Industry In Japan Research Articles

Wings for the Rising Sun: A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation by Jürgen P. Melzer

Reviewed by: Wings for the Rising Sun: A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation by Jürgen P. Melzer Christopher Hood (bio) Wings for the Rising Sun: A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation. By Jürgen P. Melzer. Harvard University Asia Center, 2020. xxiv, 339 pages. $60.00, cloth; $32.00, paper. When you think of Japanese aviation, what comes to mind? Modern passenger jet planes with the names of JAL or ANA on them? Or something more historical, such as the Zero fighter or the infamous kamikaze planes? Of course, there is much more to aviation and Japan than images such as these. Indeed, Jürgen Melzer's excellent study is not really concerned with either of them and points to why the study of Japan's aviation world is of importance to those studying a much wider range of issues. Having spent more than 20 years researching aspects of the transportation world in relation to Japan, I find that one source of constant frustration has been that, regardless of what studies have actually covered, many people tend to assume that transportation-related studies are not relevant to their own work, whether such studies involve trains or planes. Many seem to assume that such subjects are not likely to have wider relevance or that the works will be overly concerned with engineering-related issues, for example. This situation needs to change, and Melzer's study is a prime example of why. While the book contains a wealth of information about engineering and design, these are by no means the main thrust of the work. The book itself is split into four main parts, covering different periods in the development of the aviation industry in Japan, 1877–1918, 1918–37, 1912–37, and 1937–45, respectively. The parts are primarily concerned with the shifting influences of other countries on Japan's aviation industry, and there is some overlap in the chronology of the parts rather than neat changes between the various countries. Indeed, part 3 shows the influence of two countries (Britain and Germany) at the same time. But the book is not merely about foreign influence. It also highlights the importance of the Japanese government, Japanese industry, and the Japanese media. Ultimately, Melzer argues that these various actors along with certain key countries (or companies within them), as well as external pressures and developments, shaped the development of the Japanese aviation industry. The title of the book is both helpful and, to some degree, misleading. From the subtitle, "A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation," it may be fair to assume that the book covers the whole history of Japanese aviation. It does not. Although there is a chapter, entitled "Epilogue," that fills in some key issues from 1945 to the present day, the book is primarily concerned with the period up to 1945. While the "Epilogue" is an interesting [End Page 171] addition, it was perhaps unnecessary as it suffers from not presenting a full picture of the domestic (let alone international or transnational, in terms of flights rather than plane manufacture) passenger or freight market, or of the constant battle that many face when passages in the text are outdated by the time a book is published or read (this applies particularly to the section discussing the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, as it was still called at the time the book was written). My personal knowledge of the Japanese aviation world is based much more on the period the book does not cover in detail—i.e., the contemporary and recent history (such as the JAL flight JL123 crash of 1985). However, a general interest in aviation and the need for all of us in Japan studies to include more transnational approaches to our research and teaching attracted me to this book. My knowledge of the pre-1945 Japanese aviation world was based largely on the image mentioned near the beginning of this review and knowledge that the first plane flight in the world, albeit only about 36 meters long, happened in Japan, in 1891 some 12 years before the Wright brothers' flight which is widely credited as being the world's first powered flight. Sadly, I have never managed...

Worker Flows by Gender and Industry in Japan

Worker Flows by Gender and Industry in Japan

Antifragile Project Management: The Deming paradigm and beyond

In this paper we propose necessary conditions for antifragile project management, based on the Deming paradigm (a much richer version of statistical process control), named after W.E.Deming, who revolutionized the industry in Japan. We analyze in detail the concept of antifragility and extend it from probability theory to epistemology by proposing mechanisms that make a system antifragile, with application to knowledge as a complex system. These mechanisms are related with the internal dynamics of the system such as recursiveness, rather than the response to external stimuli. We built upon a previous work in which we propose quality of product or service as a payoff instead of short-term revenue. An antifragile project management strategy therefore means convexity of quality as a function of random events, uncertainty and lack of information, with quality itself being the random variable towards which the probability density distribution is locally convex. We propose Deming paradigms of management as necessary conditions in achieving antifragility of project management. They are related to the ability to extract the maximum of information from the smallest of errors – i) understanding variation ii) having a theory, iii) managing teams as complex systems.

Halal Tourism: Capturing the Development and Potential of Halal Tourism in Japan

The tourism industry is a sector that is currently being looked at by countries in the world because it is one way to improve the economy of a country. With the popularity of the halal tourism industry globally, the term halal tourism has emerged in several countries including Japan. Of course, in preparing to welcome Muslim tourists, Japan focuses on the comfort and availability of facilities needed by them. This study aims to see the development and potential of Japan in the scope of the halal tourism industry. The research data were taken from books, journals, and websites that were relevant to the research theme. After analyzing it, it can be concluded that Japan has added many facilities for Muslim tourists, starting with the provision of halal food, places of worship, as well as Muslim-friendly accommodations or hotels. This is the reason that halal tourism definitely has good economic prospects as part of the tourism industry in Japan.

Patent Signals of IPO Performance: Evidence from High- and Low-Tech Industries in Japan

Abstract: Prior studies pointed to evidence that startups and venture capital (VC) companies tended to use different measures to provide signals to outsiders. This study adds to those previous insights by focusing on established firms’ patenting behaviors and their effect on the amount of money raised at the initial public offering (IPO). Since technology intensity may differ considerably between high and low-tech companies, our main interest in this paper lies on whether the significance of pre-IPO patenting activities as a predictor of IPO performance also varies between these two industry categories. Using cross-sectional data representing 308 Japanese industrial firms’ IPO commitments between 2000 and 2015, we find a robust positive correlation between patent applications and IPO performance. Contrary to the conventional wisdom proposing that high-tech firms with more patenting activities achieve better IPO performance, we show that the signaling power of patenting is stronger for the low-tech companies in our sample: While the high-tech firms do not seem to have significantly benefited from a patent signal, the low-tech firms seem to have attracted external investors more easily due to patenting at the IPO. Keywords: Patent, signal, initial public offering (IPO), high-tech industries, low-tech industries

Genetic relationships among emu populations in Japanese farms based on mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA polymorphisms.

Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) are expected to become a novel poultry species for producing eggs, meat, and oil. In our previous studies, Japanese emu populations were predicted to have reduced genetic diversity through inbreeding. For a sustainable emu industry in Japan, it is necessary to understand the current genetic structure and relationships in dispersed farms. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure and relationships of six Japanese emu farms based on mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite polymorphisms. We analyzed the DNA sequences of the mitochondrial D-loop region in 157 individuals and detected four haplotypes with four nucleotide substitution sites (Hap-a, Hap-b, Hap-c, and Hap-d). Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 43.6% of total variance was "among population," and the FST value was 0.436 with significant genetic differentiation (P < 0.001). In microsatellite analysis, the expected (HE ) and observed (HO ) heterozygosities were 0.53-0.64 and 0.44-0.59, respectively. Phylogenetic trees and STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the six Japanese farmed emu populations could be divided into four genetically differentiated groups. Therefore, we identified genetic resources that may be useful in extending the genetic diversity of Japanese farms and are predicted to contribute to the conservation and reconstruction of populations.

Trend and Prospect of Lighting Industry in Japan

Trend and Prospect of Lighting Industry in Japan

Examples of Introductory Experiments in the Field of Material Science Through the Preparation of Silicate Compounds Using Natural Silica Sand

The field of material science consists of many kinds of natural science such as physics and chemistry. Especially, ceramics and glasses are very important basic industry in Japan. They are widely used for traditional and functional materials in our daily life. Silica is main raw materials and composition for various ceramic and glass products. But when we proceed of an experiment for silicon and silicate, equipment problem for heating and melting processes many happen. In this paper, we tried to the synthesis the colored glasses and silica gels from sands and characterized their properties.

A TALE OF THREE REGIONS: QUALITY CULTURE AND ITS IMPACT ON PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION

This study presents a comparative literature examination of the pharmaceutical industry in Japan, Europe, and the United States, focusing on quality culture, which historically has impacted operations in these regions. It aims to highlight generic pitfalls that result from cultural influences so that these can be avoided when designing a conceptual model of quality management practices for South African organisations. Simultaneously, the literature illuminates areas where culture promotes operational excellence (OpEx) in production. Quadrants of the organisational cultural analysis instrument (OCAI) are used to collect and examine research data from 72 literature sources. An activity theory research approach is adopted to perform a comparative study to ensure a consistent formal examination of the three geographical regions. During this analysis, industry traits presumed to be supported by culture types are highlighted and examined. Findings from this examination will be used in a future study to develop an OpEx model for South Africa, based on quality culture. Keywords Pharmaceutical Manufacturing; Operational Excellence; Quality Culture

An Analysis of the Technical Employees with job-changing Experience at a Major Manufacturing Industry in Japan

An Analysis of the Technical Employees with job-changing Experience at a Major Manufacturing Industry in Japan

Forecasting Public Investment Using Stock Returns of the Construction Industry in Japan: The Midas-Var Approach

Forecasting Public Investment Using Stock Returns of the Construction Industry in Japan: The Midas-Var Approach

Picturing the Politics of Pharmaceutics

This article historicizes the practice of separating drug dispensation from medical practice in Japan, focusing on its trajectory from the Meiji period (1868–1912) to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. I argue that the prescribing-dispensing separation debate highlighted the paradoxical modern experience of Japan, where information on the prescribing-dispensing separation became embroiled in discourses expounding on the local/Westernization (self/other) binary. The prescribing-dispensing separation dispute codifies the professional identity and the roles of the modern pharmacist—an important chapter in the evolution of the pharmaceutical industry and medical professionalization in Japan. Recognizing that the modern pharmacists underwent a nonlinear professionalization as determined by interactions with other social players (i.e., politicians, physicians, journalists) in different discursive spaces (i.e., professional conferences, Imperial Diet sessions), I have turned to professional publications and newspapers in the major cities of Tokyo and Osaka, where the prescribing-dispensing separation movement was most active. By examining the material and working cultures of major participants in the medical industry (i.e., the pharmacists, physicians, medicinal traders, and the politicians), this article interrogates the production of knowledge in the transformative modernizing process of the apothecary and the pharmaceutical industry.

Basic Trends of Japan Industry and Participants of the successive SICE Process Schools

Basic Trends of Japan Industry and Participants of the successive SICE Process Schools

Analysis on the J-Curve Effect by Industry on Bilateral Trade with the US and Japan

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exchange rates on short- run and long-run trade balances using the industry data of trading partners (US, Japan) since the 2000s. Design/Methodology/Approach This study used the ARDL-ECM model of Pesaran, Shin and Smith (2001). Previous research allowed for adding the relative money supply variable to the empirical analysis model. Findings In the short-run, the trade balances of 5 industries in the US were affected by exchange rate changes, but this was true for only 3 industries in Japan. However, the short-run effects became favorable in the long-run for only 3 industries in the US and 2 industries in Japan. The effect of the relative money supply on the long-run trade balance was relatively larger in Japan than in the United States. However, in this study, the direct route was not analyzed, so further review is needed. Research Implications This study is different in that it analyzed the effect of exchange rates on long-run and short-run trade balances by industry in trading countries, and identified the existence of the J-curve effect. The empirical analysis results of this study provide implications that can prevent the setting of identical exchange rate policies in different industries.

Semiotic Analysis of Naked Director 2 Movie Poster

Naked Director 2 is a sequel to the first Naked Director where the film tells about the Adult Film Industry in Japan, the film tells of an adult film director and producer, Toru Muranishi, who achieves his goal of being a legend in the industry. The 1980s where in that year the Adult Film Industry was at its peak as well as satellite technology was just being discovered. The purpose of this study is to find out the meaning of the Naked Director 2 Film Poster so that the meaning of the poster is known to find out the meaning or visual meaning contained in the film poster. An appropriate method is needed where the method that is in accordance with this research is the Roland Semotics Method. Barthes where in this method every visual contained in the poster will analyze its meaning and significance, the benefit of this research is to increase knowledge in the field of semiotics, especially semiotics and a film poster

A Study on Changes in Japanese Regional Industrial Structure Based on the Composition of Employees

Purpose: This study aims to analyze changes in the structure of local industries through changes in the number of employees by industry in Japan. This is to reason out the characteristics of the region through changes in the employment composition and labor productivity, noting that the region’s unique industrial structure is formed due to the natural environment and geographical conditions. Research design, data, and methodology: This study aims to characterize changes in the structure of local industries. The local economy varies in the pattern of changes in production structure depending on the type of production activity. To determine this, first, research design examines the situation of Japanese industrial structure. Second, the changes in local industries would be identified through changes in the composition of employees in each industry. Third, the relation with population changes that affect changes in industrial structure would be analyzed. Results: This study identified the characteristics of the local industrial structure by using variables such as employment composition, labor productivity, and population growth. As a result, first, the proportion of employed people in each industry was changing rapidly. Second, industrial structure change patterns appeared differently in areas of secondary industries and areas of tertiary industries. Third, there was a correlation between the rate of increase and decrease in population and employment. Each industry affected regional population changes in population inflow areas and population outflow areas in different ways, although the level of degree that regional population changes affects each industry was different. Implications: Industrial structure changes due to the various factors such as social structure. In particular, the composition of the local population by age plays an important role. This is because in the population inflow area, a virtuous cycle that attracts the new population is created by the ripple effect of the industry, but on the contrary, in the population outflow area, the decline of the industry quickly appears and it leads to a vicious cycle of the local economy.

Assessment of Nutrient Usage and Discharge in Tomato Greenhouse

One of the contributors to eutrophication is from agricultural wastewater which contained nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The agricultural industry in Japan has practice greenhouse plantation recently. In this study, the amount of nutrient concentration and load in the wastewater were investigated. Water samples from water supply, soil medium and effluent were collected at a greenhouse in Japan which cultivated tomato plants in coconut husk medium. The assessment was conducted every two weeks for regular monitoring for three months. The results showed that concentrations of all nutrients have same concentration level in the water supply samples from January 13th to March 15th. The concentration of supplied nutrient on March 29th increased due to high concentration of nutrients in medium water samples which preventing the nutrient uptake by the plant. The nutrient uptake by the plants were in the same range which NH4-N was between 13.6 mg/L to 14.99 mg/L, NO2-N was between 2.3 to 2.5 mg/L, NO3-N was between 135.9 mg/L to 152.5 mg/L and PO4-P was between 70.12 to 76.64 mg/L. The concentration of nutrients in drainage was below the permissible limit of Japan’s Effluent Standard. As a result, it can be concluded that using greenhouses as an alternative farming method contributes in reducing nutrient discharge by controlling the nutrient supply to the plants.

Sectoral productivity convergence, input-output structure and network communities in Japan

We study sectoral productivity convergence through the input-output structure of the economy and its network representation. In particular, we study 106 production sectors in Japan over the 2003–2012 period and identify highly interconnected sectors using community detection algorithms. We next characterize the dynamics of these communities by evaluating the evolution of productivity dispersion using parametric and nonparametric frameworks of sectoral productivity convergence. We find two dominant communities: The central members of community 1 are mostly service-related industries, while the central members of community 2 are mostly high-tech manufacturing industries. The convergence analyses indicate that the two communities have contrasting convergence-divergence patterns. Robust convergence is only found for community 1. In contrast, community 2 appears to be the source of the weak divergence pattern that is observed across all industries in Japan.

Prospects of steel industry development accounting ecological restrictions

Discussion of many years on consequences of man’s activity effect on environment at present moved to a practical aspect. New ecological and economical limits dictate a necessity to reduce the carbon intensity of metallurgical processes. It was noted that the technological couple “blast furnace – basic oxygen furnace” is a basic method of steel production, based on utilization of coke as a fuel and reducing component. Distribution of metallurgical capacities by types of fuel used shown, which confirms application of carbon-containing fuel-reducing additions in overwhelming majority of technological processes of iron production. Data on projects reducing carbon intensity of metallurgical industry presented, most of which aimed at changing the technology of BF process. Experience of steel industry of Japan on perfection machinery and technology of BF production considered, which enabled to reduce total consumption of reducing agents down to figure less down to 450 kg/t of hot metal, which is the best index among countries of the world. It was shown that increase of a blast furnace volume results in change of BF process technology. Such an increase also results in decrease of carbon consumption – blast furnaces of large volume have lower specific consumption of fuel and reducing agent. The specific coke rate in blast furnaces of large volume is by 71 kg/t of hot metal less comparing with blast furnaces having volume less 1000 m3, and the total fuel consumption in large blast furnaces is by 51 kg/t of hot metal lower. Accounting necessity to decrease the carbon footprint in steel products, basic ways of steel industry technologies development can be enlargement of facilities with shutdown of small and not effective capacities, changing sinter and BF charges structure with increase of more qualitative raw materials and pellets, application of alternative kinds of fuel and reducing additions.

Public investment multipliers: Evidence from stock returns of the road pavement industry in Japan

This study contributes empirical evidence of the macroeconomic impacts of public investment. I extract public investment news shocks from the excess returns of narrowly defined road pavement firms and use them as an instrument for future public investment spending. Using Japanese data for the period between 1980 and 2014, I find that when the news shock is followed by a persistent increase in public investment and a weak real interest rate response, the public investment spending has a significant stimulative effect over the medium term. The estimated cumulative multiplier is as large as 6.10, four years after the shock. However, the cumulative multiplier eventually falls below 1 after 10 years. I also report a substantial temporary improvement in aggregate labor productivity associated with a rise in public investment spending.