The seminar "Toward a More Multicultural, Yet Still Harmonious, Japan?" convenes authoritative voices to examine Japan's evolving approach to foreign nationals in the wake of the Liberal Democratic Party's newly released report on foreigners in Japan. Designed to clarify both the specific recommendations of the report and discuss the broader socio-political dynamics shaping Japan's debate over immigration, diversity, and social cohesion, the event will situate policy proposals within lived realities and international perspectives. Featuring Dr. Naoko Hashimoto (Associate Professor, International Christian University), Henry Seals (Human Rights Commissioner, Nagareyama City), Toshihiko Yamamoto (Yamamoto Property Management), Dr. Yu Korekawa (Director at IPSS) and Martin Fackler (New York Times), the seminar offers a timely, multi-dimensional discussion of how Japan can reconcile demographic necessity, human rights, and social harmony in an increasingly complex cultural era.

YCAPS is grateful to What the Dickens! for providing exclusive use of the venue for this event. The bar and kitchen will be open throughout the evening, allowing attendees to enjoy food and drinks during the program. Please come early to grab a bite or drink, chat with the speakers, and get to know fellow audience members.

Pre-registration is not required. The venue comfortably holds 70 people, and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

*There is an optional pre-registration list for those who would like priority entrance into the venue. (Those on the pre-registration list will be allowed entry at 6:00pm, while general entry begins at 6:15 pm)

Pre-registration (optional) at this Google form.

Date: Monday, February 16, 2026

Time: 18:15-21:00 (Early 18:00 admittance for pre-registered audience members)

Venue: What the Dickens!

ROOB6 Building 4th floor, Ebisunishi, 1 Chome-13-3, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0021

〒150-0021 東京都渋谷区恵比寿西１丁目１３－３　ＲＯＯＢ６ビル 4階

Google Maps: https://share.google/fXIdcMQH6qHUAajV8

Schedule:

18:00 Doors open (pre-registered)
18:15 Doors open (All)
18:15-19:00 Casual conversation & networking social
19:00-20:15 Panel Discussion
20:15-21:00 Informal conversation and networking
*Participants will be able to buy food and drinks throughout the event.

Speakers:

Dr. Naoko Hashimoto is an Associate Professor of Law in the Department of Politics and International Studies at International Christian University (ICU). She teaches international refugee law, international criminal law, and international institutions. Before entering academia, she spent nearly 15 years working as a practitioner with UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Government of Japan (MOFA and MOJ).

Naoko holds a Master of Studies in Forced Migration from the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford (as a Sir John Swire Scholar); an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from the University of London (Queen Mary and UCL); and a PhD in Politics from the University of Sussex (as an International Fellow of the Nippon Foundation). She is affiliated with the Refugee Law Initiative at the University of London and serves as a Refugee Adjudication Counsellor appointed by the Japanese Minister of Justice. She frequently appears in major media outlets such as television, national newspapers, and radio and occasionally contributes articles to Forbes Japan as an official columnist.

Henry Seals is Japan's first foreign-born Human Rights Commissioner and serves in his hometown of Nagareyama City. Human Rights Commissioners are private citizens engaging in human rights counseling and dissemination of the concept of human rights based on the Human Rights Volunteers Act. Henry is a human resources and marketing professional presently serving as the Chief HR Officer for Autify, a firm which provides AI-based QA Testing software globally. After graduating from University, Henry started his career in Japan where he has worked in predominantly Japanese-speaking, reading and writing environments. The Author of two books on his experience working in corporate Japan, Making It In Japan (2000), and Reading The Air: The Secret to Succeeding in Business in Japan (2023), Henry has worked for Philip Morris International as an HR manager and previously in companies such as AIG, ING, and Paidy

Toshihiko Yamamoto is a "Battle-hardened Realist" in the Japanese real estate market. With over 30 years of international experience at Sony and major trading houses, he brings a unique global perspective to Tokyo's property sector. Toshihiko is known for his remarkable career reinvention at age 55, when he sent out 230 resumes to start fresh as a rookie land acquisition agent--a testament to the resilience he now brings to his clients.

As an active investor for 15+ years, he prioritizes economic rationality and risk management over idealistic pitches. An MBA graduate and CCIM, Toshihiko specializes in ultra-luxury residences and institutional assets. An avid "Return Rider" on a Ninja 400, he is currently integrating "Night-Ride Audits" into his assessment process to observe the unfiltered reality of Tokyo's neighborhoods firsthand.

Dr. Yu Korekawa started his professional career as a staff economist of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, in 2003. He worked for the council on economic and fiscal policy (CEFP), which the Prime Minister chairs. He was a deputy director in charge of policy planning and economic analysis. He obtained an academic position in IPSS in 2012 and has been in charge of international migration and migration policy research. He has been a delegate of Japan to the Working Party on Migration (WPM) and Expert Group on Migration (SOPEMI), OECD since 2013, and he is also assigned to a bureau member of WPM from 2021-to 2024 for the second term. He obtained a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, and an M.A. from University of California, Irvine. One of his recent articles is "Japan's Stalled Immigration Experiment | Foreign Affairs", (co-authored with Gracia Liu-Farrer and Takeshi Miyai)

Moderator:

Martin Fackler previously served twice as the New York Times bureau chief in Tokyo, leading coverage of the country, and as assistant Asia editor from 2004-2018 and for a period 2024. He got his start in journalism covering finance and crime for Bloomberg News, and worked in Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong for The Wall Street Journal, The Far Eastern Economic Review and The Associated Press. In 2012, his team at The New York Times was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for their investigative stories into the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Cost: Free of charge. All bar and kitchen proceeds support the venue.
Format: This event will be off-the-record. Questions are encouraged
Moderator(s): Martin Fackler