Asian Studies Seminar Series: Miki Dezaki In brief Guest Speaker - Miki Dezaki Title - Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue Book your ticket on Eventbrite About the event We're delighted to invite you to an a screening of the documentary 'Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue' (2018), directed by Mika Dezaki. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director. About the documentary The “comfort women” issue is perhaps Japan’s most contentious present-day diplomatic quandary. Inside Japan, the issue is dividing the country across clear ideological lines. Supporters and detractors of “comfort women” are caught in a relentless battle over empirical evidence, the validity of oral testimony, the number of victims, the meaning of sexual slavery, and the definition of coercive recruitment. Credibility, legitimacy and influence serve as the rallying cry for all those involved in the battle. In addition, this largely domestic battleground has been shifted to the international arena, commanding the participation of various state and non-state actors and institutions from all over the world. This film delves deep into the most contentious debates and uncovers the hidden intentions of the supporters and detractors of comfort women. Most importantly it finds answers to some of the biggest questions for Japanese and Koreans: Were comfort women prostitutes or sex slaves? Were they coercively recruited? And, does Japan have a legal responsibility to apologize to the former comfort women? About the director Miki Dezaki is a recent graduate of the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo. He worked for the Japan Exchange Teaching Program for five years in Yamanashi and Okinawa before becoming a Buddhist monk in Thailand for one year. He is also known as "Medamasensei" on Youtube, where he has made comedy videos and videos on social issues in Japan. His most notable video is “Racism in Japan,” which led to numerous online attacks by Japanese neo-nationalists who attempted to deny the existence of racism and discrimination against Zainichi Koreans (Koreans with permanent residency in Japan) and Burakumin (historical outcasts still discriminated today). "Shusenjo" is his directorial debut. About the seminar series Each year, Asian Studies welcomes a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their research, spanning fields as diverse as film and media, literature, religion, society, politics and international relations. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. Spaces are limited so please register on Eventbrite. Get your free ticket on Eventbrite Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Relations. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Oct 12 2022 16.00 - 19.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Miki Dezaki Join us in person for a free film screening of the documentary Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue, and Q&A with director Miki Dezaki. Adam House Lecture Theatre The University of Edinburgh 3 Chambers Street Edinburgh EH1 1HT Register now via Eventbrite
Asian Studies Seminar Series: Miki Dezaki In brief Guest Speaker - Miki Dezaki Title - Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue Book your ticket on Eventbrite About the event We're delighted to invite you to an a screening of the documentary 'Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue' (2018), directed by Mika Dezaki. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director. About the documentary The “comfort women” issue is perhaps Japan’s most contentious present-day diplomatic quandary. Inside Japan, the issue is dividing the country across clear ideological lines. Supporters and detractors of “comfort women” are caught in a relentless battle over empirical evidence, the validity of oral testimony, the number of victims, the meaning of sexual slavery, and the definition of coercive recruitment. Credibility, legitimacy and influence serve as the rallying cry for all those involved in the battle. In addition, this largely domestic battleground has been shifted to the international arena, commanding the participation of various state and non-state actors and institutions from all over the world. This film delves deep into the most contentious debates and uncovers the hidden intentions of the supporters and detractors of comfort women. Most importantly it finds answers to some of the biggest questions for Japanese and Koreans: Were comfort women prostitutes or sex slaves? Were they coercively recruited? And, does Japan have a legal responsibility to apologize to the former comfort women? About the director Miki Dezaki is a recent graduate of the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo. He worked for the Japan Exchange Teaching Program for five years in Yamanashi and Okinawa before becoming a Buddhist monk in Thailand for one year. He is also known as "Medamasensei" on Youtube, where he has made comedy videos and videos on social issues in Japan. His most notable video is “Racism in Japan,” which led to numerous online attacks by Japanese neo-nationalists who attempted to deny the existence of racism and discrimination against Zainichi Koreans (Koreans with permanent residency in Japan) and Burakumin (historical outcasts still discriminated today). "Shusenjo" is his directorial debut. About the seminar series Each year, Asian Studies welcomes a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their research, spanning fields as diverse as film and media, literature, religion, society, politics and international relations. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. Spaces are limited so please register on Eventbrite. Get your free ticket on Eventbrite Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Relations. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Oct 12 2022 16.00 - 19.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Miki Dezaki Join us in person for a free film screening of the documentary Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue, and Q&A with director Miki Dezaki. Adam House Lecture Theatre The University of Edinburgh 3 Chambers Street Edinburgh EH1 1HT Register now via Eventbrite
Oct 12 2022 16.00 - 19.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Miki Dezaki Join us in person for a free film screening of the documentary Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue, and Q&A with director Miki Dezaki.
