Performance In Japan Research Articles

Investigation on Thermal Performance in Japan’s Local Station and Shopping District during Cold Season: Study Case of Kurosaki Arcade

Abstract This research delves into the spatial and thermal comfort conditions within the Kurosaki Shopping District, a market with a century-long history in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. Despite the existing uncomfortable thermal conditions during winter, users actively engage in outdoor activities such as selling and opening stores. This research aims to understand the condition that the local user had to frequently withstand in the semi outdoor and outdoor area of Kurosaki District station and market’s urban area. Identifying issues related to thermal comfort in the outdoor areas, the study focuses on measuring and analyzing crucial parameters including air velocity, humidity, temperature, and spatial conditions. The method of data gathering uses Anemometer, Thermal recorder, and Globe Thermometer are utilized in 5 selected public areas that is actively frequented by local users. The research employs a comparative analysis method, juxtaposing the collected data with findings from literature reviews on standards and general comfort temperatures. The analysis reveals that temperature fluctuations are influenced by geographical factors and activity levels. The lack of building density contributes significantly to deviations in temperature and humidity from established standards. The study highlights the importance of addressing climatic conditions to enhance comfort in open spaces, especially in historically significant markets with extended operational histories. This research is expected to help policy makers understand the conditions of the local users and gather data for further research in the future.

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Organizational Performance in Japan

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of digital transformation on organizational performance in Japan. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Transformative impact of digital transformation on organizational performance in Japan. Key findings reveal significant improvements in efficiency and productivity through automation and AI integration, alongside enhanced customer experiences through personalized digital interactions. Innovation has been accelerated by technologies like IoT and big data analytics, enabling agile responses to market demands. Despite these advancements, challenges such as legacy system integration and cybersecurity threats persist, requiring proactive leadership and workforce upskilling. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Resource-based view (RBV), dynamic capabilities theory& technology acceptance model (TAM) may be used to anchor future studies on the digital transformation on organizational performance in Japan. Organizations should develop comprehensive digital transformation roadmaps that align with their strategic goals and operational needs. Policymakers should collaborate with industry stakeholders to develop flexible regulatory frameworks that promote innovation while safeguarding data privacy and security.

The effects of gender diversity and cognitive diversity on team performance in Japanese R&D teams including the effect of shared leadership as a moderator

ABSTRACT This study examined the influence of gender diversity and cognitive diversity on R&D team performance in Japan. The potential effects of both information elaboration and relational conflict were studied as possible mediating influences on the diversity-performance relationship. In addition, the possible moderating influences on the relationship between both diversities and both mediators were examined. It was found that both types of diversity had positive impacts as well as negative impacts on R&D team performance through information elaboration and relational conflict. Both types had positive impacts on information elaboration and relational conflict; information elaboration had a positive impact on R&D team performance while relational conflict had a negative impact on it. Furthermore, shared leadership promoted the relationship between both types of diversity and information elaboration; however, it hindered the relationship between both types of diversity and relational conflict. The results were deliberated within the broader context of Japan’s unique work culture.

Use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) for trauma and its performance in Japan over the past 18 years: a nationwide descriptive study

BackgroundResuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has been used to control massive hemorrhages. Although there is no consensus on the efficacy of REBOA, it remains an option as a bridging therapy in non-trauma centers where trauma surgeons are not available. To better understand the current landscape of REBOA application, we examined changes in its usage, target population, and treatment outcomes in Japan, where immediate hemostasis procedures sometimes cannot be performed.MethodsThis retrospective observational study used the Japan Trauma Data Bank data. All cases in which REBOA was performed between January 2004 and December 2021 were included. The primary outcome was the in-hospital mortality rate. We analyzed mortality trends over time according to the number of cases, number of centers, severity of injury, and overall and subgroup mortality associated with REBOA usage. We performed a logistic analysis of mortality trends over time, adjusting for probability of survival based on the trauma and injury severity score.ResultsOverall, 2557 patients were treated with REBOA and were deemed eligible for inclusion. The median age of the participants was 55 years, and male patients constituted 65.3% of the study population. Blunt trauma accounted for approximately 93.0% of the cases. The number of cases and facilities that used REBOA increased until 2019. While the injury severity score and revised trauma score did not change throughout the observation period, the hospital mortality rate decreased from 91.3 to 50.9%. The REBOA group without severe head or spine injuries showed greater improvement in mortality than the all-patient group using REBOA and all-trauma patient group. The greatest improvement in mortality was observed in patients with systolic blood pressure ≥ 80 mmHg. The adjusted odds ratios for hospital mortality steadily declined, even after adjusting for the probability of survival.ConclusionsWhile there was no significant change in patient severity, mortality of patients treated with REBOA decreased over time. Further research is required to determine the reasons for these improvements in trauma care.

Guideline for evaluating the effects of psychotropic drugs on motor vehicle driving performance in Japan: A tiered approach for the assessment of clinically meaningful driving impairment.

In December 2022, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan issued and implemented the guideline for evaluating the effects of psychotropic drugs on motor vehicle driving performance. This guideline recommends the use of a tiered approach to assess clinically meaningful driving impairment. It is noted that adverse events cannot be solely explained by pharmacokinetics, as the onset and duration of these events vary. Among these adverse events, those affecting alertness, such as drowsiness caused by psychotropic drugs on driving performance, are more frequently observed during initial treatment stages and dose escalation. Hence, when evaluating the effects of psychotropic drugs on driving performance, it becomes crucial to assess the persistence of clinically meaningful impairment. Therefore, the MHLW guideline, developed by the authors, emphasizes the need to assess the temporal profile of adverse events affecting driving in all clinical trials. Additionally, the guideline states that when conducting driving studies, the timing of multiple dosing should consider not only the pharmacokinetics of the investigational drug but also its tolerance.

Investing with Purpose: The Role of CSR in Enhancing Chinese Firms’ Performance in Japan

Investing with Purpose: The Role of CSR in Enhancing Chinese Firms’ Performance in Japan

Board Gender Diversity and Firm Performance: Recent Evidence from Japan

Gender diversity is increasingly recognized as a critical element in corporate management. However, existing research on its impact on firm performance demonstrates inconsistency in a global context. This study employs 1990 publicly listed Japanese companies from 2006 to 2023 and examines the effect of board gender diversity on firm performance in Japan. Findings from the fixed-effects regression model revealed a significant negative impact of board gender diversity on firm performance. This adverse correlation is more pronounced in smaller firms, those with greater leverage and reduced institutional ownership, and regulated and consumer-focused industries, particularly pre-COVID-19. The detrimental impact of board gender diversity on firm performance is transmitted via corporate social responsibility and firm innovation instead of board independence or CEO duality. Notably, the two-stage least squares estimation addresses potential endogeneity, employing an equal opportunity policy as an instrumental variable. Moreover, the robustness of our results is affirmed via the substitution of return on equity for return on assets as an indicator of firm performance. Lastly, our analysis does not reveal a U-shaped nonlinear relationship between board gender diversity and corporate performance. As Japan progressively promotes women’s participation in corporate governance, this research bears significant implications for corporate leaders, investors, and policymakers in Japan.

Is Fixed Salary 'Fixed'? Fixed Salaries in Managerial Compensation Depend on the Firm Performance in Japan

Is Fixed Salary 'Fixed'? Fixed Salaries in Managerial Compensation Depend on the Firm Performance in Japan

“You should be more cute, you know”: cuteness and negotiations of power in Japanese vocal jazz

Jazz has for a long time been a male dominated field and is to a great extend produced as a hegemonic masculine project still today. In this study, our focus is on the social context of music performance in Japan, rather than on an analysis of jazz music itself. We attempt to understand musicians’ meaning making processes: the ways in which they talk about their music, manage identity-related tensions, and ultimately how musicians make sense of their experiences on and off stage. Studying the social context around music therefore provides insight into social history itself, into different constellations of gender organization available at any given moment, whether these are hegemonic or resistant.

Effect of participation in a surgical site infection surveillance programme on hospital performance in Japan: a retrospective study

The effect of hospital participation in the Japan Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (JANIS) programme on surgical site infection (SSI) prevention is unknown. To determine if participation in the JANIS programme improved hospital performance in SSI prevention. This retrospective before-after study analysed Japanese acute care hospitals that joined the SSI component of the JANIS programme in 2013 or 2014. The study participants comprised patients who had undergone surgeries targeted for SSI surveillance at JANIS hospitals between 2012 and 2017. Exposure was defined as the receipt of an annual feedback report 1 year after participation in the JANIS programme. The changes in standardized infection ratio (SIR) from 1 year before to 3 years after exposure were calculated for 12 operative procedures: appendectomy, liver resection, cardiac surgery, cholecystectomy, colon surgery, caesarean section, spinal fusion, open reduction of long bone fracture, distal gastrectomy, total gastrectomy, rectal surgery, and small bowel surgery. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the association of each post-exposure year with the occurrence of SSI. In total, 157,343 surgeries at 319 hospitals were analysed. SIR values declined after participation in the JANIS programme for procedures such as liver resection and cardiac surgery. Participation in the JANIS programme was significantly associated with reduced SIR for several procedures, especially after 3 years. The odds ratios in the third post-exposure year (reference: pre-exposure year) were 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79-0.84] for colon surgery, 0.72 (95% CI 0.56-0.92) for distal gastrectomy, and 0.77 (95% CI 0.59-0.99) for total gastrectomy. Participation in the JANIS programme was associated with improved SSI prevention performance in several procedures in Japanese hospitals after 3 years.

Emergent Online Teaching Effect on International Graduate Students’ Academic Performance in Japan during COVID-19

International graduate students reluctantly partook in the distance learning with the closure of national borders with the outbreak of COVID-19. Different instructional modes (in-person, online, and hybrid) and timing of the online learning exposure would play a role in international students’ academic achievement considering the expectations and motivations to learn abroad. Based on 267 course-based panel data, for the same courses, online-mode teaching yielded worse Grade Point Averages (GPAs) and less of a sense of class community compared to the in-person mode. Similarly, students who started the program after COVID-19 (i.e., Class of 2022) performed worse than those who changed their mode of study during their study due to COVID-19 (i.e., Class of 2021). The more frequent interactions with schoolmates and professors partially mediated this detrimental effect of international online learning. Online learning, on average, decreases the GPA by 0.2 standard deviations (p<0.05). However, this effect became insignificant in the model with the frequency of interacting with classmates or professors that raise the GPA by 0.686 and 0.216 standard deviations (p,0.05), respectively. As the study sheds light on the predicament of emergent distance learning, the study addresses some cautious notes on designing effective and sustainable international education in the post-pandemic era.

『기생 및 창기에 관한 서류철』의 해제(解題)와 ‘기생들의 국내외 공연활동’에 관한 연구

In this study, a detailed and accurate analysis was conducted on the contents of these gisaeng-related documents while maintaining academic objectivity and neutrality, focusing on the Japan tour of the gisaeng of Hanseong Gisaeng Association and domestic Gaeseong performance (May 1910), which is the only record delineating the entire process and relevant details, from the planning of the Japan tour of the gisaeng of Hanseong Gisaeng Association and domestic Gaeseong performance to the petition and approval of the Japanese Superintendent's Metropolitan Police Agency among four document record groups that constitute documentation on Gisaeng and Changgi.
 Regarding the Hanseong Gisaeng Association's Japan Tour, an article on the Japanese negotiating and contracting process with eight gisaengs from the Hanseong Gisaeng Association for Performance was first published on April 14, 1910 in Hwangseong Newspaper and Daehan Maeil Newspaper Korean-Chinese Edition. A month later, by May 9, 1910, a contract signing was under way, as the personnel composition and employment costs of the Japan tour group (KRW 1,500 → 1,580 → 1,550) were adjusted, and a contract and a petition were prepared, in the order of petition for a performance in Japan by two Japanese and eight gisaeng from the Hanseong Gisaeng Association on May 11, 1910 (4th year of Yunghee), → approval on May 12 → consultation and decision on May 13, and sent to the western and central police chiefs.
 Regarding the Hanseong Gisaeng Association’s Gaeseong performance, the plan to hold a Wongaksa Dance was first mentioned on May 9, 1910 in the report on the status of negotiations on performances in Japan with eight gisaengs of the Hanseong Gisaeng Association and the plan to hold a dance at Wongaksa. It was revealed that the performance was carried out in the following order: Submission of Wongaksa owner's petition and contract for the Gaesong performance and a petition and contract for 10 gisaengs to perform in Gaeseong on May 20, 1910; Metropolitan Police Agency's Order No. 77 Wongaksa owner and 10 gisaengs of the Hanseong Gisaeng Association's Gaeseong performance petition approved on May 24, 1910; Wongaksa owner's employment of 10 gisaeng of the Hanseong Gisaeng Association and approval and order of the petition for the Gaeseong performance on May 24; and the approval order issued to An Chun-min, a clerk of Wongaksa, on May 25, 1910.

New sports and no spectators: Japan’s performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

ABSTRACT Rationale: This paper examines Japan’s performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and considers whether the inclusion of new sports and the Games being staged behind closed doors influenced Japan's performance as the host nation. Approach: We analysed Japan’s medal output and ranking at Tokyo 2020 in the context of its historical Summer Olympic performances and compared with other recent hosts. We also analysed how Japan’s performance changed between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in different events (men, women and mixed) and in different sports. Findings: Japan improved its performance at its home Games across multiple measures. Evidence of improvement between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 was seen in men’s, women’s and mixed events and across the portfolio of sports that were common to both editions. Japan’s home performance was amplified by its success in the new sports added to the programme. Practical implications: To promote fair competition, the inclusion of new sports at future Games should be evaluated on the basis of their global appeal alongside their local popularity within the host nation. Research contribution: Our findings somewhat challenge conventional wisdom that home crowd support is a key game location factor which contributes to home advantage.

The Evolution of Investor Activism in Japan

Activist investors have gradually become a catalyst for change in Japanese companies. This study examines the impact of activist board representation on firm performance in Japan. I focus on the only two Japanese companies with activist board representation: Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("Kawasaki") and Olympus Corporation ("Olympus"). Overall, I document significant benefits from the decision to engage with activists at these companies. The target companies experience greater short- and long-term abnormal stock returns following the activist engagement. Moreover, I show operational improvements as measured by return on assets and return on equity. Activist board members also associate with important changes in payout policy that help explain the positive stock returns. My findings support the notion that Japanese companies should consider engagements with activist investors to transform and improve their businesses. Such interactions can lead to innovative and forward-thinking policies that create value for Japanese businesses and their stakeholders.

Factors Affecting Tourism Performance in Japan: Focus on Differences in Tourism Resources Including Food by Prefecture

Factors Affecting Tourism Performance in Japan: Focus on Differences in Tourism Resources Including Food by Prefecture

Comparison of Objective Prognostic Score and Palliative Prognostic Score performance in inpatients with advanced cancer in Japan and Korea.

Accurate prognostication is important for patients and their families to prepare for the end of life. Objective Prognostic Score (OPS) is an easy-to-use tool that does not require the clinicians' prediction of survival (CPS), whereas Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP) needs CPS. Thus, inexperienced clinicians may hesitate to use PaP. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of OPS compared with PaP in inpatients in palliative care units (PCUs) in three East Asian countries. This study was a secondary analysis of a cross-cultural, multicenter cohort study. We enrolled inpatients with far-advanced cancer in PCUs in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan from 2017 to 2018. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve to compare the accuracy of OPS and PaP. A total of 1,628 inpatients in 33 PCUs in Japan and Korea were analyzed. OPS and PaP were calculated in 71.7% of the Japanese patients and 80.0% of the Korean patients. In Taiwan, PaP was calculated for 81.6% of the patients. The AUROC for 3-week survival was 0.74 for OPS in Japan, 0.68 for OPS in Korea, 0.80 for PaP in Japan, and 0.73 for PaP in Korea. The AUROC for 30-day survival was 0.70 for OPS in Japan, 0.71 for OPS in Korea, 0.79 for PaP in Japan, and 0.74 for PaP in Korea. Both OPS and PaP showed good performance in Japan and Korea. Compared with PaP, OPS could be more useful for inexperienced physicians who hesitate to estimate CPS.

James K. Galbraith Comment on Comparing COVID-19 Control in the Asia-Pacific and North Atlantic Regions

James K. Galbraith Comment on Comparing COVID-19 Control in the Asia-Pacific and North Atlantic Regions

Performance of university technology transfer offices: evidence from Europe and Japan

PurposeThis study aims to improve the understanding of the factors that influence the performance of universities' technology transfer offices (TTOs), units charged with the responsibility for aiding the commercialization of research innovations.Design/methodology/approachTo empirically test the link between factors affecting TTO performance and whether these effects are contingent on a country-specific environment, survey data were collected from 187 TTO stakeholders (TTO heads, TTO employees and university researchers) in 18 countries of Europe and Japan, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used.FindingsThe results show that the internal embeddedness of a TTO within a university is the most important factor in determining a TTO's performance. A TTO's performance is positively affected by its marketing capabilities and social embeddedness. Strict patent portfolio management has no significant impact on TTO performance in Japan and has a negative effect on European TTOs' performance.Originality/valueThis study highlights the role of organizational and interorganizational factors in TTO performance; moreover, this is one of the few multi-continent (Europe and Asia) studies in the domain of university–industry collaborations, expanding the current understanding of the contingent roles of the region of operation, which has remained unexplored, as extant studies were typically conducted in only one country.

Study on the Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction and Corporate Performance in Japan via Text Mining

For the past 30 years, under the stagnant Japanese economy, companies have adopted various management strategies, and employees’ sense of values has become more diverse. In this study, we conduct research on the relationship between employee satisfaction and corporate performance.Although survey-based methods are used as a common approach to assessing employee satisfaction, we determined employee satisfaction by performing sentiment analysis based on online reviews of employees. In addition, we developed two performance indicators based on financial cash flow figures, which include the growth rate of operating cash flow and the ratio of investing cash flow to operating cash flow. These figures demonstrate corporate operating cash flow performance, as well as management’s attitude toward investment. By analyzing Japanese companies in the information and communication, electric appliance, and transportation equipment industries, we obtained three findings: 1) the companies with high operating cash flow growth affects or are positively affected by employee satisfaction with “Accomplishment” and “Promotion,” 2) the companies with low operating cash flow growth and aggressive investment over operating cash flow affect or are affected by variations in employee satisfaction with “Accomplishment,” 3) the companies in information and communication industry with high operating cash flow growth and aggressive investment over operating cash flow negatively affect or are affected by employee satisfaction with “corporate atmosphere.”

Postponed inventory investment and distributors' performance in Japan

Postponed inventory investment and distributors' performance in Japan