On October 10–19, 2025 the Centre for Asian Studies at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) is holding an international academic conference “Resilient Memories in East Asia: Remembrance, Acknowledgment, Reconciliation”. We invite everyone interested to join as listeners.
As East Asia navigates its histories of war, colonization, and ideological conflict, the resilience of collective memory plays a crucial role in shaping both domestic and international relations. This conference considers memory as a living process that resists simple narratives, focusing on how communities remember the past, how societies acknowledge historical injustices, and how reconciliation can be pursued in a complex landscape of competing memories and political tensions.
With all this in mind, the conference Resilient Memories in East Asia: Remembrance, Acknowledgment, Reconciliation will encourage scholars, practitioners, and students from a range of disciplines to examine the complex dynamics of memory in East Asia and explore how memory shapes and is shaped by historical trauma, collective narratives, and contemporary identities in the region. A special attention will be given to Taiwan’s case which encompasses multiple aspects related to the conference’s theme.
The conference will include presentations in such fields as history, literature, politics and society. On both days the conference will start at 9am and take place at Room 310, Putvinskio str. 23, Kaunas. Please download full program for further information.
The conference is organized by VMU Centre for Asian Studies and supported by Spotlight Taiwan.
Komaru Transportation Company together with Fukuyama City University and VMU Center for Asian Studies is organizing the Seventh Japanese Language Speech Contest. Students of the Japanese Language in Lithuania are welcome to participate. Traditionally, the organizers are going to surprise participants with special prizes.
The topic of the contest is “transportation” in its broad meaning, including traffic, travels etc. Speeches must be original and created by participants. Speeches will be evaluated by a special committee that will take into consideration its grammar, fluency, expressions, content and answers to questions.
The registration is open until September 8 (Monday), 2025. In order to register fill out an online application. After registering the participants will receive a link to submit their speeches in written form (until September 15, 2025).
If you have additional questions, please contact CAS senior coordinator Ms. Kayako Takagi via email (kayako.takagi@vdu.lt).
We invite scholars of various academic fields of humanities and social science to submit presentation proposals to an academic conference “Resilient Memories in East Asia: Remembrance, Acknowledgment, Reconciliation” which will be held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) on October 10–11, 2025.
As East Asia navigates its histories of war, colonization, and ideological conflict, the resilience of collective memory plays a crucial role in shaping both domestic and international relations. This conference considers memory as a living process that resists simple narratives, focusing on how communities remember the past, how societies acknowledge historical injustices, and how reconciliation can be pursued in a complex landscape of competing memories and political tensions.
With all this in mind, the conference Resilient Memories in East Asia: Remembrance, Acknowledgment, Reconciliation will encourage scholars, practitioners, and students from a range of disciplines to examine the complex dynamics of memory in East Asia and explore how memory shapes and is shaped by historical trauma, collective narratives, and contemporary identities in the region. A special attention will be given to Taiwan’s case which encompasses multiple aspects related to the conference’s theme.
The organisers of the conference invite participants from various academic fields to present their original research that is focused on aforementioned topics and include cases from East Asia (Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, etc.). The conference is not limited to one approach and encourages submission of proposals that can be classified under different fields of humanities and social sciences: anthropology, ethnology, history, sociology, economics, political science, etc. The working language of the conference is English.
Panel and individual paper proposals can be submitted by filling a form and sending it by email to conference.asc@vdu.lt by July 15, 2025 (extended to July 21). More information is provided in the application form.
The conference is organized by VMU Centre for Asian Studies and supported by Spotlight Taiwan.
We are pleased to announce that our online Japanese language textbook in Lithuanian, Japonukalba.vdu.lt, has been updated as part of a project funded by the Japan Foundation. The project was carried out by Japanese language teachers Kayako Takagi and Simona Kumpė, with the aim of revising the N5 level to better meet the needs of current learners.
Japonukalba.vdu.lt is an online textbook designed around the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), offering three levels (N5-N3). The JLPT is a standardized test widely recognized as proof of one’s proficiency in Japanese. As such, much of the learning material for the Japanese language is based on this test.
However, in recent years, there has been a shift away from a purely grammar-focused approach toward one that emphasizes practical language skills—specifically, what learners can do with their Japanese, what they can say, and where they can use it.
We invite you to the traditional spring festival – Vytautas Magnus University Asia Week, which will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania, from 7-11 April 2025.
Organised since 2014, this five-day series of events is designed to introduce the increasingly popular East Asian culture. It is safe to say that VMU Asia Week stands out in terms of the number of events, participants and partners it attracts. The festival is organised by the VMU Asian Studies Centre and the student clubs Hashi, Hallyu and Wu Wei. The main sponsor is Vytautas Magnus University.
VMU Asia Week, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, has prepared a programme full of both time-tested and annually popular events, as well as new, maybe a bit unexpected, but no less welcome encounters (still being added): (more…)
From March 9 to 19 of this year, 20 students from Hiroshima University (HU) are visiting Vytautas Magnus University as part of the short-term START+ program. During the visit, students listen to special lectures prepared by VMU lecturers, participate in educational activities, and travel to Kaunas and Vilnius to visually reinforce the content of the lectures. To make cultural adaptation easier, HU students are also joined by active volunteers from the RASK program in extracurricular activities, thus sharing student experiences, promoting internationality, and fostering intercultural communication.
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Staff members of the Centre for Asian Studies, Arvydas Kumpis and Simona Kumpe have visited partner institutions in Japan – Hiroshima and International Christian Universities, as well as the Zuiryo High School in Nagoya, where the famous Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara was studying back in the days.
During their visit to the Zuiryo High School on February 20 Arvydas and Simona, who are currently visiting Meijo University in Nagoya, gave a lecture on the similarities and differences between Lithuania and Japan.
During the visit to Hiroshima University on February 21, they met with students who will visit Vytautas Magnus University in early March as participants of the “Start+” project. After briefly discussing the program of the upcoming visit, some valuable advice was shared on how to better prepare for the arrival to Lithuania. (more…)
We are happy to announce a call for papers for the 5th annual international students’ conference on Asia. The conference will take place on April 9 at Vytautas Magnus University (V. Putvinskio 23, Kaunas).
If you are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, arts, economics or other areas, this event is just for you. The conference, organized by VMU East Asian Languages and Cultures students, together with the Centre for Asian Studies and the Department of Cultural Studies, is a great opportunity to share your accumulated knowledge, work or research with colleagues in this field and not only, to gain experience and improve your public speaking skills, or even get some inspirations. (more…)
We are sharing the invitation to submit abstracts for the 4th annual Student academic Conference, focusing on Asia. The conference will be held on April 24, 11:00-14:00, V. Putvinskio 23-310 in Kaunas, Lithuania.
This event, which has become an integral part of VMU Asian Week, is organized by VMU Regional Studies Asian specialization students and VMU Center for Asian Studies together with the Department of Cultural Studies. As every year, students from various fields whose work and research touch on the topic of Asia are welcome, both from the humanities, social sciences, arts and other disciplines. (more…)
The National Taiwan Library announced “Guidelines to the National Taiwan Library Fellowship for International Visiting Scholars and Students”.
The library provides Fellowship for experts and scholars to pursue their academic goals in Taiwan studies or Southeast Asia studies. Please click here to read more.
It is time for all who are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, economics, politics and more to come together for what has become an annual student research conference, organised by the VMU East Asia Cultures and Languages students.
This conference is a great opportunity to share your knowledge, work and research with colleagues in the field, to try and improve your public speaking skills, to gain experience and to listen to presentations by like-minded people. (more…)
Are you interested in politics of Japan? Maybe you are interested in economy of China? Maybe you are fascinated in Korean art and traditions? It does not matter in which field you are interested in, as long as it is related to East Asia we have a very interesting proposition to you. (more…)
VMU Department of International Relations informs about ongoing studies exchange and internship contests as well as “Erasmus Days’21” which are going to take place on February 17th, 18th, and 19th, during which students will be able to learn more about exchange opportunities. (more…)
Beijing Normal University entrusts the European Federation of Overseas Chinese and Chinese Associations to recruit 100 candidates for MBA and MPA studies (conducted fully in English) from all over the world. Appropriate students are welcome to sign up. (more…)
Applications for scholarships for studies in China in 2021-2022 are open. Persons who are nationals of Lithuania, EU or persons from the third countries having the right to live in Lithuania are welcome to apply.
Applications may be submitted by representatives of various fields of Lithuanian science and studies institutions/ representatives of science fields – Bachelor, Masters and PhD students. (more…)
