The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Supporting closer links between the UK and Japan

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9 July 2026

Gallery Tour: SECOND LAW

Join us for a free lunchtime tour of Reijiro Wada’s first solo exhibition in the UK, SECOND LAW, led by Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation staff.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics holds that the universe is always tending towards disorder. Ultimately all structures disintegrate and no system can withstand the flow of time. This is the fundamental direction of nature. How then is it possible that life, as we know it, can give rise to things that are beautiful, sublime and have profound meaning for us?

How far does the glinting light of life reach in a chaotic cosmos?

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15 July 2026

The Japanese Fiction Boom: From the publisher’s desk

Over the last few years Japanese titles have taken up half of the slots on translated literature bestseller lists. What caused this sudden wave of Western interest in Japanese fiction across all genres? This talk will go behind the perfect storm of reasons that made Japanese literature the biggest publishing trend of recent years. Jane Lawson and Kaja Murawska will also try to answer the question of what aspect of reading experience the Western public was missing and why Japanese writers are uniquely positioned to fill that gap. What are the remaining Japanese titles that are still being overlooked? They will try to share their future predictions as well.

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20 July 2026

Isn't London a catalyst for storytelling?

In this talk, moderated by Jonathan Watkins, Taihei Soejima will present artworks that explore histories in which multiple truths coexist, employing the contrasting media of generative AI and analogue film, alongside portraiture capturing individuals in multicultural communities undergoing gentrification. He will reflect on how his “unresolved experiences” have been transformed into his current artistic practice, with London acting as a catalyst.

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Latest news

7 July 2026

Carl Randall's 'The Kokeshi Maker' on display until 11 July at Gallery 8

Daiwa Scholarships alumnus and artist Carl Randall has a new Japan-themed painting on show at the Hampstead Art Society Summer Exhibition until 11 July at Gallery 8 in Mayfair, central London. His oil painting The Kokeshi Maker is one of 90 artworks chosen from 3,252 worldwide submissions. The show also includes paintings by Winifred Nicholson

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26 June 2026

Daiwa Foundation funds projects ranging from a reciprocal cultural exchange between two UNESCO Cities of Literature to collaborative research into temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (www.dajf.org.uk) has published details of its Small Grants and Awards awarded to support a total of 31 UK-Japan projects in its latest funding round: March 2026. A Daiwa Foundation Small Grant will support the travel of 11 explorer scouts and 2 leaders from the 83rd Fife Scout Group to attend the

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19 March 2026

We are delighted to be supporting aspects ot the lecture series connected to “Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige” showing at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester until 15 November 2026. You can find a list of the talks here: https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/beneaththegreatwave/events-programme/ Exhibition details can be found via this link: https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/beneaththegreatwave/

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