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Deutsches Institut für Japanstudien

German Institute for Japanese Studies

Research focused on modern Japan, in global and regional perspectives. Located in one of the important economic and political hubs of East Asia, Tokyo.

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Events and Activities

Publications
October 25, 2024

New open access article analyses impact of civic engagement on women’s well-being

A new open access research article by Antonia Miserka (University of Vienna) and DIJ social scientist Sebastian Polak-Rottmann analyses the relationship between female civic engagement and subjective well-being. Their article “Happiness as a by-product – the impact of civic engagement on women’s well-being in rural Japan”, published in Japan Forum (online first), is based on qualitative interviews and participant observation in a rural area in southern Japan. The analysis shows that (a) making others happy, (b) acting for oneself, and (c) the process of acting with others all have a beneficial impact on subjective well-being. In this regard, the findings support relational approaches to subjective well-being. More specifically, the reciprocity of well-being within social relationships helps to explain how civic engagement leads to higher well-being in rural Japan. The article is an outcome of Sebastian’s research project Supplementing activities of resilience: The impact of demographic change on local activities and civic engagement.

Publications
October 1, 2024

New issue of Contemporary Japan published

© Taylor&Francis

The new issue of Contemporary Japan (vol. 36, no. 2) features five research articles, the biennial 2023 VSJF award-winning paper, and a book review section. The research articles include an inquiry into the relevance and effectiveness of national apologies by Jane Munro; Ryotaro Takahashi addresses the relationship of income inequality and the size of the government in Japan; Ken Hijino analyzes the politics of depopulation in local elections; Silvia Croydon investigates the politics of inclusiveness in terms of consultation on disability policies; and Kristina Iwata-Weickgenannt and Aidana Bolatbekkyzy explore how foodscapes are invoked in critical commentary on the “capitalocene” in post-3.11 Japanese literature. The English translation of the VSJF award-winning paper by David Adebahr offers unprecedented access to the conversations and thought processes behind Japan’s security policy among key political actors in Japan. CJ’s book review section includes recent publications on religion and fundamentalism, the history of Kyoto, public discourse on fertility policies, and the use of robots in eldercare.

Publications
October 3, 2024

Book by Dolf Neuhaus on Korean-Japanese Interactions and Japanese Colonial Rule in Korea

© Campus

What role did Korean students who came to Japan between 1880 and 1923 play in the discourse on Japan’s colonial and East Asian policies? How did their encounter with Japanese intellectuals of Protestant faith, especially in the environment of the YMCA and the Imperial University of Tokyo, influence their views? Drawing on a wide range of Japanese and Korean sources, Dolf-Alexander Neuhaus‘ new 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) examines how these 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 based on Dolf’s doctoral dissertation and is published by Campus in the Global History series.

Other
December 24, 2024

Season’s Greetings and best wishes for the New Year

Das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien wünscht erholsame und frohe Festtage und einen guten Start in ein erfolgreiches Jahr der Schlange!

The German Institute for Japanese Studies wishes you a happy holiday season and a successful Year of the Snake!

ドイツ日本研究所一同、皆様のご多幸と来るべき新年が成功の年になることを祈念いたします。

Event Series
Events
February 12, 2025

On-site Study Group “Marriage hunting” in Japan

“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

Speaker: Anna Woźny, Princeton University / Tokyo College
Event Series
Events
December 12, 2024

Online Study Group on Hypogamy and Traditional Household Attitudes

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

Speaker: Björn Becker, IAAEU at Trier University / DIJ Tokyo
Event Series
Events
December 10, 2024

Online Study Group explores Socio-Technical Futures in Japan

This talk explores how laypeople and experts in Japan assess the role of technology in a desirable future. It will introduce two separate studies, spotlighting perceptions on two different streams of technology with two different stakeholder groups: laypeoples’ perceptions of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) and experts’ perspectives on cybernetic avatar (CA) technology. Both studies draw on a Research through Design (RtD) inspired Futuring approach, carried out through workshop formats. RtD refers to generating knowledge through the act of designing, while Futuring broadly refers to a set of approaches to strategically think about future developments and their (social) implications. This talk spotlights how the role of technology is anticipated by different stakeholders in Japan and sheds light on attitudes and values driving these socio-technical imaginations. Details and registration here

Speaker: Michel Hohendanner, TU Munich/Munich Center for Digital Sciences & AI (HM)/DIJ Tokyo
Event Series
Events
December 4, 2024

Hybrid conference at DIJ discusses ‘Innovation for GX’

It is indisputable that innovations are needed to achieve the ambitious net-zero greenhouse gas emission goals by 2050. Japan’s green transformation (GX) growth strategy explicitly counts on breakthrough innovations as exemplified by the roadmaps for carbon-intensive industries. Subsidies and sovereign green bonds are used to incentivize respective private R&D efforts. Europe and Germany also acknowledge the vital importance of innovation in these fields. Their policies are, however, less explicit about the content of new technological solutions. Instead, they rely on the incentives created by rising emission prices set by compulsory emission trading schemes. Bringing together five Japanese and German experts on carbon recycling technologies and sustainable aviation fuels, this conference will discuss the state of green innovation. This joint DIJ-RIEEM event takes places online and on site at the DIJ on December 4. Details and registration here

Upcoming Events

Nothing from 15/02/2025 to 15/07/2025.

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    Call for Submissions

    Contemporary Japan
    current issue Vol. 36, No.2
    Contemporary Japan is open year-round for rolling submissions, with accepted publications published immediately online. Please see the instructions for submission here.

    DIJ Monograph Series

    Our monograph series is Open Access Open Access after a one-year embargo period. Downloads are available on our
    → monographs pages
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    DIJ Tokyo
    Jochi Kioizaka Bldg. 2F
    7-1 Kioicho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
    102-0094 Japan
    Where to find us

    +81 (0)3 3222-5077
    +81 (0)3 3222-5420
    dijtokyo@dijtokyo.org

     


     

    DIJ-ARI Asian Infrastructures Research Partnership