Members

Ikeuchi Lab.
Project Members

Ikeuchi Lab.

Satoshi IKEUCHI

Professor

Satoshi Ikeuchi is Professor of the Division of Religion and Global Security at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo. He is the founding head of the RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES).

For the year 2022-2023, he is Senior Visiting Scholar in Residence at the Moshe Dayan Center (MDC) for Middle Eastern and African Studies of Tel Aviv University.

He is a scholar on Islamic political thought and the Middle East politics. As a leading public intellectual in Japan, he has been vigorously publishing on the Middle East and Islamic affairs.

His first publication based on his doctoral studies, Gendai Arabu-no Shakai Shiso: Shumatsuron-to Isramu-shugi (Contemporary Arab Social Thought: Eschatology and Islamism), was published in 2002 and earned Osaragi Jiro Prize for Critical Works. He also earned Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2009 for his book Islamu Sekai-no Ronjikata (Methods of Discussing Islam).

His book on the Islamic State Isulamu Koku no Shogeki (The Impact of the Islamic State) published in January 2015 was a nation-wide best seller in Japan and awarded Mainichi Publishing Cultural Prize. His recent publication includes Saikusu Piko Kyotei: Hyakunen no Jubaku (Sykes-Picot Agreement: One Hundred Years of Obsession) in 2016 and Shiiaha to Sunniha (Shite and Sunnite) in 2018 both published from Shinchosha. He is the recipient of the 12th Nakasone Yasuhiro Prize in 2016 for his academic works and social engagements.

His collection of literary essays and book reviews Shomotsu not Unmei (The Fate of Books) published in 2006 and earned Mainichi Book Review Award for the year.

He was a visiting professor at the Alexandria University 2007-2008, Japan Scholar chair visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2009 and Visiting Fellow at the Clare Hall, University of Cambridge in 2010. 

He specializes in Middle East politics and Arab-Islamic Thought, particularly on global Jihadism and its implications for international security.

Yu KOIZUMI

Associate Professor

Areas of Expertise:
Russian Military Thought
Russian National Security Policy
Politics and International Relations of the Former Soviet Republics
Defence Tecunologies

Previously, Yu has held various positions, including Assistant Analyst at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Research Fellow at Institute for Future Engineering (IFENG), Research Fellow at the National Diet Library, and also a visiting researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAN).

His publication in Japanese includes (in English translation titles): Whither Russian Military?, 2011; Putin's National Strategy: "Major Power" Russia at a Crossroads, 2016; Russia as a Military Power: New Global Strategy and Principles of Behavior, 2016. 

His book "Teikoku" Roshia no Chiseigaku (Geopolitics of Russian "Empire") published in 2019 was awarded Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in that year.

His latest book is Gendai Russia no Gunji Shiso (Military Thought in Contemporary Russia) published in 2021.

Yu has presented and published extensively on national security policies and strategies of Russia and the former Soviet republics, as well as defense technologies.

Yu holds a BA in Social Sciences and a MA in Political Science from Waseda University.

日本

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor/Project Research Associate

His areas of specializations are Asian Politics and International Relations, Strategy and Defense, Transport Security

Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Chair)
Sub-Working Group 1 on Satellite Imagery Analysis Project
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Chair)

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI is a Project Assistant Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo; Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Indo-Pacific Security Initiative; and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Pacific Forum. Ryo has presented, published, and consulted on a variety of topics relating to defense and security, and transport governance in the Indo-Pacific. Ryo previously served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (reserve) and also held positions at the Pusan National University, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, FM Bird Entertainment Agency, International Crisis Group Seoul Office, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Embassy of Japan in Australia, and the Japan Foundation Sydney Language Centre. Ryo received his PhD from the University of New South Wales, MA in Strategic and Defense Studies and BA in Security Analysis from the Australian National University and was also a Korea Foundation Language Training Fellow.

Twitter: @tigerrhy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tigerrhy/
Blog (Japanese): https://note.com/tigerrhy/

Norito KUNISUE

Project Professor, RCAST, University of Tokyo

Wakako ITO, Ph.D.

Senior Program Coordinator

Kazumasa HAYAMARU, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor/Project Research Associate of RCAST, the University of Tokyo

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor of RCAST, the University of Tokyo
Russian politics, historical awareness, nationalism
After working as a part-time lecturer at Chikushi Jogakuen University, Kitakyushu City University and Nagasaki Prefectural University, he became a specially-appointed assistant professor at Hokkaido University's Organisation for International Cooperation before assuming his current position.

Takuya MATSUDA, Ph.D.

Project Researcher
Takuya Matsuda is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo working on international security affairs. His research focuses primarily on alliance politics, great power relations, international relations theory, and U.S. grand strategy. Takuya was formerly a visiting scholar at the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at George Washington University and a Hans J. Morgenthau Fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center. His work on international security affairs has been published both in scholarly and policy outlets such as the Australian Journal of International Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, War on the Rocks, Foreign Policy, and the Diplomat. Takuya holds a Ph.D. from the War Studies Department at King’s College London, a M.A. from Johns Hopkin University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and B.A, from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. 

Twitter: @takuyamatsuda1

Amane TANAKA

Project Researcher

Amane TANAKA is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo.

His research interests include Contemporary Chinese Politics and China-Central Asia relations. He is a co-editor of Changing Politics and Social Groups in China: The Challenges of Transition (2013, in Japanese) and Chinese Muslims Area Studies (2012, in Japanese). In addition, he has published articles on China-Central Asia relations through the lens of the security-development nexus, China’s state-building processes under the CCP rule, and regional autonomy in Xinjiang in the 1950s.

Ichiro KAJI, Ph.D.

Project Researcher

Ichiro Kaji is a Project Researcher of Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo.
His research focuses on the provisions of the Japan-US Security Treaty, especially Article X which defines the duration of the treaty. He is currently building an online database of historical records of Japan-US relations on ROLES website.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Law and Politics from Osaka University in 2021. He was a Specially Appointed Fellow at Center for the Study of Co*Design, Osaka University(2018-2021).

Koji YAMASHIRO, Ph.D.

Project Researcher

Yukie TATTA

Project Researcher

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives (Coordinator)
Israel Week @ UTokyo Komaba Research Campus
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Coordinator)
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Coordinator)

Yuma TANAKA

Project Researcher

Yuma Tanaka is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology’s Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES), the University of Tokyo. Before joining ROLES, Yuma was an Attaché for the Political Section at the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine. He was also previously a Project Officer for the East/Central Asia and Caucasus Department at Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He also worked as an Attaché for the Economy and Economic Cooperation Section at the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan through 2017 to 2020. Yuma holds a M.A. from the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanity and Sociology, and a B.A. from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Ryoya ISHIMOTO, Ph.D.

Project Researcher
Ryoya ISHIMOTO is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo.
His research interests are International Relations, especially American diplomatic history, international security, and the history of U.S.-Japan security relations. 
He holds a Ph.D. from Doshisha University, Japan.

Nozomi KANO

Co-operative Research Fellow

Kohei TOYODA

Co-operative Research Fellow

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Assistant Coordinator)
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Assistant Coordinator)

Twitter: @toyodadesuyo

Guibourg Delamotte

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Professor of Political Science at the French Institute of Oriental Studies (Inalco)

Areas of Expertise:
Security and International Relations in Asia
Japanese Foreign and Defense Policies
Japanese Internal Politics and Political System

Guibourg was a Visiting Associate Professor at the Tokyo College of the University of Tokyo, from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Her in-person stay in Tokyo was from July to August 2022 and she gave an intensive lecture course at the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) of the University of Tokyo in early August.

Guibourg was Visiting Fellow of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo during her visit to Tokyo and participated in research activities and education at the Division of Religion and Global Security of RCAST and in particular ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies). 

In 2023, now a Full Professor at Inalco, she is invited as Visiting Senior Research Fellow of RCAST and Associate Research Fellow of Tokyo College.

Her latest books are:
Le Japon, un leader discret - Eyrolles, 2023.
La Democratie au Japon, singuliere et universelle - ENS Ed. 2022.
The Abe Legacy. How Japan has been shaped by Abe Shinzo (coed. J. Brown, R. Dujarric) - Lexington, 2021.
Geopolitique et geoeconomie du monde contemporain. Puissance et conflits (coed. C. Tellenne) - La Decouverte, 2021.

Toshiya TSUJITA

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Co* Design, Osaka University

Dr. Toshiya Tsujita is Associate Professor,  Center for the Study of Co* Design, Osaka University, concurrently a Visiting Senior Fellow at RCAST. 

He was a Project Research Associate/Adjunct Assistant Professor at the RCAST of the University of Tokyo from 2021-2022, working for ROLES, particularly on projects regarding Israel and the international security in the Middle East. 

Christopher LAMONT

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Assistant Dean of E-Track Programs and Professor, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University

Christopher Lamont is Assistant Dean of E-Track Programs and Professor of International Relations. Previously, he held a tenured position at the University of Groningen, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ulster. He was also previously a Fulbright scholar at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. He holds a PhD from the University of Glasgow and has published widely on human rights and transitional justice. His recent publications have appeared in the Journal of Democracy, the International Journal of Human Rights, Global Policy, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, and Human Rights Review. He also co-edited, New Crifical Spaces in Transitional Justice (with Arnaud Kurze, Indiana University Press, 2019) and is the author of two research methods textbooks, Research Methods in International Relations (Sage 2015, second edition 2021), and Research Methods in Politics and International Relations (with Mieczyslaw Boduszyński, Sage 2020). In addition to his scholarly work, his writings have also appeared in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage.

JHOU Jyun-Yu

Alumni- Former Project Researcher

Assitant Professer at the National Chengchi University of Taiwan
Project Researcher of RCAST of the University of Tokyo (October 2020-June 2021) 

Shaun Ketch

Co-operative Research Fellow

15+ years of international government, military, and industry consulting experience, with engagement experience in defense and national security policy analysis, anti-money laundering and economic sanctions compliance, cybersecurity resilience and strategy, emergency management, international development programming design, political and economic risk analysis, and speechwriting and communications. Master’s degrees in Public Policy from The University of Tokyo, and in Public Administration from Columbia University in the City of New York. Ph.D. in International Public Policy from The University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, with a research focus on international security and economic statecraft.

Hideaki SHINODA

Education: PhD in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of London, UK (1998), MA in Political Science, Waseda University, Japan (1993), BA, Waseda University, Japan (1991). 
Professional Positions) After working as a part-time teacher at LSE and Keele University, he took a research fellow position at the Institute for Peace Science of Hiroshima University, where he became Associate Professor. Then, he took the current position at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 2013. He has been a visiting scholar at the Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, Cambridge University (2000) and at the Center for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University (2002). He was Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court (2017).
Publications) He is the author of many books and articles including Partnership Peace Operations: UN and Regional Organizations in Multiple Layers of International Security (Routledge, 2024). He has received academic awards including Osaragi Jiro Rondan Award of Asahi Newspaper (2003), Suntory Academic Award (2012), Yomiuri Yoshino Sakuzo Award of Yomiuri Newspaper (2017).

Tomonori YOSHIZAKI

He was Vice President for Academic Affairs of Japan MoD’s National Institute for Defence Studies (NIDS). At NIDS, He was Director of Policy Simulation (2015-22), and Director of Security Studies Department (2011-2015) at NIDS.  He has been regularly attending NATO Defence College Conference of Commandants (COC), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meeting of Head of National Defense Universities/Colleges/Institutions. He is currently a visiting professor/lecture at Self-Defence Forces Staff Colleges, Tokyo University for Foreign Studies, and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). Previously, he was an assistant director of Office of Strategic Studies of MoD, a visiting scholar at Kings College London, and Hudson Institute; His areas of expertise include alliance management, European security and NATO, Japan’s security policy and peace operations.

Project Members

Maki AOKI

Deputy-Director, Southeast Asian Studies Group I, Area Studies Center, Japan External Trade Organization, Institute of Developing Economies

Tetsuo KOTANI

Professor, Faculty of Language and Cultures, Meikai University; Senior Researcher, The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Keikichi TAKAHASHI

Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University

Jun SAITO

Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Shin KAWASHIMA

Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Satoru MIYAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Political Science & Economics, Seigakuin University
Visiting Fellow, RCAST, University of Tokyo

Jun HONNA

Professor, Ritsumeikan University

Yasuhiro MATSUDA

Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo

Takashi OKAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Prefectural University

Takashi SUZUKI

Associate Professor, School of Foreign Studies, Department of Chinese Studies, Aichi Prefectural University

Shinji YAMAGUCHI

Shinji YAMAGUCHI is a Senior Research Fellow in the Regional Studies Department of the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Ministry of Defense, Japan, located in Tokyo, and was a Visiting Scholar at Sigur Center for Asian Studies of George Washington University. He specializes in Chinese politics, China’s security policy, and contemporary Chinese history. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Keio University. His publications include “Strategies of China’s Maritime Actors in the South China Sea: A Coordinated Plan under the Leadership of Xi Jinping?” China Perspective, 2016 No.3, (October 2016), pp.23-31; Mou Takuto no Kyokoku ka Senryaku (Mao’s Grand Strategy to Build Strong Country) (Keio University Press, 2021, winner of the 34th Mainichi Shimbun Asia Pacific Grand Prix Award). He is a co-author of the NIDS China Security Report 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023.

Kohei IMAI

Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Masaki KAKIZAKI

Senior Associate Professor, Temple University Japan Campus

Dai YAMAO

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies Department, Kyushu University

Ayame SUZUKI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Doshisya University

Tatsuya KIKUCHI

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo

Shang-Su WU

Assistant Professor and Research Coordinator, Homeland Security Programme, Rabdan Academy

Shang-Su Wu is an assistant professor and research coordinator at the Homeland Security Program, the Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He was a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Wu has a PhD from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is the author of The Defence Capabilities of Small States: Singapore and Taiwan’s Responses to Strategic Desperation (London: Palgrave, 2016). Wu’s articles, commentaries and op-eds have been published in Asian Survey, Contemporary Southeast Asia, the Pacific Review, Defence Studies, Naval War College Review, and Asia Policy, among others.

Research interests: cross-strait relations, military security in Southeast Asia, railways of international relations

Saho MATSUMOTO

Professor, College of International Relations, Nihon University

Amane KOBAYASHI

Former Senior Researcher, JIME Center, The Institute of Energy
Economics, Japan (IEEJ)

Koji MURATA

Professor, Faculty of Law Department of Political Science, Doshisya University

【Adjunct Menber】Atsuko HIGASHINO

Education: University of Birmingham Department of Political Science and International Studies, Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Birmingham
Career: Specialist researcher at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the OECD, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Full-time lecturer, Faculty of Politics and International Relations, University of Birmingham (fixed term) Lecturer, Faculty of International Studies, Hiroshima City University, Associate Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Hiroshima City University, (current) University of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of International Public Policy
Interests: International Relations and Politics
Publications: Europe in decline due to the Ukraine War Foreword,  Current status and prospects of the war in Ukraine, Hiroshima and Peace and many more books and articles.

Hiroki SUGITA

Senior Staff Writer, Kyodo News

Kazuhiro TAKII

Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies

Yoshihiro NAKANISHI

Associate Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Satoshi MACHIDORI

Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University

Toshihiro NAKAYAMA

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Yoshiyuki KOJIMA

Part-time Lecturer, Tezukayama University, Bukkyo University, Aichi Prefectural University

Hitoshi SUZUKI

Chief Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Michito TSURUOKA

Education: Keio University Faculty of Law, Georgetown University's graduate school and Georgetown University's graduate school, PhD in War Studies, King's College London
Areas of Expertise: International security, European politics, NATO; European integration, European politics, international security, NATO, the EU, nuclear policy, extended deterrence, and defence diplomacy. 
Career: Specialist researcher at the Japanese Embassy in Belgium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in charge of NATO, researcher at the GMF (German et al.), Instructor at the National Institute for Defense Studies at the Ministry of Defense from 2009 to 2017, multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific International Policy Division of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Defense (Defense Department), in charge of, particularly ADMM Plus (Expanded ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, visiting researcher at RUSI (Royal Institute for Defense and Security Studies). Concurrently serves as a senior researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

Wataru KUSAKA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University

Yoko HIROSE

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Katsumi HIRANO

Chief Senior Researcher, Inter-disciplinary Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Kyohei NORIMATSU

Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Masaaki OKAMOTO

Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Kazuto SUZUKI

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo
From 2000 to 2008, he worked as an associate professor at the School of International and Comprehensive Studies, University of Tsukuba. From 2008, he was an associate professor at Hokkaido University's School of Public Policy before being appointed professor in 2011. 2012-2013: visiting fellow at Princeton University's Institute of International and Area Studies; from 2013-2015: member of the UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Iran Sanctions; from 2020: current position. Participated in the Panel of Experts; in his current position since 2020.

Ryo SAHASHI

Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo
After working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University and as a specially-appointed assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, he was appointed associate professor (later professor) at the Faculty of Law, Kanagawa University in 2010; in 2014 he was appointed visiting associate professor at the Asia-Pacific Research Centre, Stanford University; from 2019 he is in his current position. Member of the Council for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Specialises in international politics, particularly US-Japan-China relations and international order.

Keiko IIZUKA

Editorial Writer, The Yomiuri Shimbun
As a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter, she served as a cap at the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Club, stationed in Naha, international director, US general bureau chief, London correspondent and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in the US.

Yukimi IKEDA

Associate Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
After working in the Defence Policy Bureau, Defence Policy Division, International Policy Division and Japan-US Defence Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence (2010-2015) and a secondment to the Non-Proliferation, Science and Nuclear Energy Division, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department, General Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2015), she worked at the independent think tank Asia Pacific Initiative in the security field as as a research fellow in the field of security at the Asia-Pacific Initiative, an independent think tank. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Georgetown University School of Diplomacy in the USA (2017-2019), during which time she worked at the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs (2018) In April 2020, she became a researcher at the Future Engineering Institute; from April 2021, she holds her current position. She specialises in security theory, international relations, science, technology and security, disarmament and non-proliferation.

Masaki IENAGA

Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo Woman's Christian University

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Institute for International Collaboration, Hokkaido University

Collin KOH Swee Lean

Collin Koh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies which is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has research interests on naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on Southeast Asia. Collin has published several op-eds, policy- and academic journal articles as well as chapters for edited volumes covering his research areas. He has also taught at Singapore Armed Forces professional military education and training courses. Besides research and teaching, Collin also contributes his perspectives to various local and international media outlets and participates in activities with geopolitical risks consultancies.

Koichiro KOMIYAMA

Visiting Scholar, Keio University Global Research Institute
He specialises in cybersecurity and global governance, and has worked for the JPCERT Coordination Centre since 2006 in international incident response and coordination. PhD (Policy and Media) 

Mitsutoyo MATSUMOTO

Professor, Faculty for the Study of Contemporary Society Department for the Study of Contemporary Society, Kyoto Women's University
In 2001, she was appointed assistant professor at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University; in 2002, she was also a visiting researcher at the National Development Research Institute, National Taiwan University; in 2003, she was appointed assistant professor at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies; in addition, she was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; in 2007, she became associate professor at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies. In 2010, she was appointed Associate Professor at the Faculty of International Studies, Tenri University, and in 2014, Professor at the same Faculty. She specialises in comparative politics, contemporary Taiwanese politics, Sino-Taiwanese relations and East Asian political economy.

Jiro NAKAI

Part-time Lecturer, Ryukoku University
After working as a part-time lecturer at Ryukoku University, he has been a full-time lecturer at the Department of International Tourism, Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University since April 2023.

His speciality is sociology of tourism. Based on research on religion and tourism, creation of traditions and nationalism/globalisation, etc., he studies the symbiosis between tourism and local communities and the conversion of local culture and cultural heritage into tourism resources through tourism pollution and over tourism issues, mainly in Kyoto.

Masakazu TAKAMORI

The President and CEO, Dafna Co. Ltd.
After finishing his career as a professional rugby player, he joined Dentsu Inc. For more than 10 years, he was in charge of all aspects of communications in the information and communications and retail industries. From 2011 to 2014, he also participated in the launch of a public interest foundation established to support reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake, planning and promoting reconstruction assistance projects in Fukushima From 2017, he was appointed project manager responsible for developing services utilising cutting-edge technology. In 2021, he was appointed to his current position.

Kazuya SAKAMOTO

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University

Akifumi IKEDA

Visiting Researcher, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo/President, Toyo Eiwa University

Noboru IWASE

Energy Analyst; Representative Manager, Friday Forum 

Akiko YOSHIOKA

Chief Researcher, JIME Center, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

Jeffrey ORDANIEL

Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel is a non-resident Senior Adjunct Fellow and Director for Maritime Security at the Pacific Forum. Concurrently, he is also an Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Tokyo International University (TIU) in Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and specializes in the study of offshore territorial and maritime entitlement disputes in Asia. His teaching and research revolve around maritime security and ocean governance, ASEAN regionalism, and broadly, U.S. alliances and engagements in the Indo-Pacific. 

From 2016 to 2019, he was based in Honolulu and was the holder of the endowed Admiral Joe Vasey Fellowship at the Pacific Forum. Since 2019, Dr. Ordaniel has been convening several maritime security-related working groups and track 2 dialogues aiming to generate sound, pragmatic, and actionable policy prescriptions for the region. His current research on maritime security in Asia is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2020-2024.

Research interests: Maritime Security, US-Philippine Alliance, Southeast Asian International Relations

Asyura SALLEH

Asyura Salleh is the Co-Founder of the Global Awareness & Impact Alliance (GAIA). She is also an Adjunct Non-Resident Vasey Research Fellow for the Pacific Forum, and the Special Advisor on Maritime Security for the Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Affairs (YCAPS). Her policy experience lies in her work for the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Program, Stable Seas, and Brunei Prime Minister's Office. Asyura has a research interest in maritime security in the Asia Pacific, with a focus on transnational maritime crime and maritime governance. Asyura gained a Masters in War Studies from King’s College London and earned a doctorate in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Singapore.

Aiko SHIMIZU

Aiko Shimizu is the Japan Digital Inclusion Lead at Microsoft, where she focuses on AI, cybersecurity, digital skilling, and sustainability, and an Adjunct Fellow at the Pacific Forum. 

Prior to her current role, Aiko has worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across the United States, Japan, and Germany, including at Twitter, BMW and Daimler urban mobility joint venture SHARE NOW (formerly car2go), Bloomberg, the United Nations, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. She has also been selected as a U.S.-Japan Council Emerging Leader, an Atlantic Council Millennium Leadership Fellow, a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader. Aiko received her graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). She received her Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Chicago.

Research interests: Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology, cybersecurity, sustainability, mobility, energy 

Ariel STENEK

PhD student, GRIPS Global Governance Program, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

Ariel Stenek is a PhD student in the GRIPS Global Governance Program (Security and International Studies concentration) at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo. Previously she was director of the Young Leaders Program at Pacific Forum, an initiative that supports a global network of over 1,500 young professionals working in foreign policy and security studies, and was co-lead investigator of Pacific Forum's Women, Peace and Security program. Past positions include interning at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and working on UNESCO's Silk Roads Programme. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London (Paris campus) and a B.A. in Global Politics and Societies with a minor in European Studies from the University of San Francisco. Her research interests include maritime security, U.S.-Japan relations, and Indo-Pacific security architecture.

Masashi MURANO

Masashi Murano is a Japan Chair fellow at Hudson Institute. He leads policy work on US-Japan defense cooperation, building out the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, and nuclear and conventional deterrence analysis. As part of that work, he frequently briefs official delegations, news media, public intellectuals, academics, and business leaders from around the world. 
Mr. Murano has more than ten years of experience in research, analysis, tabletop exercises, and facilitation of numerous classified products related to strategic intelligence assessment and policy planning for the Japanese government. 

Prior to joining Hudson Institute, Mr. Murano was a fellow at the Okazaki Institute, a Tokyo-based think tank. He is a member of several government grant research programs, including the subcommittee on Security Issues in New Domains and the Government Grant Research Program for Foreign Affairs and Security Studies hosted by the University of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. Mr. Murano’s writings and analyses have been published in leading news media and academic journals, including the Washington Post, Japan Times, Nikkei, Diplomat, Real Clear Defense, nippon.com, the Japan Review, and the Texas National Security Review

Mr. Murano received both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Takushoku University in Tokyo, pursuing graduate work in security studies and undergraduate work in Asia-Pacific studies.

John BRADFORD

John F. Bradford is the inaugural Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in Indonesia.  He is also an adjunct senior fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.  His research focuses on Asian security with special attention given to maritime issues and cooperative affairs. His written work can be found in journals such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asia Policy, Asian Security, Asian Survey, Naval War College Review, and Naval Institute Proceedings as well as in edited volumes, online publications and monographs published by leading international think tanks.

Prior to becoming a full-time researcher, he spent more than twenty-three years as a U.S. Navy officer. As a Surface Warfare Officer, he served as Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Combat Systems Officer, Chief Engineer, Navigator, and First Lieutenant in ships forward-deployed to Japan. His staff assignments included service as Deputy Director for the U.S. Seventh Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Regional Cooperation Coordinator for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Asia-Pacific Politico-military Branch Chief on the Navy Staff. As an Olmsted Scholar, CDR Bradford studied in the Department of Political Science at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed an MSc (Strategic Studies) from RSIS. He is also a graduate of Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies and is proud of the training he received as a midshipman aboard the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Rahmat. A list of his publications can be viewed here.

Research interests: Asian security, maritime issues, security cooperation

Zack COOPER

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia, including alliance dynamics and US-China competition. He also teaches at Princeton University and is currently writing a book that explains how militaries change during power shifts.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Cooper was the senior fellow for Asian security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He previously worked as codirector of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and research fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He also served as assistant to the deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism at the National Security Council and as a special assistant to the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy at the Department of Defense.

Dr. Cooper has been published in academic journals, including International Security and Security Studies, and in the popular press, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among other outlets. He has also authored a variety of studies on Asia, on topics including US military strategy and posture in Asia, Chinese coercion, and US defense cooperation with regional allies and partners. He is the coeditor of two books,
Postwar Japan: Growth, Security, and Uncertainty Since 1945 (CSIS/Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and Strategic Japan: New Approaches to Foreign Policy and the U.S.-Japan Alliance (CSIS/Rowman & Littlefield, 2014).

Dr. Cooper graduated from Princeton University with a PhD and an MA in security studies and an MPA in international relations. He received a BA in public policy from Stanford University.

Research interests: Asia, alliances, defense strategy, military technology, U.S. foreign policy, U.S.-China competition

Bich TRAN

Dr. Bich Tran is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. 
In addition to being an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, she has been a visiting fellow at the East West Center, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS-Asia), and ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute among others.

Dr. Tran obtained her PhD in Political Science from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She has published on various platforms, including Asia Pacific Issues, Asian Perspective, Asian Politics & Policy, The Diplomat, East Asia Forum, and Fulcrum. Dr. Tran is the author of “Vietnam's Strategic Adjustments and US Policy” (Survival 64, no. 6, 77–90). A full list of her publications can be found on ResearchGate.

Research interests: Vietnam’s grand strategy, Vietnam-China relations, Vietnam-US relations, ASEAN, maritime security 

Kristi GOVELLA

Dr. Kristi Govella is Director of the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs and an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She specializes in the intersection of economics and security in international relations, with a particular focus on the Indo-Pacific region and Japan. Dr. Govella’s research has examined topics such as economic statecraft, trade, investment, multinational firms, alliances, regional institutional architecture, and the governance of the global commons. In addition to her publications in journals and edited books, she is the co-editor of two books: Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States (2013) and Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States (2012). She serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the East-West Center and Pacific Forum and as Editor of the journal Asia Policy

Dr. Govella was previously Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Asia Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, and an Associate Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Research interests: economic statecraft, economic security, economic coercion, trade, investment, firms, alliances, regional institutional architecture, maritime security, cyberspace, outer space, non-traditional security

S. Paul CHOI

S. Paul Choi (최석훈) is Principal at StratWays Group, a Seoul-based geopolitical risk advisory. He specializes in political-military affairs, international security, strategy design, and deterrence.
 
Choi provides counsel to government agencies, think-tanks, investment banks, and businesses. He engages in track 1.5 dialogues and speaks at academic and policy institutions around the world. His commentary appears in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Financial Times, NPR, and JoongAng Ilbo.
 
Previously, Choi worked as a Strategist and International Relations Specialist at the United Nations Command / Republic of Korea (ROK) – U.S. Combined Forces Command in the Commander's Strategic Initiatives Group and in the Directorate for Strategy, Policy, and Plans (2013-18). In this capacity, he assisted in the establishment of the ROK-U.S. Deterrence Strategy Committee, the ROK-U.S. Tailored Deterrence Strategy, and various bilateral operational plans.

He has also been a Stanton Nuclear Policy Fellow at RAND (2022-23), Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations (2011-13), Visiting Scholar at Fudan University (2011), and Faculty Lecturer at the Korea Military Academy (2007-10). 

Choi’s published analyses include “As World Order Shifts, So Does South Korean Security Policy” (Arms Control Today, Vol. 53:6, July/August 2023); “Managing Competition: Arms Limitations and Beyond” (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 05, 2022); “The Limits of Operational Integration” (Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation: Managing Deterrence in the 21st Century, Australia National University Press, December, 2021); “Deterring North Korea: The Need for Collective Resolve and Alliance Transformation” (38 North, Stimson Center, July 2020).

Research interests: security, defense, strategy, alliances

Yoshihiro INABA

Yoshihiro Inaba is a doctoral student at Senshu University Graduate School, studying Japanese defense legislation and international law related to the use of force (jus ad bellum). He is also a freelance military writer, covering the JSDF, US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and other national militaries, as well as defense-related companies in Japan and abroad. He has contributed articles to Japanese military magazines and is the first Japanese contributor to Naval News, a France-based web media specializing in naval affairs.

Research interests: international law (jus ad bellum), Japanese security legislation, naval topics

Arius DERR

Arius Derr is a PhD candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at The Australian National University. His research focuses on the North Korea nuclear issue. In particular, he explores US relations with nuclear powers over time and how it has ‘learned to live’ with new proliferators. His research is also concerned with deterrence in East Asia and how and why it impacts the objectives of the US and its allies in the region. 

He is Editor at Korea Risk Group and its primary publications NK News and NK Pro, as well as Korea Desk Editor at the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research (EABER)’s East Asia Forum.

Arius’ main interests include US foreign policy in East Asia, the Korean Peninsula, great power competition and international security. His work has been published in the Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, East Asia Forum, the Centre for International Governance Innovation and other outlets.

He has also worked as Editor at KBS, South Korea’s public broadcaster, Research Associate in the Strategy Division of United States Forces Korea, and as Consultant for the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Research interests: Nuclear weapons, deterrence, international security, great power competition, US foreign policy, alliance management, East Asia, North Korea, South Korea, Australia

Emma VERGES

Emma Verges is a Program Assistant with the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) within the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. With a background in Chinese history, culture, and politics, she produces critical analyses and forward-thinking strategies in support of the Initiative’s work on the most pressing issues in the Indo-Pacific region. Building on her knowledge of international order through the lens of international human rights and immigration, Emma has expanded her scope of work to include US-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation, Integrated Deterrence of Adversary Limited Nuclear Use in East Asia, and Trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination to defend the rules-based international system.
 
Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Emma received her master’s degree in global affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Her time in China lends a unique perspective to her work. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Russian Studies from Macalester College. 

Research interests: China, Russia, human rights, immigration, soft power issues

Jonathan BERKSHIRE MILLER

Jonathan is Director of the Foreign Affairs, National
Security, and Defence program at the Ottawa-based Macdonald Laurier Institute. He is also concurrently a senior fellow with the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and senior fellow on East Asia for the Tokyo-based Asian Forum Japan. Miller also is the Director and co-founder of the Council on International Policy. He also holds appointments as Canada’s ASEAN Regional Forum Expert and Eminent Person (EEP) and as a Responsible Leader for the BMW Foundation. Previously, he was an international affairs fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, based in Tokyo. Other former appointments and roles include terms as a Distinguished Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada, and Senior Fellow on East Asia for the New York-based EastWest Institute.

Miller also held a fellowship on Japan with the Pacific Forum CSIS from 2013-16, and has held a number of other visiting fellowships on Asian security matters, including at JIIA and the National Institute of Defense Studies (Ministry of Defense - Japan). In addition, Miller previously spent nearly a decade working on economic and security issues related to Asia with the Canadian federal government and worked both with the foreign ministry and the security community. He regularly attends track 1.5 and track 2 dialogues in the region and lectures to universities, think-tanks, corporations and others across the Asia-Pacific region on security and defense issues. He regularly consults, provides advice and presents to the private sector, multilateral organizations and governments on regional geopolitics.

Jonathan is a regular contributor to several journals, magazines and newspapers on Asia-Pacific security issues including The Economist Intelligence Unit, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and Nikkei Asian Review. He has also published widely in other outlets including Forbes, Newsweek Japan, the Globe and Mail, the World Affairs Journal, the Japan Times, the Mainichi Shimbun, the ASAN Forum, Jane’s Intelligence Review and Global Asia. Miller has been interviewed and quoted on regional security issues across a wide range of media including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Le Monde, Nikkei, the Japan Times, Asahi Shimbun, the Voice of America, the Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV and ABC news.

Research interests: Indo-Pacific security; strategic competition; 5EYES and 5EYES plus engagement in region; intelligence cooperation; US-Japan-ROK; ASEAN; emerging technologies; economic security; supply chain resilience

Tonny Dian EFFENDI

Tonny Dian Effendi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia.

He was a visiting research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Japan, the Institute of International Relations (IIR)-National Cheng Chi University, Taiwan, as well as a visiting scholar at the Department of International Relations and Public Administration,
Universidade do Minho, Portugal. He experienced in conducting research under the Sumitomo Foundation’s Japan-related research program, the Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange (SEASREP) Program’s research
program, the Australian National University (ANU) Indonesia Project, the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) research-publication program, and the
international collaborative research under the Ministry of Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia. He obtained his Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations from Universitas Jember in Indonesia, while his master’s degree was obtained from Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (Master of Science in Sociology) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (Master of Social Science- by research in International Relations). Currently, he is a PhD candidate from the Institute of Political Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan.

Research interests: International Relations; diplomacy; constructivism; East Asia regional studies; China; Indonesia; diaspora

Jasmin ALSAIED

Jasmin Alsaied is a non-resident fellow with the Middle East Institute as part of the defense and security portfolio. She has published with CSIS, The Diplomat, Asia Times, Charged Affairs, and more.

Research interests: nuclear challenges in the Indo-Pacific; emerging tech integration; alliance strategy and cohesion 

Maria TANYAG

Dr. Maria Tanyag is Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. She specializes in critical and feminist approaches to global peace and security, focusing on the Asia Pacific region, and Southeast Asia in particular. She was selected as one of the inaugural International Studies Association (ISA) Emerging Global South Scholars in 2019, as resident Women, Peace, and Security Fellow at Pacific Forum (Hawaii) in 2021, and as a British Academy Visiting Fellow (2023). She is author of the forthcoming book The Global Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health with Oxford University Press. Her latest publications are available via
 ResearchGate.

Research interests: Global politics of sexual and reproductive health; global political economy and social reproduction in crisis settings; feminist critiques of postconflict and postdisaster crisis response; feminist methodologies in IR.

Lauren GILBERT

Lauren Gilbert is an associate director with the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. In
this role, she oversees research and programming focused on engaging with US, allied, and partner governments and other key stakeholders to shape strategies and policies to
mitigate the most important rising security challenges facing the region. In particular, her work focuses on US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, Korea-Japan relations,
integrated deterrence, and trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination with the aim of defending the rules-based international system.

Originally from Texas, Gilbert holds an MIS in International Cooperation from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies. Her thesis focused on an
analysis of US-ROK-Japan trilateral security cooperation within the lenses of the balance of threat theory and the concept of national strategic identities. She also attained her BA with high honors in International Relations and Global Studies, with a concentration in International Security and a minor in Asian Studies, from the University
of Texas at Austin. She spent a year abroad studying at Korea University’s Division of International Studies.

Research interests: US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, Korea-Japan relations, integrated deterrence, and trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination

Katherine YUSKO

Katherine Yusko is a project assistant at the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, where she supports research and analysis of US relations in East Asia, transatlantic-Pacific alliance building, and nuclear/conflict deterrence strategies. Her most recent research focused on identifying areas for US-Papua New Guinea cooperation on climate security challenges.
 
Yusko earned her BA in Culture and Conflict from New York University with a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. She holds a master’s degree in International Affairs, with a concentration in International Security Policy and a specialization in International Conflict Resolution, from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Sungmin CHO

Dr. Sungmin Cho is a professor of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), an academic institute of the US Department of Defense. His area of expertise covers US-China competition, Chinese politics and the geopolitics of Northeast Asia. Dr. Cho has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, including World Politics, Journal of Contemporary China, The China Journal, Asian Security, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Korea Observer. His policy analysis also appeared in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, and War on the Rocks. Dr.Cho contributed commentaries at the invitations of CSIS, Brookings and other think tanks. Prior to the academic career, Dr. Cho served in the Korean Army as an intelligence officer for three years, including seven-month deployment to Iraq. He earned B.A. in Political Science from Korea University, M.A. in International Relations from Peking University, and Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.

Kyoko IMAI

Atlantic Council Assistant Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative 

Olena Akimova

Education: National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute"
(now - KPI named after Igor Sikorskyi), Faculty of Sociology, speciality "administrative management" and an Honors degree. Faculty of Sociology, postgraduate, speciality
"philosophy".
Career: She has teaching experience at the "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" from 2016 to present at the Department of Management Theory and Practice, Department of Philosophy and Department of Sociology and Law, KPI.
Areas of Interests: Higher Education 
- Policy Analysis 
- Public governance 
- Sustainability 
- Information Society
Some of her publications include Improvement of Ways of Human Capital Development as a Factor of Increase Mobilization Potential of Ukraine: Monograph, Management in the sphere of education and science to ensure the sustainable development of the state and regions. She has over 50 scientific publications and co-authors, 11 collective publications and 14 articles.

Iurii Perga

Education: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, postgraduate study of National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" Wroclaw University Candidate of Historical Sciences and internship with the University of Warsaw, Bergen-Belsen Memorial, and Vytautas Magnus University.
Interests: Ukrainian-Polish relations in the first half of the twentieth century; history of ICT development in the EU
Publications: author of 20+ scientific publications

Philip Shetler-Jones

Education: University of Sheffield, UK National Institute of Japanese studies, PhD

Career: various positions at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) , Chatham House, World Economic Forum (WEF) , OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, Ukraine, EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) Georgia, UK Stabilisation Unit, ASEAN Regional Forum, NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE), European External Action Service (EEAS), United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations,  United Nations Mission in Sudan, UNPROFOR, IFOR.

DongJoon PARK

Dr. DongJoon Park is a Research Fellow at the Jeju Peace Institute (JPI). He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the department of Government at Georgetown University in 2020, and his research focuses on the role of reputations in international relations, alliance politics, and, more broadly, the impact of perceptions on crisis decision-making. His previous roles/positions include, POSCO Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center (2023), Research Professor at the Peace and Democracy Institute (PDI) at Korea University (2023), Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS) at George Washington University (2020-2021), and James A. Kelly Korea Research Fellow in residence at Pacific Forum (2011-2012).

Atsushi OGUSHI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science
Specialised in Humanities and Sociology / Political Science / Politics of former Soviet states, particularly Russia.

Tsuyoshi GOROKU

Associate Professor, Faculty of International Politics and Economics, Department of International Politics and Economics, Nishogakusha University
Specialised in the history of US-European relations and European security.

Assistant Professor at Keio University Graduate School of Law (research fellowship), researcher at EU Studies Institute in Tokyo (EUSI) (stay in Ukraine), part-time lecturer at the Maritime Self-Defence Force Staff College, before becoming a full-time lecturer at the Faculty of International Politics and Economics, Nishimatsu Gakusha University (2017-2022), current position from April 2022. . He is also a visiting researcher at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) (2017-) and a research member of the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (2017-). 

Takeyuki HASEGAWA

PhD in Historical Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University. 
After working as a JSPS Research Fellow PD, he has been in his current position since 2018.
Specialises in contemporary Russian politics and diplomacy.

Michitaka HATTORI

Professor of Laboratory of Slavic-Eurasian Studies, Hokkaido University
Specialises in the economic and political situation in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the former Soviet Union.
After working as an expert researcher at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Belarus and as the director of the Russian NIS Trade Association and the Russian NIS Institute, he has been in his current position since October 2022.

Yukiko HAMA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Relations, University of Shizuoka
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Tsuda College; Research Fellow, Institute of International Relations, Tsuda College; Visiting Fellow, Davis Centre, Harvard University; Research Fellow, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University before assuming her current position in 2019.

Areas of expertise.
International politics, history of international relations, Russian area studies

Main research themes
Russia's Eurasian identity
The phenomenon of geopolitical 'resurgence' in emerging economies
Cultural Cold War theory

Hideya MATSUZAKI

Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts Department of International and Cultural Studies, Tsuda College

Hiroshi YAMAZOE

Head of America, Europe, and Russia Division, Regional Studies Department, National Institute for Defense Studies
Specialised in politics and security in Russia and the former Soviet Union regions.

Kyoko KUWAHARA

Research Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs
Formerly a researcher at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Security Projects Group, Foreign Affairs Officer at the Office of the Strategic External Dissemination Centre, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a researcher at the Future Engineering Research Institute. He specialises in international public policy, public diplomacy, strategic communications, disinformation campaigns, media studies and soft power.

Ryo NAKAI

Associate Professor, Department of Policy Studies, The University of Kitakyushu
Specialised in comparative politics (party politics and elections, nationalism and ethnic issues).
Obtained PhD in 2012. He worked as an assistant at Waseda University, a JSPS Research Fellow and an assistant professor at Rikkyo University before assuming his current position.

Ariel STENEK

政策研究大学院大学(GRIPS)グローバルガバナンスプログラム博士課程在学。アジア太平洋安全保障研究センターインターン、パシフィックフォーラムヤングリーダーズプログラムディレクターを歴任。ロンドン大学クイーンメアリー校で国際関係学修士を取得。専門は海洋安全保障、日米関係、インド太平洋安全保障。

Naoko AOKI

Naoko Aoki is an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. She has worked on a variety of security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japanese foreign and security policies, American alliances in Asia, the North Korean nuclear problem, nuclear dynamics in the region as well as policies regarding emerging technologies. 

Prior to joining RAND, Aoki was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Her professional experience includes a nuclear security fellowship at the House of Representatives. She was also a 2018–2019 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow and an adjunct political scientist at RAND. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), American University, University of Maryland, and University of Southern California’s Washington DC program.

She was formerly a journalist with Japan’s Kyodo News, reporting on the Japanese government from Tokyo before serving as a Beijing correspondent. She has visited North Korea 18 times on reporting trips. She holds a Ph.D. in policy studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, an M.A. in international relations and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, and a B.A. in English from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. 

Research interests: Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, East Asia Nuclear security, nuclear deterrence, arms control, U.S. alliances, security cooperation, emerging technology policy, diplomacy, politics and government

Eunjung LIM

Eunjung Lim is an Associate Professor at Division of International Studies, Kongju National University (KNU). She served as Vice President for International Affairs, Dean of Institute of Korean Education and Culture, and Dean of Institute of International Language Education at the same university.

Her areas of specialization include international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, comparative and global governance, and energy, nuclear, and climate change policies of East Asian countries. Since 2018, she has served as a board member of Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC), and currently serves as a member of Policy Advisory Committee for Ministry of Unification. She is also the chair of Japan Studies Committee of The Korean Association of International Studies.

Before joining the KNU faculty, Dr. Lim served as an Assistant Professor at College of International Studies, Ritsumeikan University, in Kyoto, Japan. She also taught at several universities in the United States and Korea, including Johns Hopkins University, Yonsei University, and Korea University. She has been a researcher and a visiting fellow at academic institutes including the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Japanese Studies at Seoul National University, the Institute of Japan Studies at Kookmin University, and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

She earned a B.A. from the University of Tokyo, an M.I.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Research interests: international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, comparative and global governance, energy security, resource security, nuclear policies, fuel cycle policies, climate change policies

Masafumi ASADA

Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Iwate University
International politics between the USSR and East Asia. 

Daisuke HARADA

Project Director, Research and Analysis Department, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC)
Diplomacy and security, international, nuclear and energy

Go MATSUO

Managing Director, Energy Economics and Society Research Institute LLC

After participating in student entrepreneurship, he joined ELEX Corporation in 2012. He worked in the Sales Department and Corporate Planning Department, where he was in charge of building the agency system, responding to the simultaneous equivalence of planned values in 2016, VPP business research and system liaison. After working for ABeam Consulting Ltd, where he was in charge of research and business support for domestic and international power markets and systems, he joined DeNA Co. in 2019. He continued to be in charge of research on domestic and international electricity markets and systems, and was also involved in the development of distributed power supply projects.He has been in his current position since March 2021.He is a member of CIGRE, a regular member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, a member of the Public Utilities Society and the Energy and Resources Society.

Fumiaki INAGAKI

Fumiaki INAGAKI is a Professor at the Graduate School of International Resource Sciences, Akita University. 
His research interests are International Relations and Resource Policy in Eurasia, mainly Central Asia. Since 2021, he has been a principal investigator of JICA/JST SATREPS, “The Project for the Development of Decarbonized Heat Energy Supply System using Ground Heat Source.” He is also a co-editor of Resource Geopolitics (in Japanese). Moreover, he has published articles on Central Asian Politics from the perspectives of geopolitics, nation-building process, and water conflict after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He co-authors the articles related to Ground Heat Source Pump technology. 

Shoichi ITOH

Shoichi Itoh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), Adjunct Fellow (non-resident) at the Japan Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Associated Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP) in Stockholm. Previously, he was Visiting Professor at the Slavic-Eurasia Research Center of Hokkaido University in 2018-2020 and held visiting fellowships at the Russia and the Eurasia Program at CSIS in 2010, at the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in 2009 and at the Center for East Asian Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2006. He also served as political and economic attaché at the Consulate General of Japan in Khabarovsk in 2000-2003.
 
He has widely published on the geopolitics of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific as well as the U.S.-Japan Alliance. Among numerous publications, his recent works include “Japan’s Russia Policy at a Crossroads: New Phase for Geopolitics of Energy” in P. J. Saunders & J. S. Van Oudenaren (eds.), Change and Continuity in Japan-Russia Relations: Implications for the United States (The Center for the National Interest, 2019); “Japan’s Opaque Energy Policy toward Russia: Is Abe Being Trumped by Putin?”, in The Emerging Russia-Asia Energy Nexus (National Bureau of Asian Research Special Report #74, 2018); “Sino-Russian Energy Relations in Northeast Asia and Beyond: Oil, Natural Gas, and Nuclear Power” in Japan and the Sino-Russian Entente: The Future of Major-Power Relations in Northeast Asia (NBR Special Report #64, 2017); “The energy factor in Russia’s ‘Asia pivot’” (co-authored with A. Kuchins), in M. M. Mochizuki & D. M. Ollapally (eds.), Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia(Routledge, 2017); “Sino-Japanese competition over Russian oil” in Robert Bedeski & Niklas Swanström (eds.), Eurasia’s Ascent in Energy and Geopolitics Rivalry or partnership for China, Russia and Central Asia? (Routledge, 2012); Russia Looks East: Energy Markets and Geopolitics in Northeast Asia (CSIS, 2011).

Mihoko KATO

Mihoko KATO is a Lecturer at Hiroshima Peace Institute, Hiroshima City University. 

Areas of Expertise
International Relations, International Politics in Northeast Asia, Russian Foreign and Security Policy
 
Research themes 
1)    The restoration and strengthening of Russia’s bilateral relations with former Soviet friends/allies such as China, India, Vietnam, and North Korea in terms of shaping a new Eurasian international order.
2)    The development and changes in Russian-North Korean relation since 2000 and their impact on Northeast Asia.
3)    The development of dialogue mechanisms and strategic partnership between Russia and ASEAN.
4) The change in the interpretation of state sovereignty norms over the past twenty years and its use in Russia’s foreign policy.
 
Publications
Mihoko Kato, “Competing Sovereignty Regimes within Northeast Asia” In Geo-Politics in Northeast Asia, edited by Akihiro Iwashita, Yong-Chool Ha, and Edward Boyle, 157-170. London: Routledge, 2022.
Mihoko Kato. "Competing sovereignties: increasing tensions over maritime border in Northeast Asia," Pathways to Peace and Security 58, no. 1 (2020): 63-77.
Mihoko Kato. "Sinocentrism in Russia's Reorientation to the East: Re-examining Russian Foreign Policy under the Third Putin Administration (2012-2018)." Chung-Ang Saron (Journal of Chung-Ang Historical Studies), no. 49 (2019): 115-154.
Михоко Като, "Особенность и задачи развития Росийско-Вьетнамского стратегического партнерства (2000 – 2014 гг.)," Вьетнамские исследования [Vietnamese Studies], no. 5 (2015): 55-72.
Mihoko Kato, "Japan and Russia at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: -New Dimension to Maritime Security Surrounding the 'Kuril Islands'." UNISCI Discussion Papers, no. 32 (2013): 205-213.
Mihoko Kato. "Russia’s Multilateral Diplomacy in the Process of Asia Pacific Regional Integration: The Significance of ASEAN for Russia." In Eager Eyes Fixed on Slavic Eurasia Vol. 2, edited by Akihiro Iwashita, 125-151. 2007.
 

Ryota SAITO

Ryota SAITO is an Assistant Researcher at Institute for Russia & NIS Economic Studies.
 
His research interests include Contemporary Central Asian Studies, especially International Relations, Security studies and Development. 
 
He has published articles on Water Security issues in Central Asia, Water Resource management in Uzbekistan, and Central Asia-Afghanistan relations in the post- soviet period.

Yuan ZHOU

Yuan ZHOU is a Research Associate at Graduate School of Law, Kobe University. He specializes in international relations and political communication, focusing on China. His work has been published or is forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Chinese Political Science, Social Science Computer Review, Asian Journal of Communication, Journal of Human Rights, among others. He holds a PhD in political science from Kobe University. 

Mirzosaid SULTONOV

Mirzosaid Sultonov is a full-time professor at the Faculty of Global and Regional Studies at Toyo University. His research interests focus on macroeconomic and financial issues concerning Eurasian countries, with a particular emphasis on Central Asian nations.

Maria TANAKA

Maria Tanaka is a Specially-appointed Assistant Professor at Akita University Graduate School of International Resource Sciences. Her research interests focus on China’s foreign policy, China - Central Asia relations and IR theory. Her recent publications include “Greening the Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbekistan’s Renewable Energy Sector” (Conference Proceedings: The Twelfth International Convention of Asia Scholars, 2022); “China’s Security Engagement with Greater Central Asia (GCA): The Case of Afghanistan” (co-authored; Roles Review, 2022); and “Debating and Implementing Epidemic Prevention in China: Ancient and Modern Perspectives” (Shizen to Jitsugaku, vol. 8, 2023).

Mitsuko WATANABE

Mitsuko Watanabe is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Understanding, Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University.

She specialises in the geography and area studies of Asia. She is co-editor of Toward a Sustainable Society in Central Eurasia: An Historical Perspective on the Future. Her research interests include changes in resource use and community transformation due to agricultural and social development, and she conducts research from a multi-scale perspective.

Fedorchenko-Kutuyev Pavlo

Education: Habilitation (Doctor of Sciences) in Sociology, Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University (2005), Master of Public Administration, Institute of Public Administration and Local Government, Cabinet of Ministers, Ukraine, with a major in Law and Politics (1995), Kandydat Nauk (Ph.D.) in Sociology, Institute of Sociology at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1994), Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, Kyiv State University of Economics (1993-1994), Diploma of Higher Education (MA) in Sociology with the highest distinction (summa cum laude), Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University (1993).
Career: Professor of Sociology, Sociology Department Chair, and Visiting Scholar at esteemed institutions in Ukraine and abroad. His career highlights include: Professor of Sociology and Sociology Department Chair, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (2013-Present), Visiting Scholar at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University (USA), University of Tokyo (Japan), St. John's College (Oxford University, UK), and others. Deputy Editor-in-Chief of KPI Journal of Sociology, Political Science, and Law (2013-Present), Executive Director of the Center for Comparative Politics, a Ukrainian non-governmental think tank (1993-1999).
Areas of Specialties: History of Sociology, Historical Sociology, Contemporary sociological theory, Sociology of development and modernization, Political Sociology, Conflict Resolution
Some publications: he has published some teaching manuals and 75 textbooks and articles.

Anna Mykolayivna Ishchenko

Education: obtained a Bachelor's degree at the National Technical University of Ukraine, Faculty of Sociology—postgraduate study in philosophy of education at National Technical University of Ukraine, faculty of sociology and law. Anna Mykolayivna Ischenko has a strong sociology background and extensive field experience, including a diverse range of research interests and practical activities. Her work in applied sociology, human capital development, and education philosophy demonstrates her commitment to contributing to the field of sociology and society at large.
Education: Bachelor's degree National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (Kyiv), Faculty of Sociology Specialty "Sociology."
Career: has had an internship at Masaryk University Training Week (MUST Week) under the Erasmus+ program, Scientific and Practical Seminar: "Qualitative Methods in Sociological Research" (Higher School of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) and currently the Director of the Scientific Research Center of Applied Sociology "Sotsioplus", 
Field of Scientific Interests:
Applied Sociology
Factors of Formation and Development of Human Capital
Philosophy of Education
Expert Research Methods
Publications: Some of her publications include: "Formation of a Positive Image of a Female Manager in the Civil Service" (co-authored with A. A. Melnychenko, O. A. Akimova, and others) - Published by the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union.
"Foresight of the Development of the Defense-Industrial Complex of Ukraine in the Time Horizon of 2021–2030" (as the Scientific Project Manager) - Published by the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" and many other titles.

Atsuko HIGASHINO

Professor, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences
Specialised in international relations theory, European international politics, EU Eastern enlargement and external relations.

Yoshihiko Okabe

Education: Doctor of Philosophy in History Chubu University2021/09/30
Doctor of Philosophy in Economics Kobe Gakuin University2015/03
Research Areas: Humanities & Social Sciences Economic history Ukrainian Studies
Humanities & Social Sciences Historical studies in general
Research Interests
General studies of Ukraine
Ukraine Political economy of Ukraine
Ukrainian diaspora in Manchuria Harbin 

【Adjunct Menber】Yoshihiko OKABE

Education: Doctor of Philosophy in History Chubu University2021/09/30
Doctor of Philosophy in Economics Kobe Gakuin University2015/03
Research Areas: Humanities & Social Sciences Economic history Ukrainian Studies
Humanities & Social Sciences Historical studies in general
Research Interests
General studies of Ukraine
Ukraine Political economy of Ukraine
Ukrainian diaspora in Manchuria Harbin 

【Adjunct Member】Michito TSURUOKA

Education: Keio University Faculty of Law, Georgetown University's graduate school and Georgetown University's graduate school, PhD in War Studies, King's College London
Areas of Expertise: International security, European politics, NATO; European integration, European politics, international security, NATO, the EU, nuclear policy, extended deterrence, and defence diplomacy. 
Career: Specialist researcher at the Japanese Embassy in Belgium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in charge of NATO, researcher at the GMF (German et al.), Instructor at the National Institute for Defense Studies at the Ministry of Defense from 2009 to 2017, multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific International Policy Division of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Defense (Defense Department), in charge of, particularly ADMM Plus (Expanded ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, visiting researcher at RUSI (Royal Institute for Defense and Security Studies). Concurrently serves as a senior researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

Ikeuchi Lab.

Satoshi IKEUCHI

Professor

Satoshi Ikeuchi is Professor of the Division of Religion and Global Security at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo. He is the founding head of the RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES).

For the year 2022-2023, he is Senior Visiting Scholar in Residence at the Moshe Dayan Center (MDC) for Middle Eastern and African Studies of Tel Aviv University.

He is a scholar on Islamic political thought and the Middle East politics. As a leading public intellectual in Japan, he has been vigorously publishing on the Middle East and Islamic affairs.

His first publication based on his doctoral studies, Gendai Arabu-no Shakai Shiso: Shumatsuron-to Isramu-shugi (Contemporary Arab Social Thought: Eschatology and Islamism), was published in 2002 and earned Osaragi Jiro Prize for Critical Works. He also earned Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2009 for his book Islamu Sekai-no Ronjikata (Methods of Discussing Islam).

His book on the Islamic State Isulamu Koku no Shogeki (The Impact of the Islamic State) published in January 2015 was a nation-wide best seller in Japan and awarded Mainichi Publishing Cultural Prize. His recent publication includes Saikusu Piko Kyotei: Hyakunen no Jubaku (Sykes-Picot Agreement: One Hundred Years of Obsession) in 2016 and Shiiaha to Sunniha (Shite and Sunnite) in 2018 both published from Shinchosha. He is the recipient of the 12th Nakasone Yasuhiro Prize in 2016 for his academic works and social engagements.

His collection of literary essays and book reviews Shomotsu not Unmei (The Fate of Books) published in 2006 and earned Mainichi Book Review Award for the year.

He was a visiting professor at the Alexandria University 2007-2008, Japan Scholar chair visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2009 and Visiting Fellow at the Clare Hall, University of Cambridge in 2010. 

He specializes in Middle East politics and Arab-Islamic Thought, particularly on global Jihadism and its implications for international security.

Yu KOIZUMI

Associate Professor

Areas of Expertise:
Russian Military Thought
Russian National Security Policy
Politics and International Relations of the Former Soviet Republics
Defence Tecunologies

Previously, Yu has held various positions, including Assistant Analyst at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Research Fellow at Institute for Future Engineering (IFENG), Research Fellow at the National Diet Library, and also a visiting researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAN).

His publication in Japanese includes (in English translation titles): Whither Russian Military?, 2011; Putin's National Strategy: "Major Power" Russia at a Crossroads, 2016; Russia as a Military Power: New Global Strategy and Principles of Behavior, 2016. 

His book "Teikoku" Roshia no Chiseigaku (Geopolitics of Russian "Empire") published in 2019 was awarded Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities in that year.

His latest book is Gendai Russia no Gunji Shiso (Military Thought in Contemporary Russia) published in 2021.

Yu has presented and published extensively on national security policies and strategies of Russia and the former Soviet republics, as well as defense technologies.

Yu holds a BA in Social Sciences and a MA in Political Science from Waseda University.

日本

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor/Project Research Associate

His areas of specializations are Asian Politics and International Relations, Strategy and Defense, Transport Security

Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Chair)
Sub-Working Group 1 on Satellite Imagery Analysis Project
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Chair)

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI is a Project Assistant Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo; Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Indo-Pacific Security Initiative; and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Pacific Forum. Ryo has presented, published, and consulted on a variety of topics relating to defense and security, and transport governance in the Indo-Pacific. Ryo previously served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (reserve) and also held positions at the Pusan National University, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, FM Bird Entertainment Agency, International Crisis Group Seoul Office, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Embassy of Japan in Australia, and the Japan Foundation Sydney Language Centre. Ryo received his PhD from the University of New South Wales, MA in Strategic and Defense Studies and BA in Security Analysis from the Australian National University and was also a Korea Foundation Language Training Fellow.

Twitter: @tigerrhy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tigerrhy/
Blog (Japanese): https://note.com/tigerrhy/

Norito KUNISUE

Project Professor, RCAST, University of Tokyo

Wakako ITO, Ph.D.

Senior Program Coordinator

Kazumasa HAYAMARU, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor/Project Research Associate of RCAST, the University of Tokyo

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA, Ph.D.

Project Assistant Professor of RCAST, the University of Tokyo
Russian politics, historical awareness, nationalism
After working as a part-time lecturer at Chikushi Jogakuen University, Kitakyushu City University and Nagasaki Prefectural University, he became a specially-appointed assistant professor at Hokkaido University's Organisation for International Cooperation before assuming his current position.

Takuya MATSUDA, Ph.D.

Project Researcher
Takuya Matsuda is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo working on international security affairs. His research focuses primarily on alliance politics, great power relations, international relations theory, and U.S. grand strategy. Takuya was formerly a visiting scholar at the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at George Washington University and a Hans J. Morgenthau Fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center. His work on international security affairs has been published both in scholarly and policy outlets such as the Australian Journal of International Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, War on the Rocks, Foreign Policy, and the Diplomat. Takuya holds a Ph.D. from the War Studies Department at King’s College London, a M.A. from Johns Hopkin University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and B.A, from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. 

Twitter: @takuyamatsuda1

Amane TANAKA

Project Researcher

Amane TANAKA is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo.

His research interests include Contemporary Chinese Politics and China-Central Asia relations. He is a co-editor of Changing Politics and Social Groups in China: The Challenges of Transition (2013, in Japanese) and Chinese Muslims Area Studies (2012, in Japanese). In addition, he has published articles on China-Central Asia relations through the lens of the security-development nexus, China’s state-building processes under the CCP rule, and regional autonomy in Xinjiang in the 1950s.

Ichiro KAJI, Ph.D.

Project Researcher

Ichiro Kaji is a Project Researcher of Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo.
His research focuses on the provisions of the Japan-US Security Treaty, especially Article X which defines the duration of the treaty. He is currently building an online database of historical records of Japan-US relations on ROLES website.
He obtained his Ph.D. in Law and Politics from Osaka University in 2021. He was a Specially Appointed Fellow at Center for the Study of Co*Design, Osaka University(2018-2021).

Koji YAMASHIRO, Ph.D.

Project Researcher

Yukie TATTA

Project Researcher

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives (Coordinator)
Israel Week @ UTokyo Komaba Research Campus
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Coordinator)
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Coordinator)

Yuma TANAKA

Project Researcher

Yuma Tanaka is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology’s Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies (ROLES), the University of Tokyo. Before joining ROLES, Yuma was an Attaché for the Political Section at the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine. He was also previously a Project Officer for the East/Central Asia and Caucasus Department at Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He also worked as an Attaché for the Economy and Economic Cooperation Section at the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan through 2017 to 2020. Yuma holds a M.A. from the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanity and Sociology, and a B.A. from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Ryoya ISHIMOTO, Ph.D.

Project Researcher
Ryoya ISHIMOTO is a Project Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo.
His research interests are International Relations, especially American diplomatic history, international security, and the history of U.S.-Japan security relations. 
He holds a Ph.D. from Doshisha University, Japan.

Nozomi KANO

Co-operative Research Fellow

Kohei TOYODA

Co-operative Research Fellow

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives
Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security (Assistant Coordinator)
Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises (Assistant Coordinator)

Twitter: @toyodadesuyo

Guibourg Delamotte

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Professor of Political Science at the French Institute of Oriental Studies (Inalco)

Areas of Expertise:
Security and International Relations in Asia
Japanese Foreign and Defense Policies
Japanese Internal Politics and Political System

Guibourg was a Visiting Associate Professor at the Tokyo College of the University of Tokyo, from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Her in-person stay in Tokyo was from July to August 2022 and she gave an intensive lecture course at the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) of the University of Tokyo in early August.

Guibourg was Visiting Fellow of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo during her visit to Tokyo and participated in research activities and education at the Division of Religion and Global Security of RCAST and in particular ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies). 

In 2023, now a Full Professor at Inalco, she is invited as Visiting Senior Research Fellow of RCAST and Associate Research Fellow of Tokyo College.

Her latest books are:
Le Japon, un leader discret - Eyrolles, 2023.
La Democratie au Japon, singuliere et universelle - ENS Ed. 2022.
The Abe Legacy. How Japan has been shaped by Abe Shinzo (coed. J. Brown, R. Dujarric) - Lexington, 2021.
Geopolitique et geoeconomie du monde contemporain. Puissance et conflits (coed. C. Tellenne) - La Decouverte, 2021.

Toshiya TSUJITA

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Co* Design, Osaka University

Dr. Toshiya Tsujita is Associate Professor,  Center for the Study of Co* Design, Osaka University, concurrently a Visiting Senior Fellow at RCAST. 

He was a Project Research Associate/Adjunct Assistant Professor at the RCAST of the University of Tokyo from 2021-2022, working for ROLES, particularly on projects regarding Israel and the international security in the Middle East. 

Christopher LAMONT

Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Assistant Dean of E-Track Programs and Professor, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University

Christopher Lamont is Assistant Dean of E-Track Programs and Professor of International Relations. Previously, he held a tenured position at the University of Groningen, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ulster. He was also previously a Fulbright scholar at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. He holds a PhD from the University of Glasgow and has published widely on human rights and transitional justice. His recent publications have appeared in the Journal of Democracy, the International Journal of Human Rights, Global Policy, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, and Human Rights Review. He also co-edited, New Crifical Spaces in Transitional Justice (with Arnaud Kurze, Indiana University Press, 2019) and is the author of two research methods textbooks, Research Methods in International Relations (Sage 2015, second edition 2021), and Research Methods in Politics and International Relations (with Mieczyslaw Boduszyński, Sage 2020). In addition to his scholarly work, his writings have also appeared in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage.

JHOU Jyun-Yu

Alumni- Former Project Researcher

Assitant Professer at the National Chengchi University of Taiwan
Project Researcher of RCAST of the University of Tokyo (October 2020-June 2021) 

Shaun Ketch

Co-operative Research Fellow

15+ years of international government, military, and industry consulting experience, with engagement experience in defense and national security policy analysis, anti-money laundering and economic sanctions compliance, cybersecurity resilience and strategy, emergency management, international development programming design, political and economic risk analysis, and speechwriting and communications. Master’s degrees in Public Policy from The University of Tokyo, and in Public Administration from Columbia University in the City of New York. Ph.D. in International Public Policy from The University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, with a research focus on international security and economic statecraft.

Hideaki SHINODA

Education: PhD in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of London, UK (1998), MA in Political Science, Waseda University, Japan (1993), BA, Waseda University, Japan (1991). 
Professional Positions) After working as a part-time teacher at LSE and Keele University, he took a research fellow position at the Institute for Peace Science of Hiroshima University, where he became Associate Professor. Then, he took the current position at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 2013. He has been a visiting scholar at the Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, Cambridge University (2000) and at the Center for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University (2002). He was Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court (2017).
Publications) He is the author of many books and articles including Partnership Peace Operations: UN and Regional Organizations in Multiple Layers of International Security (Routledge, 2024). He has received academic awards including Osaragi Jiro Rondan Award of Asahi Newspaper (2003), Suntory Academic Award (2012), Yomiuri Yoshino Sakuzo Award of Yomiuri Newspaper (2017).

Tomonori YOSHIZAKI

He was Vice President for Academic Affairs of Japan MoD’s National Institute for Defence Studies (NIDS). At NIDS, He was Director of Policy Simulation (2015-22), and Director of Security Studies Department (2011-2015) at NIDS.  He has been regularly attending NATO Defence College Conference of Commandants (COC), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meeting of Head of National Defense Universities/Colleges/Institutions. He is currently a visiting professor/lecture at Self-Defence Forces Staff Colleges, Tokyo University for Foreign Studies, and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). Previously, he was an assistant director of Office of Strategic Studies of MoD, a visiting scholar at Kings College London, and Hudson Institute; His areas of expertise include alliance management, European security and NATO, Japan’s security policy and peace operations.

Project Members

Maki AOKI

Deputy-Director, Southeast Asian Studies Group I, Area Studies Center, Japan External Trade Organization, Institute of Developing Economies

Tetsuo KOTANI

Professor, Faculty of Language and Cultures, Meikai University; Senior Researcher, The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Keikichi TAKAHASHI

Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University

Jun SAITO

Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Shin KAWASHIMA

Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Satoru MIYAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Political Science & Economics, Seigakuin University
Visiting Fellow, RCAST, University of Tokyo

Jun HONNA

Professor, Ritsumeikan University

Yasuhiro MATSUDA

Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo

Takashi OKAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Prefectural University

Takashi SUZUKI

Associate Professor, School of Foreign Studies, Department of Chinese Studies, Aichi Prefectural University

Shinji YAMAGUCHI

Shinji YAMAGUCHI is a Senior Research Fellow in the Regional Studies Department of the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Ministry of Defense, Japan, located in Tokyo, and was a Visiting Scholar at Sigur Center for Asian Studies of George Washington University. He specializes in Chinese politics, China’s security policy, and contemporary Chinese history. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Keio University. His publications include “Strategies of China’s Maritime Actors in the South China Sea: A Coordinated Plan under the Leadership of Xi Jinping?” China Perspective, 2016 No.3, (October 2016), pp.23-31; Mou Takuto no Kyokoku ka Senryaku (Mao’s Grand Strategy to Build Strong Country) (Keio University Press, 2021, winner of the 34th Mainichi Shimbun Asia Pacific Grand Prix Award). He is a co-author of the NIDS China Security Report 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023.

Kohei IMAI

Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Masaki KAKIZAKI

Senior Associate Professor, Temple University Japan Campus

Dai YAMAO

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies Department, Kyushu University

Ayame SUZUKI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Doshisya University

Tatsuya KIKUCHI

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo

Shang-Su WU

Assistant Professor and Research Coordinator, Homeland Security Programme, Rabdan Academy

Shang-Su Wu is an assistant professor and research coordinator at the Homeland Security Program, the Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He was a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Wu has a PhD from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is the author of The Defence Capabilities of Small States: Singapore and Taiwan’s Responses to Strategic Desperation (London: Palgrave, 2016). Wu’s articles, commentaries and op-eds have been published in Asian Survey, Contemporary Southeast Asia, the Pacific Review, Defence Studies, Naval War College Review, and Asia Policy, among others.

Research interests: cross-strait relations, military security in Southeast Asia, railways of international relations

Saho MATSUMOTO

Professor, College of International Relations, Nihon University

Amane KOBAYASHI

Former Senior Researcher, JIME Center, The Institute of Energy
Economics, Japan (IEEJ)

Koji MURATA

Professor, Faculty of Law Department of Political Science, Doshisya University

【Adjunct Menber】Atsuko HIGASHINO

Education: University of Birmingham Department of Political Science and International Studies, Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Birmingham
Career: Specialist researcher at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the OECD, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Full-time lecturer, Faculty of Politics and International Relations, University of Birmingham (fixed term) Lecturer, Faculty of International Studies, Hiroshima City University, Associate Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Hiroshima City University, (current) University of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of International Public Policy
Interests: International Relations and Politics
Publications: Europe in decline due to the Ukraine War Foreword,  Current status and prospects of the war in Ukraine, Hiroshima and Peace and many more books and articles.

Hiroki SUGITA

Senior Staff Writer, Kyodo News

Kazuhiro TAKII

Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies

Yoshihiro NAKANISHI

Associate Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Satoshi MACHIDORI

Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University

Toshihiro NAKAYAMA

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Yoshiyuki KOJIMA

Part-time Lecturer, Tezukayama University, Bukkyo University, Aichi Prefectural University

Hitoshi SUZUKI

Chief Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Michito TSURUOKA

Education: Keio University Faculty of Law, Georgetown University's graduate school and Georgetown University's graduate school, PhD in War Studies, King's College London
Areas of Expertise: International security, European politics, NATO; European integration, European politics, international security, NATO, the EU, nuclear policy, extended deterrence, and defence diplomacy. 
Career: Specialist researcher at the Japanese Embassy in Belgium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in charge of NATO, researcher at the GMF (German et al.), Instructor at the National Institute for Defense Studies at the Ministry of Defense from 2009 to 2017, multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific International Policy Division of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Defense (Defense Department), in charge of, particularly ADMM Plus (Expanded ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, visiting researcher at RUSI (Royal Institute for Defense and Security Studies). Concurrently serves as a senior researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

Wataru KUSAKA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University

Yoko HIROSE

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Katsumi HIRANO

Chief Senior Researcher, Inter-disciplinary Studies Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization

Kyohei NORIMATSU

Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Masaaki OKAMOTO

Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Kazuto SUZUKI

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo
From 2000 to 2008, he worked as an associate professor at the School of International and Comprehensive Studies, University of Tsukuba. From 2008, he was an associate professor at Hokkaido University's School of Public Policy before being appointed professor in 2011. 2012-2013: visiting fellow at Princeton University's Institute of International and Area Studies; from 2013-2015: member of the UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Iran Sanctions; from 2020: current position. Participated in the Panel of Experts; in his current position since 2020.

Ryo SAHASHI

Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo
After working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University and as a specially-appointed assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, he was appointed associate professor (later professor) at the Faculty of Law, Kanagawa University in 2010; in 2014 he was appointed visiting associate professor at the Asia-Pacific Research Centre, Stanford University; from 2019 he is in his current position. Member of the Council for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Specialises in international politics, particularly US-Japan-China relations and international order.

Keiko IIZUKA

Editorial Writer, The Yomiuri Shimbun
As a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter, she served as a cap at the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Club, stationed in Naha, international director, US general bureau chief, London correspondent and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in the US.

Yukimi IKEDA

Associate Political Affairs Officer, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
After working in the Defence Policy Bureau, Defence Policy Division, International Policy Division and Japan-US Defence Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence (2010-2015) and a secondment to the Non-Proliferation, Science and Nuclear Energy Division, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department, General Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2015), she worked at the independent think tank Asia Pacific Initiative in the security field as as a research fellow in the field of security at the Asia-Pacific Initiative, an independent think tank. She then received a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Georgetown University School of Diplomacy in the USA (2017-2019), during which time she worked at the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs (2018) In April 2020, she became a researcher at the Future Engineering Institute; from April 2021, she holds her current position. She specialises in security theory, international relations, science, technology and security, disarmament and non-proliferation.

Masaki IENAGA

Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo Woman's Christian University

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Institute for International Collaboration, Hokkaido University

Collin KOH Swee Lean

Collin Koh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies which is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has research interests on naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on Southeast Asia. Collin has published several op-eds, policy- and academic journal articles as well as chapters for edited volumes covering his research areas. He has also taught at Singapore Armed Forces professional military education and training courses. Besides research and teaching, Collin also contributes his perspectives to various local and international media outlets and participates in activities with geopolitical risks consultancies.

Koichiro KOMIYAMA

Visiting Scholar, Keio University Global Research Institute
He specialises in cybersecurity and global governance, and has worked for the JPCERT Coordination Centre since 2006 in international incident response and coordination. PhD (Policy and Media) 

Mitsutoyo MATSUMOTO

Professor, Faculty for the Study of Contemporary Society Department for the Study of Contemporary Society, Kyoto Women's University
In 2001, she was appointed assistant professor at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University; in 2002, she was also a visiting researcher at the National Development Research Institute, National Taiwan University; in 2003, she was appointed assistant professor at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies; in addition, she was a visiting researcher at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; in 2007, she became associate professor at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies. In 2010, she was appointed Associate Professor at the Faculty of International Studies, Tenri University, and in 2014, Professor at the same Faculty. She specialises in comparative politics, contemporary Taiwanese politics, Sino-Taiwanese relations and East Asian political economy.

Jiro NAKAI

Part-time Lecturer, Ryukoku University
After working as a part-time lecturer at Ryukoku University, he has been a full-time lecturer at the Department of International Tourism, Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University since April 2023.

His speciality is sociology of tourism. Based on research on religion and tourism, creation of traditions and nationalism/globalisation, etc., he studies the symbiosis between tourism and local communities and the conversion of local culture and cultural heritage into tourism resources through tourism pollution and over tourism issues, mainly in Kyoto.

Masakazu TAKAMORI

The President and CEO, Dafna Co. Ltd.
After finishing his career as a professional rugby player, he joined Dentsu Inc. For more than 10 years, he was in charge of all aspects of communications in the information and communications and retail industries. From 2011 to 2014, he also participated in the launch of a public interest foundation established to support reconstruction following the Great East Japan Earthquake, planning and promoting reconstruction assistance projects in Fukushima From 2017, he was appointed project manager responsible for developing services utilising cutting-edge technology. In 2021, he was appointed to his current position.

Kazuya SAKAMOTO

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University

Akifumi IKEDA

Visiting Researcher, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo/President, Toyo Eiwa University

Noboru IWASE

Energy Analyst; Representative Manager, Friday Forum 

Akiko YOSHIOKA

Chief Researcher, JIME Center, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan

Jeffrey ORDANIEL

Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel is a non-resident Senior Adjunct Fellow and Director for Maritime Security at the Pacific Forum. Concurrently, he is also an Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Tokyo International University (TIU) in Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and specializes in the study of offshore territorial and maritime entitlement disputes in Asia. His teaching and research revolve around maritime security and ocean governance, ASEAN regionalism, and broadly, U.S. alliances and engagements in the Indo-Pacific. 

From 2016 to 2019, he was based in Honolulu and was the holder of the endowed Admiral Joe Vasey Fellowship at the Pacific Forum. Since 2019, Dr. Ordaniel has been convening several maritime security-related working groups and track 2 dialogues aiming to generate sound, pragmatic, and actionable policy prescriptions for the region. His current research on maritime security in Asia is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2020-2024.

Research interests: Maritime Security, US-Philippine Alliance, Southeast Asian International Relations

Asyura SALLEH

Asyura Salleh is the Co-Founder of the Global Awareness & Impact Alliance (GAIA). She is also an Adjunct Non-Resident Vasey Research Fellow for the Pacific Forum, and the Special Advisor on Maritime Security for the Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Affairs (YCAPS). Her policy experience lies in her work for the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Program, Stable Seas, and Brunei Prime Minister's Office. Asyura has a research interest in maritime security in the Asia Pacific, with a focus on transnational maritime crime and maritime governance. Asyura gained a Masters in War Studies from King’s College London and earned a doctorate in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Singapore.

Aiko SHIMIZU

Aiko Shimizu is the Japan Digital Inclusion Lead at Microsoft, where she focuses on AI, cybersecurity, digital skilling, and sustainability, and an Adjunct Fellow at the Pacific Forum. 

Prior to her current role, Aiko has worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors across the United States, Japan, and Germany, including at Twitter, BMW and Daimler urban mobility joint venture SHARE NOW (formerly car2go), Bloomberg, the United Nations, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. She has also been selected as a U.S.-Japan Council Emerging Leader, an Atlantic Council Millennium Leadership Fellow, a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader. Aiko received her graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). She received her Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Chicago.

Research interests: Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology, cybersecurity, sustainability, mobility, energy 

Ariel STENEK

PhD student, GRIPS Global Governance Program, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

Ariel Stenek is a PhD student in the GRIPS Global Governance Program (Security and International Studies concentration) at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo. Previously she was director of the Young Leaders Program at Pacific Forum, an initiative that supports a global network of over 1,500 young professionals working in foreign policy and security studies, and was co-lead investigator of Pacific Forum's Women, Peace and Security program. Past positions include interning at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and working on UNESCO's Silk Roads Programme. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London (Paris campus) and a B.A. in Global Politics and Societies with a minor in European Studies from the University of San Francisco. Her research interests include maritime security, U.S.-Japan relations, and Indo-Pacific security architecture.

Masashi MURANO

Masashi Murano is a Japan Chair fellow at Hudson Institute. He leads policy work on US-Japan defense cooperation, building out the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, and nuclear and conventional deterrence analysis. As part of that work, he frequently briefs official delegations, news media, public intellectuals, academics, and business leaders from around the world. 
Mr. Murano has more than ten years of experience in research, analysis, tabletop exercises, and facilitation of numerous classified products related to strategic intelligence assessment and policy planning for the Japanese government. 

Prior to joining Hudson Institute, Mr. Murano was a fellow at the Okazaki Institute, a Tokyo-based think tank. He is a member of several government grant research programs, including the subcommittee on Security Issues in New Domains and the Government Grant Research Program for Foreign Affairs and Security Studies hosted by the University of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. Mr. Murano’s writings and analyses have been published in leading news media and academic journals, including the Washington Post, Japan Times, Nikkei, Diplomat, Real Clear Defense, nippon.com, the Japan Review, and the Texas National Security Review

Mr. Murano received both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Takushoku University in Tokyo, pursuing graduate work in security studies and undergraduate work in Asia-Pacific studies.

John BRADFORD

John F. Bradford is the inaugural Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in Indonesia.  He is also an adjunct senior fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.  His research focuses on Asian security with special attention given to maritime issues and cooperative affairs. His written work can be found in journals such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asia Policy, Asian Security, Asian Survey, Naval War College Review, and Naval Institute Proceedings as well as in edited volumes, online publications and monographs published by leading international think tanks.

Prior to becoming a full-time researcher, he spent more than twenty-three years as a U.S. Navy officer. As a Surface Warfare Officer, he served as Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Combat Systems Officer, Chief Engineer, Navigator, and First Lieutenant in ships forward-deployed to Japan. His staff assignments included service as Deputy Director for the U.S. Seventh Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Regional Cooperation Coordinator for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Asia-Pacific Politico-military Branch Chief on the Navy Staff. As an Olmsted Scholar, CDR Bradford studied in the Department of Political Science at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed an MSc (Strategic Studies) from RSIS. He is also a graduate of Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies and is proud of the training he received as a midshipman aboard the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Rahmat. A list of his publications can be viewed here.

Research interests: Asian security, maritime issues, security cooperation

Zack COOPER

Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia, including alliance dynamics and US-China competition. He also teaches at Princeton University and is currently writing a book that explains how militaries change during power shifts.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Cooper was the senior fellow for Asian security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He previously worked as codirector of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and research fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He also served as assistant to the deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism at the National Security Council and as a special assistant to the principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy at the Department of Defense.

Dr. Cooper has been published in academic journals, including International Security and Security Studies, and in the popular press, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among other outlets. He has also authored a variety of studies on Asia, on topics including US military strategy and posture in Asia, Chinese coercion, and US defense cooperation with regional allies and partners. He is the coeditor of two books,
Postwar Japan: Growth, Security, and Uncertainty Since 1945 (CSIS/Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and Strategic Japan: New Approaches to Foreign Policy and the U.S.-Japan Alliance (CSIS/Rowman & Littlefield, 2014).

Dr. Cooper graduated from Princeton University with a PhD and an MA in security studies and an MPA in international relations. He received a BA in public policy from Stanford University.

Research interests: Asia, alliances, defense strategy, military technology, U.S. foreign policy, U.S.-China competition

Bich TRAN

Dr. Bich Tran is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. 
In addition to being an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, she has been a visiting fellow at the East West Center, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS-Asia), and ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute among others.

Dr. Tran obtained her PhD in Political Science from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She has published on various platforms, including Asia Pacific Issues, Asian Perspective, Asian Politics & Policy, The Diplomat, East Asia Forum, and Fulcrum. Dr. Tran is the author of “Vietnam's Strategic Adjustments and US Policy” (Survival 64, no. 6, 77–90). A full list of her publications can be found on ResearchGate.

Research interests: Vietnam’s grand strategy, Vietnam-China relations, Vietnam-US relations, ASEAN, maritime security 

Kristi GOVELLA

Dr. Kristi Govella is Director of the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs and an Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She specializes in the intersection of economics and security in international relations, with a particular focus on the Indo-Pacific region and Japan. Dr. Govella’s research has examined topics such as economic statecraft, trade, investment, multinational firms, alliances, regional institutional architecture, and the governance of the global commons. In addition to her publications in journals and edited books, she is the co-editor of two books: Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe, and the United States (2013) and Responding to a Resurgent Russia: Russian Policy and Responses from the European Union and the United States (2012). She serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the East-West Center and Pacific Forum and as Editor of the journal Asia Policy

Dr. Govella was previously Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Asia Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, and an Associate Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Research interests: economic statecraft, economic security, economic coercion, trade, investment, firms, alliances, regional institutional architecture, maritime security, cyberspace, outer space, non-traditional security

S. Paul CHOI

S. Paul Choi (최석훈) is Principal at StratWays Group, a Seoul-based geopolitical risk advisory. He specializes in political-military affairs, international security, strategy design, and deterrence.
 
Choi provides counsel to government agencies, think-tanks, investment banks, and businesses. He engages in track 1.5 dialogues and speaks at academic and policy institutions around the world. His commentary appears in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Financial Times, NPR, and JoongAng Ilbo.
 
Previously, Choi worked as a Strategist and International Relations Specialist at the United Nations Command / Republic of Korea (ROK) – U.S. Combined Forces Command in the Commander's Strategic Initiatives Group and in the Directorate for Strategy, Policy, and Plans (2013-18). In this capacity, he assisted in the establishment of the ROK-U.S. Deterrence Strategy Committee, the ROK-U.S. Tailored Deterrence Strategy, and various bilateral operational plans.

He has also been a Stanton Nuclear Policy Fellow at RAND (2022-23), Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations (2011-13), Visiting Scholar at Fudan University (2011), and Faculty Lecturer at the Korea Military Academy (2007-10). 

Choi’s published analyses include “As World Order Shifts, So Does South Korean Security Policy” (Arms Control Today, Vol. 53:6, July/August 2023); “Managing Competition: Arms Limitations and Beyond” (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 05, 2022); “The Limits of Operational Integration” (Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation: Managing Deterrence in the 21st Century, Australia National University Press, December, 2021); “Deterring North Korea: The Need for Collective Resolve and Alliance Transformation” (38 North, Stimson Center, July 2020).

Research interests: security, defense, strategy, alliances

Yoshihiro INABA

Yoshihiro Inaba is a doctoral student at Senshu University Graduate School, studying Japanese defense legislation and international law related to the use of force (jus ad bellum). He is also a freelance military writer, covering the JSDF, US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and other national militaries, as well as defense-related companies in Japan and abroad. He has contributed articles to Japanese military magazines and is the first Japanese contributor to Naval News, a France-based web media specializing in naval affairs.

Research interests: international law (jus ad bellum), Japanese security legislation, naval topics

Arius DERR

Arius Derr is a PhD candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at The Australian National University. His research focuses on the North Korea nuclear issue. In particular, he explores US relations with nuclear powers over time and how it has ‘learned to live’ with new proliferators. His research is also concerned with deterrence in East Asia and how and why it impacts the objectives of the US and its allies in the region. 

He is Editor at Korea Risk Group and its primary publications NK News and NK Pro, as well as Korea Desk Editor at the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research (EABER)’s East Asia Forum.

Arius’ main interests include US foreign policy in East Asia, the Korean Peninsula, great power competition and international security. His work has been published in the Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, East Asia Forum, the Centre for International Governance Innovation and other outlets.

He has also worked as Editor at KBS, South Korea’s public broadcaster, Research Associate in the Strategy Division of United States Forces Korea, and as Consultant for the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Research interests: Nuclear weapons, deterrence, international security, great power competition, US foreign policy, alliance management, East Asia, North Korea, South Korea, Australia

Emma VERGES

Emma Verges is a Program Assistant with the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) within the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. With a background in Chinese history, culture, and politics, she produces critical analyses and forward-thinking strategies in support of the Initiative’s work on the most pressing issues in the Indo-Pacific region. Building on her knowledge of international order through the lens of international human rights and immigration, Emma has expanded her scope of work to include US-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation, Integrated Deterrence of Adversary Limited Nuclear Use in East Asia, and Trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination to defend the rules-based international system.
 
Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Emma received her master’s degree in global affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Her time in China lends a unique perspective to her work. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Russian Studies from Macalester College. 

Research interests: China, Russia, human rights, immigration, soft power issues

Jonathan BERKSHIRE MILLER

Jonathan is Director of the Foreign Affairs, National
Security, and Defence program at the Ottawa-based Macdonald Laurier Institute. He is also concurrently a senior fellow with the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and senior fellow on East Asia for the Tokyo-based Asian Forum Japan. Miller also is the Director and co-founder of the Council on International Policy. He also holds appointments as Canada’s ASEAN Regional Forum Expert and Eminent Person (EEP) and as a Responsible Leader for the BMW Foundation. Previously, he was an international affairs fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, based in Tokyo. Other former appointments and roles include terms as a Distinguished Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada, and Senior Fellow on East Asia for the New York-based EastWest Institute.

Miller also held a fellowship on Japan with the Pacific Forum CSIS from 2013-16, and has held a number of other visiting fellowships on Asian security matters, including at JIIA and the National Institute of Defense Studies (Ministry of Defense - Japan). In addition, Miller previously spent nearly a decade working on economic and security issues related to Asia with the Canadian federal government and worked both with the foreign ministry and the security community. He regularly attends track 1.5 and track 2 dialogues in the region and lectures to universities, think-tanks, corporations and others across the Asia-Pacific region on security and defense issues. He regularly consults, provides advice and presents to the private sector, multilateral organizations and governments on regional geopolitics.

Jonathan is a regular contributor to several journals, magazines and newspapers on Asia-Pacific security issues including The Economist Intelligence Unit, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and Nikkei Asian Review. He has also published widely in other outlets including Forbes, Newsweek Japan, the Globe and Mail, the World Affairs Journal, the Japan Times, the Mainichi Shimbun, the ASAN Forum, Jane’s Intelligence Review and Global Asia. Miller has been interviewed and quoted on regional security issues across a wide range of media including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Le Monde, Nikkei, the Japan Times, Asahi Shimbun, the Voice of America, the Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV and ABC news.

Research interests: Indo-Pacific security; strategic competition; 5EYES and 5EYES plus engagement in region; intelligence cooperation; US-Japan-ROK; ASEAN; emerging technologies; economic security; supply chain resilience

Tonny Dian EFFENDI

Tonny Dian Effendi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia.

He was a visiting research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Japan, the Institute of International Relations (IIR)-National Cheng Chi University, Taiwan, as well as a visiting scholar at the Department of International Relations and Public Administration,
Universidade do Minho, Portugal. He experienced in conducting research under the Sumitomo Foundation’s Japan-related research program, the Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange (SEASREP) Program’s research
program, the Australian National University (ANU) Indonesia Project, the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) research-publication program, and the
international collaborative research under the Ministry of Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia. He obtained his Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations from Universitas Jember in Indonesia, while his master’s degree was obtained from Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (Master of Science in Sociology) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (Master of Social Science- by research in International Relations). Currently, he is a PhD candidate from the Institute of Political Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan.

Research interests: International Relations; diplomacy; constructivism; East Asia regional studies; China; Indonesia; diaspora

Jasmin ALSAIED

Jasmin Alsaied is a non-resident fellow with the Middle East Institute as part of the defense and security portfolio. She has published with CSIS, The Diplomat, Asia Times, Charged Affairs, and more.

Research interests: nuclear challenges in the Indo-Pacific; emerging tech integration; alliance strategy and cohesion 

Maria TANYAG

Dr. Maria Tanyag is Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. She specializes in critical and feminist approaches to global peace and security, focusing on the Asia Pacific region, and Southeast Asia in particular. She was selected as one of the inaugural International Studies Association (ISA) Emerging Global South Scholars in 2019, as resident Women, Peace, and Security Fellow at Pacific Forum (Hawaii) in 2021, and as a British Academy Visiting Fellow (2023). She is author of the forthcoming book The Global Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health with Oxford University Press. Her latest publications are available via
 ResearchGate.

Research interests: Global politics of sexual and reproductive health; global political economy and social reproduction in crisis settings; feminist critiques of postconflict and postdisaster crisis response; feminist methodologies in IR.

Lauren GILBERT

Lauren Gilbert is an associate director with the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative (IPSI) housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. In
this role, she oversees research and programming focused on engaging with US, allied, and partner governments and other key stakeholders to shape strategies and policies to
mitigate the most important rising security challenges facing the region. In particular, her work focuses on US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, Korea-Japan relations,
integrated deterrence, and trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination with the aim of defending the rules-based international system.

Originally from Texas, Gilbert holds an MIS in International Cooperation from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies. Her thesis focused on an
analysis of US-ROK-Japan trilateral security cooperation within the lenses of the balance of threat theory and the concept of national strategic identities. She also attained her BA with high honors in International Relations and Global Studies, with a concentration in International Security and a minor in Asian Studies, from the University
of Texas at Austin. She spent a year abroad studying at Korea University’s Division of International Studies.

Research interests: US-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, Korea-Japan relations, integrated deterrence, and trans-Atlantic-Pacific coordination

Katherine YUSKO

Katherine Yusko is a project assistant at the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, where she supports research and analysis of US relations in East Asia, transatlantic-Pacific alliance building, and nuclear/conflict deterrence strategies. Her most recent research focused on identifying areas for US-Papua New Guinea cooperation on climate security challenges.
 
Yusko earned her BA in Culture and Conflict from New York University with a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. She holds a master’s degree in International Affairs, with a concentration in International Security Policy and a specialization in International Conflict Resolution, from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Sungmin CHO

Dr. Sungmin Cho is a professor of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), an academic institute of the US Department of Defense. His area of expertise covers US-China competition, Chinese politics and the geopolitics of Northeast Asia. Dr. Cho has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, including World Politics, Journal of Contemporary China, The China Journal, Asian Security, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Korea Observer. His policy analysis also appeared in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, and War on the Rocks. Dr.Cho contributed commentaries at the invitations of CSIS, Brookings and other think tanks. Prior to the academic career, Dr. Cho served in the Korean Army as an intelligence officer for three years, including seven-month deployment to Iraq. He earned B.A. in Political Science from Korea University, M.A. in International Relations from Peking University, and Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.

Kyoko IMAI

Atlantic Council Assistant Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative 

Olena Akimova

Education: National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute"
(now - KPI named after Igor Sikorskyi), Faculty of Sociology, speciality "administrative management" and an Honors degree. Faculty of Sociology, postgraduate, speciality
"philosophy".
Career: She has teaching experience at the "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" from 2016 to present at the Department of Management Theory and Practice, Department of Philosophy and Department of Sociology and Law, KPI.
Areas of Interests: Higher Education 
- Policy Analysis 
- Public governance 
- Sustainability 
- Information Society
Some of her publications include Improvement of Ways of Human Capital Development as a Factor of Increase Mobilization Potential of Ukraine: Monograph, Management in the sphere of education and science to ensure the sustainable development of the state and regions. She has over 50 scientific publications and co-authors, 11 collective publications and 14 articles.

Iurii Perga

Education: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, postgraduate study of National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" Wroclaw University Candidate of Historical Sciences and internship with the University of Warsaw, Bergen-Belsen Memorial, and Vytautas Magnus University.
Interests: Ukrainian-Polish relations in the first half of the twentieth century; history of ICT development in the EU
Publications: author of 20+ scientific publications

Philip Shetler-Jones

Education: University of Sheffield, UK National Institute of Japanese studies, PhD

Career: various positions at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) , Chatham House, World Economic Forum (WEF) , OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, Ukraine, EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) Georgia, UK Stabilisation Unit, ASEAN Regional Forum, NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE), European External Action Service (EEAS), United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations,  United Nations Mission in Sudan, UNPROFOR, IFOR.

DongJoon PARK

Dr. DongJoon Park is a Research Fellow at the Jeju Peace Institute (JPI). He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the department of Government at Georgetown University in 2020, and his research focuses on the role of reputations in international relations, alliance politics, and, more broadly, the impact of perceptions on crisis decision-making. His previous roles/positions include, POSCO Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center (2023), Research Professor at the Peace and Democracy Institute (PDI) at Korea University (2023), Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS) at George Washington University (2020-2021), and James A. Kelly Korea Research Fellow in residence at Pacific Forum (2011-2012).

Atsushi OGUSHI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science
Specialised in Humanities and Sociology / Political Science / Politics of former Soviet states, particularly Russia.

Tsuyoshi GOROKU

Associate Professor, Faculty of International Politics and Economics, Department of International Politics and Economics, Nishogakusha University
Specialised in the history of US-European relations and European security.

Assistant Professor at Keio University Graduate School of Law (research fellowship), researcher at EU Studies Institute in Tokyo (EUSI) (stay in Ukraine), part-time lecturer at the Maritime Self-Defence Force Staff College, before becoming a full-time lecturer at the Faculty of International Politics and Economics, Nishimatsu Gakusha University (2017-2022), current position from April 2022. . He is also a visiting researcher at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) (2017-) and a research member of the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (2017-). 

Takeyuki HASEGAWA

PhD in Historical Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University. 
After working as a JSPS Research Fellow PD, he has been in his current position since 2018.
Specialises in contemporary Russian politics and diplomacy.

Michitaka HATTORI

Professor of Laboratory of Slavic-Eurasian Studies, Hokkaido University
Specialises in the economic and political situation in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the former Soviet Union.
After working as an expert researcher at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Belarus and as the director of the Russian NIS Trade Association and the Russian NIS Institute, he has been in his current position since October 2022.

Yukiko HAMA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Relations, University of Shizuoka
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Tsuda College; Research Fellow, Institute of International Relations, Tsuda College; Visiting Fellow, Davis Centre, Harvard University; Research Fellow, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University before assuming her current position in 2019.

Areas of expertise.
International politics, history of international relations, Russian area studies

Main research themes
Russia's Eurasian identity
The phenomenon of geopolitical 'resurgence' in emerging economies
Cultural Cold War theory

Hideya MATSUZAKI

Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts Department of International and Cultural Studies, Tsuda College

Hiroshi YAMAZOE

Head of America, Europe, and Russia Division, Regional Studies Department, National Institute for Defense Studies
Specialised in politics and security in Russia and the former Soviet Union regions.

Kyoko KUWAHARA

Research Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs
Formerly a researcher at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Security Projects Group, Foreign Affairs Officer at the Office of the Strategic External Dissemination Centre, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a researcher at the Future Engineering Research Institute. He specialises in international public policy, public diplomacy, strategic communications, disinformation campaigns, media studies and soft power.

Ryo NAKAI

Associate Professor, Department of Policy Studies, The University of Kitakyushu
Specialised in comparative politics (party politics and elections, nationalism and ethnic issues).
Obtained PhD in 2012. He worked as an assistant at Waseda University, a JSPS Research Fellow and an assistant professor at Rikkyo University before assuming his current position.

Ariel STENEK

政策研究大学院大学(GRIPS)グローバルガバナンスプログラム博士課程在学。アジア太平洋安全保障研究センターインターン、パシフィックフォーラムヤングリーダーズプログラムディレクターを歴任。ロンドン大学クイーンメアリー校で国際関係学修士を取得。専門は海洋安全保障、日米関係、インド太平洋安全保障。

Naoko AOKI

Naoko Aoki is an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. She has worked on a variety of security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japanese foreign and security policies, American alliances in Asia, the North Korean nuclear problem, nuclear dynamics in the region as well as policies regarding emerging technologies. 

Prior to joining RAND, Aoki was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Her professional experience includes a nuclear security fellowship at the House of Representatives. She was also a 2018–2019 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow and an adjunct political scientist at RAND. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), American University, University of Maryland, and University of Southern California’s Washington DC program.

She was formerly a journalist with Japan’s Kyodo News, reporting on the Japanese government from Tokyo before serving as a Beijing correspondent. She has visited North Korea 18 times on reporting trips. She holds a Ph.D. in policy studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, an M.A. in international relations and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, and a B.A. in English from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. 

Research interests: Indo-Pacific, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, East Asia Nuclear security, nuclear deterrence, arms control, U.S. alliances, security cooperation, emerging technology policy, diplomacy, politics and government

Eunjung LIM

Eunjung Lim is an Associate Professor at Division of International Studies, Kongju National University (KNU). She served as Vice President for International Affairs, Dean of Institute of Korean Education and Culture, and Dean of Institute of International Language Education at the same university.

Her areas of specialization include international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, comparative and global governance, and energy, nuclear, and climate change policies of East Asian countries. Since 2018, she has served as a board member of Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC), and currently serves as a member of Policy Advisory Committee for Ministry of Unification. She is also the chair of Japan Studies Committee of The Korean Association of International Studies.

Before joining the KNU faculty, Dr. Lim served as an Assistant Professor at College of International Studies, Ritsumeikan University, in Kyoto, Japan. She also taught at several universities in the United States and Korea, including Johns Hopkins University, Yonsei University, and Korea University. She has been a researcher and a visiting fellow at academic institutes including the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Japanese Studies at Seoul National University, the Institute of Japan Studies at Kookmin University, and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

She earned a B.A. from the University of Tokyo, an M.I.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Research interests: international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, comparative and global governance, energy security, resource security, nuclear policies, fuel cycle policies, climate change policies

Masafumi ASADA

Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Iwate University
International politics between the USSR and East Asia. 

Daisuke HARADA

Project Director, Research and Analysis Department, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC)
Diplomacy and security, international, nuclear and energy

Go MATSUO

Managing Director, Energy Economics and Society Research Institute LLC

After participating in student entrepreneurship, he joined ELEX Corporation in 2012. He worked in the Sales Department and Corporate Planning Department, where he was in charge of building the agency system, responding to the simultaneous equivalence of planned values in 2016, VPP business research and system liaison. After working for ABeam Consulting Ltd, where he was in charge of research and business support for domestic and international power markets and systems, he joined DeNA Co. in 2019. He continued to be in charge of research on domestic and international electricity markets and systems, and was also involved in the development of distributed power supply projects.He has been in his current position since March 2021.He is a member of CIGRE, a regular member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, a member of the Public Utilities Society and the Energy and Resources Society.

Fumiaki INAGAKI

Fumiaki INAGAKI is a Professor at the Graduate School of International Resource Sciences, Akita University. 
His research interests are International Relations and Resource Policy in Eurasia, mainly Central Asia. Since 2021, he has been a principal investigator of JICA/JST SATREPS, “The Project for the Development of Decarbonized Heat Energy Supply System using Ground Heat Source.” He is also a co-editor of Resource Geopolitics (in Japanese). Moreover, he has published articles on Central Asian Politics from the perspectives of geopolitics, nation-building process, and water conflict after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He co-authors the articles related to Ground Heat Source Pump technology. 

Shoichi ITOH

Shoichi Itoh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), Adjunct Fellow (non-resident) at the Japan Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Associated Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP) in Stockholm. Previously, he was Visiting Professor at the Slavic-Eurasia Research Center of Hokkaido University in 2018-2020 and held visiting fellowships at the Russia and the Eurasia Program at CSIS in 2010, at the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in 2009 and at the Center for East Asian Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2006. He also served as political and economic attaché at the Consulate General of Japan in Khabarovsk in 2000-2003.
 
He has widely published on the geopolitics of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific as well as the U.S.-Japan Alliance. Among numerous publications, his recent works include “Japan’s Russia Policy at a Crossroads: New Phase for Geopolitics of Energy” in P. J. Saunders & J. S. Van Oudenaren (eds.), Change and Continuity in Japan-Russia Relations: Implications for the United States (The Center for the National Interest, 2019); “Japan’s Opaque Energy Policy toward Russia: Is Abe Being Trumped by Putin?”, in The Emerging Russia-Asia Energy Nexus (National Bureau of Asian Research Special Report #74, 2018); “Sino-Russian Energy Relations in Northeast Asia and Beyond: Oil, Natural Gas, and Nuclear Power” in Japan and the Sino-Russian Entente: The Future of Major-Power Relations in Northeast Asia (NBR Special Report #64, 2017); “The energy factor in Russia’s ‘Asia pivot’” (co-authored with A. Kuchins), in M. M. Mochizuki & D. M. Ollapally (eds.), Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia(Routledge, 2017); “Sino-Japanese competition over Russian oil” in Robert Bedeski & Niklas Swanström (eds.), Eurasia’s Ascent in Energy and Geopolitics Rivalry or partnership for China, Russia and Central Asia? (Routledge, 2012); Russia Looks East: Energy Markets and Geopolitics in Northeast Asia (CSIS, 2011).

Mihoko KATO

Mihoko KATO is a Lecturer at Hiroshima Peace Institute, Hiroshima City University. 

Areas of Expertise
International Relations, International Politics in Northeast Asia, Russian Foreign and Security Policy
 
Research themes 
1)    The restoration and strengthening of Russia’s bilateral relations with former Soviet friends/allies such as China, India, Vietnam, and North Korea in terms of shaping a new Eurasian international order.
2)    The development and changes in Russian-North Korean relation since 2000 and their impact on Northeast Asia.
3)    The development of dialogue mechanisms and strategic partnership between Russia and ASEAN.
4) The change in the interpretation of state sovereignty norms over the past twenty years and its use in Russia’s foreign policy.
 
Publications
Mihoko Kato, “Competing Sovereignty Regimes within Northeast Asia” In Geo-Politics in Northeast Asia, edited by Akihiro Iwashita, Yong-Chool Ha, and Edward Boyle, 157-170. London: Routledge, 2022.
Mihoko Kato. "Competing sovereignties: increasing tensions over maritime border in Northeast Asia," Pathways to Peace and Security 58, no. 1 (2020): 63-77.
Mihoko Kato. "Sinocentrism in Russia's Reorientation to the East: Re-examining Russian Foreign Policy under the Third Putin Administration (2012-2018)." Chung-Ang Saron (Journal of Chung-Ang Historical Studies), no. 49 (2019): 115-154.
Михоко Като, "Особенность и задачи развития Росийско-Вьетнамского стратегического партнерства (2000 – 2014 гг.)," Вьетнамские исследования [Vietnamese Studies], no. 5 (2015): 55-72.
Mihoko Kato, "Japan and Russia at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: -New Dimension to Maritime Security Surrounding the 'Kuril Islands'." UNISCI Discussion Papers, no. 32 (2013): 205-213.
Mihoko Kato. "Russia’s Multilateral Diplomacy in the Process of Asia Pacific Regional Integration: The Significance of ASEAN for Russia." In Eager Eyes Fixed on Slavic Eurasia Vol. 2, edited by Akihiro Iwashita, 125-151. 2007.
 

Ryota SAITO

Ryota SAITO is an Assistant Researcher at Institute for Russia & NIS Economic Studies.
 
His research interests include Contemporary Central Asian Studies, especially International Relations, Security studies and Development. 
 
He has published articles on Water Security issues in Central Asia, Water Resource management in Uzbekistan, and Central Asia-Afghanistan relations in the post- soviet period.

Yuan ZHOU

Yuan ZHOU is a Research Associate at Graduate School of Law, Kobe University. He specializes in international relations and political communication, focusing on China. His work has been published or is forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Chinese Political Science, Social Science Computer Review, Asian Journal of Communication, Journal of Human Rights, among others. He holds a PhD in political science from Kobe University. 

Mirzosaid SULTONOV

Mirzosaid Sultonov is a full-time professor at the Faculty of Global and Regional Studies at Toyo University. His research interests focus on macroeconomic and financial issues concerning Eurasian countries, with a particular emphasis on Central Asian nations.

Maria TANAKA

Maria Tanaka is a Specially-appointed Assistant Professor at Akita University Graduate School of International Resource Sciences. Her research interests focus on China’s foreign policy, China - Central Asia relations and IR theory. Her recent publications include “Greening the Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbekistan’s Renewable Energy Sector” (Conference Proceedings: The Twelfth International Convention of Asia Scholars, 2022); “China’s Security Engagement with Greater Central Asia (GCA): The Case of Afghanistan” (co-authored; Roles Review, 2022); and “Debating and Implementing Epidemic Prevention in China: Ancient and Modern Perspectives” (Shizen to Jitsugaku, vol. 8, 2023).

Mitsuko WATANABE

Mitsuko Watanabe is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Understanding, Faculty of International Studies, Bunkyo University.

She specialises in the geography and area studies of Asia. She is co-editor of Toward a Sustainable Society in Central Eurasia: An Historical Perspective on the Future. Her research interests include changes in resource use and community transformation due to agricultural and social development, and she conducts research from a multi-scale perspective.

Fedorchenko-Kutuyev Pavlo

Education: Habilitation (Doctor of Sciences) in Sociology, Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University (2005), Master of Public Administration, Institute of Public Administration and Local Government, Cabinet of Ministers, Ukraine, with a major in Law and Politics (1995), Kandydat Nauk (Ph.D.) in Sociology, Institute of Sociology at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1994), Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, Kyiv State University of Economics (1993-1994), Diploma of Higher Education (MA) in Sociology with the highest distinction (summa cum laude), Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University (1993).
Career: Professor of Sociology, Sociology Department Chair, and Visiting Scholar at esteemed institutions in Ukraine and abroad. His career highlights include: Professor of Sociology and Sociology Department Chair, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (2013-Present), Visiting Scholar at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University (USA), University of Tokyo (Japan), St. John's College (Oxford University, UK), and others. Deputy Editor-in-Chief of KPI Journal of Sociology, Political Science, and Law (2013-Present), Executive Director of the Center for Comparative Politics, a Ukrainian non-governmental think tank (1993-1999).
Areas of Specialties: History of Sociology, Historical Sociology, Contemporary sociological theory, Sociology of development and modernization, Political Sociology, Conflict Resolution
Some publications: he has published some teaching manuals and 75 textbooks and articles.

Anna Mykolayivna Ishchenko

Education: obtained a Bachelor's degree at the National Technical University of Ukraine, Faculty of Sociology—postgraduate study in philosophy of education at National Technical University of Ukraine, faculty of sociology and law. Anna Mykolayivna Ischenko has a strong sociology background and extensive field experience, including a diverse range of research interests and practical activities. Her work in applied sociology, human capital development, and education philosophy demonstrates her commitment to contributing to the field of sociology and society at large.
Education: Bachelor's degree National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (Kyiv), Faculty of Sociology Specialty "Sociology."
Career: has had an internship at Masaryk University Training Week (MUST Week) under the Erasmus+ program, Scientific and Practical Seminar: "Qualitative Methods in Sociological Research" (Higher School of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) and currently the Director of the Scientific Research Center of Applied Sociology "Sotsioplus", 
Field of Scientific Interests:
Applied Sociology
Factors of Formation and Development of Human Capital
Philosophy of Education
Expert Research Methods
Publications: Some of her publications include: "Formation of a Positive Image of a Female Manager in the Civil Service" (co-authored with A. A. Melnychenko, O. A. Akimova, and others) - Published by the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union.
"Foresight of the Development of the Defense-Industrial Complex of Ukraine in the Time Horizon of 2021–2030" (as the Scientific Project Manager) - Published by the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" and many other titles.

Atsuko HIGASHINO

Professor, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences
Specialised in international relations theory, European international politics, EU Eastern enlargement and external relations.

Yoshihiko Okabe

Education: Doctor of Philosophy in History Chubu University2021/09/30
Doctor of Philosophy in Economics Kobe Gakuin University2015/03
Research Areas: Humanities & Social Sciences Economic history Ukrainian Studies
Humanities & Social Sciences Historical studies in general
Research Interests
General studies of Ukraine
Ukraine Political economy of Ukraine
Ukrainian diaspora in Manchuria Harbin 

【Adjunct Menber】Yoshihiko OKABE

Education: Doctor of Philosophy in History Chubu University2021/09/30
Doctor of Philosophy in Economics Kobe Gakuin University2015/03
Research Areas: Humanities & Social Sciences Economic history Ukrainian Studies
Humanities & Social Sciences Historical studies in general
Research Interests
General studies of Ukraine
Ukraine Political economy of Ukraine
Ukrainian diaspora in Manchuria Harbin 

【Adjunct Member】Michito TSURUOKA

Education: Keio University Faculty of Law, Georgetown University's graduate school and Georgetown University's graduate school, PhD in War Studies, King's College London
Areas of Expertise: International security, European politics, NATO; European integration, European politics, international security, NATO, the EU, nuclear policy, extended deterrence, and defence diplomacy. 
Career: Specialist researcher at the Japanese Embassy in Belgium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in charge of NATO, researcher at the GMF (German et al.), Instructor at the National Institute for Defense Studies at the Ministry of Defense from 2009 to 2017, multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific International Policy Division of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Defense (Defense Department), in charge of, particularly ADMM Plus (Expanded ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, visiting researcher at RUSI (Royal Institute for Defense and Security Studies). Concurrently serves as a senior researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.