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The aim of this research was to determine ethnic and cultural influences on body composition, lifestyle, and aspects of body image (perception, acceptability, and satisfaction) of younger (age 18-40 years) Australian and Japanese males, the latter including groups living in Australia and Japan. The sample sizes of the three groups were 68 Japanese living in Australia, 84 Japanese living in Japan, and 72 Australian Caucasian males respectively. The methodology included body composition assessments (by anthropometry and DXA), lifestyle and body image questionnaires, and dietary records. The study found significant p<0.05) ethnic differences in the %BF at given BMI levels and for Japanese the BMI values of 23.6kg/m2 and 28.6kg/m2 were found to be equivalent to 25 and 30 for Caucasians when used to classify individuals as "overweight" and "obese". Equations in common use for the calculation of body composition in Japanese males were evaluated using modern methods of body composition assessment and found to need considerable modification. New regression equations that represent BMI-%BF relationships for Japanese and Australians were proposed: Japanese: Log %BF = -1.330 + 1.896(log BMI), (R2 = 0.547, SEE = 0.09); Australians: Log %BF = -1.522 + 2.001(log BMI), (R2 = 0.544, SEE = 0.10). Equations were also developed to predict %BF for Japanese and Australian males from body composition assessments using anthropometry and DXA: Japanese: %BF = 0.376 + 0.402(abdominal) + 0.772(medial calf) + 0.217(age), (R2 = 0.786, SEE = 2.69); Australians: %BF = 2.184 + 0.392(medial calf) + 0.678(supraspinale) + 0.467(triceps), (R2 = 0.864, SEE = 2.37). Lifestyle factors were found to influence perceptions of body image. / Australian males participate in physical activity more frequently than their Japanese counterparts (Australians = 98.6% involved in vigorous activity at least once per week, Japanese living in Japan = 85.7%, Japanese living in Australia = 72.1%). Significant differences p<0.05) in energy contribution patterns were found between the Japanese group (Protein: 14.4%, Carbohydrate: 50.4%, Fat: 28.1%) and Japanese living in Australia (JA: Protein: 16.3%, Carbohydrate: 47.3%, Fat: 32.3%) and the Australians (Protein: 17.1%, Carbohydrate: 47.9%, Fat: 30.6%). This shows that the Japanese living in Australia have adopted a more westemised diet than those living in Japan. Body Image assessments were done on all study groups using the Somatomorphic Matrix (SM) computer program and questionnaires, including the Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaires, (BAQ) the Attention to the Body Shape Scale (ABS), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). Japanese males tended to overestimate their weight and amount of body fat, while Australian Caucasian males underestimated these parameters. The Japanese groups had higher scores on the selfdisparagement subscale and lower scores on the strengths and the attractiveness subscales of the BAQ questionnaire than Australian males. Australian males also had higher scores on the EAT total score and the dieting subscale of the EAT questionnaire than Japanese males. When all groups of subjects selected their perceived body image from the SM program menu, these results had no relationship with measured body composition values, suggesting that further development of this program is needed for use in these populations.

Abstract not available

International Japanese Students: Their Expectations and Learning Needs at Australian Universities International full fee paying students make a sizable economic contribution to the Australian economy and the universities at which they enroll. Considerable competition for these students from the UK and USA indicates the necessity of meeting their needs if the Australian higher education market is to be preserved. Recent research has challenged the effectiveness of the currently operating Australian marketisation model that focuses upon attracting students and maximizing profits. International students, and specifically Japanese students who were the focus of this research, are attracted to Australian university studies for a number of reasons which are analyzed. The numbers of Japanese students studying at Australian universities have fallen since 2006, despite Japan being potentially one of the largest international markets. The learning needs and expectations of 51 Japanese undergraduate and postgraduate students at two Sydney universities were analyzed using a questionnaire and semi-structured interview during their first semester of enrollment. The expectations and needs of these students had been shaped by growing up and being educated in Japan, a culture that values university education in different ways to Australia, and has different views on learning and study. Analyses of Australian academic culture, that emphasizes individuality and critical thinking, together with analyses of Japanese values and cultural mores, provided the foundations to guide the study and help formulate the questions used to gather data. Results revealed a considerable proportion of respondents were postgraduates contrary to the expectation that the market is chiefly an undergraduate one. It was found that only approximately thirty per cent of students had come to Australia for primarily educational reasons. The other seventy per cent had been attracted to Australia the country and its culture, and had been motivated for personal development reasons and to satisfy challenges pertaining, in some cases, to English language acquisition. These findings reflect earlier research based on ESL classes. The majority appear to have been motivated by liberal education reasons, with explanation of the process engaged in, with so little serious preparation, perhaps best accounted for in terms of Hart’s (1999) work on the hero’s personal journey with its substantial challenges. Results indicated that a considerable number of students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels experienced difficulties with a number of basic academic skills expected at Australian universities. These included listening to and understanding lectures, note taking in lectures, reading for assignments, writing assignments, discussing studies with Australian students, and group work activities generally that required public presentation and argument. The majority had done little reading or other preparation for their educational adventure in a foreign Australian culture, although many were aware of the fact that their undertaking would be hard, having spoken to other Japanese students. Relatively few appeared to have been influenced by family members who had undertaken international study. All had been admitted on the basis of IELTS or TOEFL standards set by the universities, but had studied English in preparation for their international studies for relatively short periods of time, with this apparently contributing to their problems with Australian academic skills. Findings indicate that most of these students continued to frame their intercultural experience in terms of the Japanese cultural scenario, leading in many cases to academic and socio-cultural expectations at odds with Australian university expectations of the roles these students should play. Specific recommendations are made regarding the need for university policies to ensure that Japanese students are made aware of academic and socio-cultural differences and challenges before enrollment, and are offered programs that will develop specific academic skills. The analyses of the culturally-based academic learning difficulties encountered by students in this research should provide a substantial guide for specific skill development programs. Some of the expectations, that would be appropriate in the Japanese cultural setting, cannot be accommodated in the Australian one, and need to be managed prior to enrollment. On the wider policy level, there is also a serious need to reconsider the standards of English required for admission. Recommendations are made for a larger scale, longitudinal study to be undertaken to address issues that could not be considered in what was essentially an exploratory study. The analyses of Japanese cultural values and social expectations, presented as part of this research, would appear to offer a substantial basis to assist institutions and staff to better understand Japanese students and their learning needs in the Australian academic cultural context, and to guide both research and teaching. In policy terms, results indicate that there is a clear need to reconsider the marketisation model and spend more on support services for the students who have paid full fees. Results also indicate that the policies advanced by government policy makers linking tourism and university study are relatively naïve, and cannot succeed without better understanding of the needs and expectations of international students from different cultural backgrounds, and better support services carefully tailored to their needs.

The famous Japanese critic, Kobayashi Hideo (1902–1983), passed through five broad stages up to 1945. In the first stage (1929–32), he sought to reinstate the claims of “the man,” the feeling, thinking human being, in writing, in place of the various literary dogmas adopted from the West: “Behind literature, see the man.” In the second stage, (1933–37), he attempted to define the “modern individual” in a Japanese society of change, anxiety and chaos, adopting the term the “socialized I” to explain his sense of a self integrated into society. In this period he sought a model in the West and found Dostoevsky. The impetus behind this stage can be summed up in the saying, “Behind the man, see society.” In Stage 3 (1938–39), Kobayashi concluded that the “silence” of Japanese people expressed a “wisdom” that accepted the “inevitable” or their “fate” in history. This stage can be summarized in the dictum “Behind society, see history.” Kobayashi’s key direction in stage four (1940–41) is “Behind history, see nature,” the latter term meaning nature (fused with humankind). In the fifth stage, from 1942 into the postwar period, Kobayashi adopted a Dostoevskian “harmony and serenity” in espousing a transcendence of the human realm, when the human organism in its greatest struggles sees the need for beauty in art. This stage can be summed up in the saying “Behind nature, see (that which inspires) beautiful literature.” The thesis charts these five stages with biographical material, some of it gleaned from interviews, and with analyses of Kobayashi’s works, as well as works by Dostoevsky, the alter-ego of Kobayashi from 1933–43. Kobayashi emerges as a figure who lived a complex series of intellectual and personal changes, in strong reaction to the revolutionary political and cultural transformations in prewar Japan. / PhD Doctorate

The Japanese language has a colour term, 'ao' (or 'aoi'), which is usually referred to in bilingual dictionaries as being the equivalent of English 'blue'. Very often, however, it is used to describe things which English speakers would describe as being green. Granny Smith apples are 'ao', so are all Westerners' eyes, regardless of whether they would be described as being 'blue' or 'green' in English. The sky and the sea are prototypically 'ao', but this term is also used to describe lawns, forests, traffic lights and unripe tomatoes. What, then, do Japanese native speakers (henceforth JNS) understand by this term? How do its semantic boundaries relate to those of the term 'midori' (`green')? What is the JNS understanding of the foreign loan words 'guriin' (green) and 'buruu' (blue)? This study pursues these questions seeking to delineate the semantic boundaries of the colour term 'ao'.

[Abstract]: This dissertation investigates how an independent Australian grain exporting SME has been able to access the Japanese market for food quality soybeans and corn. This firm has succeeded in entering this market despite entrenched competition from traditional suppliers in the USA and Canada and in the face of rigorous food safety and quality standards as required in this particular market. The research in this dissertation focuses on outlining the critical ‘enabling competencies’ that the firm and its suppliers developed in order to enter the Japanese market. A single case methodology involving multiple in-depth interviews with key stakeholders was used to provide triangulated evidence concerning the necessary and sufficient conditionsfor SME exporters to compete successfully in such mature markets, particularly in the face of entrenched competition from large scale suppliers of similar productsfrom the United States and Canada. From the data collected in this research, a model of SME internationalisation was proposed highlighting the driving forces whichstimulated the development of a set of ‘enabling competencies’ enabling successful entry into the Japanese market for food grains. This model has both practical andtheoretical implications for the development of trade between Australia and Japan in the food grain sector. In conclusion this dissertation suggests that firms with thecapacity to develop such competencies can succeed in entering enter such productmarkets.

This thesis investigates Japanese married men??s views on their wives?? employment and married women??s employment in general. I was inspired to undertake this study by the relatively low rate of wives, particularly mothers, in full-time employment in Japan. 291 Japanese husbands in Kawasaki and the Tokyo area answered the questionnaire. Their occupations were company employees, teachers and self-employed men and their ages ranged from the 20s to 50s. The results of my survey revealed that these Japanese husbands did not actively participate in housework and childcare. Their participation increased somewhat when wives were highly educated or older. However, a wife??s higher income was the most powerful incentive to encourage their participation. Husbands also participate in these tasks in accordance with their preferences rather than their expressed abilities. With respect to their views on married women and employment, many husbands acknowledged a general relationship between power and finance (that is, that income-earning is connected with domestic power), yet denied that it applied to themselves when asked about it. The majority showed supportive or sympathetic attitudes towards full-time housewives, which were rarely extended to employed wives except for those who work (part-time) due to clear financial necessity. Concerning men??s views on their wives, they were likely to appreciate a wife??s additional income. Nonetheless, a majority wanted their wives either to earn less than themselves or to have no income, even though the majority had income-earning wives. Their most popular employment status for a wife was part-time employment. The study revealed that most of these husbands had a strong identity as the ??breadwinner?? or ??head of the house??. In this study I explored a new dimension to Japanese husbands?? perceptions of their wives?? employment: the possibility that husbands?? attitudes and preferences were militating against their wives?? employment. My study demonstrated that husbands especially resist full-time employment for their wives, and seek to maintain traditional gender roles because this sustains their self-esteem. This is clearly one significant reason for the comparatively low rate of participation of Japanese wives in full-time employment.

International Japanese Students: Their Expectations and Learning Needs at Australian Universities International full fee paying students make a sizable economic contribution to the Australian economy and the universities at which they enroll. Considerable competition for these students from the UK and USA indicates the necessity of meeting their needs if the Australian higher education market is to be preserved. Recent research has challenged the effectiveness of the currently operating Australian marketisation model that focuses upon attracting students and maximizing profits. International students, and specifically Japanese students who were the focus of this research, are attracted to Australian university studies for a number of reasons which are analyzed. The numbers of Japanese students studying at Australian universities have fallen since 2006, despite Japan being potentially one of the largest international markets. The learning needs and expectations of 51 Japanese undergraduate and postgraduate students at two Sydney universities were analyzed using a questionnaire and semi-structured interview during their first semester of enrollment. The expectations and needs of these students had been shaped by growing up and being educated in Japan, a culture that values university education in different ways to Australia, and has different views on learning and study. Analyses of Australian academic culture, that emphasizes individuality and critical thinking, together with analyses of Japanese values and cultural mores, provided the foundations to guide the study and help formulate the questions used to gather data. Results revealed a considerable proportion of respondents were postgraduates contrary to the expectation that the market is chiefly an undergraduate one. It was found that only approximately thirty per cent of students had come to Australia for primarily educational reasons. The other seventy per cent had been attracted to Australia the country and its culture, and had been motivated for personal development reasons and to satisfy challenges pertaining, in some cases, to English language acquisition. These findings reflect earlier research based on ESL classes. The majority appear to have been motivated by liberal education reasons, with explanation of the process engaged in, with so little serious preparation, perhaps best accounted for in terms of Hart’s (1999) work on the hero’s personal journey with its substantial challenges. Results indicated that a considerable number of students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels experienced difficulties with a number of basic academic skills expected at Australian universities. These included listening to and understanding lectures, note taking in lectures, reading for assignments, writing assignments, discussing studies with Australian students, and group work activities generally that required public presentation and argument. The majority had done little reading or other preparation for their educational adventure in a foreign Australian culture, although many were aware of the fact that their undertaking would be hard, having spoken to other Japanese students. Relatively few appeared to have been influenced by family members who had undertaken international study. All had been admitted on the basis of IELTS or TOEFL standards set by the universities, but had studied English in preparation for their international studies for relatively short periods of time, with this apparently contributing to their problems with Australian academic skills. Findings indicate that most of these students continued to frame their intercultural experience in terms of the Japanese cultural scenario, leading in many cases to academic and socio-cultural expectations at odds with Australian university expectations of the roles these students should play. Specific recommendations are made regarding the need for university policies to ensure that Japanese students are made aware of academic and socio-cultural differences and challenges before enrollment, and are offered programs that will develop specific academic skills. The analyses of the culturally-based academic learning difficulties encountered by students in this research should provide a substantial guide for specific skill development programs. Some of the expectations, that would be appropriate in the Japanese cultural setting, cannot be accommodated in the Australian one, and need to be managed prior to enrollment. On the wider policy level, there is also a serious need to reconsider the standards of English required for admission. Recommendations are made for a larger scale, longitudinal study to be undertaken to address issues that could not be considered in what was essentially an exploratory study. The analyses of Japanese cultural values and social expectations, presented as part of this research, would appear to offer a substantial basis to assist institutions and staff to better understand Japanese students and their learning needs in the Australian academic cultural context, and to guide both research and teaching. In policy terms, results indicate that there is a clear need to reconsider the marketisation model and spend more on support services for the students who have paid full fees. Results also indicate that the policies advanced by government policy makers linking tourism and university study are relatively naïve, and cannot succeed without better understanding of the needs and expectations of international students from different cultural backgrounds, and better support services carefully tailored to their needs.

No description available.