Gas and LNG trading hubs,hub indexation and destination flexibility in East Asia

In the East Asian gas markets, issues like gas trading hubs, hub indexed pricing, and destination flexibility are being debated. This paper examines the impact of a change in East Asia's pricing benchmark and contract flexibility on the regional and global gas markets. The paper uses the Nexant World Gas Model, a linear program with global cost minimization as the objective. To our knowledge, this study on hub competition, price benchmark change and contract flexibility improvement in East Asia will be the first in the literature and have real policy relevance. The results show that both price benchmark change and contract flexibility improvements will create an overall benefit for the world and East Asia importers, but the impacts are different among exporters and importers. However, there is no evidence of competition among different benchmark hubs and no evidence that destination restrictions cause the “Asia Premium”. It implies that removal of destination clauses has higher priority than the change to hub indexation for Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, but both should be treated equally in China. The study also suggests that East Asian importers should cooperate among themselves and with exporters to facilitate the hub creation and contract changes in East Asia.     

Japan's new basic energy plan

In June 2010, the Japanese cabinet adopted a new Basic Energy Plan (BEP). This was the third such plan that the government has approved since the passage of the Basic Act on Energy Policy in 2002, and it represents the most significant statement of Japanese energy policy in more than four years, since the publication of the New National Energy Strategy (NNES) in 2006. Perhaps more than its predecessors, moreover, the new plan establishes a number of ambitious targets as well as more detailed measures for achieving those targets. Among the targets are a doubling of Japan's “energy independence ratio,” a doubling of the percentage of electricity generated by renewable sources and nuclear power, and a 30 percent reduction in energy-related CO₂ emissions, all by 2030. This paper explains the origins of the 2010 BEP and why it was adopted. It then describes the content of the plan and how it differs from the NNES. A third section analyzes the appropriateness of the new goals and targets contained in the BEP and their feasibility, finding that achievement of many of the targets was likely to be quite challenging even before the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.     

论周作人对日立场的演变

通过对周作人二三十年代的日本批评的变化,分析其中所包含的由于中日时局变化和他自身思想的变化对他日本批评的表现形式和态度的影响,并使其日本批评的立场由鲜明而转为暧昧,由民族主义渐变为亲日主义,在处理中日关系时不自觉地滑入了悲剧的轨道。     

关于日本型食生活的调查与研究

本文在对日本人食物结构和食物消费状况等进行调查和分析基础上,对于日本型食生活的形成及食物消费的变化进行了论述。着重阐述日本人平衡摄取营养,有利于健康长寿。同时还论述了产业结构、家庭结构等社会环境的变化对食生活的影响,并以山形县县民的食物消费状况作为具体事例进行分析。最后指出日本人食生活向高级化、多样化、简便化、外部化发展的必然趋势以及流通、加工等食品产业的大体发展方向。     

An economic evaluation of recombinant bovine somatotropin approval in Japan

A comprehensive econometric model was developed to evaluate potential impacts of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) approval in Japan. Three novel features of the analyses include 1) investigation of impact of rbST on herd-size structure, 2) determination of economic feasibilities of rbST adoption by herd size, and 3) evaluation of policies to mitigate negative effects of rbST approval. Simulation analysis was conducted over a 10-yr projected period assuming rbST was approved in Japan in 2001. Nine hypothetical scenarios were simulated to examine sensitivity of simulation results. Simulation results indicate that rbST approval would accelerate structural change in Japan's dairy industry toward fewer, larger farms. Negative effects of rbST on farm income are projected to be more severe for smaller farms, because of higher costs, lower profit-earning ability, lower milk yields, and lower adoption rates of rbST. Larger farms benefit from rbST adoption if milk demand is maintained. However, if concerns about rbST induce significant milk demand decreases, even the largest farms' income and cow numbers will decrease. Thus, Japan's dairy industry could be caught in a double downward spiral of declining milk prices and production. Assuming rbST is approved, small farms would benefit by using the technology, but they fare best if rbST is not approved. Two policies could be effective in mitigating possible farm income losses. First, lost farm income can be offset if dairy cooperatives can exercise greater market power to control fluid milk marketings. Second, because generic milk advertising has positive effects on both milk demand and farm income, increasing check-off rates to fund more advertising could ease farm income losses.     

浅析日本建筑设计中禅的精神

本文开篇叙述了对禅的理解,并通过分析日本社会背景、审美情趣以及禅在建筑中的运用来探讨日本建筑设计中禅的精神,由此引发中国同样需要这种精神。在这篇文章中,针对安藤忠雄建筑设计作品中禅的精神来进行剖析。最后阐释了禅对我们今天建筑设计的启示——信息化的时代,建筑师应重视现代设计与传统建筑文化、本土文化间的关系。     

Japanese expectations for green building assessments

The background and feedback on the Green Building Challenge '98 process in Japan is provided by a representative from one of two Japanese teams (representing the Building Constructors' Society). The positive process of validating and adapting the international criteria to particular national circumstances and then customizing these criteria is explained. Three significant benefits to the Japanese building industry are discussed: existing technologies and methodologies were validated, it was discovered that these have potential for world-wide application, the life expectancy of Japanese buildings needs to be lengthened. Future expectations from Japan include: the ongoing refinement of the international framework for the environmental assessment of buildings; the customization of criteria requires further structure and limits, a critical review of the customization process; an expansion embracing both developed and developing nations' new and existing buildings. The prototype green building assessment from GBC '98 has the potential to be refined and adopted as a world-wide methodology and is endorsed as the fastest way to achieve world-wide consensus. Les generalites et le retour d'informations se rapportant au projet Green Building Challenge 98 au Japon sont fournies par un representant de l'une des deux equipes japonaises (association de constructeurs). Cet article s'interesse a la procedure positive de validation et d'adaptation des criteres internationaux a des circonstances nationales specifiques puis leur particularisation. L'auteur examine egalement trois avantages significatifs pour l'industrie japonaise du batiment: le GBC a permis de valider des technologies et des methodologies existantes; on a decouvert qu'elles recelaient un potentieal pour une application mondiale; la duree de vie des batiments japonais doit etre allongee. On attend egalement du Japon des contributions dans les domaines suivants: l'affinage, deja en cours, du cadre international de l'evaluation environnementale des batiments; l'adaptation des criteres exige une autre structure ainsi que des limites; une revue critique du procede d'adaptation; une expansion englobant les batiments nouveaux et existants dans les pays en developpement et dans les pays industrialises. Le prototype d'evaluation des batiments verts a partir du projet GBC 98 peut etre affine et adopte sous forme d'une methodologie mondiale et etre considere comme la methode la plus rapide pour aboutir a un consensus global.     

Research and Development of Superconducting Magnet for Fusion Power

This paper describes mainly technological achievment of superconducting magnet for fusion power for the latest 10 years in Japan. The magnet development had been devoted to tokamak Fusion Experimental Reactor (FER). The major results obtained up to now are as follows.

In toroidal coil program, 12 T field generation, which is requested in a reactor toroidal coil, was realized with 6 kA multifilamentary Nb3Sn conductor in 1 m bore. For scaling-up of toroidal coil, half size coils of FER, LCT coils were tested up to 9 T.

In poloidal coil program, Demo Poloidal Coil project is now under way and coil testing will be started in spring of 1989. The stored energy of this coil is around 40 MJ.

In cryogenic technology program, fabrication and operation of large helium refrigerator technology were well established. A supercritical helium pump of 500 g/s was tested for forced flow coil.     

Smoking prevalence of female nurses in the national hospitals of Japan

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of smoking and the attitudes towards the restriction of smoking at work among female nurses in the national hospitals in Japan. DESIGN: Questionnaires mailed to 14 randomly selected national hospitals and sanitariums in Japan in 1993. SUBJECTS: 2207 female nurses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking status and history, and attitudes towards the restriction of smoking at work. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among female nurses was 18.6%, which was higher than the age-adjusted prevalence of the general female population using this study's subjects as a standardised population. Banning smoking in the hospital in which they worked was supported by 15.0%, whereas 81.6% supported the restriction of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that smoking is more common among female nurses than among the general female adult population. The survey suggested that nurses favour restriction, but not banning, of smoking.     

日本政府建筑建设标准的经验及其对我国的启示

以日本《关于国家机关的建筑物及其附属设施的位置、规模和构造的标准》、《新建一般政府建筑面积确定标准》、《政府建筑设施建设的法律》、《营造修缮项目管理要领》为例,介绍了日本政府建筑建设标准的经验,从建设标准的地位、内容体系、编制原则、编制方法、制订模式、标准实施、管理、更新等方面提出改进我国政府投资工程项目建设标准的相关建议。