Past Events

3 October 2018

New Approaches to Ainu Contemporary Art

Despite facing discrimination in Japan, the indigenous Ainu people have maintained their own culture and art. The Ainu have developed their art through their everyday life and it has its own unique value and beauty. Surprisingly, Ainu art has been largely ignored in Japan but has received attention in other countries such as the UK. In this seminar the Ainu artist Toru Kaizawa will talk about his passion for Ainu contemporary art; Professor Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere will explain why she values Ainu contemporary art; and Professor Simon Kaner will explore Ainu art from a historical perspective.

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2 October 2018

Private View: Resonating Surfaces by Akira Yamaguchi

The works exhibited here present Akira Yamaguchi’s attempt to resolve the contradiction of being a painter inheriting the legacy of classical Japanese art, but also trained at art school to follow Western (oil-based) painting techniques. Experimenting with different media and questioning the cultural significance of “oil on canvas”, Yamaguchi’s works urge the viewer to reconsider arbitrary boundaries within art history, while inviting us to contemplate the visible and invisible “resonances” of painting.
This exhibition is held in collaboration with Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo.

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26 September 2018

Fintech trends in Japan and the UK

The financial industry is facing a rapid change as new disruptive technologies emerge for the benefit of consumers. In this seminar, the development of payment related services, open banking and cryptocurrency legislation in Japan was discussed. This was followed by a talk on the recent developments in the UK fintech sector.

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6 September 2018

Archives and secret papers: uncovering hidden truth

We live in a world where we are surrounded by endless information.  However, when information is so readily available, how do we tell fact from fiction?  In this seminar, three journalists, who specialise in uncovering new facts by using National Archives, will discuss how public documents can be used to reveal government secrets, both past and present, and uncover the truth in Japan and the UK.  Although the use of archives is a long-standing journalistic practice, in our information saturated societies, it may take on new importance in the dissemination of knowledge.

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4 September 2018

Political Leadership and Policy-Making Processes under the Abe Administration: What has gone wrong?

This seminar discussed the LDP Abe Administration, which, although a product of several political and administrative reforms since the 1990s, continues to raise new questions: is it really working well and precisely what we expected? Has Japan departed from the traditional model defined by weak government and strong civil servants? This seminar attempted to answer these questions.

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26 July 2018

The Women of Ishikawa

Be drawn into the faraway world of The Women of Ishikawa: a selection of strange, hilarious, and tragic folk stories from the mountains of Ishikawa, brought over from Japan and performed by Doubtful Sound. The show is in a mix of Kaga-ben (the local dialect) and English, and the stories are sprinkled with traditional folk songs from the SOAS Min’yo Group. 

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24 July 2018

Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism attracts a great deal of attention from around the world. In this talk, Toda Seizan, the head priest of Daiji-in Daitokuji temple, discussed the close relationship between Zen Buddhism and the Japanese tea ceremony. He talked about the Heart Sutra, which is one of the most familiar sutras in Japan. There was the chance to experience dokkyou (sutra chanting) and shakyou (sutra transcription).

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17 July 2018

Kokeshi from Tohoku with Love

Kokeshi are traditional wooden dolls that are produced in the Tohoku region of Japan. They are considered to be an icon of Japan, reflecting Japanese aesthetic sensibilities with their simple, elegant and minimalist designs. At this event Manami Okazaki will talk about these quirky dolls. A range of Kokeshi will also be on display, providing a rare opportunity to see new styles alongside traditional designs.

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4 July 2018

Corporate Governance and Value Creation in Japan

This is the first book to furnish a root cause of the low valuation of Japanese listed companies by using, as qualitative evidence, unique global investor surveys, which are rarely available for Japanese companies.
Illustrated with relevant statistics, evidence of shareholders’ voices, case studies, and empirical research, the book is highly recommended for readers who seek qualitative and quantitative evidence of Japan’s problems and potential prescriptions in connection with value creation.

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3 July 2018

The Power of Calligraphy

The calligrapher and artist Misuzu Kosaka has produced striking, highly original art works that have been incorporated into book designs, restaurant decors and commemorated major. In this event, her calligraphy works were introduced and interpreted by the critic Damian Flanagan. Misuzu then gave a demonstration of her dynamic calligraphy in action and invite participants to pick up a brush, splash the ink and attempt to create their own beautiful calligraphy.

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2 July 2018

An update on the Japanese Economy: how women can change it

Japan’s period of low economic growth continues, despite the government’s best efforts to provide stimulus to the economy. The country’s ageing and shrinking population are two of the main obstacles to achieving sustained growth. In this seminar, the speakers will analysed the current state of the Japanese economy and the government’s approaches to dealing with it. They discussed the benefits that may arise from increasing female labour participation and the limitations of government efforts to encourage a more active role for women in the economy.

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28 June 2018

Women’s Economic Empowerment in Post-Disaster Reconstruction: a study of Tohoku

On March 11 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the north-east coast of Japan, causing a massive tsunami. After disasters, women play a vital role in rehabilitating the household and the community, which is one strategic approach in post-disaster recovery efforts. In this talk, Tohoku, Japan, will be discussed as an example of good practices of economic empowerment of women in post-disaster reconstruction. Wider perspectives of economic empowerment issues for vulnerable communities and groups in post-disaster reconstruction will also be presented.

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