FROM OUR DIRECTORS
Dear Friends,
This is the first time since 2019 that the IUC’s academic year began with actual students in Yokohama. What a welcome change! We hit another high mark this year, with an unusually large cohort of 62 students. Amid the many changes occasioned by the pandemic, demand for IUC training remains strong.
Reflecting on the past three years, we want to take a moment to thank our dedicated faculty and staff as well as former Managing Director Giles Richter. During the pandemic, IUC faculty showed tremendous resourcefulness in the face of constant change, pivoting quickly as circumstances required to provide the best possible learning experience for our students. Staff members kept all the balls in motion, providing invaluable support for the entire program. And Giles played an indispensable role in holding the IUC community together, forging new ways for all of us to connect online.
We are also excited about what the future holds. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the IUC. In Japan, sixtieth birthdays are cause for special celebration. Known as kanreki 還暦, they mark the beginning of a second cycle of life―both a return to one’s roots and a rejuvenation. Keep an eye out for news about 60th anniversary events next year. We look forward to celebrating together with you!
Indra Levy, Executive Director
Bruce Batten, Resident Director
CLASS OF 2023
The 10-month regular program for 2022–23 began as scheduled on September 5. With the difficulties experienced by last year’s students still fresh in our minds, we were concerned that some of this year’s participants might not make it to Japan, but that fear proved groundless. The start of the academic year coincided with a lull in COVID infections in Japan and the end of most restrictions on entering the country, and as a result all 62 students arrived in Yokohama before the start of the program. To prevent crowding at the Center, students currently attend in-person classes on rotation, with each student coming to the Center three days a week and taking online classes at home the other two. Although COVID infections in Japan are now on the rise again, we are hopeful that it will be possible to revert to fully in-person classes sometime in the winter or spring.
PETER DUUS (1933–2022)
We are sad to report that Peter Duus, William H. Bonsall Professor of History Emeritus at Stanford University, passed away on November 5 at the age of 88. Professor Duus served as Executive Secretary (now Executive Director) to the Center from 1974 to 1990, the longest tenure of any person in that position. He will be sorely missed, not only for his dedication to Japanese studies and the Center, but also for his endearingly wry sense of humor.
In this photo, Peter Duus is chatting with Susan Mattisoff, Mary Elizabeth Berry (IUC ’70) and Davinder Bhowmik (IUC ’90) at the October 2018 Toshizo Watanabe Symposium at Stanford.
>> H-Net: Remembrance of Peter Duus by Michael Lewis (IUC ’77) & Robert Hellyer (IUC ’94)
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
We are excited to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the 2023–24 10-month program, and will begin accepting applications for both the summer and kanbun programs soon. We would like to ask your help in spreading the news with anyone who may be interested in applying. If you have any questions, please contact Alice Kada at akada@stanford.edu.
IUC 10-Month Program Application
Application Deadline: January 13, 2023 EST
SAN FRANCISCO CONSUL GENERAL NOGUCHI AND THE IUC
Yasushi Noguchi was recently appointed Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, taking over from Acting Consul General Hajime Kishimori. Just prior to assuming his new post, on September 1, Mr. Noguchi took the time to meet with Resident Director Batten at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss US-Japan relations and the state of Japanese studies in the US. Soon after his arrival in California, on October 19, the Consul General and Consul Noritoshi Kurokawa visited the IUC office at Stanford University at the invitation of Executive Director Levy, to discuss IUC and the long relationship between Japan and Stanford. Welcome to California, Consul General Noguchi!
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○ Message from Our Directors
○ Class of 2023
○ Peter Duus
○ Call for Applications
○ Consul General Noguchi
○ Center Visitors
○ Recent Events
○ Alumni Recognition
○ Other Alumni News
○ Online Appearances
○ Recent Publications
Alumni donations directly support our students at the IUC. To make your gift today, visit our website. To find out how to make a planned gift, please email iucjapan@stanford.edu.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Did the holidays sneak up on you, and you’re still searching for a gift for that special someone? Well, look no further. Check out Kasumisou Gallery’s online store for a vast selection of accessories, home decor, and more! This gallery, which is run by IUC alum Mark Rosasco (IUC ’98), gives a portion of proceeds from sales to IUC alumni and supporters back to the IUC. Thank you Mark!
IUC PROFESSIONAL TUTORIALS
The IUC offers a custom-designed tutorials program in advanced Japanese for scholars and professionals at a lower rate for graduates of the IUC. Visit our program page for more information.
MIIS SCHOLARSHIP
IUC alumni enrolling in degree programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies are eligible for a $12,000 scholarship!
The Middlebury Institute educates professionals to advance understanding, promote peace, and drive change in pursuit of a more just world. For details, contact Jill Stoffers, Senior Director of Partnerships at MIIS, by email at jill.stoffers@miis.edu or by phone at (831) 647-6571.
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CENTER VISITORS
With Japan opening up, the IUC is beginning to receive visitors for the first time in nearly three years. Among others, we were pleased to see Peter Stern (IUC ’93) of Meta and the IUC’s Leadership Board on October 12; Eugene H. Lee, Trustee of the Blakemore Foundation, on October 20; and Mya Fisher (IUC Summer ’08), Director of the Richard U. Light Fellowship at Yale University, on December 2.
GILES’S FAREWELL EVENT
The IUC held an online farewell party for outgoing Managing Director Giles Richter (IUC ’92) on October 8. The large number of attendees―including IUC alumni ranging from the class of 1967 to that of 2022―was a testament to Giles’s amazing outreach efforts during his time at the IUC. Many treasured memories were shared by those who attended. In fact, it was through Giles that Executive Director Indra Levy first heard about the IUC―when he was a student there during their grad school days at Columbia. We look forward to seeing Giles at future alumni events and wish him success and happiness in his post-IUC endeavors.
IUC LECTURE SERIES No. 19
Lefteris Kafatos (IUC ’02) delivered the 19th installment of the IUC Lecture Series on November 12, Japan time, via Zoom. Drawing on his career as an interpreter for the U.S. State Department, Lefteris spoke on “Diplomatic Interpreting and U.S.-Japan Relations.” Among other things, the audience learned that (1) just because you can speak Japanese and English, that doesn’t make you a good interpreter; (2) in diplomacy, interpreters translate from their own language to the foreign language, not the reverse; and (3) interpreting at high-level meetings, especially ones involving the President of the United States, is incredibly stressful.
MOFA VISIT
On Wednesday, October 5, 18 IUC students visited Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenji Yamada and a panel discussion with working Japanese diplomats. Despite his busy schedule, Mr. Yamada kindly answered the students’ many questions about Japan’s foreign policy. Harvey Beasley (IUC ’07), a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently seconded to MOFA, was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the event. This visit to MOFA was a first for IUC students and we are honored to have been invited.
MATERIALS WORKSHOP
On Friday, November, 4, IUC co-sponsored a “Materials Workshop” together with the National Institute for Japanese Literature (NIJL). Ten IUC students attended in person. Here is a report by one of them, Amy Wei:
In November, a number of IUC students had the opportunity to attend an in-person workshop led by Prof. Kurahito Tada at the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) on writing manuals in post-Meiji Japan. During the first half of the 2-hour session, Prof. Tada provided students with an overview of present discourse and research regarding these writing manuals, along with insights into their significance in Meiji and Taishō Japan. In the second half of the workshop, we were able to examine and engage with actual examples of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century manuals from Prof. Tada’s personal collection as we continued to ask questions and discuss the characteristics and construction of each genre represented. As a student of Japanese literature, I found the workshop to be both invaluable and thought-provoking, and conversations with my fellow students in attendance afterward revealed that many of them felt similarly, regardless of their area of specialization. On behalf of the IUC students, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Prof. Tada and Prof. Knott from the NIJL. I hope to have the opportunity to further engage with the NIJL as I continue my studies here in Japan and beyond, and know that many of my peers at the IUC share in this hope.
IUC ALUMNI TALKS
IUC Alumni Talks recently hosted Aaron Rio (IUC ’08), the Associate Curator in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. Aaron specializes in medieval and early modern Japanese painting. Over our conversation, Aaron discussed how he became interested in the field, his time in Japan during the JET Programme, life at the IUC, his academic career, and his curatorial work, also providing introductions of upcoming exhibitions at The Met. If you are interested in talking about your journey as an IUC alumni or helping organize events, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the organizers at alumni_talks@iucjapan.org!
>> IUC Alumni Talk: Aaron Rio (IUC ’08) >> YouTube Channel
Sign up today for the IUC Alumni Talks mailing list to stay informed about upcoming talks!
This web series is planned and executed by IUC Alumni Talks Committee members Richard Sleboda (IUC ’03), Stephen Meyerink (IUC ’16), Taranee Cao (IUC ’20) and Megan Beckerich (IUC ’22).
ALUMNI RECOGNITION
KANEKO AWARD
Congratulations to Gerald Curtis (IUC ’65), Burgess Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Columbia University and Special Advisor to the IUC, for receiving the prestigious Kaneko Award from the America-Japan Society. The award was established in 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of AJS’s founding and is named after the Society’s first president, Kaneko Kentarō.
>> The America-Japan Society, Inc.
ORDER OF THE RISING SUN
Mary C. Brinton (IUC ’78), Reischauer Institute Professor of Sociology and Director, Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, has been conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan. Prof. Brinton was recognized for her contributions to promoting academic exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. She is the twenty-first IUC graduate to receive the Order of the Rising Sun. Congratulations, Prof. Brinton!
>> Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
OTHER ALUMNI NEWS
Brandon Marc Higa (IUC ’05), was selected as one of the 25 US higher education professionals for a new White House Initiative promoting higher education exchanges through an inaugural cohort of the U.S.-ASEAN University Connections Initiative.
>> The White House Fact Sheet: U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, DC
ONLINE APPEARANCES
We have started cataloguing talks and presentations accessible online by IUC alumni. If we have missed yours or you have any others to share—past or future—please post them to the IUC Facebook and LinkedIn groups or send us an email at iucjapan@stanford.edu!
UPCOMING EVENT
December 14, 2022 @ 7:00PM EST
MJHA: New Books on Japan: “Imperial Gateway: Colonial Taiwan and Japan's Expansion in South China and Southeast Asia, 1895-1945” Seiji Shirane (IUC ’08) and Andrew Gordon (IUC ’74)
PAST RECORDED EVENTS
JFNY: The Occupation of Photography in Occupied Okinawa Alan Christy (IUC ’86) & Gerald Figal (IUC ’89)
JFNY: Yokai: How Japanese Folklore and its Monsters Shaped Modern Horror Michael Dylan Foster (IUC ’96) & Michael Crandol (IUC ’10)
JFIT Japan Zoominars Green with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled America’s Tea Cups Robert Hellyer (IUC ’94)
U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation: How Enrichment and Study Programs Can Help Your Career Mason Williams (IUC ’21)
U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation: How I Built My Career as a Translator Allison Markin Powell (IUC ’98)
U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation: My Path to Working in the Gaming Industry Jamie Cox (IUC ’10)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
So many of our alumni have published books recently that we couldn’t feature them all of them in our newsletter. If you don’t see your book listed in our full list of recent publications, please let us know so we can add it. >> recent publications list
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