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The 5th Conference of Baltic Alliance of Asian Studies (BAAS) took place in the Tallinn University (Estonia) on September 23-25, 2022. This conference takes place every two years in a different Baltic country and aims to bring together scholars from various fields studying different regions of Asia. This time the topic of the conference was “Asia in Transition / Tradition as the Source of Change”.

In the period of 3 days 18 panels took place, during which scholars from different fields made presentations and shared their insights. Among them 5 presentations were made by the staff members of VMU Centre for Asian Studies. Next BAAS Conference will be organized by the University of Latvia in Riga in the Spring of 2024.

For more information on BAAS check here

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Japanese language speech contest

Komaru Transportation Company together with Hiroshima University Lithuanian Center and VMU Center for Asian Studies is organizing the Fifth 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 2022 is special to Lithuania-Japan history – this year we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between these two countries.

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 October 14th (Friday), 2022. In order to register fill out an online application. After registering the participants will receive a link to submit their speeches in written form (the deadline will be announced later).

If you have additional questions, please contact CAS senior coordinator Ms. Kayako Takagi via email.

For more information please refer to a detailed description.

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We would like to invite all interested in culture and politics of East Asia to listen to the public defense of students’ final thesis. This year the defenses will take place as usual in university’s auditoriums.

Master thesis defense of East Asia Region studies will take place on May 26th, from 13:00 at Putvinskio str. 23, room 310.

Bachelor thesis defense of East Asian Cultures and Languages will take place on June 6-7, from 10:00 at Putvinskio str. 23, room 310.

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The Centre for Asian Studies is inviting researchers, students and the general public to an international academic conference dedicated to explore historical and contemporary relations between the countries in the Baltic and East Asia regions. It will be held in a mixed format (participation is possible both online and in-person; all presentations will be streamed online) on March 4-5, 2022 at Room 313/103, Putvinskio str. 23, Kaunas or online via MS Teams platform.

Conference program (PDF format)

The conference is inspired by the fact that there are multiple anniversaries marking relationship between the Baltic and East Asian countries. 100-year anniversaries are related to the fact that Japan expressed de jure recognition of Estonia and Latvia in 1921, and of Lithuania in 1922. The Republic of China did the same in 1923. This marked official beginning of various affairs between these two geographically distant regions. Unfortunately, many things had to be put on halt for almost half a century due to the Soviet occupations and Cold War tensions. The interaction between the regions was resumed in the early 1990s, and this marks another set of anniversaries – 30 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic affairs that happened in 1991.

Such anniversaries encourage historians and scholars of other fields to reflect on the past and provide insights that could help to build stronger inter-regional cooperation in the future. The conference seeks to contribute to this goal by encouraging further research and sharing of knowledge.

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/642136990426373

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Centre for Asian Studies cordially invite researchers of social sciences to participate at scientific conference “China and Central and Eastern Europe International Cooperation: Strategies and Allocations” that will be held online on December 21st, 2021.

Conference program and the link for participation can be found here (PDF file).

The conference aims to bring together researchers from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to provide academic insights and research-based analysis on different aspects of China’s operational strategies and cooperation within CEE countries. In the past decade, economic and trade cooperation between China and CEE countries has grown rapidly and cultural exchange has become more frequent. Nevertheless, Lithuania has dropped out of China’s “17+1” group, which became an indication of an increasingly shaky relationship between China and the European Union.

Abstracts (250-300 words) can be submitted until December 13th via e-mail: conference.asc@vdu.lt. On December 15th we will contact selected presenters.

Aiming to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and ensure safety, the conference will be held online.

Language of presentations: English and Lithuanian.

For more information please contact: mantas.macikas@vdu.lt

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The Baltic Association of Korean Studies conference organizing committee is pleased to officially announce the 3rd BAKS conference, which this year, considering the continuous difficult situation, will once again be held online from 15th to 16th of December, 2021 on the Zoom platform.

We welcome all scholars, professors and students of different academic backgrounds to participate and share their knowledge regarding Korean Studies. Please share this invitation with anyone that might be interested in presenting or listening.

The theme of this conference has been designated as “Remembering the Past and the Future – Korean Culture in a Changing World”. Please find the timeline and additional information regarding submission of abstracts and publishing of full papers in the attached file.

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We would like to invite you all to a cycle of lectures by the Board member of European Japan Experts Association, Prof. Anders Törnvall, under the title: “East Asian Values, Philosophies, Psychologies and Religions Influences on The Process of Intercultural Communications Today, Focusing on China, Japan and Korea” that will take place in VMU on November 11-12th.

Public lecture “The Two Koreas- a Squeezed Civilization between North and South, Collectivism and Individualism” will focus on what the two Koreas have in common from cultural, political and emotional points of view as well as the differences and the difficulties for a reunion. It will take place on November 11th 11:15-13:13 (Putvinskis 23, Room 103). (more…)

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VMU Center for Asian Studies invites to a series of events dedicated to the memory of “comfort women”. The problem of “comfort women” remains relevant to this day and affects international relations in East Asia. Japan views this question as resolved, meanwhile South Korea is seeking redress and a formal apology from Japan. We would like to invite you to broaden your horizons on this topic and join the discussion by participating in a series of three events on three Fridays: October 22nd, 29th and November 5th.

On October 22nd, 14:30 in room 103 (V. Putvinskio g. 23, Kaunas) screening of the movie “Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue” is going to take place. The movie by a Japanese American director Miki Dezaki analyze controversial “comfort women” issue aiming to answer the question causing intense discussions – were “comfort women” paid or they were taken into slavery. What is more, director reveals the motivations and intentions of the main actors pushing to revise history in Japan. (more…)

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