The population of Japan is rapidly aging. While this kind of demographic trend is common across the advanced industrialized world, Japan's extremely low birthrate, coupled with the longest life expectancy in the world, mean that Japan's experience with aging makes it what Philip Lipscy (2023) calls a "Harbinger State, which experiences many significant challenges before other countries in the international system."

On February 26, 2026, Texas Christian University (in Fort Worth, Texas) will host a daylong symposium on the theme of "Aging Societies and Generational Change in Japan and Beyond." We invite applications from scholars based at universities in the United States, Japan and elsewhere to make presentations on this important and timely topic. We invite welcome those at ranks including PhD students, postdocs, instructors, lecturers, and professors present their research. We are interested in a multidisciplinary group of scholars, and we would welcome applicants from disciplines including political science, sociology, anthropology, demographics, economics, literature, and others. We will pay for participants' travel expenses as well as a modest honorarium.

To apply, please send a proposal of 300 words or less and a curriculum vita to Michael Strausz at michael.strausz@tcu.edu. Graduate students should also include the name of at least one professional reference such as a dissertation advisor. Applicant should keep in mind that this will be a multidisciplinary event that is also open to the public, so they should be sure to discuss their projects in a way that does not assume discipline-specific knowledge or
vocabulary. Review of applications will begin on October 15.