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

Please note: this Study Group session has changed to online only. Western perspectives on Japanese art and artistic practices are often divided into traditional Japanese art movements, such as Nihonga painting, and contemporary art characterized by Pop-Art-like Manga and Anime characters. This presentation examines the fusion of these two worlds by exploring how contemporary Japanese artists utilize traditional Japanese materials and artistic methods commonly associated with Nihonga-art. Focusing on contemporary artists living and working in Kyoto, Alexandra Faust will discuss how these artists integrate traditional Japanese materials and techniques into their artistic practice. Empirical data collected over the last five months not only provides insights into the use of these materials and techniques but also reveals their connection to traditional, often forgotten knowledge about limited natural resources and sustainability. Details and registration here

In Japan, despite women’s improved access to higher education, still only one in five applicants to the nation’s top university are women. This presentation focuses on the role of high school students’ “imagined futures” in the context of highly uncertain admission and diversified higher education to provide explanations for the underrepresentation of women in Japanese selective universities. It draws on data from qualitative interviews with high school seniors and teachers in high schools where almost everyone goes to college. In contrast to the expectation that students in these schools are homogeneous in terms of meritocratic aspirations, this study finds significant gender differences in “aiming high.” This presentation provides theoretical insights into how gendered imagined futures and macro-level contexts combine to allocate men and women with similar academic potential into different educational and occupational trajectories, with implications for inequality in higher education in other sociocultural contexts. Details and registration here