National Clearinghouse for U.S. - Japan Studies

Internet Guides

Designed for teachers, the Clearinghouse Internet Guides provide annotated lists of recommended Web sites about Japan arranged by topic. We have tried to include sites with both specific and general information on each topic, as well as several sites for each guide appropriate for students to visit by themselves. Some sites provide background information, some provide teaching ideas, and others are just plain fun.

Bibliographies

Drawing on entries in the U.S.-Japan database, the Internet, and other resources, these Japan Bibliographies present annotations of books, periodicals, websites, and multimedia materials on topics of Japanese culture, society, history, and U.S.-Japan relations.

History

The original concept (1989) for proposing the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies was based primarily on an external evaluation of regional pre-collegiate Japan projects throughout the United States. These projects were largely funded by the United States–Japan Foundation, New York, from the early 1980s. “Six Years of Pre-collegiate Grantmaking: An External Evaluation” by Susan A. Tucker suggested that a national effort linking existing regional pre-collegiate Japan projects would enhance services to educators. The National Pre-collegiate Japan Projects Network was formed and co-coordinated by Linda Wojtan at the University of Maryland and Donald Spence at East Carolina University. The National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies was an important part of this network as it compiled information about Japan and U.S.–Japan relations and disseminated the information to classroom teachers, supervisors, and department heads primarily through the network.

Indiana University served as the home of the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies from its inception in 1990 through 2006. In 1995, the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies website was launched in collaboration with the East Asian Studies Center and the School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University. The Center for Global Partnership (The Japan Foundation) and the United States–Japan Foundation were the major funding agencies of the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies and were instrumental in its success and longevity.

Numerous grantees of the United States–Japan Foundation and the Center for Global Partnership as well as educators throughout the United States and Japan have contributed to providing information on Japan and U.S.–Japan relations for the Clearinghouse and disseminating the information to classroom teachers, supervisors, and department heads. Since the 1990s, many of the original regional pre-collegiate Japan projects have evolved into broader East Asia-focused projects but still play an important role with the Clearinghouse.

The National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies was relocated from the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University to SPICE, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, in 2007. The original mission of the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies remains the same.

The Clearinghouse continues to serve not only as a site for information on Japan and U.S.–Japan relations but also as a legacy of the dedication of many individuals, whose names are listed below, and the generosity of the United States–Japan Foundation and the Center for Global Partnership.
 


SPICE would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance with the development of this history and with the transition of the Clearinghouse’s relocation from Indiana University to Stanford University:

  • David Janes, Program Officer and Assistant to the President, United States–Japan Foundation;
  • Margaret Key, Associate Director, East Asian Studies Center, Indiana University;
  • Hyon Seo Kwon, Program Associate, Center for Global Partnership (New York), the Japan Foundation;
  • Yukiko Ono, Assistant Director, Center for Global Partnership (New York), the Japan Foundation;
  • Heidi Ross, Director, East Asian Studies Center, Indiana University;
  • Patricia Tennen, Assistant Outreach Coordinator, East Asian Studies Center, Indiana University; and
  • Linda Wojtan, Senior Advisor and Chair of the Advisory Board.

» Complete list of individuals affiliated with the National Clearinghouse for U.S.–Japan Studies