On March 25 2013 the EU-Japan Economic Partnership (EPA) negotiations were officially started. This happened after the EU and Japan had experienced a hiatus of nearly two years (following the end...Show moreOn March 25 2013 the EU-Japan Economic Partnership (EPA) negotiations were officially started. This happened after the EU and Japan had experienced a hiatus of nearly two years (following the end of the 2001 Action plan in May 2011) during which it was not sure whether another official document between the two would ever be signed. Even at the moment of writing this thesis, now that negotiations have started and both the EU and Japan aim to finish the negotiations by the end of the year, it remains to be seen whether or not the finalization of the agreement will become a reality. Thus far most of the negotiations have been characterized by the EU and Japan trying to harmonize their tariff-, non-tariff barriers and import regulations. These barriers and regulations have hindered their mutual trade relations for the past decades in key industries such as the automobile and electronics industry. Because of the protective nature of both the EU and Japan towards these key industries a comprehensive agreement has yet to be reached, although some deals have been made in selected areas, such as safety regulations in cars. This skepticism is what is reflected in the majority of scholarly articles published on the topic as well. However, from the perspective of neo-realist theory this does not make sense. Both the EU and Japan have had stagnating economies for the past years and both want to improve their global economic power; the EU in the Asian region and Japan in the western world. The EU recently signed a FTA with South-Korea and Japan is trying to finalize a similar agreement with the US. The same problems that hinder the EU and Japan for the past years should have hindered these agreements as well, but for some reason they have not. The neo-realist perspective of relative gains trumping absolute gains is thus not completely accurate on this topic. What I want to find out in this thesis is to what extent non-governmental actors (NGAs) have influenced the development of the EU-Japan EPA negotiations. In order to do this I will look at one of the most influential industries for both the EU and Japan: the automobile industry. If the negotiations have been significantly influenced by NGAs, meaning recommendations of said actors have systematically found themselves implemented in governmental policies on the matter, the primarily neo-realist perspective that has found itself implanted in the majority of conclusions of scholarly articles on the topic is not accurate. If my expectations turn out to be true, a shift towards neo-liberalism is more appropriate as it includes the influences of said NGAs.Show less
Idols are the most popular performers in the Japanese entertainment world. They sing, dance, act and appear in magazines. Their pictures are sold in specialized shops and they sell several thousand...Show moreIdols are the most popular performers in the Japanese entertainment world. They sing, dance, act and appear in magazines. Their pictures are sold in specialized shops and they sell several thousand copies per single. But in Europe and America such idols don’t exist. What is it that makes these idols so popular in Japan, while they are not popular in Europe and America? What is important for a Japanese idol to become popular? I will look at three different aspects: looks, talent and personality. The general conclusion is that talent is more important for Japanese idols than looks and personalityShow less
This thesis has two major purposes: (1) to identify and determine what the preferred translation methods are for Japanese mimetics in the official English translated version of the manga Azumanga...Show moreThis thesis has two major purposes: (1) to identify and determine what the preferred translation methods are for Japanese mimetics in the official English translated version of the manga Azumanga Daiō, and (2) to investigate whether the translations of Japanese mimetics found in the the English edition of the manga sufficiently convey the sound-meaning correlations, which are established by previous studies. The thesis is divided as follows. First, a theoretical framework regarding the sound-meaning correlations of Japanese mimetics is provided. This is followed by the analysis, which consists of two parts. In the first part, the results of the quantitative analysis of Japanese mimetics and their translation methods are presented. The results show that giongo are often translated into equivalent sounds by using existing mimetics. Gitaigo and gijōgo, on the other hand, are usually translated into words that can be divided into multiple translation methods (hybrids). In the second part, the qualitative analysis investigates whether the translations of the Japanese mimetics found in the English edition of the manga Azumanga Daiō are true to their original meaning. That is, whether they sufficiently convey the established sound-meaning correlations of their Japanese counterparts. The results show that in this manga, this is not always sufficiently done. Thus, the translations run the risk of missing nuances, resulting in loss or undertranslation.Show less
Dit onderzoek richt zich op de politieke, sociale en culturele veranderingen in de overgang van de Tokugawa 徳川時代 (Tokugawa-jidai) (1603-1868) en de Meiji periode 明治時代 (Meiji-jidai) (1868-1912)....Show moreDit onderzoek richt zich op de politieke, sociale en culturele veranderingen in de overgang van de Tokugawa 徳川時代 (Tokugawa-jidai) (1603-1868) en de Meiji periode 明治時代 (Meiji-jidai) (1868-1912). Door gebruik te maken van contextuele en visuele analyse van de ukiyo-e prentenserie ‘Chiyoda no Ōoku’ 千代田の大奥 (Het Binnenpaleis van Chiyoda) (1895-1896) van de kunstenaar Yōshū Chikanobu 揚州周延en diverse andere secundaire bronnen, worden de veranderingen die tijdens deze periode plaatsvonden aangetoond.Show less
n de benadering van het werk van vrouwelijke Japanse dichters zoals Itō komt veelal de term vrouwelijkheid naar voren, om te stellen dat vrouwen wezenlijk anders schrijven dan mannen. Toshiko...Show moren de benadering van het werk van vrouwelijke Japanse dichters zoals Itō komt veelal de term vrouwelijkheid naar voren, om te stellen dat vrouwen wezenlijk anders schrijven dan mannen. Toshiko Ellis2 legt uit dat een categorie als ‘vrouwelijk’ ontstaan is, omdat het werk van moderne vrouwelijke schrijvers oorspronkelijk gepromoot werd als werk dat vanuit een uniek vrouwelijk oogpunt werd geschreven en dat vrouwen dus wezenlijk anders schreven. Bij een begrip als vrouwelijkheid komt echter onherroepelijk de vraag omhoog wat dit begrip precies betekent. Wanneer is iets ‘vrouwelijk’ in Japan en waarom wordt een dergelijk kenmerk toegekend aan zoiets als moderne poëzie door vrouwen?Show less
In 2014, the United Nations recommended to the Japanese government that it should promulgate laws against hate speech. This advice was ignored by the Japanese government, claiming such laws would...Show moreIn 2014, the United Nations recommended to the Japanese government that it should promulgate laws against hate speech. This advice was ignored by the Japanese government, claiming such laws would interfere with the right of freedom of speech. With the racism against Zainichi Koreans (citizens in Japan of Korean ancestry) as a case study, using the New Haven School of Jurisprudence as framework, this thesis posits that “freedom of speech” is not the Japanese government’s (only) reason for refusing to promulgate laws against hate speech. By researching Diet discussions, newspaper articles, court cases and personal accounts of prominent politicians such as Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, this essay comes to the conclusion that the actual reasons differ from the official one given. The general conclusions of this thesis are that the Japanese government is reluctant to promulgate laws against hate speech because it is concerned about its independence from the United Nations, and because there is a disregard for minority issues in general.Show less
This thesis explores the humanoid robotics culture of Japan and tries to make a case for the penetration of both mechanically looking humanoid robots and realistically looking androids into...Show moreThis thesis explores the humanoid robotics culture of Japan and tries to make a case for the penetration of both mechanically looking humanoid robots and realistically looking androids into Japanese society.Show less
The Takarazuka Revue is the all-female theatre renowned for breaking gendered conventions and its ability to empower its fandom. Despite its well reputation, the Revue is in fact shockingly...Show moreThe Takarazuka Revue is the all-female theatre renowned for breaking gendered conventions and its ability to empower its fandom. Despite its well reputation, the Revue is in fact shockingly patriarchal. Through consult of existing literature and analytical research, this thesis shall dedicate itself to answering the research question: "Why is Takarazuka considered empowering by female fans despite being inherently patriarchal?"Show less
BA Eindwerkstuk, gericht op de nostalgie achter Japanse furusato-dorpen. Ik heb me bij het maken van deze eindopdacht gericht op de vraag hoe nostalgie invloed heeft op landelijk toerisme vanuit de...Show moreBA Eindwerkstuk, gericht op de nostalgie achter Japanse furusato-dorpen. Ik heb me bij het maken van deze eindopdacht gericht op de vraag hoe nostalgie invloed heeft op landelijk toerisme vanuit de grote stad naar het platteland van Japan. Hierbij beagumenteer ik dat het platteland dienst neemt als een 'heterotopos' en dat cultureel erfgoed in bepaalde mate niet historisch correct hoeft te zijn om effect te hebben.Show less
De Yomihon, te verdelen over de Kamigata Yomihon en de Edo Yomihon, speelt een erg belangrijke rol bij het verklaren van transities in de literaire conventies gedurende de Edo periode, een periode...Show moreDe Yomihon, te verdelen over de Kamigata Yomihon en de Edo Yomihon, speelt een erg belangrijke rol bij het verklaren van transities in de literaire conventies gedurende de Edo periode, een periode waarin commerciële publicatie zich snel ontwikkelt. Als men naar de geschiedenis van de Yomihon kijkt, dan valt op dat de Edo Yomihon geleidelijk aan bekender wordt dan de Kamigata Yomihon en dat dit ongeveer gelijkloopt aan de toename van het aantal uitgevers en distributeurs uit Edo. Door naar een aantal Yomihon van bekende auteurs, de uitgevers hiervan en de manier van distributie van deze werken te kijken wordt de mogelijke connectie tussen de bekendheid van een werk, de distributeurs en de uitgever onderzocht. Er zijn sterke aanwijzingen te zien dat de uitgevers en distributeurs van de Yomihon inderdaad hebben bijgedragen aan de bekendheid hiervan, hoewel er meer onderzoek nodig zal zijn om dit te bevestigen.Show less
While references to the Takarazuka Revue are by no means scarce in academic writing about Japanese theatre or popular culture, the perspective chosen by most authors is often based on gender...Show moreWhile references to the Takarazuka Revue are by no means scarce in academic writing about Japanese theatre or popular culture, the perspective chosen by most authors is often based on gender studies. This is an understandable trend, considering the Revue’s status as a long-running company whose actresses consist solely of unmarried women. It is exactly this status that opens the door to inquiries regarding the gender identification or sexuality of the seito (lit. ‘student’; the performers of the Revue are referred to as seito to nuance that they are still in training rather than being professional actresses1), as well as that of the fans who consume this form of entertainment. However, this approach places the focus on the theatrical productions and their value as entertainment as being subservient to gender mechanics of the Revue instead of the other way around. Often, the creative work involved in the lavish productions staged by Takarazuka receive but a brief mention in academic writing, if any at all. It is my opinion that the manner in which Takarazuka shows are written and staged is equally important to the understanding of the Revue’s popularity as the efforts made by its seito to master the art of playing another gender. To this end, I will focus on the adaptation of foreign productions to the Takarazuka stage. Because these adaptations invariably undergo changes in order to be assimilated into the Revue’s repertoire, I believe that by researching the differences with the original material will offer an interesting perspective in which way the writing and staging of shows contributes to creating the world of dreams Takarazuka is famed, or notorious, for.Show less
The Nine Stages of Decay have often been discussed in debates on sexism. However, the role of men in these scrolls is usually disregarded. The appearance of men in Kusō-zu reframes the view of...Show moreThe Nine Stages of Decay have often been discussed in debates on sexism. However, the role of men in these scrolls is usually disregarded. The appearance of men in Kusō-zu reframes the view of women on these scrolls. Therefore the role of women is reassessed in this paper through research on the role of men.Show less
