Comments on: Article 9 and Constitutional Revision, Spider-Man, and Population Decline: TPR News for Monday, May 7, 2007 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/ Independent Podcasting from Tokyo. Featuring Seijigiri, a discussion of Japanese news and politics, as well as TPR News, our twice a week look at Japan's top stories. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:17:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Japan in amber » Blog Archive » Constitution of Japan: Issues surrounding revision. http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-96666 Thu, 10 May 2007 01:33:31 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-96666 [...] 2007/05/07 Article 9 and Constitutional Revision, Spider-Man, and Population Decline: TPR News for Monday, May 7, 2007 Trans-Pacific Radio; “His [Shinzo Abe’s] panel examining the right to collective defense, one of the central issues in current interpretations of and future revisions to Article 9, consists of 13 members. Of those 13, 12 have made public statements, on the record, criticizing the current interpretation and calling for reinterpretation.” [...] […] 2007/05/07 Article 9 and Constitutional Revision, Spider-Man, and Population Decline: TPR News for Monday, May 7, 2007 Trans-Pacific Radio; “His [Shinzo Abe’s] panel examining the right to collective defense, one of the central issues in current interpretations of and future revisions to Article 9, consists of 13 members. Of those 13, 12 have made public statements, on the record, criticizing the current interpretation and calling for reinterpretation.” […]

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94083 Mon, 07 May 2007 13:17:20 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94083 Shingen, good question, I thought I'd heard those stats, too. I think we're looking at projections vs. confirmed statistics. We heard a decline was predicted, now we hear it has definitely happened. The statistics themselves were just released. Shingen, good question, I thought I’d heard those stats, too. I think we’re looking at projections vs. confirmed statistics. We heard a decline was predicted, now we hear it has definitely happened. The statistics themselves were just released.

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94081 Mon, 07 May 2007 13:14:10 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94081 Ken W., one thing that makes me wonder whether or not they're double-booking is that, unlike most flights, you get assigned seat numbers on reserved seats at the time that you purchase tickets and there's no check-in step at which alterations could be made if, for example, two people having reserved the same seat show up or there are simply more passengers who show up than there are seats. The amount of time passengers need before the train departs is based only on how fast they can run and whether or not they want to pick up snacks or drinks from the kiosk before boarding. On top of that, shinkansen trains have as many as 16 cars, some which are double-deckers and extra-wide on the Tohoku shinkansen (I don't know why we don't see those on the busier Tokaido shinkansen - maybe it's the 787 vs. A380 thing), which would mean that space would probably only become an issue at the highest peak times, at which time the no-show rate could well be lower (as people tend to show up earlier when they know it will be busy.) Ken W., one thing that makes me wonder whether or not they’re double-booking is that, unlike most flights, you get assigned seat numbers on reserved seats at the time that you purchase tickets and there’s no check-in step at which alterations could be made if, for example, two people having reserved the same seat show up or there are simply more passengers who show up than there are seats. The amount of time passengers need before the train departs is based only on how fast they can run and whether or not they want to pick up snacks or drinks from the kiosk before boarding.

On top of that, shinkansen trains have as many as 16 cars, some which are double-deckers and extra-wide on the Tohoku shinkansen (I don’t know why we don’t see those on the busier Tokaido shinkansen - maybe it’s the 787 vs. A380 thing), which would mean that space would probably only become an issue at the highest peak times, at which time the no-show rate could well be lower (as people tend to show up earlier when they know it will be busy.)

]]> by: Shingen http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94045 Mon, 07 May 2007 11:43:10 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94045 Lukewarm towels! Oh the humanity! Auntie Beeb is a bit behind the curve, as usual with regards to Japan, is it not? I recall seeing the (perhaps the preliminary) stats on population a year ago. Or am I confusing two different sets of statistics? Lukewarm towels! Oh the humanity!

Auntie Beeb is a bit behind the curve, as usual with regards to Japan, is it not? I recall seeing the (perhaps the preliminary) stats on population a year ago. Or am I confusing two different sets of statistics?

]]> by: ken http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94035 Mon, 07 May 2007 11:22:50 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-94035 I was thinking that in terms of Asahi readers, which is why I like to see polls from more than one source... As far as double bookings goes, they must do it. It's done in the hotel and airline industries. However, it's harder to pull off during peak times. If they have any business sense whatsoever of course they would be double booking. I'd love to know what the percentage is. I was thinking that in terms of Asahi readers, which is why I like to see polls from more than one source…

As far as double bookings goes, they must do it. It’s done in the hotel and airline industries. However, it’s harder to pull off during peak times. If they have any business sense whatsoever of course they would be double booking. I’d love to know what the percentage is.

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93993 Mon, 07 May 2007 09:37:37 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93993 Ken Y-N, You mentioned one thing that intriques me: double-booking reserved seats. This is a standard practice in the airline industry. Surely the shinkansen has known percentages of no-shows. Does anyone know whether or not JR intentionally overbooks? Ken Y-N,

You mentioned one thing that intriques me: double-booking reserved seats. This is a standard practice in the airline industry. Surely the shinkansen has known percentages of no-shows. Does anyone know whether or not JR intentionally overbooks?

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93991 Mon, 07 May 2007 09:35:14 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93991 Re: The <em>Asahi</em> survey In the interests of fairness, I should point out that <em>Asahi</em> readers are going to poll more favorably of Article 9 as it stands and less favorably of Abe than, say <em>Yomiuri</em> readers, or even the public at large. However, I doubt that we'd be looking at differences large enough to mean that non-Asahi readers are wildly in favor of Abe's plan or think that Article 9 has not been useful in keeping Japan out of war. Re: The Asahi survey

In the interests of fairness, I should point out that Asahi readers are going to poll more favorably of Article 9 as it stands and less favorably of Abe than, say Yomiuri readers, or even the public at large. However, I doubt that we’d be looking at differences large enough to mean that non-Asahi readers are wildly in favor of Abe’s plan or think that Article 9 has not been useful in keeping Japan out of war.

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93987 Mon, 07 May 2007 09:30:58 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93987 OK, I added a crucial phrase, which should make it make more sense. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Ken. OK, I added a crucial phrase, which should make it make more sense. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Ken.

]]> by: DeOrio http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93986 Mon, 07 May 2007 09:27:49 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93986 I think what it means is that for the shinkansen specifically non-reserved seats were oversold by 20%. The articles and TV reports seem to imply that total overbookings for shinkansen <em>and</em> the regular Tokaido line were 50% over capacity, which makes more sense as, except for the Green car, the regular Tokaido line does not have reserved seats. The problem was that I left out a few key words. Thanks. I think what it means is that for the shinkansen specifically non-reserved seats were oversold by 20%. The articles and TV reports seem to imply that total overbookings for shinkansen and the regular Tokaido line were 50% over capacity, which makes more sense as, except for the Green car, the regular Tokaido line does not have reserved seats.

The problem was that I left out a few key words. Thanks.

]]> by: Ken Y-N http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93962 Mon, 07 May 2007 08:21:18 +0000 http://www.transpacificradio.com/2007/05/07/tpr-news050707-constitutional-reform-population-decline/#comment-93962 Just to be pedantic: <blockquote>trains on the Tokaido and Yamagata shinkansen lines carrying as much as 150% of their normal capacity. Non-reserved bookings on shinkansen lines, usually the last tickets available, were at 120% of capacity.</blockquote> Surely non-reserved bookings would be higher than the total overloading percentage, unless they were into double-booking reserved seats. Or, I suppose, the other way of looking at it is that there were some trains 50% over capacity, but on average trains were 20% over capacity. Or, non-reserved seats were 50% oversold, but averaging out the load for the whole train it came to 20% over capacity. Or... Just to be pedantic:

trains on the Tokaido and Yamagata shinkansen lines carrying as much as 150% of their normal capacity. Non-reserved bookings on shinkansen lines, usually the last tickets available, were at 120% of capacity.

Surely non-reserved bookings would be higher than the total overloading percentage, unless they were into double-booking reserved seats.

Or, I suppose, the other way of looking at it is that there were some trains 50% over capacity, but on average trains were 20% over capacity.

Or, non-reserved seats were 50% oversold, but averaging out the load for the whole train it came to 20% over capacity.

Or…

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