Two articles in today’s New York Times show just how much trouble Japan is in economically. On the front page is an article on how young Japanese are finding it increasingly difficult to find a good job. Only 56.7 percent of college students have a firm job offer when they graduate, an all-time low.
An aging population is clogging the nation’s economy with the vested interests of older generations, young people and social experts warn, making an already hierarchical society even more rigid and conservative. The result is that Japan is holding back and marginalizing its youth at a time when it actually needs them to help create the new products, companies and industries that a mature economy requires to grow.
With a population that is actually falling in numbers, a very low birth rate, virtually no immigration, and an ever-increasing life expectancy, Japan is a demographic time bomb as the average age of the population steadily increases. There are more and more recipients of old-age pensions and medical care and fewer and fewer young workers to fund them.
And Standard and Poor’s has lowered Japan’s credit rating, down to AA-. That’s three steps below the top grade of AAA. China has the same rating, but China is growing rapidly, and its debt is only about 15 percent of GDP. Japan’s debt this year will reach 203 percent. (The debt/GDP ratio of Greece last year when it nearly defaulted and had to be rescued by the European Union was 137 percent.)
Of all the major economic powers, Japan is by far in the worst shape, and its politicians seem unable to take the tough steps necessary to turn things around. It’s hard to imagine that only 25 years ago, there was a spate of chin-pulling books and articles on how Japan was poised to become the world’s leading economy.
This is a dilemma Hamas hopes it won’t have to face.
It won’t.
The main reason Barak refrains from Gaza operation is that there is no solution to huge barrages of missiles which will rain on all southern Israel if such an op. starts. What Hamas has probably done during the hudna was to bring in tons of missiles and position itself to rain those missiles during an israeli op such that the barrage cannot be readily stopped.
My guess is that barak knows this and does not want to incur the ensuing death and destruction.
Unfortunately, if Hebollah and Hamas discern this and decide to coordinate barrages, the future of israel is in question.
Hamas is totally selfless. It is willing to die. It is willing to sacrifice the lives of all the Palestinians in the world. Hamas is interested only in virtue as it understands it: dying in a jihad in order to kill Jews.
Hitler drove out all the atomic scientists in Germany and the Axis states. He invaded the USSR, leading to inevitable defeat, because there were lots of Jews there and he wanted to kill them. Hitler was totally selfless. He was willing to lose the war and his own life in order to pursue virtue as he understood it—killing Jews.
yes, but hitler WAS defeated. and it was not because the world cared about the jews, whom they let die and would not allow to go to israel (UK).
hamas won’t be defeated because the world does not understand (a) the danger of jihad and is cowardly (b) the contribution of israel to the world and the world is now helping hamas and screwing israel in the delusion that it can save its ass by throwing israel to the wolves. and israel has done little other than self-destructing;
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5791
there has been ample prediction that hamas will use the hudna to increase the amount and range of its missiles. this is exactly what it did and now israel has paralyzed itself on two borders from taking military action because it has not answer to missile barrages. by the time the army finishes off hamas and hezbollah (and i am not sure it can), the civilian losses will be so high that they can’t be afforded.
israel has committed suicide.
Thank you, Dr. J., for finally discovering the REAL reason for Hitler’s invasion of the USSR. The flip side of ethnic obsession ain’t purty neither.
The distinction made between Hamas and your average Gazan may be a bit artificial. Who voted Hamas into power? Who doesn’t take to the streets? Gee even in China they did that) Is there a difference between the citizen of Gaza and the authority ruling Gaza?
Israel turned Gaza over to the Palestinian’s in hopes of ending the suicide bombings and rocket attacks. It was not all that long ago Arafat and the Palestinian’s were offered Statehood for Palestine but it was rejected because they wanted half of Jerusalem. Every other demand of the Palestinians was met.
As history shows us the Palestinians are not interested in Statehood or peace. Their objective is to wipe the Israelis from the face of the planet in the name of Allah. Ahmadinejad the President of Iran has publicly exposed this same official policy; not gonna happen!
The Palestinian’s elected Hamas as their government, great the people have spoken. Hamas the Palestinian state is sending rockets and suicide bombers to kill Israeli citizens.
Wake up this is no longer terrorism; this is war. The Palestinian’s are not victims, they are cowards hiding their faces when shown on television. Killing in the name of Allah and Muslim Radical Fundamentalism is obscene and a crime against humanity. What the @#!&* gives Muslims the right to kill people just because they do not believe in Allah.
Would the United States government or it’s citizen’s accept incoming rockets/mortars or suicide bombers coming from Mexico or Canada? I think you can answer this question and what our response would be.
My reply to the respondents “shaddoun” and “ma_almasri”; if your in the United States get the @#$!* out. Your the group who is racist and refuses to assimilate to America but in turn reaps all the benefits of our society while spitting in our faces.
Hammas the ELECTED Palestinian government is 100% responsible for the killing of innocent Israeli’s and that of their own people. Why do you think Hamas put their so called “security centers in densely populated areas?” So the media will have their story and they can advance their cause through their twisted portrayal of themselves as victims.
I may be a little simplistic in my thinking but when pick a fight with someone and just because you get your ass kicked that does not make you the victim. The aggressor is the aggressor and nothing changes that fact.
My message to the Israeli government and the people of Israel; do not appease these cowards. Hit them hard and again ten fold until they stop these unprovoked attacks. Eventually they will learn, but only through overwhelming force you can and must demoralize these radical Muslim fanatics.
If you need help call upon me, I will fight with you in your military for the State of Israel because your War is just and clear.
James
Houston Texas
United States Air Force Veteran
israel got out of gaza stripe and gave the hammas a chance to build a palestinian state, ofcourse they took advantage of it and fired rockets for 8 years on israel, so what do you expect???
what country in the world would allow such thing?
hammas knows that and keeps abusing it’s own people, gaza is a beautiful place with a very nice beach but the government focuses on war instead of peace and development of the region.
poor Palestinians.
I noticed that this is not the first time you mention the topic. Why have you decided to write about it again?