Document is current

Article History

Received: 11 July 2023

Accepted: 14 May 2024

First Online: 1 August 2024

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The original cross-sectional survey, carried out by Nikkei Research Company between 2015 and 2017, received formal approval from Kyushu University’s legal and ethics review board. Data collection was compliant with legal and ethical standards, and participants provided informed consent. All procedures adhered to the relevant guidelines and regulations set by Kyushu University.

: The data collection rigorously adhered to ethical standards, following established social science methodologies. Before initiating the survey, data collectors received extensive training on ethical considerations. Each respondent provided informed consent, fully understanding that their information would be treated with utmost confidentiality and used exclusively for research purposes. They were informed that personal details, including names, would be anonymized in all research outcomes. Additionally, we emphasized that participation was entirely voluntary, and respondents could raise queries or choose to discontinue the interview at any time.