The Mimamoru Approach in Contemporary Japanese Parenting Magazines: Strategies for Disciplining Young Children

The Japanese pedagogical strategy of mimamoru (watch and protect) has been identified by cross-culture researchers as an implicit component of early childhood education in Japan. However, little is known about the types of advice given by experts to parents regarding mimamoru. Accordingly, this study examined expert advice related to the mimamoru approach in Japanese parenting magazines from 2015 to 2019. The majority of discipline-related articles examined included discussion of the mimamoru approach for infants and toddlers in the context of dangerous child behavior, conflicts with other children, sleep problems, and daily habit building. Experts cited promotion of child autonomy and development and avoidance of over-involvement as reasons for using mimamoru. However, concerns were also raised that the mimamoru approach may increase the childrearing stress of mothers when dealing with children's defiant behavior. The study provides an important window into the Japanese strategy of mimamoru and suggested areas of future research.