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LDP Komeito alliance wins 47 seats. Sanseito nationalist challenging LDP  government wins 14 seats in Japan parliamentary election July 2025. A tariff of 24% on Japanese car imports are increased by DJT to 25% in frustration over slow talks about an agreement. Japanese prime minister Ishiba is unlikely to remain in office more than a few months after losing majority in parliament. This means more uncertainty in the talks with the US over reciprocal and car tariffs. With the nationalists challenging the LDP's stiad party politics the LDP does not want to look weak in defending Japan's national interests.

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World Expo in Osaka-Kansei in Japan opened April 13, 2025 exceeds 10 million visitors in July 2025. An Air Show by Blue Impulse of the Self Defense Forces of Japan on July 13 is shown in the Asahi Shimbun. The goal for this world's fair ignored by most of the official media is 28.2 million visitors with 158 countries and regions participating.

The theme of this world's fair is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The song is “Kono Hoshi no Tsuzuki wo”, by Kobukuro, it means Let's go see the future.The future society is one that would be inclusive, innovative and sustainable after covid.

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In May 2023 Germany's Scholz overruled Habeck to let sale of 24.9% of Hamburg port to COSCO go through. Here is how over 2000-2016 China build its world class network of containerized shipping ports while the second Bush added the war in Afghanistan to the wars in Iraq started by Reagan/Bush. Without defense costs China built this world ports network. Piraeus in Greece, south of Athens, a port concession acquired in 2004 Antwerp in Belgium (Austrian Netherlands), a minority stake in a container port acquired in 2008. In 2013 with sale of Terminal Link ports in a Cosco 49% stake deal by CMA of France CMA holding 51%, China has stakes in Zeerbrugge and Antwerp, Busan South Korea, and Le Havre, Montoir and Fos in France, Xiamen in China, Miami and Houston in US. Rotterdam, Netherlands- Cosco acquired in 2016 a 35% stake in Euromax Terminal in Rotterdam from Hong Kong's Hutchison's Holdings for $125 million. Valencia and Bilbao majority  51% stake for $270 million, when JP Morgan paid as much as $950 million to ACS of Spain for these ports after the 2009 crisis led to Spanish divestments. Today measured in TEU shipping containers China sends goods to Europe 10 times what it takes in through Spanish ports. ...

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How to build a global port network with less cash- China's state owned Cosco and it's European ports network is an example of savy buying during financial crises, and when companies in Europe and the US were keen to make sales of ports. China simply integrated it into a vast exports network, using containerized terminal expansion modernization to build its manufacturing for export model. This was an extension of its domestic network where it added new port infrastructure to newly built rail and road connections.  India today is learning from this example. By 2000 the Chinese global export model was entrenched. It was also the year when the junior Bush president extended the wars of Reagan/Bush in Iraq of the 1980's to Afghanistan. China had a clear road ahead to build state of the art infrastructure of ports, logistics and exports over the next 10-15 years without any defense costs.  Piraeus in Greece south of Athens, a port concession acquired in 2004 Antwerp in Belgium (Austrian Netherlands), a minority stake in a container port acquired in 2008. In 2013 with sale of Terminal Link ports in a 49% stake deal by CMA of France holding 51%, China has stakes in Zeerbrugge and Antwerp, Busan South Korea, and Le Havre, Montoir and Fos in France, Xiamen in China, Miami and Houston in US. Rotterdam, Netherlands- Cosco acquired in 20126 a 35% stake in Euromax Terminal in Rotterdam from Hong Kong's Hutchison's Holdings for $125 million. Valencia and Bilbao majority  51% stake for $270 million, when JP Morgan paid as much as $950 million to ACS of Spain for these ports after the 2009 crisis led to Spanish divestments. Today in TEU's shipping containers China sends goods to Europe 10 times what it takes in through Spanish ports. Hamburg-In May 2023 Germany's Scholz overruled Habeck to let sale of 24.9% of Hamburg port to COSCO go through ...

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Loss of savings of seniors and banks- failure in US fraud protection legislation in Congress and bank's lacking strtong action to fight such fraud behaviour against seniors.

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Strawberries and cream (or Geek yogurt) are a British food that is popular in a different form in Japan as "furutsu sando." They are now adapted to make a Japanese version using soft white bread and include also fruits such as kiwi, clementines, to add color and flavors.

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Japan's Sanseito anti-immigration party gets 7 seats, enough to deprive the ruling LDP-Komeito alliance of its parliamentary majority. Prime Minister Ishida of the LDP party may not last more than a few months. The LDP seems to have lost its way like the Democrats in the US. A recent article in NYT says LDP wanted to bring in 60 million tourists to Japan each year to boost the economy. Yet Japanese people in cities have a hard time handling 40 million tourists in 2024, with reports of disturbance of the once quiet life in city neigborhoods and failure to adopt the culture and language of Japan. Reports of migrant/tourist or immigrant crime get much press coverage. Japan has 124 million people and birthrate of 1.26 below the birthrate of 2.1 needed to stabilize population. Business asks for new immigrants to fill unfilled positions. The public has different ideas and the migration is causing disturbance in traditional way of life in Japan. Similar to what is seen in the US and Germany in more striking ways. The nationalist parties including Sanseito say even if the population falls to 100 million this is more than the population of 90 million in Germany, and is enough to sustain its economy. Use of robotics and AI is not talked about as much but offers Japan, US and Germany, a way to make up for the loss of foreign labor. In essence both American, British, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Austrian, Dutch, Danish and Japanese society share a yearning for traditional ways of life that are being ruffled and disturbed by the migration, immigration, or over tourism affecting their countries. Politicians need to pay attention to people affected and not live isolated in their own neighborhoods from the people in other less sheltered communities and neighborhoods across their countries. ...

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The government set a target of 60 million tourists. At 40 million this seems too much as quieter neighborhoods of Kyoto and other cities face intrusion from tourists. The Sanseito Party is making this an issue in parliamentary elections in Japan challenging ruling LDP party of prime minister Shigeru Ishida. These parties say that even with population declines and 120 million dropping to 100 million Japan will still have the population to run its economy. These nationalist parties also protest buying of land and property by wealthy foreign tourists in cities like Tokyo and crimes by some immigrants.

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Late career layoff have affected savings of middle and professional class of Americans since 2009. Recent data show 25% of those laid off in years when kids college tution and other exorbitantly growing expenses can strain budgets and savings, are not able to find jobs. Others end up in lower paying work. Fewer job protections under Anglo Saxon capitalist economies of US and Britain compared to Germany and France lead to his type of job loss being more prevalent in these societies. Sometimes US can offer more job opportunities but this also comes with more job loss for many reasons. 

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Germany - France quarterfinals UEFA soccer 2025 1-1 Germany winning on penalties. With great saves, about 9 before penalty kicks, and one save of an own goal towards the end from German goal keeper Ann Katrin-Berger. Also part of the game was a puzzling hair pull by a German player of the French captain in front of all the cameras and the stadium that led to apenalty that France converted. In this unusual game there were 2 French goals that were called offside by the umpires. The German game involved more physicality with many fouls and injured players. Though the possession was very one sided France having possession about 70% of the time and many attempts by French players at the German goal, somehow the German team's defense held together without it's  red carded player.

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Going to a public bathroom facility doesn't have to be dreaded. And the huge costs for a city to have setting up its own don't have to be the option. 

New private companies have developed the technologies to keep the places clean and efficient so that the experience is a good one. Throne Labs makes self contained sytems that do not connect to the city sewer system or the water supply of the city. Costs about $90,000 a unit in the Los Angeles Metro vicinity includes all maintenance and operational costs. As US prepares for the World Cup Soccer inflow of travelers this is something the city needs to get right.

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Powell at the Fed, the US central bank, and DJT have different views on reducing interest rates. Most of the business community and heads of banks see it as essential that the Fed be able to decide independently when to lower interest rates. Jay Powell was selected by DJT in the first term and Biden continued with Jay Powell. Powell carefully monitors the economy, the cost of living, supply chain inflation, jobs reports, and the international situation, to come up with his view, which is that inflation is moderating and job situation and the economy are good, so that the Fed does not need to take action at this time.  In this situation where the president wants to see lower interest rates to lower the interest burden on government borrowings for the larger defense budget and other priorities., including trade action, Bessent has stepped in. His advice to the president as he did earlier on tariffs is to show flexibility. The president listens.  Earlier with Liberation Day tariffs Bessent advised DJT to give financial markets confidence in the new policies by a willingness to reduce them or pause them. ...

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Follow Jonathan Liew and pictures of sensational save of an own goal by German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger vs France in front of a Basel Swiss crowd in July 2025. Berger faced a never ending onslaught from the French team over 90 minutes and survived with grace and persistence. It included a penalty for the French and two French goals that were not allowed for offside rules. In a chaotic game with both teams tired and all energies spent, simply running with no idea what was going to happen next, Berger never faltered with 9 saves.

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Laurent Bonadei says of this German team as they fended off repeated French attempts at goal over the first 90 minutes- “Germany deserves their qualification because they defended very well. Usually we manage to create more chances. We were against a team that was very smart. There was no panic from them – we wanted to get them to panic but it didn’t happen.” It was a game of sheer chaos starting with a bizarre hair pull by Katherine Hendrichs of the German team leading to a red card, and two goals for France not given because of offside decisions by umpires, and two penalty kicks for fouls. Not to mention a saved own goal by Anne-Katrin Berger that was something sensational to watch.Berger faced constant French attempts on goal for 90 minutes as France controlled the ball 70% of the time. Somehow the German team with 10 players held its defense together. Berger's soft spoken style stands out- “All the credit should go to the team, not me. Everybody here should talk about the performance of the team.” ...

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As the Nation looks to take care of it's farmers, a look at two farms in Wisconsin dairy country. One is a milk farm Norm Lane in Chili Wisconsin which supplies 200,000 pounds of milk to a cheesemaker Nasonville Dairy in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Shown in this story in NYT are the Master Cheesemaker Ken Heimann who runs the Nasonville Dairy which produces Colby, Cheddar and other cheeses. Also shown are Josh Meissner whose grandparents started the mil dairy Norm Lane in 1946.  The economics of dairy farms are such that they depend on the government to set the price and with all the competition the margins on milk are quite thin. This is true for cheese also where there is the West Coast production of cheese that has larger output and greater mechanization than Wisconsin's cheesemakers. What keeps the dairy industry going these days is the production of whey protein a byproduct of the cheese making process. This has much higher margins with prices up from $3 a pound of whey protein to $10 a pound. On a typical day the Nasonville Dairy can turn out 150,000 pounds of cheese, and 150,000 pounds of liquid whey protein. ...