Japan Foundation
Encyclopedia
The was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet
as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution
under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan
on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent Administrative Institution Japan Foundation Law".
The Japan Foundation aims towards comprehensive and effective development of its international cultural exchange programs in the following categories:
and has a subsidiary office in Kyoto
. There are also two domestic Japanese-Language Institutes in Saitama
and Tajiri, Osaka
.
Internationally, the Japan Foundation maintains 23 overseas branches in 21 countries: (Sydney) (São Paulo
) (Toronto
) (Beijing) (Paris) (Cairo
) (Cologne
) (Budapest
) (New Delhi) (Jakarta
) (Rome) (Kuala Lumpur
) (Mexico City
) (Manila
) (Madrid
) (Seoul
) (Bangkok
) (also home to the Southeast Asian bureau) (London) (Los Angeles and New York City) (Hanoi
)
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution
Independent Administrative Institution
An Incorporated Administrative Agency or in lay terms an Independent Administrative Corporation or Independent Administrative Institution is a newly designed type of legal body for Japanese governmental organizations regulated by the Basic Law on Reforming Government Ministries of 1998...
under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent Administrative Institution Japan Foundation Law".
The Japan Foundation aims towards comprehensive and effective development of its international cultural exchange programs in the following categories:
- Promotion of (Japanese) artsJapanese artJapanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art...
and culturalCulture of JapanThe culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
exchange - Promotion of (overseas) Japanese-language education (the JLPT exam)
- Promotion of (overseas) Japanese studies and intellectual exchange – Japan Foundation Information Centers collect and provide information about international exchange and international cultural exchange standard bearers.
Japan Foundations worldwide
The Japan Foundation is headquartered in Shinjuku, TokyoShinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
and has a subsidiary office in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. There are also two domestic Japanese-Language Institutes in Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
and Tajiri, Osaka
Tajiri, Osaka
is a town located in Sennan District, Osaka, Japan.As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 7,909 and a density of 1,595 persons per km². The total area is 4.96 km².It is the smallest town in Osaka Prefecture...
.
Internationally, the Japan Foundation maintains 23 overseas branches in 21 countries: (Sydney) (São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
) (Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
) (Beijing) (Paris) (Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
) (Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
) (Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) (New Delhi) (Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
) (Rome) (Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
) (Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
) (Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
) (Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) (Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
) (Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
) (also home to the Southeast Asian bureau) (London) (Los Angeles and New York City) (Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
)
Activities
- Let's Learn JapaneseLet's Learn JapaneseLet's Learn Japanese is a video-based Japanese language study course for English speakers produced by The Japan Foundation.The two seasons were originally aired on television at a rate of one episode per day, with each episode consisting of two lessons...
– educational Japanese-language learning series, produced 1985, 1995, and 2007 - Japanese Language Proficiency TestJapanese Language Proficiency TestThe , or JLPT, is a standardized criterion-referenced test to evaluate and certify Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers.The JLPT was expanded to five levels in 2010, with passing Level N5 denoting simple language abilities, and Level N1 denoting advanced language abilities...
– Japan Foundation co-proctors exam overseas
External links
- Japan Foundation Official site of the Japan Foundation
- Japan Cultural Profile National cultural portal for Japan created by Visiting Arts with Japan Foundation support
- International Societies (local-government-funded NPOs) in Japan to promote cultural and language exchange