At the Oka Tadoku Room, Asian Library, University of Michigan
Photo by Yamato Kitahashi

MAYUMI AND MASAO OKA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND

The American Association of Teachers of Japanese is excited to announce the creation of the Mayumi and Masao Oka Professional Development Fund through a generous donation by the Okas.

Many AATJ members know Oka sensei as a respected leader in Japanese language education, having taught prestigious programs at the University of Michigan, Princeton University, Columbia University, and elsewhere. She is widely known as a co-author Tobira-series and sole author Sokudoku no Nihongo. Even in retirement, Oka sensei remains actively engaged in the field through pedagogy workshops and other Japanese language education initiatives.

The Oka Professional Development Fund will provide funding in three major categories.

  1. Professional Development scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded to AATJ members to defray the costs related to AATJ conference attendance.
  2. AATJ Leadership Expenses. AATJ hopes to encourage its members to participate in its leadership opportunities by covering more conference- and event-related expenses for AATJ Officers and Directors.
  3. Other Professional Development Events. Funding will be provided for more teacher trainings and other events.

This incredible donation will keep the Oka Professional Development Fund in operation for at least ten years. Members and the general public may also contribute to the Fund by designating their tax-deductible AATJ donation to go into the Fund. Just include a note in the “Additional Information” section of the online Donation portal. (Donate Here) Additional contributions to the Fund will be used to extend the life of the Fund and/or increase the amount AATJ can use each year for Fund purposes.

2026 AATJ Spring Conference Professional Development Scholarship sponsored by the Oka Professional Development Fund

AATJ announces the first AATJ Spring Conference Professional Development Scholarship. Five AATJ members will receive $1,000 scholarships to help pay their AATJ Spring Conference-related expenses. Please click here for more information and to apply.

A Message From Mayumi and Masao Oka

 We are deeply honored to have established the charitable fund: The Mayumi and Masao Oka Professional Development Fund (the “Oka Fund”), which supports the advancement of AATJ. We are truly grateful for this opportunity.

We have lived in the United States for nearly 40 years, with Masao working as a businessman and Mayumi working as a Japanese language teacher at U.S. universities and as the Director of the Japanese Language Program at the University of Michigan for many years.　After retiring and returning to Japan permanently in 2022, I, Mayumi, considered how I could repay AATJ for its significant contributions to Japanese language education in the United States and a great help to Japanese language teachers over the years. I also wished to support the teachers who work tirelessly to promote Japanese language education.

Another reason we considered making donation is that we don’t have children, siblings, or close relatives to inherit our assets after we pass away. We thought it would be meaningful to use some of our assets to support Japanese language education through AATJ. (I, Mayumi, would like to thank my husband, Masao, for his generosity in helping me make this donation.) Although our donation is modest, we hope it contributes to AATJ’s future development and serves as an example for future donors.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the current and former AATJ executive members who kindly supported the establishment of the Oka Fund. We would especially like to thank Prof. Nobuko Chikamatsu (2025 AATJ President), Prof. Yoshiko Mori (2024 AATJ President), and Ms. Katie Ross (AATJ Executive Director).

We believe that AATJ plays an important role in Japanese language education, both in the United States and around the world. We wish AATJ continued success in the future.

2025 Fall

Masao & Mayumi Oka

Oka’s Major Philanthropic Activities Related to Japanese Language Education

  • Established the Masao and Mayumi Oka Scholarship for Japanese Studies at the Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan (2020).
  • Established the Oka Tadoku Room with an internship at the Asian Library, University of Michigan (2022).
  • Established the TOBIRA Scholarship at the Middlebury School of Japanese, Middlebury College, supporting graduate degrees (MA, 2021; DML, 2023; MAT with License,2024).
  • Funded support for the NP:J program (New Perspectives: Japan), Laurasian Institution (2023).
  • Funded support for the ICJLE (International Conference on Japanese Language Education) for the AATJ (2024).
  • Established the Oka Scholarship for the California Language Teachers’ Association (CLTA) Summer Seminar, Japanese Strand (2024, 2025).
  • Established the Oka Fund Grant at the Laurasian Institution (2025).

Mayumi Oka, Doctor of Letters (expected 2026)
Research Scientist, Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan
Former Director, Japanese Language Program, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan (2004–2020)
Board Member, Association of Teachers of Japanese (2007–2010)