2015/02/28

East-West Center Event: The Ukraine Crisis and Japan's Russia Challenge (9 March 2015 in DC)

I will be speaking on the impact of the Ukraine crisis on Japan at East-West Center in DC on 9 March 2015. It is open to the public and see below for details.


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Where: 1819 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, Sixth Floor Conference Room
When: Monday, March 9, 2015 - 12:30 until Monday, March 9, 2015 - 13:30
What:
The Ukraine Crisis and Japan’s Russia Challenge
An Asia Pacific Foreign Policy and Defense Seminar featuring:
Dr. Michito Tsuruoka 
Senior Research Fellow
National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Japan
Japanese President Shinzo Abe and Russian President Valdimir Putin have enjoyed a relatively cordial relationship despite Japan and Russia's historical territorial disputes.
The crisis in Ukraine – Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its intervention in Eastern Ukraine – has had global implications. Resisting any attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion used to be a challenge mainly in East Asia. However, in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, Europe and Japan (and Asia as a whole) are now facing in common the same challenge. Still, the question of how to manage the relationship with Russia remains tricky for Tokyo, particularly in the context of the territorial dispute and peace treaty negotiations between the two countries and the rise of China. The Shinzo Abe government invested a lot in cultivating relations with Moscow – or with Putin personally. It is, therefore, not surprising that Japan has often been seen as among the most reluctant of G7 members along with Germany regarding economic sanctions on Russia, while firmly committed to the process of G7 coordination. Japan, in short, faces its own Russia challenge in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
Dr. Michito Tsuruoka will discuss what considerations and calculations have been at work behind Japan’s response to the crisis in Ukraine. It is much more than just about the bilateral relationship between Japan and Russia. He will also examine (alleged) extended deterrence implications as well as concerns about “hybrid warfare.”
Monday, March 9
12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.
A light luncheon will be served.
This event will be off-the-record.
To RSVP, please click here: www.eastwestcenter.org/Zk4 
Kindly send your reply by March 6.
East-West Center in Washington
1819 L St, NW, Washington, DC. Sixth Floor Conference Room
This event is free and open to the public.