一周热闻｜日本爆发“大米荒”、澳洲拟对社媒限龄

(Financial Times, 2024-9-7)

Japan has emerged from its hottest summer to its biggest rice shortage in 30 years, with empty shelves, surging prices and the government imploring shoppers not to panic buy.

日本刚度过史上最炎热的夏季，又遭遇30年来最严重的大米短缺，超市抢购一空，价格急剧攀升，政府呼吁消费者理性购买。

Supermarkets have limited customers to one bag at a time amid the shortages, which have been variously blamed on an influx① of sushi-hungry tourists, extreme weather and decades of misguided agricultural policy. Private sector inventories② in June were at their lowest level since comparable records began in 1999, while standard 5kg bags of Japanese rice now cost about ¥3,000 ($21), up to 60 percent higher than a year ago.

由于大米短缺，超市采取限购措施，每人每次限购一袋。人们将短缺问题归咎于寿司爱好者大量涌入、极端天气出现、长期以来农业政策失当等各种因素。今年6月，日本私营部门的大米库存降至1999年有记录以来的最低水平。当前，日本标准5公斤装大米的售价已飙升至约3000日元（约合21美元），同比增长60%。

The total amount of land given over to rice cultivation has been falling. Successive Japanese governments, relying heavily on rural voters, have subsidized farmers to let paddies lie fallow③.

水稻种植总面积持续缩减。历届日本政府高度依赖农村选民，长期对农民实施补贴政策，导致稻田大面积休耕。

“Japanese policy of deliberately reducing production to support prices has put the country in a position where relatively small changes in the supply or demand side of rice can cause these quite severe effects,” said Kazuhito Yamashita, a fellow at the Canon Institute of Global Studies. “We chose our current situation,” he said.

佳能全球战略研究所的山下和仁指出：“日本为维持大米价格而有意采取减产政策，这使国家面临这样的局面，即便大米供需方面的微小变化也可能引发极为严重的后果。”他表示：“我们目前的困境，实则是自己种下的苦果。”

【注释】

① influx: [ˈɪnflʌks] n. the fact of a lot of people, money or things arriving somewhere （人、资金或事物的）涌入，流入。

② inventory: [ˈɪnvəntri] n. a quantity of goods held in stock 存货，库存。

③ fallow: [ˈfæləʊ] adj. not used for growing crops, especially so that the quality of land will improve 休耕的。

(Time, 2024-9-9)

Australia’s government will work with states and territories to legislate new age limits for social media websites, as part of a push to protect children’s mental health and shield them from inappropriate① content online.

澳大利亚政府将与各州、各地区合作，针对社交媒体网站出台新的年龄限制法规，从而保护儿童心理健康，使其免受网络不良内容的影响。

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will introduce the new laws before an election due within the next nine months, saying parents were working “without a map” to try and tackle the mental health consequences triggered by social media. “No generation has faced this challenge before,” Albanese will say in a speech on Tuesday, according to excerpts provided by his office in advance. “Too often, there’s nothing social about social media – taking kids away from real friends and real experiences.”

澳大利亚总理安东尼·阿尔巴尼斯表示，家长们在“盲目”应对社交媒体对孩子造成的心理健康问题，未来九个月内会举行大选，他将在大选前出台相关新法规。根据总理办公室事先提供的演讲摘录，阿尔巴尼斯将在9月10日的演讲中提到：“我们这一代人面临前所未有的社媒挑战。社交媒体往往与社交无关——它们让孩子远离真正的朋友，丧失真实的体验。”

No specific age limit has been set yet for social media, with the government already trialling age assurance technology to restrict children’s access to inappropriate content online, including pornography. The government is also still consulting on how the ban would work in practice.

目前，政府尚未对社交媒体设定具体的年龄限制，但已试用年龄验证技术来限制儿童浏览网络不良内容，如色情内容。此外，政府仍在就该禁令如何付诸实践进行磋商。

Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp.② that the government was considering an upper age limit of 14 to 16 years for the ban. A June survey by Essential Media③ found that 68% of Australians were supportive of an age limit of social media, with only 15% opposed.

阿尔巴尼斯告诉澳大利亚广播公司，政府考虑将禁令的年龄上限设置在14岁至16岁之间。澳大利亚媒体 Essential Media 6月进行的一项民意调查显示，68%的澳大利亚民众支持对社交媒体设置年龄限制，仅有15%持反对意见。

【注释】

① inappropriate: [ˌɪnəˈprəʊpriət] adj. not suitable or appropriate in a particular situation 不恰当的；不适合的。

② Australian Broadcasting Corp.: 澳大利亚广播公司，简称ABC，在澳大利亚大都市和地区提供广播、电视、在线和移动服务。

③ Essential Media: =Essential Media Communications Pty Ltd，一家澳大利亚公共关系和市场研究公司，以其政治活动和民意调查而闻名。