Today, digital networks provide us with an abundance of information. We invest more than ever in education and science. Despite these achievements our mental, socio-economic and political conditions have not improved. They seem to be even deteriorating. Why? What is going wrong? What can we do better? What can the first information revolution 600 years ago teach us? Two leading Japanese scholars in the field of media and AI governance will discuss these questions with Yuval Noah Harari, the world-famous thinker and best-selling author, who explores the risks and opportunities of the information age in his new book Nexus. The event will be held in English with Japanese interpretation, admission is free. It is co-organised by the DIJ, Tokyo College, and Kawade Shobo Shinsha on the occasion of the publication of the Japanese version of Yuval Noah Harari’s book Nexus. Please note that this event is fully booked. Details here

Whether in Japan or elsewhere, the creation of books has never been an individual endeavor. The AI boom following the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked debates on the ethical use of generative tools and copyright issues. At the same time, however, it also prompted a reconsideration of the inherent fluidity of authorship as a concept in both arts and literature. This presentation examines how authorship is negotiated in contemporary Japanese literature in the context of AI. Focusing on several case studies it argues that each of them demonstrates how the notion of who (and what) can be an “author” has been gradually expanding over the past decades. Details and registration here

Japan is experiencing a growing influx of international migrants. These individuals establish new social connections in both their private and professional lives, which often involves learning Japanese. However, Japanese is just one resource within a broader, multilingual repertoire. This presentation explores the lived experiences of multilingual individuals in Japan, focusing on two spheres that typically require distinct sets of communicative competences: romantic relationships and workplaces. Drawing on data from narrative interviews, our speaker will demonstrate how multilinguals rationalize their interactional partners’ behavior and attribute intentional states to them to make sense of their experiences and their implications for perceptions of language competence. He will argue that competence should be understood as an intersubjective capability that emerges in interactions between individuals, across time and spaces, and institutional contexts, all while being intertwined with emotional expressions. Details and registration here

This DIJ Forum combines approaches to sustainable food practices of two different worlds within Japan. The urban landscape of Japanese cities—embodied in Shibuya’s bustling streets and iconic food vending machines—adopts an accelerated pace, catering to the fast schedules of modern Japanese life. Sustainability scholar Patricia Hein discusses Japanese approaches to food rhythms and uncovers how temporality influences sustainability practices through interviews with chefs, founders, vendors, and consumers. Farmer and local activist Eri Ōtsu shifts the focus to sustainable food production in rural Kumamoto. She illustrates the challenges and achievements of running an organic farm in rural Japan and demonstrates the possibilities of a sustainable lifestyle in Japan’s depopulating areas. Both speakers show how food is deeply tied to time, place, and seasonality in two different regions within the country. The event will be held in English, admission is free. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session and a small reception. Details and registration here

“Marriage hunting” (konkatsu) is a multi-billion-yen industry comprising diverse dating services, from matchmaking apps to marriage agencies. With marriage remaining an important precursor to childbearing, the Japanese government has increasingly invested in “marriage support” to address population decline and aging. This talk draws on data from twenty-seven months of research in Japan, including more than 150 interviews with market professionals and their male and female clients, participant observation of marriage-hunting events, and documentary evidence, to explore the various collaborations between the private and public sector in marriage promotion efforts. The speaker suggests that these alliances constitute a new form of intimate governance which regulates how individuals enter and conceptualize romantic and familial relationships. Details and registration here

This presentation examines the relationship between educational hypogamy and life satisfaction within the realm of traditional norms in Japan. Educational hypogamy in this context refers to women who have attained a higher level of education than their husbands. Using Japanese Panel Survey of Consumers data the analysis reveals a significant negative correlation between hypogamy and life satisfaction in traditional households, where men often adhere to inflexible labor market roles and limited engagement in household chores. The findings suggest that hypogamous women experience lower life satisfaction, potentially due to increased burdens in balancing household and labor market responsibilities. In contrast, women in non-traditional households exhibit no such negative association, and in some cases, hypogamy positively correlates with life satisfaction. The talk contributes to discussions on gender roles, household economics, and well-being from a perspective rooted in household and labor economics. Details and registration here