’s an honor to be named alongside some truly wonderful blogs.

When turning in their used handset, customers will receive a ticket allowing them to apply online for a chance to win a gift voucher. The government plans to give out 800 vouchers worth 50,000 yen, 8,000 vouchers valued at 5,000 yen, and 150,000 gift vouchers worth 1,000 yen.

Of course, the government is after the rare metals that lurk inside many unused handsets. Since I have a few unused handsets lying around, I wonder how much they’re actually worth in precious metals. I doubt it’s worth 50,000 yen, but what would be the odds of winning one of those 800 50,000 yen vouchers?

I wonder how this works now that the DPJ is in charge of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. Do they have the power or desire to stand up to Ishihara?

In an effort to get more customers in its shops, McDonald’s gave away free coffee on a few dates during the third quarter. Although the number of customers at existing stores showed a decline, this figure is also mitigated by the transformation of centrally owned shops to franchises. (more…)