2023 Activity Report
March Activity Report
31 March 2024
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Leonardo Brescia de Sousa Henriques
This month, we had the pleasure of inaugurating the “Japanese Studies Room at UERJ” 「リオデジャネイロ州立大学日本研究室」, a significant milestone in cooperation between UERJ and the Government of Japan. The event took place on March 13th at the Law School.
The room in question is the result of an agreement between UERJ and the Government of Japan, established through the "Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects", a program of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the mediation of the Consulate General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro. The grant provided resources for the renovation and modernization of room 7148 in Block F, turning it into a model room equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia resources, video conferencing, and simultaneous interpretation booth.
The project also received generous support from TUFS for the installation of multimedia systems in the room, without which its implementation at UERJ would not have been possible. The project coordinators are deeply grateful to TUFS for its invaluable support.
The initiative, coordinated by the Japanese Department of the Institute of Letters and the Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Program in Law (PPGD), with institutional support from the Global Japan Office (GJO-TUFS), aims to promote the internationalization of UERJ, foster interdisciplinarity, offer a multi-purpose perspective for different academic departments of the University, and strengthen UERJ's ties with the world. This includes the ability to host various events with participants who are not only in Japan but also in different states and countries.
It is important to note that this room houses the JICA Chair at UERJ. JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), which formalized an agreement with the University about two years ago, is the Japanese Government agency responsible for implementing Official Development Assistance (ODA), which supports the growth and socioeconomic stability of developing countries with the aim of contributing to peacebuilding and the development of the international society.
It is worth remembering that the installation of this room at UERJ is the result of the long-standing history of Japanese Studies at the University. Initially, the “Brazil-Japan Program” was established in 1999 at the UERJ Law School, which now hosts the new room and houses the JICA Chair. Over the following two decades, new initiatives related to the teaching of Japanese Studies were developed, including agreements with various Japanese universities and the creation of the Japanese Language extension course, followed by the Portuguese-Japanese undergraduate course at the Institute of Letters in 2003. In 2016, the Global Japan Office (GJO) was established at UERJ, an office of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), with which UERJ has maintained an agreement for almost 25 years. More recently, in March 2022, UERJ signed an agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), resulting in the creation of the JICA-UERJ Chair, as mentioned above.
As for the inauguration ceremony, it was attended by the UERJ Rector, Prof. Gulnar Azevedo e Silva, Ph.D.; the Consul General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Takashi Manabe; Mrs. Reiko Kawamura, Senior Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Brazil; Prof. Carlos Edison do Rêgo Monteiro Filho, Ph.D., Director of the Law School of UERJ, among other university representatives.
Initially, the audience was invited to attend the opening ceremony at the main hall of the Law School, where the Japanese National Anthem was performed by UERJ Japanese student Raquel da Silva Almeida on the violin, followed by the Brazilian National Anthem which was performed by Organist and Ph.D. in Music, Domitila Ballesteros, on the piano. Then, the attending authorities made brief speeches.
Next, a video message from the President of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Prof. Kayoko Hayashi, Ph.D., who kindly recorded a message for the event, was shown. A brief lecture on the importance of internationalization programs was then given by Prof. Flaviane Bolzan de Morais, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Law Area of CAPES — Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel.
The audience was then invited to move to the Japanese Studies Room for the unveiling of the plaque and for a demonstration of the operation of the equipment and resources available. Finally, in another room, a reception with sushi and sashimi tasting was offered to celebrate the achievement.
Below are some images of the room and of the event:
February Activity Report
29 February 2024
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Leonardo Brescia de Sousa Henriques
1) CAp-UERJ Students' Achievement: Admission to TUFS with Japanese Government Scholarship
Three students from the Instituto de Aplica??o Fernando Rodrigues da Silveira, known as “CAp-UERJ”, have recently completed their High School education and achieved a remarkable milestone by securing admission to the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) with a full scholarship provided by the Japanese Government (MEXT). The selected students, Jo?o Pedro Ribeiro Deolindo, Maria Manuela Monteiro Matos, and Sarah Sprogis Brito Batista, all 18 years old, are set to embark on their journey to Japan at the end of March.
The Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) proudly announced this achievement through an article on its official website. The release includes a brief interview with the Coordinator of the selection process, Professor Elisa Figueira, Ph.D., from the UERJ Institute of Letters. Professor Figueira explained that the collaboration between the Universities dates back to the 2000s, and, since 2015, 24 students from CAp-UERJ have earned spots at TUFS. She emphasized that for these CAp-UERJ students, the opportunity to spend four years abroad in a distant country occurs during a transformative period, making this TUFS undergraduate course a significant and impactful experience.
The article also features statements from the selected students:
Maria Manuela expressed that her primary goal was to secure a long-awaited spot in Tokyo. She emphasized her desire to study at TUFS, citing the alignment of her desired career with the internationally focused and globalized nature of the University.
Jo?o Pedro shared that his childhood exposure to Japanese culture through video games, anime, and manga fueled his passion for Japan. Now, he aims to make the most of this opportunity to meet people, travel across Asia, and intensively dedicate himself to studies.
Like her classmate, Sarah is an avid admirer of the oriental country. She admitted that while she always dreamed of studying abroad, the news of her acceptance was both incredible and surprising. She emphasized the significant achievement of realizing her dream to study overseas.
To better prepare the students for their upcoming journey, a last meeting took place on February 7th. Attendees included the future TUFS students, their parents, family members, teachers, educators, the CAp Director, the selection process Coordinator Prof. Elisa Figueira, the GJO Coordinator, and former TUFS students who underwent a similar process in previous years. The productive meeting primarily focused on practical aspects related to their arrival at the University.
Below are images of the report in Portuguese published on the UERJ website and the meeting on the 7th at CAp-UERJ. These visuals capture the joy and anticipation of the students and their support network as they embark on this exciting academic journey to TUFS in Tokyo, Japan.
2) UERJ institutional video with Japanese subtitles
Recently, UERJ published an institutional video on its website that shows some images of UERJ campuses spread across the State of Rio de Janeiro, as well as data and numbers from the University. The video is narrated in Portuguese but has subtitles in some languages, including Japanese. The translation was done by Professor Satomi Kitahara from the UERJ Japanese Department and, with the help of interns from the Department, the subtitles were inserted into the video. Here is the link to watch it:https://vimeo.com/893747288
January Activity Report
31 January 2024
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Leonardo Brescia de Sousa Henriques
1) Visit of the Consul General of Japan to UERJ
On the afternoon of January 11th, the newly installed Rector Prof. Gulnar Azevedo e Silva, Ph.D. and Vice-Rector Prof. Bruno Rêgo Deusdará Rodrigues, Ph.D. received the delegation from the Consulate General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro, on an official visit to the University. The delegation was composed of the Consul-General Mr. Takashi Manabe, the Cultural Consul Mrs. Rina Ishikawa, the Consul Mr. Usui Takaaki and the Consulate Advisor Mrs. Gabriela Yussa. From UERJ, those present at the reception included Prof. Naira de Almeida Velozo, Ph.D., Vice-Director of the Institute of Letters; Prof. Nely Palermo, Ph.D., from the International Cooperation Office; Prof. Poliana Coeli Costa Arantes, Ph.D., from the Institute of Letters; Prof. Mari Fujiwara, collaborating professor from the Japanese Department and Leonardo Brescia from GJO.
After visiting the Rectory, the delegation went to the Faculty of Law to check the progress of the installation of the Laboratory donated to Uerj through the Japanese government program called Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects. The mentioned room will house the JICA Chair, which was established through an agreement between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and UERJ in 2022. The inauguration of the new room is scheduled for March 7th.
Here are some pictures of the visit:
2) Visit to the official residence of Consul-General Manabe
The professors of the Department of Japanese at UERJ, Satomi Kitahara, Elisa Figueira, Mari Fujiwara and the coordinator of the Global Japan Office, Leonardo Brescia, were invited to a dinner at the official residence of Consul-General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro Mr. Manabe on January 5, 2024. At dinner, current and future projects related to Japan at UERJ were discussed, such as the resumption of the Consulate lecture cycle at UERJ, the prospect of opening a Kyudo class at undergraduate level at UERJ, the implementation of the interactive laboratory in the JICA chair room, in the Graduate Program of the Faculty of Law (PPGD), among other topics.
Below is a picture of the visit:
Prof. Satomi Kitahara, Prof. Elisa Figueira and Cultural Consul Rina Ishikawa
December Activity Report
31 December 2023
Global Japan Office Coordinator
Leonardo Brescia de Sousa Henriques
1) New Year Takoyaki Party
In December, as is customary in various parts of the world, including Brazil, there are several celebrations for the ending year. As a way to celebrate the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, UERJ collaborating Professor Mari Fujiwara, along with UERJ Japanese language students and Japanese exchange students, hosted a takoyaki party on December 19th in the Flamengo neighborhood.
On the day before the event, some UERJ students and exchange students visited the traditional fish and seafood market called "Mercado de Peixe S?o Pedro" (S?o Pedro Fish Market) in Niteroi city, to procure the main ingredient for takoyaki: octopus.
On the day of the event, everyone pitched in to prepare the takoyaki, as well as bring non-alcoholic beverages and treats, such as onigiri. In addition to the food, participants also engaged in the tradition of "amigo oculto" (Secret Gift Exchange), which is very popular in Brazil during end-of-year festivities. Below are some images from the takoyaki party:
Japanese and Brazilian students at the S?o Pedro fish market
The octopus
Students preparing takoyaki
The takoyaki party
The Secret Gift Exchange
2) Donated Books Storage
Recently, UERJ had the honor of receiving book donations from TUFS alumna Michiko Kameyama, the Nagaoka couple, as well as from the JICA Chair of S?o Paulo. In total, more than 20 boxes of books in Japanese or related to Japanese themes, in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences, were donated.
For the proper storage of the books, Mrs. Kameyama's husband, Mr. Leo Kameyama, kindly donated bookshelves, which were installed in the Minato Multimedia Laboratory, used by the University's Japanese Department.
Students from the Japanese language course, as well as TUFS exchange students, volunteered to help organize the books on the shelves, under the guidance of Prof. Elisa Massae Sasaki and Prof. Mari Fujiwara. Below are some images of the book organization process which will enrich the collection of the Japanese Depar