Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 13:30–14:30 JST

This presentation will describe environmental interventions to prevent obesity and non-communicable diseases in urban food environments. Dr. Gittelsohn will highlight strategies, impacts and lessons learned from the Baltimore Healthy Food initiatives, as well as the work of other researchers. Evidence shows that combining educational, environmental, and policy approaches improves access to and consumption of healthier foods, though impacts on obesity remain modest. His current work explores digital tools, restaurant and systems science approaches. Findings underscore the need for sustainable, community-engaged strategies to strengthen food environments and reduce chronic disease risk.

Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 15:30-16:30 JST

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense, even in historically less affected regions. This talk examines the drivers, consequences, and management of changing wildfire dynamics. A more flammable landscape—shaped by climate change, land abandonment, and afforestation—is intensifying fire regimes globally. While most of the 780 million hectares that burn annually are low-intensity savanna fires, high-intensity, destructive wildfires are increasing. Fire is an ancient ecological process with both benefits and harms, shaping ecosystems yet threatening lives and property. As suppression alone is insufficient, I advocate proactive adaptation through prevention, restoration, land-use planning, coordination, and improved fire literacy.

Available from Thursday, 25 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.

Wednesday, 24 November 2021, 5:00‐7:00 pm (JST)/ 8:00-10:00 am (GMT)

UTokyo-Cambridge Voices, started in 2020, is a series of conversations held between researchers of the University of Tokyo and the University of Cambridge regarding a specific aspect of their research. This dialogue series is hosted by the two institutions under the framework of the “Strategic Partnership” and explores research from a range of academic disciplines. This year, three university-wide online symposia will be open to the public. The theme of session one is "COVID-19 Related Research and Challenge".

Available from Wednesday, 24 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.

Available from Tuesday, 23 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.

Monday, 22 November 2021, Available from 3:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Available from Monday, 22 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.

Monday, 15 November 2021, Available from 5:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Sunday, 14 November 2020 (available from 17:00 JST)

In this talk, Dr. Wesley ROBERTSON examines Japanese extreme metal bands’ exploration of Japan’s history and myth through lyrics. Analyzing how three lyricists respond to local and global discussions of "metalness", he shows that creating Japanese metal lyrics opens avenues for designing translocal identities, and reimagining the referents of local language forms.

Saturday, 13 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

Media representations of queerqueen styles are configured as originating spontaneously from the authentically "queer male," and are then variously ventriloquised in production. In an analysis of published dialogues by twin brothers Osugi and Peeco, Dr. Claire MAREE illustrates the labour involved in (re)creating authenticity through which stereotypes of gender, sexuality, and desire are inscribed into contemporary media.

Friday, 12 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

This presentation introduces a collaborative project to analyse the recently implemented MEXT policy reforms concerning English language education in Japanese schools. We will examine the stated aims of the reforms, their pedagogical soundness, implications for identity formation, as well as their likelihood of success.

Thursday, 11 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

Much like our own lives, the lives of words reflect complex and dynamic trajectories. In this talk, Dr. Jieun KIAER draws on her book Translingual Words (2019) to reevaluate the lives of English words, where lexical innovation has become an increasingly dynamic and interactive process with ordinary people at the helm.

Wednesday, 10 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

Featuring several distinct scripts, the Japanese writing system provides rich opportunities for the creation of meaning beyond the bare meaning of a text. In this talk, Prof. Sven OSTERKAMP evaluates how historically script choice once correlated with language choices, as well as with the intellectual context of both texts and authors.