ICAS | Quad-Plus: Form to Function?
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - 18:00 to 19:30
In January 2021, Canada joined the QUAD exercises in an event called the Sea Dragon 21 exercises. This was followed by the QUAD virtual leaders’ summit in which QUAD members agreement to boost vaccine development and distribution to emerging states and the France- organized multination three-day Le Pérouse naval exercise commenced in the Bay of Bengal on April 5 with QUAD members. What do these activities tell us about the evolution of the QUAD? Will the QUAD transform away from its current arrangement towards a functional QUAD-plus formulation? How will a QUAD-plus contribute to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific? We are pleased to be joined by four expert speakers who will provide their views and insight on the QUAD and QUAD-plus through an interactive dialogue.
ICAS | Marriage Equality Rights in Japan: Implications of Sapporo Court’s Landmark Decision
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 - 12:00
We will examine the implications of the recent court rulings in Japan concerning same-sex marriage. Japan is the only G7 country offering no protections or recognition to gay or lesbian couples. This ruling is a key milestone, which may bring marriage equality closer. This discussion by individuals who have been involved in this case and lead the marriage campaign in Japan will examine the prospects for marriage equality in Japan and the judicial and legislative processes that could lead to it. Following the presentations, we will have a moderated Q&A session.
ICAS | A Conversation with Karen Hill Anton: “The View from Breast Pocket Mountain: A Memoir”
Saturday, April 17, 2021 - 13:00
The View From Breast Pocket Mountain: A Memoir is aptly described in Roger Pulver’s editorial review: “Karen Hill Anton’s life has been a remarkable journey, from the United States through Europe and overland across Asia to Japan. This is a story woven with great compassion and skill, the ultimate combination. It is a beautiful and deeply moving narrative full of fascinating people, the most fascinating being the author herself.”
The View From Breast Pocket Mountain is a unique and previously untold story, a treasure trove of experiences crossing borders and cultures, creating a life, and finding contentment in a far-off country. To those who’ve ever wondered what their lives would be if they’d taken that road without a map, this book gives us a glimpse of a life not designed or even imagined.
As a motherless teenager raised by a caring albeit strict father, we see Anton’s developing awareness of the world beyond the boundaries of her New York City neighborhood before she goes on to live in a castle in…
ICAS | “Civil Society and the 3/11 Virtuous Cycle”
Saturday, March 20, 2021 - 12:00 to 13:30
The occasion of the ten year anniversary of what befell Japan in the 2011 Tohoku disasters has led us to contemplate the meaning of these events for Japan and how we think of such culture defining events. With a decade now separating us from the dramatic events of March 11 and its immediate aftermath, we now are at a point where we can examine the disaster trajectory as it has played out over time, as survivors have attempted to cultivate the resiliency necessary to forge ahead to rebuild their communities.
This panel brings together leaders who have worked closely with NGO and civil society organizations to help communities to address the many challenges they face to rebuild – the economic burdens they have had to overcome, the ever-present threat of radiation exposure close in to the nuclear hot zone, and the psychological weight of moving forward into an uncertain future. Each of the panelists bring a wealth of knowledge based on first-hand experience working in the disaster zone, and can relate the…
ICAS | Discussion with RADM Jean-Mathieu Rey, Joint Commander French Armed Forces, in the Asia-Pacific
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - 10:00 to 11:00
This Indo-Pacific Maritime Hour will feature Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey, Joint Commander French Armed Forces, in Asia-Pacific. France is a European state, with the core ability to deploy its capital assets worldwide from the mainland, but it is also a resident of the Indo-Pacific with military forces permanently stationed in its Indian Ocean and Pacific Territories. Since around 2014 the French Navy and the Air Force have clearly become more active in the region with more deployments and more engagements. Key strategic documents such as France’s 2018 Indo-Pacific Strategy paper and 2017 Defense and National Security Strategic Review reflect the thinking that is driving this enhanced engagement. Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey will provide his perspective on France’s maritime engagement with the region while reflecting on both the challenges and accomplishments of the recent past. He will then take your questions.
ICAS | LGBT Experiences in the Forward Deployed Navy: 10 Years After Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Monday, January 25, 2021 - 19:30
In December 2010, President Obama signed legislation to end the 1993 policy commonly referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which technically lifted the U.S. military ban on LGBT servicemembers, but in practice continued to institutionalize discrimination. YCAPS is pleased to work with its partners to organize a panel discussion about the repeal, 10 years later. Leading LGBT Navy officers and civilians will describe their experiences both within the Navy and being forward-deployed, operating in an international community with widely varying policies and social norms.