Japan’s Choices in the Era of Inter-Regime Competition

The RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies is independently conducting the research project on "Japan’s Choices in the Era of Inter-Regime Competition: Policy Proposals and Information Sharing based on Long-term Scenario Planning in Search for the Proactive Role in the Emergence of the New International Order” which is supported by the research grants for diplomacy and security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan starting from the fiscal year 2020.

Today, our world has entered an era of significant change, notably with the rise of authoritarian states like China and Russia, changes within the existing order centered on the United States and the European states, ideological and geopolitical challenges in the Middle East, as well as developments in new and emerging technologies. The Project purports to serve as a platform to work with experts to provide analysis and policy recommendations to promote Japan’s involvement in forming the new international order.

Working group

Working Group 1 on China and the Challenge of Authoritarian Regimes

With the rise of China and growing influence of Russia, authoritarian states are strengthening their presence, raising concerns over the impact on the international order. This working group aims to examine the ideological background and the characteristics of the regimes, as well as their relations with regional states. 

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives

The circumstances in the Middle East and the Islamic world has become growingly complex with: the spread of extremism such as the “Islamic State,” tribal, regional, and ethnic conflicts; restructuring of the regional order led by Iran and Turkey; as well as the axis centering on Israel and Saudi Arabia. This working group aims to assess the new order in the Middle East and the Islamic world. 

Working Group 3 on the US and Destabilization of the Established Order

The “Trump phenomena” in the United States, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, as well as the rise of anti-liberal forces within the European Union are pointing to changes in the international order. This working group aims to examine the ideological underpinnings and divisions within the developed states, and their impact on alliances.

Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies

The security environment is significantly changing due to the rise of new and emerging technologies such as information communication technologies and artificial intelligence. In addition, there is a growing need to examine the new security issues relating to information and knowledge that go beyond the conventional forms of traditional security concerning war and peace, and non-traditional security issues such as climate change and infectious diseases. This working group aims to look at the new trends and their impact on current security.

Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security

The Indo-Pacific security environment is experiencing new uncertainties due to geopolitical conflicts, military modernization, crime and terrorism, natural disasters, and pandemics. Such issues not only threaten the security of states and their citizens, but also domestic and international transportation that is vital to trade, supply-chains, and exchange. This study group aims to analyze the impact of regional security risks in the Indo-Pacific on the transport sector, as well as specific transport security issues in the region. 

Sub-Working Group 1 on Satellite Imagery Analysis Project

This subgroup within the “Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies” aims to conduct assessments of the international security developments through high-resolution satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies.

Publications
Yu KOIZUMI, "How Much More Can Russia Fight? Satellite Image Analysis of Spare Storage Equipment in the Eastern Military District of the
Russian Armed Forces," ROLES INSIGHTS, No.6 (2022).

Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises

This subgroup within the “Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security” aims to better understand the Indo-Pacific security developments and their implications through tabletop exercises (TTX).

Sub-Working Group 3 on Japan-U.S. Security Treaty History

This subgroup within the "Working Group 3 on the US and Destabilization of the Established Order" aims to deepen the understanding of the history of the Japan-US alliance by collecting and organizing important documents related to the Japan-US Security Treaty and publishing them in the form of an online database.

Photo: President Dwight Eisenhower and Japanese Prime Minister Kishi engage in small talk during their farewell meeting at the White House, June 21, 1957. (AP/aflo)

Activity record

Member

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 

Akifumi IKEDA

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

Akiko YOSHIOKA

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

Amane KOBAYASHI

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

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.

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.

Asyura SALLEH

Co-Founder, Global Awareness & Impact Alliance

Atsuko HIGASHINO

Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Ayame SUZUKI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Doshisya University

Christopher LAMONT

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

Collin KOH Swee Lean

Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Dai YAMAO

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

Hiroki SUGITA

Senior Staff Writer, Kyodo News

Hitoshi SUZUKI

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

Ichiro KAJI

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).

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

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) 

Jiro NAKAI

Part-time Lecturer, Ryukoku University

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

Jun HONNA

Professor, Ritsumeikan University

Jun SAITO

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

Katsumi HIRANO

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

Kazuhiro TAKII

Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies

Kazuto SUZUKI

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo

Kazuya SAKAMOTO

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University

Keikichi TAKAHASHI

Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University

Keiko IIZUKA

Editorial Writer, The Yomiuri Shimbun

Kohei IMAI

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

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

Koichiro KOMIYAMA

Visiting Scholar, Keio University Global Research Institute

Koji MURATA

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

Kyohei NORIMATSU

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

Kyoko KUWAHARA

Research Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Maki AOKI

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

Masaaki OKAMOTO

Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Masakazu TAKAMORI

The President and CEO, Dafna Co. Ltd.

Masaki IENAGA

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

Masaki KAKIZAKI

Senior Associate Professor, Temple University Japan Campus

Masashi MURANO

Japan Chair Fellow, Hudson Institute

Michito TSURUOKA

Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Mitsutoyo MATSUMOTO

Professor, Faculty for the Study of Contemporary Society Department for the Study of Contemporary Society, Kyoto Women's University

Noboru IWASE

Energy Analyst; Representative Manager, Friday Forum 

Nozomi KANO

Co-operative Research Fellow

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI

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/

Ryo NAKAI

Associate Professor, Department of Policy Studies, The University of Kitakyushu

Ryo SAHASHI

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

Saho MATSUMOTO

Professor, College of International Relations, Nihon University

Satoru MIYAMOTO

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

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.

Satoshi MACHIDORI

Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University

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

Shin KAWASHIMA

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

Shinji YAMAGUCHI

Senior Researcher, Area Studies Department, The National Institute for Defense Studies

Takashi OKAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Prefectural University

Takashi SUZUKI

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

Tatsuya KIKUCHI

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

Tetsuo KOTANI

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

Toshihiro NAKAYAMA

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

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. 

Wakako ITO

Senior Program Coordinator

Wataru KUSAKA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University

Yasuhiro MATSUDA

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

Yoko HIROSE

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Yoshihiro NAKANISHI

Associate Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA

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

Yoshiyuki KOJIMA

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

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

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)

Yukimi IKEDA

Assistant Secretary, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Publication

Working group
Activity record
Member
Publication

Working group

Working Group 1 on China and the Challenge of Authoritarian Regimes

With the rise of China and growing influence of Russia, authoritarian states are strengthening their presence, raising concerns over the impact on the international order. This working group aims to examine the ideological background and the characteristics of the regimes, as well as their relations with regional states. 

Working Group 2 on Middle Eastern and Islamic Alternatives

The circumstances in the Middle East and the Islamic world has become growingly complex with: the spread of extremism such as the “Islamic State,” tribal, regional, and ethnic conflicts; restructuring of the regional order led by Iran and Turkey; as well as the axis centering on Israel and Saudi Arabia. This working group aims to assess the new order in the Middle East and the Islamic world. 

Working Group 3 on the US and Destabilization of the Established Order

The “Trump phenomena” in the United States, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, as well as the rise of anti-liberal forces within the European Union are pointing to changes in the international order. This working group aims to examine the ideological underpinnings and divisions within the developed states, and their impact on alliances.

Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies

The security environment is significantly changing due to the rise of new and emerging technologies such as information communication technologies and artificial intelligence. In addition, there is a growing need to examine the new security issues relating to information and knowledge that go beyond the conventional forms of traditional security concerning war and peace, and non-traditional security issues such as climate change and infectious diseases. This working group aims to look at the new trends and their impact on current security.

Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security

The Indo-Pacific security environment is experiencing new uncertainties due to geopolitical conflicts, military modernization, crime and terrorism, natural disasters, and pandemics. Such issues not only threaten the security of states and their citizens, but also domestic and international transportation that is vital to trade, supply-chains, and exchange. This study group aims to analyze the impact of regional security risks in the Indo-Pacific on the transport sector, as well as specific transport security issues in the region. 

Sub-Working Group 1 on Satellite Imagery Analysis Project

This subgroup within the “Working Group 4 on the Emerging Issues in Security Studies” aims to conduct assessments of the international security developments through high-resolution satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies.

Publications
Yu KOIZUMI, "How Much More Can Russia Fight? Satellite Image Analysis of Spare Storage Equipment in the Eastern Military District of the
Russian Armed Forces," ROLES INSIGHTS, No.6 (2022).

Sub-Working Group 2 on Tabletop Exercises

This subgroup within the “Working Group 5 on Indo-Pacific Transport Security” aims to better understand the Indo-Pacific security developments and their implications through tabletop exercises (TTX).

Sub-Working Group 3 on Japan-U.S. Security Treaty History

This subgroup within the "Working Group 3 on the US and Destabilization of the Established Order" aims to deepen the understanding of the history of the Japan-US alliance by collecting and organizing important documents related to the Japan-US Security Treaty and publishing them in the form of an online database.

Photo: President Dwight Eisenhower and Japanese Prime Minister Kishi engage in small talk during their farewell meeting at the White House, June 21, 1957. (AP/aflo)

Member

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 

Akifumi IKEDA

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

Akiko YOSHIOKA

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

Amane KOBAYASHI

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

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.

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.

Asyura SALLEH

Co-Founder, Global Awareness & Impact Alliance

Atsuko HIGASHINO

Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Ayame SUZUKI

Professor, Faculty of Law, Doshisya University

Christopher LAMONT

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

Collin KOH Swee Lean

Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Dai YAMAO

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

Hiroki SUGITA

Senior Staff Writer, Kyodo News

Hitoshi SUZUKI

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

Ichiro KAJI

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).

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

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) 

Jiro NAKAI

Part-time Lecturer, Ryukoku University

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

Jun HONNA

Professor, Ritsumeikan University

Jun SAITO

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

Katsumi HIRANO

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

Kazuhiro TAKII

Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies

Kazuto SUZUKI

Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo

Kazuya SAKAMOTO

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University

Keikichi TAKAHASHI

Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Osaka University

Keiko IIZUKA

Editorial Writer, The Yomiuri Shimbun

Kohei IMAI

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

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

Koichiro KOMIYAMA

Visiting Scholar, Keio University Global Research Institute

Koji MURATA

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

Kyohei NORIMATSU

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

Kyoko KUWAHARA

Research Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Maki AOKI

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

Masaaki OKAMOTO

Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Masakazu TAKAMORI

The President and CEO, Dafna Co. Ltd.

Masaki IENAGA

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

Masaki KAKIZAKI

Senior Associate Professor, Temple University Japan Campus

Masashi MURANO

Japan Chair Fellow, Hudson Institute

Michito TSURUOKA

Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Mitsutoyo MATSUMOTO

Professor, Faculty for the Study of Contemporary Society Department for the Study of Contemporary Society, Kyoto Women's University

Noboru IWASE

Energy Analyst; Representative Manager, Friday Forum 

Nozomi KANO

Co-operative Research Fellow

Ryo HINATA-YAMAGUCHI

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/

Ryo NAKAI

Associate Professor, Department of Policy Studies, The University of Kitakyushu

Ryo SAHASHI

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

Saho MATSUMOTO

Professor, College of International Relations, Nihon University

Satoru MIYAMOTO

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

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.

Satoshi MACHIDORI

Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University

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

Shin KAWASHIMA

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

Shinji YAMAGUCHI

Senior Researcher, Area Studies Department, The National Institute for Defense Studies

Takashi OKAMOTO

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Prefectural University

Takashi SUZUKI

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

Tatsuya KIKUCHI

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

Tetsuo KOTANI

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

Toshihiro NAKAYAMA

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

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. 

Wakako ITO

Senior Program Coordinator

Wataru KUSAKA

Associate Professor, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University

Yasuhiro MATSUDA

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

Yoko HIROSE

Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Yoshihiro NAKANISHI

Associate Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Yoshihisa NISHIYAMA

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

Yoshiyuki KOJIMA

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

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

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)

Yukimi IKEDA

Assistant Secretary, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs