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.

Monday, 12 July 2021 (Available from 17:00 JST)

Following the Tokyo College lecture “Resilience and Innovation in Japan’s Economy” by Professor Jenny Corbett, Professor MATSUI Akihiko (School of Economics, game theory,  economics of disability), Project Assistant Professor Marcin Jarzebski (Tokyo College, sustainability, resilience, vulnerability, aging, and shrinking society), and Postdoctoral Fellow Mark Bookman (Tokyo College, history of disability policy and related social movements) have a discussion with Professor Corbett on the topics she presented.

Monday, 12 July 2021, 10:00-12:00 am

Thursday, 24 June 2021, 4:00-5:00 pm

Over 50 years, Japan changed from a rapidly-growing economic superstar to a sedate veteran, raising questions about what transitions are needed to succeed as a post-industrial, advanced economy. Japan is in the vanguard of the problems that face many other countries, and its experience raises questions about how to adapt to slow-moving and ubiquitous problems such as ageing population, inequality, changing work patterns, slow productivity growth and industrial hollowing out, but also about resilience, response to short-term crises and change. For all its specific characteristics there is a lot the world needs to learn from Japan.

Wednesday, 9 June 2021 8:30-10:00am (JST) / Tuesday, 8 June 2021 7:30-9:00pm (EST)

This Tokyo College Symposium welcomes Professor Benjamin Friedman to our campus (virtually) for a discussion on the relationship between economic and religious thinking in relation to his recently published book titled “Religion and the Rise of Capitalism.” The symposium begins with a brief presentation by Professor Friedman on the main ideas of the book with remarks by Professor Shinji Nohara and Dr. Rory Schacter to follow. A panel discussion moderated by Professor Takeo Hoshi further explores how political economic thinking is influenced by religious and other intellectual debates in the societies of not only Western countries but in Japan and East Asia as well.

Thursday, 27 May 2021, 9:00-10:30 am (JST) / Wednesday, 26 May 2021, 08:00-09:30 pm(EDT)

Recent studies and media accounts reporting Japan to be unusually vaccine hesitant require critical scrutiny. Our historical review shows that many vaccines have been accepted and that today recommended routine vaccines are universally accepted. That said, social mobilization of vaccine-injured victims has generated public and official hesitancy toward new vaccines and represents a significant challenge for Japan’s public policy.

Wednesday, 23 April 2021, 4:00-6:00 pm

Wednesday, 21 April 2021, 8:30am- (JST) / Tuesday, 20 April 2021, 4:30pm-(PST)

Tuesday, 20 April 2021, 5:00-6:30 pm

Tokyo College is a young institute at the University of Tokyo founded to address some of global society’s pressing issues through interdisciplinary research, international network building and public engagement. In this talk, we will present our effort to collaboratively design and teach a bilingual interdisciplinary undergraduate seminar entitled “The Earth and Human Society in 2050” in the framework of the university’s liberal arts program zengaku zemi.

Thursday, 15 April, 2021, 15:30-17:00 pm

Wednesday, 14 April 2021, 9:00–11:00 am

Friday, 9 April 2021, 10:00-11:30am

Tuesday, 6 April 2021, 3:00-4:30 pm