ESRP, RCAST, The University of Tokyo co-hosted a symposium titled "Japan-Sweden relationship in a shitting era: Exploring common interests and opportunities following the 2024 elections" with the Swedish National China Centre (NKK) at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), and the Embassy of Sweden, Tokyo (22/11/2024).
Akira Igata, Director of ESRP, H.E.Viktoria Li, Sweden Ambassador to Japan, Björn Jerdén from NKK, and Åsa Malmström Rognes from UI (from the left of the picture above) gave opening remarks.
The first session was titled "The 2024 elections, the Russia-China nexus and their implications for Japan and Europe." Björn Jerdén from NKK, Yee Kuang Heng from GraSPP, The University of Tokyo, and Ryo Nakai from RCAST, The University of Tokyo (from the left of the picture above) took the stage. In the session, Professor Yee served as the moderator. Dr. Jerdén expressed concerns about the impact of the reinforcment of China-Russia relationship and the establishment of the Trump administration on the state of affairs in Europe. Professor Nakai explained the impact of the election results in Lithuania, Japan, and others on international politics.
The second session was titled "Responses to a rising China: Security implications for the Indo-Pacific." Victor Ferguson from RCAST, The University of Tokyo, Lisa Zhang from NKK, and Antoine Roth from Faculty of Law, Tohoku University took the stage. In this session, Victor Ferguson served as the moderator. Dr. Roth expressed the opinion that the rise of China should be analyzed from the point of view of both geopolitics and economy. Dr. Zhang analyzed Swedish policy and explained that the concern about Indo-Pacific region is rising in Sweden.
The third session was titled "Comparing de-risking approaches between Europe and Japan." Åsa Malmström Rognes from UI, Hillevi Parup from NKK, and Akira Igata, Director of ESRP took the stage. In this session, Dr. Rognes served as a moderator. Ms. Parup explained de-risiking in the European countries including Sweden. Prof. Igata explained economic seccurity and de-risiking in Japan. He also expressed the opinion that Japan and Sweden need to collaborate in government sectors and private sectors.
Amidst the rising threat from China and Russia, this symposium, where experts discussed the possibility of cooperation between Japan and Sweden, has been meaningful for the future of Japan-Sweden bilateral relations.
