Keirin: Japan's Warriors on Bicycles - with Joe Truman and Justin McCurry

Date
Monday 17 August 2026

Time
6.45pm

Venue
The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH
[Map]

Booking Details
Free- Booking essential

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The activities of The Japan Society are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

The track cycling sport of keirin was invented in Japan in 1948 to raise funds to rebuild the country’s shattered infrastructure after World War II. Eight decades years later, keirin is big business and, since 2000, a highlight of the Olympic track events. It is one of only four sports on which it is legal to gamble in Japan, with fans staking billions of dollars on races at velodromes around the country. The best of keirin's 2,400 professional riders can earn huge sums throughout the yearlong season, culminating in the million-dollar Keirin Grand Prix in late December. In each race, a pacemaker leads nine riders in brightly colored jerseys around indoor and outdoor velodromes, then leaves the track with around a lap and a half to go – the cue for a dramatic finish as the competitors reach speeds of around 70kph. Keirin is a uniquely fascinating sporting culture that draws heavily on Japan's social and cultural traditions.

British track cyclist Joe Truman will be joined by Justin McCurry, Japan and Korea correspondent for The Guardian, for a fascinating conversation on keirin, from elite racing to its unique place in Japanese society. Drawing on their respective experiences as rider and journalist, they will examine how this high‑intensity sport illuminates wider cultural, social, and economic dynamics in Japan. The discussion will be moderated by Jim McCafferty, Director of bicycle manufacturer Reynolds Technology.

Joe Truman is a 28 year old British Track Cyclist, specialising in the Sprint, Keirin and Kilometre Time Trial. He is current European Champion, 4 time World Championship Medallist, 2 time Commonwealth Games medallist and Paris Olympics athlete. He spent 2018 and 2019 racing and living in Japan as part of the JKA Keirin World Series, and has recently been invited back for 2026.

Justin McCurry is Japan and Korea correspondent for The Guardian and a contributor to The Lancet medical journal and the English-language service of France 24 TV. He is the author of War On Wheels: Inside Keirin and Japan’s Cycling Subculture (Pursuit Books, June 2021), published in Japanese as Keirin: Sharin no Ue no Samurai Wārudo (Hayakawa, July 2023). Justin has a BSc (Hons) from the London School of Economics and an MA in Japan studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. He is a keen, if unspectacular, cyclist and a regular punter at keirin velodromes in the Tokyo area.

Jim McCafferty is Director of Reynolds Technology. Reynolds Technology is a globally recognised manufacturer of lightweight steel and titanium tubing for the bicycle industry. Jim has a background in equity research. Before joining Reynolds in 2024, Jim was Joint Head of Asia Pacific Equity Research at Nomura. He has published extensively on Asia equity strategy and Japan’s stakeholder capitalism model. Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2010, Jim was a top-ranked telecoms analyst and Head of Research in London with senior roles at ABN AMRO, Societe Generale and Seymour Pierce. He was named Financial Times AIM analyst of the year in 2008. In 2012 he published "United Kingdom Fund Managers and Institutional Investors' Attitudes Toward Japanese Equities" in the journal The Japanese Economy. Jim has a BA (Hons) degree in Economics from Heriot-Watt University and a MSc degree in Political Economy of East Asia from the University of Sheffield.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Images: © Justin McCurry & Japan Keirin Association

Supported by the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)

Booking Info

• Providing Details in the Booking Form
  Please enter the full name and email address for each attendee in the booking form. If you're booking as a member, please provide the email address associated with your membership so we can match your information in our system. 

• Attendees under the age of 18:
  Please note that alcohol will be served at this event. All guests under 18 are required to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
  

• Booking Confirmation
  You should receive an automated email from The Japan Society confirming your booking. If you don't receive any confirmation emails, please check your spam folder or email events@japansociety.org.uk.
  
  
• Help us to keep this event free and open to all!
  If you are not a member of The Japan Society (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5.