Last update: July 20, 2022

ICAS Co-Director Robert Dujarric first lived in Tokyo in 1986-87. He moved back to the city in 2004 as a Council on Foreign Relations (Hitachi) International Affairs Fellow at the Research Institute of Economy Trade and Industry (RIETI) of the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) prior to joining the Japan Institute of International Affairs in Tokyo (2005-7) as a visiting research fellow. He took his current position at TUJ in 2007.

Robert was raised in Paris and New York, worked at First Boston Corp. in 1984-87 (New York, Madrid, Tokyo) and Goldman Sachs in 1989-93 (New York, London) prior to joining a think tank in Washington in 1993. He graduated from Harvard College in 1983 and holds an MBA from Yale University (1989).

Besides co-directing the Institute, Robert is a frequent contributor to the public debate on Japanese affairs and international political and economic issues, writing op-eds, giving talks, and organizing TUJ events in New York City.

Robert has published several books and numerous articles and is often quoted in the press. He can be reached at icas@tuj.temple.edu.

Robert Dujarric’s Publications

Last update: December 20, 2022

Japan Related (Politics and Society)

  • Taiwan and lessons that can be learned from the Ukraine conflict
    The Japan Times, February 24, 2023 (website )
  • 'Free and open Indo-Pacific' can be no more than a slogan
    Nikkei Asia, December 7, 2022 (website )
  • Shinzo Abe’s Japan: A Posthumous Scorecard
    Taylor & Francis Online, September 4, 2022 (website )
  • The Abe Legacy: How Japan Has Been Shaped by Abe Shinzo
    November 19, 2021 (website )
  • How Trump Could Push China and Japan Together
    The Diplomat, January 12, 2017 (website )
  • What Should Shinzo Abe Say to Donald Trump?
    The Diplomat, November 16, 2016 (website )
  • Japan Without Ambition
    The Diplomat, January 22, 2016 (website )
  • Explaining Japanese Parochialism
    The Diplomat, November 11, 2015 (website )
  • Preliminary Lessons From Japan’s Security Debate
    The Diplomat, July 24, 2015 (website )
  • Assessing Japan’s New Defense Policy Bills
    The Diplomat, June 4, 2015 (website )
  • Japan and the ‘Counter-Pivot’
    The Diplomat, February 27, 2015 (website )
  • Taxpayers shouldn’t fund war on Asahi Shimbun
    The Japan Times, March 17, 2015 (website )
  • Japan: Ask Not What America Will Do for You…
    The Diplomat, May 19, 2014 (website )
  • Japan: A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
    The Diplomat, April 9, 2014 (website )
  • Why does the LDP prefer the GOP?
    The Japan Times, March 4, 2014 (website )
  • China Is Not 1914 Germany
    The Diplomat, February 20, 2014 (website )
  • Shinzo Abe: Investing in the Past, Ignoring the Future
    The Diplomat, January 15, 2014 (website )
  • Why Are Japan’s Apologies Forgotten?
    The Diplomat, November 25, 2013 (website )
  • Costly challenge of globalizing Japan’s labor force
    The Japan Times, November 8, 2013 (website )
  • PacNet #79 – Trying to mitigate Japan’s history dilemma
    Pacific Forum CSIS, October 29, 2013 (website )
  • Japan’s History Problem
    The Diplomat, October 14, 2013 (website )
  • Shinzo Abe: Friend or Foe of the United States?
    The Diplomat, May 22, 2013 (website )
  • China’s rift with Japan is open challenge to U.S.
    The Japan Times, May 3, 2013 (website )
  • Japan’s deglobalization By Robert Dujarric and Shin Woon
    Asia Pathways (Blog of ADBI), April 25, 2013 (website )
  • Resolution to Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute out of Abe’s hands
    South China Morning Post, January 3, 2013 (website )
  • Japan’s Three Options in the East China Sea
    The Diplomat, October 25, 2012 (website )
  • POINT OF VIEW/ Robert Dujarric: Rethinking the Japanese school year: Bakumatsu or Meiji?
    Asahi Shimbun, April 10, 2012 (website )
  • Why Japan is not setting the global agenda – Japan’s virtual Berlin Wall
    By Robert Dujarric and Ayumi Takenaka
    The Oriental Economist, December 2011 (PDF: 105KB )
  • POINT OF VIEW/ Robert Dujarric: Japan’s ambivalence toward Asia
    Asahi Shimbun, October 19, 2011 (website )
  • POINT OF VIEW/ Robert Dujarric: Opening Japan while the West embraces ‘sakoku’
    Asahi Shimbun, April 27, 2011 (website )
  • POINT OF VIEW/ Robert Dujarric: Japan’s territorial claims are detrimental to its national interest
    Asahi Shimbun, January 13, 2011 (website )
  • Enhancing Japan’s position in the Senkaku Dispute
    Pacific Forum CSIS, October 15, 2010 (PDF: 100KB )
  • Looking at polls and thinking of Japan-Korea relations
    The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, September 26, 2010 (PDF: 67KB )
  • Immigrants can buoy Japan
    The Japan Times, May 20, 2010 (website )
  • For Japan to thrive, the wall must come down
    The Japan Times, April 14, 2010 (website )
  • Tokyo needs to get over the G8
    The Japan Times, October 27, 2009 (website )
  • Implications of Japan’s elections for Korea
    The Korea Herald, August 19, 2009 (website )
  • Angst over opposition rule
    Japan Times, August 3, 2009 (website )
  • Incoming ambassador Roos is right for the job
    By Robert Dujarric and Weston S. Konishi
    Japan Times, June 17, 2009 (website )
  • Hurdles to a Japanese F-22
    By Weston S. Konishi and Robert Dujarric
    Japan Times, May 16, 2009 (website )
  • Lessons from history for abduction policy
    Japan Times, March 5, 2009 (website )
  • Why can’t Japanese kids get into Harvard?
    By Robert Dujarric and Yuki Allyson Honjo
    Japan Times, February 5, 2009 (website )
  • Obama may press Japan
    The Japan Times, December 19, 2008 (website )
  • Japan in a post-U.S. world
    The Japan Times, October 18, 2008 (website )
  • Nationalism isn’t an issue in Japan
    The Japan Times, July 30, 2008 (website )
  • Kosovo’s independence will impact on Japan
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun (PDF: 126KB )
  • Retour sur un Japon conquérant
    Le Monde, December 26, 2007 (PDF: 222KB )
  • Fukuda has chance to tighten future U.S. ties
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, November 8, 2007 (PDF: 86KB )
  • Japan needs to keep its military close to home
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, October 24, 2007 (PDF: 86KB )
  • Fukuda’s first task: Preventing a U.S.-Iran war
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, September 28, 2007 (PDF: 89KB )
  • Biggest threat continues to be ignored by Abe
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, August 31, 2007 (PDF: 85KB )
  • A post-Iraq America’s implications for Japan
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, July 27, 2007 (PDF: 74KB )
  • ‘Comfort women’ issue likely to haunt Japan
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, July 4, 2007 (PDF: 138KB )
  • Japan’s needs its own experts in Washington
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, June 21, 2007 (PDF: 89KB )
  • Robert Dujarric on “Japan’s nuclear future in a Post-Iraq world” (PDF: 48KB )
  • ed. Japan and Korea’s Future: A Japanese-Korean-US Trilateral Dialogue
    Indianapolis, IN: Hudson Institute, 2001

Japan Related (Economics)

  • Japan is only harming itself by keeping its borders shut
    Nikkei Asia,& January 27, 2022 (website )
  • COMMENTARY: Japan should carve out its future energy policy soon
    Asahi Shimbun, April 30, 2012 (website )
  • Avoiding “Geriatric Inc”
    Eurobiz Japan, September, 2010 (website )
  • “Capitalizing on Innovation: The Case of Japan,” 2009
    by Robert Dujarric and Andrei Hagiu
  • Guest column: Beyond the industrial
    Financial Times, October 13, 2008 (website )
  • Getting Japan to capitalize on its innovation
    The Japan Times, May 15, 2008 (website )

US Related

  • America confronts North Korea: A historical perspective and a look at the future
    Monde chinois, 2018/1 (N° 53) (website ) / (PDF: 1.6MB )
  • US Allies in the Age of Trump
    The Diplomat, October 31, 2017 (website )
  • Grading Obama’s Foreign Policy
    The Diplomat, March 19, 2016 (website )
  • Japan and the ‘Counter-Pivot’
    The Diplomat, February 27, 2015 (website )
  • America in Northeast Asia: Credibility and Deterrence
    The Diplomat, October 27, 2014 (website )
  • Republicans’ Exceptionally Bad View
    The Diplomat, April 2, 2011 (website )
  • The Obama bid to rid the world of nuclear weapons boosts US security — minus the threat of Armageddon
    The Christian Science Monitor, March 4, 2010 (website )
  • A Missed Opportunity
    By Andy Zelleke and Robert Dujarric
    Real Clear Politics, December 4, 2009 (website )
  • Want to cut emissions in the US? Change the discussion
    Christian Science Monitor, November 2, 2009 (website )
  • Don’t Define Strategy Too Narrowly in Afghanistan
    By Andy Zelleke & Robert Dujarric
    Real Clear World, October 9, 2009 (website )
  • The American Century isn’t over: America is still uniquely valued around the world – and Barack Obama can build on that.
    Christian Science Monitor, January 7, 2009 (website )
  • Dropping the Ball on Russia Policy
    Real Clear World, August 26, 2008 (website )
  • The success of that surge
    The Boston Globe, July 31, 2008 (website )
  • The death of U.S. strategy in Iraq
    The Christian Science Monitor, June 17, 2008 (website )
  • Choosing the best U.S. president for the world
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun February 29, 2008 (PDF: 74KB )
  • English and immigration for soft power deficit
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, February 9, 2008 (PDF: 89KB )
  • New U.S. president to be left with mess in Iraq
    The International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun, January 25, 2008 (PDF: 85KB )
  • Conclusion, in Sébastien Fumaroli, Tempete sous un crâne : L’Amérique en guerre, 2003-2006.
    Paris : B. de Fallois, 2007. [Brain Storm: America at War, 2003-2006]
  • US Military Presence and Northeast Asian Regional Stability: Comparative Perspectives Between the US-Japan and the US-Korea Alliances.
    Korea Observer, Autumn 2005 (36:3), pp. 445-463
  • America’s Inadvertent Empire
    By William E. Odom and Robert Dujarric
    New Haven CT: Yale University Press, 2004 (paperback, 2005)
  • Le repli de l’Amérique, un danger pour l’Europe
    Le Monde, October 30, 2004 (PDF: 85KB )
  • L’Amérique, forcément impériale
    Le Monde, May 24, 2003 (PDF: 59KB )
  • Deterring North Korea: U.S. Options
    By Terry C. Stevens, David J. Smith, Chuck Downs, and Robert Dujarric
    Comparative Strategy (22) 2003
  • Korea After Unification: Implications for US Strategy
    Indianapolis, IN: Hudson Institute, 2000.

Other Issues

  • Is China Losing the Opportunity to Lead?
    The Diplomat, October 30, 2018 (website )
  • In Fact, the West Is Rising
    The Diplomat, June 30, 2014 (website )
  • China’s Welcome FDI
    The Diplomat, September 9, 2011 (website )
  • China’s Zero-Sum Game
    The Diplomat, July 26, 2011 (website )
  • If Bahrain Erupts
    The Diplomat, June 13, 2011 (website )
  • Price for a potential Israeli strike on Iran? A Palestinian state.
    By Andy Zelleke and Robert Dujarric
    Christian Science Monitor, August 2, 2010 (website )
  • Wanted: elected leaders with international experience.
    By Robert Dujarric and Andy Zelleke
    Christian Science Monitor, March 23, 2009 (website )
  • Robert Dujarric on “China: Opportunity and challenge for the US Political and strategic issues” (PDF: 88KB )
  • Robert Dujarric on “Strategic Goals in U.S., Japan, and China Relations” (PDF: 97KB )
  • China and South Korea’s Future Strategy
    Françoise Nicolas, ed. Korea and the New Asia, Routledge, 2007
  • Nucléaire : ambivalences sud-coréennes
    Le Monde, October 12, 2006 (PDF: 310KB )
  • La Chine et les relations de puissance en Asie orientale, Revue générale de stratégie No. 26/27, mai 2006. [China and the other powers in East Asia, in French]
  • North Korea’s Reformability in Comparative Perspective.
    By Robert Dujarric and Park Young-Ho
    Korea and World Affairs, (29:1), Spring 2005.
  • La politique nord-coréenne des Etats-Unis.
    In Annuaire français des relations internationales. Paris, 2004
  • Preliminary Political Lessons of the 9-11 War
    Korean Journal of Defense Analysis (Spring 2002)
  • North Korea: Risks and Rewards of Engagement
    Journal of International Affairs (Columbia University). Vol. 54 No. 2 (2001)
  • ed. and principal author, Korea Security Pivot of Northeast Asia
    Indianapolis, IN: Hudson Institute, 1998
  • Commonwealth or Empire? Russia, Central Asia and the Transcaucasus
    Indianapolis IN: Hudson Institute, 1995