A Decade Revealed by NPO Financial Data in a Depopulating Region — Tottori Prefecture, Japan, 2014–2023

This paper examines the quantitative scale, field composition, and financial structure of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in rural regions experiencing population decline and aging at three levels—the nonprofit sector as a whole, policy fields, and individual organizations—and explores their adaptation and sustainability under demographic change. The empirical setting is certified NPO corporations located in Tottori Prefecture. Drawing on publicly available financial data for fiscal years 2014–2023, the study constructs ratio indicators and per-capita indicators and, in particular, depicts recent trends through a two-point comparison between FY2014 and FY2023 together with a description of year-by-year changes. The analysis shows that, although the number of organizations changed little, the total amounts of ordinary revenue and ordinary expenditure, as well as their averages per organization, increased, and the sector’s overall monetary scale expanded. The composition of fields remained broadly stable, yet absolute amounts diverged across fields, with growth in “children” and “social education” and contraction in “environment.” From a per-capita perspective, spending increased in major fields addressing children and older adults. At the organizational level, the funding mix comprising membership fees, donations, and grants, as well as the share of organizations with a surplus, remained generally stable; at the same time, personnel expenses as a share of ordinary revenue rose, while the ratio of administrative expenses to total costs declined. Key indicators of financial soundness, such as liquidity and equity ratio, did not exhibit statistically significant deterioration. Taken together, the findings suggest that NPOs, as intermediary organizations that substitute for and complement government services, have expanded their monetary scale and increased field-specific emphasis in line with demographic structure, while maintaining financial sustainability and adjusting their cost allocation toward personnel expenses without major reconfiguration of external funding sources

Restricting Academic Dishonesty at a Japanese University

This research explores three approaches to handling academic dishonesty: punitive, preventive, and positive. First, the history of cheating and the punitive approach is briefly discussed. Next, research results of a preventive approach that was used at a Japanese university are given. During this research, three surveys were conducted to gauge students’ opinions about cheating, to account for the methods, and to measure the prevalence of cheating on post-reading quizzes. The survey results show that at least eleven types of cheating on post-reading quizzes were used and that non-cheating students were concerned about this issue. As a result of the surveys, the teacher tried a preventive approach with the subsequent semester’s students by restricting online access to the post-reading quizzes. Students were given the same cheating survey and their answers were compared against the first group of students. The research finds that this preventive approach significantly reduced the level of some methods of cheating. However, as the issue is highly fraught with shame, it is not clear that the self-reported levels of cheating accurately reflected the amount of cheating actually occurring. A solution to effectively inhibit the students’ from all forms of cheating, especially with artificial intelligence tools, is still needed. To that end, the positive approach using honor codes is proposed in the discussion section

Freedom of Expression and the Right to Protection Against Defamation: Cf. Handling of the Libel of the Criminal Law and the Libel of the Civil Law

This study reviews natures of the Constitution, Civil Code, and Criminal Code of Japan in terms of the right to protection against defamation, and explores the foundations thereof. The point of it is to clarify the nature of the right to protection against defamation as indicated in the Constitution. 　The right to protection against defamation, along with the right to privacy, has long been recognized as a personal right. While the right to privacy relates to the private domain, the right to protection against defamation relates to one’s social reputation. The Constitution of Japan does not clearly stipulate the right to protection against defamation. However, the accumulation of precedents, such as the “After the Banquet” case, suggests that the right to protection against defamation is guaranteed in the Constitution. This study examines the nature of this guarantee and whether the right to protection against defamation, as formed through the Constitution, stands in conflict with freedom of expression, as well as whether it is guaranteed under Article 13 of the Constitution. In relation to this topic, this study reviews precedents relating to the right to protection against defamation and clarifies the significance of the right to protection against defamation as protected by the Constitution. 　The right to protection against defamation is essential in guaranteeing individual personal rights and the pursuit of happiness. Clarifying the existence of the right to protection against defamation could be considered a means of offering a better solution when guaranteeing freedom of expression stands in opposition to the right to protection against defamation

Healthcare Decision-Making in an Ageing Society: Legal, Policy, and Ethical Challenges in Japan

This paper examines the evolving landscape of healthcare decision-making in Japan’s rapidly ageing society, with a focus on the legal, policy, and ethical challenges it entails. It analyzes the limitations of the adult guardianship system, the risks associated with family-dependent decision-making, and the underutilization of advance care planning (ACP). The study further considers how demographic shifts, advances in medical technology, and socio-legal inertia affect end-of-life care, particularly for individuals with diminished capacity. A central theme is the inherent ethical dilemma in balancing individual autonomy with Japan\u27s cultural context, where explicit self-assertion can be challenging, especially for older adults. Cultural dimensions influencing decision-making practices are also explored. Drawing on legal, policy, and academic sources in both English and Japanese, the paper identifies key areas for systemic reform, emphasizing the need to enhance patient autonomy, establish legal clarity, and promote intergenerational inclusion. It argues for a culturally sensitive approach to legal and policy changes, particularly concerning the healthcare decisions of older adults, to mitigate risks such as social isolation and familial estrangement. It proposes a culturally informed yet future-oriented framework to strengthen healthcare decision-making in response to Japan’s demographic and ethical imperatives

The Development of Poker as a Sport in Japan: Intersections with Culture, Law and Public Administration, and Community

This study examines the emergence of poker as a competitive mind sport in Japan, a country where strict anti-gambling laws (Penal Code Article 185) prohibit cash wagering. Drawing on secondary materials—including newspaper and magazine reports, and online media—as well as primary data from Poker Guild Corporation and interviews with the Kamiichi Town Planning Division, the research applies established theoretical frameworks (Getz & Page’s event tourism, Putnam’s social capital, Reith’s techno-economic systems) to analyze the distinctive evolution of Japanese poker culture. Findings reveal that tournament‐focused venue operations and the innovative Poker Web Coin system have fostered a nationwide network of skill‐based competition without direct cash transactions. The paper documents how tournament satellites, local government collaborations (e.g., Kamiichi Town’s “KAMI★1 POKER GP” which increased hometown tax donations by 198.2% and attracted participants from 25 prefectures), and corporate partnerships (Sammy’s NIPPON SERIES tour) have generated “bridging social capital” and stimulated regional revitalization. Corporate adoption of poker training for risk management and decision‐making illustrates cross‐sector skill transfer, while hybrid online–live tournament formats demonstrate technological innovation consistent with virtual‐event theory. Despite these advances, gray-zone practices—such as ring games using web coins—highlight the need for regulatory clarification and harm-reduction measures guided by pathways models of problem gambling. The study concludes that Japan’s poker model exemplifies “regulatory connection,” whereby legal constraints spur creative cultural innovation, transforming poker from illicit gambling into an intellectual, socially integrative sport. The 2027 IR openings present further opportunities to embed competitive poker within official sports and tourism strategies, offering a replicable model for other jurisdictions navigating gambling regulation and cultural development

A Consideration of Food in a Diversity Society

In recent years, the number of foreign visitors such as tourists and businesspeople, and the number of foreign residents such as workers and international students, have been steadily increasing in Japan. However, the decrease in the number of foreign residents in Japan is relatively small compared to the number of foreign visitors to Japan, due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding restaurants, Japan has experienced diversity, progress, and cross-cultural understanding; however, these changes have been stagnant due to a decrease in the number of foreign visitors to Japan during the pandemic. Many natural disasters have recently occurred, and it has become urgent to address diversity from a perspective that regards foreign residents and emergency food. Evacuation centers have lagged behind in responding to food diversity, although the members of municipalities are diverse. Diversifying emergency foodstuffs is a difficult issue. Recently, the development of alternative meat products and other foods produced from new technologies has progressed, and some foods have been approved of by religious tenets that uphold culinary restrictions. This paper addresses the possibilities of food technology in a diverse society based on the results of a questionnaire completed by students

Institutional Transitions in the Employment of Foreign Workers in Japan’s Agriculture and Food Manufacturing: From Technical Intern Training to Employment for Skill Development and Specified Skilled Worker in Comparison with the UK

This paper investigates the institutional transition in Japan’s acceptance of foreign workers in the agriculture and food manufacturing sectors, focusing on the restructuring of entry-stage training schemes and their linkage to skill-based employment. In particular, it traces the shift from the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) to the Employment for Skill Development (ESD) Programme as the primary entry route, and examines how these institutional changes are embedded within the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) framework. Drawing upon official statistics from 2012 to 2024 and sector-specific case studies, the analysis demonstrates that the introduction of the SSW status in 2019 marked a turning point by explicitly recognising foreign nationals as “workers” engaged in manual labour. In agriculture, SSW Type 1 has increasingly supplemented or replaced technical interns, especially in horticulture and livestock farming, while early cases of transition to SSW Type 2 since 2024 suggest the gradual emergence of pathways leading to longer-term residence. In food manufacturing, the rapid expansion of SSW reflects greater institutional flexibility in responding to fluctuating labour demand, particularly in processing sectors characterised by seasonal or volatile production cycles. A cross-sectoral comparison highlights differentiated transition trajectories: food manufacturing exhibits a “rapid transition model”, agriculture a “phased connection model”, and construction and shipbuilding a “leading expansion model”. These variations indicate that institutional transition under the SSW framework is shaped not only by formal institutional design but also by sector-specific labour demand and employment practices. Comparative analysis with the United Kingdom underscores a fundamental divergence in institutional orientation. Whereas Japan’s system is structured around a stepwise transition from training-based entry to medium- and long-term workforce retention—now reconfigured through the replacement of TITP with ESD while maintaining the internal progression from SSW Type 1 to Type 2—the UK relies on a dual structure combining immediately deployable skilled labour with short-term seasonal worker schemes. The paper concludes that Japan’s approach represents a distinctive long-term human resource strategy, although challenges remain in enhancing flexibility and responsiveness to short-term labour demand

Supervisor Behaviors and Perceived Organizational Impact of Telework: A Work Disruption Perspective

As telework (e.g., working from home) has become widespread, understanding its organizational impact from managers’ perspectives and identifying supervisor behaviors that influence this impact are critical. Drawing on work disruption theory, we examined the relationships between four supervisor behaviors in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) management competencies—respectful and responsible (RR), managing and communicating work (MCW), reasoning and managing difficult situations (RDS), and managing the individual within the team (MIT)—and the perceived organizational impact of telework. We also tested whether telework rate and intensity moderated these relationships. Survey data were collected from 239 supervisors at two time points. Results showed that RR, RDS, and MIT were positively associated with perceived organizational impact of telework. Under high telework intensity, MCW and MIT were also positively related to impact. These findings extend telework research by clarifying when and which supervisor behaviors promote positive perceptions of its organizational impact

Employment Contracts, Working Time, and the Well-Being of Schoolteachers in Japan

This paper quantitatively analyzes trends in the working hours of schoolteachers in Japan using Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) data from three survey waves. The analysis focuses on differences between fixed-term and permanent employment contracts and on school environment variables, and their relationships with working hours and teacher well-being. Teachers on permanent contracts tend, on average, to work longer hours than those on fixed-term contracts, largely because of greater time spent on administrative duties and extracurricular activities. School environmental characteristics and principal leadership show only weak statistical associations with total working hours. Subjective job satisfaction is lower, and workload is higher among teachers on permanent contracts. Job satisfaction and stress exhibit nonlinear relationships with working hours, and their association with administrative and extracurricular time suggests that not only the quantity but also the quality of working time is important. Furthermore, school climate and principal leadership may contribute to higher job satisfaction and reduced stress

Social Security and the International Covenant on Human Rights: A Case Seeking the Dismissal of Public Assistance Application Denial

Using the case of rejection of request for medical assistance made by an undocumented resident in Japan, I considered the applicability of the International Covenant on Human Rights to social security. The central issue here is whether the distinction between Japanese nationals and foreign nationals for reasons of national finances is reasonable and objective. In conclusion, determining reasonable and objective criteria requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond legal interpretation. The process must consider broader factors, including Japan’s role in the international community and the global trend toward advancing human rights protections