The 2nd HOKU (Honolulu Office of Kobe University) Symposium

Intra-Pacific Collaboration for
Advanced Academic Research on
Transborderness of Japanese People,
Culture, and Thoughts
Organised by the Institute for Promoting International Partnerships, Kobe University

Date: February 5, 2018

Preface
I am pleased to present the first report outlining the Second Honolulu Office of Kobe University (HOKU)
Symposium. Kobe University established HOKU within the Japan-America Institute of Management Science(Fujitsu-JAIMS) on June 30, 2016 to operate as a base for academic collaboration with the Americas and to
facilitate symposia and workshops.
The First HOKU Symposium in 2016 was the highlight of the HOKU opening ceremony and explored applied
econometrics and particle physics. The Second HOKU Symposium, as is reported in this booklet, focused on thehumanities, exploring the theme of “Transborderness of Japanese People, Culture, and Thoughts”. The booklet
organization follows the symposium program covering Session 1 “Transnational Actors in Asia-Pacific: Practice,
Discourse, and Representation” followed by Session 2 “Japanese Literature/Thought Crossing the Oceans: To
Construct ‘Trans-border Japanese Studies’”. Each session concluded with an open discussion between
participants and attendees.
I hope the annual symposium continues promoting dialogue and exchange between Japan, the Americas, andother Pacific Rim countries, and offering an ideal opportunity for presenting new findings, creating new ideas,
and exchanging insights covering a wide-range of topics from a Pacific perspective. Finally, I would like to express
our sincerest appreciation to all the participants for contributing with their excellent presentations and fruitful
discussions, and making the time and efforts to join the symposium.
We eagerly look forward to organizing the Third Symposium and more workshops through our Honolulu Office.

Hiroshi Takeda
President

Kobe University

2

The Second HOKU (Honolulu Office of Kobe University) Symposium

Intra-Pacific Collaboration for Advanced Academic Research on
Transborderness of Japanese People, Culture, and Thoughts
Date and Time : Monday 5 February 2018 9:30AM-5:15PM
Venue : Hawaii Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall
East-West Center, Asia Room
1777 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848 USA

Opening

9:30AM - 10:00AM
Symposium MC :Prof. Hideyuki Yamamoto, Director, Honolulu Office of Kobe University
Opening addresses :Prof. Fumitoshi Mizutani, Executive Vice President, Kobe University

Prof. Denise Konan, Dean of the College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Session 1 10:00AM - 1:00PM
Transnational Actors in Asia-Pacific: Practice, Discourse, and Representation

Session 2 2:00PM - 5:00PM
Japanese Literature/Thought Crossing the Oceans: To Construct "Trans-border Japanese Studies"

Closing

5:00PM - 5:15PM
Prof. Tohru Kataoka, Vice President, Kobe University

Organiser : The Institute for Promoting International Partnerships, Kobe University

3Opening
Good morning,
Good morning,
distinguisheddistinguishedguests andguestscolleagues.
and colleagues.
Welcome,Welcome,and thank
and you
thankfor you
attendingfor attending
this
this
symposium
symposiumorganizedorganizedby the Honolulu
by the Honolulu
Office ofOffice ofKobe University,
Kobe University,
which wewhichcall HOKU.
we call
I am
HOKU.
Fumitoshi
I am Fumitoshi
MIZUTANI,MIZUTANI,
Executive
Executive
Vice-President
Vice-Presidentof Kobeof Kobe
University.
University.

Prof. Fumitoshi Mizutani
Executive Vice President,
Kobe University

It is a great
It ishonor
a greattohonorwelcometo welcome
so many soparticipants
many participantsfrom the from
University
the Universityof Hawai‘iofatHawai‘i
Mānoa,atUniversity
Mānoa, Universityofof
Washington,
Washington,
AmericanAmerican
University,
University,
among others.
among others.
Today weToday
are pleased
we are pleased
to be holding
to be holding
HOKU’s HOKU’s
2nd
2nd
last year last
focusedyear onfocused on
symposium.
symposium.
Our 1st symposium
Our 1st symposium
Social andSocialNaturaland Sciences,
Natural Sciences,and this andyearthis
we yearwill we will
focus on focus
the Humanities.
on the Humanities.

First of all,
First
letof
me
all,introduce
let me introduce
Kobe University
Kobe University
briefly because
briefly becausesome of someour participantsof our participants
are not familiar
are not withfamiliar
ourwith ouruniversity.
university.
Kobe University
Kobe University
was established
was establishedin 1902, in
so1902,
we haveso weabout
have120
about
years
120
of years
history.
of history.
Although
Although
Kobe Kobe
University
University
seems young
seemscomparedyoung comparedwith prestigious
with prestigious
North American
North American
universities,
universities,
it is actually
it is one
actuallyof theoneoldestof the oldest
national universities
national universities
in Japan. in Japan.
Kobe University
Kobe University
started as
starteda college
as aofcollegeeconomicsof economics
and businessand businessadministration
administrationin 1902, inbut1902,
manybut
schools
many andschools andcollegescolleges
have been
have
added
beensince
added
then,
since
such
then,
as thesuchcollege
as the ofcollegearts andof arts
sciences,and sciences,the education
the education
school, theschool, theengineeringengineeringschool, theschool,medicalthe school
medicalandschoolso on.
andNow
so Kobeon. Now
University
Kobe University
is one of istheone
biggestof thenational
biggest universities
national universities
ininJapan, consisting
Japan, consistingof 10 undergraduateof 10 undergraduate
faculties faculties
and 15 graduate
and 15 graduate
schools, withschools,
approximately
with approximately
12,000 undergraduate
12,000 undergraduate
students students
and 5,000andgraduate
5,000 graduate
students students
in 2017. in 2017.
Kobe University
Kobe University
has beenhas
vigorously
been vigorously
exploringexploringand pursuingand pursuingnovel academic
novel academic
endeavors
endeavors
in the spirit
in theof ‘integrity,
spirit of ‘integrity,
freedom,freedom,
and cooperation.’and cooperation.’
As a university
As a university
located inlocatedone ofin
the
one
most
of theimportantmost important
port cities
port
connecting
cities connecting
Japan withJapan withthe rest ofthetherestworld,of theweworld,
are proud
we aretoproud
have fostered
to have fosteredmany talented
many talented
scholars scholars
and businessmen
and businessmen
who havewhoplayedhave played
active roles
activearoundrolesthearoundworld,
theandworld,
to have
andpromoted
to have promoted
a wealth aofwealthcutting-edgeof cutting-edge
research researchthat ranksthat
alongside
ranks alongsidethat of that of
the world’s
theleadingworld’suniversities.
leading universities.
For example,
For example,
Kyoto University
Kyoto University
ProfessorProfessor
Shinya Yamanaka,
Shinya Yamanaka,
the 2012the
Nobel
2012
Prize
Nobel Prize
RecipientRecipientin Physiology
in Physiology
and Medicine
and Medicine
for the discovery
for the discoveryof iPS cell,ofisiPSa graduate
cell, is a graduateof Kobe University’sof Kobe University’s
medical school.
medical school.
Another example
Another example
is Mr. Sazo
is Mr.
Idemitsu,
Sazo Idemitsu,
the founder
the offoundera majorofoil
a majorcompany
oil company
in Japan,inIdemitsu
Japan, Idemitsu
Kosan, who
Kosan,
graduated
who graduatedfrom Kobe
fromUniversity’s
Kobe University’sbusiness businessschool. Mr.
school.
Idemitsu’s
Mr. Idemitsu’s
success story
success
inspiredstory ainspired
recent mega-hit
a recent mega-hit
movie in movie
Japan. in Japan.
As the world
As themoves
worldrapidly
movestoward
rapidlyglobalization,
toward globalization,
the development
the development
of betterof
infrastructure
better infrastructure
and the promotion
and the promotionofofinternational
international
collaboration
collaborationin the fields
in theof fields
educationof education
and researchand researchare becoming
are becoming
increasingly
increasingly
importantimportantfor all for all
universities.
universities.
Japan is noJapan
exception.
is no exception.
In this regard,
In thisweregard,have weestablishedhave established
our own ourCharterownon
Charter
Research,
on Research,which clearly
which clearlystates thatstates
Kobethat
University
Kobe University
should “playshouldthe“playrole ofthea keyroleinstituteof a key institutefor international
for international
exchanges
exchanges
and collaborationand collaborationinineducation
educationand research.”
and research.”
We have We
alsohavedeclared
also declaredin our Charterin ouronCharter
Education
on Educationthat we willthatseek
we will
to foster
seek toindividuals
foster individuals

4who havewho
an appreciation
have an appreciation
for diverse
forvalues,
diversea values,
deep understanding
a deep understandingof other culturesof other andculturesexcellentand excellent
communication
communication
skills. Withskills.
theseWithidealstheseinideals
mind,inwemind,
are now
we areestablishing
now establishinga worldwide
a worldwide
base forbase
enhancingfor enhancing
international
international
competitivenesscompetitivenessin educationin education
and researchand researchby developing
by developing
our ownour
original
own original
projectsprojects
as well asaspromoting
well as promotinginternational
international
mobility ofmobility
students
of students
and researchers
and researchers
for furthering
for furthering
their studies
theirandstudies
research
and research
on a worldwide
on a worldwide
basis. basis.
In order to
In fosterorder toglobalfostereducation,
global education,
we are taking
we areseveraltakingimportant
several important
steps going
steps
forward.
going forward.
One epoch-making
One epoch-making
step is step isthe founding
the foundingof a newof
undergraduate
a new undergraduate
school, theschool,Faculty
theof
Faculty
GlobalofHuman
GlobalSciences,
Human Sciences,in April ofin2017.
April ofThis
2017.
newThis new
school has
schooltwo important
has two importantcharacteristics.
characteristics.
First is theFirstrequirement
is the requirementthat all students
that all students
study abroad
studyunderabroadtheunderschool’s
the school’s
Global Study
GlobalProgramStudy Program(GSP). In(GSP).
GSP, students
In GSP, students
can choose
canonechooseof three
one kindsof threeof programs:
kinds of programs:(i) study (i)at study
a foreignat a foreign
university,
university,or (ii) carryor (ii)outcarryfield out
study
field
and
study
completeand complete
an internshipan internshipin a foreignin acountry,
foreign country,or (iii) enrollor (iii)
in enrolla foreignin a foreign
languagelanguage
study program
study program
or attendorsummer
attend summer
school inschoola foreignin acountry.
foreign country.
To help students,
To help students,
we have weprepared
have preparedmore morethan 100than
sub-programs,
100 sub-programs,
among which
among
undergraduate
which undergraduate
studentsstudents
can choose
canaccording
choose according
to their own
to theirinterests
own interests
over
over
the course
theofcourse
four years.
of four years.
The second
Thecharacteristic
second characteristicof the newof school
the new
is schoolthat activeis thatlearning
active islearning
emphasized.
is emphasized.
In recentIn
times,
recentthetimes,
weakthepoint
weakof point ofJapaneseJapanese
education
educationis that students
is that students
have a tendency
have a tendency
to be passive,
to be althoughpassive, although
they are goodthey arelearners.
good learners.
This passivity
This passivity
might result
might
from
resultan over-dependence
from an over-dependenceon big-groupon big-groupclassroomclassroom
lectures. lectures.
In order to
In makeorder ourto makestudents
our students
more active
more active
learners, learners,
we are changing
we are changing
classrooms
classrooms
and instituting
and instituting
more active-learning
more active-learningoriented orientedclasses. classes.
With all theseWith changes,
all these changes,
we believe
wethatbelievesomedaythat somedayin the future,in theour
future,new school’s
our new graduatesschool’s graduates
will contribute
will contributeto societyto society
not only in
notJapan
only butin Japanin foreign
but incountries
foreign countries
as well. as well.
As for our
Asglobalfor ournetwork,
global network,
since wesince
first opened
we first our
openedoverseas
our overseas
office in office
BeijingininBeijing
2008, inwe2008,have weincreased
have increasedthethenumber of
numberour overseasof our overseas
offices tooffices
three: toin Beijing,
three: inBrussels,
Beijing, Brussels,and Honolulu.
and Honolulu.
We also have
We alsotwohaveliaisontwo
offices,liaisoninoffices,
Hanoi,in Hanoi,
Vietnam,Vietnam,
and Kraków,
and Kraków,
Poland. Poland.
Using theseUsing
facilities,
these facilities,
our researchers
our researchers
have been
have
expandingbeen expanding
their networks
their networks
ofofinternational
international
research researchand strengthening
and strengthening
ties with ties
partner
withuniversities
partner universities
in severalinregions.
several regions.
Among ourAmongoverseas
our overseas
offices, theoffices,
Honolulu
the Honolulu
Office of Office
Kobe Universityof Kobe University(which we(whichcall HOKU)
we callisHOKU)
quite new.
is quite
Building
new. Buildingonon
our global
ourexperience,
global experience,
HOKU was
HOKU
established
was establishedlast year last
as an
year
organization
as an organization
with the withaim ofthepromoting
aim of promotinginternational
international
collaboration
collaboration
betweenbetween
Kobe University
Kobe University
and universities
and universities
and researchand research
institutesinstitutes
in Hawaiiinand
Hawaiithe Americas.
and the Americas.
AlthoughAlthough
Kobe University
Kobe University
has strong
hastiesstrongwith ties
Europe,with ourEurope,relationshipour relationshipwith the with
UnitedtheStates
Unitedhas
Statesbeenhasrelatively
been relatively
weak, despite
weak,thedespitefact thatthe fact
the Unitedthat theStates
Unitedhas
Statesalwayshasbeenalwaysthebeen
mostthepopularmost destination
popular destination
for Kobe forresearchers
Kobe researchersand students
and students
wanting wanting
to conduct
to conduct
research researchor study or
abroad.
studyTherefore,
abroad. Therefore,
HOKU is envisaged
HOKU is envisaged
as the contact
as thepoint
contact
forpoint for
fosteringfostering
active academic
active academic
collaboration
collaborationand providing
and providing
more effective
more effective
support for
supportfurther
forinternational
further international
exchangeexchangewith institutions
with institutionsin North andin NorthSouthandAmerica.
South America.
Today’s symposium
Today’s symposium
will focuswill
on focusa humanities-related
on a humanities-related
topic: “Intra-Pacifictopic: “Intra-PacificCollaboration
Collaboration
for Advanced
for Advanced
Academic
AcademicResearchResearchon the Trans-borderness
on the Trans-bordernessof Japaneseof Japanese
People, Culture,
People, andCulture,Thoughts.”
and Thoughts.”
Our topicOur
encompasses
topic encompasses
two goals.
two goals.
The first isThe
to first
display
is tothedisplay
academic
the academic
fields comprising
fields comprising
humanities
humanities
and arts inandJapan.
arts inThe
Japan.
secondTheissecond
to recognize
is to recognizethetheimportanceimportanceof globalof
andglobalcross-culturaland cross-cultural
discussions
discussions
on humanities-related
on humanities-related
issues. issues.
As for theAsfirst
forpoint,
the first
in mypoint,
opinion,in my recent
opinion,governmental
recent governmental
education
education
policy seems
policytoseems
dependtotoo
dependmuchtoo
onmuchscienceon&science &technology.
technology.
For example,
For example,
the national
the national
government
governmenthas beenhas
shifting
been theshifting
totalthenumbers
total numbersof students
of students
enrolled enrolledininnationalnational
universities
universities
from thefrom
humanities
the humanities
and socialandsciences,social sciences,
to naturalto andnaturallife scienceand life andscienceengineering.
and engineering.
Furthermore,
Furthermore,when wewhen
look atwethe
looknational
at the national
budget on
budgetresearch
on researchand education,and education,
includingincluding
competitivecompetitive
researchresearchfunds, mostfunds,
aremostgrantedare tograntedscience
to&science
technology& technology
fields. Onfields.
the otherOn thehand,
othergrantshand,forgrants
the humanities
for the humanities
and arts are
and arts arevery limited.
very Ilimited.
do not Ideny
do notthedeny
importancethe importanceof scienceof andsciencetechnology,
and technology,
but we must
but wecontinuemust continue
to support
to supportthethehumanities
humanities
and arts, and
which
arts,
teach
which
us history,
teach usand
history,tell usandwhat
tellitusmeans
what ittomeans
be human.
to be human.

5

In fact, there was a famous American writer, Raymond Chandler, who explained the importance of the humanities
better than I can. Here are his words, from 1938:“There are two kinds of truth: the truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first of these isscience, and the second is art. Without art, science would be useless as a pair of high forceps in the hands of aplumber. Without science, art would become a crude mess of folklore and emotional quackery.”He also said, “The more you reason, the less you create.”
I think that society without arts would be too mechanical and utilitarian, and people would be too cold and uniform.
When we see the current chaotic situation in society all over the world, it is clear that the humanities and arts are
more necessary than ever. And with today’s excessive focus on technology, money, and other practical matters, it isclear that it is right for us to remember and value matters of the spirit—which we find in the humanities and arts.
Unfortunately, in Japan, the humanities and arts have lagged behind natural science as topics for study atuniversity, and when studied have been discussed only within Japan. This might be an extreme case, but studies on
Japanese literature, society, culture, and so on have been discussed among Japanese people in the Japanese
language, but have not been shared with audiences overseas. Compared with science and technology, Japanesescholars researching Japanese humanities and arts tend to keep their work for domestic consumption only.
It is important to have a global or cross-cultural point of view, even when dealing with what has until now been
considered a very domestic subject. With discussions among many kinds of people with different views andbackgrounds, there are exciting possibilities to create new ideas that yield unity. At this symposium program here
today, I feel those possibilities.
Japan has a long 2000-year-long history. But it is only in the last 150 years that Japan has started to become amodern westernized country. A lot has changed on this journey.
Here we are today in Hawaii, midway between Japan and the US. Many people with Japanese grandparents andgreat grandparents live here, and honestly, when I’m in Hawaii, although it’s thousands of miles from Kobe, I don’t
feel very far away from home. Just as the University of Hawaii campus has the “East-West Center,” the Honolulu
Office of Kobe University will be a bridge for many endeavors to connect Japan and the US. I ask for your continuous
support to help our office nurture and sustain the US-Kobe collaboration.
Finally, I hope this symposium will be a fruitful meeting for you all.
Thank you very much.

6

Opening
Aloha! Welcome to Honolulu and the University of
Hawai‘i at Mānoa .

Prof. Denise Konan
Dean of the College of Social Sciences
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

I really thank Prof. Yamamoto for taking a leadershiprole to pull together this interesting and exciting
topic for a symposium. I also thank Executive Vice
President Prof. Mizutani for his presence andcommitment to this endeavor. We will be talking
later on today about how to deepen and further ourcollaborations between University of Hawai‘i andKobe University. So I do encourage you to think ofideas and to propose these during coffee hours sothat we might benefit from your thoughts.

To some of you, it may be the first time to come to Hawaii. I apologize for the rainy weather. This is not so common.
Usually we have blue skies and we expect the blue skies to return again very soon. Also, our indigenous ancestorsof Hawai‘i believed rain is a kind of blessing. It is something we appreciate and something that we value. And ofcourse, it is water and fresh water is very important in our islands. So I also believe that today’s rains are a blessing
on this Symposium. We hope it is raining outside while you are in your sessions today, and not after the sessions
while you are on your relaxing time.
I would like to tell you a little bit about the University of Hawai‘i - as you just heard from the previous opening
speech a little bit about the initiatives of Kobe University. Our University of Hawai‘i is a ten-campus system. We
have about 60,000 students across all of our islands that are involved in our activities. The U of H at Mānoa is theflagship research university of that system. And we are located just here in the valley of Mānoa. And we overlook
Waikiki in the city of Honolulu. It is actually an ideal location for us because we have the freshness of Mānoa’s
natural setting and close proximity to all of our economic centers of Waikiki and our government centers ofdowntown Honolulu and our capital. We have very strong relations with legislators, community and businessleaders.
We offer for our students a marvelous opportunity to have not just a research and academic opportunities. But
because we are in such a vibrant global city, we are able to give our students a chance to have marvelous practicalexperiences.
We’ve been a university since 1907 while Kobe University since 1902, so you are five years older than we are. And
still we think this is a long time for a university. University of Hawai‘i has been one of the most important institutions
in our state for many, many reasons. We had collaborations with Japan. We’ve had a very long history of
involvement with the nation of Japan There were royal interactions between our kingdoms, the Kingdom of Hawai‘iand that of Japan. Those traditions led to a great migration that has been an important component of Hawaii’s
culture. In fact that migration pattern is longer than a century, 150 years. So as we think of the topic here today oftrans-borderness, Hawaii is an ideal place for such a study as this because Japan’s people have had interactions with
Hawaii that is very historic. In fact, those with Japanese ancestry still represent a significant component of ourpopulation here in Hawaii.
It is interesting to see how that influence has shaped and molded what we are as an island nation and Hawaii’s
influence, and Japan’s as well, culturally though music and the arts tourism, of course, but also through thought andmany aspects, Hawaii’s leadership has been influenced by Japan but it has also influenced the globe. And we seethat in many, many ways, especially in the area of humanities. We have these historic ties that are interesting to
explore.

7

This Symposium also offers an opportunity to have global impact. I am very pleased to see the commitment of Kobe
University to open HOKU, Honolulu Office of the Americas. I think that is very important. And the University of
Hawai‘i wants to be a strong partner in that effort.
I can say that many of our faculty have strong ties Japan in terms of research and scholarship. We have especiallystrong relations with Kobe University, particularly in economics and business. And I am of course an economist andI recognize that some of our oldest relationships in the economics field have been with Kobe University. I would liketo these relationships grow into other areas like the humanities. And we do have faculty with a strong interest in
this.
I would like to note some of the things we are exploring together are things like these sorts of faculty exchanges.
Also opportunities for student programs – programs that benefit our students. And maybe some opportunities for
short-term study or even semester study or internship opportunities.
And I can say that also Kobe is a beautiful city and has much in common with Hawaii being a port city. Being thiskind of entry point for much commerce and activity in that region. As we are as well. I do think we can build on
those historic relations to go into the future with studies like the kind of studies you will be undertaking today. So I
would like you to know as scholars, that the kind of work you are doing is very important in our collaboration
between the two universities and that I hope that this will be a very productive conference for you. Symposium foryou as you explore your research you can also think about the global impacts. And as you out to explore Waikiki
and hopefully it will be sunny when you do that you will also see that this issue of transborderness of the Japanesepeople, culture, and thought just permeates what we are here, who we are here, in Hawaii. It’s just present. And I’m
hopeful that you have that opportunity to explore and to discover these connections for yourself.
Again I’m committed to the development of stronger relationships between Kobe University and University of
Hawai‘i both to benefit our faculty and our students and I do think that collaboration can be important for the
discovery of knowledge that will inform the globe.
Thank you very much. Mahalo

8Session 1
10:00AM - 1:00PM

Transnational Actors in Asia-Pacific:
Practice, Discourse, and Representation
Chair :

Prof. Naoko Terauchi
Kobe University

Speakers :Asst. Prof. Shinnosuke Takahashi
Kobe University
Assoc. Prof. Masato Karashima
Kobe University
Assoc. Prof. Fumiaki Itakura
Kobe University
Prof. Naoko Terauchi
Kobe University

Discussants : Prof. Mire Koikari
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Prof. Em. Ricardo D. Trimillos
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

This session explores contemporary issues concerning the interactions between peoples and between cultures thatare caused by migration in our globalized world. The term ‘actor’ in the title of this session is intended to indicate amain character or subject who (or which) advocates some issue or promotes a situation. ‘Actor’ would in most cases
be an individual person but could also be a group of people or even an event or movement.
Dr. Naoko Terauchi (Kobe University), as an organizer and chair of this session, briefly explained the framework of
discussion above, followed by four presentations.
The first presenter was Dr. Shinnosuke Takahashi (Kobe University), who reported on a conflict between Okinawan
local people and the Japanese government and how a notion of ‘local’ has grown into a global one in the process ofestablishing solidarity between Okinawan and Korean people. The second presenter Dr. Masato Karashima (Kobe
University) talked about Japanese people’s gaze toward south-east Asian countries after WW2, focusing especiallyon discourses from influential intellectual Tadao Umesao. Dr. Mire Koikari (University of Hawai‘i), as a discussant,gave stimulating comments on these two presentations, also mentioning important issues such as gender politics.
The last two presentations concerned Japanese visual and performing arts. Dr. Fumiaki Itakura (Kobe University)
analyzed the significant image change of a famous Japanese movie actress Tanaka Kinuyo after her visit to the U.S.
in 1949 and claimed that her ‘Americanized’ fashion was related to GHQ’s policy of promoting an image of a‘liberated woman.’ Lastly, Dr. Naoko Terauchi introduced the practice of Japanese imperial court music gagaku inuniversities outside Japan and suggested that the construction of a system to connect students or practitioners inlocal places outside Japan and professional artists based in Japan is very much needed. As a discussant, Dr. Ricardo
Trimillos (University of Hawai‘i) gave many insightful suggestions on both presentations based on his vast
knowledge and experience in cultural-anthropological research.

Shinnosuke Takahashi
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Global Human Sciences
Kobe University

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Global Human Sciences since April
2017. Takahashi received his doctoral degree at the Australian
National University in December 2016 with his dissertation on thenexus between social cohesion and identities involved in theanti-US base activist communities in Okinawa. Throughethnography, interviews, and archival works, his research highlights
the so-called “non-Okinawan”, and a significant number of“non-Japanese”, activists to examine, and reflect critically, thediscourses and practices that divide and connect the local protest
community. Takahashi is an editor and author of Transnational
Japan as History: Empire, Migration and Social Movements (Palgrave
Macmillan, 2016).
Becoming Local, Connecting Places: Trans-local Lives of Anti-Base
Activists in Okinawa
Abstract: While we witness an ever-increasing number ofscholarships on transnational social movements, particularly in thefields of political sciences and sociology, only rarely examined is
how a local civic activism grows to become a movement
overarching the multi-national boundaries. The usefulness ofsocio-historical inquiries is that it unravels the local origins of thetransnational movements and power relations that represent the
dynamic and heterogeneous nature of a local community uponwhich a form of transnationalism is created within a category of“locality”. In this light, the 70 year-long tradition of anti-US basestruggle in Japan’s southern-most prefecture, Okinawa, is an
important site to observe the historical process by which the local
activism became a node of transnational anti-base networks in Asiaand the Pacific. This presentation explores the details of amovement called “Okinawa-Korea People’s Solidarity”, a group
founded in the late 1980s with the aim of internationalising
Okinawa’s protest movement. The historical inquiries of respective
activists from different places in Okinawa, Japan and Korea compel
us to take into account the context and concept of “region” inunderstanding the meaning of “locality” of Okinawan protest
movement.

11

Associate professor of Japanese studies, Kobe University, Japan. He
specializes in twentieth-century social and cultural history of Japan,
with particular interest in studies of knowledge production, cultural
diplomacy and development aid. His current research deals with
American foundations’ activities in postwar Japan-Southeast Asia
relations.

Masato Karashima
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Intercultural Studies
Kobe University

Mire Koikari
Professor
College of Social Sciences
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Fumiaki Itakura
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Intercultural Studies
Kobe University
12Japan-Southeast Asia Relations in 1957: Ajiken, AOTS and Tadao
UmesaoAbstract: In 1957, Japan re-engaged with Southeast Asia with theestablishment of Ajiken (Institute of Developing Economies) andABK (Asian Students Cultural Association). In the same year Umesao
Tadao, one of the most well-known intellectuals in postwar Japan,
visited Southeast Asia with his field study team. The foundation of
Ajiken and ABK and Umesao’s endeavor were based on wartime
colonial resources of Japan’s imperial commitment to Asia. Throughanalyzing Umesao’s transnational activities and discourses on Asia
and Europe around 1957, I shall discuss interaction between Japanand Asia from the 1950s to the present.

Mire Koikari is Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of
Hawai‘i, Mãnoa. Her research has focused on issues involving race,
gender and empire, in particular the intertwined formation ofAmerican and Japanese feminisms against the backdrop of
militarism and expansionism in Asia and the Pacific in thenineteenth and twentieth centuries. Her publications include
Pedagogy of Democracy (2008) and Cold War Encounters in
US-Occupied Okinawa (2015). She is currently working on her new
project which analyzes the process of remasculinization andremilitarization of Japan following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake,tsunami and nuclear disasters.

Fumiaki Itakura has been an associate professor at the Graduate
School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University since October 2012.
He specializes in film studies and the history of Japanese cinema. He
received a PhD in Human & Environmental Studies from Kyoto
University in 2006. He worked as curator of the National Film Centerat the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo from 2005 to 2012.
His most recent publication was Eiga to Imin (‘Cinema andImmigration’, Shinyo-sha, 2016).

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON “AMERICANIZED” IMAGE OF A JAPANESEACTRESS IN POSTWAR JAPAN: KINUYO TANAKA’S JOURNEY TO THE U.S.,
1949–1950
Abstract: This presentation, through the activities of Japanese
movie actor Kinuyo Tanaka (1909－1977), explores thecharacteristics of the representations of U.S. culture and the Nisei
solders of the 442nd regiment during the U.S. occupation of Japan
during 1945–1952. Tanaka visited Hawaii, California, and many cities
in the U.S. from October 1949 through January 1950 as a culturalambassador. After she came back to Japan, she was severely
criticized as being “too Americanized” by Japanese magazines andnewspapers because of her Americanized fashion and behavior.
This paper inquires into the cultural and gender contexts in Japan
when Tanaka was criticized on her return. The latter part of thepresentation discusses the production process of the Japanese
movie titled The Mother of a Japanese American (Nikkei shimin nohaha), the story of a Nisei solder of the 442 nd regiment and his
mother. This film was planned to be adapted from the literary workof Lawrence (Larry) H. Sakamoto, who was actually a veteran of the
442 nd regiment. However, this project ceased in the middle ofproduction before the shooting and was never released. This
presentation examines the reason behind the non-completion ofthis Japanese film about Nisei solders by analyzing primarymaterials from the occupation forces and the records of Japan’s filmclassification committee (Eirin, formerly known as Eiga Rinri Kitei
Iinkai).

Naoko Terauchi
Professor
Graduate School of Intercultural Studies
Kobe University

Professor at Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe
University. She received an M.A. in Tokyo National University of theArts (1987), and D. L. in Osaka University (1999). She was invited toColumbia University in 2006 as a visiting professor. Her researchinterests focus on performing arts of Japan and Asia. Recent
publications include, Gagaku no kindai to gendai (The ‘modern’ and‘contemporary’ in gagaku) (Iwanami shoten, 2010), and JapaneseTraditional Music: Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai 1941 (CD annotation)(World Arbiter, 2008-2016). She also contributes chapters in
Performing Japan: Contemporary Expressions of Cultural Identity(Global Oriental, 2008), Analytical and Cross-Cultural Studies in WorldMusic (OUP, 2011), and A History of Japanese Theatre (CUP, 2016).

13

GAGAKU CROSSING BOUNDARIES: INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE
JAPANESE PERFORMING ARTS IN UNIVERSITIES OUTSIDE JAPAN
Abstract: This presentation explores how Japanese traditional
performing arts have made their way to foreign countries, settled
and developed there. In particular, it focuses on how gagaku(imperial court ensemble music) became institutionalized in
ethnomusicology programs at universities in US and Europe.
The presenter classifies Japanese performing arts practiced abroad
into two types, 1) dispatch type and 2) resident type. In the former,
Japanese professional or amateur performers visit foreign cities andgive concerts or workshops, while in the latter, local resident
performers and instructors give regular concerts and lessons. The
gagaku programs at universities are mostly conducted by residents.
The oldest gagaku classes started simultaneously in 1962 at the
University of Hawaii (UH) and the University of California, Los
Angeles. The Cologne University Gagaku Ensemble (Germany),
established in 2000, is a sister group of the UH Gagaku society. The
gagaku course at Columbia University (New York), launched in 2006,
interestingly seeks a slightly different direction, in that it combines
dispatch and resident types and puts more stress on modern
composition of gagaku.
The presentation clarifies problems and achievements in eachprogram and discusses future perspectives of the programs in thecontext of world music.

Ricardo D. Trimillos
Professor Emeritus
School of Pacific & Asian Studies /Music Department
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

14

Dr. Ricardo D. Trimillos is Professor Emeritus in Asian Studies at the
School of Pacific & Asian Studies and in Ethnomusicology at theMusic Department. He completed the PhD at UCLA on the music of
the Tausug, a Muslim community in the southern Philippines. He
has published in three languages on Hawaiian music and dance, themusic of the Philippines, and the traditional music of Japan. His
theoretical emphases concern ethnic identity, the arts and public
policy, and issues of gender in the arts of the Pacific and Asia. He
performs and has taught Japanese koto and gagaku and Filipino
rondalla and kulintangan.

Session 2
2:00PM - 5:00PM

Japanese Literature/Thought Crossing the Oceans:
To Construct "Trans-border Japanese Studies"
Chair :

Prof. Nobuo Kazashi
Kobe University

Speakers :Prof. Nobuo Kazashi
Kobe University
Prof. Jin Y. Park
American University
Prof. Em. Stephen Sumida
University of Washington

Discussants : Assoc. Prof. Masato Ishida
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Prof. Denise Konan
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Prof. Hideyuki Yamamoto
Kobe University

This session was intended as the starting point for “trans-border Japanese studies,” a multidisciplinary international
joint-research project to investigate the translation, reception and evolution of Japanese literature and thought
overseas, particularly in the Pacific-rim areas, identifying its modern significance and potential.
In A History of Japanese Literature (1975; English translation 1990) Katō Shuichi, one of the leading thinkers inpost-war Japan, presented what he considered to be the salient features of Japanese literature and philosophy,
such as a concentration on “living here and now,” stylistic polish of emotional expression, and weak politicalcharacter in contrast with Chinese traditions. He also asserted the necessity to expand and transform the very
notion of “literature and philosophy” to include social, political, philosophical and religious texts, and to giveimportance to the interactions between institutionalized literature and the popular masses as creators and readersof texts.
Adopting Kato Shuichi’s views as our initial frame of reference, this session brought to light the trans-bordersignificance of the works of Ishimure Michiko, Hiratsuka Raicho, and Shelly Ota, a Japanese American immigrant in
Hawai’i. The first presentation by Prof. Nobuo Kazashi examined the features of Ishimure Michiko’s Kugai-Jōdo as an
exemplary work showing the on-going self-renewal of Japanese literary thought. (It turned out that IshimureMichiko passed away on February 5th, five days after the session; her death was widely reported by the media.) The
second presentation by Prof. Jin Y. Park shed new light on the reception of Hiratsuka Raichō, particulary by Kim Iryŏ,a Buddhist nun thinker. The third presentation on Hawaii-born Nisei writer Shelly Ota’s unpublished second novel
titled “The Palanquin” was done by Prof. Hideyuki Yamamoto on the basis of manuscripts previously submitted by
Prof. Sumida, who was absent due to sudden illness.
The session shed new light on the pioneering careers and innovative works of the three female writers. The very
insightful comments and questions from the three discussants Prof. Masato Ishida, Prof. Denise Konan, and Prof.
Yamamoto, and the floor led to a meaningful and lively discussion of the points highlighted by the presentations.

Nobuo Kazashi
Professor
Graduate School of Humanities
Kobe University

Professor of philosophy at Kobe University. Received M.A. from
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Ph.D. in philosophy fromYale University. Research areas are modern Japanese thought,
comparative philosophy and peace studies. Publications inJapanese include Nishida’s Philosophy of History ed., 1998, and The
Unending Iraq War: Questioning Anew from Fukushima, co-ed., 2013,
and those in English include “The Passion for Philosophy in a
Post-Hiroshima Age” and “The Musicality of the Other: Schutz,
Merleau-Ponty, and Kimura.” Recipient of The 6th William James
Prize by American Philosophical Association (1991) and an award by
Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies (2012).
“KUGAI-JODO (PARADISE IN THE SEA OF SORROW) AS A FRONTIER IN
JAPANESE LITERATURE”
Abstract: In A History of Japanese Literature (1975; English
translation in 1990)” Katō Shuichi presents a panorama of Japanese
literature from the Man-yō Era with a clear methodologicalawareness: the need to enlarge the notion of “literature” byincluding political, philosophical, and religious texts, and to giveimportance to the interactions between the institutionalized
literature and the popular masses as producers and readers oftexts. Highlighting what he considers the “indigenous” sensibility
and worldview, namely, concentration on “living here and now”
with little orientation toward “transcendence (religious or critical)”
and weak political character in contrast with the Chinese traditions,
Kato argues that they are manifested in the ways the foreignsystems of thought such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Marxism
have been assimilated.
On the other hand, Kato tends to set aside as “exceptional” thoseworks that do not fall well into his framework. Kato’s work ends
with the sections entitled “The Age of Industrialization” and “ThePostwar Years,” taking up contemporary writers including IshimureMichiko, but only summarily. Hence, our questions: Can Kato’s
characterization be considered valid with regard to such a poetic
and deeply engaged work as Kugai-Jōdo? Or, are we witnessing atransformation of the frontiers of Japanese literature through it? If
so, in what senses?

17

Jin Y. Park
Professor
Department of Philosophy and Religion
American University

Professor of Philosophy and Religion and founding director of AsianStudies Program at American University, Washington DC, U.S.A.
Received B.A. from Yonsei University (Korea) and Ph.D. from State
Univ. of New York at Stony Brook. Research areas are East Asian
Buddhism (especially Zen and Huayan Buddhism), Buddhist Ethics,
Buddhist-postmodern comparative philosophy, and modern East
Asian philosophy. Publications include: Merleau-Ponty andBuddhism, ed., 2009; Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and
the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics, 2008; Buddhisms andDeconstructions, ed., 2006; Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun, 2014.
Women and Buddhist Philosophy, 2017. Incoming President of theSociety for Asian and Comparative Philosophy.
RAICHO AND FEMINIST THOUGHT IN KOREA
Abstract: This paper considers the Korean reception of Japanesephilosophy in the early 20th century, focusing on Korean feminists’interaction with their Japanese counterparts. Hiratsuka Raichō (平塚らいてう, 1886-1971) was a leading figure in the New Women
movement in Japan. From the establishment of Seitō in 1911 on,her publications were absorbed by the Korean New Women, mostvisibly by Na Hyeson (羅蕙錫, 1896-1948), the first Korean female
painter in Western painting, and Kim Iryŏp (金一葉, 1896-1971), a
writer, thinker, and Buddhist nun. What did these Korean New
Women share with Raichō, and where did they diverge from her?
The Korean reception of the Kyoto School thinkers is anotherexample that demonstrates how the geopolitics of Korea andJapan overrode philosophical interaction. Miki Kioyoshi (三木清,1897-1945) was an exception to the relative absence of Kyoto
School thinkers in Korea. Which aspects of Miki’s philosophy did
Korean thinkers find interesting, and what does it tell us about our
way of philosophizing? I will try to answer these questions in thepaper’s conclusion.

18

Stephen H. Sumida
Professor Emeritus
Department of American Ethnic Studies
University of Washington

Dr. Sumida is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington. He
earned his Ph.D. in English in 1982 at the University of Washington.
He committed his scholarship and teaching to Asian American
literary studies in 1975. He went on to be a co-founder of Talk Story
Inc., a cultural organization for developing research, creativity, andstudy in Hawaii’s literature and arts. This activity continues today in
Hawai’i. From 1986 to 1990 Prof. Sumida was a member and chair of
the Committee on the Literatures and Languages of America, of theModern Language Association of America. He went on to serve as
President of the Association for Asian American Studies and theAmerican Studies Association.
THE PALANQUIN BY SHELLY OTA: AN UNPUBLISHED HISTORIC STORY
OF JAPANESE AMERICANS IN HAWAI’I
Abstract: When Shelley Ota passed away in 1987, she left amanuscript of what would have been her second novel. Her first,
Upon Their Shoulders (1951), is the first historical novel about
Japanese Americans. Like that first novel, the unpublishedmanuscript, titled “The Palanquin,” is set in Japan and Hawai‘i, andboth works are complicated by Shelley Ota’s critical views of social
injustices and Issei aspirations in both settings. Since his mother’s
death, Bill Ota has worked on completing and editing “The
Palanquin” with the hope that it will be published. The title refers
to tama no koshi, though this term doesn’t occur in Japanese in the
manuscript. Here, rather than the rise of a woman, the story is
about the attempted rise of a poor young man who emigrates to
Hawai‘i when his father and conditions in Meiji Japan urge him
upward. His labor on a sugar plantation, however, is oppressive.
Lucky to have learned to read and write while in Japan, hebecomes a newspaper editor in Honolulu. Upon Their Shoulders and“The Palanquin” demonstrate Shelley Ota’s skills as a Nisei writer offiction, as her work is informed strongly by both Japanese andAmerican historical and cultural precedents.

19

Masato Ishida
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Denise Konan
Dean of the College of Social
Sciences and Professor of Economics
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Hideyuki Yamamoto
Professor
Graduate School of Humanities
Kobe University

20

Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawai’i atMānoa. B.A. from Waseda University and Ph.D. from thePennsylvania State University with specializations in American
philosophy, Japanese philosophy, and the history and philosophy oflogic. Recent works include “Non-Dualism after Fukushima? Tracing
Dōgen’s Teaching vis-à-vis Nuclear Disaster” (2017); “TheGeography of Perception: Japanese Philosophy in the External
World” (2015); “The Sense of Symmetry: Comparative Reflections on
Whitehead, Nishida, and Dōgen” (2014). Executive committee
member of the Center for Japanese Studies and the Director of theCenter for Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

A noted international trade economist, Dr. Denise Eby Konan has
worked extensively in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. She
has been a consultant to the World Bank, the Council of Foreign
Relations, the Arab League, and governments of Egypt, Tunisia,
Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Hawai’i and publishes on issues of regional
economic integration, trade in services, intellectual property rights,
foreign direct investment and energy. Dr. Konan is a Research
Fellow at the University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization(UHERO) and founding Director of the Center for Sustainable
Coastal Tourism at the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College
Program. Dr. Konan served for two years as the Interim Chancellor
and for three years as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of UHM. She
received her undergraduate degree from Goshen College and her
doctorate from the University of Colorado.

Hideyuki YAMAMOTO is Professor of American Literature in the
Graduate School of Humanities, and Faculty of Letters at Kobe
University, Japan. He received his M.A. in English from Sophia
University, Tokyo, Japan in 1989. He has taught at Kobe University
since 1996. Awarded with Monbusho (Japan’s Ministry of Education)
fellowship, he did research on Asian American drama/theater as a
Visiting Scholar in Asian American Studies Center at UCLA in
1998-99. Funded by the JSPS (Japan Society for Promotion of
Science), he has done short-term research in the States numerous
times for the past twenty years. He serves as president of AALA
(Asian American Literature Association) in Japan.

Closing
Distinguished guests; colleagues; ladies andgentlemen;
It was a great pleasure for me to welcome you
at today’s 2 nd HOKU (Honolulu Office of Kobe
University) Symposium. On behalf of Kobe
University, I would like to express my sincere
gratitude for your support and participation inthis symposium. In particular, I would like tothank Prof. Konan and colleagues from UHMãnoa, Prof. Sumida from the University ofWashington, Prof. Park from American
University, and the East-West Center here. I am
confident that this symposium addressed
themes common to Japan, Hawaii, and thePacific, and facilitated the exchange of the latest research among participants.

Prof. Tohru Kataoka
Vice President,
Kobe University

For Kobe University, universities in Hawaii and North America are strategically important partners. American
universities conduct research and education of the highest standard, as easily seen in any world university
rankings. Kobe University has been, and will be, striving to become their equal by actively cooperating withthem.
In this regard, Kobe Univer has already made a significant step forward since the opening of the Honolulu
Office of Kobe University in June 2016. Since then, Kobe University researchers held 4 workshops with their
American and Pacific counterparts in Engineering, International Relations, and Linguistics. The Office was also
used by Kobe University Elementary School for its Global Challenge Program with the local Haha’ione
Elementary School. Another workshop in computational science is scheduled next month.
It is only natural that many of the participants in these workshops came from the University of Hawai’i atMãnoa (UH Mãnoa). Geographical proximity is one reason, but UH Mãnoa is an invaluable long-term partner ofKobe University. The two universities have been cooperating for nearly 30 years, especially in Economics andMedicine. I hope today’s symposium served as a catalyst for research collaboration in the humanities between
UH Mãnoa and Kobe.
Kobe University eagerly looks forward to holding more academic events in the Americas and I sincerely hope
we will have another chance to work together. In closing, I thank you all again for participating in today’s
symposium.

22

Edited and published by

Institute for Promoting International Partnerships

Kobe University
1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
E-mail: intl-relations@office.kobe-u.ac.jp