East Asia’s Disputed Islands

Thursday, September 17, 2026

3:00-4:00 pm

Wilf Hall 3/F conference room and on Zoom

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About the event 

After World War II ended in the Pacific, the United States redrew the map of East Asia. Among other things, it decided the disposition of various island groups that Japan had controlled, some of which were also claimed by China, Russia, or Korea. Decades later, these islands – the Senkakus/Diaoyutai, Takeshima/Dokdo, the Northern Territories/Kurils, and a few others – remain the subject of contestation between Japan and its neighbors, the focus of irredentist claims on all sides that periodically flare up and threaten the peace. Alexis Dudden, professor of history at the University of Connecticut, will discuss why the island disputes remain so intractable, the role initially played by the San Francisco Treaty, now further complicated by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the ongoing threat to regional peace.

About the speaker

Alexis Dudden is a professor of history at the University of Connecticut who specializes in modern Japan, modern Korea, and international history. She has written extensively about Japan and Northeast Asia, with numerous articles in academic and mainstream publications. Her books include Troubled Apologies Among Japan, Korea, and the United States (Columbia, 2008), Japan's Colonization of Korea (University of Hawai'i Press, 2005) and a collaborative graphic history project called CARGO REBELLION: Those Who Chose Freedom (PM Press, 2023). A recurring theme of her work is Japan’s interpretation of international law. Professor Dudden is currently writing a book about Japan’s territorial disputes and the changing meaning of islands in international law. She holds a BA from Columbia University and PhD in history from the University of Chicago.