We are saddened to report that Kozo Yamamura, who taught Japan studies at the Jackson School for 32 years before retiring in 2003, died on February 15, 2017, in Honolulu. Yamamura was a world-class scholar and amazingly prolific, writing or editing more than 20 books and scores of articles on the Japanese economy and its

Waseda University is 4800 miles away from the University of Washington. And yet they share a deep connection stretching back many years. There are currently four programmatic relationships between the UW and Waseda. This year Professor Amy Snyder Ohta of the department of Asian Languages and Literature and UW Japan Studies Program faculty is participating

Japan Studies Ph.D. Candidate Josh Williams has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Presidential Management Fellowship Program. Josh’s primary research interest is the connection between Japanese politics and the Internet. This includes both how Japanese politicians use the internet for political campaigning and how Japanese citizens use the internet to connect to politics. The PMF Program

In “The Next-Generation Rockets That Japan Could Use to Protect Itself” in Forbes, Prof. Saadia Pekkanen writes about potential national security space ventures during these times of uncertain U.S. policies toward Asia.

I am pleased to report that Japan Studies at the University of Washington is thriving as an interdisciplinary, university-wide program that builds on its strategic position on the Pacific Rim and its vibrant academic and professional communities. This year I report to you on the program while in transit from Tokyo to Rome during the

More than 75 new resources chronicling the development of Japan’s written word have been acquired for the Japanese Collection at the East Asia Library this year. These astonishing materials showcase the development of Japan’s written and printed word from the Tokugawa period all the way to the modern era in a collection that is unique

The Japan Studies Program is excited to welcome Mark Metzler to the University of Washington. Metzler joins the program as a professor with a joint appointment in the Department of History and in the Jackson School. Metzler earned his BA in international relations from Stanford University, his MA in comparative social history from the University

This Autumn Alumna Kristen Dean (MA Japan ’74) established the Kristen Kawakami Dean Fellowship in Japan Studies to support graduate students studying Japan at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Reflecting on her own educational experience and on the generosity of others, Dean was inspired to make a lasting gift after attending the

The comedic art of Rakugo is not one of the better known traditional Japanese arts in the west but with the help of the UW Japan Studies program and NHK, Katsura Sunshine performed in Seattle this week. Katsura Sunshine stands out because he is the only non-native Japanese Rakugoka officially recognized. This and his deep

Professor Saadia Pekkanen, an expert in outer space governance, security and policy, was featured in an article published by GeekWire to mark the 50th anniversary of the show “Star Trek.” Professor Pekkanen told the magazine about the way in which Star Trek influenced her career: “For me, maybe for others, too, ‘Star Trek’ was and is an inspiring vision of