Symposiums/Conferences｜International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)

International Symposium

Please refrain from taking photos and recording videos and audio.

To members of the press: Please contact us in advance if you wish to cover the event.

※ not open for public on July 12 and 13

Date: 2025.07.11 (Fri) 13:30　～　2025.07.13 (Sun)

Theme

“Global Perspectives on Japanese Media and Popular Culture History: Critical Lessons from a Century of Broadcasting”

Overview

▶ view PDF	In 2025, Japan celebrates 100 years of broadcasting, along with the 100th year since the start of the Shōwa era, and 80 years since the end of World War II. Since the first radio broadcasts began in 1925, Japanese people have experienced cultural life via a variety of media that have developed in various ways, including novels, newspapers, magazines, movies, radio, television, the Internet, and social media. These multiple media have created and nurtured numerous popular cultures, which, in turn, have been disseminated overseas thereby serving as a significant form of exchange between Japan and the rest of the world. 　The international seminar “Global Perspectives on Japanese Media and Popular Culture History: Critical Lessons from a Century of Broadcasting” will be held at Nichibunken in Kyoto from July 11th to 13th, 2025. Its purpose is to commemorate July 12th, 1925, when the Tokyo Broadcasting Station, as the predecessor of NHK, began regular radio broadcasting. It also aims to explore the potential for media history by considering and developing digital humanities approaches for interdisciplinary collaborative research. For this event, a total of 20 researchers – including 10 from and/or based in the Netherlands, which has a 400-year history of exchanges with Japan – will gather to discuss the (inter)national impact of Japanese media and popular culture over the past century. The symposium will facilitate the cooperation between several members of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies, namely Seoul National University, Leiden University, and the University of Amsterdam. It will also be held as a model of cross-consortium international collaborative research, with the aim of expanding the scope of international Japanese studies globally. Host: International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), University of Amsterdam Co-host: Consortium for Global Japanese Studies

▶ view PDF

　In 2025, Japan celebrates 100 years of broadcasting, along with the 100th year since the start of the Shōwa era, and 80 years since the end of World War II. Since the first radio broadcasts began in 1925, Japanese people have experienced cultural life via a variety of media that have developed in various ways, including novels, newspapers, magazines, movies, radio, television, the Internet, and social media. These multiple media have created and nurtured numerous popular cultures, which, in turn, have been disseminated overseas thereby serving as a significant form of exchange between Japan and the rest of the world.

　The international seminar “Global Perspectives on Japanese Media and Popular Culture History: Critical Lessons from a Century of Broadcasting” will be held at Nichibunken in Kyoto from July 11th to 13th, 2025. Its purpose is to commemorate July 12th, 1925, when the Tokyo Broadcasting Station, as the predecessor of NHK, began regular radio broadcasting. It also aims to explore the potential for media history by considering and developing digital humanities approaches for interdisciplinary collaborative research. For this event, a total of 20 researchers – including 10 from and/or based in the Netherlands, which has a 400-year history of exchanges with Japan – will gather to discuss the (inter)national impact of Japanese media and popular culture over the past century. The symposium will facilitate the cooperation between several members of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies, namely Seoul National University, Leiden University, and the University of Amsterdam. It will also be held as a model of cross-consortium international collaborative research, with the aim of expanding the scope of international Japanese studies globally.

Host: International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), University of Amsterdam
Co-host: Consortium for Global Japanese Studies

Information

Date:	2025.07.11 (Fri)　～　2025.07.13 (Sun)

※ not open for public on July12 and 13

Program

【Friday, July 11, 2025】

Moderator: Jianhui LIU (Professor, Nichibunken)

13:30	Opening Remarks Shōichi INOUE (Director-General, Nichibunken)
	Explanation of Objectives Carolyn BIRDSALL (Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam) Nanako OTA (Associate Professor, Nichibunken)
13:45	Keynote Lecture “America in Japan 1825–2025” Shunya YOSHIMI (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Professor, Kokugakuin University)
15:00	Break
15:15	Panel Discussion Shunya YOSHIMI Ji Hee JUNG (Assistant Professor, Seoul National University) Henry LAURENCE (Professor, Bowdoin College) Ivo SMITS (Professor, Leiden University)
16:00	Closing

Language: Japanese and English (Simultaneous interpretation available)

■Information

Date:	Friday, July 11, 2025
Place:	Auditorium, Nichibunken (Online streaming available) How to get to Nichibunken
Venue opening time:	13:00
Start time:	13:30
End time:	16:00
Participation Fee:	Free
Capacity:	300 people onsite / 500 people online
Registration:	Required (In case of many applicants, a drawing will be held.)
Deadline for registration:	Noon on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 *JST
How to register for participation:	Please register via the web form below. (Web form) https://forms.office.com/r/xe54NWjVyE <Notes on registration> One person may register just once. If there is more than the capacity of applicants, drawings will be held. For those participating at the venue, we will send an invitation by mail by the end of June. (In the case of the drawings, all the applicants will get results by mail)   For those participating online, we will send Zoom information by E-mail before the event. *If you wish to cancel your application after registration, please get in touch with the section shown below.
Contact:	International Research Promotion Unit, International Research Center for Japanese Studies TEL: 075-335-2041 (weekdays 8:30-17:00) E-mail: symposiumnichibun.ac.jp (replace with @)

This international symposium will be held from July 11 to 13. However, it is not open for public on July12 and 13.

【Saturday, July 12, 2025】

Moderator: Edward BOYLE (Associate Professor, Nichibunken)

10:00–10:15	Information Session Carolyn BIRDSALL (Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam) Nanako OTA (Associate Professor, Nichibunken)
10:15–11:15	Keynote Lecture Ji Hee JUNG (Assistant Professor, Seoul National University)
12:00–14:30	Session 1 “Japanese Audio-Visual Media and Popular Culture History” Chihoko ANDO (Project Research Fellow, Nichibunken) Marek JANCOVIC (Assistant Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Yuki IRIKURA (Lecturer, Waseda University） Andrea GIOLAI (Assistant Professor, Leiden University)
15:00–17:30	Session 2 “Japanese Literature and Popular Culture History” Ivo SMITS (Professor, Leiden University) Daphne VAN DER MOLEN (PhD candidate, Leiden University) Aafke VAN EWIJK (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Rikkyo University） Sachi KOMAI (Assistant Professor, Nichibunken)

【Sunday, July 13, 2025】

Moderator: Zahra MOHARRAMIPOUR (Assistant Professor, Nichibunken)

10:00–11:00	Keynote Lecture Henry LAURENCE (Professor, Bowdoin College)
12:00–14:30	Session 3 “Japanese Broadcasting and Popular Culture History” Scott KOGA-BROWES (Professor, Ritsumeikan University) Carolyn BIRDSALL (Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam) Vincent KUITENBROUWER (Senior Lecturer, University of Amsterdam) Nanako OTA (Associate Professor, Nichibunken) Lingwei WANG（Assistant Professor, Edogawa University）
15:00–17:30	Session 4 “Japanese Art/Manga/Anime and Popular Culture History” Takako KONDO (PhD candidate, University of Amsterdam) Rik SPANJERS (Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam） Tom MES（Lecturer, Keio University） Angela Louise ROSARIO（PhD candidate, National University of Singapore）
17:30–17:45	Closing Remarks Carolyn BIRDSALL (Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam) Nanako OTA (Associate Professor, Nichibunken)

機関拠点型基幹研究プロジェクト

Nichibunken's NIHU Transdisciplinary Projects