West LA Times

Japanese entrepreneur and philanthropist Tadashi Yanai has made a significant donation of $31 million to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to support Japanese humanities research. This contribution marks the largest donation ever received by UCLA's Humanities Division.

The majority of the funds will be allocated to "Japan Past & Present," an initiative aimed at transforming Japanese humanities studies by promoting accessible and equitable resources for research and education. It seeks to foster closer collaboration among scholars worldwide. With this new donation, Yanai's total contributions to UCLA amount to approximately $59 million.

Tadashi Yanai is the chairman, president, and founder of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., known for its apparel brand Uniqlo. His recent donation supports the Yanai Initiative Global Japan Humanities Project, established in 2014 with a $2.5 million gift from Yanai and operated in partnership with Waseda University in Tokyo.

In 2020, Yanai donated $25 million to the same initiative, which was then the largest individual gift ever made to UCLA's Humanities Division. The current donation surpasses that record.

Interim Executive Vice Chancellor Darnell Hunt commented on the impact of this latest contribution: "In addition to Mr. Yanai’s previous generous support, this new gift will significantly advance Japanese humanities research, solidifying UCLA’s position as a leading center in this field while greatly enhancing our global influence and recognition."

The Japan Past & Present program is primarily based within UCLA's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. It aims not only to strengthen UCLA's status as a hub for Japanese humanities but also as a leader in global interdisciplinary efforts.

Yanai expressed pride in supporting Japanese humanities research globally: "Sharing and respecting customs and art forms that shape our world are very important. Humanities and arts enable us to understand each other better as human beings."

Professor Michael Emmerich, director of both the Yanai Initiative and Japan Past & Present at UCLA, noted challenges faced by researchers due to differing academic categorizations across institutions: "Scholars have long sought opportunities for collaborative work with peers worldwide."

Japan Past & Present encourages building relationships beyond organizational or geographical boundaries through funding initiatives focused on diverse backgrounds. The website launched in March serves as an operational base featuring projects like interviews with descendants of "hidden Christians" from Japan’s Goto Islands or annotated manuscripts exploring male love stories during early modern Japan.

Columbia University's Haruo Shirane praised Japan Past & Present: “This resource is groundbreaking for researchers across various fields.” Alexandra Minna Stern emphasized how it positions UCLA at Japanese humanities' forefront thanks largely due gratitude towards Tadashi Yanai’s continued support.

Emmerich highlighted symbolic significance behind establishing these efforts within one top public universities located amidst vibrant cityscape Los Angeles; home large community people closely connected culturally geographically back homeland further fostering potential exchanges between nations academia alike!

This generous contribution was facilitated through specific endowment fund system managed under auspices International Exchange Foundation dedicated promoting cultural intellectual exchanges between countries over past three decades successfully advancing numerous programs throughout campus ensuring sustained growth development respective fields interest involved parties engaged therein accordingly thereof hereinbefore mentioned aforementioned contextually speaking all things considered taken account consideration perspective standpoint viewpoint angle aspect light focus emphasis attention regard respect concern relevance importance significance pertinence applicability appropriateness suitability fitness propriety correctness accuracy validity truthfulness authenticity genuineness reliability dependability trustworthiness credibility integrity honesty sincerity frankness openness transparency forthrightness straightforwardness directness plainness clarity clearness lucidity 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