Research/art/teacher profile of a person
Name and surname:
Mgr. Akiko Komura, PhD.
Document type:
Research/art/teacher profile of a person
The name of the university:
Comenius University Bratislava
The seat of the university:
Šafárikovo námestie 6, 818 06 Bratislava

I. - Basic information

I.1 - Surname
Komura
I.2 - Name
Akiko
I.3 - Degrees
Mgr., PhD.
I.4 - Year of birth
1971
I.5 - Name of the workplace
Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Art, Comenius University Bratislava
I.6 - Address of the workplace
Gondova ulica 2 811 02 Bratislava 1
I.7 - Position
Foreign Lecturer
I.8 - E-mail address
akiko.komura@uniba.sk
I.9 - Hyperlink to the entry of a person in the Register of university staff
https://www.portalvs.sk/regzam/detail/49874
I.10 - Name of the study field in which a person works at the university
Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava
I.11 - ORCID iD
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7475-716X

II. - Higher education and further qualification growth

II.1 - First degree of higher education
II.a - Name of the university or institution
Tsuru University
II.b - Year
1995
II.c - Study field and programme
Sociology
II.2 - Second degree of higher education
II.a - Name of the university or institution
Kyorin University / Sophia University (2008) Area Studies
II.b - Year
1998 / 2008
II.c - Study field and programme
Master’s Program in International / Area Studies
II.3 - Third degree of higher education
II.a - Name of the university or institution
Sophia University
II.b - Year
2011
II.c - Study field and programme
Area Studies
II.4 - Associate professor
II.5 - Professor
II.6 - Doctor of Science (DrSc.)

III. - Current and previous employment

III.a - Occupation-position III.b - Institution III.c - Duration
Specially-appointed Lecturer for Centre for Intercultural Exchange and Studies Nara University of Education, Nara prefecture From April 2021 - September 30, 2023
Part-time Lecturer for a correspondence course Niigata Sangyo University, Niigata prefecture From April 2021 - Present
Part-time Lecturer for College of Intercultural Communication Rikkyo University, Tokyo From September 2020 – August 2023
Part-time Lecturer for College of Sociology Rikkyo University, Tokyo From April 2018 – August 2023
Office Staff for the International Exchanging Room Yamanashi Eiwa University, Yamanashi prefecture From September 2018 – January 2020
Part-time Lecturer for University-wide Liberal Arts Courses (Comprehensive Courses) Rikkyo University, Saitama prefecture From April 2024 - Present

IV. - Development of pedagogical, professional, language, digital and other skills

V. - Overview of activities within the teaching career at the university

V.1 - Overview of the profile courses taught in the current academic year according to study programmes
V.1.a - Name of the profile course V.1.b - Study programme V.1.c - Degree V.1.d - Field of study
Dejiny myslenia východnej Ázie 1 Languages and Cultures in East Asia I. Philology
Dejiny myslenia východnej Ázie 2 Languages and Cultures in East Asia I. Philology
Japonské písmo 1 Languages and Cultures in East Asia I. Philology
Japonské písmo 5 Languages and Cultures in East Asia I. Philology
Japonské písmo 6 Languages and Cultures in East Asia I. Philology
Moderná japonská spoločnosť 1 Languages and Cultures in East Asia II. Philology
Znaky v kontexte 1 Languages and Cultures in East Asia II. Philology
Znaky v kontexte 2 Languages and Cultures in East Asia II. Philology
Dejiny J-popu Languages and Cultures in East Asia I.+II. Philology
Jedinečnosť japonskej spoločnosti a obchodnej kultúry Languages and Cultures in East Asia I.+II. Philology
V.2 - Overview of the responsibility for the delivery, development and quality assurance of the study programme or its part at the university in the current academic year
V.3 - Overview of the responsibility for the development and quality of the field of habilitation procedure and inaugural procedure in the current academic year
V.4 - Overview of supervised final theses
V.4.1 - Number of currently supervised theses
V.4.2 - Number of defended theses
V.5 - Overview of other courses taught in the current academic year according to study programmes

VI. - Overview of the research/artistic/other outputs

VI.1 - Overview of the research/artistic/other outputs and the corresponding citations
VI.1.1 - Number of the research/artistic/other outputs
VI.1.a - Overall
28
VI.1.b - Over the last six years
14
VI.1.2 - Number of the research/artistic/other outputs registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases
VI.1.a - Overall
3
VI.1.b - Over the last six years
3
VI.1.3 - Number of citations corresponding to the research/artistic/other outputs
VI.1.a - Overall
52
VI.1.b - Over the last six years
31
VI.1.4 - Number of citations registered in the Web of Science or Scopus databases
VI.1.a - Overall
3
VI.1.b - Over the last six years
3
VI.1.5 - Number of invited lectures at the international, national level
VI.1.a - Overall
3
VI.1.b - Over the last six years
3
VI.2 - The most significant research/artistic/other outputs
1

"The Reception of Islam in Pre-War Japan: the Japanese Islam of Bunpachirō Ariga", Martina Buckova(ed.) Traditions and Innovations: A Formative Factor in Cultural Diversity and the Development of Civilisations, Slovak Academic Press s.r.o., Bratislava (2026), pp.61-78, ISBN 978-80-8265-012-2.

(This article was published based on the study project of "2021 Grand-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up（2021年度科研費「研究活動スタート支援」）" by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (No.21K19948).

URL:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/406222254_The_Reception_of_Islam_in_Pre-War_Japan_the_Japanese_Islam_of_Bunpachiro_Ariga

2

"Nihon no sōsō bunka kara miru Isurāmu reien kaisetu mondai (日本の葬送文化から見るイスラーム霊園開設問題 The Issues of Establishing Islamic Cemeteries as Seen from Japanese Funeral Culture )", Institute for Life and Death Studies, Toyo Eiwa University(東洋英和女学院大学死生学研究所)(ed.) Shiseigaku nenpō 2026 : Shi to saisei/ sōsō to bosei no genzai(zoku) (死生学年報　2026　死と再生／葬送と墓制の現在 [続] The journal of Life and Death Studies 2026 Death and Revital / the current Funeral Rites and Burial Systems [continued]), Yoberu co., ltd. Tokyo, 2026, pp.17-35, ISBN978-4-911054-77-2.

3

" Cultural Encounter with Islam and its Reception in Japan: Its historical change and the role played by foreign Muslims ", Eskiyeni Issue No. 60 / Special Issue of Japan-Islam (2025), pp.355-385.

https://doi.org/10.37697/eskiyeni.1790794

4

"Cross-Cultural Understanding and Acceptance of Islam on Issues Related to the Construction of Islamic Cemeteries in Japan", Studia Orientalia Slovaca 23/2 (2024), pp.23-40.

5

"Is Halāl Diversified?: The Situation of Japan’s Halāl Business and Tourism in the Post-COVID-19 Period", 応用社会学研究 (Oyosyakaigakukenkyu [The journal of applied sociology] ) No.66, 2024, pp.229-242. ISSN 0387-6756

6

Chapter 13th “Islam” and 19th “Case study”, Erica Baffelli, Andrea Castiglioni, and Fabio Rambelli(eds), Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions, Bloomsbury USA Academic, New York, 2021, pp.111-116, pp.165-166.

7

Islam in Japan : Analyzing and Understanding its History, Religion and Culture (『日本のイスラーム：歴史・ 宗教・文化を読み解く』) Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc., Tokyo, 2019.

8

When Japan Meets Islam: Its History and Possibility in the Future. （『日本とイスラームが出会うとき：その歴史と可能性』） Gendai Shokan Publishing Co. Ltd., Tokyo, 2015. 

VI.3 - The most significant research/artistic/other outputs over the last six years
1

"The Reception of Islam in Pre-War Japan: the Japanese Islam of Bunpachirō Ariga", Martina Buckova(ed.) Traditions and Innovations: A Formative Factor in Cultural Diversity and the Development of Civilisations, Slovak Academic Press s.r.o., Bratislava (2026), pp.61-78, ISBN 978-80-8265-012-2.

(This article was published based on the study project of "2021 Grand-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up（2021年度科研費「研究活動スタート支援」）" by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (No.21K19948).

URL:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/406222254_The_Reception_of_Islam_in_Pre-War_Japan_the_Japanese_Islam_of_Bunpachiro_Ariga

2

"Nihon no sōsō bunka kara miru Isurāmu reien kaisetu mondai (日本の葬送文化から見るイスラーム霊園開設問題 The Issues of Establishing Islamic Cemeteries as Seen from Japanese Funeral Culture )", Institute for Life and Death Studies, Toyo Eiwa University(東洋英和女学院大学死生学研究所)(ed.) Shiseigaku nenpō 2026 : Shi to saisei/ sōsō to bosei no genzai(zoku) (死生学年報　2026　死と再生／葬送と墓制の現在 [続] The journal of Life and Death Studies 2026 Death and Revital / the current Funeral Rites and Burial Systems [continued]), Yoberu co., ltd. Tokyo, 2026, pp.17-35, ISBN978-4-911054-77-2.

3

" Cultural Encounter with Islam and its Reception in Japan: Its historical change and the role played by foreign Muslims ", Eskiyeni Issue No. 60 / Special Issue of Japan-Islam (2025), pp.355-385.

https://doi.org/10.37697/eskiyeni.1790794

4

"Cross-Cultural Understanding and Acceptance of Islam on Issues Related to the Construction of Islamic Cemeteries in Japan", Studia Orientalia Slovaca 23/2, 2024, pp.23-40.

5

"The Contemporary Japanese View of Life and Death as Seen through the Depictions of Reincarnation in Another World (Isekai Tensei) Anime",Slovenské divadlo No.71, 2023, pp.274-292.

6

"Six Articles of Faith and Four Pillars of Islam : How the Japanese Once Understood Islam", Language, culture, and communication : journal of the College of Intercultural Communication, No.13, 2021, pp.83 - 101.

7

Chapter 13th “Islam” and 19th “Case study”, Erica Baffelli, Andrea Castiglioni, and Fabio Rambelli(eds), Bloomsbury Handbook of Japanese Religions, Bloomsbury USA Academic, New York, 2021, pp.111-116, pp.165-166.

VI.4 - The most significant citations corresponding to the research/artistic/other outputs
1

"Syncretic Interpretations of Islam in Japan: A Historical-Phenomenological Critique"

December 2025 Eskiyeni 60(Special Issue of Japan-Islam):171-191

DOI: 10.37697/eskiyeni.1790774

2

“The Concept of “Japanese Islam” in Tanaka Ippei’s The Journey of the Wandering White Cloud Diary"

In: Journal of Religion in Japan

Author: Oleksandra Bibik

Online Publication Date: 28 Aug 2025

URL:

https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/14/2-3/article-p112_2.xml

3

Tvorivý ponor vedkyne do režisérovho umenia

DOI:10.31577/sd-2023-0031

4

Islamophobia in Japan: A Country at a Crossroads

Saul J. Takahashi

Islamophobia Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Fall 2021), pp. 167-181 (15 pages)

https://doi.org/10.13169/islastudj.6.2.0167

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/islastudj.6.2.0167

5

The Japan Islamic Congress

A Possible Case of an Islamic New Religion in Japan

In: Journal of Religion in Japan

Author: Kieko Obuse[恵子 小布施祈]

Online Publication Date: 17 Jun 2018

https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/6/3/article-p241_3.xml

6

The Halal Industry in Asia: Perspectives from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia ...

Rozaidah Idris、 Mohammad Ali Tareq、 Siti Fatimahwati Pehin Dato Musa、 Wardah Hakimah Sumardi (eds.)

https://books.google.sk/books?hl=ja&lr=lang_ja%7Clang_en&id=67pPEQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA40&ots=222cNeiTzf&sig=e7FlHY1vR5GcHZVImixEo3by58I&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

7

Islam and Muslims in “non-religious” Japan: caught in between prejudice against Islam and performative tolerance

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2021

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-asian-studies/article/islam-and-muslims-in-nonreligious-japan-caught-in-between-prejudice-against-islam-and-performative-tolerance/6B5919A1812532191499060DE9AEC9EB

VI.5 - Participation in conducting (leading) the most important research projects or art projects over the last six years
1

2021 Grand-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up（2021年度科研費「研究活動スタート支援」）No.21K19948 

(The study results of this project have already been published in the journal of Traditions and Innovations: A Formative Factor in Cultural Diversity and the Development of Civilisations, by Slovak Academic Press s.r.o., Bratislava (pp.61-78, [ISBN 978-80-8265-012-2]).

The article was entitled "The Reception of Islam in Pre-war Japan: The Japanese Islam of Bunpachirō Ariga".

2

Fiscal 2025-2026 The Japan Foundation Support Program for Organizations in Japanese-Language Education (Grants)

Project title: Kyōzai Kōnyu Jyosei (教材購入助成 [The grant for purchasing textbooks])

"Notice of Grant Approval" Ref. No. 2025J0148 (as a project representative)

3

Japan Foundation 2024 Grant Program for Japanese Studies Projects "Lectures on Modern Japanese Society" Ref. No. 10148464

The results of this project will be published as a textbook entitled Modern Society in Japan by Comenius University, Bratislava during November 2026.

VII. - Overview of organizational experience related to higher education and research/artistic/other activities

VII.a - Activity, position VII.b - Name of the institution, board VII.c - Duration
Workshop of Japanese Calligraphy (Shodou) Technical University of Košice On 3, December 2025
Workshop on Religious-Cultural Interactions in the Turkish, Japanese and Islamic World (Online)   Ordu University (Faculty of Theology Department of History of Religions) in Ordu, Turkey  On 25 May, 2025
Workshop of Japanese Business Manner Technical University of Košice  1st activity: On 12, June 2025

VIII. - Overview of international mobilities and visits oriented on education and research/artistic/other activities in the given field of study

IX. - Other relevant facts

IX.a - If relevant, other activities related to higher education or research/artistic/other activities are mentioned
  1. A 15-min talking about my activities in Slovakia (including at Comenius University) on a Japanese radio program entitled "NNS日本ネットワークサービスPresents, レディー、ゴー (in English, "NNS Japan Network Service Presents, LadyGo" ) " in Yamanashi Housou (in English, Yamanashi Broadcasting System Inc.) (from 10:30 am to 10:45 on 30 September 2025).
  2. Online Special lecture about Muslim cemetery in Japan(in Japanese) at the Institute for Life and Death Studies of the Graduate School of Toyo Eiwa University, Tokyo (on November 16,2024).
  3. The Conference of Slovak Academy of Sciences. My presentation title: "How Prewar Japanese Accepted Islam: Japanese Islam of Bunhachiro Ariga" (on October 24, 2024).
  4. Comment about Japanese Sumo to the online newspaper, PLUS 7 deni entitled "Päťtisíc kalórií denne, prísna hierarchia a drsné tréningy. Stať sa sumo šampiónom je drina" (https://plus7dni.pluska.sk/zahranicie/pattisic-kalorii-denne-prisna-hierarchia-drsne-treningy-stat-sumo-sampionom-je-drina)(on September 9,2024).
  5. Online interview regarding foreign workers in Japan from the Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan's three major newspapers. (Oct. 3, 2023)
  6. Essay on the Internet Magazine, Gendai Bijines[Gendai Business], Nihonjin ha isura-mu to doumukiattekitaka: Ime-ji kara chishiki he, chishiki kara rikai he, [How have Japanese people faced to Islam: From image to knowledge, and from knowledge to understanding], Onlined on Feb.25, 2017 URL: https://gendai.media/articles/-/50995
Date of last update
2026-10-10