Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Nine presentations on different aspects of Japanese society—delivered during the Fourth Japanese Studies in the Philippines Research Competition on 19 March 2022, 830 am to 2 pm—are now available in the UP Asian Center's YouTube channel.
The research competition seeks to encourage Japan-related research among Filipino students, to disseminate knowledge, and exchange perspectives on Japanese Studies. For the general public, the competition also serves somewhat like a crash course on Japan, giving them a glimpse of various issues that affect Japanese society:  foreign relations, labor policy, the status of women and LGBT, Filipina nurses, and Christianity in Japan, among others.

Watch All Presentations Free: Click Title to Pop Up

Panel 1: Japan-Philippines Relations

What Awaits: Transitions and Future Possibilities for Japan-Philippine Relations
          Chalieh Alob, University of San Carlos
The Past and Future of Japan and the Philippines: Foundations for Strengthened Ties in a Multipolar World
          Timothy John A. Jala, University of San Carlos

Panel 2: Economic, Labor, and Social Policy

Linking Labor Policy and Development: A Critique of Japanese Labor Policies Since the Post-Bubble Era
         Tyrone Kit B. Agres, University of the Philippines Diliman
Byouin ni Okeru Nihongo no Benkyou no Shikata (病院における日本語の勉強のし方): A Grounded Theory Approach on JPEPA Nurses/Caregivers’ Non-Classroom Language Learning Processes Inside the Hospital/Nursing Home
          Daniel Dominic S. Ambat, University of the Philippines Diliman
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Japanese Women in Leadership Positions
          Faith Madeleine S. Ong, University of the Philippines Diliman
Sino and Japanese Infrastructure Diplomacy in Duterte’s Build Build Build Program
          Chelsea Nicole P. Pineda, University of the Philippines Diliman

Panel 3: Politics, Society and Culture

Rethinking Representation: The Possibility of Advancing LGBT Equality in Japan’s National Discourse
          Altamira Chantrelle M. Reyes, University of the Philippines Diliman
Sexual Harassment in Public Transportation: A Comparative Study between Urban Japan and the Philippines
          Shannen Liz S. Carreon, University of the Philippines Diliman
Nihon no Kirisutokyō: Narratives of Religious Encounters of Filipino Christians in Japan
          Meljoe S. Loreto, Silliman University

The research competition was organized by the Asian Center, UP Diliman and Japan Foundation Manila and held via Zoom. The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers an MA program in Asian Studies with specialization on Northeast Asia and a country focus on Japan. Discover the program details.
For queries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. View other webinar recordings in, and subscribe to, our YouTube channel.

The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.