The 5th AJI Interdisciplinary Seminar: “Understanding Regionalism and Japan from the Perspective of International Politics: Asian Regionalism as a Legacy of Pan-Asianism”
The 5th AJI Interdisciplinary Seminar was held online on September 22, 2020. The Asia-Japan Research Institute invited Associate Professor Toru OGA (Faculty of Law, Kyushu University), who gave a stimulating presentation under the title “Understanding Regionalism and Japan from the Perspective of International Politics: Asian Regionalism as a Legacy of Pan-Asianism”. He examined the relationship between Pan-Asianism in Japan before World War II and Asian regionalism in postwar Japan, and the issue of how to balance Japan’s relationships with the U.S. in the history of diplomacy in Japan, giving precise explanations about the concept of regionalism in the study of international politics. Throughout his presentation, he showed his unique and detailed approach to the history of regionalism that combined an analysis of discourses and visions of past Japanese politicians within a theoretical framework of the study of international politics. In the Q&A session, participants from a variety of research backgrounds could exchange their views in an active discussion with Associate Professor OGA in terms of the study of international regimes, and regional studies of Asian countries.
