This manuscript addresses the role and contribution made in changing laws and attitudes in Japan since the 1950’s by those affected by Hansen’s Disease, or leprosy, particularly the efforts of Zen-Ryo-Kyo, the National Hansen’s Disease Sanatoria Residents’ Association. Health social movements are discussed both in the context of Japan and the world. An important contribution of this manuscript is the thorough explanation of activities conducted by Zen-Ryo-Kyo in achieving change through addressing issues related to social stigma and discrimination. Moreover, an argument is made to expand the scope of social movements to include all stigmatized illnesses and disabilities. Another significant point discussed is the need to move beyond defining Hansen’s Disease in medical and legal terms, and instead redefine it as a public health and social issue that must be solved. The measures taken by Zen-Ryo-Kyo to end biased treatment can be seen as significant steps toward a future of kyosei, in which all human beings can live together in an inclusive community.

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The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of employment support for the youth in American society. The main focus is Year Up, an employment support program for the younger generation that was founded by Gerald Chertavian in 2000. The first section of this article states the main purpose and essential components. The second section describes how Year Up was established and gives an overview of the Year Up program, including the admission process and the background of its participants. The third section uses the examples of two Year Up participants and investigates the changes made in their lives through the program while scrutinizing the significance and limitations of the Year Up program. Taking into consideration the various factors mentioned in the sections described above, the fourth section of this paper considers the meaning of having this employment support system in the existing stratified society. Keywords：employment support, the youth, Year Up, American society, stratified society

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For the Vietnamese people in the Delta, family is not only at the core of their daily lives, but it also constitutes the social, economic, and spiritual world that is centered on agriculture. However, today a growing number of people have jobs in urban areas. How does working outside of family farming shape lives of the people in the rural Mekong Delta in Vietnam and how does that affect their family values? The article analyzes how working people’s income is spent, how consumer culture is entering the rural family life, and how new social relationships outside of family is being shaped. A number of studies have been conducted on working children, especially daughters, and their families in East and Southeast Asian societies since the end of the twentieth century. This article offers new insights into the shifting social world of Asian families by adding a particular case of the people in the Mekong Delta, who maintain strong connections to their families under Vietnam’s social transformations.

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Scandals caused by sports players frequently occurred in recent years. What especially shocked me is a big scandal caused by two well-known Japanese Badminton top players, Kento Momota and Kennichi Tago, who gambled in illegal gambling casino. In my view, the most important matter in this scandal is that they lacked not only the humanity and the sociality as good citizenship, but also the sportsmanship as top athletes. Therefore, it should be strongly required for all coaches as well as players to recognize the meaning of sportsmanship and reaffirm determination not to give rise to such a scandal. Moreover, I would like to insist that real sportsmanship absolutely include the spirit of ‘Kyo-sei’ , which means the friendly and fair coexistence.

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