Japan's Contribution Research Articles

Advancing clinical MRI exams with artificial intelligence: Japan's contributions and future prospects.

In this narrative review, we review the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams, with a particular focus on Japan's contributions to this field. In the first part of the review, we introduce the various applications of AI in optimizing different aspects of the MRI process, including scan protocols, patient preparation, image acquisition, image reconstruction, and postprocessing techniques. Additionally, we examine AI's growing influence in clinical decision-making, particularly in areas such as segmentation, radiation therapy planning, and reporting assistance. By emphasizing studies conducted in Japan, we highlight the nation's contributions to the advancement of AI in MRI. In the latter part of the review, we highlight the characteristics that make Japan a unique environment for the development and implementation of AI in MRI examinations. Japan's healthcare landscape is distinguished by several key factors that collectively create a fertile ground for AI research and development. Notably, Japan boasts one of the highest densities of MRI scanners per capita globally, ensuring widespread access to the exam. Japan's national health insurance system plays a pivotal role by providing MRI scans to all citizens irrespective of socioeconomic status, which facilitates the collection of inclusive and unbiased imaging data across a diverse population. Japan's extensive health screening programs, coupled with collaborative research initiatives like the Japan Medical Imaging Database (J-MID), enable the aggregation and sharing of large, high-quality datasets. With its technological expertise and healthcare infrastructure, Japan is well-positioned to make meaningful contributions to the MRI-AI domain. The collaborative efforts of researchers, clinicians, and technology experts, including those in Japan, will continue to advance the future of AI in clinical MRI, potentially leading to improvements in patient care and healthcare efficiency.

Progresses Toward Polio Eradication in Asian Countries: Its History and Japan's Contributions.

Japan experienced a large outbreak of wild poliovirus in the 1960s. The government made an exceptional decision to import oral polio vaccines (OPVs) from the Soviet Union and Canada while bypassing the usual approval process for medical products. Mass vaccination and subsequent, routine immunization successfully contained the wild poliovirus; the last case in Japan was reported in 1980. Domestic OPV had been used to sustain Japan's polio-free state. In 2012, the world's first inactivated polio vaccine developed from the Sabin vaccine replaced OPVs. Domestic vaccines combined with Sabin-derived inactivated polio vaccine are currently used in Japan. When the World Health Assembly announced the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the Japanese government made a commitment to support endemic countries. The Japan International Cooperation Agency supported the establishment of microbiological laboratories, surveillance, distribution of polio vaccines and capacity building. Vaccine-derived poliovirus emerged as a new, international risk in the early 2000s. Vaccine-derived poliovirus was also detected in several Asian countries and required an outbreak response with additional vaccinations and strengthened surveillance. Genetically stable, novel, oral polio vaccine type 2 became available for use in outbreak responses and was used in Indonesia. Japan maintains its commitment to work toward the eradication of the poliovirus.

Assessing the competitiveness of solar photovoltaic products in comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-pacific partnership countries.

Solar PV enables the conversion of solar energy into electricity and has become a clean energy technology for economic development. The advantages and disadvantages of solar photovoltaic vary among CPTPP member nations; nevertheless, since the CPTPP's implementation, fewer researchers have evaluated the member countries' solar photovoltaic goods' level of international competitiveness. In order to correct the flaw that the RCA index can only be studied from trade volume, this study adopts the IRCA index method and the revised CMS model, which integrates a number of variables to analyze the competitiveness of solar photovoltaic in each country. The study's findings indicate that: (1) the structural effect has a significant impact on export growth, particularly during the epidemic period, when Australia's contribution rate reached 106.58%; (2) the competitiveness effect has a lesser impact on export growth, and the epidemic led to a decline in competitiveness, with Japan's contribution rate reaching -262.85%; (3) the second-order effect has a declining trend in its contribution rate of export growth; (4) the export competitiveness of solar PV products differs between CPTPP countries, with power supply products having the most export competitiveness and solar cells having a steady comparative advantage in a weaker state. Apart than Japan, the remaining nations' comparative advantages for PV products are less than 1. Based on the above research findings, this paper puts forward the corresponding policy recommendations.

Rendezvous trajectory design of logistics resupply missions to the lunar gateway in near-rectilinear halo orbit

Logistics resupply to the lunar Gateway is one of the candidates for the Japan's contribution to the Artemis program. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is presently developing the HTV-X, a new unmanned spacecraft developed as the successor to the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). The HTV-X will transport supplies to the International Space Station. JAXA is also investigating enhancements to the HTV-X for logistics resupply to the lunar Gateway. A Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) of the L2 southern family was selected as the Gateway operational orbit. This paper proposes a trajectory design for missions to the Gateway in NRHO. The rendezvous scenario consists of a transfer from the Earth to NRHO, a rendezvous, and proximity operations in NRHO. Monte Carlo simulations are performed in all phases to identify the effects of navigation and control errors. In addition, the simulations evaluate the designed trajectory's fuel consumption, safety, and operational feasibility. This paper also identifies the GN&C requirements for rendezvous in NRHO determined by the study.

The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE): Mission, science, and instrumentation of its receiver modules

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is a science mission led by the European Space Agency, being developed for launch in 2023. The Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) is an instrument onboard JUICE, whose main scientific goals are to understand ice tectonics based on topographic data, the subsurface structure by measuring tidal response, and small-scale roughness and albedo of the surface. In addition, from the perspective of astrobiology, it is imperative to study the subsurface ocean scientifically. The development of GALA has proceeded through an international collaboration between Germany (the lead), Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. Within this framework, the Japanese team (GALA-J) is responsible for developing three receiver modules: the Backend Optics (BEO), the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA), and the Analog Electronics Module (AEM). Like the German team, GALA-J also developed software to simulate the performance of the entire GALA system (performance model). In July 2020, the Proto-Flight Models of BEO, FPA, and AEM were delivered from Japan to Germany. This paper presents an overview of JUICE/GALA and its scientific objectives and describes the instrumentation, mainly focusing on Japan's contribution.

Exploring the Rapid Changes in the Arctic Environment and Thinking About a New Society: International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Activities and Japan's Contribution

Exploring the Rapid Changes in the Arctic Environment and Thinking About a New Society: International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Activities and Japan's Contribution

「氷の大陸」南極は地球の将来にどう関わるのか？

「氷の大陸」南極は地球の将来にどう関わるのか？

PSY6-4 Regulatory aspect of regional collaboration for medical products development in Asia

It's been a while since access to medicines and other essential medical products was recognized as one of the important agenda in global health. COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting every parts of the world and never before has international concord to facilitate development and to achieve access to new medical products been requested to tackle this ongoing threat regardless of development stage of each country. Regulatory authorities play a key role to assure quality, safety and efficacy of medical products. ICH and IMDRF composing of regulatory authorities including US FDA, EMA and MHLW/PMDA have long been leading global harmonization activities that minimize regulatory deviation among regulatory authorities and enable to develop medical products on a common ground. APEC's Regulatory Harmonization Steering Committee under the Life Sciences Innovation Forum further promotes it in Asia pacific region, making full use of deliverables of those initiatives. In addition to PMDA's participation in those global and regional initiatives, PMDA has been contributing to implementation of regulatory harmonization and reliance principle by providing training programs to regulators through Asia Training Center for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Regulatory Affairs (PMDA-ATC) established in 2016. Moreover, with a recognition that access to medical products particularly in Asian region is essential for the realization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which is regarded as an integral part of Japan's contribution in global health, the Headquarters for the Healthcare Policy of Japan approved the Grand Design for Asian Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Regulatory Harmonization in 2019 aiming at concretizing regulatory harmonization to contribute to the health of people in Asia. In accordance with the Grand Design, PMDA reorganized Office of International Programs and further contributes to regulatory harmonization in Asian region through multi- and bilateral cooperation.

Citation classics: the 50 most cited articles in surgery in Asia.

The term 'citation classics' is used for highly cited papers in the scientific literature. It was aimed to understand the current landscape of academic surgery and the quality of the scientific contribution of authors belonging to Asia using citation classics. We searched the WoS core collection database under the category 'surgery' to include the 50 most cited articles whose lead author was affiliated to an Asian country during the research period. We noted the following characteristics for each article: total citations, average cita- tions per year, year of publication, publishing journal, institution and country, journal quartile and impact factor, authorship, field of surgical research. Results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics v26. The number of citations ranged from 447 to 1170 (mean +/- SD is 616.9 +/- 150.16) and citations per year ranged from 10.04 to 98.17 (mean +/- SD is 30.87 +/- 17.27). Most productive decade was 1991-2000 (n= 19 articles). Majority of the articles were published in 'Annals of Surgery' (28%). Four authors contributed two or more articles as lead author with 'Poon RTP' taking the lead. Japan's contribution was highest (60%) followed by China and its dependents' (26%). University of Hong Kong was the leading institution (n= 7). Observational study was the most commonly used design (n= 24). Most papers belonged to gastrointestinal surgery (n= 28) and surgical oncology (n= 26). 66% articles originated from a single institution, 22% had inter-institutional collaboration and 12% had national collaboration from countries outside Asia. The study identified the most influential papers in surgery from Asia. This should provoke interest in academic surgery and research col- laboration with other nations in Asia and the rest of the world.

Japan's contribution to international development of nuclear and radiation education (1)

IAEAアジア・太平洋地域技術協力プログラム(TCP-RAS/0/065(2012-2016)および/0/079(2018-2021))を通じての，質の高い日本の放射線教育ツールやモジュール等の国際展開に関する実績と経験を紹介する。教育・人材育成の対象は中高生とその教員，キーワードは「STEM教育」と「WOW Factor」，スローガンは「4年間で100万人のNST教育を」である。

Japan's contribution to international development of nuclear and radiation education (2)

日本原子力研究開発機構(JAEA)は文部科学省からの委託を受け，放射線利用技術等国際交流(講師育成)を1996年から継続して実施している。本事業では，アジア各国から研修生を日本に招へいして講師候補者を養成する講師育成研修，その修了生(講師候補者)が帰国後に自国で開催するフォローアップ研修，アジア各国から研修生を日本に招へいし専門家を養成する原子力技術セミナーなどを通じて，アジア各国の原子力分野における人材育成に貢献している。2019年度末時点で，日本で研修を受けた累計人数は937名，各国で開催の研修に参加した現地研修生は5,394名に上る。

Japan's contribution to international development of nuclear and radiation education (4)

Japan's contribution to international development of nuclear and radiation education (4)

Japan's contribution to international development of nuclear and radiation education (3)

原子力発電を利用する国の数は増えつつあり，こうした国での人材育成についての日本に対する支援の要請は継続してなされている。本誌昨年8月号では主に具体的な支援内容を紹介したので，ここではその背景となっている考え方を中心に述べる。

Peacekeeping in Foreign Policy of Japan

The article analyses Japanese approach towards peacekeeping and issues associated with Japans participation in the peacekeeping operations (PKOs). It focuses on factors which influence shaping and transformation of Japans approach towards this sphere of UN activity. For the first time, Japan sent its Self-defense forces to participate in the PKO in the early 1990s and since then peacemaking has become one of the symbols of Japan's contribution to international security. Despite the significance of cooperation with the UN that the Japanese government has underlined, the indicators that characterize Japan's participation in peacekeeping remain at a low level. In the article, the author explores the causes of this phenomenon and identifies patterns that characterize the models of Japanese participation in PKO. Using the historical method and content analysis of official documents and speeches by Japans representatives the author explores the hypothesis that currently, from the point of view of the Japanese government, the issue of participation in the PKOs is important as a way to adapt the public to the expansion of the sphere of activity of the Self-defense forces, but in practice, the ruling circles seek to avoid the risks associated with the participation of the Japanese military in the PKOs, preferring to shift the focus on peace-building, financial, educational and technological contribution that Japan can make to UN operations. The concept of active pacifism promoted by Abe did not lead to a more extensive participation of the Japanese military in the PKOs. An analysis of current trends in peacekeeping suggests that the participation of Self-defense forces in PKOs will remain at a low level and will be offset by other opportunities for Japan to contribute to international peacekeeping.

Japanese Philosophy? No Such Thing: Japan's Contribution to World Philosophizing

For almost five decades I have been studying Japanese philosophy, but only gradually have I come to realize there is no such thing. The ghost of Nakae Chōmin 中江 兆民 (1847–1901) probably gloats with satisfaction to hear this gaijin say that. My statement seems to echo his assessment more than a century ago when he pronounced that Japan had always been and continued to be devoid of philosophy. Although I admire Chōmin for his intellectual courage, standing up to the thought police even to the extent of being temporarily exiled from Tōkyō, my position is not at all the same as his. Nakae Chōmin is not only dead, but unfortunately, when it came to understanding both philosophy and its relation to Japan, he was also dead wrong. So although in reference to Japanese philosophy, I claim there is no such thing, I do not mean what Chōmin meant. To understand what I do mean, we have to examine my claim word by word.

Offline: Japan's daring gamble in an age of apprehension

How do you persuade a President or Prime Minister to take health seriously? The most common approach is one we use in The Lancet every week. We try to explain the burden of disease, disability, and risk facing people today and in the future. We hope to move the hearts and minds of policy makers by appealing to their sense of outrage. How can they bear the fact that so much unnecessary suffering exists among the populations to whom they are directly responsible? We try to publish research that offers solutions to these burdens. We believe that if we make our arguments convincing—by inviting scientists and physicians with interesting ideas and, better still, reliable evidence to write for us—we can persuade even the most hardened sceptic. One advantage we have is that the public cares about their health and so the quality of their health system. Voters punish politicians who are indifferent to the health of their people (there are intriguing exceptions, and they deserve separate study). Our approach sometimes works, albeit very slowly. Evidence from research does gradually seep through the thick, dark regulatory layers of licensing, health technology assessment, procurement, supply, and delivery. Accumulated data do eventually reshape practice through guideline committees, professional associations, and ministries of health. But it is a glacial process. There is another way. The best examples come from economists. The World Development Report 1993, Investing in Health, assembled evidence to prove that a country could make enormous economic gains by improving its health policies. The 2001 Commission on Macroeconomics and Health showed that tackling a small number of poverty-related diseases could bring substantial macroeconomic dividends to a country. And The Lancet's own Global Health 2035 report proved not only that it was possible to end preventable mortality within a generation, but also that in doing so the effect on a nation's economic performance was amplified in extraordinary ways. For health advocates, these instrumental arguments leave a bitter taste. We wish we could persuade political decision makers that health matters because of its intrinsic value to human beings. But given that countries have ministries of finance, whose job it is to say no, emphasising the pure merits of medicine often fails to win complex and competitive budgetary arguments. By (frustrating) contrast, using disease as a way to prove that the health sector is a wealth-creator as well as a health-creator can sometimes unfurl even the tightest of Treasury fists. The Government of Japan, which hosts the 2016 G7 Summit in Ise-Shima in May, is now preparing a third, even more daring argument. Last month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (along with Jim Kim, Margaret Chan, and Bill Gates) opened a conference in Tokyo on universal health coverage in the new development era. It was the main preparatory meeting to get the argument right for global health at the G7 Summit. Prime Minister Abe claimed that health mattered not only because of its inherent value, but also because of its contribution to peace. He framed health as a security issue. Indeed, Japan's distinctive contribution to global health has long been to link health with security—specifically, human security. And, in our current times, with good reason. As Presidents and Prime Ministers contemplate priorities for the coming year, a long list of concerns is likely to be topped by national security—the threat of terrorism, politically inspired violence, and even the risk of outright war. They will wish to build confidence among people that their nations are safe and secure. How? By investing in national defence, of course. But also by prioritising security in a broader sense—the security of the person as an indispensable prerequisite for national security. And here health occupies a special place. The G7 could make a huge contribution to its growing security agenda by adding a human dimension, and by delivering that dimension through advocacy for universal health coverage. What chance does this strategy of persuasion have? According to a recent survey of the Japanese public, the kanji symbol, an, which means safety or peace, is the most accurate measure of public mood today. If safety is the top priority for citizens of G7 countries, perhaps human security and its instrument, universal health coverage, could command the ardent support of Heads of State. Japan's compelling approach to global health is a calculated gamble. It deserves to win in this age of apprehension.

Asian Multilateralism in the Age of Japan's ‘New Normal’: Perils and Prospects

AbstractThis paper makes three related points. First, Japan has played an instrumental role in helping to define the shape and substance of multilateralism in Asia in ways deeper than scholarly literature on Asia's regional architecture has allowed. A key driving force behind Japan's contributions is the perceived utility of multilateralism in facilitating Japan's engagement of and/or balancing against China. Second, Japan has been able to achieve this because of the United States' support for Asian multilateralism and Japanese security interests. In the immediate post-Cold War period, Japan facilitated US participation in regional arrangements such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Regional Forum. But Japanese ambivalence over its dependence on the United States was also apparent in Tokyo's attempts to exclude Washington from the newly formed East Asia Summit in late 2005, despite Japan's felt need to balance China. Japan's reliance on quiet diplomacy and an implicit regional leadership has equally been instrumental to its achievements in regional integration. Third, in the light of Japan's longstanding aim to become a normal military power and adopt a more assertive policy toward China, Japan‒US security ties are likely to deepen with negative consequences for Asian multilateralism. However, if its ties with China and South Korea worsen over their islands disputes in the East China Sea, Japan risks undermining its relations with the United States. How Japan balances its normalization with a continued engagement with multilateralism could be key to a stable and secure Asia.

Lessons from the Field Count more than Ever: The New Era of Global Health.

For many years, Japan has been silent on the achievements of Japan’s Overseas Development Assistance program including the health improvement of foreign countries. Japan’s contribution to global health communities through G8 process including Hashimoto Initiative is steadfast. On the other hand, in the field activity level, experts involved in ODA have not disclosed their achievements. However, the article by Wada et al., which describes the contents of TEN MR (Minimum Requirement), shed light on Japan’s silent ODA community by disclosing Japan’s achievements in global health by drawing lessons that may be applicable to other countries. Our future challenge in the global health will be how to synthesize actions that reflect the lessons learnt from the field and which show scientific evidence using established methods.

Prospects for, and role of, science and technology: a Japanese perspective

Japan's role in developing and using science and technology is considered in a philosophical vein where cooperative structures prevail between nations. Japan's industrial structure is altering to focus on high technology and its economic strength can now be applied to societal and environmental questions. Newly emergent countries can readily partake of the fruits of technology which must be applied to strengthening basic knowledge and research, improving the quality of life and promoting an international exchange of ideas. Unilaterally created structures in Japan will succeed if other countries show a reciprocal interest in Japan's contribution. Competition and cooperation in science will bring success to global efforts for economic and cultural development.

International Geological Map of Asia at a scale of 1 to 5 million, Japan's contribution to the map

International Geological Map of Asia at a scale of 1 to 5 million, Japan's contribution to the map