Japan – Dissemination
Conferences
Information about conferences can be found in websites of publishers related to the subject and websites by scholars as well as conference websites. It is useful to make friends with scholars in Japan and ask them to send you information about conferences in Japan. Most conferences are in Japanese, even if they deal with non-Japanese works such as English literature. See Web links for a list of websites listing conferences in Japan.
Some universities have a conference allowance for postgraduate students, but they normally have regulations: (1) they attend an international conference, and (2) they submit a paper / give a presentation. Usually they have to submit the form beforehand. Funding covers travel fare, conference fee and accommodation.
Postgraduates are encouraged to attend and present a paper at conferences. Conferences are regarded as a good opportunity to get acquainted with scholars in the same area.
It is not so common to organise their own conferences, but it is possible to organise a small workshop within their university or their area. Funding is not available for organising student-led conferences.
Presenting and Publishing Research
It is rare for Japanese students to give a departmental seminar in their alma mater after they get their PhD. They may give a small presentation to their supervisor and students in the same area after their completion or just before it.
Students are encouraged to give a presentation about their PhD thesis (whether they complete it or not) in conferences and workshops and get feedbacks from other people.
Students are encouraged to publish their PhD thesis. It is not uncommon that foreign companies publish Japanese students’ theses, especially written in English.
Presentations
Presentations in Japanese academia are supposed to be very formal and serious. It is often the case that presenters never say a single joke. How they deliver their presentation depends on faculties, but in some areas people just show their research without making audience getting involved in the presentation.
Speakers use polite forms (-desu / -masu) in presentations in Japanese. Speaking in the way they write in articles (using –da and –dearu instead of –desu/ –masu, for example) sound strange, non-native or slightly rude. Casual forms (e.g. –(da)ne, –dayo) sound immature and unprofessional so they should be avoided too.
It is not often that students get training especially for giving presentations at conferences. Students practice it with their supervisors and/or their peers (who share the same supervisor).
Publication
If students deal with a foreign language or works in a foreign language, they are encouraged to write in the language they deal with or in English. Another case where writing in English is encouraged is that student’s deal with areas in which there are not so many scholars (e.g. minority languages).
Many scholars write in Japanese rather than in English. For example, according to my own observation of articles about medieval English, two thirds of the articles written in one year were in Japanese.
PhD students do not get funding for translation or proof-reading. Some teachers offer free proof-reading for their students, but not for all students in their department. Sometimes students ask their peer students to proof-read. In this case they usually pay for the job, but if you are lucky your peers may do that for free.
Most universities have their faculty journals (typically called 紀要 kiyō). You may need to pay for receiving journals and publishing an article through it when you enrol in the university (around 1,000 yen per year). Many university journals ask you to pay money if you want to publish through them after your graduation.
Publication of PhDs
Most PhDs are published electronically.
Many of the top universities have a university press (for example, the University of Tokyo Press, Kyoto University Press, and Osaka University Press).
There are numerous independent publishers that publish PhDs. One of these is Hituzi Syobo, which provides instructions for submission.
The costs of publishing can often be offset by 助成金 (joseikin, or grants-in-aid). It is worth looking at the websites for academic societies and associations related to your discipline to see if any such grants are offered.
Knowledge Transfer Activities
Postgraduate students are not encouraged to present their research outside academia, nor are there many opportunities to do so.
Open lectures are usually held by full-time lecturers and professors, not by PGR students.
Opportunities for collaboration outside academia are still quite rare in Japanese academia. Many Japanese students are unfamiliar with the idea of public engagement.
Glossary
A glossary of key academic terms
論文 (Ronbun, Article) – This term is used for thesis, dissertation, essay, or article. The counter for 論文 is 本 (hon, pon, or bon, depending on the context, as in 一本, ippon, one article). Undergraduate essays are usually referred to as レポート (repōto, taken from the English report) – not エッセイ (essei, or essay), which refers to non-academic writing.
発表 (Happyō, Presenting or presentation) – Can be used as a noun to refer to a presentation (for example, of one’s research at a conference), or as the verb 発表する (happyō suru) to refer to the act of presenting. The same term is used in non-academic situations (for example, for someone making a public statement or announcement).
提出 / 投稿 (Teishutsu / tōkō, Submit / turn in) – Either of these terms can be used to refer to submitting essays, articles, dissertations, etc. Journal submission guidelines are referred to as 投稿規定 (tōkō-kitei).
出版 (Shuppan, Publish or publication) – Publication as a noun is simply 出版 (shuppan); ‘to publish’ as a verb is 出版する (shuppan suru).
会議 / 学会 / 大会 (Kaigi / gakkai / taikai, Conference / meeting) – See note on 学会below. 会議 also means meeting, and is used for other forms of meetings, including in business environments.
学術誌 / 学会誌 / 刊行物 / 紀要 (Gakujutsushi / gakkaishi / kankōbutsu / kiyō, Academic journal / periodical) – There are multiple terms for journal in Japanese, depending on the specific journal.
学会 (Gakkai, Academic society) – 学会can also be used to refer to meetings of the society. Most 学会 will have an annual meeting, which is referred to as a 大会 (taikai, which is usually translated as convention).
研究会 (Kenkyūkai, Research society) – Can be used to refer to official academic societies, or an informal study group or reading circle.
Web Links
Conferences
General
Conference Alerts – Conferences in Japan.
Wikipedia – 日本学術会議協力学術研究団体 (list of associations approved by the Japanese government).
Linguistics
The Linguistic Society of Japan – Links to associations related to linguistics.
言語系学会連合(UALS)カレンダー – A calendar of conferences related to linguistics.
研究社：web英語青年「予告」 – A calendar of conferences related to English literature and linguistics.
やちまた：学会情報 – A calendar of conferences related to linguistics.
The Japanese Society for Language Sciences -The JSLS hosts an annual conference covering all linguistics topics.
Japan Association for Language Teaching – The JALT hosts an annual international conference on Japanese language teaching in convention halls across the country.
Literature
日本英文学会 (ELSJ)：他学会等の開催情報 – A calendar of conferences related to English literature.
笠間書院・日本の文学・語学研究のための学会、イベントスケジュール – A calendar of conferences and workshops related to Japanese literature and linguistics.
Philosophy
The Philosophical Association of Japan -Links to associations related to philosophy.
History
日本歴史学会：加盟学会 – A list of associations related to the discipline of history.
歴史学研究会：リンク集 – Links to associations related to the discipline of history.
Performing Arts (Music, Theatre, dance)
日本音楽学会：リンク – Links to associations related to music.
日本演劇学会：分科会・プロジェクト – Information of workshops and events related to theatres.
表彰文化論学会 – The Association for Studies of Culture and Representation.
舞踊学会 – An association for dance research.
Religion
日本宗教学会：研究会情報 – Information about workshops and conferences related to religion.
日本宗教学会：リンク – Links to associations related to religion studies.
Japanese Association for Religious Studies – This is a large religious studies conference held in Japan annually.
Art
文化財保存修復学会：行事案内 – Information of events and workshops related to the conservation of cultural property.
Design Principles and Practices – This conference brings together academic and practice-based submissions from a variety of design, architecture, media, and communication-related disciplines. This is a potentially good option for researchers abroad, as they accept proposals for both in-person presentations and ‘virtual’ presentations, the latter of which are streamed online through Youtube for those who cannot attend the conference in person.
Culture
日本文化人類学会：リンク – Links to associations related to anthropology.
Anthropology of Japan in Japan – The AJJ holds an annual conference, as well as periodic meetings and workshops, for anthropologists working in Japan on Japan-related topics.
Asian Studies Conference Japan – The ASCJ is held annually in different universities across Tokyo. ASCJ is open to proposals regarding any Asian studies related topics. All sessions are held in English.
The European Association for Japanese Studies – The EAJS hosts international conferences in Japan every three years. Any Japan studies topics are considered.
East Asia Sociologists Network – the EASN holds an annual conference in venues that alternate between Japan, China, and South Korea.
The Japan Sociological Society – This large sociology conference is held annually in universities across the country.