Hirona Matayoshi

Professor, Yokohama National University International Strategy Organization
  • Japan

About Hirona Matayoshi

Professor Hirona Matayoshi is a Professor in Applied Linguistics at Yokohama National University. She earned her B.A in Political Science at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT and her M.Ed. in Curriculum, Instruction and Technology in Education (Applied Linguistics & TESOL) at the Temple University Graduate School (College of Education) in Philadelphia, USA. Professor Hirona Matayoshi is bilingual in English, Japanese, and Semi-lingual in the Okinawan language (designated as an endangered language by the UNESCO since 2009). Prior to joining the faculty at Yokohama National University, she was an Associate Professor at Osaka Seikei University Department of Global Tourism and Business, she was an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Language and Culture at Osaka University, a Lecturer at Rikkyo University and Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. Professor Matayoshi's research centers around 3 themes: The first theme is based upon Bilingual Education that focuses upon the preservation of indigenous languages and culture. The second theme is Applied Linguistics (Curriculum Development) including governmental policies (OECD) architecturally influencing global education. The third theme is using the first and second themes to examine and assist Intangible Heritage volunteer groups to sustain their cultural heritage (language, art, and architecture) through merging all possibilities to promote and reconstruct.

Stakeholder Group

Academia Government

Recent Conversations

Recent Comments

Oct 07, 2023
Replying to Hirona Matayoshi

Educators including any other workforce with all genders, in respect, who have been diagnosed with COVID -19 even if steroids have not been prescribed, COVID -19 can cause new onset diabetes in high risk as well as worsening blood sugar control in those with preexisting diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-worse-cases-coronavirus

What we can predict is that working conditions will have to be changed for providing the workforce with a better diet with exercise recess for all.   Education  will have to change to accommodate those with health sustainable needs.  For example, lunch menus must change to vegan with consideration to those that need to control their blood sugar intake or diabetes.  Office and business must provide time for their workers to keep healthy with a recess time to prepare food, exercise, as well as rest.  Moreover, laws must be made to assure the workforce health mandates. Our society has changed significantly over these two years of the pandemic.  Post Pandemic will most likely become dealing with the life-long "after affects" of controlling blood sugar for the existing elderly as well as the  workforce and the youth.

I'm not sure if my prediction was correct but according to Reuters "Alarming rise in diabetes expected globally by 2050, study says". https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/alarming-rise-diabetes-globally-by-2050-study-2023-06-22/

According to Nature "As Covid-19 cases rose, so did diabetes no one knows why"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02322-0

Free Info:

https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2023/07/as-covid-19-cases-rose-so-did-diabetes-no-one-knows-why.html

According to Cedars-Sini "Verified:  COVID-19 Infection Increases Diabetes Risk"

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/verified-covid-19-infection-increases-diabetes-risk/

Just following this issue as a follow up and keeping note. 

Mar 29, 2022

Educators including any other workforce with all genders, in respect, who have been diagnosed with COVID -19 even if steroids have not been prescribed, COVID -19 can cause new onset diabetes in high risk as well as worsening blood sugar control in those with preexisting diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-worse-cases-coronavirus

What we can predict is that working conditions will have to be changed for providing the workforce with a better diet with exercise recess for all.   Education  will have to change to accommodate those with health sustainable needs.  For example, lunch menus must change to vegan with consideration to those that need to control their blood sugar intake or diabetes.  Office and business must provide time for their workers to keep healthy with a recess time to prepare food, exercise, as well as rest.  Moreover, laws must be made to assure the workforce health mandates. Our society has changed significantly over these two years of the pandemic.  Post Pandemic will most likely become dealing with the life-long "after affects" of controlling blood sugar for the existing elderly as well as the  workforce and the youth.

Dec 22, 2020

One of my colleagues in the field of research, who is a woman just like me, told me that it is hard to live the life of a single woman and that I would have to be mentally strong just like her.  Those were words of wisdom but also sadness of reality that I many other women will face during their life-time. Now, looking back, she was reassuring me I'd have to break through the cracks alone in hope  to pull up the next generation through the cracks which is something she couldn't do.  She had to protect herself and her family and you can't blame her.  She is a professor and I left her university for better opportunities and now I'm a professor just like her.  We women are alone in the corporate system playing their games with set outcomes.  

You see in Japan, we women have to balance our existence within the male society we live in. 

"Yes, it sucks". 

Just look at our government's Diet, as always the majority are men!  We have famous "women's colleges" where the administration are all led by men!  The men are teaching us women "how to be their singular ideal woman".  The women, that are barely existing in our Diet, are all women that the "men designated as the singular ideal woman".  That is what every women in my country is expected to balance.  I'm sure that this perception of the "ideal woman" from the male perspective exists in every country. However, gender issues are insane in my mine.

In Japan, "women are forced to choose between marriage and work".  Single women would like to marry but if we get pregnant than we lose our job.  The corporate companies led by a male team will choose a woman to tell a woman that if she is pregnant then she has to quit her job. 

Refer to "Studies Assesses 'Maternity Harassment' in Japanese Workplaces"

https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00610/study-assesses-maternity-harassment-in-japanese-workplaces.html 

Hence, the concept of "maternity harassment" becomes a mirage in a fog.  This is the insane part.  Hence, the low population of Japan.  Men are forced to stay at work and work long hours, because that is the "ideal singular man".  He never sees his wife yet alone his kids, so kids don't even know him but they love their mom.  Every human resource in my country is tethered to our profession.  The work-life balance is non-existent.  Now, I'm just tethered to my computer under the era-of pandemic.  My computer is connected to my smart phone so the office can contact me for 24 hours.  In Japan, we were tethered to our jobs before the pandemic and now it is for 24 hours as well.  What changed was whether or not a woman was financially tech savvy or not.

That is our reality.  We are being forced into extinction through corporatism. Here I am, life with a computer doing all my office work on-line, classes on-line, and calling my family and friends on-line.  Our life is now, on-line for 24 hours.  That is what I sacrificed to be where I am today, a professor 24 hours.  I'm not the only one.  That is what my colleague understood about me and about her own daughter and sons.  That we are tethered just like she was and is.  She was the lucky generation.  It may look like the pandemic is forcing women off track but that's not it.  Our office, corporate, administrative environment used the pandemic as an excuse to kick the financially tech weak out and keep "the computer savvy 24 hour financially capable strong minded women" to stay on-line or in-line. 

In Japan, there is a lack of daycare and with this pandemic it is very difficult to trust the daycare since they are not "all" licensed by the government.  Hence, even if women had kids they simply cannot trust anyone with their kids.  Women have no choice but to stay home since their husbands are corporate slaves just like they were and the others are "hanging on like a cat on hot tin roof" just like me.  Next, they are going to have to face the reality that they won't be able to return since the next generation male or female will take their place.  The weakest and the most powerless women without computer and financial skills will be thrown out.  Corporatism doesn't like risks of losing workers for childbirth yet alone marriage and consideration for family values.  They don't care and Michael Jackson was correct.  Corporatism only cares about those who are willing to hang on.  Female suicides in Japan are rising increasing 80 percent.  They are financially troubled non-tech savvy women under the pandemic losing their jobs.  

You can see the CNN report here:  In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020 - CNN

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/28/asia/japan-suicide-women-covid-dst-intl-hnk/index.html

Thus, these forums are golden information for governments and corporations to "get in line" for a change while  being forced through the international community of "leaving no one behind"  to assist women in need for an opportunity to hang on but the corporate mind-set needs adjustment for just a little compassion and the consideration for family values.  Hopefully, the OECD will take it's time to promote "female" family values as well.

Professor Hirona Matayoshi

Yokohama National University