Japan Honours NipPop

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan has awarded NipPop one of the 2025 awards, given annually to individuals and organisations that have distinguished themselves in fostering friendship and cooperations between Japan and other countries. This award celebrates the unique role of the Cultural Association founded at the University of Bologna within the Italian cultural landscape.

Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of the project NipPop – Words and Forms from Tokyo to Bologna, launched two years earlier within what was then the School of Languages and Literatures, Translation and Interpretation (today the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures), NipPop was born from the initiative of a group of lecturers and students eager to respond to the growing interest in contemporary Japanese cultures in Italy.

Over more than a decade of activity, the Association, coordinated by Professor Paola Scrolavezza, has succeeded in moving beyond stereotypes and superficial readings, instead promoting a critical, interdisciplinary, dialogical and scholarly understanding. Today, it represents a model of public engagement, integrating academic research and cultural-scientific outreach, and fostering a virtuous exchange between academic knowledge, public and private institutions, and local associations, while also engaging with national and international contexts.

“This award represents a significant recognition of the work carried out over more than a decade by an entire community: students, graduates, PhD candidates, colleagues, friends and supporters have all contributed to the growth and success of NipPop,” said Professor Scrolavezza.

The Association’s activities are organised into three main areas: cultural outreach, academic research, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Each area has helped to define NipPop as a unique initiative within not only Bologna’s but also Italy’s wider cultural landscape.

At the heart of the project is the annual festival, which since 2011 has each year explored a socio-culturally relevant theme through conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and encounters with Italian and Japanese authors and artists.

Among its most impactful initiatives are exhibitions such as Yōkai. The Ancient Prints of Japanese Monsters and Shinhanga. The New Wave of Japanese Prints; the NipPop BookClub, organised in collaboration with the Bologna Library Network; a range of free digital publications and the celebratory volume NipPop. Ten Years of Japanese Pop Culture in Italy; and partnerships with prestigious institutions including the Japan Foundation, the Japanese Cultural Institute in Rome, and the Consulate of Japan in Milan.

The project has fostered an extensive national and international network that brings together universities, cultural institutions, local authorities, associations and publishing partners. Notable among these are iU University in Tokyo, the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Star Comics, Coconino Press, Vertigo Syndrome, and La Confraternita dell’Uva.

The award from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, set to be formally presented on 21 November during a ceremony at the Residence of the Consul General in Milan, confirms NipPop’s commitment to building spaces of dialogue, knowledge and inclusion, and to promoting a vision of Japan that goes beyond aesthetic fascination, embracing instead the richness and complexity of its contemporary cultures.