Vocabulary Study

Explain the meaning of the following words and word-combinations as they are used in the text. Translate them into Russian:

a constitutional monarchy	to dismiss a minister
the Emperor	a district court
the Diet	a family court
to be appointed	a summary court
to appoint a minister	a councilor

Reading

Read the passage about the Japanese political structure. Be ready to summarize it and answer comprehension questions.

Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the constitution as “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people”. Power is held chiefly by the prime minister of Japan and other elected members of the Diet. The Emperor effectively acts as the head of state on diplomatic occasions. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan. Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stands as next in line to the throne.

The Executive Power

The Prime Minister of Japan is the head of the government. The position is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses the Ministers of State, a majority of whom are usually members of the Diet.

The Legislature

Japan’s legislative organ is the National Diet, the parliament. It consists of the House of Representatives (480 members), elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and the House of Councilors (242 members), whose popularly elected members serve three-year terms. The minimum voting age is 20 years. In 2009 the social liberal Democratic Party of Japan took power after 54 years of the liberal conservative Liberal Democratic Party’s rule.

The Judicial Branch

The highest court is the Supreme Court. Other courts are district courts, high courts, family courts, and summary courts. Judges are appointed by the Cabinet.

(from http://www.japan-guide.com)

Comprehension Questions:

• What is the system of ruling in Japan?

• How is the Emperor defined by the constitution?

• Whom is the executive power held by in Japan?

• Whom is the legislative power held by in Japan?

• Whom is the judicial power held by in Japan?

Practice

Using your background knowledge and information from library resources and the Internet, make a presentation about Japanese political parties and elections.

Discussion

Comment on the following quotations:

1. The first of earthly blessings, independence (Edward Gibbon, an English historian).

2. Liberty, when it began to take root, is a plant of rapid growth (George Washington, the first President of the USA).

Practice

Using your background knowledge and information from newspapers and the Internet, prepare a report about today’s Japanese foreign and home policy.

Section 4. THE ECONOMY

Vocabulary Study

Explain the meaning of the following words and word-combinations as they are used in the texts. Translate them into Russian:

government-industry cooperation	a long-run problem
a strong work ethic	SG
a defense allocation	to get merged
GDP	ATM
a technologically advanced economy	a cash dispenser
to erode	to open an account
a caloric basis	an Alien Registration Card
an asset price bubble	to submit bills
sub-prime mortgage	to be accessed
the global credit crunch	insurance facilities

Reading

Read the passages about the economy of Japan. Be ready to summarize them and answer comprehension questions.

Overview

In the years following World War II, government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1 % of GDP) helped Japan to develop a technologically advanced economy. Today, measured on a purchasing power parity basis, Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China; measured by official exchange rates, however, Japan is the second largest economy in the world behind the US. Two notable characteristics of the post-war economy were the close interlocking structures of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors, known as keiretsu, and the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding under the dual pressures of global competition and domestic demographic change. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. A tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan imports about 60 % of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15 % of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular – a 10 % average in the 1960s, a 5 % average in the 1970s, and a 4 % average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1,7 %, largely because of the after effects of inefficient investment and an asset price bubble in the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. In October 2007 Japan's longest post-war period of economic expansion ended after 69 months and Japan entered into recession in 2008, with 2009 marking a return to near 0 % interest rates. The Japanese financial sector was not heavily exposed to sub-prime mortgages or their derivative instruments and weathered the initial effect of the global credit crunch, but a sharp downturn in business investment and global demand for Japan's exports in late 2008 pushed Japan further into a recession. The 10-year privatization of Japan Post, which has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but also, through its banking and insurance facilities, as Japan's largest financial institution, began in October 2007, marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform; however, in December 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan government passed a law to freeze future sales of Japan Post shares, halting the privatization process begun by Liberal Democratic Party governments. Debate continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy. Japan's huge government debt, projected to have reached 192,1 % of GDP in 2009, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.

(from http://www.theodora.com; http://www.japaneselifestyle.com)

Comprehension Questions:

• Which factors helped Japan to develop a technologically advanced economy?

• What does Japan import and export?

• What are the major long-run problems of the Japan’s economy?

Banks of Japan

The banks of Japan act as the economic base of the booming economy of the country.

There are a number of regional, national and international banks in Japan. Japanese banks provide service to their customers five days a week from Monday to Friday for six hours. Apart from the Japanese banks many international banks have settled their base in this country. Many banks of Japan have also opened branches all around the world like for example “The Bank of Tokyo – Mitsubishi” which has113 international branches.

Some of the major banks in Japan are Aomori Bank, Awa Bank, Bank of Kyoto, Chiba Bank, Chubu Bank, Daiwa Bank, Fukuoka Bank, Higo Bank, Iyo Bank, Kagoshima Bank, Kyushu Bank, Mizuho Bank, Sakura Bank, Shimizu Bank, Tokyo Tomin Bank and Yamagata bank.

SG Private Banking Asia Pacific, the bank operating around Asia, has a major branch in Japan. Lehman Brothers, an American institution, has one of their headquarters located in Tokyo. Many banks in Japan are getting merged to become big and more efficient.

All the banks of Japan give their customers ATM facility and cash dispensers. The negative thing of these facilities is that these are not accessible on weekends and at nights. Foreigners can also open an account in the Japanese banks by getting an Alien Registration Card. Foreign credit cards cannot be accessed from all the ATMs, only the international ATMs in the airports and post offices offer such service. Banks of Japan helps the citizens to submit the telephone, electricity and other bills.

(from http://www.mapsofworld.com)

Comprehension Questions:

• What kind of banks are there in Japan? And how do they work?

• Which facilities do the banks of Japan give their customers?

Practice

Using your background knowledge and information from newspapers and the Internet, prepare a report about the Global financial crisis of 2008–2010 in Japan. Discuss its consequences with your classmates.

Discussion

Comment on the following quotations:

1. Trust in God and do something (Mary Lyon).

2. An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity (Oscar Wilde).

3. We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).

Role-Play

Roleplay the following situation:

Tasihiko is an employee doing clerical work that consists of organizing board meetings, keeping minutes, and receiving incoming and outgoing mail. Although he is treated well, he knows that he is just another employee in a large corporation. Suddenly one day he cannot find an important letter he was sure was in the file. The contents of the letter have an important bearing on an up-coming board meeting. Tasihiko panics and asks one of his co-workers whether he should break the news to his boss.

Section 5. THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE PARTNERSHIP