A Casual Get-Together with the Author Who Unmasked "The Enigma"

​The Delphi Network is thrilled to invite you to a casual evening of drinks and snacks with the legendary Japan watcher, Karel van Wolferen.

Karel, of course, is celebrated for his seminal work, The Enigma of Japanese Power (1989). While he resents being identified with only one of his numerous books, The Enigma landed like a bombshell, profoundly changing how the world—especially the West—understood Japan at the height of its postwar economic might.

​His book systematically demolished the "comforting assumptions" about Japan, arguing its institutions, like the so-called Liberal Democratic Party, were mere façades that disguised a profound lack of a true state or center of power. This powerful concept—the "truncated pyramid"—describes a system of competing, semi-autonomous elites driven by a simple, relentless desire to "hang on to power."

We may not exclusively discuss the book, as Karel has since moved on to more global concerns, but this is a unique chance to meet the man whose work remains essential for explaining his high reputation both in and out of Japan.

Don't miss this opportunity for an informal discussion with one of the most insightful critics of Japanese society.