Leslie M. Tkach-Kawasaki
Curriculum Vitae
Research Areas:
Political Communication, Japanese Politics, Website Analysis, Internet Studies, Internet Research Methods, Social
Science Research Methods
Educational Background2006

Ph.D. (International Political Economy, Major: Political Science), University of Tsukuba, Japan

2001

M.A. (International Political Economy, Major: Political Science), University of Tsukuba, Japan1997

M.A. (Japanese Studies, Major: Japanese Business Communication), Monash University, Australia

1987

Certificate of Business Administration, University of Regina, Canada

1985

B.A. (Advanced, Majors: Political Science and History), University of Regina, Canada

Professional Background2009 to present

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University ofTsukuba, Japan

2006 to 2009

International Associate, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Tokyo, Japan

1990 to 1993

Assistant Language Teacher (JET Program), Fukui, Japan

1987 to 1990

Customer Center Coordinator, IBM Canada, Canada

Professional Development
Academic Association Memberships
1999 to present

Member, Association of Internet Researchers

2002 to present

Member, Society of Socio-Informatics (Japan)

2007 to present

Member, Japan Studies Association of Canada

2010 to present

Member, International Communication Association2010 to present

Member, Society for Social Studies of Science

2012 to present

Member, Japanese Association of Electoral Studies

2012 to present

Member, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre

Academic Journal Affiliations (Editorial Board)
2005 to present

Journal of Information Technology and Politics	 

2007 to present

Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia	 

2008 to present

International Journal of Internet Research Ethics

2009 to present

Journal of Information Technology and Politics (Senior Book Review Editor)

2012 to present

International Journal of Business and Information

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Publications
Book Chapters“March 11, 2011 Online: Comparing Japanese newspaper websites and international news websites,” in Jeff
Kingston (Ed.), Natural Disaster and Nuclear Crisis in Japan: Response and recovery after Japan’s 3/11. Oxon, U.K.:
Routledge, 2012, pp. 109-123.
“Introduction,” in Yutaka Tsujinaka and Leslie M. Tkach-Kawasaki (Eds.), Japan and the Internet: Perspectives andPractices. Tsukuba, Japan: CAJS (Center for International, Comparative, and Advanced Japanese Studies,University of Tsukuba), 2011, pp. 2-6.
“The Internet and Campaigns in Japan: Traditions and Innovations,” in Yutaka Tsujinaka and Leslie M.
Tkach-Kawasaki (Eds.), Japan and the Internet: Perspectives and Practices. Tsukuba, Japan: CAJS (Center forInternational, Comparative, and Advanced Japanese Studies, University of Tsukuba), 2011, pp. 55-75.
“On the Relevance of Angeletics and Hermeneutics for Information Technology,” in Rafael Capurro and John
Holgate (Eds.), Messages and Messengers: Angeletics as an Approach to the Phenomenology of Communication, Munich:Wilhelm Fink, 2011, pp. 325- 332. Co-authors: R. Capurro, T. Takenouchi, and T. Iitaka.
“Roles and Regulations: Boundaries on the Japanese Web sphere in the 2004 Upper House Election,” in Kirsten
Foot, Nicholas W. Jankowski, Randolph Kluver, and Steve Schneider (Eds.), The Internet and National Elections:
A Global Comparative Perspective, New York: Routledge, 2007, pp. 226-240.
“Internet in East Asia,” in Karen Christensen and David Levinson (Eds.), The encyclopedia of community: From the villageto the virtual world, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003, pp. 794-798.
“Clicking for votes: assessing Japanese political campaigns on the web,” in K.C. Ho, Randolph Kluver, and Kenneth
C.C. Yang (Eds.), Asia.com: Asia encounters the Internet, London: Routledge Curzon, 2003, pp. 159-174.
“The Positive and Negative Aspects of Digital Divide Theories,” Paper prepared for the 2nd ICIE (InternationalCenter for Information Ethics) Symposium, September 2002, pp. 1-5. Co-authors: Makoto Nakada, TakanoriTamura, Tadashi Takenouchi, Toshikazu Iitaka (University of Tsukuba).
“Japanese Political Parties on the Internet in the 2000 General Election,” in Viviane Serfaty (Ed.), L’Internet enPolitique, Des États-Unis À L’Europe (The Internet and Politics in the United States and Europe), Strasbourg: Universityof Strasbourg Press, 2002, pp. 227-250.
Journal Papers and Conference Proceedings“Social Media Usage for Civil Society in Japanese Municipalities,” in Marko M. Skoric, Michael Sachs, Peter Parycek(Eds.), CeDEM Asia 2012 Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, Social and Mobile Media for Governance,
14-15 November 2012, Singapore, Conference Proceedings. Germany: Edition Donau-Universität Krems, 2012, pp.
59-70. Co-author: Muneo Kaigo (University of Tsukuba).
“Mapping Political Connections in Japan: The Functions of Hyperlinks on Japanese Diet Member Websites,” inSocial Science Computer Review, Volume 29, No. 3, Fall 2011, pp. 300-312.
“Internet dans la Société Civile: Premier Bilan au Japan, en Corée et en Chine (1997-2007),” (in French) (TitleTranslation: “Comparing Civil Society Use of the Internet in Japan, Korea, and China 1997-2007”) in Hermès,
Numéro 55, December 2009, pp. 89-96. Co-author: Yutaka Tsujinaka (University of Tsukuba).
“A Comparative Analysis of Politician Websites in Japan and South Korea using Website Feature Data,” in the2

Journal of the Korean Data Analysis Society, 9:5, October 2007, pp. 2507-2520. Co-authors: Kim, Hyo, Kyoung Ho
Choi, and Han Woo Park.
“Japanese Political Parties and the Internet in the 2000 and 2001 Elections,” in The Bulletin of the Faculty ofRepresentational Studies, 7, Machida, Japan: Wako University, 2006, pp. 183-216.
“Japanese Candidates Online in 2001: Research Report,” in Isa Ducke (Ed.), E-Democracy in East Asia? How theInternet Affects Politics and Civil Society in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Berlin/Tokyo: Iudicium, 2004, pp. 76-96.
“Panel II: The Internet in Japanese Politics – Its Use by Different Political Actors in Japan: Discussion andConclusions,” in Isa Ducke (Ed.), E-Democracy in East Asia? How the Internet Affects Politics and Civil Society inJapan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Berlin/Tokyo: Iudicium, 2004, pp. 98-106. Co-author: Isa Ducke.
“Does Old Japan Determine New Japan? The Relationship between Seken, the Internet, and Political Consciousness
in Japan,” Paper prepared for CATaC ’04 Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication Conference, June27-July 1, 2004, pp. 1-15. Co-authors: Nakada Makoto, Takanori Tamura, and Toshikazu Iitaka (University ofTsukuba).
“Politics@Japan,” in Party Politics, 9:1, 2003, pp. 105-123.
Conference Presentations“Peaceful Protests: Social Media, Protest, and Democracy in Post-quake Japan,” (Takanori Tamura and Leslie
Tkach-Kawasaki) December 4-6, 2012, Cultural Studies Association of Australasia Annual Conference,Sydney, Australia.
“A Genealogical Survey of Japanese Internet History,” (Mark McLelland, Takanori Tamura, and Leslie
Tkach-Kawasaki) December 4-6, 2012, Cultural Studies Association of Australasia Annual Conference,Sydney, Australia.
“Social Media Usage for Civil Society in Japanese Municipalities: Social Networking Services for Enhancing CivicActivities” (Muneo Kaigo and Leslie Tkach-Kawasaki), November 14-15, 2012, Conference for E-Democracyand Open Government, Social and Mobile Media for Governance (CeDEM Asia 2012), Singapore.
Invited Speaker, “A Disaster Unfolds: Portrayals of 3.11 in Japan’s Online and Offline News,” July 6, 2012, Japan
Workshop at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan.
“Factors in Determining Online Success: Case Studies in the Campaign Use of the Internet,” September 22-23,
2011, Polish Communication Association (PCA) Conference: Political Communication in the New
Technology’s Era, Warsaw, Poland (Conference presentation delivered via Internet).
“Social Media Grows Up: The Rise of Social Media in Japan 2010-2011,” August 18-21, 2011, Japanese Studies
Association of Canada (JSAC) 2011 Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Invited Speaker, “Open Session: Disaster Strikes Japan/the World,” June 25-26, 2011, 15th Asian Studies
Conference Japan (ASCJ), Tokyo, Japan.
Invited Speaker, “Social Networks and Social Media in Japan,” November 8, 2010, 3rd International Conference on
Digital Culture, Seoul, Korea.
“New Media Campaigning: Japanese Candidates Online 2007 and 2010,” September 30-October 3, 2010, JapaneseStudies Association of Canada (JSAC) 2010 Conference, Vancouver, B.C.
“Modern Campaigning in a Traditional Context: Japanese Political Figures on the Internet,” August 25-29, 2010,3

Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) 2010 Annual Meeting, Tokyo.
“Mapping Political Connections in Japan: The Functions of Hyperlinks on Japanese Diet Member Websites,” June
21-26, 2010, International Communication Association (ICA) 2010 Annual Conference, Singapore.
“Virtual Campaigns in Virtual Worlds: Japanese Political Parties, ICTs, and the Permanent Campaign,” October
7-10, 2009, Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 10.0 International Conference, Milwaukee, U.S.A.
Invited Panelist, September 2009, World Class Universities (WCU), Webometrics Workshop Series, YeungNamUniversity, Daegu, South Korea.
“Finding the Internet in Japan’s ‘Lost Decade:’ Internet Growth in Japan 1990-2001,” June 2008, Workshop,
Internet Histories 2: Australia and the Asia-Pacific, Perth, Australia.
“South Korean and Japanese Politicians Online: Comparing. Political Cultures Through. Political Websites,” (LeslieTkach-Kawasaki and Han Woo Park), October 17-20, 2007, Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 8.0
International Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
“Will Japan Finally Have a ‘Net Election’? Japan’s 2007 Upper House Election and New Media Technologies,”
August 18-22, 2007, Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC) 20th International Conference, YorkUniversity, Toronto, Canada.
Guest Panelist, “Media Convergence and Social Infrastructure,” December 12-13, 2006, Symposium, Keio
University, Japan.
“Evolving Campaign Communications on the Internet: Japanese Political Parties and Post-modern Campaigning,”
July 9-13, 2006, International Political Science Association (IPSA), 20th World Congress, Fukuoka, Japan.
Panel Co-organizer, “The Socio-Political Internet in Asia,” June 24-25, 2006, 10th Asian Studies Conference(ASCJ), Tokyo, Japan.
Organizer, “Roundtable: Getting to Square One: Jobhunting 101,” October 5-9, 2005, Association of Internet
Researchers (AoIR) 6.0 International Conference, Chicago, U.S.A.
Co-organizer, “Workshop on Ethics and Internet Research,” October 5-9, 2005, Association of Internet
Researchers (AoIR) 6.0 International Conference, Chicago, U.S.A.
Invited Speaker, “Slipping Through the Net: Regulation of Online Political Campaigns,” April 27, 2005, German
Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
“Does Old Japan Determine New Japan? The Relationship between Seken, the Internet, and Political
Consciousness in Japan” (Makoto Nakada, Takanori Tamura, Leslie Tkach-Kawasaki, and Toshikazu Iitaka),June 27-July 1, 2004, CATaC ’04 (Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication Conference,Karlstad, Sweden.
“Hi-Tech or Low Impact? Trends in Candidate Web-sites in Recent Japanese Elections,” June 19-20, 2004, 8thAsian Studies Conference Japan (ASCJ), Tokyo, Japan.
Workshop Presenter, “E-Democracy in East Asia? How the Internet Affects Politics and Civil Society in Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan,” December 5, 2003, German Institute for Japan Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
“Exploring Political Activity on the Internet in Japan, 2000 to 2002,” October 16-19, 2003, Association of Internet
Researchers (AoIR) 4.0 International Conference, Toronto, Canada.
“Nihon ni okeru seiji akutaa – genzai to shorai” (Political Actors in Japan: Now and in the Future), November 2002, 7th
Annual Conference, Japan Society for Socio-Information Studies, Gunma, Japan.
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“Political Strategy and ICTs Combined: Japanese National Elections 2000-2001,” October 13-16, 2002, Associationof Internet Researchers (AoIR) 3.0 International Conference, Maastrict, The Netherlands.
“The Political Internet Grows Up: Using the Internet in Japanese Elections 2000-2001,” October 10-14, 2001,
Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 2.0 International Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
Workshop Co-Organizer, “Critical Choices in Web Research Design Workshop,” October 10-14, 2001,
Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 2.0 International Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
“Politics@Japan,” March 2001, Campaigning on the Net, 2nd International Colloquium, European Sociological
Association, Strasbourg, France.
“Japanese Political Parties and the Internet,” December 2000, Political Parties and the Internet Workshop, Sponsored by
the Leiter der Theodor-Heuss-Akademie (Theodor Heuss Academy), Gummersbach, Germany.
“Japanese Political Parties and the Internet in the 2000 Election,” September 14-17, 2000, Association of Internet
Researchers (AoIR) 1.0 International Conference, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.
“Analyzing Japanese Political Party Web-sites,” June 20, 2000, Pew Research Center Workshop on Political
Analysis of the Internet, University of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

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