global network - japan foundation · ular with many young chinese. in japanese-language education,...

South America

Central America

North America

The Japan Cultural Institute in Rome

The Japan Foundation, São Paulo

The Japan Foundation, Mexico

The Japan Foundation, LondonThe Japan Foundation,

Toronto

The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris

The Japan Foundation, New York

Central and South America

North AmericaExpenditures by region Western Europe

AfricaMiddle East, North Africa

(Unit: millions of yen)

Arts and cultural programs

Japanese-language programs

Japanese studies and intellectual exchange programs

Survey, research, andinformation-service programs

Overseas programs

Cooperating in cultural exchange facilities

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles

Western Europe

15610.1%

46728.8%

21542.1%

1408.6%

18111.1%

815.3%

90258.5%

31350.4%

113.7%

27889.8%109

17.5%

15610.1%

191.2%

275.2%

10520.6%

16432.1%

81550.2%

20.1%

24616.0%

14523.3%

91.5%

457.2%

206.4%

Eastern Europe

91.1%

26933.8%

283.5% 11714.7%

37246.8%

Total1,542

Total621

Total1,624

Total795

Total510

Total310

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The Japan Foundation 2005 Annual Report 10

Nineteen overseas offices across the world

shoulder an important role as the bases and

frontline of the Japan Foundation’s international

exchange activities. They seek to strengthen

relationships with local cultural communities,

maintain direct dialogue, and organize

cultural events.

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North Africa

Oceania

South Asia

Southeast Asia

EasternEurope

Middle East

Africa

East Asia

The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur

The Japan Foundation, Bangkok

The Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne

The Japan Foundation, Cairo The Japan Foundation,

Seoul

The Japan Foundation, Jakarta

The Japan Foundation, New Delhi

The Japan Foundation, Beijing

The Japan Foundation, Sydney

South Asia Worldwide and multiple region collective targetsEast Asia

Oceania

The Japan Foundation, Budapest

The Japan Foundation Headquarters,Tokyo

The Japan Foundation, Manila

7319.9%

1,05425.1%

1,57937.7%

10729.3%

23817.5%

15933.8%

12025.5%

23217.0%

44632.7%

11732.0%

46911.2%

1914.6% 50011.9%

3979.5%

30.8% 6618.0%

27320.0%

408.5%

13328.3%

183.8%

17212.6%

40.3%

Southeast Asia

16413.7%

63953.3%

20016.6%

121.0% 18515.4%

Total366

Total1,365

Total1,199

Total470

Total4,191


Expenditures by nation in 2005 (top 20)

Millions of yen %*

U.S.A. 1,365 10.5South Korea 803 6.2France 596 4.6China 521 4.0Australia 373 2.9Germany 306 2.4Indonesia 305 2.3Brazil 280 2.2India 251 1.9U.K. 237 1.8Malaysia 224 1.7Italy 223 1.7Thailand 192 1.5Russia 176 1.4Canada 170 1.3Philippines 131 1.0Mexico 125 1.0Vietnam 121 0.9Hungary 105 0.8Egypt 101 0.8*Share of the total expenditures in 2005.


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film series; and lectures by two authors,Kanehara Hitomi and Suzuki Koji. We alsooffered events to familiarize people withJapanese arts, including workshops on flowerarrangement, brush painting, Yuzen dyeing, andthe tea ceremony. In addition, with the coopera-tion of the Polish cultural institute, we orga-nized architectural exhibitions in Rome andMilan commemorating the EU-Japan Year ofPeople-to-People Exchanges.

An increasing number of Italians are becom-ing interested in Japan, including those in outly-ing regions. As such, the Institute is extending itswork into the regions with the cooperation oflocal cultural organizations. For example, theYoshida Kiju retrospective was presented in Turin,Bologna, and Florence along with lectures by thedirector himself and Okada Mariko, actress andwife of Yoshida.

The Japan CulturalInstitute in Rome wasopened in December1962, as the first over-seas Japan CulturalInstitute. The Instituteconducts a diversity ofevents and operates thelargest library in Italythat specializes inJapanese studies.

In 2005, the Institute presented exhibitionsof contemporary photography and photographs ofBuddhist images; a Japanese food show; stageperformances of contemporary dramas andpantomime; concerts of jazz, contemporary,traditional Japanese, and chamber music; filmscreenings including a Yoshida Kiju retrospective,Shimizu Hiroshi retrospective, and a comedy

included public readings by Suzuki Koji inCologne and Munich, lectures by YamazakiTomoko in five cities including Cologne, and alecture on Japanese Buddhist images by NedachiKen’ichi, professor of Kyoto University.

Retrospectives were held of films by suchdirectors as Uchida Tomu, Koreeda Hirokazu,Suzuki Seijun, and Kurosawa Akira, while videosfocusing on Japanese Brazilians were presented asa contemporary topic of international exchange.We also offered Japanese-language courses frombeginning to advanced levels and provided refer-ence services at the 20,000-volume library.

As a joint project with the Goethe Institute,meanwhile, the exhibition “Global Players:German and Japanese Contemporary Artists”was held inAachen and theproductionYotsuya GhostStory, directed byJossi Wieler, wasstaged in Munich.

Established in September 1969, the JapanCultural Institute in Cologne offers Japanese-language courses and maintains a library inaddition to its activities for introducingJapanese culture in the German-speaking world.

In 2005 the Institute organized the exhibi-tion “Japanese Picture Books,” the photo exhi-bition “Work 1991–1995” by Hashiguchi Joji,two sessions of “Dialogue Exhibitions” featur-ing works by Japanese and German artistsunder common subjects, and an exhibition ofposters by Japanese and German students. Wealso presented the Monoopera Crane performedby instrumentalists and a singer from Japanand Germany, as well as a performance byGrinder Man.

The Institute actively participated in suchevents as Cologne Music Night and Long Nightof the Museums. In the context of the city’s ABook for the City literature festival, an event washeld combining a reading of Murakami Haruki’snovel that was featured in the festival and a per-formance by jazz pianist Kuriya Makoto.

Other events organized by the Institute

The Japan Cultural Institute in Rome

The Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne


The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris firstopened in May 1997 as a joint public-privateeffort between Japan and France, and is knownas MCJP in France. With six stories aboveground and five below, the glass-walled buildinghouses extensive facilities that include a library,two multi-purpose halls, and an exhibition hall.It is located on the bank of the Seine River inParis’ 15th District, a short distance from theEiffel Tower.

In 2005 the Institute presented an ukiyo-eexhibition, “Hiroshige: 100 Famous Views ofEdo,” along with “YOKAI: Bestiary of theJapanese Fantastic.” The latter event brought inabout 18,000 visitors and demonstrated howyokai (fantastic creatures) and monsters depictedin Edo-era ukiyo-e and picture scrolls led tomanga and anime in modern Japan. A sympo-sium on yokai was organized as well.

In the large hall, we presented a perfor-mance by Grinder Man, a kyogen performance, anoh performance, and yose—a traditional varietyshow. We introduced the contemporary dance ofBATIK, BABY-Q, and Okamoto Mariko for theInstitute’s annual J-Dance Series, and we alsoheld a special concert at the opening of JazzWeek, which is jointly organized every year by

several foreign culturalinstitutes in Paris, as wellas classical concerts byyoung Japanese musiciansliving in France.

Other events spon-sored by the Instituteincluded lectures by OeKenzaburo and SuzukiKoji and a forum withShiriagari Kotobuki, a manga artist who wasinvited to the International Cartoon Festival inAngouleme. Film screenings included an ItamiMansaku and Ito Daisuke retrospective as partof the Master Screenwriter Series, a series titled“Zatoichi Stories: From Katsu Shintaro toKitano Takeshi,” and a series on yokai.

These programs were made possible by sup-port from private enterprises through theAssociation for the MCJP.

In addition, we offer classes for such activi-ties as the game of go and the tea ceremony. Topromote Japanese-language education, weextended assistance to the Japanese-LanguageEducation Committee in France, which wasestablished for the further advancement ofJapanese-language education in the country.

Projects that the Japan Foundation, Seoul, orga-nized in 2005 in the fields of arts and cultureincluded the ukiyo-e exhibition, which was firstheld in 2004, showing 55 portraits of beautifulwomen and landscapes created during the goldenage of ukiyo-e. The show was presented at itsmultipurpose E-Yeon Hall.

Also at E-Yeon Hall, an exhibition of postersby Fukuda Shigeo, a leading Japanese graphicdesigner, was held as part of a project launched in2003 to introduce Japanese graphic design. Thedesigner himself was invited to give lectures dur-ing the exhibition at the Zero One Design Centerof the Kookmin Graduate School of Design andthe Hong-ik University College of Fine Arts.

In the area of Japanese-language education, we

continued offering our Japanese-language coursefor advanced learners while training Japanese-language teachers at the middle and high schoollevel in teaching methods. Kachi no koe (Song ofthe Magpie), a triannual Internet newsletter forlearners of Japanese, was issued as scheduled.

In Japanese studies and intellectualexchange, we offered grants for academic confer-ences and exchange projects in the fields of poli-tics, economics, and literature and organized aconference based on a survey on the state ofJapanese studies in Korea in collaboration withthe Sejong Institute and other external experts.Furthermore, we made grants to 15 additionalprojects in diverse fields, including youthexchange, music, film, and social welfare.

The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris (Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris)

The Japan Foundation, Seoul


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The Japan Foundation, Bangkok,planned and presented an exhibitiontitled “Have We Met?” by adding newThai works to the “Have We Met?”exhibition held in Tokyo in 2004. Italso presented a contemporary artexhibition, “Temporary Art Museum

Soi Sabai,” at Silpakorn University’s art gallery fea-turing works by Nara Yoshitomo + graf and otherartists from Asian countries including Thailandand Japan, as well as those from the United States

and European countries. Other events included atraditional Okinawan dance performance at theThailand Cultural Centre and a Japanese film fes-tival at several movie theaters in central Bangkok.

We provide training for Thai teachers ofJapanese and Japanese-language courses for inter-mediate and advanced learners. Approximately66,000 people, comprising a broad range ofusers including researchers in Japanese studiesand Japanese-language teachers, made use of ourlibrary in 2005.

ducing Japanese music, was launched in Januaryat FM radio stations in Chongqing, Chengdu,Shandong Province, and other areas and is pop-ular with many young Chinese.

In Japanese-language education, advisorsdispatched from Japan have been visiting variousregions in China, where they provide workshopsand guidance. Over 145,000 people took theJapanese-Language Proficiency Test in December2005. In October a symposium was held tocommemorate the twentieth anniversary of theBeijing Center for Japanese Studies, which theJapan Foundation cofounded with the Ministryof Education of the People’s Republic of China.

The Japan Foundation, Beijing,launched Liu-Hua Net, a network ofJapanese students in China, to gatherinformation from across the nationwhile also sponsoring such culturalexchange events as Japanese culturefestivals at local universities inShenyang and Hangzhou. Reflectingthe growing popularity of Japanese

pop culture, including anime and manga, theJ-pop concert held at Sichuan InternationalStudies University in December drew more than800 students.

Music Super Express, a program for intro-

tributed to both the introduction of Japaneseculture and the promotion of local culture bystaging Mishima Yukio’s Modern Noh Plays inIndonesian.

We supported Japanese-language educationin cooperation with thirteens pecialists assignedto Indonesia.We also operate Japanese-languagecourses at the intermediate and advanced levels.

We cooperated in the publication of theJapanese studies journal MANABU, therebyestablishing a forum for presenting theachievements of Japanese studies in Indonesia,and actively promoted cultural exchanges withthe Muslim community through lectures byIslamic intellectuals and other events.

J-pop concerts, started three yearsago as a program for youth, wereheld in Bandung and Jakarta andattracted significant coverage fromtelevision, radio, and magazines.

The hall of the JapanFoundation, Jakarta, hosted a retro-spective exhibition of the late

Suyatona, a potter and former Japan Foundationfellow, looking back over the achievements of anartist who served as a bridge between Japan andIndonesia. In addition, three exhibitions werepresented as part of the “Neo Pion” series forintroducing young artists, providing opportuni-ties for many young people to visit our facilities.In a related activity, a local theater group con-

The Japan Foundation, Beijing

The Japan Foundation, Bangkok

The Japan Foundation, Jakarta


As part of the opening events of the 2006Australia-Japan Year of Exchange, the JapanFoundation, Sydney, presented Japanese drumconcerts featuring Hayashi Eitetsu, who wasaccompanied by his ensemble Fuun-no-kai, andTaikOz in Sydney and five other cities fromFebruary to March 2006.

Our gallery hosted an exhibition and work-shop of photographs and decorative art by KaraYamaguchi, an Australian artist living in Japan,in December 2005 and the “The Picture Booksof Suzuki Koji and Arai Ryoji” exhibition andworkshop in March 2006 with the participationof the two picture book authors.

The traveling Japanese film festi-val, in its ninth year, was held inSydney and four other cities.Horumaika, a documentary depictingthe former Yamakoshi village thatwas destroyed by the ChuetsuEarthquake was screened in Sydney,accompanied by a talk show byNagashima Tadayoshi, former mayorof the village. Proceeds from ticketsales were donated to support therebuilding of the village.

The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, spon-sored a performance by the BATIK dance com-pany at the opening of the new KL PerformingArts Center (KLPac) in Kuala Lumpur. AtKLPac, which is expected to develop into acore facility for the country’s performing arts,it also held a joint production by dancerMurobushi Ko and local performers; rakugostory-telling in English, which has becomequite popular in Kuala Lumpur; and a perfor-mance and drama workshop for people withspecial needs by the TAIHEN troupe.

In regard to movie presenta-tions, we organized lectures byanime producers and screenings incollaboration with related localorganizations. In Japanese-languageeducation, a year-long Japanese-language teacher training coursewent in full swing in preparationfor introducing Japanese-languageeducation to general middle andhigh schools.

The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur

The Japan Foundation, Sydney

tions. The J-pop concert included star Filipinopop singers and attracted more than 2,000enthusiastic fans.

The year 2006 was designated Philippine-JapanFriendship Year, commemorating the fiftiethanniversary of the resumption of diplomatic tiesbetween the two countries, and the JapanFoundation, Manila, sponsored a wide variety ofprojects starting in January. As an openingevent, we hosted a Japanese drum performanceby Yamato, followed by an array of events heldat one of the largest shopping malls in MetroManila, including a J-pop concert, a poster dis-play, previews of CDs and DVDs, screenings ofJapanese films, a photo exhibition, a Japanesespeech contest, and Japanese cultural demonstra-

The Japan Foundation, Manila


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demonstrations were presented to mark theopening of the Prince Takamado Gallery at theRoyal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Grants wereextended, meanwhile, to film festivals inMontreal and Vancouver where a number ofJapanese films were screened.

Japanese-language education schools arescattered across the vast expanse of Canada, andthe geographic challenges hinder communicationamong them. We, therefore, support networkbuilding by taking leadership in holding work-shops and communication meetings forJapanese-language teachers of secondary schoolsin eastern Canada.

The Japan Foundation, Toronto, pre-sented an exhibition introducingJapan’s modernization, coorganizedwith the Shibusawa MemorialMuseum. This project included a paneldisplay of nishiki-e (color woodblockprints) reproductions and photos and

related lectures. In addition, we sponsored aposter exhibition of the works of Yokoo Tadanorifrom 1993 to the present, which were selectedand donated by the artist. We also organized alecture titled “Writers and the Library” to com-memorate the tenth anniversary of its library.

Tea ceremony and flower arrangement

Internet radio stations broadcast Japanesesongs around the clock in Brazil, where Japan’sanime and songs are both very popular. A newproject, the Japanese-Language KaraokeCaravan in Brazil, visited São Paulo, Brasilia,Manaus, and five other cities. The travelingprogram conveyed the joy of learning Japanesethrough singing popular Japanese songs to stu-dents at middle schools and high schools aswell as at colleges and universities. A nationalkaraoke contest that was held in conjunctionwith the program attracted more than 1,000people, who filled the venue with excitement.

The Japan Foundation, São Paulo,offered Japanese culture courses andlectures on Japanese dances. The“Japanese Pottery: The RisingGeneration from Traditional JapaneseKilns” exhibition was held in the SãoPaulo Museum and then taken to sixother cities, including Brasilia and

Manaus. Japanese silent films were screened withnarration in Portuguese accompanied by instru-mental music in local cities including Santosand Campinas, and a performance by the the-ater group Ishinha was presented in Santos.

The JapanFoundation, NewDelhi, moved to anew building,which also containsa gallery, library,and event space, inSeptember 2006.We supported the

development of a curriculum and textbooksfor Japanese as a foreign language for the sec-

ondary school curriculum. Furthermore, ourJapanese-language education advisors—two inNorth India, based in New Delhi, and one inSouth India, based in Bangalore—have beenpromoting Japanese-language education andassisting teachers. The number of Japaneselearners is rising particularly in South Indiadue to the development of the informationtechnology sector in that region.

We also presented other cultural eventsincluding English rakugo.

The Japan Foundation, Toronto

The Japan Foundation, New Delhi

The Japan Foundation, São Paulo


The Japan foundation New York, cooperatedcomprehensively in introducing a Japanese filmseries through diverse media channels, such asnewspapers and websites, organized between fall2005 and spring 2006 by the Museum ofModern Art, New York, the Lincoln Center, theFilm Forum, the Japan Society, and the BrooklynConservatory of Music. In promoting this event,it presented traveling film screenings at fiveuniversities, including the University of Kansasand the University of Wisconsin-Madison, inthe Midwest, where opportunities for viewing

Japanese films are scarce. In the performing arts, we orga-

nized a screening panel as the secre-tariat of Performing Arts Japan, a sup-port program for the production ofJapanese performing arts in NorthAmerica; operated a booth at theAssociation of Performing ArtsPresenters’ annual conference, the largest artshow in the United States; and presented ashowcase of Japanese music groups at the AsiaSociety.

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles broughttogether Japanese-language teachers from aroundthe country for a Japanese-language educationsymposium in Baltimore, where the regionalrepresentatives engaged in lively discussion.

In addition, in cooperation with theAlliance of Association of Teachers of Japaneseand the Association of Florida Teachers ofJapanese, it organized a summer training ses-sion for Japanese-language teachers in the

United States. The training consistedof online sessions as well as hands-ontraining at Florida InternationalUniversity.

We also organized a conference inLos Angeles for curators of majormuseums from around the nation toexchange opinions on challenges andopportunities faced by museums.

The Japan Foundation, New York

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles

leaders from Japan and Mexico in Mexico Cityfor deep discussions on a wide range of subjects,including the future direction of culturalexchange. In Japanese-language education, whichis also steadily developing in Mexico, we wereinvolved in projects that contributed to reinforc-ing the education infrastructure, such as trainingfor Japanese-language teachers and donatinginstructional materials to educational institutions.

We also held seminars for strengthening thenetwork of researchers on Japan and Japanesestudies institutions in Latin America and cooper-ated with cultural exchange projects in LatinAmerican countries by sending experts in Japaneseculture living in Mexico to demonstrate tea cere-monies and flower arrangement.

The Japan Foundation, Mexico, introduced vari-ous examples of contemporary art at the FestivalInternacional Cervantino with far-reachingresults.

In September we organized the Japan-MexicoCulture Summit, which brought together cultural

The Japan Foundation, Mexico

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relatively small-scale support program in fieldssuch as the arts and Japanese studies.

In Japanese-language education, we offeredcourses to improve the skills of Japanese-languageteachers, a project called Head Start, whichprovided information to head teachers in chargeof foreign language departments at schools thathave yet to introduce Japanese; and visits toclasses as requested by schools across the country.Moreover, through our website we offer infor-mation related to Japanese-language educationincluding teaching resources.

In 2005 the Japan Foundation,London, held a wide variety ofevents, including a concert by theStringraphy Ensemble in four citiesand a special screening of moviesbased on manga under the title“Comic Proportions” in five cities.

In cooperation with theVictoria and Albert Museum, we

held a symposium and public seminars on thecurrent state of Japan-related collections housedin museums in Britain. In addition, we ran a

Takeuchi Ryusaku, a councilor of the JapanSumo Federation, and a lecture on Japaneseanime by Maruyama Masao of Madhouse Ltd.

Traveling shows of photographic panels,Japanese dolls, and other exhibition sets held bythe Japan Foundation, Budapest, were held acrossHungary and in neighboring countries. In Marchour office was relocated to the center of the cityto allow more convenient access to our libraryand other facilities. We operate Japanese-languagecourses in which about 90 learners are enrolled.

Many cultural projects were organized inHungary in 2005, the EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges. The Japan Foundation,Budapest presented a well-received bunraku per-formance that sold out over successive days andparticipated in the Sziget Fesztivál, one of thelargest outdoor events in Central Europe, featur-ing performances on Japanese and Westerndrums by HidaJimbo. It also introduced Japanthrough film screenings, as well as hosting asumo demonstration and presentation by

young people’s interest in Japan, we organizedan essay contest on TUGUMI, the Arabictranslation of a novel by Yoshimoto Banana,and a lecture introducing haiku. In regard toJapanese-language education, we support institu-tions and teachers across the entire Middle Eastcentered on Egypt, such as by holding annual

Japanese-languageeducation seminars inCairo for MiddleEastern teachers ofthe Japanese languageto promote trainingand network buildingamong them.

The Japan Foundation, Cairo presented the2006 Japan Culture Festival in Cairo jointlywith the Japan Information Center of theEmbassy of Japan in Egypt. Five events wereparticularly highlighted during the festival: aTsugaru shamisen concert, a performance bypianist Miura Yurie with the Cairo SymphonyOrchestra, a jointconcert by performersof Arab music fromJapan and Egypt, adoll exhibition, and aJapanese film festival.The events attractedmore than 5,000 visi-tors. To encourage

The Japan Foundation, London

The Japan Foundation, Budapest

The Japan Foundation, Cairo

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