Events 2014Annual & Special Events
3 Mar

Lecture by Tim Hitchens, British Ambassador to Tokyo. At Nomura International

8 Apr

Book Launch: The art lover’s guide to Japanese museums. At Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

18 JunJapan Society Annual General Meeting

13 JulTanabata Festival at Southbank Centre

27 SepJapan Matsuri 2014 at Trafalgar Square, with JCCI, Japan Association and the Nippon Club

6 Oct

Book Launch: The Growing Power of Japan, 1967-1972

1 Dec

Book Launch: Biographical Portraits Vol. IX

4 Dec

Japan Society Christmas Party at the Japanese Embassy

Arts & Culture
23 Mar

The World of Antique Collecting: afternoon tea and talk at the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

31 MayTrooping the Colour 2014: special seats at the Major General’s Review

22 JuneTanabata: family fukinagashi-making workshop

3 JulyNetsuke: miniature masterpieces – Noriko Tsuchiya & Max Rutherston

23 July

Behind the Scenes: members tour of Japanese collections in Cambridge

29 July

Katsura Sunshine: an evening of rakugo, at Clifford Chance

1 Aug (deadline)

Dalkey Archive Press Essay Competition: ‘Why is the translation of Japanese literature important?’

7 Sep

Furusato Project: family day of cultural workshops

12 DecSiro-A at Leicester Square Theatre

LBusinessLectures & Seminars
13 JanAbenomics and Beyond – David Pilling, Asia Editor for the Financial Times. At Clifford Chance
30 Jan‘2020 Vision’: insights from the London 2012 Games – Lord Deighton, Commercial Secretary to theTreasury and former CEO of LOCOG. At Simmons & Simmons

24 MarEuropean Energy Policy – Philip Lowe, former Director General for Energy, European Commission.
At Jetro

22 MayMaritime Security for the Shipping Industry. At JETRO

3 Nov

Investing in Africa: challenges and opportunities faced by Japan and the UK. 			
At King & Wood Mallesons

12 NovMacroprudential Policy and Initiatives by the Bank of Japan – Takehiro Satō, Bank of Japan Policy
Board Member. At Bloomberg

Chairman’s Lunches and Dinners
Private, off the record meetings with an informal talk by the guest of honour
25 FebThe Scope of Abenomics – Andrew Smithers, Chairman, Smithers & Co Ltd

21 MarMonetary Policy in Japan – Haruhiko Kuroda, Governor, Bank of Japan

7 May

The Japanese Economic Recovery and International Trade – Akira Amari, Minister of State for 		
Economic & Fiscal Policy

22 JulExporting ‘Cool Japan’ – Tomomi Inada, Minister of State for Regulatory Reform

23 Sep

Conflict Resolution and Investing in Africa – The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, former Secretary ofState for International Development

31 Oct2020 and Beyond – Yōichi Masuzoe, Governor of Tokyo

In partnership with other organisations
Joint Lunches with the JCCIAt the National Liberal Club unless otherwise stated
21 Mar‘More open for business’: corporate governance and engagement in Japan – Takafumi Satō, President,
Tokyo Stock Exchange Regulation

14 MayThe Rt Hon Danny Alexander MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. At the Caledonian Club

13 Oct

The Middle East in Turmoil: implications for the region and the wider world– Sir William Patey, former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and SudanLRoundtable Discussion Series with Chatham House
17 JanCan Tokyo become a world financial centre in the Asia-Pacific as London is in Europe?

13 Feb

Medical and Pharmaceutical Markets and Ageing Societies in Japan and Europe

20 MarCorporate Governance in Japan and Europe: a comparison

With JETRO
16 JanArrows to Japan: the road to business success in 2014. Also with UKTI

1 May

Invest in Japan: a regional roadmap. Also with Invest Japan

19 NovA Japanese view on World Energy Future: the impacts of lower economic growth in China and India– Dr Ken Koyama, Managing Director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

With the Asia-Pacific Technology Network
25 JuneThe Innovation Potential in UK-Japan Relations

Lectures
Japan Society Lectures

At the Swedenborg Society unless otherwise stated
20 JanFound in Translation: an architectural exchange between Glasgow, Berlin and Japan – Neil Jackson

17 FebJapanese early-modern ephemera: the world of Shioya Kihei’s single-sheet prints – Laura Moretti

17 MarConstructing Community and Affirming Culture: Canadians of Japanese descent in postwar Canada– Jonathan Mackintosh

1 AprilThe Indispensable Nation: can Japan save the world in the 21st century? – Roger Pulvers. 		
At the Japan Foundation

14 Apr

The Ceramics of North-East Japan – David Hale

19 MayCompeting Identities: Japan, the Koreas, and missed opportunities – John Swenson-Wright

16 JunFrom Urashima to Fukushima: the erotic, political and environmental provocations of Japanesesurrealism – Majella Munro

17 & 21 Jul

Carmen Blacker Lecture 2014. Tsushima: Japan viewed from the margins – archives, books, ginseng– Peter Kornicki (17 July at Blackfriars’ Hall, Norwich). With the Sainsbury Institute for the Study ofJapanese Arts & Cultures

15 SepMusic and Nature in the Transnational Shakuhachi Scene – Joe Browning

29 SepThe Origins of Noh – Reijiro Tsumura

20 OctThe Nightmare: troubled sleep in tsunami evacuation shelters in Yamada, 2011 – Brigitte Steger

17 NovWhy History Matters: the legacy of the Imperial Navy and the making of Japan’s postwar
defence policy - Alessio Patalano

15 DecThe Siege of Tsingtao - Jonathan Fenby

With Japan Room
29 OctJapanese Elements Within FreemasonryLifestyle
29 JanDiscovering Sake: film screening and tasting. At Black Rock26 AprHanami in Kensington Gardens

7 & 8 Jun

F:EAST JAPAN: activity days at the Japan Centre

22 July

Japan Society Golf Tournament

17 & 19 Sep

Japanese Home Cooking with Vegetables: special class at Sozai Cooking School

19 SepRadio Taiso Workshops at Westbourne Primary School and the Third Age Centre

4 Oct

Collar Cup Golf Match 2014

19 NovJapanese Beer Tasting at Tsuru Restaurant

Japanese Conversation Group - held on the first Tuesday of every month at The Old Explorer. An opportunity for Japanese
speakers of all nationalities to come together and speak Japanese.
Book Club
Held on the second Monday of each month13 JanTales of Mystery and the Imagination by Edogawa Rampo

3 Feb

Natsume Soseki: exhibition tour and special book club with Damian Flanagan

10 Mar

Where Europe Begins by Yōko Tawada

7 Apr

Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima

12 MayThe Four Immigrants Manga by Henry Kiyama

9 Jun

Fires on the Plain by Ōoka Shōhei

14 JulSpecial Japan Society Book Club – The Youth of Things with translator Stephen Dodd

11 AugGranta 127: Japan

8 Sep

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

13 OctBeauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata

10 Nov

The Life of an Amorous Woman by Saikaku Ihara

8 Dec

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide

Earthquake Related Events
As of December 2014 the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund (Rose Fund) had raised over £765,000 from 1725
donors. The fund is being disbursed in association with the Sanaburi Foundation, Sendai to support projects planned andmanaged by local NPOs for the long-term recovery of the region. The Society also continues to participate in events to aid
awareness and recovery in Tohoku. In 2014 these included:
12 MarCharity Recital for Tohoku Earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan Victims

12 Oct

HOPE Charity Concert for the victims of the earthquake in Japan

Schools Education
Reaching over 7,000 school children annuallyAll Year

Japan in Your Classroom School visits: During 2014, over 50 visits were made to schools in the UK.
School links: Establishing new partnerships and strengthening existing links through UK-Japanexchange trips both to the UK and Japan.
Japan UK LIVE! A bilingual website that encourages cultural exchange between young people inJapan and the UK by removing the language barrier
Loan resources: Cultural artefacts and materials on loan to schools throughout the year.

7 Mar

Japan Conference for Schools with the Japan Foundation at the Embassy of Japan, London. Anannual event, this year involving over 50 schools and encompassing a series of language, school
linking and cultural workshops, and a keynote speech by Teacher of the Year 2013 Crispin Chambers

24 Mar

Discover Japan Teachers’ Workshop, Great Malvern Primary School: A Japan Day incorporating
cultural workshops for KS2 pupils alongside CPD training for teachers in the local authority.

31 Mar

13th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2014. A biennial event this year included over 800 entries from37 schools throughout the UK. The theme of this year’s contest was ‘dreams’.

29 SeptRadio Taiso. Westbourne Primary School in Sutton received a visit from NHK’s Radio Taiso presenters.

18 OctTeaching Critical Skills: Lorna Jackson, Headteacher and Lorraine Cooper Deputy Headteacher,
Maryland Primary School (Newham) completed a week long research trip to Osaka.

6 Nov

Sixth Form Japan Day at SOAS: Giving sixth form students throughout the UK an opportunity 		
to experience Japanese culture and learn more about Japanese university courses. The day 		
combined Japanese cultural workshops alongside a series of lectures including a key note 		speech by Tom Burn, Deputy Head of the Asia Pacific Department at the FCO. The event was alsoattended by representatives from both British and Japanese universities

Training Workshops for JIYC Volunteers
17 Mar

Storytelling

20 MarSoroban

27 MarCalligraphy

Small Grants
As at 30 November 2014, funding totalling £18,905 had been awarded to twenty seven grass roots projects throughout
the UK. These included a number of school Japan days as well as primary school workshops exploring sound and music,
cookery and crafts. A highlight was the visit by the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta, who spent time with members of Kids
Company as well as performing with Keys of Change at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Grants supported family and outreachactivities at museums, community radio and other venues, as well as Japan400 celebrations in Plymouth.