Events

Today, there is growing attention on societal impacts of the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence. While the utilization of cutting-edge AI technology offers various advantages, the development and use of "adversarial AI," or AI with malicious intent or attacks against AI, has emerged as a serious economic security risk for nations around the world.

Against this backdrop, the Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at RCAST, the University of Tokyo and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA will co-host a symposium titled "US-Japan AI Security: Adversarial AI Risks and Mitigation Strategies for Disinformation and Cyber Threats".

The symposium will feature speakers from the U.S. government in charge of developing policies to promote and regulate AI technology development, as well as researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), leading national research institutes for AI research in the United States. They will introduce cutting-edge AI technology developments in the U.S. and explore risks and opportunities these technologies will bring to our society. In particular, we will discuss how to deal with AI-enabled disinformation and cyberattacks, ideal promotion and regulatory means for the government, and the future of Japan-US cooperation on AI related issues.

Economy security has recently become a central issue of concern for governments and businesses around the world. Various governments have created new strategies, institutions, and tools to address these new challenges. However, the private sector involvement is critical in the effective implementation of these government policies.

Under these circumstances, the Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at RCAST, The University of Tokyo and Law and Geoeconomics will convene a symposium titled _State-Firm Relations and Economic Security: International Comparisons of U.S., China, EU, Australia, and South America_, with the support of Helsinki Geoeconomics Week and the Embassy of Finland.

This symposium will bring together experts on economic security from the U.S., China, EU, and South America to compare how state-firm relations differ in regions around the world, especially given the rise of economic security risks and opportunities. This will allow for the sharing of best practices as well as identifying potential areas of cooperation among countries.

The Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) will host a symposium "Economic Security: Risks, Opportunities, and International Cooperation" as part of RCAST's Open Campus.

The Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo and the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS) at Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), co-host a brown bag lunch seminar featuring Irina Novakova, the Head of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), NATO HQ, with the support of Royal Danish Embassy, Japan.

EADRCC is NATO's principal mechanism to respond to civil emergencies. Ms. Novakova will first give a speech addressing NATO's work on cooperative security, which covers cooperation with Japan and working to support partners build up their resilience and security. She'll also focus on examples from support for Ukraine, cooperation on disaster response, and support for building partners' defence capacities.

Her introductory remarks will be followed by comments from two expert panelists. Robert Dujarric (ICAS, TUJ) will give us a historical perspective, while Maya Sobchuk (RCAST, The University of Tokyo) will touch upon the issue of strategic communication and disinformation in disaster responses. Akira Igata will be the moderator, while also commenting from the angle of economic security policies. This will be followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A with the audience.

Economic security has become one of the top priority areas for policy-makers in both Japan and the United States. Furthermore, there is now a general consensus between the two countries regarding the perception of shared economic security risks as well as in areas where cooperation among allies and partners in addressing these risks would be mutually beneficial.

However, there are areas of specific policy coordination that require further discussion to promote an effective U.S.-Japan economic security cooperation. The development and protection of critical and emerging technologies is a top concern among them, where coordination and cooperation in using numerous policy tools would be effective in furthering the national interests of both countries. These include: subsidies; joint R&D; visa regulations; export controls; inbound and outbound investment screening mechanisms; and cyber security.

In order to discuss these issues, the Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at RCAST, The University of Tokyo and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA will co-host a symposium titled "Japan-U.S. Economic Security Policy Coordination: Development and Protection of Critical and Emerging Technologies" on March 4th. This symposium will feature speakers from the U.S. who have been at the forefront of practice and research in these issues in the government, legal practice, academia, think tank, and business sectors.

The relationship between Japan and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has been one of the underexplored areas in international politics. However, the threat perception and foreign policy of the CEE states are changing due to the dramatic shift in the global security environment. This change has opened up new possibilities for cooperation between Japan and CEE countries.

ESRP is proud to invite three speakers from the European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC), a Prague-based think tank and the only European think tank with a permanent presence in Taiwan. The three speakers will discuss "Economic Security," "Disinformation," and "Taiwan" from the perspective of the CEE countries. This will be followed by a moderated discussion and a Q&A with the audience.

In recent years, while AI technology has rapidly developed, there have been concerns about unauthorized learning by AI, copyright issues in AI-generated images, and the handling of personal and confidential information by AI. These concerns point to delays in addressing institutional, legal, and ethical challenges related to AI technology. The extremely unique problems of AI technology are becoming increasingly difficult to manage within the framework of a single country's systems, especially in our current society where the movement of people, goods, and information across borders is accelerating.

In this 21st century era of AI, the United Kingdom, which is intensifying its shift towards Asia and is on the verge of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and Japan, will discuss the risks associated with AI. This discussion is expected to be highly beneficial in providing insights for both countries to take leadership in forming rules regarding AI.

In an era of deepening Japan-UK relations, which could be called the 'Rebirth of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance', the Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at RCAST, The University of Tokyo, and the British Embassy Tokyo will co-host a symposium. The symposium, titled 'Standardization AI Safety: Risks, Opportunities, and International Cooperation,' will be held on February 7th, and will feature Lindy Cameron CB OBE, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, as a keynote speaker.

The Japan-ROK relationship is on the brink of a new era. Both nations can significantly contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the creation of a sustainable society by deepening multifaceted cooperation.

In this context, to deepen exchanges between Japan and South Korea and explore common issues and solutions, the Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) and the Initiative for Global Security and Energy Transition at RCAST, The University of Tokyo welcomes the faculty members from the Economic Security Cluster at the Institute for Future Strategy (IFS), Seoul National University, to co-host an in-person public symposium titled "Japan-ROK Economic Security Symposium: Semiconductor, AI, and Sustainable Technologies" from 15:00-17:00 on January 30.

【ROK's economic Security Policies】
- Jong Hee Park (Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Seoul National University)

【Semiconductors and AI Cooperation】
- Seok Joon Kwon (Assistant Professor, School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University)

【Carbon Neutral Technology and Climate Change】
- Ki Tae Nam (Professor, Material Science and Engineering, Seoul National University)

【Japan's Economic Security Policies, Semiconductors, and AI】
- Akira Igata (Director of ESRP / Project Lecturer, RCAST, The University of Tokyo)

【LCA of Sustainable Technology】
- Eri Amasawa (Project Associate Professor, RCAST, RE-Global, The University of Tokyo)

【Biotech and Food Production】
- Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi (Visiting Researcher, RCAST, The University of Tokyo / President, Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA))

The world is facing upheaval due to global challenges, including China's military build-up, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, Middle East tensions, and North Korea's nuclear program.

Japan, along with Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand, participated in NATO's summit, highlighting close cooperation between NATO and the Indo Pacific. The Individually Tailored Partnership Programme for 2023-2026 strengthens collaboration between NATO and Japan to promote international peace, stability, and the rules-based international order. This partnership focuses on addressing security challenges like economic security, cyber-attacks, emerging technologies, and building resilient societies to protect populations and territories.

The Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement was entered into in 2019 to enhance our economic cooperation as a model of economic order in the 21st century based on free and fair rule. We also launched a strategic dialogue on security issues and laid the groundwork for closer cooperation in the areas of economic security, in particular on emerging technologies, supply chain diversification and anti-coercion measures.

Against this backdrop, Japan-EU-NATO Symposium 2023 will take place on 11/13, co-hosted by NATO, EU, Royal Danish Embassy and Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST). In this event, we will discuss issues related to Economic Security, Cognitive Warfare, and partnership between Japan and NATO.

The Economic Security Research Program (ESRP) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo hosted a symposium titled “Understanding Disinformation and Transnational Repression: Case Studies of Ukraine, Uyghurs and Hong Kong” on 27 October 2023.

The symposium featured the Government Relations Manager at The Uyghur Human Rights Project, Julie Millsap; Research Fellow at Watson Foundation Maya Sobchuk; Visiting Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Athena Tong; and the Campaign Director at Safeguard Defenders, Laura Harth.

After a welcome speech by Masakazu Sugiyama, the Director of RCAST, Adam Gallagher from the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs section gave some remarks, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, especially in the face of mutual threats such as that of disinformation.

Following case studies and analysis presented by the speakers, a Q&A session was moderated by Akira Igata, Project Lecturer from the University of Tokyo. Discussions spanned from the role of states and social media platforms in combatting disinformation, to more contextual questions on Russia and China.

Our program stands dedicated to pioneering policy research in economic security, which includes combating foreign information manipulation and interference. Our mission is to fuse the swiftly advancing domains of science and technology with the ever-changing landscape of global politics, vital in shaping a more progressive society.