In addition to occasional manuscript workshops and networking events, 21JPSI also organizes two public-facing event series at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies:
- A “Japan Politics and Society” speaker series that host speakers regularly throughout each academic year
- A biennial national conference on U.S.-Japan Relations
We also occasionally co-sponsor other events on campus related to contemporary Japanese politics, society, and international relations. In addition to offering public events, visiting speakers also meet with HLS students and faculty to discuss their current research and share their professional experiences and career advice.
These two public-facing series facilitate important conversation in America’s heartland about the importance of Japan and U.S.-Japan relations to developments here in the United States and beyond. The speaker series engages members of the IU Bloomington community in an ongoing, spirited discussion about how to understand contemporary Japan and its relations with the world, the difficult domestic and foreign policy choices that leaders face in a dynamic and complicated region, and the impact these decisions have on regional and global peace and prosperity, the United States, and Indiana.