Search

What shapes preferences for income redistribution? Studies find that social identification plays an important role. In this paper, I argue that in-group favoritism generated through income proximity and out-group discrimination stemming from a nation/foreigner cleavage affect redistribution preference. Using data from a survey experiment with 4,002 Japanese citizens, I examined whether priming the poor as recipients of public assistance (or Seikatsu Hogo) generates more (less) support for income redistribution among the poor (the wealthier) and whether priming foreigners as public assistance recipients decreases support for redistribution. Analyses reveal that respondents with annual household income of 5–10 million yen negatively respond to the treatment priming the poor as public assistance recipients. Results also indicate that priming foreigners as public assistance recipients decreases support for redistribution. These findings corroborate previous research that finds evidence from North America and Europe. Analyzing a sample from Japan offers the external validity because the recent rise in income disparity in Japan involves unique characteristics including pauperization of low-income groups without enriching the wealthy. A rapid increase in the inflow of immigrants to Japan necessitates the need to study how Japanese people shape their redistribution preference in response to a growing number of foreign residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the political underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the Japanese Diet and the conditions that allow their participation in the body. The paper addresses the following three research questions: (a) how are people with disabilities represented in contemporary Japan and the EU member states, and what are the differences between them?; (b) why have people with disabilities been underrepresented in Japan? and (c) how do candidates with disabilities but lacking typical political careers become members of the Diet? This paper further discusses the electoral system, political parties' attitudes toward people with disabilities, social and community participation of people with disabilities, and political culture as factors that affect minority groups' participation in the Japanese Diet. Key findings: (a) a comparison with EU member states shows that the underrepresentation of people with disabilities in parliamentary bodies is a common issue; (b) people with disabilities are less involved in traditional political communities and society in general, which hampers their participation in the parliament and (c) in the immediate postwar period disabled Diet members were mainly wounded people with typical political careers, but from the 1990s onwards disabled people without typical political careers became Diet members. Moreover, the proportional electoral system and political parties' stronger commitment to include candidates with disabilities facilitated the increase in disabled membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabinet scandals and minister resignations happen frequently in Japan. In recent years, political opponents and the mass media have approached such cases as occasions for pursuit of the prime minister’s ‘appointive responsibility’. Based on comprehensive source material since 1989 but focusing particularly on 2006–2012, this paper introduces appointive responsibility as an object of critical analysis. Emphasizing that the notion has distinct ideological implications, I pinpoint the rhetorical techniques and strategic rationale underlying appointive responsibility and show that the phenomenon operates in two logically opposed forms. The first form follows a causality principle and presents the prime minister as inappropriately ignorant. The second one operates according to a representative logic and revolves around inappropriate knowledge. Outlining and problematizing both forms, the paper analytically unravels key aspects of a new paradigm of executive leadership and responsibility in Japanese political discourse. The paper contributes to a better qualitative understanding of responsibility constructs in recent Japanese politics and delivers a focused critical examination of appointive responsibility as a key rhetorical vehicle for tapping into frustrated public expectations of political leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural diversity has gained increased validation as a source of greater performance in the context of globalization. This paper examines whether there is an optimum number of foreign coworkers in order to maximize the perceived benefits and minimize the perceived threats of cultural diversity at work. Using a questionnaire survey of 572 Japanese, we found that for perceived benefits of cultural diversity at work, there is no difference between having zero or a token foreign coworker, while more foreign coworkers are associated with moderately higher perceived benefits. For perceived threats, there is a U-shaped relationship whereby interacting with zero or more than three foreign coworkers is linked to higher perceived threats compared to that of only a few foreign coworkers. Our findings reveal that in the Japanese context, interacting with about three foreign coworkers can maximize the perceived benefits while minimizing the perceived threats of cultural diversity in the workplace. Considering diversity in absolute rather than relative terms is an important contribution and implication for business and policy, as Japan and Japanese firms are increasingly dependent on globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores disability disadvantage in Japanese society by analyzing the structure of people's perceptions. Following in part the occupational prestige ranking, a random-sampled postal survey conducted in 2018 in the Southern Kanto District of Japan measured the extent to which respondents thought 33 different bodily conditions were an impediment to aspects of social life (e.g. work, school, and marriage) on a six-point scale. There were 248 valid cases (24.8%) out of the sample of 1,000 persons. Based on the mean scores for each bodily condition, physical and sensory conditions ranked high, psychiatric conditions ranked in the intermediate range, and disfigurements ranked low, as confirmed by multidimensional scaling using Euclidean distance. Alternatively, based on correlations of response patterns as similarity, some clusters of disability types emerged: physical/mental incapacity, mental/physical disorders, and disfigurement. These results indicate the residual social disadvantage for some disability types according to perception in Japan, while suggesting diversity among disabilities both quantitatively and qualitatively. The latter point also implies different corporal meanings attached to different aspects of body function and structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural realists might reasonably predict that foreign policy elites in countries like Japan and Australia would view China's economic and military rise as a potential threat and seek to balance against it. However, the actual policy behaviour of Japanese and Australian policy elites has been quite complex—pushing forward at times, hesitating at others and generally uncertain if an explicit counter-coalition against China through bilateral security cooperation is the right policy path. Why is this? This paper explains the puzzle by focusing on the perceptions of policy-makers regarding the risk of provoking China; entrapment with the other; and entrapment with the United States. The paper demonstrates how policy-makers' concerns regarding entrapment or abandonment related to their mutual US ally—as well as concerns about potentially provoking China—have had an instrumental effect on the degree to which Japan and Australia have strengthened their security commitments to each other. While the rise of China—and the relative decline of US power—has shaped the overall direction of Japan–Australia security ties, such structural imperatives are of course also complicated by how domestic actors think about the tactical aspects of understanding and surviving these structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the current situation and challenges of reshoring in the Japanese manufacturing industry, focusing on the semiconductor industry, which once dominated the world. After a recent document analysis and qualitative interviews with firms' representatives and policymakers, it is apparent that the globalised semiconductor industry is unlikely to reshore to Japan even amid supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A review of Japan's semiconductor-related industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing materials, validated that they are embedded in Asian production networks and need to be optimised within a regionalised production system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Japanese citizens emigrating overseas has been increasing. The total number of overseas Japanese is over 1.3 million, and the number of those who hold permanent residency in other countries hit a record high of 484,150 in 2017. Australia is now the second most popular destination for Japanese permanent residents. What is behind the increase in Japanese emigration, and why has Australia become one of the most popular destinations? In contrast to the common understanding of skilled migration from industrialized countries as being oriented toward better lifestyle, this research found that skilled migrants who left Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima disasters of March 2011 have made their decision due to concerns over present and future risks that became manifested after the disasters. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews, this paper analyzes the socio-political, economic, and environmental risks that prominently emerged in the narratives of emigration decisions. While we still need more case studies to have a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon, our research in Australia suggests that post-3.11 skilled emigration from Japan carries some distinctive characteristics, including a growing sensitivity to risks, a desire for risk aversion, and political awareness among highly educated workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the heyday of the 'Washington Consensus' in the 1980s and 1990s, the Japanese government became an increasingly vocal critic of its market-liberalizing prescriptions. Drawing on documents produced by the Japanese development bureaucracy, this paper analyses the origins of the Washington-Tokyo controversy, and suggests that it provides new insights into the nature of models of economic development. Such models are based on post hoc social constructs interpretations of past events forged in part by development experts, but also by states, which can play a major role in selecting, interpreting and packaging development facts. Washington's 'Anglo-Saxon' model and Tokyo's 'East Asian' model were based on distinct interpretations of development facts, but were not as far apart as they seemed on the surface..We conclude that although development models may draw on local materials, they are also very much global products, constructed in the context of transnational networks and organizational fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2005 the Tokyo Government launched a bank, New Bank Tokyo, with the objective of providing finance to the region’s small businesses. Within 3 years the bank had lost the equivalent of one billion US dollars of tax payers’ money and, amid allegations of incompetence, fraudulent lending and criminal connections, it had to be rescued by its sponsor. In this study I show how the widely acknowledged phenomenon of adverse selection, the ‘lemon’ problem, underlay the failure of New Bank, and moreover, I identify a potential new rationale for the Akerlof process that is not predicted in the literature: reputation risk of the borrower. I conclude that the New Bank project was a suboptimal allocation of financial resources to an imprudent lending institution, which might have been avoided by a better understanding and application of banking theory. My research leads me to believe this paper to be the first academic examination of New Bank’s ruin and the case itself to be the first documented example of a bank that allowed the process of adverse selection to continue until failure. It is a rare opportunity to observe how the lemon problem snowballs if subjected neither to commercial nor parliamentary oversight. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines how diversely organized capitalist societies evolve by analyzing the transformation of Japan's financial system since the 1990s. The banking, securities and insurance, as well as the postal financial institutions changed significantly, but are hardly converging to Anglo-American or ‘liberal market’ models. We contend that Japan's new financial system is best characterized as syncretic, with new, traditional and hybrid forms of practices, organizations and norms coexisting. Syncretism in industry was driven by a distinctive pattern of interest group politics we call syncretization. Strong political leadership, facing serious electoral threats, shifted the policy logic from gradual incremental reforms following traditional interest group dynamics, to rapid reforms that excluded the traditionally powerful interest groups most affected by these reforms. We support the notion that diverse industry outcomes can be complementary to broader political economic reforms that take Japan away from its traditional model, part of a broader ‘convergence towards diversity’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Japan, the history of postoperative chemotherapy for breast cancer started with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), launched in the 1980s. Currently, oral fluoropyrimidine-based regimens indicated for the treatment of breast cancer in Japan include tegafur plus uracil (UFT); tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil (TS-1); doxifluridine; and capecitabine. In particular, UFT represents an important option for long-term treatment because of minimal adverse events and the potential for long-term maintenance of effective plasma concentrations of 5-FU to inhibit micrometastasis after surgery. Therefore, various clinical studies of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with UFT have been conducted in patients with completely resected tumors. Recent studies have shown that UFT prolongs survival after tumor resection in patients with gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. In patients with breast cancer, large clinical trials of UFT-based postoperative chemotherapy conducted in Japan have shown that UFT is useful for the treatment of intermediate-risk patients with no lymph node metastasis. This paper reviews the results of clinical studies of UFT conducted in Japan to assess the therapeutic usefulness of this oral 5-FU. The types of patients most likely to benefit from UFT are discussed on the basis of currently available evidence and a global consensus of treatment recommendations. The optimal timing of endocrine therapy and strategies for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with UFT in patients with breast cancer are also discussed. The Oncologist 2010;15:26-36 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been one of the popular strategies for health promotion. Traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) is one of the most popular CAM practices in the world and there are suggestions that its holistic utilization is important for users to gain its effects for health promotion. In this context, this study investigates the extent to which TEAM users in East Asian countries utilize various modalities of TEAM holistically. It provides a model that explains cross-national differences in the extent of the holistic use of TEAM between China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Using the 2010 East Asian Social Survey, regression models specify the relationship between the holistic use of TEAM and the geographical location (country). The presence of TEAM doctors who hold the comprehensive and exclusive practice rights over TEAM is found to be conducive to the holistic utilization of various TEAM modalities. Thus, Taiwanese and Koreans use TEAM more holistically than Chinese and even more so than Japanese. The result suggests that the manner in which TEAM is institutionalized affect the extent to which TEAM users utilize various TEAM modalities together and potentially the health promotion effects of TEAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During moderate to deep (35–260 km) earthquakes within the Philippine-sea slab along the Ryukyu arc, distinctive later phases after S are observed across the Japanese archipelago for epicentral distances from 1500 to 2200 km, producing anomalous amplification of ground motion in central and northern Japan. Broad-band observations show that these later phases have a faster apparent wave speed (7–9.5 km s−1) than S , and are dominant at low frequencies (0.05–1 Hz), indicating S -wave reflections returned from the upper mantle with strong attenuation for high frequencies. Numerical simulation of seismic wave propagation in 3-D models including subduction of both the Pacific (PAC) and Philippine-sea (PHS) plates reveal the origin of these reflections. The triplicated S wave front from the 410 km discontinuity undergoes wide-angle reflection at the top of the Pacific slab bringing strong amplitudes in a narrow band of epicentral distance near 1500 km. Also, wide-angle S reflections at the 660 km discontinuity are reinforced by refraction when travelling through the high-wave speed Pacific slab; these arrive at the surface beyond 2000 km epicentral distance. The characteristics of the deep mantle reflections and the distribution of large ground motion across Japan due to the reflections are strongly dependent on the source depth and distance to the Ryukyu earthquakes. Tomographic imagery for western Japan indicates loss of the high-wave speed signal of the PAC slab below 200 km depth; the character of the large S reflections and pattern of enhanced ground motions favours a model in which the PAC slab is thinned rather than fully broken. The peculiar pattern of ground motion from Ryukyu earthquakes can be useful for constraining deep slab structures that are difficult to identify based on tomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new absolute archaeointensity data from six archaeological sites situated in the Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The materials studied are well-dated fragments from pottery, ceramic coffins and haniwa artefacts. Their ages range from 160 AD to 675 AD, covering the Late Yayoi and Kofun periods. Rock magnetic experiments suggest the presence of magnetite and/or Ti-magnetite as the main carrier of the remanence, with a possible minor contribution of higher coercivity minerals. After thermal demagnetization experiments, the most magnetically stable samples were selected for archaeointensity analysis performed following the double-heating method proposed by Thellier and modified by Coe. Partial thermoremanent magnetization (pTRM) checks and pTRM tail-checks were performed for monitoring possible chemical alterations during heating. All measurements were corrected for both anisotropy and cooling-rate effects. Successful archaeointensity determinations, following rigorous selection criteria, were obtained for samples from all the investigated archaeological sites. Compared with literature data from Japan, the new high-quality data show significantly lower intensity values. They also reveal possible fast secular variation changes during the Late Yayoi period and very weak geomagnetic intensity field around 630 AD. Such values offer evidence of a possible recurrence of weak intensity field in East Asia, suggesting an ancient recurrence of the West Pacific Anomaly. The new data might change the archaeomagnetic field models interpretations in the area, even though more data are still necessary to better understand the secular variation in Japan and the temporal evolution of the geomagnetic field's behaviour in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to accurately and reliably obtain images of shallow subsurface anomalies within the Earth is important for hazard monitoring and a fundamental understanding of many geologic structures, such as volcanic edifices. In recent years, machine learning (ML) has gained increasing attention as a novel approach for addressing complex problems in the geosciences. Here we present an ML-based inversion method to integrate cosmic-ray muon and gravity data sets for shallow subsurface density imaging at a volcano. Starting with an ensemble of random density anomalies, we use physics-based forward calculations to find the corresponding set of expected gravity and muon attenuation observations. Given a large enough ensemble of synthetic density patterns and observations, the ML algorithm is trained to recognize the expected spatial relations within the synthetic input–output pairs, learning the inherent physical relationships between them. Once trained, the ML algorithm can then interpolate the best-fitting anomalous pattern given data that were not used in training, such as those obtained from field measurements. We test the validity of our ML algorithm using field data from the Showa-Shinzan lava dome (Mt Usu, Japan) and show that our model produces results consistent with those obtained using a more traditional Bayesian joint inversion. Our results are similar to the previously published inversion, and suggest that the Showa-Shinzan lava dome consists of a relatively high-density (2200–2400 km m–3) cylindrical anomaly, about 300 m in diameter. Adding noise to synthetic training and testing data sets shows that, as expected, the ML algorithm is most robust in areas of high sensitivity, as determined by the forward kernels. Overall, we discover that ML offers a viable alternate method to a Bayesian joint inversion when used with gravity and muon data sets for subsurface density imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean bottom distributed acoustic sensing (OBDAS) is emerging as a new measurement method providing dense, high-fidelity and broad-band seismic observations from fibre-optic cables deployed offshore. In this study, we focus on 35.7 km of a linear telecommunication cable located offshore the Sanriku region, Japan, and apply seismic interferometry to obtain a high-resolution 2-D shear wave velocity (VS) model below the cable. We first show that the processing steps applied to 13 d of continuous data prior to computing cross-correlation functions (CCFs) impact the modal content of surface waves. Continuous data pre-processed with 1-bit normalization allow us to retrieve dispersion images with high Scholte-wave energy between 0.5 and 5 Hz, whereas spatial aliasing dominates dispersion images above 3 Hz for non-1-bit CCFs. Moreover, the number of receiver channels considered to compute dispersion images also greatly affects the resolution of extracted surface-wave modes. To better understand the remarkably rich modal nature of OBDAS data (i.e. up to 30 higher modes in some regions), we simulate Scholte-wave dispersion curves for stepwise linear VS gradient media. For soft marine sediments, simulations confirm that a large number of modes can be generated in gradient media. Based on pre-processing and theoretical considerations, we extract surface wave dispersion curves from 1-bit CCFs spanning over 400 channels (i.e. ∼2 km) along the array and invert them to image the subsurface. The 2-D velocity profile generally exhibits slow shear wave velocities near the ocean floor that gradually increase with depth. Lateral variations are also observed. Flat bathymetry regions, where sediments tend to accumulate, reveal a larger number of Scholte-wave modes and lower shallow velocity layers than regions with steeper bathymetry. We also compare and discuss the velocity model with that from a previous study and finally discuss the combined effect of bathymetry and shallow VS layers on earthquake wavefields. Our results provide new constraints on the shallow submarine structure in the area and further demonstrate the potential of OBDAS for high-resolution offshore geophysical prospecting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on people's routine medical care are limited, and understanding the factors associated with medical care avoidance can inform us about the ongoing pandemic.Objectives: We aimed to assess the impact of Japan's state of emergency and stay-at-home policy for COVID-19 on hospital visits and disease exacerbation; we also identified related factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), which included randomly sampled research agency panellists in Japan. Among the 28,000 participants, we included 7,747 respondents who reported having any disease. We described baseline characteristics and avoidance-related hospital visit outcomes. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess the association between chronic diseases and outcomes of hospital visit avoidance.Results: Among 7,747 participants, 17.7% of patients with chronic diseases avoided hospital visits, 2.1% of patients postponed hospitalization or surgery, 4.9% of patients ran out of drug, and 5.3% of patients experienced disease exacerbation during the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May 2020. Exacerbations occurred mostly in participants with mental diseases, chronic pain and headache, and diabetes (OR 3.33 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.51-4.41], 2.83 [95% CI: 2.19-3.66], and 1.53 [95% CI: 1.10-2.13], respectively). Patients with cardiovascular disease or cancer did not experience exacerbation [OR 0.55 (95% CI: 0.31-0.97), 0.79 (95% CI: 0.43-1.45)].Conclusions: The rates of hospital visit avoidance and exacerbation varied among patients with different diseases under the COVID-19 stay-at-home policy in April and May 2020, and disease-specific preparedness may be necessary for the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary basins can strongly amplify seismic waves from earthquakes. To better predict future ground motions, detailed knowledge of the sediment thickness and internal structure of basins is required. We image the sediment-to-bedrock interface of the Kanto Basin in Japan using the P -wave reflectivity response from earthquake and ambient seismic noise autocorrelation functions (ACFs) at 286 shallow borehole stations. Earthquake ACFs are computed using P -wave records from 50  M w 6+ teleseismic events. Noise ACFs are obtained using 1 month of continuous data. Both methods are used to retrieve P -wave traveltimes between the surface and the bedrock interface and map the basin basement geometry. Our prediction of the basement depth agrees generally well with that from a reference velocity model, except for smoother variations in the central part of the basin. Using full-wavefield simulations, we show that the nature of the autocorrelated wavefield has a significant impact on the shape of the ACF waveforms and that earthquake ACFs yield more accurate results in the Kanto Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the detailed spatial and temporal dynamics of plant pathogens can provide valuable information for crop protection strategies. However, the epidemiological characteristics and evolutionary trajectories of pathogens can differ markedly from one country to another. The most widespread and important virus of brassica vegetables, turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), causes serious plant diseases in Japan. We collected 317 isolates of TuMV from Raphanus and Brassica plants throughout Japan over nearly five decades. Genomic sequences from these isolates were combined with published sequences. We identified a total of eighty-eight independent recombination events in Japanese TuMV genomes and found eighty-two recombination-type patterns in Japan. We assessed the evolution of TuMV through space and time using whole and partial genome sequences of both nonrecombinants and recombinants. Our results suggest that TuMV was introduced into Japan after the country emerged from its isolationist policy (1639–1854) in the Edo period and then dispersed to other parts of Japan in the 20th century. The results of our analyses reveal the complex structure of the TuMV population in Japan and emphasize the importance of identifying recombination events in the genome. Our study also provides an example of surveying the epidemiology of a virus that is highly recombinogenic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Maternal diet and sociodemographic factors influence xanthophyll concentration and composition in human milk. However, the importance of dietary patterns regarding the intake of fruits, vegetables, and xanthophylls remains unclear. Objective The aim was to determine the composition of xanthophylls in the human milk of Japanese mothers and explore associations of xanthophylls with dietary and sociodemographic factors. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the early phase of the Japanese Human Milk Study. Xanthophyll content was measured using liquid chromatography at 30–36 d postpartum. Maternal intake of foods, nutrients, and dietary supplements was estimated using a food-frequency questionnaire. Linear regression models were established using xanthophylls, maternal diet, and sociodemographic factors. Results Xanthophyll concentrations were measured in human milk from 118 mothers. The xanthophyll concentration varied among individuals. The median (IQR) concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin were 65.6 ng/mL (51.6–103.4 ng/mL), 18.6 ng/mL (12.9–25.8 ng/mL), and 15.6 ng/mL (9.0–26.0 ng/mL), respectively. In multivariate models, the lutein concentration was associated independently with dietary green vegetables, exclusive breastfeeding, and education (r 2 = 0.153 for the model; β ± SE: 0.468 ± 0.198, 25.048 ± 10.222, and 13.460 ± 6.774; standardized β = 0.210, 0.217, and 0.175; P = 0.019, 0.016, and 0.049 for dietary green vegetables, exclusive breastfeeding, and education, respectively). For zeaxanthin, exclusive breastfeeding was the most appropriate predictor (r 2 = 0.085; β ± SE: 7.811 ± 3.300; standardized β = 0.218; P = 0.020). The highest predictive power for human milk β-cryptoxanthin was obtained with dietary β-cryptoxanthin (r 2 = 0.258; β ± SE: 0.089 ± 0.015; standardized β = 0.468; P < 0.001), attributed to maternal citrus intake. Conclusions β-Cryptoxanthin in human milk was the xanthophyll most influenced by the maternal diet in Japanese women. The β-cryptoxanthin concentration in human milk was reflected by the maternal β-cryptoxanthin intake, mainly attributed to Japanese citrus consumption. This trial was registered in the Japanese Clinical Trials Registry (https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr%5fe/ctr%5fview.cgi?recptno=R000017649) as UMIN000015494. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a major global health burden. This study aims to estimate the all-cause excess mortality occurring in the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, 2020, by sex and age group.Methods: Daily time series of mortality for the period January 2015-December 2020 in all 47 prefectures of Japan were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. A two-stage interrupted time-series design was used to calculate excess mortality. In the first stage, we estimated excess mortality by prefecture using quasi-Poisson regression models in combination with distributed lag non-linear models, adjusting for seasonal and long-term variations, weather conditions and influenza activity. In the second stage, we used a random-effects multivariate meta-analysis to synthesize prefecture-specific estimates at the nationwide level.Results: In 2020, we estimated an all-cause excess mortality of -20 982 deaths [95% empirical confidence intervals (eCI): -38 367 to -5472] in Japan, which corresponded to a percentage excess of -1.7% (95% eCI: -3.1 to -0.5) relative to the expected value. Reduced deaths were observed for both sexes and in all age groups except those aged <60 and 70-79 years.Conclusions: All-cause mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan in 2020 was decreased compared with a historical baseline. Further evaluation of cause-specific excess mortality is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetotelluric (MT) observations have revealed subvertical electrical conductors that extend from shallow depths into the mid-crust at various geothermal zones, active volcanoes and active faults worldwide. These deeply rooted subvertical conductors have typically been interpreted to represent entire zones of dedicated fluid transport through the crust. We estimate the high-resolution 3-D crustal resistivity structure below the Kuju Volcanoes, Japan, using dense observations from 153 broad-band MT measurement sites and 40 telluric measurement sites. The resistivity structure highlights subvertical conductors that merge into a deep conductor to the north of the volcanoes, with deep low-frequency earthquakes occurring near the southeastern edge of this subvertical conductor at 10–30 km depth. This deep conductor branches into several subvertical conductors at 2–10 km depth, coinciding with a shallow zone where tectonic earthquakes rarely occur. The surface expressions of active geothermal areas and past volcanic eruptions are all located above the edges of the conductors at 2–6 km depth. Widespread conductive layers exist around the volcanoes above 2 km depth, and their distribution approximately corresponds to a low-gravity-anomaly zone. We discuss the nature of these subvertical conductors, the potential causes of their complex structure and their relationship to local magmatic fluid transport. These subvertical conductors, a shallow clay-rich layer, developed fracture systems and high-strength solidified magma may all contribute to magmatic fluid transport to the surface at the Kuju Volcanoes. In this study, we add the possibility that the edges of these subvertical conductors act as important magmatic fluid pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most existing research attributes contemporary Japanese emigration to the pursuit of a better lifestyle, recent qualitative studies point out that concern about country risks is a significant driver . We explore Japan's brain-drain potential and factors shaping Japanese skilled workers' interest in emigrating to other countries based on our original survey with an experimental component. We first undertake descriptive analysis using respondents in the (baseline) control group and examine what types of Japanese skilled workers are interested in emigration. We then use respondents in the control and treatment groups to test our preregistered hypotheses regarding the impact of information about Japan's country risks on their attitudes. The results of our descriptive analysis show that respondents with overseas experience and younger respondents are particularly motivated to consider emigration. Another notable finding is that respondents who distrust the government and media are also more likely to consider leaving Japan than those who do not. Furthermore, through our randomized survey experiment, we find that exposure to information about long-term economic risk encourages people to consider living abroad in the future. These results suggest that the brain drain from Japan is likely to continue, pointing to a need for policy actions to tackle it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widely applied hedonic regression approach for the relationship between property prices and housing attributes is subject to assumptions and specifications of models as well as the availability and content of second-hand official data. In a cross-disciplinary spirit, this study employs machine learning techniques to examine hedonic apartment prices in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area of Japan based on online sales data extracted by web-parsing technology. With 14,579 apartment observations, two machine learning regressions—decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF)—are compared to conventional ordinary least squares regression (OLS) for hedonic modelling. Empirical results demonstrated that RF regressions led to the highest accuracy in model prediction performance, followed by DT and OLS. The comparison with results across models revealed that the housing features that have consistent influences on apartment prices tend to be those associated with living quality (including management funds, repair fund fees, floor size, located floor, total floor of the building, and location in Tokyo). Other commonly appreciated features, such as southward orientation or corner-lot location, did not demonstrate importance, possibly due to changes in residents' preferences. In this big-data era, the adaptation of real-time data and machine learning approaches should add value to the variable selection process and model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing research on Japanese security focuses mainly on the nation state and conceives of male elites as the key bearers of relevant knowledge about the phenomenon. This article problematizes these biases by zeroing in on women's everyday-oriented perspectives, which fall outside the scope of security politics as traditionally conceived. More specifically, it analyzes the rich material provided by a survey of the members of three major Japanese women's organizations, using a mixed-method approach premised on statistical methods and qualitative content analysis. The results show that the Japanese women in our sample accommodate and reproduce content from dominant elite views about security and insecurity. However, they also challenge and at times ignore these perspectives by identifying a host of other insecurities as more pressing in their daily lives, notably those related to environmental degradation and Japan's political development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an institutional comparison of 13 major Asian business systems—China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam—with one another and five major Western economies—France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the USA. We find five major types of business systems in Asia: (post-)socialist, advanced city, emerging Southeast Asian, advanced Northeast Asian and Japanese. With the exception of Japan, all Asian forms of capitalism are fundamentally distinct from Western types of capitalism. We conclude that the Varieties of Capitalism (VOC) dichotomy is not applicable to Asia; that none of the existing major frameworks capture all Asian types of capitalism; and that Asian business systems (except Japan) cannot be understood through categories identified in the West. Our analysis further suggests a need for the field to invest in further research on social capital, culture, informality and multiplexity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the background to Japan's current refugee recognition and protection regime in the thematic context of burden-sharing. It considers recent legislative reforms and the role of local NGOs with the aim of setting Japan's domestic protection framework against the background of its international legal obligations. The analysis suggests that the policy and practices of the Japanese government have resulted in the exclusion of many who seek to enter the country and that for those in-country there is inadequate state social and welfare provision. The article questions whether Japan's significant financial contribution can adequately discharge its international burden-sharing responsibilities and argues that the government has effectively shifted responsibility for protection and support to local NGOs. It concludes that without further changes burden-shifting and not burden-sharing will remain a predominant feature of Japan's approach to protecting and providing for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article depicts how anti-parasite and family planning campaigns developed in Japan and Korea independently after the Second World War, as specifically domestic public health initiatives that directly contributed to the post-war reconstruction (Japan) and nation-building (South Korea) exercises, and examines how they were later incorporated into development aid projects from the 1960s. By juxtaposing domestic histories of Japan as a former coloniser, and South Korea as its former colony, the article explores colonial legacies in post-war medical cooperation in East Asia. Furthermore, by clarifying how Japanese and South Korean development aid projects both grew from the links that existed in their respective domestic histories, the article aims to highlight complexities engrained in the history and to shed new light on a historiography that often locates the origins of development aid in colonial history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculated Green's functions of displacements and strains caused by a surface load in surface and subsurface observations. Green's functions of displacements and strains at depth became different from those at the surface for a range of angular distances less than 0.01–0.1°. These Green's functions closely agree with the corresponding Boussinesq approximations for tidal loading at angular distances of less than about 0.01–0.001°. We examined the difference between the ocean tidal loading effect estimated by Green's functions at the surface and the effect for subsurface observations, and found a non-negligible difference when the ratio of distance between the coast and observatory to the deployment depth is smaller than 20. We compared amplitudes and phase shifts of areal and shear strains in the M2 tidal constituent observed by borehole strainmeters at 11 observatories with the theoretical strains using the Green's functions at the deployment depth and those at the surface. The theoretical strains using Green's function at the deployment depth are much closer to the observed strains than theoretical strains at the surface at four observatories where the ratios of distance from the coast to the observatories to the deployment depth are small. These results suggest that Green's functions at the deployment depth are needed to estimate theoretical strains precisely near the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To elucidate the prevalence and risk factors of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Japanese population. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing primary TKA in a Japanese tertiary hospital (211 knees) were assessed. CPSP after TKA was defined as moderate to severe pain (VAS >30mm), either at rest or during walking, one year after surgery. Clinical and radiographic data were compared between CPSP and non-CPSP groups and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of CPSP. Results: The prevalence of CPSP was 8.8%. CPSP group showed significantly higher preoperative WOMAC subscales (pain, function and stiffness), higher rate of postoperative coronal malalignment (femorotibial angle >178° or <170°) and larger varus angle of tibial component compared with non-CPSP group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative higher WOMAC pain and postoperative coronal malalignment were independent risk factors of CPSP. In a subgroup analysis of patients with well-aligned TKA, preoperative pain VAS at rest was the only risk factor of CPSP. Conclusion: Preoperative severe pain and postoperative coronal malalignment were independent risk factors of CPSP after TKA. Preoperative pain management in patients with severe pain and good coronal alignment after TKA possibly minimize the development of CPSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tsunamis are often modelled as surface gravity waves of incompressible homogenous water propagating over a rigid seafloor. Previous studies have noted that when computing long-period tsunamis travelling at trans-oceanic distances with dominant periods of thousands of seconds, we need to consider four factors that are not included in the surface gravity wave theory: compressibility of seawater, density stratification of oceans, elasticity of the Earth and gravitational potential change associated with the tsunami motion. However, their effects on short-period tsunamis with dominant periods below 1000 s have not been examined. Here, we investigate how the four factors influence short-period tsunamis. Theoretical analyses and 1-D simulations using phase speeds of different tsunami models indicate that the resultant phase delay of short-period tsunamis becomes apparent after ∼1000 km propagation, mainly because of the first three factors. We then introduce a new phase correction method for dispersive short-period tsunamis with consideration of period-dependent ray paths and apply it to a 2-D simulation of a short-period tsunami from a submarine volcanic earthquake near Japan in 2015. The correction of the traveltime of a synthetic waveform by including the four factors amounts to ∼40 s at a distant station 1430 km away from the source, whereas the effects of the four factors on the waveforms are negligibly small at stations < ∼500km from the source. The observed traveltime at the ocean bottom pressure (OBP) gauge with a sampling interval at 15 s of the distant station can be explained only when these factors are incorporated into synthetic waveforms, indicating the effects due to the four factors are detectable by high-sampling OBP gauges that are deployed over broad oceanic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possession and use of illegal drugs carry harsh penalties in Japan if an individual is apprehended by authorities. These severe legal restrictions stigmatize drug use while failing to eliminate narcotics from Japan. This makes individual efforts to take on recovery difficult, as admissions of past use are often met with fear and disdain. Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center (DARC) is a Japanese organization that helps individuals work a program based on Narcotics Anonymous (NA), while providing members a place to spend their days free from temptation or judgment. Underestimated in this program is how DARC members drug use is often a symptomatic response to interpersonal trauma and struggles to meet societal expectations of success. I argue here that an NA influenced approach to recovery, typically the only option available to those seeking help in Japan, struggles to acknowledge contextual and societal factors that motivated members to begin using drugs. In doing so, I show the necessity for comprehensive change to the ways in which Japan understands, perceives, and treats those labeled as addicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2011 M w 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake ruptured the subduction megathrust fault in the central Japan Trench. We investigated the aftershock activity in the southern Japan Trench to the south of the main rupture area using ocean bottom seismographs deployed both landward and seaward of the trench. In the trench-outer rise region seaward of the trench axis, we identified several ∼100-km-long linear earthquake trends both parallel and oblique to the southern Japan Trench. The earthquake trend oblique to the southern Japan Trench is a southward extension of the trench-parallel linear earthquake trend in the central to northern Japan Trench. The trench-parallel normal-faults in the trench-outer rise region could extend linearly, despite the change of the trench strike from N–S to NNE–SSW to the south of the main rupture area. Normal-faults oblique to the trench should be considered as substantial parts of large intraplate normal-faulting earthquakes. In addition, intraplate seismicity coinciding with the lower velocity oceanic mantle suggest that the structure heterogeneity would be indicative of normal-faults extending into the mantle. In the trench landward area, earthquake activity showed along-trench variations. Earthquakes along the shallow megathrust interface near the trench were observed south of 37°N. These shallow near-trench regular earthquakes, which are located close to the episodic tremors and temporally correlated with the tremor activities, suggest that the afterslip on the plate interface likely extended to the shallow plate interface close to the trench axis. Smaller spatial scale structure heterogeneity, such as the thickness variation in the channel-like low-velocity sedimentary unit, likely relate to the proximity of the regular earthquakes and slow slip which results in the formation of diverse slip behaviours in the shallow subduction zone of the southern Japan Trench. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P -wave velocity (Vp) is an important parameter for constructing seismic velocity models of the subsurface structures by using microtremors and earthquake ground motions or any other geophysical exploration data. In order to reflect the ground survey information in Japan to the Vp structure, we investigated the relationships among Vs, Vp and depth by using PS-logging data at all K-NET and KiK-net sites. Vp values are concentrated at around 500 and 1500 m s–1 when Vs is lower than 1000 m s–1, where these concentrated areas show two distinctive characteristics of unsaturated and saturated soil, respectively. Many Vp values in the layer shallower than 4 m are around 500 m s–1, which suggests the dominance of unsaturated soil, while many Vp values in the layer deeper than 4 m are larger than 1500 m s–1, which suggests the dominance of saturated soil there. We also investigated those relationships for different soil types at K-NET sites. Although each soil type has its own depth range, all soil types show similar relationships among Vs, Vp and depth. Then, considering the depth profile of Vp , we divided the data set into two by the depth, which is shallower or deeper than 4 m and calculated the geometrical mean of Vp and the geometrical standard deviation in every Vs bins of 200 m s–1. Finally, we obtained the regression curves for the average and standard deviation of Vp estimated from Vs to get the Vp conversion functions from Vs , which can be applied to a wide Vs range. We also obtained the regression curves for two data sets with Vp lower and higher than 1200 m s–1. These regression curves can be applied when the groundwater level is known. In addition, we obtained the regression curves for density from Vs or Vp. An example of the application for those relationships in the velocity inversion is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The March 2011 nuclear accident (3.11) shook Japan's nuclear energy policy to its core. In 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) returned to government with a pro-nuclear policy and the intention to swiftly restart nuclear power plants. In 2020, however, only six nuclear reactors were in operation. Why has the progress of nuclear restarts been so slow despite apparent political support? This article investigates the process of restarting nuclear power plants. The key finding is that the 'nuclear village', centered on the LDP, Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, and the nuclear industry, which previously controlled both nuclear policy goal-setting and implementation, remained in charge of policy decision making, i.e. goal-setting, but lost policy implementation power to an extended conflict over nuclear reactor restarts. The main factors that changed the politics of nuclear reactor restarts are Japan's new nuclear safety agency, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), and a substantial increase in the number of citizens' class-action lawsuits against nuclear reactors. These findings highlight the importance of assessing both decision making and implementation in assessments of policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'sharing economy' epitomized by Airbnb and Uber has challenged business, labor, and regulatory institutions throughout the world. The arrival of Airbnb and Uber in Japan provided an opportunity for Prime Minister Abe's administration to demonstrate its commitment to deregulation. Both platform companies garnered support from powerful governmental and industry actors who framed the sharing economy as a solution to various economic and social problems. However, they met resistance from actors elsewhere in government, the private sector, and civil society, who constructed competing frames. Unlike studies that compare national responses to the sharing economy, we contrast the different experiences and fates of Airbnb and Uber within a single country. Doing so highlights actors, framing processes, and within-country heterogeneity. The study reveals the limits of overly institutionalized understandings of Japanese political economy. It also contributes to current debates concerning Prime Minister Abe's efforts at implementing deregulation during the 2010s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is a country known both for its devastating natural disasters and its high level of community preparedness. However, while demographic pressures stemming from an aging society have led to a growing foreign population, scholars have paid little attention to understanding the levels of disaster preparedness exhibited by this group. Using representative data from the 2015 Nagoya City Foreign Resident Survey, this article is the first to explore variations in household disaster preparedness among Japan's foreign residents. Although numerous factors were found to affect preparedness, the most important appear to be national origin, experience with disaster training, and exposure to disaster information. Japanese language proficiency, perhaps surprisingly, was of minor importance. We thus argue that a person's cultural background and their exposure to information about local hazards affect their ability to identify and assess risk, which increases the likelihood that they will prepare their household for emergencies. This study not only provides insight into what might drive preparedness activities within foreign populations but also helps explain how migrants obtain disaster information. Its main implication is that Japan's disparate migrant populations require a strategically varied approach when considering interventions to address disaster vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates various types of seismicity changes that occurred in several regions in and around the Tohoku District, prior to the 2011 M 9.0 Tohoku–Oki earthquake. In particular, we focus on the seismicity anomalies that were revealed not only in inland local areas but also in a wide area for several years before the 2008 M 7.2 earthquake in the inland Tohoku District. We reconsider these seismicity anomalies in nearly identical regions, which persisted in the extended period up until the M9 mega event. This suggests that the stress changes due to transient slow slips on the Pacific Plate boundary are more likely to be the cause of the wider seismicity changes than the slips beneath the inland earthquake. To confirm the significance, we use the two-stage stationary epidemic-type aftershock sequence model and explore the relationship between seismicity changes and stress rate changes due to slow slip by means of global navigation satellite system geodetic observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Japanese discipline of international relations has been understood as a product of interaction with its Western other, formed and developed much like Japanese contested identity. But although much attention has been paid to how the discipline emerged and evolved, very little has been written about how the discipline looks now. To remedy that, we apply a sociology of knowledge perspective to find out whether the Japanese discipline of IR does still possess distinct qualities or whether there has been growing influence from its Euro-American counterpart. We proceed in two steps: (a) We analyze 175 articles from the Japanese language IR journals Kokusai seiji , Kokusai mondai , Kokusai anzen hoshō , Heiwa kenkyū , Ajia kenkyū , Revaiasan and Nenpō seijigaku , and dissect them according to topics, focus, author background and theories/methods used; (b) We conduct four case studies of IR education at Japanese universities to demonstrate how the discipline is taught, with a focus on lecturer background, experience and syllabus composition. Our findings suggest that although there remains a preoccupation with diplomatic history, loose methodology and either realist or atheoretical studies, there is a clear trend of convergence toward Euro-American standards, especially in university education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite-derived gravity data offer a novel perspective for understanding the physics of megathrust earthquakes at subduction zones. Nonetheless, their temporal resolution and observational errors make it difficult to discern the different phases of the seismic cycle, as the elastostatic deformation (coseismic) and the stress relaxation by viscous flow (post-seismic). To overcome these difficulties and to take advantage of the physical constraints on the temporal evolution and on the spatial pattern of the earthquake-induced gravity disturbances, we have jointly estimated the fault slip of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the rheological stratification by means of a Bayesian inversion of GRACE data time-series and within the framework of spherically symmetric self-gravitating compressible viscoelastic earth models. This approach, in addition to improve the exploitation of satellite-derived gravity data, allows us (i) to constrain the fault slip taking advantage of information from both the co- and post-seismic signatures and (ii) to investigate the trade-off between the fault slip and the shallow rheological stratification. In this respect, it can be used to improve the modelling of crustal displacements from GPS data, even if their higher accuracy and temporal resolution allow to discriminate well the coseismic signature from the others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although tax policies in Japan and South Korea have notably changed over recent decades, few studies have thoroughly examined the nature of these changes. Building on the average effective tax rates developed by Mendoza et al. (1994) and OECD researchers (Carey and Tchilinguirian 2000 ; Carey and Rabesona 2003) and extending and revising their original data, this study analyzes the structure of tax burdens in these two countries over 1995–2015. In particular, it examines the scholarly claim that taxation in these countries has become increasingly neoliberal over recent decades. The author finds insufficient evidence to support fiscal neoliberalism as race-to-the-bottom cuts in public taxation. Future studies may conduct in-depth comparative and case analyses to better understand the nature of the new tax structure emerging in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's primary objective of the 'free and open Indo-Pacific' (FOIP) strategy is to shape and consolidate regional order in the Indo-Pacific region based on the existing rules-based international order. The concept initially aimed to achieve two different objectives—shaping a regional order in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring the defence of Japan; however, Japan has gradually shifted its strategic focus onto the former, separating national defence from the FOIP concept, which reflects a change in the degree of its commitment to the two objectives. On the one hand, as its overall security strategy, Japan has determined to steadily enhance its national defence by increasing its own defence capabilities and strengthening the US–Japan alliance, while transforming its partnerships with like-minded states, such as Australia and India, into a diplomatic, and potentially military, alignment. This has been brought about by shifts in the regional balance of power, particularly the rise of China and the relative decline of the United States. On the other hand, as part of its FOIP strategy, Japan's attempts to build a new regional order in the Indo-Pacific region aim to defend the existing rules-based order established by the United States from challengers, particularly China. Yet, given the strategic uncertainty over Japan's international coalition-building efforts to create a new regional order, Japan has made its approach flexible; Tokyo is using its ambiguous FOIP concept to gauge other states' responses, understand their perspectives, and change its strategic emphases accordingly—so-called 'tactical hedging'. Japan has pursued similar means to achieve the two key objectives. Nevertheless, the country's core interest, the defence of Japan, is more imperative than building a regional order in the Indo-Pacific region, and Japan faces different types of challenges in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedge fund activism has been identified in the USA as a driver of enduring corporate governance change and market perception. We investigate this claim in an empirical study to see whether activism produced similar results in Japan in four representative areas: management effectiveness, managerial decisions, labour management and market perception. Experience from the USA would predict positive changes at Japanese target companies in these four areas. However, analysis of financial data shows that no enduring changes were apparent in the first three areas, and that market perception was consistently unfavourable. Our findings demonstrate that the same pressures need not produce the same results in different markets. Moreover, while the effects of the global financial crisis should not be ignored, we conclude that the country-level differences in corporate governance identified in the varieties of capitalism literature are robust, at least in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study examines relationships between municipal age structure and two types of self-rated health: general (SRH) and comparison with similar-aged peers (C-SRH). Methods Using a national sample of almost 5,000 Japanese older adults over two decades, we employ hierarchical growth curve models to estimate health trajectories. For municipal age structure, we consider both the relative prevalence of elderly adults in the local population and the pace of aging over time. Results Living in the oldest municipalities was generally associated with worse health, particularly between the ages of 70 and 80 years. For SRH, the speed of municipal population aging was also independently associated with worse health. For C-SRH, worse health in older areas was partially explained by less favorable economic conditions in those municipalities. Results also suggest that higher levels of employment and social integration among older adults living in the oldest municipalities operate in the opposite direction. That is, these attributes partially "protect" individuals from other factors that contribute to worse health. Discussion Relative differences in municipal age structure and the pace of population aging are largely unexplored and potentially important correlates of older adult health. This line of research is increasingly salient in a world with substantial and growing regional variation in population aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated concomitant methotrexate (MTX) dose on tofacitinib efficacy/safety in Japanese RA patients. Methods: This post hoc analysis pooled data from a 3-month phase 2 study (NCT00603512) and a 24-month phase 3 study (NCT00847613). Patients (N¼ 254) received tofacitinib (low-dose (1 or 3mg), 5 mg, 10 mg) twice daily (BID) or placebo, with low-dose (>0 to 8mg/week) or high-dose (>8mg/week) MTX. Efficacy (ACR20/50/70 and DAS28-4 (ESR)<2.6 response rates; changes from baseline (CFB) in DAS28-4 (ESR) and HAQ-DI) and safety (adverse events (AEs), discontinuations due to AEs, serious AEs, and deaths) were assessed through month 3. Results: At month 3, ACR20/50/70 response rates, mean DAS28-4 (ESR) CFB and HAQ-DI CFB were similar across MTX doses and generally greater for all tofacitinib doses versus placebo. AE rates with low-dose/high-dose MTX were: placebo, 28.6%/52.9%; tofacitinib low-dose, 50.0%/66.7%; 5mg BID, 56.5%/64.3%; 10mg BID, 73.8%/67.7%. Conclusion: Tofacitinib efficacy in Japanese RA patients may be unaffected by background MTX dose. AE rates with low-dose versus high-dose MTX were lower with placebo, tofacitinib low-dose or 5mg BID, but not 10mg BID, with no apparent differences across system organ class/laboratory parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic tomography inverse problems are among the largest high-dimensional parameter estimation tasks in Earth science. Although iterative algorithms can be used to efficiently solve these problems, their size gives rise to several issues such as the intractability of the computation of the model resolution and the model posterior covariance matrices that provide the means of assessing the robustness of the solution. In this work, we utilize methods from combinatorics and graph theory to study the structure of typical regional seismic body-wave tomography problems, and to effectively decompose them into subsets that can be solved efficiently by means of the least squares method. In combination with recent high performance direct sparse algorithms, this reduction in dimensionality allows for an efficient computation of the model resolution and covariance matrices using limited resources. We apply this methodology to a moderate size imaging of the structure of the crust and the upper mantle beneath Japan using deep local earthquakes recorded by the High Sensitivity Seismograph Network stations. Among the prominent features that are being imaged is a strong low-velocity region beneath the subducting Pacific slab along the entire Japan trench. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on reflexive engagement with aspects of Japanese criminal justice can reveal points of congruence through which taken-forgranted understandings of Western criminal justice processes may be questioned, critiqued and enriched. It mentions that cultural criminology posited that crime and crime control are both creative constructs that must be placed in the contexts offered by culture.

Japan's aging population and increasing medical costs threaten the sustainability of its healthcare system. Society 5.0, Japan's growth strategy, calls for a paradigm shift in healthcare based on digital technology. Health is a topic of great public concern, and diet and nutrition are at the heart of health. Many different values are used to define health, and Society 5.0 focuses on creating personalized values for different styles of eating and health. Health is already at the core of global business, and Japan, which is ahead of the rest of the world in its super-aging society, has a unique opportunity to be the first to create new business solutions for diet and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the history of the care of the mentally ill at Iwakura, a site in northeast Kyoto in Japan where two large psychiatric hospitals now stand. Long a topic of research in Japan, Iwakura reflects a peculiar spatial arrangement common in Japan in which psychiatric hospitals came to be established near religious sites associated with care of the mentally ill in the pre-modern period. In the early twentieth century, Japan's first generation of psychiatrists began to celebrate Iwakura as offering an indigenous form of 'family care', then the object of considerable discussion among psychiatrists and others in Europe and North America. I argue that the valorisation of Iwakura as offering a mode of care that was simultaneously 'traditional' and 'progressive' reflects the struggle to establish psychiatric institutions that involved local economic interests, public policy, and members of the new psychiatric discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]