Chances of big quake below Tokyo rising

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The possibility of a huge plate-boundary earthquake amplified by simultaneous moves in two or more focal areas beneath Tokyo has been increasing since the Great East Japan Earthquake, according to the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute.

The institute said that since the March 11 disaster, pressure on the tectonic plates beneath the city has changed and two or more focal areas may move simultaneously, resulting in a massive quake.

The institute intends to continue monitoring and assess the possibility of a huge earthquake.

The tectonic makeup of Tokyo and surrounding areas is complicated, with two ocean plates subducting below a land plate on which the Japanese archipelago is located.

There have been many earthquakes in this area, as both plate-boundary quakes, which are caused by friction between the plates, and inland quakes, which are caused by faults in the plates, can occur.

The average number of quakes measured at magnitude 3 or more in the five years preceding the March 11 disaster was about eight a month.

The institute discovered that the number of small-scale plate-boundary quakes that are not felt by people has drastically increased following the March 11 earthquake.

Also, the preliminary observed number of magnitude-3 or larger plate-boundary quakes between March 11 and Aug. 20 rose about fourfold in an area 60 to 70 kilometers below northern Tokyo Bay.

Similarly sized plate-boundary quakes occurring 40 to 55 kilometers below southern Ibaraki Prefecture have increased about 20-fold.

The number of inland quakes has not drastically increased, but the institute said the types of the quakes have clearly changed.

There have been huge quakes with shallow focal points below Tokyo and surrounding areas in the past. The 1923 magnitude-8 Great Kanto Earthquake occurred in southern Tokyo Bay.

The government's Central Disaster Management Council has maintained that magnitude-8 quakes will not occur in the near future. But the Great East Japan Earthquake has largely changed conventional thinking about the region's seismology.

Naoshi Hirata, a researcher at the institute and a member of the government's Earthquake Research Commitxtee, said, "If there is drastic plate movement, there is no guarantee that the scale of the quake will be in line with the government's prediction of up to magnitude 7.3.

"In addition to looking at the intervals of recurrence of Great Kanto Earthquake level quakes, it's necessary to review the predictions," he said.

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China's yuan takes heat off prospects for yen intervention

--An appreciating yuan is welcome news for Japan's exporters

--Appreciating yuan should take the pressure off Japan's government to intervene against the dollar

--Japanese exporters habitually focus on the dollar

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Given the importance of Japan's trading relationship with China, the appreciating yuan is taking the heat off the prospects of another round of intervention to weaken the yen versus the dollar.

As the yen hit new highs against the U.S. dollar this month, Japanese exporters and other manufacturers complained about a loss of competitiveness, which put pressure on their government to intervene. But that view misses the ...

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Most Japan automakers report weak July production - Sacramento Bee

TOKYO -- Most Japanese automakers reported lackluster vehicle production and sales for July, underscoring ongoing malaise in the industry as it grapples with a strong yen, precarious global economy and recovery from the March 11 tsunami.

Worldwide production at Toyota Motor Corp. fell 6.1 percent from a year earlier to 594,614 vehicles, the company said Tuesday. Its domestic sales of passenger cars, trucks and buses tumbled more than 35 percent, and exports fell 5 percent due to weaker shipments to North America.

Toyota, however, said its production returned to levels that were near to what it had planned before the March earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's northeastern coast, wiping out auto parts suppliers.

The automaker is preparing to ramp up production in the coming months to make up for the capacity lost to the disaster. Between October and March 2012, the automaker plans to build an extra 350,000 vehicles.

The numbers were worse at Honda Motor Co., where global production tumbled more than 34 percent to 206,727 vehicles in July. It was the sixth straight month of decline.

Honda's domestic sales of vehicles fell 31.5 percent and exports retreated more than 19 percent.

Standing above the crowd was Nissan Motor Co., which continued to gain momentum and set company records in July.

The Yokohama-based automaker recorded an almost 18 percent jump in worldwide output to 388,680 vehicles - its best-ever July performance. Production in the U.S. benefited from stronger demand for the Altima sedan, Nissan said.

Although Nissan's Japan sales fell 17 percent in volume terms, global sales overall rose 8 percent. Exports surged more than 23 percent.

Among Japan's other car makers, Suzuki Motor Corp. posted a 3.6 percent decline in global production to 228,147 vehicles.

Worldwide output at Mazda Motor Corp. fell almost 13 percent to 103,384 vehicles. At Mitsubishi Motors Corp., it declined about 5 percent to 97,862 vehicles.

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IAAF donates $250 000 to Japan - SPORT24

Daegu - Athletics' governing body, the IAAF, has donated $250 000 to the Japanese federation to "assist the rebuilding of their shattered society" following the devastating March tsunami.

IAAF president Lamine Diack visited sponsors in Japan just days after the tsunami hit on March 11 "in order to offer in person the IAAF's sympathy, condolences and support at the nation’s hour of need", the body said.

Diack "reinforced that commitment and support for the Japanese people" when presenting the gift to Yohei Kono, president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and Japan's IAAF council member Katsuyuki Tanaka.

"In March, only a few days after the tsunami hit, I was in Tokyo visiting our partners," Diack said.

"I had been expecting the visit would have to be postponed having seen on television the scale of the disaster which had happened but I decided that it was best to go and give my support.

"What I saw was a lesson for us all, to see a country which had been through such a disaster continue to live and determinedly get on with daily life.

"I was so moved that when I returned I was determined that the IAAF should contribute some help to Japan, and therefore I'm delighted to present this cheque of $250 000 from the IAAF to JAAF."

JAAF president Kono said the money would be "used to help the athletics community in our country rebuild as a whole".

"It will help establish athletics competitions in the areas of Japan which have most suffered by the tragedy. It will also directly help elementary school children" and youth athletics in Japan.

The earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11 claimed more than 20 000 lives and sparked the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis.

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Japan maestro Ozawa cancels China performances (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) – Seiji Ozawa, Japan's most famous conductor, will not take part in a music festival in China later this week, organizers said, with media reporting that he was in hospital in Tokyo for tests.

The 75-year-old former Vienna State Opera musical director, who for many years was also conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was diagnosed with oesophogeal cancer in January 2010 and completed treatment later that year.

In January, he had endoscopic lower back surgery for chronic back pain and took a six-month break from conducting. But his comeback at the Saito Kinen Festival in the Japanese castle town of Matsumoto ran into trouble last week when he was diagnosed with dehydration and a light case of pneumonia, forcing him to cancel two of four performances.

"He will not be taking part in performances in China," said a spokesperson at the Saito Kinen Festival, the organizer of the Chinese event.

She would not confirm media reports that Ozawa was in hospital for tests and unspecified treatment.

Ozawa was one of the first Asian classical musicians widely recognized abroad and has strived to revitalize the classical music scene in his native country by founding the Saito Kinen Festival.

Born the son of a dentist in 1935 in Shenyang, part of what was then Japanese-occupied China, Ozawa spent much of his early childhood in Beijing and has kept up connections with China since the late 1970s, when he was invited to work with a Chinese orchestra for a week.

Ozawa had been set to take part in four performances during the Chinese festival, which runs from Sept 1 to 11.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies)

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Biz leaders laud choice

Japanese business circles welcomed the election Monday of Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and urged the incoming prime minister to swiftly takes measures to revitalize the economy.

"Mr. Noda is a stable leader, well-versed in taxation, finance and social security policies, and with Japanese politics facing difficult times, (his election) is heartening," said Keidanren Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura, who heads the influential business lobby.

At a press conference in Tokyo, Yonekura called on Noda, 54, to form a strong Cabinet and proceed with rebuilding areas devastated by the March 11 disasters. He also hinted the group might tolerate the tax hikes Noda has proposed to finance the rebuilding effort.

"I think it's necessary for the nation as a whole, including companies, to shoulder the burden," Yonekura said.

Other business bodies also urged swift political action on reconstruction, calling on the ruling party to unite and work on bridging its differences with the opposition parties.

"With the state of Japan under crisis, there is no room for delays in policy measures," said Yasuchika Hasegawa, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives.

With the opposition in control of the Upper House, Hasegawa said Noda will have to work with the opposition to address the nation's worst postwar crisis.

Fujitsu Ltd. President Masami Yamamoto said in a statement that he hopes Noda will display strong leadership in shoring up the damage from the catastrophe and in dealing with the strong yen's debilitating effect on exporters.

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China to tighten restrictions on rare earths production

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Chinese government has stepped up efforts to further restrict rare earth production and plans to have mining and refining firms in the nation adhere to a government-set production schedule, it has been learned.

The Japanese government is wary of China's move, as Japan's procurement volume of rare earths will highly likely shrink if China further restricts output.

China produces 97 percent of the world's rare earths, essential materials in the production of high-tech products, while Japan imports of rare earths from China accounted for about 82 percent of the nation's total imports in 2010.

According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, China's planned production of rare earths in 2010 was 89,200 tons, but the actual volume was estimated at between 120,000 tons and 130,000 tons--about 30 percent to 40 percent more.

The Chinese government has instructed rare earth-producing companies to conduct on-the-spot inspections to facilitate accurate accounting of the government's output quotas, sources said.

Companies that exceed the government-set limit will face punishments, such as being ordered to halt production or have their facilities confiscated, sources said.

By increasing its control of rare earths production, which are also considered strategic goods, the Chinese government aims to keep prices high. Some rare earth companies have downsized their production systems, observers said.

The Chinese government has already set a rare earths export ceiling in order to safeguard its resources and environment. The nation cut its export quota by 20 percent in 2008 from the previous year, and 40 percent in 2010 from a year earlier.

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