SAE SHIMAUCHI

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Associate Professor, International Center, Tokyo Metropolitan University
Tokyo Metropolitan University

SAE SHIMAUCHI


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https://researchid.co/saeshimauchi
Dr. Sae Shimauchi is an Associate Professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University, International Center. She completed her Ph.D. at Waseda University and previously worked as postdoctoral research fellow for Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and an Assistant Professor at The Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University. Her research interests lie in the area of internationalization of higher education, sociolinguistics, international studies and global sociology, ranging from theory to practices. Her recent work includes Paradigm Shift on International Student Mobility in East Asia (Toshindo 2016), “English-medium Instruction in the Internationalization of Higher Education in Japan: Rationales and Issues” (Educational Studies in Japan 2018) and “The Influence of Internationalization Policy on Master’s Education in Japan: A Comparison of “Super Global” and Mass-Market Universities” ‘(Higher Education Policy 33, 689–709, 2021).

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Education, Cultural Studies, Sociology and Political Science, Multidisciplinary
15

Scopus Publications

371

Scholar Citations

12

Scholar h-index

15

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Media, the ambiguous, and audience: the reception of queerness, culture, and fantasy in ‘Yuri!!! on ICE’ within Japanese fandom
    Sae Shimauchi
    Japan Forum, 2026
    This study qualitatively analyses the reception of Japanese anime ‘Yuri!!! on ICE’ (YOI) within Japanese fandom using in-depth interviews, content analysis, and participant observation. It focuses on how fans interpret three key aspects: queerness, cultural representation, and the boundary between fiction and reality. The study argues that YOI’s ‘ambiguity’, which avoids explicit expressions of queerness, functions as part of a system that can be interpreted conveniently without challenging existing norms. Yet within Japan’s unique social context, it simultaneously serves as an expression open to broader queer possibilities, such as resistance to heterosexual and romantic norms, and the facilitation of queer readings for those on the asexual and aromantic (A-)spectrum. In terms of cultural representation, the anime presents a distinct ambiguity – a plurality of interpretations – encompassing both foreignness and Japaneseness, and a subtle blending of fantasy and reality. In conclusion, this ambiguity enables queer readings of YOI. The anime presents a relationship that is egalitarian and unbounded by hierarchy or national borders – an alternative to heterosexual norms, and a slightly whimsical utopia. The culture in Japan that ambiguously includes boys love and queerness also co-exists with heteronormativity, romantic normativity, while also accommodating those on the A-spectrum. Both media and audience interpret this according to their own intentions and understanding.
  • Inter-Asian perceptions of studying ‘abroad’ in Asia: analysis of Japanese students’ discourse
    Kazuaki Iwabuchi, Sae Shimauchi
    Globalisation Societies and Education, 2026
    Today, Asia attracts more international students. A dominant paradigm in student mobility scholarship focuses on the presence or absence of push and pull factors, mainly practical, educational, cultural or financial ones. This perspective, however, pays little attention to students' perceptions towards destination countries or regions. Through interviews, this study elucidates perceptions of a Japanese public university's students towards Asia as a study abroad destination. Results reveal that students avoid Asia by employing a 'strategy of ignorance'. Simultaneously, ignorance surfaced as a key motivation to study in Asia – a first step towards critical reflection on dominant views on Asia in Japan.
  • Between de-queering and re-queering: Transfiguring ‘bromance’ as a continuum of Boys’ Love in East Asia
    Sae Shimauchi, Hyo Jin Kim, Mi Erin Zhou
    International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2026
    This paper critically compares the reconfiguration of the concept of ‘bromance’ within the cultural and social contexts of Japan, South Korea, and China. Through a multilingual literature review, critical discourse analysis, and participant observation, it analyses the dynamics of intentional ‘de-queering’ by media and creators and ‘re-queering’ by fans surrounding cultural works depicting male relationships in the three countries. It reveals how media and fans simultaneously reconstruct ‘bromance’ as a queer possibility while bleaching its homosexual characteristics, thereby providing safe representations conforming to societal norms. By examining discourses surrounding ‘bromance’ and/in Boys’ Love (BL) and Danmei , this research illuminates the complex intersections of cultural practices and gender/sexuality discourses within East Asian nations. It presents both shared issues and differences across Japan, South Korea, and China, offering a critical perspective on their ambiguity and political nature.
  • Internationalization, Diplomacy, and Beyond: Considering Studying Abroad as a Medium of Learning Through the Lens of Cultural Studies and Public Pedagogy
    Sae Shimauchi
    Education Sciences, 2025
    Studying abroad has been emphasised to increase the cultural influence of sending countries and promote international understanding. This study re-examines study abroad as part of the internationalisation of higher education, using concepts of soft power, knowledge diplomacy, public diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy. Specifically, the study highlights the limitations of the conceptual frameworks of ‘nation’ and ‘formal educational opportunities’ in studying abroad, and discusses a perspective on learning that goes beyond the physical space of the university and the formal educational opportunity. Furthermore, this study considers cultural studies and a public pedagogy perspective to examine where and how studying abroad and international learning can occur. Therefore, this research aims to provide a more interdisciplinary perspective on higher education research surrounding the phenomenon of studying abroad, and to examine the academic boundaries that define the field of research on the internationalisation of higher education. The paper concludes that studying abroad and international education should be reconsidered as a ‘medium’ that promotes cross-border learning by understanding culture and social structure.
  • Striving within intersectional complexities: autoethnography of a female academic in Japan
    Sae Shimauchi
    Cogent Education, 2025
    This autoethnographic study examines the challenges faced and negotiations made by a female academic in Japan, a country with significant gender disparities in academia. Despite initiatives to address gender imbalances, such as gender-specific recruitment and government support, female academics continue to face pressure to excel based on performance metrics. Drawing on personal experiences as a female academic, I discuss the intersection of gender, career advancement, and family responsibilities, exploring how patriarchy, institutional norms, and cultural expectations shape the academic journey. The autoethnography highlights the microaggressions women face in academia, the mutual incompatibility of solutions among female academics, and the importance of autonomy both as a woman with children and a researcher. The study argues that achieving research success can provide a semblance of freedom in a system that perpetuates gendered constraints for female academics. Through this autoethnography, I call for more inclusive discussion and practices within academia regarding female academics.
  • “It is universal love beyond homosexuality and gender difference”: critical media discourse analysis of boys’ love dramas in Japan
    Sae Shimauchi
    Feminist Media Studies, 2025
    Through a critical media discourse analysis of boys’ love (BL) dramas in Japan, this study analyses how cultural works on same-sex romance have been publicised and perceived in the Japanese society. Text was collected from comments from the production team and actors on the official websites of productions, introductions, commentaries, and interviews in the media, and comments from fans on the official websites. Norman Fairclough’s (2003) three-dimensional model was used to examine how discourse practice is contextualised in relation to the wider society and culture. This study shows that the BL category is stigmatised as something to be overcome, and the discourse of “going beyond” is used favourably, making the underlying homophobia and misogyny unquestionable. The study criticises the potential for “universalisation” beyond “transcending” BL and gender, emphasising the importance of the commonality and universal messages as human beings, while bleaching out the unique aspects of experience due to gender and/or sexual orientation. It is essential to critically examine the sociocultural implications of the production and consumption of BL drama, focusing on whether it fosters positive change in society, rather than altering the genre to conform to a notion of “universal love” to appeal to a wider audience.
  • Fans speak for whom? Imagined ‘official’, internalised hegemony and self-censorship
    Sae Shimauchi
    Media Culture and Society, 2024
    This study elucidates the concept of ‘official’, frequently used as a counterpart to fans in pop culture fandom using the case of Thai Boys Love drama fandom in Japan. It is necessary to examine the relationship between fandom and hegemony without assuming the potential of participatory culture and fandom as a counterculture. Therefore, this study focuses on how fans construct norms based on the concept of ‘official’ and internalise this power. Furthermore, it explores the meanings and respective boundaries of ‘unofficial’ and ‘official’ as constructed by fans. The results of the participation observations and interviews as an acafan revealed that the unofficial fan club, mass media and other entities were ‘officialised’ and the boundary between ‘official’ and unofficial was challenged by both fandom and the ‘official’ side. The mass media plays the role of the owner of cultural content and provider of norms, and fans expect each other to follow them through the constructed and ambiguous concept of ‘official’. The hegemony of ‘official’ is constructed by the voluntary consent of fans, and internalising these hegemonies leads to self-censorship and self-regulation. Blind overconfidence in fan-created ‘official’ may reinforce these structures and undermine the freedom and independence of fans.
  • Inter-Asia referencing and orientalist consideration of the transnational fandom of Thai boys’ love drama in Japan
    Sae Shimauchi
    Inter Asia Cultural Studies, 2024
    This study focused on the Japanese cyber-fandom of Thai boys’ love (BL) dramas, examining how their perception of Thailand was transformed through viewership and participation in fandom activities and how it affected the fans themselves and the broader Japanese society. In the Japanese cyberfandom of Thai BL dramas, people with diverse gender identities and sexualities intermingle, learn, and become aware of their changing gazes toward Thai and Japanese culture, queerness, and other related issues. Through a qualitative analysis of audience ethnography and interviews with 25 participants, this study shows that Thailand’s culture contrasts with others, particularly the cultures of the West, and an Oriental gaze from the Japanese point of view has emerged in this context. A movement beyond the national Thailand–Japan framework has also emerged, which explores the multifaceted nature of BL dramas within a single-issue context. Thus, Thai BL drama fandom extends beyond an Oriental perspective, practising inter-Asian referencing and reflecting on the national framework by watching BL dramas and participating in fandom. In other words, this study presents new possibilities for BL: (1) overcoming an oriental perspective and reflecting on a national framework for the acceptance and consumption of BL content and (2) cultural experience and real social connection through fandom activities and discourse through inter-Asian referencing in practice.
  • Theorizing the Internationalization of Higher Education in Asia: Faculty Study Abroad Experiences on Leading Universities in Southeast Asia and Beyond
    Kazuo Kuroda, Yuto Kitamura, Sae Shimauchi
    Sustainable Development Goals Series, 2024
    The history of Asian higher education in modern times has been defined by its close relationship with internationalization. Universities and higher education systems in many Asian countries were established in the modern era based on Western models, with study abroad programs from Asia to the West playing a major role in the modernization and development process. This historical process can also be seen through the lens of a dependency structure of knowledge, also referred to as the global center-periphery relationship. Despite this, Asian higher education has made remarkable strides in the modern era, and the way it has been internationalized— resulting especially from the study abroad experience of faculty members—has become a cornerstone of its independent development. This chapter discusses the theoretical relationship between internationalization and study abroad and the dynamic transformation process of Asian higher education toward independent development based on the results of empirical studies on the impact of faculty members’ study abroad experiences on the transformation and development of higher education in four Southeast Asian countries.
  • Thai Boys Love drama fandom as a transnational and trans-subcultural contact zone in Japan
    Sae Shimauchi
    Continuum, 2023
    Focusing on the online fandom of a Thai Boys Love (BL) drama in Japan, called tai-numa, this exploratory study examines its background, fan practices and experiences, and negotiations between fandoms and the mass media and within the fandom. Through interviews with 19 fans active in the fandom, which was shaped by external and internal factors, such as mediascape, characteristics of consuming BL, and the global pandemic, this research argues that the fandom is a transnational, transcultural, and trans-subcultural contact zone, enabling fans to create, learn, reflect, negotiate, and update each other’s values. Fandom activity was facilitated because it was equal and non-hierarchical, allowing for the engagement of a heterogeneous mix of fans from different subcultural backgrounds, and it offered a sense of simultaneity. Through fan voice and discussion, this paper suggests the potential impact of fandom activities on real life and what is needed for such fandoms to be established and sustained.
  • Transformation of university missions—from nation-building to a focus on common global challenges reflections from East Asia, under the risk of being “lost in translation”
    Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Sae Shimauchi, Jing Liu
    International Encyclopedia of Education Fourth Edition, 2022
  • Competing meanings of international experiences for early-career researchers: a collaborative autoethnographic approach
    Yusuke Sakurai, Sae Shimauchi, Yukiko Shimmi, Yuki Amaki, Shingo Hanada, Dely Lazarte Elliot
    Higher Education Research and Development, 2022
  • The Influence of Internationalization Policy on Master’s Education in Japan: A Comparison of “Super Global” and Mass-Market Universities
    Sae Shimauchi, Yangson Kim
    Higher Education Policy, 2020
  • Inter- and intra-regional dynamics on the idea of universities in East Asia: perspectives from Japan
    Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Akinari Hoshino, Sae Shimauchi
    Studies in Higher Education, 2017
  • Gender in English-medium instruction programs: Differences in international awareness?
    Annette Bradford, Howard Brown
    English Medium Instruction in Japanese Higher Education Policy Challenges and Outcomes, 2017

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Inter-Asian perceptions of studying ‘abroad’in Asia: analysis of Japanese students’ discourse
    K Iwabuchi, S Shimauchi
    Globalisation, Societies and Education 24 (3), 873-884 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 4
  • Media, the ambiguous, and audience: the reception of queerness, culture, and fantasy in ‘Yuri!!! on ICE’ within Japanese fandom
    S SHIMAUCHI
    Japan Forum, 1-12 , 2026
    2026
  • Between de-queering and re-queering: Transfiguring ‘bromance’as a continuum of Boys’ Love in East Asia
    S Shimauchi, HJ Kim, ME Zhou
    International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13678779261429537 , 2026
    2026
  • Striving within intersectional complexities: autoethnography of a female academic in Japan
    S Shimauchi
    Cogent Education 12 (1), 2536537 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • “It is universal love beyond homosexuality and gender difference”: critical media discourse analysis of boys’ love dramas in Japan
    S Shimauchi
    Feminist Media Studies 25 (5), 1277-1291 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 12
  • Internationalization, diplomacy, and beyond: Considering studying abroad as a medium of learning through the lens of cultural studies and public pedagogy
    S Shimauchi
    Education Sciences 15 (5), 544 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Review of Baudinette (2024): Boys Love Media in Thailand: Celebrity, Fans, and Transnational Asian Queer Popular Culture
    S Shimauchi
    Journal of Asian Pacific Communication , 2025
    2025
  • What Does Liberal Arts Education Mean in Japan and South Korea?
    S Shimauchi, A Yonezawa
    International Higher Education, 34-35 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • Fans speak for whom? Imagined ‘official’, internalised hegemony and self-censorship
    S Shimauchi
    Media, Culture & Society 46 (7), 1454-1468 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 11
  • Theorizing the Internationalization of Higher Education in Asia: Faculty Study Abroad Experiences on Leading Universities in Southeast Asia and Beyond
    K Kuroda, Y Kitamura, S Shimauchi
    Impacts of Study Abroad on Higher Education Development: Examining the … , 2024
    2024
  • Faculty study abroad experiences on leading universities in Southeast Asia and beyond
    K Kuroda, Y Kitamura, S Shimauchi
    Impacts of Study Abroad on Higher Education Development: Examining the … , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • Inter-Asia referencing and orientalist consideration of the transnational fandom of Thai boys’ love drama in Japan
    S Shimauchi
    Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 25 (3), 386-405 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 22
  • Creating Educational Research as International Knowledge: Fostering early-career educational researchers through international networking
    S Shimauchi
    Educational Studies in Japan , 2024
    2024
  • Thai Boys Love drama fandom as a transnational and trans-subcultural contact zone in Japan
    S SHIMAUCHI
    Continuum Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080 … , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 25
  • Gaining International Perspectives Through Undergraduate Education: Comparative Case Analysis Focusing on International Liberal Arts Provision
    A Yonezawa, S Shimauchi
    The Reinvention of Liberal Learning Around the Globe, 31-52 , 2023
    2023
  • Comparative Case Analysis Focusing
    A Yonezawa, S Shimauchi
    The Reinvention of Liberal Learning Around the Globe, 31 , 2023
    2023
  • 国際知としての教育学研究を創る: 若手教育学研究者の育成と国際ネットワーキング
    米澤彰純， 北村友人， 荻巣崇世， 櫻井勇介， 嶋内佐絵
    教育学研究= The Japanese journal of educational research/日本教育学会機関誌 … , 2023
    2023
  • Creating Educational Research as International Knowledge: Fostering early-career educational researchers through international networking
    A Yonezawa, Y Kitamura, T Ogisu, Y Sakurai, S Shimauchi, J Jung, J Liu, ...
    Educational Studies in Japan 17, 131-135 , 2023
    2023
  • Competing meanings of international experiences for early-career researchers: a collaborative autoethnographic approach
    Y Sakurai, S Shimauchi, Y Shimmi, Y Amaki, S Hanada, DL Elliot
    Higher Education Research & Development 41 (7), 2367-2381 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 17
  • Competing Meanings of the International Experiences of Early-Career Educational Researchers
    S Yusuke, S Shimauchi
    日本教育学会大會研究発表要項 81, 341-341 , 2022
    2022

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • English-medium instruction in the internationalization of higher education in Japan: Rationales and issues
    S Shimauchi
    Educational Studies in Japan 12, 77-90 , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 112
  • Thai Boys Love drama fandom as a transnational and trans-subcultural contact zone in Japan
    S SHIMAUCHI
    Continuum Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080 … , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 25
  • Inter-Asia referencing and orientalist consideration of the transnational fandom of Thai boys’ love drama in Japan
    S Shimauchi
    Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 25 (3), 386-405 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 22
  • Inter-and intra-regional dynamics on the idea of universities in East Asia: perspectives from Japan
    A Yonezawa, A Hoshino, S Shimauchi
    Studies in Higher Education 42 (10), 1839-1852 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 21
  • 東アジアにおける留学生移動のパラダイム転換: 大学国際化と 「英語プログラム」 の日韓比較
    嶋内佐絵
    (No Title) , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 21
  • Higashi Ajia ni okeru ryugakusei idou no paradaimu shifuto–Daigaku kokusaika to Eigo puroguramu no Nikkan hikaku [Paradigm shift on international student mobility in East Asia …
    S Shimauchi
    Tokyo: Toshindo , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 18
  • Competing meanings of international experiences for early-career researchers: a collaborative autoethnographic approach
    Y Sakurai, S Shimauchi, Y Shimmi, Y Amaki, S Hanada, DL Elliot
    Higher Education Research & Development 41 (7), 2367-2381 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 17
  • Gender in English-medium instruction programs: Differences in international awareness
    S Shimauchi
    English-medium Instrucfion in Japanese Higher Educafion: Policy, Challenges … , 2018
    2018
    Citations: 17
  • English-medium degree programs in internationalization of Japanese universities: Conceptual models and critical issues
    S Shimauchi
    アジア太平洋討究 29, 105-117 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 17
  • 何故, 英語プログラムに留学するのか?── 日韓高等教育留学におけるプッシュ・プル要因の質的分析を通して──
    嶋内佐絵
    教育社会学研究 94, 303-324 , 2014
    2014
    Citations: 14
  • The Influence of Internationalization Policy on Master’s Education in Japan: A Comparison of “Super Global” and Mass-Market Universities: Sae Shimauchi and Yangson Kim
    S Shimauchi, Y Kim
    Higher Education Policy 33 (4), 689-709 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 13
  • “It is universal love beyond homosexuality and gender difference”: critical media discourse analysis of boys’ love dramas in Japan
    S Shimauchi
    Feminist Media Studies 25 (5), 1277-1291 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 12
  • グローバル人材育成と大学の国際化に関する一考察
    嶋内佐絵
    横浜市立大学論叢. 人文科学系列 66 (1), 109-126 , 2014
    2014
    Citations: 12
  • Fans speak for whom? Imagined ‘official’, internalised hegemony and self-censorship
    S Shimauchi
    Media, Culture & Society 46 (7), 1454-1468 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 11
  • Paradigm shift on international student mobility in East Asia: Comparative analysis on internationalization of higher education and English-medium degree programs in Japan and …
    S Shimauchi
    Toshindo.(Published in Japanese) , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 10
  • 日本における高等教育の国際化と 「英語プログラム」 に関する研究
    嶋内佐絵
    国際教育 18, 1-17 , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 9
  • Inter-Asian perceptions of studying ‘abroad’in Asia: analysis of Japanese students’ discourse
    K Iwabuchi, S Shimauchi
    Globalisation, Societies and Education 24 (3), 873-884 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 4
  • Nihon ni okeru kotokyoiku no kokusaika to eigo program ni kansuru kenkyu [Research on internationalization of higher education and EMIDP (English medium instruction degree …
    S Shimauchi
    Kokusai Kyoiku [Journal of International Education] 18, 1-15 , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 4
  • Internationalization, diplomacy, and beyond: Considering studying abroad as a medium of learning through the lens of cultural studies and public pedagogy
    S Shimauchi
    Education Sciences 15 (5), 544 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Transformation of university missions—from nation-building to a focus on common global challenges reflections from East Asia, under the risk of being “lost in translation”
    A Yonezawa, S Shimauchi, J Liu
    International Encyclopedia of Education: Fourth Edition, 21-28 , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 2