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This article focuses on the ways in which a Japan‐specific Orientalism regarding Japanese femininities establishes itself in Weimar Germany's popular culture. In this period of German democratization in which we observe Weimar women's social, sexual, and political liberation, I propose that popular culture texts such as Fritz Lang's film Harakiri (1919) and Kapitän Mertens's magazine publication "Kio, die lasterhafte Kirschblüte" (1924) created an alternative fantasy engaging with contemporary anxieties and dreams. I read the depiction of Japanese femininities as a mediation of predominantly heterosexual male fears about the liberation movement of modern Weimar women as circulated in mass media. In developing this reading, I observe a simultaneity of three different imagined Japanese femininities: aestheticized artificialization/reification, eroticization, and infantilization. I argue that the narrative construction of such ultimately subservient exotic, doll‐like figures is diametrically opposed to the widely studied New Woman of Weimar and thus warrants further inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prewar Shanghai was characterized by harmony as well as conflict between people and cultures. Against this historical context, Shanghai (『上海』), a Japanese-language magazine, was founded and published between 1913 and 1945. Its content was varied, ranging from translated articles from Chinese newspapers to poems. Thus, Shanghai affords a valuable opportunity for examining interactions between Chinese intellectuals and Japanese residents in Chinese cities. However, the magazine has not been sufficiently studied from this perspective. Two of its core proponents, Cheng Hsiao-hsu (鄭孝胥) and Munakata Kotarō (宗方小太郎), evidently played an influential role in prewar Chinese-Japanese relations. In this paper, I apply discursive analysis of Shanghai's contents, focusing on its literary column. I focus on the initial stage of Shanghai's development under its first editor, Nishimoto Shōzō (西本省三), aiming to shed light on the ideas and concepts underlying the literary activity of Chinese and Japanese contributors to the magazine. I also examine the magazine's standing within the prevailing Shanghai society to reveal relationships between people and the ideas they exchanged via this unique medium during the period leading up to the war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although Japanese guidelines proposed by the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal tumors recommend continued use of low-dose aspirin (LDA), this strategy is controversial. It was our practice to interrupt LDA therapy 5-7 days before ESD until December 2010, when we instituted the new guidelines and performed ESD without interrupting LDA therapy. The aim of the present study was to confirm the validity of the noninterrupted use of LDA inpatients undergoing ESD for colorectal tumors.Methods: We studied 582 consecutive patients with 609 colorectal tumors who underwent ESD at Hiroshima University Hospital between January 2006 and July 2014. The patients comprised three groups: LDA-interrupted group (13 patients with 13 colorectal tumors), LDA-continued group (28 patients with 31 colorectal tumors), and no anticoagulant/antiplatelet group (541 patients with 565 colorectal tumors).Results: The en bloc resection rate was 100% (13/13) in the LDA-interrupted group and 90.3% (28/31) in the LDA-continued group. Incidences of poor bleeding control during the procedure and bleeding after the procedure were 7.7% (1/13) and 15.4% (2/13) of patients, respectively, in the LDA-interrupted group, and 3.2% (1/31) and 16.1% (5/31) of patients, respectively, in the LDA-continued group. No patients experienced ischemic events in the perioperative period.Conclusions: Our data suggest that continued use of LDA increased the risk of bleeding after ESD for colorectal tumors compared with nonuse of anticoagulant/antiplatelets. No significant difference was seen between the LDA-continued group and the LDA-interrupted group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nippon Fujin(The Japanese woman, 1942–1945) was the most prominent wartime women's magazine of Japan that shaped its propagandistic messages in gendered and culturalized forms. Scrutinizing the visual dimension of the magazine, I discern patterns of gendered visual representation that primarily produce highly visible cultural notions and thereby veil, obscure and render invisible assertions of political power over colonized people as well as enemies. Visibility is commonly associated with influence, power and political impact, whereas less visibility – or invisibility – often indicates the positions of those who are politically powerless, socially disadvantaged or culturally oppressed. Contrasting the visual propaganda inNippon Fujinwith visual examples fromNS Frauen-Warte(NS women's outlook), the major Nazi women's magazine of the time, I argue that in the former case there are concepts of ‘visibility’ and ‘invisibility’ at work that do not fit neatly into the paradigmatic assumption of mediated political ‘visibility’ as a pre-condition for public acceptance in a mass culture. To a large degree, it is the ‘invisibility’ or coded visibility of political actors that forms effective strategic elements of visual propaganda. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article highlights the important contribution made by Kamichika Ichiko to the interwar publishing scene by providing an overview of the literary journalFujin Bungeilaunched by her and an analysis of three stories it published from leading female writers of the era, Matsuda Tokiko, Hirabayashi Eiko and Asai Hanako.Fujin Bungeiwas a rare oppositional voice within the media that questioned the narrow nationalism sanctioned and promoted by the Japanese state when others had fallen silent or been silenced. Furthermore, its focus on writing by women provided a forum for passionate and provocative works which shed new light on the downfall of the Proletarian Literature Movement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common disorder with increasing prevalence worldwide. This systematic literature review aims to provide insights specific to Japan regarding the burden and treatment of CKD. Methods: We reviewed English and Japanese language publications from the last 10 years, reporting economic, clinical, humanistic, and epidemiologic outcomes, as well as treatment patterns and guidelines on CKD in Japan. Results: This review identified 85 relevant articles. The prevalence of CKD was found to have increased in Japan, attributable to multiple factors, including better survival on dialysis therapy and a growing elderly population. Risk factors for disease progression differed depending on CKD stage, with proteinuria, smoking, hypertension, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein commonly associated with progression in patients with stage 1 and 2 disease. Serum albumin levels and hemoglobin were the most sensitive variables to progression in patients with stage 3 and 5 disease, respectively. Economic data were limited. Increased costs were associated with disease progression, and with peritoneal dialysis as compared with either hemodialysis or combination therapy (hemodialysis + peritoneal dialysis) treatment options. Pharmacological treatments were found potentially to improve quality of life and result in cost savings. We found no reports of treatment patterns in patients with early-stage CKD; however, calcium channel blockers were the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive agents in hemodialysis patients. Treatment guidelines focused on anemia management related to dialysis and recommendations for peritoneal dialysis treatment and preventative measures. Few studies focused on humanistic burden in Japanese patients; Japanese patients reported greater disease burden but better physical functioning compared with US and European patients. Conclusion: A dearth of evidence regarding the earlier stages of kidney disease presents an incomplete picture of CKD disease burden in Japan. Further research is needed to gain additional insight into CKD in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Shinseinen is generally regarded as a magazine for young men, girls and young women made a significant contribution to it as writers, readers, and protagonists. One of the key contributors to the popular representations of young women in Shinseinen is Hisao Jūran (1902–1957). This paper focuses on two early comic novels Jūran serialised in Shinseinen soon after his return from Europe. In Nonsharan dōchūki [The Record of Nonchalant Travels] (1934), the ‘nonchalant’ girl heroine, Tanu (‘racoon’), and her partner, Konkichi (‘fox’), travel extensively in France, becoming involved in a series of slapstick nonsense and surrealistic events and accidents. In Fyūgu doree [The Golden Fugue] (1935) the same pair are caught up in a search for secret funds by representatives of various international crime syndicates. Both texts employ comic pedantry that involves cross-cultural and multilingual knowledge and sophistication. Notably, in Jūran's texts the comic elements tend to be assigned to women and girls. I will link this to Takahara Eiri's notion of the ‘consciousness of the girl’ and Tsurumi Shunsuke's interpretation of Ame no Uzume as a brave, subversive, and inclusive being. I will also cite Nakano Miyoko's parody of Jūran as a tribute to the freedom espoused in his nonsense slapstick pedantry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent fashion and beauty work trends among young Japanese people, as portrayed in both men's and women's style magazines suggest little differentiation in gender images. The purpose of the present research is to compare the images of femininity and masculinity constructed in Japanese style magazines through the advertising of beauty care products. Literature review and visual analysis (a mixed semiotic/content analysis approach) methods are used for the identification of masculinity and femininity image patterns in magazine ads; 256 beauty care product ads from two monthly female style magazines (Non-No and JJ) two monthly male style magazines (Men's Non-No and HDP (Hot Dog Press), targeted at 18-25 year old audience, are analyzed. The research has shown that the prevailing images in beauty care ads of Japanese style magazines are those of a pretty, young girl and a handsome, gentle boy. In spite of similar expectations for the ideal feminine and masculine appearance, the reasons that lie behind those expectations are different. These findings suggest the need for a deeper understanding of contemporary intercultural gender role perception, which is the key factor in creating gender-equal societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial organs and regenerative medicine are the subjects of very active research and development (R&D) in Japan and various artificial organs are widely used in patients. Results of the R&D are presented at the annual conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Organs (JSAO). Progress in the fields of artificial organs and regenerative medicine are reviewed annually in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs. The official English-language journal of JSAO, Journal of Artificial Organs, also publishes many original articles by Japanese researchers. Although the annual conference and the publications of JSAO provide the world with update information on artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan, the information is not always understood appropriately in the rest of the world, mainly due to language problems. This article therefore introduces the current status of artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan. Artificial hearts and metabolic support systems are reviewed here and other interesting areas such as regenerative medicine can be found elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the articles published in the September 2002 issue of the periodical 'Japan Forum.' Topics of the articles; Authors who contributed to the issue.

Shigaku zasshi, the leading history journal in Japan, devotes its fifth issue every year to reviews of historical scholarship published in Japan during the previous year. The reviews for Korean history are written by specialists and introduce and direct readers to publications in many fields, including archaeology, economic history, and social history. Information inside parentheses was parenthetical in the original Japanese. Information inside square brackets has been supplied by the translators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews several international periodicals dedicated to organs, organ music, and organists including "Japan Organist," by the Japan Association of Organists (Tokyo, Japan), the 2012 French periodical "Musica et memoria," edited by Denis Havard de la Montagne, and "The American Organist."

Lists the authors who contributed to the September 2002 issue of the periodical 'Japan Forum.' Mark Driscoll; Thomas Lamarre; Tom Looser.

A correction to the article "Adventures of Doughnut Lovers: Reading Symbolism in Murakami Haruki's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and the Sheep Man Stories," by Chiaki Tagaki that was published in 2012 issue is presented.

The article informs the participants of the online submission system of "Pediatrics International" that every submission will incur a $20 submission fee starting September 1, 2006. This is due to the financial burden that the submission system has brought to the Japan Pediatric Society. The author is hoping that the measure will improve the quality of submissions and reduce the lead time for the publication of the periodical.