On Wednesday 16th September, Centre Director Professor James Arthur took part in a discussion panel as part of a public seminar hosted by the Japan Foundation, titled ‘Teaching Character in Japanese School Clubs’. Following a keynote talk by Dr Peter Cave, a Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester, the purpose of the session was to compare how extracurricular clubs and education for character development are conducted in Japan and the UK. Professor Arthur began discussions with an overview of the current state of character education in the UK. Discussants explored the role of extracurricular activities in developing character, as well as the wider role of education in the social and moral development of young people in the UK and Japan. A final consideration was whether anything can be learned from Japanese school practices when developing character education programmes to be delivered in UK schools.