We are pleased to invite contributions to this Topical Collection on contemporary popular culture in East Asia, which explores the cultural, social, and psychological dimensions of popular culture and everyday cultural practices across the region. Over the past several decades, East Asian popular cultures, including those of Japan, Korea, and China, have developed into globally influential cultural forces, shaping identities, emotions, and modes of consumption both locally and internationally.

This Topical Collection examines contemporary popular culture as a central space in which cultural meanings, social values, and identities are produced, experienced, and negotiated. It places particular emphasis on cultural psychology, exploring how emotions, behaviors, and psychological processes are shaped within and through cultural forms. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from cultural studies, media studies, sociology, anthropology, and psychology, with a focus on contemporary East Asian societies. Original entry papers and review articles are welcome.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, manga and anime studies; Japanese, Korean, and Chinese popular media; character and mascot culture; popular aesthetics; media and entertainment; film and visual arts; gender, society, and identity; youth and consumer culture; fashion and lifestyle; music and performance; technology and digital media; everyday cultural practices; soft power and cultural industries; cultural politics (including cultural diplomacy); celebrity and idol culture, including AI and virtual idols; and the global circulation and reception of East Asian popular culture.