Policy and Practice Studies
Online ISSN : 2189-1125
Print ISSN : 2189-2946
Volume 8, Issue 2
Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles from this issue
  • David Brewster , Tomoya Mukai, Yuki Takahashi , Yuji Takenaka, Sho Sag ...
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 137-145
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Debates concerning criminal justice policy in Japan to date have largely regarded this area as uniform, with little attention paid to differences between locales. However, given trends of decentralization in recent years, it is possible that patterns of localization in criminal justice policy can be observed. Therefore, this study aimed to capture and account for the extent of variation across locales in criminal justice policy in Japan using concepts from governance studies. Specifically, focusing on the local recidivism prevention plans of 42 prefectures formulated under the Act for the Prevention of Recidivism, the following two points were examined using text mining: (1) what aspects are emphasized in each prefectural recidivism prevention promotion plan; and (2) whether there are differences between the prefectures in respect of the aspects that are emphasized. The results showed that: (1) the frequency of the “continuous support code”, which emphasizes “implementing policies that take into account the characteristics of people released from prison”, and the “cooperation code”, which stresses “promoting cooperation between institutions”, was relatively high; and (2) whilst Kyoto and Hyogo were exceptional, all other prefectures were largely homogeneous with little indication of substantial local variation. These results are discussed in terms of the asymmetries in governing relations between national and local authorities.
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  • A case study of Gunma Prefecture
    Shinya Tsukada, Tetsuo Morita
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 147-155
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In recent years, the concentration of population in the Tokyo metropolitan area has been increasing, and local cities are experiencing a decline in population. Local cities are seeking to maintain and increase their populations, seeking to improve community development that will improve population decline and lead to employment and creation of jobs for producers, as well as promote exchange among citizens and regions. In this study, we conducted a web-based questionnaire survey of residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area who had selected Gunma Prefecture as a potential migration destination. The results of the web-based survey revealed the following: Never-married persons under the age of 40 had a high need to emigrate to rural areas. In addition, richness of nature, work, and child-rearing were frequently cited as reasons for wishing to emigrate. As for the environment they seek in a place to which they would like to emigrate, they sought a natural environment, such as abundance of nature and weather conditions, and a living environment, such as access to Tokyo and housing conditions. Furthermore, the relationship between life stages and the attitudes and needs of prospective immigrants toward migration was clarified. The results of this study showed that it is effective for local cities that are working on countermeasures against population decline and vacant houses to communicate and strengthen local branding that takes into account the natural environment, accessibility to metropolitan areas, and housing environment that they seek. It was considered effective to implement policies that reflect the development of an environment that can propose a form of residence that takes into consideration the age and life stage of the targeted prospective residents.
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  • Tomoya Mukai, Tomoyuki Nogami, Yuki Yuyama
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 157-162
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Previous studies on causal attribution to offenders have been based on either the dualistic approach, which distinguishes between internal and external or attributive and situational attributions, or the multidimensional approach, which divides the subject of causal attribution comprehensively. As these approaches have both advantages and disadvantages, it is desirable to accumulate findings based on both approaches. However, studies using the multidimensional approach for offenders in general rather than specific offenders are lacking in Japan. Therefore, based on previous studies that adopted the multidimensional approach, this study aims to examine the factor structure of causal attribution to offenders. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the data of 191 respondents. Because the five- and three-factor solutions were adoptable, the analysis proceeded according to these solutions. However, the factors extracted in either solution were challenging to interpret. This result may be because many respondents did not make causal attributions in a manner consistent with the causes of crime as assumed in criminology. Therefore, it was suggested that in future research and policy making, it is not necessarily beneficial to focus on the causes of crime based on criminological theory.
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  • Atsushi Kato, Seigo Nasu
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 163-167
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A survey by the Japan Council for Quality Health Care (2019) reports that medical adverse events are increasing year by year. The leadership required of chief nurses is patient safety and aiming to provide better nursing care to patients. In the United States, it is recognized that the servant leadership of nursing administrators improves the job satisfaction of nurses who work together and this promotes their growth. It is pointed out that leadership applies as an effective leader image. Therefore, in this paper, in order to realize the medical safety of patients, while focusing on the servant leadership of the chief nurse, a prospect is made based on the discussion points of previous research on assertive communication. As a result, it is suggested that close communication could be practiced by building an assertive relationship between the chief nurse and nurses in the team in the process of demonstrating servant leadership. In other words, the concept of assertion plays a supporting role for chief nurses to demonstrate servant leadership.
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  • Makoto Ayabe
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 169-174
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    As declining birth rate and aging population are rapidly progressing all over Japan, local cities are attempting to increase the number of migrants while preventing an exodus of residents. This article focuses on the study of the migration and settlement support policies in Bungotakada City, located in Oita Prefecture, to find out the reasons for their success, which has been reflected in a continuous population growth in recent years. In order to achieve this purpose, Bungotakada City’s industrial policies, support guidelines for migration, settlement, employment, child care, and education, support for migrants from private organizations, use of websites and SNS for dissemination of information, and the organizational response by the City Hall in charge were analysed in detail. As a result, it was found that by posting information such as tourist attractions and migration rankings according to the media characteristics, the number of people that visit Bungotakada City is increasing, and that support for migration, settlement, employment, child care and education was carried out through the cooperation of the city and the region with families with small children as the main target. In addition, it was suggested that since the one-stop consultation service from pre-migration to post-migration formed close relationships, this service contributes to boosting migration and settlement.
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  • Focusing on age, period, and cohort
    Shingo Ando, Shumpei Kawai, Sumiko Ishibashi, Mamoru Taniguchi
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 175-184
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In Japan’s aging society with a declining population and a low birthrate, as has been stated in the national land plan since 1998, not only the government’s but also the residents’ participation in the supply side of public services as the main actors in community development is keenly anticipated. Encouraging social involvement such as neighborhood association and volunteer activities is expected to enhance each resident’s contribution to the local community. In this study, we newly defined activities with relatively significant contributions to the local community as “community contribution-type activities.” After the coming out of the importance of community contribution-type activities, the social situation in Japan changed considerably with social affairs such as decentralization of government, financial pressure, and the Great East Japan Earthquake. Along with those changes, workstyle and the values among the people have also got more diverse. In considering the future creation of community contribution-type activities, we traced the chronological changes of the residents’ participation in community contribution-type activities over 15 years using a total of 4 consecutive large-scale nationwide surveys conducted every 5 years. As a result of factor analysis, we revealed that the factors affecting the participation in community contribution-type activities did not change markedly, and the keys are age and frequency of learning and self-development activities. Focusing on the forms of participation, it became clear that the number of those who engage in activities without joining any community groups such as neighborhood associations has been decreasing gradually. In addition, we clarified the relationship between participation in community contribution-type activities and the life stages such as the child-rearing period by age-period-cohort analysis.
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  • A case study the smart city project for disaster prevention and infectious disease control in Tsumagoi Village, Gunma Prefecture
    Xingyu Tao, Tetsuo Morita, Ryotaro Kinoshita, Tongsheng Zhang
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 185-194
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is promoting smart city-related projects that aim to solve urban and regional issues by incorporating new technologies such as AI and IoT as well as public and private sector data into urban development. Tsumagoi Village in Gunma Prefecture suffered damage from the phreatic eruption of Mt. Motoshirane in 2018, flood damage from Typhoon No. Therefore, Tsumagoi Village is working on the development of an information provision system for disaster prevention and infectious disease countermeasures, with the goal of creating a safe and secure community. The purpose of this research is to conduct a questionnaire survey on the information provision system for tourists in Tsumagoi Village, to understand the means of providing disaster/disaster prevention information and infectious disease information, and the intention of the information content to be provided. It is to analyze changes in tourists' sense of safety and security and their intention to visit. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the web targeting people who have visited Tsumagoi Village within the past five years. From the analysis using Quantification Logic Type II, which sets the visit intention of tourists as the objective variable, the intention to increase the number of visits to Tsumagoi Village by providing information is that people living in Saitama Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo, and Corona It was found that they are people who are interested in infection control, people who want to obtain information on information devices, people who have reduced outings such as sightseeing due to corona infection, and people who have visited Tsumagoi many times. In addition, I reported on the development of an information provision system based on the wishes of tourists, the management and operation of the system, and the development and issues after development.
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  • A case of Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture
    Shogo Sakai, Tomohiro Ichinose
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 195-202
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In Japan, mountainous and hilly areas often have a small-scale water supply operated and managed by the Local Residents Association. This study clarified the current and actual state of these water supplies and observed the intentions of residents to continue to use them. The results of the study showed that residents highly appreciated water by a small-scale water supply but there was a variation in answers to the continuation of the water supply operation and management. The investigation indicated that village attachment possibly influenced residents’ continuous use of a small-scale water supply and that the work burden of maintenance did not always impede their continuation of the water supply. For villages with a large maintenance burden, it is desirable to provide support to promote community attachment by information dissemination awareness for raising the multifaceted utility value of the small-scale water supply.
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  • Yunhao Tu, Mayu Urata, Mamoru Endo, Takami Yasuda, Hirokazu Shimazaki, ...
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 203-212
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In an industry-government-academia collaboration for fixed asset tax evaluation work in the local government, we constructed a solar panel detection system from aerial photographs by utilizing large-scale land data and artificial intelligence technology owned by the local government. Currently, fixed asset tax is an essential financial source in municipalities nationwide. The municipal staff spends a lot of time and effort conducting field surveys to make appropriate evaluations and are required to utilize information and communication technology and data. Therefore, we have developed a solar panel detection system that trains object detection through deep learning. This artificial intelligence technology utilizes fixed asset information such as aerial photography images, land lot number map shapefiles, and taxable area data owned by local governments to develop the object detection function. In addition, we verified the detection system through a demonstration experiment in a local government through industry-government-academia collaboration. Then, we improved the system from the feedback of the demonstration experiment to practical use. As a result, we could confirm this system's effectiveness for solar panel detection and operational efficiency. In addition, we verify a series of efforts that utilize artificial intelligence technology and data for local government works and aim to activate data utilization in local governments.
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  • The case of Isesaki Commercial High School
    Tatsuma Okubo, Takaya Hattori, Shuntaro Sugiura, Kaoru Shinjo, Ritsuko ...
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 213-222
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Against an aging and declining population of rural communities, it is necessary to revitalize communities related to farmers. However, the number of farmers who can make contacts with consumers directly is still limited. To promote communication between farmers and consumers, an initiative to redesign unmanned sales places as a point of contact was started, because unmanned sales places do not require much time and effort for maintenance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the educational benefits of developing and operating an unmanned sales place that connects farmers and consumers by high school students. The students of the commercial research club of Isesaki Commercial High School were the target of evaluation, and they developed and operated an unmanned sales office three times, while communicating with farmers. They also conducted questionnaire surveys and used them as references for evaluation and improvement. The results of the questionnaire survey of high school students by Kyoto University of the Arts graduate school revealed that the students learned about: (1) the thoughts and feelings of farmers and agriculture, (2) design and development of a story panel, (3) communication with various people, and (4) problem solving. The students received the reactions of farmers and consumers to the students’ products and actions which reflected their learning and ideas. In the motivation and consciousness of the students, there were changes such as: (1) increased motivation to contribute to farmers and local communities, (2) realization of the joy of expression, (3) increased proactiveness in communication skills, and (4) increased proactive attitude toward problem solving.
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  • A case study on conservation activities in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture
    Kenji Arai, Tetsuo Morita, Yuya Saito, Takumi Moriyama
    2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 223-234
    Published: 2022
    Released on J-STAGE: January 17, 2025
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The purpose of this study is to explore changes in the time-series and area-by-area conservation efforts and to consider the relationship with the habitat status of Tanakia lanceolate in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture. It is intended that the knowledge obtained will be used to maintain/increase the population and expand the habitat of Tanakia lanceolate. Since 2000, Tanakia lanceolate lived mainly in Shimototsuka (Okanogo irrigation canal) in Sasagawa, Fujioka City. Ex-situ conservation has been implemented due to population decline and farmland development projects currently it inhabits two locations: Hongo and Yaba in Sasagawa. In this study, we first set up a hypothesis that the agricultural infrastructure such as the waterways as the habitat for Tanakia lanceolate in Fujioka City and the efforts of people to the Tanakia lanceolate affect its habitat. Focusing on the transition of conservation efforts over 20 years, we organized and analyzed them in each area chronologically then considered the impact on their habitat. As a result, it was revealed that four types of conservation efforts have contributed to escape the threat of extinction and the species has continued to inhabit to this day. Environmentally friendly field maintenance improved the habitat environment, and aquaculture and reintroduction by the Fisheries Experimental Station continued to supply ex-situ conservation and breeding of Tanakia lanceolate. In addition, it has become clear that maintenance and management of the habitat by local residents, highschool students continued efforts to raise awareness have led to the existence of the Tanakia lanceolate to this day. To confirm the habitat of Tanakia lanceolate in this prefecture led to the designation as a natural symbol and enabled a conservation group to be established. It has become clear that the conservation efforts have been continuing with citizen participation.
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