Welcome to the March Issue of the SPF English Newsletter, a monthly round-up of English information about news, events, and research from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).

1. Studying the future to disturb the present: SPF expert workshop and interview highlight strategic outlooks
    to inform policymaking
2. Assessing the Japan-U.S. security alliance in the face of evolving challenges in the Indo-Pacific region
3. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Research and Education Seyed Sajjadpour at SPF
4. The legacy of nuclear war and the power of reconciliation: Iranian student delegation travels to Hiroshima
5. "Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers No. 23" now available
6. New English articles from the SPF China Observer (#12-13)

1. Studying the future to disturb the present: SPF expert workshop and interview highlight strategic
    outlooks to inform policymaking

The Futures Team at the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC), a think tank in the UK Ministry of Defence, aims to inspire creative policymaking by producing strategic outlooks illustrating challenges that may develop decades in the future. To highlight this analytic technique, SPF organized an expert workshop and Senior Research Fellow Ippeita Nishida spoke with the Head of Futures and Strategic Analysis about DCDC's work and the potential future challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Event article>>
SPF Now interview>>

2. Assessing the Japan-U.S. security alliance in the face of evolving challenges in the Indo-Pacific region

SPF in collaboration with Stanford University welcomed a panel of nearly 70 current and former government and military officials, scholars, and security experts to Tokyo for the Japan-U.S. Security and Defense Dialogue Series, an annual workshop that seeks to cut through the official government rhetoric and engage on a practical level with the complex challenges facing the Japan-U.S. security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.

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3. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Research and Education Seyed Sajjadpour at SPF

During a recent visit to Japan, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Research and Education Seyed Sajjadpour came to SPF to reflect on the 90th anniversary of Japan-Iran relations, outline his vision for Iranian foreign policy, and respond to U.S. sanctions in a speech and interview organized by the Middle East and Islam Program Department.

Event article>>
SPF Now interview>>

4. The legacy of nuclear war and the power of reconciliation: Iranian student delegation travels to Hiroshima

The Middle East and Islam Program Department recently welcomed eight Iranian students to Japan as part of an annual exchange trip organized by SPF and the School of International Relations (SIR), an institute affiliated with Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Learn more about the delegation's visit to Hiroshima, where they discussed not only the destructive force of nuclear weapons but also the power of reconstruction and reconciliation.

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5. "Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers No. 23" now available

SPF’s Ocean Policy Research Institute has published the "Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers No. 23," a collection of English articles presenting insights on the maritime policy debate in Japan to help foster a global policy dialogue on pressing ocean issues.

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6. New English articles from the SPF China Observer (#12-13)

The SPF China Observer publishes new research and analysis about contemporary Chinese politics, economics, and society to give readers a better understanding of the domestic context for China's foreign diplomacy and security policy. Two recently published articles are available at the links below:

"Discussions in China Regarding Xi Jinping's Major Power Diplomacy" >>
"Current Status of the Chinese Economy —December 2018—" >>