CGS Members
The College of Liberal Arts and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of International Christian University (ICU) form a united department system in both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students are able to study and research freely without being constrained by their own departments. Similarly, CGS brings together professors from a diverse range of fields, who share an interest in gender and/or sexuality. Below you will find a list of the CGS members and their 1) majors & research areas, as well as their 2) current interests & a short message about their research and its relation to gender studies.
In addition, we will introduce the research institute assistants who are involved in the management of CGS, as well as the researchers associated to the center.
(Last updated: October 5, 2026)
AMMOUR-MAYEUR, Olivier (Steering Member, Editorial Board Member)
1. French Literature, Comparative Literature, Film Studies and Popular Culture (Francophone, Anglophone and Japanese cultures)
2. My research interests are focused on the representations of genders in Literature, Films and Popular Culture (Manga, TV dramas). Working at the intersection of Aesthetics, Philosophy and Social Theories of representation (Sociology and Anthropology), my research focuses on the political aspects of the representations of genders and sexualities in Arts (Literature, Cinema, Painting, Photography).
IKOMA, Natsumi (Steering Member, Editorial Board Member)
1. Literature Major, Gender and Sexuality Studies Major. Research Area: Contemporary British Literature, Contemporary & Modern Japanese Literature, Feminist Theories, Representation of Body, Gender Performativity
2. I am interested in the intersection of British and Japanese literature, especially in the works of Angela Carter. I am also interested in the possibilities of deconstructive literature.
TAKAMATSU, Kana (Director, GSS Major Coordinator, Steering Member, Editorial Board Member)
1. International Relations, Gender and Development
2. My research examines how gender influences post-conflict reconstruction assistance by focusing on social reintegration of female ex-combatants. Also, I research gender issues and politics in Myanmar.
KATO, Etsuko (Vice-director, Steering Member, Editorial Board Member)
1. Cultural Anthropology: Cultural nationalism and gender; migration and gender; critique of the representations of Japanese sexuality in English ethnography.
2. One cannot observe and write sociocultural phenomena without considering gender and sexuality. As a fieldworker of globally mobile Japanese workers, I keep analyzing how their perception of easiness and uneasiness of everyday life relates to gender and sexuality.
MINEJIMA, Chika (Steering Member)
1. Chemistry/Environmental Studies
2. Women are still underrepresented in STEM fields, so I navigate various challenges along the way while enjoying what I do every day. I would be happy to talk with and support anyone who is unsure about their future academic or career path.
SONOYAMA, Senri (Steering Member)
1. Classical Japanese Literature, Inspirations of classical literature in the writings of Meiji writers (1868-1912), Japanese studies in Poland and other European countries
2. The Heian period (794-1185) was the time in which many female writers were active, thanks to the possibility to use the Kana syllabary. The stories, essays, diaries, and waka poems written in Kana often make us think not only about the glamorous aspects of court life but also about human life in general. I keep analyzing such literary works from the ritual, religious and cultural perspective. My research interests include the history of the reception of Japanese essays, letter theory, and the relationship between Meiji-era writers and the classics.
SHIMABUKURO, Kairi (Assistant Professor by Special Appointment, Steering Member, Editorial Board Member)
1. Sociology of Education, Gender and Sexuality Studies
2. My research critically examines educational issues from queer and feminist perspectives. In my Ph.D. dissertation, I explored the experiences of lesbian and gay youth in school and how their sexual identities are formed through these experiences.
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1. Philosophy and Ethics
2. I believe that one of the roles of philosophy and ethics is to critically examine the various elements that shape our way of life and society. I feel that gender is extremely important, both in terms of an individual’s way of life and as an element embedded in society and human relationships.
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1. Linguistics, Multilingual child language acquisition
2. My research explores the language acquisition process of young multilingual children during the preschool ages. As an instructor in the English for Liberal Arts program, I hope to encourage more open dialogue about gender and sexuality in the classroom, as well as challenge binary norms and expectations.
1. Modern Japanese History and Japan Studies: Japanese imperialism; the intersection of foreign relations and culture
2. I just finished a project on the early history of Japanese imperialism, and now am turning my attention to the history of Yokohama. I deal with gender-related questions more in the courses I teach, especially History of Contemporary Japan, but occasionally I take them up in my research. For example, in a recent paper I looked at how the mixed-race children of soldiers were treated differently in Japan depending on whether the fathers were Japanese or American, a difference that was driven mostly by Japanese women’s participation in media and politics in the 1950s.
1. Musicology
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1. History of Italian Art, History of Costume in Italy
2. The “ideal dress” of the 16th century Italy. From costume depictions in a variety of writings on women, and from costume print collections from the 16th century Italy, we can think of the ideal “good dress” of that time. Recently, I am interested in the first European female professional author, Christine de Pisan and her clothing.
1. History: Chinese History
2. I am exploring research beyond fixed frameworks in Chinese women’s history. I personally want to revise or rethink women’s history of modern China.
1. Sociology, Asian American Studies, men in families, men's movements, race and ethnicity, life course and aging.
2. I examine the changing culture and conduct of fatherhood through the prism of a non-Western men's movement. I am interested in the intersection of masculinity, race and ethnicity, religion and immigration.
1. Mathematics: Geometry, Algebra, Combinatorics
2. What's interesting in my research field lies in between the mathematical activities: one is to investigate the higher dimensional ``shapes'' that can't be seen and the other is to count certain objects in a smart way. As a math teacher/researcher, I would like to promote equal opportunity and the equal treatment of students of all gender in mathematical science and also encourage them to have active careers in mathematical science.
1. Cultural Anthropology(Demographic Anthropology): Reproductive values, low fertility, and population dynamics
2. My research examines issues related to sexuality and reproduction from the perspectives of cultural anthropology and demography. I am particularly interested in how cultural values and beliefs, including gender as a cultural construct, shape reproductive behaviors and influence broader demographic and population structures.
1. Sociology: survey methodology, youth (education, labor, gender)
2. I research computer-assisted interviewing (CAI) methods, as well as youth education, labor, and gender. Recently, I am investigating gender consciousness of college students using quantitative survey methods, particularly consciousness of love and marriage, gender division of labor, separate surnames for married couples, "joshiryoku" (femininity), abortion, and sexual minorities.
1. History: Religious, cultural, and political history of Britain in the seventeenth century.
2. My early research on various concepts of religious heterodoxy in early modern England has broadened my interest in other concepts about human differences, such as class, race, and gender. I am also interested in history of emotion and senses.
1. International Educational Development, Sociology of Education, Gender and Education
2. Gender is involved in all aspects of education—its forms, processes, and outcomes—yet in international goals and other contexts, gender equality in education is often measured using quantitative metrics such as enrollment rates and literacy rates. Furthermore, within the gender structures of different societies, the assumptions we hold can vary significantly or be intricately intertwined with other factors. Driven by this awareness, I conduct quantitative and qualitative research primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa on gender within the relationship between education and communities; DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in school education; and the relationship between children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills and gender.
1. Majors: Literature Major, GSS Major. Research Areas: British and Irish Poetry and Drama (medieval to modern), Gender Studies, Creative Writing (Poetry and Drama)
2. My research is strongly related to literature and gender studies. In particular, I study British and Irish literature from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century in the contexts of magic and gender. My most recent single-author book publication, 'Sons of Demons: Magic, Masculinity, and Form in English Poetry from Shakespeare to Yeats' investigates how poetry and drama engage with gender through representations of magic. Literature about fantasy and the creative imagination, perhaps seemingly unrelated to our daily lives, often communicates debates and conflicts about gender roles and gender performatives. Furthermore, my creative work in poetry and translation often focuses on topics and themes in gender, such as gender stereotypes, discrimination, and domestic violence. In my spare time I teach martial arts and self-defence classes which include raising awareness of bullying, gender-based stereotypes and violence, and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
1. Early Modern Japanese History
2. In studies of early modern Japanese history, the positioning of women has been considered more and more important recently. Various aspects, such as the life cycle of the people, the reproduction of family, the class system, and so on have increasingly come into the limelight. I have been planning and examining a formative process to give people a better picture of an ideal woman in the Edo era and how it was transformed in modern Japan. I contribute to gender studies by doing that.
1.History, Early Modern French History
2. I specialize in early modern French history. My research focuses on sociability (sociabilité) and social bonds in French society in the 17th and 18th centuries. I aim to examine gender perceptions, family, and women’s activities at the time, as well as their transition, through the lens of religious associations for women, men, and both sexes.
1. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), teacher development, curriculum design
2. As an ELA instructor, I am interested in creating a safe space for my students that celebrates diversity and inclusion. I strive to create classroom materials that raise awareness and a classroom environment in which students express themselves.
Advisor
TANAKA, Kazuko（Former professor of International Christian University, Founder of Center for Gender Studies at International Christian University）
Research Fellows
MIYAZAKI, Ayumi
YU, Ning
HANYU, Yuki
HAMASAKI, Fumina
Research Institute Assistants
Wen, Chloe (languages: Mandarin, English, and Japanese) Ph.D. candidate of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at The University of Tokyo
1.Feminism/Queer studies, Chinese studies, and Social Movements
2.My research focuses on the feminist movement in post-socialist China, exploring the mechanism of difference-making in feminist politics and intersections between the politics of gender and other social differences across various streams of the movement. In particular, I am interested in how struggles or negotiations over differences based on "national borders" such as nationalism, colonialism and the ideology of west/east binarism are intertwined with the recognition of other social differences.
KONISHI, Yuumi (she/her) (languages: English and Japanese) Ph.D. candidate of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at The University of Tokyo
I specialize in the sociology of health and illness, with a focus on transgender studies. In my doctoral thesis research project, I aim to elucidate the medical landscape surrounding gender dysphoria and gender transition in contemporary Japan, along with the societal structures underpinning it, which I refer to as the 'sociology of trans medicine.' Specific research topics include the analysis of medical discourses in an era marked by depathologisation, an exploration of the perspectives of both parties and medical practitioners regarding diagnostic models, and an examination of the relationship between 'authentic' trans medicine and other medical access.
TANIGUCHI, Ayumi (she/her) (languages: Japanese, English)
I graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2023 with a degree in Gender, Policy and Inequalities. I also have experience in menstrual activism in Japan. My main interests are decolonial feminisms, queer theory, body politics and anti-work politics.