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.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 10:30-12:00 JST

Japan outlaws gender discrimination in virtually the same terms as every equivalent country and yet it ranks 118th out of 146 countries, 111 notches below Germany, 103 below the US. Why? Is it that Japanese culture demands women remain meekly at home? If so, why do women graduate from universities at a higher rate than men? Why do they participate in the work force at a high rate? Why do they bring – and win - employment discrimination suits? This lecture will explore these questions and offer tentative – extremely tentative – observations on the reasons.

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!

Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 4:15pm-5:00pm (PST) / Friday, March 4, 2022 at 9:15am-10:00am (JST)

What can we learn through user research to proactively include and amplify the experiences of underrepresented users? This talk will look at the gap between how historically underserved users experience Airbnb vs. the "general population", and how this gap can help to guide where efforts should be focused to make our platform more inclusive.

Available on January 20 2022, 17:00

The world has struggled to cope with the COVID-19 that changes our economic system and deepens pre-existing social challenges like inequality. Amid these trying times, the facilitation of growth and distribution has emerged as an underlying theme of political discussions in Asia. What does it mean? How will they impact the relationships between countries?

January 18-20, 2022, 21:00-23:00

The International Conference on Sustainability Science (ICSS2022) will focus on biodiversity solutions for sustainable and resilient food systems, health and sustainability transition. The conference will facilitate creative discussions between academics, policy-makers and practitioners on how biodiversity-based solutions can contribute to sustainable development.
Program:
18 January 2022. 21:00 - 23:00 (JST)
Biodiversity solutions for sustainable and resilient food systems
19 January 2022. 21:00 - 23:00 (JST)
Biodiversity solutions driving sustainability transition – a lesson from SDG Labs.
20 January 2022. 21:00 - 22:45 (JST)
Biodiversity solutions for health

Thursday, 6 January, 2022, 16:00-17:30pm

In its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy carried out in March 2021, the British government published a brief framework for a proposed ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’ by the UK. Professor Alastair MORGAN will assess the ‘tilt’ in terms of UK diplomatic relations, including the promotion of values, defence and security policy, trade and investment, and the tackling of global challenges.

Friday, 10 December 2021, 5:00-8:00 pm

Wednesday, 8 December 2021, 5:00‐7:00 pm (JST)/ 8:00-10:00 am (GMT)

UTokyo-Cambridge Voices, started in 2020, is a series of conversations held between researchers of the University of Tokyo and the University of Cambridge regarding a specific aspect of their research. This dialogue series is hosted by the two institutions under the framework of the “Strategic Partnership” and explores research from a range of academic disciplines. This year, three university-wide online symposia will be open to the public. The theme of session three is “Developing International Partnerships during and after the Pandemic ”.

Monday, 6 December 2021, Available from 5:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Monday, 29 November 2021, 5:00‐7:00 pm (JST)/ 8:00-10:00 am (GMT)

UTokyo-Cambridge Voices, started in 2020, is a series of conversations held between researchers of the University of Tokyo and the University of Cambridge regarding a specific aspect of their research. This dialogue series is hosted by the two institutions under the framework of the “Strategic Partnership” and explores research from a range of academic disciplines. This year, three university-wide online symposia will be open to the public. The theme of session two is “Sustainable Cities”.

Monday, 29 November 2021, Available from 5:00pm

What impact has the coronavirus crisis had on society and on universities, and where should we go from here? Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, two important partners, discuss these issues.

Available from Thursday, 25 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.

Thursday, 25 November 2021, 17:00-18:30

In the concluding meeting of this series, members of Tokyo College discuss past and present issues, as well as the future outlook, of language and identity research in Japan.

Available from Wednesday, 24 November, 2021

Leading scholars from ANU and the University of Tokyo will discuss various aspects of post-pandemic society, including social issues highlighted by the pandemic and how we can better prepare for possible future crises.