Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) — Japan’s exports plunged the most on record in November as global demand for cars and electronics collapsed, signaling more factory shutdowns and job cuts are likely as the recession deepens.

Exports fell 26.7 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said today in Tokyo. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted a 22.3 percent decline. The drop was the sharpest since comparable data were made available in 1980. (more…)

Source: CCTV.com | 12-13-2008 08:59
Special Report: Tripartite Summit

Leaders of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea are scheduled to meet and
discuss measures to deal with the global financial crisis.

A Japanese policeman guards outside the Kyushu National
Museum,
the venue for a tripartite summit of China,
Japan and South Korea, in
Fukuoka, Japan, Dec. 12, 2008.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime
Minister Taro
Aso and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will attend
the
summit scheduled for Dec. 13 in Fukuoka.(Xinhua Photo)
The summit
is scheduled for Saturday in the southern Japanese city of Dazaifu in Fukuoka
prefecture.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso,
and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will attend the meeting, which aims to
strengthen cooperation and coordination between the three countries.

The
leaders will also hold bilateral talks.

China and Japan are neighboring countries separated only by a narrow strip of
water.Peoples of these two countries have friendly contact for more than two
thousand years.However,in the history of communication,the reversed phenomenon
that Chinese people learn from Japanese people only appeared in hundred years of
the 20th century.What is the reason for this reverse?

In the early years
of the 20th century and the 1980s,an upsurge of “learning of Japan” exploded in
China. This paper tends to make a comparative analysis on the first upsurge
aiming at saving our country and the second upsurge aiming at finding ways to
enrich our country.The paper tries to find out the reason and the achievement of
the upsurge of “learning from Japan”

There are still many problems of
understanding between China and Japan. However,if Japanese scholars can
re-estimate China from an academic perspective. They are sure to see a totally
different new China. At least,the conflict caused by misunderstanding can be
avoided.

AIG sells Japanese divisions to raise
cash

TOKYO (AP) — Embattled insurer
American International Group says it will sell three of its Japanese life
insurance businesses.

In a statement late
Friday, the company says that as part of its effort to pay off a massive U.S.
government loan, it has decided to unload Alico Japan, AIG Edison Life Insurance
Co., and AIG Star Life Insurance Co.
On the brink
of failure last month, AIG was bailed out when the government offered it an $85
billion loan during the ongoing credit crisis that saw Lehman Brothers Holdings
file for bankruptcy protection and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of
America.

In return for the loan, the government
has received warrants to purchase up to 79.9 percent of AIG.
(more…)

Japanese element symbols which based on the ancient Chinese concept are:

Wood (ki 木)
Fire (hi 火)
Earth (tsuchi 土)
Metal (kane 金)
Water (mizu 水)

here is the picture of japanese 5 element symbols:

The five major planets were associated with the Five Elements.

Jupiter
Mars
Saturn
Venus
Mercury
…