TUFS Marks 35 Years of Czech Studies with International Symposium “Bohemistika 35”

July 29, 2026

From Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21, 2026, the international event “Bohemistika 35” was held in Tokyo to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Czech language education and Czech Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). The three-day programme brought together researchers, teachers, students, and alumni from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The event was organised in collaboration with TUFS, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Seoul, the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and the CzechTourism offices for Japan and Taiwan, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
The academic programme and overall organisation of the symposium were led by Visiting Associate Professor Markéta Bruna GEBHARTOVÁ of the Czech language programme at TUFS. She coordinated the symposium programme, invited international participants, and worked closely with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo and the other participating institutions.
The event opened on Friday, June 19 with a commemorative reception at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo. Ambassador Martin KLUČAR welcomed the participants and expressed his appreciation for TUFS’s long-standing contribution to Czech language education and to the development of relations between Japan and the Czech Republic.
TUFS President Nobuo HARUNA also addressed the participants. He recalled the legacy of Professor Emeritus Eiichi CHINO, who founded Czech Studies at TUFS, and emphasised the continuing importance of Czech language education for academic and cultural exchange between Japan and the Czech Republic.
Jiří KRÁTKÝ, Special Envoy for Expatriate Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, joined the event through a video message. The reception also included Czech cuisine, a quiz about the Czech Republic prepared by CzechTourism, and musical performances by Tetsu Michael NAKANO and TUFS students. The programme included a song by Czech singer-songwriter Karel Kryl, performed in Czech.

International Academic Symposium

On Saturday, June 20, the international academic symposium was held at TUFS in a hybrid format and livestreamed via Zoom, enabling participants outside Tokyo and overseas to attend.
The programme consisted of sessions devoted to the development and future of Czech Studies in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, as well as Czech literature, linguistics, history, and political thought.
Speakers discussing the position of Czech Studies in East Asia included Professor Taku SHINOHARA of TUFS, Professor Emeritus Kyuchin KIM of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, and Professor Melissa Shih-Hui LIN of National Chengchi University in Taipei.
The symposium also featured Professor Kenichi ABE, a leading Japanese scholar of Czech Studies and recipient of the 2025 Premia Bohemica Award, Professor Kumiko KANAZASHI of TUFS, and a younger generation of researchers, including Minami TOYOSHIMA, Takako FUJITA, Hanae MATSUYAMA, Hitomi SATO, Anna NAKAI, Kenshiro ASAOKA, and Kenta SATO.
Their presentations addressed a broad range of subjects, including Czech literature, linguistics, early modern history, translation, and changes in Czech political thought. Anna NAKAI joined the symposium online and presented her research on the open letter as a form of dissent from the Prague Spring to the present day.

International Student Symposium and Alumni Gathering

The final day, Sunday, June 21, was devoted to an international student symposium featuring students from National Chengchi University in Taipei, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, and TUFS. The symposium was followed by a gathering of alumni of the Czech language programme at TUFS.
The students presented their own research on translation and other topics related to Czech language, literature, and culture. The symposium provided them with an opportunity to present their work in an international academic setting and to exchange ideas with teachers, researchers, and fellow students from the three universities.
The subsequent alumni gathering brought together several generations of former TUFS students. Czech served as the principal language of communication, demonstrating the lasting connection that graduates have maintained with the language and culture they studied at the university.
Bohemistika 35 celebrated the achievements of Czech language education at TUFS over the past 35 years and highlighted the contribution of its teachers, students, and alumni to Czech–Japanese academic and cultural relations. The event also strengthened cooperation among Czech Studies programmes in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan and created new opportunities for future academic and student exchange.