Together with Hitotsubashi University, the DIJ co-organizes this year’s Sixth Annual Conference of the Japan Economy Network (JEN) on March 21-22. The conference features thirty-six speakers in ten sessions, including a dinner keynote speech by Nobuko Nagase (Ochanomizu University), chaired by DIJ economist Markus Heckel. DIJ advisory board member David Chiavacci (University of Zurich) will give a presentation on “Transnationalism and foreign workers in Japan: Between state policies and market forces”. The full programme is available here (PDF).

DIJ researcher Harald Kümmerle will present his paper on “‘Data Free Flow with Trust’ as a pillar of economic security in the digital realm” at the conference The Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Japan’s Strategic Vision Goes Global at Oxford University on March 11. Harald’s paper will highlight Japan’s initiative Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) as an important aspect of the development of economic security in the digital realm. He will discuss DFFT as a promising regulatory framework for the cross-border flow of non-personal data. One focus of his talk will lie on the data regulation and economic security discourse involving a variety of actors and positions that followed a scandal concerning the access of private data of Japanese social media users by a Chinese subcontractor firm. The two-day conference exploring the Indo-Pacific’s role in global politics is hosted by Oxford University’s Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies. Details here

DIJ researchers Harald Kümmerle and Nicole M. Mueller will participate in the international conference Exploring Epistemic Virtues and Vices: Data, Infrastructures, and Episteme between Collaboration and Exploitation in Luxembourg from March 14 to 16. Harald will deliver the keynote speech on “Epistemological challenges of doing research in/on Japan in the age of Digital Humanities”. Nicole will give her paper discussing “Epistemic Potentials and Pitfalls of Scalability” in the panel on Epistemic Virtues and Vices of Digital Research Practices. The conference is organized by the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) in collaboration with the German Historical Institute Washington, the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, and the DIJ. Details here

When humans and machines interact, do they form (real) relationships? At the workshop Relationship in Human-Machine Interaction, six keynote speakers will share insights on the relationship-building aspects of humans and robots, avatars, or devices. Their talks will cover social psychology, media studies, computer science, and engineering viewpoints, including a presentation by DIJ researcher Celia Spoden on avatar robots as alter ego for hospitalized students. The talks and discussions are followed by the interactive workshop “Detour: Brand characters, tonalities, and emotions”. The event highlights the potential of technology to support communication, ease loneliness and decrease isolation, and enable new ways to organize work and life. All participants are invited to join the discussions and share their perspectives. The workshop is organised by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo). It is co-supported by the DIJ. Details and registration here

As part of her research on the sociology of pets in contemporary Japan, DIJ deputy director Barbara Holthus will participate in a panel discussion on the challenges resulting from the cohabitation of humans and pets in Japan’s super-aged society. The panel is part of an event organised by the Japan Animalpic Committee, an association that promotes the well-being of and interactions between humans and animals. Other panelists include former Minister of State Katayama Satsuki, pet activists Katsumata Kazuyoshi (Japan Animalpic Committee), Ito Hiroshi (Medical Ark School), Hosoda Nobuyuki  (Japan Animalpic Committee), and dog trainer Ito Tetsuro. The event takes place on February 13 in Tokyo’s Office Building of the House of Representatives. Details and registration here (in Japanese)