Case Of Japan Research Articles

Comparative energy, emissions and economic assessment of low-carbon iron and steel making processes using imported liquid organic hydrogen carrier options

Hydrogen (H2)-based steel making is expected to become a major driver of intercontinental low-carbon H2 imports. Eight H2 supply scenarios based on either local H2 production at major steel producing locations (Germany/Japan), or liquid H2 carrier (dibenzyltoluene/perhydrodibenzyltiluene, DBT/PDBT) import from the United Arab Emirates, and their integration with H2 direct reduced iron (H-DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) processes, are investigated using process modeling. Solar energy-based PDBT import using surplus heat for dehydrogenation is the most cost-competitive H2 import scenario in Germany's case (levelized steel production cost, ∼685 $/tLS, with carbon emissions, ∼237 kgCO2/tLS). In Japan's case this scenario is the most economically favorable of all scenarios (∼736 $/tLS), with emissions (∼350 kgCO2/tLS) comparable to natural gas-DRI-EAF with 50% carbon capture. Steam methane reforming with carbon capture-based PDBT import is neither environmentally nor economically viable. PDBT-based H-DRI-EAF production cost is sensitive to electricity, H2 production, dehydrogenation energy, and carbon costs.

교통사고와 과실상계의 판례법리 - 「자동차사고 과실비율 인정기준」에 대한 비판적 분석을 겸하여

The Civil Law of Korea has a negligence settlement system as a legal principle that limits compensation for damages caused by illegal activities(torts). If the negligence of the victim(creditor) has affected the occurrence and increase of the damage, the amount of compensation for damages of the perpetrator(debtor) shall be reduced by taking this into account. It is the attitude of a firm precedent of court decisions that “fault” in the contributory negligence is distinguished from “fault” that is a requirement for illegal activities. That is not a strong negligence of violating obligations, but a weak carelessness required by the principle of good faith. According to court decisions of Korea, a noteworthy solution is drawn when, for example, the perpetrator becomes the victim at the same time, and the victim becomes the perpetrator at the same time, that is, when an accident occurs due to the “fault” of both parties, resulting in an obligation to compensate for damages. Considering that the ratio represents the degree of strong negligence and violation of obligations of both parties regarding the accident itself, the “fault” to be taken into account of the victim(creditor) will usually be greater than the negligence contributed to the occurrence of the accident, so there is a difference between the ratio of the amount of money that the creditor and the debtor will share as a result of the negligence settlement and the ratio of the degree of strong negligence above. For the same reason, the sum of the ratio of the amount of compensation for damages of negligence to be taken into account when offsetting the negligence of one party and the ratio of the other party's negligence is hard to be 1 (100%). However, the “Criteria of contributory negligence in the car accident cases”, which plays a big role in resolving traffic accidents in Korea, shows a different conclusion from the court decisions set forth above. In particular, in the case of automobile versus automobile accidents, the sum of the amount of compensation for damages for negligence to be taken into account when one party's negligence is always 1 (100%), that is, when there is a mutual negligence offset, the amount of money to be shared is called the “fault ratio.” This ratio has the same value for each other's illegal activities. “Criteira of contributory negligence in the car accident cases” of Korea was prepared by referring to Japan's “Certification Standards for Permocation in Civil Traffic Laws,” and Japan's standards take the same attitude with Korea. The Japanese Civil Code also has similar provisions for illegal activities(torts) and contributory negligence with Korea, but Japanese court decisions consider “fault” to be taken into account in contributory negligence as “fault,” which is a requirement for the establishment of illegal activities(torts), which is different from Korean court decisions. As a result, Japan's “Certification Standards for Permocation in Civil Traffic Laws,” faithfully reflects Japan's case practice, which is different from our court practice, and as our “Criteira of contributory negligence in the car accident cases” refers to this Japan standard, it is thought that there was a deviation between our criteria and our court practice.

일본의 몬스터 패어런츠 현상의 정책적 대응에 대한 문헌 고찰

This study aims to examine the analysis and forecasting of the issue of 'monster parents' in Japan. The focus is on 11 research papers published since 2007 that deal with the 'monster parents' topic. The study analyzes the social background, definition, types, characteristics, causes, and response strategies of monster parents. The findings indicate that 'monster parents' are guardians who repeatedly make unreasonable or frequent and continuous demands. The phenomenon of 'monster parents' started appearing in the early 2000s and has continued to be a social issue to the present day. The emergence of monster parents is attributed to factors such as educational reforms and the weakening of teachers' rights. The Japanese government has implemented various response policies, including the distribution of complaint response manuals and the establishment of expert-led complaint response bodies, but these have been deemed insufficient solutions. The educational landscape in Korea currently exhibits a pattern similar to that of Japan in the 2000s. Therefore, the Korean government should consider Japan's case and develop proactive policies based on a detailed analysis of the domestic educational field.

지방자치단체의 부정회계방지에 관한 연구

There are national interests, fairness, and common sense in the state affairs and the principles of state administration proposed by the current government. The “fairness and common sense” in constitutional state also includes adhering to the rule of law, in which laws legislated by the National Assembly, the representative of the people, apply fairly to all citizens.
 Also, rule of law should be comply with providing financial resources for the operation of the state. From the perspective of the rule of law, the provision of financial resources must be subject to the tax burden in accordance with the basis regulations of the tax law. This is the principle of no taxation without law in our constitutional law. In addition, the tax burden must be imposed substantially equally according to each person's taxable capacity, which appears as Principle of taxation equality under the constitutional law. In this way, taxes imposed and collected by taxpayers such as the state or local governments are unilateral and compulsory monetary benefits, and there is no explicit opposition to them. Therefore, the financial resources raised through taxation must be used transparently and fairly.
 And residents can use systems such as residents suit under the Local Autonomy Act to monitor whether the taxation subject is using the funds legal. In this regard, this paper will examine matters related to illegal expenditures such as political activity expenses issued in Japan based on ordinances.
 And money such as political activity expenses is also used in Korea as a expense for parliamentary activities. Through the case of Japan, which has a similar legal system to Korea, it could discuss what implications our society can derive to prevent corruption in the use of public funds related to political activities in the future.
 First, accounts that receive money through taxes, such as future political activity expenses, should be more specific and distinguished. In case accounting use does not go as planned, it is necessary to consider a system such as appropriation. Second, if fraudulent accounting use is detected, strong sanctions should be imposed, such as not being able to receive related expenses in the future. Third, as long as the subsidy consists of taxpayers' money, it should not be limited to the size of the amount. Using Japan's case as a basis for calculation, a system should be established.
 The system is that can reduce corruption of money delivered by people's taxes through more specific legislation in the future.

The soft underbelly of cyber defence in democracy: how interest groups soften Japan’s cyber policy

ABSTRACT This article investigates the impact that interest groups exert on the cybersecurity strategy of democratic countries. My findings are twofold. First, interest groups have shaped the strategy of many democracies by promoting transparency and civil rights as well as through open debate and policy scrutiny. They have consolidated their role as guardians of institutional accountability. They have subjected lawmakers to the power of the electoral majority to veto offensive policy and demanded that government officials comply with international rules of behaviour. Second, I explore interest groups in mature democracies in the United States, Europe and Japan to show that the national response to cyber threats is broadly shaped by interest groups working closely with the government to ensure that its policy remain within the general framework of a larger, vibrant civil society. Specifically, I demonstrate these points by using Japan as a case study. Japanese interest groups have acknowledged that cyberattacks pose a threat to Japanese consumers and opposed the adoption of radical policy to counter them. Japan's case indicates how interest groups can promote voters' preferences through the advocacy of privacy protection and the collective opposition to constitutional revision that is needed for radical policy.

선박안전법상 벌칙 규정에 관한 비판적 검토 -한․일 관계 법령의 공시적·통시적 비교를 중심으로-

This paper conducted the synchronic and diachronic comparative law studies between the relevant legislations in both Korea and Japan to confirm the adequacy of the penal provisions under the Korea`s Ship Safety Act. Questions have been repeatedly raised about the excessive punishment in the maritime laws, especially the Ship Safety Act. To reveal this clearly, this paper attempted a multidimensional analysis through comparison between current Ship Safety Act&Criminal law of Korea, between Ship Safety Act&Criminal law of Japan, and between those two countries. In particular, to keep track of the diachronic changes, examined the history of relevant legislations. The main content of this paper is as follows. First, the maritime law, which includes the Ship Safety Act, reveals excessive and symbolic criminal law issues. In order to promote understanding of the problem and for improvement of the system, it is necessary to introduce a comparative methodology that involves in-depth social analysis reflected in the legislation rather than simple comparison. Second, as a result of synchronic comparing between current Ship Safety Act & Criminal law of Korea and Japan, it can be perceived that the penal provisions under Korea's Ship Safety Act are not appropriate compared to the Korea`s Criminal law, and that they are clearly excessive compared to Japan's case. Third, through the diachronic analysis of the changes in the Ship Safety Act of Korea and Japan since the initial enactment in relation to the occurrence of major maritime accidents showed a clear symbolic tendency in the recent provisions of the Ship Safety Act of Korea. In particular, it is also confirmed that the actual effect of the symbolic legislative trend is insignificant. Fourth, it is suggested that the overall revision of the penalty regulations in Ship Safety Act of Korea is inevitable in order to solve the problems identified above.

Introduction and Diffusion: Useful and Reliable Knowledge in Early Modern Industrial Japan.

This article explores a key theme in recent scholarship: the impact of the circulation movement of ideas and information by examining, in this case focusing on the spread of weaving techniques across Japanese markets during the Tokugawa (1603-1868) reign. The dissemination of useful knowledge in this period relied on practitioners like artisans and merchants, on wealthy farmers, and family networks in regional communities also influenced this process, as did the conditions inhibiting or encouraging the development, adoption, adaptation, and elaboration of new technologies. Mobility, public culture, and networks played a significant role in the diffusion of knowledge in eighteenth-century Europe, and Japan's weaving in the Tokugawa period provides a non-Western parallel. Thus Japan's case suggests the necessity of further discussion about the "creation" of technological knowledge beyond the "introduction and diffusion" of ideas and information in the context of the Great Divergence debate.

현대 일본사회에서 노년의 이미지 변화와 재현의 정치

In this paper, I examine how aging population is represented and how the image of the elderly is changing in Japanese society. In addition, I delve into what socio󰠏cultural, political and economic context is driving this change. Lastly, I investigate how old people cope with the gaze that attempt to define an aging person as a ‘problematic being’ by focusing on the case of the elderly in Nagano through anthropological participation observation, in󰠏depth interviews, and literature analysis. As a result, I find that the discourse and knowledge about old age are produced more explosively than ever before in modern Japanese society, but the study shows that the anxiety of elderly people is getting worse and the negative image of aging is getting stronger. In conclusion, the study shows the necessity for the further examination of Japan's case whether the discourses related to the aging people are shaped more by the ideal model that the state or society desires than the voice of the old people.

Active Denial: Redesigning Japan's Response to China's Military Challenge

Abstract The growth of Chinese military power poses significant challenges to Japan. China's military spending, which was half that of Japan's in 1996, is now three and a half times as large. Japan has taken a range of measures to buttress its military forces and loosen the restrictions on their operations, but much remains to be done. Most important, Tokyo needs to reexamine its strategy to maximize Japan's deterrent leverage. Of the three general approaches to conventional deterrence—punishment, forward defense, and denial—Japan's best option is to shift to a denial strategy. Such a strategy, built around a resilient force that can survive attack and attrite an encroaching adversary, can make the risks to a potential attacker unacceptably high. In Japan's case, such a strategy would leverage the inherent dangers that Beijing would face in contemplating a prolonged war against Japan and its U.S. ally. The strategy, updated to reflect the imperatives of air and maritime warfare in the precision strike era, would require a high level of dispersion and mobility and might therefore be labeled “active denial.” Adopting an active denial strategy would buttress Japan's defense and deterrent capability while reducing first-strike incentives and improving crisis stability.

American Foreign Policy and Postwar Reconstruction: Comparing Japan and Iraq

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Comment on “Changing China, Changing Africa: Future Contours of an Emerging Relationship”

Davies et al. (2014) describe China's engagement in Africa and indicate its intention to shift some parts of manufacturing from China to Africa. The possibility of a transfer of production capacity, especially of low-ended and labor-intensive manufacturing sector, from enriched China to Sub-Saharan Africa has been seemingly envisaged and incubated jointly by China and the World Bank. Many watchers of “China in Africa” share the common observation that China's policy toward Africa has many similarities to Japan's “economic cooperation policy” in the 1960s and 1970s toward Southeast Asia. In Japan's case, the final consequence of its policy was, maybe unintentionally, to allocate production capacities from Japan to other Asian countries. Especially after the Plaza Agreement in 1985 that resulted in a large appreciation of the Japanese yen, Japanese manufacturers were deprived of competitiveness and emigrated in search of cheaper production inputs. That movement initiated the formation of the Asian regional economy with integrated value chains. This history indicates that it is not startling for China to put its policy goal as a production shift from China to Africa. However, in my observation, China now faces difficulty in attaining that purpose in spite of the limited success of some special economic zones. It is widely said, and also Chinese people may think, that the economic circumstances in Africa are not suitable for manufacturing in various aspects, namely, power supply shortages, insufficient infrastructure, and others. Above all, high production costs including labor should be the most crucial aspect. According to surveys done by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the average wages of the manufacturing sector in Sub-Saharan African countries have been historically higher than in their Asian counterparts. For example, the average wage in Kenya's manufacturing sector was $3322 (2010) higher than Thailand's $2233 (2006), whereas the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of Kenya is $792 much lower than Thailand's $3116. The huge divergence between high wages and low per capita GDP is found generally in Sub-Saharan Africa. For Japanese manufacturers, therefore, the destination of any production shift is inevitably directed to Asian countries, currently Vietnam and Myanmar, for example. In the case of Hong Kong companies responding to the US policy of African Growth Opportunity Act, they put almost double the capital equipment per worker in Kenya than in their home economy to maintain competitiveness. Africa's manufacturing sectors are more capital intensive than developing Asia's. Japan's “economic cooperation” was able to find its landing ground in Asia, but China's “South–South cooperation” has a few exit in current Africa. Why are wages in Africa higher than in Asia that has a larger GDP per head? It is because the levels of consumer prices are higher in Africa. According to surveys undertaken by the International Labor Organization, cereal prices and meat prices are higher in general in Sub-Saharan African countries than in Asian developing countries. The analysis of global data shows that a high living cost brings about a high wage level. This leads to the next question: why are food prices so high in Africa? The high prices of foodstuffs are supposed to be brought about by underdeveloped agriculture in Africa. The very low level of material and technical inputs has locked cereal production of Africa into such low productivity as in the premodern era. Roughly speaking, cereal production volume per hectare in Sub-Saharan Africa stays at less than one third of the global average and one sixth of the countries that have advanced agriculture. Many Asian countries have been benefited through the “Green Revolution” started in 1960s, but modern technologies never came to Africa. Only highly productive producers can provide cheap and abundant products; therefore, foodstuffs are expensive and insufficient in Africa. Accordingly, Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the biggest cereal-importing regions despite the fact that almost 60% of its workforce is still engaged in the agricultural sector. Sustainable development of manufacturing will be realized based on agricultural development, which has been lacking in Sub-Saharan Africa. It means that development assistance for food production should be a requisite for cooperation packages if China wants to shift parts of its manufacturing to Africa. East Asia and Africa are now the largest cereal-importing regions in the world, and the volume of cereal imports by Sub-Saharan Africa is steadily increasing along with its population increase and urbanization. The most serious threat to the global cereal market is definitely the explosive growth of Africa's imports. Agricultural development is not only a topic for Africa's development but also a regional topic for East Asia's food security. The situation of agricultural development in Africa should be carefully watched to see the future contours of “China in Africa.”

A lesson from Japan: Research and development efficiency is a key element of pharmaceutical industry consolidation process

Scholarly attention to pharmaceutical companies' ability to sustain research and development (R&D) productivity has increased as they increasingly handle business challenges. Furthermore, the deterioration of R&D productivity has long been considered a major cause of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). This study attempts to investigate quantitatively the possible causes of the deterioration and the relationship between the deterioration and M&As by examining the Japanese pharmaceutical industry. Japan from 1980 to 1997 is an ideal case because of the availability of official data, but more importantly the significant changes in its business environment at the time. Using the Malmquist Index and data envelopment analysis, we measured the deterioration of R&D productivity from 1980 to 1997 based on a sample of 15 Japanese companies. Two lessons can be learned from Japan's case. First, to sustain R&D productivity over the long term, companies should use licensing activities and focus on the dominant therapeutic franchises. Second, if a company fails significantly to catch up with the benchmark, it is likely to pursue an M&A or seek an alternative way to improve R&D productivity. These findings appear similar to the current situation of the global pharmaceutical industry, although Japan pursued more licensing activities than M&A to improve R&D productivity.

Realising Ainu indigenous rights: a commentary on Hiroshi Maruyama's ‘Japan's post-war Ainu policy. Why the Japanese Government has not recognised Ainu indigenous rights?’

ABSTRACTThis commentary reviews Maruyama's article ‘Japan's post-war Ainu policy: why the Japanese Government has not recognised Ainu indigenous rights?’ (Maruyama 2013a), published in this journal. Maruyama criticises the government for its reluctance to enact a new Ainu law to guarantee indigenous rights, even after Japan's ratification of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). However, in actuality, the government is searching for the foundation of new Ainu policies in the existing legal frameworks and trying to guarantee some elements of indigenous rights. Japan's case suggests the possibility of realising indigenous rights without the enactment of a specific law.

Tropical Furniture and Bodily Comportment in Colonial Asia

This essay examines graphic, textual, and material evidence concerning the use of chairs by European colonists in South and Southeast Asia and by Japanese colonists in Taiwan. It focuses particularly on informal furniture made from lightweight tropical fibers such as rattan. The significance of chair sitting and the ways that chairs were used in these different contexts reveal contrasting colonial sensibilities — that is, bodily awarenesses and experiences of the colonial milieu and colonial social relationships. Many Europeans in Asia adopted furniture suited to a posture of languishing that would have been socially unacceptable in the same settings in Europe but reflected the sense of tropical life as a constant physical affliction and the accompanying indifference to the presence of native servants. In Japan's case, the process of colonization was concurrent with an effort to modernize national customs in both metropole and colonies on a European model, and inexpensive upright rattan chairs played a role in this. Yet Japanese colonists in Taiwan found themselves in an unusual situation since they were by habit floor sitters, placed by colonial conquest in a dominant position among a Chinese population accustomed to sitting on chairs. This introduced a complex dynamic into the bodily negotiation of relationships between colonizers and colonized in Taiwan, in which Japanese colonists' attitudes and behaviors did not always successfully map the power relationship of metropole and colony. A coda briefly considers a third type of rattan chair and an accompanying set of sensibilities tied to circuits of deployment in the United States military empire in the Pacific after World War II.

Conscience in health care and the definitions of death

Brain death or neurologic death has gradually become recognized as human death over the past decades worldwide. Nevertheless, in Japan, the New York State, and the State of New Jersey, one can be exempt from death determination based on neurologic criteria even in the state of brain death. In Japan, the 1997 Act on Organ Transplantation legalized brain death determination exclusively when organs were to be procured from brain-dead patients. Even after the 2009 revision, the default definition of death continued to be cardio-pulmonary criteria, despite the criticism. The cases of Japan and the United States provide a good reference as social experiments of appreciating conscientious or religio-cultural dimensions in health care. This text theoretically examines the 1997 Act on Organ Transplantation of Japan and its 2009 revision, presenting some characteristics of Japan’s case compared to American cases and the implications its approach has for the rest of the world. This is an example in which a foreign idea that did not receive widespread support from Japanese citizens was transformed to fit the religio-cultural landscape.

Evolution of Energy Conservation Policies and Tools: The Caseof Japan

In the mainland of China, the constraints of environments, resources, especially energy resources, has increasingly become the bottleneck of economic development after reform policy for more than thirty years. In this paper, we illustrate the basic structure of energy conservation and emission reduction from historic, institutional and comparative analysis based on Japan's case as an example of energy conservation. Our investigation shows the evolution of Japan's energy conservation policies from a view of energy security to the view of environment protection and low carbon economy. We also analyze the tools that Japan adopted to remove energy conservation barriers.

Accidental deaths occurring in bed

The bed is thought to be a safe place, but posses a number of risks that can cause deaths. To identify the causes of accidental death in bed and propose strategies for the prevention of further accidents, we surveyed and analyzed the literature on accidental deaths in bed from Japan and abroad, as well as legal cases related to accidental death in bed in Japan. A search of the medical literature in Japan (1983-2007), abroad (1976-2007), and Japan's legal cases (1989-2007) located 39 cases. The vast majority of accidental deaths in bed occur among infants and elderly individuals with neurologic disorders. The main causes of death within these two groups are head injuries caused by falls from a bed and asphyxia caused by pressure to the neck when wedged against a bed rail. It is necessary to focus on prevention of falls from bed and prevention of asphyxia caused by bed rails in the case of infants and elderly individuals with neurologic disorders. Infants should be placed to sleep in beds designed for their ages and placed on their back. Elderly individuals need to sleep in beds with properly fitting bed rails to reduce wedging.

The Slow Death of Japanese Techno-Nationalism? Emerging Comparative Lessons for China's Defense Production

Japan's defense production model is often portrayed as an exemplar of techno-nationalism, but can it serve as a model for China to follow in pursuit of technological military catch-up? Japan in the past has exploited civilian industrial strengths to create a defense production base with footholds in key technologies. However, Japan's defense production model is now displaying structural limits – constrained defense budgets, deficient procurement management, limited international collaboration – with the risks of civilian industry exiting the sector, the loss of even basic competency in military technologies, and the consequent weakening of national security autonomy. Japan's case thus offers emerging comparative lessons for China to study in what to do and not to in pursuing civilian–military integration.

劇症型溶血性レンサ球菌感染症の発症機序 ―菌の免疫回避機構と菌の特性―

Streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSS) was firstly reported in 1987 in the United States. Japan's first definitive STSS case was reported in 1992, with over 500 cases since confirmed. Mortality is extremely high at 40%. Pathological findings, bacteria aggregation, and a paucity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in the foci of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infection suggest that host defense disturbance plays an important role in invasive infection onset. GAS, clinically isolated from severely invasive, but not from non-invasive, infections, could compromise human PMN functions in at least two independent ways-by inducing necrosis to PMN by enhanced production of pore-forming toxin streptolysin O (SLO) and by PMN migration impairment via digesting interleukin-8, a PMN attracting chemokine, through increased serine protease ScpC production. Expression of these genes was upregulated by a loss of repressive function with the csrS gene mutation of the two-component sensor/regulator system.

The Economic and Environmental Consequences of Automobile Lifetime Extension and Fuel Economy Improvement: Japan's Case

The presenft paper develops a structural decomposition analysis with cumulative product lifetime distributions to estimate the effects of both product lifetime shifts and energy efficiency changes on the embodied energy consumptions. The empirical analysis focuses on automobile use (ordinary passenger vehicles, small passenger vehicles, and light passenger vehicles) in Japan during the period 1990–2000. It reveals that the lifetime extension of existing old vehicles during the study period was more beneficial to the environment than purchasing new passenger vehicles with a relatively high fuel economy, because the lifetime extension empirically contributed to reducing the embodied energy consumption at the production and end-use stages. We also found that the energy-saving impact of a one-year lifetime extension was approximately 1.3 times larger than that of the most significant technological improvement in the electric power generation sector. Editor's NoteOn the basis of this paper, the authors were awarded the third Leontief Memorial Prize at the 16th International Input–Output Conference in Istanbul. They received this prize, which is sponsored by Taylor & Francis, for the best conference paper by authors younger than 40 years.