Chiharu Shiota
Berlin, 2023
Photo by Sunhi Mang

SHIOTA Chiharu is a Berlin-based artist who is active internationally.
Since making her debut she has consistently deepened her expression while confronting the fundamental theme of “life and death.” A work she produced while studying in Germany in 1997, in which she employed her own body as a component of the work and wrestled with mud, marked her starting point as an artist. “During Sleep,” which she unveiled at Switzerland’s Museum of Art Lucerne in 2002, was a work in which 30 hospital beds were placed in a space that was woven in black thread, to the point of almost blacking it out, and it presented a direct expression of “life and death”, including through a performance that involved the artist sleeping. In addition, upon visiting Berlin eight years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Shiota created “Inside – Outside” (2008), a work in which windows collected from demolished buildings and other locations were stacked up highly in a wall configuration. The structure, which makes it possible for viewers to gaze at one another while separated between ‘that side’ and ‘this side,’ recalls the history and narrative of humankind, which are marked by differing views.

Japanese Language Education Symposium

The Association of Japanese Language Teachers of Mongolia’s activities are contributing significantly to the development and popularization of Japanese language education throughout Mongolia. The history of Japanese language education in Mongolia begins with the launch in 1975 of a Japanese language course at the National University of Mongolia’s Department of Literature, and has since developed and spread broadly from elementary and secondary educational institutions through to higher educational institutions.

The Association of Japanese Language Teachers of Mongolia was set up in 1993 and was registered with the Ministry of Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia in 1998. Currently it has 363 members and is supporting Japanese language education within Mongolia. One of its core activities is holding Japanese language speech contests with the cooperation of the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia, the Mongolia-Japan Center for Human Resources Development, Association of Japanese in Mongolia, and the Japanese Business Council of Mongolia. In addition, it is also proactively involved in hosting and co-hosting Japanese Language Education Symposiums, and is striving to strengthen the expertise of Japanese language teachers and improve the level of Japanese language education. It publishes the journal "Japanese Language Education in Mongolia" and supports academic research on the Japanese language and Japanese language education. As the implementing agency for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, since 2000 the Association has been holding the test in Ulaanbaatar City twice a year and in Arvaikheer City and Darkhan City once a year. Furthermore, it also undertakes the development of educational materials for elementary and secondary educational institutions based on the JF Standard for Japanese-Language Education. It has completed producing the “Nihongo Dekirumon” series of textbooks, which have had a major impact on Japanese language education within Mongolia, and is working to popularize them widely.

The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) is a research institution that was founded in the UK city of Norwich in 1999 through the financial support of Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury, to promote research, publication and exchanges relating to Japanese arts and cultures. The Institute, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is currently evolving as one of the largest research institutions in Europe for promoting knowledge and understanding of Japanese arts and cultures.

Its library collection boasts over 50,000 historical records relating to Japanese arts, cultures, archeology and other fields, and more than 90 individuals have been enrolled at the Institute since its founding, if fellows and visiting researchers from around the world are combined. As an open organization the Institute also undertakes many society-focused activities, and hosts public lectures on the third Thursday of each month. Over 250 such lectures have been held already. In 2022 the Institute held an exhibition of Jomon Period flame pots and earthen figures, which are the specialty of Professor Simon Kaner, Executive Director of the Institute. The exhibition, which was titled “Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan,” received favorable reviews worldwide, including Japan.