BRITISH ASSOCIATION
FOR JAPANESE STUDIES
| ABOUT US | NEWS & EVENTS | POSTGRADUATE NEWS | MEMBERSHIP | IVAN MORRIS MEMORIAL PRIZE |
| 'JAPAN FORUM' | DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD | FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & LINKS | SPONSORS | CONTACT US |
About BAJS
The Association was formed in 1974, with the "aim to encourage Japanese studies in the UK, in particular by stimulating teaching and research". With this in mind, the Association's first Conference was convened in Cambridge at Easter 1975, and since then the Conference has been an annual event, held in the early spring at one of the UK's universities.
The Association admits individuals supporting its aims, and has a membership of over two hundred. It is administered by a Council, which is elected at the Conference. It is funded exclusively by an annual subscription from the membership, and all activities (including the Conference) are self-financing.
The Annual Conference, which is open to non-members sharing the same interests as the members, is held during the Easter vacation over a three day period. The papers which are presented in a variety of specialist areas offer an opportunity to keep abreast of current thought and research In addition, there is a plenary session to which the Association, with the support of the Japan Foundation, has been able to invite very well-known Japanese speakers. Some of the papers presented at the conference are published in the Association's publication 'JAPAN FORUM ', which is produced in two volumes during the year.
The Association has within its organisation a Japan Library Group, consisting of members who are librarians at the main teaching centres of Japanese studies in the UK. Additionally, there is a Teaching Forum which aims to widen the discourse on the teaching of Japanese outside the higher educational establishments. The Association organises the administration of the Ivan Morris Memorial Essay Prize.
The Association's Council tries to keep abreast of opinion on the development of and activity within Japanese Studies and to represent members' opinions to outside bodies. A BAJS Newsletter is published at least three times a year, and membership to BAJS includes three volumes of 'JAPAN FORUM ' per year (from 2002).