• International Journal of Contents
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2010

This study aims at investigating the linguistic and educational factors affecting TOEFL scores, focusing on three OECD countries, Korea, Japan, and Finland. The data comprise document analysis on curriculums, websites, and literature. The findings reveal that the number of Korean test-takers and their TOEFL scores gradually increased year by year. Finnish test-takers consistently gained greatly high scores, and Japanese examinees showed the lowest scores. The languages Korean, Japanese, and Finnish are all far distant from English and receive little support on historical grounds from the Indo-European family tree. In Finland, however, Swedish which belongs to Indo-European languages is still used as an official language with Finnish. Korea and Finland adopt English education from Year 3 in primary school, whereas English is not an official subject in primary school at present in Japan. Finnish students are taught a foreign language in addition to English from primary school. These seem to support the result of the high TOEFL scores of Finnish test-takers. This study concludes that social context which includes linguistic and educational environments are the main factors which affect TOEFL scores.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.185-212
• /
• 2013

In this paper, a conceptual model of legal culture based on Ehrlich's "living law" theory and Cole's social-cultural explanation can explain the low utilization rates of arbitration of Japan and the high utilization rates of arbitration in the United States, simultaneously. This model highlights the clash between social norms and legal provisions in Japan. Japan has developed a two-tiered system of dispute resolution. At the official level, Japanese people accept the legal system imposed by the outside world. But, at a deeper level, they utilize diverse forms of informal dispute resolution mechanisms, such as reconcilement and conciliation, reflecting their own social norms. In contrast, there is no conflict between social norms and legal provisions in United States. This study may show that there are distinctions between American-style arbitration and Japanese-style arbitration, reflecting their own respective social norms. The question of reconciliation between the American style of arbitration and the Japanese style of arbitration can be resolved by an international arbitrator.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.55 no.9
• /
• pp.322-329
• /
• 2012

Purpose: Aeroallergens are important causative factors of allergic diseases. Previous studies on aeroallergen sensitization rates investigated patients groups that had visited pediatric allergy clinics. In contrast, we investigated sensitization rates in a general population group of elementary school to teenage students in Incheon, Jeju, and Ulsan. Methods: After obtaining parental consent, skin-prick tests were performed on 5,094 students between March and June 2010. Elementary school students were tested for 18 common aeroallergens, whereas middle and high school students were tested for 25 allergens. The 25 allergens included Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, pollen (birch, alder, oak, Japanese cedar, pine, willow, elm, maple, Bermuda grass, timothy grass, rye grass, orchard grass, meadow grass, vernal grass, mugwort, Japanese hop, fat hen, ragweed, and plantain), and mold (Penicillatum, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria). Results: The sensitization rates in descending order were 25.79% (D. pteronyssinus ), 18.66% (D. farinae ), 6.20% (mugwort), and 4.07% (willow) in Incheon; 33.35% (D. pteronyssinus ), 24.78% (D. farinae), 15.36% (Japanese cedar), and 7.33% (Alternaria) in Jeju; and 32.79% (D. pteronyssinus), 30.27% (D. farinae), 10.13% (alder), and 8.68% (birch) in Ulsan. The dust mite allergen showed the highest sensitization rate among the 3 regions. The sensitization rate of tree pollen was the highest in Ulsan, whereas that of Alternaria was the highest in Jeju. The ragweed sensitization rates were 0.99% in Incheon, 1.07% in Jeju, and 0.81% in Ulsan. Conclusion: The differences in sensitization rates were because of different regional environmental conditions and distinct surrounding biological species. Hence, subsequent nationwide studies are required.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.599-610
• /
• 2000

In this study, a questionnaires survey was administered to Korean and Japanese junior high school science teachers in the capital area to investigate the extents of Science-Technology-Society(STS) education practiced in science classroom. The responses of 69 Korean teachers and 33 Japanese teachers were analysed. The results showed that most of teachers in both country knew well about the meaning and the purpose of STS education. Also they realized the needs of applying the STS education in science class and had wills to do it. However, only about a half of teachers - more than a half of Japanese and less than a half of Korean - were practicing the STS related subjects, activities and assessments in the class. Teachers in both country responded that their science textbooks did not contain enough amounts of STS related contents and other STS education materials available were not much. Therefore, it is needed to include more STS related contents in the science textbooks and to develop various STS education materials and circulate them as well as to establish adequate teaching and assessment methods for STS education. Also activating teachers' meetings to circulate the informations and materials and improving the school environments are recommended.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.7
• /
• pp.933-950
• /
• 2018

In Japan, Wagyu cattle include four Japanese breeds; Black, Brown, Shorthorn, and Polled. Today, the renowned brand name Wagyu includes not only cattle produced in Japan, but also cattle produced in countries such as Australia and the United States. In recent years, the intramuscular fat percentage in beef (longissimus muscle) from Japanese Black cattle has increased to be greater than 30%. The Japanese Black breed is genetically predisposed to producing carcass lipids containing higher concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids than other breeds. However, there are numerous problems with the management of this breed including high production costs, disposal of untreated excrement, the requirement for imported feed, and food security risks resulting from various viral diseases introduced by imported feed. The feeding system needs to shift to one that is more efficient, and improves management for farmers, food security for consumers, and the health environment for residents of Japan. Currently, we are developing a metabolic programming and an information and communications technology (ICT, or Interne of Things) management system for Wagyu beef production as future systems. If successful, we will produce safe, high-quality Wagyu beef using domestic pasture resources while solving the problems of how to utilize increasing areas of abandoned agricultural land and to make use of the plant-based feed resources in Japan's mountainous areas.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2020

This study examines the effect of financial reporting opacity and audit quality on stock price crash risk using listed firms in Japan. This study is the first research to examine the effect of financial reporting opacity on crash risk using a Japanese listed company. Furthermore, the effect of audit quality on crash risk is verified. High level auditors can mitigate crash risk by playing a role as a corporate governance device mechanism to reduce agency costs. We use a logistic regression and linear regression model to test whether financial reporting opacity and audit quality affect crash risk using listed firms in the Japanese stock exchange market during the fiscal years 2015 January through 2017 February. The results of this study suggest that the financial reporting opacity variable shows a positive relationship with CRASH, which states that a firm with more opaque financial reporting increases crash risk. The results suggest also that the firms audited by Big4 auditors experience less crash risk, implying that the audit quality in Japan can be one of the factors mitigating firm's crash risk. This study provides implications for financial reporting and audit quality to external stakeholders who wants to avoid losses.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.25 no.3 s.87
• /
• pp.169-185
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this research is to analyze Korean and Japanese junior high school and high schools students to inquire into the attitudes these students have towards credit, the importance of credit related education, and the necessity of education on online credit. This will provide an insight into the problems associated with teenage credit related consumer education, and allow a solution to be brought up. The results of the research and the proposal are as follows. First, younger Korean teenagers are more passive in consumption than the same age group in Japan. Second, for Korean teenagers, the amount of allowance and savings were an important factor in the attitude towards credit. In Japan there was a discrepancy between gender groups in the attitude towards credit. Third, personal education sessions for teenagers and follow up is necessary. Fourth, since the current teenage population have been familiar with the internet all their lives, credit education should utilize this medium as a tool. Fifth, when looking into the requests Korean and Japanese young teenagers made on credit web sites, the contents and quality of information is more important than the outlook of the site itself. Sixth, there is a need to provide teenagers, who are accustomed to visual data, information, an experience opportunity, and access to related web sites.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.10
• /
• pp.1355-1359
• /
• 2004

Japanese Black cattle of Hyogo prefecture (Tajima strain) are famous for its ability to produce high-quality meat and have been maintained as a closed system for more than 80 years. In order to assess the usefulness of microsatellite markers in closed cattle populations, and evaluate the genetic structure of the Tajima strain, we analyzed representative dams of the Tajima strain comprised of the substrains Nakadoi and Kinosaki. Genetic variability analyses indicated low genetic diversity in the Tajima strain. In addition, a recent genetic bottleneck, which could be accounted for by the high level of inbreeding, was detected in both substrains. In phylogenetic analyses, relationship coefficients and genetic distances between individuals were calculated using pedigree and microsatellite information. Two phylogenetic trees were constructed from microsatellite and pedigree information using the UPGMA method. Both trees illustrated that most individuals were distinguished clearly on the basis of the two substrains, although in the microsatellite tree some individuals appeared in clusters of different substrains. Comparing the two phylogenetic trees revealed good consistency between the microsatellite analysis tree and the pedigree information. The correlation coefficient between genetic distances derived from microsatellite and pedigree information was 0.686 with a high significance level (p<0.001). These results indicated that microsatellite information may provide data substantially equivalent to pedigree information even in unusually inbred herds of cattle, and suggested that microsatellite markers may be useful in revealing genetic structure without accurate or complete pedigree nformation. Japanese Black cattle of Hyogo prefecture (Tajima strain) are famous for its ability to produce high-quality meat and have been maintained as a closed system for more than 80 years. In order to assess the usefulness of microsatellite markers in closed cattle populations, and evaluate the genetic structure of the Tajima strain, we analyzed representative dams of the Tajima strain comprised of the substrains Nakadoi and Kinosaki. Genetic variability analyses indicated low genetic diversity in the Tajima strain. In addition, a recent genetic bottleneck, which could be accounted for by the high level of inbreeding, was detected in both substrains. In phylogenetic analyses, relationship coefficients and genetic distances between individuals were calculated using pedigree and microsatellite information. Two phylogenetic trees were constructed from microsatellite and pedigree information using the UPGMA method. Both trees illustrated that most individuals were distinguished clearly on the basis of the two substrains, although in the microsatellite tree some individuals appeared in clusters of different substrains. Comparing the two phylogenetic trees revealed good consistency between the microsatellite analysis tree and the pedigree information. The correlation coefficient between genetic distances derived from microsatellite and pedigree information was 0.686 with a high significance level (p<0.001). These results indicated that microsatellite information may provide data substantially equivalent to pedigree information even in unusually inbred herds of cattle, and suggested that microsatellite markers may be useful in revealing genetic structure without accurate or complete pedigree information.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.55-71
• /
• 2011

China has been experiencing high economic growth along with massive change in its industrial structure. How will the industrial structure change affect the Chinese economy? Similar changes were observed by Japan, when the Japanese banking system fell into a structural failure in terms of the inability to respond to the paradigm shift from "catching up" to "frontier economy." This paper is undertaken to highlight the lessons that China can learn from Japan's prolonged financial slump. We point out that big cities in China have already shifted to frontier economy and major provinces are on the same trend. We argue that in spite of economic reform reshaping the Chinese banking system, the financing pattern of state owned commercial banks (SOCB) is not in line with the industrial change. The Chinese banking system should be overhauled or transformed to respond to the increasing uncertainty along with the paradigm shift. Otherwise, China may fall into the same dilemma that Japan had faced in its industrial structure change.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.5
• /
• pp.197-206
• /
• 1981

This study focuses upon the custom of the headgear as a part of historical research on our traditional student uniform. It covers from Sam Kuk period(三國鼎立時代) of which we have found written records of formal education through the period under Japanese colonialism: The followings briefly summerizes the results of this study; 1) The educational civilization. The formalism of national education had been similar to that of China. It's main contents consisted of Chinese literature and practice of confucianism. It's objectives had been the education of selected men of ability, most of whom were the offspring of the high class. The education contents after the civilizational period had been gradually modernized for the purpose of westernization. 2) The changes of students' headgear. They had worn the Nakwon of Julpoong style (折風形羅冠) in the Sam Kuk period. They had worn Bok-Doo in the unified Silla dynasty, and Sadaimoolla-Kun (四帶文羅巾), Pyungjung-Kun (平頂巾) and Pyungjung-Dookun (平頂頭巾) in Koryo dynasty. They had worn Yoo-Kun (儒巾), Bok-Kun (福巾) in Yi dynasty. The noticeable distinction under Japanese colonialism had been the custom uniformity from headgear to footwear. Middle school educatee had worn round cap and professional school and college educatees had worn square hats.