Past Events

21 May 2024

Taiwan and China: Implications for the World

Recently, Taipei condemned China as “shameless” after Beijing thanked the world for its concern about a powerful earthquake in Taiwan. The Taiwanese government also rebuffed an offer of help extended by Beijing. China continues to claim Taiwan as its territory. To Taipei, Beijing’s communist government has never ruled the island and has no say in how it chooses its leaders. In the medium to long term, the world had better be prepared to respond to attempts to alter the situation by various means, including economic sanctions, political manoeuvres, diplomatic pressure and even military confrontation. How should the alliance between the US and Asian countries, along with European nations, support Taiwan, their fellow democracy?

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15 May 2024

‘Closing and Opening’ through Weaving by Aiko Tezuka

Aiko Tezuka is a Berlin-based artist whose works often examine and visualise the time, identity and history of the people who wove yarns by untangling ready-made or self-designed textiles and creating new textile structures. In this talk, Tezuka will share with guests the ‘bravery’ she needed to continue producing works outside Japan, following her artistic journey, which she started in Japan before moving to the UK and Germany. She will also guide us through some of her key works, including ‘Closing and Opening (A Study of Bravery) – Tangled (2024)’, which has played an essential role in propelling her onto the international art scene.

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30 April 2024

Rakugo & Kōdan:
The Art of Japanese Solo Storytelling

Join rakugo master Tatekawa Shinoharu and kōdan master Kanda Yōko for a unique event that showcases the fascinating world of Japanese storytelling. With roots in early modern times and enjoying increasing popularity in contemporary Japan, both rakugo and kōdan feature a single storyteller creating a kaleidoscopic world of emotions through words and body language. After a brief introduction to rakugo by Prof Laura Moretti (University of Cambridge) and to kōdan by Prof Motoi Katsumata (Meisei University), both delivered in English, the two performers will gift us with short snippets of their art.

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25 April 2024

David Martin

Japanese Modernist Painters in Seattle, 1910-1970

In this talk, David F. Martin discussed the art of Japanese-American painters active in Seattle, Washington in the early to mid- 20th century. Beginning with the first generation Issei to the next generation of Nisei, several of these artists achieved national and international reputations during their lives. However, their careers and personal lives suffered from being interned in incarceration camps on the American west coast during WWII. Martin featured a wide range of styles practised by these artists from impressionism to modernism and abstraction. He will present rare images of paintings completed by some of the artists during their incarceration.

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24 April 2024

[Webinar] Establishing Facts

We are now living in a “Post-Truth Era”. People can no longer trust information on a variety of media, especially social media, which spread a tide of disinformation. With the advent of generative AI, it is becoming even more difficult to tell what is true and what is false. Fact-checking is becoming increasingly important as democracy depends on an informed citizenry, and if we cannot agree on the basic facts, societies face a risk of collapse. In this webinar, moderated by Jack Goodman, Eliot Ward Higgins and Prof. Maiko Ichihara discussed why fact finding is important.

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18 April 2024

The Martyr and the Red Kimono

On 14th August 1941, a Polish priest named Maximilian Kolbe was murdered in Auschwitz. Kolbe had spent six years in Nagasaki before the war. After Germany invaded Poland, he gave sanctuary to fleeing refugees and was arrested by the Gestapo. In Auschwitz, he volunteered to die, saving the life of a fellow prisoner. This act transformed the lives of two Japanese men. Tōmei Ozaki and Masatoshi Asari. Both men drew inspiration from Kolbe’s sacrifice, dedicating their lives to humanity and justice.
In The Martyr and the Red Kimono, award-winning author Naoko Abe weaves together a deeply moving and uplifting true story of resistance, sacrifice, guilt and atonement.

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16 April 2024

[Online] Artist Talk: Miyuki Okuyama in conversation with Jonathan Watkins

To mark the opening of Japan, outside Japan at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Miyuki Okuyama will discuss with Jonathan Watkins the historical background to and recent events related to her projects Dear Japanese: Children of War (2012-17) and Michinoku Homeward: Walking towards the Northeast (2021). Dear Japanese (2012-17) is a documentary made from her personal point of view as a Japanese individual living in the Netherlands, portraying the children of Japanese soldiers and Dutch-Indonesian women, born during the Pacific War in Indonesia, now living in the Netherlands. Michinoku Homeward: Walking towards the Northeast (2021) is a very personal documentary about Michinoku, Okuyama’s home region in north-eastern Japan.

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4 April 2024

Democracy and Human Rights in Hong Kong

In this webinar, moderated by Bill Emmott, Nathan Law discussed political developments in Hong Kong and the implications for democracy worldwide, with a focus on the 2019 anti-extradition protests, the impact of the 2020 National Security Law, and subsequent political developments. Does the NSL undermine Hong Kong’s judicial system and civil society?  Prof. Eva Pils discussed the struggle for human rights in Hong Kong, focusing on the 2020 National Security Law and impending ‘Article 23’ legislation. Prof. Kamikubo discussed how the Japanese government views the political developments unfolding in Hong Kong, and how the arrest of Chow, who had been appealing to the Japanese public in her fluent Japanese, was received in Japan.

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15 March 2024

Effect of political reforms on more proactive Japanese external policies

How have political reforms since the 1990s changed Japanese foreign and security policies? In this talk Satoshi Machidori and Harukata Takenaka examine the effects of a series of institutional reforms since 1990 on Japanese foreign and security policy. The first presentation demonstrates that political reform was a reaction to major changes in the international environment in the early 1990s, particularly the end of the Cold War and the bitter experience of the Gulf War. The second presentation closely examines the relationship between Japan’s reformed political institutions and the formation of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.

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12 March 2024

Generative AI and the creation of Large Language Models (LLMs)

The release of ChatGPT and the broader advent of generative AI was a shocking wake-up call to the world. OpenAI introduced its software in November 2022 and gained over a hundred million registered members within two months. Since then, generative AI has begun to show us the scope of its potential, affecting several industries and changing ways of working, businesses, and ultimately society. As a leader in both AI innovation and investment, Ren Ito provided a brief overview of the current state of generative AI, before diving deeper into his own unique insights about the industry, introducing notable examples from the UK and Japan and highlighting the importance of international cooperation to deal with existing and emerging challenges and problems.

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7 March 2024

Dear Japanese (2012-17) by Miyuki Okuyama, ©Miyuki Okuyama.

Private View: Japan, outside Japan by Miyuki Okuyama

Join us for a private view of Miyuki Okuyama’s first UK solo exhibition, Japan, outside Japan. This event will provide the opportunity to explore Okuyama’s two recent works, Dear Japanese: Children of War (2012-17) and Michinoku Homeward: Walking towards the Northeast (2021) at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. Dear Japanese (2012-17) is a documentary made from her personal point of view as a Japanese individual living in the Netherlands, portraying the children of Japanese soldiers and Dutch-Indonesian women, born during the Pacific War in Indonesia, now living in the Netherlands. Michinoku Homeward: Walking towards the Northeast (2021) is a very personal documentary about Michinoku, Okuyama’s home region in north-eastern Japan.

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27 February 2024

Politics and Religion in Britain and Japan

In apparent contradiction to the phenomenon of globalisation, traditional religious affiliations are experiencing a resurgence, notably in alignment with populist nationalism. Although, on the surface, Britain and Japan may not exhibit a comparable surge of religious influence within the context of populist politics, there are discernible underlying currents in both nations. During this presentation, Professors Walters and Kato discussed and analysed the role of religion in both Britain and Japan, with a particular focus on the impact of globalisation and populist nationalism.

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