The workshop on Japanese political thought I organised with Yijiang Zhong and Nakajima Takahiro went well.
On the 2nd September 2017, we had an enjoyable and stimulating rainy Saturday of discussions on the third floor of the University of Tokyo Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, with a delicious meal at a nearby restaurant. It was an honour and pleasure to have as eminent scholars as Watanabe Hiroshi and David Williams present to discuss ideas with.
The papers ranged from history, philosophy, international relations to political theory, all related to various aspects of political thought in 20th and 21st century Japan. The programme is available on the institute’s website. The plan is to produce an edited volume with the papers presented on the day and more.
As no such forum exists, we may initiate an annual or biannual meeting of scholars with interests in modern Japanese political thought.
Kenn Nakata Steffensen 