Upcoming events

22 October 2026

Minoru Yamasaki’s Nisei Life and Legacy: A Granddaughter’s Perspective

In this talk, artist Katie Yamasaki will reflect on the vision and values of her grandfather, Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki, and explore the complex legacy of the Twin Towers, which he designed, from her personal perspective as his granddaughter in the years following 9/11. Drawing on her book, ‘Shapes, Lines, and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey’, she will also discuss what she hopes to convey about her grandfather’s life and work, and what she wishes to pass on to younger generations.

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23 October 2026

Shinya Tsukamoto in Conversation with Professor Alastair Phillips

In this webinar, moderated by Professor Alastair Phillips, acclaimed filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto will discuss his latest film, Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, which recently received the Leoncino d’Oro Award at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. He will share insights into his work, the concepts and background behind the film’s creation, as well as the inspiration behind the work.

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3 November 2026

Can Cherry Trees Bring Hope to Ukraine?

Masatoshi Asari, a 95-year-old Japanese cherry-tree creator who has spent more than 50 years sending sakura overseas, will make his final ‘gift of peace’ next spring when his ornamental cherries go to Ukraine in 2027, five years after the war started. Throughout his life, Asari has regarded cherry blossoms as symbols of peace, friendship and reconciliation.
How can Japanese cherry trees support humanitarian activities in Ukraine, a country devastated by war? Can cherry trees be a testament of hope there? Tracing the human stories behind the trees, this talk will explore these questions.

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11 November 2026

Japan's Intelligence Reforms

Japan, long known as a ‘spy paradise’, is reconstructing its intelligence capabilities. In a narrow sense, this can be understood as the continuation of a gradual trend of Japan ridding itself of restrictions that limited the state’s role in national security over the post-war era. In a deeper sense, its implications have to do with the measure of the nation’s political health and the expression of its collective subconscious. In this seminar, Dr Philip Shetler-Jones will explain proposed legal and institutional changes, and what this says about the direction of Japanese society, its threat perceptions and the demands the current international environment makes on Japan.

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23 November 2026

AI Translation between Sign and Spoken Language

AI now translates between many spoken languages, but sign languages have been largely left behind. In this talk, Professor Richard Bowden traces how AI has learnt to recognise, translate and produce sign language from video. He will show how this work is reaching the real world through Signapse, a University of Surrey spin-out whose AI signers are already used in settings such as public transport. The talk will discuss UMCS, a new five-year UK–Japan research project funded by EPSRC and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which focuses on natural conversations in British Sign Language and Japanese Sign Language.

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