Events and Activities
DIJ Researchers at ‘Japanologentag’
From 20 to 22 August 2025, DIJ researchers Carolin Fleischer-Heininger, Barbara Holthus, Isaac Gagné, Nicole M. Mueller, Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus, Christina Polak-Rottmann, Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, Celia Spoden, Torsten Weber, and Alberto Zizza will participate in the triennial Japanologentag at Goethe University Frankfurt. They will present their latest research in the sections of ethnology, modern history, modern literature, media, philosophy and history of ideas, sociology and in a panel on Japan’s imperial legacy. We also look forward to meeting more than thirty DIJ alumni at the conference.
Hybrid Study Group on Carl Schmitt’s legal theory and contemporary politics
Democratic backsliding in liberal democracies, along with the rising influence of authoritarian regimes, has been linked to the ideas of German legal theorist Carl Schmitt. Far-right intellectuals in Europe, Russian imperialist ideologues, and figures associated with the Trump administration in the United States explicitly reference the “crown jurist of the Third Reich.” In East Asia, Schmitt’s reception has been notably active—particularly in China. Schmittian concepts such as Großraum (great space), previously rejected due to their compatibility with Japan’s former “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,” now serve other geopolitical ambitions. Yet, the status and normative implications of Schmitt’s ideas, especially when deployed against the international liberal order, remain unclear. Do they truly constitute a coherent alternative model? This presentation examines the relationship between Schmitt’s conception of legal theory and its application to politics today. Details and registration here
Onsite Study Group “Practices and rituals of magical control in East Asia”
The resilience and popularity of “non-rational” ritual practices performed for “rational” reasons represent an important window into key sociological and anthropological themes surrounding urbanization and modernization. Specifically, the widespread presence of sacred sites like small streetside shrines tucked into urban spaces call us to reexamine theoretical assumptions regarding the meanings of “magical” rites. Based on fieldwork in Japan and Hong Kong, this talk discusses preliminary reflections on our collaborative research project which looks at this set of issues through the lens of contemporary German theory of social practices (Bartmanski) and American anthropological frameworks (Gagné). It seeks to provide new perspectives on the theoretical and practical implications of the resilience of practices and rituals of magical control in modern societies. Details and registration here
DIJ Workshop ‘Revisiting the Asia-Pacific War in Japan’
On November 11, 2024, the Nobel Committee decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 to the anti-nuclear weapons movement Nihon Hidankyō. This decision not only acknowledged the movement’s ongoing commitment, shaped by its members’ traumatic experiences of ‘Hiroshima’ and ‘Nagasaki’. It was also an attempt to shape the present and imaginatively construct possible livable futures. Likewise, written history is often considered a fiction that primarily contributes to the formation, stabilization, and self-assertion of nation-states. In Japan, dominant historical narratives, such as Japanese victimization, have been foundational since the post-war period. The participants in the workshop Revisiting the Asia-Pacific War in Japan: Cultural Artifacts and Intellectual Discourse, organised by DIJ researcher Carolin Fleischer-Heininger, will explore how these narratives are being selectively contested by cultural artifacts and counter discourses. This event is part of the Max Weber Foundation series The Ends of War. International Perspectives on World War II. Details and registration here
Hybrid DIJ Forum on Microbiomes and Fermentation

Disturbances in microbiomes both at human and ecosystemic levels are resulting in serious health and environmental crises. Science and Technology Studies is beginning to analyze how fermented foods and fermentation are becoming a part of the commodified wellness market and a space of critical reflection on modern antibiotic relations. Using the case of tsukemono or Japanese pickles, the modern antibiotic turn and its contemporary probiotic modulation will be analyzed using both historical and ethnographic data. The case of tsukemono offers insights into the challenges of the Anthropocene and its impacts on microbiome that take stock of existing linguistic and cultural heritage. 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
Yasuhiro Kobayashi, Ecological Memes
Hybrid DIJ Study Group on Japanese Private International Law
When evaluating cases involving legal relationships between private individuals with cross-border elements Japanese courts determine which jurisdiction’s law shall be applied to the legal relationship using a set of rules called “Private International Law”. Based on the “Savignian approach” to Private International Law, Japan strives to apply the law that it considers most closely connected to the specific legal relationship. In this context, the so-called Public Policy clause provides a crucial safeguard. If the application of foreign law results in a violation of “public policy and good morals,” this clause enables Japanese judges to exclude the foreign law from application. This presentation will analyze the doctrinal development and practical application of the Public Policy clause, illustrating under which circumstances and conditions Japanese courts invoke it. Details and registration here
Onsite Study Group on Imperial Press Policy in Northeast China
From the late Meiji era, the development of a China-based press network functional to the national interest became an integral part of Japan’s imperial agenda. After the defeat of Russia in the 1904-05 war, the Northeast, compared to other regions, offered to Japanese initiative more favorable conditions to achieve a dominant position in the media landscape. One of the most successful enterprises was the government-sponsored Shengjing Shibao, which became the largest newspaper in Fengtian (Shenyang). As a tool of foreign policy, however, press management suffered from the lack of unified decision-making among different agencies. This talk will present a case study to analyse Japanese imperial press policy as representative of the polycentric character of strategic planning in imperial Japan. Details and registration here
Book talk by Dolf Neuhaus on Japanese Colonial Rule in Korea

DIJ historian Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus will introduce his book Jenseits von Nation und Imperium. Interaktionen koreanischer Studierender und japanischer Protestanten (1880–1923) [Beyond nation and empire. Interactions between Korean students and Japanese Protestants, 1880-1923] at the next AREA Ruhr Book Talk on 25 June 2025, 10-11h CEST (in German). Drawing on a wide range of Japanese and Korean sources, the book examines how students and intellectuals discussed Japanese colonial rule in Korea and the ‘Korean question’ and how their exchange of ideas influenced Japanese and Korean perceptions of empire, nation, and East Asia. The book is published by Campus in the Global History series. Details and registration here