The central mission of the Reischauer Institute is to promote and advance teaching and research that illuminates the study of Japan across fields, disciplines and faculties of Harvard University. It carries out this mandate though a variety of programs and activities.

Teaching

The Reischauer Institute supports teaching positions, especially professorships, in the field of Japanese studies. Among its recent initiatives is a program to support Harvard faculty who develop new courses relating to Japan or who modify existing courses to include Japan.

Research

The Reischauer Institute provides undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships and grants.

The Reischauer Institute provides support for collaborative research projects and study groupsin the humanities and social sciences. These projects bring together faculty and students, both at Harvard and in the greater New England area, who share similar research interests. Other Institute activities include organizing conference workshops, symposia and seminars.

Public Events and Lectures

The Japan Forum lecture series was established in 1974 in response to growing interest in Japanese studies at Harvard University. It provides scholars with an opportunity to share research with a diverse audience that includes faculty, students, Reischauer Institute affiliates and the general public. In addition to the Japan Forum, the Institute supports a wide variety of Japan-related artistic and cultural endeavors for the Harvard community and general public.

Library Resources

The Reischauer Institute Fund for Support of the Harvard-Yenching Library was established in 1978. With this assistance and through the exemplary efforts of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the Harvard-Yenching Library houses one of the largest collections of Japanese books outside Japan.

In 1988 the Reischauer Institute established the Documentation Center on Contemporary Japan (DCJ) an important resource for scholars and students of contemporary Japan in the social sciences. DCJ holdings include over 3,500 catalogued volumes, 200 journal and newspaper titles and access to a variety of electronic resources.

Publishing

The Reischuaer Institute supports publications on Japan in the Harvard East Asian Monograph Series issued through the Publications Office of the Harvard University Asia Center.

Institute publications include its bilingual newsletter Tsushin, Occasional Papers in Japanese Studies and special monographs.

International Programs

The Reischauer Institute actively promotes study abroad programs at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies and the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama. The Institute also provides support for the summer internship program administered by the Harvard Japanese Language Programs.

Local Partnerships

The Reischauer Institute maintains close relations with a number of institutions in the greater Boston and New England area. These institutions include the Japanese Consulate of Boston, Japan Society of Boston, Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Peabody Essex Museum.