Date: Friday 23 January 6pm - 7.30pm GMT

Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Sir Bob Burgess Building, University of Leicester, Freemen's Common, LE2 7TF*

Online Streaming Available via Zoom

Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our next lecture as part of our seminar series: 'Exploring the World of Japanese Studies'!

Our third talk, Beyond Words: Understanding Japanese Society Through Literature and Translation, is hosted by the University of Leicester.

Talk Description

In recent years, Japanese literature has been gaining attention in the UK. Reading literature offers much more than the enjoyment of a story; it provides a window into the social and cultural values that shape it. This session explores how literary works help us understand Japanese society and the wider world, and how we can make sense of Japanese literature's recent growth in popularity. We will also consider what happens when such works are translated from Japanese into English: how is the cultural context of the original text conveyed, adapted, or transformed in the process? For example, we will consider how onomatopoeic expressions used commonly in Japanese can be translated to be understood worldwide.

To discuss these questions, we will bring together a literary scholar, a specialist in translation studies, and a professional translator working between Japanese and English.

*Arriving by car: There is a paid car park available for visitors.

Paid car park: The Freemen's multi-storey car park is the closest parking space to the Sir Bob Burgess building. Access to the car park is on Putney Road (please see the map above). The cost for 3 to 6 hours will be £2.50, payable by card (no cash). THIS CAR PARK IS ACCESSIBLE FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS.

About the Speakers

	Dr Michael Tsang is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies and Programme Director for BA Japanese Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. His research focuses on world literature, postcolonial literature, and popular culture with an emphasis on East Asia. He has published widely in journals and edited volumes, including Murakami Haruki and Our Years of Pilgrimage (co-edited with Gitte Marianne Hansen: Routledge, 2021). He is also a creative writer and has published tanka poetry in English.
	Professor Nana Sato-Rossberg is a leading scholar in the field with expertise in Japan and East Asia. She is currently Chair of the Centre for Translation Studies at SOAS, and the programme convener for the BA Translation pathway and MA Translation and Intercultural Studies. She is also an Executive Council member of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies and the co-founder of the East Asian Translation Studies conference series (since 2014). She is author of thre monographs and five co-edited books, including Translation and Translation Studies in the Japanese Context (co-edited with Judy Wakabayashi, Bloomsbury, 2012) and 「翻訳と文学 (Translation and Literature)」(ed. Misuzu, 2021).
	Ms Joanna Dare is University Librarian at De Montfort University in Leicester. Alongside her work as a university librarian, Joanna Dare is active as an emerging literary translator and Coordinator of the East Midlands Regional Group of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. She studied Japanese at the University of Sheffield, and Translation Studies at Portsmouth University. She currently studies Japanese through the Languages at Leicester programme at the University of Leicester. In 2020, she won second prize in the 4th Japanese Literature Publishing Project International Translation Competition, followed by first place in the Institute of Translation and Interpreting Japanese Network Translation Competition in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

This event is free to attend, but registration is essential for online and in-person attendees.

Organised by The Japan Foundation	With support from University of Leicester

Date: Friday 21 February, 2025

Venue: The University of Edinburgh

If you are Ph.D. student whose research focuses on Japan, why not attend the Japan Foundation/British Association for Japanese Studies Ph.D. Workshop 2025!

This year, our workshop will be held at The University of Edinburgh, with the theme 'Career Development in Japanese Studies'.

Student attendees will be divided into groups and will spend their morning sharing their research with one another in short presentations, before receiving specialist feedback from peers and the experienced academics assigned to the group!

This is an opportunity to gain experience in presenting your work, no matter what stage of your research you are in. Whether you want to develop your ideas at the start of your research project, or if you want to practice presenting your completed findings, the morning session will be of huge benefit! It is also a fantastic opportunity to learn more about your peers' research, and current developments in postgraduate research in the field.

During the afternoon session, funding organisations will present on their programmes and opportunities to help postgraduate speeches.

Then, there will be a keynote speech on the theme of career development, delivered by an established academic. The day will end with a chance to grill the assembled panel of academics on their wide-ranging experiences and expertise, followed by a drinks reception!

As ever, the workshop will also include breaks to allow attendees to network with one another and the lecturers in between sessions.

It is always an inspiring and enlightening event, and we look forward to seeing many of you there!

Student Submissions:

As an essential part of the workshop, attendees will be asked to present their research in small groups. Further information about this will be provided after the registration deadline. However, if you have any questions about this, please email Mara Patessio at BAJS, mp78@soas.ac.uk.

Financial Support: 

Travel Grant: JF will offer a partial travel grant for student participants. Once an initial 30 GBP is covered, JF will provide up to 110 GBP maximum for public transportation to the event. For any questions, please contact Iona Vos LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp.

Hotel Grant: As many attendees will be travelling to Edinburgh from further away locations, BAJS has generously decided to offer a two-night hotel grant, of maximum 90 GBP a night per attendee. This maximum amount is based on absolute necessity. BAJS would be very grateful if students could still cooperate, by seeking budget/cheaper accommodation, or organising shared accommodation with other attendees, to try and avoid reaching the maximum amount. For any questions about the hotel grant, please contact Mara Patessio mp78@soas.ac.uk.

Please note:

Attendance to this event is limited to 40 students, on a first come, first served basis. As the number of participants is limited, please only register if you know you can attend, and email Iona Vos at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp if you have registered but need to cancel your place.

Ph.D. students will be prioritised. MA students will join a waitlist, with MA places being confirmed after the deadline has passed.

Deadline for registration for this event has now passed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Iona Vos at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp.

Date: Tuesday 4 November, 6pm – 7.30pm GMT

Venue: Council Chamber*, University of East Anglia

*Search ‘Council House’ on https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/campus-map

Online Streaming Available via Zoom

Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our next lecture as part of our new seminar series: Exploring the World of Japanese Studies!

Our second lecture, War and Peace: How ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ Speaks to Japanese Literature, Art, History, and International Relations, is hosted by the University of East Anglia. This talk will feature contributions from Dr Ra Mason (Sasakawa Associate Professor); Dr Sherzod Muminov (Associate Professor in Japanese History); Dr Hannah Osborne (Lecturer in Japanese Literature); Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay (Associate Professor in Japanese Art History & Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies) and Dr Nadine Willems (Associate Professor in Japanese History).

Talk Description: This event takes inspiration from Studio Ghibli’s renowned film Grave of the Fireflies, a powerful story of war and loss. We will begin with a screening of the film’s trailer, using it as a starting point for an open discussion with both the panel and audience. Each speaker will then give a short presentation (around 10 minutes) from their area of expertise, followed by interactive discussion and questions from the audience.

The talks will explore themes such as the intersections of art and war, the ethics of representing wartime experiences through film and literature, Japan’s anti-nuclear movement, the dynamics of modern Japan–China relations, and the role of nationalism in twentieth-century Japan. Taken together, these perspectives invite us to reflect on how the themes depicted in Grave of the Fireflies connect to broader questions of memory, ethics, politics, and international relations.

Note: As with past events, video clips and trailers will be shown during the live session but may be omitted from any online recordings.

About the Speakers

	Dr Ra Mason (Sasakawa Associate Professor, School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies) is an internationally recognised specialist in the international relations of the Indo-Pacific, with a specific focus on Japan. His work draws on theories of risk, security and social construction to understand the complex relations between regional alliances, states and non-state actors. He is also interested in wider questions about global politics and conflict.
	Dr Sherzod Muminov (Associate Professor in Japanese History) is a multilingual historian working with sources in Japanese and Russian, and is also fluent in Turkish. His primary research is in modern Japanese and East Asian History, Japanese-Soviet/Russian relations, the Cold War in East Asia, the post-WWII, post-imperial migrations in East Asia, and the international and transnational history of the Soviet system of forced labour camps for prisoners-of-war.
	Dr Hannah Osborne (Lecturer in Japanese Literature) is Japan Foundation Lecturer in Japanese Literature at the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing and the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia. She completed her doctoral thesis, Gender, Love and Text in the Early Writings of Kanai Mieko at the University of Leeds in 2015. Her research interests include: intersections between text, illustration and the avant-garde arts; gender and the body; and women's writing and translation in modern Japanese literature.
	Dr Eriko Tomizawa-Kay (Sainsbury Institute Associate Professor in Japanese Art History and Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia)’s research focuses on modern and contemporary Japanese art, with particular emphasis on nihonga and Okinawan visual culture. She explores their roles in identity, diplomacy, and memory, and her curatorial projects highlight collaboration with artists, museums, and communities. She received her PhD from SOAS, University of London, and has previously held positions as Art History Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow at the Sainsbury Institute, Toyota Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, and Visiting Research Associate at the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.
	Dr Nadine Willems (Associate Professor in Japanese History) is an intellectual and cultural historian of modern Japan, whose research interests include historical geography, early 20th century agrarian movements, the anarchist critique of modernisation in a transnational perspective, and the literature of dissent. She is currently engaged in a project that examines the personal accounts and visual records produced by rank-and-file soldiers who participated in Japan’s military intervention in Siberia between 1918 and 1922. She obtained her PhD from Oxford University.

Applications are now open for our head office grants: the Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship Program for Ph.D. candidates and researchers, the Grant Program for Japanese Studies Projects, and the Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields.

Applications for Fellowships in collaboration with other institutions are also open: JF-CIJS-EAJS Fellowship programme for Ph.D. candidates in Europe, the JF-GJS Fellowship Program for post-doctoral researchers, and the JF-Nichibunken Fellowship Program for post-doctoral researchers.

Details on each programme and application information follows below.

Japanese Studies Fellowship Programme

This program provides preeminent foreign scholars and researchers in the field of Japanese studies with opportunities to conduct research in Japan, with the aim of supporting them and promoting Japanese studies overseas. Experts in the fields of natural science, medical science, and engineering are excluded.

There are three subcategories as follows.

1. Scholars and Researchers (Long Term) (4 - 12 months)

For scholars and researchers who have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent professional experience at the time of application and are conducting research related to Japan (comparative research included) in the humanities and social sciences, whose projects require them to travel to Japan to carry out research over a long period of time. A named affiliate in Japan is also required at the time of application.

2. Scholars and Researchers (Short-term) (21 days - 89 days)

For scholars and researchers who have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent professional experience at the time of application are conducting research related to Japan (comparative research included) in the humanities and social sciences, whose projects require them to travel to Japan to carry out research, gather materials, etc., intensively over a short period of time. A named affiliate in Japan is also required at the time of application.

3. Doctoral Candidates (4 - 12 months)

For doctoral candidates working in the field of Japanese Studies, the humanities and social sciences who are in the closing stages of their Ph.D. and who need to undertake fieldwork in Japan in order to complete their dissertation/thesis. A named affiliate in Japan is required at the time of application.

Grant Coverage:

• Round-trip airfare (discount economy class - most direct and economical route)
• Stipend and other allowances

Dates for FY 2026-2027 programme:

• Applications available: Apply through our Online Application Portal. Details on the programme list on our Tokyo site.
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm JST) on Tuesday 2 December 2025
• Notification of Results: By the end of April 2026
• Project Duration: Research trips must commence between 20 June, 2026 and 20 March, 2027.

US citizens residing in the UK without UK permanent resident status should submit their applications on-line via the website of the Japan Foundation, New York.

For further information, please contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to the programme list on our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

Grant Programme for Japanese Studies Projects

This programme is designed to promote Japanese Studies overseas by providing grants to non-profit organisations such as higher education institutions and research institutions that are implementing Japanese Studies activities.

Eligible projects must fall into any of the following four categories:

• Research or conference on Japan; study or training in Japan; or publications that promote and contribute to the development of Japanese studies;
• Inviting scholars or researchers from Japan or other countries to deliver lectures on Japan;
• Purchase of books and materials on Japanese studies;
• Other relevant projects which would further promote and expand the horizon of Japanese studies.

*Projects in the field of natural sciences, commercial activities, arts and cultural activities, activities in support of specific doctrines or claims, and so forth are not eligible for this programme.

Grant Coverage:

Part of the following expenses:

• Travel expenses (international airfares and other transportation expenses, daily allowances and accommodation fees)
• Honoraria (for lecturers, collaborators, interpreters, etc.)
• Meeting expenses (for preparing materials, venues, equipment, public relations, etc.);
• Other direct expenses (for purchasing materials, etc.)

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

• Applications available: Apply through our Online Application Portal. Details on the programme list on our Tokyo site.
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm Japan Standard Time) on Tuesday 2 December 2025.
• Notification of Results: By end of April 2026.
• Project Duration: Projects must be implemented and completed during FY 2026-25 (Between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027)

For further details on this programme and application forms either contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

Programme for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields

This programme provides a six-month residential language course for specialists (researchers, postgraduate students, librarians, museum and art gallery curators, etc.) who need to improve their Japanese for academic or professional purposes. Courses take place at our Japanese-Language Institute in Kansai, Japan. Tuition, accommodation and meals are included in the programme but UK based applicants bear their own return travel expenses to Japan. The programme is open to those who are in a field of Japan-related humanities and social sciences, who are aged under 40, and who have a proficiency in Japanese, equivalent to or higher than level JLPT N4 (level 3 of the old JLPT).

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

Course Dates:

• Course Dates: 6 month course, from early-October 2026 to late-March 2027
• Applications available: on the programme list on our Tokyo site
• Application Deadline: Apply through Online Application Portal by 4am GMT (1pm Japan Standard Time) on Tuesday 2 December 2025 
• Notification of Results: Late April 2026

For further details on this programme, please contact the Japan Foundation London The Japan Foundation, London (LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp) or go to our Tokyo site.

Please contact the Japan Foundation to discuss eligibility before applying.

JF-CIJS-EAJS Fellowship Program

Tohoku University's Center for Integrated Japanese Studies (CIJS), in collaboration with the Japan Foundation (JF) and supported by the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS) has announced a research fellowship programme that allows Ph.D. candidates who conduct research related to Japan in the humanities or social sciences, and feel the need to visit Japan to complete their doctoral research to do so at Tohoku University.

Dates and length of fellowship: The fellowship will last between 4 and 12 months, commencing between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

Application Deadline: Applicants must send their application paperwork to JF-CIJS-EAJS@jpf.go.jp before Friday 21 November, 2025 (Japan Standard Time).

Full eligibility details and application information can be found at:

https://cijs.oii.tohoku.ac.jp/en/news/detail---id-69.html

For any inquiries, please email: JF-CIJS-EAJS@jpf.go.jp.

2026 JF-GJS Fellowship Program

In order to promote Japanese Studies overseas, this programme, jointly organised by the Japan Foundation (JF) and the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia of the University of Tokyo (Tobunken), provides post-doctoral researchers in the field of Japanese Studies with opportunities to conduct research in Japan while belonging to Tobunken. The Fellows will also be expected to gain experience as project facilitators through operation and management work at various meetings or workshops, and to form and expand networks with people involved in international exchange.

Dates and length of fellowship: The fellowship will last between 6 and 24 months, commencing between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

Application Deadline: Applicants must send their application paperwork to JF-GJS@jpf.go.jp before Monday 1 December, 2025 (Japan Standard Time).

Full eligibility details and application information can be found at:

https://gas.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/networking/2026-jf-gjs-fellowship/

For any inquiries, please email: JF-GJS@jpf.go.jp.

JF-Nichibunken Fellowship Program

This programme is jointly organised by the Japan Foundation and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, National Institutes for the Humanities (Nichibunken). It provides post-doctoral researchers in the field of Japanese Studies with the opportunity to conduct research in Japan while belonging to Nichibunken. The Fellows will also be expected to gain experience as project facilitators through operation and management work at various meetings or workshops, and to form networks with people involved in international exchange.

Eligibility

Eligible research themes examine Japanese culture from an international, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive perspective in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. at the time of application, and must have received the Ph.D. within 6 years as of April 1, 2026.

Grant Coverage

• Round-trip airfare (discount economy class - most direct and economical route)
• Stipend and other allowances

Dates for FY 2026-27 programme:

• Applications available: Apply by filling out and sending the Application Form to JF-Nichibunken@jpf.go.jp. For full details and Application Form, click here.
• Application Deadline: Monday, 1 December (JST) 
• Notification of Results: Applicants who pass the first screening will be invited for interview in January, 2026. Successful Fellows will be informed in April 2026.
• Project Duration: Fellows will be invited to stay continuously in Japan for a period from over 6 months to a maximum of 24 months. Projects must commence between September 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.

If you have any questions regarding the JF-Nichibunken Fellowship, please email JF-Nichibunken@jpf.go.jp .

Date: Thursday 16 January, 6.30pm

Venue: Japan House London (Livestream available)

We are proud to announce that the Japan Foundation London will be welcoming Prof. Simon Kaner from the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) to deliver a special talk on 'How Japanese Arts and Cultures Can Make Us Happier'. SISJAC were a recipient of the Japan Foundation Awards 2024 for their work in helping to promote Japanese Studies and Japanese arts and cultures.

Talk Description:

Artistic and cultural activity is intrinsic to being human. Engaging with such activity, whether visiting a museum, gallery or heritage site, attending or taking part in a performance, or creating one’s own works, improves our well-being. Taking examples from a range of recent projects undertaken by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures at venues including Stonehenge, the British Museum and an old shoe factory in Norwich, this talk will explore how engaging with Japanese arts and cultures makes us happier. It will also consider how we can best exploit the Digital Revolution to bring what the Chief Executive of Arts Council England, Darren Henley, describes as the ‘Arts Dividend’ to new global audiences.

About the Speaker:

Professor Simon Kaner, MA (Cantab.) PhD, FSA, is Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, where he is also the Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage. He is Founding Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia. He has curated a number of exhibitions, including at the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich. His current research projects include Global Perspectives on British Archaeology and The Shinano-Chikuma River Project: investigating the historic environments of Japanese longest river drainage. In 2011 he was awarded the 10th Miyasaki Eiichi Togariishi Jomon Prize.

If you are unable to attend in person, this talk will also be livestreamed.

This event is taking place in partnership with SISJAC and Japan House London.

If you have any questions about this event, please email LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp.

To learn more about the Japan Foundation Awards and its past recipients, click here.

Are you interested in Japanese culture, or currently learning Japanese? Do you want to help pre-university students shape their future studies and careers?

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is looking for volunteers to assist during this year's summer school  for pre-university students from the UK and Japan, to help the participants to make the most out of their experience.

Volunteer roles:

- Join and facilitate group discussion during the UCL Grand Challenge Workshop on Tuesday 30th JUly

- Encourage Japanese high school students to communicate in English as much as possible

- Support the staff (catering, guide to venues and the toilet)

Dates and Venues:

- Rikkyo School in England: Saturday 27th July

- University of Cambridge: Sunday 28th & Monday 29th July

- UCL (University College London): Tuesday 30th - Satuday 3rd August

*Volunteers may join us from one day to the whole programme between Saturday 30th July and Saturday 3rd August

Times:

9am to 6pm (BST) *Times may vary depending on the day (may finish slightly earlier or later)

What is provided:

Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed, and lulnch will be provided

Eligibility:

Over 18 years old, who can travel to the location(s)

If you are interested in volunteering, please email ujyc@japanatuk.com

To find out more about the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge, visit the official website: ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com

To download the information flyer for volunteers, click here.

Date:	27 July 2024 - 3 August 2024
Venue:	Rikkyo School in England Cambridge University University College London (UCL)
Download UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2024 volunteer flyer 20230627v1

Date: Friday 4 July, 5pm BST

Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Fylde College, Lancaster University.

Livestreaming available via Zoom

Are you someone with a general interest in Japanese culture and society? Or are you a sixth form student or current university student, either studying Japanese language or with an interest in learning more about Japan? Why not come and listen to our first lecture as part of our new seminar series: Exploring the World of Japanese Studies!

Our first lecture, Ghibli in the Machine: AI Controversies and the Appropriation of Anime will be hosted by Lancaster University, with Dr Zoe Crombie, (Associate Lecturer in Film Studies, Lancaster University) and Prof. Rayna Denison (Professor of Film and Digital Arts and Head of Department for Film and Television at the University of Bristol).

Talk Description:

Earlier this year, ChatGPT released a new Photo to Anime filter that turns user images into not just "anime" images but Hayao Miyazaki-inspired images. Controversially this filter quickly became one of ChatGPT's most popular image generators, while also being roundly condemned for the theft of Studio Ghibli's animation art. In this talk, we discuss how AI is currently reshaping the anime industry in Japan, and impacting upon one of Japanese animation's best loved studios. We consider how Japanese Studies can help us to unpack and understand this pivotal moment in Japanese animation history.

The lecture will be one hour long, followed by a 15 minute Q&A Session with the two academics. Participants can enjoy asking questions about the lecture topic itself, or about research on Japan!

This talk is open to the general public, and sixth-formers and undergraduate students are especially encouraged to join.

Speaker Profiles:

Dr Zoe Crombie

Zoe Crombie is Associate Lecturer in Film Studies at the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, University of Lancaster. She is an early career academic currently working on a monograph about Studio Ghibli’s transnational reinterpretations of Western literature through the Trailblazers scheme.

Professor Rayna Denison

Rayna Denison is Professor of Film and Digital Arts at the University of Bristol where she teaches and does research into contemporary Japanese film and animation. Her books include Anime: A Critical Introduction and Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History along with edited collections like Princess Mononoke: Understanding Studio Ghibli's Monster Princess. 

This event is free to attend but booking is essential for in-person and online attendees. To register, scan the QR code or click the link!   https://forms.office.com/r/i7VrJXAVDd

Organised by the Japan Foundation London with support from Lancaster University

The second round of applications for the Japan Foundation London Grant Programme FY 2025-26 has opened!

Deadline: Friday 8 August 2025

For projects taking place between 1 September 2025 – 31 March 2026.

This programme is designed to provide grant assistance to projects (e.g. lectures, workshops, conferences) in any discipline of the humanities and social sciences that have a significant Japan element, or involve collaboration with Japanese researchers/practitioners.

Projects must take place in the UK to be eligible for support and applications can only be accepted from not-for-profit organisations in the UK.

Priority will be given to projects that fall under one or more of the following descriptions:

1.     Projects that will bring together researchers/ practitioners from a variety of disciplines and sectors that are relevant to Japan

2.     Projects organised by, and/or involving core participation by, early career researchers/ practitioners

3.     Projects that will nurture diverse interests in Japan among future generations in the UK

Applications for preliminary project development will be considered as long as such projects include some of the above elements.

Grant coverage:

Only specific items such as travel expenses, honoraria, venue hire, printing/publicity costs etc. which are deemed to be essential in order to carry out the project.

Successful applicants may be granted up to £1500. As successful applicants will not necessarily be granted the full requested amount, applicants are strongly encouraged to secure additional funding from their own organisation and elsewhere.

Before contacting us, please read the full Application Instructions, containing further details about eligibility and the Application Process.

Application Deadline: Friday 8 August

Results will be notified by the end of August.

To read the Application Instructions PDF, click here.

If you have any questions, email Iona Vos at LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp.

When you email us, please CC Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp (Assistant Director for JF London and Manager of Japanese Studies Affairs) and Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp (Assistant Programme Officer for Japanese Studies).

Date:	8 August 2025
Download 01_2025_Application_Instructions (2nd call)

The Japan Foundation London has begun collecting information for the Japanese Studies Survey 2025.

JF London, with the cooperation of the British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS), conducts a survey every 5 years. Our survey targets universities, researchers and students undertaking Japan-related studies in the humanities and social sciences, to analyse trends and support researchers in expanding their networks.The survey is essential in investigating the current landscape of Japanese Studies and Japan-related research in the UK

What will the survey include?

(1) University Directory Survey - This directory aims to provide students and the general public with useful reference information by listing universities that offer humanities and social sciences programs related to Japanese studies, employ faculty members specialising in such areas, or provide Japanese language education.

(2) Student Survey - This survey is intended for students in academic departments offering Japan-related studies programs, students in the humanities and social sciences whose topic of research or primary interest includes Japan, and undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students majoring in Japanese language or translation studies. (Students studying only Japanese language are not eligible.) 

(3) Researcher Survey - This survey is intended for researchers affiliated with Japan-related studies departments, as well as researchers in the humanities and social sciences whose research includes Japan as a research subject.

(4) Researcher Directory Survey - To facilitate networking among students and researchers, we will create a directory of humanities and social sciences researchers whose work includes Japan-related studies, regardless of whether they are affiliated with Japanese studies department. This directory will be published on our website.

Deadline for All Responses: 12th September 2025

How can I help?

We have begun requesting information from universities across the UK, their students, and researchers in the field.

If you would like to participate in the survey or you would like any further information, please contact us at:

LO_JapaneseStudies@jpf.go.jp (CC Natsumi_Abe@jpf.go.jp and Iona_Vos@jpf.go.jp)

We look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

You can view the 2020 Japanese Studies Survey here.

We are proud to be partnering with the University of Edinburgh for a number of talks in their Asian Studies Seminar Series.

Join the University of Edinburgh for this talk, The Scots and Japan: First Contact (1613-1623) by Professor Ian Gow which will reveal evidence of Scots working with Japan in the early 17th century!

This talk event is free and booking is not required, just turn up! 

To find out more, click here.

Date: Wednesday 5 June, 6:30pm – 9pm (Doors at 6pm)

Venue: Japan House London

The world is ageing. According to the World Health Organization, increased life expectancy and declining birth rates mean that between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 will have doubled. Nowhere is this trend easier to see than in Japan, where 1 in 10 people are over the age of 80 and almost 30% of the population is over the age of 65, according to a study published in 2023 by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Who will provide care to the growing number of frail and cognitively impaired older people in this historically unprecedented reality?

Japan relies on a combination of informal, unpaid care (primarily family members, but also local community volunteer groups) and formal, paid care to address the increasing needs of its ageing population. Despite the introduction of a national Long-Term Care Insurance system in 2000, family involvement in daily care of older family members has not decreased. Family members play a vital role as primary carers for almost three-quarters of frail and dependent older people, but as dependency increases with age, it is not uncommon for family carers to leave their jobs or move in with the person they are caring for, leading to dangerous levels of stress and fatigue. Understanding and recognizing the value of unpaid care is essential for ensuring their support over the course of what is often a long, painful, but ultimately transformative journey.

Join us for a discussion on this issue, with Dr Jason Danely, Reader in Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University and Chair of the Healthy Ageing and Care Research Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Network.

This event will feature a documentary film screening of I Go Gaga: Welcome Home, Mom as part of the release of new titles to the JFF + Japanese Film Festival Online.

The event will involve a 10 minute introductory talk from Dr Danely, followed by the documentary screening. After the screening, Dr Danely will lead a 30 minute Q&A session to share his expertise and facilitate an audience discussion.

About the Film

I Go Gaga: Welcome Home, Mom is the sequel to director NOBUTOMO Naoko's 2018 hit documentary I Go Gaga, My Dear. It is a record of the director’s own mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in her mid-eighties and the director’s nonagenarian father who continues to take care of his wife. Since the first film, the mother’s dementia has progressed and upon having a stroke, she begins hospital life. The ageing father goes to visit the mother every day at the hospital and continues to shower his wife with love and hope. A gently observed story about a fate that could happen to any family living in an ageing society.

Watch the trailer here.

About the Speaker

Dr. Jason Danely is a Reader in Anthropology and Chair of the Healthy Ageing & Care Research Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Network at Oxford Brookes University. He is the author of over 20 publications, including his most recent book, Fragile Resonance: Caring for Older Family Members in Japan and England (2022). His research expertise relates to cultural understanding and experiences of ageing and care in

Japan, where he has at various times taught, studied, performed theatre, travelled, meditated and raised children, over the last twenty years.

Keep an eye on this page for the title of the documentary, screened as part of this event!

For enquiries, please email LO_info@jpf.go.jp

About this Event

Poetry has been a part of Japanese life for more than a millennium, with the first major anthology of waka - poems in Japanese - compiled in the late eighth century. Later, it was to become an essential part of life for the aristocrats of the new capital city of Heian-kyō - modern Kyoto - and through their production and patronage exert a profound influence on almost all aspects of Japan’s cultural life, as warlords, warriors and merchants sought the social status and approval that came with the composition of poetry. Images from waka were used in painting, on clothing, and utensils of various kinds. Waka topics influenced which plants and animals were cherished, and which were not and subtly shaped Japan’s ideas of itself as a nation and people. Indeed, the influence of waka has been so pervasive and enduring that it’s possible to say without an understanding of waka, you don’t really understand Japan.

This lecture will trace the development of waka from its early beginnings as a tool for communication and social relationships among the elite nobility, through its role in providing a ritual underpinning to the aristocratic state, and its development into an arena of critical and literary conflict between factions determined to maintain and promote their views of appropriate poetic style, leading eventually to the development of new poetic form such as the haiku. It will reveal how and why waka thrived, and how its topics and the emotions associated with them came to express many of the attitudes which are considered quintessentially Japanese.

About the Speaker

Dr Thomas McAuley is a Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield, and an expert on premodern Japanese poetry and culture. Among his publications is the complete translation and commentary of Roppyakuban uta’awase (‘Poetry Contest in Six Hundred Rounds’; 1193-94), one of the most significant poetic and critical texts of the period.

An experienced translator, he regularly posts new translations of premodern Japanese poetry on his website, www.wakapoetry.net.

Among his current projects are studies of premodern critics’ attitudes to the inclusion of Chinese-influenced material in waka poetry  and the impact of poets’ gender on their compositional practice.

To register for this event, click here.

Booking for this event has now closed.

*Looking for Volunteers* UCL-Japan Youth Challenge

Interested in Japanese culture? Learning Japanese? Want to help pre-university students shape their future studies and careers?

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge are looking for university student volunteers who can join the in person summer school programme for a week at the end of July, to help the participants make the most out of their experience!

Volunteer roles:

• Join and facilitate group discussion during the UCL Grand Challenge Workshop on Tuesday 25 July

• Encourage Japanese high school students to communicate in English

• Support the staff (catering, guide to venues, etc.)

Dates:

• Rikkyo School in England: Saturday 22 July

• University of Cambridge: Sunday 23 & Monday 24 July

• UCL (University College London): Tuesday 25 - Saturday 29 July

*Volunteers may join us from one day to the whole programme between Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 

Times:

9am to 6pm (BST)

* Times may vary depending on the day (may finish slightly earlier or later)

To download the information flyer, click here.

If you can participate, please email ujyc@japanatuk.com

Website: www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is an annual summer school programme for pre-university students from UK sixth form colleges and Japanese high schools for cultural interaction through various educational activities and events held at UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge, since 2015, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Japan’s Choshu Five and Satsuma 19, all of whom studied at UCL in 1863 and 1865 respectively.

If you are a pre-university student interested in learning more and attending this event, please see our previous post here: https://www.jpf.org.uk/whatson.php#1264

Or visit the official event website: https://www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com/

Date:	22 July 2023 - 29 July 2023 from 12.00am
Venue:	Rikkyo School in England Cambridge University University College London (UCL)
Download UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is back in person for its 9th iteration!

Suitable for pre-university students in the UK, the Youth Challenge is a week long summer school, this year taking place between Saturday 22nd July ～ Sunday 30th July 2023.

The Youth Challenge 2023 will be hosted in three locations: Rikkyo School in England, West Sussex; Cambridge University, Cambridge; and UCL, London.

This year's theme is Resilience:

"Our world in 2023 is experiencing diverse challenges, including natural disasters, war, the pandemic and economic recession. We need a society where it can adopt rapid and agile recovery from dynamic and unpredictable challenges. Therefore, we are confronting the topic of ‘resilience of the global society’ in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023 this year, offering opportunities to every individual to consider what resilience means to you."

The programme is a great chance for students from the UK to meet high school students coming from Japan, to participate in cultural exchange, and gain valuable skills to prepare for higher education with the guidance of university lecturers!

The two-week programme includes:

   --- University-style lectures delivered by professors from top universities

   --- UCL Grand Challenge Workshop which facilitates teamwork, problem solving, and presentation skills

   --- Social activities

How much does it cost?

The fee below covers the complete cost of the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023,  excluding accommodation fees.

To secure your place on the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023, you will need to pay your fees in full. Details of how to pay your fees will be provided as part of the application process.

£100

The standard programme fee in the past was £300, however by courtesy of various sponsors in the UK, the fee for UK based participants has been reduced to £100.

As an added bonus, the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge may count for your Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) as a Residential activity.

Your participation in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2023 does not count towards a DofE Award in itself.

Applications are now open but spaces are limited and may fill up, so register now to avoid disappointment!

For more detailed information and registration, please visit the official website:

https://www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com/

*Looking for Volunteers* UCL-Japan Youth Challenge

Interested in Japanese culture? Learning Japanese? Want to help pre-university students shape their future studies and careers?

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge are looking for university student volunteers who can join our online summer school programme in the second half of August 2022 for one week to see the world through the lens of a top-notch design thinker.

Volunteer roles:

• Join and facilitate group discussion during Workshop and Preparation for Presentation

• Be an active member of an allocated group to deliver a group presentation smoothly

• Encourage Japanese high school students to communicate in English

Dates:

• Workshop—Tuesday 16th August

• Preparation for Presentation—Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th & Friday 19th August

• Presentation—Tuesday 23rd August

Times:

9am to 12pm (midday) (BST)

* Preparation for Presentation may vary slightly depending on the group 

If you can participate, please email ujyc@japanatuk.com

Website: www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is an annual summer school programme for pre-university students from UK sixth form colleges and Japanese high schools for cultural interaction through various educational activities and events held at UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge, since 2015, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Japan’s Choshu Five and Satsuma 19, all of whom studied at UCL in 1863 and 1865 respectively.

If you are a pre-university student interested in learning more and attending this event, please see our previous post here: https://jpf.org.uk/whatson.php#1227 

Or visit the official event website: https://www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com/programme-2022/

We are delighted to announce that the 2022 Japan Foundation and British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) Postgraduate Workshop will be held at University of East Anglia. This will be an in person event!

This annual workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese Studies researchers and to provide networking opportunities to strengthen Japanese Studies in the UK.

The workshop provides opportunity for participants to present their current research projects and receive feedback from peers and senior colleagues. This year’s key note theme is ‘The Bigger Picture – Funding and Beyond’. The afternoon will be dedicated to learning about larger-scale funding applications, projects and interdisciplinary collaborations. 

In addition, there will also be an opportunity to hear presentations from various organisations regarding funding for current and future research, both in the UK and Japan.

Travel Bursaries:

For all participants, a travel bursary of up to £70 is available after students have covered the first £20.

A hotel bursary of £50 is also available.

Eligibility: This workshop is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies and those undertaking Japan related research in any discipline within humanities and social sciences.

Priority registration will be giving to Ph.D. candidates From Tuesday 18th January 2022 registration will be extended to Master’s students who are thinking about doing a Ph.D.

The deadline for all workshop registrations is Tuesday 25th January 2022.

*The Japan Foundation is offering partial travel grants to student participants. Please get in touch for more details.*

Booking: Please fill in the form at this link to book your place!

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is a prestigious annual summer school programme which has had a tremendous reputation and impact since 2015. Pre-university students from Japan and the UK attend a series of university-style lectures on a wide range of subjects by academics from leading UK universities including UCL (University College London), and engage in the UCL Grand Challenge Workshop.

In 2021, the programme will be held online due to COVID-19 guidelines.

Theme

Through the past UCL-Japan Youth Challenge programmes, young students have been provided with opportunities to look into social problems, mainly through science and technology. This year, the cultural side of the issues will be highlighted and discussions of how art and design could contribute to solving those problems and developing the sustainable future will be held.

For the full programme, please visit the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge homepage.

Eligibility

Non-Japanese sixth-form students residing in the UK, aged 15, 16, 17 and 18 years (Parental consent will be required prior to the event for under 18s.)

Applications

To apply, please complete the forms available here.

All participants will receive a complimentary ticket for Hyper Japan Online and two UK based participants will be selected to for a free trip to Japan in 2022. 

There is no application deadline, though please note that spaces are limited.

This project proposes a rediscovery of probably the most important female documentary maker from Japan, Haneda Sumiko (1926-), who was a pioneer female documentarist and one of the most prolific in post-war Japan. Haneda was one of the few women working in the influential Iwanami Productions where she participated in the creation of many short and long non-fiction works from the early years of the company between 1950s and 1980s and as an independent filmmaker until 2012.

The project is the result of a collaboration of scholars working on Japanese Cinema from several angles -Gender Studies, Documentary Film, Film Theory and Authorship- who are joining efforts to cast light on this still under-researched female director.

Programme:

Thursday 30th September (All times BST)
Online Symposium

Afternoon Session 

Friday 1st - Saturday 2nd October 
Online film screening: The Japanese Settlers to Manchuria and Inner Mongolia of Mainland CHina (Aa Manmo Kaitaku-dan, Haneda Sumiko, 2008, 120 mins). BIMI. Free but prior registration to the symposium is essenetial in order to access the film. 

Registration

This event is free and open to public. If you would like to attend the event please register. Please register via Zoom.

Image: Kanatasha and Haneda Sumiko

Unfortunately, due travel restrictions surrounding Coronavirus, several speakers and commentators have become unable to attend this event. The organisers have therefore taken the difficult decision to cancel this event. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 

This is the fourth event in our Sport Symposia Series organised together with SOAS Japan Research Centre This event will focus on the theme of Women and Sport in Japan.

Guest speakers will be a mix of academic researchers and sportswomen. Discussion will focus on the changing environment for women and sport, in terms of participation, progress and challenges. Guest speakers will share the inspirational stories of their sporting careers.

Helen Macnaughtan Helen is Chair of the Japan Research Centre and Senior Lecturer in International Business & Management (Japan) at SOAS University of London. Her research interests focus on a range of topics relating to gender, employment and sport in Japan. She has previously published on the history of women’s volleyball in Japan with reference to the gold medal victory for the ‘Oriental Witches’ at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics. She is currently researching the history of rugby in postwar Japan with a focus on the corporate history of the game.
Guest Speakers
Sakai Mariko Sakai Mariko is an Olympian who competed in Artistic (Synchronized) Swimming at the 2012 London Olympic Games. After retiring as an athlete, she has worked for the Japan Sport Council (JSC) where she is secretary for a project initiated by the government to develop a better environment for female high-level mother athletes. She also works at Tsukuba International Academy of Sport Studies at Tsukuba University Japan as a researcher since 2018. She worked in Cirque du Soleil from 2014 to 2017 where she was inspired by many performers, and she incorporates these skills into current coaching for young athletes. Having served as a national coach of her sport over the last year, she has been seeking to promote her sport for both male and female athletes.
Hirano Yuka Hirano Yuka is a professional female football player, currently signed at the Women`s Team of 1. FC Köln (Cologne), Germany. The Japanese attacker was signed up after trials and scored four goals in her subsequent first six games for 1. FC Köln. In a game against Wolfsburg she showed the data system what the coaches already knew – after running 11,9km, she ran more than any other FC player. When the Japanese national women’s football team won the Women’s World Cup in 2011, Yuka was 15 years old, and she decided she wanted a football career – preferably abroad. Now, at 23 years of age, she is making that dream come true. She has been in Germany since February 2019 and is teaching herself German. She doesn’t yet know how long she will remain in Germany, and her goal is to play in as many different footballing countries as possible, preferably in Europe and America. “I want to get to know different cultures and experience as many things as possible” says Yuka.
Christian Tagsold Christian Tagsold is at the Department of Modern Japanese Studies, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. He has previously researched the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and its role for re-establishing national identity in Japan after World War II. He has broad experience in organising sports mega-events. He was a member of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA Confed Cup 2005, the FIFA World Cup 2006, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011. He will interpret Japanese-English for Yuka Hirano as well as talk about his time with the Japanese women’s team in FIFA events.
Konul Nurullayeva Konul conducts research at the University of Azerbaijan and is on the Executive MBA program at the Swiss Business University. She worked for the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan as Director of International Relations for over 10 years. She was the youngest and the first female chef de mission in the history of the Olympic Games to represent her national team in Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014) Winter Olympic Games. She was deputy chef de mission during the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012). She was the youngest female CEO of “Baku 2020” (Olympic Games Bid Committee) in the history of the Olympic movement. In 2015 she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Inaugural European Games and chef de mission of the biggest team in the history of Azerbaijan. She is the first female representative from Azerbaijan to be elected in the European Olympic Committees’ “Gender Equality in Sport” Commission. In 2013 she was elected as the first female member to the Executive Board of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF). She is Director of the “Gender Equality” Commission of the ISSF and member of the Coordination Commission of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games - “Konya 2021”. She is fluent in Azerbaijani, Russian and English.
Panel Commentators
Nefeli Chondrogianni Nefeli is a passionate sports professional and an advocate for women sports development. From her position as Communications and Technical Affairs Manager at Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy (FBMA), a government entity of Abu Dhabi – UAE, she oversees the expansion of the Emirate’s women sports offering by planning and implementing various initiatives that aim to make sports a part of every Emirati woman’s daily life. 'She is studying for a PhD in Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent (UK) on the topic of social impact of international non-mega sports events on local communities supervised by Dr Dikaia Chatziefstathiou and Dr Simon Hoult. She has an M.A. in Sport Management from the London Metropolitan University, UK, and an M.Sc. in Exercise and Quality of Life, from the University of Thrace, Greece.
Dikaia Chatziefstathiou Dikaia is an expert in Olympic Studies and her work on Olympism has been widely published and cited. In the most recent work, she applies the theory and methodology adopted in her Olympic research into the world of football unpacking issues of power in the dressing rooms. She is Director of Research Environment and Knowledge Exchange, and a Reader in Olympic Studies & the Social Analysis of Sport at the School of Human and Life Sciences in Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. She is also an International Research Expert of the Centre for Olympic Studies & Research (COS&R) at Loughborough University, UK; and a Senior Associate of the Hibou Alliance of sports professionals worldwide. She is the winner of the inaugural Coubertin Prize 2008 awarded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (IPCC) for her qualitative research on Pierre de Coubertin’s writings and speeches.
Mara Yamauchi Mara Yamauchi is a former elite British marathon runner and diplomat. A two-time Olympian, she is the second fastest British marathon runner ever, with a PB of 2:23:12. She grew up in Kenya, and has lived in Japan for many years as a diplomat and professional athlete. Mara finished 6th in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon – the best performance ever by a British woman in this event – and was runner-up in the 2009 London marathon. She also competed for Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics. In January 2013 Mara retired from elite competition and now works as a running coach, commentator and motivational speaker. She lives in London.	Photo Credit: Marimo Images
Simon Rofe Simon is Reader in Diplomatic and International Studies in the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, and Programme Director for MA Global Diplomacy, at SOAS University of London. His research focuses upon diplomacy, international and global history, with a particular focus on the diplomacy of sport. He is the author and editor of a number of books and academic articles including “Sport and Society: Games within Games” (Manchester University Press, 2018).

This event is free to attend but registration is essential

Organised by:
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The Japan Foundation/BAJS Postgraduate Workshop is back! A lot has changed since the 2020 iteration, and this year’s online workshop will be tackling the effects of the global pandemic on academia head on. The workshop will take place online and will be spread over two mornings. The aim of this workshop will be to help postgraduate students develop their careers in JS navigating the 'new normal'.

 This year, participating students will also be able to present their latest research to academics and their peers, gaining important feedback at a time when presenting opportunities is low.

There will also be talks and discussions about key areas surrounding the rapidly changing world of Japanese Studies. Topics will include:

• Funding opportunities available to PhD candidates and early career researchers.
• The current state of academia in Japan and the effects of COVID-19
• Job opportunities both inside and outside of academia 
• Creating a social media research presence
• And more…

Eligibility

Registration is open to postgraduate in any field of the humanities of social sciences with a focus on Japan (including comparative studies). Spaces are limited and priority will be given to PhD/Dphil students from the UK/Ireland. Master’s level students may apply at any time but their places will not be confirmed until closer to the event. Students must be able to attend both days.

Registration is free for all participants. To register, please fill in this form.

The Japan Foundation and SOAS are hosting a special symposium looking at the Japanese phenomenon that is sake. Widely seen as the national drink of Japan, sake exports have been booming in recent years, with its unique taste and wide range of flavours, it has been appearing more and more on UK menus. This seminar will bring together experts to discuss sake from various perspectives: historically, culturally, commercially and diplomatically. 

The symposium will be followed by a sake tasting session, with experts on hand to guide you through the different types of sake available. 
We are delighted to be joined by five eminent speakers, each bringing a unique set of personal expertise. 

Heritage of Sake Making and Future 
Mr Koichi Saura ( 13th Generation of Kuramoto, Owner Urakasumi Sake Brewery, Vice President of Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Assosiation, Founding Chairman of Sake Samurai Association) 

Internationalisation of Sake
Mr Yusaku Shimizu (Minister of Finance at the Embassy of Japan in the UK) 

Sake Export from Japan and Overview of the UK Sake Market
Mr Hirohisa Ichihashi (Food Division Director of JETRO London) 

International Sake Promotion through the IWC Wine Platform
Mr Chris Ashton (Director of International Wine Challenge IWC) 

Promoting Sake Globally from London
Ms Rie Yoshitake (Sake Promoter, Sake Samurai UK, Rep of Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association)

For more information and to see the speakers' full biographies, please visit the SOAS website.

Manga has boomed in popularity in recent years. Whilst it is enjoyed globally by a varied audience, there remains a lack of understanding about its breadth and depth, and its relationship with Japan and the rest of the world. This symposium aims to redefine manga by suggesting ways of looking at it as a cultural activity and an expression of historical activities.

Although manga has become a major global art form, East and West remain relatively isolated from each other in the field of comic studies. By bringing together scholars, manga artists and manga industry members from Japan, Europe and beyond, the symposium creates a dialogue on the definition, reaches, and impact of manga in a global context, seeking to find and answer the questions that need to be answered about this global, cultural phenomenon.

Click here to view the day's programme.

Presented by the Japan Foundation and SISJAC, in collaboration with British Library.

The Japan Foundation/BAJS Postgraduate Japanese Studies Workshop is returning for its 8^th year and will be held at SOAS, University of London.

The theme for this year is ‘Publishing Your Research’ and will focus on helping participants navigate the world of academic publishing. Throughout the student-focused workshop, participants will be guided both leading scholars and those with insider knowledge of the academic publishing industry. The workshop also provides an excellent opportunity for networking among PhD students and academics, as well as a forum to discuss future collaborations. Organisations will also be presenting their funding programmes and giving details of how they can help.

Student Submissions:

Once registered, we ask students to send in a piece of work that they will be submitting for publication in the future. The work will be shared ahead of the event and feedback on submitted work will be provided by other students and academics throughout the morning session in small groups. If you are unable to submit a piece of work you can still participate in the event and provide feedback to other students. If you have any questions about this, please contact Mara Patessio at mp78@soas.ac.uk. 

Travel Grants:

The Japan Foundation is able to offer a partial travel grant of £70 per attendee after attendees have covered the first £20 of their fare. The British Association for Japanese Studies is able to offer £50 per attendee towards the cost of accommodation.

Registration:

Registration for this event has now closed. 

Registration is free and the workshop is open to UK based PhD students who are undertaking research about Japan (including comparative) in humanities and social science subjects.

Should places still be available, registration will be extended to masters students on January 13th.

The final deadline for registration is January 21^st.

Hosted at UCL (University College London), the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge (UJYC) brings together pre-university students from the UK and Japan in a 10-day summer school programme, as well as hosting various public events. 

Students from both countries will engage in a series of topic-focused activities including workshops, lectures and a symposium. Our highlight is the Grand Challenge Workshop where “Accessibility for All: AI and Robotics”, a topic important in our society today.

You can find more information by downloading the programme brochure here. 

Eligibility

Non-Japanese sixth-form students residing in the UK, aged 15, 16, 17 and 18 years (Parental consent will be required prior to the event. All students are supervised by UCL staff during the event.) Students will be joined by a group of Japanese students from Japan

Application Deadline

There is no application deadline, though early applications are encouraged as places are limited. 

Applications

To apply please visit https://www.ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com/ 
For enquiries, please email programme conductor Hideyuki Miyahara

Public Events:

The Japan Youth Challenge are proud to present a public screening of the short documentary Imphal 1944.

This documentary tells the story of Japanese veteran Masao Hirokubo and the Battle of Imphal, a key turning point of the East-Asian Theatre in World War Two. Hirokubo devoted a great deal of his life to reconciliation work with his former adversaries. This heart-warming documentary looks at his early reconciliation work and reflects on the interconnectedness of the three countries involved and on the futility of war.  

The screening will be followed by a talk and a Q&A by the director Junichi Kajioka. 

Date: 23 July 2019, Doors open at 17:00 - Screening begins at 17:40

Venue: UCL Medical Sciences 131 AV Hill LT
            Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT

This screening is free to attend, but registration is required.

The UCL Japan Youth Challenge will culminate in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge Symposium. 

This event will bring together industry profressionals, academics, and athletes to discuss the importance of AI and robotics in the field of accessibility. Part one of the symposium will focus on the current state of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and Part two will focus on accessibility in other areas. 

The symposium will be followed by a reception. 

Date: 26 July 2019, from 13:00. 

Venue: University College London,
            Christopher Ingold Building, XLG2 Auditorium
            WC1H 0AJ 

This symposium is free to attend, but registration is required. 

The Japan Foundation and the Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for the Europe-Japan Intellectual Exchange Session 2019 in Alsace, scheduled for September 30th - October 1st 2019. The Japan Foundation and CEEJA have carried out a series of seminars since 2007, with an aim to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and further promote Japanese studies in Europe.

The title of this year's study seminar is "Representations of Japanese Culture and Arts in Europe: from 'Japonism' to 'Cool Japan'. （ヨーロッパにおける日本の文化・芸術のイメージ　－「ジャポン二スム」から「クールジャパン」へ）Please note that the language of this event will be Japanese with no interpretation. 

Applicants from Europe are being sought from a wide range of fields including Sociology, Arts, Literature, History, Language, Philosophy, Political Science, Economics etc. 
Applicants must currently be on a graduate or post-graduate scheme or hold a junior teaching/research position at an academic institution in Europe. 

For more details and applications, please click here. (Japanese version). 

The deadline for applications is July 12th 2019. 

The Japan Foundation are proud to be a co-organiser of Japan Information day 2019. Along with other Japan related organisations and universities, we will be introducing our programmes, grants, and the work that we do in the fields of Japanese Language and Japanese Studies. 

With an increasing number of tourists as well as international students choosing Japan as their destination, British interest in Japan, including its higher education and research institutions, has been growing. The day aims to provide relevant professionals with information about various opportunities for graduates in teaching, studying and conducting research in Japan. This is the only annual event in the UK where attendees can learn about the diverse programmes in these fields.

For more information including the event timetable, please click here. 
(Please note that this event is not suitable for students)

We are delighted to announce that the 2019 Japan Foundation and British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) Postgraduate Workshop will be held at Cardiff University. 

This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese Studies researchers and academics currently studying in the UK. Every year it provides a great opportunity for students to receive practical advice on their own research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow postgraduate students and members of the Japanese Studies Community. 

This year's interactive workshop will centre on career development in academia/research in the UK, Japan and abroad. It will include several sessions by senior academics addressing concerns and challenges faced by at the early stages of an academic career and how to take full advantage of the opportunities available. There will be a chance for students to present their research and receive feedback from both peers and senior colleagues. There will also be an opportunity to hear from organisations and the funding they can offer for current and future research. 

Eligibility: Registration is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies as well as those undertaking Japan related research in other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Priority will be given to Ph.D candidates. 

This year the Japan Foundation are able to provide partial travel grants: please e-mail the below address for more details.

BAJS are also offering a grant to help cover the cost of accommodation please click here for details.

Registration for this workshop has now closed. If you would like to be the first to hear about all of our events in the future, please sign up for mailing list. 

The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for participation in this year’s Japanese Study Seminar scheduled for 15 to 16 October 2018 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE (no interpretation).

The Japan Foundation and CEEJA have carried out a series of seminars since 2007, with an aim to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and further promote Japanese studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and a guest mentor.

The theme of this year’s seminar will be 'Transfiguration of employment at the time of globalization and technical innovation: A question about Japanese employment practice in the present and the future (グローバル化と技術革新の時代における雇用の変貌：日本型雇用慣行の現在・将来を問う).'

We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specialising in Sociology, Gender Studies, Literature, History, Arts, Language, Philosophy, Political Science, Economics, etc.

Please note the deadline for applications has now closed.

For further details including eligibility and application procedures, please visit the Japan Foundation Tokyo website here.

Yokohama 1874, courtesy of the World Rugby Museum, Twickenham

With just one year to go before the Rugby World Cup 2019's first match kicks off in Japan; the Japan Foundation London is delighted to announce a special symposium "Countdown to Kickoff: Japan's rugby history one year out from the 2019 Rugby World Cup", in partnership with SOAS Japan Research Centre.

 Japan will be the first Asian nation to host the Rugby World Cup and the lead-up provides a great opportunity to reflect upon the relationship between Japan, rugby, and sporting mega-events.

The symposium will look at Japan's rugby history, its place within society and culture, and the possible effects and challenges of hosting such a major sporting event in the current climate. There will be a chance to reflect on the rationale of Japan's bid for the tournament, as well as an analysis of the orgnaisational differences between Japan's previous sporting mega-events, i.e. the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, and the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup. There will also be reflection on Japan's perfomance at the previous tournament and their prospects for the upcoming tournament. The symposium will be chaired by Dr J. Simon Rofe, the Programme Director of MA Global Diplomacy at SOAS whose research has a particular focus on diplomacy in sport.

We are delighted to be hosting four speakers at the symposium, who will reflect on a wide range of topics:

Session 1:
Phil McGowan (Curator of the World Rugby Museum, Twickenham) and Mike Galbraith (De Montford University) will discuss Japan's rugby history and introduce key characters up until the Second World War, placing Japanese rugby in a wide social context.

Session 2:
Helen Macnaughtan (Chair of the SOAS Japan Research Centre) will be talking about Japan's post war rugby history up until the present day, reflecting on the place of Japan's university, and steel and iron industry teams.

Session 3:
Simon Chadwick (Professor of Sports Industry, Salford University Manchester) will reflect on bidding for international sporting mega-events and explore some of the key economic and business issues affecting the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Session 4:
Hilary Frank (Cornwall Council) will give a personal insight into some of Japan's previous mega-events such as the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. She will also reflect on Japan's 2015 World Cup Performance an the outlook for Japan as they prepare to become the host nation.

Please click here for a full list of the speakers' biographies.

Date:	20 September 2018 from 5.00pm - 8.00pm
Venue:	SOAS (Alumni Lecture Theatre, Paul Webly Wing), London
Download Timetable

In this special seminar, Dr Gitte Marianne Hansen (Newcastle University) will explore some of the connections and meanings between colours and characters throughout the work of Haruki Murakami. She will begin by analysing Murakami's latest novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, before looking at earlier characters from well-known longer novels such as Norwegian Wood and 1Q84 as well as from short stories such as The Little Green Monster.  

Following the talk, Dr Hansen will be joined in discussion by Dr Sebastian Groes, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Roehampton.

In the first of two special talks at the Japan Foundation, David H. Slater (Sophia University), drawing on 25 years of ethnographic research, will explore the tangled relations between patterns of work, representation and politics in Japan. Following the talk Dr Slater will be joined in discussion by Dr Helen Macnaughtan (SOAS, University of London).

Abstract:

The rise of "freeter" on the Japanese scene in the early 1990's is in part the result of a shift in labour patterns among youth, and particularly young men, that had been occurring since economic growth began slowing in the 1970's.  The term initially held the false promise of labour mobility, a certain "freedom" from the constrictions of Japan Inc institutionalized work patterns and the possibility of personal self-realization in diverse social domains. This momentary distraction from the neoliberal fragmentation of social identity lasted for a short period of time, mostly spurred on by a corporatist mass media and opportunistic academics.

Today the structural and policy patterns are familiar to late capitalist society around the world, but the cultural effects are somewhat more crushing. On the one hand, there is a desperate desire to return to the "suffocating embrace" of exploitative life-time employment in full-time work - work that is no long available after 25 years of labour degradation, and which seem to only accelerated with the rise of Abenomics. On the other hand, we also see glimpse of politicization, the rise of precariat-style mobilization here and there. 

3.11 was probably the most minutely documented disaster in history. And yet for all of these images, the impulse to archive representations of loss points to another set of images that have themselves gone missing: hundreds of thousands of family photo albums that were washed away by the tsunami.

In this special talk, Dr David H. Slater (Sophia University) addresses the various issues that have been raised therein, including the anxiety and ambivalence surrounding the uncontrolled circulation and handling of other people's photos; issues of obligation and debt to both the living and the dead; the role of the visual in the larger project of the 'work of mourning;' and the problems of politics and representation when these pictures end up in galleries around the world. Joining Dr Slater to discuss these issues will be Dr Dolores Martinez, Emeritus Reader in Anthropology at SOAS, University of London. 

Smartphone use has seen a meteoric rise in the past few years. Indeed, it is now hard for most of us, especially young people living in cosmopolitan urban centres, to imagine a world without the smartphone – and, for that matter, without the social media apps it supports such as Twitter, Facebook and LINE. But how do people in different parts of the world use their smartphones? What do they share cross-culturally – and what do they choose not to share? Do cultural differences really matter when the technology is the same?

In this public seminar, Professor Toshie Takahashi (Waseda University) will present findings from a comparative study of digital media use amongst young people in Japan, the US and the UK, focusing on their practices of connectivity with intimate and distant others through social media on smartphones. Joining Takahashi to discuss these findings will be Dr Chris Davies, joint convenor of the Learning and New Technologies Research Group at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. 

Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 2011, Prof Tom Gill (Meiji Gakuin University) has made some 26 field trips to Nagadoro, a tiny hamlet that has absorbed some of the highest levels of radiation in Fukushima prefecture.  During the course of these field trips Prof Gill has got to know the people of Nagadoro as they undergo an agonizing series of trials and tribulations.  In this special public seminar he tells their story and offers a glimpse of what life is really like for the residents of the nuclear disaster zone.  Joining Prof Gill in discussion will be Prof Ian Neary from the University of Oxford.

Abstract

The Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 will continue to affect millions of people for decades to come. The tremendous scale and complexity of this catastrophic event make it almost impossible to comprehend what is really going on in Fukushima. Any researcher must contend with the widely varying levels of radiation, the differing conditions for return to evacuated zones, the mixed fortunes of the decontamination programmes, the massive variation in compensation payments and many other challenges. I long since realized that my only hope of keeping abreast of events was to focus very tightly on a single small community that I could get to know reasonably well through a long series of field trips. That community is Nagadoro. Nagadoro is a tiny hamlet of 71 households, on the southern edge of Iitate village. After 3.11, it absorbed more radiation than any other hamlet in the village, and it is currently totally evacuated and barricaded with locked gates and sentries on all the four roads that lead into it. In three years and 26 field trips, I have slowly got to know the people of Nagadoro as they undergo an agonizing series of trials and tribulations. By telling their story, I hope to offer a glimpse of what life is really like for the residents of the nuclear disaster zone.

The Japan Foundation is delighted to present this special public seminar marking the 50^th anniversary of the Tokaido Shinkansen.  Joining us will be Yoshinori Hatta, General Manager of JR Tokai London Office, who will chart the history of the Tokaido Shinkansen, highlighting its strengths and achievements, while also looking to the future and the development of the new Chuō Shinkansen. Also joining us will be Dr Christopher Hood, Reader in Japanese Studies, Cardiff University, who will examine the regional differences in design and usage of the Shinkansen and how this in turn reflects the diversity of Japanese cultures. 

In this public seminar political scientists Prof Nobuhiro Hiwatari and Prof Junko Kato from the University of Tokyo join us to discuss their latest research into social policy reforms during financial crises, and tax politics and the welfare state.

Abstracts

Are Neo-Liberal Reforms Undemocratic? Evidence from the OECD and cases from the UK and Japan  

Prof Nobuhiro Hiwatari, University of Tokyo

In this paper I provide a new way of addressing whether spending cuts and social policy reforms are undemocratic.  Although measures that weaken market protection and social safety nets are opposed by organized interests and are unpopular with the voters, what if they reflect the position of the democratically elected legislature and not just the incumbent government? To show this is a possibility, I hypothesize that, when faced with global recessions, party leaders competing for power must show that they have viable plans to revive the economy, and as such, they have strong incentives to persuade the median voter that such reforms are unavoidable in order to stabilize the economy and assure international investors.  Evidence from 20 OECD countries shows that the major left and right parties tend to move rightward during global recessions, but not so much leftward during economic recoveries with the rise of economic inequality. In addition, I show that spending cuts do represent the policy position of the legislative centre rather than the government centre. The validity of the argument is further demonstrated by examining the cases of Japan and the UK.

Taxation and the Welfare State: Japan in a Comparative Perspective   

Prof Junko Kato, University of Tokyo

Since the 1980s, the institutionalization of regressive taxes for effective revenue-raising during a period of high growth has helped industrial democracies resist welfare state backlash. Building on this observation, I argue that the funding capacity of a welfare state is path-dependent on a revenue shift from progressive to regressive taxation. Tax politics is a critical intervening factor. Japan has been regarded as a proto-typical example in which the government failed to introduce a strong revenue-raising machine during a period of high economic growth. Today, Japan has again accumulated a massive government debt that is greater than twice its GDP and recently managed to increase consumption tax rates (from 5 to 8 %) for the first time in seventeen years. Strong opposition to tax increases in Japan appears puzzling considering its relatively low tax level and extremely high debt compared with other industrial democracies. Yet, it is consistent with a comparative analysis of tax politics in mature welfare states. I will explain the current situation in Japanese tax politics in comparison with other industrial democracies, focusing especially on European countries. 

Kiyoshi Oka was one of the greatest Japanese mathematicians of the 20th century. His contribution to mathematics was such that Carl Siegel mistakenly believed ‘Oka’ to be the name of a group of mathematicians. In Japan, Oka is known not only for his tremendous contribution to maths, but also as a great thinker and philosopher.  His thoughts were shaped through the prisms of the Japanese language and culture and he was greatly influenced by traditional Zen Buddhist philosophy (in particular, that of Dōgen) and Japanese literature such as Matsuo Bashō and Natsume Soseki.  

In this public seminar, independent scholar Masao Morita will introduce Oka’s unique philosophy of mathematics and the Japanese traditional thoughts underlying his ideas.  He will also shed light on Oka’s life and thinking as a mathematician while examining how Oka pursued a "maths as it could be".  Joining Morita in discussion will be Professor Tadashi Tokieda from the University of Cambridge.

In this special public seminar, sociologist and opinion-maker, Professor Masahiro Yamada (Chuo University) joins us to examine the reasons behind Japan’s falling marriage rate and what the future holds for the country's ‘parasite singles’.

Joining Prof Yamada in discussion will be Professor Joy Hendry, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Oxford Brookes University.

ABSTRACT

It is not just that the rate of marriage per se is declining in Japan, relationships between men and women are not actively developing in toto. The reasons for this are 1) the expectation that men ought to shoulder the burden of paying for household expenses after marriage continues to be strong, 2) the incomes of young men have become increasingly unstable, and 3) almost all unmarried people continue to live with their parents.  In short, although people would like to form ‘traditional families’ (nuclear families) of their own, the economic circumstances will not allow this and the number of unmarrieds who continue to live in their parents' home as ‘parasite singles’ is increasing instead. One consequence of this is that young people are increasingly attracted to ‘virtual romance’ in anime and with idols.

Sake, or nihonshu, is one of Japan’s most famous exports and is an increasingly popular fixture on menus at bars and restaurants across the UK.  But with such a dizzying array of classifications and often confusing terminology it’s not easy for the uninitiated to know where to start.  

In this special talk, sake specialist Oliver Hilton-Johnson (Tengu Sake) joins us to demystify this ancient drink covering everything from the history of sake, how sake is made and its main classifications, to different flavours and suitable food pairings.  Also joining us will be Rie Yoshitake who will discuss the recent fortunes of Japan’s sake industry, while also introducing the activities of the Sake Samurai Association, an organisation formed by young sake brewers in Japan that works to promote sake in overseas markets.

Following the talk, guests will have the opportunity to sample some of the varieties of sake discussed by our experts.  

In recent years, there has been a growing trend to read literary texts as “world literature.” Some Japanese writers and critics welcome this trend as an opportunity to gain a larger readership beyond national and linguistic borders, yet others are wary of it. While these diverse responses today are symptoms of the increasing globalization of cultures, it is also important to take a historical look.

In this public seminar, Dr Shion Kono (Sophia University) will situate the current Japanese debates on world literature in the global circulation and reception of Japanese literature over the past century.  He will also discuss the prospects of Japanese literature as world literature.  Joining Kono to explore these issues further will be Dr Irena Hayter from the University of Leeds. 

In this special public seminar, Japan’s leading young sociologist and author of the controversial book ‘The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country’ Noritoshi Furuichi (Tokyo University), joins us to explain why, despite fewer opportunities for long-term stable employment, the majority of Japan’s youth are in fact satisfied with their lives, and how this contentment challenges the dominant media discourse which portrays young adults as a disappointed and unhappy generation.   Furuichi will also examine why young Japanese seem to be politically apathetic even in the face of rising social inequalities and an uncertain future.  

Joining Furuichi in discussion following his presentation will be Dr Tuukka Toivonen from SOAS, University of London.  

We are delighted to announce that the annual Japan Foundation / BAJS Post-Graduate Workshop will be held on Wednesday 11^th March, 2015.

This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese specialists here in the UK, and to further strengthen the Japanese Studies community in this country.  It is a great opportunity to receive some practical advice on your research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow post-graduate students and others in the Japanese Studies community.

This year’s workshop will include practical sessions on the following topics:

‘Getting Access to Interviewees’                                                                                          

Dr Peter Cave (University of Manchester)                                                                

 ‘Post-doctoral Career Development in Japan and the UK’                                                        

Dr Peter Matanle (University of Sheffield)

‘Funding your Research’                                                                         

Representatives from the Daiwa-Anglo Japanese Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Japan Foundation will give short presentations on their funding programmes.

Ryo Yamazaki defines community design as 'the empowerment of locals through design to make them happy'. He is one of the speakers at this special seminar, which will discuss the principles behind community design and how they have been applied in projects in both Japan and the UK.

As CEO of community design company studio-L, and Professor and Director of the Department of Community Design at the Tohoku University of Art and Design,  Ryo Yamazaki  is  involved in  wide ranging activities throughout Japan which aim to facilitate local communities to not only create and improve  public spaces, but also to seek their own solutions for the social problems that they are facing. Starting with the development of Japan’s first park managed through citizen participation, more recent  projects have ranged from  developing  new ways to use open space in a department store, to helping an island community promote tourism.

At this public seminar Ryo Yamazaki will be joined by Sophia de Sousa, Chief Executive of The Glass-House, an independent charitable organisation which plays a leading role in the promotion of community led design in the UK. Sophia de Sousa will introduce the aims and activities of the Glass-House, which strives to put local people at the heart of making changes to their neighbourhoods. She will also join Ryo Yamazaki to discuss the development of  community  design in both Japan and the UK, and what can be learned from each other’s experiences.

The deadline for applications has been extended until July 15 2015.

The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for participation in Japanese Study Seminar: Everyday Life and Culture (日常生活文化) scheduled for 21^st and 22nd September, 2015 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE.

This seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and further promote Japanese Studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and guest mentors from Japan.

The theme of this year’s seminar will be “Everyday Life and Culture (日常生活文化).”  We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specialising in politics, history, sociology, literature, arts, language, philosophy, economics, architecture, religion, etc. 

Please note that the deadlnie for applications has been extended to 15th July, 2015.

For further details including eligibility and application procedures, please visit the Japan Foundation Tokyo website here.

The coral reefs, white sand beaches and sub-tropical rainforests of Okinawa, a chain of islands stretching over 600 miles of ocean between Southwest Japan and Taiwan, seem a distant world from the misty mountains and lochs of Scotland, but recent political developments in Scotland have brought to light some surprising parallels.

Like Scotland, Okinawa is a smaller, once independent, area incorporated within a far larger entity, which possesses its own distinct history, culture and  political outlook. Debate on the balance between central and local governance has recently taken prominence in political discussion in Okinawa, and last September, intrigued by recent events in Scotland, several Okinawan journalists and researchers, including the founding member of an Okinawa independence movement, flew to Edinburgh to observe the independence  referendum.

Professor Takayoshi Egami (Waseda University), is an expert in regional policy in Okinawa, having worked as a lecturer and researcher at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa for over 26 years. Since last September, he has spent one year as a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh to draw lessons from developments in devolution in Scotland post referendum.

In this seminar Professor Egami will discuss the complex historical and political background of Okinawa prefecture, which lies behind recent interest in devolution in the region.

After his talk he will be joined for a comparative discussion on devolution in the UK and Japan by Professor Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling, an expert in both Scottish politics and UK-wide comparative public policy.

Recent discussion on devolution and regionalism in the UK and Japan has not been confined to Scotland and Okinawa of course. Recent hot topics in the UK have included devolving more powers to Wales, the 'Northern Powerhouse’ and even the development of London as a city state, while in Japan, debate was recently ignited  over  plans to devolve more powers to Osaka City. Through exploring some of these issues, Professor Cairney and Professor Egami will discuss what can be learned from the experience of each country and how regionalism may develop in future years.

The seminar will be followed by an opportunity to pose your own devolution-related questions to the experts, and a drinks reception.

Image (left): Martin M303/Shutterstock.com

Image (right): (c)Tomo.Yun (http://www.yunphoto.net)

The bell rings for the end of the school day, but for children in schools across Japan it only signals the start of the next stage of their daily education.

Bukatsudō (extracurricular sports or cultural  clubs), have played a formative role in the  secondary school experience for school children around Japan for generations. On entry to junior high school, children are encouraged to pick a club, and stick with it though the rest of their time at school. Clubs demand huge time, effort and commitment from students, and from the teachers who take part as coaches.   Practices at some schools can be held for up to two or three hours a day, up to six or seven days a week, after school, during weekends, and even school holidays, and are characterised by strict routine and ritual, group spirit, and hierarchical relationships between juniors and seniors.

In this special seminar, Dr Peter Cave, Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester, an anthropologist and Japanese education expert who has conducted extensive fieldwork and research in schools in Japan, will discuss the practice and origins of bukatsudō (including their surprising link to Victorian Britain), and the role they play in the Japanese school system today.

While Japanese educators have diverse views about clubs and their purposes, the practice of  bukatsudō reflect the broad view that the Japanese school system is responsible not only for intellectual development of students but also for social and moral development, by teaching children basic values and social skills.

In the UK, 'character education' has been a subject of much recent debate with the Department for Education championing the idea that schools should not just focus on student’s academic achievement but also take responsibility for cultivating good character.

In this context, Dr Cave will consider what Britain might learn from Japanese school clubs, arguing that Britain could learn a lot from their example, but would need to adapt rather than copy them.

Following his talk, to continue to explore these themes, Dr Cave will be joined for a comparative discussion on education for character development in the UK and Japan by leading character education expert Professor James Arthur, Head of the School of Education and Director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham. 

Chairing the discussion will be Professor Takehiko Kariya, Professor in the Sociology of Japanese Society at the University of Oxford, an expert in the sociology of education, social stratification, and Japanese educational policies.

The Japan Foundation, in collaboration with Kobe University, is delighted to present this special seminar exploring the rise of female entrepreneurship in Japan.

As part of recent economic revitalisation measures, the Japanese government has hoped to encourage business and career aspirations of women through a series of policies including promoting leadership roles for women in traditional business models, and also offering funding and support to nurture young female entrepreneurs.

Despite this, some reports indicate that the number of female entrepreneurs in Japan is still less than half that of men, and the 2015 Female Entrepreneurship Index, which assesses  favourable conditions for women entrepreneurs, ranks Japan in forty-fourth place, substantially lower than other comparable economies. Why so low?

To explore the challenges facing emerging female entrepreneurs in Japan the seminar will feature a diverse panel including Professor Kazufumi Yugami (Kobe University)  a specialist in  labour economics who will explore contemporary  employment and management practices and policies to explain why growing numbers of women may be more attracted to advancing their careers outwith the typical  corporate environment; sociologist Professor Itsuko Kamoto (Kyoto Women’s University) who will explore the impact of changing family structure in Japan on the social advancement of women; and Mr Tatsuya Imoto, a representative of  Ladies’ Entrepreneur Discussions (LED) Kansai, a new government led network which supports and promotes emerging female entrepreneurs.

Drawing from their extensive range of expertise the panel will explore how Japanese culture, society, and economy has encouraged - or discouraged - the growth of female entrepreneurship, and consider how best emerging female entrepreneurs can be supported in future to maximise their potential.

Joining the discussion will be Professor Ute Stephan, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School who will offer some comparative comments from a UK/European perspective; and chairing the seminar will be sociologist Professor Kiyomitsu Yui, Executive Director of the Centre for EU Studies at Kobe University.

Cute, cuddly and resembling a baby seal, PARO is actually an advanced interactive robot designed to provide physical and emotional support to the sick and elderly.

Through a variety of sensors which react to touch, light and temperature, PARO can interact with people and respond as if it were alive, moving its head and legs, making seal like sounds, recognising names, and learning actions that generate a favourable reaction from the user.

Development on PARO began in 1993 and since then 4,000 PAROs have been used in hospitals and care facilities in more than 30 countries, and it has even been recognised as the 'World's Most Therapeutic Robot' by the Guinness World Records.

In this seminar, Prof Takanori Shibata, the creator of PARO, and Chief Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, will discuss the development of PARO and its practical applications through live demonstration. He will also look at the wider cultural impact of robotics in Japan's rapidly ageing society where every year there are more elderly people who need care and fewer working age people to provide it.

In the UK too, with dementia affecting approximately 800, 000 people and numbers estimated to double over the next 20 years, robotics have been identified as a possible strategy to deal with increasing pressures on the health and care services.

To explore the possibilities of robotics in the UK's ageing society, following his talk Prof Shibata will be joined in conversation with Dr Penny Dodds and Dr Kathy Martyn (University of Brighton) who are working in collaboration with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to understand the impact of introducing PARO into the everyday care of patients with dementia in the UK.

After the seminar guests will have the chance to interact with PARO!

As Japan and the UK continue to make strides to globalise their university campuses, leading to increasingly culturally diverse classrooms, understanding factors which could lead to communication problems between teachers and students is of increasing importance.

In this seminar Dr Jim King, Lecturer in Education at the University of Leicester, will focus on one aspect of student behaviour which is considered to be particularly prevalent in the Japanese classroom - silence. Silence does not always merely represent an absence of noise, but can carry different meanings and have various functions, which, particularly in intercultural contexts, can often be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Dr King will discuss his recent Japan Foundation sponsored investigation into silence in second language and mainstream university settings in Japan and in the UK. While his research offers useful guidance for non-Japanese educators who would like to better navigate the silences of Japanese students, it also uncovers some surprising similarities in how UK and Japanese students react to classroom silence, providing important lessons in not making assumptions about student behaviour based purely on cultural trends.

Following his talk, Dr King will be joined in conversation by second language acquisition expert Dr Kazuya Saito (Birkbeck, University of London), to continue to explore other communication related challenges occurring within cross-cultural teaching in the UK and Japan.

Keynote Speakers

• Tetsuya Kimura ( Director-General, Japan Sports Agency)
• Richard Caborn (former Minister of Sport 2001-7)
• Dr Helen Macnaughtan (Chair, SOAS Japan Research Centre)
• Dr J Simon Rofe (SOAS University of London)

Organisers: Japan Foundation London with Japan Sport Council, London and SOAS Japan Research Centre

The event is also supported by JSPS London and is followed by a reception sponsored by Sake Samurai.

Image: courtesy of the Japan Sport Council

In April 2013 Japan’s Public Offices Election Law was revised and a ban on using the Internet for election campaigns was lifted. Prior to the revision, there were hopes that this would stimulate greater political debate and lead to increased voter turnout, particularly among younger voters. Contrary to expectations, however, the introduction of web-based electioneering appears to have had little influence on voting patterns and election results.

In this special public seminar, Ryosuke Nishida (Ritsumeikan University) joins us to chart the rise of web-based election campaigns in Japan and to examine the current debates surrounding this new form of electioneering.  With reference to the recent Upper House and Tokyo gubernatorial elections, Nishida will also explain why Internet election campaigns have thus far failed to attract more young voters to the polls.    

Joining Nishida in discussion following his presentation will be Dr Andy Williamson, an internationally recognised expert in digital democracy, online campaigning and citizen engagement. 

The Japan Foundation, in collaboration with Kobe University and Miyagi University of Education, is delighted to present this special public seminar looking at the role of education in disaster risk reduction.  We will be joined by scholars from both universities who will introduce their projects for promoting disaster risk reduction and creating more resilient societies.  

Presentations:

Risk Communication after Severe Earthquakes, Prof Tsuyoshi Matsuda, Kobe University

Disaster Risk Reduction and Education for Sustainable Development, Dr Takashi Oda, Miyagi University of Education

Education for Disaster and Recovery in Sendai and Kesennuma, Dr Takaaki Koganezawa, Miyagi University of Education

Chair: Prof Kiyomitsu Yui, Kobe University

Discussant: Prof Ros Wade, London South Bank University

Since the collapse of its speculative asset bubble in the early 1990s and the onset of Japan’s first ‘lost decade’, it has become evident that younger adults have been finding it increasingly difficult to adopt standard life courses, inhibited, in particular, by shifts in economic and labour market conditions. One issue that has seemed to symbolise this shift is the emergence of so called freeters, young casual workers who seemingly reject the Japanese traditional life-course in favour of flexible work and personal goals.

Tapping into these contemporary social concerns,  the  2010 Fuji Television drama ‘Furita, ie o kau’ (Freeter, buy a house) followed the life of Seiji, a recent college graduate who quits his secure office job but resolves to work as a part time labourer to buy a house for his family. But, can a freeter really buy a house in contemporary Japan? And to what extent is Seiji’s dream of home ownership still a key life goal for new generations of Japanese young adults today?

This seminar will approach the various issues thrown up by Japan’s changing social and economic environment through the lens provided by housing.  Drawing on a range of sources, including examples from television drama, art, and architecture, Dr Chris Perkins (University of Edinburgh) will investigate the role of housing in post-war Japan, examining ways in which housing has been used to mobilise the workforce, and how some activists in Japan are now radically reconceptualising housing.

Professor Richard Ronald (The University of Amsterdam/The University of Birmingham) will then place this media and cultural reaction into the broader context of shifts in housing markets and the household careers of young people in Japan, exploring recent trends such as a rise in one person-households, a surge of younger people residing in private rental sector rather than purchasing a family home, and also recent data which suggests that the latest generation of Japanese millennials may be readapting ideas of home and household around various forms of shared living.

This seminar will provide an opportunity for reflection and debate on the role of housing in advanced industrial economies: an issue that, in an age of austerity and increasing income inequality, is as pertinent as ever.

Speakers:

Dr Chris Perkins is  Lecturer in Japanese at The University of Edinburgh, a position initially funded by a Japan Foundation Staff Expansion grant. He completed his  PhD thesis entitled ‘National Thinking and the Politics of Belonging in Contemporary Japan’  at Royal Holloway University of London and has since published on a range of subjects including television and film, memory, nationalism and borders. His most recent publication is The United Red Army on Screen: Cinema, Aesthetics, and the Politics of Memory (Palgrave).

Professor Richard Ronald is Associate Professor at the Centre for Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Professor in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, UK. His work focuses on housing in relation to social, economic and urban transformations in Europe and Pacific Asia, with his latest research project (HOUWEL: Housing Markets and Welfare State Transformations) supported by a European Research Council StG grant. He has previously held Japan Foundation as well as Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowships at Kobe University in Japan.

We are delighted to announce that the annual Japan Foundation/BAJS Post-graduate Workshop will be held on Thursday 4th February 2016 in London.

This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese specialists here in the UK, and to further strengthen the Japanese studies community in this country. It is a great opportunity to receive some practical advice on your research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow post-graduate students and others in the Japanese Studies community.

This year's workshop will include practical sessions on the following topics:

'Academic Opportunities outside East Asian Studies'

Professor Susan Townsend (University of Nottingham)

'Japanese for Academia: Culturally Convincing Japanese Academic Presentations using Social Media'

Dr Thomas McAuley (University of Sheffield) and Dr Luli van der Does-Ishikawa

'Panel Discussion: Early Career Development'

Panel of early career researchers and lecturers to answer your questions and give tips on post doctoral career development. Panellists include Dr Gitte Hansen (Newcastle University),  Dr Jonathan Service (University of Oxford) and Dr Ruselle Meade (Cardiff University).

'Funding your Research'

Representatives from Japanese Studies related funding bodies will give short presentations on their funding programmes.

The workshop will also provide opportunities for a small number of participants to give a 15 minute presentation on their research and receive feedback from each other and senior academics. Applications to make a presentation at the workshop are now closed.

Eligibility: This workshop is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies or postgraduate students who are undertaking Japan related research in other disciplines. 

Lunch will be provided on the day, and the workshop will be followed by a dinner reception.

**Please note that travel expenses of up to £40 will be available to all participants**

Image: donatas1205/Shutterstock.com

In both Japan and the UK, housing policy has largely fixated on the goal of widening access to home ownership, underpinned to some extent with the ideology of asset-based welfare, or that home ownership can play a role as a supplement or alternative to state welfare by allowing families from all walks of life to accumulate wealth, and provide social security to ageing home owners.

In Japan the promotion of home ownership has long been embedded in welfare provision, however recent social and economic changes have exposed weaknesses in this ideology.

Two decades of post-bubble recession and housing price volatility have highlighted the vulnerability of housing asset values, creating barriers to turning real estate into cash to fund welfare needs. A construction based approach to housing has further devalued existing stock resulting in a huge surplus of 'akiya' or abandoned decaying housing, scattered across Japan. Widening social inequality, as a result of economic recession and neo-liberal policy reform has also limited accessibility to home ownership for some.

In this special public seminar, Dr Misa Izuhara (University of Bristol) will critically explore the focus on home ownership in housing policy in Japan, and will consider the future of home ownership in Japan's ageing society, especially the challenges arising around using housing assets in later life in the existing social and market systems.

Later Dr Izuhara will be joined in discussion by UK housing expert Dr Beverley Searle (University of Dundee) to take a look at the future of home ownership in Japan and the UK, and consider whether anything can be learnt from how the situation is developing in each country, both of which are facing challenges arising from ageing populations, economic recession, housing price volatility and the effects of neo-liberal policy reforms.

Can promotion of home ownership be an egalitarian and inclusionary policy and provide social security for the elderly in later life? Or should alternative policies be promoted to make housing more accessible and affordable and a better fit to meet the changing demands of our rapidly ageing populations?

We are delighted to announce that the next annual Japan Foundation and British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) Postgraduate Workshop will be held in 2018 at SOAS, University of London.

This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japanese Studies researchers in the UK. It is a great opportunity to receive practical advice on your research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow postgraduate students and others in the Japanese Studies community.

This year’s interactive workshop will explore how emerging Japanese Studies researchers in the UK can help to bridge the academic worlds of UK and Japan through their research. It will include a series of sessions by senior academics addressing key challenges relating to conducting and disseminating research in Japan, and improving communication between researchers in both countries, along with opportunities for the participants themselves to introduce their own research and why they believe it is important for the advancement of Japanese Studies in the UK and Japan. 

In addition, there will be an opportunity to hear presentations from various agencies on potential sources of funding for current and future research, including funding to support research in Japan.

Eligibility: This workshop is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies and those undertaking Japan related research in other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Priority registration will be given to PhD candidates. 

Since the late 1980s, Japanese consumer technologies, and subsequently pop culture exports such as Pokemon and Hello Kitty, have become increasingly familiar to many people around the world. But has our increased exposure to these cultural exports led to a greater understanding of the diversity of contemporary Japan?

Eminent Japanese media and cultural studies scholar Professor Koichi Iwabuchi (Monash University, Australia) will lead this seminar, which will discuss the phenomenon of the spread of Japan’s cultural exports and consequent cross-border dialogue; and will challenge ideas and assumptions of a single ‘national’ Japanese pop culture. While many 'Japanese' cultural products are, as in most other popular cultures, not purely Japanese inventions, what has become prevalent is the re-accentuating of national cultural borders as a result of the inter-nationalized circulation and display of media cultures. This presentation will discuss in the Japanese and East Asian context how this process contains and discourages engagement with growing multicultural situations, and will suggest the need for trans-Asian perspectives and collaboration to tackle this situation.

Professor Iwabuchi will be joined in conversation with Dr Griseldis Kirsch (SOAS, University of London).

The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for participation in Japanese Study Seminar: Women and Men (女と男) scheduled for 26th and 27th September, 2016 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE.

This seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers in Europe specialising in Japan related topics, and further promote Japanese Studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and guest mentors from Japan.

The theme of this year’s seminar will be “Women and Men (女と男).”  We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specialising in politics, history, sociology, literature, arts, language, philosophy, economics, architecture, religion, etc. 

The deadline for applications is 30 June, 2016.

For further details including eligibility and application procedures, please visit the Japan Foundation Tokyo website here.

The Japan Foundation is delighted to present this special public seminar with Professor Akira Iriye, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University and recipient of the Japan Foundation Award 2013.  Drawing on decades of research, Prof Iriye will examine historical study today and international relations history, before discussing the defining characteristics of the contemporary world and offering his thoughts on the future.  Joining Professor Iriye in discussion will be Professor Rana Mitter, Director of the University China Centre at the University of Oxford.

The Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Student Survey is part of the Japan Foundation’s periodic assessment of the state of Japanese Studies in the UK which has been conducted once every 3-4 years since 1996.

The Japan Foundation is Japan’s principal organisation for promoting international cultural exchange worldwide and through our funding programmes we offer support to organisations and individuals working in the field of Japanese Studies throughout the UK.

In order for us to consider future plans for the enhancement of Japanese studies, we are eager to learn the views of Japanese Studies students in the UK, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, so that we can continue to support you and the field of Japanese Studies as effectively as possible.

Please note that the deadline for completing the survey has been extended to 30th September 2015.

Who can take part in the survey:

Any students undertaking Japan-related study at a higher education institution in the UK. Whether you are at undergraduate level or postgraduate, undertaking a single or joint honours Japanese Studies degree, or simply taking a module in a Japan related subject, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Taking the survey:

The survey can be accessed through the following link: (link removed)

We estimate that the entire survey can be completed in around 15 minutes. 

Deadline and Publication: 

Please fill out the survey before 30th September 2015.

The results of the survey will be published in late 2015, and individual answers will remain anonymous.

You can find the results of the Japanese Studies Students Survey 2010 on the Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Survey website here. 

Prize draw:

If you choose to provide us with your name and e-mail address, you will be entered into a prize draw, for a chance to win one of up to 10 Japan-related book tokens worth £20 each. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please email Julie Anne Robb, Programme Officer for Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange, Japan Foundation London: julieanne.robb@jpf.org.uk  

Japanese Studies Institutions Survey

As part of our overall assessment of the state of Japanese Studies in the UK, the Japan Foundation is also conducting a survey of higher education institutions in the UK which provide opportunities for Japan related study. If you are a member of staff at a higher education institution which offers Japan related study please get in touch with Julie Anne Robb to take the survey: julieanne.robb@jpf.org.uk

We are delighted to announce that the annual Japan Foundation and British Association for Japanese Studies (BAJS) Postgraduate Workshop will be held in 2017 at the University of Sheffield.

This workshop aims to assist the development of the next generation of Japan specialists in the UK. It is a great opportunity to receive practical advice on your research from senior colleagues, and to get to know fellow postgraduate students and others in the Japanese Studies community.

This year’s interactive workshop will explore how emerging Japanese Studies researchers can increase the impact of their research on wider academia and society in the UK and Japan.

It will combine a series of presentations from senior colleagues on their own experience of conceiving, generating and recording the impact of their research with hands-on workshop sessions designed to allow participants to produce a skeleton statement of the potential impact and audience for their research, which can then be developed into a more formal impact statement for funding applications. In addition, there will be an opportunity to hear presentations from various agencies on potential sources of funding for current and future research.

Eligibility: This workshop is open to postgraduate students in Japanese Studies and those undertaking Japan related research in other disciplines. Priority registration will be given to PhD candidates. From 6th February 2017 registration will also be extended to Japanese Studies Masters students who are thinking about doing a PhD.

All participants will need to bring a wifi-enabled laptop or tablet with them to participate in the afternoon workshop sessions. 

The Japan Foundation and Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) are now accepting applications for participation in Japanese Study Seminar: Digital Media and Communication (デジタル・メディアとコミュニケーション) scheduled for 25 to 26 September 2017 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE.

This seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers in Europe specialising in Japan related topics, and to further promote Japanese Studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and a guest mentor from Japan.

The theme of this year’s seminar will be "Digital Media and Communication (デジタル・メディアとコミュニケーション)". We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specialising in politics, history, sociology, literature, arts, language, philosophy, economics, architecture, religion, etc. 

Please note that the deadline for applications has now closed.

For further details including eligibility and application procedures, please visit the Japan Foundation Tokyo website here.

For the people of Japan throughout the 20th century, department stores offered a window into modernity and the outside world. Since the opening of the first department store in Japan in 1904, these institutions have been influential in introducing modern, urban and foreign lifestyles to Japan. Not only shops selling fashion, food and homeware; the department stores also hosted exhibitions and workshops to educate customers, and offered a more luxurious and sophisticated shopping and leisure experience.

In this special seminar, Dr Tomoko Tamari, (Goldsmiths, University of London) will discuss the development of department stores in Japan and their effect on popular culture and lifestyle. She is joined by Professor Janet Hunter, (London School of Economics and Political Science), who will place the development of the department store into the broader context of the  changing Japanese economy through the 20th century.

The seminar is inspired by a photograph of a fashion show held in the Mitsukoshi department store in 1956, on display at the Japan Foundation's exhibition "Metamorphosis of Japan after the War" until 26th April (click here for more details about the exhibition).

Why did an activity as mundane as tea preparation and drinking become one of the most potent symbols of Japan?  How does the tea ceremony create an experience of Japaneseness – not just for foreigners, but for Japanese as well? 

Drawing on her new book Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice, Dr Kristin Surak (SOAS) will explore the relationship between culture and nation in conversation with Dr Christine Guth (RCA) and Dr Fabio Gygi (SOAS).

The discussion will examine the tension-filled transformation of chanoyu from an aesthetic pleasure of elite men to a hobby of housewives as it came to embrace not merely the elite few, but the nation as a whole, and probe the ways that tea masters have capitalized on the association between tea and Japanese culture.  As such, the tea ceremony serves as an exceptionally vivid illustration of one of the fundamental processes of modernity: the work of making nations.

Attend the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme screening of the emotional and beautifully animated school anime ‘A Silent Voice’ at HOME, Manchester, and discover opportunities to study Japanese Studies and Japanese Language in the UK through fun activities inspired by the film.

Before or after attending  the screening of ‘A Silent Voice’ come to visit the ‘Discover Japanese Studies’ booth in the cinema foyer where you will have the opportunity to get advice from current students and graduates about studying Japanese at university  and try your hand at a Japanese language taster.

All visitors to the Discover Japanese Studies booth will enter our free prize draw to win a selection of Japanese study resources to further their studies!  

Discover Japanese Studies Booth in Cinema Foyer: from 4.30pm - 8.30pm

Screening of 'A Silent Voice' (12A) at HOME, Manchester: 5.40pm

Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) and the Japan Foundation are now accepting applications for participation in Japanese Studies Seminar: Tokyo(東京) scheduled for 22 and 23 September, 2014 at CEEJA, in Kientzheim, France. The official language of the seminar will be JAPANESE.

This seminar aims to encourage networking among young researchers on Japan in Europe and further promote Japanese Studies in Europe.

Participants will join a two-day intensive workshop in the cozy and intimate atmosphere of CEEJA's facility in Kientzheim where they will present and discuss their current research projects with fellow participants and guest mentors from Japan and the USA.

The theme of this year’s seminar will be “Tokyo (東京).”  We are calling for applications from young researchers in Europe specializing in politics, history, sociology, literature, the arts, language, philosophy, economics, architecture, religion, etc. 

The deadline for applications is 30 June, 2014.

Please see the attached file 'Japanese Studies Seminar in Alsace' for further details including eligibility and application procedures. 

Date:	22 September 2014 - 23 September 2014
Venue:	Centre Européen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA), Kientzheim, France
Download Japanese Studies Seminar in Alsace_

Date: Monday 3 November, 5pm GMT.

Venue: Duke Street Lecture Theatre, Norwich University of the Arts

The Japan Foundation London is proud to support our friends at the University of East Anglia on their upcoming lecture, Okinawan Crafts: History and the Present with Professor Junko KOBAYASHI (Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts).

This lecture by Professor Kobayashi will explore the history and contemporary relevance of Okinawan craft, addressing themes such as identity, regional heritage, and sustainability. The work of eight Okinawan artists will be reflected on, exploring their historical context, the evolution of Ryukyuan aesthetics, the preservation of identity through craft, and the adaptation of traditional practices in the modern era.

The lecture is part of the accompanying programme for the exhibition ‘Okinawan Kogei: Crafting Continuity and Change’ that runs from Wednesday 29 October – Saturday 1 November, at the Crypt Gallery, Norwich.

This lecture will be taking place in person, but will be available via livestream.

To find out more about the lecture and exhibition, click here.

We are pleased to be supporting University of Bristol's event, 'The Art of Recovery: Legacies of the Fukushima Triple Disaster', taking place on 11-12 March, 2025.

Marking the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima triple disaster, this event brings together academics and artists who have studied or documented the tragedy and its aftermath, to explore the cultural, social and emotional impacts of man-made disasters.

The programme for the two day event includes:

Tuesday, 11th March 2025

UK Premiere of The Invisible Island, dir. Keiko Curdy (2021), with a Q&A and discussion with the director.

Time: 18:00 - 20:00

Venue: Watershed, Cinema 3, 1 Canon's Rd, BS1 5TX

Wednesday 12th March 2025

Academic Workshop, "Cross-disciplinary Approaches to the Fukushima Disaster".

Time: 9:45-17:00 

Venue: Bristol University, Room G.H01, Arts Complex, 7 Woodland Road, BS8 1TB, Clifton Campus

Wednesday 12th March 2025

UK Premiere of Tracing the Future: Photographer Naoya Hatakeyama, dir. Yohei HATAKEYAMA (2015).

Time: 18:00-20:00

Venue: University of Bristol, B.H05 Lecture Theatre, 7 Woodland Road, BS8 1TB, Clifton Campus

All events in this 2 day programme are free but booking is essential. You can find full details of each event, including booking information, by visiting:

https://theartofrecovery.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

We are very proud to support this event, 'Lafcadio Hearn's Japan: from Enchantment to Intercultural Understanding', hosted by Trinity College Dublin's Centre for Asian Studies.

This is a one-day academic workshop honouring the life and works of Hearn, recognising him as a person dedicated to understanding across cultures, ambitious in his rejection of bigotry, and sensitive to Japanese life and ethics despite their contrast to the West.

Speakers include prominent scholars, diplomats, and politicians from Ireland, Japan, Britain and the USA, including Professor Bon Koizumi, descendent of Lafcadio Hearn.

This event is free to attend, but registration is essential.

Further details, including the workshop schedule and registration, can be found here:

https://www.tcd.ie/Asian/events/tcd-Event-Lafcadio-Hearn/

For more details please contact Dr Lijing Peng (pengl@tcd.ie) or Professor Nathan Hill (nathan.hill@tcd.ie).

As part of our on-going partnership with The University of Edinburgh, we are proud to support the next talk in their Asian Studies Seminar Series, "Theory and Film in the Political Reconstruction of Post-War Japan" with Dr Ferran de Vargas.

In the first decades after World War II, one of the most important questions in Japan was what could be done to prevent authoritarian powers from leading the people into another disastrous conflict. This question implied the need to understand the antidemocratic past in order to build a new future of freedom and social justice.

This talk first explores how different interpretations from three great left-wing ideological spheres arose from the endeavour to address this key issue. Orthodox Marxism focused on the economic structure of Japan in terms of the oppressive relations of production between social classes. Liberal progressivism focused instead on the social-cultural superstructure, especially regarding the allegedly irrational relationship between the individual and the collective. Finally, the New Left tended to see the subjective feeling of social alienation generated by the rapid development of capitalist modernity as the core of the problem.

After presenting the most representative theories of these ideological spheres, the talk will address how post-war Japanese cinema, through the example of specific films, conveyed these debates beyond intellectual circles to the general public.

This talk will first present three left-wing ideological spheres that arose in post-war Japan, to address the question of what could be done to prevent authoritarian powers from leading people into another disastrous conflict. Then, it will explore how these ideas were conveyed, via cinema, to the general public.

This event is free to attend and no booking is required. Just turn up!

For more information, click here.

Date: Wednesday 27 November, 16.00 - 18.00

Venue: Room LG.08, 40 George Square, The University of Edinburgh

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2025 is looking for volunteers!

If you are interested in Japanese culture or learning Japanese, and are over 18, why not come along to this week-long campus summer school programme to help pre-university students shape their future studies and careers?

The UCL-Japan Youth Challenge is an annual summer school programme for pre-university students from UK sixth form colleges and Japanese high schools for cultural interaction through various educational activites held at UCL and the University of Cambridge.

Dates and Venues*: Saturday 26 July (Rikkyo School in England), Sunday 27, Monday 28 July (University of Cambridge), and Tuesday 29 - Saturday 2 August (University College London).

*Volunteers may choose to join from one day to the whole programme.

What will be provided: Reasonable travel costs and lunch.

Eligibility: Volunteers must be 18 years of age and able to travel to the volunteer locations.

If you can volunteer, please email ujyc@japanatuk.com to register your interest.

To find out more about the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge, visit: ucl-japan-youth-challenge.com.

We are proud to support this hybrid event organised by SOAS, University of London and the University of Oxford. The event will screen interview recordings of the Japanese diaspora in the UK, before a panel discussion, and a private viewing (for in-person attendees). The full event description can be found below.

This event is free to attend, but registration is essential. It is an English-Japanese bilingual event.

In-person & live streaming available. 

Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/x8y6mXbdX8

Theme:

All are welcome to the event! Who are we, living in different countries? What legacy did our predecessors and pioneers leave? How should we continue and renew it? Let us discover answers and directions through the panel discussion and public viewing of the Wasurena-gusa Project interview recordings of the Japanese diaspora in the UK. 

https://wasurenagusa.org.uk/

Schedule: 

14.40-15.00 Public viewing of interview recordings

15.00-17.00 Panel discussion 

17.00-17.55 Public viewing and reception 

Speakers (in alphabetical order):

Prof. Emeritus John C. Maher of International Christian University 

Associate Prof. Laura Mark of University of Sussex 

Prof. Emeritus Kazuko Miyake of Toyo University 

Prof. Yoshiko Nakano of Tokyo University of Science 

Mrs. Momoko Williams of Japan Association in the UK

Padlet (for more information)

https://padlet.com/nsperera/mobility-migration-and-transnational-communities-around-the--yi0hvpn3f1gl13cl

For any enquiries, please email: kaori.nishizawa@ames.ox.ac.uk

All welcome.

We are proud to support this significant event that commemorates the 80th anniversary of VJ day at The University of Westminster.

This symposium brings together social scientists, activists and practitioners of Second World-War-related studies involving the UK and Japan, to reflect on the legacies of the Second World War and explore ideas of memory, reconciliation, peace and international cooperation. 

This event is open to the public, and free to attend in-person and online.

Date: Tuesday 6 May, 9:30am - 6pm
Venue: Portland Hall, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street, University of Westminster. Livestreaming available.

For full details and to register for the event, click here.

If you are a pre-university student in the UK, and you are interested in making friends from Japan and learning Japanese culture, while also attending lectures at top UK universities delivered by academics and professionals and learning crucial team work and presentation skills through participating in the UCL Grand Challenge Workshop, then why not register for the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge 2025?!

This is a prestigious, annual summer school programme that was established in 2015. The programme brings together students visiting from high schools across Japan with pre-university students from the UK.

The programme takes place across various locations, including the Rikkyo School in England, the University of Cambridge, and UCL.

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the programme! The theme is “Space for the Future”, focusing on how we can shape our future with the most advanced science and technology.

This year’s programme will run from Saturday 26^th July – Sunday 3^rd August 2025. Please note that some dates are optional, and full details can be found on the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge website.

The programme is now taking applications from UK students, so if you know anyone you think might be interested, please share the information with them!

For more information, visit the UCL-Youth Challenge official website: UCL-Japan Youth Challenge - Summer school programme

We are proud to be partnering with The University of Edinburgh this year, for their 2024-25 Asian Studies Seminar Series!

The first talk in the series is by Dr Alexander Murphy, Assisant Professor in Language, Literature and Culture at Clark University. He will provide  fascinating insight into the use of echo and reverb in karaoke, and how this enables karaoke-goers to embody different identities.

This event is free to attend and registration is not essential. Just turn up!

Join the University of Edinburgh for the final talk in their Asian Studies Seminar Series for the academic year 2013 - 2014, in partnership with The Japan Foundation.

This free talk by Dr Caroline Astell-Burt is entitled 'Translation of Bodies: performance work of a professional puppeteer inspired by Japanese otome bunraku'.

Dr Astell-Burt first encountered puppets based on otome bunraku at a training workshop in 2009 at the London School of Puppetry. This developed into a long study of the bodily presence of the puppeteer before being formalised into a doctoral enquiry and the opportunity to observe the extremely rare and beautiful performances at Hitomiza in Japan.

She regularly writes academic articles about puppets and puppetry often within an educational or therapeutic context. She is a puppet-maker, performer and teacher and co-founder of the first full-time professional training for puppeteers in the UK. She holds two Masters Degrees from Middlesex and Royal Holloway Universities and a doctorate from Loughborough University.

No booking essential, just turn up!

To visit the event page on the University of Edinburgh's website, click here.

Proudly supporting Japan-Britain Contemporary Theatre Exchange.

How is contemporary theatre and performance inspired by imaginary and/or real travel? How can theatrical exchange and collaboration become a transformative force and give agency to both those present and absent from the places of gathering?

Lancaster University are inviting researchers, artists, academics and students of theatre and performance from Japan and Britain for a three-day exchange that will take place at Lancaster University and Salford University this November 2023.

During the programme, one of the leading Japanese theatre scholars, Professor UCHINO Tadashi (Gakushuin Women's College, Tokyo), will be introducing recent post-dramatic or 'other' theatre practices in Japan. There will also be roundtable discussion on 'Travelling, Gathering, Exchanging'.

To view the full programme and for registration information, please click here.

Organised by:

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