3 ms·

Does that really mean voluntary, strong suggestion or mostly mandatory?

by anonsivalley652 7y ago

Iv 7y ago
Yes. (source: I live in Japan)
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  ...the GP didn’t ask a yes or no question. :P
  - GarrisonPrime 7y ago
    “Is it” was the core of the question, which can be yes/no. ;-)
  - ghaff 7y ago
    I assume he's saying, in a tongue in cheek way, that it's ostensibly "voluntary" (but not really).
    - Iv 7y ago
      Yep. Once we asked if club activity were mandatory at the local school. We specifically asked about the mandatory aspect. The answer was "everybody does it".
  - anonsivalley652 7y ago
    Yes I did. ;-P (Face saved.)
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- anonsivalley652 7y ago
  Situation: :-/ Answer: Hahaha. :-P
- Danieru 7y ago
  Several years ago the Abe government "suggested" corporations issue dividends at about 30% of their profits. Now: nearly all corporations pay dividends at about 30% of profits as policy. Japan may not be reactive or proactive, but it does voluntary unity pretty well.
  - tasogare 7y ago
    Yes, this is one incredible things about the country. They might lag 10 years (or decades) on a social issue, but once a decision is taken, even radical, it will be applied in a couple of years.
  - CuriousPotato 7y ago
    This is interesting to me. It appears "Abenomics" coincided with the creation of the Nikkei 400, which is a selective index with preference for high-dividend-per-share equities. And your claim is correct, in 2015 average dividend-per-share for Nikkei 255 was 15%, and it has since risen to 30% But was this a short-term gimmick to encourage investment? Did it work? My understanding is that high dividend payout represent weak reinvestment and overall lower growth.
smukherjee19 7y ago
I am not a native speaker, but it seems a "要請" from the government is basically something like a government order, even though it seems "polite". For example, I see usages of "政府からのデータ要請", "request from the government to hand over data", which is well, as we know, people have to comply with. So I am guessing this wording is interpreted as an order, even though it means "request". IANAL, much less in Japan, so take it with a pinch of salt. EDIT: Seeing the other replies, I guess it can be interpreted both ways: people "listening to the advice of the government", or "government asking people listen to them". Again, IANAL.
- redbeard0x0a 7y ago
  The AP article said it was a non-binding order, but they are expected to follow it.

Does that really mean voluntary, strong suggestion or mostly mandatory?

Iv 7y ago

Yes. (source: I live in Japan)

Wowfunhappy 7y ago
...the GP didn’t ask a yes or no question. :P
- GarrisonPrime 7y ago
  “Is it” was the core of the question, which can be yes/no. ;-)
- ghaff 7y ago
  I assume he's saying, in a tongue in cheek way, that it's ostensibly "voluntary" (but not really).
  - Iv 7y ago
    Yep. Once we asked if club activity were mandatory at the local school. We specifically asked about the mandatory aspect. The answer was "everybody does it".
- anonsivalley652 7y ago
  Yes I did. ;-P (Face saved.)
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
anonsivalley652 7y ago
Situation: :-/ Answer: Hahaha. :-P
Danieru 7y ago
Several years ago the Abe government "suggested" corporations issue dividends at about 30% of their profits. Now: nearly all corporations pay dividends at about 30% of profits as policy. Japan may not be reactive or proactive, but it does voluntary unity pretty well.
- tasogare 7y ago
  Yes, this is one incredible things about the country. They might lag 10 years (or decades) on a social issue, but once a decision is taken, even radical, it will be applied in a couple of years.
- CuriousPotato 7y ago
  This is interesting to me. It appears "Abenomics" coincided with the creation of the Nikkei 400, which is a selective index with preference for high-dividend-per-share equities. And your claim is correct, in 2015 average dividend-per-share for Nikkei 255 was 15%, and it has since risen to 30% But was this a short-term gimmick to encourage investment? Did it work? My understanding is that high dividend payout represent weak reinvestment and overall lower growth.

smukherjee19 7y ago

I am not a native speaker, but it seems a "要請" from the government is basically something like a government order, even though it seems "polite". For example, I see usages of "政府からのデータ要請", "request from the government to hand over data", which is well, as we know, people have to comply with. So I am guessing this wording is interpreted as an order, even though it means "request". IANAL, much less in Japan, so take it with a pinch of salt. EDIT: Seeing the other replies, I guess it can be interpreted both ways: people "listening to the advice of the government", or "government asking people listen to them". Again, IANAL.

redbeard0x0a 7y ago
The AP article said it was a non-binding order, but they are expected to follow it.