2006年VOA标准英语-Latest Shot Fired in Battle Between Japan Inc.,

By Steve Herman
Tokyo
13 June 2006

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi   
  
Leaders of Japan's political opposition¹ are demanding Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi fire a central bank governor who owns shares in a fund run by a shareholder² activist³ who has been arrested. The issue is the latest shot in a battle that has pitted a new breed of investors⁴ against the country's traditional business elite⁵.

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Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui admitted in parliament Tuesday that he invested in a fund started by Yoshiaki Murakami. The maverick⁶ fund manager was arrested last week for breaking stock trading laws.

Leaders of Japan's opposition immediately called for Fukui's resignation. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters he does not see the investment, made in 1999 before Fukui joined the bank, as an ethical⁷ lapse⁸.

Murakami and another young entrepreneur, Takafumi Horie, tried to jostle Japan's business world by engaging in hostile takeovers and demanding greater returns for shareholders⁹. 

Takafumi Horie  
  
Horie also faces criminal charges stemming from his investment activities as head of the Livedoor conglomerate¹⁰, for allegedly conspiring¹¹ with Murakami to take over a broadcast company. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe says the arrests should be a warning to overly aggressive Japanese capitalists.

Abe says managers should not only seek profits but also consider morals and ethics¹².

The arrests have unnerved some investors and have contributed to a stock market slowdown. The main Nikkei stock index has sunk almost 20 percent since hitting a six-year high a few months ago.

Some market experts believe Horie and Murakami were targeted because their manners, as much as their methods, offended Japan's business elite. 

Ira Hata  
  
Ira Hata is an affiliate¹³ partner in Tokyo at the Swiss-Taiwanese investment firm Eurasco Capital. He says Horie, who dreamed out loud of rocketing into space and becoming prime minister, was the proverbial nail sticking up ready to be hammered - a Japanese saying about those who break from traditional social rules.

"His big problem was that he wanted to be in the limelight, which is a big no-no by Japanese culture," Hata says. "Had he kept his head low and quietly made his millions or billions then I'm sure he wouldn't have been made an example of. When it comes to Murakami he definitely broke the law and manipulated the market. I think his big mistake was becoming greedy."

Foreign Minister Taro¹⁴ Aso says Murakami's ability to make money was not the problem.

Aso says Murakami was not hated because he made profits but rather because of the way he made them.

Eurasco Capital's Hata says there are many others who desire to emulate¹⁵ Murakami.

"Putting Murakami's head on a stick sends a signal to all those wannabes to re-assess their approach to the market," Hata says. "In that sense I do believe it does have a chilling effect. On the other hand I think that it's very beneficial for the real financial institutions to re-assess their approach in Japan. That means you'll have to do business the proper way here."

The arrests of Horie and Murakami may signal that Japan is getting serious about cracking down on illegal trading by company executives. But many business people say that Japan, despite touting reform and desiring greater foreign direct investment, will not tolerate those who want to push market rules and demand that Japanese companies become more friendly to shareholders

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

6 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

7 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

8 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

9 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

10 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

11 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

12 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

13 affiliate   

vt.使隶(附)属于；n.附属机构，分公司

参考例句：

• Our New York company has an affiliate in Los Angeles.我们的纽约公司在洛杉矶有一个下属企业。
• What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?固定会员和附属会员之间的区别是什么？

14 taro   

n.芋，芋头

参考例句：

• Main grain crop has taro,corn,banana to wait.主要粮食作物有芋头、玉米、芭蕉等。
• You celebrate your birthday with taro,red bean and butter.用红豆、芋头和黄油给自己过生日。

15 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。