Keio University Shonan Fujisawa

Parliamentary workload and outpatient medical costs among Japanese national civil servants: An ecological study in Kasumigaseki

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine whether ministry-level parliamentary workload was associated with outpatient medical costs among Japanese national civil servants, who are exempt from the Labor Standards Act's statutory limits on working hours. METHODS: We conducted an eco...

Compound food failure on a deteriorated mast system drives Japan’s bear conflict crisis

Climate change is recognized as a key amplifier of human-wildlife conflict, yet the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Japan’s 2025 bear crisis, which produced 232 casualties, has been widely attributed to rapid population growth, but demographic processes are far to...

Organizational barriers in Japan’s public crisis management: a comparative analysis of institutional and operational inhibitors

Purpose Japan’s crisis management has long been criticized for inefficiency, suggesting that existing analyses have overlooked deeper systematic issues. This study examines whether the primary inhibitors of Japan’s crisis management performance stem from formal “institutional cha...

Menstrual Hygiene as a Human Rights and Health Equity Issue: Inequality, Access, and Human Dignity Among Women

Lack of health awareness and access to menstrual hygiene goods is a challenging issue in some parts of the world, creating a situation where menstrual hygiene becomes a privilege. This issue reflects the broader social determinants of health and gender-based inequities affecting...

Association between Work Engagement and Obesity among Workers in a Large Japanese Company

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association between work engagement and obesity among workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed 20,611 workers in a large Japanese company. We assessed work engagement, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/ m 2 ), and overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/ m 2 ). Multivar...

Rice-Flour-Based Diet Is Associated with Reduced Obesity-Related and Glucose-Related Outcomes and Increased Ucp3 Expression in KK-Ay Mice

This study investigates whether, in a mouse model under ad libitum feeding conditions, substituting a wheat-flour-based diet with a rice-flour-based diet influences body-weight- and glucose-related outcomes. Using female KK-Ay mice, we compared diets containing wheat or rice flou...

Awareness, knowledge, and utilization of Japanese physical activity guidelines among health fitness programmers in Japan

We conducted an anonymous online survey to clarify awareness, knowledge, and utilization of Japanese physical activity (PA) guidelines among certified Health Fitness Programmers who are specialists in exercise guidance for health promotion. Responses were obtained from 415 partic...