On the 28^th of March, the first workshop from the “Japanese From Scratch” series for beginners in Japanese language studies was held by the Japan Foundation London. Titled “Let’s Eat Japanese food”, the workshop concentrated on Japanese cuisine, table manners and the expressions associated with food and restaurants in Japan.

The workshop was led by Chief Japanese Language Advisor, Seiji Fukushima, who introduced various kinds of Japanese food to the participants and demonstrated how to identify them by their correct Japanese name. The participants were then taught some simple greetings in Japanese and the use of these phrases with correct table manners and Japanese etiquette. Chopsticks have an important role in Japanese cuisine and the participants were also shown the correct way to hold and use them. After getting the hang of it, chopsticks skills were put to use by attempting to pick up wasabi peanuts from a bowl.

After working up an appetite for delicious Japanese food, it was time for the participants to go to a Japanese restaurant to not only try the food they were learning about, but also put their newly found Japanese skills to practice in a real restaurant scenario. Every participant got a chance to try different types of Japanese cuisine while mingling with the other participants and staff members.

The workshop had a high attendance and was a great success with all feedback being very positive.  There was a great interest shown in beginner Japanese language from all ages and a demand for more workshops in the near future.

「オープラ大統領？」(“Oprah Winfrey for President?”)

「私立学校　コオロギを給食に」(“Private School Includes Crickets on Lunch Menu”)

「ロンドン五輪高速折り紙デビュー？」(“High-Speed Origami to Debut in London Olympics?”)

These were just a few of the highly creative and amusing April Fools newspaper articles written by the talented participants of Japan Foundation’s first ever Japanese Plus course, a Japanese language and culture course for advanced  learners.

This term’s theme was「新聞を読んで、新聞を作ろう」- “Read and Write Japanese Newspapers.” 39 people in total registered for the course, which ran every Thursday and Friday from February 23^rd to March 23^rd 2012. Run by Japan Foundation’s Japanese Language Advisor Hiroko Tanaka, the course began with an overview of Japanese newspapers and an examination of the style of writing used for newspaper articles. Participants then looked in depth at selected articles and discussed them in Japanese, in order to grasp how to construct an effective article while practicing reading, writing, speaking and listening in Japanese.

Finally, all participants formed groups and wrote their own “April Fools” joke articles, which were collected together and made into the Jプラス新聞 - the “J-Plus Paper.” Every participant received their own copy of the paper, which they enjoyed discussing in Japanese during the final session of Japanese Plus. With such stories as the creation of “Olympic bread,” the invention of “Health Waves” and the inclusion of “Quidditch” into the Olympics, the discussion frequently turned into roars of laughter!

The course received positive feedback from all participants. Michael Doherty, a newcomer to Japan Foundation’s language courses, commented : “I really enjoyed the classes. It was a great opportunity to set aside some time each week and enjoy 日本語 (Japanese)!”

Morgan Giles, also new to the Japan Foundation’s language courses, described the course as “excellent” and said that she “can’t wait for the next one.”

We also can’t wait to see all participants again at our next Japanese Plus course!

If you are Japanese learner of approximately JLPT Level 2/N2 or above and are interested in taking part in the next Japanese Plus, please click here to sign up to our monthly e-bulletin to receive notifications of this and other Japan Foundation events.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme continues to go from strength to strength. Following last year's successful season, this year's season Whose Film Is It Anyway? Japanese Contemporary Auteurs sought to give voice to those auteur directors in Japan whose films perhaps are rarely screened in UK cinemas, showcasing to audiences nationwide narrative creativity within a cinema industry often dominated by derivative cinema designed for pre-existing markets.

With a record 9 films screening this year, across 7 venues (in London, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Bristol & Nottingham), the Arts & Culture department at the Japan Foundation has been doing its best to make exciting creative Japanese cinema more accessible - to audiences both in London, and beyond. 

This year the Foundation invited renowned director Masayuki Suo, director of the acclaimed feature I Just Didn't Do It which screened as part of this year's season, and also Katsumi Sakaguchi, documentary-film maker turned feature film maker, whose film Sleep screened as part of this year's programme. Both directors introduced their respective screenings, and also held conversation events at the Foundation, giving audiences a chance to hear more about their work, approach to filmmaking, and also learn more about the Japanese film industry in general. Many thanks  to Jasper Sharp and Roger Clarke, both who kindly joined the directors in conversation.

The Touring Film Programme finished at the final venue in Nottingham yesterday, and the Japan Foundation would like to thank all 7 participating venues for their support of the season, and also to cinema-goers nationwide.

L-R: Masayuki Suo, Katsumi Sakaguchi

We are delighted to announce that Newstead Wood School in Kent has won £1000 worth of prizes for the Gold Award in the Japan Webpage Contest for Schools 2011-2012. All prizes were announced at an award ceremony and presentation afternoon, held on Saturday 17^th March 2012 at the Hotel Russell in London. 

Newstead Wood School captivated the judges with their fantastic website packed full information about their activities, trips and classes, as well as fantastic student work, photos, Japanese language resources and much, much more! The judges mentioned that the site is a bit like a treasure chest as they found more interesting nuggets of information each time they visited! This website also won the Public Vote Award, gaining an impressive 1042 votes out of 4363, almost 24% of the total votes.

The Silver Award was presented to Tenbury C of E Primary School for their website that is packed full of inspirational ideas for Japan related topics and lessons at Primary school level. You can take a peek at the Voki quizzes, play games to practice hiragana and katakana or spend hours watching the fantastic recordings of Kamishibai.

The Bronze award went to Heathfield House School for their brightly coloured, original and fun website. This website is great fun to look through as it is full of photographs of Japan related activities and has some thoughtful comments from the pupils themselves!

Finally, Luton Sixth Form won the Design Award as they impressed the judges with their stylish web design, and large range of content. The judges really liked the language section as well as the student work which showcases what fantastic group of artists they are!

The award ceremony was an excellent chance for pupils from each of these winning schools to display their webpages and tell the audience about their fantastic Japan–related projects. The ladies from Newstead High were delighted to win the top prize and Tenbury Primary school pupils wowed the audience by performing their Algorithm March. One parent, Hanna White mentioned that ‘The children’s presentations were wonderful. A great way to cement relations between our two countries!’ Another attendee, Cathy Darling, mentioned it was good to have ‘the opportunity to finally meet the creators of the competing websites we’d spent too many hours perusing.’ The final highlight for many of the children was the delicious range of sushi provided at the reception, which disappeared remarkably quickly!

You can see more information and links to all of the wonderful entries on the contest website here. Hopefully other schools will be inspired to start a similar webpages, and will join the Japan Webpage Contest for Schools in the future!

In conjunction with the exhibition at Asia House Memory - Things We Shouldn't Forget, a selection of photographs relating to the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11th 2011, the Japan Foundation organised a talk by Professor Hiroshi Minamishima concerning the effect of the disaster on art in Japan, and how it influenced the perception and approach of artists in the country. Professor Minamishima was joined afterwards in conversation by Angus Pryor, who explored with him further the extent of the impact. 

On the 4^th of February 2012, a workshop using “Marugoto: Japanese Language and culture, a teaching resource based on the JF standard for Japanese-language education”, entitled Can-do and classroom activities was held. The event was attended by not only members of BATJ but also secondary school teachers (total attendance was 41 people), displaying a widespread interest in the text book.

“Marugoto” was developed under the principle of Japanese for mutual understanding and a trial version was published in May 2011. It therefore features a wide range of techniques, including Can-do target and level settings and portfolio assessment, designed to promote competence in accomplishing tasks (what a person can do by using Japanese) and competence in intercultural understanding (understanding and respecting other cultures by expanding one’s horizon through encounters with various cultures).

The JF standard for Japanese-language education was publicised in 2010 and the general idea of accomplishing tasks and intercultural understanding could be grasped from various training events. However the concern was how to use and tie in these abilities with everyday activities within the classroom. Using “Marugoto”, the training event this time round, examined the relationship between A-1 level Can-do and classroom activities.

There were subjects mentioned by the event participants in regards to the composition of the textbook, colourful pictures, the objective of each chapter in Can-do and also the amount of explanation of grammar within the activity book. However, secondary school teachers in charge of GCSE, ASSET and evening class teachers expressed interest in the possibility of purchasing the text book in the future and also thought that it has the ability to be widely used throughout the UK.

When “Marugoto” is published and becomes generally used, we would like to run training events tying together the principles of JF standard and practical classroom activities. 

On 28th February 2012, the Japan Foundation London organised a very popular lecture by Dr Teruaki Matsuzaki on the subject of Japanese architecture, its history and underlying principles. Fully-booked within a week, this talk event gave the audience - largely specialists in the field of architecture - an insight into the underlying principles of Japanese architecture, putting this into an historical and cultural context, whilst also exploring comparisons between European and Japanese principles and methods.

After the lecture, Dr Matsuzaki was able to take a number of interesting questions from the floor, and as a result had the opportunity to explore in a little more detail some of the particularly interesting ideas touched upon in his talk.

There is a vacancy for the post of Assistant Programme and Administration Officer at the Japan Foundation London office.

The Assistant Programme and Administration Officer will assist the Director-General and his staff with administration. He or she is mainly expected to work closely with and under supervision of our Senior Arts Programme Officer by providing assistance towards the operation of the Foundation’s activities such as grant programmes and in-house projects such as talks and conferences, which normally take place in the evening, and other events organised by the Foundation. Duties will also include general administration work such as updating our website, maintaining our mailing database and general reception work.

The deadline for applications is Monday 19^th March 2012.

Interviews will take place the week commencing 26^th March 2012.

The post is tenable from mid April 2012.

 Salary will be approximately £18-20k depending on experience and qualifications. 

 The appointment will be on a fixed term contract for one year in the first instance although there may be the opportunity to renew. Applicants must already be eligible to work in the UK.

Please download the attachment below for further information about the position and how to apply.

Wednesday 29th February saw the fifth and final seminar in our Corporate Social Responsibility Seminar Series. Our first speaker was John Pepin, Founding Director of Aperio Group (Europe) Ltd, who gave a broad and entertaining introduction to the concept of social enterprise. He was followed by Karl Richter from the Euclid Network, and Founder of the JenLi Foundation, who expanded on John's introduction by exploring the terms social investment and social business. 

You can download John's presentation below, and you can find Karl's presentation online by clicking this link. 

On 25th February, the finals of the Seventh Japanese Speech Contest for University Students were held in the Brunei Gallery of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), showcasing ten individual speeches along with four group presentations by UK university students.

The day began with the Category 2 finalists, all of whom are studying Japanese as an elective or optional course. The speeches were all of a very high standard and it was very difficult for the judges to decide the winner. However, the first prize eventually went to Yee Man Wong, a first year student from the University of Kent, for her extremely memorable speech on “The secret of the AKB48 Fever in Japan and overseas.” In second place was Yilin Wang, a 3^rd year at the University of Hull, who spoke on the complex subject of “Problems faced by foreign tourists using Japanese communication technology.”

Category 2 was followed by speeches by  the Category 1 finalists, who are studying Japanese as their main degree subject. All five finalists demonstrated not only exceptional Japanese ability, but also a great degree of insight and knowledge of their chosen subjects. After much deliberation, first prize was awarded to George Walker, a 4^th year student at the University of Leeds, for his enlightening speech on “Job-hunting in Japan – Effects on studies and student life.”  The second prize was awarded to Haider Muttaqi, in his 4^th year at SOAS, for his passionate and informative speech entitled “Why should the Japanese government promote adoption?”

This year’s Group Category gave beginner-level students the chance to give presentations on a topic of their choice. The four outstanding groups that made it through to Saturday’s finals were chosen from an initial 22 applications, and represented SOAS, Imperial College London, King’s College London and the University of Warwick. They gave talks on “English Culture,” “Chinese New Year,” “English Literature” and “Coventry Cathedral.” These groups were not placed individually, but instead received special prizes based on their chosen topics.

We would like to thank all participants, their teachers and supporters, the judges, audience members and BATJ for making the contest such a success. In addition, special thanks must go to the generous sponsors: Baker & McKenzie LLP, Central Japan Railway Company, Eikoku News Digest, Gendai Travel Limited, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Airlines, Japan Centre, JP-Books (JPT Europe Ltd.), Mitsubishi Electric Europe, Ricoh UK Ltd, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and Toshiba of Europe Ltd.

We would like to encourage as many undergraduate students of Japanese language as possible to apply for next year’s contest, which will be held at Regent’s College London.

If you are a secondary school teacher or student, you may be interested in the 2012 Nihongo Cup Japanese Speech Contest for Secondary Schools.

Click on the attachment below for the full results.

On February 10^th 2012, 23 people attended our Training Day for volunteers of our Japanese Taster for Schools (JTS) Programme, in which native and fluent Japanese speakers conduct free Japanese taster sessions in UK schools.

As well as providing new members with basic information about the programme, this month’s JTS Training Day featured reports from two volunteers who had visited schools – one delivered in Japanese by a native Japanese speaker, and the other by a non-native Japanese speaker in English.  This was followed by workshops by Hiroko Tanaka (Japanese Language Advisor and co-ordinator of JTS at the Japan Foundation), demonstrating enjoyable ways of introducing Japanese language and culture at taster sessions through songs, games and story-telling.  Several of these ideas and resources came from Japan Foundation’s own resources, including our JFL Japanese Scheme of Work for Key Stage 2, Nihongo e-na and Ready Steady NihonGO.

Noriko Inman, a new member, commented:

「パワーポイント、動画、音楽、体操などを交えて、教材を紹介して下さって、驚くとともに特に楽しく勉強になりました。」

(“Combining the introduction of teaching resources with PowerPoint presentations, animation, songs and dance enabled me to learn new techniques in fun and surprising ways.”)

Another new volunteer, Emma Gallagher, said:

“It was useful to hear about the experiences of other volunteers. I picked up lots of hits and tips. It was good to have the opportunity to chat to other volunteers over lunch... Enjoyable and useful afternoon.”

We would like to thank all volunteers for coming to the Training Day, and hope they will have the chance to hold a Japanese Taster Session at a school soon!

If you speak native level or fluent Japanese and are interested in becoming a JTS volunteer, please click here for more information.

If you are a school teacher and are interested in holding a Japanese language taster at your school, please click here to find out more.

On the 15th of February 2012, 22 participants attended the Talking Contemporary Japan Special: Japanese discussion with Director Katsumi Sakaguchi.

Firstly, the participants were given the opportunity to view an exclusive screening of “かりんの家” (Karin no ie) in Japanese. This is one of Katsumi Sakaguchi’s most powerful documentaries, which addresses the topic of children, who for a variety of circumstances, cannot live with their parents. After viewing the film, the participants were then encouraged to discuss the content with not only themselves but with Mr Sakaguchi himself in Japanese. Sitting amongst the participants, Mr Sakaguchi answered questions from everyone and discussed the making of a documentary which explored such a serious social problem in contemporary Japan. 

The event was very well received by all participants, who enjoyed the opportunity to practice advanced Japanese skills while exploring the field of documentary-making within Japanese society. Emma Gallagher, who attended the event, commented:

「とても楽しかったです。感動しました。ありがとうございました。」

(“It was really enjoyable and I was truly moved. Thank you very much.”)

Another participant, Rebecca Clegg, commented:

“It was a great opportunity to experience different points of Japanese culture.”

We would like to thank all the participants that came along to the Talking Contemporary Japan Special event and hope to see you again throughout the year.

NEW! Click here to view video clips from the event on YouTube.

Please see below for details of upcoming charity events raising money to help the recovery effort in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11th.
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Name of Event: Exhibition of the series 'Haiku Prelude - Haiku Kami'

Organisation: Haringey Arts CIC

Date and time:
Sunday 11th March 2012 at 2:46pm - 6pm: Exhibition Opening and the book launch

Tuesday 13th March 2012 at 6:30pm - 8:30pm: Closing Party 

Venue: 12 St. Alban's Grove, London, W8 5PM

Description: 'Haiku Prelude - Haiku Kami' series features twenty-seven paintings, inspired by traditional and contemporary Japanese and western haiku. The project aims to portray each haiku poem and embody its visual energy through the abstract painting. The project was conceived around the time of the natural and nuclear disasters in Japan in March 2011. In the light of these events Carolina Khouri dedicated the series to all victims there. During the 'Haiku Prelude - Haiku Kami' project's exhibition, on the day of the first anniversary of The Great East Tohoku Earthquake, a book will be launched. All proceeds from the book will be donated to Momo - Kaki Orphans Fund, which provides aid and encouragement for the children orphaned on this tragic day. The publication will also serve as an evolving memorial to those that suffered as a result of last March's tragedies in Japan.

Website: http://www.carolinakhouri.com

All funds to be donated to: Momo - Kaki Orphan Fund

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Thursday 12th January saw us hosting a Post-Graduate Workshop in collaboration with the British Association of Japanese Studies. Prof Akihiro Kitada of the University of Tokyo, currently visiting the University of Leipzig, gave a keynote presentation on the topic of 'Globalisation and the Galapagos Effect of Knowledge?'. This was then followed by more practical training sessions by Prof Chris Hughes, President of BAJS, on the topic of journal publishing, and then Dr Thomas McAuley and Ms Luli Ishikawa-van der Does from the University of Sheffield gave an interactive presentation on how to present papers in Japanese. The day finished with presentations by Dr Brigitte Steger, representing the European Association of Japanese Studies, Jason James, Director-General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and Ryoko Kaga and Polly Watson from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. We are very grateful to all of our speakers as well as the Post-Graduate students who came from across the country to make the day a great success.

Before the opening of the Japan Foundation Touring Exhibition JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, the Japan Foundation invited Hiroyuki Aihara, President of the Character Research Institute and also main curator of the exhibition, to come to the Foundation to explore in an illustrated talk the loving relationship between Japanese society and characters.

Many guests brought their own character goods, and some even came dressed as their favourite characters!

The Japan Foundation has produced a documentary film about the ‘Light Up Nippon’ project – a series of firework displays that were held on August 11^th this year by young Japanese volunteers as a requiem prayer for those who lost their lives in the devastated Tohoku region due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Featuring music by Ryuichi Sakomoto, the film follows the process of the project and sends a message about Japanese people’s strong wish to recover from the disaster. For more information about the film please visit http://lightupnippon.jp/en.

The film will be broadcast in approximately 120 countries around the world via cable TV stations and satellite broadcasting networks, and will also be broadcast on the Internet. For viewers here in the UK, the film will be shown at the following times on Friday 16th December

00:30am, 04:30am, 08:30am, 12:30pm, 4:30pm and 8:30pm

It will be possible to watch the film in two ways:

- online via the following link to the live streaming page of the Japan International Broadcasting Inc website.

http://jibtv.com/program/?page=0

- on channels 507 or 518 for those with a BSkyB satellite service.  

We have DVDs of the film available to hire free of charge for anyone who may be interested in organising a screening of the film - please contact info@jpf.org.uk for further information. 

A big thank you to everyone who visited the Japan Foundation’s stand at the Language Show Live on the 21^st, 22^nd and 23^rd October.

Held once a year, the Language Show is the UK's biggest event for language learners, teachers, linguists and anyone with a passion for languages.  This year’s show, held in Olympia, was attended by over 9,000 people across the three days. 

The Japan Foundation’s stand gave visitors a chance to experience Japanese language and culture, including writing their name in Japanese, trying Japanese alphabet jigsaw, and making an origami samurai hat!

Our Japanese Language Taster sessions, held by Japan Foundation’s Japanese Language Advisor, Hiroko Tanaka, was attended by a huge crowd of enthusiastic language learners of all ages,

We would also like to thank all our Japanese Taster for Schools volunteers who generously donated their time and Japanese language expertise to help at the stand.  Domo arigato gozaimashita!

Additionally, we held a Japan Quiz, which over 500 people entered.  Out of those who answered the quiz correctly, we picked five at random to send our Japan Foundation Goody Bag.

The answers to the quiz were as follows:

1.  Which of these activities is the most widely practiced in Japan?

a) Tea ceremony

b) Golf

c) Karaoke

Answer = c) Karaoke is considered to be the most widely practiced cultural activity in Japan.

2.  Which of these is most commonly recognised as the national flower of Japan?

a) Lotus

b) Wisteria

c) Cherry blossom

Answer = c) The cherry blossom is commonly recognised as Japan’s national flower (as well as the chrysanthemum).

3.  Japan’s geography consists mainly of...

a) Cities

b) Mountains

c) Rice fields

Answer = b) Mountains cover over 70% of Japan’s terrain!

4.   The character 日 means “sun” and the character 青 means “blue.” What do you think their combination, 晴, means?

a) Clear skies

b) Moon

c) Sadness

Answer = a) The character 晴, which is pronounced “hare” or “sei,” means clear skies or sunny weather.

5.   Which of these cartoon characters does NOT originate from Japan?

a) Hello Kitty

b) The Powerpuff Girls

c) Super Mario

Answer b) = While Hello Kitty were created by Japanese companies (Sanrio and Nintendo, respectively), the Powerpuff Girls were made by American animators. Their style, however, imitates popular animation styles from Japan.

Congratulations to Selvi Saroinsong, Jonathan Collins, Rebecca Patterson, Franchon Wright and Sara Lounes who were selected at random from all those who got all the answers right to win our goody bag!

Japan Foundation will also be attending the Language Show in 2012, on October 19^th , 20^th and 21^st  at the Olympia, London.  We hope to see you there!

On Saturday October 29^th 2011, the Japan Foundation and BATJ (the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Second Language) co-hosted a seminar about Language Education policies at the Japan Foundation, London. Over 40 people attended including teachers of Japanese from universities and schools around the UK.

The seminar started with an overview of the National Curriculum and its history by Seiji Fukushima, the Chief Japanese Language Advisor at the Japan Foundation London. Next was a section by Lydia Morey, Chair of the ALL Japanese Language Committee and teacher of Japanese, who explained the variety of styles of Japanese language education within secondary schools. This was followed by the main speaker, Stephen Fawkes who is a Trustee and Membership Officer at the Association for Language Learning, with a long history in language education. Stephen described the history of language education strategies and also mentioned some of the developments we can expect in future education policies.

The seminar received positive feedback from all attendees, many of whom were glad to learn more about the way languages are taught at primary and secondary schools in the UK. 

Lingu@net is a multilingual website for teachers and learners of languages – in fact for anyone interested in languages.

It has been developed by an international consortium of experts – major organisations working in languages, technology and information science. Lingu@net World Wide has received support from the European Commission and has been recognised as a leader in its field, winning two prestigious prizes for its work, in 2007 it was awarded the MERLOT prize for being ‘exemplary online learning material for all disciplines’ (www.merlot.org) and in 2008 Lingu@net was awarded the European Commission’s Gold prize in the ‘European Lifelong Learning Awards for quality in mobility’.

Lingu@net World Wide provides teachers, trainers and curriculum writers with access to quality assured online resources for teaching and learning languages, from beginner to advanced levels.  It currently includes over 5,000 resources in over 40 languages, including over 150 Japanese language resources. 

For learners it offers guidance and information on learning a new language, as well as access to learning materials and authentic online texts.

Both learners and teachers can use Lingu@net World Wide to communicate with others.
Since May of this year Lingu@net World Wide can be accessed by native speakers of 32 languages, including most European languages, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi and Arabic.
Japanese speakers can now access this rich and world renowned site –

• To find out about learning other languages (e.g. English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, whatever you choose)


• To find online resources to help teach or learn that language


• To communicate with other Japanese speakers interested in languages

Teachers of Japanese to foreigners can use the site to promote the Japanese language and to help learners find new and exciting material for their studies.

So please get online and visit Lingu@net World Wide now. Tell us what you think of the new site here. Suggest new resources for learning Japanese, or new ideas about language learning.

On 14th October 2011, over 50 teachers and local authority advisors attended the Japan Conference for Schools, held at the Embassy of Japan in London. Co-organised by the Embassy of Japan, the Japan Foundation and the Japan Society, the event was a fantastic chance for attendees to network and share practical ideas about projects for introducing Japanese into their schools or to enhance their existing Japan-related activities.

Participants were welcomed to the Embassy by Minister Hiroshi Suzuki, the director of the Japan Information and Culture Centre. This was followed by a poignant talk by Lynne Parmenter from Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Education about the ‘Voices from Fukushima’ project. This project, funded by the Japan Foundation London, aims to develop and pilot a resource pack for teaching about Japan at Key Stage 2. It is a collaboration with teachers and children in Fukushima to present their experiences of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, their relocation and recovery, their everyday lives and their dreams for the future. The idea is to go beyond the negative images of disaster to show children a more balanced picture of recovery, resilience and ordinary life in post-disaster regions. 

Regarding the presentation, Bernedette Fellowes-Prynne from Chopwell Primary School said:‘The presentation by Lynne Parmenter was so inspiring and reinforced my feelings that children need to go back to learning about the wider Japanese culture and not focus on the recent events in the north.’

Following this, participants separated into small discussion groups and could choose between ten topics such as ‘Cross Curricular Japanese,’ ‘Practical Teaching Ideas’ or ‘Primary Focus.’ Throughout the day, all attendees had the chance to visit four of these sessions to find out about the topics that were most useful for their schools or their own personal development. 

Alan Greaves from The Wavell School commented that:‘It was great to have discussions in smaller groups. Four workshops with four different leaders with contrasting styles led to very productive sessions and a chance to ask questions in a relaxed, informal setting.’

After a delicious bento lunch box, attendees viewed a video created by Christopher Purvis from the Japan Society on his recent trip to Japan’s Tohoku region, which was devastated by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami six months ago. This was followed by an inspiring talk from Liz Gil about Wearhead Primary School’s award winning partnership with Amanuma School in Japan, which they have visited twice.

All in all, it was a fantastic day. Mary Hunt from St Mary’s RC Primary School observed that it was a ‘wonderful chance to find out what everyone else is doing… I enjoyed all the sessions I attended.’

Thank you to all the participants, speakers and the other organisers for making the conference such a success. We hope to see you again next year!

These sessions aimed to give candidates and teachers information about the new Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Over 90 people attended in London on September 14th, and around 40 came to the session in Edinburgh on September 21st 2011. Participants were given the chance to try sample questions and ask about the exam.

The event included:

• A General overview about the new JLPT exam


• Information about the differences to the old-style JLPT


• Introduction of example questions


• Introduction of possible study resources


• Current statistics about the JLPT in the UK and across the world based on official JLPT data.


• Guidance for applicants who plan to take the JLPT in the UK


• Q&A

One participant commented that they were ‘really pleased that none of the items were hurried and it was a very accessible event.’ Another mentioned ‘I enjoyed the session. It was very informative and I look forward to studying for and passing the JLPT; first N3 then N2 and eventually N1.’ We hope that it was useful and that it will encourage people to take the plunge and apply to take the test in the UK. 

At the end of the evening Japan Foundation Staff gave away copies of the New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidbooks. However if you missed out but would still like to find out more, you download resources from the JLPT website here.

If there is sufficient demand, we will run a similar event in 2012. So watch out for more information on the Japan Foundation website and e-bulletin.

The Director-General of the Japan Foundation London office, Takashi Ishida, will shortly be leaving to take up a new position as Executive Director of our Toronto office. Please open the attachment below to read a farewell message from Ishida-san. The Japan Foundation welcomes his successor, Mr Tsuyoshi Takahashi.

Simon Webley and Arisa Kishigami

Thursday 29th September saw the second event in our Corporate Social Responsibility Seminar Series, with the title 'Shining the Light on Corporate Behaviour - codifying and measuring Business Ethics'. Our first speaker was Simon Webley, Research Director at the Institute of Business Ethics, who gave a broad introduction to the application of ethical values to business behaviour. He was followed by Arisa Kishigami, Executive in Responsible Investment at FTSE, who talked about the various indexes she is involved with which try to provide a basis for measuring the ethical behaviour of companies.

You can download Simon Webley's Powerpoint Presentation below, and please click the following links for more information about the FTSE4Good Index Series and the FTSE4Good ESG Ratings.

Date: 27 July 2011 - 11 September 2011
Exhibition: The Art of Connecting at Ikon Gallery

Date: 27 July 2011
The Art of Connecting: Curator Talk by Mizuho Kato & Jonathan Watkins at the Japan Foundation

Date: 9 September 2011
Atsuko Tanaka and Japanese Women Artists in the Context of Conceptualism: Curator Talk by Yuko Hasegawa at the Japan Foundation

The 11th September saw the close of the Atsuko Tanaka retrospective The Art of Connecting, after a very successful run at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. The result of a long-running collaboration between the Japan Foundation, Ikon Gallery, Espai d’art contemporani de Castelló and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, The Art of Connecting was arguably the most comprehensive survey to date of work by Atsuko Tanaka.

As well as the exhibition, the Japan Foundation and Ikon gallery co-organised two events, to mark both the opening and the closing of the exhibition at Ikon Gallery. For the first of these, curator Mizuho Kato came to London, as well as Jonathan Watkins, Director of Ikon Gallery, and together they introduced the life and work of the artist. Providing a background to the comprehensive retrospective offered by the exhibition, they went on to discuss too the continued relevance of her work today. The format of this event was particularly well received, with one audience member commenting “Because it was a conversation, we could learn things otherwise hidden in formal vehicles […] - in this case, aspects of the relationship between Jiro Yoshihara [founder of the Gutai] and Atsuko Tanaka.”

The closing of the exhibition was marked by a visit to the Japan Foundation from another member of the curatorial team, Yuko Hasegawa, also Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Concerned not only with Atsuko Tanaka, Hasegawa discussed other female artists of the period, and in particular how their activities can be regarded in the context of conceptualism. The audience then proceeded to offer Hasegawa a number of insightful questions, giving her the opportunity to expand on her talk, and share more of her extensive specialist knowledge.

The exhibition now moves to the Espai d’art contemporani de Castelló in Spain, where it shall remain until its return to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, early next year.

Pictured LR: Yuko Hasegawa, Jonathan Watkins, Mizuho Kato

Old favourites among kanji teaching resources were revisited and brand new teaching methods shared at the 2011 Intermediate and Advanced Japanese Refresher Courses for Teachers, which were held at the Japan Foundation London from July 26^th – August 5^th.

This year’s course took the theme 「漢字は楽しい！！」- Kanji is fun – and was attended by a total of 26 non-native Japanese language teachers from a wide range of teaching backgrounds from primary school to university. Lead by Seiji Fukushima and Hiroko Tanaka, the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Language Advisors, the course gave participants the opportunity to deepen their kanji knowledge, examine kanji teaching resources and share their findings, and brush up on listening, speaking, reading and writing in Japanese.

On the final day of each course, the participants were able to put teaching methodology into practice by delivering a lesson in Japanese on various kanji. These lessons, which featured creative and enjoyable activities devised by the participants themselves, demonstrated the exceptional talent and passion that Japanese language teachers in the UK possess.

All participants enjoyed not only exploring kanji teaching methods, but also the opportunity to network and practice their Japanese with fellow Japanese teachers. Advanced Course participant Nimali de Silva, Japanese teacher at Katharine Lady Berkeley's School, commented, “There are so few opportunities to consider Japanese language teaching in particular, so this course is invaluable.” Regarding the Intermediate Course, Danielle Fenton of Heathfield House school said, “I am now desperate to teach more Japanese at my school and I feel a lot more confident in my ability.”

We would like to thank all participants for coming to the Refresher Course, and really hope to see them again at future events. お疲れ様でした！

Ian Blythe and Takeshi Shimotaya

On Tuesday 19th July we were delighted to launch our new Corporate Social Responsibility Seminar Series organised in partnership with Phillida Purvis of Links Japan. This first event took the topic of From Philanthropy to Essential Business Investment - the evolution of CSR in the UK. Following Phillida's introduction, our first speaker, Takeshi Shimotaya, Managing Director of SustainaVision Ltd, gave a broad outline of the concept of CSR including the differences between approaches in the UK and Japan. Then our second speaker, Ian Blythe, Head of CSR for Boots UK, built upon this background by giving an account of the development of CSR within the historical story of the Boots company before looking at how these priorities are put into practice today. These lectures were followed by an engaging Q&A session and then a drinks reception throughout which these discussions continued.

You can download the Powerpoint Presentations of the two speakers via the links to the attachments below.

This series is also supported by the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in the UK, the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO, London and the Japan Europe Entrepreneurs Forum. Further details will be available soon about the next event in the series at the end of September.

The Japan Foundation is pleased to support the participation of 21 students and teachers from 6 senior high schools from amongst the prefectures of Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki affected by the recent Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster. From 24^th July, they will participate in joint Japan-UK group workshops on various scientific subjects taught by Cambridge University Professors, as well as visiting the Royal Society, the Royal Institution and University College in London.  Dr Eric Albone of the Clifton Scientific Trust, who is organizing the weeklong event, says

“We are delighted to welcome to Cambridge students and teachers from schools in Japan which have suffered so much from the effects of the March 11th tsunami and earthquake to attend the 2011 UK-Japan Young Scientist Workshop at the University of Cambridge this summer. As a result of the generosity of many organisations, we are able to cover all of the schools' costs in Cambridge and also their airfares from Japan. We and all the British students and teachers look forward very much to welcoming them to England as our special guests. We are sure that, by living and working together in small teams with Cambridge scientists and engineers, not only will their understanding of science deepen but also they will see their futures in a global context and form international friendships which will last for many years ”

Please download the attachment below for a press release in Japanese. 

On June 18th the 2011 Nihongo Cup Japanese Speech Contest for secondary school students was held at the Embassy of Japan in London.

The 18 finalists, who had been selected from 279 applicants from 19 different schools across the UK, all demonstrated great creativity, thoughtfulness and outstanding ability in Japanese in performing their speeches – not to mention extraordinary courage to present their ideas in a foreign language to an audience of 150 people! 

Between each of the three categories of speeches, the audience was entertained by the haunting singing of the Japanese choir Green Chorus, and also had the opportunity to participate in Japanese culture while offering their support for victims of the Tohoku Pacific earthquake and tsunami by writing messages on cranes and tanabata (Star Festival) paper slips.

Due to the extremely high level of Japanese and the wonderful content of the speeches delivered by all finalists, the judges found deciding on the final winners of the 2011 Nihongo Cup harder than ever.  But eventually, Joe Littler (Key Stage 4and 5 Post-GCSE), Winnie Fan (Key Stage 4 and 5 Pre-GCSE) and Rebecca Young (Key Stage 3) were awarded first prize in each of their categories. After the prize giving ceremony, many of the finalists commented on how glad they were to have had this experience, and that they want to enter again next year!

Many congratulations and a big thank you to everyone who came together to make the day such a success. The full results of the contest are as follows:

Key Stage 4 and 5 Post-GCSE Category
Winner: Joe Littler (King Edward VII School) 
Speech title: “Making a Japanese Sword”
2nd Prize: Lauren du Plessis (Aylesbury High School)
Speech title: “The Culture of the Geisha”
3rd Prize: Jisu Lee (St. Helen’s School)
Speech title: “Hiroshima”
Other finalists:
Kashif Akhtar (Greenford High School)
Stuart Burrell (South Wolds Community School)
Tanya Naumenko (Wycliffe College)

Key Stage 4 and 5 Pre-GCSE Category
Winner: Winnie Fan (Wycliffe College)
Speech title: “A Trip to Bath”
2nd Prize: Fabian Fatodu (Whitgift School)
Speech title: “Japanese Music”
3rd Prize: Kristine Gante (Queen Mary’s High School)
Speech title: “My Interest in the World”
Other finalists:
Bethany Allum (Tile Hill Wood School)
Philip Bentley (Dartford Grammar School)
Areekul Bunprakob (Havering College)

Key Stage 3 Category (Speech theme: “My Favourite Place”)
Winner: Rebecca Young (South Wolds Community School
2nd Prize: Carine Valarche (Wren Academy)
3rd Prize: Angel Catacutan (Greenford High School)
Other finalists: 
Harjivan Chhokar (Campion School)
Yu Yeen Fung (St. Helen’s School)
Wesley Gaunt (Covenant Christian School)

The event was organised by the Japanese Language Committee of the Association for Language Learning, in association with the Japan Foundation London and Embassy of Japan in the UK. We are very grateful to Toshiba of Europe Ltd, JSA (the Japanese Speech Awards), Ricoh UK Ltd, JP-Books (JPT Europe Ltd) and the Japan Centre for sponsoring the event and donating prizes, and also to Sumisho Computer Systems for their generous sponsorship and to Soho Japan for contributing to the evening reception. 

Tabaimo, “teleco-soup” still image 2011 video installation(5’27” loop) ©Tabaimo / Courtesy of Gallery Koyanagi and James Cohan Gallery

The Japan Foundation is proud to announce the artist Tabaimo’s representation of Japan at the 54th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Recognised as one of the country’s leading young artists, Tabaimo first received critical acclaim for her multimedia installation Japanese Kitchen (1999), which combined surreal, hand-drawn animations with architectural elements in an unblinking examination of contemporary Japanese society.

Commissioned by Yuka Uematsu, Curator, National Museum of Art, Osaka, TABAIMO: teleco-soup will continue that trajectory through an immersive multimedia environment that incorporates the unique characteristics of the Japan Pavilion in the Giardini.

There will be a special event on Monday 23rd May to celebrate the launch of a global partnership between SOAS and Ritsumeikan University. Please click here for more information. 

On May 5^th 2011, Japan Foundation held out annual one-day Head Start course for head teachers, curriculum planners and MFL leaders interested in introducing Japanese language at their school.

The day began with an overview of the current picture of Japanese language education in the UK, in addition to the support available for Japanese teaching from the Japan Foundation. This was followed by an introduction to Japanese language and culture by the Japan Foundation language advisors, who introduced basic Japanese language and information about Japan with chanting, quizzes and games! These sessions were not only useful to teachers who had limited experience of Japanese culture, but also those who had been to Japan before; as one participant said, “Despite already being aware of Japanese language and culture, these sessions gave me ideas on communicating them in a classroom setting, and teaching the language.”

After a Japanese bento (lunchbox) lunch, the day progressed with presentations by teachers at schools currently teaching Japanese. Kevin McKellar, Head Teacher at Hendon School, gave an inspirational speech about how Japanese at his school has captured the enthusiasm of pupils across all ranges of ability, emphasising that “without Japanese, Hendon would not be where we are now.” Teresa Phillipson, Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Lutterworth College, gave a highly informative account of how Japanese Asset Languages is taught as an enrichment course at her school, and that pupils are so enthusiastic about Japanese that they will choose to study it even though it means less free periods!

Finally, the day closed with a tour of the Japan Foundation library, which now has 8,500 books and other Japanese language education resources, and a Q&A session. Overall, the day was a great success; some of the feedback received included:

“Really inspirational / motivational day. Lots of great, practical advice which will really help.” (Sally Daniells, Assistant Vice Principal at Skinners Kent Academy)

“Fantastic! A very inspiring day!” (Aeryn Hamilton, Exchange Teacher, Purbrook Junior School)

“An excellent and very useful day.” (Joan Nix, Curriculum Area Manager, Sandhill View School)

We would like to thank all Head Start attendees for coming, and hope we see you again soon!

If you would like more information about getting Japanese started at your school, please email info.language@jpf.org.uk. 

Akiko Fukai speaking at the Japan Foundation, London

Following her visit to London to speak at the Japan Foundation event Japan / Fashion - A Talk by Akiko Fukai, you can now read an interview with Akiko Fukai on the Dazed Digital website here.

The Japan Foundation London office is pleased to support Play for Japan - an initiative set up in response to the earthquake and tsunami of March 11th. Play for Japan is working to help raise the profile of events created by groups or individuals in order to raise funds in support of the relief effort in Japan, as well as raising awareness of the challenges being faced by people in Japan whilst creating links between communities in the affected regions and the UK.

Please visit their website www.playforjapan.com to find out more information.

We are delighted to pass on news of the announcement of the Yakult Lectureship for Japanese Language Studies at the University of East Anglia. The School of Language and Communication Studies at UEA is now inviting applications for this position, so please click here or view the attachment below to find out more information about this exciting development and opportunity.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation has set up a special grant programme under which it will consider applications for small grants for projects (including seed money to get a fund-raising event going) related to the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. See their website for details.http://www.gbsf.org.uk/

For those who may be without news of their relatives as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11th, the International Committee of the Red Cross has set up a Family Links web-page to help restore contact between family members. Please click here to visit this web site.

As you will be aware, following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on 11 March, many people are now struggling to cope with the aftermath.

The Japan Foundation would like to thank all those who have sent messages of condolence and sympathy for the people of Japan.

Please click here to read a statement from the Japan Foundation Head Office in Tokyo.

If you would like to make a contribution to help the recovery effort in Japan, several charities are now fundraising on behalf of this cause, including the following;

The Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund
www.japansociety.org.uk/earthquake

Embassy of Japan in the UK
www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/Donations_earthquake160311.html

The British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal
www.redcross.org.uk

Japanese Red Cross Society
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html

The Japan Foundation, London

Following her recent lecture at the Japan Foundation, Dr Inge Daniels has curated an exhibition 'At Home in Japan - beyond the minimal house' for the Geffrye Museum, which will be on display from 22nd March until 29th August 2011. Please click here for more information.

Please follow this link to read a report from the conference 'Japan: increasing its global role?', which was held at Wilton Park last November and supported by a Japan Foundation Intellectual Exchange Conference Grant. 

The Japan Foundation is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Intellectual Exchange Conferences on topics related to the state of regional integration and collective identity in Europe and Asia. Examples of specific conference themes, from a comparative perspective between Europe and Asia, could include (but are not limited to):

- International migration and regional identity
- Regional integration, economic nationalism, and cultural identity
- Regional identity and peace and security
- The roles of sub- and supra-state institutions and their impacts on identity politics

This special grant program provides grants to partially cover expenses for implementing international intellectual collaborative projects that involve Japanese participation. The program is designed to deepen mutual understanding and establish closer relations between Japan and other countries while promoting global intellectual exchange.

Projects should be implemented and completed between December 1st 2010 and March 31st 2011. There will be between 5-10 grants available. The deadline for applications is the 4th November.

For other specific terms and conditions of grants, please refer to the attached application form. Please feel free to contact Neil Cantwell with any further enquiries.

The Japan Foundation London office is currently updating our 2007 Survey of Japanese Studies at Higher Education Institutions in the UK. We have also taken this opportunity to seek out the opinions of Japanese Studies students, which you can read in this preliminary report. Please feel free to share with us any comments you may have by e-mail to Neil Cantwell.

Professor John Holden has provided us with a very enjoyable report from his recent visit to Japan as part of the Japan Foundation Cultural Individual Invitation Programme. Please click on the attachment below in order to read it.

Prof Holden will be launching a new publication for Counterpoint,  the think-tank of the British Council, entitled Class and Culture at an event on the 7th September. Please click here to find out more information about this event and the publication.

John Holden - Values Without Borders:'Cultural Diplomacy' Starts At Home

Centre Europeen d'Etudes Japonsaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) and the Japan FOundation (JF) are inviting applications to participate in the Japanese Study Seminar - Meiji II, scheduled to take place on 24 and 25 September 2010 at CEEJA in Kinetzheim, France.

This Japanese Study Seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and deepen further promotion of Japanese Studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cosy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJS's facility in Kientzheim and present and discuss their current research projects amongst each other, as well as with a guest Mentor from Japan.

Following last year, the subject of this year's seminar will be "Meiji" We are calling for young researchers in Europe who specialise in politics, history, society, literature, arts, language, thoughts, economy, city and architecture, religions etc. of this unique juncture of Japanese modern history.

Please download the attachment below for further information.

Under our Cultural Individual Invitation Programme, last year The Japan Foundation London Office invited Prof John Holden, former Head of Culture at the independent think-tank Demos, on a two-week visit to Japan. As part of his activites in Japan, he delivered a lecture in Tokyo on the topic "Values Without Borders: 'Cultural Diplomacy' Starts At Home". You can read a report and view a video of this lecture by following this link below.

John Holden - Values Without Borders:'Cultural Diplomacy' Starts At Home

Arts & Culture

Film Festivals Abroad Support Programme 2010-11

Cinemagic International Children’s Film Festival
Applicant: Cinemagic

Scotland Loves Animation
Applicant: Scotland Loves Animation

Onedotzero – adventures in motion 2010
Applicant: Onedotzero 

Encounters International Short Film Festival
Applicant: Encounters Festival Ltd.

 Zipangu Fest
Applicant: Midnight Eye Screening

Exhibition Abroad Support Program 2010-2011

Grants will be awarded towards the following exhibitions:

New work by Rinko Kawauuchi for the Brighton Biennial 2010
Applicant: Photoworks

Unearthed: figure-making and figure-breaking in ancient Japan and the Balkans
Applicant: Sainsbury Institute for Visual Arts

Tatsumi Orimoto
Applicant: A Foundation

Tabaimo
Applicant: Parasol Unit for Contemporary Art

Portraits of the Hibakusha
Applicant: Kingston University

Performing Arts for Europe 2010-11

Shun-kin
Applicant: Theatre de complicite

Japanese Studies

Fellowship Programme 2010-11

Long-Term Scholars and Researchers

Dr Mara Patessio, University of Manchester    - Topic of Research: Hasegawa Shigure and Japanese Women’s Modern History

Dr Andrea Germer, University of Newcastle – Topic of Research: Visual Propaganda in Wartime Japan and Germany: Culture, Race and Gender in Comparative Perspective

Short-Term Scholars and Researchers

Dr Roman Matousek, London Metropolitan University – Topic of Research: Banks Efficiency and Monetary Policy Stance in Japan: Lessons for Europe

Prof Fran Lloyd, Kingston University – Topic of Research: Dumb Type: An Art of Intervention

Ms Alice Maude-Roxby, Kingston University – Topic of Research: Bigakko – investigating the impact of radical Japanese artist-teachers since 1969

Intellectual Exchange Conferences 2010-11

Wilton Park – a grant towards the conference: Japan: Increasing its International Role?

University of Oxford – a grant towards the conference: The 20^th Japanese/Korean Linguistics Conference

Other Support for Conferences:

British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS)
A grant towards: BAJS Conference 2010 

Organisations in Japanese Studies 2010-11

              Staff Expansion – University of Edinburgh, SOAS (ongoing)

Language Centre

Short-Term Training Programme for Foreign Teachers of the Japanese Language (Summer Course) 2010-11

Roberta Ignirri
Sophie Lane

Japanese-Language Programme for Specialists (Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields) 2010-11

Paul O'Shea
Amy Walker

SAKURA Core Project 2010-11

The British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (BATJ)

We are delighted to report that through the generous donation of his recent Japan Foundation Prize, Professor Arthur Stockwin has made possible the creation of  a new Scholarship for MPhil students in Modern Japanese Studies at St Antony's College, Oxford University. Please download the attachment below for further details.

The Japan Foundation is happy to announce a request for proposals for intellectual exchange conferences on topics related to social values in the post-globalization world. Globalisation has brought not only many benefits but also tremendous challenges to the world. These challenges are so powerful and longstanding that they will potentially be reshaping our social values. The Japan Foundation welcomes your project ideas for international conferences that will look into the negative aspects of globalization and their impact on our social values, using Japan either as a case or as a point of reference.
This special grant program provides grants to partially cover expenses for implementing international intellectual collaborative projects that involve Japanese participation. The program is designed to deepen mutual understanding and establish closer relations between Japan and other countries while promoting global intellectual exchange.
Projects should be implemented and completed between December 1st 2009 and March 31st 2010. There will be between 5-10 grants available.
The deadline for applications is the 6th November, and results will be announced by the end of November.
For other specific terms and conditions of grants, please refer to the attached application form. Please feel free to contact Neil Cantwell with any further enquiries.

The new programme guidelines and application forms for grants to be made in the financial year 2010-11 have recently been added to our Head Office website here.

Please don't hesitate to contact this office with any enquiries you may have about your eligibility for our grant programmes.

Professor Arthur Stockwin

The Japan Foundation London is delighted to announce that Professor Arthur Stockwin will be awarded the Japan Foundation Award for Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange for the year 2009. The award ceremony will take place on the 6th of October in Tokyo, Japan. For other awards to be made this year, please see here As the founding Director of the Nissan Institute for Japanese Studies and Fellow of St Antony’s College at Oxford University, Professor Stockwin has made a great contribution to the field of Japanese Studies in this country, through his writing on modern Japanese politics and promotion of intellectual exchange between the UK and Japan. Professor Stockwin comments: “In accepting this award, I do so as a representative of those who have been involved in Japanese Studies at Oxford and indeed at other universities in the United Kingdom. Over the past two or three decades we have worked to promote the study of Japan in the UK. Interest in Japan, Japanese people, language, history, culture and institutions (formal and informal) remains strong, despite fluctuations that occur from time to time. For me it has been a fascinating experience to take part in the efforts to keep Japan lodged firmly within the consciousness of people in my country.” Professor Stockwin, this year awarded an OBE, has also previously been the recipient of The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbons from the Japanese Government.

The Japan Foundation is now inviting applications for the 2009 Japan Foundation Group Study Tour to Japan for Secondary Teachers in June. This is a fully-funded two-week tour of Japan offering an introduction to Japan’s society, culture and education system. The Study Tour is for full-time secondary school teachers who teach about Japan and Administrators involved in curriculum development. For more information, please click here.

The results of our Annual Grant Programmes for 2009-10 have now been announced. Please follow the links below to view the respective programmes within each department.

Arts and Culture

Films Festivals Abroad Support Programme

Performing Arts Japan Programme for Europe

Exhibitions Abroad Support Programme

Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange

Japanese Studies Fellowship Programme

Grant Program for Intellectual Exchange Conferences

Support for Japanese Studies Organisations

The Japan Foundation launched its first e-bulletin this month. The e-bulletin brings together the three main areas of our work: Arts & Culture, Language and Japanese Studies & Intellectual Exchange. By receiving the e-bulletin you will be able to keep up-to-date with news and information from the Japan Foundation and also hear about Japan-related events happening around the UK. We hope you enjoy reading the bulletin and please feel free to email any comments that you have to jfnews@jpf.org.uk.
To sign up to receive JF news UK, click here.