The UT Japan Center connects research, education, and public engagement to advance U.S.–Japan collaboration across disciplines. Spanning the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, business, policy, and technology, the Center brings together faculty, students, and partners to address the questions that matter most to both nations. Institutionally housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and developed in partnership with the Baker School of Public Policy & Public Affairs and the Division of Global Engagement, the Japan Center aims to strengthen Tennessee’s deep and growing ties with Japan to position UT as a distinctive force in U.S.–Japan partnerships — and beyond.
Overview
The UT Japan Center is a transdisciplinary hub for Japan Studies and U.S.–Japan relations, advancing research, professional development, and public engagement to strengthen UT’s global profile and Tennessee’s economic ties, with Japan as the state’s largest foreign investor. Tennessee currently hosts more than 200 Japanese companies, representing more than $22 billion in investment and employing more than 63,000 Tennesseans. Launched with funding from the Japan Foundation and UT support, the Center aims to support partnerships and offer trainings, consultation, and events. The Center builds on UT’s existing strengths, including a vibrant community of faculty and administrators engaged in Japan-related work, as well as hundreds of students engaged in Japan-related programs of study. The Center’s work is organized around three pillars: transdisciplinary research, professional development and student mobility, and public engagement and economic development.
People
Noriko J. Horiguchi
Director
Noriko J. Horiguchi is Director of the UT Japan Center, Chair of the Japanese Program, and Associate Professor of Japanese Literature in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She also serves as President of the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies.
Her publications include Women Adrift: The Literature of Japan’s Imperial Body (University of Minnesota Press, 2011) and a chapter in Devouring Japan (Oxford University Press, 2018). She is completing her second book, Milk and the Making of Modern Japan, which examines food, biopolitics, and modernity. She has held visiting appointments at the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Kobe University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Rachel Rui
Assistant Director
Rachel Rui serves as Director of the Global Research, Innovation, and Partnerships (GRIP) office within the University of Tennessee’s Division for Global Engagement, and as Assistant Director of the UT Japan Center. In her role with GRIP, she collaborates with campus partners to develop and implement innovative initiatives that advance global learning, research, and service opportunities. Rachel is also the inaugural Director of UT’s Asia Engagement Office. During her tenure, she identified key faculty partners and led efforts to build a comprehensive partnership strategy in Japan. She also organized and hosted Japanese business roundtables, strengthening connections among local Japanese companies, the university, and regional government stakeholders, laying a strong foundation for the establishment of the UT Japan Center.
Japan Center Programs
Events
- Monthly presentations and workshops by scholars on Japan-related topics
- Annual Japanese film series
- Weekly WLC Japanese Language Table sessions
Cultural Programs on Campus (led by Prof. Shigetoshi Eda)
- Kendō — Fridays (weekly), TRECS Studio 9, 6:00–7:30 PM
- Shodō — Wednesdays (bi-weekly), HSS 102, 6:00–7:00 PM
- Shamisen — Wednesdays (bi-weekly), HSS 120, 5:00–6:00 PM
Department of World Languages and Cultures
Student Exchange Programs with Japanese Universities
- Kobe University (Kobe)
- Kansai Gaidai University (Osaka)
- Chuo University (Tokyo)
- Waseda University (Tokyo)
- Approximately 80 UT students study in Japan each year
Faculty-Led Programs in Japan
- Pop Culture in Japan Program (College of Arts and Sciences)
- Japan Ambassadors Program (Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs)
- UT Architecture Semester in Tokyo (College of Architecture and Design)
- Wilson Academy Global Trip (College of Communication and Information), led by Guy Harrison
Not-for-Credit Study Abroad Programs
- Global Immersion Program (Access and Engagement)
- Wilson Academy (College of Communication and Information)
Community Partners
Scholarship and Initiatives
Priority Research Themes (2026–2029)
Foodways
Production, distribution, food security, sustainability, and cultural identity—spanning AI, business, policy, agriculture, environmental studies, and the humanities
Aging & Care
Care infrastructure, technology, cognitive health, immigrant labor, and narrative—integrating architecture, AI, robotics, public health, policy, history, and literature
Sports (Baseball) & Society
Analytics, soft power, national identity, and diplomacy—connecting data science, kinesiology, cultural studies, and political science
Grant Opportunities
月日は百代の過客にして、行かふ年も又旅人也。
The months and days are the travelers of eternity; the years that come and go are also voyagers.
PMatsuo Bashō, Oku no Hosomichi (1689)
Trans. Donald Keene, Anthology of Japanese Literature (1955)
Request Information
If you would like more information about the Japan Center, please send us an email.