YOKOTA Masao

Born in 1954 in Saitama Prefecture, YOKOTA studied animation in the Creative Image Course of the Department of Cinema at the College of Art, Nihon University. Upon graduation he entered the Psychology Program of the Graduate School of Literature and Social Sciences at Nihon University and received a master's degree in 1979. Starting with a presentation at the 19th Convention of the Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences titled "A Psychological Analysis of Motion in Animation," he has presented his research results on animation at the Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences, the Japan Society for Animation Studies, and the Society for Animation Studies. He has also published articles in academic journals. His animation related activities include guest lecturer at I Castelli Animati, and serving as both a jury member and a lecturer at Puchon International Student Animation Festival. His major publications include Japanese Animation: East Asian Perspectives [University Press of Mississippi, 2013; co-editor and author], Animation no jiten (The Encyclopedia of Animation) [Asakura Shoten, 2012; co-editor and author], Nikkan animation no shinri bunseki: deai, majiwari, tojikomori (A Psychological Analysis of Japanese and Korean Animation: Encounter, Interaction, and Withdrawal from Society) [Rinsen Shoten, 2009], and Media kara yomitoku rinsho shinrigaku: manga, anime wo aishi, kenko na kokoro wo hagukumu (Clinical Psychology of the Media: How to Love Manga and Anime and Develop a Healthy Mind) [Science-sha, 2016].