Events and Activities
DIJ researchers and alumni at VSJF annual conference
Several DIJ researchers and alumni will participate in this year’s annual conference of the German Association for Social Science Research on Japan (VSJF) from November 18-20, 2022. On the 19th, Nora Kottmann will present her paper (Not) Alone: Being Single in a Marriage Centric ‘Hyper-Solo-Society’ in the panel on “Changing private Life”. In the Sociology section, Barbara Holthus will give a presentation on Furry Friends in Covid Japan. DIJ alumnus Felix Spremberg (Tübingen) will present a paper on Recent Changes in Japan’s Digitalization Policy in the same section. DIJ alumni Axel Klein (Populism and Japan) and Steffen Heinrich (Privatisation without growth: A unique challenge for Japanese welfare state reform?) will give presentations in the Politics section. The section meetings on Economics, History, Politics, Sociology, and Technology are (co-)convened by DIJ researchers and alumni. The theme of the 2022 annual conference is “Deviance and Norms in Times of Change in Japan”. It is organised by DIJ advisory board member David Chiavacci (University Zurich) and DIJ alumna Gabriele Vogt (LMU Munich). The complete programme is available online (conference and sections’ meetings).
New article by David M. Malitz studies influence of Meiji Constitution on Siamese/Thai political thought
A new research article by DIJ historian David M. Malitz studies how the Meiji Constitution of 1889 and the Japanese Imperial Diet became crucial reference points in the development of Siamese/Thai political ideas from the 1880s to the 1940s. Published in the International History Review (October 2022), “‘What Is Good about the Japanese System of Governance?’ — The Reception of Imperial Japanese Parliamentarism in Siamese/Thai Political Thought (1880s–1940s)” is based on David’s contribution to the Symposium on the Occasion of the 130th Anniversary of the Opening of the Japanese Parliament, which he organized in November 2020 with the DIJ.
Starke DIJ-Präsenz beim Japan-Besuch von Bundespräsident Steinmeier
Mehrere Forscher und Forscherinnen des DIJ nahmen in der vergangenen Woche an Veranstaltungen im Rahmen des Japan-Besuchs von Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier und seiner Frau Elke Büdenbender teil. Zu den zentralen Anliegen ihres Aufenthaltes zählten gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt und Inklusion. DIJ-Direktor Franz Waldenberger (im Foto 2. von rechts) moderierte eine Diskussionsrunde zum Thema Freiwilligenarbeit in Deutschland und Japan, zu der der Bundespräsident und seine Frau junge engagierte Volunteers eingeladen hatten. Im DAWN Avatar Robot Café berichtete Sozialwissenschaftlerin Celia Spoden zusammen mit Kentarō Yoshifuji, CEO des OryLabs und Entwickler der OriHime, einer Delegation um Frau Büdenbender, wie der OriHime-Avatar die Selbstständigkeit, Freiheit und gesellschaftliche Partizipation von körperlich eingeschränkten Menschen unterstützt. Am Empfang des Bundespräsidenten in der Residenz des Deutschen Botschafters nahmen die stellvertretende Direktorin Barbara Holthus und Sozialwissenschaftlerin Nora Kottmann teil. Am Thementisch zu “Gender equality” diskutierte Nora mit Frau Büdenbender sowie dem ehemaligen DIJ-Beiratsmitglied Kaori Hayashi (Universität Tokyo), Yuko Hayashi (Universität Yamaguchi) und Karen Makishima (Mitglied des Unterhauses, ehemalige Digitalministerin) über “Starke Frauen in Japan”.
DIJ founding director receives prestigious Japanese Studies award
DIJ founding director Josef Kreiner has been announced winner of the International Prize in Japanese Studies 2022 awarded by the Japanese National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU). “As founding director, Professor Josef Kreiner made a significant contribution to the positive reception and reputation of the DIJ in Japan. The award shows that his research is still held in extremely high esteem today. We are very happy for him and congratulate him very warmly”, said DIJ director Franz Waldenberger. Josef Kreiner is Professor Emeritus of the University of Bonn and Visiting Researcher of Hosei University Research Center for International Japanese Studies. He was instrumental in the negotiations that led to the founding of the DIJ in 1988 and served as its director from 1988 to 1996. The NIHU International Prize in Japanese Studies was established in 2019 with the aim to promote the development of Japanese Studies and deepen the understanding of Japanese culture internationally. The awards ceremony and commemorative lecture will take place on 20 January 2023 at The Japan Academy.
Till Weingärtner discusses film stardom in postwar Japan in DIJ talk
Takamine Hideko (1924-2010) is one of Japan’s major film stars of the 20th century. She is remembered for her appearance in seminal works in the Japanese film canon, but also as an essayist. Often celebrated for her collaboration with major film directors such as Kinoshita Keisuke or Naruse Mikio, Takamine’s own career makes an interesting case study for understanding what film stars in post-war Japan represented for their audiences. Takamine had appeared in propaganda films during the wartime period and later appeared in roles presenting and interrogating new ideas of gender and the role of women in post-war Japan. Following the Star Studies approach, this talk will examine seminal films and key events in Takamine’s biography in relation to post-war Japanese society. It will explore what Takamine represented to her contemporary audience and why she still continues to be a popular film star today. Details and registration here
Till Weingärtner, University College Cork (Ireland)
DIJ steps up research cooperation in Western Japan
On October 5 and 6, a delegation from the DIJ visited the German Consulate General in Osaka and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) in Kyoto to intensify the DIJ’s research cooperation activities in the Kansai region. Ahead of the EXPO 2025 in Osaka, the DIJ is planning to start cooperation projects with the German diplomatic representation in Western Japan next year. At the Nichibunken, DIJ director Franz Waldenberger and Nichibunken’s Director-General Inoue Shōichi signed a memorandum of understanding which extends the current cooperation between both institutes. The DIJ’s membership in the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies, which is administered by the Nichibunken, was also upgraded from observing to full member. The signing event was followed by the Nichibunken Evening Seminar where six DIJ researchers gave presentations on their research projects and exchanged with Nichibunken researchers on the current state and future of Japanese Studies.
Japanese-German conference on social inclusion of elderly citizens
Social inclusion represents one of the fundamental challenges faced by ageing societies like Japan and Germany. Social inclusion can improve the health conditions of the elderly and also offers seniors the opportunity to actively contribute to society through taking up work or through civic engagement. In many cases neighbourhoods and local communities offer opportunities for social interaction and civic engagement, and they often organize voluntary support schemes for elderly citizens in need of care. The Japanese-German conference Inclusion of elderly citizens in German and Japanese Communities: civic engagement and the COVID pandemic discusses how German and Japanese communities achieve the social inclusion of elderly citizens and the role of civic engagement by and for elderly citizens. It will also address the impact of the pandemic on the living conditions of elderly citizens in Germany and Japan. The conference takes place on Chuo University’s Korakuen Campus on November 10, 2022.
New book publication on Japan in transition
DIJ director Franz Waldenberger and deputy director Barbara Holthus have each contributed one chapter to the German-language publication Japan. Ein Land im Umbruch (“Japan. A country in transition”), recently published by Bebra Verlag Berlin. The book’s 17 chapters look at Japan’s past, present, and future to explain the country’s struggle with the challenges of an ageing society, geopolitical conflicts, and the consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Franz’ chapter “Armer Staat, reiches Land. Japans Staatsverschuldung” (Poor state, rich country. Japan’s national debt) explains why Japan’s record debts is a solution rather than problem. Barbara’s chapter “Covid-Olympia 2020/2021. Japans Wunsch nach Neuerfindung” (Covid Olympics 2020/2021. Japan’s desire for reinvention) studies in how far the Tokyo Olympics have contributed to more sustainability, diversity, and inclusion in Japanese society. The book is co-edited by DIJ alumna Verena Blechinger-Talcott (FU Berlin), David Chiavacci (Zurich), and Wolfgang Schwentker (Osaka). Details here
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#VSJF2024 ends with panels on 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo ft. papers by Christopher Hecker (German Expo Pavilion) and DIJ's Isaac Gagné and on political perspectives on sustainability with Ohta Hiroshi (Waseda) and @jannohentzsch @jstudiesvienna https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/vsjf-annual-conference-sustainability-in-japan/
2nd day #VSJF2024 kicked off with papers on Japan’s alternative path to environmental sustainability (Komatsu Hikaru), dynamics in pro-environmental attitudes & behavior @CarolaHommerich, and sustainability in Japan’s countryside (Sebastian Polak-Rottmann) https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/vsjf-annual-conference-sustainability-in-japan/
First panel session at #VSJF2024 with business & economic perspectives by @franzDIJTokyo on Japan’s carbon pricing approach, Ramona Rosalewski on institutional change in the finance sector & Nicole M. Mueller on Metaverse, Smart City & Extended Reality https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/vsjf-annual-conference-sustainability-in-japan/
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Contemporary Japan
current issue Vol. 36, No.2
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