This thesis considers the role of social capital in the post-disaster recovery of fishermen and farmers in a coastal and rural region. Primarily focusing on two towns in Miyagi prefecture which...Show moreThis thesis considers the role of social capital in the post-disaster recovery of fishermen and farmers in a coastal and rural region. Primarily focusing on two towns in Miyagi prefecture which were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the resulting tsunami in 2011, this thesis considers how the possession of cultural and social capital can hinder or enable recovery and company growth. Through the use of three case studies involving local fishermen and farmers who were affected by the disaster, this thesis argues that social capital plays an important role in enabling the recovery and growth of affected individuals and companies. In addition, not only the possession, but also the characteristics of said social capital determines to what extent and for what purposes social capital can be used to achieve recovery.Show less
Being multi-ethnic seems to be something of a contradiction. How can someone be Japanese, yet not be Japanese at the same time? The fact that multi-ethnics have access to two or more cultures,...Show moreBeing multi-ethnic seems to be something of a contradiction. How can someone be Japanese, yet not be Japanese at the same time? The fact that multi-ethnics have access to two or more cultures, languages, and consequently two or more sets of values can influence how they identify themselves according to the situation, resulting in multiple possible identities. This study will explore multi-ethnic identities from the perspective of multi-ethnic Japanese individuals themselves. The focus lies on tracking down and exploring multi-ethnic adolescents’ experiences of being Othered in Japan and look at the key elements that need to be examined when analyzing multi-ethnic identity. How do multi-ethnics manage feeling a constant mismatch between how they identify themselves and how others identify them? How do they then find a means to feel ‘normal’, like they belong? These are the main questions that I will focus on answering in this thesis.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
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
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
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 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
As a reaction to the poor handling by the Japanese government of the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Children Network was established whose main goal it is to...Show moreAs a reaction to the poor handling by the Japanese government of the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Children Network was established whose main goal it is to prevent children from being irradiated by radioactive materials. With the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, mother's would yet again take up their motherhood and use in such a way that they are supposedly the expert concerning their children's well being. This research will analyze the activities of the Fukushima Children Network in relation to the concept of civil society in Japan as coined by Jurgen Habermas. The main research question will be: What is the effect of Fukushima Children Network's actions in the public sphere? More specifically, did their actions lead to a growing awareness of the dangers, such as radioactive contamination, that the use of nuclear energy brings about? Starting with only a few people and setting out their course of action, they gained notoriety throughout the country. Also having inspired other members of the public to take action on their own, it can be argued that they have come quite far within the public sphere.Show less
