rural economics

PROJECT UPDATE Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization Summer is almost over and we are sowing the seeds for "Embrace Rural: Why it Matters" on October 22 at Japan Society. We are excited to bring together two key leaders in rural reinvention to Japan Society: Tsuyoshi Sekihara (founder & former Executive Director, Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club, Niigata, Japan), whose original approach to community organizing addresses the complexities of scale, resilience, and interdependence, and Janet Topolsky (Executive Director, Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute, Washington D.C.), who has helped communities in rural America rediscover the wealth they possess to reposition themselves for the future. They will be joined by Slow Food International's Richard McCarthy, who is collaborating with Mr. Sekihara on a writing project on ideas and actions that can revive rural Japan, and potentially America. The event will be moderated by Kate Cox (Editor, New Food Economy). The event is co-organized by the Japan NPO Center, New Food Economy, Design and Urban Ecologies, Parsons, The New School for Social Research, and Slow Food New York City. Tickets are available through our website and box office: (212) 715-1258. To learn more about the project, please look at our website "Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization."

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What's New with Innovators?

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The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) organized a webinar titled "Resilient Rural Communities in the United States and Japan" last week, featuring Taylor Stuckert, co-founder of Energize Clinton County. The webinar included Maki Hijikata from Toyama City Mayor’s Office, David Leckey from the Orton Family Foundation, and moderator Sheila Smith, Vice Chair of JUSFC. It’s exciting to know that another bilateral organization is focusing on issues facing rural communities. The recording of the webinar will be available on the JUSFC website shortly. It’s been eleven years since we gathered a group of experts in historic preservation from Kyoto and New York to discuss machiya (traditional townhouses) preservation. The gathering resulted in a partnership between Kyoto preservationists and the World Monuments Fund. Through this partnership, three machiya were restored in Kyoto and the latest one, Shijo-cho Ofune-hoko Machiya, last year’s Award of Excellence winner at UNESCO’s annual Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Preservation, will be honored as a 2019 “Project of Influence” by the Best in Heritage in Dubrovnik, Croatia later this month.

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The Innovators Network is made possible, in part, by SUMO STEW, Hiroko Onoyama, and Japan Society's endowment for policy projects. Transportation assistance is provided by United Airlines, the exclusive U.S. airline sponsor of Innovators Network programs, and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. Embrace Rural: Why It Matters, presented as part of Exploring an Innovative Model for Rural Revitalization is supported by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. Transportation assistance is provided by United Airlines, the exclusive U.S. airline sponsor of Innovators Network programs. Photo credits: Main photo © Japan Society/Fumiko Miyamoto; headshots clockwise from top right--Janet Topolsky, Kate Cox, Richard McCarthy, Tsuyoshi Sekihara; Taylor Stuckert © Japan Society/Fumiko Miyamoto; Machiya Symposium in 2008 © Satoru Ishikawa. Unless otherwise noted all programs are held at Japan Society. 333 East 47th Street (at First Avenue) New York, NY 10017

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from oct 2019

1 japan will offer free education for children age 3 up
other diary celebrations in 2019

-who are the japanese delegates to future of edutech
eg mayor of tikyo onj edu commisiona
xx on digital cooperation at UN
who is thye sherpa leader

2 new emperor will be part of joyful national mood- can prince charles help with 21st c update of what he did in 1964 olympics

3 g20 osaka july 2019 the best chance since hangzhou g20 2016 for citizens groups to put agenda in fromt of 20 nations keades - eg women youth green finance ...

4 prep for 2020 olympics being greatest celebration of youth co-sponsore by jack ma aas forst of seriens kof youth celenrations including beijing 2022. paris 2024- eg can fashion sector upgrade its workers value; can arts renew communities world over - eg singforhiop- whiuch are the other global expos that value youth - eg will jusae2020 do so

5 can japan china ad s korea come together to deonsgtarte regioanl solution to north koreaand if this is agreed by these 3 countries how do they mediate bouth usa and riussia so n korea peoples join rest of 21st c world out of a region whose coastal belt offers many exciting opportunities- south is the gretest world tradie shipping route- north is where innovation around arctgice circ;e ;polar belt6 riads are needed

6 japanese aid has always had a ong term perspective- eg helpoing ghe whole east learn rice p;roductivity- keeping parts of bangaldesh womens netwoeks going when all other nations losyt focus around 2010
7 japan is a nation experimengting with more locally sustainable solutions around food, natural helath solutions, locally green communities tghan any top 5 nation- its a lab worfldwide youth can expereumetially create sustainability solutions with like no other- in othyer words will a new exchnage tourosm be connevted around japan and jow vcan such a model benefiot the untoursim for sustainability network hq'd in spain- this clould also become a model fpor latin ameriuca

there is so much knowhow that a tripartite meeting of people speaking englkish chiense and japanese could advance- how do we maximise eg prince charles trip advisior for community si=olutions in way that china and japan can cooperatively aadapt

Atsufumi Yokoi

Atsufumi Yokoi 

• 1st

Vice President of Okayama University (UNESCO Chair)

2w • Edited

A truly momentous opportunity. Observed by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan, I was thrilled to be invited as a keynote speaker and a main facilitator of the discussion on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together with international youth at the International Youth Conference, held by the Cabinet Office of Japan in Tokyo on 27th September. This conference started in 1994 in commemoration of the royal marriage of H.I.H. the Crown Prince, which identified the SDGs as the theme of this year’s conference. The event was broadcast across the country and Okayama University’s reputation was also raised as the leading university receiving prestigious awards and recognitions from UN and the government to advance the SDGs. Very honorable and memorable. On May 1, 2019, Crown Prince Naruhito will become Japan’s 126th emperor and Crown Princess Masako will become empress of Japan. https://lnkd.in/fbkYX3p (Image from the Cabinet Office of Japan)

from axios news of softbank take over of wework

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Pro Rata

By Dan Primack ·Oct 10, 2018

Top of the Morning

Source: Giphy The Wall Street Journal last night reported that SoftBank Vision Fund is "in discussions to take a majority stake in WeWork," the co-working space giant in which SoftBank last year acquired a 20% stake for $4.4 billion. Here's what we've learned, per sources familiar: WeWork co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann originally was amenable to a deal whereby he'd lose at least short-term control of the company, but with the ability to regain control were WeWork to hit certain revenue milestones (e.g. some sort of clawback). Now, however, the talks involve Neumann retaining short-term control, although the ultimate structure could be pretty convoluted. But no final agreement is signed or very close to being signed, and there may even be talks with other parties or with SoftBank about alternate structures. SoftBank basically wants to accelerate its "gain market share at all costs" strategy, which has been talked about inside of WeWork since the day SoftBank first invested. This is similar to what the Japanese giant has employed at other Vision Fund portfolio companies, and a hot topic among VCs has become if it can really work beyond the consumer services sector (particularly in enterprise software, where Vision Fund has been taking a hard look). WeWork bonds, which recently hit their lowest mark since early June, are getting a small bump from the report, re-approaching 96 cents on the dollar. I'm still wondering how the Jamal Khashoggi situation — which intensified last night — would play into WeWork's willingness to give Saudi-backed Vision Fund an even bigger stake. In that vein, it's worth noting that Sam Altman (Y Combinator), Marc Andreessen (Andreesssen Horowitz) and Dan Doctoroff (Google's Sidewalk Labs) reportedly joined an advisory board for the Saudi government's $500 billion mega-city project, called Neom. • Dating docket: Match Group yesterday responded to Sean Rad and the other founders of dating app Tinder, who sued Match and parent company IAC two months ago for allegedly undervaluing Tinder last year, thus depriving them of compensation. In short, Match argued in a new court filing that this is just sour grapes from those who sold their shares too soon and is asking a New York court to dismiss the lawsuit. Go deeper. 🎧 Pro Rata Podcast: Our latest episode focuses on Google's latest user data leak, and why it took so long to disclose. Listen here.

breaking news china and african youth launch 8 major cooperation maps

China to carry out eight major initiatives with African countries China will carry out eight major initiatives with African countries in the coming three years, guided by a close...

----------------------------- updating 13 regions Economistswith happy news way dad would have alalysed

china has the half billion youth that can humanise tech connections with youth everywhere and change education

bangladesh has the poorest girls partners' solutions across the world where half of people live ie sino-s asia-asean corridor/continent

japan is the world stage jack ma's investors always chose for cultural (youth community expo) celebrations of 2020 =end poverty -somehow if english-speaking youth are ever to help people develop again we need to get anthropologists like jim kim back on that pathway which he promised to do with pope francis but then got sidetracked Norman Macrae Economist's view of why 21st C needs to get happier and happier

World Bank Group President Kim and Pope Francis Discuss Mutual Efforts t... VATICAN CITY -- Like many people around the world, I've been closely following Pope Francis' comments on the imp...

i have tried to rearrange fathers stories so that song can help you and ying urgent connect what must be linked in over next month if everything else isnt to fall apart again

thanks chris  240316 8157

IF lee believes his innovations can multiply what this sort of crowd creates then we need to explain that to ying so she can get Hangzhou to understand how this can revolutiionise fashion led by smes= mostofa will you please try and find out discreetly- is there someone at brac or brac u who continues to focus on future responsibility of Bangladesh garment sector - someone other than asif

jayfus I assume baltimore has given up with explaining to under armor we could have linked them into social fashions like nobody else ever will

Taobao, China’s largest online marketplace, on Wednesday said the upcoming Taobao Maker Festival will be the biggest yet, spotlighting hundreds of young entrepreneurs on the platform.

Slated for Sept. 13-16 in Hangzhou, organizers will draw inspiration from the city’s rich heritage and folklore to put a new spin on ancient Chinese culture from visual design to its selection of exhibitors, Taobao said in a statement. The exact location was not announced, but Alibaba officials said it would take place near the city’s historic West Lake. 

Some of the millennial merchants showcasing products at the four-day event include anime model maker Infinity Studio and AstroReality, the creator of 3D printed moons that users can explore through an augmented-reality app.

“The Taobao Maker Festival has become not only an iconic [platform] for demonstrating creativity, but also a top destination for the world to better understand China’s younger generation,” Taobao said.

The festival, now in its third year, is also used to highlight the latest technologies and products from Alibaba. Taobao last July showcased its cashier-less, queue-free coffee shop, the Tao Café. Some of the technologies from the café, including facial recognition and radio-frequency identification, have recently been applied to the new grab-and-go shop at Alibaba headquarters.

In September, the venue will feature a 300-square-meter “futuristic shopping area” powered by AR, where thousands of visitors will be given headsets that allow them to see brand information, reimagined in-store decor and animated virtual companions as they shop.The Taobao Maker Festival will also host a runway show for indie designers selling on the platform. The event is part Taobao’s push to be a top destination for millennial consumers, who are increasingly showing an appetite for cool and off-beat brands.

“[It is said that] if you want to see beauty and splendor of China, go to the West Lake. Today, [we hope] when people look for creativity in China, they go to Taobao,” the company said.

=======================indy designers

Taobao, China’s leading e-commerce platform, will step up support for cool and unique stores as a way to tap demand among China’s young middle-class consumers, who are increasingly showing an appetite for the different and off-beat.

During its annual Taobao Merchants Summit in Hangzhou on Thursday, the Alibaba Group-owned platform laid out additional plans to strengthen its position as a top destination for millennial consumers whose purchasing power and willingness to spend exceeds that of previous generations.

Chief among those plans: Increase the number of these hip, independent storefronts to 500,000 from the 100,000 currently on the platform, incentivize and help merchants to scale their Taobao businesses and foster an environment that encourages creativity.

Merchants listening to Taobao’s latest strategy announcements at the Summit.

“Taobao is undergoing a major change, and [its user base] is getting younger and younger… This means the platform needs to become ‘younger’ as well, to serve the next generation of merchants and buyers,” Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang said during his keynote speech at the summit.

“The key to ensuring Taobao’s vibrancy and sustainability is continuing to generate new, cutting-edge ideas and reducing the barriers for innovation,” he said.

On average, 480,000 Chinese consumers purchased items, such as apparel, furniture and jewelry, from an independent designer each day in 2017, according to a report by Taobao and CBNData released earlier this month. As further proof of the rise of indie brands, the keyword “original design” was searched more than 170 million times on Taobao in the fourth quarter alone.

The new focus on these merchants was part of a larger strategy outlined by Taobao President Jiang Fan to make the platform more inclusive and a home for creativity.

“If I had to do one thing this year, that would be to make Taobao simpler, and bring [us] back to our original purpose,” Jiang said. Alibaba is famously known by its motto, “To make it easy to do business anywhere.”

Taobao, then, would work to make it easier for these merchants to sell on the platform. To that end, merchants will able to tap into a range of Taobao’s promotional events, content-marketing resources and consumer analytics to better target their customers. In addition, they will benefit from Taobao’s goal to grow sales for 2,000 designated categories, including plus-sized fashion, children’s furniture, handicrafts and athletic gear, which overlaps with this particular group of merchants.

Handbag maker Kitayama Studio, popular among China’s young and edgy consumers, was one of the indie brands featured at the conference.

Taobao also said it would help grow consumer loyalty to these merchants through targeted membership strategies, though details of the strategies were not announced. Improvements will be made to the platform’s community-management tools as well, such as the instant messaging feature Taobao Groups, which allows merchants to chat with consumers, get real-time feedback, build relationships with their top customers and sell their products within the groups.

“We want each and every merchant to be able to put more energy into product development, into serving their customers. And help them unleash creativity and innovation,” Jiang said.

countries with lowest birth retes japan s korea singapore italy

importtant speech today by abe in jordan

thks jordan for doing so much for syrian refugeses
explained agricultre project turning olives into soap between jordan japan palestine isreal - check?

discussed how whole of middle east is japan's main energy parter but would like to trade educatuin increasingly
announced relaunch of biggest ever investment of japan and abu dhabi energy

back in japan anounced tri partite summit with s korea and china mayy 9 and 8-11 will be first state vusit by chinese preeir for 8 years (li keqiang)