Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact

In this episode of “Rigorous Research, Real Impact,” Assistant Professor Shahida Pervin of Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics discusses Japan’s changing labor and migration landscape and the economic and social questions surrounding the movement of people across borders. Drawing on her research in empirical economics, she shares her thoughts on why people migrate, the challenges Japan faces as it responds to labor shortages, and how research and evidence can contribute to a better understanding of migration. She also introduces her approach to teaching economics at Waseda, where students learn quantitative methods and apply them to real-world data and current economic issues.

About the Guest: Shahida Pervin is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University. Before joining Waseda University in April 2024, she was an Adjunct Faculty member at Meiji Gakuin University and a researcher at several research organizations, including the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). Her primary research interests include labor economics, development economics, and empirical and experimental economics. She is also interested in macroeconomic issues, food security, and agricultural economics. 

How will automation, AI, and demographic change shape long-term economic growth? Host and Waseda student Kanon Kurabayashi explores this question with Professor Akihiko Kaneko of the Faculty of Political Science and Economics (FPSE). They discuss how technological advances interact with intergenerational transfers such as inheritance, and why the motives behind bequests can have significant implications for economic growth. Focusing on Japan’s aging population and shrinking workforce, Professor Kaneko considers how automation can support productivity while highlighting the importance of education and targeted retraining to address inequalities between workers. He also introduces English-based degree programs at Waseda, where students can explore global economic issues in a diverse, multilingual academic environment and build connections with peers from around the world.

About the Guest: Professor Akihiko Kaneko's research focuses on economic growth and policy, with particular interests in demographic change, population decline, fertility, international aid, and the relationship between political systems and economic development. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Osaka University.

In this first episode, host and Waseda student Kanon Kurabayashi speaks with Professor Tomoo Kikuchi of the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies about the US dollar’s continued dominance of the global financial system and what it means for East Asian economies. They explore why the Renminbi has yet to challenge the dollar’s international role, how growing US-China trade tensions and economic competition are reshaping the global economic order, and how Japan can respond. Professor Kikuchi also discusses the advantages of studying global economic issues from Japan and at Waseda University, drawing on the University’s longstanding connections across Asia and its diverse international academic community. 

About the Guest

Professor Tomoo Kikuchi is a professor at Waseda University’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies and Director of the Institute of Japan in the Global Economy. His research focuses on international macroeconomics, economic growth and development, and the impact of global capital markets on economic development. His work examines international capital flows, financial bubbles, production networks, and trade and investment in East Asia and the Japanese economy.

In the final episode of season two PhD student host Peter speaks with Professor Yuhee Jung of the Faculty of Social Sciences to explore how new employees transition from organizational “outsiders” to trusted “insiders.” Drawing onher research in organizational behavior and human resource management, Professor Jung explains how institutionalized socialization practices—such as structured training, mentoring, and continuous support—help build trust,commitment, and long-term success for newcomers. The conversation weaves together theory, real-world implications for Japanese companies navigating changing employment norms, and Professor Jung’s own international careerjourney, and offers an insider’s perspective of the Transnational and Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Innovation (TAISI) program, one of six English-based undergraduate degree progams at Waseda.

About the Guest

Professor Yuhee Jung holds a PhD in Business Administration and specializes in organizational behavior and human resource management. She has previously served as an associate professor at Ritsumeikan University and a professor at Gakushuin University, and began teaching at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Waseda University in April 2020. Professor Jung also spent one year as a Visiting Scholar at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/87022

The seventh episode of season two features Professor Alex Coad (Faculty of Commerce), whose new study compares the motivations, cultures, and performance of entrepreneurs emerging from universities versus those from the corporate world. In conversation with host & PhD student Fabian Johannes (Graduate School of Economics), Professor Coad challenges the assumption that cutting-edge academic research naturally leads to high-performing startups, highlighting the cultural hurdles and identity shifts university-based founders often face. The episode also explores global entrepreneurial ecosystems, Japan’s evolving startup landscape, and how the Waseda Business School and Professor Coad’s seminar classes equip aspiring innovators with both theory and practical tools—offering listeners a compelling look into what it takes to turn ideas into real-world impact.
This episode is based on the following research: 
Coad, A. “The company I keep is not corporate enough”: exploring the specificities of University startups. J Technol Transf (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-025-10228-4

About the Guest

Professor Alex Coad is a highly-cited scholar in the areas of firm growth, entrepreneurship and innovation, and has published over 80 articles in leading international peer-reviewed journals. Prof. Coad is an editor at the journals ‘Research Policy’ (Financial Times Top 50 list of journals for Business Schools) and ‘Small Business Economics.’ Previously he obtained a joint PhD from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Sant’Anna School, Pisa, Italy. In December 2016, Prof. Coad received the 2016 Nelson Prize at University of California Berkeley.

Link to the transcript:  https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86797

In this episode of “Rigorous Research, Real Impact,” Graduate School of Political Science PhD student Peter sits down with Associate Professor Pau Pitarch from the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences to explore how early 20th-century authors and artists in Japan reimagined their identities. Prof. Pitarch unpacks why writers in the 1920s proudly identified with mental “abnormality” as a mark of creative genius, and how global currents in psychology, art, and modernity shaped this unique cultural moment. The conversation also delves into Professor Pitarch’s personal journey into Japanese literature, the value of studying culture within Japan using a global lens, and what makes Waseda’s English-based degree programs in the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences—JCulP and Global-J—such vibrant spaces for international learning and discovery.

This episode is based on the following research: 
Pitarch-Fernandez, P. (2021, June 23). Abnormal genealogies: Diagnosing the writer in 1920s Japan. Modernism/Modernity Forum. https://doi.org/10.26597/mod.0205

About the Guest
Associate Professor Pau Pitarch’s specialization is modern Japanese literature and media. He is interested in exploring how issues of aesthetics, psychology, ideology, and economics interacted in the formation of the modern literary field. He has published on authors like Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Chŏng Yŏn-gyu, Okamoto Kanoko, Ōtsuka Kusuoko, Satō Haruo, and Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, among others. His wider interests include narratology, translation, and the development of global genres such as mystery, fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Pitarch received his B.A. in Comparative Literature from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, M.A. in Japanese Literature from the University of Tokyo, and Ph.D. in Japanese Literature from Columbia University. He previously taught at CUNY Queens College (2015-2017).

Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86633

The fifth episode of season two, hosted once again by Graduate School of Economics PhD student Fabian, welcomes Associate Professor Megumi Kagawa from Waseda’s Faculty of Social Sciences, whose research focuses on community-driven approaches to sustainable peace. Drawing on her extensive experience in the Bangsamoro peace process in the Southern Philippines, Professor Kagawa discusses the concept of hybrid peacebuilding, the challenges of translating national peace agreements into local realities, and Japan’s evolving role in fostering peace and social innovation in Asia. The conversation also explores Waseda’s Transnational and Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Innovation (TAISI) program, an English-based degree program where students from around the world engage in hands-on learning, dialogue, and fieldwork that bridge theory and practice in conflict resolution.

This episode is based on the following research: 
Kagawa, M. (2022). Uneven Peace Infiltration: Two Case Studies of Rebel-Led Community Peace Initiatives in the Bangsamoro. In: Allen, S.H., Hancock, L.E., Mitchell, C., Mouly, C. (eds) Confronting Peace. Rethinking Political Violence. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. 

About the Guest
Megumi Kagawa is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Waseda University. Her research fields include international relations and conflict analysis & resolution, with a particular interest in peacebulding. She is a member of The Japan Association of International Relations, The American Political Science Association, Conflict Research Society, and the International Studies Association.

Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86390

Episode 4 features an engaging conversation with Associate Professor Jack Seddon from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Hosted by Fabian, a PhD student at Waseda’s Graduate School of Economics, this episode uncovers “the hidden architecture of the global economy.” Prof. Seddonshares insights from his research on the London Metal Exchange, revealing how global markets are shaped not only by economic forces but also by deep political struggles and institutional design. The discussion also delves into Prof.Seddon’s personal journey from capital markets lawyer to academic researcher, his experience working in Japan, and what makes the Faculty of Political Science and Economics’ English-based degree programs a unique place to studyinternational political economy.

This episode is based on the following research: 
Jack Seddon (2020) Merchants against the bankers: the financialization of a commodity market, Review of International Political Economy, 27:3, 525-555.

About the Guest

Associate Professor Jack Seddon joined Waseda in 2019, where he works at the intersection between international political economy and economic history, employing theories of institutionalism and mixed research methods. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and has held visiting positions at the University of Pennsylvania, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the European University Institute, and Georgetown University. Prof. Seddon is part of the Sterling Area Revisited Project, funded by the United Kingdom Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He was also awarded a Lloyd’s of London UK-US Fulbright Scholarship in 2019-2020 to examine issues in global risk markets. Before beginning his graduate studies, he worked as a capital markets lawyer in London and Brussels.

Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86307

In the third episode of season two of Waseda University’s podcast series Rigorous Research, Real Impact, our PhD student host Peter interviews Professor Alexander Bukh about his award-winning research on territorial disputes in Northeast Asia. Professor Bukh explains how these disputes—like those over Dokdo/Takeshima and the Northern Territories—are not just political or historical conflicts but are socially constructed through national identity narratives shaped by non-state actors. He also shares insights into his own academic journey, the unique research environment at Waseda, and how his seminars at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies encourage students to critically engage with issues of nationalism and international relations in the region.

This episode is based on the following book: 
Bukh, A. (2020). These islands are ours : the social construction of territorial disputes in Northeast Asia. Stanford University Press.

About the Guest: 

Professor Alexander Bukh teaches in the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies. He has a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE) and has previously taught at LSE, Tsukuba University, and the Victoria University of Wellington. Professor Bukh specializes in international relations, international relations of Northeast Asia, and Japan-Korea and Japan-Russia relations. He is a member of the International Studies Association (ISA), the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and the Association for Borderland Studies. 

Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/86122

This latest episode features Assoc. Prof. Bryan Hikari Hartzheim (Faculty of International Research and Education), a leading expert in new media and video game studies, and PhD student Fabian (Graduate School of Economics) discussing the cultural significance and creative innovation behind video games. Through an exploration of “progressive game design” and the influential work of renowned game designer Hideo Kojima, listeners gain fresh insights into how video games shape society, storytelling, and global cultural conversations. Assoc. Prof. Hartzheim also introduces some of the courses he teaches as part of the English-based degree programs in the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) and Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies (GSICCS), which offer a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment for students and researchers from around the world.

The book this episode is based on: 
Hartzheim, B. H. (2023). HIDEO KOJIMA: Progressive Game Design from Metal Gear to Death Stranding. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/85958

About the Guest:

Dr. Bryan Hikari Hartzheim is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of International Research and Education. He teaches in the English-based degree programs of the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) and the Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies (GSICCS). He recieved his Ph.D. in Cinema and Media Studies from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research areas include aesthetics and art studies, game studies, media industry and production studies, and anime/manga studies. 

Link to the transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/85958