[What is ISO26262? - Just curious]

NIKKEI ELECTRONICS is a business magazine written in Japanese. A good friend of mine here in Japan printed some 15 pages out and gave it me the other day. He did that for me because I had mentioned ISO26262 a little while back, saying “Do you know what that is all about? I’m just curious.”

The reason I was interested in this issue is because I happened to hear someone saying ISO26262 will be a mandatory package in order to sell vehicles in Europe. And I had also read from another magazine that some automakers and suppliers in Japan had not been ready for this. (I’m not exactly sure about the situation right now in February 2012.)

The following is a digest I made from the magazine article I read in Japanese. (NIKKEI ELECTRONICS, the 2011.1.10 issue)

Overview:
1. ISO26262 is a standard for systematic safety in electronic products of automobiles.
2. The reason it came into being is that another safety standard (IEC61508) had already been set out, but it was not suitable to evaluate. It was not practical.

IEC61508 vs. ISO26262:
IEC61508 was issued in 1999 in order to be a standard for electric and electronic fields. But it was not established to meet the requirements for automobile production. After some trials period, the article says, some automobile companies came to realize that IEC61508 was not suitable to implement in their automobile production systems.

[Reasons]
i) IEC61508 was originally issued for petroleum chemical plants. (It was not intended to evaluate the mass production system of automobiles.)
ii) Probabilistic theory has a lot to do with an evaluation for IEC61508. But it is out of the point.

Some automakers in Germany and France thought this standard wouldn’t work as expected, so that another one (ISO26262) should be created.

A CUSTOMIZED VERSION OF IEC61508?
So it might be natural to think ISO26262 is a customized version of IEC61508. But it is only a part of it. - ISO26262 is more like an enhanced version of IEC61508 in that another point of view was adopted besides just functional safety issues.

Problems with IEC61808:
Since IEC61808 was issued in 1999, some experts in safety measures have pointed out that it does not fit the automobile components production with the following reasons.

1. Relying on the probabilistic theory will be misleading. It may make the problem become more complex:
IEC61808 is focusing too much on the probabilistic theory in order to detect an error of an individual part. This will cause the functionality to be more complicated because an effort will have to be made to reduce the occurrence of errors. This will likely cause a problem to the whole system.

2. Part-to-part evaluation is not enough to prove safety:
Evaluation is conducted on the part-to-part level in IEC61508. Meaningful as it appears, it actually doesn’t fully prove the safety. Reliability and safety, the article says, are 2 different things. One part can have a different level of risk according to which other parts it will be associated with. Risk will not be generated from just one single part, but from multiple parts combined.

3. It is not practical:
In addition to #1 and #2, IEC61808 has another problem. It doesn’t have a concept to overview the system in order to evaluate safety. The probabilistic approach was criticized for having no academic reasoning or practicality.

Conclusion:
ISO26262 was created by referencing the system safety measure, and it was adopted in the aerospace and defense industries in the U.S. This approach has arisen and developed after the World War II. And it is more focused on macro-perspective regarding safety, where an interaction of subsystems will be evaluated. And that makes ISO26262 look differently from another existing standard, IEC61808.

[We are on the same boat]

I am recently reading this book “THAT USED TO US” during my lunch break. One of the authors is known to have published another book in 2005, titled as “THE WORLD IS FLAT,” where he described the globalization trend evoked by the IT revolution. He writes that “more people could suddenly compete, connect, and collaborate with more other people from more different places for less money with greater ease than ever before in the history of humankind.”

What this means is because of the IT revolution, people can be hyper-connected on the global scale, allowing them to pursue less expensive & more effective economic activities. Many jobs became possible to be outsourced overseas. This is what has happened in the U.S.A. as well as in Japan. This has caused another change in terms of how we would have to work & what our work conditions would be like.

The book describes the today’s job market can be divided into the following 3 segments:
1. Non-routine high-skilled jobs
2. Non-routine low-skilled jobs
3. Routine middle-skilled jobs

The first one “Non-routine high-skilled job” is one whose function cannot be replaced with a computer or robot, which therefore cannot be outsourced offshore. This type of work includes engineers, programmers, designers, financiers, senior executives, stock and bond traders, accountants, performers, athletes, scientists, doctors, lawyers, artists, authors, college professors, architects, contractors, chefs, specialized journalists, editors, sophisticated machine tool operators, and innovators.

The second one in a job market is a job, involving tasks that have to be done manually on the spot by a human. No robot or computer can take the place of these jobs, which therefore cannot be outsourced overseas. The authors says this type of work includes dental assistants, hair-stylists, barbers, waitresses, truck drivers, cooks, bakers, policemen, firefighters, construction worker, deliverymen, plumber, electrician, maid, taxi driver, masseuse, sales clerk, nurse and healthcare aid at a nursing home.

The third one is a job involving a lot of standardized repetitive tasks. This type of work includes factory-assembly work, number-crunching and filing in the backroom of a bank or brakeage house, routine task of reporting, transcribing, creating a Power Point presentation material for someone else.

The author says that it is this type of job that has been devastated by the merger of globalization trend and the IT revolution. It doesn’t matter if it is white-collar or blue-collar.

Summing it all up, it could be said as the following:
1. Non-routine high-skilled work becomes more lucrative.
2. Non-routine low-skilled work can pay decently, depending on the local economy and demand for the work.
3. But routine middle-skilled work will shrink or disappear.

This is not all. It is also mentioned in this book that just because you are in a “non-routine job” doesn’t mean you are safe. “If you do a non-routine high-skilled job in a routine way, your task will be subjected to outsourcing, automation, or digitization, meaning that you will lose your position with an economic squeeze.

I remember that as a child I had been told by teachers, parents, and other grownups to get good grades in order to go to a good college. If you go to college and then are hired by a good company, you will be safe.

But this has become out of date. Those adults didn’t know what the IT was, or what the globalization was like. Getting good grades at schools to work for a good company does not guarantee you will be safe.

This book also deals with an education issue in the United States. I guess many people have said already about what has been described in this book, so I’m not going to mention it here.

Instead, I want to mention what is happening here in Japan. Not much has been told about it in the English language. Here in this country, so many people (it is almost like everyone) mention the globalized economy or internationalization. These words have been like fashion. They like to mention these things as if they were chatting away about the subject of diet, beauty, gossips, etc. But nothing seems to have changed them.

As I look around in the library (where I’m writing this article), there are 20 or more Japanese highschool or junior highschool students, studying really hard. They seem to be doing the same thing as their parents had been doing. They are working so hard on their English activity drills in the same way that former generations had done but failed miserably. Most people are unable to command English even after they studied it for more than 10 years at schools. They keep studying it hours and hours each day until they successfully pass an entrance examination for college or university. They memorize enormous amount of information with having no doubt. They take all that knowledge passively. There is no chance of debating over something they study about, or of performing a presentation. I understand it is not regarded as important here. Memorizing as much as you can is what matters most. There should be no question about it.

It seems like they still believe just passively inputting much information is the only way to be competitive in the world. But the fact is they are extremely introvert and less communicative, if they are not with close friends or in their small group. It even looks it is a taboo to openly talk with someone outside their small group.

Just like more innovation should be powered by better education for every American, another kind of innovation must be applied to every Japanese individual.

This book makes me think a lot because I think I have experienced with every type of jobs described above, but I realize I am vulnerable to the environment.

Nothings is so new about what is written in that book, but this can be good to let me get some solid idea about the today’s or tomorrow’s job trend. - I have to change my mindset, just like those Japanese highschool students will need to change their idea.

I am sure I’m older than these students by 20 years or more, but I felt so close to those young people in school uniforms. - I thought we were on the same boat.

[We dreamt the same dream] シンクロ体験

In the dream I was in a crowded station. I didn't know where I was but had to change the trains.

I was spoken to by a person I didn't know. The person said we'd met before. We talked as if we knew each other. I said I had to go because it was time.

The train was very much crowded. I wanted to know if that was the right one. But everyone was too busy to answer me. I missed the train.

I remember the other day when my partner and our 13-yr-old had the same dream on the same day. They were waiting for the bus. The bus came along but it was too packed to get in.

The persons at the door of the bus pushed them away. There was no room for them to fit in. So they gave it up.

Babies, kids, and adults of all generations were on the bus. They couldn't even move at all inside the bus. The bus went off without them. It flew up in the air, burned up & diappeared.

My partner was talking about it to me at the dinner table, when our 13-yr-old raised her voice, "I saw the same dream, too!"

["Toshishun" - Ryunosuke Akutagwa] 芥川龍之介『杜子春』

Toshishun (杜子春). - This novel was written in 1920 by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, a Japanese author. I read this story in Japanese some twenty years ago. I was a student back then. It is a short fiction in Japanese based on a Chinese tale. I still remember I was pretty much impressed with it.

This story is about a man called Toshishun who was once rich but now he is poor. He is homeless in a very big city of China. He has no food to eat. With no hope to sustain himself, he thinks about jumping into a river and die.

An old man appears in front of him to ask what he is doing. Toshishun answers and it moves the old man. He advises Toshishun to dig a hole at a certain place, so he will find a large amount of gold to make him rich.

Toshishun becomes the richest man in the city. He begins to live a life of luxury. Now, a great change takes place among Toshishun's friends. Hearing all about Toshishun, the friends start visiting him very often. Most of them did not even say hello when Toshishun was poor.
And more and more people gather around Toshishun in order to attend big parties there.

His luxurious life does not last so long. Toshishun becomes poor once again because he used up all the money. He becomes homeless. This time, another great change takes place. The people would come around him when he was rich, but now nobody stops by to say hello to him. Nobody even gives Toshishun a place to stay for a night.

An old man appears in front of him to ask what he is doing. It is the old man who made him rich. He tells Toshishun the place where great treasure is hidden under the ground.

Toshishun becomes rich one more time. He lives a life of luxury. Everything is just the same way as it had been the last time. And he loses all of the money in three years.

The old man appears one more time. He starts telling Toshishun where he could dig a hole on the ground. But Toshishun stops the old man say it. He says he doesn't want money anymore. The old man asks why.

Toshishun replies, "I'm tired of it."

Toshishun continues:
"I'm not tired of luxury. I'm tired of people. People don't have feelings - not true feelings. When I am rich, they are kind to me. But when I am poor, they don't even look my way. So who would want to be rich again?"

Then Toshishun asks the old man to be his follower. This old man is a wizard.

- The story goes on like this and I'm not going to tell you the whole thing.

****************************************************:
I am introducing this story because I like this part I have explained here so far. I remember I copied the whole story on manuscript paper by hand. I wanted to learn how to write like a professional.
(*[Manuscript paper] is the standard format of 400 character manuscript paper for writing journals in Japanese.)

I liked the story maybe because I thought of those people seen not only in old times or somewhere in China, but anywhere and anytime on the surface of the earth. - I have always liked observing and learning different things, as well as finding the same things regardless of language, culture or time.

I have heard some people here in Japan say growing up bilingually is not a happy thing. But I don't think so. I take pride in having used multiple languages in my life, so I feel and think differently from how others do. That's who I am.

I'm also very proud of my 13-year-old kid because I think she is more advanced than other kids of one single language or culture in terms of how she thinks and feels.

[Hiking Trip Preparation] 登山準備

I made a sign up by mistake for a hiking at my 13-year-old's school last Friday. Everyone would have to meet together at the foot of the mountain 2 DAYS LATER. She didn't know how to get there on the trains by herself, so I took her there last Saturday. It took two hours to get there from home.
Mommy said "Why did you do that!!?" but our 13-year-old said, "Don't take that too hard, Dad. I really wanted to join this, even though mommy said no. I'm glad you made a mistake."

[My 13-yr-old girl practicing a song on YouTube]

Popular from "Wicked"


Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to this video nor do I claim to be the original singer/songwriter. This was done for fun and non profit purposes only.

[Japan's Globalization Activities Long Ago & Today] 日本のグローバル化活動: 今と昔

It is generally said the history will be repeated. Then how? Is there anything for us to learn from that?

I'm not about to talk about the aggression of the Japanese army around the time of the World War II. I want to write out some important historical events because I am wishing to learn & be noted about the path that was taken until they became isolated from other countries. Many people say "Stop war and love one another." It is so easy to say it. Nobody wishes to be isolated, disliked, or misunderstood.

I will also write some brief notes on the history of Japanese-Americans. It is interesting to know that Japanese citizens in Japan and Japanese Americans seldom interact each other. The both parties are so different. There is a significant gap between them in terms of thoughts, ideas, and perceptions. - Some while ago, I watched a Japanese NHK TV program where the Japanese Business Federation and a Japanese American delegation were having a discussion. A Japanese American asks "I would like to ask you to look around in this room. How many women are there? How many women are on corporate boards? How many foreigners?" and he appeals to the Japanese in the congress that they should be more diversed. - Watching the program, I was able to find that there was a huge gap between them. "Be diversed" was said a couple of times from the Japanese American side, but I thought the both parties have different things in their heads about that word.

I still remember when one of the Japanese side said something like this in English. I got itchy all around my body. I felt uncomfortable. I personally had to be disappointed with it, although I come across this type of thing quite often. That is what that Japanese gentleman of a high position had to say.
"We both share the same blood. As you know, we Japanese have very unique DNA. We have to do something together with our special traits."
They say this kind of thing very politely and humbly, beacuse they really think it is perfectly true. - There should be no question about it.

Getting involved with global activities can cause misunderstanding, miscommunication, conflicts, or isolation; and it is true even now today. With this extending globalized economy, Japan would be one of the countries that most likely has to face these problems. As I look around in the internet news, there are misunderstandings or even confilicts taking place between a Japanese company and a non-Japanese company. Some of them are widely reported on the news. I personally feel a cultural gap whenever I see the perceptions of Japanese side and another are often misinterpreted, misunderstood, or overlooked. Oftentimes, important factors on both sides are left unrecognized. It is not just about a language or IQ. There are millions of people with high IQ in Japanese companies. These things (different behaviors, perceptions, spoken words, written words, etc) can be observed even when walking outside during a lunch break or holiday. Being bilingual means being conscious of that sort of thing at all times (especially when you are in a homogeneous community, such as here in Japan).

I do hope I might be able to work even more as a cultural bridge, so things will be better on both sides. That's what I can do, and that's who I am.

***************************************************************
[0-1] Background of Japanese in Japan
The Japanese economic presence and political interest in Manchuria had been growing ever since the end of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). The Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the war had granted Japan the lease of the South Manchuria Railway branch (from Changchun to Lüshun) of the China Far East Railway. The Japanese government, however, claimed that this control included all the rights and privileges that China granted to Russia in the 1896.

[0-2] Background of Japanese immigrants to the U.S.
Significant numbers of Japanese migration started with the 1868 Meiji Restoration (明治維新), when there were political, cultural, and social changes. Particularly after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, immigrants from Japan were sought by industrialists to replace the Chinese immigrants.

***************************************************************
[1] 1929: The Great Depression
The depression originated in the U.S., starting with the fall in stock prices. This began around September, 1929 and became a worldwide issue with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday). It quickly spread to almost every country in the world.

***************************************************************
[2-1] 1931: The Japanese Army & The Manchurian Incident
In September, 1931 a small quantity of dynamite was detonated by Lt. Kawamoto Suemori close to a railroad owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway near Mukden (now Shenyang). The Imperial Japanese Army accused Chinese dissidents of this act, which responded with a full invasion that led to the occupation of Manchuria. Japan established its puppet state of Manchukuo six months later. - This incident has widely been said that it was what the Japanese Kanto Army had plotted.

[2-2] Japanese Immigrants Resisting Discrimination
Post-World War I nativist activists pressured states to pass laws prohibiting Japanese immigrants from leasing or owning land. The Issei (1st generation) also sought to retain their rightful place in communities. One discriminatory legislation prompted a 30 percent decline in Oregon’s Japanese population by 1928.

***************************************************************
[3-1] 1932: The Japan Withdrew from the League of Nations
In 1932, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations, as did Germany, Italy, Spain, etc.

Initially the Japanese scored major victories in Shanghai and by the end of 1937 captured the Chinese capital of Nanking. The Chinese central government moved to Chungking in order to resist.
By 1939 the war had reached stalemate after Chinese victories in Changsha and Guangxi. The Japanese were also unable to defeat the Chinese communists forces in Shaanxi, which performed harassment and sabotage operations against the Japanese.

[3-2] 1920s-1930s: Cultural Activities of Japanese-Americans in the U.S.
Some Japanese Americans raised funds, established social supports, as well as sports activities. They also sought to educate neighbors to ease discrimination in a friendly manner. Some Japanese-American groups sponsored numerous cultural and diplomatic events.
The Nisei hoped to realize their immigrant parents’ dreams to find success in the United States through American citizenship and its benefits.

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[4-1] 1941: The Pacific War
It is generally considered that the Pacific War began in December 1941 with the Japanese invasion of Thailand for the invasion of British Malaya, and the attack on Pearl Harbor of Hawaii in the United States.

[4-2]1942: Removal of Japanese-Americans to Concentration Camps
On the other hand, there had been Japanese Americans trying to settle in the U.S. They had been trying to prove their “Americanness” in order to counteract the prejudice they were facing. But with the onset of the Pearl Harbor attack, both Nisei (2nd generation) and Issei (1st generation) were targeted in the anti-Japanese hysteria.
On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which ordered the relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast to 10 inland concentration camps. - Two-thirds of those interned were American citizens.

***************************************************************
[5-1] 1945: Unconditional Surrender of Japan
Japan surrendered in 1945.

[5-2] Courageous activities by Japanese-Americans
A number of Nisei challenged the constitutionality of the curfew and evacuation and were imprisoned.

The 442nd Regimental Combat team, made up entirely of Japanese Americans, became the most highly–decorated regiment in the history of the United States armed forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients.

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Reference:
1. "日本人はなぜ戦争へと向かったのか"(上)　(NHK取材班 編著/NHK出版)
2. "Japanese Americans In the Columbia River Basin" (Washington State University Vancouver) http://archive.vancouver.wsu.edu/crbeha/ja/ja.htm