Welcome to Christopher Hood's Homepage

Having become interested in Japan while I was at Concord College, I went on to study Japanese Studies and Business Studies at the School of East Asian Studies (University of Sheffield). Then, after a year on the JET Programme, I returned to Sheffield to do a PhD. Since August 2000, I have been a lecturer at and the Director of the Cardiff Japanese Studies Centre, part of the Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University. I am also an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, and a tutor on the School of East Asian Studies' Distance Learning MA.

My research interests relating to Japan are broad, however the central themes are relating to identity and symbolism. My doctoral research and first book, Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone’s Legacy, were on education reforms in Japan and the influence of Prime Minister Nakasone.

My next project was on the shinkansen ('bullet train'), looking at the ways in which it both reflects aspects of Japanese society and the ways in which it has influenced Japanese society. This book, Shinkansen - From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, was published originally in 2006, with a paperback version published in 2007.

I am currently writing a book about the Japan Airlines flight JL123 crash in 1985. Although the book, Dealing with Disaster in Japan: Japanese and Global Responses to the Flight JL123 Crash, due to be published in 2011, will discuss the reasons for the crash, it will primarily be looking at what can be learnt about Japanese, and to some extent global, society by looking at what happened following the crash.

After this I am planning a book which will bring together my research to date as well as including some new material based on further fieldwork which has been ongoing for the past couple of years. This book will be looking at identity within Japan using several topics (education, attitudes to city mergers, attitudes to natural and man-made disasters, and attitudes to the development of the shinkansen network) as case studies.

I have also been working on a number of other projects over the past few years. For example, I was the editor of The Politics of Modern Japan, a 4 volume collection of articles on Japanese politics, published in 2008. I was also co-editor, with Prof. G. Bownas and D. Powers, of Doing Business with the Japanese, published in 2003.

For further information on any of my research follow the links in the text above or in the menu below. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any more information about my work.

• Main homepage
• My research on the shinkansen
• My research on Japanese education & politics
• My research about the flight JL123 crash in 1985
• Details about my publications
• List of academic presentations

• My teaching details
• Japan-related links
• News-related links
• Other general resources & links

• Information for the media
• My contact details

(C) Christopher P. Hood, 2003-8.

You may use any of the pictures found on my pages so long as it is not used for commercial reasons and they are not altered in any way. Credit must also be given for any pictures or other information used. If you want to use a picture for commercial reasons or have any other questions regarding the use of pictures or information from my pages, then please contact me.

I am not responsible for the content of the external internet sites linked to any pages. But please contact me if you have problems with any of these links, or come across any other pages you think I should link to my pages.