Japan studies faculty, students and enthusiasts from across Canada and the world – particularly Japan, of course – gathered October 2 to 5 2025 for a wonderful conference hosted by the University of Lethbridge in Southern Alberta.  The host city had celebrated Japanese Heritage month, for the first time in Alberta, in September.   A CBC news report on those events featured several conference participants. 

The organizing committee, Gideon Fujiwara, Carly Adams, Deanna Oye, Abigal McMeekin, Darcy Tamayose, and Elaine Toth, assembled and coordinated a program comprising talks on many aspects of Japan studies, including classic and modern literature, history, tourism, religion, Canada-Japan economic and security policy and popular culture.  Participants were fortunate to have the chances to meet with the local community, particularly at the 2025 Golden Maple Reception, a tour of the Nikka Yuko Japanese garden as well as at several sessions. 

The keynote speakers were Shigeru Makino (Kyoto University), Eiko Ikegami (New School for Social Research), David Fedman (University of California-Irvine) and Darren Aoki (University of Plymouth).  Kanako Uzawa (Hokkaido University and University of Oslo) delivered an engaging talk and multi-media performance on the “…. Enduring Spirit of Ainu Women …” at the reception.

Thanks go to the organizing committee, the assistants and volunteers, the University of Lethbridge, the Japan Foundation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Consul General of Japan in Calgary, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Centre for Oral History and Tradition, Nikkei Memory Capture Project and Lethbridge Toyota. JSAC Secretary-Treasurer Aya Fujiwara (Alberta) is to be saluted for enabling our conference under our new NFP structure.   

We are looking forward to JSAC 2026, October 15-18 at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, near Niagara Falls.