 |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Dec.27, 2006 |
| Holiday Greetings to our CRN visitors and friends!
|
|
| Noboru Kobayashi, M.D. |
|
As we approach the beginning of a new year, I would like to extend my best wishes to all of you who have supported Child Research Net (CRN), our cyber research website devoted to Kodomogaku (Child Science) over the past year. We are truly grateful for your interest and cooperation and hope that you will kindly extend your support in 2007 as well.
2006 was a busy and fruitful year for us. We expanded our Chinese-language website launched in February 2005 and made ongoing improvements to our Japanese- and English-language websites, resulting in a dramatic increase in access: nearly 30,000 hits per day. The Japanese-language website had the highest access, accounting for 78% of all hits, followed by the English-language website with 17%. With the Chinese-language site receiving 5%, this is clearly an area we will work on in the coming year.
Furthermore, as Benesse Corporation undertook major restructuring in 2006, CRN was transformed from a non-profit organization to part of the newly established Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences, Parenting, and Aging Inc. (President, Haruna Okada; Director, Dr. Noboru Kobayashi). We also moved from Tama City to the center of Tokyo. The convenient location has boosted efficiency and effectiveness in various ways and this is reflected in our increased activities. In terms of external developments, the dramatic diffusion of the internet and its diverse uses have contributed to CRN's expanded operations. But, as Internet use grows differentiated, we will have to stay abreast of new developments and continually reevaluate our operations as a cyber research website on child-raising, childcare and education. To do this, we need your support and wholeheartedly welcome any suggestions that you may have.
I am pleased to say that Child Science has gained social recognition as a human science that takes an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to the study of children. This has been much aided by the growth of the Japanese Society of Child Science. We also note the increasing number of educational institutions in the past few years with departments and programs that refer to themselves as "Child Science" or otherwise use the term "children" in their name. This concern for children is evident in the names of many governmental organizations as well. I am proud to say that CRN has played a prominent role in generating and establishing this interest in Child Science.
CRN, founded in 1996, celebrated its tenth year in 2006. As we now enter our second decade, we begin a new cycle of exciting growth. To commemorate this anniversary, we will hold an international symposium on Saturday, February 3 entitled "Children in Societies with a Declining Birthrate: The Case of East Asian Countries." The symposium will open with a special lecture delivered by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, followed by discussions on the declining birthrate by scholars from China, Korea, and Japan. It promises to be a valuable occasion to exchange views and knowledge on an important issue that affects our societies. Information on registration can be found on our website and we invite all our CRN users to attend.
In sum, I am glad to report that CRN is off to a good start and continued growth in its second decade. At the same time, we are ever aware of our responsibility to research that will improve the welfare of children. We are also committed to finding better ways to provide this information to scholars and professionals both in Japan and abroad who are concerned about children from the perspective of Child Science. We hope that all of our website visitors will continue to extend support and guidance in the coming year to these efforts.
With best wishes for 2007,
Noboru Kobayashi, Director
Child Research Net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Child
Research Net is supported by Benesse Co., Ltd. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
