In Japan there are three legal ways in which a spouse can get divorced: through negotiation or mutual consent (kyōgi rikon), mediation (chōtei rikon), and adjudication or litigation (saiban rikon)....Show moreIn Japan there are three legal ways in which a spouse can get divorced: through negotiation or mutual consent (kyōgi rikon), mediation (chōtei rikon), and adjudication or litigation (saiban rikon). Those opting for litigation consist of a mere 1% of all cases. While it has been argued that Japanese are averse to formal litigation and have a cultural preference for informal ways of resolving disputes in order to maintain the social harmony, others have attributed the popularity of ADR to institutional and structural factors, being cheaper and quicker than formal litigation. This thesis attempts to find out what theory, if any, holds true with regards to (the lack of) Japanese litigiousness by looking at divorce mediation as its case study.Show less
The thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable...Show moreThe thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable change in Chinese medicine policy that took place throughout the designated time period. The author analyzes all available issues of both English and Chinese versions of the leading Chinese Medical Journal to demonstrate policy change, political development and a change in Sino-Soviet relations.Show less
China consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five...Show moreChina consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five minorities and the Han majority. Although the state creates space for the acknowledgement of internal differences, it also continuously emphasizes China’s unity. This has led to a paradox of unity in diversity. Prior research on cultural diversity within China has mainly focused on minority nationalities, giving less attention to the Han as they are often deemed ‘invisible’. This research will however focus on the Han as it aims to answer the question: “How do Han students identify themselves in the paradox of unity in diversity?” by examining what the sense of belonging of students from Shandong University is built on. The data will show that self-identification of the students is simultaneously vertically and horizontally related, depending on the role of the ‘Other’: identities exist in tandem with each other, while they can also gain preference. Furthermore, through the constant emphasis on ‘national’ and ‘hometown’ identities ―one representing unity, the other diversity― it becomes evident that the paradox of unity in diversity is an integral part of the students’ self-identification.Show less
This study will first analyse the historical background of Shakespeare in China, which begun with the introduction of the English author as a storyteller during the late Qing dynasty (1640-1911),...Show moreThis study will first analyse the historical background of Shakespeare in China, which begun with the introduction of the English author as a storyteller during the late Qing dynasty (1640-1911), followed by the publication of official translations in Chinese at the beginning of the twentieth century , the posterior abrupt tragic decrease of the studies under the Communists and its complete death with the beginning of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) , which did not allow Shakespeare to resuscitate until the end of the 70s . The second chapter will be focused on the methods of translations and the theories put forward between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in China, while the third chapter of this study aims at observing how Chinese translators overcame the historical, grammatical and cultural differences between Shakespeare and China, how they rendered the most important traits of the Shakespearean works in Chinese. To conclude, the fourth chapter will be concentrated on the comparison between the original English version of the famous drama of “Romeo and Juliet” and its Chinese.Show less
Since roughly around the start of the current millenium, there has been a growing trend of doctors and pharmacists in Japan speaking up about what they perceive to be unreasonable attitudes and...Show moreSince roughly around the start of the current millenium, there has been a growing trend of doctors and pharmacists in Japan speaking up about what they perceive to be unreasonable attitudes and behaviours exhibited by patients and the media towards medical experts who work in clinical situations. One example of a clinical discourse in Japan that has been particularly concerned with this issue is one dubbed 'iryo hokai'. The main thrust of the argument made by medical caregivers who speak within this discourse is that current-day patients' unachievably high expectations of doctors' ability to successfully cure disease is leading to an increase in malpractice lawsuits, and that this will encourage doctors to abandon their work out of fear for being sued, eventually causing modern medicine to collapse due to understaffing. This paper aims to perform a discourse analysis on the concrete expressions of such professional frustration, specifically using articles published in commercial magazines aimed at a professional readership to examine doctors' lived experience with patients that they deem 'troublesome'. As a background for discussion it also presents a short history of the relevant issues as they have developed over roughly the past two decades. The analysis itself is informed by existing social theory on the configurations and functions of power in modern society, especially as it pertains to professionalized biomedicine and its role in creating and administrating populations.Show less
Privacy has become the subject of heated international debate in recent years. In particular the privacy of personal data has emerged in the centre of discussions about privacy. Some argue that...Show morePrivacy has become the subject of heated international debate in recent years. In particular the privacy of personal data has emerged in the centre of discussions about privacy. Some argue that privacy is not a universal concept, and that people from different countries differ in their attitude towards privacy. There is a contested notion that Japanese people have little to no sense of privacy. Existing research has focussed on how Japanese people conceive privacy and their attitude towards privacy, but privacy protection behaviour is not examined, nor is the translation from the conception of privacy and attitude towards privacy to protection behaviour discussed. This thesis examines influencing factors on the privacy protection behaviour of Japanese people through interviews. The analysis of the interview data uses a model of privacy-related behaviour, developed by Beldad, De Jong et al. (2011) as a comprehensive replacement for existing less complete models. Participants in this study mainly conceived privacy as their personal information. The chief method of protection was withholding information. The influences on privacy protection behaviour concentrated in participants' concerns about their information privacy and their ability to perceive risks to their information privacy.Show less
Morning drama series, asadora, attract one of the highest number of viewers watching programmes on Japanese television. These serialised drama series broadcasted by state broadcaster NHK over the...Show moreMorning drama series, asadora, attract one of the highest number of viewers watching programmes on Japanese television. These serialised drama series broadcasted by state broadcaster NHK over the course of half a year, have induced large-scale tourism to sites related to the film locations in the series. The success of such “contents tourism” has a significant economic effect, inspiring producers to choose rural areas coping with depopulation and economic loss. This thesis takes the series Hiyokko, broadcasted in 2017, as an example to explore the field of contents tourism and its cultural framework and history. By investigating the content and narrative of asadora, as well as the economic impact of rural revitalisation, this thesis provides an extensive study on asadora from a socio-cultural and economic perspective.Show less
The present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798...Show moreThe present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798 art district. These two districts are perceived as radically different from each other: 798 is considered by many workers of the field as commercialized, whereas Caochangdi is deemed to be "about art." However, is there an actual difference between the galleries of the two art hubs? Thus the research question was easily defined: “What are the narratives the two Beijing’s Contemporary art district’s galleries use to present themselves and do the districts differ in it or are they similar? In which way would they be similar?” This research aims at answering this question through a series of interviews. These interviews were based on theory drawn from secondary sources and are aimed at defining commercial (innovative) or non-commercial (inventive) behaviors in the sample galleries.Show less
This thesis compares the gender dynamics of romantic comedies in both North and South Korean cinema. The genre is a relatively recent development in both countries and as is the general tendency,...Show moreThis thesis compares the gender dynamics of romantic comedies in both North and South Korean cinema. The genre is a relatively recent development in both countries and as is the general tendency, also in the Korean case(s) confirms the existing social hierarchies and gender biases. This thesis finds that both North and South Korean cinema uphold patriarchal hegemony, despite the very different socio-political context within which these films are created.Show less
Grammatical gender is one of the ways in which many languages classify nouns. It is not a universal category: for instance, it is absent in Chinese Mandarin, as well as in many other Asian...Show moreGrammatical gender is one of the ways in which many languages classify nouns. It is not a universal category: for instance, it is absent in Chinese Mandarin, as well as in many other Asian languages. The aim of this research, focusing in particular on Chinese speakers, is to investigate to which extent speakers of genderless languages grasp the concept of grammatical gender. If they were asked to associate a noun with a gender, which strategies would they use? This thesis illustrates the results of the nominal classification made by Chinese respondents who were asked to select genders for forty nouns and to motivate their choice. The findings of this study may be helpful in two ways. On the one hand, they may provide information on how the human mind classifies nouns. On the other hand, they may give a new perspective for future studies on second language (L2) acquisition.Show less
This paper will examine how the North Korean people can participate in the possible process of obtaining justice for the crimes against humanity committed in the DPRK. In particular, it focuses on...Show moreThis paper will examine how the North Korean people can participate in the possible process of obtaining justice for the crimes against humanity committed in the DPRK. In particular, it focuses on how other countries have dealt with this issue in the past and what should be taken into account when talking about the unique case of North Korea. The goal of the study is to include the voice of North Koreans in the debate on victim participation in (transitional) justice.Show less
This study examines the unsuccessful peace negotiations that occurred during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Having recently unified Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched an invasion of the Korean...Show moreThis study examines the unsuccessful peace negotiations that occurred during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Having recently unified Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched an invasion of the Korean peninsula in 1592. With the fighting deadlocked, a ceasefire was concluded followed by intermittent bilateral peace talks between Japan and Ming China for the next three-and-a-half years, while simultaneous negotiations between Japan and Chosŏn Korea lasted merely nine months. The thesis applies D.G. Pruitt’s ‘readiness theory’ to help explain why both diplomatic channels ultimately collapsed, but also identifies a wide range of contextual factors that undermined the peace process. These factors include: fundamental disagreements over the war’s outcome; problems of miscommunication and deception; a lack of unity on all sides; diplomatic inexperience, and ignorance of the other sides’ political situation. It adopts a trilateral approach in order to understand the conflicting perspectives of the three combatants. Moreover, it reveals significant individual and institutional rivalries within each camp. The thesis draws on primary source materials in classical Chinese and classical Japanese, as well as recently published studies in Japanese and English.Show less
This thesis analyzes how the sudden surge of Tsukioka Kōgyo’s Noh prints relates to the popularization of Noh during the Meiji and Taishō periods. Within the context of the decline and revival of...Show moreThis thesis analyzes how the sudden surge of Tsukioka Kōgyo’s Noh prints relates to the popularization of Noh during the Meiji and Taishō periods. Within the context of the decline and revival of Noh, I examine how Kōgyo’s prints evoke characteristics of Noh culture through privileged perspectives on various aspects of the performance, and through the depiction of the actors rather than the stories. I argue that Kōgyo’s prints thus contributed to the promotion of modern Noh and the shaping of the public’s opinion about Noh theater in modern Japan.Show less
This essay presents a study of 31 kanshi poems by the Heian poet/scholar/official Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) written during his governorship in the province of Sanuki (poems 183-213). Taking...Show moreThis essay presents a study of 31 kanshi poems by the Heian poet/scholar/official Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) written during his governorship in the province of Sanuki (poems 183-213). Taking issue with common approaches to Michizane and his writings, I deal with the material in four different ways in order to show the problems inherent in these practices, while simultaneously attempting to provide alternative inroads to Michizane's oeuvre. These four issues are: 1. the discrepancies between modern and premodern 'poethood', which usually remain unquestioned but are here complicated by zooming in on Michizane the scholar and the official instead; 2. the limited scope of biographers, for whom the period in Sanuki central in this essay is peripheral to Michizane's identity; 3. a strongly selective attitude towards Michizane's writings, which I avoid by taking the entire oeuvre attributed to one single year; and 4. what I call the 'biographical fallacy', where biographers take details found in Michizane's oeuvre about his life at face value. Instead, I understand his literary compilation as a consciously subjective collection of works that was designed to portray a desirable Self. By focussing on Michizane's use of the three different personae - that of poet, scholar, and administrative official - I show how the original compositions compiled into one new work are made to take on new meaning, which act, rather than a portrayal of historical fact, constitutes a politically motivated act intended to convey a specific self-representational message, disseminated by Michizane at the time, just before the exile to Kyushu, when his position at court was rapidly deteriorating, and which can thus be seen as one bid in the political game in the high echelons of court power.Show less
This thesis will examine the ways in which the concept of victimhood is produced by victims’ groups connected with the Aum affair and how it was received by Japanese media in terms of a renovated...Show moreThis thesis will examine the ways in which the concept of victimhood is produced by victims’ groups connected with the Aum affair and how it was received by Japanese media in terms of a renovated mutual understanding between victims and journalists, which resulted in an improvement of the victims’ treatment on information channels. The research takes into consideration the experience of three support groups (Chikatetsu Sarin Jiken Higaisha no Kai, Kanariya no Kai and RSC) that will be used as case studies to analyze the evolution and the impact they had both on victims’ lives and information media. It aims to investigate the role of NPOs and victims’ group activities in influencing public opinion regarding victims’ redressing issues. Furthermore, it intends to explore victims’ struggle against the proliferation of New Religious Movements derived from the disbanding of Aum Shinrikyō and constituted mainly by its former members, such as Hikari no Wa 光の環 and Aleph アレフ, which are suspected of harboring the same doctrines that led Aum to be a danger for Japanese society. In doing so, victims used memory, both individual and collective, as a tool to make their case and highlight their instances even when the attention towards the Aum affair declined in Japanese media. Memorial constructions regarding the incidents, commemorative events, documentaries and victims’ groups’ activities accounts established a legacy that goes beyond the individual experience as a victim or a perpetrator, rather producing a collective instance of victimhood.Show less
