The Japanese studies in overseas were grown in the 1980s. The “lost two decades,” however, deprived Japanese economic power and interest to Japan ebbed slowly. It is observed that some universities in the West eliminated the faculty posts of Japanese studies and replaced them with the specialists of other countries. On the other hand, the number of students who are interested in Japan still remains at a high level. Among all, manga/anime culture became the “last fort” of Japanese culture, which attracts foreign young generation.
　The study of Japanese manga/anime is steadily progressing. The number of researchers and outcomes, however, is not enough compared to their popularity. Japanese researchers do not read articles and books written in foreign language, and vice versa. The teachers of foreign universities are attempting to use manga/anime as an introduction to Japanese studies. So that teachers instruct students who have much knowledge than their teachers about each work, the guided teaching materials and methods are required.
　This team research project will discuss and attach academic/educational viewpoints on each work to fill the gap between manga/anime mediated interest to Japan and the current state of Japanese studies. Therefore, we do not place emphasis on the text, author, and expression of each work, as is often the case with current manga/anime studies. It is necessary to assess the accuracy of translation; however, we need to place a higher priority on the adaptation of the work in foreign circumstance. On the other hand, some people are trying to use the attractiveness and economic effect of manga/anime for the development of nation-state. The project keeps a distance from the national interest to evaluate the activities of various actors. We will attach importance to the connection between the “world in the work” and the Japanese culture and society; the interaction between the creation and the real world, typically represented by “pilgrimage” to the places depicted in manga/anime; the diversity of n-dimensional fan fictions created by the “users” of the work; and the transformation of the meaning of the “world in the work” in the context of the country and the mode of modernism.
　The recent works would be selected as the object of discussion, in addition to the old works, of which scholars have occasionally picked up. The team research project intends to contribute to the manga/anime mediated Japanese studies in overseas, what is more, the progress of East Asian studies through conducting the case studies to be referenced by scholars and educators of Japanese culture.

Research Representative	山田奨治	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Organizer	荒木　浩	国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Team Researcher	飯倉義之	國學院大学文学部・助教
〃	石田佐恵子	大阪市立大学大学院文学研究科・教授
〃	伊藤慎吾	中央学院大学・非常勤講師
〃	伊藤　遊	京都精華大学国際マンガ研究センター・研究員
〃	岩井茂樹	大阪大学日本語日本文化教育センター・准教授
〃	岡本　健	京都文教大学総合社会学部・講師
〃	金水　敏	大阪大学大学院文学研究科・教授
〃	白石さや	東京大学大学院教育学研究科・教授
〃	山中千恵	仁愛大学人間学部・准教授
〃	山本冴里	山口大学大学教育機構・講師
〃	油井清光	神戸大学大学院人文学研究科・教授
〃	横濱雄二	甲南女子大学文学部・講師
〃	吉村和真	京都精華大学マンガ学部・教授
〃	北浦寛之	国際日本文化研究センター・助教
〃	谷川建司	国際日本文化研究センター／早稲田大学政治経済学術院・客員教授／客員教授