I’m delighted to share that I’ve accepted an affiliation as an Adjunct Fellow (Non-Resident) with the Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Call for Abstracts: Japan Conference for Social Scientists
Anna Yorozuya and I are delighted to host the second annual Japan Conference for Social Scientists at Yale from May 29-30, 2026. Abstract submissions are due February 13. Hope you can join us!
How Do Underrepresented Voters View Electoral System Trade-Offs?
Don Lee and I have a new, open-access article out in Electoral Studies!
Abstract
Scholars of electoral reform have long debated the trade-off between accountability and representation in majoritarian versus proportional systems, yet few have examined how voters themselves view this trade-off. We argue that voters who have historically lacked political voice, such as women and young people, are more likely to favor reforms that expand representation, even at some cost to accountability. We test this argument using a conjoint experiment conducted before South Korea’s 2020 election—a moment marked by intense public debate over whether the government should implement electoral reforms to enhance representation or accountability. Our findings show that while women and younger voters lean toward more representative rules, they also value accountability and resist certain reforms that would weaken it. This preference for representation is stronger when considering major electoral system changes rather than minor rule adjustments and is especially pronounced among independent or minor party supporters compared to major party supporters. These insights have important implications for our understanding of electoral reform, voter preferences, and the political inclusion of underrepresented groups.
Wesleyan: College of East Asian Studies
I visited Wesleyan’s College of East Asian Studies to speak with students about my book project on youth representation.
Japan as Future: Andrew Oros (Washington College)
For the latest talk in our Japan as Future series, Andrew Oros (Washington College, The Stimson Center) joined us to talk about his exciting new book on Asia’s Aging Security.
Population Studies Workshop: Daniel Schneider (Harvard University)
Daniel Schneider (Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Department of Sociology) joined us for the latest talk in our Population Studies Workshop. He spoke about his fascinating research at The Shift Project on schedule unpredictability at work, the challenges it poses for economic security, and the consequences for the health and wellbeing of workers and their families.
Young Mayors of Japan Award
Congratulations to Mayor Hiroto Fujii on being the inaugural recipient of the U.S.-Japan Foundation Young Mayors of Japan Award—recognizing Japan’s next generation of local leaders.
I was honored to serve on the selection committee alongside Lin Kobayashi and Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai.
At the award ceremony in Tokyo, I spoke about my book project and joined a discussion with Lin Kobayashi and Mayor Fujii on the future of local governance.
JFIR: The Future of U.S.-Japan Relations
I spoke about insights from my book project as part of a Japan Forum on International Relations symposium on the future of U.S.-Japan relations in the Trump 2.0 era, held at the International House of Japan in Tokyo.
Youthful Democracy Project: Lowering the Voting Age
Grateful for the opportunity to join Youthful Democracy Project at the Tokyo District Court on October 24. While they lost the case to lower Japan’s age of candidacy to 18, their continued efforts to make politics more accessible to young people are truly inspiring.
Population Studies Workshop: Deborah Carr (Boston University)
For the next talk in our Population Studies Workshop, we’re delighted to welcome Deborah Carr (Boston University) on October 20.
Japan as Future Lecture Series: James Raymo (Princeton University)
Delighted to welcome James Raymo (Princeton) to Yale today to kick off two series:
Launch of the Population Studies Workshop at ISPS
New year of our Japan series at Yale MacMillan CEAS
His talk focuses on divorce, remarriage, and fertility in Japan.
APSA 2025 (Vancouver): Elected by Lottery
At APSA 2025 in Vancouver, Kentaro Fukumoto and I presented a new paper. In Japanese municipal assembly elections, ties sometimes occur; in such cases, the winner is determined by lottery. We show that the incumbency effects estimated from lottery elections are different from those estimated by RDD. We’re looking forward to sharing a working paper soon!
APSA 2025 (Short Course): When Elders Rule
At APSA 2025 in Vancouver, I presented new work with Aksel Sundstrom and Daniel Stockemer as part of the short course on Young Elected Leaders: Perspectives on Age and Elected Leaders. We find evidence that boosting youth representation can increase perceptions of fairness, decision quality, and trust in democratic institutions. An earlier draft of our manuscript is available online, but we’re looking forward to sharing the updated paper soon!
Selective Development Goals
Paul Christensen, Cindi SturtzSreetharan, Charles Crabtree, and I have a new article out in Social Science Japan Journal.
Abstract
In this article, we consider how efforts by the Japanese government and private sector to make the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) prominent and pervasive reveal obfuscation around issues and concerns purportedly being addressed. We examine three specific components of the SDGs: no poverty, zero hunger, and gender equality. In doing so, we demonstrate a disjuncture between official proclamations endorsing an SDG agenda and ethnographic observations that illustrate the hollowness of these efforts. We argue that the SDGs, a repository of lofty and aspirational goals, many of which are arguably necessary for planetary health and collective well-being, are used by the Japanese government as an instrument of techno-political effect to obscure root causes of persistent societal issues. The result of which nurtures and perhaps sustains insufficient social, political, and structural changes throughout Japan.
Yale Young Global Scholars
This month, I’m excited to again join the Yale Young Global Scholars program! I’ll be giving three talks on youth representation to 450 high school students from over 60 countries. Looking forward to hearing whether they’d ever consider running for office.
Ambassador's Residence: Honoring Sheila Smith
A truly special evening at the residence of Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada, honoring Sheila Smith and her conferral of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, for her decades of contributions to the U.S.-Japan Relationship. I’m so grateful to Sheila for being such a generous and inspiring mentor over the years.
University of Toronto: Japan Conference
I was delighted to participate in this inaugural conference on Japan hosted by Phillip Lipscy at the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Study of Global Japan. The plan is for us to host the second conference here at Yale, so stay tuned for more details!
Stanford: Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
I greatly enjoyed visiting Stanford’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, a part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, to discuss my book project on youth representation and its implications for policymaking and democracy.
Thank You to Our Japan as Future Speakers!
Thank you to our five speakers for joining this year’s Yale MacMillan Center CEAS Japan as Future series! Special thanks as well to our postdoc, Alex Mathieu, for all her help organizing the series—and to the Japan Foundation for their generous support!
Japan as Future Lecture Series: Kenneth McElwain (University of Tokyo)
For the final event in our Japan as Future lecture series, Kenneth McElwain (University of Tokyo) joined us to discuss his work on public attitudes toward constitutional revision and their implications for democratic governance.