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Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies On Site
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DIJ Newsletter 81
Autumn 2025
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Welcome to the Autumn 2025 issue!
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Once again this year, numerous media representatives and camera crews gathered in Kobe and Nishinomiya to capture the reactions of Haruki Murakami's fans and old classmates as the Nobel Prize for Literature was announced last week. As in previous years, the Japanese writer, who has been considered a favourite for years, came away empty-handed. His fans in Murakami's hometown were understandably disappointed but promised to keep their spirits up for next year: ‘He'll definitely win the prize in 2026,’ one of them exclaimed. One reason for the optimism: Japanese people are relatively often awarded Nobel Prizes. This year, Shimon Sakaguchi (Osaka University) received the prize in medicine, together with two Americans, and Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University) received the prize in chemistry, together with colleagues researching in the USA and Australia. Japanese media proudly calculated that Kitagawa is the 30th Japanese national to be honoured, and that no less than seven Nobel Prizes have gone to Japan in the last ten years, three of them in the past two years.
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We have no prizes to announce in this edition of the DIJ Newsletter but we are no less proud that our institute has recently received competitive funding for two research projects (see below). Also in this Newsletter: a selection of our new publications, recent and upcoming events, Alumni news, 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 autumn,
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Research News ・Neues aus der Forschung ・研究活動ニュース
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Poster © DIJ
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New Research Node 'Global Indo-Pacific'
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Together with its sister institutes in Delhi, London, Paris, Washington, the Institute for Asian and African Studies at Humboldt University Berlin, and the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National University of Singapore, the DIJ has received funding to build the new multi-year research node 'Global Indo-Pacific: Connecting Histories and Futures'. It is funded by the Max Weber Foundation and hosted by ARI. The research node will foster a better understanding of the Indo-Pacific’s complex historical trajectories and regional dynamics and their implications for pressing global ecological, demographic and geopolitical issues. From broad and diverse cultural, geographical, historical, scientific and social perspectives, it seeks to unravel the multiple ways that the Indo-Pacific comes to be constructed and circulates.
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Photo © private
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Nicole Mueller Receives Project Funding
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As a member of a five-person international research team, DIJ's Nicole M. Mueller has successfully applied for a grant in the Fall 2025 Project Funding Competition from Japan Past & Present (JPP). Their project "Working Japan: Labor in Japanese Popular Culture and Media" will produce a multilingual, interactive video lecture series that maps how Japanese literature, film, anime, manga, and games have imagined work and technology from the 1950s to the AI era. Other team members are Edwin Michielsen (University of Hong Kong), Takane Suzuki (Waseda University), Wei Ran (Tohoku University), and Alexandre Paquet (Independent). JPP is a project of the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities at UCLA and Waseda University to promote the internationalisation and global visibility of Japanese Studies in the humanities. Congratulations!
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New Publications ・Gerade erschienen ・新刊
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Cover © Iudicium
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Cultural Translation in Japanese Literature
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"Black Holes in the Fabric of Languages". Cultural Translation in Japanese Literature (in German), co-edited by DIJ literary scholar Carolin Fleischer-Heininger and DIJ alumnus Kevin Schumacher-Shoji, explores the complexities of cultural translation through nine in-depth case studies. Among these is DIJ researcher Nicole M. Mueller’s analysis of the Japanese publishing industry's historical impact on practices of retranslation. Emphasizing that translation is inherently cultural, the book presents cultural translation as a tool for shaping and reflecting social identities, offering diverse perspectives and promoting interdisciplinary approaches to literary and text-based research. Its three parts examine literary translations through the lens of translational and philosophical theory, include translators‘ insights, and explore the cultural translation and translatability of concepts.
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Cover © Taylor & Francis
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New Issue of Contemporary Japan
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The new issue of Contemporary Japan includes six original research articles on “faith talk” in Japanese political rhetoric (E. Larsson), the “afterlife” of prime ministers, particularly Satō Eisaku (T. Tsuda), an ethnographic study of a Korean international school (K. Hirano), literacy movements and female empowerment among former Burakumin (C. Fusari), elderly reemployment (K. Haga), and a spatial analysis of Takarazuka fandom (Z. Baraniak-Hirata). The book review section includes a monograph on the history of the Japanese destroyer Yukikaze (reviewed by S. P. Porter) and a handbook on postwar Japan (reviewed by F. Coulmas).
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Cover © Karen Olze
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Communicative Places for Rural Spaces
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This open access publication (in German; English and Japanese translations forthcoming) explores “communicative places” in rural Germany and Japan. It features four short research articles and seven essays from researchers, local actors, and visitors, offering both conceptual insights and practical case studies. The term “communicative places” refers to spatial aspects of revitalization in rural communities—also known as social places or places of resilience. The publication is co-edited by Claudia Neu, Norio Okada, Yoshiyuki Yama, and DIJ's Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, who also contributed a short research article on places of resilience in rural Japan.
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Recent journal articles, book chapters, and outreach articles by DIJ researchers:
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- Carolin Fleischer-Heininger, "Perspektiven auf Blindheit in Beruna no shippo (1996) von Gunji Nanae", Formationsprozesse japanischer Literatur: Selbstreflexionen, Metafiktion und die Relevanz des Mediums, ed. L. Gebhardt & C. Chappelow, EB Verlag 2025, 167-188.
- Sébastien Lechevalier (with Saori Shibata), “Hampered digitalization: Institutional failure and new instability in Japan“, The Japanese Political Economy, 51 (1-2), 2025, 180-207.
- David M. Malitz (with Han Cheng, Priya Chacko, Fathun Karib, Yang Yang), "The Indo-Pacific: In What Sense a Region?", Dialogues in Human Geography (August 2025, online first).
- Nicole M. Mueller, "Kollektiver Kulturschock", Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 12 August 2025, 11.
- Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus & Torsten Weber, "Divided States, Divisive Memories", The Ends of War Blog. Internationale Perspektiven auf den Zweiten Weltkrieg (August 2025).
- Sebastian Polak-Rottmann (with Dionyssios Askitis), "Yorokonde Morau: the shared well-being experience of making others happy (and feeling happy because of it)", Social Science Japan Journal, 28 (2), July 2025 (online first).
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DIJ News ・Aus dem DIJ・研究所ニュース
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Photo © DIJ
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Student Groups from Germany Visit DIJ
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In September, two study groups from Germany visited the DIJ. Celia Spoden guided guests from the Hans Böckler Foundation at the Dawn Avatar Robot Café. Drawing on Celia's research on Cyber-physical spaces and avatar technologies, the group later discussed at the DIJ the social challenges that artificial emotional intelligence and telerobotics aim to address. Barbara Holthus and Nicole M. Mueller welcomed an interdisciplinary study group from Munich University to the DIJ (photo). They discussed with their guests, who all visited Japan for the first time, issues including demographic change, sustainability, post-retirement jobs, and politeness.
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Photo © DIJ
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Four New PhD Students Join the DIJ
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In September and October, we welcomed four new PhD students: Liliane Höppe (Vienna, centre), Alissa Kacs (Bonn, left), Merle Kartscher (Harvard, right), and Marija Tomic (Vienna). Liliane studies cultural and identity discourses in Japanese literature, focusing on Shimao Toshio’s writings on Okinawa. Alissa examines the impact of generative AI on Japanese work culture, particularly technology acceptance and corporate practices. Merle explores the roles of women in the Japanese Empire through their involvement in women’s organisations in colonial Taiwan and Korea. Marija researches contemporary Japanese women's literature with a focus on the representation of rape and gender.
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Photo © DIJ
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Introducing Our New Interns
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Five new interns have joined the DIJ in September and October. Jonah Gamarra (Bremen) supports Sebastian Polak-Rottmann in his research on the anthropology of resilience in local communities in Japan. Jennifer Lechner (Oslo) works with Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus and David M. Malitz in their research projects in the DIJ's research cluster Transregional Japan. Quint Welb and Timo Riegelmann (Bremen) assist Carolin Fleischer-Heininger with her research on disabilities in Japan. Christina Adamski (HU Berlin) supports Torsten Weber in the field of science communication and contributes to his research on war memory. 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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Upcoming Event ・Kommende Veranstaltung・今後のイベント
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Poster © UTCP
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German-speaking Philosophy Café
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The University of Tokyo Centre for Philosophy (UTCP) and the DIJ cordially invite you to join the next session of the German-speaking philosophy café at the DIJ on October 18. Organised by Yukiko Kuwayama (UTCP) and DIJ's Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, the meetings offer an opportunity to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. No prior knowledge is required. If you are interested, please register via our website by October 16.
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Past Event ・Vergangene Veranstaltung・最近のイベント
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Photos © private
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DIJ Forum 'Japan in Global History'
On 14 October, the DIJ welcomed Sheldon Garon (Princeton University) and Sebastian Conrad (FU Berlin) to discuss how Japan should be integrated in accounts of Global History with a focus on World War Two. Garon emphasized that wartime Japan should no longer be seen as an exceptional, bizarre case, but as a part of the global history of 20th-century warfare. The presentation and comments were followed by a lively discussion with the onsite and online audiences of more than 100 guests, moderated by DIJ's Torsten Weber. A video of the DIJ Forum Writing a Global History of the Second World War by Taking Japan Seriously will be uploaded on our YouTube account shortly.
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Library News ・ Aus der Bibliothek ・ 図書室ニュース
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Screenshot © DIJ
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DIJ Participates in Special Library Expo
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DIJ librarian Megumi Ono will represent our library at the upcoming "Special Libraries You Can Use" panel exhibition at Pacifico Yokohama (October 22-24). It features specialist libraries from across the country with more than 100 libraries participating in last year's exhibition. Megumi also presented the DIJ library at the Annual Research Conference of the Japan Special Libraries Association in July where she gave a presentation on "Requirements and challenges for libraries to qualify for the application of Article 31 of the Copyright Act" (in Japanese).
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DIJ in the Media ・ In den Medien・メディアで知るDIJ
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Screenshot © Deutschlandfunk
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DIJ Expertise in German Media
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Social Media ・Soziale Medien・ソーシャルメディア
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Screenshot © DIJ YouTube Channel
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New Videos on the DIJ YouTube Channel
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Animals, well-being, food, and Expo: our successful YouTube channel keeps growing. In the past weeks we have uploaded five new videos from international conferences, lectures, and outreach activities, including contributions from DIJ researchers Isaac Gagné, Barbara Holthus, Nicole M. Mueller, Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, and Franz Waldenberger as well as DIJ Forum speakers Aya H. Kimura and Yasuhiro Kobayashi. Join over 1,800 subscribers and never miss a new upload on the DIJ YouTube channel.
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Alumni News ・Unsere Ehemaligen ・DIJ 同窓会
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Cover © Publisher
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New Book on Communication Ideologies
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Ideologies of Communication in Japan, co-edited by DIJ alumnus Florian Grosser (PhD student, 2025), presents a wide-ranging exploration of how communication is ideologically shaped in Japan. Moving beyond traditional language ideologies, the volume covers diverse contexts from language learning and digital communication to couple dynamics and immigrant experiences. The chapters employ innovative methods such as soundscapes, language portraits, and social space analysis. They also highlight how ideologies can be constructively mobilized.
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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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