Japan has a huge problem with sexual assault on their trains. Due in part to the population density of Tokyo, two thirds of all reported sexual assault cases occur on trains. Surveys of Tokyo's female population have found that 70% of women are in favor of establishing single-sex (women only) train cars. Conversely, similar surveys taken in cities like New York and London found that less than 30% of women were in favor of single-sex trains cars.
The attached article details the implementation and reaction to such single-sex train cars. Including the reaction of some men who boarded these single-sex train cars in an act of protest, as they believe this practice to be discriminatory. Conversely, there have been calls by women's rights groups for the government to do even more to protect women.
This video from Vice (first 13min) and the below article from the BBC cover a part of China's corruption by highlighting the "Ghost Cities" of China. These "Ghost Cities" are exact replicas of Western cities but with extremely low occupancy. For example: Tianducheng was built to be an exact replica of Paris (including it's own Eiffel Tower), however it's occupancy has remained at around 2%. The primary function of these "Ghost Cities" seems to be as a place for wedding photos and tourism.
So why are these cities so empty? To put it simply, they are too expensive. Normally. Supply and Demand economics would suggest that the lack of occupancy
would lower the cost of real estate in these cities and inspire
migration; however, thanks to China's communist policies and
accompanying economic regulations the real estate prices remain fixed, and thus the cities remain empty.
So then why does China continue building these "Ghost Cities"? Well, the next time you hear president Trump rambling on about how J-ina is cheating or manipulating their economy, this is what he is talking about. Basically China's government comes into local farming communities, kicks everyone out and enlists these massive city construction projects which
boosts their GDP because they are employing people and creating/increasing real estate value all over China. However, China's GDP doesn't take into account the sale or use of these
properties, only the construction.
What does all this mean? Well, 50% of China's GDP comes from construction, as such, on paper their economy seems to be booming (Lipstick on a pig). This is the explanation given for China's unprecedented economic growth by economists, as opposed to their exporting capacity which has largely diminished/shifted to places like Mexico. The implication of this is that China is creating an unprecedented housing bubble. Comparatively, during the
USA's housing bubble, construction made up around 16% of our GDP. The cause for concern here could also very likely be global, as China's economy has become so interconnected with the world, and in particular the USA' economy, (think domino effect).
