Japan National Research Articles

Mo1349 Validation of Japanese Severity Score for Acute Pancreatitis Using Japan National Administrative Database 2010-2012

Mo1349 Validation of Japanese Severity Score for Acute Pancreatitis Using Japan National Administrative Database 2010-2012

Spatially heterogeneous stress field in the source area of the 2011 Mw 6.6 Fukushima-Hamadori earthquake, NE Japan, probably caused by static stress change

In order to know whether principal stress orientations in the source area rotated after the 2011 April 11 Mw 6.6 Fukushima-Hamadori earthquake in NE Japan, we investigated detailed spatial distributions of stress orientations for both the pre- and post-main shock periods using a large amount of focal mechanism data. We applied stress tensor inversions to focal mechanism data from Japan's National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention's F-net broadband seismic network and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The σ3-axes estimated for the pre-main shock period are predominantly oriented WSW–ENE, and are relatively homogeneously in space. In contrast, the orientations of the σ3-axes show a significantly heterogeneous distribution in space for the post-main shock period. In the northern subarea of the focal region, the σ3-axes are oriented NW–SE. In the east and west portions of the central subarea, they are oriented NNW–SSE and WNW–ESE, respectively, almost perpendicular to each other. In the southern subarea, the σ3-axes are oriented WSW–ENE. On the whole, the σ3-axis orientations show concentric circle-like distribution surrounding the large slip area of the MwMw 6.6 main shock rupture. The change of principal stress axis orientations after the earthquake is not significant because of the sparse data set for the pre-main shock period. We calculated static stress changes from the Mw 6.6 main shock and three Mw > 5.5 earthquakes to compare with the observed stress axis orientations in the post-main shock period. The σ3-axis orientations of the calculated total static stress change show a concentric circle-like distribution surrounding the large slip area of the main shock, similar to that noted above. This observation strongly suggests that the spatially heterogeneous stress orientations in the post-main shock period were caused by the static stress change from the Mw 6.6 main shock and other large earthquakes. In order to estimate the differential stress magnitude in the focal area, we calculated deviatoric stress tensors in the post-main shock period by assuming that they are the sum of the deviatoric stress tensors in the pre-main shock period and the static stress changes. Comparison of the calculated and observed stress tensors revealed differential stress magnitudes of 2–30 MPa that explain the observed stress orientations, considering the probable range of estimated stress ratios in the pre-main shock period.

Japan's National Universities and Reform

Japan's National Universities and Reform

Association between pain severity, depression severity, and use of health care services in Japan: results of a nationwide survey.

BackgroundDepression is often associated with painful physical symptoms. Previous research has seldom assessed the relationship between the severity of physical symptoms and the severity of mental and emotional symptoms of depression or other health outcomes, and no such studies have been conducted previously among individuals with depression in Japan. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the severity of physical pain and depression and other outcomes among individuals in Japan diagnosed with depression.MethodsData for individuals aged 18 and older in Japan who reported being diagnosed with depression and also reported physical pain were obtained from the Japan National Health and Wellness Survey. These respondents were characterized on sociodemographics and health characteristics, and the relationship between ratings of severity on pain in the last week and health outcomes were assessed using bivariate correlations and generalized linear models. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression severity, Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form Survey Instrument for health-related quality of life, the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment for work and activity impairment, and 6-month report of health care use.ResultsMore severe physical pain in the past week was correlated with more severe depression, worse health-related quality of life, lower health utility, greater impairment at work, and more health care provider visits. These relationships remained significant after incorporating sociodemographics and health characteristics in the statistical models.ConclusionIndividuals whose depression is accompanied by more severe physical pain have a higher burden of illness than those whose depression includes less severe pain, suggesting that even partially ameliorating painful physical symptoms may significantly benefit patients with depression. Clinicians should take the presence and severity of physical pain into account and consider treating both the physical and emotional symptoms of these patients.

Roundtable discussion at the UICC World Cancer Congress: looking toward the realization of universal health coverage for cancer in Asia.

The Japan National Committee for the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and UICC-Asia Regional Office (ARO) organized a Roundtable Discussion as part of the official program of the UICC World Cancer Congress 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. The theme for the Roundtable Discussion was - Looking Toward the Realization of Universal Health Care (UHC) for Cancer in Asia - and it was held on December 5, 2014. The meeting was held based on the recognition that although each country may take a different path towards the realization of UHC, one point that is common to all is that cancer is projected to be the most difficult disease to address under the goals of UHC and that there is, therefore, an urgent and pressing need to come to a common understanding and awareness with regard to UHC concepts that are a priority component of a post-MDG development agenda. The presenters and participants addressed the issue of UHC for cancer in Asia from their various perspectives in academia and international organizations. Discussions covered the challenges to UHC in Asia, collaborative approaches by international organizations, the need for uniform and relevant data, ways to create an Asia Cancer Barometer that could be applied to all countries in Asia. The session concluded with the recognition that research on UHC in Asia should continue to be used as a tool for cancer cooperation in Asia and that the achievement of UHC would require research and input not only from the medical community, but from a broad sector of society in a multidisciplinary approach. Discussions on this issue will continue towards the Asia-Pacific Cancer Conference in Indonesia in August 2015.

The association between lower back pain and health status, work productivity, and health care resource use in Japan.

IntroductionThis study investigated the effect of pain severity on health status, work productivity, health care resource use, and costs among respondents with lower back pain (LBP), in Japan.Materials and methodsData from the 2013 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey, a survey of Japanese adults, were analyzed (N=30,000). All respondents provided informed consent, and the protocol was institutional review board-approved. Respondents who reported experiencing LBP were propensity score–matched to those without LBP, based on demographics and health history. Using regression modeling, patients with mild, moderate, and severe pain were compared against matched controls, with respect to health status (Mental and Physical Component Summary scores, and health utilities from the Short Form®-36 Health Survey version 2), work productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment – General Health version), health care resource use, and annual per-patient costs (estimated using published annual wages and resource use event costs).ResultsA total 1,897 patients reported experiencing LBP in the past month (6.32%); 52.45% reported their pain as mild, 32.79% as moderate, and 14.76% as severe. Increasing pain severity was associated with significantly lower levels of mental component scores (46.99 [mild], 42.93 [moderate], and 40.58 [severe] vs 48.10 [matched controls]), physical component scores (50.29 [mild], 46.74 [moderate], and 43.94 [severe] vs 52.93 [matched controls]), and health utilities (0.72 [mild], 0.66 [moderate], and 0.62 [severe] vs 0.76 [matched controls]) (all P<0.05). Indirect costs were significantly higher (P<0.05) among those with moderate (¥1.69 million [MM] [equivalent to $17,000, based on United States dollar exchange rates on September 1, 2014]) and severe (¥1.88 MM [$19,000]) pain, relative to matched controls (¥0.95 MM [$9,500]). Direct costs were only marginally different (P=0.05) between those with severe pain and matched controls (¥1.33 MM [$13,000] vs ¥0.54 MM [$5,000]).ConclusionIncreasing pain severity among respondents with LBP was associated with significantly worse health status, to a clinically-relevant degree, along with greater indirect and direct costs, in Japan.

Japan: the paradox of harmony

A well-rounded, well-informed critique of the Pacific island nation of Japan, its society, economy, demography, and politics Following a crushing defeat in World War II, Japan rose like a phoenix from the literal ashes to become a model of modernity and success, for decades Asia's premier economic giant. Yet it remains a nation hobbled by rigid gender roles, protectionist policies, and a defensive, inflexible corporate system that has helped bring about political and economic stagnation. The unique social cohesion that enabled Japan to cope with adversity and develop swiftly has also encouraged isolationism, given rise to an arrogant and inflexible bureaucracy, and prevented the country from addressing difficult issues. Its culture of hard work-in fact, overwork-is legendary, but a declining population and restrictions on opportunity threaten the nation's future. Keiko Hirata and Mark Warschauer have combined thoroughly researched deep analysis with engaging anecdotal material in this enlightening portrait of modern-day Japan, creating an honest and accessible critique that addresses issues from the economy and politics to immigration, education, and the increasing alienation of Japanese youth.

Collaboration of Japanese Kampo Medicine and Modern Biomedicine 2015.

Worldwide, health care systems are increasingly highlighting the importance of traditional medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to introduce traditional medicine into the international classification of diseases (ICD) for the first time since it started in 1900. Kampo medicine is a traditional Asian medical system that is unique in many ways. Kampo was transferred from the ancient Han Chinese dynasty and uniquely developed in Japan, especially during the Edo period (1603–1867). The theoretical understanding and the use of the abdominal examination “Fukushin” to assess the patient's constitutional state are particular to Kampo. After the Meiji restoration in 1867, Japan's new government accepted only Western medicine from Europe and founded one medical licensure system. The result was suppression of acquired wisdom and insights with marginalization of practitioners until 1976. At that time, the Japanese Medical Association promoted its coverage by Japan's National Health Insurance program by physicians who were trained in Western medicine. And now, all of Japan's 80 medical schools teach Kampo medicine. As a result, roughly 90% of physicians use Kampo medicine in their daily practice. This is a very unique model of integration of traditional medicine and modern biomedicine. To better understand the promise of this integration, this special issue features Kampo medicine in the context of modern biomedicine. Many provocative articles are included in this special issue. To begin, K. Katayama et al. address the current situation of Kampo use in the National Health Care program. The authors analyzed 67,113,579 health care claim records and found that only 1.34% represented Kampo prescriptions. This suggests that a very small portion of conventional practice includes Kampo treatment even though many physicians use Kampo. H. Okamoto et al. present us with a case series of patients with refractory glossodynia. Among 39 patients, 69.2% of patients reported a beneficial effect. This is one of the examples in which Kampo treatment is effective even for the difficult cases in the Western biomedicine. K. Ogawa et al. show the usefulness of daiobotanpito for the treatment of acute diverticulitis. Y. Tanaka and T. Sakiyama report the case series of the usefulness of the Kampo treatment for pediatric emotional and behavioral disorders which were also refractory to the modern biomedicine. M. A. Bahar et al. reported that goshajinkigan prevents paclitaxel induced peripheral neuropathy without interfering with the anticancer action of paclitaxel in the basic research. Kampo medicines are often used for the purpose of the reduction of the side effects of chemotherapy for malignancies. K. Watanabe et al. report the potentially preventive effect of diabetic complications. Goshajinkigan is often used for the neuropathy from diabetes mellitus. Additionally, this Kampo medicine may be beneficial for the blood glucose control. K. Katayama et al. report a computer-based diagnostic way of Kampo patient patterns termed “Sho.” This represents a promising blend of modern technology for a new world of traditional medicine in the future. Y.-C. P. Arai et al. reported about Fukushin, Kampo's unique diagnostic procedure. Certain Fukushin findings are related to the anxiety-depression levels. T. Namiki et al. report that cytosine-adenine (CA) repeat polymorphism of the estrogen receptor β gene can be the predictive biomarker of the effectiveness of Kampo medicine for the treatment of the climacteric syndrome. T. Yoshino et al. and H. Tokunaga et al. describe hie (cold sensation) and hiesho (cold disorder). Hie and hiesho are very important concepts in Kampo treatment. T. Yoshino et al. characterized hie and hiesho. H. Tokunaga et al. characterized the differences of male hie, female hie with menstruation, and female hie after menopause by data mining method. To conclude, S. Yakubo et al. summarize the history and pattern diagnosis of Kampo medicine. Together, these articles represent the promise and challenges present in the scientific understanding of Japan's herbal medicine tradition. We hope these articles help the readers to understand and appreciate the potential power of Kampo medicine outside of Japan. We invite you to explore Kampo. Kenji Watanabe Gregory A. Plotnikoff Takeshi Sakiyama Heidrun Reissenweber-Hewel

The Utility of Nuclear and Conventional Forces in the Second Nuclear Age: A Japanese Military Perspective

In recent debate on Japan's security policy, proliferation of WMD and their delivery means, such as missiles, has been one of central issues. This issue is particularly critical to Japan, given North Korea's acceleration of its nuclear weapons program alongside its long-range missile project. Japan's new National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) focus on both nuclear proliferation and emerging nuclear threat posed by North Korea. At same time, tension between Japan and China in East China Sea has been increasing, while tensions between China and countries in South China Sea have similarly been on rise.This essay will present a Japanese perspective on nuclear dimension of regional security by, first, explaining Japan's nuclear-related policies; second, discussing roles of nuclear forces in Japan's security policy; and, third, exploring Japan's security strategy for managing a possible stability-instability paradox in region, with particular emphasis on East China Sea.Japan's Non-Nuclear Policy and Nuclear ForcesOne of most important aspects of Japan's security policy since World War II is its non-nuclear policy based on non-nuclear principles, referring to principles of not possessing nuclear weapons, not producing them, and not permitting their entry into Japan.1 Not only does Japan adhere to these three principles as fundamental elements of its national policy, but Japan's Atomic Energy Basic Law also prohibits country from manufacturing or possessing nuclear weapons. Furthermore, Japan ratified Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in June 1976 and put itself under strict obligation not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons as a non-nuclear weapons state.Japan's possession of nuclear weapons, however, is not necessarily restrained by its constitution. While designed to make nation as peaceful as possible, constitution does not exclude outright Japan's pursuit of nuclear options. The government's basic interpretation is that Article 9.2 of constitution does not prohibit possession of force that is within minimum range necessary for self-defense.2 Therefore, if weapon in question, whether conventional or nuclear, is within these bounds, it is not constitutionally banned. If thus confined to minimum necessary level for self-defense, possession of nuclear weapons is considered constitutional for Japan. Here it should be noted that minimum necessary level applies to limit of individual self-defense and does not include collective self-defense in government's interpretation of constitution.The Role of Nuclear Forces in Japan's Security StrategyJapan has continuously relied on United States to deter nuclear threats against itself and has maintained that the extended deterrence of United States with nuclear deterrence at its core is indispensable.3 At same time, conventional elements of deterrence have become more important in recent years with dramatic improvements in technologies such as ballistic missile defense and precision-guided weapons. U.S. reliance on conventional elements of deterrence has increased alongside reduction in size of U.S. nuclear arsenal. Furthermore, as Japan improves its ballistic missile defense and other capabilities for deterrence by denial, it no longer needs to depend solely on nuclear forces to maintain credible nuclear deterrence. Although Japan currently has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, it is worth exploring why Japan would not be better off possessing its own nuclear option. This section of essay aims to clarify utility of nuclear weapons for Japan from a military point of view based on Robert Art's analysis of different roles of force: deterrent, defensive, compellent, and swaggering use.Deterrent use of nuclear weapons. …

Painting Nature for the Nation: Taki Katei and the Challenges to Sinophile Culture in Meiji Japan by Rosina Buckland (review)

Reviewed by: Painting Nature for the Nation: Taki Katei and the Challenges to Sinophile Culture in Meiji Japan by Rosina Buckland Aida Yuen Wong Painting Nature for the Nation: Taki Katei and the Challenges to Sinophile Culture in Meiji Japan. By Rosina Buckland. Leiden: Brill, 2013. 264 pages. Hardcover €95.00/$127.00. Taki Katei (1830–1901) was once the highest-paid artist in Tokyo, a leading master of bunjinga (literati painting), and the only painter to be included in the Meiji hyakketsuden (Biographies of One Hundred Meiji Greats) of 1902. His works represented Japan at international expositions and graced the imperial palace. Despite Katei’s fame in his lifetime, he virtually disappeared from art history after the early 1920s. Only one small museum has ever devoted an exhibition to him. His fading from Japan’s collective consciousness underscores several “historiographical, disciplinary, and conceptual issues” (p. 2) that are the subject of Rosina Buckland’s Painting Nature for the Nation: Taki Katei and the Challenges to Sinophile Culture in Meiji Japan. The prevailing narrative of modern Japanese painting centers on two contending forces, first, Western-style painting (yōga) and second, Japanese-style painting (nihonga)—especially that by the faculty, students, and graduates of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (established in 1887). In comparison, monochrome ink landscapes and colorful bird-and-flower paintings rooted in the Chinese-inflected bunjin culture outside of academia have been much overlooked. But this is not to say that bunjinga did not evolve into a potent instrument of nation-building, as yōga and nihonga did, starting in the Meiji period. One reason for historians’ relative neglect of bunjinga, Buckland observes, is “a modernist bias towards new departures, focusing on the ‘pioneers’ who struggled to produce oil paintings on canvas and then on the ‘reformers’ of traditional Japanese painting” (p. 4). Another factor is the difficulty of placing Sinophile culture, inherited from the Tokugawa period, in the framework of Japanese nationalism in a new age of rising westernization. Painting Nature for the Nation complicates this Japan-West dualism, taking stock of the ways in which the Sinified bunjinga emerged as a major [End Page 331] type of Japanese “nationalist painting” despite Japan’s growing sense of superiority over China. To date, the only in-depth study of the deployment of bunjinga (also called nanga) for geopolitical purposes and of bunjinga’s Sino-Japanese network is the Ph.D. dissertation by Rhiannon Paget, “State of the Art and Art of the State: Komuro Suiun (1874–1945) and Nanga in Imperial Japan” (University of Sydney, 2015). This work adds to the findings on Sino-Japanese diplomatic art exhibitions in my own Parting the Mists: Discovering Japan and the Rise of National-Style Painting in Modern China (University of Hawai’i Press, 2006). But both of those works focus more on the Taishō and early Shōwa periods (1910s–1930s). Buckland’s contribution is on the Meiji period, when bunjinga flourished commercially and was actively promoted by the imperial family. In 1893, in recognition of his service to the court, Katei was given the title of “Imperial Household Artist,” which came with “an annual pension of one hundred yen and considerable prestige” (p. 137). The system of appointing Imperial Household Artists was created to support traditional arts and crafts toward the larger goal of “cultural unification of the modern nation of Japan under the imperial system” (p. 138). Japanese bunjinga included paintings in ink as well as in mineral pigments for rendering flora and fauna in saimitsu (meticulous) style. Katei produced a large number of works of these kinds on hanging scrolls, sliding doors, ceilings, and screens. Besides decorating interiors, some of his compositions were made into lacquerwares and metalwork. Admittedly, his iconography was rather predictable. For a set of luxurious screens with engraved silver plaques commissioned for the silver wedding anniversary of the emperor and empress in 1894, Katei offered birds, flowers, deer, waves, and the rising sun. Buckland notes that artists like Katei who straddled “fine arts” and “crafts” became casualties of an “epistemological shift” (p. 5) between the 1870s and 1890s that privileged kaiga (paintings) on silk as the preeminent “fine art,” considered “equivalent...

The societal burden of chronic pain in Japan: an internet survey

ObjectivesChronic pain affects between 10–20 % of the population of Japan and several specific types of chronic pain have been found to be associated with worse health outcomes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the economic burden of chronic pain as well as the health status among Japanese patients. MethodsData from the Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), a cross-sectional health survey of adults, were used (N=30,000). Respondents with chronic pain (N=785) were compared with respondents without chronic pain (N=29,215) with respect to health status (using the SF-12v2), work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI questionnaire), and healthcare resource use using regression modeling, controlling for demographic and health history covariates. Indirect costs were calculated using wage rates and the human capital method. ResultsBack pain (72.10 %) and shoulder pain/stiffness (54.90 %) were the most prevalent pain types. Adjusting for demographic and health history differences, respondents with chronic pain reported lower health status [mental component summary (MCS): 44.26 vs. 51.14; physical component summary (PCS): 44.23 vs. 47.48; both p<0.05], greater absenteeism (4.74 vs. 2.74 %), presenteeism (30.19 vs. 15.19 %), overall work impairment (31.70 vs. 16.82 %), indirect costs (¥1488,385 vs. ¥804,634), activity impairment (33.45 vs. 17.25 %), physician visits (9.31 vs. 4.08), emergency room (ER) visits (0.19 vs. 0.08), and hospitalizations (0.71 vs. 0.34) (all p<0.05). Nearly 60 % of respondents with chronic pain were untreated. The mean level of pain severity in the last week was 5.26 (using a 0–11 scale); being female, being elderly, having low income, and having multiple pain types were significantly associated with greater pain severity (all p<0.05). Regular exercise was associated with lower pain severity (p<0.05). ConclusionsThe results suggest that chronic pain has a significant association in an individual’s health status, work productivity, daily activity impairment, healthcare resource use, and economic burden in Japan. Along with low treatment rates, a multidisciplinary approach may lead to an improved quality of life and reduce the economic burden among patients with chronic pain in Japan.

The burden of insomnia in Japan.

ObjectivesSeveral studies have suggested that patients who experience insomnia report a number of significant impairments. However, despite this literature, fewer studies have focused on the burden of insomnia among patients in Japan. The objective of the current study is to extend this work in Japan to further understand the effect of insomnia on health-related quality of life (hrQOL). Further, another objective is to understand general predictors of hrQOL among patients with insomnia.MethodsData from the 2012 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey, an annual, cross-sectional study of adults aged 18 years or older, were used (N=30,000). All National Health and Wellness Survey respondents were categorized based on the incidence of self-reported insomnia diagnosis and prescription medication usage (clinical insomniacs under treatment versus [vs] good sleepers without insomnia or insomnia symptoms). Comparisons among different groups were made using multiple regression models controlling for demographics and health history.ResultsClinical insomniacs (n=1,018; 3.4%) reported significantly worse hrQOL compared with good sleepers (n=20,542) (mental component summary: 34.2 vs 48.0; physical component summary: 48.0 vs 52.8; health utilities: 0.61 vs 0.76; all P<0.05). Health behaviors (smoking, exercise, alcohol use) and comorbidities were the strongest predictors of health utilities for clinical insomniacs. For all three clinical insomniac subgroups of interest, those with a physical comorbidity but not a psychiatric one, those with a psychiatric comorbidity but not a physical one, and those without either a physical or psychiatric comorbidity, large decrements in health utilities were observed for respondents who did not engage in any positive health behaviors (0.61, 0.57, 0.64, respectively) relative to good sleepers (0.78). However, the gap in health utility scores between these subgroups and good sleepers diminishes with an increasing number of positive health behaviors (eg, clinical insomniacs with a physical comorbidity but not a psychiatric comorbidity performing all three positive health behaviors =0.67 vs good sleepers =0.78).DiscussionA significant burden remains for those with insomnia who are treated. Given the particularly low levels of hrQOL among treated insomnia patients who have poor health behavior profiles and have psychiatric comorbidities, physicians should place particular emphasis on these patients who are most in need of intervention. Improved treatments may help to address the unmet needs of these patient populations.

Aspects of ECMWF model performance in polar areas

Global numerical weather prediction skill over polar areas is assessed, mostly based on the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) system but also the Met Office, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Environment Canada and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) analysis data. Polar forecast verification against analyses shows a similar trend of forecast improvement over the past 12 years compared with improvements at lower latitudes. These improvements are presumably due to increased model resolution and model sophistication, improved data assimilation methods and increased observational data coverage and better data quality. By comparing ECMWF's real‐time forecast skill changes against those from reforecasts initialized from reanalyses, it is possible to quantify how much of the improvement is from system improvements and how much is attributable to weather variability. Ensemble skill also improved over time and, again, consistently across latitudes. The quality of analyses serving for forecast verification and initialization has been investigated further. An intercomparison of The Observing system Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) analyses and forecasts revealed substantial differences for surface parameters, but also at lower levels in the troposphere, where most of the physical processes relevant to weather in the short‐to‐medium range take place over the poles. The differences between the TIGGE analyses were generally much larger than differences between members of the ECMWF 4D‐Var ensemble of analyses generated internally at ECMWF. This suggests that neither the multi‐analysis approach nor ensemble data assimilation may represent polar analysis uncertainty properly. This is particularly visible at the surface and lower levels in the atmosphere. Forecast spread and error match much better north of 65∘N where less atmospheric variability prevails along the entire forecast range, while in areas of significant synoptic activity the spread also appears too low.

Japan's National Initiative in the 1960s and Okinawa

Japan's National Initiative in the 1960s and Okinawa

Opportunity Structure of Nationalism and Trans-nationalism in Japan: Focusing on Japanese Military Comfort Women Issue in Japan

Opportunity Structure of Nationalism and Trans-nationalism in Japan: Focusing on Japanese Military Comfort Women Issue in Japan

The Structure of the (100) Surface of Ag-In-Gd 1/1 Approximant

The Structure of the (100) Surface of Ag-In-Gd 1/1 Approximant S.S. Hars, H.R. Sharmaa,∗, J.A. Smerdon, T.P. Yadav, R. Tamura, M. Shimoda, and R. McGrath Surface Science Research Centre and Department of Physics, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK Department of Materials Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Japan National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan

Temporal changes in mean HbA1c in a general population: comparisons between 1997 and 2002, the Japan National Diabetes Surveys

This study examines the change in mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from 1997 to 2002 and evaluates factors associated with HbA1c, by analyzing two points cross-sectional data from the Japan National Diabetes Surveys. The study included 2,095 men and 3,340 women in 1997, and 1,960 men and 3,115 women in 2002 without a previous history of diabetes. Differences between the two surveys were compared. A multivariable linear regression model was used to identify factors related to HbA1c. The mean HbA1c was 0.15 % higher in 2002 than 1997 in men (5.29 to 5.44 %, P < 0.001) and 0.14 % higher in women without a previous history of diabetes (5.33 to 5.47 %, P < 0.001). In men, mean BMI increased (23.1 to 23.7 kg/m2, P < 0.001), SBP decreased (137 to 133 mmHg, P = 0.006), and the proportion of current smokers (53 to 45 %, P < 0.001) and current drinkers decreased (52 to 48 %, P = 0.047). In women, mean BMI showed no change and SBP decreased (131 to 127 mmHg, P = 0.020). Age, BMI, current non-drinker, and the time trend (5 years from 1997 to 2002) were associated with HbA1c in both sexes and current smoking and daily footsteps were associated with HbA1c only in men. The mean HbA1c increased by 0.14–0.15 % in both sexes from 1997 to 2002 among Japanese people without a previous history of diabetes. The increase in HbA1c from 1997 to 2002 could partly be related to the increase of BMI in men. Such temporal changes of HbA1c should be further investigated in the national data to search for contributing factors to promote health care related to diabetes in Japan.

Nationalism and Power Politics in Japan’s Relations with China: A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation by Lai Yew Meng (review)

Nationalism and Power Politics in Japan’s Relations with China: A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation by Lai Yew Meng (review)

Nationalism and Power Politics in Japan's Relations with China: A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation

Nationalism and Power Politics in Japan's Relations with China: A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation

Who Leads Change Processes?: From the Case Study of Japan Railways Kyusyu

Due to a serious deficit during the 1970s, Japanese government meant to transform Japan National Railway (JNR) in profit organizations. After a lengthy political battle over it, the bill of the privatization of JNR was enacted in 1986 and finally, JR Kyusyu (JRK) was born in 1987. This case shows intriguing change processes, that is, enthusiastic small attempts for change proliferated in the early stage. Throughout the change processes, some who survived spread across the different parts of the organization like a pollination process. Learning back and forth across JRK went on running; consequently, swift change movement started to transform their old organizational culture to new one. It is a teaching case.