PM Obuchi to Assure Japanese on Y2K Readiness

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PM Obuchi to Assure Japanese on Y2K Readiness

Updated 5:04 AM ET December 1, 1999

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has prepared a nationwide television appeal for people not to worry about the millennium bug -- but he will still be on hand on New Year's Eve in case a crisis breaks out.

The prime minister's spokesman, Akitaka Saiki, said on Wednesday that domestic television stations would air a brief message from Obuchi in which he says that Japan expects no problems as a result of the millennium date change.

The government raised eyebrows in October by advising the public to stockpile several days' worth of food and water as a precaution even though it said Japan was well prepared for Y2K.

Saiki stressed that the government had been taking the proper measures to avoid any major disruptions from the computer bug and said Obuchi's appearance was merely to reassure the public.

"People seem to be worried about what's going to happen to their own lives on December 31 and January 1...because it has been so widely reported in the media that their lives will be affected," Saiki said.

Nevertheless, Obuchi plans to spend New Year's Eve at his residence with some other ministers as a precaution in case of any major disruptions, Saiki said. He also said Obuchi might hold a news conference soon after the clocks hit midnight.

The 30-second TV spot is expected to air on Friday and throughout December.

"It's quite well done," Saiki said. "I saw the moment where the prime minister appears with a big smile saying something to the effect that please don't worry, everything will be all right."

The millennium bug, or Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, could make some computers read the year 2000 as 1900, causing them to produce incorrect data or shut down.

===================================== End Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

Got a lot of sympathy for Obuchi. He recommended preps, and now he's paying for it. Makes it easy to see why Clinton is happy to smile and wave while leaving Koskinen to be the bad guy ("at least three days food and water now," eh?)

It maybe even helps to explain why Major Daley made the apparently idiotic move of publically condeming (and therefore publicising) the prep advice going round his police department. Methinks he doth protest too much.

If you fancy a laugh, have a look here for my spoooky prediction of the kind of advice that we'll hear in the days to come. Hint: the wings are not on fire. ;)

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.


Oops, that's Mayor Daley, not Major Daley. In penitance, I provide a link.

And thanks for the post, Ray.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.


12/3/99 -- 8:20 PM

Premier says Japan ready for Y2K - but be cautious just in case

TOKYO (AP) - Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi gives a mixed message about Y2K preparedness in the first TV ad featuring a Japanese premier:
We're ready, but stock up on food and water just in case.

``We don't think any big disruptions will take place, but it is important to be prepared for the worst,'' Obuchi says in the 30-second spot that began airing Friday evening.

The ad urges people to make sure that they have two to three days' worth of supplies on hand ahead of the new year, suggests caution in travel and wariness about people trying to cash in on fears about the so-called millennium bug.

The commercial is shot to look like a news conference, with camera flashes popping, and Obuchi looking from right to left in a calm, reassuring manner.

It's the government's first Y2K ad, and the first featuring a Japanese prime minister, officials in the prime minister's office said.

Japanese, however, seemed less than concerned about the possibility of widespread computer failures as the year rolls over from 1999 to 2000.

A poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest daily, found that only about 40 percent of 1,921 people interviewed are concerned about Y2K problems or will take precautionary measures.

Japan has been criticized for lagging in addressing the millennium bug - which could occur in old computers unable to distinguish between 1900 and 2000. But Japan says it is one of the best prepared nations in the world.
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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 03, 1999.


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