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!

Monday, 8 November 2021 (available from 17:00 JST)

This talk by Prof. SADANOBU Toshiyuki (Kyoto University) sheds light on a hidden connection between language and identity by focusing on “kyara,” an aspect of the self that changes according to the situation. He concludes that we should utilize “kyara” to go beyond the limitation of intention-based view of human social behaviors including language.

Monday, 1 November 2021, Available from 5:00pm

This panel discussion will examine the history of eugenics in modern Japan as well as its local and global legacies. The panel will feature presentations on topics such as reproductive rights, media discourse around violent acts, and forced sterilization, followed by a discussion about the future implications of eugenics in Japan’s past and present.

Monday, 25 October 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 on October 20 2021 17:00

In this dialogue, two medical specialists from France and Japan will reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of their respective medical systems and discuss how, from the institutional and personnel perspective, to be better prepared for the possible future health crisis.　

Monday, 18 October, 2021 14:00-15:30 (JST)

What new insights have been gained in Australian Indigenous research through the addition of female and Japanese perspectives? In this event three Japanese women researchers talk about their experiences in the field and discuss the influence of their positionality on their research and analysis.

Wednesday, 13 October 2021, 10:00-11:30am (CEST) / 5:00-6:30pm（JST）

The excellence of French mathematics has long been recognized. Based on a vast corpus of career and publication data, we will explain the reasons from a sociological perspective.

Tuesday, 12 October 2021, 4:00-6:00PM

What are the challenges facing the environment? One of the main research themes we pursue at Tokyo College is the “Earth and Society in 2050.” We invite everyone to join Tokyo College researchers to think through these questions and themes with SAITO Kohei, author of the best-selling book “Das Kapital" in Anthropocene (2020).

Wednesday, 1 September 2021, 6:00-7:30 pm (JST) / 10:00-11:30 am (BST) / 5:00-06:30 (EDT)

The history of taxation, full of bizarre episodes and flashes of brilliance, is deeply instructive for today’s tax problems. Drawing on their new book Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue, Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod show how stories from the past can both entertain and convey principles of good (and bad) taxation.

Thursday, 29 July 2021, 17:00-19:00 pm

This panel invites international scholars who study knowledge systems in the past, present and future. Taking up themes from the first two panels, we will discuss perspectives on the future of the humanities and social sciences beyond the immediate pressures of institutional reform.

Monday, 19 July 2021, 10:00-12:00 am

In this panel, researchers from different backgrounds and specialties engage in a frank discussion on the shape of the humanities and social sciences to come. Their conversation touches on various topics, including the future and possibilities of these fields, as well as upcoming plans for education and research in these areas at the University of Tokyo.

Monday, 12 July 2021 (Available from 17:00 JST)

Following the Tokyo College lecture “Resilience and Innovation in Japan’s Economy” by Professor Jenny Corbett, Professor MATSUI Akihiko (School of Economics, game theory,  economics of disability), Project Assistant Professor Marcin Jarzebski (Tokyo College, sustainability, resilience, vulnerability, aging, and shrinking society), and Postdoctoral Fellow Mark Bookman (Tokyo College, history of disability policy and related social movements) have a discussion with Professor Corbett on the topics she presented.

Monday, 12 July 2021, 10:00-12:00 am