Large Cities In Japan Research Articles

Ocular Adverse Events After Influenza Vaccination in Older Adults: Self-Controlled Case Series Using a Large Database in Japan

ABSTRACT Background To clarify the risk of adverse ocular events following influenza vaccination. Methods This self-controlled case series study used a claims database linked to vaccination records of a large city in Japan between April 2014 and September 2021. Individuals aged ≥ 65 years who developed adverse ocular events during the follow-up period were included. The exposure was influenza vaccination. The primary outcome was defined as the occurrence of at least one of the following five eye diseases: uveitis, scleritis, retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, or optic neuritis. Conditional Poisson regression was used to estimate the within-subject incidence rate ratio of ocular adverse events during the risk period (0–56 days after vaccination) compared to the control period. Results A total of 4,527 cases were eligible for the study (median age, 74 years; male, 42%). The incidence rate ratio for the outcome during the risk period was 0.99 (95% confidence interval, 0.87 to 1.14). No increased risk was observed for individual components of the outcome either; the incidence rate ratio was 0.94 (0.78 to 1.13) for uveitis, 1.17 (0.86 to 1.59) for scleritis, 0.98 (0.76 to 1.27) for retinal vein occlusion, 0.89 (0.42 to 1.87) for retinal artery occlusion, and 0.87 (0.44 to 1.70) for optic neuritis. Conclusions This self-controlled case series showed no apparent increase in the risk of adverse ocular events after influenza vaccination among older adults. These results mitigate the concerns of older adults who may hesitate to receive influenza vaccination for fear of adverse ocular events. Abbreviation HR = hazard ratio; CI = confidence interval; RVO = retinal vein occlusion; SCCS = self-controlled case series

Association between spatial access and hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions: A retrospective cohort study using claims data

BackgroundHospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) is potentially preventable with timely and effective primary care but may increase owing to poor access. Spatial access inequalities exist between Japan and other countries. This retrospective cohort study examined the association between admission for ACSC and spatial accessibility to primary care. MethodsWe used claims data and spatial data of 50–74 years-old beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance program in a large city in Japan from April 2013–March 2014 and followed them until March 2015. We used a multilevel Poisson regression model to assess the association between the number of ACSC admissions, the distance to the nearest clinic, and the number of physicians in a given area, adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, number of visits, and household income. ResultsAmong 126,666 eligible beneficiaries (mean age 65.8 years, 54% were women), 1,793 (1.4%) were hospitalized for ACSCs. The ACSC admission rate was significantly higher in those with a distance to the nearest clinic of >1 km than in those with <0.3 km (incident rate ratio [IRR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.69). In the stratified analyses, a longer distance to the nearest clinic was associated with higher ACSC admission rates among women (≥0.3 km and <0.5 km: IRR 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.17; ≥0.5 km and <1 km: IRR 1.74, 95% CI 1.19–2.56; >1 km: IRR 1.98, 95% CI 1.29–3.03, respectively) and those aged ≥65 years (≥0.3 km and <0.5 km: IRR 1.38, 95% CI 1.07–1.79; ≥0.5 km and <1 km: IRR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06–1.80; >1 km: IRR 1.48, 95% CI 1.10–1.98). ConclusionUnfavorable spatial access was associated with ACSC admissions, particularly among women and older adults.

Analysis of the relationship between urban dynamics and prevalence of remote work based on population data generated from cellular networks

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the introduction of remote work as one way to ensure employee safety and reduce the amount of interpersonal contact while continuing business operations. Knowing the degree of prevalence of remote work and its establishment are considered to be important factors in future policies and urban planning. We applied non-negative matrix factorization to population-change data obtained from a mobile phone network to extract the component of working people, and analyzed the changes pre- and post-pandemic. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, we confirmed that the number of people working in office and residential districts has significantly changed at a significance level of 1% in urban areas centered around Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest cities in Japan. Time-series data show that the number of workers is decreasing in office districts and increasing in residential districts, suggesting increased prevalence of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that it has become established. In addition, in urban areas centered around Tokyo, we confirmed that there is a moderate correlation between the changes in the number of people working in office districts and the capital size of corporations in the same area.

Urban Flood Runoff Modeling in Japan: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Since the 20th century, Japan has experienced a period of very rapid urbanization. Cities have experienced substantial densification and expansion, resulting in gradually elevated flood risk. Urban flooding has also occurred in most large cities in Japan, particularly in Tokyo. In response to this growing problem, much effort and resources have been spent on research and development aimed at understanding, simulating, and managing urban flood risk in Japan. The objective of this review is to summarize, discuss, and share key outputs from some of the main research directions in this field, significant parts of which have been uniquely developed in Japan and only published in Japanese. After a general introduction to urban runoff modeling, in the next section, key historical works in Japan are summarized, followed by a description of the situation in Japan with respect to observations of precipitation and water level. Then, the storage function model approach is reviewed, including an extension to urban basins, as well as recent experiments with AI-based emulation in Japanese basins. Subsequently, we review the prospects of detailed hydrodynamic modeling involving high-resolution, vector-based Geographical Information System (GIS) data for the optimal description of the urban environment with applications in Tokyo. We conclude the paper with some future prospects related to urban flood risk modeling and assessment in Japan.

Mental health status of children who use foreign languages at home in Japan.

Little is known about the mental health status of children in Japan whose roots are in foreign countries. The differences in language that are used every day may be a factor that makes adaptation difficult for these children. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to examine the mental health status of children who use foreign languages at home via a cross-sectional survey in a large cohort. The survey was conducted among children who attended public elementary and junior high schools in a large city in Japan. Data were received from 20,596 elementary school-aged (above 4th grade) and 19,464 junior high school-aged children. We compared mental health status evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 in the group based on language usage at home (only Japanese, only foreign languages, and both languages). We found that children who used foreign languages at home exhibited worse mental health status than children who used only Japanese at home. In addition, mental health status was slightly better among junior high school-aged children who used only foreign languages at home than among elementary school-aged children. This tendency was not observed in the group of children who used both languages at home. Our results suggest that children in Japanese society who use foreign languages at home have worse mental health, therefore there is a need for support for these children living in Japan.

Care-needs level prediction for elderly long-term care using insurance claims data

Background and objectiveOwing to an aging population, the increase in the number of elderly people certified as requiring long-term care has become a critical social issue in Japan. This study aimed to construct a machine learning model predicting the maximum care-needs level required for long-term care within the next three years for persons aged over 75 years. MethodsThe prediction model was constructed using features extracted from long-term care and healthcare insurance claims data. The study subjects were a total of 47,862 elderly individuals who had not received long-term care services in a large city in Japan. The prediction classes for outcome variable were categorized according to the criteria of the Japanese long-term care system: class 0 (no required), class 1 (support levels 1 and 2), class 2 (care levels 1 and 2), and class 3 (care levels 3–5). As explanatory variables, a total of 516 features were used, including age, sex, and 514 diseases classified under ICD-10. In this study, we focused on constructing a prediction model with the interpretability and adopted multinomial logistic regression (MLR) with L2 regularization as a machine learning algorithm. MLR allowed us to identify the characteristics influencing each prediction class of care-needs levels. ResultsIn terms of overall predictive performance, MLR achieved weighted average precision, recall, F-value, and lift scores of 0.694, 0.505, 0.567, and 1.333, respectively. Compared to other machine learning algorithms, MLR demonstrated comparable performance to Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF). From the factor analysis based on the magnitudes of coefficients of the MLR model, the top three features influencing each prediction class were as follows: class1: female sex, hypertension, and gonarthrosis; class 2: age, Alzheimer-type dementia, and neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder; class 3: age, Alzheimer-type dementia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. ConclusionsIn practical terms, the care-needs level prediction can be applied by local governments to identify high-risk areas by comprehensively and routinely predicting insured persons under public health insurance and long-term care insurance systems.

Design of a sewage sludge energy conversion technology introduction scenario for large city sewage treatment plants in Japan: Focusing on zero fuel consumption

Current thermal treatment of dewatered sludge in Japan depends on incineration with no energy recovery, but new sewage sludge recycling strategies require that energy conversion technologies be applied to sewage treatment plants (STPs) in large cities. Strategic studies of decarbonization have shown that it is necessary to prioritize the reduction of CO2 emissions associated with the direct consumption of fossil fuels to work toward decarbonization. Therefore, a scenario that would minimize external fuel dependence was set in STPs located in 14 large cities in Japan. The scenario included a plan to introduce the following systems: incineration with waste heat power generation (WHPG) under no anaerobic digestion (AD), incineration with WHPG and a dryer under AD, and solid fuel conversion with AD. Results showed that the total energy balance in FY2030 would be reduced by 90% compared to that of FY2015. Digestion gas power generation in the scenario was reduced, and WHPG (2410 TJ) and solid fuel (1931 TJ) were recovered. Compared to FY2015, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in FY2030 were reduced by 118%, CO2 emissions from the use of A-heavy oil were eliminated, and N2O emissions from incineration were reduced by 90%. In addition, analysis of the contribution of the scenario to GHG reduction in the boundary of national-scale sludge treatment in the sewerage sector showed that a 48% reduction was possible in FY2030 compared to FY2015, allowing Japan to fully achieve its medium-term emission reduction target (a 46% reduction) in this field.

The formation of the Korean communities in Fukuoka city after WWⅡ －focused on ‘black market’ and ‘barrack village’－

Among the large cities in Japan, the City of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture is the nearest city from Busan, Korea. From the colonial period, Fukuoka Prefecture had been the important labor market for Koreans due to scattered coal mine and munitions industry. The City of Fukuoka was a more commerce city than other places in Fukuoka Prefecture so that there is little room for Koreans who couldn’t compete with Japanese merchants and the city was not populated with Koreans. After the war, Hakata Port in Fukuoka was designated major repatriation port which made Fukuoka one of the most crowded city with Koreans and Japanese returnees. However, the waiting for repatriation not smooth and temporary residence became settlement with several reasons. During this period, they built ‘barrack village’ surrounding both banks of Ishido River, Naka River and near the port areas. And also, they were looking for jobs and food in black markets. Some of the residents of ‘barrack village’ run group dorms for the blue-collar workers, hired harbor workers, and worked mainly in the manufacture of illicit liquor, raising pigs, collecting waste articles and secondhand goods. These occupations were the representative jobs of Koreans in Japan(Zainichi) who worked at the lowest part of economic hierarchy. Since the early 1950s, the black market had disappeared and Koreans faced more desperate situation. Fukuoka’s ‘barrak village’ reflected such reality of Koreans in Japan who were in poor environment regardless the prosperity of the Japanese economy after the war. In addition, these slums were introduced to Korean society in the form of “disastrous reality of Koreans in Japan” and became the targets of ‘Korean bashing’ in Japan. On the other hand, ‘barrak village’ displayed the reality of the division of Korea Peninsula. The banks of the river are divided into Chongryon(총련) and Mindan(민단). Residents who supported Chongryon were very zctive for demolitiond and relocation of ‘barrak village’ from earlier stage. And as a result, they were able to move out of ‘barrak village’ and settled in a new neighborhood in the 1960s. So-called ‘Kanehira Complex’ had become a representative place which showed the life styles and political characters of Koreans in Japan of Fukuoka. Since the complex was formed around Chongryon, it showed a clear tendency to use Korean lanuage and expressd its political views and actions. The development and relocation of other ‘barrak villages’ took more than a decade, because the interests and opinions of the residents of the villagers were different. However, as the political environment between the two Koreas and the generation changes, the characteristics of the complex vary according to the periods. This reflects the reality of ethnic groups whose attributes eventually fade over time.

‘Guarding the gate’: the hidden practices behind admission to an Elite Traditional International School in Japan

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the admissions practices of an ‘Elite Traditional International School’ (ETIS) in a large city in Japan. The school is seeing falling enrolment from its traditional clients e.g.‘transnational capitalist class’ families working for Embassies and its alumnus, whilst attracting an emergent aspiring locally-based body of parents representative of a ‘global middle class’ likely seeking advantages, and a new, distinct identity. The resultant tension, between dealing with market-led change (reflecting the reality) and trying to maintain and protect legitimacy as an ideologically driven institution serving the privileged ‘international community’ (reflecting the vision), creates a platform (the nomos) for admission practices that are potentially biased and largely hidden. Utilising a methodology grounded in the work of Pierre Bourdieu we identify how the school adopts a number of ‘unwritten rules’, to ‘guard the gate’. Moreover, the imagined ‘international community’ emerges as a major field of power.

Strategy for introducing sewage sludge energy utilization systems at sewage treatment plants in large cities in Japan: A comparative assessment

The sewage sludge recycling strategy in Japan is shifting to a phase focusing on energy utilization. At present, the treatment of dewatered sludge depends on high-temperature incineration at 850 °C, and it is necessary to switch to energy conversion technologies to recover energy. Sewage treatment plants equipped with digestion tanks can recover energy by decomposing some of the volatile solids in the sludge, but decreasing the volatile solid content of the dewatered sludge in the solid matter also decreases the efficiency of the dewatered sludge conversion process. Therefore, in this study, we developed a tool for evaluating sewage sludge energy conversion systems based on a precise heat balance analysis. We also focused on how the presence or absence of digestion affects each energy conversion technology. The targeted sewage sludge energy conversion technologies were three incineration systems that included waste heat power generation (power generation from low-pressure steam and high-temperature water, power generation from high-pressure steam, and power generation from low-pressure steam and sludge drying) and two solid fuel conversion systems (dry granulation and low-temperature carbonization). The evaluation indices were energy balance, greenhouse gas emissions, and total project cost. The results showed that 1) not using digestion is a superior option in the incineration with waste heat power generation systems, and 2) using digestion is superior in the solid fuel conversion systems.

Clinical features of 65-year-old individuals in Japan diagnosed with possible sarcopenia based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria.

The prevalence of sarcopenia and the health status of affected individuals, particularly among the young elderly, are unclear in Japan. We determined the prevalence of possible sarcopenia, a concept proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) in 2019, and then investigated its clinical features in community-dwelling young elderly individuals in Kobe, a representative large city in Japan. This retrospective cross-sectional study examined 1768 residents of Kobe aged 65 years who underwent health and frailty checkups implemented by Kobe City between April 2017 and March 2019. Possible sarcopenia was diagnosed by the AWGS 2019 algorithm. Frailty status was assessed with the use of the Kihon Checklist, which was developed to identify senior citizens requiring nursing care in Japan. Fifty-one of the 1768 subjects were diagnosed with possible sarcopenia (overall prevalence of 2.9% [confidence interval: 2.1-3.7%]), with the prevalence being higher in women than in men. Individuals with possible sarcopenia had a lower body mass index, abdominal circumference, diastolic blood pressure and percentage of taking lipid-lowering drugs as well as a higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and estimated glomerular filtration rate. They also showed a higher degree of frailty. A low body mass index and physical inactivity were significantly associated with possible sarcopenia. The prevalence of possible sarcopenia based on the AWGS 2019 criteria was 2.9% among 65-year-olds in Japan, with affected individuals more likely to be frail compared with those without this condition. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 689-696.

Effects of the underground discharge channel/reservoir for small urban rivers in the Tokyo area

In the midst of global climate change, a large typhoon has hit Japan and unprecedented heavy rainfall is occurring. In large cities in Japan, underground discharge channels and underground regulating reservoirs are being developed to improve the flood control safety.In this paper, we confirm the flood reduction effect of these underground facilities against the rainfall generated by Typhoon Hagibis in the Tokyo area in 2019.In addition, the advantages of underground regulating reservoirs in the metropolitan area are discussed from two aspects: cost and land acquisition. It is confirmed that the underground reservoir type has remarkable advantages in both aspects.

Adherence to Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Dosing Regimens of Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis Treatment in Postmenopausal Women in Japan: A Retrospective Study Using Claims Data.

Poor medication adherence of osteoporosis patients is a major global medical problem because of its negative impact on health outcomes and quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate how differences in dosing regimens influence adherence to oral bisphosphonates using data from a large health insurance provider in Japan. This was a retrospective observational study using claims data obtained between October 2012 and January 2018, from the community-based National Health Insurance program of a large city in Japan. The data included in the analysis were obtained from women 60 to 74 years old whose oral bisphosphonate prescription was detected between April 2013 and February 2017. Treatment adherence was monitored from the initial prescription for one year, i.e., up to January 2018. Primary comparisons among the daily-dosing, weekly-dosing, and monthly-dosing groups were based on the mean medication possession ratio (MPR). Data from a total of 3,958 patients were analyzed. The numbers of patients aged 60-64, 65-69, and 70-74 were 425, 1,400, and 2,133, respectively. The highest mean MPR was 69.4% for the monthly-dosing of bisphosphonates, followed by the weekly-dosing at 63.5%, and daily-dosing at 57.2%. Using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn-Bonferroni correction, there were significant differences in mean MPR for daily versus weekly (p < 0.01), daily versus monthly (p < 0.001), and weekly versus monthly dosing regimens (p < 0.05). These results suggest significantly more patients adhere to a monthly or weekly regimen of bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis than to a daily regimen.

Universal scaling laws of collective human flow patterns in urban regions

Detail observation of human locations became available recently by the development of information technology such as mobile phones with GPS (Global Positioning System). We analyzed temporal changes of global human flow patterns in urban regions based on mobile phones’ GPS data in 9 large cities in Japan. By applying a new concept of drainage basins in analogous to river flow patterns, we discovered several universal scaling relations. These include, the number of moving people in a drainage basin of diameter L is proportional to L^3 in the morning rush hour, which is surprisingly different from reasonable intuition of proportionality to the 2 dimensional area, L^2. We show that this unexpected 3 dimensional feature is related to the strong attraction of the city center to become a 3 dimensional structure due skyscrapers.

Sex difference in the association of obesity with personal or social background among urban residents in Japan.

The development of obesity is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and is associated with a variety of health problems. To gain insight into environmental factors that contribute to obesity, we analyzed the relation of personal or social background to obesity in men and women separately with the use of data from a community-based questionnaire survey of 5425 residents aged 20 to 64 years of Kobe, a representative large city in Japan. Obesity and normal weight were defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25 and of ≥ 18.5 and < 25 kg/m2, respectively, according to the diagnostic criteria of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity. The personal or social background factors examined included marital status, family structure, employment, household income, residence type, welfare enrollment, economic conditions of current life, educational level, extracurricular activity in school, living conditions at 15 years of age, and childhood adversity. We found that the prevalence of obesity was 27.2% and 10.6% in men and women, respectively. Among women, unmarried status, a low household income, welfare enrollment, difficult current economic conditions, a low educational level, and childhood adversity were associated with obesity, whereas none of the personal or social background factors examined were associated with obesity in men. Our results suggest that the development of obesity in women is strongly influenced by personal or social background, and such factors should be taken into consideration in the management of this condition in women.

Concentric Array of Printed Strain Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring.

Civil infrastructure is expanding around the world. The ever-growing trend toward urbanization drives the demand for new investments. However, the new constructions and gradual deterioration of those already existing, especially bridges, give rise to concerns about their proper maintenance. To improve safety and drive down maintenance costs of civil structures, there is a need for inexpensive sensing systems capable of reliable and automated monitoring. In this study, we present a new concept of thin-film strain sensors arranged in an array with a concentric layout that is incorporated into a flexible substrate sheet. The designed sensor array is intended to analyze strains in the proximity of round holes made at the crack tips, found in the investigated construction elements of civil structures. In this study, the performance of the sensor array was demonstrated using measurements taken on a highway bridge in one of the largest cities in Japan. We show that it can measure local strain distribution and indicate a region with risk for crack formation. The demonstrated results show new area of potential applications for the printed strain sensors in monitoring civil structures.

A Study on Policies for the Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Land in Green Master Plans

Agricultural land in urban areas has been increasingly valued in recent times. As a result, the 2017 amendment of the Urban Green Space Conservation Act clarified that agricultural land is an important component of green space in Green Master Plans (GMPs). The purpose of this study is to examine the current status of agricultural land in GMPs and propose the manner in which policies for the conservation and utilization of agricultural land should be positioned in GMPs. This study analyzed 101 GMPs established by large cities in Japan. The conclusions can be summarized as follows. Newer GMPs had positioned agricultural land more clearly, especially in chapters delineating their current status and programs. Further, the programs can be divided into five categories: conservation, utilization of agricultural land, promotion of agriculture, cooperation with urban development, and measures established in the 2017 amendment. It has been proposed that, especially in cities with higher ratio of agricultural land to urbanization promotion areas and without adequate urban park space per capita, GMPs should clarify targets based on more detailed analysis of the current status, as well as have programs utilizing agricultural land in cooperation with urban development.

Relationship among land price, entrepreneurship, the environment, economics, and social factors in the value assessment of Japanese cities

Assessing the value of local areas and cities, including examining the entrepreneurial, environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability, has become key to fostering development. Such assessments can be conducted using a land-price function. This study analysed the land-price function using a geographically weighted regression model of land price, and explanatory variables related to entrepreneurial, environmental, economic, and social factors. To consider these factors, specific data scores were taken into account. A correlation analysis showed that six variables are essential for future value analyses: these are entrepreneurship, nature conservation, resource recycling, social vitality, the local government's financial viability, and environmental quality. Using these six variables to conduct preliminary regression analyses via four models, the study found that entrepreneurship, social vitality, and environmental quality have a positive impact on land prices in local areas and cities, while nature conservation, resource recycling, and the local government's financial viability have a negative impact. The result of a geographically weighted regression analysis showed that the areas around large cities in Japan have benefitted more from entrepreneurship and social vitality than have the areas around small and mid-sized cities. While large cities may be better equipped to promote environmental policies, small and mid-sized cities could promote entrepreneurship and social vitality policies using their environmental advantages.

Analysis on Predominant Periods Distribution by Microtremor Observations for Seismic Disaster Prevention in Yokohama, Japan Using GIS

In recent years, predictions of damage from earthquakes have been made on a prefectural scale, and expectations exist that more detailed damage forecasts should be made even on a city/town/village scale. It is important to know detailed ground characteristics to do damage prediction on a fine scale. Using GIS is the best way to communicate this planar disaster prevention information to the general public. Yokohama City is the second largest city in Japan and developed as part of the capital region of Metropolitan Tokyo. Recently, the population of this city has reached about 3,000,000, and economic and cultural facilities, social infrastructure, and residential complexes are concentrated in this city. The capital region, including Yokohama City, was attacked by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake (M7.9) and Yokohama City was devastated by this earthquake. From the research so far, it is known that the H/V spectrum obtained from microtremor observation has a good correlation with the ground characteristics. The authors have been conducting high-density tremor observations that have been ongoing since the 1990s, mainly in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Here, we have organized the predominant periods obtained from the observation results for Yokohama City. The entirety of Yokohama City was divided into 250 m × 250 m meshes and their centers were used as microtremor observation sites. Excluding sites that could not be used due to geographical conditions, observations were made at approximately 5700 sites. So, we compared the data obtained separately, such as the period, terrain classification, and amplification characteristics. The distribution maps of predominant periods in Yokohama City show that the city contains a lot of artificially transformed land, and consequently, the distribution of predominant periods is not uniform. However, it can be seen that the periods become gradually longer, moving from the higher elevation eastern part toward the lower elevation western part. Investigation of the site amplification factors and detailed topographical classifications indicates a clear correlation with the predominant period distribution.

First daughter effects in Japan

Some influential studies suggest that a firstborn daughter is associated with (1) lower marital quality and (2) greater participation in the labor market by mothers. They also point out that a strong preference for sons among fathers may explain these first daughter effects. This study replicates these findings in large cities in Japan, where parents generally exhibit no son preference. In order to derive causal effects, I exploit quasi-random assignment of the firstborn child’s sex. The main results from two surveys consistently find sizable effects from the firstborn child’s sex on later marital life: a firstborn daughter is associated with an increased incidence of domestic violence between her father and mother. In addition, a firstborn daughter is associated with lower marital and family happiness among mothers. Concerning the effects of the firstborn child’s sex on maternal labor supply, mothers with a firstborn daughter were consistently found to exhibit a greater labor supply. Finally, I find statistically significant first daughter effects for many outcome variables among mothers but not fathers. The overall findings from this paper suggest that first daughter effects in Japan appear to be similar to those reported in countries with a strong parental son preference.