Thank you for your participation in our program activities during the calendar year of 2025. For a sneak preview of the spring 2026 seminar schedule, please see this link: us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/calendar We wish you a restful winter holiday season with family and friends.

Congratulations to Hannah Shepherd @hannahjshepherd.bsky.social, 2013-14 Akiyama Award recipient, on the publication of her first book, The Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise and Fall of an Imperial Region! www.ucpress.edu/books/the-na...

My first book, The Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise and Fall of an Imperial Region is officially out today (Dec 2). It’s an urban history of empire, an imperial history of urbanization, and contains the histories of many people who moved across the Tsushima Straits btw 1876-1953.

12/16, 7:00-8:30 pm ET: Join Michael Beeman (1997-98), Patricia Maclachlan (1995-96), Sheila Smith (Distinguished Visitor, 2013-14), and Ulrike Schaede in JFIT's Japan Zoominar, on "Japan's New (Economic) Security Agenda and Emerging Regional Leadership." gps-ucsd.zohobackstage.com/JapansNewEco...

Read "We created health guidelines for fighting loneliness-here's what we recommend," in @us.theconversation.com by @danielaldrich.bsky.social (2006-07) and Kiffer George Card. theconversation.com/we-created-h...

Check out Japan Decides 2024, edited by @kmcelwain.bsky.social (2005-06), Robert Pekkanen, and Faculty Associate @profdansmith.bsky.social, with contributions by Kenya Amano (2023-24), Faculty Associate Saori Katada, @profvekasi.bsky.social (2021-22), and others. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Thank you so much for the wonderful discussion and helpful comments!

Congratulations to Faculty Associate Jennifer Lind @proflind.bsky.social on the publication of her latest book, Autocracy 2.0: How China's Rise Reinvented Tyranny. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Read "ChatGPT versus humans in judging discriminatory scenarios: experimental evidence from a Japanese context," (open access) in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, by Akira Igarashi, Yoshinobu Kano, and Hirofumi Miwa (2024-25). www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Next Monday, Nov. 17, 12-1 pm: Join us to discuss Fumiya Uchikoshi's @ufsoc.bsky.social research, "Navigating Uncertainty: Gendered Aspiration, Meritocracy, and Imagined Futures in Japanese Selective College Admission," moderated by Xiang Zhou. In-person & online: shorturl.at/IIVmI

Watch the recent online discussion, "Japan's New Prime Minister: What Can We Expect?" co-sponsored w/ the Asian Institute & the Centre for the Study of Global Japan, University of Toronto; and the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (JPSI), Indiana University. youtu.be/7gaIGL_kVfI?...

Read "Winning Elections with Unpopular Policies: Valence Advantage and Single-Party Dominance in Japan," by @shirokuriwaki.bsky.social, @profdansmith.bsky.social, and @yusakuhoriuchi.bsky.social in Quarterly Journal of Political Science: www.nowpublishers.com/article/Deta... (open-access link).

Check out the 50th anniversary edition of Norie Huddle and Faculty Associate Michael Reich (with a new Preface, in print and as an e-book), Island of Dreams: Environmental Crisis in Japan: www.islandofdreams.net.

Tomorrow, 8-9 pm ET: Join us for #JPOSS #57 to discuss Erik Wang's @erik-h-wang.bsky.social paper, “Too Much But Never Enough: Administrative Capacity and Backlashes to State-building in Medieval Japan,” w/ Emily Sellars, Jun Yamasaki, & Christina Davis. Paper & registration: shorturl.at/HQsg1

Next Monday, 11/10, 12-1 pm ET: We are excited to feature our Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Brian Rogers, speaking on "City of Commuters: Work and Mobility in Tokyo, 1890-1973, moderated by Ian Miller (History). Please join us in-person and online! us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/city-c...

So glad that Harvard is continuing its US-Japan Fellowships. Please consider applying!

Tuesday, 11/4, 8-9PM ET: Join Director Christina Davis and our Faculty Associates Amy Catalinac, Saori Katada, @adampliff.bsky.social, @lipscy.bsky.social, @profdansmith.bsky.social online to discuss "Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi: What Can We Expect?" munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/japans...

For the 2026-27 academic year, we will offer two types of postdoctoral fellowships, with support from the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and the Japan Foundation. Please see details and ARIeS application portals here: us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/apply-become...

I ran over to the @harvardusjapan.bsky.social for a great talk by Miyajima Hideaki on Japanese corporate governance (video will hopefully be posted soon), and on the way I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist! (1/5)

Read Director Christina Davis's op-end, "Takaichi's rise to power and the 'glass cliff'," in @japantimes.co.jp. www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...

Next Monday, 10/27, 12-1pm ET: We are honored to bring back Prof. Hideaki Miyajima to campus for his presentation, "Japan's Corporate Governance Transformed? Financialization and Corporate Performance in Global Perspective." Director Christina Davis will moderate. Info: shorturl.at/cBBZ4

Congratulations to Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social (2011-12) on his latest publication, "The Invention of the Kamikaze: Dissent and Resistance in the Japanese Military," in the Journal of Military History. www.smh-hq.org/jmh/jmhvols/...

Watch the video of the recent Weatherhead Forum @weatherheadcenter.bsky.social, with Director Christina Davis and other distinguished panelists, on "The Legacy of Joseph S. Nye, Jr." loom.ly/_Yqxd58

Congratulations to Jerry Min (Ph.D. candidate, Department of Government) for receiving APSA-NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG) for his dissertation project on foreign direct investment and enforcement of labor and environmental laws! politicalsciencenow.com/2025-apsa-do...

Next Monday, 10/20, 12-1pm ET: Join us in-person & online to discuss Colin Moreshead's (postdoctoral fellow) research on media and democracy in Japan. Henry Laurence (visiting scholar) will serve as a discussant, and Director Christina Davis will moderate. us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/mediat...

Congratulations to Watanabe Yasushi (2003-04) for being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as an International Honorary Member! www.amacad.org/person/yasus...

Director Christina Davis, Charles McClean @cmcclean.bsky.social (2020-21), Kristi Govella @kristigovella.bsky.social (2017-18), and Sheila Smith @sheilasmithcfr.bsky.social (Distinguished Visitor, 2013-14) are quoted in The Dispatch article, "Japan's Iron Lady." tinyurl.com/yf3vmjpt

Watch the video of a recent panel, "The Enduring Legacies of World War II in East Asia: Reflections 80 Years Later," sponsored by @fairbankcenter.bsky.social, with Director Christina Davis, Faculty Associate Thomas Berger, Rana Mitter, and Mark Caprio. www.youtube.com/watch?v=m097...

Watch the video of MJHA's @modernjapanhist.bsky.social annual Distinguished Lecture, delivered by Faculty Associate Andrew Gordon, "After the Pandemic: Revising a Textbook and Rethinking History." youtu.be/EN8tx8J8KzA

Read Rieko Kage's (2005-06) new article, "Challenging the State? Lawyers and the Reformed Administrative Appeals System in Japan," in the latest issue of Law and Social Inquiry. doi.org/10.1017/lsi....

Next Monday, 10/6, 12-1 pm: We are excited to feature Amy Catalinac's (2011-12) seminar on her latest book, Dominance through Division, moderated by Noah Nathan @nlnathan.bsky.social! Join us in-person and online: us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/domina...

Read Director Christina Davis' op-ed, "Graying Japan needs both globalization and immigration," in @japantimes.co.jp. www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...

We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Professor Takatoshi Ito. Please read the statement by Director Christina Davis: us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/director-chr....

Next Monday, 9/22, 12-1 pm U.S. ET. We are excited to welcome David Weinstein, our 2025-26 Distinguished Visitor, to launch the new academic year, moderated by Director Christina Davis. Please join us in-person and online! us-japan.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/martyr...

Read Director Christina Davis' article, "The Social Context of International Institutions," in the 75th anniversary issue of World Politics @worldpolitics.bsky.social. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

Read "New Documents Reveal Next Steps for U.S.-Japan Trade Deal," by Kristi Govella (2017-18) @kristigovella.bsky.social. www.csis.org/analysis/new...

Read "Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems," in the latest @apsrjournal.bsky.social, by Faculty Associate Dan Smith @profdansmith.bsky.social, Alexandra Cirone, Dawn Teele, Gary Cox, and Jon Fiva. doi.org/10.1017/S000...

Read "Legislators’ sentiment analysis supervised by legislators," in the latest @psrm.bsky.social by Akitaka Matsuo and Kentaro Fukumoto (2003-04). doi.org/10.1017/psrm...

Wed., 9/3, 8-9 pm ET: Join next #JPOSS to discuss Jacques Hymans's paper, “Official historical memory discourse and public opinion: The case of Japan’s new banknote designs” with Charles Crabtree, @yoshiono.bsky.social, and @lipscy.bsky.social. Paper and registration: jposs.org/event/hymans...

Read Kristi Govella's (2017-18) latest piece, "What the LDP-Komeito Defeat Means for Japanese Foreign Policy," in @thediplomat.com. thediplomat.com/2025/07/what...

Director Christina Davis is quoted in the latest @wsj.com piece on Japan's pledge for $550 billion investment as part of the U.S.-Japan trade deal. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Read Ellis Krauss' (Distinguished Visitor, 2014-15) article, "Japan's Upper House Elections: No Real Winners," a guest post on Blue Blaze. blueblaze.substack.com/p/japans-upp...

Read Kristi Govella's (2017-18) @kristigovella.bsky.social @japan.csis.org analysis of the politics of the U.S.-Japan trade deal and its next steps. www.csis.org/analysis/ass...

Koichi Nakano (Visiting Scholar, 2024-25) @knakano1970.bsky.social is quoted in this NYT piece about Sanseito and Kamiya Sohei. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/19/w...

Congratulations to Faculty Associate Tomomichi Amano on his latest book (in Japanese) from Iwanami Shinsho @iwanami.co.jp on how consumers and firms shape diffusion of innovation. ‪https://www.iwanami.co.jp/book/b10136586.html

Read "Gendered Expectations for College Applications: Experimental Evidence from a Gender Inegalitarian Education Context," in Research in Higher Education, by Fumiya Uchikoshi @ufsoc.bsky.social, Hirofumi Miwa (2024-25), and Yoshikuni Ono @yoshiono.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1007/s111...

Read "From contest to convergence in East Asia: why do regional challengers end up resembling incumbent institutions?" in the latest issue of The Pacific Review, by Yaechan Lee and William Grimes @williamgrimes.bsky.social (1995-96). doi.org/10.1080/0951...

Read Futori Hideshi's (2011-12) op-ed (in Japanese) on Japan's role in averting the crisis of rule of law in international affairs. www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...

Thurs., 6/19, 8-9 pm ET: Join next #JPOSS to discuss Shusuke Ioku's paper, “Weapons of the Weak: Population Mobility and the Construction of the State in Early Modern Japan, with Francisco Garfias @fgarfias.bsky.social, Chiaki Moriguchi, and Amy Catalinac (Chair). Info: jposs.org/event/ioku-0...