This group research aims at studying the history and culture of Japanese immigrants and their descendents to South and North Americas. Its principal purpose is filling the gap between the experts of North American immigration and the South American one by way of discussing the case studies on each area. We will also consider, when possible, the researchers on Japanese immigration to other areas, The other immigration to the New Continent and so-called "return migration" to Japan from South America in order to　examine our subject in a wider perspective. Japanese immigration to the New Continent (including Hawai'i) began with the dawn of Meiji and played an essential role in Japan's political, social and cultural modernization approximately until the 1960s. Japanese emigration depended upon the economic and political situation of Japan and the host country as well as the diplomatic agenda and racial conditions.Among numerous themes concerning the study of Japanese immigration, our group will concentrate upon history and culture. The former includes the mid-19th century up to today, whereas the latter refers to habits, life style, ideology, concept, literature, writing in general, social organization, event, media, language, behavior, performing arts, ceremony, arts, discourse, and so on. The culture in our sense is inclusive and heuristic. We are also concerned with the adaptation and transformation of Japanese culture abroad whose agency is basically the Nikkei community. We will argue this community as cultural agency (producer, mediator, receiver).The study of Japanese immigration has been initiated and activated by the sociologists cooperating with minority's political movement. Though admitting their crucial significance, we will rather focus on the life, expression, and emotion of Nikkei group for enlarging the scope of research. At first we have to question the concept of "Japanese culture "which is neither monolithic nor fixed. This question has been recently raised in the discussion on cultural nationalism and media studies and we believe it relevant for our goal. The concepts such as acculturation, adaptation, syncretism, mixing should be also revisited as well. We will search for a balanced method between the empirical data collecting and the theoretical thinking adequate for the coming study of Japanese and other immigration.

Research Representative	細川　周平	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Organizer	瀧井　一博	国際日本文化研究センター・准教授
Team Researcher	赤木　妙子	目白大学　社会学部地域社会学科・准教授
〃	アンジェロ・イシ	武蔵大学社会学部・教授
〃	粂井　輝子	白百合女子大学文学部英語英文学科・教授
〃	小嶋　茂	早稲田大学移民・エスニック文化研究所・客員研究員
〃	栗山　新也	日本学術振興会特別研究員(PD)
〃	佐々木 剛二	日本学術振興会特別研究員(PD)
〃	滝田　祥子	横浜市立大学国際総合科学部・准教授
〃	日比　嘉高	名古屋大学大学院文学研究科・准教授
〃	松岡　秀明	淑徳大学国際コミュニケーション学部・教授
〃	物部 ひろみ	同志社大学言語文化教育研究センター・准教授
〃	森本　豊富	早稲田大学人間科学学術院・教授
〃	守屋　友江	阪南大学国際コミュニケーション学部・教授
〃	柳田　利夫	慶応義塾大学文学部・教授
〃	渡会　環	愛知県立大学外国語学部・専任講師
Team Researcher Overseas	根川　幸男	ブラジリア大学・准教授