American Studies in Japan
The Japanese universities about which Professor Martin writes do not offer many courses about the United States, but through the combined efforts of a Dartmouth professor and others there now exists in Japan a privately supported foundation with the specific purpose of fostering the integrated study of American culture, economics, politics, and history.
The American Studies Foundation was the brainchild of Donald Bartlett '24, Professor of Biography and Professor of Japanese Studies at Dartmouth. While serving as Cultural Attache with the U. S. Embassy in Tokyo, 1958-61, he proposed such a foundation to his friends Minoru Tabuchi and Takejiro Shin do, a prominent industrialist and father of Ryutaro Shindo '55. They showed interest in the idea and agreed that Japanese sponsorship and initiative would be prime requirements for success. Mr. Shindo not only gave a large sum personally but enlisted the support of other prestigious businessmen and industrial organizations, whose help was considered all-important since no foundation for academic support had ever existed in Japan on a national scale. Capital assets of 100,000,000 yen were assured, at which point the U. S. State Department gave additional impetus by offering $240,000 of appropriated funds for specific projects as Japanese matching funds were raised.
The American Studies Foundation is now in operation, with Ichiro Yano as president and with its Tokyo office located in the Dachai Mutual Insurance Building, which served as headquarters for General MacArthur during the Occupation. The Foundation in its beginnings has given salary support in 23 colleges, made travel and research grants for American studies, sponsored American specialist conferences, supported the Kyoto Summer Seminar, and promoted translations of American books.
A major project under consideration is an American Studies Institute, which would have a library for Japanese teachers to use, since few university libraries have anywhere near adequate resources for general American studies.
The American advisers for the Foundation are Dartmouth's Professor Bartlett and Philosophy Professor John Goheen of Stanford University.
Professor Bartlett last month was in Washington as guest consultant to the Committee on American Studies of the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils. Discussions there dealt with the status of American studies all over the world. The American Studies Foundation in Japan is unique, according to Professor Bartlett, in that its support comes not from the U. S. but from local private capital.
