EVENT

Tuesday, 22 April, 14:30–16:00 JST

From "Being about Something to Being for Somebody" is the memorable title of Stephen Weil's contribution to the 1999 Daedalus volume on American Museums. Though decades old and not without challenges, the phrase continues to resonate within the museum field. In many ways it encapsulates the ways in which institutions have changed from privileging curator-defined information and institution-defined goals to promoting the visitor's experience and the broader community.
In her talk, Leslie Bedford, a longtime museum practitioner and professor of museum studies, will explore the meaning of Weil's phrase and how it has been implemented by museums, including those she has visited in Japan. Her talk will include a discussion of the online conversations she is facilitating with Japanese museum professionals and academics. And finally, she will raise the question of what "visitor centered" can mean today and in the future.

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.

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!

Saturday 1 & Sunday 2, October 2022

“Who are we on social media” – Tokyo College partnered with The German culture center Goethe Institut Tokyo to explore this question in a hybrid festival that will take place on October 1&2 at the art space BUoY in Tokyo’s Kitasenju district. It will bring together academic and artistic positions.

Friday, 30 September 2022, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

The talk will look at key themes to understand our daily relationship with technology and more broadly the role of technology in society, emphasizing both changes and historical continuity. The following topics will be addressed, challenging widespread stereotypes in contemporary public discourse about technology: "How technology changes us," "Why technology is not neutral," "The reason not only digital technology matters," and "Why society and politics are often displaced by technology."

Tuesday, 13 September 2022, 5:00-6:30pm

How relevant are theoretical frameworks developed in the U.S. and Europe for understanding patterns of family change and socioeconomic inequality in Japan? I begin to address this question by synthesizing the results of several recent papers on socioeconomic differences in family demographic behavior and children’s well-being in Japan.

Wednesday, 24 August 2022 3:00pm-4:30pm JST

In this webinar, Prof. Kiyotaki discusses how production and income distribution interact with accumulation of intangible capital over time and across individuals. He constructs an economic model in which the younger generation acquires and accumulates intangible capital through the on-the-job training. He shows that, although the development of mid-career labor markets improves the match between firms and workers, such development may increase inequality and lead to long-term stagnation. In response, he will examine the effects of policies that promote basic education and the acquisition of skills outside of firms.

Friday, 29 July 2022, 3:00-5:00 pm (Doors open: 2:30 pm)

The Russo-Ukrainian War is changing the structure of international order and security in Western Europe. Did it mend the EU's diplomatic and security divisions in Western Europe, or did it reaffirm them?
How is Japan's response to the war in Russia and Ukraine perceived in the West, and how will it affect Japan's future relations with Western nations?

Tuesday, 19 July 2022 5:00−6:40pm JST / 9:00am-10:40am BST

We invite you to discuss an international bestseller Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? with its author Katrine Marçal and a group of Tokyo College researchers.

Tuesday, 12 July 2022, 1:00-2:45 pm (Doors open: 12:30 pm)

The war in Ukraine has shaken our confidence in peace and prosperity within Europe and beyond. What is needed to overcome such a crisis in international relations? H.E. Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council, leads the discussion by sharing his insights on the future of Europe and Japan which will be followed by Q&A sessions with students and others.

Available Friday, 24 June 2022 after 5PM

In this event, disability advocates Judy Heumann and Mark Bookman discuss the past, present, and future of accessibility and inclusion in the United States and Japan. Touching on barriers in built environments, education, employment, and entertainment systems, as well as activist movements and anti-discrimination policies, the two help to highlight a path towards creating a more diverse society in which nobody is excluded.

Thursday, 23 June 2022, 4:00-5:30 pm (Doors open: 3:30 pm)

In 2022, we are commemorating the centennial of Marcel Proust's death with an extraordinary salvo of publications, exhibitions, and acclamations. “Proust is the man of the year,” advertised the Italian magazine La Repubblica on New Year’s Day. It gives us an occasion to evaluate the magnitude of his novel, Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time, and also to compare this anniversary with the previous one, 1971, a century after Proust’s birth. His star hasn’t stopped rising.

Available Early June 2022 (on Tokyo College YouTube Channel)

It has been said that by executing algorithms in the same way, there is no difference between the human brain and AI (artificial intelligence). Is this really the case? What does it mean to be “human”? To be an “AI”? What can current AI do and not do?
In anticipation of a future in which humans and AI coexist, we discuss what we should keep in mind and what we can do to prepare.

Tuesday, 7 June 2022, 4:00-5:30 pm (Doors open: 3:30pm)

Why do we need to rethink about the way we study and make sense of global diplomacy? In this lecture, I explore how cultural approaches can illuminate important aspects of diplomacy which have not been adequately considered in much of the existing scholarly literature.

Friday, 20 May 2022, 12:00-12:45 pm (JST)/ Thursday May 19 at 10:00-10:45pm (CDT)

Tokyo College hosted a series of interviews with researchers about their efforts to promote equity for International Women’s Day in March 2021 and March 2022. This May, we would like to continue these efforts beyond Women’s Day and invite Ksenia Zolotareva, the Women@JP Career Pillar Lead at Google Japan, to speak about strategies for increasing female talent in the paid workforce in Japan.