Japanese Studies Commons^™

Japanese Economic Exploitation Of Central Pacific Seabird Populations, 1898–1915, Dirk H. R Spennemann

Pacific Studies

At the turn of the century, Japanese feather and plumage hunters visited most of the isolated, uninhabited atolls of the central Pacific Ocean. The seabird populations of these atolls were decimated to supply exotic feathers for the millinery market to meet an increasing demand created by the European fashion industry. Drawing on scattered archival records, this article reviews the history and dimensions of the feather trade in the Central Pacific and describes the responses of the affected nations.

Book Review Of Japan Encounters The Barbarian: Japanese Travellers In America And Europe By W.G. Beasley, Susanna Fessler Phd

East Asian Studies Faculty Scholarship

A review of "Japan Encounters the Barbarian: Japanese Travellers in America and Europe" by W.G. Beasley

A Lay Theory Of Relational Satisfaction With Best Friends In Japan, Eriko Maeda

Dissertations and Theses

Using a total of 529 Japanese college students (275 females, 254 males) living in Japan, the present study employed five sequential stages. First, it explored Japanese people's beliefs about relational satisfaction with best friends and the organization of these beliefs. In order to explore these beliefs and their organization, this study replicated Cole and Bradac's (1994) study of a lay theory of relational satisfaction with best friends, which focused on people from the United States. The study then examined similarities and differences of Japanese beliefs and organization of the beliefs with those of the U.S. Lastly, the study investigated Japanese …

A Case Study Of Twelve Japanese Esl Students' Use Of Interaction Modifications, Darin Dooley

Dissertations and Theses

This case study examines Japanese ESL students' use of interaction modifications in a content based course. Twelve female subjects were observed and recorded during a nine week period. Their use of interaction modifications (clarification requests, confirmation checks, and comprehension checks) and responses to interaction modifications (single word, full or partial repetition, or reformulation), during teacher-fronted and small group situations, were recorded and coded using the COLT observation instrument.

The study found that the subjects used clarification requests over four times more often in small group or pair-work situations than in teacher-fronted classes. Also, the subjects used confirmation checks over five …

Japanese Students' Perception Of Their Language Learning Strategies, Michiyo Ozawa

Dissertations and Theses

Students' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) is affected by their educational backgrounds and academic requirements, and so are their attitudes toward language learning. This study investigates Japanese students' perception of their English LLSs in different language environments: Japan and the United States.

A group of 43 Japanese students from Otemae College participated in a cultural study program at Portland State University. The group consisted of 28 students who studied for two terms (ST Group) and 15 students who studied for three terms (LT Group).

In this study, a combination of a self-assessment questionnaire, dialogue journals, and a card-ranking activity …

The Nature Of The Kami: Ueda Akinari And Tandai Shoshin Roku, Susanna Fessler Phd

East Asian Studies Faculty Scholarship

A study of Ueda Akinari's work Tandai Shoshin Roku

The Japanese Approach To The End Of The Pacific War, Atsuo Hirano

Dissertations and Theses

Before World War II ended with the Japanese surrender to the Allied Nations on August 15, 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on a Japanese city of Hiroshima. For fifty years, the question of whether the atomic bomb was necessary to end the war has been discussed by historians and journalists.

The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the Japanese situation in the spring and summer of 1945 by reading the statements and ideas of the Japanese Emperor, government officials and military officers at the time.

Since the Japanese Emperor was believed to have played a significant …

Women And Politics In Japan: Flowers Of The Home To Flowers Of Politics, Sarah Ann Langer

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The study of women and politics in Japan provided many insights into women's activism as well as the changes women have brought in Japanese politics. Facing considerable odds when seeking positions within contemporary politics, women candidates often faced a variety of disadvantages as well. A man was assumed to inherit politics, but a woman was not. However, if a woman could conquer or ignore such societal pressures, she could then enter the world of politics. Women's positions will change as individual pioneers (such as the four I examined i.e. Tsuda Ume, Ichikawa Fusae, Yosano Akiko, Tanaka Makiko) work their way …

A Contrastive Analysis Between Arabic And Japanese In Definiteness And Predictions Based On The Markedness Theory, Haruko Sakaedani

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hayashi Fumiko: The Writer And Her Works, Susanna Fessler Phd

East Asian Studies Faculty Scholarship

This thesis is a broad-based study of the modern Japanese novelist, Hayashi Fumiko. It is meant to provide the student of modern Japanese literature with an introduction to this popular writer and her works. While some of Fumiko's most famous works are discussed, attention is also given to a number of works which have heretofore not been discussed in Western literary discourse. The first chapter is a biographical sketch of the author's life. The second chapter is a survey of Fumiko's writing which identifies a number of prominent aspects in her work, including the importance of free will, her fear …

Multiple Code Switching In An Okinawan Speech Community: An Ethnographic Perspective, Izumi Kawamitsu

Dissertations and Theses

The ethnography of communication is a mode of inquiry which investigates relationships between language and culture in a particular speech community. Based on the ethnographic perspective, this study examines a certain way of speaking at a specific historical moment in a specific community. The major focus is two disc jockeys who are characterized as "trilingual" speakers (Japanese-English-Okinawa dialect) and their code switching activities in an Okinawan local radio program.

The three-month field study took place on the island of Okinawa. Data were collected from observations at the two radio stations, transcriptions of the program, and interviews with the DJs, the …

Japan Looks At An Uncertain China: The Role Of Japan's Aid To China, Yixin Yang

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the role the Japanese aid has played in accommodating the structural change of Sino-Japanese economic relations and in dealing with the economic and political crisis that has jeopardized their bilateral relations and Japan's own national interest. Japan's early resumption of economic aid to China after Tiananmen reflects how aid philosophy differs from that of most of the other Western aid donors. The conclusions are that Japan's large loan to China has played a vital role in maintaining and strengthening Sino-Japanese economic relations, that the aid has made the interdependent relations between the two countries an asymmetric one, …

Buddhist Commons In Asia, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Although nothing precisely like the modern nonprofit organization, voluntary association or foundation existed in Asia prior to the 20th century, there can be little doubt that some types of similar indigenous activities are found deep in the history of the many cultures of Asia. Buddhism, for example, has a long record of organized activity, beliefs about giving, and other evidences of what might be termed Buddhist philanthropy.

In The Shadow Of Oriental Culture: A Study Of The Impact Of Confucianism On Japan's Economic Development After World War Ii, Xuedong Xu

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Japan's fast economic growth after World War II can be ascribed to different factors. This study seeks to determine whether the cultural factor, more specifically Confucianism in Japanese version, has constituted the dynamism behind the success stories of Japan. The study approaches the problem by examining the Confucian doctrine and original works of important Japanese philosophers concerning the Confucian ethics and values, which are recrystallized into new organizational patterns in industrial corporation. While the period after World War II is the focus of the study, the unique features of Japanese industry like "Life-time Employment" and "Groupism" are reviewed to determine …

Greg Gubler's Review Of Mark R. Peattie's Nan’Yo: The Rise And Fall Of The Japanese In Micronesia, 1885-1945, Greg Gubler

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Intercultural Communication Competence And Intercultural Adjustment Of Japanese Business Sojourners And Their Spouses, Muneo Hotta

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship among intercultural communication competence, attitudes toward the U.S. culture, and linguistic skills in English for Japanese business sojourners and their spouses living in the United States.

Cross-Cultural Differences In Written Discourse Patterns : A Study Of Acceptability Of Japanese Expository Compositions In American Universities, Hiroko Kitano

Dissertations and Theses

Since Kaplan started the study of contrastive rhetoric, researchers have investigated Japanese and English compositions and have found some differences between them. However, few studies have investigated how these differences are perceived by native English readers when the different rhetorical patterns are transferred to English writing.

Drawing from Hinds' study, this research focuses on the following: how the Japanese style of writing is evaluated by Japanese and American readers, especially in academic situations, how Japanese rhetorical patterns are perceived by American readers, and how a change of organization affects the evaluation by American readers.

John Charlot's Review Of Lynn Ann Davis's And Nelson Foster's A Photographer In The Kingdom: Christian J. Hedemann, John Charlot

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Expression Of Politeness In Japan: Intercultural Implications For Americans, Emiko Tajikara Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

This descriptive study focuses on expressions of politeness in the Japanese language and their relevance to social structure and intercultural communication. The study is designed to help students of the Japanese language learn rules of politeness which fall outside the domain of grammatical rules.

Modification Of The Western Approach To Intercultural Communication For The Japanese Context, Eiko Tai

Dissertations and Theses

The field of intercultural communication has recently been introduced to Japan from the United States. The theories and concepts of this field have been developed based on Western social sciences, and they are likely to be culture-bound. This thesis investigates the possibility that modifying Western ideas in the field of intercultural communication would make the study of this subject more effective for Japanese learners.

Hungry Sharks: Japanese Economic Activity In Melanesia, 1960-1980, James A. Boutilier

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

A History Of The Japanese In Nebraska, Hiram Hisanori Kano

Special Collections

A history of the Japanese in Nebraska, authored by Father Hiram Kano. It interweaves his personal story with the larger narrative of Japanese people in Nebraska. Most of the content covers c. 1900-1970. Book includes numerous appendices of value to genealogists or others seeking individual Japanese who lived in Nebraska.

Introduction by Sheryll Patterson-Black

Shared with the permission of Scottsbluff Public Library

The Japanese/American Interface: A Crosscultural Study On The Approach To Discourse, Hitomi Tamura

Dissertations and Theses

This study attempted to explore one aspect of the communicative styles of Japanese and Americans: their approach to discourse. In a literature review, four distinctive characteristics were surveyed: linear/nonlinear presentation, inductive/ deductive reasoning, explicit/implicit communication, and analytical/emotional statements. The American style of argument was characterized by:

1) a linear presentation as evidenced by its preference for a sequential paragraph development, its reliance on logic, and its direct introduction of the subject.

2) either inductive or deductive reasoning.

3) explicit communication as shown by its emphasis on the use of concrete language, definite qualifiers, clearly stated conclusions and a wider perspective. …

The Degree Of Acculturation And Success Patterns In Three Generations Of The Japanese Americans In The Portland Area, Toshimasa Fujii

Dissertations and Theses

Past research shows that Japanese Americans have been successful occupationally, financially and educationally. This thesis examines factors leading to this success. It is generally argued that the greater the congruence between minority and majority value systems, the less likely conflict would be generated in the minority group's acculturation. There appear to be two opposed aspects in the acculturation of the Japanese Americans, relinquishment or retention of traditional Japanese values. Also important is the degree to which Japanese Americans identify themselves as American, or Japanese, or some mixture. This thesis focuses on the following questions: What types of values have been …

Larry V. Shumway Letters, Larry V. Shumway

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Study Of Communication Style In Japan And The United States As Revealed Through Content Analysis Of Television Commercials, Noriko Huruse

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an empirical analysis of communication styles in Japan and the United States. In particular, the study deals with communication styles in Japanese and American television commercials as a reflection of human communication styles in the two countries.

An Investigation Of Similarity Of The Value System Of The American And Japanese College Students, Hiroyoshi Taguchi

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present research was to investigate whether or not there is similarity of values between American and Japanese college students. The following research hypothesis was established:

There is a positive relationship between the value system of the Japanese college students and that of American college students.

To test the above research hypothesis, the following three null hypotheses were tested in the present research:

1. There is no similarity between the value system of the Japanese male college students and that of American male college students whose ages are between 18 and 22.
2. There is no similarity between the …

The Japanese Translation Of The Book Of Mormon: A Study In The Theory And Practice Of Translation, Jiro Numano

Theses and Dissertations

English and Japanese are very different from each other in tems of their structures. And consequently no one would call the present translation of the Japanese Book of Mormon a low rank-bound translation.

However, a substantial amount of grammatical categories of English such as number, redundant subject for Japanese, pronominal expression, and the passive voice which is not used so often in Japanese as in English, are introduced in the translation. The improper placement of subject, verb and object also serves as a cause of foreign tones. Thus the present translation has more factors of Formal-Equivalence translation than those of …

The History Of The Japanese In Seattle And Its Environs: First Arrival To 1940, Peter Armstrong Vall-Spinosa

All Master's Theses

This study is an effort to give an historical perspective on the Japanese living in the Puget Sound region up to 1940.

Photograph Of Edward Washington Mcmillan, Unknown

Edward Washington McMillan Papers

Photograph of Dr. Edward Washington McMillan taken at Columbia Christian College. Verso of photograph has written in pencil: "Dr. E. W. McMillan / Columbia Christian College." Date of creation is estimated