ASIAFROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF

THE FINNISH INSTITUTE IN JAPAN

Kauko Laitinen

Director

WHAT THE FINNISH INSTITUTES ARE AND WHAT THEY DO

Since 1954 in total 17 Finnish Institutes have been established by private foundations with support from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

Four of them are academic institutes: Athens, Japan, Middle East, and Rome.

The rest, 13 institutes, are cultural institutes: Berlin, Benelux, Budapest, Denmark, Hanasaari, London, Madrid, New York, Oslo, Paris, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm.

Reasons for establishment: cultural, economic, geographic, historical, scientific ties and needs to develop them

Many institutes cover several countries In East Asia only one institute – Finnish Institute in

Japan (FIJ)

BACKGROUND OF THE FIJ FIJ is maintained by the Foundation of the Finnish

Institute in Japan, a private foundation established in 1997 in Finland by parties in the fields of research, education, technology, arts and business.

At the moment 34 member organisations in the Foundation: all universities in Finland, research funds such as Academy of Finland, National Technology Agency and Finnish Cultural Foundation, Technical Research Centre of Finland, economic organisations including Confederation of Finnish Industries, Finland Trade Centre Finpro, and five major Finnish enterprises, academic and cultural organisations including Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, Arts Council of Finland, Union of Finnish Writers, Finnish Association of Architects, Design Museum, City of Helsinki, as well as the two main friendship societies of Finland and Japan.

FIJ EXECUTIVE BOARD, ADVISORY BOARD AND STAFF MEETING IN NOVEMBER 2011

BACKGROUND OF THE FIJ, CON’D

The foundation is supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.

The Finnish Institute in Japan promotes cooperation in research, higher education, art and culture between Finland and Japan. It encourages joint projects and mobility of researchers, students and artists.

One of FIJ’s main tasks is to create and maintain networks connected to its strategic activities in Japan and Finland. It builds bridges between Finland and Japan and increasingly with other regions in East Asia.

BACKGROUND OF THE FIJ, CON’D

FIJ is located in Tokyo in the same building as the Embassy of Finland.

FIJ STRATEGY 2010-2014

The FIJ aims at increasing collaboration between Finnish and Japanese academics, artists and related organizations. The objective is to offer a platform for long-standing co-operation.

The FIJ pursues and promotes cultural activities suitable to its aims as well as interaction in research and higher education between Finland and Japan.

The FIJ supports researchers, students and artists in their work in Japan. For this purpose it maintains networks in both countries.

The Finnish Institute in Japan supports the activities of its founding organisations in Japan.

PRIORITY AREAS IN 2012-2014

Higher education Co-operation with East Asia Architecture Design

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FIJ encourages academic collaboration

between Finland and Japan, increasing student and researcher exchange and joint research between top-level universities and research institutes.

It concentrates on development of frameworks such as joint tenure track and international doctoral school cooperation.

It initiates symposia and workshops of interest to both countries

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION Sendai Finland Wellbeing Centre project in

Sendai, 1999- Feel Finland 2003; Feel Finland in Science 2006 Japan-Finland Programme 2007-2011 Kawaguchi school project 2008-2010 Japanese-Finnish Dictionary 1999- Culture and Society of Swedish-speaking Finns

2013-2015 Higher Education: Finnish Language and Culture

Education, Teacher training 2013-2014 (planned) Co-operation on Built Environment between

Finland, Japan and China (Shenyang)

ART AND CULTURE

FIJ brings contemporary Finnish and Japanese artists, producers, curators and organisers together in order to realize cultural events both in Finland and Japan.

The FIJ art projects are typically carried out as joint productions with relevant professional partners in Japan and Finland.

Some projects: Feel Finland 2003 HIRAMEKI Design x Finland 2010- Helsinki-Tokyo Composer-in-Residence Programme

2011- Tokyo Midtown Christmas 2012- Finnish Glass Exhibition at Suntory Museum of Art

2012 Sami Exhibition at Hokkaido University Museum 2012

ALUMNI NETWORKING ACTIVITY BY THE FIJ Finnish-Japanese Alumni Network (FJAN) established

by FIJ in 2010. Japanese students who studied in Finland are eligible to membership.

Link to FJAN website through on FIJ website www.finstitute.gr.jp

Link from FB will be opened in Spring 2013 Sharing experiences about studying in Finland,

offering hints to students going to Finland for study Meetings at the FIJ, information about Finland-related

events in Japan Opportunities to meet Finnish students studying in

Japan Possibilities to increase and develop contacts between

FJAN and JSPS as well as MEXT alumni organisations need to be studied

A FINNISH-JAPANESE ALUMNI NETWORK MEETING AT FIJ IN MAY 2012 CELEBRATING THE PUBLICATION OF THE JAPANESE EDITION OF JAPANIN KIELI COMPILED BY UNIV. OF HELSINKI STUDENTS

JAPAN (IN MID-MARCH 2013)

In 2013, East Asia’s fastest growing economy! Tokyo Stock Excxhange 40 % growth in value! Yen weakened 25 % in value toward the Euro!

WHY? Bold ecomic recovery policy (”Abenomics”) by

Shozo Abe’s new government (Liberal Democratic Party) – ”Beautiful Japan”, ”Strong Japan”

Japan Central Bank forced to adopt more flexible policy concerning the value of the yen

”Abeducation policies” by MEXT After ”2 lost decades” , Japan’s ”last chance”

JAPAN

Critics say: Abenomics = ”beginning of Japan’s last bubble”

Public debt (already 239% of GDP) increasing = dangerous level?

Recovery from the triple disaster of 2011 slow

Energy: nuclear or non-nuclear? Students decreasing interest in foreign study

since 2004 Japan’s relations with neighbouring countries

ADVANTAGES OF JAPAN AS THE FIJ’S OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Historically closest country to Finland in East Asia

Democratic, open society. Free press. High level in scientific research Well-developed educational system Safe, clean environment Receptive to foreign culture

TRAINEES AT THE FIJ

Two channels: CIMO and Svenska Kulturfonden

Working holiday system desired JET programme as an opportunity Trainee opportunities based on College

exchanges Trainee positions in Japanese universities?

FIJ’S REGIONAL COOPERATION IN EAST ASIA(PLAN IN 2012 – POSTPONED TO THE FUTURE)

 Growth of the importance of the East Asian Region as a whole (Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea)

Ministry of Education and Culture has repeatedly inquired the Finnish Institute in Japan about the possibility to expand its activity to China and other countries in the East Asian region

A flexible form of cooperation, based on networking, is needed to link the Finnish Institute in Japan with the rest of East Asian region

Changing needs in the future (emerging new fields for co-operation, new centres and stakeholders, etc) must also be taken into consideration

Based on the depth / breadth of co-operation, there can be different levels in the Finnish Institute in Japan’s co-operation with the rest of East Asia

LEVEL 1: CO-OPERATION WITH A SINGLE PARTNER

Example: co-operation with Shenyang Jianzhu University – a Chinese architecture university in Northeast China. It already has exchange agreements with Aalto University and Tampere University of Techology (agreements not yet operative). University of Oulu will soon join.

LEVEL 2: CO-OPERATION NETWORK IN EAST ASIA

Representatives of Finland-related units in local universities/research institutes in the region form a consultative group, meeting 2 times a year in order to exchange information and plan future co-operation projects.

The meetings rotate between units The Finnish Institute in Japan serves as the

secretariat and co-ordinates the meetings.

LEVEL 2: CO-OPERATION NETWORK IN EAST ASIA, CON’DPotential fields Higher education (including area studies) Environment Architecture and Design

Potential partners in East Asia Institute of Finnish Language, Beijing Foreign Studies

University (Beijing) International Urban Center for Human Co-habitation,

Shenyang Jianzhu University (Shenyang) Sino-Finnish Centre (Aalto-Tongji Design Factory), Tongji

University (Shanghai) Sino-Finnish Environment Research Institute & Chinese-

Nordic Cultural Centre, Nanjing University (Nanjing) A Taiwanese partner (Taipei)? A South Korean partner (Seoul)?

LEVEL 3: DEEPENING CO-OPERATION (ORGANISATIONAL )

The Finnish Institute in Japan may officially become Finnish East Asia Institute (FEAI).

No change to current Japanese name (“Finland Centre”), location and activity in Japan.

Network partners become FEAI Partners. The Institute may despatch supporting staff

to partner offices.

VISIONS FOR THE COMING YEARS OF THE FIJ

Inreasing Finland-Japan cooperation, with links to East Asia (China, South Korea, Taiwan)

Feel Finland in Education (2014-)?

Feel Finland in Culture (2014-)?

FINDING THE SAME TUNE WITH MUKKURI

AT SHIRAOI, HOKKAIDO

THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTION

YOUR ADVICE IS ALWAYS

HIGHLY APPRECIATED