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The paper provides a theoretical insight into bank regulation and the process of internationalisation by examining the concepts of regulatory push and market pull within the context of Japanese bank entry into London during the 1980s. Rugman and Verbeke's [(1998). Corporate strategy and international environmental policy. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(4), 819-833] Consistency of Home and Host Government Goals model is utilised to structure the discussion, which centres on a situation where there is a conflict of goals between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the home government but goal alignment between MNEs and the host government. As such the paper examines a relatively under-researched aspect of internationalisation and concludes that in certain circumstances internationalisation can occur despite great 'psychic distance'. The paper also argues that although bank regulation can lead to a conflict situation it can also be conducive to the development of a strong home base and the development of firm specific advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the different meaning of university autonomy historically and comparatively. The paper examines the shift in the definition of the university autonomy in England and Japan. It argues that the definition of university autonomy in England and Japan differed traditionally. In England, university autonomy functioned as the universities' ideology to protect the universities from outside of pressure. In Japan, university autonomy was understood in relation to the Ministerial coordination. The market-oriented policies in those countries have changed the meaning of university autonomy, bringing about “contractual autonomy” in England and institutional autonomy in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors explain the purpose and context for the 2009 International Symposium on Economic Education that was the source for articles on four nations with relatively developed systems for economic education: Australia, England, Japan, and Korea. The authors highlight several key comparisons from the four articles that appear in this Journal of Economic Education issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to identify common patterns in central authorities' steering of universities and the institutional power in neo-liberal higher education regimes. The paper examines the regulatory mechanisms of England and Japan through Foucault's idea of 'governmentality' and utilises the concept of autonomy to identify the state-university nexus and institutional behaviour. The paper argues that the similar application of technologies of arts in England and Japan - such as financial incentives and output quality management - has not brought about the same effect across the two countries in institutional behaviour and culture. In the case of England, the decline of traditional university autonomy - which isolated the university sector from external pressure - and increasing external influence in the value system are the case, while in Japan, the shift is rather internal within an institution, changing from department to institutional autonomy, which is compatible with the concept of accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonological models of early word learning often assume that child forms can be understood as structural mappings from their adult targets. In contrast, the whole-word phonology model suggests that on beginning word production children represent adult targets as holistic units, reflecting not the exact sound sequence but only the most perceptually salient elements or those that align with their own vocal patterns. Here we ask whether the predictions of the whole-word model are supported by data from children learning Japanese or Mandarin, both languages with phonotactic structures differing from any so far investigated from this perspective. The Japanese child word forms are found to include some characteristics suggestive of whole-word representation, but in Mandarin we find little or no such evidence. Instead, some children are found to make idiosyncratic use of whole syllables, substituting them for target syllables that they match in neither onset nor rime. This result, which neither model anticipates, forces reconsideration of a key tenet of the whole-word model – that early word production is based on word-size holistic representations; instead, at least in some languages, the syllable may serve as the basic representational unit for child learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most advanced countries, young people are now expected to remain in education until the age of 18 and, in a context of poor opportunities for those who leave at an early stage, there are concerns about those who are being left behind. In this paper we use comparable survey data to focus on the destinations of young people in two contrasting societies, England and Wales and Japan. We compare the destinations of 19/20-year-olds in the two countries, with a strong focus on those who leave education at an early stage, and go on to explore the extent to which young people's socio-economic backgrounds and their orientations to education explain their post-school experiences. We argue that, in both societies, those who enter the labour market before the age of 20 face severe difficulties irrespective of their social background. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to explore the commonality of social policies on homelessness between Japan and England and to discuss the role of social policy in response to the recent emergence of homelessness throughout the world. Japan and England are regarded as different types of welfare state, and policies towards homelessness in both countries contrast sharply with each other. In some important areas, however, their approaches to homelessness coincide. There is a common 'style' of 'main bypass' policy with a diverse and often subjective implementation. This commonality can be interpreted as a result of the application of some general principles of the welfare state such as work requirement, family principles, moral requirement as a good citizen of the welfare state as well as the narrow and often stereotypical understanding of a person's 'place to live' in a society. Policies concerning homelessness in this common 'style' have not responded satisfactorily to the global emergence of homelessness. Instead, they have often played a part perpetuating situations where homeless people stay in temporary accommodation often facing uncertain and inconsistent treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to anticipated increased health needs as a consequence of aging populations, and associated rising co-morbidity and medicines use, in both Japan and the UK potential extended roles for community pharmacy are part of health policy agendas. It is widely perceived that community pharmacists do not fully utilize their expertise, which may limit their contribution to health care in their communities and also impact negatively on their own job satisfaction. Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study was to identify operations that are perceived as opportunities to demonstrate expertise (ODE) and/or sources of job satisfaction by pharmacists in Japan and England, and explore associated system and contextual factors. Methods: Data were gathered with purposively selected pharmacists in Japan and England. An initial questionnaire was forwarded which guided subsequent face-to-face semi-structured interviews. These were audio-recoded to enable qualitative analytical procedures. Results: There were 18 participants in England and 13 in Japan. There was a notable association between ODE and job satisfaction. However, ODE was not a sufficient condition for job satisfaction. Conclusion: In order for pharmacists to be satisfied with their jobs, not only ODE but also additional contextual factors, i.e. recognition of professionalism, autonomy and positive collaboration were also needed. The findings can inform initiatives in the development of pharmacy services that would be positive for pharmacists whilst potentially contributing to wider public health objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines whether three international office markets--London City, New York City, and Tokyo CBD--are linked by a long-run relationship. The greater economic and financial market linkages and cross-border capital flows have increased the possibility that the markets are integrated. Johansen tests establish cointegration between total return indices. Hence, London City, New York City, and Tokyo form an equilibrium relationship, deviations from which can prompt portfolio reallocations to exploit opportunities or reduce risk. The findings show that London City adjusts more strongly to the deviations from the long-run path than the other two markets. At the end of 2007, prices in both London City and Tokyo were above equilibrium with Tokyo particularly so, whereas New York City was below equilibrium. The analysis suggests that New York City will benefit from this disequilibrium situation among the three cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation to control invasive alien species for nature conservation is a relatively new area. We examined: (1) whether prohibition of sale and release into the wild can stop dispersal of invasive alien aquatic plants; (2) who is responsible for managing an invaded site; (3) whether government procedure is needed to carry out management; and (4) whether herbicide use is legalized in managing invasive alien aquatic plants. We carried out case studies on the management of water primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora）in France, England, and Japan, which are all developed countries in the Palaearctic realm, and where it is regarded as one of the most invasive alien aquatic plants. All three countries have introduced prohibition of sale and release, but only England has clearly introduced landowner responsibility and has applied it. All three countries have effectively halted its commercial trade, but have not yet stopped its dispersion, while England has succeeded local eradication in a considerable part of detected sites and stabilized the number of actual sites. While in France and Japan many unmanaged sites remain, all detected sites are managed in England. France prohibited herbicide use near and in water systems; in Japan, officials are reluctant to use herbicide. On the contrary, England has legalized herbicide use around water systems, under strict conditions. The landowner responsibility is an important element of legislation to manage IAS, and legalization of herbicide use around water systems, in avoiding damages for other living organisms, could contribute to its local eradication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:This study explores the specific effects of live music concerts on the clients with dementia, their families and nursing staff/caregivers. Methods:Researchers attended 22 concerts in care facilities in England and Japan. Interviews were carried out with clients with dementia, nursing staff and family members. Observations were also carried out before, during and after the concerts. All observations were recorded in field notes. Results:The effect of the concerts in both countries was seen to be beneficial to all clients and nursing staff, whether or not they attended the concert. Interviews with clients with mild to mid-stage dementia noted increased levels of cooperation, interaction and conversation. Those with more advanced forms of dementia exhibited decreased levels of agitation and anti-social behaviour. Staff members reported increased levels of care, cooperation and opportunities for assessment. Family members noted an increase in the levels of well-being in their partner/parent as well as in themselves. The study also suggested that the knowledge of musical components, an awareness of the rules of music and specific musical preferences appear to remain well beyond the time when other cognitive skills and abilities have disappeared. Conclusions:This initial study provided some further indication in terms of the uses of music as a non-pharmacological intervention for those living with all stages of dementia. These included opportunities for assessment of physical abilities as well as facilitating an increasing level of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trust is today an international legal institution, firmly established in jurisdictions all over the world, including those in Asia. The process by which the trust and trust law were transplanted in Asia forms a rich tapestry of complex themes. A key development was the codification of trust law by the colonial government of India at the end of the nineteenth century. This embraced an ‘obligational’ model of the trust that removed the notion of ‘equitable ownership’. On the face of it, the Indian Trusts Act 1882 carried innovations in both form and substance. Although a closer examination reveals limits in the innovations, the Act proved influential in the failed attempts to codify the law in England and the transplantation of trust law into the mixed legal system of Ceylon and the civilian system of Japan. The historical analysis of these developments sheds light on modern debates about the transplantation of law in general, the comparative study of trust law and theoretical discussions about the nature of the trust. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using probability distribution techniques, this article explores whether any differences exist between the returns and volatility of yen/dollar spot markets in Tokyo, London and New York. After the intraday returns were fit into probability distributions, New York is found to have the highest return, followed by London, and then Tokyo. In estimating the peaks and widths of the distributions of volatility, Tokyo is found to have the lowest volatility in the log-normal distribution, while London and New York show similar volatility distributions, implying similar investor risk-return preference behaviour in the London and New York markets. The findings also imply that arbitrage opportunities between London and New York could be trivial. After estimating the panel distribution from Monday to Friday across the three markets, we found that the Monday effect disappears. Instead, Tuesday shows negative and significantly lower returns. The Friday (weekend) effect no longer exists. Instead, Thursday shows a positive and significantly higher return than the other weekdays. Finally, the three major currency markets did not become more volatile after Japan's deregulation in the foreign currency market in April 1998. On the contrary, they show less volatile behaviour than before deregulation. The probability distributions of volatility on different weekdays did not change significantly after deregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent debate over education reform, Japanese conservative politicians and intellectuals have selectively appropriated a particular crisis-and-success narrative of British education reform to de-territorialize contentious policy changes. They assert that Britain achieved successful education reform by transforming the very same teaching practices and legal framework that currently afflict Japanese education. In so doing, the Japanese conservatives have legitimized the fundamental 'reform' of post-war Japanese education through the combination of nationalistic and quasi-market interventions in education. Drawing on a wide range of literature (literature on educational borrowing, postcolonial studies, and cultural studies), this article illuminates how the Japanese conservatives have appropriated external references to 'British education reform' to reconstitute the people's common sense about the current state and the future course of Japanese education. In addition, we use this Japanese case study to advance the re-conceptualization of the politics of educational borrowing from the perspective of non-western 'others.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comparative analysis of the development of lifelong learning in England and Japan, while addressing the multi-dimensional nature of 'lifelong learning'. The article argues that 'lifelong learning' is a concept which has unusual adaptability and legitimacy, and for these reasons has been subject to multiple translations over the last twenty years in both England and Japan. These translations can be identified: a) through discourse; b) in the development of policy; and c) as the shift in the political ideology. Drawing on the insights generated from the three strands, the article concludes that lifelong learning is being translated to accommodate various agendas and has been adapted in diverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how being islands shaped the economic histories of England and Japan. England had the advantage of being in a temperate zone which made farming and animal husbandry much easier and reduced the number of diseases. It also benefited from being an island, which made transportation and trade easier and prevented the population from being isolated. Its close location to Europe also involved it in continental affairs. Similar conditions prevailed in Japan, but the larger distance between the island and the rest of Asia allowed the country to cut itself off when it suited its development needs.

The article announces that the article entitled "Dressing the Poor: The Provision of Clothing among the Lower Classes in Eighteenth-century Madrid," by Victoria López Barahona and José Nieto Sánchez, was judged the best article of 2012 for "Textile History." It also discusses topics within the issue including the adoption of Western-style dress in Japan during the Meiji period, early modern costume books in Germany, and the Four Seasons tapestries in the collection of Hatfield House in Hatfield, England.