The UHM Center for Japanese Studies and the Way of Tea Club both received the Commendation of the Consul General on October 24, 2025 (Friday). The reception was held at the Official Residence of the Consul-General of Japan in Honolulu. The commendation recognized the Center for Japanese Studies’ contribution to the study of Japan and the role the Center has played in furthering the ties between Japan and Hawaiʻi and the U.S.
Consul General Yoshinori Kodama also expressed his condolences to the late Dr. Genshitsu Sen, the 15th Generation Grand Master of the Urasenke Chado Tradition, and praised his lifelong efforts to foster peace globally through the tea ceremony and support for the development of the Center for Japanese Studies and the Way of Tea Club.Former UHM CJS directors, Patricia Steinhoff, Robert Huey, and Mary McDonald, and former associate director Gay Satsuma were in attendance at the reception.
Below is an excerpt of CJS director Mark Levinʻs remarks on receiving the Consul Generalʻs Commendation for CJS:
Being a law professor, it’s my habit to ask questions and I have two: why have we carried out Japanese Studies at UH Mānoa for over 100 years and why do we keep doing it?
My usual answer is that I or we are fascinated by Japan, which includes looking at and talking about both its strengths and weaknesses. But there’s certainly more. Part of it is the importance of Japan in our community, our state, our nation, and on our planet – for security, economics, culture, and friendship. Part of it is that we care about Japan – whether that’s aloha for our friends and family, and family heritages, or people whom we don’t know, but whose lives we respect and treasure. Part of it is that we can learn from Japan. This can be seen in my research, where I focused on a Sapporo District Court decision regarding indigenous people’s rights under Japanese constitutional and international law which has since been referenced in legal materials and policy discussions in the United States and around the world. And we study and teach about Japan in order to prepare the next generation for their futures spending time in Japan, working with Japan, helping us understand Japan, and for that, especially drawing upon UH’s remarkable strength in language and cultural instruction.
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