The origin of this newly established research unit goes back to November 2025, when the core members of this unit got together for the first time in one of the Gulf countries for a joint workshop involving institutions of Japan, the Gulf and Europe with various background, in the face of a looming crisis in the region. After the preparation phase from March to May, the unit was officially established in June 2026.  This unit on the New Persian Gulf Order will conduct international and interdisciplinary observations and make recommendations regarding the new regional order emerging in the Gulf region in the wake of the War on Iran.This unit will also examine global political, economic, and social changes—including those affecting East and Southeast Asia through energy security and geopolitical competition—resulting from the upheavals in the Gulf region, with a focus on global politics centered on the Middle East and West Asia.

This study group will examine ways for Japan to actively participate in forming the international energy order. The group will attempt to understand the conditions Japan finds itself in the international energy order that is shaped by both the competition for technology development and standardization toward decarbonization, market trends in various countries and regions, and geopolitical factors such as the situation in the Middle East and Africa and the war in Russia and Ukraine.

Purpose The “Theory and Practice of Conflict Resolution” (TPCR) study group will assess the current situation of the theory and practice of conflict resolution by examining various armed conflicts in the contemporary world, ranging from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It will take into consideration the linkage between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security, while examining the structural tensions in the contemporary world. The TPCR Study Group will seek to propose new solutions that contribute to conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Theories of conflict resolution, including conflict analysis, mediation, state-building, and peacebuilding, have significantly developed since the end of the Cold War. This development coincided with advancements in policy practices of conflict resolution through military intervention, international peace operations, development, and humanitarian aid. However, the nature of armed conflicts has changed so much for various reasons including the advent of the age of the Global War on Terror. Many ongoing contemporary armed conflicts including the Russo-Ukraine War and the Crisis over Gaza are also posing many challenges to existing theories of conflict resolution. The significant phenomenon of international intra-state conflicts impels us to develop our understanding of armed conflicts. The TPCR Study Group thus examines how new theoretical frameworks can be developed to better reflect the complex reality of contemporary armed conflicts. Practices of conflict resolution, represented by international peace operations, are undergoing drastic changes. While UN peacekeeping missions remain a significant tool, they are no longer exclusively dominant, as there has been a significant reduction in budget and personnel. Various non-UN peace operations, composed of (sub-)regional organizations as well as ad-hoc coalitions of like-minded states, have been frequently established over the last three decades. These partnerships take various forms, and there is a growing need to link conflict resolution operations with international security measures in the age of international intra-state wars, the War on Terror and superpower rivalry. The TPCR Study Group also seeks to identify clues to develop new policies for international peace operations in the changing reality of the world. The first major focus of the TPCR Study Group is the prospects and possibilities of conflict resolution as well as long-term reconstruction plans for Ukraine. The overall structural perspective of the TPCR Study Group is to theorize the linkage between the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic and explore new practices of conflict resolution in these regions. The TPCR Study Group will also discuss cases in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia and remain active for at least three years.Activities 1. Regular Monthly Meetings: We hold regular monthly meetings. For the time being, we continue to concentrate upon Ukraine-related issues with core regular members online. The results of our discussions will be presented at the time of public conferences, ROLES Commentaries, ROLES Review, etc. 2. Occasional Topical Meeting: We will discuss contemporary armed conflicts as well as conflict resolution policies in theory and practice by holding occasional topical meetings, which take place in irregular manners. We shall focus on the seasonal topics in accordance with the development of events in the contemporary world.3. Ad-hoc Overseas Meetings: We will hold meetings outside of Japan by utilizing our partnership with overseas institutions.  We shall discuss structural tensions in the contemporary world with special reference to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and its relevance to conflict resolution with overseas institutions which share the same interest.Agendas 1. What are the conditions for ending the Russo-Ukraine War? While considering theories such as W. Zartman’s “ripeness,” the TPCR Study Group will explore and examine the conditions for conflict resolution in Ukraine from both theoretical and policy perspectives. Specifically, we will focus on the importance of “deterrence” mechanisms and scrutinize policy issues related to schemes for “security guarantees” that supporting countries like Japan can provide.2. Many of the armed conflicts occurring in the contemporary world have elements of both international conflicts and intra-state conflicts, which can be called “international intra-state wars.” Typical examples include the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. In fact, few wars exist solely as either international or domestic conflicts. Theoretical frameworks for conflict resolution based on an artificial distinction between international and intra-state armed conflicts cannot address the realities of the 21st century. With this awareness, the TPCR Study Group will analyze various cases of armed conflict in war-prone areas from the Middle East to Africa. The manners of Japan’s involvement through policies for peace contributions in each case will also become significant policy agendas.3. Structural tensions in the contemporary world not only influence current individual armed conflicts but also exist as potential causes of future armed conflicts. The structural conflicts between super-powers such as the US and China, tensions between industrialized nations represented by the G7 and emerging nations represented by BRICS, and the clash between Western countries advocating for a liberal international order and non-Western countries pursuing a refresh of the international order led by the Global South are predicted to further intensify. While emphasizing the perspective of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” advocated by Japanese diplomacy, the TPCR Study Group will analyze structural conflicts in the contemporary world and explore the direction of desirable diplomatic policies.Members(Chair)- Hideaki Shinoda (Chair) | Professor of Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS); Visiting Senior Research Fellow of ROLES, RCAST, University of Tokyo<Ukraine Group>- Tomonori Yoshizaki | Professor of Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS)- Fedorchenko-Kutuyev Pavlo | Professor at the Department of Social Sciences, Kyiv School of Economics, Adjunct Professor of Sociology and Sociology Department Chair, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)- Anna Mykolayivna Ishchenko | Senior Lecturer and Deputy Dean of FSP for international activities, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)- Olena Akimova Kasatnika | Docent and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Sociology and Law, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)- Iurii Perga | Associate Professor and Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)- Philip Setler-Jones | Senior Research Fellow for Indo-Pacific Security, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)＜East African Group＞- Mika Inoue｜Professor, Toyo Gakuen University- Simon Nyambura | IGAD Leadership Academy- Markos Rike | former State Minister of MFA Ethiopia, former Ambassador of Ethiopia to Japan and Egypt- Yonas Ashine | Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Addis Ababa University- Abdifatah Aden Abdi | Peacebuilding and Conflict Advisor, Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation [MOIFAR], Somalia- Abdooulkader Houssein Mohamed | Research economist at the Institute of Political and Strategic Studies [IEPS] at the Center for Studies and Research of Djibouti [CERD])- Stephen Mogaka | Independent Consultant based in Nairobi, Kenya who specializes in the international relations and the political economy of Eastern Africa- Rosalind Nyawira | Former Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center, Kenya＜South Asia Group＞-  Masato Toriya｜Associate Professor, Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foregin Studies- Harinda R. Vidanage | Director, Centre for Strategic Assessment, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University - Chaminda Padmakumara | Professor and Head of Department of International Relations, University of Colombo- Nilanthan Niruthan, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Security Studies (CLASS)  - K. A. Sandunika Hasangani | Senior Lecture, Open University- Sahani Welikala | Managing Director, Conley Teas & Student of International Relations) - Ajith Balasooriya | University of Colombo - Md Jahangir Alam | University of Dhaka - Ali Aqa Mohammad Jawad | Program Coordinator, HPC Publications・ROLES Report 48：「危機にある 国際刑事裁判所 （ICC）国際政治の荒波にさらされて」https://roles.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp/publication/2025123148 ・ROLES Report 47: Agendas for Conflict Resolution in Eastern Africahttps://roles.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/publication/2025123147・ROLES Report 46: South Asia from the Perspective of Geopolitics and Conflict Resolution https://roles.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/publication/2025123146 ・Hideaki Shinoda and Pavlo Fedorchenko-Kutuyev (eds.), The Imapcts of the Russo-Ukrainian War: Theoretical and Practical Explorations of Policy Agendas for Peace in Ukraine (Springer, 2025). ・ROLES Commentary No.37: Mahfuz Kabir and Shanjida Shahab Uddin, "FOIP and BIG-B: Bangladesh in Perspective"・ROLES Commentary No.28: Abdifatah Aden Abdi, "Somalia's Perspective on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific: A Path to Peace and Conflict Resolution"・ROLES Commentary No.27: Philip Shetler Jones, "A common problem of status quo vs. revolutionary foreign policies narrows the scope for conflict resolution in the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic"・ROLES Working Papers [日本語版] オレナ・アキモヴァ、イウリイ・ペルガ、アンナ・イシュチェンコ 「紛争地域における地域（コミュニティ）レジリエンス：紛争解決と復興の可能性の要因を探る」・ROLES Working Papers [日本語版] 篠田英朗 「紛争解決の理論と実践の批評的な検討：『国際的な国内武力紛争』にはどのようにアプローチすべきか？」・ROLES Working Papers: Olena Akimova, Iurii Perga and Anna Ishchenko: "Local (community) Resilience in Conflict zone Regions: in the search for Factors of Conflict resolution and Recovery Potential"・ROLES Working Papers: Hideaki Shinoda: "A Critical Examination of Theories and Practices of Conflict Resolution: How do we approach "international intra-state armed conflicts"?"・ROLES COMMENTARY No.21 篠田英朗「ガザ危機に直面する日本が追求すべきこと」Conference Papers: 2024.05.22 (Wed.): Hideaki Shinoda: "What Japan Should Pursue in the Face of the Gaza Crisis" ・コメンタリー：2023.10.14 (土)：ROLES COMMENTARY No.12 ユーリー・ペルガ 「ロシア・ウクライナ戦争の政治的影響の評価」 ・コメンタリー：2023.10.14 (土)：ROLES COMMENTARY No.11 パブロ・フェルドルチェンコ - クトゥエフ／篠田英朗「『ウクライナ戦争』という名称の問題性」 ・Commentary: 2023.10.06 (Fri.): ROLES INSIGHTS No. 2023-4 : Hideaki Shinoda and Pavlo Ferdorchenko- Kutuyev, “The Problematic Nature of the Naming of the ‘Ukraine War’” ・Commentary: 2023.10.03 (Tue.): ROLES INSIGHTS No.2023-03: Olena Akimova and Anna Ishchenko, “Shifting Trust: Ukrainian Sentiments Towards Social Institutions Before and During War” ・Commentary: 2023.09.25 (Mon.): ROLES INSIGHTS No.2023-02: Iurii Perga, “Assessment of the Political Impact of the Russo-Ukraine War”

The research Unit on "Indigenous Logic of the Regions of Eurasia"unit will examine the international relations of the states in Eurasia under authoritarian regimes, with focus on China. Particular emphasis will be placed on observing and analyzing not only individual countries and regions but also the relationships among those countries and regions. In addition, the Southeast Asia as a region is included in the focus area of this unit. The commplex dynamics of regional and subregional relations cannot be explained solely by the effect caused by the great power politics, such as U.S.-China confrontation and Sino-Russian cooperation.

"Security Cooperation Mechanisms" research unit examines the possibility of confidence-building and security dialogues in Asia. 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act of the CSCE Helsinki Summit in 1975. In this occasion, this unit co-organized with Mongolian NSC's think tank ISS an international conference commemorating the birth of this framework which eventually evolved into an overarching security dialogue mechanism. It is about time to start thinking about similar inclusive security dialogue mechanisms in Asia.

【日本語サイトはこちら】Prof. Satoshi IKEUCHI coorganizes KAKENHI the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) project “The Formation and Transformation of Historical Perceptions in Russia, China, North Korea, and Mongolia through Interactions within East Asia” (Project/Area Number 26K00309), led by Prof. Satoru MIYAMOTO,  the Principal Investigator of this project and Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Economics ofv Seigakuin University. Prof. MIYAMOTO is concurrently Visiting Senior Fellow of RCAST of the University of Tokyo and Senior Associate Member of ROLES.This project was selected and adopted as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research B for the preiod of fiscal year 2026-2029 (ending in March 2030) .ROLES will collaborate with this KAKENHI project to co-host academic exchanges with major research institutions in Inner Asia and Eurasia, such as the National University of Mongolia and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy(UWED) of Uzbekistan. Through this collaboration, ROLES will explore avenues for Japan to engage in policy and strategic dialogue with these countries and regions as well.Secretariat of the KAKENHI the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) project “The Formation and Transformation of Historical Perceptions in Russia, China, North Korea, and Mongolia through Interactions within East Asia” (Project/Area Number 26K00309) is located in Seigakuin University General Research Institute. 

This working group will collect, compile, and publish historical materials while examining the state of postwar Japanese politics and diplomacy as a free and democratic nation. In particular, the group will focus on Japan's return to the international community in the 1950s, and analyze how Japan developed its political, diplomatic, and security policies.

In this research unit, experts from various regions come together to investigate and conduct research on the role of leadership in international politics.

This unit will examine the role of Japan’s diplomacy in the current state of international affairs. In this era of "interstate competition" between major countries and advanced nations, especially the West and authoritarian states such as China and Russia, what kind of ideological underpinnings should Japan base its diplomacy on? This study group will examine Japan's historical developments and the nature of its value-oriented diplomacy.

This unit was established to complement the activities of the research group 'Historical Studies on Postwar Japanese Diplomacy' from the perspective of political history.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jointly organized by ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies) and IGSDA (Institute for Global Security and Defense Affairs, Abu Dhabi and Cairo)