Japanese Industry Research Articles

Effects of Additives on Gasification of Unused Cedar Wood by Pyrolysis

Generating thermal power using fossil fuels is harmful to the environment. Efforts to decrease carbon dioxide emissions are being made in many countries, and the Japanese government has declared that by 2050 greenhouse gas (including CO2) emissions in Japan will be zero. Japan has great forest resources, more than 70% of the land being forested. However, the Japanese forestry industry has suffered difficulties in recent years because increasing amounts of timber are being imported and concrete is being used increasingly by the construction industry. In this study, hydrotalcite (Mg6Al2(OH)16CO3 MH2O) was added to unused cedar wood during low temperature pyrolysis to increase the amounts of flammable gases such as CH4, C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, and C3H8 generated. Cedar wood from trees that had been felled but unused was placed in a metal reaction vessel with a predetermined amount of hydrotalcite and heated to 450 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere to achieve pyrolysis. The combustible gas components and condensed wood vinegar solution produced during pyrolysis were analyzed. The gases generated during cedar pyrolysis included CH4, C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, C3H8, and CO2. The amount of combustible gas produced increased as the amount of hydrotalcite added increased.

일본 보험산업 추세와 시사점

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current status and trends of the Japanese insurance industryand derive implications for Korean insurance industry. The Japanese insurance industry is divided into two marketssuch as life and non-life insurance to review the current status and trends of each market such as premiums,products, channels, and companies, and regulations. And major issues and environmental trends of the Japaneseinsurance industry are analyzed to derive lessons for domestic insurance industry. Research design, data, and methodology: We adopted a case study method utilizing statistical data analysis andliterature review to analyze Japanese insurance Industry such as premiums, products, channels, and companies. Andmajor issues and environmental trends of the Japanese insurance industry are also analyzed to compare domesticinsurance industry. We combined the research experiences, ideas, and wisdom of wide rane of insurance literatures. Results: This research results are as follows. First, Japanese insurance industry has develped various new products inresponse to customer demand changes. Second, Japanese insurers have tried to seek gloal strategy to expand theirprofit and market share. Third, new management strategies such as product development, new profit area diversity,overseas expansion, should be taken into account in order to systematically respond to social changes. Implications: The insurance industry in Japan has shown interesting phenomena since 1995 such as population agingand bubble collision. They have affected insurance demands in several ways. To respond these changes Japansesinsurers strategies such as product development, sales channels diversity, overseas expansion should be taken intoaccount in order to systematically respond to social, economic, regulatory changes, especially population aging. Domestic insurance industry must be also modified and redesigned to meet new market changes and trends.

Indigenous and Introduced: How Beef-eating Acceptance Affected the Cattle Industry in Modern Japan

The intention of this paper is to describe how the cattle industry in Japan had changed with the introduction of beef eating habits. Before the Japanese Meiji Restoration, meat-eating had been formally prohibited. In practice, some people had opportunities to eat game, although livestock had been severely tabooed. In the Civilization and Enlightenment period of Japan, beef eating spread rapidly. It was mainly eaten in an indigenous cooking method called a beef “hot pot.” This cooking method influenced the development of beef fattening. In the pre-war period, farmers kept only a single cow for plowing, transporting, and collecting fertilizer, but the process of fattening was added later introduced to satisfy people''s appetites for better-tasting beef. The goal of fattening had consistently been fatty meat. With the development of fattening technology, the ideal meat in the 1920s was fatty meat with intramuscular marbling. This beef-eating culture is inextricably linked with the fact that beef was first accepted as a hot pot dish in the modern era. Cattle fattening in developed areas took place within the conventional system of cattle rearing, which involved single cattle rearing system combined with arable agriculture. The fact that multiple cattle rearing based on the Western model did not take root is not seen as a delay in the modernization of Japanese livestock breeding, but rather as a technical and managerial rationale for combining single-head rearing practices with the utilization of that cattle for arable agriculture. Even though the indigenous cattle rearing system remained, the introduction of live cattle from colonial Korea brought complexities to the Japanese cattle industry. The importation of Korean cattle brought about a qualitative diversity as well as a quantitative expansion in terms of the supply of cheaper and leaner beef, and contributed to the change in consumption that has been termed the “popularization of meat eating.”

Hate on the Bookshelves: Explaining the Phenomenon of Anti-Korean Hate Books in Japan

Abstract Books containing hate speech against Koreans and the Chinese have become a common sight in Japan’s bookshops. The publication of ‘hate books’ has increased in tandem with the struggles of the publishing industry and the deterioration of Japan’s relations with South Korea and China. This article seeks to explain the causes of Japan’s hate book phenomenon, with a particular focus on books targeting Koreans. While South Korean researchers have mainly identified rising nationalism in Japan as the key factor, Japanese analysts label peculiarities in the Japanese publishing industry as the main cause of hate books. We argue that both these explanations are necessary but ultimately insufficient because they ignore each other’s key findings. We propose a synthesized explanation that takes account of both the role of nationalism in creating demand and the unique structure of the Japanese publishing industry, which tends to incentivize the supply of hate books. The article also shows that nationalism only translates into hate book demand in times of diplomatic crisis.

Promoting energy efficiency in Japanese manufacturing industry through energy audits: Role of information provision, disclosure, target setting, inspection, reward, and organizational structure

An energy audit is a popular policy instrument for improving energy efficiency in facilities. However, it is unclear whether they serve to improve energy efficiency, because even under energy audits, several barriers to energy efficiency exist. Additional practices such as information provision, target setting, or reward by governments can make energy audits more effective. This study investigates the complementarity of energy audits and these practices by focusing on the Emission Reduction Program, an energy audit unique to Japan. Using municipality-level data, we show that target setting, inspection of planning, information provision, reward, and designating the department responsible for tackling climate change, complementarily reduce CO2 emissions via facilities under the Emission Reduction Program. Our results suggest that energy audit is more effective in reducing CO2 emissions when combined with additional policy instruments.

Japanese industrial technological structure based on the number of patent applications by technical field

PurposeThis research outlines the technological structure of the entire Japanese manufacturing and service industry using the patent information from research and development (R&D) activities to set R&D goals.Design/methodology/approachBy analyzing the technological development capability of individual companies, the direction of the companies' R&D activities and current state of technological fusion between them can be understood. A group of companies participating in a particular product/service market must have the same technological development capabilities. As a result, the ratio of patent applications by a company to the total number of applications in a technical field will be similar across companies. This study uses the inter-company correlation coefficient of the ratio of patent applications by technical field as an index of technological development capability. A total of 167 major companies covering the major industries of Japan were analyzed. The analysis period was 15 years from 2004 to 2018, and the technical fields were rearranged to 42 fields with reference to the International Patent Classification (IPC)-Technology Concordance used by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Considering the fluctuation in patent application opportunities, the number of patent applications was collected for at least three years for the analysis of patent applications by technical field, company and industry.FindingsExamining the entire Japanese industry, the research found that chemicals, ceramics, non-ferrous metals and electrical/electronic equipment act as intermediaries between the respective groups and are linked to the transportation equipment, electrical/electronic equipment and information and communication services industries that are currently driving the Japanese economy. However, the technical connections between these groups are relatively loose. Over the last 15 years, the propagation structure of technical knowledge information has not changed. The progress of technological fusion remains within the scope of commerce and is conditioned by commerce.Originality/valueStudies focusing on the technological development capability between companies and the technological structure of the Japanese manufacturing and service industries are almost non-existent since 2000 when Japan's economic growth slowed. The analytical methods presented in this research can be applied to individual companies to gain an understanding of technical positions of companies and can be useful for planning a technical environment, business or R&D strategy.

Multivariate analysis of the impact and interdependence of teleworking with variables of productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, job satisfaction and knowledge in digital tools: a case study.

Based on the review and research on the teleworking modality and the variables that impact it at the organizational level, such as quality of life, communication, organizational culture or productivity, a case study is proposed under the innovation and teleworking model of a company. Japanese automotive industry for the application of Multivariate Analysis techniques such as Principal Component Analysis and Linear Regression, in order to condense the information provided by multiple variables into principal components and validate the relationships and impact that exist between them, thus determining the interdependence and correlation of the same with the telework variable, allowing to simplify the complexity of sample spaces with many dimensions. It was possible to identify the main components with the variables' own labels and the dependent and predictive variables of the case were statistically validated, through the use of the IBM SPSS.

Whole-genome analysis of red sea bream iridovirus spread in 2021 in Japan provided epidemiological and viral traits insight.

Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) is the pathogen that causes red sea bream iridoviral disease. It causes a huge loss to the Japanese aquaculture industry. In 2021, outbreaks of red sea bream iridovirus occurred in South Japan. This study analysed nine whole-genome sequences of RSIV isolated in Oita and Ehime Prefectures in 2021 using a short-read next-generation sequencer. Nine isolates had highly uniform sequences, and there was no variant depending on locations or host species. Phylogenetic analyses with other reported megalocytivirus isolates showed that RSIV isolated in 2021 was genetically different from RSIV previously isolated in Oita and Ehime Prefectures in 2017-2019. These results suggest that RSIV isolated in Oita and Ehime Prefectures in 2021 might spread from a common ancestor different from the recent one. Additionally, it was found that RSIV isolated in 2021 had sequence mutations on protein-coding sequences that may be involved in viral pathogenicity and infectivity.

Making Japanese tea a big business: The transformation of ITO EN since the 1960s

Although traditional industries are commonly dominated by numerous SMEs focused on their respective domestic markets, the Japanese tea industry experienced the emergence and rapid growth of large enterprises in the 1990s. This article analyzes the strategy that enabled such a change, focusing on the most important Japanese tea producer, ITO EN, which developed bottled green tea in 1985. Based on an approach of business history and industry studies, the article argues that the shift in the 1990s was made possible by the transformation of the true nature of the tea industry in going from a commodity business to a branded consumer-goods business.

일본의 근대 철도 건설에 참여한 조선인 노동자

In modern Japan, civil engineering construction projects played a leading role in achieving the political and military objectives, such as colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and securing economic benefits from the Chinese mainland. In particular, the construction of railroads played the most important role in building the modern nation state and expanding colonial territories. In short, the construction of railways was the process of building the ‘blood vessels of the empire’. The Japanese civil engineering construction industry, in the process of building Empire Japan, faced the challenge of labor shortage. In order to solve this urgent problem, foreign workers were introduced. Hiring Korean workers while building the Gyeongbu Line in Korea, Japan’s civil engineering construction industry experienced the first direct labor relationship with Korean workers. From this experience, Japanese civil engineering construction companies noticed that unskilled Korean workers were excellent labor force. In order to build Japanese modern railways, Korean workers were introduced to the construction sites by migrating them from Korea to Japan. Completing the construction of railways, the Japanese civil engineering construction companies built many railway monuments and memorials. Some of these monuments and memorials, built in the 1900s and 1910s, shows how Korean workers had moved into Japan. One is Tetsudoukouchoujunnanbyoubotsushatsuitoukinenhi(the Memorial Monument for Those Died of Diseases and Accidents during the Railway Construction), built by Hazamakumi in October 1908, and the other is Tetsudoukoujichuushokuheibyoubotsushashuukonhi(the Evocation Monument for the Deceased Workers during the Railway Construction), built by Tetsudoukougyougoushigaisha(the Unlimited Partnership Company of Railway Industry) in October 1911. The Korean workers’ names engraved on those railway memorial monuments have become historical records to prove the entry of Korean workers into Japan and henceforth changes in the Japanese labor market. Korean unskilled workers were an alternative labor force in the Japanese civil engineering construction industry facing labor shortages. Korean workers, migrated from Korea into Japan by the Japanese civil engineering construction industry, were the first bearers of the foreign workers’ issues in Japan.

일본의 근대 철도 건설에 참여한 조선인 노동자

In modern Japan, civil engineering construction projects played a leading role in achieving the political and military objectives, such as colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and securing economic benefits from the Chinese mainland. In particular, the construction of railroads played the most important role in building the modern nation state and expanding colonial territories. In short, the construction of railways was the process of building the ‘blood vessels of the empire’. The Japanese civil engineering construction industry, in the process of building Empire Japan, faced the challenge of labor shortage. In order to solve this urgent problem, foreign workers were introduced. Hiring Korean workers while building the Gyeongbu Line in Korea, Japan’s civil engineering construction industry experienced the first direct labor relationship with Korean workers. From this experience, Japanese civil engineering construction companies noticed that unskilled Korean workers were excellent labor force. In order to build Japanese modern railways, Korean workers were introduced to the construction sites by migrating them from Korea to Japan. Completing the construction of railways, the Japanese civil engineering construction companies built many railway monuments and memorials. Some of these monuments and memorials, built in the 1900s and 1910s, shows how Korean workers had moved into Japan. One is Tetsudoukouchoujunnanbyoubotsushatsuitoukinenhi(the Memorial Monument for Those Died of Diseases and Accidents during the Railway Construction), built by Hazamakumi in October 1908, and the other is Tetsudoukoujichuushokuheibyoubotsushashuukonhi(the Evocation Monument for the Deceased Workers during the Railway Construction), built by Tetsudoukougyougoushigaisha(the Unlimited Partnership Company of Railway Industry) in October 1911. The Korean workers’ names engraved on those railway memorial monuments have become historical records to prove the entry of Korean workers into Japan and henceforth changes in the Japanese labor market. Korean unskilled workers were an alternative labor force in the Japanese civil engineering construction industry facing labor shortages. Korean workers, migrated from Korea into Japan by the Japanese civil engineering construction industry, were the first bearers of the foreign workers’ issues in Japan.

Working conditions and fatigue in log truck drivers within the Japanese forest industry

ABSTRACT This study clarified the working conditions and fatigue in log truck drivers in Japan’s forestry industry. Log truck drivers in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, were surveyed by questionnaires and interviews. In total, 45 valid responses were obtained from drivers; 24 who worked for transportation firms were defined as “occupational drivers” and 21 who worked for forestry cooperatives or logging companies were defined as “non-occupational drivers.” Many of the responses implied that occupational drivers had poor working conditions, making them prone to fatigue. The average mean driving distance per day of occupational drivers was about three times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving distance of 700 km/day. The average mean driving time per day of occupational drivers was about two times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving time of 18 h/day. However, many of the answers indicated that non-occupational drivers felt more fatigue; 66.6% had felt tired or exhausted compared to 31.8% of occupational drivers. Two-thirds of occupational drivers answered that log transportation was easier than other transportation driving compared to 4.8% of non-occupational drivers. Many non-occupational drivers (57.1%) felt that log transportation was not easy. It was not a daily task for them, as they usually drove only after logging. The non-occupational drivers felt more nervous driving relatively large trucks and transporting logs compared to the occupational drivers. These results can help inform management in the forestry industry and will contribute to improving drivers’ working environment and reducing fatigue.

Machine Learning-Enabled Development of Model for Japanese Film Industry

Not only are numerous components absorbed and modified in terms of movie subjects, but also various art forms like painting and music are researched and examined in the production of Japanese cinema, resulting in the development of film styles with national characteristics. The fundamental role of film industrialization is to increase production efficiency, reduce industry risks, create job opportunities, and provide related technologies and services for professional creative people, so that the creativity crystallization of all industry insiders can become an invisible creative power and tangible economic values in the economy and can circulate continuously within the overall film industry structure. On the basis of summering and analyzing of previous research works, this article expounded the research status and significance of Japanese film industry, elaborated the development background, current status, and future challenges of film industry model, introduced the creation and production of genre films in Japanese film industry, established the relationship between personalized creation and market trend of Japanese films, proposed the competition and cooperation model for the distribution of local and imported films, analyzed the market share of sequel and anime films in Japanese film industry, conducted the analysis of terminal construction changes and localized cinema lines operation, and discussed the exploration and management model of film screening bodies. The research results of this article provide a reference for further researches on the development model of Japanese film industry.

A Study on Global EV shift and the Strategy of Japanese Automobile Industry

Purpose: The influence of EV shift spreading around the world on Japanese automobile industry due to CASE technical innovation and environmental regulation is examined in this study. In the past, the background of high international competitiveness of Japanese automobile companies has been supported by high technology in Hybrid Vehicle (HV) in addition to highly accumulated technology in the internal combustion engine. However, considerable change and supply chain reorganization is expected in the Japanese automobile industry because CASE and EV shift spreads rapidly. The expansion factor of global EV market, current status of Japanese EV market, the reason to hesitate in EV shift, the strategy of Japanese automobile companies, and the assignment of Japanese automobile industry according to EV shift are analyzed and examined in this study. Research design, data, and methodology: This study is based on the literature research, expert interview and the data published by each company. A survey on EV market which is expanding due to global CASE and environmental regulation was conducted through the literature research. And then, a research on the strategy of Japanese automobile company for EV shift was conducted through an interview with a supply chain official along with a university researcher in Aichi Prefecture where Toyota Motor Corporation is located. A result discovering the characteristic of EV strategy on each company has been achieved. Results: At this moment, the EV market in Japan is very small. Expensive vehicle price, inconvenience of charging and mileage problem, etc. are mentioned as the cause of it. Accordingly, Japanese automobile companies have been pursued the global product strategy centered on the HV. HV has been recognized as an eco-friendly vehicle prior to moving to future FCV and EV. The time Japanese automobile companies announced their EV strategy was Year 2021. However, the strategy of each company is very much different. Toyota is pursing an all round strategy which plans bold investment in PHV, FCV, etc. in addition to EV. Nissan is devoting all their energy to develop all-solid-state battery expanding global EV market based on the result which they early focused on EV. At this moment, Nissan is considered as most advanced in the development of all-solid-state battery in Japan. Honda is concentrating on the development of EV and FCV cooperating with GM in US. Implications: EV has a simple structure unlike traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles. Therefore, the expansion of EV is expected to give inevitable significant influence on the Japanese automobile industry. First, huge EV development and production facility reorganization will cause huge amount of cost. As a next, it is expected the industrial structure to be reorganized with the bankruptcy of existing companies and the entry of new companies based on the reorganization of the supply chain due to the decrease in the number of parts. Accordingly, employment problem also will be emerged seriously. Finally, the change in the Japanese automobile industry will be an important subject for research in the future because it is expected there also will be change in traditional Sryawase type Monozukuri method which has been evaluated as a strength of Japanese manufacturing industry.

Examining Digital Technology Literacy of Professional Japanese Language Translator and Interpreter

The research measured the digital technology literacy skills of professional Japanese language translators and interpreters. A modified version of the digital literacy skills checklist constructed by Open University was employed in the research. The questionnaire consisted of four sections, i.e., understanding general digital practices, finding, using, and creating information related to Japanese translation and interpreting, and the use of translation and interpreting technology. The result shows that respondents have confidence in their digital literacy skills to find, use, or create information online. However, most of them are still unfamiliar with the application of Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) and Computer Assisted Interpreting (CAI) tools to assist the translation or interpreting jobs. The result indicates that many Japanese businesses and industries do not require translators and interpreters to use specific CAT or CAI tools. However, the rapid development of digital technology and the market trend toward the use of technology are inevitable. Basic knowledge of these tools is necessary because they offer many advantages for translators and interpreters to work effectively. Therefore, it is highly important to incorporate the basic knowledge of CAT and CAI tools and other digital technology resources into the curriculum for students translators and interpreters.

Salary scale and the diversity of wage systems

In any society or group, the behavior and manner of acting that are highly rated can be estimated based on the level of appreciation given by the group to that level of behavior. This reward system will be studied to show the kinds of behavior group members are expected to get by the group and the kinds of behavior that - through the reward system - will be strengthened and perpetuated in the group. The study of the wage and incentive systems of Japanese factories revealed very well the differences between Western industry and modern Japanese industry. The study also showed both the types and magnitude of the differences that underlie attitudes and behaviors that distinguish modern industry in Japan from that in the United States. In the following discussion, the wage system in one factory will be examined in detail to illustrate the particular central trend that appears in all studied factories. Since the monetary wage system for work performed is only a part of the entire wage system, it will also examine the general pattern of non-monetary benefits, welfare efforts, incentive programs for workers, using specific plans and costs of a particular factory.

From globalising to regionalising to reshoring value chains? The case of Japan’s semiconductor industry

AbstractThis study evaluates the current situation and challenges of reshoring in the Japanese manufacturing industry, focusing on the semiconductor industry, which once dominated the world. After a recent document analysis and qualitative interviews with firms’ representatives and policymakers, it is apparent that the globalised semiconductor industry is unlikely to reshore to Japan even amid supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A review of Japan’s semiconductor-related industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing materials, validated that they are embedded in Asian production networks and need to be optimised within a regionalised production system.

A sheet pocket to prevent cross-contamination of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded block for application in next generation sequencing.

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks are used as biomaterials for next-generation sequencing of cancer panels. Cross-contamination is detected in approximately 5% of the DNA extracted from FFPE samples, which reduces the detection rate of genetic abnormalities. There are no effective methods available for processing FFPE blocks that prevent cells from mixing with other specimens. The present study evaluated 897 sheets that could potentially prevent cell transmission but allow for the movement of various solvents used in FFPE blocks. According to the International Organization for Standardization and Japanese Industrial Standards, six requirements were established for the screening of packing sheets: 1) filter opening ≤5 μm, 2) thickness ≤100 μm, 3) chemical resistance, 4) permeability ≥1.0 × 10−3 cm/s, 5) water retention rate <200%, and 6) cell transit test (≤2 cells/10 high-power fields). Polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene/polyethylene composite sheets met all criteria. A pocket, which was designed to wrap the tissue uniformly, was made of these sheets and was found to effectively block the entry of all cell types during FFPE block processing. Using a sheet pocket, no single cell from the cell pellet could pass through the outer layer. The presence or absence of the sheet pocket did not affect hematoxylin and eosin staining. When processing FFPE blocks as a biomaterial for next-generation sequencing, the sheet pocket was effective in preventing cross-contamination. This technology will in part support the precise translation of histopathological data into genome sequencing data in general pathology laboratories.

Monopolistic Competition and the University Industry the Determinants of University Choice by Students and the Choice of University Location

This study applies the state of the Japanese university industry to a theoretical model of monopolistic competition. Using a model of spatial economics, it is possible to identify how and why an increasingly competitive university environment leads to university agglomeration and dispersion. The study analyses whether the location of universities will be less unevenly distributed in cities and whether the number of universities and students in rural areas will increase. Using a model of spatial economics, the study analyses two aspects: the demand aspect of the choice of universities by students and the supply aspect of location by universities. A decrease in the number of students per university results in a decrease in the quality of education through a decrease in university income. The results of this study can also explain the impact on the quality of education. The analysis leads to the following conclusions. The higher the cost of inter-regional travel during the job search, the fewer students are willing to move from one region to another to find a job, and the lower the number of students enrolled. When the substitutability between university varieties is weak, the number of universities increases because prospective students need more variety, and the number of students per university decreases. When fixed inputs are low, e.g. when the fixed costs of a university are low due to online etc., the number of universities increases because it is easier to establish new universities and the number of students and graduates per university decreases. In a model that assumes two types of students within the same university who want to work in their region or another region, there will be more students who move between regions. The location of universities is determined by the balance between market size and the level of competition. As people move from one region to another in the course of their job search, there will be competitors in the other region, and the effect of new competition will be weaker in regions with more universities than in regions with fewer universities. Thus, regions with more universities will have a larger market relative to the level of competition, and more universities than their share of the population will be located there. Even in a model with two regions, one with universities in higher education and the other with homogeneous goods in non-university production, the region with the largest population has a larger share of university enrolments than its share of the population. This means that even if the two regions have the same level of technology and resources, they will experience a reduction in enrolment simply because of their small population size. Smaller universities in rural areas mean that a negative spiral of declining enrolments will occur.

From texts to contexts: the self-regulating body in the Japanese adult video industry

ABSTRACT This paper examines how the Japanese self-regulatory systems that evolved in the aftermath of the Second World War to regulate the sexual content within Japanese films metamorphosed into a powerful state apparatus to create fear and uncertainty for those involved in making adult videos. We depict the history of Japan’s obscenity laws, from their origin as a response to Western imperialism to the self-regulatory bodies created in the post-war period of the American Occupation to maintain the obscenity laws while conceding to American demands for freedom of creative expression. Thus, these self-regulatory bodies originated to mediate between two antithetical Western imperial requirements in a state initially wanting to modernize and then democratize. We then examine how the notorious prosecution of the Nihon Ethics of Video Association (Bideo Rinri Kyōkai aka Biderin), the self-regulatory of the adult video industry, brought to a head the contradictions inherent in the state’s deployment of these bodies while revealing a more sinister dynamic of state control.