Business confidence in Kinki region below national average
The Diffusion Index (DI) that shows the level of business confidence stood at minus 43 in the Kinki area in March for all industry, declining by 17 points from the previous survey conducted in December 1997, according to the tankan survey, short-term economic outlook of principal corporations, for the Kinki region released by the Osaka Branch of the Bank of Japan. The national average registered minus 35, a drop of 13 points.The Index for June is expected to remain static at minus 43 in the Kinki region (minus 38 in the nation).
By sector, the DI (favorable minus unfavorable) stood at minus 40 (minus 33) for manufacturing industries and at minus 46 (minus 38) for non-manufacturing industries.
Pre-tax profits for fiscal 1997 are estimated to decline 5.7% (minus 6.7%) from the 1996 fiscal year for all industry.
The Judgment Index for the lending attitudes of financial institutions stood at minus 29 in the Kinki region (minus 19), deteriorating by as much as 36 points (deterioration of 23 points) from the previous survey. Thus, the fund procurement in the region is judged to be much more difficult than in the nation as a whole.
The survey covered 1,126 businesses (557 manufacturing and 569 non-manufacturing firms) in the Kinki region, which covers Shiga,Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama prefectures. The response rate was 95.6%.
MESSE-BITION '98 to be held April 24-29
The 23rd Osaka International Trade Fair (MESSE-BITION '98) will be held from April 24 to 29 at INTEX OSAKA. This year, 1,267 companies and local governments from 61 countries, regions and international agencies will participate in the six-day event, which is expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors."Memorial Ceremony Exhibition" will exhibit a broad range of equipment and systems and offer information related to funeral ceremonies, while "China Fair" will show Chinese industrial products, clothing, foods, and many other items in a space covering 1,000 square meters. "Made in the U.S.A." will introduce unique toys and sports equipment that are typically American, along with automobiles and other products.
In addition, at "Tour Expo '98", government tourism bureaus and airlines from 15 countries and regions in Asia-Pacific will promote tourism and sales of local products.
With the International Fair, "Osaka Olympic Road" will also be held to help bring the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to Osaka by introducing the outline of the city's plans for the Games.
Rush of facilities around Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Tourist facilities as well as events are being opened to the public one after another around the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. Among major facilities are the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center in Tarumi Ward, Kobe, which shows the construction process of the Bridge and Maiko Marine Promenade at the bridge that is a 317-meter walkway 50 meters above the sea level.Besides, "Awaji World Park ONOKORO," which features 1/25 scale models of 16 world-renowned edifices including Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, has been completely renewed in Tsuna-Town, Awaji Island. On July 18, "Awaji World village," is expected to be opened in the precinct of ONOKORO, providing lodging facilities featuring tent dwellings of Central Asia's nomadic people as well as native Americans, ancient dugout-type and floor-raised-type bungalows.
Meanwhile, the Nojima fault preservation pavilion was opened in Hokutan-Town, Awaji Island. The pavilion is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting "the Nojima fault," as a natural monument for the Great Hanshin Earthquake, to demonstrate to the future generations the severity of the quake and lessons learned fromit.
Various kinds of events marking the opening of the bridge are also scheduled through December. They include "Awaji Flower and Park Festival," a pre-event for "Japan Flora 2000," an international gardening and landscaping exhibition that will be held in 2000. The Festival will be held in Awaji-Town and Higashiura-Town, Awaji Island, from April 24 to May 5. From April 17 to 19, Toku-shima City will host Awa Odori, traditional summer dance.
Exports drop for the first time in 28 months
Total export value in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Shiga, Nara and Wakayama prefectures dropped by 1.5% from a year earlier to 795.7 billion yen in February due mainly to sluggish sales to Southeast Asian countries, Osaka Customs reported in its region trade outlook. This was the first year-on-year decline in 28 months. The value of imports decreased by 14.2% to 545.8 billion yen, marking the second consecutive monthly decline.Among export items, while video equipment increased by 33.1% to 26.6 billion yen, office equipment and metal fabricating machines suffered a decline by 17% to 63.2 billion yen and by 33.9% to 10.9 billion yen respectively.
Among import items, electrical machinery rose by 10.7% to 54.2 billion yen, but clothing was stagnant, declining by 20.7% to 59.0 billion yen.
By region, shipments to the U.S. rose 11.8% to 195.2 billion yen and those to EU stood at 140.8 billion yen, up 11.5%. But, exports to other Asian countries slipped 13.0% to 354.0 billion yen, of which shipments to China rose by 12.4% to 58.5 billion yen.
Imports from the U.S. eased off by 1.1% to 109.7 billion yen, while those from EU dropped 5.4% to 84.1 billion yen and from other Asian countries declined 17.1% to 246.4 billion yen with shipments from China falling 16.1% to 105.1 billion yen.
Earthquake-free showcases to protect artwork
To protect precious artworks from the damage of an earthquake, showcases incorporating a newly-invented device of absorbing temblors were developed by Konoike Construction Co. and other companies. The technique adopted in the device is called the "base isolation"method. The showcases, therefore, are to be installed in such museums and art museums that were built before the method of construction with base isolation system was developed.The device, which is attached to the bottom of the showcase, consists of concave rails and upper frames with mobile rollers placed between them to prevent the seismic vibration of the floor from reaching the showcase. It also uses both visco-elastic dampers and friction dampers to quickly absorb the energy of the quake. The showcase can stand any weight of its content and cannot be affected by the placement of an exhibit.
In order to demonstrate the efficacy of the new product, Konoike conducted a vibration test using a showcase measuring one meter by one meter and two meters high by applying the seismic waves of the same magnitude and nature with those of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
Shiga invites entries to Biwako Prize for Ecology
Shiga Prefecture is inviting entries to "The 8th Biwako Prize for Ecology," established to honor Japanese and foreign scientists who have made significant contributions to studies of ecology related to aquatic environments.Applicants must be individuals specializing in research on ecology or related science dealing with aquatic and/or watershed environments, residing in East Asia (including the eastern part of Russia), Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific Area (excluding Australia and New Zealand).
Candidates should fill out "Nomination Form for 1998 Biwako Prize for Ecology" either in Japanese or English and return it by mail by June 1, 1998. Two winners will be chosen in August and a prize of five million yen will be awarded to each winner.
Shiga Prefecture, the home of Lake Biwa (Biwako)--Japan's largest lake, established The Biwako Prize for Ecology in 1991 in the hope of advancing ecological research associated with the environment and to make contributions to conservation of the global environment. So far, nine Japanese and five foreign scientists have received the prize.
Kansai in Focus: MYSTAR 60, Kansai company, hires people over 60 exclusively
Japan's employment experts were taken by surprise when they saw the advertisement in national newspapers, proclaiming "Age is nothing but a uniform number! No retirement from life! 60-70 year-old engineers wanted." They took a second and third look at this startling advertisement. This was back in January 1990. In Japan, most employers still look for young workers. There had been no precedent of a "help wanted" ad targeted exclusively at older workers. The advertisement and its copy were the brainchild of Mr. Shigeo Hirano, president of MYSTAR ENGINEERING CORP. (then Marusei Engineering) located in Kita ward, Osaka. The response to the advertisement was overwhelming.
The following month, Mr. Hirano founded MYSTAR 60 CORP. to employ people over 60, and himself became its president. Today, eight years later, 270 aged people are vigorously working at the firm. Their average age is 64.5 years, 10 years older than Mr. Hirano.
Both MYSTAR ENGINEERING and MYSTAR 60 are engaged in maintenance and engineering of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, mechatronics industrial equipment, and buildings' or hotels' construction facilities. The business requires sophisticated technology, skills and experience. While the average age of the workers at MYSTAR ENGINEERING is 28 years, works are always carried out by a mixed team of workers, young and old, from the two companies. Such blending of youth and state-of-the-arts technology with rich life experience and skills fosters a family-like atmosphere, positively stimulates workers, and invigorates the whole group.
MYSTAR 60 has a five-day workweek, and pays monthly salaries. Combined with the government's or employee pension benefits, the employee's annual income is on the 4 million yen level. All employees are covered by insurance. Although the firm's retirement age is set at 70, workers can choose when to retire. At present, the oldest worker is 78 years old.
Why did Mr. Hirano found a "no employment under 60" company ? "Various surveys show that more than 60% of the aged people want to work and contribute to society by utilizing their experience and skills. I hoped to respond to their wishes," Mr. Hirano says. He wanted to provide a place where those over 60 could work and feel a sense of fulfillment. Therefore, "Though MYSTAR ENGINEERING is for profits, MYSTAR 60 is not."
In fact, MYSTAR 60 has continued to register operating losses since its founding. However, thanks to the government's subsidies to employers hiring elder workers, when such subsidies are included, the firm posts pre-tax profits. Even if the company produces net profits in the future, Mr. Hirano intends to "use all of them for workers, by keeping so-called "labor share" at 100%."
Japan's population is rapidly aging. In October 1997, the aged people 65 years old or older outnumbered those 14 years old or younger for the first time in the nation's history (survey by Management and Coordination Agency). The 1997 Labor White Paper pointed out the importance of securing jobs for older workers. However, various labor statistics show that job offers to the aged people are close to zero. Given this situation, the existence of MYSTAR 60 is a "shining star" for employment of elder workers in the Kansai region.