The Yusaku and Ken Furuhashi Library Endowment in International Studies was established in 2011. Its purpose is to provide resources for the Hesburgh Libraries in East Asian studies, including, but not limited to, literature, art, pop culture, history, politics, and philosophy, with preference to works related to Japan or its relation to other cultures. The endowment is in memory of Dr. Yusaku Furuhashi and his son Ken Furuhashi.

Dr. Furuhashi was a long-standing member of the Mendoza College of Business faculty and the founder of the Center for U.S.-Japanese Business Studies. He worked at the college from 1961 to 2002. He was dedicated to bringing global and cross-cultural business education to the University of Notre Dame. His son Ken (’87) graduated from the College of Science.

The East Asian Studies Collection is growing in size and quality. Last year some 1,000 titles were added – more than 700 books and almost 200 DVDs from China, Japan, and Korea. The newly added support of the Yusaku and Ken Furuhashi Library Endowment for International Studies will further help us build a collection of key electronic databases in Japanese that will include dictionaries, encyclopedias, historical newspapers, magazines, and photo archives.