Die Jause geht weiter! In Frankreich ist das café philosophique eine Veranstaltung zum Philosophieren, an der jede Person teilnehmen kann. Auch in Japan gibt es bereits ähnliche Programme auf dem Land. The University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy (UTCP) und das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien (DIJ) organisieren gemeinsam ein philosophisches Café auch in Tokyo, allerdings mit einer kleinen Besonderheit: Wir möchten deutschsprachigen Personen die Möglichkeit des Austauschs bieten und daher das Café auf Deutsch abhalten. Das Organisationsteam (Yukiko Kuwayama, UTCP und Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, DIJ) freut sich, Sie am 22. November ins DIJ Tokyo einzuladen, um gemeinsam in entspannter Atmosphäre über ein Thema zu diskutieren. Fachliche Vorkenntnisse benötigen Sie nicht. Bei Interesse melden Sie sich bitte bis zum 20. November an. Weitere Informationen hier

Youth climate activism is globally significant but varies across cultures. European studies highlight public protest and digital mobilization, whereas Japan shows subtler engagement, possibly rooted in cultural attitudes toward hierarchy, conformity, and harmony that encourage “quiet activism”. In our project “Mapping Japan’s Youth Climate Movement: Actors, Roles, and Strategies”, we want to identify the main youth climate movements and youth-led organizations in Japan, examining their goals, organization, mobilization and communication strategies, and relationships within the wider movement. Beyond official self-descriptions, we are interested in everyday realities such as leadership, informal structures, and decision-making, and in how these groups try to influence public debate and climate policy. The project is in the middle of fieldwork. Our speaker will present its concept, first learnings from the field, and preliminary findings from two focus groups with youth-led climate organizations. Details and registration here

Demographic change has created gaps in rural Japan, making it increasingly difficult to sustain patterns of community organisation and local activities in the natural environment. To address these gaps, local authorities and citizen groups have started initiatives in various parts of the country. The creation of “communicative spaces” lies at the core of several recent revitalisation initiatives. These spaces enable an open discussion among a diverse set of people and eventually create a productive atmosphere supporting adaptive community practices. Based on fieldwork in Kumamoto, Tottori, and rural Tokyo, DIJ researcher Sebastian Polak-Rottmann introduces examples of how communities set up and use communicative spaces and how they contribute to the resilience of local communities and the sustainability of the region. This talk is part of the Itinerant Seminar Series on Sustainability and takes place on December 14, onsite only at the DIJ. Details and registration here

We are currently accepting paper proposals for the international conference Fair Share? Intergenerational Justice in Transnational Perspective, hosted by the German Historical Institute Washington’s Pacific Office at UC Berkeley on November 15-16, 2027. The conference brings together historians and social scientists to explore intergenerational justice as a historical and interdisciplinary problem. It focuses especially on Germany, the United States, and Japan — three affluent, democratic, aging societies with very different welfare models — where demographic change, family structures, inheritance regimes, environmental politics, and postwar legacies have shaped different understandings of obligations across generations. Proposals, which should include a paper title, an abstract of no more than 250 words, and a short CV, must be submitted online by January 22, 2027. Details here

In Japan, one of the earliest major transformations in communications occurred during the Meiji period, when movable-type printing began to supplant centuries-old woodblock-printing practices, while photography appeared in daily newspapers. The transition to modern printing methods, together with increasing use of photography, transformed conceptions of what was print-worthy. It also led audiences to question what constituted the ‘real’ or the ‘true.’ Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) was among the woodblock-print artists who established their careers before the Meiji Restoration and subsequently faced the challenge of adapting their practices to remain relevant. His Tokyo Jiman Meibutsu-e (Pride of Tokyo), published during the twilight years of woodblock-print culture, is particularly worthy of attention today. His work demonstrates how an artist could develop new forms of communication while taking advantage of traditional artistic skills and established human networks. Details and registration here

By the end of 2025, the number of Chinese nationals residing in Japan increased to 930,396, accounting for 22.55% of all foreign nationals. Notably, Tokyo hosts one-third of this population, many of whom hold skilled and elite residence status. This research premises on the conceptualization of immigration decision-making as a process shaped by past and ongoing lived experiences in countries of origin and destination, alongside comparisons with the “West” and its imaginaries. It situates Chinese mobility against a backdrop of geopolitical, economic, and sociocultural volatility, marked by evolving US–China tensions, authoritarian resurgence, and shifting immigration politics. Drawing on participant observation and in-depth semi-structured interviews, this presentation shares preliminary findings on the decision-making processes and rationales of Chinese business people and professionals. It highlights the population’s heterogeneity while examining the uncertainties, dilemmas, and precarity they navigate. Details and registration here

This two-day symposium explores the critical transition from the 1930s to the 1960s, a period marked by colonization, war, and postwar reconstruction in East Asia. Focusing on Japan, Korea and Taiwan, the event highlights the intertwined development of medicine, science, and technology across imperial legacies, Cold War geopolitics, and rapid modernization. Bringing together 14 historians of science, technology, and medicine, the conference seeks to uncover how shared histories and divergent paths shaped state-building, institutional reform, and knowledge production in these nations. Through comparative and transnational perspectives, the symposium invites new insights into the collaborative and contested processes that defined, and still define, the region’s future. The symposium takes place on September 17 and 18 online and on-site at the DIJ. It is organized by DIJ’s Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus, Bernhard Leitner (Medical University of Vienna), and Nicolas Schillinger (University of Duisburg-Essen). Details and registration here