On April 1, 2005,  the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Research Institute for the Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Studies and the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies, inaugurated the Research and Educational Project for Middle East and Islamic Studies. The Project is funded by the Special Account Budget for Education and Research, granted by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Sciences and Technology. At the core of the Project is collaborative research conducted at the Japan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, to be established in Lebanon by the ILCAA. In the field of Islamic society, politics, and culture, specifically in the Middle East, the Project offers programs of a high calibre and consistency in both research and education. This is achieved through parallel and organically collaborative research programs, education programs, and community contribution programs.

The Research and Educational Project for Middle East and Islamic Studies is organized into three divisions: one based at the ILCAA, another at the Department of Foreign Studies and the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies, and finally the Project's Communication Center (located within the ILCAA Field Science Research Center) which serves to tie the divisions together.

Project Leader　OHTSUKA Kazuo
ILCAA Division
OHTSUKA Kazuo (Division Leader), MIYAZAKI Koji, KUROKI Hidemitsu, IIZUKA Masato, KONDO Nobuaki, TOKORO Ikuya, NISHII Ryoko, TAKAMATSU Yoichi, WATABE Ryoko, NISHIKIDA Aiko, YOSHIMURA Takayuki
Graduate School Division
YAGI Kumiko, Robert RATCLIFFE, AOYAMA Hiroyuki, HACHIOSHI Makoto, FUJII Morio, SASAKI Ayano, YOSHIE Satoko, ARAI Masami, HAYASHI Kayoko (Division Leader) SUGAWARA Mutsumi, SAKAI Keiko, YAMASHITA Kimiyo, YAMAMOTO Kaoru, SAITO Masamichi
The Research and Educational Project for Middle East and Islamic Studies Communication Center
OHTSUKA Kazuo (Leader), MIYAZAKI Koji, IIZUKA Masato, HAYASHI Kayoko (Sub-leader), YAGI Kumiko, YOSHIE Satoko, SAKAI Keiko
　

[Research Program]
○Implementation of a large-scale joint research project
We will coordinate and launch large-scale research projects on themes such as Muslims and the Other-Muslims and the West-In Coexistence and Conflict.
○To boost research projects through the Japan Center for Middle Eastern Studies
In the first year of the Project, we will establish a research center in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. In addition to promoting the aforementioned research project, we will also gather resources and conduct regional studies in conjunction with local research institutes.

[Education Program]
○Middle East and Islamic Research Seminar
The seminar is offered post-docs and latter-stage doctoral candidates preparing their dissertations for the purpose of fostering critical skills and deeper understanding within their research. This year, the seminar will be held in two parts: the first will take place from July 19 to 23, and the latter from December 19 to 23.
○Middle East and Islamic Education Seminar
Through lectures on the Middle East and Islam aimed at graduate students, the purpose of this seminar is to broaden the scope of knowledge necessary in Islamic research. Participating students will also be invited to present their own research at the seminar. This year, the seminar will be held over the course of four days, from July 26 to 29.

[Education Program]
○We aim to further enrich the courses offered in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at the Department of Foreign Languages and the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies. At the same time, these courses will be open as accredited courses to participants from outside of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies who fulfill application requirements.

[Community Contribution Program]
○In order to promote further understanding of Japan within the Middle East, we will support Japanese language programs and Japanese research within designated institutions with whom we share academic exchanges.
○In order to promote further understanding of the Middle East within Japan we will translate prominent articles gathered from up-to-date internet news sources in Arabic. (See: The Middle East Media in Japanese) （→「News from Middle East」）
○In conjunction with various collaborating institutions, we will hold seminars and lectures open to the public.

○ILCAA
c/o The Field Science Research Center Research Institute for the Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies 3-11-1 Asahi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo
Tel& Fax: 042-330-5665

○Department of Foreign Languages and the Graduate School of Area and Culture Studies
Research and Lecture Building Room 800 Project Office, Research and Educational Project for Middle East and Islamic Studies,The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies 3-11-1 Asahi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo
Tel&Fax: 042-330-5568
e-mail: prmeis@tufs.ac.jp