Important to remember Japanese conservatives are not in lockstep about Japan's wartime past. 20 years ago Yomiuri News magnate Watanabe Tsuneo sponsored an historical inquiry into Japan's WWII responsibility, and denounced the Yasukuni Shrine. China Daily reviewed it favorably.

2019 "Japan Times" article by me, "Taiwan's Democracy is worth Defending," which points out that long-term ties between Taiwan and Japan transcend colonial nostalgia and Cold War era geopolitics, reflecting strong civil society relations. web.archive.org/web/20190807...

Confirmation of key thesis in @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social and @alexdukalskis.bsky.social's book "Dictating the Agenda:" channels for global cultural and market liberal influence now being weaponized by authoritarian states against liberal society institutions www.theguardian.com/education/20...

New paper by Adam Chen-Dedman on queer cultural studies in Taiwan, highlighting new scholarship centering the importance of liberal democracy in protecting spaces for LGBT expression and dissent. As more signs emerge of PRC anti-LGBT crackdowns, it’s also timely. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Aspects of Kyung-Sup Chang's "compressed modernity" thesis here: rapid post-communist era change into a market-based economy leaves older communal norms unstably coexisting with new individualized norms; and individualization unfolds unevenly along gender divide. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

As a long-time resident in Taiwan, it's clear that Lai Ching-te's rhetoric of Taiwan hasn't substantially changed from Tsai Ing-wen. What has clearly changed is the CCP has up its tempo with its aggression against Taiwan. This is clear when analyzing the data. 1/ www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a...

Looks like people showed up in DC

Recent events remind me what an alien, polarized society the US is. The religious, "Holy War" quality of far-right veneration at Charlie Kirk's funeral; and now left gushing over Assata Shakur, whose Black Liberation Army outfit engaged in robberies, gangbanger shakedowns, and horrific murders

Fans of Walter Mignolo, and fans of certain publications in the Princeton-China book series, take note

22yo student Zhang Yadi, an activist with 华语青年挺藏会 ChineseYouthStand4Tibet who's supposed to begin her MA study at SOAS, has been detained while visiting family in China & charged with "inciting separation" www.instagram.com/p/DOy4rwViEk...

There's a Rawlsian message here about the taming effects of a liberal society on previously violent extremist groups, but I know there are Japan Studies people hereabouts who are allergic to "procedural liberal" messaging

Last week @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social hosted the ENOJP Conference for the 1st time. We welcomed 81 presenters over 3 days, including keynotes from Prof Hiroshi Abe (Kyoto University) & @shaunodwyer.bsky.social (Kyushu University). PhD student Ellie Palmer shares her experience - edin.ac/4n4pSsM

"No one should be killed as punishment for political expression...In addition to our basic abhorrence of violence, we are also proponents of democracy, which depends on free speech and open inquiry. Without them, collective self-governance is impossible" jacobin.com/2025/09/char...

In my father's poli sci classroom in 1970s Taiwan, he would always call out the 'spy students' in the back: "Take good notes! Spicy bit!" The class would titter. Even the report-maker would look a bit abashed. In this A&M student's righteous "Dear Leader" invocation, there was no shame felt at all.

Chilling with European Network for Japanese Philosophy president Alex Mustacea before my presentation at the "Webs of Kinship" conference on Japanese philosophy at Edinburgh University this week

For decades, American experts have flown around the world teaching local activists how to practice democracy. Now it’s time for activists from authoritarian countries to come to American and show Americans how to fight autocrats.

Despite their awareness of “the region’s ongoing human rights atrocities,” Princeton University Press staffers were persuaded to join a government-sponsored tour of Xinjiang, and somehow inveigled into repeating CCP ethnic harmony propaganda.

"All who care about higher education must stand up & fight back against this unprecedented continuing assault. To preserve our democracy, we have no choice." -Todd Wolfson AAUP President, "Columbia University Settlement an Unprecedented Disaster" www.aaup.org/news/columbi... @proftwolf.bsky.social

The Harvard-based publisher responsible for cancelling the Harvard Educational Review's special issue on education and Palestine was accused of "anticipatory compliance." Where've we heard those words before? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Princeton University Press stumbles into a Xinjiang tour debacle – Shaun O’Dwyer for The Diplomat: ‘international academic presses operating in China must be vigilant against United Front entanglements’

A substack following up my "Diplomat" article on Princeton University Press's Xinjiang tour, exploring how foreign academic publishers' dependence upon import agencies for market access in China entangles them in authoritarian clientelism. aussieinkyushu.substack.com/p/regarding-...

A lot of the Aussie pundits opining on Taiwan are far more familiar with the layout of inner city pubs than with the geopolitics of East Asia. Glad that Financial Review published this, from someone who actually knows Taiwan

It's important in PUP's case to see this behavior in the context of its clientelist relationship with its publication importer in China, the China National Publications Import and Export Group. I hint at this in my "Diplomat" article on the tour- 1/ thediplomat.com/2025/07/prin...

🇨🇳 On the Princeton University Press: "Henry was somehow inveigled into repeating its ethnic harmony propaganda. If they cannot resist such inducements, can they resist government censorial pressure that compromises the independence of their book acquisitions processes?" By @shaunodwyer.bsky.social:

My article for Diplomat Magazine, “Princeton University Press Stumbles into Xinjiang Tour Debacle.” In spite of the academic side to this tour, it was definitely a United Front influence stunt. But some questions remain…1/ thediplomat.com/2025/07/prin...

Returning to a story from a few weeks ago: @shaunodwyer.bsky.social has taken the time to write up an excellent piece in @thediplomat.com about @princetonupress.bsky.social ‘s leadership team going on a propaganda tour of Xinjiang

Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social is now published by OUP in the USA (rest of world soon) If you are interested in why you see so many dictatorships & illiberal leaders influencing world politics then this is the book for you.

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

私の友人バイエ・マクニールが書いた、東洋経済新聞の大切な記事です。「日本は世界から尊敬される価値観、すなわち安定、尊重、調和をはたして維持できるのか？ それらを守るためには、その価値観を支えるすべての人々を守る覚悟が必要なのだ。」その論文には、私も引用されています。 toyokeizai.net/articles/-/8...

Anyway an understanding of history and the use of history in contemporary society isn't that important and we can certainly continue to cut funding of the humanities and

I started a Substack. First post is an update on my October 2024 Meanjin journal article, "Taiwan and The Australian Left" open.substack.com/pub/aussiein...

A brief book review from "Religious Studies Review" of my recently published edited volume "Confucianism at War: 1931-1945"

A shame "Taiwan Pride" 2025 never went ahead, most likely due to Interpride org caving in to PRC pressure to demand the Taiwanese drop "Taiwan" from the title. The capital of Trumpistan was not such a great choice, in hindsight www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

A well-deserved award for my Hx East Asia colleague Joseph Yi. Yi's work addressing the Comfort Women controversy has attracted accusations that he is rightist-aligned; yet he also writes extensively on, and advocates for, Korean LGBT - an issue with little mainstream center-left support in S Korea.

Video of Heterodox East Asia webinar on Comfort Women scholarship, 06/04/25. Joseph Yi (HanyangU), Kenji Yoshida, Marie Seong-Hak Kim, Chizuko Allen (U of Hawaii), Mark Ramseyer (Harvard Law), Tanya Goyal (Jawaharlal Nehru U). www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cwy...

Heterodox East Asia bilingual (Korean-English) webinar ft 2 contributors to my "Confucianism at War" book: Chungjae Lee (Gettysburg College), Junhyun Park (Jeonbuk National University), and response from Yutang Jin (University of Hong Kong). Video edited by Frances An www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Im...

When Yank humanities academics ranted at me about "platforming" people they disliked, I wondered, "How will you feel when the boot's on the other foot?" And yet, as the MAGA presidency goes all out to cancel the academic left, this self-defeating idiocy continues www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...

Quite the coup for Nikkei Asia--first foreign media interview with President Lai in office. Lai explains why he put forward his 17 securitization proposals in response trebled espionage prosecutions and infiltration by groups like the Chinese Unification Party. asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pic...

This month, Kyushu university will commence an exhibition of its archive of papers of Toshio Tono, a doctor who spent much of his long life investigating an infamous war crime he witnessed as a medical student in the University's medical faculty in May 1945: the vivisection of 8 US POW airmen.

My academic freedom group Heterodox East Asia will be holding a webinar ft. 2 young Korean scholars, Junhyun Park (Jeonbuk University) and Chungjae Lee (Gettysburg College) to discuss their chapters recently published in my edited book "Confucianism at War: 1931-1945" forms.gle/Hb6HSuDrdubQ...

El Partido Comunista Chino se abre a una asimilación del pensamiento confuciano a la que hasta ahora era reticente y que da lugar a un nacionalismo iliberal con ambiciones de propagación universal. T. H. Jiang y Shaun O’Dwyer trazan aquí sus contornos. elcuadernodigital.com/2020/01/31/m...

A 2020 article I wrote about Shiori Ito and #MeTooJAPAN. Some appeal to culturalist reasons to explain her case, but I focused on structural reasons for the lack of powerful feminist NGO's in Japan that could have boosted, and legitimated, her campaign www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020...

Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent. Opportunities are everywhere. Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉

1/ Let's talk about rule of law versus rule by law. Rule of law is the legal system that applies in democratic states, and is foundational to democracy. It holds that the law is the supreme authority to which everyone, including government officials, is subject.

It's really quite amazing to see leading US universities begin genuflecting to the new dispensation. And no-one should kid themselves that only censorious, belligerent left academic-activists will be steamrolled www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/o...

First book panel for my just published edited book "Confucianism at War: 1931-1945" at Rutgers University Center for Chinese Studies, Feb 6, 7-8:30 pm EST. Ft discussions by 3 contributors - me, Wenqing Zhao (Baruch College) and Dongxian Jiang (Fordham U). rccs.rutgers.edu/events/event...

I would find op-eds in favour of China engagement more convincing if they would not rest on logical fallacies. Kerry Brown's article "Labour is right to forge more trade links with China – not doing so would be folly" is a case in point /1

My new edited book "Confucianism at War: 1931-1945" is now out with Routledge. It brings together original research by East Asian and European scholars – some of it published for the first time in English – on an under-studied topic in Anglophone East Asia studies. www.routledge.com/Confucianism...

My posters obsession took off, here’s more unsettling ww2 posters that resonate with me unfortunately

A positive (and constructively critical) review of my 2022 edited book "Handbook of Confucianism in Modern Japan" by @ernils.bsky.social for "Japan Review." www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/japa...