Abstract
Despite the late introduction of data archiving in Japan, its development over the last 10 years has finally laid the groundwork for serious secondary analytic work. Survey data collected decades ago is, de facto, historical data, and thus, secondary analysis of these data must be approached from a historical perspective. In treating research data in its necessary historical frame, the following three principle dilemmas arise: 1) changing statistical categories, 2) lack of historical perspective, and 3) a tendency to find one's starting point in contemporary values.
