BOOKS, EDITED VOLUMES and Special Issues by Susanne Brucksch
Humans and Devices in Medical: Case Studies from Japan, 2021
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2
(online accessible via most academic lib... more https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This book explores the ways in which socio-technical settings in medical contexts find varying articulations in a specific locale. Focusing on Japan, it consists of a detailed theory chapter and nine case studies on topics concerning: experiences with radiation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima; patient security, end-of-life and high-tech medicine in hospitals; innovation and diffusion of medical technology; and the engineering and evaluating of novel devices in clinical trials. The individual chapters situate humans and devices in medical settings in their given semantic, pragmatic, institutional and historical context. A highly interdisciplinary approach offers deep insights beyond the manifold findings of each case study, thereby enriching academic discussions on socio-technical settings in medical contexts amongst affiliated disciplines. This volume will be of broad interest to scholars, practitioners, policy makers and students from various disciplines, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), medical humanities, social sciences, ethics and law, business and innovation studies, as well as biomedical engineering, medicine and public health.
Ageing in Japan. Domestic Healthcare Technologies. A Qualitative Interview Study on Care Robots, Monitoring Sensor Systems, and ICT-based Telehealth Systems, 2018
The present study explores emerging domestic healthcare technologies in Japan.
The research was... more The present study explores emerging domestic healthcare technologies in Japan.
The research was guided by the following questions:
• Material Dimension: What kind of domestic healthcare technologies can be found in Japan? What stage of development or implementation can be observed?
• Social Dimension: What added value do domestic healthcare technologies generate from the perspective of users and developers?
• Financial and Regulatory Dimension: What financial and regulatory requirements do domestic healthcare technologies face?
We therefore not only looked at the technical viability of specific solutions (material dimension), but also considered developer motivation and user acceptance (social dimension) and economic viability as well as compliance with safety requirements (financial and regulatory dimension). By moving beyond the technical characteristics, we were able to take into account the embeddedness of technology in specific social, economic and regulatory environments and to assess the actual practicality of solutions.
Based on secondary sources, one chapter describes the demographic and related challenges in more detail, outlines respective government policies and gives an overview of the country’s long-term care insurance (LTCI) scheme and the domestic care technologies covered by the system at present. The following chapter presents the results of case studies that examined the development and use of high-tech solutions including ICT-based telehealth systems, monitoring sensor systems and care robots. Two case studies specifically looked at implementations in peripheral regions, where ageing and labour shortages are most severe.
This report presents findings from the research project “Ageing in Japan: Domestic Healthcare Technologies ” jointly conducted by the Leiden Asia Centre and the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ).
Japan is often referred to as high-tech country and large parts of Japanese society are attribute... more Japan is often referred to as high-tech country and large parts of Japanese society are attributed with an allegedly high affinity to (new) technologies. Moreover, the Japanese government cultivates a technology-friendly image and emphasises technology-driven responses to urgent societal issues like environmental protection, energy security or demographic change. Surprisingly, research on technical artefacts and technology did not become established as a full-fledged sub-discipline of Japanese Studies like sociology, political science or history, particularly in the German-speaking academic community. While, in the past, various research projects have drawn attention to individual aspects of the history, economy or philosophy of technology as well as environmental science on Japan, technical artefacts were seldom examined as the main object of study.
The nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima has given new relevance to the interrelatedness of technology and society in Japan and rise to various studies. Surprisingly, this does recently not converge into a coherent research field addressing technology issues as such. The shaping of knowledge, actions, thoughts, cultures and norms are not sufficiently analysed yet. Therefore, we propose to conceive social scientific and cultural perspectives on technology as a full-fledged field of Japanese Studies. Basically, we ask in which way technical devices shape everyday life in a modern society like Japan, and how, conversely, the social and cultural context influences technological development.
We take the basic ideas of Science & Technology Studies (STS) as joint point of reference by focusing on the co-evolution and intersection of technology and society. While taking into account their physical characteristics, this transdisciplinary approach understands technical artefacts as socio-cultural phenomena. More precisely, technology development is viewed not as a “rational” process and artefact not as “neutral objects”. In contrast, it is perceived as a process where social actors with varying visions, values, and concepts of usage inscribing their ideas into product designs and reconstitute a specific social order during the construction of large technical infrastructures.
This enables a critical analysis of the production and the usage of technical devices, technologies and socio-technical infrastructures as interplay with their cultural and social context. While exploring the manifold roles of knowledge and technology in modern societies, methods are employed from cultural studies, social as well as historical science. In this way, STS encourage a joint research program. Moreover, focusing on the geographic, cultural and societal locale of Japan facilitates the reflection of underlying principles, unchallenged narratives and explanations on technology.
We take this as an occasion to launch a special issue on Japan and contemporary Japanese Studies. The authors of this special issue reflect in their contributions on different theoretical and methodological approaches which could be employed for STS research on Japan. They discuss these approaches by using case studies from their various disciplines. We draw on insights from a workshop on STS and Japan held at Freie Universität Berlin, Jan 2015, an STS panel at the triannual Japanologentag at Munich University, Aug 2015, and the international JAWS conference on Nature and Technology in Japan in Istanbul, Sep 2015. We aim at opening a discussion on “technical things Japanese” with a wider audience by launching this special issue.
German Title: Ungleiche Partner, gleiche Interessen? Kooperationen zwischen Unternehmen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Umweltorganisationen in Japan
Traditionally, the relationship between large enterprises and environmental NGOs is characterized... more Traditionally, the relationship between large enterprises and environmental NGOs is characterized by strong opposition. In Japan, however, eco-collaborations cases between civil society groups and companies have been increasing continuously during the last decade. This fact implies a growing importance of cross-sector partnerships in the field of environmental protection - not least because collaboration is one of the main principles of environmental governance. Can cross-sector partnerships function as an alternative problem-solving strategy, besides traditional political approaches? The paper will discuss what chances and limits eco-collaborations in Japan are facing. In particular, the distinct imbalance of power between companies and environmental NGOs will be highlighted, using a resource-based perspective. Especially, the presumable weakness of Japanese environmental NGOs and the lack of powerful advocacy organizations as a driving force will be elaborated. After analyzing the characteristics and motivations on both sides, it will be investigated how the imbalance of power affects the emergence and content of eco-collaboration projects. It becomes clear that the ability of Japanese NGOs to broach the corporate environmental responsibility is strongly limited, due to an overwhelming corporate dominance behind the recent development. The article closes with an assessment of contemporary cross-sector partnerships as a potential instrument of environmental governance
ARTICLES by Susanne Brucksch
Global Perspectives on Japan, 2017
Brucksch approaches the field of biomedical engineering in Japan, which is hallmarked by several ... more Brucksch approaches the field of biomedical engineering in Japan, which is hallmarked by several contradictions. Medical devices are one of the leading technologies. Surprisingly, most devices are imported to Japan, despite being one of the largest markets for medical products and its fast demographic change. More precisely, there has been a decline in innovation activities in biomedical engineering over the past two decades. Rather recently the government under Prime Minister Abe took the lead and launched various innovation strategies. For instance, the Comprehensive STI Strategy and Japan’s Growth Strategy integrate the field in the Abenomics scheme as a focus area to achieve a “healthy and active ageing society as a top-runner in the world”, and to reinforce “industrial competitiveness in the areas of pharmaceuticals and medical devices”. Therefore, this article suggests analysing innovation activities in biomedical engineering from a techno-governance perspective broadened by STS in order to allow the analysis of formal and informal structures, norms and values, relevant actor, power balance and its consequences. Thus, particularly, the term of techno-governance needs to be specified and reflected against the Japanese context. To approach the field, this paper draws mainly on findings from research literature, official statistical data, and preliminary results from an ongoing interview study conducted 2016 in Japan.
Health, Technology and Society book series, 2021
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_1
(online accessible via most academi... more https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_1
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This introductory chapter clarifies the background, purpose, conceptual framework and outline of the anthology. Whilst many of the earlier studies in this field stem from countries in Europe and North America, and take the sociocultural context and historical situatedness of medical devices for granted, the editors of this volume argue that research from specific locales such as Japan allows critical and perceptive insights as to the current interpretations, underlying assumptions and conclusions in the prevailing scholarship. In view of this, the editors raise the guiding question: In what ways and on what grounds are variations of socio-technical settings articulated in medical contexts in general and exemplified in the locale of Japan in particular? This edited volume seeks to illuminate intersections between the Japanese locale, and the making and application of medical devices, addressing a research lacuna on socio-technical settings in medical contexts persistent within Japan and abroad. It draws on the analytical work of Rammert (2002), which distinguishes the semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions of a locale to specify the sociocultural context. This lays the foundation for the theoretical specifications, case studies and conclusions of the subsequent chapters.
Health, Technology and Society book series, 2021
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_2
(online accessible via most academi... more https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_2
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
Over the past decades, there has been an increase in technological innovation in clinical workplaces, influencing medical practices and regulatory requirements alike. The meaning of medical devices changes not only with their professional, disciplinary or organisational context, but also with the specific locale. This chapter therefore elucidates how the relationship between humans and devices can be specified in medical contexts when the sociocultural dimension of a particular locale is included. Accordingly, this chapter gives a brief introduction to several approaches by referring particularly to theoretical thoughts proposed by Hogle (2008), who identified relevant aspects of socio–technical settings in medical contexts, and the approach proposed by Rammert (2002), which addresses the semantic, pragmatic and institutional variations of a particular locale. It includes the sociocultural perspective through a brief introduction to theoretical approaches by specifying the Japanese locale (genba) as an example when examining socio–technical settings in medical contexts. Specifically, this chapter casts light on aspects such as technological complexity and clinical workplaces, subjectivity and standardisation, the situations of patients, nurses and physicians, user needs and device development, clinical trials, approval, and evidence-based judgement, manufacturing and diffusion, as well as hospitals and the public health system in Japan.
Health, Technology and Society book series, 2021
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_12
(online accessible via most academ... more https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-33-6280-2_12
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
The case studies in this anthology have demonstrated that relationships between humans and devices in medical contexts not only vary in accordance with their professional, disciplinary or organizational surroundings, but also find various articulations in specific locales such as Japan. Addressing a locale systematically requires us to distinguish between its semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions, as suggested by Rammert (2002). Accordingly, the concluding chapter aims to shed light on facets mentioned in the case studies and highlight significant variations. Conclusions are also drawn for the field of STS (Science and Technology Studies) and the study of socio-technical settings in the medical domain.
The digital transformation exerts wide influence on various parts of soci-ety as well as on the S... more The digital transformation exerts wide influence on various parts of soci-ety as well as on the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), including theway research is conducted. I argue that the study of digital tools and theirpotential applications requires reflection within the social sciences to bet-ter understand the manifold implications of digitalisation while also pay-ing sufficient attention to the mode of operation of digital technologies.Science and Technology Studies (STS) “focusing on the co-constructionand intersection of technology and modern society” provide a promisingresearch frame to address the process of digital transformation and itssocietal implications (Brucksch, Wagner 2016, 6). Basically, the digitaltransformation implies the “manipulation of digital information in ‘com-puterised’ forms”. We need to understand digital technology as a human-made infrastructure, which is never just a neutral or value-free object “towhich society simply responds” (Faulkner 2009, 14–15). Instead, the dig-ital transformation should be “rather perceived as a process wherein so-cial actors with varying visions, values, and concepts of usage inscribetheir ideas into product designs and reconstitute a specific socioeconomicorder within sociotechnical infrastructures” on many different layers(Brucksch, Wagner 2016, 6). I have suggested elsewhere to address (a) thematerial or physical dimension, (b) the social dimension, and (c) the reg-ulatory, organisational and financial dimension alongside (d) the digitaldimension in the study of domestic healthcare technologies (Brucksch,Schultz 2018). Building on these results, this commentary offers insightsfrom the fields of medicine and healthcare in Japan to highlight some as-pects of the relationship between digital technology and modern society.
Japan’s New Ruralities: Coping with Decline in the Periphery, 2020
Japan faces developments such as rapid ageing, rising healthcare costs and labour shortages, part... more Japan faces developments such as rapid ageing, rising healthcare costs and labour shortages, particularly among healthcare workers. Against this backdrop, some municipalities and prefectures have begun to introduce telehealth networks to link local healthcare institutions. These networks have also been introduced to promote the establishment of “Regional Integrated Healthcare Systems” (chiiki hōkatsu kea shisutemu) and to generate synergies between medical and long-term care regarding personnel, services and infrastructure. This leads to the question: what benefits and challenges can be observed regarding telehealth networks in Japan’s regions from the perspective of peripheralisation? The paper refers to the theoretical concepts of peripheralisation developed by Manfred Kühn (2015) and of socio-spatial-digital proximity in telecare developed by Nelly Oudshoorn (2011). I present findings from two cases of a telehealth network introduced in regions confronting peripheralisation regarding the provision of and accessibility to healthcare services, namely the ism-Link network of Iida City and Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, and Fukui Medical Net. More precisely, the data stem from an interview study and on-site visits conducted in 2017. Overall, the findings suggest that the telehealth infrastructure is a necessary precondition, not only to promote but also to initiate collaboration between healthcare institutions in order to realise a regional healthcare system.
Keywords: Telehealth, Telemedicine, Regional healthcare, Peripheralisation, Digital Proximity
Genese und Folgen der Pflegerobotik, 2020
Steigende Gesundheitskosten und Pflegekräftemangel sind drängende Themen im Kontext der rapide al... more Steigende Gesundheitskosten und Pflegekräftemangel sind drängende Themen im Kontext der rapide alternden Gesellschaft in Japan. Die japanische Regierung beschreibt die Thematik zu einem großen Teil als technisch lösbar. Hierbei erhält der Bereich der Pflegerobotik eine besondere Aufmerksamkeit, um dem Bedarf an Pflegearbeit zu begegnen und den Pflegekräftemangel abzumildern. Obwohl das Roboterbild in der Öffentlichkeit und den Medien geprägt ist von humanoiden oder tierähnlichen Gestalten meist primär mit einer Kommunikationsfunktion (companion bzw. communication robot), lassen sich seit einiger Zeit Entwicklungen im Bereich der Pflegerobotik hin zu Robotic Care Devices beobachten. Letztere versprechen Praxisnähe, Funktionalität und Marktreife. Entgegen der vielfältigen Berichte zu verschiedenen Entwicklungen in der Pflegerobotik, weisen jedoch mehrere AutorInnen auf die niedrige Akzeptanz von robotischen Geräten in der Pflege hin (Higashi 2016; Hori et al. 2017; Ishiguro 2018). Dies führt zu der Frage, welchen Mehrwehrt Robotic Care Devices in Japan für die Pflege bringen? Inwieweit gehen die EntwicklerInnen von Pflegerobotik auf die Bedarfe der Pflegesettings ein? Welche Voraussetzungen müssen für die Implementierung erfüllt sein? Diese Fragen sollen an den Beispielen des Wheelchair-bed Reshone von Panasonic und den Robot Assist Walker RT.1 von RT.Works untersucht werden. Hierzu greift der Aufsatz auf empirische Daten aus einer explorativen Interviewstudie zu Domestic Healthcare Technologies zurück, die im Zeitraum von Mai bis August 2017 erhoben wurden. Während der Analyse wird Bezug genommen auf den Aufsatz von Oudshoorn und Pinch (2008) zu „User-Technology-Relationships“, die Aspekte der nutzerorientierten Entwicklung, Heterogenität der Bedarfe, Domestikation von technischen Geräten und Gründe für deren Nichtnutzung herausarbeiten. Schlussendlich kommt der Aufsatz zu dem Ergebnis, dass die EntwicklerInnen durch das Lernen der Anforderungen in Pflegesettings andere Pflegerobotik entwickelt haben als das gängige Roboterbild in den Medien.
Schlagworte: Japan, Pflege, Robotik, Nutzerakzeptanz, Alterung
We compiled this special issue of ASIEN on “Technikstudien and STS: Launching a Research Initiati... more We compiled this special issue of ASIEN on “Technikstudien and STS: Launching a Research Initiative Regarding Intersections between Technology and Society in Japan” in order to (re)open a discussion on “technical things Japanese” with a wider academic audience. All of the articles included address the question of in which ways technical devices are shaping everyday life in a modern society like Japan, and of how, conversely, the social and cultural contexts influence technological developments.
Japan. Yet the clientelistic nature of Japanese politics severely undermines transparency and eff... more Japan. Yet the clientelistic nature of Japanese politics severely undermines transparency and effective democratic control. Not even Fukushima has changed that.
Environmental collaboration between civil society organisations (CSO) and large business companie... more Environmental collaboration between civil society organisations (CSO) and large business companies
have been increasing in Japan since the 1990s. This increase implies a significant social
change, which is worth examining for various reasons: Business companies and CSOs are
environmentally important actors but follow different rationalities (profit-seeking respectively
environmentalism). However, cross-sector collaboration between such different actors may result
in synergies and innovation as well (e.g. institutional change or new interaction patterns). Therefore,
this leads to the question what kind of innovation arises from environmental collaboration in
Japan. Moreover, it investigates how these innovation effects contribute to environmental
governance. Precisely, this paper elaborates possible innovation effects by taking advantage of the
concept of social innovation and by discussing a typical case study of cross-sector collaboration in
Japan. Overall, this study underlines that civil society organisations serve as important drivers for
social innovation. By this means, I argue that they are vital for effective governance, because their
competences go (partially) beyond political capacities, although state interventions remain crucial
for implementing binding environmental standards in society as a whole.
Japanstudien 20
The paper discusses how corporate
social responsibility in Japan has
grown from environm... more The paper discusses how corporate
social responsibility in Japan has
grown from environmental concerns to enc
ompass broader social responsibilities.
Special consideration is given to how CS
R has emerged, been accepted and imple-
mented in large corporations in today’s J
apan. Based on the example of environ-
mental stakeholder groups, the paper dis
cusses the expectations that society has
regarding corporations and elaborates th
e role of interplay between environmen-
tal civil society groups and corporations wi
thin the corporate responsibility de-
bate. The current trend towards corporat
e social responsibility (CSR) is assessed
after reconstructing the development of e
nvironmental accountability of corpora-
tions and public awareness of it
. In particular, the charact
eristics of CSR as a busi-
ness and risk management tool concerning
the relationship to external stakehold-
ers are highlighted. The article is closed w
ith an analysis of the increased attention
towards the concept of CSR in context of the development of eco-collaborations as
an example of changing business and stak
eholder interaction patterns. It becomes
clear that the situation generates chances
for environmental groups to realize their
own projects with the support of the com
panies and increase their chances of
bringing forth their interests as stakeh
olders of the companies. The new CSR boom
opens up new ways for the companies to m
anage emerging risks as well as to im-
prove their reputation.
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/publikation/long/3466.pdf
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BOOKS, EDITED VOLUMES and Special Issues by Susanne Brucksch
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This book explores the ways in which socio-technical settings in medical contexts find varying articulations in a specific locale. Focusing on Japan, it consists of a detailed theory chapter and nine case studies on topics concerning: experiences with radiation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima; patient security, end-of-life and high-tech medicine in hospitals; innovation and diffusion of medical technology; and the engineering and evaluating of novel devices in clinical trials. The individual chapters situate humans and devices in medical settings in their given semantic, pragmatic, institutional and historical context. A highly interdisciplinary approach offers deep insights beyond the manifold findings of each case study, thereby enriching academic discussions on socio-technical settings in medical contexts amongst affiliated disciplines. This volume will be of broad interest to scholars, practitioners, policy makers and students from various disciplines, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), medical humanities, social sciences, ethics and law, business and innovation studies, as well as biomedical engineering, medicine and public health.
The research was guided by the following questions:
• Material Dimension: What kind of domestic healthcare technologies can be found in Japan? What stage of development or implementation can be observed?
• Social Dimension: What added value do domestic healthcare technologies generate from the perspective of users and developers?
• Financial and Regulatory Dimension: What financial and regulatory requirements do domestic healthcare technologies face?
We therefore not only looked at the technical viability of specific solutions (material dimension), but also considered developer motivation and user acceptance (social dimension) and economic viability as well as compliance with safety requirements (financial and regulatory dimension). By moving beyond the technical characteristics, we were able to take into account the embeddedness of technology in specific social, economic and regulatory environments and to assess the actual practicality of solutions.
Based on secondary sources, one chapter describes the demographic and related challenges in more detail, outlines respective government policies and gives an overview of the country’s long-term care insurance (LTCI) scheme and the domestic care technologies covered by the system at present. The following chapter presents the results of case studies that examined the development and use of high-tech solutions including ICT-based telehealth systems, monitoring sensor systems and care robots. Two case studies specifically looked at implementations in peripheral regions, where ageing and labour shortages are most severe.
This report presents findings from the research project “Ageing in Japan: Domestic Healthcare Technologies ” jointly conducted by the Leiden Asia Centre and the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ).
The nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima has given new relevance to the interrelatedness of technology and society in Japan and rise to various studies. Surprisingly, this does recently not converge into a coherent research field addressing technology issues as such. The shaping of knowledge, actions, thoughts, cultures and norms are not sufficiently analysed yet. Therefore, we propose to conceive social scientific and cultural perspectives on technology as a full-fledged field of Japanese Studies. Basically, we ask in which way technical devices shape everyday life in a modern society like Japan, and how, conversely, the social and cultural context influences technological development.
We take the basic ideas of Science & Technology Studies (STS) as joint point of reference by focusing on the co-evolution and intersection of technology and society. While taking into account their physical characteristics, this transdisciplinary approach understands technical artefacts as socio-cultural phenomena. More precisely, technology development is viewed not as a “rational” process and artefact not as “neutral objects”. In contrast, it is perceived as a process where social actors with varying visions, values, and concepts of usage inscribing their ideas into product designs and reconstitute a specific social order during the construction of large technical infrastructures.
This enables a critical analysis of the production and the usage of technical devices, technologies and socio-technical infrastructures as interplay with their cultural and social context. While exploring the manifold roles of knowledge and technology in modern societies, methods are employed from cultural studies, social as well as historical science. In this way, STS encourage a joint research program. Moreover, focusing on the geographic, cultural and societal locale of Japan facilitates the reflection of underlying principles, unchallenged narratives and explanations on technology.
We take this as an occasion to launch a special issue on Japan and contemporary Japanese Studies. The authors of this special issue reflect in their contributions on different theoretical and methodological approaches which could be employed for STS research on Japan. They discuss these approaches by using case studies from their various disciplines. We draw on insights from a workshop on STS and Japan held at Freie Universität Berlin, Jan 2015, an STS panel at the triannual Japanologentag at Munich University, Aug 2015, and the international JAWS conference on Nature and Technology in Japan in Istanbul, Sep 2015. We aim at opening a discussion on “technical things Japanese” with a wider audience by launching this special issue.
ARTICLES by Susanne Brucksch
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This introductory chapter clarifies the background, purpose, conceptual framework and outline of the anthology. Whilst many of the earlier studies in this field stem from countries in Europe and North America, and take the sociocultural context and historical situatedness of medical devices for granted, the editors of this volume argue that research from specific locales such as Japan allows critical and perceptive insights as to the current interpretations, underlying assumptions and conclusions in the prevailing scholarship. In view of this, the editors raise the guiding question: In what ways and on what grounds are variations of socio-technical settings articulated in medical contexts in general and exemplified in the locale of Japan in particular? This edited volume seeks to illuminate intersections between the Japanese locale, and the making and application of medical devices, addressing a research lacuna on socio-technical settings in medical contexts persistent within Japan and abroad. It draws on the analytical work of Rammert (2002), which distinguishes the semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions of a locale to specify the sociocultural context. This lays the foundation for the theoretical specifications, case studies and conclusions of the subsequent chapters.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
Over the past decades, there has been an increase in technological innovation in clinical workplaces, influencing medical practices and regulatory requirements alike. The meaning of medical devices changes not only with their professional, disciplinary or organisational context, but also with the specific locale. This chapter therefore elucidates how the relationship between humans and devices can be specified in medical contexts when the sociocultural dimension of a particular locale is included. Accordingly, this chapter gives a brief introduction to several approaches by referring particularly to theoretical thoughts proposed by Hogle (2008), who identified relevant aspects of socio–technical settings in medical contexts, and the approach proposed by Rammert (2002), which addresses the semantic, pragmatic and institutional variations of a particular locale. It includes the sociocultural perspective through a brief introduction to theoretical approaches by specifying the Japanese locale (genba) as an example when examining socio–technical settings in medical contexts. Specifically, this chapter casts light on aspects such as technological complexity and clinical workplaces, subjectivity and standardisation, the situations of patients, nurses and physicians, user needs and device development, clinical trials, approval, and evidence-based judgement, manufacturing and diffusion, as well as hospitals and the public health system in Japan.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
The case studies in this anthology have demonstrated that relationships between humans and devices in medical contexts not only vary in accordance with their professional, disciplinary or organizational surroundings, but also find various articulations in specific locales such as Japan. Addressing a locale systematically requires us to distinguish between its semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions, as suggested by Rammert (2002). Accordingly, the concluding chapter aims to shed light on facets mentioned in the case studies and highlight significant variations. Conclusions are also drawn for the field of STS (Science and Technology Studies) and the study of socio-technical settings in the medical domain.
Keywords: Telehealth, Telemedicine, Regional healthcare, Peripheralisation, Digital Proximity
Schlagworte: Japan, Pflege, Robotik, Nutzerakzeptanz, Alterung
have been increasing in Japan since the 1990s. This increase implies a significant social
change, which is worth examining for various reasons: Business companies and CSOs are
environmentally important actors but follow different rationalities (profit-seeking respectively
environmentalism). However, cross-sector collaboration between such different actors may result
in synergies and innovation as well (e.g. institutional change or new interaction patterns). Therefore,
this leads to the question what kind of innovation arises from environmental collaboration in
Japan. Moreover, it investigates how these innovation effects contribute to environmental
governance. Precisely, this paper elaborates possible innovation effects by taking advantage of the
concept of social innovation and by discussing a typical case study of cross-sector collaboration in
Japan. Overall, this study underlines that civil society organisations serve as important drivers for
social innovation. By this means, I argue that they are vital for effective governance, because their
competences go (partially) beyond political capacities, although state interventions remain crucial
for implementing binding environmental standards in society as a whole.
social responsibility in Japan has
grown from environmental concerns to enc
ompass broader social responsibilities.
Special consideration is given to how CS
R has emerged, been accepted and imple-
mented in large corporations in today’s J
apan. Based on the example of environ-
mental stakeholder groups, the paper dis
cusses the expectations that society has
regarding corporations and elaborates th
e role of interplay between environmen-
tal civil society groups and corporations wi
thin the corporate responsibility de-
bate. The current trend towards corporat
e social responsibility (CSR) is assessed
after reconstructing the development of e
nvironmental accountability of corpora-
tions and public awareness of it
. In particular, the charact
eristics of CSR as a busi-
ness and risk management tool concerning
the relationship to external stakehold-
ers are highlighted. The article is closed w
ith an analysis of the increased attention
towards the concept of CSR in context of the development of eco-collaborations as
an example of changing business and stak
eholder interaction patterns. It becomes
clear that the situation generates chances
for environmental groups to realize their
own projects with the support of the com
panies and increase their chances of
bringing forth their interests as stakeh
olders of the companies. The new CSR boom
opens up new ways for the companies to m
anage emerging risks as well as to im-
prove their reputation.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This book explores the ways in which socio-technical settings in medical contexts find varying articulations in a specific locale. Focusing on Japan, it consists of a detailed theory chapter and nine case studies on topics concerning: experiences with radiation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima; patient security, end-of-life and high-tech medicine in hospitals; innovation and diffusion of medical technology; and the engineering and evaluating of novel devices in clinical trials. The individual chapters situate humans and devices in medical settings in their given semantic, pragmatic, institutional and historical context. A highly interdisciplinary approach offers deep insights beyond the manifold findings of each case study, thereby enriching academic discussions on socio-technical settings in medical contexts amongst affiliated disciplines. This volume will be of broad interest to scholars, practitioners, policy makers and students from various disciplines, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), medical humanities, social sciences, ethics and law, business and innovation studies, as well as biomedical engineering, medicine and public health.
The research was guided by the following questions:
• Material Dimension: What kind of domestic healthcare technologies can be found in Japan? What stage of development or implementation can be observed?
• Social Dimension: What added value do domestic healthcare technologies generate from the perspective of users and developers?
• Financial and Regulatory Dimension: What financial and regulatory requirements do domestic healthcare technologies face?
We therefore not only looked at the technical viability of specific solutions (material dimension), but also considered developer motivation and user acceptance (social dimension) and economic viability as well as compliance with safety requirements (financial and regulatory dimension). By moving beyond the technical characteristics, we were able to take into account the embeddedness of technology in specific social, economic and regulatory environments and to assess the actual practicality of solutions.
Based on secondary sources, one chapter describes the demographic and related challenges in more detail, outlines respective government policies and gives an overview of the country’s long-term care insurance (LTCI) scheme and the domestic care technologies covered by the system at present. The following chapter presents the results of case studies that examined the development and use of high-tech solutions including ICT-based telehealth systems, monitoring sensor systems and care robots. Two case studies specifically looked at implementations in peripheral regions, where ageing and labour shortages are most severe.
This report presents findings from the research project “Ageing in Japan: Domestic Healthcare Technologies ” jointly conducted by the Leiden Asia Centre and the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ).
The nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima has given new relevance to the interrelatedness of technology and society in Japan and rise to various studies. Surprisingly, this does recently not converge into a coherent research field addressing technology issues as such. The shaping of knowledge, actions, thoughts, cultures and norms are not sufficiently analysed yet. Therefore, we propose to conceive social scientific and cultural perspectives on technology as a full-fledged field of Japanese Studies. Basically, we ask in which way technical devices shape everyday life in a modern society like Japan, and how, conversely, the social and cultural context influences technological development.
We take the basic ideas of Science & Technology Studies (STS) as joint point of reference by focusing on the co-evolution and intersection of technology and society. While taking into account their physical characteristics, this transdisciplinary approach understands technical artefacts as socio-cultural phenomena. More precisely, technology development is viewed not as a “rational” process and artefact not as “neutral objects”. In contrast, it is perceived as a process where social actors with varying visions, values, and concepts of usage inscribing their ideas into product designs and reconstitute a specific social order during the construction of large technical infrastructures.
This enables a critical analysis of the production and the usage of technical devices, technologies and socio-technical infrastructures as interplay with their cultural and social context. While exploring the manifold roles of knowledge and technology in modern societies, methods are employed from cultural studies, social as well as historical science. In this way, STS encourage a joint research program. Moreover, focusing on the geographic, cultural and societal locale of Japan facilitates the reflection of underlying principles, unchallenged narratives and explanations on technology.
We take this as an occasion to launch a special issue on Japan and contemporary Japanese Studies. The authors of this special issue reflect in their contributions on different theoretical and methodological approaches which could be employed for STS research on Japan. They discuss these approaches by using case studies from their various disciplines. We draw on insights from a workshop on STS and Japan held at Freie Universität Berlin, Jan 2015, an STS panel at the triannual Japanologentag at Munich University, Aug 2015, and the international JAWS conference on Nature and Technology in Japan in Istanbul, Sep 2015. We aim at opening a discussion on “technical things Japanese” with a wider audience by launching this special issue.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
This introductory chapter clarifies the background, purpose, conceptual framework and outline of the anthology. Whilst many of the earlier studies in this field stem from countries in Europe and North America, and take the sociocultural context and historical situatedness of medical devices for granted, the editors of this volume argue that research from specific locales such as Japan allows critical and perceptive insights as to the current interpretations, underlying assumptions and conclusions in the prevailing scholarship. In view of this, the editors raise the guiding question: In what ways and on what grounds are variations of socio-technical settings articulated in medical contexts in general and exemplified in the locale of Japan in particular? This edited volume seeks to illuminate intersections between the Japanese locale, and the making and application of medical devices, addressing a research lacuna on socio-technical settings in medical contexts persistent within Japan and abroad. It draws on the analytical work of Rammert (2002), which distinguishes the semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions of a locale to specify the sociocultural context. This lays the foundation for the theoretical specifications, case studies and conclusions of the subsequent chapters.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
Over the past decades, there has been an increase in technological innovation in clinical workplaces, influencing medical practices and regulatory requirements alike. The meaning of medical devices changes not only with their professional, disciplinary or organisational context, but also with the specific locale. This chapter therefore elucidates how the relationship between humans and devices can be specified in medical contexts when the sociocultural dimension of a particular locale is included. Accordingly, this chapter gives a brief introduction to several approaches by referring particularly to theoretical thoughts proposed by Hogle (2008), who identified relevant aspects of socio–technical settings in medical contexts, and the approach proposed by Rammert (2002), which addresses the semantic, pragmatic and institutional variations of a particular locale. It includes the sociocultural perspective through a brief introduction to theoretical approaches by specifying the Japanese locale (genba) as an example when examining socio–technical settings in medical contexts. Specifically, this chapter casts light on aspects such as technological complexity and clinical workplaces, subjectivity and standardisation, the situations of patients, nurses and physicians, user needs and device development, clinical trials, approval, and evidence-based judgement, manufacturing and diffusion, as well as hospitals and the public health system in Japan.
(online accessible via most academic library systems)
The case studies in this anthology have demonstrated that relationships between humans and devices in medical contexts not only vary in accordance with their professional, disciplinary or organizational surroundings, but also find various articulations in specific locales such as Japan. Addressing a locale systematically requires us to distinguish between its semantic, pragmatic and institutional dimensions, as suggested by Rammert (2002). Accordingly, the concluding chapter aims to shed light on facets mentioned in the case studies and highlight significant variations. Conclusions are also drawn for the field of STS (Science and Technology Studies) and the study of socio-technical settings in the medical domain.
Keywords: Telehealth, Telemedicine, Regional healthcare, Peripheralisation, Digital Proximity
Schlagworte: Japan, Pflege, Robotik, Nutzerakzeptanz, Alterung
have been increasing in Japan since the 1990s. This increase implies a significant social
change, which is worth examining for various reasons: Business companies and CSOs are
environmentally important actors but follow different rationalities (profit-seeking respectively
environmentalism). However, cross-sector collaboration between such different actors may result
in synergies and innovation as well (e.g. institutional change or new interaction patterns). Therefore,
this leads to the question what kind of innovation arises from environmental collaboration in
Japan. Moreover, it investigates how these innovation effects contribute to environmental
governance. Precisely, this paper elaborates possible innovation effects by taking advantage of the
concept of social innovation and by discussing a typical case study of cross-sector collaboration in
Japan. Overall, this study underlines that civil society organisations serve as important drivers for
social innovation. By this means, I argue that they are vital for effective governance, because their
competences go (partially) beyond political capacities, although state interventions remain crucial
for implementing binding environmental standards in society as a whole.
social responsibility in Japan has
grown from environmental concerns to enc
ompass broader social responsibilities.
Special consideration is given to how CS
R has emerged, been accepted and imple-
mented in large corporations in today’s J
apan. Based on the example of environ-
mental stakeholder groups, the paper dis
cusses the expectations that society has
regarding corporations and elaborates th
e role of interplay between environmen-
tal civil society groups and corporations wi
thin the corporate responsibility de-
bate. The current trend towards corporat
e social responsibility (CSR) is assessed
after reconstructing the development of e
nvironmental accountability of corpora-
tions and public awareness of it
. In particular, the charact
eristics of CSR as a busi-
ness and risk management tool concerning
the relationship to external stakehold-
ers are highlighted. The article is closed w
ith an analysis of the increased attention
towards the concept of CSR in context of the development of eco-collaborations as
an example of changing business and stak
eholder interaction patterns. It becomes
clear that the situation generates chances
for environmental groups to realize their
own projects with the support of the com
panies and increase their chances of
bringing forth their interests as stakeh
olders of the companies. The new CSR boom
opens up new ways for the companies to m
anage emerging risks as well as to im-
prove their reputation.
environmental NGOs in Japan was characterized by strong opposition. In recent years,
however, there has been an increase in the number of environmental cooperation cases
between these actors, although Japanese environmental NGOs are still comparatively
small and presumably weak. The article asks whether the observed increase indicates a
paradigm shift in the relationship between these actors. A paradigm shift would mean
a disappearance of the ecology-economy-cleavage concerning the mutual perceptions
and interaction of the observed collaboration examples. If so, there may be several
options for environmental collaboration to function as an alternative problem solving
strategy beside traditional political approaches. In an attempt to answer this question,
the main characteristics and motivations of actors are investigated in this article. Additionally,
a quantitative data set enables an analysis of factors that have an impact on
the emergence of eco-collaborations and influence forms and contents of the observed
cases of collaboration.
Medical instruments and technologies can be used to manipulate the human body, ranging from general devices with extremely low risk to such ones highly invasive to patients. Many technologies and electronic appliance nowadays in use took their roots in the second half of the 19th century, and were increasingly merged into clinics and hospitals during the following century. At present, there can be observed a thrust of technological progress at high pace in the field of biomedical engineering and medical informatics, which contribute additionally to new configurations in in the human-device interplay in Japan.
By the same token, new forms of knowledge production increasingly rely on the mechanical instruments and devices, which are applied for prevention, diagnostics, therapeutics, rehabilitation, curation of disorders and disease, or even bodily enhancement. Owing much to such developments, various routines in medical practices have been changing including surgical operations, management of patient data, and the organisation of national health systems. It is not only practitioners that face new dimensions of uncertainties but also lawmakers that have difficulties institutionalising appropriate rules, procedures and legal standards in order to reduce the risk of (fatal) medical errors.
PURPOSE
Whereas human-machines interaction has been allegedly studied in various disciplines in Japan – albeit within predominantly engineering, life sciences and natural sciences – the contributions by humanities and social sciences seem to converge upon the fields of History of Medicine, Bioethics and Medical Anthropology. However, there obviously are limitations regarding the contributions by other disciplines of humanities and social sciences as well as occasions for academic exchange with engineering and natural sciences. We hence argue that currently there is still need for transdisciplinary research approaches to the field of study of Human & Machines in Medical Contexts within Japan.
APPROACHES
In order to explore the issues arising from the clinical practices vis-à-vis applications of the (then new) medical devices, the workshop casts light on their various aspects. The participants will address features regarding the historical, legal, socio-structural, engineering and bioethical conditions and consequences of the interplay between humans and medical technologies or instruments, respectively health care practices in contemporary Japan. Moreover, the participants will reflect on the different theoretical and methodological approaches that enables us to study human-technology interplay and discuss transdisciplinary approaches by using case studies from their own respective disciplines to illustrate the manifold facets of the field. We hence suggest this as a starting point to encourage scholarly exchange and joint research on this field.