Kaori Kawai (ed.), Groups: The Evolution of Human Sociality

This volume is the product of a collaborative project based at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Researchers primarily involved in three fields -- primate sociology and ecology, ecological anthropology and socio-cultural anthropology -- came together to discuss the shape and variations of groups as sympatric entities and the evolutionary historical foundations that have led to the orientation of groups in present-day human society. To that end, the chapters in this volume turn to non-human primates for comparative purposes to consider the nature of the evolutionary historical foundations of sociality.

In place of the past objective of "reconstructing" the ecology and society of early humans, the works in this book instead aim to re-identify the creation and evolution of that which is social and challenge the prevailing theory of groups in socio-cultural anthropology. Specialists on research into human beings and those studying non-human primates develop the debate about groups in the context of their own areas of expertise, at times in ways that extend beyond the boundaries of their fields.

Yasuko Takezawa (ed.), Racial Representations in Asia

Though there is no biological validity to race, it continues to play a central role in various aspects of our daily lives. What, then, generates and reinforces the reality of race, and in what ways? In order to explore these questions, this book examines racial representations from both scientific and humanistic perspectives, taking into account both historical and contemporary views. This incisive anthology is the product of an interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars whose backgrounds vary from Japan to Korea, Singapore, Germany, Israel/Iraq, and the United States. The discussion consists of studies in history, literature, sociology, cultural anthropology, and genetics, while the primary focus is on racial representations in Asia. This book elucidates issues and phenomena that have been neglected or marginalized in the literature on racial representation, and serves to broaden our understanding both in the theoretical and empirical realms. Looking at these phenomena, we realize that racism has become increasingly obscure and harder to identify and articulate, thus posing the question: are we really beyond 'race' and heading towards a future of 'integration'?

Naoshi Kondo, Mitsuji Monta and Noboru Noguchi (eds), Agricultural Robots: Mechanisms and Practice (with CD-rom)

The history of agriculture is characterized by efforts to increase production and productivity. At the beginning of the 21st Century both public and private sector research has focused on developing ever-more sophisticated tools to address a wide-range of challenges facing the agricultural industry. An amazing array of automation technologies and robots have been developed in the process, to do everything from tilling fields to pick strawberries, from planting rice seedlings to autonomously weeding the paddies. This richly-illustrated volume surveys the results of these efforts, concisely and plainly presenting specific examples of the latest robotic mechanisms and practices for agricultural applications.

Yasuko Suzuki, Japan-Netherlands Trade, 1600-1800 (Hardcover)

Relations between the Netherlands and Japan in the early modern period were founded on trade. The Dutch United East India Company operated in Japan for over 100 years, from 1609 to the early eighteenth century. The Dutch–Japanese relationship, built sometimes on understanding, and at other times resentment, is recorded in great detail in the trade-related archives of the period. This book closely examines these documents to reveal the changing market conditions of the main commodities exported by the Dutch from Japan at the time: silver, koban (gold), copper and camphor. This analysis of both Dutch and Japanese perspectives on the market forms an intricate picture of the cultural, political and economic context of trade between the Netherlands and Japan in the early modern period.

Masakazu Toi and Eric P. Winer (eds), Local and Systemic Management of Primary Breast Cancers

Preoperative therapy is used increasingly in the treatment of patients with stages II and III breast cancer. Randomized trials have demonstrated the equivalence of preoperative therapy to standard adjuvant therapy with respect to disease-free and overall survival, with a higher proportion of women undergoing conservative surgery instead of a mastectomy. There are multiple questions about the optimal integration of preoperative system therapy into breast cancer management. This comprehensive handbook on preoperative therapy provides guidance to the clinician for patient management and outlines important areas of controversy that require further research.

Yayoi Saito, Reiko Abe Auestad and Kari Warness (eds), Meeting the Challenges of Elder Care: Japan and Norway

Based on comparative and collaborative studies of Japanese and Norwegian specialists, the book revolves around the critical analysis of 'rationality of care' with the empirical examination of care services in the two countries. Six researchers argue that elder care is not simply the act of labor but that of love and feelings and take up such aspects of care as home help, new public management and social enterprise. Predicated on the historical experience and contemporary reality of elderly care in both countries, the study confronts the commercial rationalization of care practices and explores their desirable forms.

Junko Otani, Older People in Natural Disasters (Hardcover)

The Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 destroyed the homes, livelihoods and communities of many elderly people. Some of the most vulnerable survivors spent up to five years in temporary shelters before settling into publicly subsidized apartments or dispersing into the general population. Public scrutiny of the post-earthquake recovery drew attention to the challenges of community generation and the loneliness, isolation and death experienced by elderly earthquake victims. Bringing together quantitative and qualitative analysis of media discourse, public policy and ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines the long-term effects of the earthquake for elderly residents of temporary shelters and public reconstruction housing. The first study to utilize NVivo qualitative research software in a Japanese research context, this is an original contribution to natural disaster literature as well as health and welfare policy in societies that, like Japan, are undergoing rapid urbanization and population aging.

Ken-ichi Abe and James E. Nickum (eds), Good Earths: Regional and Historical Insights into China's Environment

China encompasses a wide range of national environments and human communities. Focusing upon specific regional changes over time, this book presents empirical studies that examine the diversity of interactions between peoples and their environments in China. Good Earths is organized around the themes of land, trees, water and grasses, as scholars from China and beyond assess particular regional environmental issues, drawing upon both contemporary and historical sources.

Shisuke Tanabe and Annamalai Subramanian, Bioindicators of POPs: Monitoring in Developing Countries (Hardcover)

The development of easier, cost-effective and quicker methods to evaluate POPs (persistent organic pollutants) in developing countries is long overdue. The easiest possible method is to use suitable bioindicators. All those who are involved in the monitoring of POPs - the policy makers, scientists, research students, laboratory technicians, university students and nongovernmental institutions - need a book such as this one at present. This timely book was designed primarily as a broad treatment of this discipline which would be accessible to almost all the people working on POPs. This will be the first book that is exclusively dedicated to 'Bioindicators of Pollution by POPs'.

Wil de Jong, Lye Tuck-Po and Ken-ichi Abe (eds), The Social Ecology of Tropical Forests: Migration, Populations and Frontiers (Hardcover)

An important contribution to understanding the relationship between migration and deforestation, this book brings together various analyses from the three major tropical regions: Southeast Asia, the Amazon basin, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The scope of the discussion is extensive, covering historical issues such as the impact of the slave trade on Sub-Saharan African forests and communities, and contemporary dilemmas like the over-exploitation of natural forest products in Vietnam. The analyses are spatially and temporally contextualized, drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a useful resource for studying the societies of tropical regions and their social ecology.

Kazuo Fujita and Shoji Itakura (eds), Diversity of Cognition: Evolution, Development, Domestication and Pathology (Hardcover)

The book attempts to highlight the diverse aspects of cognition among a wide variety of organisms. Seventeen leading researchers in this field from seven countries illustrate the diverse aspects of cognition among various organisms ranging from insects to humans of different ages and pathological states. This volume will inspire scientists and students who strive to understand cognition and, in particular, those who aim at doing so from genetic and adaptive perspectives.

Itaru Ohta and Yntiso D. Gebre (eds), Displacement Risks in Africa: Refugees, Resettlers and Their Host Population (Paperback)

This book analyzes the underlying causes of population displacements in Africa, identifies the various risk groups, explores the types of risks involved and discusses the strategies for countering the imminent challenges. The study also explores the commonalities and differences in displacement experiences. The identification of common interest is important for developing a broad conceptual framework and suggesting justified comprehensive policy treatments. The research will make a valuable contribution to the rapidly evolving literature on population displacement. African planners and policy makers will find the insights and analyses useful.

Itaru Ohta and Yntiso D. Gebre (eds), Displacement Risks in Africa (Hardcover)
This is the hardcover edition of the above title.

Satoshi Yamagishi (ed.), Social Organization of the Rufous Vanga

For a few decades, Yamagishi and his associates have studied. In this volume they summarize the findings of their long-term research on the ecological and social behavior of the rufous vangas, a unique species of birds in Madagascar, with specific observations about cooperative breeding, sex ratio manipulation, foraging and helper behavior. The authors demonstrate the implications of the study for theories of evolution, genetic inheritance and group formation.

Kazutake Kyuma, Paddy Soil Science

This book is an important reference for those concerned with maintaining the sustainability of wet rice agriculture - the foundation for much of human life throughout Asia. Kazutake Kyuma draws on his long and broad-ranging experience with rice agriculture to clearly explain the interactions between many human, environmental, biological and chemical factors that protect the long-term productivity of rice paddy soils.

Hideshi Ogawa, Wily Monkeys: Social Intelligence of Tibetan Macaques (Hardcover)

This book introduces the social behavior of Tibetan monkeys (Tibetan macaques) at Mt. Huangshan in China. Like other macaques, they live in multiple female and male groups with female philopatry and male dispersal. Unlike most other macaques, however, male Tibetan monkeys carry an infant to another male, hold up the infant, and suck the infant's penis together. Males show their penises to other males and suck the penises of other males. In antagonistic interactions, females form a coalition with unrelated females as well as with their mother and daughters. At night, they huddle and sleep on the ledge of a steep cliff.

Shozo Kojima, A Search for the Origins of Human Speech (Paperback)
Published in February 2003. An unrivalled world authority in the area, Shozo Kojima presents a detailed overview of chimpanzees' auditory sense and vocalization in an attempt to demonstrate how human speech has evolved. Based on unique longitudinal studies over a few decades, Kojima has collected his theories and findings into a single volume, making them available to an international audience for the first time.

Shozo Kojima, A Search for the Origins of Human Speech (Hardcover)
Published in February 2003.

Tohru Nakashizuka and Nigel Stork, Biodiversity Research Methods: IBOY in Western Pacific and Asia
Developed from extensive preliminary research for IBOY (International Biodiversity Observation Year) conducted throughout the Western Pacific and Asian regions, BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH METHODS includes detailed research methodologies for forests, freshwater and coastal marine environments. It aims to ensure that the results of research at different study sites are meaningfully comparable, thereby enhancing our understanding of biodiversity distribution and its role in ecosystem function.