Shuta's Vlog

  On the 29th, a federal district court in Massachusetts extended a temporary injunction against the Trump administration's decision to suspend Harvard University's eligibility to accept international students. This means that foreign students will be allowed to remain at the university for the time being, avoiding the need for them to return home or transfer to another school immediately. However, the administration remains unyielding in its stance, and the environment surrounding international students and researchers continues to be unstable. On the 29th, Harvard University emphasized that it would “take measures to protect the rights of international students, who are indispensable to the university.” [Reference]  https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025053000247&g=int

   Asahi Soft Drinks (Tokyo) announced on October 22 that it will raise the prices of 221 beverage products, including Mitsuya Cider, for shipments on October 1. The suggested retail prices will be raised by approximately 4-25%. The price increases are due to continued price hikes in raw materials and packaging materials. The price increases will cover approximately 70% of all products. For representative products, a PET bottle (500 ml) of Mitsuya Cider will go from 194 yen to 216 yen, and a PET bottle (1.5 liters) of Calpis Water will go from 459 yen to 491 yen. 【Reference】 https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025052200915&g=eco

  India and Pakistan, which had been exchanging attacks, agreed to a cease-fire on April 10.  However, it was fragile, as the two sides claimed each other's violations immediately afterwards.  No clue has been found to resolve the territorial dispute over Kashmir, the cause of the confrontation, and the spark between India and Pakistan, which are de facto nuclear weapon states, has not disappeared.  This article made me think that if a war were to break out between these two nuclear powers, it would likely start World War III. [Reference] https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025051200923&g=cyr

  　 Listening to Mrs. Duquette talk about his various businesses, I thought that he has succeeded in many businesses by taking action as soon as he had an idea. 　As for application to group projects, I think there are many situations in group activities where ideas do not come out, but instead of concentrating on coming up with good ideas, I would like to share my thoughts and opinions right away. 　On a personal reflection, what impressed me the most was Mrs. Duquette's talk about “common sense". 　From this talk, I learned that common sense is not necessarily true, but rather a collection of ideas based on prejudices held by individuals and society.

　 This week I saw a story in the news about India's economic growth and was curious to find out more. 　The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that India is projected to surpass Japan in nominal GDP by 2025, becoming the world's fourth largest economy. 　The main reason for this growth is the expansion of private consumption, especially in rural areas, and the real GDP growth rate is expected to be 6.2% in the same year. 　On the other hand, Japan will be overtaken by India in terms of the size of its economy due to low growth and population decline. 　This article makes me feel that this reality will be an opportunity for Japan to review its economic policies and create a new growth strategy.

 　 Recently, we have been seeing a lot of news about the rising price of rice. 　From April to May 2025, the price of rice has continued to soar, with the price per 5 kg of rice exceeding 4,000 yen, having a significant impact on household food costs. 　This is due to a combination of factors, including a decrease in harvest volume caused by abnormal weather conditions, soaring costs of production materials such as fertilizers and pesticides, and an increase in import costs due to the weak yen. 　In addition, the government's release of rice stockpiles and the status of the 20-year harvest are expected to affect prices, but unless structural issues are resolved, it will be difficult to see a significant drop in prices. 　I found this news article to be a reminder that consumers need to be creative in saving money by comparing prices and buying in bulk. https://hikidashi.jp/article/747?utm_source=chatgpt.com