18th Conference of the GJSSS
Venue: FernUniversität Hagen, Bonn Campus
September 17-18, 2026
The call for abstracts will be published in February 2026
17th Conference of the GJSSS „Societies at the Crossroads – Germany and Japan in Comparison“
Conference venue: German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo.
Date: Wednesday, October 23 to Thursday, October 24, 2024.
The conference program can be found here….
Conference rationale
Contemporary Germany and Japan find themselves at various crossroads, caused by unforeseen incidents that struck the international system and international relations, such as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, or the massacre by the Islamist group Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic also left its traces in Germany and Japan, leading to intensified caution in human interaction (“social distance”) as well as to routinizing the use of numerous formats of online communication. The notion of “crossroads” relates to the critical junctures that both societies meet and have met in the near (e.g. Japan’s tragic “3.11”) and distant past. In view of contemporary Germany and Japan, “crossroads” refers to numerous relevant issues such as the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, the so-called democratic backslide in several countries across the globe, increasing flows of trans-border migration, or policymaking under conditions of demographic change and increasing urban-rural divides. Potential topics for discussion are plenty, and will hopefully inspire all participants to reflect on problems and solutions for global and local challenges alike. The empirical cases of Germany and Japan provide fertile ground for intensive debates and exchange.
17th Conference of the GJSSS „Societies at the Crossroads – Germany and Japan in Comparison“
Conference venue: German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo.
Date: Wednesday, October 23 to Friday, October 25, 2024.
Deadline for abstract submission: We welcome the submission of abstracts (up to 350 words) from members and non-members by May 1, 2024.
Please submit your abstracts here:
https://forms.gle/w4skcXTanyqZCYtN7
Conference rationale
Contemporary Germany and Japan find themselves at various crossroads, caused by unforeseen incidents that struck the international system and international relations, such as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, or the massacre by the Islamist group Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic also left its traces in Germany and Japan, leading to intensified caution in human interaction (“social distance”) as well as to routinizing the use of numerous formats of online communication. The notion of “crossroads” relates to the critical junctures that both societies meet and have met in the near (e.g. Japan’s tragic “3.11”) and distant past. In view of contemporary Germany and Japan, “crossroads” refers to numerous relevant issues such as the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, the so-called democratic backslide in several countries across the globe, increasing flows of trans-border migration, or policymaking under conditions of demographic change and increasing urban-rural divides. Potential topics for discussion are plenty, and will hopefully inspire all participants to reflect on problems and solutions for global and local challenges alike. The empirical cases of Germany and Japan provide fertile ground for intensive debates and exchange.
While there is no participation fee, non-members of the GJSSS will be requested to pay for the conference dinner themselves.
17th meeting of the GJSSS
“Societies at Crossroads – A Comparison between Germany and Japan”
Venue: German Institute for Japanese Studies Tôkyô
Mi 23.10. 2024- Fr. 25.10.2024
The call for abstracts will take place in autumn 2023
16th Conference of GJSSS: Program + Registration
Sustainable societies, March 2-4, 2022
Registration for our virtual conference on „Sustainable Societies“ is now open:
Please register through the registration form below by February 20 (Sunday):
Conference participation is free, but registration is mandatory.
We will send out the detailed program and Zoom information to registered participants after registration closes on February 20.
Click here to access the conference program.
16th Conference of the GJSSS: Online format + new deadline
Sustainable societies, March 2-4, 2022
As entrance restrictions to Japan remain strict, we have decided to shift to an online format after all. We initially postponed the conference to March 2022 with the hope to be able to meet in person in Tokyo, but the situation simply remains unclear. We are very sorry about this but hope for your understanding and active participation.
The deadline for submissions has been extended to October 31, 2021.
Please submit your abstracts (up to 350 words) to the following address: gjsss2021[at]outlook.jp
Upcoming conference
The topic of the next GJSSS confernce is „Sustainable Societies“.
Originally planned for March 2021 in Tôkyô, the conference is postponed due to the Corona virus crisis. The new date and a CfP will be published in due course.
