Social Science Research Council
The Abe Fellowship colloquia are jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. For more information about the fellowship program click here.
Recent Events
ABE FELLOWSHIP COLLOQUIUM
"Artworlds Across the Pacific: Creators, Curators, Policy Makers, and
Entrepreneurs in the Making of a Global Japanese Contemporary Art"
The global mobility of art depends on the physical mobility and networks of creators and entrepreneurs, as well as material connections between specific places - even when the products themselves are largely fantasy representations of the society that inspired them. Drawing from an ongoing LA-Tokyo based ethnographic project, Adrian Favell will discuss the creative and business connections behind the highly selective import of Japanese art and popular culture into the West, particularly the role of Southern California as a gateway. He will trace the story of one exemplar of "Cool Japan": the international superstar artist, Takashi Murakami, currently the subject of a major retrospective at the LA Museum of Contemporary Art. The Murakami phenomenon reveals both the transnational dynamics key to any successful export of a distinctive "Japanese" culture, as well as the limitations in how the best of contemporary culture in Japan has been represented globally.
Speaker: Adrian Favell, Associate Professor of Sociology,
UCLA;
Visiting Professor, Hitotsubashi University; Abe Fellow
(2005)
Adrian Favell works on migration, mobility, and transnational processes in Europe, North America and East Asia. He is the author of Philosophies of Integration: Immigration and the Idea of Citizenship in France and Britain (1998), The Human Face of Global Mobility: International Highly Skilled Migration in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific (co-edited with Michael Peter Smith, 2006), and Eurostars and Eurocities: Free Movement and Mobility in an Integrating Europe (2008).
Discussant: Ikuya Sato, Professor of Sociology, Graduate
School of Commerce
and Management,
Hitotsubashi University; Abe Fellow (1999)
Moderator: Tsutomo Sugiura, Art Curator, Masubeni
Corporation; Advisor,
Marubeni Research
Institute
When: Tuesday, December 4, 6:00-8:00pm
Where: The Japan
Foundation Conference Hall, East Wing 20th Floor,
ARK Mori
Building, Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo
ARK Mori
Building Access Map
Simultaneous interpretation will be available. Admission is free. An informal reception follows.
If you wish to attend, please send an email with your name and affiliation
to:
ssrcABE@gol.com
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Contact: SSRC Tokyo Office Tel: 81-35-562-3506
Email: ssrcABE@gol.com
Web: http://www.abefellowship.info
ABE FELLOWSHIP COLLOQUIUM
"Why Do States Join the International Criminal Court?
The Case of Japan, 1997-2007"
Japan ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 17, 2007, nine years after 120 nations voted to adopt the treaty and five years after it entered into force. To account for the puzzling and unique delay, Dr. Jens Meierhenrich presents a longitudinal analysis of Japan's international behavior, placing the executive and legislative dimensions of the negotiations in historical perspective. The presentation explicates the instrumental function - means and ends - of international law as well as its expressive function - norms and values - and their salience in Japan. Revisiting the country's entry into international society and the nineteenth century debate over a "standard of civilization" helps to explain the meaning of international law in Japan. The sociological dimension, Meierhenrich argues, is the key to understanding the case of the ICC treaty.
Speaker: Jens Meierhenrich, Visiting Professor, University of
Tokyo
Abe Fellow (2004)
Jens Meierhenrich was a Rhodes Scholar and teaches government at Harvard University. He recently served in Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and previously worked with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. His publications include a genocide trilogy forthcoming from Princeton University Press. He is presently a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Tokyo.
Discussants: Nisuke Ando, Professor Emeritus, University of Kyoto
Keiko Ko, Professor, Mie University / Abe Fellow (2001)
When: Monday, September 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where:
The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, East Wing 20th Floor,
ARK Mori Building, Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo
ARK Mori Building Access Map
Simultaneous interpretation will be available. Admission is free. An informal reception follows.
If you wish to attend, please send email with your name and affiliation to: ssrcABE@gol.com
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council
Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for
Global Partnership.
Contact: SSRC Tokyo Office Tel: 81-3-5562-3506
Email: ssrcABE@gol.com
Web: http://www.abefellowship.info
Lawrence Repeta teaches American Law at Omiya Law School and has practiced law, been a business executive and conducted research in U.S. and Japan since 1979. He was the plaintiff in a landmark suit that opened Japan`s courts to note-taking by courtroom spectators. (Japan Supreme Court decision, 1989). Repeta's new book Piercing the Darkness: Secrecy and the Future of America, was published in October by Nihon Hyoronsha.Speaker: Lawrence Repeta, Professor, Omiya Law School.
(Click here for the full text of Professor Repeta's speech.)Discussant: Masahiro Usaki, Dean and Professor, Dokkyo Law School
Moderator: Yasushi Watanabe, Professor, Keio University
When: Thursday, October 26, 2006, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
More than 200 years after U.S. President James Madison said "the censorial power is in the People over the government, and not in the government over the People," the struggle to realize his vision continues. The public cannot properly exercise such power unless it has the means to know the true actions of the government. Many think that the adoption of "Freedom of Information" laws in the United States in 1966 and Japan in 1999 marked historic steps on the road toward informed citizenry. The American Freedom of Information Act has become a deeply entrenched feature of government. Millions of "FOIA" requests are filed every year and recalcitrant government agencies often find themselves in court and sometimes subject to judicial orders. In Japan, despite high fees and other barriers, tens of thousands of requests are filed annually, though court orders are few. Can a freedom of information law really make a difference? Lawrence Repeta spent a year in the United States interviewing citizen activists and legal experts on their use the U.S. FOI Act and will compare key FOIA issues there and in Japan.
Note: Simultaneous interpretation will be available. Admission is free.
RSVP with name and affiliation to ssrcABE@gol.com.
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Contact: SSRC Tokyo Office
Tel: 03-5562-3506, http://www.abefellowship.info
Public Airwaves, Public Interest?
Digital Television Policy in Japan, Britain and the US
Over a decade ago Japan, Britain and the United States made conversion from analog to digital transmission of television broadcasts a matter of national policy. In addition to superior picture quality and interactivity, digital television (DTV) uses about one-quarter the airwave space of analog, freeing up scarce spectrum worth for auction or other public uses. Yet policymakers face a Catch-22. Analog television sets cannot receive digital signals, and it would be politically disastrous to convert from analog until most viewers had upgraded or replaced their sets. But viewers are reluctant to upgrade in the absence of attractive DTV programming, while broadcasters are reluctant to invest in digital programming and transmission facilities without a large DTV audience. Collective action theory suggests that this type of coordination problem is best overcome by state-guided mediation and information-sharing between the different actors. One might expect that Japan, a "coordinated market economy" in which state-industry relations are characterized by routine collaboration and cooperation, would be relatively more successful at resolving the problem than "liberal market economies" such as Britain or the United States. In fact, the Japanese approach was as uncoordinated as American policy was non-market conforming.
Dr. Laurence's current research is a comparative study of public television in Britain, Japan and the United States. He is the author of Money Rules: the New Politics of Finance in Britain and Japan (Cornell University Press, 2001).Speaker: Henry Laurence, Associate Professor of Government and Politics, Bowdoin College
1999 Abe Fellow
When: Tuesday, August 8, 2006 12:15 -13:45.
Where: The Japan Foundation Information Center
ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
The Japan Foundation Conference Hall Access Map
Note: Please bring your own lunch. Presentation will be in English.
RSVP with name and affiliation to ssrcABE@gol.com.
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Contact: SSRC Tokyo Office
Tel: 03-5562-3506, http://www.abefellowship.info
International House of Japan
July 19-22, 2006
SSRC Executive Director Mary Byrne McDonnell participated in the international seminar “Questioning from the Borderline: Cross-Cultural Dialogue in Tackling a Global Agenda” held at the International House of Japan, July 19-22, 2006. The goal of the private discussions, as well as the public symposium, which attracted academics and journalists from the U.S., Japan, and other parts of Asia, was to rethink the contemporary significance of cross-cultural dialogue among intellectuals of diverse backgrounds and expertise. In her presentation, entitled “Toward a More Globally Connected, Public Social Science,” McDonnell stressed the need for new kinds of research professionals who are capable and comfortable understanding local situations in relation to global, transnational and international trends and impacts. In response to urgent, large-scale, transnational problems facing human society today, McDonnell noted three imperative tasks: the reinvention of international studies, the building of a publicly engaged social science, and the development of international networks of intellectuals dedicated to collaborating to produce the kinds of comparative work that will inform our understanding across multiple kinds of borders and boundaries. The four-day seminar marked the reopening of I-House following its recent renovations. Many of the participants were former Abe Fellows and participants in other SSRC projects as well as well-known public intellectuals from throughout Asia.
For the full text of Dr. McDonnell's presentation, click here
“Mary McDonnell, Executive Director, Social Science Research Council, stressed
the importance of strengthening the networking of interdisciplinary research
together with citizens’ commitment to handling various challenges of
globalization.”
- Mainichi Newspaper
The SSRC Tokyo Office held two orientation sessions for applicants in Japan in July. These sessions were primarily for Japanese applicants who are not familiar with Western style-application writing.
Tokyo
Date: Thursday, July 20, 2006
Time: 6:00 pm--7:30 pm
Place: CGP Conference Room, The Japan Foundation Center for Global
Partnership, ARK Mori Building, Tokyo
Kansai area
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2006
Time: 2:00 pm--3:30 pm
Place: Conference Room IV, Clock Tower Centennial Hall, Kyoto
University, Yoshida hon-machi, Sagyo-ku, Kyoto
Colloquium: A Lifeline for Japanese Capitalism: Engaging with Globalization and the Indian IT Industry
Speaker: Anthony D'Costa, Professor, University of Washington, Tacoma.
Moderator: Takahiro Miyao, Ph.D., Professor, Head of Japanese Institute of Global Communications, International University of Japan
The Global Restructuring of the Steel Industry: Innovations, Institutions and Industrial Change (1999), India in the Global Software Industry: Innovation, Firm Strategies, and Development (2003), and The Long March to Capitalism: Embourgeoisment, Internationalization, and Industrial Transformation in IndiaWhen: Thursday, February 23, 2006, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: CGP Conference Room, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
How is the mobility of technical talent changing the structural ties between rich and poor countries? Abe Fellow Anthony P. D'Costa examines the relationship between India and Japan in the context of globalization and international migration of human resources. His hypothesis: Unless Japan seeks foreign talent, its economy and society are likely to stagnate. Japan needs technical talent to continue innovation, but must also be cost competitive. Demographic scenarios for Japan predict a declining workforce, while India is an exporter of technical talent and software. Global competition for Indian talent is growing, as governments ease the entry of IT professionals for employment and immigration. Yet Japan, the second largest IT market, shows few signs of engagement with the Indian IT industry, which exports a paltry 3% of software services to Japan compared to 65% to the United States. D'Costa argues that mutual engagement will benefit both countries: Japan gets inexpensive, high-quality on- and offshore software services, while India leverages Japanese IT for technological learning.
Note: Presentation will be in English. Admission is free.
RSVP with name and affiliation to ssrcABE@gol.com.
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Contact: SSRC Tokyo Office
Tel: 03-5562-3506, http://www.abefellowship.info
Remapping East Asia: The Construction of a Region
A discussion of the implications of East Asian regionalism for U.S. foreign and economic policy
When: Wednesday, October 12, 2005, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Where: The Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
Lindner Family Commons
1957 E Street, NW, 6th Floor, Room 602
Washington, DCJoin our panel of experts for a discussion and insights on the current East Asia/U.S. policy scenario.
T.J. PEMPEL
Director of East Asian Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Chair of the Working Group on Northeast Asian Security of CSCAP. Editor of “Remapping East Asia: Construction of a Region”PAUL EVANS
Professor of Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia, Institute of Asian Research and the Liu Institute for Global Issues. Vice-Chairman of the Board and Co-CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Contributor to “Remapping East Asia: Construction of a Region.”CATHARIN DALPINO
Lecturer on Southeast Asian politics at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Former Fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.Co-Sponsored by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the Abe Fellowship Program of the SSRC and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership
Application Orientation Session
The SSRC Tokyo Office will hold an orientation session for applicants in Japan. The session is primarily for Japanese applicants who are not familiar with Western style-application writing.
When: June 27, 2005, 2 pm-3:30 pm
Where: CGP Conference Room, The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, ARK Mori Building, Tokyo
Colloquium: Gift of Life or Relay of Life: Organ Donation Policy in Comparative US-Japanese Perspective
Speaker: Ann Mongoven, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies (Ethics), Indiana University - Bloomington
Discussant: Soho Machida, Professor of Comparative Religion and Bioethics, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Dr. Ann Mongoven, assistant professor of religious studies, Indiana University, explores the intersection of religion, biomedical ethics, and public policy. She worked as an ethics consultant on issues related to organ donation and transplantation for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her particular interest is how symbolic influences may affect policy-making in ways that may be left “between the lines” in explicit political argumentation.
When: Wednesday, June 1, 2005, 3:00-5:00p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: CGP Conference Room, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Is organ donation a gift of life? Or a relay of life? What difference does it make? This presentation will compare organ donation policy in the United States and Japan, exploring symbolic factors that affect public opinion and policy formation. Organ donation and transplantation raise ethical questions that generate complex multivalent debate within both cultural contexts. Yet some major differences characterize American and Japanese discourse. Organ donation is relatively uncontroversial in the United States. However, in Japan questions related to organ donation, particularly questions of how to define death or obtain consent for organ donation, have generated intense and polarized political controversy. That controversy is structurally akin to the abortion debate in America, both in its emotional charge and in its tendency to influence the framing of other bioethical issues in Japanese discourse. Professor Mongoven will urge consideration of organ donation as a “low-tech” as well as a “high-tech” issue, one that intersects basic cultural and religious understandings of giving and receiving. She will highlight how inverse consensuses in the United States and Japan offer important mutual critique of ethical practices surrounding organ donation and transplantation.
Note: Simultaneous interpretation will be available. Admission is free.
The colloquium is jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Colloquium: The Politics of the Japanese Postal System and the Prospects for Reform
Speaker: Patricia Maclachlan, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and Government, University of Texas at Austin
Discussants: Yutaka Tsujinaka, Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Moderator: Glen S. Fukushima, Co-President & Representative Director, NCR Japan, Ltd
Dr. Maclachlan received a Ph.D. in Political Science and Japanese studies in 1996 from Columbia University. She is the author of Consumer Politics in Postwar Japan: The Institutional Boundaries of Citizen Activism (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002), and several other articles and book chapters on consumer-related issues in Japan and the West. As an Abe fellow, she is researching the historical development and political functions of the Japanese and British postal systems, and has conducted extensive field research in both countries in affiliation with Rikkyo and Oxford Universities. Her article, “Post Office Politics in Modern Japan: The Postmasters, Iron Triangles, and the Limits of Reform,” appeared in the summer 2004 issue of the Journal of Japanese Studies.
When: Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 3:00-5:00p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
For well over a decade, Prime Minister Koizumi has upheld privatization of the postal system as the ultimate prerequisite for the reform of the Japanese political economy. His chances of fulfilling that goal, however, have been significantly weakened by ongoing opposition from the postal lobby, an alliance of postmasters, postal workers, bureaucrats, and both conservative and progressive politicians. Patricia Maclachlan will examine the historical origins and development of the postal lobby, paying particular attention to the network of approximately 19,000 commissioned postmasters-one of the most powerful but poorly understood interest groups in Japanese politics. She will also explore some of the arguments against postal reform, the extent of the lobby’s impact on Koizumi’s attempt to deregulate mail-delivery services in 2002, and the prospects for future reform.
Note: Simultaneous interpretation will be available. Admission is free.
Colloquium: The Determinants of Fertility Decline in Japan: Husbands, Work Place, Government, and Society
Speaker: Kazuo Yamaguchi, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago
Discussants: Noriko Tsuya, Professor, Department of Economics, Keio University
Hisakazu Kato, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research
Moderator: Sawako Shirahase, Associate Professor, Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences, University of Tsukuba
When: Friday, December 17, 2004, 3:00-5:30 p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/about/access03.html
The population decrease brought on by rapid fertility decline and the inverted-pyramid shape of the population distribution has caused many social and economic problems. Demographers attribute the fertility decline to women's remaining single and delayed marriage. The explanation is also proffered for the Republic of Korea and Southern Europe, which show a similar pattern. In these countries, including Japan, husbands accept a smaller share of housework and child-rearing responsibilities, workplaces are less "family friendly," and women are more impeded from returning to the workforce after childbirth, than in the United States and Western Europe. Fertility decline is related to this social environment.
Prof. Yamaguchi has analyzed a panel survey of consumers’ lives from the Institute for Research on Household Economics that shows how the situation in the household and workplace affects the attitudes of married women toward child bearing and subsequent fertility behavior. He will discuss the role of husbands, employers, government policy, and society in ameliorating fertility decline.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATION WILL BE IN JAPANESE.
Colloquium: Global Human Rights and Ethnic Social Movements: International Trends and Ethnic Minorities in Japan
Speaker: Kiyoteru Tsutsui,Assistant Professor, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Discussants: Yuji Iwasawa, Professor of International Law, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
Mikiko Otani, Lawyer, Otani Law Office
When: Wednesday, November 10, 2004, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
An informal reception follows.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Recent case studies have documented the impact of the expansion of human rights ideas and instruments on local politics across the globe. Dr. Kiyoteru Tsutsui, 2003 Abe Fellow, will present cross-national quantitative data analyses and qualitative case studies on ethnic minority groups in Japan. He examines how the diffusion of global human rights ideas, intensification of international activist networks, and the growth of international instruments may have empowered ethnic minorities and facilitated their political mobilization and how the government has responded to these developments.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATION WILL BE IN JAPANESE.
Colloquium: Domestic Violence: Legal Remedies and Social Services in Japan and the United States
Speaker: Marjory D. Fields, Lawyer and Former Judge of the Family Court of the State of New York
Discussants: Mutsuko Takahashi, Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Policy Studies, University of Shimane
Ichiro Numazaki, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University
When: Monday, February 23, 2004, 3:00-5:30 p.m. An informal reception follows.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Common acts of domestic violence as defined in the criminal laws of the United States and Japan range from murder to assault, threats, stalking, and harassment. The responses to domestic violence by the legislatures, judges, law enforcement, and social services in both societies, however, differ significantly. Judge Fields described the civil and criminal legal remedies and social services available to victims of domestic violence in Japan and the United States. She argued that these remedies are required by the constitutions of both countries, and the treaty obligations of Japan. Judge Fields also discussed the public policy implications of government responses to domestic violence.
To view Judge Fields' paper, click here.
Colloquium: Internet Governance and the Intelligence Establishment
Speaker: Motohiro Tsuchiya Associate Professor, Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan
When: Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 12:15-13:30p.m.
Where: CGP Conference Room, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Colloquium: Women’s Economic Role and Marriage: Where Does Japan Stand?
Speaker: Hiromi Ono, Assistant Research Scientist, Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan
Discussant : Akiko Nagai, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Research on Household Economics
Moderator : Hiroshi Ishida, Professor, Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo
When: Monday, June 9, 2003 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: CGP Conference Room, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Colloquium: Aspirations for a Middle-Class Lifestyle: Japanese Pop Culture on Chinese Campuses
Speakers: Nakano Yoshiko, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Japanese Studies, The University of Hong Kong
Wu Yongmei, Lecturer, Beijing Center of Japanese Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University
Commentator: Hirakawa Sukehiro, Professor Emeritus, Department of Comparative Literature and Comparative Cultures, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, University of Tokyo
When: Thursday, March 20, 2003, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: CGP Conference Room, ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F
Colloquium: Working Mothers and Childcare Support in Japan: A Comparison with the United States
Speaker: Sawako Shirahase, Senior Research Scientist, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research
Discussant: Glenda Roberts, Professor, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University
Moderator: Yuko Suda, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Toyo University
When: Tuesday, November 12, 2002, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall
ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20FIn 1989, Japan’s total fertility rate dropped from 1.66 to 1.57, a decline that caught the attention of policy makers and the general public. In response, the government adopted a series of policy measures to support childcare and enable mothers to continue working, including the Law on Childcare Leave (1992), the Angel Plan (1994), and the New Angel Plan (1999). Dr. Shirahase found, however, that many Japanese married women still quit their jobs because of childbearing and few mothers with children under three years old are employed. Meanwhile, in the United Sates, where public support for childcare is minimal, a remarkable social change has occurred since the 1980s. Millions of mothers with small children stay in the labor market and continue their careers.
Dr. Shirahase discussed the effectiveness of Japan’s public support for working mothers and childcare in the 1990s, using empirical data and comparison with the United States.
Colloquium: Play in an Age of Digital Media: Children's Engagements with the "Japananimation" Media MixSpeaker: Ito Mizuko, Visiting Associate Professor, Graduate School of Policy and Media Studies, Keio University
Moderator: Naoki Ueno, Senior Research Scientist, National Institute for Educational Policy Research
When: Friday, April 12, 2002, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall
ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, TokyoThe increasing impact of international media on the socialization of young children has raised public concern as parents, educators, and policy makers debate violence in video games, pornography on the Internet, and marketing directed at kids. What children get from popular culture and how families should manage media consumption at home is highly controversial in Japan and the United States.
Dr. Ito discussed her ethnographic research in Tokyo about networks of relationships, technologies, and cultural content, focusing on the cases of Yugioh, the cartoon hero so popular with young boys, and comic books (manga) for girls. She examined the triangle of children, parents, and media industries as a defining dynamic in the lives of Japanese and American youngsters. How do kids identify with media content? What effect does the media have on peer relations and the interaction of parents and teachers? How are video games, the Internet, and mobile phones linked to changes in production, distribution, and consumption of children's media? Dr. Ito offered answers to these and other questions posed by the digital era.
Colloquium: Global Standards and Local Practices: Corporate Governance Reform in Post-bubble JapanSpeaker: Christina Ahmadjian, Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University
Discussant: Glen S. Fukushima, President & CEO, Cadence Design Systems, Japan
When: Thursday, March 7, 2001, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: The Japan Foundation Conference Hall
ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, TokyoJapan is experiencing a crisis in corporate governance. The media blame management misbehavior and the recession on corporate misgovernance: indifference to shareholders, cozy cross-shareholding relationships between firms and banks, boards of directors that look more like old boys' clubs than responsible monitors, and executive compensation packages that give CEOs little incentive to improve the bottom line. Foreign institutional investors travel to Tokyo and Osaka to promote reforms. Changes in accounting regulations, sales of cross-held shares, increased foreign investment, and an upcoming revision of the Japanese Commercial Code may recast the political and economic institutions that have supported a distinctive managerial system of corporate governance.
Professor Christina Ahmadjian discussed recent changes in corporate governance in Japanese firms and their implications for business and the economy. Is reform a revolutionary metamorphosis or a fad? Do Japanese managers truly perceive a need to replace existing practices? Do the innovations imply a convergence with U.S. business practices? How do the honne (reality) and tatemae (appearance) of reform diverge? Dr. Ahmadjian presented findings from her research into comparative corporate governance in Japan, the United States, and Europe.
Colloquium: The Paradigm Shift in American Theater: How the Ford Foundation Helped Develop Non-Profit TheaterSpeaker: Sato Ikuya, Professor, Graduate School of Commerce and Management, Hitotsubashi University
Moderator: Masao Katayama, Director, The Saison Foundation
When: Thursday, November 8, 2000, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: CGP Conference Room
ARK Mori Bldg., East Wing, 20F 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, TokyoIn the history of modern American theater, the decade from the late 1950s was crucial. Until then, Broadway productions dominated the theater scene. Original casts and road companies toured the country, performing plays and musicals that were commercial successes in New York. In a 10-year span, the creative map was redrawn. From the mid-1960s, many new plays and experimental works originated in regional theaters and resident companies across the United States. The Ford Foundation's support for the performing arts played a decisive role in this seminal change.
Professor Sato Ikuya explained the social and economic underpinnings of this artistic surge—the epochal growth of resident production companies. On the one hand, stable support from theatergoers, government, and foundations institutionalized community theater, freeing playwrights and directors from dependence on a few wealthy benefactors and organizations. On the other hand, theater groups and the artistic world in general were inevitably bureaucratized, one of the many unanticipated side-effects. Professor Sato's Abe project is a comparative study of artistic cultural policy in Japan and the United States. He draws upon earlier research on Japan such as Gendai engeki no fiirudowaaku (University of Tokyo Press, 1999).
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