On May 25, 2017, the Graduate School of International Relations hold a special lecture entitled "Reconsidering Soft Power in the Uncertain World" by Professor Gary Rawnsley from Aberystwyth University,UK which is famous for having the world's oldest international relations department .
Professor Rawnsley, after pointing out that the current ambiguous definition and measurement method of “Soft Power” is the cause of many problems, emphasized the importance of focusing on the impact, rather than output, of the “Soft Power”. In addition, he insisted that it is essential to analyze the aspect of power of the “Soft Power.”

The message of his lecture was quite clear, as he used a lot of concreate examples during his theoretical explanation. During the Q and A session following the lecture, participants, graduate students and faculty, actively discussed the nature of soft power and how to generate “Soft Power” both in Japan and UK.