War and Peace

13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

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. War, conflicts, violence and escalation risking nuclear confrontation remain urgent issues, impacting societies across borders and affecting everyone. 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.

Other seminars in this series:

25 June 2025

Annual Seminar Series Seminar Webinar

Did the Atomic Bombs end World War II?

In August 1945, two atomic bombs were detonated over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing thousands of people, including many civilians. A few days later, Japan officially surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. Conventional wisdom credits the dropping of the atomic bombs with Japan’s surrender and the end of WWII in Asia. Professor Richard Overy tells a different story in his new book Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan. In this webinar, moderated by Professor Endo, Professor Overy discussed his views on the use of the atomic bombs and how they changed the post-World War II world.

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18 June 2025

Annual Seminar Series Seminar Webinar

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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12 May 2025

Annual Seminar Series Seminar Seminar

Radiation exposure and long-term health effects: Japanese atomic bomb survivors and British veterans

In August 1945, one month after the first nuclear weapons test, the US detonated atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing terrible human devastation. Survivors of these events (hibakusha) continue to suffer long-term physical and psychological effects even today. In this seminar, Masao Tomonaga explained the long-term effects of atomic bombs on human health from a medical perspective. Susie Boniface talked about British veterans exposed to nuclear tests and the physical effects on their health, based on her interviews with them.

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