Japanese Journal of Social Welfare
Online ISSN : 2424-2608
Print ISSN : 0911-0232
Volume 60, Issue 3
Displaying 1-21 of 21 articles from this issue
Original Articles
  • Hiroshi NAKASHIMA
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 1-13
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Home-help services were operationalized mainly in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture. This paper clarifies the background factors of such services through the ideas of Yoshimasa Takeuchi, who served as secretary general of the Ueda City Council of Social Welfare. We mainly analyzed primary historical sources, including his three journals (NOTE BOOK, Nisshi:Yoshimasa ki, and Day and Day) and minutes of the city council of social welfare meetings. Results revealed the following about Takeuchi:(1) He was pessimistic about the council’s future and emphasized harmony among people.(2) He promoted people’s understanding by repeatedly dealing with observational tours by the former Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments, and delivering lectures in many places.(3) He encouraged services by home-helpers and widowed women to be publicized through the radio.(4) He consistently promoted the new life building movement during his days as secretary general of the city council. Takeuchi was aware of the necessity of studying independently and alone. His recognition of the persistent challenges at hand rather than focusing on locality and solidarity also contributed to the promotion of social welfare services. An examination of his predecessors’ achievements and viewpoints should be conducted from many perspectives and in a timely manner using primary historical sources.

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  • Norihiro OYAMA
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 14-27
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This paper aims to show the differences in standard among local governments in terms of the implementation of national public assistance policies. Research material was obtained through requests for any official documents related to the compilation of operation manual of public assistance system from each prefecture and designated city. Next, analysis was done from three perspectives: 1) grasp the domestic overview; 2) any regional discrepancy in the establishment of discretionary criteria; and 3) effects on legal rights of client. An analysis of 22,768 pages of public documents showed that 62 out of 68 groups (91.2%) from various prefectures and designated cities have compiled an operation manual. Not only was regional discrepancy found in the establishment of discretionary criteria but there were also differences in the frequency of policy revisions. As for the establishment of rules outside of implementation guidelines for public assistance, research has identified issues with the handling of free or low-cost accommodation and how that affected the legal rights of those without housing assistance. Overall, the result of the survey found a gap in criteria for public assistance among prefectures and designated cities, which calls for further meso-level studies.

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  • Keiji NOGUCHI, Junichi TAKAHASHI, MinHo KANG, Kanako ISHIDA, Norifumi ...
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 28-38
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This study aimed to clarify not only the actual state of foster care support in Japan but also its influence on foster parents’ satisfaction. A questionnaire survey was administered via postal mail on 4,038 foster parents nationwide. Factor analysis was carried out to explore potential factor models of foster care support. The results identified seven factors: preplacement support, training for foster parents with no experience, support that considers the foster family member’s holistic needs, foster care workshops, assistance in creating connections to support foster parents, crisis intervention for placement disruption, and respite care. Multiple regression analysis then determined the relation between these exploratory factors and foster parents’ satisfaction. A cluster model showed two variables that shape foster parents’ satisfaction:assistance in creating connections to support foster parents and preplacement support.

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  • Manami SANDO
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 39-51
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This paper examines the theoretical background of the current interpretations of social action in Japan. By classifying previous studies describing the process of social action, this study suggests two types of social action in Japanese social work theory: direct action and indirect action. Direct action includes such activities as petitions, lobbying, and legal action while indirect action includes negotiation and coordination. When the idea of social action was introduced to Japan, the concept only involved direct action. However, indirect action became one of the main components of social work, and today, these two concepts coexist in Japanese social work. These changes stem from the integration of social work theory and the Japanese interpretation of empowerment. Further studies on social action that adopts these two categories, direct action and indirect action, are required not only to accumulate research but also to construct a practice model of social work.

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  • Mami HIYOSHI
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 52-62
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This research seeks to clarify the challenges overcome by the hikikomori, or individuals suffering from acute social withdrawal, from their own perspective. In the 2017 fiscal year, the researcher conducted a survey of hikikomori who use the 68 hikikomori community support centers across Japan and performed analysis of variance 4(ANOVA 4) as the method of analysis. As a result, the following 12 features were established: fear of interacting with others, anxiety in leaving one’s house or room, difficulty in mustering the willpower to do something, recollection of distressing past events, fear of others’ gazes, fear of boarding vehicles (such as trains), difficulty in accepting others’ values, lack of awareness of what is happening within oneself, deterioration of the parent-child relationship, despondency and suffering over one’s illness and/or disabilities, feeling of inferiority over one’s school absenteeism and/or social withdrawal experiences, and lack of self-confidence. This study indicates that these experiences comprise a portion of the challenges that hikikomori have overcome.

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  • Anna-Juliane ISHIHARA
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 63-75
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    Because sexual violence is interpreted in Japan as “violence against women,” this study aims to examine why sexually aggressive acts by women against men are marginalized. Evidence of female-initiated sexually aggressive behavior were collected through data from sexual violence studies involving female university students in the United States and Canada. Findings showed that female perpetrators of rape are by no means a rare phenomenon. Using the gender theory of Judith Butler, this study found that male perpetrators and female victims are constructed as the norm for rape in Japan. Applying the symbolic law of sex to sexual violence, female perpetrators are marginalized and deemed as “illegitimate perpetrators.” This view of sexual violence creates a hierarchy of harm based on the sex of both the victim and the perpetrator, leading to the neglect of female perpetrators as study subjects. It is necessary to study the construction of sexual violence as a social problem and how it shapes the social support system for male victims in the social welfare field. Studying sexually aggressive women is crucial, as the notion that such women are nonexistent perpetuates a rape myth that impedes the recognition and support of male victims.

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Research Report
  • Hironobu OTOYAMA
    2019 Volume 60 Issue 3 Pages 76-89
    Published: November 30, 2019
    Released on J-STAGE: June 16, 2020
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    This paper aims to discuss what foster care social work is and how it has been particularly conducted by Child Guidance Centre (CGC) workers in the post-war period. In addition, the discussion seeks to clearly indicate the roles that CGC workers must play. This study adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A questionnaire survey was administered to CGC workers in Kanagawa Prefecture, and a questionnaire survey was carried out on 51 households of foster caregivers with a child or young person placement from Kawasaki City. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with five foster caregivers in Kawasaki City. The findings revealed deficiencies in foster care social work. Furthermore, the research found some key tasks that foster care social workers must perform. These include finding current and potential care needs in real time, actively listening to all involved parties, sharing information and direction with everyone in the team, providing sufficient-quality services to meet children’s/young people’s and caregivers’ needs, managing and organizing social support locally, and aiding youth independence and family support for reunification.

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Review and Prospect in the Fields of Social Welfare of the Year 2018
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