The UP Asian Center and the Japan Foundation Manila will hold a webinar, "Debriefing Seminar and Special Lecture on Japanese Politics and Society" via Zoom on 22 September 2020, 2–4 pm (Philippine Standard time). The webinar is free and open to the public, but interested participants must register using an authenticated Zoom account. In case Zoom participation maxes out, you can watch the livestream in YouTube.

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LECTURES

Beyond Pessimism towards Marginalized Communities: Multiple Local Communities in Rural Japan
           Prof. Yoshinori Kasai, PhD, Faculty of Law, Keio University

 Existing studies have often described Japan's local communities as marginalized villages and local extinctions. Japan’s aging population and the increasing number of vacant houses and land, especially in rural areas, are current social realities that have depicted rural life with pessimism. On the other hand, many villages have held on without disappearing, raising questions about the validity of studies based on population-assessments alone. These communities not only include those based on local government boundaries, but also those to which residents belong, leading their day-to-day lives and forming networks with other areas as a way of extending the communities. 

This presentation deviates from portraying rural communities as typical depopulated areas, and tries to illustrate the multiple communities through a case study of Ritto City in Shiga Prefecture. It argues that rural communities in Japan are not necessarily in a marginalized situation, partly due to the existence of multilayered communities that have emerged since the Meiji period, as well as the enduring rural folklore that has served as a repertoire of sustainability for these communities.  The study underscores the significance of doing rural research and life history method in capturing community life and people’s voices.

A Journey to the Deep North: Reflections on Japan

Four graduate students who went on a study tour in Japan early this year will each present their reflections about the trip. They were the winners of the research competition on Japanese Studies that was held on 18 January 2020.

• Calm Before the Storm: Travels in Tokyo in the Time of a Pandemic
                Frederik de Jesus

• Finding a Safe Space: Dialogues with UTokyo and JF
                Angela Louise Rosario

• Technology and the Arts: Mori Museum Art Exhibit, Metropolitan Tokyo
               Paolo Valdez

• Ichi go, ichi e  [one time, one meeting] : On the experience of Chado and an informal meeting with the film division of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo
               Maria Isabel Tangco

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ABOUT THE MAIN SPEAKER

Dr. Yoshinori Kasai is a Senior Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, Keio University. He is also a part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Sociology in Ryukoku University. His research is based on the life history method. His major works include The Idea and Manners of Conviviality, Basic Seminar Sociology, and Local Community from the Viewpoint of a Case Study on Sagicho. He obtained his Master's and doctorate degree on Media and Governance from Keio University. View full profile.

ABOUT THE STUDY TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

• Fredrik de Jesus is a third-year MA in Asian Studies, Major in Northeast Asia Studies (Japan) student at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. His main research interests include the role of Japanese pop culture in Asian society, as well as the role of Christianity in Southeast and East Asia.

• Angela Louise Rosario recently completed her MA in Japanese Studies, major in Japanese History, last May 2020 at the Ateneo de Manila University. She finished her BA in Communication at the University of the Philippines - Baguio in 2014.

• Paolo Valdez is taking up MS Electrical Engineering at UP Diliman.

• Maria Ysabel Tangco is taking up MA Japanese Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University. 

REGISTRATION AND WEBINAR GUIDELINES

• In the Zoom's registration form, the email you provide should be the same as the one you use to sign in to Zoom. Sign up for a free Zoom account here. If your registration is successful, you will receive an email with the link to the webinar. Please do not share your registration link. It is unique for you.

• Registration is first-come, first-served. The webinar can accommodate 500. Those who cannot register via Zoom may watch it live on YouTube. Once the Zoom registration maxes out, a livestream registration form will be put up.

• For the Q&A, participants may post their questions anonymously. These will only be visible to the host and the panelists. The moderator and/or the main speaker will choose questions and read them out during the Open Forum. No answers will be typed.

• The host(s) reserves the right to remove in-webinar participants who send rude, inappropriate questions or messages.

• Automatic reminders via Zoom regarding will be sent to your email one day before and one hour before the start of the webinar.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS; INQUIRIES

This webinar is organized by the UP Asian Center and the Japan Foundation Manila, which also sponsored the Study Tour. For queries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D.  program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.