The Baltic Association of Korean Studies (BAKS) is inviting scholars from all over the world to make presentation proposals for the second international academic BAKS conference that will take place online on 25-27 November, 2020. The general topic of the conference is “Belief in the Future: Spiritual Context of Baltic Korean Studies”, and we welcome scholars from all areas of humanities and social sciences to approach it from their own perspective. The proposals are accepted until 20 November, 2020. More specific requirements and additional information can be found in the Call for Papers PDF.

We would like to invite you to spend the Sugihara Week’s Japanese Culture Fair by immersed yourself in the hustle and bustle of Japanese culture and learning more about Japan’s friends in Lithuania. The fair will take place on October 13, 10:00-16:00 at 3rd floor of Kaunas Akropolis. It is free and open to all.

During the fair a number of organisations that have ties with Japan will present their activities allowing you to admire traditional kimono and tea ceremony or to learn about Japan’s modern daily life or old traditions. Those who are seeking new challenges will be able to learn calligraphy and writing their name in Japanese, and if the initial curiosity will transform into a deeper interest, the fair will allow to make contacts with people who will help you to expand your knowledge further later on. (more…)

Komaru Transportation Foundation together with Hiroshima University Lithuanian Center and VMU Center for Asian Studies is organizing the Third and already traditional Japanese Language Speech Contest. Participants from schools and universities who are studying Japanese language in Lithuania are welcome. Traditionally, the organizers are going to surprise participants with special prizes.

The year 2020 is special to Kaunas and Lithuania-Japan history – this year we are commemorating the 80^th anniversary of Chiune Sugihara’s activity in Kaunas (1939-1940). Sugihara issued transit visas to Jews and saved more than 6 000 lives. Therefore, this contest is included into Sugihara Week program.

Japanese language speech contest will be taking place on October 16^th, 2020, 9:00  OR 13:00(if the contest is going to be online)*, at VMU Small Hall (S. Daukanto st. 28, Kaunas).

*We are going to inform the participants about the time of the contest in advance. (more…)

Starting July 1st, VMU Centre for Asian Studies is partially returning to its usual work environment. However, due to the ongoing state of emergency majority of activities during the summer will be carried out remotely. For this reason, as well as aiming to follow the safety requirements we would like to ask you to contact us before visiting the Center. You can arrange the visit by contacting one of the Centre’s employees or via direct message in our Facebook page.

Staff of the Centre for Asian studies is saying “Thank You” to students, students’ clubs and all our partners for a fruitful study year and unity during the difficult period that touched us all. We hope to return to the usual rhythm starting this autumn.

We would like to invite everyone who is interested in culture and politics of East Asia to listen to the public defense of students’ final thesis.

Master thesis defense of East Asia Region studies will take place on June 12 from 2 PM. And Bachelor thesis defense of East Asian Cultures and Languages will take place on June 18-19 from 9 AM.

All defenses will take place online and require registration in advance. Therefore, those who wish to attend as observers, please send an email to diana.jovaisiene@vdu.lt

The Centre for Asian Studies invites all interested in China, Japan and Korea to apply for the East Asia Region Studies program (EARS), which is the only graduate program in Lithuania and the Baltic States that is taught in English and focused on East Asian contemporary politics and society. VMU also provides scholarships for selected foreign students.

EARS program’s applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree of humanities or social studies. Same as earlier, the best and most motivated students will be encouraged to study at least one semester abroad at one of our partner universities in East Asia. After graduation students acquire the MA degree of political science. All the courses of the program are taught in English. Research paper and master’s thesis are also written in English. (more…)

Due to nationwide preventive measures to fight COVID-19, Center for Asian Studies is closing down its office until further notice. Our staff will be responding to emails and messages sent via Facebook (our page – facebook.com/ASC.VDU).

Thank you for your understanding.

Centre for Asian Studies is inviting everyone interested in China to the first open lecture this semester from the cycle “Time for Asia”. The presentation titled “Contemporary China – invisible behind the visible” will be given by Dr. Vida Mačikėnaitė who is researching and teaching about contemporary China both in Japanese and Lithuanian universities. The event will take place on February 25 (Tuesday) from 13:45 in VMU building at V. Putvinskio str. 23, room 310. The lecture will be in English and is free and open to all. (more…)

Last month the head of Center for Asian Studies dr. Linas Didvalis spent a week at University of Regina (UoR) with Erasmus+ teaching visit. UoR is based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and is providing a number of courses dedicated to Asian studies, including East Asian languages, history, contemporary politics, etc. UoR is also a host of Confucius Institute.

UoR has been VMU’s parner university for almost a decade and the current visit allowed not only to share the knowledge by giving lectures but also to explore possibilities to intensify student and staff exchanges as well as to make contacts for research cooperation.

After being organized the first time in 2014 in Vilnius, later in Tartu (2016) and Riga (2018) international academic conference of the Baltic Alliance for Asian Studies (BAAS) is returning to Lithuania in 2020, this time to Kaunas, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). The event will take place on March 5-7 mainly at VMU multifunctional building at Putvinskio str. 23. More detailed information can be found at balticasianstudies.wordpress.com (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.

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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…)

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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…)

The Government of Japan has announced a competition for financing studies in Japan according to Japonology study program. Estimated studies duration one year from October 2021.

Those who wish to apply for the scholarship must be BA students (from second course), have sufficient knowledge of Japanese language and a good study results. (more…)