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This study looked at the influence of an Asian sociocultural variable, loss of face or social integrity, as a predictor of perceptions of acquaintance rape among Japanese students. In addition to the expected associations between gender, sexism, and perceptions of rape, loss of face was predicted to interact with the perpetrator's reference group such that an aggression-enhancing reference group would reduce, and an aggression-inhibiting reference group would heighten perceptions of rape in a given scenario. Surveys were distributed to Japanese students in linguistics classes and Japanese student associations at various Midwestern universities. The results support gender differences in attitudes toward women and attitudes toward rape victims. The loss of face by reference group interaction was not a significant predictor of the participants' own victim blaming or attitudes toward rape victims, but it was a significant predictor of perception of perpetrator blame in the expected direction. Examining cultural factors may provide insight into developing preventive measures against acquaintance rape and appropriate orientations for Japanese international students. (Contains 3 tables and 10 references.) (JDM)

This paper examines the influence of Japanese comic illustrations on children's books in countries in East Asia. It has become increasingly obvious that recent children's books in countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, as well as China and Malaysia/Indonesia contain illustrations with some features of the Japanese comic illustrations. This influence is primarily due to Japanese popular culture that pervades not only in comics and the media but also in fashion and pop culture especially among the young in East Asia. This study shows that although Japanese comic illustration has played a role in children's book illustrations, the influence is more obvious in commercially produced books compared to those that tell traditional folk tales, mythology, and legends. These picture books from all countries in East Asia continue to use serious artwork that is ethnically authentic. However, in mass-produced easy readers there is invariably some imitation of Japanese comic illustrations. A small survey of Singapore children shows that young readers are familiar with Japanese pop culture and show positive reading response to books with Japanese comic illustrations. Includes one chart and 21 references. An appendix contains a list of children's picture books from the People's Republic of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia, and Singapore. (Author/RS)

This paper provides a window into Japanese learners' thoughts about what it is necessary for teachers and learners to do in order to foster Japanese learner autonomy--and why Japanese learners would find this so difficult to do. There are numerous student journal and interview excerpts providing interesting insight to what Japanese learners think about what they should do, what they actually do, and why it is difficult for them to take the more active role that they agree they should. The paper begins by defining its terms--learner autonomy and learner development. It then goes on to discuss learners' political awareness, the issue of learner universality, and the influence of culture on learner autonomy. The study included 46 college students. It is concluded that it will be extremely difficult to make the needed behavior changes. (Contains 33 references.) (KFT)

Identity researchers are beginning to realize that identity in collectivist cultures is more deeply embedded in relational contexts than is identity in individualistic cultures. However, little is known about the ways in which adolescents use relationships in identity formation in collectivist cultures. Moreover, it is assumed that there are differing styles of relatedness in identity formation across collectivist cultures. Particularly in Japanese culture, individuals are expected from childhood to recognize and attune themselves to the others' expectations. That is, the direct assertion of personal needs is viewed as expressing an immature self. In this study 33 Japanese female university students were interviewed. Results show that participants did work on identity issues, and thus the Western concept and approaches to identity formation can generally apply to them. However, the process of identity exploration among Japanese female late adolescents, in particular the process of balancing their own and others perspectives, is different from that of Western adolescents. This study provides empirical evidence on how they construct their sense of self in relational contexts. Further studies comparing Japanese with Western adolescents are needed on the identity exploration process, which will help to construct a theory of identity development from a viewpoint of relatedness. (MKA)

This paper discusses the development of a questionnaire to measure attitudes and beliefs that predict intercultural adjustment (ICA) as opposed to intercultural communication or acculturation. Piloting of the first version of the measure suggested that 153 items may be valid predictors of ICA; this study attempts to further reduce the number of items on the scale to a smaller, more manageable number. The questionnaire, along with a measure of adjustment also developed in the pilot work, was administered to 34 Japanese post-secondary students from the San Francisco area. In a focus group setting, each participant was rated on level of adjustment to the United States by himself or herself, by others in the group, and by facilitators after an extensive discussion of positive and negative experiences related to adjustment to the American culture. Responses on the predictor measure were correlated with those on the adjustment measure and with the three ratings. Results of this study suggest that 45 of the 153 items selected are valid predictors of ICA for Japanese students. Three tables and 14 references are included. (Author/MKA)

As Americans interact more and more with the Japanese on a national level, it will become increasingly imperative that the intricacies of Japanese culture and how it differs from American culture are understood. The primary goal of this research is to determine the differences between Japanese and American respondents' attitudes toward women and maternal employment. Generational and gender differences in both countries are also addressed. Six hypotheses are evaluated to assess the effects of nationality, generation, and sex on attitudes toward women and on attitudes about maternal employment. Japanese (N=89) and American (N=50) psychology students and their parents participated. The "Attitudes toward Women Scale" and the "Beliefs about the Consequences of Maternal Employment for Children" scale were employed. Demographic data was gathered from both students and parents. The completed questionnaire, involving both scales and demographic data in separate versions for parents and children, was translated by a native Japanese speaker. ANOVA results are presented in tables, for the scales; main and interaction effects are discussed and related to cultural differences. (Contains 23 references.) (EMK)

This paper describes the experiences of an English teacher from Washington State University who taught English in Japan for a year. The teacher concluded after her year in Japan that the country is and has been involved in a less-than-conscious national effort to "stonewall" the effective teaching of English as a second language in all its forms. The position is taken that essential change for English education in Japan comes down to two possibilities: either English education must seriously include verbal skills and cultural understanding, allowing the incorporation of English into the broader scope of life in Japan, or the requirement for English as a second language in public schools should be dropped and the incredible amount of public money spent instead on other national problems. It is noted that Japanese teachers rarely teach their English classes in English--teaching their students to read and to write English, but steadfastly avoiding teaching them to speak or understand spoken English. Even teachers who participated in intensive language training in America rarely taught their classes in English. In fact, students who have had schooling abroad and then renter Japanese schools are discouraged from using the English skills they have mastered. Over a period of time, the teacher realized that what she could best do to teach English in Japan was work with adults in and around the city and the public school system. Teaching English to adults in PTA groups and night classes for a city labor union group proved to be of value to all involved. (Contains 8 references.) (CR)

This annual report discusses several topics related to the work of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development at Hokkaido University in Japan. The articles are: (1) "Heart to Heart (Inter "Jo") Resonance: Taking Japanese Concept of Intersubjectivity Out of Everyday Life" (Shigeru Nakano); (2) "Intersubjectivity and Infant-Interaction: Imitation as a Way of Making Contact" (Geraldo A. Fiamenghi, Jr.); (3) "Ultradian Rhythm and Its Individual Differences in Self-Demand Bottle Feeding: Suggestions for Feeding Schedule in Group Infant Care" (Ryutaro Kaneko); (4) "A Examination of Psychometric Properties and Validity of the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire" (Emiko Kusanagi, Nobuko Hoshi, and Shing-Jen Chen); (5) "Stress of Mother during Pregnancy and Post-Partum Stages" (Kailash Tuli); (6) "Constructional Processes in the Social Interactional Activity in the Peer Groups of Japanese Nursery School Children: An Interim Report" (Kimiharu Sato and Takaharu Yuki); (7) "Development of Self-Regulation through Dialogue: Self-Assertion through Self-Inhibition" (Koichi Yamazaki, Nobumoto Tajima, and Kayoko Uemura); (8) "'Intensity' Is a Key Term in Developmental Psychology!" (Kiyobumi Kawakami and Kiyoko Takai-Kawakami); and (9) "Individual Differences in Toddlers' Emotion Regulation: The Relationship between Children's Problem-Focused Coping Style and Maternal Response Strategies to Their Negative Emotions" (Hiroko Sakagami and Toshihiko Endo). References are included with each article. (KB)

This paper explores the presence of "groupism" in Japan; that is, the phenomenon that youth in Japan are seen in groups and very seldom alone. The text focuses on "groupism" and what that means for schooling practices in both Japan and the United States. Cultural comparisons between the two countries examine the typical classrooms, social control of the group, and cultural beliefs that stress the stability of the group as contrasted to the development of individuality of students. (EH)

This annual report discusses several topics related to the work of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development. Seven topics are covered in the report. The articles are: (1) "Fathers' Participation in the Lives of Their 4-Month-Old Infants: The United States and Japan" (Marguerite Stevenson Barratt, Koichi Negayama and Tetsuhiro Minemi); (2) "Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Maternal Attitudes among Japanese Mothers" (Mari Aoki Toda, Masumi Sugawara, Toshinori Kitamura and Satoru Shima); (3) "Information Conveyed by the Media on Childrearing in France and in Japan: Analysis of French and Japanese Popular Magazines" (Hiroko Norimatsu); (4) "Sacred or Selfish? A Survey on Parental Images of Japanese Children" (David Shwalb and Shing-Jen Chen); (5) "Towards an Understanding of Cultural Psychology: A Case for 'Janken'" (Shing-Jen Chen and R. Jason Rand); (6) "Empathy and Altruistic Behavior among Preschoolers: An Attempt To Measure Empathy of Children Based on Teacher's Report" (Shigehiro Ukegawa); and (7) "Differences in Teacher Classroom Behaviors in USA and Japan: A Field Note" (Hiroshi Usui). References are included with each article. (SD)

In Japan, it is a common belief that anyone can achieve success; all that is necessary is that one persists with utmost diligence, and almost anything can be accomplished. This study investigated the thoughts of Japanese children, parents, and educators regarding the cultural phenomenon of "ganbare" (persistence), which permeates Japanese society at all levels. Interviews were conducted with 50 kindergarten students in Japan, their teachers, and college instructors in early childhood education. The children's mothers responded to written questions regarding their concept of "ganbare." The results indicated that "ganbare" was interpreted by children as "happy and positive encouragement." The adults used this word as a spontaneous expression of encouragement to teach children the importance of persistence in their lives, although some adults speculated that an overemphasis on "ganbare" with children may create too much pressure. Findings suggest that instilling persistence in children is of prime importance in Japanese culture, and that expansion of the investigation to include school-age children would be beneficial. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/BGC)

This annual report discusses several topics related to the work of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development. Six topics are covered in the report. The articles are: (1) "Development of Intentional Behavior in Early Infancy" (Hongtu Chen); (2) "An Investigation of the Differences of Social Space in the Playroom: Through Analysis by the Quotient of 'Associated' Behaviors" (Katsumi Kanazawa and others); (3) "Let Your Toddler Journey to Separation: Child Separation and Reconstruction of Playful Interactions in the Japanese Mother and Child" (Sigeru Nakano); (4) "Toward a Theoretical Development of Physical Activities for Children with Handicaps: Moter, Movement, and Action" (Atsusi Nanakida); (5) "Posture As a Dynamic Stable State of a Body" (Norimasa Yamada); and (6)"Mentors for Japanese College Students" (Kunio Wakai). References are included with each article. (AP)

In order to determine the applicability of Contextual Family Therapy concepts such as loyalty, trust, and reciprocity to eastern as well as western cultures, Japanese and American college students completed the Relational Ethics Scale (RES), a measure of these contextual constructs. The subjects were 173 undergraduate students; 80 from an introductory psychology course at an American college, and 93 from the American college's sister university in Japan. There were no significant effects for sex, however there were significant effects found for nationality. The results indicate that American college students experience more vertical (familial) and horizontal (peer) loyalty, trust, and reciprocity than do Japanese college students. These results conflict with those presented in literature in which Japanese employees are determined to be more loyal and trustworthy than American workers. This occurrence could be due to errors in instrument translation, differences in values held by adult employees versus college students, and confusion about the definition of the Japanese family, particularly regarding the difference between maternal and paternal Japanese relationships. (Author/BF)

This study investigated how the relationship between "individual" and "institution" is constructed in people's perceptions about other cultures, and manifested in conversation. The potential for inappropriate generalization and misunderstanding of situations and cultures was examined. A videotape recording of a Japanese family and two guests, one American and one Japanese, was analyzed, focusing on one awkward conversational exchange involving racially discriminatory remarks. Analysis included review of the videotape with the American guest, mother, daughter, four Japanese graduate students, and four American graduate students. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with the American guest and an American college student with experience in Japanese culture. Interview emphasis was on how experiences in Japan affected perceptions of Japan, with particular attention paid during analysis to use of personal pronouns as a measure of the speaker's identification with the world. Analysis identified some cultural differences in behavior that could lead to misunderstanding and some commonalities (e.g., in gestures) that led to common interpretation. Dynamics of co-membership or identification with the culture during the conversation were also examined. It is concluded that generalizations in speech can create misunderstanding, and that "hedges" such as "I think,""it seems,""it might," etc., although considered sociolinguistically powerless in the United States, may help prevent conflict. (MSE)

This report describes an intervention to improve American kindergarten children's understanding of Japanese culture. The intervention consisted of a curriculum unit presented in a kindergarten class of 14 American and 7 Japanese children in Brookline, Massachusetts. Before and after the intervention, the American children's knowledge of Japanese culture was assessed in an interview. Children were presented with five traditional Japanese folktales in English translation. Children were also exposed to Japanese culture through nonfiction books, videos, films, and Japanese children's magazines. Children engaged in such activities as making fans and experimenting with calligraphy, and other activities that focused on housing, food, holidays, and children's activities in Japan. The curriculum was presented in 26 lessons over a 3-month period. As a result of the intervention, American children's responses that indicated a knowledge of Japanese culture rose from a total of 19 in preintervention interviews to 399 in postintervention interviews. A 28-item reference list is provided. Appendices include an annotated bibliography of folktales, nonfiction books, films, and videocassettes; detailed lesson plans for the 26 lessons in the curriculum; sample pre- and post-intervention interviews; and tables of data derived from the interviews. (BC)

This document presents a comparative analysis of education in Japan and the United States. The report explores differences between U.S. and Japanese culture. While the United States may be characterized by its diversity, Japanese culture is distinctive in the extent of its uniformity. Japan, moreover, has a highly centralized educational system; U.S. education is extremely decentralized. Education is compulsory in both countries, until age 16 in most U.S. states, and until 15 in Japan. While many students in the United States work or participate in other activities, Japan tends to view schooling as a student's job. Japanese students face a longer school year and a more rigorous, government controlled curriculum than do their U.S. counterparts. In Japan, teaching is a more highly respected and rewarded field than it is in the United States. There are major attitudinal differences concerning schooling in the two countries. The United States tends to emphasize students' abilities, while the Japanese place greater emphasis on persistence and personal responsibility. From the Japanese system, the United States can learn: (1) the true value of taking education seriously; (2) the need to raise academic standards; and (3) the ability to spend wisely on education. (Contains 15 references.) (LBG)

This paper aims to show the significance of the educational reforms of women's higher education during the U.S. occupation of post-World War II Japan. To help fill the gap of research on women's higher education in Japan, focus is on an historical analysis of women's higher education reform policies. Since educational reforms are not one-dimensional, the paper analyzes the educational reform policies of women's higher education through the use of an assortment of historical materials. It examines the installment of the single-track system and its influence on women's higher education through primary and secondary sources. It calls for further research to shed more light on the reality of the postwar educational reforms in women's higher education while comparing them to the prewar system that was immersed in a rigid cultural setting. (Contains 26 references and 5 notes.) (BT)