ASLE is very pleased to announce that we have established formal ties with a new Professional Affiliate organization. Since its foundation in 1995, the Society for the Study of Ecocriticism in Japan (SES-Japan) has assisted its members to acquire first-hand knowledge in the study of ecocriticism, which Cheryll Glotfelty described as “the relationship between literature and the physical environment.” SES-Japan holds annual meetings with presentations; workshops; symposia; as well as special lectures by writers and ecocritics from the United States or Canada, scholars from various fields of literature, and environmental activists. In addition to regular newsletters and an annual journal (Ecocriticism Review), SES-Japan publishes a book series called “Frontier of Ecocriticism.” SES-J welcomes everybody, from scholars with an interest in this interdisciplinary and theoretical field to non-academics who wish to contemplate the future of the earth through appreciation of the environment and literature.  The organization currently has about 66 members. ASLE honorary member Shoko ITOH is the Chair of SES-J, and Hiroshi SHIOTA, Hiroshima Shudo University, and Michael T. Gorman, Hiroshima City University, will serve as its liaisons with ASLE.