University of Canterbury, Arts Centre Old Chemistry Building (now home to UC Music, Classics and Teece Museum) Camerata Room

 Saturday 26th August 2017

9:00 – 9:45      Registration

9:45 – 10:00    Welcome                   Rachel PAYNE and President Kondo

10:00 - 10:15   Official Welcome                 Professor Paul MILLAR, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the College of Arts, and Head of the School of Humanities and Creative Arts

10:15 - 11:05   Session 1                   Chair   Akiko NANAMI

1          Richard BULLEN        ( University of Canterbury, Christchurch )

“The art of Gaman in New Zealand: sculptures made by Japanese POWs in Featherston “

2          Ryoko de BURGH-HIRABE        ( Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch )

“Motivational characteristics of learners of Japanese as a foreign language in

New Zealand”

11:05 - 11:25   Break

11:25 - 12:40   Session 2                   Chair   Masayoshi OGINO

1          Takahiro YOKOYAMA        ( Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch )

“How does Japanese language ability affect satisfaction for JET participants ? “

2          Akiko NANAMI        ( Hiroshima Shudo University )

“Supporting ‘Youth’ in New Zealand and Japan:  Are they supported or not ?”

3          Rachel PAYNE        ( University of Canterbury, Christchurch )

“Adventures in mapping Japanese theatre history”

12:40 - 13:50   Lunch 

13:50 - 15:30   Session 3                   Chair   Rachel PAYNE

1          Kate DEWES         ( Disarmament and Security Centre )

“New Zealand nuclear free for 30 years “

2          Susan BOUTEREY        ( University of Canterbury, Christchurch ) 

“Interpreters at the ‘front line’ “

3          Makoto KONDO        ( Gifu University )

“Electoral gender quota system and the Japanese Constitution, Article 9 “

4          Huyuki DOI        ( Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University )

“Indigenous Urban Maori: Indigenous Peoples as Original Inhabitants in Cities”

15:30 - 15:50   Break

15:50 - 17:05   Session 4                   Chair   Masayoshi OGINO

1          Mojgan SADIGHI        ( IPU, Palmerston North )

“Ask a Librarian: the role of IPU New Zealand library as an academic library in New Zealand”

2          Ayumi OTANI        ( Kansai University, Osaka )

“A comparative study on the association between work- fare policies and supports for sole-parent families in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan”

3          Tadashi IWAMI        ( IPU, Palmerston North )

“Japan and New Zealand: Examining Security Cooperation"

17:05 – 17:20  Final remarks                       Akiko NANAMI and Vice-President BEDFORD

18:30               Dinner                       Cook’n’ with Gas, 23 Worcester Boulevard

ABSTRACTS

10:15 - 11:05      Session 1            Chair: Akiko NANAMI

1          Richard BULLEN                                         University of Canterbury, Christchurch 

The art of Gaman in New Zealand: sculptures made by Japanese POWs in Featherston.

From 1942 to 1945, over 800 Japanese were interned at the Featherston Prisoner of War Camp, remembered by most New Zealanders today for the tragic incident which took place on 25 February 1943, when 48 Japanese and one New Zealander were killed. However, a previously unstudied – and intriguing – aspect of the camp is the artwork made by the prisoners, which was exchanged with camp guards for cigarettes, rice, money and the like. A number of these wooden sculptures have been collected by the Featherston Heritage Museum. Some of the sculptures are coloured, and of surprising quality. This paper presents the first stages of the author’s research on these artworks, and suggests some sources for the images.    

2          Ryoko de BURGH-HIRABE                      Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch

Motivational characteristics of learners of Japanese as a foreign language in New Zealand

L2 motivation research has been mainly based on studies in contexts where English is taught as a foreign language, with less consideration of motivation to learn a foreign language, such as Japanese, in English speaking countries. It is important for Japanese educators in New Zealand to understand motivational characteristics of learners of Japanese as a foreign language as it may be useful for counteracting declining student numbers in recent years. This paper reports the results of an exploratory study on motivation to learn Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) in a New Zealand university. Sixteen JFL learners answered three open-ended questionnaires and responded to an L2 motivation survey during a three-month period. The results indicated that students were highly motivated learners who enjoyed learning Japanese and had positive attitudes to and intrinsic interest in Japan, the people, language and culture. Simple linear regression analyses revealed that L2 learning experience and cultural interest had significant correlations with students’ intended learning effort. However, qualitative data indicated that students’ future self-images of becoming fluent Japanese speakers who live in Japan also contributed to their intended learning effort. This paper highlights the different nature of motivation to learn JFL to that for learning World English, giving support to a call for having a dual approach to analysing L2 motivation. Implications and future research will be also discussed.  

 11:05 - 11:25      Break

 11:25 - 12:40      Session 2            Chair: Masayoshi OGINO    

1          Takahiro YOKOYAMA                   Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch

How does Japanese language ability affect satisfaction for JET participants?

Drawing data from a larger scale study, this mixed method study examined the extent to which existing Japanese language proficiency influences job satisfaction of Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Japan. The study collected online survey data from 232 current and former ALTs in the Japan and Exchange Teaching Programme, followed by interview data from 37 participants (13 by skype and 24 by emails). Multiple regression analyses of the survey data found no significant influence of length of Japanese language study upon their satisfaction with: team-teaching; student achievement; and resources. The interview data, however, revealed the complex mechanism in which their existing proficiency in Japanese influenced their experience in Japan both positively and negatively. Some pedagogical and administrative implications are discussed.

2          Akiko NANAMI                   Hiroshima Shudo University

Supporting ‘Youth’ in New Zealand and Japan:  Are they supported or not?

How is a society able to support young people who drop out from the educational and even social system? This question has long been tried to be answered in many societies having ‘youth issues’. New Zealand and Japan are no exception – with huge differences which reflect essentialities of two societies.  ‘Youth issue’ in New Zealand is setting its target at the age group from 12 to 24 years old and much focus on those who dropped out of the schooling system. Therefore, the ultimate goal set by the Ministry of Youth Development and other affiliated organisations is support them be able to get back schools or find jobs to be back on tracks. The Japanese youth issue is looking different. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has not clearly defined ‘who youth are’ but it is said to be to 35 years old. The support scheme has focused on those dropped out of the schooling system as well as New Zealand but it has paid more attention to those who drop out of the social system, called ‘hikikomori’ or ‘stop-at-home’ and NEET (Not in Education, Employment of Training.) Against this background, this paper examines the following two points. 1) What are ‘youth issues’ in New Zealand and Japan and why there are so much difference? 2) How have each society been trying to deal with the issues?

3          Rachel PAYNE                                 University of Canterbury, Christchurch

Adventures in mapping Japanese theatre history

As editors for the A History of Japanese Theatre (Cambridge University Press, 2016), theatre scholar and Kyogen performer Jonah Salz and I were tasked with covering, with the aid of over 40 genre specialists, the whole of Japan’s rich and varied theatrical history. This meant deciding what genres to cover, how to discuss their historic development as well as their particular fascination as texts and in performance. We needed to come up with decisions on how to balance description of performance conventions and aesthetics with analyses of significant plays as dramatic texts. Even with all of the above covered adequately, a great challenge remained concerning how to account for a) remarkable individuals—Zeami, Chikamatsu, Terayama Shuji—or b) phenomenon which cross multiple genres—katari, shamisen, women in theatre—without losing the coherent chapter structure expected in a history. Finally, as a 600-page encyclopedic overview of Japanese theatre aimed for non-specialist readers, there was the challenge of balancing historical minutae with the sweep and thrust of historical trajectories. This paper discusses how we, along with our 7 invaluable Contributing Editors, managed to map the boundaries and conventions of specific genres, provide cross-genre bridges connecting diverse forms over time, construct free-standing monuments to significant individuals, build bridges of trans-genre topics, while avoiding losing readers to the pitfalls of trivia and wordy descriptions.

12:40 - 13:50       Lunch

13:50 - 15:30      Session 3            Chair          Rachel PAYNE

1          Kate DEWES                                    Disarmament and Security Centre

New Zealand nuclear free for 30 years

From the mid-1960s onwards, New Zealand civil society generated the political will for the strongest nuclear free legislation in the world to be adopted in June 1987.   It uniquely banned visits by both nuclear-powered and armed vessels. Working closely with parliamentarians from various parties, the citizen movement built majority grassroots support, and helped frame the legislation, which included a Public Advisory Committee to monitor the integrity of the policy.  At various times it scrutinised the legality of US-NZ military bases; involvement in military exercises and wars with allies; monitored UN disarmament voting; and promoted nuclear disarmament initiatives. Despite attempts by National governments to undermine the legislation in order to restore a full ANZUS relationship, the policy still stands; and in 2016 the first non-nuclear US warship visit since 1984 occurred. The nuclear free law inspired the New Zealand citizen-led international campaign resulting in the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion confirming the general illegality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons in 1996. Consequent government leadership through the New Agenda Coalition and the ‘humanitarian initiative’ helped move international opinion to begin UN negotiations for a nuclear weapon prohibition treaty this year as the next step to a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

2          Susan BOUTEREY                          University of Canterbury, Christchurch

Interpreters at the ‘front line’

What insights might a focus on interpreters give us on disasters, and our capacity to respond to disasters, in a ‘global age’? This paper aims to shed some light on these questions by examining the role of Japanese interpreters in the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake. Drawing on the speaker’s own experiences and those of other fellow volunteer interpreters, it considers the challenges faced by the Japanese interpreters as they assisted the New Zealand police, Ministry of foreign affairs and other parties in working with the families of the Japanese victims. It concludes with some reflections on lessons to be learned and possible future directions.

3          Makoto KONDO                             Gifu University

Electoral gender quota system and the Japanese Constitution, Article 9

In Japan, the LDP scored an emphatic victory in a general election of December, 2012, and the Democratic Party government was defeated. The woman MPs decreased to 38 people, 7.9%, the 163rd place of the world. And the second ultra-right Shinzo Abe LDP government was born. Before this election, LDP president Abe had published the bill of Constitutional reform against Article 9 providing for the war renunciation. And then Abe government promoted the Constitutional reform policy until today. However, the Japanese Constitutional amendment needs a referendum. According to the Gifu University student questionnaire of 2014, 64% demanded the protection of the Constitution, Article 9. Students to accept the Constitutional reform of Article 9 are only 22%.　It is difficult for the Abe Administration to win the referendum. However, the consciousness of the boys must be paid attention. From the result of questionnaire, the Constitution Article 9 supporter of the boys was 41%, but the Constitution Article 9 revisionist extended to 44%. This reversal is the first time since I took the student questionnaire 30 years ago.　However, the supporter of the Constitution Article 9 reaches 77% of the girls. The Constitution Article 9 revisionists of the girls are only 11%. This tendency does not change for 30 years. In other words, Article 9 is protected by girls in Japan. Therefore, the gender equality of Constitution Article 24 must be promoted into the Diet. If the electoral system of the Japanese Diet is changed from FPP to the proportional system, then we could also have many woman MPs perhaps like NZ has 32% woman MPs. As a conclusion, I think that a gender parity system like the French system is better than to introduce the 30% gender Quota system as the way of the pacifism of Article 9.

4          Huyuki DOI              Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University

Indigenous Urban Maori: Indigenous Peoples as Original Inhabitants in Cities

Recognised as a group separate from traditional Maori, urban Maori have gathered the attention of researchers. Traditional Maori are defined as those who are non-migrant Maori living in tribal territory, in rural areas and keeping Maori culture. In contrast, urban Maori live in cities away from their tribal land and kindred, therefore losing the connection to the land and kindred said to be important for Maori. As their culture start to decline, they create an alternative identity as urban Maori, not dependent entirely on traditional Maori culture. In this presentation, I have focused on the Maori who are non-migrants, original inhabitants in cities, whom I would call indigenous urban Maori. Indigenous urban Maori are defined, in this presentation, as Maori who have kept living in their original tribal land which is now quite urbanised. A whānau (extended family) members of indigenous urban Maori living in Rotorua maintain close connections to their homeland and kindred even in urban settings, since they strive to live closely to each other within their original tribal territory. In conclusion, my investigation in Rotorua has revealed that indigenous urban Maori differ from both migrant urban Maori and traditional rural Maori. Most significantly, what I call “indigenous urban Maori” have created distinct ways of maintaining strong connections to their original tribal land in contemporary urban settings.

15:30 - 15:50      Break

15:50 - 17:05      Session 4            Chair          Masayoshi OGINO

 1          Mojgan SADIGHI                                       IPU, Palmerston North

Ask a Librarian: the role of IPU New Zealand library as an academic library in New Zealand

Academic libraries are an integral and active part of the educational process in 21^st century.  Traditionally academic libraries have been known as the “heart of the university” serving the academic community of their parent institute. This role has become even more important with the developments in technology and the changes in the way people access information. My presentation provides an overview of the role of academic libraries in New Zealand with the focus on IPU New Zealand library service. It outlines the diversity of services the library offers its clients (Students and academic staff) and the resources and facilities available to support their learning, teaching, and research needs. Due to the unique nature of our institute and the high number of Japanese Students (34%), this presentation will also discuss the outcomes of a satisfactory survey due to be carried out in June 2017. The purpose of the survey is to establish how Japanese and New Zealander students use the library resources and facilities and what can be done to strengthen and improve the existing library services at IPU New Zealand.

2          Ayumi OTANI                                              Kansai University, Osaka

A comparative study on the association between work- fare policies and supports for sole-parent families in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan

A shocking report from OECD has revealed that more working sole parents in Japan (56.0%)

have suffered from poverty than non-working sole parents (47.4%). In Japan, around 85% of sole-parent families are female-headed households, and 80.6% of them are working. Due to relatively lower wage rate and discriminative treatment to non-fulltime workers, especially, working female sole-parents engaged in non-fulltime work can earn only \1250,000 annually, about US$11,364 ($1 = \110). Even female sole- parent full-time worker can earn just \270,000, about US$ 24,545(source: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare).   In spite of low wage earning of female sole-parent, in Japan there are very limited supports for them to access, e.g. tax credits for families. In the result, they are urged to work at low wage rate without enough monetary assistances, so they are forced to live in poverty. In contrast, less working sole- parent households in New Zealand are in poverty. The reasons for this are that the minimum wage is relatively high, and that they can be entitled to Working Family Tax Credit package (WFTC). But the 20-hour work-test for sole-parent household has caused less time to care their children in sole-parent households than in two-parent household. Moreover, because of the high effective marginal tax rate, the benefits are not generous. In Australia, tax credit benefits are more generous than in New Zealand, but work-fare policies have been strongly introduced into benefit schemes, there are still more serious problems as to the length of time to care their own children as well as child care fee. It can be said that poverty rates are improved when sole parents are on work; on the other hand, the children whose parents cannot work for some reasons are left behind. In this study, I will highlight the problems in schemes for families with children and seek for the ways to improve the child poverty among the countries.

3          Tadashi IWAMI                              IPU, Palmerston North

Japan and New Zealand: Examining Security Cooperation

My presentation provides an overview of opportunities and challenges of security cooperation between Japan and New Zealand. Despite their geographical distance, both nations have shared core democratic values and identities as key members of the Pacific region. Based on them, Japan and New Zealand have built and enhanced close relationship over the last few decades. My presentation suggests both nations have profound opportunities to enhance their non-military peacebuilding roles particularly following the security legislation reform that took place under the Shinzo Abe administration. However, the major discrepancy between the close security cooperation derives from their contrasting stances towards whaling, which might hinder them from developing more strategic security cooperation in the field of maritime security. Potentially, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions can serve as a common ground for the both countries to widen their security cooperation.