Samurai in the surf : the arrival of the Japanese on the Gold Coast in the 1980s

Samurai in the Surf explores the history of Japanese investment in the 1980s, following a money-trail that leads back to a ballooning Japanese economy and a colorful array of investment sources. The book also explores the local community's views of this unprecedented stream of foreign investment and provides a convincing illustration of the links between 1980s Queensland and Pauline Hanson's One Nation movement of the 1990s.

Heidegger and the Japanese connection

This collection of new essays on phenomenological themes reviews aspects of the philosophical movement which began with the publication in 1900-01 of Edmund Husserl's path-breaking Logical Investigations. A broad survey of phenomenology is particularly timely given that this philosophical movement is reaching a hundred years of its existence. The thirteen contributions represent a wide range of approaches and interests within the phenomenological framework. Some present approaches to Husserl, while others explore aspects of the fundamental texts of phenomenology and provide critical discussions of later thinkers such as Heidegger, Sartre, and Derrida whose relation to Husserl receives particular attention. The final section relates phenomenology to other disciplines and to broader issues in social thought and cultural studies. This book will enable students and professional philosophers alike to explore the various strands of this widely influential school of thought.

Kokusaika and Internationalisation: Australian and Japanese sister city type relationships

Sister city type relationships at local government level form an important part of Australian-Japanese relations. The original concept of sister cities was to increase international understanding and peace at local level. Over the years, that concept has changed and there is now a robust debate over the inclusion of commercial exchanges into sister city type relationships. This article describes the context of this debate by analysing the different perceptions of sister city type relationships in Australia and Japan. It begins with a discussion of the public policy contexts of sister cities in both Australia and Japan. The second section deals with an analysis of the results of surveys in Australia and Japan. Finally, case studies of two important issues related to SCTRs are discussed: economic and business relations and community involvement. The article concludes by suggesting that sister city type relationships between Australia and Japan are dependent upon the over-arching public policy contexts and sometimes lead to mismatched expectations between the two countries.

Natriuretic peptide guanylyl cyclase receptors in the kidney of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica

Natriuretic peptides are linked to osmoregulation, cardiovascular and volume regulation in fishes. The peptides bind to two guanylyl-cyclase-linked receptors, natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A) and NPR-B, to elicit their effects. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binds principally to NPR-A, whereas C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) binds to NPR-B. The teleost kidney has an important role in the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance; therefore, the location of NPR-A and NPR-B in the kidney could provide insights into the functions of natriuretic peptides. This study used homologous, affinity purified, polyclonal antibodies to NPR-A and NPR-B to determine their location in the kidney of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. Kidneys from freshwater and seawater acclimated animals were fixed overnight in 4% paraformaldehyde before being paraffin-embedded and immunostained. NPR-A immunoreactivity was found on the apical membrane of proximal tubule 1 and the vascular endothelium including the glomerular capillaries. In contrast, NPR-B immunoreactivity was located on the smooth muscle of blood vessels including the glomerular afferent and efferent arterioles, and on smooth muscle tissue surrounding the collecting ducts. No difference in the distribution of NPR-A and NPR-B was observed between freshwater and seawater kidneys. Immunoreactivity was not observed in any tissue in which the antibodies had been preabsorbed. In addition, there was no difference in NPR-A and NPR-B mRNA expression between freshwater-acclimated and seawater-acclimated eels. These results suggest that, although utilizing the same second messenger system, ANP and CNP act on different targets within the kidney and presumably elicit different effects.

A comparison of motivations of American and Japanese volunteers in ladies professional golf association tournaments

This exploratory study examined and compared primary motives influencing American and Japanese volunteers of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Data were collected from 281 volunteers who participated in LPGA tournament events in America and Japan. Japanese volunteers were found to be more involved in volunteer service due to “Social/Leisure” and “Material” reasons, while American volunteers were found to be associated with “Egoistic” and “Purposive” motivations. There was no significant difference in the “External Influences” factor. The study contributes to personnel and administration research and provides insight on the ways in which the LPGA event volunteers are managed in America and Japan...

The pricing and underwriting costs of Japanese REIT IPOs

This study investigates 40 Japanese REIT IPOs during 2001 to 2006 and finds evidence that higher final offer prices are reflected in higher underpricing levels by such IPOs. There is also some evidence that the engagement of one of the big three Japanese underwriting firms suggests less money is left on the table. Economies of scale in underwriting fees for Japanese REIT IPOs are also found. Specifically, the percentage underwriting fees decrease with higher amounts of equity capital sought but the percentage fee decreases at a diminishing rate.

Ultraviolet colour perception in European starlings and Japanese quail

Whereas humans have three types of cone photoreceptor, birds have four types of single cones and, unlike humans, are sensitive to ultraviolet light (UV, 320-400 run). Most birds are thought to have either a violet-sensitive single cone that has some sensitivity to UV wavelengths (for example, many non-passerine species) or a single cone that has maximum sensitivity to UV (for example, oscine passerine. species). UV sensitivity is possible because, unlike humans, avian ocular media do not absorb UV light before it reaches the retina. The different single cone types and their sensitivity to UV light give birds the potential to discriminate reflectance spectra that look identical to humans. It is clear that birds use UV signals for a number of visual tasks, but there are few studies that directly demonstrate a role for UV in the detection of chromaticity differences (i.e. colour vision) as opposed to achromatic brightness. If the output of the violet/UV cone is used in achromatic visual tasks, objects reflecting more UV will appear brighter to the bird. 11, however, the output is used in a chromatic mechanism, birds will be able to discriminate spectral stimuli according to the amount of reflected light in the UV part of the spectrum relative to longer wavelengths. We have developed a UV 'colour blindness' test, which we have given to a passerine (European starling) and a non-passerine (Japanese quail) species. Both species learnt to discriminate between a longwave control of orange vs red stimuli and UV vs 'non-UV' stimuli, which were designed to be impossible to differentiate by achromatic mechanisms. We therefore conclude that the output of the violet/UV cone is involved in a chromatic colour vision system in these two species.

Japanese investment on the Gold Coast : the interface of globalization and locality

This study explored the interface between the forces of globalization and a given place, at a given time, the Gold Coast during the 1980s. The global economic boom of the 1980s was one in which the role of Japan was particularly important. In less than half a decade capital flows from Japan surged to make it the world's largest investor. Locations in the Pacific Basin were favoured destinations for Japanese investment, one of the most significant was the Gold Coast. Japanese capital and tourism helped transform its urban area from a national resort to an international tourist destination and resort centre, The surge of capital arriving to the Gold Coast was a function of economic conditions in Japan, as was its steep reduction after November 1989, Thus the Gold Coast became integrated into global capital flows and so dependent on decisions made in Tokyo, one of the main financial centres of the world. However this study has also sought to explore a more complex reality; namely, that this place also became the interface of complex cultural forces and perceptions. The wealth of the Japanese investors on the Gold Coast enabled them to realize their dream of developing projects in the most fashionable global styles. These styles were essentially Western, and it was onto these that their Japanese owners ascribed their own meanings; meanings that reflected the cultural baggage that they had brought from Japan, and through which were filtered the economic and environmental realities of the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast as locality also included residents. Hence it became an interface between two different groups of people, the Japanese and the strongly Anglo-Celtic local community. Some in the local community perceived the Japanese presence as a threat to their perception of the Gold Coast, in fact, a threat to their perception of Australia's national identity. A campaign based on the politics of memory of the Japanese developed on the Gold Coast. Within weeks it became a national debate in which isolationalist, if not xenophobic traditionalists, concentrated on the Gold Coast challenged the economic rationalism and multicultural tolerance of the self-interested and ideologically convinced advocates of globalization. Governments at all levels sought to arbitrate, to legitimize standpoints, but more often than not were seen to move into positions of ineffectual flexibility. The forces of globalization on the Gold Coast were catalysts for change that in turn provoked local opposition which rapidly became a debate about national identity and direction. It is in the exploration of the complex and contradictory economic, cultural and political forces engendered by globalization that this study has sought to make a distinctive contribution.

The halloween effect and Japanese equity prices : myth or exploitable anomaly

Bouman and Jacobsen (American Economic Review 92(5), 1618–1635, 2002) examine monthly stock returns for major world stock markets and conclude that returns are significantly lower during the May–October periods versus the November–April periods in 36 of 37 markets examined. They argue that, in general, the Halloween strategy outperforms the buy and hold strategy thereby casting doubt on the validity of the efficient market paradigm. More recently, Maberly and Pierce (Econ Journal Watch 1(1), 29–46, 2004) re-examine the evidence for U.S. equity prices and conclude that Bouman and Jacobsen’s results are not robust to alternative model specifications. Extending prior research, this paper examines the robustness of the Halloween strategy to alternative model specifications for Japanese equity prices. The Halloween effect is concentrated in the period prior to the introduction of Nikkei 225 index futures in September 1986. After the internationalization of Japanese financial markets in the mid-1980s, the Halloween effect disappears.

Prelude to the birth of Wayo-Secchu (Japanese hybrid style) in Japanese early modern architecture

This paper will investigate the background of the emergence of Wayo-secchu (Japanese Hybrid Style), by re-examining the rhetoric of the government-oriented early Meiji Western style architecture and Japanese traditionalism's reaction to it. I will elucidate the undercurrent of the intentional shift in nineteenth-century Japan towards the recuperation of traditional Japanese style, a shift which initiated the Japanese hybrid style we now call Wayo-secchu. I will discuss the effect of institutional pressure to Westernize, by investigating what was meant by a new architectural method as expressed by the government of the time.