Earth from Space – Japan in AutumnImage captured from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus-Sentinel 3 mission in November 2023(Source: Wikimedia Commons) The geopolitics of space This article follows on an earlier discussion of the key milestones in Japan’s development of its space programme[i] and considers the wider geopolitical context within which this programme is pursued…
Author: Daniel Bugan Stellenbosch University Japan Centre (SUJC), in association with the Embassy of Japan in South Africa, recently presented a seminar entitled “Mathematics education, innovation and practice in varied contexts: Insights from Japan and South Africa”. The seminar, which took place on 6 March 2024, featured mathematics teaching practitioners and educators from primary, secondary…
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Interview: Prof. Yoichi MINE
Author: Daniel Bugan Prof. Yoichi Mine describes his visit to Stellenbosch University (SU) to deliver the second Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chair lecture as an emotional homecoming. It’s a place, he says, which not only ensured early academic success but also awakens fond memories of a more innocent and carefree time in his family’s…
Author: Daniel Bugan Prof Yoichi Mine, Executive Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, on 29 February 2024 delivered the second JICA Chair lecture at Stellenbosch University (SU). His lecture, entitled “Journeys for Human Security: Dynamics of Migration in Africa”, was hosted by SU’s Japan Centre…
The 6th South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU 6) will take place in Stellenbosch on 27-29 August 2024. The theme of the Forum is Fostering Sustainable Partnerships in Research, Innovation and Impact. The Joint Organising Committee invites proposals from academics and researchers, students, university administrators, practitioners, representatives from government and research funding institutions, and stakeholders from…
Stellenbosch University Japan Centre (SUJC) in association with the Japanese Language Club of South Africa (JLCSA) are delighted to invite you to apply for an online JLPT N4 (Upper Beginners Level) Japanese language course at Stellenbosch University. In this course, students will learn: * Informal speech* Honorific and extra modest speech* Express thoughts and opinions*…
The principal goal of Stellenbosch University Japan Centre (SUJC) is to promote Japanese and Japan Studies at the university through research, teaching and other academic collaboration with partners in Japan, elsewhere on the African continent, and internationally. The centre also aims to enhance knowledge and cultural exchange on a broader basis by means of public…
Since April this year, SUJC has been running an intern and mentorship programme aimed at cultivating a next generation of scholars and researchers on Japan and Japan-Africa relations. The Japan-Africa Young Scholars Initiative is supported by a grant from the Toshiba International Foundation. A dynamic team makes up the 2023 cohort of young scholars. They…
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Interview: Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA
Author: Sue Segar Japan has achieved modernisation and industrialisation from the 19th to the 20th century and the challenges it faced were similar to those currently faced by developing countries. For this reason, Japan –the world’s first country to modernise from a non-Western background – has much to offer in terms of its experience and lessons to…
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Japan Joins the Race for the Moon
Author: Cüneyt Aksoy On September 6, 2023, Japan successfully launched its H-IIA rocket carrying the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Moon lander. This successful launch came after previous three attempts in 2023, which were cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.[1] The H-IIA, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, JAXA’s most reliable rocket with just one failure…