Modern Japan History Association

Modern Japan History Association
AbbreviationMJHA
Formation2023
TypeNonprofit professional association
Legal status501(c)(3) organization
PurposePromotion of scholarship on modern Japan and Japanese history
Region served
International
MembershipScholars of Japanese history and Japan studies
Websitewww.mjha.org

The Modern Japan History Association (MJHA) is a nonprofit professional association of scholars specializing in the study of modern Japan and Japanese history. The organization promotes research, teaching, and transnational scholarly exchange in the field of Japanese studies.[1]

History

The Modern Japan History Association was formally launched in 2023 as a professional organization serving scholars of modern Japan and Japanese history, complementing existing academic societies focused on earlier historical periods or broader regional studies.[2][3]

The association emerged out of a perceived need within the field for a dedicated network centered on modern and contemporary Japanese history, fostering collaboration among historians and scholars across disciplines and geographic regions.[4]

Mission and activities

MJHA’s stated mission is to support the creation and dissemination of knowledge about modern Japan and its history through scholarly exchange, collaboration, and recognition of outstanding research.[4] MJHA's activities include organizing events such as lectures, roundtables, professional development workshops, and book talks; maintaining academic networks and listservs; and sponsoring prizes recognizing excellence in scholarship.[4]

The association is a member-run organization without salaried staff and is supported by membership dues and donations.[5]

Prizes

The Modern Japan History Association administers several annual awards recognizing scholarship in Japanese studies, including:

  • The Modern Japan History Association Book Prize
  • The F. Hilary Conroy First Book Prize
  • The Charlotte J. Conroy Dissertation Prize

These prizes recognize outstanding English-language monographs and doctoral dissertations on modern Japan or Japanese history across disciplines.[6]

Distinguished Annual Lecture

The Modern Japan History Association Distinguished Annual Lecture is the organization’s flagship annual event, recognizing the achievements and scholarly contributions of a leading historian of modern Japan. The lecturer is elected by the association’s membership, and each scholar may deliver the lecture only once.[7]

The lecture is typically delivered online and is free to view. It serves as a major forum for reflection on the state of the field and new directions in the study of modern Japanese history.[8]

List of MJHA Distinguished Annual Lecturers

Year Lecturer Affiliation Lecture title
2023 Tessa Morris-Suzuki[9] Australian National University Writing War: History in Occupied Japan and its Echoes for Today
2024 Carol Gluck[10] Columbia University Thirteen Ways of Looking at Modern Japanese History: Time Past, Present, Future
2025 Andrew Gordon[11] Harvard University After the Pandemic: Revising a Textbook and Rethinking History
2026 Jordan Sand[8] Georgetown University TBA

Overview

The lecture series was inaugurated in 2023 with historian Tessa Morris-Suzuki, whose lecture examined historiography and memory of the Asia-Pacific War in postwar Japan.[12]

The second lecture, delivered in 2024 by Carol Gluck, addressed changing temporal frameworks and interpretations in modern Japanese history.[13]

In 2025, Andrew Gordon delivered the third lecture, focusing on historiographical revision in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving perspectives on modern Japan.

Publications

Texts and recordings of the Distinguished Annual Lectures and other MJHA events are periodically made available through the association's website and on YouTube, contributing to broader dissemination of current scholarship in modern Japanese history.[14][15]

Recognition and coverage

MJHA prizes and activities have been reported by universities and research institutes in connection with awards to faculty and authors.

For example in 2025, the Harvard University Department of Anthropology and the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies noted that anthropologist Ryo Morimoto had received the association’s Book Prize for his book Nuclear Ghost.[16][17]

Similarly, the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University reported that Anri Yasuda received the 2026 F. Hilary Conroy First Book Prize for Beauty Matters, highlighting the association’s role in recognizing early-career scholarship.[18]

University announcements have also noted finalists and nominees for MJHA prizes, reflecting the association’s growing visibility within the field of Japanese studies.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Official launch of the Modern Japan History Association". Social Science Japan. University of Tokyo. 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  2. ^ "Official launch of the Modern Japan History Association". Social Science Japan. University of Tokyo. 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  3. ^ "Mediating Japan's Southern Advance: An Interview with Seiji Shirane (Part 2)". The Taiwan Gazette. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c "About the Modern Japan History Association". Modern Japan History Association. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  5. ^ "Join us". Modern Japan History Association. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  6. ^ "2026 MJHA Book Prize, First Book Prize, and Dissertation Prize announcement". Social Science Japan. University of Tokyo. 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  7. ^ "Mark your calendars - Andrew Gordon's 2025 MJHA Distinguished Annual Lecture". Social Science Japan. University of Tokyo. 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  8. ^ a b "MJHA Distinguished Annual Lecture". Modern Japan History Association. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  9. ^ "The Lessons of August 15, 1945". Asia Policy Point. August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  10. ^ "2024 Distinguished Annual Lecture: Carol Gluck". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  11. ^ "After the Pandemic: Revising a Textbook and Revising History". Japan Past & Present. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  12. ^ "The Lessons of August 15, 1945". Asia Policy Point. August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  13. ^ "2024 Distinguished Annual Lecture: Carol Gluck". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  14. ^ "MJHA Publications". Modern Japan History Association. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  15. ^ "Modern Japan History Association". YouTube. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  16. ^ "Ryo Morimoto Receives 2025 Modern Japan History Association Prize for Nuclear Ghost". Harvard Anthropology. Harvard University. 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  17. ^ "Ryo Morimoto awarded Modern Japan History Association Book Prize". Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies. Harvard University. 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  18. ^ "Anri Yasuda Wins Modern Japan History Association's Conroy First Book Prize". Weatherhead East Asian Institute. Columbia University. 2026. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  19. ^ "WEAI Studies Author Matthew R. Augustine a Nominee for History Book Prize". Weatherhead East Asian Institute. Columbia University. 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
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