The author has invested closely the family register of Choshu domain in the early modern period, then demonstrated a peculiar child welfare custom in the district Sonemura Mizubaura named SHOEN-IKU. When a child becomes an orphan, usually he/she is adopted into the other family as a son/daughter in low or a nephew/niece in low or relatives. In this district, however, the author found some cases of adaptations without law, which was registered SHOEN-IKU. The author pursued nine cases and that system was very good to raise many orphans. Old leaders considered about orphans and managed adaptation into various cases and secured child bringing. Based on the family register the total family number was 169 and the number of new born babies was 431 during 45 years. The average birth number per year was 9.6. The ratio of boys and girls was 108 to 100. The number of death of infants was 82. The probability of death under 5 year old was 144‰ and under 10 year old was 190‰. The number of death under one year was 6. The death rate in this district is as same as the research by Hayami in Shinshu Yokouchi village.

　Radio broadcasting in Japan began on March 22, 1925, as a trial broadcast, and from its early days, it presented childrenʼs programs featuring music and stories. This historical study focuses on one of the performers and the content of such programs. The studyʼs primary material consists of the published works of Takeko Hosokawa （1892-1956）, who was a kindergarten director and teacher both before and after the Asia-Pacific War. This primary material includes 18 stories recounted by Hosokawa on the radio between 1926 and 1939. By checking the records of the JOAK program schedule, we confirmed that only 13 of the stories were shared on the air. 　This study reached the following findings : （1） Her educational experiences led Hosokawa to place “working for the national polity and for others” at the core of her actions ; （2） Based on result（ 1）, an analysis of elements related to “virtues and lessons in interpersonal relationships” revealed factors such as “prayers for safety, concern,” “kindness, compassion, and comfort,” and “greetings and etiquette” ; （3） Elements associated with nationalism, such as “local love, patriotism, and ode to Japan,” began to appear in her post-1931 works. 　Many of the characters in Hosokawaʼs radio stories were mothers. Parents and teachers who listened to the stories narrated by Hosokawa on the radio regarded the program as a useful tool for family education. This is likely why Hosokawa repeatedly appeared on the program.

　This study summarizes research on childcare for children under three years of age（ Infant care）conducted by the Childcare Problems Research Group （Homonken） in Japan around 1955 and examines the evolution of that research perspective. 　Previous research on Infant care was unclear regarding : 1） how attempts were made to discover meaning beyond the increased demand for Infant care and the accompanying employment security benefits ; and 2） how attempts were made to explore and theorize the “group childcare techniques” of childcare workers through the examination of Infant care. 　First, I will describe research on Infant care conducted by the “Prewar Homonken” and explain how the research style of the Infant Division was shaped. Next, I will clarify the issues addressed by the Infant Division and explain how each research topic was pursued. Finally, I will clarify the results of one year of research conducted by the Infant Division. 　These findings reveal, first, the emergence of a perspective that focuses on the “mind of the child,” highlighting the need for consideration of emotions and an understanding of mental development, such as the emergence of a sense of self. 　Secondly, it discussed the idea of childcare workers having a purpose for childcare and intentionally encouraging children to interact with each other, based on the idea of nurturing childrenʼs “sociality”. 　Thirdly, the book goes beyond being critical of hospitalism to presenting an approach that seeks to explore how childcare workers can elevate play into a joyful experience by devising “group childcare techniques.” 　It also suggests that these ideas served as important stepping stones for research into Infant care from 1957 onwards, particularly in the examination of Infant care planning proposals, childcare group childcare techniques and aims, and the development of the childcare demand movement.