Chihiro Watanabe, M.A.
Chihiro Watanabe, M.A.
Chihiro Watanabe is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Near Eastern and East Asian Languages and Civilizations at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayaka Löschke). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Socio-information and Communication Studies from the University of Tokyo. His research interests include media studies, Japanese publishing studies, and research on hate speech, with a particular focus on a genre known as hate books (heito-bon in Japanese)—books or magazines that contain hate speech. He has experience working as an editor at Shueisha Inc., a Japanese publishing company.
- 2023-
– Ph.D. Candidate in Japanology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
- 2016-2019
– M.A. in Socio-information and Communication Studies, University of Tokyo, Japan.
– Master Thesis “The Rise of ‘Hate Books’ and the Structure of Japanese Publishing Industry: From Market, Distribution, and Institutional Changes”.
- 2007-2009
– B.A. in Sociology, University of Tokyo, Japan.
– Study in bachelor programs in sociology, University of Tokyo.
- 2005-2007
– Study in bachelor programs in humanities and social sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Publications
Book chapters
02/2020
“Shuppann-jin kara mita eizō no chikara” (The Power of Images from the Publisher’s Perspective). In Enu enu enu dokyumento kuronikuru 1970-2019 (NNN Document Chronicle 1970-2019). Niwa Yoshiyuki (eds.), Tokyo: Tokyo-daigaku Shuppankai
Presentations
09/2025
““Hate books” eliciting reader’s affect: between entertainment and knowledge transfer in the publishing industry”, Panel “Affect and Popular Politics in Contemporary Japan”, The 50th BAJS (British Association for Japanese Studies) International Conference, Cardiff University.
08/2023
“Temptation to publish “hate books”: Did the Japanese publishing industry resist it?”, Panel “Japanese media industries to incite hatred: online platforms, publishing, and TV shows”, The 17th EAJS (European Association for Japanese Studies) International Conference, Ghent University.
05/2022
““Hate books” and the Japanese publishing industry”, Conference “Diverse Approaches to Hate Speech: debates, Challenges, and Controversies”, University of Paris.
01/2019
“Another Aspect of Japanese Hate Publishing: between Magazines and Books”, 2nd International Workshop “Hate Speech in Asia and Europe: A Comparative Approach”, University Paris-Diderot.
01/2018
“Why Japanese Publishers Produce “Hate books””, 1st International Workshop on Hate Speech in Asia and Europe “Beyond Hate & Fear: How Do Asia and Europe Deal with Hate Speech?”, Ritsumeikan University.