Climate Change Concerns Grow, but Few Think Biden’s Climate Law Will Help, an AP-NORC Poll Finds
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A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 45% of adults in the United States say they have become more concerned about climate change over the past year. President Joe Biden’s signature climate change policy, the Inflation Reduction Act, was intended to address some of those fears, investing billions in incentives for consumers and businesses to move toward clean energy sources. About one-quarter of Americans say tax credits for renewable energy projects such as wind power have benefited people like them so far. Promoting electric vehicles has also been a major focus for the Biden administration, and 15% of U.S. adults say electric vehicles have had a good impact on them personally. Generally, U.S. adults also aren’t confident the IRA will have an impact even in more time. Biden still has an advantage over his opponent, former President Donald Trump, when it comes to climate change generally. Only about 3 in 10 say they have “a lot” or “some” trust in Trump with regard to addressing climate change. But one of Biden’s major pitches for the IRA — that it will help the American economy and U.S. workers — doesn’t seem to be resonating. According to the poll, only about 2 in 10 Americans say the law has done more to help the U.S. economy, while about one-quarter think it’s done more to hurt the economy, and about half think it either made no difference or don’t know enough to say. And broadly, a majority of Americans say the federal government is currently doing “too little” to address climate change.
#ClimateChange #Biden #Poll #PublicOpinion #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #ElectricVehicles
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/ap/20240419-181260/
Japan, U.S. to Cooperate in Scientific Research AI; Countries Agree to Share Resources to Speed Up Development
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Japan and the United States have agreed to cooperate on the development of generative artificial intelligence dedicated to scientific research. The two nations will share data used for AI learning and jointly use their supercomputers for AI development. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized the importance of this agreement, stating that collaboration between Japan and the United States is essential to maintain and strengthen their competitive edge in advanced technologies. The collaboration will involve the RIKEN research institute in Japan and the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States, which will share research data and use their supercomputers to speed up AI development. The Japanese government plans to expand the cooperation to include other research entities such as the National Institute for Materials Science. China and European nations are also developing AI for scientific research, aiming to enhance their industrial competitiveness. The use of AI in research has already shown promising results, such as Microsoft's discovery of a new material for batteries using AI and high-performance computers. However, challenges remain, including addressing the risks of AI exploitation and determining the roles of AI and humans in research.
#Ai #ScientificResearch #Cooperation #Japan #UnitedStates
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20240412-180053/
Japan PM says Importance of Japan-U.S. Ties Won’t Change; Kishida Hopes Toyota Plant Shows Japan’s Economic Influence in U.S.
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to use his state visit to the United States to showcase the depth of the Japan-U.S. relationship in the security and economic fields. Kishida aims to reinforce the importance of the alliance and Japan's efforts in bolstering defense capabilities. During his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, they are expected to confirm cooperation in various fields including security, space, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum science technology, and the fifth-generation cellular network. Kishida and Biden will also establish a ministerial-level 'policy dialogue' to promote the shift toward clean energy and joint efforts in floating offshore wind-power generation. They will work to build supply networks that do not rely on China-made products. Kishida plans to visit a Toyota Motor Corp. plant under construction in North Carolina to demonstrate the contribution of Japanese companies to the U.S. economy and the potential for further investment in the United States.
#JapanusAlliance #Security #EconomicCooperation #CleanEnergy #Toyota #Investment
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/defense-security/20240405-178821/
Dollar Up: Yen Edges Lower after Japanese Finance Minister Comments
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The dollar rose on Tuesday as traders waited on a fresh catalyst to give clues on Federal Reserve policy, while the yen slipped after Japan’s finance minister said that he would not rule out any measures to cope with the weakening currency. Investors are grappling with whether the U.S. central bank will cut interest rates three times this year, as is currently expected, if inflation remains elevated and economic growth stays strong. The dollar index gained 0.06% to 104.28, while the euro fell 0.05% to $1.0831. The yen dipped 0.09% to 151.52, reversing earlier gains, as verbal intervention by Japanese officials continued. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Tuesday that “rapid currency moves are undesirable.” That came after Japan’s top currency diplomat Masato Kanda on Monday warned against speculators trying to sell off the yen.
#Dollar #Yen #JapaneseFinanceMinister #FederalReserve #InterestRates #Inflation #EconomicGrowth #CurrencyExchangeRates
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/reuters/20240327-176927/
Japan Lags in Efforts to Gain Value from Human Resources; Govt Working to Increase Usage
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Japan's slow efforts to extract value from its human resources by treating them as capital is said to be the reason for the large gap between Japan and the United States in terms of total market capitalization. The government has mandated that listed companies disclose information related to human capital and aims to spread the requirements. Hitachi will introduce a system in April to reflect how much the workers have promoted diversity in the organization in its performance evaluations and salaries. Nomura Holdings introduced a system last year to positively evaluate employees who contribute to creating a comfortable workplace. About 90% of companies have promoted diversity initiatives in the past year. Japanese companies have lagged in investment in human resources. The ratio of human resources to gross domestic product decreased to 0.1% in the five years from 2010, compared to an average of 0.41% in the five years from 1995. The government has required companies to disclose information related to human capital as a disclosure element starting with annual securities reports for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
#Japan #HumanResources #MarketCapitalization #Diversity #Investment
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/business/economy/20240324-176458/
El Salvador’s Bukele Declares Victory in Presidential Poll
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President Nayib Bukele declares himself the winner of El Salvador's national elections, claiming to have captured more than 85% of the vote. Bukele's New Ideas party also reportedly won at least 58 positions in the legislative assembly. Electoral officials have not released any results yet. Bukele's victory would make him the first Salvadoran president in almost a century to be re-elected. He campaigned on his success in cracking down on gangs, which led to a decline in murder rates. Some analysts question the sustainability of mass incarceration. Bukele's biggest challenge will be the economy, which has been slow-growing and has seen a rise in poverty under his leadership.
#ElSalvador #NayibBukele #PresidentialElection #NewIdeasParty #GangCrackdown #LegislativeAssembly
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/reuters/20240205-166885/