Modern Japan Research Articles

Особенности развития полиции Японии: история и современность

This article highlights the issue of the history of the development of the Japanese police and its current state. The interest in this topic is due to the traditionally high level of security in modern Japan, which is ensured, among other things, due to the effective activities of its law enforcement system. The positive experience of the Japanese police in combating crime and ensuring law and order has already been borrowed by a number of Asian countries, but little studied in our country. The main focus of the article is on the consistent disclosure of the development process of law enforcement agencies in Japan. Three stages of their formation are highlighted. The current stage of development of law enforcement agencies in Japan is considered in more detail. The author presents the structure and size of the police, the peculiarities of the distribution of employees in the center and in the field, presents the functions of the police and the priority areas of its activities. The author highlights the issue of police interaction with citizens as the most important factor in ensuring security. In this aspect, the author believes that the experience of the Japanese police reform in the early 2000s deserves close attention, which ensured an increase in citizens' trust in the police, the development of new forms of interaction with the population, contributed to improving the quality of police activities and directly affected the results of law enforcement officers, first of all a decrease in crime and an increase in crime detection.

Competition and Enlightenment for the Impossible Goal of “Finding Japan’s Best”: A Narrative of Modern Japan’s Growth Ideology in the “Healthy Child Commendation Project” (1930-1978)

Competition and Enlightenment for the Impossible Goal of “Finding Japan’s Best”: A Narrative of Modern Japan’s Growth Ideology in the “Healthy Child Commendation Project” (1930-1978)

“Traitors to Their Profession”: Popular Media and the Repudiation of Sakaki Yasusaburō’s Rejuvenation Study in the 1920s

In 1921, Sakaki Yasusaburō, a professor of psychiatry at Kyushu Imperial University, introduced to Japanese audiences a rejuvenation method invented by the Austrian physiologist Eugen Steinach. Four years later, Sakaki was forced to resign from his position due to an embezzlement scandal, leading to the academic repudiation of his rejuvenation studies. This paper investigates the reasons behind this decline and identifies the role of popular media in shaping the professional identities of biomedical researchers in post-WWI Japan. It argues that a series of confrontations concerning the rules and norms of academic behavior that eventually led to Sakaki being labeled a “traitor” to his profession was as much influenced by the popular media as by considerations of scientific rigor. Highlighting the previously understudied interaction between popular media and its impact on the professionalization of biomedical research in modern Japan, this paper reveals the active and multiple roles that popular media plays in determining legitimate research topics and appropriate conduct for biomedical researchers.

PICTORIAL MAPS AND THE RISE OF MODERN RESORT IN ŌISO IN THE MID-MEIJI PERIOD

This study explores three pictorial maps produced in the mid-Meiji period (1868–1912) featuring Ōiso and the relationship between these maps and the rise of Ōiso as a modern resort. Ōiso was a town located on the highway Tōkaidō connecting Edo (or Tokyo after 1868) and Kyoto. It became a modern seaside resort after the late 1880s. Previous studies on visual and cartographic representations of towns and cities in Japan, for example, Kindai nihon no shikakuteki keiken [Visual experiences of modern Japan] (Nakanishi and Sekido 2008), have already narrowed the analytical focus and shifted away from the metropolises to provincial cities and hot spring towns. However, some questions, such as the social functions of these materials, remain unexplored. This study analyzes three maps and argues that these maps highlight Ōiso as an attractive place, particularly by featuring its villa residents from the high society. Visually, they resemble the conventional meisho zue [pictures of famous places] developed in the Edo period (1603-1867) and share with other city/town maps produced in the Meiji period in showing preferences for bird’s-eye views and emphasizing symbols of modernity such as railroads and electricity. The depiction of villa clusters is a remarkable feature of the three maps. However, rather than encouraging actual visits to the villas, the mapmakers – the local shop owners and administrators – achieved in producing these maps as souvenirs and creating a public desire for the lifestyle of high society.

Christianity and modern Japanese society: An historical overview

AbstractThis review article provides an overview of studies on Christianity in modern Japan, with a specific focus on works that address its social and political impact from a historical perspective. It first seeks to orient readers in the historical context within which the religion was transmitted to Japan, before delving into the notable works in the field. The scholarship indicates an evolution from an initial focus on missionary evangelism and narrowly defined church history to a more expansive outlook that encompasses the rich and complex lives of Japanese Christian leaders and their broader societal impact beyond church walls. Topics covered include Protestant missions, indigenous movements, women's education, social reform, and biographical studies. As a reflection of the author's area of interest, special attention will be paid to the case of the Christian social reformer Kagawa Toyohiko. The review will be limited to English‐language scholarship, although brief references will be made to Japanese‐language scholarship where appropriate.

Japan's Modern Slaughter System and Food Safety

Japan's Modern Slaughter System and Food Safety

СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ИСТОРИОГРАФИЯ РУССКО-ЯПОНСКИХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ (2020-2023 ГГ.).

Japan is one of Russia's key strategic partners in the Far East. One of the most powerful geopolitical and economic players in the Asia-Pacific region. And this region is becoming increasingly important in world politics and economics. This becomes especially relevant for Russia against the background of cooling relations with the United States and a number of European countries: a U-turn to the East in search of allies seems logical and natural. For the sustainable development of Russian-Japanese relations, it seems extremely important to understand the specifics of Japan. Features of its historical development, social life, culture, religion. It is good to imagine how political decisions are made in modern Japan and what its geopolitical ambitions are. Be aware of the problematic and controversial issues that hinder the further sustainable development of Russian-Japanese relations and what their historical roots are. Let's not forget that Japan was one of the significant actors of World War II, and the conditions for its end turned out to be tragic for the country and the Japanese people. And the consequences of this still affect. The article considers current research regarding the development of Japan and Russian-Japanese relations. The Russian-Japanese relations in this study are understood in a wide context: diplomatic, geopolitical, socio-cultural, religious. Relevant means research of the last three years (2020-2023). Currently, we are seeing a significant increase in the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, and specifically Japan, for global geopolitics and the economy. Pandemic, aggravation of many conflicts, change of political vectors, formation of a multipolar in the political and economic plan of the world.

The Talent Training Model of Forensic Medicine in Japan and Its Reference.

The quality of Japanese forensic experts has been widely recognized around the world, which cannot be separated from the "ripple effect" caused by the rapid rise of the modern forensic education in Japan. By continuously adopting foreign forensic education resources and teaching experience, it has finally formed a forensic professional talent training model with a clear hierarchy of basic education and professional training, as well as classroom teaching and case studies complementing each other; and it continuously improves the comprehensive quality of practitioners through domestic training and international exchange and cooperation, providing talented professionals for the development of the Japanese forensic industry. In this context, this article takes the development history of Japanese forensic medicine as the starting point to study how it gradually formed the embryonic form of forensic education in modern times. Based on this, it analyzes the characteristics of Japan's modern forensic medicine talent training model, summarizes excellent experiences for localized transformation, such as emphasizing the role of practical teaching, exerting the effectiveness of vocational skills training, and promoting international exchange and cooperation, to provide reference and inspiration for the training of relevant professional talents in China.

A Comparative Study of the Use of Japanese Majolica Tiles in Modern Japan and Japanese Colonial Taiwan

This paper discussed the connection between “Japanese majolica tiles” in modern Japan and Japanese colonial Taiwan, and the differences in the way tiles are used during these periods from both Japanese and Taiwanese perspectives. Japanese majolica tiles were manufactured in Japan primarily during the Taisho period (1912-1926) and early Showa period (1926-1945), with relief surfaces covered with multicolored lead glazes. The tiles produced in Japan at that time were mainly imitations and developments of a Victorian tile product called majolica, which was imported from England and exported to countries around the world. The results of the survey indicate differences in the use of tiles, with their usage in different architectural styles and cultures becoming apparent. In Japan, the connection between tiles and modern concepts can be noted. In addition, post-modern tile production and architectural preservation suggest that differences in the amount of extant Japanese majolica tiles in Japan and Taiwan have arisen.

Memory and whaling: Commemorations of whale deaths in early modern Japan

Encounters with whales in early modern (seventeenth- to nineteenth-century) Japan were often memorialized through artwork such as scrolls or woodblock prints, permanent monuments such as steles or grave sites, and even in ritual practices such as annual Buddhist memorial ceremonies. Whaling groups used the commemorations of their interactions with whales to teach hunting techniques, display their prowess to outsiders, and atone for the Buddhist sin of killing another living creature. Non-whaling communities, which usually encountered whales through limited beachings or strandings, also found those situations worthy of commemoration. Their memorials celebrated the spectacle of the whale from the observer's viewpoint, or expressed gratitude for the financial windfall the dead whale brought to the community. This article examines how a community's relationship to whaling determined how it memorialized the encounter. These early modern memorial practices inform commemorations of whales even to the present day.

Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan, by Janine Anderson Sawada

Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan, by Janine Anderson Sawada

Instrumental Femininity: The Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School and the Shaping of Social and Gender Hierarchies in Modern Japan

Abstract: How can we assess the impact of the ideology of female domesticity on women's higher education and professional opportunities? This article examines this question through the lens of Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School, Japan's first tertiary educational institution for women. Graduates of this school established for the propagation of gender ideology joined a respectable profession, that of teaching. They used this ideology to justify the upgrade of their alma mater to the rank of university. However, this ideology supported women who chose to specialize in teaching but not in other specialties such as engineering, posing an additional challenge for female aspirants in those fields who sought to enter and excel in traditionally male institutions. By looking at these challenges implied in the institutional evolution of this school, I examine the ways in which this gender ideology allowed the rise of female professionals while limiting women's life choices and professional opportunities.

근세일본의 남만무역과 예수회 선교사추방령에 대한 연구

Purpose: This paper is an investigative study of the process from the introduction of flintlock guns by Polpogal trading ships in 1543, to Francisco Xavier's arrival in Japan six years later, to the edict expelling Jesuit missionaries in 1587. Research design, data, and methodology: This was the period when Nobunaga of Japan appeared and ruled the country, and Nobunaga committed suicide due to the Honno-ji incident and Hideyoshi Toyotomo became his successor. Then came the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when Hideyoshi unified Japan and there was serious conflict between trade with Portugal and Christian missionary work. Results: During the early modern Japanese Christian century (1549-1650), Christianity experienced an initial missionary period, a period of growth and development, and finally the appearance of martyrs. Nobunaga embraced Christianity to get rid of Buddhism, and Hideyoshi distributed an edict expelling Jesuit missionary Christianity to protect trade. During the Kirishitan century (1549-1650) in early modern Japan, Christianity went through a period of growth, a period of secrecy, and ultimately the emergence of martyrs. Nobunaga accepts Christianity to eliminate Buddhism, and Hideyoshi to promulgate an edict expelling Jesuit missionarie Christianity to protect trade. Implications: Starting with Sumitada Omura in 1563, Yoshitaka Kuroda in 1577, Sorin Otomo in 1578, Harunobu Arima in 1580, Yukinaga Konishi in 1584, and others were baptized and a group of so-called Christian daimyo emerged. They burn down Japan's shrines and Buddhism, dedicate Nagasaki as an ecclesiastical ordinance, and Hideyoshi expresses his disquiet and promulgates an expulsion order for the Jesuit missionaries.

Beauty Pageants in the Japanese Colonial Era of Korea (1931 and 1940).

The aim of this study was to analyze the beauty pageants that were held in Korea during the Japanese colonial era (1931, 1940). Through searches of www.google.com and www.naver.com , 3 pageants were found: (1) 1931, Miss Korea, organized by Samchunli (a magazine): Any Korean woman, with the exception of Korean geishas, could apply by submitting her photographs. The number of candidates was 326. Nine Korean judges evaluated the photos of the candidates. Among them, the victor was an 18-year-old Korean woman. (2) 1931 (Oct), Miss Joseon, organized by Osaka Mainichi Shimbun: The candidates were categorized into 2 groups: 10 "internals" (Japanese) and 10 Koreans. Their heights and weights, along with their photographs, were provided for the readers' reference. The winners were determined based on the readers' votes. The Japanese victor was a 21-year-old student with a height of 150cm and a weight of 52kg (body mass index [BMI] 23.11kg/m 2 ). The Korean winner was a 19-year-old student standing at 157cm and weighing 53kg (BMI 21.50kg/m 2 ). (3) 1940, Venus of the Peninsula, organized by Modern Japan (a magazine): The candidates were Korean women residing in Japan or Korea. The panel of judges evaluated the photographs of the candidates. The victor was a 20-year-old Korean geisha. Her winning photograph was featured in the Korean edition of the magazine Modern Japan. She stood at 157cm in height and weighed 45kg (BMI 18.25kg/m 2 ). As beauty standards evolved over time, the beauty standards of the 1930s were markedly different from those of today.

The Samurai and the Cross: The Jesuit Enterprise in Early Modern Japan, written by M. Antoni J. Uçerler, S.J.

The Samurai and the Cross: The Jesuit Enterprise in Early Modern Japan, written by M. Antoni J. Uçerler, S.J.

«Зворотній курс» у політиці США щодо Японії 1947-1952 рр.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the evolution of the foreign policy course of the USA in relation to post-war Japan and to show the economic, political, and strategic achievements of the "Reverse Course". The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, comprehensiveness and multi-vectority, objectivity and systematicity. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that Ukrainian historiography on the issue of the history of post-war Japan is extremely small and has a number of white spots, in particular, on the issue of cooperation between the Japanese government and the American military administration. Conclusions. American policy in Japan proves that yesterday's enemy can become a potential partner and, even more so, an ally in the future. Having paid a bloody price for the victory, the USA began radical reforms in Japan, which were aimed, at least in the first period of occupation, at the demilitarization and deindustrialization of yesterday's enemy. However, practice has shown that building a strong and structural economy, liberalizing and democratizing political processes work much more effectively. After the end of the Korean War, Japan's economy started to grow steadily and very soon led to the famous "economic miracle." Modern Japan is a successful democratic state that ranks among the top five in terms of GDP and other economic indicators and is a pioneer in the latest technologies and science. The example of Japan, in our opinion, is indicative and proves that a country that has survived a devastating war with terrible losses can recover if deep and comprehensive reforms are carried out in all social, political, cultural, and economic spheres.

Modern Japanese Images of Turks and Turkey

Modern Japanese Images of Turks and Turkey Nobuo Misawa (Toyo University, Japan) The image of Turks and Turkey in Modern Japan had been heavily influenced by the image of European and American sources described in this paper. For example, even after 1924, the Japanese merchants and officers of various ministries continued to adopt the divisions of European Turkey and Asiatic Turkey. We can find examples in the bulletin of the Japanese Commercial Museum in Istanbul, published in 1928- 37. The Museum still calculated and sent the statistics of imports and exports about Turkey, not as a single country but divided into two divisions, European Turkey and Asiatic Turkey, even after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey! It was only after the Japanese defeat in WWII in 1945, that Japan adopted a single name and area concept of Turkey. In addition, the Ministry of Education ordered the government’s official textbook writers to describe the name of the country as the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922) and the Republic of Turkey (1923- ). In these circumstances, private publications had begun to follow the government’s official textbooks, while some of them still used the outdated name, “Ottoman Turkey”, which neither the Europeans nor the Americans were no longer using.

Atatürk and Japan

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, and Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji), the architect of modern Japan, are two important leaders who tried to bring their countries, (which had experienced great social, economic, and political traumas), to the level of developed countries with the revolutionary innovations they introduced by restructuring their administrative systems. Western civilization has undoubtedly set a great example for this path of innovation. Following Meiji Japan’s success on the road to Westernization, its transformation from a poor and powerless country into a powerful country with industry, economy, know-how, and even an army, along with its defeat of first China (1894-1895) and then Russia (1904-1905) in war, influenced Atatürk, like many other intellectuals of the period. Today, based on some of Mustafa Kemal’s writings about the Russo-Japanese War, it is claimed that he had great sympathy for Japan and used Japan as an example when carrying out his revolutions. It is also claimed that Atatürk learned Japanese and even had the Tokyo Mosque built. In this study, Atatürk’s views on Japan and whether Japan served as an example in the Turkish revolutions will be discussed in light of the available information and documents.

일본 근대 다인 타카하시 요시오(高敎義雄)의 사상과 미학

Takahashi Yoshio's position in Japan's modern tea ceremony is important. TaishomeikiKan and KinseiDouguIdousi, the masterpieces of his compilation of Japanese tea utensils at the time, have an important position in both tea utensils and art. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan had a strong tendency to break off the old practice and pursue practicality. Art was also dealt with from a practical point of view. Takahashi Yoshio', a student of Fukuzawa Yukichi, a strong enlightenment theorist of Japan, took the lead in the modernization of Japan more than anyone else. When it comes to the tea ceremony, however, it is recognized as a unique Japanese tradition that must be observed. Nevertheless, emphasizing the financial and political utility of the tea ceremony and utensils helps match the modern and traditional tea ceremony of the Meiji Restoration.

Writing Ethics and Social Justice in the Works of Chan Hokei and Seicho Matsumoto

Chan Hokei is the leader of the young generation of Hong Kong writers, known as "the first Chinese reasoning". Through intricate storytelling and realistic settings, he portrays the complexity of human nature and the injustices and conflicts in Hong Kong society. His detective novels focus on the challenges individuals face within the social environment and delve into people's struggles with moral and ethical choices. Seicho Matsumoto, the founder of the Japanese social school of deduction, has a simple and heavy writing style. He is good at exposing the roots of modern Japan's illnesses with realistic strokes. His creative concepts deeply influence a group of later generations of deduction novelists. Although Chan Hokei and Seicho Matsumoto lived in different times, regions and cultural conditions, they both paid great attention to social conflicts and the social roots of crime, and their works contain a unique and common writing ethic. Their works inspire readers to consider ethical morals and social justice issues and call for positive societal changes. This paper attempts to interpret this phenomenon and explore how the writing ethic in the works of the two authors is related to social justice, how they promote social justice through their writing and how their writing ethic is influenced by social justice.