World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20th. Every year around this time, the media tend to run features on the global refugee situation and/or Japan’s asylum policy. Although there is nothing wrong about the coverage, it often appears that the media do not necessarily have a sound understanding of even basic concepts such as the definition of refugees and the methods and logic surrounding asylum policies. In fact, my general observation is supported by statistical evidence. Every year around World Refugee Day in recent years, the global market research company Ipsos (Ipsos Group S.A.) has published a global survey, “WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Global attitudes towards refugees.”[1] According to the survey results, Japanese respondents are not especially discriminatory or closed to refugees when compared with respondents in other countries. However, the results consistently show that the percentage of Japanese respondents who ... ... [Read more]

Japan’s security cooperation “for the benefit of the armed forces and related organizations (of the countries),” which could not be achieved through ODA, has begun. Provision of equipment and supplies, such as patrol boats and radar systems, is being made, and as a “next step,” attention is being given to military infrastructure assistance. This article explores the significance and challenges of the new tool for security cooperation that Japan has acquired.   Nishida Ippeita, Senior Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation With the establishment of Official Security Assistance (OSA), Japan’s foreign aid is entering a new phase. In 2012, Japan introduced Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) to train military personnel of other countries, but CBA is not accompanied by a policy scheme to provide material support to defense authorities of the recipient states. This has been problematic. Official Development Assistance (ODA) cannot be used to address security ... ... [Read more]

  Western countries, where politics of division and conflict are becoming the norm, are losing their ability to respond to long-term challenges. What direction ought we discern for continued support for Ukraine, information warfare in war, the challenges facing “democracy” spreading around the world, the confrontation with China, and other issues?   Ichihara Maiko (Professor at Hitotsubashi University), Kojima Kazuko (Professor at Keio University), Suzuki Sanae (Associate Professor at University of Tokyo), Higashino Atsuko (Professor at University of Tsukuba), Iizuka Keiko (Senior Political Writer at the Yomiuri Shimbun)   Iizuka Keiko: Starting with the presidential election in Taiwan, 2024 is seeing elections to choose the leaders of many major countries in the world, including Indonesia, Russia, India, and the United States. The one with the greatest global impact will likely be the US presidential election. Former President Trump plays the main role in the ... ... [Read more]

  Emerging countries are entering the world of international aid, and South-South cooperation is becoming more multilateral. These emerging donors and developed countries should work together to provide assistance. Developed countries and Japan can consider assistance that promotes transparency and adherence to international standards, and that links issues such as the SDGs and FOIP.   Kondoh Hisahiro, Professor, Saitama University   The rise of emerging countries is not limited to the political and economic arena. Since the early 2000s, aid from emerging countries has been in the spotlight, and the term “emerging donors” has been coined. However, “emerging donors” does not mean newly emerging aid donors. Rather, as will be discussed later, countries such as China and Saudi Arabia are emerging donors in the sense that, although they have been involved in aid for a long time, they have recently begun to attract attention ... ... [Read more]

  Key points China’s peaceful unification policy and cross-Strait relations are pluralistic. Weak Democratic Progressive Party government, China plans to unseat it in 2028 In addition to defense capabilities, international cooperation is necessary to protect democracy   Matsuda Yasuhiro, Professor, The University of Tokyo   Taiwan’s presidential and Legislative Yuan elections were held on January 13, 2024, and William Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected president. This time, as there were three strong candidates, Lai’s vote share was only 40.05%, and the ruling party is expected to fall short of a majority in the Legislative Yuan election, resulting in a “weak DPP” government. The international community has been paying close attention to the presidential election because of fears that a war could break out in the Taiwan Strait, following in the footsteps of Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and the ... ... [Read more]

  Mimaki Seiko, Associate Professor, Doshisha University   Japan may soon see its first “feminist foreign minister.” There is such hope in Kamikawa Yoko, who assumed the position of Foreign Minister in September 2023. Since her appointment, Foreign Minister Kamikawa has offered a female perspective to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and has enthusiastically promoted the “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” initiative, which aims for more sustainable peace. A task force within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was launched at the end of January. This task force is comprised of regional bureaus that handle bilateral relations with other countries, the International Cooperation Bureau, which handles Official Development Assistance (ODA), and more. At the task force launch meeting, Foreign Minister Kamikawa expressed her desire to “utilize a WPS perspective in an all-Japan manner” in cooperation with other ministries and agencies. She also spoke of her eagerness ... ... [Read more]

  Kajitani Kai, Professor, Kobe University Graduate School   Recently, there has been a growing awareness in Japan of the importance of “evidence” in reporting and policymaking. Especially when making decisions about highly opaque topics like China, which is my specialty, it is extremely important to support and verify evidence such as statistical data. On the other hand, some voices are sounding the alarm that politicians and large corporations are waiving evidence and objectivity while ignoring the small voices of those affected, causing divisions in society. While there are some valid aspects to this criticism, I cannot agree with an attitude that places too much emphasis on individual narratives. Rather, we should pay attention to how much of the “evidence” that the government and others present is “falsifiable” by third parties. For example, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more attention has ... ... [Read more]

  Endo Ken, Professor, University of Tokyo The Current State of the Japan-South Korea Relationship As far as the Far East is concerned, changes have resulted from the ongoing US-China conflict and the war in Ukraine in three dimensions: the Korean peninsula, Japan-South Korea relations, and the Taiwan situation. Let us begin with the Korean peninsula. The situation on the peninsula undergoes rapid change. The framework of cooperation that was symbolized by the Six-Party Talks of 2003–2007 has long since broken down, replaced by the bloc-like constellations of Japan, the United Nations, and South Korea on one hand, and China, Russia, and North Korea on the other. In addition to North Korea’s military expansion, both qualitative and quantitative, China and Russia have shifted to positions closer to North Korea in the United Nations Security Council, China-North Korea trade has apparently started to resume, and ... ... [Read more]

  Key points Rapid growth with coexisting developed- and developing-country challenges Shifting to a mindset that prioritizes sustainability and equity Concern over the low number of Japanese young people studying abroad in Asia   Endo Tamaki, Professor, Saitama University   2023 will be the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, and a summit meeting is scheduled for December in Tokyo. Over the past 50 years, the relationship between Japan and ASEAN, as well as Asia’s economy and society, has changed significantly. Asia’s rapid economic development has progressed while economic interdependence within the region has deepened. After World War II, Asia was known as a region of poverty and stagnation, but it has shown what has been called a “miracle” of high economic growth and has emerged as an emerging Asia, despite facing several crises. In the 21st century, the GDP share of Asia, ... ... [Read more]

  Oba Mie, Professor, Kanagawa University   When ASEAN was established in August 1967, Japan’s interest in the organization was low. However, since the mid-1970s, Japan’s policy toward Southeast Asia began to emphasize the unity of ASEAN and to promote friendly cooperation with it. This came at a time when Japan was being forced to make a major review of its policies towards the region, with Southeast Asian countries facing harsh scrutiny over Japan’s economic overpresence and ODA. The 1973 Japan-ASEAN Synthetic Rubber Forum is now considered the starting point for Japan-ASEAN friendship and cooperation. Prime Minister Fukuda Takeo’s Manila speech (the so-called Fukuda Doctrine) in 1977 was another extremely important event for the development of friendship and cooperation between Japan and ASEAN. Currently, there are no serious issues of concern between Japan and the ASEAN countries that have become politicized. On the contrary, ... ... [Read more]