News

Professor Tiberghien’s Insights on Canada’s Strategic Diplomacy in Northeast Asia Featured on Asia Pacific Foundation

Professor Yves Tiberghien’s insights on Canada’s Strategic Diplomacy in Northeast Asia were published in Asia Pacific Foundation last week. In this think piece, Tiberghien analyzes Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly’s recent visits to South Korea, Japan, and China, highlighting the strategic importance of these engagements. The visit to South Korea prioritized the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on security, green technology, cultural exchanges, and pandemic management, though no new major initiatives were announced. Tiberghien suggests enhancing Canada-South Korea cooperation on economic security and a joint security initiative. The Japan visit, crucial given Japan’s role as a key ally, covered topics like the Canada-Japan Joint Action Plan, Indo-Pacific security, and secure electric vehicle supply chains. Tiberghien recommends high-profile projects to bolster the Canada-Japan relationship and address regional security issues amidst global uncertainties.

Please read the article HERE.

Professor Yves Tiberghien’s Insights Featured in Business Deck

Professor Yves Tiberghien’s insights were published in BusinessDesk, where he analyzed the complex geopolitical dynamics facing New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Tiberghien emphasized that it would be “suicidal” for New Zealand to decouple from China too quickly. He attributed the worsening global situation to the inevitable tension between rising and existing powers, predicting that the coming decades will likely be dominated by the United States, China, and potentially India. Despite the deteriorating global security environment, Tiberghien stressed the need for increased defence spending coupled with smart diplomacy to avoid conflict. He pointed out the political challenges democracies face in ramping up military expenditures and the importance of maintaining economic and institutional linkages. Drawing from his experience in Taiwan, Tiberghien underscored the necessity for countries like New Zealand to build up their defense capabilities and engage strategically with alliances like AUKUS, while also advocating for robust diplomatic efforts to mitigate the risks of global confrontation.

Please read the article HERE.

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New Publication by Professor Yves Tiberghien!

CJR is excited to announce Professor Yves Tiberghien’s latest article, published in the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Title: “Geopolitics is Accelerating in the Indo-Pacific: Seven Key Trends and Three Hot Spots”

This piece was based upon remarks given by Professor Yves Tiberghien at an event co-hosted by APF Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy’s Maritime Forces Pacific on June 27, 2024, titled “Canada’s Contribution to Peace and Security in the North Pacific.” Professor Tiberghien was based at the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science (at National Tsinghua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan) as Visiting Scholar from September 2023 to June 2024, where he engaged in a wide range of discussions in the region, including about peace and security issues.

Please read the article HERE.

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New Co-Authored Article by Dr. Yves Tiberghien

CJR is excited to announce Professor Yves Tiberghien‘s latest co-authored publication with the former Managing Director of the World Bank, Bertrand Badré.

Title: “The Global Economy is More Vulnerable Than It Seems”

In this article, Badré and Tiberghien analyze the current paradox in the global economy, where thriving markets contrast with warnings of economic fragmentation from international institutions.

The article has been published in multiple media outlets, including, Project Syndicate, Japan Times, Manila Times,which can be read at each respective hyperlink. 

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EAF Article by Mei Terasawa and Dr. Yves Tiberghien!

We are excited to share the latest publication from our research assistant, Mei Terasawa, and the CJR director, Yves Tiberghien. The article sheds light on the geo-economics of electric vehicle markets in East Asia.

Title: “Asia Ground Zero in the Revolution of Electric Vehicle Markets”

In the article, the authors examine the regional competition in electric vehicle (EV) production and sales in East Asia. They highlight the dominance of China and the emerging economies’ strategic use of their late-developer status in the EV market through massive investments and broader fiscal policy.

Click HERE to read the full article.

 

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New Article by CJR Research Fellow Uno Kakegawa!

We are excited to share the latest insights from our research fellow, Uno Kakegawa, whose recent article sheds light on the Japanese government’s policy regarding the Garden City Nation Project.

Title: “Tokyo residents require more motivation to relocate”

In the article, Uno examines the impact of the government’s policy, offering 1 million yen per child to families relocating from greater Tokyo to rural areas. The research reveals that despite the government’s noble intentions, the initiative has encountered challenges and has yet to yield a significant impact on population trends.

Please click here for the full article.

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The Osaka University Delegation Visit to the University of British Columbia

On January 30, 2024, the Centre for Japanese Research welcomed a distinguished delegation from Osaka University, led by Prof. Beverly Anne Yamamoto, Executive Vice President for International Affairs (Education). The primary objective of this visit is to explore potential collaboration opportunities between Osaka University and CJR. The delegation was keen on fostering academic ties and discussing the prospect of sending students for research opportunities. This presents an exciting chance to strengthen international partnerships and enrich the academic environment at both institutions.

 

Distinguished Delegation:

• Prof. Beverly Anne Yamamoto, Executive Vice President for International Affairs (Education)
• Prof. Robert Scott North, Regional Director for North American Center for Academic Initiatives
• Assoc. Prof. Clement Angkawidjaja, Center for Global Initiatives

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Japan’s Role in Indo-Pacific Security

Thank you to those who attended the seminar talk “Japan’s Role in Indo-Pacific Security” on November 2nd at the Place of Many Trees, UBC. We are delighted to share the incredible news of the resounding success of our recent event, where a total of 120 people gathered to make it an unforgettable experience. The event was marked by the notable presence and valuable contributions of the Consul Generals, creating a dynamic atmosphere filled with engaging interactions among students and researchers. Please find the press report of the event here (Japanese).

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Ricky Chen: Recipient of The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies Scholarship

The Center for Japanese Research would like to congratulate CJR Research Fellow Ruikun (Ricky) Chen for his acceptance and scholarship funding to the 10 month Inter-University Center for Japanese Language program. Ricky will be studying Japanese intensively in Yokohama from September 2023 to June 2024 and will receive a living stipend scholarship to cover his expenses during his time in Japan.

Read more about The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language program here.

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Abena Somiah: Recipient of the The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies and the IAR Research Travel Grant

The Center for Japanese Research would like to congratulate CJR Research Fellow Abena Somiah for being awarded The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies and the IAR Research Travel Grant.

The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies was developed to encourage Masters students from countries classified by the UN as the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the international community. The IAR Research Travel Grant is awarded to exceptional graduate students to support their pursuit of research and knowledge about the diverse issues related to Asia. The CJR would like to congratulate Abena for her achievements and wish her the best of luck in her research in Tokyo throughout the summer.

Read more about The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies here and the IAR Research Travel Grant here.

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UBC History Graduate Students Receive Support from the Japanese Canadian Students of 1942 Fund to Further Nikkei Research

Congratulations to CJR Research Fellows Nicole Yakashiro and Bailey Irene Midori Hoy on receiving The Japanese Canadian Students of 1942 Fund to further their research and expand the field of Japanese and Asian Canadian history with new perspectives on the past.

Nicole has previously written on the dispossession of Japanese Canadians in Vancouver’s Powell Street neighbourhood, and in Bradner, BC, once the “daffodil capital” of Canada. Building on this foundation, Nicole continues to examine the history of Japanese Canadian property possession and dispossession in the context of settler colonialism. Going into the fifth year of her PhD, Nicole looks forward to being able to tell more histories with the financial support from the 1942 Fund donors, many of whom belong to Asian Canadian communities.

For Bailey, receiving the 1942 Fund is made even more meaningful by familial ties. Bailey’s great-uncle Fred Yoshihide Sasaki, one of the honorary degree recipients, was a Commerce student at UBC before internment derailed his life in 1942. Hoy’s current research is about the relationships that Canadian Nikkei had with the kimono in the 1940s, and expands on her previous work on beauty pageants in internment camps and the kimono in the lives of Japanese Canadian women. Thanks to the 1942 Fund, she will be able to travel to and conduct research on several internment camp sites in the BC interior this summer.

Please read more about the award HERE.

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Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC) 2023 Call for Papers

The Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC) will be hosting their 2023 annual conference at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon from September 28th to October 1st, 2023. JSAC is currently open to accepting papers and panels for their conference, based on the theme of “Japan in Perilous Times”. Please send your name, the title of your paper or panel and an abstract (max 250 words) to political.studies@usask.ca by July 15, 2023. Please include the words JSAC Panel or JSAC Paper in the subject line.

 

The conference will also feature keynote speakers Dr. Masayuki Tadokoro, formerly of Keio University now at International University of Japan, on Japan’s place in the world with the provocative title “Is Japan still relevant today?”; Dr. Mokottunas Kitahara of the Centre for Ainu and Indigenous Studies at Hokkaido University will speak (via Zoom) on the beliefs and myths of the Ainu people; and Dr. Seung Hyok Lee of Tohoku Gakuin University will discuss Japan’s relations with North Korea.

 

Read more about the conference HERE.

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Japan to pay Tokyo families to move out of the city

Starting this month, the Japanese government is offering a new incentive to get families in densely populated Tokyo to move out to less populated areas: 1 million yen — about $7,600 — per child. The World’s Bianca Hillier speaks with people in one countryside village who say they could use the population boost. Professor Yves Tiberghien also provides insights to the population trends in Japan, citing how villages in Japan have been depopulating since the 1960s and that this was in part due to young people moving to the city for better paying jobs.

Please listen to the article HERE.

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Press Conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan

On February 24, CJR Assistant, Uno Kakegawa, was invited by CJR Senior Fellow, Andrew Horvat, to attend a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ) in Tokyo. The press conference was attended by Sergey Korsunsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and Haitze Siemes, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the European Union to Japan. Held on the first anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, the conference discussed how the Russia – Ukraine conflict is evolving and the stakes for Japan and its partners.

The recording of the press conference can be found here and students, academics and faculty are able to access live streaming and recordings of past and future press conferences on the FCCJ YouTube Channel.

The CJR is thankful for the wonderful opportunities for students both within Canada, Japan and beyond.

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Lunch with Ambassador Yamanouchi!