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Terasaki Programs

The generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. Terasaki in 2005 has allowed the Center to expand its programs in several new directions.

  • Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Chair in Contemporary Japanese Studies will be filled by a senior scholar whose research addresses key issues in contemporary Japan. A nation-wide search is currently underway.
  • Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Community Outreach Program promotes deeper understanding among members of the Japanese American community of their rich and diverse heritage. Non-profit organizations and qualified individuals are invited to apply for funding to co-sponsor exhibits and public seminars on subjects of broad interest dealing with Japan that will engage the community to learn more about their heritage. Applications for funding of up to $10,000 are currently accepted. The application deadline is December 10, 2007 and awards will be announced by March 10, 2008. View past awardees.
  • Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellowship funding will be initiated in the year 2008. The Center seeks an emerging academic leader who works on cutting-edge research projects as a postdoctoral fellow, starting in September 2008. The Fellow will be expected to teach one class, as well as participate in other Center programs such as the colloquium series and workshops. Applications are now available on the Center's website; the deadline will be February 29, 2008.
  • Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Program provides necessary resources to operate and build the Center to a leading institution, promoting new initiatives, holding flagship conferences, and offering analysis of the most compelling domestic and international issues facing Japan. More details will be made available in the coming year.

The Paul I. Terasaki Chair in U.S.-Japan Relations

The Paul I. Terasaki Endowed Chair in U.S.-Japan Relations is devoted to a distinguished teaching program designed to bring experts in the field of Japanese studies and U.S.-Japan relations to UCLA. Two types of appointments to the Chair will be made: Visiting Professors will be limited in term to two years, and Adjunct, In-Residence Professors will occupy the Chair for an unlimited term.

The Paul I. Terasaki Chairholder will be appointed on a rotating basis from among various specializations within Japanese studies, including history, literature, philosophy, sociology, international relations, economics, political science, selected professional schools and the humanities. The Chairholder is to teach both graduate and undergraduate courses in the various fields which comprise Japanese Studies at UCLA, to give at least one public lecture per year on U.S.-Japan relations and to publish at least one scholarly article per year on the subject.

The minimum criteria for the holder of the Chair will be a Ph.D. or equivalent in specified fields, a minimum of three years of tenure at a major educational institution and a history of publication in major academic journals. Such criteria may be waived for extraordinary candidates at the discretion of the Selection Committee which will be appointed by the ISOP Vice Provost and which will be comprised of the Director of the Center for Japanese Studies, the ISOP Vice Provost, and a selected faculty from the field of Japanese Studies or U.S.-Japan Relations.

Upon relinquishment of the Chair, the holder will be entitled to refer to himself or herself as the Terasaki Professor, appending dates of incumbency.

The current holder of the Terasaki Chair is Thomas Rimer. He teaches seminars and lecture courses through the Asian Languages and Cultures Department. In Fall 2007, he will teach a seminar, "Japan and Asia in World Theater," (Japan 191B, Variable Topics Research Seminars: Modern Japan.

The past Terasaki Professors include Ronald Morse, currently a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Sam Jameson, former Los Angeles Times Bureau Chief in Tokyo, and Akimasa Mitsuta, former Executive Director of the Japan Foundation and currently President of the Confucius Institute at Obirin University.