Question

JAPANESE CASE STUDY #1

This case study is a composite of actual situations. Marianne, who is American, and Ken Shimizu, who is Japanese, have worked in Tokyo for over 30 years as Methodist missionaries. They have annual furloughs and occasional sabbaticals, during which they visit relatives and sponsoring organizations and engage in continuing education in the United States. They met as college students in the United States, and their three grown children have established their own careers in the United States.

Ken’s 98-year-old mother resides with Marianne and Ken. She is not Christian but has always been extremely supportive of Ken and Marianne’s work. Ken teaches at a large Christian university, whereas Marianne has served in various church-related positions over the years. As missionaries, they live in subsidized post–World War II housing near Ken’s university. Marianne has been a frugal housewife, preparing local foods in the Japanese style for her family.

Ken, who is nearly 60, recently learned that he has glaucoma. By the time it was discovered, he had lost a significant amount of peripheral vision. Although Marianne delivered all three children at a Christian hospital in Tokyo, she gets her annual physical examination when visiting relatives in the United States. She has never believed that the Japanese health system is as proactive as that in the United States. On her most recent visit to the United States, Marianne learned that she has hypertension. Her physician prescribed a medication that is readily available in Japan, but the physician was concerned about the level of stress in Marianne’s life. Mother Shimizu is quite confused and requires considerable care, but it is unthinkable for Ken, the only child, to put his mother in a long-term-care facility. Even if he would, the

quality of facilities in Japan leaves much to be desired. Most of the responsibility for Mother Shimizu falls on Marianne, in addition to her work. Marianne’s relatives are urging her to consider placing Mother Shimizu in a church-related life-care community near Marianne’s family in the United States, where Marianne and Ken would like to retire. Marianne’s own parents lived in this facility at the end of their lives. She is considering these issues as she returns to Tokyo.

1. In what ways might you consider Ken to be countercultural as a Japanese man?

2. What social pressures might Marianne have faced, given some of her choices, as a housewife in Japan?

3. What pressures will Ken likely experience as he considers how to meet the needs of both his mother and his wife?

9. Compare and contrast the fertility and mortality rates of Japan and the United States.

10. Do the traditional Japanese maintain sustained eye contact with strangers? Why or why not?

11. To which drugs might Japanese people have greater sensitivity than that of white ethnic populations?

12. How do most Japanese people meet their need for calcium?

Answer 1

1In Japanese culture the elderly or the husband is the head of the family and plays a dominant role.But here Ken is quite considerate to Marianne and gives her enough freedom to visit her family in US.Ken respects Mariannes American culture.He even allowed her to get treatment from US.

2 in japanese society emphasis is laid in interdependence rather than on independence ,which is in contrast to American culture where they give importance to personal autonomy.Marianne also has to face this situation and she embraced the japanese interprsonal style positively.She also had to cope up with the the societal pressure of discarding her home culture inorder to be accepted by the social group.But she withstand all the major obstacles

3 It will be a hard deision for Ken as he has to see to the needs of both his mother and his wife.Marianne has just been diagnosed with hypertension and the physician expressed his concern for Marianne as she has been under stress.She has the additional duty of looking after Kens mother who requires considerable amount of care.it would be better for Ken to put his mother in the long term care facility in US and lives their rest of their hazzle free.Kens mother will get good care ,and he countinue his treatment for Glaucoma.Marianne will be happy tht she is now near to her relatives and follow her culture.It willl aso help her to lessen the stress level

10No Japanese individuals exhibit less eye contact than do individuals from western Europe or American cultures.They belive that individuals from japanese culture percieve anothers face as being angrier,unapproachable and unpleasant when making eye contact as compared to individuals from a western European culture.

11 Eplerone has been effective in lowering BP in japanese patients with Hypertensin,including those with low renin HTN.these patients had a larger decrease in BP in response to isradipine than seen in white patients in US.

12 As like that of western societies japanese people has low intake of calcium ,mainly because of their less consumption of milk and diary products.This is mainly due to the factor that japanese people are intolerant to milk .The women in Japan increase their bone density by consuming soy and fish.It is reported that it is beneficial for improving bonedensity in adults.