Speakers:

• Yoshihide Soeya (Keio University)
• Mike Mochizuki (George Washington University)
• Kuniko Ashizawa (American University, George Washington University)

Moderator:

• Benoît Hardy-Chartrand (Temple University, Japan Campus)

Overview

As the U.S.-China strategic competition intensifies and the international order in Asia becomes more uncertain, Japan confronts the task of refashioning its diplomatic and security strategy. Is Japan’s new “National Security Strategy” adopted in December 2022 adequate to navigate the difficult challenges facing the region and to promote a more stable and prosperous Asia?

In addressing this fundamental question, a new report entitled “Asia’s Future at a Crossroads: A Japanese Strategy for Peace and Sustainable Prosperity” presents a more realistic alternative strategy for Japan. This policy report, which will be released on July 24th, reflects the culmination of over four years of study and debate among eleven prominent scholars and former practitioners of Japanese foreign policy and international relations. The report argues that Japan should pursue a more pro-active middle power diplomacy to mitigate U.S.-China rivalry, avoid a sharp division in Asia, and prevent great power conflict. It advocates a Shin-Bei Jiritsu (親米自立) approach, that is, a more autonomous foreign policy that is close to but not solely dependent on the United States. Three project members will present the report’s key findings and policy recommendations regarding economics, security, and transnational challenges; and hard copies of the report will be available at this event.

Speaker Profiles:

Yoshihide Soeya

Yoshihide Soeya is Professor Emeritus of Keio University, from which he retired in March 2020 after serving as professor of political science and international relations at the Faculty of Law for 32 years since 1988. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1987, specializing in world politics. His areas of interest are international relations in East Asia, and Japanese diplomacy and its external relations.

Mike Mochizuki

Mike Mochizuki holds the Japan-U.S. Relations Chair in Memory of Gaston Sigur at the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University, and he is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He received his Ph.D. in political Science from Harvard University. He specializes in East Asian international relations and Japanese politics and foreign relations.

Kuniko Ashizawa

Kuniko Ashizawa teaches international relations at the School of International Service, American University, and at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Her research interests include Japan’s foreign policy, regional institution-building in Asia, and global governance. She received her PhD in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.