Past Events

Gallery Tour: Lines, Gazes, Landscapes

Join us for a free lunchtime tour of Hikaru Fujii’s first solo exhibition in the UK, Lines, Gazes, Landscapes, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff.

Fifteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, this exhibition brings together several works by Fujii and offers a space to reflect on the ongoing questions the catastrophe continues to raise about memory, landscape, and how we look at history today.

As the number of participants is limited, we urge you to sign up quickly.

Storytelling in the Age of AI

In this talk moderated by Mattias Frey, the filmmaker and researcher Hikaru Kinouchi explored the theme “Storytelling in the Age of AI: What Changes, What Doesn’t.” Drawing on his multidisciplinary experience as a film producer and his academic background in neuroscience and the social sciences, Hikaru discussed the current state of AI in the film industry, how it is reshaping the filmmaking process, and how it is redefining the role of the creator. He also examined the relationship between storytelling and investment, why stories matter and how their value is assessed, and how AI may reshape the way stories are created and evaluated in the future.

The Donroe Doctrine and Japan’s Position in a New World Order

The post-war international order, anchored in international law, the UN charter and multilateralism, is undergoing a profound transformation with the emergence of so called ‘great power politics’ and the adoption of the ‘Donroe doctrine’ as the US’s new foreign policy under the Trump administration. Traditional security alliances and economic relations between countries are being tested, accelerating the transition away from a US-centred order. In this webinar, Japan’s former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hitoshi Tanaka, will explore what is driving change in the global order, as well as the impact of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ on Japan and East Asia.

Japan’s Lost Decades: A Call for Fundamental Statecraft Reform

The world is gripped by geopolitical crisis, with wars intensifying and tensions in East Asia running high. For Japan, still constrained by its ‘Lost 30 Years’, the central question is how to secure national interests and achieve true renewal. The Committee to Examine Japan’s Lost 30 Years has formulated comprehensive proposals for the fundamental reform of national governance, which were presented at this lecture. The Committee contends that ‘the lost 30 years were in fact ‘the 30 years we lost’, the result of political and bureaucratic inertia. At the heart of the problem lies the absence of statecraft — the strategic, long-term management of the state.

Hikaru Fujii in Conversation with May Adadol Ingawanij

To mark the opening of Hikaru Fujii’s solo exhibition, we are delighted to host an artist talk by Hikaru Fujii, one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary artists, primarily working with film to explore the role of artistic practice within today’s social and political conditions. Hikaru will discuss with Professor May Adadol Ingawanij the ideas and inspiration behind his work.

Private View: Lines, Gazes, Landscapes by Hikaru Fujii

Join us for a private view of Hikaru Fujii’s solo exhibition at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Lines, Gazes, Landscapes. Fujii is one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary artists, primarily working with film to explore the role of artistic practice within today’s social and political conditions. His practice is grounded in extensive historical research and frequently draws on archival materials related to Japanese imperialism and colonial occupation. This exhibition brings together several works by Fujii, shown in the UK for the first time, to examine moments in which empire and disaster appear side by side, occupying the same space.

Commercializing Fusion Energy

Fusion energy has now emerged as one of the most disruptive technology opportunities attracting the attention of risk-tolerant investors and large amounts of private capital. The new and much revised second edition of ‘Commercializing Fusion Energy’ considers the emergence of nuclear fusion technology as a commercial proposition grounded in technological opportunities and high-technology business development. It has been developed, with a new publisher, as an editorial collaboration between British and Japanese experts. As such it gives weight to developments in those two countries at the forefront of fusion innovation. The book presents chapters from a wide range of specialists and key stakeholders.

Daiwa Musubi Lecture 2026 with Rebecca Salter

On 18 February 2026, our Trustee Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, was joined in conversation by Mami Kataoka, Director of the Mori Art Museum, for the annual Daiwa Musubi Lecture, where they discussed ‘Arts and Leadership in Uncertain Times’. After discovering the extraordinary coincidence that they are both daughters of clergymen, the two speakers went on to a wide-ranging discussion of the demands placed on leaders in the arts world, in times which are not just uncertain but when the arts face rising political pressures.

大和むすびレクチャー

大和一番レクチャーは、今年「大和むすびレクチャー」と改称されました。2026年2月18日には、弊基金の理事であり、ロイヤル・アカデミー・オブ・アーツ理事長を務めるレベッカ・ソルターが、森美術館館長の片岡真美氏とともに、「不確実な時代におけるアートとリーダーシップ」をテーマに対談を行いました。両者がともに聖職者の娘であるという偶然の一致に触れた後、対談は、不確実性に加え、高まる政治的圧力に芸術が直面する現代において、アート界のリーダーに求められる役割について、多角的かつ深く議論が展開されました。

From Postwar Butoh to a Contemporary ‘Rebellion of the Body’

Dominique Savitri Bonarjee presented her book ‘Butoh, as Heard by a Dancer’ (Routledge, 2024), the outcome of a five-year embodied research project carried out in Japan. During this period, Bonarjee studied with first- and second-generation Butoh dancers and artists, as well as contemporary practitioners engaging with Butoh today. In her writing, she seeks to convey the sensitive somatics of these encounters. In this talk, Bonarjee reflected on how Butoh continues to inform her multidisciplinary artistic practice and introduce Butoh Mutations, an ongoing research project through which she develops new methodologies and pedagogies for imagining a contemporary and planetary ‘rebellion of the body’, inspired by the visceral activism at the heart of Butoh’s postwar emergence.

Translation and the borders of contemporary Japanese literature: Inciting difference

In this talk, Vicky Young discussed her monograph, ‘Translation and the borders of contemporary Japanese literature: Inciting difference’. The book examines contemporary debates on such concepts as national literature, world literature, and the relationship each of these to translation, through the lens of modern Japanese fiction. By focusing on so-called marginalised voices from within Okinawan literature and zainichi literature written by ethnic Koreans, and other “trans-border” works, this book reveals tensions and blind spots that serve to decentre the image of Japanese literature presented to the world in translation, while opening critical connections to wider questions of multilingualism, decolonisation, historical revisionism, and trauma that are so central to contemporary literary studies.

AI Governance and Policy in the UK and Japan

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a driver of transformation across industries and societies globally. This tool has the potential to influence the way we work, learn and play, as well as helping us to address some of the most pressing global challenges. However, a number of concerns remain to be addressed, including privacy, security, misinformation, bias and discrimination. In this webinar, the panellists discussed current AI use in the UK and Japan, as well as the regulatory landscape, key challenges, and policy recommendations that can benefit society as a whole.