Paul J. Kramer
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Paul J. Kramer

Research Associate

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Location

Munich, Germany

Last Updated

May 2026

Contact

Born
1997, Singen (Hohentwiel)
Nationality
German

Focus Areas

Governance Resilience Cultures of Vigilance Japanese Society & Politics Food Studies Political Sociology

Research Associate

LMU Munich - CRC 1369 Cultures of Vigilance

2023 — present

Project B08: Vigilance in Japanese Neighborhoods During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Student Research Assistant

LMU Munich - CRC 1369 Cultures of Vigilance

2022 — 2023

Preparation of the application for project B08 for funding phase 2 (2023–2027).

Student Research Assistant

LMU Munich - Japan-Center

2020 — 2021

Study programme coordination assistant at the Japan-Center.

Developer & Consultant

exxeta, Munich

2023 — 2024

Development of software solutions and consulting in e-commerce for clients in the automotive industry.

Working Student

exxeta, Munich

2021 — 2023

Development of software solutions and consulting in e-commerce for clients in the automotive industry.

Working Student

Socialwave GmbH, Munich

2020 — 2021

Dr. phil. Japanese Studies

LMU Munich - CRC 1369 Cultures of Vigilance

Since 2023

Dissertation: Governance, Vigilance and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan (Working Title)

Visiting Scholar

German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo

2025 — 2026

Visiting Scholar

Sophia University, Tokyo

2025 — 2026

M.A. Japanese Studies

LMU Munich - Japan-Center

2021 — 2024

Fieldwork

Sophia University, Tokyo

2023

Fieldwork at the Department of Sociology, Sophia University Tokyo, with Prof. Shinichi Aizawa, for the preparation of the master's thesis. Funded by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes.

B.A. Sociology & Political Science

LMU Munich

2021 — 2024

B.A. Japanese Studies & Computer Science

LMU Munich - Japan-Center

2017 — 2021

Study Abroad (Nikkensei Programme)

Hokkaido University, Sapporo

2019 — 2020

Study of Japanese language and society. Funded by MEXT scholarship.

Exchange Programme

Taisho University, Tokyo

2018

Participation in a one-month exchange programme focusing on Japanese culture and language.

2026

Newspaper Article

Paulの"そぞろ歩記"「恋する三隈川」

Paul J. Kramer

西日本新聞 [Nishi Nihon Shimbun] (20 March 2026).

2024

Thesis

Die Unumgänglichkeit der Normativität menschlichen Zusammenlebens?

Paul Johann Kramer

Dissertation, Department für Soziologie, LMU München (2024).

2023

Thesis

Neue Verhaltensmuster der Pandemiegesellschaft: Das Beispiel „jishuku“ im öffentlichen Raum Japans

Paul Johann Kramer

Dissertation, Japan-Zentrum, LMU München (2023).

2022

2021

Thesis

Japan, Migration und die Corona-Pandemie Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf den Alltag universitärer internationaler Studierender und deren Implikationen für eine Integration in die japanische Gesellschaft

Paul Johann Kramer

Dissertation, Japan-Zentrum, LMU München (2021).

2026

Presentation

Community Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Governance and Vigilance in Hita

Paul J. Kramer

Hita Workshop: Machizukuri Initiatives and Adaptive Governance in a Rural Japanese City, DIJ Tokyo (January 2026).

2025

Presentation

How democracies weather crises: Governance, vigilance, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

Paul J. Kramer

Section Meeting Politics, VSJF Conference 2025, Vienna (8 November 2025).

Presentation

COVID-19 and the Restaurant Business in Japan: The Social and Economic Dimensions of Public Health Self-Governance

Paul J. Kramer

ICC Food Studies Workshop, Sophia University Tokyo (June 2025).

2024

Presentation

Vigilance in Japan's Neighborhoods during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Paul J. Kramer

FUB-LMU Docotoral Workshop on Japanese Politics, FU Berlin (December 2024).

Presentation

COVID-19 and the Gastronomy Industry in Japan: Navigating Diverging Expectations

Paul J. Kramer

GJSSS Conference 2025, DIJ Tokyo (October 2024).

Presentation

Social Norms and Public Health: Japan's Approach of "self-restraint" to COVID-19

Paul J. Kramer

Social Norms Conference, Conference at Centro Stefano Franscini, Monte Verita, Ascona (July 2024).

Presentation

Denunciation and the Mitigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

Paul J. Kramer

Denunciation Conference, University of Tartu (June 2024).

2023

Presentation

Vigilance in Japan's Neighborhoods during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Paul J. Kramer

FUB-LMU Docotoral Workshop on Japanese Politics, LMU Munich (December 2023).

Presentation

Remembering the War – How Museums and Memorials of WW II Resonate with the Youth in Tokyo and Munich

Paul J. Kramer

Remembering the War, Lyrik Kabinett LMU Munich (December 2023).

Presentation

New and Old Manners on the Train in Times of the Pandemic

Paul J. Kramer

Governance in Japan Workshop, LMU Munich (June 2023).

2022

Presentation

Art and Voice in the Memorialization of 3.11 (student presenter)

Paul J. Kramer

Art and Voice in the Memorialization of 3.11, LMU Munich, Online (January 2022).

Qualitative Social Science with Japanese Material (in German)

WS 2024/25

LMU Munich - Japan-Center

Society and Politics in Times of Transformation: Methods and Theories in Japanese Studies (in German)

SS 2024

LMU Munich - Japan-Center

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

German National Academic Foundation

Merit-based scholarship, 2022–2023.

MEXT-Nikkensei Scholarship

Scholarship

Merit-based scholarship, 2019-2020.

Committees

  • Co-organisation of the "Appelle" working group of the CRC 1369 Cultures of Vigilance
  • Member of the editorial board of the CRC 1369 Cultures of Vigilance blog
  • European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS), since 2026
  • International Political Science Association (IPSA), since 2025
  • Vereinigung für sozialwissenschaftliche Japanforschung e.V. (VSJF), since 2022
  • MEXT Scholars Association, since 2019

ひたのみ [Hita Nomi]

2026

KCV Communications

住民同士の支え合いの秘密、ミュンヘン大研究員が日田市で探る　今春から毎月通い聞き取り調査 [The Secret of Mutual Support Among Residents: LMU Munich Researcher Investigates in Hita City — Monthly Field Visits Since Spring]

14 November 2025

Ōita Gōdō Shimbun