SOX2 is an amplified lineage-survival oncogene in lung and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas

Lineage survival oncogenes are activated by somatic DNA alterations in cancers arising from the cell lineages in which these genes play a role in normal development.1,2 Here we show that a peak of genomic amplification on chromosome 3q26.33, found in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the lung and esophagus, contains the transcription factor gene SOX2—which is mutated in hereditary human esophageal malformations3 and necessary for normal esophageal squamous development4, promotes differentiation and proliferation of basal tracheal cells5 and co-operates in induction of pluripotent stem cells.6,7,8 SOX2 expression is required for proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of lung and esophageal cell lines, as shown by RNA interference experiments. Furthermore, ectopic expression of SOX2 cooperated with FOXE1 or FGFR2 to transform immortalized tracheobronchial epithelial cells. SOX2-driven tumors show expression of markers of both squamous differentiation and pluripotency. These observations identify SOX2 as a novel lineage survival oncogene in lung and esophageal SCC

Bridging Japanese and immigrant expectations for membership in Japanese society

Using the Keio Grant for the Development of Academic Research, my research about Social Markers of Acculturation ("SMA") has advanced in two ways: 1. I have conducted survey research and given presentations at academic conferences to share the results as to which SMA Japanese people value the most when deciding whether or not to socially accept immigrants as members of Japanese society (as well as how those SMA change according to variables such as the degrees of threat and contribution that Japanese perceive from immigrants), and 2. I have conducted survey research to assess the impact of expectations for SMA on immigrants' mental health (for example, levels of stress and life satisfaction). For #1 above, I published my paper "The Exigent Case for Belonging: Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Actualization" in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations (published by Elsevier) and delivered an invited lecture online about this material at the Intercultural Development Research Institute in Milan, Italy on September 30th, 2021. I also gave presentations at two online conferences: the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology 25th International Congress (July 29, 2021) and the SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research) Japan Annual Conference (November 27, 2021). For #2 above, I collected data from 800 migrants living in Japan and am currently analyzing this data to prepare myself to give presentations about it at academic conferences later in 2022 (for example, the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology 26th International Congress and the SIETAR Europa Congress). I have used this year's budget of 300,000 yen to gather additional data related to #1 above. In other words, I am also researching whether Japanese people expect different SMA depending upon immigrants' national origin. Therefore, I hired Rakuten to survey 800 Japanese people to assess which SMA they value most and how those criteria change according to context depending upon which immigrant group they are considering (Chinese, Koreans, Westerners, or South Americans)

Re-examining intercultural research and relations in the COVID pandemic

The authors provide an urgent call for cross- and intercultural scholars to re-examine many of the related themes and classic or contemporary study areas of “intercultural communication” and “intercultural relations” in light of the impacts that the novel coronal (COVID-19) pandemic is having on human interaction both across and within our social-cultural contexts. As scholars focusing on intercultural communications/relations, education, management, psychology, and social issues, the global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a range of intercultural problems or issues that need to be researched to better understand related aspects of human suffering, social disruption, and economic inequalities. New research projects/papers need to address how these impact key intercultural theme/topic areas like cultural attributions/expectations, values/beliefs, identities, perceptions/stereotypes/prejudice, language/speech codes, cultural systems/patterns, acculturation/adaptation, intercultural effectiveness/sensitivity/competence, and conflict (Kulich et al., 2020, Table 3.7). Some research areas and applications potentially affected by COVID are highlighted, including our sense of national/international identity and cooperation, our mediated or actual social networks, our ways of framing or carrying out intercultural or cross-cultural cooperation, new issues emerging in inter-group contact, how we apply cross-cultural taxonomies or dimensions to analyze data, and how these ultimately affect our relationships with each other across all levels of culture (from dyads, to groups, sub- or co-cultures) or express and affirm interculturality at such times. Each area is highlighted by calls for specific types of intercultural research to address these challenges and opportunities.</p

Racist Racism: Complicating Whiteness Through the Privilege & Discrimination of Westerners in Japan

With no anti-discrimination legislation, strong Confucian-inspired ingroup mentality, and a belief in their mono-ethnicity, Japan is marred by a culture of widespread discrimination. Although it has ratified the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and guarantees equality in its Constitution, all those who differ from the closely circumscribed norm are excluded culturally, and legally. Whites’ position in this milieu is complicated because of the West’s unique historical relationship with Japan, and due to the perception of white global dominance. Although admired and arguably privileged over other outsiders, Caucasians are nevertheless mocked and discriminated against—openly, frequently, and with impunity. The concept of racism, as funneled through critical race theory’s (“CRT”) reliance on homogeneous white privilege, lacks dialectic space to address their experiences of discrimination. Yet both CRT analytical tools and desire for praxis, and Confucian respect for human dignity have much to offer in expanding discrimination discourse, exposing the concept of racism as Western-centric, supporting equality, and giving voice to victims who do not fit the victim norm. In the process, this enlarged theoretical and analytical space can help alleviate Japan’s labor shortage, prompting multi-faceted reforms, and achieving true Confucian harmony and democracy. I propose to create new discourse, situated within expanded CRT and whiteness studies, while providing analytical coverage to a group of Caucasians rarely mentioned in popular or scholarly literature. Definitions of “the other” and “white privilege” need to move away from monolithic notions of race and power, which are white-centric and racist themselves