Date: Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Time: 19:30 JST / 11:30 CET / 10:30 GMT / 05:30 EST

Format: Online roundtable discussion via Zoom

Registration: https://uva-live.zoom.us/meeting/register/RVe7caehR1uEGfQjhxejfw

We are delighted to invite you to the official launch of the Sonic Japan Research Association (SJRA), a new international scholarly organisation bringing together researchers interested in contemporary and historical understandings of sound in Japanese culture and society.

To mark this occasion, we are partnering with editor Sean O'Reilly and contributors to celebrate the international release of The Advent of Sound in Japanese Cinema: A Handbook (Routledge, 2026), a groundbreaking collection exploring the 1930s transition from silent to sound film in Japan.

Event Programme:

Part 1: Introducing SJRA

A brief introduction to the Sonic Japan Research Association, its mission, and future activities.

Part 2: Roundtable Discussion - The Advent of Sound in Japanese Cinema

An informal, free-ranging conversation with editor Sean O'Reilly, contributing authors, and SJRA co-founders exploring:

• Why attention to sound matters now for Japanese film studies

• What sound analysis adds to our understanding of cinema

• The contested, drawn-out transition to talkies in 1930s Japan

• New directions in sound studies of Japanese culture

Attendees are warmly invited to participate in the discussion.

About SJRA:

The Sonic Japan Research Association provides a platform for meeting, exchanging ideas, and networking for scholars researching sound across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. As disciplinary and national boundaries can restrict collaboration, SJRA creates a shared space for building lasting networks that strengthen possibilities for sonic research on Japan.

Website: https://www.sonicjapan.eu/

About the Book:

The Advent of Sound in Japanese Cinema: A Handbook, edited by Sean O'Reilly, offers fifteen diverse perspectives on the 1930s sound transition in Japanese cinema. From major studios' experimentation to new storytelling possibilities, from overlooked directors to evolving soundscapes beyond the cinema, this volume demonstrates that neither spectators nor filmmakers necessarily assumed the superiority of sync sound, challenging our own assumptions about cinema's "progress".

https://www.routledge.com/The-Advent-of-Sound-in-Japanese-Cinema-A-Handbook/OReilly/p/book/9789048572441

Event Registration:

Please register in advance via Zoom https://uva-live.zoom.us/meeting/register/RVe7caehR1uEGfQjhxejfw

(Please note that this event will not be recorded.)

The event will last approximately 60-90 minutes.

We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting double-launch event!

Contact: info@sonicjapan.eu