Online launch event: the Sonic Japan Research Association (SJRA) and book launch of The Advent of Sound in Japanese Cinema: A Handbook

Sonic Japan Research Association (SJRA) Official Launch Event
& Book Launch
The Advent of Sound in Japanese Cinema: A Handbook

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
Event-page

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.

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.

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.

sonicjapan.eu

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".

routledge.com

Please register in advance via Zoom
(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!

info@sonicjapan.eu

Sonic Japan Research Association