On October 9–10, 2026 Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) will be holding international academic conference “RISK in East Asia: Resilience, Institutions, Society, and Knowledge”. The conference will be dedicated to historical and contemporary risks in East Asia ranging from security and social change to human rights and the environment. As the keywords in the title suggest, the conference will encourage the participants to consider risk from the perspective of resilience, institutional capacity, societal readiness, and knowledge production and dissemination. Special attention will be given to Taiwan’s case which encompasses multiple aspects related to the conference’s theme. (more…)
Komaru Transportation Foundation, together with Fukuyama City University and the VMU Centre for Asian Studies, is pleased to announce the 9th Japanese Language Speech Contest. Japanese language students from across Lithuania are invited to take part. As in previous years, the organisers have prepared special prizes and surprises for the participants.
The theme of this year’s speech contest is “Transportation,” understood broadly. Participants may approach the theme from various perspectives, including transportation, traffic, travel, commuting, or their own experiences and ideas related to mobility.
Each speech must be the participant’s own original work. The judging committee will evaluate the speeches from various perspectives, including grammar, fluency, vocabulary and expressions, content, and the participant’s responses during the Q&A session.
The contest will be held on September 21, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM in the Senate Hall (formerly known as Small Hall) of Vytautas Magnus University (Daukanto str. 28, Kaunas). (more…)
On June 20-30, 27 first-year students from the Global Liberal Arts program at KUIS (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan) participated in the annual summer study course. This program, organized by the VMU Center for Asian Studies, was held for the sixth time.
The program was quite intensive, as they listened to specially prepared lectures and participated in excursions over 10 days. This year, for the first time, the program included homestays in Kaunas, Vilnius, Klaipėda, and Panevėžys. This upgrade had a double benefit – it allowed KUIS students to get acquainted with the local culture firsthand, and gave the hosts the opportunity to show Lithuanian hospitality and a Lithuania that the students would not have been able to experience during the regular program. During the entire program, volunteer RASK students Beatričė Šutaitė, Rugilė Binisevičiūtė, and Jogailė Aušrotaitė also joined the program, helping the guests to more easily integrate into the Lithuanian student lifestyle rhythm.
On the last day of the program, participants had a unique opportunity to experience the cultural bond between Lithuania and Japan, as the Seimas hosted a concert “Through the Sounds of Kanklės: Lithuania and Japan”. It featured performances by kanklės ensembles – the Japanese side was represented by the kanklės group of Yuko Yamasaki, the wife of the former Japanese ambassador to Lithuania, and Lithuania was represented by the kanklės collective of Žemyna Trinkūnaitė.
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We invite scholars of various academic fields of humanities and social science to submit presentation proposals to an academic conference “RISK in East Asia: Resilience, Institutions, Society, and Knowledge” which will be held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) on October 9–10, 2026.
The conference will be dedicated to historical and contemporary risks in East Asia ranging from security and social change to human rights and the environment. As the keywords in the title suggest, the conference will encourage the participants to consider risk from the perspective of resilience, institutional capacity, societal readiness, and knowledge production and dissemination. Special attention will be given to Taiwan’s case which encompasses multiple aspects related to the conference’s theme. (more…)
Please join a public lecture in English about long-lasting Japanese companies. The lecture will be given by Yuki Tokunaga, a researcher at the University of Tokyo (Center for Advanced Technology and Science Research)
Date: May 12, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 17:00–18:30
Location: Vytautas Magnus University, V. Putvinskio St. 23–414, Kaunas
Speaker: Yuki Tokunaga
Language: English
Description:
This lecture explores the phenomenon of long-lived companies in Japan, focusing on why businesses that have operated for more than 100 years are so prevalent and what factors contribute to their longevity. Drawing on extensive research conducted across different regions of Japan, as well as interviews with company representatives, the talk examines organizational, cultural, and business continuity aspects. The lecture will be of interest to those engaged in Japanese business culture, intercultural communication, and organizational sustainability. (more…)
Austėja Kondrataitė*
South Korea‘s Confucian tradition emphasized the idea of women‘s subordination through the principle of filial piety, which dictated double obedience: not only to the parents, but to male figures in family as well – father, husband, and son. There is one tenet that says: “to the father when young; to the husband when married; and to the son in old age“. Prioritization of hierarchical relationships over individual freedom led to reinforcement of gender inequality, often leading both women and men to accept the role of women in society, consciously or unconsciously. (more…)
Feeling a duty to share expert insights about East Asia, we are launching a column in which we present an assessment of the current situation in the region in a popular style.
The first comment is about the ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol. There is little information in the media about the current situation, as the trial is not yet complete. Here is our take on it.
Austėja Kondrataitė* and Arvydas Kumpis
On the evening of December 3, 2024, the news came from South Korea, where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared the Marshall Law and tried to take over the government. Ultimately, the president is arrested and can face the death penalty. But how did the former president end up here?
Yoon Suk Yeol entered the political scene as a righteous prosecutor and anti-corruption crusader, with his role in the impeachment of Park Geun Hye, former president of South Korea, who was accused of corruption and democratic backsliding. Yoon’s campaign promised to deal with corruption, revive the economy, lessen unemployment, and maintain a firm attitude against North Korea. (more…)
VMU Centre for Asian Studies invites everyone to the annual international student conference on Asian studies – ISCAS ’26. The conference will take place on April 15, 2026, the presentations will be presented in a hybrid way – live, V. Putvinskio 23 (Kaunas, Lithuania), and remotely, connecting via MS Teams (link to Room 102, link to Room 414).
This year, 36 speakers from Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Poland, the USA, South Korea, Taiwan and other countries are participating in the conference. The thematic field is wide – from religion and linguistics to international relations and animal rights. The presentations will be read in Lithuanian and English.
The conference will last all day, with parallel sessions in the afternoon, so we invite you to delve into the program and choose the most interesting presentations to listen to, and then join in collegial, constructive discussions. Click here for full program and abstracts.
For more information: azijos.konferencijavdu@gmail.com or asc@vdu.lt
ISCAS ’26 is a part of VMU Asian Week festival.
We are happy to announce a call for papers for the 6th annual ISCAS (International Student Conference on Asian Studies). The conference will take place on April 15, 2026 at Vytautas Magnus University (V. Putvinskio 23, Kaunas).
Your academic interest in East Asian cultures, languages, arts, economics, or related fields can materialise into the conference paper. Organized by students of VMU East Asian Languages and Cultures in collaboration with the Centre for Asian Studies and the Department of Cultural Studies, the conference offers an excellent opportunity to present your research, academic work, or insights to peers from this and related disciplines. Participants will also gain valuable experience, strengthen their public speaking skills, and find inspiration through discussion and exchange. Presentations may be delivered in Lithuanian or English. (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…)
