2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Rethinking Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the Northern Territories: analysis of sub-regional identities and media discourses in Russia, Japan and the disputed islands
| Project/Area Number |
20K12313
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
BUNTILOV GEORGY 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 助教 (70843449)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | sister cities / Nemuro / Asahikawa / Wakkanai / Northern Territories |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
A Research Assistant was hired for help with data processing for an article dedicated to news reportage of the visa-free exchange program with the disputed islands.
Officials involved with Hokkaido-Russia exchange were interviewed during visits to Asahikawa and Wakkanai. Digital and printed items, such as Russian language pamphlets, exchange participants' feedback and annual reports, were collected. The data obtained during these research trips will be discussed in an article analyzing Japan-Russia sister city exchange in Hokkaido. A joint trip with a Research Collaborator was made to Nemuro, where members of the Center of Exchange with the Four Northern Islands were interviewed. The data will be analyzed in the article on media representation of the visa-free exchange program.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
4: Progress in research has been delayed.
Reason
Visits to locations in Hokkaido during FY2021 were hindered by the restrictions and travel advisories related to the pandemic. However, I was able to visit several locations in Hokkaido near the end of FY2021.
I was also planning to visit locations in Russia for interviews and data gathering. This is no longer feasible due to the international situation and Japan's travel alert for Russia being raised to the second-highest level in early March 2022. As a result, all planned visits to Sakhalin and the disputed islands were cancelled.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
During FY2022, more visits will be made to locations in Hokkaido. A visit to Hakodate is planned for May 2022.
Two articles will be published during FY2022:
1) An article analyzing Hokkaido's sister city relations and international exchange with Russia in Asahikawa, Wakkanai, Nemuro, Sapporo and Hakodate.
2) A comparative analysis of newspaper coverage of the visa-free exchange program with the disputed islands in Hokkaido Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun during 2016-2020.
An international conference is being prepared to be held at Hokkaido University in September 2022. The conference will be dedicated to regional identities, international exchange and migration in Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the Northern Territories in the 20th and 21st centuries.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Due to pandemic related restrictions, several research trips were postponed for a later date. The funds left over from the previous year will be used for research trips within Hokkaido during FY2022.
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Research Products
(1 results)
