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Aims/Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing rapidly in Japan, and diabetic neuropathy is a major factor decreasing diabetic patients' quality of life, as well as a risk factor for sudden death. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of diabetic neuropathy and raise awareness about it among patients and their physicians. Materials and Methods: Diabetic outpatients ( N = 5077) at 249 medical institutions within Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, were surveyed by questionnaire and underwent foot examinations. The questionnaire included 10 questions about sensory abnormalities of both feet, muscle cramps and autonomic symptoms. Foot examinations included testing for vibratory perception of the medial malleolus, Achilles tendon reflexes and touch sensation of the bottom of the great toe using tissue paper. Results: Of the 5077 patients surveyed, 70.4% reported symptoms. Overall, 75.4% of the patients underwent vibratory perception testing, of whom 44.9% had abnormal thresholds (≤10 s). On the tissue paper touch test, performed in 94.6% of patients, 11.9% had no touch sensation. Of the 2803 type 2 diabetic patients with known background factors who underwent foot examinations, 49.4% had diabetic neuropathy. There was a high prevalence of diabetic neuropathy (36.1%) in patients with <5-year history. Of the patients with no touch sensation on the tissue paper test, 81.3% had diabetic neuropathy. Conclusions: The present study identified the prevalence of diabetic neuropathy in Kanagawa Prefecture. The tissue paper test is a simple and excellent method of evaluating decreased superficial sensation that can help evaluate the severity of diabetic neuropathy. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2011.00174.x, 2011) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake swarms are most commonly composed of small‐magnitude earthquakes. However, a recent study by Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) analyzed a swarm beneath the Noto Peninsula in Japan that, after more than two years of moderate‐magnitude seismicity, triggered the moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 Suzu mainshock in May 2023. Based on high‐precision earthquake locations and a slip inversion of the mainshock, these authors found that the Mw 6.2 Suzu earthquake occurred on the updip extension of a fault that was active during the swarm, likely driven by increased fluid pressure. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby on 1 January 2024. These events underscore the potential for swarms to be precursors to large, damaging earthquakes. Forecasting the eventual evolution of swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Plain Language Summary: Although earthquake swarms often only contain small earthquakes, occasionally they can trigger large, damaging earthquakes. Yoshida, Uchida, et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106023) examined the triggering of a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Japan, which caused extensive damage, following two years of smaller earthquakes. This sequence, like many swarms, may have been driven by elevated fluid pressure migrating upwards within the crust. After publication of that paper, a much larger and more destructive Mw 7.5 event occurred nearby. Forecasting the eventual evolution of ongoing swarms is currently very challenging but could be aided in the future by new observations and models. Key Points: Earthquake swarms can be precursors to damaging earthquakes, including the 1 January 2024, Mw 7.5 Noto Peninsula, Japan eventFluid pressure changes often drive swarm activity, and their degree of confinement may influence swarm evolutionDirect observations of fluids in fault zones combined with numerical modeling may aid swarm forecasting in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research activities would be better served if they were communicated in a manner that is openly accessible to the public and all researchers. The research we share is often limited to representative data included in research papers—science would be much more efficient if all reproducible research data were shared alongside detailed methods and protocols, in the paradigm called Open Science. On the other hand, one primary function of research journals is to select manuscripts of good quality, verify the authenticity of the data and its impact, and deliver to the appropriate audience for critical evaluation and verification. In the current paradigm, where publication in a subset of journals is intimately linked to research evaluation, a hypercompetitive "market" has emerged where authors compete to access a limited number of top‐tier journals, leading to high rejection rates. Competition among publishers and scientific journals for market dominance resulted in an increase in both the number of journals and the cost of publishing and accessing scientific papers. Here we summarize the current problems and potential solutions from the development of AI technology discussed in the seminar at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, structural control is widely recognized as a fundamental technology for exceeding the performance limitations of conventional earthquake/wind‐resistant buildings. Over the last three decades, research and development (R & D) has been implemented in construction, mechanical industries, and universities. Additionally, many types of control strategies have been proposed through theoretical, experimental, and numerical investigations. In comparison with other countries, Japan has successfully and rapidly developed remarkable engineering applications for actual buildings using advanced structural control technologies, because Japanese construction companies promote R & D in cooperation with mechanical industries, structural design offices, and universities. This review paper introduces the recent structural control advances in Japan. The state‐of‐the‐art report is based on papers published by the Architectural Institute of Japan, the Proceedings of the 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, articles published in a structural engineering magazine, the special theme sessions at the 7th World Conference on Structural Control and Monitoring, and other relevant information. The key research directions are the simplification of control laws and mechanical devices, high performance with either little or no energy supply, device magnification, use of structural frames and substructures, new materials, adaptability, and cautious uses serving various purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents tools that help researchers implement the processes of data-led studies of upper-atmospheric phenomena. These tools were developed as a part of the activities of the Inter-university Upper atmosphere Global Observation NETwork (IUGONET) of Japan, which is a project to develop infrastructure for upper-atmospheric research data. This paper focuses on the data service named IUGONET Type-A, which was launched in October 2016 and has since evolved. In addition to being a conventional metadata catalogue, it has many other useful functions: an easy cross-searching system, a quick-look data-plotting procedure, an interactive data visualization system named UDAS web, and strong linkage with analysis software. Users can pick up relevant data from a huge number of data sets using either lists categorized by instruments/projects, observed regions and special campaigns or a world map of observatories. Users can quickly find the time, location and nature of phenomena that occurred by comparing the quick-look plots of various data displayed by the browser. UDAS web allows researchers to interactively create stacked plots of various data types that can facilitate the understanding of the relationships among phenomena observed in different regions. Furthermore, it presents a command list for software dedicated to data analysis that can smoothly lead users to perform detailed analyses. IUGONET Type-A provides a one-stop data service that can assist users in searching, examining and comprehending data for advanced analysis. It is also capable of handling old data, including analogue data and written paper documents. Thus, it will provide useful support for innovative interdisciplinary scientific research on solar-terrestrial phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

This paper is part of a study that plans to extract the characteristics of an architectural theory by the architect Jun Itami (1937–2011), based on all accessible texts from his writings throughout his life. According to this study, three major concepts constitute his architectural theory: 【Joseon period】, 【Korea】, and 【Contemporary Japan】. In this paper, three of the four concepts constituting 【Contemporary Japan】, namely, 《Nature》, 《Human spirit》, and 《Cities》are examined. Each item is further divided into subitems and sequentially examined for clarifying the following points. Within 【Contemporary Japan】, as industrialization and internationalization occur, spatial and temporal boundaries are eroded, and daily life changes day by day along with 《Architecture》; humanity has become increasingly isolated from 《Nature》, 《Architecture》, and 《Cities》. Itami approaches 《Nature》, 《Human spirit》, and 《Cities》 from his own perspective while presenting his awareness of issues relating to 《Cities》and examining the relationship between 《Nature》 and 《Architecture》 from various angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

In this paper, the survey conducted by the government aimed at collecting fundamental statistics on housing is referred to as the "national housing statistics survey." The purpose of this study is to clarify the background of the discussions on the national housing statistics survey in Japan and how these discussions were linked to the actual survey. Previous studies have recognized two surveys in 1941, the "Housing Survey of Industrial Cities" and the "Housing Survey of Larger Cities" as the first national housing statistical surveys in Japan, and revealed the background to how both surveys were conducted. In contrast, this paper also focused on the discussions that ensued between the 1920s and 1930s, and discovered that discussions on obtaining national housing statistics began in 1923, and Japanese researchers intended to include housing‐related items in the 1930 National Census. However, its implementation was incomplete owing to a lack of funds, and only the number of rooms was investigated. The results of the discussions up to 1930 were reflected in the discussions around 1940, and two surveys with many items were conducted to understand the actual detailed conditions of the houses existing in the "industrial cities" and "larger cities" where munitions industries were concentrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, a countermeasure was announced against the Nankai Trough long‐period and long‐duration ground motions (LPGMs) in Japan. However, the response spectrum method (RSM), indicated by the Ministry of Construction notification Vol. 2009 (MCN), was out of the countermeasure. An RSM considering characteristic changes due to repeated deformations has also been proposed. However, since the damping correction formula of MCN was used, its applicability to LPMGs has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper, a method is proposed to evaluate the influence of characteristic changes due to repeated deformations using RSM for LPGMs and seismically isolated buildings using the lead plug‐inserted laminated rubber (LRB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity‐based working (ABW) is attracting attention as a new style of working to improve workplace productivity in Japan. The purpose of this study is to clarify the changes in the working style of office workers by implementation of ABW. In this paper, a questionnaire survey was conducted in a research facility; once before the ABW renovation and twice after the renovation. We found that accustoming to the ABW leads to changes in the style of working, such as the choice of seats, and that being able to work where you want to work leads to increased workplace productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests the claim that insurers often engage in risk‐shifting years before the materialization of a failure. It compares the mechanisms of insurance insolvency across different jurisdictions, using a first‐of‐its‐kind international database assembled by the authors, merging individual financial data together with information on impairments over the last 30 years in four of the largest insurance markets in the world (France, Japan, the UK, and the United States). Results show evidence that low profitability is a leading indicator of failures. Further, there is an asymmetry between life insurance, where bond investment is highly significant, and nonlife insurance sectors, where operating inefficiency plays a larger role. Moreover, this paper highlights differences across countries: a stronger reaction to operating inefficiency in nonlife insurance in France and a less positive impact of bond investment in life insurance in Japan. Both results are linked to differences in the functioning of insurance markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first investigates emergency transportation for power recovery in post‐disaster. The problem is formulated as a mixed‐integer linear programming model called vehicle routing problem with charging relief (VRPCR). The battery state of charge (SoC$SoC$) implies the working hours that the battery can provide. The goal is to make a set of shelters charge before the battery SoC$SoC$ of shelters reaches the minimum bound over time. To this end, a two‐stage algorithm is developed to deal with the problem. In stage I, a reduced road network is obtained from a leading road network by the A‐star search algorithm. Subsequently, to determine the order of power delivery with charging operations at shelters by enhanced genetic algorithm (EGA) in stage II. To evaluate this strategy, the detailed complexity analysis of the three algorithms and results tested on a realistic disaster scenario shows the performance of the A‐star search algorithm for VRPCR that outperforms the Dijkstra and Floyd algorithms. In addition, the EGA is applied to Solomon's benchmarks compared with the state‐of‐the‐art heuristic algorithms, which indicates a better performance of EGA. A real case obtained from a disaster scenario in Ichihara City, Japan is also conducted. Simulation results demonstrate that the method can achieve satisfactory solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma‐ray glows are observational evidence of relativistic electron acceleration due to the electric field in thunderclouds. However, it is yet to be understood whether such relativistic electrons contribute to the initiation of lightning discharges. To tackle this question, we started the citizen science "Thundercloud Project," where we map radiation measurements of glows from winter thunderclouds along Japan's sea coast area. We developed and deployed 58 compact gamma‐ray monitors at the end of 2021. On 30 December 2021, five monitors simultaneously detected a glow with its radiation distribution horizontally extending for 2 km. The glow terminated coinciding with a lightning flash at 04:08:34 JST, which was recorded by the two radio‐band lightning mapping systems, FALMA and DALMA. The initial discharges during the preliminary breakdown started above the glow, that is, in vicinity of the electron acceleration site. This result provides one example of possible connections between electron acceleration and lightning initiation. Plain Language Summary: Thunderstorms are natural particle accelerators. The strong electric field inside thunderclouds accelerates relativistic electrons, which emit gamma rays via interaction with the atmosphere. High‐energy photons generated in this process have been observed as radiation enhancements called gamma‐ray glows. Winter thunderclouds along the sea of Japan are an ideal target for monitoring glows because their altitudes are usually sufficiently low for the generated gamma‐ray photons to reach the ground. We started a new citizen science "Thundercloud Project" in this area, where we distributed radiation detectors to citizen supporters to observe glows and to reveal their relationship with the aerological condition and lightning discharges. On 30 December 2021, five of those sensors detected a glow from a single thundercloud. Two of them recorded a sudden termination of the glow coinciding with a lightning flash, which was monitored by our two radio mapping systems of FALMA and DALMA. The initial discharges of the flash started at a location about 1.6 km above the glow region with an unusually fast downward progression. This paper is the first report of our citizen science project. We discuss the possibility that accelerated electrons contribute to the initiation of lightning discharges. Key Points: We started the citizen science "Thundercloud Project," a multi‐point observation campaign of gamma‐ray glows from thunderstormsOn 30 December 2021, five radiation monitors detected a 2‐km‐long size gamma‐ray glow, which suddenly terminated with a lightning flashTwo radio mapping systems of lightning identified the initiation of the discharges, which started at a location above the glow region [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to clarify the actual design specifications of buildings to plan future energy conservation measures. This paper focuses on the single‐purpose office buildings built in the financial year of 2018 and analyses the data on building envelope and equipment specifications from the calculation program to confirm compliance with the building energy code. This paper shows that the office buildings can be classified into five groups according to the evaluation index of the building energy code and identifies the standard design specifications of building envelope, air‐conditioning system, lighting system, and solar power generation for each group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality scholarly research outputs, such as peer reviewed journal articles published in reputable journals, are essential for early career researchers' (ECRs) vocational success while also offering benefits for their institutions. Research outputs destined for audiences beyond academia are also increasingly valued by funders, end users, and tertiary institutions. While there is an expectation that ECRs may create diverse research outputs for an array of audiences, the kinds of research output texts produced by ECRs for varied audiences warrants further investigation. In addition, the routes of dissemination that ECRs use to share their academic research outputs to secure impact beyond academia are not well understood. Drawing on semi‐structured interviews of 30 respondents in Australia and Japan, we explore the research‐sharing practices of ECRs, finding that ECRs may potentially create a wide range of research‐informed texts for end users beyond academia, using an array of methods for dissemination. The examples of the output text types and dissemination routes we provide in this paper can be used to inspire ECRs and also more senior academics to share their research more broadly, and perhaps more effectively, and can be used by publishers to improve research impact and support ECRs' research translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti‐vaccination movement is dangerous because of its influence on vaccine hesitancy. Nowadays, social media platforms become significant sources of anti‐vaccination information; therefore, combating their proliferation needs to be addressed by the relevant authorities. Previous studies suggested two policies to mitigate the negative influence of anti‐vaccination information online: attaching caution banners from healthcare authorities and engaging in censorship of anti‐vaccine supporting information providers. However, these recommendations were obtained without considering how the users form their sentiments. In this paper, we explore the influence of the existing network of vaccination‐related Facebook pages on an individual user's vaccination sentiment using agent‐based modelling (ABM). We use the ABM implementation of the Zaller model to convert the user's information consumption to their vaccination sentiment. Our simulation results show that the application of the two policies leads to improved sentiment on vaccination, reinforcing existing suggestions obtained by different methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1974 trade act substantially increased the executive branch's authority in trade negotiations through the granting of fast‐track and Section 301 authority. This paper evaluates the effect on U.S. voting behavior resulting from trade with Japan over 1976–1992 time period. To capture U.S. trade exposures to Japan, we develop the Bartik index from Autor et al. (2013) for import competition with Japan and show that local exposure to import competition had statistically significant negative impacts on Republican presidential candidates over the 1976–1984 period. Although the second Reagan administration used Section 301 to open Japan's markets and Japanese firms shifted production to the United States, job‐creation effects of exports and foreign direct investment did not have any influence on voting outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's fine ceramics (advanced ceramics) industry, which reached US$30 billion of production in 2018 (an annual growth rate of 6.3%), accounts for 40% of the global market. The mission of the Japan Fine Ceramics Association (JFCA), which consists of 116 corporate members related to fine ceramics, is to further promote the development of this industry. In this paper, we describe the recent trends of fine ceramics industry and the latest JFCA's activities, including the publication of the FC Roadmap 2050 (2021 edition). This roadmap addresses fine ceramics technologies and products that will meet increasingly diverse needs of society, market, and industry in the year 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

To comprehensively investigate how regional household contribute to national carbon emission, this paper evaluates both the direct and indirect Japanese household carbon‐based emissions by using an environmentally extended input‐output table as well as the regional household consumption inventory. The results indicate that the household sector is the key driving force behind Japan's emissions, and it accounts for approximately 80% of the country's total emissions when indirect emissions are included. Moreover, significant regional differences exist in terms of the carbon footprint, which is in part caused by household and fuel‐type differences found across the country. Finally, this paper suggests that the impact of regional household and fuel‐type differences on Japan's overall carbon footprint should be a primary focus when practitioners design customized strategies to decarbonize Japan at the subnational scale. Plain Language Summary: As the major emitters of Greenhouse Gases, households release emissions both directly through combusting fossil fuels, and indirectly through by consuming goods or service. Carbon footprint represents how a household can impact the environment in both ways. Here, household lifestyles have major ramifications on the environment, and lifestyle choices may impact on the carbon footprint gap among different population groups. Our results show that households are responsible for approximately 80% of the country's total emissions. An increment of 4.19 t‐CO2 has been found at per capita level from direct to total accounting. Moreover, significant regional differences exist in terms of the carbon footprint by fuel‐type differences. We suggest that the impact of regional household and fuel‐type differences on Japan's carbon overall footprint should be a primary focus when practitioners design customized strategies to decarbonize Japan at the sub‐national scale. Key Points: This paper evaluates both the direct and indirect Japanese household carbon‐based emissions by fuel typesIndirect emission accounts for approximately 80% of the changes in terms of the country's total emissionsSignificant regional differences exist on household carbon footprint, which caused by fuel‐type consumption differences across the country [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

This paper analyzes the benefits and problems of the early involvement contractor into projects and the use of project managers from the perspective of each stakeholder. Interviews were conducted with clients, architects, general contractors, and outsourced owner's representative firm as a PM/CM consultants to compare each stakeholder's responses regarding the early involvement of general contractors into projects and the use of outsourced owner's representatives to identify the benefits and problems. The possibility that these two trends can coexist and complement each other's issues was indicated and the characteristics of the expected role of outsourced owner's representatives in Japan were also pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, natural disasters have historically caused massive damage, and the importance of emergency temporary housing is increasing. In this paper, the summer thermal environment at the Shirahata temporary housing site in Kousa Town was assessed. The site was constructed following the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. The site was improved by applying a design methodology called "Kumamoto Type D," "D" stands for "Default & Design." Field measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted to investigate the influence of the building arrangement on the outdoor thermal environment for the Kumamoto Type D layout. The results indicated that the impact of wind was reduced using this layout. However, when the surface temperature in the parking lot and other areas increased, hot air could be transmitted to the site, even under reduced wind conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the speed, accuracy, and fairness of the building damage survey, a deep learning diagnostic support technique for crack damage that occurs around openings such as windows on the exterior finish is studied. Firstly, using training images based on fake crack images generated by Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN), a deep learning model that can detect with high accuracy was constructed. Generally, in order to clarify the relationship between exterior finish damage and inter‐story drift ratio, it is necessary to analyze a wide range of intervening parameters. Secondly, this paper begins by focusing on "the relationship between exterior finish surface damage and the deformation of the exterior finish itself", and this relationship is investigated by an optical measurement method applied for the in‐plane shear force tests. Finally, to analyze the relationship between the deep learning model and the image acquisition conditions, outdoor camera shooting test of damaged specimens was conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government acquisition of residential land has played a growing role in the reconstruction of housing in safer places and reduction of water‐related risks. This paper explores how the rationales and processes of residential buyouts may result in different consequences for coastal recovery, mitigation, and residents' wellbeing referring to government documents and existing literature, we explored the characteristics of buyout programs in Japan and the U.S., identified consequences of mitigation and recovery, and deduced the effects of community buyouts. Our study revealed buyout programs could reduce risk exposure, enhance sustainable and resilient coastal rewilding, housing recovery, and building of community resilience. However, they could also contribute to limiting homeowners' opportunities to make their own choices to stay or relocate, the distribution of residents into unfamiliar communities, creation of checkerboard patterns of acquired properties, and un‐utilized vast vacant lands. These results suggest that planners and disaster managers need careful consideration to redesign and manage property acquisition programs that not only increase regional resilience, but also are equitable for affected residents and utilization of acquired lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyse how non‐standard (or non‐regular) employment affects the capacity of regular workers to appropriate rents. In this context, we first extend the theoretical framework of Estevão and Tevlin to account for the heterogeneity of labour (regular and non‐regular workers). The predictions of the model are then tested with detailed industry‐level data over four decades (1970–2012) for Japan, where, similar to the majority of advanced OECD countries, the role of standard employment has declined significantly. After controlling for worker characteristics (gender, age, education) and using an array of econometric approaches, our results indicate that in contexts characterized by a higher share of non‐regular employment, rent‐sharing by regular workers is lower. This might have contributed to the long‐run wage stagnation observed in Japan in recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate traffic volume prediction plays a crucial role in urban traffic control by relieving congestion through improved regulation of traffic volume. Network‐level traffic volume prediction and detector failure have rarely been considered in the literature. This paper proposes a framework based on long short‐term memory and the multilayer perceptron that can predict network‐level traffic volumes even with detector failure. A profile model learns the profile of the detector's signature (traffic pattern). Detectors with similar profiles are considered to have similar traffic patterns and are grouped into a cluster. Failed detectors can obtain reference information from similar detectors in the same cluster without additional information. A predictive model is developed for each cluster. The proposed method is validated using Japan Road Traffic Information Center data for three cities. The computational results indicate that the proposed method performs well both on typical days and atypical days (the COVID‐19 lockdown period and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics). Further, it considers detector reliability: the increase in mean absolute error is less than 1 veh/5 min when the probability of detector failure increases to 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For patients with non‐traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), core decompression (CD) and bone grafts (BG) are mainly performed in the West, while osteotomy is found to be predominant in Japan. It is not well recognized how the surgical procedures for joint preservation in patients with ONFH are completely different between the United States and Japan. This paper identifies the contexts and the differences in treatment strategies for ONFH between the two countries. We compared the surgical trends of the two countries over three periods, 1997–2001, 2002–2006, and 2007–2011 (the US data for the third period was 2007–2008), based on a 2014 US paper and a 2013 national publication in Japan. We compared the details of surgery for non‐traumatic ONFH under the same conditions in the two reports. For the period 1997–2001, the rates of surgeries for ONFH in the US were as follows: total hip arthroplasty (THA), 86%; CD, 10%; and osteotomy, 0.4%. In Japan, THA was 61%, osteotomy 38%, and CD 0%. For the recent period, 2007–2011 (US 2007–2008), the rate of THA was 91%, CD 6%, and osteotomy 0.1%, in the US, compared to a THA rate of 73%, CD 0%, and osteotomy 26% in Japan. The results for the interim period (2002–2006) were between the old and new data. The use of joint‐preserving surgery for ONFH differs greatly between the US and Japan. The first‐line joint‐preserving surgery was CD in the US and osteotomy in Japan. Each procedure was rarely done in the other country. From about 2000 to 2010, the percentage of THA increased in both countries. The proportion of joint‐preserving surgery (CD in the US and osteotomy in Japan) declined. The decrease in joint‐preserving procedures may be largely attributed to improved long‐term outcomes of THA due to technological advances. There is also a reluctance for young ONFH patients to undergo joint‐preserving procedures, such as osteotomy, that require long‐term hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machizukuri emerged as a way for residents to solve local community problems autonomously and, throughout the past half century, it has experienced a unique development process. This paper describes its history, the various methods accumulated through continuous practice, and its achievements and prospects, as follows. Section  presents the context in which Japanese machizukuri was born. Even though similar trends appeared all over the world in response to the turbulent social context in the latter half of the 1960s, unique conditions in Japan gave way to a specific approach, which is today called machizukuri. Section  presents its evolutive process, from the birth of machizukuri until the present. Studying the development of particular systems, methods, designs, and planning techniques over time, three generations can be identified. Section  addresses the research and practical development of machizukuri as developed by the author of this paper. Finally, Section  describes and summarizes the future prospects and challenges of machizukuri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global corporate restructuring often involves U.S. and Japanese alliance partners in interlinked portfolio choices. This paper develops theory and propositions that study U.S. and Japanese restructuring as a process of strategic choice, and introduces the concept of the restructuring profile. Japanese-U.S. strategic linkages create choices in the form of a call option on portfolio reconfiguration for the Japanese firm, and a put option on financial restructuring for its U.S. partner. While Japanese competition forms an initiating force for U.S. restructuring, it also offers a source of capital for that purpose--a unique situation in which the Japanese firm is a part of both the problem and the solution in its U.S. partners restructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the strategic and structural development of the 100 largest Japanese manufacturing enterprises between 1950 and 1970. Unlike other studies of Japanese business, the author focuses not only on some of the key differences between Western and Japanese firms, such as the emergence of widely diversified industrial groups, but also on similarities. Using the model developed originally by Channon, the author traces the development of diversification in Japan and the emergence of the multinational forms of organization, which, as in the West, prove to be the major strategic and structural forms in Japan by 1970. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to have long‐term effects on physical and mental health, not only in the US, but also other countries, including Japan. In this paper, measurement of assessment of ACEs has been discussed, that is, concept (what is ACEs), inquiry (how to ask about ACEs), scoring (how to count the number of ACEs), and prevalence (how many ACEs do we have). In addition, a possible mechanism on how ACEs affect health was summarized from a life‐course perspective, using the critical/sensitive period model, pathway model, and cumulative model with recent evidence on neurological findings. Intergenerational transmission, that is, maternal ACEs affecting the health of the offspring was also reviewed. Finally, future directions on how to prevent and remedy the impact of ACEs on health was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Task Group 218 (TG‐218) report was published by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in 2018, recommending the appropriate use of gamma index analysis for patient‐specific quality assurance (PSQA). The paper demonstrates that PSQA for radiotherapy in Japan appropriately applies the gamma index analysis considering TG‐218. Materials/methods: This survey estimated the acceptance state of radiotherapeutic institutes or facilities in Japan for the guideline using a web‐based questionnaire. To investigate an appropriate PSQA of the facility‐specific conditions, we researched an optimal tolerance or action level for various clinical situations, including different treatment machines, clinical policies, measurement devices, staff or their skills, and patient conditions. The responded data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The PCA focused on factor loading values of the first contribution over 0.5, whereas the MDS focused on mapped distances among data. Results: Responses were obtained from 148 facilities that use intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which accounted for 42.8% of the probable IMRT use in Japan. This survey revealed the appropriate application of the following universal criteria for gamma index analysis from the guideline recommendation despite the facility‐specific variations (treatment machines/the number of IMRT cases/facility attributes/responded [representative] expertise or staff): (a) 95% pass rate, (b) 3% dose difference and 2‐mm distance‐to‐agreement, and (c) 10% threshold dose. Conditions (a)–(c) were the principal components of the data by the PCA method and were mapped in a similar distance range, which was easily clustered from other gamma index analytic factors by the MDS method. Conditions (a)–(c) were the universally essential factors for the PSQA in Japan. Conclusion: We found that the majority of facilities using IMRT in each region of Japan complied with the guideline and conducted PSQA with deliberation under the individual facility‐specific conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports results from a 2‐month validation campaign of near‐shore wind measurements taken by a dual scanning light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system at a coastal site in Japan. A meteorological mast and a vertical profiling LiDAR device were deployed at an offshore research station approximately 1.5 km from the coast. Offshore winds at heights of 66, 120, and 180 m above sea level were observed by the scanning LiDAR system. Comparisons with a sonic anemometer found that the radial velocities had a coefficient of determination of more than 0.99 without unreasonable bias. The accuracy of 10‐min mean wind speeds and directions was then evaluated. The 10‐min values from the dual scanning LiDAR system were accurate enough to satisfy the acceptance criteria used for floating LiDAR systems. In addition, the vertical velocity and direction profiles from the dual scanning LiDAR system were compared with those from a vertical profiling LiDAR device. The performance of turbulence intensity (TI) measurements was also evaluated. Although the TIs from the dual scanning LiDAR system were slightly lower than those from the sonic anemometer, they were equivalent to those from the cup anemometers. This investigation concluded that the near‐shore wind measurements using the dual scanning LiDAR system are beneficial for reducing near‐shore wind measurement costs, because the system can measure not only 10‐min wind speed and direction, but also parameters associated with assessing site‐specific conditions without installing offshore meteorological masts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural ventilation is an essential component of green building design. Thoughtful consideration of natural ventilation in the early stages of building design is important for its successful integration. In this paper, we suggest the utilization of regional classification maps. Two maps are presented: a map of target air change rates for natural ventilation and a map of the total hours in which natural ventilation can be used throughout the year. The target air change rate is defined as the point at which the slope of the increase in the cooling effect due to natural ventilation reaches a maximum, and the proposed maps show the distributions of the target air change rate in Japan. The total natural ventilation hours are determined by calculating the period during which the outdoor air is usable for natural ventilation. The maps were created based on 836 points of weather data from Japan. These maps can help architects and building engineers understand the effects expected from natural ventilation system integration during the process of decision making in the early stages of building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The redesigned four‐skills TOEIC Bridge® tests were designed to measure the listening, reading, speaking, and writing proficiency of beginning to low–intermediate English learners in the context of everyday life. In this paper, I describe two studies that were conducted to investigate claims about the meaningfulness of redesigned TOEIC Bridge test scores by comparing them to self‐assessments of listening, reading, speaking, and writing proficiency. In Study 1, test takers who participated in the redesigned TOEIC Bridge field test in Japan and Taiwan completed an online self‐assessment survey of their speaking and writing proficiency. In Study 2, test takers who participated in pretesting for the redesigned TOEIC Bridge Listening and Reading test in Japan and Taiwan completed a paper‐based self‐assessment survey of their listening and reading proficiency. Both studies were designed with the same research questions in mind in order to evaluate claims about the meaning of redesigned TOEIC Bridge test scores and to enhance the interpretation of test scores by relating them to test takers' self‐assessed ability to perform a variety of related tasks. The results indicated that self‐assessments had medium correlations with redesigned TOEIC Bridge Listening test scores (r =.55), Reading test scores (r =.54), Speaking test scores (r =.51), and Writing test scores (r =.46). These results compare favorably with the results of similar studies of the relationship between test scores and self‐assessments of language proficiency and provide evidence to support claims about the meaningfulness of TOEIC Bridge test scores. In addition, the pattern of results across TOEIC Bridge test proficiency levels and can‐do statements taken from language proficiency standards suggests that the tests meaningfully differentiate test‐takers' proficiency levels, an important consideration of test design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating systematic evidence with clinical expertise is a key element in the quest to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. The evidence supporting skin‐to‐skin contact in the first hour after birth is robust and includes significantly improved outcomes for both mother and infant. This paper compares available iterative data about newborn behaviour in the first hour after birth to further describe the observable behaviour pattern and to provide clinical insight for further research. Although the evidence for positive outcomes through skin‐to‐skin contact are robust, there is a dearth of research specifically focused on clinical practice. The methodology considers the four available data sets that used Widström's 9 stages, which consists of studies from Japan, Sweden, Italy and the United States, examining the parameters of each stage across settings from around the world. This research provides an expanded understanding of the timing of the newborn's progression through Widström's 9 observable stages. We found that newborns in all four data sets began with a birth cry and continued through the remaining stages of relaxation, awakening, activity, rest, crawling, familiarization, suckling and sleeping during the first hours after birth and consolidated the data into a Sign of the Stages chart to assist in further research. The evidence supports making a safe space and time for this important newborn behaviour. Clinical practices should encourage and protect this sensitive period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrasonic fatigue testing method was standardized in the Japan Welding Engineering Society. Scope of this standard is limited for metallic materials tested at room temperature. This standard applies not only to axial loading by longitudinal oscillation but also to torsional loading by torsional oscillation. The stipulated specimens are an hourglass‐shaped type, while other types of specimens are also acceptable. Explanation attached to this standard discloses data and theories behind each requirement. In particular, massive data are disclosed for a frequency effect with comparisons of the data between ultrasonic and conventional fatigue testings. The data are disclosed on low‐ and high‐strength steels, austenitic stainless steels, cast irons, titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys. These data suggest that the ultrasonic fatigue testing is well suited to high‐strength materials but not low‐strength materials. In addition to the introduction of the standard, studies using the ultrasonic fatigue testing are exampled in this paper. Highlights: The ultrasonic fatigue testing method was standardized.Explanation attached to this standard discloses massive data for the frequency effect.The testing method has been applied to various studies as in "examples of studies." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 16, 2020, the Director‐General of the World Health Organization said: "We have a simple message to all countries—test, test, test." This seems like sound advice, but what if limiting the number of tests has a positive effect on infection control? Although this may rarely be the case, the possibility raises an important ethical question that is closely related to a central tension between deontological and consequentialist approaches to ethics. In this paper, we first argue that early during the COVID‐19 pandemic, Japan offers an interesting case because it experienced few deaths due to COVID while the number of tests was limited, suggesting that there may be cases in which low testing contributes to infection control indeed. After that, we examine deontological constraints on such a "low‐testing" policy, focusing on issues related to a supposed "right to know," which is a central issue in medical ethics in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hikikomori is a common phenomenon reported in Japan and many other countries. However, the broad trends of the research publications on hikikomori are unclear. Therefore, this study examined the patterns of research on hikikomori using bibliometric analysis. Methods: Relevant publications were searched in Web of Science. Bibliometric analyses were performed with CiteSpace, R and VOSviewer. Results: In total, 297 publications on hikikomori met the eligibility criteria. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry (IF = 10.461) published the most papers (K = 17, or 5.7%) on hikikomori. Takahiro A. Kato from Kyushu University (41; 13.8%; H‐index = 18) was the most influential author, while Takahiro A. Kato (total link strength [TLS]: 235), Alan R. Teo (TLS: 157), and Masaru Tateno (TLS: 153) separately had the strongest research collaboration with other researchers. Of all countries that published on hikikomori, Japan had the highest number of publications (K = 91). The keywords "United States" and "psychiatric diagnosis" received the most attention between 2013 and 2015, whereas "health" and "autism spectrum disorder" received the most attention in 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: Peer‐reviewed research publications on hikikomori are growing rapidly and the research trends in this field are also changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evoke an alternative viewpoint on surrogacy, moving beyond popular Western feminist beliefs on the practice, by introducing the history and current context of East Asian surrogacy. To elaborate a different cultural perspective on surrogacy, this paper first introduces the East Asian history of contract pregnancy systems, prior to the emergence of the American invention of 'modern' surrogacy practice. Then, it examines Japanese mass media portrayals of cross‐border surrogacy in which white women have become 'convenient' entities. The results of the analysis show how Japanese culture has adopted a rhetoric about the use of white women as convenient surrogate mothers in the global commercial surrogacy market. An essential aspect of surrogacy is the premise that a woman's reproductive function should be accessible to others. Past discussions among feminists have neglected this important point. Moreover, they share the assumption that white surrogacy clients are exploiters, who take advantage of women of colour as surrogate mothers. The current situation in Asia flips this perspective—with white women regarded as easier targets for exploitation by wealthy people of colour. For Asian clients, Westerners can be easily regarded as 'others' whom they can use for their reproductive needs. In today's globalized era, the surrogacy industry is no longer for affluent Westerners only. Considering this change, it is crucial to discuss surrogacy issues by reconstructing feminist perspectives with a globalized view, to help protect women's bodies, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, skin colour, or religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the soundness of financial institutions affected bank lending to new firms during the 2008 financial crisis by using a unique firm–bank match‐level dataset of 1,467 unlisted small and medium‐sized enterprises incorporated in Japan. We employ a within‐firm estimator that can control for unobserved firms' demand for credit through firm ∗ time fixed effects. The major findings of this paper are the following four points. First, sounder financial institutions may be generally less likely to provide financing to new firms. Second, our results suggest that sounder financial institutions were less likely to provide loans to new firms during the 2008 financial crisis. Third, financial institutions were less likely to provide financing to new firms during such crisis as compared to those with the same soundness during non‐crisis periods. Finally, such lending relationships to new firms that are established during the financial crisis by sounder financial institutions are more likely to be continued than such lending by less sound financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it has been emphasized for years, there remains insufficient knowledge on how to decompose the driving forces of carbon emissions that fluctuate with time, especially when considering the major natural or socio‐economic events. To bridge the knowledge gap, we use the structural decomposition analysis method and select Japan for a case study. The results show that such events were followed by temporary emission increases due to economic recovery, but the general decreasing trend of carbon emissions has been unchanged in a long run. In the case of Japan, during the financial crisis period (2005–2011), emissions increased due to production structure (136.2 Mt‐CO2) and consumption structure (61.8 Mt‐CO2). However, the intensity change and per capita consumption effect were the main driving forces that offset this increasing trend, which reduced by 209.7 Mt‐CO2 in total. After the 2011 earthquake, a significant gain in upgraded production structure led to a 78.2 Mt‐CO2 reduction until 2015, partially offset the 126.4 Mt‐CO2 increase caused by per capita consumption and export volume. In conclusion, although post‐event economic recovery has led to an increasing trend of carbon emissions, continuously optimized emission intensity and production structure are the major driving forces for repressing carbon emission rebound brought by unexpected events. Plain Language Summary: When major natural or socio‐economic events occur, energy production and the economy are often affected, impeding the process of net zero emissions. This paper presents a case study on Japan using the structural decomposition analysis method to decompose the driving forces behind carbon emissions. Two major events (the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and the Great East Japan Earthquake) that are responsible for the fluctuating emission trends in a time series are discussed. Although Japan's overall carbon emission trend has been decreasing since 2005, temporary emission increases due to economic recovery can be observed after these events. Their impact was incorporated into the discussion by dividing the research period into separate time spans. By quantifying the sectoral carbon emission data, we obtain direct and indirect carbon emissions by fuel type among 13 industrial sectors. Results show that "manufacturing" and "electric power, gas, and water supply" contribute the most to direct emissions among all sectors, while the indirect emission is mostly driven by "manufacturing" and "services" sector. Key Points: Sectoral carbon emission by fuel types in Japan is quantified from 2005 to 2015Economic recovery causes temporary CO2 emission rise after financial crisis and earthquakeThe ripple effects of these driving forces from 2005 to 2015 were analyzed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major eruption of volcano Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai in Tonga on 15 January 2022 generated atmospheric Lamb waves that propagated over the world. This seemed the first volcanic Lamb wave event that was clearly captured by the state‐of‐the‐art geostationary meteorological satellites. This paper provides visualization of the waves using thermal infrared images from geostationary satellite Himawari‐8. The second time derivatives of 10‐min interval images clearly illustrated the waves propagating at about 310 m s−1. The waves could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated five times round the earth. Automated wavefront identification illustrated nonuniform propagation speed. The signals in the satellite images well matched the surface pressure observations in Japan. Plain Language Summary: The major eruption of volcano Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai in Tonga on 15 January 2022 generated atmospheric pressure pulses that propagated over the world. This seemed the first event that was clearly captured by the state‐of‐the‐art geostationary meteorological satellites, such as Himawari‐8. Taking the time difference of Himawari‐8's 10‐min interval images twice, the waves that propagated at about 310 m s−1 could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated five times round the earth. This was not possible with the previous‐generation geostationary meteorological satellites. Visualized waves also illustrated how the propagation speed changes in space and time. The signals in the satellite images well matched the surface pressure observations in Japan. Key Points: Lamb waves from an eruption were clearly visualized by the second time derivative of satellite infrared images every 10 minThe waves could be tracked for more than a week while they propagated at least five times round the earth at a speed of about 310 m s−1The signals in the satellite images matched the surface pressure changes quantitatively [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volcanic activities in the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) oceanic arc and the Northeast Japan (NEJ) continental arc are different in spite of rather constant subduction rates of the same Pacific plate. IBM volcanoes are much more voluminous than NEJ volcanoes; IBM magmas are predominantly basaltic whereas NEJ magmas are andesitic. We propose that the crustal density structures play a key role in those differences. The crustal density structures were estimated based on seismic P‐wave velocity structure and thermodynamic calculation, suggesting that the neutral buoyancy level of a primitive, mantle‐derived basalt, where a magma chamber forms, is shallower in the IBM arc than the NEJ arc. If a magma that differentiates and attains water oversaturation could erupt at the surface, a larger amount of crystallization should occur for the magma in a deeper chamber. This idea explains that erupting magma in the IBM arc is more voluminous and more mafic than those in the NEJ magma. Plain Language Summary: This paper is concerned with mechanisms governing volcano size and lava composition. Features of volcanoes on the two arcs in Japan, the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) and the Northeast Japan (NEJ), are clearly different although the volcanic activities are caused by subduction of the same Pacific plate. Volcanoes on IBM are much more voluminous and mostly consist of less silica lava than those on NEJ. We propose that the density of Earth's crust plays a key role in those differences. Generally, a magma forms a reservoir at a level where the magma is equal to the crust in density and then partially solidifies there by cooling. As solidification proceeds, the rest of the magma decreases in volume and increases in silica component. Considering gas features dissolved in magma, the magma in a shallower reservoir can bubble by less solidification and erupt to the surface. Our estimation of crust densities on the two arcs indicates that the reservoir level in IBM is shallower than that in NEJ. Namely, erupting magmas in IBM are affected by less solidification and hence are more voluminous and have less silica component than those in NEJ. Key Points: Two arcs in Japan have different volcanic activities: one has voluminous, basaltic volcanoes and the other small, andesiticWe propose that the crustal density structures and hence magma chamber levels cause the differences on the volcanoesIn a shallower chamber, a magma can be saturated in water with less differentiation and erupt as voluminous, basaltic magma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers new theoretical contributions and practical knowledge to existing leadership theories. Through a detailed study of the major corporation SoftBank, a Japanese company achieving business innovation at a global level in recent years, and insights gained on the leadership for organizational adaptability of practitioners driving strategic innovation, this paper presents a framework for 'holistic leadership' with a fractal nature as a complex adaptive system. In the three 'practice layers' of the 'formal organizational layer', 'psychological boundary layer (adaptive space)' and the 'informal organizational layer', practitioners (in the three management layers of top management, middle management and staff) dynamically use 'centralized leadership', 'dialectical leadership' and 'distributed leadership' and combine them depending on the situation, to achieve a balance between various contradictory elements such as the 'tug‐of‐war between efficiency and creativity', and demonstrate organizational adaptability. Through an in‐depth case study, this paper illustrates that holistic leadership in modern companies is a source of business innovation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a large-scale (e.g. several thousand km2) high-resolution (e.g. 250 m) distributed rainfall-runoff/flood inundation simulation ( DRR/ FI) model and an economic loss estimation model considering the confidence interval within what is called the Kyoto, Kobe University- SJNK ( KKU-SJNK) model. The DRR/ FI model can simulate rainfall-runoff, dike-breaks, and inland flood inundation processes simultaneously in a seamless/integrated manner with practical accuracy. The river network for the modelling includes most of the catchment main and tributary rivers; thus, DRR/ FI can simulate all of the discharge/water levels of the rivers in the catchment. Data processing was carried out with ArcGIS, which handles large data sets as one sees them with a graphical interface. The coordinate system of the model is appropriately set up; thus, the model can interact with other models such as weather, climate, evacuation, vulnerability and financial models. This also makes it possible to use extensive GIS data from all over the world. Moreover a vulnerability model, what we call the KKU- SJNK model, was developed. The KKU- SJNK model yields the damage ratios and thus economic loss of buildings due to flooding considering the confidence interval. The models are applied to the Yodogawa River catchment (8240 km2), the 7th largest river catchment in Japan, which crosses six prefectures. Though the catchment size is not necessarily very large compared with continental rivers, there is seldom seen such a detailed high-resolution large-scale runoff-inundation model in Japan. To validate the model, data from 1997 and 2009 floods in the Yodogawa River catchment was used. The results of the model exhibited the potential effectiveness of the DRR/ FI + KKU- SJNK model for risk management toward property loss insurance, though it also identified some difficulties. The paper presents these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]