Past Speaker Series Events

Academic Year 2024-2025

The speaker series lineup for the current academic year is still being finalized. Please check back later.

Academic Year 2022-2023

Dating and Marriage in Contemporary Japan

February 16th, 2023

A public lecture by Prof. Wei-hsin Yu (UCLA) on dating and marriage in Japan today.

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Public Talk by Prof. Hilary Holbrow on (In)visible Inequalities

January 20th, 2023

A public lecture by Prof. Hilary Holbrow (IU) on gender and ethnic inequality in Japanese firms.

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The Next Generation: Supporting American Educational Exchange with Japan

November 16th, 2022

A virtual seminar featuring Dr. Sheila Smith of the Council on Foreign Relations, Japan-US Friendship Commission, & US-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON).

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The U.S.-Japan Alliance and Security Challenges in East Asia

November 3rd, 2022

A public talk on the US-Japan alliance by Christopher Johnstone (CSIS), former Director for East Asia at the U.S. National Security Council.

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Contemporary Social & Political Legacies of the Tokyo Air Raids During WWII

September 19th, 2022

An in-person talk on the long-term political and social legacies of U.S. air raids during World War II by Prof. Daniel Smith of Columbia University.

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"U.S.-Japan Relations & Japan's Midwest Connections"

September 8th, 2022

A special public lecture and discussion on U.S.-Japan relations and Japan's Midwest connections with Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Tajima.

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"Japan’s Immigration Policies & Practices"

August 26th, 2022

A public seminar by Prof. Gracia Liu-Farrer of Waseda University (Japan) on Japan’s immigration policies.

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Academic Year 2021-2022

“Japan’s Changing Cybersecurity & the Future of U.S.-Japan Relations”

March 28th, 2022

A discussion with Ms. Mihoko Matsubara (NTT) about Japan’s response to 21st century cyber challenges and implications for the US-Japan alliance.

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"Is a Japan-India Alliance Possible?"

February 28th, 2022

A discussion with Prof. Rohan Mukherjee (Yale-NUS) about Japan's evolving relationship with India.

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"Work-Family Balance in Japan: Policies without Teeth"

January 26th, 2022

A discussion with Prof. Mary Brinton (Harvard University) about Japan's challenges increasing married women's labor force participation.

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"Japan-ASEAN Relations & U.S.-Japan Cooperation in Southeast Asia"

November 29th, 2021

A discussion with Japanese Ambassador (Ret.) Masafumi Ishii (Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) about Japan-ASEAN relations and U.S.-Japan cooperation with Southeast Asia.

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"Naomi Osaka, Black Japanese Experiences, and 'Multiculturalism' in Contemporary Japan"

October 27th, 2021

A discussion with Prof. Marvin Sterling (Indiana University) about Black Japanese experiences in contemporary Japan.

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“Pink Globalization: Challenging Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific” (Prof. Christine Yano; University of Hawai’i at Manoa)

September 20th, 2021

A discussion with Prof. Christine Yano (University of Hawai’i at Manoa) about her book “Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific” (Duke University Press).

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Academic Year 2020-2021

"Line of Advantage: Japan's Strategy in Asia" (Dr. Mike Green, Georgetown/CSIS)."

April 7th, 2021

A discussion with Professor Mike Green (Georgetown University/CSIS) about Japan's strategy in Asia.

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"How Covid-19 Has Transformed Japan's Culture Of (Over)work"

February 23rd, 2021

A discussion with Professor Hiroshi Ono (Hitotsubashi University) about Japan’s labor market response to Covid-19, work culture, and difficulties implementing telework policies.

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"Training’ Foreign Workers, Cultivating Bias: Japan’s Guest Worker System” (Dr. Hilary Holbrow, Indiana University)"

January 28th, 2021

A discussion with Professor Hilary Holbrow (Indiana University) about the history and social effects of Japan’s “trainee” visa program.

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"Historical Reconciliation in East Asia’s Changing Security Environment" (Dr. Jennifer Lind, Dartmouth College)

November 9th, 2020

A discussion with Professor Jennifer Lind (Dartmouth College) about the effects of war memory on international politics.

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"Japan's New Regional Reality: Geoeconomic Strategy in the Asia-Pacific" (Dr. Saori Katada, University of Southern California)

October 22nd, 2020

A discussion with Professor Saori Katada (University of Southern California) about Japan's contemporary geoeconomic strategy.

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"Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan" (Mr. Tobias Harris, Teneo)

October 8th, 2020

A discussion with Mr. Tobias Harris (Teneo) about the legacy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe based on his 2020 book, “The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan” (Hurst Publishers).

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"Understanding China-Japan Relations, 1945-2020" (Dr. Ezra Vogel, Harvard University)

September 15th, 2020

A discussion with Professor Ezra F. Vogel (Harvard University) about China-Japan relations based on his 2019 book, China and Japan: Facing History (Harvard UP).

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Academic Year 2019-2020

"The Rise of China and the U.S.-Japan Alliance" (Mr. Noriyuki Shikata, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

February 19th, 2020

A discussion with Mr. Noriyuki Shikata (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) about cooperation between Japan and China and the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

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"Revenge of the Development State: The Rise and Fall of the Tokyo Stock Exchange" (Dr. John Yasuda, Indiana University)

January 23rd, 2020

A discussion with Dr. John Yasuda (Indiana University) about the rise of financialization in East Asian stock markets and why financialization has not transformed the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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"Japan’s Value Diplomacy and the Rise of China" (Dr. Takako Hikotani, Columbia University)

October 23rd, 2019

A discussion with Dr. Takako Hikotani about the four key values of Japan’s post war diplomacy and the ways they have shaped Japanese decision-making.

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"What do the Japanese Want from Their Constitution?" (Dr. Kenneth McElwain, University of Tokyo)

September 4th, 2019

A discussion with Dr. Kenneth McElwain (University of Tokyo) about the prospects for the first-ever revision of Japan’s 1947 Constitution and the challenges confronting Japan’s “pro-revision” camp in Japan’s Diet.

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Academic Year 2018-2019

"Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan" (Dr. Jolyon Thomas, University of Pennsylvania)

April 11th, 2019

A discussion with Dr. Jolyon Thomas about the history of religious freedom in Japan and its implications for contemporary debates about constitutional revision and education policy based on his 2019 book “Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan” (University of Chicago Press).

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"The United States, Japan, and the U.S. Alliance System in Asia" (Ms. Emma Chanlett-Avery, Congressional Research Service)

February 26th, 2019

A discussion with Ms. Emma Chanlett-Avery about the origins of the U.S. alliance system in Asia and the vicissitudes of the US-Japan and US-ROK alliances during the Obama and Trump administrations.

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"Defender of the International Order? Japan’s Foreign Policy in the Trump Era" (Dr. Phillip Lipscy, Stanford University)

February 7th, 2019

A discussion with Dr. Phillip Lipscy (Stanford University) about Japan’s foreign policy and the relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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"U.S.-Japan Economic Frictions in the ‘Trump Era’: Beyond the Trans-Pacific Partnership?" (Dr. Megumi Naoi, UC San Diego)

November 28th, 2018

A discussion with Dr. Megumi Naoi about the domestic politics of U.S.-Japan economic frictions and the contemporary bilateral trade relationship.

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"Unfinished Work: The Challenges of Aging Work Forces in Japan and the United States" (Mr. Joseph Coleman, Indiana University)

November 5th, 2018

A discussion with Mr. Joseph Coleman (Indiana University) about the various stresses and challenges facing Japanese and American aging workforces, and the interesting ways societies and businesses have adapted in response to this global demographic phenomenon.

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"Rights Make Might: Global Human Rights & Minority Rights in Japan" (Dr. Kiyoteru Tsutsui, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

October 17th, 2018

A discussion with Dr. Kiyoteru Tsutsui (University of Michigan) about the ways global human rights ideas and institutions have impacted Japan’s three major minority groups – the Ainu, Zainichi Koreans, and Burakumin – and the implications for Japanese public policy and society.

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