Suchergebnisse

This study examines a particular modality of audience participation in Japanese municipal council sessions. As with parliamentary debates elsewhere (Carbó 1992, Antaki & Leudar, 2001), the prescribed participation framework in a Japanese council session is highly structured so as to facilitate deliberation for the public good. Accordingly, the formal institutional rules do not assign the audience ratified speaking rights during question-answer periods. Nevertheless, audience members do insert interjectory remarks with precise timings to accomplish specific social consequences. While official records typically exclude audience voices and therefore fail to capture the relevant social consquences, the analysis of raw data brings them to light. This study investigates audience interjections in terms of their sociolinguistic characteristics, their placement in the on-going discussions, and their "covert" social consequences. The analysis shows that interjections in Japanese council sessions are tools for spontaneous politicking whereas the ostensibly deliberative proceedings are largely scripted performance.

In this thesis I describe intimacy-building practices in Japanese adolescent friendship and argue that participation in these hones a sense of power characterized by elaboration of the subordinate role. A sense of power informs self-, other-, and interactive- regard, and friendship experience is thus vital to Japanese individual well-being and interdependent sociality. Friend relationships encourage a construal of self that is socially relativistic (Lebra 1976), sociocentric (Rosenberger 1989), relationally defined (Kondo 1990), and interdependent (Markus and Kitayama 1991, 1994). In the course of fieldwork at a suburban Tokyo junior high and high school for long-term absentees, I found that speaking practices, talk and enhanced talk, were means of generating intimacy among students. Talk was characterized by a self-disclosing speaker and empathetic listener, and talk indexed that peers had formed a friendship. Enhanced talk brought friends closer. One element of enhanced talk was friend talk, but with maximum disclosure. A second element was agonistic interaction, which entailed a speaker telling a listener about the listener and leading the listener to correct action and perspective in a frank, emphatic manner. In students' descriptions of talk and enhanced talk, they elaborated the subordinate role in the speaking dyad. Although speakers and listeners exercised power in talk and enhanced talk, students identified with the powerful listening role. A sense of power is derived from and informs practices of ethical sociality, morally elaborated and culturally valued interactive repertoires. In Japan these include empathy (DeVos 1973; Lebra 1976; Tobin 1989), amae (dependence) (Doi 1971; Lebra 1976; Yamaguchi 2004), group affiliation (White and LeVine 1986; White 1987; Tobin 1989; Fukuzawa and LeTendre 2001), and presentation of will (White 1987; LeTendre 2000; Tsuneyoshi 2001). Friend intimacy-building practices may be considered another domain of ethical sociality

THIS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY, WHICH SEEKS TO PROVIDE A GUIDE FOR THE FURTHER STUDY OF JAPANESE ECONOMIC NATIONALISM, IS LIMITED TO ARTICLES AND BOOKS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, BUT JAPANESE SOURCES OUGHT TO BE CONSULTED AS WELL; FOR A CONCISE AND SYNOPTIC REVIEW OF IMPORTANT JAPANESE ARTICLES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-WORLD WAR II JAPANESE NATIONALISM, SEE EDWARD I-TE CHEN, "THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONALISM IN PREWAR JAPAN," CANADIAN REVIEW OF STUDIES IN NATIONALISM, ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, 7 (1980); AND JAMES L. HUFFMAN, "NATIONALISM IN JAPAN," IBID., 6 (1979). FOR OCCASIONAL PERTINENT ITEMS, SEE THE JAPAN INTERPRETER (TOKYO: CENTER FOR JAPANESE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STUDIES), A BIANNUAL PUBLICATION DESIGNED TO ACQUAINT ENGLISH-SPEAKING READERS WITH CURRENT JAPANESE THINKING ON DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC ISSUES. ALSO SEE JAPAN QUARTERLY (TOKYO: ASAHI SHIMBUN PUBLISHING COMPANY), THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES (ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN: THE ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN STUDIES), JAPAN ECHO (TOKYO: JAPAN ECHO, INC.) FOR SHORT ARTICLES ON JAPANESE ECONOMICS, POLITICS, AND CULTURE, AND FINALLY, THE DEVELOPING ECONOMIES (TOKYO: THE INSTITUTE OF ASIAN ECONOMIC AFFAIRS).

Fifteen or so years ago and for many decades before that, popularly speaking, it was not uncommon to think of the Japanese as slavish imitators of foreign technology. As research workers in economic history, we recognize that slavish imitation of foreign technology is no easy matter. Foreign technical practice is hardly uniform. Choice among a number of competing technologies is hardly child's play. Young Japanese students of a century ago were enjoined to go overseas, discover what was best and make it Japanese. Such injunctions by a semi-feudal oligarchy and its intellectual supporters while progressive in spirit were naive. One process rarely dominates international industry. What was useful for the world's leader might not be appropriate for the human and nonhuman resource endowment of late nineteenth-century Japan. Initially, Japan's worldwide search led it to adopt a French-style army, an American-style banking system, and a British-style cotton textile industry. In time each of these models were either discarded in favor of other national models or otherwise modified to meet the imperatives of assimilation.

In this article I explore ideas of the good and meaningful life in older age, based on ethnographic research with older Japanese in the city of Osaka. Some of my interlocutors and friends in the field spoke about the approaching end of their life. When speaking about the time remaining, many expressed their sense that the future 'will somehow turn out [all right]' (nantonaku). This statement of quiet hope acknowledged change and encapsulated a desire to support others; it also shifted emphasis away from the future. This is not to say that the experience was for my interlocutors primarily marked by an orientation towards the past: by reminiscing and recollection. Inhabiting the moment was equally important. While reminiscing and narrating past events clearly relate to meaning-making, then, what is the role of dwelling in the moment for maintaining a meaningful existence? I will argue that dwelling in the moment allows for the cultivation of an attitude of gratitude, which lends meaning to a life. This attitude of gratitude binds together both reflection on the past and attention to the present moment in its fullness. It also, I suggest, opens up space for a particular kind of hope, grounded in the moment. Thus, the sense of the good and meaningful life that my older friends conveyed encapsulates an attitude of gratitude as a way of inhabiting the present, rather than dwelling in the past or leaping towards the future.

In the contemporary welfare state literature, both Japan and Southern Europe are often held to be distinct regimes. A comparative examination of the evidence for Japan suggests that this is not true. Japan's fusion of key el ements of catholic-conservative welfare states (occupational segmentation and familialism) with a liberal, American-style dominance of private welfare plans gives the appearance of a hybrid system. On balance, there is little to in dicate a distinct 'Pacific' model. Regardless, any attempt at labeling the Japanese welfare state is premature since it has not yet sunk its roots, institutionally speaking.

This paper deals with differences and similarities in the perception of "fairness" in e ducational settings between American and Japanese university students. First, data was collected through open-ended questionnaires and interviews as to the words and actions of Native English-Speaking (NES) teachers that Japanese students regarded as unfair, and those of Japanese students that American teachers found to be unfair. Based on the responses, a second questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 155 American students and 157 Japanese students. This paper specifically discusses the diverse viewpoints voiced by American and Japanese students, and suggests ways to reduce their respective discontentment in educational settings.Keywords: fairness, students' perceptions, cultural differences, individual differences, diverse viewpoints

This study investigates Japanese university students' perceptions related to the notion of plagiarism in their L1 academic context in Japan. The analysis is based on questionnaire and interview responses from Japanese undergraduate (N = 605) and graduate students (N = 110). The responses are compared across disciplines (science versus liberal arts majors) and across academic levels (undergraduate versus graduate students), along with a cross-cultural comparison with similar responses from a smaller number of native English speaking undergraduates in the U. S. (N = 76). The findings of the study indicate that Japanese students do not have much knowledge of citation of sources, particularly as compared to U. S. students, and they perceive the borrowing of words or ideas without citing the source to be not entirely negative. Although both academic level and major field apparently affect students' knowledge of citation conventions and attitudes toward borrowing words or ideas, the results suggest that academic discipline may be more influential than academic level. In particular, liberal arts (humanities and social science) majors showed more awareness than science (computer science, engineering and physical science) majors of a need for crediting sources. The insights provided by the participants suggest a number of ways in which teachers might facilitate students' acquisition of academic literacy and citation conventions in their L2.

Researchers in internationalisation of higher education have been reminding us that the presence of international students alone does not mean that the institution or the students are reaping the benefits of internationalisation. Since the number of international students is readily measurable, many have focused on increasing the number and overlooked other less quantifiable aspects, such as intercultural interaction, which is beneficial to students and prepares them for their future work environment. This study on intercultural interaction in a Japanese university is based on data from three surveys involving 250 respondents in total. The author discusses the English-medium classroom, language issues and institutional support. She found that although English-taught courses may attract more international students, few Japanese students are present, and as a result depriving international students of valuable opportunities for intercultural interaction and restricting their social networks. The discussion also includes the dominant position of the Japanese language within and outside the university and Japanese students' anxieties about speaking English. The paper concludes that until English gains wider currency as a language of communication, international students need strong Japanese skills to lead a fulfilling life in Japan.

This paper analyzes the integration processes of international marriage migrants in Japan and South Korea and identifies the steps and conditions required for integration. It contributes to the wider discussion of obstacles that migrants face during the integration process. Despite Japan and South Korea's reluctance toward the influx of large numbers of international migrants, their stance is more positive toward (female) marriage migrants. The qualitative data used for the analysis were collected by authors during the period between 2007 and 2022 on women from former Soviet Union countries, married to South Korean (54) or Japanese (50) men. The analysis of women's experiences identifies four major steps leading to receiving society integration: Pre-migration, arrival, early years and long-term settlement. The findings show that early language acquisition and receiving family support resulted in relatively smooth integration. However, human capital appears to be both a driver and an obstacle to integration. Furthermore, mismatched gender role expectations, limited social networks and employment opportunities increased difficulties in the integration process. Additionally, stronger ties with the receiving family and weaker ties with the home countries influenced women's decision to settle in the country. The largest differences between Japan and South Korea were the higher employment opportunities for marriage migrants in South Korea, especially for those with professional skills and Korean language knowledge.

AbstractThis study explores the transmission of Japanese in Japanese-Catalan/Spanish speaking families in Catalonia from the perspective ofFamily Language Policy. Based on the data obtained through in-depth interviews with nine Japanese-speaking parents whose spouses are Catalan native speakers, we describe these families' language policies in terms of how they shed light on how parents cope with transmitting Japanese in such contexts. One of the most striking findings of this study is that socially weaker languages – namely Japanese and Catalan – have an important presence in most of the participants' families despite the use of Spanish between the parents in their home. The result of our analysis also suggests that parental beliefs and attitudes have a significant influence on their language practice and the maintenance of the heritage language (HL) at home.

Big businesses have faced a persistent dilemma in China since the nineteenth century: how to retain control over corporate hierarchies while adapting to local social networks. Sherman Cochran, in the first study to compare Western, Japanese, and Chinese businesses in Chinese history, shows how various businesses have struggled with this issue as they have adjusted to dramatic changes in Chinese society, politics, and foreign affairs. Cochran devotes a chapter each to six of the biggest business ventures in China before the Communist revolution: two Western-owned companies, Standard Oil and British-American Tobacco Company; two Japanese-owned companies, Mitsui Trading Company and Naigai Cotton Company; and two Chinese-owned firms, Shenxin Cotton Mills and China Match Company. In each case, he notes the businesses' efforts to introduce corporate hierarchies for managing the distribution of goods and the organization of factory workers, and he describes their encounters with a variety of Chinese social networks: tenacious factions of English-speaking compradors and powerful trade associations of non-English-speaking merchants channeling goods into the marketplace; and small cliques of independent labor bosses and big gangs of underworld figures controlling workers in the factories. Drawing upon archival sources and individual interviews, Cochran describes the wide range of approaches that these businesses adopted to deal with Chinese social networks. Each business negotiated its own distinctive relationship with local networks, and as each business learned about marketing goods and managing factory workers in China, it adjusted this relationship. Sometimes it strengthened its hierarchical control over networks and sometimes it delegated authority to networks, but it could not afford to take networks for granted or regard them as static because they, in turn, took their own initiative and made their own adjustments.In this book Cochran calls into question the idea that the spread of capitalism has caused business organizations to converge over time. His cases bring to light numerous organizational forms used by Western, Japanese, and Chinese corporations in China's past, and his conclusions suggest that businesses have experimented with new forms on the basis of their historical experiences-especially their encounters with social networks

"A Mexican young woman goes to Japan in the early 80s. She settles in the country, not knowing Japanese or much about Japanese culture, but eager to absorb both. This she does gradually, in touch with ordinary people who take an interest in her. In very little time the young Mexican is speaking Japanese and integrated into Japanese life, earning a living like ordinary people and learning the details of a culture foreign but alluring to her. Japan enters her heart and becomes a part of her life's project. Years later, having become a professor of Latin American literature in the U.S., and also an interpreter of the Japanese language, she will reminisce about her early experiences in Japan and the process by which she came to love the country. This is the story told in this book: the transformation of a young woman through immersion in a foreign civilization that will become her own intellectually and spiritually. It is the tale of Japan in the heart: Kokoro"--Page 4 of cover