Japanese Parent Research Articles

Development of the Japanese Version of the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3): A Study among Student and Parent Population.

The Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) is a scenario-based measure of self-conscious emotions. We aimed to create an abridged version of the TOSCA-3 that is appropriate for Japanese populations and has a good fit with the data, as well as validate its subscales. The TOSCA-3 was distributed to (a) a university student population (n = 512: Study 1) and (b) a parent population (n = 260: Study 2). In both studies, items with factor loading < 0.33 were deleted one by one to select culturally appropriate scenarios for each of the six domains of self-conscious emotions. In Study 1, self-conscious emotions were correlated with the other correlates. Most of the final models showed a good fit with the data. In Study 1, the six domains of self-conscious emotions showed correlations with depression and related items, dispositional coping styles, experiences in childhood, ego function, borderline and narcissistic personality traits, and adult attachment styles, almost in the expected fashions. The TOSCA-3 is a useful tool to measure self-conscious emotions among Japanese student and parent populations if a few culturally inappropriate scenarios are deleted.

Mixed Japanese identities and multiculturalism

In this article, we unpack how ideologies of ethnonationalism and multiculturalism in the Australian and Japanese contexts present tensions in self-identity and national belonging for youth of mixed Japanese and Australian background. With the aim of furthering our understanding of multiculturalism and its place in Australia, we investigate the complex ways in which these individuals are positioned in-between such ostensibly antithetical ideologies in their transnational lives to provide unique insight into a little studied community in Australia. To do so, we draw on interview data conducted with youth aged 18 to 25 who live in Australia or Japan and are the child of one ethnically Japanese and non-Japanese parent. Our findings demonstrate that multiculturalism in Australia encourages a sense of belonging and community by attributing meaning towards the ubiquity of ethnic, racial and cultural differences in urban Australian spaces. However, feelings of inclusivity or belongingness which derive from a sense of multiculturalism are often overshadowed by discourses of ethnonationalism, such as ‘whiteness’ or ‘Japaneseness’, which contradict and unsettle their mixed identities as people of Japanese and Australian backgrounds.

Improving Parental Stress and Child ASD Severity through the Japanese Parent Mentorship Program: A Research Protocol

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition which often begins in early childhood and can involve a spectrum of persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviours. Literature in western and non-western countries has demonstrated that parents of children with ASD experience elevated stress relative to parents of neurotypical children. Despite the health-related burdens presented by raising children with ASD, little clinical and research emphasis is placed on reducing parental stress. Furthermore, much of the limited work on parent-centered interventions been conducted in the U.S., and few similar interventions have been developed for the Japanese population. Methods: The Japanese Parent Mentorship Program (JPM) seeks to modify a pre-existing social support intervention (the Colorado Parent Mentorship Program developed for parents of ASD children in the U.S.) to Japanese parents by incorporating dialogue about the culturally relevant stressors, social acceptability, maternal burden, saving the face, and parent-child attachment. To test the efficacy of the JPM at reducing parental stress, a randomized control trial will be conducted with mothers of ASD children who were born and are living in Japan for a minimum of five years. Results: Enrolment into the JPM will be associated with decreased parental stress post-intervention. The social support provided in the JPM will also be a protective moderator on the relationship between parental stress and ASD severity by weakening the overall association between parental stress and ASD severity. Discussion: The JPM can improve health outcomes for parents and their children with ASD by decreasing parental stress and consequently, ASD severity, leading to numerous indirect and positive implications on their physical, emotional, and social well-being. As prompted by the JPM, cultural competence in ASD management, is associated with positive outcomes such as such as increased likelihood of treatment continuation, increased strength of perceived therapeutic alliance and increased perceived treatment benefit. Conclusion: This research contributes to a major gap in the cross-cultural literature about parental stress and ASD. This work can be used to inform intervention strategies in Japan and researchers can emulate this design towards a global shift of providing culturally competent interventions for all.

What happens with the host during reshoring? An exploration of the host company's response in China

PurposeResearch studies on offshoring and reshoring have predominantly focused on the home company, widely ignoring the offshored company in the host country. The host company's influence and contribution have been unseen. This research explores how the host company responds to the home company's location decisions to maintain the dyadic relationship.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study in China was conducted to examine the host company's response to reshoring. The case company has two Japanese parent companies that acted for the emergence of reshoring drivers. Primary and secondary data were collected and analysed through thematic analysis. The host company's response strategies to the home company's relocation decisions were identified and explored.FindingsThe findings reveal that four strategies, identified here as being cost control, market expansion, knowledge seeking and relationship bonding, were implemented by the host company. The importance of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and knowledge transfer is also emphasised within these strategies.Practical implicationsThis research identified active and practical strategies conducted by the host company to maintain a cooperative relationship with the home company(ies). Instead of encountering a passive response from the host company, the home company may consider working with the host to overcome difficulties caused by emerging reshoring drivers and create an outcome beneficial to both.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to study manufacturing reshoring from the perspective of the host company. It provides a new perspective to understanding this phenomenon.

Corporate governance characteristics of Japanese manufacturing companies and ISO 14001 adoption by their subsidiaries in Thailand

Companies have reported some voluntary initiatives such as obtaining an ISO 14001 certification to solve environmental problems and to achieve United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. While ISO 14001 adoption has been studied extensively on the case of parent companies, there is not much prior research related to the parent-subsidiary relationship. This paper attempts to answer the question why Japanese subsidiaries in Thailand obtain ISO 14001 certification by focusing on corporate governance characteristics of Japanese parent companies such as board diversity and on the share of voting rights in their subsidiaries. We perform a logistic analysis using panel data from 117 subsidiaries in three industrial sectors (rubber products, machinery, and precise machinery) in 2017–2020. We find that characteristics such as direct voting rights in the subsidiaries and long business history of the parent companies have a strong positive correlation with ISO 14001 adoption by their subsidiaries in Thailand. The proportion of independent directors on the parent companies' boards exhibits only a slightly positive correlation. By contrast, our findings show no correlation with the proportion of female directors on the parent companies' boards due to the gender inequality gap in Japan. Our findings contribute to the empirical literature about voluntary environmental management in developing countries with regard to the parent-subsidiary relationship.

Implementing Japanese PMA Organizational Culture in Indonesia impacts Employee Job Satisfaction, Employee Performance and Employee Retention of Japanese and Indonesian Employees

The expansion of Japanese parent companies worldwide has forced them to carry the organizational culture that the Japanese founders had held onto their overseas subsidiaries. The main purpose of study is examined organizational culture, employee job satisfaction, and employee performance of Japanese PMA companies in Indonesia on employee retention. Eight Japanese companies were used as the sample, where 33 Japanese employees and 222 Indonesian employees were respondents. Theory Z is used to discuss organizational culture. The questionnaire was made in Indonesian, English, and Japanese. The research model uses a tiered structure model, while to test the proposed hypothesis, the SEM Lisrel 8.8 analysis technique is used. The main finding is the organizational culture of Japanese companies in Indonesia strongly influences job satisfaction, employee performance, and employee retention. Applying Japanese corporate culture shows that Japanese and Indonesian employees understand the company's core values. Employee performance can be realized by employees being able to understand the cultural values of the organization.

Comparison of Hatching Results, Growth Traits, and Slaughter-Carcass Characteristics of Japanese Quails Classified by Hatching Egg Weight

The aim of this study is to determine the hatching characteristics, growth performance and slaughter-carcass traits of Japanese quails obtained from hatching quail eggs divided into four classes (G1: less than 8 g, G2: between 8-10 g, G3: between 10-12 g, and G4: heavier than 12 g) according to egg size. The animal material of the study consisted of chicks (60 birds were used in each group) obtained from a total of 525 eggs simultaneously obtained from a Japanese quail parent flock (random mated, not previously selection applied, at 16 weeks of age). The mean values of fertility in G2 and G3 were found to be higher than those of the other groups (P

Accounting Information and Supply Chain Management Practices in the Era of IR 4.0: The Case of a Japanese Subsidiary in Malaysia

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This study aims to explore the interplay between accounting information and supply chain management (SCM) practices of a Malaysian subsidiary whose shares are largely owned by a Japanese parent company. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study follows a qualitative, case study methodology. The major sources of this study’s data were collected through semi-structured interviews, documentary reviews and informal observations. Research findings: Influenced by its parent company’s management style that concerns aligning business practices with the fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0), the case company has subscribed to a set of accounting systems and SCM practices to manage its complex business activities. As much as accounting systems influence its SCM practices more naturally, SCM practices also influence its accounting practices quite extensively. On the one hand, it has used accounting reports to manage its cashflow, to develop its marketing plan, and to monitor its performance. On the other hand, its SCM practices have shaped the ways pricing and performance measures are set with much negotiation. Theoretical contribution/Originality: Using the Resource Based View (RBV) as a theoretical lens, this study analyses the role of accounting within the context of the supply chain network by exploring how accounting systems influence and/or get influenced by SCM practices. Practitioner/Policy implications: The findings are important in shedding light on the interplay between accounting and SCM in view of their strong networks and mutual roles in relation to the natural supply chain setting of a Japanese subsidiary company by relating to the IR 4.0’s demands. Research limitation/Implications: This study is based on one case study and that the specific accounting information that were reported in the company were not identified. This study has revealed that information sharing has streamlined SCM and influenced performance as members in the supply chain network are able to collaborate in a more integrated and seamless manner to enhance the organisational competitive advantage as highlighted by the RBV theory and as emphasised by IR 4.0. Keywords: Accounting Systems, Case Study, Japanese Subsidiary, SCM Practices, IR 4.0 JEL Classification: M41

Impact of Parent Companies and Multiple Large Shareholders on Audit Fees in Stakeholder-Oriented Corporate Governance

This study aimed to investigate the impact of parent companies and other multiple large shareholders (MLSs) on the audit fees in Japanese firms, where stakeholder-oriented corporate governance is adopted. In such a firm, monitoring by many stakeholders can mitigate conflicts among shareholders. However, because the key stakeholders of these firms tend to resolve information asymmetry problems through insider communication, the level of audit effort is affected not only by the audit risk from principal–principal conflicts, but also by the demands of key stakeholders. Japanese parent companies tend to spin off their departments with high growth potential and provide incentives to lower subsidiaries’ cost of capital through information disclosure. Therefore, parent companies require greater audit efforts, and consequently, audit fees are expected to be higher. However, when MLSs are shareholders of the listed subsidiary, they can obtain relevant information via private communication. Thus, the need for quality accounting information will be smaller, the level of audit effort required will be smaller, and as a result, audit fees will be smaller. The results are consistent with these expectations. This paper contributes to the sustainable growth and economic development of firms and markets and has implications for the development of effective corporate governance mechanisms.

Comments on Revisiting Complementarity between Japanese FDI and the Import of Intermediate Goods: Agglomeration Effects and Parent-firm Heterogeneity

October 01 2020 Comments on Revisiting Complementarity between Japanese FDI and the Import of Intermediate Goods: Agglomeration Effects and Parent-firm Heterogeneity Author and Article Information Online Issn: 1536-0083 Print Issn: 1535-3516 © 2020 by the Asian Economic Panel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology2020Asian Economic Panel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Asian Economic Papers (2020) 19 (3): 107–108. https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00790 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Comments on Revisiting Complementarity between Japanese FDI and the Import of Intermediate Goods: Agglomeration Effects and Parent-firm Heterogeneity. Asian Economic Papers 2020; 19 (3): 107–108. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00790 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll JournalsAsian Economic Papers Search Advanced Search Deborah Swenson, University of California, Davis: By tracking the detailed product-level trade transactions for 929 Japanese affiliates in China, Ito, Matsuura, and Yang contribute to the classic literature that investigates the complementarity versus substitutability of trade and FDI. To advance this question, the paper studies the duration of intermediate input imports by these Chinese affiliates between 2000 and 2006. Because the authors have taken on the arduous task of creating a data set that combines four different sources, they illuminate a number of interesting relationships that are generally obscured by firm efforts to hide their proprietary actions from view. The key question posed by this paper is: How is the duration of intermediate input import by Chinese affiliates shaped by product, firm-level, and national considerations? Thanks to the paper's careful data effort, much of the paper's novelty lies in its ability to relate this question to the Japanese parent firms’... You do not currently have access to this content.

Forfeiting Citizenship, Forfeiting Identity? Multiethnic and Multiracial Japanese Youth in Australia and the Japanese Nationality Law

The rising fame of multiethnic and multiracial or ‘mixed’ celebrities in Japan, such as tennis player Naomi Osaka, has brought into focus the roles of Japan’s Nationality Law and understandings of nationality and citizenship in shaping identity. According to Article 14 of Japan’s Nationality Law, persons holding multiple nationalities must choose to forfeit all but one before the age of 22. In this article I aim to address how multiethnic and multiracial youths of Japanese descent in Australia are approaching the ambiguities surrounding their citizenship and nationality rights. To do so I will closely examine to what extent the Nationality Law affects their future decisions and identities by drawing upon evidence from in-depth interviews I conducted with mixed Japanese youth who are the child of one Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent and live in Australia. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, I argue that mixed Japanese youth in Australia perceive citizenship less as an agent of identity and more as an index of socioeconomic opportunity. My findings demonstrate that these individuals actively strive to maintain their dual citizenship and strategically align their cultural capital to realise meaningful cross-cultural careers that communicate between Australia, Japan, and their own mixed identities.

Factors affecting subsidiary staffing of Japanese multinationals: a panel data analysis

Global staffing is a crucial factor for the success of the overseas operations of multinational corporations (MNCs). This study examines the contextual and organisational factors that affect the localisation of subsidiary staffing in the overseas operations of Japanese multinational companies. Using panel data containing more than 15 000 observations of Japanese overseas subsidiaries and a random‐effects logit model, we found that the cultural distance between the home country and the host country has a significant impact on the localisation of subsidiary staffing. In addition, the strategic importance of subsidiaries, as well as the local market orientation and business experiences in the host country, but not research and development (R&amp;D) intensity of Japanese parent firms, have a significant impact on the localisation of foreign subsidiary staffing. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

When does emotional intelligence function better in enhancing expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment? A study of Japanese PCNs in Malaysia

PurposeAs globalization expands opportunities for foreign investments, the role of expatriates is becoming important for business success in host countries. Cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) of expatriates is considered significant in determining business success in host countries. This study investigated the issue among Japanese expatriates in Malaysia. The purposes of this study were to unravel the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) on CCA and clarify the facilitating role of cultural intelligence (CI) on the relationship between EI and CCA.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to 107 Japanese parent country nationals (PCNs) working at Japanese subsidiaries in Malaysia.FindingsThe findings show that EI positively influences the subdimensions of CCA, namely, CCA–general, CCA–social and CCA–work. A notable finding is that CI facilitates the positive effect of EI on CCA–social.Research implicationsThe findings advance the existing studies on expatriate management by delving into the CCA issue with two culturally distinctive countries that have rarely been studied in this research domain, Japan and Malaysia. This study further contributes to prior studies by clarifying a boundary condition in which EI functions better in enhancing expatriates' CCA.Practical implicationsThe findings provide Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) valuable directions and strategic ideas in the realm of expatriate management. Such insights can contribute to business success in host countries.Originality/valueDiverting from the conventional West–East approach in expatriate management studies, this study took an East–East orientation and explored the relationships among EI, CI and CCA. By proving that CI stimulates the positive effect of EI on CCA, this study underlines the significantly interactive effects of two distinctive individual capabilities on enhancing expatriates' CCA. It further highlights that CI should take on importance in attempts to understand CCA, even in seemingly culturally similar East–East nations.

Takasago buys stake in pine chemical firm

The Japanese flavor and fragrance maker Takasago has bought a stake in the pine chemical firm Lawter from its Japanese parent company, Harima Chemicals. Takasago says the move will strengthen its a...

Seeing the tree and the forest: Japanese auto firm multinational dispersion, cultural distance, and foreign manufacturing subsidiary ownership levels

Firms may pursue greater equity ownership in foreign manufacturing subsidiaries to limit internal costs of coordinating and communicating with culturally dissimilar host-country partners. We offer that this relationship is strengthened when a firm’s multinational network is more geographically dispersed, or dispersed in terms of national cultural contexts, because a highly dispersed multinational network may also make coordination difficult. With a panel of 7422 firm-year observations (1993–2016) from 541 foreign manufacturing subsidiaries (32 Japanese parent automotive firms), we find the positive cultural distance and equity ownership relationship is positively moderated by geographic and cultural dispersion within parent firms’ multinational networks.

Ethnic Options, Covering and Passing

Abstract Over the past ten years, Japan has seen a significant increase in foreign residents, with levels of immigration expected to grow even more. This growing immigrant population is also reflected in the increase in intermarriages and children with mixed background. Although the number of multiracial and multiethnic Japanese who are socially recognised and identified as haafu (half) has increased, their identities and experiences are seldom critically analysed: How do they identify themselves, and how do they feel others identify them? Based on interviews with 18 individuals who grew up in Japan with one Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent, this article explores ethnic options and the practices of covering and passing among multiracial and multiethnic individuals in Japan. The analysis shows that multiracial and multiethnic individuals have various ethnic options available to them and that they practice passing and covering in various ways.

Are hafus ‘dirty’ or ‘special’? Negotiating mixed-race identities among Japanese-Indonesian youths in Indonesia

ABSTRACTThis is one of the first papers to examine the experiences of mixed-race individuals who have one Japanese parent, commonly referred to as ‘hafu’, living outside of Japan. Specifically, it analyzes the experiences of Japanese-Indonesians living in Indonesia who have attended an overseas Japanese school and an Indonesian or international school in Indonesia or elsewhere. Japan’s dual positioning – as inferior to the West and superior to the Rest – impacts upon the experiences of mixed-race individuals in varying ways depending on the predominant discourse operating at the school. At the Japanese school, the discourse of Japanese superiority, which draws on both the cultural legacy of Japanese imperialism and contemporary regional socio-economic hierarchy, deemed the hafus as inferior in relation to their Japanese peers for not being ‘pure’ Japanese. At the Indonesian school, the regional hierarchy deemed the hafus as superior in relation to their Indonesian peers. In these cases, mixed-race individuals find themselves on opposite ends of Japan’s dual positioning. Finally, at the English-medium international school, the cosmopolitan discourse that privileges mixedness (and western cultural capital) at times inverted the positionality of those who were of mixed descent in relation to their Japanese peers. The paper discusses the way hafus submit to, negotiate or challenge the prevailing discourses through the use of varying strategies (sometimes depending on gender) such as performing Japaneseness or bicultural competence, constructing social distance, or physically fighting. Furthermore, the paper extends the application of methodological transnationalism to analyze the way multiple regional and global discourses intersect to simultaneously and situationally affect hafu experiences.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF JAPAN HOME COUNTRY COMPANY TO THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SUBSIDIARIES COMPANY IN INDONESIA

The purpose of this study is to determine the financial performance of subsidiaries of Japanese multinationals operating in Indonesia from the perspective of the Japanese parent company and to find out which one of the company’s financial performance had morehealthy during the year 2010 until 2012. The analytical tool used in this study to translate is to use the current rate method, and the analytical tools used to measure the financial performance of subsidiaries of multinational Japanese was by using financial ratio analysis, and to reject the measure using the method of time series and cross section.The result show that there was conducted on the financial report of a subsidiaries of the Japanese multinational operating in Indonesia by limiting the study period from 2010 until 2012. Based on the financial results of the Japanese multinational subsidiaries operating in Indonesia, which had been translated and analyzed it could be seen that the financial performed of multinational subsidiaries of the sub sectors of ceramic, glass and porcelain which operates in Indonesia in 2010 until 2012 indicate unhealthy conditions. Keywords: Multinational corporation, translation of the financial statements, current rate method, exchange rate, ratio of financial.

Challenges Facing Globally-Minded Leaders in a Japanese-European Joint Venture Company

Objectives This is part of a project that investigates and clarifies the qualifications needed for globally-minded Japanese leaders, funded by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. This study identifies communicative problems and cultural differences that influence the performance of Japanese managers working overseas and reports the results of a focus group consisting of four Japanese expatriates working for a Japanese-European 50% joint venture company operating in a northern European country. Methods All the discussions of the focus group were transcribed and analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. In an open-coding stage, nine concepts were obtained from the data, which were then categorized into three groups at the selective- coding stage: language and power, cultural awareness, and business and economic factors. Results In addition to the three factors presented in the selective-coding stage, the analysis indicated that there are two further obstacles facing Japanese expatriates: the occasional use of the local European language in meetings and an insufficient understanding of the local situation by the Japanese parent company. Conclusions The present study revealed important challenges facing Japanese expatriate staff working for a joint venture company in Europe. Although this is a study examining a Japanese-European joint venture, the results appear transferable to many other kinds of Asian and European companies.

Non-conventional Outbound FDI and Domestic Employment: Recent Evidence from Japanese MNEs (WITHDRAWN)

Although an increasing number of MNEs has been reported to engage in outbound FDI as means for tax breaks, against trade friction, and/or for financial hedge in foreign countries, abundant studies have still focused on the ‘conventional’ forms of outbound FDI only that are to search for (1) resources, (2) new markets, and/or (3) strategic assets from foreign countries. This study attempts to fill this gap by investigating the impetus and consequences of MNEs’ ‘non-conventional’ forms of outbound FDI. Using a sample of 3,343 subsidiaries established by 706 Japanese parent companies operating in 61 countries over the period of 1996-2010, the study investigates the characteristics of MNEs’ non-conventional outbound FDI (1) for tax breaks, (2) against trade friction, and (3) for financial hedge, and examines their impact on the domestic employment hired by parent MNEs at home. Our 3SLS estimation results show that the impacts of Japanese MNEs’ non-conventional outbound FDI on MNE home employment vary across different forms of motivations.