President’s Message
Dear JSAC Members and Friends,
Welcome to the Spring 2022 JSAC newsletter! I hope you enjoy this opportunity
to read everyone’s news and stories on a wide range of Japan-related topics.
Firstly, I want to congratulate Jim Tiessen on his selection as the next President of
JSAC! Dr. Tiessen is Associate Professor, Global Management Studies andDirector, Master of Health Administration (Community Care) at Toronto
Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). He has been a long time
JSAC member and has served on the JSAC executive for over a decade. Jim has
been a supportive, fun and helpful colleague. I am sure I speak for all of us in
expressing my appreciation for his willingness to take on the presidency and inoffering our support.
We last met in October 2021 online. Thanks so very much to Tom Waldichuk andCara Cadre for organizing JSAC’s second online conference! (See an overview of
JSAC 2021 below.) Thanks to everyone for your participation and a big thank-you,as always, to the Japan Foundation for its generous support! JSAC will be meetingin person for the first time in three years! Our next conference will be in TorontoOctober 21 - 23, 2022. (See below for further details and the Call for Papers.)
Online presentations would also be welcome.
As my JSAC presidency draws to a close, this will be my last newsletter. Let me
express my thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to serve as JSAC
president. This is a wonderful organization of interesting and engaged membersconnected by a shared interest in Japan. Thank you so much for all your help andsupport over the years! I look forward to seeing you in Toronto in October.
Best wishes,
Carin Holroyd
JSAC President

Message from the incoming JSAC president
Thank you to the Japan Studies Association of Canada’s membership andexecutive for giving me the privilege of serving as President from this fall. I lookforward to building on the good work Carin Holroyd (University of Saskatchewan)
and the rest of the executive have done over the past six years.
I particularly salute Norio Ota (York University) for his dedicated commitment as
Secretary and Treasurer, and for building and sustaining JSAC’s virtual home.
Thanks also go to Norio, Tom Waldichuk and Cara Cadre (Thompson Rivers
University) for keeping JSAC going as they hosted two successful virtual
conferences through the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. We all appreciate thecontinued support the Japan Foundation provides to support Japan studies in
Canada.
JSAC’s annual conference has been a special appointment in the calendars of an
eclectic and friendly group of scholars, mostly engaged at Canadian universities.
The first conference was held at the University of Alberta in 1987, as Japan’s
economic dynamism captured the world’s attention. Through the 1990’s and2000’s conferences have featured talks and papers on a broad range of topics,2

including Japanese language, international relations, religion, Japanese Canadians,
pop culture, Fukushima, architecture and recently, Japan and the Gulf of St.
Lawrence’s snow crab fishery.
JSAC members developed their Japan interests in different ways. Several JSAC
members were born in Japan and made the big step of choosing to live, study
and/or teach in Canada, despite the weather! Other members have Japaneseheritage. Those without direct ties may have been introduced to Japan throughtheir university studies, exchanges, friendships, English language teaching and/or
simply encountering interesting and intriguing aspects of its culture.
On a personal note, I began and am still engaged in this work because of a
University of Alberta economics professor, Dr. Takashi Tsushima. In 1981 his gradstudent took me to my first sushi lunch at Mikado in Edmonton, before I went toteach English in Hamamatsu-City. (Mikado’s chef took part in JSAC’s 2018conference, hosted by Aya Fujiwara).
JSAC nurtures us as we work to sustain Japan studies in Canada, particularly asuniversities reduce their investments in the humanities and many arts and social
science fields. We agree that Japan remains endlessly interesting and offers
lessons about social policy, politics, culture and indeed life itself. I am remindedof this now as the cherry blossoms in Toronto’s High Park, a secret that now
everyone knows about, reach full bloom.
I am asking that you all actively engage in supporting JSAC activities. It is our duty
to make sure future students and teachers have the same opportunities to bothlearn from and teach about Japan as we have enjoyed!

3

First Call for Papers
2022 Japan Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference
Translation
The Ted Rogers School of Management and Toronto Metropolitan University [1]are pleased to host the Japan Studies of Canada (JSAC) Annual Conference, from
Friday October 21 to Sunday October 23, 2022.
Toronto Metropolitan University was established as Ryerson Institute ofTechnology in 1948 to develop skilled tradespeople following World War II. The
institute offered training in skilled trades such as architecture, costume design
and photography. Following growth in the 1950’s and early 1960s, “Polytechnic”
was added to its name in 1963. Ryerson Polytechnic Institute gained degreegranting authority in 1971, and formally became a University in 1993. The
University introduced its law school in 2020 and in 2025 will open a medical
school in Brampton (Ontario).
Theme
The conference theme, “Translation”, will animate the three days that the Japanscholars,[1] Ryerson University was renamed Toronto Metropolitan University in April
2022.
teachers and students will spend together in person. Susan Sontag, in her 2002
lecture The World as India said: “To translate means many things, among them: tocirculate, to transport, to disseminate, to explain, to make (more) accessible.”This is what JSAC and its members do, through their research, teaching andconferences in all of our scholarly fields.
We are delighted to announce that the scheduled keynote speakers so far are
Eleanor Westney (management, see a recent publication), Naoki Sakai (translation
studies), and Ted Goossen (translator). The translation theme is relevant to many4other realms, including design, food, religion, social policy, international relations,pop culture and geography.
Beyond this theme, we of course welcome contributions on any topic you and/or
groups of colleagues are exploring. This is what gives the conference its vibrancy!
Participation
We are welcoming papers, proposed panels and/or workshops. In all cases please
send the title, abstract (max 250 words), and names of participants to
jsac2022@ryerson.ca by June 30. Please use Microsoft Word© and include thewords JSAC Panel or JSAC Paper in the subject line.
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss your ideas and/or makesuggestions for the conference.
Book swap
If there is sufficient interest, we will host a Japan studies book swap. Bring Japanrelated books you no longer have room for but are reluctant to throw out. The
procedures for coordinating this will be communicated later. We don’t wantthose flying to Toronto to bear extra overweight baggage fees.
Please circulate this call to folks in your networks. After two years we are looking
forward to seeing you and many others in Toronto!

5

2021 JSAC Annual Conference “The Impacts of Japan and Canada
Hosting the World: Catalyzing Change through Cultural, Economic,
Political, and Sporting Events”
This conference – held online from Friday, October 1 to Sunday, October 3 -- wassupposed to take place in Kamloops during July of 2020 before the Olympic games
were to start. The theme of the conference was the impacts of festive gatherings– from large-scale events such as the Aichi Expo or the 2020 Tokyo Olympics tosmaller festivals.
Then in the winter of 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and both theOlympics and JSAC were postponed. The JSAC executive decided to hold an
online ad-hoc conference in the fall of 2020, which was hosted by Professor Norio
Ota. This conference was a success! I realized how useful it was to review myrecorded presentation – once I got over all my ums and ahs.
In our second application for Japan Foundation conference funding we decided toreschedule the in-person conference to an autumn time slot because we thoughtby then most people would be vaccinated and Covid would be a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, people started to request that they present online. We didn’t wantto let them down, and so we had to consider holding a hybrid conference. As
Covid numbers were predicted to increase during the fall of 2021 – and after
talking to someone who had organized a hybrid conference – we finally decided
over the summer to go entirely online. (Although I was still toying with the ideaof hosting a group of 12 or so people who would join my co-organizer Professor
Cara Cadre and me watch all the online presentations from one of ourclassrooms.) In hindsight we would have had to order in a lot of pizza because thesessions went so late to accommodate the early risers in Japan and in other partsof east Asia. I have to thank Professor Owen Griffiths for attending all thesessions late into the night while living in the most easterly time zone (luckily, we
didn’t have any participants from Newfoundland).

6

We had a total of 121 people register for the conference on the
Brownpapertickets website, which was about the number of people we had when
we hosted lived in 2006!
On Sunday, we had a musical performance after the final keynote, which wasrecorded and is available on the website.
Here are some other numbers in terms of participants and presenters.

Conference Registrants total

122

General public (who did not present)

43

Japan Foundation officials

4

University instructors, including those retired (who did not present)

20

Graduate & undergraduate students (who did not present)

5

Other registrants (not classified)50

Number of panels over two days

13

Number of keynote talks (includes 1 two-person talk)4

Number of presentations (including round table presentations)45

Professors’ presentations (includes 1 two-person presentation)

22

Graduate & undergrad students’ presentations

9

Other presenters’ presentations (1 person also presented in a 2 person presentation

6

with 1 “other” presenter)
Roundtable presentations (not counted in any
other categories, 2 people presented twice)
Where did the presentations (including keynotes) take place from?

7

8

Canada

31

Japan

9

USA

5

Taiwan1Vietnam1

Europe2

We had good participation in all our panels –our late Saturday night panel had 23
attendees. Even the Sunday morning keynote had 21 attendees. The opening
ceremony and first keynote address had between 26 and 27 attendees. Thankyou to Professor Cara Cadre for recording these statistics.
Power Outage Disaster Saved by Online Format!
The power went off on campus on the morning of Sunday, October 3, so it was agood thing that we were virtual because the Zoom continued to work. Cara waswatching from home, so she was able to take over from me until I returned home.
If we had had an in-person conference, we would have only been able to use the
chalk board. But we could have listened to the music.
We had permission to record all the panels except one. The videos of most of thepresentations had to be edited, which was time-consuming, but they haverecently become available on the conference website. We recorded the AGM
also, but it has not been put on the website.
Conference Feedback:
1. Overall, how would you rate the conference? 100% positive.
Excellent & very good = 27; Good = 2;
2. Was the conference too long, too short, or about right?: 93% positive.
About right = 27; Much too long or too long = 2
3. How convenient was the scheduling of the panels? 93% positive.
Extremely or very convenient = 19; Somewhat convenient = 7; Not so convenient = 2;
4. Can you please rate the keynote addresses? 100% positive.
Excellent or Good = 25; Average = 3;8

5. How helpful were the student who assisted with Zoom? : 96% positive.
Extremely or Very helpful = 23; Somewhat helpful = 4; Not so helpful = 1;
*My gratitude goes to Elizabeth Ranta for summarizing these above results.
How would you have changed the conference? [n=14 respondents /Multiple responses
possible]Thank you, no change, otsukaresama deshita (8)In-person conference (2)Explore the ratio of in-person vs. online presentations (hybrid) (1)More detailed information in program (1)Earlier communication of panel scheduling, expectations, etc. (1)Issue with time zones (1)Request for more presentations in certain topic areas (2)More students (1)What did you like about the conference? [n=14 respondents / Multiple responses possible]
Collegial, inclusive (2)Online format (3)Presentations, discussions (2)Interdisciplinary, breadth of topics (3)Specific presentation topic areas, e.g., culture, international policies (2)Enjoyed grad student presentations (1)Thank you to all 29 people who took the time to fill out the surveymonkey questionnaire – yourfeedback was much appreciated!

Proceedings:
We have received 7 papers and 2 more are on the way. Two long-time JSAC
members have graciously agreed to review the papers.
2006 Proceedings are being posted on the JSAC 2021 website:
The proceedings from the 2006 Kamloops conference are being posted on the2021 conference website.
Conference Website: https://jsacconference2021.trubox.ca/

9

I would like to express my gratitude to the Japan Foundation on behalf of theJapan Studies Association of Canada 2021 annual conference for the generous
grant and patiently working with the local organizing committee while applying
for conference funding twice during the Covid-19 pandemic. I would also like tothank the JSAC executive for their assistance with planning the conference,
especially the conference theme. In particular, I want to thank our president
Professor Carin Holroyd for her assistance with the Japan Foundation funding
application, Professor Aya Fujiwara for providing and organizing the Gather.Town
social event, and Professor Norio Ota for providing advice regarding the online
conference format.
I would like to thank Elizabeth Ranta for designing and managing the website,
helping edit the videos, and analyzing the conference feedback. I want to also
thank the Zoom assistants for their dedicated help: Justin Chan, Divyatej Khurana,
Aravind V. Venkata, and Auden Zhang. Finally, I’d like to thank the faculty andstaff at TRU for their assistance with setting up the online conference: Brian
Lamb, Jon Fulton, and Jason Toal. Last but not least I want to thank the ongoingsupport of my fellow JSAC co-organizer Professor Cara Cadre.
I’m really looking forward to seeing you all in person at Toronto Metropolitan
University in October for JSAC 2022!
Sincerely,
Tom Waldichuk, JSAC 2021 Conference co-organizer

10

Meeting of the North and South Thompson Rivers, Kamloops (Tom Waldichuk photo)

JSAC 2021 Klaus Pringsheim Student Presentation Awards
Ph.D Category - Maxime Bouthiller, York University
M.A. Category – Ericka Schestak, York University

Congratulations Maxime and Ericka!!

11Reclaiming Historic Experiences on the 80th Anniversary of Japanese
Canadian Internment through a Reflective Garden Opening Ceremonyin Lillooet, BC
by Millie Creighton
Eighty years ago, beginning in 1942, Canada uprooted its citizens and legal
residents of Japanese descent (the majority of whom were Canadian borncitizens) and sent them to internment camps, many of which had extremely harshconditions. Ironically some of these, while harsh places for internees to dwell,
were snuggled into the immense beauty of the British Columbian landscape. In
Canada, many Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) were kept interned or awayfrom the West Coast not only until the end of WWII in 1945 but for another four
years until 1949, something that did not happen in the case of Japanese Americaninternment. One of the Canadian internment areas was Lillooet, BC.
On May 7 and 8, a bus ‘history and commemoration tour’ left from the
Nikkei Centre in Burnaby, BC to travel to Lillooet in time for the opening receptionof the Japanese Canadian garden built there, largely in appreciation of Japanese
Canadian seniors who experienced internment and persevered afterwards; someelderly former internees from Lillooet were on the bus or arriving separately,along with younger people to commemorate the event. The trip was largelyorganized and orchestrated by Laura Saimoto. Her sister, Debra Saimoto, served
as the group’s ‘tour leader’ making sure everyone was in the correct place at thecorrect time. Their mother, Ritsu Saimoto, now 84-years-old, was one of thoseinterned in Lillooet and she was on the bus and at the opening ceremony for theJapanese Canadian memorial garden in Lillooet, along with other internees fromthe time, and others interested in the cause of marking this history to havepeople remember the wrongful history of internment but from a positive vantage
point going forward of a beautiful garden situated in the beauty of the place. I
was also one of those on the bus trip, along with two graduate students who havebeen studying with me, Rosalie Gunawan and Bianca Chui.
The bus arrived in Lillooet on May 7 well before the 1:30 p.m. ceremony
start at the garden site—everyone having diligently arrived for the early bus
12departure from the Nikkei Centre on time. Several people were present to givespeeches for the event, including Dr. Aki Horii, a 90-year-old spokesperson forthe project, Laura Saimoto, one of its driving forces, and Peter Busse, the Mayorof Lillooet. Also present at the event was well-known Kaye Kaminishi, the last
surviving member of the famous and beloved Asahi Baseball Team, consisting ofJapanese Canadians who won several championships before internment stopped
their baseball involvement as Asahi players. Mr. Kaminishi, who celebrated his
100th birthday in 2022, lives in Lillooet, BC.
On Sunday, May 8, after many attendees were able to fit in a Mother’s Day
breakfast at a local restaurant, we went on to visit the Miyamoto house, where
Dr. Miyamoto and his family lived. Dr. Miyamoto served as the doctor to thecommunity during the time of internment, tending to Japanese Canadianinternees, members of area First Nations communities, and at times White
community members in the area. After the Miyamoto House, we got to visit thecommunity centre of the Cayoose Creek band. Chief Michelle Edwards, who had
given the blessing for the garden opening, explained to us the art of the Copper
Wall that had just been completed by the band, set in four large panels, displayed
within the centre before finding its next home outdoors. The Copper Wall iscomprised of art vignettes showing the history of the band, and includes imagesof the Japanese Canadian internment residences along with one of Dr. Miyamoto.
The Copper Wall will at some point find its place outside in the natural
surrounding environment, but for now we were able to get a close view of theimages on the panels and their reflections of past, people, and place in this area.
We also visited the river area, with a bridge crossing. Interned Japanese
Canadians resided on one side of the river, and shared memories of crossing theriver daily to attend school, such as biking the bridge even in cold weather.
The two-day bus trip on May 7 and 8, 2022 allowed us to again reflect on
the history of Japanese Canadian internment on the 80th anniversary year of its
commencement, along with ways redress and reconciliation with Canada havebeen sought, including the current attempts for BC Redress. The garden site isone of the continuing creative ways that attempts to keep this history in memory13

have been sought. The trip also showed ways Native communities in the Lillooet
area have been working with Japanese Canadian groups, and vice versa, tounderstand and reflect on certain elements of their shared histories.
History is sought within documents, but also has to be understood in theexperiences and memories of those who lived it. As people shared their stories
during the two-day journey, these stories also joined those of the collective
understanding, as stories are both those of individuals and of collectives who
have encountered or dealt with similar experiences while moving through theflow of history. One cannot change history, but sometimes one can reclaim it andchange the meanings surrounding it. One could sense the joy of doing this among
many of those participating in the Japanese Canadian memorial garden opening in
Lillooet, along with the other sites visited on the two-day Japanese Canadian bus
history and commemoration
tour.

Shown at the front gate of the newly
fully opened Japanese Canadian garden
in Lillooet, BC in commemoration of Japanese Canadian internment from 1942 to 1949 are, left toright, Masayo Tada, Deputy Consul General of Japan in Vancouver, Rosalie Gunawan, Graduate Student
in Anthropology and Japan Studies at the University of British Columbia, Kaye Kamiyishi, now 100-yearsold and the last surviving player of the Asahi Baseball Team, Fio Barkar, baseball player and teammember sitting next to his 'senpai', Millie Creighton, professor in Anthropology and Japan Studies at the
University of British Columbia, and Bianca Chui, graduate student in Asian Studies at the University of
British Columbia. (Photo Courtesy of Millie Creighton)

14People begin to go into the officially fully
opened Japanese Canadianinternment memorial garden in Lillooet, BC.
Former internee Ritsu Saimoto, now 84, shown
to the side of the photo in pink, was also one of
the attendees. (Photo by Millie Creighton)

Members of the Tetsu Taiko group,
originating in Richmond, BC, perform at
the opening ceremony of the Japanese
Canadian internment memorial garden
in Lillooet, BC, on May 7, 2022. (Photoby Millie Creighton)

A Reflection on Lillooet Memorial Garden Opening (May 7, 2022)
By Bianca Chui, MA Student, Department of Asian Studies, UBC
On the weekend of May 7–8 in 2022, I found myself on a bus en route to Lillooet,
BC, with a group of mostly Japanese Canadians, for the renewal opening of theEast Lillooet Memorial Garden. Looking out on those winding paths through themountains, I mused about the Japanese Canadian families that were forced to15

leave their homes along coastal British Columbia and into internment camps 80
years ago. While we on the bus were heading to Lillooet voluntarily and will
return to our homes after this short weekend trip, those before us were uprooted
forcibly to an undetermined future, not knowing when, or whether they will,
return to the place they once called home.
My contact with the history of forced dispersal of Japanese Canadian started in2019 when I studied and researched the Joan Gillis funds in my modern Japanese
history class as an undergraduate student. Donated to UBC Rare Books andSpecial Collections (RBSC) in 2018, the Joan Gillis funds consist of the incoming
correspondence to Joan Gillis from her former Japanese Canadian classmates. In
2021, I crossed paths with these letters again, when I suggested having an event
centred around the funds to commemorate the upcoming 80th anniversary of theforced dispersal of Japanese Canadian in the next year. I assisted with event
planning efforts and ultimately an online public panel event titled “I Know We’ll
Meet Again” occurred in February 2022.
At Dr. Creighton’s invitation, I jumped at the opportunity to attend the bus tour
and garden opening for two reasons. Firstly, given my previous encounters, I
wanted to learn more and listen to those who are connected to this history,
especially as a fellow Asian Canadian settler on these lands. Secondly, as someone
who works in premodern and early modern Japan, I rarely get the chance to meetand chat with people who lived through the periods I study. More often, I workwith centuries-old materials and records while trying to piece out what types of
lives people live.
And I did just that. While those on the bus tour were there to retrace their ortheir family members’ experiences in Lillooet and to remember and celebrate as acommunity, I looked, listened, and learned. At the ceremony, Chief Michelle
Edwards of Sek&#39;wel&#39;wás (Cayoose Creek Band) welcomed us to thelands of her people and recounted the story of how her grandfather, the thenchief, would bring carts of fresh vegetables with salmon hidden underneath totheir Japanese Canadian neighbours at the tarpaper shacks. Dr. Aki Horii (age 90)
16lectured us extensively on the history of Japanese Canadians and their Americancounterparts and the racism they experienced on this continent. Kaye Kaminishi(age 100), the last member of the iconic Asahi baseball team, wore his baseballcap proudly and sat up straight in the very front row. On and off the bus, Rosalieshared how she would bike across the old bridge as a young girl. Deb, whoorganized the bus tour, shared photos of her mother Ritsu and told us stories ofher maternal family (the Enjo) at Lillooet. Doug, who leads the Testu Taiko group,
took photos of everything and retraced the steps of his family while leading his
daughters drumming away on their taiko.
For me, this was my biggest takeaway from those short two days. While thememorial garden designed by Louis Horii and Bruce Tasaka (both age 85) was
absolutely beautiful, the people and the stories that I have encountered continue
to resonate with me even days after the trip. These are the stories, of individuals,of families, of how we are connected. In the current political climate of anti-Asian
racism and xenophobia, it is important that we don’t forget what happened 80
years ago on this very continent.
While the story of Lillooet was one of resilience, we must strive to do better andbe better in remembering that these people are our neighbours and friends—not
foreign aliens—and that something like this should not happen again to anyone.

Special thanks to Dr. Millie Creighton, Debra and Laura Saimoto, and Doug
Masuhara.

17

つる

をか

こ

まつ

ふく

くも

よろづ よ

鶴が岡 木だかき松に 吹風の 雲井にひゞく 万 世のこゑtsurugaoka
kodakaki matsu ni
fuku kaze no

At Tsurugaoka Shrine
over the towering pine trees
the voice of ten thousand generations

kumoi ni hibiku

echoes to the clouds

yorozuyo no koe

in the blowing wind

新拾遺和歌集 Shinshui Wakashū VII (Celebrations: 699)

A celebratory poem from Shinshui Wakashu (New Gleanings from a Collection of Japanese
Poems) I translated recently for a seminar and recalled as I was standing in the garden,
surrounded by young pine trees, and looking out at the mountains while listening to thewindchime beneath the torii gate. Translated by Bianca Chui.

Torii gate framing the mountains at East Lillooet. Photo by Lydai Nagai Photography.

18Chief Michelle Edwards pointing to the section depicting her grandfather bringing Japanese Canadians
fresh vegetables with salmon hidden underneath on the Cayoose Creek Band Copper Story Wall. Photo
by Bianca Chui.

The Centre for Japanese Research – University of British Columbia
The Centre for Japanese Research at UBC has hosted many events over the past
year. Below find a description of the events of the last six months. To learn about
earlier events and watch the video recordings of some of them, visit
https://cjr.iar.ubc.ca/news-events/events/
If you wish to be informed about upcoming CJR events, you can sign up for theCentre’s newsletter.
Title: Navigating the Age of Disruption
Date: November 1, 2021
Speakers: Phillip Lipscy (CSGJ, Munk, U of Toronto)
Mari Miura (Sophia University)
Harukata Takenaka (GRIPS)
19

Joseph Caron (Asia Pacific Foundation)
Moderator: Yves Tiberghien (UBC (POLI, SPPGA))
The Center for Japanese Research at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (University of
British Columbia) and the Centre for the Study of Global Japan at the Munk School (Universityof Toronto) held. a joint event on the Japanese Cabinet and Lower House elections and theirglobal impact. The Liberal Democratic Party won a majority and turnout was stable compared
to previous election. It was a major loss for the CDPJ and demonstrates weakness in local-level
politics. LDPs grip on power contributes to low female representation in the legislature as it has
a lower proportion of female candidates compared with other parties. Major foreign policy isprobably being held back until Upper House election in the coming year. Kishida campaign
focused more on defense and demonstrated hawkish tone toward China.

Title: Global Consequences of the U.S.’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Date: Dec 3, 2021
Speakers: Professor Murali Chandrashekaran (Vice Provost International)
Senator Mailou McPhedran (Senator)
Fawzia Koofi (Former Afghan politician, gender rights)
Zahir Faqiri (Former Afghan deputy ambassador to UN, US)
Paul Meyer (Former Canadian ambassador to UN)
Daisaku Higashi (Sophia University)
The U.S.’s longest war in history, fought over 20 years, saw more than US$2.313 trillion in war
spending; over 2,400 U.S. soldier casualties; and around 46,000 civilian deaths. At least 2.2
million displaced Afghans took shelter in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan; and another 558,000
were internally displaced. In this context, much of the discussions surrounding Afghanistan
have focused on the security implications of the withdrawal. However, a transition to
discussions of humanitarian and economic implications is equally as necessary.
As part of the Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research’s 2021-2023 Series on Japan’s Role in the
Changing Global Order in a Comparative Perspective, the UBC Centre for Japanese research willbring together experts from Canada, Afghanistan, and Japan, to critically discuss the U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan, and its short- and long-term implications for Japan, the region,and the world. For Japan, which has provided $6.8 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the past
two decades years, it is a question of whether it can continue its humanitarian efforts, while
configuring how to best engage with the country militant de facto rulers.

20Title: Rupture and Resistance: The Politics of Reform in Early Meiji Tokyo
Date: February 10, 2022
Speaker: Tristan Grunow (Nagoya University)
Moderators: Dr. Yves Tiberghien (UBC)
Kelly McCormick (UBC)
Kaoru Iokibe (University of Tokyo and Harvard)This talk reviews the politics of the early Meiji period through the lens of the urban space ofTokyo. As government leaders set about refashioning the new capital after 1868, politicaldifferences, conflicting demands, competing goals, and personal disagreements all got in theway. By retracing how political conflicts at both the national and local levels impacted urban
planning efforts, this talk highlights widening rifts within the Meiji government over themeaning and direction of reform.

Title: Japan and Korea in Southeast Asia
Date: February 3rd, 2022
Speakers: Dr. Nobuhiro Aizawa (Kyushu University)
Dr. Yongwook Ryu (National University of Singapore)
Dr. Soo Yeon Kim (National University of Singapore)
Moderator: Dr Paul Evans UBC
The event was about the roles, influences and interests of Japan and Korea in Southeast Asia.
With the continuous rise of China and many of its countries bordering major trade routes,
Southeast Asia has become an important geopolitical area. The region is being courted andlook at by numerous countries throughout the world with an intention of expanding theirinfluence or increasing their economic opportunities. Japan has long established ties withdifferent countries in the region, while Korea tries to mimic its developmental strategies andbenefit from a rising cultural influence. Yet, Southeast Asia remains a region facing numerous
challenges: developmental and environmental issues, political issues and rising geopoliticaltensions. What are the roles that Japan, and Korea plays in Southeast Asia? Why does theregion appear so attractive to them? What are their interests and how influential are they?
This roundtable discussion attempted to address those questions and offer some thoughts on
the ties that connect those two worlds, contextualizing them and thinking about how these ties
might evolve and what they can bring to Southeast Asia.

21

Title: Negotiating at the Brink: How Does the World Solve the Climate Crisis (3-parts)
Date: March 3, 2022
Speakers: Jennifer Allan (key UK expert on COP 26)
Michael Small (expert on Global Governance and Climate policy)
Karolina Lagercrantz (IHEID Geneva, MA student)
Florentine Koppenborg (Technical University of Munich
Sandeep Pai (Senior Associate of Energy Security and Climate Change Program at
CSIS)
Moderators: Yves Tiberghien (Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research at the Institute of Asian
Research)
Patricia Gonzalez (VP External, International Relations Students’ Association at
UBC)
Date: March 10, 2022
Speakers: Hiroshi Ohta (Waseda University)
Dr. Masako Konishi (WWF Japan)
Dr. Kameyama Yasuko (NIES Japan, Social System Division Director)
Dr. Llewelyn Hughes (Crawford School of Public Policy, scholar on climate policy
In Japan)Moderator: Yves Tiberghien (Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research at the Institute of Asian
Research)
Date: March 17, 2022
Speakers: Anika Kurebayashi (Youth climate activist in Japan), Japan)
Eden Luymes (UBC Political MA candidate)
Dr. Yolanda Lopez (Environmental Science Specialist & Maya Community Expert)
Detmer Kremer (Policy and Communications Officer, Protection Approaches)
Moderators: Meghan Wise (UBC Climate Hub)
Jackie Pelayo (International Relations Students’ Association at UBC)
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges our world has ever faced, already devastating
our environment, economy, and our health. The difficulty of addressing climate change is that it
requires global coordination. World leaders have made attempts through conferences andaccords but the proposed measures will not stop global temperatures from rising above 1.5 ℃–
the limit set by the International Panel on Climate Change to avoid the worst effects of climatechange. This has pitted climate activists who demand more robust climate governance against22

state actors who must balance environmental concerns with other political agendas. To address
the politics of climate change, the Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research at the UBC Centre forJapanese research, in collaboration with the International Relations StudentAssociation (IRSA),
host a three-part series event in March.

Title: Hope for the Future of Youth in Asia (2-parts)
Date: March 15, 2022; March 24, 2022
Speakers: Miyuki Macri (Former Vice Mayor of Fukutsu-shi, Fukuoka prefecture)
Akari Anzawa (No Youth No Japan)
Dr. Dal Yong Jin (Simon Fraser University)
Moderator: Shiori Uchida (UBC CJR)
With the rise of the ageing population in East Asian countries, many have come to question therole that young generations will come to play in the next few years. It is without doubt that
frustrations amongst the youth have increased from the rise in cost of living to policies catered
towards the eldery. The Centre for Japanese Research at the University of British Columbia
invites you to a webinar series focused on sparking conversations amongst the young leaders of
tomorrow.

Title: Convergence or Divergence?: Decoding The Indo-Pacific Strategies Of Canada, Japan,
The USA, and Europe
Date: March 21, 2022
Speakers: Dr. Akiko Fukushima (Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research)
Dr. Kristi Govella (Asia Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States(GMF))
Nicolas Véron (Brugel Peterson Institute for International Economics)
Johnathan Fried (Canada’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization, ambassador
to Japan, and chief counsel for NAFTA)
Dr. Yves Tiberghien (CJR UBC, Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada)This was a joint event between the CJR and the Centre for the Study of Global Japan at the
Munk School of the University of Toronto, held on March 21, 2022. The CJR’s director andKonwakai Chair, Dr. Yves Tiberghien, joins the panel.

23

The Indo-Pacific is a critical region, containing over half the world’s population, almost twothirds of global GDP, and seven of the world’s largest military forces. In recent years, major
actors have formulated Indo-Pacific strategies to serve as guiding principles for their regional
engagement. From an early stage, Japan has articulated a vision for a “Free and Open IndoPacific,” emphasizing principles such as the rule of law, quality infrastructure investment, andmaritime stability. In September 2021, the European Union adopted a strategy for cooperationin the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing stepped up engagement in priority areas such as sustainable
and inclusive prosperity and a green transition. In the United States, the Biden administration
released its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, emphasizing both the importance of theregion and mounting challenges, particularly China’s pursuit of a “sphere of influence” as it
seeks “to become the world’s most influential power.” Canada is also actively developing an
Indo-Pacific strategy to diversify trade and investment, strengthen security cooperation, andboost international assistance.

The Centre for the Study of Global Japan – University of Toronto
The Centre for the Study of Global Japan at the University of Toronto haslaunched a new Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation. Supported by agenerous gift from the Newton Foundation, the program aims to support
education reform in Japan and beyond through the promotion of evidence-based
policy initiatives with global impact. Professor Rie Kijima will serve as theinaugural director and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues acrossCanada and Japan on this exciting new project. You can learn more abut thisinitiative and the other past and future events of the Centre at:https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/csgj/

The Prince Takamado Japan Centre - University of Alberta
Essay Contest
We will continue the essay contest funded by the PTJC, University of Alberta. For
more information, please visit our website.

24

The essay that is to be submitted does not have to be a full academic article. It is
more like an extended conference abstract. Applicants are still required to send
their shorter abstracts to the JSAC (and the longer essay to the PTJC). The
awardees are required to present their papers in the 2022 JSAC annual
conference. This award does not interfere with or affect the result of Klaus
Pringsheim Student Presentation Award which evaluates students' oralpresentations. If you have any students who are interested in this opportunity,
please encourage them to submit their proposal!
The 13th JACAC Student Forum, February 2022
In February, PTJC co-organized the 13th Japan-Canada Academic Consortium
Student Forum with the University of Waterloo/Renison College under the theme,“Japan-Canada Peace and Security Cooperation in the Asia/Indo-Pacific.” This
forum was led by Dr. Kimie Hara, Professor of Political Science and the Renison
Research Professor in East Asian Studies, Renison College, University of Waterloo.
Twenty participants from Japanese and Canadian universities engaged in a lively
discussion with each other. They also had chance to exchange their ideas with ourinvited speakers – Mr. Sasayama Takuya, Consul-General of Japan in Toronto,
Captain Hugues Canuel, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Defence Attaché toJapan, Dr. Akiko Fukushima, Senior Fellow, The Tokyo Foundation for Policy
Research, Dr. Phillip Y. Lipscy, Director, Centre for the Study of Global Japan,
University of Toronto, Dr. Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow, Japan Instituteof International Affairs, and Dr. David Welch, University Research Chair andProfessor of Political Science, University of Waterloo and Balsillie School ofInternational Affairs. During the forum, the world received the very shocking
news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, urging all participants to think about
how to maintain and promote global peace and cooperation. Many thanks toProfessor Hara, Dr. Iuliia Kysla, and six graduate students at the Balsillie School ofInternational Affairs, University of Waterloo/Renison for making this event
successful! You can watch the winning presentation by students here.

25

EDI Webinar Series 2021-2022
PTJC organized its second webinar series, “the Path to Equity, Diversity, andInclusion: Approaches in Japan and Canada,” funded by Consulate-General ofJapan in Calgary. In the first webinar, Dr Shiro Sasaki, Executive Director, National
Ainu Museum, and Dr. Maddie Knickerbocker, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
discussed how to preserve and commemorate indigenous identity and culture
publicly. The second webinar featured Dr. Sara Dorow, University of Alberta and
Dr. Naomi Chi. They discussed the issues around temporary workers in Japan andCanada, focusing on intersectionality, gender, and policies. In the third webinar,
Dr. Bukola Salami, Director of Intersection of Gender Signature Area, University ofAlberta and Dr. Reiko Ogawa, Chiba University exchanged their ideas on
immigrants and care. We are still working on our website, but some videos areavailable on our website. We will continue hosting our webinar series, so pleasestay tuned!
Asian Heritage Month! May 2022
To mark Asian Heritage Month, PTJC joined the Department of Sociology andDepartment of Drama at the University of Alberta and the Edmonton JapaneseCommunity Association to co-host Jeanne Sakata’s award-winning play, “Hold
These Truths,” based on the life of U of A sociologist Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi,
whose brave resistance as a young man to the internment of Japanese Americans
during the Second World War was recognized posthumously with the U.S.
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Its digital viewing will be available soon.
For more information, please visit here.

Japan-focused academic organizations outside Canada
Now that travel is beginning to open up again, I thought some information on
Japan related organizations and their conferences might be useful and enticing!
Consider applying to present at one of these conferences and spread the word
about JSAC!
The African Association for Japanese Studies - https://aajstudies.org/index.php
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The AAJS is hosting its fifth conference in Addis Ababa in October 2022.
The Japanese Studies Association of Australia https://www.jsaa.org.au/conferences-and-seminars
The JSAA conference is held every second year. Dates appear to vary between
June and September. The next conference is scheduled for 2023.
British Association for Japanese Studies - https://www.bajs.org.uk/
The BAJS conference is held on a tri-annual basis taking turns with the Joint East
Asian Studies Conference (jointly organised by the British Associations for
Chinese, Japanese and Korean Studies) and the European Association forJapanese Studies (see below).
European Association for Japanese Studies – https//www.eajs.eu/
The EAJS conference is held every three years. The last conference was held
online in August 2021.
European-Japan Advanced Research Network https://www.hhs.se/en/research/institutes/eijs/ejarn/
Annual conference in June in Europe.
Japan Studies Association (US) - http://www.japanstudies.org/
The JSA holds an annual conference in January usually in Hawaii.

Québec and Canada, French and English, poutine, and the School
Lunches Project
Etienne Lehoux-Jobin (PhD candidate in Translation Studies at Université de Montréal)

In early 2021, through a common friend, I received a message from Dr. Mayo
Oyama ( 大 山 万 容 ), a language education researcher (then at Ritsumeikan
University, in Kyoto, now at Osaka Metropolitan University, in Osaka), asking me tohelp on a research action project called 「 給 食 プ ロ ジ ェ ク ト 」 (“Kyūshoku
27

purojekuto,” or School Lunches Project). Through kyūshoku (school lunches), theproject aimed to combine éveil aux langues (the “awakening to languages,” or
plurilingual education approach) with shokuiku (food and nutrition education).
My task was to produce a video
targeted at elementary school pupils(from the third to the sixth grade)attending Satsuki Gakuen in Moriguchishi, Osaka, in which I would introduce
Québec and Canada, French and English,
poutine as a national dish, and personal
anecdotes in connection with poutine.
As part of the project, a different country was featured every month, and pupils got
to learn more about its languages, cuisines, traditions, etc., not only by watching
the videos, but also thanks to books and various props, as well as through actual
thematic school meals prepared specially for the occasion.

Dr. Oyama published an article in
the May 2022 issue of 『 学 校 給食 』 (Gakkō kyūshoku) in which she
explained the project and reported on
its outcomes (pp. 31-38, 58-61), andMs. Emiko Fujita ( 藤 田 恵 美 子 ), theschool’s nutrition teacher, also
published an article on the topic in thesame issue (pp. 39-45, 58-61). For more28

details, see also Oyama et al.’s paper in issue 9 (2021) of 『複言語・多言語教育研究』 (Fukugengo-tagengo kyōiku kenkyū).
Regarding the link between food and language, in the above-mentioned
article entitled 「食育と外国語教育を結ぶ給食プロジェクト」 (“Connecting
food and nutrition education to foreign language education through the School
Lunches Project”), Dr. Oyama (2022, p. 33) notably writes that when you encountersomething new, be it food or language, you might feel uneasy at first, but by
exposing yourself to it, little by little, you start to create a connection which
eventually leads to making the thing meaningful to you, and thus more comfortable
and approachable.
I was glad to contribute to the project, albeit in a very limited fashion, and I
hope it inspires both teachers and researchers to implement similar practices in otherschools, not only in Japan, but also here in Canada.

Member News
Dick Beason, Professor, University of Alberta
Dick Beason prepared 'Japanese Industrial Policy: An Economic Assessment' for
the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) which was published by themin November 2022, and which was subsequently mentioned inForbes magazine. The primary focus of the article was not the postwar industrial
policies of Japan (1955-1990), but rather new industrial policies being formulated
in Japan, the US and Europe aimed at building new semiconductor capacity inorder to meet challenges from China. The basic conclusion is that public support
for new semiconductor capacity in these nations would simply replace the private
investment thatwould be forthcoming in any event (if the new capacity were viable to beginwith), and that at the end of the process with each country trying to 'catch-up' theworld will end up with a glut of capacity and falling semiconductor prices that
could never justify the public outlays.

29Millie Creighton, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia
Millie Creighton published an article on 10th anniversary of Tohoku Disasters:
Creighton, Millie. 2022. “A View from Japan’s and Tohoku’s 2011 Disasters’ 10th
Anniversary: Past, Present, Future”. Part of the JAWS [Japan Anthropology WorkShop] Online Series of Reflections from Tohoku, a monthly series between the10th and 11th anniversaries of Japan’s March 11, 2011 Triple Disasters. Article
available at:https://japananthropologyworkshop.org/a-view-from-japans-and-tohokus-2011disasters-10th-anniversary-past-present-future-by-millie-creighton/
Lectures, Conference Papers Presented, Other Presentations:
Creighton, Millie. 2022. “Rivers Delineating Space, Place, Social Relations, Life andDeath in a Japanese Mirrored World View.” Invited/Sponsored presentation for
special conference on “Rivers as ‘Flowing Spaces’” held in Dusseldorf, Germany,
May 11-13.
Creighton, Millie. 2022. “Just Say NOlympics Didn’t Work: Connecting Tokyo
2020ne, Atomic Commemorations, Peace, Article 9, 3-11, and Minorities
Movements” at the Association for Asian Studies conference in Honolulu, Hawaii,
Saturday, March 26.
Creighton, Millie. 2022. Presented work on a residential Japanese workcommunity in Palestine involved in heritage work on the covering of the ancient
Hisham’s Palace near Jericho. virtually at the University of Bethlehem.
2021. Creighton, Millie. “Long Engagements and Multiple Boundary Crossings: A
Japanese Work Community in Palestine.” Presented at the International
Convention of Asian Scholars (ICAS12), held in Kyoto, Japan and virtually, on
August 27 (August 26 PST).
Creighton, Millie and Ahmed Sayed. 2022. Had their co-authored and recorded30

video entry selected for the Exhibition entitled ‘Hidden Talents’ that was run with
the International Convention of Asian Scholars (ICAS12). This included the ongoing showing of their recording, “Cosplay Performances” which included theirown competition performances at Egycon 6 in Cairo, Egypt. The exhibition and thefilm/recording ran from August 10 t Sep to 2022.
Creighton, Millie. 2021. “Performing J-Pop and K-Pop Transnational Fandoms at
Special Events,
Festivals, and Competitions and Within J-Wave or K-Wave Zones,” for “Global
Creative
Industries Conference” held at The University of Hong Kong, 6-7 November,
2021.
Grants received:
Creighton, Millie. 2021. Awarded a SSHRC Explore—Faculty of Arts Research
Grant for project on, “Community Renewal in Japan via Art, Architecture, andHistory Tourism.”
Creighton, Millie. 2021. Awarded a SSHRC Exchange International Travel Grant for
project entitled, “Hope in Heritage Sites: Palestine’s Hisham’s Palace and Jericho.”(The grant was awarded but travel to Palestine during the conference wasprohibited due to Omicon variant.)
David Edgington, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia
Dr. Edgington published his JSAC 2020 presentation in a planning journal: D.W.
Edgington (2021 in press) "Planning for Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Lessons fromJapan for British Columbia, Canada", Progress in Planning. He also presented thepaper to an on-line Emergency Management and Business Continuity conference31

in October 2021. David notes that at UBC, some energetic junior faculty have set
up a Disaster Resilience Research Cluster, with a link to Sendai University.
Evan Koike, Postdoctoral Fellow, Reischauer Institute, Harvard University
Evan Koike is graduating from UBC in May and will join Harvard’s Reischauer
Institute as a Postdoctoral Fellow this fall!
Etienne Lehoux-Jobin, Translator and PhD candidate in Translation Studies(Université de Montréal and Rikkyo University)
Lehoux-Jobin, Etienne (2021). Influence de la distance entre langues-cultures surla traduction : le cas des références culturelles dans les sous-titres japonais etanglais de films québécois [翻訳に対する言語文化的距離の影響―ケベック映画の日本語字幕と英語字幕における文化要素の事例―]. Revue japonaise desétudes québécoises/ケベック研究, 13, pp. 33-51.
Lehoux-Jobin, Etienne (2022): La pratique terminologique des traducteurs
japonais>français, d’hier à aujourd’hui ["The terminological practice ofJapanese>French translators, past and present"]. ScriptUM. 5.
Phillip Lipscy, Professor, University of Toronto
Phillip Lipscy published a volume co-edited with Takeo Hoshi titled The Political
Economy of the Abe Government and Abenomics Reforms (2021, Cambridge
University Press). The volume examines the politics and economic policies of the
Abe government, which ruled Japan from 2012-2020. He also published a related
piece co-authored with Adam Liff, “Japan Transformed? The Foreign Policy Legacyof the Abe Government” (2022, Journal of Japanese Studies, Volume 48, Number
1, pp. 123-147). The article provides an overview of foreign policymaking under
Abe and assesses the former prime minister’s long-term impact on Japan’sinternational relations.
Starting in April 2022, Lipscy was cross-appointed as Professor in the Faculty of
Law at the University of Tokyo. The appointment entails teaching an intensive
32

class during the summer months and advising University of Tokyo graduate
students throughout the year. He will retain all of his current roles andresponsibilities at the University of Toronto. Lipscy looks forward to the newconnections and collaborations that the appointment will hopefully facilitate.
Shigenori Matsui, Professor, University of British Columbia
Shigenori Matsui published a book last winter, Songenshi oyobi anrakushi wo
motomeru kenri [Right to Medically Assisted Dying] (Nihon hyouronsha 2021). He
is now preparing publication of his next project on sexual autonomy and right tosexuality together with another edition of my textbook on the Constitution ofJapan.
Norio Ota, Associate Professor (Teaching), York University, Secretary-Treasurer
JSAC
The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays was conferred on Norio
Ota by the Government of Japan on November 3, 2021.
Dr. Ota presented at JSAC 2021. His topic was “Narrative-based advanced andpost-advanced Japanese language courses.”
York University won big at the regional speech contest. The two students coachedby Ota-sensei won the grand and second prizes in the advanced category.
James White, Research Analyst (Economic Affairs) Consulate-General of Japan in
TorontoRecent publications:‘Marketing Men (,) Silencing Men: The Sapporo Beer-Mifune Campaign and
Perspectives on Gender in Japanese Advertising’ in Kirsch, G. & Mithani, F. (eds),
Handbook of Japanese Media and Popular Culture in Transition (Forthcoming 2022)

33

Marketing Men, Selling Beer: Challenging Gender in Japanese Advertising
Discourse 1950 – 1996 (2019). PhD, University of Sheffield,
https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/23066/
Review of Sand, Jordan, Tokyo Vernacular: Common Spaces, Local Histories,
Found Objects. (2015) H-Japan, H-Net Reviews. https://www.hnet.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=44180
Bill Sewell, Professor, Saint Mary’s University
Bill Sewell published “Japanese Public Health Concerns in Treaty-Port Manchuria”
in Canadian Journal of History Vol. 57, No. 1.
Scholars often portray colonial medicine either as exemplifying the triumph ofprogress or as a means of expanding imperial authority. Adding to these views aconsideration of the range of activities present on the ground reveals activities
consistent with both perspectives, but points also to limitations inherent inperceiving these efforts in these two ways.

Yves Tiberghien, Professor, University of British Columbia
Latest Book:
Tiberghien, Y. (August 2021). The East Asian Covid-19 Paradox (Elements in
Politics and Society in East Asia). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108973533
Recent articles:• 26 March 2022: The paradox of China–India relations, in East Asia Forum, with
Meghna Srivastava.
• 20 March 2022: “Disrupted Order: G20 Global Governance at a Time of
Geopolitical Crisis,” in Global Summitry34

• 14 Feb 2022. “Existential gap: Digital/AI Acceleration and the Missing Global
Governance Capacity,” CIGI Online Article, project on peaceful competition (withDanielle Luo and Panthea Pourmalek)• 6 Feb 2022. “Japan slams the borders shut on Omicron, East Asia Forum (withSaya Soma)• 8 Nov 2021. “The good, the bad and the incongruous at the Rome G20” in East
Asia Forum• 28 Oct 2021. “South Korea’s deepening social fractures amid COVID-19 success”
in East Asia Forum (with Yoojung Lee)• 24 Sept 2021. “Taiwan’s COVID-19 vaccine struggles” in East Asia Forum (withJackie Zhao)• 13 Sept 2021. “Delta upends the East Asia COVID-19 model,” in East Asia Forum
Book interview:
August 2021: https://politics.ubc.ca/news/prof-yves-tiberghien-examines-whyeast-asian-countries-handled-covid-better-in-his-new-book/] Analysis of thepolitics of the Meiji Restoration in Japan and of its global impact today:
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/aujourd-hui-lhistoire/episodes/589170/rattrapage-du-mardi-7-decembre-2021

35

36

Dr. Henry Tsang
Registered Architect & Assistant Professor
Athabasca University, RAIC Centre for Architecture
Family:Welcomed to his family twin Japanese-Canadian girls, Noemie 和えみand Amelie愛めり, born in Tokyo
on March 25, 2022.

Awards:Winner of two Construction Canada Emerging Leader Awards in two categories: the 'Leadership Award'
and the overall best 'Juror's Choice Award'

37

Winner of 2nd Prize in International Essay Competition on Accessible Architecture for his article“Accessible Design: An Architect’s Blind Spot”.
Projects:
Was appointed as Japanese architectural consultant by the city of Montreal for the design of the newJapanese Pavilion in the Montreal Botanical Gardens.

Interviews:“AU Architecture Prof designs for underserved communities”. Interview published in The Hub by
Athabasca University, December 2, 2021. https://news.athabascau.ca/faculty/faculty-of-science-andtechnology/au-architecture-prof-designs-for-underserved-communities/
Presentations:
Hosted the Discovering Japanese-Canadian Nikkei Identity & Culture: Past & Present conference
between August 23 to September 21, 2021. The project hosted 23 Japanese students virtually from the
University of Tokyo, Doshisha University, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and Wakayama University.

38

Presented at the Japanese MEXT Scholars Association's academic conference on the topic of 'How
COVID-19 Affected the Academic World' on May 15, 2021.
Presented at the “Let’s Talk to Japan Alumni” panel session hosted by Tobitate on May 30, 2021.

Presented “Understanding Japanese Architecture”, guest lecture for The Japan Foundation Toronto on
May 6, 2021.

39

Will be giving an in-person lecture at the Shibaura Institute of Technology 芝浦工業大学 in Tokyo on
June 2022.
Will be giving a virtual lecture at the University of Tokyo as part of the Modern Japan History Workshop
on May 27, 2022.
Grants:
Co-Applicant, recipient of a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for The Politics of Placemaking in
Chinatown ($72,000)
Committees:
President, The University of Tokyo Alumni Association of Canada. (2019 - Present)
Jury Member, Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Programme. (2020 – Present)
Jury Member, MEXT Monbukagakusho Scholarship (2021 – Present)
Committee Member, Calgary Japanese Community Association. (2021 - Present)
Board Member, MEXT Scholarship Alumni Association of the Prairie Provinces. (2020 - Present)
Board Member, Ship for World Youth Alumni Association of Canada. (2019 - 2022)

Noriko Yabuki-Soh Associate Professor, York University
Publication:
Japanese L2 learners’ subjective construal: An analysis of expressions of emotionand evaluation in written storytelling found in I-JAS data. Co-authored with Y.
Okuno. Journal of Japanese Linguistics 38, 49-69.

40

Conference Presentations:ストーリー描写課題における日本語学習者の事態把握の表現方法 ―視点表
現に代わる主観的表現に着目して― [The way Japanese L2 learners express
construal in their written storytelling: Focusing on expressions of subjectivity asalternatives to expressions of viewpoint].
Paper co-presented with Y. Okuno at the annual conference of the Canadian
Association for Japanese Language Education (CAJLE 2021) held online, August 1819, 2021
Portrayals of women in advertisements in present-day Japan. Paper presented at
the annual conference of the Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC 2021)
held online, October 17-18, 2021
Manuscript reviewing:
Feb 2020 – Present: 『第二言語としての日本語の習得研究』 [Acquisition ofJapanese as a Second Language]
Japanese language community service:
Member of the Organizing Committee for the 40th Ontario Japanese SpeechContest (Online), University of Toronto, March 6, 2022.
Member of the Organizing Committee for the 33rd Canada National Japanese
Speech Contest (Online), March 26, 2022.
Glad to report that York U students won many of the top prizes in the provincial
Japanese language speech contest this year again. This was featured in our
university newsletter Y-File.

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JSAC EXECUTIVE 2021-2022
President (2016-2019; 2019 - 2022):
Professor Carin Holroyd
Department of Political Studies
University of Saskatchewan
E-mail: carin.holroyd@usask.ca
Incoming President (2022 – 2025):
Professor Jim Tiessen
Ted Rogers School of Management
Toronto Metropolitan University
E-mail: jhtiessen@ryerson.ca

Secretary-Treasurer (2012-2016; 2016-2020; 2020-2024):
Professor Norio Ota
Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
York University,
E-mail: nota@yorku.ca

Regular Executive Members:Professor Thomas Waldichuk
Department of Geography & Environmental Studies
Thompson Rivers University
E-mail: twaldichuk@tru.ca

Professor Aya Fujiwara
Director, Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research Faculty of Arts History & Classics
University of Alberta
Email: fujiwara@ualberta.ca
42

Professor Owen Griffiths
Department of History
Mt. Alison University
Email: ogriffiths@mta.ca

Graduate Student Representative:
Maxime Marcotte Bouthillier, PhD candidate
Department of Politics
York University
E-mail: marcottemaxime@hotmail.com

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