February 10-17, 2023 (travel diaries)

Karatsu, Saga Prefecture

I visited the famous Japanese ‘Wagyu’ black cow farm today. Nakamura-san, the farm’s owner, is a woman who loves her work. There are 1200 beef cattle and 200 cows. Bull seeds certified by the state will be used and propagated. Cattle reach 30 months old and 800 kg before being sold. All cows have ear tags. The large ear tag serves as the national “passport”, with ten digits, and the small one is the “passport” for the province. Progeny, nutrition, and health are all barcoded to track progress. From birth until it becomes meat, the tag stays with the cow. Five employees work here. The consumer receives food that meets national standards and contains the ingredients they requested. The vet visits the farm daily. JA (Japan Agro) is in charge of sales. Japan exported 7800 tons of beef in 2022. (equivalent to 150,000 cows).

Matsuura, Nagasaki Prefecture

I visited the Matsuura Cultural Heritage Center. Kublai Khan attacked Japan in 1274 and 1281 during the Yuan Dynasty. In 1281, 4400 ships (140 thousand soldiers) were sent from China and Korea. However, a powerful sea storm (kamikaze) sank all the ships. Fishermen kept finding Mongolian soldiers’ equipment on the island of Takashima. By collecting those artifacts, this center was founded in 1983. The Japanese are still in the process of searching and uncovering the remains of the sunken ships in the depths of the sea. According to Tadashi Uchino, the director of this research center, this anchor alone weighs 600 kg and measures approximately 7 m in length. The center also houses artifacts such as the 1277 stone seal of the Mongolian commander-in-chief and military helmets from that era, which are depicted in 3D. The stone seal is 6.5 x 6.5 cm in size and weighs 726 grams.

Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture

During my visit to the Fukuoka City Museum, Prof. K. Horimoto at the University of Tokyo said “Kublai Khan came with 30 thousand soldiers and 900 ships and fought in Hakata Bay on October 20, 1274,” and that they had a limited number of horses, explosive bombs, swords, and spears. The Japanese were greater in number and had many horses. Both sides suffered large casualties. A typhoon also hit the Mongols as they retreated and returned. There are two 20-meter-long paintings depicting this event in the state collection.

Mongolians returned 7 years later with 4400 ships and 140 thousand soldiers, only to be hit by a typhoon again.

‘The Mongolian hill’ – Mōko Yama in Nishiura, the eastern district of Fukuoka.

The Mongolian hill is located on Kyushu Island’s westernmost tip. In 1274 and 1281, this mountain served as a guard post for Mongol soldiers, who used smoke to signal their ships in the distance. Soldiers from both sides are said to be buried at the foothill. The people of Hakata erected this stone statue in 1895 to enshrine their souls. The statue, however, was destroyed in the 2005 earthquake, and it was rebuilt on November 29, 2022, with the help of donors from both countries, local residents, the Honorary Consulate of Mongolia in Fukuoka, and the Kyushu-Okinawa Mongolian Friendship Society. This lovely monument, which had left its war past behind and embraced peace, has been restored. The monument has large number of visitors.

Ōita Prefecture. Old friend Take

I paid a visit to an old friend’s house, went to a hot spring, and ate and drank. Mongolians know remember Takenori Shimizu-san fondly. He has been involved in Mongolian affairs since 1977, and he served as Japan’s Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Mongolia from 2011 to 2016. Even though he is retired, he keeps himself busy. He is a Mongolian studies professor at two universities and the General Secretary at the Japan-Mongolia Friendship Society. He is a significant contributor to the friendship between two countries. He is still full of new ideas. We had a long conversation.

In his new home with a window overlooking Japan’s longest suspension footbridge, he has a gallery of Mongolian paintings. There are 6-7 paintings by the State-honored People’s Painter, N.Chultem as well as dozens of other well-known artworks. He started a tree planting project in his hometown of Oita to attract tourists. On top of the mountain, 100 thousand dahlia flowers and a thousand Sakura tress will be planted on 2 hectares of private land. In addition, the 140-year-old wooden house where five generations of the family have lived will be restored. A humble, but great man. After retirement, a new life begins. Age is merely a number. Go Go Shimizu-san!!!

Aichi Prefecture

Even though I only had 25 minutes to change trains in Nagoya, I managed to eat the local kishimen (flat noodle) soup. This location is said to have served people who work around the clock for the past 60 years. There are four branches at this station. The food arrives almost immediately after purchasing a meal ticket for 670 yen. I was able to board the train without a hurry because of this prompt service.

Aichi Prefecture. Toyota plant.

1. I went to the Toyota plant in Tahara, which is not far from Nagoya. It is one of their 11 plants in Japan, employing 7,790 people. This facility manufactures seven models, including the 4-runner, LC Prado, and Lexus GX460. One car is produced there every 70 seconds.

The chassis (base frame) and body are put together using a combination of automated and manual methods. A hand-operated crane is used for lifting and moving. It means that every employee, like a robot, excels at his or her job. Despite the fact that it is a demanding and difficult task, they do not appear to be tired.

2. Tahara also has a port where only Toyota vehicles are loaded.

Loading 5000 cars onto a large ship takes three days. They work in five teams of sixteen people each. The cars will be placed like sugar cubes, with a 10 cm gap at the back between each other and a 30 cm gap at the front. There are no errors, no downtime, and the system is impressively industrious like how ants work.

3. By 2022, Toyota produced 2.6 million cars in Japan and 6.5 million vehicles in 50 factories across 27 countries. Toyota employs 372 thousand people and is the world’s largest automaker, followed by the VW Group. By implementing Toyota’s just-in-time system, all supplies arrive on time and in the required quantity. Because there are no spare parts warehouses or large storage space, products are shipped directly to the market.

4. Each year, approximately 1,600 new Toyota vehicles are sold in Mongolia through three distributors: Tavan Bogd LLC, Munkhada LLC, and Top Motors LLC. Toyota Sales Mongolia LLC is also an official Toyota distributor and wholesale distributor of new Toyota Lexus vehicles with normal and hybrid engines.

However, second-hand Prius vehicles are imported by individuals or through third-party companies.

Aichi Prefecture. What do they do with old batteries?

1. The city of Handa. Toyota Chemical Engineering collects and recycles nickel and lithium waste (batteries).

At this factory, nickel-containing batteries from Toyota vehicles are disassembled, the batteries are burned at +500 degrees, and the black nickel residue on the metal mesh plates is scraped off. It is then delivered to the stainless steel factory. Nickel batteries, for example, are used in models up to the Prius-40.

However, after 2015, the Prius-50 uses a combination of nickel and lithium ion batteries. A separate factory here recycles lithium batteries and also accepts batteries from non-Toyota vehicles.

2. Where does Mongolia’s battery waste end up? As of 2022, 1,270,000 vehicles (including motorcycles and tractors) were registered in Mongolia, with 780,000 having passed technical state inspection (MRT). Prius accounts for 28.5% of the total, or 223,000 vehicles. Since 2018, 20,000-25,000 second-hand Prius vehicles entered Mongolia each year.

What happened to the used batteries? What is the risk of dumping it in the nature? Here are some responses to these two queries. Since 2018, 40 tons of old Prius batteries have been collected and shipped to this factory four times a year from Mongolia’s Tsaiz market. This means that this factory receives 1400 car batteries per container, or 5600 car batteries per year. Please pay attention to the numbers of batteries entering and exiting our country. The Chinese used to take it a lot, but due to stricter environmental requirements in their country, battery separation is conducted in Mongolia now, which was mentioned in 2019 at a conference on waste. Is the government aware and in control of the situation?

Tokyo

Suntory concert hall

If you have the opportunity, go to this famous hall and listen to the music. Acoustically, it is regarded as the pinnacle of the world. I was able to enter this hall for the third time. This evening, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra performed. I listened to works of French composers Faure, Schimitt, and Chausson.

The performers were Japanese, and the conductor was Y.P. Tortelier – a French person. The hall was packed, the audience wore masks, and the majority of them were elderly. This purpose-built concert hall with a capacity of 2006 seats first opened its doors in 1986. “Business should respond to society,” said Shijiro Torii, founder of Suntory. This company built the hall and presented it to the people on the 60th anniversary of their whiskey production. In addition, the Suntory Foundation was established to support the arts.

Hakuho and Miyagino stable

Miyaagino is the new name for the champion Hakuho. It is still Davaajargal Munkhbat for Mongolians. It is said that if you drink the water of the land, you will follow the customs. Becoming a trainer after being sumo wrestler, inheriting the stable, and reaching the pinnacle glory was not an easy journey.

He discussed how he became successful, how he strives for perfection, and how he concentrates. On February 22nd, 2023, an interview with him at his stable in Tokyo’s Sumida district aired on Tenger TV’s Defacto Interview and is presented here in its entirety.

Mirai, the hydrogen vehicle

Toyota Mirai can travel 850 kilometers on 5.6 kg (6,000 yen) of liquefied hydrogen. In Japan, there are 163 unified standard charging and distribution stations (Iwatani Co. Chiba). Hydrogen buses are also being introduced. The energy released when hydrogen reacts with air powers the motor. The engine in this car has capacity to power a family house for three days. It could be of assistance in natural disasters.

I traveled ten kilometers in this vehicle. Instead of smoke, small amounts of water is released. The water drips slightly after arrival as well. Despite the relatively high cost, it is the engine of the future. There will be no pollution in the air. It was extracted from coal in Australia and four major Japanese corporations made investments already. It’s something us Mongolians need quite a lot. A Mongolian company reportedly began collaborating with the Japanese.

Mobicom’s owner, KDDI

After DoCoMo, it is Japan’s second largest telecommunications company offering a variety of landline and mobile phone services. It is a massive corporation with over 40 million users, accounting for 30% of the market. The current worth of the company is $68.4 billion. In comparison, the total economy of Mongolia is 14 billion dollars. The company employs 48 thousand people in total. Their profit for 2022 was $8.7 billion. Kyocera owns 13%, Toyota owns 11%, and the rest is owned by the general public.

KDDI now owns 99 percent of Mobicom, which accounts for nearly half of Mongolia’s mobile phone market. (Sumitomo shares were purchased in 2016). Mongolian Newcom Company owns 1% of the company). So what KDDI does and will do in Mongolia is critically relevant for us.

B2C (people-oriented) services are also available in Mongolia and Myanmar, in addition to Japan. Mobicom offers B2B (business-oriented) services such as call centers, data centers, and so on.

The mission of KDDI is to “create a society where everyone can achieve their dreams through increased connectivity.”

KDDI is planning 3 activities to implement in Mongolia with the introduction of 5G.

• Kukan Zizai – PROJECT ON REALISTICALLY BEING TOGETHER

Sound and image will become like literally talking to each other in the same room as they perfect the online connection. Even if you are in different countries or cities, the connection will make you feel as if you are attending a concert or singing karaoke together, and it will allow you to receive teletherapy and educational services from anywhere in the world. For example, if a teacher teaches a lesson all over the country, a nation-wide education session will be taught as if it were real, and we would be able to solve the problem of a teacher shortage in soums.

• Geotra (daughter company)- GPS GEOSPATIAL MODEL PROJECT

The entry and exit of all people coming and going to that location will be tracked for a set period of time, and the total movement will be broken down by age and gender (but the individual’s name and phone number will not be visible because they are confidential). The marketing tool model will be used in urban planning, public transportation management, infrastructure development, and disaster prevention.

• Briefcam – VIDEO CONTENT ANALYTICS

Traffic jams, rule violations, and road accidents will be monitored and evaluated. For example, all the vehicles traveling on the road will be distinguished by category, color and design. This project is a joint project with Canon.

Mobicom is studying the possibility of implementing these three projects in Mongolia.

Thank you.

I would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Embassy of Japan for asking me to visit Japan on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and recognizing Defacto team’s contribution to the bilateral ties.

I would also want to thank Akihito Nakao, the representative of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who accompanied me on this trip, and Kanako Onishi, who arranged the video interview with Hakuho. Moreover, thank you to Sh.Altan-Erdene, Honorary Consul of Mongolia to Fukuoka and the Defacto Gazette (Japanese language) team.

Our Defacto Gazette is published in Mongolian, English, and Russian, and it has been published online in Japanese for free since December 2017. By accessing jargaldefacto.com from your computer, you can register and access your gazette through your registered email in the language of your choice.

Despite having a packed schedule and traveling to numerous provinces and cities, I have been sharing my observations on social networks.

2023.02.27

Trans. by Munkh-Erdene.D