Events by year: 2015

5 March 2015

祈りInori/Spiritual Journey – Sengu

“The art of sculpture photography is to let the sculpture speak. My photography made Bourdelle’s works move and Rodin’s spin. In retrospect the crying agony of the images might have been a reflection of my personal struggles around that time. I used only my camera and natural light in dark churches. When I had almost given up hope, the light played a miracle each time and produced three providential works. Through photography I discovered the existence of the ‘Invisible World’. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to record Sengu shrine restoration and ceremonies – a culture symbolising Japanese spirituality. This exhibition is to express my wishes for a peaceful world.”

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5 March 2015

祈りInori/Spiritual Journey – Sengu

This exhibition introduces some of Yukihito Masuura’s works in his eight-year quest to capture Michelangelo’s sculptural oeuvre and the bronze works of Rodin and Bourdelle. Masuura has also documented the ceremonial practices of Sengu in Japan, such as the restoration of Japan’s most revered Shinto locations: Ise Jingu and Izumo Taisha. The Christian and Shinto images exhibited here explore the relationship between religion and art and the cultural differences between Japan and the West.

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24 February 2015

Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Justice

The Japanese Army committed numerous atrocities during its pitiless campaigns in China from 1931 to 1945. When the Chinese emerged victorious with the Allies at the end of World War II, many seemed ready to exact retribution for these crimes. Rather than resort to violence, however, they chose to deal with their former enemy through legal and diplomatic means. Focusing on the trials of, and policies toward, Japanese war criminals in the post-war period, Men to Devils, Devils to Men analyses the complex political manoeuvring between China and Japan that shaped East Asian realpolitik during the Cold War.

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19 February 2015

The Great Transformation of Japanese Capitalism

In the 1980s the performance of Japan’s economy was an international success story, and led many economists to suggest that the 1990s would be a Japanese decade. Today, however, the dominant view is that Japan is inescapably on a downward slope. Rather than focusing on the evolution of the performance of Japanese capitalism, this book reflects on the changes that it has experienced over the past 30 years, and presents a comprehensive analysis of the great transformation of Japanese capitalism from the heights of the 1980s, through the lost decades of the 1990s, and well into the 21st century.

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18 February 2015

Japan’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Prospects in Japan-China Relations

Japan and China have cultivated a very close relationship. Because of this close relationship, it is inevitable that frictions and confrontations should sometimes occur. Ambassador Yamagami will present his unique perspectives on these issues, and talks about recent developments between the two countries, including the Japan-China Summit Meeting.

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17 February 2015

'Remembering Absence' by Kirk Palmer

Kirk Palmer’s work explores the existential nature of human relationships with the world through an exploration of the temporal landscape and sense of place using still and moving images. Centred upon Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Yakushima, the works exhibited here examine how historical events manifest in the present-day physical substance of place, where the pall of the atomic bombings remains a latent, unifying presence.

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12 February 2015

Report From Fukushima: Health Issues After the 2011 Nuclear Incident

Dr Tsubokura and Dr Morita are medical doctors based at Minamisoma General Municipal Hospital and Soma Central Hospital, located in coastal cities of Fukushima Prefecture (Minamisoma City and Soma City, 15-40km north of the nuclear plant). They gave a talk on the current local situation in the context of radiation issues and other public health problems that have arisen after the incident.

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11 February 2015

Masterpieces of Artisanal Japan: Wazuka tea and Ogatsu inkstones

The connection between tea and suzuri (ink-stones for calligraphy) makes itself evident through calligraphy scrolls displayed in a tea house. Timothy d’Offay from Postcard Teas and Teruo Kurosaki, an influential figure in contemporary design, introduced these two examples of artisanal masterpieces from Japan.

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27 January 2015

Womenomics

The term “Womenomics,” coined by Kathy Matsui, Chief Japan Equity Strategist at Goldman Sachs, refers to policies aimed at enabling women to make a larger contribution to the Japanese economy. It has become a key component of “Abenomics” – Prime Minister Abe’s overall policies for the revitalisation of Japan. As dual-income couples have increasingly become the norm in Japan, the female labour participation rate is, in fact, more or less in line with other developed countries. The difference is that Japanese female workers disproportionately work in positions with low status, low pay, and low job security.

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15 January 2015

Remembering Absence

Kirk Palmer’s work explores the existential nature of human relationships with the world through an exploration of the temporal landscape and sense of place using still and moving images. Centred upon Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Yakushima, the works exhibited here examine how historical events manifest in the present-day physical substance of place, where the pall of the atomic bombings remains a latent, unifying presence.

More info
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