Jolyon Thomas Appointed to Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission

Thomas

Jolyon Thomas, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, was recently appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC), with joint appointment to the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON).

Thomas researches religion in Japan and the U.S. His books include Drawing on Tradition: Manga, Anime, and Religion in Contemporary Japan and Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan.

Established in 1975, JUSFC is a federal agency that supports cultural and educational aspects of the U.S.-Japan alliance by awarding institutional grants in support of Japan studies in the U.S. The Commission also supports American studies in Japan, bilateral artists exchanges, policy dialogues, legislative exchanges, and student mobility.

Created in 1961, CULCON is a U.S.-Japan advisory committee that meets biannually in alternating years between Japan and the U.S. The U.S. CULCON is a high-level, proactive organization that emphasizes the implementation of recommendations, and creates important interventions in U.S.-Japan educational and cultural exchange.

Click here to view the original release.

Arts & Sciences News

1 / 2
Fourteen from Penn Arts & Sciences Receive Fulbrights for 2025-26 Academic Year

They will conduct research, pursue graduate degrees, or teach English in places including Thailand, Austria, Indonesia, Moldova, and many other places.

View Article >
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw Named James and Nan Wagner Farquhar Professor of History of Art

Shaw’s main areas of research include portraiture and issues of representation in the art of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, from the 1500s to the present day.

View Article >
Hanming Fang Named Inaugural Norman C. Grosman Professor of Economics

An applied microeconomist who integrates rigorous modeling with data analysis, Fang’s research within the field of public economics focuses on health insurance and healthcare markets.

View Article >
Xi Song Named Inaugural Schiffman Family Presidential Associate Professor of Sociology

Song’s research interests include social mobility, occupations, Asian Americans, population studies, and quantitative methodology.

View Article >
Julie Nelson Davis Named Paul F. Miller, Jr. and E. Warren Shafer Miller Professor of History of Art

Davis specializes in the arts and material cultures of 18th- and 19th-century Japan, with a focus on prints, paintings, and illustrated books.

View Article >
Justin Khoury Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Khoury’s research interests lie at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology.

View Article >