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Child education and accompanying discourse in the seventeenth-century circles of Constantijn Huygens are thoroughly researched. But while children grow up, parents also learn and not only through their siblings. Some remarks about experiences that Huygens had outside the regular discourse on education can be made. Huygens' correspondence and his garden poem "Hofwijck" show that Japan played a significant role in his understanding of uncontrolled growth of plants in garden wilderness where ideas on vegetal growth extend to raising children. A major informant on the Far East in Huygens' family circles was François Caron, who reported in detail on children growing up in Japan. Relative success of their children in society shows that their educational approaches apparently worked. A novel understanding of processes of growth and limitations to influence such processes in the garden denied Renaissance reasoning; combined with insights from Japan it strengthened Huygens in promoting his enlightened ideas on "individual" talent of children.

This article builds on the growing literature on the Kyoto School of Philosophy and its influences on the field of Education. First, I argue that the influence of the Kyoto School of Philosophy is historically significant in Japan, and that the connection between this philosophical school and the philosophy of education is by no means superficial. Second, I suggest that this school contributes a unique view of "negative education" founded in the philosophical idea of "nothingness." I examine how this negative education is manifest both in religious cultivation and in more general views of education, and I develop these ideas through the models of self-negation proposed by Nishitani Keiji and Hisamatsu Shin'ichi. Third, taking up the Herbartian idea of "pedagogical tact," I analyse the characteristics of the I-Thou relationship, in the vector of nothingness, implicit in the above-mentioned view of education. I examine two approaches to this relationship--one of "sharing in nothingness" as found in Nishitani and Hisamatsu, and one that goes beyond the idea of "sharing" and accommodates alterity, as found in Nishida Kitarô and Nishihira Tadashi. By threshing out these three points, I hope to highlight the continued pedagogical relevance of the philosophical ideas of the Kyoto School.

Discusses the purpose, scope, conduct, and potential products of a United States study of education in Japan. The study will investigate the formal and informal means of education in Japan within its societal context to develop a series of insights for the improvement of U.S. education. (JN)

Attempts to provide social studies teachers with a more comprehensive understanding of the Japanese economy than can be gleaned from the popular press. Describes the contributions of competitive strategies, technology, capital availability, and education to Japan's economic success. (AEM)

Background: While self‐regulated learning (SRL) strategy‐based writing instruction has been proposed in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms, there is insufficient evidence with Japanese EFL learners and little discussion on incorporating online resources into SRL strategy‐based writing instruction, despite the availability of various online platforms. Objectives: This study proposed an SRL strategy‐based instruction for technology‐assisted writing and explored its immediate and sustained impacts on Japanese tertiary EFL learners' writing performance, reported use of SRL strategies, self‐efficacy beliefs and perceived acceptance of technology. Methods: The research design used was a pre‐experimental pre‐test, post‐test and delayed post‐test design with a quantitative approach using convenience sampling. Participants were 44 students enrolled in an academic writing course at a Japanese university. Over an 8‐week period, these students received SRL strategy‐based writing instruction supported by online writing resources. The research instruments included writing tests and questionnaires assessing SRL strategies, self‐efficacy and technology acceptance at the beginning of the intervention (Time 1), immediately after the intervention (Time 2) and 1 month after the intervention (Time 3). The data analysis techniques involved ANOVA, post‐hoc tests, and examination of the effect sizes. Results and Conclusion: The results showed statistically significant improvements in students' writing performance, SRL strategy use, self‐efficacy and technology acceptance from Time 1 to Time 2 and persistent impacts at Time 3, suggesting the intervention's potential to improve EFL writing. This study contributes to EFL writing pedagogy by exploring the immediate and sustained impacts of teaching SRL strategies in a technology‐enhanced writing environment. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic?: Positive relationships have been found between SRL strategies and writing performance.While SRL strategy‐based writing instructional models have been proposed, there is insufficient evidence with Japanese EFL learners.There is limited research on the effects of SRL interventions in online writing environments. What does this paper add?: The study explored the writing pedagogy that incorporates technology‐assisted writing into SRL strategy instruction for Japanese tertiary EFL learners.The results showed positive impacts of the instruction not only on writing performance and SRL strategies, but also on learner beliefs and perceptions (i.e., self‐efficacy and technology acceptance).The instruction's long‐term impacts were observed. Implications for practice/or policy: The findings offer initial evidence of the effectiveness of technology‐assisted SRL instruction for Japanese college EFL learners, which is lacking in the research field.The findings would be beneficial to EFL teachers by providing insights into innovative writing pedagogy grounded in writing strategies and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Raising dementia awareness is essential for building a dementia-friendly community. However, existing studies have underexplored the effects of virtual reality (VR) dementia educational programs for the general public on enhancing positive attitude toward dementia. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a VR dementia-friendly educational program called the Drive for Dementia Readiness Inside Virtual Reality (DRIVE) program to improve attitude toward dementia of the general public. Research Design and Methods A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted. Eligibility criteria for participants included being 16 years and older in Japan and having no professional license in healthcare and social care. We randomized individuals to attend a multielement VR dementia-friendly educational program (intervention), including simulation, VR films, short films, lectures, and discussions or a lecture-based program (control). Data were collected 3 times, including at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome was attitude toward dementia. The secondary outcomes were intention of helping behavior for people living with dementia and knowledge of dementia. Results We recruited 157 community residents, among whom 130 were included in the analysis. Although the mean changes in attitude score were not significantly different between the groups (Hedge's g  = 0.26), the intention of helping behavior score was significantly higher in the intervention group (g  = 0.49). Discussion and Implication The DRIVE, a VR-based multielement dementia-friendly educational intervention, was shown as a promising tool for significantly affecting the intention of helping behavior for people living with dementia to establish dementia-friendly communities. Clinical Trials Registration Number UMIN000044901 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT; OpenAI) is a state-of-the-art large language model that can simulate human-like conversations based on user input. We evaluated the performance of GPT-4 V in the Japanese National Clinical Engineer Licensing Examination using 2,155 questions from 2012 to 2023. The average correct answer rate for all questions was 86.0%. In particular, clinical medicine, basic medicine, medical materials, biological properties, and mechanical engineering achieved a correct response rate of ≥ 90%. Conversely, medical device safety management, electrical and electronic engineering, and extracorporeal circulation obtained low correct answer rates ranging from 64.8% to 76.5%. The correct answer rates for questions that included figures/tables, required numerical calculation, figure/table ∩ calculation, and knowledge of Japanese Industrial Standards were 55.2%, 85.8%, 64.2% and 31.0%, respectively. The reason for the low correct answer rates is that ChatGPT lacked recognition of the images and knowledge of standards and laws. This study concludes that careful attention is required when using ChatGPT because several of its explanations lack the correct description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks if there is deficiency of investment in people in Japan. To answer this question we examine comparative and historical data, as well as the reasons behind the data. We then look at public policies of recent administrations, particularly the Kishida administration, since one of its core policy agendas is 'investment in people'. We find that there is a deficiency of investment in people, by governments, companies and people themselves, for a variety of reasons, and that the Kishida administration has to date only proposed temporary measures without long term solutions. The paper concludes with policy implications and some proposals for additional action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how multiethnic individuals in Japan navigate both racial and ethno-national boundaries between Japanese and non-Japanese, and how these boundaries shape or constrain their identity option as Japanese. While previous research primarily focused on the (in)visibility of mixedness (race) as constraints, this study emphasises the role of ethnicity and nation in shaping their identity choices and constraints. Through interviews with 17 individuals born to Japanese and non-Japanese Asian parents, the study reveals that ethno-national boundaries often limit their self-identification as Japanese, even though their non-Japanese backgrounds are not visibly apparent. It challenges the dominant narrative surrounding 'hāfu', which emphasises a desire to be fully seen as Japanese, by revealing that some multiethnic individuals in Japan do not aspire to be perceived as entirely Japanese. Despite the contrasting nature of these two identifications, they both stem from the same issue ― the narrow conceptualisation of Japaneseness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the social difficulties and health care needs of adult Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients in Japan, as well as the financial and physical stress experienced by their caregivers. This study aimed to clarify the social circumstances surrounding adult DMD patients and assess the degree of involvement of family members in their care and the associated economic burden of the disorder in Japan. Methods: Adult DMD patients were identified through the Registry of Muscular Dystrophy (Remudy) in Japan and invited to complete a questionnaire together with a caregiver. Data on health care use, quality of life, work status, informal care, and household expenses were collected to estimate the costs associated with DMD from social and caregiver household perspectives. Results: In total, 234 (63.7%) of 367 adult DMD patients (mean age, 27.4 ± 6.0; range, 20–48 years) completed the questionnaire. Of these, 38 (21%) had developmental disorders (mental retardation, autism, and learning disorders), 57 (33%) experienced bullying in school, and 44 (77%) indicated the reason for bullying to be their physical handicap. Employment histories were noted by 72 (31%), although 23 (10%) lost their jobs mainly due to physical difficulties. Of the 234 patients, 164 (74%) lived with their relatives, and 78% of care time was supplied by family members, in particular, their mothers. The mean rate of care work provided by family members was 81%. Household income of families with an adult DMD patient was lower, whereas the rate of living with parent(s) and grandparent(s) was higher, in comparison with the general Japanese population. Conclusions: Adult DMD patients in Japan experience many social difficulties from childhood up to adulthood. As adults, many DMD patients experience bullying and workplace difficulties. Families were found to provide most of the care and financial support for DMD patients. Our results suggest the need to improve public patient care systems, including financial support, to address the physical and economic burdens of care for adult DMD patients in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to verify the clinical feasibility of tele‐proctoring using our ultra‐low latency communication system with shared internet access. Methods: Connections between two multiple remote locations at various distances were established through the TELEPRO® tele‐proctoring system. The server records the latency between the two locations for tele‐proctoring using the annotations. Questionnaires were administered to the surgeons, assistants, and medical staff. Respondents rated the quickness and quality of communication in terms of latency and disturbances in the audio, video, and usefulness of the live telestrations with annotation. Results: Seven hospitals tele‐proctored with Sapporo Medical University between January 2021 and September 2022. The median latency of annotation between the two locations ranged from 24.5 to 48.5 ms. No major technological problems occurred, such as streaming interruption, loss of video or audio, poor resolution. The video encoding time was 10 ms, and its decoding time was 0.8 ms. The total latency positively correlated with the distance between two locations (R = 0.55, p < 0.01). The quality of communication regarding latency, disturbance, and surgical education with intraoperative annotative instructions showed similar trends, with perfectly fine being the most common response. No significant differences in surgical quality, educational effect, or social impact were observed between the latency ≥30 and <30 ms groups for whether the size of latency affects surgical education. Conclusion: The feasibility of the tele‐proctoring system is expected to be a sustainable approach to help education for young surgeons and surgical supports in rural areas, thereby reducing disparities in health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the onset of depressive symptoms has attracted considerable attention. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the association of multiple SES indicators, including "assets," with the onset of depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study examined the association of four SES indicators in old age ('years of education' 'equivalent income,' 'equivalent assets,' and 'the longest‐held job') with new‐onset depressive symptoms in a large Japanese dataset. Methods: This longitudinal study used panel data of cognitively and physically independent older adults from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) conducted in 2013 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of each SES indicator with new‐onset depressive symptoms, and odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: We analyzed the data of 40,257 older adults, with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 72.9 (±5.5) years. In the follow‐up survey, 4292 older adults had new‐onset depression symptoms (10.7%). 39.3% had 10–12 years of education. 36.9% had an equivalent income of up to JPY 1.99 million. 24.4% had equivalent assets of JPY 4–17.99 million. Most had a clerical job for the long time. Furthermore, fewer years of education (males: OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.22–1.64, p‐value <0.001/females: 1.26, [1.09–1.47], p = 0.002), lower income (males: 1.64, [1.34–2.01], p < 0.001/females: 1.82, [1.49–2.22], p < 0.001), and fewer assets (males: 1.40, [1.16–1.68], p < 0.001/females: 1.21, [1.02–1.42], p = 0.025) resulted in higher odds of having new‐onset depressive symptoms, even when other SES indicators were entered simultaneously. Conclusions: All four SES indicators have an independent association with the development of new‐onset depressive symptoms among older adults, reflecting different aspects of SES. The association between the "longest‐held job" and new‐onset depressive symptoms can be largely explained by other SES indicators. A multifaceted and lifetime approach is required to prevent the onset of depressive symptoms in old age. Key points: Fewer years of education and lower income and assets result in higher chances of developing depressive symptoms for Japanese older adults, even after adjusting SES indicators of different life stages for each other.Fewer assets are significantly associated with the development of depressive symptoms, independent of income.A multifaceted and lifetime approach is required for each SES indicator to prevent the onset of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the role of education in the outcomes of the reform of the Japanese annual health checkup program. In April 2008, the annual checkup was redesigned to address concerns about metabolic syndrome. As the checkup is mandatory only for salaried workers, their participation rate is significantly higher than other workers; thus, they were most affected by the reform. Using institutional information, a difference-in-differences estimation was conducted with salaried workers as the treatment group and self-employed workers as the control group. We found that the reform caused significant changes in health behaviors and outcomes only among university graduates who were at a relatively high risk of metabolic syndrome. This highly educated group increased their physical activity, brought energy intake close to an ideal level, and achieved significant weight loss and BMI reduction to levels that minimize all-cause mortality among middle-aged Japanese. A secondary analysis implies that the difference in cognitive functioning test scores may be a critical factor in explaining the heterogeneous responses to the reform, suggesting that thoroughly well-articulated recommendations for healthy behaviors are needed in order to improve reform uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Athletes report poor breast/bra knowledge, breast pain, sports bras causing lacerations and chafing, negatively affecting sports performance. No bra interventions to address these issues are reported. Working with 142 UK female athletes preparing for Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics (27 sports), this multi-phase intervention assessed breast/bra knowledge, preferences, issues via surveys and breast/bra assessments. Data were used to develop two sports bras. A total of 112 athletes were prescribed one of the new bras through individual assessments. After four weeks, wear athletes completed evaluations. Pre-intervention breast/bra knowledge was low (83% ≤average), multiple breast/bra issues were reported and most athletes wore ill-fitting, loose bras, offering limited support. Post-intervention, 63% reported improved knowledge and 97% reported their prescribed bra as better than their original bra. Eighty-seven per cent reported benefitting from this intervention, with 17% reporting improved performance. This intervention effectively assessed sports bra needs, developed and implemented solutions, which improved knowledge and potentially performance for some UK athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostic errors pose a significant risk to patient safety and have substantial medical and economic consequences. Despite their importance, diagnostic error education is currently lacking in standard pre-graduate curricula. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of diagnostic errors and the frequency of recognition among medical students in Japan. A pilot survey was conducted immediately after the General Medicine In-Training Examination (GM-ITE), a comprehensive post-graduation test, administered to new residents right after graduation from medical school. The survey assessed whether they received education on diagnostic errors during their formal undergraduate medical education and whether they recognized diagnostic errors during their clinical training. Of the 564 examinees, 421 participated in the study. The majority of participants (63.9 %) reported receiving education on diagnostic errors, and 15.7 % recognized diagnostic errors during their clinical training. Significantly, those who received education on diagnostic errors had a higher rate of recognizing such errors compared to those who did not (19.7 vs. 8.6 %; p=0.0017). These findings suggest that the recognition rate of diagnostic errors increases with improved literacy in diagnostic error education. This highlights the importance of incorporating diagnostic error education into medical curricula to develop effective strategies to prevent and manage diagnostic errors, and thereby enhance medical and patient safety. However, this study did not examine the specific educational content of the errors or the details of the recognition, necessitating further investigation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Japanese EFL learners often fail to identify and categorise the different degrees of certainty associated with CERTAIN, PROBABLE, and POSSIBLE items. This computer‐mediated study evaluated the relative effects of animated versus static illustrations on stimulating the spatial concept of distance for the acquisition of this knowledge. Objectives: This study aimed to: (1) discover whether the spatial concept of distance captured by three‐dimensional (3D) images in animated or static illustrations help learners understand spatial relationships more clearly, and (2) whether a static illustration is sufficient for learning the different degrees of certainty. Method: Animated and static visualisation groups used 3D images of animated versus static illustrations that capture the spatial concept of distance, and a contrasting group did not use illustrations. The former applied the spatial concept of distance to learn the degrees of certainty, using animated or static illustrations. A spatial concept‐oriented approach that visualises concepts of distance enabled participants to understand the degrees of certainty. The contrasting approach involved rote learning of a list of target expressions for the different degrees of certainty in English. Results and Conclusions: Both the animated and static versions of the spatial concept‐oriented approaches were equally effective. The difference between the two versions did not significantly impact the overall performance of the groups. Takeaways: Regardless of the type of effect, the spatial concept of distance captured in words and illustrations helped the participants (1) process the different degrees of certainty cognitively in terms of distances and (2) retain them in long‐term memory. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Understanding our experiences in terms of metaphors based on spatially visualised concepts of the physical world leads to mapping the embodied concepts onto non‐embodied concepts and retaining these in long‐lasting memory.3D descriptions direct people's attention to the spatially visualised concepts, which influences people to internalise them with ease.The lack of consensus (in previous studies) on the effect of animated versus static versions of the metaphor awareness‐raising approach with either 2D or 3D images has some relevance to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. What this paper adds: Computer‐generated 3D images were used to help participants in the metaphor‐based groups understand spatial relationships related to the degrees of certainty among certain, probable, and possible items.This study evaluated the relative effects of animated versus static illustrations on stimulating the spatial concept of distance for the acquisition of this knowledge.The animated and static version of the metaphor‐based approach groups outperformed those in the non‐metaphor‐based and control groups. Implications for practice and/or policy: It is necessary to consider all possible confounding variables and control for their effects when designing future animation versus static studies.Further analysis of the spatial concept‐oriented metaphor‐based approach from the perspectives of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning combined with cognitive linguistic theory would be beneficial for fellow researchers and teachers to gain insight into the nuances of the approach and expand its application in the EFL context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Poor medication adherence among older adults is a global concern as it causes adverse drug interactions and inappropriate dosing. This study aimed to assess the association between family pharmacy and medication adherence among older adults. Methods The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study was a cross-sectional study of 18,792 people aged ≥65 years living in 61 municipalities in 25 prefectures who participated in a survey conducted in 2019 and did not require long-term care. Self-reported questionnaires were administered to evaluate whether the participants "always received medicines from the same pharmacy" and whether they had unused medicines. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine the association after adjusting for confounders. Results Unused medicines were present in 89.9% of the "have group" (individuals who always received their medicines from the same pharmacy). This group had a lower prevalence of unused medicines (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.82–0.92) than the "none group" (individuals who did not always receive their medicines from the same pharmacy). In the stratified analysis by education level, the prevalence of unused medicines was lower among those with low levels of education (≤9 years: PR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71–0.96; 10–12 years: PR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74–0.88). Discussion Older adults who "always received medicines from the same pharmacy" had a lower prevalence of unused medicines, especially those with low levels of education. Thus, "always receiving medicines from the same pharmacy" may be effective in reducing the proportion of unused medicines and improving medication adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence regarding the factors affecting the geographical variation of antimicrobial use (AMU) is relatively scarce. This study aimed to evaluate factors potentially associated with geographical variability of AMU per day per 1000 habitants in the 47 prefectures of Japan. Methods: This is an observational ecological study using the Japanese national database in 2019. The outcome was the defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day by prefecture. Multivariable negative binomial regression analysis was conducted using patient- and physician-level variables. Results: The study included 605,391,054 defined daily doses of AMU in 2019 from the 47 prefectures. In the multivariable negative binomial regression analyses for the outcome of total AMU, the proportion of female individuals (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] 1.04 [1.01–1.08] per 1% increase, p = 0.021), the proportion of upper secondary graduates going to further education (aRR 1.01 [1.00–1.01] per 1% increase, p = 0.005), and the annual number of diagnoses related to upper respiratory infections (URIs) per 1000 inhabitants per day (aRR 1.21 [1.10–1.34], p < 0.001) were significantly correlated with total AMU. Conclusions: In this ecological study, the variability of total AMU by Japanese prefecture was associated with the proportion of female individuals, education level, and the number of URI diagnoses per population. The results suggest the potential need for additional stewardship efforts to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial prescriptions for URI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in Japan in February 2020, forcing the adoption of online education by university medical schools across Japan. The advantages and disadvantages of online education have been studied in Japan; however, the educational outcome of online classes conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been completely evaluated. In this study, we examined the relationship between lecture format (e.g., face-to-face or online) and performance of third-year university students in their organ-specific cardiovascular course examination. Methods: This retrospective, nonclinical, and noninterventional comparative educational study included 550 third-year medical students who took a cardiovascular course between April 2018 and May 2022. Cardiovascular coursework was conducted in-person in 2018 and 2019, online in 2020 and 2021, and again in-person in 2022. The course comprised 62 lecture and 2 problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. A quiz was set up in advance on Moodle based on all lectures conducted in 2021 and 2022. A written examination was administered at the end of the course to evaluate the knowledge of students. The student online course evaluation questionnaires were administered in 2020 and 2021. Examination scores and proportion of failures in each year were compared. Results: The mean examination scores were significantly higher in 2021 and 2022 than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 (p < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses adjusted for the class type, online quiz, and PBL revealed that only online quiz was significantly associated with better examination results (p < 0.05). A student course evaluation survey indicated that the online format did not interfere with the students' learning and was beneficial. Conclusions: The introduction of online classes into medical education due to the COVID-19 pandemic was as effective as face-to-face classes owing to learning management system and other innovations, such as online quizzes. Online education may confer more benefits when provided in a combination with face-to-face learning after COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid modernization and industrialization have significantly intensified carbon emissions and worsened environmental sustainability around the globe. Despite the significant importance of green innovation, clean energy consumption, and education in every aspect of life, the role of all these variables in determining environmental sustainability has not been explored quite extensively in case of China. Under this premise, the present study aims to investigate the role of green innovation, clean energy investment, and education on environmental sustainability in highly polluted Asian economies for the period of 1991–2019 by employing the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The findings infer that increase in green innovation reduces CO2 emissions in China, India, and Japan in the long-run. However, an increase in clean energy investment and education tends to decline CO2 emissions in Russia and Japan. The findings confirm that green innovation, clean energy investment, and education improve environmental sustainability in long-run, while short-run estimates are diverse. Thus, governments of highly polluted economies should increase investment in education, clean energy, and technology to mitigate CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Headache is a common public health problem, but its burden could be avoided by raising headache awareness and the appropriate use of acute medication and prophylactic medication. Few reports on raising headache awareness in the general public have been reported, and there are no reports on headache awareness campaigns through social networking services (SNS), or social media, in Japan. We prospectively performed a headache awareness campaign from March 2022 through 2 SNS, targeting nurse and wind instrumental musicians, because they are with high headache prevalence.Methods: Through the 2 SNS, the article and video were distributed, respectively. The article and video described the 6 important topics for the general public about headaches, which were described in the Clinical Practice Guideline for Headache Disorders 2021. Just after reading or watching them as e-learning, we performed online questionnaire sheets to investigate the awareness of the 6 topics through the 2 SNS. The awareness of the 6 topics before and after the campaign was evaluated.Results: In the SNS nurse-senka, we obtained 1191 responses. Women comprised 94.4%, and the median (range) age was 45 (20 to 71) years old. Headache sufferers were 63.8%, but only 35.1% had consulted doctors. In the SNS Creatone, we got the response from 134 professional musicians, with 77.3% of women. The largest number of respondents were in their 20s (range 18– 60 years old). Headache sufferers were 87.9%. Of them, 36.4% had consulted doctors, 24.2% were medication-overuse headache. The ratios of individuals who were aware of the 6 topics significantly increased from 15.2%-47.0% to 80.4– 98.7% after the online questionnaire in both SNS (p < 0.001, all).Conclusion: E-learning and online survey via SNS can improve headache awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to examine the real‐world effectiveness of education regarding clinical guidelines for psychiatric disorders using 'the Effectiveness of guidelines for dissemination and education in psychiatric treatment (EGUIDE)' project. Methods: The EGUIDE project is a nationwide prospective implementation study of two clinical practice guidelines, i.e., the Guideline for Pharmacological Therapy of Schizophrenia and the Treatment Guidelines for Major Depressive Disorders, in Japan. Between 2016 and 2019, 782 psychiatrists belonging to 176 hospitals with psychiatric wards participated in the project and attended lectures on clinical practice guidelines. The proportions of guideline‐recommended treatments in 7405 patients with schizophrenia and 3794 patients with major depressive disorder at participating hospitals were compared between patients under the care of psychiatrists participating in the project and those not participating in the project. Clinical and prescribing data on the patients discharged from April to September each year from participating hospitals of the project were also analyzed. Results: The proportions of three quality indicators (antipsychotic monotherapy regardless of whether other psychotropics medication, antipsychotic monotherapy without other psychotropics and no prescription of anxiolytics or hypnotics) for schizophrenia were higher among participating psychiatrists than among nonparticipating psychiatrists. As similar results were obtained in major depressive disorder, the effectiveness of the project for the dissemination of guideline‐recommended treatment has been replicated. Conclusion: This strategy of providing education regarding the clinical guidelines for psychiatric disorders was effective in improving the treatment‐related behavior of psychiatrists. The use of this education‐based strategy might contribute to resolving the mental health treatment gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to publish good research papers from Japan, it is necessary to conduct good (i.e., meaningful) research, obtain good (i.e., meaningful) results, and write good manuscripts that convey the significance of research. In particular, when aiming for publication in an English medical journal, the manuscript should be written in correct and accurate English, which is a major challenge for authors who are non-native speakers of English, such as those from Japan. At the same time, to ensure that the manuscript is a "good paper," attention should also be paid to elements other than language. To write a paper that will be accepted by reliable medical journals, including top-ranked ones, the content should be appropriately written according to the requirements based on international standards, such as the reporting guidelines endorsed by the EQUATOR Network and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors; this is a common challenge not only for Japanese authors but for authors around the world. Medical writers are professionals who improve the quality of manuscripts and facilitate the publication of research. Based on my own expertise and experience as a medical writer for 20 years in supporting clinical research, I would like to describe the steps I think should be followed to produce good manuscripts. I would also like to focus on the importance of education and of collaboration with professionals in writing and publishing research papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Our web-based training program called "Educating Medical Professionals about Reproductive Issues in Cancer Healthcare" aims to help healthcare professionals communicate promptly with patients and survivors who are adolescents and young adults, with information pertinent to reproductive health issues such as the risk of infertility and fertility preservation. Methods: The study participants were professional healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, genetic counselors, and dieticians. Pre- and post- and 3-month follow-up tests consisting of 41 questions were administered to measure changes in knowledge and confidence. The participants also received a follow-up survey that covered confidence, communication techniques, and practice habits. A total of 820 healthcare providers participated in this program. Results: The mean total score from the pre-test to the post-test grew significantly (p < 0.01), and participants' self-confidence increased. In addition, there was a change in the behavior of healthcare providers, who began asking about patients' marital status and parity. Conclusion: Our web-based fertility preservation training program improved knowledge and self-confidence regarding fertility preservation issues among healthcare providers caring for adolescents and young adult cancer patients and survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurological symptomatology is a crucial component of neurological expertise. The committee for fostering board‐certified neurologists in the Japanese Society of Neurology (JSN) has hosted an educational activity for residents before the board examination, "The seminar for fostering board‐certified neurologists" since 2004. In particular, the autumn seminar has been characterized by small group hands‐on of neurological examinations and the evaluations of higher brain function. Besides this, hands‐on seminar of neurological examinations by regional branches has been promoted by the JSN. In the Kanto Ko‐shin‐etsu branch, "The first hands‐on seminar of neurological examinations" started in 2023 after a 3‐year‐suspension due to COVID‐19. The most important educational activities in neuromuscular electrodiagnosis (EDx) is the "Neuromuscular diagnostics seminar" hosted since 2004 by the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (JSCN). The majority of tutors and participants are neurologists. This seminar is also characterized by small‐group, hands‐on workshops. We have also run the overseas seminar, "Tokyo Super EMG hands‐on," since 2013. These have undoubtedly contributed to enhancing the level of neuromuscular electrodiagnosis not only in Japan but also in other Asian countries. I have conducted studies on neurological symptomatology and neuromuscular electrodiagnosis, which are directly linked to enhancing clinical practice of neurologists through educational activities such as review articles or lectures. Due to the fact that symptomatology is crucial in neurological expertise, neurology is a basic specialty around the world except in Japan. In 2018, the JSN decided to aim to make neurology a basic specialty and continues to make efforts to attain this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the use of color in the Japanese urban landscape has changed over time and what the future holds. The colors of contemporary Japanese cities are not beautiful, but it is said that they were harmonious and beautiful in the Edo period (1603–1868). In the 1850s, as the country opened up to the outside world, Western‐style architecture was introduced and emerged side by side with Japanese architecture. As economic growth took precedence in the 20th century, there was a lack of awareness of the city's public ownership and the appearance of buildings. The attempt to achieve industrial standards and rapid urbanization were also cited as reasons for the absence of harmony in the built environment. Additionally, many outdoor advertisements appeared. The lack of effective regulations on outdoor advertising is one factor that has heavily affected the contemporary Japanese cityscape. The "Landscape Act," which went into effect in 2004, aims to regulate landscape color use in present‐day Japan. This law allows local governments to enact regulations for urban landscape color use primarily by setting the upper limit for color saturation in terms of Munsell Chroma. It is questionable whether this will really lead to the creation of more unique cityscapes. Training in color in architecture, urban objects, and infrastructure should be compulsory as part of civic education, and more time should be devoted to the subject of color in architects' educational programs to create beautiful cities in the future. Students of architecture need time to think about the idea that the exterior of a building is part of the urban landscape, to consider the importance of color, and to study color harmony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining birthrates and aging populations are progressing globally, but this trend is particularly prominent in East Asia. Japan and South Korea face SDG-related problems, such as declining birth rates, aging populations, and depopulation in rural areas due to population concentration in urban areas. In this study, "regional revitalization" was set as a keyword for solving SDG-related issues in Japan and South Korea to conduct a comparative analysis of the relevant trends and characteristics of national policies and educational approaches in Japan and South Korea through a literature review. A comparative analysis of the policies and educational approaches to regional revitalization in Japan and South Korea reveals that policies and education are closely related to regional revitalization. Japan aims to increase the permanent population of young people through creating attractive regions in each region, and South Korea aims to alleviate the labor shortage caused by the declining population with labor immigration and aims for regional revitalization via comprehensive cooperation among its own citizens, immigrants, and people with multiple cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing renewable energy consumption is considered the panacea to tackle the issue of global warming and energy security. The digitalization of society can provide smart solutions for energy and environmental-related issues. Similarly, education can bring environmental awareness and encourage individuals and firms to rely more on renewable energy sources. We have tried to investigate the impact of education and digitalization on the renewable energy demand in Japan by applying the Quantile ARDL model. In the short and long run, the estimates attached to education are significantly positive almost all quantiles, which confirms that the higher the level of education in Japan, the higher the renewable energy demand. Likewise, the estimated coefficients of ICT, in both the short and long run, are positive and significant, confirming that increased digitalization help facilitate the renewable energy demand in Japan. Moreover, when we observe the Wald test, the asymmetric impact of education and digitalization are confirmed on the renewable energy demand in the short and long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]