Dr. Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki

Terasaki Center For Japanese Studies

Established in 1991, the UCLA Terasaki Center has been a platform for research on Japan. Our distinguished faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and the board of advisors have been contributing to the field of Japanese studies for over 20 years.

Faculty Board of Advisors Chair in US-Japan Relations Postdoctoral Fellows Alumni

Students Visitors Staff Supporters Dr. Paul I. Terasaki

The Terasaki Center sponsors a vast array of events throughout the year. With its colloquium series, the Center brings academics from diverse fields to UCLA each year. Special workshops and annual conferences bring leading scholars to discuss topics relating to Japan.

Center News Annual Newsletter

Center Events Community Events Past Events

The Center is proud to support our faculty, current and prospective students, and the local community through a variety of grants and fellowships.

Internal Funding
Learn more and apply for Center funding here.

External Funding
Funding sources in this section are not administered by the Center.

Center programs were established with strong support from the local community to promote research and instruction in Japanese studies, with a recent focus on the profound transformations unfolding in contemporary Japanese society.

UCLA Japanese Studies
Programs by Faculty and Students

Global Japan Initiative
Understanding Japan/Japanese culture within a global context.

The Terasaki Center is actively expanding support for faculty and graduate students, building relationships with other universities as well as Japan and Japanese Studies related organizations, and enhancing its role in the community.

Mission & History
Digital Archive

Global Hub
The Center is dedicated to connecting Japanese communities around the world with those engaged in the study of Japan and the Japanese.

DONATE Your gift can make a difference to Japanese studies at UCLA!

global japan initiative Understanding Japan/Japanese
culture within a global context

Dr. Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki

Transplant medicine pioneer, philanthropist, UCLA faculty member and alumnus

Dr. Paul I. Terasaki and his wife Hisako are philanthropists and longtime friends of UCLA who have contributed more than $58 million to UCLA over the past four decades plus, including $50 million toward the state-of-the-art Terasaki Life Sciences Building and an endowed chair in surgery at the Geffen School.

In 2005 the Center was renamed the Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies to commemorate a major endowment from the Paul I. And Hisako Terasaki Foundation. This gift allowed the Terasaki Center to create the Terasaki Chair for the Contemporary Study of Japan, the Terasaki Community Outreach Program, and the Terasaki Postdoctoral Fellowship.

The Terasakis are also deeply involved with the Japanese American community, dedicating their support to organizations such as the U.S.-Japan Council, the Japanese American National Museum, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, and the Japanese American Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Paul I. Terasaki passed away on January 25, 2016. He was 86.