Looking at China from Across the Pacific and Across the Himalayas

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on Japan?

Aged-Care Support in Japan: Perspectives and Challenges

This study explores economic aspects of the market for long term care (LTC) with a special focus on Japan. First, we describe the LTC system in Japan as presently implemented, and we highlight some aspects of the program that are novel and potentially of interest to other countries seeking models for long-term care provision. Next, we discuss alternative projections of Japanese LTC utilization and costs. Finally, since Japan appears likely to experience important shortfalls in LTC in the future, we discuss whether such services might be more efficiently organized and financed under alternate forms of provision.

The Search for Tsunami Evidence in the Geological and Archaeological Records, With a Focus on Japan

Tsunami damage to archaeological sites in Japan has been recognized since the 1980s, but the Great Tōhoku-oki Earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 stimulated geologists and archaeologists to find evidence of previous tsunami in Japan, investigate the responses of earlier inhabitants to tsunami, and assess the probability of future occurrences. Excavated sites on the Sendai Plain, partially inundated in this recent tsunami, have been crucial in this endeavor, with recovered data at times contradicting historical sources. Great progress has been made in the science of identifying tsunami deposits and understanding their nature and distribution, aiding in their recognition at archaeological sites. This article provides an introduction to the nature of tsunami waves and their causes, resources available for studying past tsunami worldwide, and difficulties in identifying tsunami sediments. Seventeen case studies of sites where tsunami deposits have been investigated throughout the Japanese and Ryukyu archipelagos are presented. Tsunami can be included within my conception of ‘tectonic archaeology,’ archaeology that must methodologically deal with the influence of plate tectonics on the islands. Earthquakes, volcanoes, and most tsunami relate to the subduction zone setting of Japan; thus, to fully understand the site remains of previous tectonically derived disasters demands knowledge of plate tectonics, seismology, volcanology, sedimentology, and wave physics among others. Integrating these spheres of knowledge into archaeological research opens new avenues of interpretation, including understanding why many Middle Yayoi settlements on the Sendai Plain were abandoned, not to be reoccupied for 400 years

Understanding Covid-19:a hybrid threat and its impact on sport mega-events. A focus on Japan and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 affected the sports industry with the cancellation of many professional sports competitions worldwide. Thus, the postponement and organization of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games behind closed doors became a significant disruption to the global sports landscape. In this paper, we present a novel, conceptual discussion, signifying and defining the pandemic via the concept of international security as a hybrid threat. We associated the term hybrid threat to clarify better the difficult times facing sport mega-events. First, the paper proffers that the COVID-19 pandemic is a form of hybrid threat while reflecting on the connected implications of using sport as a soft power tool for nations. Secondly, we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on sport mega-events globally and explain the implications of COVID-19 on the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympic Games. This paper although drawing on some figures associated with COVID-19 and the Tokyo Olympic Games presents a theoretical contribution to knowledge in the area of sport mega events, soft power and hybrid threat. We outline how the threats, triggered by the pandemic, have impeded a successful Olympic Games and clarify how these threats have affected Japan's opportunity to use the Games as a soft power tool, which is the paper's key contribution to the field

The Aging Democracy: Demographic Effects, Political Legitimacy, and the Quest for Generational Pluralism

The political implications of population aging for democratic systems are fundamental. Questions of democratic legitimacy are raised as the political equilibrium between the generations is upended. Drawing on evidence from liberal democracies with a focus on Japan, the democracy with the oldest electorate, we identify and analyze three demographic effects on the political system: participation effects deriving from younger voters’ marginalization among the electorate; representation effects demonstrated by the dominance of elderly lawmakers inside the parliament and government; and policy effects manifesting in a preference for policies catering to an aging majority. By breaking down these key effects and contextualizing them in broader debates of political demography, we call attention to the normative repercussions of the interplay between demography and democracy and make a case for enhanced generational pluralism

Trade, Environmental Regulations and Industrial Mobility: An Industry-Level Study of Japan

This paper contributes to the small but growing body of literature which tries to explain why, despite the predictions of some theoretical studies, empirical support for the pollution haven hypothesis remains limited. We break from the previous literature, which tends to concentrate on US trade patterns, and focus on Japan. In common with Ederington et al.'s (2005) US study, we show that pollution haven effects are stronger and more discernible when trade occurs with developing countries, in industries with the greatest environmental costs and when the geographical immobility of an industry is accounted for. We also go one step further and show that our findings relate not only to environmental regulations but also to industrial regulations more generally.Environmental regulations, trade, Agglomeration, Immobility, Industry

LGBT Issues and Social Work Responses International Standards and Practice Principles

近年、ソーシャルワークにおける国際的な諸基準は性の多様性について明確な立場を示しているが、日本の専門職界においてLGBTに関する取り組みはまだ少ない。本稿は、日本を含めて性的マイノリティの実態の把握と関連基準の比較を目的とする。この目的を達成するために、本稿は4部構成となっている。 第一部は、性の多様性をソーシャルワークにおいてどのように理解すれば良いかについて論じ、クライエントの性をアセスメントするために、身体・心理・社会・文化的・スピリチュアルな枠組みを採用している。第二部は、世界中と日本のLGBTについて入手可能な国内外の量的データをまとめている。第三部は、性の多様性に関するソーシャルワークの専門的な基準に係る国内外の文書を比較している。第四部は、理論的モデルのレビューに基づき、LGBTに特化して、反差別的及び文化的力量アプローチに基盤をおいたソーシャルワークの原則を整理している

Is this essential for Japan to changes its LNG import policy? Some evidence of the OPEC crude oil price shocks

In this study, Japan's LNG import contracts are discussed. Given the importance that these contracts are oil-indexation, the impact of crude oil price volatility (emphasizing OPEC oil basket) on LNG prices was studied using a structural VAR model from January 1997 to October 2017. Also, the Hodrick-Prescott filter was used to separate positive and negative shocks to investigate the effect of oil price shocks on LNG prices. The results showed that the relationship between LNG and crude oil prices has increased over time and that the effect of price shocks was asymmetric so that the impact of positive shocks was more lasting and more significant than negative shocks. This imbalance indicates that the basic oil contracting mechanism generally works to secure sellers' rights. So Japan needs to reform its contracts. Looking at gas sales contracts elsewhere in the world, it seems that the best alternative to current contracts would be the formation of an LNG hub in the North and East Asian region with the focus on Japan or Singapore