n the coming days, I'll be working on a proper op-ed reflecting on the political upheaval triggered by Komeito's split with its long-time Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) partner. In the meantime, I'll share some updates (thread)

Now this is a sign of political shifts: on Komeito's YouTube and Instagram pages, party leader Saitō Tetsuo meets with Kamei Shizuka, veteran LDP politician and leader within the Shigatsukai (April Society), a movement once aimed at Komeito and Soka Gakkai. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8nZ...

In a free edition of the Japan Daily Briefing — I’m starting “free Fridays” — I look more at the causes and effects of Kōmeitō’s break with the LDP and discuss Ishiba’s reflections on the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II. open.substack.com/pub/observin...

Friends in Soka Gakkai have been circulating this analysis by Ide Eisaku, Keio University economist, which breaks down policy resonances between Komeito, Soka Gakkai, Japan's most powerful union, and opposition parties (thread to follow): www.facebook.com/share/p/17Aq...

Japan, ostensibly one of the least religious countries in the world, had its political order upended by the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. That is THE story about Friday's epochal shift in Japanese politics (thread follows):

Big upheaval in Japanese politics. Today (Japan time), after a ninety minute meeting between Saitō, head of Komeito, and Takaichi, the LDP politician who recently won her party’s presidency, Saitō announced an end to their parties’ 26-year-long coalition agreement.

Tensions between the LDP and Komeito have been building over recent years, but Japan's ruling coalition has hit a crucial stage. The combo of Takaichi at the helm, plummeting election results for Komeito, a Soka Gakkai base that's facing its own existential crises after Ikeda Daisaku...a new era.

I'm under no illusions that what publish isn't feeding the AI beast no matter the measures we take, but I've deleted everything I uploaded to academia.edu and I've erased my account there. Even by today's dystopian standards, academia.edu's new terms and conditions are beyond the pale.

Always a pleasure to speak with Tobias. Enjoyed our conversation:

I'm quoted a bunch in this SCMP piece released before polls closed on the Upper House race now being counted in Japan. This is a crucial point for the governing Liberal Democratic Party / Komeito coalition. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

On Sunday, I'll be on "Sunday," the BBC Radio 4 show about religion, providing context about the Unification Church in Japan following the Tokyo District Court's decision to remove legal status from the group. Just after 7 am live in the UK, then maybe at this link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

On March 12, I'll join a conference at the University of Bristol that reflects on the 3.11 disasters in Japan. The conference brings together artists and scholars and includes screenings of documentaries by French and Japanese documentarians. theartofrecovery.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

Here is a question for political scientists. Japan's national-level coalition partnership between the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito is almost a quarter century old. Is there another example in the world of two parties that have lasted this long in coalition without merging or splitting?

Wonderful to see the book in person. I edited the section on “politics and governance” for the brand new New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions. This is an invaluable resource for religions in Japan, and for religious studies more generally.

The Berkley Center at Georgetown just published a short essay I wrote: "In Religion-Averse Japan, a Religion-Backed Party Remains Pivotal." I wrote this and then Komeito got hammered in the October election. However, I think what I write here holds true. berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/in-rel...

Tomorrow: This talk at UCLA. international.ucla.edu/buddhist/eve...

Okay, for real. T-shirts and other merch for touring soloists in the classical music world. But with badass designs, and maybe dates if they’re on a coherent tour. I’d buy the shit out of an Augustin Hadelich hoodie, man.

Looking forward to #AARSBL. I'll be on a panel with Jackie Stone, Yulia Burenina, and Bruce Winkelman titled "Rebuking Error, Inverting Authority, and Transforming Institutions: Remonstration in the Nichiren Buddhist Tradition." Seems apt to analyze remonstration and religious friction...

Ppl making academia account starter packs r my heroes, thank you for the invisible service 🥹 I will try to share relevant starter packs below ⬇️🧵

Excited to see the New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions released in the coming weeks. I edited the section on "Politics and Governance," which includes invaluable chapters on constitutional law, party politics, kingship, and other topics. Follow @jolyonbt.bsky.social and read below for details.

OK, I guess someone had to do it and I guess today that someone is me. Academic Study of Religion starter pack! I am sure I have left people out, so please let me know if I need to add you! go.bsky.app/9CdZTiN

Hello friends! As more users migrate to Bsky, we encourage you to follow us here at JPP, where we are working to promote a more diverse, inclusive, & equitable field in the Japanese humanities. 🗾 There aren't many official accounts here just yet for Japan Studies, but a starter: go.bsky.app/H54gyeg

I made a Japanese Studies starter pack! Film, literature, sociology, history, cultural studies, translation, academic and academic-adjacent. Please reply if you want to be added (or removed)! go.bsky.app/AXJLiEA

The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus just published a short special issue on "Behind the Scenes of Media and Legal Responses to the Abe Assassination" edited by Tomomi Yamaguchi and me. apjjf.org/behind-the-s...

If you're in/near Raleigh next Thursday (October 17), consider coming to a screening of the documentary "Carving the Divine: The Way of the Būshi (Buddhist Sculptors of Japan)." www.eventbrite.com/e/global-fil...

Just in time for the LDP leadership election, I wrote a review of Ishiba Shigeru's new book, which provides a deeply revealing look at the man who is waging his "last battle" to become Japan's prime minister. observingjapan.substack.com/p/the-idealist

Really excited that Simran Jeet Singh will be coming to NC State as this year's Impact of Religion speaker. Turbans, Beards, and Brown Skin: Learning to Navigate Bigotry in Modern America Thursday, April 18, 3:00 p.m. Caldwell Hall G107 philrel.chass.ncsu.edu/religious-st...

The Journal of the American Academy of Religion just published my review of Janine Sawada's fantastic Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of an Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan. For students of religion in Japan and anyone interested in the category "religion" academic.oup.com/jaar/advance...

I wrote a short piece for Japan Political Pulse, Sasakawa USA's update on Japanese politics, to discuss reasons why Komeito is now more vital to the Liberal Democratic Party than ever. spfusa.org/publications...

ついに朝日に『宗教右派とフェミニズム』書評が！しかも『エトセトラ』の田嶋陽子特集号でお世話になった作家の山内マリコさんによる執筆！嬉しいです。 プレゼント機能使いましたので、12月2日 15:22まで全文お読みいただけます （書評）『宗教右派とフェミニズム』『ジェンダー目線の広告観察』：朝日新聞デジタル　digital.asahi.com/articles/DA3...

Had a conversationwith David Buckley at the Center for Asian Democracy, University of Louisville about religion and politics in Japan since the murder of former PM Abe Shinzō. Now on their podcast network. My thanks to Dave for his well-thought-out questions. rss.com/podcasts/cad...

Always valuable to speak with Tobias. His substack is a must-read for detailed insights into Japanese politics.

NEW at Observing Japan: I was really pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Levi McLaughlin (@levimclaughlin.bsky.social) about the significance of Ikeda Daisaku's death. You can check out the video and transcript here: open.substack.com/pub/observin...

Monumental news from Japan. Ikeda Daisaku, Honorary President of Soka Gakkai and President of Soka Gakkai International, has died. My sincerest condolences go to my adherent friends, for whom the death of Ikeda is the loss of a cherished loved one.

This Thursday, I'll do my best to summarize the current tumult surrounding efforts to dissolve the Unification Church in Japan and what it means for religion and politics today. At George Washington University, via Zoom: www.eventbrite.com/e/after-the-...

Love it! Linking to a 2015 article about the media outreach strategies of a small Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It never really got a lot of attention, but it let me critique the commonsense assertion of Buddhist decline, at least as well as 6000 words allowed. Plus, fun videos! doi.org/10.1080/1743...

Mundane Halloween is back! Today is the "Mundane Halloween" contest in Japan, sponsored by website Daily Portalz The idea is to dress up as something incredibly ordinary. Here is a thread of some of my favorites from this year!

Shortly after a family court made a surprising ruling on trans rights, Japan's supreme court will soon deliver its verdict in a similar case, with big implications! Read & share my latest Tokyo Review article: https://www.tokyoreview.net/2023/10/high-stakes-court-decision-looms-trans-rights-japan/

Nearly two decades since the law in question came into force, Japan's Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that requiring people undergo sterilisation to change their legal gender is unconstitutional. A monumental verdict. https://www.asahi.com/sp/articles/ASRBP7T8YRBNUTIL009.html

Tenure-track position in modern and contemporary Japanese literature and culture at North Carolina State University. Come work with me and my stellar colleagues: jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/191...

Always pay attention to @tobiasharris.bsky.social on Japanese politics. His latest Substack entry on friction between the LDP and Komeito directs our attention to ways long-standing enmities are now surfacing. observingjapan.substack.com/p/is-an-ldp-...

Just published on our blog: Bluesky for Journalists FAQ This page also includes a link to a waitlist form for journalists, so members of the press no longer have to email our press inbox for a code. We appreciate everyone's help sharing this information!

Was on NPR this morning in a brief report on the move to legally dissolve the former Unification Church in Japan. www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1...

Lots of news today about the investigation of the Unification Church in Japan proceeding into a court order for its legal dissolution. I'm quoted in this article from Nikkei by Alice French, which otherwise provides useful context and links: asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/So...

Religious Studies at NC State is hosting Rebecca Maloy from Notre Dame on November 2. She will present her research on chant in medieval Iberia. Please attend if you're in/near Raleigh, and share with those interested in chant, ritual, music, religion, etc.

Join me and coeditor Sabine Frühstück for a discussion of the path to publication in the Journal of Japanese Studies: October 18, 2023 09:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this webinar: unc.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Xにてかなりリポストされていたのでこちらにも。 『宗教右派とフェミニズム』pp.71-73で、埼玉県の家庭教育施策を扱い、資料イメージを複数載せたのも、埼玉県がこの分野の「先進県」だから。上田清司知事のもと、高橋史朗氏、松居和氏ら親学関係者が教育委員長に就任するなどして家庭教育を推進してきたから。そもそも埼玉県は親学発祥の地でもある。

『宗教右派とフェミニズム』刊行記念イベントに、共著者の斉藤正美さんがご登壇されます。ぜひご参加ください！ 『宗教右派とフェミニズム』＆『ジェンダー目線の広告観察』W刊行記念トーク｜斉藤正美×小林美香｜政策と広告を「読む」：リプロダクティブ・ヘルス／ライツを守るために bookcafe-sappho20231007.peatix.com

My department at NC State is offering a tenure-track position in African American religions. Will also teach in Africana Studies, Gender Studies, or both. Supportive environment, collegial department. Please spread the word. jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/190...

Looking forward to this event at Northwestern. I will introduce experiences from my transgender friends in Soka Gakkai. How they navigate upheavals within their religion, Japanese law, and other forces challenges doctrinal conventions, institutional fixity, identity, and what counts as "religion."