Lectures

Engage, Enrich, Evolve

For more than 150 years, the Asiatic Society of Japan has been a beacon for those passionate about understanding Japan and its place in Asia. The Society’s lecture series—presented by esteemed scholars and academics—examines diverse topics, from ancient traditions and historical events to contemporary societal shifts and global interactions.

ASJ provides a platform to engage with a dynamic community committed to the pursuit of wisdom. Explore our upcoming lectures to connect with like-minded individuals through diverse topics and expert insights.

Upcoming Lectures

  • 14 Sep 2026

    ‘A Gentleman from Japan: An untold story of an incredible journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s court’

    Lecture By

    Dr. Thomas Lockley, Professor, School of Law, Nihon University

  • 28 Sep 2026

    ‘A Journey through History: Spain and the First Globalisation’

    Lecture By

    H.E. Mr. Íñigo de Palacio, Ambassador of Spain to Japan

  • 19 Oct 2026

    2026 Young Scholars’ Programme

    Lecture By

    2026 Young Scholar awardee

  • 24 Nov 2026

    ‘When Leaders Stop Learning, Nations Stop Evolving Japan’s Challenge and the Need for Learning Transformation (LX)’

    Lecture By

    Mr. Hiroshi Nishino, Co-founder and Representative of the Digital Business Innovation Center (DBIC), on the topic of the LXHub at Takanawa Gateway City

  • 07 Dec 2026

    Online Lecture

    Lecture By

    Mr. Hiroshi Senju, Professor of Kyoto University Art and Design, ambassador of Tokyo National Museum, Board member of Ikenobu Bunka Geijutsu Foundation, advisor of the Ritsumeikan Trust, director of Koyodo Museum, member of the Masters Committee of L’Ecole Van Cleef & Arpel and advisor of the Tokugawa Museum.

Past Lectures

  • 29 Jun 2026

    ‘The Yamaoka Sake Brewery and the craft of brewing sake’

    Lecture By

    Mr. Kohei Yamaoka, Head of Overseas Dept, Yamaoka Shuzo Co., Ltd.

  • 18 May 2026

    Archaeology and the Asiatic Societies: 150 years of digging up Japan

    Lecture By

    Dr. Simon Kaner, Executive Director and Head of Centre for Archaeology and Heritage, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, UK, (SISJAC)

  • 20 Apr 2026

     ‘Japanese Cuisine Tradition and Innovation’

    Lecture By

    Mr. Yoshiki Tsuji, The Chairman and the Head of Board of Directors of Tsuji Culinary Institute

  • 23 Mar 2026

     ‘The European Union and Japan: Necessary/Essential/Critical Partners in time of Geopolitical Uncertainty’

    Lecture By

    H.E. Jean-Éric Paquet, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Japan

  • 16 Feb 2026

    Becoming a Farmer in Contemporary Japan: Pro-rural migration and Generational Renewal in Agriculture

    Lecture By

    Professor Niccolò Lollini, Graduate School of Governance, Meiji University

  • 26 Jan 2026

    The Power of Volunteering: Connecting the Dots

    Lecture By

    Ms. Aya Higa, Board Member and Community Volunteer, Hands On Tokyo

  • 15 Dec 2025

    The Chester Beatty’s Nara ehon collection

    Lecture By

    Dr. Ai Fukunaga, Curator of the East Asian Collections, Chester Beatty

  • 17 Nov 2025

    The Legacy of the Late Ikujiro Nonaka

    Lecture By

    Prof. Hirotaka Takeuchi, Professor of Management Practice, Strategy Unit, Harvard Business School and Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University

  • 20 Oct 2025

    2025 ASJ Young Scholars’ Programme

    Lecture By

    Ms. Ziru Chen, Mr. Ivan Croscenko, Mr. Francesco Firth, Dr. Anna Woźny

  • 22 Sep 2025

    An Introduction to the Beauty of Japanese Swords

    Lecture By

    Mr. Paul Martin, sword expert and a former curator in the Japanese section at the British Museum, London

  • 08 Sep 2025

    50 years of friendship and cooperation: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan

    Lecture By

    His Excellency Mr. Justin Hayhurst, Ambassador of Australia to Japan

  • 16 Jun 2025

    Living in the Age of AI: Political, Economic, Social, Educational, Technological and Philosophical Implications

    Lecture By

    Dr. Yuichiro Anzai, Executive Academic Advisor and Professor Emeritus, Keio University, and Senior Advisor, the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS)

  • 19 May 2025

    What can other countries learn from how Japan delivers its healthcare?

    Lecture By

    Prof. Roger Goodman CBE, Warden of St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University and Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies

  • 21 Apr 2025

    Japan’s first Japanese-German dictionary: created in the northern suburbs of Tokyo in the Meiji era

    Lecture By

    Prof. Taketoshi Hibiya, PhD, Honorary Advisor of SDM Research Institute, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University, and Prof. Akie Kawagoe, Bunkyo Gakuin University

  • 24 Mar 2025

    Mexico: Foreign Policy of a Latin American Country

    Lecture By

    The Deputy Chief of Mission, Minister Saúl Zambrano Barajas, Embassy of Mexico in Japan

  • 17 Feb 2025

    The Poetics of Hair and Thread in Japanese Buddhist Embroideries, 1200-1500

    Lecture By

    Dr. Carolyn Wargula, Assistant Professor, Bucknell University, Pennsylvania. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Professor Wargula is a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University, in the Council on East Asian Studies.

  • 27 Jan 2025

    The Empress Shoken Fund and its 110 Years of International Aid for Red Cross Activities: The Story of the Meiji Empress’s Beneficence

    Lecture By

    Dr. Yoshiko Imaizumi, Senior Research Fellow (Research Advancement Division Chief), specializing in Meiji Jingu History, Meiji Jingu Intercultural Research Institute.

  • 17 Jun 2024

    Pioneering the Future of Science and Technology Innovation in Asia through Cybernics

    Lecture By

    Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai, PhD., Professor, University of Tsukuba, President and CEO of CYBERDYNE Inc., Program Director of SIP, Cabinet Office, the Government of Japan

  • 21 May 2024

    Swiss business and diplomacy in Japan during World War II: Camille Gorgé’s diary (1940-1945)

    Lecture By

    Professor Pierre-Yves Donzé, Professor of Business History, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics

  • 22 Apr 2024

    The Finnish Artists’ Colonies villas and the Japanese Sansou in the Modern Age – their similarities through the lens of National Romanticism and togetherness with nature

    Lecture By

    Dr. Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director, The Finnish Institute in Japan

  • 19 Feb 2024

    Retelling the Turmoil: Everyday Sengoku Life in the Ietada Nikki

    Lecture By

    Professor Jędrzej Greń, (PhD), International Exchange Coordinator, Chair of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Warsaw University

  • 22 Jan 2024

    Fukudenkai – the most traditional and globally oriented social welfare house in Japan

    Lecture By

    Dr. Ayaka Jimbo, Fukudenkai

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