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In 1951, the Japanese government introduced a vehicle safety inspection system and this system has an effect of shortening the ‘economic’ lifetimes of automobiles and increasing CO 2 emissions associated with vehicle life-cycle. This study develops an integrated assessment framework by combining dynamic discrete choice analysis with life-cycle environmental accounting analysis based on a dynamic stock model. From the empirical results, we found that (1) the economic lifetime of a Prius in the benchmark model is surprisingly short, 5.07 years, due to the strict car inspection system, and this replacement cycle has contributed to increasing CO 2 over time; and (2) abolishing car inspections at the third and fifth years would considerably contribute to reducing life-cycle CO 2 emissions associated with Prius sold during the study period, 1997 to 2016, accounting for approximately one million tons-CO 2 eq. over 20 years. Thus, we conclude that modifying the regulation policy with a focus on the car inspection system to induce car owners to keep their automobiles longer would have environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses an optimal tracking control framework to design a dynamic labor schedule that determines the optimal balance between labor, leisure, and consumption. The analysis generates proactive policy rules through deterministic, stochastic, robust, and compromise specifications of a Linear-Quadratic tracking model. Our model allows workers to optimally transition away from karoshi overwork and away from underemployment. Our study provides guidance for labor scheduling by quantitatively addressing the conflicts between health, work-life balance (WLB), and productivity. In Japan, this approach can be utilized by discussion bases and WLB initiatives, whereas the previous regulatory proposals for karoshi relief have created adversarial relationships that have not merged firm objectives with worker motives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Japanese hospital financing reform, a prospective payment system ( PPS) has been established for inpatient care to replace the traditional fee-for-service remuneration of hospitals. This paper evaluates the effect of the reform on technical and cost efficiency of local public hospitals. Efficiency is estimated non-parametrically using two-stage data envelopment analysis with bias correction through bootstrap, and parametrically applying stochastic frontier analysis. The descriptive analysis shows that efficiency declines after the introduction of PPS. Difference-in-difference estimations reveal that PPS results in a limited efficiency gain, which might be related to inadequate incentives created by the two-part PPS tariff in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study measures the efficiencies incorporating waste generation using Japanese prefecture level data. We apply and compare several models using directional distance functions. There are wide variations in the efficiency scores between the two orientations, 'input, desirable and undesirable output orientation' and 'undesirable output orientation'. However, the difference in abatement factor does not result in wide variations in the efficiency scores. Our results show that there are wide differences in the efficiency scores among prefectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the regional cooperation policy outlined in the National Land Plan of Japan, this study developed a regional cooperation planning model (RCPM) for use by regional planners and researchers. RCPM includes two sub-models. The first sub-model is the local service evaluation model (LSEM), which employs grey multiple criteria evaluation to assess local services for individual cities, towns and villages. The second sub-model is the cooperative partner assignment model (CPAM), which applies grey multiple objective 0-1 programming to determine optimal cooperative partners for individual cities, towns and villages. Applying RCPM to eastern Taiwan yielded the following conclusions. First, the current division of Living Perimeters in the Eastern Taiwan Region should be adjusted according to the analytical results presented in this study to reach further benefits of cooperation. Second, since RCPM uses grey numbers to display input data and research findings, it provides planning flexibility and resolves uncertainties in practical planning. Finally, the modeling results contribute to cooperative strategy development among neighboring areas in an underdeveloped region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have looked at how the components of fiscal spending affect economic growth. However, we explicitly enquire into how to adjust the components in order to achieve the highest rate of economic growth starting from the present shares of components, by introducing a gradient method. The resulting optimal adjustment shares are proportional to the deviations from the average over elements of a gradient vector. The optimal adjustment share is completely estimated by using linear regression with any choice of omitted variable. The paper also provides an illustrative example taken from the annual panel data for the Japanese prefectural governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]