EIJS History

EIJS inauguration in 1992

The inauguration of the European Institute of Japanese Studies at the Stockholm School of Economics on September 25, 1992, marked the first major establishment in Europe of an institute dedicated to the in-depth analysis of Japanese business and economic affairs.

The opening ceremony speeches were given by HRH Prince Bertil, then Prime Minister Carl Bildt, and the ambassador of Japan to Sweden, Naohiro Kumagai.

The institute was established on the basis of an endowment raised from the Swedish government, private corporations, and Japanese corporations and individuals.

The institute aims to be a leading center of excellence in research and education on the Japanese economy and business, their impact on the global economy, and especially on Euro-Japanese relations. The Euro-Japanese relationship has often been described as a weak link in the world economy. A major goal of the institute is therefore to fill the Euro-Japanese “knowledge gap” and to provide European and Japanese current and future decision-makers and opinion leaders with the means to learn more about and from each other.

Evian conference, March 17–19, 1995

On March 17–19, 1995, the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) inaugurated the first in a series of roundtable meetings on international economic organization in the post–Uruguay Round era. The conference was held at the Hotel Royal in Évian-les-Bains.

Tokyo office opens

The European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) Tokyo office was inaugurated in September 1997. An opening reception was held on October 6, 1997, at the Imperial Hotel, with more than 120 participants from Swedish and Japanese industry, embassies, and academia.

Since then, the activities of the office have been supported by the Embassy of Sweden, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (SCCJ), European industry in Tokyo, and Japanese industry.

JOHO 6 conference, September 1–3, 1999

The 6th International Conference on Japanese Information in Science, Technology, Commerce, and Education (JOHO 6) was held in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 1–3, 1999. The conference was hosted by the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) and the Stockholm School of Economics.

Approximately 150 delegates from around the world attended the conference. It provided an opportunity to learn about new research and techniques, exchange ideas, and build professional networks. The main focus of the conference was information flows involving Japan.

Helmut Schmidt in Tokyo

A symposium titled “The new global financial challenge: euro, yen, US dollar” was held on October 13, 1999, at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo. The event was organized by the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS), the Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute (GISPRI), and the Institute for International Monetary Affairs (IIMA).

Former Federal Chancellor of Germany Helmut Schmidt delivered the keynote address.

Imperial visit to EIJS

On May 30, 2000, Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, accompanied by Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, visited the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) at the Stockholm School of Economics during the Japanese imperial couple’s three-day state visit to Sweden.

Japan symposium, March 19, 2002

On March 19, 2002, the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) and the Institute of World Economy hosted a symposium at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo titled “Impediments to growth in Japan.”

Glenn Hubbard, then chair of the U.S. President’s Council of Economic Advisers, delivered the keynote address. The panel included Mitsuhiro Fukao, professor at the Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University, and Magnus Blomström, president of EIJS.

More than 150 participants from government ministries, embassies, European and Japanese industry, and the media attended the symposium. The event was broadcast on TV Tokyo’s evening news on March 19.

Symposium on the future of Europe

Carl Bildt visited Tokyo from September 29 to October 2. A key event during the visit was a symposium titled “The future of Europe,” where he delivered the keynote address at Marubiru Hall.

The symposium was organized by the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) and the Institute of World Economy, with support from Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. Approximately 160 people attended.

Workshop, June 17–19, 2005

The workshop “Forging partnership? A comparative study of institutional responses to Nordic and Japanese aid in Asia” was held in Stockholm. It was the second workshop within the project “Comparing Nordic and Japanese official development assistance (ODA) to Asia,” with participating scholars from the Nordic countries, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

The project was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finnida), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project resulted in a book-length publication: Jerve, Alf Morten; Shimomura, Yasutami; and Hansen, Annette Skovsted (eds.), Aid relationships in Asia: exploring ownership in Japanese and Nordic aid, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2007.

Workshop, August 30, 2007

The workshop “The cutting edge of ICT utilization in Japan and Sweden: socio-economic perspectives” was held in collaboration with the Centre for Information and Communication Research (CIC) at the Stockholm School of Economics and the Institute for Digital Society (IDS) at Waseda University.

Workshop, June 14–15, 2008

Fifteen senior European scholars presented papers at the workshop “Japan’s political economy.” On the final day, the European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN) was established.

Marie Söderberg, director of the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS), serves as chair of EJARN, and EIJS acts as the base for the network.

EIJS–EJARN conference, June 4–5, 2009

A conference on “The EU–Japan Action Plan” was organized in collaboration with the European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN). The aim was to provide an opportunity for an overall review of the content, achievements, and shortcomings of the EU–Japan Action Plan adopted in 2001.

In addition to 15 leading scholars from various European countries, representatives from the European Commission, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of Japan in Sweden attended.

Conference, August 21–22, 2009

A conference on “The Japanese–South Korean relationship” was held in collaboration with the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. This multidisciplinary workshop analyzed the bilateral relationship from various perspectives. Scholars from Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States participated.

The conference papers were later published in book form: Söderberg, Marie (ed.), Changing power relations in Northeast Asia: implications for relations between Japan and South Korea, Routledge, London, 2011.

Conference, December 2, 2009

A conference on “EU–Japan relations in the decade ahead – something new or more of the same?” was held in Tokyo in cooperation with the Keio Jean Monnet EU Studies Centre of Excellence, the Embassy of Sweden in Japan, and EJARN.

Seminar, February 19, 2010

Seiichiro Yonekura, professor at Hitotsubashi University, gave a seminar titled “Japanese business innovation – present and future challenges.” The seminar was organized in collaboration with the Sweden–Japan Foundation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), and the Embassy of Japan in Sweden.

Inauguration of the seminar series “Stockholm seminar on Japan,” March 25, 2010

The seminar series was jointly launched by three major academic institutions for Japanese studies in Sweden: the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS), the Northeast Asia Program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, and the Department of Japanese Studies at Stockholm University. It features monthly seminars on Japanese economics, politics, and society.

EIJS–EJARN conference, June 10–11, 2010

The theme of the conference was “EU–Japan relations.” In addition to members of the European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN), a number of other senior European scholars participated, along with selected members of the “Wise Persons Group” appointed by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives from the European Commission.