Events by year: 2020

14 October 2020

US Election the Implications for Asia Policy listing image

US Election: the Implications for Asia Policy

While there is a consensus in Washington on many key Asia policy issues, this year’s two U.S. presidential candidates see and approach the region, and the world, in starkly different ways. In this webinar, Sean King explored how various U.S. Asia policy positions might unfold as a result of either candidate’s victory, while Shihoko Goto then took a closer look at the potential Japan-specific ramifications of a second Trump term versus a Biden first term.

Fully bookedMore info

7 October 2020

Translating Kishio Suga: Things. Situations. Unfoldings.

From 1972 to 1981, artist Kishio Suga published a series of fragmentary statements in the exhibition listings section of Japanese art journal Bijutsu Techō. Not quite poems, and certainly not explanations of the exhibited work, the texts are propositions for thinking about how things come together in what Suga calls “situations,” or immersive fields of radical equality and interdependence between objects and perceivers. Maerkle and Williamson used readings of new translations of Suga’s statements as a jumping-off point for discussing themes including active silences, deep-time, quantum entanglement, and related works by other artists across diverse mediums. In doing so, they explored the potential for translation in all its forms.

Fully bookedMore info

30 September 2020

Beyond Coronavirus: The Future of Museums

While the coronavirus pandemic has had wide-reaching financial impacts, the museum sector has been particularly badly hit. It is estimated that one in three of these museums will have to downsize to survive, while 13% may have to close down permanently – this would be the closure of over 10,000 museums worldwide. In further bad news, a recent survey in Britain indicated that almost a third of population would not feel safe returning to museums for a long time, even if they are open. In this seminar, chaired by James Harding, renowned museum directors from the UK and Japan discussed the challenges faced by museums and exhibitions around the world during the current coronavirus crisis.

Fully bookedMore info

29 September 2020

Japan After Abe

The recent announcement of Shinzō Abe resignation because of illness has initiated a new period of political uncertainty. The next administration is expected to maintain many of Abe’s policies, but there are some concerns as to whether Japan will be able to maintain the relative political stability of the Abe years. In this webinar, Professor Machidori looked at why the Abe administration was able to achieve longevity, in the context of political reforms that have taken place at the national level since the 1990s. Glen S. Fukushima gave a US perspective on Japanese politics – the Abe administration’s record and prospects for US-Japan relations.

Fully bookedMore info

22 September 2020

Covid-19 and the Artists' Union: Is this a turning point in Japan?

Because of the impact of the pandemic, galleries, theatres, and music venues had to close their doors and are only recently starting to reopen. In the UK, government funds (loans and stimulus packages) were made available, though there has been criticism that the aid was not provided early enough. In response, the Artists’ Union England has started a petition for the government to provide help and has also made small grants available to artists. In Japan, artists have had very little in the way of an emergency relief response from the government, highlighting the need to establish a union in Japan. The panellists in this talk discussed the current status of Artists’ Associations and Artists’ Unions in the UK and progress towards forming a similar organisation in Japan.

Fully bookedMore info

16 September 2020

LITTLE MISS SUMO: Smashing Glass Ceilings

In sumo, women are said to ‘contaminate the sacred space’, and so are banned from entering professional sumo rings. In this webinar the director of award-winning short film Little Miss Sumo, Matt Kay, took us on a tour inside the world of female sumo wrestling. As well as discussing the inspiration for the documentary, the history of the sport, and the filmmaking process, he branched out to the wider complexities of respecting tradition while remaining ethical.

Fully bookedMore info

9 September 2020

Surrealism and Photography in 1930s Japan: The Impossible Avant-Garde

A number of photographers across Japan produced a versatile body of Surrealist work during the 1930s. In this pioneering study of their practice, ‘Surrealism and Photography in 1930s Japan: The Impossible Avant-Garde’, Dr Jelena Stojković draws on primary sources and extensive archival research in order to map out art historical and critical contexts relevant to the apprehension of this rich photographic output, most of which is previously unseen outside of its country of origin. In this book launch, the author was joined in discussion of the book’s themes by Dr Luke Gartlan and Dr Tessel Bauduin. Discounted copies of the book were available to attendees.

Fully bookedMore info

6 August 2020

75 years on: A survivor of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb

The 6th of August 2020 marked 75 years since the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. There are few remaining survivors of the nuclear bomb, and their voices are at risk of being lost. In this talk on the 75th anniversary of the world’s first nuclear attack, Mr Michimasa Hirata, one of the survivors of the nuclear bomb, described what happened to the city, along with his memories, and the lessons he feels we need to learn for the present and future.

Fully bookedMore info

31 July 2020

Reimagining War

August will mark 75 years since the surrender of Japan at the end of the Asia-Pacific War, yet the vast scope of the conflict and the distance in time from the present day can make it conceptually hard to grasp. For the youth of today who have had no experience of war, this conflict is fading from memory and comprehension. In this webinar two prominent young photographers, Kazuma Obara and Miyuki Okuyama, discussed the intersection of the war, as history, with the future, along with some of their recent works of art.

Fully bookedMore info

30 July 2020

Japan's Regional Role: How Tokyo is Pressing its Interests in Asia

China’s growing assertiveness in Asia is drawing plenty of global attention. But what of Japan’s response? Still the world’s third-largest economy, Japan has long been a significant source of investment into Asian countries, and a key ally for Western powers like the US. Together with two experts and the Asia Matters podcast, this event analysed the state of Japan’s foreign policy in Asia and beyond.

Fully bookedMore info

21 July 2020

The Digital News Media and Online Harassment

The rise of digital news has also been accompanied by an increase in disinformation, fake news, and online harassment, prompted by the anonymity offered by the internet and social media sites. In some cases, the use of social media to target and bully news organizations, individual journalists, and celebrities may even lead to fatal consequences. In this webinar Shiori Ito, an independent Japanese journalist who has been harassed online, spoke about the current situation in Japan. Dr. Julie Posetti, Global Director of Research at the International Center for Journalists, and a UN-commissioned researcher on gendered online violence against journalists, then explained the complex challenges news organisations face.

Fully bookedMore info

8 July 2020

Science Misconceptions and Myths: From Fukushima to Covid

After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, radiation fears caused huge social disturbance in Japan. To ease the prevailing trepidation, experts made dedicated efforts to provide accurate and concise scientific information. But they soon realised that the information they provided was not always readily accepted by the public. Based on their experience of Fukushima, Professor Gerry Thomas and Dr Sae Ochi will present the importance of understanding non-scientific rationality among ‘lay’ people when they look at science in the context of daily life. They will also discuss whether the lessons learned from Fukushima are applicable to the CoVID-19 pandemic.

Fully bookedMore info
Toggle navigation