Professor Leslie Tkach-Kawasaki (NipCA Project) attended the IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communications Research) Lyon 23 Annual Conference, held July 9 to 13, 2023. The IAMCR is one of the foremost academic associations in the world focusing on media and communications. The first IAMCR conference was held in Paris, France in 1957, and since 1990, the conferences have been held annually in locations throughout the world. The IAMCR has over 2,800 active members with over 80 sections and working group chairs and deputies (IAMCR website, 2024). The annual IAMCR conference has high standards of scholarship and application to present one’s work is highly competitive.
The conference started on July 9 with welcome speeches by local authorities, the IAMCR executive, the local host (Sciences Po Lyon), followed by a well-attended reception. The welcome ceremonies were chaired by Professor Francoise Paquienseguy and Professor Adrian Staii, and Christian Fuchs of the Department of Media Studies, Paderborn University, gave the keynote speech.
On Monday, July 10, Professor Tkach-Kawasaki presented her paper entitled “Japan’s Digital Transformation (DX) and Trends in Public Policy Communication.” This presentation was a unique opportunity to share her ongoing research concerning how public administration officials, politicians, and candidates utilize various media channels, including online media, set against the background of Japan’s digital transformation (DX) efforts. This topic is particularly significant in Japan, which saw major strides in propelling digitalization of government services during the COVID-19 pandemic period from January 2020 to May 2023. Setting Japan’s DX efforts firmly within the Japanese social, political, and technological context, this paper identified actors and analyzed their key roles in Japan’s DX advances.
The conference dinner reception was held on July 12 at Lyon’s Musee des Confluences, and the conference itself concluded on July 13 with a well-attended closing plenary focusing on scholar and media industries’ roles in sustainable communication.
Professor Tkach-Kawasaki is very grateful for the encouragement and financial support from the NipCA Project to attend this prestigious event and have the opportunity to participate in meaningful academic exchanges about digital transformation and political communications with researchers from all over the world.
