今までのイベント

Tango in Japan: Cosmopolitanism Beyond the West

Why do Japanese people love tango? Starting with this question, which the author, Dr Yuiko Asaba, frequently received while working as a tango violinist in Argentina, “Tango in Japan: Cosmopolitanism Beyond the West” reveals tango’s history in Japan dating back to the 1910s and its vibrant contemporary dynamics, embedded in the modern transformations of Japan and Argentina. While initially brought to Yokohama by North American tango dancers, tango’s immediate popularity in Japan quickly compelled many Japanese performers and writers to travel to Argentina in search of tango’s “origin” beginning in the 1920s. The first comprehensive work on the Japan-Argentina musical relationship, this book illuminates how Japanese musicians, dancers, aficionados, and the wider public have approached, and continue to engage with, tango as an important vehicle of expression, entertainment, and academic pursuit that take their imaginations beyond the West.

Sayuri Ichida in conversation with
Fiona Rogers

To mark the closing of the exhibition ‘transiənt (“transient”)’ by Sayuri Ichida at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, we are delighted to host an artist talk, ‘Sayuri Ichida in conversation with Fiona Rogers’. In this event, Ichida will introduce her works, particularly highlighting key aspects of her production, such as her early life, artistic motivations, and long-lasting relationship with photography across Tokyo, New York, London, and Margate. A discussion moderated by Fiona Rogers will follow the presentation, framing her practice in a broader context, including the two series featured in the exhibition: ‘Absentee’ (2020-2021) and ‘Ctrl Shift + J’ (2023-), through which she explored the ephemeral nature of life and existence.

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。

British Children’s Literature in Japanese Culture

Whether watching Studio Ghibli adaptations of British children’s books, visiting Harry Potter sites in Britain or eating at Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurants in Tokyo, the Japanese have a close and multifaceted relationship with British children’s literature. In British Children’s Literature in Japanese Culture, the first comprehensive study to explore this engagement, Catherine Butler considers its many manifestations in print, on the screen, in tourist locations and throughout Japanese popular culture.

Private View: transiənt by Sayuri Ichida

Join us for a private view of Sayuri Ichida’s first solo exhibition in the UK, transiənt (‘transient’) at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. This event will offer a first opportunity to explore selected works from Ichida’s two photography series, ‘Absentee’ (2020-2021) and ‘Ctrl Shift + J’ (2023-). Drawing from personal experiences of loss, grief, and life abroad, Ichida’s works explore the ephemeral nature of life and existence. Through these series, she revisits and processes the past, reflecting on the complex ways we experience time – distortion, repetition, and regression – when memories intertwine with the present. Showcasing over 30 pieces, the exhibition invites viewers to immerse themselves in her delicately processed monochromatic images that integrate her emotional landscapes across multiple temporal dimensions. 

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.　

War and Peace

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Many of the tragedies witnessed during the war, including the trauma of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, as well as the Holocaust in Europe, had devastating consequences that shaped the fate of humanity during the 20th century. 80 years later, we are again living in critical times that may shape the future of humanity in years to come. If humanity is unable to remember the past, we may be condemned to repeat it. Our annual seminar series will focus on the topic of “War and Peace” in its different forms.

Daiwa Ichiban Lecture 2024 with Will Hutton

On 26 November 2024, Will Hutton spoke on ‘Flying on all Engines – Economic and Political Prospects for Britain until 2030’ for the 2024 Daiwa Ichiban Lecture. It was held at the Ambassador’s residence by invitation only. This was the sixth lecture in the ongoing Daiwa Ichiban Lecture Series in collaboration with the British Embassy in Tokyo, for the purpose of introducing Britain to Japan.

Will Hutton is President of the Academy of Social Sciences, a political economist, author and journalist. He is also regularly called on to advise senior political and business figures and comment in the national and international media. The lecture was well attended and raised an interesting discussion in the audience Q&A.

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.

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.

Music Generations in the Digital Age

Music Generations in the Digital Age is a unique work at the intersection of cultural, media and music studies. In the book, Dr Rafal Zaborowski delves into how music engagement is changing in the digital era, focusing on key themes of participation, interpretation, circulation and cultural production. In this talk, he will particularly cover the following topics:
・Why do virtual idols sometimes feel more authentic than non-virtual ones?
・How can pop groups resonate differently across generations?
・How has the Japanese music industry evolved in the digital age?
・Can you tell the difference between real Japanese pop lyrics and AI-generated poetry?

Squingle: VR Game Business and Japanese Studio Collaboration

The journey of developing and publishing Squingle, a psychedelic VR puzzle game where players guide revolving orbs through increasingly complex 3D spatial mazes on a cosmic transcendence adventure, has been a significant success story enabled by the Daiwa Scholarship. Squingle merges science, technology, innovation, and art to create a surreal, ongoing collaboration between the UK and Japan, deeply influenced by partnerships with Keio University and Enhance Games, a Japanese game studio.