Recently, the remarkable increase in the number of international students at Japanese universities has drawn attention to the need to create a supportive environment for them. This paper discusses situations and issues faced by the Japanese language department with regard to the experience of first-year international students. It focuses on Global 30 (G30) students who utilize English for their major subjects. Although their core studies are in English, these students still need opportunities for using Japanese in order to forge relationships with Japanese people. Other non-G3O foreign students also show the same need. However, this paper finds that G30 students are a special case because they study in English even though they live in Japan. This paper points to the need for cooperation among international student organizations both on and off the campus to provide special support for these students. It also describes how the Japanese language department can be helpful in this effort.

This article discusses the support needed by international students and the importance of resources from a community psychology viewpoint. This research surveyed the environment of a university in which the campus was isolated and had limited human resources and examined the type of difficulties faced by the university’s foreign students. The results showed that international students experience fell stresses while using Japanese and because of their economic condition. They also experience stress because of homesickness and difficulty in making friends because of a lack of community. Further, the results suggest that universities can provide support to their international students through educational intervention within and outside the campus.

As a result of increasing number of international students, Japanese universities now have culturally diverse population on campus. Developing students support services which can meet diverse need of international students is urgent need for university with large number of international students. This study discusses the current condition and future challenges of student support services for international students by focusing on the role of the support resource especially targeted for international students. Adjusting services to meet international students' special needs is necessary. Collaboration among various students support resources on campus is also considered important in order to foster cultural competence of student services as a whole.

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has been increasing in Japan. In the present study, HIV Self-Image Scale (HIVSIS), a scale to measure self-image based upon the assumptions that one is infected with HIV, was developed. The purpose of developing HIVSIS was to utilize it when designing a community based HIV prevention and./or intervention program. In Study 1, the items for HIVSIS were generated based on the free-text data collected from 263 university students. In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis was conducted and four fact on were extracted: social isolation, physical vulnerability, changes in attitude toward life, and intimacy. The reliability of HIVSIS was assessed using Cranach’s coefficient alpha. Results showed sufficient internal consistencies for the scale (0.81, 0.78, 0.83, and 0.76 for sub scales; 0.78 for the whole scale). In Study3, the validity of HIVSIS was examined by comparing it to perceived community stigma, perceived social support, HIV/AIDS related knowledge, general self efficacy, and voluntary intention to seek for counseling and HIV antibody test. The results showed HIVSIS had sound concurrent validity between the variables.

This study examined the relationship between residents’ bewilderment in cemeteries construction as well as the need to sustain their residential environment, particularly in terms of gender and age. A questionnaire survey was administered to residents of Hiroshima City. The respondents rated the extent to which the degree of bewilderment in cemeteries construction and their need to sustain the local community’s environment through a crime prevention system and collect garbage. The results showed that bewilderment in cemeteries construction correlated with needs of taking measures for crime prevention. However, the correlation did not show both male and under 60 age respondents. These findings suggest that taking crime prevention measures in the local community focusing on demographic factors is crucially important in the making and execution of cemeteries construction.

The concept “collaboration” is becoming an important keyword for school psychologists and teachers creating educational counseling system at school. In this case study, a second grade primary school class (N=31) faced a crisis: The students were out of control. A psychologist (the leading author) collaborated with newly appointed homeroom teacher in their class activities and implemented 21 programs, 11 separate times. Additionally, the psychologist assessed Q-U test (Questionnaire-Utilities; 4 times) and classroom management test (2 times), and conferred with the teacher about the program’s psychological effect. As a result of this collaboration, the class regained stability. The prior phase, the psychologist invited the teacher to collaborate in a Consultee-centered case consultation which the teacher would not have been able to do alone. The later phase, as a consequence of the collaboration, the teacher has realized significant improvements in her classroom management style. The present study suggested that Consultee-centered case consultation can be very effective in helping teachers maintain stability and harmony in their classes. We strongly believe support and collaboration is necessary for newly-appointed teachers with limited experience.