EDUCATION
2021 – Present | The University of Tokyo Ph.D. Candidate in Cultural Anthropology, Department of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies.
Supervisor: Prof. Yuichi Sekiya
2021 – 2026 | The Film School of Tokyo Screenwriting Course Mentored by: Takashi Ujita
2022 – 2023 | Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) Documentary and Non-fiction Program
Mentored by: Vít Janeček and Zuzana Piussi
2021 – 2022 | Image Forum Institute of the Moving Image
Mentored by: Kazuhiro Goshima and Makoto Tezuka
2021 | The University of Tokyo Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Integrated Human Sciences
Thesis: “Roots and Routes: Exploring the Identity Formation of Nikkei People in Okinawa” Supervisor: Prof. Yuichi Sekiya
Award: The First National High School Memorial Award for Academic Excellence💋
2019 | Tsuda University (Tokyo, Japan) Bachelor of Arts in International Relations
Thesis: “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Latino Residents’ Responses to Daily Surveillance Experiences in the United States”
Supervisor: Prof. Takehiro Misawa
2017 – 2018 | Minnesota State University Moorhead One-Year Study Abroad Program, Department of Economics, Law & Politics Research
Themes: Chicana/o studies, Mexican Americans, Latinos in the U.S., American politics
2013 | Liceo Academia Iquique (Iquique, Chile) Pre-university education (High School)
FILMOGRAPHY
WORK EXPERIENCES
The Japan Times, Writer and Assistant Editor
Eco Take (Bamboo Toothbrush Company), Co-founder, Vietnam
National University, Hanoi, Japanese Studies, Visiting teacher
Foreign Press Center Japan
The People Press Project (A media justice organization), Broadcast Unit, Minnesota, United States
Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, Intern, Tokyo, Japan
WORKING PAPERS
Oi Masao, Iizuka Minami et al. 2021. “International Survey and Analysis of People’s lifestyle considerations and personal values Due to the Impact of COVID-19: Towards achieving international intelligence during a pandemic.” Journal of the Japan Society for Digital Archive, 5(2). 119-124.
Iizuka Minami, 2021. “History inheritance of Japanese immigration to Latin America – A case study of immigrant history awareness projects in Okinawa Prefecture.” JICA Migration Journal.
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
2025 | New York University. Guest Lecture. New York, August.
2022 | The University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy. “My Lifestyle as a Researcher.” Online, January 22.
2021 | The University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy. “Invisible Foreigners in Japan: Problems of Statelessness and Status of Residence in Japan.” Tokyo, December 19.
2019 | The Toyota Foundation. “Cultivating Empathy Through Learning from Our Neighbors: Practitioners’ Exchange on Common Issues in Asia.” Tokyo, February 7.
FILM FESTIVALS
RESIDENCIES
2025 | Screenwriting Residency, Columbia University School of the Arts. Mentored by Christina Lazaridi
2024 | Béla Tarr filmmaker’s residency in Fukushima, Japan
FIELDWORK
2021 | Hanoi, Vietnam – Exploring the transnational mobility and aspirations of young Vietnamese migrants preparing for relocation to Japan.
2020 | Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan – Investigating the diasporic memory and identity of Korean migrants in Central Asia.
2020 | Berlin, Germany – Documenting the cultural narratives and lived experiences of the Turkish diaspora.
2020 – Present | Okinawa, Japan – Ongoing research into the Okinawan diaspora, focusing on the identities of Nikkei return migrants.
2018 | Mexico City, Mexico – Gathering oral histories of return migrants and former undocumented workers from the United States.
Languages
Language: English (fluent); Spanish (fluent); Japanese (native); Vietnamese (basic conversation)
Minami Iizuka 