Grant Activities

Lecture series “u:japan: Bringing academic knowledge about Japan to the world”

Since 2020, the University of Vienna has operated u:Japan, a web-based platform (hybrid format) for global exchanges in Japanese studies, along with an annual program of lectures. TIFO has supported the lecture program since FY2023. In FY2024, a series of 23 lectures invited researchers and young scholars from Japan, the U.S. and eight European countries to introduce their research work in such areas as politics, economics, culture, literature, and the working environment in contemporary Japan. About 70 people attended each lecture. Recorded lectures are accessible to anybody interested in Japan. The unique lecture series provides the global research community with insights into the latest research on Japan and opportunities for dialogue.

The 2nd Nihongo Video Contest for High School Students in Korea

The contest encourages students with Korean nationality and enrolled in high school in Korea to demonstrate their proficiency in Japanese. Working in groups of three, students filmed and edited a video up to three minutes long, in which they explained their school life for their counterparts in Japan. A final review in December 2024 saw nine videos selected as winners—and when shown to Japanese high schoolers they all met with a warm and positive response.