The future begins with imagination. One example are the Sci-Fi prototyping initiatives of Japanese tech giants like Sony and NTT, which intentionally utilize storytelling to foster public acceptance of emerging technologies. Focusing on the connection between narratives, culture, technological innovation, and marketing, this interdisciplinary workshop delves into both fictional and non-fictional portrayals of Japan’s technological future. Twenty international scholars and practitioners from Japan’s tech industry will join us to analyze visions of emerging technologies, of their environmental and societal impact, and of Japan as a “futuristic” nation through the lens of “narrative” and “sociotechnical imaginary” theoretical frameworks. The workshop is organised by DIJ researcher Nicole M. Mueller and supported by the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) Tokyo. It will open with a public DIJ Forum with keynotes by Fritz Breithaupt (Indiana University Bloomington) and Hirotaka Osawa (Keio University). Details and registration here

Over the past three decades, Japanese media productions, especially manga, have primarily been examined with regard to hegemonic images of ‘femininity’ and as indicators of social change. Only few studies have focused on media constructions of ‘masculinity’. In this talk, Ralf Windhab presents preliminary findings of his doctoral dissertation, which analyzes various Japanese manga that depict male characters as protagonists engaging in unpaid household chores. These portrayals contradict the prevailing image of men as the breadwinners of the family and women as the ones responsible for the household.  The research presented shows that some male characters are portrayed as weak or partially feminine in accordance with stereotypes and clichés, while others are portrayed as overly masculine. The actual household chores depicted and their frequency, as well as the different motives for the men to participate in household chores, will also be discussed. Details and registration here

The ideologies associated with fatherhood in Japan are changing rapidly in tandem with shifting beliefs about family relationships and work-life balance. While many Japanese fathers aspire to be strong presences in their children’s lives, these men often cannot locate in their own emotionally distant fathers any role models for paternal involvement. What does it mean to be a father in contemporary Japan? How does one learn more about child care, especially when the overwhelming amount of parenting information targets mothers? Can fathers find inspiration outside their families, such as by forming supportive relationships with other parents? This talk will explore how some Japanese fathers are pursuing answers to these questions. It draws upon more than two years of ethnographic fieldwork among parenting-focused groups in the Greater Tokyo Area, and considers what these answers might mean for families, the communities in which they live, and wider society. Details and registration here

This talk explores a series of deportations of Taiwanese dissidents from Japan that occurred between 1967 and 1968. The four individuals in question faced the threat of death penalty in Taiwan for political crimes. The presentation demonstrates that these deportations, along with the resistance they sparked, had a profound and lasting impact on both Taiwan and Japan. They played a crucial role in the failure of the Japanese government’s attempts to toughen immigration laws, led to a series of court rulings that eventually established a de facto right to asylum in Japan by 1971, and resulted in the founding of Amnesty International Japan. These events also triggered an ideological shift within the Taiwanese independence movement and led to its ongoing entanglement with the international human rights movement. Details and registration here

Please note: this session of the DIJ Study Group is postponed until further notice

Was the postwar economic miracle a result of the Japanese government’s industrial policy, or did it occur despite it? Numerous studies on the effects of government policy on industrial growth have produced contradictory or inconclusive findings. In this talk, Krautter argues that one of the main instruments of industrial policy toward growth industries was the licensing system for technology imports.  Focusing on technology policy, he finds that the licensing system positively influenced the terms and conditions of technology imports. Krautter contends that the government’s role in postwar industrial development was more that of a coordinator rather than of a “leader” or “guide.” This view is reflected in the description of the Japanese state as a coordination state, contrasting with the well-known concept of the developmental state.

Computer vision AI systems present one of the most radical technical transformations of our time. Such systems are given unparalleled epistemic power to impose meaning on visual data despite their inherent ambiguity. This becomes particularly evident in computer vision AI that interprets the meaning of human faces in face recognition or emotion expression systems. Despite scientific, social and political concerns, facial analysis AI systems are widely deployed also in Japan, for example, for training employees to show certain facial expressions. This talk presents findings from a study of public perceptions of facial analysis AI across Argentina, Kenya, Japan, and the USA. It reveals similarities in justification patterns but also significant intra-country and inter-country diversity in response to different facial inferences. The study suggests that there is no “common sense” facial classification that accords with a general, homogeneous “human intuition”. Details and registration here

The DIJ, in collaboration with the German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH) Tokyo, is hosting an interdisciplinary workshop delving into both fictional and nonfictional portrayals of Japan’s technological future. We will juxtapose these visions with those from other cultures and analyze them through the lens of “narrative” and “sociotechnical imaginary” theoretical frameworks. Scholars whose research aligns with the thematic scope of our workshop are invited to send their abstracts for their planned presentations via E-Mail to mueller@dijtokyo.org by June 15, 2024. We welcome paper proposals by scholars from different career stages (including PhD students) and from a variety of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. Participants who are accepted for the workshop will be notified by July 5, 2024. Before submitting your abstract, please see the full Call for Papers here