In recent years, the number of foreign nationals in Japan has been increasing, resulting in a corresponding increase in the number of foreign infants in childcare centers. e purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges that childcare centers encounter when dealing with special needs foreign infants. An interview survey was conducted with six employees from daycare centers located in urban dispersed areas in the Tokyo metropolitan area and northern Kyushu. The collected data were analyzed using the M-GTA method. The analysis identified 118 episodes, which were further categorized into 8 major categories, 32 minor categories, and 53 concepts. e challenges faced by childcare centers encompassed the need for comprehensive support in addressing developmental, emotional, and family-related issues. Play-based support was found to be effective for children, while parents' needs included addressing interpretation, accessing multilingual resources, and fostering collaboration with local professional organizations.

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In this study, we surveyed fathers who have engaged in a fathers’ association (Oyaji-no-kai) for more than ten years. Our survey results revealed that respondents joined the association and continued to participate in it for over a decade to stay involved with their children and local communities as a “childcare environment.” It also clarified their goals and changes in involvement awareness over time. The results of this study enabled us to explore the further potential of Oyaji-no-kai in childcare environments. The results of the TEM analysis identified five stages of engagement: craving companionship, searching for companions, leading by example, family interaction, and blending with the local community. The study results indicated that being involved in the local community helped fathers foster a sense of belonging. Having companions and assigned roles motivated fathers and individuals involved in Oyaji-no-kai to continue their involvement. Furthermore, fathers were enabled to continue attendance effortlessly with the association’s support of them and their families. The friendships that fathers mutually established through Oyaji-no-kai deepened with time, and the results suggest that these relationships are the primary motivation for Oyaji-no-kai in childcare environments.

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The labor shortage in Japan's nursing care industry is expected to become increasingly severe in the future, and improving productivity in the nursing care sector is a top priority. In a study using standing machines to address this issue, it was found that the use of multiple machines simultaneously can improve efficiency quantitatively. However, no previous studies have shown that the use of standing machines leads to increased productivity, other than the studies. At Facility A, the nursing care facility for the elderly that is the subject of this study, a standing machine was used as a means of transferring patients, but the nursing care staff complained that it took too much time to transfer the patients. As a result of trial and error, it became possible to reduce the number of times a standing machine sling is attached and removed from the patient from three times to once by adding movement and sitting position retention to transfers, which is the purpose of using a conventional standing machine. In this study, we report a case in which this new method of using a standing machine successfully reduced the number of assistance procedures. We compare the use of the new standing machine with the use of the conventional standing machine, and clarify the specifics of the procedure omission. In addition to the procedure omission, what kind of productivity improvement has been achieved is also discussed. We believe that this study will contribute to the diffusion of standing machines and the improvement of productivity in the field of nursing care.

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