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Scholars have argued that interpersonal networks are more dominated by kin and work ties in Japan than in America. This paper seeks to examine the extent to which these differences manifest in the voice calling patterns of smartphone users in these two countries. We draw on data collected from a smartphone application that we designed to anonymously collect mobile log and pop-up survey data. The application was used to collect data from 226 adults in living in Japan and 195 adults living in America. Using descriptive and multivariate statistics we compare the voice call interaction patterns of respondents in these two countries. We conclude by discussing the extent to which the concept of interpersonal collectivism can be applied to understand different patterns of mobile communication in Japan and America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will analyze the context of the local revitalization and regional care-centered society policies nexus through the criticism of welfare state regime reconstructive theory and the ideal type construction of the civil economy and civic economy. Through the analysis of ideal type, related policies and literature review, as well as collecting official data, we can understand the features of the civil economy in Japan, including private ownership, market distribution mechanisms, its employment centered with a volunteering periphery, and limited participation in democracy. At the same time, I use the idea of civic economy to understand the challenge of Japan's related policy development in the future, including the diversity of ownership, exchange mechanisms based on community recognition, the equal value between employment and voluntary work, and democratic governance based on the community's civic participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]