Born in Kumamoto, Professor Kang received his doctorate in Political Science at Waseda University, specializing in politics and political thought and history. He served as professor at the International Christian University, in Tokyo after his study at Erlangen University, in former West Germany. He appears regularly as a commentator on Japanese TV programs, newspapers and magazines. Kang is a professor of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies and also the director of the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at the University of Tokyo.
His publications include Max Weber and Modernity: the Problematic of Rationalization Theory [Max Veba to kindai] (Iwanami Gendai Bunko), Tohoku For Northeast Asia [Asia Kyoudou no ie wo Mezashite] (Heibonsha), his autobiography entitled Resident Koreans [Zainichi] (Kodansha) and a biographical novel on his mother, Mother [Haha ~Omoni~] (Shueisya).