Drawing water to the gravestone we removed dirt hard while the sun gradually glares down. She decorated a cluster of flowers and got ready to light an incense stick, and to meet an ancestor. This work is hard as I get old. My home greets the Bon Festival in the old calendar. Obon festival starts on Aug. 13 and closes on Aug. 16. But I do the visit to a grave on Saturday or Sunday one week before Obon festival due to my work. Fortunately, our parents’ house and the grave of the couple are in Yokohama now and they are in distance to be able to go around one hour by car without the traffic jam. We went early in the morning on Sunday, August 11 this year. My wife’s house do Obon decoration and invites late parents and ancestors. My wife and her sister gather the parents’ house where the older brother lives and they decorate a family’s Buddhist alter with Obon lantern and a miniature of horses made of vegetables like a cucumber, eggplant. They still protect such a tradition as my wife is from Miyagi. Unfortunately, as for me there is only memory of visiting to a grave because there is not a family’s Buddhist alter in our house after our family come to Yokohama.
But I just remember that people carried away floating lanterns carrying the spirits of the dead and a boat of the miniature with the offering in a river or the sea in Nagasaki of my birth country. I also remember a feeling I can’t wait for Obon because I felt happy and excited during that period. But when the Bon Festival is over, the feeling of our summer also ends and it becomes likely in autumn at once.
As a result of having adopted the solar calendar in the Meiji era, people came to enshrine Obon in each place in July or August but it come from Buddhism. Fireworks of the Sumida River, Bon festival dance of each place, Awa Folk Dance of Tokushima-shi, Gujo dance of Gifu, the ceremonial bonfire seeing off the spirits on the final night of O-Bon of 5 mounts in Kyoto are vestiges, too. On August 11 when it increased in a national holiday from 2016, the holiday making up for the overlap of holidays on Sunday on the holiday of “the day of the mountain” becomes Monday, August 12, and, in the summer vacation of the school, it is with the migration from the big city of the Japanese citizen to the district at this time in Bon vacation of the manufacturing industry. In addition, considering a historic fact of August such as Atomic bombing to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the anniversary of the end of the war and watching energetic plays of high school boys in Koshien stadium of summer National Highschool Baseball Championship performed in sweltering heat it reminds that August is a kind of special month of the year to me who played in high school and all Japanese,
According to the employment statistics of July of the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of the employees of the non-agriculture section maintains 164,000 increase compared with the month before, unemployment rate 3.7% and it is kept at a low level.
Mean hourly wage 27.98 dollars, it is 3.2% increase from a year earlier. It is the growth of the 3% stand for 12 consecutive months. . The U.S. economic expansion situation enters in the eleventh year in July and is updating the longest after the war. On the other hand, the American Federal Reserve Board (FRB) made policy rate 2.20-2.25% of 0.25% reduction on July 31. It is a reduction in interest rates since December, 2008. The central bank of the developing countries in Asia propose the prospect that they follow for a business stimulating measure by monetary easing. President Trump announced on August 1 that USA will add additional duty, 10% to Chinese product, 300 billion dollar from September 1 as a way out of the trade negotiation to China newly. Then President Trump appointed China in “currency manipulator” because Chinese yuan exceeded 1 dollar = 7 yuan on Aug. 5th. Chinese yuan recorded 1 dollar=7.0414 yuan in Shanghai market of Aug. 7th. It is said that the exchange standard of 1 dollar=7.2~7.3 yuan can zero the influence that the 4th additional duty of USA gives a Chinese economy. However, with foreign reserve of 3,100 billion dollars, the weak dollar is cutting both ways for China managing it in dollars.
The US trade value against China is 271 billion dollars at the first half (Jan. to Jun) of 2019. 13.7% decrease a year earlier. Trade deficit is 167,044 million dollars reduced 10.1% from a year earlier. The real economic growth rate from April to June in China is 6.2% which is the lowest since statistics start of 1992 and being broken 6% is finally more likely with this 4th measures. When an overseas transfer of further manufacturing industry advances, the China’s economy receives a big blow.
Boris Johnson took office as the prime minister in the U.K. on July 24. It will bring The U.K. to precipitates into “the secession without the agreement” from European Union (EU) in the end of October. “Brexit” which the U.K. could not change themselves the consciousness as the world leader will bring them a thorny way. The responsibility of the British politician who was not able to let the nation understand it is heavy. Politics moves economy in the world. There is the risk there, but it means that it gives us a chance.
On July 31 Ocean Network Express, the integrated liner company of 3 Japanese shipping lines announced the settlement of accounts of 1st quarter (from April to June) for March 2020 period. Sales amount increase 39.1% to 2,875 million dollars from the year before. The profit and loss achieved an increase in profit of 125 million dollars from a deficit of 120 million dollars a year earlier for the current term and brought the black of 5 million dollars. It is revival from the confusion at the time of the start one year ago.
Container outbound loaded achievement of 1st quarter of the North America increases 26.2% to 669,000TEU, loading rate of 86%, improved by 14% from the year before.
Inbound loaded achievement of 1st quarter of the North America increase 60.6% to 350,000 TEU and it recorded the highest of the quarter. Loading rate attained 47% after 14% improved. In the European route they attained 460,000TEU in container outbound loaded achievement after improvement of 47.1%. Loading rate is 87% improved 14% from the year before. Inbound loaded achievement increase 66.5% to 323,000TEU and the best of the quarter. Loading rate is 64% after 16% improved. This is the big first step for ONE.
The liner section of 3 Japanese lines integrated into one liner so that there is no reason that ONE could be No. 1 shipping lines after they make use of each good point. I strongly expect it to them.
I have something to ask the government. It is that coastal shipping lines should be globally competitive. A “coastal shipping tentativeness measures business” system to be finished in 2024 is enforced in 1967, and coastal shipping lines cannot operate in the foreign route. There is the merit that I can make ship building costs cheaply, but on the other hand, it is inferior in the safety of the ship from an international standard and lack in charm as a growth industry, and a Japanese sailor invites a result to decrease after all. I think that we should make more coastal vessels company an attractive one to increase Japanese sailors. While the government has advocated modal shift but they seem to do nothing in fact. Is it the reality that it gets rid of charm of maritime power to Japan? There is only one ocean going liner now that the operation head office put in Singapore. It is very regrettable to see a saucer succeeding shipbuilding, shipping technology, its experience and knowhow as maritime power disappears.
The new container production price is $1,780 per 20f which does not change last month. The number of new containers in factory in China is 1,131,430TEU (Dry:1,066,914TEU, Reefer: It is 64,516TEU).