2022年度の活動報告
Tomoji Odori (Research Group Representative)
2022年度の活動実績の概略
The Study Group's general meeting and preparatory meeting was held online on Saturday, June 25, 2022. There were 11 participants, but 12 proxy submitters (those who expressed their approval of the materials sent in advance and entrusted the proceedings to the chairperson) made up the total number of participants at the general meeting (the number of members at the time of establishment was 23). At the beginning of the general meeting, a chairperson (moderator) was elected and a secretary (RA) was appointed, followed by an explanation of the purpose of the establishment of the association, the establishment of the rules, the election of a representative and the appointment of an acting representative, a discussion of the 2022 activity plan, an explanation of budget execution, an introduction of the establishment application documents (including a call for new members), and finally a time for self-introductions by the Study Group members.
The first regular meeting, "Christianity and East Asia: The Conflict and Fusion of Japanese and European Faith and Culture," was held on Friday, September 23, 2022 (National Holiday) at 2 p.m. Thirty-five people attended. First, the representative of this study group, Odori Kyoji (Professor Musashi University), introduced the new members, followed by a presentation by Kanda Chisato (Professor Emeritus at Toyo University) on "The Acceptance of Christianity by Japanese People in the 16th Century" and Nezime Kenichi (Professor Emeritus at Gakushuin Women's College) on "Immortality of the Soul: From the Historical Encounter between East and West." Using concrete examples, the study examined how Japanese people in the early modern period, especially in the 16th century, dealt with Christianity (Catholicism) that was introduced from Europe, whether they underwent inner changes, or whether they maintained their old ideas and beliefs, and clarified part of the history of the conflict and fusion of Eastern and Western ideas that occurred on Japanese soil. Mr. Kanda reported on the acceptance of Christian faith based on popular religion in 16th century Japan, while Mr. Nezumi reported on the influence of Western thought of "immortality of the soul" (a reinterpretation by Christianity and Neoplatonism), on which Buddhism did not take a clear stance. There was then an active question and answer session.
The open research seminar (second regular meeting) "Androids in the East and West: From ancient mythology to cutting-edge robotics" was held online on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 10:00. 24 people participated. Professor Odori Kyoji (Musashi University) gave a presentation on "Robots East and West: Mechanical servants or symbiotes of humans?", and Ms. Keiko Nishimura (Lecturer at Sophia University and Musashi University) gave a presentation on "AI/Robots and Ethics in Modern Japan: Popular Culture and Social Responsibility." Associate Professor Patrick Schwemmer (Musashi University) made comments on the relationship between artificial intelligence and humans from the perspective of humanities and social sciences, and examined the "current location" of AI/robots from the perspective of the fusion or conflict of Eastern and Western cultures. Professor Odori Tomoji (Musashi University) discussed the history of the relationship between robots (automatic machines) and humans in the East and West, mainly focusing on issues of religion and gender, and provided an outlook on the issues of mechanization of humans and humanization of robots, which will continue from ancient times to the future. Keiko Nishimura (Lecturer at Sophia University and Musashi University) discussed the representation of robots in popular culture and the ethics and social responsibility of robots and AI, demonstrating that robots are perceived by humans as "social others" and that the worldview, values, laws, and ethics of human society influence them. Patrick Schwemmer (Associate Professor Musashi University) spoke about the transformation of science and technology throughout history and around the world, and the possibility that AI may promote inequality and discrimination, commenting that even in a society where AI is widespread, it is ultimately up to humans to decide what kind of community will be built. An active Q&A session followed.
The 75th Musashi University public lecture, "Robots and Humans: Intersecting Eastern and Western Cultures - Do Machines Have a Mind?", incorporating the results of the study group's research, was held in person from Wednesday, March 7th to Friday, March 10th, Tomoji Odori Musashi University and Professor Brigitte Koyama of Musashi University, took the stage. The first session (Tuesday, March 7th) was a lecture by Tomoji Odori (Professor Musashi University) entitled "From Ancient Greek Mythology to Cutting-Edge Robotics: Servants or Symbiotes?", the second session (Wednesday, March 8th) was a lecture by Koyama Bridget (Professor Emeritus Musashi University) entitled "European Automata and Japanese Karakuri Ningyo: What Do Automata Think?", followed by a demonstration and talk by Tamaya Shobei IX (Karakuri Ningyo Master), the third session (Thursday, March 9th) was a lecture by Rintaro (Anime Director and Visiting Professor at Kyoto Seika University's Manga Department) entitled "My Life at 24 Frames Per Second: From Astro Boy to Metropolis", and the fourth session (Friday, March 10th) was a lecture by Matsubara Jin (Professor at the University of Tokyo's Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) entitled "Humanizing Robots: Will General-Purpose AI Become a Reality?" Drawing on a variety of perspectives, including history, art, humanities, and engineering in Japan and the West, each speaker presented their own theories on how robots, machines, and AI have evolved, what events might occur in the future, whether robots should be considered to possess minds (souls) like the humanoids that once served as mediums, and whether robots should choose to coexist with humans as social beings. In the process, there was also discussion about what the human "mind" is, whether it is really appropriate to believe that everyone "possesses" a similar mind, and whether there is any scientific basis for this. This open lecture was attended by over 170 people. The first lecture was the subject of coverage by J:com and a news broadcast by the cable station.
The third regular meeting, "Images of Japanese in Early Modern Europe: Asians Depicted," was held online on Monday, March 27, 2023, at 4 p.m. Twenty-six participants gathered. First, the representative of this research group, Odori Tomoji (Professor Musashi University), introduced the new members, followed by a presentation on "Japanese Depicted in Early Modern Italian Paintings" by Kobayashi Shino (Special Researcher Musashi University Comprehensive Research Organization). Kobayashi examined the image of Japanese people in Italy, given the lack of information about Japan due to the country's isolation (1639-1854), based on 17th and 18th century pictorial historical materials (artworks, etc.). It was reported that while many works depict Japanese people with a Western-style appearance (some wearing turbans) more similar to West Asians (Arabians) than East Asians, and Caucasian appearance in Western clothing, there are also paintings depicting them as black people and samurai in Japanese clothing with East Asian characteristics. The conclusion was that there were many different images of Japanese people before the emergence of modern racial theory and the "yellow" race theory. Professor Kenji Ikawa (Waseda University) commented that images of Asia and Japan, and the artwork itself, depend on the artist's own environment, the place and circumstances in which the painting was made. He also advised that since it is difficult to organize and systematize the various information from the early modern period, which varies greatly depending on the recorder, it is necessary to narrow down the subject in order to deepen research. A question and answer session followed.
*A notice of the regular meeting was posted on Musashi University website as a news article, and a press release was also issued by Public Liaison Department.