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 explores the conflicted experience of reading boy's love manga, based on intimate interviews with a handful of non-japanese readers. How are issues such as consent, representation and...Show moreThis thesis explores the conflicted experience of reading boy's love manga, based on intimate interviews with a handful of non-japanese readers. How are issues such as consent, representation and stereotypes perceived, and how does that perception influence reading choices? Boy's love is examined not only as an experience in itself, but also in connection with broader questions with regards to female sexuality and pornography.Show less
This thesis considers the meaning and significance of portraying minorities in film. After a short discussion of existing Zainichi cinema, literature on film and gender and intersectionality, the...Show moreThis thesis considers the meaning and significance of portraying minorities in film. After a short discussion of existing Zainichi cinema, literature on film and gender and intersectionality, the thesis zooms in on Yakiniku Dragon (2018) and the way the film deals with Zainichi identity through the exploration of a few scenes and the analysis of Yakiniku Dragon’s script. Yakiniku Dragon’s underlying gender portrayals has implications for the way Zainichi experiences are perceived and has implications for Zainichi women in particular. The analysis of Yakiniku Dragon’s imagery and script sheds light on how gendered labor divisions and a different attribution of themes to different genders excludes Zainichi Korean women’s voices and experiences from Zainichi nationalism or empowerment discourses.Show less
This thesis focused on the long-running Japanese variety show named Shoten, figuring out the main factor that encourages its continuous popularity. To solve the research question, the show has been...Show moreThis thesis focused on the long-running Japanese variety show named Shoten, figuring out the main factor that encourages its continuous popularity. To solve the research question, the show has been analysed from its character and humour, especially political jokes, by using the video copy recorded by the author in Japan and its official DVD box. The thesis has reached the conclusion that it is the intimacy created by Shoten's character and humour that has made it a long-running show.Show less
The reality of a shrinking labor market as the population is aging and birthrate is declining in Japan, is asking for more female participation. Changing economic demands and working conditions is...Show moreThe reality of a shrinking labor market as the population is aging and birthrate is declining in Japan, is asking for more female participation. Changing economic demands and working conditions is leading to an increasing number of double-income families. It is creating variety in the gender roles and contributing to a new order. A study of ten qualitative interviews was conducted to examine the working conditions and experiences of working mothers in Tokyo. The case study shows that working mothers are facing three main challenges when trying to find a work-life balance: (1) time management, (2) high responsibility of work within the household and (3) working culture that impacts career. The case study of this thesis gives an insightful assessment of policies, what they do and do not address. Analyzing narratives and understanding how mothers approach their working situation and lifestyle is an important element in discussing the work-family balance to clarify remaining issues in working culture. It turns out that informal resources and strategies are important to overcome or deal with the challenges, as formal policies still seem to lack in addressing part of the core labor issues and remaining gender inequality.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
The main focus of this thesis is the Japanese gendered and masculinized work culture in relation to the creation of a work-life balance (WLB) for employees in large companies. Specific problems...Show moreThe main focus of this thesis is the Japanese gendered and masculinized work culture in relation to the creation of a work-life balance (WLB) for employees in large companies. Specific problems with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s current ‘Womenomics’ program and possible consequences are looked into. It is argued why instead of focusing on certain targets (e.g, 30% of high positions occupied by women), companies have to innovate their current working environments and establish gender equality in order to eventually be able to create a WLB. This thesis also includes a case study that discusses Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido’s views and strategy in creating a WLB for all employees.Show less
Because of a rapid-ageing society, Japan is facing a shrinking society in which the relative amount of elderly citizens will increase substantially. Elderly citizens are at larger risk of...Show moreBecause of a rapid-ageing society, Japan is facing a shrinking society in which the relative amount of elderly citizens will increase substantially. Elderly citizens are at larger risk of eventually moving to an elderly care facility or passing away. When their houses become uninhabited or unmanaged, they are designated as an empty house, or akiya. In this thesis, I will investigate the question of how this rapid rise in empty houses can be explained from the perspective of the social dimension of homeownership.Show less
This thesis explores hafu and identity in japan, with an emphasis on the importance of race, relying on Stuart Hall's theories on race. Hafu have become quite popular in Japanese media in recent...Show moreThis thesis explores hafu and identity in japan, with an emphasis on the importance of race, relying on Stuart Hall's theories on race. Hafu have become quite popular in Japanese media in recent years, however are still faced with discrimination in their daily lives. While hafu as a topic has been broadly discussed in available literature, they are too often focused on 'hafu' as a single ethnic identity, and mostly focused on the white hafu, which see the most popularity in media. This thesis attempts a broader approach by focusing on hafu of multiple different backgrounds such as Zainichi Korean and Filipinos, to show hafu experiences and identity formation differ greatly within the group. This approach also shows how race, and how one society views one particular race has a great impact on one’s ethnic identity formation that should always be considered when discussing hafu, rather than taking 'hafu' as one ethnic identity.Show less
The problem of the elderly in post-3.11 Japan is not solvable at any single level. One cannot reduce all phenomena to results of a single factor, be it governmental practice, change in social...Show moreThe problem of the elderly in post-3.11 Japan is not solvable at any single level. One cannot reduce all phenomena to results of a single factor, be it governmental practice, change in social capital, or arbitrary wills of a group of people. After all, the levels that are investigated in this paper only represent some perspectives of inquiry. It is the variety and specificity of older people’s situations that a proper research on them has to respect. Correspondingly, the foremost implication of this research is the importance of being patient to and leaving space for, the multiplicity of the voices of the elderly.Show less
Over the past decades, both business studies (and in particular management studies) and social sciences have increasingly emphasized the importance of the individual and thus how Culture influences...Show moreOver the past decades, both business studies (and in particular management studies) and social sciences have increasingly emphasized the importance of the individual and thus how Culture influences individual particularities. Yet, a dichotomy is today flagrant between how social sciences approach the term 'Culture' and the characteristics given to it in management studies. A new term even emerged when relating to the workplace, 'diversity'. However, almost ironically, the definition of diversity is closer to the modern sociological term of 'culture'. While 'Culture' as defined in management studies remains clearly based on studies from the end of the 20th Century. This paper addresses this central divergence, approaching the why and how it could be problematic to reduce the complexity of culture, especially concerning individuals and the workplace, as compared to sociological findings on the subject.Show less
This thesis discuss the current power relations between the NGOs and teh state in China and explores the survival and struggle strategies used by the NGOs to achieve better autonomy under the...Show moreThis thesis discuss the current power relations between the NGOs and teh state in China and explores the survival and struggle strategies used by the NGOs to achieve better autonomy under the authoritarian rule of the party. This thesis introduces the development path of civil society in China, focusing on environmental NGOs and woemns rights NGOs. By studying the strategeis used by NGOs in these fields, this thesis aims at better capture the nature of power relations between state and NGOs in china.Show less
At the time of writing almost five years have passed since Japan's triple disaster on March 11th 2011, when an earthquake triggered a tsunami which in turn triggered a nuclear crisis. With the...Show moreAt the time of writing almost five years have passed since Japan's triple disaster on March 11th 2011, when an earthquake triggered a tsunami which in turn triggered a nuclear crisis. With the initial shock having passed, how are people looking back at it? How have the tragic events that transpired settled into history, into national consciousness, into victims’ personal memories? Although on the grander national and global scales 3.11 is all but forgotten and being digested in the background, for most of the victims this disaster is still affecting daily life in numerous ways. The question this thesis focuses on is: What exactly has been disrupted through this disaster on a social level; how do communities and individuals that have been abruptly uprooted by a nuclear disaster cope; how do they reconstruct their collective and individual memories and identities; and how do they reframe nuclear energy, something that initially brought them prosperity but eventually led to them losing their homes indefinitely. This thesis analyzes the case of a specific uprooted nuclear host community, using documentary films as source material. The following discussion shows that a firmly rooted and once proud community has all but fallen apart, and their entire shared narrative, central to their collective identity, is shattered. Individual cases prove that there are many different ways in which memory is bound to either a place, people, or objects. Where the highest importance is placed is an individual issue that depends on the person and the context, and how flexible they deem their own identity. As a result some evacuees move on and some remain with the core community, hoping to return to their hometown someday, even though it seems unlikely to be possible within their lifetime. Further links between individuals and collective memory are discussed.Show less
The 'kizuna' discourse in Japan is about bonding as people. After the 3.11 disaster this bonding became more important. The women in the disaster areas were faced with the pressure this discourse...Show moreThe 'kizuna' discourse in Japan is about bonding as people. After the 3.11 disaster this bonding became more important. The women in the disaster areas were faced with the pressure this discourse placed on the gender role women have. With all the stress they themselves already went through, it was still their responsibility to care for everyone. There was hardly any particular attention for the needs of women in disaster areas. This thesis discusses first the theory on disaster and how such an event affects women in particular. Next a history of women and the role they take in society is discussed, followed by the situation of women after the disaster and during recovery.Show less
