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2008-04-22 China-Japan-Koreas
Japan's hunger becomes a dire warning for other nations
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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 09:40|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ]  Top

#1 No, not rich countries suffering - rich urbanites suffering. I like it...
Posted by M. Murcek">M. Murcek  2008-04-22 11:07||   2008-04-22 11:07|| Front Page Top

#2 Japan, especially, should begin very large scale aquafarming as soon as possible. It's pretty low tech and has been shown to work, and with high margins.

To start with, they anchor a ring of pontoons with two layered, descending nets. The inner net keeps the hatchery bred fish in. The outer net keeps predators out. The ocean current aerates and cleans the water.

It's been found that the fish actually gain slightly more weight than the fish food you feed them, as they also get some food coming with the current.

Importantly, they put the aquafarms away from the coasts, to reduce coastal pollution. The two biggest problems faced by aquafarms are storms and piracy.

Done on the very large scale, such aquafarms could provide a lot more fish to Japan than they currently harvest. It is far less expensive than destructive drift netting, as well, so would take a lot of pressure off of wild fish reserves.
Posted by Anonymoose 2008-04-22 11:15||   2008-04-22 11:15|| Front Page Top

#3 More fish is good, but there's a serious shortage of Tempura dough and Miso Soup!
Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 11:20||   2008-04-22 11:20|| Front Page Top

#4  More fish is good, but there's a serious shortage of Tempura dough and Miso Soup!

Every time I see that word think of the old joke.

Where do lightly battered women go?

The tempura shelter.

baddup boom
Posted by Beavis 2008-04-22 11:29||   2008-04-22 11:29|| Front Page Top

#5 First, as a matter of policy Japan debases its currency to help its export industries. The consequences of cheap yen is now hitting home.

Second, Japan's working age population has peaked and is in decline. Moving human resources into farming, of any kind, will require diverting them from other industries (including care for the aging).

Japan should allow the yen to appreciate and focus on higher value goods and services that can allow it to maximize the value of its well educated workforce. Then it can out bid poorer countries for food in world markets.
Posted by DoDo 2008-04-22 11:45||   2008-04-22 11:45|| Front Page Top

#6 The Japan labor problem could be solved if they would allow illegal aliens to flood into the country. We have plenty to spare.
Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 11:58||   2008-04-22 11:58|| Front Page Top

#7 Japan is something like 75% mountains. It's amazing that they have any agriculture at all.
Posted by gromky 2008-04-22 12:00||   2008-04-22 12:00|| Front Page Top

#8 Goats like mountains, according to my battered copy of Heidi. They provide milk, meat, and certain long-haired breeds make wonderful yarn. Yes, goatherd and herd dogs would be required, but surely there are some Japanese who would prefer the charm of the bucolic life to that of running a computerized manufacturing plant all by themselves?
Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife  2008-04-22 12:27||   2008-04-22 12:27|| Front Page Top

#9 The University of the Virgin Islands has pioneered aquafarms that use the fish droppings to fertilize the crops, teaching women from impoverished areas how to be self-sufficient and have their own small businesses. Japan should be able to master the process. Also, what does Pelosi have to say about hanging up American exports? It would seem fair trade could ease this crisis, as Japan has been a great ally, and the global need should encourage legitimate crops instead of poppies and marijuana.
Posted by Thealing Borgia6122 2008-04-22 12:38||   2008-04-22 12:38|| Front Page Top

#10 If they fed the farm fish Wasabi and Soy Sauce they would have instant Sashimi. Memo to Starkist!
Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 13:45||   2008-04-22 13:45|| Front Page Top

#11 The thing that astounds me in all of these rice and dough shortage stories is just how nationalized commodity purchasing has gotten in countries which I had foolishly thought had embraced the free market. I could see how the Philippines might do their purchasing through a single national office, but the Japanese? That's positively archaic! First World nations shouldn't *run out* of staple foods - pay through the nose for them, yes. But a First World country shouldn't be a unitary purchaser, with a *SET BUDGET* for purchases. That strongly suggests that the Japanese national budget has a line item somewhere for food purchases, offset elsewhere in the budget by income from sales of the foodstocks to domestic industry. That's jaw-droppingingly *ASININE*!
Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H.  2008-04-22 14:03|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]  2008-04-22 14:03|| Front Page Top

#12 Perhaps the Japanese will consider spending just $10 million of 2007's $75 Billion trade surplus to buy every Japanese family a stick of butter? That, or the Japanese can make their own butter and the US can make our own cars.
Posted by ed 2008-04-22 14:04||   2008-04-22 14:04|| Front Page Top

#13 The Japanese like the French have a very militant farm community when it come to importing food. They have always protected the farmers by government control of imports. Thus the Japanese politicians protect there personal O-shiris.

For you folks from Rio Linda, o-shiri is Japanese for ass.
Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 14:32||   2008-04-22 14:32|| Front Page Top

#14 I can respect that, just as I can respect even more Americans not being used as the world's trade patsy. I can also respect a people who decide not to ship high paying jobs overseas so that high school graduates have better prospects than a fast food job, selling drugs on the street corner or stripping at a titty bar.
Posted by ed 2008-04-22 15:02||   2008-04-22 15:02|| Front Page Top

#15 I was reading yesterday, how the Chinese government is trying to limit food price inflation by promoting pork production. As always when China does something it's big numbers. All those pigs gotta eat something and the something is imported soyabeans and grain.

BTW, one of the oddities of Japan is you find people working rice paddies in the middle of big cities like Tokyo. The American equivalent would corn fields in the Bronx.
Posted by phil_b 2008-04-22 16:19||   2008-04-22 16:19|| Front Page Top

#16 I also read suggestions that the Chinese government can no longer afford its food and energy subsidies, but is afraid to reduce them because of fear of social unrest.

And re the pigs, I recall in the old Soviet Union they used to feed bread to pigs, because bread was cheaper than grain. I don't think it's that bad in China, yet.
Posted by phil_b 2008-04-22 16:27||   2008-04-22 16:27|| Front Page Top

#17 Aquaculture is fine, but let's see you milk a fish.
No milk, no butter.
Maybe they could milk whales, they're mammals.
How about Margarine? (Vegatable oil)

My brain reels at the snark possibilities here.
Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim  2008-04-22 16:49||   2008-04-22 16:49|| Front Page Top

#18 Can I fantasize a World where industrialized countries no longer willing to free 3rd World tribal assemblies (especially Muzzies) masquerading as countries from the demeaning cares of making a living?
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2008-04-22 16:52||   2008-04-22 16:52|| Front Page Top

#19 My Grandfather fed bread to his pigs, got waste and unsold loaves from the day-old bread store, paid around 3 cents a loaf by the pickup truck full, they would break the wrappers in half to be sure it wasn't used as human food. Pigs loved it.
Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim  2008-04-22 17:09||   2008-04-22 17:09|| Front Page Top

#20 Phil: The last time I was in Japan there was no such thing as a vacant lot, only rice paddies. After the harvest they would start the construction.
Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-04-22 18:59||   2008-04-22 18:59|| Front Page Top

#21 The situation has been compounded by a surge in demand for bio-fuels such as ethanol, made from maize, encouraging farmers around the world to divert their efforts away from wheat and barley and into maize, further driving up prices.

Maize? I remember the old commercials with the native american saying corn, my people call it Maize. I'm wondering when the term Maize took over in common usage.
Posted by rjschwarz 2008-04-22 20:50||   2008-04-22 20:50|| Front Page Top

#22 I blame the Food Network.
Posted by Pappy 2008-04-22 21:59||   2008-04-22 21:59|| Front Page Top

#23 The CODE OF BUSHIDO = SAMURAI CODE can be broadly ascribed as resources-poor ancient Japan's RULES-ETHICS FOR ORGANIZED FOOD WARFARE, or in the altern FOOD-RICE WARFARE BASED NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRADE, + PLANNING. Goes to the many ways mankind prevails in harsh natural environments around the world.

ASIA > BUTTER IS TO COOKING, WHAT RICE IS TO EATING OR CULTURAL CUISINE, iff my Korean sister-in-law and Asian former classmates are any measure. Copious use of BUTTER is #1, copious use of vari COOKING OILS #2. HELL OR MICHELLE OBAMA HATH NO FURY LIKE A KOREAN HOUSEWIFE THAT CAN'T FIND ANY BUTTER FOR COOKING.
Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-04-22 22:09||   2008-04-22 22:09|| Front Page Top

#24 ZAWAHIRI > reportedly claims that AL QAEDA still has plans to attack WESTERN + DEMOCRATIC NATIONS, includng JAPAN???

Problem(s) solved for Nippon, as BUTTER can be made from CAMEL, etc. MILK!

*2010-2020, EUROPE > Cleric says EUROPE WILL BE MUSLIM BY 2020.

* See also WAFF.com > EUROPE OR EURABIA?
Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-04-22 23:05||   2008-04-22 23:05|| Front Page Top

#25 HMMMMM, Nippon or NIPPORABIA? East or EASTABIA/EASTURABIA? Yakutia or YAKURABIA?

FARK.com > I came for the Butter and left disappointed.
Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-04-22 23:08||   2008-04-22 23:08|| Front Page Top

23:59 JosephMendiola
23:49 JosephMendiola
23:47 gorb
23:46 gorb
23:27 Old Patriot
23:14 Beavis
23:10 Eric Jablow
23:08 JosephMendiola
23:05 JosephMendiola
23:03 Eric Jablow
22:59 JosephMendiola
22:54 Sock Puppet of Doom
22:53 JosephMendiola
22:49 Frank G
22:44 JosephMendiola
22:36 trailing wife
22:31 Mullah Richard
22:26 Redneck Jim
22:26 Anonymoose
22:23 Barbara Skolaut
22:22 Mike
22:18 BA
22:18 Pappy
22:14 Frank G









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