UH Mānoa Center for Japanese Studies

The 2026 Ehime Prefecture International Center (EPIC) Interns, Leilah Eusebio and Taiga Ikeda, are now in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, to begin their summer internship. The interns were warmly welcomed at the airport by several EPIC staff, including EPIC Director Shimizu, Section Chief Kono, Hamada-san, Iwai-san, Niiyama-san, and Yamash*ta-san.

We are very grateful to the Ehime Prefectural International Association, the EPIC Hawaiʻi Project Team Members (Director Koichi Shimizu, Deputy Section Chief Takehito Hamada, and the Hawaiʻi Summer Internship Program Coordinator Yua Yamash*ta) and all the EPIC staff for their friendship, unwavering support, and ongoing assistance in making this meaningful program possible.

Follow the UHM CJS Instagram and pages as well as EPIC Summer Internship page managed by EPIC.

お疲れ様でした!! Great work on successfully finishing your semester. We wish you have a safe and wonderful summer break. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

Check out some course highlights on Japan-related courses for Fall 2026 semester. Good luck on your course registration!! 🌸

For the complete list of Japan-related courses at UHM, visit https://bit.ly/3QCAST7.

UHM College of Education PhD Students, JD Parker and Mizuki Yasumi, successfully organized a symposium on Teaching and Learning in Japan on April 18, 2026. The symposium featured 10 presentations exploring diverse pedagogical approaches ranging from K-12 to higher education.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Kanae Nishioka (Kyoto University), joined virtually to discuss the future of education in the age of AI. The CJS Director Levin and Honorable Vice Consul Tabira Shu were in attendance to give welcome remarks.

Mahalo to the organizers, presenters, and attendees for engaging presentations and discussions!

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This symposium is co-sponsored by UHM Center for Japanese Studies and Department of Educational Foundations, UHM College of Education.

Book Talk with Prof. Aya Hirata Kimura on her new book "Fermenting for the Future"

DATE: May 6, 2026 (Wednesday)
TIME: 12:30-1:30pm
LOCATION: Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)

REGISTER: https://go.hawaii.edu/iXy

A huge mahalo to Lori Teranishi (Founder and CEO of iQ 360) and Ann Teranishi (President and CEO of American Savings Bank) for their time and warm interactions with UHM students at the CJS Career & Professional Development talk on April 14, 2026. It was an inspiring and valuable session filled with wisdom and insightful stories from Lori and Ann's personal experiences and professional journeys. We would also like to thank attendees, including VIP attendee Dennis Teranishi, for their great questions and comments.
For anyone who missed the session or would like to watch or listen to it again, we will have an edited recording uploaded to CJS' YouTube channel soon. Thank you once again to Lori and Ann!

We'd like to thank Dr. Giulio Pugliese for sharing your engaging presentation on "Japan’s Security Embrace of Taiwan: Legal and Diplomatic Revolutions in Action" with our students and faculty.

Symposium on Teaching and Learning in Japan will take place this Saturday! This symposium explores teaching and learning in Japan and brings together scholars, educators, students, and community members interested in Japanese educational practices and learning models. Participants are welcome to attend to listen, engage in discussion, and build connections. Presenting is not required to attend.

Event date: April 18, 2026 (Saturday)
Organizers: Mizuki Yasumi ([email protected]) and JD Parker ([email protected])
If you are off-island and would like to attend, you can access via zoom here:
https://coehawaii.zoom.us/j/6091885490

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The event is sponsored by Educational Foundations and the Center for Japanese Studies.

The second Bento Box event included presentations from Hiroko Saito (Ph.D. Candidate in American Studies) and Kotone Ishida (Ph.D. Student in Sociology). We hope this event prepared Hiroko to present at the AAAS (Association for Asian American Studies) Annual Conference that took place in Honolulu in the following weekend. Great job on your presentations!

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Bento Box Series
Started in Spring 2022 by CJS Director Mark Levin, this special seminar series provides an informal venue for graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty to present their Japan-related research in front of their friends, other graduate students, and colleagues.

We were honored to have Consul General Hideaki Chotoku of the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu visit the Center for Japanese Studies and the Center for Okinawa as a part of his first visit to the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa campus on March 30, 2026. CJS Director Mark Levin and interim Director of the Center for Okinawan Studies, Dr. Lonny Carlile, hosted Consul General Chotoku and Vice Consul Shu Tabira in the Tokioka Room for introductions and lunch, before further explorations on the campus.
Consul General next visited Hamilton Library to meet with Japanese Studies Librarian Mitsutaka Nakamura and Okinawan Studies Librarian Lynnette Teruya. The visit concluded with a visit to the College of Engineering and a tour of 3D Printing Labs led by the Assistant Dean of the College, Dr. Song Choi.