Shinichi Kitaoka, former president JICA, discusses recent developments in Japan’s security and foreign policy. This discussion will begin with a brief background on Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution and how it has defined Japan’s security policy and practices in the past, then looking at the evolution of these policies in the context of responding to the

On April 19, Washin Kai presents a lecture by Professor Ken Tadashi Oshima of University of Washington’s Department of Architecture, with participation by Professor Paul Atkins, Department of Asian Languages and Literature, and Washin Kai member and architect, Hiroshi Matsubara. Sponsored by the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, University of Washington and Washin Kai,

Spring is here! Let’s Yoshino!  The UW webcams bring the beauty of the Seattle campus to you wherever you have an internet connection. Keep watch on the quad Yoshino cherry trees as they bloom over the next several weeks, and enjoy the season. The UW Seattle campus has an impressive and well known stand of

Lecture recording available HERE. REGISTER NOW for the April 12, 2023 special lecture event ‘Stagnation or Renewal? Japan’s Energy and Climate Change Policy’ with Phillip Y. Lipscy as he walks us through Japan’s response to climate change. Once heralded for responding effectively to the 1970s energy crisis through  ambitious energy conservation and diversification —  which

UW Japan Studies Program Affiliate Faculty Walter Hatch‘s latest book Ghosts in the Neighborhood: Why Japan is Haunted by its Past and Germany is Not, is now available.  In his book, Hatch debunks the conventional wisdom about why Japan remains haunted by its militarist past in Asia, but Germany does not face such ghosts in

Christine Marran addresses how Noriaki Tsuchimoto’s film Minamata Diaries (2004) and Levitas’ film Minamata (2020) tell the story of the poisoning of an inland sea and its fisherfolk by toxic methyl-mercury. Both films juxtapose still and moving images to depict the tragic damage visited on this place and its denizens by this disease, now called

Jakobina Arch takes a deep dive into risk mitigation practices on the high seas to expand our understanding of transport and travel into coastal waters, focusing particularly on adaptations to maritime hazards at different levels: from shogunal regulations protecting tax rice, to the practices of coastal villagers rescuing ships and sailors in danger. The far-reaching influence

SEE FILM online with your UW NetID Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan (2019, Directed by Naomi Mizoguchi) is an intimate series of interviews with Ainu people in modern day Japan. The main characters in this documentary are four Ainu elders, who were born in the 1930s. They remember their parents and grandparents spoke in Ainu

Martha Lane Walsh is nominated for the UW Distinguished Staff Award for her work starting as a senior in High School at the Journal of Japanese Studies (JJS) and the UW Japan Program. Here are some short excerpts from the much longer nomination, ending with a summary statement. “For almost the entire span of 48

Professor Izumi Matsuda-Kiami in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature was awarded the 2022 Outstanding Teacher Award (Post-secondary category) by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese.  You can read more about the organization and the award, as well as Professor Matsuda-Kiami’s acceptance message, at AATJ Teacher Award Recipients 2022.  Congratulations!