While Russia and Japan have bilateral issues that have been left unresolved, one has to look into the bilateral ties over the long run in the changing international situation. However, there is a scarcity of Japanese experts on Russia and Russian experts on Japan or Asia in each country. In recognition of the need for specialists who understand both Japan and Russia within the context of the multilateral relations of Asia, the Sasakawa Pan Asia Fund aims to foster the development of young scholars who will engage in policy-oriented research on relations between Russia and Japan as well as Russia and the rest of Asia. The Fund has therefore supported activities intended to encourage young Japanese researchers to interact with overseas experts, which is expected to contribute to the expansion of their research capabilities.
Under the three-year project launched in October 2004, a thirteen-member research team comprised of five well-established Russian studies specialists and eight young researchers was formed in Japan under the leadership of Hiroshi Kimura, Professor Emeritus at Hokkaido University and then-Professor at the Institute of World Studies, Takushoku University. The research team met at seminars and monthly research meetings, to which lecturers from Russia, China, and the US were invited, and discussed the international relations of contemporary Russia in the English language. To increase their experience in international venues, the young scholars were given opportunities to conduct field trips and to present research findings at international conferences. For example, some researchers participated in the World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies held in Berlin on July 2005.
This year, young researchers participated in the Hokkaido Conference for North Pacific Issues, entitled "Issues of Framework Building for Regional Cooperation in the North Pacific: Focusing on the Relationship between Russia and Nations in Asia" (held October 18-,19 2006 in Sapporo). There they discussed issues with 15 foreign experts including Clifford Gaddy, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Center at the Brookings Institution, Professor Sergei Chugrov of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and other experts from China and South Korea. Two young researchers were also sent to an international workshop held at King's College London, University of London (February 26, 2007) to discuss European and Asian perspectives on Russia under the Putin Administration. A collection of papers by the members of the research team entitled Ajia ni sekkin suru roshia (Japanese version) was published by Hokkaido University Press, and an English version, Russia's Shift Toward Asia, was published online in an on-demand format.
Given the global slowdown in Russian studies, many overseas experts who have cooperated in this project recognize the value of fostering young researchers who can analyze Russia from a long-term perspective and within the greater context of international relations. The network of domestic and international experts developed over the course of this project is expected to serve as an important resource for the future progress of the activities of young Japanese researchers.