Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact

• Unlocking the Rise of Conspiracy Movements in Japan (Assistant Professor Robert Fahey)

  In this final episode of the first installment of the series, Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) serves as the guest and talks candidly with his Research Assistant Romeo Marcantuoni (Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies) about their joint research project examining the rise of Japan’s Sanseito party, which was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their conversation explores the interplay between conspiracy beliefs, the increasingly complex information environment, populist movements, and the broader political system in Japan and beyond.Link to their discussion paper "From conspiracy theory movement to challenger party: The case of Japan’s Sanseito": https://www.waseda.jp/inst/wias/assets/uploads/2025/01/dp2024001.pdfLink to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/83437About the Guests: Guest Assistant Professor Robert A. Fahey:Dr. Robert A. Fahey is an assistant professor of political science at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include populism, polarisation, the effects of conspiracy theory belief, and Japanese politics. He is currently working on a series of large-scale surveys aimed at discovering what kinds of conspiracy beliefs are widespread in East Asian countries, and how those beliefs impact the political and social life of those nations.MC Ph.D. Candidate Romeo Marcantuoni:Romeo Marcantuoni is a Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Waseda University. He earned his MA and BA in Japanese Studies at KU Leuven, Belgium. His research centers on Japan's progressive parties.

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• Ensuring Gender Diversity in Executive Management Positions (Professor Toru Yoshikawa)

  In episode 7, Professor Toru Yoshikawa (Faculty of Social Sciences) speaks with MC Assistant Professor Yun Jung Yang (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) about his recent research exploring gender diversity in top management teams, particularly women in the role of the Chief Human Relations Officer (CHRO). Professor Yoshikawa worked with a team of researchers that investigated why women are increasingly appointed to the CHRO position in the US but less so to other executive roles. Additionally, he uses his expertise to reflect on gender diversity, ESG (environmental/social/governance), and DEI (diversity/equity/inclusion) initiatives at companies in Japan, as well.  Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/83354 About the Guests: Professor Toru Yoshikawa (Guest)Dr. Toru Yoshikawa began working at Waseda University's Faculty of Social Sciences in 2023. He specializes in business administration, strategic management, corporate governance, top management teams, innovation, and international business. He obtained his PhD from York University and has previously taught at Nihon University, McMaster University, and Singapore Management University. Prior to that he spent a number of years working in the finance industry. Dr. Yoshikawa is a member of the Academy of Management, the Academy of International Business, the Strategic Management Society, and the International Corporate Governance Society.  Assistant Professor Yun Jung Yang (MC)  Dr. Yun Jung Yang is an Assistant Professor at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS). Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of international politics (international relations) and comparative politics, and more specifically armed conflict and human rights violations. In particular, she mainly investigates child soldiering and rebel groups’ tactical decisions during armed conflict. Dr. Yang is also interested in overall human rights violations in conflict zones, conflict outbreak and management, international regulations (i.e. international laws), international security, and criminal psychology. She received her PhD from the Department of Government, University of Essex in 2022.

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• Rethinking Skilled Migration (Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer)

  Guest Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer (Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies) joins MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) to explore skill-based migration policies in Asia, a region with more people on the move than any other. Japan features heavily in the discussion, with its increasingly liberal migration policies despite its persistent image as a country comparatively closed to immigration. Professor Liu-Farrer also explains the social construction of skill—how skill is constructed and valued in political, social, and economic contexts—and how migration stands to address societal issues such as demographic crises and labor shortages both in Asia and more broadly.        Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/83220 About the Guests: Guest Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer Dr. Gracia Liu-Farrer is Professor of Sociology at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, and Director of Institute of Asian Migrations, Waseda University, Japan. Her research investigates cross-border migration and immigrants’ socioeconomic and geographic mobility in Asia and Europe. Her articles have appeared in International Migration Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and International Migration. She co-edited Routledge Handbook of Asian Migration (2018, with Brenda Yeoh) and authored monographs Labour Migration from China to Japan: International Students, Transnational Migrants (Routledge, 2011) and Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-nationalist Society (Cornell University Press, 2020).  MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey Dr. Robert A. Fahey is an assistant professor of political science at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include populism, polarisation, the effects of conspiracy theory belief, and Japanese politics. He is currently working on a series of large-scale surveys aimed at discovering what kinds of conspiracy beliefs are widespread in East Asian countries, and how those beliefs impact the political and social life of those nations.

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• Central Bank Digital Currencies from a Japanese Legal Perspective (Professor Takashi Kubota)

  In this episode, Professor Takashi Kubota (Waseda Law School) sits down to chat with MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) about the potential of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Japan using international comparisons. He shares his expert knowledge of the Japanese legal system, highlighting the aspects that obligate Japan’s government to communicate with the public on financial matters, and yet notes how low awareness of CBDC remains a significant obstacle to its introduction. Professor Kubota also weighs in on the question of whether CBDC, or digital currency in general, may potentially replace fiat currency in the future. Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/82942 About the guests: Professor Takashi Kubota Professor Kubota has been teaching at the Waseda Law School since 2004. Prior to that, he worked for eight years at the Bank of Japan and taught as an associate professor at Nagoya University. Professor Kubota has served as an advisor to the government of Japan through his positions on a number of committees, including the Strategic Committee on International Promotion of Japanese Law and the Japanese Law Translation Committee. Professor Kubota was educated at the University of Tokyo (LL.B. in 1990, LL.M. in 1993), Harvard Law School (LL.M. in 1996) and Osaka National University, where he received a Ph. D. in International Public Policy in 2003. His research interests include international finance, international business law, cyber law, and negotiation. MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey Dr. Robert A. Fahey is an assistant professor of political science at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include populism, polarisation, the effects of conspiracy theory belief, and Japanese politics. He is currently working on a series of large-scale surveys aimed at discovering what kinds of conspiracy beliefs are widespread in East Asian countries, and how those beliefs impact the political and social life of those nations.

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• Cross-Cultural Influences in Japanese Fantasy Games (Assistant Professor Jessy Escande)

  Assistant Professor Jessy Escande (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) converses with MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) about the vital role that cultural transfer through “cultural ferrymen” such as J.L. Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings has played in the development of a fantasy gaming tradition that is both uniquely Japanese and truly global. In this episode, Professor Escande shares his expert understanding of Japanese video games and their intricate ties to global folklore and mythology by elaborating on how mythical creatures like the rakshasa, the Kujata, the Dullahan, and more made their way into popular culture in Japan. Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/82855 About the Guests: Assistant Professor Jessy Escande Dr. Jessy Escande holds a PhD in comparative literature from Osaka University and is currently an Assistant Professor at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS). At WIAS his researches the reception of foreign cultures in Japanese fantasy works, and particularly the role of games as cultural brokers. Prior to taking his position at Waseda he served as a teaching fellow and researcher at Osaka University.   MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey Dr. Robert A. Fahey is an assistant professor of political science at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include populism, polarisation, the effects of conspiracy theory belief, and Japanese politics. He is currently working on a series of large-scale surveys aimed at discovering what kinds of conspiracy beliefs are widespread in East Asian countries, and how those beliefs impact the political and social life of those nations.

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