iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I'm honored to have just been added to the Association for Asian Studies' Distinguished Speakers Bureau. Happy to join a list of stellar scholars. www.asianstudies.org/grants-award...

asianstudies.org

NEAC Distinguished Speakers Bureau — Japan Speakers - Association for Asian Studies

← Back to DSB program overview Jump to a Speaker

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

I was interviewed by a reporter from the French newspaper La Croix about the the legal dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church). It's mostly behind a paywall, alas, but the coverage is clear and helpful. www.la-croix.com/internationa...

la-croix.com

Japon : la « dissolution juridique » de la secte Moon confirmée par la justice

La Haute Cour de Tokyo a confirmé début mars 2026 la dissolution juridique de l’Église de l’unification, dans le viseur des autorités depuis l’assassinat de l’ex-premier ministre Shinzo Abe. Ses dirig...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

On Tuesday, I'll be speaking at the University of Toronto on religion and politics in contemporary Japan. Plenty of fresh insights drawn from the past two months I've spent with activists within Soka Gakkai, Nippon Kaigi, and the Unification Church: munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/religi...

munkschool.utoronto.ca

Religion and Politics in Japan Today: New Perspectives from Grassroots-Level Activists

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

On 2/24 I'll be at the University of Toronto to speak how religion-affiliated activists are influencing recent changes in Japanese politics. Sincere thanks to Phillip Lipscy for making this happen: munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/religi...

munkschool.utoronto.ca

Religion and Politics in Japan Today: New Perspectives from Grassroots-Level Activists

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Critical Asian Studies @criticasianstds.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Commentary | Levi McLaughlin raises questions about Japan's uncertain politics/religion future as new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's support for Shinto-linked nationalists alienates erstwhile Liberal Democratic Party allies in the Sokka Gakkai-backed Kōmeitō criticalasianstudies.org/commentary/2...

criticalasianstudies.org

Commentary | Levi McLaughlin, Sanae Takaichi and Japan’s Uncertain Politics/Religion Future — Critical Asian Studies

Local-Level Religious Activists Recently Upended Japan’s Political Order Japan ranks among the least religious countries in the world—according to recent survey data, as many as 80% or 90% of respon...

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Dan Smith @profdansmith.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

🎉 Just published! JAPAN DECIDES 2024! The most comprehensive analysis and interpretation of last year's general election in Japan––which saw the ruling LDP lose its seat majority and presaged further upheaval in 2025. E-book: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

link.springer.com

Japan Decides 2024

This book provides a coherent overall explanation for understanding in the election in both historical and comparative perspective

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

When there's a Japan's House of Representatives race (Lower House), where the Prime Minister sits, a team of political scientists puts together a volume in the Japan Decides series (published by Springer) to cover the election's lead-up and results (thread) link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

link.springer.com

Japan Decides 2024

This book provides a coherent overall explanation for understanding in the election in both historical and comparative perspective

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

n the coming days, I'll be working on a proper op-ed reflecting on the political upheaval triggered by Komeito's split with its long-time Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) partner. In the meantime, I'll share some updates (thread)

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Now this is a sign of political shifts: on Komeito's YouTube and Instagram pages, party leader Saitō Tetsuo meets with Kamei Shizuka, veteran LDP politician and leader within the Shigatsukai (April Society), a movement once aimed at Komeito and Soka Gakkai. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8nZ...

youtube.com

【激白】「私は公明党を潰そうとした...」反公明のドン・亀井静香が語る公明党潰しの真実とは！？

YouTube video by 公明党のサブチャンネル

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Tobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

In a free edition of the Japan Daily Briefing — I’m starting “free Fridays” — I look more at the causes and effects of Kōmeitō’s break with the LDP and discuss Ishiba’s reflections on the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II. open.substack.com/pub/observin...

open.substack.com

The end of the coalition | Japan Daily Briefing

As the coalition breaks, Ishiba delivers an impassioned defense of democracy

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Friends in Soka Gakkai have been circulating this analysis by Ide Eisaku, Keio University economist, which breaks down policy resonances between Komeito, Soka Gakkai, Japan's most powerful union, and opposition parties (thread to follow): www.facebook.com/share/p/17Aq...

facebook.com

Redirecting...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Japan, ostensibly one of the least religious countries in the world, had its political order upended by the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. That is THE story about Friday's epochal shift in Japanese politics (thread follows):

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Big upheaval in Japanese politics. Today (Japan time), after a ninety minute meeting between Saitō, head of Komeito, and Takaichi, the LDP politician who recently won her party’s presidency, Saitō announced an end to their parties’ 26-year-long coalition agreement.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Tensions between the LDP and Komeito have been building over recent years, but Japan's ruling coalition has hit a crucial stage. The combo of Takaichi at the helm, plummeting election results for Komeito, a Soka Gakkai base that's facing its own existential crises after Ikeda Daisaku...a new era.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

I'm under no illusions that what publish isn't feeding the AI beast no matter the measures we take, but I've deleted everything I uploaded to academia.edu and I've erased my account there. Even by today's dystopian standards, academia.edu's new terms and conditions are beyond the pale.

academia.edu

Academia.edu - Find Research Papers, Topics, Researchers

Academia.edu is the platform to share, find, and explore 50 Million research papers. Join us to accelerate your research needs & academic interests.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Always a pleasure to speak with Tobias. Enjoyed our conversation:

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

I'm quoted a bunch in this SCMP piece released before polls closed on the Upper House race now being counted in Japan. This is a crucial point for the governing Liberal Democratic Party / Komeito coalition. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

scmp.com

Japan upper house election: Ishiba accepts ‘harsh result’, says to stay on as PM

The ruling LDP-led coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, with exit polls projecting it may only win 41 seats.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

On Sunday, I'll be on "Sunday," the BBC Radio 4 show about religion, providing context about the Unification Church in Japan following the Tokyo District Court's decision to remove legal status from the group. Just after 7 am live in the UK, then maybe at this link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 - Sunday

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

On March 12, I'll join a conference at the University of Bristol that reflects on the 3.11 disasters in Japan. The conference brings together artists and scholars and includes screenings of documentaries by French and Japanese documentarians. theartofrecovery.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

theartofrecovery.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

The Art of Recovery – Legacies of the Fukushima Triple Disaster

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Here is a question for political scientists. Japan's national-level coalition partnership between the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito is almost a quarter century old. Is there another example in the world of two parties that have lasted this long in coalition without merging or splitting?

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Wonderful to see the book in person. I edited the section on “politics and governance” for the brand new New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions. This is an invaluable resource for religions in Japan, and for religious studies more generally.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

The Berkley Center at Georgetown just published a short essay I wrote: "In Religion-Averse Japan, a Religion-Backed Party Remains Pivotal." I wrote this and then Komeito got hammered in the October election. However, I think what I write here holds true. berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/in-rel...

berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

In Religion-Averse Japan, a Religion-Backed Party Remains Pivotal

Levi McLaughlin contends that in the post-Shinzo Abe age, we can expect Soka Gakkai and Komeito to remain pivotal forces and for religion, as a whole, to remain a potent force within Japanese politics...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Okay, for real. T-shirts and other merch for touring soloists in the classical music world. But with badass designs, and maybe dates if they’re on a coherent tour. I’d buy the shit out of an Augustin Hadelich hoodie, man.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Looking forward to #AARSBL. I'll be on a panel with Jackie Stone, Yulia Burenina, and Bruce Winkelman titled "Rebuking Error, Inverting Authority, and Transforming Institutions: Remonstration in the Nichiren Buddhist Tradition." Seems apt to analyze remonstration and religious friction...

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Dr. Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

Ppl making academia account starter packs r my heroes, thank you for the invisible service 🥹 I will try to share relevant starter packs below ⬇️🧵

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

Excited to see the New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions released in the coming weeks. I edited the section on "Politics and Governance," which includes invaluable chapters on constitutional law, party politics, kingship, and other topics. Follow @jolyonbt.bsky.social and read below for details.

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A. M. Vincent @vincent.northsky.social · 08/11/2024

OK, I guess someone had to do it and I guess today that someone is me. Academic Study of Religion starter pack! I am sure I have left people out, so please let me know if I need to add you! go.bsky.app/9CdZTiN

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Japan Past & Present @jppinfo.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

Hello friends! As more users migrate to Bsky, we encourage you to follow us here at JPP, where we are working to promote a more diverse, inclusive, & equitable field in the Japanese humanities. 🗾 There aren't many official accounts here just yet for Japan Studies, but a starter: go.bsky.app/H54gyeg

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Lindsay Nelson-Santos @newsfromnihon.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

I made a Japanese Studies starter pack! Film, literature, sociology, history, cultural studies, translation, academic and academic-adjacent. Please reply if you want to be added (or removed)! go.bsky.app/AXJLiEA

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus just published a short special issue on "Behind the Scenes of Media and Legal Responses to the Abe Assassination" edited by Tomomi Yamaguchi and me. apjjf.org/behind-the-s...

apjjf.org

Behind the Scenes of Media and Legal Responses to the Abe Assassination - The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 08/10/2024

If you're in/near Raleigh next Thursday (October 17), consider coming to a screening of the documentary "Carving the Divine: The Way of the Būshi (Buddhist Sculptors of Japan)." www.eventbrite.com/e/global-fil...

eventbrite.com

Global Film Series—Carving the Divine (Japan)

Join us for a journey through Japanese culture with our Global Film Series featuring "Carving the Divine."

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Tobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 24/09/2024

Just in time for the LDP leadership election, I wrote a review of Ishiba Shigeru's new book, which provides a deeply revealing look at the man who is waging his "last battle" to become Japan's prime minister. observingjapan.substack.com/p/the-idealist

observingjapan.substack.com

The Idealist

Ishiba Shigeru and the deep roots of conflict in Japanese politics

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 08/04/2024

Really excited that Simran Jeet Singh will be coming to NC State as this year's Impact of Religion speaker. Turbans, Beards, and Brown Skin: Learning to Navigate Bigotry in Modern America Thursday, April 18, 3:00 p.m. Caldwell Hall G107 philrel.chass.ncsu.edu/religious-st...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 03/02/2024

The Journal of the American Academy of Religion just published my review of Janine Sawada's fantastic Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of an Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan. For students of religion in Japan and anyone interested in the category "religion" academic.oup.com/jaar/advance...

academic.oup.com

Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan, By Janine Anderson Sawa...

Janine Anderson Sawada’s Faith in Mount Fuji: The Rise of Independent Religion in Early Modern Japan completes several important tasks. The introduction supplie

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 27/01/2024

I wrote a short piece for Japan Political Pulse, Sasakawa USA's update on Japanese politics, to discuss reasons why Komeito is now more vital to the Liberal Democratic Party than ever. spfusa.org/publications...

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Tomomi Yamaguchi @tomomiyg.bsky.social · 01/12/2023

ついに朝日に『宗教右派とフェミニズム』書評が！しかも『エトセトラ』の田嶋陽子特集号でお世話になった作家の山内マリコさんによる執筆！嬉しいです。プレゼント機能使いましたので、12月2日 15:22まで全文お読みいただけます（書評）『宗教右派とフェミニズム』『ジェンダー目線の広告観察』：朝日新聞デジタル　digital.asahi.com/articles/DA3...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 29/11/2023

Had a conversationwith David Buckley at the Center for Asian Democracy, University of Louisville about religion and politics in Japan since the murder of former PM Abe Shinzō. Now on their podcast network. My thanks to Dave for his well-thought-out questions. rss.com/podcasts/cad...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

Always valuable to speak with Tobias. His substack is a must-read for detailed insights into Japanese politics.

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Tobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 22/11/2023

NEW at Observing Japan: I was really pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Levi McLaughlin (@levimclaughlin.bsky.social) about the significance of Ikeda Daisaku's death. You can check out the video and transcript here: open.substack.com/pub/observin...

open.substack.com

The Death of Ikeda Daisaku

A conversation with Levi McLaughlin

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 18/11/2023

Monumental news from Japan. Ikeda Daisaku, Honorary President of Soka Gakkai and President of Soka Gakkai International, has died. My sincerest condolences go to my adherent friends, for whom the death of Ikeda is the loss of a cherished loved one.

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 13/11/2023

This Thursday, I'll do my best to summarize the current tumult surrounding efforts to dissolve the Unification Church in Japan and what it means for religion and politics today. At George Washington University, via Zoom: www.eventbrite.com/e/after-the-...

eventbrite.com

After the Assassination of Abe Shinzo

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Levi McLaughlin on the murder of Shinzo Abe, the Unification Church and Japanese religion and politics.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 12/11/2023

Love it! Linking to a 2015 article about the media outreach strategies of a small Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It never really got a lot of attention, but it let me critique the commonsense assertion of Buddhist decline, at least as well as 6000 words allowed. Plus, fun videos! doi.org/10.1080/1743...

doi.org

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Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 29/10/2023

Mundane Halloween is back! Today is the "Mundane Halloween" contest in Japan, sponsored by website Daily Portalz The idea is to dress up as something incredibly ordinary. Here is a thread of some of my favorites from this year!

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Emily @suika.bsky.social · 23/10/2023

Shortly after a family court made a surprising ruling on trans rights, Japan's supreme court will soon deliver its verdict in a similar case, with big implications! Read & share my latest Tokyo Review article: www.tokyoreview.net/2023/10/high-st…

tokyoreview.net

A High Stakes Court Decision Looms for Trans Rights in Japan

A recent ruling by a local family court has sparked hope for many concerned about trans rights in Japan - but now they anxiously await the Supreme Court’s verdict in a different case with bigger imp...

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