Students recognized for essays

Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and Kodansha Publishers recently hosted the 11th annual Edwin O. Reischauer/Kodansha Ltd. Commemorative Symposium and the tenth annual awarding of the Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies.

The prizes are given annually by Kodansha Publishers for the best essays written by Harvard University students on Japan-related topics: $2,000 for the best undergraduate essay and $3,000 for the best graduate essay.

Director of the Reischauer Institute Susan Pharr introduced the representatives from Kodansha: Shinkichi Yabuki, publisher of the general books division in Tokyo; and Yoichi Kimata, senior vice president, and Tomoe Sumi, project coordinator, both of Kodansha America in New York.

Yabuki presented the Noma-Reischauer Prizes. This year’s undergraduate prize went to Vaughn Tan ’05 for his essay, “Leverage.” The graduate prize went to Benjamin Uchiyama ’05, for his essay, “Soldiers, Machines, and Wild Eagles: Youth Culture in Wartime Japan.” Both Tan and Uchiyama were on hand to receive their awards.