Landscape In Japan Research Articles

PHP23 - 2018 Japan Drug Pricing System Radical Reform: Toward Enhancement of Drug Price Containment

Japanese drug pricing system is experiencing a radical reform in 2018 to sustain universal healthcare coverage and promote medical innovation in order to improve health care and reduce disease burden. This study aimed to describe the reform, the trend, and the potential impact on the healthcare landscape in Japan. Governmental policy reports related to the reform published by Chuikyo (Japanese Central Social Insurance Medical Council) were reviewed. The review was completed with an analysis of literature review, policy reports, and grey literature. The policy trend and potential impact were analysed. The main elements of the reform consist of: 1) closer drug price survey and price revision, 2) prompt price discount when high sale extension is observed, 3) restriction of price maintenance premium, 4) implementation of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), 5) enhanced price reduction of older products and generic uptake incentives, and 6) external reference pricing revision to contain costs. Because CEA was delayed, the reform is strongly focused on cost containment. CEA is high on the policy agenda but was delayed once again. It is unclear if the high cost containment measures are the outcome of a trade-off to delay CEA or if it is a first step towards a broader use of CEA. Unlike generics, which are the focus, not a single statement on biosimilars was identified in the reform. Given that the high price of biologic drugs are the faster growing segment of pharmaceuticals, policy to incentivise the use of biosimilars may reinforce the free important resources to fund the flow of expensive innovations such as cell and gene therapies. The Japanese drug pricing system is experiencing a radical reform in 2018 toward enhancement of cost containment and full implementation of CEA after 2019. Biosimilar use incentive may provide room for more innovation adoption.

Nestedness-resultant community disassembly process of extinction debt in a highly fragmented semi-natural grassland

There are two major processes of species disassembly after landscape changes: non-random loss of species resulting in nested assemblages and species replacement resulting in spatial species turnover. Although time-lagged responses of species to landscape change have been widely recognized, few studies have empirically evaluated which of these two processes is more closely related to extinction debt (i.e., postponed species extinction following habitat loss). This study aimed to understand the underlying processes of extinction debt by partitioning β-diversity into components of species nestedness and species turnover. We measured grassland species richness at three spatial extents in a highly fragmented semi-natural grassland landscape in Japan. Dissimilarity-based β-diversity was partitioned into two components (i.e., nestedness-resultant dissimilarity [βsne] and turnover-resultant dissimilarity [βsim]), which were further analyzed using principal coordinates analyses (PCoA). The relationships between the variability of PCoA axis 1 scores and the current and past habitat proportions were evaluated. A significant positive relationship between current grassland species richness and past (i.e., the 1910s) grassland proportion was found at the largest spatial extent. The first axis of PCoA based on βsne showed significant correlation with past habitat proportions, whereas the PCoA axis based on βsim showed no significant correlation with either the current or past habitat proportions. A non-random loss of grassland species represented by nestedness underlay the extinction debt found at the landscape level. There is a chance of predicting the loss of species from the nested ranks of species which likely reflects the gradient of species vulnerability to historical landscape changes.

Overwintering in the Bamboo Mosquito Tripteroides bambusa (Diptera: Culicidae) During a Warm, But Unpredictably Changing, Winter

The bamboo mosquito, Tripteroides bambusa (Yamada) (Diptera: Culicidae), is a common insect across forested landscapes in Japan. Several studies have reported its overwintering as larvae and eggs, in both natural and artificial water containers. Nevertheless, it is unclear how sensitive this mosquito species is to changes in weather patterns associated with global warming. The El Niño event of 2015 through 2016 was one of the strongest on record and provided an ideal scenario for observations on the overwintering of the bamboo mosquito during a winter predicted to be unusually warm. Thus, we set oviposition traps in mid October 2015 and made weekly observations, from December 2015 to May 2016, on bamboo mosquito larval recruitment and pupation in Nagasaki, Japan. We found that larvae were pupating as late as the first week of January (prior records from the study site indicated mosquito pupation ended by mid-late October) and that pupation resumed in mid April (one month earlier than previous records at the study site). We also found that fourth instar larvae were able to survive in frozen oviposition traps following an extremely unusual snowstorm and cold spell and that recruitment of larvae from eggs happened after this unusual event. Our analysis suggested that overwintering and metamorphosis of the bamboo mosquito is sensitive to average and extreme temperatures, the latter measured by temperature kurtosis. Our results highlight the need to better understand changes in overwintering strategies in insects, and associated trade-offs and impacts on population dynamics, in light of climate change.

Coupling fluvial processes and landslide distribution toward geomorphological hazard assessment: a case study in a transient landscape in Japan

This study quantified the relationship among deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DGSDs), landslides, and river rejuvenation in the upper reaches of the Kumano River in the Kii Mountains of Japan, an area of frequent bedrock landslides. River profiles and hillslope landforms were examined, and high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) were used to identify DGSDs and landslides. Many of the deep-seated landslides were associated with rainstorms in 1889 and 2011. Landslide volumes were related to landslide areas on the basis of 52 deep-seated landslides that failed during the 2011 rainfall, providing basic data for landscape denudation and sediment yield. River rejuvenation occurred stepwise, incising moderate relief paleosurfaces and forming two series of knickpoints and V-shaped inner gorges that are up to 400-m deep. More than 65% of DGSDs and 75% of the landslides were located in association with the incised inner gorges along the peripheries of the paleosurfaces or were entirely contained within the inner gorges. DGSDs and landslides associated with the incised inner valley slopes tended to be larger than those developed within the paleosurfaces and may be long-term transient hillslope responses to river incision. Hillslope undercutting caused by rejuvenated river incision may play an important role in long-term slope stability and distribution of mass movements, and could serve as an indicator of landslide hazard.

Japan’s Mountain Tourism at a Crossroads: Insights from the North Japan Alps

ABSTRACTThis article explores the transition in the mountain tourism landscape of Japan through two instructive case studies from the North Japan Alps. Before Japan’s modernization, mountains were considered sacred places and consequently they were out of bounds for commoners. During the early modernization phase, the mountains and their secluded valleys witnessed drastic changes as they became objects of conquest and, later, places for tourism development. The relative proximity of these mountains to urban centers and their modest elevation helped mass access to these landscapes. Tourism development thrust these landscapes into a dual trajectory: while visitor increase and consequent development resulted in the depletion of natural ecosystems and a trivialization of place, early conservation efforts that later morphed into the national park movement were borne out of this situation. Today, these landscapes are under renewed threat from visitor pressure and global environmental change, but some indications of a heightened ecological consciousness and sense of place can be detected among local tourism stakeholders which can provide insight for more sustainability-oriented tourism development.

森林景観において境界効果はどこまで及んでいるのか?( 森林の"境目"の生態的プロセスを探る)

森林景観において境界効果はどこまで及んでいるのか?( 森林の"境目"の生態的プロセスを探る)

Density dependence in a seasonal time series of the bamboo mosquito,Tripteroides bambusa(Diptera: Culicidae)

AbstractThe bamboo mosquito,Tripteroides bambusa(Yamada) (Diptera: Culicidae), is a mosquito species ubiquitous across forested landscapes in Japan. During 2014 we sampled adult mosquitoes from May to November using a sweep net in Nagasaki, Japan. We recorded and managed our field data using Open Data Kit, which eased the overall process of data management before performing their statistical analysis. Here, we analyse the resulting biweekly time series of the bamboo mosquito abundance using time-series statistical techniques. Specifically, we test for density dependence in the population dynamics fitting the Ricker model. Parameter estimates for the Ricker model suggest that the bamboo mosquito is under density dependence regulation and that its population dynamics is stable. Our data also suggest the bamboo mosquito increased its abundance when temperature was more variable at our study site. Further work is warranted to better understand the linkage between the observed density dependence in the adults and the larvae of this mosquito species.

雑誌『太陽』による風景写真の流通が風景の見かたにもたらした影響

It has been indicated that “The Japanese Landscape Theory” by Shiga shigetaka, which was published in 1894, was the key to change the way Japanese see natural landscape. The change occurred during this period seems to have resulted in the designation of National Parks in 1930s, and further investigation of the background is required. This paper examines the transition of landscape photographs published in the “Taiyo” magazine, which is considered to be one of the factors influencing the way of seeing natural landscapes in Japan by distributing a large quantity of printed landscape photographs to the public. As the “Taiyo” magazine started to publish photographs selected by competitions, photographs of unidentified landscape increased in number after 1902, whereas “Meisyo” had been mainly featured before around 1900. This paper suggests that the distribution of photographs which had been influenced by landscape painting, hence emphasizing artistic beauty of landscapes, had changed the way general readers see natural landscapes.

Naoya Hatakeyama and the photographic representation of post-tsunami landscapes in Japan

Abstract This article investigates the role that art photography of in relation to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. The article focuses on an ethical and moral debate that emerged amongst Japanese photographers who questioned how the disaster and its aftermath can be, or should, be represented in a photograph. At the forefront of this debate was the photographer Naoya Hatakeyama whose personal connection to the region turned him into a quasi spokesperson for his profession. Through a close reading of his photographic works, the article situates post-tsunami photography in relation to wider photographic trends in Japanese visual culture.

Western Brain and its Japan Landscape, Temples, and Town Houses a Neurophysiologic Approach

Two physicians, both grown up in West Europe, educated also in this area (supplemented by many visits of the United States), travelled 20 years ago to Japan for scientific reasons and they changed thereafter in their mental sight of the world. In a first part, the neurophysiologic basis of sensation from the sensory receptor up to the cerebral cortex (“bottom up”), the mechanisms of building memories and the influences of the contents of the memories on the bottom up (“top down”), thus constructing an apperception, are described. These functional elements provide a first approach to that what might be going on when Western brain encounters Japan. In a second part, the deduced neurophysiologic processes are illustrated by photographs (HS) and works of art (EJS). The sensory processes generate a “Gestalt” which is transformed to non-verbal “Extrakte Kunst”.

Comment on: “Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae Protein D Conjugate Vaccine and 13-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine in Japanese Children”

Because all important assumptions used in the model are simultaneously biased toward PCV10, the model results are erroneous and misleading. Routine infant pneumococcal vaccination in Japan would undoubtedly bring substantial reductions in morbidity and mortality. However, given the current epidemiologic landscape in Japan and the current evidence, the clinical and economic gains from the use of PCV13 would, undoubtedly, far exceed those potentially observed from the use of PCV10. We urge those who conduct, critique, and consider cost-effectiveness studies to evaluate the strength of the evidence of clinical claims for the products and the influence these assumptions have on the overall findings. In addition, when performing economic predictive modeling, it is critical to provide a balanced perspective by weighing the strengths and weaknesses of all available data to construct the base case analysis.

Seasonal variability in the response of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to a forest edge in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape in Japan

Understanding arthropod responses to forest edges is essential to understanding both the characteristics of agro-ecosystems and the potential ecosystem services provided by forests adjacent to farmland in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes. Seasonal differ- ence in the responses of carabid beetles to forest edges was determined using transects that extended from the edge of the forest 22.5 m into the interior of a forest and 22.5 m into the meadow in three seasons, early summer, late summer and mid-autumn. The responses of carabids to the forest edge in terms of species richness and abundance differed significantly in the three seasons. The species richness and abundance peaked in the meadow 4.5 m from the edge and were low in the forest in summer, whereas they peaked at the edge and remained high in the forest in autumn. Species-level analyses revealed that several species did not move between habitats, indicating that the forest edge acted as a barrier for these species. Many species, however, peaked in the meadow near the edge and the distribu- tion of one species along the meadow-forest transect changed with the seasons. Our results indicate that secondary forests are not an effective sources of predators of pests, but do function as overwintering sites for some species. Because many species that prefer open land hibernate in field boundaries and fallow fields, the quality and spatial configuration of these habitats is important. Furthermore, in terms of pest management the seasonal dynamics of not only carabid beetles but other beneficial arthropods such as spiders and parasitoids should be considered.

A Study on Comparison of Impression Evaluation of Landscape in Japan, Korea and China

A Study on Comparison of Impression Evaluation of Landscape in Japan, Korea and China

Nuclear Policy and Regulation in Japan after Fukushima: Navigating the Crisis

The aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, has seen a public debate emerge over the future desirability of nuclear power in Japan. While Japanese citizens’ suspicion of nuclear power has grown, the nuclear industry and electricity utilities have called on the central government to recommission the country’s reactors amid warnings of devastation for the Japanese economy. This article analyses nuclear policy-making in Japan in the aftermath of Fukushima, with the aim to identify key theoretical, institutional and organisational drivers and constraints to future change in Japan’s nuclear energy policy. Despite the growing anti-nuclear sentiment and concerns about the environmental risks of nuclear power, we contend that the continuing power of vested interests will make it difficult for Japan to completely abandon nuclear power during the course of the next decade. However, given the independence of the newly established nuclear regulator and the fact that an effective veto power is held by local government officials, some of whom are opposed to the recommissioning of nuclear plants in their prefectures, we argue that the nuclear policy and regulatory landscape in Japan will undergo moderate change.

Using sustainability science to analyse social–ecological restoration in NE Japan after the great earthquake and tsunami of 2011

In the wake of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of northeastern Japan in March 2011, proposals for reconstruction and rehabilitation are still subjects of debate. The claim by many climate scientists that large-scale extreme events can be expected in the future, with similar catastrophic effects in coastal areas, suggests the need for long-term planning that aims at building resilience, the ability for socio-ecological systems to withstand and recover quickly from natural disasters, and continue to develop. We hypothesize that ecosystems and socio-economic resilience will provide affected communities with flexible barriers against future disasters and greater protection in the long run than will hard/engineering solutions such as high seawalls aimed at ensuring only physical security. Building social/ecological resilience in the Tohoku region will increase general security and is anticipated also to contribute to an enhanced quality of life now and for generations to come. This paper argues that building resilience in the affected area requires a transformation to sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries and we describe how the links between satoyama and satoumi, traditional rural territorial and coastal landscapes in Japan, can contribute to this revitalization and to strengthening the relationship between local residents and the landscape in the affected communities. Decision makers at local, regional and national levels need to take a holistic approach based on sustainability science to understand the inter-relationships between these landscapes and ecosystems to develop a robust rebuilding plan for the affected communities. Moreover, this paper suggests that building resilient communities in Japan that demonstrate the strategic benefits of satoyama and satoumi linkages can be a model for building resilient rural and urban communities throughout the world.

Landscape effects of a non-native grass facilitate source populations of a native generalist bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus, in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape.

Non-native plant species can provide native generalist insects, including pests, with novel food and habitats. It is hypothesized that local and landscape-level abundances of non-native plants can affect the population size of generalist insects, although generalists are assumed to be less sensitive to habitat connectivity than specialists. In a heterogeneous landscape in Japan, the relationship between the density of a native pest of rice (Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Heteroptera: Miridae)) and the abundance of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. (Poales: Poaceae)), a non-native meadow grass known to facilitate S. rubrovittatus, was analyzed. Statistical analyses of data on bug density, vegetation, and the spatial distribution of fallow fields and meadows dominated by Italian ryegrass, obtained by field surveys, demonstrated that local and landscape-level abundances of Italian ryegrass (the unmowed meadow areas within a few hundred meters of a sampling plot) positively affected bug density before its immigration into rice fields. Our findings suggest that a generalist herbivorous insect that prefers non-native plants responds to spatial availability and connectivity of plant species patches at the metapopulation level. Fragmentation by selective mowing that decreases the total area of source populations and increases the isolation among them would be an effective and environmentally-friendly pest management method.

Ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages associated with a satoyama landscape in Japan: the effects of soil moisture, weed height, and distance from woodlands

Agricultural landscapes generally include not only crop fields but also semi-natural habitats. In Japan, such a mixed rural landscape is called “satoyama.” Although ground beetles are potential predators of pests, the environmental factors that determine their distribution in Japanese rural landscapes have not been fully elucidated. To understand the effects of distance from woodland edges, soil moisture, and weed height on assemblages of carabid beetles, we examined the number of adult beetles in pitfall traps placed in a satoyama landscape in the lowlands of western Honshu, Japan. Our results show that the carabid species could be largely differentiated into woodland, intermediate, and open-land species. The “intermediate species” group includes species that depend on woodland or woodland edges for at least part of their life cycles. Paddy fields must have long provided semi-natural habitats that complement those in natural grasslands and wetlands for open-land beetles that prefer wet conditions. Weeds can also increase the abundance of some intermediate and woodland species; thus, the arrangement of such landscape elements as woodlands and paddies can determine the species richness and abundance of ground beetles in agricultural fields.

Feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaic: The rise of Japan

Japan started implementing a national Feed-In Tariff (FiT) mechanism on the 1st July 2012, which included specific payment tariffs for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. This marks a new era in the renewable energy landscape in Japan. This paper aims at analysing the solar PV prospect in Japan, particularly in both residential and non-residential sectors. The paper presents, first, an overview of energy trends in Japan prior to the Fukushima event. This is followed by a short review of solar PV progress in the country, highlighting the major policies and programmes that have been implemented as well as the installations that have been carried out over the past two decades. Next, the financial impact of the new FiT scheme on consumers is evaluated. The financial analysis investigates the total profit, the average annual return on investment and the payback period. For a comparison purposes, a similar financial analysis is also conducted with selected countries around the world – namely Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The results from this analysis indicate that the new Japanese FiT rate generates a good profit, a moderate annual return on investment and an acceptable payback period, suggesting an increasing trend of solar PV uptake over the next years.

風景のローカルらしさ，物質性，視覚性

風景のローカルらしさ，物質性，視覚性

Author’s Response: 3.11 and the Fog of Politics

It has been almost three years since 3.11-36 months that have stretched out longest and most painfully for surviving victims. Many observers have spilled much ink trying to understand and evaluate what happened in Tohoku and what would mean for Japan and world. I am grateful to Asia Policy for assembling a group of thoughtful analysts to reflect on my early appraisal of catastrophe. I would like to use their assessments to revisit that understanding of 3.11 and its impact.As I wrote in book-and as Michio Muramatsu reminds us-a master narrative for 3.11 has yet to be written. Sheila Smith puts more directly. She wonders: Did really matter? One way to judge is by revisiting 3.11 from distance afforded by passage of additional time. How might my conclusions have been different if I had written book three years after catastrophe instead of just 18 months later? Which of dueling political entrepreneurs who tried to brand 3.11 catastrophe have been rewarded with policies that conform to their preferences? Has Japan really stayed course, or has embarked on a new one-either forward in a new direction or back to future?Andrew DeWit's apt characterization of the speed with which Japan's landscape was changing even as Samuels was writing about it is a good place to begin. He is correct to point to electric power revolution in Japan, to its acceleration after 3.11, and to its consonance with global paradigm shifts in energy. By shrinking and smartening, Japan's electric power sector seems to be catching up to rest of world's utilities, which had already begun adapting to disruptive technologies as well as to changing consumer, regulatory, and voter preferences even absent a 3.11-scale challenge.Japan's energy seems most prominent at local level. Following Masayoshi Son's lead, local governments are generating revenues by using post-3.11 feed-in tariff (FIT) to induce businesses to build large-scale renewable-power projects on vacant municipal land. Municipalities receive rent for land and additional tax revenue, while residents get clean, low-cost power and investors enjoy subsidized, low-risk returns. In fact, renewables increased by 25% in first year after FIT was enacted.Change in Japanese electric power sector-including a toughened regulatory authority and a shift away from utility-centric programs offered by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) toward micro-electric power companies-has proceeded despite utility companies' natural resistance to change, a resistance abetted in December 2012 when Japanese voters decisively ended hold of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on governance. Although polls showed overwhelming opposition to nuclear power, voters returned Japan's most avidly pro-nuclear and pro-utility party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), to power, and TEPCO shares rebounded immediately. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called DPJ's policy of zero nuclear power groundless, accelerated efforts to export nuclear plants, appointed nuclear power advocates to key cabinet posts, removed anti-nuclear members of Basic Energy Plan commission, and reduced FIT price for new investments in renewables. Although METI approved solar-power generation facilities with output capacity equivalent to about twenty nuclear reactors (22 gigawatts), only about one-tenth of newly approved facilities have actually started producing electricity.1 Structural change and renewable growth have been slowed by a loophole in FIT legislation, and some investors have abandoned their projects after encountering difficulty connecting to grid and gaining access to panels.2 Nonetheless, breakup of vertically integrated monopoly system is under formal discussion in METI councils. The creative destruction of hidebound utilities is finally coming to Japan, and Alexis Dudden may be right when she says that changes in sector may ultimately prove most profound. …