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In recent years, the automatic analysis of natural environment images acquired with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has rapidly gained popularity. UAVs are specially important in mountainous forests where access is difficult and large areas need to be surveyed. In Zao mountains in northeastern Japan, regenerated fir saplings are competing with sub-alpine vegetation shrubs after a severe fir tree mortality caused by bark beetle infestation. A detailed survey of vegetation distribution is key to improve our understanding of species succession and the influence of climate change in that process. To that end, we evaluated the suitability of deep-learning-based automatic image classification of UAV images in order to map sub-alpine vegetation succession in large areas and the potential of fir regeneration. In order to assess the contribution of this technology in this research field, we first conducted an observer study to assess the difficulty for humans of the task of classifying vegetation from images. Afterwards, we compared the observers' accuracy to four state-of-the art deep learning networks for automatic image classification. The best observer accuracy of 55% demonstrates the limitations of species classification using only images. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the sources of error showed that even though humans could differentiate between deciduous and evergreen species with an accuracy of 96%, identifying the correct species within each group proved much more challenging. In contrast, deep learning networks achieved accuracy values in the range of 70–80% for species classification, clearly demonstrating capabilities beyond human experts. Our experiments also indicated that the performance of these networks was significantly influenced by the similarity between the datasets used to fine-tune them and evaluate them. This fact highlights the importance of building publicly available images databases to further improve the results. Nevertheless, the results presented in this paper show that the analysis of UAV-acquired with deep learning networks can usher in a new type of large-scale study, spanning tenths or even hundreds of hectares with high spatial resolution (of a few cms per pixel), providing the ability to assess challenging vegetation dynamics problems that go beyond the ability of conventional fieldwork methodologies. • UAV Shrub image classification. • Deep Learning vs human expert comparison. • Focus on Practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the entrepreneurship strategy is demonstrated by evidence as a path to enhance the performance of service firms, the question of how it happens has yet to be adequately studied in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) realm. More specifically, how an entrepreneurial strategy enables a T&H firm to enhance its performance through service innovation exploration-exploitation ambidexterity has created a strategic dilemma in extant T&H literature. Constructed on the dynamic capabilities view and organizational ambidexterity theory, our paper addresses this dilemma using data from a drop-and-collect survey of 303 T&H firms in Japan. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial strategy fosters service innovation exploitation and service innovation exploration within T&H firms. In contrast, service innovation exploitation helps T&H firms design unique service offerings, yielding a sustained competitive advantage and superior corporate performance in the long run. Further, the availability of slack resources within T&H firms fosters service innovation exploration and service innovation exploitation. • The effect of service innovation exploration and exploitation and their effects on service design and sustained competitive advantage • The findings reveal that service innovation exploration and exploitation have differential effects on sustained competitive advantage. • This research shows that service innovation exploitation is significantly related to sustained competitive advantage, whereas service innovation exploration is not. • The link between entrepreneurial strategy and performance is mediated by service innovation exploitation, service design, and sustained competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies urban–rural mobilities in contemporary Japan using several island communities in the Setouchi region of the Seto Inland Sea as a case study. It seeks to examine the phenomenon of den-en kaiki (rural return) with a focus on young Japanese urbanites moving to depopulated regions outside large cities. Based on a 15-month ethnographic study, the paper draws on original in-depth qualitative interviews with 35 individuals in their 20s–40s. The findings show that while some may be more traditional "lifestyle migrants," many are adopting rural living as a temporary escape from the city and are not necessarily committed to staying long term. The narratives reveal diverse mobilities as a reflection of the changing attitudes of young Japanese attempting to find meaning and satisfaction while sustaining a livelihood in post-growth Japan. The growing importance of the "relationship population," referring to urbanites who spend extended time in rural communities but do not live there, is discussed to broaden existing conceptions of rural mobilities from the Japanese context. The messiness of rural mobilities in contemporary Japan highlights the need for an expanded understanding of concepts such as counter-urbanization to include various forms of exchange and consider how they can contribute to the future sustainability of rural spaces. • Fluid urban-rural mobilities are reflective of new values amongst young Japanese. • I-turners displayed varying levels of commitment to rural living while U-turners are more likely to settle. • Ethnographic data reveal a desire to explore alternatives to traditional lifelong employment. • Urban-rural migrants struggle to balance financial security with lifestyle aspirations. • More study on the 'relationship population' as a growing influence on the future of rural Japan is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors regret to inform readers of the following corrections required in the article. Upon meticulous examination, an error has been identified in the data concerning the fixed-capital utilization matrix C, detailed in Section 2.2 of the paper. Regrettably, this discrepancy has resulted in an inaccurate calculation of the material carbon footprint, encompassing the effect of fixed-capital supply chain. The authors regret that the values of the material footprint (MF) in the sentences [Our results show that the fixed-capital formation was responsible for 454 million tons MF,...] and [The fixed-capital formation for the service sector produced an MF of 168 million tons ...] are incorrect. The correct value are 428 million tons and 145 million tons, respectively. [Display omitted] The authors regret that the values of the material and carbon footprint are incorrect. The correct version of graphical abstract is the one provided here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to many high-income countries, there is no clear positive relationship between maternal education and employment in Japan. However, recent policy, normative, and labor market changes are expected to have encouraged highly educated women to continue working, especially in regular employment, resulting in an increasing positive educational gradient. Despite this expectation, little is known about the changes in the educational gradient in recent cohorts. This paper examines the changes in the educational gradient in women's employment around their first and second births using nationally representative panel survey data of women born in the 1960–1989 cohorts in Japan. The results show a significant increase in the positive educational gradient in employment rates around the first and second births in the 1980s cohort. Highly educated women are more likely to be in regular employment and less likely to leave employment, which contributes to their higher employment continuity. Conversely, the employment rates of women with lower levels of education have not increased to the same extent across the cohorts, and they have become more likely to be in nonstandard employment. These findings suggest that the weak relationship between maternal education and employment is changing in Japan, which may contribute to greater inequality in the labor market, household, and offspring outcomes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University campuses are known to be a driving force of knowledge. Moreover, due to campuses' impact on their surroundings, they are also considered as a driving force of physical, social, cultural, and economic change. Therefore, this paper conducts a statistical multi-variate analysis to uncover campus-neighbourhood interaction and the following socio-economic outcomes. Thirteen different variables related to 43 university campuses in Japan and their neighbourhoods' attributes have been collected and measured. Principal component analysis and multi-linear regression analysis have been applied to uncover associations between selected variables. Additionally, k-means cluster analysis has been applied to discover hidden spatial trends between selected cases studies. Findings have shown that campuses located in highly urbanised accessible neighbourhoods create numerous benefits for students such as maximising students' residential preferences and modes of transportation. The main outcome of this paper lies in providing the grounds for a holistic framework towards a better decision making for campus development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Japanese government has shown great interest in automated driving and has invested in related projects. This paper first aims to investigate the government's expectations of automated driving at three levels: project, function, and societal, and how the sociotechnical vision "Society 5.0″ is used to justify and drive automated driving-related policies. Second, it discusses how Japan's sociotechnical imaginaries of state-led national development and the corresponding governance approach synergistically relate to the performativity of expectations in the policy process. I analyze "Society 5.0″, and expectations of automated driving, in eleven governmental documents released between 2013 and 2020. The results show a strong emphasis on the benefits to the older population and the economy. This reflects imaginaries of national security and success based on economic growth and scientific and technological superiority, which contribute to inflating expectations. Both the government's historical intervention in technology development and Shinzo Abe's exercise of political leadership contribute to the fact that "Society 5.0″ is considered a "common understanding", and technological expectations are easily bound on policymakers in policy planning and implementation. While the government tries to be agile and responsive to global change, its approach stifles creativity in designing future sociotechnical systems. • Expectations for automated driving are interrelated at the project-, function-, and societal-levels. • The Abe administration made sense of expectations of productivity gains from automated driving by linking them to the issues of Japan's aging population and economic recession. • A top-down and systematic policy process based on imaginaries of state-led national development accelerates the diffusion of visions and expectations. • The national sociotechnical vision "Society 5.0″ has successfully legitimated the Government's R&D initiatives as a common understanding of the times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed at explore international ocean governance issues through the perspective of Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge to the sea. This paper analyzes the core issue of Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the ocean from the perspectives of Japan's international legal obligation, law enforcement issues, and judicial issues after integrated analyzing academic research paper and cases. Japan has obligations such as timely notification, information disclosure, environmental impact assessment, and avoidance of transboundary harm. Intergovernmental and non-governmental international organizations, such as IAEA, IMO and WHO should play a role in setting up an international group of experts to carry out monitoring and assessment, and whose positions and attitudes are important references for judging Japan's behavior. Cases heard before ICJ, ITLOS, and advisory opinion proceeding could provide reference from the judicial perspective on the issue of transboundary harm and proof of damages. Furthermore, this paper discusses the response strategies that the international community especially the opponents may adopt, including promoting the adoption of relevant treaties, take a combination of requesting advisory opinion and file arbitration, establish effective international monitoring mechanism, and engage in close communication with stakeholders. • This paper explored international ocean governance issues through the discharge of Japan's nuclear contaminated water. • This paper majored in Japan's international legal obligation, law enforcement issues, and judicial issues. • This paper discussed the response strategies that the international community especially the opponents may adopt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the safe haven attribute of the Japanese yen under domestic and U.S. economic and policy uncertainty (EPU). Because of the existence of structural changes, a bootstrap rolling window subsample causality test is used to enhance the credibility of the results. The empirical results confirm that the exchange rate returns (RER) and Japanese EPU are correlated in specific periods when major economic or political events occur. In most crisis periods, the Japanese EPU has positive effects on RER, and the yen appreciates when the EPU is increasing. In addition, the RER of the yen and U.S. EPU are both negatively and positively connected. This finding confirms the hedging function of the yen in certain periods. The reason for this relationship is that Japan's low interest rates make the yen the primary funding currency in speculative carrying trade strategies, and thus, it tends to appreciate during crisis periods regardless of the origins of the EPU shocks. Therefore, the yen can be held as a safe haven currency unless the government intervenes artificially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the extent to which banks use public credit guaranteed loans for distant small business borrowers. Existing studies argue that when banks offer loans for these borrowers, the information asymmetry between them is often severe. These studies then empirically demonstrate how banks can mitigate this problem. We focus instead on the role of Japan's public credit guarantee scheme in mitigating these same information problems, an approach unaddressed in the literature. If banks offer credit guaranteed loans, they suffer few losses from borrower default because the public credit guarantee corporations (not the small business borrowers) make payments to the banks. Therefore, banks can offer loans to informationally opaque and distant borrowers. To conduct the econometric analysis, we use semiannual bank-region-level data from Japan, which allows us to control for several unobserved fixed effects. The results reveal that credit guarantee loan size is larger and the default rate higher when banks offer credit guaranteed loans to distant borrowers. These findings suggest that banks successfully mitigate the losses of distant lending using the public credit guarantee scheme, thereby providing a valuable contribution to the small business finance literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many fields, visual literacy is enamoured with digital cameras. They are convenient for classrooms, can accelerate learning, and can facilitate research where verbal language cannot. However, exclusive use puts at risk the possibility of experiencing affordances of other photomedia. This paper argues for diversifying photomedia used in research. While it recognises that digital cameras have a role to play in developing visual skills, particularly when resources are limited, it posits that sole use of digital cameras obfuscate other possibilities for expression. Adopting autoethnographic description, affordances were considered of three photomedia as used during a rephotography project along Japan's north-eastern coast between 2019 and 2022. Setting out photomedia literacy as a competence that complements rather than competes with a range of other literacies (e.g. media literacy, digital literacy, information literacy), the paper concludes with challenges for any scholars thinking that digital cameras are convenient one-stop solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Able-bodied, and increasingly people with disabilities, represent a key audience for mega-events; occasions that act as crucibles where social problems endemic to host destinations can be exposed and tackled through targeted social policy. Drawing on the social model of disability, the paper examines how Japan utilised Tokyo 2020 as a field configuring event to disrupt systems of ableist thinking and tackle physical and attitudinal barriers restricting Persons with Disabilities (PwD) to accessible tourism. Qualitative evidence reveals national commitments to relegitimise, improve accessibility for - and acceptance toward - PwD in Japanese society, through transformations to the built environment, national awareness, and educational campaigns in the build up to Tokyo 2020. An over-emphasis on physical as opposed to social structural change mean negative attitudes often persist, where disability remains stigmatised, leading to PwD immobility and social exclusion. Our policy recommendations and managerial implications, alongside research directions attend to this disability-attitude gap. • Mega-events can disrupt systems of ableist thinking, restricting tourist mobility. • Social model of disability recognises physical and attitudinal barriers must be equally attended to. • Tokyo 2020 levered to improve accessibility for and acceptance toward Persons with Disabilities. • Transformations to the built environment and positive representations illustrated across Japan. • Over-emphasis on physical as opposed to social structural change reveals 'disability-attitude gap'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a cursory glance, much of Japan's new economic security policy resonates with US-Biden policy language of building resilient supply chains and strengthening strategic partnerships. Mainstream scholarship has been quick to interpret this as a new form of economic statecraft and the strengthening of the US-Japan partnership. However, little has been discussed about how the adoption of economic security policy has entailed state restructuring and reconnected different social forces. There has been a shift in the functions of state institutions which are, to some extent, becoming fused. Security institutions are drawn into economic domains while economic institutions increasingly adapt to discourses on military issues. This fusion has been facilitating the reconnection of industrial capital, military capital, and state elites who attempt to leverage the interlocking components of US-led policies and economic security, that in turn reproduces the developmental form of the Japanese state. This paper offers a theoretically-informed way of understanding new geopolitical lines underpinning state transformation in Japan and sheds light on the constitutive elements we currently see as 'networked security architecture' such as the Quad or 'friendshoring' industrial policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslim migrants in Japan suffer from the lack of access to burial grounds when 99.9% of the nation is cremated. Muslims are usually met with opposition from the local community where cemetery construction is planned. Using ethnographic data, the study shows how Muslim associations inadvertently fail to respect the codes of Japanese rurality when seeking a cemetery in a community to which they do not have membership, leading to a conflict. This paper closes with policy prescriptions for the central government in ensuring the cultural rights of immigrant minorities in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I look into the lesser-known history of "comfort women" in the Philippines. I engage with the following questions: how did the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Filipino women emerge as part of state policy in the Japanese Empire? How was it dealt with in the aftermath of the war, especially in the face of shifting post-war alliances and the changing place of Japan in the geo-politics of the Cold War? How did events in the international arena, in turn, affect diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan, specifically with respect to aid and trade? Finally, how did the market forces at play affect state policy in the Philippines? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the controversy surrounding J. Mark Ramseyer's paper on "Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War," which challenges the existence of "comfort women" in imperial Japan. Despite criticism from scholars and historians, the paper has not been retracted but has received an expression of concern. Ramseyer's work has been criticized for lacking scientific rigor and distorting evidence, with scholars pointing out incorrect citations and distortions. Ramseyer and his allies have used right-wing media outlets to promote his work and attack his critics. The authors argue for the retraction of the paper to prevent its continued use as legitimate scholarship and stress the importance of combating the misuse of evidence in academia. [Extracted from the article]

Digital foodscapes not only transform our everyday relationships with food but offer creative and entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper works to expand the Anglo-American focus of digital foodscapes scholarship in analysis of Japanese Instagram food influencers and their relationship to gendered social reproduction. Japan's most prominent influencers are mothers documenting the bentos (boxed lunches) they prepare for their children, a meal suffused with socio-cultural meaning about good food and good mothering. I develop the concept of precarious digital mothering to examine the hidden, gendered labor created and magnified through Instagram bento accounts. I argue that the creative and entrepreneurial opportunities offered to women though Instagram are inseparable from the cultural meaning of bento as a judgment on good mothering and create a bind where digital success cannot occur without taking on additional domestic food work. Precarity is created both for the mothers who take on unpaid and unrecognized labor in the pursuit of Instagram success, and those who consume their content and the problematic narratives of food and motherhood it normalizes in its idealized and mediated performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender imbalance in academia has been confirmed in terms of a variety of indicators, and its magnitude often varies from country to country. Europe and North America, which cover a large fraction of research workforce in the world, have been the main geographical regions for research on gender imbalance in academia. However, the academia in East Asia, which accounts for a substantial fraction of research, may be exposed to strong gender imbalance because Asia has been facing persistent and stronger gender imbalance in society at large than Europe and North America. Here we use publication data between 1950 and 2020 to analyze gender imbalance in academia in China, Japan, and South Korea in terms of the number of researchers, their career, and citation practice. We found that, compared to the average of the other countries, gender imbalance is larger in these three East Asian countries in terms of the number of researchers and their citation practice and additionally in Japan in terms of research career. Moreover, we found that Japan has been exposed to the larger gender imbalance than China and South Korea in terms of research career and citation practice. • We quantify gender imbalance in the academia in China, Japan, and South Korea. • The three countries have had a small fraction of female researchers. • Papers from the three countries under-cite female-led papers. • Japan is largely subject to stronger gender imbalance than China and South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the problems of local industrial displacement by new apartment buildings in a high-density mixed residential and factory zone. Conceptually, we develop a model that underscores the contextual actors and variables shaping the governance of this type of land-use conflict. Empirically, we focus on the Takaida industrial district, Higashi Osaka, Japan. We argue that while there were similarities between our case study and the problems of industrial displacement and land-use and zoning conflicts found in major Western cities, the concerns and planning processes in Takaida reflected a particular Japanese situation. Most notably, decision rules to manage land-use conflicts between residential apartments and factories was overseen initially by a community planning group set up by the Higashi Osaka mayor. Based on field work, we record the twenty-year process to achieve consensus support for formal and informal rules designed to realize juko kyosei , the co-existence of residents and industrial businesses. The community planning group's proposals were eventually adopted, in large part, by Higashi Osaka city. They were then implemented through a new process of monozukuri planning that combined technological support for local factory upgrading as well as protecting industrial districts from displacement by residential incursion. • Industrial displacement of factories from traditional manufacturing districts due to land-use competition with residential apartments is an important policy issue in many cities. • An industrial policy mix framework helps understand the dynamics of this type of land-use conflict in particular jurisdictions. • Industrial displacement in Higashi Osaka, Japan, has been distinctive due to the problems of ambiguous zoning category (semi-industrial zone) and inflexible local land-use zoning for both factories and residential apartment buildings. • Management of this land-use conflict in the Takaida factory district involved machizukuri community planning. • Higashi Osaka municipality adopted monozukuri planning approaches to support factory operations together with policies that encouraged the co-existence of residents and industrial businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise charging time prediction can effectively mitigate the inconvenience to drivers induced by inevitable charging behavior throughout trips. Although the effectiveness of the machine learning (ML) algorithm in predicting future outcomes has been established in a variety of applications (transportation sector), the investigation into electric vehicle (EV) charging time prediction is almost new. This calls for the investigation of the ML algorithm to predict EV charging time. The study developed an EV charging time prediction model based on two years of charging event data collected from 500 EVs in Japan. To predict EV charging time, this paper employed three ML algorithms: extreme learning machine (ELM), feed-forward neural network (FFNN), and support vector regression (SVR). Furthermore, ML algorithms parameters are optimized by a metaheuristic techniques: the gray wolf optimizer (GWO), particle swarm optimizer (PSO), and genetic algorithm (GA) to achieve higher accuracy and robustness. The prediction results reveal that GWO-based ML models yielded better results compared to other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advocates using museum collections for archaeological research by offering a new approach to generate questions on the sociocultural lives of ancient people. I define "diaspora" collections as historical and archaeological artifacts excavated in a homeland site but currently stored in museums that are outside the homeland country. Of particular importance in this approach is the identification of artifacts' diagnostic traits, including material composition, morphology, and symbolic decoration, that are to be linked to the "original" data in their homeland. Diaspora collections-based research necessitates provenience studies, as well as direct observation of both the diaspora collection and its original data. It also takes advantage of the recent development of various digital and remote technologies. A case study to show this methodology comes from dedicatory lanterns currently stored outside Japan that were part of the shogun (Tokugawa) family's graveyards in modern Tokyo during the 18th and 19th centuries a.d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the politics of Asia-Pacific War memory and memorialization in Southeast Asia, evident in the production context and visual semiotic resources of Thailand's Victory Monument, a generic memorial to Thai war heroes, and the Philippines' Shrine of Valor, a historical shrine complex dedicated to Filipino and US soldiers of the Asia-Pacific War. These heritage structures represent two divergent memorialization practices that demonstrate how the commemoration or suppression of war memory is influenced by politics, agendas, and the benefits it brings to the state. In Thailand, the inward justification and outward restraint stem from the difficult choices the state had to make during the war. In the Philippines, while war memorialization was pronounced and served state aims, it was initially undermined by President Ferdinand Marcos, who wanted to bolster his fraudulent war heroism claims. The cases illustrate how diverging national memorial practices surrounding the war's contested past achieved similar aims and how memorial sites become repositories of meaning potentials through which we could make sense of the nation and its international entanglements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the integration processes of international marriage migrants in Japan and South Korea and identifies the steps and conditions required for integration. It contributes to the wider discussion of obstacles that migrants face during the integration process. Despite Japan and South Korea's reluctance toward the influx of large numbers of international migrants, their stance is more positive toward (female) marriage migrants. The qualitative data used for the analysis were collected by authors during the period between 2007 and 2022 on women from former Soviet Union countries, married to South Korean (54) or Japanese (50) men. The analysis of women's experiences identifies four major steps leading to receiving society integration: Pre-migration, arrival, early years and long-term settlement. The findings show that early language acquisition and receiving family support resulted in relatively smooth integration. However, human capital appears to be both a driver and an obstacle to integration. Furthermore, mismatched gender role expectations, limited social networks and employment opportunities increased difficulties in the integration process. Additionally, stronger ties with the receiving family and weaker ties with the home countries influenced women's decision to settle in the country. The largest differences between Japan and South Korea were the higher employment opportunities for marriage migrants in South Korea, especially for those with professional skills and Korean language knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2020, the Japanese government launched the "Go To Travel" campaign, providing subsidies for domestic travel, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. While the campaign aimed to revitalize the declining tourism industry, concerns were raised about its potential to spread infection. Although the literature indicates that the campaign increased hotel reservations, its causal effects on infection are not well-known. Using a difference-in-differences framework, this paper examines whether the campaign increased the number of domestic hotel guests and caused the virus to spread. The results show that the campaign increased the number of domestic hotel guests, as travel was not a Giffen good even at the risk of contracting COVID-19. However, the campaign did not increase infection spread in Japan, as it did not increase the transient population in the downtown areas. Moreover, this study provides a comprehensive cost–benefit analysis of the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitated by technological advances in cameras, printing methods and equipment, photojournalism blossomed throughout the world during the interwar period. It offered readers insights into the contemporary world, providing access to diverse peoples and remote locations through a combination of photographs and text. Japan was no exception. However, unlike Europe or North America, where the primary medium for disseminating knowledge through images was photo magazines or newspapers, in interwar Japan it was mass-market women's magazines that popularised the practice of using images to convey information within society. This paper specifically examines representations seen in a particular photo-article genre known as the "life pictorial", published in the best-selling women's magazine Shufu no tomo ("Housewife's Friend"). The analysis of these articles demonstrates how they contributed to the circulation of an imagined geography in 1930s Japanese society by presenting an image of a utopian multicultural Japanese empire that covertly intimated a distinct social, ethnic and racial hierarchy. Furthermore, this analysis explores how the magazine guided and shaped its readers' visual literacy by training them in how to "read" these photo articles, in a time before state censorship became fully entrenched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Research on evidence-based marine policymaking is still immature, especially regarding the utilization of text data. This study visualized the transition of ocean policy in Japan using text mining technique applied to the text data of three annual reports: the Fishery white paper from 2007 to 2020, Environmental white paper from 2008 to 2020, and Ocean white paper from 2004 to 2020. The results of the analysis were compared with the expert interviews on each subject. Based on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic model analysis, significant differences in topics were observed among these white papers, while they all clearly responded to the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011 with their unique topics. Major transitions in topics occurred several times over the years for all white papers. For the Fishery white paper and Environmental white paper issued by the government agencies, notable transitions occurred in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2012, 2018, respectively, which were mainly caused by the revisions of relevant laws; while for the Ocean white paper issued by non-government organization, transitions occurred in 2009 and 2016, which were closely related to the development of worldwide ocean initiatives. The expert interviews revealed that the experts' views on the topics and the transitions of policy focuses were generally consistent with the unsupervised analysis results. Automated visualization of policy transition in each organization accelerates the extraction of their directions and roles in policymaking which will help provide scientific evidence for identifying future opportunities for inter-organizational collaboration. • Three types of ocean-related white papers in Japan were analyzed using topic model. • Significant differences in topics were observed among these white papers. • Chronological transition in topics occurred for all white papers over time. • Topic transition mainly caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and related laws. • Expert interviews validated the plausibility of the analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work aimed to investigate the biocompatibility and biological activity of the water-soluble fullerene adduct C 60 -Arg. It was found that the material is haemocompatible, is not cyto- and genotoxic, possesses pronounced antioxidant activity. Additionally, this paper outlines the direction of application of water-soluble fullerene adducts in the creation of neuroprotectors. It has been suggested that a putative mechanism of the protective action of the C 60 -Arg adduct is associated with its antioxidant properties, the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and release nitrogen monoxide as a result of the catabolism of L-arginine residues, which promote vascular relaxation. The action of the C 60 -Arg adduct was compared with the action of such an antioxidant as Edaravone, which is approved in Japan for the treatment of ischemic and haemorrhagic strokes. In this article, we performed synthesis and identification of C 60 fullerene adduct with L-arginine (C 60 -Arg). As a result of study of complex investigation of biocompatibility and bioactivity it was shown that the adduct has a protective effect shown in in vivo experiments in the model of acute focal cerebral ischemia. Moreover, using molecular dynamics, structural and dynamic characteristics of C 60 -Arg in water were obtained. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal social-ecological systems (SES) are essential for the wellbeing of coastal communities and the wider society. However, in many parts of the world coastal SES face rapid change, and ultimately degradation. In this paper we unravel the mechanisms and implications of change in coastal SESmobilising multiple sources of knowledge, including scientific, expert-based and traditional and local knowledge (TLK). We focus on the rapidly changing Nakatsu mudflat in Japan, and combine primary and secondary data elicited through a mixed-method participatory approach that mobilised local stakeholders with different types of engagement with (and knowledge of) the mudflat. Through 4 expert interviews and 40 questionnaire surveys we identified the main ecosystem services provided by the mudflat that are perceived to be essential to the wellbeing of the local community. Although practically all respondents identified food provision as an important mudflat ecosystem services, many also pointed to the importance of some cultural (e.g. aesthetic beauty, spirituality, education and knowledge) and supporting services (e.g. habitat provision, sediment formation/retention). Through 8 Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and concept mapping we identified and systematized the underlying direct and indirect drivers of ecosystem change in the Nakatsu mudflat. These include population ageing and shrinking, economic diversification, and technological change that have collectively eroded TLK practices associated with the sustainable use of the mudflat. We also identified the mechanisms mediating these drivers and how they unfold in reality. Our study demonstrates that participatory processes engaging multiple stakeholders with different types of knowledge can provide rich and useful information on coastal SES change, which might not be readily obvious from simple headline indicators such as the change in the extent of the SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the order acceptance and scheduling problem with worker–operation assignment considering the precedence constraint in the divisional seru production system, which is a new production type derived from Japan and can achieve responsiveness, flexibility, and efficiency simultaneously. With limited production capacity and workers with different skill sets and skill levels, the problem considered in this paper includes three sub-problems: (i) assigning workers to each seru , (ii) making the order acceptance and scheduling plan, and (iii) allocating workers to operations for each order. Subsequently, a nonlinear integer programming model is established for improving the total net revenue, and a bi-level nested heuristic algorithm is designed due to its intractable computation. Computational experiments are made finally, and results show that the objective value obtained by the bi-level nested heuristic algorithm is 3% better than the bi-level genetic algorithm, and the running time is shortened by 99.23%. That is, the proposed bi-level nested heuristic algorithm can achieve better results and higher efficiency for divisional seru order acceptance and scheduling problems. • A new production system, seru , is introduced and the divisional seru order acceptance and scheduling problem is studied. • The integer programming model for the studied problem is presented, and a bi-level nested heuristic algorithm is designed. • The experimental results indicate that the proposed solution methodology is effective and robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to offshore fishing, high sea fishing has become another important supply channel for seafood. The pelagic catches of China, Japan, and Korea (CJK) account for 60% of the global total, and an analysis of their activities adds essential clarity regarding global fishery resources. This paper develops a framework for analyzing the activities of HSF vessels based on satellite AIS data from 2019, which is used to study the spatial-temporal characteristics of the lengths, speeds, trajectories, and trajectory densities of HSF vessels, the numbers of active vessels, and their average fishing times. The analysis results show that: 1) Chinese HSF vessels are mostly small, relative to Japanese and Korean ships; 2) The speed of Japanese HSF vessels is consistently the highest; 3) All HSF vessels mainly fish in the Northwest Pacific, Western Central Pacific, Eastern Central Pacific, Southeast Pacific, Eastern Central Atlantic, Southeast Atlantic, and Western Indian Oceans; 4) The trajectory distribution of Chinese and Japanese vessels are similar, and both are more widely distributed than Korean vessels; 5) Chinese and Korean HSF vessels mostly enter the Atlantic through the Drake Passage, while Japanese ships mostly enter through the Panama Canal; 6) Chinese HSF vessels fish in Antarctic fisheries all year, while Korean ships aim to fish in Antarctic fisheries in the Spring, Summer, and Winter; 7) China has the largest number of HSF vessels in all fisheries, but their average fishing time is the shortest; 8) The average fishing time of all HSF vessels in Spring and Summer is short, increases during the Autumn, and continues to rise in some fisheries during Winter. This study is not only of great significance for the management and conservation of marine resources, but is also a valuable reference for the promotion of international cooperation in safeguarding marine fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the Japanese collection of Růžena Trnožková who lived in Japan in 1918 and collected the Japanese and Chinese objects. In 1936, she donated her collection, which consisted of almost 250 items, to the Náprstek Museum. The collection includes objects mainly made during the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century and represents goods typically collected by the Europeans. The article also provides a little biographic information about her and her husband Vojtěch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Babel (00053503) is the property of Babel and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Elisabethains: A Biannual Journal of English Renaissance Studies is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Industrialized countries have increasingly used skill-based selective migration policies to reduce labor and skill shortages. But are these policies effective? This paper uses Japan and the United Kingdom to illustrate how immigration policy and employment, training and labor practices influence labor and skill supply. Until recently, these two countries had different migration policies and labor practices. Yet data shows similar patterns of labor and skill shortage profiles in both countries. This paper draws on empirical research to argue that such outcomes suggest that immigration policies will not alleviate labor and skill shortages unless accompanied by the transformation of employment and training practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the macroeconomic effects of the Bank of Japan's expansionary monetary policies since the introduction of Quantitative and Qualitative Monetary Easing (QQE) using the Bank of Japan's large-scale macroeconomic model, the Quarterly Japanese Economic Model. We consider counterfactual paths of major financial variables, such as real interest rates, constructing hypothetical scenarios where the QQE and subsequent easing measures had not been introduced. We then conduct counterfactual simulations to examine how Japan's macroeconomic variables, such as real GDP and CPI, would have evolved under those hypothetical scenarios. In these settings, we estimate the policy effects on the macroeconomic variables as the difference between actual values and the counterfactual values. The estimation results demonstrate that, on average, during the period from the introduction of QQE to the July–September quarter of 2020, the policy effect on the level of real GDP is between around 0.9 and 1.3 percent, and on the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI (all items less fresh food and energy) is between around 0.6 and 0.7 percentage points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes three creative teaching activities that motivate and engage students into active learning. The teaching methods used include hybrid e-learning and virtual reality. The hybrid e-learning style is a combination of e-learning and a hands-on activity in a laboratory setting. For one hybrid e-learning project, students are asked to design, build, and test seawalls to help protect Japan from future tsunamis. In the other hybrid e-learning project, student teams are challenged to invent the best tasting nutritious fruit juice by using various fruits, blenders, water, plasticware, and other items. For the third project, participants use virtual reality (VR) headsets to learn about rollercoasters and to experience the thrill of riding on one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is one of the world's leading super-aging societies, with the highest average life expectancy in the world. 30.3% of the population will be 65 years old or older by 2025, and 13.0% will be 75 years old or older. In addition, the number of heart failure patients is increasing yearly. The number of heart failure patients is increasing by about 10,000 each year and is estimated to reach 1.2 million by 2020 and 1.3 million by 2030. The reason for the rapid increase in the number of heart failure patients in Japan is the aging of the population. Therefore, machine learning to predict atrial fibrillation is employed in this paper. We conducted a trial using risk assessment of cerebral infarction and other factors. As a result of the analysis, we extracted highly influential evaluation indices for each characteristic of atrial fibrillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the simultaneous effects of oil shocks on stock markets under different regimes in Norway (as an oil-exporting economy) and Japan (as an oil-importing economy). We use a Structural Threshold VAR model and rely on the monetary policy's effectiveness. Our results show that oil shocks, mainly oil demand shocks, are significantly associated with the oil structure of the country (oil-exporting or oil-importing), channels of the effectiveness of the monetary policy, and the stock market regimes. Furthermore, the channel through which the money supply growth affects Norway's economic growth depends on the stock market regimes. Moreover, the results persist for the money growth-inflation nexus. Similarly, the impact of oil demand shocks depends on the Japanese stock market's regime and the monetary policy's effectiveness. Finally, we find that positive output shocks positively affect the stock markets of both countries in the long run regardless of the stock market conditions. In the short run, a positive inflation shock has a negative (positive) impact on Norway (Japan) during bullish and bearish market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When confronted with challenging conditions, becoming innovative by recombining available resources is considered a critical determinant of tourism and hospitality (T&H) SMEs' resilience to risk and staying ahead of rivals. Grounded on the resource-based view theory and dynamic capabilities paradigm, this paper investigates how entrepreneurial bricolage drives the sustained competitive advantage of T&H SMEs despite resource constraints. Following the mixed-methods research design, empirical data from nine in-depth interviews and a survey with 246 T&H SMEs in Japan reveal that differences in strategic management initiatives in the form of risk management and differentiation advantage mediate the positive effects of entrepreneurial bricolage on achieving sustained competitive advantage. Consequently, this paper extends the potential of the dynamic capabilities view as an underlying theory in tourism and hospitality literature. • Discusses the recombining available resources as a critical determinant of organizational resilience on risk management. • Proposes a theoretically-driven model showing how entrepreneurial bricolage enables T&H SMEs to achieve a SCA. • Uncovers entrepreneurial bricolage and risk management functioned as dynamic capabilities to seize and leverage market opportunities. • Extends the potential of the dynamic capabilities view as an underlying theory in tourism and hospitality literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper City (2021), directed by Adrian Francis, is a documentary film that highlights the 70th anniversary of the firebombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945. The film presents three elderly survivors' oral accounts of the firebombing and observes their work as memory activists in a long campaign to compel the Japanese government to publicly memorialize the event in a way commensurate with its enormous devastation. Reflecting on issues of memory and forgetting, Francis intends the film as a way of passing survivors' experiences to audiences, who can help to transfer memory to others and to generations beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active thin film electrochromic or thermochromic coatings have been used in smart windows. However, the current cost of active thin film windows is approximately 10 times that of passive film windows. This paper proposes an inexpensive passive thin metal film for all-season energy savings. The proposed passive thin metal film allows heat to flow preferentially in one direction. Thin metal films attached to glass indoor can absorb solar heat and the solar can radiate the heat to a room and to the glass respectively until thermal equilibrium. Because of the heated metal film against the room, as long as the temperature of the film is higher than that of the room, there is no heat flux from the room to the thin metal film which is called perfect thermal insulation. The 960m2 film was installed in an actual hotel in Japan over 10 years and contributed to reducing the energy cost of air conditioning from 54 million yen to 43 million yen, demonstrating an annual energy savings of 11 million yen (US$0.1 million). This paper briefly describes how the proposed economical passive thin metal film will provide all-season energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the far-reaching impact of the decades-long discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, Japan and States likely to be affected are unequivocally obligated to cooperate under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, nuclear safety conventions and relevant customary international law. The fulfilment of the duty to cooperate, however, encounters two primary challenges in practice: the intrinsic nature of the cooperation is discretionary, while the extrinsic form of the duty is polymorphic. Realising the two challenges that are yet to come, this paper contextualises the fulfilment of the duty to cooperate by proposing a three-dimensional cooperation as the potential pathways, namely bilateral communication, regional cooperative arrangement, and multilateral cooperation through competent international organisations. It makes inquiry into the feasibility and effectiveness of the cooperation based on the fundamental principle of good faith, and concludes that States should actively engage to strike a necessary balance between national interest and common interest to protect human health and the environment under this specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English has a unique perception in Japan. While it is considered as one of the important tools to gain knowledge and success, Japanese society also has its own sentiment and seen it as a language of the elites. This perception heavily influenced the curriculum, teaching methods, and students' motivation in mastering the language. English proficiency in Japan itself, however, is still considered very low. Many argued that the curriculum and the outdated teaching style are the ones to blame. Japanese government have been trying several initiatives to improve its English education quality. In the past few years, nonformal English educations institution and native English teachers has also been increasing in demand, mainly thanks to Tokyo Olympic 2020. The spread of COVID-19, however, brought a lot of new challenges and left the future of English education in jeopardy. This paper is intended to give an overview of how English is perceived by Japanese society, how it is learnt in each educational level, and later how COVID-19 affected the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan welcomes highly educated migrants, but do these migrants stay on in Japan? Drawing on a web survey of 600 immigrant employees working in Japan, this paper evaluates different factors influencing migrants' stay and leave intentions. The results indicate that economic and employment-related reasons have limited impact on migrants' stay intentions. Nationalities also predict migrants' varied willingness to stay in Japan, indicating the blurring boundary between economic and cultural logics of migration. Among all factors, marrying locals provides the strongest incentive to stay, demonstrating again that affective and social ties exercise the most power in anchoring the migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are non-biodegradable substances that can sustain our environment for up to a century. What is more worrying is the incapability of modern technologies to annihilate MPs from om environment. One ramification of MPs is their impact on every kind of life form on this planet, which has been discussed ahead; that is why these substances are surfacing in everyday discussions of scholars and researchers. This paper discusses the overview of the global occurrence, abundance, analysis, and remediation techniques of MPs in the environment. This paper primarily reviews the event and abundance of MPs in coastal sediments and agricultural soil of three major Asian countries, India, China, and Japan. A significant concentration of MPs has been recorded from these countries, which affirms its strong presence and subsequent environmental impacts. Concentrations such as 73,100 MPs/kg in Indian coastal sediments and 42,960 particles/kg in the agricultural soil of China is a solid testimony to prove their massive outbreak in our environment and require urgent attention towards this issue. Conclusions show that human activities, rivers, and plastic mulching on agricultural fields have majorly acted as carriers of MPs towards coastal and terrestrial soil and sediments. Later, based on recorded concentrations and gaps, future research studies are recommended in the concerned domain; a dearth of studies on MPs influencing Indian agricultural soil make a whole sector and its consumer vulnerable to the adverse effects of this emerging contaminant. [Display omitted] • Film & fibre shaped microplastics (MPs) are more abundant in India, China and Japan. • Plastic mulching is the root cause of major MPs pollution in soil and sediment. • Estuarian soil/sediment are more prone to MPs pollution than terrestrial and coastal. • FT-IR is highly used for MPs identification; mass spectrometry & microscopy are least. • MPs work as a vector for metals, PPCPs, surfactants and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2021, the Japanese government decided to release tonnes of radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, a decision that will likely to pose a direct threat to the marine environment of not only Japan, but also the jurisdictional waters of neighboring countries. Legal measures such as litigation against Japan has been an option for the neighboring countries, although they require more time than available, unless interim measure are ordered. Based on a multidisciplinary research approach that integrates open-source research data, authoritative data and conclusions, this paper shows that since the ocean is a complex and changeable system and radionuclides could be redistributed by the ocean currents and eddies, the radioactive wastewater discharge will cause or likely to cause contamination in fish products and fishing grounds and have negative impact on marine life and humans. In response to the widely known skepticism regarding the application and efficiency of international law concerning the 2011 Fukushima Daichii accident, this paper argues that the nuclear law, ocean law and general principles of international law do provide sufficient constraints on the forthcoming radioactive wastewater discharge. Among the IAEA's legal documents, the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and the Convention on Early Notification are the most applicable conventions to the Fukushima radioactive wastewater discharge. Treaty interpretation of the "at sea" element in the London Dumping Convention and its Protocol is crucial to determine the legitimacy of the planned oceanic discharge activity of Japan. In addition, legal characterization of sources of pollution, the place in which the oceanic discharge activity occurred and Japan's substantive and procedural obligation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) will also affect the treaty application in the forthcoming oceanic discharge. This paper proposes that for the international community as a whole, long term (regional and global cooperation) and short-term measures (inter-State cooperation) need to be taken into consideration in order to tackle Japan's decision as well as laying the framework for any similar discharges that could follow Japan's example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study compares Japanese and Western strategic management and other forms of management. The study is based on e-mail interviews with two world-renowned Japanese professors and an American professor who have worked in Japan for a long time, and seven Finnish business leaders who have worked in Japanese or Finnish companies in Japan for a long time. The study provides a concise summary of the differences between Japanese and Western strategic management and other forms of management. The study also describes the spread of management theories and practices between Japan and the USA at different times. The paper concludes by considering why and how Japan and the West could benefit from developing each other's management doctrines together, rather than merely transferring knowledge and practices in one direction as was done in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]