A Competitive Society and Altruism

A competitive society, some people say, makes the people so selfish that they can survive it. However, Ito, Kubota, and Otake (2014) claims, anti-competitive school practice is rather likely to make the students 'selfish' and 'uncooperative'; Competitive society rather makes people more altruistic and cooperative.

競争社会は、人を生き残りをかけるために利己的にさせる。しかし、伊藤・窪田・大竹（2014）によれば、非競争的な教育こそ生徒を利己的に非協力的にさせるという。競争社会こそむしろ人を利他的に協力的にさせるのだ。

ブランド店

先日、ジョルジオ・アルマーニの店でスーツを試着した。すると店員さんが、「お客様、よくお似合いでらっしゃいます！」、「お客様はスタイルがいいので、お客様こそアルマーニですわ。」　これは気持ちがいい。落ち込んだときは、ブランド店へ行けばいいかもしれない。

A couple of days ago I tried suits on at Giorgio Armani, and its salesclerk smiled and said, "You look good! ", "You have a nice style and you're a nice guy. Armani is best for you!" I felt like a room without a roof. If you're depressed, it might be good to visit brand stores.

大学の問題点

池田氏のG大学・L大学の話。グローバルのG、ローカルのLであるが、G大学はアカデミックな教育をし、L大学は職業訓練校。１０年以上前に聞いた「研究大学」と「教養大学」という話とほぼ同じだ。
　
しかし、「大学を作りすぎた」という話がないのは不思議だ。戦後、駅弁大学、つまり和歌山大学みたいな国立大を作ったが、大学数が急速に増えたのは９０年代以降で、さらに学部を増やし、補助金を与えている現状だ。

観光学、地域創造学、国際環境学、総合政策学など既存の学部を合わせたものに税金を突っ込む。新手の交付金目当て、「おれおれ詐欺」ならぬ「学学（がくがく）詐欺」にも思える。それよりも初等教育に金遣え、とはすごく正しい。

同時に、「大学に実務教育を」とは矛盾した議論だ。「実務」は職場で、「教養・哲学」は大学で学ぶべきもの。大学の役割と税金の使い道を再考すべきだ。

A Japanese Life

Seeing some people sleeping in the train, I wonder what a safe country Japan is, and at the same time how long they can't sleep at home; Many are working until late at night and their children are waiting at home for their dad and mom to come back.

電車の中で爆睡する人を見ては、日本の治安の良さを思うと同時に、家でしっかり睡眠がとれないものかとも思う。多くの人が激務の中で、夜遅くまで働いてい る。多くの子どもたちも、保育園や学童で、または誰もいない家で、パパやママの帰りを待っている。

Getting out of such a vicious spiral, Japanese may be able to regain a real heart; More or less, they can spend more time with their family and friends and increase their quality of life, which will let them realize what they live for.

そんな悪循環をやめれば、本来の心が戻ってくるかもしれない。少なくとも、家族や大切な人と過ごす時間を増やして個人の質的生活水準を上げることにより、 何のために生きるのかがはっきり見えてくるのではないだろうか。

People Choose When to Die?

One economist, who I think was Gary Becker of U of Chicago, once said, more or less people choose when to die; Heavy smokers or gangsters can be said to choose to die younger, otherwise people don't choose such careers.

However, I don't think people are so rational to know the ends, and it's a little surprise to hear that there's one who chooses the date to die. Honestly, no matter what reason she had, I cannot feel happy to think she must have had another choice to make; I do not think that her decision is true for those who are suffering from the same disease and having the same fate as she had.

金券ショップとベルトラン競争

金券ショップの切符どこから仕入れるんだろう？　クレジットカードは利用限度があるから、カードで切符を買って、その切符を売って現金化する。繁華街のテ ナントに中国韓国系のマッサージ店が入ってくる。いったん入居するとどんどん同業他店が入ってくる。そうすると価格競争（ベルトラン競争）が生まれそうで あるが、特別なサービスを付けてそれを回避している。

SNS and What to Choose

I cannot help feeling that it is not each individual but major televisions, newspapers, ad agencies, and political and business people that can control the information even though we are in an age of the Social Networking Services (SNS); Something can get labeled as what is convenient for them. The point is what and whom we think we should choose, not what and whom they choose.　

SNSの時代だとは言え、情報は個人でなく、テレビ、新聞、広告代理店、政財界が握っていることを思わずにはいられない。何かが都合よく決めつけられうるのだ。大事なのは、我々が誰を何を選ぶべきかであって、彼らが何を誰を選ぶのではない。

男女の収入格差

女性の給与が男性より低い。

これは同じ職業、同じ学歴の男女間にも存在する。

男性は女性より２倍自信過剰で、２倍出来高報酬を選ぶからだという。また、女 性の起業家ですら男性のそれよりも２３％低い報酬を得ていて、女性はビジネス的な成功より社会貢献を重視、男性より仕事に満足しているという。さらに、男 性の方が長時間労働に従事していることに原因があるともいう。

Money and Life

Earnings don't have to be paid in cash; payment in kind is also fine. One month's worth of rice would be equal to my 3 hours' labor, and the right to have a date with a pretty girl would make me work for 5 hours.

Money is a very good device in making the trades smooth, but may not be a good one in making our life happy. Payment in kind can also increase production and employment. To increase income is not only a solution to better life, but to satisfy our everyday life is also important.

自民党と民主党

自民党さんは「カネを増やす」ことだけ考え、民主党さんは「カネをいかに（貧困層に）分けるか」しか考えていない。「カネを増やして分ける」ことが重要ですが、それを言ってる政党さんないです。政治的に難しいんですね、きっと。

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Mr Abe's ruling party, claims income growth to be important, whereas the Democratic Party claims income distribution to be important. The important is, how to increase and divide income, but it must be politically very difficult to do.

黒人問題

１０代の黒人は１０代の白人に比べ２１倍警官に殺されている。しかし同時に、１０代の黒人は１０代の白人に比べて９倍殺人を犯すので、正しくは「１０代の黒人は１０代の白人に比べ２．３（２１÷９）倍警官に殺されている」となる。

人間関係

人から好かれるかどうか気にしなくても、という人がいるが、そこを気にするのは人情だ。最近学校で「コミュニケーション能力」が教えられているが、それは 「表面的な人間関係」をうまく構築することだ。それも必要なことだと思う。人間関係は家族、恋人、友人だけじゃなく、顧客、同僚、先生、取引先もある。ど れが重要なのかということだけれども、いろんな関係がある以上、むしろうまく適応する必要がある。「表面的」な関係もまた重要な気がする。

Some people suggest that we should not care whether we are liked or not in our community, but we people generally care it.

Recently many schools have taught 'communication skill' whose aim is to build a good 'surface' relationship between us. I think it is also necessary. Not only are there our family, boy/girl friends, and friends, but also our customers, clients, cowokers, and teachers in our social relationships.

Which is more important does matter, but as long as we live in a wide variety of social relationships, we need rather to adapt ourselves to the relationships we live in; A surface relationship is also important.

エルドガン大統領

トルコのエルドガン大統領の発言が女性の怒りを買っている。「女性と男性を同じ職業に就かせることはできない。男女の性質が違うんだからそれは自然に反し ている。」

エルドガン氏の言には一理ある。

女性が平等であることとは、男性のように行動することではない。男女はその性質において同じではなく、社会にお いて同じように扱われるべきだということに過ぎない。

しかしながら、女性には子を産まない権利があってもよく、男性のように働く女性がいてもよい。私は最 近、人は女性または男性として生まれるのではなく、女性または男性になる、というのを聞いた。その通りだと思う。元々の自分の性を嫌い、女装男装する人も いる。大事なのは、そういう人の権利についても同様に考えることだと思う。

The speech of Turkey's Erdogan made women angry.

He said, "You cannot bring women and men into equal positions; that is against nature because their nature is different." I understand Mr Erdogan a little bit: For women to be equal to men is not to behave like men. Women and men are not the same in nature, but they should be no more than treated the same in the society.

However, women can be allowed the right not to bear a child, and, of course, some of them can work like men.

Recently I have heard that people are not born as women or men, but become women or men. I think it's true. Some of them hate their own biological gender and then wear and behave like the other sex. The important thing is, I guess, to think about the rights of such people as well.

不況対策について

「不況対策って何があるか」とよく聞かれる。「変動相場制では金融政策が有効」だ。

逆に、カシャップ・星氏らが言うように、「不況対策はかえっていい企業 をダメにする」効果もありうる。

選挙のための公共事業や、経団連を喜ばせる円安策よりも、失業された人への給付など転職支援策をもっと充実した方がよいと 考える。

What should be done in the downturn? In the floating rate system, monetary expansion works well, but Hoshi and Kashyap say that it spoils good business. It sounds right and I think that helping the unemployed change jobs should be more necessary than public spending for the next election, or depreciation of the currency for manufacturers and business.

GDP and Real Life

GDP is the total income produced domestically and 'two-quarter continual decline in GDP' means 'recession.'

I've heard Japan is in recession since I was an elementary pupil, 20 years ago, but we can still eat. As I hear that it's getting difficult to make a living, I feel the economic value doesn't necessarily mean our life and happiness.

大学の授業料

大学の授業料は高い。１０年前国公立大では年間授業料４９万円だった。今は年間授業料５３万円。この１０年で８％伸び、消費者物価指数は５％下落した。授 業料は１０年で１３％上昇した。私大はもともと高いがこの１０年で９％上昇。同じ先生が同じ教科書で同じ内容を教えているとすれば、今の学生、親御さんの 満足度は明らかに減少している。

10 years ago the annual tuition of public university is around US$4,900 ($1=100yen).

Now it is $5,300 and has been growing at 8% whereas the prices 5% declining. That is, the tuition is 13% up.

In contrast, the tuition of private university has been growing at 9% for these 10 years.　Considering the same professors teaching the same thing with the same textbook, the welfare of the students is absolutely decreasing.

ティンバーゲンの定理

日本の最大の貿易相手国は中国！アメリカは２位。韓国は３位。４位はオーストラリア。

中韓は日本貿易の４分の１を占めます。貿易理論では「ティンバーゲン の定理」があり、「貿易数量は距離の２乗に反比例する」、つまり「近い国と多く貿易する」。

中韓とは切っても切れない関係だと実感します。

データ（１）円ベースhttp://www.customs.go.jp/toukei/suii/html/data/y3.pdf
データ（２）ドルベースhttp://www.jetro.go.jp/world/japan/stats/trade/　

Which country is the Japan's biggest trading partner?

China! USA is No 2 and Korea No 3. China and Korea contribute to one quarter of the Japan's international trade volume.

Tinbergen's Theorem claims, the trade volume is inversely proportional to the squared distance between the countries.

That means, a country trades more with nearer countries. It can be said that Japan cannot exist without China and Korea.

Midterm Election and Obama's Challenge

One American guy said to me, "don't talk about a neighbor's garden."

Well, I follow him and don't talk about the American politics.

I think Mr Obama did seek another way the former Presidents didn't take; Praha's speech of anti-nuke weaponry, Obama universal health care, and less military intervention, which all sounds less 'American-like'.

I think this is the way the world is changing, and many American people seems not able to follow the way. Anyway, I will keep an eye on what Mr Obama will do next.

Facebook and Sex

Have you had a sex with your partner recently? A couple of days ago I heard a neuroscientist saying that when we post photos or comments in facebook we feel as happy as when we have a sex. I don't know if it's true, but I haven't been interested in sex recently...

Islamic State and Bombing

Some recent cases unfortunately make Muslim look dangerous, but is it just because many of us don't know well what Muslim are? Rather we just see only part of the acts of the people who name themselves Muslim, don't we?

It seems right to bomb IS, Syria and Iraq because we can see many killed in youtube. However, we have no clue to know what truly happens there and moreover we have no reason to intervene the matter.

At any rate, I don't want the tax revenue to be used for bombing whose targets we really don't know.

On Empowering Women

Ms Obuchi and Ms Matsushima, both of whom were the symbols of empowering women under the 2nd Abe Administration, resigned from office. Promoting women's participation in the society is one of Mr Abe's policies, but does it mean that many women in suit with business bag work outside? I think that the point is somewhere else:

Because women do housework and men work outside doesn't always mean that women are of low social status, whereas because the number of women is almost the same as that of men in the Congress doesn't necessarily mean that women are of high social status and treated more equally.

The point is that people having the same ability, legal right and qualification should be treated the same, regardless of age, sex and race; It should not be because you're a woman that you have a degree of PhD or are the member of the Congress.

Mr Abe struggles to increase women in the Congress, the government and companies, but it can unavoidably be seen as wiping out his manly and hawkish image and aiming for women's vote only.

Malala and the Article 9th

Considering the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for Ms.Malala, I am sure that keeping the world peace costs much.

In contrast, the Article 9th, disarmament of Japan, which was nominated for the 2014 Peace Prize, is the outcome of the dealing with the US; Then the US disarmed Japan, instead promised Japan to protect its land and the Emperor system.

This is, what is called, the Yoshida Doctorine, and Japan could become the 3rd largest country in the world thereafter without paying any cost of security.

Some Japanese claim that the Article 9th is worth the prize, but I doubt them and I would say to such people that there are the dead in the battlefields under the Article 9th.

マララさんの受賞から思うのは、「平和には大きな代償 (The Price of Peace) が必要だ」ということ。日本はその代償を免れる条件として、日本は「九条」を受け入れた。これがいわゆる、吉田ドクトリン(Yoshida Doctorine)というもので、「九条」は「日本の再軍備」を警戒したアメリカとの取引であり、日本は天皇制を維持すること、安保条約で守ってもらう ことを前提にこれを飲んだ。お陰で日本は超大国になれた。「九条」はいわばアメリカに『武装はしないから、代わりに安保で守ってね』という「取引」に過ぎ なかった。

Taro Impossibility Theorem

Men usually like tactful, gentle, sensible, skinny and charming ladies, but there's no such one in the world.

As there's no perfect democracy in the world, there's no perfect woman or man in the world; It can be one of impossibility theorems.

Proof? To be continued..