The Department of East Asian Studies was established in 2005 as a unit of the Institute of International Studies at the Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Lodz. Till 2017, it has been chaired by prof. Małgorzata Pietrasiak, who became the head of the Department of Asian Studies, based on DEAS. At present, the Department of East Asian Studies is chaired by prof. Dominik Mierzejewski, specializing in Chinese issues, and the unit brings together mostly researchers focusing on issues related to China and Japan. Department also includes: prof. Karol Żakowski, Marcin Socha Ph.D. (Japan), Bartosz Kowalski Ph.D., Przemysław Ciborek M.A., and Mateusz Chatys M.A. (China). Researchers and Ph.D. candidates, also closely related to the Center for Asian Affairs, have a wide and extensive experience gained during long- and short-term stays in China and Japan, and good command of languages ​​of these countries. Department also conducts domestic and foreign research projects dedicated to the current situation in the region. Recently, training programs, in the field of cooperation between Poland and East Asia, for local government and companies have been intensively developed.