As the world takes note of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we wanted to share writings on this subject by UW students and faculty. Hiroshima and Nagasaki seminar student papers From 1992 through 2019, Professor Kenneth Pyle taught “Hiroshima and Nagasaki”, an honors level seminar. As part of the

  Every spring, as the cherry blossoms on the University of Washington’s quad start thinking about blooming, students from the Institute of Science Tokyo (IST; formerly known as Tokyo Medical & Dental University) come to Seattle for a two-week study abroad program. Participants, who are both undergraduate and graduate students, get a first-hand look at

During her 2024-2025 research leave, Japan Studies Librarian Azusa Tanaka addressed a longstanding challenge in Japanese book history: dating premodern books (pre-1868) that lack publication dates. Traditional methods are often subjective or invasive, but Tanaka used a novel, non-invasive approach combining microscopic imaging and machine learning. Using a digital microscope, Tanaka captured over 13,000 images

Join Center for Japanese Studies Acting Assistant Professor Andrea Gevurtz Arai on Friday, July 11 from 7-8 p.m. at the Elliot Bay Book Company for a discussion on the new book, “Spaces of Creative Resistance: Social Change Projects in Twenty-First-Century East Asia.” She will be joined by Summer Dai, a Ph.D. student in the University

What if statistics could solve a literary mystery centuries in the making? That’s exactly what Department of Asian Languages and Literature Professor Paul Atkins, along with mathematics Ph.D. students Herman Chau and Michael Zeng, set out to do. Using data analysis and machine learning, the three discussed how they used statistical analysis of hiragana usage

The “Omoro sōshi” — a rich tapestry of 1,500 songs, poems, and prayers — offers a rare glimpse into the everyday lives, landscapes, and spirit of the Ryukyu Islands’ golden age. On April 8, as part of the 2025 Washin Kai Spring Lecture, Department of Asian Languages & Literature Associate Professor Davinder Bhowmik introduced the

Ultra-Low Birth Rate in East Asia: Crisis Discourses and Collaborative Responses The purpose of the conference is to deeply consider how young women (and their female and male counterparts) across East Asia are inadvertently, in some cases, and intentionally in others, challenging socio-cultural, gender, labor, family and national-cultural norms and expectations. We will look closely

Join us on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM in Kane Hall 225 for a special evening lecture: Consolidating Constitutional Legitimacy in Japan: Concepts, Metrics, and Pathways Forward Kenneth Mori McElwain, University of Tokyo and Columbia University Amidst global challenges to established institutions, rights, and norms, the role of constitutions in preserving democratic governance

Join us Feb. 7 from 4:30-6 p.m. in Thomson Hall 317 for a presentation by Matias Chiappe Ippolito as he provides a brief history of the connections between Latin America, left-wing politics, and Japanese literature in the post-war period, highlighting writers who exemplify the development of this connection. Matias Chiappe Ippolito is a researcher and professor

Join us Feb. 21 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Thomson Hall 317 for a lecture by Ko Maeda as he explores Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and how they have achieved electoral advantage by not achieving their goals of revising the constitution. Ko Maeda is an associate professor of political science at the University of North