Earlier this month, the Government of Japan announced the recipients of the 2025 Autumn Conferment of Decoration on Foreign Nationals. Among the recipients is Marie Anchordoguy, a professor emerita at the Jackson School and former chair of the Center for Japanese Studies. Anchordoguy was honored with the Order of the Rising Sun in the third

Join Jackson School Acting Assistant Professor ​​​​​​​Andrea Gevurtz Arai on Wednesday, Nov. 12 as she dives into the world “Spaces of Creative Resistance: Social Change Projects in 21st-Century East Asia,” of which she is the editor. Over the last two decades, social disconnection, increased income disparity, and new burdens have been placed on the young,

A new edited volume, “Spaces of Creative Resistance: Social Change Projects in Twenty-First Century East Asia” (Rutgers University Press, 2025), brings together case studies of youth- and community-led movements across the region. Edited by Jackson School Acting Assistant Professor Andrea Gevurtz Arai, the book is the outcome of a multi-year cross-college and cross-regional research initiative

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 in-person to learn about research fellowship opportunities in Japan through the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Funding is available for: Graduate Students Postdoctoral Scholars Professors (of any level) Researchers (of any level) JANUARY 16, 2025 Noon – 1:00 PM Thomson Hall 317

On August 1, 2024 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced Jackson School Professor Emerita Marie Anchordoguy as a recipient of the 2024 Foreign Minister’s Commendations; Anchordoguy, whose work focuses on the political economy of Japan, was acknowledged for her 35-year academic career promoting the research of Japan in the United States. “The Foreign

Join us in welcoming Professor Edward (Ted) Mack to the position of Chair of the University of Washington Japan Studies Program. Professor Mack teaches modern Japanese-language prose in the department of Asian Languages and Literature. His research focuses on literary works written and read throughout the world, including in North and South America. His most recent book, Acquired