Why MJHA?

A group of scholars and teachers established the Modern Japan History Association because we felt there was a pressing need for such a group. Our colleagues who study premodern Japan (PMJS) and early modern Japan (EMJNet) already have such groups of their own, but until now there has not been a group specifically for scholars and teachers of modern Japan. That said, just as our colleagues in early modern and premodern Japanese studies have welcomed modern Japan specialists into their groups, we welcome scholars of any time period to join MJHA if they are interested and find it useful!

Another important reason to have an organization focused on modern Japan is to create a professional network for sharing advice, tips, information, and access to resources, especially via the email listserv. Up until now, the main way modern Japan specialists have done this is by posting on Facebook or Twitter, which is subject to the whims of the algorithms, and moreover relies upon private, for-profit platforms with noted privacy issues that not everyone is able or willing to join and use. The establishment of an email listserv allows us to ask questions and share information in a more collegial setting, with a very modest membership fee ensuring that the list is accessible to all but also that only serious teachers and scholars will join.

Third, in the age of Zoom, Webex, and other effective online conferencing platforms, it has become easier than ever to set up a coherent international organization for scholarly networking across borders with relatively low cost and labor requirements. Although we do not presently have plans for an annual conference, members can readily hold a variety of events online that other members around the world can join, thus supplementing the in-person meetups, workshops, and events we also plan to hold.