Events and Activities
DIJ talk on data protection regulation in Japan and abroad

In a digitalized world, the trans-border flow of data has become essential for trade and the exchange of services. But some protectionist trends are gaining ground at the international level, such as data localization. Japan is one of the convenors of the WTO e-commerce negotiations, and as a firm believer in the free market and multilateral trade, Japan has tried to export its own ideas internationally. This is why former prime minister Shinzo Abe coined the expression ‘Data Free Flow With Trust’: its objective is to ease the flow of data but with the necessary safeguards for cybersecurity, personal data, or intellectual property. This talk will assess Japan’s push for this concept at the international level, including its successes but also challenges. It will put it in relation with other relevant actors, such as the United States, the EU, and China. Details and registration here
Ana Gascón Marcén, University of Zaragoza
Stellenangebot Mitarbeiterin / Mitarbeiter Verwaltung
Das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien (DIJ) sucht eine Mitarbeiterin / einen Mitarbeiter (w/m/d) für Aufgaben in der Verwaltung
Die mit der Stelle verbundenen Aufgaben umfassen insbesondere
- Mitarbeit bei der Mittelbewirtschaftung
- Mitarbeit bei der Personalsachbearbeitung
- Berechnung und Zahlung von Mietzuschüssen
- Dienstreisevor- und Nachbereitung
- Leistungsberechnung und Auszahlungen
- Beihilfesachbearbeitung
- Mitarbeit bei allgemeinen Verwaltungsangelegenheiten
Bewerbungen sind bis 30. Juni 2022 einzureichen.
Weitere Einzelheiten entnehmen Sie bitte der PDF Datei.
Stellenangebot Mitarbeiterin / Mitarbeiter Verwaltung Nr. 2
Das Deutsche Institut für Japanstudien (DIJ) sucht eine Mitarbeiterin / einen Mitarbeiter (w/m/d) für Aufgaben in der Verwaltung
Die mit der Stelle verbundenen Aufgaben umfassen
- Haushaltsmittelbewirtschaftung, inklusive Buchhaltung
- Abwicklung von Drittmittelprojekten
- Personalsachbearbeitung
- Budgetplanung
- allgemeinen Verwaltungsangelegenheiten
Bewerbungen sind bis 8. Juli 2022 einzureichen.
Weitere Einzelheiten entnehmen Sie bitte der PDF Datei.
Method Talk (hybrid event): Actors, networks, and where to find them in rural Japan
Aging inhabitants, economic decline of the primary sector, outmigration of the young generations – the postgrowth state of Japan’s peripheries challenges local communities to sustain rural living in the globalized age. To stop or even reverse this structural decline, various actors such as regional governments and research institutions forge strategies of revitalization, following national aims as well as global frameworks. For the investigation of these new and complex formations of power and knowledge in rural Japan, actor-and-network theory (ANT) can provide a window to shed light on how different allies find their goals unified in a common project and how links between centers and peripheries are established. It can, moreover, help to understand the impacts that such projects may – or may not – have on the local communities, which are supposed to benefit from them.
Thimo Thelen, Kanazawa University
Franz Waldenberger gives talk at Japan-Germany Forum
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Upon invitation by the Asia-Eurasia Research Institute DIJ director Franz Waldenberger will give a talk in Japanese on “Japan’s past and present through the eyes of a German” at the Japan-Germany Forum on June 15. The talk will take place online (Zoom) from 14.00-15.00h JST. It will be moderated by Hayase Isamu, chairman of the Japan-Germany Forum. Registration and details here
The Future of Liberalism: international symposium with keynote by Thomas Piketty
Thomas Piketty, French economist and author of Capital in the Twenty-first Century, will be the keynote speaker at the symposium ‘The Future of Liberalism: Japan, France and Germany in global context’. It will take place online from June 7 to 9 and features 18 international experts on liberalism and capitalism. On Day 1, Piketty’s keynote will be followed by a roundtable discussion with Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen) and Shigeki Uno (University of Tokyo). Day 2 features nine presentations, including by DIJ alumna Yufei Zhou on the “Transition of the Dominant Economic Ideology in China in the 21st Century”. On the closing day, DIJ director Franz Waldenberger will present his paper “Governance in a Knowledge Driven Society”. The symposium is jointly organised by the DIJ, the French Institute of Research on Japan at the Maison franco-japonaise (MFJ), and the Nippon Institute of Research Advancement (NIRA). Registration and details here
New special issue of Contemporary Japan on employment and HR

The newest edition of Contemporary Japan (vol. 34, no. 1) is a special issue on “Japan’s Employment System and Human Resource Management – Coping with increasing adjustment pressures”, guest edited by Parissa Haghirian. In addition to Haghirian’s introductory overview of the various changes and challenges in Japan’s contemporary employment system, the four research articles by Robinson/Sibala/Ito/Beyer, Meyer-Ohle, Debroux, and Koyama address the legal, social, economic, and business implications of non-regular forms of employment. In addition, they discuss some of the ways that firms are dealing with the increasing presence of women, senior workers, and foreigners in the workforce. The book review section includes a broad range of recent publications in the fields of international relations, history, anthropology, media studies, literature, and religious studies. Please see the full issue here
“Digital currencies should be introduced as early as possible”: Markus Heckel interviews Hiromi Yamaoka

DIJ economist Markus Heckel has interviewed Hiromi Yamaoka about the development of cryptocurrencies in Japan. Yamaoka, who worked for the Bank of Japan and the International Monetary Fund, is now chairperson of the Digital Currency Forum (DCF) and Head of the Future Institute of Research. In the interview, Yamaoka explains the advantages and disadvantages of digital currencies, the goals of the DCF, and the prototype of a privately created digital Japanese currency (DCJPY). “To maximise the benefits of the digitalisation of the economy, I believe it would be better to introduce private sector digital currencies as early as possible”, Yamaoka said. Yamaoka has also contributed a chapter to the open access book The Future of Financial Systems in the Digital Age: Perspectives from Europe and Japan, edited by Markus and DIJ director Franz Waldenberger. The interview (in German) was published in the latest issue of Japanmarkt and is available for download here