"Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professor Position at the Department of Innovative Japanese Studies"

Open Position Summary

• Position: Assistant or Associate Professor
• Open Positions: 1
• Employment Type: Tenure-Track, 5-year term
• Location: Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi
• Qualifications:
  • Ph.D. at the time of appointment
  • Outstanding achievements in the field of Japanese Studies
  • Ability to communicate effectively in both English and Japanese
• Application Method: https://jotform.com/253200796691461
• Deadline: January 31, 2026, 24:00 JST
• Start Date: October 1, 2026

Contact

opencall-ijs@grp.tohoku.ac.jp

Overview

The Graduate School of Arts and Letters at Tohoku University fosters a wide range of fundamental research in the humanities and social sciences. Building on the core fields that have developed from this foundation, the School is dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research and education that address contemporary societal challenges. As part of a new approach towards faculty recruitment, Tohoku University seeks to fill an open faculty position with a candidate with outstanding research achievements and international visibility. The successful candidate will lead research projects and conduct collaborative research with the “Advanced Research Hub,” an interdisciplinary center that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, with the goal of significantly enhancing both research capabilities and societal impact in these fields.

The Department of Innovative Japanese Studies, established in 2019, covers a broad spectrum of social and cultural phenomena, combining the analysis of fictional social constructs in media with empirical and historical data from real-world society. The department maintains strong international networks and collaborates with related fields, including the Departments of History of Japanese Thought, Japanese Literature, Eastern and Japanese Art History, and Sociology, ultimately providing a framework capable of addressing diverse issues in contemporary Japanese society.

The successful candidate will join the Department of Innovative Japanese Studies and work with other faculty members on the “Media and Society Japanese Studies Research Project.” This role involves interdisciplinary research in the emerging field of Japanese popular media and content studies, going beyond the analysis of content and expressive methods to apply research to pressing social issues such as environmental challenges, violence, and inequality. Through their research, the candidate is expected to contribute to strengthening Tohoku University’s international research profile and societal outreach.

Position Details

This position is part of the UREX-Tohoku Project (University for International Research Excellence), a university-wide initiative to strengthen Tohoku University’s research capabilities.

The school invites applications for one open tenure-track assistant or associate professor position for outstanding early- and mid-career researchers who are eager to grow.

The tenure-track term is five years, and a tenure review will be conducted by the end of the fourth year. Candidates are expected to demonstrate high standards of research achievement that contribute to strengthening the university’s research mission in order to be considered for tenure.

Affiliation: Tohoku University Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Department of Japanese Studies, Japanese Culture Studies Course Group (Innovative Japanese Studies)

Job Duties: Research and education in Innovative Japanese Studies or a closely related field

Research and Office Space: Successful candidates will be allocated a dedicated office space within a Tohoku University campus

Qualifications:

1. Ph.D. at the time of appointment
2. Ability to communicate in both English and Japanese at a level sufficient to conduct research, and capable of teaching, supervising research, and carrying out administrative duties in Japanese
3. Research experience on Japanese-related media and content (e.g., manga, anime, films, games, TV/radio/internet programs, novels, magazines, books, educational materials, advertisements) from various perspectives such as production, distribution, interpretation, secondary creation, and social impact; as well as the ability to analyze contemporary social issues―such as gender, ethnicity, urban development, environment, disasters, war, education, welfare, population, labor, and health―from an interdisciplinary and international perspective.

Start Date: October 1, 2026, or the earliest possible date thereafter

Working Conditions:

1. Salary: Annual salary will be determined based on performance and length of experience in accordance with Tohoku University regulations.
2. Employment type: Full-time
3. Term: Tenure-track term of five years. Tenure will be granted upon successfully passing the tenure review conducted by the end of the fourth year.
4. Working hours: This position is subject to the Discretionary Labor System for Professional Work. The standard working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., but actual working hours are left to the discretion of the appointed candidate.
5. Days Off: Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, and New Year’s holiday (December 29 to January 3)
6. Social Insurance: Appointees will be enrolled in the MEXT Mutual Aid Association (health insurance), employment insurance, and workers’ accident compensation insurance.
7. Accommodation: Appointed candidates are eligible to move into staff accommodation if there are vacancies at the time of appointment.

How to Apply

Please start your application by submitting the registration form linked below:
https://jotform.com/253200796691461

Please prepare following information as it will be needed in your application:

• Name
• Email Address
• Current Affiliation and Title
• Position you are applying for
• Scopus Author ID (if available)
• ORCID iD (if available)
• Researchmap URL (if available)

After registering, you will be sent links to your Application Form and Reference Information Form. Please upload your submission materials to the Application Form as separate PDF files. In the Reference Information Form, you will be asked to enter the names, email addresses, affiliations, and titles of three referees.

Submission Materials:

1. Cover Letter
2. Prescribed format resume (with photo)
   Available for download here
3. Complete list of research (please divide into papers, books, and other sections, and mark three major publications)
4. List of research funding acquired
5. List of talks at international conferences
6. Summary of research activities (please include your three major research achievements)
7. Research plan related to the Media and Society Japanese Studies Research Project

Letters of Recommendation:
Please request letters of recommendation from three researchers not affiliated with Tohoku University. Referees should submit their letters of recommendation directly through the application system. Letters sent by the applicant cannot be accepted. After submitting the names, email addresses, affiliations, and titles of three referees on your Reference Information Form, they will be sent a link to submit their letters directly. Please contact them beforehand to inform them of the process and ask them to upload their letters as PDF files by the deadline.

Deadline: January 31, 2026, 24:00 JST

Contact Information:
Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Innovative Japanese Studies Recruitment
Email: opencall-ijs@grp.tohoku.ac.jp