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Article
Publication date: 21 February 2024

Joko Gunawan, Ferry Efendi, Yuko Tsujita and Hisaya Oda

Despite the large number of Indonesian health-care workers working as migrant care workers in Japan, there is a lack of studies that have investigated this phenomenon or assessed…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the large number of Indonesian health-care workers working as migrant care workers in Japan, there is a lack of studies that have investigated this phenomenon or assessed the working conditions of Indonesian care workers working in Japanese aged-care facilities. This study aims to explore the work experiences of Indonesian care workers in Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative descriptive research design was used, and a purposive sample of 18 Indonesian health-care workers (12 nurses and six midwives) who work as care workers in Japan participated in this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with these participants between December 2022 and January 2023. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used to report this study.

Findings

Four key themes emerged from the data: easy but mentally challenging, being a care worker is a blessing, working in a partially Muslim-friendly environment and enjoy living: prefer to stay longer.

Originality/value

The work experiences of Indonesian care workers in Japan are complex and multifaceted. By understanding their experiences and needs, the authors can work toward creating more inclusive and supportive workplaces for all.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 January 2024

Yutaro Inoue and Shinsaku Nakajima

This study aims to investigate the relationship between consumer awareness of Zespri International Limited (Zespri™) and its sales promotion in Japan and the recent expansion of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the relationship between consumer awareness of Zespri International Limited (Zespri™) and its sales promotion in Japan and the recent expansion of New Zealand (NZ) kiwifruit imported into Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

Tweets mentioning Zespri™ were utilised as a proxy of such awareness. They were first summarised using two text-mining techniques: tf-idf scoring and a co-occurrence network graph. Afterwards, the authors estimated a tri-variate vector autoregression (VAR) model consisting of the net imports of NZ kiwifruit in Japan, unit import price and number of tweets. Additionally, the occurrence frequency of tweets with “Kiwi Brothers”, promotional characters for Zespri™’s sales, was added to the model, and a tetra-variate VAR model was estimated. Finally, Granger-causality tests, an estimation of the impulse response function and forecast error variance decomposition was conducted.

Findings

All these variables were found to Granger-cause each other. Furthermore, a shock in the document frequency of “Kiwi Brothers” significantly affected Japan’s kiwifruit imports from NZ, explaining approximately 20% of future imports. Zespri™’s distinctive sales promotion was, thus, found to contribute in part to the recent increase in NZ’s kiwifruit export to Japan.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to apply text-regression methodology to food consumption research; it contributes to food consumption research by proposing a practical way to combine tweets with outcome variables using a time-series analysis.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 September 2014

Brian Moeran

To provide an overview of the Japanese publishing industry and to compare it with the publishing industry in the United Kingdom to see whether similarities and differences are…

Abstract

Purpose

To provide an overview of the Japanese publishing industry and to compare it with the publishing industry in the United Kingdom to see whether similarities and differences are industry- or culture-specific.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides detailed descriptions of the activities of the three main players in the Japanese publishing industry (publishers/editors; distributors; and booksellers). This tripartite structure of the industry encourages divide-and-rule mechanisms also found in the Japanese advertising industry. At the same time, a comparison with the UK publishing industry reveals certain structural differences between it and the Japanese publishing industry.

Findings

Three developments that have affected trade relations in the UK publishing industry (retail chains, literary agents, and mergers and acquisitions) do not have such great impact in Japan. In Japan, wholesale distributors are extremely powerful – something not noted, but possibly overlooked, by Thompson for the UK publishing industry. Comparative material between Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as across industries within Japan, suggest certain cultural influences prevail in the organization of Japanese publishing.

Research limitations/implications

The Japanese publishing industry appears to operate under certain cultural constraints that inhibit cross-cultural comparison, while enabling cross-industry comparison within Japan. Why this is so needs further research. Can the parallels between advertising and publishing industries be extended to other forms of cultural production in Japan? In particular, the way in which money is circulated within an industry has an influential effect upon its structure.

Practical implications

A useful source of information for practitioners and academics interested in the functioning of a non-Western publishing industry. The paper also provides food for thought for those interested in trying to better the organization of publishing in Japan and/or the United Kingdom.

Originality/value

A hitherto undocumented comparative study in English of the Japanese publishing industry.

Details

Production, Consumption, Business and the Economy: Structural Ideals and Moral Realities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-055-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 November 2014

Robert J. Mason

Japan’s civic environmentalism combines a tradition of local protest and activism with a national environmental movement that is limited in size and policy influence. A strong…

Abstract

Japan’s civic environmentalism combines a tradition of local protest and activism with a national environmental movement that is limited in size and policy influence. A strong legislative and administrative response to the country’s severe pollution crisis of the 1960s and 1970s helped tamp down that era’s wave of protests and keep the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in power. While the state has generally supported local organizations engaged in environmental improvement activities, it has erected barriers that limit the scope of non-governmental organization (NGO) activities and inhibit the development of an influential national environmental movement. The 1990s reforms, inspired in part by the citizen response to the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, made it easier for NGOs to attain legal status and raise funds. Yet Japan’s civic environmentalism – by most measures – still lags well behind that of peer industrialized countries. The 2011 tsunami and nuclear crisis brought another opportunity for major reforms to the nation’s civic environmental culture – but the evidence to date indicates that the much anticipated transformation is turning out to be of a lesser magnitude than many had initially expected.

Details

Occupy the Earth: Global Environmental Movements
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-697-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 3 May 2022

Shannon Mason and Yusuke Sakurai

Within a higher education system in Japan that is often regarded as insular, but which is increasingly striving to become more global in its outlook and makeup, we are classified…

Abstract

Within a higher education system in Japan that is often regarded as insular, but which is increasingly striving to become more global in its outlook and makeup, we are classified as ‘international researchers’. Shannon entered Japan as a foreign migrant who was raised and educated in Australia, while Yusuke returned to his home country after 12 years abroad. This chapter provides an account of our personal experiences as two early career researchers beginning our academic careers in Japan.

Details

Academic Mobility and International Academics
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-510-4

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 November 2023

Qian Qin

This research explores the intricate dynamics of national interests realised through Japan's official development assistance (ODA) to China. It aims to deepen the understanding of…

Abstract

Purpose

This research explores the intricate dynamics of national interests realised through Japan's official development assistance (ODA) to China. It aims to deepen the understanding of these mechanisms, detailing the extent to which Japan has accomplished its national interests.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies the role theory and narrative analysis to elucidate Japan's national role conception and its categories of national interests with regards to its ODA policy. It utilises both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the success rate in achieving Japan's diplomatic objectives and how those interests have manifested over time.

Findings

The findings suggest a mixed outcome. Whilst Japan's ODA to China has helped in expanding trade and fostering mutual understanding and cooperation, it has been less successful in promoting democratic governance in China or effectively counterbalancing China's regional power. Hence, the realisation of national interests through ODA is a complex process contingent upon numerous factors.

Originality/value

This study stands out for its multifaceted approach in examining Japan's ODA policy towards China, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and applying the role theory in the context of international development aid. It fills a significant gap in the literature by analysing the interplay between national interests and foreign aid, providing nuanced insights into the successes and challenges of Japan's pursuit of its diplomatic objectives. The study's findings have important implications for understanding the complexity of international aid dynamics and can inform future policy decisions in the realm of international relations and foreign aid.

Details

International Trade, Politics and Development, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2586-3932

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Frederick de Moll and Akihide Inaba

In recent decades, childhood in Japan has undergone significant transformations. Government policies geared at boosting women's labor force participation, a declining fertility…

Abstract

In recent decades, childhood in Japan has undergone significant transformations. Government policies geared at boosting women's labor force participation, a declining fertility rate, rising costs of having children on the one hand, and increased spending on public childcare and support measures for families, on the other hand, contribute to these ongoing changes. Having only one child is becoming the norm while mothers' role in society is shifting. The traditional family structure is moving from the previously predominant male breadwinner model to more dual-earner families. Children now spend significant amounts of time in care and education institutions.

In this chapter, we analyze current configurations of early childhood in institutions and the family from a policy perspective and regarding children's predominant education and care arrangements. Drawing on various survey data sets and evidence from demographic statistics to pedagogical ethnographies, we look at how childcare policies and families reshape the organization of children's lives and outline how institutions and educators create learning experiences aligned with the values of a collectivist society. However, despite being deeply rooted in traditional child-rearing goals, many parents also subscribe to rigorous educational arrangements from early childhood onwards to prepare children for success in a competitive education system. The chapter finishes with an outlook on future directions of how policymakers and the ongoing institutionalization of childhood continue to change children's lives.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Childhood and Youth in Asian Societies
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-284-6

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 December 2016

Evan Burkosky

Abstract

Details

Angel Financing in Asia Pacific
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-128-9

Book part
Publication date: 7 November 2017

Florian Kohlbacher, Izabela Warwas and Hendrik Mollenhauer

This chapter discusses the concept of productive ageing in Japan and Poland. Productive ageing is defined as any activity by older people which produces goods or services, whether…

Abstract

This chapter discusses the concept of productive ageing in Japan and Poland. Productive ageing is defined as any activity by older people which produces goods or services, whether paid or not. Productive ageing is slightly more narrowly defined than active ageing in so far it is focused on economic activity whereas active ageing covers a broader array of social activities. The chapter discusses activities of governments and employers in these three economies in promoting economic activities. The relative success of the Japanese economy in sustaining relative high levels of older employment is the result of active government interventions both in terms of adjusting pension policies to support working pensioners and intervening in employer practices. In Poland, government has struggled to raise older workers’ participation rates by raising pension ages and promoting older employment. In both countries, governments are recognising the economic impact of ageing demographics on the respective societies, but have had different levels of active involvement in intervening in employer practices. Finally, this chapter initiates a broader discussion of the situation in the discussed area not only in Poland, but in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Details

Managing the Ageing Workforce in the East and the West
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-639-6

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 12 June 2020

Masaki Hosomi, Tomoki Sekiguchi and Fabian Jintae Froese

While mentoring plays an important role in Japanese working places, formal mentoring programs have only recently been introduced. This chapter provides an overview of the…

Abstract

While mentoring plays an important role in Japanese working places, formal mentoring programs have only recently been introduced. This chapter provides an overview of the development of mentoring in Japan and presents a conceptual model to comprehend mentoring in Japan and beyond. The chapter begins with the illustration of how the characteristics of Japanese organizations and Japanese-style human resource management (HRM) promoted the naturally occurring informal mentoring in the Japanese workplace in early years. In response to the stagnating economy and declining demographics during the last few decades, many Japanese firms adopted Western-style HRM practices, including formal mentoring programs. We provide statistical data to demonstrate the widespread adoption of formal mentoring programs in recent years. We then report the results of the systematic review of the academic literature on mentoring in Japan, suggesting that research on mentoring in Japan is still in the early stage. Based on the historical overview, current data and the systematic review of the academic literature, we develop a conceptual model of how the socio-cultural and economic context as well as organizational characteristics influence the adoption of Japanese-style naturally occurring informal mentoring and/or Western-style formal mentoring practices. We conclude this chapter with practical and theoretical implications.

1 – 10 of over 62000