It appears that Japan pursues a lopsided internationalization strategy—keeping foreign companies out while at the same time investing massively in foreign markets. This paper examines whether this is an appropriate position. First, we look into the foreign direct investment issue and try to understand the current situation in Japan. In particular, we analyze the underlying two-fold assumption: (a) that there are international companies willing and able to make large investments in Japan, and (b) that they cannot do it because the Japanese market is closed. The ratio of inbound FDI (foreign direct investment) to GDP is considerably lower in Japan than in other major industrialized nations, and Japanese companies directly invest four times as much abroad as foreign companies invest in Japan. This does not mean, however, that the Japanese market is closed. In fact, companies are deciding to invest in other countries where conditions are (or are perceived to be) more conducive to penetration. Second, we compare FDI with cross-border portfolio investments. Compared to FDI, portfolio investments in listed companies in Japan are relatively high. Foreign investors hold around one-fourth of the shares at listed companies. This figure has been rising continuously for 20 years, interrupted only in 2001–02 and in 2008–09. Third, we take a closer look at Japan's international trade and the overseas business of Japanese companies. Japan's industrial sector has integrated itself very actively in global trade (45 % of its sales are posted overseas), but the Japanese economy is not “export-driven”. Its degree of integration into world trade is rather low. We assume that this can be explained by qualitative, HR-related factors. Finally, we ask what the chances are that ongoing internationalization will succeed amid and after the global recession of 2008–09.

AbstractThis article examines the involvement of senior citizens in the traditional arts in Japan. In these arts, elderly practitioners command respect from their audiences and students for their long years of training and experience. They are venerated as the repositories of embodied knowledge and skill. in contrast, youthful and middle-aged practitioners are considered “works in progress” who must continue to perfect their skills to approximate their elderly counterparts. Drawing on case studies of senior citizens who join classes in the traditional arts of Noh chanting and dance and calligraphy, we explore the ways in which the traditional arts give senior citizens a new horizon for growing and striving into later life. We theorize that the promise of mastery in very old age has special appeal to retirees in Japan. Through various certification processes, many are able to work their way up to attain leadership roles in old age. This growth possibility serves as a counter force against the loss of socia...

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeAbstractJapan is one of the most rapidly ageing societies in the world. Furthermore, with an ageing ratio of 22.1 per cent (2008), every fifth citizen is aged 65 years or older. According to estimates from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (2008), the ratio will reach 33.7 per cent in 2035 and 40.5 per cent in 2055. While the elderly population keeps on growing, the increase in the number of nuclear families as well as one- and two-person elderly households, alongside the high rates of female labour force participation and low fertility rates are primary factors responsible for the decline of family caregiving for persons with disabilities or dementia. Currently, approximately 1.7 million seniors are said to be suffering from dementia in Japan. including persons with mental handicaps or psychological disorders, the population of those incapable of managing their own affairs will reach an estimated 3.5 million people in 2015. Foreseeing this development, a new adult guardianship system has been introduced, replacing the old adult guardianship systems based on incompetency and quasi-incompetency which had been in effect since 1898 without major changes thereafter. After a comparative overview of the old and new systems, this study analyses the utilization of the new adult guardianship system with a particular focus on elderly people. Two further topics to be discussed in this context will be the recruiting of citizens as volunteer guardians and the possibility of the guardians giving their consent to medical treatment needed by people who can no longer decide for themselves.Keywords: Vormundschaft für VolljährigeEntmündigungSeniorenBürgervormundEinwilligung in medizinische Eingriffe Additional informationNotes on contributorsJunko AndoJunko Ando Studium der Geschichte und der Philosophie an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. 1987–2001 wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Ostasien-Institut/Lehrstuhl Modernes Japan der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Seit Mai 2001 wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Deutschen Institut für Japanstudien in Tokyo. Arbeitsschwerpunkte: Vormundschaft für Volljährige in Japan, Diskussion um die Änderung des Artikels 9 der Japanischen Verfassung, Thronfolgeregelung in Japan.

AbstractJapan has the largest proportion of elderly people in the world. Despite the widely held assumption that beyond a certain age, the economic dynamics in most people's lives decrease, elderly Japanese tend to remain economically active. In this work I investigate the relationship between demographic and economic changes with respect to entrepreneurship in Japan. Surprisingly, according to statistics, older Japanese are the ones most responsible for entrepreneurship. Considering entrepreneurship as an individual developmental process, three components are involved: „competency (Konnen),” „motivation (Wollen),” and „property or action rights (Durfen).ō In such a new life-situation as beginning an entrepreneurship, one must develop „from oneself.” Becoming an entrepreneur in Japan seems not to depend on the age of the individual per se but rather on the changing opportunity costs between being an employee and being an entrepreneur. In Japan, becoming an entrepreneur is a realistic option for retirees. ...

This article presents results from a survey on the image of older people in Japan and a content analysis of how they are represented in Japanese TV commercials. The representative survey resulted in 720 responses from people between 15 and 65 years of age in the greater Tokyo area. Among the findings: The term kōreisha (elderly people) is generally used to refer to people over 70, although the official definition in Japan is over 65; kōreisha and dankai no sedai (baby boomers) are identified as very distinct groups with different characteristics; and there is a generally positive attitude towards ageing, while negative stereotypes are rejected. The survey participants were also asked for their impressions of how older people are depicted in TV advertising. These impressions were then compared to objective measures of Japanese TV ads through the use of content analysis. The systematic sample consisted of 2,972 television commercials aired in the years 1997 and 2007. The results echo the findings of other research studies conducted in various countries and include the following: a general under-representation of older people and especially of older females; the representation of older people mostly in leading roles; and older people's occurring predominantly together with other age groups.

AbstractSince the 1980s the Japanese government has supported the idea of robots as home help for the elderly. Numerous governmental strategy papers and publications from engineers, robot manufacturers and politicians published since the turn of the millennium in Japan suggest that robots will save Japan and its ageing society. These robots are expected not only to eliminate labour shortages in the industrial and service sectors, but also to assist elderly people who wish to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. in order to promote the idea of a Japanese Robotopia, some governmental strategy papers even feature robot science fiction stories imagining a future in which families and the elderly lead robotically assisted lifestyles.This article first introduces the use of robot technology for the elderly by analysing how the Japanese government envisions its use, and in particular the visionary ideas of a robot activist politician and a robot engineer.The author argues that even if t...

AbstractAlthough the number of homeless persons may have been declining recently, the overall situation of those living on the streets remains difficult. There are currently an estimated total of 16,000 homeless persons in Japan, whose average age rose to 57 years in 2007. Homelessness in Japan affects mostly elderly, single men who either have a background of day labouring in the yoseba [day labourer districts] or have a history as lower-qualified regular workers. Those who are in danger of becoming homeless usually face difficulties in securing their livelihood. This is due to a general lack of job opportunities for older persons, and because the social security system in Japan usually grants aid only to those who are unable to support themselves through work. In addition, older persons in particular feel reluctant to seek public or private aid. For those who are already homeless, both public and private housing institutions offer an alternative to a life on the streets. However, the differences in serv...

AbstractCompared to most OECD-countries, Japanese old-age employment rates are high and a large portion of elderly Japanese participate in the labour market by means of deferred retirement. This paper examines institutional and non-institutional influences on employment behaviour, discussing motivators and barriers to the labour market integration of elderly people in Japan.On the macro-level of state-run regulation there are strong work incentives mediated by the national pension system as well as special employment promotion laws and instruments, whereas on the meso-level of collective and individual labour relations integrative human resource strategies play an important role (e.g. dismissal protection, personal transfers and special re-hiring schemes for regular workers at pensionable age). While some political and legal institutions must be criticized for their employment incentives and windfall gains, some may offer suggestive thought-provoking impulses for other ageing societies.Concerning the role...

AbstractIn previous research, older couple relationships in Japan have been largely overlooked and the emphasis has instead targeted the child-parent relationship. My paper attempts to address this imbalance by investigating power dynamics of couples that relate to the autonomy, reciprocity and communication in older Japanese spouses. The continued presence of retired salary men at home was shown to have negative consequences for women who are termed “professional housewives”. Three contributory factors were identified in conjunction with the older women's declined autonomy. Reciprocity in the couple relationship was assessed using the housework participation of older men, where three types were identified in accordance with the men's degree of commitment. The gendered identity and cultural factors underpinning these types are fully elucidated through the qualitative (separate) interviewing of 47 older couples who live in Japan's Kantō region. communication in older couple relations is under-represented f...

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeAbstractWhile the suicide rates in Japan have been particularly high for many years, they reached a new peak in 2007. As a population group, older people substantially contributed to this grim record. According to National Police Agency statistics, the most common individual motives for suicide were health and financial problems. With the ageing of Japanese society and the ongoing socio-economic transformations, more and more people are affected by such problems. The fact that a growing number of elderly people judge their own lives not worth living and bring it to an early end seems to be symptomatic, at least in part, of the situation of the elderly.Culturally specific issues, such as the reluctance to talk about psychological problems or to seek professional help, represent important obstacles both for the treatment of suicidal tendencies and for suicide prevention in Japan. Moreover, primary care practitioners as well as clinical physicians lack adequate education in both diagnosing and treating psychological problems in general, or suicidal thoughts and behaviour in particular. Since previous attempts by the authorities to implement suicide-prevention measures proved ineffective, in 2007 the Japanese government put into action a comprehensive and ambitious plan to lower the suicide rate by 20 per cent within the next ten years. Meanwhile, numerous regional projects and self-help organizations have emerged and attained the first successes in increasing the quality of life of the elderly and bringing down the number of suicides in this age group.Based on a selective review of recent medical and sociological literature and an evaluation of epidemiological data, this article offers an overview of the essential trends and characteristics of suicide among the elderly in Japan, including aspects specific to rural areas. In addition, the particular situation in the markedly affected prefecture of Akita is sketched to illustrate how regional measures of suicide prevention have been successfully implemented.Keywords: AlternSuizidEinflussfaktorenPräfektur AkitaPrävention Additional informationNotes on contributorsJulius PoppJulius Popp 1991–1998 Studium der Humanmedizin an den Universitäten Tübingen und Bordeaux, Frankreich. 1999 Promotion an der Universität Tübingen und Approbation. 1999–2002 klinische Tätigkeit in Bamberg und Montpellier, Frankreich (Neurologie) sowie Berlin (Psychiatrie). Seit 2003 Wissenschaftlicher Assistent Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Klinik für Psychiatrie. Seit 2007 Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie.Johannes H. WilhelmJohannes Harumi Wilhelm 1990–2001 Studium in Hamburg, Tübingen und Bonn mit Abschluss in Japanologie, Volkskunde und Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft. 2001–2009 Promotion im Fach Japanologie in Bonn. 2002–2004 Forschungsaufenthalt in Japan am National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka. 2004–2009 Dozent und Associate Professor an der Universität Akita.