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.

The international legal order is fragmenting into multiple “geo-legal orders,” in which the interpretation and operation of international law will increasingly depend on the spheres of influence of leading states and political groupings. This raises a basic question: how will a multipolar international order work? What normative constructions will emerge to bind the new geo-legal orders together? Dr. Malcolm Jorgensen, a senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, will share his current research in progress.