News

From April 2nd to 4th, 2023, Professor Maiko Ichihara, GGR Researcher and Professor at the Graduate School of Law and the School of International and Public Policy, took part in “The Third Sunnylands Initiative on Enhancing Democratic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific” held in Sydney, Australia. Professor Ichihara and approximately 25 leading scholars and practitioners gathered in Sydney to discuss threats to democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, new opportunities for democracy, and actions required to advance democratic norms and governance. The joint statement issued as an outcome of the conference stated that further action is needed for the sake of regional stability, economic prosperity, and the development of democracy in the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged a reaffirmation of the commitment to democracy by governments in the region to achieve the outlined objectives.

On April 10, 2023, Asahi Shimbun introduced a comment by Dr. Maiko Ichihara, GGR researcher and professor of the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University. The professor commented on the article "Chinese Activists Sentenced to Prison for Overthrowing the Regime: Their Resolve and Dreams They Were Not Allowed to Speak Out.” This article presents the statements of human rights activists Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, who have each been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for the alleged crime of overthrowing the state regime in China. Professor Ichihara interprets the activities of both as an endeavor to build a more advanced China. Moreover, the professor states that to understand what people desire, it is not enough just to understand governments, but it is crucial to listen to the suppressed voices. Since this article attempts to convey statements to the Japanese public, Professor Ichihara evaluated it as "a contribution to the public formation that the media should be responsible for.

On April 18, 2023, a GGR researcher a­nd the Dean of School of International a­nd Public Policy, Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, participated in a podcast titled "Japan's approaches to nuclear non-proliferation a­nd deterrence with Akiyama Nobumasa a­nd William Alberque” in the series of Japan Memo, presented by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The podcast analyzes the dynamics of nuclear issues in Asia a­nd discusses the Kishida administration's response to nuclear security challenges a­nd examines Japan's efforts to reinvigorate the stalled process of nuclear disarmament. Specifically, the professor discusses the circumstances regarding nuclear weapons development around Japan; the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence; the nuclear sharing a­nd proliferation debate; Japan's policy tools a­nd approaches to nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, a­nd arms control; its "grand strategy" for deterrence, nonproliferation, disarmament, a­nd arms control; a­nd the importance of the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2023 to tackle nuclear issues.

On March 13, 2023, Sascha Hannig Nuñez, GGR assistant and Chilean international analyst, gave a lecture at the University Finis Terrae about the recent changes to Japan's security strategy in the context of increasing tensions in the Asia Pacific region.

On March 28, 2023, Professor Maiko Ichihara, GGR Researcher a­nd Professor at the Graduate School of Law a­nd the School of International a­nd Public Policy, took part in the Public Symposium “Defending Universal Values in the Indo-Pacific: The Role of Japan a­nd the G7 Summit”. Professor Ichihara expressed her opinions from the perspective of academia as follows. The professor gave an extensive observation of the situation of democracy a­nd pointed out that the Ukraine War has led to an increase in the nexus of democracy a­nd security. On the other hand, the professor also indicated that the Global South, which does not favor confrontation between states, has taken a step away from democracy. The Sunnylands Initiative, in which the professor is involved, aims to develop a continuous a­nd dynamic network of refugee assistance in Asia, whose operations are currently fragmented among individual countries a­nd people. The professor argued that the multi-stakeholder network that incorporates governments a­nd civil society not only helps individuals seeking freedom but also mitigates the confrontational aspects of democracy. In addition, the professor analyzed that the outbreak of demonstrations seen on a global scale represents the fact that the longing for freedom is a fundamental human desire. The professor also stressed the importance of paying attention to the discourses of civil society a­nd the need to restore liberty from the promotion of illiberal democracy by authoritarian regimes.

On March 9, 2023, Sascha Hannig Nuñez, GGR assistant and Chilean international analyst, appeared in Mundo +, a news program that is part of the Chilean news website Meganoticias, to discuss recent political affairs in East Asia. Meganoticias is one of the most popular news channels used by the Chilean people and covers a variety of topics from world news to Chilean entertainment. Using her expertise on the influence that East Asian countries have on the world, Ms. Hannig Nuñez discussed Xi Jinping's reelection for another 5 years as well as the increasing tensions in East Asia with North Korea presenting a more aggressive position.

　On March 6, 2023, Yahoo! Japan published an official comment by Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, dean of Hitotsubashi University School of International and Public Policy and GGR researcher. Professor Akiyama commented on the article “‘No Stockpile’ of Uranium Enriched Beyond 80%: IAEA Agrees with Iran to Strengthen Monitoring,” written on the previous day of March 5th and released by Jiji Press. The article reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi recently visited Iran and denied reports that uranium particles with an enrichment rate of 83.7% had been detected in a nuclear facility in Fordo, located in central Iran. Professor Akiyama commented that there have been signs that the centrifuge cascades in the Fordo nuclear facility had been rearranged and due to this there still remains room for skepticism regarding Grossi’s statement. He mentioned that since most of the Western countries remain focused on the war in Ukraine, it remains unknown how much spotlight this topic would receive at the next IAEA board meeting. However, the professor stressed the need to consider the fact that uranium with relatively high enrichment levels has been accumulated to a considerable degree in Iran.

On March 10, 2023, some quotes by Ms. Sascha Hannig Nuñez, GGR assistant and Chilean international analyst specializing in East Asian affairs, were introduced on the main news program of Meganoticias. Meganoticias is one of the most popular news channels used by the Chilean people and covers a variety of topics from world news to Chilean entertainment. Ms. Hannig Nuñez’s quotes came from an interview conducted the day before on Mundo +, a platform of Meganoticias’s, where she talked about recent political affairs in China and North Korea.

As part of the international research project "Legal Systems and Artificial Intelligence" led by Professor Mihoko Sumida, Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law, members of the WP1 "Future Scenarios of Legal Systems and Artificial Intelligence Research Group" travelled to the UK and together with research members from the University of Cambridge, held a Foresights Workshop with the agenda "The Future of Work and Labour Law".

On March 3, 2023, Asahi Shimbun introduced a comment by Dr. Maiko Ichihara, GGR researcher and professor of the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University. The professor commented on the article “Former Leader of Largest Opposition Party to be Imprisoned for 27 Years Before General Election for “Conspiring with Foreign Powers and Treason’.” The article reports that Kem Sokha, former leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment for the act of conspiring with foreign states to overthrow the government. Since general elections are coming up in July, many people have indicated that this sentencing is a way for the current government to clamp down on opposition parties. Professor Ichihara commented that this action taken by the Cambodian government is a typical example of “rule by law”, rather than a state of “rule of law”, in which equality under the law is ensured. She indicates that the current administration is doing everything in its power to win the upcoming general election; hence preventing a fair election. In the end, she argues that the international community, including Japan, should not acknowledge the results of the July election and should aid Cambodia in building a more democratic government.