August 1 marks the fiftieth anniversary of a one-million dollar endowment grant from the Government of Japan to the University of Washington to support and promote Japanese Studies.  The announcement of this prestigious award in 1973 affirmed UW (with nine other recipient institutions) as a leader in teaching and research about Japan in the United

See article by Saadia Pekkanen titled, “Repositioning the U.S.-Japan Alliance for Space” for the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). This commentary is part of the Exploring New Horizons: Japan’s Defense Priorities project, a CSIS Japan Chair initiative featuring analysis by leading Japanese and American scholars examining the implications of Japan’s new national security

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and former colleague, Rob Britt, who died in June from an illness. He is greatly missed. Robert was an alum (MAIS Japan 1987) and had a long career in the East Asian Law Department of the Gallagher Law Library, where he worked from 1987 to

Interview with Professor Marie Anchordoguy: Can Japan return as a global innovation leader? In 2022, the Kishida administration announced its New Form of Capitalism concept, aimed at increasing stability within the Japanese economy and undoing some of the excessive effects of “shareholder capitalism,” while also nurturing the tech industries needed for Japan to once again

The UW Japan Studies Program congratulates ALL our students on completing the year, particularly our graduates. We hope that you take well earned lessons and rewards with you into the next adventure. YOU are what the world needs and we couldn’t be more proud of you. Keep in touch and let us know where you

The May issue of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy Volume 18 (2023): Issue 2-3 (May 2023) has been devoted completely to the special topic of space diplomacy “The Final Frontier of Theory and Practice”, Mai’a K. Davis Cross and Saadia M. Pekkanen editors. In addition to the introduction by co-editors, S. Pekkanen has also written one

UW students and non-UW students (including high school students) can register and take our summer courses.  All intensive Japanese language courses will be in-person ONLY this summer. Learn about the summer quarter application process and registration here. Each course covers roughly the same material that is offered in our equivalent nine-month course that span the

Study in Japan: MEXT Scholarship 2024 Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) offers fully funded government scholarships to international students to further their studies at a Japanese university or college. The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle accepts applications for the following scholarships from residents in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington State.

Gender and Sexuality in Modern Japan describes the ever-changing manifestations of sexes, genders, and sexualities in Japanese society from the 1860s to the present day. In the book and in this talk, Frühstück considers the experiences of females, males, and the evolving spectrum of boundary-crossing individuals and identities in Japan. These include the intersexed conscript

 Dr. Kazue Harada explores how reproductive futures are imagined by authors Murata Sayaka and Ueda Sayuri. Their imaginings counter ideologies of reproductive futurism, yet the narrative techniques they use—a circularity of the past, endless repetitions of the present moment, or the absence of a future for humanity—can point to the “failure” of the past and