Department of Japanese Studies

On March 11, 2026, the Institute for Asian and African Studies hosted an online roundtable titled “Women and Women’s Movements in East Asia.” The programme featured student presentations focusing on gender issues in China, Korea, and Japan.

"Translation of Japanese Manga Comics and Video Subtitling" is one of the longest-running and most in-demand projects implemented at the Department of Japanese Studies of the Institute of Asian and African Studies for bachelor's students enrolled in the Asian and African Studies program. Today, we will provide a detailed look at what project participants do, summarize the interim results of the first stage, and also speak with students who are mastering the basics of comic translation this year.

On January 15, 2026, as part of a series of joint online seminars with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, students from the Asian and African Studies program at the Institute of Asian and African Studies (Department of Japanese Studies) discussed their academic interests and current research topics with students from Japan.

The Department of Japanese Studies continues its unique series of joint online seminars with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). The latest sessions were held on October 23 and November 6, 2025. The seminars involved 4th-year students of the "Asian and African Studies" bachelors' degree program, specializing in Japanese, as well as Japanese students majoring in Russian studies from TUFS.

The International Partners Week 2025 became one of the most important international events of the year for the Institute for Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg. After five days of the forum, experts in Asian and African studies from HSE University-St Petersburg held negotiations with representatives of 18 global universities from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, signed important agreements and shaped the directions for international cooperation in the future. Professor Evgeny Zelenev, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, shares the results of IPW-2025.

As part of a trip to Japan in March 2025, a delegation from HSE St. Petersburg, led by Campus Director Anna Tyshetskaya, visited a number of major universities in Japan: Sofia University (Tokyo), Hosei University (Tokyo), Tokai University (Tokyo), Kwansei University (Kobe), Osaka University (Osaka) and others. The delegation from the Institute of Asian and African Studies included the head of the Department of Japanese Studies Olga Klimova and senior lecturer Artyom Klimov.

This year, the Department of Japanese Studies at the Institute of Asian and African Studies continues to establish contacts with various universities in Japan within the framework of educational, pedagogical and scientific cooperation. Students of the department regularly visit educational institutions in Japan for exchange studies.

Maria Petrochenko, a 5th year student of Asian and African Studies (Department of Japanese Studies), became a diploma winner of the VII season of the All-Russian competition “I am a Professional” in the direction of “Asian and African Studies: Japanese Studies”.

On June 28, 2024, Mr. Matsuo Hiroki, Consul General of Japan in St. Petersburg, visited the National Research University Higher School of Economics-St. Petersburg. The Consul General was accompanied by Mrs. Nishimoto Chihiro, Vice-Consul.

Olga Klimova, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Japanese Studies at the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics-St. Petersburg took part in the International Pacific Theatre Festival as a interpreter of Japanese director Miura Motoi on October 2-4, 2024.