IAFOR > The Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film (MediAsia) > MediAsia2024

MediAsia2024

October 15–19, 2024 | Held in Kyoto, Japan, and Online

The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture (KAMC2024) was held alongside The 15th Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film (MediAsia2024) in Kyoto, Japan, from October 15-19, 2024. The event welcomed over 350 delegates from more than 40 countries and invited keynote speakers from Hokkaido University, Japan, the University of South Florida, United States, Osaka University, Japan, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. IAFOR was also proud to organise a panel presented by the first cohort of our IAFOR Global Fellows Programme in cooperation with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University, Japan.

From news media to indigenous art, invited keynote speakers and panellists at KAMC/MediAsia2024 addressed timely questions around power and representation. Manifested in various forms – (neo)colonialism, cultural hegemony, and capitalism – power struggles and social injustices continue to perpetuate sociopolitical structures through the misuse of media. Those who control the means of telling stories, control the world.

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Speakers

  • Sonja Viktorija Anić
    Sonja Viktorija Anić
    Osaka University, Japan
  • Jeffry Gayman
    Jeffry Gayman
    Hokkaido University, Japan
  • Virgil Hawkins
    Virgil Hawkins
    Osaka University, Japan
  • Azusa Iwane
    Azusa Iwane
    Global News View, Japan
  • James S. Moy
    James S. Moy
    University of South Florida, United States
  • Melina Neophytou
    Melina Neophytou
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
  • Shuqi Wang
    Shuqi Wang
    Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

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Programme

  • The Meaning and Message of Indigenous and Fourth Media: With a Focus on Media Created by the Ainu
    The Meaning and Message of Indigenous and Fourth Media: With a Focus on Media Created by the Ainu
    Keynote Presentation: Jeffry Gayman
  • Alberti, Stendhal, HNWI, and Asian Art
    Alberti, Stendhal, HNWI, and Asian Art
    Keynote Presentation: James S. Moy
  • Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion
    Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion
    Panel Discussion: Azusa Iwane, Shuqi Wang, Sonja Viktorija Anić, Virgil Hawkings
  • Global Citizenship: Media and Digital Citizenship
    Global Citizenship: Media and Digital Citizenship
    The Forum: Virgil Hawkins, Melina Neophytou
  • Media Literacy and Independent Media
    Media Literacy and Independent Media
    Featured Workshop: Azusa Iwane, Virgil Hawkins

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Conference Committees

International Advisory Board

Dr Joseph Haldane, Chairman and CEO, IAFOR
His Excellency Professor Toshiya Hoshino, Osaka University, Japan
Professor Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech., United States
Professor Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
Dr James W. McNally, University of Michigan, United States & NACDA Program on Aging
Professor Haruko Satoh, Osaka University, Japan
Dr Grant Black, Chuo University, Japan
Professor Dexter Da Silva, Keisen University, Japan
Professor Gary Swanson, University of Northern Colorado, United States
Professor Baden Offord, Curtin University, Australia
Professor Frank Ravitch, Michigan State University, United States
Professor William Baber, Kyoto University, Japan

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Conference Programme Committee

Dr Nasya Bahfen, La Trobe University, Australia
Dr Thomas G. Endres, University of Northern Colorado, United States
Dr Joseph Haldane, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
Professor Bradley J. Hamm, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, United States
Dr Virgil Hawkins, Osaka University, Japan
Dr Celia Lam, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China
Timothy W. Pollock, Osaka Kyoiku University / Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan
Dr Paul Spicer, Hokkaido University, Japan
Professor Gary E. Swanson, University of Northern Colorado, United States (fmr.)

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Conference Review Committee

Professor Azza Ahmed, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Dr Alyaa Anter, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates
Professor Carla Cadete, Lusófona University/HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Portugal
Dr Zhiying Jin, Taylor's, Malaysia
Dr Malektaj Khosravi, Islamic Azad University - Tehran Central Branch, Iran
Dr Jandy E Luik, Petra Christian University, Indonesia
Dr Michael Ogden, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Dr Sahar Rasoulikolamaki, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr Sadananda Sahoo, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India
Dr Paul Spicer, Hokkaido University, Japan

IAFOR's peer review process, which involves both reciprocal review and the use of Review Committees, is overseen by the Conference Programme Committee under the guidance of the International Academic Board (IAB). Review Committee members are established academics who hold PhDs or other terminal degrees in their fields and who have previous peer review experience.

If you would like to apply to serve on the MediAsia2024 Review Committee, please visit our application page.

Apply to Join the Review Committee

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Sonja Viktorija Anić
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Sonja Viktorija Anić is a PhD candidate at the Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, Japan. Originally from Zagreb, Croatia, Ms Anić completed her BA in Japanese Studies at Osaka University, followed by a master's degree at the Osaka School of International Public Policy within the same institution. She worked in English language education for five years before commencing her doctorate degree. She is currently conducting research on media with a focus on misinformation, as well as Japanese media and East Asian international relations.

Featured Panel Discussion (2024) | Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion
Jeffry Gayman
Hokkaido University, Japan

Biography

Jeffry (Jeff) Gayman is Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and the Research Faculty of Media and Communication at Hokkaido University, Japan. An American by nationality, he has been living and working in Japan for over 30 years, with approximately 20 of those in support of the Ainu people. He obtained his MA in Cross-Cultural Studies in 2005 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States, and his PhD in Education from Kyushu University, Japan, in 2012. His research centres on Indigenous Education and Collaborative Research Methodologies with a special interest in the indigenous Ainu of Japan, a research focus he has honed over twenty years teaching at Hokkaido University. Professor Gayman also has strong interests in Indigenous-mainstream relations, education for intercultural understanding, and human rights education. His most recent publications include Education and Ethnicity of the Ainu People in the Routledge Handbook of Race and Ethnicity in Asia in 2021 and The Ainu Policy Promotion Act and Culture-Centered Indigenous Policies in Japan in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs in 2024. Alongside his research activities, Professor Gayman teaches English to first-year undergraduate students in the Liberal Arts Division of Hokkaido University. In his spare time he enjoys running, hiking, and skiing to stay fit.

Keynote Presentation (2024) | The Meaning and Message of Indigenous and Fourth Media: With a Focus on Media Created by the Ainu
Virgil Hawkins
Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Virgil Hawkins is a professor specialising in world affairs and the news media, and is based at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University. He obtained his PhD in international public policy from OSIPP, where he focused on international politics, conflict, the UN Security Council and the news media. He proceeded to work for five years for a non-governmental aid organisation, primarily in Cambodia and Zambia, before returning to the university as a faculty member. He has written and edited a number of books, including Stealth Conflicts: How the World’s Worst Violence is Ignored (2008), and Communication and Peace: Mapping an Emerging Field (co-edited, 2015). His work focuses on furthering our understanding of how and why the vast majority of the world remains relatively uncovered by the news media.

To these ends, he has since shifted his focus to work at a more practical level. He co-established the Southern African Centre for Collaboration on Peace and Security (SACCPS) in 2010, which is a network that has brought together researchers and practitioners working on these issues throughout the region. He went on to establish Global News View (GNV), a large-scale media project that 1) analyses trends and deficiencies in the coverage of the world by the Japanese news media, and 2) attempts to compensate for those deficiencies by providing analysis of the state of the world in places that are undercovered.

Featured Panel Discussion (2024) | Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion

Previous MediAsia Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2023) | International News Coverage and The Role of Independent Media
Featured Presentation (2019) | Climate Coverage: Getting More and Getting it Done Right
Featured Presentation (2017) | Introduction of Osaka University’s Global News View Database
Azusa Iwane
Global News View, Japan

Biography

Ms Azusa Iwane is the vice-project manager, editor, and a main podcast host at Global News View (GNV), an independent media outlet introducing the Japanese audience to international news overlooked by domestic mainstream media. She is also a researcher specialising in international media coverage and the role of independent media, focusing on raising awareness on poverty issues. Her master’s thesis dealt with how African poverty issues are represented in the Japanese media. Ms Iwane has worked extensively with international development NGOs, including a series of field studies in Zambia to better grasp the effective poverty experienced by mining communities present in the region with the collaboration of the Dag Hammarskjöld Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Copperbelt University, Zambia.

Featured Panel Discussion (2024) | Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion

James S. Moy
University of South Florida, United States

Biography

James S. Moy is Professor of Theatre and former Dean of the College of the Arts at the University of South Florida, United States. After training as a studio artist, Professor Moy went on to graduate study at The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), United States, where he became interested in happenings and performance art. He completed advanced studies in stage direction during his time at CalArts and eventually a PhD in Theatre History and Playwriting with a dual focus on playwriting and performance history at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States.

Professor Moy has held teaching posts at various American institutions, including The University of Texas (Austin), The University of Oregon, Northwestern University, and The University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he served as Chair of the Department of Theater and Drama. Professor Moy left The University of Wisconsin and served several decanal posts in various institutions worldwide, including the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico, United States; the School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; and the School of Fine Art at Ontario College of Art & Design University, Canada. Professor Moy was a Provost and Vice President at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Canada, before returning to a professorship and decanal post at the University of South Florida.

Author of Marginal Sights - Staging the Chinese and editor of several volumes of Theatre Journal, Professor Moy has published over forty scholarly articles and reviews in a variety of refereed journals. A specialist in racial representation, he has lectured internationally from Nanjing and Kuala Lumpur to Ulan Ude, Stockholm, Venice, Edinburgh, Thessaloniki, Aberystwyth, Tampere, and London.

Keynote Presentation (2024) | Alberti, Stendhal, HNWI, and Asian Art
Melina Neophytou
The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

Biography

Dr Melina Neophytou is an Academic Coordinator at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community. She is leading various projects within IAFOR, notably The Forum discussions and the authoring of Conference Reports and Intelligence Briefings.

Born in Germany and raised in Cyprus, Dr Neophytou received her PhD in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2023, specialising in political sociology, the welfare state, and contentious politics. She received an MA in International Development from Nagoya University with a focus on Governance & Law and a BA in European Studies from the University of Cyprus, Cyprus.

Her research interests currently focus on the Japanese welfare state, family values within Japanese society, and their relationship to family policies. She is particularly interested in state-society relations by uncovering how informal social ideas influence formal social policy.

The Forum (2024) | Global Citizenship: Media & Digital Citizenship
Shuqi Wang
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Biography

Dr Shuqi Wang earned her doctoral degree in Public Policy and Global Affairs from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2024. Her research focuses on international relations, foreign policy analysis, and alliance politics, with a regional specialisation in the Asia-Pacific. Born and raised in China, she completed her undergraduate studies in International Politics and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy at Peking University. Currently, she conducts research on the historical influences on foreign policy preferences within US alliance systems, focusing on the cases of Japan and South Korea.

Featured Panel Discussion (2024) | Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion

The Meaning and Message of Indigenous and Fourth Media: With a Focus on Media Created by the Ainu
Keynote Presentation: Jeffry Gayman

Groups and populations known as Indigenous people comprise some of the most marginalised populations on the planet. Their cultures and languages are threatened with extinction due to prejudice, discrimination, and the widespread exploitation and destruction of the environment. These processes are often fueled by the discriminatory attitudes and racism of privileged members of mainstream society. Indigenous peoples themselves have responded to these challenging circumstances and sought to improve their situation proactively through legal recourse, direct action, and activism, including using media and the arts as advocacy tools. Correct knowledge of these conditions is a necessary prerequisite to actions toward social justice, and the author considers it incumbent to work for consciousness-raising and the dissemination of knowledge geared toward the empowerment of minoritised groups. In this way, media literacy, or critical understanding of media and its consumption is a key agenda for the betterment of contemporary society. The question of how we as media consumers can make wise choices in support of Indigenous and minority empowerment is a crucial one.

On the other hand, what has been referred to as Indigenous Media or Fourth Media calls us to go beyond ordinary conceptions of social justice to radically re-examine our very own ontologies and senses of time. This presentation seeks to recap the conditions surrounding the creation and consumption of Indigenous media, and, through sharing examples of Indigenous and Ainu-created media, to consider its meaning and message to us all as 21st century citizens.

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Alberti, Stendhal, HNWI, and Asian Art
Keynote Presentation: James S. Moy

Since the 15th century Italian Renaissance and onward, the notion of perspectival painting by the likes of Alberti and daVinci has held sway on the evolving western art scene. Then, just as today, name-branded artists received patronage and salaries from the wealthiest art collectors of their times. With the perfection of this painterly technique and the invention of photography in the late 18th century, it could be said that the numerous hermeneutically driven trajectories of the relentless modernist pursuit of the new, latest thing, came into play. This drive for the latest fashion gave rise to the speculative art market that dominates today. This study will lay out some of the developmental steps that lead to the current state of the art market, including the consideration of what the market will look like as western hegemony fractionalizes and the world evolves into multipolar sovereign trajectories. This presentation will lead into a concluding discussion where Asian Art and its impact on the decentralisation of the global art scene will be examined.

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Media and Power in the Asia-Pacific: IAFOR Global Fellows and IAFOR Research Centre Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion: Azusa Iwane, Shuqi Wang, Sonja Viktorija Anić, Virgil Hawkings

The Asia-Pacific region hosts a diverse range of political systems and perspectives, and complex international relations. Similarly, there is diversity in media and political communications systems of this sector. While there are certainly key differences in how the media functions within countries in this region, state power in any country has an interest in exerting influence, if not control, over the news media, depending on the level aof democracy and media freedoms legally allowed. In the case of Japan, for example, which maintains a democratic political system and a vibrant private media ecosystem, ostensible freedom of the press does not necessarily mean freedom from powerful influence by the political and economic elites of the country. Projections of power cross borders as well: the Asia-Pacific is a region in which relations between countries can be tense and one that is marked by a complex web of relations and rivalries. In this environment, governments in each country work to strengthen media narratives that are perceived to serve their national interests. This panel will discuss the relationship between the media and power in the Asia-Pacific region, in both domestic and international arenas, with a focus on Japan and China specifically. Two presentations will focus on domestic media-state relations in Japan, and one will concentrate on states utilising media narratives from a regional perspective.

The Relationship Between Political/Economic Elites and the News Media in Japan

Azusa Iwane, IAFOR Global Fellow, Japan

In theory, free and independent media plays a crucial role in a democratic society by serving as a watchdog. In this role, the media highlights public issues, informs citizens, and fosters greater public awareness. This, in turn, encourages people to demand higher levels of accountability and transparency from those in power. In practice, however, the media are often perceived to be following the lead of political/economic elites. This presentation will explore such instances, identifying issues of global concern that, although initially unreported by the news media, are widely reported after acknowledgement of their importance by political or economic elites through specific international gatherings and conferences. The presentation will analyse how the agenda on global issues is set by these elites in this manner, using the Japanese media as a case study. The findings highlight how media coverage is influenced by elite interests and the extent of their convergence or divergence.

“Indo-Pacific” or “Asia-Pacific”: Competing Media Narratives among Major Powers

Shuqi Wang, IAFOR Global Fellow, Japan

In the context of “Media and Power,” this presentation will examine the competing narratives among major powers concerning the “Indo-Pacific” concept. The great power rivalry extends beyond the security and economic spheres to media narratives that shape agenda-setting and status-seeking behaviours. This presentation will focus on the competition between China, the United States, and its major allies, such as Japan and Australia, highlighting China’s rejection of the Indo-Pacific geopolitical framework and its active promotion by others. By analysing public media representations, official statements, and strategic communications, this presentation will explore how these states utilise media narratives to strategically frame their regional visions and geopolitical objectives, thereby influencing public perception and understanding. In the competition among major powers, media not only plays a crucial role in constructing and disseminating regional geopolitical discourse but also contributes to broader implications for power dynamics.

Do Japanese Newspapers Fulfil Their Watchdog Role: The Aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Sonja Viktorija Anić, Osaka University, Japan

In March 2011, a devastating tsunami ravaged the shore of the Tohoku area in Japan, causing an unprecedented disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Following this disaster, Japan battled the consequences, from radioactive wastewater to the resettlement of Tohoku residents. A year later in 2012, Shinzo Abe began his second term as Prime Minister of Japan, ushering in a significant crackdown on media freedom and media criticism of the Japanese government reported in foreign media under his tenure. In this study, this claim was tested by analysing editorials concerning the Fukushima nuclear disaster from the three main country-wide newspapers: the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, and the Yomiuri Shimbun during the period between 2012 and 2017. Editorials were analysed for topics, angles, and levels of criticism of the government’s response, and any changes thereof. No significant changes were observed in the Mainichi Shimbun, while the Yomiuri Shimbun was positive towards the government’s actions. In the case of the Asahi Shimbun, the newspaper took a firmly critical stance against the government until 2015, after which the critical tone towards the government drastically decreased. This coincided with public pressure and loss of reputation resulting from an incident where the Asahi Shimbun was forced to retract a series of articles, which may have encouraged self-censorship in its coverage of the Fukushima incident.

Read presenters' biographies
Global Citizenship: Media and Digital Citizenship
The Forum: Virgil Hawkins, Melina Neophytou

IAFOR invites delegates to participate in The Forum, an ongoing discussion-style session during the conference plenaries, to discuss on-the-cusp topics derived from our conference programmes. At KAMC/MediAsia2024, The Forum will pose and discuss questions about global citizenship and the responsible production and consumption of information, knowledge, and art in the new digital age.

Globalisation and the rise of information technology have significantly altered how people, goods, services, and money move transnationally, and how we produce and consume information, knowledge, and entertainment. Today, digital media has democratised access to and consumption of information and art from all over the world, fostering empathy and understanding, creating a sense of global social responsibility. This has led to debates around global and digital citizenship, as the digital age has made it possible for individuals to engage with the social, economic, and political systems of far-away countries, by raising awareness of global issues, participating in civic activities such as volunteering and donating, and advocating for sustainable development on social media.

Despite the positive influence of social media on global citizenship, there remains a present danger of perpetuating already existing global sociopolitical injustices shaped by narratives driven by colonialism, capitalism, and conflict. The digital divide further exacerbates these issues, threatening democracy by marginalising certain groups who lack access to digital information and communication.

Discussions today on social media and global citizenship heavily focus on critical media literacy. How to foster critical thinking skills and care in what we (re)share online to combat the spread of misinformation, but also agonistic negotiation and public engagement skills to ensure that we act towards mitigating injustice, are questions that remain unanswered in practice. Touching upon issues of representation, power, colonialism, capitalism, Artificial Intelligence, freedom of speech, and critical media literacy, we ask delegates to discuss the following questions:

  • What is digital citizenship?
  • What does socially responsible (social) media look like?
  • What are global citizens’ responsibilities towards ethical and conscious consumption and reproduction of information, entertainment, and art?
    • Read presenters' biographies
    Media Literacy and Independent Media
    Featured Workshop: Azusa Iwane, Virgil Hawkins

    Thursday, October 17, 2024, 15:05-15:55 | Kyoto Research Park Building 1, Room E

    In recent years, the term ‘media literacy’ has been frequently used in the context of countering misinformation and propaganda spread primarily online by mal-intentioned actors (both domestic and foreign). However, the need to counter misinformation and propaganda spread through official channels by domestic and allied governments is rarely seen as an issue. This workshop aims to address this need, providing new perspectives on media literacy and tools to read mainstream media in a critical manner. The workshop will consist of a short introductory case study and group work among the participants. Participants will re-evaluate their critical reading skills for media content and the importance of independent media. The goals of this workshop are to:

      - Enable participants to enhance and re-evaluate their critical reading skills
      - Provide an opportunity for participants to re-evaluate the importance of independent media and independent voices
      - Provide networking opportunities for participants

    Pre-registration is required to participate in this workshop.
    Please complete this workshop sign-up form.
    Max: 15 participants

    Workshop Schedule

    15:05-15:10 Opening and Introduction
    15:10-15:25 Case Study
    15:25-15:40 Group Work
    15:40-15:50 Sharing Outcomes of Group Work

    Read presenters' biographies