Other Publications
Russia’s New START Statement “Highly Political” [in Japanese]
AbstractOn February 22, 2023, Mainichi Shimbun published the interview “Russia’s New START Statement ‘Highly Political’” with Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, Dean of Hitotsubashi University’s School of International and Public Policy and GGR researcher. In the interview, Professor Akiyama explained how the recent statement by President Putin regarding the New START treaty does not drastically change the current situation. Rather, he described it as being a “highly political” move by Putin who felt it necessary to send a strong message to the world in wake of President Biden’s unexpected visit to Ukraine and the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Professor Akiyama suggested that Putin’s aim might be to sway the political sphere within the U.S. by creating a conflict between those who support the New START treaty and those who advocate for a withdrawal from it. In any case, recent tensions have made further negotiations for a successor treaty difficult and pose a major threat to further disarmament movements in the global community.
The World in 2035 [In Japanese]
AbstractOn February 13, 2023, “The World in 2035” (Asahi Shimbun Publications), co-authored by Dr. Maiko Ichihara, GGR researcher and professor of the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University, was published. It was co-authored by experts from various fields, including the French demographer and historian Emmanuel Todd, as well as the German philosopher Markus Gabriel. The book deals with the world in 2035, 12 years from now. While the worldwide population is expected to grow, countries with large populations such as China and Japan are predicted to become societies with a predominantly elderly population. Regarding the economy, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) is going to overtake that of the U.S., making it the largest economy in the world, while Japan is going to be overtaken by India and Indonesia to become the world’s fifth-largest economy. Furthermore, it has been noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be further developed and utilized in various aspects of society. Amid such predictions, unpredictable events such as the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have occurred, and today’s world is filled with unprecedented uncertainty. In “The World in 2035”, experts and distinguished figures in various fields, including Professor Ichihara, present their own thoughts and predictions of the world ahead.
Beyond a World “Accustomed” to Nuclear Threats: Contradictions and Dilemmas Awaiting on the Way Out of the Invasion [in Japanese]
AbstractOn February 20, 2023, Asahi Shimbun published the interview “Beyond a World ‘Accustomed’ to Nuclear Threats: Contradictions and Dilemmas Awaiting a Way Out of the Invasion” with Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, Dean of Hitotsubashi University School of International and Public Policy and GGR researcher. In the interview, Professor Akiyama indicated the dangers of the international society becoming accustomed to Putin’s threats of nuclear weapons usage. Downplaying such threats could lead Russia to become more aggressive and cause an unexpected turn of events in the war. However, the professor also stated that there is no easy way out of this situation as there are several dilemmas that come into play. While the best-case scenario is that Russia surrenders without using nuclear weapons, there is a need to consider other possible outcomes. Furthermore, to realize a world without nuclear weapons, Professor Akiyama insisted that the international community should not only talk about the idea of nuclear abolition, but also share ideas on what means are necessary to realize this idea and work toward an agreement. In the end, he discussed how such discussions and recognition of the world structure would lead to the conception of a "postwar" international order.
Fragmentation in Liberalism and Japan’s Role
AbstractOn February 9, 2023, Discuss Japan published an article by Dr. Maiko Ichihara, GGR researcher and professor of the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University. This article is a translated version of the professor’s Japanese essay that was published in the December Issue of SEKAI, a political magazine issued by Iwanami Shoten. In this article, Professor Ichihara argues that while there have been various attempts to suppress human rights in Asia, the opposition that these attempts have been met with proves how individualism and the pursuit of dignity are universal values. Mobilization of civilians to counter governmental suppression has become easier due to the spread of the internet; however, the spread of social media has generated fragmentation within people on the other hand. Such divisions in society are prevalent in Japan as well, and the professor indicates that this situation has been exacerbated by China’s discursive war. In the end, the professor clarifies how we should define democracy and introduces ways in which we can protect people’s lives, liberty, and dignity, such as the Sunnylands Initiative.
What is Needed for a Trustworthy, Persuasive, and Universal Human Rights Diplomacy? [In Japanese]
AbstractOn February 1, 2023, Asahi Shimbun published an article by Dr. Maiko Ichihara, GGR researcher and professor of the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law. To begin with, the professor expressed her concern about the undermining of liberal values centered on human rights in recent years and explained the issues related to human rights occurring worldwide. She also addressed Japan’s embarkation on human rights diplomacy under the Kishida administration, stating that although these efforts should be praised to a certain extent, they should not be treated as a tool of the LDP’s conservative faction. Finally, Professor Ichihara emphasized that in order to promote human rights diplomacy, Japan needs to enhance its efforts in respecting human rights within the country as well.
Measuring National Refugee Policies: Recent Trends and Implications for Future Development
AbstractOn December 27, 2022, an article co-written by Masaaki Higashijima, associate professor at Tohoku University, and Yujin Woo, GGR research fellow and assistant professor at the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law, was published in Tohoku University’s Interdisciplinary Information Sciences magazine. In the article, the authors review recent research on national refugee and asylum policies with the goal of introducing recent efforts made by scholars to quantitatively understand different countries’ adoptions of divergent policy tools. To do so, they review and compare extant data sets that quantitatively measure national refugee policies. Through this comparison, they conclude that future research should attempt to understand host countries’ refugee policies through a broader temporal and geographic scope.
Book Review: “The Silent Guns of Two Octobers: Kennedy and Khrushchev Play the Double Game”
AbstractOn December 19, 2022, the Diplomacy and Statecraft journal published a book review written by Professor Toshihiko Aono of the Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University. In this article, the professor reviews the book: “The Silent Guns of Two Octobers: Kennedy and Khrushchev Play the Double Game,” written by Mr. Theodore Voorhees Jr. This book examines the mechanisms that prevented nuclear war during the years 1961 to 1962. Most people regard these years as having been closest to a nuclear war, especially during the period leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, Mr. Voorhees argues against this stating that the year of 1962 was a “surprisingly safe period” and presents a thorough explanation for his argument. Professor Aono praises this book as having contributed to a further understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis but states that he has some different views from Mr. Voorhees’ arguments.
Two Years after the Coup: What is Myanmar’s Future? Pointing a Gun on its People, Democratization is Moving Further Away: “Turning the Attention toward the Increasing Number of Refugees” [In Japanese]
AbstractProfessor Maiko Ichihara of Graduate School of Law at Hitotsubashi University, appeared on an article published by Chunichi Simbun on January 30, 2023. Two years after the coup in Myanmar, the conflict between the military and the people still continues. Professor Ichihara addresses this problem and discusses how Japan’s stance towards ASEAN has influenced the situation in Myanmar. She argues that with the ASEAN presidency changing this year, Japan must work together with the ASEAN countries to ensure a more effective approach towards the Myanmar military. In the end, the professor points out that while the Kishida administration has been proactive in accepting refugees from Ukraine, they have not done the same for Myanmar refugees. She stresses that Japan should take action in establishing a more efficient system of accepting refugees from Myanmar in order to maintain consistency in the messages it sends to the international community.
The Prosecutor’s Discretion at the International Criminal Court
AbstractOn December 25, 2022, a new book by Dr. Hitomi Takemura, Professor of the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law, entitled “The Prosecutor’s Discretion at the International Criminal Court” was published. Now that twenty years have passed since the issuing of the Rome Statute which declared the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Professor Takemura discusses the ICC, which yet remains increasingly prominent in the modern world, in terms of prosecutorial discretion. The book first introduces the functions and history of the ICC and then compares Japanese prosecutors with those of the ICC. It also explains the obligation of countries to cooperate with the ICC, the jurisdiction of the ICC, as well as the prosecution strategies of the Prosecutor’s Office.
How to Tackle Disinformation in Japan: Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine War
AbstractIn December 2022, the "Impact of Disinformation on Democracy in Asia" report was published on Brookings, featuring an article by Professor Maiko Ichihara of the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law. First, the professor indicates how extensive Russian disinformation and propaganda about the Russia-Ukraine war have been disrupting the discourse space in Japan. She states that the impact of this disinformation is unprecedented in Japan, making this a useful case study for analyzing the challenges of disinformation and possible appropriate countermeasures. In this context, the paper discusses Japan’s disinformation situation in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war, current countermeasures against disinformation, and recommended policies to overcome the challenges.