On Tuesday 16 September 2025, Keiko Sei, a distinguished writer, translator, film producer, and curator, delivered a public lecture entitled “Reading The Memory Police through Socio-Political, Cultural, and Historical Contexts” for the “Literature in English Translation” class.

This academic event was organised by the Department of English as part of the “Literature in English Translation” course, convened by Associate Professor Verita Sriratana, PhD.

Ms Sei offered not only a comparative reading of Yōko Ogawa’s original text and its English translation, but also an overview of the socio-cultural and political contexts of contemporary Japan pertinent to the novel. Our guest speaker also led the class discussion on various topics, including Japan in the Age of Care, the intersection of natural disasters and memory, the hikikomori phenomenon, the role and representation of women in Japanese literature, the cover designs of the Japanese and English editions, the intertextual influence of Anne Frank’s Diary, and the elements of shōjo manga in The Memory Police, which are often overlooked by non-Japanese readers.

This special lecture concluded with a screening of “Cannon Fodder”, a segment from Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s “Memories” trilogy (1995).