Events category: Webinar

18 June 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?

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22 May 2025

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.

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23 April 2025

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。

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3 April 2025

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.

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13 March 2025

Media in Japan: The Fuji TV Scandal

Fuji TV, one of Japan’s largest broadcasters, is currently in crisis. High-profile companies have pulled advertising from the network, which has been criticised for trying to cover up sexual misconduct allegations against one of its former star presenters. The Fuji scandal has revived the discussion about whether corporate governance in Japan’s media industry lacks awareness of human rights and gender equality. In this webinar, moderated by Mariko Oi of BBC News, the panellists explored the fundamental issues behind the scandal, including human rights, governance, gender inequality and the working environment in Japan. They also discussed what can be done to address these issues in the media industry.

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27 February 2025

平野丸の悲劇とウェールズの善意の人々

平野丸（日本郵船）は、三菱の長崎造船所で建造され、1908年に日本とロンドンを結ぶ欧州定期航路に就航しました。1914年に第一次大戦が勃発し、日本が連合国陣営で参戦すると、日本の商船もドイツ帝国海軍の潜水艦（Uボート）による攻撃対象となり、1918年、英国リバプールから横浜に向かっていた平野丸は、英国のウェールズ沖で、ドイツの潜水艦（Uボート）に撃沈され沈没しました。乗客と乗組員計240人のうち210人が死亡しました。ウェールズの沿岸に流れ着いた多くの遺体は、地元の住民により引き上げられ、手厚く葬られました。沈没から１００年後、ウェールズの善意の人々は過去を忘れず、遠い日本の犠牲者を弔おうと立ち上がり、新たな慰霊碑を建立しました。本ウェビナーでは、島崎淳氏が平野丸の悲劇と乗客らの群像、第一次世界大戦と日本のかかわり、ウェールズ住民の善意ある行動など、両国での調査や取材を通して見えてきたことについて語ります。

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23 January 2025

Okinawa’s Military Bases and the US–Japan Alliance

Okinawa has one of the heaviest concentrations of US military bases in the world. The relocation of the US Marine base to Henoko in northern Okinawa is framed by Japanese politicians and some analysts as crucial to “deterrence”. Critics, on the other hand, argue that deterrence is merely a pretext used by the central government in Tokyo to perpetuate a political agenda that discriminates against Okinawans. In this webinar moderated by Professor Heigo Sato, Dr Paul O’Shea will analyse the deterrence claims made by relocation proponents from the perspective of various factors including the capabilities of the US marines and their credibility, and the potential impact on the long-term resiliency of the US–Japan alliance.　

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19 November 2024

A New Trump Presidency - The Implications for US-Japan Relations

Following a fiercely contested campaign in which opinions have been sharply polarised, former President Donald Trump has been elected to be the 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump’s election victory will have profound implications for the world order and the future of relations between the US and other countries, including Japan. In this seminar, moderated by Gideon Rachman, the panelists discussed how US domestic and foreign policies are likely to shift after the election, and the implications for the future of the international order and US relations with Japan.

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31 October 2024

The Impact of the US Presidential Election on the International Order

The 2024 US presidential election is expected to have a significant impact on the international order. The outcome of the election may have great implications for the ongoing war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, US policy towards China, and the US’s relations with its traditional allies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan. In this webinar, chaired by Philip Shetler-Jones, the speakers will present their views on the impact of the election on the international order, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region and the implications for Japan.

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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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