Archive - Youth Culture Symposiums

On March 12, the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held the 9th Youth Culture Symposium: "The historical interplay between Japanese and German cultures", using both an in-person and online format. A total of 78 participants from Japan and abroad attended.

This symposium is held annually as a platform for young researchers who have received grants from the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation to present their research findings, following an evaluation by the Research Grant Review Committee based on criteria such as the validity and originality of their research themes.
The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation's research grants are aligned with the "HANASAKA" values of Yanmar's culture, which believes in human potential and supports new challenges.
The theme of this year's symposium was "The historical interplay between Japanese and German cultures." Five young researchers who received research grants for the "Youth Culture and Lifestyles in Japan and Europe" in fiscal year 2024 presented their surveys and research findings.
A Q&A session was also held, incorporating opinions and questions from both in-person and online attendees, providing a valuable platform for exchanging ideas.

Responses from the participant surveys included comments such as, "I learned a great deal from all the research," and "I hope a symposium like this is held frequently," indicating a desire for continued hosting in the next and subsequent years.
Following the symposium, a standing reception and networking event was held at a nearby restaurant.
The venue was vibrant, with attendees seen enthusiastically asking questions to researchers and professors, and researchers exchanging opinions among themselves.
In the latter half of the reception, an award ceremony for the Fiscal Year 2025 Research Grant Acceptance Notifications took place. All attending awardees were handed their notification letters by Mr. Yukino, Managing Director of the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation, along with words of encouragement.
In the next fiscal year, the researchers who received the 2025 research grants will conduct their surveys, and their research findings on youth culture and lifestyles in Japan and Europe (German-speaking regions) will be presented.
The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation will continue to foster researchers who will be at the core of cultural exchange between the two countries and aim to pioneer new academic fields.

- Hitsuwari Jimpei
（Helmut Schmidt University, Postdoctral Research Fellow / Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Overseas Research Fellow）
Research theme："A Comparative Study of Japanese and German Cultures on Emotional Responses to Japanese Bugaku"

- Steven Ivings
（Kyoto University Associate Professor）
Research theme："Memory Cultures of Postwar Migration in Germany and Japan"

- Liu Kaiwen
（Ph.D. Student, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, University of Tokyo）
Research theme ： "Negotiations of Boundary between Art and Politics: A Germany-Japan Comparison"

- Ben Moeller
（University of Oxford, PhD Student）
Research theme：”Reconciling Anti-Militarism and Rearmament at Japan and Germany’s Military Academies”

- Jasmin Rückert
（Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Lecturer, PhD candidate）
Research theme: “From Conflict to Comprehension: Japanese and German Museum's Strategies in Educating Children about War”

- Shuto Suzuki
（Department of Human Environment, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Tokai University Assistant Professor）
Research theme："A study on the touristification of suburban areas of large cities in Japan and Germany - Focus on flea markets as tourist destinations in Tokyo and Berlin"

- Takao Terui
（Associate research fellow, Doshisha University）
Research theme："Generative AI and copyright - A comparative study on the awareness of originality among young artists in Japan and Germany"

- Takaya Negishi
（Visiting Collaborative Researcher, Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University）
Research theme： "Comparison of E-Sports and video game live streaming between Japan and Germany"

- Yinong Li
（Ph.D. Student, Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University）
Research theme："Transnational Spaces and Artistic Communities: Diasporic Cultural Participation in Japan and German-Speaking Areas"