The objective of this research is to examine how Japanese fathers’ views about household work and childcare changed in response to external events by measuring their points of view before and after living in the United States（U.S.）. To this end, the study analyzes the changes of Japanese fathers’ perceptions created through the influence of their workplaces or local communities while residing in the U.S. The study assumes that the fathers’ views about household chores and childcare are key determinants of their behaviors.

  In-depth interviews of fathers who temporarily resided in the U.S. were conducted twice, before and after they resided in the U.S. At the time of the interviews, nine fathers had at least one child of preschool age. All fathers were employed full-time in Japan, either in large Japanese companies or with the government. In the U.S., three fathers worked at U.S. companies or in the U.S. branch offices of Japanese companies, five fathers studied at U.S. universities, and one father took childcare leave while his wife conducted research in the U.S.

  This research reveals that Japanese fathers’ views about the division of family labor can be classified into three categories:（1）equal sharing,（2）supportive role, and（3）no sharing. With regard to the division of household work, few differences could be identified when comparing the interviews conducted before with those conducted after the subjects had resided in the U.S., whereas with regard to childcare, in most cases, after residing in the U.S., the fathers indicated that they would like to be more actively involved.

  The study also finds that norms in the work environment have a large impact on Japanese fathers’ perception of family labor. Additionally, local community norms also influence their views.

  This paper examines the effect that marriage hunting activities have on the transition to first marriage. Whereas previous studies have mostly examined the effect of marriage hunting activities on the chances of finding a dating partner, the aim of this research was to examine the effect of marriage hunting on the chances of getting married, as one may desire to find a marriage partner more than a dating partner. Firstly, we used odds ratio to find out which activities affect one’s probability of getting married during the next year. The results were as follows. For both men and women, using matchmaking agencies to find a partner and attending omiai (arranged matchmaking meeting) and arranged matchmaking parties positively affected their probability of getting married. In addition, for women, asking parents and siblings for an introduction and, for men, asking other relatives were also related to their chances of getting married within a year. Secondly, we conducted a logistic binary regression analysis for each marriage hunting activity using age, education, annual income and desire for marriage. The results were as follows. Women who asked parents and siblings for an introduction or used matchmaking agencies to find a partner were more likely to get married within a year. Among men, attending omiai and using matchmaking agencies to find a partner positively affected their probability of getting married.