The Japanese University Graduates Association of Singapore (JUGAS)

The Japanese University Graduates Association of Singapore, or JUGAS, is an alumni of non-Japanese citizens residing in the Republic of Singapore who have received their tertiary education in Japan.

JUGAS was formed in 1970 and has since been a uniting force among fellow graduates from Japanese universities. We have over 350 members registered currently, ranging from young graduates to established professionals, including CEOs, Managing Directors of multinational and Singaporean companies, as well as top and senior Singapore government civil servants.There are also retirees who actively participate in our activities.

JUGAS was originally established as an alumni for graduates who earned at least one degree from a Japanese university. Currently, graduates of a university outside Japan who underwent a postgraduate course in a Japanese university for a period of not less than one academic year but did not obtain a degree; graduates of junior colleges (tanki-daigaku) in Japan or graduates of the Japanese Studies department (or equivalent) of a university outside Japan can also join as Associate Members.

JUGAS is also a constituent and founding member of Alumni International Singapore (AIS), which comprises 13 graduate associations whose members were local and overseas returned graduates from America, Australia, Britain (including Oxbridge), Canada, Germany, Singapore (National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University), Ireland, Taiwan, New Zealand and France.

JUGAS maintains close linkages with the Embassy of Japan, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) Singapore, Japanese Cultural Society of Singapore (JCS), the Japanese Association of Singapore (JAS), the Japanese schools and the Japanese community in Singapore. Internationally, JUGAS also maintains a close relationship with counterparts in the ASEAN countries through ASEAN Council of Japan Alumni (ASCOJA) and the Asia-Japan Alumni International (ASJA) in Japan.

JUGAS organises and co-organises various annual and one-time activities for its members and the general public. These cultural, academic, social and educational activities not only facilitate interaction among JUGAS members and promote goodwill between Singapore and Japan, but also promote the general public's understanding of Japanese culture and language.

Ikebana

Have you ever noticed Ikebana flower arrangements on display at events held at such places as the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country? Or perhaps you took Ikebana lessons during your stay in Japan.

Ikebana, as you probably know, is a cultural tradition that has been passed down through the generations by many people as one way to enjoy the beautiful plants and flowers that colorfully adorn each season in Japan.

Ikebana is said to have its origins in flower arrangements for use in Buddhist rites. In its long history, Ikebana is thought to have been influenced by Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony before taking the form by which it is known today.

Ikebana is now enjoyed by many people throughout the world as a traditional Japanese art form. Ikebana International, with the motto "In friendship through flowers," was founded in Tokyo in 1956 by an American woman, Ellen Gordon Allen.

It is a very active organization with more than 10,000 members in 170-plus chapters located in over 60 countries around the world, and its activities go beyond nationalities and race.

Ikebana International
http://www.ikebanahq.org/

While the basics of Ikebana are the same, the materials used, such as the flowers and plants, differ according to region, resulting in pieces that show national character. Seeing the Ikebana works created in various countries helps us recognize that Ikebana is enjoyed throughout the world.

There are also new types of Ikebana classes where you can take lessons at your own pace. Online Ikebana classes, such as those organized by Nihonkoryu Ikebana, are one example. Nihonkoryu Ikebana offers an Ikebana curriculum for visitors to follow.

Nihonkoryu Ikebana
http://www.nihonkoryu.org/en/

Introducing opportunities for even those with no knowledge about Japan to come in contact with Ikebana may be an interesting idea for you to try.

There may also be Ikebana exhibitions and classes being held in your country. Why not check Japan-related event information at your local Japanese embassy, etc., to see if there are any going on?

Japanese Novels Popular around the World

There are Japanese novels that are popular beyond national boundaries and generations. They are novels by authors such as Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Kaori Ekuni, Junichi Watanabe and Natsuo Kirino. Works by Haruki Murakami, for example, have been translated and published in 40 countries around the world and have entered best-seller lists in various countries.

Sohachi Yamaoka's novel Tokugawa Ieyasu has become a best seller in China with more than two million copies sold. There are apparently special sections for the book set up in Shanghai bookstores. The readership is Chinese businessmen, and the reason given for reading this novel is that they want to learn the secret to success from that of Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose life was filled with hardship in his early years.

There are also many Haruki Murakami fans around the world. For example, in South Korea, more than 8,400 people have registered at "Haruki Café," which is a site for his fans. There is even a Korean word, "Haruki Se-dae," which means "the Haruki generation."

In 2006, The Japan Foundation held an international symposium entitled, "A Wild Haruki Chase: How the World is Reading and Translating Murakami" in Tokyo, Sapporo and Kobe. 23 translators, writers and researchers from 17 countries gathered and held passionate debates on the topic.

Anna Zielinska-Elliott, a translator who participated in the seminar from Poland and a former foreign student in Japan, said, "The general public, even people who are not particularly interested in Japan, read Murakami. Today, when ties between people are not as strong as in the past, people empathize with Murakami as a novelist who writes stories for solitary people with themes about loneliness and alienation." Perhaps that is a reason in common as to why people like works by Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto and Kaori Ekuni.

Tran Anh Hung, the French-Vietnamese director who is currently making the film adaptation of Murakami's Norwegian Wood, said that he was doing so because he is very drawn to the novel, which shows strongly the weaknesses, angst and yearning of young people.

Incidentally, Haruki Murakami's latest novel, 1Q84 has become a bestseller with 2.23 million copies sold (total for its two volumes) as of July 23, 2009.

Meanwhile, since 2002, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan has been carrying out a project to introduce outstanding, post-Meiji Japanese literary works overseas.

Japanese Literature Publishing Project: JLPP
http://www.bunka.go.jp/kokusaibunka/geijutsubunka/bungaku_honyaku_english.html

106 works have been selected up to now, of which 76 works have been translated into English, French, Russian and Indonesian. It is hoped that the translated works will bring about a new encounter with Japan by people overseas through literature.

What Japanese novel was memorable for you? Perhaps you may enjoy reading it again...

The "300000 Foreign Students Plan" Campaign

In 2008, the Government of Japan announced the "300000 Foreign Students Plan," which calls to increase the number of foreign students in Japan from the current 120,000 to 300,000 students by 2020. It is aiming to make a significant increase in the number of foreign students studying in Japan in the next five years.

We spoke to the officer in charge of the plan at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology about the background and objectives of this plan.

The number of foreign students coming to Japan to study currently numbers approximately 120,000. As the international movement of students at the level of higher education is expected to increase even more on a global scale, there has been much discussion carried out in various quarters - using a variety of concepts and numerical values - on how Japan should go about accepting foreign students since the 100000 Foreign Students Plan was achieved in 2003.

The "300000 Foreign Students Plan" was announced by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in his policy speech to the 169th Session of the Diet (January 2008) as being important in order to make Japan a country that is more open to the world and to expand the flow of people to and from Japan.

Regarding "300,000" as being the number of foreign students accepted in Japan, there is a need to consider this by comparing it with several different circumstances, such as the number of foreign students being accepted by other countries and the current number of foreign students being accepted here in Japan.

It is said that there is currently a total of 3.5 million students enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education, such as universities. While the overall number is on a downward trend with the decline in the Japanese population under age 18, there is an increase, at the same time, in the rate of those advancing to higher education, etc. For such reasons, it can be assumed that the number of those enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education will continue to remain at roughly 3 million in the future.

Meanwhile, if we look at the current state of foreign student enrollment in other countries, we see that in the case of Germany, a developed non-English-speaking nation like Japan, foreign students account for 12.3% of all students enrolled in an institution of higher education. In France, foreign students account for 11.9% of all students in an institution of higher education. (Meanwhile, foreign students in an English-speaking nation account for, in the case of the UK, 25.1% of all students in higher education, and likewise 26.2% in Australia.)

If Japanese institutions of higher education are to secure a level of foreign student enrollment similar to that of other developed nations, there is a need to increase the percentage of foreign students from the current 3 percent-plus to a percentage close to that of Germany or France, or about 10%. (In other words, 10% of about 3 million students, or roughly 300,000 foreign students.)

There is also a report that says the global foreign student market will rapidly expand in the future. This report estimates that the number of foreign students worldwide will be at about 5 million in 2015, increasing to 7 million by 2025.

Foreign students in Japan currently account for about 5% of all foreign students worldwide. If we suppose that the number of all foreign students in 2020, the midway point in the report, is 6 million, then Japan would need to accept about 300,000 foreign students in order to maintain its current share.

I think you can see, from these two numerical situations alone, the importance of this number - 300,000 - as being the target for foreign student acceptance by institutions of higher education in Japan; that is, if they are to play a role similar to one played by institutions of higher education in other countries.

We believe that proactive acceptance of foreign students, who become a major source of high-level human resources, by Japanese institutions of higher education, leads not only to the reinforcement of Japan's international human resource pool but also builds human networks between Japan and other countries, enhances mutual understanding and fosters greater amicable relationships, and contributes to global stability and world peace.

An environment that is further conducive to study in Japan by foreign students is being prepared through this plan. We hope that even more students from your country will come to Japan to study in the future.

DVDs, posters, leaflets and pin badges showing the appeal of studying in Japan have been produced as part of promotional items created for the "300000 Foreign Students Plan" 2009 Campaign. They will be used at foreign student events and fairs to be held in various countries in the future, so the day that you see them yourself is probably not too far off. All of these items show a logo that was produced for this plan.

Please check these posters, leaflets and DVDs (DVD in 11 languages) out at a Japanese embassy or consulate general near you. The leaflets have been produced in eight languages (English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, French, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese). A large number of these items have been made, so please do make use of them as you see fit. For further information, please contact a Japanese embassy or consulate near you. We are sure that you will see the birth of new study-in-Japan "kohai" through the utilization of these materials.

This Email Magazine is brought to you in the hope that it will help you, who have experienced studying in Japan as a foreign student, further deepen your ties with Japan. It is scheduled to be issued to you three times during this fiscal year in July, December and March.

Please feel free to send us an email at webmaster@studyjapan.go.jp if you have comments about this issue, topics that you would like to see featured in this Email Magazine, or would like to notify us of a change in your email address. We look forward to hearing from you!