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There is much in common between Britain and Japan, but one thing that certainly differentiates us is our relationship to Mother Nature. We British are fortunate to have weather that even at its wildest is none too extreme, a stable geology and fauna that presents few dangers to life, limb or even livestock.

Watch the video recording of our lecture about Sir Harry Parkes, a controversial figure who played a central role in the relations between east Asia and the West from the 1850s until the 1880s.

Until somebody pointed it out to me – perhaps wanting to send me a message? – I had no idea that Friday 13 November was World Kindness Day, or at least that that is how some countries have labelled it since 1998

Watch the video of our webinar on Wednesday 11 November when Japan Society Chairman Bill Emmott was joined by two security experts, Nobukatsu Kanehara and Sir John Scarlett to take stock of geopolitics and security as an eventful 2020 draws to a close.

So how was it for you? No prizes for guessing to what I am referring. Obviously, it was pretty good in the end for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, less so for Donald Trump and Mike Pence, though better than expected for the Republican Party as a whole.

Watch the video of our webinar on Wednesday 5 November when Japan Society Chairman Bill Emmott was joined by two experts on international business, Glen S Fukushima and Lord Jim O’Neill, and Professor Toshihiro Nakayama, to share their views on the election’s implications for both the UK and Japan.

It feels a bit early to quote a Christmas carol, with Hallowe’en only just behind us and the weather not even very cold. Mind you, to an Englishman of my generation the celebration of Hallowe’en feels rather alien, since although Japan long ago adopted this American festival of pumpkins, ghosts and ‘trick or treat’, it is a much more recent import into the United Kingdom.

Watch the video of our webinar on Wednesday 22 October when we were delighted to welcome two expert observers and analysts David Runciman and Hitoshi Tanaka to join Japan Society chairman Bill Emmott to discuss the future of democracy in the USA.

Freedom of speech is one of those aspects of our modern, thankfully democratic, life that we have come to think of in Britain and Japan as being as natural as sunshine or water, but the merest glance at history tells us that this is far from so.

Registration are now open for our annual Japan event for Sixth Form students. This year the event goes online, with a mix of live sessions and flexible on-demand content.