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It is mid-January and the temple bells have long since fallen silent, but it still feels appropriate to say Shinnen Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu to you all, for 2020 had so many downs alongside the ups that we all need congratulating for having arrived at the new year, although that too has started with some downs of its own.

For once, we can certainly say that we didn’t go to the Annual Dinner for the food. Nor did we go to the Christmas Party for the drink, even though the Japan Society members who attended were taught how to make a nifty looking cocktail involving sake and cold tea.

Watch the video recording of our lecture about the aesthetics of comedy and the role of the comedian in Japanese media and society.

Watch the video of our webinar on Thursday 10 December when Japan Society Chairman Bill Emmott discussed the role of universities and their strategies to meet future challenges with Professor David Richardson, vice chancellor of the University of East Anglia, and Professor Yuko Takahashi, president of Tsuda University.

Watch the video of our webinar on Tuesday 8 December when Japan Society Chairman Bill Emmott was joined by two experts: Hiroshi Matsuura, the Chief Negotiator for Japan, and Minako Morita-Jaeger, international trade policy consultant and fellow of the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex.

As the year moves to a close we are all in a poor position to make the usual plans for Bonenkai and Christmas parties, but one tradition endures: the choosing, usually by publishers eager for attention, of “words of the year”.

The British novelist Martin Amis once published a book of his essays entitled The War Against Cliche, arguing that all great novels are battles against clichés not just of writing but also of the mind and the heart.

The recording of a special talk with photographer Yukari Chikura is now available to watch on our YouTube channel, with behind the scenes insights into the stories captured in her photographs and an exclusive look at images not featured in her recently published book, Zaido.

On 11 September, the UK secured a free trade agreement with Japan, which is the UK’s first major trade deal as an independent trading nation and will increase trade with Japan by an estimated £15.2 billion. Against this background City & Financial Global in partnership with The City UK are delighted to announce that The UK-Japan Free Trade Summit will take place on Wednesday 20 January 2021.

Watch the video of our webinar on Thursday 26 November when Japan Society Chairman Bill Emmott was joined by Lionel Barber, former editor of the Financial Times.