JAPAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF CANADA (JSAC)ASSOCIATION DES ETUDES JAPONAISES DU CANADA

12th Annual Conference
October 1 - 2, 1999

Mediating Japan:Transformations in the Production ofJapanese Culture

Room 232, Stephen Leacock Building
855 Sherbrooke Street West
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec

Thursday, 30 September, 1999
17:3018:00-20:00
Friday, 1 October
8:30 - REGISTRATION continues
9:00 -WELCOME RECEPTION
Leacock Bldg., Room 232, McGill University
9:15

9:20 - 10:40 THE MEDIA OF CULTURE: CHANGING SITES FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF JAPAN Chair and Organizer: Tom Looser, Dept. of East AsianStudies, McGill University
C Image, money and modern Japan Eric Cazdyn, Dept. of East Asian Studies,
University of Toronto
C Tokyo the movie Catherine Russell, Concordia University
C Frankenstein and the Cyborg metropolis Sharalyn Orbaugh, Dept. of AsianStudies, and Program in Women's Studies, University of British Columbia
C Media tribes in Japanese expressive cultures Ueno Toshiya, Wako University,Tokyo
10:40 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:20 BUSINESS, POLITICS AND GLOBALIZATION
Chair: John Howes, Dept. of Asian Studies, Univ. of British Columbia
C Globalization of Japanese politics Akira Kubota, Windsor
C Coping with Japanese culture: Insights into the adaptation of Canadianbusiness people to Japan Carin Holroyd, Faculty of Business, University of New
Brunswick at Saint John
C Changes in Japanese labour relations Bernard Bernier, DJpartement
d=Anthropologie, UniversitJ de MontrJal
C International learning and leverage: Canadian SME exporters to Japan James
H. Tiessen, Michael G. DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University
12:30 - 14:45 LUNCH AND FILM SHOWING -- Chair and Moderator: Lawrence Woods,
UNBC
The Man Who Might Have Been: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Herbert
Norman (National Film Board of Canada, with John Kramer, director; Gerry Flahiveand Louise Lore, producers)
14:45 - 16:05
CCCC475 Sh

LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS
Chair: Yuriko Oshima-Takane, Dept. of Psychology, McGill University
Katakana borrowing in Japanese: Advantage or disadvantage Tadao
Miyamoto (Dept. of Linguistics, University of Victoria (with Tomoyoshi Inoue ofDoshisha University and Joseph F. Kess of University of Victoria)
Ethnocentrism, cultural traits, beliefs, myths and English proficiency: AJapanese sample Kimiko Hinenoya and Elizabeth Gatbonton, Concordia University
Evaluation and implications of the B.C. Japanese speech contest, 1989-1999
Lynn Kyung-Hee, University of British Columbia
Writing off writing: The early Meiji debate on language Elizabeth Herman, Dept.
of History, Stanford University

OPENI

[Friday, 1 October]
16:05 - 16:25

Coffee Break

16:25 - 17:45 INTER-CULTURAL AND INTER-NATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Chair: Dennis Dicks, Faculty of Commerce and Technology, Concordia University
C Dubious Japan interpreters hiding behind the language barrier Yuzo Ota,
Dept. of History, McGill University
C Networked culture: Images of Japan on the World Wide Web Ken Coates,
Faculty of Arts, University of New Brunswick at Saint John
C Japanese communication strategy in official development assistance Minoru
Tsunoda, Communication Tsunoda International, Montreal
C Japanese debate on the China problem@ Claude-Yves Charron, UniversitJ duQuJbec B MontrJal
19:00

BUFFET RECEPTION [by invitation]
58 Summit Crescent, Westmount

Saturday, 2 October

Leacock Bldg., Room 232, McGill University

9:00 -10:20 TEACHING CULTURE IN LANGUAGE COURSES
Organizer: Norio Ota, Dept. of Linguistics, York University
Chair: Kathleen Merken, Dept. of East Asian Studies, McGill University
C Eastern and Western conceptions of self as cultural strategies for teaching
Japanese ESL students Jay Goulding, Dept. of Sociology, York University
C Teaching language as communication: the role of pragmatics in Japanese
language education Tsuneko Iwai, Dept. of Modern Languages, McMasterUniversity
C Culture in language context Norio Ota, Dept. of Linguistics, York University
10:20 - 10:40

Coffee Break

10:40 - 12:40 PLACING IDENTITY: GENDER, NATION, AND TOPOGRAPHY
Chair: James H. Morrison, Saint Mary=s University
C Cultural translation among Japanese Canadian women Yuko Shibata, Dept. ofAnthropology and Sociology, and Centre for Japanese Studies, University of British
Columbia
C Female work behaviour in Japan and North America Masao Nakamura, Facultyof Commerce, University of British Columbia
C Culture, technology, and commerce in minority community formation: acomparison of the Canadian and Japanese transgender communities Teri
Jane Ursacki, University of Calgary
C
Submerged by the nobler desire...@ Reflections on touring Japanese gardens:international tour groups in 1935 and 1998 Brian Pendleton, Department ofPacific Rim Studies, Langara CollegeC The Production of Japanese culture as mediated through changing
countryside landscapes near Tsukuba Science City Tom Waldichuk, Dept. ofConsul

Social and Environmental Studies, University College of the Cariboo
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch for Registered Participants will be served in the Foyer of L-232[Saturday, 2 October]
14:00 - 15:20 SPECIAL SESSION: MEDIA AND THE NEW RELIGIONS IN JAPAN
Organizer and Chair: Victor Hori, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University
C Historical perspectives on religions and media in Japan Helen Hardacre,Reischauer Institute, Harvard University
C The Soka Gakkai and the Japanese media Takesato Watanabe, Dept. ofJournalism, Doshisha University
15:20 - 15:40 Coffee Break
15:40 - 17:00 JAPAN: CHANGES IN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNDERPRIME MINISTER OBUCHI
Chair: Fumiko Ikawa-Smith, Dept. of Anthropology, McGill University
C Political developments (July 1989-Sept. 1999) K. Pringsheim, Canada-Japan
Trade Council
C Economic development under Obuchi Richard Wright, Faculty of Management,
McGill University
C Developments in Canada-Japan relations since July 1998 Martin Thornell,
Canada-Japan Trade Council
C Discussants:
Jacob Kovalio, Carleton University
Ryuhei Hosoya, Embassy of Japan
17:10 - 18:00 - BUSINESS MEETING
18:30 - FAREWELL DINNER (and Cash Bar) for Registered Participants
Restaurant Desjardins Kaiko, 1175 McKay St., MontrJal

The support of the following sponsors is gratefully acknowledged:
The Japan Foundation
Embassy of JapanConsulat GJnJral du Japon B MontrJal
Faculty of Arts, McGill University
Department of Anthropology, McGill University
The Organizing Committee for the 12th Annual Conference
Bernard Bernier, DJpartement d=Anthropologie, UniversitJ de MontrJal
Claude-Yves Charron, UniversitJ du QuJbec B MontrJal
Dennis Dicks, Faculty of Commerce and Technology, Concordia University

Victor Hori, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University
Fumiko Ikawa-Smith, Department of Anthropology, McGill University (Chair)
Tom Looser, Department of East Asian Studies, McGill University
Kathleen Merken, Department of East Asian Studies, McGill University
Yuzo Ota, Department of History, McGill University