LONDON -- Information about Japan and Japanese culture was regrettably limited and unsophisticated for many years after World War II. Influential people in Britain, such as the late Sir Peter Parker, realized that the ignorance and prejudices of British people about Japan were damaging British interests and Anglo-Japanese relations. Major efforts were accordingly made to develop knowledge and understanding of Japan in modern Britain.
The 1991 Japan Festival in Britain marked the centenary of the Japan Society in London -- 10 years after The Great Japan Exhibition at the Royal Academy. It was followed by "Japan 2001," another major manifestation of Japanese culture designed to promote grass-roots contacts.
Interest in Japan has burgeoned and Japanese is now increasingly taught in schools. Yet there has been a serious setback at the level of higher education. Responsibility for this setback rests squarely with myopic authorities at British universities and on the Higher Education Funding Council, which answers to the Ministry of Education and Science.