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Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies On Site
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DIJ Newsletter 80
Summer 2025
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Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue!
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The Osaka Kansai Expo opened its doors exactly 86 days ago today. As always with mega events, initially the Expo was met with great skepticism and criticism: is a world exhibition still in keeping with the times? Isn't it too expensive? Who will even go to see it? A few days ago, the 10 millionth visitor was welcomed – the Asano family from Yamagata city in Northern Japan. According to media reports, the organisers are delighted with the response to the Expo so far, with up to 195,000 visitors a day, and they are now confident to reach their target of at least 22 million visitors by the time the Expo will close its gates in mid-October. Among the first 10 million visitors were three DIJ delegations, who presented their research in the fields of digital transformation and sustainability at the German, Swiss, and Austrian pavilions, respectively. You can find more on our Expo visits in this issue of the DIJ Newsletter.
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Also in this edition of the DIJ Newsletter: a selection of our new publications, recent and upcoming events, Alumni publications, and updates on our outreach and social media activities.
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If you haven't yet done so, you can subscribe to receive the DIJ Newsletter directly to your inbox here. We also welcome your feedback and email address updates via email.
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From all of us at the DIJ, we wish you a pleasant summer,
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Research News ・Neues aus der Forschung ・研究活動ニュース
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Blog 'Sustainability in Japan and Beyond'
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This new multidisciplinary blog highlights current research on sustainability with a focus on contemporary Japanese society. The blog posts are based on projects of the members of the DIJ's research cluster “Sustainability in Japan” and introduce reflections and short discussions of ongoing research. Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, head of the research cluster and the blog's editor, also welcomes contributions from other scholars who work on sustainability in Japan or in other countries and regions. The first three blog posts include reflections on field trips to the Noto Peninsula and to Okutama as well as a report on the VSJF Annual Conference.
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New Publication ・Gerade erschienen ・新刊
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Cover © Projekt Verlag
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Terayama Shūji & Culture in Postwar Japan
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Recent journal articles, book chapters, and outreach articles by DIJ researchers:
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- Sébastien Lechevalier (with Yuko Tamaki Welply, Christophe Humbert, Katsunori Shimohara, Jean-Marie Robine), "Care-led innovation: the case of eldercare in France and in Japan". International Journal of Care and Caring (April 2025, early view).
- David M. Malitz (with Egas Moniz Bandeira, Sara Marzagora, Rafał Pankowski, Yufei Zhou), "Global Histories of the Japanese Parliament: Articles in the International History Review Presented at the Symposium on the Occasion of the 130th Anniversary of the Opening of the Imperial Diet at the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo in November 2020". International History Review, 47(3), 359–364.
- Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus & Torsten Weber, "Geteilte Staaten, geteilte Erinnerungen". The Ends of War. Internationale Perspektiven auf den Zweiten Weltkrieg. (original publication as "Beschönigung der Kriegsverbrechen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Dossier „Bilder und Zeiten“: Spezial zum Kriegsende 1945, 3 May 2025).
- Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus, "Review of Andrew Hall and Leighanne Yuh (eds.), Education, Language, and the Intellectual Underpinnings of Modern Korea, 1875–1945. Leiden: Brill 2023". Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies, 25(1), 125–128.
- Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, "Review of ポジショナリティ 、 Zeitgeist 、 そして「失敗」に関する一考察". 村落社会研究ジャーナル, 31(2), 30–34.
- Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, "Japans ländliche Gemeinden in Zeiten des demografischen Wandels: Wie Orte des sozialen Austauschs zur Zukunft kleiner Dörfer beitragen". MWS Themenportal (13 May 2025)
- Celia Spoden, "Review of Robots won’t save Japan: an ethnography of eldercare automation, by J. A. Wright. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2023". Asian Anthropology (June 2025, online first).
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DIJ News ・Aus dem DIJ・研究所ニュース
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Photo © N. Mueller
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DIJ Researchers at Osaka Kansai Expo
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In May and June, three DIJ delegations participated in events at the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025. At the German Pavilion, Franz Waldenberger, Barbara Holthus, Isaac Gagné, and Nicole M. Mueller introduced the DIJ and gave insights into their research projects in the fields of Digital Transformation and Sustainability. Upon invitation by the Swiss Pavilion, Celia Spoden and Nicole M. Mueller participated in a "Friendship with Artificial Intelligence" event and gave presentations on avatar robots and metaverse imaginaries. During the Expo's theme week on "Health and Well-Being", Christina and Sebastian Polak-Rottmann presented their research on well-being in rural Japan and Austria at the Austrian Pavilion.
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Photo © DIJ
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Celia Spoden Awarded Bookman Prize
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DIJ social scientist Celia Spoden was awarded the Mark Bookman Prize by the Anthropology of Japan in Japan (AJJ) association for her presentation “Avatar Robots as an Alter Ego: New Opportunities for Work or Technological Fixes?” at the joint Japan Anthropology Workshop/AJJ conference in Kobe. Drawing on fieldwork in Tokyo’s DAWN Avatar Robot Café and on interviews with people with disabilities who remotely control an avatar robot from their homes and serve the guests in the cafe, Celia’s paper shows how the avatar robots open up new opportunities for social participation, lead to a feeling of independence and belonging, and challenge common understandings of “disability.” Congratulations!
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Screenshot © Goethe University Frankfurt
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DIJ Researchers at 'Japanologentag'
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From 20 to 22 August, 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.
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Photo © DIJ
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Introducing Our Intern Stephanie Ivankovic
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In June, Stephanie Ivankovic was part of our team as an intern. A Bachelor’s student in International Business at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, she mainly supported Nicole M. Mueller in her research on the cultural and social contextualization of future narratives. She also accompanied Nicole to her classes at Keio University. This gave her exciting insights into the Japanese university system and the academic culture, Stephanie notes. She particularly appreciated the open and supportive atmosphere at the DIJ that helped her to integrate quickly and feel at home. If you are interested in joining our team as an intern, please check our guidelines (in German). We look forward to your application!
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Image © MWS
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Travel Grants for Multi-Country Research
Are you an early-career researcher looking for funding for research stays abroad of up to one month? Why not consider applying for a Gerald D. Feldman Travel Grant for researchers in the humanities and social sciences? Offered by the Max Weber Foundation (MWS), the travel grants allow you to conduct your own research project in two or three of the countries which are home to MWS institutes, including the DIJ for Japan-related projects. Application deadline: 5 October.
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Upcoming Events ・Kommende Veranstaltungen・今後のイベント
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Photos © private
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DIJ Forum on Microbiome and Tsukemono
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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 and both historical and ethnographic data, Aya H. Kimura (University of Hawai’i-Mānoa) and Yasuhiro Kobayashi (Ecological Memes) will analyse the modern antibiotic turn and its contemporary probiotic modulation. The DIJ Forum Fermenting for the future: tsukemono as a practice of awai takes place on 17 July at the DIJ and online. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session and a small reception.
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Poster for Godzilla film (1954)
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Workshop 'Revisiting the Asia-Pacific War'
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In Japan, dominant historical narratives, such as of Japanese victimization, have been foundational since the post-war period. The workshop Revisiting the Asia-Pacific War in Japan: Cultural Artifacts and Intellectual Discourse explores how these narratives are being selectively contested by cultural artifacts and counter discourses. Presenting case studies from manga, film, and literature, five international scholars will discuss Japan's contested war memories and the legacy of the Asia-Pacific War in Japan's post-war culture. The workshop takes place onsite at the DIJ on 18 July.
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Past Events ・Vergangene Veranstaltungen・最近のイベント
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Image © DIJ
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Whither Japanese and German Economies
On 22 April, the DIJ welcomed Monika Schnitzer (German Council of Economic Experts) and Noriyuki Yanagawa (University of Tokyo) to discuss the current state and challenges of the German and Japanese economies. While Schnitzer emphasized problems such as Germany's neglected infrastructure and defense spending, an aging population, and the need to manage migration, Yanagawa focused on the impact of the US' tariff policy, labour shortage, supply constraints, and AI on the Japanese economy. Their presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion with Osamu Mogi (Kikkoman) and Makoto Shiono (Institute of Geoeconomics). A video of this DIJ Forum is available on our YouTube account.
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Photo © AWO Hannover
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Loneliness as a Social Phenomenon
As a part of the Volkswagen Foundation's theme week on “Tackling Loneliness”, Carolin Fleischer-Heininger and Celia Spoden, together with Aaron Hames (Chinese University Hong Kong) and Sachiko Horiguchi (Temple University, Japan Campus) organised the symposium Loneliness as a Social Phenomenon: Cross-Cultural Approaches to a Human Condition. Including anthropological, technological, ethical, cultural, and practitioners' perspectives, it connected theoretical and practical viewpoints. The symposium took place in Hannover from 11 to 13 June and also included an ethnographic film screening, a workshop, and a field trip to a local project addressing loneliness (photo).
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Photo © DIJ
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Aging Challenges in Europe and Japan
Economies in Europe and Asia are facing a “slow crisis” with a dual demographic shift: their population is expected to start contracting by 2050 and the proportion of older adults is expected to surpass 30% by the same year. Japan is at the forefront of this change, having experienced already a decade of population decline. On 20 June, the workshop Addressing the Aging Challenge in Europe and Japan – Insights from the INNOVCARE Project, brought together fifteen international scholars to discuss different perspectives on the aging challenge in Japan, focusing on the concept of “care-led innovation”. It was organised by the European Institute of Sophia University, the EHESS, and the DIJ.
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Library News – Aus der Bibliothek – 図書室ニュース
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Cover © Japan Library Association
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Article Introduces DIJ's Bandō Collection
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Former DIJ librarian Yoko Nagamine has contributed an article on the DIJ's collection of materials related to the Bandō prisoners of war camp to the Japan Library Association's monthly magazine Toshokan Zasshi. The article introduces the collection, including photos, maps, journals, letters, and postcards, in the April edition's "Treasures in our Library" section. The DIJ's Bandō collection contains more than 5600 pieces and, since 2021, has been on permanent loan to the Staatsbibliothek Berlin where it is being re-digitized.
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Social Media ・Soziale Medien・ソーシャルメディア
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Screenshot © DIJ
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New CJ Social Media Account on Bluesky
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Following the successful launch of the DIJ's social media account on Bluesky, we would like to invite you to follow also our new Contemporary Japan account on the same platform. The account provides updates on online first articles and newly published print issues. It is also a great way to connect with other authors, to widen your network with the academic community, and to increase your own visibility among your colleagues and the wider public. You can check out and follow CJ's Bluesky account here!
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Alumni News ・Unsere Ehemaligen ・DIJ 同窓会
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Cover © Publishers
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Books on Oriental Society and Fan Comics
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If you are part of the growing group of DIJ alumni and have recently published a book, received your PhD, or have any other news to share with us, please contact us via email.
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