Asada, Ienaga, Kasai

Eiji Asada 浅田栄次 (1865–1914), a student of Willian Rainey Harper, earned the University of Chicago’s first doctoral degree, conferred in 1893 for a dissertation entitled “The Hebrew Text of Zechariah 1-8, Compared with the Different Ancient Versions.” After returning to Japan he took a teaching position at Aoyama Gakuin University, and then at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. A devout Protestant, he contributed to the development of English teaching and the promotion of Esperanto in Japan. The Center for East Asian Studies offers an annual B.A. thesis prize in his honor.

Toyokichi Iyenaga [Ienaga] 家永豊吉 (1862–1936) worked as a lecturer for the University Extension Division from 1901 to 1910. He was a popular and engaging public speaker, whose subjects covered international politics in the Pacific Rim and Far East. After leaving the University, Iyenaga moved to New York, established the East and West News Bureau, and continued lecturing and publishing on topics concerning Japan’s international relations.

Jiuji Kasai 笠井重治 (1886–1985) received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University in 1913. He continued his studies in a graduate program at Harvard before returning to Japan in 1918. He pursued a career as a politician, and in 1947 founded the Japanese-American Cultural Society. In 1973 he received an award of special recognition from the Emeritus Club for his service to the cause of Japan-U.S. relations. In 1966 he was awarded the Decoration of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class, by the Japanese government for his dedication to Japan’s international relations.