THERE ARE A number of other British universities, in addition to the ones featured in the preceding essays, which do not offer degrees in Japanese but where Japanese language is taught or where there is significant research or teaching about Japan. Here will be found brief accounts of each of them, thus ensuring that this volume provides as complete a picture as possible of the current state of Japanese studies in Britain.

BIRKBECK, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Birkbeck does not offer single honours degrees in Japanese studies, but it does offer joint honours degrees through its Japanese Cultural Studies Programme, which is housed in the Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies. Japanese studies may be combined with journalism, film/media, management, history, French/ German/Spanish/Portuguese, global politics, linguistics, English or international law for a BA (honours). Five modules related to Japanese studies are offered at undergraduate level: ‘Rethinking Japan’, ‘Theorising Japanese cinema’, ‘Popular culture in Japan and East Asia”, ‘Manga and anime’, and ‘Advanced seminar in Japanese culture and society’. The Department of History offers an MA module on ‘Empires in modern East Asia’, which includes a substantial component on Japan.

Birkbeck employs two full-time staff members (a lecturer in Japanese studies and a teaching and research assistant) plus a part-time tutor. It does not have a study abroad programme as the majority of the students of Japanese are working fulltime during the daytime and it is difficult for them to take time off from work. The number of students taking Japanese/Japanese studies courses has grown from 17 in 2010/2011 to 39 in 2015/2016.

BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham offers Japanese as a minor programme in ‘Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music’. This is a 4-year programme including a year's study in Japan in the third year. The university employs two Japanese as language teachers. In 2014/2015 there were 14 students on this programme as part of joint honours courses.

BRISTOL

There are no BA or MA programmes focusing on Japanese studies, but there are a number of undergraduate and master's level units which include the study of aspects of Japanese society and international relations.