Nearly a half century has passed since the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) was officially established at the Pennsylvania State University in 1973. From 1957 to 1978, biomechanics studies in the field of sports and physical education in Japan had been conducted under the name of
Search Results
Dr. Richard C. Nelson: Respected as the Father of the Japanese Society of Biomechanics
Mitsumasa Miyashita
Exploring the Utility of a Global Coaching Framework: Sociocultural Perspectives From Japanese Secondary School Rugby Coaches
Blake Bennett and Glenn Fyall
cultural elements influencing the future conceptualisation, interpretation and utility of the global coaching frameworks, such as the ISCF and the ICDF. In this sense, this paper explores Japanese sociocultural factors that may influence and have implications for the ISCF and the ICDF ( International
Japanese Female Professional Soccer Players’ Views on Second Career Development
Kozue Ando, Takahiro Sato, Emma V. Richardson, Takafumi Tomura, Yu Furuta, Haruka Kasahara, and Takahiko Nishijima
period of retirement ( Yao et al., 2020 ), often at a much younger age relative to the general working population (e.g., retirement age in Japan is early 60s, and professional athletes tend to be mid- to late 30s). Despite this age difference, athletic retirement has been analogously compared with work
The Mediating Effects of Resilience, Morale, and Sense of Coherence Between Physical Activity and Perceived Physical/Mental Health Among Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Hiroko Kukihara, Niwako Yamawaki, Michiyo Ando, Yoshiko Tamura, Kumi Arita, and Emiko Nakashima
adults aged 60 years and older may jump to 21.4%, which is more than double their current percentage. In the case of Japan, the older adults (60 years and older) portion of the population rose from 18% in 1980 and is estimated to rise to approximately 34% by 2030 ( Auerbach, Kotlikoff, Hagemann
Successful Aging and Social Activity in Older Japanese Adults
Yoshiyuki Ohno, Rie Aoki, Akiko Tamakoshi, Takashi Kawamura, Kenji Wakai, Shuji Hashimoto, Norito Kawakami, and Masaki Nagai
To explore successful aging and high social activity in old age, data from a self-administered survey of 5,239 participants aged 65 years or more were analyzed. The questionnaire inquired about physical conditions and lifestyles of Japanese seniors during middle age and their present social activities in 4 regions of Japan in 1993. The authors first defined social activities and then developed a social-activity measure. Next, they examined the association between present social activity and physical conditions and lifestyles during middle age. Data analysis revealed that the most socially active seniors rated themselves as healthy and physically active during middle age. Socially active seniors differed from less active seniors: They had participated in more hobbies during middle age, had higher levels of education, and had had a more varied diet between the ages of 30 and 50. The data suggest that maintaining general health habits and lifestyles from middle age on is important for successful aging and high social activity in old age.
Does Habitual Physical Activity Prevent Insomnia? A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study of Elderly Japanese
Sachiko Inoue, Takashi Yorifuji, Masumi Sugiyama, Toshiki Ohta, Kazuko Ishikawa-Takata, and Hiroyuki Doi
Few epidemiological studies have examined the potential protective effects of physical activity on insomnia. The authors thus evaluated the association between physical activity and insomnia in a large population-based study in Shizuoka, Japan. Individual data were obtained from participants in an ongoing cohort study. A total of 14,001 older residents who completed questionnaires were followed for 3 yr. Of these, 10,211 and 3,697 participants were eligible for the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. The authors obtained information about the frequency of physical activity and insomnia. Then, the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals between physical activity and insomnia were estimated. Habitual physical activity was related to lower prevalence of insomnia. Frequent physical activity also reduced the incidence of insomnia, especially difficulty maintaining sleep. For elderly people with sufficient mobility and no preexisting disease, high-frequency physical activity (e.g., 5 or more days/wk) may help reduce insomnia.
Ki-Yong Nam: A Korean Marathon Runner Under Japanese Colonial Rule
Benjamin H. Nam, Sangback Nam, Adam Love, Takuya Hayakawa, Rachael C. Marshall, and Kyung Su Jung
Among ethnic Koreans, marathon running has long been important, as it has promoted national cohesion and Korean identity during tumultuous times. The success of Korean runners in the international sporting arena began at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where, running under the Japanese flag
The Liancourt Rocks: Media Dynamics and National Identities at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games
Grace Yan and Nicholas M. Watanabe
After the South Korean men’s soccer team beat its Japanese counterpart in the bronze-medal match at the 2012 London Olympics, South Korean player Park Jung-Woo celebrated with a banner that displayed Dokdo is our land. Dokdo is called the Liancourt Rocks in English, the sovereignty over which has been an ongoing point of contention between South Korea and Japan. This study conducts a critical discourse analysis to examine media representations of Park’s banner celebration, as well as the ensuing discussion in major Korean and Japanese newspapers. The analysis reveals a contrastive picture: The Korean media vocally approached Park’s behavior as an emotional response of self-righteous indignation and quickly enacted memories of Korea’s victimhood in World War II to make justifications, whereas the Japanese media participated in a relatively disengaged absence. Japan’s silence disclosed a glimpse into its rich postwar history of social conflict and political resistance. Such contrast is also indicative of how sport media can be engaged in nuanced social contexts, generating representations that serve nation-state regimes situated in different political dynamics.
Women Physical Education Teacher Education Faculty’s Experiences in Japan and the United States
Emi Tsuda, Tomoko Ogiwara, Risako Murai, James Wyant, Rio Watanabe, and Yung-Ju ‘Ruth’ Chen
“ Japan’s gender gap is the largest among all advanced economies and has widened over the past year.” ( World Economic Forum, 2020 , p. 31) According to World Economic Forum ( 2020 ), Japan ranked 121 out of 153 countries in the global gender gap index in 2020. One of the critical gaps observed in
The Transformation of Taiwanese Women’s Physical Education in Schools During the Japanese Colonial Period (1895–1945)
Hsiang-Pin Chin and Ping-Chao Lee
describes the early stages of women’s physical education (PE) during Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era. The article refers to the contentious practice of footbinding, which was prevalent in Taiwanese society when women’s PE was introduced to Taiwan. Other sources also offer accounts of how female students were
