This paper reexamines the role and content structure of pedagogy within teacher certification programs at small-scale universities in Japan. Although teacher education in Japan has historically developed mainly within faculties of education at national universities, many small-scale universities currently offer teacher certification programs. In such institutions, structural constraints often make it difficult to provide foundational education-related courses in a sufficiently systematic and comprehensive manner. Consequently, students may experience difficulties in integrating educational theory with teaching practice. Recent developments in school education—including the growing sophistication of learning assessment and the institutionalization of ICT use—have increased the need to conceptualize lessons as an integrated cycle of goals, learning activities, assessment, and improvement. In this context, the present study repositions pedagogy not merely as a course for acquiring teaching techniques but as a core subject that mediates and integrates foundational educational theories with practice-based components such as teaching practicums. The study draws on an analysis of policy and regulatory documents related to teacher education, a review of relevant literature, and reflective examination of the authors’ long-term teaching practices. Based on this analysis, the paper proposes a content-design principle termed the “embedding of foundational theory within practice contexts” and presents a 15-session syllabus model suitable for small-scale universities. The study suggests that redefining pedagogy as an integrative hub within teacher education curricula can contribute to strengthening the quality assurance of teacher certification programs.

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The third mail survey, conducted before and after the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga, was carried out in September 2025—one and a half years after the extension—targeting 1,200 residents. The response rate reached 30.8%, the highest among the three surveys, compared with 20.0% in the first survey (September 2023) and 26.1% in the second survey (September 2024).Overall trends did not differ substantially from those observed in the second survey. More than 80% of respondents expressed a favorable attitude toward the Shinkansen extension, indicating a sustained high level of positive evaluation. At the same time, approximately half of the respondents reported that they rarely use the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and many did not necessarily evaluate the changes brought to their own daily lives by the extension in a positive manner. Nevertheless, respondents tended to evaluate positively the impacts of the extension on Tsuruga City and on Fukui Prefecture as a whole. An important task for future research is to examine how such resident perceptions are formed, how they are connected to residents’ behavior, and how they may shape the future vision of the region. In particular, this line of inquiry has the potential to provide new criteria for decision-making regarding the Hokuriku Shinkansen section between Tsuruga and Shin-Osaka, where route re-examination is currently under way.

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This paper examines the Shin-yu Revitalization Project, an off-grid outdoor educational facility located in Towada-Hachimantai National Park, as a case study of place-based, dwelling-oriented education. The Charter of Shin-yu, emphasizing environmental carrying capacity, appropriate technology, collaboration, and altruistic practice, is theoretically framed through ecological thought, including Gibson’s concept of affordances and Ingold’s dwelling perspective. In contrast to technology-driven visions of outward expansion, the project proposes an alternative model of sustainability grounded in the re-inhabitation of existing places. The study argues that communal living and embodied labor cultivate prosocial behavior, responsibility, and character formation, thereby suggesting the educational potential of a dwelling-based approach in an increasingly technologically advanced society.

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Even for patients with dementia, if effective treatments exist and their willingness to receive them can be inferred, we should explore measures to enable this. While a legal solution is desirable, recognizing that immediate implementation is difficult, I propose forming an ethics review committee. This committee should include adult guardians who know the patient well and be structured to reach conclusions through deliberation and discussion from multiple perspectives.

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