• YCAPS-JICUF 

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue

  • About the Series

    The Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue program is designed to address advanced-level policy-oriented interests for academics, experts, and other specialists. These interactive online sessions facilitate dialogue among security experts, policy analysts, and senior academics in an effort to examine a wide-range of issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue webinar series is delivered in full partnership between YCAPS and the Japan International Christian University Foundation(JICUF.)

  • YCAPS-JICUF Policy Dialogue Japan Webinar Schedule

    YCAPS Events Connect Audience Members with Each Other and World-Class Expertise

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    14 December 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    As the Free and Open Indo-Pacific plan has come to be considered the most important asset of Japanese diplomacy in recent years, it has drawn an increasing amount of international attention from practitioners and foreign policy experts. Yet what exactly is Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific? Is it a strategy, or a vision? Is it an anti-China containment plan? Or is it an attempt at establishing a multilateral cooperation framework within the region?

     

    To help us answer these questions and more, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Dialogue series is happy to welcome Dr. Nanae Baldauff. Dr. Baldauff will delve into the nuances of Japans Free and Open Indo-Pacific, exploring its implications for regional dynamics as well as its potential as a transformative, or an evolutionary foreign policy tool in an era marked both by cooperation and conflict.

     

    For more information please see the event page.

     

    -------------------------- Past Events --------------------------

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    EU-China-Taiwan Relations

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    20 November 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    While the EU and Taiwan continue to strengthen their relations and pursue close cooperation on a wide array of issues, their relationship remains complex and under strict scrutiny from Beijing. In light of of the EU's pursuing of a "One China" policy, is there a limit to how far relations can go? Can there be friendly relations without diplomatic recognition? How does China interpret attempts by EU countries to economically and politically engage with Taiwan?

     

    To help us answer these questions and more, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Dialogue series is happy to welcome Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy. Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy is an Affiliated Scholar at the Department of Political Science of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels), Associated Research Fellow at the Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP Stockholm), Head of the Associates Network at 9DASHLINE and Research Fellow at Taiwan NextGen Foundation. Currently Zsuzsa is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the National Dong Hwa University in Hualien, Taiwan. With a PhD in European normative power vis-a-vis China, Zsuzsa’s research focuses on the EU’s approach to Taiwan in the context of EU-China relations and beyond, in the framework of the emerging geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region. She researches Taiwan’s efforts to position itself in regional economic frameworks and international organizations, exploring the dynamics that shape Taiwan’s self-perception, identity and foreign policy vis-a-vis South East Asia and Europe. In May 2019 Zsuzsa published her book, “Europe, China, and the Limits of Normative Power”.

     

    For more information please see the event page.

    Flyer for JICUF Policy Dialogue event on October 23, 2023

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (Hybrid)

    23 October 2023 - 18:30-20:00 (Tokyo)

    Japan-India relations continue to deepen year-by-year and the significance of the relationship continues to grow. How can we understand this relationship? What are the motivations of Tokyo and New Delhi as they continue to deepen their bilateral relationship?

     

    To help us answer these questions, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Dialogue series, in collaboration with Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University, is happy to welcome Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra to provide insight on these questions and more. Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra was the Rector of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Professor of American Studies at the School of International Studies of JNU. He is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies and the Editor of Indian Foreign Affairs Journal.

     

    For more information please see the event page.

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    22 September 2023 - 19:30 (Japan)

    Based on his joint article "The errors of NATO’s East Asia engagement" with Linus Hagström from the Swedish Defence University, Dr Ulv Hanssen of Soka University will discuss their perspective of NATO's perceived errors and what it means for the Indo-Pacific region. Why is or is not NATO's engagement in the Indo-Pacific in the interest of NATO and the EU? Can policy makers separate the Indo-Pacific and European theatre? If there is engagement, what is the appropriate formula?

     

    To help us answer these questions, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue is happy to welcome Professor Ulv Hanssen of Soka University to provide insight on these questions and more to glean clarity on NATO's engagement in East-Asia. Dr. Ulv Hanssen is an associate professor at Soka University's Faculty of Law and associate research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. He holds a Ph.D. from Freie Universität Berlin (2017) in Japanese studies. His research interests are primarily Japanese foreign and security policy. He is currently engaged in a research project on the origins of Sweden-North Korea relations. He is the author of Temporal Identities and Security Policy in Postwar Japan (Routledge, 2020).

     

    For more information please see the event page.

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    30 August 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    South Korea under President Yoon Suk Yuel has embraced the Indo-Pacific framing and attempted to re-boot Seoul’s relationship with Tokyo and Washington as a global pivotal state. What does this mean for South Korea? How does Yoon’s South Korea understand its middle power status and function in the Indo-Pacific? Is it sustainable?

     

    To help us answer these questions, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue is happy to welcome Professor Jeffrey Robertson of Yonsei University to provide insight on these questions and more to glean clarity on South Korea’s diplomatic reset. Jeffrey Robertson is an Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies at Yonsei University. Before academia, he worked for the Australian Government in the field of diplomacy, foreign policy, and North Asia. His research interests include the diplomatic practice and foreign policy of middle powers with a focus on North Asia and the Korean Peninsula. He writes and updates research at https://junotane.substack.com and on Twitter @junotane.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    26 July 2023 - 10:00 (Japan)

    AUKUS has elicited mixed impressions in the Indo-Pacific region from an example of a Cold -War mentality to support for the initiative anchoring deterrence capabilities in the region. How can we understand this new minilateral relationship? Why is it important? Are there ways for non-AUKUS members such as Japan and Canada to plug into this minilateral to add value?

     

    To help us answer these questions, YCAPS' Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue is happy to welcome Tom Corben, Research Fellow at the University of Sydney's United States Centre. Tom Corben is a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre, where he works on US Indo-Pacific Strategy, regional strategic dynamics, defence industry and technology issues, and alliance modernisation trends. He was previously a resident Lloyd and Lilian Vasey Fellow with Pacific Forum in Hawaii, where he focused on Japanese and Korean politics and foreign policy, and Australia’s engagement with Northeast Asia. Tom has published and commented widely on these issues for a range of platforms including War on the Rocks, Nikkei Asia, the Australian Financial Review, and The Diplomat.

     

    For more information please see the event page.

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    20 June 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAPS is thrilled to announce our next event in collaboration with Temple University Japan. This event will feature Dr. Andrew Oros, who will lead us in a discussion about aging populations in Japan and other U.S. allies and adversaries, and its effect on the national security landscape in the Indo-Pacific.

     

    Japan is at the leading edge of an unprecedented population aging and shrinking underway in Northeast Asia, with both fellow security partners of the United States such as South Korea and Taiwan as well as adversaries China, North Korea, and Russia facing similar population changes through 2035. The regional trend of both graying populations and rising gray-zone security challenges sets a new context for regional security competition, which has the result of drawing in a greater number of security partners from the broader Indo-Pacific region and even from Europe. This talk will consider Japan’s new national security strategy (December 2022) within the context of Japan’s graying security landscape.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    24 May 2023 - 19:00 (Japan)

    Academics and policy makers across the globe who have an eye on US-China relations express worry over the inevitability of conflict, of the Thucydides’ Trap. The Thucydides’ Trap is a deadly pattern of structural stress that results when a rising power challenges a ruling one. Over the past 500 years, the conditions required to meet the Thucydides Trap have occurred sixteen times, and the result was war in twelve of them. In today’s context, as an unstoppable China meets an immovable America, are we spiraling towards an inevitable conflict between these two great powers, or is there a way to avoid it?

     

    With this question in mind, YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Dr. Ji Miao, a Senior Research Fellow at the Trilateral Cooperation Studies Center’s Institute of Asian Studies, at the China Foreign Affairs University to speak on the current state of US-China Relations from the Chinese perspective and if it is possible to avoid the Thucydides Trap or if we are indeed doomed to repeat history..

     

    For more information please see the event page.

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    14 March 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Susannah Patton, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and the Project Lead for the Asia Power Index to explore the newly published Asia Power Index 2023 and its implications for the Indo-Pacific region to better understand the most comprehensive assessment of the changing distribution of power in Asia so far.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

    Graphic of the first Indo-Pacific Dialogue in-person event at Tokyo with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (In-Person Tokyo)

    24 February 2023 - 18:30-20:00 (Japan)

    In order to better understand the invasion of Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific and beyond, this Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue in-person event is co-sponsored by JICUF and Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University (APU) to invite Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan to share his views. Participants will gain a better understanding of the invasion of Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

    Graphic of the new Indo-Pacific Dialogue webinar on THE BEIJING-MOSCOW AXIS: THE FOUNDATIONS OF AN ASYMMETRIC ALLIANCE and implications for the Indo-Pacific

    THE BEIJING-MOSCOW AXIS: THE FOUNDATIONS OF AN ASYMMETRIC ALLIANCE and implications for the Indo-Pacific

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    18 January 2023 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Michał Bogusz, and Witold Rodkiewicz --- Authors of “The Beijing-Moscow axis, the foundations of an asymmetric Alliance” and senior fellows of the Centre for Eastern Studies(OSW) to speak about the Russo-China alignment, explore opportunities and challenges between two authoritarian states, and what it means for the Indo-Pacific region.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

    Graphic of the new Indo-Pacific Dialogue webinar on Canada's Indo-pacific Strategy and implications for the Indo-Pacific

    Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy and implications for the Indo-Pacific

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)

    13 December 2022 - 20:30 (Japan)

     

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Director of the Indo-Pacific Program and Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute to explore Canada’s newly published Indo-Pacific strategy, its implications for Canada and the Indo-Pacific region.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

    Graphic of the new Indo-Pacific Dialogue webinar on 20th Party Congress Readout and implications for the Indo-Pacific

    20th Party Congress Readout and implications for Indo-Pacific

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    26 October 2022 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Dr. WANG Yi and Richard McGregor to 20th Party Congress Readout and implications for Indo-Pacific region. This webinar will explore the 20th Party Congress results and implications for the Indo-Pacific and China.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

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    The​ Invasion of Ukraine: Implications for the Indo-Pacific

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    14 September 2022 - 19:00 (Japan)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukraine Ambassador, and Colonel Andriil Bilenkyi, Ukraine Defense Attache to participate in a discussion moderated by John Bradford to explore "How the Invasion of Ukraine Matters for the Indo-Pacific."

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

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    The​ 15th Anniversary of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision and Abe Shinzo's Foreign Policy Legacy

    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    22 August 2022 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Dr. Tomohiko Taniguchi, the former Special Adviser to Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s Cabinet to participate in a discussion moderated by Stephen NAGY, YCAP’s Director of Policy Studies to explore FOIP’s purpose, it’s evolution and Abe’s role of promotion.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

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    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    28 July 2022 - 18:30 (Japan)

    YCAP's Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host Dr. Charles Edel, Charles Edel is the inaugural Australia Chair and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies to participate in a discussion moderated by Stephen NAGY, YCAP’s Director of Policy Studies to develop a better understanding of Australia’s relationship with the U.S. and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

    Photo taken from the back of a seminar hall, where many people seated at tables quietly listen to a speaker at the front of the room
    Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue (via Zoom)
    15 June 2022– 14:30 (Delhi), 18:00 (Tokyo), 19:00 (Sydney)

    YCAPS’ Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue will host a panel of experts to discuss the May 2022 Tokyo Quad Summit to foster a better understanding of the Quad’s evolution from a multinational perspective and what it means for the Indo-Pacific region.

     

    For more information please see the event page. 

  • More Webinars to Be Announced Soon!