The Institute for Japanese Studies (IJS) has been hosting a series of talks covering Japanese politics, economy, society, culture, and the arts. With experts from Korea, Japan, Europe, and the U.S., the seminars are delivered in multiple languages including Japanese, Korean, and English.
We are pleased to host the 300th lecture as part of the Japan Specialist Seminars, titled “Constructing 'Citizenship' in Japan: Managing "Good Will" and Institutionalizing "Spontaneity"."
This seminar will be held in a hybrid format. Anyone interested is welcome to attend without prior registration. Lunch boxes will be provided starting at 12:00 p.m. (Please note that availability may be limited.)
Date: December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) 12:00–14:00 (The lecture will start from 12:30)
Venue: GS Room, GSIS Bldg. 140-1 and online via ZOOM
Zoom ID: 583 289 8745
Zoom Link: https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/5832898745
Language: Korean
Lecturer: PARK Kyung-min (Researcher, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, Seoul National University)
Title: Constructing 'Citizenship' in Japan: Managing "Good Will" and Institutionalizing "Spontaneity"
This study critically examines how the meaning and scope of “citizenship” have been constructed and transformed within the context of Japanese society, with the aim of shedding light on the contemporary character of Japan's civil society. It highlights how "autonomy" and "spontaneity" in Japanese civil society have diverged amid tensions between "top-down citizenship" and "bottom-up citizenship," and analyzes how the institutionalization of spontaneity has shaped state-led reconfigurations of "publicness" and the making of the "ideal citizen." To this end, the study reviews how individual "good will(善意)" and "spontaneity" have been managed and adjusted by the state, institutions, and administrative bodies. It also examines how the concept of the "citizen" has been constructed in contemporary Japan and how the boundaries and distance between the state and civil society have been negotiated through the process of defining citizenship.
Inquiry: IJS Administration Office (880-8503 / ijs@snu.ac.kr)
