22 October 2015
In East Asia, the world’s fastest militarising region, what kind of military power are Prime Minister Abe’s reforms going to create? Is Japan unchaining itself from post-war pacifism, and joining the region’s militarisation process?
20 October 2015
From the refined homes of Tokyo to the nightclubs of Kyoto; from gangster chic to Harajuku street style; from ateliers and catwalks to city sidewalks and religious festivals–this book shows how the kimono has continued to be one of Japan’s most exciting wardrobe elements.
16 October 2015
Japan has a long history of sexual diversity, but during modern times the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community has for the most part kept itself out of the limelight. Although there are some signs of change, Japanese society appears less tolerant of sexual diversity than the UK. This seminar discussed the experiences faced by LGBT individuals in both countries, and how LGBT rights may develop in the future.
8 October 2015
The inaugural Daiwa Ichiban Lecture was held on Thursday 8th October, in collaboration with the British Embassy in Tokyo, at Ambassador Tim Hitchen’s Residence. Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society and a Nobel Prize laureate, spoke on the subject of “Trust in Science”. In his lecture, he stressed the enormous benefits that science has delivered to mankind, but argued that trust between scientists and the broader community is vital in maximising both the speed of scientific progress and its value to society.
5 October 2015
In 1865, nineteen Japanese students set off by ship from the Satsuma Domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture) to the UK, with the brief to learn about western society and technologies. This development was an important factor in the lead up to the Meiji Restoration.
1 October 2015
Princes of the Yen reveals how Japanese society was transformed to suit the agenda and desire of powerful interest groups, and how citizens were kept entirely in the dark about this. Central banks are some of the most secretive and misunderstood institutions in the world. What powers do they wield? Whose interests do they serve? How do their actions affect our everyday lives?
29 September 2015
The Okinawa islands in the south had long been independent as the Ryukyu Kingdom and played a crucial role as the conduit of trade between Japan and the outside world. Naturally, many foreign ships had passed through- in some cases were stranded in the area- and are now found as underwater archaeological sites.
22 September 2015
The Missing Post Office invites you to post a letter, like a message in a bottle, which will float on the sea of time. A letter to and from anyone, anything, anywhere and at any time, which will one day be washed ashore.
17 September 2015
Kouichi Tabata’s first UK solo show explores drawing beyond line- and mark-making, tending towards the painterly. His paintings of still-life subjects are sequenced into animations as a kind of ‘still footage’, leading to an exploration of the dimensions between different layers of meaning in which these opposing forces operate. Looped paintings relinquish tranquil scenery, instead enveloping the audience into a restless, endless cycle.
14 September 2015
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to internationalise Japan’s universities is part of his plan to revitalise the nation’s economy. Professor Miki Horie of Ritsumeikan University will discuss how the government hopes to solve Japan’s structural problems by transforming the higher education sector.
5 August 2015
This year in August will be the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An Englishman, Mike Stevenson, has in his possession two collections of art works made by children in Japan in the aftermath of World War II.
21 July 2015
Natasha Pulley (Daiwa Scholar 2013) will read from her novel ‘The Watchmaker of Filigree Street’. Set in London in 1883, the novel centres on a watchmaker who is a Japanese immigrant at the time of the Fenian bombings of Whitehall.
