13 February 2014
Carl Randall talked about his latest solo exhibition at Daiwa Foundation Japan House, exploring the themes of overpopulation, community and the individual and the group, as depicted in his Tokyo Portraits. The artist was joined by Andrew Stahl, Head of Undergraduate Painting and Director of Undergraduate Studies at The Slade School of Fine Art, University College London.
More info11 February 2014
Will Abenomics continue to be successful this year? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand the political challenges that Prime Minister Abe faces. Professor Harukata Takenaka discussed the changes to the power of Japanese Prime Ministers since the 1990s, and also discussed the restrictions that Japanese Prime Ministers still face, by comparison with their British counterparts. A major challenge for the Prime Minister will be to implement the “Third Arrow”, which are his plans for significant structural reforms.
More info30 January 2014
It is relatively rare for a historian to get the chance to engage in critical reflection of his own work. In this short talk, Dr Antony Best, Senior Lecturer at the London School of Economics, addressed the most significant issues that he discussed in his first book “Britain, Japan and Pearl Harbor: Avoiding War in East Asia, 1936-1941” (Routledge, London, 1995). This book delves into the history of Britain and the origins of the Pacific War, including the role of intelligence and the economic factors that helped to propel Britain and Japan towards conflict. In addition, he reflected on the changes to the historical record since the date of its first publication in 1995 and how the book might now be revised in the light of different new methodological approaches towards the writing of history. In particular, he discussed how the study of public opinion and institutions beyond Whitehall can be usefully incorporated in order to provide a more complete picture of British interaction with Japan in this crucial period.
More info23 January 2014
Kintsugi is the craft in which chipped, cracked or broken ceramic pieces are repaired using a combination of urushi (lacquer) and rice glue. This process inadvertently results in a decoration, the form of which is dictated by the breakage the piece has suffered. The craft dates back to at least the 16th century, and there are various engaging historical anecdotes which emphasise the value placed on items pieced back together. There was also a demonstration of Kintsugi during the event.
More info17 January 2014
David Pilling, Asia Correspondent at the Financial Times, talked about his newly released book Bending Adversity, a portrait of contemporary Japan. Despite years of stagnation, Japan remains one of the world’s largest economies and a country which exerts a remarkable cultural fascination. David Pilling’s new book is an entertaining, deeply knowledgeable and surprising analysis of a group of islands which have shown great resilience, both in the face of financial distress and when confronted with the overwhelming disaster of the 2011 earthquake.
More info16 January 2014
We celebrated the opening of Carl Randall’s Tokyo Portraits exhibition at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery on 16 January 2014. The artist was introduced by author David Mitchell (Booker Prize shortlisted – Cloud Atlas, Ghostwritten).
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