Dear List members,

We are very pleased to report to you that at the end of our third week in operation we have grown to three hundred members, including some of the most engaged academics in Japanese and comparative studies, many talented graduate students, and a host of top journalists, researchers, and representatives of publishing companies. Many of you have written to commend the high level of discussion on this list, but that is of course a direct consequence of the high calibre of the membership.

On a related note, the trade conflict between the US and Japan is certainly of interest to many members. On this occasion, the list would like to note that posts addressing this and similar issues are welcome, especially from international relations and international political economy perspectives. We would also encourage contributions from our European and Asian membership, whose input could help broaden the debate beyond a US-Japan centered dialogue.

One role this list seeks is to act as a forum for the academic discussion of otherwise emotionally charged matters. Posters are requested to keep in mind the fact that SSJ-FORUM members have explicitly signed on to debate empirical analysis and research methods in political science and political economy. Op-ed columns and a number of e-mail lists are available to those who might wish to unburden themselves of a measure of outrage at this or that tactic of either side in various political disputes.

Finally, some of you have written to ask for digest and other options, beyond those itemized in the signature file at the bottom of posts. Unfortunately, technical constraints limit the number of options available at present. However, in the near future we will be relocating SSJ-FORUM to a new workstation, one that will employ Listserve. We will then be able to offer a menu of options.
Please do bear with us.

Thank you for your attention to this note.

SSJ-FORUM
Institute of Social Science
University of Tokyo