Before, via seminars and recently a workshop titled “Japan in the age of Asia” held by Faculty of Oriental Studies, the young staff were able to present their studies and consolidate their specialized knowledge. However, as these events only took place in a limited scale between the Faculty’s staff it is necessary to extend them. Bigger proposals were submitted by young staff so not only they but also scholars from other faculties and research institutes can participate in this new atmosphere.

Research is designated as a crucial activity and component in USSH's development strategy – vision to 2020 to achieve the status of a research-based university. In this light, trans-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches are highly encouraged. Faculty of Oriental Studies is able to fulfill this objective thanks to its interregional and interdisciplinary advantages. Moreover, its lecturers were trained in different countries, allowing them to share research approaches and theories from diverse sources.

The first seminar in the series titled "New studies on Japan and Asia" that took place on May 24th, 2014

These seminars have the following objectives:

• Gather participants from different divisions of Faculty of Oriental Studies, namely Chinese studies, Korean studies, Japanese studies, Indian studies, Southeast Asian studies and others to seek multi-disciplinary approaches to issues and answer the questions posed by young lecturers.
• Extend the network of young researchers in Japanese studies and Oriental studies.
• Identify the role and position of Japan in the current international arena and the political relations in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

The series of seminars include 4 main workshops from May 24^th, 2014 to March 31^st, 2015.

Specific topics discussed in the seminars are:

• New research approaches to Asia.
• Employing Corpus Linguistics in teaching and studying Asian languages;
• Traditional Japanese cultural and religious characters of Japan and Asian countries – their effects on modern life in these countries and Asia.
• The role of Japan in the development of new Asia;
• New discoveries in studies on Japan and Asian countries;
• Studies of contemporary literary orientations in Japan and other Asian countries.