Speakers - The Asia-Pacific Conference on Security & International Relations (APSec)

Ambassador Yukio Satoh

Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Japan

Biography

Yukio Satoh is a member of the Global Zero Commission, Washington, USA and the International Advisory Board of RUSI International, London, UK. Previously, he was a member of the National Commission on Public Safety, Japan, the President of JIIA (2003-2009) and a member of the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

He retired from the Japanese Foreign Service in 2002 as the Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations (1998-2002). Among other posts, he also served as Ambassador of Japan to Australia (1996-1998) and the Netherlands (1994-96).

Keynote Presentation
Shifting Strategic Balance and Asian Security
Thursday, December 8, 2016
09:45-10:30
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

The concept of strategic stability has become increasingly obscure since the end of the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of China have changed the structure of strategic balance, which would have defining impacts on world security. Requirements for strategic stability varies widely among the three bilateral relations, and alliance relations add to the complexity of strategic stability. Unlike Russia and China, the United States has the allies, but unlike the Cold War-time Western solidarity, the security interests of US allies in Europe and Asia today widely diverge in focus. Furthermore, non-strategic problems have come to affect strategic balance among major powers. Terrorism by radical Islamists and spreading sectarian conflicts in the Middle East and a broader Islamic world have distracting and debilitating impacts particularly on the US strategy and profile. These developments have made it difficult to define the concept of strategic stability in a global context.

Dr Sachiko Ishikawa

Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan

Biography

Dr Sachiko Ishikawa is Senior Advisor on Peacebuilding and South-South Cooperation at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). She worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Sasakawa Peace Foundation prior to her current post. She also teaches at Dokkyo University. Dr Ishikawa has contributed a number of articles related to the issues of Mindanao peacebuilding and ASEAN, including “The Role of a Development Agency in Peacebuilding: Track One-and-a-Half Mediation in Mindanao” in Asian Journal of Peacebuilding (2014) and “Towards a People-Centric ASEAN: A Challenge for ASEAN in a New Era” in Harvard Asia Quarterly (2011).

Keynote Presentation
Human Security and Peacebuilding Challenges
Thursday, December 8, 2016
11:00-11:45
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

Peacebuilding in Asia is different from in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East or Africa, in that processes are not UN mandated. While we may find instances of international mediation, they are sensitive to respecting the sovereignty of each country. Moreover, the drivers of peacebuilding in Asia are the conflicting parties themselves, such as in the case of Mindanao. International intervention based on the principle of responsibility to protect (R2P) is not the norm, although there is a growing area where R2P concerns and human security-related policies and actions overlap.

Professor Toshiya Hoshino

Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Toshiya Hoshino is presently a Professor at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University, Japan, and from 2015 to 2016 served as Vice-President (International) at the university.

From August 2006 to August 2008, he served as a Minister-Counselor in charge of political affairs at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (UN). At the UN, he was a principal advisor to the Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) when Japan assumed its chairmanship. He graduated from Sophia University, Japan, completed a Master’s degree at the University of Tokyo, and received his doctorate (PhD) from Osaka University.

His previous positions include: Senior Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Japan; Guest Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, USA; Fellow at Stanford Japan Center, Stanford University, USA; Visiting Fellow, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, USA; and a Special Assistant (Political Affairs) at the Embassy of Japan to the United States.

He is a specialist in UN peace and security policies (conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding), human security and humanitarian issues, security in the Asia-Pacific region, and Japan-US relations.

He also serves as a board member of the United Nations Association of Japan, the Japan Association for UNHCR, the Japan Association for United Nations Studies, the Okinawa Peace Cooperation Center, respectively and as Vice-President, EU Institute in Japan, Kansai (EUIJ-Kansai), among others.

Professor Jun Arima

University of Tokyo, Japan

Biography

Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP. He is currently a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches the In Energy Security, International Energy Governance and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy.

Keynote Presentation
Energy Security and Sustainability in Asia
Thursday, December 8, 2016
11:45-12:30
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

With rapidly growing energy demand in the Non-OECD Asia including China and India and declining domestic energy production, energy import dependence in this region will icrease over the coming decades. India and South East Asia, of which energy demand marks particularly high growth, will be increasingly dependent on oil import from the Middle East. This will make the sea-born energy trade in the Indian Ocean further crucil for the energy security and economic prosperity of the region.

On the other hand, the Indian Ocean is exposed to multiple potential risks, including natural disaster, piracy, terrorist attack, failed or rogue states and state-to-state conflict. Disruption of energy flow in the Indian Ocean will give detrimental impact not only to the Asian economy but also the global economy as a whole.

Furthermore, Non-OECD Asia accounts for the bulk of incremental energy-related CO2 emissions between now and 2040, which will not only damage global climate system but also give negative impact to the Indian Ocean region.

Though security risks in the Indian Ocean need to be addressed by individual defense capability and regional security arrangements, energy policy makers in the region could also take various measures for alleviating potential negative impact in terms of energy security and environmental sustainability. These include enhancing emergency preparedness, increasing domestic production, diversifying supply route, improving energy efficiency and introduction of lower/zero carbon energy.
One challenge in this region is the lack of regional cooperation framework engaging all the key players. EAS (East Asia Summit) engaging US, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, ASEAN, India and Russia could potentially play a role. However, in the area of emergency preparedness and energy efficiency, the cooperative activities in the EAS is modest compared with the APEC and much weaker compared with the IEA. Given India will play increasingly crucial role in the world energy market in the coming decades, it is an urgent task how to effectively engage India in regional energy cooperation.

Professor Haruko Satoh

Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Haruko Satoh is Specially Appointed Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering Science in charge of CAREN (Osaka University Centre for the Advancement of Research and Education Exchange Networks in Asia) and also lecturer at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), where she runs MEXT Reinventing Japan project on “Peace and Human Security in Asia (PAHSA)” with six Southeast Asian and four Japanese universities. She is also the President of the The Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA).

In the past she has worked at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Chatham House, and Gaiko Forum. Her interests are primarily in state theory, Japanese nationalism and identity politics. Recent publications include: “Rethinking Security in Japan: In Search of a Post-‘Postwar’ Narrative” in Jain & Lam (eds), Japan’s Strategic Challenges in a Changing Regional Environment (World Scientific, 2012); “Through the Looking-glass: China’s Rise as Seen from Japan”, (co-authored with Toshiya Hoshino), Journal of Asian Public Policy, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 181-198 (July 2012); “Post-3.11 Japan: A Matter of Restoring Trust?”, ISPI Analysis No. 83 (December 2011); “Legitimacy Deficit in Japan: The Road to True Popular Sovereignty” in Kane, Loy & Patapan (eds), Political Legitimacy in Asia: New Leadership Challenges (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), “Japan: Re-engaging with China Meaningfully” in Tang, Li & Acharya (eds), Living with China: Regional States and China through Crises and Turning Points, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009).

Professor Haruko Satoh is a member of IAFOR’s Academic Governing Board. She is Chair of the Politics, Law & International Relations section of the International Academic Advisory Board.

Professor Brendan Howe

Ewha Womans University, South Korea & APISA

Biography

Brendan Howe is a Professor of international relations and Associate Dean at the Graduate School of International Studies, Ewha Womans University, South Korea, where he has worked since 2001. He has a PhD (political science) from Trinity College Dublin, an MA (international conflict analysis) from the University of Kent at Canterbury, and a BA/MA (modern history) from the University of Oxford. Currently the President of the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA), his research agendas focus on traditional and non-traditional security policymaking in East Asia; human security; democratic governance; public diplomacy; and post-crisis development. Major recent works include Peacekeeping and the Asia-Pacific (Brill, 2016) Democratic Governance in Northeast Asia: A Human-Centred Approach to Evaluating Democracy (Palgrave, 2015); Post-Conflict Development in East Asia (Ashgate, 2014); The Protection and Promotion of Human Security in East Asia (Palgrave, 2013); and Northeast Asian Perspectives on the Legality and Legitimacy of the Use of Force (Brill, 2013).

Dr Joseph Haldane

The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

Biography

Joseph Haldane is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The International Academic Forum (IAFOR). He was Academic Director from IAFOR’s inception in 2009 until January 2011, and Executive Director from 2011 until late 2014, when he assumed his current role. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s business and academic operations, including research, publications and events.

Dr Haldane’s academic interests include politics and international affairs, literature and history, and he holds a PhD from the University of London in 19th-century French Studies. He began his academic career in France, and from 2002 to 2005 held full-time faculty positions at the University of Paris XII (Paris-Est Créteil) and Sciences Po Paris, as well as visiting positions at both the French Press Institute in the University of Paris II (Université Panthéon-Assas), and the School of Journalism at Sciences Po Paris. Prior to founding IAFOR in 2009, Dr Haldane was an Associate Professor at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business in Japan, where he taught a range of language and culture courses at undergraduate level, as well as the MBA Ethics course in the graduate school.

Dr Haldane is now a Guest Professor at Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), where he teaches on the postgraduate Global Governance Course. As of 2016 he is also an Invited Lecturer in the School of Journalism at Moscow State University. His current research concentrates on post-war and contemporary politics and international relations especially in and between Japan, China and the USA.

From 2012 to 2014 Dr Haldane served as Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Chubu Region) and he is currently a Trustee of the HOPE International Development Agency (Japan). In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, and in 2015 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Dr Brian Victoria

Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, UK

Biography

Brian Victoria is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and a 1961 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. He holds a MA in Buddhist Studies from Sōtō Zen sect-affiliated Komazawa University in Tokyo, and a PhD from the Department of Religious Studies at Temple University.

In addition to a second, enlarged edition of Zen At War (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), Brian's major writings include Zen War Stories (RoutledgeCurzon, 2003); an autobiographical work in Japanese entitled Gaijin de ari, Zen bozu de ari (As a Foreigner, As a Zen Priest), published by San-ichi Shobo in 1971; Zen Master Dōgen, coauthored with Prof. Yokoi Yūhō of Aichi-gakuin University (Weatherhill, 1976); and a translation of The Zen Life by Sato Koji (Weatherhill, 1972). In addition, Brian has published numerous journal articles, focusing on the relationship of not only Buddhism but religion in general, to violence and warfare.

From 2005 to 2013 Brian was a Professor of Japanese Studies and director of the AEA “Japan and Its Buddhist Traditions Program” at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, OH, USA. From 2013-2015 he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan where he is writing a book tentatively entitled: Zen Terror in 1930s Japan. Brian currently continues his research as a Fellow of the Oxford Center for Buddhist Studies and is a fully ordained Buddhist priest in the Sōtō Zen sect.

Dr Joel Campbell

Troy University, Japan

Biography

Joel Campbell is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Pacific Region (Japan and Korea) of the Global Campus program of Troy University, a United States University in Japan. He teaches in the Masters of Science in International Relations (MSIR) program and has had a life-long interest in East Asia and International Politics. Dr Campbell was born in Ohio, grew up in Texas, and has lived in Arizona, Missouri, and Tennessee. He was awarded a doctorate in political science from Miami University (Ohio), and a Masters of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Following this he worked in several governmental offices, including the Texas House Speaker’s office and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Dr Campbell has taught at Tohoku University, Miyazaki International College and Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, as well as at three universities in Korea, and has previously been an editor for a Japanese securities firm. He has also published extensively on his principal research interests, the politics and political economy of Northeast Asia, along with technology policy and international security. Dr Campbell has written numerous articles for academic journals on topics ranging from combating terrorism and money laundering to European Union economic integration and technology policy. The bulk of his publications have focused on the politics and political economy of East Asia, especially in Japan, South Korea, and China. Dr Campbell is also a contributor to IAFOR’s online magazine, THINK.

Featured Presentation
Beijing Upends the Apple Cart: The South China Sea as Harbinger of the China Century
Thursday, December 8, 2016
15:45-16:15
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

The recent international arbitration ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China for geographical features in the South China Sea claimed by both countries amounts to a critical juncture in the dispute. Beijing claims most of the sea as its territory, while America refuses to recognize Chinese control of the area. Southeast Asian states, especially the Philippines and Vietnam, meanwhile contend that some of the contested islets belong to them. Can China and its neighbors settle their disagreements, and will US interest in the region drag it into future military conflicts there? This presentation considers China’s recent efforts in the South China Sea as indicators of its growing international status as a great power with Asian hegemonic ambitions. It will examine competing international relations theories, offensive and defensive realism, neoclassical realism, and neoliberalism, to assess China’s emergence as a global player.

Professor Yoneyuki Sugita

Osaka University, Japan

Biography

Yoneyuki Sugita is Professor of History at Osaka University, Japan. His major works include “The Symbiotic Relationship between Japan’s Status in the World and Changes in the Nature of Medical Insurances from the 1920s to the Early 1940s”, in Yoneyuki Sugita Ed., Japan Viewed from Interdisciplinary Perspectives: History and Prospects (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015); “The Beveridge Report and Japan”, Social Work in Public Health 29:1 (2014); and “Japan’s Epoch-Making Health-Insurance Reforms, 1937-1945,” Japan Forum, Vol. 25, Issue 1 (2013).

Featured Panel Presentation with Brian Daizen Victoria, Yoneyuki Sugita & Joel R. Campbell
The Karma of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Island Dispute
Thursday, December 8, 2016
16:15-17:15
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

Karma is, unfortunately, one of those much misunderstood and abused words, not only in the West but also in Asia, where it often has been given the meaning of “unavoidable fate” or even “deserved fate”. In origin, however, it simply means “action” or “doing”. In the Buddhist tradition referenced in this paper, karma refers to the “law of moral causation”, i.e., desirable and undesirable acts produce corresponding good and bad results. The twin roots of karma are ignorance and craving (tanha), and the most important factor in determining karma is volition or the will of the individual or, in this case, nations, for the latter consist, of course, of collections of individuals.

Based on this understanding, this paper will examine the historical record concerning the ownership dispute between Japan and China concerning Senkaku/Diaoyu to determine what role, if any, moral causation played in the development of the current impasse. If such “good and bad results” can be identified, the next question is what can now be done about it, for, fortunately, the Buddhist understanding of karma is essentially optimistic in that it states that nations, like individuals, are free, if they choose, to create new karma leading towards progress and a peaceful resolution. Thus, this paper will also attempt to identify what that “new karma” might be, driven by the insight that it is equally possible to create new but destructive karma as well. The decision is truly up to us and the nations we are a part of.

Xingzui Wang

China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, China

Biography

Xingzui Wang is the Executive Vice President of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) (2001 to present), one of the oldest and largest NGOs in China and one of the few working outside the country. He has over two decades of experience in rural development and poverty alleviation. Under his leadership and team efforts, the Foundation has grown from a small, largely unknown organization to one that is well recognized and respected for its pioneering work and professionalism by the governments, corporates, beneficiaries and peer NGOs both at home and abroad. He oversees the Foundation’s strategies and microfinance and is working hard to expand the Foundation’s operations to other countries and to transform the Foundation into an international NGO. He is also dedicated to promoting transparency, unity and partnerships in the Chinese NGO sector. Prior to CFPA, he worked at the State Council Poverty Reduction Office (1996 to 2000) and the Ministry of Agriculture (1988 to 1995), where he was engaged in the poverty reduction projects funded by bi- and multi-lateral organizations and on inter-governmental cooperation projects. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University and his master’s degree in business administration from Renmin University of China. He is a 2013 Yale World Fellow.

Keynote Presentation
Fighting Poverty in China
Thursday, December 8, 2016
13:30-14:00
Saji Keizo Memorial Hall (10F)

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