Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

Mr. Robert Whiting is joining the Getting to Know Japan series to introduce his book "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers and Spies: The Outsiders Who Shaped Modern Japan," a fascinating swatch of postwar Japanese history from the Occupation Era to the 2022 Assassination of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. His book also includes tales of Occupation era Black Ops groups fighting communist insurgents and drug runners from North Korea, ex US servicemen and mafiosis running Vegas style gambling dens in post occupation Tokyo, baseball managers like Bobby Valentine, and business chiefains like disgraced CEO's like Carlos Ghosn.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, October 3, 2024 – 12:00 (Japan)

"Puroresu" has a unique and important place in Japanese sociopolitics. In this "Getting to Know Japan" session, YCAPS Special Adviser Mike Bosack will provide a background on Pro Wrestling's rise in Japanese society, its transition into the political world, and some of the key figures who represent the interplay between the wrestling ring and the National Diet.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

In the turbulent years following the unification of Japan, William Adams, an English navigator whose ill-fated voyage landed him on Japanese shores in 1600, earned the trust and favor of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the powerful warlord who would become shogun. Through his candid advocacy for free trade and his impartial counsel, Adams helped shape Ieyasu's foreign policy. In this lecture Professor Frederik Cryns examines Adams' extraordinary rise as a hatamoto under Ieyasu, reflecting the shogun's pragmatism as well as Adams' catalyzing role in Japan's shifting foreign policy after the Sengoku period.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thurday, June 20, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

Are deaf people in Japan considered to be simply disabled, or an oppressed linguistic minority, or both? Specific recent actions, events and moments have greatly influenced and shed light on societal views and attitudes regarding deafness and disability such as the Tottori Prefecture ordinance recognizing and promoting sign language (2013), successful elections of deaf (2015) and disabled (2019, 2022) politicians, the Law to Eliminate Discrimination against People with Disabilities (2016), the Sagamihara care home massacre (2016) and the Paralympics in Japan (originally scheduled for 2020). How have deaf people themselves contributed or reacted to these happenings? This presentation, based on 25 years of ethnographic research, will be a brief overview of the situation(s) of contemporary deaf communities in Japan, with discussions of academic and social welfare models (deficit and cultural), identity (Deaf and deaf), intersectionality (diversity) and sign language use (Japanese Sign Language).

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

This talk will be based on Professor Takahiro Yamamoto's monograph Demarcating Japan: Islanders, Imperialism, and Mobility, 1855-1884 (Harvard University Asia Center, 2023). It will discuss how the territorial status of remote islands arounds the Japanese archipelago were discussed and negotiated within the international relations of East Asia and the Pacific in the late nineteenth century. The talk will also highlight connections forged by individuals who crisscrossed border regions and enacted violence, exchanged knowledge, and forged friendships. Although their motivations were eclectic and their interactions transcended national borders, the linkages they created were essential in driving territorialization forward. It demonstrates the crucial role of nonstate actors in formulating a territory.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, April 18, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

The history of Japanese aviation offers countless tales of heroic achievements and dismal failures; of boundless enthusiasm and sheer terror; of brilliant ideas and fatally flawed strategies. Jürgen Melzer will tell some of them to draw an outline of Japan’s aviation history. He will start with the early strut-and-wire contraptions and go all the way to the launch of Japan’s first jet and rocket aircraft during the final stage of the Pacific War.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

Dr. Sven Saaler examines Japanese public statuary as a central site of historical memory from its beginnings in the Meiji period through the twenty-first century. Saaler shows how the elites of the modern Japanese nation-state went about constructing an iconography of national heroes to serve their agenda of instilling national (and nationalist) thinking into the masses.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

Touted as a symbol of the "new Japan” when it opened in 1964, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen—the first bullet train, dubbed the "dream super-express"—represents the bold aspirations of a nation rebranding itself after military defeat, but also the deep problems caused by the unbridled postwar drive for economic growth. Understanding the various, often contradictory, images of the bullet train shows how infrastructure operates beyond its intended use as a means of transportation to perform cultural and sociological functions and reveals the tug-of-war over the significance of the new line that is often hidden by commonplace stories of progress. This talk will trace contrasting meanings assigned to high-speed rail in order to find the ways in which it prompted a reimagination of identity on the levels of individual, metropolis, and nation in a changing Japan.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, February 29, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

International Development is the third pillar of international relations, alongside Defense and Diplomacy, and it has been an important part of Japan's international activities since the end of the Pacific War. By the early 1990's Japan had become the world's largest donor of Official Development Aid (ODA). While the field has changed significantly since then, Japan has continued as the foremost non-Western development partner, particularly in Asia.

Given Japan's unique cultural background, as well as its own rapid development in the 20th century, Japan's approach to international development differs slightly from that of the major Western donors. This presentation will give a brief overview of the history of Japanese international development, key characteristics of Japan's development sector today, and lessons for partners.  

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, February 27, 2024– 10:00 (Japan)

From 1945-1952, Japan hosted the Allied Occupation, a group of mostly American occupiers whose goal was to democratize Japan and assist in the country's economic recovery after the devastation of World War II. A potentially fraught encounter between the former wartime enemies soon transformed into the beginnings of a long-term, mutually beneficial, but also complex relationship. The presentation will cover a variety of topics from a cultural historian's perspective.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

Ito Ippei, an early manga critic in postwar Japan, characterized manga as an art form with the strongest connection to the public compared to other art forms. Ito's assertion from the 1950s still holds true today, and as the international market for manga has expanded, its influence has extended beyond Japan to a global audience. This raises questions about how manga established such a close relationship with its readers and became a representative of Japanese popular culture worldwide. To explore these inquiries and underscore the significance of manga, this presentation will delve into key developmental periods, including the Meiji era cartoon, postwar comics, and the evolving publication formats since the 1970s. This contextual analysis aims to provide insights into the cultural phenomenon of Japanese manga.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, February 15, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

Love and sexuality show some universal characteristics around the world and some specific, culture-dependent ones. The introduction to sexuality in the Japanese context will present some facts related to how Japanese people may see and act differently when it comes to romantic encounters and it will offer more insights into social and cultural phenomena on sexuality, femininity, masculinity, dating, and marriage, especially from the perspective of intercultural relationships.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, February 1, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan)

Shinto is the religious tradition most universally associated with the people and culture of Japan. This ritual system is dedicated to the kami, countless deities with various forms that are said to benefit the faithful in various ways. Kami are believed to exist across a broad spectrum, from distinct natural phenomena to transcendent human beings. A basic understanding of Shinto is essential to comprehend Japanese history, politics, and everyday customs. In this lecture, Prof. John A. Shultz will provide a simple framework to make sense of the Shinto worldview and Japanese people’s relationship to the kami.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

Dr. Garren Mulloy, an expert on the history of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), will provide an introductory overview of the development of Japan’s military following World War II. Dr. Mulloy will also discuss his recent book Defenders of Japan, and examine the present and future roles of the JSDF in regional security across the Indo-Pacific.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, January 18, 2024 – 19:00 (Japan) 

The Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 was the worst since Chernobyl, and has left lasting and serious damage to the people who were living near the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. In the 12 years and 10 months that have passed since then, Professor Gill has made over fifty field trips to Fukushima, and lived there for six months in 2017-18. He will argue that (1) the disaster shows the significant risks associated with government energy policy that continues, even after the disaster, to show a heavy reliance on nuclear energy; but that (2) he does not anticipate major damage to the health of the population in and around Fukushima. This issue is so heavily politicized that there are very few people who hold those two opinions at the same time: the pro-nuclear lobby thinks everyone will be fine; the anti-nuclear lobby thinks that there will be hundreds of thousands of cancers and early deaths. Professor Gill fully expects his presentation to be criticized by both parties, and welcomes a lively debate.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – 10:00 (Japan)

Professor Thomas Lockley will tell the amazing story of Yasuke, a man from Africa who served and fought beside Japan’s infamous warlord Oda Nobunaga, in the 1580s. Yasuke, a mercenary in the service of Jesuit missionaries, met Nobunaga when his employer Alessandro Valignano was granted an audience. Nobunaga was more interested in Yasuke than the Italian priest, and immediately took the African warrior into his service.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

The Geisha, along with Mt. Fuji, samurai and sushi have been symbols of Japan ever since the reopening of contacts with the West in the mid-nineteenth century. With the disappearance of the samurai and the influx of Western influence in Japan, only the geisha and their world still remain a mystery to both foreigners and Japanese alike. Since medieval times Japan has always had some form of pleasure quarter offering various forms of entertainment, including, of course, the erotic. In this presentation, Mr. Peter MacIntosh will discuss the history of Geisha and their evolution in Japanese history as well as misconceptions about who they are and what their role entails.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, December 7, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Ainu history and culture has centered for many centuries around a close connection with the natural environment and the spiritual realm. In this lecture, Professor Scott Bailey introduces the early history and traditional culture of the Ainu, including important historical developments, geography of Ainu settlement, and traditional cultural practices.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 – 09:00 (Japan)

Sushi’s appearance in US grocery stores, usually coated in sauces and fried toppings, demonstrates how the once simple dish evolves as it globalizes. But sushi was a much different recipe 1,200 years ago when it was first mentioned in Japanese records. The likely derivation of “sushi” is “something sour” indicating that it was a fermented food, one that took months if not years to prepare. Sushi’s history can be measured by the various attempts to shorten its fermentation period to the point that nearly all sushi today is no longer fermented. Yet, in our global culinary world where everyone now craves umami, “ancient” fermented sushi holds new possibilities of flavor to enrich our understanding of the culinary past and offer new taste profiles for the future beyond what we might think possible for Japanese food.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

What was Japan before there was a Japan? How did it become Japan? Who shaped a diverse culture without words for religion, philosophy, or even a common language to fabricate the concepts required to educate its people to build a modern nation? Where did Japanese leaders learn these and other concepts? What was the role of traditional Asian culture? All of these questions and more will be discussed by Mr. Lance Gatling who will be joining the Getting to Know Japan series to discuss the transformative era of Meiji.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, November 9, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

The Pacific Theater also known as the Asia-Pacific War was geographically the largest theater that was fought in during World War II. This theater of the war saw Allied nations joining together to fight against Japan in some of the largest naval battles in history. Vice Admiral Yoji Koda will explain from Japan's perspective, the causes of Japan's successes and failures during this period and examine several of Japan's key battles.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

This presentation will explore Japan's rich culture of yokai: creatures from Japanese folklore that pop up in all sorts of places, from history to literature to anime and games to real life! Understanding the yokai will help you understand all sorts of things about Japanese daily life and culture.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, October 26, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Tokyo is one of the planet's most vibrant and livable cities, a megacity that somehow remains intimate and adaptive. However, few outsiders understand Tokyo's inner workings compared to Western metropolises like New York or Paris. For cities around the globe mired in crisis and seeking new models for the future, Tokyo's success at balancing massive growth and local communal life poses a challenge: can we design other cities to emulate its best qualities? Jorge Almazán will address this question by presenting some of the conclusions of his recent book "Emergent Tokyo: Designing the Spontaneous City.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, October 12, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

What is "Kawaii" and what is its relevance to Japanese Pop culture? Dr. Kaori Yoshida will join us to discuss this concept and how it has shaped Japanese media and entertainment.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

Mrs. Louie Anne Batac-Nguyen is joining the Getting to Know Japan series to [re]introduce sake: the uniqueness of its ingredients, sake culture as a reflection of traditional and modern values, sake etiquette, and exciting trends.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, September 28, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Live in Japan long enough and you’ll see plenty of news articles about North Korea’s missile testing. Perhaps you even heard the emergency alert system earlier this year. How worried should we be about this unruly neighbor country? What does the political relationship, or lack thereof, look like between Japan and North Korea, and what implications does the North Korean threat have on Japan?
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

Cultural Anthropologist Dr. Kathryn Goldfarb will lead an introductory webinar on kinship and family in Japan, focusing on how family affiliation influences individual well-being and connects to broader issues of Japanese national and cultural identity.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, September 14, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

The Camp David Summit in mid-August was a historic moment in East Asian security. Just 4 years ago, Japan-South Korean relations were at its nadir as Seoul threatened to withdraw from GSOMIA, a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo as a culmination of longstanding historical disputes between the two neighbors. Given this trajectory, the Summit is undoubtedly significant but the question is why now? This presentation will explore this question while also touching upon its implications for East Asia security and Japan’s defense policy.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan) 

Colonel Jason Perry is joining the Getting to Know Japan webinar series to speak on the History of Karate in Okinawa. His presentation will discuss Post-Meiji Okinawa and the emergence of modern and traditional Karate-do (空手道) in the early-and mid-20th century.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, August 31, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Dr. Kei Koga is joining the Getting to Know Japan series to speak on Japan's relationship with Southeast Asia. His presentation will highlight critical junctures of Japan-Southeast Asian relations after World War II and discuss the future of Japan-Southeast Asia relations in the context of intensifying US-China strategic competition.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

This presentation will offer an introduction to the vibrant, dynamic popular culture of Edo-period Japan (1600-1868) through the lens of two its most important cultural products: the kabuki theater and the woodblock print.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

YCAPS Director for Policy Research Dr. Stephen Nagy will deliver an introductory session on China-Japan relations. To provide background for current policies, Dr. Nagy will explain some of the defining moments in the relationship’s long history and discuss this within the context of former PM Shinzo Abe's death before we transition to Q&A.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, July 20, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Dr. Abou-Khalil will explain the historical evolution of the Japan-Middle East relationship, with a particular focus on the complications involved in maintaining amicable relations amidst periods of conflict between the United States and the Middle East. She will shed light on pivotal events and conflicts that best highlight Japan’s dual challenge of preserving its alliance with the United States while safeguarding its energy interests in the Middle East.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

In this talk, Dr. Wallace introduces the post-war evolution of Japan’s security policy and the significance of post-2020 policy adaptations. The presentation covers historical debates about continuity and change and the role of the Koizumi and Abe administrations in driving forward Japan’s security agenda in the new millennium. It also provide reflections on why we are seeing even more transformative security policy steps being taken post-2020 even after the end of the Abe administration.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, July 06, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Dr. Tomohiko Taniguchi will emphasize the significant role played by the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in enhancing Japan's power across various domains such as the economy, diplomacy, and national security. He will delve into the reasons behind Abe's numerous meetings with Vladimir Putin and explore the factors that led Japan, under Abe's leadership, to forge closer ties with Israel. These are some of the questions that Dr. Taniguchi will address.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

During the 1980s, Japan played two critical roles in assisting the United States to execute its Maritime Strategy in the Pacific: blockading key chokepoint straits and defending the sea lines of communication. Those blockade operations made it difficult for Soviet naval forces to transit between Vladivostok and the Western Pacific. Defense of the sea lines of communication was intended to help US aircraft carrier battle groups transit the Western Pacific safely to striking positions. There was one problem, however, the US planners were concerned that Japan might decide to remain neutral in the event of a war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, June 22, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

In this talk, Professor Travis Seifman will provide an overview of the history of Okinawa / the Ryukyu Islands, from the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom through its annexation by Japan, World War II, and the Allied Occupation, to today. He will focus in particular on the complex ways that the islands have, at various times in history, been a part of Japan, apart from Japan, or, often, both at the same time.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

Dr. Leonard Horton, Professor of Music at Temple University, Japan Campus, will present a webinar on the traditional music of Japan. The presentation will focus on the Japanese popular music known as "enka" – its origins, its characteristics, and the transformations it has undergone during its nearly 150-year history.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, June 8, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

There is a broad consensus in government and among the public that climate change is real and that Japan must cooperate with global efforts to mitigate climate change, although there are debates about how and how fast to do this. This talk focuses Japan’s ambitious goals for reducing Green House Gases (GHGs) and renewable energy in 2030, its promise to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050, the changes this will mean, and the large challenges that Japan must overcome in order to reach its ambitious goals.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, May 25, 2023 – 20:00 (Japan)

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, seafarers who are labeled pirates in historical sources took control of many of the sea-lanes linking Japan to the rest of the world. Central to these mariners’ success were strategies of commerce, violence, and self-representation. Their histories demonstrate the significance of non-state peoples andAsian participants in making possible the global connectivity we think of as the Age of Exploration. Pirate power exerted control not only on Japan’s peripheries, but also the region known today as the Seto Inland Sea, medieval Japan’s most important trade artery.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

In this discussion, Captain Keizo Kitagawa will give an introductory presentation on Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his US Navy expedition to Japan. This seminar will also address the impact of Perry's "Black Ships" on 19th century Japan, the conclusion of Japans' era of isolation and the subsequent Meiji Restoration and transition into a modern state.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

Japan is a quiet maritime power. It is an archipelagic nation that controls a large shipping fleet and maintains one of the world’s most powerful naval forces. Tokyo was recently ranked as the world’s 5th most important global maritime city, despite having a port that is dwarfed by those elsewhere in Asia. Yet, dichotomies exist in that much of Japan’s culture is relatively inward-looking and focused on terra firma elements such as mountains and agricultural elements. John Bradford will provide an overview of Japan’s weight as a maritime state focusing on a historical narrative from 1945 to the present.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, April 27, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

What do anti-communist sound trucks, anti-imperial anarchists, anti-war teenagers, and anti-racist countermovements have in common? In this talk, Professor Smith will discuss the post-WWII history and contemporary status of several activist movements in Japan, based in part on his fieldwork since 2005 into the Japanese far right. As activist movements engage each other, lay society, the Japanese government, US-Japan relations, and Japan’s relationship with Asian neighbors, they offer insight into the dynamism of political life in contemporary Japan.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – 10:00 (Japan)

In this talk, Dr. Levi McLaughlin will provide an overview of the numerous religious and religion-affiliated organizations that intersect with politics in Japan. He will discuss the Unification Church (and how it relates to Shinzo Abe's assassination), Shinto-affiliated nationalists (including Nippon Kaigi and its signatories), Buddhist activists (including Soka Gakkai and its affiliated party Komeito), and other actors in this sphere. Dr. McLaughlin is Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University.

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Thursday, April 13, 2023 – 19:00 (Japan)

April will be election time in many towns, cities and prefectures in Japan. There will be sound trucks repeating the candidates’s names, thinly attended rallies at train stations entrances and boards going up in front of the local elementary school with posters of politicians displaying varying degrees of determination and friendliness. Michael Cucek will be joining us to help us make sense of all the ruckus – and explore some of the larger issues dividing Japan’s political classes: decreasing populations, relative decline in economic strength, an increased defense budget, marriage equality, and more.
 

Getting to Know Japan Webinar Series (via Zoom)

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 – 10:30 (Japan)

Dr. Mike Bosack is joining the Getting to Know Japan Series to speak on the structure of Japan's government and the basics of its constitution. His presentation will help give you a lay of the land, and touch on how the current system came to fruition in the postwar period. Join us as we kick off another year of this weekly webinar series that introduces you to Japan's history, culture, and politics!