We are pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 CEPEX Japan Studies Award.  We were very impressed by the high caliber of the candidate pool. Narrowing down the applicants was an extremely difficult task.  Our selection criteria for this year’s winner took into account the quality of the 2012 JSA application packet and the result of an in-person interview at the CEPEX headquarters in Washington, D.C.

After careful deliberation, we are delighted to announce that the winner and recipient of the 2012 CEPEX Japan Studies Award is Brian Roddewig.  Brian is a Junior at George Mason University with a major in Global Affairs.  He is a member of Nippon Maru and has a strong interest in and keen knowledge of international relations.  As the 2012 CEPEX JSA winner, Brian will participate in a two-week internship in Washington, D.C. followed by a ten-day trip to Japan to further his study of Japanese language, culture, and U.S.-Japan relations. The trip to Japan is made possible by the generous support of All Nippon Airways (ANA) and the Sojitz Foundation.

The 2012 JSA runner up is Tram Phung. Congratulations Tram on being selected as a finalist and for your outstanding application and interview!

This is the third year that CEPEX has collaborated with George Mason University for the Japan Studies Award. We plan to continue the award next year contingent upon available funds. We hope that many of you who applied this year will apply again in 2013.

CEPEX would like to extend a special thank you to Professor Sufumi So and the GMU Japanese language department for their unwavering support for this program. We look forward to working with you next year and beyond.

Congratulations again to Brian Roddewig and the other wonderful candidates for the 2012 CEPEX Japan Studies Award!

Nikki Lindsay, CEPEX Co-Director, Washington, D.C. Office

Christy Busch, CEPEX Co- Director, Washington, D.C. Office