Events by year: 2025

The Second Trump Administration: A Changing International Order

Trump’s second term has been impacting international relations between the US and the rest of the world at a whirlwind pace. The US-led international order established after WWII is shifting, bringing uncertainty on security, defence, and free trade to NATO, Japan, and the rest of the world. In this webinar, moderated by Bill Hayton of Chatham House, Japan’s former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hitoshi Tanaka discussed the new Trump Administration and its effects on the global order. How is the post-WWII international system changing, what are the potential impacts on Japan, and what can Japan do to mitigate them?

National Ballet of Japan at the Royal Opera House

Miyako Yoshida, former Principal of the Royal Ballet and now Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Japan, discussed her work there, her motivation in bringing Giselle to the UK, her daily practice routines in Japan, and her challenges and goals as an artistic director.

Talk in Edinburgh: Voices of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors

In this talk in Edinburgh, Chiyoko Motomura, who was six when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, described what happened on the 9th of August 1945, along with her personal memories. Dr Masao Tomonaga, who was only two and devoted his career to studying the medical effects of the atomic bombs, gave his view of the lessons we need to learn and asked what we can do to help. Finally, Tomoko Ōtaki, a second-generation A-bomb survivor, shared her activities including her views about the role of the second generation.   

Talk in Cambridge: Voices of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors

In this talk in Cambridge, Chiyoko Motomura, who was six when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, described what happened on the 9th of August 1945, along with her personal memories. Dr Masao Tomonaga, who was only two and devoted his career to studying the medical effects of the atomic bombs, gave his view of the lessons we need to learn and asked what we can do to help. Finally, Tomoko Ōtaki, a second-generation A-bomb survivor, shared her activities including her views about the role of the second generation.

Radiation exposure and long-term health effects: Japanese atomic bomb survivors and British veterans

In August 1945, one month after the first nuclear weapons test, the US detonated atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing terrible human devastation. Survivors of these events (hibakusha) continue to suffer long-term physical and psychological effects even today. In this seminar, Masao Tomonaga explained the long-term effects of atomic bombs on human health from a medical perspective. Susie Boniface talked about British veterans exposed to nuclear tests and the physical effects on their health, based on her interviews with them.

Voices of Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors

In this talk, Chiyoko Motomura, who was six when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, described what happened on the 9th of August 1945, along with her personal memories. Dr Masao Tomonaga, who was only two and devoted his career to studying the medical effects of the atomic bombs, gave his view of the lessons we need to learn and asked what we can do to help. Finally, Tomoko Ōtaki, a second-generation A-bomb survivor, shared her activities, including her views about the role of the second generation.

Tomoko Yoneda in conversation with Melanie Pocock

This webinar will take place at 12:00 pm (US time – BST) / 8:00 pm (Japan – JST) on Wednesday 30th April 2025.

In this webinar, Tomoko Yoneda was in conversation with Melanie Pocock, curator of her exhibition, discussing her artistic practice and the photography she has produced over the past thirty years, including the seminal series Scene, that revisits sites of historic conflict and unspoken trauma, and DMZ, in which the artist captures the quiet beauty of native flora in Korea’s demilitarised zone, as well as her series Between Visible and Invisible.

Influence of Japanese Prints on Northwest Artists

Seattle art historian David F. Martin presented a talk illustrating the influence of Japanese prints on Washington state artists active between 1910-1960. The Pacific Northwest’s geographical location provided a convenient port of entry for many Japanese immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Japanese prints became the most collected art of the region through promotion by dealers and early art associations. Martin discussed how regional artists adapted the multi-block process of color printmaking by creating the designs, carving the blocks, and printing the proofs individually without assistance from additional artisans.

アウシュビッツー戦後80年を迎えた今

第 2 次世界大戦中、ナチス・ドイツがユダヤ人を中心におよそ 110 万人を虐殺したアウシュビッツ強制収容所が解放されてから今年で 80 年目。2025 年 1 月に開催された式典には生存者 56 人が参加した。現在、アウシュビッツ強制収容所などでのホロコーストを生き延びた人の平均年齢は 86 歳。生存者の高齢化が一段と進む中、記憶をどう語り継いでいくかが課題となっている。このウェビナーでは、国立アウシュビッツ・ビルケナウ博物館で日本人唯一の公認ガイドで ある中谷剛氏が、ホロコーストの歴史的背景、現代社会との繋がり、生存者なき記憶の継 承、近年訪問者数が増加している欧州の若者（英国がポーランドに次いでトップ）、次世代に伝えたいことなど、お話しします。

Tomoko Yoneda in conversation with Melanie Pocock

This webinar will take place at 12:00 pm (US time – BST) / 8:00 pm (Japan – JST) on Wednesday 30th April 2025.

In this webinar, Tomoko Yoneda will be in conversation with Melanie Pocock, curator of her exhibition, discussing her artistic practice and the photography she has produced over the past thirty years, including the seminal series Scene, that revisits sites of historic conflict and unspoken trauma, and DMZ, in which the artist captures the quiet beauty of native flora in Korea’s demilitarised zone, as well as her series Between Visible and Invisible. Please note that the booking system for this webinar will close at 5pm BST on 8th April 2025. If you would like to sign up after this time, please contact events@dajf.org.uk.

Young Suicide in Japan

The suicide rate among young people in Japan is one of the highest among all OECD countries. The Japanese government regards the situation as “serious,” and needs to move swiftly to implement effective suicide prevention and post-suicide support mechanisms for young people. In this webinar, Prof Kenji Kawano described the recent situation, analysing the background factors behind it, along with some prevention measures and the education programme he has been working on. Prof Daisuke Kawashima presented the results of some studies addressing the impact on young people of suicide bereavements. He talked about some of his postvention activities and considered the future prospects for postvention to help young people in Japan affected by suicide.

Private View: Faultlines by Tomoko Yoneda

Join us for a private view of Tomoko Yoneda’s solo exhibition in the UK at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. This exhibition presents a selection of photography produced over the past thirty years by London-based Japanese artist Tomoko Yoneda. Among the works presented are photographs from her seminal series Scene that revisit sites of historic conflict and unspoken trauma, and DMZ, in which the artist captures the quiet beauty of native flora in Korea’s demilitarized zone. A display in the ground floor library features silver gelatin prints from her series Between Visible and Invisible, focusing on texts of personal significance to major historical and intellectual figures of the 20th century.