Tendances récentes du système japonais de relations industrielles : néo-corporatisme et nouvelle «identité syndicale»

Referring to the Anglo-Saxon concept of neocorporatism, the author puts into perspective the recent trends in the Japanese system of industrial relations that have seen the trade unions, most of which are now joined together in RENGO, attempting to play a greater part in political decision-making while at the same time seeking a new identity among wage-earners as a means of guaranteeing their independence, which has proved difficult to wrest from the grip of company "micro-corporatism' ' .Se référant au concept anglo-saxon de néo-corporatisme, l'auteur met en perspective les tendances récentes du système japonais de relations professionnelles dans lequel les syndicats aujourd'hui réunifiés majoritairement au sein du Rengo tentent à la fois de participer davantage à la décision politique tout en recherchant une nouvelle identité auprès des salariés , gage d'une indépendance difficile à conquérir sous l'emprise du «micro-corporatisme » d'entreprise.Inagami Takeshi, Nohara Hiroatsu. Tendances récentes du système japonais de relations industrielles : néo-corporatisme et nouvelle «identité syndicale». In: Sociologie du travail, 33ᵉ année n°1, Janvier-mars 1991. Japon. Nouveaux défis. pp. 27-49

Increased angiotensin II AT\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e receptor expression in paraventricular nucleus and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stimulation in AT\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e receptor gene disrupted mice

Angiotensin II AT2 receptor gene-disrupted mice have increased blood pressure and response to angiotensin II, behavioral alterations, greater response to stress, and increased adrenal AT1 receptors. We studied hypothalamic AT1 receptor binding and mRNA by receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization, adrenal catecholamines by HPLC, adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA by in situ hybridization and pituitary and adrenal hormones by RIA in AT2 receptor-gene disrupted mice and wild-type controls. To confirm the role of adrenal AT1 receptors, we treated wild-type C57 BL/6J mice with the AT1 antagonist candesartan for 2 weeks, and measured adrenal hormones, catecholamines and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA. In the absence of AT2 receptor transcription, we found increased AT1 receptor binding in brain areas involved in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and the median eminence, and increased adrenal catecholamine synthesis as shown by higher adrenomedullary tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA and higher adrenal dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine levels when compared to wild-type mice. In addition, in AT2 receptor gene-disrupted mice there were higher plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone levels and lower adrenal aldosterone content when compared to wild-type controls. Conversely, AT1 receptor inhibition in CB57 BL/6J mice reduced adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA and catecholamine content and increased adrenal aldosterone content. These results can help to explain the enhanced response of AT2 receptor gene-disrupted mice to exogenous angiotensin II, support the hypothesis of cross-talk between AT1 and AT2 receptors, indicate that the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis parallels the AT1 receptor expression, and suggest that expression of AT1 receptors can be dependent on AT2 receptor expression. Our results provide an explanation for the increased sensitivity to stress in this model. Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Forty Years On: Researching the Globalization of the Japanese Firm in the UK

Forty years have now passed since the economic relationship between Britain and Japan started to deepen beyond arms-length trading ties. This article presents an overview of research on the globalization of the Japanese firm by looking at work produced from the UK standpoint over the last four decades. By reconfiguring and re-presenting existing research on the Japanese firm, the article seeks to challenge some established orthodoxies by presenting analyses and arguments on the following three subjects: the system of employment in large Japanese organizations, industrial convergence and the ‘japanization’ of British industry thesis, and Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK. Although the article continues to recognise the relevance of cross-national perspectives and comparisons, it also urges scholars to take account in their discussions of socio-economic systems at the sub-national and trans-national levels of analysis