Events and Activities
DIJ Study Group session on ‘Diversity of Japanese Churches’
Ever since the Catholic mission to Japan in the 16th century, Christianity has upheld its presence in the Japanese society. While many churches such as the Japanese Lutheran Church are still connected to Christian (missionary) organisations overseas, there are a few Japanese (indigenous) churches founded by Christian intellectuals that aimed for an independent development of Japanese Christianity without the influence of Western actors. These independent churches are known for their history, their theological and intellectual approaches to Christian ethics and society. Based on on-going fieldwork in various Japanese congregations and inspired by the material turn, this talk by Dunja Sharbat focuses on the materiality of Japanese independent churches in present-day Japan. Considering the history and current situation of these churches, she will discuss their socio-spatial arrangements and compare it to other Japanese churches in order to analyse differences and similarities in their materiality. Details and registration here
Dunja Sharbat, Ruhr-University Bochum
Online lecture on Japan’s carbon pricing policy by DIJ director Franz Waldenberger
The introduction of greenhouse gas emission rights and their allocation through trading schemes (“carbon markets”) is considered an essential policy tool to achieve the ambitious net-zero emission goals, to which countries – including Japan – have committed under the Paris Agreement. Japan has so far not established carbon markets on a national scale. Also, its carbon tax introduced in 2012 has remained ineffectively low. The presentation “Carbon Pricing – Why is Japan lagging behind?” by DIJ director Franz Waldenberger will discuss why carbon pricing has so far not been used within Japan’s climate policy framework. It will also try to assess to what extent the absence of a national emission trading scheme has impacted Japan’s ability to achieve the 2050 net-zero goals. This online presentation is part of the lecture series at Goethe University Frankfurt’s Center for Financial Studies. Details and registration here
DIJ co-sponsors hybrid book talk on Japan’s Nuclear Disaster
In this book talk, Florentine Koppenborg (Technical University of Munich) argues that the regulatory reforms after the Fukushima disaster on March 11, 2011, directly and indirectly raised the costs of nuclear power in Japan. The new Nuclear Regulation Authority resisted capture by the nuclear industry and fundamentally altered the environment for nuclear policy implementation. Independent safety regulation changed state-business relations in the nuclear power domain from regulatory capture to top-down safety regulation, which raised technical safety costs for electric utilities. Antinuclear protests, – mainly lawsuits challenging restarts – incurred additional social acceptance costs. Increasing costs undermined pro-nuclear actors’ ability to implement nuclear power policy and caused a rift inside Japan’s “nuclear village.” Small nuclear safety administration reforms were, in fact, game changers for nuclear power politics in Japan. The book talk takes place on May 30, 6.30 pm at Temple University’s Japan Campus and online. Details and registration here
Joint DIJ and JDZB conference ‘Countryside Democracy in Japan and Germany’
On the occasion of the nationwide local elections in prefectures and municipalities in Japan in April 2023, experts and political activists from Japan and Germany will discuss opportunities, trends, and challenges as well as similarities and differences between the two countries. Specifically, the conference Countryside Democracy in Japan and Germany: Trends in Political Participation will address the following questions: How does a vital democracy manifest itself in rural regions? What opportunities for co-determination and political participation exist in contrast to urban centers, especially for younger people? How is political and social participation evolving, for example through digital forms of involvement? Or do we observe an increasing “disenchantment with politics”? Participants include DIJ political scientist Sebastian Polak-Rottmann as panelist, DIJ alumnus Yosuke Buchmeier as moderator, alumna Gabriele Vogt as commentator, and deputy director Barbara Holthus. The conference is jointly organized by the DIJ and the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB). It takes place online on May 11, 17-19h JST. Conference languages are German and Japanese with simultaneous interpretation. Details here
Unser Forschungsteam sucht Verstärkung
Das DIJ sucht eine wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin / einen wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiter (w/m/d) mit einer abgeschlossenen, herausragenden Promotion, sehr guten Kenntnissen der japanischen Sprache und Forschungserfahrung in Japan. Das am DIJ geplante Forschungsvorhaben soll auf die Erstellung einer Habilitationsschrift oder einer gleichwertigen wissenschaftlichen Leistung ausgerichtet sein und sich in eines der aktuellen Institutsforschungsfelder „Digitale Transformation“, „Japan in transregionaler Perspektive“ bzw. „Nachhaltigkeit und Resilienz“ einfügen. Die Stelle ist auf drei Jahre befristet, mit einer Verlängerungsmöglichkeit um weitere zwei Jahre. Sie ist voraussichtlich ab Januar 2024 zu besetzen. Bewerbungsfrist ist der 31. August 2023. Die Ausschreibung und Details finden Sie hier.
Wir trauern um Professor Hans-Joachim Kornadt
Das DIJ trauert um Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Joachim Kornadt, der am 24. April 2023 im Alter von 95 Jahren verstorben ist. Professor Kornadt war von 1968 bis zu seiner Emeritierung im Jahr 1995 Professor für Pädagogische Psychologie und Erziehungswissenschaft an der Universität des Saarlandes. Er hat die Arbeit unseres Instituts als Mitglied und später als Vorsitzender des wissenschaftlichen Beirats in den ersten sieben Jahren (1988 – 1995) mit seiner Expertise wesentlich unterstützt. Über diese Zeit hinaus begleitete er unsere Arbeit mit wohlwollendem Interesse. Für seine Verdienste, unter anderem um die deutsch-japanischen Wissenschaftsbeziehungen, wurden Professor Kornadt im Jahr 1988 der Deutsch-Japanische Forschungspreis und 2006 das Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse verliehen.
DIJ hosts ‘Transnational Research in a Multipolar World’ conference
Transnational research plays an essential role in global knowledge production. It also fosters mutual understanding and trust among the countries involved. This is especially true for transnational research in the social sciences and humanities, which explicitly aims at bridging and combining different national perspectives on issues of shared interest. On May 8-9, together with Sophia University Graduate School of Global Studies the DIJ will host the Max Weber Foundation conference ‘Transnational Research in a Multipolar World’ to discuss the impact of the growing geopolitical tensions on transnational research. Particular foci will be on the limitations to scientific research in autocratic regimes; the response of national research organizations and universities to these challenges; and, taking the example of gerontology and gender studies, the response of humanities and social science research to societal challenges. The second day will focus on Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific to explore common topics as well as new formats of transnational research against the background of ongoing geopolitical shifts. The conference will end with a keynote speech on world history made in Japan by Iokibe Kaoru (University of Tokyo). Details and registration here
DIJ deputy director meets Federal Minister Cem Özdemir
On April 25, DIJ deputy director Barbara Holthus participated in an exchange between Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, and Toru Nakaya, president of the Japanese Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives. Özdemir had made a brief stop in Tokyo on his way back to Germany after participating in the G7 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting in Miyazaki. On April 20, Barbara Holthus and DIJ administrative director Elisabeth Köller had met Christa Nickels, former Federal Minister of Health, for a discussion about women in Japanese politics. Nickels came to Japan for the opening of the German film festival Horizonte 2023 which featured the film “Die Unbeugsamen” (The Unbending). The film portrays several female politicians during the so-called Bonn Republic, including Nickels.
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DIJ researcher Carolin Fleischer-Heininger will give a presentation on 'Transgression as Emancipation: Redefining Disability in Hanchibakku (2023) by Ichikawa Saō' at the 12th Alter Conference 'Disability Research for the Real World' on July 5 @KU_Leuven https://alterconf2024.sciencesconf.org/
Check out the summer edition of our #DIJNewsletter for recent & forthcoming publications @DolfNeuhaus @SpodenCelia, new team & board members @gabriele_vogt, upcoming & past events @DWIH_Tokyo, our new knowledge lab @HaraldKuemmerle, alumni news & more https://www.dijtokyo.org/publication/dij-newsletter-76-summer-2024/
Join our next #DIJStudyGroup on July 17 with Fumiya Uchikoshi @ufsoc who will present on 'Imagined Futures in Gendered Educational Trajectories: Adolescents’ Expectations and Uncertainty in Japanese Selective High Schools'. Online & in-person at the DIJ https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/the-role-of-imagined-futures-in-gendered-educational-trajectories-adolescents-expectations-and-uncertainty-in-japanese-selective-high-schools/
Awards, books, articles, events, job opening: Don't miss the next issue of our #DIJNewsletter incl. latest updates on our institute and its research activities. Subscribe now to receive the summer issue hot off the press in your inbox later this week http://dij.tokyo/newsletter
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