A delegation from HSE University-St Petersburg headed by Director Anna Tyshetskaya has visited more than ten universities in Japan to strengthen research and academic cooperation. HSE representatives met the heads of the country’s leading universities, including Soka University, Tokai University, Sophia University, Hitotsubashi University, Hosei University, Osaka University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and others. Among the priority areas of cooperation are humanities and Asian and African research, online training, and academic exchange programmes.
HSE University-St Petersburg
The visit by the delegation from St Petersburg is the next step in establishing academic and research cooperation between the two countries. In December 2024, Nikita Anisimov, Rector of HSE University, visited four Japanese universities. The trip was made at the invitation of the Japanese Ambassador to Russia and was the first official visit by a Russian university delegation to the country since 2022. During the visit, the parties reached an agreement to prepare the online course ‘History and Culture of Russia’. Lectures for students of partner universities are being developed by researchers from HSE University-St Petersburg.
‘In Japan, continued interest in Russia creates a demand for knowledge about the country, its history and culture presented in a modern way. We have presented our lecture on the history of St Petersburg at ten Japanese universities. We studied the feedback and concluded that a significant part of the online course should be devoted to Russian culture and literature,’ shares Adrian Selin. The lectures on the history and culture of Russia will be recorded in two languages, and the online course will last from two weeks to one month.
Director of HSE Universit
Russian culture has long aroused great interest in Japan. It shows up in various spheres—from literature and music to fine art, theatre, and ballet. Classic Russian works are translated hindi directory into Japanese and adapted for the stage, and universities teach Russian. Several universities offer specialised courses on Russian grammar,
literature, and history. For instance, Soka University has a Russia Centre, and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies has been teaching Russian since its foundation in the 19th century. That’s why we are launching a project where our experts in Asian and African studies and humanities scholars will not only talk about Russian history but also develop the interest of Japanese students in our culture and country in general.