Historian Thomas Conlan receives commendation from Japan’s Foreign Minister

Princeton University historian Thomas Conlan has received a Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for promoting Japanese studies in the United States.

Conlan, a professor of East Asian studies and history, has taught at Princeton since 2013. He is an expert on medieval Japanese history with research interests in warfare, political legitimacy and ritual, ethnicity, economy and trade and social change in Japan.

The Foreign Minister’s commendations honor individuals and groups around the world who contribute “to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas,” according to the official announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Conlan is one of 138 individuals outside Japan being honored with commendations this year.

This award from the Japanese government, he said, is an affirmation that his work “has helped disseminate knowledge about Japan, to make Japan better known and better understood and that Japan appreciates this.”  

Conlan said the honor is especially meaningful because it recognizes his books and websites about translated documents and scrolls in ancient warrior culture as an accessible resource not only for scholars but also for students, teachers and the public.