Thammasat Journal of Japanese Studies

What problems do Japanese language learners encounter in the reading process based on bottom-up processing?

Saeng-urai Thitisorn — 2024-06-28

Bottom-up processing is the basis for processing linguistic information in foreign language reading. It is considered to be a priority. Bottom-up processing requires lower-level processing consisting of lexical access, syntactic analysis, and semantic proposition formation. The following is a summary of the problems encountered by learners of Japanese at each of the lower levels of processing. In the lexical access process, incorrect identification of characters and words can result in incorrect understanding of characters and words. It can also lead to an incorrect understanding of sentences due to the improper separation of strings of characters into words. In the process of syntactic parsing, the fact that certain grammatical items have different functions or uses, or have the same function or use but are expressed in different grammatical items, can make it difficult to understand the meaning. Further, ambiguous or complex structures also affect comprehension and processing time. In the process of forming semantic propositions, the inability to accurately construct meaning is due to the insufficient depth of lexical knowledge. Another factor is the difficulty in reconstructing the meaning of long sentences because they contain so much information that they can no longer be memorized. Finally, the distance between syntactic engagements is far apart, making it difficult to relate the words in a sentence to each other. To address these problems in the future, the authors aim to examine and propose an approach to teaching reading comprehension based on a theoretical framework that takes into account processing at the sentence level and aims to provide a deeper understanding of the meaning of sentences.

From inside-out to outside-in: The past, future, and transition of Japan’s innovation ecosystem

Wannachai Jittiwong — 2024-06-28

Japanese innovation system is full of dynamism. Developed through time, from the prosperous seasons following the end of World War 2 until the bubble era during the beginning of 1990s, the hidden gridlocks started to be seen. This article exhibits the institutional and cultural factors that contribute to the causes of such setbacks, which comprise the ever-remaining nation-building mindset, the protectionist policies to promote social equality, and the strong adherence to inventor’s spirits and desire to maintain manufacturing leader.

In addition, the paper offers the potential solutions to Japanese innovation-related problems for the hope of achieving a more open, more flexible, more transparent, and more efficient system. Those solutions can really be accomplished and in fact have gradually developed both through self-reinforcing mechanism and through the changing economic circumstances worldwide which include a more resilient labor markets, an advancement of information technology, an ever-changing global supply chain, and the country’s greater awareness about the need to take a significant part of globalization.

Doujinshi as a part of Japanese cartoon industry

Kritsadapan Janporn — 2024-06-28

This article aims to study information about doujinshi which is part of the Japanese entertainment media industry and the factors that make Japanese doujinshi widely popular by using the method of collecting information from academic documents related to doujinshi, social media and doujinshi. The results of the study revealed that Doujinshi was the work that the creator created without working with a publishing house. Doujinshi is divided into two types: original doujinshi and adapted doujinshi. Adapted doujinshi is considered copyright infringement. However, it can be widely sold in Japan and many countries. Only a few adapted doujinshi creators have been prosecuted. This phenomenon occurs because of the mutual benefit between copyright owner and doujinshi creator, and the high cost of litigation.

A strategy for organizing Sake brewery tourism: A case study of sixteen Sake brewery models in Japan

Piyaporn Chansuay — 2024-06-28

Due to a reduction of sake consuming in Japan, Japanese government had to stimulate income of domestic sake consumption. Consequently, the government announced a Cool Japan Policy to promote this brewery industry by introducing a brewery tour. Brewery tour is several alcohol drinks. This article studies only sake brewery tourism. A concept of the brewery tour did not only mean taking tourists to visit local brewery producers but also included taking them around to other attractions such as Japanese restaurants, sake museums, temples, shrines, local groceries, souvenir shops, etc. The local brewery tour helped to distribute income within its community. This also stimulated income in each local economy within Japan. A target group of the brewery tour contained foreign tourists and those who enjoyed drinking sake. This article showed interesting strategies for organizing a brewery tour from sixteen brewery model producers which were selected from the National Tax Agency Japan. The article compiled a variety of strategies for promoting the tour and also included SWOT analysis in order to indicate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in organizing the sake brewery tourism in Japan.

Japan and the Mongolia’s third neighbor policy

Nophadol Chartprasert — 2024-06-28

Since the end of the Cold War, besides cementing relationships with Mongolia’s two neighbors namely China and Russia, Mongolia has made efforts to establish more cordial relationships with other world powers. Therefore, Mongolia’s Third Neighbor Policy, created to alter the asymmetric relations with Mongolia’s powerful neighbors, have been continuously implemented. Among countries which have been engaged in Mongolia’s Third Neighbor Policy, Japan has played notably roles in this Mongolia’s significant policy. For Mongolia, economic cooperation between these two countries since the 1990s has partially strengthened Mongolia’s market-oriented economic development. For Japan, the amicable relationships between Japan and Mongolia, especially in political and socio-cultural dimensions have noticeably served Japan’s post-Cold War roles in the East Asian region.

The reconfirmation of semantic transparency between two-Kanji compound words and the composing Kanji from the viewpoint of Thai Japanese speakers

Natthira Tuptim — 2024-06-28

This research aimed to 1) investigate the opinions of Thai Japanese speakers regarding the semantic transparency between two-Kanji compound words and the composing Kanji that constitute 415 words and 2) study the relationship between the opinions of Native and Thai Japanese speakers regarding the semantic transparency of the two-Kanji compound words and the composing Kanji of 415 words. The sample group consisted of 12 Thai Japanese speakers who achieved N2 or N1 proficiency level of the Japanese language proficiency test. The Pearson Product Moment Coefficient was applied as a simple correlation coefficient to analyze
the relationship between two sets of data. The results of the study found both consistency and inconsistency from opinions of Thai Japanese speakers regarding the semantic transparency. The findings indicated a consistent direction of correlation and a statistically significant moderate correlation (p-value < .01) between the opinions of Native and Thai Japanese speakers concerning the semantic transparency between two-Kanji compound words and the composing Kanji.

The study on the learning effectiveness in Japanese interpretation: Integrated shadowing teaching techniques for enhancing listening and speaking skills

Pornthep Joemkhunthod — 2024-06-28

The objectives of study on the learning effectiveness in Japanese interpretation: Integrated shadowing teaching techniques for enhancing listening and speaking skillswere: 1) to study on the learning effectiveness of listening and speaking skills in Japanese language courses using integrated shadowing teaching techniques for translator 2) to compare Japanese for Interpreter of listening and speaking skills using shadowing techniques and 3) to study the satisfaction of Japanese for Interpreter of listening and speaking skills using shadowing techniques. The instruments used in this research were: 1) active learning plan for Japanese for Interpreter of listening and speaking using shadowing techniques 2) two sets of pretest and posttest tests consisted of Japanese-Thai Interpreter and Thai-Japanese Interpreter. and 3) satisfaction questionnaires of the development of Japanese for Interpreter of listening and speaking using shadowing techniques.

The results of the pretest and posttest for Japanese interpreter listening and speaking using shadowing techniques exceeded the set criterion at a significance level of 0.04. Furthermore, the scores increased by 4.83 points, representing a 12.08% improvement when comparing the scores before and after participating in shadowing techniques. The results of the pretest and posttest for Japanese interpreter speaking-listening, segmented by participation in shadowing techniques, demonstrated an increase in scores. The group participating in shadowing techniques showed a higher improvement, with scores increasing by 8.67 points or 21.67%.

Regarding reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha-Coefficient was calculated at 0.91, indicating high reliability.

Finally, The satisfaction survey results for Japanese interpreter listening and speaking using shadowing techniques revealed very high satisfaction levels. Specifically, the satisfaction was highest in the aspect of the lecturer, followed by teaching and learning, teaching media, and an overview of developing listening and speaking skills.