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This study analyzes how the Middle Chinese zhengchi (正齒音) initial consonants—zhaomu (照母), chuanmu (穿母), shenmu (神母), shenmu (審母), and shanmu (禪母)—were reflected in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese phonological systems and explores the phonological adaptations that arose as each language incorporated these sounds. The zhengchi initials were originally pronounced as alveolo-palatal sounds in Middle Chinese; however, each language modified these sounds according to its unique phonological constraints. Using Optimality Theory (OT), this study evaluates how phonological restrictions in each language influenced the final selection of consonantal sounds. Originally pronounced as voiceless alveolo-palatal affricates [tɕ] and [tɕʰ], zhaomu and chuanmu were mostly simplified in Japanese and Korean to reflect unvoiced sounds. In Japanese, the sounds demonstrate a voiced-voiceless distinction between the Go-on (呉音) and Kan-on (漢音) readings, while Korean’s reduced phonological contrast between aspirated and unaspirated sounds resulted in a unified pronunciation. Vietnamese, in contrast, retained a palatalized and sibilant sound, such as [tʃ] or [tʃʰ], reflecting a preference for palatalization and fricativization in its phonological constraints. For shenmu and shenmu, originally voiced sibilants in Middle Chinese, both Japanese and Korean adopted unvoiced adaptations. Korean primarily reflects these as [s], simplifying them as unvoiced sibilants, while Japanese tends to use sa sounds (サ行), similarly favoring unvoiced forms. Vietnamese tends to retain voicing distinctions and represents these sounds as [z] or [s], emphasizing the language’s tendency to preserve voiced consonants. Finally, shanmu is reflected in Japanese and Korean as unvoiced sibilants, while Vietnamese typically retains the voiced form. Japanese shows a clear voicing distinction between Go-on and Kan-on readings, whereas Korean reflects weakened voicing contrast with simplified s sounds. Vietnamese, however, shows fidelity to the original voiced qualities. In conclusion, the zhengchi initials were variously adapted according to each language's phonological constraints, historical context, and cultural interaction with Chinese phonology. This study elucidates these adaptations through OT’s constraint-based analysis, clarifying how each language’s unique phonological requirements optimized these Chinese sounds. These findings suggest that Chinese phonology was not merely imitated but adapted into optimal forms within each language’s phonological system, offering insights into the distinctive characteristics of Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Han pronunciations.

Multilingual acquisition is not a special phenomenon, but is becoming a universal aspect of language learning. In East Asia, including Korean society, the acquisition of various foreign languages beyond English is becoming an increasingly natural phenomenon. In this flow of the times, a field that is particularly notable is the acquisition of a third language, so now is the time when such research is needed. This research aimed to understand how learners utilize and transfer accumulated languages and to uncover what the factors of transfer are. To find answers to the research question, the researcher will first briefly summarize the study conducted directly by her related to the learning of a third language as well as existing previous studies. By systematically comparing and analyzing the characteristics, research methods, and main results of the first, second, and third languages covered in each study. In chapter 1 of part II, this research focused on the transfer patterns observed in the process of third language acquisition among East Asian learners, particularly those whose first languages are Japanese and Chinese. In the following chapter 2, this research examined the phenomenon of transfer in the cases of learners from the Western context, exploring the possibility that transfer may be influenced more by 'linguistic agency' than by simple linguistic affinity. Finally, Chapter 3 compared and discussed how cultural and educational contexts, particularly teaching methods and learners' attitudes, motivations, and engagement, affect these transfer patterns. The results of this study show that in the process of acquiring a third language, the first and second languages function in different ways, and that language transfer is not a simple automatic phenomenon based on similarity, but a complex strategy that combines the learner's cognitive judgment and cultural sensitivity. This insight will serve as an important theoretical and practical foundation for establishing a multilingual education model suitable for learners in the Northeast Asian region.

This study examines the marriage culture of the Altai Belt peoples from a feminist viewpoint, focusing on aspects that have traditionally been overlooked?especially the central roles played by women. By conducting a cross-cultural comparison among the ethnic groups of the Altai Belt, the research investigates the commonalities and kinship patterns shared across the region. Furthermore, the study applies Turner’s (2012) Theory of Social Drama as an analytical framework to understand how female-centered marriage customs unfold as social performances. The findings reveal that women among the Altai Belt peoples often played larger and more central roles in the institution of marriage than their male counterparts. Women were not merely passive participants but key agents in shaping marriage practices, often positioned as initiators and creators within their communities. The study also shows the persistence of matriarchal traditions within the marriage systems of these societies. This includes customs such as deril-sawi(a form of bridegroom adoption), ug-Gui(matrilocal marriage), and ch?-ga-sari(a practice where the husband lives with the wife’s family). These patterns point to a heritage in which women held considerable social power. Marriage, in this context, was not regarded as the end of a life phase but rather as a transformation into another performative process within society. Women played an active role in leading and shaping the success of the marriage, not just within the family, but as visible participants in public social rites. Among the Altai Belt peoples, including Korea, marriage rituals were often marked by symbolic performances referred to as “abduction dramas.” These included traditional practices such as hoesaum(mock battles), ssireum(wrestling), handling the groom, yobai, yeddi, dongsangrye, and nantu-geuk(various forms of staged conflict). These rites functioned as corrective behaviors and symbolic enactments that helped integrate the marriage into the communal order, reinforcing social bonds through shared cultural scripts.

This study examined the mediating role of psychological well-being in the relationship between acculturative stress and parenting efficacy among mothers in multicultural families. Participants were 285 mothers residing in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, raising children aged 3?12. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the associations among acculturative stress, psychological well-being, and parenting efficacy. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the mediation model, and bootstrapping was used to test the statistical significance of the mediating effect. The results indicated that acculturative stress was negatively correlated with both psychological well-being and parenting efficacy, whereas psychological well-being was positively correlated with parenting efficacy. Mediation analysis revealed that psychological well-being fully mediated the relationship between acculturative stress and parenting efficacy. Higher acculturative stress predicted lower psychological well-being, which in turn was associated with lower parenting efficacy. Based on these findings, it is essential to develop comprehensive support programs aimed at reducing psychological stress and enhancing the well-being of mothers in multicultural families. To achieve this, policy support should be strengthened, and interventions tailored to individual needs must be implemented. Establishing long-term, sustainable intervention systems will further increase the effectiveness and continuity of these programs. Moreover, this study highlights the pivotal role of psychological well-being in mediating the relationship between acculturative stress and parenting efficacy, underscoring its significance in understanding how these two variables interact. Future research should build on these findings by examining this relationship in greater depth and by developing evidence-based intervention strategies to effectively enhance psychological well-being and, in turn, parenting efficacy.

This study argues that affect toward Chinese in South Korea has been normalized as a form of everyday “hate” that goes beyond mere anti-China sentiment, and analyzes it through the theory of ‘banal racism’. Based on in-depth interviews with 10 Chinese international students in Korea- comprising both Hanzu and Chaoxianzu ethnicities- this study analyzes their experiences using the categories of ‘marginalization’, ‘problematization’, and ‘containment’. Among the three elements that constitute banal racism, marginalization refers to marking Chinese people as culturally inferior others, problematization involves framing Chinese cultural ‘differences’ as problems that need to be controlled, and containment refers to the self-censorship of Chinese individuals in order to conform to the imagined ‘normality’ of mainstream Korean society. This study reveals that hate grounded in banal racism does not always produce its intended effects. Ethnic Hanzu students tend to question or resist the everyday hate they encounter, rather than passively accept it. Some Korean-Chinese (Chaoxianzu) students responded to such hate while simultaneously exercising self-restraint. These acts of agency demonstrate that the hate toward others in South Korean society remains incomplete, a form of ‘futile hate’ destined to fail. However this study is limited to Chinese international students in their twenties within Korean colleges, a relatively protected setting. Future research should move beyond this group to explore how banal racism operates across wider social contexts and populations. By foregrounding the ineffectiveness of routinized hate, this study calls for critical reflection and urges South Korean society to move toward a more mature and inclusive democracy.

In today's Korean society, where the religious population is declining and the younger generation continues to abstain from religion, there is a religion that claims to have a whopping 1.5 million followers. That religion is KSGI, a new religious movement originating from Japan. KSGI stands for Korea Soka Gakkai International, or "overseas branch" of the Japanese Soka Gakkai. Previous research suggests that there are 18 religious denominations originating from Japan. However, research conducted since 2016 has confirmed that nearly all of these denominations have declined or disappeared from Korean society. In contrast, KSGI has maintained and expanded its influence, continuing its active presence in Korean society to this day. Then, the question arises: why is KSGI the only one to maintain its influence in Korean society? It is likely that its followers have long believed in its doctrines and engaged in religious activities because of its inherent religious appeal. Furthermore, the unique persistence of KSGI in Korea today suggests that some direction and influence existed during its initial introduction. The presence of Koreans in Japan during this period cannot be overlooked, as it was through their early missionary activities that the religious organization was introduced to and disseminated in Korea. Therefore, this study focuses on the early introduction and spread of KSGI, seeking to understand how a religion from Japan was able to take root in Korea and how a religious organization was formed. Specifically, this study aims to elucidate the process by focusing on the period when KSGI first arrived in Korea. Furthermore, it will examine the relationships between Koreans living in Japan, who appear to have played a significant role in the religious order's introduction.

Among the roughly 1,500 stone pagodas in Korea, those from the late Joseon period number only about 10, making it no exaggeration to say that studies on them are virtually nonexistent. Even though more stone pagodas were constructed during the modern period, from the time of the opening of the ports to around the time of liberation, than during the Joseon Dynasty, these pagodas have long been dismissed as modern monuments rather than subjects of scholarly research, due to the prejudice that they reflect Japanese influence and the belief that their artistic and sculptural quality had declined. As a result, the lineage of Korean stone pagoda history, which began around the 7th century and continues to the present, is often regarded as having been effectively cut off in the early Joseon period, leading to the undervaluation of stone pagodas from the late Joseon and modern periods. This study focuses on the fact that stone pagodas from the late Joseon period represent a transitional group situated between traditional stone pagodas and those of the modern era, with the aim of clarifying the continuity in the lineage of Korean stone pagoda history. First, it examines in detail the transitional characteristics of late Joseon stone pagodas by comparing them separately with those from the early Joseon period and the modern period. Second, it offers a new interpretation of the value of late Joseon stone pagodas through a comparison with stone structures for royal tombs, which were actively produced even during the decline of Buddhist stonework under the state’s anti-Buddhist policy. As a result, it is confirmed that, within the history of Korean stone pagodas, those from the late Joseon period form a meaningful group that vividly reflects the transition from tradition to modernity.

In this article, starting with the establishment process of the ｢Protocol for Royal Audiences on Capital Cases(重刑奏對儀)｣, the contents of the ritual, aspects distinguished from the amnesty system and the problems of translation related to the ritual to deal with felons were reviewed. First, it was understood that the ｢Protocol for Royal Audiences on Capital Cases｣ enacted during King Munjong's reign was established based on the precedent of exempting the death penalty of prisoners during King Junjong's reign. Next, the contents of the ritual were reviewed and compared with the amnesty ritual. While the amnesty ritual is carried out on a large scale in the big square, that is, the district in front of Uibong Gate and Uibonge Tower, the ｢Protocol for Royal Audiences on Capital Cases｣ proceeded quietly and quickly in a closed space called the southern corridor of a comfortable palace. For comparison, the former is a grand festival where music and shouts are heard, but the latter is like a formality that is handled very simply by drinking tea. This difference is that the former is a ritual that completely releases prisoners, but the latter exempts them from the death penalty, but there is a difficult life waiting for prisoners to be exiled to an island. In particular, if they were exiled to a deserted island, the possibility of surviving would have been slim. It is not unreasonable that the Protocol for Royal Audiences on Capital Cases, which does not directly execute the death penalty but cannot help but predict the death of a prisoner, was classified as a miserable ritual. On the other hand, I also pointed out the translation of articles related to the ｢Protocol for Royal Audiences on Capital Cases｣ of the Goryeo History to deal with felons. There are cases in which the words like ‘deciding felons’ has been translated as deciding the death penalty or punishing the death penalty. But since this is an inaccurate translation, it was proposed to exempt the death penalty with caning and exile.

Harmony is a characteristic of Western music, and in comparison, Korean traditional music, that is, ‘國樂:(Kugak)’, it is explained with a variety of melodies, rhythms, or colorful beats/rhythm. However, when speaking about music or the unique characteristics of a specific genre, it cannot be defined under the conditions such as the presence or absence of harmony. The characteristics of ‘洋樂(Western Music)’ that Korean traditional musicians usually refer to Western music and most of the laws that define it are bound to limit and avoid the diversity of numerous ‘Western’ music. In the definition of the other ‘洋樂’ and the concept of harmony set by Korean traditional music people, only ‘The Common Practice Period’ Harmony can be recalled. Contradictively, Western materials are sometimes used to modernize Korean classical music and its spirit. On the surface, the idea of 中體西用 has this logic, but at this time, it can lead to a contradiction that excludes the mental elements that support the material civilization of the West. The problem is that the Korean traditional music industry introduces so-called classical music as if it were the whole of Western music, and that the curriculum permits only the pre-19th-century harmony grammar of Europe, which is more of a state-set coercion than the choices and judgments of individual musicians and the public. Therefore, jazz, rock, and pop (so-called popular music in general) patterns are very scattered in our daily lives, but they are not well mentioned, at least in teaching tables and University. I argue that the poorness of Korean traditional music, the restrictions on harmony, and the institutional ideology that enforces the situation strongly limit the possibility of creating Korean traditional music. And this view is constantly being reproduced by domestic academic traditions and institutions, entrance examination guidelines for selecting college students, and academia.

This study focuses on separable verbs in Modern Chinese, which are unique lexical items capable of appearing in both separated and combined forms. These verbs are numerous, frequently used in daily communication, and encountered by learners from the elementary level. However, their dual form and diverse usage often cause learners to confuse them with regular verbs, leading to frequent errors. Therefore, this study aims to systematically compile a graded inventory, analyze patterns of separation, and examine the syntactic realization of semantic objects. Using <the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education>(2021) and the <Xiandai Hanyu Cidian>(2016), a final list of 210 separable verbs was established. Corpus analysis based on 14 categories of insertion elements revealed that various constituents can be inserted between the verbal and nominal components, with considerable variation in type and quantity across items. The manifestation of semantic objects was classified into three types: adverbial, attributive, and post-verbal object. Verbs with [+reciprocal] semantics are mainly realized in an adverbial structure of “跟/和 + object + separable verbs” whereas [+non-reciprocal] verbs appear in both attributive (“verbal element + object + 的 + nominal element”) and adverbial (“给/向/跟 + object + separable verbs”) forms. Although separable verbs generally do not take direct objects, 32 out of 210 verbs (approximately 15.2%) were found to do so; of these, some only allow direct objects that include or consist solely of numeral-classifier phrases. These findings provide a solid empirical foundation for effective teaching and learning strategies for separable verbs in Chinese language education. Specifically, they inform the selection of vocabulary by proficiency level, offer explicit instruction on separation and combination patterns, and clarify the constraints and variations in expressing semantic objects, thereby reducing learner errors and enhancing communicative competence.

Yan Lianke’s Dream of Ding Villageis a literary work that examines how life, power, and capital intersect and institutionalize exploitation through the historical backdrop of blood-selling and epidemic outbreaks in rural China during the 1990s. This study analyzes the novel through Michel Foucault’s concepts of biopoliticsand governmentality, aiming to critically explore the dynamics between power and subjectivity rather than offering a mere social indictment. The protagonist Ding Hui imitates state governance and constructs a blood economy driven by capitalist greed, which transforms bodies into commodities and death into profit—an embodiment of biocapitalism. The government seal (官印), though formally a symbol of state authority, operates as a symbolic mechanismthat legitimizes systemic violence. This reflects Foucault’s insight that power functions through the internalization of symbols, knowledge, and institutional norms, not merely through coercion. Within this system, villagers become disciplined subjectswho obey to survive, gradually internalizing the logic of power and contributing to the disintegration of the community. Greed, as a contagious force, spreads more destructively than the physical epidemic itself. In contrast, Ding Liang emerges as the novel’s ethical subject, resisting the power-capital nexus through acts of care and atonement. However, his resistance is ultimately isolated and tragic, revealing how ethics and human dignity are rendered powerless under biopolitical regimes. The novel’s publication in 2006—during the Chinese government’s concealment of the AIDS crisis—underscores its political urgency. Yet its significance extends beyond that moment, offering prescient insight into how epidemics operate as political technologiesin contemporary times. As seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, measures such as lockdowns, surveillance, and quarantine are implemented under the pretense of protecting life, while silently enacting judgments about whose lives are protected and whose are neglected. This directly echoes Foucault’s assertion that biopolitical power is also a power of exclusion. Ultimately, Dream of Ding Villagedissects how epidemic governance restructures life, capital, ethics, and power. It invites reflection on the possibility of ethical subjectivity and humanity amid systems that instrumentalize life, portraying not only the collapse of community but also the precarious pursuit of moral resistance in the age of biopolitics.

This study investigates the symbolic and emotional functions of natural imagery in the poetry of Li Shangyin, a prominent poet of the late Tang dynasty. In his works, nature is not merely a passive background but an active agent that conveys philosophical reflection and emotional resonance. Natural elements such as falling leaves, flowers, frost, and moonlight symbolize the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life. The analysis centers on three major themes: the flow of time, the finiteness of human life, and the projection of emotion. Through these lenses, the study explores how Li Shangyin employs nature as a mirror of the poet’s inner landscape and as a metaphor for existential concerns. His use of seasonal cycles and vivid sensory imagery—colors, sounds, and atmospheric changes—enables an emotional depth and creates a poetic space where sentiment and scene blend seamlessly (情景交融). Nature in his poetry often reflects personal loss, longing, and isolation, especially in times of political instability. The symbolic use of natural elements also helps articulate the poet’s internal struggles, offering a place for emotional release and philosophical contemplation. By viewing nature as a conduit of both emotion and reflection, this study reveals the multidimensional roles that nature plays in shaping the mood and meaning of Li’s poetry. Ultimately, this research goes beyond rhetorical or descriptive readings to highlight how nature in Li Shangyin’s poetry serves as a complex structure of emotional and philosophical expression. It provides new insight into the intertwining of nature and sentiment in East Asian classical literature and lays the groundwork for future studies that explore the depth and nuance of this relationship.

Amid the dual pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising de-globalization trends, the international landscape has grown increasingly complex. As a core mechanism for regulating cross-border mobility, visa policy has assumed greater importance within national strategies for external openness. In recent years, under the framework of “High-Standard Opening-Up”, China has gradually advanced a series of institutional innovations, most notably the unilateral visa-free policy. This initiative reflects China’s strategic intent to reshape international engagement through institutional design in response to global uncertainty, while also strengthening regional economic connectivity and transnational interactions. This paper explores the institutional logic and developmental trajectory of China’s visa-free initiatives. It systematically reviews policy evolution, evaluates implementation outcomes, and analyzes international responses and practical feedback. Findings suggest that while current visa-free arrangements have achieved early success in expanding country coverage and optimizing institutional mechanisms, several challenges remain. These include uneven regional application, underdeveloped reciprocity mechanisms, and limited service infrastructure and international human resource capacity to accommodate foreign visitors. Looking ahead, China should continue to deepen institutional cooperation with the Global South, promote mutual visa recognition frameworks, and enhance the supporting ecosystem for cross-border mobility. Overall, the continued expansion of the visa-free policy not only contributes to shaping a more open and trustworthy nation brand but also offers valuable Chinese institutional experience in the evolving landscape of global governance.

In recent years, China's rural e-commerce has risen rapidly and developed rapidly. Rural e-commerce has become one of the important ways for rural development in China in the new era, promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture toward the internet direction, which will lead agricultural innovation into a new stage of development. E-commerce runs through the entire chain of agricultural products, including production, sales, and supply, providing a comprehensive informatization service platform for agricultural and rural economic development. The rise of e-commerce has promoted local employment and return entrepreneurship for farmers, alleviated the bottleneck problems in agricultural product circulation, accelerated the upward speed of agricultural products, and become a key path for rural economic transformation. Studying the driving factors of e-commerce development is crucial for promoting rural e-commerce development. The goal of rural e-commerce development is to steadily increase farmers' income. Farmers' active participation is the foundation of e-commerce development; therefore, researching farmers' willingness to use e-commerce to sell agricultural products and its influencing factors is essential for promoting rural e-commerce development. Currently, research on rural e-commerce mostly focuses on development status, existing problems, countermeasure suggestions, and qualitative analysis of existing models, while research from the farmer's perspective on the influencing factors of their willingness to use e-commerce to sell agricultural products is relatively scarce. This study takes farmers in Xinxiang City as the research object, collects relevant literature materials through field research and questionnaire surveys, and conducts induction and summary. Using STATA 13 software to statistically analyze the factors influencing farmers' willingness to use e-commerce to sell agricultural products in Xinxiang City, the following conclusions are drawn: factors such as farmers' age, education level, and household annual income all passed the significance test. The conclusions of this study can provide reference for the development of rural e-commerce in other provinces during the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period and beyond, having certain theoretical value.

This study presents a quantitative analysis of how Japanese verb forms used in adnominal clauses (ル, タ, テイル, テイタ) correspond to Korean attributive endings (은, 는, 을, 던, 고 있는, 어 있는, 고 있던, 어 있던) based on temporal and pragmatic functions. A total of 1,000 examples from contemporary Japanese novels and their Korean translations were annotated with one of five temporal categories (precedence, simultaneity, subsequence, interruption, atemporal) and one of seven pragmatic functions (iteration, recollection, attribute, progression, state, completion, intention), and analyzed using cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. The findings reveal that each Japanese verb form strongly correlates with specific Korean attributive endings depending on its temporal and pragmatic function. For instance, the ル-form is frequently paired with ｢는｣ to express simultaneous progression and atemporal attributes, while the タ-form predominantly aligns with ｢은｣ to denote completed actions or enduring past states. The テイル-form combines with ｢는｣, ｢은｣, and ｢고 있는｣ to express ongoing or resultant states, and the テイタ-form shows a strong tendency to pair with ｢던｣, particularly in interrupted or recollective contexts. All observed patterns were statistically significant. This research contributes to contrastive linguistics by offering empirical evidence that the mapping between Japanese adnominal verb forms and Korean attributive endings is semantically motivated rather than arbitrary, and shows how quantitative methods can complement qualitative analyses in translation, language education, and computational linguistics.

This study investigates the sociolinguistic characteristics and functions of Katakana Chosengo?Korean-origin terms rendered in Japanese katakana and embedded in Japanese-language texts?within the Chongryon-affiliated Zainichi Korean community. Drawing on articles published in the Choson Sinbo between 2014 and 2024, eight frequently occurring terms were selected for detailed qualitative analysis: Hakkyo(school), Hassen (student), Saopu(project), Irukun(worker), Tonne(neighborhood), Moimu(gathering), Orini(child), and Orushin(elder). The analysis shows that these terms diverge from their usage in standard South or North Korean, undergoing semantic narrowing, extension, or reinterpretation specific to the Chongryon-affiliated context. They function as symbolic linguistic resources, chosen over Japanese equivalents to signal shared heritage, index community membership, and reinforce collective identity. The use of katakana also serves as a visual marker that delineates boundaries between Japanese and Korean lexicons, contributing to a distinctive written style within the community. By situating these findings within existing frameworks?such as synecdoche, in-group jargon, code-switching, loanwords, and semantic shift?this study argues that Katakana Chosengo constitutes a distinct form of diasporic language use that cannot be fully explained by any single framework. The research contributes to understanding how linguistic forms in minority communities are maintained, innovated, and socially embedded, highlighting the interplay between orthography, meaning, and identity in a diasporic setting.

This paper focuses on Ry?nosuke Akutagawa’s depiction of his meeting with Zheng Xiaoxu in his travelogue *Shanghai Y?ki*, and explores Akutagawa’s perceptions of modern Chinese politics and culture. It begins by analyzing the majestic appearance of Zheng’s residence and its refined gardens, as portrayed by Akutagawa, to highlight the discrepancy between Zheng’s idealized image as a “humble remnant official of the Qing dynasty” and the opulent reality. This contrast reveals Akutagawa’s critical stance toward the contradictions between rhetoric and lived experience. The study then turns to Zheng’s remarks expressing a “theory of heroism,” which envisioned the restoration of monarchy through the support of the Xuantong Emperor and Japan. Akutagawa’s reaction to such a nostalgic and pro-Japanese ideology is examined, particularly in terms of the escapism and cultural dislocation underlying these ideas. By doing so, the paper reveals Akutagawa’s nuanced understanding of China’s political regression and its yearning for a lost imperial order. Furthermore, attention is given to Akutagawa’s classical Chinese literacy and his exchanges with other Chinese intellectuals, through which he attempted a calm and rational observation of the gap between China’s ideals and its reality. Torn between his admiration for Chinese cultural heritage and confusion over its political chaos, Akutagawa maintained a literary detachment. He portrayed Chinese society through a multifaceted and subtly ironic lens, balancing empathy and critique. Through this examination, the study argues that *Shanghai Y?ki* should not be regarded merely as a travel narrative, but rather as a significant cultural text that reflects Akutagawa’s layered engagement with China. It demonstrates the work’s importance in fostering mutual understanding between Japan and China during a complex historical period.

This paper examines how Natsume S?seki critically distanced himself from and satirically subverted Max Nordau’s critique of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nordau famously characterized Nietzsche’s philosophy and style as pathological “madness,” a view that profoundly shaped late 19th-century European intellectual discourse. This discourse also spread to Japan, where the motifs of madness and genius were consumed in contradictory ways?as both signs of decadence and sources of creative inspiration. Unlike many contemporaries who passively adopted this framework, S?seki reinterpreted it with irony and critical detachment. In I Am a Cat, the “madman’s letter” mimics Nordau’s description of Nietzsche’s incoherent style but ultimately parodies and subverts the discourse itself. Through this device, S?seki transformed madness from a mark of degeneration into a source of artistic creativity and self-reflection, thereby highlighting the critical self-consciousness of modern Japanese literature and its reflexive engagement with Western thought. Through this device, S?seki transformed madness from a mark of degeneration into a source of artistic creativity and self-reflection, thereby highlighting the critical self-consciousness of modern Japanese literature and its reflexive engagement with Western thought. Through this device, S?seki transformed madness from a mark of degeneration into a source of artistic creativity and self-reflection, thereby highlighting the critical self-consciousness of modern Japanese literature and its reflexive engagement with Western thought. This revaluation of madness underscores S?seki’s refusal to accept Western discourses uncritically and his effort to reframe them within a Japanese literary horizon. In doing so, his parody not only destabilized Eurocentric notions of degeneration but also affirmed the autonomy of modern Japanese aesthetics.

This paper analyzes the Sanseito Party, which gained significant attention by greatly increasing its seats in the 2025 Upper House election, as a far right-wing populist party that claims to be anti-globalist. In Japan, where change of government is rare, independent voters often play a decisive role in election results to change politics. The author first clarify the strategies employed by the Sanseito Party to gain the support of the independent voters and then compares them with far-right parties in Europe and the United States, focusing on France's National Front. Next, this paper will theoretically examine previous studies that discuss what populism is and verify the characteristics common to contemporary far-right parties that oppose globalism. There, prior to discussions on policy, the question of who constitutes “the true people” is a common feature of far-right parties, and it is pointed out that this leads to racism and the exclusion of opponents, posing a threat to democracy. Based on the Sanseito Party's draft constitution and the statements and actions of its politicians, it has become clear that this party, like far-right populists in Europe and the United States, is mobilizing the masses using exclusionary logic.　Moreover, the Sanseito party has grown as a grassroots movement where its new supporters can feel empowered to change politics by being given tasks such as putting up election posters, distributing campaign flyers door-to-door, setting up tables and chairs at rally venues, and providing security at street speeches. As long as elections are held, democracy cannot avoid populism. Although the Sanseito is still a small party, given the success of far-right parties in Europe and the United States, the trend toward support for the far right in Japan should continue to be monitored.