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A comparison between Japan and Norway regarding ILO Convention No. 169 / Kanako Uzawa. - Tromsø : Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tromsø, 2007. - 121 p. (Master's thesis) Who defines indigenous peoples, and in whose interests does the definition serve? If there is a definition that is regulated in relation to indigenous peoples, how much does it the protect rights of indigenous peoples? Considering these questions as my point of departure, I have chosen to do a comparative study on the Sami in Norway and the Ainu in Japan in the context of ILO Convention No. 169. There are great differences between the Sami and Ainu in terms of governmental policy, legal frameworks, institutional structures, levels of domestic and international movement, awareness of human rights, and social atmospheres, especially given the fact that Norway is the first country to ratify ILO Convention No. 169. A main focus of this thesis is to pursue understanding the causes of those differences as well as similarities focusing. Moreover, how ILO Convention No. 169 has or has not been implemented at the domestic and international level is another main focus in this thesis. The thesis relies on an interview method to clarify the facts, and draws upon different levels to illustrate the topic by using texts and by interviewing people who have various perspectives on the issue. For instance, I interviewed Sami representatives who have been involved with the process of ratification of the ILO Convention No. 169 at the international and domestic levels and the Ainu representatives who have dealt with the international and domestic issue. Also, the government officials and ILO representatives also provided a different perspective on this matter. Finally, the thesis concludes with description of the dilemma that has been created in the process of legal and political development of the Sami and Ainu, and it suggests possible solutions for these matters in the future. The thesis focuses mainly on the legal perspective; but also by using the author’s own subjective experience as a point of reference it brings into focus other dimensions of indigenous politics, knowledge, and reality.
http://www.ub.uit.no/munin/bitstream/10037/1261/2/thesis.pdf
Keywords: East Asia, Ethnic groups, Japan, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Population, Publications, Social conditions,

A study of Japanese official development assistance (ODA) for educational development in post genocide Cambodia / Chihiro Yabe. - Tromsø : Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Tromsø, 2009. - 127 p. (Master's thesis) Foreign aid in war-torn societies is often significant for peace building after an early phase of urgent humanitarian military intervention. Numerous development organizations have been contributing to rebuild war-torn societies. The Kingdom of Cambodia is one of those countries which has been receiving a large number of development assistance since the end of the civil war and tragic genocide, which occurred during Pol Pot's communist period (1974-1979). During the genocide, approximately 80 per cent of Cambodian elite were killed, and national education system was destroyed for ideological control. Therefore, educational reconstruction has been one of significant sectors in Cambodian post-war reconstruction. Japan International Cooperation Agencies (JICA) is a Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) based bilateral aid agency. In post-war Cambodia, JICA has been contributing for post-war reconstruction as one of those numerous development assistance. Their contribution is broadly known as philanthropic peacebuilding practices. However, in the current situation of Cambodia, there seems to be several controversial issues which might be an indirect cause of the structural violence, such as aid-dependency, economic disparity between the urban rich and the rural and urban poor, and corruption of the Cambodian government. It is my contention that educational development assistance by JICA may have also negatively influenced peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. Therefore, this study aims to explore and understand if Japanese foreign aid and JICA's support to Cambodian educational development is truly being positive peace or can it be said to be an indirect cause of structural violence. For this purpose, this study focuses JICA's motives for educational development in Cambodia.
http://www.ub.uit.no/munin/bitstream/10037/2408/2/thesis.pdf
Keywords: Bilateral aid, Cambodia, Development, Development. Poverty, East Asia, Japan, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications, Southeast Asia,

The leading source of Japanese business intelligence The Japanese market has become increasingly global in the past decade. However, the information that foreign companies can obtain on the Japanese market and companies is still very limited. This void in information places an obstacle in the way of foreign companies attempting to enter the market. As a provider of reliable information derived from the wealth of knowledge at its disposal, Teikoku Databank America can help foreign companies penetrate the Japanese market. A free registration is necessary for using the site and dtabases.
https://www.teikoku.com/
Keywords: Business. Management, East Asia, Economic issues, Foreign trade, Japan,

Master's thesis (2006) Background: Companies today are becoming more and more internationalized. In their home countries they have already established strong brand recognition and a strong image. This image is in turn visible in their advertising. As Swedish companies travel abroad some aspects have to be adapted to the new culture. A culture viewed as very different from the West is the Japanese culture. Swedish companies entering this culture must adapt in many ways in order to reach the Japanese consumers. Some companies with well established images might not be willing to make some of the adaptations. Purpose: The purpose with this thesis is to establish if Swedish companies who have established themselves in Japan have to change their image through advertising in order to match the culture. Method: This gathering of empirical data in this thesis was performed through a qualitative method. Six companies were contacted for phone interviews. Five of these companies were Swedish companies established in Japan and one of them was a Japanese company established in Sweden. All interviews were conducted with people in managerial positions. As a compari-son between Sweden and Japan, ads for each company were also used in order to make our conclusions. Results: This thesis will show that most likely, Swedish companies must to some extent adjust their brand images to fit the Japanese culture. These adaptations are viewed mainly through their advertising efforts though also through their service and product improvements.
http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_hj_diva-556-1__fulltext.p...
Keywords: Business enterprises, Business. Management, East Asia, In Focus, In Focus 2011, In Focus 2011 Week 25, Japan, Nordic Perspective, Publications, Transnational corporations,

Adult education and work life : a comparative study of Norway and Japan / Jurgita Bilkyte. - Oslo : Pedagogisk forskningsinstitutt, Universitetet i Oslo, 2008. - 135 p. (Master's thesis) The main problem of this paper is the interaction between adult education and work life and the expression of it in two different countries. The globalization process is indicating that problems and issues are getting a common international degree. But the importance and influence of national context reveals the different levels of challenges and solutions. The topic is described from a comparative perspective presenting two countries, Norway and Japan. The chosen theoretical frame includes adult education and work life interaction, lifelong learning concept, national (culture and education system) dimension, organizational and individual dimensions which are hard to separate. How is the interaction of main aspects expressed in the context of chosen factors in both countries? Can traditional education system fulfill all the needs which appear from this interaction? The main method chosen to reveal the theoretical and practical aspects of the topic is literature analysis from the available sources. The variety of theoretical and empirical data is included to describe the picture of two national contexts. The method determined certain limitations which affects conclusions. There is just a small part of direct comparative data about two countries. So conclusions cannot be considered as actual facts, but more as descriptive facts and interpretations. The emergence of lifelong learning lays the foundations for adult education and work life interaction. Traditional education is challenged by this process and the need for various educational opportunities is becoming very important for combining training and work. The interaction of the aspects in both countries is not leaving organizational frame and is mainly current-work related. The co-operation is active in theoretical and practical context of the countries in all chosen aspects. The foundations, problems are the same, the priorities and solutions are different.
http://www.duo.uio.no/publ/pfi/2008/76551/masterxsxtheses_jurgita_bilkyte.pdf
Keywords: Adult education, Business. Management, East Asia, Education, Japan, Labour relations, Nordic Perspective, Norway, Publications,

Self-description: "In the age of globalisation, Asia and Africa are experiencing dramatic economic development alongside frequent wars and armed conflict. At the Afrasian Centre for Peace and Development Studies, we aim to carry out interdisciplinary research in the area of conflict resolution as a key to comprehensively understanding, and practically solving, conflict situations. [...] Our four research teams carry out research into the following areas; 1) conflict resolution: nations & international relations, 2) environments & resources, 3) culture & networks, and 4) poverty & development." SIte contents: * About the Afrasian Centre; * Research Activities (#The Afrasian Centre, # Research Group 1 - An Agent or a Barrier? The Role of the Nation in Conflict Resolution, # Research Group 2 - International Political Economy and Conflict Resolution: Conflicts over resources and energy, U.S foreign policy towards Middle East and the relationship with oil, Dimensions of conflicts over resources and prospect of regime formation as a means to resolve existing disputes and frictions, Regional and international disputes over Iran's nuclear development policy, WTO negotiations on agricultural production in Asia, Global warming and its impact on Asia and Africa, Problems surrounding Asian migrant workers in the Middle East, The prospect of regional cooperation on energy in Asia. # Research Group 3 - Is Culture the Answer? The Role of Networks and Culture in Conflict Resolution, # Research Group 4 - Poverty and Regional Development in the Process of Conflict Resolution);
http://www.afrasia.ryukoku.ac.jp/eng/info/index.html
Keywords: Conflicts. Terrorism, East Asia, General references, Japan, Peace-building, Research,

Department of Japanese Studies, Stockholm University
Ph.D., Assistant Professor Working on research projects that primarily address political development in Japan and East Asia, with civil society as an anthropological lens. The research program is a grounded analysis of practices and values expressed by local actors in the context of civil society. The first book project, which was recently completed, is an ethnographic study of a Japanese voluntary organization, the Non-Profit Organization (NPO), the seed of the institutionalization of civil society under the 1998 NPO Law. The major contribution of the first project is to fill a substantive gap in the current civil society scholarship. Most of the work in the field contains normative theoretical formulations with Western intellectual origins. The book remedies these points as an original ethnography, bringing Japan’s civil society experiences squarely into the global discourse on civil society. This book, "The Failure of Civil Society?: The Third Sector and the State in Contemporary Japan", will be forthcoming from the State University of New York Press. The second topic, lifelong learning, builds on the previous research done on Japanese NPOs, where Akihiro Ogawa has participated at an NPO providing lifelong learning opportunities to local residents of a downtown Tokyo community since 2001. Akihiro Ogawa has been keenly aware of domestic debates on Japanese lifelong learning policies and the conditions under which they are held. Doing comparative research on Nordic countries where lifelong learning is deeply rooted in daily life, this project primarily aims to offer a transnational perspective in developing Japan’s lifelong learning. As a larger project as a scholar, Akihiro Ogawa also looks at grassroots participation in one of the most vital policy concerns in contemporary East Asian and global politics – the revision of Japan’s constitution, particularly focusing on Article 9, which articulates Japan’s pacifism.
http://www.akiogawa.net/
Keywords: Civil society, Conflicts. Terrorism, East Asia, Education, Japan, Nordic Perspective, Peace-building, Person, Politics and society, Sweden,

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science
Current Positions: Research Assistant, Finnish Institute of Asian Studies, Program of the International Politics of Natural Resources and the Environment. Expertise: Japanese domestic politics, Japanese climate and energy policy. Current Projects: 1. A Discourse Analytical View on the Role of Domestic Interest Groups in Shaping Japanese Climate Change Policy. 2. Japanese Positions for the Copenhagen COP/MOP Contact information: alex.luta@gmail.com
http://www.upi-fiia.fi/en/expert/63/
Keywords: East Asia, Environment, Environmental policy, Government, Japan, Politics and society,

The Amnesty International library contains an archive of most reports, news releases and urgent actions published from 1996 to date. The archive is searchable by region, sub-region, country and theme.
http://web.amnesty.org/library/engindex
Keywords: Central Asia, China, East Asia, Hong Kong, Human rights, In Focus, In Focus 2008, In Focus 2008 Week 11, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,

The website of the APEC Virtual Center for Environmental Technology Exchange. APEC assists municipalities, corporations and environment related institutions in the Asia-Pacific region to share environmental information via the Internet. The APEC-VC home page is designed and constructed to provide access to vast environmental information on the World Wide Web. Currently, Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, China, The Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Chile, Indonesia and Malaysia have APEC-VC up and running. The website categories are unified so that information can be retrieved in the same manner from any of the Virtual Centres in the region.
http://www.apec-vc.or.jp/index_e.asp
Keywords: China, East Asia, Environment, In Focus, In Focus 2008, In Focus 2008 Week 32, In Focus 2009, In Focus 2009 Week 16, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam,