Verena Blechinger-Talcott has taken over the position as director of the DIJ Tokyo on October 1, 2026. A specialist in Japanese Studies and Political Science, she is Professor of Japanese Politics and Economics at Free University of Berlin (on leave), where she served as Vice-President from 2018 to 2026. She has long been associated with the DIJ Tokyo: from 1997 to 2002, she conducted research at the institute as a research fellow, headed the Social Sciences Department there and also served as Deputy Director. Her research focuses on the politics of Japan and East Asia from a comparative perspective, as well as on Japanese foreign policy. Under the theme ‘Cultures of Transformation – Japan in Comparative Perspective’, the new DIJ research programme guided by Verena Blechinger-Talcott will examine the dynamics of fundamental processes of change that have a lasting impact on politics, the economy, society, and culture. We warmly welcome her back at the DIJ!