スライダー1 スライダー1

Message from President

Message from President

UMEMOTO KazuyoshiPresident
The Japan Foundation

国際交流基金理事長 梅本 和義

In October 2022, the Japan Foundation (JF) celebrates its 50th anniversary. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported our activities and to those who have worked together with us in the field of international exchange.

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国際交流基金理事長 梅本 和義

Click to view the Japan Foundation’s introductory video on YouTube. (30 seconds)
External link

Three Key Pillars

Culture

Arts and Cultural Exchange

The Japan Foundation works to introduce various aspects of Japanese culture―from art, music, drama and film to fashion and designーto the world. By providing people with opportunities to share the joy of co-creation and better understand each other in ways that transcend language, we facilitate deeper cultural exchange.

文化芸術交流画像2
文化芸術交流画像1

Language

Japanese-Language Education Overseas

The Japan Foundation works to create and enhance educational environments worldwide to provide more people with the opportunity to learn Japanese. We also coordinate with governments and educational institutions in various countries and regions to offer effective support based on local needs.

日本語教育
日本語教育

Dialogue

Japanese Studies and
Global Partnerships Programs

In addition to supporting individual scholars in Japanese studies, the Japan Foundation is developing exchange programs that contribute to the promotion of dialogue, human resource development and human networks at various levels, ranging from collaborative works on global issues to projects among citizens and youth.

日本研究・国際対話
日本研究・国際対話

JF Special Stories

Exclusive stories about 50 years of JF,
focusing on our projects to weave ties with the world.

文化ARTS & CULTURE

2023.03.23

Ways of Life, Figures of Youth, and Regional Diversity . . .
Acquiring Deeper Understanding of Different Cultures through Books

Literature is a sophisticated form of creation using language. The process of translating, publishing, and disseminating literary works worldwide involves the dedication of and interactions among many different people. Through books, different cultures and values intersect. The Japan Foundation supports such opportunities.

2023.02.13

How to Define “Crossing the Curation Border”? Significance of International Collaboration in Art Exhibitions

There is great significance in the process involved in curating an exhibition because this process also fosters a deeper understanding and trust between artists and curators. Let’s look back on contemporary art exhibitions organized by the Japan Foundation to understand what international collaboration in the art field entails.

2023.02.03

International Collaborative Productions Generate Art through the Process of Working to Understand Different Cultures

The Japan Foundation has been involved in many overseas performances of Japanese performing arts, performances of overseas productions in Japan and the production of international creations. Common across all of these efforts is the promotion of cross-cultural understanding and the development of trust amongst performing arts professionals.

2022.12.16

In the Footsteps of TEZUKA Osamu, the “Manga Ambassador” Who Continues to Captivate the World with His Outstanding Foresight and Creativity

Japanese manga and animation are popular all over the world and are helping more and more people to connect with each other. The foundation for this exchange was laid out by TEZUKA Osamu. We trace Tezuka's belief that one day manga would become an “international language.”
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言語LANGUAGE

2022.12.28

What is Needed to Communicate Effectively?
The Path to Mutual Understanding as Shown by Japanese Language Learning Video Materials

The Japan Foundation has been producing Japanese language learning video materials based on the principle of deepening mutual understanding through language communication. They are filled with important communication tips for Japanese people as well.

2022.12.15

Learning Japanese Changed My Life—
A Passport to the Future Gained through Japanese Language Learning

Today, there are Japanese language learners all over the world. With changes taking place in society, their motivation for language learning is shifting and evolving. What are some of the reasons for people to learn Japanese?

2022.12.08

As Japanese-Language Learners are Growing in Asia, Responding to the Diversifying Learning Motives There

People from Asia make up the majority of overseas learners of Japanese. Their motivations for learning also change depending on the various educational policies of each country and its relationship with Japan. The Japan Foundation is developing programs to meet the new era and changing society, as well as the diversifying demands for Japanese language study.

2022.11.17

Helping Cherry Blossoms Bloom the World Over: Developing a Global Network of Japanese Language Institutions

The JF Nihongo Network connects core educational institutions that teach Japanese throughout the world. This project, nicknamed the “Sakura Network,” has developed a sense of solidarity that transcends educational levels—primary, secondary, or post-secondary—as well as national boundaries.
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対話DIALOGUE

2022.12.28

Bringing Together Hearts Around the World Through “A Wild Haruki Chase”

The internationally acclaimed works of MURAKAMI Haruki have gone beyond the framework of a novel to become the subject of movies, plays, symposiums on literary studies, and musical performances, thereby creating various forms of international exchange.

2022.12.28

The Development of Ohira School into the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies, and into a Platform of Japanese Studies Open to the World

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. One of the important pillars that has supported the ties between the two countries over the past half century has been Japanese language education and the promotion of Japanese studies in China. We will trace the history of the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies, which has produced a large number of Japan experts and has played a central role as an institution for Japanese studies in China.
ストックホルムにある東洋博物館で、ケイナー先生（左端）が同僚の学者とともに日本と中国の史料を調べているところです。

2022.11.17

Providing Young Europeans with Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

The Japan Foundation has a long-standing relationship with Japanese studies in Europe. Let’s take a look back at the history of this relationship and examine recent trends in Japanese studies in Europe. The U.K.-based Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures is a great place to begin.

2022.11.17

The Legacy of Japan-U.S. Grassroots Exchange Programs Across the U.S.

The Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI), which promotes Japanese culture in communities of the U.S. that have little contact with Japan, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The creative and enthusiastic efforts of these Japan-U.S. exchange coordinators are expanding the circle of friendship between the two countries.
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Other Episodes

日本の優れた舞台芸術を、 オンラインで世界の隅々に配信

2022.11.17

Sharing Japan’s Quintessential Stage Performances Online to Every Corner of the World

The Japan Foundation streams outstanding performances online for audiences around the world looking for an opportunity to experience Japanese performing arts. More than 90 productions have been presented in total, including those produced by the Japan Foundation.

2022.11.17

Learning across National Borders from Each Other’s Experiences of Disaster, and Sowing the Seeds of Future Disaster Readiness Education

Since 2014, the third year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japan Foundation has been continuously implementing projects to develop human resources for disaster readiness education through cultural exchanges with Asian countries and other regions.

2022.10.12

Spiritual Recovery through Local Traditions and Culture: Overcoming the Disaster

After a massive natural disaster, supporting steps by locals toward recovery and rebuilding communities can be as important as work done to repair buildings and infrastructure. The Japan Foundation has been working on “spiritual recovery” through traditional and cultural exchanges in areas where disasters and conflict have occurred.
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50 Years of JF

Looking back on 50 years of JF history,
alongside world events at the time and photographs.

震災を乗り越えて～日本から世界へ」 （東日本大震災復興に関する取り組み）
歌舞伎中国公演(中国との初の政府間事業)
歌舞伎中国公演(中国との初の政府間事業)
作家アンドレ･マルロー(フランス 元文化相）招へい
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50 Years of JF in Numbers

The Japan Foundation’s activities have spread around the world.
This section will reveal 50 years of our history through figures.

Introducing TV ProgramsIntroducing TV Programs

Provided to 172countries and regions
Provided 5,464programs (total)
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Supporting the Translation and Publication of BooksSupporting the Translation and Publication of Books

Supported 1,483publications
Supported translation of publications into 52languages
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Holding Special Exhibitions Holding Special Exhibitions

Organized 349exhibitions
Held in 87countries and regions
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Promotion of Japanese Language EducationPromotion of Japanese Language Education

3,851,774Japanese language learners
77,323Japanese language teachers
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Implementation of Japanese-Language Proficiency TestImplementation of Japanese-Language Proficiency Test

13,409,345examinees
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Promotion of Japanese StudiesPromotion of Japanese Studies

Granted 7,094fellowships for overseas researchers
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JF Worldwide

The Japan Foundation has a global network consisting of the
Tokyo headquarters, Kyoto office, two Japanese-language
institutes and 25 overseas offices in 24 countries.

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Congratulatory Messages

HAYASHI Yoshimasa
Minister for Foreign Affairs