Email Magazine for Former Study-in-Japan Students

There are many people in your country and around the world who have studied in Japan. They have established alumni associations in their country or across national borders and are fostering friendship and collaboration among those with the same experience of having studied in Japan. In fact, there are already more than 270 such organizations in over 90 countries.

These alumni associations also play a major role in promoting understanding of Japan. We urge you to contact the alumni association in your country. You can find a list of alumni associations and contact information at the following.

http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/ath/ath0201e.html

Konnichiwa to everyone who has completed his or her studies in Japan as an international student.

Like you, there are many people in Indonesia, and in Asia as a whole, who have experienced studying in Japan as an international student. Your seniors in this regard are deepening their ties and carrying out various activities.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our domestic organization and our organization for the ASEAN region in the hope that you will participate in our activities.

PERSADA, the domestic partner of Japan
The domestic organization in Indonesia is called PERSADA, an acronym of Perhimpunan Alumni Dari Jepang (Association of Indonesian Alumni from Japan). This is a volunteer non-profit organization with headquarters in Jakarta and 13 branches throughout Indonesia. PERSADA was established in 1963 for the purpose of uniting the people who are taking charge of the future of our country, and at the same time to maintain and strengthen relations with the Japanese people. At present, there are 1,200 active members and thousands of sympathizers.

ASCOJA, the ASEAN region partner of Japan
ASCOJA (ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni) was established 30 years ago when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrated its tenth anniversary. Today, all 10 ASEAN member states are members. ASCOJA serves as a forum for the exchange of information, and it also plays the role of executor of the common programs decided by its Board of Governors.

Karaya dance

Ryukyuan Dance performances will be held in Thailand and India in November this year as part of a commemorative project for the 120th anniversary of Japan - Thailand diplomatic relations and Japan - India Friendship Year. The Ryukuan Dance performance in Thailand (Bangkok) will be held on Sunday, November 18, and the performance in India (New Delhi) will be held on Wednesday, November 21.

Various attractive traditional performing arts besides world-known Noh, Kyogen and Kabuki have been passed down over the ages in Japan, a country with a long history and diverse culture. Among them, Ryukuan Dance has one of the most distinguishing characteristics.

Located at the southernmost edge of Japan, Okinawa Prefecture has a unique culture and is the only area in Japan which has a history as an independent kingdom. In those days, Okinawa was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Gorgeous dances, which have been passed down since the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom, can be enjoyed at the upcoming performances. The dance troupe will be dispatched by the National Theater Okinawa.
(Official website: http://www.nt-okinawa.or.jp/en/index.html)

For more information regarding Ryukyuan dance, please visit:
http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/017/eng/

Please visit the following URL for events related to Japan in 2007.
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/eventinfo/event_info-map.html

You can also check what's going on at the websites of Japanese embassies and consulates. Please access the one in your area through the following URL:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html

Yotsutake dance

Manga is a form of expression born in Japan with an original style of sequencing, drawing and grammatical use. It has grown into an unprecedented genre depicting just about anything, from the joys and sorrows of life and the growth of boys and girls to corporate battles and international affairs. Manga has come to be recognized globally, and today, many youths around the world are inheriting the culture of Manga and trying to develop it further.

The International MANGA Award was inaugurated this year with the purpose of unearthing such young talent overseas, further spreading the Manga culture around the world and building ties between Japan, the country where the Manga culture originated, and people around the world involved in Manga. A call for the submission of Manga works was made to people around the globe.

The award ceremony for the First International MANGA Award was held on July 2 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Iikura House in Tokyo. Of the 146 entries submitted from 26 countries and regions around the world, 19 works placed in the final selection for the International MANGA Award. From among them, the International MANGA Award (best work) went to Lee Chi Ching of China (Hong Kong), for the Manga entitled, "Sun Zi's Tactics." It depicts the life of warlord Sun Zi during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Three entries, from China (Hong Kong), Malaysia, and Australia, won the "Shorei" Award (three excellent runners-up).

At the award ceremony, prize winners received a unique trophy, designed in the shape of a speech bubble as found in Japanese Manga, from Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso, along with a miniature medal. In addition to attending the award ceremony during their 10-day stay in Japan, recipients met famous Japanese Manga artists and editors of Manga magazines, as well as visited such places as the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum and the Ghibli Museum.

Lee Chi Ching, who received the International MANGA Award, said that the ultimate message he wanted to convey through his award-winning piece was the cruelty of war. He named, as Japanese MANGA artists who influenced him, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Gundam, etc.), Fujio Fujiko (Doraemon, etc.), and Ryoichi Ikegami (Otokogumi, etc.).

Information regarding the next call for submissions to this award will be announced on the MOFA website, the websites of Japanese embassies and consulates abroad, etc. at a future date.

For further details regarding the International MANGA Award, please visit the relevant pages on the MOFA website:

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/culture/exchange/pop/
manga/index.html

There are places in Japan where people from abroad can study Manga and Anime. Kyoto Seika University is one of them. This university has been doing comprehensive research related to Manga for nearly 40 years, and in 2006, it opened a faculty of Manga. It is currently the only university in Japan with a faculty of Manga. The Faculty of Manga has three departments: the Department of Cartoon and Comic Art, which has the cartoon course and the story Manga course; the Department of Animation, where students can systematically learn everything about animation; and the Department of Manga Production, in which students learn about the Manga culture from the viewpoint of editing, writing original stories, producing and making critical reviews.

There are currently 45 international students from abroad studying Manga and Anime at this university. Many graduates aim to become cartoonists and animators, but there are also more than a few who return to their home countries to continue research related to Manga and Anime at universities, or choose to teach.

Furthermore, together with the City of Kyoto, the university jointly operates the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Reference materials related to Manga number roughly 200,000 items at the museum and range from valuable historical materials to current popular Manga and overseas comics.

The recipients of the International MANGA Award and "Shorei" Award also visited this museum. It is a must-see alluring museum for with an interest in Manga.

Kyoto Seika University official website:
http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/eng

Kyoto International Manga Museum official website:
http://www.kyotomm.jp/english/

There are also many other universities and junior colleges in Japan that offer courses for learning Manga and Anime. Furthermore, many people who have been supporting the Japanese Manga and Anime culture have studied at special training colleges and schools in the miscellaneous category. These schools also have a wide door open for people from overseas.

You can search for schools at the following site, so please access it if you are interested: Japan Study Support:
http://www.jpss.jp/eng/index.html

Furthermore, if you would like to search for special training colleges and schools in Tokyo, please visit the following webpage:
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/mail/magazine/schoole.html

We hope that those of you from around the world who love Manga or Anime will have a chance to make your talents blossom in Japan.

While you have already completed your studies in Japan as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship student, there are most likely people in your country who are aiming to study in Japan. We urge you to tell such prospective students about a new initiative that has been implemented called the International Priority Graduate Programs.

Under this new initiative, a portion of the international students being accepted at a university that offers an internationally attractive program for accepting international students are given priority allocation as a Japanese Government Scholarship student. It is available for international research students at the graduate level.

In Japan, a system began in 1982 in which international students accepted to special English-language programs for international students (graduate level) would be given prioritized allocation as a Japanese Government Scholarship student. For a quarter of a century since, many talented international students have been accepted to study in Japan under this system. The current initiative was newly implemented after revision of the existing system in order to provide an even more attractive program to international students.

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho or MEXT) received applications from universities, and after screening, selected 81 university programs for inclusion under this new system. The adopted programs are from a total of 42 universities, both national and private, and the number of Japanese Government Scholarship students who will be given priority allocation is 584.

The university programs were selected from 162 applications, and they area all of an advanced caliber. They also provide an attractive environment for international students because the lectures and research are carried out in English, not Japanese.

For details regarding each of the programs, please refer to the relevant page on the MEXT website. It also lists the contact information for each university where applicants would need to submit their applications. The address is as follows:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/kokuhi/
tokubetu/07032702.htm

We look forward to many applications being made from your country.

Koichi Maekawa
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
(Dept. of Civil Engineering)

Carry out Globally Top-level Research in Japan
Our program, which was recently embraced by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), is the International Graduate Program in Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Tokyo. This program provides state-of-the art international education and research opportunities in English related to the planning, design and management of social infrastructures, disaster prevention, the environment, as well as the management and policies of regions and nations. Research in this field at The University of Tokyo is of a globally top-level caliber. The program provides international students with a high-level education and a place to carry out research, all in English. International students who are selected for this program through the screening of application documents will all come to Japan and enroll in the university as a degree-seeking student without any preliminary program.

A Track Record of 26 Years in Turning out Many Talented Human Resources and Making a Contribution to the World
This is a further enhanced version of the English Special Program for International Students in Civil Engineering, which our department carried out consecutively for 25 years since 1982. At this moment (2007), the number of students who were awarded degrees through the former program was about 290 for the master's degree and 350 for the doctoral degree.

54 percent of graduates have gone on to work for universities and research institutes. And despite the fact that many of those who were among the first to fifth graduating classes under the program are still in their forties, six have become vice presidents or deans at major universities around the world, including Tsinghua University in China and Thammasat University in Thailand, and about 25 are full-time professors. Furthermore, 32% now work for private companies while 10% are working for government and other public sectors or international organizations. Many are already in leadership positions with great responsibilities, such as minister of state, administrative vice minister for government and other offices, administration bureau head and vice-governor.

Such graduates have been playing a large role in social infrastructure development and enrichment, especially in Asia. Furthermore, it can be said that research in this field has been dramatically expanded and deepened through the many research students and graduates here.

Fulfilling Support for Living in Japan
There is a well-developed support system in place through 25 years of experience in accepting international students under the program. There is a Japanese course for learning the Japanese language necessary for living in Japan, and international students who want to work for a Japanese company can learn further advanced Japanese.

In addition to individual support by laboratory staff that is provided for a certain prescribed period, dedicated clerical staff members are available at any time for consultations by international students. Warm contact with Japanese people through the Host Family System is also sure to make your time in Japan an even richer experience.

Application Procedures
You can access detailed information regarding this program, including application procedures, from the following URL. Application documents are also available for downloading.
http://www-e.civil.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/prospectus/calendar.html

We look forward to applications by many young people with a passionate spirit for taking on the challenge of world-class research that will bring about major contributions for his/her mother country and the world

Students are on summer break right now in Japan, and many working adults are also taking a vacation to enjoy Obon (Buddhist All Soul's Day) back with their relatives in their hometowns or to go on trips.

What kind of memories do you have for the summers you spent in Japan? Did you participate in Bon Odori dances? Did you enjoy watching splendid fireworks lighting up the night sky? Did you try wearing a Yukata summer kimono? What tasty foods did you try at festival open-air stalls? Cotton candy, grilled squid, Yakisoba stir-fried noodles, or grilled corn on the cob? We are sure that there are many of you who are remembering your friends; the Japanese people and international students that you spent such enjoyable summer evenings with. This Email magazine is brought to you to keep you forever connected to the Japan that you remember fondly.

The next issue is scheduled to be distributed in December this year. We hope that you will look forward to it!