Stanford e-Japan is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Stanford e-Japan is supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In Summer 2022, top students of the Spring 2021 Stanford e-Japan course will be honored through an event at Stanford University.

The three Spring 2021 honorees—Yura Amaya (Toyama Chubu High School, Toyama), Akira Fukutomi (Yaeyama High School, Okinawa), and Yuto Kimura (Waseda University Senior High School, Tokyo)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “Organ Donation After Brain Death in Japan and the United States,” “Ambiguity and Clarity: Cultural Differences between Japan and the U.S.,” and “The U.S.–Japan Relationship: Consideration from the Perspective of U.S.–China Friction.”

Risei Ko (Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University) and Moe Shimizu (Shibuya Senior High School) received Honorable Mentions for their research papers that focused respectively on “The Metaverse & Human Relations: A New Approach to Tackle Racism in Japan and the U.S.” and “Mental Health Care for U.S. High School Students Under COVID-19.”

In the Spring 2021 session of Stanford e-Japan, all 28 students successfully completed the course. The students represented the following schools: Aichi Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School (Aichi); the Academy for the International Community in Japan (AICJ) High School (Hiroshima); Hachinohe St. Ursula Gakuin High School (Aomori); Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School (Hiroshima); Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Hokkaido); Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University (Osaka); International Christian University High School (Tokyo); Kaijo Senior High School (Tokyo); Kaisei Academy (Tokyo); Kasugaoka High School (Osaka); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Kyoto Gakuen High School (Kyoto); Kyoto Prefectural Rakuhoku Senior High School (Kyoto); Mita International School (Tokyo); Nagasaki Prefectural Isahaya High School (Nagasaki); Oin High School (Tokyo); Okayama Prefectural Joto High School (Okayama); Oshima High School (Kagoshima); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Shibuya Senior High School (Tokyo); Takada High School (Mie); Takamatsu High School (Kagawa); Toyama Chubu High School (Toyama); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yaeyama High School (Okinawa); and Yatsushiro High School (Kumamoto).

For more information about the Stanford e-Japan Program, please visit stanfordejapan.org. The application period for Spring 2022 will begin November 15, 2021.