In July 2025, Professor Dr. Hartmut Rosa (University of Jena and University of Erfurt) gave his Leibniz Lecture entitled “Acceleration, Alienation, Resonance – A New Critical Theory of Modernity” (original title: “Beschleunigung, Entfremdung, Resonanz – Eine neue Kritische Theorie der Moderne”) in Tokyo and Kyoto. Hartmut Rosa was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the DFG in 2023 for his contribution to sociology. During his lectures in Japan, he outlined his theory of social acceleration and showed how his concept of resonance can offer a way to overcome alienation and thus come closer to a successful life.

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The first lecture took place on 14 July at the renowned University of Tokyo. The event was organised by the DFG in collaboration with the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo. The Goethe-Institut Tokyo and the German Center for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo) were also involved as supporters.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Oliver Pieper, First Secretary Science and Technology, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, referred to the rich history of academic exchange between Japan and Germany. Professor Dr. Yukiko Muramoto, Dean of Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo, and Raoul Wagner, Programme Officer, International Affairs, DFG, each gave a welcoming address.

The event was attended by approximately 200 participants, who had the opportunity to engage in discussion with Hartmut Rosa afterwards. The numerous questions reflected the participants' intensive engagement with Rosa's ideas and their great interest in his research questions on acceleration and resonance.

Professor Dr. Takeshi Deguchi, who translated Hartmut Rosa's best-known work – “Beschleunigung. Die Veränderung der Zeitstrukturen in der Moderne“ (2005) – into Japanese in 2022 with the support of the Goethe-Institut, played a key role in the success of this event.

Picking up on this, Melanie Bono, Director of the Goethe-Institut Tokyo, stressed the importance of academic exchange across language borders in her closing remarks.

On 17 July, Hartmut Rosa's second lecture took place at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, hosted on the Japanese side by the College of Social Sciences of Ritsumeikan University. Opening speeches were given by Johannes Schweizer, Head of Economic Affairs, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Osaka-Kobe, Professor Dr. Yoshifusa Ichii, Dean of Graduate School of Sociology, Ritsumeikan University, and Raoul Wagner. The second lecture was also followed by a lively discussion about the difference between “resonance” and “echo” and other topics.

Both lectures ended with a networking session to give participants the opportunity for an informal exchange. The number of participants as well as the lively participation in the discussions demonstrate both a great interest in Hartmut Rosa's theories and in German social science research in general.