Reviewing its self image and redefining its role as a regional power : contemporary Japan and international population movement

What sort of change in policy may be possible if a state reviewed its structural conditions and the significance of its own power with regard to other actors in international relations? This paper asks this question with regard to contemporary Japan’s policy towards an issue arising from the arrival of migrants in post-Cold War years, in particular whether to provide safety to migrants within the country. Japan used to be ‘a country without migration’ until the 1970s, but from the 1980s onwards has been in transition to be a key destination for international population movement (IPM). This paper surveys the literature on Japan’s international relations, examines theories of IPM, and describes the history of modern Japan focusing particular attention on its experiences of international migration. If Japan did not provide a safe environment for migrants, that would be questionable as being a differential form of treatment. What obstructs the provision of safety is a world view informed by an atomistic view of international relations and an understanding of history which is only focused on a limited time period. In contrast, what can contribute to reducing such a barrier will be a combination of natural law thinking, a relational view of international relations, an understanding of history with a time frame over several decades, and a recognition that current IPM is a reflection of Japan’s economic power in the neighbouring regio

Investigation into energy performance of a school building in a hot climate: Optimum of window-to-wall ratio.

Global attention is currently focussed on developing techniques to improve the thermal performance of buildings to provide indoor comfort with minimum reliance on energy load. Several studies have investigated building facade, materials used and other factors involved in building design. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of thermal insulation, shading devices, window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and a combination of these factors in a prototype school building design in the warm climate city of Taif, Saudi Arabia. The study used various methods classified into two main phases. The first phase involved on-site observation where both thermal imaging and regular cameras were used to examine the influence of orientation on glazing as a baseline. The second phase involved advanced software investigations with 2D AutoCAD, 3D Revit and computer modelling for energy evaluation and daylight factor. A detailed framework was introduced to examine current school buildings and to improve the future designs of prototype school buildings. The study revealed that a combination of applying thermal insulation along with minimising WWR is required in existing buildings within hot and dry regions. Furthermore, it was recommended that WWR should not exceed 35%, 25% and 20% for northwest, southeast and southwest building facades, respectively