<Nobusuke Tokura, Senior Vice President of Nissan Technical Centre Europe, represented Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., at a celebration at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies on May 19th, 2017 to commemorate the 100th volume of the Institute’s Routledge Series.>
The Routledge Series of texts have documented many aspects of Japanese society, culture, economics and politics since the 1980s when much about Japan remained unknown outside the country.
Established at Oxford University in 1981, the Nissan Institute of Japanese studies has been a home to fellows and students creating continuous learning through their Japan research, publications and teachings. On this occasion many former lecturers, students and authors were in attendance, travelling from many of the world’s continents to celebrate their collective achievement.
“We are delighted to welcome our many guests and delighted that Nissan Motor Company could be a part of the day. Our association with Nissan over the last 36 years is one thing of which we are very proud,” said Professor Roger Goodman, Head of Social Sciences Division and Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies and host of the event.
Both Arthur Stockwin, the first Professor of the Institute, as well as Peter Dale, author of the first book in the Routledge series, spoke at the event. To close the celebrations, Tokura-san congratulated the Institute on its achievement and praised the importance of its work to promote Japanese studies. He added that Nissan and the Institute share a strong Japanese DNA.
“Nissan is a global company, but we retain a strong Japanese DNA, in particular Monozukuri and Omotenashi. Monozukuri speaks to our craftsman culture, impacting the way we do business and serving our customers. Omotenashi related to providing hospitality. And for me, this is the heart of my values in Nissan – anticipating the core needs of our customers. Seeing you all here today, I think we have this in common with the Nissan Institute, here in Oxford.”
The Institute has welcomed several top officials from Nissan over the years. In March 2006, Carlos Ghosn attended the Institute’s 25th anniversary celebrations.