WIN-WIN! with ODA-man: legitimizing development assistance policy in Japan

Official development assistance (ODA) constitutes one of Japan’s most important foreign policy instruments as it builds Japan’s global network and supports allies in the Southeast Asian region and beyond. In the context of a rising China and an increasingly severe fiscal and demographic situation at...

Japan and Arctic Security

This chapter focuses on what Arctic security means to Japan and how Japan handles the security dimension in its three-spoke approach to the Arctic, involving economic, political, and scientific factors. The chapter begins by addressing the changing understandings of what Arctic security entails. What...

Østasiatiske giganter i handelskrig

Why would Japan and South Korea risk large economic losses and weakening security relations in such a precarious time?

The identity politics driving the Japan–South Korea trade war

Why and how are identity politics a key driver in the Japan-South Korea trade war?

Addressing Butterfly Questions: The Planet, Plastic Pollution and Policy Pathways at Japan's G20

In its fifth year, the 2019 G20 Interfaith Forumgathered outside of Tokyo to discuss an ambitious agenda organized under the triple-P thematic of Peace, People and Planet: Pathways Forward. While each of these broad themes guided discussions both in panels and...

Election 2019: Empowering women, without women?

Japan’s government has put women’s empowerment high on its agenda – but women remain poorly represented in politics, and that shows few signs of changing, writes Wrenn Yennie Lindgren in this op-ed.

Derfor skal vi bry oss om G20-toppmøtet i Japan

(Available in Norwegian only): Utfordringene knyttet til frihandel og markedstilgang er svært viktige for Norge. Det vil de fortsette å være når G20 forflytter seg til Riyadh i 2020, skriver Wrenn Yennie Lindgren i denne kronikken.

The G20 Comes to Japan: Making Sense of the Osaka Agenda

How do the outcomes of the G-20’s eight engagement groups factor into this year’s Osaka Summit?

Mind the Gap: National Views of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Japan has played an intrinsic role in formulating and promoting the concept of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) by making its version a core element of its foreign policy repertoire as it continues to strengthen and expand its presence beyond its immediate neighborhood. This chapter discusses the...

The Relationship Between Narratives and Security Practices: Pushing the Boundaries of Military Instruments in Japan

Japanese security policy has undergone significant changes lately. Japanese policymakers have recently argued over advancing Japan’s Self-Defense Forces with new weapon systems. In particular, the Abe government has decided to pur- chase long-range cruise missiles for its new F-35A jetfighters, and to...

Improving Future Ocean Governance – Governance of Global Goods in an Age of Global Shifts

Japan’s G20 presidency in 2019 will take the lead in promoting environmentally sustainable economic growth and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a gathering of coastal states, under Japan’s presidency the G20 will specifically work to reduce marine plastic pollution and support marine biodiversity....

Derfor dominerer Abe japansk politikk

(Op-ed available in Norwegian only): Shinzō Abe har nok en gang vunnet det interne presidentvalget i sitt parti. Hvordan ble Abe den mest dominerende statsministeren i Japans historie

Haukene tar over i Japan

(Norwegian only): Kina er i full fart mot supermaktstatus. Hva skjer så i Japan?

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson: Kinship as a legitimating force in Japan’s International Relations

This chapter discusses the entrenched trend of hereditary politicians in Japanese politics and how kinship is used as a legitimating force in Japan’s international relations. It illuminates how one Japanese leader has invoked his kinship to both legitimate and promote Japan’s history and foreign policy...

New Dynamics in Japan-Russia Energy Relations 2011-2017

Since the triple disaster in Japan in 2011, the energy dimension of Japan-Russia relations in the Russian Far East (RFE) has developed at a more rapid pace. The integration of the energy markets of the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, Japan, and major energy exporter, Russia, has paralleled...

Japan and Norway: Elevated Economic, Geopolitical and Gender Equality Cooperation on the Horizon

Op-ed: Bilateral ties between Tokyo and Oslo are set to converge, with multiple areas for cooperation.

The Duty of Care for Citizens Abroad: Security and Responsibility in the In Amenas and Fukushima Crises

This article analyses the state’s duty of care (DoC) for citizens who fall victim to unforeseen catastrophic or violent events abroad. The DoC highlights the challenges, dynamics and relations involved in diplomatic practice that is aimed at protecting citizens outside of state borders and where traditional...

China and Nordic Diplomacy

This book seeks to explore Nordic approaches to China and the idea of sub-regional diplomacy. China’s multi-tiered approach to Europe can be seen vividly in the Nordic sub-region, which has been engaging Beijing through a variety of different means corresponding to the political and economic structures...