Institute of Japanese Studies

This phase 2/3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of ustekinumab in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis. Overall, 158 patients were randomized to receive ustekinumab 45 or 90 mg at weeks 0, 4, and every 12 weeks, or placebo with cross-over to ustekinumab at week 12. The primary end-point was the proportion of patients achieving at least 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) at week 12. Physician's Global Assessment (PGA), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Nail Psoriasis Severity Index and joint pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were also measured. At week 12, 59.4% and 67.7% of ustekinumab 45 and 90 mg patients achieved PASI 75, respectively, compared with 6.5% in the placebo group (P < 0.0001 each). PASI 75 responses were maintained through week 64 in 65.0% and 78.6% of the ustekinumab-treated patients, respectively. Placebo cross-over patients had similar responses to ustekinumab-treated patients. Significant improvements in PGA, DLQI and VAS scores were observed at week 12 and generally maintained over time. Adverse events during the placebo-controlled period were similar among groups (45 mg, 65.6%; 90 mg, 59.7%; placebo, 65.6%). Serious adverse events were observed in 0%, 4.8% and 6.3% of patients, respectively. Through week 72, similar rates and types of adverse events and serious adverse events were reported in patients receiving 45 and 90 mg. Rates of injection site reactions and antibodies to ustekinumab were low. Ustekinumab was efficacious and generally well-tolerated in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis through 72 weeks. These results are consistent with those reported in the global, phase 3 studies.

The FRAX calculator is a major achievement in terms of our understanding of measuring fracture risk. Along with being an easily accessible web-based tool, it is the only model based on extensive data on multiple cohorts. FRAX will help clinicians identify individuals who need osteoporosis treatments, while also screening out those who do not require osteoporosis treatments. However, FRAX is limited by a number of factors. Although it is web based, few physicians have the means to access it. It also assumes that body mass index and mortality are constant across different racial and ethnic groups. FRAX is further limited by the exclusion of variables known to be associated with fracture risk, lack of dose-response relationships for variables, increased subsequent fracture risk after initial fracture, restriction to only one bone mineral density site, racial and ethnic differences that may influence fracture risk, and availability of racial and ethnic fracture risk data to be used in the FRAX calculator. Finally, the values obtained from FRAX should not take the place of good clinical judgment.

Acknowledgements - Conventions - Introduction - Turning to the Gods in Times of Trouble: the Place, Time and Structure of Japanese Religion - Unifying Traditions, Cosmological Perspectives and the Vitalistic Universe - 'Born Shinto': Community, Festivals, Production and Change - 'Die Buddhist': Zen, Death and the Ancestors - Individuals, Ascetics and the Expression of Power - Sites and Sights: Temples and Shrines as Centres of Power and Entertainment - Actions and Amulets: Reflections of Need and the Expression of Meaning - Spirits, Satellites and a User Friendly Religion: Agonsh and the New Religions - Mystery, Nostalgia and the Shifting Sands of Continuity - Endnotes - References - Index

Bukatsudo (extracurricular school clubs) are a longstanding feature of Japanese secondary education. These "communities of practice" employ a model of learning akin to apprenticeship, stressing imitation and repetition while socializing students into values and behavior demanded in adult society, notably in terms of a hierarchy of seniors (senpai) and juniors (kohai). In sports clubs, values associated with "spiritual education" (seishin kyoiku) are often prominent. Club participation promotes school order, aided by ritual, routine, and the often intense emotional attachment and group spirit engendered in club activities. Understanding bukatsudo illuminates the nature of order, selfhood, human development, and learning in Japan.

Abstract This book examines the current state of the Japanese employment system from an economic perspective. It also looks at how the changing economy and demography, including the prolonged recession and the rapid ageing of the population, has affected the labour market and its institutions. The main focus of the book is on the increased use of non-standard forms of labour, especially in the labour market for youth. This is seen to be partly a by-product of the long recession, but also a longer-run change in the human resource management strategy of firms. The book also examines the implications these developments will have on the income distribution in the future as many young men in this male-breadwinner society no longer have access to stable long-term jobs. Other topics examined in the book include the impact of increased educational attainment and anti-discrimination legislation on the labour market for women, the declining importance of labour unions, the low rate of immigration into Japan, and the success Japan has had in keeping older workers employed. The final conclusion of the book is that many of the aspects of the employment system for regular, full-time workers remain in place, although the system has become more flexible.

Journal Article Japan's political marketplace Get access Japan's political marketplace. By J. Mark Ramseyerand Frances McCall Rosenbluth. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1993. 262pp. Index. £31.95. ISBN 0 674 47280 2. J. A. A. Stockwin J. A. A. Stockwin 1Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 70, Issue 2, April 1994, Page 393, https://doi.org/10.2307/2625354 Published: 01 April 1994

Praying for practical benefits is a common religious activity in Japan. Basing their work on a fusion of textual, ethnographic, historical and contemporary studies, the authors of this volume demonstrate that far from being marginal, the concepts and practices surrounding genze riyaku lie at the very heart of the Japanese religious world. The authors discuss the economic and commercial aspects of how and why institutions promote practical benefits, drawing attention to the dynamism and flexibility in the religious marketplace. The authors also examine the business of guidebooks, which combine travel information with religious advice, including forms of prayer for the protection against embarrassing physical problems and sexual diseases.

ABSTRACT This article describes a study of 107 high school students who were learning Japanese through the medium of satellite television. The investigation focused on factors that influence student achievement in Japanese in the satellite setting. Results showed motivation was the best predictor of Japanese language achievement, but the use of language learning strategies was also highly influential Students who frequently used learning strategies performed better in the course, thus validating the supposed linkage between strategy use and language achievement. Although auditory students were more motivated than visual students, nevertheless visual students significantly outperformed auditory students and hands‐on (tactile/kinesthetic) students in achievement. Girls showed a number of differences from boys in terms of motivation, achievement, and frequency of strategy use. Many concrete suggestions are provided for improving language instruction in regular classrooms and in the satellite environment.

This paper examines the use of CMC in both Japanese and English dominated domains by Australian learners of Japanese.The natural, social online communication of 12 Australian university students with 18 of their Japanese contacts was collected for a period of up to four years, resulting in a corpus of approximately 2,000 instances of blogs, e-mails, SNS interactions, chat conversations, game profiles, and mobile phone communications.To supplement this data, interviews were conducted to further explore participants' Internet communication and L2 use.These interviews, paired with evidence from the corpus of collected data, are analysed using Sealey and Carter's (2004) social realism framework in order to explore questions of language selection, identity construction and nationality, as well as what it means to be a foreigner online.In the introduction to her influential book, Life on the Screen, Turkle (1995) defined identity in a computer-mediated environment as multiple, fluid, and constituted in interaction via technology.Yet a decade later, Hewling ( 2005) argued that CMC research has often taken a narrow, nationality-based view Sarah Pasfield-Neofitou Online Domains of Language Use Language Learning & Technology 93of culture, and suggests instead that identity or identities be viewed as a site of ongoing negotiation.Such negotiation, Hewling states, is visible online in the form of CMC discourse.Thus, analysis of L2 learners' online language use across a variety of domains may provide greater insight into the nature of constructing identity via an L2 online, in particular, in terms of ethnicity, nationality, and nativeness/foreignness, and the effects of communicating in certain domains on opportunities for language learning and use. Past Research on CMCMiller and Slater (2000) criticize the first generation of Internet literature for viewing the Internet as a gigantic, placeless cyberspace.Much of this early research on CMC tended to view the Internet as a monolithic space that was somehow "more egalitarian, democratic, and liberating than face-to-face interactions" (Sproull and Kiesler, 1986;McGuire, Kiesler, & Siegel, 1987;Dubrovsky, Kiesler, & Sethna, 1991; cited in Watt, Lea, & Spears, 2002, p. 63).Simon even described the Internet as having an "inherent support of democracy" (2002, p. 101).Hanna and de Nooy categorize such views as subscribing to the borderless world (2004, p. 259) perception of Internet communication, in which the Internet is deemed to remove cultural difference.Of course, these perspectives have had an important impact on research in the areas of L2 use and acquisition also.Past research on L2 use and acquisition points to a variety of benefits of the online environment.A reduction in anxiety in comparison to face-to-face speech and greater opportunities for language production have been claimed as some of the most important implications of CMC for L2 learners.Itakura and Nakajima (2001) found that the use of CMC assisted language learners in gaining an authentic audience, provided them with the flexibility to compose e-mails at their leisure, gave them a record of communication, fostered independent learning and provided opportunities for the negotiation of meaning, which can lead to language learning.Yoshimura and Miyazoe-Wong (2005) also found that communication with NSs via CMC could help students to amend stereotypes, and Kano ( 2004) claims that such interactions can expose learners to language variation in the form of popular grammar, slang, and regional dialects.

Despite overseas' observers praise for Japanese education over the last 20 years, within Japan the school system has become the focus of increasing discontent because of its supposed rigidity, uniformity, and exam-centredness. This discontent has given impetus to a series of educational reform proposals and policy measures during the late 1980s and 1990s. These reforms have gone under the slogan of 'stress on individuality' (kosei jūshi), and are purportedly aimed at encouraging creativity by introducing more freedom and choice into the education system. However, critics have alleged that the emphasis on 'individuality' masks a neo liberal agenda driven by business demands. This article analyses the reform measures and the surrounding debate. It concludes that Japan's Ministry of Education remains cautious in its approach to reform. The main reform measures to date have favoured a progressive rather than a neoliberal direction.

Abstract This book highlights the importance of time and timing in economic and social development. ‘Compressed development’ consists of two key features and their interaction: the tendency for development processes to unfold more rapidly (compression) and the institution-shaping influences of major periods of change and growth, especially when countries become integrated into the global economy (era). Using an interdisciplinary conceptual framework of state–market and organization–technology co-evolution, the authors contrast the experiences of ‘early’ and ‘late’ developers such as the United Kingdom and Japan, with countries–most notably China–which have become more deeply integrated with the global economy since the 1990s. Compressed developers experience ‘thin industrialization’, layered types of employment, and ‘double burdens’ or challenges in social development. National development strategies must accommodate global value chains and powerful international actors on the one hand, and decentralization on the other. To cope, and thrive, states must remain developmental, whilst being increasingly engaged and adaptive in multiple levels of governance. Compressed Development explores the historical and contemporary features of economic and social development at the intersection of development studies and studies of globalization. By bringing a new perspective on the ‘middle-income trap’, as well as the emerging digital economy, and the state–market and geopolitical tensions that are currently upending conventional wisdoms, the book offers timely insights that will be useful, not only for students of development, but for policymakers, business, and labour organization seeking to navigate the rushing currents of contemporary capitalism.

Japanese popular culture has been steadily increasing in visibility both in Asia and beyond in recent years. This book examines Japanese popular music, exploring its historical development, technology, business and production aspects, audiences, and language and culture. Based both on extensive textual and aural analysis, and on anthropological fieldwork, it provides a wealth of detail, finding differences as well as similarities between the Japanese and Western pop music scenes. Carolyn Stevens shows how Japanese popular music has responded over time to Japan's relationship to the West in the post-war era, gradually growing in independence from the political and cultural hegemonic presence of America. Similarly, the volume explores the ways in which the Japanese artist has grown in independence vis-a-vis his/her role in the production process, and examines in detail the increasingly important role of the jimusho, or the entertainment management agency, where many individual artists and music industry professionals make decisions about how the product is delivered to the public. It also discusses the connections to Japanese television, film, print and internet, thereby providing through pop music a key to understanding much of Japanese popular culture more widely.

We review the state of the labour market and employment practices in Japan over the past 15 years and try to evaluate the nature of the changes that have been occurring. We also look at how government policy has reacted to the conditions in the labour market and what implications this has for the future. Although there has been a continual shift of resources away from manufacturing and agriculture into services, employment practices have not been changing so rapidly, and job protection is actually stronger. This, along with wage restraint, accounts for why unemployment has only increased by some 2.5 percentage points during almost a decade of stagnation. We also note that much government policy has acted to maintain existing employment practices and that labour economists are divided as to whether or not this is a good thing.

Polysaccharides are one of many bioactive compounds found in edible mushrooms. Edible mushrooms have become attractive as “health foods” and as source materials for immunomodulators. The aim of this project was to study the immunoregulatory effects of a purified polysaccharide derived from wild Russula griseocarnosa (PRG1-1) on macrophages. Our data showed that in RAW264.7 macrophage cells, PRG1-1 increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Furthermore, PRG1-1 increased the production of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines, including interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Western blotting demonstrated that the regulation of NO and cytokines was mediated through the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways. Therefore, PRG1-1 has the capacity to activate macrophages via the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. These findings helped to elucidate the immune-modulatory properties of the polysaccharide from R. griseocarnosa.

Part 1: Musical Cultures and Culture Industries Part 2: Local Appropriations: From Nation-Building to Happy Pop and Folk Resistance Part 3: Travelling Theories, Syncretic Exoticisms or Diffusion by Any Other Name? Part 4: Colonial Desire, Social Memory and Popular Sensuality as Performance Genres

Learning Discourses and the Discourses of Learning is an edited collection of papers exploring issues of teaching and learning in academic settings. The key theme of the volume is 'discourses' - especially as these relate to institutional policies, disciplinary practices and students' processes of learning in the academy. Particular attention is paid to the experiences of second-language students studying at Australian universities as well as those learning foreign languages in Australia. Employing a variety of methodologies and theoretical perspectives, the papers in Learning Discourses are unified by a focus on rich and socially situated empirical data. The book addresses issues highly pertinent to the dynamic character of contemporary higher education in Australia, one dominated by trends towards the internationalisation and professionalisation of university programs, and the growing intercultural nature of social and academic interactions. Part one covers issues of discourse and change, exploring processes of discourse acquisition and production in a range of disciplinary contexts, along with the nexus between academic and professional discourses. Part two deals with broader issues of the participation and socialisation of students in second-language-use situations, ranging from macro (social planning and policy) issues to the micro (interpersonal) level. Part three looks at the social mediation of foreign language learning covering a range of tertiary and secondary settings in Australia and has a particular focus on Japanese as a foreign language. This book is intended for academics and students - postgraduate and undergraduate - working in foreign language programs, academic and language support programs, and applied linguistics.

As a first step to study the relationship between fat accumulation and reproductive success in Japanese black bears ( Ursus thibetanus japonicus Schlegel, 1857) with the focus on leptin, we determined leptin cDNA sequences in the bears. Next, we studied the possibility of white adipose tissue (WAT) as a leptin secretion source by observing the changes of leptin mRNA expression in WAT by semiquantitative real-time reverse transcript – polymerase chain reaction, the index of WAT fat-cell size, and serum leptin concentration in pregnant bears. Then, based on our results, we discussed roles of leptin in those bears. The amino acid sequences of leptin from the bears were highly identical to that of other carnivores. The expression of leptin mRNA in WAT was detected from September to January, with a tendency to increase in late November and January; the relationship between changes in the index of WAT fat-cell size and those in serum leptin concentration was high (r = 0.55, P &lt; 0.01), with an increase in both in mid-November. These results suggested that leptin was mainly secreted from WAT in bears and that serum leptin concentrations might reflect their nutritional condition. Moreover, leptin might serve as an indicator of their fat mass, which would affect their survival during hibernation and their reproductive success.

Abstract China's rise, Russia's military resurgence, and India's economic growth have prompted debates about the end of unipolarity and the future balance of power. Such debates are a staple of international politics; indeed, in the late twentieth century, many observers warned that Japan and the Soviet Union would overtake the United States. Yet scholars and policymakers evince little agreement on how to define power or measure the distribution of power. This article introduces an inductive method for comparing national power. I empirically validate common metrics of national capabilities—economic and military—by assessing their ability to both predict known balances of power across historical systems (1820–1990) and distinguish between great powers and other countries. This method yields three important findings. First, large gaps in national capabilities between great powers and even superpowers have been common throughout history. Great powers need not achieve parity with the leading state to engage in a dangerous security competition. Second, this method shows that China on most dimensions is not only a great power but a superpower. Third, neither Russia nor India is a great power. The system is bipolar. These findings inform debates about the stability of international politics and the future of international order and suggest the likelihood of shifts in U.S. grand strategy and alliances.

East Asia is a powerhouse of economic and social development, with cultural industries that have burgeoned as countries in the region have generated consumer economies and a middle class. Despite ongoing security tensions, growing evidence suggests that a vigorous cultural trade in such commodities as comics, cinema and TV drama is creating a shared regional popular culture. The widespread diffusion of the Internet, and the concomitant rise of non-professional online publishing and social networking, is creating new communities among the consumers of these cultural commodities. Rivalry for leadership in the sphere of the culture industries provides a fertile field for the study of soft market power versus hard political power. The competing national discourses of the ‘Korean Wave’ (hallyu) and Japan’s ‘Gross National Cool’ indicate a struggle for new forms of influence in the East Asian region, a struggle that is becoming more intense as China, too, starts to exert soft power influence on a global scale in the form of cultural industries and foreign aid. This volume addresses transnational production and consumption of media products such as cinema, television dramas, popular music, comics and animation in Japan, South Korea and China. Its multidisciplinary approaches include Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Media Studies, and a content analysis of the popular discourse of otherness in the East Asian context. While suggesting the emergence of a shared East Asian popular consumer culture, it critically examines the proposition that such a shared popular culture can resolve tensions between nation-states, and highlights the appropriation of popular culture by nation-states in an attempt to exercise soft power. This volume will be of interest to researchers and students in Asian Studies, Cultural Studies and Media Studies, and will be particularly useful to researchers in the emerging area of intra-Asian Cultural Studies.

The author has taken the fitness club as the institutional focus through which to explore how health, beauty, and leisure are constructed, consumed, and challenged in late-capitalist Japan. Given the cultural emphasis on effort and the pervasive and narrow standard for female beauty in Japan, the fact that most fitness club members do not want to work at working out is surprising. This grounded analysis will expose the fitness club as a contradictory space where the tensions between labor and leisure, and between health and beauty, prove to be irreconcilable.