The Japan Research Unit (JRU) is an interdisciplinary structure within the University of Valencia that brings together researchers who work in fields related to Japan, its language and cultural sphere.

This unit fosters research, training, and outreach initiatives related to Japanese Studies and hosts external researchers with projects in this field.

The JRU aims to promote original research and its dissemination, as well as to support the training of new generations of researchers who are interested in specializing topics related to Japan.

The JRU encourages the development of critical approaches that contribute to the development of new analytical tools and innovative methodologies that challenge existing theoretical frameworks and preconceived ideas, spotting contradictions and gaps in any field of study related to Japan.

Thus, the JRU is a hub for promoting advanced Japanese Studies that use primary sources and overcome essentialist and orientalist views, paying special attention to studies related to diversity, gender, minorities, and transculturality.

These studies help us understand Japanese reality not as an isolated entity, but as one connected at a regional and global level, and one that has also been in constant transformation.

Therefore, the JRU seeks to generate and channel nuanced knowledge about Japan, but also to disseminate knowledge produced from Japan to challenge Eurocentric approaches in any discipline.

Hence, the JRU is a forum for discussion aimed at improving understanding of Japan-related phenomena, from culture, arts, literature and linguistics to translation, society, history, and philosophy.

It seeks to promote original research and its dissemination, welcoming researchers at any stage of their careers, from senior scholars to young researchers interested in specializing in Japan-related topics.