DENISE MEI E.

TRIA PERFECTLY COMPETITIVE MARKET 9-MENDELEEV

15 NOVEMBER 2023

JAPANESE AGRICULTURAL
POLICY IN DISARRAY
AUTHOR: MASAYOSHI HONMA, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO EASTASIAFORUM

Under former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, Japanese

agriculture was a target for regulatory reform. There was an
especial focus on reforming the organization of agricultural
cooperatives (JA).

This was during the time when globalization was still in progress,
with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being negotiated — which
JA strongly opposed. Japan stubbornly maintained high tariffs on
important agricultural products, such as rice, and refused to
liberalize agricultural markets to protect domestic farming. But the
world was in an era of globalization that sought liberalization of
finance and investment beyond just expansion of international
trade. Though the United States dropped out, 11 countries reached
an agreement on the TPP — now called the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) —
and Japan ratified it despite the resistance of JA.

It is also necessary to enhance agricultural productivity with

efficient use of agricultural resources, such as farmland,
machineries, fertiliser and chemicals. This will lead to an improved
food self-sufficiency ratio. It will require regulatory reform — for
example, allowing stock companies to own farmland, which
promotes largescale operations and investment in agriculture. Even
in organic farming, the participation of stock companies is effective.
DENISE MEI E. TRIA IMPERFECTLY COMPETITIVE MARKET 9-MENDELEEV
15 NOVEMBER 2023

IS IT SAFE TO GET RID OF

YOUR LANDLINE?
AUTHOR: JOHN R. QUAIN AARP

In an emergency, a good old-fashioned landline phone has

been regarded as the most reliable method of communication.
When storms knock out power, cellphone towers often go dark,
as do high-speed internet connections.

On the other hand, copper-wire landlines work without power

or battery-operated phones. But landlines have become
increasingly expensive — and rare.

A single, basic line from AT&T with standard long-distance

service can cost $90 a month. And as landline costs have risen
— in urban areas the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a
31 percent increase from May 2011 to May 2021 — mobile phone
service costs in the same 10-year period decreased by 20
percent.

Landlines have lost some of their vaunted reliability. Phone

companies don’t want to support them as they switch to fiber
optic cables and have been accused of discouraging landlines,
according to customer complaints in California and elsewhere.
Getting a landline repaired can take several months.
 KWL

ENHANCED SCIENCE 9
DENISE MEI E. TRIA 9-MENDELEEV

K:
Metals, Metalloids, and Non-metals are the three groups of elements
in the Periodic Table.
Periods and Families are the names given to the rows and columns of
the Periodic Table.
How to Perform Element Electron Configuration

W:
The Importance of Chemistry: Its Influence on Ordinary Students

L:
Some elements' valence electrons can be identified by their Family
or Group #.
An ionic bond is a molecule composed of a metal and a nonmetal
element; a cation (metal) gives electrons to anions (nonmetals) in
order to satisfy the Octet Rule (8 valence electrons). Cations are
positively charged because they lose electrons, whereas Anions are
negatively charged because they gain more electrons; Metals lack the
energy required to attract electrons in order to satisfy the Octet
Rule, so they lose the extra electron to remain stable; Non-metals
require only a few electrons to remain stable and have sufficient
energy to attract electrons.
LEDS (Lewis Dot Structure) is a technique for depicting element
valence electrons. Can be used to demonstrate Ionic (arrows =
donate & accept) and Covalent (line = share) relationships.