Culture & Education

 

JAPAN SOCIETY THOMAS GLOVER ABERDEEN ASSET SCHOLARSHIP

Japan Society of Scotland (Scottish Charity No:  SC 037309)

Applications for this scholarship are invited from young people who are at a post secondary educational level. The scholarship will fund them to travel to Japan to undertake a period of intensive study of the Japanese language at the International Christian University (ICU) Summer Programme from July to August 2010. The scholarship will be to a maximum of £5,000 and may be divided between one or more candidates.

Preference will be given to candidates who have a business focus in their interest in Japan. Applications can be made in either hard copy or digital form and should take the form of no more than 2 pages outlining the candidate’s background, interest in Japan and reasons for wishing to study the Japanese languages.

Applications should be sent to:

 

Tim Steward, Secretary, Japan Society of Scotland,

21/5 Leopold Place,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5LB

Email: tims@spidacom.co.uk

 

 

International Christian University (ICU) Summer Programme

July to August 2010

TIMETABLE

 

1. Applications for documentary screening by February 15

2. List of interviewees announced by March 1

3. Interviews from March 15

4. Decision announced by April 2

 

ICU details by March 23.



Background

A major part of the Society’s charitable objectives are fulfilled by the creation of a Scholarship Fund designed to support the development in young people of the essential business skills needed to work effectively in Japan and through Japan, in East Asia.

The fund is named after Aberdeen Asset Management the major sponsor of the Scholarship and Thomas Blake Glover (1836-1911), the Scottish born entrepreneur. His career in Asia began with Jardine, Matheson & Co in Hong Kong from where he went to Japan. He created Glover and Co. in Nagasaki in 1859, and was most successful in helping the modernisation process ushered in by the Meiji Period (1868-1912).

He also left some tangible results in the form of a brewery that later became the Kirin Beer brand and is associated with the Mitsubishi group of corporations. For decades, Kirin was the best selling beer in Japan and still remains a leading force in the market. Glover House in Nagasaki draws thousands of visitors every year, which makes Glover a powerful symbol of the Scottish presence in Japan in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Other Scots made various important contributions in the fields of civil engineering, education and public administration, but Glover remains the symbol of commercial involvement and enterprise.

Objectives of the Fund

The Japanese language and the business culture of Japan are inextricably linked and as a minimum requirement for any serious business involvement need to be understood and assimilated. Large numbers of young Chinese are flocking to Japan to study the language. Indeed, Chinese nationals are securing work in the UK often because they are fluent in both English and Japanese and can operate effectively in Japan.

As the world’s economic centre of gravity moves further east, the importance of the Japanese language should be more apparent if the Chinese consider it, in many cases, to be almost as important as English.

Management Guidelines

For many years, the Society has stressed the continuing importance of Japan as a UK trading partner, and resolved in 2007 to establish a scholarship fund, named after Thomas Glover, to enable seriously committed people to spend intensive periods in Japan studying the language and also the culture of Japanese business. Appropriate study programmes and other activities, such as internships and work experience will depend largely upon available funds.

The Council has drawn up guidelines for the use of the fund. Among the matters included are the following:

Apart from fund-raising events, donors are invited to come forward with offers of corporate or private support. Major donors will be invited to join in the management of the fund as it grows

The Council hopes that both public as well as private sector groups will participate in the support and management of the fund

The fund is managed as a separate financial entity from the Society’s normal funds

The Council will draw up a set of guidelines and criteria to be met by prospective applicants who would be interviewed to ensure they meet all conditions

Applicants, once accepted would be expected to submit monthly reports of activities and progress along with reports of performance in language study and other activities likely to be monitored

Beneficiaries would be asked to assist in promoting the fund as long as they are in the UK, but the society would encourage recipients to return to Japan to work. Their ability to support the fund would depend on individual circumstances

One category of applicant that might also be considered would be those who have an interest in making a career out of teaching Japanese language at High School or Primary School levels. Australia provides an excellent model of how this might be accomplished.

 

Long-term Benefits

The need to build a pool of authentic expertise on Japan in Scotland requires serious effort. The closure of Japanese Studies at Stirling University was short-sighted and detrimental to East Asian Studies in general. The Society hopes that some of the Scottish universities might pool resources to establish at the very least, a graduate level project focusing on research into contemporary Japan, drawn from primary rather than secondary sources. It is to be hoped that such a project would be a consequence of launching the Fund.
 

For further details please contact:

Tim Steward
(Membership Secretary Japan Society of Scotland)

tims@spidacom.co.uk

21/5 Leopold Place,
Edinburgh EH7 5LB
Tel: 0131 558 1489
Fax: 0131 557 9029

http://www.japansocietyofscotland.org.uk

 


 Japan Society of Scotland

Honorary President: H.E. The Japanese Ambassador
Honorary Vice President: The Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh
Honorary Patron: Lord Bruce     
Chairman of Council: Rev. Professor Stuart D.B. Picken (Order of the Sacred Treasure )