Matthew McMullen
@mcmullen.bsky.social
Research fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture and editor of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Follow @jjrs-nirc.bsky.social for journal and institute updates.
Despite all of the platitudes about respecting the troops and whatnot, this is basically what the US military has become.
this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier
January 4, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Despite all of the platitudes about respecting the troops and whatnot, this is basically what the US military has become.
In the end, the teachings of John Wesley were just too powerful to overcome.
Shinto could make a comeback.
The Hakone Ekiden is more exciting if you imagine the religious affiliation of the university that wins becomes the official religion of Japan for a year. Looking like Japan will be Methodist for another year.
January 3, 2026 at 4:12 AM
In the end, the teachings of John Wesley were just too powerful to overcome.
Shinto could make a comeback.
The Hakone Ekiden is more exciting if you imagine the religious affiliation of the university that wins becomes the official religion of Japan for a year. Looking like Japan will be Methodist for another year.
January 3, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Shinto could make a comeback.
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
Year-end tally of Trump admin combat actions in 2025:
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
First-ever US airstrikes in Nigeria put the second Trump admin’s 2025 combat actions at:
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
January 2, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Year-end tally of Trump admin combat actions in 2025:
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes*
—Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid**
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids***
—Iran—3 B-2 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
The Hakone Ekiden is more exciting if you imagine the religious affiliation of the university that wins becomes the official religion of Japan for a year. Looking like Japan will be Methodist for another year.
January 2, 2026 at 11:55 PM
The Hakone Ekiden is more exciting if you imagine the religious affiliation of the university that wins becomes the official religion of Japan for a year. Looking like Japan will be Methodist for another year.
The number of shirts you own with coffee and/or wine stains.
How else can professors prove "merit" besides SAT scores? Wrong answers only. I'll go first: ability to do sixth-grade geometry homework (two professors in my house fail)
January 2, 2026 at 10:19 PM
The number of shirts you own with coffee and/or wine stains.
At inlaw’s and the guest room is chaotic evil. I always wake up sleeping diagonally for some reason.
How do yall have your beds set up???
I’m true neutral.
I’m true neutral.
January 2, 2026 at 3:47 AM
At inlaw’s and the guest room is chaotic evil. I always wake up sleeping diagonally for some reason.
Fucking A. I hope I don’t let Emoji 8 Ball down.
January 1, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Fucking A. I hope I don’t let Emoji 8 Ball down.
Just discovered that Pocket was shutdown and all accounts deleted. A decade of saved articles gone. No notification. Fuck you very much @mozilla.org. Will not be using your apps again.
January 1, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Just discovered that Pocket was shutdown and all accounts deleted. A decade of saved articles gone. No notification. Fuck you very much @mozilla.org. Will not be using your apps again.
A good read. Humans are and have always been weird creatures. Technology is just an enabler.
This story was both exactly what I thought it was based on the title and nothing like what I expected. Recommended! www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-b...
A Brief History of AI Psychosis - Boston Review
A short story.
www.bostonreview.net
January 1, 2026 at 1:36 AM
A good read. Humans are and have always been weird creatures. Technology is just an enabler.
Following the lead of the US and UK, two dying empires whose punitive immigration policies are largely based on racism, might not be the best idea. The Japanese economy and social safety net depends on immigration. They should be making it easier to become a resident not harder.
Many foreign residents in Japan worry that the proposed higher residence permit fees will create financial burdens. Students and families on dependent visas could be disproportionately affected.
Japan to Increase Residence Permit Fees Amid Rising Immigration Costs - Unseen Japan
The move is meant to align with fees set by Western countries - but many residents complain the new rates are exorbitant.
buff.ly
December 31, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Following the lead of the US and UK, two dying empires whose punitive immigration policies are largely based on racism, might not be the best idea. The Japanese economy and social safety net depends on immigration. They should be making it easier to become a resident not harder.
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
Happy to see this, written with the excellent @mattseybold.bsky.social , out in the world. Solidarity to everyone fighting for education and civil society!
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The ‘Crisis of the Humanities’ Is Over. That’s Not a Good Thing.
All of higher ed now suffers the attacks of politics and technology.
www.chronicle.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Happy to see this, written with the excellent @mattseybold.bsky.social , out in the world. Solidarity to everyone fighting for education and civil society!
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
Great advice. Mine is this: all good abstracts do the following
1. Background (who what when where)
2. Problem — what's the hole your research addresses?
3. Argument/Hypothesis
4. Evidence — on what basis are you making the argument?
5. Answer the "so what" question — why does this matter? to whom?
1. Background (who what when where)
2. Problem — what's the hole your research addresses?
3. Argument/Hypothesis
4. Evidence — on what basis are you making the argument?
5. Answer the "so what" question — why does this matter? to whom?
I'm reviewing abstracts for an upcoming scientific conference, helping the planning team to select which attendees get a chance to present their work.
Some are amazingly good.
Some suggest that the applicant has not ever been taught how to write an abstract.
Here are some basic tips:
🧪
Some are amazingly good.
Some suggest that the applicant has not ever been taught how to write an abstract.
Here are some basic tips:
🧪
December 30, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Great advice. Mine is this: all good abstracts do the following
1. Background (who what when where)
2. Problem — what's the hole your research addresses?
3. Argument/Hypothesis
4. Evidence — on what basis are you making the argument?
5. Answer the "so what" question — why does this matter? to whom?
1. Background (who what when where)
2. Problem — what's the hole your research addresses?
3. Argument/Hypothesis
4. Evidence — on what basis are you making the argument?
5. Answer the "so what" question — why does this matter? to whom?
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
A pleasure to talk about our edited volume with Raditya for this recent podcast!
I recorded a podcast with @jolyonbt.bsky.social a couple weeks ago for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social hosted by @radityanuradi.bsky.social about The New Nanzan Guide. Listen here:
Jolyon Baraka Thomas and Matthew D. McMullen, "The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions" (U Hawaii Press, 2024) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
A pleasure to talk about our edited volume with Raditya for this recent podcast!
I recorded a podcast with @jolyonbt.bsky.social a couple weeks ago for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social hosted by @radityanuradi.bsky.social about The New Nanzan Guide. Listen here:
Jolyon Baraka Thomas and Matthew D. McMullen, "The New Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions" (U Hawaii Press, 2024) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I recorded a podcast with @jolyonbt.bsky.social a couple weeks ago for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social hosted by @radityanuradi.bsky.social about The New Nanzan Guide. Listen here:
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
A corollary to this principle is that finding a single hallucinated citation should lead to an automatic rejection. Automatic. This should be a matter of policy.
And this is one of easier AI-related problems for our journals!
And this is one of easier AI-related problems for our journals!
Journal editors: I suggest manually clicking on DOI links in the references section of submitted manuscripts. You may be surprised by what you see.
Gen AI has lots of uses, and one of them is generating fraudulent citations.
Gen AI has lots of uses, and one of them is generating fraudulent citations.
December 27, 2025 at 5:54 AM
A corollary to this principle is that finding a single hallucinated citation should lead to an automatic rejection. Automatic. This should be a matter of policy.
And this is one of easier AI-related problems for our journals!
And this is one of easier AI-related problems for our journals!
ビンポン！the same goes for marriage restrictions in japan. The point is that the government gets to decide who you can marry or if you can determine your own name.
[11/n] This is about whether or not the government has the right to your data. When someone argues that sex is binary and that biology is simple, the argument isn't ACTUALLY about biology. It's about if the government has a right to look down your pants, or in your blood, or collect your DNA...
December 27, 2025 at 12:23 AM
ビンポン！the same goes for marriage restrictions in japan. The point is that the government gets to decide who you can marry or if you can determine your own name.
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
New open-access article: "Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese Reformation: Hara Katsurō's Modern Historiographical Project."
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese reformation: Hara Katsurō’s modern historiographical project
This article re-examines how the ‘new’ Buddhist movements of the Kamakura era (1185–1333) – the opening phase of what we now consider Japan’s ‘medieval’ period – were cast as a counterpart to Germa...
doi.org
December 26, 2025 at 10:29 AM
New open-access article: "Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese Reformation: Hara Katsurō's Modern Historiographical Project."
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
JOURNAL> Journal of Global Buddhism v 26, n 1 https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136290/journal-journal-global-buddhism-v-26-n-1 #acrel
December 25, 2025 at 7:10 AM
JOURNAL> Journal of Global Buddhism v 26, n 1 https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136290/journal-journal-global-buddhism-v-26-n-1 #acrel
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
JOURNAL> Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 52 https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136305/japanese-journal-religious-studies-52 #acrel
December 25, 2025 at 7:10 AM
JOURNAL> Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 52 https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136305/japanese-journal-religious-studies-52 #acrel
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
December 25, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
SYMPOSIUM> Fifty-Year Anniversary of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136308/fifty-year-anniversary-nanzan-institute-religion-and-culture #acrel
December 25, 2025 at 7:10 AM
SYMPOSIUM> Fifty-Year Anniversary of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20136308/fifty-year-anniversary-nanzan-institute-religion-and-culture #acrel
20s, 30s, and 40s? In my field they were doing that into the 90s. All of my undergrad advisors were alumni. In Japan, many universities still do that.
Let me tell y'all something. In the 20s, 30s, and 40s, colleges were just hiring every one of their graduates. None of this "go work somewhere else first and then we'll bring you home" stuff.
December 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM
20s, 30s, and 40s? In my field they were doing that into the 90s. All of my undergrad advisors were alumni. In Japan, many universities still do that.
Reposted by Matthew McMullen
From his father's suicide and his mother's toxic devotion to a church, to his decision to seek revenge on that church, this is the path Tetsuya Yamagami walked before he assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
The making of Shinzo Abe’s assassin
Tetsuya Yamagami’s path to the assassination had many turning points, but his alarm over the Unification Church's ties with the prime minister, and financial woes, drove him on.
ebx.sh
December 23, 2025 at 10:03 AM
From his father's suicide and his mother's toxic devotion to a church, to his decision to seek revenge on that church, this is the path Tetsuya Yamagami walked before he assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
I’ve lived most of my adult life in japan. I work and teach in Japanese. I’ve given academic talks and published in Japanese. But I’m terrible at exams and guarantee I will fail such a test. Especially because it will be designed as a right wing litmus test rather than a gauge of language ability.
It might become a little more challenging to obtain permanent residency in Japan. New reports say the Japanese government may mandate Japanese language testing for all new applicants. Here's what we know so far.
buff.ly/O6TxlIC
buff.ly/O6TxlIC
Japan May Require Japanese Language Test for Permanent Residency - Unseen Japan
The Japanese government may also require applicants to take courses in Japanese culture and manners before settling in for the long haul.
unseen-japan.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I’ve lived most of my adult life in japan. I work and teach in Japanese. I’ve given academic talks and published in Japanese. But I’m terrible at exams and guarantee I will fail such a test. Especially because it will be designed as a right wing litmus test rather than a gauge of language ability.