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Japan struggles to extinguish online ‘flaming’

InternationalOct 23. 2020A user in Osaka edits a news article on a website that features user-generated content. (This photo image has been partially modified. – The Yomiuri Shimbun) 

By The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Japan News/ANN

The number of incidents of fake news being posted on websites with user-generated content is continuing to increase. Because the revenue of such sites is dependent upon the number of viewers they receive, many of these sites will post information that is either inaccurate or unconfirmed if it means the number of viewers will increase.

Back in July 2017, a man in his 40s, who once was employed part-time, was described on such a website as “an extremely biased person” and “a left-wing activist.” The article also made it seem as though he was urging others to take part in an anti-war demonstration in front of the Diet Building.

In reality, however, the source was a post from a different person on social media. Even though none of the article’s information had been fact-checked, his real name had been posted and he was defamed as someone who “has been unable to get married or become a regular employee mostly because of his eccentric personality and social activism.”

At that time, that particular website was estimated to have gotten as many as 2 million views a month, and the article was quickly spread around on social media. Not only was his home address posted online, but the location of his office was as well, leading to his employer receiving a barrage of emails demanding that he be dismissed. Since this incident, the man has become afraid of being recognized when out on the street and no longer feels safe enough to leave his home except when going to work.

Why was such information about an ordinary man posted on such a website in the first place? Along with that particular article, a video clip of the man making an appearance under his real name on a special TV program on the subject of non-regular employment was also posted. Therefore, there is a possibility that someone who watched the program posted false information with the aim of “flaming” him, or purposefully spreading false or malicious information.

The victim requested that the website operator delete the article, but he said that he received no reply. As a result, in April 2019, the victim, together with four others who were the victims of defamation on the same website, brought a suit before the Tokyo District Court against the operator and other entities for a combined total of ¥16.5 million in damages. Meanwhile, the operator has made clear its intention of fully fighting back against the claim, saying that the article in question “does not constitute defamation.”

■ Operator’s request

“I was asked by the website’s operator to write articles with content that was as extreme as possible,” said a former writer for the website. A few years prior, the writer had undergone a job interview for the website that took place over the phone, lasted only a few minutes and concluded with the writer agreeing to an outsourcing contract with the operator.

The assigned task was to write two articles a day. According to the editing manual used at that time, the amount writers were paid for an article was decided based on the number of times their piece was shared on Facebook. If that number was less than 500, there was no pay. The pay scale increased gradually: If the number of shares surpassed 10,000, writers would be paid between ¥3,000 and ¥6,700. The former writer recalls there also being a topic category specifically for flaming on that particular website.

“I found that my articles became rather extreme the more I tried to gain a higher number of views.”

There has also been an increase in the number of individuals establishing their own websites in a similar style. An Osaka man in his 20s launched his own website around autumn last year, wanting to earn income outside of his regular job and hoping to earn revenue from advertisements. He decides the subject of his articles by watching TV programs, YouTube videos, and browsing social media.

Writing an article only takes a few hours.

“It would be an inefficient use of time to check whether the news is accurate or not. In order to get as many page views as possible, I don’t really have a choice but to include information that may not be true.”

■ Experts caution govt intervention

Misinformation and infringement of copyright related to such websites have long been an issue.

In 2016, IT firm DeNA Co. suspended all 10 of its websites — including those related to medical care — for reasons including misinformation and the use of information without permission. Last month, a website called “Naver Matome,” operated by the LINE group and the subject of a controversy related to the unauthorized use of photographs and videos, was shut down.

This February, an expert panel at the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry presented measures for dealing with fake news. While cautioning the government over its intervention methods, citing freedom of expression, the panel urged each social media operator to take voluntary preventative action as well.

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Singapore private home prices rise by faster 0.8% in Q3 amid Covid-19 recession

InternationalOct 23. 2020Private home prices have edged up 0.1 per cent to date in 2020. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG 

By Grace Leong
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – Private home prices in Singapore rose 0.8 per cent in the third quarter from the previous three months, defying a Covid-19 recession, according to final data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Friday (Oct 23).

The 0.8 per cent gain in the third quarter of 2020 was unchanged from URA’s flash estimate released on Oct 1.

It comes after a 0.3 per cent increase in the second quarter of this year and a 1 per cent drop in the first quarter, the first quarterly decline in a year.

This means private home prices have edged up 0.1 per cent to date this year.

The price increase was driven by landed homes and a burst of buying in the city fringes and suburbs  after the two-month circuit breaker ended on June 1, said Ms Christine Sun, OrangeTee & Tie’s head of research & consultancy. 

“Many long-term investors and wealthy buyers are on the prowl for properties as many are repositioning their wealth from riskier assets,” Ms Sun said. 

According to URA’s final data, the total number of residential transactions excluding ECs spiked by 164.5 per cent from 2,664 units in the second quarter to 7,047 units in Q3, she noted. 

Developers sold 3,517 units (excluding executive condominums or ECs), up 105 per cent from the 1,713 units taken up in the second quarter.  They launched 3,791 units (excluding ECs), compared with 1,852 units in the previous quarter.

Ms Sun noted that: “Investor exuberance for real estate properties seemed to have spilt over from the primary market to the secondary market.”

The resale market registered a steeper quarter-on-quarter increase of 271.6 per cent from 933 units to 3,467 units in Q3. Resale homes also accounted for a bigger proportion of total sales at 49.2 per cent, when compared to 35.0 per cent in the preceding quarter, Ms Sun said. 

For the third quarter, prices of non-landed properties rose 0.1 per cent from the previous three months, compared with the 0.4 per cent increase in the previous quarter.

Analysts said that although a Covid-19 recession has hit Singapore, with aviation and tourism worst off, other segments of the economy like technology, precision manufacturing, healthcare and biomed are holding up. Those not affected may still have the confidence to buy, they said.

Further, in the years preceding the pandemic, private home price increases have been somewhat marginal, due largely to the slew of cooling measures. This is unlike the years preceding the global financial crisis, where there was a sharper increase in prices and therefore a sharper correction following the crisis, said analysts.

Giving a breakdown by region, the URA said that prices of non-landed properties in the prime or core central region fell 3.8 per cent in Q3, compared with the 2.7 per cent drop in the previous quarter. Prices of non-landed properties in the city fringe or rest of central region jumped 2.5 per cent, compared with the 1.7 per cent fall in the previous quarter.

Prices in the suburbs or outside central region jumped 1.7 per cent, compared with the 0.1 per cent gain in the previous quarter.

The URA also said that prices of landed properties jumped 3.7 per cent in the third quarter this year, after remaining unchanged in the second quarter.

Unlike prices, rents of private residential properties continued to weaken in the third quarter. Rents dipped 0.5 per cent from the previous three months, easing from a drop of 1.2 per cent in the second quarter.

Just like in the second quarter, developers did not launch any EC units for sale in the third quarter, and sold 164 EC units in the quarter. In comparison, they sold 71 EC units in the previous quarter.

As at the end of Q3, there was a total supply of 50,369 uncompleted private residential units (excluding ECs) in the pipeline with planning approvals, compared with 49,090 units in the previous quarter.

Of this number, 26,483 units or more than half remained unsold as at the end of Q3, compared with the 27,977 units in the previous quarter.

After adding the supply of 4,104 EC units in the pipeline, there were 54,473 units in the pipeline with planning approvals. Of the EC units in the pipeline, 2,244 remain unsold.

In total, 28,727 units with planning approvals (including ECs) remain unsold, down from 29,876 units in the previous quarter.

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Franconomics kicks off in Hanoi

InternationalOct 23. 2020Delegates pose for a group photo. —VNS Photo 

By Viet Nam News/ANN

HÀ NỘI — The international Franconomics forum, a multidisciplinary dialogue on important socio-economic topics of countries in the French-speaking community, kicked off on Thursday in Hà Nội under the theme ‘From Start-up to Smart-up’.

The forum was connected with more than 50 other locations across five continents and served as a platform for delegates to discuss innovative start-up (smart-up) in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a trend in a number of economic sectors around the world.

Delegates to the forum agreed that smart-up not only meant establishing a business which offered new products and services, but also operating the business in a smart way. Smart-ups should create high economic profits with low risks based on the application of information technology combined with modern management methods, along with with digital transformation and the application of new technology.

Using digital transformation, start-ups had a lot of opportunities but also faced challenges. The Fourth Industrial Revolution increased competitiveness inside and outside the country. In that context, how should we help start-ups reduce risks, optimise sources and develop sustainably? How should we promote the growth of a national innovative smart-up system?, Phạm Bảo Sơn, deputy director of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, asked.

Being one of the leading research and training institutes in technology in Việt Nam, the Vietnam National University, Hanoi always focused on research and training co-operation with localities and enterprises, he said.

Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), said the organisation was moving towards digital transformation.

Students in the OIF had been equipped with digital transformation skills as well as knowledge about start-ups to better adapt to the labour market. The OIF would hold more training on digital transformation for the youth and women, especially those living in disadvantaged areas, she said.

Đinh Toàn Thắng, head of the European Department at the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said since Việt Nam had become an official member of the French-speaking community, the country had affirmed its role as a key member of the community in Asia-Pacific, and actively taken part in the community’s activities. Those contributions had been highly appreciated by other partners inside and outside the community.

“Việt Nam is ready to promote co-operation in the French-speaking community in sectors that Việt Nam has experience in such as economic development, agriculture, education, health, information technology and communications,” he said.

Việt Nam attached importance to its partnership with the French-speaking community and was making practical contributions to the community’s summit in Tunisia next year, he added.

Franconomics has been co-organised by the International Francophone Institute (IFI), the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and will wrap up on Friday.

Other activities include the second national anthem singing festival, a pitching day for start-ups, and a launch ceremony for Hưng Yên Digital Museum, as well as introductions to other digitalisation projects.

Franconomics is a multidisciplinary dialogue on important socio-economic topics for scientists, businesses, investors, and policymakers both inside and outside the French-speaking community with its 88 members and observers.

Each year it is organised in a different location in Việt Nam to create opportunities for connecting and promoting co-operation, accessing and supplying technology, creating a high-quality workforce, and expanding the Partner Network for Development. — VNS

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[South Korea] Prime minister calls for thorough probe into deaths after vaccination

InternationalOct 23. 2020(Yonhap) 

By The Korea Herald/ANN

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday called for a thorough probe into the deaths of people after being vaccinated against seasonal influenza.

As of midnight Thursday, 30 people have died after inoculation, but health authorities found no direct links between the vaccine and fatalities.

“I offer my deep condolences to the bereaved families,” Chung said at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

“The authorities should thoroughly investigate the causal relationship between vaccinations and the deaths, and make public the development transparently.”

He noted the public remains nervous despite experts’ denial of the connection between the deaths and flu shots. 

“I call on the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) to closely consult experts and do its best to take sufficient measures and explain swiftly so that people can receive vaccinations without anxiety,” he added.

On Thursday, the government affirmed the immunization program will continue despite suspected deaths.

The country has been pushing for the free flu shot scheme for some 19 million people, including teenagers and senior citizens, to curb the possible “twindemic.”

Fears over flu vaccines first emerged last Friday after a 17-year-old boy in the western port city of Incheon died two days after receiving a flu shot.

Similar fatalities have been reported, mostly among senior citizens with underlying diseases. (Yonhap)

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[China] Outbound investment limits to be eased further

InternationalOct 23. 2020Aerial photo taken on March 18, 2020 shows a container dock of Yangshan Port of Shanghai, East China. [Photo/Xinhua] 

By CHEN JIA
China Daily/ANN

China will further ease outbound investment limits and allow more domestic institutional investors to purchase financial assets in the global market as part of its financial market reform and opening-up, according to an official announcement.

A senior official from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Wednesday that fresh quotas worth $10 billion will be issued in several batches under the outbound Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor or QDII scheme.

China will also expand the outbound schemes Qualified Domestic Limited Partner or QDLP and Qualified Domestic Investment Enterprise or QDIE, which are being piloted in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

The measures, which will be announced in a short period, will better satisfy the demands of domestic investors for financial assets in the global market, according to the SAFE.

The above three schemes are designed for outbound investment as China has yet to fully liberalize its capital account, which records the cross-border capital flows mainly for investing in financial assets. These programs provide financial institutions with quotas to invest in bonds and stocks overseas, which come at a time when the country is stepping up efforts to open its financial market.

Experts said that increasing the quota and expanding the pilot programs show the regulator’s confidence in further opening the capital account, which will help raise demand for foreign exchange and make the renminbi exchange rate regime more balanced and market-oriented.

Recently, financial experts stressed that the opening up of the financial sector should go hand in hand with reforms in exchange rate formation mechanism and the process of advancing capital account convertibility.

Wang Yiming, former deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said that with the continuous improvement in China’s opening-up, RMB capital account convertibility is inevitable, and China has made significant progress in promoting the convertibility of capital and financial accounts.

“Considering the rising financial risks in the post-COVID period, it is not a good time to fully open the RMB capital account,” said Wang.”The financial derivatives market for risk prevention is imperfect. Risks in the international financial market may be exposed in the future given the impact of the pandemic.”

Wang said that China will promote RMB capital account convertibility in some pilot areas, including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hainan province, and strengthen the interaction between the pilot free trade zones and offshore RMB centers.

Data from the SAFE indicated that, by Sept 23, the foreign exchange regulator had approved $107.34 billion total quota of QDII, and $3.36 billion quota was already allocated to 18 institutions, including fund management, securities and wealth management companies.

The QDLP program was launched in Shanghai in 2013 while QDIE was launched in Shenzhen in 2014. Both schemes offer channels for qualified domestic institutions to invest overseas. The quota for the QDLP program in Shanghai and the quota for the QDIE program in Shenzhen were expanded to $5 billion each in April 2018, according to the SAFE.