This thesis aims to search for the whys and wherefores of success and failure in Japan's 'catching up' and China's 'slowing down' on the path to modernization / Westernization from the mid-nineteenth century to approximately the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. First, in the introduction (Chapter One) I state what is the aim of the thesis; the definition of 'modernization'; literature review; methodology; outline of the thesis; and problems and limitations. Chronologically, I divide the period into four phases for detailed discussion: legacies, formative, operative, and consequent. In 'the legacies' (Chapter Two), it is shown that elements of the legacies such as territorial integrity, population, and political, military, economic and social circumstances in Tokugawa Japan were relatively more conducive to modernization along Western lines than those in Ch'ing China. In the formative phase (Chapter Three), it is shown that the central government and regional provincial leaders in Ch'ing China knew little and did almost nothing to respond to the menace of the West. By contrast, the Tokugawa Shogunate and more particularly regional daimyō and samurai had a deep sense of crisis and early on launched a series of reforms. In the operative phase (Chapter Four), it will be seen that both nations pursued a national goal of 'rich nation and strong army'. However, the Self-Strengthening Movement in Ch'ing China merely undertook a superficial reform primarily limited to military innovation and introduction of Western industrialization in order to maintain the old dynastic stability. By contrast, in Meiji Japan, under the post-Restoration leadership of an oligarchy of talented and visionary individuals, the government launched a full range of reforms in pursuit of the West. In the consequent phase (Chapter Five), even though China had by now a better comprehension of the West and continued some reforms, its path to modernization was still frustrated because of the ineffective imperial leadership, and the ethnic antipathy and power struggling between the Manchus and the Han officers. In contrast with China, Japan's modernization had shown continuity, integrity, and accumulation and acceleration and it had successfully achieved the national goal of 'rich nation and strong army' by this stage. In Chapter Six, I reveal several famous scholars' comments on this issue of comparative modernisation. As well, I humbly set forth a set of criteria to consider what might be the best principles and model for a nation undertaking modernization. A conclusion reviews the thesis and it arguments in Chapter Seven, and is followed by a series of appendices and illustrations and bibliography.

This thesis offers a reading of the first eleven novels of popular Japanese novelist Murakami Haruki, as well as a selected number of his short-stories and non-fictional works, as an evolving therapeutic discourse. In short, it is a response to Murakami's own claim to have started writing fiction as a means of self-therapy. Murakami, I will argue, is primarily responding to existential anxieties that have been magnified by conditions of cultural decline in late-capitalist Japan. His resulting therapeutic discourse shares interesting parallels with certain psychoanalytic theories of the twentieth century. Previous psychoanalytic readings of Murakami's work have tended to take either the writings of Carl Jung or Jacques Lacan as their starting point. This thesis will argue, however, that both theoretical frameworks are needed if one is to truly understand where Murakami is coming from. This kind of therapeutic reading might seem to justify those critics who see only the escapist elements in Murakami's fiction and who fault him for failing to engage fully with the important political and social issues of his day. In fact, a therapeutic reading, I will argue, is the best way to see how closely related Murakami's search for self-therapy and his growing search for commitment really are.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and motivations for participation in Shinto rituals in Kyoto, Japan. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative data gathered in July and August of 2009. The principal data consists of 85 surveys conducted in person on the grounds of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. Supplemental data from informal interviews with 10 individuals who live in the surrounding area serve to highlight themes and conclusions extrapolated from the data. The primary goal of this study was to discern what, if any, differences in behavior are apparent across age groups. It was found that there are in fact a number of differences including frequency of participation, types of rituals participated in, level of involvement in rituals, and even distance traveled to participate in rituals. This study offers a number of explanations as to why these differences may exist, but these explanations remain highly speculative. As such this study represents an initial investigation in age differences and religiosity in Japan, a topic that has had very little attention in the academic literature thus far. / Historical origins, Shinto and politics -- Theoretical evaluations -- Fieldwork in Kyoto, Japan -- Visitation : motives and frequency -- Ritual behavior -- Identity. / Department of Anthropology

No description available.

This study investigates the influence of socio-economic and attitudinal factors on recent changes in marriage and fertility in Japan. Using macroand micro-data (collected especially for this research), the study examines the validity of three main theories: (1) the New Home Economics theory; (2) Easterlin's theory; and (3) the ideational (or attitudinal) theory in detemining Japanese marriage and fertility behaviour. The findings of this study show that socio-economic factors exert a substantial effect on Japanese marriage and fertility behaviour. More specifically, an increase in women's earning capacity raised their marriage age, lowered the level of their fertility, and lengthened their birth intervals. This evidence is in agreement with the New Home Economics theory. On the other hand, relative economic status also affected Japanese marriage and fertility behaviour. An improvement in the economic situation of young adults encouraged them to marry earlier, and to have more children. These findings support Easterlin's theory. However, comparing the two theories, the longitudinal trend of marriage and fertility pattern in Japan is better explained by the New Home Economics theory than Easterlin's theory. The level of women's wages had a relatively stronger impact on these patterns than their relative economic status. The findings also reveal that attitudinal factors play a significant role in determining Japanese marriage and fertility behaviour. As women became less committed to traditional norms and values, they married later, had fewer children and lengthened their birth intervals. Likewise, the reinforcement of women's individualistic attitudes raised their marriage age, lowered the level of their fertility, and delayed their entry to parenthood. This evidence indicates that marriage and fertility pattern in Japan cannot be due entirely to socio-economic factors. Comparing socio-economic and attitudinal factors, the former had a greater influence on marriage and fertility behaviour than the latter. We conclude from the findings of this study that Japanese marriage and fertility behaviour are affected both by socio-economic and attitudinal (ideational) factors, but the influence of the latter is secondary.

A large majority of the members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan belong to one or other of its factions, the bodies which dominate the party today. In 1987, when the fieldwork for this study was carried out, there were five factions in number. This thesis examines and analyzes the contemporary structural organization and membership of one of them, the Miki/K5moto faction, after presenting a systematic account of its history. This political grouping was investigated from the inside; as an observer, the writer was able to acquire material through direct interaction with members of the faction in their daily routine. Including the introduction and conclusion, eight chapters make up this thesis. Two of them are devoted to the history of the faction, which is chronicled by taking the career of Miki Takeo, the founder, as the central theme. One chapter is concerned with the organization of the faction, and the roles and functions of the members. The relationships among faction members and their connections with outside individuals and groups are the subjects of scrutiny for the fifth and sixth chapters respectively. Chapter seven, on finance, investigates the methods by which the faction as a group and single members of it raise and distribute money. Some of the conclusions drawn in the thesis are specific to the faction; others relate to the wider phenomenon of factionalism inside the party.

The purpose of this thesis is to study some aspects of Japanese corporate finance, using the analytical tools of the Modigliani-Miller theorem. The Modigliani Miller theorem is a fundamental element in the theory of finance, and establishes the conditions under which the financial structure of the firm is irrelevant to the determination of real corporate values. In its simplest form the theorem requires the presence of perfect capital markets. In the real world,- however, in which perfect capital markets dont exist the validity of the theorem depends upon a number of additional restrictions which can be viewed as special case extensions of the general form. One set of sufficient conditions ensuring the validity of the theorem, is obtained by imposing the assumption of riskless debt. Large groups of major Japanese corporations can be characterized as operating virtually free of bankruptcy risk. The thesis attributes this to the Japanese system of values underlying economic relationships, to the system of corporate groupings (known as keiretsu), and to the strategic objectives of industrial policy which provide industry with a safety-net. It argues that the popular belief that Japanese industry is subject to excessive risk exposure because of its high degree of leverage is misleading. The belief arises from data based on accounting conventions which distort the true position of firms own wealth. The thesis undertakes an empirical study of the validity of the MM theorem. Although the focus of the analysis is on the period 1978-80, the study is run on a second and very different time period, 1970-72. The major finding for the most recent period is that debt, after adjustment for tax advantages, makes no significant contribution to the valuation of companies in keiretsu groups. Interestingly, however, in the earlier period debt is found to make a positive and significant contribution to valuation.

This thesis explores an appropriate relationship between Christian faith and culture. We investigate the hallmarks of authentic theology in the West, which offer us criteria to evaluate Christianity in Japan. Because Christian faith has been concretely formed and expressed in history, an analysis and evaluation of culture is incumbent on theology. The testing ground for our research is Japan, one of the most unsuccessful Christian mission fields. Thus this is a theology of culture in a Japanese context. Through a dialogue with H. Richard Niebuhr, John Howard Yoder, and Stanley Hauerwas, we embrace a believers' church perspective as our basic vision. The believers' church critically evaluates culture and seeks to transform it by standing on the boundary between the Kingdom of God and the world, and voluntarily participates in the redemptive suffering of God with the creature. It strives to be faithful to God and to imitate Jesus Christ, instead of seeking to control the world. It trusts in God; for it is He, and not we, who is in charge of history. Examination of Japanese Christian history is conducted in the light of the criteria above, in order to consider how Japan responded to Christianity. The criteria help us see the problem of nationalism both in superficial Christianity in Japan and in Constantinian Christianity in the West. We discuss three major Japanese theologians: Kazoh Kitamori, Yasuo Furuya, and Hideo Ohki. They help us refine our criteria for suffering, for theological assessment of Japan, and for the nature of believers' church as covenant community. We find in our investigation that although Christianity has always been in a minority in Japan, the church in Japan - like the church in the West - inclines to be co-opted by political powers, which is a core problem.

Graduation date: 1971

This dissertation is the first study of state feminism in a non-western nation state, focusing on the activities and roles of the Women's Bureau of the Ministry of Labor in post-World War II Japan. While state feminism theory possesses a strong capability to examine state-society relationships in terms of feminist policymaking, it tends to neglect a state's activity in improving women's status and rights in non-western nations where the feminist movements are apathetic or antagonistic to the state and where the state also creates a vertical relationship with feminist groups. To apply the state feminism theory to examine activities of a state institute for women in non-Western nations, I created new analytical factors, domestic and international master frames, which show how policymakers and activists collaborate on policymaking at a domestic level and how policymakers utilize international standards to create the domestic master frame. Using the two-level-analysis of domestic and international politics in terms of creation of master frames together with the existing institutional and mobilizing structural variables, this dissertation presents a detailed study of the activities and roles of the Japanese women's bureau as an initiator and facilitator of gender equality in the process of agenda setting for the equal opportunity laws by utilizing international influence to persuade the opposition and as an interest mediator in the process of decision-making for them. The empirical evidence presented also demonstrates that the change of roles arose from the lack of the following factors: 1) limited resources and institutional capability caused by the marginalization of the women's bureau within the government, 2) the lack of a domestic master frame on the issue of gender equality between the women's bureau and women activists, and 3) the lack of mobilizing structures that provide women's groups the access to political decision-making to reflect their opinions. The combination of these factors hindered policymaking on gender equality and created a gradual and incremental progress toward gender equality in Japan. The way to gender equality in Japan is different from the western nations. Yet, this is a way that other non-western nations have also advanced and will follow in. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-274). / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xiii, 274 leaves, bound 29 cm