EVENT

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 15:00-16:00 JST

In 2024 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee listed the gold mines on Sado island as world heritage sites with significantly less controversy than in 2015, when the cluster of Meiji Era Industrial Revolution sites, mainly in Kyushu, were listed. At issue in both cases was the way these industrial heritage sites would describe the treatment of wartime foreign laborers, Koreans in particular, who were brought to Japan and forced to work against their will. The Sado case generated less controversy mainly because the Japanese side offered a fuller and more honest account. In this presentation I explore the reasons for this difference with particular attention to the role of local civil society actors.

Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 15:00-16:00 JST (14:30 Open)

In this interview, Tokyo College Ushioda Fellow Alastair Morgan will share with the audience some fascinating insights on three decades as a British diplomat. Retired in 2019, Alastair Morgan spent his diplomatic postings in Asia, namely Tokyo, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Pyongyang. What was his life like as a British diplomat? What were the challenges he faced in his various postings? How does a diplomat balance the needs of a local posting with the needs of Whitehall? This will be a unique opportunity to gain insight through Alastair Morgan’s reflections on his life as a British civil servant and diplomat in Asia from the 1980s onwards.

Wednesday, 17 December 14:00-15:00

What is the big picture of global politics, and can we even draw one? Three simultaneous dynamics shape global developments, yet they are difficult to think together. ...

Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 14:00-15:00 JST

In economics, there is a well-known idea that new technologies and ideas replace older ones, driving progress. This concept, known as "creative destruction," was a central theme in the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics. In contrast, physics teaches us the principle of conservation: nothing is lost, everything simply changes form. So, is economic progress truly about destruction—or is it more about transformation? In this lecture, a physicist and an economist will explore the differences between these perspectives, and discuss topics such as sustainable growth and the power of human imagination, in a way that is accessible to all.

Wednesday, 14 January 14:00-15:00

The ‘body politic’ has, since the Middle Ages, provided an enduring an analogy in Europe for describing the ‘right’ kind of political organisation. In this talk I explain how this analogy was turned inside out by the scientific discoveries made around the real body in16th and 17th centuries Europe.

Wednesday, 1 February 2023, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Higher education around the world is experiencing vast changes in its multiple environments as a result of numerous factors, including globalization, shifts in the boundary conditions of truth, the effects of technology, geopolitical uncertainties, and calls for ‘decolonisation’. This seminar series explores the impact of these factors on the future of higher education.

Tuesday, 31 January 2023, 10:00 am - 1:30 pm JST

This symposium discusses the trajectory of human-centered society development in Asia through interdisciplinary and transnational dialogues. To what extent can technology support human-centered approaches to urban living? Does the trajectory for human-centered society development address human interests, values, and well-being, or simply the technology itself? Where are cultural, societal, and heritage values situated within this trajectory?

Wednesday, 25 January 2023, 10:00-11:00 am

Higher education around the world is experiencing vast changes in its multiple environments as a result of numerous factors, including globalization, shifts in the boundary conditions of truth, the effects of technology, geopolitical uncertainties, and calls for ‘decolonisation’. This seminar series explores the impact of these factors on the future of higher education.

Tuesday, 24 January 2023, 4:00-5:30 pm

This lecture - and the book, In the Shadow of the God: The Emperor in World History, on which it is based - looks at emperors and emperorship across five millennia and most of the world.

Wednesday, 18 January 2023, 2:00-3:00 pm

Higher education around the world is experiencing vast changes in its multiple environments as a result of numerous factors, including globalization, shifts in the boundary conditions of truth, the effects of technology, geopolitical uncertainties, and calls for ‘decolonisation’. This seminar series explores the impact of these factors on the future of higher education.

Friday, 16 December 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm

Higher education around the world is experiencing vast changes in its multiple environments as a result of numerous factors, including globalization, shifts in the boundary conditions of truth, the effects of technology, geopolitical uncertainties, and calls for ‘decolonisation’. This seminar series explores the impact of these factors on the future of higher education.

Thursday, 15 December 2022, 4:00-5:30 pm

What can be gained from holding high-level summits with a “rogue state” like North Korea? Do those potential gains outweigh the risk of lending prestige and legitimacy to a dictatorial regime? Two speakers will lead a critical discussion of these questions.
Ambassador Alastair Morgan discusses the high-level meetings with the DPRK in 2018-19, and Dr. Meredith Shaw explains how summits are depicted in North Korean domestic propaganda.

Saturday, 10 December 2022, 10:00-11:00 am (Doors open: 9:30 am)

The special lecture will be presented by the Chairman of the Tata Group, one of India’s foremost business leaders. It will highlight learnings from its heritage that made it successful for over 150 years. It will also outline a vision for thriving in the future, adapting to the challenges of AI, jobs and data security, including India and Japan collaboration.

Tuesday, 6 December 2022, 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm

The lecture discusses several initiatives to clarify physical processes leading to large earthquakes by geophysical observations, experiments, and modeling; and to improve society’s preparation for large earthquakes through upgrades of instrumental monitoring and early warning alerts, developing better building codes, and community education activities.

Sunday, 4 December 2022, 3:30 - 5:30 pm

Two professional Go players, two AI researchers, and one humanities researcher take a deep dive into the relationship between Go and AI, compare AI (i.e., artificial intelligence) and the human brain, and engage in a thorough public discussion on the potentials and limitations of AI.

Wednesday, 30 November 2022, 10:00-11:15 am JST

This event will explore areas of overlapping innovation: in Climate Change and Sustainability, and Blockchain and Data/IT. Leading Silicon Valley technologist Bram COHEN, CEO of Chia Network, and Gemma Torras VIVES of the World Bank will discuss the pioneering use of decentralized blockchain technology to empower a new global carbon market infrastructure.

Thursday, 24 November 2022, 4:00-5:30 pm

Outsiders have been fascinated by Japan’s economy since Marco Polo described Cipangu as a land of gold. Centuries later Columbus sailed to discover it. External observers’ descriptions may not always have been accurate but they have often been influential. This lecture will look at some of the most important discussions in the English language literature on Japan’s economy and will reflect on how the major themes have changed over the last half century.