Nursing research in Japan in the context of recent developments

Abstract

J APAN, SOMEWHAT LARGER than Germany and with approximately 44 million more population, has experienced recent, rapid developments in nursing education. These developments, coupled with vigorous professional organizational activities, have dramatically affected nursing research in the country. Although most practicing nurses traditionally received their basic education in a twoor three-year nursing program, national nursing demographics have now begun reflecting these new developments. As of 2001, Japan has the following academic nursing programs: 91 bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN), 44 master’s of nursing science, and 15 doctoral located in 35 national universities, 29 prefectural (state) colleges, and 27 private colleges. The first four-year BSN program opened at Kochi Women’s College in 1952 followed by the first two-year master’s of nursing science at Chiba University in 1979. St. Luke’s in Tokyo established the first nursing PhD during the 1980s. When the Nursing Human Resources Law passed in 1992 to upgrade nursing, the profession already had an educational foundation on which to build. This educational foundation, based on recent reform supported by the active 55-year-old Japanese Nurses Association (JNA), led to the need for and the establishment of the Japanese Academy of Nursing Science (JANS) in 1981. The JNA sponsors nine annual research conferences with each focused on a nursing specialty. The JANS organizes an annual general research conference, and since 1992, every third year this has been an international conference with many nurses from other countries presenting research papers. The Japan Academy of Science for all disciplines in the country has approved 11 nursing societies, and each society has its own journal. Along with these 11 specialty journals, Japan also has more than 30 other nursing journals in which researchers can publish. Japan has an Englishlanguage nursing journal, Nursing and Health Sciences, that welcomes articles from international colleagues. Many nurse researchers publish with colleagues from other disciplines both in nursing journals and in nonnursing journals. Nurse researchers obtain funds from the Ministry of Education and private foundations. The Japan Association for the Promotion of Science funds international postdoctoral fellows to collaborate with colleagues in Japan. Our college has sponsored two of these short-term postdoctoral fellows during recent years. Collaboration within Japan and between Japanese and other health professionals from other countries is increasing also. Nursing research topics in Japan, reflecting the interest of individual nurses and groups of nurses, tend to fall along traditional nursing specialties lines. Gerontological nursing provides one exam-