Entering the 21st century, abnormal climate changes have occurred frequently, intensifying year by year and causing serious and ever-increasing damages to people’s lives all over the world. This has made it increasingly necessary for ordinary business and residents to take action against global warming, and in particular, it is essentially important for general habitants to find effective ways to achieve these measures. Based on an awareness of this problem, this study examines the growth of three environmental values trading markets in Japan: Green Electricity Certificates, J-credits and Non-Fossil Value Certificates.　Although they started at different times, all three of the above-mentioned trading markets have been expanding up to now. Whereas Green Electricity Certificates and J-credits have quite small market sizes, the market size of Non-Fossil Value Certificates is far larger. However, the complex and diverse environmental values handled by Non-Fossil Value Certificates need to be organized in a simpler and clearer manner. Enterprises in general are already concentrating their efforts on eco-friendly activities and initiatives through various frameworks such as RE100 and TCFD disclosure, and even in the three markets discussed in this paper they play a major role.　On the other hand, the general population in Japan already understands the importance and severity of climate change problems, but they have not yet secured effective tools to carry out necessary measures. Thus, the need to try to find some effective tools is clear. Among the three environmental values trading markets discussed in this paper, the J-Credit market was established to provide credits needed for carbon offsetting activities. Making it easier for the general public to engage in this carbon offsetting activity from now on to solve the problems discussed in this paper should be one of the important issues to be considered in the future.

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Authoritarian attitudes, belief that the existing atmosphere should be maintained (‘kuuki’-beliefs), and forbearance among organizational members are thought to be contributing to organizational misconduct. This research hypothesized that these factors decrease the members’ assertiveness, which would increase the frequency of overlooking misconduct. The research examined this mediational effect in Japan and the U.S. The present research defined authoritarian attitudes as a tendency to comply with hierarchical relationships. People with this attitude tend to refrain from challenging their superiors even if such inaction leads to organizational misconduct. Kuuki beliefs encourage individuals to maintain the social atmosphere shared with others, thus, this tendency should increase their conformity and overlooking injustice committed in their workplace. Finally, people with forbearance tendency would also choose inactions towards misconduct because they accept themselves not being able to challenge their superiors. We examined how these tendencies lead to misconduct or overlooking wrongdoing by lowering people’s assertiveness. Responses from 3191 adults in Japan and 400 adults in the U.S. were obtained through a web-based survey, and we conducted reliability tests for the scales, compared means, and examined the relationship between the factors using structural equation modeling.　The results showed that participants in Japan had lower assertiveness than those in the U.S., and whether the workplace atmosphere accepts misconduct or not influenced people’s behaviors towards misconduct. Supporting our hypothesis, authoritarian attitudes increased misconduct by lowering people’s assertiveness in both the U.S. and Japan. Forbearance also influenced misconduct by lowering assertiveness. Contrary to our hypothesis, kuuki beliefs did not affect assertiveness. It might be due to some translation issues for the scale for this tendency, so it is necessary to improve the method. 　In conclusion, it is confirmed that the authoritarian attitudes influence organizational misconduct by fostering workers’ tendency to conform to others and refrain from righting their superiors who are committing injustic

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The pharmaceutical industry in Japan’s Toyama Prefecture took its present form, by persevering under various sales restrictions and tax regulations imposed during the Meiji period. Kokando Co., Ltd. is a leading regional pharmaceutical company in Toyama at present, as it was in the past. Kokando traces its roots to a door-to-door drug retail business, that began in the middle of Toyama’s Edo period. A drug retailer formed the company in the early Meiji period, to deal with stringent laws on drug sales imposed at that time. During this period, drugs were manufactured either by itinerant merchants who were company employees, or by home-based small-business owners. Kokando was initially launched as a drug-sales association. Later, it was dissolved and re-established as an organization resembling an industrial cooperative or a users’ cooperative. It took 38 years, from its inception to the early Taisho period, for Kokando to become a joint-stock company. During this process, the business went through various ups and downs alongside its growth. In terms of production, the business remained a cottage industry or a manual-labor factory during the Meiji period. This study clarifies how Kokando survived this period, when the operating environment was harsh

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COVID-19 vaccines were developed amid the global outbreak of the disease. Several countries attempted to secure these new vaccines in sufficient quantities to cover their entire populations. To address the global gap in vaccination, various countries donated vaccines directly and through international frameworks such as the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access. While previous studies have discussed the diplomatic and geopolitical impact of these vaccines, this study attempts to analyze the situation from an Asian perspective, employing a quantitative analysis including cluster analysis and GIS, which is a novel approach.　We analyzed the COVID-19 vaccine donation data from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. We considered the perspective of recipient countries, and the status of donations among donor countries within Asia and by Japan, the United States, China, and India, which exert a considerable influence in Asia. In the analysis of recipient countries, the study identified countries with unstable political and economic backgrounds and strong ties to China, such as Myanmar and Cambodia. China emerged as the top donor in Asia; interestingly, Cambodia, which is the second largest recipient of China’s vaccines, also provides aid to neighboring countries. A comparative analysis of Japan, the United States, China, and India indicated that the characteristics of donors and recipients and methods of donation differed for each country.

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The supply of high-rise condominiums has increased due to the shift in land use caused by the relocation of factories and the deregulation of the Building Standards Law. This has increased land for residential development, and accordingly, the number of households with children living in condominiums has increased. Changes in fertility due to the diversification of condominium supply have not been previously discussed. Therefore, this study examines the characteristics of fertility in condominium clusters and the factors that increase fertility over time in relation to the residential environment in the Southern area of Kawasaki City.　After selecting the areas to be surveyed using census and real estate data, the average number of children in households with under 6-year-old children was calculated for each district as fertility, and the characteristics of each district were discussed. In the districts where the average number of children increased, the proximity and number of facilities, such as childcare, shopping, and hospitals, that households raising children typically utilize had a significant impact on the average number of children, indicating the need to improve the overall living facilities to increase fertility.

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This study reviews natures of the Constitution, Civil Code, and Criminal Code of Japan in terms of the right to protection against defamation, and explores the foundations thereof. The point of it is to clarify the nature of the right to protection against defamation as indicated in the Constitution.　The right to protection against defamation, along with the right to privacy, has long been recognized as a personal right. While the right to privacy relates to the private domain, the right to protection against defamation relates to one’s social reputation. The Constitution of Japan does not clearly stipulate the right to protection against defamation. However, the accumulation of precedents, such as the “After the Banquet” case, suggests that the right to protection against defamation is guaranteed in the Constitution. This study examines the nature of this guarantee and whether the right to protection against defamation, as formed through the Constitution, stands in conflict with freedom of expression, as well as whether it is guaranteed under Article 13 of the Constitution. In relation to this topic, this study reviews precedents relating to the right to protection against defamation and clarifies the significance of the right to protection against defamation as protected by the Constitution.　The right to protection against defamation is essential in guaranteeing individual personal rights and the pursuit of happiness. Clarifying the existence of the right to protection against defamation could be considered a means of offering a better solution when guaranteeing freedom of expression stands in opposition to the right to protection against defamation

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The growing concern for food safety in many countries, and the administrative and legislative efforts to address it, are similar in the People's Republic of China. The development of legislation for food safety, which started with the founding of the country in 1949, began with the division of labour among administrative agencies to set food hygiene standards. This was followed by the enactment and several amendments of the Food Safety Act and the development of related laws and regulations, which rapidly led to the establishment of unified food safety standards, and their management and supervision by the Central Government. Against this background, there have been a number of incidents threatening food safety in recent years, and the harsh situation of a lack of trust in Chinese food products in many countries. This article traces the development of food safety legislation in China and notes the trend towards the formation of a food safety management and supervision system with co-governance by Chinese society today.

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TsujiPurposeThis paper examines the relationship between industrial clusters and innovation by studying the Imabari towel industry as a case study. It discusses the relevant legal system, characteristics of the era, technological features, and division of labor structure from the 1960s to the early 1970s. ConclusionThe paper highlights the following: 1) Imabari towels underwent continuous development influenced by laws promoting demand-supply adjustment and modernization of facilities. This development coincided with the popularity of large-sized towels, peak exports, technological advancements in the preparation, weaving, and finishing processes, and the implementation of process innovation by skilled workers. Additionally, the development was facilitated by the increasingly specialized division of labor within the production areas. 2) This period also witnessed the expansion of industrial cluster through spillover effects. 3) Progress in applied science-based technology was observed, particularly in the dyeing processes, weaving processes, and printing processes, with the majority of technological advancements in the weaving process being process innovations. 4) The paper further emphasizes the significant role played by skilled workers involved in each process and technicians from the Textile Industrial Research Institute of Ehime Prefecture in generating process innovation.

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Psychology has contributed to criminal investigation and justice by providing crucial psychological findings concerning, among other things, eyewitness testimony and false confessions. However, severe perception gaps frequently exist between psychology and the judiciary and law. In Japan, for instance, polygraph examinations are excluded from trial evidence due to the suspicion of the crime scene investigation (CSI-) effect, in which judges place disproportionate importance on polygraph examinations, resulting in ineffective prevention of false convictions and false arrests. This study filled these perception gaps by examining the CSI effect and the exclusionary rule of evidence law, as well as the error distribution doctrine that Laudan (2006), a philosopher of science asserted was adopted by the judiciary to reduce the number of false convictions. Among these are potential risk factors for wrongful conviction and the undermining of the impartiality of the judiciary. The scientific evidence is useful for resolving these problems and preventing other causes of mistrial, such as the (abuse of) free evaluation of evidence and the consistency effect. Using the evidence structure diagram, we subsequently reinterpreted the CSI effect discussed its psychological causes, and proposed preliminary countermeasures against the CSI effect. The evidence structure diagram is a fundamental tool for judicial fact-finding, and this study posits that its psychological application can facilitate fruitful collaboration between law and psychology

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Generative AI harbors immense potential for utilization in the educational arena, ranging from the development of teaching materials and lesson planning to the enhancement of school administration processes. Nonetheless, with the intrinsic risks associated with misinformation and biases that generative AI might propagate, its prudent application is essential.　A survey of educational professionals in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, revealed that 89% of respondents held a positive view towards integrating generative AI into educational practices. On the flip side, a noteworthy portion expressed reluctance to embrace it, attributing their hesitancy to a lack of comprehension about generative AI and apprehensions about undertaking novel challenges.　To fruitfully adopt generative AI in education, enhancing the understanding and practical skills of educators is imperative. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan has instituted guidelines pertaining to the use of generative AI in education, advocating its incorporation by conducting training sessions for teaching professionals.　Moreover, it's vital to have safeguards in place to prevent the spread of misinformation and biases through generative AI. Instead of unreservedly accepting the output of generative AI, it is crucial for educators and students to cultivate the aptitude to scrutinize and validate them independently.　Generative AI promises to usher in transformative innovations in the realm of education. Nevertheless, its deployment necessitates a judicious approach that takes into account potential risks, warranting an in-depth discourse among educational stakeholders and society at large.

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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the utilization of railway heritage for tourism, using the example of 「Blue Train Taragi」 in Taragi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. Railway fans are individuals who hold an interest and curiosity in the components necessary for railway operations, including vehicles, tracks, structures, and stations. The experiences of railway fans, who often venture beyond their daily surroundings, can be considered as part of tourist activities. To utilize railway heritage that no longer serves as a transportation service as a tourism resource, it is crucial to create content that allows visitors to experience how it was used as a transportation service. 「Blue Train Taragi」 is an experiential railway heritage that utilizes the passenger cars from the operation of the sleeper express 　「Hayabusa.」 Its user base is diverse, including not only railway enthusiasts but also business travelers. Moreover, it also contributed to creating opportunities to use facilities such as restaurants near Taragi Station. In Taragi Town, the Blue Train was utilized as a tourism resource, promoting tourism development.

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