對一名日本受薪一族來說，近十年每年加薪只有 4 美元

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

For one Japanese salaryman, nearly a decade of $4 annual pay rises

Tue, March 15, 2022, 4:00 PM

By Elaine Lies

TOKYO, March 16 (Reuters) - Japanese accountant Masamitsu has not travelled or gone to the cinema in years and rarely eats out.

Instead, his annual salary of about $34,000 goes to support his family and has risen by just $4 a year for nearly a decade.

"I can't save, I have nothing at all put by for my old age. I'll just have to keep on working," said the 50-year-old, who declined to give his last name out of concern for his job at a small company that works in event planning.

"After I retire from this company, I'll do anything I can get. Maybe work as a security guard."

Masamitsu's plight mirrors that of many workers at small and medium-sized firms in Japan, where the average salary in 2020 was $38,515, little changed from the 1990s and well below the average of $49,165 in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has urged profitable companies to boost wages at spring wage negotiations, when managements of blue chip firms meet key unions for talks to fix wages in the coming year, setting a guideline for most other companies.

This year's talks are expected to wrap up on Wednesday.

Masamitsu, who was trained in accounting at a vocational school, switched jobs at age 43, in a move relatively unusual for Japanese employees, after his previous employer cut salaries.

After a long series of unsuccessful interviews, he felt lucky to land his current job, only to be told upfront that raises would be only 500 yen ($4.25) a year for the first decade.

"Given my age, the base pay actually wasn't too bad, there were other places that were lower," he said. "And I was told that after 10 years, it'd go up by 5,000 yen a year."

Masamitsu's monthly pay, along with allowances common in Japan, amounts to about 250,000 yen, and he gets a bonus of two months' pay twice a year for a yearly total of roughly 4 million yen ($34,000).

"It's kind of unfortunate it doesn't rise more, even though I'm working hard," he said.

From this sum he supports his wife, who works part-time to supplement their income, and a daughter who is just about to complete high school.

For recreation, he and some friends do yoga from YouTube videos, though he occasionally buys a one-day gym pass to take yoga classes.

"I'd have liked to have had another child, but the one has taken everything we have," he said.

He has little hope that Kishida's urging will change much.

"This kind of thing doesn't really reach people in places like me," he said. "Officials say a lot of things that don't really work out." ($1=118.3100 yen)

 (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Translation

東京，3 月 16 日（路透社）- 日本會計師 Masamitsu 多年來沒有旅行或去看電影，也很少外出就餐。

另外，他用去了他的全部約34,000 美元的年薪養家糊口，年薪近十年來每年僅增長 4 美元。

這位 50 歲的人仕說： “我無法儲錢，我沒有為晚年儲蓄任何東西。我只能繼續工作” 。他拒絕透露自己的姓氏，因為他擔心會影響自己在一家從事活動策劃的小公司的工作。

“在我從這家公司退休後，我會做任何我能做的事情, 也許當個保安。”

Masamitsu 的困境反映了日本許多中小型企業工人的困境，日本 2020 年的平均工資為 38,515 美元，與 1990 年代相比變化不大，遠低於經濟合作與發展組織國家(OECD)的平均水平 49,165 美元。

首相岸田文雄敦促盈利公司在春季工資談判中提高工資，屆時藍籌股公司的管理層將與主要工會會面，商討來年確定工資，為大多數其他公司設定了指導方針。

今年的會談預計將於週三結束。

在職業學校接受會計培訓的Masamitsu,在 43 歲時在他的前雇主削減工資後換了工作，這對日本員工來說是一個相對不尋常的舉動。

經過一連串不成功的面試後，他感到很幸運能找到現在的工作，只是事先被告知在第一個十年中每年加薪僅為 500 日元（4.25 美元）。

他說：“考慮到我的年齡，基本工資實際上並不算太差，還有其他地方更低” ; “我被告知，10 年後每年會上漲 5,000 日元。”

Masamitsu 的月薪加上日本常見的津貼約為 250,000 日元，他每年兩次獲得兩個月工資的獎金，每年總計約 400 萬日元（34,000 美元）。

他說:“有點不幸的是，儘管我很努力，但它並沒有上升得更多”。

他用這筆錢供養了兼職工作以補充收入的妻子和一個即將讀完高中的女兒。

為了消遣，他和一些朋友在 YouTube 視頻中做瑜伽，不過他偶爾會購買一個单日健身房通行證來參加瑜伽課。

他說:“我本來希望再生一個孩子，但現有那個孩子已經用了我們所有的一切”。

他沒有祈望岸田的敦促會帶來大變化。

他說：“這種事情並沒有真正惠及到像我這樣處境的人” ; “官員們說了很多, 但沒有做出真正奏效的事情。”（1 美元 = 118.3100 日元）

       So, it is sad to know that Masamitsu's plight mirrors many workers at small and medium-sized firms in Japan where the average salary was $38,515 as at 2020, and the amount has almost no change since the 1990s. It is well below the average of $49,165 in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Pfizer CEO: 4th inoculation is "necessary" and to develop vaccine for all mutant strains

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ファイザーＣＥＯ、４回目接種は「必要」　全変異株対応のワクチン開発も

2022.03.14 Mon posted at 15:55 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 米ファイザーのブーラ最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）は新型コロナウイルスのワクチンについて、流行の再発を防ぐためには当面４回目の接種が必要との見方を示す一方、あらゆる変異株に対応するワクチンの開発も進めていると語った。

同氏は１３日、米ＣＢＳテレビの番組で、今後多くの変異株が登場するだろうと述べ、オミクロン株はワクチンの効果を巧みにすり抜ける最初の例だと指摘。オミクロン株への現行ワクチンの効果について、入院や死亡はかなり予防できるものの、３回接種後も感染予防はあまり期待できず持続期間も長くないと語り、４回目接種の必要性に言及した。

米国では現在、これまでにファイザーまたは米モデルナ製のワクチンを３回接種した人のうち、免疫不全患者については４回目の接種が認められている。食品医薬品局（ＦＤＡ）が今後、健康な１０代や成人への４回目接種を承認するかどうかは不透明だ。

５～１１歳の子どもについては２回の接種が承認されているが、追加接種は未承認。ファイザーが現在、臨床試験を進めている。

５歳未満の子どもには接種自体が承認されていない。ファイザーが子ども向けの分量を２回接種した臨床試験の初期データでは、２～５歳への効果が予想を下回ったため、現在は３回接種の試験が進行中だ。ブーラ氏によれば、来月には結果が出るとみられ、ＦＤＡの承認を得て５月に接種が始まる可能性もある。

ファイザーとモデルナは現在、オミクロン株に特化したワクチンを開発中だが、ブーラ氏はさらに、全変異株に対応するワクチンの開発を目指すと表明。効果が少なくとも１年間持続するワクチンをつくることが目標だと述べた。

Translation

  (CNN) Pfizer CEO Bourla said that about the vaccine for the new coronavirus, it would require a fourth dose to prevent a recurrence of the epidemic. He said that he was also developing a vaccine for all mutant strains.

He said in a CBS TV show yesterday that many mutant strains could appear in the future, pointing out that the Omicron strain was the first example of a skillful evasion of the vaccine's effects. Regarding the effect of the current vaccine on the Omicron strain, he said that although hospitalization and death could be prevented considerably, infection prevention could not be expected much even after the third vaccination and prevention duration was not long, and he mentioned the need for the fourth vaccination.

In the United States, among those who were vaccinated with Pfizer or US Moderna vaccine three times, the fourth vaccination was currently permitted for immunocompromised patients. It was unclear whether the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might approve a fourth dose to healthy teens and adults in the future.

Two doses were approved for children aged 5 to 11 years, but booster doses had not been approved. Pfizer was currently doing clinical trials.

Inoculation itself was not approved for children under 5 years of age. Initial data from Pfizer's two-dose clinical trials for children showed less than expected effects on children aged 2 to 5, so a three-dose study was currently underway. According to Bourla, results could be expected next month, and after getting the FDA's approval vaccination could start in May.

Pfizer and Moderna were currently developing a vaccine specifically for the Omicron strain, but Bula also stated that he would aim to develop a vaccine for all mutant strains. He said his goal was to create a vaccine that would last for at least one year.

              So, Pfizer is going to develop a vaccine for all Covid-19 mutant strains that can provide protection for one year. I am looking forward to that vaccine.

中國的“史無前例”現金流出可能與俄羅斯的狀態有關 - 國際金融協會

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

'Unprecedented' cash flows from China may be related to Russia's status -IIF

Rodrigo Campos

Thu, March 24, 2022, 5:00 AM

By Rodrigo Campos

NEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - Russia's pariah status in the international investor community after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine may be behind "unprecedented" cash flows out of China, the Institute of International Finance said on Thursday.

Many emerging market and global investors are faced with steep write-downs of their Russian holdings due to sanctions across the world that were triggered by last month's invasion, which made Russia "uninvestable" for some.

"At this stage it is too early to say if the war is driving outflows or if other factors are to blame," said Robin Brooks, chief economist at the IIF.

"But we think these outflows are notable enough to at least raise the possibility that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be pushing global markets to look at China in a new light."

He said the Russia link would be consistent with the relatively recent nature of the observed outflows.

Flows to Chinese debt and equity portfolios have mostly held up even through a stock and bond selloff triggered by a shift in policy from Beijing that pressured the property sector and came to a head last year.

Net monthly foreign flows to emerging markets outside of China had all but stopped in the last quarter of 2021 and the trend continued into 2022.

But daily high-frequency numbers compiled by the IIF show a dramatic shift in flows from a mid-December peak, especially out of Chinese stock portfolios, exacerbated in late February.

What is unprecedented, says the IIF, is that investors are pulling out of China while the rest of EM holds up.

Investors may fear that if China will actively support Russia's invasion, it would put it in line for a round of sanctions similar to Moscow's.

"While we're in this situation, I think there is going to be concerns that if China would really support Russia ... could they be included in sanctions as well," said Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments in New Jersey.

"Russia was very eye-opening. After all, you're talking about companies with quite significant market caps."

On Wednesday, the head of NATO said the Western military alliance worries that China could support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while the Biden administration warned Beijing not to take advantage of business opportunities created by sanctions.

China has not condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine, though it has expressed deep concern about the war.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Translation

紐約，3 月 24 日（路透社）- 國際金融協會 (IIF)周四表示，在莫斯科入侵烏克蘭後，俄羅斯在國際投資者界的低賤地位可能是“前所未有的”現金流出中國的原因。

由於上個月的入侵引發了世界各地的製裁，許多新興市場和全球投資者面臨著大幅削減他們在俄羅斯的持股，這使對一些人來說, 俄羅斯是“無法投資”。

IIF 首席經濟學家 Robin Brooks 表示： “在現階段，去說戰爭是在推動資金外流, 或去歸咎於其他因素, 還為時尚早。”

“但我們認為這些資金外流足夠引人注目，至少增加了俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭可能推動全球市場以新的眼光看待中國的可能性。”

他說，俄羅斯的因素與較新觀察到的流出性質有一致性。

即使中國政府的政策轉變對房地產行業造成壓力, 引發股票和債券拋售，並在去年達到危機, 但流向中國債務和股票投資組合的資金也基本保持不變。

到 2021 年最後一個季度，流向中國以外新興市場的每月淨外國資金幾乎停止，這一趨勢一直持續到 2022 年。

但由 IIF 編制的每日高頻數據顯示，資金流量從 12 月中旬的峰值後出現了巨大轉變，尤其是中國股票投資組合流出，這種轉變在 2 月下旬加劇。

IIF 表示，史無前例的是，投資者正在撤出中國，而其餘新興市場則保持堅挺。

投資者可能擔心，如果中國會積極支持俄羅斯的入侵，它將使其面臨類似於莫斯科的一輪制裁。

新澤西州 Cherry Lane Investments 的合夥人 Rick Meckler 說: “我們正處於這種情況下，我認為人們會擔心，如果中國真的支持俄羅斯......他們是否也會被納入製裁範圍” 。

 “俄羅斯令人大開眼界。畢竟，你說的是那些市值相當可觀的公司。”

週三，北約首腦表示，西方軍事聯盟擔心中國可能支持俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭，而拜登政府則警告北京不要利用制裁帶來的商機。

中國並未譴責俄羅斯在烏克蘭的行動，但對這場戰爭深表關切。

       So, what is unprecedented is that investors are pulling out of China while the rest of EM holds up. Probably investors are serious about Biden administration’s warning to Beijing not to take advantage of business opportunities created by sanctions imposed by the EU, G7 and the US.

EU plans zero dependence on Russian energy by 2027

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ＥＵ、ロシア産エネルギーへの依存ゼロを計画　２７年までに

2022.03.13 Sun posted at 15:24 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 欧州連合（ＥＵ）の行政執行機関、欧州委員会のフォンデアライエン委員長は１３日までに、ロシア産のエネルギー源への加盟国の依存度を２０２７年までにゼロにする対策を今年５月半ばまでに示す方針を明らかにした。

２７年までにロシア産の天然ガス、石油や石炭への依存度を段階的に減らし、加盟国や欧州全体が保有する資源の活用を訴える内容になるとした。

パリ郊外のベルサイユ宮殿で開いたＥＵ首脳会議の終了後、フランスのマクロン大統領やミシェルＥＵ首脳会議常任議長と共に臨んだ記者会見で述べた。

同委員長はまた、３月末までに天然ガス価格の上昇が電気料金に波及することを制限する選択肢を提示するとも表明。作業部会を設け、次の冬季へ向けた補充計画も錬らせるとした。

ＥＵは長期にわたる天然ガスの備蓄政策をまとめる必要もあり、毎年１０月の初旬までに地下施設における保存量を少なくとも９０％にすることを提案するだろうとも指摘。供給面での障害の発生に備えた政策でもあるとした。

ロシアによるウクライナへの軍事侵攻を受けＥＵは先に、ロシア産の天然ガス輸入を今年３分の２程度減らし、３０年よりかなり前には同国産の天然ガスや石油への総体的な需要をなくす方針も示していた。

Translation

2022.03.13 Sun posted at 15:24 JST

  (CNN) The executive body European Union (EU), President of the European Commission (EC), Von der Leyen, made known on the 13^th that steps would be taken to reduce member states' dependence on Russian energy source to zero by 2027, and announced that this policy would be disclosed by the mid- May this year.

Up to 2027, it would gradually reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas, oil and coal, and this might become an appeal on the utilization of resources owned by member countries and Europe as a whole.

French President Macron together with President of the European Council Michel said that at a press conference after the EU summit at the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris.

The president Of EC also said she would offer options to limit the effects of rising natural gas prices on electricity prices up to end of March. She said she would set up a working group to develop a replenishment plan for the next winter.

The EU also needed to put together a long-term natural gas stockpiling policy and might propose to store up at least 90% in underground facilities by early October each year. It was also a policy to prepare for the occurrence of supply problems.

Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, the EU first reduced Russia's natural gas imports by about two-thirds this year, it also announced a policy to eliminate the overall demand for domestically produced natural gas and oil well before 2030.

              So, EU will take steps to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources to zero by 2027. This is a fundamental shift in EU’s energy policy and may impact the energy market globally.

New corona infection: changes the brain even in mild cases? English research

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

新型コロナ感染、軽症でも脳に変化か　英研究

2022.03.13 Sun posted at 11:47 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 新型コロナウイルスに感染すると、たとえ軽症でも脳の萎縮が加速するなどの影響があるとの研究結果が、このほど新たに報告された。

英オックスフォード大学のグウェナエル・ドゥオー准教授率いるチームが、２０２０年３月～２１年４月に新型コロナに感染した５１～８１歳の４０１人について、感染前と感染から平均４．５カ月後の脳の画像を分析。同様の年齢層で新型コロナ感染歴のない３８４人のグループと比較し、英科学誌ネイチャーに報告した。この分野では最大規模の研究とされる。

計７８５人の対象者は全員、英政府が１２年以降、５０万人の健康データを集めてきたプロジェクトに参加している。

研究チームによると、感染歴のあるグループはないグループに比べ、脳の灰白質が小さくなったり、組織が変化したりする度合いが大きいことが分かった。

ドゥオー氏はＣＮＮへのメールで、「軽症例でも明らかな変化がみられたことに驚いた」と述べた。

脳内では加齢とともに、記憶にかかわる領域の灰白質が毎年０．２～０．３％ほど減っていくのが一般的だという。ところが、新型コロナにかかったグループはかかっていないグループに比べ、さらに年間０．２～２．０％の組織が減少していた。

対象者らは画像診断に加え、認知症の診断に使われる遂行能力、認知能力の検査を受けた。チームによれば、脳の組織が最も大きく減少している層は、検査のスコアも低いことが確認された。

同氏は、嗅覚にかかわる領域が最も大きな影響を受けるようだとしたうえで、その理由は明らかでないと話す。

感染歴のあるグループにみられる脳の異常な変化は、新型コロナで嗅覚がなくなる症状と関係しているとも考えられ、嗅覚の回復につれて脳の異常も目立たなくなる可能性があるという。

またウイルスが直接、あるいは炎症反応や免疫反応により間接的にもたらした悪影響は、時間の経過とともに薄れることも考えられる。

こうした可能性を検証するため、チームは１～２年後に同じグループの画像撮影と検査を予定している。

感染歴と脳の機能の間には何らかのつながりがあることが分かったものの、その理由はなぞのままだ。今回の研究では、対象者に嗅覚を失う症状があったかどうかを検討していない。

研究チームは、新型コロナなどの感染症が長期的にみて、アルツハイマー病を含めた認知症に影響する可能性を指摘している。

Translation

(CNN) Newly reported research results showed that being infected with the new coronavirus even in mild cases had effects such as accelerated atrophy of the brain.

A team led by Associate Professor Gwenael Duau of the University of Oxford, UK, focusing on 401 people aged 51 to 81 years who were infected with the new corona from March 2020 to April 2021, tried to analyze their brain images before infection and the images on average up to 4.5 months after infection. They were compared with a group of 384 people of similar age group who had no history of new corona infection. This study was reported it to the British scientific journal Nature. It was considered to be the largest research in this field.

All these 785 people participated in a project of the British government had collected health data involving 500,000 people since 2012.

According to the researcher group it was found that the brain's gray matter in the group with a history of infection was smaller and the degree of tissue change was bigger compared to the group with no infection.

Duau said in an email to CNN that "I was surprising to see a clear change even in mild cases."

It was said that the gray matter in the area related to memory in the brain generally decreased by 0.2 to 0.3% every year with aging. However, in the group affected by the new corona the tissue matter decreased by 0.2 to 2.0% more per year compared to the group not affected by the new corona.

In addition to diagnostic imaging, the subjects underwent tests for performance and cognitive abilities that were used to diagnose dementia. According to the team, the group with the greatest loss of brain tissue also had lower test scores.

He expressed that while knowing that the areas of the sense of smell seemed to be the most affected, the reason was not clear.

The abnormal changes in the brain seen in the infected group could be associated with the symptoms of the new corona's loss of smell, and as the sense of smell recovered, the abnormalities in the brain might become less noticeable.

It was also possible that the adverse effects of the virus, either directly or indirectly by an inflammatory or immune response, might diminish over time.

To test this possibility, the team planned to take images and inspect the same group in a year or two.

While it turned out that there was some connection between infection history and brain function, yet the reason remained a mystery. This study did not examine whether the subject had symptoms of loss of smell.

The researchers pointed out that infectious diseases such as the new corona might in the long run affect dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

              So, according to the researchers the brain's gray matter in the group with a history of infection is smaller and the degree of tissue change is bigger compared to the group with no infection. I am looking forward to knowing the results of this team’s planned project in taking images and inspecting the same group in a year or two.

Putin accuses Western-oriented Russians of being a "national traitor"

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

プーチン氏、欧米志向のロシア人を非難　「国の裏切り者」

2022.03.17 Thu posted at 19:00 JST

（ＣＮＮ） ロシアのプーチン大統領は１６日、テレビ演説を行い、欧米志向のロシア人を「国の裏切り者」と呼んで痛烈に非難した。ウクライナ侵攻以降、プーチン氏は反対派への締め付けを強化している。

プーチン氏はこの中で「西側諸国はいわゆる『第５列』、国の裏切り者、ここで金を稼ぎながらあちらにいる者に頼ろうとするだろう」と発言。「私が言う『あちらにいる』とは、地理的な意味だけでなく、彼らの思考や隷属的な意識を踏まえた表現だ」とした。

こうした人は「オイスターやジェンダーフリーなしでは生きられない」とも指摘した。

「第５列」は敵対勢力の同調者を指す表現で、スペイン内戦に端を発する。

ロシアは現在、ウクライナでの軍事作戦が泥沼化し、欧米の制裁による経済危機に直面する。プーチン氏は国の苦境の原因は欧米の影響にあると主張することが多い。

プーチン氏はこれまで、ロシアのＬＧＢＴＱ（性的少数者）の権利を組織的に削減。先週には、プーチン氏と共同歩調を取るロシア正教会トップのキリル総主教がウクライナ紛争について、「ゲイ・プライド」に代表される西側のリベラルな価値観とロシア圏の根本的な文化衝突の延長との見方を示していた。

Translation

(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a television speech on the 16th, calling Western-oriented Russians "national traitors" and blaming them. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Putin had tightened his squeeze on opponents.

Putin said "Western nations will try to rely on the so-called 'fifth column', the traitor of the country, who are there and making money here". He also said "what I say 'being over there' is an expression that is based not only on the geographical meaning but also on their slave consciousness."

He said these people " can't live without oysters and gender equality."

"Fifth column" was an expression that referred to a sympathizer of hostile forces, which originated in the Spanish Civil War.

Russia was now facing an economic crisis due to Western sanctions as military operations in Ukraine become bogged down. Putin often argued that the cause of the country's predicament was the influence of the West.

Putin had so far systematically reduced Russia's LGBTQ (sexual minority) rights. Last week, regarding the Ukrainian conflict, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, coordinated with Mr. Putin in showing the view that the Western liberal values ​​represented by "Gay Pride” was an extension of the fundamental cultural conflict in the Russian region.

              So, Russian President Putin is calling Western-oriented Russians "national traitors" and blaming them that they "can't live without oysters and gender equality". I think he has a very shallow understand on the reasons whey many Russians have become western-oriented.

中國放鬆管制讓盧布兌人民幣匯率下跌更快

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China eases control to let ruble fall faster against yuan

Thu, March 10, 2022, 3:06 a.m.

BEIJING (AP) — China is easing government exchange rate controls to let the Russian ruble fall faster in value against the Chinese yuan to help insulate Beijing from economic sanctions on Moscow.

The margin by which the ruble is allowed to fluctuate against the yuan in state-controlled daily trading will be doubled in size to 10% above or below the day's opening price starting Friday, the China Foreign Exchange Trade System announced.

The ruble has lost about 40% of its value since Western governments cut off some Russia banks from the international SWIFT payment system in retaliation for President Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 attack on Ukraine. Russia’s central bank was blocked from using its foreign currency reserves to defend the exchange rate.

China has avoided joining other governments in criticizing Putin’s attack and has criticized Western sanctions. Chinese companies give no sign they are joining Western counterparts in pulling out of Russia, but economists say they are likely to try to take advantage of pressure on Moscow to try to strike better deals.

Holding the exchange rate steady would require China's central bank to subsidize Russian buyers of Chinese goods by giving them more yuan for their rubles than market forces said Moscow's currency was worth.

The latest change would allow Chinese exchange rates to keep up with the ruble's abrupt daily fluctuations.

Translation

北京（美聯社）- 中國正在放鬆政府的匯率管制，讓俄羅斯盧布兌人民幣匯率下跌得更快，以幫助北京免受因莫斯科受經濟制裁而被影響。

中國外匯交易中心宣布，從周五開始，盧布兌人民幣在國家控制的每日交易中的波動幅度將翻倍至當日開盤價上下10%。

自從西方政府為了報復總統 在2 月 24 日對烏克蘭的襲擊而將一些俄羅斯銀行從國際 SWIFT 支付系統中切斷以來，盧布已經貶值了約 40%。俄羅斯央行被阻止使用其外匯儲備來捍衛匯率。

中國避免與其他政府一起批評普京的襲擊，並批評西方的製裁。中國公司沒有表示他們正在加入西方同行撤出俄羅斯的行列，但經濟學家表示，他們可能會試圖利用莫斯科受到的壓力，試圖達成更好的交易。

爲要保持匯率穩定,將致使中國央行去補貼購買中國商品的俄羅斯買家，給予他們比市場力量認為莫斯科貨幣價值更多的人民幣去兌換盧布。

最新的改動將使中國的匯率能夠跟上盧布的每日突然波動。

So, in China the margin by which the ruble is allowed to fluctuate against the yuan in state-controlled daily trading will be doubled. As the ruble has lost about 40% of its value recently, does this mean China will get cheaper gas supply from Russia?

中國在“不確定性上升”中面臨多重挑戰

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China faces multiple challenges amid 'rising uncertainties'

KEN MORITSUGU

Thu, March 10, 2022, 4:29 PM

BEIJING (AP) — A top Chinese leader warned Friday of “rising uncertainties” and pledged tax cuts to shore up growth as the potential economic and geopolitical fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine loomed over an annual meeting of China's ceremonial legislature.

Premier Li Keqiang described the situation in Ukraine as “grave” and said the pressing task is to prevent the crisis from escalating and getting out of control. China has stood apart from much of the world in refusing to condemn Russia’s military action, or even call it an invasion.

On China's economy, Li said that after an 8.1% expansion last year, achieving a growth target of 5.5% this year would not be easy.

“This year we are faced with new downside risks and challenges," he said at a news conference after the closing session of the National People's Congress. "There are a lot of complexities, changes, and rising uncertainties.”

The annual meeting of more than 3,000 deputies — cut from two weeks to one because of the pandemic — took place against the backdrop of a surge in new cases in many parts of the country.

The northeastern city of Changchun, home to 9 million people, was locked down Friday. To the south, China's largest city, Shanghai, ordered all schools to switch to online classes starting Saturday.

Li said that China would make COVID-19 control measures more targeted to ensure normal economic production and life but gave little sign of abandoning the “zero-tolerance” strategy that has limited travel to and from China and quarantined anyone arriving for two to three weeks.

"We will continue to gain experience, respond to possible changes in a timely manner and gradually work toward the free flow of goods and personnel,” he said.

While the Congress does little legislating beyond rubber-stamping some broad policies, it does serve as a sounding board for public concerns. Several proposals were put forth this year to increase penalties for human trafficking, following an outcry over reports of a mother found chained in a shed.

“Recently, there has been an incident of gross violations of women’s rights,” Li said, without mentioning the details. "We are not only distressed for the victims but also indignant about the incident.”

Li, whose primary responsibility is the economy, said the government would enact business tax and fee cuts and tax refunds totaling 2.5 trillion yuan ($400 billion), especially for small entrepreneurs. Many have been hit hard by the pandemic.

He also repeated calls for the U.S. to repeal tariffs put on Chinese imports under previous U.S. President Donald Trump. The two sides should communicate more following a video summit late last year between their presidents, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, he said.

“Since the two sides have opened the door to each other, then it should not be closed," he said. "Nor should there be decoupling.”

The U.S. accused China this week of aiding Russian disinformation efforts, including unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine was running biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that China “urges the U.S. to disclose details on U.S.-financed biological labs in Ukraine." U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the allegations “outright lies.”

Li, who is considered the ruling Communist Party’s No. 2 official after Xi, said he would step down when his second five-year term ends next year. Xi, however, is expected to break with recent tradition and remain in power for a third term.

Translation

北京（美聯社）- 中國最高領導人周五警告“不確定性上升”，並承諾減稅以提振增長，因為俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭的潛在經濟和地緣政治影響, 在中國立法機關年度會議上隱約可見。

李克強總理形容烏克蘭局勢“嚴峻”，並表示當務之急是防止危機升級和失控。中國與世界大部分地區不同，拒絕譴責俄羅斯的軍事行動，甚至拒絕稱其為入侵。

談及中國經濟，李克強表示，繼去年增長8.1%後，今年要實現5.5%的增長目標並非易事。

他在全國人大閉幕後的新聞發布會上說: “今年我們面臨新的下行風險和挑戰”; “形勢很複雜多變，不確定性上升。”

在該國許多地區新病例激增的背景下，召開了有3,000 多名代表的年度會議 - 由於病毒大流行它已從兩週縮短至一周 。

擁有900萬人口的東北城市長春週五被封鎖。在南些的中國最大的城市上海,所有學校被下令從周六開始轉為在線上課。

李克強說，中國將提高 COVID-19 控制措施的針對性，以確保正常的經濟生產和生活，但幾乎沒有跡象表明要放棄限制往返中國的旅行, 或放棄限制將任何抵達的人隔離兩到三週的“零容忍”策略.

他說： “我們將繼續積累經驗，及時應對可能出現的變化，逐步實現貨物和人員的自由流動。”

人大會議, 除了對一些廣泛的政策進行橡皮圖章式通過之外幾, 它乎沒有處理立法，但它確實充當了公眾關注的發声板。今年有人提出了幾項建議，以增加對人口販運的懲罰，此前有報導稱一名母親被發現被鎖在棚子裡，引發了強烈抗議。

李沒有提及細節地說, “最近發生了一起嚴重侵犯婦女權利的事件”; “我們不僅為受害者感到難過，而且對這一事件感到憤慨” 。

主要負責經濟的李克強表示，政府將實施總計 2.5 萬億元人民幣（4000 億美元）的營業稅及費用減免和退稅，特別是針對小企業家。許多人受到病毒大流行的沉重打擊。

他還再次呼籲美國廢除前任美國總統特朗普對中國進口商品徵收的關稅。他說，在去年年底兩國的習近平和拜登總統舉行視頻峰會後，雙方應該進行更多溝通。

他說： “既然雙方已經相互打開了大門，那就不應該關上，也不應該脫鉤。”

美國本週指責中國幫助了俄羅斯的虛假信息工作，包括未經證實的聲稱烏克蘭在美國的支持下運營生物武器實驗室。

外交部發言人趙立堅說，中國“敦促美國披露美國資助的烏克蘭生物實驗室的細節” 。美國國務院發言人 Ned Price 稱這些指控是“徹頭徹尾的謊言”。

被認為是習近平執政共產黨的第二號官員的李克強表示，他將在明年第二個五年任期結束時卸任。然而，習近平有望打破新近的傳統，繼續其第三個任期。

            So, on China's economy, after an 8.1% expansion last year, China will try to achieve a growth of 5.5% this year. Its seems that in China, economic development is more important than its political relation with Russia.

UAE shows intention to encourage OPEC to increase production - signs of easing the soaring oil prices

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ＵＡＥ、ＯＰＥＣに増産促す意向を表明　石油高騰に緩和の兆し

2022.03.10 Thu posted at 15:42 JST

ニューヨーク／アブダビ（ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ） アラブ首長国連邦（ＵＡＥ）のアルオタイバ駐米大使は９日、ＣＮＮに対し、ＵＡＥは石油増産を望んでいると述べ、石油輸出国機構（ＯＰＥＣ）に供給拡大を促す意向を示した。

石油市場では米国の禁輸対象となったロシア産石油を埋め合せできる国がほとんどなく、需給が極めてひっ迫している。ＵＡＥはこうした状況の解消に動く可能性を示唆した形だ。

アルオタイバ氏の発言を受け、９日の石油価格は急落。米国産石油は１２％下落して１バレル＝１０９ドル（約１万２６００円）を割った。国際指標のブレント原油は１３％安の１バレル＝１１１ドルとなり、１日の下げ幅としてはここ２年近くで最大を記録した。

もしＵＡＥがパートナー国の説得に成功すれば、ＯＰＥＣにとって路線転換となる。ＯＰＥＣは先週、協力関係にある産油国を交えた「ＯＰＥＣプラス」と呼ばれる会合で、一段の価格緩和を求める先進国の声に応じず、現行の緩やかな供給拡大計画を維持することで合意していた。

サウジ主導のＯＰＥＣにとって重要なのは、こうした協力関係にある産油国の中にロシアが含まれていることだ。

ＯＰＥＣプラスは２日の声明で、４月の増産ペースを日量４０万バレルずつとする方針を表明したが、これは１０００万バレルに上るロシアの１日の原油生産量のごく一部に過ぎない。石油価格が過去２週間で３０％上昇したにもかかわらず、ＯＰＥＣは市場の現状を「均衡が取れている」と評している。

みずほ証券のエネルギー先物担当幹部、ロバート・ヨーガー氏はＣＮＮに対し、「ＵＡＥが折れた。彼らは最後まで抵抗を続けていた国の一つだった」と指摘。ＵＡＥが増産支持を打ち出したことを受け、サウジも追随するだろうとの見方を示した。

Translation

New York / Abu Dhabi (CNN Business) UAE Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told CNN on the 9th that UAE wanted to increase oil production, and showed the intention to expand supply to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In the oil market, few countries could make up for the US embargoed Russian oil, and supply and demand were extremely tight. The UAE was in a posture to suggest a possibe action to resolve this situation.

Oil prices plummeted on the 9th in response to Mr. Al Otaiba’s remarks. US oil fell 12% to break below $ 109 a barrel. Brent crude oil, an international indicator, fell 13% to $ 111 a barrel, the largest daily decline in nearly two years.

If the UAE succeeded in persuading its partner countries, it could be a shift for OPEC. OPEC agreed last week at a meeting called "OPEC Plus" that had cooperating oil-producing countries coming together, agreed to maintain the current gradual supply expansion plan, while not responding to the voices of developed countries calling for further price easing.

What was important for Saudi-led OPEC was that Russia was among these cooperating oil-producing countries.

OPEC Plus announced in a statement on the 2nd that it would increase production in April by 400,000 barrels a day, which was only a small part of Russia's daily crude oil production of 10 million barrels. OPEC described the market as "balanced" despite oil prices had risen by 30% in the last two weeks.

Mizuho Securities' energy futures executive Robert Yoger told CNN that "The UAE has made a turn. They were one of the countries that continued to resist to the end.” Saudi Arabia would follow suit as the UAE had announced support for increased production.

So, UAE wants to increase oil production, and shows its intention to expand supply to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Hopefully oil price will go down globally.

烏克蘭的澤連斯基感謝馬斯克發送 Starlink 系統

Recently Yahoo News on line-reported the following:

Ukraine’s Zelensky thanks Elon Musk for sending Starlink systems

Independent - Zoe Tidman

Sun, March 6, 2022, 4:54 AM

The Ukrainian president has thanked Elon Musk for setting up the Starlink satellite internet service for “destroyed cities” during the Russian invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful” to the Tesla founder for supporting the country under siege with both “words and deeds”.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites became active over Ukraine earlier this week, helping citizens and authorities to stay connected to the internet as Vladimir Putin’s forces continued to bomb cities across the country.

Several large cities were left without internet or phone connection after being shelled by Russian troops.

On Saturday, Mr Zelenskyy confirmed he had spoken to Mr Musk and confirmed even more satellites would be sent to Ukraine.

“I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds,” the president said. “Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities.”

He said they also discussed possible space projects. “But I’ll talk about this after the war,” he added.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, showed off Starlink systems that had arrived on Saturday, saying they would help support critical infrastructure in the capital city, as well as the defence against Russian troops.

Starlink internet does not use an extensive fibre-optic cable system but instead satellites in low-orbit in space. People use a kit from SpaceX to access the signals beamed back to earth.

Mr Musk said he would activate satellites over Ukraine and send terminals after the vice prime minister appealed to the tech billionaire to help to keep the internet going during the attack from Russia.

He also warned Ukraine these systems could become an easy target for opposition forces since deploying them to the country.

Russia has bombarded the cities with missiles and engaged in heavy fighting across Ukraine since it launched its all-out invasion of the neighbouring country 11 days ago. Hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed, while more than 1.5 million are estimated to have fled.

Translation

烏克蘭總統感謝馬斯克(Elon Musk)在俄羅斯入侵期間為“被摧毀的城市”建立 Starlink 衛星互聯網服務。

澤連斯基(Volodymyr Zelensky)表示，他“感謝”這位特斯拉(Tesla)創始人以“言行”支持被圍困的國家。

本週早些時候，SpaceX 的星鏈 (Starlink) 衛星在烏克蘭上空開始運作，當普京(Vladimir Putin)的部隊繼續轟炸烏克蘭各地的城市之際, 幫助公民和當局保持與互聯網的聯繫。

在遭到俄羅斯軍隊的砲擊後，幾個大城市沒有互聯網或電話連接。

週六，澤連斯基證實他已經與馬斯克進行了交談，並證實將向烏克蘭發送更多衛星。

總統說: “我感謝他用言行支持烏克蘭”; “下週我們將收到另一批用於被毀城市的星鏈系統” 。

他說，他們還討論了可能的太空項目。他補充道: “但我會在戰後談論它” 。

基輔市長 Vitali Klitschko 展示了周六抵達的 Starlink 系統，稱它們將有助於支持首都的關鍵基礎設施，以及防禦俄羅斯軍隊。

星鏈互聯網不使用廣泛的光纖電纜系統，而是使用太空低軌道的衛星。人們使用 SpaceX 的套件來接入傳回地球的信號。

馬斯克表示，在他的副總理呼籲後, 這位科技億萬富翁幫助他, 將啟動烏克蘭上空的衛星並送出終端機,以保持互聯網在俄羅斯襲擊期間正常運行。

他還警告烏克蘭，這些系統部署到該國後，很容易成為敵对勢力的目標。

俄羅斯自11天前全面入侵烏克蘭以來，一直在用導彈轟炸烏克蘭城市並在各地進行激烈戰鬥。相信有數百名平民被殺，估計有超過 150 萬人逃離。

      So, SpaceX’s Starlink satellites become active over Ukraine now, helping citizens and authorities to stay connected to the internet as Putin’s forces continues to bomb cities across the country. Elon Musk does the right thing by standing against the Russian aggression.

A 8,500 years old building was discovered, the oldest Neolithic settlement in the UAE

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

８５００年前の建造物発見、ＵＡＥで最古　新石器時代の集落か

2022.02.18 Fri posted at 20:50 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） アラブ首長国連邦（ＵＡＥ）の考古学者らが、これまで知られている中では同国史上最古となる、少なくとも８５００年前にさかのぼる建造物を発掘した。アブダビ文化観光局の報道発表によれば、同国における最も古い建造物の記録を５００年あまり上回るという。

首都アブダビの西方沖に位置する島で発見されたこの建造物は、「シンプルな円形の部屋」からなる構造で、石造りの壁は最大でほぼ１メートルの高さを維持している。

発掘チームは声明で、構造物は「小さな集団の住居だった可能性が高い。集団は一年を通して島で暮らしたかもしれない」と説明する。

またこの発見は、長距離の海上交易ルートが発展する以前の新石器時代に集落があったことを示すものであり、考古学者の従来の考えとは異なり、海上交易ルートがこの地域への移住を誘発する要因ではなかったことを示唆しているとした。

さらに数百点もの人工物も発掘されており、その中には狩猟に使用されたとみられる、精巧に製作された石の矢じりもあったという。同チームは「この集団が海の豊かな資源を利用していた可能性が高い」と指摘している。

いつまでこの集落が続いたかは不明だが、構造物の下からは埋葬された５０００年前の遺骨が見つかった。アブダビの島々からこの時代の埋葬が見つかる例は少ない。

同国でこれまで最古とされた建造物もアブダビ沖の別の島にあった。そこでは２０１７年に世界最古の真珠が見つかっている。

発掘チームは今回の発見から、アブダビの島々が「乾燥した住みにくい」場所ではなく、「肥沃な海岸」のような所だったことが示唆されると言及。移り住んできた人々は「現地の経済や環境面での条件」に引き付けられたとの見方を示した。

Translation

  (CNN) Archaeologists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had unearthed the oldest known building in the country's history, dating back at least 8,500 years. According to a press release from the Abu Dhabi Bureau of Culture and Tourism, it surpassed the record of the country's oldest building for more than 500 years.

A building consisted of a "simple circular room" with stone walls that maintained a height of up to nearly a meter was discovered on an island at the open sea west of the capital Abu Dhabi.

The excavation team said in a statement that the structure was "probably a small group dwelling. The group may have lived on the island all year long."

This finding also indicated that there were settlements in the Neolithic period before the development of long-distance maritime trade routes, and unlike archaeologists' traditional beliefs, this suggested that the  maritime trade route was not a factor that induced migration to the region.

Hundreds of man-made objects had also been excavated, including a finely crafted stone arrowhead that was believed to have been used for hunting. The team said "It's likely that this group was using the abundant resources of the ocean".

How long this settlement lasted was not known, but the remains buried 5,000 years ago were found under the structure. Burials of this era were rarely found on the islands of Abu Dhabi.

The country's oldest building to date was also located on another island off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The world’s oldest pearl was found there in 2017.

The excavation team said the findings suggested that the islands of Abu Dhabi were more like "fertile coasts" than "dry and hard-to-live" places. They said the immigrants were attracted to there for "local economic and environmental conditions."

So, archaeologists in the United Arab Emirates have unearthed the oldest known building in the country's history, dating back at least 8,500 years. This place could be one of the regions for early human to change from hunter-and-gatherer mode of survival into group settlements.

世界上最大的磁场圆环装置剛剛打破了核聚變能的記錄

Recently Yahoo News on-lines reported the following:

The World's Largest Tokamak Just Crushed the Record for Nuclear Fusion Energy

Popular Mechanics - Caroline Delbert

Wed, February 16, 2022, 9:30 AM

England's Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak has produced 59 megajoules of energy for five seconds, breaking the previous nuclear fusion record from 1997.

JET is a training ground for the much larger, more ambitious ITER reactor.

The 59-megajoule record has a power ratio of Q=.33, with an industry goal of Q=1.

The Joint European Torus (JET) experiment housed in England has set a new record for the power generated by a burst of unfathomably hot plasma. The circular tokamak reactor, which looks like a donut, reached 59 megajoules of energy—a new high for a family of reactors that require an enormous amount of energy to get up to operational speed.

JET is part of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy just outside Oxford, England. The Centre is the national laboratory for nuclear fusion research in the United Kingdom, previously known as "UKAEA Culham" after the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority. It's awkward that the Joint "European" Torus is no longer a part of Europe, but that's partly because the project dates back 40 years to the early 1980s.

For about ten years, the original JET tokamak operated with the same goal that fusion projects have today: to generate enough energy to be productive against the fusion reactor's enormous energy cost for operation. For decades, the reactor iterated, meaning it was adjusted and refined over time to continue trying to reach its goals. Then, in 2009, it shut down completely for more of an overhaul. Today's JET is almost unrecognizable when you compare it to what the 1980s researchers built.

JET is a tokamak, which is basically a donut- or spherical-shaped tunnel where hydrogen isotopes are contained by a powerful magnetic field and then superheated until they're far hotter than the sun. It's at these high temperatures that the atoms' nuclei smash together, literally nuclear fusion. The reaction generates enormous energy relative to the amount of fuel required.

Over time, JET has learned lessons from the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a project that started later, but had massive funding and truly global participation. Results from ITER experiments helped JET to further tailor its goals, proving especially helpful while revamping JET between 2009 and 2011. Now, the two are working together to design experiments at JET that will help researchers at ITER make better decisions.

One way JET has led the way globally is by using fuel made of deuterium and tritium, names for two isotopes of hydrogen. Protium is the most common form of hydrogen, consisting of just one proton. Stable deuterium has a proton as well as a neutron (its name meaning two, like "deuce"), while radioactive tritium has one proton and two neutrons. The fuel sources are far better than protium, but the extra neutrons are sprayed around and can cause problems. To counter this, JET now has a special tungsten and beryllium shielding that will also be part of ITER.

All this background leads us to the exciting new record. In December, JET created an astonishing 59 megajoules of energy and sustained that for five full seconds—the longest possible amount of time before the reactor overheats. With nuclear fusion, the goal is to reach an advantageous power ratio of Q=1, where Q is the amount of energy generated divided by the amount of energy the reactor requires to operate. That means each facility's Q value is made from different parts: 59 megajoules might mean a Q of 20 at some tiny fusion reactor.

At JET, 59 megajoules is .33Q, which is still a step in the right direction, scientists say. They insist that at the massive ITER, which will be the largest fusion reactor in the world by far, the same processes that led to the record at JET will mean ITER is reaching productive fusion, or a Q greater than 1. Time will tell, because ITER isn't set to power up its first plasma run for years to come.

Translation

英國的聯合歐洲圓環 (JET) 的磁场圆环装置裝置在 5 秒內產生了 59 兆焦耳的能量，打破了自 1997 年以來的核聚變記錄。

JET 是更大、更雄心勃勃的 ITER 反應堆的訓練場。

59 兆焦耳記錄的功率比為 Q=0.33，行業目標為 Q=1。

位於英格蘭的聯合歐洲環面 (JET) 實驗創造了由熱等離子體爆發所產生大不可測的能量的新記錄。看起來像一個甜甜圈的圓形磁场圆环反應堆達到了 59 兆焦耳的能量 - 對於需要大能量才能達到運行速度的反應堆系來說，這是一個新高。

JET 是位於英國牛津郊外的 Culham 聚變能源中心的一部分。該中心是英國核聚變研究的國家實驗室，前身為英國原子能局之後的 “UKAEA Culham” 。令人尷尬的是，聯合 “歐洲” 圓環不再是歐洲的一部分，部分原因是該項目可以追溯 40 年到 1980 年代初。

大約十年來，最初的 JET 磁场圆环装置的運行目標與今天的聚變項目相同：產生足夠的能量來抵消聚變反應堆運行所需的巨大能源成本。幾十年來，反應堆不斷迭代，這意味著它會隨著時間的推移進行調整和完善，以繼續努力實現其目標。然後，在 2009 年，它完全關閉以進行更多的檢修。今天的 JET 與 1980 年代研究人員建造的相比幾乎無法認出。

JET 是一個磁场圆环装置，它基本上是一個甜甜圈或球形隧道，其中氫同位素被強大的磁場所包圍，然後加進超高熱，直到它們比太陽熱得多。正是在如此高的溫度下，原子的原子核相互碰撞，實際上是核聚變。由反應所產生巨大能量是相對於所需的燃料量。

隨著時間的推移，JET 從較後期開始的國際熱核實驗反應堆 (ITER) 中吸取了教訓，該項目擁有大量資金和真正的全球參與。 ITER 實驗的結果幫助 JET 進一步調整其目標，證明对JET在 2009 年至 2011 年期間進行的改造特別有用。現在，兩機構正在合作設計 JET 的實驗，這將幫助 ITER 的研究人員做出更好的決策。

JET 引領全球的一種方式是使用由氘和氚製成的燃料，這兩種同位素是氫的兩種同位素。氕是最常見的一種氫，僅由一個質子組成。穩定的氘有一個質子和一個中子（它的名字意思是兩個，如“deuce”），而放射性氚有一個質子和兩個中子。燃料源比氕好得多，但多出的中子會四處噴濺，可能會引起問題。為了解決這個問題，JET 現在有一個特殊的鎢和鈹屏蔽層，它也將成為 ITER 的一部分。

所有這些背景都將我們引向令人興奮的新紀錄。 在12 月，JET 創造了驚人的 59 兆焦耳能量，並持續了整整 5 秒 - 這是反應堆過熱之前可能的最長時間。對於核聚變，目標是達到 Q=1 的有利功率比，其中 Q 是產生的能量除以反應堆運行所需的能量。這意味著每個設施的 Q 值由不同的部分組成：59 兆焦耳可能意味著某個小型聚變反應堆的 Q 值為 20。

科學家們說，在 JET，59 兆焦耳是 0.33Q，這仍然是朝著正確方向邁出的一步。他們堅持認為，在大型 ITER 上，這將是迄今為止世界上最大的聚變反應堆，導致 JET 創紀錄的相同過程將意味著 ITER 正在達到生產性聚變，或者 Q 大於 1。這需要時間去證明，因為 ITER 不會在未來幾年內啟動其首次等離子運行。

            So, at the massive ITER, which will be the largest fusion reactor in the world by far, the same processes that led to the record at JET will mean ITER is reaching productive fusion, or with a Q greater than one. The next step is to find out how to convert the energy produced into a usable form, for example electricity.

Note:

1. A tokamak is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. As of 2021, it is the leading candidate for a practical fusion reactor. By the mid-1970s, dozens of tokamaks were in use around the world. As of 2020, JET (the Joint European Torus) remains the record holder for fusion output, reaching 16 MW of output for 24 MW of input heating power. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokamak)