The 2024 “Asian Studies Conference Japan (ASCJ)” had been held on July 6-7 at Sophia University in Tokyo, where UDP stands out as the only non-Japanese exhibitor. Founded in 1997, the conference predominantly attracts scholars from Japan or those researching in Japan, followed by North American and European academics, with a small percentage from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, and other countries, notably without any participation noted from China. The keynote speech “Jipba (Home Cooking) and Gendered Labor in the Age of Neoliberalism” was delivered by Hyaeweol Choi, a Korean professor at the University of Iowa and chair of 2024 AAS in Asia Conference. UDP’s editor-in-chief, Nancy Wuu, and product manager, Jeff Fan, represent the company, exchanging insights on the Taiwanese and Japanese market landscapes with local publishers. They note a significant opening of Japan’s database market compared to a decade ago. Japanese firms frequently engage with North American and Taiwanese research institutes, which are well-acquainted with Japanese databases. Director Kawakami from “Yumani (Humanism) Bookstore” introduced several dependable local agents to UDP, while Yoshihiro Kozu, the sales director from “Fuji Shuppan” (Fuji Publishing), shared a lighthearted remark: “Japanese believe that Taiwanese like them, and so they also like Taiwanese.” Additionally, “Koma Bookstore” not only is well-connected with numerous Korean publishers but also demonstrates the acceptance of Korean literature in the Japanese academic sphere.
Keynote speaker and AAS Conference chair, Prof. Hyaeweol Choi, specifically posed for a photo in front of UDP’s poster ‘Twin Gems of Taiwan Sinology’.
