Tokyo College International Round Table: ”Living through a Pandemic – Reassessing the Covid-19 Crisis around the World” - 東京カレッジ

Tokyo College International Round Table: ”Living through a Pandemic – Reassessing the Covid-19 Crisis around the World”

When:
2020.06.02 @ 21:00 – 23:00
2020-06-02T21:00:00+09:00
2020-06-02T23:00:00+09:00
Tokyo College International Round Table: ”Living through a Pandemic – Reassessing the Covid-19 Crisis around the World”

Tokyo College held International Round Table: “Living through a Pandemic—Reassessing the Covid-19 Crisis around the World”

On June 2, 2020, Tokyo College held an international round table event titled “Living through a Pandemic—Reassessing the Covid-19 Crisis around the World.” This online event brought together scholars from Tokyo College, and scholars from around the world with close connections to the College, to discuss the response to the coronavirus crisis in each of their respective countries, and the shape of the world going forward. Professor Masashi Haneda (Tokyo College Director) moderated, with Professor Viktoria Eschbach-Szabo (Tübingen University) participating from Germany, Professor Svante Lindqvist (Former President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) from Sweden, Mr. Bill Emmott (Chairman of The Japan Society of the UK) from Ireland, Professor Jeremy Adelman (Princeton University) form the United States, Professor Park Cheol Hee (Seoul National University) from South Korea, and Professor Takeo Hoshi (The University of Tokyo) from Japan. For the round table event, participants recorded video responses to the following four questions from Tokyo College, and sent these to Tokyo College.

1. How is the coronavirus epidemic in your country at this moment?
2. What is the current political, economic and social situation in your country in connection with the corona crisis?
3. What is the particularity, according to you, of your country’s reaction vis-a-vis the corona crisis?
4. How do you envision the post-corona world?

The participants watched each other’s video contributions, which are available on the Tokyo College YouTube Channel, and participated in a round table event. Based on the conditions of each country, there was discussion on the day of how to overcome the coronavirus crisis, which is difficult for a single country to solve, and of the importance of global perspectives and cooperation. The issue of what role universities, as places of research and education, should play in future was also raised. Despite issues such as the time limit (9 to 11 p.m. Japanese time) and connection problems, this was a valuable first online event ahead of the “Beyond Corona Crisis” symposium commencing in the latter half of this month.

The video of the event is available to the public. A recording is provided below for those who were unable to watch the live broadcast on the day.☟

Finished
YouTube LIVE
Date(s) Tuesday, 2 June 2020, 21:00-23:00 (Japan time)
Venue

Tokyo College YouTube Channel

Language English (No translation available)
Abstract

This is the first public online event within the framework of Tokyo College “Corona Forum”. We will connect researchers from around the world who are closely related to Tokyo College online to talk about the response of each country to “Corona Crisis” and the future of the world.

Tokyo College sent 4 questions to the speakers beforehand.
1. How is the coronavirus epidemic in your country at this moment?
2. What is the current political, economic and social situation in your country in connection with the corona crisis?
3. What is the particularity, according to you, of your country’s reaction vis-a-vis the corona crisis?
4. How do you envision the post-corona world?

Speakers sent the videos (around 20 minutes each) in which they answered those questions to Tokyo College. They are uploaded on Tokyo College YouTube Channel
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfbTwWiAIPY&list=PLeE49Q0gSqn04hUim_I66mIwvhe4uNmb7&index=1).
Speakers will join the online round table after watching all the videos.

Program

Speakers:
Jeremy I. Adelman (Princeton University)
Bill Emmott (Writer & Chairman of the Japan Society of the UK)
Viktoria Eschbach-Szabo (Tübingen University)
Takeo Hoshi (The University of Tokyo)
Svante Lindqvist (Former Director of Nobel Museum, Former President of Royal Swedish Academy of Science)
PARK Cheol Hee (Seoul National University)
Moderator: HANEDA Masashi (Tokyo College Director)

You can watch the discussion on YouTube LIVE(https://youtu.be/9ght52Pk1AQ

After joining us on LIVE, please answer the survey here ☞https://form.run/@tokyo-college-adm-1591061986-online

The discussion will be recorded, so you can watch it on YouTube after the event too.

 

Organized by Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo

Upcoming Events

Collaborations in Language: from Documentation to Resurgence (Lecture by Prof. Mark TURIN)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Friday, 4 April, 13:00–14:30 JST

In this richly-illustrated lecture, I discuss two collaborative partnerships in which I have been involved with historically marginalized, Indigenous communities in both the Himalayan region and in Native North America who are working to preserve and revitalize their languages. Through the presentation, I explore these three words: Collect, Protect, Connect.

What is the Purpose of Machines that Serve no Purpose? (Lecture by Prof. Dominique LESTEL)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Wednesday, 9 April, 2025 JST 15:00-16:30 JST

Despite the enthusiasm they generate, it is difficult to satisfactorily identify what humanoid robots could do that a human or a non-humanoid robot could not do better and more cheaply, and this observation constitutes a major challenge for the philosopher. Using the example of Sophia, the first humanoid robot to be granted citizenship in 2017, I will suggest that these strange machines occupy a sensitive place in our societies by taking on the role of messianic machines (machines that announce the coming of other machines), metaphysical machines (machines that force us to ask fundamental metaphysical questions such as knowing who is human or who is alive) and conjuring machines (machines that help to fight against the fear of dangerous machines).

The worlds of the Black Death: new approaches (Lecture by Prof. Patrick BOUCHERON)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Wednesday, 16 April, 10:00–11:30 JST

The “Black Death” refers to the peak of the second plague pandemic, which spread across Europe from 1347. It remains the greatest demographic catastrophe in history. Today, interdisciplinary research—combining funerary archaeology, anthropology, microbiology, and environmental sciences—has transformed our approaches to it. Advances from DNA analysis to climate studies have contributed to a new understanding. Yet, the challenge remains: how to write a global history of a long-term event on a global scale? Though its precise geography is unclear, the plague’s routes trace the lines of force of connected worlds, mapping out a space that is discontinuous and global, like an archipelago.

Designing and Scaling up Nature-based Markets (Lecture by Prof. Beatrice WEDER DI MAURO)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 15:00-16:30 JST

Carbon and nature markets are struggling with low trust, high costs, and limited scale—falling far short of what’s needed. In this lecture, Professor Weder di Mauro presents a new market design co-developed with Estelle Cantillon and Eric F. Lambin. Jurisdictions offer large-scale projects; investors buy shares that yield carbon and biodiversity “dividends” without conferring land ownership. Market prices reveal demand and support liquidity. Compared to credit-based systems, this approach cuts costs, boosts credibility, and supports long-term commitments. It tackles the core problems holding back today’s markets—and offers a credible path to scale with real environmental impact.

Beyond World Literature (Lecture by Prof. Wiliam MARX)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Thursday, 8 May, 10:30–12:00 JST

World literature has been a reality since at least the nineteenth century. Texts travel across continents and cultures, translated from every language, taught in universities worldwide, and forming an emerging global canon. Never before have we been so free to read whatever we wish, from anywhere. Or so it seems. But is this true freedom, or merely a comforting illusion? What are the boundaries of this seemingly limitless literary exchange? This talk aims to explore those limits and propose a new approach to literature—a different way of reading texts, one that is either entirely new or, perhaps, simply old and forgotten. Welcome to the world library!

Previous Events

Dealing with the Brussels Effect: How should Japanese companies prepare for the EU-AI Act? 3

イベント予定パネルディスカッション/Panel discussion講演会/Lecture

Wednesday, 19 March 2025, 12:00-13:00 JST

At the University of Tokyo, a webinar was held on December 11, 2024 and January 15, 2025, to explain the EU AI Act and the first draft of the CoP. In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the third draft released at the end of February and highlight important points that Japanese companies should particularly pay attention to.

The Role of Education and Science in the Digital Age (Yuval Noah HARARI)

イベント予定パネルディスカッション/Panel discussion共催/Joint Event

Monday, 17 March 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 pm (Doors open: 2:00 pm)

Today, digital networks provide us with an abundance of information. We invest more than ever in education and science. Despite these achievements our mental, socio-economic and political conditions have not improved. They seem to be even deteriorating. Why? What is going wrong? What can we do better? What can the first information revolution 600 years ago teach us? Two leading Japanese scholars in the field of media and AI governance will discuss these questions with Yuval Harari, the world-famous thinker and best-selling author, who explores the risks and opportunities of the information age in his new book Nexus.

Japanese as a Global Brand: Writing Japanese the European Way (Lecture by Prof. Viktoria ESCHBACH-SZABO)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Tuesday, 4 March 2024, 15:00-16:30 JST

This lecture explores the influence of the Japanese language on the global branding of Japan beyond its borders. It examines how the Japanese language is strategically employed to evoke distinct imagery, cultural significance, and authenticity. The session offers insights into the current landscape and future research directions of Japanese language as an important world language. Employing linguistic case studies from Germany and Hungary, the lecture highlights how Japanese writing elements are rephrased or combined with a product’s identity and with design cues evoking Japaneseness. Creatively adapted in new contexts overseas, the Japanese language has become a strong branding tool in Europe.

British perceptions of China and policy towards Japan, 2010-2024 (Lecture by Ushioda Fellow Alastair MORGAN)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Tuesday, 18 February 2025, 15:00-16:30 JST

The Conservative-led British government's perception of China changed markedly between 2010 and 2024. In 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron described the rise of China as an opportunity. A decade on, the government described China as the biggest long-term threat to the UK's economic security and expressed increasing concerns about Chinese assertiveness overseas. During the same period, the UK and Japan built up an ever-closer security relationship. Did British government perceptions of China determine its policy towards Japan during this period, or were other factors just as influential? What approaches should we expect now from the new Labour government?

Everyday Ambassadors: Turning Chaos Into Connection in a Divided World (Lecture by Prof. Annelise RILES)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Thursday, 13 February 2025, 10:00-11:30 JST

In her new book Everyday Ambassadors, Annelise Riles argues that we are on the cusp of an exciting new world order, where leadership is not just in the hands of few but of all. She argues that what the world needs now is many more diplomats--connectors, translators, interpretors, across political and cultural differences, between science and religion, between the arts and the technology world. In this talk, Prof. Riles will discuss her book, which synthesizes decades of legal and ethnographic research into seven "moves" that empower anyone to be a great diplomat right from where you are.

Immortal intelligence and rise of the DNA-independent humanity (Lecture by Prof. Johan BJÖRKEGREN)

イベント予定講演会/Lecture

Wednesday, 29 January 2025, 15:00-16:30 JST

Around 60,000 years ago, at the time when humans successfully migrated out of Africa, something transformational happened. Homo sapiens must have experienced significant DNA changes that profoundly altered our capacity to compete for natural resources. Critical for this change in our behaviors was a new capacity for abstract thinking. Today with AI, we are on the brink of taking the final step away from Darwin’s principle of Survival of the fittest by rapidly evolving to escape our DNA dependence altogether and thereby our mortality as well.


TOP