In April 2015, the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Saitama University launched a new graduate-level Department of Japanese and Asian Studies. As a central component of the new graduate school, this initiative underscores the university’s commitment to research and education that deepens our understanding of one of the most culturally and economically dynamic regions of our increasingly interdependent world and its determination to cultivate graduates well suited to serve as intellectual leaders of this globalizing society.
MA Program in Japanese and Asian Studies MEcon Program in Japanese and Asian Economy and Management
The new Department of Japanese and Asian Studies addresses the needs of graduate students who wish to study the culture and economy of Japan and Asia in English by offering two programs wherein one can conduct all classwork and write a master’s thesis in English: The Master of Arts (MA) Program in Japanese and Asian Studies and the Master of Economics (MEcon) Programin Japanese and Asian Economy and Management. Students wishing to study the Japanese language after their entrance into the university are encouraged to take our Japanese language classes, but such language study is not compulsory. The two programs offer students the option of pursuing a degree with a disciplinary focus in either the liberal arts or in economics and business, providing them with broad, in-depth study of Japanese and Asian history, culture, economics, and management from a global or multi-cultural perspective. Students will enroll in either the MA or the MEcon program, but can choose classes from the other program in order to obtain an interdisciplinary perspective covering both the humanities and social sciences. Students with the requisite language ability will also have the option of taking similar classes in Japanese, but will not be required to do so. Graduates of either the liberal arts or economics and business options will be well-prepared to fulfill professional positions in international organizations or in the industries, government, or non-profit organizations of either Japan or their home country.
MA Program in Japanese and Asian Studies
The MA program offers students an interdisciplinary selection of classes and thesis supervision conducted in English and covering Japanese history, literature, material culture, media, contemporary art, traditional performing arts, and other cultural studies topics. Even students in early stages of Japanese language training will therefore be able to develop an in-depth understanding of Japanese and Asian history and culture. Under the direction of leading scholars, the program provides successful applicants with an ideal forum through which to hone their analytical skills and enhance their ability to comprehend the multiple cultural and historical perspectives characterizing today’s global society, and thus will leave graduates well-suited to pursue their respective professional goals in Japan or abroad. Areas of particular program strength include Japanese modernhistory, cultural geography, material culture and the history and culture of performing arts. Students who wish to improve their Japanese language abilities are encouraged to take language classes. Indeed, residence in Japan will provide our students with an ideal opportunity to develop their linguistic abilities in preparation for their professional futures, whether that resides in employment or in earning a doctorate in Japanese or Asian studies. Students are generally complete their studies and submit their thesis in two years of entry into the program.
| Courses on Japanese Culture |
Japanese Material Culture |
| Museum Studies |
| The Japanese Welfare State |
| Seminar in Contemporary Japanese Social Theory I-II |
| Urban Geography of Japan |
| Regional Geography of Japan |
| Colloquium in Social Geography I |
| Edo Culture and the “Bad Places” |
| Justice and the Vendetta Culture in Pre-modern Japan |
| Seminar in Japanese Literature and Theatre I-IV |
| The Traditional Performing Arts in Japan |
| Studies in Premodern Japanese History I-II |
| Seminar in Modern Japanese History |
| Japan and the Asia Pacific War |
| Seminar in the History of US-Japan Relation I-II |
| Courses on Asian Culture |
Governance and Development |
| Governance and Development in Asia and Africa |
| Economics of Development and Public Issues I-II |
| Principles of Economics for Developing Countries I-II |
| International Relations in East Asia I-II |
| Contemporary Art and Media in Australia and Asia I-III |
| Thesis Supervision |
Seminar I-IV |
Some courses are offered every two years.
Please check Saitama University Web Syllabus for course details and availability.
List of Potential Supervisors and their Research Areas
Core Faculty members who are available for supervision of MA program students are as follows (in the alphabetical order).
| Name of professors |
Research area |
| BJOERK, Tove |
Japanese Literature and Performance Studies |
| INOUE, Fumi |
Modern Japanese History |
| KIENER, Johannes |
Japanese Society |
| NAGASAWA, Makoto |
Higher Education |
| NOMURA, Nao |
Material Culture Studies and Museum Studies |
| ZARA-PAPP, Zilia |
Media Studies |
Detailed information on the faculty staff members in this list is available at:https://rdb.eva.saitama-u.ac.jp/search/group-search.html?lang=en
Requirements for completion of master’s course
①Earn 4 credits from Seminar I and Seminar II (mandatory thesis supervision)
*Seminar II includes an oral presentation
②Earn 30 credits (15 courses) or more including
①
③Pass final examination (oral) on master’s thesis
Model course plan for MA Program
[First Year]
| Fall Semester (3rd and 4th terms) |
|
Spring Semester (1st and 2nd terms) |
| Topics in Japanese Studies I |
|
Economics of Development and Public Issues I |
| The Japanese Welfare State |
|
Museum Studies |
| Seminar in Modern Japanese History |
|
Urban Geography of Japan |
| Seminar I (Required subject) |
|
Seminar in Contemporary Japanese Social Theory I |
| Japanese Language Course Listening (Optional)* |
|
Seminar II (Required subject) |
| Japanese Language Course Grammar (optional)* |
|
Japanese Language Course Reading (optional)* |
*Japanese Language Courses are optional, and credits earned from those courses are not counted into graduation requirements.
[Second Year]
| Fall Semester (3rd and 4th terms) |
|
Spring Semester (1st and 2nd terms) |
| Governance and Development in Asia and Africa |
|
Contemporary Art and Media in Australia and Asia I |
| The Traditional Performing Arts in Japan |
|
Seminar in the History of US-Japan Relation Ⅰ |
| Colloquium in Social Geography I |
|
Seminar IV (optional) |
| Seminar III (optional) |
|
Master’s thesis submission and thesis defense |
Note: Class schedules may change. Please check Web Syllabus for details.
Your coursework begins with the third term (starting in October) of the Japanese academic year, which starts in April and ends in March.
MEcon Program: Japanese and Asian Economy and Management
The MEcon program is composed of two components: Japanese and Asian Economy and Society, and Japanese and Asian Management. The former component will explore the structure and dynamics of socio-economic development in Japan and Asian countries and consider economic and public policy options. Indeed, the study and practice of economics today requires much broader considerations than was true in earlier decades, for such inquiry is no longer limited to current business conditions and profitability in trade and in the monetary market, but now extends to such issues as poverty reduction, welfare for laborers, difficulties created by rapid urbanization, and even effects on the global environment. The latter component of the program will deal with Japanese and Asian ways of management and strategies found in the region’s firms. Students will learn about the conditions of individual companies or organizations and the management systems operated inside them, and consider how management systems can be constructed or improved in Asian countries.
See also the website of the MEcon Program!
MEcon Program
| Courses on Japanese and Asian Economy and Society |
Money, Banking and Financial Markets |
| Japanese Economy |
| Public Finance and Socioeconomic Development in Japan |
| Asian Economy |
| Economic Policies in Japan and Asia |
| Economic Strategies in Japan and Asia |
| International Trade in Japan and Asia |
| International Economic Theory |
| Microfinance and Development |
| Economic Development in Asia |
| Public Policies in Japan and Asia |
| Advanced Theory of Public Policies |
| Advanced Econometrics |
| Courses on Japanese and Asian Management |
Global Business Strategy |
| Global Business in Japan and AsiaGlobal Business in Japan and Asia |
| Comparative Studies of Management |
| Japanese Enterprises in Asia |
| Human Resource Management in Japan and Asia |
| Japanese-style Management |
| Marketing in Japan and Asia |
| Supply Chain Management |
| Diffusion Studies |
| Global Environment and Asia |
| Urban Planning in Japan and Asia |
| International Marketing |
| Advanced Reserch in Japanese Society |
| Thesis Supervision |
Seminar I |
| Seminar II |
| Seminar III |
| Seminar IV |
| Seminar V |
| Seminar VI |
Costs, Scholarships and Accommodation:
Cost of living in Japan as a student
It is important that students have means of covering expenses of living in Japan during their enrollment period (standard 2 years) such as savings and/or financial support.
The following are general expenses for a single-student as of March 2026. The fees are subject to change.
| Enrollment fees: |
282,000 yen upon admission |
| Tuition fees: |
535,800 yen per year (642,960 yen per year from April 2027) |
| Living expenses: |
Approximately 140,000 per month |
Scholarships
Saitama University does not offer any full-funded scholarship.
Scholarships from non-government and private organizations
If you wish to receive a scholarship, you will need to apply on your own after matriculation. When an application becomes open, it is announced on the website of the Office of International Affairs, Saitama University.
Please note that the number of scholarships for non-Japanese speakers are very limited.
Saitama University does not offer any full-funded scholarship.
Tuition Waiver
Students may apply for tuition fees exemption. The selection is based solely on academic criteria. Within the limits of the budget, full or half exemptions will be allocated to students in order of higher academic performance.
Housing
For information about students’ accommodation and other options for housing, please check the following webpage.
Accommodation | For International Students Studying at Saitama University | Study Abroad & Internat…
Department of Japanese and Asian Studies Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences Saitama University
Shimo-Okubo 255, Sakura-ku, Saitama-Shi, 338-8570 Japan
For the MEcon program
E-mail: