In recent years, China's economic diplomacy has received more attention in the field of International Relations. Some scholars argue that China uses its economic diplomacy in a coercive way, while...Show moreIn recent years, China's economic diplomacy has received more attention in the field of International Relations. Some scholars argue that China uses its economic diplomacy in a coercive way, while other scholars argue against this notion. This thesis discusses China's economic diplomacy with its research question: "What drives China’s economic diplomacy in the case of political disputes in East-Asia?". The thesis examines two disputes between China and its neighbouring countries, Japan and South Korea, in order to research how China employs its economic power. The research is based on three factors that influence how China creates its economic diplomacy; national sentiment, history of the bilateral relations, and bilateral trade. Using process-tracing, the thesis examines these three factors of the THAAD dispute with South Korea and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute with Japan. The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate that, while national sentiment, previous bilateral relations, and bilateral trade influence China's economic diplomacy, these factors do not influence China’s decision-making equally. The thesis concludes that national sentiment influences the Chinese government the most to use its economic diplomacy coercively.Show less
Exploring the salience of LGBT-norms in Japan through analyzing the cultural match, political rhetoric, domestic interests, domestic institutions and socializing forces surrounding those norms.
In de ontwerpen van Charles Rennie Mackintosh van omstreeks 1900, zien we het vierkant steeds vaker voorkomen als motief in de decoratie van zijn interieurs en objecten. In Hill House (1902-4) is...Show moreIn de ontwerpen van Charles Rennie Mackintosh van omstreeks 1900, zien we het vierkant steeds vaker voorkomen als motief in de decoratie van zijn interieurs en objecten. In Hill House (1902-4) is deze toepassing op zijn hoogtepunt. Met zijn innovatieve ontwerpen ontwikkelde Mackintosh ontwikkelde zich tot het gezicht van de Glasgowse stijl. Zijn vroege interieurs zijn beïnvloed door een aantal voorgangers, waaronder de witte interieurs in de schilderkunst van de negentiende eeuw en de invloedrijke interieurontwerpen van Godwin die voortkwamen uit de invloed van Japanse esthetiek. Ook heeft Mackintosh op meer directe wijze invloed uit Japanse kunst en cultuur ondergaan binnen zijn netwerk, onder andere door zijn contact met Hermann Muthesius. Zijn samenwerking met leden van de Wiener Secession heeft een impuls gegeven aan de Weense kunstenaars. Het contact met Joseph Hoffmann zorgde voor een stimulans in Mackintosh’ ontwikkeling, wat uiteindelijk heeft geresulteerd in de geometrische decoraties van Hill House.Show less
In Japan staat het overlijden en zelfmoord plegen als gevolg van te hard werken bekend als karōshi en karōjisatsu. Deze fenomenen komen niet uitsluitend in Japan voor, maar hetgeen wat wel uniek is...Show moreIn Japan staat het overlijden en zelfmoord plegen als gevolg van te hard werken bekend als karōshi en karōjisatsu. Deze fenomenen komen niet uitsluitend in Japan voor, maar hetgeen wat wel uniek is voor Japan is dat karōshi en karōjisatsu in het recht voorkomen. Ter preventie van karōshi en karōjisatsu heeft de Japanse regering afgelopen jaar (2019) een nieuwe wet ingevoerd, genaamd "Werkstijl Hervormingswet". In deze scriptie ga ik kijken in hoeverre de Werkstijl Hervormingswet kan slagen in het bewerkstelligen van een balans tussen werk en privéleven om karōshi en karōjisatsu in Japan te voorkomen. Eerst richt ik mij op de totstandkoming van de Werkstijl Hervormingswet en de inhoud van de maatregelen in deze wet. Vervolgens focus ik mij op de sociaal-culturele, economische en politieke factoren die van invloed zijn op de effectiviteit van de toepassing van de Werkstijl Hervormingswet in de Japanse samenleving. Hierin bespreek ik de Japanse bedrijfscultuur, het werkgelegenheidssysteem en de beleidsvorming.Show less
This thesis is about power relations behind the development of historically themed videogames set in the Global South. The thesis has taken into account games released in the Western World as well...Show moreThis thesis is about power relations behind the development of historically themed videogames set in the Global South. The thesis has taken into account games released in the Western World as well as in the Global South between 2000 and 2020. The main argument is that historically themed videogames set and developed in the Global South do not have the power to add to, differ from or change the representations made about their countries in the Western World.Show less
Overconsumption of alcohol is detrimental to one's health, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Korea has the highest amount...Show moreOverconsumption of alcohol is detrimental to one's health, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Korea has the highest amount of alcohol consumption per capita in all of Asia, and has notably high rates of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). The neighbouring country of Japan is similar to Korea in numerous ways, but has significantly lower rates of consumption and AUDs. This poses the question in which ways Japan differs from Korea, and whether they tackle alcoholism in more effective ways. This thesis aims to find ways in which Korea could improve the current situation following the example of a similar country Therefore, both societies are compared by critically analysing secondary literature on factors that affect alcohol consumption: culture, age of onset, availability, affordability, mental health, religion, and restrictive measures. Results show that while both societies heavily emphasize alcohol consumption, Korea could learn from Japan's attention to mental health research and development, and wider variety of sobriety groups. However, any conclusive evidence is yet to be found. More extensive and longitudinal research on this subject is therefore necessary.Show less
This thesis explores the Neoliberal policies by the Abe government regarding the attraction of foreign labor. The effects are analyzed on both the attraction of high-skilled as well as low-skilled...Show moreThis thesis explores the Neoliberal policies by the Abe government regarding the attraction of foreign labor. The effects are analyzed on both the attraction of high-skilled as well as low-skilled labor in supplementing the domestic workforce. Furthermore, it investigates the contrast to past policies and the effects in implementing foreign workers into the Japanese labor market.Show less
In 2006, the Japanese government introduced a new special needs education system. One of the reasons for this reform was to promote the inclusion of children with a disability into mainstream...Show moreIn 2006, the Japanese government introduced a new special needs education system. One of the reasons for this reform was to promote the inclusion of children with a disability into mainstream schools (MEXT 2006b). However, since the implementation of this new system, instead of attending mainstream education, the number of children in Japan that are receiving special needs support or go to special schools has increased significantly. In the period from 2005 to 2016 the number of children receiving special needs education rose from 199,227 to 327,201, while at the same time the total number of school-going children declined. One of the main reasons for this significant growth is the increased recognition of developmental disorders (hattatsu shōgai発達障害). Developmental disorders are defined by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (hereafter MEXT), and include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disorders and/or other similar disorders of the brain function that usually develop at a young age (Mithout 2016, 171; MEXT n.d.c). Seeing as this recognition of developmental disorders by the MEXT is quite recent, not much research has been done on how these students perceive education and what challenges they face at school. With my research I will contribute to the literature about disability in Japan, especially highlighting the experiences of the students. This thesis will answer the questions: “How do students with developmental disorders in the current Japanese education system experience the available school options? And what insight do their experiences give us in the different models of disability?”. In order to answer these questions, this thesis will first explore different understandings and models of disability (medical and social) that show us different ways in which one can interpret disability. These models will form the basis of the thesis, and will show how policy-making and the education system in Japan are characterized by these models. In order to get a better understanding of how students with developmental disorders experience school, fieldwork was conducted at various schools in the Kansai region to observe the environment and the curriculum. Furthermore, six in-depht interviews were conducted with students with developmental disorders who graduated from special needs education.Show less
This thesis focuses on editorials from the Asahi Newspaper and the Yomiuri Newspaper in the half year following an accident at a nuclear power plant to identify concerns related to the topic of...Show moreThis thesis focuses on editorials from the Asahi Newspaper and the Yomiuri Newspaper in the half year following an accident at a nuclear power plant to identify concerns related to the topic of nuclear energy usage after such an accident. The specific accidents used for this analysis are the Chernobyl accident, the Monju accident at Tsuruga, the Tokaimura accident and the Mihama accident. What we found during the research is that concerns about nuclear energy used to be associated with atomic warfare and the ‘peaceful usages’ of nuclear technology, where more recently this focus has shifted to concerns about communication, safety, security and environmental issues.Show less
Between 2003 and 2006, the Gairaigo Committee, part of the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (NINJAL), released the Proposal for paraphrasing loanwords, which advocates the...Show moreBetween 2003 and 2006, the Gairaigo Committee, part of the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (NINJAL), released the Proposal for paraphrasing loanwords, which advocates the usage of Japanese paraphrases for 176 poorly understood loanwords. In the creation of this proposal, the committee prioritized an emphasis on the function of language (i.e., communication problems caused by loanwords) rather than an emphasis on tradition (i.e., ideological issues caused by loanwords). While this is true on an official level, an interview with a key member of the former committee suggests the conceivability that some of its members personally feared the corruption of the Japanese language and culture by loanwords. This outcome has led to an analysis of how Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, two ideologically distinct newspaper companies represented in the committee, have dealt with the loanwords in NINJAL’s proposal. The research mainly involved a diachronic study of the words between 1995 and 2019 and a comparison of the two newspapers in this regard. The target words show significant differences according to newspaper, as there is an overall tendency of increasing usage in (the more progressive) Asahi Shimbun, while (the more conservative) Yomiuri Shimbun shows a decrease. However, in many cases, it is difficult to associate these changes with NINJAL’s proposal directly. The analysis concludes that there is no clear indication for a relation between the implementation of loanword policy and political ideology.Show less
A negative and controversial stigma shrouds the notion of tattoos globally. As of recently, societies globally have increasingly become more tolerant of the exposure of tattoos in public and in...Show moreA negative and controversial stigma shrouds the notion of tattoos globally. As of recently, societies globally have increasingly become more tolerant of the exposure of tattoos in public and in particular, professional environments or workplaces. This increased tolerance can predominantly be found in Western society. Often times, this increased tolerance is perceived to be applicable globally, credited largely to Western-dominated mainstream media. However, the negative stigma associated with tattoos persists in many East Asian societies and is largely regarded as taboo. These notions of taboo are largely attributed to associations with gangs, violence and criminal activities represented through different mediums like movies, newspapers, and word of mouth (see Figure 2). Despite this, East Asian societies like that of Japan's, still possess dedicated tattoo artist that practice tattooing, whether this is in "Japanese-style" tattooing or numerous other styles. The idea of Japanese tattoos is a largely sought-after style of tattooing not only within Japan but also in numerous Western societies, such as the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). It would not be in the wrong to presume that in fact, Japanese-style tattoos are in greater demand outside of Japan than within and are seen in less-controversial limelight than that of Japan, which leads us to a possible inquiry and the investigation of this thesis, how can there be such a difference of perspective of tattoos between Japan and Western nations like the US and UK in Japan-style tattoos? I use aspects of Edward Said's notion of Orientalism (1978) and Primitivism as the theoretical framework into three distinct periods: Meiji era (1868-1912) and the Contemporary era (1945-2020), and implement Richard Rogers' theory of cultural appropriation (2006) as a methodology to dissect ukiyo-e art, diaries from royal "western" figures, interviews and documentaries that depict experiences with Japanese tattooing practices. In the postwar era (1945-) Japan underwent tremendous political, cultural, and economic change under the Allied powers as a result of World War II. It is for this reason that the contemporary era is framed from 1945-2020 to portray the approach Japan took when it came to Japanese-style tattoos. As well as how Western society, in particular the United States, exported Japanese-style tattoos to audiences globally, due to American tattoo artists coming in contact with Japanese tattoo artists first. The overall aim of the investigation will shed light on how the previous mediums have historically engaged with cultural appropriation and orientalism in Japan, to create what we know of today as Japanese-style tattoos.Show less
An analysis of Japan's use of their global media presence in the form of anime and its resulting manipulation and uses in tourism promotion and local revitalization. This paper uses an example of...Show moreAn analysis of Japan's use of their global media presence in the form of anime and its resulting manipulation and uses in tourism promotion and local revitalization. This paper uses an example of the anime 'Haikyuu!!' to analyze the extent to which promotion of the area in which it was set was perpetuated by the anime and the means by which this was feasibly reproduced and applicable to other areas of Japan.Show less
