The Middle East and the Islamic world are facing turbulence due to the spread of extremism, notably led by the Islamic State; territorial domination by tribes, regions, and ethnic groups; attempts to reorganize the regional order led by regional powers Iran and Turkey; and the formation of an  Israel-Saudi Arabia axis.This working group will examine these themes and how they are contributing to the formation of a new order in the Middle East and Islamic world.

In recent years, the internal dynamics of liberal democratic states have been in turmoil. This working group will delve into the political and social disruptions of liberal democracies who support the so-called "liberal international order" with particular attention to U.S. politics and the American presidential election given its  significant implications for global politics. Analysis will extend to how the disruptions within liberal democracies affect alliance relations.

Leveraging its position as a university-based think tank, ROLES takes the lead in proactively creating forums for the exchange of views between experts and government officials—often referred to as “Track 2” or “1.5”.ROLES organizes international conferences, workshops, seminars, and lectures of various scales, bringing together participants and offering perspectives previously not shared widely in Japan. Through both open and closed discussions, ROLES accelorates exchanges of views and essencial information on international issues—information indispensable to policy-making in both the public and private sectors in Japan—while also opening channels to convey Japan’s position to the appropriate stakeholders in other countries. Our goal is to contribute to, underpin, and provide support for Japanese diplomacy from the university.A distinctive feature of ROLES’ international conferences resides in its unique model: rather than merely inviting overseas experts to Tokyo or hosting their visits here, we actively organize delegations to travel to strategically important countries and regions overseas, where we host conferences by inviting high-level policy experts from the host country and surrounding regions.Our particular strength lies in the Islamic world, which spans from Southeast Asia to Africa with the Middle East and West Asia at the core.As the inaugural event in ROLES’ series of international conferences, a delegation was sent to Istanbul in September 2023. The delegation completed an intensive schedule that included two lectures in Istanbul, visits to numerous research institutions, companies, and foundations, a closed-door international conference with experts in Ankara, and visits to and exchanges of views with major government-affiliated think tanks.From fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025, in collaboration with the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) at the University of Jordan and the Levant Strategic Studies Center (LSC), ROLES launched the “Japan-Middle East Strategic Dialogue” and “Aqaba Forum for Security and Strategy,” both tentatively set in location in Amman, Jordan. ROLES established these as regular events, bringing together leading policy analysts from Middle Eastern countries, with Japanse government officials participating as observers. As informal channels for discussion between Japan and Middle Eastern countries, the “Japan-Middle East Strategic Dialogue” and the “Aqaba Forum for Security and Strategy” will continue to evolve. In September 2026, ROLES plan to bring together the series of international conferences launched by ROLES and, in cooperation with universities, research institutions, foundations, and companies in Japan and Istanbul, host and co-host the “Istanbul Strategic Dialogue Series,” where researchers, senior government officials, and business leaders from various countries will gather in Istanbul to analyze the regional situation in the Middle East. In the Gulf region—which holds pivotal strategic importance within the broader Indo-Pacific—we have established a relationship with TRENDS Research & Advisory, a leading think tank based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This partnership has enabled us to host the organization’s 2024 annual conference at the University of Tokyo’s Komaba Research Campus and to organize a meeting on cutting-edge scientific and technological cooperation in AI and space at TRENDS’ headquarters in Abu Dhabi in December 2025.ROLES is becoming established as a venue for visits, meetings, and public lectures when dignitaries, researchers, and business leaders from various countries visit Japan, and is beginning to build a track record of providing a platform for agenda-setting from a Track 2 perspective.On June 9, 2026, ROLES invited Malaysian Prime Minister H.E. Anwar Ibrahim to the University of Tokyo’s Hongo Campus, where he held a roundtable discussion with the University of Tokyo President and others, followed by a public lecture at the Ito Memorial Hall.Prime Minister Anwar’s lecture at the University of Tokyo can be seen as a byproduct of the 1st and 2nd rounds of “Strategic Dialogue Retreat,” which worked as preparatory meetings for the Prime Minister's UTokyo Speech. We have also advocated for international conferences that engage with the unique international political contexts within Japan, particularly in areas out of the Greater Tokyo area. One such initiative is the “East China Sea Dialogue Forum,” which connects Japan, Okinawa, and Taiwan. Following the trilateral meeting between Japan, Okinawa, and Taiwan held in Tokyo in 2024, ROLES organized a meeting in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture in 2025 to facilitate dialogue among researchers and media representatives on historical perceptions. By inviting researchers, senior government officials, and business leaders from various countries to these international conferences, ROLES has establishing the “East China Sea Dialogue Forum” as a platform that provides the networks and shared understanding necessary for Japan to strategically engage in and help shape discussions on peace, stability, and the formation of regional order.

To understand and think about the current state and future of liberal democracies, it is essential to analyze the circumstances in each country, as well as  its institutions and principles. The purpose of this working group is to empirically analyze democratic institutions from various perspectives. Through quantitative and comparative political analysis, this working group seeks to understand these states’ by examining the condition of their democratic systems.

ROLES actively proposes interdisciplinary and cross-cutting joint research, utilizing the intellectual resources of researchers from a wide range of fields at the University of Tokyo and the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology.“Advanced Science and Technology and Security” focuses on the impact of the development of advanced science and technology on diplomacy, security and research in these fields.This laboratory-interfacuty research group is comprised of natural scientists, advanced technology engineers, scholars on social/human sciences, focusing on the impact of emerging science and technology on diplomacy and security. It is also promoting security research using new technologies and tools, and is attempting to actively share the results of the research with society.ROLES is participating in joint research projects that are constantly being conducted both within and outside the University of Tokyo, and is experimenting with interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research on diplomacy and security.Four focus areas are highlighted. (1) Data Visualization of International Conflicts(2) War and Peace as Changed by Robotics, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality(3) Fake News and International Public Opinion(4) Is AI a Game Changer?(1) Data Visualization of International Conflicts ROLES collaborates with the laboratory of Professor Hidenori Watanave of the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies and Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies (III/GSII) to devise and present a new style of research on diplomacy and security that comprehensively grasps and utilizes geospatial information.We will propose methods and examples of “visualization” of the damage caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War and the Gaza conflict, the impact of natural disasters such as the Turkey-Syria earthquake in February 2023, and historical events in diplomacy, security, and international relations, using satellite images, old maps, and historical photographs, as well as big data and machine learning. (2)  Robotics, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality Changing War and Peace  ROLES will work with Professor Masahiko Inami (body informatics, body augmentation engineering, flexible technology, gamification, entertainment engineering) and Associate Professor Yasuaki Monnai (body informatics, high-frequency engineering) of the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology  (RCAST) to develop a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the impact of robotics, virtual reality and augmented reality on diplomacy and security. ロボティクスと安全保障 (3) Fake News and International Public OpinionROLES members are actively engagning with public debates in SNS and interactively making research on the impact of fake news on international security and diplomacy. New tools and technologies of systematically analyzing the information sphere are tested and introduced in cooperation with researchers and engineers in the field of computational social science.  (4) Is AI a game changer?ROLES has co-organized with TRENDS Research & Advisory of Abu Dhabi, UAE a two-day conference "Sustainable Security in 2024 and Beyond − The Role of AI" in September 2024 at the RCAST Campus of the University of Tokyo. In December 2025, ROLES cooperated with TRENDS Research & Advisory and the Japanese Embassy in UAE to hold the first round of newly launched bilateral discussion on advanced science and technology, titled  Blueprints to Breakthroughs: Advancing AI & Space Collaboration Between Japan and the UAE Exploring Innovation, Strengthening Partnership, Shaping the Future .

At ROLES, we actively utilize the resources of the University of Tokyo and RCAST to explore the impact of emerging technologies on security through an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the sciences and the humanities.

UTokyo ROLES Survey SAFER (Security, Alliance, and Foreign Engagement Research) project aims to investigate Japanese perceptions regarding international affairs and Japan's foreign and security policies. By conducting regular, long-term surveys, we seek to gain a more accurate and detailed understanding of the Japanese public's views.