On June 14, 2006, the Department of Near and Middle East hosted a seminar on topical issues of modern Pakistan. The seminar was attended by employees of other scientific departments of the Institute, representatives of the ISAA at Moscow State University, MGIMO(U)Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Institute of the Middle East, Ryazan Pedagogical Institute, etc.

V. N. Moskalenko devoted his speech to the issues of Pakistan's foreign policy. He focused on such an important and relatively new issue for Pakistan as its participation in regional cooperation with the countries of the Eurasian continent within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Recalling the main stages of the organization's development, its principles and goals, the speaker noted that Pakistan had repeatedly tried to join the organization. A year ago, at the SCO summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the country received observer status along with India and Iran (Mongolia previously became an observer). The past year has shown that participation in the SCO has become the most important area of Pakistan's foreign policy activity, and full membership in this organization has become its number one task.

V. N. Moskalenko asked and tried to answer the questions-what does the SCO give to Pakistan and how the latter is useful for the SCO. He stressed that the SCO for Pakistan is a giant transcontinental mechanism linking the western and eastern wings of Eurasia, in which Pakistan can play the role of an important link between the parts of this association, become a real gateway to the World Ocean for countries that do not have access to the open sea. The SCO's fundamental principle - the fight against the "three evils" (separatism, extremism, and terrorism) - is fully in line with its national interests. Pakistan benefits greatly from economic cooperation with the SCO countries, the implementation of such projects within the organization as the construction of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, the transmission of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, etc. Finally, it is very prestigious for him to be in this powerful organization, which includes such giants as China and Russia.

For the SCO, Pakistan is important for its full support of its basic principles and actions, especially in the anti-terrorist area. Roads, waterways, and ports on the Indian Ocean coast should play an important role in integration processes in the region. Pakistan, as a moderate Muslim state, can help strengthen the position of the SCO and its individual members in the Muslim world. By the way, the speaker noted that something has already been done in this direction: Pakistan helped Russia obtain observer status in the OIC (July 2005) and observer status in the League of Arab Countries (September 2005). Finally, according to V. N. Moskalenko, Pakistan is a cross between large and small states in the SCO, i.e. it plays the role of a connecting link not only geographically, but also in geopolitical terms.

The speaker believes that at the upcoming SCO summit, Pakistan will not be admitted to this organization, like all other observers, because the SCO is not yet ready for such a step. But for Pakistan, it is much more important that it is somehow connected with this organization, relies on it, it supports it, which, of course, increases the prestige and significance of Pakistan in the international arena.

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N. A. Zamaraeva touched upon the economic problems in her speech. She focused on the most geographically large and underdeveloped province of Balochistan. Mineral resources are poorly developed here. The exception is gas production, which is mainly directed to other provinces. This situation in the economy of Balochistan leads to constant political instability, the growth of separatist sentiments, and currently terrorist activities. The Government, concerned about the situation in Balochistan, in addition to military and political measures, is trying to take steps to improve the economic situation of the province.

Great importance is attached to the megastructure - the construction of a new modern port of Gwadar on the coast of Balochistan. Located in a very convenient deep-water location, it will become the main seaport of Pakistan. Various highways and railways will pass through it to the interior of the country and further to the countries of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran. According to experts, the port will play a major role in the development of the western part of China (using the Karakoram highway). Finally, Gwadar will provide more security, as the port and, of course, the naval base will be removed 750 km west of Karachi, which is located in close proximity to the border with India. Karachi, located in the neighboring province of Sindh, has already exhausted its capabilities and cannot cope with the growing cargo flows. Pakistan believes that Ghadar, in addition to meeting general Pakistani needs, will bring great economic benefits to Balochistan; the maintenance of a giant new building will require a large number of local workers. All this can improve the situation in the province.

Concluding her speech, N. A. Zamaraeva noted that the first stage of construction of a port with three multi-purpose berths has been completed in Gwadar with Chinese assistance. In the course of the second stage, nine more such berths will be constructed. Islamabad is currently looking for the necessary funds, mainly through private investment.

Many participants participated in the discussion of the reports. Despite the general positive assessment of the speeches, many comments, clarifications, etc. were made. The opinion was expressed that the observer status still restricts the functioning of Pakistan in the SCO, and only full membership can provide it with more extensive activities in the region. Suggestions were also expressed regarding the participation of Russian capital in the construction of the Gwadar port.

In conclusion, the Chairman S. I. Kamenev positively assessed the work of the seminar and thanked all those present for their active participation. He also reported on the publication of the collection of articles "Pakistan in the modern World", which was attended by many Russian and Pakistani authors.

V. N. MOSKALENKO

Novosibirsk

Within the framework of the XLIV International Scientific Student Conference, held on April 12-13, 2006 at Novosibirsk State University, the section "Oriental Studies"was held. At the meetings, 64 people made presentations, in addition, 34 materials were presented in the form of abstracts. In addition to students, undergraduates and postgraduates of Novosibirsk universities, the section was attended by representatives of other university centers: Barnaul, Bratsk, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Nizhnevartovsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Ulan-Ude, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Yakutsk. The near abroad was represented by participants from Tashkent and Ust-Kamenogorsk. The work was carried out in four subsections.

The "Archeology and History" subsection. The study of the archeology of the countries of the foreign East is the predominant direction of Novosibirsk Oriental studies, its specifics, which is reflected in the student reports. E. A. Strabykin's report on the arc and dot signs on the reverses of Chinese coins, which was awarded the 1st degree diploma, was the most well-reasoned. Based on solid archaeological material, which is important for studying the military activity of the Xianbei (Xianbi) tribes, it is based on-

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reports of A. O. Mitko and A. V. Kostylev were published. A lively discussion was caused by the report of O. A. Khachaturian (Krasnoyarsk State University). ped. un-t), dedicated to the study of the terracotta army of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor. The new approaches proposed in the report to the problem of interpreting this monument are very interesting, although not everything in them is indisputable.

The reports of E. N. Inozemtseva and Yu. N. Guzhvenko (Barnaul State Pedagogical University) are distinguished from the" historical " block. University) on the development of trade and economic relations between the USSR and Xinjiang in 1935-1937 and ethnic problems in modern Russian - Kazakh relations, as well as a report by D. V. Kazakov (Novosibirsk State University) on the reforms of civil aviation in China, prepared on the basis of Chinese Internet resources. Special prizes were awarded to two historiographic reports: M. N. Shabalin (Tomsk Polytechnic University) on the civilizational paradigm in the work of the Japanese historian Nakanishi Terumasa and A. A. Nasonov (Kemerovo State University) on the assessment of the religious and political activities of Tsongkaba Loben-Dagba in Russian and foreign historiography.

Sub-section "Philology and Mythology".

The reports were mainly devoted to the study of literatures and languages of the Far East countries (China, Japan, Korea). Comparative studies in the context of the East-West dichotomy also aroused particular interest. Thus, the 1st degree diploma was awarded to M. V. Semyonova for her report "The Conflict of Feeling and Duty in the works of Chikamatsu Monzaemon and William Shakespeare in the context of the Renaissance". The author was able to convincingly compare the features of the work of two outstanding playwrights, highlighting both the similarities and differences between them. The latter is primarily explained by the fundamental features of the types of cultures and the artistic traditions that have developed in them. Also noted are the reports of M. A. Stepanenko on the work of Liu Ji, N. V. Kungurova on the formation of plot prose in the framework of the literature "phesol", E. V. Polovnikova on the historical transformation of the Japanese alphabet, E. S. Kilina on the ancient Chinese divination system), E. S. Malik on the genre originality of traditional Korean poetry (all representatives of Novosibirsk State University- ta).

In the sub-section "Philosophy and Cultural Studies", the reports mainly focused on clarifying the characteristic features of ancient Eastern philosophical and religious texts (Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism), classical Chinese philosophy (Confucianism, Buddhism), typological features of traditional and modern Eastern culture (China, Japan, Tibet). The 1st degree diploma was awarded to I. I. Karpukova for her report on the problems of socialization of young people in modern Japan. The rich empirical material, most of which is drawn from original Japanese sources, a convincing methodological analysis (based on the concept of youth subculture) and clear argumentation left no doubt about the relevance, independence and novelty of the research results. The author introduced a number of specific terms in Japanese into scientific use in appropriate contexts, which allows us to describe the realities of Japanese society, thinking and behavior of young Japanese people with a greater degree of adequacy (hikikomori; fu-to: ko:; parasaito singuru; jibun sagashi; jiko jitsugen, etc.).

The reports of A. M. Vlasova on the typological features of suicide in Japanese, Yu. E. Burenina on the "tricks" of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the original method of Buddhist pedagogy, G. V. Morenko on the problem of historical typology of personality in Japan, N. Y. Timolyanova on the features of Buddhist iconography in Tibet, N. V. Selezneva on the semantics of the house in Chinese literature are noted. culture (all of them are representatives of Novosibirsk State University).

For the participants of the sub-section "Geopolitics, Law, Economics", it is worth noting the desire to update the stated topics, which occurred if not in the report itself, then during the discussion, when the question was often asked about the applicability of the conclusions obtained to the situation in Russia. In this regard, the report of L. A. Andronova (Tomsk Polytechnic University) attracted attention. un-t) "Comparison of the scope of constitutional powers of the President in South Korea and Russia", in which the author concluded that the gradual liberalization of the political system in the Republic of Korea against the background of a significant strengthening of the "vertical of power" in the Russian Federation. In the same vein, T. R. Dashenova's report (Buryat State University) "On the system of political parties in the Republic of Kazakhstan" was discussed, where a forecast was made about the inevitable transition from ephemeral political entities made "under the leader" to a stable, permanent mechanism, most likely on a two-party basis. In the report of I. K. Stagi-

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са (Новосибирский гос. ун-т) "Северокорейская идеология чучхе в работах южнокорейских исследователей" утверждалась общекорейская значимость идеологии, разработанной Ким Ир Сеном, которая в меняющихся условиях современной жизни, освободившись от ряда марксистских лозунгов, может стать основой для формирования националистических организаций.

Most reports are characterized not only by a serious analysis of documents, but also by the desire to compare the data from written sources with the real socio-political situation in the country under study. In this regard, we should highlight the report of L. I. Pavlinova (Barnaul State Pedagogical University). un-t) " Religion as a factor of public life in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (based on the 2004 Constitution)". In the debate, the rapporteur also had to answer a question about the prospects for the existence of the current Kabul regime, whose influence on the situation in the country was estimated to be rather low. The report of M. V. Trofimov (Novosibirsk State University) was based on numerous digital indicators that allowed him to show the place and prospects for the development of railway transport in the rapidly developing economy of the PRC. The tender issue, which is so fashionable nowadays, was discussed in the report of Yu. V. Chub (Novosibirsk State University). University of Economics and Management) "Methods and mechanisms of forming a positive image of a businesswoman in the public consciousness of Japanese people". Based on the above material, the author concludes that there are significant changes in the behavioral stereotypes of a significant part (especially young people) of the population of modern Japan.

As part of the final plenary session, a round table was held on the topic "East-West: conflict or dialogue of civilizations?", where the main presentation was made by V. N. Plastun (Novosibirsk State University), and participants and guests of the conference actively participated in the discussion. The collection of abstracts and materials of the section (10.6 academic-ed. l.) was published with the financial support of Rosobrazovanie, project RNP 2.2.1.1.2183.

S. A. KOMISSAROV, V. I. OZHOGIN

SAPPORO

On March 18-19, 2006, the Center for Slavic Studies at Hokkaido University hosted a major scientific event - a special seminar " Asia in Russia/Russia in Asia", held as part of the "21st Century COE - 21st Century Centers of Excellence"program. This event was timed to coincide with the retirement ceremony of a prominent scientist, a wonderful teacher, a great connoisseur and friend of Russia, prof. Hara Teruyuki. Hara Teruyuki (born in 1942) is well known in the scientific world. He graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tokyo in 1966 and received a Master's degree in 1968. In 1971, Hara Teruyuki defended his doctoral dissertation and began his career as a teacher at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Aichi Prefectural University, holding the position of associate professor from 1974 and professor from 1983. Professor Hara has been working at the Center for Slavic Studies since 1987. For three years, he served as the director of the Center, and for four years he was the director of the Central Library of Hokkaido University. Hara Teruyuki is the author of many scientific works, including monographs: "Sending troops to Siberia: the Revolution and Intervention of 1917-1922 "(Tokyo, 1989); " The Tragedy of the ship "Indigirka": The Russian Far East in the 1930s " (Tokyo, 1993); "The Legend of Vladivostok: a city at the crossroads of Russia and Asia "(Tokyo, 1998). After retiring in April 2006, the scientist moved to the position of professor at the Hokkaido University of Computer Science.

The seminar was attended by researchers from various research centers in Japan, historians from other countries, as well as doctoral students from the Center for Slavic Studies. On the first day of the seminar, historians presented seven reports: Professor E. Kaminaga of Tokyo University- "War and Fishing"; representative of Wako University Yu Hyejon - "Far Eastern Bureau of the Comintern"; Professor Kanako Chizuko of Waseda University - "Abraham Kaufman and the Jewish Community in Harbin"; Head of the Department of General History of Krasnoyarsk State University V. G. Datsyshen - "On the problem of the causes and goals of Russian expansion in Man-

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Zhurii in the late 19th century"; Professor of the Far Eastern State Technical University A. A. Khisamutdinov - "Russian wedge in the "Yellow countries". The forgotten concept of former governors P. F. Unterberger and N. L. Gondatti, as well as the traveler V. K. Arsenyev"; Professor of Osaka University of Foreign Languages Ikuta Michiko - " Russians in Harbin. To the problem of cultural identity".

Three sessions of the workshop were conducted in Japanese and Russian. The discussions that unfolded on all the reports were attended by employees and invited specialists working at the Center for Slavic Studies, who have excellent knowledge of the Russian language and the issues discussed. The next day, graduate students Hara Teruyuki presented their reports: Tsukada Tsutomu- "Old Believers in the Chinese Altai"; Kurata Yucca- "From the History of Russians who Emigrated from Russia after the Revolution"; Asada Masabumi - "The Border Guard of the CER and the military Balance in Manchuria, 1897-1907"; Sakon Yukimura - " Grain Transport on the Sungari and Amur Rivers and the colonization issue in Russia"; Anama Naoki - "IRGO in the Russian Far East".

Professor Hara Teruyuki's retirement ceremony was attended by students, colleagues, and officials. All participants wished the scientist good health and expressed hope for continued cooperation. Undoubtedly, thanks to scholars such as Hara Teruyuki, the Center for Slavic Studies at Hokkaido University today remains one of the most authoritative centers in the world for studying the history of Asian Russia and international relations in Central and East Asia.

V. G. DATSYSHEN

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