[R-Weeks 2026] Beyond “Normal”: A Dialogue on Queerness, Colonialism, and History

Date & Time: Thursday, June 18, 5:00 PM–6:30 PM
Venue: ERB-1 Room 347
Language: Japanese

• Face to face event / No registration required
• Open to everyone, free of charge
• If you require the information assurance or other support, please contact CGS at cgs@icu.ac.jp by 30th of May

In recent years, pride events and public discussions about queerness have become increasingly visible in Japan. At the same time, there are histories and structures of power behind these changes that have often remained unspoken or difficult to see.

In this event, we will welcome a guest from the podcast Queer and 80 Years to talk about their activities, including memorial initiatives for the massacre of Koreans and Chinese people following the Great Kantō Earthquake, as well as efforts surrounding the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral remains. From the perspectives of colonialism and history, we will reflect on contemporary discourses of queerness and pride in Japan, and consider our own positions as “queer” people within these contexts.

The latter half of the event will consist of group discussions. Rather than seeking definitive answers, we hope to create a space where participants can bring their own questions into conversation, and deepen their thinking through discussions together.

This event will also consider the intersections of queerness, violence, and the state from the perspective of refusing systems that compel people to kill. Themes such as decolonization may at first seem unrelated to queer issues. Yet when we ask whose lives are protected and whose are excluded, these questions become deeply intertwined.

As war and xenophobia are intensifying around the world, it may be necessary to rethink the very foundations of what has long been considered “normal” or “common sense” in society. The perspective of “queer” can unsettle those assumptions and offer ways to imagine different possibilities for living.

No prior knowledge is required. We welcome anyone who feels interested to join us in thinking through these questions together.

Guest: Junichiro Endo

In 2018, Endo founded White Tulip, a project centered on sexuality education that has produced "queer calendars" and other creative works, where he has mainly been responsible for overall direction and design. Since 2025, he has been hosting the podcast Queer and 80 Years, featuring conversations about queerness and colonialism with guests from a variety of backgrounds. He is also involved with organizations such as Pennyeon, which works to preserve and pass on the history of the massacre of Koreans and Chinese people following the Great Kantō Earthquake, and project advocating for the return of Indigenous remains held by the University of Tokyo.

Grounded in his identity and experiences as a queer person, Endo engages in a wide range of creative and community-based practices, including organizing workshops and events, producing zines, and composing music, while continuing to explore new forms of expression.