Search

We aimed to survey the findings of phenomenological studies built up in the field of diabetes care in Sweden. This is a meta-synthesis of phenomenological studies on experiences related to diabetes in Sweden focusing on learning to live with diabetes. We proceeded by reference to the seven phases of Noblit & Hare. We examined papers from seven phenomenological studies on learning to live with diabetes in Sweden. From the papers, which describe the experience of living with diabetes, three overarching themes were selected—perception and awareness of the body; integration and responsibility; and presence of others who provide support. From those describing the expert's experience, an overarching theme emerged—encouraging reflection in persons with diabetes. We interpreted each of these themes in phenomenological terms and compared them with theories in Japan. Persons with diabetes take responsibility for coping with a range of things brought on by the illness and learn to live with diabetes. Experts support these persons so they can see their world objectively and critically scrutinize it. By building a model of diabetes care in Japan that references Scandinavian human science, it will be possible to find new approaches that support learning at the existential level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread seriously throughout the world. Predicting the spread, or the number of cases, in the future can facilitate preparation for, and prevention of, a worst-case scenario. To achieve these purposes, statistical modeling using past data is one feasible approach. This paper describes spatio-temporal modeling of COVID-19 case counts in 47 prefectures of Japan using a nonlinear random effects model, where random effects are introduced to capture the heterogeneity of a number of model parameters associated with the prefectures. The negative binomial distribution is frequently used with the Paul-Held random effects model to account for overdispersion in count data; however, the negative binomial distribution is known to be incapable of accommodating extreme observations such as those found in the COVID-19 case count data. We therefore propose use of the beta-negative binomial distribution with the Paul-Held model. This distribution is a generalization of the negative binomial distribution that has attracted much attention in recent years because it can model extreme observations with analytical tractability. The proposed beta-negative binomial model was applied to multivariate count time series data of COVID-19 cases in the 47 prefectures of Japan. Evaluation by one-step-ahead prediction showed that the proposed model can accommodate extreme observations without sacrificing predictive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data mining from published papers can generate large experimental datasets that have been overlooked in computational materials informatics. We developed an open web system Starrydata2 to accelerate a comprehensive digitization of data of materials from as-reported plot images in published papers, without sample selection based on performance. By plotting results obtained from our dataset on experimental thermoelectric properties of 434 samples of rock-salt-type (PbTe-type) thermoelectric materials, we revealed differences in electronic structure of parent compounds PbTe, PbSe, PbS, and SnTe from just experimental data. We observed that the calculated Seebeck coefficients were fairly consistent with experimental data for n-type PbTe but not for p-type PbTe, indicating possible modifications in its valence-band electronic structure. We evaluated the electron relaxation time τel from 207 reported samples of n-type PbTe by combining calculations and experimental data. We found that τel is not a constant but varies by at least two orders of magnitude. Achieving long τel was suggested to be critical in increasing the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT. Reproduced with permission from Thermoelectrics Society of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plants exhibit systemic induced resistance (SIR) coordinated among numerous branches after damage to a single localized tissue. Recently, it has been revealed that damaged leaves release a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into their surroundings that induce SIR. The phenomenon has been described for only four species in field experiments. We investigated induced resistance to herbivory in beech, a dominant tree in Japan. We examined whether volatile cues were required for SIR by determining natural levels of leaf damage for assay branches that were on the same plant as treatment branches. We found when a local branch was mechanically clipped, the proportion of leaf segments that were damaged by herbivores was reduced. However, when a clipped branch was covered with a plastic bag, the proportion of leaf segments that were damaged was the same as that of the control. These results suggested that SIR in beech trees required air contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative assessment of pandemic governance in Japan and the United States helps explain the strikingly different shapes of the Covid-19 pandemic in these two countries. Japan has more successfully managed the pandemic compared to the striking failure of the US response. This paper uses the metaphor of the control tower of an airport to examine four aspects of pandemic governance: (1) the culture of the control tower, showing strikingly different cultures of mask-wearing; (2) the social value context of the control tower, reflecting a greater tendency in Japan for people to follow government advice, compared to the US libertarian values of emphasizing personal liberty and disregarding official advice; (3) the role of national leadership, especially who is sitting in the control tower making decisions, with Prime Minister Abe largely taking responsibility while President Trump effectively left decisions up to markets and individual states; and (4) the use and clarity of information provided by control-tower authorities, showing greater clarity and consistency in Japan compared to the confused and contradictory messages in the US. These differences in control-tower governance have had marked effects on the pandemic responses of the two countries and have important implications for sustaining democratic traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Group of 20 Summit (G20) in Osaka, which Japan chaired for the first time in June 2019 has created a tailwind for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) globally. In response to the rapid digitalization, the G20 leaders commenced negotiations for the Osaka Track framework to formulate international rules on data flow across borders and systematize the concept of 'Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT).' The strategic harnessing of the power of data to strengthen the healthcare system can allow for rapid and affordable progress toward achieving UHC. However, world leaders have yet to discuss what data governance approaches the Osaka Track will follow, or even on what values it will seek to create and maximize. In this paper, we propose a people-centered, trust-oriented approach as the key principle of data governance toward achieving UHC, using Japan's experience as an example. We believe that this approach is compatible with other prevailing approaches (e.g. the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union), and can serve as a bridge to their conceptual differences. We hope that our proposed principles will be fully discussed in post-G20 Osaka Summit meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new bio-economic model for managing population of non-renewable inland fishery resource in uncertain environment is presented. Population dynamics of the resource is described with stochastic differential equations (SDEs) having ambiguous growth and mortality rates. The performance index to be maximized by the manager of the resource while minimized by nature is presented in the context of differential game theory. The dynamic programming principle leads to a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman-Isaacs (HJBI) equation that governs the optimal resource management strategy under the ambiguity. The main contribution of this paper is a series of theoretical analysis on the reduced HJBI equation for non-renewable fishery resources in a broad sense, indicating that the ambiguity critically affects the resulting optimal controls. Practical implications of the theoretical analysis results are also presented focusing on artificially hatched Plecoglossus altivelis (Ayu), an important inland fishery resource in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the factors required for a researcher to become a professor in the humanities and sociology, science and engineering, medicine and biology, and general studies fields. The study focuses on research productivity and analyzes the impact of hiatuses in research production on promotion in universities as well as the time at which such hiatuses have the least impact on promotions. I divided the factors required for promotion into three categories: academic performance (the number of published articles, books, and competitive grants and funding sources acquired), social elements (gender), and elements related to the duration of periods with no research output and their timing. The results show that the probability of promotion to professorship increases as the number of papers in Scopus, the number of books published, and the amount of acquired competitive funds increase. As expected, longer declines in research productivity reduce the probability of promotion. However, it is not always necessary for researchers to publish continuously throughout their careers; the results show that a decline in research productivity other than during the first five years and the period from 20 to 30 years after the start of the research career has no influence on academic promotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most economists examining the question of 'pollution havens' have concluded that the level of environmental regulation and activism in different states is not generally a significant determinant of international patterns of trade and foreign direct investment. This paper argues on the basis of extensive primary research that with respect to Japan's foreign direct investment during the 1970s, at any rate, this conclusion needs to be rethought. In the early 1970s, Japanese actors were remarkably forthright in ascribing their investment decisions to a desire to move polluting industry overseas. These statements allow us to examine 'pollution export' as a state strategy, a project advocated by industry organizations, and a response of individual firms to high levels of protest and regulation. The paper also traces the development of the Japanese debate over pollution export through the 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the political-economic analysis of globalisation and education as well as a culturalist approach to education policy borrowing, the paper analyses the role of local actors, specifically, national newspapers and the Ministry of Education, in mediating the potentially homogenising curricular policy pressure of globalisation exerted through the PISA league tables. Using the recent Japanese education policy debate as a case study, the author demonstrates how the Japanese media interpreted the PISA 2003 findings in a way that resonated with the specific cultural, political, and economic context of the time and how the Ministry used the findings to legitimise otherwise highly contentious policy measures. Questioning the conventional interpretation that the PISA 2003 shock caused the Ministry to redirect its controversial yutori (low pressure) curricular policy, the paper reconstitutes the Ministry as an active agent that capitalised on an external reference (PISA) to re-establish its political legitimacy in a time of increasing neo-liberal state-restructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible causes and social background of the rising suicide rate among middle-age or older Japanese male workers, particularly a certain type of suicide called karo-jisatsu (suicide by overwork). The image of Japan as a culture that considers suicide a method of personal distress resolution is widespread overseas. Although such a cultural explanation holds somewhat true, other social structural factors should be taken into consideration before resorting to the historical and cultural explanations. This paper presents, based on the existing data and facts, a balanced view of both cultural and social structural explanatory models, analyzes the changing situation at Japanese workplaces, and strives to deepen the understanding of the reality of suicide in today's Japan. Pressures resulting from a long economic recession, a new evaluation system in the workplace, and the widening gap between the traditional concept of work and a new reality are some of the reasons behind karo-jisatsu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines educational policies toward indigenous minorities in Japan and Canada during the period of nation-building, from the latter half of the nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. Both Japan and Canada first segregated indigenous children into separate educational institutions and then tried to assimilate them into mainstream society. Beneath these broad policy similarities, however, lie different rationales, with substantially different implications for education and social policy in diverse societies. In Japan, national integration was promoted through a cultural or ethnic rationale, a socially coherent approach that nonetheless allows little room for minorities. Canada approached national integration using a notion of citizenship that both allows considerable space for minorities but is challenged by unity. These two strategies can be seen in two polar models of the state - a civic-assimilationist approach of the 'French model' and an ethnocultural exclusionist model of the formation of the German state. The paper argues for a multicultural pluralist model including both civic and cultural/ethnic identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines interactions between the global and the local in the context of Japanese mainstream schooling, by focusing on the development of local government policies to manage diversity in schools. This paper reveals how local governments developed education policies in interaction with grassroots professional groups, activists and schools, and by selectively incorporating national policies. These local policies are multicultural education policies but differ in two significant ways. The first is their predominant concern with human rights education, leaving celebration of cultural diversity as a marginal consideration, and the other is the official use of the term ‘foreigners’ in the title of these policies; both of which reflect the pre‐existing local context. The paper demonstrates that new immigrants do not unilaterally impact on supposedly ethnically homogeneous Japanese classrooms, but that the pre‐existing local contexts (national, local and institutional) have mediated global forces in effecting changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do major economic powers seek more and more free trade agreements (FTAs) with smaller partners? Recently, Japan has joined the bandwagon by signing its first bilateral FTA. The decision, highly contested domestically, represents a sea change in Japanese trade policy and a challenging case for theories of regionalism. This paper lays out a theoretical appraisal for why more and more industrialized countries join FTAs with emerging markets and illustrates the argument with an analysis of the Japanese case. The paper argues that foreign direct investment (FDI) changes the incentives for states in favour of preferential trade agreements. Increased FDI and shifts in multinational firm strategies increase flows of intermediate goods. As a result, firms lobby their home governments to bolster their competitive position by signing preferential agreements. Yet, FTAs also discriminate against firms from third parties, motivating them to lobby for defensive agreements. The qualitative case studies show how NAFTA discriminates against Japanese FDI in Mexico. As a result, firms began to lobby the Japanese trade bureaucracy, changing the perception of key policymakers who developed a strategy of pursuing preferential trade agreements in the Asia Pacific region, as shown in a case study of the initiative for an FTA with Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on bullying at school proliferate, but the discourse is seriously lacking in sociological perspective. The explanation as to why some students bully others has been sought primarily within the personal attributes of the bully and the victim. Despite the fact that the school is the place where most bullying occurs, school factors that are correlated with the prevalence of bullying have been under-investigated. In Japan, however, schools have been subject to great scrutiny. By reviewing the Japanese literature on bullying (ijime), this paper discusses factors that appear to contribute to the school climate in which bullying among students becomes commonplace. These include authoritarian, hierarchical, and power-dominant human relationships, alienating modes of learning, high levels of regimentation, dehumanising methods of discipline, and highly interventionist human relationships in an excessively group-oriented social environment. The paper suggests the paradigm of student bullying needs to be re-thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How evident is democracy within education in Japan, and is current practice different from elsewhere? This paper assesses the perception that Japanese political and educational practices are not fully 'democratic'. The first part examines the Japanese perspective on democracy, and then considers democracy and education in Japan. From a school-based study, the second part discusses examples of class practice concerning decision-making. The paper concludes that democracy is deeply rooted in Japanese history, but not in a form that is readily recognisable to Western observers. Consensus has been more significant than voting. The view that the US administration had a strong influence probably reflects policy rhetoric, not the reality in schools. But this rhetoric may have led to a belief that 'democracy' is not an appropriate term within contemporary Japanese education. However, what happens in Japanese classrooms equates with 'democratic' practice elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of seismo-lower ionospheric perturbation for the Kobe earthquake (EQ) has been revisited with a relatively new phenomenon of ULF (ultra-low-frequency) magnetic field depression effect. By using the ULF data in Japan only at Kakioka belonging to Japan Meteorological Agency (because data from Memambetsu and Kanoya were not available), we have found that a very clear ULF depression was observed at Kakioka on 14 January 1995. A comparison with our former result on subionospheric VLF (very low frequency) propagation anomaly indicates that the occurrence of ULF depression exhibits a temporal coincidence (synchronization) with that of subionospheric VLF anomaly. This may be acceptable because the ULF depression can be explained in terms of enhanced absorption of magnetospheric ULF waves through the disturbed lower ionosphere prior to an EQ. The result of ULF magnetic field depression in this paper is likely to provide a further support to the presence of the lower ionospheric perturbation before the Kobe EQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abandoned conifer plantation forests in Japan have been a major concern regarding ecosystem function and biodiversity conservation. Responding to local demands of sustainable forestry and considering the roles of mixed forests in conserving biodiversity, national and regional strategies are being prepared to partly convert the plantations into mixed forests and secondary forests in turn. In this paper, as a case study, we assessed the potential impacts of the forest conversion on the habitats of large-sized vertebrates of endangered (Ursus thibetanusandAccipiter gentilis) and common (Sus scrofaandCervus nippon) status in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture. In the assessment, we applied an approach that combines multiple indices including habitat suitability index (HSI), InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) biodiversity model and forestry costs. We used various spatial data including vegetation maps and species occurrence data. We devised two scenarios of the forest conversion, based on economical and ecological analysis, in line with future forestry plans of the city and the prefecture. The analysis revealed that forest conversion results into increase in good quality habitat of the endangered species keeping the habitat of the common species unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the Japanese regions subject to seasonal snow cover are characterized by low elevations and relatively high winter temperatures. A small change in winter temperatures could render many of these areas susceptible to snow cover change and consequently affect water resources management. This paper describes a climatological approach combined with an AGCM output to identify the regions and main river basins most sensitive to snow cover change in the case of climate change in Japan. It was found that a 1°C rise in temperature during the winter season could increase the snow-free area of Japan by 6%. The snow cover of Tohoku region and Mogami and Agano river basins was found to be the most sensitive to climate change. The AGCM output for a future scenario presents a reduction in total snowfall and an earlier peak in snowmelt for all regions. EditorZ.W. Kundzewicz CitationChaffe, P.L.B, Takara, K, Yamashiki, Y, Apip, Luo, P., Silva, R.V., and Nakakita, E., 2013. Mapping of Japanese areas susceptible to snow cover change.Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (8), 1718–1728. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty Pochonia strains were isolated from soil samples collected throughout Japan. Using a combination of micromorphological characters and multigene (SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1, RPB2) phylogenics, seven taxa were identified, three of which previously were undescribed. In this paper we describe the new species, P. boninensis, and two new varieties, P. chlamydosporia var. ellipsospora and var. spinulospora. They were recovered from Chichi-jima, Aogashima and Okinawa's main island. The three new taxa are distinguished from known species and varieties by conidial morphology. We also report the first finding of P. rubescens from Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a letter from the editor of "Comparative Education" concerning the February 2009 issue. The issue discusses the potential and impact of international collaboration in the areas of research, performance assessment, policy formulation, and international development cooperation. Papers in the issue include a paper concerning how international quality assurance and evaluation mechanisms are influencing policy formulation worldwide and a paper about the impact of educational innovations in Japan.

Mortality decline has historically been largely a result of reductions in the level of mortality at all ages. A number of leading researchers on ageing, however, suggest that the next revolution of longevity increase will be the result of slowing down the rate of ageing. In this paper, we show mathematically how varying the pace of senescence influences life expectancy. We provide a formula that holds for any baseline hazard function. Our result is analogous to Keyfitz's ‘entropy’ relationship for changing the level of mortality. Interestingly, the influence of the shape of the baseline schedule on the effect of senescence changes is the complement of that found for level changes. We also provide a generalized formulation that mixes level and slope effects. We illustrate the applicability of these models using recent mortality decline in Japan and the problem of period to cohort translation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the Japanese history textbook controversy over 'comfort women' to tease out insights that help globalize the existing theoretical discussion of politics of school knowledge. I begin by documenting how the domestic struggles over Japanese history textbooks are empowered and disempowered by the regional and international power relations. Using the Japanese case, I first problematize the use of hegemony in critical scholarship wherein struggles over school knowledge have been defined within the framework of a nation-state. Second, I call for situating the discussion of counter-hegemonic strategies in the increasingly internationalized politics of education witnessed around the world. In sum, this study calls for broadening the application of the notions of hegemony and counter-hegemony in critical education scholarship to take full account of the complex political dynamics of globalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the evaluation of the lighting policy that the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands, developed for the display of its nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock prints. Colour measurements during one year on exhibition showed changes that exceeded the limit of one ‘just noticeable change’ in 50 years specified in the policy. In a series of experiments, members of a test panel were all able to perceive the magnitude of colour difference measured in the prints during exhibition when presented with patches of colour side by side, but only half the panel could distinguish the same change when it was seen in the context of a multicoloured image. The change measured in the prints was judged by the panel to represent an average ‘loss of value’ of 9%, and deemed to be acceptable over a period of 160 years. The outcome suggests exposure of the prints should be further limited for the benefit of future access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational Drama as a teaching and learning methodology is already widely in use and well accepted by Australian teachers and students. This paper reports on a study in which the author investigated Japanese primary school students' and teachers' responses to educational drama as a pedagogical tool in their English language classes. The participants had no prior experience of drama in education. Along with the participants' responses, the applicability of educational drama as a teaching method for the Japanese teachers is also discussed. The author, as a teacher-researcher, used action research methods for this study. It became evident that educational drama tended to motivate the Japanese students' foreign language learning of English, by providing them with an opportunity for a higher level of engagement and participation in learning. In the study, the students showed enhancement of the skills necessary for learning, including social, communication, linguistic, non-linguistic and problem-solving skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The date of the earliest extant Korean world map, entitled Honil kangni yo˘ktae kukto chi to (Map of Integrated Lands and Regions of Historical Countries and Capitals) and now in the Omiya Library, Ryukoku University Academic Information Center, Kyoto, Japan, is unknown. The Ryukoku Kangnido (as the map is commonly referred to), along with three other Korean world maps believed to have been made in Choso˘n Korea in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, is thought to have been derived from a now-lost world map made in Choso˘n Korea in 1402. Opinions on possible dates for the Ryukoku Kangnido have varied widely. In this paper, a revised date of between early 1479 and late 1485 is proposed on the basis of a study of the Korean place-names in the map and changes in the Korean civil and military administration they reflect. It is also suggested that, despite showing most of the rest of the world, the Korean officials who produced the Ryukoku Kangnido were less interested in portraying current images of neighbouring Asian countries than in presenting an up-to-date image of Choso˘n Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earliest postulated sedentary villages in Japan have been found in southern Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu Island. The Incipient Jomon period site of Sojiyama, dated to around 13,500 bp is thought to be a wintering site, while Kakoinohara, of similar date, is thought to have been occupied throughout the summer. The Earliest Jomon period site of Kakuriyama, Kaseda City dated to around 9800 cal. bp, is thought to have been occupied throughout the year. The village sites of Uenohara Section 4 ( c . 12,800 bp) and Uenohara Section 3 (9500 to 8250–7400 bp) show further steps toward sedentism with more numerous house pits, greater quantities of highly decorated pottery and more substantial and durable site features. The early development of sedentism in south-western Japan is associated with a warming trend in which deciduous nut-bearing trees replaced a coniferous forest. This warming trend began first in south-western Japan and progressed to the north east. A second vegetational change (from 12,000 to 9000 cal. bp) brought a gradual increase in broadleaf evergreen forest with even more productive species of nut-bearing trees. Local archaeologists have postulated that there was some stress associated with the shift from the hunting of large Pleistocene mammals to small mammals and plant foods. The availability of nuts is thought to have enabled the growth of a storage economy which supported substantial villages and led to the production of decorated pottery, personal ornaments and ritual objects. In this paper I discuss the major sites and archaeological markers of sedentism, the chronological framework and main factors in the adoption of a sedentary way of life in southern Kyushu. I question whether the interpretation of increasing sedentism is as straightforward as it is presented. Actual 14C dates are recalibrated using the INTCAL curve. Estimated dates are based on recalibrated dates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a modal aerosol model (MAM) developed to be used in three dimensional air quality models. MAM, which represents the aerosol distribution with four modes, has the advantage of simplicity and speed efficiency associated to modal models, while mass transfer is modeled with a dynamic approach. To assess the ability of MAM to represent mass transfer, MAM is compared to a size-resolved model based on the dynamic approach and to a version of MAM based on an equilibrium approach. Comparisons are done using measurements of inorganic species made in Japan as initial conditions. Furthermore, it is shown that MAM combined with a well chosen mode splitting scheme is able to deal accurately with the simultaneous occurrence of strong nucleation/condensation and coagulation, as may be observed in high nucleation episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of liver abscesses associated with sigmoid colon cancer in an 81-year-old woman. The patient was referred to our hospital because of a tumorous lesion of the sigmoid colon. Five days before the scheduled operation, she presented abdominal pain, fever and chill. Imaging scans revealed multiple liver abscesses in both lobes, which were successfully treated with intravenously administered antibiotics. Two weeks later, the patient underwent laparoscopic-assisted sigmoidectomy. Nineteen cases of liver abscess associated with colonic cancer have been reported during the past ten years in Japan, and we report the clinical features of these cases in this paper. An aggressive search for the underlying cause of pyogenic liver abscess should be an integral part of the definitive treatment of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of perspectives exist on the evaluation of Japan's educational reform of 2002, which has evolved since the 1980s. However, thus far, little attention has been paid to the emerging influence of civil society on educational policies and practices. This paper shows that the origin of the current educational reforms can be traced to reports prepared by various neo-liberal/conservative business leaders and politicians. Further, it shows their privatization and decentralization principles happen to coincide with the increasing interest of progressive citizens' groups and educators. Their impact on the Japanese education system remains latent, especially as more scepticism grows towards progressivism as a philosophy behind the current educational reform. However, the expanding civil society and new progressive education movements in Japan are trends worth exploring in the context of globalization at the grass-roots level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on Japanese philosophy of education in the post-war period. We begin with a historical account, concentrating on developments in ideas and their interrelation with policy, and then go on to discuss aspects of the contemporary scene. Central to our concerns here are the ways in which there has been an impoverishment of the public and private realms, especially with the collusion of private and national interests under the sway of neo-liberal and neo-conservative ideologies. We conclude our discussion by identifying some current trends in Japanese philosophy of education, highlighting ways in which new developments in the subject may lay the way for restoring and enhancing the relationship between the private and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our internationalizing world, even countries that have had a reputation of being so-called 'homogeneous' are facing cultural diversification within. Though Japan is a country often described as homogeneous or, at least, homogeneously minded, with the inflows of new types of foreigners, it is presently experiencing what has been dubbed the process of 'internal internationalization.' Such new forms of diversity trigger the formation of new social alignments, and challenge existing categories of the Different. This paper takes the Japanese example as a case in point to re-examine the social nature of the construction of difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the theoretical and empirical reasons why Japan leads the world in adoption of ISO 14001, while the US lags, and the comparative effect of ISO 14001 on environmental performance of adopters in both countries. Findings suggest that institutional barriers to adoption are much higher in the adversarial policy climate of the us than in the more reciprocal policy climate of Japan. Expected benefits of adoption are lower than the reported realisation, and this finding is significant for some categories such as competitive market advantage and relationships with regulators. Findings regarding the effect of ISO on environmental performance are mixed, but generally point to a relatively limited effect We conclude that, even if ISO 14001 has a moderate effect on firm environmental action, the structural barriers in the US generally limit the viability of these types of voluntary policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

abstract This paper reports the results of a full year (2000) of measurements of CO2 flux at a successional forest of mature birch and growing oak with Sasa-bamboo in Sapporo, Japan. Eddy covariance fluxes of CO2 were obtained using a closed-path infrared gas analyzer. Changes in CO2 storage under the eddy-flux measurement level were quantified using vertical profiles of the CO2 concentration. Seasonal variations in net CO2 exchange between the forest and the atmosphere are discussed in terms of both phenological developments of the forest canopy and micrometeorological variables. To estimate the annual exchange of CO2 , the net CO2 exchange data both during periods of poor turbulence and during periods of missing data were replaced by simple parametric models based on measurements of soil temperatures and photosynthetically active radiation. The corrected annual carbon sequestration estimate was 260 g C m-2 . The estimates of annual gross carbon gain and loss at the forest were 1120 and 860 g C m-2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, the simple assimilation of minority students is gradually being replaced by an emphasis on pluralism and multiculturalism, reflecting increased awareness of the value of cultural diversity. How to allow for cultural diversity, however, remains largely undetermined and controversial in various respects. Japan in particular is experiencing the challenge of cultural diversity, even though the country has often been portrayed as ethnically homogeneous. This paper focuses on the situation of Korean residents, one of several long-time minority groups in Japan, and discusses the significance of Korean ethnic schools in light of socio-historical considerations. Factors affecting the bicultural identity of Korean residents in Japan, and minorities in general, are considered. It is concluded that, although separate schooling for cultural minority students is not usually favoured in western societies, a strong case can be made for recognising the legitimacy of Korean ethnic schools in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the Rape of Nanking in December 1937 and January 1938 by the Imperial Japanese Army is reported in the 88 history textbooks used in Japanese high schools in 1995, and which had passed the compulsory authorisation system of the Japanese Ministry of Education. An analysis of the language of the textbooks shows that, although the textbooks do deal with the this atrocity in reasonable detail, there is a consistent pattern of language use that has the effect of isolating knowledge of the Rape of Nanking from Japan and Japanese people. One possible result of this is that pupils in Japan today have no basis from which they can critically respond in an informed manner to denials within modern Japanese society that this atrocity took place. This discussion is framed in terms of a critical discourse analysis informed by the systemic functional model of grammar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the origins and potential effects of the liberalising reform agenda in Japanese secondary education in the light of experiences in the UK with policies such as local school management and school choice. The analysis is based on extensive interviews conducted with Japanese policy-makers, school heads and Prefectural administrators in 1997 in Tokyo and Osaka. The research was part of a joint Anglo-Japanese study, supported by the Japanese Embassy in London, and the analysis here highlights issues of national perspective which emerged in the collaboration between English and Japanese researchers observing reforms in each other's countries. The paper argues that the reform agenda in Japan has two strands. These involve both a necessary diversification of curriculum and pedagogic practices, and an administrative shift towards deregulation and school competition which may undermine some of the traditional strengths of Japanese secondary schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the widespread representation of (mainly male) homosexuality in a variety of Japanese popular cultural media. Generally, representation of homosexuality in Japan is situated in the 'entertainment world' and male homosexuality, in particular, is often conflated with transsexuality and transgenderism. Discussion of homosexuality as a 'lifestyle choice' or in terms of 'sexual rights' is extremely rare, even in the Japanese gay media. It is suggested that media discourses about homosexuality, which conflate it with transsexuality, work against same-sex desiring men in Japan developing a politicized sense of 'gay identity'. Interview data from Japanese men as well as material gathered from the gay media are used to reflect on Altman's notion of 'global queering' and to question the argument put forward by some Western gay and lesbian theorists that 'gay identity' is something Japanese homosexuals 'lack', and should therefore develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Testing an argument of convergence on a sample of employed males in Japan and the United States, this paper compares young (18-24 years) with older (45-55 years) workers within each country on work-related attitudes, education and employment, mobility, interest in the company, characteristics of superiors, and job satisfaction. Comparisons of these attitudes are also made within age-group cross-nationally. Our general finding, which is upheld when company size, type of job, and educational attainment are controlled for, is that cultural diversity is (still) a better explanation than convergence when applied to work-related attitudes. Aging per se seems to have some similar effects in both societies, e.g., a positive relationship between age and work satisfaction. Attitudes affected more by historical changes in work organization, however, exhibit stronger cultural differences than age differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the archaeology of salmon fishing in Japan, mostly during the Jomon period. The starting point is Sugao Yamanouchi's 'salmon/trout theory', which suggested that the greater density of Jomon sites in northeastern Japan could be linked to greater availability of dog salmon (Oncorynchus keta) and trout (O. masou) in this area. Many archaeologists disputed this theory on the grounds that bones of salmon were very rarely recovered during archaeological excavations. Fine sieving of deposits does, however, enable salmon bones to be recovered, as the author has demonstrated on many archaeological sites. The varying frequencies of salmon bones on different sites enables those sites to be classified into four types: A, producing complete vertebrae only; B, producing vertebral fragments: C, producing vertebral fragments, and cranial elements; and D, producing complete vertebrae and cranial elements. Differential preservation is argued not to be responsible; it is argued that different patterns of capture, processing, storage, transport and consumption have caused the pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serious problem in Japanese education today is the excess of competition. Although that helps the high standard of Japanese education, it also brings about many difficulties for young people. The competition in the school system is, in general, closely related to the competition in society as a whole, especially in the labour market. The structure of the labour market has a strong influence on competition in the school. For example, the British segmented labour market divides the competition by occupation, and it helps the diversified structure of post-compulsory education/training. Meanwhile, in the Japanese labour market, which is characterised by Japanese-style employment, the competition is little divided by occupation, and this helps the unitary structure of competition in the school. Comparing Japan and Britain, this paper will examine the structural causes of the competition in the school system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both sericultural and manufacturing branches of Japan's once highly important raw silk industry suffered severe dislocations following peak production about 1930. World economic depression, synthetic fiber development, and World War II were fundamental causes. Reeling mill closures stemmed from bankruptcies, governmental readjustment programs, conversions into defense plants, bombings, and post-war business rationalization, Mulberry acreage shrank principally owing to wartime food shortages and profitable post-war alternatives, particularly orcharding. This paper contrasts changes observed in two of the most specialized Japanese cocoon-producing regions, Gumma Prefecture, on the Kant&obar; lowlands where sweet potatoes and upland rice characteristically followed mulberry, and the Nagano Basin, representative of highland basins in central and northern Honshu, where orchards common replaced mulberry. Proportional losses in both reeling capacity, measured in number of reeling machines and in mulberry acreage were above the national average in the Nagano Basin and below it in Gumma Governmental policies and local factors caused these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]