About

Inaugurated in 1996 as the Centre for the Teaching of Japanese Language and Culture (Japan Centre), the Centre organized a variety of events, including conferences in 1997 and 2000.  When Prince and Princess Takamado visited the University of Alberta in the summer of 1999, their program included an introduction to the Japan Centre. After the untimely death of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamado, former University of Alberta President Roderick Fraser discussed with Princess Takamado the university’s desire to rename the Japan Centre in his honor, and Her Imperial Highness granted her permission. On June 10, 2004, The Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research was formally established at the University of Alberta, and an endowment—The Prince Takamado Japan Canada Memorial Fund—was created.

As the managing body of the Memorial Fund, the PTJC has fostered Japan-related student learning, research, and community engagement for over two decades. Activities in support of student learning have included hosting Japanese language speech contests, administering the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), recognizing excellence through the Princess Takamado Essay Contest, supporting student mobility through exchange programs and bursaries, and serving as the Canadian secretariat for the Japan Canada Academic Consortium. The Centre has catalyzed research by organizing scholarly symposia and conferences, funding academic research projects, hosting public lectures, and mounting cultural events. Notable recent undertakings include creating the PTJC Seed Grant Program, co-founding the Gordon Hirabayashi Annual Lecture, and co-hosting the 2024 Annual Conference of the National Association of Japanese Canadians.