No.091 - From the Frontlines of Research and Studies [Germany]: FUJIMOTO Norimasa, Vietnam, Japan University (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)

From the Frontlines of Research and Studies [Germany]:
FUJIMOTO Norimasa, Vietnam, Japan University (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)

The National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) sends young scholars, who are participants in Institute-based projects and co-creation initiatives, to international seminars and research institutions abroad, including universities. This program aims to promote NIHU’s projects and support young scholars in their academic studies, presentations at international seminars, and other overseas research opportunities.

In this issue, we feature a report from FUJIMOTO Norimasa of Vietnam Japan University (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), who was dispatched to Germany.

 

My name is FUJIMOTO Norimasa and I am affiliated with Vietnam-Japan University (VJU) in Hanoi, Vietnam. My specialty is religious studies and Christian thought. From July 2 to August 6, 2023, I went to Germany on the NIHU Program for Young Researcher Overseas Visits.

On this program, I conducted research as a member of the NIHU Research Projects (Institute-based Project) “New Departures and Consortium for Global Japanese Studies: Pioneering and Cultivating Global Japanese Studies” of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken). This project aims to promote international research on Japanese culture from the perspectives of “crossover” and “multidimensionality” with other parts of the world. I sought to contribute to this project by identifying the characteristics and issues of Japanese culture through comparison with Germany.

Inside a church in old part of Tübingen
Inside a church in old part of Tübingen

 

During the program period, I was based at the University of Tübingen in southwestern Germany, visiting related institutions such as Leipzig University and Münster University. Specifically, I aimed to describe Catholic social thought in Germany today and deepen exchanges with other scholars in this field. I investigated in particular how human rights and democracy are perceived and discussed in Christian thought. I also introduced Nichibunken and VJU to these researchers. My main means of research is documentary study. The value of human rights is accepted almost universally, but the way it is understood differs depending on culture and religion. My next task is to write about the features of Japan’s understanding of human rights, based on my research in Germany.

Townscape of old Tübingen from the city center
Townscape of old Tübingen from the city center

 

In Germany, I experienced climate change, depreciation of the yen, and inflation. In the first half of my stay it was very hot with no air conditioning, but in the second half it turned cool like late autumn. Tübingen is a beautiful old town with many buildings that date back to the Middle Ages. The Neckar River flows through the town. The historic University of Tübingen has a department of Japanese studies, and there are many students from Japan.

Japanese Studies building
Japanese Studies building

 

FUJIMOTO Norimasa
Born in Hyogo Prefecture. Doctor of Theology (Doshisha University), 2018. Currently, lecturer at Vietnam-Japan University, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, his specialty is modern and contemporary Christian thought and interreligious dialogue. His main work is Hans Küng and Interreligious Dialogue: The Theological Path of Humanism (Nagoya: Sankeisha, 2021).