Tokumitsu Naoko

Tokumitsu Naoko is a Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) in Paris, France, and a researcher at the French Institute for Research on East Asia (IFRAE - UMR 8043), a joint research unit of Inalco, Université Paris Cité, and CNRS. She co-coordinates the Japanese Populations research group and the 'Territorial Dynamics' axis within IFRAE-CRCAO, demonstrating significant institutional leadership in Japanese studies.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Sociology from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), 2018
• Master's degree in Sociology from Hitotsubashi University
• International undergraduate program at Sciences Po Paris
• Bachelor of Arts from Tokyo University of Foreign Languages and Civilizations

Tokumitsu's research program centers on the sociology of contemporary Japan with particular attention to urban communities, police-population relations, housing policies, and urban inequalities. Her work reveals how Japanese neighborhoods develop distinct approaches to social order through community associations (chônaikai), surveillance practices, and historical continuities in body practices. Through comparative work between France and Japan, she demonstrates how Japanese urban governance emphasizes moral education and community-as-family approaches, contrasting with France's more professionalized security models. Her research combines archival analysis with ethnographic fieldwork to uncover the complex negotiations around security, hygiene, and community identity in modern Japanese cities.

Her recent publications show evolving research interests from contemporary security practices toward historical dimensions of Japanese society, while maintaining focus on urban social dynamics. The 2024 publications particularly highlight her expanding scope into historical body practices and neighborhood revitalization challenges. Her work consistently demonstrates methodological rigor and theoretical sophistication, contributing significantly to understanding how social order is produced at the local level in Japanese urban contexts.

Dr. Tokumitsu has qualified for professorship in both CNU Section 15 (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew languages and literatures) and Section 19 (Sociology, demography). Her academic career includes a Research Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and a French government scholarship at École Normale Supérieure (ENS Ulm). She actively organizes major academic events including the 3rd Meeting of the Interdisciplinary Association of Japanese Ethnographies and study days on territorial dynamics in contemporary Japan.