IASIL Japan Newsletter2016 No.1
The Japan Branch of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures
April 2016

Message from the New President
Naoko Toraiwa

It is my great honour to assume the responsibility of the Presidency of IASIL Japan. IASIL Japan has
given me the chance to meet and talk with distinguished writers and academics in Irish literatures, boththose living in Japan and those from abroad, and this has been more than just a pleasure. The encounters
have been educational and inspirational—and have encouraged me to try to become a better scholar
myself. I have also come to realize that IASIL Japan has been sustained through enormous voluntary help
from individual members of our society, as well as through the strong and warm support of the Embassyof Ireland in Japan.
As the new President, I will do my very best for IASIL Japan and its members, and I would like toexpress my utmost gratitude to our very efficient and dedicated former staff from 2013 to 2015: Professor
Yoko Sato, President; Professor Kumiko Yamada, Secretary; Professor Yoko Kubo, Treasurer; andProfessor Masaya Shimokusu, Editor of the Journal of Irish Studies and its excellent Executive
Committee and Editorial Board. I would also like to ask for your kind support for our new office staff,Professor Haruko Takakuwa, Secretary; Professor Mika Momoo, Treasurer; and Professor Beverley
Curran, Editor of the Journal of Irish Studies.
This is a time of crisis for studies in the humanities, and I look forward to working with you all tomake sure that our society continues to flourish in spite of the times. Movement toward more practical,
vocationally-oriented education can be seen across the globe, and it is based on the hope that it mighttransform the world into a wealthier and better place. The human world is, however, full of impracticaland unsolvable matters, as well. Does literature have the power to transform the world? Possibly it cantransform the views that people hold of the world.
I look forward to meeting with you all at our 2016 IASIL Japan Conference, to be hosted byInternational Christian University in Tokyo. The main theme of this year’s conference is“Transformations.” Thank you all very much.

1. New Secretary and Treasurer
The new IASIL Japan secretariat assumed office in January 2016 and will serve for the next threeyears. Haruko Takakuwa is the new Secretary, and Mika Momoo is the new Treasurer. The IASIL
Japan office is located at the address below. Please inform the office of any change in your contact
information, including email address, or affiliation:
IASIL Japan
c/o Haruko Takakuwa
Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Education, Ochanomizu University
2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-5978-5227

E-mail:2. Payment of annual fees
Please find enclosed the 2016 Membership Fee remittance sheet payable to Japan Post Bank. You maychoose to pay to the IASIL Japan account at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi below. If you have not paid
the membership fee below for any of the past three years, a separate sheet indicating the unpaid year isenclosed, so we ask you to add that amount to the 2016 fee.
Membership with JIS
Membership with JIS & IUR¥7,000¥10,000

Couple membership with JIS¥10,000
Couple membership with JIS & IUR ¥13,000

If you live abroad, please transfer your membership fee to the following account:
Bank Name Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, LTD.
SWIFT CODE: BOTKJPJTBranch Name: Kyodo Branch (Branch No. 091)
Branch Address: 3-1-42 Miyasaka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-0051, Japan
Tel: +81 (0)3-5477-5751
Account Name: IASIL Japan Treasurer Mika Momoo
Account No: 0648854

The membership fee does not include the transfer charge, so please make sure that the exact amountreaches us. Please add the overseas postal charge to mail you the copies of Journal of Irish Studies andIrish University Review for which you have paid, according to the table below.
International postal
rates for JIS & IUR
JISJIS & IUR¥ 750

Oceania, North America, Central
America, Europe, Middle East
¥ 1,000

South America,Africa¥ 1,300¥ 1,500¥ 2,000¥ 2,600

Asia

3. IASIL Election 2016
The IASIL Japan Executive Committee has sent the nomination of the following members to represent
Japan at the IASIL Executive Committee for 2016-2018.
Vice-chairperson: Naoko Toraiwa
Representatives: Andrew Fitzsimons, Mika Momoo, Haruko Takakuwa

4. IASIL Conference 2016, "Change" (University College Cork), 25-29 July
Please refer to the new IASIL Conference website: <http://iasil2016.com/>. Registration is now open. We
hope to meet many participants from Japan in Cork!

5. Journal of Irish Studies
The deadline for submission to Journal of Irish Studies Vol. XXXI is 25 April 2016.
Contributors should send articles for consideration together with a short biographical note to Beverley
Curran at. Please send articles and biographical information as MS Word files attached tothe e-mail. The biographical information should include the author’s affiliation, full postal and e-mailaddresses, and telephone and fax numbers. More information can be found on the IASIL Japan
website—the address for submission will be updated shortly. As announced at the 2015 AGM, Prof.
Shimokusu will be on sabbatical from September 2016, and Prof. Beverley Curran is assuming theeditorship of the 2016 volume. The articles sent to Prof. Shimokusu will be transferred to the current
editor.
The editor suggests that those whose mother tongue is not English should have their articles checkedby native speakers of English prior to submission.

6. The plan for the 2016 IASIL Japan Conference, "Transformations"
The following plan was confirmed at the Executive Committee Meeting held on March 5.
Date: October 15-16
Venue: International Christian University < http://www.icu.ac.jp/about/access/index.html>
Guests: 1) Patrick Lonergan and 2) Hugo Hamilton
Symposium 1: Films and Adaptations (preliminary title)
Chair: Mitsuko Ohno

Panelists: Under negotiation by the chair

Symposium 2: Autobiographies, Life Writings and Memoirs (preliminary title)
Chair: Kazuhiro Doki

Panelists: Under negotiation by the chair

Call for papers: Please send an abstract to the Secretary by the end of May.
In light of the recent tourism boost in Tokyo, the members are advised to make their hotel bookings forthe conference early. Below is a list of hotels in the Musashino area, where International Christian
University is located:
Hotel Mets Musashisakai <http://www.hotelmets.jp/musashisakai/>
Richmond Hotel Tokyo Musashino < http://musashino.richmondhotel.jp/>
Kichijoji Tokyu REI Hotel <http://www.tokyuhotels.co.jp/ja/hotel/TR/TR_KICHI/>
Kichijoji Dai-ichi Hotel <https://www.hankyu-hotel.com/hotel/kichijojidh/index.html>

In 2017 Japan and Ireland celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations.
IASIL Japan office welcomes suggestions for its celebration.

IASIL Japan
c/o Haruko Takakuwa
Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Education, Ochanomizu University
2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)3-5978-5227

E-mail: