This paper examines the rise of house organs in postwar Japan and the discourses developed by multiple actors. In the late 1950s, house organs gained attention as “the third journalism” and were positioned as a powerful tool for employee relations. Mass media accelerated this trend, promoting practitioners to advocate their own theories. While The Japan Federation of Employers' Association (Nikkeiren) focused on the managerial function, labor unions expressed concern over house organs as rivals to union publications. This paper aims to clarify the meanings of house organs and their roles explored through these discourses.

This study examines the applicability of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) in Japan, where consumer perceptions of corporate crises can differ due to cultural traits. A multifaceted statistical analysis was conducted, revealing a hierarchical structure in threat appraisal. In addition, SCCT's high applicability for Japanese consumers was quantitatively confirmed. The findings offer empirical support for SCCT's cross-cultural validity and provide a foundation for its unique theoretical development in Japan.

Prior research shows that corporate images formed before a product defect can buffer or amplify reputational damage, yet the mechanism remains unclear. We conducted two experiments focusing on the congruence between a promise-based corporate image and an image of the defect. When congruence was high, stakeholders' attitudes toward the company declined. This effect was mediated by perceived betrayal. These findings clarify how congruence can intensify negative reactions in crises and refine crisis communication theory.

This study examines whether governmental financial incentives can support sustainable post-migration settlement rather than merely trigger short-term relocation. Using a pseudo-longitudinal design with nationwide survey data from migrants in 2019 and 2023, we analyze psychological changes among subsidy-motivated movers. Results show improvements in many attitudinal indicators, including social capital and place. Furthermore, proactive engagement with municipal communication channels was associated with sustained community involvement, indicating that administrative communication may help transform externally driven relocation into lasting, self-determined attachment to place. Policy implications are discussed.

Corporate public relations today is expected not only to disseminate information but also to play a role in managing relationships with society. However, existing OPR studies have tended to adopt an organization-centered perspective, lacking a perspective on relationship building oriented toward social sustainability. This paper focuses on “mutual assistance” as an alternative framework. In particular, nonprofit sports organizations, which combine the public mission and agency of NPOs with the communal and embodied nature of sports, can bridge diverse stakeholders and contribute to constructing a mutual assistance system in corporate public relations.

This study examines case examples of corporate museums operated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan. While corporate museums have traditionally been discussed in the context of large corporations, approximately 30% of such institutions in Japan are, in fact, established by SMEs. Based on field research conducted at four SME-run corporate museums, the study identifies exhibition structures and operational practices that reflect the companies' intention to convey their sense of responsibility and mission as successors to their respective industries. These findings suggest that corporate museums not only function as symbolic devices linking corporate activity with local culture and tradition but also serve to communicate the image of the founding company as a legitimate inheritor of its business legacy.

Business performance evaluations are broadly categorized into financial and market indicators. While there is plenty of research on the relationship between CSR activities and business performance regarding market indicators, there is limited research showing a correlation with financial indicators. In order to show the relationship between CSR efforts and business performance, it is necessary to understand the actual state of social contribution, the most proactive CSR effort, within the company's business activities. Focusing on Daihatsu car dealers, this study examines how such initiatives are related to the current business model and the transition toward the future business model.

This paper analyzes the systemic impacts of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation from the perspective of Hallin and Mancini's media systems theory, drawing on existing English-language studies to examine societal vulnerability factors. Findings indicate that the mechanisms and societal consequences of these information phenomena vary across media systems, shaping the nature of effective responses. Moreover, the role of stakeholders such as interest organizations remains underexplored, highlighting future directions where public relations research can contribute to understanding and mitigating these challenges.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), a U.S. federal law, is a system designed to make lobbying activities visible and transparent by requiring lobbyists retained by foreign governments and foreign companies to report the substance of their activities to the U.S. government. This paper examines practical public relations issues concerning FARA's regulatory content, its application to public relations, promotional activities, and political activities, and the duration of the registration filing obligation under FARA. This analysis is conducted through an examination of two recent representative enforcement cases: the Steve Wynn case and the Sue Mi Terry case.

This study theoretically examines the process of converting social capital, or "density of trust," held by regional enterprises into economic value. Based on institutional theory, this paper presents a four-stage model of trust capitalization: (1) formalization, (2) codification, (3) legitimization, and (4) institutionalization, and organizes its correspondence with E-E-A-T. Furthermore, it discusses how public relations promotes this process as a mediating function, leading to sustainable competitive advantage for regional enterprise networks through transaction cost reduction, price premium acquisition, and sales channel expansion.

This single-case study compares outcomes of news-style press releases (PRL) and professional proposal document (PPD) in expert PR for consultants and trainers under the same author and topic. Using quantitative records, we operationalize publication rate, serialization rate, and publication efficiency. Results: PRL achieved 0 acceptances from 10 outlets; PPD achieved 17 acceptances across 9 outlets (5 outlets, including 3 serialized), yielding 55.6% publication rate and 1.89 items per submitted outlet. Framed by brand equity, PR models, and framing theory, findings suggest PPD integrates expertise into proposals, enabling sustained exposure; differences in event-report vs problem-solving design likely shape outcomes.