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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.

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.