The AJC has been the most important triennial occasion for the historians of Britain (in the widest sense) both in the British and the Japanese Isles. The founding conference of the series, organized by Patrick O'Brien in London and James Ugawa in Tokyo, took place at the IHR in September 1994. The second AJC held in 1997 at Keio University, Tokyo cemented the conference into a triennial format. The third was held in 2000 at the IHR with the then director, David Cannadine, who aptly described that third as the invention of tradition. The fourth was at Kyoto in 2003, which proved to be a real convention of sparkling minds, while the fifth in London 2006 has made an institution of the AJC. It discussed migration and identity in British history, and the international conference migrating every third year between two countries geographically far apart has come closer to its own identity.

 

The programme keeps to the tradition of holding plenary sessions ranging from the medieval period to the twentieth century, and take a general theme for every conference. Some papers and lectures were delivered by senior Japanese and British historians, and another papers by junior Japanese who either are completing their doctorates or have just finished them. As such, it is expected not only to secure the high quality of the conference but also to provide young, promising scholars with public chances to demonstrate their quality. Each session is chaired by a leading historian and the session paper is responded to by experts before discussion is opened to the floor.