Organized by

Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo

Global Infrastructure Fund Research Foundation Japan (GIF Japan)

The Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo, and the Global Infrastructure Fund Research Foundation Japan (GIF Japan) will co-host an international seminar titled "Securing the Seabed, Shaping the Seas: Undersea Infrastructure and the Geopolitics of Maritime Order in the Indo-Pacific." Focusing on the security of submarine communication cables and the maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region, the event will feature leading experts including Prof. Satoshi Ikeuchi (The University of Tokyo), Assoc. Prof. Brendon J. Cannon (Khalifa University), Mr. Kazuki Matsuo (Visiting Fellow, GIF Japan), Asst. Prof. Dattesh Parulekar (Goa University), Dr. Jagannath Panda (Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian & Indo-Pacific Affairs / Prof., University of Warsaw), and Prof. Yee-Kuang Heng (The University of Tokyo). A panel discussion will also include Dr. Keizo Kitagawa (Captain, JMSDF (Ret) / Prof., Keio University). This hybrid-format seminar will offer simultaneous interpretation (English/Japanese) via Zoom. We warmly invite your participation.

 
Date and Time: Thursday, April 24, 2025, 15:00 to 17:00
Venue:
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, bldg. 3, M2 Seminar Room, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan

【Admission】Free (In-Person and Online)

【Registration】Please register here 
 

【Speakers】

Satoshi Ikeuchi (The University of Tokyo) *Opening Remarks

Brendon J. Cannon (Khalifa University)

Kazuki Matsuo (GIF Japan)

Dattesh Parulekar (Goa University)

Jagannath Panda (Stockholm Center for South Asian & Indo-Pacific Affairs / University of Warsaw)

Yee-Kuang Heng (The University of Tokyo)

Keizo Kitagawa (Captain, JMSDF (Ret), Keio University) *Discussant

This seminar explores how undersea infrastructure, naval strategy, and transformative technologies are reshaping Indo-Pacific security amid intensifying great power rivalry. Presentations offer novel research on when, where, and how critical seabed assets may be targeted during periods of tension, the strategic use of joint naval exercises, and the foreign policies of Japan and like-minded states. Additional topics include China and the maritime Global South, as well as India's maritime security strategy through the lens of "Securitizing" Growth and "Growing" Security. Join us for timely insights into the evolving contest over the seabed, and how polarity in the international system and competing visions of regional orders are redefining security on the high seas.

Prof. Satoshi Ikeuchi, RCAST, The University of Tokyo 

Dr. Brendon J. Cannon, Associate Prof., Khalifa University and Mr. Kazuki Matsuo, Visiting Fellow, GIF Japan: "Mapping Threats to Undersea Cables"

15:25 - 15:40 | Dr. Dattesh Parulekar, Assistant Prof., Goa University: "Maritime Security from a Strategic Indian Perspective"

15:40 - 15:55 | Dr. Jagannath Panda, Head, Stockholm Center for South Asian & Indo-Pacific Affairs, ISDP, Sweden; Prof., University of Warsaw: "Global South and Maritime Security by 2030"

15:55 - 16:10 | Dr. Yee-Kuang Heng, Head, Security Studies Unit (SSU), Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI) / Prof., Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP), The University of Tokyo: "Japan's Joint Naval Exercises"

Moderated by Prof. Satoshi Ikeuchi

Panelists: Speakers and Dr. Keizo Kitagawa, Captain, JMSDF (Ret); Prof. at the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Dr. Mikiyasu Nakayama, CEO, GIF Japan; Prof. Emeritus, The University of Tokyo