ORGANIZATION

THE JAPAN FOUNDATION (JF) was established in October 1972 as a special legal entity supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the objective of promoting international cultural exchange through a comprehensive range of programmes in all regions of the world. In October 2003, it was reorganised as an independent administrative institution.

With a global network consisting of the Tokyo headquarters, the Kyoto Office, two Japanese-language institutes (the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa, and the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai), and 22 overseas offices in 21 countries, JF operates programmes in partnership with other organisations in and outside Japan, with a focus on three major fields: arts and cultural exchange, Japanese-language education overseas, and Japanese studies and intellectual exchange.

JF activities can be divided into two main categories. The first is a series of events and projects such as exhibitions, performance, language courses, symposiums, the development of networks and the creation and sharing of databases and surveys. The second is a range of grants programmes available to institutions and individuals all over the world to encourage them to engage with Japan-related projects.

The Japan Foundation (London) was opened in 1972 as one of the first overseas offices and since then we have worked closely with Japan-related organizations in the UK, such as the Daiwa Anglo- Japan Foundation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Japan Society and other entities. We also collaborate with other organizations which do not necessarily focus only on Japan, such as British universities, think tanks, museums, theatres, schools, etc.

In 1973, then Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei decided to donate a fund of 300 million yen (then worth £455,000) for the continuation of Japanese studies in the UK through JF. This fund is now maintained by the Japan Foundation Endowment Committee, and continues to help many scholars and projects in the field of Japanese Studies (see separate essay in this volume).

SUPPORT FOR JAPANESE STUDIES: OVERVIEW

Since its establishment JF has supported Japanese studies in the UK on three levels: individuals, institutions and networks. Our activities cover a wide range of topics across the social sciences and humanities and are designed to contribute to the enhancement and deepening of Japanese studies.