This study looks at how otaku relate to and engage works, building on previous research showing that affect is the lynchpin for otaku, the axis around which their engagement with works revolves....Show moreThis study looks at how otaku relate to and engage works, building on previous research showing that affect is the lynchpin for otaku, the axis around which their engagement with works revolves. Through mainly looking at anime this matter will be approached from a film studies perspective. This study takes the Narrative consumption and Database consumption theories, by Ōtsuka Eiji and Azuma Hiroki respectively and underpins(integrates) them with Carl Plantinga’s theory on affect elicitation, thus demonstrating that Plantinga’s theory is absolutely imperative to making these theories function and creating an ‘integrative theoretical framework’.Show less
This thesis explores the influence of certain nationalities on the working conditions trainees of that nationality receive in the Japanese labour market. This research found that countries with a...Show moreThis thesis explores the influence of certain nationalities on the working conditions trainees of that nationality receive in the Japanese labour market. This research found that countries with a higer GDP per capita tend to have better working conditions on the Japanese labour market but that the size of a population of a nationality does not seem to have an influence in either way. The relation between GDP per capita and working conditions might can be explained through the image of perceived wealth.Show less
""What is the role of the supernatural in lessening the burden of disaster in Edo prints?"" is the question that I want to answer in this thesis by looking at diseases and the Great Ansei Earthquakes.
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
Compared to other recent governments, the Second Abe Administration has been seen as a government with a larger interest in nationalism and patriotic history. According to various scholars, this...Show moreCompared to other recent governments, the Second Abe Administration has been seen as a government with a larger interest in nationalism and patriotic history. According to various scholars, this nationalism is represented in Prime Minister Abe’s war commemoration statements, as in his 2013 visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. What is often overlooked in such discourse, is the fact that the current administration has now lasted for eight years and counting, and that no further visits to the shrine were actually made by Abe, despite his long-standing support for Yasukuni. It could be argued that rather than his actual visit, his restraint on further visits is more conspicuous. This study aims to determine the rationale behind Abe’s Yasukuni policy. Building on existing scholars’ work, it asks: How can the Yasukuni policy of Shinzo Abe be understood beyond the existing personal preference explanations? In this context, personal preference is defined as the affinity that prime ministers have with nationalistic interpretations of Japanese history, and how these are leading in determining their Yasukuni policies. Based on an analysis of previous prime ministers’ war commemoration statements (Murayama, Koizumi) and Abe’s personal profile, it could be argued that the Abe administration represents a shift towards nationalism. In relation to the Japanese publics approval of prime ministerial visits, surveys were held by Japan’s main news organizations which showed a slight increase in Yasukuni support over the last 15 years. While this change is generally attributed to the deterioration of Japan’s relations with neighboring countries over time, results of government surveys showed a drastic deterioration of the public’s perception of foreign relations. What these disproportionate results indicate, is that feelings of social distance between the Japanese people and their neighboring countries do not necessarily increase their support for prime ministerial Yasukuni visits. More convincing majority votes were found on surveys that asked whether the public approved on Abe’s restraint on Yasukuni visits, and whether the public found that Japan’s relations with its neighboring countries should be improved. On this basis, this research argues that restraint on the Yasukuni issue satisfies the majority of the public and is thus beneficial from a perspective of political survival. Further research is needed to adequately assess how the state of international relations will influence prime ministerial visits in the future.Show less
The North Korean abduction issue has long been an important factor in Japan’s foreign policy towards the DPRK, the Japanese government has made attempts at raising awareness among people living...Show moreThe North Korean abduction issue has long been an important factor in Japan’s foreign policy towards the DPRK, the Japanese government has made attempts at raising awareness among people living outside of Japan through various media. This research set out to analyze how the Japanese government used emotion in a video posted on the government-run rachi.go.jp website, in an attempt at gaining the support of English-speaking viewers for its stance on the issue. In this way, the research contributes both to the fields of emotion in IR, as well as to the extant scholarly work on the abduction issue. I have carried out the analysis by using discourse analysis, as proposed by other scholars in the field of emotion in IR. From this analysis, I conclude that the Japanese government attempts to create three primary emotions in the viewer: compassion, hope and outrage. These three emotions are created through various visual, as well as audible symbols, ranging from colors used in the video to the music played while giving general information on the issue. While the intended emotions are successfully created in the viewer, the full potential effectiveness of the video is not reached due to a lack of circulation caused by the obscureness of the website which hosts it.Show less
This thesis addresses the Izumo-class Multi-Purpose Operation Destroyers (MPODs) in the context of Japan’s changing security policy. It argues that critique from the Chinese government towards the...Show moreThis thesis addresses the Izumo-class Multi-Purpose Operation Destroyers (MPODs) in the context of Japan’s changing security policy. It argues that critique from the Chinese government towards the MPODs are the result of the Abe administration’s lack of transparency on the development of the ships. Japan’s increased military presence to meet the demands of Japan-US security alliance, in particular during the Trump administration, further heightened China’s concerns towards the MPODs, exacerbating the Sino-Japanese security dilemma. This thesis employs case study methodology to track the changes in the discourse surrounding the de facto carriers, and divides the narrative into the two US administrations that influenced Abe’s security policy choices: the Obama and Trump administration. This is done to demonstrate whether changes in the security policies of the US also influenced China’s perspective towards the ships. The findings of this study are based of sources ranging from Chinese state press to Japanese defense papers, and help understand how key events surrounding the MPODs increased tensions between China and Japan.Show less
Enjo-kosai (compensated dating) has become a phenomenon in Japanese society since the 1970s. The anti-prostitution law has been in place since 1956. Mainly for the prevention of STDs under the...Show moreEnjo-kosai (compensated dating) has become a phenomenon in Japanese society since the 1970s. The anti-prostitution law has been in place since 1956. Mainly for the prevention of STDs under the American soldiers during the occupation of Japan. While there is less need for women to enter prostitution after the war, the number of young women in this sector is increasing. This research focuses on the recent changes and functionality of the anti-prostitution law in Japan and examines how this law eventually prevents enjo-kosai. This thesis begins with an investigation of prostitution in Japan from the Heian period to the Meiji period and ends with examples of recent lawsuits on enjo-kosai.Show less
This thesis illustrates the close connection between relevant Japanese social problems within contemporary work of anime and manga from the seinen genre. Through the use of the popular culture...Show moreThis thesis illustrates the close connection between relevant Japanese social problems within contemporary work of anime and manga from the seinen genre. Through the use of the popular culture theory and the concept of hegemony in conjunction with the integrated approach of genre studies, this thesis defines part of the seinen genre regarding its connection to the representation of social problems. Discussing the historical connection between the seinen genre and social turmoil in the Japanese society from the 1950s, and discussing the seinen manga and anime ReLife as a case study, this thesis aims to show that anime and manga, in particular the seinen genre, evolved dynamically. The connection between relevant social and political debate makes the seinen genre an important ideological arena for the Japanese society and is an important part of the evolution of the seinen genre. The continues interplay between the genre and society has enabled the seinen genre to provide us with relevant views and criticism of contemporary Japanese society.Show less
This dissertation tries to provide a clear, complete image on the reasoning behind labor market deregulation in Japan, looking beyond often given reasons such as increased competition and the...Show moreThis dissertation tries to provide a clear, complete image on the reasoning behind labor market deregulation in Japan, looking beyond often given reasons such as increased competition and the weakened position of labor unions.Show less
Eten en uit eten gaan in Japan wordt als extreem belangrijk ervaren. Eten wordt dan ook veel gepromoot op tv-programma's, billboards en flyers etc. Maar misschien wel het meest opvallende...Show moreEten en uit eten gaan in Japan wordt als extreem belangrijk ervaren. Eten wordt dan ook veel gepromoot op tv-programma's, billboards en flyers etc. Maar misschien wel het meest opvallende promotiemiddel zijn reisgidsen. Japanse reisgidsen lijken namelijk meer vol te staan met eten dan bezienswaardigheden. In dit onderzoek zal er via een theorisch en historisch kader worden onderzocht waarom eten en toerisme in Japan in zulke mate met elkaar verbonden zijn en vervolgens zullen de resultaten van dit onderzoek met een casestudie die gaat over Kyushu reisgidsen gecontroleerd worden.Show less
In Japan bestaan verschillende misvattingen omtrent de LHBT-gemeenschap. Dit leidt onder andere tot het pesten van LHBT'ers op scholen en discriminatie op de werkvloer. In mijn scriptie doe ik...Show moreIn Japan bestaan verschillende misvattingen omtrent de LHBT-gemeenschap. Dit leidt onder andere tot het pesten van LHBT'ers op scholen en discriminatie op de werkvloer. In mijn scriptie doe ik onderzoek naar de manier waarop de Japanse mainstream media een rol spelen bij de beeldvorming van LHBT'ers, en de misvattingen en stereotypen die hieruit volgen. Hierbij kijk ik naar de manier waarop gender in de mainstream media uitgevoerd wordt. Daarnaast bestudeer ik twee media waarin LHBT-personages op de voorgrond staan, en de alternatieve manieren waarop gender uitgevoerd wordt in deze twee media ten opzichte van de mainstream media, en hoe dit kan bijdragen aan de acceptatie van de LHBT-gemeenschap in Japan.Show less
