Events and Activities
Hybrid Study Group on Feminist Foreign Policy in Japan
In recent years, feminist foreign policy (FFP) has become a buzzword in foreign policy. Since 2015, the Japanese government has been trying to push for more gender equality in its foreign policy and adopted a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. In 2023, the Kishida cabinet appointed the second woman in Japan’s history as foreign minister and Japan’s latest National Action Plan includes even more gender-sensitive norms. At the same time, Japan is under intense scrutiny for consistently ranking last among G7 countries on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This clashes sharply with Japan’s international image as an ethically “good state”. Against this background, this lecture examines how Japan attempts to catch up with the international trend of FFP and the promotion of pro-gender norms in its foreign policy. Details and registration here
Co-authored book chapter by Nora Kottmann examines Japanese singles and solo-life
The average age of first marriage in Japan has steadily increased over the last century, as has the likelihood of never marrying, for both women and men. In conjunction with the decline in average length of marriage, these trends indicate that Japanese people are spending more of their lives singles, in the sense of being legally unmarried. Against this background, the chapter “Japanese Singles and Solo-Life”, co-authored by Laura Dales and former DIJ researcher Nora Kottmann discusses the implications of singlehood and the ways that being single and solo activities (sorokatsu) have been framed and re-framed in the wake of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The authors explore the possibilities for belonging, as well as marginality, in singlehood at a time when intimate and relational practices are shaped by the proscription of the ‘3 Cs’ (closed spaces, crowds, and close-contact situations). The chapter was published in Singular Selves: An Introduction to Singles Studies (Routledge India 2024), edited by Ketaki Chowkhani and Craig Wynne.
New book by Harald Kümmerle on Mathematics as science in Japan
The new open access book Die Institutionalisierung der Mathematik als Wissenschaft im Japan der Meiji- und Taishō-Zeit (1868–1926) by DIJ researcher Harald Kümmerle examines the rapid institutionalization of mathematics as a scientific discipline in Meiji and Taishō-era Japan. This development was based on a rich pre-existing tradition of knowledge and is analysed with a focus on the foundations, the course, and the characteristics of knowledge circulation. To this end, Harald’s study examines the organisational formation, standardisation, professionalisation, and disciplinary formation of mathematics in Japan. The book is published in the Acta historica Leopoldina series (vol. 77) by Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Stuttgart. It is based on Harald’s PhD dissertation which was awarded the Johannes Zilkens Dissertation Award in 2020.
DIJ researchers at conference on Digital Humanities and Digital History
DIJ researchers Harald Kümmerle and Nicole M. Mueller will participate in the international conference Exploring Epistemic Virtues and Vices: Data, Infrastructures, and Episteme between Collaboration and Exploitation in Luxembourg from March 14 to 16. Harald will deliver the keynote speech on “Epistemological challenges of doing research in/on Japan in the age of Digital Humanities”. Nicole will give her paper discussing “Epistemic Potentials and Pitfalls of Scalability” in the panel on Epistemic Virtues and Vices of Digital Research Practices. The conference is organized by the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) in collaboration with the German Historical Institute Washington, the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, and the DIJ. Details here
Workshop explores relationship in human-machine interaction
When humans and machines interact, do they form (real) relationships? At the workshop Relationship in Human-Machine Interaction, six keynote speakers will share insights on the relationship-building aspects of humans and robots, avatars, or devices. Their talks will cover social psychology, media studies, computer science, and engineering viewpoints, including a presentation by DIJ researcher Celia Spoden on avatar robots as alter ego for hospitalized students. The talks and discussions are followed by the interactive workshop “Detour: Brand characters, tonalities, and emotions”. The event highlights the potential of technology to support communication, ease loneliness and decrease isolation, and enable new ways to organize work and life. All participants are invited to join the discussions and share their perspectives. The workshop is organised by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo). It is co-supported by the DIJ. Details and registration here
Barbara Holthus panelist at pet industry conference
As part of her research on the sociology of pets in contemporary Japan, DIJ deputy director Barbara Holthus will participate in a panel discussion on the challenges resulting from the cohabitation of humans and pets in Japan’s super-aged society. The panel is part of an event organised by the Japan Animalpic Committee, an association that promotes the well-being of and interactions between humans and animals. Other panelists include former Minister of State Katayama Satsuki, pet activists Katsumata Kazuyoshi (Japan Animalpic Committee), Ito Hiroshi (Medical Ark School), Hosoda Nobuyuki (Japan Animalpic Committee), and dog trainer Ito Tetsuro. The event takes place on February 13 in Tokyo’s Office Building of the House of Representatives. Details and registration here (in Japanese)
Online Study Group on Japanese Female Doctors in the Meiji Era
This online presentation offers a novel perspective on the historical study of education in Japan by focusing on Japanese female medical students in Germany. It will examine the educational experience of two pioneer females, Dr. Urata Tada (1873-1936) and Dr. Fukui Shigeko (1874-1961) who received their MD degrees from Marburg University. Upon returning to Japan, Urata became dean of Dōjin Hospital in Tianjin, China, and Fukui worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Osaka Ogata Hospital. Urata and Fukui achieved a breakthrough in the status of female doctors in the Japanese medical profession. This presentation will argue for their roles in facilitating the dissemination of knowledge during Japan’s modernization in medical areas. Importantly, it offers insights into the reform of Japanese female higher education in modern Japan. Details and registration here
Wen-Wei Lan, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU Munich)
Hybrid Study Group on Traffic Accident Disputes in Japan
Compared to other industrialized nations, the litigation rate for traffic accident disputes in Japan is remarkably low, leading to the widespread belief that the Japanese tend to avoid taking legal action. This has sparked a debate about the ‘legal consciousness’ in Japanese society. Julien Schickling will present research findings from expert interviews conducted with judges, lawyers, insurance companies, and dispute resolution institutions to shed light on the system for resolving traffic accident disputes in Japan. In addition, he will analyze the rise in litigation rates for traffic accident disputes in Japan observed since the early 2000s, with the aim of providing comprehensive reasons for this shift. Details and registration here
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Citizen science & environmental activism in early postwar Japan: #DIJStudyGroup "Give Us Our Blue Skies Back!" The extraordinary anti-pollution movement of ordinary Japanese housewives, 1950-69 with Anna Schrade, 24 April, 18.30 JST, online only. Details https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/give-us-our-blue-skies-back-the-extraordinary-anti-pollution-movement-of-ordinary-japanese-housewives-1950-1969/
Join our #DIJStudyGroup "Captured in Reflection – Japanese photography in Manchuria" with Jasmin Rückert on April 25 for exciting insights into how Japanese soldiers and civilians used their cameras to portray life in Manchukuo. Online & onsite @dij_tokyo https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/captured-in-reflection-japanese-photography-in-manchuria/
Reminder: You can still sign up for our next #DIJStudyGroup with @CarolaHommerich & Joanna Kitsnik (Sophia University) on the Green Shift and Environmental Attitudes in Japan from 1993 to 2020. Online & onsite, Thursday April 18, 6.30pm JST
Who Drives the Green Shift in Japan? Find out in our #DIJStudyGroup with @CarolaHommerich & Joanna Kitsnik (Sophia University) who will discuss findings from survey data on environmental attitudes in Japan, 1993-2020. Online & onsite, April 18, 6.30pm JST https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/who-drives-the-green-shift-environmental-attitudes-in-japan-from-1993-to-2020/
Int'l workshop Popular Cultures of Digitalization @uni_tue incl papers by DIJ researchers Carolin Fleischer-Heininger on digitalization in Ichikawa Saō’s Hanchibakku & @SpodenCelia on the Japanese Government’s Robot Strategy, the Avatar Robot Café Dawn Ver.β & Anime ‘Time of Eve'
Call for Submissions
Contemporary Japan
current issue Vol. 36, No.1
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 after a one-year embargo period. Downloads are available on our
→ monographs pages.
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