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In the history of Japanese education, the "gender characteristics theory" that men and women naturally have different characteristics rejected not only the "gender equality theory" which came from Western Europe in the early Meiji era, but also the traditional "male chauvinism" of East Asia. According to the theory of gender characteristics, men and women were seen as having "equal value," though not "equal rights." This theory became the main educational philosophy of women's education when the single-sex school system was established in the 1900s, and likewise permeated society as a scientific theory in the 1920s. After World War II, when gender equality became accepted, a coeducational system was introduced toward equal educational opportunities. However, the gender characteristics theory remained the basis for making home economics a compulsory subject for women, as the division of labor by gender expanded during the high economic growth period of the sixties and environs. Coeducation was a system intended for men and women to "respect" each other and "cooperate" (Article 5 of the Basic Act on Education), and gender differences in curricula in coeducational schools were seen as "reasonable" differences to ensure "essential equality" between men and women. Schools were also not considered places of gender inequality. Elsewhere, women's universities and women's junior colleges were established after the war with the expectation that they would play a new role in training women to support the democratic society. However, they also inherited the pre-war vocational school curriculum centered on literature and home economics. When these colleges increased during the period of high economic growth, this prewar curriculum spread further, based on the gender characteristics theory. As a result, women's universities and women's junior colleges were criticized as contrary to gender equality. It was only after the 1985 ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the spread of gender equality that the gender characteristics theory was finally rejected. Today, the raison d'être of girls' education is being questioned again. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women not only rejects the gender characteristics theory and fixed gender roles, but also defines "discrimination against women" as "discrimination, exclusion or restriction based on sex." As the concept of gender spreads, the view that separating men and women is itself "discrimination" is also spreading. If women's education is to continue to exist, its raison d'être will depend on its ability to contribute to the elimination of gender disparities.

Japan experienced a large outbreak of wild poliovirus in the 1960s. The government made an exceptional decision to import oral polio vaccines (OPVs) from the Soviet Union and Canada while bypassing the usual approval process for medical products. Mass vaccination and subsequent, routine immunization successfully contained the wild poliovirus; the last case in Japan was reported in 1980. Domestic OPV had been used to sustain Japan's polio-free state. In 2012, the world's first inactivated polio vaccine developed from the Sabin vaccine replaced OPVs. Domestic vaccines combined with Sabin-derived inactivated polio vaccine are currently used in Japan. When the World Health Assembly announced the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the Japanese government made a commitment to support endemic countries. The Japan International Cooperation Agency supported the establishment of microbiological laboratories, surveillance, distribution of polio vaccines and capacity building. Vaccine-derived poliovirus emerged as a new, international risk in the early 2000s. Vaccine-derived poliovirus was also detected in several Asian countries and required an outbreak response with additional vaccinations and strengthened surveillance. Genetically stable, novel, oral polio vaccine type 2 became available for use in outbreak responses and was used in Indonesia. Japan maintains its commitment to work toward the eradication of the poliovirus., Competing Interests: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Y.H. is a principal investigator for COVID-19 vaccine trial of Shionogi Pharma. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper examines the significance and potential of educational practices of evening junior high schools (yakan chugaku). After World War II, evening junior high schools were established for children who could not attend daytime junior high schools, and later those who had not completed compulsory education beyond school age began to study there. After the Act on Securing Educational Opportunities Equivalent to Ordinary Education at the Stage of Compulsory Education was enacted in 2016, new evening junior high schools have gradually begun to be established. This paper provides an overview of the history and present of evening junior high schools and then discusses the case of Osaka Prefecture, where the most advanced emancipatory educational practices, so-called "liberation education (kaiho kyoiku)," have taken place since the 1970s. It focuses on the practice of Kim Hyangdoja, a second generation Zainichi Korean who teaches at an evening junior high school in Higashi-Osaka City. She and her colleagues have sought a way for marginalized people, especially first-generation Zainichi Korean women, to become aware of their historical and social position. We considered the significance of her practice, "Writing my history with photos," similar to Paulo Freire's literacy education. We clarified that this practice is not only for making personal history, but is also an arena for expressing the identities of different social groups.

Post-World War II, the vocational parent system was established in Japan in 1951--based on the Child Welfare Law--to provide aftercare for older dependent children. The vocational parents lived with the children and provided the guidance necessary for them to live independently. The evolution of the vocational parent system is divided into three periods for this study: the 1950s, the end of the 1950s to the mid-1960s, and the mid-1960s to the 1970s. Vocational parents were primarily from small- and medium-sized business establishments who could provide personal guidance. This prevented the children from becoming skilled workers and seeking employment in large companies. Vocational parents were expected to provide "parental love" to the children without compensation, despite having to bear the childcare costs and blunders at work. The more the government, welfare personnel, and newspapers sought the welfare ideal of parent-like assistance, the more detached they became from the realities of the working environment and the needs of the children. Consequently, the disparity may have contributed to the decline in aftercare in post-war Japan.

The present article examines the material, epistemological, and social dimensions of late nineteenth-century anti-cholera serum controversies that unfolded in Tokyo and Berlin. It seeks to shed light on the conflicting values embedded in the construction of scientific evidence during the transnational exploration of bacteriology as an effective response to controlling epidemics. Driven by Japanese health authorities' initiatives, Japanese bacteriologist Kitasato Shibasaburo participated in the elaboration of bacteriological research oriented toward therapeutic application during his stay in Berlin. This work coincided with the rise of a controversy over anti-cholera serum in relation to the animal experiments conducted by Richard Pfeiffer, a German bacteriologist. After presenting a series of animal experiments and certain clinical cases conducted in Germany, France, and Egypt in the context of the controversies, the article analyzes a therapeutic trial conducted by Kitasato in Japan during an 1895 cholera epidemic. His strategy, bringing new data to the transnational debate through an intensive investment of resources in the trial, provoked criticism from his Japanese and German colleagues. These critics questioned Kitasato's method and pointed out the low social value of this experimental serum therapy, performed in highly equipped conditions. Through this case study, the present article highlights: a) a strong tension between transnational research interactions among bacteriologists and local medical practices during public health campaigns against epidemics at the turn of the twentieth century; b) the importance of analyzing the interconnected effects of local, national and transnational frameworks of medical science when examining the increasingly intertwined relationships between laboratory science and clinical medicine., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest The author declares no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2024. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

One of the fundamental innovations of pediatric surgery is hepatic portoenterostomy for biliary atresia, widely known as the Kasai procedure for its originator, Morio Kasai (1922-2008), of Sendai, Japan. It was the first effective operation for the "uncorrectable" form of biliary atresia, where death within months from biliary cirrhosis was certain. His radical premise was that microscopic ductules present in the fibrous tissue of the porta hepatis, when transected, drained enough bile to relieve cholestatic jaundice. His first operations from 1955 to 1961 had a jaundice-free survival rate of only 8 percent, but the cures were durable. By 1982-1986 survival reached 55 percent. Adoption of his procedure in the West came slowly. The original operation in 1955 was reported in the Japanese literature in 1959, but the first English language communication came in 1968. Surgeons disbelieved his results. Scientific chauvinism held that advances in pediatric surgery came from America and Europe; Japan had little to add. Surgeons visited Sendai to learn from Kasai, notably John Lilly and R. Peter Altman, then of Washington, DC, Jacques Valayer in Paris, and Edward Howard in London. At first, mortality rates in their hands was high. As expertise developed in the West with the technically demanding operation, mortality fell and approached those reported by Kasai. Successes in America, France, and England proved Kasai's operation as effective and one of signal achievements in pediatric surgery., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The author declares no conflicts of interest in the preparation and submission of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To review the historical aspects of compensation system for workers with pneumoconiosis who developed lung cancer., Methods: Materials and papers published on the compensation system as discussed in administrative meetings were utilized., Results: Legal claims for compensation for lung cancer among individuals with pneumoconiosis increased during the period of rapid economic growth in Japan. A possible causal relationship between pneumoconiosis and lung cancer in workers has been discussed by committees of specialists. The Expert Committee on Pneumoconiosis and Lung Cancer in 1978 did not find a causal relationship between them. However, a survey of physicians specializing in pneumoconiosis revealed medical disadvantages among individuals diagnosed with pneumoconiosis who developed lung cancer. The Ministry of Labour announced the risk of work-related lung cancer in patients with advanced pneumoconiosis (class IV or equivalent severity). Since then, numerous lung cancer patients with pneumoconiosis have been adjudicated. In 1997, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) re-evaluated the carcinogenicity of silica and declared it to be a Group I carcinogen in humans. The Expert Committee on Compensation of Lung Cancer Cases Developing from Pneumoconiosis discussed the IARC evaluation but did not accept this classification. However, the Committee of Occupational Exposure Limits in the Japan Society of Occupational Health upheld the IARC evaluation of silica as a Group I carcinogen. Because the Expert Committee of Medical Disadvantage of Lung Cancer Patients with Pneumoconiosis accepted the increased risk of lung cancer in patients with class III or equivalent severity pneumoconiosis, the Ministry of Labour announced worker compensation for such patients. The Expert Committee of Health Control of Pneumoconiosis Complicated with Lung Cancer reported in 2002 that a meta-analysis revealed no increased risk of lung cancer among workers exposed to crystalline silica; however, there was an increased risk of lung cancer in patients with pneumoconiosis. The Ministry of Labour has added lung cancer to the list of complications from pneumoconiosis and, if necessary, regular medical checkups for lung cancer. After Leaving dust work, the Health Care System provides for workers who are diagnosed With class II or higher pneumoconiosis. Therefore, if an individual with pneumoconiosis develops class II or higher lung cancer, that individual becomes eligible for workers' compensation., Conclusions: The conclusion of the Expert Committee in 2002 and the decision of the Ministry of Labour to add lung cancer to its list of complications of pneumoconiosis are evaluated to be appropriate.

The aim of this study was to analyze perceptions of nasal profiles and the origins of augmentation rhinoplasty in Korea during the Japanese colonial era. Through ( www.google.com ) and ( www.naver.com ), the archives of newspapers and magazines were searched for references to "nasal augmentation." The following topics were identified: the ideal nasal profile in the corresponding era, nasal augmentation by nonsurgical methods, camouflage makeup for noses with a low profile, the earliest literature on augmentation rhinoplasty in Japan, a case of augmentation rhinoplasty in a Korean woman, an estimate of the year when augmentation rhinoplasty was first performed in Korea, and augmentation rhinoplasty by injection. In 1922, the Nose Lifter (nose uplifting clip) was already commercially available to Korean women. The following year, in 1923, Nishihata and Yoshida published their work on augmentation rhinoplasty using ivory in Japan. By 1925, some hospitals had performed augmentation rhinoplasty, but the procedure had not yet gained popularity among Koreans. In 1927, a Japanese author emphasized the importance of an ideal nasal profile harmonizing with the lips, chin, and neck. Also, in 1927, rhinoplasty gained popularity and was performed at various ENT clinics throughout Korea using various methods. In 1929, a 3-dimensional makeup method was introduced to camouflage a low-profile nose. By 1935, there was a belief that augmentation by injection was not harmful. The authors believe that augmentation rhinoplasty began in 1925 and gained popularity among Koreans by 1927. It was not until 1935 that the complications associated with injectable augmentation were recognized., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Efforts have been made among scholars from Japan, South Korea, and China since the 1980s--on both private and state initiatives--to narrow the gaps in their historiographies and to cultivate mutual understanding. This article offers an extensive discussion of the author's history project, "A Student Project of Writing a Common History Textbook," which which was incorporated in a multinational class environment in the Spring 2019 semester. First the author explains the development of the conceptual framework and the organization and management of the class. Then, some of the history teaching materials that the students created is introduced. Finally, the author examines what the students actually learned from this exercise and working with their group members, based on their journals and answers to the project survey. The author would argue that this was a success in promoting mutual understanding among students by having them learn history together from various points of view, as the goal was not a complete reconciliation of their historical viewpoints. Young people from different countries, even those from the countries embroiled in politico-historical controversies, are able to learn from one another to create more complex historical narratives that look beyond competing nationalisms. The results of the course confirm the value of teaching history from a global standpoint and hold promise that if adopted widely, it might have a long-term and larger, positive effect on society and even on international relations by producing globally competent future generations.

This study expands on the concept of outreach programs: museum initiatives that look for ways to reach and share knowledge outside their installations, often to schools. We aim to study approaches for the development of content for a history museum outreach program using digital technologies. The significance of this lies in investigating ways to bring the knowledge of the museum to schools that cannot have easy access to them. Three different content approaches were developed and tested. The first was an Assemblable walls exhibition, consisting of a modular structure in which three different exhibition methods were presented: object, video and interactive. Second, was a Hands-on interactive exhibition, consisting of a portable system that includes digital and analogue activities in an application developed for a smart projector. Lastly, the third approach was an interactive experience, which incorporated the various approaches tested previously and expanded upon them. In our conclusions, we stress the significance of this research regarding offering museum content to schools without easy access and offer a list of suggestions based on our findings that museum curators could follow when considering the development of an outreach program with digital content.

This paper reexamines the public memory of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune. In 1938, Bethune traveled to China to serve at the communist front and to treat soldiers fighting against the invading Japanese army. Throughout China, Bethune is a household name and a communist icon. Back in Canada, however, his name does not evoke the same ubiquity. While Canadians remembered Bethune through biographies, a film, statues, and a small museum, his story in the Anglophone world is confined primarily to the telling of distant history. To explain Bethune's greater notoriety and public presence in China, this essay first turns our attention to Chinese sources that mythologized Bethune's death in 1939. The essay then revisits Chinese propaganda that established Bethune as a lasting political symbol during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. These national efforts show how a volunteer surgeon such as Bethune became such an important figure in a remote foreign country. China's Communist Party turned Bethune's death into a political event to rally support for their war of resistance against Japan. Later, during the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong used Bethune to symbolize unwavering service and loyalty to leader and party. This essay utilizes primary materials in McGill's Osler Library and commentary from the field of memory studies to contextualize Bethune and to situate him within the broader narrative of political education that arose in China during the Cultural Revolution. A layered interpretation of Bethune - as doctor, martyr, and symbolic hero - slowly emerges. Political forces in China transformed his memory into legacy and carry this complicated figure into the present day., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

In 1908, Wang You and Yang Hongtong, who studied in Japan, translated Han Yi Shi Yong Fa Yi Xue Da Quan (Practical forensic medicine translated into Chinese), which was the first book of the modern forensic medicine translated from Japanese and the first independent translation of the book of the modern forensic medicine by Chinese, playing an important role in the history of the development of modern forensic medicine and the history of scientific and technological exchanges in China. Han Yi Shi Yong Fa Yi Xue Da Quan introduced to China the advanced basic knowledge, techniques and instruments of modern forensic medicine in foreign countries in the form of textbooks, and supplemented the deficiencies of traditional Chinese forensic toxicology, forensic material evidence and other knowledge. It is found that the background of forensic science of Wang You and Yang Hongtong makes Han Yi Shi Yong Fa Yi Xue Da Quan show the characteristics of the combination of Chinese and Western and graphic combination. Han Yi Shi Yong Fa Yi Xue Da Quan has been actively spread in modern times. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was taken as the textbook of the examination and learning Institute of the capital by the Ministry of Law, and continued to be republished after the Republic of China, which had an important impact on the creation and development of modern forensic medicine.

Concentrating on the Qingdao Observatory, this paper will explore the role of scientific facility in asserting China's sovereignty during the first half of the twentieth century. Although scholars have explained the efforts of China's internationalization in diplomacy through the perspectives of politics, economics and culture, they have not paid attention to science. Therefore, this paper aims to shed some light on how scientific issues were solved via diplomacy during the Republic of China, while further asserting that the focus in negotiations was not confined to science itself, but rather to sovereignty within a scientific context. In this process, the meaning of sovereignty has also been expanded basing on the improvement of nation's scientific capability. Besides, the participation of different actors involved in sovereignty assertion is investigated by this paper. Although the diplomatic negotiation was held at the international level, the local government and scientific community were main promoters in this case, which calls for attention on the various subjects in sovereignty issue. Consequently, this paper argues that Asian countries, such as Republic of China, could also employ science as a means to negotiate with foreign powers and claim their due rights.

Morita therapy is known as a psychotherapy grounded in the culture of Japan, particularly its Buddhist culture. Its popularity in Japan and other East Asian countries is cited as an example of the relevance and importance of culture and religion in psychotherapy. To complement such interpretations, this study adopts a socio-historical approach to examine the role and significance of work in Morita's theory and practice within the broader work environment and culture of the 1920s and 1930s in Japan. Morita conceptualized shinkeishitsu as a personality disease and a social illness caused by an alienating work environment. He proposed a remedy that emphasized the subjective emotional experience of work. To his primarily middle-class clients and readers, Morita's reconciliation between the self and society and that between autonomy and compliance was persuasive and useful, providing a philosophy whereby they could integrate into the work environment without loss of self-worth. The socio-historical character of Morita therapy is vital to understanding its power and appeal during Morita's time. Moreover, it sheds light on the complex interrelationships between work, mental health, and society., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This paper examines the periodical Clinical Internal Medicine published by the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University in colonial Korea. Previous studies on medical research at Keijo Imperial University have primarily focused on preclinical departments such as anatomy, hygiene, pharmacology, and microbiology which produced knowledge that supported Japan's imperialistic expansion. This approach has overlooked the research contributions of clinical departments, often viewing the roles of preclinical and clinical departments through a dichotomy between research versus clinician training. However, Clinical Internal Medicine demonstrates that the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University was actively engaged in research. By analyzing the purpose and content of Clinical Internal Medicine, this paper reveals that its publication was an effort by the Department of Internal Medicine to address the demand for practical knowledge among clinicians practicing outside the university. At the same time, it reflects a commitment to enhancing the academic value of clinical experience and critiques the blind pursuit of experimental medicine in the Japanese medical community in the 1920s and 1930s. The case of the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University illustrates the transformation of clinical experience into "worthy" academic knowledge in colonial Korea. Based on these findings, this paper provides insights into the role of clinical departments at Keijo Imperial University in research and post-graduation education.

This paper investigates the different ways in which the Battle of Okinawa in World War II is presented in and beyond formal education, using narratives and photos in Japan's state-authorized history textbooks and at a local museum. Specifically, this study examines 15 upper secondary school textbooks issued by six publishing companies from across the political spectrum and analyzes the narratives and photos used in these textbooks to depict and explain the Battle of Okinawa, together with the digital archives and official guidebook of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum (OPPMM). The arguments and findings are three-fold. First, despite the line-by-line scrutiny of textbook contents by the state, individual textbooks show different narratives of the battle, and the monolithic view regarding the "Japanese textbook" is not sustained. Second, there are general differences of the battle's presentations between the school textbooks as a group and the OPPMM. Third, a crucial gap between them in presenting the Battle of Okinawa and World War II is in the perception of the "enemy". This gap needs to be understood, as the museum's presentation implies, with a prolonged relationship of contestation between Okinawa and "mainland Japan", dating back to the late 19th century.

Tylorrhynchus osawai, nereidid polychaete that is considered to support estuarine biodiversity, undergoes a unique epitokous metamorphosis for reproductive swarming. The reproductive swarming of this species has been observed in Japan for more than 100 years; however, the benthic phase of this species has not been well researched. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the morphological allometry and life history, specifically the reproductive swarming, of this species. To accomplish this, surveys were conducted to collect atokes and epitokes from a tidal river in Kyushu, Japan. A total of 1670 T. osawai specimens were collected and preserved in 80% ethanol. The body widths of these specimens were measured, while several intact specimens underwent additional measurements of body length and the number of chaetigers. The morphological allometry of this species differed between atokous and epitokous forms, indicating that its heteronereis form might be suitable for migration from a tidal river to the ocean. The survey results pertaining to the benthic phase of this species indicated that its lifespan was approximately one year or longer. In addition, the settlement, growth, and maturity of this species exhibited a degree of plasticity, potentially influenced by habitat landscapes and sediment conditions. Based on the surveys conducted on reproductive swarming, climate change could have caused the peak of reproductive swarming to shift slightly later than that of several historical observations. Our findings contribute to elucidating the ecological significance of epitokous metamorphosis in nereidid polychaetes and to conserving T. osawai populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hideo Fukumi (1914-1998) is renowned for his position as the director of Japan's National Institute of Health and his scientific contributions to the fields of bacteriology, virology and epidemiology. This article introduces Fukumi's career cultivated over decades in the Japanese national medical system and focuses on his research on Shigella , Salmonella and influenza. Yet any assessment of his career also has to take into account the considerable controversy and scandal it engendered. This necessary reassessment situates Fukumi's contribution within what has been revealed of Japan's biological weapons programme which reached its zenith during the Second World War. Very few scientists, including Fukumi, were prosecuted for their roles in this programme. Contrarily, they became core personnel in post-war medical research due to the patronage of the United States-Japan alliance in the context of the Cold War. Controversies that later surfaced over Fukumi's role in influenza immunisation campaigns reflect two currents of debate: A belated reckoning with Japan's use of biological weapons and the way this was 'normalised' and overlooked in the post-war period. The role of Japanese scholars and citizens' movements who have interrogated Japanese war crimes and the U.S. cover-ups and made a demand for greater ethical transparency in medical science., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Genetic testing is key in modern healthcare, particularly for monogenic disorders such as familial hypercholesterolemia. This Tohoku Medical Megabank Project study explored the impact of first-degree relatives' dyslipidemia history on individual responses to familial hypercholesterolemia genomic results. Involving 214 participants and using Japan's 3.5KJPN genome reference panel, the study assessed preferences and intentions regarding familial hypercholesterolemia genetic testing results. The data revealed a significant inclination among participants with a family history of dyslipidemia to share their genetic test results, with more than 80% of participants intending to share positive results with their partners and children and 98.1% acknowledging the usefulness of positive results for personal health management. The study underscores the importance of family health history in genetic-testing perceptions, highlighting the need for family-centered approaches in genetic counseling and healthcare. Notable study limitations include the regional scope and reliance on questionnaire data. The study results emphasize the association between family health history and genetic-testing attitudes and decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the Wa-like strains of human group A rotavirus (RVA) have been major causes of gastroenteritis. However, since the 2010s, the circulation of non-Wa-like strains has been increasingly reported, indicating a shift in the molecular epidemiology of RVA. Although understanding RVA evolution requires the analysis of both current and historical strains, comprehensive pre-1980's sequencing data are scarce globally. We determined the whole-genome sequences of representative strains from six RVA gastroenteritis outbreaks observed at an infant home in Sapporo, Japan, between 1981 and 1989. These outbreaks were mainly caused by G1 or G3 Wa-like strains, resembling strains from the United States in the 1970s-1980s and from Malawi in the 1990s. Phylogenetic analysis of these infant home strains, together with Wa-like strains collected worldwide from the 1970s to 2020, revealed a notable trend: pre-2010 strains diverged into multiple lineages in many genomic segments, whereas post-2010 strains tended to converge into a single lineage. However, Bayesian skyline plot indicated near-constant effective population sizes from the 1970s to 2020, and selection pressure analysis identified positive selection only at amino acid 75 of NSP2. These results suggest that evidence supporting the influence of rotavirus vaccines, introduced globally since 2006, on Wa-like RVA molecular evolution is lacking at present, and phylogenetic analysis may simply reflect natural fluctuations in RVA molecular evolution. Evaluating the long-term impact of RV vaccines on the molecular evolution of RVA requires sustained surveillance.

When 13-year-old Teruichi Nakayama, my grandfather, came to San Francisco from Osaka in 1906, he was assured of an education in a public school by an 1894 treaty between the United States and Japan that gave the latter most-favored-nation status. In 1906, racist mobs forced a decision by the school board to assign 41 school aged Japanese children, including him, to a segregated school for Asian children in violation of the pact. In 1907, he escaped street violence to work as a migrant laborer on inland farms. Settling in the state's Central Coast, he started a confectionary, the family business he knew from his childhood in Japan. He eked enough money to raise a family with a wife arranged for him in the traditional manner by a go-between in Japan. The school board action opened a diplomatic rift between the 2 countries that never resolved and ended in war in 1941. Just days ahead of the imprisonment of Japanese living in California in 1942, he and his family fled to Colorado, a sanctuary state where he reestablished the confectionery. He faced every misapprehension of the current immigration crisis: racism, unfair labor competition, the impossibility of assimilation, and suspicion of a fifth column. Now 5 generations later, none of the fearful predictions when he first arrived came true. His legacy proves immigration as an essential rejuvenating force in America., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

This article analyzes the "account book" of Kim Young-hoon (1882-1974), which summarizes information about patients at his Bochun Clinic in Seoul (then Gyeongseong) in 1931. Kim Young-hoon was a pivotal figure in the medical scene throughout the Korean Empire, the Japanese occupation, and the early years of the Republic of Korea. He left behind a large amount of documentation during his 60 years of practice at the Bochun Clinic, which he opened in the spring of 1909. In particular, the 1931 "account book" offers an insight into the daily life histories of his patients. Among the patient-visitors recorded in the account book, there were many influential people of the time, ranging from privileged individuals to anti-Japanese independence activists, from those in political and economic fields to those in academic and entertainment fields. At the same time, a significant number of lower-class people also visited the Clinic. Geographically, patients were centered in the city center of the capital, Gyeongseong, but were also widely distributed throughout the country. There are indications that those from the rural areas stayed in the homes of their acquaintances in Seoul. As such, the account book provides a tangible, concrete picture of the clinic's management for the year 1931, including visitor demographics, visiting diagnoses, telephone consultations, and the total cost of medicinal prescriptions. Because the account book is a one-year statistic, it has its limitations; however, it is the smallest unit that can be analyzed statistically. It provides insights into how many people came in over the course of a year and how much they spent. The expenditures are kept per individual family. The patient's name, prescribed medication, and the price of the medicine are mandatorily included, and in many cases, the place of residence and family relationships are also noted. The account book shows several layers of householders, servants, and employees in the extended family; it also shows people in various occupations. A few privileged families accounted for nearly half of the total expenditures, and the powerful visited frequently, utilizing Oriental medicine for many of their daily needs. For some, the Bochun Clinic is reminiscent of the royal temples of the dynasties. Patients come from the center and suburbs of Seoul, as well as from all over the country. In one year, more than one thousand types of prescriptions are issued and the total cost of medicines is about 33 seom (≒180 liters of rice). Although there is a concentration of high-frequency prescriptions, more than a thousand prescriptions are prescribed only once, which shows that the practice is specialized for each individual. Patient visits, consultations, and telephone use are observed, and the use of new drugs, quinine, and special ginseng as one-herb medication (danbang) are also noticeable. The statistical analysis of the 1931 Bochun Clinic "account book" can serve as a milestone for comparative analysis of the patterns of herbal medicine use before and after that year. Meanwhile, the Bochun Clinic "account book" shows the continuation of traditional practices of herbal medicine by both the powerful and the masses. On the one hand, Koreans responded to the coercive tide of modernity symbolized by the Imperial Governorate of Japan, but on the other hand, they were unwilling to let go of tradition and their own authority. While actively embracing the tide of civilization, Koreans also internalized their own rationality and sought to open a new path forward, a sentiment discernible between the lines of the "account book."

Background: We aimed to determine whether a history of falls before admission affected physical activity levels and sedentary behavior negatively after implementing a behavior modification approach in patients with minor ischemic stroke. Methods: This study constituted a secondary analysis of an intervention trial. In the intervention study, patients with minor ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to two groups: intervention and control groups. The intervention group was encouraged to reduce sedentary behavior during hospitalization and after discharge, while the control group was encouraged to increase physical activity levels solely during hospitalization. The study included 52 patients who completed the intervention trial. The exposure factor examined was a history of falls. Upon admission, patients were queried about any falls experienced in the year preceding admission and subsequently classified into fall and non-fall groups based on their responses. The primary outcome of interest focused on changes in physical activity levels (step count, light-intensity physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity) and sedentary behavior. Measurements were obtained at two time points: before the intervention, during hospitalization (baseline), and 3 months after discharge (post-intervention). Results: Only a significantly lower change in the number of steps taken in the fall group than in the non-fall group was found. Conclusion: Those with a history of falls showed a lesser change in the number of steps taken before and after implementing a behavior change approach compared with those without a history of falls. Those with a history of falls may have engaged in activities other than walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure to deal with the issue of collective and social loss increases the risk of extreme nationalism. When taken too far, a repetition of manic defence can arise that manifests itself in the form of war. In this paper, the notion of the "inability to mourn" by the German Psychoanalysts A. and M. Mitshcerlich (1967) is discussed in relation to the problem of Japan's post World War II nationalism, and its silence on social matters. The process of confronting past atrocities committed by the state is then discussed from the perspective of structural theory.

The anterior petrosal approach, or Kawase's approach, is a commonly used technique in skull base surgery to access the brainstem in the posterior fossa from the middle fossa, and has the advantages of minimizing brain retraction and preserving hearing. It was first successfully performed by the legendary Japanese neurosurgeon, Takeshi Kawase, for the clipping of a basilar artery aneurysm in 1981. To date, no historical article has shed light on Kawase's intriguing personal history. In this historical vignette, the authors depict Kawase's unique background, talent, passion, as well as struggles that ultimately shaped his career. By sharing Kawase's personal story from the hospital where he first successfully performed his original approach, the authors hope to pass on to future generations Kawase's spirit and philosophy that have impacted the global neurosurgical community.

"A Short History of Transport in Japan: From Ancient Times to the Present" by John Andrew Black is a comprehensive study of transportation in Japan. The book covers various aspects of transport history, including ports and shipping, canals, roads, railroads, civil aviation, and urban planning. Black applies the theory of new institutional economics to analyze the organizations and institutions governing transportation in Japan. While the book provides a detailed examination of Japanese transportation history, it does not delve into topics such as motorization, militaristic states, or the competition between Shinkansen and airlines. Overall, the book offers valuable insights into the state of mobility in an aging Japan and is recommended for those interested in transportation history and smart cities. [Extracted from the article]

In 1935, Shiro Akabori began research on the preparation of taka-amylase A with a purity suitable for chemical research, with the intention of elucidating the chemical nature of the enzyme. He succeeded in developing a method to efficiently obtain crystallized taka-amylase A from Aspergillus oryzae. Using crystallized taka-amylase A as the starting material, a series of studies were conducted to determine its amino acid composition and sequence, sugar chain structure, and three-dimensional structure. Based on these results, the molecular structure and catalytic mechanism of taka-amylase A were elucidated. The scientific achievements from research on taka-amylase A significantly enhanced Japan's capabilities in protein research, represented by the fact that taka-amylase A was the first amylase in the world for which both chemical and crystallographic structures were elucidated.

In Japan, only few hospitals have pharmacists in their secondary emergency rooms to record medication history and provide drug information in real time. In this study, we investigated the benefits of pharmacist intervention in secondary emergency rooms by comparing the time taken by the pharmacists and non-pharmacists in the emergency room to record the medication history in the electronic medical record and the accuracy of its content. The study period was from September 1 to September 30, 2022, and included patients who were transported to our hospital for emergency care between 9:00 and 16:30. We compared the time taken between the patient's arrival until the recording of their medication history and the accuracy of the record by the emergency room pharmacists and non-pharmacists (paramedics or medical clerks). The study included 58 patients whose medication histories were collected by pharmacists, and 11 patients whose histories were collected by non-pharmacists. For pharmacists, the median time to record medication history in the electronic medical record was 12 min, whereas for non-pharmacists, it was 19 min, which was significantly different (p=0.015). The pharmacists accurately recorded the medication history of 98.3% (57/58) of patients, whereas non-pharmacists accurately recorded it for only 54.5% (6/11) of patients, with a significant difference (p<0.01). We observed that in secondary emergency rooms, when pharmacists were responsible for recording the patients' medication histories, it resulted in rapid and accurate sharing of medication history.

Cultural encounters, entanglements, and comparisons were the driving force behind the formation of a global history of religion. Such encounters require the formation of comparative concepts; for Europeans, the most important of these was 'religion'. With European expansion, and especially its forays into Asia starting in the late fifteenth century, 'religion' gradually became a general term to describe a distinct subset of human culture, with encounters between European missionaries and the Japanese people playing a decisive role in this regard. Arguably, the ultimately failed attempts of the Christian mission led to the emergence of analogous comparative concepts on the Japanese side, too. As a side effect, the encounter with Christianity brought about an individualisation and confessionalisation of Buddhism. From here, it was only a small step to the 'religionisation' of Buddhism in the nineteenth century – and, thus, to its integration into a global religious system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hideyo Noguchi is one of the most famous scientists in Japan's history, and his portrait has adorned the ¥1,000 banknotes since 2004. He had a childhood burn injury resulting in severe hand scarring and contracture that plagued his early life and education.The resulting hand deformity required 3 separate reconstructions with the third and most complex surgery performed by Professor Tsugishige Kondo just before Noguchi's final medical doctor license examination in 1897. In this surgery, Kondo released the contractures using the first radial forearm flap performed in Japan long before the establishment of plastic surgery in the country.Reviewing the history of Kondo, we find that he likely learned the art of reconstructive surgery along with many other surgical techniques during his stay in Europe from 1891 to 1896 where he was mentored by 4 prominent surgeons of the era: Christian Albert Theodor Billroth, Vincenz Czerny, James Israel, and Carl Nicoladoni. During this period, Czerny reported performing the world's first breast reconstruction using lipoma transfer, and Nicoladoni performed the world's first thumb reconstruction with a chest flap and with toe-to-thumb transfer. Kondo may have watched these world's first operations and may have also been taught these innovative techniques including the forearm flap directly by these pioneers. He returned to Japan and successfully applied these reconstructive surgery methods in his practice and teaching, as evidenced by the landmark surgery of Hideyo Noguchi's hand, and laid the foundations for the development of plastic surgery in Japan., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Second primary esophageal cancer often develops in patients with head and neck cancer, and esophagectomy in patients with a history of total pharyngolaryngectomy (TPL) is challenging. However, the clinical outcomes of these patients have yet to be examined in a multicenter setting., Methods: We evaluated the surgical outcomes of a nationwide cohort of 62 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer with a history of TPL., Results: Ivor-Lewis and McKeown esophagectomies were performed in 32 (51.6%) and 30 (48.4%) patients, respectively. Postoperatively, 23 patients (37.1%) developed severe complications, and 7 patients (11.3%) required reoperation within 30 days. Pneumonia and anastomotic leakage occurred in 13 (21.0%) and 16 (25.8%) patients, respectively. Anastomotic leakage occurred more frequently in the McKeown group than in the Ivor-Lewis group (46.7% vs. 6.2%, P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio for anastomotic leakage in the McKeown group was 9.64 (95% confidence intervals (CI), 2.11-70.82, P = 0.008). Meanwhile, the 5-year overall survival rates were comparable between the groups (41.8% for Ivor-Lewis and 42.7% for McKeown), and the adjusted hazard ratio of overall survival was 1.44 (95% CI, 0.64-3.29; P = 0.381; Ivor-Lewis as the reference)., Conclusions: In our cohort, anastomotic leakage occurred more frequently after McKeown than Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy, and almost half of patients in the McKeown group experienced leakage. Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy is preferred for decreasing anastomotic leakage when oncologically and technically feasible., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japan Esophageal Society.)

Between 1918 and 1923, hundreds of schoolteachers disputed with each other. They attended (and some delivered) lectures, read (and some wrote) pedagogical journal articles, and met for study groups. They discussed which pedagogical method was more effective for an elementary school subject known as "composition" ("tsuzurikata"), i.e. "voluntary composition method" ("zuii sendai shugi") or "assigned topic method" ("kadai shugi"). The event is known as the "Voluntary Composition Dispute" ("zuii sendai ronso"). The dispute was essentially based on two composition methods, but what seems incomprehensible to us today is that the dispute's participants exaggerated the pedagogical divide of the two methods. In particular, schoolteachers critical of the voluntary composition method ignored important nuances that the method's proponent, named Ashida Enosuke, delineated and instead portrayed his method reductively as an extreme method that was of little use in the classroom. What made these teachers inflate the pedagogical binary? Answering this question requires analyzing the unique situations in which these teachers were placed around the time when the Voluntary Composition Dispute started, namely the rise of professionalization, bureaucratization, and standardization that dominated the circle of schoolteachers. While many teachers gradually accepted this new trend, Ashida looked upon this negatively, which in turn these teachers took as destructive and unproductive to their collective effort to professionalize, bureaucratize, and standardize themselves and their teaching. As this paper shows, the way these teachers understood Ashida's criticism contributed to their reductive, simplified gaze on Ashida's pedagogical claims. In this sense, at stake in the Voluntary Composition Dispute were what the role of schoolteachers should be in relation to each other and their society, as well as what and how teachers should teach pupils in composition classes.

To clarify the evolutionary history of the Lilium maculatum–L. pensylvanicum complex in Japan and to improve the circumscription of its component taxa, we conducted phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast and nuclear internal and external transcribed spacer (ITS, ETS) DNA sequences, a genome‐wide analysis of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing (MIG‐seq), and morphological observations. Topological differences between the chloroplast and nuclear ITS + ETS phylogenies indicate that ancient hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting were involved in the origin of "maculatum", but the relatively long length of relevant branches indicates that incomplete lineage sorting is implausible. The results of STRUCTURE analysis (K = 3, the highest delta K value) using MIG‐seq indicate that "maculatum" has already developed its own cluster and can be considered a species (L. maculatum) that originated through the hybridization of L. pacificum (sp. nov.) and L. pensylvanicum. MIG‐seq Neighbor‐Net and STRUCTURE analyses (K = 3), as well as chloroplast DNA phylogeny, reveal that populations in disjunct limestone areas (L. maculatum var. bukosanense) originated via the hybridization of L. maculatum and L. pacificum, whereas populations in the Sado‐Tobishima Islands (L. maculatum var. sadoense, var. nov.) originated via hybridization between L. maculatum and L. pensylvanicum. These taxa appear to be more or less genetically isolated from other populations based on the STRUCTURE analysis (K = 5), although we do not know whether this isolation resulted from geographic distance or reproductive barriers. Based on available MIG‐seq and morphological data, respectively, we consider the two hybrid‐origin populations to be independent varieties. Furthermore, the morphology of seaside populations of L. maculatum in East Tohoku District appears to have deviated slightly from that of mountain populations (L. maculatum f. monticola); as such, coastal populations merit recognition as a form of L. maculatum (L. maculatum f. spontaneum, comb. & stat. nov.). Other seaside populations of L. maculatum in the West Tohoku District appear to have originated from populations of L. pacificum, but have been successively taken over by L. maculatum through introgression, and have consequently evolved into a form of L. maculatum (L. maculatum f. maculatum). In addition, we found putative extant hybrid populations of L. maculatum × L. pensylvanicum. We recognize three species, two varieties, two forms, and one hybrid in the L. maculatum–L. pensylvanicum complex in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) becoming more widespread in Japan, interest in the health effects of HTP has grown. Since the majority of HTP users are former smokers, information about the user's smoking history and health status before HTP use is needed when assessing the health effects of HTP use. The limited epidemiological studies available did not consistently consider this information adequately, therefore we conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the association between HTP use and respiratory chronic diseases and symptoms., Methods: The questionnaires were sent to a research panel members in Japan via the Internet, and individuals who met the study criteria and were either current exclusive HTP users, current exclusive cigarette users or those had never used tobacco products were selected. Information about the participants' smoking history and health status before they used HTPs was obtained. The effects of participant smoking history before HTP use and the impacts on outcomes upon switching to HTP were assessed using a logistic regression model. The odds ratio (OR) for current exclusive HTP users relative to never tobacco users was calculated. The OR was calculated under two scenarios, one in which the smoking history was ignored or one in which the smoking history was considered., Results: Of the participants from whom responses to the questionnaires were obtained, 17,406 participants were included in the analysis. Almost all participating current exclusive HTP users had a history of long-term smoking (mean: 30.8 years), and the occurrence of outcomes both before and after the start using HTP was reported. The ORs, without adjustment and with adjustment for smoking history before HTP use were, 3.23 (95% CI: 1.37-7.61) and 1.85 (95% CI: 0.70-4.89) respectively in COPD, same as other outcomes., Conclusions: These results suggest that smoking history before HTP using affects the occurrence of outcomes, and underscore the importance of considering smoking history when assessing the health effect of HTP use. Since the duration of HTP use is considerably shorter than that of cigarette use at present, further research, such as follow-up surveys assessing the long-term respiratory effects of HTP use, will be necessary., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The field of bioprinting is rapidly evolving as researchers innovate and drive the field forward. This chapter provides a brief overview of the history of bioprinting from the first described printer system in the early 2000s to present-day relatively inexpensive commercially available units and considers the current state of the field and emerging trends, including selected applications and techniques.

The term 'publicness' is a keyword to explain the creation of a people in the history of modern education in Korea in which the relationship between the ruled and the ruling power rapidly changed from the perspective of continuity and discontinuity. In Korea, the term has been commonly used in three different contexts, and its meanings have changed since the 1894 Gabo Reform, the first reform for the modernization of Korea. Even when the ruling power changed in 1910 with Japanese colonialism, the ruling class took the meaning of publicness as a governing institution (??? ???), which had a very weak sense of publicness as an ethical principle of fairness (Gong [?]) or as public benefit and opinion (Gong [?]). In contrast, the resisting power, which was fully established throughout the colonial era from 1910 to 1945, lacked the sense of publicness as a ruling institution, but embraced the two other concepts of publicness. This historical experience of the competing concepts of publicness materialized into the creation of a modern people through law and education even in the post-colonial period of modern Korea. Generally speaking though, the creation of a modern people in Korea has been strongly affected by the concept of publicness as a ruling institution through a nationalist education.

In this article, I focus on the role of YouTube as a pedagogical tool and its associated media literacy issues. In the courses I have taught since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have included short videos produced by well-known YouTube history channels alongside required readings to stimulate student engagement with historiographical issues. Students respond positively to these videos, which they also seek out themselves. However, YouTube history channels are increasingly producing polished and entertaining videos that do not clearly cite sources and gloss over historiographical inaccuracies or misrepresentations. YouTube videos on Japanese history should be selected and utilised carefully. Media literacy skills and academic readings are essential to students' ability to critically view and understand these media representations of the past. Therefore, I argue that it is important for Japanese Studies students to develop critical media literacy skills and be aware of the role and power of social media sites such as YouTube in the creation and representation of Japan and Japanese history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) is one of the most serious viral pathogens causing reductions in wheat yield in East Asia. We investigated the phylodynamics of WYMV by analysing the CP, VPg and P1 genes to understand the origin and dispersal of the virus. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis revealed that the most recent common WYMV ancestor occurred in approximately 1742 (95% credibility interval, 1439-1916) CE (Common Era), and the evolutionary rates of the VPg, CP and P1 genes were 6.669 × 10 -4 (95% credibility interval: 4.575 × 10 -4 -8.927 × 10 -4 ), 2.468 × 10 -4 (95% credibility interval: 1.667 × 10 -4 -3.338 × 10 -4 ) and 5.765 × 10 -5 (95% credibility interval: 3.285 × 10 -6 -1.252 × 10 -4 ), respectively. Our phylogeographic analysis indicated that the WYMV population may have originated in Henan Province, China, first spreading to Japan in the mid-19th century and stopping after the Japanese surrender in World War II. The second wave spread to Japan from Shandong Province, China, in approximately 1977, a few years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Henan Province was the emigration centre of WYMV in East Asia, and after the late 20th century, Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces were also the virus emigration centres in East Asia. In addition, there were two migration pathways from Japan to Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces, China, in approximately 1918 and approximately 1999 respectively. Our results suggest that the wide spread of WYMV in East Asia is strongly related to human factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Floodplains harbor highly biodiverse ecosystems, which have been strongly affected by both past climate change and by recent human activities, resulting in a high prevalence of many endangered species in these habitats. Understanding the history of floodplain species over a wide range of timescales can contribute to effective conservation planning. We reconstructed the population formation history of the Itasenpara bitterling Acheilognathus longipinnis, an endangered floodplain fish species in Japan, over a broad timescale based on phylogenetic analysis, demographic modeling, and historical demographic analysis using mitogenome and whole-genome sequences. A genome sequence was newly assembled as a reference for the resequencing analysis. This bitterling is distributed in three plains separated by high mountain ranges and exhibits ecological characteristics well adapted to floodplain environments., Results: Our analyses revealed an unexpected population branching pattern, gene flow, and timing of the differentiation that occurred within a few hundred thousand years, i.e., long after the mountain uplift that was assumed to be the primary geological cause of the population differentiation. The analyses also showed that all local populations experienced a severe decline during the last glacial and post-glacial periods., Conclusions: Our results suggest that the floodplain bitterling was able to disperse through unknown routes after mountain uplift and that its populations were strongly influenced by climatic and geographic changes in glacial-interglacial cycles and subsequent human activities, probably related to its floodplain-dependent ecology. The genomic data highlight the unanticipated distribution process of this species and the magnitude of the impact of human activities, with important implications for its conservation., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Acheilognathus longipinnis is a legally protected species designated as a Natural Monument of Japan and a “nationally rare species of wild fauna and flora” in Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Japan. We obtained permission to conduct this research from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The described methods were conducted in compliance with the Regulation on Animal Experimentation at Kyoto University and were approved by the Kyoto University Animal Experimentation Committee. This article does not contain any studies with human participants. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Dou Ke Jian (The Key of Smallpox) was written by Zhu Xun in the late Ming dynasty,collated and published by Zhu Fengtai in the Qing dynasty.It was rarely studied in China ,but have a far-reaching influence in Japan.By comparing with other works about smallpox and refering to the Japanese Ikeda family's Doukejian Huitong , Doukejian Siheng , Doukejian Shanzhengbuzhu completed on the basis of Dou Ke Jian, this paper systematically reviews the author's life, compilation and publication background, main content, academic characteristics and value, and influence on later generations.The views advocated in this book, such as "toxin hidden in the spleen meridians, attaching importance to qi and blood", "distinguishing between the exterior and interior, deficiency and excess, and take the lips and tongue as the key" have important reference value for the treatment of infectious diseases in later generations.

Informed by recurring international controversies, this study explores representations of the Second World War as official history in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean secondary-level textbooks and theorizes about how they influence and function as collective memories about this time period. Using grounded theory, it finds that the examined Japanese textbooks tend to present the Second World War in chronological order with a passive voice and avoid discussing why the war occurred and how it ended. The examined Chinese textbooks develop narratives in chronological order as well, but thematic units are structured to highlight the coalition of Mao's Communist Party and Chang Kai-Shek's Nationalists as the decisive factor in the victory against Japanese imperialists contributing to the worldwide fight against fascism. The examined Korean textbooks tend toward a single, patriotic perspective of a people that overcame Japanese colonialism and developed as an independent nation, often ignoring issues that complicated the relationship between the two nations.

This paper aims to summarize the historical and current situation of Medieval European Art History studies in Japan. I start from the dawn of European Studies in Japan at the end of the 19th century, and follow the long path taken by Medieval Art historians in Japan, through Japan's defeat in World War II and later economic growth. Finally, I briefly comment on the general situation of the Humanities and some aspects of Medieval Art History in present day Japan, when the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]