The Study Of Rockefeller Foundation’s Cultural And Education Programs In Japan(1950-1954)

The Rockefeller Foundation is a private for-profit organization with a focus on philanthropy.The foundation is dedicated to promoting the development and progress of science and philosophy,language and art.After World War II,Japanese society was struggling to develop.The Rockefeller Foundation set up numerous cultural and educational programs in Japan based on the social conditions at that time.The projects can be divided into two main categories: one is for Japanese institutions of higher learning,that is,for various universities in Japan;the other is for the whole Japanese society,that is,for the general public.In 1950,with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation,the University of Tokyo and Stanford University jointly held a seminar on American studies in Japan.At the seminar,professors from the United States taught Japanese scholars about philosophy,political science,economics and other subjects,passed on advanced ideas and ideas,and built a new bridge for the academic exchanges between Japan and the United States.After that,Kyoto University and Doshisha University in Japan,together with the University of Illinois in the United States,applied for financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and held a seminar on American studies in Kansai,extending the benefits of the seminar to the whole country,so that university scholars in Tokyo and Kansai could obtain the most advanced academic information through the seminar.After the symposium,the Rockefeller Foundation continued to promote the research and learning of Japanese scholars by helping Japanese universities establish and improve library science,medicine,and history.In 1952,the Rockefeller Foundation gave 243 million yen to the Japan Cultural Center for the construction of the Japan International Hall.The hall is dedicated to providing cultural and educational services for the Japanese people,including displaying real-time information on culture and education of various countries,storing basic documents,providing cultural and educational conference venues,providing accommodation for guests,etc.Today,the International Cultural Hall of Japan is still playing an important role.In addition,the scholarship system implemented by the Rockefeller Foundation in Japan has also given countless Japanese scholars the motivation to pursue further study on the academic road and helped them avoid academic difficulties caused by financial problems.The Rockefeller Foundation established the public administration exchange and the public health Institute in Japan,which played an important role in Japan after the war and even in a long period of time.To sum up,the Rockefeller Foundation carried out numerous cultural and educational projects on Japan from 1950 to 1954.This paper analyzed and studied these projects by collating the collection of Rockefeller Foundation materials,referring to the personal diary of Rockefeller III,the handwritten letter of Fas,the head of the Humanities Department of Rockefeller Foundation.