The course seeks to provide students with the necessary background to understand the basics of Japan’s contemporary history, institutions and foreign policy structures and priorities, while remaining flexible to tailor lectures and seminars to an evolving international landscape. It follows an intensive, executive-like format, combining traditional academic lectures with interactive discussions with experts and policy-makers. The course is open to VUB Master’s students, as well as to interested public, taking place in three modules in November, March and May.
Module 1
The first module provides an understanding of the historical, institutional and strategic context that defines Japan’s foreign and security policy, by looking at its historical evolution since WWII, the domestic political environment and external strategic challenges. A series of short lectures were recorded and are publicly available on the Japan Program’s YouTube channel:
By Celine Pajon
By Elena Atanassova-Cornelis
By Eva Pejsova
By Alessio Patalano
Module 2
The second module focuses on Japan’s role and contribution to regional security in Asia. It will explore Tokyo’s evolving vision of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, focusing on the main regional security challenges and relationships with key partners. The lectures are open to public and designed to encourage an interactive exchange between the lecturers and the audience.
Please click on the below titles for more information and to register.
- Thursday, March 4, 11- 12:30
Japan’s “Free and Open Indo Pacific”: from vision to practice
Lecturer: Kei Koga, Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme (PPGA), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
- Friday, March 12, 11-12:30
Japan - China relations: geopolitical competition and shifting identities
Lecturer: Elena Atanassova-Cornelis, Senior Lecturer, University of Antwerp and Leuven
- Thursday, March 18, 18-19:30
Japan - US relations: an alliance for stability in East Asia?
Lecturer: Jeffrey Hornung, Political Scientist, RAND Corporation, Washington
- Thursday, March 25, 11-12:30:
Japan and India: a strategic partnership for a new era
Lecturers:
- Jagannath Panda, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), New Delhi
- Satoru Nagao, Non-resident Fellow, Hudson Institute, Washington/ Tokyo
Module 3
The third and final module will be devoted to Japan’s global contribution to global security and its relations with Europe. Reflecting the evolving agenda in EU-Japan and NATO-Japan relations, it includes interactions with policy-makers. This final module will focus on Japan’s contribution to global security (i.e. beyond the Indo-Pacific), and zoom in on Europe-Japan relations.
Programme coming soon!
