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The article discusses the globalization of fundraising. It details how fundraising professionals face growing opportunities to involve diverse constituencies in the support of their organizations. The article offers practical tips for working with Japanese in pursuit of the major gift regardless of where the nonprofit may be based.

This paper offers a comparative analysis of internationalization policy between two distinct nations entrenched in unique sociopolitical and economic cultures, namely Japan and the United States of America (U.S.A.). How do different policymaking processes impact internationalization policy in practice? While Japan's internationalization policy is clearly articulated at the national level, the U.S. does not have a national higher education internationalization policy that emanates from the federal government. Therefore, in this study we analyzed macro-level data from three distinct policymaking sectors to identify U.S. national policy. Our analysis identifies the policy-making process in each nation and elucidates how internationalization policy unfolded in both cases. Second, we compare the development of higher education internationalization policy efforts in the two countries, sequencing events, factors, and rationales that impacted national policy. This approach allowed us to compare the implications of having a centralized versus a pluralistic internationalization policy-making process in the 2000s. Our research shows that, in practical terms, there is more variation in higher education internationalization policy in the U.S. than in Japan. In both countries, policy dynamics were influenced by social and economic factors, and political factors influenced policy in the U.S. An academic and humanitarian rationale for internationalization policy was not central to the essence of the policy in either country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the "White Paper on International Economy and Trade 2006," in Japan. Structural changes to which the country must adapt includes globalization, a rising Asia and an aging society. Strategies must be taken to deal with such changes and ensure sustainable economic growth. An index is needed to measure the levels of economic prosperity.

Provides information on Japan's "White Paper on International Trade 2004." Focus and arguments of the government report; Description of economic globalization and changes in the associated macroeconomic mechanisms; Analysis of intra-regional trade and the division of labor in East Asia.

This paper analyses international student prospectuses from twenty‐two Japanese universities involved in the Top Global University Program (TGUP) to examine how universities in Japan present and understand internationalization. International prospectuses were analysed using qualitative text analysis to generate a series of themes connected to university internationalization. Different categories of TGUP participant universities were compared to better understand the differences between how different participant types present and understand internationalization. The findings suggest that while there are differences between participant types and individual universities, overall, there appears to be a tension between understanding internationalization as an authoritative, university‐centred activity and as a student‐centric activity in which students are active participants. Furthermore, it found that although rankings are an important aspect of the TGUP, few prospectuses mentioned rankings. The paper suggests possible reasons for this omission based on the TGUP participant type. Finally, this study offers insights into how Japanese universities understand internationalization and position themselves as international institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of perspectives exist on the evaluation of Japan's educational reform of 2002, which has evolved since the 1980s. However, thus far, little attention has been paid to the emerging influence of civil society on educational policies and practices. This paper shows that the origin of the current educational reforms can be traced to reports prepared by various neo-liberal/conservative business leaders and politicians. Further, it shows their privatization and decentralization principles happen to coincide with the increasing interest of progressive citizens' groups and educators. Their impact on the Japanese education system remains latent, especially as more scepticism grows towards progressivism as a philosophy behind the current educational reform. However, the expanding civil society and new progressive education movements in Japan are trends worth exploring in the context of globalization at the grass-roots level.

This article examines how Japanese university educators understand the role of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) in higher education. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and responsive interviews with 22 educators, then analyzed with the use of grounded theory and the constant comparative method. Four notions of GCE emerged from the data. The Japanese educators expressed the opinion that GCE must: (1) foster students' sense of social efficiency and economic growth; (2) enhance their English-language proficiency to prepare them for work in the global market; (3) encourage overseas experiences to support them in acquiring global consciousness; and (4) develop students' understanding of different countries. Based on the findings, the study suggests that educators' approaches to GCE in Japan are generally oriented toward neoliberal notions of GCE aimed at fostering global human resources rather than critical global citizens. In contrast, this paper concludes by proposing a critical framework informed by the values of critical pedagogy ingrained in social justice to teach GCE in Japanese universities. This approach to GCE challenges dominant neoliberal notions of the linkages between globalization and education and orients learners toward social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the White Paper on International Economy & Trade 2015 which discusses the earning capacity of businesses in Japan. Topics included in the report are the competitiveness of Japanese business in an era of globalization, the economic recovery of the country, and internal foreign direct investment (FDI) as an important economic indicator in the country and in businesses.

The paper discusses the recent rise of the Japanese "free and open Indo-Pacific" strategy of alliances and partnerships between Asia and the West in the context of Turkey's current debate over its membership in the Western alliance of NATO versus the new Eurasianist turn toward Russia and China. The particular geographic focus of the paper is from Istanbul "between Europe and Asia," looking at Japan's "free and open Indo-Pacific" strategy from a historian's perspective by making an analogy with Japan's prewar foreign policy and global strategy with Britain. The paper argues that the Russian aggression that erupted with the Ukrainian crisis has been quickening the visibility of this emerging grand strategy of Japan, which has been in the making for some time. But the future of the global order is still unclear in view of the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russian and Chinese challenges to the international system. The situation also negatively impacts the global relations of the United States with regional powers, relations that were formed during the Cold War. Japan has more than a century of friendly relations with Turkey, a relationship that is still carried out in an Asianist discourse of shared cultural values, mutual help in times of dire crisis, and Turkish admiration for Japan's modernity that has retained tradition. The question is whether, in this fluid global situation, this historically friendly context can help Japan be a "pivot" for Turkey in taking steps toward a proactive free and open Indo-Pacific partnership. The prospect might have political implications for Turkey's future in the making of a new global order by offering an incentive for staying on the Western front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is recognized as a major competitor in world markets but is less well-known as an attractive market in its own right. This paper proposes that with the right strategies it is possible to successfully penetrate the difficult Japanese market. Problems and opportunities presented by the market are discussed, and some of the findings of a survey of Japanese and German mangers in Japan and German-based managers are reviewed. The paper covers the survey findings on market characteristics, barriers to entry, information requirements, factors contributing to success and methods of market entry. German and UK sources of information and advice on the Japanese market are given for those interested in pursuing the matter further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper produces the first cross-country evidence on the relationship between the size of foreign exchange reserves and local currency internationalization using a sample of Switzerland, Japan and the UK. It finds that a high ratio of foreign exchange reserves to international reserves has a significant, but negative, impact on local currency internationalization during the period 1976-2009. After controlling for interest rate differential, different indicators for long-run depreciation and volatility of exchange rates, as well as the once-in-a-century global financial crisis of 2007-2009, the above conclusion still holds. Additionally, these results are robust to different methods (Pooled OLS and Pooled IV/2SLS) and measures of the scale of foreign exchange reserves. This study is informative for any policy decisions and will provide a strategic reference for the Chinese government as it optimizes the composition of its international reserves, promotes the process of renminbi (RMB) internationalization and becomes a major power through financial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the empirical literature, there is no agreement on the linkage between environmental deterioration and economic growth. Thus, this paper aims to explore the long-run and causal effects of CO2 emissions, globalization energy usage, trade openness and urbanization on economic growth in Japan by employing new econometric techniques. The paper uses a dataset spanning from 1970 to 2015 and employs recent econometric techniques. To the best of the investigator's understanding, no prior studies have examined this linkage utilizing the wavelet coherence technique for Japan. The novelty of the wavelet is that it can capture the causality and long-run linkage between economic variables at different frequencies and periods. Thus, the study's aim is to address the following questions: (i) Is there a long-run and causal linkage between economic growth, energy usage, urbanization, CO2 emissions, trade openness and globalization? (ii) What is the interaction between economic growth and the regressors at various frequencies and periods? The paper utilizes the ARDL, DOLS and FMOLS to catch the long-run effects, whereas the wavelet coherence technique is employed to capture the causal effects among the indicators. The outcomes of the ARDL show that urbanization, CO2 emissions, globalization and energy usage trigger economic growth, while no significant linkage is found between trade openness and economic growth. The wavelet coherence approach reveals (i) positive co-movements between economic growth and the regressors and (ii) a one-way causality from CO2 emissions and energy usage to economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the shift in career strategies among Japanese women due to the globalization of Japan's economy since the 1980s. It highlights how economic changes led to a gender‐based division of labor, propelling women to seek opportunities abroad. The research draws on interviews with 81 women who moved to financial centers in East Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and Shanghai, examining their experiences in the workforce, the impact of human resource agencies in their migration, and the challenges and opportunities they encountered. The study reveals a complex landscape where Japanese women navigate gendered expectations and discrimination both in Japan and abroad in pursuit of career advancement. The conclusion emphasizes three points. First, women found opportunities abroad to do what they wanted, even if it was not what they initially expected before leaving Japan. Second, although supportive and subordinate to male managers, their work was indispensable to the management of Japanese companies abroad. Their contribution has long been underestimated but needs to be considered. Third, the experience abroad gave them direct interaction with various clients and colleagues and a view of rapid societal change in Hong Kong and China, contributing to choosing their diverse career trajectories and life plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the message of the "White Paper on International Economy and Trade 2006," in Japan, which is for the country to ensure its potential for sustainable growth by maintaining gross domestic product growth by using economic globalization and expanding both domestic and foreign investments. This will help Japan avoid problems caused by low birthrate and aging population, and to expand the financial resources available for citizens.

With the experience of two severe disasters (the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake disaster of 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster of 2011), I wish to consider 'subsistence' as human life, existence equaling the basic activities of life, an essential mutual act-like existence economy. In this paper, I pursue a positive development of 'disaster-time economics' as a research object under the larger framework of the formation of a 'moral economy,' as part of a critical process. In this paper, in order that a stricken area and society may aim at the realization of a new methodology about 'creative revival' for newly developing independent research involving the state of the revival fund of a wide sense is carried out. Nevertheless, there is an overall understanding of who, in what areas, and using what methodology, has conducted research in the restoration and revival process, as well as the weak points that tend to hinder the process. There is no research on the rationality and function of public finance expenditures or national sources expenditures. Therefore, in this paper, the term 'disaster-time economy' is newly prepared. From this concept, many activities of the project, service, support, self-efforts etc. of a social and private domain are grasped from a public sphere in connection with the process of maintenance/restoration under the disaster. The feature and subject point of the process are clarified. The market economy order that is going to be produced in this process does the basic work and determines the economic order for another self-subsistence over life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically explores the dynamic relationships between financial development, globalization, energy consumption, economic growth, and ecological footprint in G7 countries over the period 1980–2015. Using a recently introduced threshold cointegration test with an endogenous structural break, the paper aims primarily to determine the effects of financial development and globalization on environmental degradation. The results confirm the presence of cointegration in Canada, Italy, and Japan. The long-run estimates indicate that globalization significantly reduces ecological footprint in Canada and Italy, while financial development reduces pollution in Japan. The findings also demonstrate that energy consumption stimulates environmental degradation in these three countries. Furthermore, the causality test that considers smooth structural breaks via a fractional frequency flexible Fourier function indicates that globalization causes ecological footprint in all the G7 countries except France, while financial development causes ecological footprint in France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Finally, the overall results suggest that globalization is a more effective tool than financial development in regulating ecological footprint for G7 countries. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers should make use of the opportunities that globalization offers to solve environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to establish that globalised social and linguistic changes have a more complicated impact on local behaviours and attitudes than is believed. Based on statistical analysis of nationally representative surveys in Japan, the paper presents evidence against the following two propositions: (1) globalisation increases local demand for English use and (2) local enthusiasm for English-education reforms is a direct outcome of globalisation. The findings of the study suggest a significant disconnect between these discourses and reality. Therefore, this paper discusses the power of discourse in constructing images of globalisation and the global spread of English. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a summary of comments in response to the article "Globalization and Domestic Operations: Applying the JC/JD Method to Japanese Manufacturing Firms," published within the issue, including the effect of multinational activities at firm-level on job creation and job destruction.

Awareness of poverty in Japan significantly increased after the bubble economy ended in 1991. The presence of older men, approaching or past retirement age, living in blue tents and on park benches, was one of the first to challenge the assumption of a classless Japan. One strategy for men experiencing homelessness to alleviate their hardships and survive is to gather and sell aluminium cans. This paper ethnographically explores their precarious work and documents the various patterns of gathering and selling cans, while also looking at the impact of both local and global forces (neoliberalism) on their work. Based on fieldwork that included the economic recession of 2008-2009, I observed six months of the work of the homeless during economic stability and six months during a severe recession. My research shows how homeless men used the work of gathering and selling cans to survive during a stagnant economy and then adapted to a brutal recession, which resulted in much lower income for their labour as the price of aluminium significantly decreased. I argue that their work was affected by the global economy and that collecting cans and earning money helped homeless men survive through the crisis. Finally, I conclude that earning money via selling cans allowed the men to maintain their self-respect and pride, have a sense of purpose, buy daily necessities, and occasionally splurge on entertainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that renminbi (RMB) internationalization and China's strategic interests in ASEAN will combine to deepen economic integration and pave the way for creating a de facto RMB bloc consisting of the 10 ASEAN countries, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan--a grouping we call ASEANNew3. Such a currency bloc is likely to weaken the initiatives of the existing ASEAN3 (China, Japan, and Korea) for regional monetary-financial cooperation because neither Japan nor can Korea join the new currency bloc for economic and political reasons. This paper also argues that RMB internationalization would delay the resolution of the trade imbalance between East Asia and the United States because China would be pressured by the other members of ASEAN New3 to maintain stability of the RMB vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a theoretical insight into bank regulation and the process of internationalisation by examining the concepts of regulatory push and market pull within the context of Japanese bank entry into London during the 1980s. Rugman and Verbeke's [(1998). Corporate strategy and international environmental policy. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(4), 819-833] Consistency of Home and Host Government Goals model is utilised to structure the discussion, which centres on a situation where there is a conflict of goals between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the home government but goal alignment between MNEs and the host government. As such the paper examines a relatively under-researched aspect of internationalisation and concludes that in certain circumstances internationalisation can occur despite great 'psychic distance'. The paper also argues that although bank regulation can lead to a conflict situation it can also be conducive to the development of a strong home base and the development of firm specific advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the paper "Investor Rights in Historical Perspective: Globalization and the Future of the Japanese Firm and Financial System," by Juro Teranishi. The paper is a summary of the virtues of the Japanese postwar governance consensus justifying relatively limited shareholder rights. According to Teranishi, many Japanese scholars continue to fear that shareholder-based governance would fixate managers on short-term goals.

This paper investigates how and why the Japanese model has undergone changes in the context of its internationalization, during which foreign countries, particularly the U.S. and Germany, adopted Japanese methods, departing from their own traditional models at the turn of the twentieth century. By examining the dynamic processes of these transformations in national models, this paper critically reviews prevalent paradigms of neoliberalism and institutionalism, proposing an alternative of "mutual learning by reflexive agents." By exploring the dynamic processes of the Japanese model's internationalization and transformation, in which the Japanese model fell into crisis and underwent transformation in the changed context of international competition caused by the internationalization of the Japanese model, this paper proposes a new conception of "mutual learning by reflexive agents" in the context of international competition, in which agents, inspired by foreign competitors, critically reconsider their own institutions and, in turn, generate a new divergence in the process of creative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With regard to environmental degradation in Japan, the world's third-largest economy, limited studies have been performed to illustrate the ecological aspects of the country's core and recent economic policies such as globalization, technological innovation, and renewable energy usage policies. Given this motivation, this research reveals a new perspective on the connection between CO2 emissions and GDP growth, renewable energy, technological innovation and globalization in Japan by employing wavelet statistical tools. The paper employs series of wavelet tools for datasets covering the period from 1990Q1 to 2015Q4. The empirical outcomes demonstrate proof of the interaction between renewable energy use, economic growth, technological innovation, globalization and CO2 emissions in both time and frequency. The empirical results of the wavelet analyses reveal that globalization, GDP growth, and technological innovation increase CO2 emissions in Japan, while renewable energy usage mitigates CO2 in the short and medium terms. The results demonstrate the significance of implementing policies effectively coordinated by the policymakers to curb the significant environmental degradation in Japan. Moreover, Japan should actively support renewable energy development and create a more competitive climate for investment in the renewable energy market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to arguments on the hollowing out of industries whereby an expansion in overseas production causes decreased domestic production, recent studies, primarily in the field of international economics, have pointed out the increase in domestic production due to an expansion in overseas production. Regarding specific mechanisms, Amano (2000) emphasized that when large companies with abundant management resources expand their overseas production, their spontaneous and induced conversion behaviors cause an increase in domestic production. Responding to this assertion, on the basis of case studies on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with few management resources, this paper discovered a mechanism in which abundant management resources are not assumed. This mechanism was observed in the automotive parts industry in Japan, which faces difficulties in acquiring new customers because of fixed relationships. In this industry, it is possible to acquire new customers domestically through torihiki-jisseki ("track record of transactions" in Japanese) when overseas manufacturing sites conduct business with new customers. However, this strategy is a paradox for SMEs in Japan that wish to grow and survive domestically since it advocates overseas expansion rather than domestic expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As internationalization in the learning environment is still developing in Japan, there is a need for further practical research in foreign language education which embeds international cooperative learning. The study reported in this paper aimed to explore the effectiveness of Intercultural Cooperative Project-Based Learning (IC-PBL) based on the integration of foreign language education and tourism education, aiming to develop the necessary skills for collaborating with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Working in the context of a Japanese university, we designed IC-PBL to incorporate the acquisition of knowledge of tourism, tour guide conversation training, field investigation of tourist destinations, and presentation of travel itineraries. Learning outcomes were evaluated based on the concept of Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2017) utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study shows that the competencies for independence, ability to reach out to others, creativity, and ability to cope with stress were enhanced through the IC-PBL practice. In addition, learners recognized that collaborative learning experiences supported their improvements in thinking and teamwork within the framework of the Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons. This IC-PBL model shows potential as an effective instructional design to integrate foreign language education and tourism education and promote the ability to work with diverse people towards a common goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seven leading industrial countries, called the G7, are becoming a pivotal group to fulfil their emissions-reduction commitments to manage the climate crisis. This paper investigates the relationships between R&D intensity, globalization, and carbon emissions in the context of the G7 countries for the period from 1970 to 2017. Our analysis, which examines these relationships, focuses on the wavelet coherence approach to conduct time-frequency domain analyses. The empirical results show that there is heterogeneity across different time scales and frequencies for R&D intensity, globalization, and carbon emissions within each country. Specifically, R&D intensity and globalization are negatively correlated with carbon emissions for the G7 countries, except Japan, for which they are positive. The long-term correlations between R&D intensity, globalization, and carbon emissions are higher than those in the short- and medium-term periods. In addition, the multiscale connectedness network results reveal that the strongest bidirectional correlations exist between energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions. Our results provide a useful reference for policymakers in the G7 countries to effectively regulate carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korean ECEC has been transformed by dynamic socio-economic and political changes. In these changes, the Korean culture as it is embedded in ECEC is continuously being retranslated and reshaped in the new, and ever-changing context by means of globalization and from those who travel abroad and bring back new ideas. Previous research is limited in that it fails to connect broader Korean cultural and societal changes to changes in ECEC over time. In this paper we illustrate the history of South Korean from its independence from the Empire of Japan in 1945 to today and identify connections between socio-political and economic benchmarks and changes in South Korean ECEC. In doing this, we consider the nature of the centralized South Korean educational system, the human capital approach, care versus education, and cultural hybridity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global drive for world-class universities is twinned with a radical movement to create research assessment indicators, and universities have never been pressured as much as today by global rankings. This paper aims to focus on how research assessment exercises have reconfigured the institutional missions of the university in terms of knowledge production, teaching, and service address, by comparing three top research-intensive universities in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Japan. It critically investigates how far and in what ways academics in the three systems have been pressured to respond to these exercises. The empirical findings show that all the three cases have been affected severely and that Hong Kong universities are the most internationalized and Mainland universities are the most productive in research outputs, as also evidenced in recent QS rankings. The paper argues that the global ranking regime has created a Double Bind for East Asian universities, and has brutally dominated their institutional reconfigurations. To turn the tide, the manipulated emphasis, flawed methodology, and unethical desirability of global university rankings and research assessment exercises should be avoided to help universities healthily and meaningfully focus on real missions to which they should commit themselves. Meanwhile, critical reflections and policy actions are particularly urgent on the indigenousness of knowledge exploration and production by higher education systems in East Asia and other post-colonial contexts. Furthermore, the paper anticipates that the importance of teaching and service will be revitalized in the new stage of East Asian universities, e.g., the Chinese University 3.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate headquarters control business units, the governing of which has emerged as a vital issue as business portfolios have grown increasingly complex due to diversification, globalization, and corporate group expansion via spinoffs and mergers and acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; This study utilized questionnaire survey data from 251 firms listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The authors approached the issue of business unit governance by measuring the degree of decentralization and the intensity of monitoring, and compared the governance of internal business units with that of subsidiaries, and analyzed the impact of corporate governance characteristics on business unit governance. Findings |!|#8211; Comparing in-house business units and subsidiaries, the authors found a significant difference in their governance. The degree of decentralization toward subsidiaries was higher for strategic and personnel decision-making. However, the complementarity of decentralization and monitoring was not observed for subsidiaries, whereas it was for in-house business units. Subsidiary monitoring corresponding to decentralization was inadequate. Examining the relationship between corporate governance and business unit governance, the paper found that firms with reformed boards of directors and under a greater degree of pressure from capital markets monitored their business units more strictly. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper shows how the business portfolios and governance arrangements of Japanese firms have changed since the 1990s, and analyzes business unit governance based on valuable data obtained from a questionnaire survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'lifelong learning' or shōgai gakushu has rapidly become one of the topmost priorities in Japan's education policy agenda. This was considerably evident in December 2006 when the term 'lifelong learning' was added to Japan's educational charter, the Fundamental Law of Education. This paper explores, as a means to develop Japan's new lifelong learning policy, the lessons that can be learnt through an examination of the European countries' efforts to build a knowledge economy, where lifelong learning is regarded as the key solution in overcoming several important social and economic concerns. In this paper, I first examine the current situation of lifelong learning in Japan, employing the ethnographic data that I have collected since 2001. Second, I provide a brief review of the European lifelong learning policy, which is one of the priority guidelines in the European Union. Under the Lisbon Strategy, for example, the argument on European lifelong learning theoretically centres on developing human capital in order to survive in the global knowledge economy. Lastly, referring to the European experience over the past decade, I propose to directly connect Japan's latest policy development regarding lifelong learning with the trend of building human capital through lifelong learning in order to enhance its competitiveness in the era of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between globalisation and institutional change is an issue frequently debated in economic geography and the social sciences. Some see firms, whatever their national culture or heritage, as facing common market forces that undermine self-determination and predict convergence towards a global best practice. Others are sceptical, arguing that different country-specific 'varieties of capitalism' have market-distorting effects, resulting in path dependence that limits the strength of global incentives to converge at the firm level. Others still are unconvinced by both these arguments. As such, this paper seeks to better understand globalisation's impact on institutions and firms by documenting the effect of global finance and its affiliated agents on institutions and firms. Specifically, I examine the experiences of firms in both Japan and the US that sponsor pension funds to see if they have had similar experiences and behaviours in both jurisdictions. I find that American and Japanese pension sponsors, despite clear manifestations of societal differences, have in fact had very similar experiences. So, some of the predictions held by path dependence and the varieties of capitalism are not confirmed in this case. However, because convergence towards a 'best practice' corporate pension offering is also rejected, the paper concludes that new research that focuses on the impact of financial markets on institutions and firms offers important insights for explaining the outcomes in both places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Japan is well known for having a strong stakeholder environment. However, a more than ten-year recession and globalization pressures have put a strain on many aspects of the country's approach to corporate governance. The main goal of this paper is to investigate institutional change by examining the perceptions and expectations of an important stakeholder in the Japanese corporate governance arena. Design/methodology/approach -- In this bottom-up approach to corporate governance analysis, surveys were collected on employees' perceptions of national and firm level developments in order to verify to what extent their views had an impact on their career management attitudes. Factor analysis and multiple regression techniques were used to test a number of research propositions. Findings -- The results showed that although there is still strong support for a within-company success orientation (stakeholder view) in Japan, there are a growing number of employees who prefer a personal career success orientation (shareholder view) in Japan. Research limitations/implications -- Since this is a cross-sectional study of the career management orientation of Japanese employees, future research should examine these developments over time to confirm the long-term direction of change in the business practices. Practical implications -- Human resource managers, recruiters, and firms in general need to reevaluate their views of the future career management attitudes of Japanese employees. Originality/value -- This paper contributes to the global convergence-divergence debate in corporate governance practices. It can also be considered as an important examination of the process of de-institutionalization of local business practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers new qualitative insights into ongoing internationalization processes in Japanese higher education. Drawing on ideas from migration studies and informed by analysis of junior international faculty members' (JIFs) experiences in Japanese universities, we posit a novel, actor-centered typology of internationalization that delineates between integration, assimilation, and marginalization of mobile actors, and considers their implications in practice. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with JIFs from a variety of disciplines and institutions across Japan. Findings indicated a pattern of disillusionment with their role in internationalization, as many perceived themselves to be tokenized symbols of internationalization rather than valued actors within it. Participants identified various barriers which prevented them from participating in the academic "mainstream" and confined them to peripheral roles. We argue that their experiences are indicative of assimilative and marginalizing forms of internationalization, which pose persistent barriers to reform in Japanese universities despite decades of state-sponsored internationalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolving situation of mature manufacturing small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) in Japan and the United States and considers some of the key challenges they now face in an era of globalization and rapid technological change. The rationale and justification for policy intervention to support mature SMEs is considered. A review is offered of illustrative policy initiatives in three areas: framework policies, industrial services, and regional industrial cluster policies. The convergence of manufacturing and regional policies is noted. The relative strengths and weaknesses of Japanese and US strategies are assessed. The paper concludes with a comparison of Japanese and US approaches to retaining manufacturing SMEs, interpreted through the various and at times interactive ways through which each country's innovation system develops and evolves technology and business support policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten years have passed since the first Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) was held in 1993. Since then, TICAD II, HI, and Ministerial Level Meetings followed with each meeting producing either internationally agreed upon documents or action plans. There are many similar initiatives for development of African countries. In fact, cynics in and out of Africa castigate TICAD and other international initiatives as waste of time and energy because they have not been associated with any useful and concrete projects and the overall growth of Africa. This paper sets out to assess positive contributions that have been made by international initiatives including TICAD. The premise of this paper is that we are all in the game of globalization and development of Africa is a sub-game of globalization. Any game is played by the rules. Functions of international conferences for development could be defined in terms of setting development rules, guiding strategies and providing opportunities to build capacity for development. The paper examines what TICAD has offered to African countries as well as international community over ten years within this simple framework of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to the pressure of internal internationalization, some local communities and schools in Japan started to generate and practice a new philosophy known as "multicultural coexistence" (tabunka kyousei). Based on a long-term ethnographic research in one of the most progressive multicultural communities and elementary schools in Japan, this paper elucidates the shape of an emerging "multicultural coexistence" education model in Japan and provides some implications for its further development. By focusing on returnee and newcomer students enrolled, the paper argues the transformation of school culture, which will be delineated as an interaction among different agencies at the school: "the margin", "the top", "the outside" and "the inner core". From these ethnographic findings, the paper draws five main features of the emerging model--three that are positive and two that are potentially problematic: (1) community-based school reform movement, (2) teachers as decision makers, learners, and cooperators, (3) students' knowledge and experience as a shared resource, (4) country-oriented approach in difference/similarity framework, (5) treating all differences equally same. Referring to the critiques of multicultural education in the United States of America, the discussion suggests that the issue of social justice should be addressed more in the model by highlighting the issue of ethnicity in Japanese society. Changing teachers' attitudes toward such direction is vital and the paper proposes that coherent set of institutional changes, which centre around social justice, are necessary to raise teachers motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeless people have increased and become visible socially in Japan since the mid 1990s. There has also been a corresponding increase in sociological studies of homelessness. These studies have sought to analyse the unique characteristics of homeless people: rough sleepers, ex-day-labourers, single men, the elderly and so on. The life conditions of homeless people have also been analysed: how they get jobs, foods and shelter; how they make networks among themselves; how they resist violence from the mainstream citizenry and so on. However, in order to understand the observed situations of homeless people correctly, the economic, institutional and structural backgrounds of homelessness in Japan must be analysed on a macro and historical level. To date, no such study has been undertaken. This paper seeks to fill that gap. It analyses the processes through which homelessness has appeared in Japan. It has three specific aims. The first is to analyse the economic background of homelessness by focusing on two phenomena brought by globalisation to Japan: deyosebisation, which means the gradual disappearance of day-labourers from yoseba (the day-labour market); and the disemployment of casually employed unskilled workers in the general labour market. The second is to analyse the institutional background of homelessness to regulate the homeless population, especially by focusing on social welfare. The third is to analyse the structural background of homelessness to regulate the homeless population by focusing on two affiliate groups: company and family/relatives. The research field of this paper is Metropolitan Osaka in the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the article "The Impact of Globalization on Establishment-Level Employment Dynamics in Japan," by Naomi Kodama and Tomohiko Inui, published within the issue. Topics discussed include a review of related literature, support to the authors' view that current literature should be supplemented by a holistic data review, and the finding that single-establishment/non-subsidiary firms incurred a huge net loss in employment.

Spector and Kitsuse's Constructing Social Problems has influenced scholars around the world. However, it remains a book by American scholars, who drew heavily on their understanding of the social problems process in the U.S. This paper examines claimsmaking about the death penalty in Japan. It seeks to explain the prominence of references to international law in those claims--an emphasis rather different than found in U.S. claims about the same issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-case analysis explores national level internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) policies in Singapore and Japan. Through comparison of the state level internationalisation strategies, this paper aims to highlight how each country's unique policy environment impacts their approach to IoHE. The analysis suggests that despite the differing national circumstances and ultimate approaches to internationalisation, both states use it primarily as a means to stay competitive in the twenty-first century global knowledge-based economy. This suggests that while IoHE does build bridges between nations, institutions, and individuals within and between regions, within these cases it is being driven by nationally-centred rationales. While some criticize a competition orientation in IoHE, even with such rationales it may still serve to drive greater collaboration and integration among East Asian higher education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalisation is a polyvalent policy discourse, saturated in conceptual and ideological ambiguity. It is an assemblage of commodification, exploitation and opportunity and is a container for multiple aspirations, anxieties, and affordances. It combines modernisation, detraditionalisation, and expansiveness, with knowledge capitalism, linguistic imperialism, and market dominance. There are notable policy shadows and silences, especially relating to the emerging subjectivities, motivations and narratives of internationalised subjects, and experiences that expose the gendered, racialised, epistemic and affective inequalities constituting academic mobility. This paper explores the affective economy and policyscape of internationalisation drawing upon interview data gathered in one private and one national university in Japan with 13 migrant academics. What emerged from our study is that internationalisation policies, processes and practices generate multiple affective engagements. Internationalising oneself can be repressive and generative, with migrant academics finding themselves both vulnerable and animated by their diverse and frequently embodied experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary world, terms such as multi-culturalism and multi-identities have become common parlance. Although migration has been a feature in society since times immemorial, its connotations have been gradually changing with the passage of time. History records forced mass movements from one country to another in the world for political, economic and religious reasons. But there have also been voluntary migrations. Today increasingly we find people who choose to migrate to another land for the sheer pleasure of it. Pico Iyer, journalist, memoirist and travel writer is one such person. In fact, he chooses to spend his time between two countries - America, where his mother lives and Japan, where his wife is. Japan cast a spell on him the very first time he visited it and he was sure he wanted to return to it. But he is happy to live there as a tourist. My paper focuses on his recently published book Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells, which is autobiographical in nature. I have brought out his concerns about the impermanence of life and human suffering that emerge in his ruminations which are interspersed with an engrossing commentary on the society, culture, places, events, history etc. of Japan. Enthralling descriptions of the Autumn season add to the poignancy of his awareness of fleeting time in the autumn of his life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the research-based photographic projectContact Zonethat is conceived through the study of the Japanese period of self-inflicted Westernization beginning shortly after the middle of the nineteenth century. Considering especially the emergence of Western style architecture in the new capital of Tokyo, the paper presents working methods of German architects, who were invited to Japan to build new governmental buildings in the 1880s. The description of the historical situation serves as a basis for the presentation ofContact Zonephotographed by the author in 2006. Contact Zoneis a documentary art project dealing with the appearance of Japanese cityscapes in the beginning twenty-first century. It focuses on the integration of Western style architecture from the nineteenth century and different architectural styles and periods in Japanese cities. The work shows that Japanese contemporary urbanity isnotcompletely contrasting the appearance of European cities today, but that it has absorbed Western influences into its own fabric. The idea is to show an image of the global Japanese city today that features historical and cultural influences from the West. Whereas many photographic works by Western photographers usually present Japan and Japanese cities as completely deviant from Western cities, thus concentrating on Japanese Otherness, the photographic projectContact Zonefocuses instead on similarities in the visual fabric of contemporary Japanese cities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]