On April 10 and 13, 2023, the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (21JPSI*) hosted a virtual manuscript workshop organized around the theme of “Japan and the World.” Two U.S.- and three Japan-based social scientists with expertise on Japan were invited to present academic works-in-progress on various aspects of Japanese foreign policy. Each working paper was the subject of a dedicated session designed to provide the paper’s author with critical feedback from an assigned discussant and other participants. The multidisciplinary workshop was organized by 21JPSI Director Adam P. Liff.
At the workshop’s first session, Adam Liff (Indiana University), presented an article manuscript entitled “Beyond Territorial Defense…? The U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK Alliances and a Regional contingency.” Rikio Inouye, a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, served as the discussant of Dr. Liff’s paper.
During the workshop’s second session, Chisako Masuo (Kyushu University) presented her project on “China’s National Territorial Spatial Program and its Impact on Japan’s Senkakus Defense.” Dr. Masuo is a professor in Kyushu’s Department of Social Studies. Dr. Liff served as her discussant.
At the workshop’s third session, David Leheny (Waseda University) presented a working paper intended for a forthcoming journal special issue entitled “Status, Gimmicks, and Thwarted Celebrations: The 2020 Olympics in Japan’s Transnational Politics.” Dr. Leheny is a professor at Waseda’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies. Dr. Masuo served as his discussant.
The workshop concluded with a presentation and discussion of a paper written by Rikio Inouye (Princeton University), and entitled “Sidelined yet Sustained: Japan’s Shifting Strategy toward Human Security.” Mr. Inouye is a PhD candidate in Princeton University’s Department of Politics. Dr. Leheny served as his discussant.
Unfortunately, the fifth invited paper writer was ultimately unable to participate in the actual workshop due to an unforeseen conflict.
Good luck to all paper presenters as they revise their manuscripts for publication!
*The 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (21JPSI) was launched at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies in 2018. Under the leadership of Founding Director and HLS faculty member Adam Liff, 21JPSI aims to invigorate and expand research, teaching, and programming on contemporary Japanese politics, society, and international (esp. U.S.-Japan) relations, and to educate, raise awareness, and debate policy responses to the various political, social, and foreign policy challenges that Japan faces in this extremely dynamic era of 21st-century change. Supported by a generous $900,000 grant from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, in its first five years 21JPSI has enabled a new tenure-track faculty line contemporary Japanese politics and society; launched four new courses on contemporary Japan and a multidisciplinary speaker series on Japanese Politics and Society; hosted national conferences and webinars on U.S.-Japan relations; and funded graduate fellowships and faculty travel grants to support research in Japan. For more information, please see https://jpsi.indiana.edu/ or write to jpsi@iu.edu