When a large-scale disaster occurs, municipalities must first implement emergency response. If huge damage is expected, country will embark on support, such as dispatching rescue agencies promptly. On the other hand, prefectures are required to play a major role in supporting and supplementing municipalities, wide-area coordination, and coordinating communications with country etc. The role of prefectures has been gradually expanded along with the reform of legal system based on experiences such as the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, based on the recent lessons on disaster response, it is required to respond more quickly and accurately by closely cooperation municipalities, prefectures, country, and disaster prevention related organizations. For this reason, it is considered that there remain matters for which it is desirable to strengthen the responsibility and authority of prefectures. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the remaining institutional issues and the direction of improvement. In this paper, we first summarize the role of prefectures in the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act, and outline the recent discussions on the role of prefectures. Next, we examine the process of initial response in recent large-scale disasters, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, from a practical point of view, and point out the current situation and problems regarding the three roles of prefectures. The three roles are (1) support for disaster prevention activities of municipalities, (2) coordination with disaster prevention related organizations within prefectures, and (3) construction of acceptance system for rescue agencies. Then, we will identify institutional issues for problem solving and seek directions for improvement.

View full abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether national identity determines Muslim images and perceived threat presented by Muslim, and, if so, which particular aspects of the national identity relate with them. Although previous researches have consistently shown that tolerant attitudes towards Muslim are determined by Muslim images and perceived threat, factors determining the Muslim images and perceived threat have not been fully explored. Thus, this study constructed and, by a structural equation modelling, tested the hypothetical model in which: (1) Muslim images and perceived threat determine tolerant attitudes towards Muslim; and (2) Muslim images perceived threat are determined, in turn, by national identity. Result of factor analysis showed national identity consisted of 5 factors–patriotism, nationalism, commitment to national heritage, multiculturalism and affirmative attitudes toward support for foreign countries. In addition, results of a structural equation modelling indicated: (1) Muslim images and perceived threat showed strong relations with subconstructs of the national identity; in particular, except for the relations between perceived threat and patriotism as well as commitment to national heritage, significant relations were observed between all variables; (2) tolerant attitudes towards Muslim were not only determined by Muslim images and perceived threat as in previous studies, but also by a subconstruct of national identity–multiculturalism.

View full abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in March 2011, and the Japanese government is conducting reconstruction projects. In this research, we studied the situation of restoration and reconstruction of social infrastructure and citizen consciousness. First of all, we grasp the restoration and reconstruction project of the Japanese government and the Ishinomaki city office. Next, we conducted a questionnaire survey on Ishinomaki citizens, and analyzed the basic characteristics of reconstruction consciousness and life quality assessment by people living in temporary housing. Then we analyzed the factors of evaluation of the reconstruction consciousness and the quality of life. Then, we grasp the relationship between the factors and household attributes, district characteristics.

View full abstract

This paper investigates difficulties faced by high school teachers when teaching science research activities to high school students and discusses the utilization of former university teachers in these research activities. Recently, promoting science research activities for high school students, including the Super Science High Schools, has been a trend. However, it is evident that high school teachers who lead such research activities experience problems. Hence, various efforts have been made to encourage the participation of teachers with doctoral degrees as well as university professors. However, the participation of teachers with doctoral degrees is hampered because they lack a teaching license, while university professors have limitations because they need to secure time for their research. This paper proposes a novel approach, i.e., employing former highly experienced university teachers in conducting research in teaching science. Further, sufficient instruction is possible even in the short period (< 3 years) that students attend high school. Developing an organization that acquires the services of such teachers is expected to foster activities such as selecting appropriate leaders for students and collaborating research among high schools. This paper puts forth a proposal to introduce an organization that arranges for such leaders within and outside the university. It is recommended for future research to investigate the usefulness of the endeavor and issues in actual high school settings.

View full abstract

In this research, a Mobility Management program to encourage people to use rail transport had been conducted on a trial basis, targeting residents of the towns located along the Konan Railway Owani Line for two years. As a result, the program was proved to positively affect the residents, increasing their awareness to the environmentally friendly rail transport. More residents came to use rail and it ended up to the increase in the Konan Railway Company income from the Owani Line. To continue the effects of Mobility Management, the authors proposed measures to have the residents kept the motivation to use rail transport. Meanwhile, those efforts may be successful only when they are supported by the residents. The transport administrators and railway companies need to improve Mobility Management measures as they could be more acceptable by the residents, increasing their awareness of the advantage of rail transport.

View full abstract

In Japan, since the Koizumi cabinet, policies based on neoliberalism have been implemented. As a result, there are reports of the deepening of deflation in the economy, the widening of the gap in the society and the weakening of national strength. As a democratic country, the level of acceptance by the nation affects policy decisions in Japan. Thus, the purpose of this study was the empirical analysis of supporting attitudes towards Neoliberalism and its determinants. First, we developed hypotheses on the supporting attitude towards Neoliberalism and its determinants. Secondly, we performed a questionnaire survey and Structural Equation Modelling to test these hypotheses. As a result, the low evaluation of Japan had the strongest effect on the supporting attitude towards Neoliberalism. It was further suggested that the results of Neoliberal policies could stimulate the low evaluation of Japan and consequently could strengthen the supporting attitude towards Neoliberalism. This suggests the existence of a spiral of deepening Neoliberalism in society.

View full abstract

One of the ideas claimed to justify the Osaka Metropolis Plan (Osaka-Tokoso) is that fiscal efficiency of Osaka city (or Osaka and Sakai cities) can be improved by dividing the city into several wards because the population of each ward will become closer to the optimal size of municipal population than that of Osaka city. Although previous studies have shown that local government spending is minimized in medium-sized cities, the methodologies of detecting optimal size and interpretations of the results still have problems to be solved. In addition, most of the studies focus on “expansion” through municipal amalgamation, so it is unclear whether the theories can be applied to cases of “down-scaling” by municipal division including the Osaka Metropolis Plan. In this study, we reviewed the methodologies and the results of previous studies that estimate optimal size(s) of municipal population in Japan, summarized the implications from them and discussed remaining problems. This review and discussion provides understandings as follows. Many studies have found ‘U-shape’ relationship between municipal population and public spending per capita, which means that a population growth leads to lower average spending in relatively small cities but the opposite it true in the largest cities. However, there have also been studies that do not support the ‘U-shaped’ trend (that implies no optimal population exists). Furthermore, causal mechanisms of increase/decrease in government expenditure per capita is not clear enough, so that we should be careful assuming that population changes by municipal amalgamation/division can improve fiscal efficiency. Particularly, if the increase in public spending in large cities is a result of urbanization as previous studies suggest, it is difficult to apply the theory of optimal size to the cases of municipal division.

View full abstract

In recent years, automatic driving systems have been developed and their social implementation has been discussed. These new transportation modes are expected to have significant impacts on our lives. In order to examine these impacts, this study focused on the process about the social acceptance of traffic modes in the past. Specifically, by the overview of newspapers, we surveyed various problems related to the traffic about children from the Meiji era (1868-1912) to 1945. As a result, in the Meiji and Taisho (1912-1926) eras, there were enormous traffic accidents which children were involved. Many accidents occurred when children were playing on roads and a half of the traffic fatalities were on children under 14 years old. Originally, roads were supposed to be the place to play for children. However, the rapid implementation of modern transportation modes such as carriages, trains and cars caused many traffic accidents with children. As non-structural measures against these traffic accidents, the government held events to spread “traffic morals” and police banned children from playing on roads. The Road Regulations in 1920 included a section prohibiting children from walking and playing on the street without their parents and this section has been kept to this day. On the other hand, as structural measures, push button signals at crosswalks and parks for children were introduced and temporal car free zones were planned.

View full abstract

In Japan, we have had such extremely high risk of natural disasters that construction firms have been playing important roles, not only in infrastructure management, but also in disaster prevention and economic development for our society. However, due to the recent impoverishment of the industry which afterward may cause lowering the quality level of the constructions, there has appeared to be an argument about how we redesign the tendering and contracting system. This study, interviewing construction firms about public works, reveals a fundamental direction to the future tendering and contracting system with a suggestion.

View full abstract