This directory in three volumes updates the second edition of the Directory of Japan Specialists and Japanese Studies Institutions in the United States and Canada, which was published in 1995 as a joint project of The Japan Foundation and the Association for Asian Studies. Like its predecessors, it has two aims: first, to make Japan specialists, Japanese studies programs, and their collective expertise more visible and accessible to those outside the field; and, second, to help those involved in Japanese studies stay in touch with one another. It includes 1,480 Japan specialists, 266 full institutional entries containing 1,947 staff listings, and 663 doctoral candidates. The directory is most complete for academic Japan specialists who make up the core of the field. However, as in 1995, many non-academics are included who use their expertise on Japan professionally. The institutional listings include a number of non-academic institutions and ogranizations that contribute substantially to Japanese studies. The U.S. part of the series has been managed and edited since the late 1980s by Patricia Steinhoff, professor of sociology at the University of Hawai'i.

The Japan Foundation is the Japanese government's agency for cultural diplomacy and international cultural affairs. Established in 1972 by special legislation in the Japanese Diet, The Japan Foundation became an Independent Administrative Institution in October 2003. Its mission is to promote international cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and other countries. It maintains its headquarters in Tokyo and operates through a network of 19 overseas offices in 18 countries worldwide.

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