The Japan Society Public Lecture Series: July – October 2025

In July, August and October 2025 we showcased some highly engaging lectures that explored the Kansai art scene, testimonies of atomic bomb survivors, and how the cultural legacy of HIV and AIDS is explored in Japan. 

We would like to pay a special thanks to our speakers: Dr Iza Kavedžija, documentary director Megumi Inman and Dr Mark Pendleton together with everyone who attended the lectures. Please read below for a summary of the lectures. 

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21 July -  Creating Possibilities for Encounter: The Kansai Art Scene - Iza Kavedžija

Drawing from her extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Osaka and Kyoto, Dr Iza Kavedžija (University of Cambridge) challenged the Western romanticised notion of the "lone genius" by presenting creativity as a deeply social and environmental practice. She introduced the concept of "active attunement," the idea that artists do not simply force their will on materials but rather foster a state of readiness to respond to the unexpected. Kavedžija explained that in the Kansai region, there is a striking move away from the hyper-commercialised "white cube" gallery culture of Tokyo, with artists favouring communal spaces and experimental "encounters" where the process of making is just as important as the finished product. 

A central theme of the lecture was the Japanese concept of ma—the "space" or "interval" between objects and moments. Kavedžija argued that by focusing on this interval, artists create a "possibility for encounter" with materials such as clay, light, or found objects. She emphasised that this practice has profound implications for mental health and social resilience, and by embracing the "uncontrollability" of the creative process, individuals learn to navigate the broader uncertainties of contemporary life. 

Kavedžija demonstrated that creativity is far more than the production of objects. It is a way of being in the world that allows individuals to transform the "stuckness" of daily life into a flow of meaningful, shared experiences, and bridge the gap between artistic practice and social transformation. 

4 August - Atomic People: Memories of the Hibakusha on Screen  

Documentary filmmaker Megumi Inman together with Jenny White co-honorary editor of The Japan Society provided a moving look at the making of her film Atomic People, a BBC project motivated by the urgent reality that the generation of hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) is rapidly disappearing. With the average age of survivors now over 85, Inman explained that her goal was to move beyond the "official" historical narrative of the 1945 bombings and capture the raw, sensory memories of those who lived through it. She described the survivors’ recollections not as philosophical facts, but as vivid physical memories: the specific "silver shimmer" of the B-29 planes in the sky, the terrifying "black rain" that fell after the blast, and the haunting silence of a destroyed city.

The conversation discussed the social legacy of the atomic bomb, particularly the decades of silence many survivors endured. Inman detailed that many hibakusha hid their condition for years, because of fears that they or their children would be unable to marry or work due to the public’s fear of radiation sickness. This "stigma of the scar" is a central theme of the documentary, which uses extreme close-up cinematography to document the physical evidence of the tragedy on the survivors' skin.

By giving these survivors a platform to speak, Inman conveyed that we are not just preserving history but also issuing a vital warning for the future. The film serves as a testament to human resilience, showing how these survivors eventually found the courage to speak out against nuclear proliferation, turning their personal trauma into a global message of peace.

20 October - HIV and AIDS in Japan: Labels, Bodies, and Legacies   

Dr Mark Pendleton’s lecture provided a critical examination of the social and political history of HIV/AIDS in Japan, a topic often overlooked in global health narratives. He began by deconstructing the "myth of Japanese exceptionalism," the idea that Japan somehow escaped the AIDS crisis that devastated other nations in the 1980s. While infection numbers were statistically lower than in the West, Pendleton asserted that the social impact was significant, evidenced in intense state-managed stigma. He explained how early media coverage labelled HIV as a "foreigners' disease" (gaijin), which created a false sense of security among the Japanese public while fostering xenophobia and discrimination against marginalised groups, including the LGBTQ+ community and sex workers.

A significant portion of the talk was dedicated to the so-called "Blood Scandal" (Yakuhai AIDS), where thousands of haemophiliacs were infected through contaminated blood products despite the government being aware of the risks. This scandal became a turning point in Japanese civil society, leading to landmark legal battles that challenged the authority of the state and the medical establishment.

Pendleton highlighted how activists and patients used "body politics"—through photography, art, and the publication of personal diaries—to reclaim their humanity from the clinical and often derogatory labels used by the media. By documenting these "legacies of memory," the lecture illustrated how the fight against HIV in Japan was not just a medical battle, but a struggle for civil rights, visibility, and the right to live with dignity in a culture of enforced silence.

Supported by the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)