Invitation to
"Toward Networking with World’s Border Studies:
Japan's Borders in Global Perspective"by The Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation has been supporting the project “Establishment of Japan’s Network on International Border Studies” promoted by the Slavic Research Center at the Hokkaido University as part of our project “Efforts to Ensure Peace and Security in the International Community”. This project is an effort toward establishing a forum for discussions among practitioners as well as academics regarding the policy challenges of Japan’s border (or borderland) communities and to network with the international community of border studies. While much of the media’s attention has focused only on sensational territorial issues such as the Senkaku Islands and the Northern Territories, we take a rather different approach to the matter by building and elaborating on previous discussions and works by international border studies experts while dealing with specific topics and themes that face practitioners and academics in Japan’s border regions. Through such relentless and persistent efforts, we hope to search for a breakthrough and/or new perspectives on relations with our neighboring countries as well as Japan’s national security.

The Hokkaido University Global COE Program “Reshaping Japan’s Border Studies” together with the Japan Society for Island Studies, City of Tsushima, and Kyushu Association for Economic Cooperation co-hosted the “Borderlands Forum in Tsushima Island” on November 12-14, and representatives from 14 local governments including Busan City of Korea came together to present and discuss the challenges that face each local community, such as those that stem from territorial issues, friction in promoting economic or social exchanges with one’s neighboring countries, as well as issues of marine debris.

The aim of this seminar is to reconsider the policies of the local governments through the recapitulation of the achievements at the Tsushima Forum together with some international case studies for the establishment of the border studies network in Japan. The seminar is open to public and everyone is most welcome.

• Admission:
  Admission is free. Booking is required.
  Please register by noon on Monday, December 6th through this page.
  Please note that the venue has limited number of seats. If many register seats will be allocated on a first come-first served basis. Also, please be informed that the personal information provided at the time of registration will be used to announce seminars, and events organized or supported by our foundation.
• Contact:
  Maho Sato, Maki Suzuki (Phone: 03-6229-5443)