Event Report： Public Lecture by Takuya Tsunoda, Assistant Professor at Columbia University

Public Lecture
PROCESSIVE TECHNICS: INDUSTRIAL DOCUMENTARY, AUDIO-VISUAL EDUCATION, AND NEW CINEMAS IN POSTWAR JAPAN

This lecture examined one of the most dynamic periods of transformation in Japan’s postwar media landscape, marked by the rise of new cinemas in the 1960s, and situated these developments within the context of the expanding role of media practices during the Cold War. The discussion centered on Iwanami Productions, founded in 1950. The fact that a leading publisher operated its own film production division underscores the importance of moving-image media in Japanese society at the time. Indeed, though initially established as a scientific research center, the company later evolved into a major producer of state- and corporate-sponsored public relations films on education, science, infrastructure, and public works, before becoming a key player in the new cinemas of 1960s Japan.

Presented by Professor Takuya Tsunoda, the lecture introduced findings from his current research project and offered insights into how the then-emerging medium of film helped shape postwar Japanese society, drawing on a rich body of primary sources. Following the lecture, an interdisciplinary discussion was held among Professor Tsunoda and fifteen participants—primarily graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scholars—representing a wide range of nationalities and institutional affiliations.

Event Details

• Date/Time: Saturday, December 20, 2025, 11:00–12:30
• Format: In-person (AV Classroom, Building 38)
• Organizer: Ryusaku Tsunoda Center of Japanese Culture, Research Institute for Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Waseda University