Japanology within Asian studies in Lithuania : historical perspective and present situation : international symposium

Abstract

November 3-4, 2011, at the historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas, a symposium was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Centre for Asian studies. Sponsored by the Japan foundation, the symposium was dedicated to discussing and evaluating the state of Asian studies in Lithuania. The special guest speaker, Dr. Eiko Sakurai, author of the first Lithuanian language textbook in Japanese, presented on the status of Lithuanian and Baltic studies in Japan. Dr. Masaaki Shiraishi, a prominent researcher of Chiune Sugihara, delivered a lecture on Lithuania-Japan diplomatic relations. His lecture was followed by a presentation of his most recently published book, Choho-no Tensai Sugihara Chiune. During the symposium, several notable events took place, including the donation ceremony of a book collection assembled by the renowned Lithuanian orientalist, the late Dr. R. Neimantas; a meeting of the Japan Alumnae Association; and the opening of a photo exhibition highlighting Lithuania-Japan relations. All the papers presented at the symposium were uploaded to a website created specifically for the occasion, and the best papers were published in the book "Azijos studijos Lietuvoje".