Purnendra Jain

Biography

Purnendra Jain is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Before taking retirement in late 2019, Jain served as Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Adelaide for over two decades. He has been a visiting scholar/professor at numerous universities and research institutes including The University of Oxford, Harvard University, Columbia University, The University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore and the Japan International Cooperation Research Institute in Tokyo. He holds an MPhil in East Asian Studies from the University of Delhi and a PhD in Asian/Japanese Studies from Griffith University.

He is author/co-author and editor of fourteen books and over fifty scholarly articles including three seminal books that made pioneering contributions and advanced scholarship in the field of Japan studies through his analysis of Japan’s public housing policy in Tokyo, the role of Japan’s localities and their international engagement at the grassroots level, and Japan’s subnational governments’ contribution to international diplomacy. Some of his books and publications have been translated into Japanese, given their ground breaking contributions to Japan knowledge. His research results have been published in such journals as Asian Survey, Pacific Review, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Japan Forum, Japanese Studies, Australian Journal of Political Science and Australian Journal of International Affairs. He is a frequent commentator on Asian affairs in newspapers, radio, and television in Australia, Japan, India, Singapore, and China. He is former President of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (2005-2006) and Asian Studies Association of Australia (2010-2011). In 2020 the government of Japan conferred on him The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of Australia-Japan relations and the deepening of Australian understanding of Japanese society and culture.