"The article is true" - Tokyo high court- The amount of compensation by Bungeishunju was sharply reduced

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

「記事は真実」 東京高裁 週刊文春の賠償額を大幅減

11月22日 17時36分

流通大手「イオン」が、週刊文春に掲載された食品に関する記事や広告の見出しで名誉を傷つけられたと訴えた裁判で、２審の東京高等裁判所は、見出し以外は真実だと認め、賠償の額を１審の２４００万円から１１０万円に減らす判決を言い渡しました。

４年前、三重県の卸売会社が産地を偽装していたコメがイオンで販売された弁当などに使われていたことをめぐり、週刊文春は「『中国猛毒米』偽装イオンの大罪を暴く」という見出しで広告を出し、記事を掲載しました。

イオンは１億６５００万円の賠償などを求める訴えを起こし、１審の東京地方裁判所は見出しや記事の一部が真実とは認められないとして文藝春秋に２４９０万円余りの賠償を命じました。

２２日の２審の判決で東京高等裁判所の野山宏裁判長は、記事の内容は真実だとして１審の判決を変更したうえで「食品の安全に関して問題を提起する良質の言論で、裁判を起こすことで萎縮させるのではなく、言論の場で論争を深めていくことが望まれる」と指摘しました。

一方で、広告の見出しを見た人にコメに猛毒が含まれていたという誤った印象を抱かせるとして、文藝春秋に対して１１０万円の賠償などを命じました。

判決について文藝春秋は「１審判決の大部分が否定され、記事の正当性がほぼ認められたものと受け止めている」とコメントしています。

一方、イオンは「名誉毀損が一部認められた判決と理解しているが、判決文を精査して対応を検討する」とコメントしています。

My translation

In a trial in which the major distributor "Aeon" argued that it had been defamed by the headline of an article on food which appeared in Bungeishunju, the Tokyo high court in the second trial ruled that except for its headline the article was true, and gave the decision to reduce the amount of the compensation to 1.1 million yen from 24 million yen in the first trial.

Four years ago an article in Bungeishunju gave a notice in its headline by saying that " ‘Chinese deadly poisonous rice’ - a great sin in camouflage by Aeon was exposed" regarding the lunch box sold in Aeon that used the rice from a wholesale company in Mie-ken that had camouflaged the place of production of the rice.

Aeon initiated a lawsuit for a compensation of 165 million yen, and the Tokyo district court in the first trial refused to admit that the headline and part of the article were true and commanded Bungeishunju  to pay a compensation of about 24.9 million yen.

On the 22^nd in the second trial, Hiroshi Noyama the presiding judge of the Tokyo high court changed the judgment of the first trial because the contents of the article were true. In addition he pointed out that “it is a good discussion in which it draws attention to the problem on food safety, the trial instead of causing it to shrink, it is hoped that it could deepen arguments through discussions". 

On the other hand,  as it was supposed that the headline of advertisement had made people who saw it to hold a wrong impression that deadly poison was included in rice, Bungeishunju was ordered to made a compensation of 1.1million yen.

Regarding the court decision, Bungeishunju commented that "most of the court decisions in the first trial have been denied and that most of the justification for the article has been accepted”.

On the other hand Aeon commented that “the judgment could be understood as that it partially recognized there was defamation, yet the judgment sentence will be reviewed to consider a response".

   It is an interesting legal case. I think the lawyers from Bungeishunju had done a very good job.

Chinese noodle chain Kourakuen was going to close over 50 stores due to profit deterioration

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

ラーメンチェーン幸楽苑 採算悪化で５０店舗余 閉鎖へ

11月10日 21時50分

低価格のラーメンチェーン、「幸楽苑」を運営する会社は、人手不足で人件費が上昇し採算が悪化しているとして、全体のおよそ１割に当たる５０店舗余りを今年度中に閉鎖することになりました。

発表によりますと、「幸楽苑ホールディングス」は、５６０のラーメン店のうち、およそ１割に当たる５１店舗を来年３月までに閉鎖することを決めました。

これにより、北海道、福井県、滋賀県、京都府、岡山県からは撤退することになります。

幸楽苑は、デフレの中、低価格なラーメンの販売で店舗数を急速に拡大しましたが、人手不足を背景とした人件費の上昇や原材料価格の値上がりを受けて、一部の店舗で採算が悪化していることから、今回の閉鎖を決めたということです。

また、店舗の閉鎖に伴っておよそ５億円の特別損失を計上するため、今年度の最終損益が当初の黒字の予想から一転して６億７４００万円の赤字になると発表しました。

幸楽苑は、ステーキ店の「いきなり！ステーキ」を展開するペッパーフードサービスと先日フランチャイズ契約を結んだばかりで、今後は首都圏や東北地方を中心に、単価が高く利益が見込めるステーキ店の出店を進めるなどして業績の改善を目指すことにしています。

My translation

The firm that managed "Kourakuen” which was a low-price chain of Chinese noodle would close about 50 shops in this fiscal year which was about one-tenths of all stores due to wage expenses increase arising from a shortage of labor, and it was assumed that their profit was aggravated.

According to an announcement, "Kourakuen Holdings" had decided to close 51 Chinese noodles shops by March next year out of the total 560, representing approximately 10 percent of all shops.

By that it would retreat from Hokkaido, Fukui-ken, Shiga-ken, Kyoto-fu and Okayama-ken.

Kourakuen expanded rapidly its number of stores with the sales of low-price Chinese noodles during a deflation, but due to a rise of personnel expenses against the background of labor shortage and a rise in price of raw material, the profit at certain shops was aggravated, it was said that for these reasons they decided the closing.

Together with the closing of shops, it appropriated an extraordinary loss of about 500 million yen; the expectation to stay in black as announced at the beginning of this fiscal year was reversed to become 674 million yen in red.

Kourakuen had just made a franchise contract the other day with the pepper food service which developed the steak house "Suddenly! Steak"; from now on, centering on the metropolitan area and Tohoku-district it would advance the branches of steak stores where high profit could be expected from the unit price while aiming at the improvement of business performance.

       It is normal for the company management to down size their business in face of adverse situations. I think some customers will miss the Chinese noodle of Kourakuen.

Did ancestors of mammals and insects that were using the same brain exist?

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

哺乳類と昆虫 共通の脳を持つ祖先が存在か

11月4日 5時21分

ものを触ったときに感じる感覚、「触覚」が脳に伝わる神経回路の構造は、ヒトを含む哺乳類と昆虫とで共通しているとする研究成果を東京大学のグループが発表しました。聴覚や視覚など五感のうち４つではすでに共通の構造があることが判明していて、グループでは、今から６億年ほど前には、哺乳類と昆虫には、共通の脳を持つ祖先が存在していた可能性が高いとしています。

東京大学分子細胞生物学研究所の伊藤啓准教授らのグループは、大きさ２ミリほどのショウジョウバエを使ってものを触ったときに感じる「触覚」の情報が脳にどう伝わるのか調べました。

その結果、皮膚が押されたり、関節が曲がったりするのを感知する複数の神経がそれぞれ脳の違った場所に情報を伝えるなど哺乳類と昆虫とで神経回路の構造が共通していることがわかったということです。

視覚、嗅覚、味覚、聴覚、触覚の五感のうち、触覚を除く４つの感覚では、すでに哺乳類と昆虫とで神経回路の構造が共通しているとわかっていて今回の研究で五感すべてで共通点が見つかったことになります。

研究グループの伊藤准教授は、「およそ６億年前には、哺乳類と昆虫の共通の祖先がいて、五感を感じる脳を持っていた可能性が高い」と話しています。

My translation

A group from the University of Tokyo announced their study results which suggested that the sense to feel when touching a thing, and the structure of the neural circuit by which the "sense of touch" was transmitted to a brain in insect was common to mammals including human. It revealed that a common structure had already been confirmed in the four senses out of the five senses that included hearing and seeing; this group suggested that there was a high possibility for an ancestor with a brain common to both mammals and insects had existed about 600 million years ago.

A group consisting of Professor Ito Kei and others from the University of Tokyo molecule cellular biology research center used a drosophila of about 2 millimeters in size to examine how the signal of feeling on "sense of touch" was transmitted to a brain when touching a thing.

As a result, in sensing the feeling by pushing the skin and bending a joint, more than one nerve would hand down signals respectively to the different places in the brain in mammals and insects, and it was said that they found out that the structure of the neural circuit was the same.

In the five senses of sight, smell, palate, hearing and touching, with the exception for the sense of touching, all four senses had already showed that the structure of the neural circuit was the same in mammals and insects, and by this study a common point was found for all five senses.

Associate professor Ito of the study group said that “approximately 600 million years ago mammals and insects had a common ancestor, and the possibility that it had the brain that felt the five senses is high."

         This is an interesting observation. Thank you for the hard work of Professor Ito.

A mysterious large empty space was found in the pyramid

Recently the NHK New On-line reported the following:

ピラミッドに謎の巨大空間 見つかる

11月2日 21時04分

エジプトで最大とされるピラミッドの内部に、これまで知られていない巨大な空間があることが、日本などの研究チームによる最新の調査で確認されました。まだ、見つかっていない王のミイラや副葬品が納められている可能性もあり、ピラミッドをめぐる謎の解明につながると注目されています。

エジプトと日本、フランス、カナダの国際研究チームは、おととしからエジプトで最大とされるクフ王のピラミッドの構造を最新の技術で解き明かす大がかりな調査を進めています。

このうち名古屋大学と高エネルギー加速器研究機構は、宇宙から降り注ぐ「ミューオン」と呼ばれる素粒子を使い、内部をレントゲン写真のように透視する調査を行ってきました。

この結果、ピラミッドのほぼ中央にこれまで知られていない長さが３０メートル以上もある巨大な空間があることを確認し、２日づけのイギリスの科学雑誌ネイチャーの電子版で発表しました。

クフ王のピラミッドは、これまでに３つの部屋が確認されていて、このうち「王の間」と呼ばれる部屋からひつぎが見つかっていますが、ミイラや副葬品はどこからも見つかっていません。今回見つかった空間が何のために作られたかは分かっていませんが、まだ見つかっていない王のミイラや副葬品が納められている可能性もあるということです。

調査を担当した名古屋大学の森島邦博特任助教は「未知の空間が見えた時はものすごいものが見つかったと興奮しました。中に何があるのかは開けてみないとわからないので、今後の調査に期待したい」と話しています。

My translation

It was confirmed by the latest investigation done by a research team in Japan that there was a huge space which was not known up to now inside the biggest pyramid in Egypt. There was also a possibility that a king's mummy and some burial goods which were not found so far were put inside there; it attracted attention because this could lead to the unfolding of a mystery concerning the pyramid.

An international research team with members from Egypt, Japan, France and Canada since two years ago was advancing a large-scale investigation by which the structure of King Khufu's pyramid that was the biggest in Egypt was being investigated using the latest technology.

Among them, Nagoya University together with a high energy electron accelerator studying organization were doing the investigation, similar to using X-ray; they saw through the interior by making use of the so called "Muons" which was the elementary particle that was showered down from the universe.  

As a result it was confirmed that there was an over 30 meters long huge space so far not known at about the center of the pyramid; this was announced by an electronic edition of British scientific journal Nature released on the 2^nd.

In King Khufu's pyramid 3 rooms were identified so far, and inside them a coffin was found in the room called “King’s place", but the mummy and burial goods were not found. Why the space found this time was built for was not known, but it was said that there was a possibility that the king's mummy and burial goods which were not found so far were being kept there.

Kunihiro Morishima the Associate Professor in Nagoya University who was taking charge of the investigation said that "to be able to find some unknown space is frightful and it is exciting when finding it. We cannot find out what is inside if we do not open it, so I am looking forward to the future investigations.”

   It is an exciting discovery. I look forward to knowing what is inside this large empty space.

SHARP within this year will also sell cameras for business use that would fit the 8K

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

シャープ ８Ｋ対応の業務用カメラ年内にも発売へ

10月30日 4時18分

シャープは、今後の成長の柱の１つとして超高精細な映像が特徴の８Ｋの事業拡大を進めるため、映像機器メーカーと協力して８Ｋに対応した業務用のビデオカメラを開発し、年内にも販売を始めて、この分野に参入する方針を固めました。

シャープは、今後の成長の柱の１つとして、画素数が今のハイビジョンの１６倍、４Ｋの４倍と超高精細な映像が特徴の８Ｋ技術を活用した新たな産業の創出を掲げています。

関係者によりますと、シャープは、８Ｋ映像関連の技術を持つ東京の映像機器メーカー「アストロデザイン」と協力して、８Ｋに対応した業務用のビデオカメラを開発し、年内にも販売を始めて、この分野に参入する方針を固めました。

シャープは、世界初の８Ｋに対応した家庭向けの液晶テレビを、今月、中国で発売し、国内でもことし１２月１日に発売する方針を表明しています。

８Ｋの映像を映し出すテレビやモニターに加えて、業務用のビデオカメラに参入し、８Ｋ映像が撮影できる機器を市場に供給することで、放送に加えて医療やセキュリティーなど８Ｋ技術を活用した新たな産業の創出を強力に進めたい考えです。

My translation

October 30  4:18.

SHARP, as one pillar of its future growth, would advance its expansion on the business of 8K that had a feature of very high-definition pictures; and with the help of a video camera maker it would develop video cameras for business use which correspond to the 8K, and began sales within this year and decided the policy to join this field.

Sharp, as one of its future's grown-up pillars had revealed its new product that used the 8K technology. In terms of the number of pixels, it was 16 times more than the high-definition television, or four times that of the 4K very high-definition pictures.

According to some people connected to  Sharp, the company would cooperate with "Astro Design" which was a picture equipment manufacturer in Tokyo that had the technology related to 8K pictures, and would develop a video camera for business use which matched the 8K; also it would begin sales within this year and affirmed a policy to join this field.

SHARP was the first in world in liquid crystal televisions for home which corresponded to 8K, and was selling them in China this month; it was also disclosing  its policy to sell them on December first this year in the country.

On top of televisions and the monitors that showed pictures in 8K, Sharp participated in video camera for business use and supplied the equipment to the market which could take 8K picture; on top of broadcasting there was a strong idea of using 8K technology to advance new industrial creations in medical treatment and security etc.

    I look forward to enjoy watching the 8K TV broadcasting.

Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress met the Philippines president

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

天皇皇后両陛下 フィリピン大統領と会見

10月31日 18時59分

天皇陛下は３１日午後、皇后さまとともにフィリピンのドゥテルテ大統領との会見にのぞまれました。

３０日に来日したフィリピンのドゥテルテ大統領は、３１日午後３時４０分すぎ、天皇皇后両陛下のお住まいの御所に到着しました。

天皇陛下は皇后さまとともに玄関で出迎え「お会いできてうれしいです」などと笑顔で言葉をかけられました。

天皇陛下とドゥテルテ大統領の会見は去年１０月にも予定されていましたが、当日の朝、天皇陛下の叔父の三笠宮さまが亡くなり会見は取りやめられました。

両陛下は去年１月にフィリピンを親善訪問した際、太平洋戦争の慰霊碑に足を運んで犠牲者を追悼されていて、会見の中で天皇陛下が「先の大戦では多くのフィリピンの人たちが犠牲になりました」と述べられると、ドゥテルテ大統領は「両国は過去を乗り越えてすばらしい協力関係を築いてきました。戦後の日本のあらゆる分野の継続的な支援に心から感謝します」と応えました。

会見は和やかな雰囲気でおよそ２５分間行われ、天皇陛下は東日本大震災の際のフィリピンからの支援に対する感謝の気持ちなども伝えられたということです。

会見のあと大統領は玄関まで見送られた両陛下に何度もお辞儀をして感謝の気持ちを示し、夕方、帰国の途につきました。

My translation

His Majesty the Emperor as well as Her Majesty the Empress wished to meet with Philippines president Duterute in the afternoon on the 31st.

The Philippines president Duterute who visited Japan on the 30th at slightly past 3:40 pm on the 31st arrived at the court where Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress were living.

His Majesty the Emperor said "Nice to meet you" etc., wearing a smiling face at the front door with the Empress while performing the welcoming.

A meeting between His Majesty the Emperor and president Duterute had been scheduled for October of last year, but because Mr. Mikasanomiya the uncle of His Majesty the Emperor passed away in that morning, the interview was canceled.

When performing a goodwill visit to the Philippines in January of last year, Their Majesties went to a cenotaph of the Pacific War to mourn the victims; and His Majesty the Emperor stated that "Many Philippines people were sacrificed in the previous great war." In an interview, president Duterute responded that “Both countries had stepped aside the past and were building a wonderful cooperative relationship. The continual post-war support from Japan in all fields is appreciated sincerely."

The meeting was held for approximately 25 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, and it's said that His Majesty the Emperor had conveyed his gratitude for the support received from the Philippines during the Eastern Japan Great Earthquake.

After the meeting Their Majesties showed courtesy to the president by seeing him off at the front door and bowed many times to show gratitude as the latter was on his way home in the evening.

      I am impressed by the positive attitude expressed by president Duterute in handling history when he said that both countries had side stepped the past and were building a wonderful cooperative relationship; and that the continual post-war support from Japan in all fields was appreciated sincerely. It seems that the president had chosen to forgive but not forget what the Japanese had done in the Philippines during WWII.

An ultra-small capsule that could carry medicine to the brain was developed

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following

脳に薬を運ぶ超小型カプセルを開発

10月29日 6時20分

薬を届けるのが難しいヒトの脳に薬を運ぶ超小型のカプセルを東京大学などの研究グループが開発し、将来的にアルツハイマー病などの治療法の開発に役立つ可能性があるとして注目されています。

ヒトの脳は、栄養源となるブドウ糖などを除き、血液中の物質はほとんど入らないようになっていて、アルツハイマー病などの治療ではどのようにして脳に薬を届けるのかが大きな課題になっています。

東京大学と東京医科歯科大学の研究グループは、アミノ酸を使って直径が１ミリの３万分の１ほどのごく小さなカプセルを開発しました。

このカプセルの表面をブドウ糖で覆うと、脳の血管にある特定のたんぱく質がカプセルのブドウ糖と結びついて脳の中に運ぶことができるということです。

さらにグループは、空腹の状態だとこのたんぱく質が積極的にブドウ糖を運ぶことに注目し、空腹のマウスでこのカプセルを使ってこれまでの薬の１００倍ほどの効率で脳に取り込ませることにも成功したということです。

グループでは、カプセルの中に薬となる物質を入れればこれまでにない治療効果が期待できるとしています。

東京医科歯科大学の横田隆徳教授は「認知症のほか、神経の難病や精神疾患の治療にも大きな武器になると思う」と話しています。

また東京大学の片岡一則特任教授は「将来は体中の必要な場所に薬を送り届けるナノテクノロジーを開発したい」と話しています。

My translation

A study group from the University of Tokyo had developed an extraordinarily small capsule which could carry medicine to the man's brain where medicine was difficult to reach, and it was assumed that there would be a possibility that in future it might be useful to develop some cure for the Alzheimer's disease, and for that it had attracted attention.

It had been a big problem as there was almost no substance in the blood that could reach human brains except for the glucose which was the source of nutrition; how to deliver medicine to the brain for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease had become a big issue.

A study group  from the University of Tokyo together with the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, using amino acid, developed a small capsule that had a diameter of about 1/30,000 of 1 millimeter.

When covered this capsular surface with glucose, some specific type of protein in the cerebral blood vessel would combine with the capsular glucose, and it was said that delivery to the brain would then be possible.

Furthermore, the group noticed that if  in a hungry state this protein would carry glucose aggressively. It's said that there was a successful delivery to the brain of about 100 times more efficient than the existing medicine when this capsule was used in a hungry mouse.

The group assumed that when putting in some substance in the capsule which would become medicine, they could look forward to seeing some therapeutic effect that was so far could not be expected.

Prof. Takanori Yokota of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University said that “I think it will be a great weapon for the treatment of intractable diseases and psychiatric disorders of nerves in addition to dementia.”

Also Kataoka Kazunori, the specially appointed professor of the University of Tokyo said that “In future I'd like to develop the nanotechnology which delivers medicine to a necessary place all over the body.”

    The invention of this capsule is good news for all mental patients.