Dear JSAC Members,
Table of Contents
President’s Letter

1

JSAC Annual Meeting 2018

2

APF Canada Announces New
Team of Distinguished Fellows

3

Publication Notice4

Centre for the Study of Global Japan,
Munk School of Global Affairs,
University of Toronto
5
Member News

7

2018 CASCA Annual Conference

13

Retirement Musings

14

JSAC Executive 2016-201716

I hope this finds you well in your corner of the country or the world.
Welcome to the Spring 2018 JSAC newsletter! It is great to find out
how active and engaged our members are and to learn about theirwork.
On page 2, you will find the Call for Papers for JSAC 2018 to be heldin Edmonton at the Prince Takamodo Japan Centre for Teaching andResearch at the University of Alberta (in collaboration with the
University of Calgary) October 11 – 14, 2018. Aya Fujiwara and X.
Jie Yang are putting together an excellent conference with someterrific keynote speakers. Submit those paper proposals and book off
the dates! I look forward to seeing you in Edmonton.
Wishing you all a great summer!

Carin Holroyd, President,
Japan Studies Association of Canada

Teri Jane Bryant has quite a following inJapan (taken May 22, 2018, near Todaiji in
Nara, with the group of 25 travel study
students Leighton Wilks and I take to Japanfor three weeks from the Haskayne businessschool, University of Calgary).

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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter

Call for Papers: 2018 JSAC Annual Meeting
Deadline: August 1 2018
The 31st Japan Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference“Japan’s World / The World’s Japan: Images, Perceptions and Reactions”
Hosted by
Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research at the University of Alberta in collaboration with the
University of Calgary
11-14 October 2018
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Images, perceptions, and reactions define the political directions that nations might take. In recent years, theworld has produced a set of political and cultural discourses of Japan, ascertaining the role that it could play inthis world. Many global leaders and scholars view Japan with pessimism as a country in decline, with few
options in the future due to its dwindling population, aging society and increasing territorial and military threats
from its neighbours. To counter-balance this view, others see Japan with a glimmer of hope, expecting the riseof new scientific and technological inventions to offset these crises. There is also a historical trend to stress
Japan’s soft power, focusing on its rich traditional cultural heritage, literature, and language as well as popular
culture such as manga, anime, and games. Japan, for its part, has reacted and responded to such images andperceptions created by the rest of the world by reorienting and reinventing its self-images and responses.
The goal of this conference is to bring together interdisciplinary and international Japan Studies researchers tocreate a space to produce a new set of knowledge regarding the state of Japan and Japan studies. This is the only
conference that focuses on Japan in North America. The theme has been set broadly so that it can attract a wide
variety of presenters. Participants represent different fields – anthropology, history, arts, culture, politicalscience, cultural studies, linguistics, business, sociology, digital studies, and so on.
We are currently accepting submission for individual papers and panel proposals including but not limited to thefollowing topics. Three presenters, a chair, and a discussant will organize concurrent 1.5-hour panels. Each
presenter will have 20 minutes for presentation, a discussant will provide an overarching comment, and thechair will open the discussion to the audience. Some travel grants might be available for students only.
1) Political Economy and Policy
Much of the world may perceive Japan as a declining power because of its stagnant economy, aging society,increasing natural disasters, and spreading nuclear contamination, but do these images give a full picture of Japan?
What sorts of policies and technical innovation have been introduced to solve these challenges? How does Japancope with this negative image and perception in order to remain as one of active players and economic powers in
the world?
2) Minority / Aboriginal Rights
While the World sees Japan as a country that lacks openness to immigrants and the awareness of ethnic andaboriginal rights, is Japan still a very closed society? How is its ethnic demography changing? What kinds ofefforts have been made to increase the awareness of ethnic pluralism in Japan? How do people of Japanese descentin Canada and elsewhere contribute to the promotion of Japanese linguistic, cultural and social rights?
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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter

3) Literature, Fine Arts, Popular Culture, and Language
Since the modern era, Westerners have been inspired by Japanese literary and artistic traditions. Although often
perceived with a sense of exoticism, Japanese elements are well incorporated in and often define Western
literature and fine arts. How are the world’s images, perceptions and reactions reflected in these fields? In recent
years, Japanese anime and manga have achieved global popularity, creating and disseminating different images
and perceptions. How can we analyze and respond to these phenomena?
4) Digital Studies
In recent years, much of “Japan’s world and the world’s Japan” has existed in the digital world. Digitalization has
produced a new set of images, perceptions, and reactions, reducing the boundary between the physical and virtualworld. Such images, perceptions and reactions generated through the application of digital technologies are
powerful and useful in many different fields in business and academic studies. Japan, as one of the countries thathas a long history of digital technologies and expressions, interacts with the world through digital technologies
regularly. Has digitalization transformed Japan’s images, perceptions, and reactions of the world and vice-versa?
How can it be used to shape Japan’s self-image or the world’s image of Japan?
For a panel proposal, please use this form.
For an individual presentation, please use this form.
To register for the conference, please click here.
Japan Studies Association of Canada welcomes new members who are interested in Japan.

_____________________________________APF Canada Announces New Team of Distinguished Fellows
In January, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) and its Board of Directors announced theappointment of 13 new Fellows and the reappointment of 10 returning Fellows to its roster of experts on
Canada-Asia relations. Note how many JSAC members are represented!
APF Canada’s Distinguished Fellows provide APF Canada with valuable insight and guidance, participating in
dialogues and public events, offering commentary and responding to media requests, and leveraging their
networks to assist APF Canada in its mission to be Canada's catalyst for engagement with Asia and Asia's
bridge to Canada.
APF Canada’s newly appointed Fellows include: Mr. David Alan Byng - Royal Roads University
 Mr. Dan Ciuriak - Ciuriak Consulting
 Dr. Ken Coates - University of Saskatchewan
 Mr. Brad Gilmour - Mouralea Trade, Agriculture and Resource Consulting
 Dr. Carin Holroyd - University of Saskatchewan
 Ms. Margaret McCuaig-Johnston - University of Ottawa, University of Alberta
 Dr. Jonathan Berkshire Miller – The Japan Institute of International Affairs
 Dr. Stephen Robert Nagy - International Christian University, Tokyo Dr. Patricia Nelson - Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Stockholm School of Economics
 Mr. Nicholas Parker - Parker Venture Management Inc., Global Acceleration Partners Inc.
 Mr. Michael Small - SFU Centre for Dialogue
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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter

Dr. James Tiessen - Ryerson University
Dr. David Welch - CIGI, Balsillie School of International Affairs

The Foundation’s reappointed Fellows include: Mr. Don W. Campbell - DLA Piper Mr. Joseph Caron - Former Canadian Diplomat/Ambassador
 Dr. Michael Goldberg - Sauder School of Business, UBC
 Ms. Deanna Horton - Munk School of Global Affairs
 Dr. Jean-Michel Montsion - York University, Glendon College
 Dr. Ito Peng - University of Toronto Dr. Pitman Potter - University of British Columbia
 Dr. Daniel Savas - Simon Fraser University
 Mr. Hugh L. Stephens - University of Calgary, Royal Roads University
 Dr. Yves Tiberghien - University of British Columbia______________________________________
Publication Notice
Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies, Volume 10(submitted by Leslie Tkach-Kawasaki, May 16, 2018,tkach@japan.email.ne.jp)
The Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies, published by
the Master’s and Doctoral Programs in International and Advanced
Japanese Studies), published Volume 10 of its PRINT and ONLINE
editions in February and March 2018, respectively.
Articles and research notes from both editions are available on our website
at http://japan.tsukuba.ac.jp/research/en/
Here is the cover of the PRINT edition of the Journal. JSAC members havesubmitted manuscripts in the past, and we hope you do so again for this andfuture editions.
CFP for Volume 11 (2018-19)
The Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies is currently seeking new manuscripts for its 20182019 issues to be published in February 2019. This year, we are accepting research papers (up to 20 pages inlength), research notes (up to 15 pages), essays on teaching innovations and practices (up to 15 pages), review
essays (up to 10 pages), and book reviews (up to 6 pages) written in either English or Japanese.
Please refer to the Submission Guidelines in English or Japanese (available at
http://japan.tsukuba.ac.jp/research/en/submission-guidelines.html) if you intend to make a submission to ourJournal. It must be noted that to be eligible to submit a manuscript to our Journal, authors must have completed
a recognized course in research ethics.
Please send the “Intention to Submit” form, completed in either English or Japanese, and also available on theabove website, to us via e-mail or postal service. The addresses and deadlines are below.

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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter*E-mail: jiajs@japan.tsukuba.ac.jp* Please use this new email address (effective as of May 1, 2018).
Postal Address:
Editorial Committee, JIAJSJournal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies in International and Advanced Japanese Studies
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JAPAN. 305-8571
 The first deadline for receiving your “Intention to Submit” (via email or post to the IAJS Office):
Friday, June 15th, 2018 (strictly enforced).
 The second deadline for receiving receipts of all manuscript types (via email or post to the IAJS Office):
Monday, July 16th, 2018 (strictly enforced).
With regard to the formatting for research articles and research notes, please confirm the templates asformatting guidelines in Japanese or English for the Journal. The templates are available at:
http://japan.tsukuba.ac.jp/research/en/submission-guidelines.html.
About the Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies
The Journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal published annually by the Master’s and Doctoral Programs inInternational and Advanced Japanese Studies, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universityof Tsukuba.
The Journal purports to promote open-debates through leading research effects’ publishing in Japanese Studies.
We welcome many submissions from the perspectives of cross-national and international studies as well asperspectives in all social science fields (encompassing politics, economics, society, law, media and information
studies, culture, language and pedagogy, fine arts, and literature). The Journal *especially encourages* graduate
students (M.A. level and above) to submit manuscripts to the journal.
All queries and submissions should be addressed to the editorial board at:
jiajs@japan.tsukuba.ac.jp
We look forward to receiving your submissions.
Leslie Tkach-Kawasaki, Editorial Committee Chair,
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter

Centre for the Study of Global Japan,
Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
The newly-launched Centre for the Study of Global Japan (CSGJ) is part of the Munk School of Global Affairs
at the University of Toronto. Established in July 2017 with generous support from the Government of Japan as
the first of its kind in Canada, the centre is currently staffed by three professors (Louis W. Pauly, David A. Welch,and Mark Manger) and an associate (Seung Hyok Lee) to promote deeper understanding of Japan in Canada froma global perspective.
CSGJ’s main focus is to facilitate research networks, teaching, and public outreach through workshops and guest
lectures on various aspects of Japanese politics and diplomacy. We actively seek out opportunities for faculty andstudents in Canada and Japan to freely and objectively exchange their views on both contemporary and historicalissues related to Japan, and policy challenges on global issues faced by the two G-7 partners.
Among the various events hosted by CSGJ during the 2017-18 school year (full-list attached below), we would
like to highlight particularly our hosting of the Japan Studies Association of Canada 2017 Conference, and ourregular Japan NOW talk series.

Events—2017/18
Date(DD/MM/YYYY)

Event Title

22-09-2017

Japan's Global Reach: Development Cooperation and Foreign
Policy (Japan NOW)
Green Japan: Combining Technological Innovation, Economic
Grown and Environmental Sustainability (Japan NOW)The Age of Three Emperors: The Direction of US Foreign Policy
and the Future of US-Japan Relations (Japan NOW)
Stakeholder Capitalism in Turbulent Times
Asia's Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the
Pacific
Dismantling Japanese Developmentalism (Japan NOW)

02-10-2017

Walk in Canada, Talk on Japan

12-01-2017
10-03-2017
17-03-2017
28-03-2017
19/09/2017

12-10-2017
12/10/2017 15/10/2017
13-10-2017
13-10-2017
13-10-2017
14-10-2017
14-10-2017

Professional Development: A Seminar for Graduate Students andJunior Faculty Members
Japan Studies Association of Canada 2017 Conference: Future
Uncertain: Economic, Environmental, Social and Political
Challenge (Co-sponsored by Japan NOW)
Being Ambassador to Japan with Joseph Caron"Society 5.0": Japan's Growth Strategy Under Abenomics or the"Reset"-Party of Hope (Japan NOW)
Undergraduate Roundtable: Gender Equality in Japan from
Students' Perspective
Cultivating Institutional Change in Japan: Globalization,
Demographic Decline, and the Future of Farming
Japanese Smart Communities as Industrial Policy

Speaker(s)Attendance

Akihiko Tanaka

103

Carin Holroyd

68

Tosh Minohara

57

Shibusawa Foundation

62

Richard McGregor

120

T. J. Pempel
Tomohiko Taniguchi, Kazuo
Okura, Koji Uenoyama, Junko
Uchigami
Ken Coates, Carin Holroyd,David Welch

81

50 participants over 4 days
Joseph Caron

Varied46
46-100each
session100

Atsushi Sunami

85

Taku Nishimura, Keita
Morikawa, Kana Shishikura,
Natsuhi Yasuda, Seung Hyok Lee

25

Patricia Maclachlan

76

Andrew DeWit

77

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Japan Studies Association of Canada
02-11-2017
29-11-2017
10-01-2018
19-01-2018
09-02-2018

Spring 2018 Newsletter

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Handbook -- Born in Japan,
Flourishing Around the World (Japan NOW)
Escape Velocity? How to Overcome Secular Stagnation in Japanand Abroad (Japan NOW)
Meet and Greet the Consul-General of JapanHow Have the 'North Korea Factors' Shaped Japan-South Korea
Relations?
Security Cooperation in East Asia, Japan, South Korea, and theUnited States (Japan NOW)

05-03-2018

Geopolitics and Security Shifts in East Asia - Perspective fromJapan

08-03-2018

150 Years After the Meiji Restoration--Japanʼs Global
Engagement Then and Now

12-03-2018

Shaping Summitry: An Anniversary Conference(Co-sponsored with G-7 Research Group, Trinity College)

10-04-2018

Kakehashi: Student Presentations on Japan

Yasuhide Nakamura

62

R. Anton Braun, Nobuyuki
Kinoshita
Takako Ito

85
40

Seung Hyok Lee

46

Peter D. Feaver, Naoko Kumagai,
Seung Hyok Lee

80

Jonathan Berkshire Miller

40

Koko Kato, Tomoko Okagaki,
Yuichi Hosoya, Sarah Taylor, Uof T scholars
Bill Graham, Margaret
MacMillan, Barbara Eastman, Sir
Nicholas Bayne, Jonathan Fried,
Tiff Macklem, U of T
distinguished alumni

60

150

Kakehashi 2018 participants

35

Member News
Ken Coates (Professor and Canada Research Chair, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy,
University of Saskatchewan)
Arranged for Dr. Atsushi Tsunami, GRIPS (Tokyo), to present a paper on "Japan 5: Toward a Digitally
Smart Society," to the 2018 Creating Digital Opportunities Conference (SSHRC Partnership
Project),Vancouver, April 2015.
Continuing my research on digital technologies and the future of rural societies, which includes a substantial
element on Japan's rural challenges.

______________________________________
Millie Creighton (Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia)
Dr. Millie Creighton is spending eight months of the 2018 year under an appointment as a Visiting Scholar at
Harvard University based in the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies.
Photographic Evidence Answers that Age-Old Question: Why Did theCanadian Goose Cross the Road? To Get In To Harvard. While based at
Harvard as a Visiting Scholar, I noticed this grouping of what seemed to be
Canadian Geese, of two adults and 11 blooming goslings crossing the roadfrom the Charles River that separates and also connects the Harvard main
Cambridge campus and the Harvard Alston campus. Once on the other side,
they could easily make their way directly into Harvard, without seemingly
having to do all the paperwork I did to similarly enter Harvard from Canada
for my sabbatical. (Photo by Millie Creighton, taken May 27, 2018)

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Spring 2018 NewsletterDavid W. Edgington (Emeritus Professor, University of British Columbia)
Presentation:
Edgington, David W. 2018. "Building Back in Devastated Communities", an invited talk to a workshop
entitled: "Love, Hope and New Life: Seven Years After the Eastern Japan Great Earthquake/Tsunami",
Unitarian Church of Vancouver, BC, March 7th 2018.
Field Work:Interviews with government officials, local residents and entrepreneurs related to long-term recovery afterthe `3.11 disaster' in Sendai and Fukushima, November and December, 2017.

______________________________________
Scott Harrison (Program Manager, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada)
Articles: Co-author with Charles Labrecque, "Canadian Provinces and Foreign Policy in Asia" International
Journal (forthcoming - accepted)
Presentations: Co-presented with Michael Hathaway, "Indigenous Politics in Asia: How China and Japan
are Part of Global Dynamics,"; presented at Questions of Indigeneity in the Asia Pacific speaker series,
Munk School of Global Affairs, April 3, 2018
Committees: Editorial Committee, Education About Asia, Association of Asian Studies (from May 2018)______________________________________
Carin Holroyd (Professor, Department of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan)
Holroyd, C. “Digital Galapagos: Japan’s Digital Media and Digital Content Economy”, Journal of theJapan Studies Association, forthcoming
Holroyd, C. “Digital Content Promotion in Southeast Asia: Government Strategies for a New Economic
Sector,” Journal of Asian Public Policy, forthcoming
Presented at the Centre for Japanese Research's conference on Donald Trump, Japan and Canada organized
by Dr. Shige Matsui in February 2018.
Presented on "Digital Content Promotion in Japan and South Korea" at the Creating Digital Opportunity(SSHRC Partnership grant conference) conference in Vancouver in April 2018.

______________________________________
Fumiko Ikawa-Smith (Professor Emerita, McGill University)
Chapters: Paleolithic Archaeology in Japan, in Handbook of East and Southeast Asian Archaeology, editedby Junko Habu, Peter V. Lape, & John W. Olsen, pp. 195-217. Springer, 2017. Ringer
Conferences/Meetings attended: 「交響する古代」, at Meiji University, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2017
Awards: Lifetime Service Awards, JSAC, 2017

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Japan Studies Association of Canada

Spring 2018 Newsletter

Jacob Kovalio (Professor, Department of History, Carleton University)
1. Ms. Koko Kato, Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Japan, gave a lecture on March 9th, 2018 at Carleton
University on "Heritage Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" in honour of the 150th anniversary of
the Meiji Restoration.
Full industrialization in record time by successfully combining Western technology and domestic
developments and entrepreneurship, was one of the many achievements of the Meiji era [1867-1912] inJapan’s history. Ms. Katōs lecture – part of a slew of events worldwide, organized by the Government ofJapan in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration- is an overview of various industrial
heritage sites from this unique period. Ms. Katō earned a Master’s degree in Community and Regional
Planning from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Her research focuses on domestic andinternational industrial heritage, an area in which she serves as an advisor to the Government of Japan. Ms.
Katō is the author of International Heritage [Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc., 1998] and of many articles andessays in professional periodicals and regular magazines.
2. The Kovalio presentation [April 9, 2018 - the first in the annual Japan Lecture Series at Carleton University]focused on the myriad political , social and institutional changes triggered by the Meiji Restoration of April
1868- a revolution in anything but name. The most relevant changes included the [formal] return of powerfrom the feudal Tokugawa Shogunate to the imperial institution and the vast social, economic and politicaltransformations the Meiji political leaders initiated.

______________________________________
Stephen Nagy (Politics and International Relations, International Christian University, Tokyo)
o Led China Global Link program to cultivate Sino-Japanese relations future leaders
https://www.jicuf.org/2018-global-link-china-participants-share-their-experiences/
Recent Op-eds and Policy pieces on regional politics
1) Changing geopolitics & China’s role in the Trilateral Summit: Moving beyond functional cooperation
http://chinaplus.cri.cn/opinion/opedblog/23/20180509/128586.html

2) Three key issues for the Trilateral Summit: Ceremony and civility mask diverging interests in Northeast
Asia https://www.policyforum.net/three-key-issues-trilateral-summit/
3) Post-summit period shrouded in uncertainty for Japan
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2018/05/01/commentary/japan-commentary/post-summit-period-shrouded-uncertaintyjapan/#.WvZYDGjRAow
4) Forging a permanent peace on the peninsula https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2018/04/19/commentary/japancommentary/forging-permanent-peace-peninsula/#.WvZYWWjRAow
5) MAXIMIZING THE FRACTURES http://www.asianaffairs.in/magazine/maximizing-the-fractures/#.WrHryYjFIow
6) In Japan is demography destiny? : Time for a modern Meiji Restoration https://www.macrogeo.global/analysis/injapan-is-demography-destiny/7) China may gripe, but Canada’s policy moves in Asia make sense https://www.hilltimes.com/2018/05/11/china-maygripe-canadas-policy-moves-asia-make-sense/143775

8) Converging or Diverging Interests? The Trilateral Summit & PM Abe’s Political Imperatives
https://glos.blog/2018/05/14/converging-or-diverging-interests-the-trilateral-summit-pm-abes-political-imperatives/______________________________________

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Spring 2018 Newsletter

Brian Pendleton (Professor Emeritus, Asian Studies, Langara College)
February 2018 – presented a series of lectures on Japanese and Chinese Religions, Asian Studies Program,
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, B.C.
March 2018 – visited a number of Japanese gardens in Europe, the highlight being the “Garten Der Welt”(Gardens of the World) in Berlin. The huge Erholungspark, located in the Marzahn neighbourhood informer East Germany, includes western-style gardens, the largest Chinese garden in Europe, a Koreangarden, and the “Yūsuien” (Harmony Water Garden) Japanese garden designed by Masuno Shunmyō. JSAC
members will recognize Masuno as the designer-builder of the gardens at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo(1991), the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull/Ottawa (1995), and the renovation of Nitobe
Memorial garden in Vancouver (1993).
May 2018 – attended the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) Regional Workshop in
Michigan. Lectures and tours were held at the historic 1915 Japanese garden (Cranbrook Art Museum andEstate), the Freer Gallery of Japanese Art, Yamasaki Minoru’s modernist water garden (Wayne State
University), Muedler garden (Michigan State University), Shigematsu garden (Lansing Community
College), and the eight-acre DeVos Japanese garden at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
(Grand Rapids).

______________________________________Mark Rowe (Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University)
Mark Rowe gave a talk in April at the University of Tubingen : " The Extraordinary in the Ordinary Female Buddhist Priest in Japan Today.”______________________________________
Scott Simon (University of Ottawa)
From August 1, 2017, to July 27, 2018, I have been working at the National Museum of Ethnology(Minpaku) in Osaka. In addition to working on a book manuscript about Taiwanese indigenous peoples, I
have been working with Dr. Atsushi Nobayashi on a Minpaku-funded research project entitled “Ecologicaland Cultural Approaches to Taiwan and Neighbouring Islands” and a related SSHRC-funded project entitled“Austronesian Worlds: Human-Animal Entanglements in the Pacific Anthropocene. I am working in a new
field of inquiry in anthropology called Multi-species ethnography, the idea being to study humans and otheranimals as they interact within the same ecological niches, co-creating cultures. For the Japanese componentof the project, I have been doing field research primarily with bird watchers of the Wild Bird Society ofJapan in Osaka. I have also been learning about other human-bird relations, such as duck hunting, cormorantfishing, conservation projects, bird banding, and the worship of bird deities such as the giant crow known as
Yatagarasu who in ancient times led the first Japanese Emperor Jimmu out of the forest. The goal is to
produce a book-length monograph about Japan and its birds, as well as a number of journal articles.
I won’t be able to make the conference this year, but I do plan to return to JSAC after I get back to Canada.

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Spring 2018 Newsletter

James (Jim) Tiessen (Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University)
Jim took part in a public lecture panel, Being a doctor inJapan: From the everyday to the extraordinary at the JapanFoundation in Toronto January 2018. Dr. Shinya Ito(University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children) and Dr.
Takeshi Kanno (Tohoku University Japan, and McMaster
University) shared their experiences with the full house. In
early May Jim spoke about recruiting physicians in rural Japan
with Dr. Sarah Newbury, Chief of Staff of the North ofSuperior Healthcare group, on a panel Physician Recruitment
Methods at the Ontario Hospital Association’s “Rural andNorthern Health Care Leadership Conference” in Toronto.

Shinya Ito, Takeshi Kanno and Jim Tiessen.
Jan. 31 2018, Japan Foundation Toronto.

______________________________________
Austin Uzama (Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia)

Austin Uzama recently published an article in the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education. The article
examined the benefits of incorporating ecotourism programs into the adult education curriculum. Social
education and lifelong learning (shougai gakushuu) are terms used to refer to adult education and related
activities in Japan. Adult education originated immediately after Second World War with the enactment of
the Fundamental Law of Education (1947; revised in the 1980s). The aim of the paper was to examine howhost communities can learn from adult education centers in their communities to practice sustainableecotourism. http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/XuSrbiqTVg7eVpjka68x/full______________________________________Tom Waldichuk (Faculty of Arts, Thompson Rivers University)"Tom Waldichuk and the students from his third year geography of Japan field course presented a poster on
tourist walking routes in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo at the Western Division conference of the Canadian
Association of Geographers in March at the University of Alberta. Tom is planning to take another group of
students to Japan in May 2019.

Hokkaido Birding Expedition(Scott Simon)

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Spring 2018 Newsletter

Noriko Yabuki-Soh (York University, Associate Professor)
Conference Proceedings: The role of viewpoint in written narratives in Japanese: Exploring a cognitive
linguistic approach. In D. Edgington (Ed.), Globalizing Japan: Issues in Language, Linguistics and JapaneseSociety (pp. 16-28). Japan Studies Association of Canada.
日本語教材に見られる授受表現・受身表現―認知言語学の観点から― [Donatory and passive
expressions found in JFL instructional materials: A cognitive linguistic approach]. The 23rd Princeton
Japanese Pedagogy Forum Proceedings, 334-345.
Conference Presentation: Images of Japanese women: An analysis of language use in advertisements.
Paper presented at the annual conference of the Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC 2017),
University of Toronto, Toronto, October 12-15, 2017.
Invited talk: 視点表現に関する一考察―日本語学習者と母語話者の比較― [Expressions ofviewpoint: Comparing L2 learners and native speakers of Japanese] Workshop for JFL Teachers given at
Carlton University, Ottawa, January 21, 2018.
Community service: Chair of the Organizing Committee for the 36th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest,
University of Toronto, March 3, 2018.

______________________________________
Sheri Zhang-Leimbigler (University of Ottawa, Professor, Director of Chinese-Japanese Language andCulture Centre)o Guest speaker at the 2018 International Human Rights Summit, United Nations, New York, July 2018o mmit(2)o Book publishing contract: Building the China-Canada Cultural Bridge - Inspired by Japanese Cultural
Concepts
Sheri Zhang-Leimbigler, University of Ottawa, Canada
Jeff Ma Beifang Minzu University, China
This book provides a wider scope of knowledge of modern Chinese culture, inspired by Japanese culturalconcepts that are woven into our work to present Chinese culture as a mosaic. Befu’s (2011) workon stratified Japan led us to China’s regional cultures. Sugimoto’s (2011) two competing models ofJapanese culture form the theme of our work. Among the 56 ethnic groups in China, the Muslim group is
one of the largest. The ancient capital city Chang’an, known as today’s Xi’an, is one of China’s mostMuslim-friendly cities, and is the eastern starting point of the Silk Road. Towards the west of this city is the
Ningxia Hui Muslim Autonomous Region. The city of Guyuan is located on the land route of the Silk Road
linking China to the West. One finds sculptures of Buddha scattered throughout the vast mountainous area,
the hometown of Chinese Hui Muslims. Following Erie’s path-breaking work on China and Islam (2016),
we are encouraged to launch our research project to cover the Islamic culture and identity perceived in
China, Japan and Canada. Through explanation and analysis of the cultural interaction and co-existence ofmultiple cultures and religions in western China, we provide readers with a modern view of China as awhole.

______________________________________

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Spring 2018 Newsletter2018 CASCA (Canadian Anthropology Society)
Annual Conference, May 16-20, 2018
Millie Creighton
Canadian academics have recently again been active building bridges with academics and universities in
Cuba, and additionally bringing Canadian perspectives on Japan to Cuba through presentations andexchange. From May 16-20, 2018 CASCA (Canadian Anthropology Society-La Societe Canadienne
D’anthropologie) successfully held its joint annual conference with the Cuban university Universidad deOriente after many months of planning and activity to bring this about. The joint meetings were held in
Santiago de Cuba, where the Universidad de Oriente, established in 1947, is located. Work by Canadianacademics on Japan was a solid part of the joint conference. In particular, there was a full panel organized by
JSAC member Dr. Millie Creighton (Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia) dealing
with Japan in a global context and in terms of transnational flows and interactions with other world areas (ageneral theme of the conference), entitled:‘Space, Place and Identities Amidst Culture
Context: Cosmopolitanism Involving Japan inReference to Germany, Egypt, Nigeria andGlobalization Flows.’ Presenters included:
Millie Creighton presenting on Japan and
Africa connections, Francesca Pegorer(graduate student in the Department of
Anthropology Ph.D. program at the Universityof British Columbia) comparing urban space
and its ‘edgelands’ via urban gardens,
communitas and concepts of ‘the city’ inTokyo and Berlin, Basant Ahmed Sayed(graduate student in the Department of
Anthropology MA program at the University of
British Columbia who also presented at the2015 JSAC meetings at the Canadian Embassy
A panel of presentations on Japan was conducted in Santiago dein Tokyo) discussing transnational consumption Cuba on May 18, 2018 for the first joint Canadian AnthropologicalSociety and Cuba academic conference involving the Universidadof Japanese popular culture in Egypt, with
Nichola Levell (University of British Columbia) de Oriente established in Santiago de Cuba in 1947. Presenting on
Japan, left to right are: Francesca Pegorer (Ph.D. student in theserving as discussant. There were other
Department of Anthropology at the University of British
presentations at the conference on or dealing
Columbia), Dr. Millie Creighton (a professor in the Department ofwith Japan, including one on post-disasters
Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, long-term
Fukushima, and a newly made film on Japanese JSAC member, and panel organizer), Basant Ahmed Sayed (MAstudent in the Department of Anthropology, University of British
religion shown at the film viewing session.
Columbia, and previous presenter at JSAC), and Dr. Nichola
Levell (a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the
University of British Columbia).

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The conference was a ground-breaking endeavour for CASCA, which was holdings its meetings outside
Canada for only the second time since its inception. (It also adds to other JSAC members involvements in
Cuba such as that of Norio Ota and involved in Japanese language programs in Cuba.) While we were in
Cuba for the conference, the tragedy of an airplane crash in Cuba from Havana to one of the airports
servicing our conference occurred on May 18, 2018 and our conference members were aware of how much
this affected the country due to experiencing the national State of Mourning declared, and also by theawareness that many conference attendees had been scheduled on the same flight on the days preceding thecrash. While we were grateful that none of the conference attendees were flying on that scheduled flight(everyone having seemingly arrived by the day before it), as an organization CASCA decided to convey
condolences over the crash in which all but three people on board died. It is also hoped that the threesurvivors of the crash are able to continue towards eventual recovery.

______________________________________
Retirement Musings – Number 1: JSAC Conference Expenses, etc.
Brian Pendleton
I am calling this No. 1, although in retirement there may be, subject to personal inertia or circumstances lessdesirable, no No. 2 or beyond.
As JSAC members similarly retired can attest, one now has the luxury to read -- no, not student essays or
exams -- but rather those never-gotten-to dusty journals on the shelf, travel accounts of places-still-to-visit
in Japan, and even news clippings and trivia long ago collected and just now discovered stored in boxes
long past their best-before date. Must take these to recycle one day.
And so to musing No.1 … a box filed with JSAC conference memorabilia, program presentation schedules,
maps of university buildings, binders, tote bags and pens (souvenirs of questionable interest or merit -beyond the host institution, of course); and, to my surprise, receipts for all manner of items: JSAC
memberships, hotels, taxis, food and drink, and air travel -- those which were ‘claimable’ all dutifully
tabulated on the plethora of university expense reimbursement forms, the interpretation of which was known
only to those who designed the forms in the first place (as we know, each institution choses to design its
own hell-on-paper, or more recently, in-fill, save, copy and upload-download). Attach receipts and wait four
to five months. Must take these to recycle one day.
But this is not really the musing issue … last October’s AGM in Toronto is. Reflecting on the news that
JSAC would no longer be able to fund a portion of travel expenses to the annual conference, a lively
discussion ensued. And here, I make my point -- a view I believe not held by all JSAC members. I willcontinue to attend the annual conference, at my own expense, regardless if I receive funding or not (or “ifmy grant doesn’t come through”). Never expected to be funded for all my professional activity, in fact,
much of my travel and scholarly activity would not have happened without my personal contributions -again, I accept that this view is not shared by all. And, I support the Executive in the effort to reiterate theneed for funding assistance in Canada – yes, we are a vast country and travel is a necessity, not a luxury, fora small but significant player in the Japan-Canada dialogue. So, please continue to make this point with our
external partners.

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But even in 2018, we are not hard-done-by, so to make an historical comparison, I dug out an almost
twenty-year old conference file: Mediating Japan – Transformation in the Production of Japanese Culture –McGill University, Montreal, September 30 – October 2, 1999, ably hosted and coordinated by Professor
Ikawa-Smith and others.
My interest was to compare the cost of the Montreal and Toronto conferences -- the economists among us
may want to calculate my salary differential in the intervening two decades, but I know it increased severalfold. Among my tattered receipts from Montreal 1999:
Canadian Airlines (alas, no more): Vancouver – Montreal return, seats 7C and 9B(hot breakfast and dinner served on real plates, no charge for checked luggage, etc).
Price: almost the same as my Vancouver – Toronto flight last October.
When one also considers last October’s Vancouver – Toronto price included GST/PST/HST, airport
improvement fees (AIF), air travellers security charge (ATSC), advance seat selection charge, checkedbaggage charge, movie head set charge, cold and luke-warm food of unknown parentage charge, somebeverage charges (credit card only, no cash, please), not to mention seat-width and leg-room suitable only
for children … but I rest my case. Travel today is a bargain compared to decades ago (except when trying tocash-in one’s reward points and still pay the ‘extra’ fees and taxes!).
OK, I will admit that some of these were ‘hidden’ in the 1999 ticket price, and on domestic flights one
rarely had a personal in-seat entertainment system, but many of today’s mandatory or ‘optional’ charges did
not exist then.
I acknowledge that earlier JSAC conferences sometimes included partial reimbursements for hotels, taxis,
etc. but I have chosen to focus on airfares since these would appear to be of major concern to our members.
Finally, as JSAC members have been a most collegial family for decades, I include here from Montreal
1999, in program presentation order, those who also attended last October: Holroyd, Tiessen, Coates, Ota,
Goulding, Ursacki-Bryant, Pendleton, Waldichuk, Ikawa-Smith, and Kovalio (apologies to anyone I havemissed, as I know some were on sabbatical back then).
And so, hope to see many JSAC ‘family’ members this fall in Edmonton – in retirement, I’m travelling on
my own dime (adjusted for inflation). Now I’m off to recycle several boxes and destroy the evidence …

______________________________________

Hokkaido winter birding(Scott Simon)

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Spring 2018 Newsletter

JSAC Executive 2015-2017
President (2016-2018):

Secretary-Treasurer (2012-):

Prof. Carin Holroyd
Department of Political Studies
University of Saskatchewan
Arts 283A, 9 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5
Tel: (306)966-5506
E-mail: carinholroyd@gmail.com

Prof. Norio Ota
Department of Languages, Literatures and
Linguistics
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3Phone: (416)736-2100 ext. 88750
Fax:(416)736-5483
E-mail: nota@yorku.ca

Regular Executive Members:

Prof. Thomas Waldichuk (2014-)
Department of Geography & Environmental
Studies
Thompson Rivers University
900 McGill Road
Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
Tel. 250-371-5718
E-mail: twaldichuk@tru.ca

Prof. David W. Edgington (2016-)
Department of Geography
University of British Columbia
1984 West Mall,
Vancouver BC, Canada V6T1Z2
Tel: 1-604-822-5612
Fax: 1-604-822-6150
E-mail: david.edgington@ubc.ca

Prof. Jim Tiessen (2014-)
Ted Rogers School of Management
Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street,Toronto, ON M5B 2K3
E-mail: jhtiessen@ryerson.ca

Prof. Shige Matsui (2016-)
Peter A. Allard School of Law
University of British Columbia
E-mail: matsui@allard.ubc.ca
Prof. David A. Welch (2016-)
Department of Political Science
University of Waterloo
E-mail: dawelch@uwaterloo.ca

Please send your fall 2018 updates to: Sherilee.diebold@usask.ca

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