World’s newest oldest man turns 114 in Japan

Jirouemon Kimura smiles on his 114th birthday at his home in Kyotango, western Japan. The Kyoto resident who became the world's oldest man earlier this month, turned 114 on Tuesday.

TOKYO: The world’s oldest man said on his 114th birthday Tuesday that his longevity was a mystery even to himself, but noted that his motto was not to worry and always be thankful.

Jirouemon Kimura celebrated at home with a breakfast of grilled fish with steamed rice and red beans, a traditional meal on special occasions in Japan.

Kimura become the world’s oldest man earlier this month when the previous title holder Walter Breuning of the U.S. state of Montana died, according to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group.

”It is indescribable. I am really honored,” Kimura said in a birthday interview with officials in Kyoto, western Japan.

Kimura, born in 1897, lives with the 82-year-old widow of his eldest son and the 58-year-old widow of a grandson. He eats three meals a day and is still able to walk with the help of a walker.

Asked about the secrets of his longevity, Kimura said: ”It is my own interpretation. But maybe this is due to some unknown forces of nature.”

Kimura was a postal worker in his younger days and he and his wife, who died many years ago, had seven children, five of whom survive.

Kimura’s family has continued to grow over the years, and his own children and their offspring gave him 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Japan’s population is aging faster than any other in the world. The government said the number of its citizens who are at least 100 years old rose 10 per cent to 44,449 in 2010. The number of Japanese who are 65 and older hit a record 29.4 million in 2010.

Dealing with disaster

JAPAN is currently wading through the debris of the recent earthquake and tsunami. One of the world’s largest economies and a technologically advanced nation, Japan boasts nearly flawless earthquake-proof structures and a highly efficient tsunami early warning system.

What lessons do the Japanese natural disasters hold for a country like Pakistan? A cursory glance would suggest that the occurrence of a disaster of lesser magnitude could simply erase our coastal areas from the map. Some facts leading to such a doomsday conclusion are mentioned as follows.

The Indian Ocean doesn’t have a single tsunamograph to receive accurate data on any approaching tsunami. Tide gauges installed in Pakistan are not effective enough to issue timely warnings. The time lag between receiving a warning and evacuation could be fatally small and result in disastrous ramifications.

Pakistan’s coast has hardly any scientifically developed tsunami evacuation plans in the public knowledge. Some isolated, localised drills were undertaken through international support agencies, but their efficacy is yet to be tested. Also, the simulation of real-time disaster through mock evacuations is little more than playing a video game. An actual disaster may make short work of all arrangements.

Communities settled along the approximately 1,100km long coast are scantly aware of tsunami risks in their areas. Many would not even imagine that a peacefully subsiding wave may be followed by a mightier one.

Coastal communities, especially those in tiny islands and convoluted creeks, have neither elevated ground nor enough time to escape the tides and are therefore exposed to the risk of being interred in a watery grave should a tsunami strike. Similar would be the fate of thousands of others on fishing voyages, who normally remain incommunicado for several weeks.

Coastal communities are virtually bereft of gadgets to receive early warnings. Many would know about the tsunami only when it is too late. They have hardly any awareness of the measures required to escape the jaws of death. Seldom is anyone aware of the natural warning signs of an approaching tsunami.

The institutions responsible for disaster response are in a shambles. The recent floods exposed the capabilities of disaster management authorities at the provincial and district levels. Communities’ evacuation becomes an administrative nightmare during disasters.

Karachi — the largest city — is located on the coast and the present infrastructure and land-use pattern may trigger a disaster of immense proportions. The city’s managers don’t seem to have learnt from the experience of narrowly escaping passing cyclones in recent years. Other densely populated coastal districts and towns such as Jiwani, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, Sonmiani, Badin and Thatta are in the same slumber of ignorance and can be caught unawares if any disaster struck the coast.

The gravity of the risk could be judged from the fact that there are four major faults around Karachi and along the southern coast of Makran. The Makran Subduction Zone, having the potential of generating earthquakes, is among the least studied subduction zones in the world. Normally, an earthquake of over 8.0 on the Richter scale could generate a fatal tsunami in the area.

With most current structures in violation of building codes, a jolt of such magnitude would raze a city like Karachi. Any tsunami in the zone would barely allow seven to 15 minutes for communities to escape on the Makran coast. It may, however, take more than an hour to reach Karachi’s coast and cause decimation, if the preceding earthquake and ensuing chaos leaves any neighbourhood standing.

The vulnerability of Pakistan’s coast to a tsunami cannot be ruled out. In fact, tsunamis are not an alien phenomenon for Pakistan’s coast. On Nov 28, 1945, a great earthquake off Pakistan’s Makran coast generated a destructive tsunami in the ocean. Cyclones are another potential threat to Pakistan’s coast. There is empirical evidence of increased frequency and intensity of cyclones. According to a report (A Review of Disaster Management Policies and Systems in Pakistan), the coastal areas of Sindh are most vulnerable and exposed to cyclones. Historically, the Sindh coast experienced four major cyclones in a century. However, in the period between 1971 and 2001, 14 cyclones were recorded. This sufficiently indicates the severity of the risk.

Pakistan’s coast is, however, blessed with a unique natural shield of mangrove forests to protect against ferocious cyclones and tsunamis. This marvel of nature has a unique root system that can absorb up to 80 per cent of wave energy. No man-made structure can compete with this natural bulwark against disaster. Japan spent $1.5bn to erect the world’s largest sea wall in the city’s harbour at Kamaishi, yet the city was submerged by surmounting tides.

Research carried out after 2004’s tsunami shows ample evidence that those shorelines with mangrove forests suffered lesser damage during the tsunami. Imprudence, however, knows no bounds and Pakistan is at the verge of losing this protective fence. Mangrove cover along the coast has shrunk to a third of its spread in the 1970s, adding to the risk of disaster.

From satellite-activated early warning systems to elevated ground, Pakistan needs an amalgam of technology, preparedness and proper disaster planning to deal with any future natural disaster. The most rewarding investment would be in community-based risk management. It includes creating awareness in communities about the natural signs of disaster, identifying and developing escape routes and elevated ground and training volunteers on how to manage disasters.

RIO - A Box Office Hit

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LOS ANGELES: Audiences flocked to theaters to see tropical bird comedy “Rio,” knocking fellow kid-flick “Hop” off its perch to score the best debut weekend of the year, industry data showed.

The 3-D cartoon, about pet macaw Blu – voiced by “Social Network” star Jesse Eisenberg – who bolts from chilly climes to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro with the bird of his dreams, raked in a cool $40 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The film scared off the debut of “Scream 4,” the latest in director Wes Craven’s irony-drenched horror-comedy franchise, which took the second spot with $19.3 million.

Easter romp “Hop,” the real-action-animation hybrid about the wayward son of the Easter Bunny and which had spent two weeks at the top, earned another $11.2 million at the weekend for a domestic total of $82.6 million.

The weekend estimates showed “Soul Surfer,” starring Anna Sophia Robb as a churchgoing teenage surfer who returns to the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack, hanging ten in fourth spot with $7.4 million.

“Hanna,” a thriller about a teenage assassin raised in the wilds of North Finland, and which debuted last week in second spot, slipped three place to fifth, where it earned $7.3 million.

“Arthur,” the Russell Brand-starring remake of the 1981 Oscar-winning hit about an irresponsible but lovable billionaire, earned $6.9 million in sixth place.

Horror flick “Insidious,” in which a family finds itself living in a haunted house, picked up $6.8 million for seventh place. Made for a paltry $1.5 million, the film has pulled in an impressive total of $36 million over three weeks.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller “Source Code,” about a government experiment to find the bomber of a commuter train, took eighth spot, with $6.3 million.

Film icon Robert Redford’s latest film “The Conspirator,” a historical drama about the men behind Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, came in at just ninth place, in limited release with $3.9 million, although its average sales per theater were among the highest of the weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 was “Your Highness,” a knights-and-princess adventure starring Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman, whose week-to-week sales plunged 58 percent, to just under $3.9 million.

Water crisis deepens as river flows decline

Wheat ready for cropping near River Chenab.

ISLAMABAD: The shortage of water has reached alarming proportions and during the ongoing Kharif season there could be a shortfall of up to 50 per cent.

Sources in the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) told Dawn that because of the current rain, the temperature in Northern Areas was not rising, stopping the melting of snow and causing reduction in river flows.

Reports of large amounts of water ‘going missing’ mysteriously was adding to the problem.

Inflows at Mangla dam dropped from 28,000 cusecs to 25,000 cusecs on Sunday. Flows in the Kabul River also reduced to 13,000 cusecs while inflows at Tarbela came down to 21,000 cusecs.

The sources said that Irsa was releasing 45,000 cusecs from Mangla dam. The met office has forecast that temperature in Northern Areas will not increase during the current month.

Irsa sources said the water storage in Mangla dam would be fully utilised by April 15 while Tarbela dam has already reached its dead level.

The sources said that about 12,000 cusecs of water had been reported missing between Besham to Tarbela each day while another 15,000 cusecs remained unaccounted for between Tarbela and Chashma Barrage, which means that more than 25,000 cusecs was being lost a day.

The sources said that Irsa had been asking Wapda to investigate the water loss and submit a report to Irsa, but nothing had been done so far. They said river flow at Besham was recorded at 32,000 cusecs on Sunday but only 21,000 cusecs reached Tarbela.

They said that about 300,000 cusecs had been lost since March 15 between Besham and Chashma which translates into a loss of 0.6 million acre feet. As a result, Tarbela dam has reached its dead level and from Monday only run of the river water would be released from Tarbela dam.

US report points to Pakistan’s ‘culture of impunity’

WASHINGTON, April 8: A US government report on Friday identified extra-judicial killings, disappearances and torture as major human rights violations in Pakistan.

The US State Department`s 2010 human rights report noted that last year the Pakistani government initiated an investigation into an Internet video showing men in military uniforms apparently committing extra-judicial killings.

But “a failure to credibly investigate allegations, impose disciplinary or accountability measures, and consistently prosecute those responsible for abuses contributed to a culture of impunity”.

Other problems identified in the report include poor prison conditions, instances of arbitrary detention, lengthy pre-trial detentions, a weak criminal justice system, insufficient training for prosecutors and criminal investigators, a lack of judicial independence in the lower courts and infringements on citizens` privacy.

The report also noted that harassment of journalists, some censorship and self-censorship were still practised in Pakistan. There were also some restrictions on freedom of assembly.

Corruption was widespread within the government and lower levels of the police force and the government made few attempts to combat the problem. Rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, honour crimes, abuse and discrimination against women remained serious problems. Religious freedom violations, as well as violence and discrimination against religious minorities continued.

Child abuse and exploitative child labour were also reported. Widespread human trafficking, including exploitation of bonded labourers by land owners; forced child labour; and commercial sexual exploitation of children remained problems, as did lack of respect for worker rights.

During 2010, a new law to increase protection against sexual harassment was passed, and more than 40 ministries and departments incorporated the new code of conduct into their policies, although women`s rights groups sought more effective implementation.

The minister for minorities took an active role in assisting victims of religiously motivated attacks on Christians and Ahmadis and was eventually killed.

The government allocated four reserved Senate seats for religious minorities, one from each province; and police freed more than 1,000 bonded labourers.

During the year extra-judicial killings from 2009 came to light, including in September a video posted on the Internet of men in military uniforms executing six young men in civilian clothes. The young men were shown blindfolded and lined up with their hands tied behind their backs.

On October 8, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ordered the establishment of a board of inquiry to determine the identities of the uniformed personnel seen in the Internet video. “By the end of the year, the military had not publicly announced the conclusions of its investigation into the video, and no one had been held accountable,” the report noted.

Days after this video surfaced on the Internet, another video emerged showing men in military uniforms beating prisoners in a remote location. The report noted that human rights groups had blamed the army for more than 200 extra-judicial killings in the Swat region during the past year.

Mass graves were reported in Kukarai village and in areas between the villages of Daulai and Shah Dheri.

Approximately 2,600 suspected militants were detained in Swat during the military`s operational phase, but none of them was charged or produced before a court. An additional 2,800 cases were lodged against suspected terrorists after the military operation in Swat concluded, but they also were not brought before a court of law.

Misuse of antibiotics makes cure difficult

LAHORE, April 8: Medical experts have said irrational use of antibiotics and self-medication aggravates the disease symptoms and creates resistance in bacteria which makes the treatment more difficult.

They said this while addressing a seminar organised at the Institute of Public Health (IPH) on ‘Combat Drug Resistance, No Action Today No Cure Tomorrow’ here on Friday.

Punjab Health director-general Dr Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry, IPH dean Prof Farkhanda Kokab, National TB Programme manager Dr Darakshan Badar, Dr Shahid Iqbal, Dr Abdul Rashid, WHO representative Dr Babar Alam and former IPH dean Dr M.A Sufi addressed the seminar.

They emphasised the need to create awareness among the masses as well as the doctors’ community for rational use of antibiotic.

Dr Darakshan Badar said the surge in tuberculoses cases in Punjab was due to the fact that many patients either gave up their treatment or did not complete the eight-month course of treatment.

She said the incomplete TB treatment not only enhanced the sufferings of patients but also created problems for doctors in the treatment.

She advised the TB patients to ensure regular use of medicines without any break to get rid of the disease.

Dr M.A Sufi stressed upon the masses to adopt Islamic teachings and hygienic principles. He proposed to launch an anti-spit campaign to eradicate tuberculoses from society.

Dr Shahid Iqbal said that only quacks could not be blamed for unnecessary and excessive use of antibiotics but qualified doctors were equally responsible for this practice. He urged upon the doctors not to prescribe antibiotics on the insistence of patients or any incentive given by pharmaceutical companies.

He advised the people to avoid self-medication and consult a qualified physician for the treatment of any disease. Suitable medicines, right dose at a right period and quality of medicine are necessary for curing the disease.

Dr Iqbal disclosed that at least 60,000 medicines were registered in Pakistan while only 2,000 medicines were registered in America.

Prof Abdul Rasheed said the health education and awareness were equally important for the people and health experts, adding that there should be a regulatory body for manufacturing and sale of medicines.

Dr Aslam Chaudhry said that consolidated efforts were needed to check the irrational use of antibiotics.

He said the excessive or irrational use of antibiotics created not only medical problems but also enhanced the financial burden on the family of the patient.

Japan Coping with Disaster

Japanese firemen search for bodies in Minamisanriku, Myagi province, two weeks after a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged northeastern Japan.

When calamity struck

Miki Endo, was hit by the tsunami that engulfed Mainichi Shimbum a small city at the Miyagi Coast, while she was screaming on the radio, something of urgency. This young 25-year-old worker at the Crises Management Department was alarming villagers about the tsunami, ensuring that her voice be reached as far and beyond as possible, for as long as possible.

“Please run away fast” and she kept on doing it until it struck her. It wasn’t in vain; she saved more than 7,000 lives that day, by giving her own. One of them was Harris Mathura who was visiting the Coast for business. He said “I heard her voice throughout the way as I quickly packed and fled the Coast within minutes. If it wasn’t for her I would have been dead by now.”

The city was one of the hardest hit along the Miyagi Coast. Of the 17,000 residents, 10,000 are feared to be dead, but the 7,000 who survived owe everything to Endo. Mathura advocated that Endo stayed at her post, repeating her warning, until the wave struck.

One of the blogger’s described it as:
“Miki Endo did not let go of her microphone, even during the very moment the black waves of the tsunami engulfed the city, so that every last villager could hear her warning call. One co-worker told Miki’s mother, that he saw Miki being swept away by the tsunami wave.”

If there’s any comfort at all to be taken in the awful catastrophe in Japan, it is in these stories of true heroism. Like those 50 workers at the Fukushima nuclear reactor, who have stayed at their posts, fighting to avoid a meltdown while the entire region is evacuated. There are many other stories from Japan that are evident of heroism amongst the nation, from a school sports teacher who saved the children in just eight minutes; to those who are still helping the community by working day and night in search of those who have been lost or displaced.

“These heroes will and must be remembered for keeping the nation together, even though we seemed to be losing something as precious as lives; we have realised we are a nation that can best survive any disaster.” Harris Mathura boasts with pride.

State of Pakistanis in Japan:

One of the victims of the tsunami was from Pakistan. Jam Alam Afridi who is the Press Consular in Japan said that, “His dead body has been sent back to Pakistan” and “there have been no other casualties or unknown displacements of Pakistanis in Japan.”

He said the Consulate has been very vary of the situation and had immediately launched a helpline for Pakistani residents in all the prefectures throughout Japan. The consulate has also been helping dispatch volunteers in difference prefectures. The volunteers are not only helping find displaced Pakistanis but also are helping the Japanese community in the post-tsunami troubles.

“There were around 30 Pakistanis in the Fukushima prefecture, who have been evacuated while there is no Pakistani in the danger zone now”

As revealed by another senior embassy official in the Visa Office; currently, there are approximately 11,000 Pakistanis residing here in Japan according to official estimates. This includes roughly 1,000 Pakistanis who are undocumented or illegal.

Demographically, the overwhelming majority are males within the age bracket of 35-45, belonging to Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Karachi. Most are engaged in reconditioning vehicles while a fair number own restaurants, Halal food outlets and carpet shops. A significant number are also working in the white collar sector. The remainder are either working in factories/industrial units and scrap yards or are simply unemployed.

Japan comprises of 47 prefectures. Reflecting census figures of 2008 and adjusting for proportional increase, 90 per cent are largely concentrated in the Kanto region on Japan’s largest island of Honshu. The areas ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami were mainly Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, lying to the north of Honshu and revealing a total of only 200 Pakistanis at best. Almost all citizens have been accounted for. Some have opted to relocate within Japan while others have chosen to visit family in Pakistan. There are still other individuals who have decided to stay and rebuild their lives.

As for the nuclear threat, “we do have a contingency plan. We have also adopted a wait and see approach, analyzing news reports and briefings by the local Foreign Office. Furthermore, most embassies are still functioning here,” revealed the officer from the Visa department.

Displaced and fatalities in Japan

A large clean-up and restoration project remains in place across the northeast of Japan following widespread devastation and the loss of more than 27,000 lives. The world community continues to raise aid for the civilians in Japan, whose lives were devastated by this massive earthquake and deadly tsunami that followed shortly after on March 11.

The images that we still see in the papers and the television are of utter destruction and seem to have blatantly left a deep emotional impact across the globe. And about 30 days after the disaster, the situation of the affected areas remains just as critical. About 500,000 people were evacuated from affected areas and are housed in temporary shelters, where the need for food and clean water remain dire. Volunteer groups from all over the world have helped the evacuees and vow to continue their support throughout the crisis.

How are Japanese coping with the crisis?

It’s needless to say how people of Japan are coping with the crisis, considering it is an emotional time for the nation who is suffering from the second massive disaster in its history at a global level. It is however, as astounding to see the courage and audacity of Japan as a nation that has not dazed a little in terms of morality and forthrightness.

Yushiao Aso is a pastor at a local church in Tokyo and he says that there are families who have lost their homes and individuals who have lost their families, but all of them have shown immense patience. In the refugee shelters “there are many people living together who have lost one thing or the other in their lives, but they all live like families.” There are missing children with no parents and those injured do not look good, but people are coping with the disaster with integrity and lesson. There is an immense energy among people that has brought them closer to God. They take it as a disaster sent by God, and fear Him even more now.

Ever since the nuclear threat, there has been an immense global fear but according to Pastor Yoshio, “the winds are directed from parts of the Pacific Ocean towards Hawaii and the Hawaiians fear the pollution and radiation more than us,” he chuckled. When the winds change direction however, there are fears in Tokyo and everyone in the city wears a breathing mask as a standard measure while there have been rumours of water and food contamination that have led people to change their entire lifestyles very swiftly. “We still get to eat fish and imported rice, something that is a major part of our cuisines.”

Stress has been evident, as Daniel Kahl a freelance reporter and lecturer in Tokyo puts it, “We already have a very difficult situation here. Even though the condition has settled down pretty much in the affected areas, the foreigners have been under great stress and most of them have gone back to their countries. What’s not appreciated however is the unnecessary hype that foreign media journalists have been creating since day one of the disaster, regarding the condition of people and social order.”

There is massive confusion among the citizens because of these sensationalised reports that have spotlighting everything between nuclear threats to people stealing food. As far as the nuclear situation is concerned, there have been conflicting reports from different authorities ever since the threat triggered. This has palpably increased stress among crowds about the nuclear situation.

The Fukushima situation has prepared the world for a new challenge, but what’s most important to focus on at the moment is the fact that we need more professional expertise on nuclear crises management all over the world. International nuclear experts have dived in with all their proficiency into this problem, and if this is still a challenging threat, then the whole world needs to look a little deeper into this nuclear-quandary.

The 50 TEPCO professionals in the Fukushima plant who have been risking their lives to protect the world from a nuclear calamity should not be taken for granted. As the latest reports reveal, these nuclear engineers plugged the leak this Wednesday, as they stemmed the flow of radioactive water into sea using mixture of sawdust, newspaper, concrete and a type of liquid glass. Whatever is the future of this nuclear threat, the lessons should not be ignored.

We saw Japan recover from a nuclear disaster and become an economic and technological challenge for the world to compete with. Yet another disaster has not yet shaken the Japanese people enough for them to lose hope. As a society, Japan has survived before, and it will survive again.

‘Superbug’ found in New Delhi water

NEW DELHI, April 7: Urgent global action is needed to prevent the spread of a multi-drug-resistant ‘superbug’ after it was found in water supplies in the Indian capital, doctors said in research published on Thursday.

The study in The Lancet medical journal said that New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) producing bacteria were found in 51 out of 171 samples taken from water pools and rivulets and two out of 50 tap water samples in the city.

NDM-1, first identified in 2009, is a gene that enables some types of bacteria to be highly resistant to almost all antibiotics. Positive samples included those collected in and around the commercial and business hub of Connaught Place and the Red Fort area.

“International surveillance of resistance, incorporating environmental sampling as well as examination of clinical isolates needs to be established as a priority,” the team from Cardiff University in Britain wrote.

Mohammed Shahid, from the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, added that potential for a wider, international spread of the superbug was “real and should not be ignored”. “Coordinated, concrete, and collective efforts are needed, initially to limit widespread dissemination, and finally to combat this emerging threatening resistance problem,” he said.

The researchers conducted the study in September and October last year, soon after warning that the superbug could be spread by foreign nationals coming to India for medical treatment.

At the time, the Indian government dismissed the research as scaremongering and criticised the naming of the bug after the Indian capital. But the World Health Organisation later called for monitoring after cases of infection were reported around the globe.