Villages In Japan Research Articles

Correlation between lipoprotein(a) and aortic valve sclerosis assessed by echocardiography (the JMS Cardiac Echo and Cohort Study)

An elevated serum level of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) may be an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, but the relation of Lp(a) to aortic valve (AV) sclerosis has not been determined. We measured serum concentrations of Lp(a) and investigated their relation to the presence of echocardiographic AV sclerosis in residents of a rural village in Japan. We measured serum Lp(a) levels in 347 men ana 437 women aged 35 to 90 years (mean ± SD: 62 ± 11 years) who participated in mass screening examinations in Wara village, Gifu, Japan. AV sclerosis was assessed by longand short-axis 2-dimensional echocardiographic views and continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography. AV sclerosis was graded as follows: 0 = normal AV; 1 = increased echo density; 2 = thickening or calcific deposits ≥3 mm; and 3 = same as 2 with mildly restricted motion (pressure gradient <16 mm Hg). Lp(a) levels ranged from <1 mg/dl to 153 mg/dl. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile values were 7, 16, and 28 mg/dl, respectively. Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in women than in men (p < 0.01), and did not increase significantly with age. The prevalence of AV sclerosis (grades 2 and 3) increased significantly with age (p < 0.001). AV sclerosis was present in 65 (36.1%) of 180 subjects with Lp(a) levels ≥30 mg/dl and in 77 (12.7%) of 604 subjects with Lp(a) levels <30 mg/dl (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of AV sclerosis in terms of sex, blood pressure, or levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood sugar. We conclude that increased serum levels of Lp(a), as well as aging, are closely related to AV sclerosis.

Reorganization and Functional Change of Common Forests in Fujioka Municipality, Aichi Prefecture

There have been iriai-rinya (common forests) in almost all of mountain villages in Japan. They have been owned by each village itself and utilized by almost all of the villagers based on social and cultural norms. Because of its pre-modern ownership system, however, the Japanese government has attempted to redesign it in a modern form since the Meiji Era (1867-1911), that is abolition of the ownership of iriai-rinya and putting it into the category of government-owned forests.The latest efforts done by the Japanese government was the Act for Modernization of Iriai-Rinya (iriai-rinya-kindaika-hou), which was enforced from 1966. In the act, the viewpoint of iriai-rinya was quite different from the previous policies and acts. The ownership of iriai-rinya was regarded as private property by nature. As a result of implementation of the Act, iriai-rinya have been usually divided into many parts owned individualy or shifted to associated ownership and management.During this reorganizing process, regional patterns have occurred, namely, the type of individualization in Northeast Japan and the type of association in Southwest Japan. Some factors indicated in the regional patterns can be summarized as follows;First, historical factors existed behind the regional patterns. Especially, the significance of iriai-rinya differed according to the implementation of to previous different policies on iriai-rinya.Second, administrative factors existed. The attitude of each prefecture toward iriai-rinya has strongly effected the reorganizing process.In this paper, however, it is argued that iriai-rinya have been scarcely reorganized by implementation of the Act in many metropolitan-neighboring mountain villages, although it has been done in other categories of mountain villages. With regard to this argument, previous research seems to have been hypothetical or general, but not empirical.Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the reorganizing process of iriai-rinya in two villages of Fujioka municipality, Aichi Prefecture, as a case of mountain villages neighboring to metropolitan areas, putting the focus on regional factors concerned with the implementation of the Act. The comparison between two villages is adopted as the main methodology, that is, one is a village authorized by the Act and the unauthorized village is the other.The results are summarized as follows:First, both villages planned to establish an association for forest management, that is, in both villages, there was intent to continue the collective forest-use by the implementation of the Act.Second, the previous mode of forest-use, however, was different. Furthermore, the prefecture government policy was to determine the type of reoganization owing to the previous mode of forest-use.Third, therefore, the Act was scarcely implemented, when the policy of the prefecture government as did not agree with the intent of a village. In other words, administrative factors could effect the type of reorganization.Fourth, the eventual determinant factor in the implementation of the Act was correspondence between the planning of the forest-use and the spirit of the Act. The reasons for disapproval, for example, wore that there had been alternative land-use planning, such as construction for leisure industry.From these facts, the following can be argued, that the inhabitants have intended to maintain the traditional mode of forest-use and ownership system, as ever, while the mode of urban land-use has invaded mountain villages. This is also supported by the fact that they have recognized the significance of forest management organization in conservation of the local living environment.

The Crisis and its Countermeasure for the Forestry and the Mountain Village in Japan

The Crisis and its Countermeasure for the Forestry and the Mountain Village in Japan

北海道農村地域における町村単位に見た集会研修及びスポーツ等の複合施設利用者数推定のための計算図と推定結果の検証について : 公的複合施設の需要予測に関する研究 その3

In this paper, on the basis of our former indexes, we make the nomograms for estimating the number of users. Using these nomogrames, we estimate the number of users of multiple-use facilities for gathering, studying and sports in 106 towns and villages in Japan. And then, we calculate the relative error (actual users / estimated number of users) and show that we can apply this estimating method to the actual planning if we will allow about 0.75〜1.25 for the calculating error.

Changes in the Standardized Mortality Ratios of Lung Cancer and Tuberculosis for Cities, Towns, and Villages in Japan

Changes in the Standardized Mortality Ratios of Lung Cancer and Tuberculosis for Cities, Towns, and Villages in Japan

Obesity in inhabitants living in a fishing and a farm village in Japan

Subjects The subjects were 126 male and 205 female healthy inhabitants aged between 30 and 72 years, who were living in Kisei-cho, Mie Prefecture, a rural area located in the middle of Japan. They attended the annual cardiovascular health check between the years of 1985 and 1989. We examined the blood flow of the common carotid arteries by the QFM 2OOOXA, and also the body mass index (kg/m2), blood pressure, serum lipids, hematocrit (Ht) and platelet aggregation after the overnight fast. Obesity was defined as 25 kg/m2 and more of BMI. QFM (the ultrasonic quantitative flow measurement system) consists of two systems: one is for measuring the vessel diameter (D) and its deviation ranges (dD) by the ultrasonic echo tracking (6 MHz); and the other is for measuring the absolute blood velocity by a doppler method (5 MHz) independent of the beam angles with a one-transmittertwo-receivers system [ 1,2]. The blood volume is computed from a vessel cross sectional area and the blood velocity. The volume elastic modulus (VP) was obtained by the formula VE = (Ps - Pd) x D/2dD. The circulation resistance (Zo) on the region from the common carotid artery to the cerebral artery is calculated.

An epidemiological study on cancer in certified arsenic poisoning patients in Toroku.

A mortality study has been made to assess the carcinogenic effect of arsenic exposure by analyzing a group of certified chronic arsenic poisoning patients at a small mining village in Japan. When compared with expected number of deaths, based on sex-, age-specific mortality of Japanese in 1975, '80 and '85, all cancer, cancer of respiratory system and cancer of bladder, kidney and other and unspecified urinary organs showed a significant excess over the expected number. Divided by employment history, death due to all cancers, to respiratory cancer and to urinary tract cancer showed a significant excess among former workers of the mine. Classified into four cohorts by both employment history and smoking habit, death from respiratory cancer showed a significant excess only in the cohort respiratory cancer showed a significant excess only in the cohort of former workers with smoking history, suggesting an interaction between exposure to arsenic and smoking. Eight cases among ten respiratory cancers and two urinary tract cancer cases were accompanied by cancer of other organs, including Bowen's disease.

Eicosapentaenoic acid and adult diseases in Japan: epidemiological and clinical aspects

Residents of a coastal fishing village in Japan consume larger amounts of fresh fish rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than those in inland farming villages. A higher content of EPA and DHA in the plasma and reduced platelet aggregability was observed in the residents of the fishing village than in farmers. Incidence of thrombotic cardiovascular disorders was lower in the fishing area than in the farming area. Oral ingestion of highly purified EPA or DHA reduced platelet aggregability and improved serum lipid profile in healthy subjects and in hyperlipidaemic patients, though DHA seems to be much less potent. In clinical studies with highly purified EPA, improvement of clinical features was noted in patients with thrombotic cardiovascular disorders. It is also shown that EPA and DHA have an anti-inflammatory effect in man although EPA is far more active than DHA.

Comparison of pulse wave velocity of the aorta between inhabitants of fishing and farming villages in Japan

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) of the aorta was measured in 55 inhabitants of fishing villages and in 49 inhabitants of farming villages, where people normally eat less fish than in the fishing villages. The PWV was significantly slower (indicating less sclerosis) in the fishing villages than in the farming villages ( P < 0.005). This is consistent with a lower incidence of ischemic heart disease in a coastal area, which includes the fishing villages, than in a mountainous area, including the farming villages. It is reported that a long-term fish-diet slows down sclerotic changes of arteries.

Analysis of Out-migration from a Mountain Village: A Case Study of Kamitsue-mura in Oita Prefecture, Japan

This paper proposes a scheme for study of migration which contains three factors, i.e. migrants, areas of origin and destination, and migration flows. Then it discusses characteristics of out-migration from an underdeveloped mountain village.Many mountain villages in Japan have experienced drastic depopulation by out-migration flows after W. W. II, especially since 1955. The starting point of this migration corresponds with that of high economic growth in postwar Japan. As a matter of course, social and economic characteristics of the mountainous areas have undergone rapid changes. The out-migration flows from the areas have been, therefore, one of the main causes of regional transformation by depopulation. But these out-migration flows themselves have hardly been treated in the studies on depopulation or underpopulation by researchers.In this study, the author adopts two points of view: that of 1) social geography, and of 2) population geography. The first one stresses characteristics of migrants, especially age, sex, and so on. And the second one overviews the whole character of out-migration flows from an area. These viewpoints are finally integrated to investigate spatial and temporal patterns of movements by many migrants.The study area, Kamitsue-mura, is a mountain village which is located in Oita Prefecture, and has experienced drastic depopulation in the past 25 years.In this study, data of individual out-migrants, whose names were struck off a resident registration list, were analyzed and then a further tracing survey was carrsed out.The following results were obtained:1. According to the data, the number of out-migrants from the village reached a peak between 1965 and 1970. Increase and decrease of the number was fairly correlated with the trend of the rates of Japan's economic growth.2. Analysis on the age and the sex of the out-migrants made it clear that mobility among young people, especially those between 15 and 18 years, was remarkable. Generally, the age of a migrant is strongly connected with his life cycle, and family cycle. The life cycle is reflected in the migrant's opportunities to move, and the family cycle is represented in the alternative forms of migration, i. e. whether single movement or not.Surveying other characteristics of out-migrants, e. g. family membership, the author found that the order of children by age in a family was related to their mobility. And an out-migrant's distance of movement was governed by his place of legal residence.3. The out-migrant's distance of movement was generally short. But young people tended to migrate farther away from the village. On the other hand, in the case of collective family out-migration, the distance was greatly shortened.Spatial distribution patterns of out-migrants' new addresses were thought to offer some tendency. Here, new addresses of out-migrants were grouped into six types for the purpose of analyzing the characteristics of destination and their changes. As a result, it was clear that many people who migrated from this village tended to move into the regions where the number of laborers occupied in tertiary industry was lorge. But besides this, the more important thing was the fact that migration flows of many out-migrants were destined for agricultural regions. The directions of out-migrants movements have, however, gradually tended to concentrate in those regions where tertiary industry was prominent.4. Out-migration from the village indicated some characteristics peculiar to mountainous areas. For example, numbers of out-migrants holding the object of entering into a higher level school, changing occupation, or obtaining a license were notable in this village. In addition to this, it became clear that many out-migrants selected the secondary industry for their occupations.Leaving this village, some people traced “chains” of former migrants.

Why Are There No Spinsters in Japan?

The Western European folk model of spinsterhood portrays the spinster as a woman who eschews marriage because of economic difficulties or who deliberately chooses a career other than marriage. How does this model fare in other societies? Using population registers covering a single village in Japan in the preindustrial period (1671-1871), this paper finds that spinsters are rare. There are few economic bars to marriage, but, more importantly, there are no careers for unmarried women. They do not serve as domestic servants or as sur rogates in other roles in the household; they do not occupy specialist helping roles, and they do not become religieuses. On the contrary, even women whose prospects are slim are deliberately placed in households as married women. Hence, spinsterhood in Western Europe is an anomaly. Its existence must be ex plained, not assumed.

Interrelationships between blood pressure, sodium, potassium, serum cholesterol, and protein intake in Japanese.

Interrelationships among blood pressure (BP), sodium (Na), potassium (K), dietary protein, and serum cholesterol level (Chol) were examined in 62% (1120) of 1818 Japanese inhabitants of both sexes aged over 30 years who lived in a rural village in Japan. Fasting single-spot urine specimens were collected in the morning to measure Na, K, urea nitrogen (UN), inorganic sulfate (SO4), and creatinine (Cr). The Cr ratios of Na, K, UN, SO4, Na/K, and SO4/UN were analyzed by multiple regression analysis to determine independent associations with BP together with age, obesity index, hematocrit (Hct), Chol, triglyceride (TG), and fasting serum glucose level (Glu). Except for Na/Cr in men, Na/Cr and Na/K were found to be independently and positively related to BP, particularly to systolic BP (SBP). In contrast, K/Cr and SO4/UN (an index related to the dietary score of sulphur-containing amino acids derived mainly from animal protein) were both negatively associated with SBP, and UN/Cr (an index of total protein intake) was positively associated with SBP in men. Chol was linked to BP negatively in men but positively in women. Age, obesity index, TG, and Hct were generally positively and significantly related to BP in both sexes. The results confirmed on epidemiological grounds the positive link of Na and the negative link of K to BP within a single population in Japan. They further suggest, although only in men, that there is a negative relationship of Chol and dietary animal protein with BP.

National Atlas of Major Disease Mortalities for Cities, Towns and Villages in Japan: All Causes of Death, Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Liver Cirrhosis and Tuberculosis, 1969-1978

National Atlas of Major Disease Mortalities for Cities, Towns and Villages in Japan: All Causes of Death, Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Liver Cirrhosis and Tuberculosis, 1969-1978

Atlas of lung and liver disease mortality for cities, towns and villages in Japan, 1969–1974

Atlas of lung and liver disease mortality for cities, towns and villages in Japan, 1969–1974

Atlas of cardiovascular disease mortality for cities, towns and villages in Japan, 1969–1974

Researchers have struggled to obtain a clear account of the evolution of prosocial behaviour despite a great deal of recent effort. The aim of this review is to take a brief step back from addressing the question of evolutionary origins of prosocial behaviour in order to identify contextual factors that are contributing to variation in the expression of prosocial behaviour and hindering progress towards identifying phylogenetic patterns. Most available data come from the Primate Order, and the choice of contextual factors to consider was informed by theory and practice, including the nature of the relationship between the potential donor and recipient, the communicative behaviour of the recipients, and features of the prosocial task including whether rewards are visible and whether the prosocial choice creates an inequity between actors. Conclusions are drawn about the facilitating or inhibiting impact of each of these factors on the expression of prosocial behaviour, and areas for future research are highlighted. Acknowledging the impact of these contextual features on the expression of prosocial behaviours should stimulate new research into the proximate mechanisms that drive these effects, yield experimental designs that better control for potential influences on prosocial expression, and ultimately allow progress towards reconstructing the evolutionary origins of prosocial behaviour.

Dietary risk factors of stroke and hypertension in Japan -- Part 2: Validity of urinalysis for dietary salt and protein intakes under a field condition.

Utility of urinalysis as a method for estimating dietary salt and protein intakes was examined in volunteers from farming and fishing villages in Japan and the data was compared to findings in a survey on diets. We found that partial urine samples and even a fasting single spot urine in the a.m. could serve as valid substitutes for 24-hour (hr) urine collections. Further, significant correlations were obtained between levels of salt in the diet estimated by survey interviews and urinary sodium (Na) and between interview-estimated dietary total or animal protein and urinary inorganic sulfate (SO4). In comparative studies between farming and fishing villages, almost the same findings, higher salt in a farming village and higher animal protein in a fishing village, were obtained in the urinalysis and the survey on diets. These findings clearly indicate that urinalysis, as a method for estimating dietary salt and protein intake in population surveys, has distinct advantages.

Dozoku, Oyakata-kokata, and Basic Village Organization in Japan

This article analyses the K. Aruga's dozoku theory by comparison with that of S. Kitano. Between these two scholars there existed a great disagreement in notion of the rural sociology in Japan.Aruga, one of the most important forerunners in the Japanese rural sociology, investigated the social structure of villages in Japan in terms of the conjunction of households. As a result, he insisted the existence of the same structural principles between village communities and the rest of Japanese society.It was S. Kitano who proposed one of the most important critiques on Aruga's theory. According to Kitano, Aruga could not distinguish between dozozoku and oyakata-kokata relation, and eventually his theory shows theoretical and methodological deficiencies.Here it may be important to re-examine the Kitano's deizoku theory in view of the availability for doing empirical research. In the analysis on this line, the focus would be on rethinking the notion of 'kezfu' the relationship between a stem household and a branch household in a dozoku group.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MANOR SETTLEMENT: THE CASE OF OTOGI-NO-SHO MANOR IN THE NARA BASIN, YAMATO PROVINCE

The process of the settlement formation can be one of the main themes of historico-geographical study on rural villages in Japan. The agglomerated type of rural settlement surrounded by paddy fields was extensively found in the Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi periods. In the Nara basin, which is my study area, many manor settlements formed in these periods belong to this type: for instance, Kohigashi-no-sho manor, Ichii-no-sho manor, Ikeda no-sho manor, Wakatsuki-no-sho manor, and Tarumi-no-sho manor. Yet Otogi-no-sho manor which paid a tax to the Kofuku ji temple was the type of the agglomerated settlement during the Bun'ei era of the middle Kamakura period (1264_??_75), but it is fairly unique. The processes of organization of Otogi-no-sho manor showed at least three stages. The author has already indicated the stages of settlement formation from the late Heian to the early Kamakura periods. Based on the analysis of the parcels for residences, he pointed out that Otogino-no-sho manor was not originally an agglomerated settlement: each parcel for residence included domicile house and attached huts and courtyard or garden. In other words, Otogi-no-sho manor showed the pattern that might better be described as a hamlet or nearly dispersed type of settlement at the first stage. It became an agglomerated settlement through the following stages ; (1) Firstly, the settlement during the early stage was composed of the ten parcels for residences labelled group (A) (Azukaridokoro, Gesu, Shoji, Goheizo, Zen'en, Zengaku, Zensho, Zokyo, Ryofutsu, and Naramaru) and had two nuclei. The pattern belongs to the type of a hamlet or nearly dispersed type of settlement. Yet we can see that the group (A) -(a) on the east side (Azukaridokoro, Shoji, Goheizo, Zengaku, Zokyo) was the earlier form than the group (A)-(b) between two nuclei. (2) Secondarily, just as if filling in the area between the two nuclei in the group (A), the seven parcels for residences (Gotoji, Goheita, Sakan, Shiro, ZoSho, Tonai, and Heitaro) were formed. In this stage one can talk of the concentration or agglomeration in this manor settlement. (3) Further, arround the agglomerated settlement formed by group (A) and (B), the parcels for residences of group (C) (Togoro, and Kaishin) were established. And the landscape of the settlement, as shown in the cadastral map that is called “Tsubotsuke-zu” of Otogi-nosho manor, was formed. It seems that the stage (2) and (3) occured in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. As the factors of development of manor settlement at Otogi-no-sho manor, we can point out that the influence of cultivated land was very strong in that periods. The marks “o” and “_??_” shown on the “Tsubotsuke-zu” are also very interesting. From the analysis of these marks, we can think that Otogi-no-sho as shown in the “Tsubotsuke zu” was nearly completed manor.

Epidemiological analysis on the mechanism of cigarette smoking as a risk factor in cardiovascular diseases.

To clarify the mechanism involved in the contribution of cigarette smoking to increased mortality in patients of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), blood pressure (BP), serum cholesterol (Chl), triglycerides (TG), obesity index (OI), hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb) etc, were examined in male smokers and non-smokers among 2500 inhabitants of a farming village in Japan. Smokers were classified by age and by the number (n) of cigarettes smoked per day into mild smokers (1 smaller than or equal to n < 20), moderate smokers (20 smaller than or equal to n < 30) and heavy smokers (n larger than or equal to 30). Ht was increased with the number of cigarettes smoked and was significantly higher in heavy smokers than in non-smokers, in most all the age groups. BP, Chl, TG, OI, Hb etc, showed no significant quantitative relation to the number of cigarettes smoked. This increase in Ht in smokers may represent a risk factor in increasing the morality rate in CVD.

The Geographical Evolution and Problem of Modern Village in Japan

The Geographical Evolution and Problem of Modern Village in Japan