Ordinance-designated Cities Research Articles

Studying the importance of the barrier-free basic plan and proposing a method for setting priority development areas in ordinance-designated cities

Studying the importance of the barrier-free basic plan and proposing a method for setting priority development areas in ordinance-designated cities

Impact of COVID-19 on cervical cancer screening in Japan: A survey of population-based screening in urban Japan by the Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

To assess the impact of COVID-19 on cervical cancer screening. The Japanese Society of Gynecologic Oncology launched COVID-19 Task Force surveyed the municipalities in urban areas of Japan. Questionnaires were sent to 20 ordinance-designated cities and 23 wards of Tokyo metropolitan area in Japan via telephone and mail in January 2021. An additional survey was conducted in March and April 2021, counted the monthly checkups in 2020 and, as a control data, the number of monthly checkups in 2019. "The State of Emergency" between April 7 and May 25, 2020, included 13 prefectures. The data collected in this research involved the number of screenings only. The chi-square test was performed for statistical analysis. The number of cancer screenings from March to August, with May being the month with the lowest number of screenings, was less than 50% of that in the previous year. In particular, the drop in the number of cancer screenings in the "Prefectures operating under special safety precautions" was remarkable and significantly lower than that in other Prefectures. However, after August, the number recovered to the usual level, despite the second wave of the pandemic occurring nationwide. The initial "the State of Emergency" caused a significant decrease in the number of people receiving population-based screenings, but the recovery has been remarkable, and the total number is expected to be the same as in previous years. The initial "the State of Emergency" caused a significant decrease in the number of people receiving population-based screenings.

School leadership development practices in Japan

ABSTRACT This study examines practices relating to four dimensions of leadership development (recruitment and selection, professional learning, autonomy, and evaluation) in Japan. Initial information was drawn from prior literature and websites of the national government (e.g., national legislation, policy documents, and national statistics) and BOEs at prefectures and ordinance-designated cities (ODC) (e.g., regional legislation, standards for principals, and PD documents) by searching for such words as “principal leadership” and “professional development.” Additionally, a survey on detailed information was sent to all the 47 prefectural and 20 ODC BOEs. Regional differences as well as a national trend were illuminated by triangulating a variety of sources mentioned above, while connections within and among dimensions are made clear by using legislation, policy documents and prior literature. It reveals (1) recruitment and selection overly dependent on seniority, and ambitious but unsuccessful reforms to attract private citizen principals, (2) inconsistent and undifferentiated professional learning opportunities, (3) limited principal autonomy over personnel and finance issues except for a few local governments, and (4) recent development of principal evaluation systems as separated from those for educators in general. Policymakers should carefully design policies that build the capacity for principals through a coherent, differentiated, and sustained leadership development opportunities.].

A Study about the Management and the Actual Usage of the Square in front of City Hall for Ordinance-Designated Cities and Hub Cities

A Study about the Management and the Actual Usage of the Square in front of City Hall for Ordinance-Designated Cities and Hub Cities

Foreign language education policies in Japanese prefectures and ordinance-designated cities

Foreign language education policies in Japanese prefectures and ordinance-designated cities

Effect of local Government public relations channels on Co-Production consciousness among residents of ordinance-designated cities

Effect of local Government public relations channels on Co-Production consciousness among residents of ordinance-designated cities

An age-period-cohort analysis of the difference in smoking prevalence between urban and non-urban areas in Japan (2004-2019).

OBJECTIVESThis study aimed to conduct an age-period-cohort (APC) analysis of smoking prevalence trends in urban and non-urban areas in Japan.METHODSData on smoking prevalence from 2004 to 2019 were extracted from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan. Government ordinance-designated cities and special wards in Tokyo were defined as urban areas. The respondents ranged from 20 years to 79 years old, and were grouped in 5-year intervals. Cohorts were defined for each age group of each year, and those born between 1925-1929 and 1995-1999 were examined. We calculated the estimated smoking prevalence for each age, period, and cohort, as well as the smoking prevalence ratio of non-urban areas compared with urban areas from the APC analysis results.RESULTSThe magnitude of the decrease in the period effect on smoking prevalence was larger in urban areas than in non-urban areas for both men and women. The smoking prevalence ratio for non-urban areas compared with that of urban areas was above 1 for men at most time points, except in the older age groups. In addition, the prevalence ratio between the areas decreased, particularly as age increased. For women, the smoking prevalence ratio in non-urban areas compared to urban areas was below 1 until cohorts born in the 1970s, but the trend reversed thereafter.CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study suggest that further smoking control and cessation measures are necessary, particularly for older cohorts in urban women and for younger ages in non-urban men.

Status and trends of urban organic agricultural policy in Japan: the survey on ordinance designated cities

Development of organic agriculture has been sluggish in contemporary Japanese society. To better understand and capture the status of policy implementation in both urban and semirural areas, this study examined ordinance designated cities (ODCs) by reviewing tendencies and their interests in organic agricultural policies. In concrete, this study reviews the status, trends, interests, and barriers of organic agricultural policies in Japan. This study compared ODCs covering largely urban areas and those ODCs including semirural areas. The quantitative element of comparisons is based on the population and economic size and then on semirural and agricultural characteristics through cluster analysis. As a result, urban ODCs were more concerned about the policies close to consumption. ODCs including semirural areas were more concerned about the ones on production. There are also ODCs in between to show diverse characteristics in the policy implementations and interests. To take this difference into consideration, all types of the ODCs would need to implement the policies for promotion of organic agriculture in future. The results showed the rural-urban difference at the ODCs in the policy tendency through the financial support for certifications, education, and organizing a marche. Further policy supports, such as accumulation of market information, mutual-learning among ODCs, and the information on the policy effect on the environment, economy, and society, can potentially support efficiency of policy. The general low policy interests among the ODCs could be improved by emphasizing the needs of locally sensitive policy with the effective participation of concerned farmers and other stakeholders including consumers.

Current Situation and Future Challenges for Disaster Emergency Wells in Ordinance-Designated Cities in Japan

飲用水及び生活用水の確保は地震災害時の最重要課題の一つである．現在，日本各地で水道施設の耐震化が進められているが，それを補完する手段の一つに災害用井戸の整備がある．災害用井戸に関する既存研究は個別事例の紹介に留まっており，広域的な普及度の調査が不十分だった．そこで本稿では全国20の政令指定都市における災害用井戸の現況を調査したうえで，2016年の熊本地震での経験から仮説的に導出した基準を用いてそれぞれの都市の災害用井戸制度の充実度評価を行った．その結果，災害用井戸が導入されているのは12の政令指定都市に留まっていること，導入済みの政令指定都市のうち千葉市，横浜市，川崎市，相模原市，名古屋市，熊本市の制度が比較的高い充実度をもつことを明らかにした．そしてその現況調査から災害用井戸の更なる普及の必要性，災害用井戸の維持に向けた環境政策統合，他の補給水利との連携強化という新たな課題を提示した．

Utilization of Forest Environment Transfer Tax in Ordinance-Designated Cities:

Utilization of Forest Environment Transfer Tax in Ordinance-Designated Cities:

Evaluation of the Performance of Health Systems by Prefecture

To clarify the performance of health systems (performance), the state of prefectures was investigated. Using the method developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, we conducted the study using 27 indicators. To evaluate the performance, we examined the signal-to-noise ratio of transcription (η) by integrating indicators using the Mahalanobis-Taguchi method. The η was separated by a median. The ratio of prefectures in East or West Japan and the presence or absence of ordinance-designated cities were studied using the chi-square test. Furthermore, the correlation among the total component η (T-η), each component η, and expenditures, and the correlation between T-η and life expectancy, were studied. The T-η positively correlated with the risk factors (RF)-η and the resources (R)-η, and negatively correlated with the health status (HS)-η. The number pf prefectures without ordinance-designated cities where the T-η and RF-η exceeded the median was large. The number of prefectures with ordinance-designated cities where the HS-η exceeded the median was also large. In addition, there were many prefectures where the T-η was in the top 25% in West Japan. There were positive correlations between the total expenditures and the T-η, the expenditures and the RF-η, and the expenditures and the R-η. There was a negative correlation between the expenditures and the HS-η, and the T-η and the life expectancy. For life expectancy, prefectures with too good performance were recognized. In these prefectures, correction of resources is necessary.

Report on the actual situation survey of suicide postvention in all prefectures and ordinance-designated cities

Report on the actual situation survey of suicide postvention in all prefectures and ordinance-designated cities

Regarding the Constitution and Contents of the Consumer Education Promotion Plan for the Ordinance-Designated Cities

Regarding the Constitution and Contents of the Consumer Education Promotion Plan for the Ordinance-Designated Cities

Investigation of the relationship between convenient visits and doctors' fatigue using burnout and work engagement scales.

Fatigue caused by high workload is often responsible for the high attrition among doctors, and has contributed to a disruption in community medicine. In order to address this problem, institutional mechanisms at the hospital level are required. Previous studies have shown that systemic measures at the hospital level and a change in the mindset of patients can help manage the problem. "Convenient visits" refer to emergency visits for non-emergency problems. It is an avoidable cause of high workload on doctors. Convenient visits also refer to emergency consultation for non-emergency symptoms. As this is a new phenomenon, its relationship with doctors' fatigue needs further research. We investigated the relationship between convenient visits and doctors' fatigue using burnout and work engagement scales. We selected 44 hospitals, with >200 beds each, in provincial cities of prefectures with a doctor-population ratio lower than the national average. These cities were considered likely to manifest the phenomenon of 24-hour society and include overworked doctors. Ordinance-designated cities were excluded from this study owing to wide population variability. Three doctors from each hospital were randomly selected from among physicians, surgeons, and pediatricians. We distributed questionnaires (a questionnaire concerning convenient visits, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) to 132 doctors. Forty-two doctors responded to the survey. The median proportion of convenient visits among emergency visits was 50%. Sixty percent of the doctors surveyed were annoyed by convenient visits. Other doctors indicated good collaboration between the hospitals and communities or that they were not currently annoyed by convenient visits, although they had been annoyed previously. The emotional exhaustion in doctors, who worked in hospitals that did not restrict convenient visits, was significantly higher than in those who worked in hospitals that restricted these visits. A significant risk of serious burnout was found via crude and multiple logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age and gender, or adjusted for age, gender, clinical department, frequency of work shifts, and sleep duration during work shifts). Doctors working in hospitals that do not protect them against convenient visits are more prone to burnout. Although the number of convenient visitors is increasing, many hospitals lack systemic measures to manage them. This contributes to doctors' burnout. We suggest that hospitals control convenient visits for preventing doctors' burnout. Collaboration between hospitals and communities is required to help alleviate this problem.

Current status of bacteriological studies at prefectural and municipal public health institutes in Japan

Prefectural and municipal public health institutes are located in prefectures and ordinance-designated cities in Japan, and play a vital role in the regional surveillance of infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses. These institutes, in close cooperation with national institutes such as the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Health Sciences, construct the national surveillance network for infectious diseases and their causative agents. Bacteriological examinations and studies on a variety of infectious diseases and foodborne illnesses are core activities of prefectural and municipal public health institutes, through which novel and important bacteriological findings have been acquired. In this article, we report the latest findings regarding bacteriological examinations/studies and interesting cases at these institutes, especially concerning foodborne illnesses, tuberculosis, and antimicrobial resistances.

Teachers of Local Compulsory Schools and the Role of Ordinance-designated Cities in Japan

Teachers of Local Compulsory Schools and the Role of Ordinance-designated Cities in Japan

National survey on school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing programme in Japan: regional spread conditions from preschool to junior high school in 2010

Aims: We surveyed the state of implementation of the school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing programme (S-FMR) in schools in Japan from March 2010. Methods: Questionnaires on the implementation status of S-FMR in each type of school (including preschool and kindergarten) were sent by post to the oral health administration departments of all 47 prefectures and 89 cities (18 ordinance-designated cities, 23 special wards, 41 core cities and seven public health centres in ordinance-designated cities) with public health centres. Results: The S-FMR implementation rate was low, at only 11% of all schools in Japan and only 6% of all participating school children aged 4–14 years. In many regions, the S-FMR was implemented more widely and received higher participation from children in either elementary schools and junior high schools or preschools and kindergartens. Conclusions: Inter-prefectural disparities were seen in S-FMR implementation, as some prefectures and cities did not include topical fluoride application in their health promotion plans, and some local public bodies did not include targets for fluoride mouth-rinsing. To reduce this disparity in Japan where systemic fluoride application is not performed, each local public body must consider implementing the S-FMR as a public health measure. We propose using the results of this survey as basic data for formulating S-FMR goals (numerical targets) and adopting S-FMR as a concrete measure in the second Healthy Japan 21, to be launched in the fiscal year for 2013, and within the basic matters of the Act Concerning the Promotion of Dental and Oral Health.

Job discrimination against childhood cancer survivors in Japan: A cross‐sectional survey

The aim of this study was to investigate the policies to identify job discrimination by company recruiters against childhood cancer survivors in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a mailed questionnaire for the Japanese companies that were divided into three groups: companies listed on the stock market, companies not listed on the stock market, and public offices. We randomly selected 2000 of the 4000 listed companies and 2500 of the 4300 unlisted companies. We selected 47 public offices from prefectures and 17 from government ordinance-designated cities. Outcomes were health certificate requirements, how to treat past medical history and present illness, childhood cancer survivors' employment experience, and company's policy for evaluating applicants based on past medical history and present illness. Response rates were 17.7% for listed companies, 28.9% for unlisted companies, and 56.3% for public offices. A health certificate was required by 86% of listed companies, 77% of unlisted companies, and 75% of public offices. However, 33% of listed companies and 36% of unlisted companies, and none of the public offices demanded it at the time of application. Small numbers of private companies (0.7% of listed companies and 1.0% of unlisted companies) and public offices (4%) reject applicants outright if they have a disease in their past medical history. Using multivariate analysis, we found that large companies and company policies were significantly associated with the demand for a health certificate at the time of job applications. In Japan, employment-related discrimination still occurs in a small number of companies and public offices.

Characteristics of Ward System in New Ordinance-designated Cities

Characteristics of Ward System in New Ordinance-designated Cities

Provision of Medical Support in Large-Scale Disasters: Level of Commitment by the Municipal Bodies in Prefectures and Government Ordinance-Designated Cities in Japan

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