Personal profile
Biography
I obtained my MA and PhD in history of science, technology and medicine at the University of Manchester. Then, I did a post-doctoral research at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester, and a research and teaching associate at the Department of East Asian Studies at Cambridge University and the Needham Research Institute before arriving at Manchester. At Manchester, I was first a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow before assuming the current position.
Research interests
I am primarily a historian of medicine and sciences in modern Japan specialised in reproduction and population, but, over the past few years, I have grown interests in the inter-Asian health and medical exchange, especially focusing on the relationship between China and Japan.
My interests are:
- Japanese family planning initiatives in East and Southeast Asia in the 1960s & 1970s as development aids
- Discourses on Japanese population, and the interactions between population policies and the sciences of population
- China-Japanese medical exchange and diplomacy
- HIstory of involuntary sterilization in Japan, 1940s-70s
- Intersection of gender, science and diplomacy
My latest book, Science for Governing Japan's Population (Cambridge University Press, 2023 - open access), describes how various medical and social scientific fields and practices developed in Japan c. 1860s-1960s around the idea of 'population' (jinkō), and through the process to make national policies.
I have edited Medical Women in the Japanese Empire (Routledge, 2025) with Drs Hiro Fujimoto and Ellen Gardner Nakamura.
I am currently working on a book project, 'Family Planning, Health Promotion and Global Medicine, 1945-1995: The activities of Japanese health campaigners around the world', in which I examine Japanese family planning initiatives since the late 1960s (both governmental and non-governmental) in 'developing countries' unfolded under the aegis of overseas medical/technical cooperation and in the context of international health. I am looking at China-Japanese technical cooperation in family planning and maternal and child health, as a case study that challenges the historiography of global health.
As part of my research on the history of medical diplomacy, I am involved in the Commission on Science, Technology and Diplomacy (STAND) as Secretary, whcih forms part of in the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Division of History of Science and Technology (IUHPST/DHST).
In 2023, I carried out historical research on involuntary sterilization in Japan at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, as a visiting fellow funded by Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.
In 2024, as a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Science, Technology and Medicine at Peking University, I conduct research on Sino-Japanese medical and science diplomacy after the 1970s. This is part of the European Research Council Advanced Research grant project, Neworld@a, which examines the entanglements of scientific data exchange and international relations.
External positions
Visiting Scholar, University of New South Wales
11 Aug 2024 → 22 Aug 2024
Visiting Scholar, Beijing University (Peking University)
3 Mar 2024 → 4 May 2024
Scientific Advisor, Swiss National Science Foundation project 'Rice Knowledge and Practices between Pacific Asia and West Africa: International Development meets local farming (1960–1991)' (PI: Prof. Yi-tang Lin), University of Zurich
1 Sept 2023 → 31 Aug 2026
Visiting Scholar, Ritsumeikan University
24 Jan 2023 → 23 Nov 2023
Research Affiliate, Ritsumeikan University
1 Apr 2020 → 31 Mar 2025
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Confronting and archiving the eugenic past in Japan
Homei, A., Matsubara, Y., Goto, M. & Funatsu, Y., 24 Jun 2025, In: The Lancet.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
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From 'Integration Project' to 'Three-in-One Project: Family Planning and Health Diplomacy between Japan and the People's Republic of China, 1970s-1980s'
Homei, A., 2025, The Missing Interaction: : Science and Diplomacy in the Early Cold War. Rentetzi, M. (ed.). Brepols Publishers, p. 63-78 16 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Medical Women in the Japanese Empire: Sources and Critique
Fujimoto, H. (Editor), Homei, A. (Editor) & Nakamura, E. G. (Editor), 18 Jun 2025, London: Routledge. 240 p.Research output: Book/Report › Scholarly edition › peer-review
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Concluding conversation: decentring science diplomacy
Barrett, G., Edington, C., Homei, A., de Estrada, K. S. & Wang, Z., 6 Dec 2024, In: British Journal for the History of Science. 57, Speical Issue 2, p. 273-285Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Decentring Histories of Science Diplomacy: Cases from Asia
Barrett, G. & Homei, A., 6 Dec 2024, In: British Journal for the History of Science. 57, Special Issue 2, p. 165 - 173Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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Mask-Wearing in Semi-Colonial China: Everyday Medical Device and Its Applications to Governing Chinese, 1912-1949
Zhang, M. (PI), Kirk, R. (CoI) & Homei, A. (CoI)
1/11/23 → 27/09/27
Project: Research
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Historicizing the Discourses of Declining Fertility and Ageing Population in East Asia Sasakawa
Homei, A. (PI)
1/04/18 → 31/03/20
Project: Research
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Historicizing the Discourses of Declining Fertility and Ageing Population in East Asia
Homei, A. (PI)
1/04/18 → 31/03/20
Project: Research
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Humanitarianisms in East Asia: Past and Present
Homei, A. (PI) & Watanabe, C. (CoI)
1/06/15 → 30/06/15
Project: Research
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Prizes
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“SPRINT” University of Manchester / FAPESP Joint Research Scheme
Homei, A. (Recipient), Barrett, G. (Recipient) & Naisbitt, A. (Recipient), 28 Apr 2023
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Research Participant
Homei, A. (Other)
1 Jan 2026Activity: Internal positions, career professional development, other peer review and other › Internal positions › Research
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Social History of Medicine (Journal)
Homei, A. (Editor)
1 Oct 2025 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work › Research
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University of New South Wales
Homei, A. (Secondee)
11 Aug 2024 → 22 Aug 2024Activity: External visiting positions or secondments › Visiting an external academic institution › Research
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East Asian Science, Technology and Society: An International Journal (Journal)
Homei, A. (Member of editorial board)
1 Dec 2022 → 30 Nov 2025Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work › Research