News and Reports Archive

At the Finals Day of the Sixteenth Japanese Speech Contest for University Students on 6th March 2021, attendees were treated to speeches and presentations on topics including (but not limited to) breakfasts in different countries, Japanese yakuza films, echo-chambers, and the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. Due to restrictions caused by…

  2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the Postgraduate workshop jointly organised by The Japan Foundation, London and the British Association for Japanese Studies. Over the course of two mornings, the workshop saw 38 students and 12 academics come together virtually to reflect on how COVID-19 has changed the Japanese…

The Japan Foundation is inviting business propoals for a publishing project.  The details for the project can be found below.  The deadline for submission is January 29th 2021. 

On 25th June 2020, we held a “Rakugo Performance and Introductory Lecture for Japanese Language Education and Japanese Intellectual Studies” event. We were proud to offer those involved in Japanese language education and Japanese intellectual studies an opportunity to participate in our online performance and lecture. The online event incorporated…

On Monday, November 9, a member of staff working at the Japan Foundation, London received a positive test for Covid19.    The employee is currently recuperating and no high level of contact has been confirmed at this time. We are working to prevent the infection in cooperation with the related…

We are pleased to announce that the Japan Foundation has appointed a new President, Umemoto Kazuyoshi. He will be replacing Ando Hiroyasu effective as of 1st October 2020.  You can read a welcome message from the new President here.

The Finals Day of the Nihongo Cup Japanese Speech Contest for Secondary School Students was held on Saturday 27th June. This was an historic day for the Nihongo Cup: it was the first time in the seventeen-year-history of the contest that the Finals Day has ever been held entirely online,…

The Hakuhodo Foundation is now accepting applications for the 16th Hakuhodo Foundation Japanese Research Fellowship. With the goals of further strengthening the fundamentals of international research into Japan and deepening international understanding of Japan, the Hakuhodo Foundation Japanese Research Fellowship invites leading international researchers of the Japanese language, Japanese language…

The Japan Foundation is delighted to partner with the British Film Institute on their extensive season of Japanese films, exploring a collection of the best works and putting a spotlight on key filmmaker figures which helped in bringing their nation’s cinema to prominence on a global scene. For more information…

What am I doing? Iwasaki Takahiro, Artist It’s mid-March, and I am at home in Japan waiting following lectures I have in London and Salford, cities located in a country that I call the hometown of my expression. The exhibitions scheduled for this year have all been cancelled or postponed.  To…

During this unprecedented situation we all find oursleves in, we believe it important to share the beauty of Japanese cinema through free streaming services. The below links will take you to two film sharing initiatives that the Japan Foundation has been involved in. We hope you enjoy the complimentary access…

In this short article, Professor Andrew Gerstle shares his expertise on a Japanese traditional art form and introduces you to one of the most popular plays in the bunraku puppet theatre, Kanadehon Chushingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵), which premiered in Osaka in 1748. Click the PDF icon below to read. Professor Andrew Gerstle,…