IHJ Member Spotlight
DR. KEN RUOFF
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR JAPANESE STUDIES AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Meet Dr. Ken Ruoff
“It is a soothing place to go back to.” - when asked to summarize his experience with the International House of Japan (IHJ).
Our next member spotlight features Dr. Ken Ruoff. Dr. Ruoff has been a devoted member of the International House of Japan since the mid-1990s when he was completing the field work for his Ph.D. dissertation at Hokkaido University. He would regularly visit Tokyo during this time to visit archives and meet with people, staying at the International House of Japan while doing so, thanks to Professor Jun Furuya. Professor Furuya convinced him to become a member of the International House of Japan.
Dr. Ruoff is currently Portland Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University. He has written several books about the Imperial House. He helped to establish and build the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State and has helped organize over 300 programming events since 2001 when the Center was established.
We sat down with Dr. Ruoff and asked him questions related to his time as a member of the International House of Japan.
Q & A Section:
Q: If you could summarize your experience with the IHJ in one word, what would it be?
A: Peaceful. I have had numerous times flying from the U.S. to the Tokyo airport, and it would be pretty late U.S. time when I would land. I would get to the I-House jet-lagged, but everything would be fine once I got there. It is a soothing place to go back to, especially the garden. Once you get back to the I-House, you feel like you can breathe, and it’s peaceful.
Q: Looking back, is there a piece of advice that you have received that has been especially valuable in your professional and/or personal life?
A: My freshman year of college, our college administrators told everyone to study what they love and not to worry if it led to a good income or not. I believe that you should study what you love, within reason, and you’ll do fine because you love it.
Q: What is a connection you have made during your time as a member that you are forever grateful for?
A: During a conference at the I-House that I was a speaker for, I talked to a representative from the Toshiba Foundation during a break. He came up to me and told me I should be applying for funding from the Toshiba Foundation for the programming that happens through the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University. We have received funding from the Foundation multiple times since. Those types of introductions are fortuitous. The I-House is about bringing people together, and I am sure there are thousands of stories along the same lines as mine, people who made connections that led to something interesting.
Q: How has your involvement with the IHJ impacted your life?
A: One of my books was born over breakfast at the I-House. The nicest thing about the I-House is that you can come down for breakfast and see someone who you haven’t seen in a few years. My mentor, Carol Gluck, was at the I-House, and I had breakfast with her. I had the topic of my second book on my mind, should I focus on the 2600th anniversary celebrations of the imperial dynasty, or should I focus on the far right in postwar Japan? After talking with Carol, I decided to run with the 2600 anniversary celebrations. But next I shall write a monograph about the far right in postwar Japan in a global context.
Q: You have done a lot of research regarding imperial events in Japan. How can we use historical imperial events to understand the present and future?
A: Due to the memories of WWII, many people continued to view the Imperial Household as an institution that encourages the wrong tendencies in Japan. In fact, today the Emperor spends most of his time sincerely trying to make Japan and the world a better place, especially in areas that would help the most vulnerable members of Japanese society.
The Imperial Household of today is dramatically different from that of wartime Japan. It used to be a symbol that was employed to encourage the takeover of Asia during war. Now, the new Emperor has taken on international causes. He is especially interested in the topic of water. Even though Japan has access to clean water, people in many places across the world do not. He has adopted a worldwide issue to try to help the most vulnerable in the world as well.
It can be difficult for people in Asia in particular to recognize that Japan has changed and that postwar Japan is so different from wartime Japan.
Q: During your time at Portland State University, you have organized many programs dedicated to promoting Japanese culture. What are a few of the favorite programs that you have organized, were there any challenges in implementing these programs, and how do you believe cross-cultural understanding can impact our collaboration with others?
A: I was one of a few people who came together to start the Center for Japanese Studies in 2001, and I played a meaningful role in building it into what it is today. We are approaching more than 300 related events; roughly we have 12-14 a year. One of our memorable programs featured Beate Sirota Gordon, who was on the team that wrote the postwar constitution and advocated for equality for the sexes. She came to Portland State to give a talk and was unbelievably dynamic and hilarious. She helped write Article 24 of the Postwar Constitution, which guaranteed equality of the sexes. She also served as the interpreter for the famous session between the American and Japanese sides, all 36 hours of it. When it came to negotiations regarding Article 24, according to Beate, Colonel Kades asked the Japanese side to accept it because the “nice lady” who had been interpreting the entire session had written it. She became a heroine among Japanese women because of Article 24.
Another program we put on was, “Kanpai Japan: A Celebration of Japanese Food and Drink Culture,” where people get to experience the food and drinks of Japanese culture. Food is a very important academic topic and reins in nationalism because almost all foodstuffs exhibit transnational hybridity.
Q: What do you believe will be the future of Japan and U.S. relations?
A: I hope that the two countries continue to be united by shared values. Japan, in recent years, has expanded upon the previous diplomacy of focusing mainly on business and now has taken on a significant value-based diplomacy. Going forward, I hope that we continue to share these values of democracy with Japan.
Thank you so much to Dr. Ken Ruoff for being our June Member Spotlight.
Ms. Izumi NakamitsU
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL AND HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS, UNITED NATIONS
Meet Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu
“Of course, the world is changing dramatically, and not all are positive changes. But you have to always believe that you can be a change agent and you can indeed change the world – for the better.” - when asked what advice she would give younger students.
Our first member spotlight features Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, an avid member of the International House of Japan (IHJ). She appreciates and values the platform IHJ creates for fostering deep dialogues among individuals from many cultures.
Ms. Nakamitsu is the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations and has been a member of the International House of Japan for many years. She became a member of IHJ after Mr. Yasushi Akashi, the first Japanese United Nations staff member and her former boss, encouraged her to join the I-House during a get together at the the I-House restaurant.
AFIHJ’s Research and Social Media Intern, Natalie Janssen, interviewed Ms. Nakamitsu and engaged her in a conversation about her time at the International House of Japan and her work at the United Nations. Please see the Q&A below:
Q&A Section:
Q: If you could summarize your experience with the IHJ in one word, what would it be?
A: Collaboration; Also, identity in the sense of Japan’s identity in the world.
Q: Looking back, is there a piece of advice that you have received that has been especially valuable in your professional and/or personal life?
A: Mrs. Ogata, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the 90s, [who wrote her doctoral dissertation at the I-House] said to find creative ways to solve problems and be a risk taker to find new solutions to new challenges. When the world is changing, we need to be forward-looking.
Q: What do you believe the role of U.S.-Japan relations is in addressing large global questions?
A: With the 80th anniversary of the UN and the end of WWII, we need to reflect on how to protect the international order on the basis of international law. These are fundamental questions about global stability. The world is shifting, and the United States, as the largest economic, political and military power, is at the center of this massive shift. Independent of the governments, the civil society and citizens of the two countries should think about what they can do together for a better, more prosperous and secure world.
Q: What do you believe is the future of the International House of Japan and U.S.-Japan relations?
A: I hope that the future is active and proactive with lots of dialogue between the two countries that I-House can continue to facilitate and be the center of these key debates. It is not just a friendship society, but it is anchored in interesting policy dialogues between the two countries.
Q:What do you believe is the best way for the International House of Japan to navigate the current political climate, particularly in terms of its role in international affairs and relations with Japan?
A: Things are very unpredictable and unclear at the moment; we need to stay calm and not be driven by rushed emotions. We need to focus on data and evidence-based rational policy making. I think I-House can contribute to such debates with longer-term interests, rather than rushing into trying to respond to the immediate situations.
Q:What is a question you wish people asked you more often? What would be your response?
A: I get asked a lot about being a woman occupying a senior position at the UN in international peace and security and the disarmament field. I hope people rather ask me about the substance of my work on peace and security itself. I also wish people would ask me more often about the realities and the truth of the United Nations. The UN is not a utopian idealistic institution. Rather, it was created as a collective security system to achieve a more secure and peaceful world based on the UN Charter, and through diplomacy and negotiations at the center.
Q: In what ways can institutions like the IHJ facilitate dialogue on conflict resolution?
A: It is a platform for people from the U.S. and Japan with wide-ranging expertise and perspectives who are able to look at the issues related to conflict, war, stability, and the world order. I hope that the I-House will continue to be that platform and a safe place for people to discuss difficulties, not just tackling specific topics on the surface, but also deeply seeded in understandings of respective cultures.
Thank you so much to Ms. Nakamitsu for an amazing dialogue in our inaugural member spotlight!