Japan has a long history of disaster movies. This lecture will explain some of the key similarities and differences between English-language (primarily Hollywood) disaster narratives and Japanese ones. It is based on an extensive study of disaster movies that includes defining both what a ‘disaster’ and ‘disaster narratives’ are. It then looks at the various conventions that appear to exist in disaster movies. The lecture then goes on to consider the degree to which Japanese disaster movies present both conservative and revisionist approaches. In terms of ‘conservatism’ the lecture will be concerned in particular in the portrayal of the protagonists, women, societal behaviour and the response of the government. In relation to ‘revisionism’, the lecture will look in particular at the way in which some of the narratives handle actual historical events.

* Images: Film 'Jishin Retto' (1980) - left / Film '252: Seizonsha Ari' (2008) - right

 

Christopher Hood is a Reader in Japanese Studies based at Cardiff University and is the President of the British Association for Japanese Studies. His research interests primarily relate to Japan and fall into two areas. First, he is particularly interested in themes relating to memorialization, identity and symbolism. Second, he is interested in issues relating to the railways and aviation in Japan. He is the author of Education Reform in Japan: Nakasone’s Legacy, Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, Dealing With Disaster in Japan: Responses to the Flight JL123 Crash, Osutaka: A Chronicle of Loss in the World’s Largest Single Plane Crash, and Japan: The Basics, as well as publications such as ‘Disaster Narratives by Design: Is Japan Different’, ‘Contents Tourism in Plane Sight’, and ‘Developing a Model to Explain Modifications to Public Transportation Accident Memorials’. He has also written three novels, Hijacking Japan, Tokyo 20/20 Vision and FOUR.

Official Page: https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @HoodCP

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