Japan's Evolving Position on Collective Self-Defense
Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Time: 7:30-8:30 pm ET
Location: Vanderbilt Hall Room 201 and on Zoom
Register
About the event:
Japan’s post-World War II constitution has never been amended, but it has been reinterpreted in light of changing needs and understandings. This includes the constitution’s unique Article 9, in which Japan forswears military action except in self-defense. Changes in Japan’s national security environment in recent years – including the rising military strength of its neighbor, China; Russia’s belligerence in Ukraine (relevant because of a longstanding territorial dispute between Japan and Russia); and developments related to the US security umbrella under the new administration – are increasing pressure on Japanese leaders to further evolve their understanding of Art. 9. A panel of three experts will discuss how Japanese politicians, policymakers, and scholars today think about Japan’s expanding security and defense cooperation with Europe while maintaining its identity as a pacifist country.
About the speakers:
Aiko Nakai is a professor of public international law at Osaka Metropolitan University. She has authored a book and numerous articles focusing on regional international law and the interactions between diverse legal systems, including, “Role of Domestic Courts in International Law: How Does International Law Explain Their Role in the Dialogue des Juges?”, in the Soochow Law Review. She earned her J.D. and LL.D. from the University of Tokyo and DES in European politics from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Masahiro Kurosaki is a professor of international law and director of the study of law, security and military operations at the National Defense Academy of Japan. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on the law of international security, the law of armed conflict, international criminal law, and Japanese security laws, which include: Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance: Pathways for Bridging Law and Policy (Columbia Law School, 2020) (co-edited with Nobuhisa Ishizuka and Matthew C. Waxman).
Julia Vassileva is a visiting scholar at Columbia University and a research fellow at Tallinn University in Estonia. She spent April-June 2024 as a visiting associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate Law School, working with Professor Aiko Nakai and researching European-Japanese security cooperation; and February 2025 as a visiting researcher at the National University of Singapore's Centre for International Law. She has published on international law and peace processes in the post-Soviet space, and broadly researches international law, security studies, international affairs, and diplomacy.