“People Captivated by Akita”: Affective Governance in the Representation of Rural Revitalization in Japan

This article analyzes Akita Prefecture's role in rural revitalization through affective and visual strategies, concentrating on the exhibition "People Captivated by Akita" (秋田にハマった人々展) and its corresponding website www.a-iju.jp. Utilizing Actor–Network Theory (ANT), visual ethnography, and discourse analysis, the study conceptualizes these media not solely as promotional instruments but as performative infrastructures that convert demographic policy into emotional experiences. Through direct field observation of the exhibition at JR Akita Station (December 2024–January 2025) and qualitative analysis of eight highlighted migrant profiles, the paper delineates the collaboration of governmental entities, digital platforms, and emotional narratives in the creation of an “ideal migrant assemblage.” Akita's campaign exemplifies affective governance by integrating digital and physical representations to evoke emotion, imagery, and storytelling, thereby making migration appealing. But this visibility also hides structural weaknesses like aging, gendered labor, and inequality between regions. By examining the interaction of both visible and invisible entities, such as policy institutions, technologies, migrants, and affective publics, the article elucidates how rural revitalization in Japan functions as both a cultural spectacle and an administrative network. The research enhances a symmetrical sociology of rural policy, positing that revitalization should be perceived not merely as demographic intervention but as a continuous negotiation of emotion, representation, and agency that influences modern conceptions of rural belonging in Japan.