Japan and the UK: A focus on History

2016 was a year of momentous change. For Japan, the election of Donald Trump may mean both an increase in tensions with China and mounting pressures on Japan to take on more of the burden of its own defence. President Trump will also impact the UK, but perhaps not as much as the decision to leave the EU – an issue likely to dominate the political agenda for the foreseeable future. To put these changes into perspective and help us assess their likely impacts, in 2017 we will focus on history. What lessons can we learn from our past? And how and why is history still a major factor driving current events in both the UK and Japan?

Whilst political history is the main focus, we plan to look at history across a broad range of issues, including how history is taught in schools, and (with Tokyo 2020 approaching) the history of sport.