Romeo Marcantuoni
@rmarcantuoni.bsky.social
Ph.D. candidate at Waseda University, Adjunct Lecturer at Temple University, Japan Campus, and editor at Tokyo Review. Researching the politics of emotion, parties, and conspiracy beliefs with a focus on Japan.
Pinned
The center’s self-defeating politics
As Japan’s far-right gains political and ideological force, can the center hold? It is a familiar question, one that is now rapidly gaining salience after Takaichi Sanae was elected leader of the Libe...
www.tokyoreview.net
I wrote this piece about Tamaki Yuichiro's recent rise to populist fame and how centrists are paving the way for a more anti-establishment politics (against their better judgments)
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
/noclip's YouTube discovery has dropped off a cliff in 2025 so just gonna keep posting this as it's one of our most anticipated projects in years. Also we're really proud of it. Check it out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH6m...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH6m...
The Making of Disco Elysium - Part One: Foundations
YouTube video by /noclip
www.youtube.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:24 PM
/noclip's YouTube discovery has dropped off a cliff in 2025 so just gonna keep posting this as it's one of our most anticipated projects in years. Also we're really proud of it. Check it out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH6m...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH6m...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
🎉 Just published! JAPAN DECIDES 2024! The most comprehensive analysis and interpretation of last year's general election in Japan––which saw the ruling LDP lose its seat majority and presaged further upheaval in 2025. E-book: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Japan Decides 2024
This book provides a coherent overall explanation for understanding in the election in both historical and comparative perspective
link.springer.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:03 PM
🎉 Just published! JAPAN DECIDES 2024! The most comprehensive analysis and interpretation of last year's general election in Japan––which saw the ruling LDP lose its seat majority and presaged further upheaval in 2025. E-book: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
If you haven't checked out @mrjeffu.bsky.social's interview on Lemonade Stand you should! A very good, really informative overview of Japanese politics and current social issues.
youtu.be/Dc0z0ulibtk?...
youtu.be/Dc0z0ulibtk?...
THE JAPAN EPISODE ft. @JapanMatters | Lemonade Stand 🍋
YouTube video by Lemonade Stand
youtu.be
November 22, 2025 at 12:31 AM
If you haven't checked out @mrjeffu.bsky.social's interview on Lemonade Stand you should! A very good, really informative overview of Japanese politics and current social issues.
youtu.be/Dc0z0ulibtk?...
youtu.be/Dc0z0ulibtk?...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Majora's Mask is too based for centrists who prefer Ocarina of Time, send second tweet.
Panzer Dragoon is for the REAL leftists/democratic socialists, while only moderate libs and Establishment Dems prefer Star Fox, send tweet.
November 20, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Majora's Mask is too based for centrists who prefer Ocarina of Time, send second tweet.
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
The Lemonade Stand podcast interviewed me for their Japan episode!
We spoke about Prime Minister Takaichi, immigration, Sanseito, historical revisionism, territorial disputes, conspiracy theories, and a whole lot of other stuff!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0z...
We spoke about Prime Minister Takaichi, immigration, Sanseito, historical revisionism, territorial disputes, conspiracy theories, and a whole lot of other stuff!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0z...
THE JAPAN EPISODE ft. Prof Jeffrey Hall | Lemonade Stand 🍋
YouTube video by Lemonade Stand
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:20 AM
The Lemonade Stand podcast interviewed me for their Japan episode!
We spoke about Prime Minister Takaichi, immigration, Sanseito, historical revisionism, territorial disputes, conspiracy theories, and a whole lot of other stuff!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0z...
We spoke about Prime Minister Takaichi, immigration, Sanseito, historical revisionism, territorial disputes, conspiracy theories, and a whole lot of other stuff!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0z...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
As a birthday gift, please consider reading my latest writing for Tokyo Review.
A decade of LGBT partnership systems in Japan
Ten years ago, two municipalities in Tokyo wrote history by commencing Japan’s first so-called “partnership systems” (パートナーシップ制度) to recognize LGBTQ+ couples’ relationships. In the years that followed...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 20, 2025 at 3:17 AM
As a birthday gift, please consider reading my latest writing for Tokyo Review.
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
"A sustainable immigration strategy would require not only admission but equal rights, inclusive institutions, language and cultural support, and effective regional adaptation of policy."
Foreigner fatigue and Japan’s new populism
Japan’s new government under Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and its partnership with the populist Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), raises significant...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM
"A sustainable immigration strategy would require not only admission but equal rights, inclusive institutions, language and cultural support, and effective regional adaptation of policy."
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Part of what I'm planning for Tokyo Review is to increase coverage of media. This comparative review by @heidilee95.bsky.social of the film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" is a great example in that it treats a Japanese film not as some window into "Japan," but as a film
“Bring Him Down to a Portable Size” review
The question of ego might be best answered in the portrayal of one’s (imaginary) nemesis. During their stage greeting at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, director Nakano Ryōta lauded actor ...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 18, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Part of what I'm planning for Tokyo Review is to increase coverage of media. This comparative review by @heidilee95.bsky.social of the film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" is a great example in that it treats a Japanese film not as some window into "Japan," but as a film
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
I wrote this piece about Tamaki Yuichiro's recent rise to populist fame and how centrists are paving the way for a more anti-establishment politics (against their better judgments)
The center’s self-defeating politics
As Japan’s far-right gains political and ideological force, can the center hold? It is a familiar question, one that is now rapidly gaining salience after Takaichi Sanae was elected leader of the Libe...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I wrote this piece about Tamaki Yuichiro's recent rise to populist fame and how centrists are paving the way for a more anti-establishment politics (against their better judgments)
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Japan’s labor market and social welfare challenges demand foreign labor, yet the current political framing from Takaichi's new government treats foreigners as a social problem, writes Stefan Aichholzer in his analysis:
Foreigner fatigue and Japan’s new populism
Japan’s new government under Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and its partnership with the populist Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), raises significant...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 19, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Japan’s labor market and social welfare challenges demand foreign labor, yet the current political framing from Takaichi's new government treats foreigners as a social problem, writes Stefan Aichholzer in his analysis:
Wait.... isn't this what Palpatine did
If the President can impose his own taxes and use the proceeds to spend on his own projects, all without Congress, we have a dictatorship not a constitutional republic.
BREAKING: Deputy White House Chief of Staff James Blair said the administration is eyeing ways to give millions of Americans $2,000 dividend checks from tariff revenue without congressional approval, per Bloomberg.
November 19, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Wait.... isn't this what Palpatine did
Part of what I'm planning for Tokyo Review is to increase coverage of media. This comparative review by @heidilee95.bsky.social of the film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" is a great example in that it treats a Japanese film not as some window into "Japan," but as a film
“Bring Him Down to a Portable Size” review
The question of ego might be best answered in the portrayal of one’s (imaginary) nemesis. During their stage greeting at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, director Nakano Ryōta lauded actor ...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 18, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Part of what I'm planning for Tokyo Review is to increase coverage of media. This comparative review by @heidilee95.bsky.social of the film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" is a great example in that it treats a Japanese film not as some window into "Japan," but as a film
A TSUTAYA politics shelve almost entirely filled by conspiracists and grifters.
November 17, 2025 at 2:49 AM
A TSUTAYA politics shelve almost entirely filled by conspiracists and grifters.
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. PM Takaichi’s remarks on a “survival-threatening” Taiwan scenario sparked fury in Beijing—but the audience that matters most is in Taipei.
Taipei is watching Takaichi’s standoff with Beijing
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese relations after Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told the Diet last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Ja...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 17, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. PM Takaichi’s remarks on a “survival-threatening” Taiwan scenario sparked fury in Beijing—but the audience that matters most is in Taipei.
I wrote this piece about Tamaki Yuichiro's recent rise to populist fame and how centrists are paving the way for a more anti-establishment politics (against their better judgments)
The center’s self-defeating politics
As Japan’s far-right gains political and ideological force, can the center hold? It is a familiar question, one that is now rapidly gaining salience after Takaichi Sanae was elected leader of the Libe...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I wrote this piece about Tamaki Yuichiro's recent rise to populist fame and how centrists are paving the way for a more anti-establishment politics (against their better judgments)
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Tamaki Yūichirō is dealing with forces that cannot be controlled. Can he—and those learning from his recent success—avoid being changed by the worst impulses of contemporary politics?
The center’s self-defeating politics
As Japan’s far-right gains political and ideological force, can the center hold? It is a familiar question, one that is now rapidly gaining salience after Takaichi Sanae was elected leader of the Libe...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Tamaki Yūichirō is dealing with forces that cannot be controlled. Can he—and those learning from his recent success—avoid being changed by the worst impulses of contemporary politics?
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Important piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee about Itō Shiori’s recent documentary Black Box Diaries. I have more to add to this story myself at some point because Itō’s assaulter, Yamaguchi Noriyuki, is frequently invited on Sanseitō and Kamiya Sōhei’s YouTube channel. www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/movi...
“Black Box Diaries” review
Itō Shiori, the Japanese #MeToo trailblazer who regrettably never was A conspiracy-thriller-adjacent documentary of her 8-year journey as a sexual assault survivor, Itō Shiori’s Black Box Diaries (202...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 6, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Important piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee about Itō Shiori’s recent documentary Black Box Diaries. I have more to add to this story myself at some point because Itō’s assaulter, Yamaguchi Noriyuki, is frequently invited on Sanseitō and Kamiya Sōhei’s YouTube channel. www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/movi...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
New piece from Tokyo Review: Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Japan’s suicide rates decline, but risks persist for youth and women
For much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Japan faced persistently high suicide rates. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, annual suicides exceeded 30,000 for 14 consecu...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
New piece from Tokyo Review: Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
I wrote a shorter, slightly punchier version of my recent research article about Sanseitō as my first contribution to the new Tokyo Review. It should be vastly more accessible, and hopefully sets the tone of what else I plan to do in the future of TR www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/what...
Sanseitō and its far-right conspiracy ideology
In July 2025, Sanseitō (a.k.a. The Party of DIY !!) became the first far-right political party in postwar history to establish a stable presence in both Houses of the National Diet. With the party’s f...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM
I wrote a shorter, slightly punchier version of my recent research article about Sanseitō as my first contribution to the new Tokyo Review. It should be vastly more accessible, and hopefully sets the tone of what else I plan to do in the future of TR www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/what...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Japan’s suicide rates decline, but risks persist for youth and women
For much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Japan faced persistently high suicide rates. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, annual suicides exceeded 30,000 for 14 consecu...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 11, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
New piece from Tokyo Review: Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Japan’s suicide rates decline, but risks persist for youth and women
For much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Japan faced persistently high suicide rates. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, annual suicides exceeded 30,000 for 14 consecu...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
New piece from Tokyo Review: Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
November updates:
- the documentary will be screened at T-Joy Prince Shinagawa in December.
- added a link to the piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee published on @tokyoreview.net
asian-docs.com/2025/03/10/d...
- the documentary will be screened at T-Joy Prince Shinagawa in December.
- added a link to the piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee published on @tokyoreview.net
asian-docs.com/2025/03/10/d...
Documentary ethics, informed consent, and journalism vs documentary: The Black Box Diaries “case”
This is an open space – open because it’s a work in progress – where I will attempt to collect and index articles, essays and discussions generated in Japan by the non-release (as…
asian-docs.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:38 AM
November updates:
- the documentary will be screened at T-Joy Prince Shinagawa in December.
- added a link to the piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee published on @tokyoreview.net
asian-docs.com/2025/03/10/d...
- the documentary will be screened at T-Joy Prince Shinagawa in December.
- added a link to the piece by Heidi Ka-Sin Lee published on @tokyoreview.net
asian-docs.com/2025/03/10/d...
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
I'm pleased to announce that I've joined the new editorial board for Tokyo Review. I will be reaching out to promising new writers soon, as well as contribute my own research and opinions on a regular basis.
Times are changing and so is Tokyo Review. We are excited to announce a fresh new team of editors!
It’s been a while
When Tokyo Review was founded eight years ago, its founders had two goals. The first was to elevate the standard of analysis on Japan-related issues for an English-speaking audience. That goal remains...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I'm pleased to announce that I've joined the new editorial board for Tokyo Review. I will be reaching out to promising new writers soon, as well as contribute my own research and opinions on a regular basis.
Reposted by Romeo Marcantuoni
Worth translating: interview w/ @valentimvicente.bsky.social on a very plausible explanation for the rise of the radical right in Europe:
Norms that made voting far-right parties socially undesirable have eroded - and the availability of far-right parties met a certain "demand" that already existed
Norms that made voting far-right parties socially undesirable have eroded - and the availability of far-right parties met a certain "demand" that already existed
"Es herrscht die falsche Annahme, dass viele Wähler, die früher Mitte-rechts-Parteien gewählt haben, im Herzen noch immer Mitte-rechts sind. Meine Arbeit legt aber nahe, dass diese Menschen schon vorher extrem rechts gedacht haben"
www.zeit.de/politik/2025...
www.zeit.de/politik/2025...
Vicente Valentim: "Angela Merkel lag richtig"
Haben Menschen früher rechter gedacht, als sie gewählt haben? Der Forscher Vicente Valentim sagt, dass wir eine Ursache für den Erfolg extrem rechter Parteien übersehen.
www.zeit.de
November 6, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Worth translating: interview w/ @valentimvicente.bsky.social on a very plausible explanation for the rise of the radical right in Europe:
Norms that made voting far-right parties socially undesirable have eroded - and the availability of far-right parties met a certain "demand" that already existed
Norms that made voting far-right parties socially undesirable have eroded - and the availability of far-right parties met a certain "demand" that already existed