Discussing the work of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda in After Life (1998), Nobody Knows (2004), and, most importantly, Shoplifters (2018), this thesis aims to expand on the way the hybrid...Show moreDiscussing the work of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda in After Life (1998), Nobody Knows (2004), and, most importantly, Shoplifters (2018), this thesis aims to expand on the way the hybrid documentary genre is defined by contemporary academic literature. Furthermore, it offers a different perspective on the lens through which we view Kore-eda’s recent filmography.Show less
This paper examines the Chiiki Okoshi Kyōryoku Tai (COKT), a Japanese government programme aimed at inducing counterurbanization and rural revitalization by commissioning people to move from urban...Show moreThis paper examines the Chiiki Okoshi Kyōryoku Tai (COKT), a Japanese government programme aimed at inducing counterurbanization and rural revitalization by commissioning people to move from urban to rural areas to engage in revitalization projects. Utilizing academic literature, government published data and personal reports, the historical context that led to the formation of the COKT is explored, followed by an analysis of the COKT’s potential benefits and problems based on its performance thus far and how it is presented to the public by the government. Although the counterurbanization aspect of the COKT continues to be heavily pushed by government documents, we argue that the actual numbers of participants remains far too low to make a tangible difference. However, linking to more recent literature on kankeijinkō, we argue that the COKT has potential benefits that reach beyond directly inducing counterurbanization, including the promotion of increased mobility and interaction between urban and rural areas.Show less
Japan, despite being a developed economy, is well known for its persistent gender inequality in the workplace. Many women quit their jobs when they get married or become mothers, and they can...Show moreJapan, despite being a developed economy, is well known for its persistent gender inequality in the workplace. Many women quit their jobs when they get married or become mothers, and they can usually not return to their previous job, so upon their return to the labor market, that is if they return, they tend to end up being placed in lower positions or doing low-paid part time work. Japanese policymakers over the last decades have recognized women’s bad position on the labor market as a problem, and have made multiple policies in an attempt to better women’s position. In this thesis I evaluate one of these policies, the Eruboshi certification, through the observation of Chiba Bank ltd. as a case study.Show less
Looking at the period of January 2022 to March 2024, this thesis sufficiently shows that the conflict in Ukraine has granted Kishida more opportunity to change Japan’s energy politics, where Abe...Show moreLooking at the period of January 2022 to March 2024, this thesis sufficiently shows that the conflict in Ukraine has granted Kishida more opportunity to change Japan’s energy politics, where Abe struggled. The bills that Kishida succeeded in pushing through the Diet, have broken the stalemate within Japan’s energy politics that was shaped by the Fukushima incident. If Kishida had kept his goal at only temporarily restarting existing nuclear reactors to deal with the energy shortages in Japan, this could be seen as a policy change of a temporary nature, returning Japan’s energy politics back to how it was before the Russo-Ukrainian war. However, this is not the case. It is clear that Kishida is using the Russo-Ukrainian war to further his own pronuclear agenda, one where Japan will have to rely on nuclear energy for longer than it would have had, if it had continued its path from prior to the Russo-Ukrainian war. To answer the research question, the path-dependency created by Kishida’s decisions do suggest that the Russo-Ukrainian war is a critical juncture that has reshaped Japan’s Energy Politics for many years to come, partly undoing the effects of the Fukushima incident. However, as the war is still ongoing, it is still too early to conclude that it is indeed a critical juncture. As such, it is up to future research to explore the further influence of the Russo-Ukrainian war on Japan’s energy politics.Show less
This thesis explores the portrayal of identity construction and expression through the protagonist Mikage's relationship with food in Banana Yoshimoto's novel "Kitchen," employing the framework of...Show moreThis thesis explores the portrayal of identity construction and expression through the protagonist Mikage's relationship with food in Banana Yoshimoto's novel "Kitchen," employing the framework of ecocriticism. By analyzing Mikage's interactions with food and the kitchen, this study investigates how she nurtures her identity, fosters interpersonal connections, and experiences nostalgia. Through tea times, kitchen scenes, and dining experiences, Mikage forms deep emotional bonds with others, using food as a medium for intimacy and solace. However, amidst her nostalgic reflections, Mikage's limited awareness of food production processes underscore a disconnect between her emotional attachment to food and its ecological implications. By examining Mikage's culinary journey, this thesis sheds light on the complex interplay between food, identity, and environmental consciousness, offering insights into the ways in which our relationships with food shape our sense of self and our connection to the natural world.Show less
Within science fiction literature, a largely debated subject is the modification of humans and the consequences attached to this practice. Questions such as the extent to which it would still be...Show moreWithin science fiction literature, a largely debated subject is the modification of humans and the consequences attached to this practice. Questions such as the extent to which it would still be possible to call these people ‘human’ or the role they might play in bringing the human civilization to an end are largely examined within science fiction. This thesis addresses the issue of modified humanoids within Japanese works of science fiction, with special attention to the reaction of society to these modified humanoids. Specifically, the focus of this research is the mangas Elfen Lied and Deadman Wonderland, as they frame the modification of the human in such ways that shows completely different reactions by society, ranging from marginalization to attraction or a need for controlling them, rooted in different emotional responses to the threat to their human identity. The framework of soft science fiction offers the base of this analysis as it deals with aspects of social and political response to technical developments. This comparison between these different reactions by society offers new insights on how modified humanoids are seen by society in Japanese literature. In conclusion, this thesis sheds a new light on the rarely researched issue of how society in science fiction has varying responses to the modified humanoids and take action on these responses in support of their own ideas surrounding what the human identity entails.Show less
Representations of nature and natural phenomena have long been a part of Japanese cultural productions. Flowers, plants, birds, and other natural phenomena are common motifs present in Japanese...Show moreRepresentations of nature and natural phenomena have long been a part of Japanese cultural productions. Flowers, plants, birds, and other natural phenomena are common motifs present in Japanese literature, such as waka, picture scrolls, and paintings. Even in more contemporary media, such as anime, these themes are widespread. The interdisciplinary field ecocriticism—which is relatively new in non-Anglophone spheres—allows us to analyse how nature and the nonhuman world are portrayed in these works. In addition, one of the concepts used by ecocritical philosophers called “ecocentrism” decentralises the human in the anthropocentric ideals and conceptualise a world where both human and nonhuman nature are equal. Ecoscapes, a term borrowed from urban ecology studies, takes ecocentric thought as its basis. These ecoscapes conceptualise the integration of the human and the nonhuman where the two coexist interdependently. In other words, they portray an environment that is less human-centred than an environment that is shaped to benefit humans without any concern of the nonhuman world, exploiting and exhausting the natural world. This thesis explores how the representations of such ecoscapes that are created by human-nonhuman relationships challenge anthropocentrism in the anime Mahoutsukai no Yome. Furthermore, these relationships are also looked at through an ecofeminist lens, which argues for the connection between women and nature in their oppression. This case study analyses the TV series and breaks down its various ecoscapes after which it argues for their opposition against anthropocentric views.Show less
This thesis approaches the problem of cross-linguistic authorship attribution in the context of written English by native Japanese authors. To this end, a hybrid qualitative and quantitative...Show moreThis thesis approaches the problem of cross-linguistic authorship attribution in the context of written English by native Japanese authors. To this end, a hybrid qualitative and quantitative analysis of a learner corpus is conducted, making use of a novel automatic error classifier ERAA. It was found that in a comparison with authors from nine other Asian countries, language errors that native Japanese authors tend to produce in written English that were found in earlier literature appear to be unique to the Japanese authors within a given writing theme. Following statistical analysis, it is furthermore suggested that there exist types of L2 language errors that are unaffected by the surrounding writing theme, while other types are affected. Finally, it is concluded that the employed hybrid analysis method is viable to efficiently conduct large-scale corpus research to study a variety of L2 linguistic traits.Show less
In 2021, Japan's gender wage gap was among the highest of all OECD countries. A big factor of this economic gender inequality lies in the fact that female participation in regular-work is...Show moreIn 2021, Japan's gender wage gap was among the highest of all OECD countries. A big factor of this economic gender inequality lies in the fact that female participation in regular-work is comparatively low to the participation rate in the more insecure and lower-paying irregular work jobs. Previous research has shown that there are three main obstacles to increased female participation in regular work positions. Those being the long-working-hours culture, a lack of enforcement of policies by the government, and the societal expectation that women are supposed to focus on housework and child-rearing. This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced these obstacles and if there has been any positive change to the female participation rate in regular work. Using the concepts of exogenous shocks and critical junctures as a theoretical framework, this paper argues that the COVID-19 pandemic might have set the stage for real change in the Japanese labour market through the promotion of telework as a legitimate business practice. However, the pandemic has also highlighted or reinforced the existing obstacles to increased female participations in regular work due to the closure of schools and businesses in the hospitality industry, disproportionally affecting women.Show less
The Shinto imagery and iconography in Shinkai Makoto's film Kimi no Na wa appears to be used to add to the portrayal of a furusato in order to aid the film’s aesthetical countryside town and...Show moreThe Shinto imagery and iconography in Shinkai Makoto's film Kimi no Na wa appears to be used to add to the portrayal of a furusato in order to aid the film’s aesthetical countryside town and ultimately aiming to evoke feelings of nostalgia for a “traditional” Japan. The film, which shows a definite two-split of the Japanese landscape, gives a very stereotypical view of urban Tokyo as a fast paced city, and with Itomori as the furusato poster child, playing into nationalist views of a traditional Japan as opposed to a western influenced Japan. This Thesis explores these topics as it aims to answer the question of; How are religious and spiritual beliefs of Japanese Shinto portrayed in the animated film Kimi no Na wa, how does this portrayal help shape the film’s story and how does this play a role in the discourse on the urban-rural divide in Japan?Show less
