In this article, we examine how people convey that they do not know some commonsense knowledge in mundane conversation. Conversation analysis is carried out based on face-to-face conversational data. In particular, we focus on other-initiated repair sequences in which the repair initiator of the sequence takes the form [noun + tte + interrogative]. We argue that this repair sequence serves to convey that the person who initiates the repair does not know the information being discussed. Furthermore, repair completion utterances in this repair sequence are examined to show that the participants understand they are dealing with a lack of commonsense knowledge. The results of the analysis show that repair completions sometimes accompany some additional elements that convey that the participants are dealing with a matter of common sense. Therefore, we conclude that the deployment of the form [noun + tte + interrogative] as a repair initiator is understood by the participants as a signal that they are dealing with a lack of commonsense knowledge.

In this paper, the author elucidates what social capital creates for the festivals in local districts. A lot of researchers have attempted to examine the functions of social networks, communications and partnerships among participants in festivals. They mainly focused on only the event process itself. However, all festivals and events are based on a daily life by local citizens. Participants create their relationship which is reflected on the festival on a daily basis. The author conducted the research the process of fundraising by organizers of festivals and focused on the Hikiyama Festival in Nagahama, Shiga. The author investigated the relationships and fundraising process among the participants. Drawing on our observations, we could find some functions which connect participants’ daily lives and festivals: continuous partnership with stakeholders and displaying social capital. In the fundraising process, organizers tried to raise funds from their business partners, neighbors and other persons. It reflects the power, human capital and influence of the organizers. Moreover, such factors are highly visible for other citizens via flyers because they can check the list of supporting partners every year. Through fundraising, the power of the organizers is compared and reviewed by not only the festival staff, but also local residents, among others. As the result of analysis for fundraising process, this research elucidated that both the festival itself and daily work and life constructed the festival with the social capital owned by organizers.

In the Japanese labor market, there has been a recent increase in the number of workers leaving their employers due to job dissatisfaction. We hypothesize that this change results from a decrease in the number of dissatisfied employees that remain at a firm, rather than from an increase in the number of dissatisfied employees in the entire market. In other words, this change reflects increased opportunities to reduce worker’s dissatisfaction: employees are more likely to stay if they are satisfied and move more frequently if they are dissatisfied compared to earlier time periods. From this perspective, we examine the occupational characteristics of those who remain at a workplace while being dissatisfied and those who are forced to leave their jobs even though they are satisfied.

Previous research using panel data analysis finds a positive relationship between employee’s job dissatisfaction and subsequent turnover for a firm. To improve upon these methods, we test for interaction effects between job dissatisfaction and occupational variables in a panel data analysis in order to determine who is likely to be a dissatisfied stayer or a satisfied mover.

The results are derived from logistic regression analysis of the Japanese Life Course Panel Survey conducted on young men between 2007 and 2008. Job dissatisfaction has a significant effect on turnover, except for blue-collar workers and non-standard employees. Blue-collar workers remain even if they are not satisfied because they tend to experience fewer opportunities to change to a job with more favorable conditions. On the other hand, because non-standard employees are likely to be laid off or reach the termination of their contract, and so tend to involuntarily leave their jobs even if they are satisfied. These results imply an asymmetric relationship exists between satisfaction and mobility in the present labor market.

This paper asks what factors determine care workers’ intention to leave their job, and verifies the “Prisoner of Love” hypothesis often cited in the field of care work research. This hypothesis means how professional care workers hope to care for patients and show them true passion though they are frustrated by organizational and administrative problems. “Prisoner of Love” might force care workers into a vulnerable position, preventing them from demanding a better working conditions such as increased job satisfaction and higher wages. By analyzing a large-scale survey of care workers in Japan, we found earnings and job satisfaction have negative effects on workers’ intention to leave. The analyses also show that intrinsic motivations for care work have negative effects on workers’ intention to leave, which is mediated by job satisfaction. These findings support the “Prisoner of Love” hypothesis.

This paper is concerned with diversity and various cleavages within Okinawan society.

Compared to areas in mainland Japan, sociological research has characterized Okinawan society as having extremely strong community norms. Okinawan society was analyzed as a “communal society” composed of informal horizontal connections. Similar to mainland Japan, however, considerable diversity and numerous cleavages also exist within Okinawan society.

In this paper I outline the results of “Social stratification and community in Okinawa,” an ongoing collaborative fieldwork project performed by four researchers including the author of the present article. This qualitative fieldwork aims to explicate in detail class disparities within Okinawan society. Using this overview as a foundation, I then consider the implications and possibilities of our research. Finally, after relativizing the concept of communalism by focusing on social cleavages and diversity, I argue that it is necessary to rethink the colonialist relationship between Okinawa and Japan.

The Sociology Study Group has been promoting the interviews with the residents of Tomioka Town in Fukushima Prefecture from autumn 2011 who were forced to evacuate due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Through analyzing a variety of data, we clearly recognize the following issues:

1) Problems that evacuees have faced are complex and very extensive.

2) However, these issues are not correctly recognized in the field of policy.

3) Therefore, these present policies have not necessarily led to sufficient relief for disaster victims.

4) On the other hand, the political determination for regional restoration has progressed quickly, so aggravation of the problems that evacuees have faced are being enhanced.

5) The problem of the legal system of Japan which surrounds local autonomy is behind such issues.

6) In addition to these issues, it is not possible to deny that public opinion serves to boost the seriousness of these problems.

These issues are caused by the deviation between the premise of current reconstruction policies and problems that nuclear evacuees are facing. If there are no changes in the status quo, current policies might collapse or the affected local governments might disappear.

In this article, we discuss the situation people affected by the Great East Earthquake are struggling in and the type of relationships disaster volunteers should make with them. The areas that suffered from this earthquake and tsunami are highly diverse. Therefore, we should not understand the situations of these areas in the simple dichotomy scheme of the center-periphery. In these areas, there are many lines that divided the area into the center and periphery. As a result, we cannot deem any one point as the center that controls the peripheries. And, we cannot decide what manner of reconstruction and recovery is best.

In this situation, those affected should re-create the social routines that were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. It is because they have experienced the destruction of the sense of naturalness that forms the foundation of their everyday life, due to the disaster. The reconstruction and recovery means recreating of a sense of naturalness.

Disaster volunteers can make the re-creation of this sense of naturalness when they work on the reconstruction and recovery of a disaster-afflicted area with those affected by it. In order to recreate the sense of naturalness, those affected by the disaster should recover the trust of the continuity of the time. The continuity of the time is established by the philosophy of repeatability. For example, when a volunteer says that he will come back soon and keeps that promise, the people affected by the disaster agree the relationship is not unstable and will continue, therefore they will trust the continuity of time.