Economic Futures: Wealth and Well Being in the UK and Japan

As 2008 marks the 150th anniversary of diplomatic and commercial relations between the UK and Japan, this

year-long seminar series has taken as its theme the relationship between the economy and society in the two

countries. Reflecting on the pattern of post-war economic development and the lessons of rapid economic

growth, the series has considered more recent changes in the economic environment and measures to address

the gap between the rich and the poor. Individual seminars have focused on the engines of wealth creation and

the growth of entrepreneurial culture; the inexorable rise of London and Tokyo; the issues facing regional

economies; the impact of corporate restructuring on employers and workers; and the global context of economic

change.