Stanford e-Japan is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Stanford e-Japan is currently supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In August 2024, top students of the Spring 2023 and the Fall 2023 Stanford e-Japan courses will be honored through an event at Stanford University.

The three Spring 2023 honorees—Asumi Kato (Matsumoto Fukashi High School), Luna Kihara (Osaka Jogakuin High School), and Satoshi Yamamura (Tokyo Metropolitan Fuji High School)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “The United States and Capitalism: How the U.S.-Led Economic System Has Affected the Planet,” “Godzilla and U.S.–Japan Relations,” and “Media Influence on Elections in the U.S. and Japan: A Comparison.” 

Takuma Kawaguchi (Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School) and Kanako Miyazaki (Saikyo Municipal High School) received Honorable Mentions for their research papers that focused respectively on “History Textbooks and Divergent Perceptions,” and “CEO Compensation in the U.S. and Japan.”

The three Fall 2023 honorees—Hisataka Kadota (Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi Senior High School), Shoma Nishida (Canadian Academy), and Rei Ozawa (Keio Girls Senior High School)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “A Board Game Showcase to Analyze Japanese Companies and American Companies,” “Divergent Perspectives on Nuclear Weapons in Japan and the U.S.: What Are the Future Implications?,” and “The Color of the Courts: Racial Discrimination Within the U.S. Judiciary.” 

Mayu Anzai (Seiun High School) and Rihito Kotani (Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School) each received an Honorable Mention for their coursework and research papers on “The Ainu Revival: Learning from Hawaii” and “Media Bias in Shaping Public Perception: United States and Japan.”

In the Spring 2023 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Chigusa High School (Aichi); Chuo Secondary School (Gunma); Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Global Academy (Hiroshima); Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Hokkaido); Hyogo Prefectural Ashiya International Secondary School (Hyogo); Joshigakuin Junior and Senior High School (Tokyo); Kaishi Kokusai High School (Niigata); Kaiyo Academy (Aichi); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Matsumoto Fukashi High School (Nagano); Miyazaki Nishi High School (Miyazaki); Musashi High School (Tokyo); Osaka Jogakuin High School (Osaka); Otemon Gakuin High School (Osaka); Saikyo Municipal High School (Kyoto); Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School (Saitama); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Senior High School at Ostuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Shizuoka Salesio High School (Shizuoka); Takada Junior & Senior High School (Mie); The University of Tokyo Secondary School (Tokyo); Toho Senior High School (Tokyo); Tokai High School (Aichi); Toko Gakuen (Kanagawa); Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo); and Tokyo Metropolitan Fuji High School (Tokyo).

In the Fall 2023 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Canadian Academy (Hyogo); Eisugakkan High School (Hiroshima); Gunma Prefectural Chuo Secondary School (Gunma); Gyosei High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Junior and Senior High School (Hiroshima); Kaishi Kokusai High School (Niigata); Kanazawa Nishigaoka High School (Ishikawa); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Keio Senior High School (Kanagawa); Meijo University Senior High School (Aichi); Niigata High School (Niigata); Okayama Joto High School (Okayama); Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi Senior High School (Okayama); Osaka Municipal Suito International Junior and Senior High School (Osaka); Otemae Takamatsu High School (Kagawa); Saiko Gakuin (Kanagawa); Saikyo High School (Kyoto); Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School (Saitama); Seiun High School (Hyogo); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Senzoku Gakuen High School (Kanagawa); Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Makuhari Senior High School (Chiba); Shizuoka City High School (Shizuoka); Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo); UWC ISAK Japan (Nagano); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); and Yokohama-Suiran Senior High School (Kanagawa). 

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by SPICE, including the Reischauer Scholars Program, the China Scholars Program, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, Stanford e-China, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, as well as numerous local student programs in Japan. For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

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