Report on the 16th EAJS International Conference 2021
1. Basic information on the conference
Date: 24 August – 28 August 2021
The conference was held virtually. For the presentation of papers, the video communication
application “Zoom” was used. The web-based conference organisation application “Whova” wasused in order to provide conference participants with a hub from which they could easilyorganize their conference schedule, communicate, share content and access the Zoom-basedpresentations. During breaks, the web-based communication platform “wonder.me” was used
to enable people to come together in virtual coffee-spaces and chat. All of the technical features
were used extensively by the delegates and found to be effective in enhancing the interaction
capabilities of the virtual conference.
2. Conference schedule
The conference started on 24 August with welcoming remarks by the newly elected EAJS
President Prof. Verena Blechinger-Talcott, the outgoing EAJS President Prof. Andrej Bekeš, Vicerector of Ghent University Prof. Mieke Van Herreweghe, Japanese Ambassador to Belgium
Shimokawa Makita, President of the Japan Foundation Umemoto Kazuyoshi and President ofthe Toshiba International Foundation Omori Keisuke. The welcoming remarks were followed bya virtual keynote lecture by Professor Oguma Eiji of Keio University. After this, a virtual
performance by Japanese Rakugo master Tatekawa Shinoharu was shown. The opening
ceremony was concluded by a virtual reception in the wonder.me conference space.
All conference presentations and panels took place on days 2 - 5 (25 – 28 August 2021) of theconference from 8:00 to 16:15 CET.
The EAJS General Assembly was held on 28 August, also via Zoom.
The full conference schedule can be found at https://nomadit.co.uk/eajs/eajs2021/conferenceexplorer#timetable.
3. ParticipantsTotal number of registrations: 1170
3.1. Country of residence of the participants
In total, 1170 participants from 50 countries attended the conference. Most of the participants
were from Japan, but Germany, the United Kingdom, USA, Italy, France and Belgium were alsostrongly represented. The percentage distribution by country of residence of the participants isshown below. It was the largest Belgian participation ever at an EAJS Conference.
CountryJapanGermany
United KingdomUSAItaly
FranceBelgiumThe Netherlands
AustriaNo. of delegates506121108814633312322Share of delegates
43%
10%
9%
7%
4%3%3%2%2%

SpainCroatia
Switzerland
Finland
PolandRussiaHungary
CanadaAustralia
Hong Kong
IrelandIsrael
NorwaySwedenChina
Czech Republic
Denmark
SerbiaBulgaria
Estonia
Lithuania
South Korea
TurkeyChile
MexicoNew ZealandNigeria
Portugal
Romania
Slovenia
TaiwanArmenia
GreeceIceland
India
Jamaica
LatviaLuxembourg
Philippines
Singapore
No country selected
Total

2220
17
11
10108765555544443333322222222
111111111
71,1702%2%1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%1%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
0%0%
0%0%0%0%0%0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%

3.2. Active participants
There were 235 single-session panels comprising 705 papers and 19 posters, thus a total of 726
presentations.

24. Registration data
There were two registration periods: early bird and late registration. Registration opened on 14June 2021. In total, 1,170 delegates registered. Of these, 858 (73%) had registered within theearly bird period by 29 July 2021.
Registration Option

Rate No. %Early-bird: Non-member

125 49

Early-bird: Member (high income)95

257 22%

Early-bird: Member (medium income)75

220 19%

Early-bird: Member (low income)55

150 13%

Early-bird: Member (student)

35

181 15%Late registration: Non-member

170 615%Late registration: Member (high income)130 756%Late registration: Member (medium income) 100 80

7%Late registration: Member (low income)

75

484%

Late registration: Member (student)

50

494%

Total4%1170

5. Fee waivers• The 28 sections convenors;• The keynote speaker;• 10 members of the EAJS Council;• 3 members of EAJS staff;• 11 representatives of the Japan Foundation;• 3 representatives of the Toshiba International Foundation;• 18 members of the AJE;
• 13 participants of the 17th EAJS PhD Workshop;• 8 of the winners of the TIFO-EAJS Essay Contest in 2019;• 3 editorial board members of Japanese Studies Journals;• 1 Journalist.
5.1. Conference grants
77 scholars, mostly at the beginning of their careers, who demonstrated their financial need,received a conference grant, i.e. a waiver of conference fee.
6. Companies and institutions exhibiting at the conference
The conference was supported by the attendance of several exhibitors:
••
•
••
•
•
•

AJEAmsterdam University Press
BrillColumbia University Press
Consortium for Global Japanese Studies (International Research Center for JapaneseStudies
Ergon Verlag
International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)
JPT Europe Ltd t/a JP Books
3

•
•
•
•
•

Kurosio Publishers
Monumenta Nipponica
Shogakukan Inc
The Japan Times, Ltd.
Verasia Bookstores

7. Conference funding was provided by:• The Japan Foundation;• The Toshiba International Foundation;• FWO (Flemish Research Foundation);• The University of Ghent;• The City of Ghent.
8.1 Special academic events during the conference• EAJS Panel “Publishing in peer-reviewed Journals”• Book presentation “Studying Japan: Handbook of Research Designs, Fieldwork andMethods”• Toshiba International Foundation Roundtable “The Future of Japanese Studies”• Nichibunken Overseas Symposium• Panel “The Future Possibilities of Digital Humanities in Japanese Studies”• Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO) Alumni meeting on 27 August
8.2 Other meetings during the conference• EAJS General Meeting• Association of Japanese Language Teachers in Europe, AJE, General Meeting• JAWS business meeting
9. Conference program
An overview of all papers, panels and special events can be found athttps://nomadit.co.uk/eajs/eajs2021/conference-explorer#timetable
10. Volunteers
32 students worked as volunteers during the five days of the conference. They provided valuable
technical support during the Zoom sessions and were tasked with recording the sessions.

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