A research team at the Acoustic Navigation Research Center, Doshisha University, including Dr. Soshi Yoshida, has found that greater Japanese horseshoe bats modify the frequency of their constant-frequency (CF) echolocation calls when mixed with a population using a different CF, eventually converging on the same frequency.The study fills an important gap in research on population mixing of CF bats, providing more information to species behaviorists, robotics engineers, and other innovators working on biomimetics and bio-inspired technologies.


Reference

Haruhito Matsumoto, Soshi Yoshida, Shizuko Hiryu, Greater Japanese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus nippon) gradually converge their echolocation call frequency to colony members,Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-026-01821-5

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University.
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-105/

This achievement has also been featured in “EurekAlert!”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1137476

Image title: Images of the greater Japanese horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus nippon) in flight.
Image caption: New research reveals that mixed wild- and captive-populations of the greater Japanese horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus nippon) display frequency convergence behaviors in a major echolocation frequency, thereby reducing acoustic interference from members of the same colony and improving species sensing.
Image Credit: Photo by Soshi Yoshida, used with permission
Image link: Original Content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be used without permission

Hearing loss affects communication, learning, independence, and social well-being. While cochlear implants have transformed treatment for severe hearing impairment, they require surgery and are often associated with post-operative complications. They also rely on electrical stimulation, which can limit their precision. Researchers are therefore exploring whether applying optical neural stimulation through brain-machine interfaces can mitigate these limitations. However, the effect of laser stimulation applied through the tympanic membrane is largely understudied.A research team led by Prof. Kohta I. Kobayasi of the Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences and Dr. Yuta Tamai of the Acoustic Navigation Research Center, Doshisha University, demonstrated for the first time that trans-tympanic infrared laser stimulation of the cochlea evokes reliable auditory-guided behaviour in awake Mongolian gerbils without the need for genetic modification or invasive surgical implantation.

Reference

Yuta Tamai, Miku Uenaka, Aya Okamoto, Yuki Ito, Kaito Fukada, Ayase Kawasaki, Takaki Shintani, Riko Nakagawa, Koji Toda, Shizuko Hiryu, Kohta I. Kobayasi, Optical induction of auditory perception via cochlear stimulation in Mongolian gerbils without genetic modification,iScience, 2026 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116588

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University.
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-104/

This achievement has also been featured in “EurekAlert!”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1136516

Image title: Trans-tympanic Infrared Laser Stimulation Evokes Auditory-Like Perception in Mongolian Gerbils 
Image caption: Top: Gerbils learned that both sound (blue) and laser stimulation (red) predicted a water reward, with similar learning curves. Middle: Loud background noise weakened responses driven by both sound (blue) and laser stimulation (red), suggesting that the laser signal was linked to hearing. Bottom: Gerbils trained with sound also responded to laser stimulation, suggesting that laser stimulation created a sound-like sensation.
Image credit: Dr. Yuta Tamai and Professor Kohta I. Kobayasi from Doshisha University, Japan 
Image source link: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)01963-2?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004226019632%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
License type: CC BY 4.0
Usage restriction: Credit must be given to the creator.

　We are pleased to announce that a paper presenting research on the transformable lunar rover “Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2),” also known as “SORA-Q,” has been featured on the cover of and published in the international journal Science Robotics on June 10, 2026 (June 11, 3:00 AM Japan Standard Time).

Title ：

From ball to rover: Transformable palm-sized rover SORA-Q for autonomous lunar exploration

Journal ：

Science Robotics

DOI ：

10.1126/scirobotics.aec8039

Key points

Overview

　LEV-2 was separated from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) in January 2024 and successfully reached the lunar surface. After landing, it automatically deployed and transformed from a spherical shape (approximately 8 cm in diameter) into a mobile configuration. It successfully captured images while traversing the surface and transmitted the acquired data wirelessly to the other rover LEV-1. All these operations were performed autonomously without intervention from ground control.
　This study proposes mechanical design and autonomous control technology to overcome the limitations in mobility and computational capability inherent in small robots and demonstrates their effectiveness on the lunar surface.

Details

1. Background

　To date, lunar and Mars exploration missions have relied on large, highly capable rovers; however, these systems have posed significant challenges in terms of development and launch cost. In contrast, small rovers offer the advantage of being deployable at lower cost, but they face substantial limitations in mobility, computational capability, and power. In particular, on soft terrain of the lunar surface, small wheels are prone to sinking, making traversal difficult. Moreover, in communication-constrained environments, autonomous capability is essential, as rovers must operate without relying on continuous ground control. Against this background, there has been a growing need for compact robots that combine high mobility and advanced autonomy.

2. Results

The following results were obtained through in-situ operations on the lunar surface. A new lunar image is also released.

3. Prospects

These results represent an important step in demonstrating the feasibility of space exploration using small robotic systems. Looking ahead, the following developments are expected:

　The technologies and insights gained from this study are expected to contribute not only to future lunar and Mars exploration, but also to the expansion of human presence in space.

Paper Information

Journal ：

Science Robotics

DOI ：

10.1126/scirobotics.aec8039

Title ：

From ball to rover: Transformable palm-sized rover SORA-Q for autonomous lunar exploration

Authors ：

D. Hirano^1,2, M. Inazawa², M. Sutoh¹, M. Nagata³, Y. Yoneda⁴, K. Watanabe⁵, H. Sawada¹, G. Sakoda³, S. Abe⁶, S. Homma⁶

Related Links

(JAXA)

For more details

Title: A collage of images related to Japanese migration to Canada with the title of the essay in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia
Image Credit: Created by Masumi Izumi from Doshisha UniversityPhotograph of the Vancouver Asahi players in 1915. Photographer: unknown. Photograph of Mikio and Kazuko Ibuki in the Slocan internment camp, BC. Courtesy of Mikio Ibuki. Photograph of an internment camp for Japanese Canadians. Photographer: Jack Long. Photograph of the plaque of the Tashme internment camp. Photographer: Masumi Izumi Photograph of Japanese Canadian cultural activists (Mayumi Takasaki, Tamio Wakayama, and Rick Shiomi with Masumi Izumi). Photographer: Emily Anderson. Photograph of the Nikkei Legacy Park, Greenwood, BC. Photographer: Masumi Izumi.
Image Type: Original content
Usage restrictions: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.

Animals such as bats rely on sound for navigation and locating prey. However, they must distinguish between important signals and surrounding noise. A research group from Doshisha University, including Dr. Soshi Yoshida, now report that greater Japanese horseshoe bats actively create a “silent spectral window” through ultrasonic frequency control, which allows them to clearly detect echoes from their prey against the background clutter. This strategy not only stabilizes echoes but also suppresses environmental noise, inspiring future noise cancellation technologies.

Reference

Soshi Yoshida, Haruhito Mastumoto, Kohta I. Kobayasi, Shizuko Hiryu, Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus nippon) suppress clutter noise through echolocation frequency control to detect prey, Communications Biology, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10217-9

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University.
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-100/

Title: How Bats Respond to Artificial Echo Sounds
Caption: The figure shows A. Experimental system for virtual echo indication and B. Presentation of Doppler-shifted virtual echoes and corresponding bat responses
Credit: Soshi Yoshida from Doshisha University
Image source link: Not applicable
License type: Original content
Usage restrictions: Cannot be used without permission

Edited by Nobuko Kawashima, Global Film Policies: New Perspectives examines how film policy is rapidly evolving beyond its traditional focus on public support for film production. Through diverse international case studies, the volume explores how contemporary film policy intersects areas such as technology regulation, labor, trade, tourism, and urban branding. It also offers new perspectives on how globalization, digitalization, streaming platforms, and the post-pandemic media environment are reshaping the governance of film industries around the world.

Reference
Ruby Cheung, John Hill, Nobuko Kawashima, Paul McDonald, Global Film Policies -New Perspectives-, Routledge, (2025). 
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003171287

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Innovation, Doshisha University.
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-99/

 

(Summary)
While language education is critical for the social integration of foreign residents, Japan’s system remains heavily dependent on volunteer labor. New research by Associate Professor Bettina Gildenhard, from the Faculty of Global Communications, examines the intersection of national policy and local practice within these volunteer-led Japanese language programs. Through policy analysis and field research, the study concludes that this reliance fosters a "semi-professional" environment, which not only impacts educational quality but also risks stifling the potential of both the volunteers and the residents they serve.

Reference
Gildenhard, B. (2026). Volunteering in local Japanese classes – insights into a microcosm between personal initiatives, national language policies and the quest for professionalism. Japan Forum, 1–25.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09555803.2026.2656200

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Innovation, Doshisha University.
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-98/

This achievement has also been featured in “EurekAlert!”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127643

Title: How volunteers are shaping language education in Japan
Caption: Study shows the potential and limitations of local Japanese classes run by volunteers.
Credit: Goryukaku from Wikimedia Commons
Image source link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GlobALS_learner_with_daughter_attending_ALS_class.jpg
icense type: CC BY-SA 3.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. Adaptations must be shared under same terms.

Japanese Religious Life Is Rooted More in Culture and Practice Than in Formal Belief

Japan is often described as a highly secular country, yet millions who identify as “nonreligious,” participate in Shinto and Buddhist rituals. To shed light on this paradox, a research team led by Koki Shimizu, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Social Studies at Doshisha University, analyzed data from a nationally representative survey, examining religious identity, ritual participation, and beliefs simultaneously. Their findings reveal that religiosity in Japan is rooted in cultural habits and inherited traditions, and that small changes in question wording can dramatically shift the estimates of how religious the population.

Reference
Koki Shimizu, Yoshihide Sakurai, Ambiguous Boundaries of Religious Belief, Behavior, and Belonging in Japan: A Descriptive Analysis of Plural and Cultural Religiosity, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2026 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.70065

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Innovation, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-97/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127242

Title: Population distribution in Japan based on religious identity
Caption: A recent study explores the plural, layered, and culturally rooted aspects of religion in Japan. This graphical representation shows the population distribution of Japanese people across different religious and nonreligious domains.
Credit: Assistant Professor Koki Shimizu from Doshisha University, Japan
Image link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.70065
Image license: CC-BY 4.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.

In classrooms teaching English as foreign language, a supportive environment improves learners’ psychological motivation and willingness to communicate

Students learning English as a foreign language are often hesitant to communicate, which can delay the achievement of their learning goals. Professor Yoshiyuki Nakata and his research group have found that classroom support from teachers, peers, and learners themselves plays a crucial role in enhancing learners’ willingness to communicate in English. Their study further provides actionable insights into meeting learners’ psychological needs and creating supportive classroom environments, thereby promoting more effective English language learning.


Reference
Yoshiyuki Nakata, Andrew J. Martin, Yuichi Suzuki, Xuesong (Andy) Gao, Students' willingness to communicate in the foreign language learning classroom: Exploring the roles of classroom support and psychological needs satisfaction, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 2026 
DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.70070

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Innovation, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-96/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!
URL https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124604

Mutual interests among media, government, and industry, not just cultural conformity, sustained silence around a major sexual abuse case

Professor Yukiko Nishikawa examines why longstanding allegations of sexual abuse against Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of Johnny & Associates, went largely unaddressed even as the agency became a dominant force in Japan’s entertainment industry from the 1970s onward. In her new study, she argues that this prolonged silence reflected a “conspiracy of silence” sustained by interconnected media, institutional, and cultural dynamics. Her analysis highlights forms of structural complicity and underscores the need for systemic reforms to prevent similar failures in the future.

Reference
Nishikawa, Y. (2026). The architecture of complicity: Media, power and conspiracy of silence in the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse case. Japan Forum, 1-23.
DOI 10.1080/09555803.2026.2639988

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Innovation, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-95/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122320

Image title: Media and celebrity culture in Japan
Image caption: The relationship and complicity between the government, media organizations, and talent agencies has been identified as a key structural factor in the suppression of abuse allegations in the Japanese entertainment industry.
Image credit: interiot at Wikimedia Commons
Image source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Street_photo_session_with_underground_idol,_in_Akihabara_pedestrian_zone_(2006-07-09_00.19.38_by_interiot).jpg  
License type: CC BY SA 2.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

A new study indicates that teachers can enforce social tightness through deliberate and defined responses to the school bell

A recent study by Associate Professor Mika Ishino found that teachers’ non-verbal behaviors play an important role in shaping social tension within the classroom. When a teacher responded to the school bell with controlled, deliberate actions and encouraged students to do the same, a norm of social “tightness” was reinforced. In contrast, more spontaneous and unstructured responses to the bell signaled that social “looseness” was acceptable. These findings suggest that teachers can influence the level of social tension expected from students through their responses to routine classroom cues such as the school bell.

Reference
Ishino, M. (2026). Body, podium, school bell: devices for establishing a social tension at the pre-opening of the classroom interaction, Linguistics and Education　(Volume 93).
DOI 10.1016/j.linged.2026.101514

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-94/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120853

Image title: Comparison of the two teachers’ classes at the beginning of greetings
Image caption: Researcher reveals that social tension in the opening phase of a lesson depends on the teacher’s response to the school bell. The teacher on the left continued to do her work as the bell rang, stopping later to greet students, indicating the opening phase as relatively a “loose occasion.” The teacher on the right stopped his work immediately as the bell rang, and gave students repeated prompts to stand straight and face him, indicating the opening phase as a “tight occasion.” 
Image credit: Dr. Mika Ishino from Doshisha University, Japan
Image source link:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0898589826000239?via%3Dihub  
License type: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

A new cross-domain recommendation framework leverages both positive and negative feedback to accurately predict the preferences of ‘cold-start’ users

Associate Professor Keiko Ono and her team have introduced a cross-domain recommendation framework designed to improve prediction accuracy for users with little or no activity on a target platform. The approach separately models high and low ratings and then adaptively integrates them using a gating network, resulting in substantially lower prediction errors. Experiments on Amazon review datasets demonstrated strong performance, showing that the framework enables more precise and flexible transfer of user preferences than existing methods.

Reference
Shimizu, Y., Ono, K., and Futagami, T. (2026). DUPGT-CDR: Deep User Preference Gating Transfer for Cross-Domain Recommendation, IEEE Access　(Volume 14).
DOI 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3664871

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-93/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119880

Title: Enhancing CDR with adaptive fusion of positive and negative feedback
Caption: The Deep User Preference Gating Transfer for Cross-Domain Recommendation (DUPGT-CDR) framework improves CDR by separately encoding high and low user feedback from the source domain and adaptively fusing these signals using a gating network. This mechanism enables more accurate transfer of user preferences to the target domain, improving recommendation performance in cold-start scenarios and outperforming existing CDR methods across multiple real-world datasets.
Credits: Associate Professor Keiko Ono from Doshisha University, Japan 
Image link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11396649
Image license type: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

Title: A new CDR framework leverages both positive and negative feedback, improving both convergence speed and final accuracy compared to existing models
Caption: Deep User Preference Gating Transfer for Cross-Domain Recommendation (DUPGT-CDR), a newly developed CDR model, extracts high- and low-rating interaction vectors from the source domain, generates corresponding transformation vectors, and adaptively fuses them via a gating network. This allows the framework to achieve lower prediction errors than existing models and can aid in building highly integrated personalization in commerce, entertainment, and education.
Credits: Associate Professor Keiko Ono from Doshisha University, Japan 
Image link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11396649
Image license type: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. 

A new method for computational reconstruction of depth in sparse remote-sensing images to improve real-time crowd monitoring during disaster responses

Accurate crowd monitoring is crucial for guiding emergency evacuations. Non-repetitive scanning LiDAR systems are affordable and offer wide coverage, but their sparse and discontinuous depth data limit practical use. A research team led by Professor Nobutaka Tsujiuchi at Doshisha University, including Zixuan Zhang, a Ph.D. student, has introduced a color-guided depth completion method to reconstruct missing 3D information from sparse LiDAR data. The team also created a simulated dataset to support the evaluation of future depth reconstruction approaches.

Reference
Zixuan Zhang, Nobutaka Tsujiuchi, Akihito Ito, Hirosuke Horii, RGB-guided sparse depth completion for non-repetitive scanning LiDAR in crowd dynamics analysis, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives,　Volume 36, March 2026, 101879
DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2026.101879

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-92/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.
URL　https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117884

Image Title: Computational depth-recovery of sparse images from non-repetitive LiDAR to enhance the accuracy of crowd-monitoring
Image Caption: Sparse and irregular depth measurements from non-repetitive LiDAR (left) and the reconstructed dense depth map using the proposed RGB (red, green, blue)-guided completion framework (right).
Image Credit: Zixuan Zhang from Doshisha University, Japan
Image license type: Original content
License restriction: Credit must be given to the creator.

A Japanese Splatoon community reveals how online play has become a social third place

While digital games are frequently dismissed as isolating, recent research suggests they are powerful engines for social connection. A study by Assistant Professor Mattias van Ommen from the Faculty of Social Studies and his former student Mr. Ginga Yahanashi examined a Japanese Discord community centered around the competitive game Splatoon 3. Rather than just a hub for gameplay tips, the researchers found that the community evolved into a vital "third space" for its members.


Reference
van Ommen, M., & Yahanashi, G. (2025). Finding Belonging in Competitive Play: How a Japanese Splatoon Discord Community Functions as a Third Place. Social Media + Society, 11(4). 
https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251399015

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail-91/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117087