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Organized by the University of Osaka Global Japanese Studies Education and Research Incubator (GJS-ERI) and its Incubator-Supported Project “Learning from and Promoting the African Association for Japanese Studies.”

Globalizing Japanese Studies in the Age of the Rising Global South

• Date/Time: Saturday, December 13, 2025, 13:30–16:45 JST (UTC+9)
• Venue: Online via Zoom Webinar, or in person at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies Commemoration Hall, Research and Education Hub 1F, Osaka University Minoh Campus; see access information here
• Registration: Required; please register here. To attend in person, please register by 15:00 JST on Wednesday, December 10. Requests to attend online will continue to be accepted after this deadline.
• Languages: English and Japanese; simultaneous interpretation will be available.
• Contact: gjs[at]ml.office.osaka-u.ac.jp *change “at” to @

 
A decade has now passed since universities and research institutes in Japan began promoting initiatives in “international research on Japan” and “Global Japanese Studies”. During this time, collaboration between institutions in Japan and overseas has deepened significantly. The growth of the Consortium for Global Japanese Studies into a network of 25 institutions inside and 62 institutions outside Japan since its establishment in 2017 is a clear sign of this process, and the University of Osaka Global Japanese Studies Education and Research Incubator has also played a key role in growing and developing such collaborative networks.

Until recently, efforts at deepening international cooperation have focused on regions where strong international organizations for Asian Studies and Japanese Studies were already well established, namely North America, Europe, and East Asia. However, expanding existing networks and building new relationships with the wider world, especially with the so-called “Global South”, remains an urgent problem.

To address this issue, “Globalizing Japanese Studies in the Age of the Rising Global South” will create a space for leading scholars from institutions in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America to discuss the current state and future prospects of Japanese Studies in each region. By deepening our common understanding of the background and particularities of Japanese Studies in different regions, this symposium aims to create new opportunities for collaboration with scholars and institutions of the Global South.

Along with the familiar economic and political connotations implied by the concept of the “Global South”, the symposium focuses on how this term refers to those regions in which Japanese Studies is expected to experience further growth in the near future. In contrast to Japan’s population decline, many regions of the Global South are experiencing rapid demographic growth. For this reason, the number of students and researchers of Japanese language and culture is likely to continue to increase in these regions. Nevertheless, this potential cannot be reached without deepening mutual understanding and strengthening cooperation with the core institutions in each region. Opening new channels of dialogue will not only draw the attention of students and scholars from the rising Global South to Japanese Studies, but will also enrich the field in Japan itself.

With an eye to the future, we look forward to welcoming these distinguished speakers from Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America to discuss the future prospects of Global Japanese Studies, and warmly welcome the participation of attendees from around the world.

This event will take place in a hybrid format and will be conducted in both English and Japanese. We look forward to the participation of attendees from across Japan and around the world.

Schedule
13:30–13:50 JST
Opening Remarks: MIYAMOTO Yoichi (Executive Vice President and Director of GJS-ERI, University of Osaka)
Introduction to the Symposium: UNODA Shoya (Professor and Associate Director of GJS-ERI, University of Osaka)
Moderator: Amin GHADIMI (Associate Professor and Representative of the Incubator-Supported Project “Learning from and Promoting the African Association for Japanese Studies,” University of Osaka)

Session 1: Keynote speech
13:50–15:20 JST
Adedoyin AGUORU (Professor, University of Ibadan / President, African Association for Japanese Studies)
“Japan–Africa Relations: New Horizons, Challenges, and the Role of the African Association for Japanese Studies”
Abdelrahman Ebrahim ELHADIDY (Tenured Lecturer, Cairo University / Visiting Research Fellow, University of Osaka)
“Japanese Language Education in the Middle East: Lessons from Egypt”
Leiko MATSUBARA MORALES (Associate Professor, University of São Paulo)
“Trends in Research on Japan in Brazil: Focusing on the University of São Paulo”

Session 2: Panel discussion
15:30–16:40 JST
Facundo GARASINO (Specially Appointed Lecturer, University of Osaka)
FUKUDA Yoshiaki (Associate Professor, University of Osaka)
ABE Maya (Specially Appointed Lecturer, University of Osaka)

16:40–16:45 JST
Closing Remarks: Amin GHADIMI