Past Speaker Series Events

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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