Japanese Girls Research Articles

Төвийг хүмүүжүүлэх охидын сургуулийн дүрэм, сургалтын бодит байдлын тухай шинжилгээ

Yuzheng Girls' school is the first girls' school established in the history of Mongolian education. In this article, by comparing the rules of the Yuzheng Girls' school and the Japanese Aristocratic Girls' school, and analyzing the documents, previous studies and articles such as the Yuzheng Girls' school course timetable and exam results, the reality of the Yuzheng Girls' school education is concluded. When the school was established, a Japanese teacher named Misako Kawahara was invited to work, and the rules of the girls' school were drawn up based on the rules of the Japanese Aristocratic Girls' school. As for the content of the training, it contains the principle of education: bottom-up, shallow-deep, and step-by-step. Girls' schools also have rich extracurricular activities. Although the first goal of Gunsennorv's education was not to completely introduce Japanese-style education, but to restore Mongolian ethnic education, behind the educational activities of Japanese female teachers was the tendency of educational aggression and expansion.

Impact of a Ball Regulation Change on Game Performance and Shooting Play in Japanese U-15 Girls' Handball.

We aimed to investigate how a ball regulation change, implemented in U15 girls' handball games, now affects game performance and shooting plays. Over 14 matches (28 observations), we included all the attacks (n = 813) and shooting plays (n = 589) with the conventional ball and all the attacks (n = 821) and shooting plays (n = 618) with the new ball performed by both teams. We used notational analysis to compare the game performance and shooting plays in these two conditions. Our main results were as follows: (i) the attack efficacy was higher with the new ball (41.9%) than with the conventional ball (36.1%); and (ii) the prevalence of the three-line defensive system was higher with the new ball (10.5%) than with the conventional ball (2.7%). It can be inferred that the new ball enabled backcourt players to execute more powerful middle- and long-range shots, leading to their adoption of deeper defensive tactics that were effective in halting advancing backcourt players. Moreover, implementing new ball regulations resulted in a significantly higher frequency of shots targeted at the upper third of the goal frame (44.4%) compared to those observed with the conventional ball (35.8%). This implies that the introduction of the new ball enhanced precision control over shot placements, resulting in an increased player preference for targeting the upper course. Lastly, goalkeepers' saving rates decreased under the new ball, highlighting the need for technical and tactical coaching, tailored to goalkeepers. In summary, implementing the new ball regulations had a positive impact on Japanese U15 girls' handball performance.

‘To Adopt the Principles of Freedom’: Christianity, Women’s Education, and Progress in U.S. Press Coverage of the Iwakura Mission

Abstract In U.S. press reports, the visit of Meiji Japan’s Iwakura Mission in 1872 presented both an opportunity for Americans to facilitate progress in Japan and evidence of social reform already underway there. As an opportunity, the mission served as a potential medium for American efforts to improve the Meiji government’s treatment of Japanese Christians. Many American political and religious leaders hoped to convince the mission ambassadors that freedom of religion was an essential component of civilization and a prerequisite for engaging with the treaty powers on equal terms. As evidence of social reform, the five Japanese girls who came with the mission to study in the United States embodied Japan’s new commitment to expanding educational opportunities for women. Focusing on the themes of religion and gender in U.S. newspaper coverage, this article shows how Americans projected onto the Iwakura Mission their own images of the United States as an inspiration and model for reform in Japan. Treating the mission as both an opportunity and evidence, the U.S. press depicted it in a self-congratulatory fashion to embellish Americans’ national identity as a people committed to progress.

Comparison of executive functions in Russian and Japanese preschoolers.

This study analyzed differences in level of main executive function (EF) components (such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) among Russian and Japanese preschoolers. The study involved 102 children of 5-6.9 years old: 51 child from Russia and 51 child from Japan. Out of 102 children 48 were boys and 54 girls. It was found that the cognitive flexibility level in Russian children is higher and inhibition level is lower than in Japanese children. The results of the boys' EF comparison showed that boys from Russia have lower cognitive and physical inhibition levels than boys from Japan. Also it was shown that cognitive flexibility in Russian girls is significantly higher and cognitive inhibition is lower than in Japanese girls. The results obtained are discussed from the point of view of possible cultural differences in the two countries studied, which are manifested in the expectations of adults from children.

Age of Shōjo: The Emergence, Evolution, and Power of Japanese Girls’ Magazine Fiction, written by Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase

Age of Shōjo: The Emergence, Evolution, and Power of Japanese Girls’ Magazine Fiction, written by Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase

Association between screen time, including that for smartphones, and overweight/obesity among children in Japan: NICE EVIDENCE Study 4.

The association between screen time (ST), including that for smartphones, and overweight/obesity in children was examined separately for boys and girls, considering the influence of lifestyle factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2,242 Japanese children (1,278 girls) aged 10-14 years. Overweight/obesity was defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Logistic regression analysis showed that only for girls, total ST (≥4 h), smartphone ST (≥3 h), and non-smartphone ST (≥2 h) were all independently and significantly associated with overweight/obesity compared to <2 h total ST, non-use of smartphones, and <1 h non-smartphone ST. Thus, smartphone ST ≥3 h and non-smartphone ST ≥2 h were additively associated with overweight/obesity in girls only. Girls having smartphone ST ≥3 h and non-smartphone ST ≥2 h were 6.79 times (95% CI: 3.11-14.81) more likely to have overweight/obesity than girls with less usage of both. In girls, when total ST was ≥4 < 5 h or smartphone ST was ≥2 h, the significant association with overweight/obesity disappeared when physical activity was ≥60 min/day and sleep time was ≥8.5 h. In addition, none of these associations was significant in boys. In Japanese girls, smartphone ST, non-smartphone ST, and total ST were all significantly associated with overweight/obesity. To avoid overweight/obesity, it is suggested to keep smartphone ST, non-smartphone ST, and total ST to <3 h, <2 h, and <4 h, respectively, and to engage in sufficient physical activity and sleep time.

Masculine pronouns are not only for boys: Japanese girls breaking traditional relationships between gender and language in a school context

Abstract Based on a longitudinal ethnography at a Japanese junior high school, this paper explores how ideologies of Japanese women’s language are subverted through girls’ everyday linguistic ideological work of breaking presumed linkages between female gender and language. Girls at Sakura Junior High School employed masculine and non-traditional first-person pronouns and created new sets of indexicalities. The ethnography tracks how the girls did this in three important ways: 1) They used the most masculine pronoun, ore, and attached positive metapragmatic meanings (such as “cool,” “powerful,” “independent,” and “assertive”) to their use of this pronoun. In doing so, they established a powerful ore register and persona for girl users. 2) They also interpreted their use of boku, a plain masculine pronoun, as gender-appropriate for girls, whereas they negatively regarded boy users of boku as weak mama’s boys. 3) They attached strongly negative metapragmatic meanings to feminine pronouns and created an unfavorable feminine register and persona for these pronouns from which they disaligned themselves. The girls’ persistence in aligning masculine and non-traditional registers did not point to any evidence of their desire to take on a male identity, but rather to their creation of positive indexicalities about masculine pronouns and to their engagement in the social capital of maleness that accompanies male speech. Consequently, girls’ ideological work contextually constructed new indexical fields where girls established their own space in which they severed the naturalized relationships between language, identities, and social categories.

Gothic Doubling and Fractured Identity in Shōjo Manga: Yuki Kaori’s Angel Sanctuary

Despite enjoying a global fandom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Yuki Kaori’s manga series Angel Sanctuary (1994–2000) has received little consideration in studies of the Gothic. Yet the manga presents Gothic scholars with rich opportunities for locating manga, and particularly shōjo (young girls’) manga, within its own Gothic tradition. Steeped in global religious imagery, Angel Sanctuary uses incest, genderbending, and fractured identities to explore trauma and to critique the cross-cultural hegemonies that produce it. This essay considers the relationship between the Gothic and gendered identity in Japanese girls’ comics and investigates its manifestations in the manga’s depictions of incest, twins, and traumatic formations of the doppelgänger. In doing so, the essay locates Yuki’s work alongside the Female Gothic and argues for the increased inclusion of manga in Gothic scholarship.

1718-P: Association between Sleep Habits and Overweight among Adolescents in Japan

Insufficient sleep and late bedtime are associated with deteriorating glucose tolerance status, diabetes and overweight. Although lifestyle in adulthood is influenced by childhood and adolescent experiences, little is known about the association between sleep habits and glucose status in children. Thus, we investigated the association between sleep habits and overweight in 1050 Japanese adolescents (497 boys) considering the effects of diet, physical activity and screen time. Overweight was defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Sleep duration and wake/sleep time were based on questionnaires, and their association with overweight was analyzed by logistic regression. On weekends, girls with overweight had short sleep duration. In a univariate analysis of participants divided into 4 groups, the relationship between sleep habits and overweight did not present a U- or J-shaped curve. We conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis based on the median bedtime of 23:00 and sleep duration of 9 h. In boys, there was no association between sleep habits and overweight. The odds ratios for overweight in girls with long sleep duration were high regardless of bedtime (early bedtime: odds ratio 3.42 [95% CI 1.15-10.17]; late bedtime 3.08 [1.14-8.33]). Gender differences exist in the association between sleep habits and overweight. In Japanese adolescent girls, sufficient sleep duration on weekends may be necessary. Disclosure H.Shiozaki: None. E.D.Ferreira: None. H.Ishiguro: None. Y.Ogawa: None. H.Sone: Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Astellas Pharma Inc., Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. K.Fujihara: None. Y.Takeda: None. I.Ikeda: None. S.Y.Morikawa: None. K.Tsuruoka: None. R.Kodera: None. L.Khin: None. S.Wu: None.

Age at first sexual intercourse among young women with invasive cervical cancer: implications for routine vaccination against human papillomavirus in Japan.

To the Editor The Japanese government resumed proactive recommendation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in April 2022 and has recently decided to introduce the 9-valent HPV vaccine to the routine immunization program from April 2023. In Japan, the 9-valent HPV vaccine is estimated to provide ~90% protection against both cervical cancer and precancer (1). HPV infection rates increase soon after the first sexual intercourse (2) and HPV vaccines cannot treat pre-existing HPV infections or HPV-related diseases (3). Therefore, immunization against HPVs should be completed before first sexual intercourse. Data regarding age at first sexual intercourse, especially among women who develop cervical cancer and precancer, are crucial to optimize the HPV vaccination strategy. We previously reported complete protection against HPV16/18-positive cervical precancer among Japanese girls vaccinated before age 15 years or first sexual intercourse and higher HPV vaccine effectiveness among those vaccinated at age ≤ 18 years, outside clinical trial settings (4). This is consistent with real-world studies from other countries reporting greater effectiveness of HPV vaccination at younger ages (5–9). Because the effectiveness of HPV vaccination is highly dependent on age at the first immunization, the target age in routine vaccination programs is very important to maximize the efficacy of HPV vaccines. HPV vaccination is recommended by the World Health Organization for routine immunization in girls aged 9–14 years in most countries (Fig. 1) (10–13). However, adolescents aged 15–16 years are also included as a target population for the routine vaccination program in Japan.

Kawaii Affective Assemblages

Kawaii Affective Assemblages

Comparative Analysis of Japanese Girls’ Education Problems and Their Solutions

Comparative Analysis of Japanese Girls’ Education Problems and Their Solutions

Patriarchal Traces in Japanese Girls’ Fiction: Beyond the Loss of the Father to Patriarchal Mothers and Resistant Daughters

As World War II ended and a new democratic society was beginning in Japan, significant changes were made to the patriarchal system, changes such as the recognition of women’s rights and the dismantling of the Japanese family system which in turn affected youth culture. Against this backdrop, particularly within the genre of shōjo shōsetsu (girls’ fiction), new representations of the father, mother and shōjo (girl) emerged. Portrayals reflected not only the loss of power experienced by patriarchal figures after the defeat, but also the rise of new patriarchal mothers and resistant daughters. This article traces how changes in depictions of patriarchal authority in the genre reflect not only masculine humiliation around the war defeat, but also a contemporaneous rise in mothers whose intervention in their daughters’ life decisions saw an increase in less compliant daughters. It demonstrates how, although post-war shōjo fiction was founded on the loss of the autocratic patriarch and has since struggled to depict a more co-operative family man, as reflected through the genre, the loss of the father figure also helped sow the seeds of new forms of womanhood, and of girlish resistance and independence. These elements reveal a continued fight for democratic freedoms in post-war Japan.

Effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccine against cervical precancer in Japan: Multivariate analyses adjusted for sexual activity.

Japanese girls aged 12–16 years are offered free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening is conducted with cytology and not HPV testing from the age of 20 years. So far, no study has analyzed the effect of HPV vaccination against cervical precancers considering HPV infection status and sexual activity. We aimed to analyze the vaccine effectiveness (VE) against HPV infection and cytological abnormalities, adjusted for sexual activity. This study comprised women aged 20–26 years who underwent cervical screening in Niigata. We obtained HPV vaccination status from municipal records and a questionnaire along with information concerning sexual activity. Of 5194 women registered for this study, final analyses included 3167 women in the vaccinated group (2821 vaccinated women prior to sexual debut) and 1386 women in the unvaccinated group. HPV 16/18 (0.2% vs 3.5%), 31/45/52 (3.4% vs 6.6%), and 31/33/45/52/58 (5.0% vs 9.3%) positive rates were significantly lower in the vaccinated group (P < 0.001). No women vaccinated before sexual debut had HPV 16/18‐related cytological abnormalities. VE for HPV 16/18 infection and high‐grade cytological abnormalities in women vaccinated prior to sexual debut were 95.8% (95% CI 81.9–99.0%; P < 0.001) and 78.3% (95% CI 11.3–94.7%; P = 0.033), respectively, in multivariate analyses adjusted for age and number of sexual partners. However, analyses of all vaccinated women did not show significant effectiveness against cytological abnormalities. Our results showed the effectiveness of HPV vaccine against high‐grade cervical cytological abnormalities and the importance of the vaccination before sexual debut.

1438-P: Association between Screen Time, Including That for Smartphones, and Overweight/Obesity among Children in Japan

The association between screen time (ST) , including that for smartphones, and overweight/obesity (OW/OB) in children was examined separately for boys and girls, considering the influence of lifestyle factors including diet, physical activity, and sleep time. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2242 Japanese children (1278 girls) aged 10-14 years. OW/OB was defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Logistic regression analysis showed that only for girls, total ST (≥4h) , smartphone ST (≥3h) and non-smartphone ST (≥2h) were all independently and significantly associated with overweight/obesity compared to &amp;lt;2h total ST, non-use of smartphones, and &amp;lt;1h non-smartphone ST. In girls with total ST ≥5h or &amp;lt;4h or smartphone ST &amp;lt;2h, the association between ST and OW/OB was not affected by physical activity or sleep time. On the other hand, when total ST was 4-5h or smartphone ST was ≥2h, the significant association with OW/OB disappeared when physical activity was ≥60 min/day and sleep time was ≥8.5h. In addition, none of these associations were significant in boys. In Japanese girls, smartphone ST, non-smartphone ST, and total ST were all significantly associated with OW/OB. To avoid OW/OB, it is suggested to keep smartphone ST, non-smartphone ST, and total ST to &amp;lt;3h, &amp;lt;2h, and &amp;lt;4h, respectively, and to engage in sufficient physical activity and sleep time. Disclosure K. Fujihara: None. S.Y. Morikawa: None. H. Ishiguro: None. M.H. Yamada: None. C. Horikawa: None. Y. Ogawa: None. H. Sone: Research Support; Astellas Pharma Inc., Eisai Co., Ltd., Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Novo Nordisk, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

The Shifting Sub-text of Japanese Gendered Language

Sociolinguists (e.g., Holmes, 2008; Meyerhof, 2011) generally describe Japanese as a language with gender-exclusive elements. Personal pronouns, sentence-ending particles and lexicon used exclusively by one gender have been cataloged in English by researchers such as Ide (1979), Shibamoto (1985), and McGloin (1991). While there has been some research showing that Japanese women’s language use today is much more diverse than these earlier descriptions suggested (e.g., studies in Okamoto and Shibamoto Smith, 2004) and that some young Japanese girls use masculine pronouns to refer to themselves (Miyazaki, 2010), prescriptive rules for Japanese use still maintain gender-exclusive elements today. In addition, characters in Japanese movies and TV dramas not only adhere to but also popularize these norms (Nakamura, 2012). Thus, Japanese etiquette rules and media texts promote the perpetuation of gender-exclusive language use, particularly by females. However, in the past three decades, Japanese society has made significant shifts towards gender equality in the legal code, the workplace and education. I therefore decided to investigate how Japanese women use and view their language in the context of these changes. I draw data from three focus groups which I conducted in 2013 and 2019, and which comprised female university students who went through the Japanese school system after the Japan Teachers’ Union adopted a policy of gender equality. The goal was to determine whether Japanese women’s language use is shifting over time. The study suggests that Japanese women are slowly changing the gendered nature of Japanese, using very few of the traditional elements of onna kotoba (women’s language), and slowly adopting such traditionally masculine features as the use of omae and kimi as second-person pronouns, omitting bikago honorifics, and employing masculine lexical items such as umai, ku, hara, and kuso, which were until recently considered taboo for females to use. Although these trends are not yet evident in most public contexts, the language use and views of the participants in this study suggest that the shift in Japanese usage is steadily ongoing and forms a sub-text of Japanese language use.

Changes in HPV16/18 Prevalence among Unvaccinated Women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Japan: Assessment of Herd Effects following the HPV Vaccination Program.

Since the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for Japanese girls aged 12–16 years began in 2010, vaccination uptake has been low in women born before 1993 but high (approximately 70%) in those born during 1994–1999. We previously compared the prevalence of vaccine types HPV16 and HPV18 in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1–3 (CIN1–3) or adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) between vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts and found direct protection effects among vaccinated women in Japan. In this study, we focused on changes in HPV16/18 prevalence among “unvaccinated” cohorts with CIN/AIS. We analyzed HPV16/18 prevalence among 5051 unvaccinated women aged <40 years, newly diagnosed with CIN/AIS during 2012–2021 for time trends. Declining trends in HPV16/18 prevalence over 9 years were observed in CIN1 (36.0–10.0%, Ptrend = 0.03) and CIN2–3/AIS (62.5–36.4%, Ptrend = 0.07) among women aged <25 years. HPV16/18 prevalence in CIN1 and CIN2–3/AIS diagnosed at age 20–24 years was lower in 1994–1999 birth cohorts compared with 1988–1993 birth cohorts (4.5% vs. 25.7% for CIN1 and 40.0% vs. 58.1% for CIN2–3/AIS, both p = 0.04). Significant reduction in HPV16/18 prevalence among young unvaccinated women with CIN1 and CIN2–3/AIS suggests herd effects of HPV vaccination in Japan.

A Nationwide Epidemiological Survey of Adolescent Patients With Diverse Symptoms Similar to Those Following Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: Background Prevalence and Incidence for Considering Vaccine Safety in Japan.

BackgroundSince June 2013, Japan has suspended proactive recommendation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination due to self-reported diverse symptoms, including pain and motor dysfunction, as possible serious adverse events following immunization. Although these symptoms may be seen in adolescents without HPV vaccination, their frequency, taking into account disease severity, has not been examined.MethodsA two-stage, descriptive, nationwide epidemiological survey was conducted in 2016, with a 6-month target period from July 1 to December 31, 2015, to estimate the prevalence and incidence of diverse symptoms among Japanese adolescents without HPV vaccination. Participants were 11,037 medical departments in hospitals selected nationwide by stratified random sampling. Eligible patients had to satisfy four criteria: (1) aged 12–18 years upon visiting hospital; (2) having at least one of four symptoms/disorders (pain or sensory dysfunction, motor dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, or cognitive impairment); (3) symptoms/disorders persisting for at least 3 months; and (4) both criteria (2) and (3) influence attendance at school or work. We then extracted data of patients with diverse symptoms similar to those after HPV vaccination while considering opinions of doctors in charge.ResultsEstimated 6-month period prevalence of diverse symptoms among girls aged 12–18 years without HPV vaccination was 20.2 per 100,000. Annual incidence was estimated to be 7.3 per 100,000.ConclusionAdolescent Japanese girls without HPV vaccination also visited hospitals with diverse symptoms similar to those following HPV vaccination. Our findings predict the medical demands for coincident diverse symptoms, which are temporally associated with but not caused by HPV vaccination of Japanese adolescents.

Interaction effects of sex on the sleep loss and social jetlag-related negative mood in Japanese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

Sleep problems, such as accumulated sleep loss and social jetlag (SJL), which is characterized by a discrepancy in a person's sleep pattern between the weekday and the weekend, are associated with physical and mental health problems, and academic performance in young ages. However, sex differences in these associations are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex on sleep-related factors, mental health (negative mood), and academic performance in Japanese children and adolescents. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 9270 students (boys: N = 4635, girls: N = 4635) ranging from the fourth grade of elementary school to the third grade of high school, which typically includes ages 9-18 years in Japan. Participants completed the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire, the Athens Insomnia Scale, self-reported academic performance, and negative mood-related questions. School grade-related changes in sleep behavior (e.g. delayed bedtime, shortened sleep duration, and increased SJL) were detected. Girls had greater sleep loss on weekdays and SJL on weekends than boys. Multiple regression analysis revealed that sleep loss and SJL were more associated with negative mood and higher insomnia scores in girls than in boys, but not with academic performance. Sleep loss and SJL in Japanese girls had a higher correlation to their negative mood and tendency to insomnia than in boys. These results suggest the importance of sex-dependent sleep maintenance for children and adolescents.

Age at menarche in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a look at changes since 1960s.

Menarche is delayed in patients with type 1 diabetic mellitus (T1DM) compared to non-diabetics. The purpose of this survey study was to define the age of onset of menarche in Japanese patients with T1DM, as well the secular trends in menarcheal age across the period of 1976-2020 and determine the effects of T1DM and disease management on that age. The study subjects (n = 155) were recruited from among Japanese T1DM patients who visited the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pediatrics, Osaka City University Hospital. The study subjects experienced menarche during 1976-2020. They were divided into the menarche-post-T1DM group (n = 117) and the menarche-pre-T1DM group (n = 38), in whom menarche occurred after or before the diagnosis of T1DM, respectively. The time of birth was also stratified into five decade/time bins extending from 1960s to 2000s. The subjects filled a questionnaire on menarche. Other clinical information was obtained from the medical records. The median age at menarche was 12.5 years (11.3-13.4) (25th-75th percentile) for the menarche-post-T1DM group and 11.8 years (10.9-13.0) for the menarche-pre-T1DM group (p = 0.024). Menarche occurred at a significantly younger age in recent years in the menarche-post-T1DM group (r = -0.209, p = 0.023), but no such trend was found in the control group. Analysis of data of subjects born after 1990 still showed significant delay associated with T1DM [post-T1DM group: 12.3 years (11.3-13.2), pre-T1DM group: 11.8 years (11.0-12.2), p = 0.045]. The results suggest that recent advances in insulin therapy seem to improve metabolism under T1DM but might have not enough impact on menarche in Japanese girls.